Leonard Nimoy, Spock, and Prospering

The Vulcan and The Art of Living Long

Leonard Nimoy passed away today. I tweeted him yesterday, hoping that he'd read my careful request that he "LLAP" (Live Long and Prosper), and at that moment I felt a pang of worry. What would Bill Shatner feel if Nimoy were to pass before him? I didn't think of myself. I'm not a close friend. I didn't spend much of my adult life with him. I know that he helped shape who I am today, but that doesn't give me reason to grieve. For Bill, however, it will be a terrible blow. 

Courtesy of fanpop.com

We Trekkies and Trekkers were informed that "Len" had gone to hospital with chest pains a few days ago, that it might be COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), but look - today's medicine - they can usually perform an amazing operation, bypass everything, and whoosh, you're home in a week or two. That is, if you haven't had it for a terribly long time. A "little bird" told me that Len had been suffering from COPD for years, but didn't want to alarm anyone. How just like Len to do that!

Courtesy of Sitcomsonline.com

Spock (or, let's be formal) Mr. Spock meant so much to the world of Star Trek that Star Trek couldn't have been Star Trek without him. It's true. Spock was an invention of the minds of Gene Roddenberry, Leonard Nimoy and a horde of writers who objected when Len said, "I really don't think Spock would do that." Yes, there were times when he had to march into Roddenberry's office and practically threaten to leave. Yes, there were times when his agent had to negotiate for him. 

Most of the time, though, Len learned how to give and take, and when to take what was his due. In this way he shaped and honed Spock into the beloved character that we all know so well. 

I won't go into the details of Leonard's life - if you search on the web you can find a wonderful sort of autobiographical tour of the area of Boston when he grew up, went to school, and got his first real break. It made me want to go there right away. But his struggle to gain notoriety, to become a respected actor - this took him decades to achieve.

Source: Tumbler.com

From "Kid Monk Baroni" to "Star Trek: Into Darkness", every part that he played, he played with an intensity that I've rarely seen in actors. He wanted to be the characters he portrayed, and he did so in a method manner. It's been said that there were days on the Star Trek set when he refused to break character, even going home and staying in that Spock frame of mind. And then there was the alcohol, the break from it, sobering up, and finding himself again as an art photographer, director, and producer. All this time he was doing conventions, speaking engagements, anything he could to build up his portfolio. He provided for his family, gave to charitable causes, and fought for women's rights. 

How could we not love him? 

What's left is a society without our "elder" Spock. I find myself grateful that Zac Quinto was brave enough to take on Spock, for now we have a youthful Spock who will continue to enthrall us, and one who had acted with and had fun with Spock the Elder. Spock the Elder approved of him. That's all we really need to know.

What would Spock say? Probably something like "Do not sorrow. Do not feel regret. I understand grief is a part of human psychology, but Mr. Nimoy would probably prefer that you continue to work and struggle and reach for your aspirations rather than holding vigils. Mr. Nimoy lived a long and prosperous life. What more could he have wanted? He would wish the same for you." 

A Theory of Everything, The Movie: Hollywood-ized

I've Seen This Movie, Only Better, Before 

I looked for "The Theory of Everything (2014)" after learning that Eddie Redmayne had won the best actor at the Academy Awards. I stumbled over the movie weeks ago while looking for something to watch, but failed to allow myself to be absorbed because I'd already seen this story told in a better and more sensitive way. I was spoiled by a better version. 

Last year the Benedict Cumberbatch craze was in full-force, delivering innumerable YouTube videos of his previous work, including "Hawking (2004)", the story episodic story of Stephen Hawking's rise to fame as the foremost physicist & cosmologist in the world. I found it to be disturbing, a little sappy, but all over a good watch. Benedict Cumberbatch's portrayal of Hawking was frightening and poignant without being too long or tangled in the minutia. 

