Some of the hot movies coming out this summer, and which ones I'm most excited for (in exactly 10 words):
Shrek Forever After (this weekend): Major sequelitis, though alternate universe premise shows promise. Overall: Maybe.
Sex and the City 2 (May 27): Never watched the show or first movie. No plans here.
Marmaduke (June 4): Unnecessary movie for unfunny comic. Waste of George Lopez's talent.
The Karate Kid (June 11): Will watch the original and this one, then compare them.
Toy Story 3 (June 18): Toy Story rocks. Pixar rules. Cannot wait for this movie!
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (June 30): Probably going to suck. Probably going to see it anyway.
Despicable Me (July 9): Annoying yellow henchman...things...in commercials killed any potential interest.
Ramona and Beezus (July 23): Loved the books. Trailer looks cute, fluffy. Maybe too fluffy.
Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore (July 30): Loved the first one. Should be good, clean, stupid fun.
Wow. Out of all those movies, the only original concept is "Despicable Me." Of course, these are just the movies that I know something about. I haven't been to the theater since Johnny and I saw "Avatar" so I haven't seen any previews aside from the ones I decided to track down on YouTube.
What movies are you most excited for? Leave a comment or e-mail us at videorevue@gmail.com.
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reviews. Show all posts
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Resolution Revue: X-Men
I am not a comic book geek by any stretch of the imagination. However, I love the Spider-Man films (well, loved the first 2; liked the third) and I'm a fan of superheroes in general. I added the X-Men movies to my resolution list for three basic reasons:
1. RandomGuy's videos feature a ton of X-Men characters and I'd like to be able to identify them all.
2. Hugh Jackman. Shirtless.
3. Patrick Stewart.
The first X-Men movie introduces us to some of the most important characters, including Wolverine, Rogue, Professor Xavier, Storm, Cyclops, and Jean Grey. On the bad guys' team, we have Magneto, Mystique, Toad, and Sabretooth. The movie revolves around Wolverine (Logan) and Rogue being found and taken to the Professor's school/high-tech undergound lab as Magneto plans to turn all of the world's leaders into mutants.
Overall, I really liked this movie. The acting was fantastic all around. When looking at the cast list on IMDB, I was surprised by (a) how many names I recognized and (b) that it had taken me so long to finally see this movie. Halle Berry is fantastic as Storm, if a bit underused. Though the scene where she comes out of the elevator, floating in midair, hair whipping around her, was almost cool enough to make up for her lack of screen time. Almost. Anna Paquin, whose name I recognize now because of her starring role on HBO's True Blood, does a fine job as Rogue. Johnny thought she spent all of her time whining. While I will concede that she's not the most calm and collected of the heroes, she is just a teenage girl who hasn't learned to control her powers yet. And her power is pretty freaky.
On the X-Men team, I liked everyone, but especially Storm and Professor Xavier (and not just because he's played by Patrick Stewart). Personality-wise, he reminds me a lot of Professor Dumbledore: always looking for the good in people, optimistic (to a fault?), and powerful enough that you REALLY don't want to be on his bad side.
Magneto is an interesting villain; if you look at his arguments the right way, you might almost agree with him. And Mystique is a good villainess, because you never know where she'll turn up or who she'll be. And she appears to be pretty unkillable, so I hope to see more of her (or her pretending to be someone else) in the next movies. I was glad to see Sabretooth and Toad go. Especially Toad. They were both just kind of gross, and not all that interesting.
Overall, I'd give X-Men 4.5 stars/5.
1. RandomGuy's videos feature a ton of X-Men characters and I'd like to be able to identify them all.
2. Hugh Jackman. Shirtless.
3. Patrick Stewart.
The first X-Men movie introduces us to some of the most important characters, including Wolverine, Rogue, Professor Xavier, Storm, Cyclops, and Jean Grey. On the bad guys' team, we have Magneto, Mystique, Toad, and Sabretooth. The movie revolves around Wolverine (Logan) and Rogue being found and taken to the Professor's school/high-tech undergound lab as Magneto plans to turn all of the world's leaders into mutants.
Overall, I really liked this movie. The acting was fantastic all around. When looking at the cast list on IMDB, I was surprised by (a) how many names I recognized and (b) that it had taken me so long to finally see this movie. Halle Berry is fantastic as Storm, if a bit underused. Though the scene where she comes out of the elevator, floating in midair, hair whipping around her, was almost cool enough to make up for her lack of screen time. Almost. Anna Paquin, whose name I recognize now because of her starring role on HBO's True Blood, does a fine job as Rogue. Johnny thought she spent all of her time whining. While I will concede that she's not the most calm and collected of the heroes, she is just a teenage girl who hasn't learned to control her powers yet. And her power is pretty freaky.
On the X-Men team, I liked everyone, but especially Storm and Professor Xavier (and not just because he's played by Patrick Stewart). Personality-wise, he reminds me a lot of Professor Dumbledore: always looking for the good in people, optimistic (to a fault?), and powerful enough that you REALLY don't want to be on his bad side.
Magneto is an interesting villain; if you look at his arguments the right way, you might almost agree with him. And Mystique is a good villainess, because you never know where she'll turn up or who she'll be. And she appears to be pretty unkillable, so I hope to see more of her (or her pretending to be someone else) in the next movies. I was glad to see Sabretooth and Toad go. Especially Toad. They were both just kind of gross, and not all that interesting.
Overall, I'd give X-Men 4.5 stars/5.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Resolution Revue: Star Trek IV--The Voyage Home
Monica here with my first movie review from my New Year's resolution list! The Voyage Home finishes off the movie "trilogy" started with Wrath of Khan and continued in The Search for Spock as the Enterprise travels from the 23rd century back to the 20th. It's like Back to the Future with starships! And whales. And minus Christopher Lloyd (who, oddly enough, was in ST3 as the Klingon leader).
The movie begins with Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew about to head back to Earth to face court martial in a Klingon ship for all the crazy stuff they pulled in Search for Spock as they attempted to reunite Spock's body with his "katra." The Enterprise has been destroyed, Spock still isn't his old self, and they're all in deep trouble. However, their problems pale in comparison to what is happening at the Starfleet headquarters on Earth, where a mysterious alien probe is vaporizing all of the Earth's oceans. The probe appears to be sending a message, which the Enterprise crew determines is aimed, not at humans, but at humpback whales. The only problem here is that humpback whales have been extinct in the Trek 'verse since the 21st century, so the Enterprise crew heads back in time to find some. Despite all of the advancements in technology that humanity has made in 300-odd years, apparently time travel is still an inexact science. The time travel involves some complicated equations and launching themselves at the sun, only to turn right before they vaporize. Or something like that.
All of this is a complicated excuse for answering the question, "What if the Enterprise crew could walk around San Francisco in 1986?" Not that I mind. One of the things I enjoy the most about the original Trek was their focus on placing the characters in all sorts of odd situations just to see how they would react (and, oddly enough, that is also one of the things I like about Pinky and the Brain). Anyway, this movie does not disappoint. Kirk and Spock go to find the whales being held at an aquarium, Uhura and Chekov go to find some "nuclear wessels" which they can use to power the Klingon ship back to the future, and Scotty and McCoy find supplies to build a tank to house the whales.
I really liked this movie. For once, I thought the story between Kirk and his love interest was pretty good. Usually, I think Shatner comes off as pompous but here he was kind of adorable. Maybe because he was telling the marine biologist the absolute truth and she still didn't believe him. Maybe it was because he wasn't hitting on someone who could have been half his age (squick). I loved Spock, as always, especially the ridiculous robe he was wearing. And the headband to cover his Vulcan ears. He did, indeed, look like someone who had done a little too much "LDS" in the sixties. Other favorite scenes included Kirk and Spock on the bus (especially Spock giving the Vulcan nerve pinch to the obnoxious teenager) and McCoy in the "modern" hospital ("The doctor gave me a pill and I grew a new kidney!"). And, of course, Scotty's attempt to talk to the computer in the scientist's office (a similar gag was used in an episode of 3rd Rock--but, as usual, Star Trek did it first). All in all, it was fun and exciting and a great time.
