movie poster with young adult woman in pretty summer dress blowing a bubble gum bubble

13 Going on 30 Redux; or: Happy Girls Don’t Do Careers

So last night I saw 13 Going on 30 on DVD, and while I enjoyed it, the movie left me in something of a funk. It took me a little while to figure out why. After all, the movie was funny, Jennifer Garner was really terrific – what a shock that this is her first big comedic leading role in a feature! – and the tone at the conclusion was uplifting....

 · Laura Lis Scott

Battlestar Galactica getting Lost?

Warning: Spoilers After last night’s season 3 opener, I’m a little concerned about my favorite show on television, Battlestar Galactica. The show is starting to resemble “Lost,” which from my perspective is not at all an improvement. I’m not just talkling about the tents and stress monkeys in the jungle. It’s the whole arbitrariness that comes across in sequence after sequence of surprises with very little tension. The show used to be terrific at building tension....

 · Laura Lis Scott
Promotional poster for Aeon Flux

Women kicking button in “Aeon Flux”

Warning: Spoilers. (Not much, but hey, I warned you.) So I saw Aeon Flux on DVD the other night. Given the mediocre reviews and lack of box-office love the film, um, enjoyed, I really didn’t expect much. I wanted to see it mainly because of the production design I saw in the commercials. And because of Charlize Theron. And (okay okay) because I’m something of a scifi nut. What I didn’t quite expect was the heart of the story being driven by female characters....

 · Laura Lis Scott
Kirk and Spock gazing off at something with curiosity and concern.

Star Trek: Stale special effects? Or gay soap opera?

This little gem turned up as the top video in Technorati this morning. Hardcore fans will recognize the episodes, but compiling it all here adds a new dimension of whimsical fun. Do I really think Star Trek: TOS has a “hidden homosexual agenda”? Of course not. (I hope not. William Shatner is just too cute in the 1960s.) But given Paramount’s tassled-loafer inspiration of re-doing all the special effects in the classic series, they’re almost begging for slashy take-offs....

 · Laura Lis Scott
Inside Star Trek/: The Real Story

Special effects: The Final Frontier

Why is it that the studios cannot leave enough alone? Apparently, Star Trek: The Original Series (ST:TOS to Trekkers and Trek_kies_ out there [I’m of the latter, thank you very much]) is getting a makeover, not only being remastered for HDTV but also getting all the effects shots redone. There’s no direct link to the email update I received, so I will simply quote from the SciFi news page the entire PR blurb:...

 · Laura Lis Scott