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25 Years Ago! Part IX! Death And Life On June 4, 1982!

First... And still no article on the Harry Potter park. by Frijole	Jun 4th, 2007 02:12:39 PM
Though this is still nice. Guess I should read it now.
Oh, its by merrick! by monorail77	Jun 4th, 2007 02:12:54 PM
last one up wasn't signed. Good work!
You Wonder What Your Dad's Up To Right Now? by The Ender Smites Foes	Jun 4th, 2007 02:14:29 PM
Lemonparty.org
First? by mr_sinister7381	Jun 4th, 2007 02:15:00 PM
nice piece
Fourth by mr_sinister7381	Jun 4th, 2007 02:16:01 PM
I stand corrected
Huh? by Frijole	Jun 4th, 2007 02:16:18 PM
Are you saying that at the TIME Poltergeist seemed "too Hollywood" to you? Or that looking back NOW it seems that way? And did I just misread, or did you say in the same paragraph that it was "too Hollywood" AND that it was "unpolished"? I'm confused.
OMFG! Ender Smites Foes is one evil bastard by mr_sinister7381	Jun 4th, 2007 02:17:28 PM
My eyes are bleeding...
Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father... by Err	Jun 4th, 2007 02:18:09 PM
I AM YOUR FATHER!
Those two movies kick ass by Abominable Snowcone	Jun 4th, 2007 02:20:12 PM
...and I saw 'em with friends back in 1982 as well. The year of great filmmaking, like Megaforce! And I remember sleepovers, too. Staying up late looking at Playboys and listening to AC/DC.
Great read Merrick by Uncle_Pooch	Jun 4th, 2007 02:21:42 PM
thx for that...brought a tear to my eye!
The Even Numbered Star Treks by AvonBarksdale	Jun 4th, 2007 02:22:12 PM
You know what the even numbered Star Treks have in common aside from being the only good ones? Nicholas Meyer. II, IV and VI.
Great article, Merrick!! by bmocbull	Jun 4th, 2007 02:23:11 PM
At first I was gonna be snarky and be the hoser to tease you a little about the "pre-pubescent night sweating" while being with your buddy, but as I read on, I must say, "very nice". From getting a little choked up when you talked about your dad, to getting spooked about your old house, it was a most well-written piece. Guess I'll have to take my immature ha-ha's elsewhere. :)
Nemesis was an even numbered one and sucked. by Err	Jun 4th, 2007 02:25:47 PM
Complete crap that film was. Last good Star Trek film was First Contact.
mr_sinister7381 I Think by The Ender Smites Foes	Jun 4th, 2007 02:26:03 PM
Merrick's dad is the one in the middle. It's not confirmed but I think that's the one.
That article reminds me of "Stand By Me"... by Uga	Jun 4th, 2007 02:28:05 PM
... if it had been directed by "Savage" Steve Holland, that is.
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. by ByTor	Jun 4th, 2007 02:32:39 PM
Message, Merrick? Thanks for the memories. Thanks for reminding me what Trek premieres used to be like, before they descended into weak December openings. And yes, Nemesis finally broke the even/odd pattern by sucking. Here's hoping Trek XI breaks the pattern again by not. Here's hoping Abrams remembers what Merrick said...that Wrath of Khan was really about characters, not explosions or effects. Trek needs to get real characters back. Get back your characters, Trek. Get them back before you become part of history. Before you really do grow old.
Joust! by CatVutt	Jun 4th, 2007 02:33:32 PM
My GOD, man...if I'd like...picked up a violin as often as I'd played Joust as a kid, I'd be a fucking virtuoso by now. God, I loved that game. So fucking goofy and stupidly simple, and addictive as all fuck.
hahaha merrick believes in ghosts by lilgorgor	Jun 4th, 2007 02:34:04 PM
GHOSTS MAKE COMPUTER SLOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW
I know where that poltergeist house is... by driveindude	Jun 4th, 2007 02:34:47 PM
I drove out to that house from Poltergeist about a year ago. Looks the same except for the large, grown in foliage. The house is in Simi Valley
Twice as boring as War and Peace but only by Borgnine JR	Jun 4th, 2007 02:35:25 PM
half as long. What a literary accomplishment!
Fuckin George Lucas.. I remember him getting by modlight	Jun 4th, 2007 02:38:57 PM
on Dr. Dre's (I think it was him) ass about using the THX sound on an album. After seeing that teaser... I dont' know which came first but it sounds like he has no room to talk about stealing that sound.
What 11 or 12 year old pre-teen boy by Abominable Snowcone	Jun 4th, 2007 02:39:00 PM
...DIDn't have a 'sexual crush' on Jobeth? I mentioned this in some other TB weeks ago, about how great she looked in her nighttime football jersey. I loved the grey streak in her hair.
Joust by ByTor	Jun 4th, 2007 02:39:06 PM
I, too, loved Joust to an unhealthy degree. Next house I buy will have a dedicated game room, and Joust hasta be there. Joust, Galaga, Gauntlet, and the original Star Wars game. They may cost some coin, but probably not as much as the sum total of quaters invested into said machines in bygone days.
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!!!!! by jimmy rabbitte	Jun 4th, 2007 02:39:10 PM
I loved this movie! I was 11 years old and it was the first time I went to a movie by myself. Much like Merrick describes it was a hot summer afternoon; and for some reason I can't remember I could not find anyone interested in going to see "The Wrath of Khan." Maybe it was the disappointment of the first film, I don't know for sure. All I can say is the experience cemented my love of seeing films on the big screen.
great article by monorail77	Jun 4th, 2007 02:39:41 PM
thanks, Merrick. Man, your house was spooky, dude!
Life on June 5, 1985 by DocBosch	Jun 4th, 2007 02:40:08 PM
...my birthday. And why couldn't somebody have written up something nice like this two years ago for the 20th of Back to the Future. Or will we have to wait for the 25th?
Ugh by ByTor	Jun 4th, 2007 02:40:49 PM
Quarters, not quaters. And "I invested." Bah.
Kobeyashi Maru Scenario by Abominable Snowcone	Jun 4th, 2007 02:42:02 PM
C'mon now, everyone say it with me together, over and over. Just like Kirstie Alley did when she was HOOOOT as Savvik, which rhymes with the name of that object I would have presented to her as a gift back then. Kobeyashi Maru. And hey, everyone chant with me now--Motara Nebula!
So..... by darkgrafix	Jun 4th, 2007 02:45:03 PM
You liked Poltergiest? Hated it? Didn't feel like it held up to you living in the Amityville house?
Poltergeist, "slightly unpolished look and feel"? Nah. by Lance Rock	Jun 4th, 2007 02:46:27 PM
If anything, it was too polished--a ghost story with that Spielberg sheen.
So you lived in a haunted house by Shivv	Jun 4th, 2007 02:49:09 PM
and this is the first we're hearing about it?
Chea by McClane_Corleone	Jun 4th, 2007 02:50:55 PM
Wrath of Khan is all about death and how people face it. Kirk refuses to face it until the very end when he's forced to by Spock dying. That's why it's the coolest Star Trek movie. Not just because it's the darkest and most adult, but because it completely developes the characters. Even through three seasons and the first movie the characters were still 2 dimensional archetypes up to this point. Kirk was the agressive and emotional ladies man/adventurer, Spock was the intelligent computer-like scientist and Bones was just a short-tempered doctor. But with Wrath of Khan they all developed into fully fleshed out characters and matured more in two hours than they had in the entire previous decade. Wrath of Khan is ill.
But still by darkgrafix	Jun 4th, 2007 02:54:06 PM
I remember seeing Poltergiest not knowing what to expect and then sitting through it with my friends just yelling "Oh fuck!! No Fucking Way, man! No way!!" And I remember it being echoed by other people through the theater. Same went with Raiders after being hit with heads exploding and melting. Good times!
The other kid is now... by Alonzo Mosely	Jun 4th, 2007 02:55:17 PM
The Sleepover Killer, a guy who kidnaps small boys, makes them pretend to be Merrick and then hacks them to death... Or an insurance salesman, one or the other...