Overall: 4.5/5
The movie begins with Kirk and the rest of the Enterprise crew about to head back to Earth to face court martial in a Klingon ship for all the crazy stuff they pulled in Search for Spock as they attempted to reunite Spock's body with his "katra." The Enterprise has been destroyed, Spock still isn't his old self, and they're all in deep trouble. However, their problems pale in comparison to what is happening at the Starfleet headquarters on Earth, where a mysterious alien probe is vaporizing all of the Earth's oceans. The probe appears to be sending a message, which the Enterprise crew determines is aimed, not at humans, but at humpback whales. The only problem here is that humpback whales have been extinct in the Trek 'verse since the 21st century, so the Enterprise crew heads back in time to find some. Despite all of the advancements in technology that humanity has made in 300-odd years, apparently time travel is still an inexact science. The time travel involves some complicated equations and launching themselves at the sun, only to turn right before they vaporize. Or something like that.
All of this is a complicated excuse for answering the question, "What if the Enterprise crew could walk around San Francisco in 1986?" Not that I mind. One of the things I enjoy the most about the original Trek was their focus on placing the characters in all sorts of odd situations just to see how they would react (and, oddly enough, that is also one of the things I like about Pinky and the Brain). Anyway, this movie does not disappoint. Kirk and Spock go to find the whales being held at an aquarium, Uhura and Chekov go to find some "nuclear wessels" which they can use to power the Klingon ship back to the future, and Scotty and McCoy find supplies to build a tank to house the whales.
I really liked this movie. For once, I thought the story between Kirk and his love interest was pretty good. Usually, I think Shatner comes off as pompous but here he was kind of adorable. Maybe because he was telling the marine biologist the absolute truth and she still didn't believe him. Maybe it was because he wasn't hitting on someone who could have been half his age (squick). I loved Spock, as always, especially the ridiculous robe he was wearing. And the headband to cover his Vulcan ears. He did, indeed, look like someone who had done a little too much "LDS" in the sixties. Other favorite scenes included Kirk and Spock on the bus (especially Spock giving the Vulcan nerve pinch to the obnoxious teenager) and McCoy in the "modern" hospital ("The doctor gave me a pill and I grew a new kidney!"). And, of course, Scotty's attempt to talk to the computer in the scientist's office (a similar gag was used in an episode of 3rd Rock--but, as usual, Star Trek did it first). All in all, it was fun and exciting and a great time.
Overall: 4.5/5
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Movie Revue: New Moon
Yes, I finally the time AND money to see New Moon. Incidentally, why is it $6 for a matinee showing of a movie that's been out for a month? Prices at our local theater just went up from $5.50 to $6, and it bugs me.
New Moon stars Taylor Lautner, who spends most of the movie shirtless; Kristen Stewart, who spends most of the movie looking constipated; and Robert Pattinson, who spends most of the movie about to burst into tears. Seriously, for two people who are supposed to be madly in love, Edward and Bella sure don't smile a lot. So, thirty-second recap: After her true love (and vampire) Edward leaves her alone in the woods, painfully normal human Bella sinks into a deep depression. The only one who can bring her out of it is her friend Jacob, who like likes Bella, but Bella doesn't like him that way. Then it turns out that Jacob is a werewolf. Then Bella has to go to Italy to stop Edward from committing vampire suicide.
As I mentioned on last week's show, I am a fan of Twilight, but I am not a screaming Twilight fangirl. As such, I was able to enjoy this movie as a guilty pleasure. The movie seemed to drag at times; as in Twilight, there were scenes where the characters spent most of their screen time staring at each other. I started calling "Line?" whenever the pauses got too long (there were maybe 5 other people in the theater besides me, and I'm sure they couldn't hear my commentary). I'm honestly not sure whether this movie is good, or so bad it's good. I suppose it's some of both; the scenes with the Volturi were genuinely tense, and I liked a lot of the scenes with Bella and Jacob.
Something that bugs me about Twilight, especially now that I know how it all ends, is that Bella ends up with Edward. One of the biggest complaints the Twi-haters like to raise is that Bella and Edward's relationship doesn't seem to be based on anything. They just have passionate true love, for reasons which are never fully explored. Bella and Jacob, on the other hand, have a strong friendship based on things like common interests and even have some inside jokes. And in any other movie, the girl would've dumped the hot-guy-who-leaves-her for the friend-who's-always-been-there.
The special effects were pretty good--better than Twilight--and for the most part, I thought the werewolves looked great. The only part they couldn't get quite right was the eyes. They should have narrowed more when the wolves were trying to be menacing.
Overall: New Moon gets 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
New Moon stars Taylor Lautner, who spends most of the movie shirtless; Kristen Stewart, who spends most of the movie looking constipated; and Robert Pattinson, who spends most of the movie about to burst into tears. Seriously, for two people who are supposed to be madly in love, Edward and Bella sure don't smile a lot. So, thirty-second recap: After her true love (and vampire) Edward leaves her alone in the woods, painfully normal human Bella sinks into a deep depression. The only one who can bring her out of it is her friend Jacob, who like likes Bella, but Bella doesn't like him that way. Then it turns out that Jacob is a werewolf. Then Bella has to go to Italy to stop Edward from committing vampire suicide.
As I mentioned on last week's show, I am a fan of Twilight, but I am not a screaming Twilight fangirl. As such, I was able to enjoy this movie as a guilty pleasure. The movie seemed to drag at times; as in Twilight, there were scenes where the characters spent most of their screen time staring at each other. I started calling "Line?" whenever the pauses got too long (there were maybe 5 other people in the theater besides me, and I'm sure they couldn't hear my commentary). I'm honestly not sure whether this movie is good, or so bad it's good. I suppose it's some of both; the scenes with the Volturi were genuinely tense, and I liked a lot of the scenes with Bella and Jacob.
Something that bugs me about Twilight, especially now that I know how it all ends, is that Bella ends up with Edward. One of the biggest complaints the Twi-haters like to raise is that Bella and Edward's relationship doesn't seem to be based on anything. They just have passionate true love, for reasons which are never fully explored. Bella and Jacob, on the other hand, have a strong friendship based on things like common interests and even have some inside jokes. And in any other movie, the girl would've dumped the hot-guy-who-leaves-her for the friend-who's-always-been-there.
The special effects were pretty good--better than Twilight--and for the most part, I thought the werewolves looked great. The only part they couldn't get quite right was the eyes. They should have narrowed more when the wolves were trying to be menacing.
Overall: New Moon gets 3 1/2 stars out of 5.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
TV Show Revue: The Vampire Diaries
From the network that brought you "Gossip Girl"...
Yeah.
The CW's new high school romance/vampire drama premiered tonight. It's based on a (fantastic) series of books by LJ Smith. There are obvious comparisons to "Twilight." We have the hot, mysterious guy who turns out to be a vampire. Said vampire no longer drinks human blood. We have the quiet girl who falls for the mysterious, brooding guy. Oh, and both series are set in high school.
But that's where the comparisons end. "Vampire Diaries" follows Elena, the quiet girl whose parents died in a car accident; Stefan, the Mysterious Brooding Vampire; Bonnie, Elena's psychic best friend; Damon, Stefan's Evil Vampire Brother; Matt, Elena's ex-boyfriend; and Carolyn, Elena's "frenemy." They're all basically the same characters as in the books. Then, just to shake things up, the writers invented a teenage pothead brother for Elena (fans of the books will remember that she originally had a much younger sister) and a teenage sister for Matt and some other characters who are there basically to complicate the relationships and/or die. Oh, and some guy who Stefan claims is his uncle but obviously isn't because he's human and several centuries younger than his "nephew." He knows what Stefan is, though.
As first episodes go, it wasn't too bad. It wasn't spectacular, though. The dialog was kind of flat--except for Damon. He was probably my favorite character. I wish we'd seen more of him. There was way too much of an emphasis on the relationship junk for my taste. I'll watch again next week, and I'll probably stick through the whole season, but so far I'm not overly impressed.
