#chekov thinks his accent is from watching movies or something

[bj-cuntycunt]

New Star Trek headcanon: Chekov thinks McCoy is from Georgia (country) and not Georgia (USA) and keeps calling him "neighbor" because Russia's next to Georgia. McCoy is very confused.

[mst3kproject]

The Monster Maker

I could have sworn J. Carroll Naish was on MST3K at some point but the only thing I can find from his filmography that has appeared on this blog is Dracula vs Frankenstein, in which he played Dr. D'Ray.  Not that it matters.  The Monster Maker's producer, Sigmund Neufeld, also brought us MST3K feature The Mad Monster, and writer Sam Newfield penned both that film and I Accuse my Parents (not to mention the world's only all-midget cowboy musical, Terror of Tiny Town), but mostly I'm watching this movie because... well, you know, it sucks.

I know what you're thinking, and as far as I can tell, no, Sigmund Neufeld and Sam Newfield are not the same guy who's just bad at pseudonyms.

Anthony Lawrence is one of the world's greatest pianists, but with a concert tour finished he's looking forward to relaxing and spending some time with his daughter Patricia and her fiance Bob.  Sadly, this is not to be, as Patricia has come to the attention of Dr. Igor Markov, who believes her to be the reincarnation of his dead wife Leonora.  He spends weeks harassing poor Pat, until her father storms over to Markov's office to tell him where he can shove his attentions. Little does Lawrence know he's walking into a trap.  Markov has been experimenting on animals in his basement, and if Lawrence doesn't hand over Patricia, the next syringe is for him!

I have mixed feelings about this movie.  It surprisingly subverts several tropes of the mad scientist movie, including some it deliberately sets up only to pull the rug out from under them, resulting in a surprisingly happy ending.  On the other hand, it does this in ways that aren't always very satisfying, and its treatment of the disabled is frightful.

For an illustrative example, let's take Dr. Markov's caged gorilla.  The movie never tells us why he has a caged gorilla.  He says it's vital to his work but we never see him do anything much with it... I assume it's there because the caged gorilla was a standard part of the mad scientist lab equipment in the 1940s and 50s.  The only time we see him interact with it is when he sets it loose in the middle of the night to murder his traitorous assistant, Maxine, who had threatened to go to the police.  We cut to the gorilla back in its cage the next morning, and we assume Maxine is dead – only to have her walk in and tell us that her protective dog drove the gorilla back to the lab.

This is kind of a fun moment, not only because it's a surprise but because everything in it was set up, not just the gorilla but the animosity between it and the dog.  It also enables the eventual happy ending – after Markov is killed, Patricia worries that nobody else will be able to help her father. However, Maxine is familiar with Markov's work, and assures her that Lawrence will be just fine with a few weeks of treatment.  That's all quite nice for a mad scientist movie of this vintage!  It's also interesting in that it tells us these tropes were around to be subverted – that audiences in 1944 had already seen enough stupid mad scientist movies to know that the gorilla is supposed to kill the traitorous assistant and that the ending is supposed to be a tragedy.

The problem is that this leaves the gorilla with no reason to be in the movie at all besides to fake us out.  It ultimately has no effect on the plot whatsoever other than to establish Markov as a bastard, which by now we already knew.  You cannot put Chekov's Gorilla in a cage in act one, wave it around in act two before putting it back with a 'psych!', and then not have it break somebody's neck in act three.  It still has to do something, or you're just being a tease.

The fact that Maxine is able to cure Lawrence speaks to the fact that The Monster Maker is surprisingly respectful of its women.  Maxine is quite intelligent and knows her love for Markov is self-destructive, but feels she has devoted too much of her life to him to leave him now.  Patricia is a less substantial character, but her father treats her with great respect – when Markov demands Patricia in exchange for a cure, Lawrence continues to refuse even after the mad doctor has robbed him of his friends, his passion, and his career.  Pat's fiance Bob has fewer principles, as he repeatedly lies to her in the belief that he is protecting her from the truth, but this too is presented as the wrong thing to do and I hope we're meant to believe Bob learns from it. The screenwriters' general attitude seems to be that women should be allowed to make up their own minds about things.

Markov, as the villain, is also the movie's misogynist, and this is in no way subtle.  He wants to marry Patricia because she resembles Leonora – and that's it.  Her personality, her background, and her wishes mean nothing to him.  All he cares about is her face.  What she represents to him is an attempt to undo the wrong he did to Leonora herself.  We eventually learn that Leonora left him for another man, and in revenge he injected her with his monster juice.  He had hoped that her new love would leave her because she was no longer beautiful, but in fact Leonora committed suicide because she couldn't stand to look at herself in the mirror.

This tends to make one wonder what would have happened if Leonora had tried to crawl back to Markov.  At the time this happened, he didn't yet have a cure for his creations.  Would he have gone on to find one sooner in order to help her?  Or would he, too, have rejected her now that she was ugly?  I kind of suspect the latter.  He's only sorry about any of this because she died.  He wanted her back less than he wanted her to live in misery, knowing that without her looks she would have no value.

Interestingly, this also applies somewhat to Lawrence.  As his condition progresses, he locks himself in his room and puts records on so that nobody will realize he is now unable to play the piano... but he also keeps the lights off and refuses to admit anybody, too ashamed to show his face.  Ugliness apparently makes both sexes unfit company for the rest of us.

Markov himself speaks with a German accent despite having a Russian name. He manages to be slightly less creepy than the Great Vorelli or Dr. Carlo Lombardi, but only because he never resorts to rape via hypnosis.  Upon realizing he has found a cure for a terrible disease, his first reaction is to triumphantly declare that he can charge whatever he wants for it... eighty years later, that's still depressingly relevant.

So all this is okay and at times fairly progressive for the 1940s, but now we have to get into The Monster Maker's attitude towards the disabled.  I've been a little cagey about exactly what it is Dr. Markov is doing to his victims, and you've probably been picturing some sort of mutagen that makes them go all lumpy and melty like that guy in Robocop. Unfortunately, no.  Remember acromegaly, the hormonal disorder that Richard Kiel and Rondo Hatton suffered from?  Yeah.  Markov has a bottle of it in his cupboard.

I don't know how you bottle acromegaly, but at least they did better than the people who made Tarantula and fucking spelled it right.

Acromegaly is not a cheerful diagnosis.  Lawrence's doctor tells him it's not fatal, but that isn't always true – a lot of sufferers, including Hatton, die from the complications.  It disfigures the head, hands, and feet, and would definitely be a devastating disease for a pianist... all of which makes it that much worse that this stupid movie keeps using the word 'monster'.  Lawrence even describes himself as such, comparing his situation to that of Frankenstein's Monster and declaring that he will similarly kill Markov for what he has done to him.  In the end he does exactly that, and the movie never addresses it on any level besides 'boy, good thing the bad guy is dead!'

This is probably because, clearly, the real monster Markov has made is himself... but that's subtext.  In the text, his monsters are his overgrown pigs and Anthony Lawrence.  I just blasted Tarantula for spelling the name of the condition incorrectly, but that movie at least did not even imply that its human acromegaliacs were 'monsters'.  They were in every way victims, even when their sufferings were as a result of experimenting on themselves.  Lawrence is also a victim, but the movie plays up the 'monster' idea in more than just the title: Lawrence's condition also makes him restless and prone to violence, as he repeatedly attacks Markov and at one point must be tied to a bed to prevent him doing so.  Markov suggests that this is a side effect of the hormonal problems, but Lawrence's own belief that he's becoming a 'monster' also appears to have something to do with it.

