Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating!
Review: "Mind Meld" is a fascinating glimpse into the lives of two iconic actors who starred in the immensely popular Star Trek! For those of us who grew up watching Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock this is a must see! The two actors meet at Leonard Nimoy's home and share their memories in his beautiful backyard..You immediately sense a bond between the two that you sense as a deep and meaningful friendship..sort of a brotherly love if you will..
Shatner sort of starts off interviewing Nimoy but contributes quite a bit of his own personal reflections and memories..
One of highlights of this program is how Shatner deals with the animosity and resentment of his former castmates..It's obvious that he is quite hurt by some of the criticisms but he creates a veneer of rationalizations to "protect" himself...a defense mechanism if you will...
But to Shatner's credit..he was the "star" of the show and his boundless energy and crafting of his character was most likely going to alienate others..as a comparison, we always heard stories of Barbara Streisand's tantrums on movie sets..but I guess in a sense, that's what drove these artists and made them great! What I found odd is that Shatner stated that he felt the Star Trek conventions fueled the other actor's egos and made them feel more "important than they were" in his words..I'm not sure about that..after reading George Takei and Nichelle Nichol's books I felt they respected Shatner for his obvious talents as an actor but they, as an ensemble of actors, felt that their talents were not appreciated...as George Takei put it..he felt he was "decoration" on the bridge half of the time..
In making Star Trek the classic show that it was, the contributions of Nimoy and Shatner were immense no doubt however, there was one point during the interview where I felt that Gene Roddenberry had an immense amount of control over the show when Shatner mentioned that for the first movie..he had a idea about a scene and he and Nimoy worked it out and presented it to Robert Wise the director and Wise told them to run it by Gene..since Gene had crafted the original story..however..when it came time to do so..Shatner kind of felt intimidated...
This is a wonderful interview in that it humanizes the two actors and gives you quite a bit of insight into the pressures and stresses of making a hit TV show..that it's not all glitz and glamour but a lot of hard work! In the end you really respect these guys for their dedication to their characters and their openness about issues that they dealt with..
A definite must see for diehard fans of TOS and the 6 movies!!
Rating:
Summary: Great View for Anyone Who . . .
Review: . . . .aspires to be an actor, tv critic/personality, screen writer, interviewer, human being, or Trekker. What a wonderful piece of work! It was fascinating to watch. How a small role in their mid-careers affected their whole lives. Interesting, insightful, warm. I hung on every word. I'm so glad that they took time to record the feelings and thoughts behind a true phenomenom. Tight, articulate, and fascinating. All I can say is Thanks!
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD!!!
Review: For a true Star Trek fan this DVD is a fantastic way to spend a mere 75 minutes of your time. I thought I followed Star Trek pretty well, however, I did not know that Leonard Nimoy had gone through an alcohol problem. I wasn't truely aware that he'd seemingly had a lot of anger and confidence problems during those early years. William Shatner seemed like he was talking but more or less leading an interview with his friend. I personally do not believe that he didn't see or feel the animosity that the other cast members had for him. Overall though this is a very enlightening DVD and I recommend it to all Star Trek fans.
Rating:
Summary: A great look at the two who made Star Trek!
Review: For a true Star Trek fan this DVD is a fantastic way to spend a mere 75 minutes of your time. I thought I followed Star Trek pretty well, however, I did not know that Leonard Nimoy had gone through an alcohol problem. I wasn't truely aware that he'd seemingly had a lot of anger and confidence problems during those early years. William Shatner seemed like he was talking but more or less leading an interview with his friend. I personally do not believe that he didn't see or feel the animosity that the other cast members had for him. Overall though this is a very enlightening DVD and I recommend it to all Star Trek fans.
Rating:
Summary: They have been, and always shall be best friends!
