Tales of the Geeky Vixen

Yesterday I saw Star Trek for the 2nd time, and I'm glad I waited to review it until after the 2nd viewing. As much as I loved it the first time, the 2nd time around I was able to concentrate more on the story, without the "OMG OMG It's so PRETTY" factor getting in the way. The first time we saw the film was at the Cinemall in Abingdon, and it was a mind-blowing experience. The theater is one of 17 in the country that has a silver screen and projector that project images at 1080p. Pair that with the George Lucas sound system the theater is renowned for, and you're in for an unmatched viewing experience. If you're in the Tri-Cities area and have an opportunity to peep a flick at this big-city theater tucked away in the small town of Abingdon, do it. But I digress....

There's not much I can say about Abrams' triumph that has not already been said, I'm sure. One thing I will say is this. I am a Star Wars fangirl. I wanted to be Princess Leia when I was a kid. (Hell, I still want to be Princess Leia most days.) I never really got the Trek. Let me clarify. I love the cheesiness of the old show, and the 2nd and 4th movies were great. The Trek I never got was The Next Generation, and some of the other series. My biggest complaint was the inaccessibility of it all, the tech speak being thrown around that to the casual viewer just sounded like technobabble. Mr. Geeky Vixen likes the series, and in my supportive wifeyness I have watched some of the series and kept an open mind. I still don't really get TNG. Just not my thing. Mr. GV paid good money for me to sleep in public when we saw Nemesis. I really like Enterprise. It's probably my favorite, except for the slightly fruity theme song. I like Voyager, mostly b/c I like to make jokes about the black Vulcan whose name sounds awfully close to 2Pac. The Trek I know best is the 80s films. I still count Wrath of Khan as the best of the original. So quotable, a good story, and probably my favorite Spock. Until now.

The casting for this film is perfect. Being a Heroes fan I was excited about Zachary Quinto being cast as Spock. He fills Nimoy's standard issue Starfleet boots very well. Chris Pine has all the swagger of Shatner without the cheesiness. Zoe Saldana plays Uhura as more of a linguist and less of a space receptionist. (Geek out moment for me when Kirk says the words "morphology" and "phonology". EEEEEE!) Simon Pegg plays Scotty even better than I thought he would. (I *heart* him so much.) I love Chekhov and Sulu more than even the originals. Probably the best casting choice is Karl Urban as Bones. Bones is a character I have always loved; that Southern grumpiness reminded me of someone my granddad would hang with. Urban, of LOTR fame, seemed at first a weird choice for me. All it took was his delivery of lines like "Dammit man, I'm a doctor, not a physicist" and "Don't be such an infant" to sell me on Abrams' choices.

The film is accessible to both Trek fans and the rest of the world, though it's the little things that endear the film to me. Spock quoting Wrath of Khan, for example, makes it worth the price of admission. It's a pretty film, too. The colors remind me of building a map on Halo 3 and oversaturating the colors by using the Juicy light effect. There are times you don't really know where to look, but it's totally OK. You know you're getting your money's worth with each viewing. Many other reviewers have called this movie fun, and I'm inclined to agree. Last summer Iron Man kicked off the summer with tons of fun, and Star Trek is following nicely in its footsteps. I'll say it--JJ Abrams has converted me to the Trek side. I'm not trading my Leia buns for Vulcan ears, but I'll be viewing this film repeatedly in the next few months.

Speaking of Leia buns, I purchased the recently on DVD Fanboys. I sent multiple emails to the studio back in February when this movie opened in like 10 theaters to help get it wide-released. To no avail, I had to wait for DVD. Let me say, it was totally worth the wait. I've known about this movie pretty much from jump, checking up on the production and release dates, and keeping up with the dramatic saga of the cancer vs. non-cancer plots. Thankfully the cancer plot won out. If you're not a Star Wars fan, or you've been hiding under a rock, here's a very brief synopsis. A group of childhood friends reunite to have one last hurrah b/c one of them has terminal cancer. The hurrah? To peep Episode I before it hits theaters. Add in guest appearances from Carrie Fisher to Kevin Smith, not to mention geek out moments like Skywalker Ranch and fights between Trekkies and Star Woids. For a Star Wars fangirl (like Kristen Bell in the movie), it's like a typical night with my guys. Just watch it. Do it. You won't be sorry, and if you are, what are you, a Trekkie? (I'm totally kidding. You know I love the Trek!)

Movie trailers to watch out for: Public Enemies, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. The jury's still out on GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra. I just don't know if it's worth ruining my childhood to see that one.

For you comic book geeks, Vertigo has released a new #1 that's totally worth reading. The Unwritten follows Tommy Taylor, a Harry Potteresque character that, unlike Potter, is actually a real person. His father has disappeared, and he's touring the country, meeting with his devoted fans. There is, of course, a catch. His lineage is called into question, which is just the beginning of his troubles. For fans of Harry Potter, or for anyone who just wants to jump on board at the beginning of a really good new series, I highly recommend this book.

Whew! That was a lot of reviewing for one day. I'll try to be a little more diligent about posting regularly and keeping it short and sweet. As the song says, "Man, it's good to be a geek!"



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