From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri Jan 30 16:36:58 1998 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed1.news.luth.se!luth.se!news-ge.switch.ch!news-fra1.dfn.de!Cabal.CESspool!bofh.vszbr.cz!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!news-peer.sprintlink.net!news.sprintlink.net!Sprint!worldnet.att.net!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Steve Rhodes Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Trekkies (1998) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 22 Jan 1998 00:54:25 GMT Organization: Internet Reviews Lines: 91 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <6a65c1$jdo$1@nntp5.u.washington.edu> Reply-To: srhodes@ricochet.net NNTP-Posting-Host: homer08.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp5.u.washington.edu 885430465 19896 (None) 140.142.64.4 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #10690 Keywords: author=rhodes X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer08.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:10051 rec.arts.sf.reviews:1739 ______________________________________________________________________ TREKKIES A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): *** TREKKIES, Roger Nygard's energetic and hilarious documentary, brings viewers into the world of the Star Trek conventions. The beauty of the film is that it is good old fashion fun for Trekkies and non-fans alike. (The film generally writes off the Trekkies vs. Trekker polemic as not worth arguing about.) The good-spirited movie TREKKIES easily forces even the most cynical viewer into fits of uncontrollable, loud giggles, yet the picture treats its subject matter with respect and a certain awe. Denise Crosby, who played Tasha Yar on "Star Trek: The Next Generation," serves as the host. In the opening credits the movie reminds us that Trekkies are the only fan group listed in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). (The OED cites a February, 1976 caption in the "New Yorker" as the first recorded usage of the word.) Unless you've been to the conventions, I posit that you have no idea of the dedication of some of the fans. One pointed out, apologetically, that the stripe on his new uniform was slightly inaccurate. Others talked about how many Star Trek conventions they had attended, several dozen being typical and hundreds not unheard of. My personal favorite fan is Sir Speedy photocopying worker Barbara Adams. Arguably the most famous of all the Trekkies, she wears her uniform every waking hour as many die-hard fans do. Her claim to fame is that, as a juror on the Whitewater trial, she wore it in court as well. "Every day I would walk past the reporters with a Vulcan-like stoicism," she says, describing her way of dealing with the crowd of reporters who became obsessed with her obsession. She doesn't quite understand all of the uproar. "I'm an officer of the Federation 24 hours a day," she reminds us. Her fealty to her hobby approaches that of a religious faith. Along with the laugher the show evokes, there is an equal measure of sincere appreciation for people with such loyalty. And their infectious joy provokes a certain envy of their enjoyment. Few other avocations could give this much satisfaction. These people are having the time of their lives. (For the record, I'm not a Star Trek fan although I have seen some of the movies.) The film interviews the various Star Trek series's stars as well as its fans. The stars had thought the convention idea was a lark and would soon fade, but over twenty years later, the conventions are still going strong. Filled with anecdotes, the show talks about the happenings at the various conventions. At one, the actor who plays Q was so sick that he thought he would have to cancel. After appearing briefly, he drank some water and left. They decided to auction off his half-empty glass, joking that it had the "Q virus." The guy who won the bidding immediately drank the water and screamed to the crowd that he now had the Q virus too. With dedication comes a certain amount of stupidity. Not just flitting among people, the documentary takes the time to let you get to know the Trekkies. One guy is a Trekkie cross-dresser, another dresses her cat, and then there is the dentist. The dentist has his entire office made up to look like a Star Trek set. He, his oral hygienists, his receptionist, his wife, and his kids wear the outfits all of the time. It appears that his workers are permitted to take them off when they go home, but not his family. For variety, he and his family do change characters from time to time. He says his patients like it. Well, there was this one complainer, but he had a problem with his bill anyway. There are summer schools for Klingon with Ph. D. linguists to teach the language. Hamlet is now available in Klingon, albeit perhaps not at your local bookstore, and they are working on translating the Bible. They even sell United Federation passports that are real enough that Trekkies have used them to fool Customs, even U.S. Customs. The movie bogs down only briefly when it tries to argue the series's larger meaning about diversity and humanitarian concerns. Sandwiched in-between the levity, the switch in tone doesn't work. The incessantly up-beat film ends with a singing Elvis impersonator. He fits right in. TREKKIES runs a breezy 1:26. It is not rated but would be PG for brief sexual references and would be fine for all ages. From rec.arts.sf.reviews Fri May 28 12:48:27 1999 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!uio.no!news-feed.ifi.uio.no!newsfeed.berkeley.edu!