I wouldn't care if Spielberg himself told me Tobe by CreasyBear	Jun 4th, 2007 02:59:05 PM
directed Poltergeist. I still wouldn't believe it. Spielberg's fingerprints all over every frame of that movie, while there isn't a shred of Hooper anywhere in it. They can just be honest and admit it.
Well done, Merrick by odysseus	Jun 4th, 2007 03:00:54 PM
Ah, the good ol' days -- when movies didn't need to be over-amped to grab and hold our attention.
I wish it was my first by PortnoysRevenge	Jun 4th, 2007 03:02:49 PM
I wish Wrath of Khan was the first movie I went to all by myself (or with a friend). THAT honor went to Any Which Way You Can, the stunning sequel to Any Which Way But Loose. But I do remember going to TWOK with my best friend, then going for hamburgers afterwards. Even back then, my friend new the scoop on the next movie. He's not really dead. Shocker! Then it was off to the arcade where the local venues were having the Great Token Wars of 1982. One place had 10 token for a dollar. Then the other upped theirs to 11. Finally all three places drove themselves out of business.
Poltergeist = real horror, not simply an orgy of gore by Mullah Omar	Jun 4th, 2007 03:03:12 PM
This was one of the only movies I've ever seen that really frightened me and got under my skin. It pushes all the right buttons required to freak out an audience from the American suburbs. Poltergeist is still one of the few that I'll mention whenever someone asks me to recommend a scary movie. Reviewing this virtually bloodless film might remind modern-day directors of what it really takes to make a horror film – namely, that they don’t need to throw buckets of blood at the camera to frighten their audience.
Lance, you're exactly right... by Uga	Jun 4th, 2007 03:14:35 PM
"Poltergeist" is as shiny as Ron Jeremy's cock. And of course Spielberg directed the vast majority of it; that's evident upon viewing.
Creasybear... by mysteryperfecta	Jun 4th, 2007 03:17:33 PM
I'm with you 100%. Every frame of that movie is dripping with Spielberg's essense. Time for the filmmakers to fess up.
Khan was such a great villain. by JonBlizzard	Jun 4th, 2007 03:18:05 PM
I'm feeling with ya man. The worlds going a place I don't like.
innocent days by Mr_X	Jun 4th, 2007 03:19:05 PM
in 82 i was in new zealand. damm i wanted to watch wrath of khan, my older brother was allowed to go, but i wasnt. the first movie i was allowed to see by myself was Annie! with albert finney! i really did want to see twok, my brother didnt really get into scifi in the way i did. then again, seeing star trek the motion picture bored me shitless in the movies. i clearly recall messing around in the cinema annoying my dad by pretending my seat was like the jetpack that spock used. good times
Shatner is so F*cking cool I wish he were my Daddy by picardsucks	Jun 4th, 2007 03:26:47 PM
Even those trailers make the spinnoff Treks look lame. And look at that model, No CGI has ever come close to the realism of Doug Trumbulls model effects from TMP. The music was so kick ass in Star Trek II that they used it again(more or less) in Aliens. JJ Abrams take note, watch Star trek II with you eyes pulled open ala Clockwork Orange. Emulate that and Trek can be saved from the lame stigma that the Berman era scorched into it.
KHAN - Finally! by sott68	Jun 4th, 2007 03:27:01 PM
This is the 1982 film write up that I was waiting for... great article. These articles have been awesome and really take me back. Starlog rules!
Kirk's son was gay by sott68	Jun 4th, 2007 03:28:17 PM
He died of Aids in the 90's. Poor guy. He got b-slapped by that Klingon in Search for Spock, so it wasnt that suprising.
Yet again, slow bloody news day by Jakes Nel	Jun 4th, 2007 03:31:02 PM
This was very nice, Merrick. But where's the NEWS? Going cold turkey here....
EnderSmitesFoes, that was completely uncool... by anchorite	Jun 4th, 2007 03:31:20 PM
It was mean-spirited, hateful, disgusting and potentially harmful to people at work who might go to that link thinking it would be funny. Not cool. And why would you disrespect Merrick like that? What the hell did he do to you?
Best Summer Movie... by Motoko Kusanagi	Jun 4th, 2007 03:35:55 PM
...You Haven't Seen Yet: T R A N S F O R M E R S !!!! Yay!
1982 - 2007 by kwisatzhaderach	Jun 4th, 2007 03:40:46 PM
We had Star Trek II and Poltergeist, kids today have Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Spider-Man 3. Sad really. What a drop in the quality of film-making.
POLTERGEIST- AKA: How I fucked up my neighbor for life by Playkins	Jun 4th, 2007 03:48:07 PM
I've told this before on here, but again for good measure. This little kid that lived next door to me when I was nine had this clown doll sitting on his toychest that looked almost EXACTLY like the doll in Poltergeist. So, being the evil little bitch I am, I played the part of the movie where the doll comes to life and attacks the kid. Flash-forward like ten years and our two families were having a reunion of sorts. I came to find out that Brett (the kid) became terrified of the clown doll. He used to hide it in his closet every night, and the next day his mom would find it and put it back out on the toychest, unbeknownst to Brett. He apparently became so convinced that this thing would attack him at any minute that he couldn't even sleep in his room, a fact that I was not aware of until the reunion. So, I can gladly say that myself and "Poltergeist" were indirectly responsible for scarring the fragile mind of a child.
Star Trek 2 was an anomaly. Even in the Trek pantheon. by anchorite	Jun 4th, 2007 03:50:32 PM
It was BY FAR the most sophisticated, most memorable film of the bunch. It's a classic of American cinema, whereas none of the others are.
achorite: by Playkins	Jun 4th, 2007 03:55:32 PM
I disagree. Almost every non-trek fan I talk to likes ST:IV the best. But, if you are just talking about best straight-up action ST film, I agree.
picardsucks, they tried that before... by anchorite	Jun 4th, 2007 03:57:25 PM
It was called Nemesis. Oscar winner for Gladiator John Logan was hired to write a screenplay that brought back elements of Khan. It failed miserably. Of course, even the writer and director of Khan, Nicholas Meyer couldn't manage to capture the magic for a second time when he made Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. So as I said before, Khan was an anomaly, even in the Trek pantheon.
re: kwisatzhaderach by jimmy rabbitte	Jun 4th, 2007 03:57:35 PM
I agree wholeheartedly. Note the post directly preceding yours. Some poor misguided soul is expecting Mikey Bay and his silly robot movie to somehow live up to the aformentioned classics. I've got two words for all those who are pinning their hopes on Mikey Bay: Pearl Harbor. You say, "The Transformers footage looks great". Well, so did the trailers for Pearl Harbor; but apart from the reenactment of the attack, that movie had nothing worth looking at. Mikey Bay just doesn't have it. The original cartoon was just a half hour commercial for the toys. Now, twenty years later, we're getting a feature length version of said commercial.
Is this one of the remembering summer '82 things? by TopHat	Jun 4th, 2007 03:59:22 PM
Moriarty has been introducing them, that's why I asked.
The death of Spock by Bruce T Shark	Jun 4th, 2007 04:01:35 PM
I'm not ashamed to admit it but to this day I've only ever cried twice in a cinema and Spocks death in Wrath of Khan was the first one. I was young enough at the time that no one important to me, no family member, no heroes had died and here was Spock passing in front of my eyes. It took another 25 years before it happened again, almost the entire second half of Rocky Balboa had me choked up. And for all you talkbackers out there still in you teens and early twenties, watch it again when you pushing 40 and see what it does to you.
Oh look everybody... by jimmy rabbitte	Jun 4th, 2007 04:02:03 PM
TopHat just woke up from his nap.
IV, VI, and First Contact are all good by QuinnTheEskimo	Jun 4th, 2007 04:05:00 PM
but achorite is right, not a single one is as mature as II. That film is a goddamn classic, and Spock's death scene hits me harder than any other death scene every single time I watch it, no matter how many times I've seen it before, and always knowing that he isn't dead. That scene is shattering.
