Pegg updates on script

[BeatleJWOL]

I'm going to use the word "ignorant" here nut not in its pejorative sense.

From many of the posts I've read, here and elsewhere, it's obvious to me that the people who speak about the script delays and production start dates are ignorant of the reality of how movies (and TV for that matter) are made.

It's not impossible for a film to have a "draft" script in May and start shooting in July, for instance. Pegg could have turned in a messy draft script that had most of the story beats worked out to the satisfaction of the producers and studio executives, which they could then approve for a rewrite/revision with very specific notes. For instance, they dialog might not be final, and all the action in specific scenes not worked out (I don't mean big action set pieces necessarily), but if there story structure and beats and where the scenes take place is solid and not likely to change the studio can and will start preproduction on those elements, from set to costume to prop design. Scripts are rarely set in concrete during pre-production, and scenes get tweaked, massaged, added and even omitted right down to the wire. That's the nature of the business.

So, yes, more prep time is better, but just because they don't have a locked production draft today doesn't mean they can't possible start shooting two months from now.

The original Battlestar Galactica series was plagued with lots of such production problems. A lot of times, there were even mid-shooting script changes. That's why some of the eps seem to lack a bit of cohesion.

But, for what it achieved, the original Galactica still became a bit of a success story even if it only got the one season.

And we're all familiar with TMP's production rewrites being such a nightmare that cast and crew were getting new pages not just daily, but sometimes HOURLY, with annotated timestamps from either GR or HL. I don't think I've ever heard of a production that's filmed from day one with a locked script without a single rewrite.

The Lord of the Rings films had the same things going on; several of the cast members mentioned looking outside their hotel room in the morning to find a giant stack of rewrites from the previous night.

If the money and the talent are there, things will get done.

 

[Mudd]

I would love for the Star Trek movies to take a step back, to where they originally where, in the prize range of Star Trek: The Motion Picture to Nemesis, with appropriate budget and box office expectations.

First get a time machine and go back fifteen years.

There's no reliable place in the commercial theatrical film business for movies with that kind of subject matter budgeted in that way. Movies like that get slaughtered in the first week of an ever-shorter, ever more crowded release schedule.

The studios have more remunerative ways to spend their money.

Have you ever heard of Christopher Nolan?
.

Nothing about his commercial success supports your points or undercuts mine. It's good that you admire him, though.

 

[Phily B]

Ever since I saw Interstellar, I've dreamt of a Trek movie that deals with exploration and drama in a similar manner. That scene where they land on the planet, see the huge waves etc was wonderful. I'd love more of this.

I know it's not going to happen, but still..

 

[Smellmet]

Ever since I saw Interstellar, I've dreamt of a Trek movie that deals with exploration and drama in a similar manner. That scene where they land on the planet, see the huge waves etc was wonderful. I'd love more of this.

I know it's not going to happen, but still..

I would venture that we already have with The Motion Picture. And I'd love it if they made another one in that vein.

 

[Kruezerman]

(and if STB has any nonsense about love being quantifiable and transcending time and space, I'm done)

Ugh. Interstellar could've used that theme more effectively if they didn't hammer it in your face like they did.

"IT'S LOVE, DID YOU SEE IT? LOVE IS HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD, DID YOU MISS IT? LOVE. LOVE. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE."

 

[Smellmet]

(and if STB has any nonsense about love being quantifiable and transcending time and space, I'm done)

Ugh. Interstellar could've used that theme more effectively if they didn't hammer it in your face like they did.

"IT'S LOVE, DID YOU SEE IT? LOVE IS HOW TO SAVE THE WORLD, DID YOU MISS IT? LOVE. LOVE. LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE."

You are probably correct but it didn't spoil my enjoyment of it. There's nowhere near enough decent sci-fi films like this coming out.

 

[Kruezerman]

Honestly, I thought Gravity was better. Interstellar was more spectacular, graphics wise, but Gravity kept me on the edge of my seat.

 

[Smellmet]

Honestly, I thought Gravity was better. Interstellar was more spectacular, graphics wise, but Gravity kept me on the edge of my seat.

