Flicksnews.net has gotten behind a campaign for a director's cut of Bryan Singer's Superman Returns. Notes the site, "Singer stated back when the film was released that the original cut was 2 hours and 45 minutes before the film was trimmed for its theatrical release. A number of significant scenes ended up on the cutting room floor such as the Return to Krypton sequence, scenes with Ben Hubbard and Martha Kent, Kal Penn's character's dialogue was cut, an opening sequence with comic book opening similar to Superman: The Movie's opening, Clark adjusting back to life on earth, young Clark growing up, and lots of dialogue and extended scenes that supposedly added to the film and gave it better pacing and beats." For more information, go to the official site for the campaign, HERE. Check out the trailer they've put together:

Superman Returns: The Bryan Singer Cut from srtbsc on Vimeo.

With MTV's new interview with J.J. Abrams about how he would potentially be interested in revisiting the Superman movie script he had written at the beginning of the decade, VFK decided to dip into the archives to resurrect this 2002 interview with Abrams in which he talked a (tiny) bit about the project. As fans may recall, a review of his script was posted on Aint It Cool News and it was truly shredded. Shortly thereafter Warner Bros., based on fan outcry based on the review, shelved the script. Of course given Abrams' current status in Hollywood, WB could very seriously reconsider that screenplay. Back in 2002, while Abrams was in the midst of production on the second season of Alias, he spoke to VFK Editor Edward Gross about the project. He doesn't reveal much in the way of details, but certainly expresses his enthusiasm over the project. This was the version that was supposed to be directed by McG and potentially starring Brendan Fraser as Superman. VOICES FROM KRYPTON: The real question, of course, is how you came to be signed on as the writer of the new Superman film. 

Back in 1988, CBS premiered a new animated series focusing on the adventures of Superman. The "A" story was a Man of Steel tale based in Metropolis, while the "B" segment was a visual scrapbook of sorts, flashing back to Clark Kent as a child in smallville. Veteran writer Marv Wolfman was the creative guiding force of the show and as the series is released on DVD, he took the time to reflect with Voices From Krypton on the show.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: What was the genesis of this particular series -- what made them want to do it, were there any early development ideas that evolved into the final show?

MARV WOLFMAN: CBS was interested in doing a Superman show although Judy Price, the head of CBS kids at the time, was not; she didn't care for superhero shows but since her bosses wanted it, she did it. I was called in by CBS and hired by them to write the pilot. Once they approved the story I did, it was assigned to Ruby-Spears to do. By the way, despite not liking super-heroes, Judy came up with the idea of the Superman Album stories at the end, which I think were some of the best stories we had.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: Since this wasn't so far removed from the days of the various incarnations of Super Friends, was there much of a struggle to give the show or the stories within it an "edge"? In other words, much in the way of problems with "standards and practices"?

MARV WOLFMAN: We had a lot of problems with S&P, but still managed to get away with some stuff. I would like to think the slight edge we gave the material was interesting enough for them to okay it. I would have liked to go further, but they were pretty strict. For example, I ended my pilot episode story with a big fight between Superman and the robots which they forced me to change. Superman couldn't crash through the robots because, and I quote - "Even robots have souls." I had to come up with something non-violent, so I had Superman reprogram the robots to collapse. I would have liked the show to go more into the kind of material done in the old Fleischer cartoons, but there was no way to do that then. Also, R&B liked lots of dialog and I would have liked to eliminate most of it during the  action. If you look at the pilot there's less dialog in that one than later shows, but even that had more than I would have preferred.  By the way, Joe Ruby and Ken Spears were great people to work with and I loved my time at the studio. They asked me to stay on but there were no shows for me to work on so I moved onto other things. But I very much enjoyed my time there. and especially working with Joe who was the creative head of the studio while Ken handled most of the business, at least while I was there.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: The show's opening incorporated the John Williams Superman theme. I loved it, but I'm curious why it was there and if it was a challenge to get the rights.

MARV WOLFMAN: I actually named the show The Adventures of Superman for the old TV show and asked if they could get a little bit of the John Williams score (it was expensive) and put it with new music as well as the old TV show dialog to give it a best of all possible worlds feel. It was a pure fan thing for me.

