The Ten WORST 'Star Trek' Episodes

[Sue U]

Sue--I was kind of afraid of that when I saw the director, a guy who seems to specialize in comic book style action films.

Was the 3D done well?

The 3D was good if by good you mean unobtrusive, as opposed to "Hey look at this gnarly 3D effect!" The movie was pretty heavy on action with only a half-hearted and way-too-late-in-coming motivating idea; the over-arching theme seemed to be "Here's all your favorite characters doing those things that they do that you like."

In other summer movie news, we also saw Batman v. Superman, which was a complete mess if you ask me. Sort of hoping the DC franchise can do better with Suicide Squad, which from the trailers has potential but the initial reviews I've seen have panned it.

[Big RR]

Sue--I tend to avoid the comic book movies, but have seen some of the Superman ones (due to my love of those comic books during childhood), but I have been very disappointed in the latest Superman offerings; the coming attraction of Batman vs Superman made me think this could be the worst. I'll probably see it sometime on TV, but I'm in no big rush.

Glad to hear the 3D on Star Trek was more than just crap flying off the screen; I think there's a lot a director can do with 3D, but most of the time it's just a silly effect.

[Sue U]

I'd rather see something more sophisticated than the comic book movies myself, but that seems to be pretty much all that Hollywood is making these days, or at least what's being released to my local multiplexes.

On one of the streaming services this weekend we also saw "Inherent Vice," and I'm still not sure what I think about that one, other than it was funny both haha and strange, a meditation on southern California and the tropes of American culture.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Maybe one day I'll go see me a "flicker show".

[Big RR]

Sue--you are correct, that is the bulk of what they are making, but it just means I go to less films in the movies--especially the multiplexes. There are a few art houses near me, and NYC has plenty, all of which show movies I am more likely to want to see, but often I can look at the offerings of a 17 or 20 plex and not see one thing I would want to see. Sometimes later in the year there are more (after the summer blockbuster season is over and studios are thinking about Oscars, but sadly this is less and less. I don't really blame the studios or theaters--it's a business and these make money (a lot of money), but I'd like to see a broader choice beyond action, stupid comedies, and insipid date movies.

The last thing I saw in the theater that I enjoy was a movie called Witch; not a great movie, but interesting (especially in its use of 17th-18th century American English as dialog); before that it was The Danish Girl. I'll see a lot of the popular films on cable (less now that my kids are older), but I get very picky as to what I will buy a ticket for.

oldr--just be warned--they cost a lot more than a quarter, probably because you don't have to turn a crank to watch them.

[RayThom]

CGI movies work well in some cases -- I love the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genres when done well -- but not when CGI is the only thing used to sell the movie. Dialogue driven films (mostly Indies) are my forte, and for that reason only, they usually hold my attention from start to finish.

Some of my recent favs have been Brooklyn, Rooms, Spotlight, Beasts of No Nation, Steve Jobs, and the Danish Girl (for nothing else but the acting.) As BigRR mentions, most are found in 'art houses' but some major theater screen a good share of interesting films, also.

Mostly, however, I gravitate toward live theatre dramas, I'm not big on blue-hair musicals. "Hamilton" would be an easy exception, though. I know it's a theatre cliche but if Meryl Street and Liev Schreiber were reading a phone book on a black stage I'd enjoy that, too. Words you can feel, not just hear.

[oldr_n_wsr]

oldr--just be warned--they cost a lot more than a quarter, probably because you don't have to turn a crank to watch them.

N crank!?!?!? Well what will they invent next?
Maybe they will add talking and music to those flicker shows. There's something I should invent. It'll be HUUUUUGGGE!

[Lord Jim]

Gee oldr, it's been even longer since you went to see the moving pictures then I thought...

I thought the last time you went to see a movie they included a Betty Boop cartoon, a Movietone Newsreel segment, a comedy short film, and the latest Flash Gordon serial episode before they played the feature...

But apparently it's been even longer...

[Guinevere]

I think the last movies I saw in the theater were Spotlight and Bridge of Spies. Not much interests me, either, and I have fairly pedestrian tastes in movies (although certainly "high" pedestrian). I would go see the new Bourne flick, because they were pretty good and I read and loved all of Robert Ludlum's books. Bad Moms also looks funny....

