Star Trek Movie Memories

Book Description

The sequel to the bestselling Star Trek Memories, documenting in deliciously lurid and candid detail all the behind-the-scenes shenanigans in the making of the six Star Trek movies, with on-the-scene reporting from the set of the seventh in which...Kirk dies!

Star Trek Movie Memories recounts all the chaos, creative turmoil, backstage politics, power plays and production nightmares that permeated every one of the six Star Trek movies, including the accumulated grudges that haven't yet mellowed with the passage of time. And the stories... Nicholas Meyer writing the script for Star Trek II in twelve days... Kirstie Alley doing her Leonard Nimoy imitation in an audition... How Kirk's love interest in Star Trek IV began as a role for Eddie Murphy, and you can imagine the rest (or maybe not).

With stories and quotes from the principles that have never before been uttered in public, this will deliver a truly unprecedented behind-the-scenes view of the Trek films that will amaze even the most avid Trekker. And on top of it all, the hardcover will be published in time for the seventh film, which will present the perfect opportunity to tie the old crew and stars including Robert Wise, Ricardo Montalban, Christopher Lloyd, Christopher Plummer, Christian Slater to Patrick Stewart and the cast of The Next Generation. The torch will be passed, and William Shatner will tell us all about how it feels as his character is killed off in the film's finale.

Customer Reviews:

Too much studio politicking - not enough amusing anecdote.......2006-06-26

The term memoir is a misnomer. It's more a background history of the Star Trek movies. Shatner and Kreski have spent far too much time delving into the backroom fighting and creative disagreements, and not enough time reminiscing. As a useful study on what actually goes into the making of individual episodes of a major motion picture franchise, this book surely has few equals, and I hope it appears on the shelves of all important film schools. It has indeed been well researched. But really that should be a book with Kreski's name alone on it.

Surely what we want from William Shatner, actor, director and Star Trek star, is more a true memoir of his own personal relationships with the other members of the cast (good or bad), and to recall some of the laughter as well as the tears that took place while they were filming. The most we get of this is the tale of how the only two of the original cast to join Shatner in "Star Trek Generations" were his two greatest critics, Walter Koenig and James Doohan, and how Shatner, attempting to rebuild bridges, eventually persuaded them to pose for a photo, all holding hands. Koenig remarked that "a photo of the three of *us* holding hands must be worth at least $500, fifteen hundred if it was signed." Apart from that and one story from George Takei about being referred to as "Tiny" in Star Trek III, the rest is all about Harve Bennett, Nicholas Meyer, Leonard Nimoy (with his director and producer hat on) and (via memo) Gene Roddenberry, all of whom ended on very bad terms with each other. As to the cast, Nichelle Nicholls scarcely features at all, and neither does De Forest Kelley.

"Star Trek Memories", this book's predecessor, managed a better mix of stories from behind and in front of the camera, although in fairness there is already an inherent romanticism about the 1960s television industry which was to that book's advantage. "Movie Memories" generally leaves one with a nasty taste in the mouth.

William Shatner waxes nostalgic about the "Star Trek" movies.......2006-01-21

After writing "Star Trek Memories" with Chris Kreski in 1993, William Shatner came back a year later with "Star Trek Movie Memories." Whereas Shatner was uncertain as to the fate of Captain James T. Kirk of the Starship "Enterprise" at the end of the first book, by the time he wrote the second the character had officially died in "Star Trek: Generations." This provided an obvious stopping point for Shatner's memoirs and gives this book more of a sense of finality than the first one, especially since the book's epilogue is about shooting the death scene. There are less "Star Trek" movies to have memories about than there were television episodes and all of the films were made more recently so that the memories are fresher. Shatner also becomes more than just an actor when he directs "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier" and is one of three writers who came up with the story.

The format is the same, so that "Star Trek Movie Memories" combines his own reminiscences with in-depth interviews with other actors and various people associated in one way or another with making the movies. As was the case last time, Leonard Nimoy is always thoughtful and insightful, and he shares his feelings on having to shoot Spock's death scene in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and his anger at the machinations of studios and guilds (it is dangerous to let Nimoy speak for himself because he is always captivating, but clearly Shatner does not mind letting his co-star take the stage to talk about things in his own words). Perhaps the most interesting stories come from David Gautreau, the actor who never really got to play Xon, the Vulcan science officer in the first film (it is a long story and a classical example of the sort of sick joke that happens in the wacky world of Hollywood). The narrative actually picks up after the original "Star Trek" is cancelled in 1969 as Armstrong and Aldrin are walking on the moon. Shatner covers the highlights and lowlights of his career and persona life, played against the undercurrent of fans support for the show that ultimately manifests itself as the space shuttle "Enterprise" and the first "Star Trek" movie.