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: On a creative and personal level, what was the appeal of doing this show? 

MARV WOLFMAN: Creatively, I got to do Superman stories I had not seen in the kid's cartoons before. I got to blend the Lex Luthor I re-created [in the comics] with the movie version. He acted like the businessman Luthor I came up with, but talked like the Gene Hackman version which was a lot of fun to do. 

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: You've obviously been involved with the character a number of times. Why do you like him?

MARV WOLFMAN: Maybe because I saw my first Superman TV show when I was between 5-7, but I always felt Superman was the epitome of what a super-hero should be. He represents the right in people. The goodness. But he's now a boy scout. I just like that completely optimistic viewpoint he has. He does what's right because it's the right thing to do, not for any ulterior motive. 

VOICES FROM KRYPTON: I've loved the character since I was a kid and always get excited when there's a new incarnation. However, today he seems like SUCH a hard sell to the modern audience. Do you agree? And in your opinion, what needs to be done to make the character connect with people? 

MARV WOLFMAN: Actually I disagree. Smallville has been on TV and popular for nine years now. Very few TV shows, let alone SF shows, last nearly that long. That indicates they found a way to make him connect with the modern audience. Follow their lead; make him human and with faults, but ultimately believing in doing what's right. Smallville makes him cool. You don't need to go dark with Superman; you need to remember he's a human being. He was raised since a baby in Smallville. He's more man than super and if you keep it that way, you'll make him interesting. Once you care more about the super aspect of him you lose the humanity. 

by Edward Gross

in the weeks leading up to the release of Tomorrow Never Dies, Pierce Brosnan began the PR push for the film. At the time that I had an opportunity to catch up with him -- having spoken to him three times before (for Nomads, on location with GoldenEye and for Dante's Peak) -- James Cameron's Titanic was on the horizon, and nobody knew what that would mean to the Bond film.
   In the first part of this interview, we discuss the impact the success of GoldenEye had had on his life and career, and a bit of the story evolution of Tomorrow Never Dies. More on the latter will elaborated on when part two posts later this week.

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BBC America has announced that its picked up the British series Being Human, which follows the lives of a vampire, werewolf and ghost that share a house together. It sounds like a sitcom, but it is, instead, a riveting series that, during the course of its six episodes, is suggesting a power along the lines of Buffy or Angel. For full details on the show, head over to our sister site, Vampire Paradise, by clicking HERE.

by Edward Gross

Laura Vandervoort is, of course, best known these days for having play Kara/Supergirl on Supergirl on Smallville. But there’s a lot more to come from her. This month look for her starring turn in the Warner Premier DVD film Into the Blue 2, in which she plays Dani, who must work with her husband Sabastian (Chris Carmack) and several others to try and find the lost treasure of Columbus, but instead is involved with a race to find an errant nuclear device before a group of criminals do.
   More recently, Laura spent two days on the set of the new “V”, playing the character of Lisa who uses her sexuality to manipulate teenaged humans into siding with her people against their own kind. In the pilot she has her sights set on Tyler Evans and his best friend, Brandon. In the following exclusive interview, Laura discusses both projects.

VISITORS AMONG US: When you’re doing a movie that’s a DVD sequel to a theatrical film, is there a stigma attached to it?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: Oh, yeah. Any sequel has to try to live up to the original. I think we did a good job of not following the storyline exactly. We have our own adventure, an action-related story. I think we did a good job. Of course there’s going to be a stigma of it being a bathing suit movie with some young people and that there won’t be much to it, but I think we found a good storyline. We’ve got some great actors in it, so hopefully people will like it.

VISITORS AMONG US: I thought the plot element of Into the Blue 2 regarding somebody searching for an errant nuke was pretty cool.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: They added that aspect into it to get the guys to watch, and also the girls. My character gets to be the strong one in the movie, which is a nice change from a lot of other movies out there. The girl gets to save the day and she’s just as strong as her partner, Sebastian.

VISITORS AMONG US: Being a strong female should be nothing to you.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: [laughs] I’m trying to make a living off of that.