Thanks, Merrick! by Rogue Planet	Jun 4th, 2007 04:08:40 PM
That brought back memories. It's funny how dated the trailers look by today's standards...except for the Poltergeist one, which is actually really pretty good - fantastic by 1982 standards. It got me to thinking how at the time, if you didn't know these movies were coming, these trailers would have made us uber-geeks of the day squeak, "NO WAY!!!", and count the days until they come out. Today, you can download the Taiwanese release within hours and be watching the film three days before it hits American theaters. I miss the days of old, when it could take a year before the VHS release came out, so if you wanted to see the film, you had to find a little low-rent theater that might, just might, still be showing it. It makes me sad, sometimes, to think about how the cool things of our youth are gone, but it makes me smile to know that there are still cool things going on around us. Maybe the movie theaters I saw these great films at are gone (the Vancouver Mall Theater 6," "Hazel Dell Cinema 4," "Cascade Park Cinema 6", and the big, local drive-in. The drive-in is still a big, empty lot, too. The old screen fell down a few years ago, but it stood two full decades after it closed. Oh, well, there are theaters now where I can eat pizza and drink beer and watch movies, or I can download 'em and watch 'em at home. Weird. Things change, but somehow they feel the same. I still look forward to new films, even if they aren't about very old friends who fly around in spaceships.
The ol' Hooper debate.. by skimn	Jun 4th, 2007 04:09:36 PM
..I know that nothing that came before or after Poltergeist that Hooper directed (look what he did with the biggest budget of his career, Lifeforce), looked or felt like it, but how could Spielberg direct most of that AND have ET come out within a month of release. Their production schedules would've been almost identical.
I wonder what's on ACCORDING TO JIM?? by Uncle Stan	Jun 4th, 2007 04:13:05 PM
Cry me a river.
Stewie Griffin loves TWOK by jimmy rabbitte	Jun 4th, 2007 04:13:13 PM
http://tinyurl.com/2jpr5k
why dont we all call a spade a spade here by emeraldboy	Jun 4th, 2007 04:13:48 PM
and say that this site should be shut down and comprehensive res-design. or shut it down and forget about it. This nostalgia is great and all but its not news. Spielberg through out his career did this "i ll take the credit" trick for much of the 1980's and 1990s. he doesnt have to do it now. That is the reason why he doesnt do commentary on the DVD's. because if he did, he would have to acknowledge other peoples ideas and he wont do it. There a list as long as your arm of people who will say nice things about the berg. but its strange that you never hear from those who wont say that he's a complete bastard. There has never been a book a about Dreamworks and what happened behind the scenes there.
Khan quotes by BillyPilgrim	Jun 4th, 2007 04:20:36 PM
Kirks shouting, "Khaaaann!!!" is the most used quote of the movie. But I think Khan stole the show for the most memorable quotes of the flick. My favorite Khan quote is taken from Melville's Moby Dick, "From Hells heart, I stab at thee. For hates sake, I spit my last breath at thee." With Montalbans delivery it was priceless. The next best is Khan saying, "Revenge is a dish best served cold. It is very cold...in space."
anchorite are you drinking already?? by picardsucks	Jun 4th, 2007 04:31:06 PM
Star Trek IV, VI and the Robert Wise TMP edition were also terrifc films. Hell even Star Trek III was an entertaining day at the cinema. Nemesis sucked because it was The Next Generation. Everything but First Contact and Much of DS9 in the Trek Spinoff universe is lame pretenscous, Socialist hippie crap. JJ Abrams is responsible for a little show called LOST. I think we are in good hands
1982 by WickedMonster	Jun 4th, 2007 04:36:35 PM
I was just 2 years old. And I lived in Africa...I didn't know what Star Trek is until 10 years later...let alone William "The Shat Hits the Fan" Shatner or Spock.
farting is bliss? by indiephantom	Jun 4th, 2007 04:38:32 PM
Sounds like Harry wrote this.
What happened to the Trek franchise? by rbatty024	Jun 4th, 2007 04:49:54 PM
It hasn't been any good since First Contact and DS9. My theory is that there aren't any interesting characters since DS9.
No, I haven't been drinking. Nevertheless... by anchorite	Jun 4th, 2007 04:56:32 PM
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is miles above all the other Trek films, maybe even combined, in terms of filmmaking prowess, timelessness and just plain ol' rewatchability. It is the ONLY Star Trek movie that can be considered a truly great film. The filmmakers even admit a lapse in judgment when making Star Trek: The Motion Picture. They went for a 2001: A Space Odyssey vibe within the Star Trek universe, and it just didn't strike the right chord with a lot of folks. Wrath of Khan did Star Trek the best it had ever been done, better than it has ever been since. It's a masterwork of filmmaking, plain and simple. Some of the other movies have some great moments, no doubt, but they just don't hold a candle to Wrath of Khan. Oops. I'm sorry... Wrath of Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnn nnnnnn!!!
Appreciated the Dad reminiscences by spud mcspud	Jun 4th, 2007 04:56:46 PM
My own father, who was a dead ringer for Spock when he was alive, died in September 1993. When he was in the chapel of rest, I got to see him for the last time before the funeral. I had no idea what he'd be dressed in... It was a white robe with a light blue hem. I swear to God, EXACTLY like the one in TWOK, where they're about to jettison Spock's casket into space. My Dad was the real reason I fell in love with the movies. It was fitting he looked like a movie star when I saw him for the last time... even as a Vulcan. He never looked more like Nimoy than at that moment. I could've sworn he was smiling, too.
I saw TWOK at a screening in NYC two years ago by Yack Backer	Jun 4th, 2007 05:01:25 PM
And lemme tell ya, it stands as one of the best movie theater experiences I've had the pleasure of having-- mind you everybody knew the lines, they knew the story and it was still fresh and emotionally resonant 20-plus years later. There is no greater Star Trek film, and few greater genre films whatsoever. It was this movie that prompted me to (at age 8) go back and pay attention to TOS episodes. I've probably seen TWOK more than any other film. It is pure bliss.
By the way, I worked at Paramount during Nemesis... by anchorite	Jun 4th, 2007 05:03:45 PM
it was reviled by all involved. Just a terrible disappointment for the cast and crew. Voyager, interestingly enough, was an enjoyable experience for cast and crew. I hated Mulgrew with a passion. Her voice was enough to give me seizures, a la the Mary Hart incident. But no cast member was as reviled as was Bakula on Enterprise. The crew put a big banner on his trailer that read PRINCESS because he had demanded that his trailer be twice the size of anyone else's. I'll never forget Scott's reaction to that. What an ass. I'm sure that's how people felt toward Shatner back in the day. Maybe Bakula was just method acting, hoping to BE the diva-predecessor to Kirk.
Nothing's scarier than Poltergeist by bamboogrove	Jun 4th, 2007 05:05:39 PM
To this day, it scares the shit out of me. I regret watching it as a kid, it ruined me for life.
The Wrath of Khan... by loafroaster	Jun 4th, 2007 05:14:09 PM
...is the only thing Star Trek-related I can watch. Fecking amazing film, but the rest of the franchise sucks donkey balls.
I wanna know 2 things... by HitchCock'n'Balz	Jun 4th, 2007 05:24:36 PM
1. Why haven't we read about your haunted house experience before now? I would love to read your tales, and see if they match any of my own... 2. How is Elvis, and have you seen him lately?
NERDALERT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! by ludmir88	Jun 4th, 2007 05:31:18 PM
where are the real cool news? i'm out!!!!!!!!!!
I liked both. by TomBodet	Jun 4th, 2007 05:39:52 PM
Odd, I saw Trek III before Khan, so you can prob. understand my being somewhat lost in some of the precedings. Khan's the best of the run, seems to me. Gotta like Montalbon's Corinthian Leather inflatable pectorals there. Anyways. Tobe Hooper, we hardly knows ya.