Dr. Stephen Hawking and Benedict Cumberbatch. Unknown Photographer, Unknown source courtesy to The Radio Times

 The differences in the recent version and the ten-year-old presentation are vast - the cinematograhy used in "Hawking" was simple BBC budget series - a little sepia tone, a little black and white, no special lenses, no special sets, no unusual wardrobe. "The Theory of Everything" featured a filter that blurred every image, softening everything on-screen until one has to wonder if one's corrective lens prescription has suddenly gone out of whack. It's painful from the very first "happy" moment, as Hawking engages in a sporting bicycle race with his roommate. 

Benedict Cumberbatch does play the role a little "My Left Foot", working the painful damage of Motor-Neuron Disease carefully, adding just a little more difficulty as the years go by. His anger and sadness at not having enough time to be recognized are apparent. He voiced it, bending his world and his mind until he finally came up with his thesis, but not before seasons of struggle and inner-turmoil. In contrast, Eddie Redmayne plunged into the role with the crippling disease almost immediately. We were not given much time with the unaffected Hawking before he was struck down. It didn't help the audience identify with him.

 

The story was different, too - in the episodic version, we are introduced to a quiet secretary hired by Hawking to help him write his book. This is familiar - in previous biographical work on Hawking's life, this mostly silent young man seemed to have the strength to help Hawking with his needs, physical as well as mental. What was left out of those tasteful accounts was dashed and splashed all over the Hollywood version. The meek secretary became the choral teacher, and suddenly Hawking's wife was seriously involved with him. It's entirely possible that the previous versions kept the idea under the table because Hawking and wife were possibly entertaining thoughts of amicable divorce. A very British story, stiff upper lip and all has been turned lurid, to sell tickets.

All this considered, I wonder why Eddie Redmayne won this award. Mimicking Hawking's condition was of course exhausting, but was it something so new? Haven't we seen this over and over again, from "Rainman", to "A Beautiful Mind"? What is so mysterious about portraying a famous person with a disability that grabs the Academy and wrings awards from it like so much dishwater? 

This is not to say that Mr. Redmayne did not do a great job - he did. he was believable, soft, thoughtful, brilliant, and accomplished. I think that the production around him could have done a much better job, though. In comparison with Cumberbatch's version, it seemed as though the production should have been better for him. 

One final note:  I noticed the flagrant use of actors from "Hawking" in "A Theory of Everything". A feeling of "Loooook! We acknowlege "Hawking" , and here's proof: It's Stephen's father! Or: Hey! See who else we fit in, just to poke the Cumberbatchians!" At some point I gave up struggling with who was whom, and resigned myself to just letting the movie flow - and hopefully end. Unfortunately, it was painful instead of inspiring. 

Star Trek Coins From Australia?!

Captain  Kirk Commemorative Coin

By crackey, the Aussies and Polynesians are going Star Trek wild. The Perth Mint is creating a whole set of commemorative coins, one of which has good ol' Captain Kirk on the face and a figure of The Enterprise on the other side."Issued as legal tender under the authority of the Government of Tuvalu". 

I might have been tempted to buy one, but it's that damned 3rd-season publicity picture, bad rug-day, pudgy-cheeked, pot-bellied Shatner grins and poses....really bad.You can even see that he's not in the mood for a photo. ah, but then maybe in Australia and Tuvalu, this is manly? 

Here's a link to a recent story about it:

Space.com's Article on the Coins

I have to say that a lighted box might be really cool.
I dunno. 

A Little LEXX

Yes, Lexxians - It's Rustam.

For those who have just stumbled in, that was an inside joke. All will be explained.. 

To all those who think that they got it, welcome. You've found Rustam's new writings.

To explain may take some time. 

A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy - Wait, no. Make That A Universe - No, Two Parallel Universes:

There once was a gal nicknamed Rustam on the Science Fiction Channel's bulletin board. 

At that time there were no "channels" for different series. There were mere threads. The "SciFi" Channel on cable was in its infancy, and had just initiated what amounted to a blockbuster of revenue: "Sci-Fi Fridays". There one could watch a lineup of great shows, including Farscape and LEXX, even Mystery Science Theater was occasionally on. 