VISITORS AMONG US: Is that what drew you into the film?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: I didn’t know much about the original Into the Blue except that there are a lot of bikinis and I wasn’t sure if that was for me. But there was really more than that, because my character, Dani, in the script is actually a lot tougher. What drew me to it, and I think what I’m drawn to in a lot of roles, is the chance to play the ass-kicking girl.  I just find damsels in distress to be a little dull. In this one I got to do a lot of action, I was scuba-trained, I was doing a lot of stunts and actually fractured my ankle while we were shooting the movie. But it’s worth it. I love all of that stuff more than anything, to just really put your heart and soul into it.

VISITORS AMONG US: When you’re playing a kick-ass character, how much of that is a reflection of you as a person and how much of that is wish fulfillment?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: I think my boyfriend would tell you that I’m not tough. I cry and all of that, but I think getting these roles is an opportunity to express that side of me. I was in karate for so much of my life that I have that need to kick butt to get the adrenaline out. I think that’s a great place to do it, because I get to do it as another person. I can go nuts and people aren’t going to think I’m strange, and I can be really butch. As much as it might not be believable to some people because I’m some blond girl, I love it. Most of the stuff I’ve done since Into the Blue have been cops, aliens and crazy stuff I love to play.

VISITORS AMONG US: Speaking of aliens, how did you come to be involved with “V”?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: I got a phone call. They were shooting in Vancouver and I’ve played an alien similar to the one in “V” before and they wanted to know if I wanted to be a part of it. I jumped and said, “Yeah!” It was just two days of shooting for me, because it’s an introduction of my character in the pilot. If it goes to series, hopefully the character will evolve. It was great. I’ve never seen the original, but I’ve heard amazing things about it. There are a lot of good rumors on set that this is going to be big. They have a good cast, and I play the enticing young teenage alien trying to enroll the teen humans on the ship with her looks.

VISITORS AMONG US: I know you only played her for two days, but in your mind who is your character of Lisa?

VISITORS AMONG US: She’s manipulating these guys, basically, ultimately to turn them against humans.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: She’s manipulating the young ones, the naïve ones or the ones who are rebellious and hate their parents. She’s using any of them who have problems with being on earth to really turn them against the human race.

VISITORS AMONG US: I think it’s like Hitler’s Youth Group.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: Yes, she’s going after those who are lonely, that ought to know better and just want to be liked or a part of something.

VISITORS AMONG US: What was the atmosphere on the set like?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: The first day I was there was literally the first day of shooting. People were still trying to figure everything out, but the attitude on everybody’s part was really positive. Yves, the director, is really great. When I went back a week later thinking it would tell me how things were going, everybody was even more excited with how great the pilot is looking. The producers are expecting big things. Logan Huffman, one of the male leads, says he can’t wait. He’s not new to the business, but he’s new enough where he can’t believe he’s on set. He’s enjoying every minute of it and soaking it in. He’s even there when he’s not working. So everybody’s really positive and hoping the show will do well. That happens on a lot of pilots, but I really think that this one is something special.

VISITORS AMONG US: The series in the ‘80s didn’t really work. Hopefully this will have a chance to become all that the concept can be.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: Some people might believe the concept of the show could be possible, so that could be intriguing to them.

VISITORS AMONG US: There’s also an opportunity to explore what power does to people.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: In the script, it’s almost like Beatlemania. Everyone’s a little unsure initially when they arrive, but as soon as one person is on the bandwagon, everyone’s on the bandwagon and pro the Visitors. That’s what’s appealing in this movie, everyone is celebrating these strange people that come to earth.

VISITORS AMONG US: Logan is Tyler Evans, but his friend, Jesse Wheeler as Brandon, is the one that Lisa can manipulate more easily, right?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: That’s true. He’s the sidekick best friend who’s kind of in awe of everything and wants to believe it and falls for the girl immediately. He’s a little easier to take over. But she has to work on Tyler more. I think she sees him more as a leader, so she wants him and really has to work her magic on him. But she’s got the Brandon character under her thumb. He did such a good job while we were shooting; the looks he was giving were hilarious.

