The 25 most anticipated movies!!!

Check out this list of IMDB's 25 most anticipated movies. I can't say I agree with all of these (Die Hard 5? The Expendables 2? Bourne Legacy?)
Some though have me seriously geeked - Bond, Indiana Jones (I had no idea this was possible), The Hobbit, Halo and many more.
Check 'em out! What are your top 5? Mine are:

• Hobbit
• Avengers
• Wolverine
• Superman (and The Dark Knight Rises)...okay, that is technically 2 movies
• Star Trek

I am excited about more that just those five, but those five leave me all tingly inside.

What's the story about?

I've been watching some of the original Star Trek series with my kids lately. My sons love it and my daughter enjoys some aspects as well. For example, she likes that girls can run starships too.
Anyway, I think one of the great things about The Original Series (TOS) was how each story was metaphorical or based on some social commentary. Some of these themes were even timeless, but we loved seeing Kirk, Spock and McCoy tackle them each week.
What are some good themes to base stories on?

• Racism is bad and dangerous.
• Unregulated Medical experimentation is bad
• There is no shortcut to beauty
• Beauty is only skin deep
• Bad guys are often misunderstood
• Power corrupts
• Even a luxurious prison is still a prison
• Lands can be conquered by force, but ideas cannot
• People need other people
• Even a well-intentioned corrupt government is not a good thing
• Immortality is unachievable and sometimes dangerous to chase
• Exploration and travel is a good way to learn how to accept others
• People should be given a second chance, but sometimes not a third
• Sometimes people change
• Sometimes people give the appearance of change, but are still just as rotten
• Vengeance is not healthy
• Sometimes we define ourselves by who our enemies are and we'll do anything to make sure they stay enemies

Just some ideas to start a story. Most of the great ones, if you boiled them down to "what is it about" can be summarized in a quick sentence like this.

I need someone to make this game

So as many of you will not be surprised, I am a trekkie from WAY back. I am also a big fan of Mass Effect (the video game series). I love the story, look, mechanics, cut scenes, everything about Mass Effect. I love the way you have a main character, but tons of peripheral supporting characters who are really cool.
I loved the JJ Abrams reboot of Star Trek, but as I was watching some TOS (The Original Series) the other day, it occured to me how cool it would be to make a Star Trek Video Game using the Mass Effect Engine.
Players would play, for the most part, Kirk, but Away missions would allow Kirk to select Spock, Scotty, Sulu, Chekov, Uhuru, Lt. Leslie (there's a piece of trivia for you other trekkies).
We could even see Kelso and Gary Mitchell before they were killed.
It would be so much fun to explore the Enterprise the way I have explored The Normandy in Mass Effect and I would love to see Kirk kicking butt in the cut scenes.
I have no way to make this happen other than wishing...but I thought I would launch my wish out into the ether and see what happens!

Star Trek: The Experience

Recently visited Star Trek: The Experience at The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, PA. If you're a Star Trek fan, then you should definitely get yourself to this exhibit. I think it is a traveling exhibit. It is at The Franklin Institute for a few more weeks.
Gene Roddenberry, I am sure, would be amazed if he saw how far the script for "The Menagerie" took him. He had a vision and it grew far beyond what he initially envisioned, but the point is, he had a vision.
Along with the vision though, he did something about it. He wrote and wrote and wrote. He crafted his skill on detective shows and "Have Gun Will Travel". He had pilot shows made and then they were not picked up. He didn't let this destroy him. He didn't quit. He kept writing. Then, he finally sold Star Trek.
One would think the rest was history, but not so fast...the show had budget trouble and censorship issues and then...it was canceled. Gene never gave up and eventually, years later, it came back and he was ready to roll again. Now, Thirty years after it's comeback, it is a hit movie and a museum exhibit and has about a million books, comic books, toys, etc.
It started with a vision. Then there was a lot of work and then there was a LOT of "stick-to-it-ive-ness"

So there you go:
1) Dream
2) Work (as GGE says, no one can do your pushups for you)
3) Never give up

Industry News

Just a few quick bites:

