At Sight you can check out my brief Star Trek sequel review.
The Lone, Fast Iron Trek
Yay! The Superbowl was today, and not that I care much for such sporting events, but I do care for the multi-million dollar ads. Some of us at work watched the game live, but seeing it was broadcast on Australian TV, we didn’t get all the cool ads that the Americans did. Thankfully, the internet has solved our impatience with the three best movie trailers that screened today. Unfortunately, there’s no Man of Steel trailer though.
Feast your eyes on July’s The Lone Ranger (yes, Johnny Depp is Tonto), a wonderfully cheeky and action-packed Iron Man 3 look, and the next film in the faster and furious Fast and Furious franchise. Finally, the shortest but best looking trailer goes to Star Trek: Into Darkness which also opens in May.
Star Trek Into Darkness Trailer
And, here it is, after the poster debut a few days ago. The only dialogue is spoken by the mysterious bad guy played by Benedict Cumberbatch, who we see in a dark Starfleet uniform. He’s obviously been to Earth before, and is now returning for that great motivator – vengeance.
And here’s a longer (by 10 seconds) Japanese version that shows a few different shots from the US version above, including the hands of Spock and perhaps Kirk, looking much like the moment they shared when the Vulcan died in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. Hmmmm.
Star Trek Into Darkness Poster
This is the first official bit of marketing for next year’s Star Trek sequel to the 2009 re-imagining. I hope the official title is Star Trek: Into Darkness though, rather than Star Trek Into Darkness, as that just sounds rather odd.
It’s a cool poster though, as it focuses on the still unknown bad guy, as played by TV’s Sherlock Holmes Benedict Cumberbatch, rather than the heroic Enterprise crew. The familiar symbol as seen in debris is also reminiscent of the recent Dark Knight trilogy posters.
The first teaser for the film is also set to go online sometime this week.
Extra Sequential Podcast #84-Strange Team-Ups
57 mins. Strange x-overs you never knew existed! Unusual team-ups you tried to forget! Dodgy pronunciations of ‘moustache’ and ‘oeuvre.’ This one has it all, including a detour involving celebrity cameos and Jeff Goldblum movies.
LISTEN TO IT BELOW
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WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING
R.E.B.E.L.S Vol. 1: The Coming of Starro. Vril Dox is one manipulative, green skinned leader.
Killeroo: Gangwar. A cool Aussie comic starring a tough roo/human hybrid.
David Mack’s Kabuki: Metamorphosis. Read it slowly to get the full effect.
Justice: League: Doom. A fitting, action packed tribute to the late, great writer Dwayne McDuffie.
10: 35 NEWS
Teenage Mutant (or Alien?) Ninja Turtles!
Mark Waid’s new digital comic
15: 37 THEME – STRANGE TEAM-UPS
Lobo/ The Mask. Highly detailed scenes of ultra violence and lovely insanity.
Tarzan vs Predator: At Earth’s Core.
Muggsy Bogues vs Mothra. Um, I mean Charles Barkley vs Godzilla.
Superman/ Tarzan: Sons of the Jungle.
Superman meets He-Man in Eternia, and Sgt. Rock in WWII.
Spawn #10 featuring Dave Sim’s Cerebus. Also, a meta-comic.
Batman vs Predator III: Blood Ties. Featuring two Seinfeld easter eggs, and Mr. Freeze denying children ice-cream.
Upcoming team-ups such as Star Trek: TNG/ Dr Who from IDW, and team-ups that didn’t happen such as Cerebus and X-Men, a resurrected Princess Di in X-Statix, and Dr Who and Sherlock.
As an added bonus, here’s an excellent fan-made Prognosis: Negative film trailer.
Walter Koenig At Bluewater
Joining Star Trek veteran William Shatner as a comic creator at Bluewater is Walter Koenig. Lowdown below.
BLUEWATER SIGNS CREATIVE PARTNERSHIP DEAL WITH STAR TREK, B5 VET WALTER KOENIG
Known to Star Trek fans everywhere as Ensign Pavel Chekov, Walter Koenig has chosen his next frontier to be captured in the pages of a comic book.
The noted actor, writer and director recently completed a deal with independent comic publisher Bluewater Productions to pen a new, limited mini-series as well as redistribute an earlier comic book project into a graphic novel.
“I’m very pleased to be on board with Bluewater. I anticipate an exciting professional relationship and the opportunity to tell stories with style and artistry,” Koenig said.
According to Koenig, the mini-series will present a fresh perspective on a post-apocalyptic world in which vampires are the dominant species. Cover by GMB Chomichuk and interiors by Nathan Ooten.
“It’s quite epic,” Darren G. Davis, Bluewater Publisher said. “Fans of the genre might think they have seen this premise before, but Koenig’s vision for this is unique, creative and impactful. I am very excited to be a part of this project.”
In addition to the four-issue release, tentatively scheduled to debut next spring, Bluewater will be repackaging Koenig’s first foray into comics; a three-issue series called Raver. The comic books, originally published in the early 1990’s at Malibu Comics, should hit comic book stores and online outlets in 2011 with new material. A new cover was done by Gregg Paulsen.
Raver follows the trials of a reality-bending hero whose psychotic episodes create a nightmare world with real villains and victims. And Norman Walters (Raver) moves from one twisted reality to the next trying to return to his original safe and stable existence.
Koenig’s entertainment career has spanned more than five decades. Gaining fame as the aforementioned Chekov in the original Star Trek series, Koenig has appeared in more than 100 roles in television and movies including the recurring villain Alfred Bester on sci-fi favorite Babylon 5. He is also a respected screenwriter and stage director.
