Movies – Page 2 – theLogBook.com

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind

Columbia Pictures releases the Steven-Spielberg-written-and-directed science fiction film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind in American theaters, starring Richard Dreyfuss, Teri Garr, Melinda Dillon, and François Truffaut. A movie about contact with alien life set in modern-day America, Close Encounters (often abbreviated to CE3K) it a genuine hit in its own right, cementing Spielberg’s future connection to the genre and proving that the sudden surge of interest in science fiction was not attributable only to Star Wars.

Superman: The Movie

Close Encounters Of The Third Kind Warner Bros. releases the Richard Donner superhero film Superman: The Movie in American theaters, starring Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Gene Hackman, Ned Beatty, and Marlon Brando. A retelling of the origin story of Kal-El, last son of Krypton, and his arrival on Earth as Clark Kent, the movie successfully introduces a new generation of filmgoers (who may not have been steeped in comic book lore) to the exploits of Superman, turning Reeve into an overnight sensation and ensuring a series of sequels. Though other actors will portray Superman/Clark in years and decades yet to come, for many this film fixes Reeve as the definitive film portrayal of the character.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

After a tortured development history dating back to aborted early 1970s attempts to relaunch Star Trek on the big screen, Paramount premieres the much-anticipated (and much hyped) Star Trek: The Motion Picture in theaters. At over two hours, and boasting one of Jerry Goldsmith’s best movie scores, the movie bewilders viewers as much as it thrills them. Paramount claims not to make a profit on the movie at all – primarily by including all of the development costs of years of early movie attempts and the never-made Star Trek Phase II television series as part of the movie’s price tag – but, despite its assertion that the movie lost money, the studio begins making plans for a sequel.

The Black Hole

Disney releases the long-in-development science fiction movie The Black Hole, starring Robert Forster, Maximillian Schell, Anthony Perkins, and Ernest Borgnine. Somewhat predictably hailed as Disney’s answer to Star Wars, the $20,000,000 movie meets with unflattering reviews, though in later years it will be renowned for its unique production design.

The Empire Strikes Back

With expectations riding higher than they probably ever will for another sequel in movie history, the first Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back, hits theaters and kicks off a whole new wave of merchandise. Yoda, AT-ATs, and The Imperial March are unleashed on the world, while the cliffhanger ending hooks everyone in for the third movie with a shocking revelation about Luke’s lineage.

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Produced and co-written by Harve Bennett (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Invisible Man) and directed by Nicholas Meyer, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan debuts in theaters. The story follows up on the first season TV episode Space Seed, bringing back Ricardo Montalban (who is now a star thanks to his stint on ABC’s Fantasy Island) as Khan and introducing Kirstie Alley as a new member of the Enterprise crew. With faster pacing, increased action, and a more contemporary military sci-fi feel, the sequel is a hit that guarantees future sequels, as well as gradually increasing interest on Paramount’s part to return the franchise to television years later.

Tron

Tron Disney’s Tron – the first movie to pay homage to the ’80s video game craze and the first movie to arrive with video game tie-ins already in the works – premieres in theaters. Starring Bruce Boxleitner and Jeff Bridges, the film establishes of the most distinctive visual idea of the decade, that of a person being “sucked into” the digital world, where glowing body armor is worn.

Return Of The Jedi

Capping off the original movie trilogy that began with Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back is released. Though there will be a small number of TV projects, as well as ongoing comic and prose fiction publishing, a popular role-playing game and video games, this is the last Star Wars movie for 16 years.

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

With producer Harve Bennett now firmly in creative control of the movie franchise, Star Trek III: The Search For Spock premieres in theaters, directed by Leonard Nimoy (who, since his character is being searched for, plays only a small role as an actor in the film). The movie is a direct sequel to the events of the previous film, and sets up story developments for the fourth Star Trek movie, effectively serving as the middle chapter of a trilogy. The movie’s success confirms Nimoy’s graduation from actor to director.

2010: The Year We Make Contact

2010 The big-screen sequel 2010: The Year We Make Contact, starring Roy Scheider, John Lithgow, Helen Mirren and Bob Balaban, arrives in theaters. Adapted from Arthur C. Clarke’s novel “2010: Odyssey Two”, Peter Hyams’ movie is visually stunning, especially since none of the original setpieces or models remained from 2001, having been destroyed following production at Stanley Kubrick’s direct instruction. Though heavily hyped, 2010 proves disappointing for moviegoers expecting more of 2001‘s trippy imagery.

Dune

Starstruck The long-awaited, long-delayed feature film adaptation Dune premieres, based on the best-selling SF novel by Frank Herbert. Starring Kyle McLachlan (Twin Peaks), Sean Young (Blade Runner), featuring Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: The Next Generation) and Sting (lead singer of The Police), and directed by David Lynch (The Elephant Man, Twin Peaks), the movie meets with very mixed reviews, compressing many of the book’s events into a narrative that viewers not already familiar with the book find confusing.