Star Trek HD DVD by deadhonkey	Jun 4th, 2007 05:42:34 PM
Does anyone have an idea when this is coming out? http://www.amazon.com/gp/produ ct/B000E1MTVS/103-6413305-6050 248
trek VI by George Peppard	Jun 4th, 2007 05:44:37 PM
Has the worst ending of all of them. They prevent an assasination at some banquet hall where my friend's bar mitzvah was and then Kirk says "I've learned something. Some Klingons are A O-kay." Then they get recalled because they are old and Paramount wants the new TV show turned into a TV show you have to pay for. Then the actors sign their names?! Fuck that!
"My computer would gradually slow down..." by ar42	Jun 4th, 2007 05:45:14 PM
"My computer would gradually slow down (then stop working completely) when I searched for terms like “paranormal”, “ghosts”, “hauntings”…and especially “ghost hunters”." I'm guessing anyone who would search for such things had probably previously made searches for "free african gold," "porno screensaver," and possibly "moon landing hoax," any of which is far more likely to be the result of your computer gradually slowing down and dying than poltergeists. I mean... really... spirits from the realm of the dead have nothing better to do than mess with the clock cycles of your CPU? ....Wrath of Khan was awesome, though, I'll give you that.
How about a friggin spoiler alert! by Tal111	Jun 4th, 2007 05:46:12 PM
I didn't know Spock died!!!!
Wow...I'm about to cry by allyousay	Jun 4th, 2007 05:46:43 PM
Since when did AICN become the Indian overlooking the trashed park with a tear in his eye?
As a kid... by GOB Adama	Jun 4th, 2007 05:54:02 PM
...I saw "The Wrath of Khan" w/o having seen (or even heard of) the episode "Space Seed". I made my uncle laugh when I wished aloud that more backstory as to why Khan hated Kirk would be cool. Going back and watching "Space Seed" is kind of funny, as there is a certain almost optimistic vibe to the stranding of Khan and his people. A second chance for these super-humans, maybe. HA! The quote feom Milton was, perhaps, the jinx. I seem to remember an episode of "Enterprise" (one of several messing about in time eps) where a devistated humanity was forced to relocate and ended up on Ceti Alpha V and I blurted out (in a russian accent no better then Koenig's) "On Ceti Alpha V there was life! A chance for survival!" to which my younger brother responded, "THIS IS CETI ALPHA V!" Our roomates looked at us like were were insane.
Ah, 1982: Back when movies used to be under 2 hrs. by Nosferatu Jones	Jun 4th, 2007 06:05:12 PM
I don't know when summer movies (or movies in general) made it mandatory to be 2 hrs. and some-odd min. long, but I long for the days of the lean & mean STAR TREK II, which told a good, solid story at about 1 hr. and 50 min. When's the last time you saw THAT in a theater? It seems like every other event film is more of an endurance test (LORD OF THE RINGS, anyone?) than actual entertainment. And I'm pretty sure POLTERGEIST was 110 min., too. Nowadays, you get 2 HOURS AND 40 FUCKIN' MINUTES OF SENSORY OVERLOAD. Then the obligatory DVD release of BIG SUMMER MOVIE 2.0 NOW WITH EXTENDED SCENES. Summer movies used to fun. Now they're just exhausting.
Relate by tensticks	Jun 4th, 2007 06:11:11 PM
That's a truly nice piece of writing, friend, and one I can relate to. Kudos and best wishes to you.
"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one" by Zardoz	Jun 4th, 2007 06:12:31 PM
Ah, the philosophy of Star Trek. Yes, TWOK is the best of the Star Trek films. So many cool moments: the animation for the Genesis device de-briefing (which still holds up today) the cat-and-mouse game between Kirk and Khan, the witty banter, the great characters, Ceti Alpha 6's "brain-slugs", Lt. Saavik (back when Kirstie Alley was thin and hot) and of course, the many iconic "geek moments". (Just yell "Khaaaaan!" out loud sometime and see just how many people smile in understanding) I saw TWOK (and Poltergeist) with my mom in the theater, and I swear, even she had tears in her eyes when Spock died .That film taught me a lot as a kid about the nature of being a hero and making a sacrifice for the people you love. And what can I say about Poltergeist? (Besides that it scared the holy crap out of me?) After seeing that film I couldn't look at a steak the same way again. And I still shudder whenever I see a clown doll. ("I hate you, I hate, I hate you!") And if I was JoBeth Williams' character, I probably would've gone catatonic after taking a swim in the pool with the cast from Night of the Living Dead. Anyone see the making of the film? That scene when she flips around the ceiling and walls? It's an amazing shot and even seeing how they did it doesn't detract from it. (Kubrick did the same thing for a shot in 2001) Wow. 1982 was a helluva year for geeks, and I really like all of these looks back at how important it was, not only for myself, but for so many others out there, as well. Happy anniversary, everyone! (see you in another 25 years!)
His was the most Human... by ComputerGuy68	Jun 4th, 2007 06:12:47 PM
God I love that film, and I fully understood the pain Kirk felt as I had lost my mom to cancer in 1978, I was ten. Star Wars, Superman, ESB, and Khan were very close friends to me during those years. anchorite, what was Scott's reaction? My biggest beef with Trek II to IX is that they all looked like TV movies. Yes TMP may be as exciting as watching paint dry at times, no no other film has captured the magic and majesty of it (looks, scope, not the story!). It may have to do with Robert Wise, but probably more of Paramount being cheap bastards. Clowns are evil...
Hey Merrick! by Gus Van Rant	Jun 4th, 2007 06:19:28 PM
In 1982 I was 2 years old...you must feel like an old fuck now, eh? I was going to goof on you some more but because you brought up your Dad, I will spare you this time you cock knocker. Good read.
And that POLTERGEIST trailer STILL kicks ass. by Nosferatu Jones	Jun 4th, 2007 06:28:13 PM
Goosebumps galore. I remember watching that film endlessly on cable with my sister, then going to bed with ALL of the lights on in the house, since our Mom worked nights. I think I even slept with my pants and socks on. Certainly one of the Top 5 Defining Horror Films for my (thirtysomething) generation, along with JAWS, Carpenter's THE THING, ALIEN and AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON.
Trek X really tried to be the next Khan, but... by ComputerGuy68	Jun 4th, 2007 06:28:40 PM
in the end it was Berman doing a cut and paste from the best elements of all things Trek and still "like but like a poor marksman, you keep missing the target!"
Dork Celibacy: God's Plan by YokoTits	Jun 4th, 2007 06:31:24 PM
I'm glad your father's death helped you understand "Star Trek." Sorry, but it's hard to take Mr. Haunted House very seriously. You actually fled with your son from...creaky floors? Twenty-five years from now, I'll eagerly read Merrick Jr.'s "My Father the Dork."
Cool trailer but a question.. by Cotton McKnight	Jun 4th, 2007 06:38:56 PM
It's just Orson Welles saying everyone's name, right? So you guys would literally walk around saying "William Shatner as James T. Kirk" etc etc for years? I didn't hear any catchphrases or anything so i'm wondering what you were reciting.
Rare archival footage of Merrick and his buddy... by jimmy rabbitte	Jun 4th, 2007 06:42:09 PM
...waiting for Poltergeist tickets. http://tinyurl.com/2qp8fm
Those Star Trek trailers are truly, truly AWFUL. by CopOnTheEdge	Jun 4th, 2007 06:47:50 PM
The first one's worse, but both suck hard. It's amazing how when you look at trailers even from the early 90s they look dated and rough. Anything from the 80s and earlier just look retarded.
Ender Smites Foe = One Fugly Troll by mr dark	Jun 4th, 2007 06:52:37 PM
Hey Ender Smites Foe I guess that must be your idea of heaven... Sorry for that inexcusable bastard Merrick ...But if you bear your soul some ugly fuck will try to crush it...