Star Trek vs Monty Python
Original Star Trek TV series footage combined with a classic Python song. The result: most amusing.
Star Trek Review
I loved watching the original series from the 1960s. They repeated them very late at night when I was a teenager and I lapped those three seasons up. They were astronomically ahead of their time, and the characterisation and themes were grand. Gene Roddenberry created something very special with Star Trek and it continues to resonate with all generations. I also loved the films with the original cast made primarily in the 1980s and I’m not ashamed to say I cried when Spock died in the second film.
The franchise was due for an update. It deserves to loom large in pop culture once more and unfortunately the series that followed Kirk, et al, didn’t justify another big screen outing. J.J Abrams was the perfect choice. He helped create Alias and Lost and knows how to do conduct grand action, as seen in Mission Impossible 3. The only other logical choice would’ve been Joss Whedon.
Written by Transformers writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman and directed by Abrams, Star Trek goes back to its fun roots, but misses the deeper meanings and social commentary the TV series was known for. However, that’s not a bad thing. With its pretty young cast and sense of fun, it’s a joy to witness. It looks great, with its clean, sleek interiors and lens flares and doesn’t suffer too badly from the handheld fight scene direction that’s all the rage these days.
I hope this film introduces Star Trek to new fans. It has enough nods to the classic show to be appreciated by fans, but isn’t hindered by it. With it’s time travelling Romulan villain Nero (Eric Bana), emotional Spock (Zachary Quinto from Heroes) and initially purposeless Kirk (Chris Pine) it touches on themes of destiny and courage with restraint. The simple costumes and gadgets such as phasers remain almost identical, while the beaming has been slightly modified. Captain Pine’s (Bruce Greenwood) ultimate fate and Karl Urban’s portryal of Dr. ‘Bones’ McCoy were also nice nods to the past. Simon Pegg is great as Scotty though Anton Yelchin’s Chekov accent is perhaps too much.
The beauty of this film is that it’s an acknowledgment of all that’s gone before it, and really, it had to be. The original Spock, Leonard Nimoy’s screen presence is more than the cameo I expected and his inclusion means this film is essentially not canon, but rather an alternate timeline. It works well. The sequel is due in 2011 and I wouldn’t be surprised if Shatner shows up too. It makes me want to watch all those older films again.
IDW Film Prequels Galore
IDW has some impressive TV and film licences, including CSI, Angel, Ghost Whisperer and Doctor Who. Come Januray, they’ll also be launching three different mini-series that will effectively act as prequels to some of 2009’s biggest films. They include January’s Terminator Salvation Movie Prequel #1 by Dara Naghi and Alex Robinson, and two different series for the Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Movie Prequel. Alliance starts next month, with art by Alex Milne and Defiance begins in January, with art by Dan Khanna. Both series are written by Chris Mowry. Perhaps their most exciting movie prequel is the one tying into the new Star Trek film. Official press release below, as is the cover, and if you haven’t seen the fantastic new trailer for the film, beam down here.
IDW Publishing has joined with Paramount Pictures, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions, Kurtzman/Orci Productions and CBS Consumer Products to publish a four-issue limited comic book series tied to next summer’s new Star Trek movie, which will be released in theaters on May 8, 2009.
The first comic in the series, Star Trek: Countdown #1, will be released in January 2009 to the comic book direct market. The story is presented by Abrams and plotted by Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman. It is written by Mike Johnson (Superman/Batman) and Tim Jones, and features stunning art by David Messina (Star Trek: Mirror Images). Messina also provides covers for the series.
“There was a lot of back and forth about doing this project, how to do it, what it would be about, but what all parties agreed on was that we needed the right story and that it needed to matter. It had to count both on its own merits and when read in conjunction with the new movie,” said series editor Andy Schmidt. “I couldn’t be happier with the project and what it means to the overall Star Trek franchise!”
“Star Trek: Countdown lays the groundwork for what happens in the movie,” said Roberto Orci. “It’s our way of passing the baton from the Next Generation characters and their movies to the new film.” Star Trek: Countdown is sure to be in huge demand as eager fans look for a sneak peak into director J.J. Abrams’ new Star Trek vision! Star Trek: Countdown #1 (Diamond item code NOV08 4113), a 32-page, $3.99 comic, premieres in January 2009.
Nerd Paradise
Nerds are smart. Smart people can buy expensive things. Nerds can therefore buy expensive things, right? Absolutely. The beauty of today’s hi-tech pop culture saturated world is that when you’ve made it you can customize any part of your life you like. If you want a Han Solo frozen in carbonite table – you can have it. How about a deluxe home theatre that resembles the awesomeness that is the Batcave? It’s yours.
So you like Star Trek hey? Well invite your Klingon mates over and let them gawk at this bad boy and wonder how Kirk managed to become shirtless with such regularity.
For a sneak at 8 more indulgent fantasies come to life, go here. There’s also themes for Indiana Jones, Titanic, the Death Star and more.
For those of us who can not afford such extravagance, maybe this would be a more cost effective option – a to-scale R2-D2 projector. It comes with an iPod dock, a Millennium Falcon remote control and buckets of cool. It also makes all the official sounds and can roll around the room, sensing when it’s near any dangerous objects, like thieving Jawas or coffee tables. If you’re passionate enough, this little gadget is available now.
You can also get a smaller web-cam version, with a lightsabre remote. See the video below to witness all its glory. My words can not do it justice.
comicbookjesus 