173: The Lawrence of Arabia of Mission: Impossible

02/26/16 • 51 min

Commentary: Trek Stars: The Work of Star Trek Creators Outside of Star Trek

Abrams II, Part 7: Recap.

Running Time: 51 minutes 50 seconds

J.J. Abrams may not be returning as the director of Star Trek Beyond, but that should not suggest that his presence will not be felt as a producer. What do his past producing efforts suggest about his contribution to the upcoming movie?

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and John recap their series looking at all of the films which Abrams has produced for other filmmakers. We discuss his work on The Pallbearer, The Suburbans, Joy Ride, Morning Glory, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, and Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. We also hold a tournament to determine which picture in his impressive filmography is the crappiest.

Chapters

The Early Years (00:02:08)

Bad Robot (00:10:02)

The Bracket (00:26:42)

Wrap-up (00:36:40)

Hosts

Mike Schindler and John Mills

Production

Mike Schindler (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Charlynn Schmiedt (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Executive Producer) Richard Marquez (Production Manager) Will Nguyen (Content Manager)

Abrams II, Part 7: Recap.

Running Time: 51 minutes 50 seconds

Chapters

The Early Years (00:02:08)

Bad Robot (00:10:02)

The Bracket (00:26:42)

Wrap-up (00:36:40)

Hosts

Mike Schindler and John Mills

Production

Previous Episode

Commentary: Trek Stars 172: The Citizen Kane of Mission: Impossible

Abrams II, Part 7: Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.

Running Time: 1 hour 19 minutes 54 seconds

After the unexpected success of Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Bad Robot and J.J. Abrams were asked to return to produce a third installment of the Tom Cruise franchise. This time, Oscar-winning filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie was hired to write and direct Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike are joined by Krissy of Educating Geeks to look at the most recent film that Abrams has produced for another filmmaker. We discuss how it compares to the other films in the franchise, what McQuarrie brings to the film, and how Rogue Nation is intrinsically linked to Star Trek Beyond. We also discuss the news that Bryan Fuller has been hired as the showrunner of Star Trek 17.

Chapters

Rogue Nation (00:08:47)

Christoper McQuarrie (00:27:24)

The Star Trek Beyond Connection (00:46:36)

Bryan Fuller (00:53:06)

Hosts

John Mills and Mike Schindler

Guests

Krissy Lenz

Production

Next Episode

174: Fast & Furious Expanded Universe

Lin, Part 1: Better Luck Tomorrow.

Running Time: 1 hour 29 minutes 57 seconds

Over the course of its history, many artists have left their mark on the Star Trek franchise. Back in 1966, Gene Roddenberry was the first. 50 years later, Star Trek is in the hands of The Fast and the Furious director, Justin Lin.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, John and Mike begin their final series, looking at Justin Lin’s career as a feature film director. In Part 1, we are joined by Dennis Castello of Continuing Mission to examine Lin’s first film, Better Luck Tomorrow. We discuss the themes of the film, Lin’s distinctive style, and how the film is similar to George Lucas’ American Graffiti. Then, in a special news segment, we are joined by John Tenuto to discuss addition of Nicholas Meyer to the writing staff of Star Trek 2017.

Chapters

Better Luck Tomorrow (00:06:00)

John Cho (00:25:34)

Final Thoughts (00:35:17)

Nicholas Meyer (00:38:25)

Star Trek VI (00:55:47)

Wrap-up (01:16:10)

Hosts

Mike Schindler and John Mills

Guests

Dennis Castello and John Tenuto

Production