Cumberbatched Into Darkness

It’s a Thursday, there’s precious little on TV – why not take in the latest trailer for “Star Trek Into Darkness”?

This would be the “Empire Strikes Back” of the reborn “Star Trek” movie franchise, then?  I’m guessing so, what with the doomy tone, Benedict Cumberbatch‘s messianic sociopath running amok and blowing up half of the planet and the gloriously blatant shuttle craft/Millennium Falcon riff showing up in this two minutes and 15 seconds of face-melting, nerd glee.

Oh, and if you’re into that kind of thing, Alice Eve‘s character apparently can’t afford clothes.  Hollywood double standards, how do they work?

Have a new poster for the movie whilst you work that one out…

“Star Trek Into Darkness” – none more dark, squire…

Related articles

• Star Trek Into Darkness: Cue Cumberbatch (geekymagpie.wordpress.com)
• Benedict Cumberbatch on why he chose Star Trek (musingsofamildmanneredman.com)

“Star Trek Into Darkness”…earlier?

Hmm…badge-y…

In the UK, we might suffer through hilariously terrible weather for most of the year, must bear at least some responsibility for unleashing Simon Cowell, One Direction & Robert Pattinson on an unsuspecting globe and can’t keep a shop open to save our lives, but know this, global peeps -

We’re getting “Star Trek Into Darkness” a week early!

Ignore that date on the poster above – the second “Trek” adventure from J.J. Abrams is now out in the UK on 9th May 2013 – which is going to come as scant consolation to all the people in the Den of Geek comments section, linked above, who have booked days off work  and holidays on the basis of it coming out a week or so later.  Nerds, eh – gotta love ‘em…

Related articles

• Trailer Park: ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ (marquee.blogs.cnn.com)
• MUST WATCH – Nice Little Behind The Scenes Featurette For ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ featuring JJ Abrams & Chris Pine (xavierpop.com)
• IDW Debuts First Look at J.J. Abrams’ “Star Trek Into Darkness” Klingons (comicbookresources.com)

This is an “Iron Man 3″ poster…

As you may know, Sunday 3rd February 2013 will see devout fans of rugby with padding sit down across the US to watch the Superbowl.  This, for the still uninitiated, involves a great deal of theatrical fuss and sportsball-based pageantry before the real point of the day arrives – advanced trailers for summer movies.

To which end, that most inexplicable of modern marketing trends rears its ugly crown anew – trailers for trailers.  We’re through the looking-glass, people – ads for ads.  What a strange world we find ourselves residing in, and no mistake.

You’ll be able to see new spots for “Iron Man 3″, “Star Trek Into Darkness”, “The Lone Ranger” and “Fast 6″ amongst others – and I’m reasonably sure that they’ll be more interesting than lots of financially well-remunerated chaps thanking variously unfortunate deities for intervening in the success or otherwise of their Hand Egg-centric shenanigans.

Related Tomfoolery:

• Tony Stark Falls From The Sky In New ‘Iron Man 3′ Poster (slashfilm.com)
• Super Bowl Commercials 2013: Top Movie Trailers to Look out for (bleacherreport.com)

The Good News Geek

I don’t know if this exactly qualifies as good news per se – for it heralds an ultimately tragic story – but it does confirm “Star Trek Into Darkness” director JJ Abrams as one of Hollywood’s kindler uber-nerds.

JJ Abrams grants terminally ill fan’s wish to see ‘Star Trek’ sequel

It’s small acts of kindness like this – ones which make somebody’s life that bit more enjoyable in the face of terrible illness or sadness – that make this oft-bleak world of ours seem a bit more bearable.

I’m sure that internet hard-men and the Troll set are already preparing their snappy responses to this story and pitching it as part of the P.R. campaign for the movie or some kind of scam, but I think we all know that this isn’t an act quite as cynical as some perma-scowling hipsters would have you believe it to be.

