Star Trek Kid?

March 21, 2006 1:58 PM

Star Trek Kid? One man video reconstruction of First Contact, the scene in which Alfre Woodard quotes Moby Dick at Picard. Interesting choice. YouTube link.
posted by feelinglistless (45 comments total)

YouTubeFilter...

although his 'Picard' persona wasn't half bad...
posted by WhipSmart at 2:04 PM on March 21, 2006

Alfre Woodard, Whoopi Goldberg - all those people look the same, don't they?

Anyway, I thought he was doing Divine...
posted by MaxVonCretin at 2:05 PM on March 21, 2006

This is much less embarrassing than Star Wars kid.

/disappointed
posted by grobstein at 2:10 PM on March 21, 2006

Yeah. It really wsn't so bad. Goofy. But at least he was in to it.
posted by tkchrist at 2:10 PM on March 21, 2006

Yeah, I was using Star Trek Kid as an eyecatching allusion but really the performance(s) are quite good, if as you say, a bit goofy.
posted by feelinglistless at 2:16 PM on March 21, 2006

I like this kid's As Good As It Gets much better.

All kidding aside...I find myself mesmerized by his imitations. Have I reached an all-time low in my Internet usage or is this kid good?

Probably a little column A and a little column B.
posted by ford and the prefects at 2:17 PM on March 21, 2006

Alfre Woodard, Whoopi Goldberg - all those people look the same, don't they?

Wait, what does Whoopi Goldberg have to do with this?
posted by mckenney at 2:22 PM on March 21, 2006

I watched it without putting my headphones on, and I don't feel that I missed anything.
posted by CRM114 at 2:23 PM on March 21, 2006

I think (although hey -- could be wrong) MaxVonCretin is under the impression that I miss identified the other person in the scene as Guinan. No.
posted by feelinglistless at 2:24 PM on March 21, 2006

Erm, it kinda seems like the impressionist-actor himself has "misidentified the other person in the scene as Guinan", cuz he's doing a bangin' Whoopie impression.

And while the single YouTube link is sort weak, I gotta say I enjoyed this way more than I should have.
posted by LordSludge at 2:29 PM on March 21, 2006

I am so, so, so grateful that I was too poor to have a video camera when I was a kid. Shit like this would haunt me for the rest of my life.
posted by Gator at 2:35 PM on March 21, 2006

Nice moustache!
posted by Robot Johnny at 2:41 PM on March 21, 2006

wow, this kid *is* good.
That's pretty rare acting talent, there.
Colour me impressed.
posted by ruelle at 2:41 PM on March 21, 2006

I would just like to say that that... was... AWESOME. holy fuck, I envy the fun that kid must have by himself.

...

that... came out... differently than I'd anticipated. either way, this was rad.
posted by shmegegge at 2:45 PM on March 21, 2006

Depending on how many re-enactments this kid has done/will do: quite possibly one of the most awesome things on the internet. Especially if he were to do, like, 500 re-enactments, presumably all of them from his parents' basement in Topeka or wherever, but never reveal anything else about himself (which, unfortunately, I'm sure he's already done on some other website of his).

He could be like a modern-day acting Jandek. Yeah, that's the ticket. Dear boy on the internet: please do this - for me! Thanks, billysumday.
posted by billysumday at 3:48 PM on March 21, 2006

Surprisingly enjoyable.
posted by melvix at 3:51 PM on March 21, 2006

Very good acting. Has talent and gumption.
posted by alteredcarbon at 3:52 PM on March 21, 2006

Mod note: fixed fpp per poster
posted by jessamyn (staff) at 6:12 PM on March 21, 2006

you know, he's right - this scene would have been better with nathan lane.
posted by poweredbybeard at 6:36 PM on March 21, 2006

you're threatening me?
posted by poweredbybeard at 6:52 PM on March 21, 2006

Don't forget Home Alone or his User Page
posted by blue_beetle at 7:08 PM on March 21, 2006

oops... i meant that scene in first contact.
cuz... as good as it gets really does have nathan lane.
and someone linked to an as good as it gets impression.
but i... i was talking about first contact.
cuz he talks like nathan lane.
in first contact.
the impression.
this is too small for you to read.
stop reading now.

posted by poweredbybeard at 7:21 PM on March 21, 2006

Brilliant! This kid is going places!
posted by aladfar at 7:23 PM on March 21, 2006