Khan reminds me of the "Elfquest" dude... by Anna Valerious	Jun 4th, 2007 07:01:49 PM
True indeed. Anyway, I've always felt a little sad for Heather O'Rourke dying young of chron's disease. I dunno, she could've either ended up OD like Brigitte Anderssen or probably made it through like Drew Barrymore, who, incidentally, auditioned for the role of Carol Anne.
Star Trek II - Where's the Beef? by Rogue Planet	Jun 4th, 2007 07:06:46 PM
A good buddy of mine is serving in Iraq right now...his second tour. Back a few years ago, he was serving at Fort Lewis in Washington State (my home), and they were having a showing of Star Trek II at the Science Fiction Experience museum in Seattle. Unfortunately, it was the extended version from the DVD, but it was still "Khan." Ironically, it was being shown on a theater-sized screen...and on his birthday. So, when I broached the subject of going to the film, I said, "Wrath of Khan, on the big screen, on your birthday...how cool is that?" ...to which he replied... "Pretty fu**ing cool!" We went, and we screamed "KHAAAAAAAAAN" at the top of our lungs, at the same time as about 120 other uber-geeks. It was like being back in the theater in 1982. Oh, cute side moment: my wife, who is not a fangirl, told me once her favorite moment in a movie was Star Trek VI, when the Enterprise and Excelsior blow up the bird-of-prey. Not because of the moment, or the effects, or the dialog, but because the entire...frickin...theater rose up as one and cheered. No lie. I was there. We were all whoopin' and hollerin'. Not because of the moment, or the effects, or the dialog...but because we were all fans. It was a lot of fun. I miss days like that, when a movie can move you and thrill you and make you remember a moment that WASN'T on the celluloid, years and years later. I think that's what's missing in movies today: it's all just big effects or gore or CGI, there are no moments any more. Movies have become like porn - we've become desensitized to the effects, and there's no heart any more. Where are the young Jedi fighting against dark forces? Where are the aging space captains battling against unstoppable foes? Where's the joy? Dare I say it, where's the beef?
Hey bacci... ready to feel even older? by jimmy rabbitte	Jun 4th, 2007 07:20:36 PM
It wasn't the 30th annivesary of Sgt. Pepper... it was the 40th. Sorry, man.
Merrick, you've done it again. by cutest_of_borg	Jun 4th, 2007 07:21:21 PM
I was there opening day as well. Has it really been 25 years? Damn. Cried when Spock died. ROGUE PLANET is correct: movies don't have "moments" anymore. There is nothing to cheer for anymore.
WTF??? by Rebeck3	Jun 4th, 2007 07:25:08 PM
Is this a fucking autobiography? An episode of 'The Wonder Years'? The first chapter of the rest of your life? Jesus. When did the columnists here become so precious and self-indulgent? "I'm feeling older now..." Oh shut the fuck up.
Whenever someone mentions 1982... by Wnanahara7	Jun 4th, 2007 07:31:27 PM
...I think of Randy Rhoads. They should make a film about him.
Yoko Tits: by colematthews	Jun 4th, 2007 07:37:12 PM
Fucking genius.
Rebeck3 by jimmy rabbitte	Jun 4th, 2007 07:39:08 PM
This whole thread is about two films that are 25 years old. These are the stories of what shaped the guys who run this site into the film fans they are today. I can understand if you lack the frame of reference and therefore cannot appreciate reading about the days when these films were new. It's no problem, just go slum around in the TB's for "Transformers" or "Speed Racer." I doubt you'll find anyone giving even half a crap about either of those two movies in 25 years.
Let's hear more about Merrick's Haunted House! by theBigE	Jun 4th, 2007 07:46:25 PM
Now that's some cool news! Tell us more about that house, Merrick! I was 11 in '82, and still my parents wouldn't take me to the theatre to see Poltergiest, but my 13 year old brother saw it twice and told me all the details. That was back was PG still had some balls - now you'd have parents complaining about how the movie was "too scary!" I did make it to see Khan that summer, and I was just thrilled after the first movie that this one didn't have bald chicks and the plot made sense!
I Didn't Finish Reading This by Mr_Deadite	Jun 4th, 2007 07:48:23 PM
Merrick, you're a fucking queer.
LOL, allyousay by Rebeck3	Jun 4th, 2007 07:48:36 PM
That Indian crying comment had me laughing out loud. Look, I don't mean to be a cynic but we all have our Great Movie Memories - I'm sure I could write a 1000 word piece on seeing "Jaws" the first time, or "The Spy Who Loved Me" at a sneak preview, or "Monty Python And The Holy Grail" all alone in a theatre, on and on. We all have those moments that made us the, ahem, geeks we are today. I never gave much of a shit about Star Trek (or WARS for that matter), but I do remember how cool it was to see "E.T." and "Poltergeist" only week apart. (The former was also a sneak preview a month before it opened officially) Spielberg was just a movie god, no less. I remember after seeing "Poltergeist" thinking why would Spielberg not direct this cool scary film and instead direct some drippy gentle fable about an alien. Then I saw "E.T." and oh yeah, I had my answer. It blew me the fuck away.
Rebeck3 by Uga	Jun 4th, 2007 07:49:24 PM
I'm with you.
Jimmy by Rebeck3	Jun 4th, 2007 07:51:04 PM
I hear you - and you clearly have mistaken me for someone much younger, LOL. As you can tell from the above post. Do I write young or just stupid? Anyway, I didn't mean to be so harsh.
Okay. Time for Vern to do 'Sword and the Sorceror'. by TomBodet	Jun 4th, 2007 08:01:26 PM
C'mon you KNOW he's the one to do it--he's the one guy here you'd Wanna hear talk about it-and look, you have Robert Tessier and Matt Houston the same flick; can't be all bad, you know??
KIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRKKK!! by landocolt45	Jun 4th, 2007 08:06:18 PM
WoK was the best Trek ever. And they had better not remake poltergeist.......it will probably be pg-13 when it needs to be R.
re: Rebeck3 by jimmy rabbitte	Jun 4th, 2007 08:07:00 PM
No problem... the "Wonder Years" comment made it sound like you were a young kid knocking the old dogs.
That Star Trek Trailer Reminds Me... by Rebeck3	Jun 4th, 2007 08:13:51 PM
Of how we were all so impressed by cheesy light shows in those days. Anybody here old enough to remember those laser shows they would have late night at Laseriums (museum domed theatres projecting stars on the ceiling) and they would play rock music (lots and LOTS of Pink Floyd, natch) and the teenage crowd well-fortified by much herbal wonder would just like totally like get caught up in these dancing laser beams. Wow, man. How do they do that, man? This was state-of-the-art for us. Technology at its greatest. Just one step above those cheap stereo speakers with the badly-timed lights. That's all it took to amaze us. Jesus, were we a pathetic generation or what? But, hey, SENSSURROUND...
drowning in nostalgia by AllieJamison	Jun 4th, 2007 08:22:20 PM
That was pretty good. I'd like it if aicn came up with more editorial-like stuff. This was a well done article. Written in a diary-stream of consciousness style which seems to be typical for aicn. and yet it was all meaningful and sincere. The next time something as not necessarily news related as this will be posted,though, I'd want it to be less about the past. Less of nostalgia. Would be healthy.
The Ender Smites Foes? by Kirbymanly	Jun 4th, 2007 08:26:04 PM
You are one evil fuck.
DATELINE AICN 2031: REMINISCING ON THE HOSTEL 2 OPENER by Pound Sand	Jun 4th, 2007 08:28:58 PM
Man, that Eli Roth was something else. I mean, everybody saw Hostel, but Hostel 2 really came outta left field. I drove by the theater (it's been replaced by an Apple Store) and I can still see the place where I smoked my first cigarette and contributed to global warming. But that was before 4 time Global Comptroller Al Gore created Internet 2, which became sentient, and, well, I don't have to tell you the rest of that story. Good times ! Well, time to go back underground, I think I hear a BattleTank coming our way. ENDOFLINE
Wnanahara7 Re: Randy Rhoads by Playkins	Jun 4th, 2007 08:30:43 PM
ABSOLUTELY AGREED!!!!! The Randy/Ozzy friendship would make a great basis for a movie. How one messed up rocker realizes how much MORE messed up his friend is, tries to help him, ends up helping himself. Good stuff, get misty thinking about it.
the aquarius... by austin1	Jun 4th, 2007 08:54:02 PM
I was a teen in Austin in the 70's.Seemed to recall that the aquarius started out as a 3 screen theatre..and was located off Riverside...no matter...just the novelty of a multiplex, and being dropped off early to bounce from movie to movie. Back then the ushers never checked. Good times. A shame that all of the theatres in Austin where we watched Star Wars, Jaws, Close Encounters and so many more are loooong gone.
