The Return of a King !!!!

I have always been a fan of Dino De Laurentiis' version of KING KONG and although I saw the original 1933 KING KONG much later, this has also become one of my favorite classics. In an earlier article I talked about why I disliked Peter Jackson's King Kong (2005) so I am not going into that now. I just never thought I would see Kong again so soon ! Coming next March: KONG: SKULL ISLAND. The trailer looks excellent, so here's hoping the film will be excellent too!!!

Star Trek Beyond, directed by Justin Lin

People who know me, know I have a history with Star Trek. I have grown up watching Classic Trek and have also learned to appreciate the later series with other characters and other actors. Strangely enough, I found out watching J.J. Abrams' reboot film, Star Trek (2009), that I had no problem with other actors taking these legendary roles.
It is with these characters that Star Trek Beyond, the third film in the Abrams' alternative universe (which has officially been termed the Kelvin Timeline, named after the ship in the first film that opened the alternative universe), really is doing its best work. Justin Lin is a capable director but he too has to concede that characters like Kirk, Spock, McCoy and the rest, they need their own time in the film. That is the good part of the film.

Justin Lin

Interestingly though, a lot of other elements seem to remind one of happenings in Star Trek past, not the least of which is the destruction of the Enterprise (which for the Classic Crew in the earlier films ALSO happened in their third film). This needn't be a surprise as it is quite clearly shown in the trailer (which has bits and clips that are not seen in the film, as well) but in the action scenes, many times I wish for more clarity of what we see, as more often than not we are pressed with the camera right on top of the action, such as in fights or in this matter the Enterprise saucer crash, which has moments where I think, what the hell am I looking at? Whoever came up with that stupid idea that for a movie as costly as these films are, one would want camerawork that is simply un-clear??? (Thank you, Justin Lin, for the absence of unnecessary lense flares!!!)

Sofia Boutella as Jaylah

Another thing is that the villain, played effectively by Idris Elba, has, in his final moments, also to be made, in his own way, relatable. Other elements that remind us of past things are for instance Kirk mentioning that his crew is continuously socializing as well ( referring to romancing each other as well as breaking up, something that Gene Roddenberry did not want to mention explicitly in the Classic Series) and that now and then, it is time for the crew to have some R&R. So they go to an interstellar space station that reminds one of the station in ELYSIUM.

Chris Pine as Kirk

It is no surprise that Michael Giacchino's music fails miserably in reaching the musical glory that Jerry Goldsmith, James Horner and Leonard Rosenman so easily seemed to avail themselves of. Oh, what a shame that their musical legacies are now so easily forgotten! Also, for me the revelation that this Universe's SULU is gay does not surprise or shock me. (A few weeks ago George Takei stated he was disappointed with that as it was not what Gene Roddenberry had had in mind.)

Anton Yelchin RIP

The film has a few touching aspects: one is the news that Spock (Zachary Quinto) receives that Ambassador Spock (Leonard Nimoy) has passed away. Ambassador Spock left Spock a memento of the Classic Trek Team in their own timeline, a really wonderful moment of great poignancy.

Another is the dedication at the end, not only to the late Leonard Nimoy but to Anton Yelchin as well, who was killed in an accident with his car last month. He was much too young to go like that. 

J.J. Abrams has stated that for an upcoming fourth film, which is already being prepared now (and in which Chris Hemsworth will be returning as George Kirk, James T. Kirk's father), Pavel Chekov will not be recast. It will be interesting to see how that will be solved. Killing Chekov off has been an option, says Abrams, but really, Chekov is so much a part of Star Trek that one cannot even try to imagine Classic Star Trek without him. (Yes, I do recall that he only came aboard in the second season.)

A final note: it is said of course that STAR TREK BEYOND is the film to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Star Trek but every hardcore fan knows that that is utter nonsense. Gene Roddenberry produced his first Star Trek Pilot, The Cage, in October 1964. The fact that it was not seen in its entirety until the mid-1980s is irrelevant. Right now, I would like to point out that my focus will be on the upcoming series STAR TREK DISCOVERY, which will start airing in early 2017. Considering that the right people seem to be at the helm, gives me a lot more confidence in that than in another film in the Kelvin Timeline, I am sorry to say.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

There need be no doubt : Marvel has another big hit in the cinema's with CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. This third Captain America Epic, directed by the brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, seamlessly follows the story line from the last AVENGERS movie with a complex new story, involving the Winter Soldier, Tony Stark aka Iron Man and an enormous cast of secondary characters, all of whom have their moment to shine.

The story has its basis in the enormously successful comic book series CIVIL WAR, in which the world of Superheroes is also torn asunder by the government mandated Registration Act, which means to identify and to register all superheroes among the population. Any superhero who does not comply is therefor automatically branded a fugitive. In the comics this had severe consequences, but this film serves plenty of them already for Steve Rogers and his friends.