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: brianlt@aloha.net (Brian Takeshita) Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Review: Trekkies (1998) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 27 May 1999 05:01:19 GMT Organization: Hawaii OnLine - Honolulu, HI Lines: 116 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <7iijiv$a2m$1@nntp3.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer07.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp3.u.washington.edu 927781279 10326 (None) 140.142.17.39 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #18533 Keywords: author=takeshita X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer07.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:17747 rec.arts.sf.reviews:2349 TREKKIES A Film Review by Brian Takeshita Rating: ** out of **** I used to be able to say, "I love Star Trek." Back then, you could say that and everyone would know what you were talking about. These days, with the old series, the movies with the old cast, The Next Generation, the movies with the Next Generation cast, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager, I have to really qualify my statement. I love the old series and the movies with the old cast. I like the Next Generation and their movies. I have almost no feeling toward Deep Space Nine and Voyager. To see the premiere of the new Star Trek film used to be something really special. Today, there's so much Star Trek, a new movie is practically taken with a grain of salt. What, I have to PAY to see this? Still, there is currently a larger fan base for the entertainment enterprise than ever before, and it's even more diverse due to all the different forms of Star Trek available. They come from all walks of life. They are doctors, students, psychologists, housewives, radio personalities. They are from the upper class and the lower class and everywhere in between. Many may not even speak the same language, but they all have one thing in common: They like the message that Star Trek delivers. If we try hard enough, we will all survive and get along with each other in the future. But just what makes a person devote more than a passing interest to a television show? What kind of a person attends conventions, or dresses up like his or her favorite character when it isn't even Halloween? It's these types of questions Roger Nygard tries to answer in his documentary, TREKKIES. After the first five minutes or so, I thought I was going to be sick. The film immediately begins documenting the extreme in Star Trek fandom; the ones that take the show way too seriously. The freaks. Sounds of laughter erupt from different pockets of the theater, and it seems this film is taking cheap shots and making people laugh at the expense of others. I felt embarrassed. Unfortunately, this trend lasts a while until we spend more time with each of a number of fans and their lives get a little more personal to us. The documentary shows us a pretty wide range of people who are associated with Star Trek, but the most time is spent with those who have seemingly gone off the deep end. After all, the normal people are boring, right? A few people we meet are a dentist whose practice is one big Star Trek fantasy (his office is adorned with all kinds of memorabilia and he and his assistants are dressed daily in costume), a man who wears his costume to the supermarket and would get his ears cut to points like Mr. Spock's if he could afford it, and young man who is making his own Star Trek movie. TREKKIES is narrated by Denise Crosby, who played Lieutenant Tasha Yar for the first year and a half of the series, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Crosby also serves as the interviewer in many of the film's sequences, and it's nice that she seems to be going on the same journey we are. It's as though she is facing these people with the same unjaded incredulity, and head-shaking amazement as the audience, even though we know she must have faced some of this before. However, if it's an act, it's a good one. Whereas we'd like to end up feeling a connection with the fans in TREKKIES, the film doesn't go into sufficient depth so that we understand why they do the things they do. Is it insecurity? The need to feel like they "belong" to something? Or is Star Trek just something they think is really, really cool? By staying on the surface, we unfortunately never get far past the feeling of amusement or even pity. Take, for example, a woman who belongs to a Star Trek fan club in which they assign ranks to members. She insists that her co-workers at Sir Speedy print shop refer to her as "The Commander," and although she may not wear her uniform every day, the communicator, phaser, and rank insignia are usually found as accessories to her apparel. We might admire the fact that she is so devoted to her passion and her club, but she likens the wearing of the uniform to being part of a military organization. The thing is, it's not like that at all. Her uniform is part of a television show and isn't meant to be worn in public, save for the novelty. By the way, this woman was actually on the O.J. Simpson trial jury, and yes, she wore the uniform to court every day. Another woman we meet is obsessed with Brent Spiner, who plays the android Lieutenant Commander Data on The Next Generation. She calls herself a "Spinerfem" and keeps her album of Brent Spiner photos in a fireproof safe in her closet. Since she lives relatively close to his home, she goes out on her balcony and gazes toward it to cheer her up when she feels depressed. One fan talks about the informal backyard gatherings he annually attends in the unofficial birthplace of James T. Kirk, Riverside, Iowa. He informs us that the previous