Time: 7:40 p.m., last night
Present: Me, Maura, Bink
Movie: Tropic Thunder (2008)
Movie Setting: exterior, Vietnam, jungle, rainy night
Character: washed-up actor Tugg Speedman (Ben Stiller)
Action: Speedman/Stiller, lost in the jungle, is looking at his cell phone. Over his shoulder, we see he is watching Star Trek: the scene from the episode "Arena" where Capt. Kirk is fighting the Gorn captain.
(Yup, this very scene to the left, where the Gorn grabs Kirk's leg.)
Result: All three of us screamed at once. Several people in the crowded but otherwise silent theater turned around.
I always liked Ben Stiller. Now I know why:
"Ben Stiller on the Star Trek's 30th Anniversary Special, 1996"
I have often *almost* sprayed coffee on my computer. When Ben Stiller sings the Hippie Adam's song from "The Way to Eden" (right, Manfred's favorite I believe), well... that was the first time I actually had to wipe the screen down.
Following up links to stiller-puts-some-star-trek-into-tropic-thunder, I read that Stiller owns the original Gorn head.