The reason for the Registration Act, which in the film is called the Sokovia Accords, is that in the first two Avengers films, a lot of collateral damage and casualties were reported during the New York incident (in the first Avengers film), the Washington incident (in Captain America The Winter Soldier) and in Sokovia (Avengers : Age of Ultron). Also in the beginning of this film, a superhero intervention led by Captain America costs 9 civilians their lives and it is for that reason that the government demands the Avengers to be put under United Nations Supervision. Faced with his own guilt in the death of civilians, Tony Stark acquiesces to the Accords but Steve Rogers does not.

The result is a fantastic action epic, by far the most impressive as well as the longest that Marvel has made so far. Because the film has only just started its theatrical run, I will not give away story details here, go see the film if you like this kind of entertainment. 

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR is a epic action movie, with so much story you will care for the characters (and that is, alas, where Batman Vs Superman : Dawn Of Justice failed: the way the film was presented did not allow you to take the time to care for the characters). And it is not just the two (excellent) main leads, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr, who may take their bows. The film has wonderful roles as well for Natasha, Wanda, Sam Wilson, Vision, Bucky , Rhodes (War Machine), Clint (Hawkeye), Ant Man and presents us the new Black Panther and Peter Parker, aka SPIDER-MAN.

And there is also plenty of personal surprises for Steve. The action is amazing, the story line is gripping, the music is very effective and although the editing is sometimes just a bit too fast, it does come across as very effective. In all, I would finish with the following information: although there will still be other Marvel Superheroes that will see the day of light on film before the story continues, you will see the next step in the upcoming AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR films. 

As for Spider-Man, Black Panther, Ant Man and Natasha, you will be pleased to know that these characters will also soon get their own films again. I can only say EXCELSIOR, and in the words of the immortal Stan Lee (who again has a very funny cameo appearance in the ending of the film) MAKE MINE MARVEL !!!!!

Stan Lee

Netflix presents an Amazing Second Season of MARVEL's DAREDEVIL!!

Last year Netflix brought us an amazingly good run on the first season of Marvel’s DAREDEVIL. Now, the second season can also be seen on Netflix. The first season concentrated on the rise of Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin, oddly enough a villain that originated in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man but that has since also diverted to the pages of Daredevil and other superheroes. Although Wilson Fisk does have a cameo this season as a villain in prison, the story now revolves around a new character, Frank Castle, who takes care of criminals in New York in a much more lethal way than DD: he kills them. Castle thinks that DD’s way is inefficient as DD beats them but they then get away, or out of jail and start all over again. Castle therefor feels DD is a coward who uses only half measures in not killing those who need to be killed. Frank Castle is played by Jon Bernthal, who has been seen in The Walking Dead as Shane and as the lead in Frank Darabont’s miniseries MOB CITY. Bernthal gives Frank Castle a Travis Bickle look, which makes this rendition of the Punisher extremely interesting ! (For those of you not familiar with Travis Bickle, please check out Martin Scorsese's legendary film TAXI DRIVER now!!!)

Matt Murdock’s relation with Foggy Nelson and Karen Page is however also sorely tested when he is visited by his former girlfriend Elektra Natchios. Elektra was also trained by Stick and she is now out to destroy The Hand but needs Daredevil’s help to do it. Matt finds out the hard way that all the time he spends as Daredevil is time he can not be useful as Matt Murdock, attorney and this has severe consequences for him. Rosario Dawson again cameo’s as Claire and Vincent d’Onofrio also reappears as Wilson Fisk. Scott Glenn is back again as Stick. Although the reviews of the second season are less impressive than the first, I must admit that this series is extremely compelling!

The acting is also very good here. Jon Bernthal is superb as Frank Castle while Elodie Yung as Elektra clearly shows talent as a woman who causes trouble for Matt. Charlie Cox and his colleagues are excellent in their roles and I look forward to the next season. It is clear in this show that these adventures take place in the same world as that of Jessica Jones and so, it will also be very rewarding to see these two series and the next two, Luke Cage, to follow in October and Iron Fist, to follow hopefully next yearm culminate in The Defenders.