Forgot ET came out that year... by ComputerGuy68	Jun 4th, 2007 09:08:11 PM
the one and only time I have watched that film. The book was good but I don't think I could ever sit through that sappy film again.
NICE ONE MERRICK by ObiWanCon	Jun 4th, 2007 09:22:20 PM
That was great Merrick so good I just watched The Wrath of Khan and it still FUCKING RULES.
Show Merrick some respect. by demon75	Jun 4th, 2007 09:37:53 PM
You little bitches that weren't even alive in 1982 need to shut your traps and listen to Merrick. I too was there for the Star Trek II opening and it was fucking orgasmic. Being introduced to Kirk and Khan at seven years old was mind blowing! It was scary shit and to this day I still don't trust Chekov.
I'll take the leisurely, "dated" trailers of the 80's.. by Osmosis Jones	Jun 4th, 2007 09:56:13 PM
...over those hideous strobing "BOOM BOOM BOOM" and Apocalyptic Choir Of Doom[tm] trailers we get for every action movie and thriller today.
I am going to ask again nicely... by Alonzo Mosely	Jun 4th, 2007 10:09:25 PM
Whoever does 'The Thing' better produce some very special prose, or I am going to get very mad...
The Merricks: The Lutz Family of AICN? by Nosferatu Jones	Jun 4th, 2007 10:12:19 PM
Sorry, Merrick... you had me at STAR TREK II, but lost me at POLTERGEIST and your haunted story of your own. I don't believe ANY stories like that for a New York minute, and I'm sure that if those things did indeed happen the way you say, then there must have been some sort of logical reason for why. You just didn't stick around long enough to find out. Unless you're just pulling ouyr chain.
one of the best articles I've read here by Blckaddr	Jun 4th, 2007 10:16:34 PM
Thanks Merrick!
Oh yeah, those TREK trailers are SOOOOO awful... by Nosferatu Jones	Jun 4th, 2007 10:17:17 PM
For one, they don't explain what happens in the beginning, middle and end of TREK I and II. Who's this Khan guy? And don't they show Spock dying? And surely they should have shown that V'GER was actually Voyager 6! Second, where's the blaring pop tunes over the soundtrack? This was 1982, people! Couldn't they have shoehorned in some Men at Work over the TREK II trailer? And finally, those trailers are so SLOOOOOOW. I swear they lingered on certain scenes for more than 2 seconds. Talk about inept! These trailers are truly shit! No, waitaminute. I meant TODAY'S trailers are shit. The end.
Nice write and and a good by ErrorDante	Jun 4th, 2007 10:24:28 PM
Nice write and and a good read Merrick. I was merely born that year, but alot of things come back, 80s era things, upon reading it. Good job indeed.
Oh My God by Mr_Deadite	Jun 4th, 2007 10:27:46 PM
So he wrote that long ass post all about Spock dying? I reiterate, Merrick, you're a fucking queer.
Last Time I Checked..... by The Ender Smites Foes	Jun 4th, 2007 10:38:32 PM
This was aintitcool not aintitcunt. You people knotting twat knots over a little geriatric man love, have no sense of humour. Merrick I wager sees that I am joking. The thing you guys do with the melting ice cream anal plugs.....not so funny. Bringingsexyback....ahahaha... ,good shite eh?
TREK II Three-Word-Tagline: "Feel the wrath." by Nosferatu Jones	Jun 4th, 2007 10:45:48 PM
If it were made today. There is NO ORIGINALITY in modern day trailers.
ET was a book? by Cotton McKnight	Jun 4th, 2007 10:45:55 PM
I didn't know that.
STAR TREK: TMP Three-Word-Tagline: by Nosferatu Jones	Jun 4th, 2007 10:46:27 PM
"Trek the stars."
POLTERGEIST Three-Word-Tagline: by Nosferatu Jones	Jun 4th, 2007 10:47:50 PM
"Ghosts will haunt."
star trek flicks and farting by DrDetroit	Jun 4th, 2007 11:21:02 PM
I want the 3 minutes of my life spent reading that glurge back. My old man would be haunting me with a vengeance if I was out there comparing his death with fucking spock.
Absolutely beautiful. Well done, Merrick! by robogeek.com	Jun 4th, 2007 11:43:08 PM
http://khaaan.com/
Great post, Merrick. Great TB, too. by Sir Loin	Jun 5th, 2007 12:23:16 AM
...with both films, they were quite gripping for us young lads back then. I haven't seen those trailers for decades, either, so thanks for that as well. This is also a terrific talkback, much more fun to read than those about a certain horror movie coming out this weekend, eesh.
Long live Atari by aboriginal	Jun 5th, 2007 12:47:29 AM
I still remember seeing TWOK for the first time in a theater in San Francisco that, all though the buidling is still there the theater isn't, and getting that rush and feel of losing an old friend. You come to accept it as still an innocent and loving movies only to see Hollywood lose its balls and give him back - not that I complained at the time. Shite, 25 years . . .
Merrick, this is not a dig... by Captain Mal	Jun 5th, 2007 01:10:26 AM
it's a genuine question: how the HELL did you memorize a trailer in 1982, before the internet made them available to watch over and over again? IIRC, they didn't start putting trailers for upcoming movies at the beginning of videotapes until the late 80's. I'm curious as hell. Thanks for the article, btw.
Hrmm.... by Flim_	Jun 5th, 2007 01:31:18 AM
So why hasn't that unlikeable dude 'The Ender...' been banned yet? I'm pretty sure he should be. Not that I want to draw attention to him or anything. It's just odd, that's all. Oh, and it was a hell of a thing when Spock died.
Ender you are a by BilboFatwa	Jun 5th, 2007 04:23:29 AM
motherfucking piece of shit douchebag. You don't EVER do something like that when someone is remembering their deceased father (or mother). Go to hell.
What was Poltergeist's rating in the states? by Boba Fat	Jun 5th, 2007 04:35:57 AM
it was an 18 in the UK. And Ender? I really hope you just skipped to the bottom of the piece and then tried to post something smart because if you read the whole thing and think what you did is funny or that Merrick would find it funny then there really is no hope for you.
Poltergiest was only PG here! by theBigE	Jun 5th, 2007 05:25:09 AM
We didn't have PG-13 yet - that was still a few years off. So any little kid could go into the theater and watch it, no problem. Still, my parents wouldn't let me, an 11 year old, see it. Just over 2 years later they did take me to "Beverly Hills Cop," so they weren't all that strict. Lot of difference between 11 and 13, though.
thebige by Boba Fat	Jun 5th, 2007 05:37:31 AM
IMDB has it as a UK 15, so maybe I missed being able to go see by two years, I was 13. Still seems harsh compared to you lucky yanks!
Nice story by Kristian66	Jun 5th, 2007 05:52:14 AM
Sorry about your Father. The haunting story was a tad dramatic though. There are no such thing as ghosts. Unluckily.