Lexxians, or the mainly female group of fanatics watched from the birth of LEXX, when Sci-Fi blunderingly decided to air LEXX (the TV series) out of order. Suddenly we were all glued. it was like a giant pun on sex in space, The ship (like the one on Farscape) was alive, and the crew seemed so motley that it was impossible to discern if the series was a dark hoax thought up by Ernie Kovaks and Mel Brooks, or if it was real. 

We stumbled about in the Dark Zone for a while, helped by other Lexxians who owned coveted tapes of the movies that preceded the series, often called "The First Season". What we found was an explosion of cess-ridden silliness that boggled the mind. Nicknamed "Star Trek's Evil Twin", it was mentally and visually frightening.  

I will not go into the sordid details of all the hangups that we had, the fights with SciFi, and the final outcome of the series. We Lexxians cannot bear to think about it sometimes.  

What I can say is that many of us had an opportunity to meet and talk and share our lives in a way that even Trekkies are unable to do. I know, I'm both Trekkie and Lexxian. Trekkies (or Trekkers) tended to live initially lonesome lives until they ventured into clubs or conventions. Lexxians had the benefit of the newly blossoming Internet, and became one of the first generations of science fiction fans to be able to converse 24 hours a day with fans from Canada, Britain, and Russia. We reveled in the 12 hour chat sessions, constantly in contact by means of chat boxes and eventually, chat rooms. 

When I look back on it, I'm tickled at the way in which Lexx took up a part of my life and made me part of a bigger group of very artistic, intelligent people from all walks of life. Some are still chugging, spreading the wonderful filth that was LEXX. if you haven't seen it, I recommend it in small doses over a prolonged period. Be careful. You might burn your brain.  

Interstellar: A Modern-Day 2001

Yes, I Know Everyone Has Made That Comparison, But - 

Awwww, it was like "2001: A Space Odyssey"! Now remind me, was it the Greeks that came up with that dad-blasted word? I can't spell it, and have to look it up every single time I mention the movie. Hmph. 

I'm going to start this review out with a little intro story. 

I was blue. I needed to get out of the house, and I knew "Interstellar" had just come out. 

When I asked my husband if he'd like to go see it, he poo-pooed the idea of going out in the chilly weather. No, he didn't even want to bother driving 4.5 miles to the movie theater. Not that I blame him, his "arthur-itis" as I call it - fires up full force when it's cold and rainy out. 

I informed him that I'd ride my bike there (at 8:30pm). He merely waved and said, "Go for it, just be careful."

I like bike riding. What I don't like is crappy weather while I'm riding. But I wanted to see "Interstellar" pretty badly, so high winds and sleet weren't going to stop me. 

As it turns out it started snowing as I rode to the theater, and just seeing three feet ahead of me was rough-going.  I huffed, I puffed, and I swore, but I got to that movie house in a half hour, just in time to buy popcorn and see the trailers before the movie. That was perfect timing in my book. 

After a ride like that I really hoped that the movie was worth it. It had better be, I thought...

I was right. Here's why:

Photo by Rep at Comic-Con

1. Matthew McConaughey. academy award winner, great actor, and cute guy, especially when he trims his eyebrows. He's entirely believable as a father, an engineer, and a crack space pilot.

The Black Hole.

  

2. It's a "Space" movie. There are glorious shots of Jupiter, Saturn, and a black hole that boggles the mind. There are planets out of someone else's mind (Nolan) that are imaginative and frightening. 

TARS, photoshopped by Rames Harikrishnasamy.