I saw Gravity in 3D, on the front row, and at times it felt like I was on a ride, it was that intense. One of the most spectacular pieces of cinema I've witnessed. It's still entertaining on Blu-Ray but the effect is rather diminished, and I totally get people who diss it for lack of plot.

 

[Amaris]

I saw both movies on DVD, at home. Interstellar was very good, having some nice sci-fi themes and nice visuals (the robots were my favorites though), but Gravity had me nailed to my chair. My house could have exploded, and as long as me the TV were okay, I wouldn't have noticed.

 

[Smellmet]

They are very different films. Interstellar is an epic, Gravity is almost a disaster movie.

 

[Phily B]

Ever since I saw Interstellar, I've dreamt of a Trek movie that deals with exploration and drama in a similar manner. That scene where they land on the planet, see the huge waves etc was wonderful. I'd love more of this.

I know it's not going to happen, but still..

I would venture that we already have with The Motion Picture. And I'd love it if they made another one in that vein.

The Motion Picture was kind of boring though, lacked a great deal of drama. But maybe that's because it's Star Trek and I know Kirk isn't gonna die and the Enterprise isn't gonna blow up in a wormhole.

Interstellar had the right balance, I wouldn't even mind it being along the lines of Prometheus which I thought looked beautiful even with the awful story. Just more exploration and the dangers that come with it, the tension etc. Interstellar went to two planets and the space station which both looked unique and completely alien.

 

[danielcw]

Pegg's "fringe concerns". It doesn't mean much.

Pegg's concerns mean a lot because he's writing the film. Whether you think his concerns are valid or not, he does, and it will be reflected in the finished product.

Would you please not take my words out of context.
I was saying a totally different thing than what you replied to.

Is this a dictionary definition or a personal opinion?

Is there a difference? Any dictionary definition is just somebody's personal opinion anyway. Abbreviating the complex meaning of a word or a term into an entry perhaps two phrases long necessarily means heavily imposing one's own values and preferences on the definition.

Well it is important that the meaning of a word is agreed upon.
Everybody has to speak the same language and code.

The meaning of sci-fi, as defined in dictionaries and used in everyday speech has changed a lot over time, though.

 

[BeatleJWOL]

Well it is important that the meaning of a word is agreed upon.
Everybody has to speak the same language and code.

You have now entered Timoland. Please keep arms and legs inside the vehicle at all times.

Hang onto your butts!

 

[Smellmet]

Ever since I saw Interstellar, I've dreamt of a Trek movie that deals with exploration and drama in a similar manner. That scene where they land on the planet, see the huge waves etc was wonderful. I'd love more of this.

I know it's not going to happen, but still..

I would venture that we already have with The Motion Picture. And I'd love it if they made another one in that vein.

The Motion Picture was kind of boring though, lacked a great deal of drama. But maybe that's because it's Star Trek and I know Kirk isn't gonna die and the Enterprise isn't gonna blow up in a wormhole.

Interstellar had the right balance, I wouldn't even mind it being along the lines of Prometheus which I thought looked beautiful even with the awful story. Just more exploration and the dangers that come with it, the tension etc. Interstellar went to two planets and the space station which both looked unique and completely alien.

I can accept that criticism of TMP, despite me being a huge fan of it. You have to bear in mind that it's 36 years old, and for it to hold up in any way makes the film a fine achievement in my book. If it had been made now for modern audiences, like Interstellar, I would imagine the results would be vastly different to 1979, and would be something approaching the tone and feel of Nolan's movie (which I happen to think is superb).

I know we're not going to get anything like this in Beyond, but I do think these new movies need some sci-fi concepts injecting into them, amongst the pew-pew, I don't think it would hurt.

 

[Trekkin]

I'd personally put Prometheus over Interstellar. I think it's because the Alien series was always more 'pulpy,' so I could forgive it more because it met expectations. Everybody (except for David) had moments where they were dumb as rocks, but I liked the themes and the ambiguity, and Michael Fassbender could have carried the movie on his own.

Interstellar took a...turn that I had trouble accepting. It went from a warning against anti intellectualism, to something a bit more basic than it seemed to have been building up. I was also a little poleaxed that they'd use 'Do not go gentle into the good night' for their big budget scifi movie. And a few characters there also attacks of the unbelievably stupid.

