Star Trek: Into Darkness - Haven't We Been Here Before

When Star Trek went into “re-boot” mode a few years ago, I was immediately skeptical.  After all, this was *my* Star Trek that I’d grown up with; that I’d wait to come on in re-runs every night at 6PM and spend months anxiously counting down to the next movie release.  My fears were mostly allayed as I liked the first film quite a bit.  Sure, it wasn’t *my* Trek, but it was good as re-imagined series go.

With the second film in the works, I was pleased that the series was being brought forward for a new generation of fans.  After viewing Star Trek: Into Darkness in IMAX 3D with my son yesterday, I have more of a feeling that this is a film for his generation of fans rather than mine.  I did enjoy the film, and there was much more that I liked over what made me tweak a bit, but those moments are enough for this long-time hardcore fan to take away a star.

The plot is simple enough.  Off of the victories in the first film, Captain James Kirk (portrayed by Chris Pine) is sure he’s about to be sent on the five year mission that’s dangling out there like a carrot.  What prevents that is the honest report of his first officer, Spock (portrayed by Zachary Quinto) that casts his actions in their most recent escapade in an unfavorable light.  The crew is about to be broken up among various ships of Starfleet when a new threat emerges in John Harrison (portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch).  He’s from sort of the CIA of Starfleet and now engaging in terrorist attacks on his former employer.  The rest of the film involves political intrigue and plenty of action as Kirk and crew try to figure out exactly what’s going on and who their enemy really is, in more ways than one.

The acting here is good. Pine and Quinto do a fine job as Kirk and Spock and really capture enough of the essence of who the characters have been through the years to please long-time fans.  Zoe Saldana as Uhura is a gem, and a much stronger character than she was originally although she was an important and iconic figure for women and minorities in her time.  She gets a few action sequences here and handles them as good as any of the male characters.  I felt Karl Urban as McCoy was a little under-used in this film, although Anton Yelchin (Chekov), John Cho (Sulu) and Simon Pegg (Scotty) do get to have good roles as supporting characters.  I suppose when you’re not catering to the egos that were involved with some of the actors in the original films, it really gives the cast a bit more of an ensemble feel and this is one of the reasons the film works so well.

The special effects are great, and the action sequences are awesome, but here’s where I have a bit less appreciation for the film.  In previous film and series, the action and fight scenes had a realistic feel to them.  Even in the last film he appeared in, Kirk fighting Soran in Star Trek: Generations had a realistic feel to it.  It may have been a stunt double, but the fights were believable.  Here in the name of action, there are many instances where it seemed to lose me.  I think that was part of the problem with the more recent Star Wars films as well.  Sure, it makes for great eye-candy at times, but it also leads to many moments of “no way.”  In IMAX 3D, though, it’s very enjoyable eye-candy.  The 3D aspect isn’t overdone and does add to the experience, even if I could count the pores on Chris Pine’s face at times.

The appeal of Star Trek: Into Darkness for me is that it does do a great job tying together the old universe and this new one.  It’s a film my son enjoyed with me, even though he groaned at first at the prospect of having to see it with me.  When I asked him what his favorite part was, he centered not on the action, but on several moments lifted from the plot of another Star Trek story that will be very familiar to those of us who grew up with it.  Yes, there are a lot of parts of the plot that are familiar, but that’s the way it should be in a universe that’s just a bit removed from another one.  I was skeptical of the explanations they would find for some things, but it worked for the most part.  It still successfully captures what endeared Star Trek to fans for so many years, although at times I still felt something was missing.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, and it’s definitely not enough for me to dislike the film.

If you’ve never thought yourself a fan of Star Trek, I do urge you to give this a try.  My other boy who’s in the Army saw it Saturday night and couldn’t wait to text me about it, and he’s another one I would have had to drag to a film.  It appeals quite well to a new generation while having enough going for it that those of us who did attend the conventions and kept the franchise going all these years will enjoy it as well.

Hampton Inn Columbia SC/Fort Jackson - Great Graduation Stay

When my one kid was scheduled to graduate Basic Training at Fort Jackson in February of 2013, I immediately made a reservation at the Hampton Inn Columbia SC/Fort Jackson.  It was nearly a brand-new hotel at the time, having just opened within the last six months.

LOCATION & CHECK IN

The Hampton Inn Columbia SC/Fort Jackson is conveniently located to the base.  It is just off of Exit 9 of I-77.  Getting to the hotel was easy.  Getting off of the street it was on and back on to I-77 was a bit more difficult.  I hope they put a traffic light in at the end of the street soon.  It is convenient to many restaurants in the area as well.

