WAS1 Productions

Originally Written 05/08/09

I just got back from seeing the new Star Trek film. One of the guys I play cards with bought tickets early and organized an outing to see it in IMAX. It was quite enjoyable.

It does break canon, spectacularly so in a couple of instances. That annoyed a few die-hard fans in our group. However, if you can look past that I think it was handled quite well and I applauded the overall decisions they made for the story.

The film also balances irreverence with a love of the source material, which has lots of fun with the conventions of the show, while also embracing it and making it fresh. And the cast were all wonderful choices and acted their roles impeccably. It was fun seeing their interpretations on traits and foibles of the well-known characters.

The film is a lot of action, which keeps the story going at a good pace, but with some good drama and great character interaction. Yeah, it’s a little different and a bit gritty, but it felt familiar as well. It’s also the most fun and interest I’ve had at a Star Trek movie in a long while. I think J. J. Abrams has helped breathe new life into the franchise.

Originally Written 05/06/09

I watched the original movie, The Fly on Netflix tonight. I was expecting a schlocky horror movie, but I was impressed with how good it was. Sure it was a bit dated and goofy in a couple of places, but for the time it was a serious and thoughtful science-fiction film.

Cronenberg’s remake in the 80s was fun and entertaining and an effective horror movie, from what I remembered, but it got lost in the drippy gore, like he tends to. I liked how this one had plenty of humanity and melodrama in it.

Originally Written 12/16/08

I saw the remake of  The Day the Earth Stood Still on Friday night; luckily the movie theater was open. It was a surprusingly-good remake, though I’ll admit my expectations were pretty low. Even so, I liked it and found it pretty enjoyable. It was a good update of the original to the present political and social states.

I loved the tension and suspense in the first half of the film. Keaneau Reeves was an excellent choice for the role of Klaatu. Much like in The Matrix, his wooden and detached presence was perfect for an alien.

There were some dramatic elements and scenes which were too forced; the role of the annoying stepson being most of them, which was the main detriment to the film. However, besides that the story was engaging and interesting. It’s not perfect or really great, but a decent effort and a fun ride.

Update 04/25/10

The original movie is a classic sci-fi film that should be seen. It is definitely of its time, as it deals heavily with 1950’s red scare and fear of communism. That fear of forces from outside makes for good drama as the characters and audience try and find out what the objectives are  of these strange and imposing visitors from another world.

Originally Written 12/16/08

I rented Horton Hears a Who with a friend. That was a film I would have likely passed on, given the lame adaptations of Dr. Seuss stories in the recent past. However, a couple of friends recommended it to me, and I’m glad I checked it out.

It’s produced by Blue Sky, which I believe is the company which put out the Ice Age films, so the CGI, while not Pixar, is quite good and pretty too look at. There was some padding of the story with random antics of Horton and the Mayor of Whoville, but overall the film was quite good.

It kept to not only the look and feel of Dr. Seuess’ work, but also the spirit of the story, which previous films have lacked. This film was also missing the crude humor as well; there were a couple of quick, non-offensive sight gags and that was it. It’s definitely a fun watch and worth a rental.

Originally Written 08/01/08

There’s something I’ve been noticing more and more these days. I don’t listen to the radio or music as much as I used to, I spend more of my listening time on podcasts and audio fiction. So over the past several years I’ve grown more out of touch with new music.

I’ve heard of the bands my teenage niece is into now, and I know a couple of their singles, but a lot of the time I’d be hard pressed to name their songs. I figure I’d recognize the songs if I heard them though.

Still, as part of the process of growing older, I realize there’s not a lot of new music that clicks with me. I think it’s true for most people that you tend to lock into the music from your younger years. There are some exceptions and you can discover some new music, but for the most part it seems you fix on music from that era.

Another example was awhile ago when I was half listening to the radio as I drove and thought, that I caught myself absently-mindedly grooving to a Bon Jovi song! Heh, that was a surprise. I still didn’t like it, but it took me a bit to realize what it was, when years ago I would’ve yelled at the radio and immediately switched the station.

I think it was a two-fold effect, one from not having the song crammed down my throat like it was from when it was in heavy rotation back then, so it wasn’t as obnoxious. Secondly, I think it’s the familiarity to songs from my youth, even ones I didn’t like. It’s funny when the songs you grew up with are now considered oldies.