Darth Ed's Journal

Twitter Update

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 08:30:03 GMT

02:51 _Away We Go_ (@ Majestic) is Sam Mendes' latest film. Unlike his previous films, this one is a joy to watch. Funny, touching, and beautiful. #

Twitter Update

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:30:02 GMT

00:28 _The Hangover_ (@ Majestic) is this summer's surprise hit comedy. It's a lot of fun, smartly written, and very funny. Not dumb or gross. #

Twitter Update

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:30:03 GMT

03:05 Upgraded to iPhone OS 3.0. No problems. MobileSafari is noticeably faster. I'm loving Spotlight. Copy and paste more fun than it should be. #

Twitter Update

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 08:30:04 GMT

00:32 Wow! So happy that the Penguins won the Stanley Cup! Redemption after losing last year. Pittsburgh is the City of Champions once more. #

02:24 _The Beach_ (@ AFI) is an interesting film that is part _Apocalypse Now_, part _Lord of the Flies_, part "Paradise Lost." Danny Boyle FTW. #

Twitter Update

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:30:03 GMT

01:54 Jenny Lewis was really impressive at the 9:30 Club tonight. Excellent show. I love her voice and her gospel/country-tinged rock songs. #

Twitter Update

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:30:04 GMT

12:45 Was at the 9:30 Club last night for the TV on the Radio concert. Fun show. TV on the Radio always put on a fantastic performance. #

23:57 _Epitaph_ (Korean Film Festival DC @ AFI) is a trio of intertwined ghost stories set in a 1942 hospital. Creepy, unsettling, and well made. #

Twitter Update

Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:30:02 GMT

19:48 I'm at Merriweather Post Pavilion for tonight's concert by The Decemberists. Robyn Hitchcock and the Venus 3 opened with a fantastic set. #

20:55 I was very impressed by Andrew Bird, the middle performer at tonight's Merriweather concert. I'd heard of him, but not his music. New fan. #

23:58 The Decemberists concert (@ Merriweather) tonight was epic! Probably the best concert of 2009. Played all of "The Hazards of Love" album. A+ #

Twitter Update

Mon, 08 Jun 2009 08:30:02 GMT

18:31 Company picnic at Six Flags America was a lot of fun! The Ride of Steel Superman coaster was awesome! Rode it twice. Batwing was cool too. #

Twitter Update

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:30:02 GMT

23:40 _Up_ (@ Majestic, 3D) is one of best movies of 2009! Might be my favorite Pixar. Touching story. Compelling adventure. I want a talking dog! #

Twitter Update

Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:30:03 GMT

00:16 Finally saw _Trainspotting_ (@ AFI)! I know it's hard to believe it's taken me this long. I loved it! Very impressed by Danny Boyle's filmmaking. #

Movie Review: Star Trek (Spoilers!)

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 07:21:07 GMT

There's a lot to like in the new Star Trek film, so it's understandable that both casual and hardcore fans are excited about it. It's without a doubt the best Star Trek movie since Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Unfortunately, that's damning with faint praise since the subsequent movies were just awful (with the possible exception of First Contact, which was half a good movie anyway). Unfortunately, Star Trek is a poorly written and deeply flawed film. But let's start with what's good about it. The special effects are absolutely stupendous, effectively capturing the grandeur of space and the majesty of its exploration, and the set design is wonderful. The Enterprise's bridge has never looked so good. It combines elements of the original series' bridge with a modern sensibility (reminiscent of Apple design aesthetics?). Engineering is vast, making previous Enterprises seem cramped and claustrophobic in comparison, with a set design seemingly inspired by the huge power plants of battleships or aircraft carriers. (Unfortunately, the Engineering set design is marred by the ludicrous and completely unrealistic coolant tubes that Scotty is trapped in when he and Kirk beam aboard.) The action sequences for the most part are very well done. The "space jump" from Pike's shuttle to the Romulan drilling mechanism above the surface of Vulcan was especially effective.

The casting is a bit of mixed bag. As far as performances go, Chris Pine and Karl Urban are absolutely perfect as Kirk and McCoy, respectively. They both capture the essence of their characters without actually impersonating William Shatner and DeForest Kelley. Zachary Quinto is slightly less successful as Spock, but he also has the biggest shoes to fill and it doesn't help that he has to share screen time with his iconic predecessor. That said, I'm not sure I can imagine anyone else doing a better job. Zoe Saldana is a revelation. Her performance as Uhura is touching and fully realized and expands upon Nichelle Nichols' performance. Her sex appeal is undeniable. Bruce Greenwood is wonderful and inspiring as Captain Pike. The movie is worth seeing for these performances alone. Unfortunately, I was far less impressed with Simon Pegg (Scotty), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), and John Cho (Sulu), who I think were either just not good at all or miscast. Yelchin is especially grating as Chekov, and Pegg's tone is completely wrong. Cho is fine, but his characterization is incomplete and it was completely inappropriate to cast a Korean in the role of a Japanese character.