VISITORS AMONG US: If this should go to series, where would you personally like to see Lisa go?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: I don’t even know what they’re planning or if my character will return. Obviously I want to do some kick-butt stuff, but I’d also like her to turn good and have a relationship with Tyler and realize that what her race is doing isn’t right. Of course, I have no idea; I would just be happy to be a part of it.

VISITORS AMONG US: On the original there was a Fifth Column that was working with the humans in secret. They were still on the ship, but they were helping humanity. It would be interesting if Lisa became that kind of character.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: That would be something I’d be interested in, because it would be unexpected.

VISITORS AMONG US: Will you be returning to Smallville?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: I couldn't tell you.I did one this season. They called and asked me for what they thought would be the season finale, but now they're coming back for another year. I have an inkling that I'll be back for an episode next year. I don't think they can keep me hanging for too long.

VISITORS AMONG US: Overall, was it exciting to be part of the this mythos?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: Definitely. There was no live action television version of Supergirl. Helen Slater was great in the feature film version. Smallville's definitely got me in some doors and just having that legendary name behind you, it's really neat. One day I can say to my kids, "I was Supergirl." Not only that, Smallville is a great show with a great fan following. They really welcomed me. It was a great experience. I really wish that I was still doing it, but it didn't work out storyline wise. They had to focus more on Clark and Lois for the continuation of the legend.

VISITORS AMONG US: I was actually hoping that when Smallville ended, there would be a spin-off with you as Supergirl sort of taking over from Clark Kent.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: They had that in mind when I got the role. I was supposed to be a guest star for a few, then it turned into the whole season and there was talk of a spin-off. But it kind of fizzled out. They kind of went a different route with the network's shows, going more with the Gossip Girls type of show than the sci-fi.

VISITORS AMONG US: Was Kara a good character?

LAURA VANDERVOORT: She's a great character. I know there's a comic book history behind who she is and how she's supposed to be, but I think I kind of made her my own. They had written her as this rebellious teenager who didn't care about people, but I think we slowly developed her into a likable, almost human being who had thoughts of her own. Plus I had fun doing the wire work, the flying, the cast is great, the crew is great.

VISITORS AMONG US: A lot of people complain about the wire work, but I would imagine seeing the end results would be amazing.

LAURA VANDERVOORT: Not only is it cool because the special effects are awesome on the show, but I literally love the wire work. We would have rehearsals and I would be taught how to fly. I loved it up there; I really enjoyed it. Sometimes more than the scenes, because with the scenes I would really try to do a good job and it was stressful with the dialogue. Then I would suddenly get to go up on wires and play. I had a few bruises, but I didn't mind.

ABC has given the greenlight for "V": The Series for 13 episodes scheduled for midseason. The series, a remake of the '80s version, stars Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell as FBI agent Erica Evans, who ultimately leads a resistance movement against the alien Visitors, who claim to be our friends but who are actually here for conquest. In this first audio/video podcast from our sister site, www.visitorsamongus.com,  we take a look at promos for the original and ABC versions and feature an audio excerpt from an interview with actress Laura Vandervoort, who plays the Visitor Lisa on the new show.

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The new Star Trek succeeds on a number of levels, one of which (and it’s fairly significant) is the establishing of the relationship between Chris Pine’s James T. Kirk and Zachary Quinto’s Spock. As was the case with William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, there’s an instant rapport between the two actors that translates on screen. And in terms of the characters, there is a whole new level of connection made by the fact that Nero is responsible for the death of Kirk’s father and Spock’s mother. Interestingly, the inspiration for this, according to co-writer Bob Orci, was the relationship between Beatles John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
   “We looked at John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s friendship as part of our model for Kirk and Spock,” says Orci. “They were opposites and they bonded very young because they both lost their mothers when they were teens.  They might not have actually gotten along at the time had it not been for that kind of a bond. They were the only ones who kind of understood each other’s pain about having lost their mother, so they were definitely an influence on Kirk and Spock.  You know, Star Trek and the Beatles were products of the ‘60s, so sometimes you have to tie it all together.”
    So, which of the Star Trek team is Lennon and which is McCartney?  “The more you read about them, the more you realize how they each had elements of the other,” Orci notes. “The Yin and Yang each have elements of the other color within their spot. I think it depends on the day. On the one hand you can say that Lennon was the intellectual like Spock, but on the other hand he was also kind of the leader of the band, so you can say he was Kirk in that way. And certainly Paul had more of the Spock haircut and the eyebrows. I guess we’ll be able to answer that one later, when we see how Kirk and Spock develop.”
   But Orci considers this question a moment longer before adding confidently, “You know what? Spock is Lennon, because Paul is the optimist who can kind of see through the pain and still keep his chin up. That’s Kirk. Spock is a little more fatalistic with his logic, as John Lennon was.”