year was great. They had a few more people, and even "had a girl come." This is not a film with a lot of sympathy toward its subjects. One of the better elements of TREKKIES is its interviews with the cast members, who share some truly interesting and touching anecdotes involving their experiences with fans. For example, James Doohan, who played Scotty in the original series, literally saved a fan's life by keeping in contact with the suicidal girl and telling her he wanted to see her at the next convention. However, a movie that is essentially about the fans cannot be built upon pieces such as this, and must revolve around the fans themselves. It's a pity that Nygard's documentary only gives us unfeeling looks at the extremes, as the gems involving the actors contrast greatly to the bleak picture painted for us by the fans about which they are supposed to be talking. If this film had delved deeper into the "normal" folks who enjoy Star Trek without having it run their lives, it would have provided a much needed balance. Would this have been less interesting than seeing fans who live and breathe Star Trek? On the contrary, I believe it would have helped answer the original questions of who these people are and why they like Star Trek. We would have found that they aren't just the people you'd cross the street to avoid, but are also you and me. Instead, we only learn that there are some pretty strange people in the world. Review posted May 25, 1999 From rec.arts.sf.reviews Wed Mar 8 12:07:21 2000 Path: news.ifm.liu.se!news.lth.se!feed2.news.luth.se!luth.se!newsfeed2.news.nl.uu.net!sun4nl!newsfeed.icl.net!netnews.com!newspeer1.nac.net!logbridge.uoregon.edu!news.u.washington.edu!grahams From: Murali Krishnan Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.reviews,rec.arts.sf.reviews Subject: Retrospective: Trekkies (1997) Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.movies Date: 6 Mar 2000 17:11:34 GMT Organization: Deja.com - Before you buy. Lines: 66 Approved: graham@ee.washington.edu Message-ID: <8a0os6$7u0o$1@nntp3.u.washington.edu> NNTP-Posting-Host: homer39.u.washington.edu X-Trace: nntp3.u.washington.edu 952362694 260120 (None) 140.142.17.40 X-Complaints-To: help@cac.washington.edu NNTP-Posting-User: grahams Summary: r.a.m.r. #23448 Keywords: author=krishnan X-Questions-to: movie-rev-mod@www.ee.washington.edu X-Submissions-to: movie-reviews@www.ee.washington.edu Originator: grahams@homer39.u.washington.edu Xref: news.ifm.liu.se rec.arts.movies.reviews:22536 rec.arts.sf.reviews:2633 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- [2.5/4.0] In the history of American television, no series has attracted as much devotion as Star Trek. The original series and its progeny have created a following that contains elements stranger than anything that ever appeared on the science fiction series. This film is a documentary that examines the obsession some people have with the show. The film is narrated by Denise Crosby, who is a former cast member and also a participant in the documentary's inquiry. The technique used is primarily interviews and profiles of particularly possessed individuals, interviews with current and former cast members recounting their experiences, and encounters with the show's fandom. Interspersed with the interviews are many scenes and quick sound bites from several of the many of the series' ubiquitous conventions, where fans gather, in complete space regalia, to listen to cast members talk, buy and sell memorabilia, and generally commiserate with other fans. The propensity of the conventioneers to dress as characters from the show creates an odd and humorous mood. It is not unusual to see people take an interest, but the absurdity of the lengths they go to is continuously laughable. What is most compelling is that it is possible to discern several different types of fans. There are those who digest the moral order espoused by the show and synthesize it as a personal religion by which they live. There are some who put all their creative energy into following the show, like the teenage fan who appraises and trades memorabilia, and who even developed a computer graphics generated sketch of an episode based on the series. Some fans are more casual and do not feel the need to outwardly display their affiliation with the show but they see the meaning and poignancy developed in the series' narrative, and they like to discuss this with others. All of these seem like harmless and quirky individuals who have an interest but not an unhealthy attraction to the show. However, one type of fan was unnerving, and that is those who have an obsession with a particular cast member and character. One woman in particular keeps her multitude of pictures and other totems connected to her favorite cast member in a safe, and paints a disturbing picture of obsession. The primary flaw with the film is that it does not have a focused theme that it follows through its narrative like a standard documentary. It meanders between the various interviews with short convention snippets collected in between. Without a central theme, the film appears to be little more than a carnival freak show. Recommended. Judged by the requirements of documentary filmmaking, this film is lacking in vision by not making a clear statement about its subject. It is definitely entertaining. Watching the film is probably more fun as a group activity, since a group of viewers can laugh together at the odd creatures on screen. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- (c) 2000 Murali Krishnan The Art House Squatter http://ArtHouseSquatter.com Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/ Before you buy.