That was the best thing I've seen all day. The clip from "The Breakfast Club" was pretty good too. I'd like to see him do the scene in Jaws where Quint relates the story of the sinking of the USS Indianapolis. I bet he'd rock it.
posted by Rusty Iron at 8:03 PM on March 21, 2006

Yep, no doubt, the kid's good.
posted by zardoz at 8:14 PM on March 21, 2006

This guy is fucking awesome.
posted by Optimus Chyme at 8:20 PM on March 21, 2006

That really is an awesome water gun.
posted by Astro Zombie at 8:32 PM on March 21, 2006

The Breakfast Club re-enactment poweredbybeard linked to was stunning.
Just amazing.
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:50 PM on March 21, 2006

I thought his Picard was pretty good, actually. I was annoyed that his Alfre Woodard was such a thick and white Southern accent -- I didn't think he got that right (origins of AAVE notwithstanding).

Plus, he skipped the best fucking line in the whole scene: "You broke your little ship."
posted by dhartung at 8:50 PM on March 21, 2006

Oh, Kevin Spacey & James Cromwell in L. A. Confidential!
posted by Alvy Ampersand at 8:51 PM on March 21, 2006

just watched his other re-enactments... I hate to say it, but the kid's got talent... I really shouldn't have enjoyed those as much as I did...

Nice job... keep it up, whoever you are...
posted by WhipSmart at 9:01 PM on March 21, 2006

Not bad, but he messed up a few lines. And yes, I am ashamed, thanks for asking.
posted by xyzzy at 10:34 PM on March 21, 2006

This would have been better if he'd gotten a friend to play opposite him. What makes that scene work in the original film is how Woodard is there for Stewart. People often dismiss Woodard's presence in the film as a stand-in for Goldberg. I admire Whoopi's work, but she chews the set. She's rarely been present and properly lended focus to other actors. Even in The Color Purple, which is some of her best acting ever, she wasn't great as a supporting actress for others on screen.

Woodard's a powerful talent at making other people look good. Very hard to do and often underappreciated, that talent. This kid's not a bad actor, but he's got a lot to learn.

The scene is more wooden when broken up into sides where he appears to play against himself. The magic of that scene is in the reactions those two actors had facing off against one another.

If this kid got another person to play opposite him, and focused on his Stewart impersonation, staying present in the scene, I guarantee you more people would be in here saying, "that kid is awesome!"

He's good, but he's young and inexperienced. He could be much better.
posted by ZachsMind at 11:04 PM on March 21, 2006

Just goes to show good writing and performance can do wonders for distracting people from other, not so good production values.
posted by Poagao at 11:49 PM on March 21, 2006

Poago wrote "good writing"...

Why is it that most movie scripts have to include a connect the dots dialogue? Did we need to be told of the similarities between Picard and Ahab? It just blows my mind sometimes that screenwriters feel they have to hold my hand and guide me through the subtext.

Oh yeah, it was teh funny too.
posted by Gungho at 4:35 AM on March 22, 2006

That kid is fantastic.
posted by Turtles all the way down at 7:59 AM on March 22, 2006

These are much better than expected. He is talented.
posted by Songdog at 8:10 AM on March 22, 2006

Pretty much on a daily basis I'm SO glad there weren't affordable consumer video cameras (and the internet) when I was 12 years old.
posted by chococat at 8:29 AM on March 22, 2006

Is it me or is his Wonka very similar to his Picard? That being said, the kid has chops.
posted by ooga_booga at 10:51 AM on March 22, 2006

This would have been better if he'd gotten a friend to play opposite him. What makes that scene work in the original film is how Woodard is there for Stewart.

I think the whole point is that it's just this one dude. If someone else was there, it wouldn't be half as awesome.
posted by mckenney at 11:44 AM on March 22, 2006

That scene is one of my favourites out of any Trek movie or show. This dude has made it better. Awesome.
posted by Foaf at 12:34 PM on March 22, 2006

His Nicholson impression was a dead-on Nixon.
posted by LilBucner at 12:53 PM on March 22, 2006

He's very good - he can act with his eyes.
posted by jb at 2:23 PM on March 22, 2006

And his voice as well - that goes without saying. He can really change character, too, which is something that many quite good actors don't always do.
posted by jb at 2:24 PM on March 22, 2006

His moustache work is brilliant.
posted by Astro Zombie at 2:46 PM on March 22, 2006