Author Archives: David E. Smith

ST: The Motion Picture, Take Three

There was \”Star Trek: The Motion Picture,\” and it was, well, so-so.


Then there was the re-do with added footage that ABC aired on TV
in the 80s, which was subsequently released on video, and it wasn\’t too bad.


Now, director Robert Wise is finally preparing the \”director\’s cut\” version,
which he says won\’t suck nearly as much.


(Thanks to /. for this story.)

Star Wars II: The Toys

As with so many marketing machines these days, often more advance knowledge can be gained from the marketing than from any normal press release. Such is the case with the still-untitled second episode of \”Star Wars.\” These ultra-spiffy busts of the cast of SW2 were computer-generated, and while they don\’t tell us too much about the story of the second movie, they\’re still fun to look at.

Also: I hate to burst Lucas\’ bubble, but he\’s not the first one to use this technology to make licensed character toys. The WWF, of all people, have been doing it for a while.

3rd Rock Heading Home?

Two episodes of “3rd Rock From The Sun” were filmed last Tuesday, which just might be their last. NBC has yet to determine whether they’ll renew the sitcom, so these episodes were written as a possible series finale. (Granted, the show’s so darn goofy that they could write themselves back out of any corner easily, but that’s sorta beside the point.)

Trouble In Townsville

You heard me right — not even the Powerpuff Girls can stand up to… their own voices! The Wire reports that Cartoon Network will begin casting sound-alikes for the three actresses that voice the Powerpuff Girls on TV; there were issues with the actresses’ pay. (Basically, Cartoon Network wanted to pay them like they were doing a few TV shows, and the ladies wanted a cut of the lucrative movie profits.)

Akira Coming To DVD (And Theaters Too)

Finally! Not only is Akira being re-released on VHS and released on DVD this fall, but it’s getting a theatrical re-release this spring, and they’re burning a cool million on cleaning up the soundtrack and Dolby Digital. I’m a little worried about the fact that they’re planning to re-dub the movie, but you can’t have everything. As long as there’s still long tortured screams of “Kanedaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!” I’ll be happy.