In the end, this movie is way too much like The Brute Man, in telling us that the ugly and disabled can never be an accepted part of society.  Hal Moffat was forced into the shadows, while Anthony Lawrence takes to them voluntarily, but for the same reason: ugliness is made for gawking at, not for normal relationships such as that between partners, or parents and children.  Fuck that.

[dukereviewsxtra]

Duke Reviews Xtra: Geppetto

Hello, I'm Andrew Leduc And Welcome To Duke Reviews Xtra Where We Are Continuing Our Duke Reviews Look At Disney...

Where If You've Been On The Duke Reviews Tumblr, You'll Know That I Just Reviewed Pinocchio And Since I Can't Review Everything Disney On The Duke Reviews Or Duke Reviews TV Tumblr (Though On Duke Reviews I'm Sure Going To Try)...

I May As Well Review The Stuff I Can't Review On Either One Of Those Tumblr's Here So On Today's Show We're Reviewing Geppetto...

When This Tv Film Came Out I Was Excited For It Because Unlike Other People Who Thought "Who Gives A Crap About Geppetto?" And Didn't Watch It I Actually Wondered If There Was More To The Character Than Just Kindly Wood-Carver Who Makes Toys And Wants A Kid...

Did I Get It? Let's Find Out As We Watch Geppetto...

Our Story Starts In The Village Of Villagio...

Which Despite How It Sounds Is Not A Sex Act...

Where The Children In Town Are Very Excited As The Toy Maker, Geppetto (Played By Drew Carey)...

And Let's Talk About This Really Quick So I Can Continue Talking About The Movie, I Don't Mind Drew Carey As Geppetto...

Sure, He's Not Old, Sure, He's Not Elderly, Sure, He Doesn't Pull Off An Italian Accent And Yes, He Is Miscast But He Does Have A Good Singing Voice And Carey Is Trying His Hardest With The Role So I Got To Give Him Credit...

Anyway, As I Was Saying The Children Of The Town Are Very Excited As The Toy Maker Geppetto Has Finished Making His New Toys That He Made After Gathering Wood Over The Summer...

Which Leads To The First Song Of The Movie, Toys...

(Start At 0:42)

And For A Beginning Song It's Good But It Doesn't Really Pull You Into The Story Like A Musical Should But Drew Carey's Verses In It Are Pretty Good So I Guess I Can't Complain...

After The Last Of The Children Go Home, Geppetto Works On A Puppet Named Pinocchio Before Going Into Our Next Song Called An Empty Heart As He Gets Ready For Bed..,

Sorry, There Was No Clip For It...

And Despite People Complaining That Because Drew Carey's Performance Has No Emotion The Song Has No Emotion, I Find That To Be Bullshit, Carey Does Well With The Song And I Honestly Like It...

But All Is Not Quiet In Geppetto's Workshop As The Blue Fairy (Played By Princess Atta) Drops By To Grant Geppetto's Wish Of Making Pinocchio A Real Boy...

However, Having Alot Of Questions, (And Why Wouldn't He) Pinocchio Keeps Geppetto Up All Night...

But A New Day Lead To Our Next Song Called And Son, As Geppetto Looks To The Future With Pinocchio Only For Problems To Happen Along The Way...

(Start At 0:31)

And While The Song Is Cute And There's Nothing Inherently Bad About It, It's Just Not My Favorite Song In The Entire Musical...

So, By The 4th Day, Geppetto Has Lost All Patience And Sees Sending Pinocchio To School As His Last Hope, But Even That Goes Wrong When A Misunderstanding Of Something Geppetto Said Leads Pinocchio To Get Into A Fight With A Young Kelvin Timeline Chekov...

And Yes, I Know I Shouldn't Make Fun Of Anton Yelchin Because Of How He Died But It Was Too Easy To Make A Star Trek Reference...

And Speaking Of Star Trek, After Geppetto And Pinocchio Leave The School, They Run Into Stromboli (Played By Data) Who Takes An Interest In Pinocchio And Wants Him In His Show Despite Geppetto Saying No...

Returning Home, Geppetto Is Mad At Pinocchio For Getting Into The Fight At School Starting A Fight Which Fractures Father And Son And Leads Geppetto To Go Find The Blue Fairy As He Believes Pinocchio's Defective...

Eventually Finding The Blue Fairy She Basically Tells Him "Hey, You Wanted A Kid, It's Your Problem Pal" As She Sings The Next Song Just Because It's Magic"...

(Start At 1:32)

And While I Like The Choreography In The Song, It's Again Not One Of My Favorites...

Returning Home, Geppetto Finds That Pinocchio Has Runaway From Home As Left A Note Saying That He's Joining Stromboli's Puppet Show...

Thinking That Maybe It's For The Best, Geppetto Goes Down To Stromboli's Show Where We Get Pinocchio Singing I've Got No Strings...

But After The Show We Discover That Stromboli's Not A Great Father Figure As He Keeps Pinocchio Locked In A Box....

Hiding Pinocchio As Geppetto Goes Backstage To Give Him Some Of Pinocchio's Things, Stromboli Tells Geppetto That It Was Just A One Night Show Before Pinocchio Left For The Big City To Seek Fame And Fortune...

Upset That Stromboli Did This, Stromboli Points Geppetto In The Direction Pinocchio "Went" Before He Goes Backstage Again To Get Pinocchio Only To Discover That He's Escaped His Cage And Has Boarded A Carriage For Pleasure Island...

Angry Over Losing His Meal Ticket, Stromboli Packs Up To Go After Him Which Leads Into Our Next Song, Bravo, Stromboli...

(Start At 0:43)

And This Is Honestly One Of My Favorite Songs In This Musical...

It's Like Brent Spiner Took All The Pent Up Wackiness He Had Inside After Playing A Robot on Star Trek The Next Generation And The Movies And Let All Out In This One Song And It Works...

Meanwhile, Geppetto Runs Into The Blue Fairy Who After The First Reprise Of Just Because It's Magic Decides "This Idiot Wants Magic, Fine, I'll Give Him Magic To Show Him What I'm Trying To Tell Him"

So, Using Her Magic, The Blue Fairy Introduces Geppetto To The Great Lazardo (Played By Wayne Brady) Who Is A Bad Magician But Is Only A Magician Because It's What His Father Wanted Him To ...

Sound Familiar?

But Seeing That Lazardo Is Great At Making Toys, Geppetto Suggests That He Become A Toy Maker Which Leads To A Reprise Of Toys Before Geppetto Continues His Journey Deciding That "Ok, Pinocchio Doesn't Have To Become A Toy Maker"...

Finding His Way To The Town Of Idyllia, Where We Get A When You Wish Upon A Star Reference...

Yeah, We Kind Of Heard It Earlier Too When Pinocchio Was Brought To Life But I Don't Really Count That

Before Geppetto Meets Professor Buonragazzo (Played By Paul From Boston Legal R.I.P. René Auberjonois) And His Son Who Have Made A Machine That Makes Perfect Children That Obey And Do Everything They're Parents Tell Them To Do...

Again, Sound Familiar?

Which Leads Into Our Next Song, Satisfaction Guaranteed...

And...It's Okay..

While I Do Like The Song And I Like The Choreography In It, It Just Raises Too Many Questions As Val Kilmer Batman Would Put It...

Freaked Out By What He Sees, Geppetto Realizes That He Doesn't Want A Child THAT Perfect...

Running Into The Blue Fairy Again...

Ok, She's Quickly Turning Into The Cheshire Cat Of This Movie...