3. There are new robots in it! R-O-B-O-T-S!!! how long has it been since we had a new robot? A really good robot? maybe - "Iron Giant"? (Since then "Big Hero 6" has filled the gap nicely.) These robots are COOL. You can tell I'm excited when I start talking in caps, which I never do. To be a good robot, it needs to be architectural, sleek, smarmy, and really, really useful. It also helps if you can think of them as thinking machines with personalities, and these robots have minds that can calculate and tell jokes. Wait - they have a humor factor? They also have a truthfulness factor! No more crudely logical, boring machines. 

4. The characters make mistakes. They almost seem human! I've read all the criticism of the "Hallmark Card" ethics that the youthful female astronaut "Brand" (plated well by Anne Hathaway) spouts like rainbow-colored flying ponies, but the gooey spurting about love was right for her. She's a young gal, she knows nothing about life, love, or heartache. if she yawps about her hormones, isn't that realistic? It seems like it to me. 

5. The bad guy is the most feared bad guy in all of history. Who is it? No, not Matt Damon! it's TIME. Yes, time. The theory of relativity doesn't help at all in this one. People trying to save time in order to save the human race, keep alive to see their loved ones, even beat old age - time is everywhere in this movie. Time is such a big, big baddie that I find myself wishing to be a Timelord every time i think about it. 

6. Curious casting. I won't give away all the roles, but Michael Caine and John Lithgow were very interesting choices. In some ways I think both were miscast, but they added significantly to a rather youthful group pf actors that needed someone to bounce off of. 

7. Great effects, especially the ones that were physical instead of computer-generated. We haven't seen work like this since "Alien". it seems so real - because it's gritty. Something about computer effects makes things look too good. When you've got a banged-up model that you've lit on fire several times, it makes it seem much, much more real. 

8. Astronaut Pilot Chops. Oh, boy. I won't spoil it for you, but I can safely say that I was hopping in my seat, gripping the armchair, stomping on the ground in frustration, angst, and utter joy. 

9. The Science. Nolan employed a couple of scientists for this movie, rightly so. You can't make a space movie and expect to explain black hole theory to an audience who's used to "Stargate SG1".

The fundamentals of  wormhole tech, relativity, and time are carefully unfolded step by step. Even so, some people walked out of the movie theater exclaiming "What the heck was that about?"

I have just one question for you: Why the **** haven't you seen this yet? If you're reading this and you haven't seen it, you have to ask yourself that and then find it. Yes, it's out there on the Interwebs. 

Go see it. Then come back and let's talk. 

Now I've got to get back to my original copy of "2001", so that I can be sure of my facts. :) 

The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies - A Review by a Hobbitla

A Tale Of Woe And Beginnings

I held off watching this, dreading what I might find; and alas I discovered the need for tissues and nose-honking. It wasn't as bad as I thought, though. 

When I was a child a kindly uncle of mine presented me with The Hobbit as a Christmas present. The reason? Rankin and Bass's animated television version enchanted me. I guess they noticed when I started drawing Bilbo, looking for all the world like Ian Holm, dark haired with a button nose, in a red vest with green knickers. A pipe hung thoughtfully in his mouth, with smoke curling up from it in spirals. I remember that drawing as if I'd done it only yesterday. 

I'd fallen in love with Bilbo's character - both his silly needs and his valiant heart. I was amazed by the horrors of Mirkwood Forest, delighted by the haughty Elf king, and gladdened by the silly antics of the Dwarves and their mission. So to say that I was expecting an aweful lot from this movie is an understatement. 

What I found was the usual presumptive and filled-in adventure that "The Scriptwriters" (I refuse to mention their names as they make me so crazy) love to twiddle into Tolkien's work. As I watched the "Lord of The Rings" unfold, I cannot tell you how many times I cried out in pain at the dialogue. During "The Hobbit", however, I rarely blinked. I was not challenged by the changes in the story. I liked the Galadriel scene (as I did in LOTR/TTT) , and the little bits of change that amounted to huge differences in Tolkien's work didn't phase me. 

I have to ask myself, am I getting used to this constant assault on one of my favorite writers and linguists? Have I just given up the fight? Or was it the use of the word "ere" that softened me? 

