Star Trek: Nemesis (no spoilers, just a lot of grousing)
Just came home from seeing this one. I don’t have to review this film for any secular media, and I’m afraid there’s no great thematic depth to it that warrants any coverage in the religious media,...
View ArticleStar Trek sequel villain rumours: sifting the evidence
First, let’s get what should be obvious out of the way: you don’t need a villain to make a good Star Trek story. Indeed, the top-grossing entry in the franchise ever, prior to J.J. Abrams’ reboot a few...
View Article“We’ve tried to get away from the Trekkiness of it all.”
Star Trek movies have never been as popular overseas as they are in North America, so the studio is making a point of downplaying the "Trekkiness" of the new film overseas. But has it downplayed the...
View ArticleMusic for Klingons, part one: Jerry Goldsmith
Jerry Goldsmith wrote the music for five of the first ten Star Trek movies -- and the Klingon theme, which he originally conceived as "bad guy" music, came to have other meanings over the years.
View ArticleMusic for Klingons, part three: Eidelman + Giacchino
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, released in 1991, and Star Trek into Darkness, which comes out this week, are the only films in the series to feature Klingon lyrics on their soundtracks -- but...
View ArticleFlashback: Almost 20 years of Star Trek reviews!
Here are links to all the reviews, and some of the more substantial blog posts, that I have written about the first eleven Star Trek movies over the past two decades.
View ArticleTwelve-foot gods and the environment: actors talk Noah
Brief comments on the upcoming Darren Aronofsky film from two of its actors: Mark Margolis, who plays a fallen angel, and Ray Winstone, who plays Noah's brother-in-law Tubal-Cain.
View ArticleStar Trek into Darkness — first impressions (spoilers!)
Some spoiler-filled thoughts on the new Star Trek movie's mix of intriguing new ideas and recycled plot elements, plus: principles of non-interference, political subtexts, adolescent sensibilities,...
View ArticleTwo months later… a few more thoughts on Star Trek into Darkness
Franchise self-referencing takes the place of classic literature; how box-office performance affects the odds of yet another sequel; and a look back at my "Please, not Khan!" blog post from three years...
View ArticleHarry Potter producer David Heyman adds Methuselah to his list of...
Heyman, who also produced Gravity, already has a couple of unconventional New Testament stories on his plate.
View ArticleStar Trek and Abraham director Joseph Sargent dies at 89
He introduced the world to Doctor McCoy and Lieutenant Uhura, and he also directed one of the first films in 'The Bible Collection'.
View ArticleReview: X-Men: Apocalypse (dir. Bryan Singer, 2016)
As befits a film with the word “Apocalypse” in its title, there is a lot of religious terminology and symbolism here, though I’m not sure it adds up to much.
View ArticleSidney Poitier marathon: Brother John (1971) – Buck and the Preacher (1972)
In which Poitier plays a mysterious alien figure (a Christ-figure? a harbinger of doom? both?), and then starts a nearly 18-year career as a director.
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