We Get Another Reprise Of Just Because It's Magic Where She Tells Geppetto That Pinocchio Is Headed For Pleasure Island And That Not Only Did Stromboli Screw Him But He's After Pinocchio Too...

Transitioning Into Pleasure Island We Get The Best Song In This Musical Sung By Usher...

(Start At 0:08)

In A Scene That Some People Say Is Lazy But I Say Is Just Saving Time And Money As It Is A Television Movie, Through Pictures We See Geppetto Go After The Donkey Pinocchio On A Boat Only To Be Attacked By Monstro...

Seeing His Father In Danger, The Donkey Pinocchio Jumps Overboard Only For Him And Geppetto To Get Eaten By The Whale...

Finding Pinocchio Who Has Been Turned Into Himself Again, Citing That The Donkey Magic Must Have Washed Off...

Despite Me, Seeing It As Pinocchio's Sacrifice To Save His Father Allowed Him To Become Himself Again...

Apologizing With A Reprise Of And Son, Father And Son Make Up Which Leads Them To Find A Way Out By Deciding To Tickle Monstro's Uvula With Pinocchio's Nose Which He Lies To Make Grow So Monstro Can Throw Them Up...

And All I Can Say About This Is That Tony Goldmark Has A Dirty Mind...And If You've Seen His Review On This With Emily Clark You'll Know Why...

Returning To Their Home In Villagio, Geppetto And Pinocchio Are Confronted By Stromboli, Who Has Come To Take Pinocchio From Geppetto As He Has A Contact With Him That's Iron Clad...

Which Leads Us Into The Final Song, Since I Gave My Heart Away And It's Very Touching...

(Start At 0:23, End At 6:47)

So, That's Geppetto And...It's A Mixed Bag...

While The Beginning Of The Movie Isn't That Great It Makes Up For It In Both The Middle And The End, And Yes, While Drew Carey Is A Bit Miscast In This, He Still Isn't That Bad Of A Singer But The People That Steal This Movie Is Brent Spiner And Usher As They Both Have 2 Of The Best Songs In This...

However, If There's Anyone That's Really Bad In This Then It's Julia Louis Dreyfuss, With The Way She's Talking I Can Barely Understand What She's Saying At Times Also I Got To Give Credit To Stephen Schwartz Who Wrote The Songs As Some Of Them Are Pretty Good...

All I Can Really Say Is Don't Believe The Haters And See This Movie, Just Skip The Very Beginning...

Till Next Time, This Is Duke, Signing Off...

[kaitymccoy123]

I’m Back.

The lobby of the ship hangar was nearly empty, with a few receptionists behind the desks at the far corner, and a couple chatting down one of the halls. The grey tiled floors and ceilings brought back memories as you stepped further into the large room. You could see several large doors that lead to where the ships were kept. You were excited to see the Enterprise again. 

“Kaity`?”

You turned to see a familiar golden-haired figure, grinning ear to ear at you. 

“It is you! You’re back!” 

Suddenly you were swept up in a tight hug, your nose pressed into his shoulder, the smell of his familiar cologne sending a wave of nostalgia over you. 

“Hi, Jim,” you squeaked, giving him a tight squeeze back. 

He let you go, but kept you at arms length. “Last time I saw you, was at the bar where we docked for shore leave, at Chekov’s birthday party. The next day I was told you took a leave of absence and they wouldn’t tell me why. How are you? What have you been up to?”

You smiled at Jim’s quick-speaking ramble, you’d missed his talkative nature. 

“I’ve been good. Better,” you started, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I was leaving. It was too hard. Too emotional. And I couldn’t deal with any extra emotions...”

“Hey,” Jim said sunnily, but with a gentle concern, “you don’t need to explain  yourself. I’m just glad to see you.” He paused, his expression changing just ever so slightly. “You’re going to be back in the medbay?” 

Your stomach churned nervously. “Yeah,” you responded, “I’m excited to be getting back to what I love doing. I miss it.” It was true. You did miss it. 

Jim smiled, “I’m glad.” He slapped you on the shoulder and gave it a squeeze. “Well, I’ve got to run, got a meeting. But we definitely need to catch up sometime soon, okay?”

“Of course,” you agreed with a half-smile. 

You grabbed at tray and moved to stand in line for food behind a person with vibrant yellow hair and an engineering red shirt. The mess hall in the ship hangar building was much larger than the one on the ship, and much louder as everyone was returning to work. 

“о Господи! ‘Karu, is zat who I think zat is?”

You spun at the familiar accent, face to face with exactly who you expected. 

“It is! Kaity!” 

You were once again tackled into a hug, soft curls brushing against your cheek. 

“Hey, Pav, don’t smother the poor girl,” Sulu said from behind. 

Chekov released you, pressing two quick kisses to both of your cheeks, making you laugh. 

“Hey guys,” you smiled, stepping in to give Sulu a soft hug too. 

“Are you back to vork on ze Enterprise?” Chekov asked, looking like a hopeful puppy. 

When you nodded, Chekov whooped once, drawing looks from those within earshot. Sulu placed a hand on Chekov’s shoulder, but was looking directly at you. 

“Glad to hear it. We’ll catch up later, I’m sure,” Sulu said cooly, with a soft, reassuring smile. He indicated that it was your turn to get food. 

“Yes, absolutely,” you agreed, turning to order. 

When you went to sit to eat, you saw them get their food to go and leave the mess hall together, Chekov happily talking Sulu’s ear off and you smiled at the familiarity of it all. 

“Kaity?” Another accented voice made you turn your head once again. 

Soft whiskey-brown eyes looked down at you from under a wrinkled brow. 

“Oh! Scotty!” you half-exclaimed, smiling up at one of your closest friends. 

He quickly set down his tray of finished food on the table and dropped to sit beside you, pulling you into a quick side hug. 

“Ye’ve been gone a’long time, lass, I’ve missed ye,” Scotty’s grin made his eyes scrunch up at the corners. 

“6 months isn’t that long...” you teased. “But I missed you too, Scotty. I already feel so welcome.”

Scotty looked at you for a moment with a curious, yet soft look in his eye. Suddenly, he seemed to snap out of it and took a glance at his watch. “Agh, well I best be getting to the engine room, but come by sometime and I’ll make ye a drink and we can watch a movie, li’ ol’ times.”

“For sure,” you nodded. 

He stood, took his tray, and bobbed away. 

You entered the empty, dark medbay, the soft tapping of your shoes on the floor the only sound you could hear. Though even with the calmness, your heart still pounded and your head filled with memories of this place. Good memories and bad memories. 

You rounded the nurses’ station, looking for the file that you had been instructed to pick up. 

“Kaity?”

You jumped at the sound of a deep voice. You spun back towards the direction of the entrance and your heart skipped a beat. 

There he stood, the same dark, brooding face; the same thick, tousled hair; the same broad shoulders clothed in the same blue uniform. But something was off. Something was different. 

“Leonard,” you breathed. “You scared me.”

He shifted slightly and his face caught the glow from one of the emergency lights. His eyes. His eyes looked different than you remembered them. There was a sadness to them, a hardness, and you couldn’t help but feel that it was because of you. 

“You came back?” He asked, his voice cautious, as if you were a deer that he could spook. 

“Yes,” you responded, resting your shaking fingertips on the counter of the nurses’ station. 

Silence. It was the worst possible response he could have given you. It rang out around you and felt like a knife in your esophagus. 

“I should have told you I was leaving.” The words spat out of your lips, weak and watery, as if you didn’t have any control over them. “I’m sorr-”

“I don’t need an apology,” Leonard snapped, taking two steps forward, now only a few feet in front of you, fully illuminated by the few lights on above the nurses’ station. 