My main criticism is the way they portray the high school. Who provided all that beer for the "back-to-school" party? I find it disturbing that all of the sex and the drinking and the drugs are just assumed as a given. What message are they trying to convey? "This is what high school is like?" Or: "This is how high school SHOULD be?" Neither of those sounds like a good option to me.
When I think of vampire TV shows, the first one that comes to mind is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", which also had the mysterious brooding vampire and high school setting. Even from the first episode, these characters seemed real. They had distinct personalities. The characters in Vampire Diaries, especially the girls, seemed pretty much interchangeable. I don't really feel like I know any of the characters yet--except for Damon. Maybe I'm just biased towards Buffy--the first episode wasn't the first one that I saw--but it is, in my mind, a much better pilot.
And here's the four-sentence summary!
The Vampire Diaries (new series; premiered fall 2009)
The Premise: Hottie brooding vampire moves to small town, followed by hottie evil vampire.
Why I love it: Damon is pretty hot.
If I could change one thing, I'd: get rid of a subplot or two, probably the "drug-dealing-younger-brother" one.
Girl power rating: Too early to tell. Initial score 2/5 for not really developing any of the female characters and making 2 girls vampire victims in the first episode already.
Yeah.
The CW's new high school romance/vampire drama premiered tonight. It's based on a (fantastic) series of books by LJ Smith. There are obvious comparisons to "Twilight." We have the hot, mysterious guy who turns out to be a vampire. Said vampire no longer drinks human blood. We have the quiet girl who falls for the mysterious, brooding guy. Oh, and both series are set in high school.
But that's where the comparisons end. "Vampire Diaries" follows Elena, the quiet girl whose parents died in a car accident; Stefan, the Mysterious Brooding Vampire; Bonnie, Elena's psychic best friend; Damon, Stefan's Evil Vampire Brother; Matt, Elena's ex-boyfriend; and Carolyn, Elena's "frenemy." They're all basically the same characters as in the books. Then, just to shake things up, the writers invented a teenage pothead brother for Elena (fans of the books will remember that she originally had a much younger sister) and a teenage sister for Matt and some other characters who are there basically to complicate the relationships and/or die. Oh, and some guy who Stefan claims is his uncle but obviously isn't because he's human and several centuries younger than his "nephew." He knows what Stefan is, though.
As first episodes go, it wasn't too bad. It wasn't spectacular, though. The dialog was kind of flat--except for Damon. He was probably my favorite character. I wish we'd seen more of him. There was way too much of an emphasis on the relationship junk for my taste. I'll watch again next week, and I'll probably stick through the whole season, but so far I'm not overly impressed.
My main criticism is the way they portray the high school. Who provided all that beer for the "back-to-school" party? I find it disturbing that all of the sex and the drinking and the drugs are just assumed as a given. What message are they trying to convey? "This is what high school is like?" Or: "This is how high school SHOULD be?" Neither of those sounds like a good option to me.
When I think of vampire TV shows, the first one that comes to mind is "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", which also had the mysterious brooding vampire and high school setting. Even from the first episode, these characters seemed real. They had distinct personalities. The characters in Vampire Diaries, especially the girls, seemed pretty much interchangeable. I don't really feel like I know any of the characters yet--except for Damon. Maybe I'm just biased towards Buffy--the first episode wasn't the first one that I saw--but it is, in my mind, a much better pilot.
And here's the four-sentence summary!
The Vampire Diaries (new series; premiered fall 2009)
The Premise: Hottie brooding vampire moves to small town, followed by hottie evil vampire.
Why I love it: Damon is pretty hot.
If I could change one thing, I'd: get rid of a subplot or two, probably the "drug-dealing-younger-brother" one.
Girl power rating: Too early to tell. Initial score 2/5 for not really developing any of the female characters and making 2 girls vampire victims in the first episode already.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Happy dance time: "Leverage" has been renewed!
I was on Twitter a few minutes ago and came across an unexpected announcement: TNT has renewed "Leverage" for a third season! I was happily surprised that they renewed it already, because the second season is still being aired. If you've never watched Leverage before, do yourself a favor and start watching. Now. (It airs Wednesday evenings on TNT; cable-impaired viewers can catch some recent episodes on TNT's website or download 'em all from iTunes or Amazon).
So many networks have a reputation for developing a show, attracting viewers, and then canning the whole thing after one season (see: Pushing Daisies, Moonlight, Firefly, Blood Ties, Jericho, Back To You, etc). It's enough to make anyone wary of watching a new show. But when TNT started running ads for a new show called "Leverage" last November, I was hooked from the first promo ("Hey, look! It's Lindsey from "Angel"!). I tuned to the first episode, hoping for some decent entertainment.
I was blown away. This show is AMAZING. The premise: four criminals and an ex-insurance agent team up to steal from the undeserving, greedy SOBs who screw people over. They then give said money to the people who've been wronged. Or, as the leader Nate (Timothy Hutton) puts it: "The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you." As odd as it seems, this show always leaves me with a smile on my face. It's total schadenfreude. But they have it coming to them. Honestly.
The weekly stories are always fascinating. I love trying to figure out how they're going to rip off the bad guys. They always seem to be one step ahead of everyone else. The writers are fantastic, and the cast is simply phenomenal. In addition to Hutton's ex-insurance agent Nate Ford, we have Christian Kane (the aforementioned "Angel" alum) as Eliot, who kicks ass and takes names; Aldis Hodge as Alec Hardison, hacker extraordinaire; Gina Bellman as grifter/con artist Sophie Devereaux; and Beth Riesgraf as Parker, the world's greatest thief. The characters are all rich and complex, and the actors are all up to the task of bringing them to life on screen. They have great chemistry. The dynamic is as real as the characters themselves are. Some of my favorite lines in the show come from the little "throw-away" side conversations the team has with each other when they're not on the job. These people all have back stories, and it's fascinating to see them grow closer together over the course of the first season.
Season two is proving to be just as good, if not even better. This time they're taking down bigger, badder guys, protecting more people, taking more risks, and getting closer and closer to being discovered (actually, I take that back. They've been discovered, and managed to turn that into an even bigger win). They seem to be unstoppable (though this means I'm naturally waiting for the other shoe to drop). I can only imagine what they'll be getting up to in the third season.
One final note: Whoever came up with the idea of putting TV shows on iTunes and having new episodes up the day after they air is a genius. I've bought the Season Pass for both S1 and S2 of Leverage (making it one of only 2 shows where I own every episode; the other is Angel) because the only time I've ever had cable TV is when I lived in the dorms on my college campus. Now, I can get every episode of my favorite show without having to shell out $40 a month for cable.
So many networks have a reputation for developing a show, attracting viewers, and then canning the whole thing after one season (see: Pushing Daisies, Moonlight, Firefly, Blood Ties, Jericho, Back To You, etc). It's enough to make anyone wary of watching a new show. But when TNT started running ads for a new show called "Leverage" last November, I was hooked from the first promo ("Hey, look! It's Lindsey from "Angel"!). I tuned to the first episode, hoping for some decent entertainment.
I was blown away. This show is AMAZING. The premise: four criminals and an ex-insurance agent team up to steal from the undeserving, greedy SOBs who screw people over. They then give said money to the people who've been wronged. Or, as the leader Nate (Timothy Hutton) puts it: "The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you." As odd as it seems, this show always leaves me with a smile on my face. It's total schadenfreude. But they have it coming to them. Honestly.
The weekly stories are always fascinating. I love trying to figure out how they're going to rip off the bad guys. They always seem to be one step ahead of everyone else. The writers are fantastic, and the cast is simply phenomenal. In addition to Hutton's ex-insurance agent Nate Ford, we have Christian Kane (the aforementioned "Angel" alum) as Eliot, who kicks ass and takes names; Aldis Hodge as Alec Hardison, hacker extraordinaire; Gina Bellman as grifter/con artist Sophie Devereaux; and Beth Riesgraf as Parker, the world's greatest thief. The characters are all rich and complex, and the actors are all up to the task of bringing them to life on screen. They have great chemistry. The dynamic is as real as the characters themselves are. Some of my favorite lines in the show come from the little "throw-away" side conversations the team has with each other when they're not on the job. These people all have back stories, and it's fascinating to see them grow closer together over the course of the first season.
