Kevin's Watch

sgtnull wrote:ben afflack as yeoman rand then.

I like it!

i think ben will look great in the skirt.

OK, I need to go slaughter a pig so that I can get replace that mental image with something far more pleasant.

I don't know what the fuss is about. If Shatner can pull it off, anybody can. Trek is one of the greatest shows ever not because of Shatner, but in spite of him. (Same with Carradine in Kung Fu. TOS, of course.) It's not like they said, "We need somebody who can say these lines in this particular way. Hey! What about Shatner?!" What happened was there was a show that nobody had any expectations of, so they didn't care that he acted that badly. And, over the years, everybody noticed that, if you were able to listen past the way the lines were said to what the lines were saying, they, combined with the rest of the characters' lines, were great!

That's a great perspective, Fist. Maybe it is more useful to think that way than to be stuck forever in "Shatner is Kirk!" mode.

If we can allow the conceit that James T. Kirk is an everlasting fictional character up there with the likes of Superman and Sherlock Holmes, then I can more readily accept the idea that Shatner is not the "definitive" Kirk but instead the "prototype." Just as Basil Rathbone was "merely" the first great Sherlock Holmes on film, and George Reeves was the first great Superman on TV. So is Captain Kirk the kind of durable icon that transcends the actor - any actor - who plays him?

Well, maybe not any actor, but certainly good posts and points.

--A

Matrixman wrote:So is Captain Kirk the kind of durable icon that transcends the actor - any actor - who plays him?

Assuming the writing is good. Alas, such is often not the case. Particularly in the movies, which is what we're talking about now.

Fist, I'm gonna disagree with you about Shatner. His cocky, over-the-top style was perfect for the part. I'm not saying that it could've been done differently, but the way it was done is part and parcel with the success of the character and the show.

I'm not saying that only Shatner can play Kirk, I'm just saying that Matt Damon CAN'T.

Cail wrote:Fist, I'm gonna disagree with you about Shatner. His cocky, over-the-top style was perfect for the part. I'm not saying that it could've been done differently, but the way it was done is part and parcel with the success of the character and the show.

Cail I can't agree with you more. Dead on. Shatner's Kirk during the orginal series run was excellent. The way I rate acting is simple. If you buy it then its working. During TOS Shatner's performances NEVER pulled me out of the moment or the character. (There were times during the TOS movie series that fell a little short IMHO).
A Matt Damon Kirk would be a different experience but I'm guessing after only a few screen moments I could buy him as Kirk. It was the same thing for me when Moore took over for Connery as Bond. (and Dalton and Brosnan for that matter.) After a few moments those actors took over the role and I was happy with it though I never forgot about the guys that came before. I guess we'll see how it goes.

Damon is a capable actor. He could bring a depth to the gunslinging captain whereas there always seemed to be a sheen of kitsch on Shat's Cap. With the exception of City on the Edge of Forever, where WS really cranked it out of the park.

...and the pilot episode with Gary Mitchell.

BTW....why was there never a movie involving HIM?!! I always thought that Garu Should have survived the rockslide.