“But I need to give you one,” you started, taking a leap of bravery and emerging from behind the counter, your heart thrumming in your stomach as you stepped closer to him. 

“No,” he said, raising a hand to stop you. 

He took a breath and you could see a slight tremor in his hand as he lowered it. “I just need to know one thing.”

He paused, waiting for you to respond. You barely had enough breath to get the word out, “okay.”

His face contorted into an expression you’d never seen on him before. One of pain, anger, and sadness. 

“Did you leave because of me?” he asked, his voice shaky. 

“W-what?” you sputtered. 

“Was I the reason you up and left?” His eyes grew sadder and his whole posture was vulnerable, like he handed you a knife and was waiting for you to stab him with it. 

Your mind was racing, memories of the two years you spent on this ship flashing before your eyes. 

“No,” you breathed, tears catching on your lashes. “Of course not, Leonard, why would you ever think that?”

“Because you never told me otherwise!”

“I couldn’t tell anyone! I didn’t tell anyone! It wasn’t just you. You were the first person I would have told, if I was in the right state of mind to do s-”

He cut you off by closing the few feet between you and wrapping you in a tight hug. You were absolutely shell-shocked for a moment before wrapping your arms around him and squeezing him back. 

His face was buried in your neck, his arms like vices around your back. You were smushed against his chest, soaking in the warm, familiar scent of him. 

Facing Leonard after you left was always what you’d feared, and this was the best possible outcome you could have imagined. 

You’d been away from this ship for a long time, and the idea of returning, given the way you’d left so suddenly, always made you anxious to think about. But standing here, being embraced, made you feel okay for the first time in a long time. It made you feel safe. It made you feel happy. 

You were home.

[douxreviews]

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) Review

[This review includes spoilers.]

"Everybody remember where we parked."

The Voyage Home is an immensely satisfying conclusion to our original series movie trilogy, a practically perfect "feel-good" movie. Even the musical score is joyous, like a parade with chiming bells welcoming our heroes home. The stakes (Armageddon by space whale) are dire, but this movie is just so much fun to watch -- especially after the heaviness of II and III, the destruction of the Enterprise and the Genesis planet, the death of Kirk's son David Marcus.

The time travel story, something they did so well in the original series, was lovely because the cast coping with 1980s San Francisco is so much fun. Kirk and Spock on a city bus is one of my favorite scenes in any movie, ever. Loved the neck pinch of the Mohawk punk, the discussion of the literary giants of the period, and the lecture on how this "extremely primitive and paranoid culture" had a propensity to swear every other word. It's just delicious when Spock obediently begins to insert curse words into everything he says. Although my favorite bit is probably in the truck when Kirk and Spock are responding to Gillian's question, "Do you like Italian?"

Kirk and Spock going after the whales and interacting with Gillian is the highlight, but everything in this movie just works beautifully. I loved the idea of Chekov, an oddly dressed man with an obvious Russian accent, asking a cop where the nuclear wessels were. I enjoyed seeing Scott talking into a Macintosh's mouse, and Sulu's reaction when he hit a button on the Huey and the windshield wipers went off. The hospital sequence was good, too. Even Uhura got to do her job for a change, figuring out exactly what sort of communication the Space Whale was attempting. And there was a strong environmental message as well ("It is illogical to hunt a species to extinction").

It all came together in the deft hands of the director, Leonard Nimoy. He was (obviously) very familiar with exactly what worked for the Star Trek franchise and with the strengths and talents of the actors. Since Spock's reintegration into the group was a big part of the plot, Nimoy was the force behind this movie and probably the major reason why it succeeded.

The ending gave us Kirk as a captain again, our crew back on a brand new Enterprise and ready for new adventures, and Spock "felt fine". Spock even finally got his father's approval for joining Starfleet in the first place. Perfect. In fact (is it sacrilege?) I often wish the original series movies had concluded with this one.

Bits and pieces:

-- Stardate 8390. Vulcan and Earth. The crew had been hanging around on Vulcan for three months. Did Sarek and Amanda put them up? Are there motels on Vulcan? Did they sleep on the ship?

-- The HMS Bounty was impressive, but it was rattling and buckling under near warp ten. I'd imagine that the weight of the water and the whales would have been too much for that thing to slingshot around the sun a second time.

-- Nice job by Catherine Hicks as Gillian. It couldn't have been easy to make such a strong impression in a Star Trek movie, especially when nearly all her scenes were with Kirk and Spock.

-- The opener with the U.S.S. Saratoga featured a black female captain. Was this the first Starfleet female captain that we saw? Was that their way of making up for the ghastly "Turnabout Intruder"?

-- I loved that Kirk sold the antique eyeglasses to get them bus money.

-- We got to see Majel Barrett and Grace Lee Whitney as Chapel and Rand again, as well as Jane Wyatt as Spock's mother. And of course, Mark Lenard as Sarek.

-- Sulu mentioned he'd been born in San Francisco.

-- An assistant director of an institute is unlikely to be the one giving tours. Just saying.

-- I don't usually mention wardrobe, but the costumes are terrific. I especially love Spock's white robe with the improvised headband.

-- This movie was dedicated to the crew of Challenger.

Quotes:

McCoy: "I don't know if you've got the whole picture, but he's not exactly working on all thrusters."

McCoy: "Perhaps we could cover a little philosophical ground. Life, death, life. Things of that nature." Spock: "I did not have time on Vulcan to review the philosophical disciplines." McCoy: "C'mon, Spock, it's me, McCoy. You really have gone where no man has gone before. Can't you tell me what it felt like?" Spock: "It would be impossible to discuss the subject without a common frame of reference." McCoy: "You're joking." Spock: "A joke… is a story with a humorous climax." McCoy: "You mean I have to die to discuss your insights on death?" Spock: "Forgive me, Doctor. I am receiving a number of distress calls." McCoy: "I don't doubt it."

Spock: "Your use of language has altered since our arrival. It is currently laced with, shall we say, more colorful metaphors, 'double dumbass on you' and so forth." Kirk: "Oh, you mean the profanity?" Spock: "Yes." Kirk: "Well, that's simply the way they talk here. Nobody pays any attention to you unless you swear every other word. You'll find it in all the literature of the period." Spock: "For example?" Kirk: "The neglected works of Jacqueline Susann. The novels of Harold Robbins." Spock: "Ah. The giants."

Spock: "Excuse me, Admiral, but weren't those a birthday gift from Dr. McCoy?" Kirk: "And they will be again. That's the beauty of it."

Spock: (exiting the bus) "What does it mean, 'exact change'?"

Spock: "They like you very much, but they are not the hell your whales." Gillian: "I suppose they told you that." Spock: "The hell they did."

Kirk: "If we play our cards right, we may be able to find out when those whales are being released." Spock: "How will playing cards help?"

Kirk: "Oh, him? He's harmless. Back in the sixties, he was part of the free speech movement at Berkeley. I think he did a little too much LDS."

Spock: "Are you sure it isn't time for a colorful metaphor?"

Gillian: "Do you guys like Italian?" Spock: "No." Kirk: "Yes." Spock: "No." Kirk: (to Spock) "No, yes." Spock: "No." Kirk: "Yes, I love Italian. (to Spock) And so do you." Spock: "Yes."

Gillian: "Sure you won't change your mind?" Spock: "Is there something wrong with the one I have?"

Gillian: "He's just going to hang around the bushes while we eat?" Kirk: "It's his way."

Gillian: "Don't tell me. You're from outer space." Kirk: "No, I'm from Iowa. I only work in outer space."