Check out the book Trek Classic: The Unofficial Making of the Original Series by clicking HERE.

As J.J. Abrams’ version of Star Trek has proven, the idea of new actors taking on the roles made famous by William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley  and company seems like something of a no-brainer. But this wasn’t the first time the idea was broached, producer Harve Bennett and screenwriter David Loughery having worked on a prequel following their efforts on 1989’s Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
     “Every time they went to make one of those Star Trek movies,” explains Loughery, “the producers and the studio always ran into the same problem in getting the original cast together. The reasons for that were money, power, creative differences, ego, health, unavailability… all of those things. [Producer] Harve Bennett always had this ace up his sleeve, which was if we can’t get everybody together for one of these Star Trek movies, we should do a prequel.”
   Starfleet Academy, which ultimately fell aside in favor of 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, chronicled the story of a young James T. Kirk, a Spock who is estranged from his parents and becomes the first Vulcan to attend Starfleet Academy, and Leonard McCoy, a 30-year-old doctor who attends the Academy after having pulled the plug on his terminally ill father and is searching for meaning his his life. Michael Curtiz’ 1940 film The Santa Fe Trail served as an inspiration for what Bennett envisioned as the classic triumvirate’s first trek. The film which could have been made, according to Bennett, for $27 million. would also have avoided the hefty multi-million dollar salaries of Shatner and Nimoy, as well as the escalating payments made to the other cast members.
   David Loughery explains, “When I heard about the idea, I thought it was terrific.  Not from the point of view of recasting, but from the point of view of storytelling, because I worked so closely with the characters on Star Trek V, that the idea of doing an origin story – where you show them as young cadets – was tremendously exciting. What it was, was a real coming of age story. In outline form, it was the story of Kirk and Spock meeting for the first time as cadets here on earth. We’ve got a young Jim Kirk, who’s kind of cocky and wild. He’s not exactly what you might think starship captain material might be. He’s like one of these kids who would rather fly hot planes and chase girls. Spock is this brilliant, arrogant, aloof to the point of obnoxiousness, genius. It’s this mask he’s hiding behind to cover his own conflicting human emotions. He’s an outcast, he left Vulcan in shame against his father’s wishes and, like all adolescents, he’s trying to find a place to fit in, but he keeps screwing it up.
    “Over the course of this story,” he continues, “which is one year at Starfleet Academy, Kirk and Spock are sort of put to the test and they begin as rivals and end up as friends and comrades who learn that they have to combine their talents for the first time to defeat a deadly enemy. In the final scene, where they say goodbye at graduation and go their separate ways, we’re able to see the legend that these two boys are going to grow up to become. We felt that there was a powerful story there, one that the audience would be interested in. We’re always interested in young Indiana Jones and young Sherlock Holmes, and how they started and came to be who they are. This was sort of the way to explain Kirk and Spock and where they came from.”

To learn more about the history and voyages of Kirk and Spock, check out author Edward Gross' book Trek Classic: The Unofficial Making of the Original Series, a comprehensive behind the scenes look at the 1960s show featuring a complete episode guide and interviews with dozens of writers, directors and producers. For more information, just click HERE.

J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek has the ability to reawaken the dormant Trekkie within you. That’s certainly the feeling you get as you walk out of the film, suddenly aware of why you had fallen in love with the franchise in the first place. Kind of like that moment at the end of Wrath of Khan, when Bones asks Kirk, “You okay, Jim? How do you feel?”, to which Kirk responds, “Young. I feel young.”

