Where Have All the Kirks Gone?

Don’t beam me up, Scotty. The Capt. James T. Kirk in the new “Star Trek” film is proof of how much ground men have lost in today’s culture. 

Before you tell me it is just a movie, recall the words of series creator Gene Roddenberry: “I have no belief that Star Trek depicts the actual future,” Roddenberry said, “it depicts us, now…”  And right now, the latest Star Trek depicts men as insecure, impulsive lechs who need women and aliens to keep them out of trouble.

Consider four attributes of the ideal man: self-control, bravery, confidence and sex appeal.

In the original series, Kirk has supreme self-control. He sacrifices himself for the safety of his crew and, in more than one episode, even chooses duty over true love. In the latest “Star Trek,” Kirk is Peter Pan, an irresponsible, reckless man-boy.  (Warning: plot spoilers ahead.) The new Kirk tears down an empty Iowa highway in a stolen hot rod and drives off a cliff, jumping out to save himself, not the car.  He gets into bar fights to serve his vanity, not some higher cause like rescuing the crew from aliens.  (more…)

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Tags: Chris Pine, gene rodenberry, James T. Kirk, Peter Pan, San Francisco
Posted May 14th 2009 at 8:37 am in Entertainment, Politics | 1342264 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hsmith/2009/05/14/where-have-all-the-kirks-gone/Where+Have+All+the+Kirks+Gone%3F2009-05-14+15%3A37%3A18Heather+Smith

Abrams’ ‘Star Trek’ Goes Where No ‘Trek’ Has Gone Before! $33M in 29 Hours & Almost $77M Possible by Monday!

Rebooting Bond with Daniel Craig was Bold. Christopher Nolan’s Reinvention of Batman was genius. But some thought it was overly-ambitious, even audacious, to attempt to restart the Star Trek franchise. It has begun to pay off already for Paramount Pictures, and there will dividends for years to come.

A shiny new Enterprise is luring in a new generation of STAR TREK fans

J.J. Abrams is officially the Lazarus of movie directors as his all-new Star Trek has gone “Boldly Gone Where No Star Trek Movie has Gone Before.” With a cast of relative unknowns, the 42-year-old has resurrected a franchise that had been killed by insular “nerdyness” and timid imagination. The Gene Rodenberry creation didn’t so much bomb as it died slowly over a period of years. First, the 2002 movie Star Trek: Nemesis starring the Next Generation cast disappointed with a meager $43.3M domestic. Then, the final TV series Enterprise, which starred Scott Bakula, was not embraced by core fans or broader audiences and was canceled after four seasons, ending May 13, 2005.

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Tags: 17 again, 3-d, academy award nominee, academy award winner, alastair fothergill
Posted May 8th 2009 at 10:40 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Steve Mason's Box Office | 1306069 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/05/08/star-trek-estimates/Abrams%27+%27Star+Trek%27+Goes+Where+No+%27Trek%27+Has+Gone+Before%21+%2433M+in+29+Hours+%26amp%3B+Almost+%2477M+Possible+by+Monday%212009-05-09+05%3A40%3A03Steve+Mason

Critics Love the All-New ‘Star Trek’ & Thursday Night Previews Deliver a Possible $6.5M-$7.5M!

Several sources at competing studios have told me that J.J. Abrams’ all-new reboot of Star Trek (Paramount), which debuted last night at 7pm at many of its 3,849 locations, may have grossed as much as $6.5M-$7.5M. Studio honchos are “locked down tight” about actual numbers, but that is in the same ballpark as Transformers (Dreamworks/Paramount), which grabbed $8.8M in its previews starting at 8pm on Monday, July 2 during the summer of 2007. (What portion of ticket sales fall into Thursday and what percentage fall into Friday will likely be an open question even after final numbers are in.)

William Shatner (left) with Captain Kirk 2.0 Chris Pine

Keep in mind that Paramount never changed its Star Trek marketing to promote the 7pm Thursday start, so the opening night audience was likely heavy on Trekkers or Trekkies (not sure which term is “politically correct” anymore). So this was a “soft” opening and what amounts to a night of word-of-mouth screenings. Keep in mind that Transformers premiered during the summer when kids are more available while Star Trek has made its premiere during the school year.

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Tags: 17 again, 3-d, academy award nominee, academy award winner, alastair fothergill
Posted May 8th 2009 at 11:00 am in Entertainment, Steve Mason's Box Office | 1299863 Commentshttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/05/08/early-star-trek/Critics+Love+the+All-New+%27Star+Trek%27+%26amp%3B+Thursday+Night+Previews+Deliver+a+Possible+%246.5M-%247.5M%212009-05-08+18%3A00%3A48Steve+Mason

J.J. Abrams’ Reboot of Classic ‘Star Trek’ Could Reach $65M for 4 Days! Easily Biggest ‘Trek’ Opening Ever & $200M+ Domestic is Possible!

The all-new J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek (Paramount) will win the second weekend of the Hollywood Summer Box Office season by at least a couple of light years over Fox’s fast-fading X-Men Origins: Wolverine, but some of the astronomical numbers I’ve seen floating around in the blogosphere are very over-heated. Make no mistake, this movie will open extraordinarily well, but it’s not going to play out as a typical front-loaded blockbuster. Moviegoers need time to shake off the disappointment of the final TV series Enterprise (starring Scott Bakula and canceled after four seasons) and the disastrous 2002 final film Star Trek: Nemesis ($43.3M domestic). It will take time for a new generation of fans to discover the magic of Gene Rodenberry’s vision of the future through Abrams’ magical lens.

As of Wednesday night, Star Trek is cruising with 94% Fresh (positive) reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, and critics are slinging some seriously glowing hyperbole.

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Tags: "Wrath of Khan", 17 again, 3-d, academy award nominee, academy award winner
Posted May 6th 2009 at 6:05 pm in Entertainment, Featured Story, Steve Mason's Box Office | 129382One Commenthttp://bighollywood.breitbart.com/smason/2009/05/06/finaltracking58/J.J.+Abrams%27+Reboot+of+Classic+%27Star+Trek%27+Could+Reach+%2465M+for+4+Days%21+Easily+Biggest+%27Trek%27+Opening+Ever+%26amp%3B+%24200M%2B+Domestic+is+Possible%21+2009-05-07+01%3A05%3A05Steve+Mason