Season two is proving to be just as good, if not even better. This time they're taking down bigger, badder guys, protecting more people, taking more risks, and getting closer and closer to being discovered (actually, I take that back. They've been discovered, and managed to turn that into an even bigger win). They seem to be unstoppable (though this means I'm naturally waiting for the other shoe to drop). I can only imagine what they'll be getting up to in the third season.
One final note: Whoever came up with the idea of putting TV shows on iTunes and having new episodes up the day after they air is a genius. I've bought the Season Pass for both S1 and S2 of Leverage (making it one of only 2 shows where I own every episode; the other is Angel) because the only time I've ever had cable TV is when I lived in the dorms on my college campus. Now, I can get every episode of my favorite show without having to shell out $40 a month for cable.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Podcast changes and end of summer
I'm sorry there was no show last week--Johnny and I suddenly found ourselves with all kinds of back-to-school stuff we needed to do. Oddly enough, neither of us actually went back to school THIS week. Johnny starts next week and my classes don't start until the week after that. But Johnny had some homework to finish (no, I don't know why they've started giving out homework over summer vacation) and I had to buy all of my textbooks. Anyway, to make up for it we've put some extras into this week's show. We're debuting a brand new intro and outro, and we have a review of last night's live riffing of "Plan 9 From Outer Space"! I don't remember the last time I laughed as hard as I did last night. We had a GREAT time!
And don't forget: in two weeks we're starting our first ever month-long series of shows as we devote the month of September to the evil genius who is Joss Whedon!
And don't forget: in two weeks we're starting our first ever month-long series of shows as we devote the month of September to the evil genius who is Joss Whedon!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: The Menagerie Part 1
Well folks, I'm back with another episode of the original Star Trek to review for you! According to the good folks at Wikipedia, this was the only 2-part episode in the original series. It was also a way to use some of the footage from the original unaired pilot episode, but I'll get to that later on.
The episode begins with Spock, Kirk, and McCoy beaming down somewhere because Spock claims he received a message from Captain Pike, the former captain of the Enterprise. The other commander, Commodore Mendez, states that this is impossible, because something has happened to Captain Pike.
Ooh, ooh, I know this one! He was captured by vengeful Romulans as part of an intricate plot involving time travel and a device that can create black holes, right? No, that was somewhere else...
Anyway, Captain Pike was actually exposed to high levels of delta rays. This means that his face has become disfigured, and he is also now confined to a washing machine-like wheelchair. It operates on his brainwaves. With his mind, he can send it forwards or backwards, turn it, and make a little light blink. One blink means yes, and two blinks means no. That's all he can say. If they have the technology to create a brainwave-powered chair, why can't they give poor Captain Pike a larger vocabulary? Or a voice-output system? This is one of the inherent problems with old sci-fi, because we have different ideas of how technology will operate in the future. Back in the sixties, many people thought we'd all have flying cars by now. Or that we'd have blown ourselves up with nukes. But none of them ever imagined the Internet or iPods or TiVo. Going off on a bit of a tangent: you know those annoying walkie-talkie cell phones? I wonder if there's a way to get them to make the Star Trek communicator sound...
Okay, so Captain Pike refuses to see anyone besides Spock. Spock tells Pike that "it" is six days away at warp speed, and he's going "there." Pike keeps on blinking "no" at him, but Spock respectfully, stoically tells Pike he's going to do it anyway. Of course, we have no idea what "it" is yet. Spock then proceeds to hack into the ship's computer and send a message to the Enterprise that they are being sent on a classified mission and the course is being programmed into the computer. He runs into a couple guards, but they're quickly disabled by his nerve pinch. I wish I could do that; it would save me a lot of trouble if I ever find myself in a fight. And it's mutiny on the Enterprise as Spock manages to get both McCoy and Pike onto the ship, leaving Kirk and Commodore Mendez behind. They take off in another ship, and once Spock realizes they're not going to turn back, he turns himself in for mutiny. I failed to see his logic, but I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Did I mention I think Spock is awesome?
There are three main reasons Spock was able to pull off his plan (and, yes, getting caught was part of his plan all along). The first was that he simply has the knowledge of the technology and the ship (the geek shall inherit!). Second was that he had the trust of everyone onboard; even when Kirk suspected Spock, he didn't act on it. Third, it was completely unexpected, so he had the element of surprise. It's always the quiet ones...
We find out that Spock has programmed the computer to take the Enterprise to Talos-IV, the only planet which ships are forbidden, under punishment of death, to visit. During his tribunal, Spock points out that three officers must be present. This works out to be Kirk, Mendez, and Pike, which is why Spock kidnapped the former captain of the Enterprise. Spock submits a video log from thirteen years ago as evidence for why he's taking the ship to Talos-IV. This leads to a long flashback, which is actually from the unaired pilot. I saw it some months ago, and I thought it looked familiar. Anyway, the episode ends with flashback-Pike being captured by the Talosians, who are able to create powerful illusions with their oversized brains. The court has recessed and Spock's fate will be decided in the next episode.
I know how the flashback part ends, because I've seen the pilot, but I don't know what will happen with Spock (aside from the obvious fact that he won't be executed).
I'll be back with Part 2 soon! It was really weird, but cool, to see Spock act as the "bad guy": hacking into the computer, sending false transmissions, knocking out the guards. If it was anybody other than Spock, I'd be convinced that the Enterprise was being led into a trap. But Spock knows what he's doing.
The episode begins with Spock, Kirk, and McCoy beaming down somewhere because Spock claims he received a message from Captain Pike, the former captain of the Enterprise. The other commander, Commodore Mendez, states that this is impossible, because something has happened to Captain Pike.
Ooh, ooh, I know this one! He was captured by vengeful Romulans as part of an intricate plot involving time travel and a device that can create black holes, right? No, that was somewhere else...
Anyway, Captain Pike was actually exposed to high levels of delta rays. This means that his face has become disfigured, and he is also now confined to a washing machine-like wheelchair. It operates on his brainwaves. With his mind, he can send it forwards or backwards, turn it, and make a little light blink. One blink means yes, and two blinks means no. That's all he can say. If they have the technology to create a brainwave-powered chair, why can't they give poor Captain Pike a larger vocabulary? Or a voice-output system? This is one of the inherent problems with old sci-fi, because we have different ideas of how technology will operate in the future. Back in the sixties, many people thought we'd all have flying cars by now. Or that we'd have blown ourselves up with nukes. But none of them ever imagined the Internet or iPods or TiVo. Going off on a bit of a tangent: you know those annoying walkie-talkie cell phones? I wonder if there's a way to get them to make the Star Trek communicator sound...
Okay, so Captain Pike refuses to see anyone besides Spock. Spock tells Pike that "it" is six days away at warp speed, and he's going "there." Pike keeps on blinking "no" at him, but Spock respectfully, stoically tells Pike he's going to do it anyway. Of course, we have no idea what "it" is yet. Spock then proceeds to hack into the ship's computer and send a message to the Enterprise that they are being sent on a classified mission and the course is being programmed into the computer. He runs into a couple guards, but they're quickly disabled by his nerve pinch. I wish I could do that; it would save me a lot of trouble if I ever find myself in a fight. And it's mutiny on the Enterprise as Spock manages to get both McCoy and Pike onto the ship, leaving Kirk and Commodore Mendez behind. They take off in another ship, and once Spock realizes they're not going to turn back, he turns himself in for mutiny. I failed to see his logic, but I'm sure he knows what he's doing. Did I mention I think Spock is awesome?
There are three main reasons Spock was able to pull off his plan (and, yes, getting caught was part of his plan all along). The first was that he simply has the knowledge of the technology and the ship (the geek shall inherit!). Second was that he had the trust of everyone onboard; even when Kirk suspected Spock, he didn't act on it. Third, it was completely unexpected, so he had the element of surprise. It's always the quiet ones...