When I list my favorite Star Trek movies, The Wrath of Khan and First Contact usually vie for first place. But The Voyage Home comes right after them. It's a wonderful movie.

Four out of four humpback whales,

Billie Doux loves good television and spends way too much time writing about it.

[justanothercinemaniac]

Epic Movie (Re)Watch #160 - Star Trek Into Darkness

(GIF originally posted by @forquicksilver)

Spoilers Below

Have I seen it before: Yes

Did I like it then: Yes.

Do I remember it: Yes.

Did I see it in theaters: Yes.

Was it a movie I saw since August 22nd, 2009: Yes. #227

Format: Blu-ray

1) The opening scene for this film is a lot of fun. It is a nice isolated adventure which reestablishes the world and the dynamic of the crew while also setting up some character interaction/arcs to come.

2) Hmm, wonder which Star Trek film this is going to take reference from...

Spock: “Doctor, the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.”

3) Remember this question:

Kirk [when he has to either save Spock’s life or follow the prime directive]: “If Spock were here and I were there, what would he do?”

Bones: “He’d let you die.”

4) London.

The opening scene with Noel Clarke in London - with his obviously sick daughter, elevated by Michael Giacchino’s subtle and somewhat haunting score - does well to set up the titular darkness the film features. It is somber, slower paced, and much more clawing than what we’ve seen before.

5) Sassy Spock returns!

Captain Pike: “You givin’ me attitude, Spock?”

Spock: “I am expressing multiple attitudes simultaneously, to which are you referring?”

6) Kirk’s key conflict throughout this film is how he deals with mortality. Outside of the death of his father, it is not something he is familiar with. And even that was something which occurred literally the day he was born, meaning he has no memory of it. Yet it still guides his actions. Everything he does - letting the indigenous species from the beginning see the Enterprise to save Spock, attempting to save the species in the first place - is striving to prevent what happened to his father. Kirk plays god not out of ego but because he doesn’t wish anyone to feel the emptiness he knows from that kind of conflict. But he has to learn to let it happen. He has to learn to deal with it, otherwise he’ll go on a bad path. Look at what he almost did when Captain Pike died. He almost let himself get played and go against the core beliefs of Starfleet just to make sure no one else got hurt. But death is a part of life. And he will come face to face with death in a way in a similar-yet-unique way as he did in Wrath of Khan.

7) The whole “Kirk loses his command, has to go back to Starfleet academy, only to become a first officer and immediately get his command back” thing feels sort of frivolous. I feel it would have been much more effective to have him just be on probation or something, because this sort of undermines the lesson he was meant to learn. There’s not much of a consequence to it.

8) The bar scene between Kirk and Pike (calling back to how they met in the first film) is something I have mixed feelings about.

Kirk: “How did you find me?”

Pike: “I know you better than you think.”

Kirk [in reference to the bar fight from the first film]: “Yeah, that was a good fight.”

Pike: “A good fight? I think that’s your problem right there.”

For the most part I think it is a nice piece of the film. It gives us one last good look at their relationship, Pike’s mentorship, and the respect Kirk has for Pike before Pike’s death in a little bit. However - for me - it doesn’t feel like it matches up with when Pike was railing on Kirk earlier in the film. At all. There is this dissonance there I just cannot remedy.

9) The key conflict between Kirk and Spock in this film is interesting. We’ve moved past the place of sheer conflict they started out in the 2009 reboot to a place of respect but there’s still this dissonance between them. They’re not the strong pair that we are used to yet. The best friends. That’s what they become in this film, but they’re not there yet.

Kirk: “Do you understand why I went back for you [to save your life]?”

[Spock does not have an answer.]

10) Hey look, Robocop!

11) At the meeting of the captains, Kirk - even though he’s been disgraced - still says his piece. Yes it took some convincing but he notices something no one else could and stood up for it. And so continues the tradition of Kirk standing up for himself.

12) Spock’s mind meld with Pike plays into his own arc of dealing with death (similar to Kirk’s) very well, but more on that later.

13) Alice Eve as Carol “Wallace”.

With one noteworthy exception, I truly enjoy Carol’s presence in this film. Alice Eve has always been a favorite of mine and I think she does well in the part. Carol Marcus was an interesting character in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and it’s fun getting to see this younger side of her. She is probably one of the characters with the most underused potential from the original series of Star Trek feature films and I’m glad that - at least for this film - they decide to explore that potential more. More on that one exception later though...

14) It is good to see that Kirk, Bones, and Scotty - while all loyal to Kirk - care more about making sure he is okay than following him blindly. They all act as voices of reason to their captain and their words do set in, it is just a delayed settling.

15) I think Scotty resigning was a nice surprise. I honestly was not expecting it and it lends itself to a few things:

Kirk realizing just how sketchy some of this stuff is.

Kirk being pushed/pushing himself to places he’s never been before.

An organic & unique way of including Scotty later in the film.

16) Love this.

Kirk [about Spock]: “Sometimes I want to rip the bangs off his head. I don’t know, maybe it’s just me.”

Uhura: “It’s not you.”

Kirk: “It’s not? [Beat.] Wait a minute, are you guys fighting?...Oh my god, what is that even like?”

17) Even Chekov knows what a red shirt in Star Trek means.

Kirk [giving Chekov’s Scotty’s old job]: “Go put on a red shirt.”

Chekov [nervously]: “Aye sir...”

18) So one thing that sort of confused me was the fact that Carol is British in this film while in Wrath of Khan she was American. My theory is that the results of the Kelvin made Admiral Marcus (her father) a much more paranoid man, which we know lead to his wife leaving him. I feel like his wife is British and since Carol takes on her mom’s maiden name I have a feeling she grew up more with her than in the original timeline. Hence her British accent. But that’s besides the point...

19) I like that Uhura knows and uses Klingon in this film. In Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Nichelle Nichols objected to a scene where Uhura had to hurriedly learn Klingon since she felt her character should already know it. In this film, she does! Yay! Progress!

20) According to IMDb:

When calling down to the shuttle bay, Sulu commands the crew to prepare the transport captured during the "Mudd incident last month", a reference to the same character who appeared in Star Trek: Mudd's Women (1966) and Star Trek: I, Mudd (1967) as a rogue trader. He also appeared in the comic prequel "Star Trek: Countdown to Darkness".

Last I heard, Rainn Wilson (of “The Office”) would be playing Harcourt Mudd in the upcoming Star Trek TV show “Star Trek: Discovery”. Moving on...

21) I feel like I’d be Kirk in this scenario.

Kirk [as Uhura and Spock start arguing on a dangerous mission to the Klingon home world]: “Are you - are you really going to do this now?”

22) This is so important to Spock’s arc throughout the film:

Uhura: “At that volcano, you didn't give a thought to us. What it would do to me if you died, Spock. You didn't feel anything. You didn't care...”

Spock: “Your suggestion that I do not care about dying is incorrect. A sentient being's optimal chance at maximizing their utility is a long and prosperous life.”

Spock [later]: “You misunderstand. It is true I chose not to feel anything upon realizing my own life was ending. As Admiral Pike was dying, I joined with his consciousness and experienced what he felt at the moment of his passing. Anger. Confusion. Loneliness. Fear. I had experiences those feelings before, multiplied exponentially on the day my planet was destroyed. Such a feeling is something I choose never to experience again. Nyota, you mistake my choice not to feel as a reflection of my not caring. Well, I assure you, the truth is precisely the opposite.”

That’s it. Right there. I don’t think there’s any more analysis needed. Spock is dealing with death in a similar way Kirk is, except he is dealing with much more relevant and painful memories he is trying to avoid. Kirk has to learn how to deal with those kinds of experiences as opposed to death as a concept.

