Quote of the Day...

Over at MTV JJ Abrams spoke about his upcoming 'Star Trek 2'. He said:

"We're working really hard and this is all to make sure that no one -- cast, crew, mostly the audience -- isn't disappointed by what we do."

I'm reassured. All that work to make sure there is no one who isn't disappointed. And, no one shouldn't be disappointed. Heaven forbid.

I can't not wait.

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'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol' Soundtrack

I love Lalo Schifrin's music for 'Mission: Impossible'. When I was a kid I wanted to hear that theme every week, probably more than I wanted to see the show. A match is struck, fuse is lit, flute and clarinet trill, and we're off. Here's a love letter to the theme:



Michael Giacchino composed the soundtrack for 'Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol'. I especially like the nod he gives to the original TV show by starting with a (very sexy sounding) metal lighter being flicked open. Then, comes the shink of the flint strike and flame whooshing to life.

This time, though, the trill is darker, and is punctuated by wild loose, almost intoxicated trumpets. Then...no familiar theme -- Giacchino makes us wait. Instead, we go into a meandering stealthy piano passage, with bongos (another nod to Schifrin's original).



The writing feels more rooted in classicism than other movie composers. The piano/winds in the first 33 seconds reminds me of 20th century Russian music, especially the piano concertos of Prokofiev.

At 34 seconds more winds join in and meandering drunkenness becomes more of a march, laced with intent. Lines straighten and we get some direction. Resolve builds to :47. Then, a pause for breath (or to reconsider, maybe quit and go home to sleep it off), then that strutting MI theme (so damn 'look at me'), with full wind ensemble, driven by some very no-nonsense drumming, full of swagger -- there's no turning back here, and no reconsideration.

While the foundation is powerful, the melody on top is stretched, almost lazy by today's standards, and feels more like a 19th century motif with longer, more elegant lines. The undercurrent, however, is punched up with ripping glissandi and bursts of machine-gun repeated notes.

Then, at 2:09 we return to the opening figure, this time accompanied by a suspense-filled walking bass. The ensemble is eager to get back to the theme however, and at 2:38 we return, a graceful solo trumpet carrying the tune. Snares add the military element (found in the movie's plot), then the finale, con brio, still maintaining a classical sensibility.

To compare, here's some of Giacchino's music from 'Star Trek'. Again, fluid, classical. 1:38 to 2:22 reminds me of Brahms.



Lovely stuff. Looking forward to 'MI: Ghost Protocol' and whatever Michael Giacchino scores in the future.

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Star Trek Delayed

Paramount is pushing Star Trek back from Christmas to Summer 09. I knew it -- I could tell they were trying to roll this one out too fast. It just takes more time to make this kind of flick. Besides, those welders need more time to build the Enterprise. Look at that guy, welding away...how much could he get done in a day? They should hire more welders, get that ship built, and finish the movie.

Not So Sqeaky Clean Star Trek

The teaser for the new 'Star Trek' movie features the Enterprise being built by sweating construction workers using torches, a voice-over of Apollo countdowns, crackling voices over the radio saying 'God speed John Glenn', and 'the Eagle has landed', and JFK announcing "...the eyes of the world now look into space".

In below excerpt we see a ship that, apparently, is driven by some type of turbine, similar to the ones that power jets today -- look to the left for spinning blades.

(Sorry, I don't know how to insert the Quicktime media here. You can see the excerpt from the teaser at my dot com here).

JJ Abrams, and writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, seem to be striving to create a connection between the world of the new 'Star Trek' and the world we live in today. By doing so he sets the stage for characters we might accept as being our children's children and, as such, he enables us to care about them.

Abrams is going for an Enterprise born of a real technological evolution -- that is, a ship that could be built someday, by us, if we continued to advance technologically. Up to now I've gotten the sense the movie Enterprise(s) were of a future that is not meant to be plausible, totally separated from our reality -- a fake construct that had nothing to do with us and our world, which only served as a stage for fanciful stories that, while entertaining, had little foundation in real human experience and was informed by the thinnest of universal theme.

The teaser for the new 'Star Trek' suggests that the story takes place in a future that has grown out of our reality and is a direct result of our accomplishments (both those of the past and those yet to come), and is populated by characters who live in a real world and are familiar with day-to-day problems the average person grapples with.

I'm calling an audible based on the approach Abrams has selected with the teaser. In the new 'Star Trek' look for anti-Star Trek dialogue and a story that brings out a genuine humanity in the characters. I wouldn't be surprised if this movie has a gritty side -- sort of a 'sci-fi verite' -- that will thrill most of us, and even offend many Trekkies.

I used to love watching Star Trek on TV when I was a kid but the movies have left me cold. The only one I can get into is 'The Wrath of Kahn'. The rest are so superficial and glossy there's no way to feel that the crew is real or that they face any real peril. So far, new 'Star Trek' is looking like something more substantial, like something that won't leave you embarrassed for having paid money to see it.

When I first heard Abrams was cooking up a new 'Star Trek' I couldn't have cared less. But, after seeing this teaser I'm looking forward to it.