We find out that Spock has programmed the computer to take the Enterprise to Talos-IV, the only planet which ships are forbidden, under punishment of death, to visit. During his tribunal, Spock points out that three officers must be present. This works out to be Kirk, Mendez, and Pike, which is why Spock kidnapped the former captain of the Enterprise. Spock submits a video log from thirteen years ago as evidence for why he's taking the ship to Talos-IV. This leads to a long flashback, which is actually from the unaired pilot. I saw it some months ago, and I thought it looked familiar. Anyway, the episode ends with flashback-Pike being captured by the Talosians, who are able to create powerful illusions with their oversized brains. The court has recessed and Spock's fate will be decided in the next episode.
I know how the flashback part ends, because I've seen the pilot, but I don't know what will happen with Spock (aside from the obvious fact that he won't be executed).
I'll be back with Part 2 soon! It was really weird, but cool, to see Spock act as the "bad guy": hacking into the computer, sending false transmissions, knocking out the guards. If it was anybody other than Spock, I'd be convinced that the Enterprise was being led into a trap. But Spock knows what he's doing.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Star Trek revue!
Not to be confused with my written review, posted on Monday, this is our podcast review of the new Star Trek movie. This is sort of a bonus episode--we'll be back this weekend with our normal show--so it's about 10 minutes long. There are some spoilers, so I would suggest not listening if you haven't seen the movie yet.
You should. Whether you're a die-hard Trekkie or someone who knows nothing about Star Trek.
As always, you can find us on iTunes or Podshow. If you've seen the new Trek, let us know what you think! You can e-mail us at videorevue@gmail.com.
Live long and prosper.
\\//_
(Does that look anything like the Vulcan salute? It's supposed to.)
You should. Whether you're a die-hard Trekkie or someone who knows nothing about Star Trek.
As always, you can find us on iTunes or Podshow. If you've seen the new Trek, let us know what you think! You can e-mail us at videorevue@gmail.com.
Live long and prosper.
\\//_
(Does that look anything like the Vulcan salute? It's supposed to.)
Monday, May 18, 2009
Movie Revue: Star Trek
I saw the Star Trek movie last night. Wow. It was amazing. Johnny and I even recorded a special episode of the podcast--look for it tonight or tomorrow--but I'm going to post something here too.
This review is spoiler-free, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, no worries. We do get into some plot details in our podcast review.
First of all, I love Spock. Even from watching less than half of the first season of Star Trek: TOS, I have decided that Spock is my favorite character. And the entire reason I wanted to see the movie in the first place is that Spock is played by Zachary Quinto, also known as my favorite TV villain of all time. I would like to say that Zachary is a PHENOMENAL actor, and I LOVED him as Spock. Plus, with the return of Leonard Nimoy, you get two Spocks for the price of one!
Chris Pine does a great job as James Kirk. It was interesting to see Kirk as a teenager; plus, now I actually have an image of Kirk not associated with the Priceline ads. Also loved Sulu--he's probably my favorite minor character on TOS, and he was played in this movie by John Cho...also known as Harold from the "Harold and Kumar" movies. I thought he looked familiar. Oh, and Uhura is now a "xeno-linguist" instead of just the token black lady.
It's weird to say that the characters have grown a lot since the original series, because they're all supposed to be younger than they were on the show, but they have grown. I thought all of the character development was excellent. Scotty and McCoy were HILARIOUS. Honestly, even though the movie was over two hours long, I wish I could've seen more. Maybe they should make a TV show with the movie cast! Honestly, I would watch it. Every week. Especially if Sylar has been written out of Heroes completely...but I digress.
I loved the movie. I thought the acting was fantastic, the special effects were amazing, the plot was...secondary...and I hope they all come back for another!
Overall: 5 stars/5
This review is spoiler-free, so if you haven't seen the movie yet, no worries. We do get into some plot details in our podcast review.
First of all, I love Spock. Even from watching less than half of the first season of Star Trek: TOS, I have decided that Spock is my favorite character. And the entire reason I wanted to see the movie in the first place is that Spock is played by Zachary Quinto, also known as my favorite TV villain of all time. I would like to say that Zachary is a PHENOMENAL actor, and I LOVED him as Spock. Plus, with the return of Leonard Nimoy, you get two Spocks for the price of one!
Chris Pine does a great job as James Kirk. It was interesting to see Kirk as a teenager; plus, now I actually have an image of Kirk not associated with the Priceline ads. Also loved Sulu--he's probably my favorite minor character on TOS, and he was played in this movie by John Cho...also known as Harold from the "Harold and Kumar" movies. I thought he looked familiar. Oh, and Uhura is now a "xeno-linguist" instead of just the token black lady.
It's weird to say that the characters have grown a lot since the original series, because they're all supposed to be younger than they were on the show, but they have grown. I thought all of the character development was excellent. Scotty and McCoy were HILARIOUS. Honestly, even though the movie was over two hours long, I wish I could've seen more. Maybe they should make a TV show with the movie cast! Honestly, I would watch it. Every week. Especially if Sylar has been written out of Heroes completely...but I digress.
I loved the movie. I thought the acting was fantastic, the special effects were amazing, the plot was...secondary...and I hope they all come back for another!
Overall: 5 stars/5
Monday, May 11, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: The Corbomite Maneuver
Hello fellow Star Trek followers. Unfortunately, I do not have a review of the new Star Trek movie yet. This weekend was crazy busy, and I've got finals next week, but if all goes well I'll have a chance to see it Memorial Day weekend (or possibly before). I have to say, all of my Trek-fan friends have seen it and raved about it, so I'm very excited. This week, I'm reviewing Episode 10 of the original series, "The Corbomite Maneuver."
The episode begins in the middle of an uncharted territory, as the Enterprise is mapping a new star system. I believe this is the first time they've literally gone "where no man has gone before." They are about ready to wrap things up when they encounter the Spinning Cube of Doom. Well, they don't actually call it that. But it blocks their path, and it follows them, and nobody knows what it is or what it's for. It also spins, and it's cube-shaped. Hence, Spinning Cube of Doom (or SCoD). Kirk tells the crew to start approaching the cube. The SCoD, it turns out, is also radioactive. It continues to chase the Enterprise even when they try backing away. It continues to emit higher and higher levels of radiation until Kirk orders the crew to blow it up.
Now in my mind, the last thing you want to do with something emitting radiation is make it explode, but apparently it's not a problem for the Enterprise. After the SCoD is defeated, Kirk orders the crew to practice emergency procedures. I noticed he was extremely short-tempered with everyone, especially Dr. McCoy. I assumed at first that the SCoD had some sort of mind-control power, but I think it was just the stress of escaping a potentially dangerous situation. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the danger is far from over.
Shortly after blowing up the SCoD, they are contacted by an alien ship who informs them that the Enterprise has blown up their warning beacon. The alien, who calls himself Baalok (isn't that an antacid?), is incredibly pissed at the Enterprise for destroying the SCoD. At one point, he tells the crew, "I assume you have a deity...or deities..."
That right there is number one on my list of Signs that Really Bad News is Coming.
Anyway, Baalok gives the Enterprise "ten of your Earth units known as minutes" to prepare for their annihilation. Kirk makes several attempts to reason with Baalok's ship, all of which are ignored. Spock's advice at this point is to surrender. He likens their situation to a game of chess and suggests that Kirk has been checkmated. Kirk's idea is that, rather than a chess game, they should look at the situation as though it is a poker game and raise the stakes.
From what I've gathered about the Vulcans, I would assume that (A) they would be very good at poker and (B) they would have very little interest in playing it. But I don't know. The poker idea is, after all, a metaphor. Kirk's idea of raising the stakes is to inform Baalok that his ship is armed with "corbomite," a mysterious substance that will destroy any ship that attempts to harm the Enterprise (hence the name of the episode). Baalok buys it enough to delay the destruction of the ship, but he insists on seeing proof of the corbomite. When Kirk refuses, Baalok captures their ship and starts towing it to another planet. His plan is to remove all of the crew and then destroy the ship.
If you've never seen The Corbomite Maneuver, go watch it now, and stop reading this review, because Here There Be Spoilers.