23) Remember how I said I love that Uhura can speak Klingon now?

Uhura [convincing Kirk to avoid a fight with Klingons]: “You brought me here because I speak Klingon. Then let me speak Klingon.”

I love that she takes such an active role on Kronos of trying to avoid conflict. I love that she puts herself out there for her crew and her team. I just love it all.

24) Here we have Kirk just beating the shit out of “John Harrison” and “Harrison” not doing anything about it because it doesn’t really effect him. Or the plot. I get that Kirk is dealing with how “Harrison” killed Pike, but can’t we just have him hit him once, see it does nothing, and move on?

Also I will talk about Benedict Cumberbatch as “John Harrison”, just not yet.

25) I love Carol Marcus in this film. I think she’s smart, competent, is able to hold her own with Kirk well, and just works really well. However, I hate - hate hate hate - this moment:

So according to IMDb:

Writer Damon Lindelof apologized on Twitter for the seemingly gratuitous and much criticized scene where Alice Eve strips down to her underwear. J.J. Abrams would counter the criticism later when he appeared on Conan O'Brien's talk show and premiered a deleted scene featuring Benedict Cumberbatch showering. For her part, Eve staunchly defended the scene, and stated that she was very proud to show her her body after working out intensely for the shot. She has maintained that doing the scene was not forced upon her, and that in no way she felt exploited by this.

I like that Eve herself was comfortable with it, that makes me a bit more comfortable with it. However, gratuitous is totally the right word. It literally serves no purpose other than to objectify Marcus when she is so much more than her body. It’s eye candy for Kirk in a film written by guys, directed by a guy, and produced by a guy. And at the end of the day the filmmakers DID cut the scene with Khan, they did not cut this scene. I just...do not like this moment. At all. It feels pointless and makes me sad every time I see it. Again, I like that Eve was comfortable with it. But from a storytelling standpoint it just does not need to exist. At all.

26) I do enjoy the scene immediately following Carol’s strip down, which is where she and Bones take a torpedo to a nearby safe space to try and open it up only to risk blowing it up. It’s a simple, short, yet tense scene which I think is an elegant piece of conflict. It also plays into something which was a regular occurrence in the first film: the idea of if something can go wrong it should go wrong.

27) Alright, Benedict Cumberbatch as John Harrison.

(GIF source unknown [if this is your GIF please let me know].)

Cumberbatch as Khan is a very mixed bag for me. Like I have a lot of different feelings about it. I like that he is able to play the intellect/physical prowess of the character well, but obviously no one will ever be able to touch Montalban’s performance so there’s not really a point in trying. Since this is an earlier version of Khan, he’s a lot less wrathful than what we’re used to. He’s also less poetic and greener (as is the rest of the crew, in relation to the later of those two). But Cumberbatch is also able to give Khan a brief vulnerability we are not exposed to in Wrath of Khan, specifically in his care for his crew. So in terms of the performance alone, I think Cumberbatch does a nice job. He is a terrific actor so I’m not surprised. But...

I don’t think they should have gone with a white actor, if I’m being honest.

For one thing, Ricardo Montalban is Mexican. And based on what I’ve read about the character’s episode in the original series (I’ve never seen it myself, so I might not be totally right here) he was a ruler of Asia and the Middle East before being deposed and cryogenically frozen (I read on Wikipedia that he’s Sikh, but it still is Wikipedia so there’s a chance that’s not 100% accurate). None of this really screams, “white british guy,” to me. This is a criticism of the casting, not Cumberbatch or his performance.

In an interview with Trekmovie.com, cowriter Bob Orci said:

"Basically, as we went through the casting process and we began honing in on the themes of the movie, it became uncomfortable for me to support demonizing anyone of color, particularly any one of Middle Eastern descent or anyone evoking that. One of the points of the movie is that we must be careful about the villain within US, not some other race"

I do understand the issue there, but Khan is not meant to be representative of all Middle Eastern people or a certain ethnicity. He is a visual representation of himself but he is an individual. It’s not like you are writing him to be the big bad Middle Eastern bad guy. You’re writing Khan, and in the past Khan has been non-White.

Again, this is not a criticism of Cumberbatch himself but of the casting decision. I think Cumberbatch does a fine job in the film, I just think a non-white actor should have been cast. Now that I’m done talking about that...

28) This is Kirk at his most frightened.

He see no way out right now. Admiral Marcus is going to blow his ship out of the sky with his crew, so he pleads with Marcus to just take him and spare his crew. He knows what it feels like to lose a loved one in a situation like this, he knows the hole it leaves in your heart even if it isn’t one he can’t define in the same way as Spock. He wants to spare them so they can go home to their families. Just like he wished his father was spared. And when he can’t do that...

Kirk [to his crew]: “I’m sorry.”

I think Kirk’s emotional conflict in this film is one of its standout elements (possibly its strongest), and whatever other issues this film may have I’m glad it does that well.

29) Fans of voiceover actors will recognize Nolan North as a member of Admiral Marcus’ crew.

North is most famous for his role as Nathan Drake in the Uncharted series of video games, but also has voiced Deadpool on a number of occasions and even the Penguin in the Batman: Arkham video game series. He’s one of the most prolific and talented voice over actors there is and I believe JJ Abrams included him because he’s a fan of his work.

30) Similarly, Bill Hader voices the computer on Admiral Marcus’ ship and would collaborate with JJ Abrams again on Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens as a voice consultant for BB-8 with Ben Schwartz.

31) I think it’s nice that the tribble (a fan favorite from the original series) is included, but it’s sort of just awkwardly placed while Kirk is talking with Khan just so it can establish a way to resurrect Kirk later in the film.

32) The dive Kirk and CumberKhan make from the Enterprise to Marcus’ ship is a great set piece in the film. Supported by strong visual and great action, it has the potential to be considered iconic Trek a few years down the road.

33) It makes so much sense that Zachary Quinto Spock would call Spock Prime to ask about Khan.

(GIF originally posted by @tomfooleryprime)

Spock Prime: “Khan Noonien Singh is the most dangerous adversary the Enterprise has ever faced...”

Spock: “Did you defeat him?”

Spock Prime: “At great cost, yes.”

34) I like that Kirk is not stupid enough to actually trust Khan.

Scotty [after Kirk tells him to stun Khan when he’s given the signal]: “I thought he was helping us.”

Kirk: “I’m pretty sure we’re helping him.”

35) Wow, the ego on this guy.

Admiral Marcus: “If I’m not in charge our entire way of life is decimated!”

That does not justify the horrific crimes, attempted murder, or extortion you’ve committed. This guy pisses me off way more in 2017 than he did in 2013.

36) Khan crushing Marcus’ head is very strong for me. It feels like it’s straight out of a horror film and really shows just how dark this character is willing to get in the fulfillment of his wrath (see what I did there?).

37) The preceding mental chess game between Spock and Khan is very nice, though. It shows just how smart each is, how they’re intellectually matched, and see to succeed Spock must use Khan’s ego (a flaw he has always had) to his advantage. Khan underestimates Spock and just how crafty he can get, to his own disadvantage.

38) Remember note #3? Where Kirk was wondering what Spock would have done if the roles were reversed? Well Trek fans know what Spock DID do when the roles were reversed in the past (alternate timeline? I don’t know). We know Spock very willingly sacrificed himself to save the crew, and so does Jim.

Spock [about the trick he pulled on Khan]: “It’s what you would’ve done.”

Kirk: “And this...this is what you would have done.”

