http://www.viewpoints.com/aboutme/Fardreamer Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:43:05 GMT Reviews by Fardreamer http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Power-of-the-Jedi-Darth-Maul-Final-Duel-review-2d856 For all their flaws (both real and perceived), the Star Wars prequels (The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith) serve their purpose of setting up the characters and situations created by George Lucas in his now-Classic Trilogy (Star Wars, aka A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi). — The 1999-2005 prequels not only feature the tragic rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker and his conversion by Emperor Palpatine from Jedi hero to evil Sith Lord, but they also add a new set of characters to help Lucas tell the complex story of the decline of the Jedi Order, the fall of the Galactic Republic, and the beginning of what Obi-Wan Kenobi would classify as "the dark times" after the terrible Clone Wars. — Along with such Jedi heroes as Qui-Gon Jinn, Ki-Adi Mundi, and Mace Windu, the prequels also introduced a trio of villainous henchmen to aid Palpatine/Darth Sidious in his takeover of the galaxy and the revenge of... Thu, 03 Jul 2008 17:43:05 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Power-of-the-Jedi-Darth-Maul-Final-Duel-review-2d856 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-VI-The-Undiscovered-Country-Special-Collectors-Edition-review-e4ea0 Out of the Ashes: Star Trek gets a Silver Anniversary reprieve — Although 1989's Star Trek V: The Final Frontier was not a total box office failure for Paramount by any means, the movie was still considered to be below par in many ways. It had a few classy moments and even some funny bits, but its "search for God" storyline and its low-rent look didn't really enthuse fans of the franchise.  It opened strongly on the first weekend but failed to reach the same levels of financial and critical success as Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. — Indeed, there was talk among fans (and non-fans) that StarTrek V had, for all intents and purposes, killed off the franchise based on Gene Roddenberry's 1960s TV series based on the premise of "Wagon Train to the Stars." — Nevertheless, Paramount Pictures, which owns the rights to all things Star Trek, wanted to observe the series' 25th Anniversary with one last movie starring... Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:54:40 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-VI-The-Undiscovered-Country-Special-Collectors-Edition-review-e4ea0 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-V-The-Final-Frontier-Special-Collectors-Edition-review-120d3 Of all the Star Trek feature films, the fifth entry in the series is considered by most fans to be the weakest and least satisfying. Even though it was produced by Harve Bennett, who had saved the franchise with Star Trek II, its plot -- a renegade Vulcan hijacks the starship Enterprise and takes it to the center of the galaxy on a quest to find God -- is rather overly ambitious and its director, William Shatner, learned that success at directing episodes of "T.J. Hooker" did not ensure success in the making of a multi-million dollar film. — — Star Trek V is set a short time after The Voyage Home. It is the 23rd Century, and although Capt. James T. Kirk (Shatner) and his loyal crew have been assigned to the new Enterprise-A, their new starship has turned out to be a lemon. Nothing seems to be working properly, so while chief engineer Montgomery Scott (James Doohan) and the rest of the crew make critical repairs to the starship's systems, Kirk, Spock (Leonard... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:57:14 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-V-The-Final-Frontier-Special-Collectors-Edition-review-120d3 Fardreamer 2 http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Hunt-for-Red-October-review-2c613 Although it was the first of the series to be published (in 1984), Tom Clancy's The Hunt for Red October is actually the third novel in the Jack Ryan universe (or, if you like, Ryanverse). It propelled Clancy, who had been an insurance salesman with only a few letters to the editor under his writing belt, to best-selling superstar. His success with military and espionage-related fiction earned him a title he does not readily accept: father of the techno-thriller. — — This novel, if I remember correctly, was the first work of fiction published by the Naval Institute Press, the publishing arm of the United States Naval Institute, a civilian entity which promotes all things naval, including the study of naval history, strategy, technology, and tactics. Some of the Naval Institute Press' other books include A.D. Baker's Fleets of the World, Clay Blair, Jr.'s Silent Victory, and Norman Friedman's Desert Victory: The War for Kuwait  — Now, it is odd... Wed, 02 Jul 2008 16:34:09 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/The-Hunt-for-Red-October-review-2c613 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Power-of-the-Jedi-Jek-Porkins-X-Wing-Pilot-review-98080 In the beginning.... — A long time ago, or at least when Kenner introduced the first 12 small Star Wars action figures in 1978, most of them were based on the major characters (Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, and so on), with a few secondary or necessary stock characters (Death Squad Commander, Tusken Raider, and Stormtrooper) added in to the mix.  — Later, as Kenner released more figures in batches of 12, not only were there needed variants of the major characters' figures along the lines of Luke Skywalker: X-Wing Pilot and Han Solo: Hoth Battle Gear, but more secondary characters joined the small legion of Rebels, Imperials, droids, and non-human denizens from the first three movies of the Star Wars saga. — Still, Kenner's original 1978-1985 collections omitted many characters; some, like the infamous Grand Moff Tarkin, were inexplicably planned but never produced * (even though the Death Star's commander is a major character in... Tue, 01 Jul 2008 18:58:29 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Power-of-the-Jedi-Jek-Porkins-X-Wing-Pilot-review-98080 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-IV-The-Voyage-Home-Special-Collectors-Edition-review-b0b31 With the success of Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, writer-producer Harve Bennett and director Leonard Nimoy were given the green light by Paramount to wrap up the storyline that began with Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. There were several plot strands left to tie up, after all, what with Spock having to be re-educated and Kirk and his crew facing a court-martial for the actions they took in the rescue of their half-Vulcan comrade. Set barely three months after the events of the third film, Star Trek IV opens with a mysterious alien probe cruising toward our solar system, immobilizing any starship it passes as it inexorably makes its way to Earth. — Meanwhile, on Vulcan, Spock (Leonard Nimoy) hurriedly undergoes retraining of his mind. In a wonderfully written scene, the former Enterprise science officer breezes through the quizzes a computer tosses at him until he is stumped by the question "How do you feel?" — Spock's human mother, Amanda (Jane Wyatt, reprising... Tue, 01 Jul 2008 16:17:53 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-IV-The-Voyage-Home-Special-Collectors-Edition-review-b0b31 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-The-Power-of-the-Force-Purchase-of-the-Droids-Cinema-Scene-review-be7c1 Although the bulk of my Star Wars figure collection consists of the "basic" single figures that come in carded bubblepacks from the various Kenner/Hasbro collections, I consider my 19 or so multi-figure Cinema Scenes/Screen Scenes to be the crown jewels.  Even unopened, they are easy to display and (more importantly) clean up, and they're really nice to look at, especially since I've tried to arrange them in chronological order from The Phantom Menace to Return of the Jedi. — Cinema Scenes (also known colloquially as "three-packs") are small dioramas based on scenes from the Star Wars series, usually containing three 3.75-inch action figures pre-posed on a molded and painted base with a carboard backdrop illustrated to match the specific scene being recreated in the Cinema Scene. — Over the years, Hasbro released over a dozen Cinema Scenes/Scene Packs which span the entire saga, as well as similar two-figure sets,... Mon, 30 Jun 2008 18:22:51 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-The-Power-of-the-Force-Purchase-of-the-Droids-Cinema-Scene-review-be7c1 Fardreamer 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Summer-of-42-review-23a92  Although I've been watching movies since I was a kid and been writing about them since I was a 17-year-old writer for my high school's student newspaper, I've seen very few movies which can make my tear ducts at least well up, if not actually get me to cry openly.  — I suppose that's because most of my DVD collection (and before that, my VHS library) consists of either feel-good comedies (When Harry Met Sally, Young Frankenstein), science fiction/space-fantasy adventures (10 Star Trek features, six Star Wars Episodes), non-stop actioners (Die Hard, Air Force One, The Hunt for Red October). or historically-based dramas or war movies (Thirteen Days, The Longest Day, The Patriot).  These are all movies that might contain a few scenes that tug at the heartstrings, but are usually intended to make an audience laugh, feel a sense of cosmic wonder, excite, or feel a surge of nationalistic pride. — And yet, there are a handful of movies that do (literally) make me... Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:06:15 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Summer-of-42-review-23a92 Fardreamer 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Geonosian-War-Chamber-2-review-dc694  A long time ago..... — When Kenner Toys of Columbus, Ohio first introduced its first 12 3.75-inch Star Wars  "action figures" in 1978, the then-subsidiary of General Mills offered very few options for older teen or adult collectors to display the small replicas of heroes, villains, and assorted denizens from writer-director George Lucas's unexpectedly popular space opera. — There were several products produced by Kenner to help collectors of all ages to display their out-of-the-package figures, ranging from mail-in and in-store versions of especially-designed display stands to various "action playsets" based on locales seen in Star Wars (a.k.a. A New Hope), The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi.   There were also three vinyl Collector's Cases (one for each film); they could each hold 24 figures in compartmentalized bins which, when flipped over, doubled as display stands. — For the average and... Sun, 29 Jun 2008 17:31:25 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Geonosian-War-Chamber-2-review-dc694 Fardreamer 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Geonosian-War-Chamber-1-review-ab642 Over the past 30 years, ever since I received the original Kenner Toys rendition of Luke Skywalker's Landspeeder for my 15th birthday, I've assembled a modestly impressive collection of Star Wars action figures, some of the spacecraft and land vehicles, and other collectibles based on characters, creatures, and even locales from the six live-action Episodes of George Lucas's space-fantasy saga set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...." — Although it's sometimes difficult to say for sure which items in my collection are my very favorites, I do admit a certain fondness for the 19 multi-figure packs known variably as Cinema Scenes or Screen Scenes, which in essence are little recreations of scenes from the various Episodes of the Star Wars film series and span the two trilogies that together form The Tragedy of Darth Vader. — With the exception of the two Death Star Trash Compactor Screen Scenes (which have two figures each), Cinema Scenes/Screen Scenes contain... Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:04:51 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Geonosian-War-Chamber-1-review-ab642 Fardreamer 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Saga-Bossk-Executor-Meeting-Action-Figure-review-37da5 "Darth Vader hired six of the galaxy's most elite bounty hunters to track down the Millennium Falcon and her Rebel crew. Bossk was one of the hunters selected by Vader aboard the Executor after the Battle of Hoth. A towering reptilian Trandoshan and skilled predator, Bossk was a fearsome and heavily armed tracker. He was frequently bested by rival bounty hunter Boba Fett, and was betrayed by hunters he hired in the search for the Falcon."  - Package blurb, Star Wars Saga Bossk (Executor Meeting) Action Figure —  In 2002, the same year in which the Star Wars series celebrated its Silver Anniversary and Lucasfilm released Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Pawtucket, Rhode Island based Hasbro Toys closed its two-year-old Power of the Jedi line and replaced it with a similar "catch-all" collection known simply as Star Wars  or, as some collectors' websites dub it, the Star Wars "Saga" line. —  Naturally, the emphasis of the first "wave" of action figures... Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:41:43 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Saga-Bossk-Executor-Meeting-Action-Figure-review-37da5 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Jedi-High-Council-2-Screen-Scene-review-c7da1 When I began collecting Star Wars action figures at the age of 15, I always hoped Kenner Toys, the original license holder for toys and other children's products based on characters, vehicles, and situations from George Lucas's blockbuster space-fantasy film, would come up with products that would allow teens and young adults to show off their 3.75 inch action figures in a better fashion than (a) keeping them in their original carded bubblepacks or (b) posing them stiffly on Kenner-provided display bases that came with the three 12-figure Collector's Cases that were sold between 1979 and 1983. —  Sure, Kenner did create several "action playsets" which - crudely - recreated several crucial locales seen in Star Wars: A New Hope, Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi; in all (including a Sears "exclusive" of the Mos Eisley Cantina), the Cincinnati, Ohio toymaker released 16 such playsets, ranging from The Land of the Jawas (1979) to 1983's Ewok... Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:14:12 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Jedi-High-Council-2-Screen-Scene-review-c7da1 Fardreamer 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Jedi-High-Council-1-Screen-Scene-review-53467 Regarding Cinema Scenes (or Screen Scenes)..... I've been a fan of George Lucas's six-Episode Star Wars film series ever since I saw the film now titled Star Wars - Episode IV: A New Hope in the fall of 1977 at the age of 14.  As such, I've bought all the soundtrack albums, the screenplays, the comics adaptations, the novelizations, and many of the posters.  I've played video and board games, worn tie-in T-shirts, and bought most, if not all, the various home video releases of films from both the Classic and Prequel Trilogies.  Heck, I even ate Kellogg's short-lived C-3POs cereal when it was available in the mid-1980s. — My favorite Star Wars collectibles, though, are the various 3.75-inch scale action figures that were belatedly introduced in 1978 by Kenner Toys and sold under various "collections" for seven years, then were resucitated by Kenner's rival-turned-owner Hasbro in the mid-1990s as the reborn Power of the Force collection. —... Fri, 20 Jun 2008 17:21:01 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Jedi-High-Council-1-Screen-Scene-review-53467 Fardreamer 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-III-The-Search-for-Spock-Special-Collectors-Edition-review-a9c43 "To boldly go...." — When Leonard Nimoy signed on to reprise his role of Spock in Nicholas Meyer's Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, he did it with the impression that it would be the final film of the series. The mixed reception and somewhat disappointing box office gross received by 1979's Star Trek: The Motion Picture led the veteran actor to believe the franchise had run its course and that Meyer's Kirk-versus-Khan "reboot" would allow the Original Series' cast to bow out on at least a modicum of a blaze of glory. — This, in part, explains why Nimoy was so enthusiastic when Harve Bennett, Star Trek II's co-writer and producer, told him that Spock was going to be killed off at some point in the movie; if the series was indeed ending and there would be no more Star Trek features, why shouldn't Spock have a memorable exit? It seemed fitting and logical. — But as Nimoy and Bennett both point out in the "Making of..." documentary on Disc Two of the Special Collector's... Wed, 18 Jun 2008 19:45:14 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-III-The-Search-for-Spock-Special-Collectors-Edition-review-a9c43 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Episode-I-Wattos-Box-Cinema-Scene-review-f41a3 Although my Star Wars collection includes many of the basic 3.75-inch scale action figures made by both Kenner Toys and its eventual successor Hasbro Toys since 1978, I'd have to say that my favorite Star Wars collectibles are the various Cinema Scenes and Scene Packs which have been released since the late 1990s and the resurgence of Kenner/Hasbro's Power of the Force line after an 11-year drought which saw no new figures, vehicles, and playsets based on the characters, spacecraft, and exotic locales seen in George Lucas' popular space-fantasy series set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...." —  Although Hasbro has often released two-figure Cinema Scenes/Scene Packs, the major ones feature three action figures which replicate at least one major character and a couple of secondary characters, already posed on a sculpted/painted base with a cardboard backdrop on which a photorealistic backdrop is printed to recreate a specific location from a Star Wars... Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:07:28 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Episode-I-Wattos-Box-Cinema-Scene-review-f41a3 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-II-The-Wrath-of-Khan-The-Directors-Edition-review-1fcd4 Genesis of a Stellar "Trek" sequel:   Although director Robert Wise's Star Trek: The Motion Picture had been one of the most anticipated films of 1979 and had a strong opening weekend (it grossed $11 million during its first three days in U.S. theaters) and ended up earning $132 million world-wide, it was somewhat of a disappointment for both the fans and the executives at Paramount Pictures.  Most of the fans were happy and grateful to see Capt. James T. Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. "Bones" McCoy, Chief Engineer Scott, and the rest of the Enterprise crew back in action after the Original Series' cancellation by NBC 10 years earlier, but a majority of them felt let down by the sometimes lethargic pacing and its "deja vu" feeling of rehashed themes from such episodes as "The Changeling" and "The Immunity Factor."  — For its part, Paramount was disillusioned not only with the movie's box office performance, which failed to match expectations that it... Sun, 15 Jun 2008 18:06:35 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-II-The-Wrath-of-Khan-The-Directors-Edition-review-1fcd4 Fardreamer 5 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-The-Directors-Edition-review-28ff1 In the Beginning..... — It's hard to believe that 2009 - the very same year that will mark the end of analog television broadcasts in the United States - will mark the anniversaries of both the death of Star Trek: The Original Series and its rebirth as a franchise of theatrical films and, eventually, four television spinoffs based on Gene Roddenberry's concept of "Wagon Train to the Stars." — It's fitting to remark that as Star Trek fans look forward in either dread or anticipation to the 2009 release of J.J. Abrams' "reboot" of the Star Trek film series (depicting the "first adventure" of a young, brash Starfleet Academy cadet named James Tiberius Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise bridge crew, it seems logical that the new film will premiere 40 years after NBC canceled Roddenberry's most famous television project and follows the wake of director Robert Wise's Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which premiered on December, 7, 1979. — As it happens, I was one of the... Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:03:03 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Trek-The-Motion-Picture-The-Directors-Edition-review-28ff1 Fardreamer 3 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Episode-I-Mos-Espa-Encounter-Cinema-Scene-review-4f742 A Long Time Ago..... — When Star Wars action figures were belatedly introduced in 1978, the first generation of dedicated collectors had relatively few options as to how best show off the 3.75-inch scale replicas of the heroes, villains, and supporting characters from George Lucas's popular space-fantasy film set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...." —  Some of the first buyers - those who had sent Early Bird Certificates to Kenner in December of 1977 as a result of the infamous "Empty Box Campaign" - already had been mailed a pre-made display stand for the first wave of 12 figures, which had a base with pegs on the surface that would "mate" with matching holes located at the figures' feet (usually in the "heels" of the characters' boots).  This stand was known as the "Display Arena" and included, if memory serves, a backdrop featuring the Star Wars logo and an illustration of the 12 Rebel, Imperial, and non-aligned... Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:48:27 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Episode-I-Mos-Espa-Encounter-Cinema-Scene-review-4f742 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-The-National-Public-Radio-Dramatization-review-485f3 "Star Wars. If you missed the thirteen-part radio series, you haven't heard the whole story." - Brian Daley — When most people think of George Lucas's Star Wars saga, the first thing that comes to mind is how the six Episodes that tell the tragic-yet-heroic story of the Skywalker family and its role in the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire are so visually mind-blowing.  Some observers may even go further and evoke the films' deep roots in world mythology or their links to the legend of King Arthur, the Oedipus story, and all the "quest" stories that Lucas married so brilliantly to the style and pacing of the old Republic movie serials of the 1930s and '40s. — Now, even though Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope and the other five films in the series have been adapted into novels and comic books, there's still one medium with which Lucas's space-fantasy saga is still not always associated with - radio. —  Yet, in 1979, a young science... Sat, 07 Jun 2008 19:36:56 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Star-Wars-The-National-Public-Radio-Dramatization-review-485f3 Fardreamer 4 http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Episode-I-Tatooine-Showdown-Cinema-Scene-review-d0d94 When I began collecting Star Wars figures 30 years ago, I didn't do so thinking that they'd be worth lots of money (if kept packaged and in "mint" condition) or to compete with other friends to see who owned the most characters, vehicles, or playsets.  I did it, frankly, because at the time there weren't too many ways for fans to bring home some of the magic of writer-director George Lucas' space-fantasy movie set "a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away." — Keep in mind that in 1978, videocassette recorders were still high-ticket items, so figures, comics, novelizations, and soundtracks were among the best ways for Star Wars fans (particularly older kids and teens) to relive the exciing adventures of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, and the Rebel Alliance as they faced off against Darth Vader and the Galactic Empire. — During the seven-year period between seventh grade and my freshman year at Miami-Dade Community College, I bought as many of the... Fri, 06 Jun 2008 20:05:37 GMT http://www.viewpoints.com/Hasbro-Star-Wars-Episode-I-Tatooine-Showdown-Cinema-Scene-review-d0d94 Fardreamer 4