Kirk manages to escape from Baalok's power, but not without nearly burning out the engines. Unfortunately, it appears that Baalok's ship is in even worse shape: Uhura picks up a very faint distress signal. Kirk decides to go and help, so they beam over to the ship to meet the Great And Terrible Baalok. It was obvious that they found some five-year-old kid to play the real Baalok and then dubbed in an adult's voice. At one point Baalok says that nobody would have found him frightening in his real form, but I thought he was pretty creepy. Anyway, once again Star Trek managed to surprise me with the ending. Everything made sense once I realized that Baalok had been bluffing as well. I do wonder if he'd ever been intending to actually blow up the Enterprise, or if his ship even had the capacity to do so. Overall, I loved this episode. One of the best I've seen so far. I'd love to watch the remastered version sometime.
Episode notes:
-Why is Uhura's uniform yellow instead of red? That bugged me through the whole episode. Mustard yellow really isn't her color.
-The doctor puts Kirk on a diet because his weight is up a couple of pounds. I found that hilarious, considering how William Shatner looks today.
-When Baalok's ship appeared, I thought, "Oh shit, the Spinning Cube of Doom has a mommy." I also dubbed his ship the Spinning Disco Ball of Doom.
-If an alien threatened to blow me up and then offered me a drink, I wouldn't take it. Sorry.
The episode begins in the middle of an uncharted territory, as the Enterprise is mapping a new star system. I believe this is the first time they've literally gone "where no man has gone before." They are about ready to wrap things up when they encounter the Spinning Cube of Doom. Well, they don't actually call it that. But it blocks their path, and it follows them, and nobody knows what it is or what it's for. It also spins, and it's cube-shaped. Hence, Spinning Cube of Doom (or SCoD). Kirk tells the crew to start approaching the cube. The SCoD, it turns out, is also radioactive. It continues to chase the Enterprise even when they try backing away. It continues to emit higher and higher levels of radiation until Kirk orders the crew to blow it up.
Now in my mind, the last thing you want to do with something emitting radiation is make it explode, but apparently it's not a problem for the Enterprise. After the SCoD is defeated, Kirk orders the crew to practice emergency procedures. I noticed he was extremely short-tempered with everyone, especially Dr. McCoy. I assumed at first that the SCoD had some sort of mind-control power, but I think it was just the stress of escaping a potentially dangerous situation. Unfortunately, as it turns out, the danger is far from over.
Shortly after blowing up the SCoD, they are contacted by an alien ship who informs them that the Enterprise has blown up their warning beacon. The alien, who calls himself Baalok (isn't that an antacid?), is incredibly pissed at the Enterprise for destroying the SCoD. At one point, he tells the crew, "I assume you have a deity...or deities..."
That right there is number one on my list of Signs that Really Bad News is Coming.
Anyway, Baalok gives the Enterprise "ten of your Earth units known as minutes" to prepare for their annihilation. Kirk makes several attempts to reason with Baalok's ship, all of which are ignored. Spock's advice at this point is to surrender. He likens their situation to a game of chess and suggests that Kirk has been checkmated. Kirk's idea is that, rather than a chess game, they should look at the situation as though it is a poker game and raise the stakes.
From what I've gathered about the Vulcans, I would assume that (A) they would be very good at poker and (B) they would have very little interest in playing it. But I don't know. The poker idea is, after all, a metaphor. Kirk's idea of raising the stakes is to inform Baalok that his ship is armed with "corbomite," a mysterious substance that will destroy any ship that attempts to harm the Enterprise (hence the name of the episode). Baalok buys it enough to delay the destruction of the ship, but he insists on seeing proof of the corbomite. When Kirk refuses, Baalok captures their ship and starts towing it to another planet. His plan is to remove all of the crew and then destroy the ship.
If you've never seen The Corbomite Maneuver, go watch it now, and stop reading this review, because Here There Be Spoilers.
Kirk manages to escape from Baalok's power, but not without nearly burning out the engines. Unfortunately, it appears that Baalok's ship is in even worse shape: Uhura picks up a very faint distress signal. Kirk decides to go and help, so they beam over to the ship to meet the Great And Terrible Baalok. It was obvious that they found some five-year-old kid to play the real Baalok and then dubbed in an adult's voice. At one point Baalok says that nobody would have found him frightening in his real form, but I thought he was pretty creepy. Anyway, once again Star Trek managed to surprise me with the ending. Everything made sense once I realized that Baalok had been bluffing as well. I do wonder if he'd ever been intending to actually blow up the Enterprise, or if his ship even had the capacity to do so. Overall, I loved this episode. One of the best I've seen so far. I'd love to watch the remastered version sometime.
Episode notes:
-Why is Uhura's uniform yellow instead of red? That bugged me through the whole episode. Mustard yellow really isn't her color.
-The doctor puts Kirk on a diet because his weight is up a couple of pounds. I found that hilarious, considering how William Shatner looks today.
-When Baalok's ship appeared, I thought, "Oh shit, the Spinning Cube of Doom has a mommy." I also dubbed his ship the Spinning Disco Ball of Doom.
-If an alien threatened to blow me up and then offered me a drink, I wouldn't take it. Sorry.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: Dagger of the Mind
I apologize for the long time between ST:I postings. I'd actually tried to watch this episode--twice--last week, but was foiled by the slowness of my Internet connection. But apparently the third time's the charm, because I was finally able to watch "Dagger of the Mind," the ninth episode of the original Star Trek.
The title sounds quite surreal, though the episode isn't particularly trippy. The episode begins on Stardate 2715.1 (for those of you playing along at home) as the Enterprise travels to the Tantalus Penal colony. Man, does that sound dirty...but I digress.
As the episode begins, Kirk reminds the crew that the forcefields surrounding Tantalus-5 need to be opened before anything can be beamed down from the ship--an early firewall. I was impressed. So then they beam up a large box, and a man crawls out. Wait, they beamed up a dude in a box? Looks like trouble with a capital T.
The doctor in charge of the colony, Dr. Adams informs Kirk and Co. that the man who snuck onto the ship is mentally unstable and dangerous. Here is his paraphrased message: "Sorry, my bad. He's dangerous, so watch out. Bye now." Clearly a caring, compassionate man.
Spock manages to subdue the stowaway with what may be the first appearance of the Vulcan nerve pinch (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here). After a dose (or seven) of sedatives from the good Doctor Bones, they find out that his name is Dr. Van Gelder. Also: his memory appears to have some holes, and he's terrified of returning to Tantalus-5. This was my first inkling that Dr. Adams may be more of a Dr. Frankenstein, and his prison is an interstellar Gitmo.
They contact Dr. Adams again, who confirms that the man is in fact his assistant, Dr. Van Gelder. He asks Jim to come down to the colony alone to take a tour.
Red flag number one.
Jim beams down to the colony, along with Dr. Helen Noel, who met Kirk at the Christmas party. I just found it funny that he was at a Christmas party and met someone whose last name is Noel. Annnnnyway, Dr. Adams is charming and seems glad to have them there. The first woman they meet (I think her name is Lethae, but I couldn't quite catch it) appears to have a way with sewing needles and curtains. She also appears to have had her brain thoroughly washed, possibly with bleach.
Red flag number two.
Meanwhile, Bones and Spock are trying to get as much useful info out of Dr. Van Gelder as possible. Whenever he gets too agitated, they stab him with a needle and give him more tranquilizers. I'm surprised he never overdosed, but maybe the drug has a short half-life. Whatever. Van Gelder, for his part, was the Unintentionally Funny Character of the week. I kept on expecting him to start shouting Shakespeare at the top of his lungs. Spock finally decides that he needs to get into Van Gelder's mind. They don't call it a Vulcan mind meld, but that's what it sounds like. They were easily the best scenes of the episode, despite my thinking that Spock was gonna kiss him. Spock gets Van Gelder to remember that Dr. Adams has some sort of memory beam, a device that can erase a person's memories and allow new suggestions to be implanted.
