This summer, pointy ears make a comeback as the highly anticipated Star Trek aims to bring out the Trekkie in all of us.
Director J.J. Abrams brings Star Trek, set for release on May 8, to the big screen with a fresh perspective on the origins of the U.S.S. Enterprise crew. In the 23rd century, a young James Kirk (Chris Pine) makes the momentous decision to join the Starfleet Academy, where he meets Spock (Zachary Quinto).
These two rivals go on to become part of a crew of gifted individuals on the Enterprise, who must come together to face Nero (Eric Bana), a Romulan with a vendetta.
In addition to Pine, Quinto, and Bana, the all-star cast includes John Cho, Bruce Greenwood, Simon Pegg, Winona Ryder, Zoë Saldana, Karl Urban, Anton Yelchin, and Leonard Nimoy.
In a telephone interview with Pine and Quinto, both actors commented on the diverse and talented cast, with Quinto offering that “there are some phenomenal people in the movie.” Pine agreed, adding, “I think one of the biggest pleasures I had was not only getting a chance to work with Mr. Nimoy, but also to work with Bruce Greenwood, who I’ve loved for years and thought was such a wonderful actor.”
The big screen Star Trek is rich with familiar and novel elements, such as the casting of Nimoy and the creation of a new foe, Nero, an original character for the film. Quinto assured viewers that the film has something for audiences both old and new. “I think, you know, there are things ... that die-hard Star Trek fans can really look forward to,” Quinto said, adding, “And I think that non-fans can look forward to the fact that this is a movie that’s much more about relationships and characters and challenges than it is about, you know, planets and starships and aliens.”
Listening to Quinto and Pine talk about their roles and how they cultivated the relationship between their two characters, it is difficult to deny their chemistry, which hopefully will translate onto the big screen. When asked who would win in a Star Trek/Star Wars showdown, Kirk and Spock or Hans Solo and Luke Skywalker, Quinto playfully and yet quite adamantly replied, “We [would] kick their ass.”
—Jacklyn Katz
Following up a film like WALL-E, Disney-Pixar’s newest animated feature, Up, faces expectations that are more than a little daunting.
Disney-Pixar’s reputation for entertaining, yet substantive animation has earned Up, which opens May 29, the coveted spot as the opening selection of the Cannes Film Festival later this month. “I think we were able to push things stylistically to places that we haven’t gone before,” said Academy Award-nominated Director Pete Docter in a phone interview, expressing his wish to not only embrace, but extend this legacy.
Up’s plot centers around Carl, a 78-year-old balloon salesman who, after the death of his beloved wife Ellie, fulfills a lifelong fantasy of going on an adventure. Tying thousands of balloons to his house, Carl begins his flight to South America but discovers too late an annoying eight-year-old stowaway named Russell. The unlikely pair is then forced to join in the adventure together.
Fantastical as the plot may seem, Docter maintains that the humorous and fanciful elements are supported by a conscious effort to ground the film firmly in reality—it’s kid-friendly adventure is balanced with adult themes of death, loss, and old age.
In discussing the emotional grounding of the film, Docter highlighted a four-and-a-half-minute sequence depicting the life Carl and his wife shared. Filmmakers invoked a surprisingly mature artistic strategy in the scene by eliminating sound effects and nonessential dialogue, conveying the depth of the characters’ relationship with reduced visuals accompanied by music. The sequence “tried to show his entire life with this woman and show how amazing and rich it was,” Docter said, adding, “you really only get the beautiful moments if you couple it with some tragedy as well.”
The scene also demonstrates the filmmakers’ attempt to take advantage of the film’s 3-D release, using a tightening of 3-D-space as a metaphorical reflection of Carl’s emotional withdrawal after the loss of his wife. Though releasing films in 3-D has become extremely popular, Docter noted the challenge of using the technology as a tool, without letting it detract from the story.
With these meticulous attempts to expand the scope of animation both stylistically and emotionally, Up is looking to one-up its animated competitors.
—Victoria Fox
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