Perhaps it was Dain's Scottish accent. I will never know. 

What I do know is that Orlando Bloom's face was heavily worked on, the effects added to mask his age, that all of the elves and their armor looked wonderful, that the Dwarfen armor too was glorious, that Smaugs death was indescribably good, and that the last battle was very much as I pictured it. 

I think I liked this movie best of all the Hobbit movies. There was an enchantment about it that I had not felt about the LOTR movies. It seems to me the "The Scriptwriters" have finally hit on a balance of effects and magic that I can live with. I am now certain that they are ready to take on The Silmarillion. 

What they will do with it is a matter that I don't want to ponder. There are too many great stories too choose from. 

Either way, I'll be looking forward to whatever they choose to do, if they do. 

Right now, I do wish for it. 

Getting Comfortable With Our New Kirk and Spock

Chris Pine and Zac Quinto

source: http://gallifreyburning.tumblr.com/post/39612193136

I had occasion to watch "Star Trek: Into Darkness" for the tenth or so time last night. It's kind of a go-to movie when you can't figure out anything else Star Trek-oriented to watch that you haven't already seen too many times to count. What I've found is that I've become a lot less worried about how Pine and Quinto are getting on, and more involved than ever with Scotty, of all characters, as portrayed by Simon Pegg. 

Sure, Chris and Zac have a brotherly sort of tug-of-war going, They remind me of my own brothers, constantly fighting in the living room. If you didn't hear "Augggh! Get off me!" every five minutes, then you knew something was wrong. I am betting that the next movie won't have them at each others' throats nearly as much, and that may reduce the power that the last two movies had. Perhaps they'll shift the antagonist to Doc McCoy, who used to do it in the series regularly, Which is funny: in this universe it's Kirk and Spock who are at loggerheads, not Spock and McCoy as in the original series. It's going to be hard to watch since I've gotten used to Karl Urban's saintly doctor, liking most of what Spock has to say and only cracking one or two jokes about "starting to hate that guy". 

Ohhh, yeah, they had to put those in to prep us, I'm sure. 

Back to Pine and Quinto. I like the bumbling boy-toy Kirk. he doesn't rub me right, and doesn't rub me wrong. He's just there, being the dude that he is. The real point is, he's got the Kirk mojo. No matter what the situation, no matter how many bad guys they're up against, Kirk's poker intuition seems to win the day every time. That's comforting. I mean, it'd never happen in real life, but at least you can go to see a movie and know in your heart that everything will work out all right because Kirk is in the command chair. 

Quinto is another animal entirely. He's moody, he's brooding, he's dark waters. I don't think that he's settled into Spock, meaning that he needs to work more with him. There was something about Nimoy's adventure into getting to know Spock that Quinto has yet to do Think of it this way: Nimoy worked on Spock every single day of shooting for a half a year. Then he took a little break, and went right back into it again. Day in and day out learning more and more about his character and becoming completely immersed in him. Zac gets to do that, but on a lighter schedule. He's also not living the creation of the character, but being a sort of surrogate. it's a jumping-off point - off Nimoy's shoulders into an abyss. I'm honestly hoping that he cleans up his act in the next movie. 

All in all though, I'm quite satisfied that Quinto and Pine are doing an adequate job. I'm comfortable with them now. In fact, they seem like the teenagers of the cast, when you compare them to Scotty. but then it was the same way in STOS. Jimmy Doohan was nearly twice the other actor's ages on STOS. Simon Pegg is not much older than his fellow actors, but he displays a worldliness and maturity that the boys don't. What is it about Pegg that unsettles me? Probably that as Scotty, he's under-used. Sure, he gets a few quips and some cute lines, but I'm amazed at Pegg's versatility, and I think he can do a lot more. I hope he's given something serious to do.

Whew. That was a lot of wording for just a few thoughts, but I'd like to hear what you have to say about it. Why not comment and tell the world? I think we only have a year or so to make our predictions. Okay, share!