This convinces me even more that Joss Whedon (evil genius) is a Trekkie. Seriously, Dr. Adams' device reminds me so much of the "Dollhouse" device, both in design and intent. Check out the photos (wherever they are; I don't know how good the formatting is).
Meanwhile, back in Dr. Adams' evil lair, Kirk and Noel try out the device for themselves. Kirk sits in the chair, and asks Dr. Noel to make an "unusual suggestion."
How about dancing around with your pants on your head? But sadly, Dr. Noel suggests that their encounter at the Christmas party was not as tame as it really was. Then Dr. Adams comes in and makes Kirk surrender his weapon and communicator. Kirk starts fighting back, which gave me Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire flashbacks, when Harry is working to resist the Imperius Curse. I think Dr. Adams is the best Star Trek villain I've seen so far. He's an interesting character: he's done so much good for prison reform, but at the same time he's brainwashing his prisoners and manipulating them. And he seems so nice about the whole thing, too, which makes him even creepier.
Dr. Noel escapes through the AC ducts (which reminded me of Toy Story 2, oddly enough) and manages to shut off the power, freeing Kirk from the mind-control ray. One of Adams' lackeys attacks her, but she fights back with a Power Kick. He falls back and shorts out the power, electrocuting himself in the process.
Score one for the good guys.
But not before he turns the power back on. While it was on, Dr. Adams himself was caught in the memory beam and is left alone. Devoid of any thought, he dies from sheer loneliness. Honestly, I was disappointed to see him go. I know "Star Trek" episodes are designed to be stand-alone, but a good villain deserves more than one episode.
Thinking of villains reminds me of Heroes, and Sylar, one of the best TV villains ever. And Sylar, of course, is played by none other than Zachary Quinto, who will soon make his big-screen debut as Spock. Only a week away! I don't know when I'll get the chance to go see it, though. Probably Memorial Day weekend sometime.
The title sounds quite surreal, though the episode isn't particularly trippy. The episode begins on Stardate 2715.1 (for those of you playing along at home) as the Enterprise travels to the Tantalus Penal colony. Man, does that sound dirty...but I digress.
As the episode begins, Kirk reminds the crew that the forcefields surrounding Tantalus-5 need to be opened before anything can be beamed down from the ship--an early firewall. I was impressed. So then they beam up a large box, and a man crawls out. Wait, they beamed up a dude in a box? Looks like trouble with a capital T.
The doctor in charge of the colony, Dr. Adams informs Kirk and Co. that the man who snuck onto the ship is mentally unstable and dangerous. Here is his paraphrased message: "Sorry, my bad. He's dangerous, so watch out. Bye now." Clearly a caring, compassionate man.
Spock manages to subdue the stowaway with what may be the first appearance of the Vulcan nerve pinch (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong here). After a dose (or seven) of sedatives from the good Doctor Bones, they find out that his name is Dr. Van Gelder. Also: his memory appears to have some holes, and he's terrified of returning to Tantalus-5. This was my first inkling that Dr. Adams may be more of a Dr. Frankenstein, and his prison is an interstellar Gitmo.
They contact Dr. Adams again, who confirms that the man is in fact his assistant, Dr. Van Gelder. He asks Jim to come down to the colony alone to take a tour.
Red flag number one.
Jim beams down to the colony, along with Dr. Helen Noel, who met Kirk at the Christmas party. I just found it funny that he was at a Christmas party and met someone whose last name is Noel. Annnnnyway, Dr. Adams is charming and seems glad to have them there. The first woman they meet (I think her name is Lethae, but I couldn't quite catch it) appears to have a way with sewing needles and curtains. She also appears to have had her brain thoroughly washed, possibly with bleach.
Red flag number two.
Meanwhile, Bones and Spock are trying to get as much useful info out of Dr. Van Gelder as possible. Whenever he gets too agitated, they stab him with a needle and give him more tranquilizers. I'm surprised he never overdosed, but maybe the drug has a short half-life. Whatever. Van Gelder, for his part, was the Unintentionally Funny Character of the week. I kept on expecting him to start shouting Shakespeare at the top of his lungs. Spock finally decides that he needs to get into Van Gelder's mind. They don't call it a Vulcan mind meld, but that's what it sounds like. They were easily the best scenes of the episode, despite my thinking that Spock was gonna kiss him. Spock gets Van Gelder to remember that Dr. Adams has some sort of memory beam, a device that can erase a person's memories and allow new suggestions to be implanted.
This convinces me even more that Joss Whedon (evil genius) is a Trekkie. Seriously, Dr. Adams' device reminds me so much of the "Dollhouse" device, both in design and intent. Check out the photos (wherever they are; I don't know how good the formatting is).
Meanwhile, back in Dr. Adams' evil lair, Kirk and Noel try out the device for themselves. Kirk sits in the chair, and asks Dr. Noel to make an "unusual suggestion."
How about dancing around with your pants on your head? But sadly, Dr. Noel suggests that their encounter at the Christmas party was not as tame as it really was. Then Dr. Adams comes in and makes Kirk surrender his weapon and communicator. Kirk starts fighting back, which gave me Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire flashbacks, when Harry is working to resist the Imperius Curse. I think Dr. Adams is the best Star Trek villain I've seen so far. He's an interesting character: he's done so much good for prison reform, but at the same time he's brainwashing his prisoners and manipulating them. And he seems so nice about the whole thing, too, which makes him even creepier.
Dr. Noel escapes through the AC ducts (which reminded me of Toy Story 2, oddly enough) and manages to shut off the power, freeing Kirk from the mind-control ray. One of Adams' lackeys attacks her, but she fights back with a Power Kick. He falls back and shorts out the power, electrocuting himself in the process.
Score one for the good guys.
But not before he turns the power back on. While it was on, Dr. Adams himself was caught in the memory beam and is left alone. Devoid of any thought, he dies from sheer loneliness. Honestly, I was disappointed to see him go. I know "Star Trek" episodes are designed to be stand-alone, but a good villain deserves more than one episode.
Thinking of villains reminds me of Heroes, and Sylar, one of the best TV villains ever. And Sylar, of course, is played by none other than Zachary Quinto, who will soon make his big-screen debut as Spock. Only a week away! I don't know when I'll get the chance to go see it, though. Probably Memorial Day weekend sometime.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: What Are Little Girls Made Of
Busy day today! Which must mean there's a something I should be doing otherwise...I don't know why I ever thought The Road would be a fun and interesting book to read. But I digress. I've finally got a new episode of the old Star Trek to review for you here!
The first six episode that I watched were on Netflix, which has the digitally remastered version with new special effects. This time, however, I watched it on the new YouTube "Shows" feature, which is basically a ripoff of Hulu. Anyway, the YouTube version does not have the new special effects. It does give the show a different feel. I suppose I like them both equally. I'd have to try watching both versions of the same episode and comparing them.
And now, on with the show! This week, the Enterprise is looking for a Dr. Roger Corby (wasn't he a film director in the sixties?) who was last seen on the planet Exo-III. Mr. Spock noted at the beginning that, while the gravity and atmosphere are comparable to Earth, the surface temperature is -100. After making contact with Dr. Corby, Kirk beams down with Corby's wife Christine. Neither of them was wearing a sweater or a hat and mittens. Haven't they ever heard of parkas? Especially with that skirt Christine was wearing.
But apparently the cold is not the main problem here; it's the tall, dark, and creepy bald guy running around and pushing the expendable characters off of cliffs. The first time he showed up, I swore he looked familiar. When I saw him again, I decided that he reminded me of Lurch from "The Addams Family." Then I realized that it was, indeed, Ted Cassidy.
It turns out that Dr. Corby discovered an ancient android, Ruk, (Cassidy) as well as the technology for creating his own androids. He's created a lovely female assistant, much to Christine's dismay. She basically asks him if he was cheating on her with the robot, and he assures her that it wasn't possible. He meant emotionally--the robots supposedly can't feel love--but I don't know if he meant physically as well...anyway, he tells Kirk that they can't go back to the ship yet, because his creatures are misunderstood and they'll be destroyed and this new technology can really be used to save mankind. Kirk doesn't buy it, and when he tries to run off, Ruk captures him.