I think theyre both very good mind, I was just more dissatisfied with Interstellar. My complaints with it are practically the same ones I had with STID, it's just the finer details differ.

Star Trek trying to be 'hard' has never really ended well. It's usually done better with morality tales, presenting basic moral quandaries for the audience to ponder, or commenting on modern politics in a scifi setting. If you look at the usual 'best of Trek' lists, the top eps are your 'City on the Edge of Forever's', TWOK's, and 'Inner Light's.' You could take out the scifi elements completely and make them fantasy (or even historical in Khan's case), and they'd still work perfectly well.

Basically, what I'm saying is the new writers probably shouldn't worry about making a 'type' of movie or including 'scifi concepts'. They should just do a story they think is good, and will work in the Trek verse.

IMO, of course.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I would venture that we already have with The Motion Picture. And I'd love it if they made another one in that vein.

The Motion Picture was kind of boring though, lacked a great deal of drama. But maybe that's because it's Star Trek and I know Kirk isn't gonna die and the Enterprise isn't gonna blow up in a wormhole.

Interstellar had the right balance, I wouldn't even mind it being along the lines of Prometheus which I thought looked beautiful even with the awful story. Just more exploration and the dangers that come with it, the tension etc. Interstellar went to two planets and the space station which both looked unique and completely alien.

I can accept that criticism of TMP, despite me being a huge fan of it. You have to bear in mind that it's 36 years old, and for it to hold up in any way makes the film a fine achievement in my book. If it had been made now for modern audiences, like Interstellar, I would imagine the results would be vastly different to 1979, and would be something approaching the tone and feel of Nolan's movie (which I happen to think is superb).

I know we're not going to get anything like this in Beyond, but I do think these new movies need some sci-fi concepts injecting into them, amongst the pew-pew, I don't think it would hurt.

It was pretty boring in 1979, too

 

[martok2112]

I'd personally put Prometheus over Interstellar. I think it's because the Alien series was always more 'pulpy,' so I could forgive it more because it met expectations. Everybody (except for David) had moments where they were dumb as rocks, but I liked the themes and the ambiguity, and Michael Fassbender could have carried the movie on his own.

Loved Prometheus. Watching it at the primal "I just wanna be entertained level" it's great. Watching it at the analytical level has opened up some great discussion with my roomie (who also loves the film).

Interstellar took a...turn that I had trouble accepting. It went from a warning against anti intellectualism, to something a bit more basic than it seemed to have been building up.

I have to say, I found myself really, really grumbling at the scene where Cooper was at the PTC, and they were talking about how his daughter, Murph, was showing an old textbook around that validated Armstrong's moon landing which flew in the face of their modern revisionist dogma that it was nothing more than VFX propaganda to push Russia into its declining economical state. Yeah, I'd be offended to live among such revisionists.

Basically, what I'm saying is the new writers probably shouldn't worry about making a 'type' of movie or including 'scifi concepts'. They should just do a story they think is good, and will work in the Trek verse.

IMO, of course.

Agreed.

 

[BillJ]

Watching it at the analytical level has opened up some great discussion...

If it wasn't for perceived flaws, we'd have nothing to talk about.

 

[martok2112]

LOL! That's why I watch it at the primal level first. I simply want to be entertained. Logic and physics be damned. I ask no more of Prometheus than I do of Star Trek or Star Wars.

 

[Trekkin]

I nitpick everything even as I watch it the first time, but that doesn't usually determine whether I like or hate a movie.

The Dark Knight Rises is a hell of a lot more flawed than The Dark Knight, but for some reason the former just worked better for me. It managed to get me in the feels, whereas I tend to get a bit sick of TDK by the time Two Face shows up. If I was writing a review I'd still probably give the Dark Knight a higher score, but in terms of preference it's my least favourite of the three.

TMP is the same. Technically, I'd say it's a better movie than FF, INS and NEM. But damn me if I wouldn't watch all of the other three in a row before I watched TMP again. It's the only movie I've ever seen where I thought ad-breaks made it more bearable. I can see what people like and admire about it, but gut feeling won't let me enjoy it.