Godzilla 1985

Godzilla Raids Again The 16th Godzilla movie, Godzilla 1985, premieres in the United States, a re-edited version of the previous year’s Japanese release of The Return Of Godzilla.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Directed by Leonard Nimoy, who also has a hand in development of the story, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in theaters. Directly following up on events in the prior two movies, Star Trek IV closes out a trilogy, and by bringing the action to 20th century Earth, complete with fish-out-of-water comedy, becomes a solid hit with an embedded ecological message. The movie’s success caps off a year-long celebration of Star Trek’s 20th anniversary

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Co-written and directed by William Shatner (whose contract allows him to direct a Star Trek movie since his co-star Leonard Nimoy has done so), Star Trek V: The Final Frontier premieres in theaters to decidedly mixed reviews. This is the first movie featuring the original cast to debut during the run of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and its shaky box office performance ends Harve Bennett’s run as the creative force behind the Star Trek movies.

The Abyss

James Cameron’s undersea modern-day science fiction film The Abyss premieres, starring Ed Harris (The Right Stuff), Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, and Michael Biehn. The movie features some of the earliest examples of photorealistic CGI on film, but the extensive underwater photography was carried out with no small amount of risk to the cast.

Godzilla Vs. Biollante

Godzilla Raids Again Toho releases the 17th Godzilla movie, Godzilla Vs. Biollante.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

The first Star Trek film since 1982’s Star Trek II to be directed by Nicholas Meyer, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country premieres in theaters, with Paramount billing it as the final appearance of the original crew. Depicting the earliest hints of a political alliance between the Federation and the Klingons, Star Trek VI is intended to hint at the future already playing out on TV on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and is preceded by a special two-part episode of that show featuring Leonard Nimoy. While some of the cast reprise their roles in later movies, TV episodes and even fan-made productions, this does mark the final appearance of DeForest Kelley in character as Dr. McCoy.

Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah

Godzilla Raids Again Toho releases the 18th Godzilla movie, Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah.

Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth

Godzilla Raids Again Toho releases the 19th Godzilla movie, Godzilla and Mothra: The Battle For Earth.

Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II

Godzilla Raids Again Toho releases the 20th Godzilla movie, Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla II.

Stargate

MGM releases the movie Stargate, starring Kurt Russell and James Spader. This movie’s story will be continued directly in the television series Stargate SG-1, but it also serves as the starting point of an entire Stargate TV franchise.

Star Trek: Generations

Paramount debuts Star Trek: Generations in theaters, the first movie to primarily feature the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation, though original Trek actors William Shatner, James Doohan and Walter Koenig reprise their roles. This movie has the most in common with the recently-ended series, with David Carson (director several well-regarded TV episodes, including the two-hour Deep Space Nine pilot) and composer Dennis McCarthy continuing in their respective roles here, though fan reactions are mixed over the death of a major character.

Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla

Godzilla Raids Again Toho releases the 21st Godzilla movie, Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla.

Apollo 13 (movie)

Ron Howard’s big-screen dramatization of Apollo 13, based on the book Lost Moon co-written by Apollo 13 Commander Jim Lovell and starring Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, and Ed Harris, premieres.

Godzilla vs. Destroyah

Godzilla Raids Again Toho releases the 22nd Godzilla movie, Godzilla vs. Destroyah.

Star Trek: First Contact

Paramount debuts Star Trek: First Contact in theaters, featuring the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation directed by their own co-star, Jonathan Frakes. The movie focuses on the Borg, arguably the strongest enemy to arise from TNG, and features actors and elements of both Deep Space Nine and Voyager. This proves to be the biggest hit of the TNG crew’s tenure at the movies.

Zero Effect

District 9 Jake Kasdan’s debut film Zero EFfect is released, starring Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller.

Godzilla

Godzilla Raids Again Sony Pictures releases the 23rd Godzilla movie, starring Matthew Broderick and Godzilla. This American-made adaptation of Godzilla’s origin story sits outside of any continuity that exists between the various Toho films.

Star Trek: Insurrection

Paramount debuts Star Trek: Insurrection in theaters, featuring the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation directed by their own co-star, Jonathan Frakes. Written by former TNG executive producer Michael Piller, the writer responsible for the fan-favorite TV two-parter The Best Of Both Worlds, this movie’s development is somewhat troubled, and its increased reliance on humor earns mixed reviews.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

Riding a wave of hype, expectation, and merchandising that no film could hope to live up to, Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace is released, starring Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd, and Ian McDiarmid.