Poltergeist as an Indictment of Capitalism . . . by kevinwillis.net	Jun 5th, 2007 07:30:28 AM
Don't be a douchebag. It's an Indictment of building subdivisions on burial grounds. And it's a stupid one, because the whole idea that the developer would be in charge of moving a whole frickin' cemetery without any kind of oversite either from the original owner of the land (usually a church or memorial home), or local government (didn't Poltergeist take place in California? Come on? Ghosts sucking a house into a pinpoint ethereal black hole is more believable than a company getting carte blanche to do whatever they wanted with land in California) . . . plus, even in the eighties, construction costs were such that moving the caskets would have been a minor and necessary expense. You have to get sewer and plumbing to houses. You usually have to do some grading of the land. Etcetera. It's a fun movie, but it's silly to see it as a stinging indictment of capitalism. Heck, they moved the headstones. I thought "capitalists" would just have raped all the children then sold their body parts for a dollar, damn capitalists. All hail Marx and Lenin. And don't forget Stalin. What a sweety those collectivists are. With Stalin, it wouldn't have been: "You just moved the headstones!" it would have been: "You just chopped off their heads, and left the bodies!" "Yes, comrade, as a warning to others who oppose my vision of a socialist utopia." Sheesh.
The needs of the many by Abominable Snowcone	Jun 5th, 2007 07:34:17 AM
Outweigh the needs of the few. Or the one. Give me a tissue, Jim
Nosferatujones by Abominable Snowcone	Jun 5th, 2007 07:35:55 AM
Tagline for Star Trek IV: We've got whales.
And Why Would Building a Subdivision . . . by kevinwillis.net	Jun 5th, 2007 07:36:52 AM
on top of a cemetery long after most of them died and presumably moved on prevent them from finding the light and going on? I can see why the building of homes, thus employing construction workers and providing houses for hard working American's to live in (damn capitalists) would attract The Beast, and a midget woman. That just makes sense. But if I was a capitalist Devil flipping Jobeth Williams around the room, I would have gotten that football jersey all the way off. That's all I'm saying.
Merrick, Was Your House . . . by kevinwillis.net	Jun 5th, 2007 07:39:19 AM
Built on an old cemetery or Indian burial mound? Or were you doing drugs, drinking a lot, or dropping acid? All those things can lead to poltergeist manifestations.
Damn...it's been a quarter of a century... by Lou Stools	Jun 5th, 2007 08:04:17 AM
...and Wrath of Khan still fucking rocks and has yet to be bested by another ST feature...doubtful it will happen.
I didnt know his dad died by The Ender Smites Foes	Jun 5th, 2007 08:27:50 AM
I read the last sentence of the article and ran with it. Sorry Merrick, my condolences.
star trek : the undiscovered country by Mr_X	Jun 5th, 2007 08:31:45 AM
was the best trek film, and im not even a fan of TOS. brilliant in everway a perfect ending for the tos crew
death and life indeed by AllieJamison	Jun 5th, 2007 08:32:12 AM
Aahh...fuck my comment on nostalgia. This article is more than that. It's true.
damaged by skinnyblackcladdink	Jun 5th, 2007 08:34:17 AM
this was my defining moment. ok, well, one of: http://www.trekkieguy.com/star trekkin.shtml
Great post, Merrick. I was by Devilborn	Jun 5th, 2007 08:35:18 AM
Great post, Merrick. I was there on opening day for both movies as well and I think you summed it up perfectly.
bacci40 - the 40th annivesary for 2001 is in 2041.? by workshed	Jun 5th, 2007 08:49:49 AM
Isn't it..? Oh, and BTW Merrick, your dad is either being crumbled into a big fat reefer by a rather large afro-caribbean or, should you have chosen the slow-decomposition route, providing necessary food for the ever expanding species of Earthworm. So you see, he is still making a vital contribution - just not in the way that a religious nutter would have you believe by being a fucking Poltergeist (stupid fucking movie too). As for 'Star Trek: The Wrath Of Kahn' - i've never sat through a more uninspired load of twaddle. I have always been a massive fan of the original series but WOW THE MOVIES WERE SOOOO BAD. 'Star Trek: The Movie' was the first time i ever took a girl out on a date to the flicks (i was twelve). When the usher woke me at the end to tell me my date had 'gone home' i never forgave Robert Wise and refused to watch any of his films for any years. Of course, i now love Wise's work but wonder how the heck he got roped into such shite as the Star Trek movie franchise (which incidentally only got green-lit following the success of Star Wars).
Cotton McKnight, yup there is a book... by ComputerGuy68	Jun 5th, 2007 08:59:33 AM
If I remember correctly it was a novelization of the film, but it is so much better than the movie because it is mostly from E.T.'s perspective. The highlights I remember (25 years ago!) was that he was in love with the mother, got drunk on beer and tried to display his love to her - lots of screaming involved! Hell it was M&M's he loved in the book too. Something funny about the dog too Amazon has it: http://tinyurl.com/2vgak3
Tobe Hooper directed Poltergeist by BobParr	Jun 5th, 2007 09:36:32 AM
Spielberg of 82 was a complete pussy. No way he would have directed a movie with a guy pulling off his own face, coffins breaking through the ground, big ghost womb, etc. He didn't grow a sack until Schindler's List.
1971 Rebuttal... by idahomer	Jun 5th, 2007 09:58:04 AM
Best movie year ever was 1971. Sci-fi: THX 1138 Horror: Willard.
Ender Smites Foes by Coughlins Laws	Jun 5th, 2007 11:07:06 AM
That was a dick thing to do. I have kids that use this computer. Now i've gotta erase all the cookies or any trace of that on the computer. Unfortunately there's no program to erase the image you just seared into my head. Damn You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Again - Merrick's the Best Writer at AICN by Read and Shut Up	Jun 5th, 2007 11:21:59 AM
What a friggin' GREAT read. Merrick - whatever they're paying you, it ain't enough.
Merrick should call Ghost Hunters... by Kid Z	Jun 5th, 2007 11:38:21 AM
... Because when you're experiencing nightmarish, supernatural terror on a regular basis, you want a bunch of plumbers roaming through your house, frightening the kids with useless electrical doodads, standing under AC vents and claiming that "a presence" is "sucking all the heat from the room", and conveniently forgetting to turn on video cameras that would've "gotten us hard evidence of the haunting... awwww... too damn bad!."
Merrick, you are a fucking retard. by NapoleonDynamite	Jun 5th, 2007 12:06:28 PM
There is no such thing as the fucking "paranormal." No ghosts, no poltergeists, nothing. There is also nothing to "research" on the internet about it because there is no scientific evidence for any of it. If you're computer broke down while you were looking at crackpot "paranormal" sites, then you just had a shitty computer and an overactive imagination. You probably smoke too much pot. Hewre's a bit of unsolicited advice, you might want to keep those kinds of nutty beliefs to yourself. You make yourself look stupid when you talk like you think gosts actually exist. You look ESPECIALLY ridiculous when you try to argue that this or that ghost movie isn't "realistic." NONE of them are realistic. Ghosts are FANTASY, dude.There is no such thing as the supernatural. period.
June 1982 by ATARI	Jun 5th, 2007 12:37:47 PM
The month/year I got my ATARI 800 computer. I was really enjoying the article/autobiography until I got to the part about your haunted house. What's up with that? Do you seriously believe in that shit? If so, I have lost much respect for you. As for the movies, I rented Poltergeist last fall, and it didn't stand up well to the test of time. I still wanted to bang JoBeth, however. Star Trek II -- still the best trek of all, and in my top 100 movies of all time. Star Trek IV and VI I also have on DVD, so they are good enough to own, but not Top 100 material.
Coughlin Laws... by The Ender Smites Foes	Jun 5th, 2007 12:40:04 PM
Show me the part where cutting and pasting Lemonparty.org in your web address bar was required. I'll cut my balls off, and resew them on Demon Dave's asshole...
The Ender Smites Foes by Quin the Eskimo	Jun 5th, 2007 12:57:58 PM
That's just mean, not funny, mean.
Good job Merrick! by Darth Thoth	Jun 5th, 2007 01:05:04 PM
Great writeup. And yeah, TWOK was the stuff! Excellent!!
Did the ban button break? by Ultron ver 2.0	Jun 5th, 2007 01:12:21 PM
Cuz I've been banned several times from this site for far less stuff then what that douchenozzle Ender just did. Jesus, even Battleposter was funnier than you. I wish I can be there when the Karma police pistol-whip your pasty ass.
