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Me or him? 
AG: Toronto. Good. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. If you can do a somewhat simple favor for me, you will have my gratitude. In the form of the book. New, not used. Will contact you through proper channels.
Well, I'll let Howard tell the full story at some point, complete I believe with pictures. Suffice to say that a rather unconventional business transaction (not that kind!) took place which afforded Howard something he's been hoping to have for a long time, and I got to have a brand-spanking-new copy of Preston Neal Jones's unbelievably incredible RETURN TO TOMORROW: The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture delivered to my doorstep.
Between this board and the Star Trek community, one sure meets some great new friends. And sometimes the two intersect, like here. Howard, a very big thanks to you! And please do put that story together soon!
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Yes, Howard, please!
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Hmmm. It's getting close enough that this might end up under my Christmas tree.
BTW, I was watching Above and Beyond on Netflix. It's a documentary about the foreign pilots who banded together to form the Israeli air force in 1948. One of these codgers (they were all strapping young gods back in the day) sure looked familiar.
Harold Livingston. Screenwriter for TMP. Wow!
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As a matter of fact, Howard, toward the end of October I'll be in Florida for a couple of days before I hop aboard the TCM Classic Movie Cruise. What part of Florida did you say you were in? Please give me a call when you've got a moment, thanks.
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After all these years of leafing through it and reading bits and pieces, I just finished Susan Sackett's excellent making-of book on TMP. It is now time to delve deeply into PNJ's book. Like Sackett's book, I've read bunches of it but not from cover to cover. The time for that is now. (And this may be blasphemy but in some ways TMP is overtaking STAR TREK II for me, in terms of fave Trek film. In. Some. Ways.)
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After all these years of leafing through it and reading bits and pieces, I just finished Susan Sackett's excellent making-of book on TMP. It is now time to delve deeply into PNJ's book. Like Sackett's book, I've read bunches of it but not from cover to cover. The time for that is now. (And this may be blasphemy but in some ways TMP is overtaking STAR TREK II for me, in terms of fave Trek film. In. Some. Ways.)
You've taken your first step into a larger world.
They're both my #1 Star Trek movie. One is Corbomite Maneuver and the other is Balance of Terror.
(They've never really made a movie that compares with City on the Edge of Forever.)
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After all these years of leafing through it and reading bits and pieces, I just finished Susan Sackett's excellent making-of book on TMP. It is now time to delve deeply into PNJ's book. Like Sackett's book, I've read bunches of it but not from cover to cover. The time for that is now. (And this may be blasphemy but in some ways TMP is overtaking STAR TREK II for me, in terms of fave Trek film. In. Some. Ways.)
You've taken your first step into a larger world.
They're both my #1 Star Trek movie. One is Corbomite Maneuver and the other is Balance of Terror.
(They've never really made a movie that compares with City on the Edge of Forever.)
Good point - I can make both of them my #1. Brilliant. And yes, I see where you're going with your episode-to-movie comparisons.
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They're both my #1 Star Trek movie
Good point - I can make both of them my #1. Brilliant.
Huh! I thought I was in a club of one!
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I like Generations a lot more than most, it seems. And First Contact less than some.
Sounds like we are in accord there. I don't think Generations is anywhere near as bad as people behave it is (it just had the misfortune of many (tired) cooks in the kitchen with many ingredients to integrate, and following up one of the greatest series finales of all time (All Good Things...)
But First Contact is hugely overrated and I actually actively dislike it apart from the cinematic look and excellent score of course. Given the choice I would pick Generations to watch, any day.
And here's another bold statement: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier has much more to love in it (despite plenty of horrible stuff) than *any* TNG film, IMO.
Yavar
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And here's another bold statement: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier has much more to love in it (despite plenty of horrible stuff) than *any* TNG film, IMO.
Yavar
The one thing Trek V has going for it is that it has more Kirk / Spock / McCoy than any other film. Otherwise it's unfortunately terrible.
But I think it does try harder than many other Trek films.
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And here's another bold statement: Star Trek V: The Final Frontier has much more to love in it (despite plenty of horrible stuff) than *any* TNG film, IMO.
Yavar
The one thing Trek V has going for it is that it has more Kirk / Spock / McCoy than any other film. Otherwise it's unfortunately terrible.
But I think it does try harder than many other Trek films.
If you just showed someone the "let me show you your pain" scene, with the three, they might get excited to watch the whole film based on that. It gets a lot right.
But then they would chase after you with a bag of rocks for the other 100 minutes.
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I love literally *all* of the Kirk/Spock/McCoy interaction (including campfire singing) and hate almost all of the "moments" given to the supporting cast. But there's other strong stuff in the film IMO. Just look at the pre-credits opening -- it clearly shows Shatner's ambition as a director to make this a more cinematic outing. And there are strong moments like that scattered throughout. And of course Goldsmith elevates everything, so much.
Yavar
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Generations is a fantastically good looking film, shot by the late great John Alonzo. The film is chock full of excellent wide screen set-ups and rich colors and very dramatic and nuanced lighting. Just take in the way he shot the golden rays of sun coming through the windows of the Enterprise and the gorgeously shot finale on those rocks, or that amazingly beautiful story book scene in Picard's family home.
It is SO gorgeous. I think Discovery is taking a few cues from Generations in that respect. (Given the shafts of light you see streaming in the windows they apparently have very dusty ships.)
If you just showed someone the "let me show you your pain" scene, with the three, they might get excited to watch the whole film based on that. It gets a lot right.
But then they would chase after you with a bag of rocks for the other 100 minutes.
That's just about right.
Just look at the pre-credits opening -- it clearly shows Shatner's ambition as a director to make this a more cinematic outing. And there are strong moments like that scattered throughout. And of course Goldsmith elevates everything, so much.
That opening is one of the best in the series.
I wonder if Shatner / Paramount would have gone back to Goldsmith if TNG hadn't been using his theme?
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