If you know anything about Shatner it is that he has an omnipresent sense of humor, which is clear from the titles given each chapter devoted to a "Star Trek" movie. The seven films become, in order, "Star Trek: The Emotional Picture," "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Bennett...and Meyer, and Montalban, and Diller, and Eisner, and Katzenberg, and....," "Star Trek III: The Perch for Spock," "Star Trek IV: The Voyage Roams," "Star Trek V: The Frantic Frontier," "Star Trek VI: Discovered Country," and "Star Trek VII: Regenerations." Shatner does devote due consideration to what it was like to be a movie director, but clearly he is much happier talking about his ploy to get Nicholas Meyer to stop smoking his stinking cigars. The book is filled with dozens of black & white photographs throughout and eight pages of color photographs in the middle. However, the attraction here for fans of "Star Trek," whatever nomenclature you feel best describes the group, are the behind the scenes stories, like when Nimoy and Shatner talk about Kirk's finest moment on celluloid in "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" when he learns his son David has been killed. I always find it interesting to see how happenstance plays a role in memorable movie moments. So while this book is not definitive, it is an enjoyable read and you should learn enough after the making of these movies to feel it was worth the time.

"Captain Kirk" recalls his theatrical "voyages".......2004-05-30

Forever emblazoned in popular culture as the captain of TV's original "Star Trek", William Shatner, along with co-author Chris Kreski, takes the reader on a journey where "no man has gone before": that is, the soundstages of each of the seven films in which he was featured as the stalwart captain. From the first, "Star Trek: The Motion Picture", to the transitional "Star Trek: Generations", Shatner reveals the backstage drama of film production. He debunks some misconceptions about his "arrogance" and makes apologies to those that may have been offended. The author also chronicles how the "suits" in the offices of Paramount made some budget changes that, no doubt, played an integral part in the failure of the Shatner-directed "Star Trek: The Final Frontier".

All in all, the book is a decent read for the true Trek fan; it's not one, however, that bodes well with the uninitiated.

Another look behind the scenes.......2004-03-03

After seeing the movies, avid fans wish to know what happened behind the scenes during the making of the movie. Questions like who yelled at who often arise. However, as in the Star Trek Memories book before it, Bill Shatner does not dish out a lot of gossip or dirt on anyone. Here, he discusses what went into getting the various projects to begin with. Although this may not sound as exciting, I found myself turning pages, amazed that the films were actually made. Roddenberry was not happy with his treatment, and the studio did not appear to want to work with anyone.

For the personal touch, Shatner begins by telling the readers what he was doing before he received the call for the first Star Trek motion picture. From there, the stories tend to cover the people involved in writing the scripts, producing and directing the films, and getting the financing and actors. For this, Shatner provides ample quotes from interviews and letters from the members involved. As with the last book, he does interview Nimoy and Takei, but where are the comments from others?

A bit more personal is the information on Shatner's directing as well as his death scene in the crossover movie. Although sentimental, he does not overdo it.

I would highly recommend this book to Star Trek fans.

Well written, if formulaic.......2002-03-02

The use of hackneyed phrases like "flash forward" aside, this is a well written and entertaining book. Some of the stories may be familiar from some of the dozens of other books on the subject, but for those unfamiliar with any of the behind the scenes books, this is probably a good first buy.

The Spectacular Spider-Man #139 : Grave Memory (Marvel Comics)

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The Spectacular Spider-Man #139 : Grave Memory (Marvel Comics)
Gerry Conway
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Star Trek Movie Memories
William with Chris Kreski Shatner
Manufacturer: Harpercollins
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Star Trek Movie Memories -
William Shatner -
Manufacturer: HarperCollins Publishing-
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Web of Spider-Man #118 : Memories (The Exile Returns - Marvel Comics)

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Web of Spider-Man #118 : Memories (The Exile Returns - Marvel Comics)
Terry Kavanagh
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The Spectacular Spider-Man #167 : A Misty Kind of Memory (Marvel Comics)