Review: LEONARD, My Fifty Year Friendship With A Remarkable Man, by WILLIAM SHATNER

Slightly more than a year ago, Leonard Nimoy passed away. His legacy as Spock in the original STAR TREK series is by this time undeniably huge. It was also well known that William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were good friends. William Shatner played Captain Kirk as a man of action to Nimoy's voice of reason in Mr. Spock. Add to that the humanity and compassion of Dr. McCoy (so wonderfully played by the now often forgotten DeForest Kelley) and the basis was present for a set of adventures that knew no bounds. The Original Star Trek was cutting edge television in its day. If you know William Shatner, you also know that he is a career man, who never ceases to work and do things that will benefit his career. He has had the luxury of the heroic roles ( Captain Kirk, T.J. Hooker) as well as the narrative presenter (Rescue 911) or the spokesperson (his Priceline background) as well as being a writer of many books. Some will think Mr. Shatner is a blowhard ego-maniac (his continuing quarrels with George Takei are well documented and easily found on the internet) but I prefer to think of his more as a career minded bull in a China shop, who has no awareness of what he causes. You see, I don't think of him as someone who would be "evil" or in any way or capacity the bad guy. I think he is just not really very aware of some of the reactions he causes. In the book LEONARD, My Fifty Year Friendship With A Remarkable Man, you will also find this very characteristic back again. It is a very enjoyable book but to people who have read loads of earlier releases not much of it will surprise you. But in effect this is a book about William Shatner and his relationship to Leonard Nimoy. So if you want to read this, be sure to install your Bullshit Filters and get ready to read Shatnerian prose. If you learn how to read between his lines and get to the truth of this book, it is very enjoyable. I do think it is a bit of a shame that Shatner chooses to give it a bit of a dramatic ending with a regret of his towards the deceased Leonard Nimoy, but this kind of misery and regret does sell books. So think of that as nothing more than it is.

William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy were good friends. Read nothing more into this book than that and you will have a nice few hours with it. Of course, the question will always remain how much of it is actually written by Shatner as he admits to co-writing this volume with David Fisher (it has often been suggested that he also never truly wrote the TEKWAR books or any of his subsequent books, that he provided the outlines and let the damn books be written by his ghost writers) but if that is of any concern to you, well, that is up to you. I just wanted to say, I had a good time with LEONARD, My Fifty Year Friendship With A Remarkable Man.

Blessings for the Future by.....

The late Majel Barrett-Roddenberry and Gene Roddenberry

During the research for my last logging, I came upon a few images I felt merited posting on my blog. This first picture looks like it is made during the making of STAR TREK IV THE VOYAGE HOME. And if you click it, you will notice it was autographed by Majel and Gene as well. We all know that Majel and Gene got married just after the original Star Trek series was finished and Gene was in Japan at the time, when he asked Majel to marry him in a Shinto-Buddhist ceremony.

Their wedding picture !

As a final image for the moment I wanted to bring you this one particular picture in which a young filmmaker is shaking the hand of the Big Bird of the Galaxy (yes this was indeed Gene's nickname). See if you recognize the young filmmaker:

A true moment in history !!

Yes, that is George Lucas together with Gene Roddenberry. I estimate this picture will have been made somewhere late 1970s, early 1980s. And it is a true moment in history !! Enjoy !

Ennio Morricone receives the Oscar for The Hateful Eight !!!!

I must honestly admit that the last few years I hadn't been watching the Oscars anymore but this year, both John Williams and Ennio Morricone were nominated.

John Williams

John Williams received his 50th nomination for the score of STAR WARS THE FORCE AWAKENS, which is an amazing record !! Ennio Morricone may not have that many nominations to his name but he was also very much overdue for the honor.

Ennio Morricone's acceptance speech (picture credit VARIETY)

These days, it is especially meaningful if we see our living legends acknowledged. I have had Ennio Morricone's music in the background all my life because my brother brought his music into the house from an early time on. (It must have been mid-1970s that  I heard my brother play Once Upon A Time In The West for the first time. This particular LP at the time was so popular that in my country nearly every house had a copy!) And so I have heard a lot of his wonderful music over the years.

In fact also just a few weeks ago, my brother and I went to an Ennio Morricone concert in the Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, which was very good, indeed. We had heard Ennio Morricone perform his music in concerts before but this time he was playing a lot of themes of films that previously were never played at concerts (such as The Red Tent, a wonderful score for a 1968 film starring Sean Connery). When Ennio Morricone accepted his award a week or so ago, you could see he was visibly moved by the honor bestowed upon him: he received the longest standing ovation of the whole evening!!!  My sincere congratulations to Ennio Morricone, the best European Film Composer in this world.

I would also like to congratulate John Williams who similarly has a tremendous reputation in the American Entertainment World. His music has been heard since the days of JAWS and STAR WARS (although he also scored a good many films and television series before that time) and also merits similar appraisal. Mr. Williams, I love your scores too ! Personally I thought your music was the best part of the whole film (regarding Star Wars The Force Awakens). Congratulations to your nomination!

Similarly, congratulations to Thomas Newman, Carter Burwell and Johann Johannson for their nominations.