The E.T. Book by kevinwillis.net	Jun 5th, 2007 01:53:17 PM
I can believe so many of us read the novelizaton. It was solid, tho, and the expansion on how connected E.T. was to Elliot made a lot more sense, once I read the book. And the description of E.T.'s sickness almost "pulling in the walls" like gracvity was increasing around him . . . it was just cool. An excellent novelization. Of course, I also liked Piers Anthony's novelization of Total Recall, where Anthony inserted this whole elaborate completely different explanation of everything that happened in the movie, because he felt the "logic" wasn't there. Bizarre and mysterious, I loved that novelization (which I read after seeing the movie) more than the movie. Not because it was better, really, just because Piers is so frcikin' whack when he gets his dander up.
EnderSmitesFoes apologized for some of it... by anchorite	Jun 5th, 2007 01:55:25 PM
he apologized that he didn't bother to read Merrick's post in its entirety, so he didn't realize Merrick's dad had died. What he didn't apologize for was that he linked to something that was incredibly vile and pornographic and that a lot of people might potentially get in trouble at work, kids might see it, etc. But I'm sure he'll tell you that's not his problem. He's only responsible for his own action, which was simply not using good judgment while trying to make a joke. It might be nice if he at least posted something warning people NOT to go to that link.
Paranormal Research... by GOB Adama	Jun 5th, 2007 02:25:00 PM
NapoleonDynamite, I'm not saying its real, I'm not saying it's not... But in order for there to be facts proving or disproving anything there has to be research in the first place. To make even a "scientific" statement about ghosts not existing w/o research is, in fact, NOT scientific at all but rather blind belief in and of itself. Now, logically, for so many people to have made reports of the "supernatural" there has to be something to it. Does that mean ghosts and boogeymen? No. Could it be mass hysteria or vestigial primitive psychology? Sure. In any event, there is something there to be studied and researched. Narrow-mindedness cuts both ways. I have as much almost (note the 'almost', it comes up again in a bit) as much pity for the folks who believe anything someone with a labcoat and a clipboard says as I do for the folks who blindly believe what someone with robes and an ancient tome. Science can trump faith in the provability department, but scientists, due to being human, are no more trustworthy than the faithful. And being able to "scientifically prove" something can widen the net of the gullible real fast. I mean, look at some of the things the Nazi party's scientists "proved" back in the 30s. Scary. Why am I babbling? Because 'Star Trek' taught me to keep an open mind? For example: Does the god Apollo exist? No! Well, he does, he's just an alien, actually. and 'The Wrath of Khan' is the most kick-ass movie of all of 'Star Trek'. Like how I tied it all up there? No? Me either.
Shatner is coming to kick your ass!!!!!! by picardsucks	Jun 5th, 2007 02:41:41 PM
You know he can still do it. Don't fuck with Shatner. He can knock out anyone with one punch or a well placed dropkick. He never misses with a home made bazooka and he bangs more hot chicks before lunchtime than Bond does in a year. Shatner could punch out Darth Vader and Dropkick Spiderman into oblivion. Hide the children motherfuckers, Shatner is coming to kick your ass.
And he can save you a bunch of money on a flight/hotel by anchorite	Jun 5th, 2007 02:54:07 PM
Now THAT's the power of awesome!
Reliant's sensors by ByTor	Jun 5th, 2007 03:12:09 PM
OK, so yes, the orbits shifted and Ceti Alpha V ended up more or less where Ceti Alpha VI was, but you'd still expect a 23rd-century starship to notice, right? This bugged me for a while too. Ultimately I decided it was human incompetence. I mean, did Paul Winfield's character really strike you as one of the Best and the Brightest? No sir. He did not. With Chekhov as the XO and former Chief Kyle (a freakin' noncom) promoted to CMDR and a bridge officer...clearly the Reliant was the dumping ground for the has-beens and never-weres of Starfleet. Goddamn that movie rocked.
Captain Mal: memorizing trailers by ByTor	Jun 5th, 2007 03:21:36 PM
You do it by going to see movies over and over and, thereby, seeing trailers over and over. Doesn't take long to memorize them, believe me. Happy Birthday, Wrath of Khan. Surely...the best of times.
Posting NSFW links is not cool.... by Ultron ver 2.0	Jun 5th, 2007 03:30:23 PM
...and not funny. Perhaps Mr. Ender needs to be Tubgirl'd.
even numbered Trek! by naked_mandy	Jun 5th, 2007 04:45:48 PM
Wrath of Khan is still one of the best. IV, VI and First Contact were all really great too. I also think "Search for Spock" and "Insurrection" deserve more love than they get.
Cotton McKnight & kevinwillis: ever read the ET sequel? by spud mcspud	Jun 5th, 2007 05:16:03 PM
It's called E.T.: BOOK OF THE GREEN PLANET, written by William Kotzwinkle, based (I believe) on a treatment for a sequel, and in my opinion it would have been magnificent. There's a lot of daring there: the entire book is about ET trying to leave his home planet (breaking some pretty ancient oaths to do so) with some unsavoury companions, just to get back to his best friend Elliot. Elliot's story, told in parallel, is basically about him growing up. The ending is a heartbreaker. Come on Mr Spielberg - fuck INDY 4, do E.T.2 - and base it on this novel!!! That is all. Cool post, Merrick.
Boston Legal rocks by spud mcspud	Jun 5th, 2007 05:17:34 PM
Best thing the Shat has done since Trek. Yes, even better than T.J. Hooker. But can the Shat take the awesomeness of Chuck Norris in a fair fight? The fate of the '80s hangs in the balance!!!
Spud McSpud! by kevinwillis.net	Jun 5th, 2007 08:37:25 PM
I've heard you were a party animal! Or a party potato. Anyway, no, I have not. But I will. Another novelization I enjoyed, though it hewed closer to the movie (in that it didn't provide much insight beyond the movie) was the Wrath of Kahn novelization by Vonda N. McIntyre. We do find out that Kirstie Alley is half-romulan, which explains a lot about her post-Star Trek career. But I'm going to keep my eye out for the E.T. book sequel, and if I do run across it serendipitously, I'm gonna get it. BringingSexyBack . . . I mean, seriously. You would have gone back in time to save Kirk's son? Come on, the guy was a douche bag. And why did Kirk do anything, unless it was to get laid? Trust me, across the universe, dude has bastard children to spare.
Let's talk 1984 by theBigE	Jun 5th, 2007 08:47:22 PM
That was the year movies meant something to me! Gremlins, the 2nd Indiana Jones, etc...
BringingSexyBack: You fuckin' bastard!!! by Nosferatu Jones	Jun 5th, 2007 10:54:32 PM
HAHAHAHAHAHA!!! I'll NEVER be able to watch TREK's III and IV in succession again and NOT think of your brilliant point, which never even occurred to me before! Hysterical, dude. The value of the Kirk persona just went down a few notches in this Trekkie's eyes!
Of Course Im Not... by The Ender Smites Foes	Jun 6th, 2007 12:32:46 AM
apologizing for a link you chose to go to. I dont recall pre empting it with "HEY GO HERE ITS KID SAFE, MOTHER APPROVED." I'm truly sorry about MerricksDad and people thinking I'm cold enough to have done that maliciously. But you fucking geeks riding me about it being work safe.....WTF are you doing here? Go back to work asshole, and let that be a lesson, you easy job having cockwit.
Anchorite by The Ender Smites Foes	Jun 6th, 2007 12:37:01 AM
The asshole thing isnt directed at you. They know who they are, I know who they're not.
"He stayed at his post, while the trainees ran!" by Tacom	Jun 6th, 2007 12:22:33 PM
Man, that moment was when I first teared up watching Star Trek II. Scotty fuckin got me crying over his dead nephew. Although I don't get why he brought his body to the bridge instead of sick bay.
Khan, are you game for a rematch? by Darth Busey	Dec 18th, 2007 08:51:37 AM
I'm laughing at the "superior intellect"!

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