[MajGenl.Meade]

Saw the new Bourne. Predictable and full of actiony things. 2.5 thumbs out of 5

Bad Moms - saw the preview. Disgusted. Women being assholes just like men (see The Hangover and the like).
The sort of movie discerning 17-year-olds eschew

[Guinevere]

Meade - here's a newsflash -- sometimes it's fun to play at being 17 again (ok, maybe 19, really).

[Big RR]

My theory on the action movies is that it's a way to try and get people into the theaters. Ever since TV came out, the movie studios worried about getting people into the theaters rather than waiting for TV; in the 60s through the early 80s they introduced sexual (and sometimes violent) content with lots of nudity that couldn't be shown on TV; when the advent of cable movie networks changed this equation, they started to create blockbuster action that only looked good on the big screen, and that continues to this day--especially with the advent of modern 3D. It doesn't hurt that kids, especially young males, who go to the movies most, like those sorts of films.

[Bicycle Bill]

I think the last movies I saw in the theater were Spotlight and Bridge of Spies. Not much interests me, either, and I have fairly pedestrian tastes in movies (although certainly "high" pedestrian). I would go see the new Bourne flick, because they were pretty good and I read and loved all of Robert Ludlum's books. Bad Moms also looks funny....

Can't remember the last movie I saw in a theater.  I do remember seeing "Titanic" when it came out and spending some time in the multiplex to see "Crocodile Dundee II", and when I worked for Echo Bridge Home Entertainment in the middle 2000s the company rented the screening room of our local cinema and hosted a showing of a little-known Robin Williams film ("The Big White", also featuring Holly Hunter, Giovanni Ribisi, and Woody Harrelson) they had acquired the rights to in 2005.  But other than that, nuthin'.

In fact, I've got a gift card I've had since before Christmas good for $10 at our local Marcus theater, and so far there really hasn't been anything showing yet that's made me eager enough to want to drive to the other end of town to go see it.  Not even the latest "Star Wars" or "James Bond" releases.... and I think I'd gouge my eyes out before I'd go to that new Seth Rogen thing, "Sausage Fest".

Although I've heard some good things about something called "Superior".  It's an indie film with a buncha no-names (at least to me) in it, one of the producers (Stephen Helstad) is originally from a town about ten miles from where I'm sitting right now, and they're going to do a special screening at our local movie palace (an old 1920's theater, with much of the original interior) two weeks from now (8/24) with Helstad and the director (Edd Benda) scheduled to attend, so there may be a Q&A session or other activities as part of the show.  Maybe I'll try to catch that one.

-"BB"-

[Jarlaxle]

Last movie I saw in a theater was Star Trek: First Contact.

[dales]

"The Great Train Robbery"

[oldr_n_wsr]

Gee oldr, it's been even longer since you went to see the moving pictures then I thought...I thought the last time you went to see a movie they included a Betty Boop cartoon, a Movietone Newsreel segment, a comedy short film, and the latest Flash Gordon serial episode before they played the feature...But apparently it's been even longer...

Those were the days.
Sing with me....
Let's all go to the snack bar
let's all go to the snack bar
let's all go to the snack bar, and have ourselves a snack. (or was it, "and get something to eat". I forget)

But seriously, I think the last movie I saw in a theater was the latest Star Wars.
I was a big Star Wars fan (saw Empire Strikes Back at least 15 times in the theater) but the last four (episodes 1, 2, 3 and 7) sucked.

It will be a while before I venture out to the theater again.
I am getting a little interested in the TV now that ladies beach volleyball is on.


OH, and there is a new season of DD although I have missed most of them already.

[Bicycle Bill]

I remember it as "Let's all go to the lobby..." — and apparently so do these guys:



According to my information, this was animated by David Fleischer (producer of the 'Popeye' cartoons) and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress in 2000 as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".

-"BB"-

[Lord Jim]

David Fleischer (producer of the 'Popeye' cartoons)

Who was the lesser known brother of the incomparable Max Fleischer, the absolute pioneer in early cartoon animation:

Hit it Betty:

[oldr_n_wsr]

I remember it as "Let's all go to the lobby..."

I guess so, but I remember seeing it at the Westbury Drive Inn (now a BJ's and a giga plex).
They even had a playground there.
The last movie I saw there was the first Conan movie.

[Big RR]

When I was in high school I ran a concession stand for a local drive in; we never had the lobby reel, but we did have film for a "The Show starts in 10 minutes" countdown with assorted cavorting hotdogs and sodas and dancing popcorn. The projection booth was right next to the concession and, depending on the line, that 10 minutes could be looped and extend to 35-40 minutes before the second feature began.