There’s a sense of Trek giddiness that struck this writer that hasn’t been felt since the months and weeks leading up to the release of Star Trek: The Motion Picture back in 1979. And while that film, in many ways, took away a bit of the joy, this new one merely makes you hungry for more. Thankfully the taste for that particular meal can be satiated with the CBS/Paramount release of season one of the original series on Blu-ray.

On a creative level, season one of Star Trek was all about the bringing together the elements that would come to define the show, and its evolution is obvious as the season unfolds. Along the way we start to sense the depth of the Kirk/Spock relationship, which manages to be given even more weight thanks to the addition of the Abrams film.

And part of the key to the Blu-ray set, as inadvertent as it may have been, is that it serves as the natural follow-up to that big screen adventure. In particular, one should check out the episodes “Where No Man Has Gone Before” (the second pilot, and the first to team Shatner with Leonard Nimoy) and the first regular episode shot, “The Corbomite Maneuver.” It’s a whole new experience following the feature film as the actors are still discovering themselves, and the characters each other.

And yet that’s only the beginning, thanks to the wide range of extras on the Blu-ray edition. There are picture-in-picture commentaries of particular episodes, the vast majority of extras and interviews from the previous DVD release, Billy Blackburn’s home movies, which really do offer a previously unimaginable trip back through time to catch cast and crew at work, completely oblivious to the fact that they were creating a legend; there’s a documentary on the remastering of the series, showing the process for modernizing the show for the 21^st century; an interactive Enterprise tour that, as it sounds, guides you around the starship; and considerably more.

The bottom line is that the Blu-Ray edition of Star Trek is easily the definitive one, and, like the new film itself, should go a long way in giving Trek the relevancy it deserves.

OUR OWN BONUS FEATURE:

As noted above, the early episodes of season one serve as an interesting continuation point from the J.J. Abrams film. When you’re done checking out the Blu-Ray edition of “The Corbomite Maneuver,” for instance, go behind the scenes on the episode in this excerpt from the recently published book Trek Classic: The Unofficial Making of the Original Series.

The Corbomite Maneuver

Episode #10:

"The Corbomite Maneuver"

Original Airdate: 11/10/66

Written by Jerry Sohl

Directed by Joseph Sargent

Guest Starring: Anthony Hall (Dave Bailey), Clint Howard

(Balok)

The Enterprise destroys a dangerous alien probe while exploring an uncharted region in space. Moments later, they are locked in the tractor beam of a ship identifying itself as the Fesarius, which has threatened them with destruction. All attempts at escape fail, and Kirk develops an ingenious plan to trick his opponent. What's even more ingenious is the episode's denouement, in which the true identity of the Fesarius' captain is revealed.

Writer Jerry Sohl explains, "I was thinking suppose you ran across a cube in space. A cube is so damn finitive and so square and so unlike nature, and so un-asteroidish, that you know right away that it represents intelligent life, unless of course it could be some salt cubes or something like that. Anyway, a thing like that in space, whirling around all by itself, has to be a great mystery. Immediately I thought, 'What is it doing there?' Then I thought, 'It's like an electronic warning system at the frontier, and Kirk and his group are so arrogant that they just destroy it,' which, of course, is the point where this ship appears and says, 'Okay, you guys stepped too far and it's tough shit.' That's where my thinking went.”

In terms of STAR TREK and this episode's impact on it, Sohl says, "'The Corbomite Maneuver' was supposed to be the first episode, but unfortunately it did not appear first in the series because they had so much trouble with the special effects. However, Gene told me that the network liked my script so much that they ordered nine or thirteen more. Whether he bullshitted me and made me feel good, I don't know. [But] the first script [had to deal with such issues as] whether the elevator goes up...Gene wanted the elevator to be able to go sideways through the entire ship. I wrote it so that you never knew whether it was going up and down or sideways. The ship was supposed to be as big as the Empire State Building.”