If the casting of the lesser characters was the only problem with the film, it could be overlooked, but the film's major flaw is the writing. The story is littered with plot holes, poorly motivated characters, contrivances, and bad science. The biggest problem is Nero himself. If your home planet was destroyed and you suddenly find yourself 130 years or so in the past, your primary motivation would be to warn your home planet of its impending destruction and attempt to avert it. Nero is completely bent on revenge. It makes no sense whatsoever. The entire movie rests upon this character's motivations and actions, and it's completely ridiculous. Even if he were insane, surely one of the members of his crew would have enough sense to know that saving Romulus must take precedent over destroying Vulcan and Earth. One would think that Spock Prime would at least be motivated to prevent the disaster. If he were to prevent the supernova in the past, then Nero would never have a reason to destroy Vulcan. Bad science permeates the whole film. The impetus of the plot rests on a supernova that--we're told--threatens to destroy the galaxy. In a word, that's preposterous. A supernova could render one star system uninhabitable and maybe affect a nearby star system (or two) many years later, but it certainly cannot possibly threaten the whole galaxy. Then, there are the black holes. Black holes are not wormholes. They can't throw you backwards in time or across space. You can't go through a black hole at all. First off, you'd be crushed by tidal forces, but, more fundamentally, the closer you get to a black hole, the slower time gets. It would take an infinite amount of time to cross the event horizon of a black hole. The black holes aren't even written consistently. For some reason, Nero and Spock can travel through time using the black hole that Spock creates to contain the supernova, but the other black holes that are created just destroy things. The Romulans go to great lengths to drill into Vulcan (and later Earth) in order to insert the black hole, but it is wholly unnecessary. Simply creating a supermassive black hole in the vicinity of Vulcan or launching it at Vulcan would be sufficient to cause its destruction. No drilling necessary. The contrivances in the plot are another sign of poor writing. Kirk just happens to be dropped off on the same planet where Scotty and Spock Prime are located. It doesn't even make sense for them to take the time during an emergency to drop Kirk off when Spock can just have Kirk put in the brig. The scenes with the alien monsters on the ice planet and the previously mentioned sequence with Scotty in the coolant tubes verge on self-parody and Galaxy Quest territory. Then there's Kirk's meteoric rise to Enterprise's captain, which defies all logic and command structure. As a fan of the original Star Trek, I initially felt that the Spock/Uhura romance was just too heretical, but, in retrospect, it does lead to the best acted scenes in the movie, those involving Uhura's attempts to console Spock. If the script has one positive aspect, it's the dialogue, which had plenty of good lines.

If you're willing to overlook the many problems with the script, then you will find Star Trek a very entertaining movie. Even if you can't overlook these problems, there's still a lot to like in the movie: some great performances, well-made action sequences, and fantastic special effects. It's just unfortunate the script couldn't have been plotted better. A better script would have elevated Star Trek into the same lofty heights as The Wrath of Khan and The Voyage Home, but it misses the mark. We'll have to settle for second-tier Star Trek, but that's probably better than nothing, which is what Star Trek fans have had for many years.

Twitter Update

Sun, 31 May 2009 08:30:03 GMT

03:37 Saw _Star Trek_ again because my friend Mike M. hadn't seen it. Very entertaining, but flawed. Bad science was more aggravating this time. #

03:38 _The Brothers Bloom_ (@ Bethesda Row, 5/29) is one of the best movies of the year. Funny, quirky, poignant, brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. #

Twitter Update

Fri, 29 May 2009 07:30:18 GMT

00:34 _Shallow Grave_ (@ AFI) is an excellent black comedy/thriller from (pre-_Trainspotting_) Danny Boyle with Ewan McGregor and Chris Eccleston. #

Twitter Update

Thu, 28 May 2009 07:30:14 GMT

02:17 _Christmas in August_ (Korean Film Festival DC @ AFI) is a sad but warm movie. Subtle without too much sentimentality, but it hit me hard. #

Twitter Update

Tue, 26 May 2009 07:30:18 GMT

15:26 Well, Balticon is over for another year. Overall, a pretty good year for the con. Gene Wolfe FTW, and Charles Stross is a new favorite. #

