Tag Archives: LaVar Burton

MOV088: “This is no time to talk about time. We don’t have the time!”

In this reel of COL Movies, the boys go into the future to go back in time to play with the Borg in “Star Trek: First Contact”. Upon returning to the present, they head to the theater to see Mark Wahlberg’s “Contraband”. As for the future, they once again head to the present to go back in time to check out the trailer for “Men In Black III”. In news, they do some Muppet Blu-Ray release talk, and a crowd sourced Star Wars remake? All this and Steven has skype issues on the 88th reel of COL Movies, “Timeline? This is no time to talk about time. We don’t have the time!”

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News:

The Past: Star Trek: First Contact(1996)

Rotten Tomatoes: 92% Fresh, 83% Audience

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Director: Jonathan Frakes

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LaVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, James Cromwell

Trivia:

  • For inspiration prior to filming, director Jonathan Frakes says he viewed the films Alien, Aliens, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Blade Runner, and Jaws.
  • The Borg makeup and suits had to be constantly touched up. Several of the Borg actors lost a considerable amount of weight while in costume due to the heat of the sets and temperature in L.A. during the shooting.
  • At the end of filming, actor/director Jonathan Frakes got the nickname: “Two takes Frakes” because of the efficiency of his style.
  • The deflector dish is labeled AE35, the name of a component of a satellite dish in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
  • The USS Defiant introduced in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine was built for the sole purpose to fight and defeat the Borg. This movie features the only time the ship fights the Borg.
  • When Dr. Crusher says “In the 21st century, the Borg are still in the Delta Quadrant”, it was intended as a teaser for upcoming episodes of Star Trek: Voyager, in which The Borg were featured prominently.
  • The eyepieces of the Borg flash the Morse code of the names of people associated with the production.
  • Certain USS Enterprise bridge set pieces from previous Star Trek movies were built into parts of the Enterprise-E bridge. These pieces include the turbolift foyers, which are the only surviving parts of the set from the first Star Trek movie, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and the aft master display station, which was a piece of the Enterprise-A bridge set originally built for Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
  • The first Star Trek movie to receive an MPAA rating higher than PG.
  • In an early draft of the screenplay, the character Lt. Hawk (Neal McDonough) was gay, and therefore was to have been the first openly gay character in any Star Trek series or movie; however, any reference to his sexual orientation was excised from later drafts of the screenplay. Lt. Hawk was later confirmed as having been gay in the Star Trek tie-in novel Section 31: Rogue by Andy Mangels and Michael A. Martin.
  • The “first contact” in this movie takes place at a “missile silo in Montana”. Montana’s missile base is Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, Montana, site of many of the more famous “UFO” sightings over the past few decades.
  • Cochrane asks La Forge, “Don’t you people in the 24th Century ever pee?” This is a reference to the fact that toilets are never shown in the series.
  • 5th April, 2063 – First Contact day – will be a Thursday.
  • The Borg Queen was created because the writers were having difficulty in writing dialogue for what was intended to be the Borg’s central computer.
  • The eyepiece of one of the Borg contains the front canopy of a ‘Star Wars TIE Fighter’ toy made by Kenner
  • The film was released on November 22, 1996, the anniversary of the date that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and the characters land on Earth on April 4, 2063, the anniversary of the date that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated.
  • In this film, the EMH says “I’m a doctor, not a doorstop”. This is a nod to Dr. McCoy from the original series. Whenever McCoy was given a non-medical task, he would say “I’m a doctor, not a… (bricklayer, moon shuttle conductor, escalator, etc.)”
  • One of only three Star Trek movies to have any swear words spoken. The others are Star Trek: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek: Generations. In each case, the cursing was a single use of the “s**t” word.
  • Alice Krige suffered much discomfort throughout the film. Her costume was too tight, causing blisters, and the silver contacts she had to wear were so painful they could only be kept in for four minutes at a time.
  • Geordi LaForge’s visor is replaced here with “ocular implants.” LeVar Burton lobbied for years to have his visor replaced so people could see his eyes. He always felt it limited his acting ability. His request was finally granted here.
  • One of the reasons Jonathan Frakes was chosen to direct was because the producers wanted someone who understood Star Trek. Indeed, amongst the cast, he was the show’s most prolific director. Reportedly, Ridley Scott and John McTiernan both turned down the chance to direct.