Review: For me this is a very interesting look at both Bill Shatner and Leonard Nimoy, and how these 2 men while leading somewhat differant lives were the greatist of all friends. Finally we have insight into Nimoys persona: his love of art, the passion of acting, his personal demons, and other interseting subjects. With Bill Shatner, we have a man who is both very professional, idealistic, passionate, and who has had bad moments in his life especially with the death of his wife Nerine in 1999. Bill if you do read this, I want to tell you how very sorry I am for your loss. Both Bill and Leonard have both tried to grasp the concept of their popularity while at the same time have the fear of losing their privacy. Quite frankly, I am very offended at the criticism Shatner has had from people who muck him as not being a professional actor. Not to be rude, but it almost sounds like some people are cynical towards him, and I despise that very much. The bond between these two is so strong that even as they are both towards the end of their lives, they have a true love and respect towards each other which made them both heroes you can look up too. I do kinda wish if DeForrest Kelley(Dr. McCoy) had not passed away 3 years ago, it would have been 3 aces to see all three guys together again. For all those devoted fans, please buy this DVD. It is very special
Rating:
Summary: Nimoy & Shatner
Review: Great & interesting discussion. Recommendable for all people interested in Star Trek.
Rating: 
Summary: Leave Shatner alone....
Review: I keep hearing all these fans and people complain that Bill Shatner comes across as a shallow man. One who always wanted steal scenes from the other Trek actors or down play their screen time. Belive me. On this DVD seeing him and Leonard talk about their friendship and how Star Trek shaped their lives. I think nothing could be further from the truth. William Shatner is among the best actors to ever appear in science fiction. He took the role seriously and eviently he got along with the other cast members well enough that they did the Trek movies for as long as they did. After seeing this DVD and visiting his web-site, I think these stories of him being difficult to work with and being shallow and all that is either very wrong, misguided, or just the words of tabloid reporters who want their books published.
Rating:
Summary: Great DVD!!!
Review: I loved hearing them talk openly about the old Trek days. Their friendship is very touching. I'd love to see more of these with other cast members as well as from other shows.
Rating: 
Summary: To Boldly Go To......Nimoy's Backyard
Review: I received this little gem as a gift, and the thought of Leonard Nimoy & William Shatner sitting around a backyard and reminiscing about their days as Enterprise crew members seemed a bit odd to shell out money for. Really, unless you were a true hard-core fan who'd have spent money for an hour of these two guys talking?However, it really is a genuine surprise as you see these Sci Fi legends talk and act like two normal everyday guys. Granted, there are some canned questions and talking points they hit upon which no doubt were pre-determined, but the casualness and what appears to be pure honesty is not only surprisingly refreshing, but soon you get the feeling that Nimoy and Shatner really are best friends and you forget you're actually watching this as a spectator because you really get interested in what they have to say. The legendary egotism of Shatner does not appear to be warranted here and if this truly is a representation of Shatner as a person, then many claims towards him are easily debunked as jealousy from the media and other cast members. He touches on this briefly and I found myself sympathetic of his feelings as how he feels about the claims of other cast members. But the whole interview between them does not always revolve around Star Trek. They touch on their personal lives including their children, their marriages, personal problems and triumphs off camera. Also they discuss their battles and interactions with the studio execs, the public, the media, and their own dreams and aspiration both prior to Star Trek, and now after. Definitely something to learn about both actors are revealed here that one would never read in the pages of Starlog, or seen at a convention. While most of the interview takes place in Leonard Nimoy's backyard, they do manage to spend about 5 minutes or so in Nimoy's personal study/office in his home. Kinda cool to see what's on his walls, and what he collects. There isn't much to offer on the DVD itself: There is chapter selection, an annoying commercial to buy other bio-documentaries, and a 'making-of' featurette, and standard actor biographies. The only thing really missing is the fact that DeForest Kelly passed before this was made, for this DVD would be that much better if he was included. However, both Nimoy and Shatner do touch on Kelly, and pay a really nice homage to Bones. The reason I gave it three stars is the lack of extra content. There could have easily been a nice photo gallery, an extended interview or a wider range of topics, outtakes from other Nimoy & Shatner projects, maybe even some home movies thrown in for fun.
Rating: 
Summary: avoid the "Shatner" persona
Review: I'm sorry everybody but Shatner is such a bore. It was kind of interesting to see the old friends remembering thier frailties of youth, but this is just stupid, save your money.
|