Kirk admits that he’s afraid and that has been his conflict all along. He’s afraid of death, or mortality. Not just for him, but for his crew as well. For his loved ones. But his need to keep them safe outweighs his fear for himself. And this is how Kirk learns to face mortality, by sacrificing himself (as opposed to dealing with Spock’s death in Wrath of Khan). As I said before, a similar-yet-unique way of facing that conflict.

39) Of course this had to be somewhere in the film.

40) When the Enterprise crashes into the San Francisco bay it destroys Alcatraz. JJ Abrams had a 2011 TV series on Fox named/surrounding Alcatraz that was cancelled in its first season. Hmmm....

41) I like the final chase between Spock and Khan through San Francisco but I always feel its sort of extra. Fun to watch but maybe a little long. The real climax was Spock/Khan’s mental chess game and then Kirk sacrificing himself, this just does not carry the same amount of conflict with it.

42) So Khaan’s blood can...cure death?

Whatever you can do to keep James T. Kirk alive, I guess.

43)

Kirk: “Dr. Marcus, I’m glad you could be a part of the family.”

Okay, I actually googled why Carol Marcus was left out of Star Trek Beyond and the reason I found I actually REALLY like. This is a quote from Simon Pegg, who cowrote Beyond in a somewhat rushed amount of time.

“With this it felt like we would under-serve her if we included her, she might end up feeling like she hadn’t been given the amount of screen-time she deserves, so rather than bring her in and just have her be a supporting role, like, have her not be in this one, and when the time comes [bring her back], the worst thing to do would be to have her in the film and have that character be killed, and that felt like a cynical thing to do. We thought rather than have Carol Marcus not be used to a reasonable capacity, let’s just not include her, have her be alive, in canon, and ready to come back at any time.”

I’m actually REALLY glad they went that route, because more often than not characters are included out of obligation and killed off because they can’t think of anything better to do with them.

While I do enjoy Star Trek Into Darkness, it is a mixed bag for me. I think the acting is still topnotch and the conflicts each character deals with (ESPECIALLY Kirk and Spock) make for incredible storytelling. Sometime it can feel a bit extra and convoluted however, I’m disappointed in the whitewashing of Khan (even if I do think Cumberbatch did a nice job), and I find the underwear shot of Carol gratuitous. Overall I think it’s a good film just not a great one, and occasionally a problematic one. I do enjoy it. It’s not like I feel like I waste 2 hours of my life whenever I put it in, and this is about the third time I’ve seen it. I just am very aware of its flaws. I hope some of that makes sense. If you want to watch it, watch it. If you are more of a fan of it than I am, fantastic! It’s still a good Trek film (there are much worse Trek films out there), but if it comes down to watching this or any of the rebooted Star Trek films I’d go with any of the other two. Or even better, Wrath of Khan. Maybe I should stop talking now.

[pendragonfics]

We All Get Scared Sometimes

Paring: Leonard McCoy/Reader

Tags: gender neutral reader, well i wrote it to be female but no genitals are mentioned so there’s that, mentions of old Earth horror movies, fluff, hurt/comfort.

Summary: Reader has a love for horror flicks. Always has. Apart from being the daredevil on board, they've caught the eye of the CMO Leonard McCoy.

Word Count: 1,427

Posting Date:  2016-11-16

Current Date: 2017-05-29

Your life as a pilot was a simple one: you loved danger. Granted, the USS Enterprise was no solo mission; you were the second in charge after Mr. Sulu on the command deck, and were encouraged greatly by your superior officers to not fly the ship in loop-the-loops (Captain Kirk would very much like to do that one day, but with Spock on his back, the two of you weren't to do that any time soon).

As someone who loved danger, there was something that made you feel it, even when it wasn't present. Earth's unlimited supply of horror movies.

It was like they made every flick, the gory, the psychoanalytic, the creepy - just for you. When your shift was over, when you had time off, spare time, you'd sit back in your quarters and pop one on. Whatever it be, you'd be happy, satisfied with your appreciation for cinema, and the need to feel a chill through your blood, just like your job. An old friend called you sick. So what. That was just you.

"Don't you ever get bored with your movies?" Mr. Sulu chuckled, handing the consul to you upon the end of his shift. "I mean, I know I'd get tired if I watched endless movies about plants and - no, I'm wrong. I wish they made a movie just about plants now."

You smiled to yourself. "See? It's just my thing, Sulu. Give your plants a hello from me."

Your coworker grinned. "Will do, you nut. Enjoy!"

By the time the shift ends, and you crash in your bed, it's well into the night. But, seeing as you're deep in space, and there is no day official and night as far as the ship is concerned, you wake when you are rested. But when that is, there is no alarm reminding you that your shift begins; you have two hours until the next time you're up on the bridge around the dream team.

The perfect timeframe for another movie.

On the television, you select a title you hadn't seen before, and become immersed into the gory story of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. As the story goes on, you keep an eye on the screen, not phased at all with what's going on screen as you prepare and dress for the next shift. 

---

"...and then there was this guy, and he hit him with a wrench, and -,"

"Why is your pilot talking about scary movies more than their own job?" Spock spoke over you, looking pointedly to Captain Kirk as he sat in the chair. "Captain?"

Kirk shrugged. "They're doing their job just fine, Spock, don't be such a sourpuss. ________ is just a fan of scary movies, and Chekov wasn't sure if he wanted to see it. Not a big deal." He soothed his First Mate.

Chekov was white in the face as he whispered, "I do not think I will watch that movie."

Another figure appeared on the Bridge, chuckling. "Yeah, Spock. I don't know what you're disagreeing on this time, but I'm against you." You recognised the man speaking to be the CMO on the ship, Dr. Leonard McCoy. Once or twice you had frequented the Medbay for regular jabs and checkups. "Hey, Jim, I need a signature on a few papers we're sending to the head base on Earth..."

You zoned out, focusing on Dr. McCoy. He had a dreamy appearance; his combed hair, stoic face posed differently; he was more handsome than Mr. Spock's emotionless, matter-of-fact appearance. He held himself in a causal way, too; like he was just a guy, not a robot on board a space ship; he stood what way he wanted. In other words: he was a total babe.

"...just remember, sweetheart, too many of those movies can make someone really scared," he warned you with a wink, and walked on out of the Bridge like he goddamned owned the place. 

Kirk chuckled. "Looks like someone has a crush on my pilot," he mused.

You laughed it off.

---

Three days later had you on time off, and with all the daily jobs for that day done, you were kicking back, relaxing with another of your favourite types of movies. Silence of the Lambs, Psycho, and The Shining later, you were sitting there on the small lounge, heart racing from the frightening thrillers you'd just watched. Dr. McCoy's words echoed in the rear of your mind, but you shook it off. You were tougher than that. 

"Nosferatu? Nope. Maybe later. 28 Days Later...that sounds more like a story about menstruation than horror..." you mumble, flicking through the selection on screen. "The Conjuring? That sounds promising," you press the buttons on the remote for the hologram television projected on the wall to begin the movie. You snuggle into the cushions of the chair, and prepared yourself for what was coming.

---

You shook in between the sheets of your bed. There was nothing you could do to stop it; with every noise the ship made around you brought bumps to your arms, raising your hairs to goose-pimples and bringing an edge to your breath. There was nothing that made your heart rest. It just made it worse, even holding your arms around your chest, holding yourself tight in the bed, keeping yourself company. 

But it wasn't enough. 