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The Spectacular Spider-Man #167 : A Misty Kind of Memory (Marvel Comics)
Gerry Conway
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Star Trek Movie Memories
William Shatner
Manufacturer: Harper Collins
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Binding: Hardcover

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Star Trek Movie Memories.
William. Shatner
Manufacturer: HarperTorch
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Star Trek The Next Generation - The Modala Imperative #1 : In Memory Yet Green... (DC Comic Book 1991)

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Star Trek The Next Generation - The Modala Imperative #1 : In Memory Yet Green... (DC Comic Book 1991)
Peter David
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Book Description

Revealing biography chronicles the chess champion's brilliant play, controversial behavior, private life, and more. 90 games. 26 photographs. Diagrams.

Customer Reviews:

Arid and Ironic.......2007-02-03

3.5 stars

It is just so hard to review this autobiography, completed at the height of Fischer's triumph, knowing what was to come. Though not meant to be ironic, the author's comments about Bobby having finally found his place atop the chess world cannot but seem ironic now.

That aside, and it is not wholly the author's fault, the book is neither as much as a puff piece as the earlier version was, to my mind at least, nor was it as penetrating as it could have been. It comes across as a sterile recounting of Fischer's career with little mention of a personal life, or wondering about the lack of one.

Though not penetrating and mentioning the seeds of behaviors that even then would have been known to Fischer's friends before they fully blossomed before the entire world the book is not full of praise for Bobby either. The recountings of his continued dropping out of tournaments, his altercation with Benko do not cast Fischer in the kindest light.

The author does seem to be softening, and explaining and excusing, these events but he is enough of a scholar that he leaves them reasonably unvarnished for the reader to make their own decisions.

Interesting, but now incomplete, reading to see the rocky and troubled rise of the solo chess prodigy Bobby Fischer.

frustrating combination of good and bad.......2006-08-01

Frank Brady's "Profile of a Prodigy" is a frustrating combination of good and bad. The good first: Brady gives fascinating behind-the-scenes information that I'd read nowhere else, giving you the sense that you are there. The bad: the book is riddled with mistakes, stuff you wouldn't find in a High School newspaper! Dates and misstatements of facts, too numerous to mention. And some chessic misjudgements too, like when Brady says, speaking of the 1972 Title Match, that Fischer varied his opening repertoire to an English Opening in Game 8 from the QGD of Game 6. But it wasn't Fischer who varied; he played 1.c4 in both games. It was Spassky's reply in game 8 that changed the opening. The book would've benefitted from a good editor, one who knows how to play chess. But despite all this, I'd still recommend the book. It's a fascinating read.
Bob Hunt, Hillsborough, N.J.

A wide-eyed, breathless biography.......2004-12-08

I bought the first edition of this book by mail order when I was about 16, and devoured it eagerly. In those days world-class chess was relentlessly dominated by the USSR, challenged mainly by other Eastern Europeans and the occasional American like Reshevsky, Evans and the Byrne brothers. Boris Spassky was soon to play "iron Tigran" Petrosian for the world title, and the only wild card seemed to be a crazy teenage genius from New York who could beat anyone at all on his day. Frank Brady's writing captured the sheer excitement of it all. For instance, in a great tournament with most of the best players in the world, Mikhail Tal expected Petrosian to crush the upstart Fischer, "but when Bobby beat the USSR champion the crowd roared".

Brady's style is journalistic, but it fits his subject quite well. This much expanded edition takes Fischer's story all the way to winning the world championship, which is probably a logical place to stop. (Fischer stopped playing chess at that point, so the rest of his life has been lived in a very different world). The book is full of interesting facts that you could not read about anywhere else, and until a professional biographer turns his attention to Fischer - which may never happen, because he is about the least cooperative subject imaginable - it will remain the last word.

The games section is a different story. Only a narrow cross section are given, with notes by Brady that reveal his lack of expertise. They are only there for completeness' sake, and should be read as an extension of the biography. If you want to understand Fischer's chess, read his Collected Games, his own "My 60 Memorable Games" (which is itself very limited in scope, though superb in depth), or Elie Agur's brilliant "Bobby Fischer: His Approach to Chess".