Talking Points:

  • Did y’all know that Lt. Hawk was a homo? The Character not the Actor.
  • Did this feel like a movie or an episode?
  • Did the Vulcan ship get moved?

What We’ve Learned:

  • Resistance is not Futile
  • Touch can change your perception of an object.
  • If your going to issue in an era of peace, pick something ironic to do it with, like a weapon of mass destruction.
  • Borg Implants have been known to cause severe skin irritations
  • Don’t go criticizing Counselor Troi’s Counseling Technique.
  • The Borg.. are definitely not Swedish.
  • With the safeties off even a holographic bullet can kill
  • Believing one self to be perfect is often the sign of a delusional mind
  • For an Android, 0.68 seconds is nearly an eternity

Trailer:

Recommendations:
Jeff: This is my favorite Trek movie followed closely by Wrath of Kahn. Almost wish there was more of the Enterprise in action but it worked very well for a TNG movie.
Ray: Not my favorite trek movie, but it was the first with the TNG cast that truly felt cinematic in it’s scope. I think this one is pretty accessible to non Trek fans even without knowing the whole Borg/Picard/Locutus back-story in detail.
Steve:

The Present: Contraband
Rotten Tomatoes: 46% Rotten, 75% Audience

Director: Baltasar Kormákur

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi and Kate Beckinsale

Trivia:

  • Baltasar Kormákur, director of the film, was the lead actor of the original film, Reykjavik-Rotterdam, playing the same role as Mark Wahlberg.
  • This is Baltasar Kormákur’s first Hollywood movie.

Talking Points:

  • Giovanni Ribisi’s side burns and voice.
  • Shaky out of focus camera

What We Learned:

  • You got a spend a little money to make money
  • If you wanna make a run, you better pay your fare.

Trailer:

Recommendations :
Jeff: I actually enjoyed the movie. Which was a surprise since it felt a little Gone In 60 Seconds. Giovanni Ribisi’s side burns and voice annoyed me though. Not a waste of money to see in the theater but you can wait for the DVD.
Ray: Somewhat enjoyable, if not predictable. Yes it is the smuggling version of GISS. But nothing in it like Fancy cars to make it really enjoyable for me.
Steve:

The Future: Men In Black III

Release: May 25, 2012

Director: Barry Sonnenfeld

Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones and Josh Brolin

Summary:

Agent J travels in time to MIB’s early years in the 1960s, to stop an alien from assassinating his friend Agent K and changing history.

Trivia:

  • Michael Bay expressed interest in directing.
  • Screenwriter David Koepp, who was originally involved with Men in Black II but left to write Spider-Man, signed on permanently for this film.
  • Sacha Baron Cohen was considered for the role of Boris.
  • Betty White was originally rumored to have a role.
  • This is Will Smith’s first film in 3.5 years, since the release of Seven Pounds in December 2008. This is the longest he has gone without appearing in a movie since his film career started in 1993.
  • Gemma Arterton was originally cast as young Agent O, but scheduling conflicts prevented Arterton from taking the role.
  • Josh Brolin plays a younger version of Tommy Lee Jones’s character. Brolin’s wife, Diane Lane, appeared with Jones in ‘Lonesome Dove (1989)(TV)’. In the sequel, ‘Streets of Laredo (1995)(TV)’, Lane’s role was taken over by Sissy Spacek, who played Tommy Lee Jones’s wife in Coal Miner’s Daughter, and is the cousin of cast member Rip Torn.
  • The previous film Men in Black II released the same year as Spider-Man. This film, the sequel, releases ten years later; the same year as the reboot The Amazing Spider-Man.
  • This is the second threequel Steven Spielberg produced that involves Apollo 11 in its storyline. The first was Transformers: Dark of the Moon which focused on a Transformer ship discovered by Apollo.

Talking Points:

  • Is this necessary? Did this franchise need a sequel.

Trailers:

Excitement:
Jeff: I’ve always been a fan of the MIB movies. Excited for another one.
Ray: Been a fan, but not sure the series needs another movie. I do like the fact we are getting a glimpse of the old MIB organization, just hope they can pull off the Tommy Lee Jones character and voice through the whole movie.
Steve:

Coming Attractions

The Past

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The Present

The Future

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