At once, you tossed the sheets off, donned a robe, slipped on shoes and rushed from your room. Security footage would show you running through the corridors of the sleeping areas, rushing around like a mad person possessed. It was like everything you'd watched in your life, all the frightening movies you'd seen was catching up to you finally, freaking you out all at once. Why on earth had it happened? All it had taken was one remark from Dr. McCoy - 

McCoy.

For reasons unknown, you knew where Dr. Leonard McCoy resided for his after-hours access and/or his living quarters were. Well, that was not entirely true. You had been over by someone's quarters - maybe it had been Mr. Scott's, the engineer's - when you had seen him exit. The memory of which door he had come out from was blurry, and a not-quite-there memory wasn't good to work with for you, the one who was rushing for company. 

But it was good enough. 

Within minutes, you're at the door you think is his, tapping the buzzer. Yes, it's quite early in the morning. Yes, you look like a wreck that had survived somehow within the depths of space and danger and all that was in the universe that had it in for you. Yes, it was quite the impractical way to make an impression on someone. 

The door opened. 

"________?" Dr. McCoy wiped his eyes upon seeing you. He wears the standard issue of pyjamas. "What - what's wrong?"

You shudder, but even without words, he knows what's going on, and leads you into his room. It's dimly lit, tidy. Nothing seems to be out of place; not even the sheets, rumpled from where he rolled out of bed to bring you in. There are bookshelves, brimming with books with medical names, his television hologram is turned off, and has a rug on the floor, the colour of the blue for the sciences on board the ship.

"You...you were right about the movies." you whisper, slowly descending to sit beside the sofa, upon the rug. "I can't - I couldn't sleep, and all my friends would have turned me away if I came to them, and I barely know you, Dr. McCoy -,"

"Leonard," he interrupts, stooping down to see eye to eye.

"Leonard, I'm terrified. Everything is too real now. I know I'm a bit of a daredevil, and love my job and to watch things others find gruesome, and people would say I deserve to shiver and be scared about what I've seen...but..." you can't keep speaking. The words are lost as you feel tears forming.

He places a hand on yours. "Don't you worry there sugar," his southern accent twangs, pulling you close to his chest. "Listen to my heart beat there, count along with it. It's all going to be alright, don't you worry. There ain't no crazy clowns or psychos on this space shit, don't fret sweetheart." He hums.

"Thank - thank you," you whisper, and relax into his form, feeling your blood warm, mind still. "You're too kind, Leonard - you hardly know me, and you're -,"

"Shhh," he whispers, "I'm a doctor, dammit, we get scared too - we all get scared sometimes. I'm here for you."

[johnnythirteenguns]

logan, not spoiler free thoughts (it got long):

anyways i saw logan yesterday and im still sensitive from it and i wouldnt know where to begin having a conversation about it with people who want to see it

as a film it’s pretty good. i didnt feel too much time was wasted, if any really, it’s tropey though. so like once it gets going it is point a to b to c to d with no variation and you spot the chekov’s guns right away and you can figure out how it’s going to end half way in. which im fine with as long a movie doesnt patronize me, and i didnt feel logan did. it was just formulaic. but it was good and watchable. there is a lot to be said for exploiting a tried and true formula for story telling but fitting it to the aesthetic of the characters therein.

also although i dont talk to movies i have realized that i am increasingly more involved with reacting to them and i dont know if this means i am more empathetic with the characters on screen because i am becoming more empathetic or if im more emotional and have nowhere to direct that emotion in my real life so i put it all into relating with the characters on a given screen and so when stuff happens to them i just really React.

that being said like im really. tired. of white characters being allowed to use brown bodies as stepping stones and footstools. there are a lot of dead brown people in this film. the main characters are all white. although dafne did an admirable job as laura, if i had the chance id recast her immediately. i wouldnt have cast her at all to be honest. i hope that when an older or adult laura shows up that they cast an actual mexican actress (not a white one). in logan they imply that the babies are clones, but there’s also implication that it was actually just in-vitro using the stolen dna the way you would use donated sperm? unless i watch it again i wont know because the language seemed unsure of itself.

but yeah. i dont. know. it’s literally too much at this point like we’re just constantly thrown under the bus so to save, create, or help white characters. for example, you know the horse family is gonna die, you know it because it’s a Trope. but it’s a black family, and they die gruesomely, which okay, everyone that dies in logan dies gruesomely and violently. but theyre the only black characters with speaking parts, and there is a dearth of them elsewhere in the fox marvel universe. rictor, one of the escaped 23s, is mexican in the comics, apparently so in the movie, and i can safely assume his actor is latinx as well (but he’s a baby and so doesnt have a ton of stuff on his imdb). he’s also the only one of the kids who is shot when they’re being chased through the woods.

i honestly dont know if i would have preferred they keep it on screen or leave it off screen. clearly brown children are afterthoughts anyway? to be used as plot devices and target dummies as needed. i dont know. i do know that i was waiting for it and i thought he was going to die. they do have a line of dialogue immediately after rictor is shot to reassure you that he isnt going to die, which is something i guess.

at any rate i really cant with child death or child abuse in media lately. i dont know how i feel about laura’s self-harm scene. not good but self-harm in media in general needs to be looked at in a case by case basis i dont know about this one.

which btw wow the actress that plays gabriela is straight up from the bronx born and raised in new york and i knew she couldnt be a primarily spanish speaker that accent grated on my ears so badly  i would have preferred they find a way to have her speak spanish and english at some point to illustrate their point because whenever she spoke that accent made me desperately wish she would shut the fuck up or get to the end off her sentence if i could somehow physically share how fucking tired i am of fake mexican accents like youd faint for ten seconds from the force of my anger.

like of all the things to be that angry about but it’s honestly just One More Thing at the point and im so tired.

im really over the disposability of brown bodies and i wish it would stop.

all that being said ive been listening to this podcast and my love for the x-men and x-men adjacent characters has grown immensely over the last year and going in i was emotional about film history, about the x-men cinematic history (honestly hugh jackman has brought his a-game every time when playing logan and i thank him, even when the films themselves were lackluster), i was emotional about x-men comics history, like. i really loved how they all chose to portray the characters and the relationships between them and it was really hitting a lot of perfect notes like.

it turns into a really rough father daughter story really quickly and it got to me because of my own father, because of my possible future, it was a lot of deeply personal levels being affected. um, there’s a lot of symbolic stand-in stuff, like the canadian border, brown children crossing it alone (all their caregivers are implied to be dead to the point that they pretty much are dead due to their absence, so more dead disappeared mexican women, along with the dead teenage girls we’re told about much earlier).

i think i may have just gotten too sucked into it and too emotionally invested and am maybe looking at it through too much of a like film student lens because i was studying it for form and execution obviously and i dont feel like tropey is bad, and i say this because there were moments where most of the audience was laughing but they werent particularly funny? like haha funny moments they were a little more light-hearted (and i mean a Little, not much, to me they illuminate how very tired and hopeless logan is in comparison with other characters and the rest of the world) but because the rest of logan is couched so firmly in the same sort of world weary americana (despite none of the main characters being american, which is neither here nor there) that a film like hell or high water is that i didnt find them Funny. theyre still painful moments meant to illustrate a turning point in the characters’ relationship.

i do say this as someone who at this point just completely started crying for the rest of the movie. i was holding it back since close to the beginning because i Do like these kinds of films and stories and so im already primed to get really invested and then it just kept hitting me and. even gabriela running away with laura and how desperate but fierce they as the characters being in that situation really got me.

also there is no stinger scene so dont wait unless you want to listen to the man comes around which i love so i was fine with waiting anyway. also you see a special thanks given to all the comics creators that had a major hand in shaping laura kinney which got me and marjorie liu is listed.