Weak but worth the price.......2003-07-24

Fischer was a genius, no question about that. This book is a good buy for the price: you get a (weak) biography of a great player, 8 pages of pictures, and 90 (poorly) annotated games for less than US$15.00! Altogether not a bad deal. However, I take issue with the author. Because he was a friend of Fischer's he did not want to ruin his relationship with him by revealing Fischer's odd character traits, as many other reviewers have noticed. Worst, the author wants you to believe Fischer was a good boy, the American self made sportsman who increased the popularity of the game while fighting for better playing conditions and higher appearance fees, which would ultimately benefit chess professionals as a whole. This might be true. However, it is also true that Fischer left chess players as a whole with an undeletable image: that of nerds, eccentrics and the like. All in all I think his contribution to the image of chess was negative, not positive. Upon reading the book it struck me that Spassky allowed himself to play that fatidic match in Iceland. Fischer did not show up at the date and time they had originally agreed. Spassky gave in to Fischer's absurd demands, falling pray to Fischer's psychological warfare. He should have walked away and kept his title, period. Since he did not the rest is history. At the end of the day the character of a World Champion is seem not when he wins a world championship match but rather when he loses it. Fischer, unlike Spassky, Karpov, and Kasparov never showed up to defend his title. This will be his sad legacy.

Bobby Fischer ý Profile of a Prodigy.......2001-08-01

Brady's Profile of a Prodigy should be on the bookshelf of every chessplayer who has more than a passing interest in the game of kings. The carefully researched and thoroughly enthralling text hooked me, from Bobby's formative years as a child in Brooklyn, playing in a simul with Max Pavey to his dramatic triumph for the title of World Champion in Reykjavik, I was compelled to read on. Bobby Fischer: Profile of a Prodigy is filled with keen observations and telling anecdotes that combine to create an insightful framing of this stormy chess genius. In addition to the text of the biography, ninety of Fischer's games are reproduced with annotations. In brief, the definitive Fischer tome.

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Profile of a Prodigy the Life and Games of Bobby Fis
F. Brady
Manufacturer: David McKay Co
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Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 0679500758

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Profile of a Prodigy :Bobby Fischer
Frank Brady
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ASIN: B000Q0VUBC

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Profile of a Prodigy: The Life and Games of Bobby Fischer
Frank Brady
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PROFILE OF A PRODIGY: THE LIFE AND GAMES OF BOBBY FISCHER Revised Edition
Frank Brady
Manufacturer: David McKay
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ASIN: B000JWDO3Y

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Profile of a prodigy;: The life and games of Bobby Fischer,
Frank Brady
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Binding: Unknown Binding
ASIN: B0006BMZ3S

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Profile of a Prodigy : the Life and Games of Bobby Fischer
Frank Brady
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Profile of a Prodigy :Bobby Fischer
Frank Brady
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Profile of a Prodigy :Bobby Fischer
Frank Brady
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Profile of a Prodigy :Bobby Fischer
Frank Brady
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Book Description

The perfect speedy reference for today's overburdened financial managers

The Vest Pocket CFO, Second Edition offers vital support for CFOs and financial executives who need to simplify their day-to-day workloads. Written in any easy Q & A format and packed with checklists, samples, and worked-out solutions to a wide variety of finance and accounting problems, it speeds readers through such complex tasks as Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, internal control and financial reporting, financial statement analysis, and much more. This small but powerful resource helps busy financial managers:
* Solve business problems with instant access to key techniques, tips, and strategies
* Analyze, evaluate, and solve financial issues in a hurry with handy ratios, procedures, and rules of thumb
* Use sample reports and guidelines to help complete complex tasks in a jiffy

Customer Reviews:

Great quick-reference guide for all business people.......2000-03-29

I found this guide to be a great resource for a variety of business needs. The cover of the book refers to it as a great reference for the CFO and the like. I want to expand that to say it is a great quick-reference book for all business people. Whether you're in entry-level sales, middle management, or executive level, you need to understand the financial basis for each decision. This book allows even a financial novice to quickly get enough information to intelligently approach financial issues.

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The Vest Pocket CFO
Jae K. Shim , and Joel G. Siegel
Manufacturer: Wiley
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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The thorough reference that goes wherever you go

The Vest Pocket CFO is the perfect up-to-date reference tool for today's busy CFO, controller, treasurer, and other finance professionals. Written in an easy Q&A format and packed with checklists, samples, and worked-out solutions for a wide variety of accounting and finance problems, readers can take this handy reference wherever they go-on a business trip, visiting a client, conducting a conference call, or attending a meeting.

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