Fri, 25 March 2016
Lin, Part 4: Finishing the Game.
Running Time: 48 minutes 22 seconds
After two consecutive Hollywood blockbuster, Justin Lin returned to the world of independent filmmaking with Finishing the Game. The film is unlike any other in Lin's filmography, a "mockumentary" about finding an actor to replace Bruce Lee in his final movie, The Game of Death.
In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John take a look at Lin's fourth film. We discuss how it differs from the rest of his movies, what it says about Lin as an artist, and the impact which Bruce Lee had on the culture. We also touch on the upcoming Star Trek: 50 Artists, 50 Years exhibition.
Chapters Finishing the Game (00:01:39) The Style (00:18:24) 50 Artists, 50 Years (00:33:45) Wrap-up (00:36:43)
Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills
Production Mike Schindler (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) |
Fri, 18 March 2016
Lin, Part 3: The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift.
Running Time: 1 hour 24 seconds
Less than five months after the release of Annapolis, Justin Lin was handed the keys to the Fast and the Furious franchise. His first of four consecutive sequels was The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. The film offers and interesting take on the franchise, expanding the mythology by focusing on entirely new characters instead of continuing the story established in the first two. Written by Chris Morgan, the movie features Lucas Black, Nathalie Kelley, Bow Wow, and Sung Kang.
In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike are joined by Brandon of Melodic Treks to discuss Lin's third movie. We look at how it differs from the other films in the franchise thus far, the members of the crew who are joining Lin for Star Trek Beyond, and the return of Han from Better Luck Tomorrow. We also discuss news, including the release of J.J. Abrams' latest production, 10 Cloverfield Lane, and the casting of Shohreh Aghdashloo in Star Trek Beyond.
Chapters Tokyo Drift (00:02:54) Its Place in the Franchise (00:22:01) News (00:41:41) Wrap-up (00:52:14)
Hosts John Mills and Mike Schindler
Guest Brandon-Shea Mutala
Production Mike Schindler (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) |
Fri, 11 March 2016
Lin, Part 2: Annapolis.
Running Time: 1 hour 27 seconds
After the success of Better Luck Tomorrow, Justin Lin was given the opportunity to work on big studio productions with substantially larger budgets. The first of these was Annapolis in 2006. The film, starring James Franco, Tyrese Gibson and Jordan Brewster, looks at a cadet's first year at the U.S. Naval Academy.
In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John take a look at Lin's second film. We discuss how it effectively uses cliches, the similarities to J.J. Abrams' Star Trek, and how accurately it portrays the Academy. In news, we remember TNG and DS9 visual effects supervisor Gary Hutzel, discuss the hiring of Rod Roddenberry and Trevor Roth as executive producers on the new Star Trek series, and touch on the order of Doug Jung's new pilot, Scalped.
Chapters Annapolis (00:00:44) Accuracy (00:20:05) News (00:50:26)
Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills
Production Mike Schindler (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) |
Fri, 4 March 2016
Lin, Part 1: Better Luck Tomorrow.
Running Time: 1 hour 29 minutes 57 seconds
Over the course of its history, many artists have left their mark on the Star Trek franchise. Back in 1966, Gene Roddenberry was the first. 50 years later, Star Trek is in the hands of The Fast and the Furious director, Justin Lin.
In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike begin their final series, looking at Justin Lin’s career as a feature film director. In Part 1, we are joined by Dennis Castello of Continuing Mission to examine Lin’s first film, Better Luck Tomorrow. We discuss the themes of the film, Lin’s distinctive style, and how the film is similar to George Lucas’ American Graffiti. Then, in a special news segment, we are joined by John Tenuto to discuss addition of Nicholas Meyer to the writing staff of Star Trek 2017.
Chapters Better Luck Tomorrow (00:06:00) John Cho (00:25:34) Final Thoughts (00:35:17) Nicholas Meyer (00:38:25) Star Trek VI (00:55:47) Wrap-up (01:16:10)
Hosts Mike Schindler and John Mills
Guests Dennis Castello and John Tenuto
Production Mike Schindler (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager) |