1. San Diego Comic Con is coming up at the end of July. That is an awesome show for all comic fans!
2. Sadly, there is currently no Superman live action movie in development. Apparently, in 2013, all Superman rights revert to the heir of Siegel and Schuster (who created Superman). I am sure they will use the rights to produce Superman related material. Kind of scary, kind of exciting
3. Green Lantern: First Flight is an animated Green Lantern movie being released in a couple of weeks. My prediction, based on the last few DC Animated Universe movies - it will be damn cool!
4. There is supposedly a Green Lantern live action film in the works. Since we at Green Gates share our first name with Green Lantern, allow me to comment - a live action GL movie could be awesome and it could totally be an opportunity for some cross genre superhero/sci-fi action. GL is a super hero, but he is also a space cop and Guardian of sector 7 (we live in sector 7 apparently)
5. Spiderman 4 is being talked about at least. I am a little ho hum about this news at this point.
6. There might be a Star Wars live action show being shot soon. Cool. Supposedly featuring more relationship and character related story lines so as to appeal to a more mature audience. Sadly enough, even the Clone Wars cartoon appeals to me. I am probably not a good example of a mature audience though.
7. The next Star Trek movie is on for like 18 months from now (rumor from the dude that played Scotty). That should be great. I am looking forward to the DVD release of the latest Trek movie for the inevitable cut scenes.
8. For gamers out there Mass Effect 2 will be released early next year. I am not a huge gamer, but Mass Effect was AWESOME and I will definitely buy Mass Effect 2
9. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is just over a week or so away from release. My suggestion: get all the Potter movies and stage a weekend Harry marathon to get up to speed for the newest film
10. GGE watched "Push" on DVD. Our review is to give it a grade of D. Not exactly failing. The background is awesome. The premise is solid, but the movie pacing itself was weak. Could have had a lot more tension, conflict and power versus power throw downs. There were some cool scenes but overall a less-than-stellar effort. I will of course buy a personal copy so as to provide support for "superhero" movies and do my part to ensure they continue to be produced.

Later!

Star Trek

Been awhile since I blogged. I should apologize for that. I have been spending some time on what the GGE website should look like. Obviously, it should have a link to the blog where we can keep up a dialogue with readers, viewers, aficionados, etc!

I just saw Star Trek and came away with a healthy dose of inspiration. Roddenberry created something so timeless that I watched it as a kid and now I am taking my kids to see it years later. How great is that? What is so enduring about Star Trek? I know the popular line is the positive view it gives of the future, but there has to be more to it than that. Is it the ship designs? the visuals? The hot chicks. It's always had hot chicks.

Would Star Trek had been as successful if it had been a novel first? A comic book? A line of toys? A movie? Did it have to be launched as a TV series. A TV series that was canceled. Something made it grab ahold of people. That's what I want to do!

Star Trek Wars

What an auspicious week for us "speculative fiction aficionados"... I suppose that could read "sci-fi geeks" but either label is fine in the case of Green and Gates. It fits. This week saw "Star Wars Day" of course (May 4th...as in May the fourth be with you) and we all watched Star Wars films, shows, etc (at least I did).
Now, we are approaching the release of the new "Star Trek" which I am, of course, anxiously awaiting. No you won't see me on opening night in a uniform or wearing rubber ears, but I will be there somewhere watching Kirk get the girls and kick butt.
I remember the Star Trek Communicator (a trek magazine) predicting back in the 80's that at some point Trek popularity would wane and it would take a return to the younger Kirk and Spock with different actors to being it back to the forefront. At the time, of course, they were still releasing movies with the original crew and I thought...no way! Shatner is Kirk! Now, it looks like the prediction will come true and I can't wait! It's time for a new start.
Wish Roddenberry could see it. Remember Roddenberry "failed" a bunch of times before getting someone to agree to make Star Trek. So...message to creators out there? Keep plugging away!

Wolverine!!!

Just over a week till "Wolverine" is released in theaters. Mark your calendars and go! Even if you are not a huge Wolverine fan. Here's why...as fans and producers of Speculative Fiction, we need to also be heavy consumers of Speculative Fiction. By that I mean we need to "vote" for speculative fiction whether it is sci-fi, fantasy, superheroes, etc. How do we vote? By spending money. When we are avid consumers of things we like, then more of the things we like get produced. Look at the letter writing campaign that saved the original Star Trek. Trekkies have been continually rewarded with lots of Trek because they spend crazy amounts of money on it. I throw some cash that way too because I want the things I like to become mainstream so I get more of it.
One more example, if you are a fan of cop shows, you have all you want because they are "mainstream". We are a lot farther along now than we were when I was a kid, but let's keep working.
To make a long story short...go see Wolverine! And Star Trek.