02:24 _Terminator Salvation_ (@ Egyptian) is a good action movie, but not a great one. Best special effects I've seen in a long time. #

02:26 The National totally killed it at the 9:30 Club tonight. Loved the arrangements with the horn section, which gave their music a full sound. #

Twitter Update

Mon, 25 May 2009 07:30:16 GMT

19:26 Gene Wolfe just called me stupid. Well, not me but my question, but by implication... Anyway, something to brag(?) about. :-) #

Twitter Update

Fri, 22 May 2009 07:30:18 GMT

22:57 I'm at Iota Club in Arlington. Just saw Dead Heart Bloom (@deadheartbloom) perform. Short concert, but they rocked it as they always do! #

Twitter Update

Sun, 17 May 2009 07:30:18 GMT

14:58 _Angels & Demons_ (@ Majestic, 5/15) is pretty entertaining. Lots of twists, but repetitious. One of Ewan McGregor's better roles though. #

15:04 I'm kind of shocked "Dollhouse" has been renewed, but very grateful! I think season 2 will rock. Especially if Jane Espenson is on board. #

22:46 _The Chaser_ (Korean Film Festival DC @ AFI) is a non-stop thriller about a brutal serial killer and police ineptitude. Powerful filmmaking. #

Twitter Update

Sat, 16 May 2009 07:30:20 GMT

20:45 RT @DConAmSFMedia: Fall Renewal/Denials - bit.ly/D1nYD -Things are looking good for Dollhouse and Better Off Ted! C'mon Chuck! #

20:47 RT @colinmeloy: I'm not one to gush, folks, but I have to say that Ewan MacGregor is for real: super legit nice guy. #

Twitter Update

Thu, 14 May 2009 07:30:19 GMT

00:44 Saw indie/post-punk band The Thermals at the Black Cat tonight. I've rarely seen a drummer have so much fun. Great energy. Lots of fun! #

Twitter Update

Wed, 13 May 2009 07:30:18 GMT

00:36 Mixed feelings about new _Star Trek_ movie. Too many plot holes and contrivances, but Chris Pine and Karl Urban perfect as Kirk and McCoy. #

Twitter Update

Mon, 11 May 2009 07:30:16 GMT

17:38 Having dinner with Mom at Carbone's Restaurant in Crabtree, PA. I had the gnocchi and Mom had the spaghetti. Yum! Driving back to MD soon. #

Twitter Update

Fri, 08 May 2009 07:30:20 GMT

11:33 _Monsters vs. Aliens_ (@ Egyptian, 4/16) is a fun, quasi-feminist reinterpretation of 1950s B-movies. For once the 3D didn't hurt my eyes. #

12:04 _Sin Nombre_ (@ AFI, 4/24) is a realistic look at the immigrant experience. Eloquent and powerful without being preachy. Top-notch cast. #

12:06 _I Love You Man_ (@ Majestic, 4/25) is a heartfelt, laugh-out-loud funny comedy about male friendship. Paul Rudd and Jason Segel are great! #

12:08 _X-Men Origins: Wolverine_ (@ Bowie, 5/5) is a big disappointment. Clearly not made for fans of the comics. Action sequences kind of lame. #

12:17 _Adventureland_ is still the best movie so far this year. If it's still playing near you, I highly recommend seeing it. #

22:21 At the Black Cat to see Canadian band The Dears. Really small crowd tonight. :( Opening band Great Northern was fantastic! Bought their CD. #

22:24 Great Northern's lead singer looks just like Courtney Cox. It's uncanny! Got a long drive to Pennsylvania after the concert to visit my mom. #

00:42 The Dears were just awesome as expected. One of my all-time favorite bands. I just wish they toured the U.S. more often. Long drive to PA. #

Twitter Update

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 07:30:20 GMT

01:48 At the Black Cat tonight for the Thao Nguyen concert. Fantastic show! Great energy. Thao is the most electrifying female performer in rock. #

01:50 Canadian band Sister Suvi opened for Thao Nguyen at the Black Cat tonight with youthful exuberance. Very impressive. I bought their CD. #

02:50 My seasonal allergies (tree pollen) have officially started. :-( I just took my first Claritin. About 3-4 weeks before it's over. #

Twitter Update

Sat, 11 Apr 2009 07:30:13 GMT

02:47 Tony Gilroy's _Duplicity_ is a cute/clever little industrial espionage movie. Worth a look. Clive Owen and Julia Roberts are very good. #