And, after all, isn’t it nice to be nice sometimes?  It’s almost as if Reddit is good for something other than Cat Memes and gross sexism after all…

 

Further Into Darkness

Lovely “Star Trek Into Darkness” images (c) Paramount Pictures

There’s a new trailer for J.J. Abrams‘ second “Star Trek” adventure, “Into Darkness”, which is technically the first proper look at the film – last week saw a teaser trailer and a nine-minute prologue which unfurled ahead of selected IMAX screenings of “The Hobbit“.

But, as I was denied such bounty by the uncaring folk at my local cinema, let us not focus on what we don’t have and instead turn our attention to what we do get.

Yep, no portents of angst or doom in that image…

Which is Bruce Greenwood‘s glum voice over suggesting there may be trouble ahead for Kirk & Co., huge action sequences, portents of dread and lots of furrowed brows on display.  Watching it, there’s a palpable sense that there’s a big elephant in the room with this “Star Trek” sequel – is it following the path laid down by “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” and upping the emotional stakes big time (i.e. killing off major characters) or is the speculation about the identity of the villain merely misdirection of the kind so beloved of and oft-practiced by major magic geek Abrams?

The trailer indicates that nobody’s safe in this movie – Chekov‘s even sporting a Red Shirt at one point, for pity’s sake! – and I’m all for that if  this eagerly anticipated follow-up has the courage to deliver on all that Debbie Downer potential.  This is, after all, a summer movie – not a genre known for wallowing in melancholy and bad vibes, man.

You can be in danger – but nobody’s allowed to get hurt.  Or are they?

Related articles

• “Star Trek Into Darkness” teaser is…awesome? (fluffrick.wordpress.com)
• ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Announcement Teaser Trailer (slashfilm.com)
• “Star Trek Into Darkness” gets a new poster (fluffrick.wordpress.com)
• ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Nine-Minute IMAX Prologue: Doom, Gloom, and Benedict Cumberbatch (movieline.com)

 

“Star Trek Into Darkness” gets a new poster

Ominous, much?  Image via Paramount Pictures

As we wait for either the nine-minute IMAX prologue playing before selected screenings of “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey“, the astute folk at Paramount have elected to steal a march on the marketing for next summer’s “Star Trek” sequel by releasing every geek-centric blockbuster’s must-have item, the enigmatic teaser poster.

Putting on my modish great-coat and a fashionably directional long scarf in the manner of all the best consulting detectives, I note that the poster seems to feature putative “Star Trek Into Darkness” villain, Benedict Cumberbatch, who is of course playing classic “Trek” baddie Gary Mitchell/Khan/Keyser Soze (delete as likely) in the J.J. Abrams directed sequel.

And that scene of urban mass destruction, the hallmark of all contemporary bad guys who seek to threaten our very way of life via the medium of terrorist action – could it be London?  As Empire magazine‘s post on the teaser poster intimated, the background scenery seems to have the ‘Gherkin’ building prominently featured.

England’s capital?  Being destroyed in a summer blockbuster?  Such a thing has never happened before…

A trailer for this must-see geek fest is due before the end of 2012 – I don’t know about you, but I already have my popcorn ready for that one…

Related articles

• The ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’ Teaser Poster Has Arrived (slashfilm.com)
• First Star Trek Into Darkness Poster Features the Wrath of Cumberbatch (tor.com)
• “Star Trek Into Darkness” with “The Hobbit” (fluffrick.wordpress.com)

“Star Trek Into Darkness” with “The Hobbit”

Yes, I did use this picture because Simon Pegg’s wearing a kilt. Like a boss…

In a bold effort to monopolise the attentions of Chez Fluffrick on December 14th, IMAX have announced that screenings of “The Hobbit” on that day will be preceded by nine minutes of “Star Trek Into Darkness” prologue footage.

Just. Take. My. Money. Now.

This footage will be available in 500 IMAX 3D screens worldwide, and I’m hoping that my local Sheffield cinema will be amongst the lucky havens of nerdery receiving such an early Festivus gift – it’ll make up for my local IMAX not being one of the locations with projection capable of displaying “The Hobbit” in Peter Jackson’s much-discussed High Frame Rate presentation.