Ep. 09: Star Trek / Eastwood Fest Part 1 - Unforgiven / Changeling
Evan and Josh look into J.J. Abrams’ latest enterprise, Star Trek, and see what Clint Eastwood has to say in Part One of their Eastwood Fest with reviews of Unforgiven and Changeling.
Music: John Frusciante, “The Past Recedes”
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One thing that I whole-heartedly agreed with you guys with is the drill scene. I thought that was actually the best part of the movie and when I was watching it I was thinking about how pleasantly surprised I was with this movie. Unfortunately, I felt the film went on too long and didn’t keep up that level of excitement.
I think it’s funny how you guys disliked Old Spock and Chekhov’s characters for essentially the same reason - they were both played too similarly to the way they were in the original series. Given that Abrams was trying to draw in a new crowd with this, I could see feeling that he should have done more to cast aside the references to previous renditions of the characters - but I personally liked the nudges back to the old days, especially with McCoy, who I thought was the best character in the movie and possibly the most accurate adaptation of any of the characters from the original series.
The performance I wasn’t a big fan of was actually that of the new Spock. In the original Star Trek I find Spock to be a very likeable character, whereas in this movie he seemed like kind of a prick and frankly…a little too emotive, given how restrained he’s supposed to be.
The biggest problem I had with the movie, though, from a personal stand-point is that…well…that the movie succeeded in doing exactly what it had set out to accomplish - be an action-packed rendition of Star Trek that would appeal to the general public. One of the things that’s great about the Star Trek franchise is the social commentary it provides. This movie seemed to me like just an adventure. And since this was its goal, I don’t fault the movie for it, I just don’t think it appeals to ME as much as it could have.
Marie Freed said this on May 19th, 2009 at 6:15 am
Josh, why don’t you like action movies? Also, unrelated to that, what did you see in Barcelona when you were there? I was there last weekend and loved seeing all of Gaudi’s architecture.
Katie said this on May 19th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
One of my biggest gripes with Star Trek was James Kirk. What an annoying d-bag. Obviously they were going for the prototypical alpha male character; women fawn over him, men want to be him, his “aptitude tests are off the charts.” There are ways to do this character with at least a semblance of depth, and without making him an annoying fratboy. Two examples that come to mind are Mel Gibson’s William Wallace and Christian Bale’s Batman.
All around, I found the movie to have frustratingly little depth. Isn’t Star Trek supposed to be a thinking man’s series? //mild-spoiler alert// Take elderly-Spock’s advice to Kirk for instance, where he tells him the path to the Captain’s chair. When he gave that advice, I thought, “Oh ok, here is the outline for the next 30-minutes of plot; Kirk’s road to the captain chair via subterfuge and careful psychological navigation.” Then they flash back to the ship and Kirk says “Spock, ain’t you pissed that your ma’s dead?” Problem solved, point-A to point-B, all nuance removed.
I’ll put it out there: I’m looking forward to Transformers 2 more than Star Trek. At least I won’t be expecting more than a popcorn fest.
ryan w said this on May 19th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Hi Katie,
to answer your questions: action movies simply don’t give me enough to think about. I forgot that you are in Spain! I lived right near La Sagrada Familia, saw the Picasso Museum, Gaudi’s Parc Guell, and the Dali Museum in Figueras, to name a few. Enjoy your time there; I am green with envy! - Josh
pdxfilmcast said this on May 20th, 2009 at 2:37 pm
PS. We will be responding to the brilliant, articulate comments above on this Saturday’s show, so tune in! - Josh
pdxfilmcast said this on May 20th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Josh, aren’t the purpose of action movies mostly for entertainment anyway? Were you studying abroad in Barcelona?
I was disappointed with Changeling. I thought it was confusing (which could have been because I watched it badly dubbed in Spanish), and definitely agree that the climax was too early in the film. I also thought the ending was pretty weak and it seemed to drag on a lot. Compared to the other Eastwood movies I’ve seen (million dollar baby and Gran torino), I was unimpressed. However, after finding out from you guys that it was based on a true story, it did make me more interested in researching Christine Collin’s case, so I guess one good thing came out of watching it.
Katie said this on May 21st, 2009 at 8:48 am
I finally remembered where I thought the movie climaxed; it was after Christine Collins got released from the mental hospital. That scene contained more triumph than anything that followed. Did you guys know the writer, J. Michael Straczynski, used to write comic books and Babylon 5?
Evan said this on May 21st, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Katie,
I wouldn’t say the purpose of action films is solely to entertain. Look at The Dark Knight, for example; there’s a lot to be culled from that film in terms of ethics, etc. It’s a thrilling action film, but it also gives the viewer a lot to ponder.
So I should adjust my statement to say that MOST action films don’t give me a lot to think about.
Yep, I was in a Spanish immersion program in Barcelona.
PS. Be prepared to hear your comments on-air again.
pdxfilmcast said this on May 21st, 2009 at 12:43 pm
I felt the opening scene and the drill scene took away from any type of big finale the movie might have had. Watching a hero die was more emotional than a villain who “recognizes the protagonist from files”. Although, I did role my eyes at Sulu’s ninja skills on the drill. Hated the scene on the ice planet and the monsters. We’ve seen that trick in Star Wars.
Mark said this on May 21st, 2009 at 4:19 pm
Noo..well can you guys at least use a fake girl voice to make it less weird to hear my words coming out of someone else’s mouth? Evan-yeah I read that, but it didn’t mean anything b/c I’ve never seen Babylon 5. Was it good?
Katie said this on May 21st, 2009 at 4:55 pm