Story Editor John D.F. Black notes, "The thing about 'The Corbomite Maneuver' is that it was such a simple story. When you think about it, structurally, in terms of most science fiction, and I can think of three or four others that we had that would be the exact antithesis; that were so much more complicated naturally that it was something to watch. Here the situation was to watch that the story was not expressed as simply as it really was. Television and any entertainment medium is magic. We are all in the magic business. Well, here it was like close-up magic, which is what Jerry was doing. It was like he has five cards in his hand and he wipes his hand and he's got four, he wipes it again and he's got three, and you're only a foot and a half away and you don't know what he did with them. 'Corbomite Maneuver' was, by its nature, a very simple story. Jerry knew it and that's really why he wanted to do it, because he thought science fiction when it was adapted to film became so elaborate in story and structure, that he really wanted to do this one and he really busted his tail.”

Director Joseph Sargent, whose other foray into the world of science fiction was the 1970 cult classic, Colossus: The Forbin Project, recalls, "They chose mine as the one to open up the series [though it aired as the tenth episode]. The comforting thing is that I had a hand in shaping the characters. For instance, they had an Asian, a Scotsman and an alien. I suggested that they have a black communications officer. Gene Roddenberry instantly jumped on the idea because it provided an interesting balance." [It should be noted, however, that Roddenberry had cast actor Lloyd Hanes in the role back in the “Where No Man Has Gone Before” pilot]

Sargent, however, had a differing view of that logical "alien," Mr. Spock. "Leonard Nimoy was unhappy because his character was without emotion," he laughs. "He said, 'How can I play a character without emotion? I don't know how to do that. I'm going to be on one note throughout the entire series.' I agreed with him and we worked like hell to give him some emotional context, but Gene said, 'No way, the very nature of this character's contribution is that he isn't an earthling. As a Vulcan, he is intellect over emotion.' Leonard was ready to quit because he didn't know how he was going to do it. Humorously enough, after I saw STAR TREK IV, I called him and we discussed the ironies of life. If he had quit, he wouldn't be anywhere near where he is now. Not only is he a household symbol, but he's also a very high-priced director."

Despite only directing one episode, Sargent's feelings about STAR TREK and what it was trying to do are very succinct.

"I'm not a science-fiction fan because after a while, it gets into a sameness," he states. "But STAR TREK was filled with imagination and substance. Each episode had that distinctive added dimension to it. It's science fiction with something to say, along the lines of Ray Bradbury, who I think was a big influence on Gene Roddenberry in terms of making the stories say something as well as provide entertainment. That's why STAR TREK has been so enduring. It's not just because the characters are fun and appealing, which they are, and not just because somebody's beaming somebody else up, but also because they're beaming up something a little more important than action and adventure."