The night we arrived was just after “Family Day” at the base.  I had a problem with my debit card I had reserved this on earlier in the month.  They tried to authorize the card and when it was declined, they called my workplace and got an authorization from them.  However, we just switched it to my new card once I arrived there.  Be warned that on busy nights such as events like this at Fort Jackson they will likely try to authorize your credit card and if it’s declined you could find yourself without a room when you arrive.

ROOM

Our room had 2 queen beds in it.  There was plenty of room for the 3 of us for 2 nights.  Even with our luggage.  The beds had the Hampton Cloud 9 bedding on them which I love.  It feels like there is no bedding on you while you sleep, yet I am snuggled in comfort.  The television was a flat-panel with enough stations to keep us entertained while we were in the room, including cartoon and family stations.  There were drawers beneath it for clothing although we lived out of our luggage.  The refrigerator in the room did come in handy as we ordered in both evenings after coming back from the base and had a place to keep leftovers.  Our room overlooked the interstate, although this isn’t a place you go to for the views.

The bathroom was comfortable and spacious.  Hair dryer that worked fine, coffee maker on the counter with a selection of shampoo, conditioner, lotion, soap, etc. The shower pressure was good even in the morning when there were likely so many people getting ready at the same time to head out to graduation.

AMENITIES

Hampton offers a complimentary breakfast with their rooms and this is pretty uniform throughout the chain.  I was kind of disappointed they didn’t have grits instead of oatmeal, this being the south, but otherwise this was fine. The selection of hot items is decent – you are getting food that comes frozen in bags and is reheated so it’s pretty much the quality you expect.  Other than the hot items there was bagels, muffins, pastry, cereal, yogurt, fruit, and a waffle station.  Even on the morning of graduation there was plenty of food out and plenty of seating.

The indoor pool was nice if a little cool in February.  I couldn’t bring myself to get in above my waist although my son enjoyed it just fine.  The biggest disappointment was no Jacuzzi.  I was so looking forward to soaking in it, as was our soldier the afternoon after graduation when he came back to the hotel with us.

Wifi internet access was complimentary and the speed was also fine.  There was a shop near the desk to grab snacks and drinks as well.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This being a brand-new hotel it was in fine shape.  All of the staff we encountered was courteous, despite it being a time when events such as graduation put a strain on them.  They had recommendations for food for us both nights.  The place was comfortable and inviting, with a good location.  The only issues we had were really minor, being getting back to the interstate from the street (something they can’t control) and the lack of Jacuzzi. 

Wild Boy: My Life in Duran Duran by Andy Taylor - Somewhat Revealing Look Behind the Scenes

After reading John Taylor’s recently released biography, I was motivated to seek out the older autobiography by Andy Talyor.  People I talked to said Andy was more forthcoming about some of the conflict within the group where John seemed to be a bit more gracious, shying away from any true ”gossip”.

Andy tells his story of a childhood that wasn’t conventional.  He dealt with abandonment issues by his mother and grew very close to his father in an English fishing village dominated by members of his family.  Answering an advertisement, he met up with the other members of Duran Duran and they embarked on superstardom.

Where John Taylor’s story was mostly about him and his honesty about his own problems and issues that caused fractures within the band when they were at the height of their popularity, Andy is more willing to call out other members and their spouses on the issues that arose.  This is perhaps because he isn’t part of the band right now where John Taylor is still touring with Duran Duran.

One of the prime examples of this is Andy Taylor’s attitude towards Nick Rhodes and his ex-wife Julie Anne.  Where girlfriends and wives usually did not accompany the band on the road, Julie Anne immediately insinuated herself in almost every part of Rhodes’ life according to Andy and caused fractures in the band.  There are other tidbits like this, not just about the members of Duran Duran but about other artists Andy Taylor worked with as well.  These include Power Station with Robert Palmer and Rod Stewart.

Andy is honest about many of his own failings as well.  Both he and John Taylor had issues with drugs and alcohol during their time with the band as well as after.  At the same time, he seems reticent to talk about other hedonism that surrounded the band, intimating that only the crew ever had anything to do with groupies and none of the band members themselves.  This is a trend I’ve noticed in a number of recent 1980’s musician biographies, where they seem to downplay the interaction with groupies.  Whether it’s a source of conflict still at home (Andy Taylor is still married to his wife Tracey whom he met before Duran Duran exploded onto the scene) or something else, I can only speculate.  I don’t believe any of these new autobiographies are forthcoming in this area for whatever reason, though.

That aside, Wild Boy does make for a good read, especially to anyone who does remember those days.  It is a bit more “gossipy” than John Taylor’s book and I think that’s the reason I enjoyed it so much.  It is well-written and easy to read.  If you were a fan of Duran Duran in the 1980’s, I suggest you grab this one for a bit more insight into what went on behind the scenes.