by Edward Gross

A few  years ago I was working on the manuscript for the book Planet of the Apes Revisited, and while I was writing I thought I’d pop on the James Bond film Goldfinger, considered by many (myself included) to be quintessential Bond. 
   About 15 minutes into the film – probably at a point in which M was briefing 007 on his assignment – my oldest son walked in and watched for a couple of minutes.  While my Bond growing up was Sean Connery, my three boys’ was Pierce Brosnan, which was fine with me. I thought Brosnan was great , my feeling being that if Connery’s Bond had a baby with Roger Moore’s Bond, it would have been Brosnan’s Bond. All  of them, as well as George Lazenby, Timothy Dalton and Daniel Craig, were fine with me. Hell, I’ve often joked that Pee Wee Herman could play the character, and I’d be there.
   Anyway, back to my son. His Bond was the one surrounded by explosions , fast-cutting action and a refusal on the filmmakers’ part to slow things down for more than a few minutes at a clip.  As a result, his Bond was different from the Bond of my youth, which at the time was considered just as fast-cutting.  Because of that, it wasn’t long before he rolled his eyes and muttered, “Oh my God, there’s so much talking.” And with that he pretty much left the room.
   I was dumb-founded. Maybe even a little offended. Nonetheless, I had a planet of talking simians to deal with, so I turned my attention back to work.
   Flash forward to 2009 and I discovered that a movie theatre in Teaneck, New Jersey, located about six miles from my office, was showing (for one night only!) Goldfinger on the big screen.  I immediately contacted a Bond buddy and we made plans to see it.
   I was pretty excited. The last time I had seen Goldfinger on the big screen was back in 1971. It was at the Marine Theatre (long since torn down, unfortunately) on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, and part of a triple feature with Dr. No and From Russia With Love. It was the days before VHS killed the movie reissue, and I was in my glory.  Kind of how I felt that night recently as I sat down to watch the film, popcorn in hand.
   This is probably a good time to point out that James Bond, whether it’s the latest film or one of the classics, is my personal time machine. Marty McFly and Doc Brown may have a DeLorean, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock can turn to the Guardian of Forever, but all I need is to be sitting in a theatre as the lights dim, the opening chords of the James Bond theme begin and that series of circles moves across the screen before morphing into a gun barrel. At that moment, with an uncontrollable grin on my face, I’m back to being a little kid, the rest of the world fading away while I become immersed in the world of Bond. James Bond.
   So there I sat, feeling like a kid, as Goldfinger began. And once again I thrilled to Connery identifying himself to the oh-so-beautiful Shirley Eaton as Jill Masterson; that same beautiful woman sadly discovered dead, and painted in paint. Gold paint. The escalating conflict between Bond and Auric Goldfinger, and by default Odd Job; Bond nearly split in two by a laser (accompanied by the classic dialogue from 007, “Do you expect me to talk?” to which Goldfinger replies, “No, Mr. Bond. I expect you to die.”), the introduction of Pussy Galore (still can’t believe they got away with that one), the unfolding of Operation Grand Slam, the exciting final act in Fort Knox; and the classic quips (“Where’s your butler friend?”  “Oh, he blew a fuse”; “What’s happened? Where’s Goldfinger?” “Playing his golden harp”).
   So, how did it play to the modern me as opposed to that 11-year-old who saw it back in ’71? Pretty damn close! As much as I’ve come to admire Daniel Craig as 007, Connery instantly reminded me why he was, is and ever shall be James Bond. The villain of the piece and his larger-than-life plans may be more acceptable by today’s standards as part of the machinations of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers films rather than the re-bourne action genre of recent years, but it’s still a lot of fun to watch. There are, however, a couple of sticking points that were far more bothersome to me this time than in years past. For instance, why on earth does Goldfinger bother detailing Operation Grand Slam for the gathered gangsters only to kill them? Well, of course it’s so that Bond and the audience can know what he’s planning, but it’s really kind of dopey. But not, I insist, as dopey as what follows.
   Mr. Solo (one of the aforementioned gangsters) decides that he doesn’t want to be a part of this outlandish scheme. Goldfinger seems to acquiesce and prepares to bid him well, having $1 million in gold bullion placed in the trunk of the car that Odd Job is going to drive to the airport. Instead, on the way, Odd Job veers off the main road, stops the car, shoots Solo dead, brings the car to a junkyard, has it crushed into a cube, an industrial magnet deposits the cube into the back of a pick-up truck that was waiting there apparently for just such an occasion, Odd Job drives the truck back to Goldfinger’s horse farm, where Goldfingers gives orders for the gold to be extracted from the cube as Bond wryly notes, “You did say he had a crushing appointment.”
   Okay, what the hell was the point of that? If you were going to kill Solo anyway, just do it! Why go through all that trouble just to bring Solo’s remains back to the farm and then have to extract the now crushed gold from all of that blood, bones and organs? And speaking of gold – how in God’s name was Solo going to check it in at the airport?  Was that all done so that Bond could crack wise?
   That bit of illogic aside, it was great seeing Sean Connery where he should be, playing James Bond on the big screen. And as the credits began to roll, accompanied by the reprise of Shirley Bassey’s “Goldfinger” theme, eleven words appeared on the screen that, again, filled me with excitement: “The end of Goldfinger, but James Bond will return in Thunderball.”  
   The perfect bookend to the gun-barrel sequence that opened the film, and, together,  the most important continuing elements of my moviegoing life, with the former promising to sweep me away in adventure and the latter providing reassurance that it would only be a matter of time before I had the chance to do it all over again.