Meanwhile, in the abandoned robot factory, the nefarious Dr. Corby has our hero, Kirk, strapped to a machine that will create a perfect android replica. They never explain how this technology is supposed to work, but if I can get over that it's actually quite creepy: the androids look, act, and think exactly like the real people do. Right before his memories are transferred to the android, Kirk says several times, "Mind your own business, Spock. I'm sick of your half-breed meddling." This will be important later.
Kirk's android replica is good enough to fool even Chrisitine. We do learn that the androids don't eat, so I'm wondering how Corby expects to begin replacing people with androids a la "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" if he's overlooked that little detail. Corby's lovely assistant Andrea has prepared the meal. It's amazing what one can do with Play-Doh in the kitchen these days...I don't know if that's supposed to be space food or what, but I wouldn't eat it.
Android Kirk is sent back to the Enterprise, where Spock is alerted to the danger after Android Kirk tells him, "Mind your own business, Spock. I'm sick of your half-breed meddling." Meanwhile, Kirk finds out that Ruk and the other ancient androids destroyed their creators, and the same thing is bound to happen to Corby if his plan continues. If we ever start creating robots, we'd better make sure we don't make them smarter than us. Or give them free will.
Of course, the big twist at the end is that Roger is also an android, and has been one for some time now. I'm not sure exactly who turned him into a robot--was it Ruk?--but he naturally insists that, while the other androids don't have real feelings, he is completely human. In the end, all of the androids (including Corby) are vaporized. I think Corby might have vaporized himself, but I'm not sure. He was kissing Andrea when it happened. Christine and the real Kirk head back to the ship, and Andrea decides to stay on the Enterprise. I wonder if she'll show up in any future episodes.
And the moral of our story is: Robots are bad news. Also, make sure your best friend can tell you from an android replica. Hooray for Spock saving the day!
The first six episode that I watched were on Netflix, which has the digitally remastered version with new special effects. This time, however, I watched it on the new YouTube "Shows" feature, which is basically a ripoff of Hulu. Anyway, the YouTube version does not have the new special effects. It does give the show a different feel. I suppose I like them both equally. I'd have to try watching both versions of the same episode and comparing them.
And now, on with the show! This week, the Enterprise is looking for a Dr. Roger Corby (wasn't he a film director in the sixties?) who was last seen on the planet Exo-III. Mr. Spock noted at the beginning that, while the gravity and atmosphere are comparable to Earth, the surface temperature is -100. After making contact with Dr. Corby, Kirk beams down with Corby's wife Christine. Neither of them was wearing a sweater or a hat and mittens. Haven't they ever heard of parkas? Especially with that skirt Christine was wearing.
But apparently the cold is not the main problem here; it's the tall, dark, and creepy bald guy running around and pushing the expendable characters off of cliffs. The first time he showed up, I swore he looked familiar. When I saw him again, I decided that he reminded me of Lurch from "The Addams Family." Then I realized that it was, indeed, Ted Cassidy.
It turns out that Dr. Corby discovered an ancient android, Ruk, (Cassidy) as well as the technology for creating his own androids. He's created a lovely female assistant, much to Christine's dismay. She basically asks him if he was cheating on her with the robot, and he assures her that it wasn't possible. He meant emotionally--the robots supposedly can't feel love--but I don't know if he meant physically as well...anyway, he tells Kirk that they can't go back to the ship yet, because his creatures are misunderstood and they'll be destroyed and this new technology can really be used to save mankind. Kirk doesn't buy it, and when he tries to run off, Ruk captures him.
Meanwhile, in the abandoned robot factory, the nefarious Dr. Corby has our hero, Kirk, strapped to a machine that will create a perfect android replica. They never explain how this technology is supposed to work, but if I can get over that it's actually quite creepy: the androids look, act, and think exactly like the real people do. Right before his memories are transferred to the android, Kirk says several times, "Mind your own business, Spock. I'm sick of your half-breed meddling." This will be important later.
Kirk's android replica is good enough to fool even Chrisitine. We do learn that the androids don't eat, so I'm wondering how Corby expects to begin replacing people with androids a la "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" if he's overlooked that little detail. Corby's lovely assistant Andrea has prepared the meal. It's amazing what one can do with Play-Doh in the kitchen these days...I don't know if that's supposed to be space food or what, but I wouldn't eat it.
Android Kirk is sent back to the Enterprise, where Spock is alerted to the danger after Android Kirk tells him, "Mind your own business, Spock. I'm sick of your half-breed meddling." Meanwhile, Kirk finds out that Ruk and the other ancient androids destroyed their creators, and the same thing is bound to happen to Corby if his plan continues. If we ever start creating robots, we'd better make sure we don't make them smarter than us. Or give them free will.
Of course, the big twist at the end is that Roger is also an android, and has been one for some time now. I'm not sure exactly who turned him into a robot--was it Ruk?--but he naturally insists that, while the other androids don't have real feelings, he is completely human. In the end, all of the androids (including Corby) are vaporized. I think Corby might have vaporized himself, but I'm not sure. He was kissing Andrea when it happened. Christine and the real Kirk head back to the ship, and Andrea decides to stay on the Enterprise. I wonder if she'll show up in any future episodes.
And the moral of our story is: Robots are bad news. Also, make sure your best friend can tell you from an android replica. Hooray for Spock saving the day!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: Mudd's Women
Hoo boy. This episode was strange from beginning to end. It begins as the Enterprise attempts to communicate with an unidentified ship. Said ship takes off running and flies right into an asteroid belt. In order to protect the other ship, Captain Kirk orders the Enterprise's deflector shields to surround it. This puts their own ship in danger, and all but one of the ship's lithium crystals (the power supply) are burned out. Then the other ship is struck by an asteroid, so they beam aboard "Mr. Walsh" and his crew-slash-cargo: three beautiful women. They head for a planet with lithium miners to repair the ship.
The male crew members find themselves inexplicably drawn to the women (surprise, surprise). Mr. Walsh, who dresses like a pirate pimp with a cowboy hat, is clearly hiding something. Actually, it turns out that he's hiding quite a lot, beginning with his real name (his name is actually Mudd!). This was the first appearance of the ship's lie detector computer, which I found highly amusing. I don't know that I'd call the computer a "character" but it was one of my favorite scenes in this episode. Also, I found the conversation between Kirk and Bones highly amusing for no apparent reason. They clearly didn't understand their attraction to the women at all. And Spock just kind of stared at them without saying anything.
They arrive at the planet with the lithium miners. Conveniently, there are three single, lonely men for the three single, beautiful women. The head miner tells Kirk that they will exchange the lithium crystals for the women and to have the charges against Mudd dropped. Kirk tells them, "No deal."
"All right, Captain Kirk, the banker has offered you six lithium crystals for the woman holding your case. What do you say? Deal or no deal?"
The focus of this episode was the women. They're all dressed like intergalactic runway models, but Mudd says they're moving to another planet to find pioneer husbands. These ladies are about as far from Little House on the Prairie as you could possibly imagine. They also refuse to be examined by the doctor, and apparently need to take some sort of pill to remain beautiful. In the end we find out that they are taking the illegal Venus drugs, which make women more womanly and men more manly. Apparently they share a common ingredient with Corn Flakes. One of the women runs off and one of the miners sees her true face. She gives him this whole speech about how he's attracted to a lie and swallows one of the pills in front of him. She turns beautiful again, and then we find out that the pills were replaced with colored gelatin.
That's one hell of a placebo effect. Highly illogical.
In the words of Mister Spock, this episode was "a most annoying, unusual affair. I'm glad it's over." But never fear. This was the first episode of Star Trek that I actively disliked, and I realize I can't love every single episode of any TV show (even the ones that get canceled after one season). Incidentally, CBS has a long-running history of picking up unusual shows and then canceling them when they don't catch on right away. Star Trek, which is iconic among sci-fi fans, only managed to stay on the air for three years. CBS also tried to cancel "The Twilight Zone" (which is still my favorite sci-fi show of all time) before it had even run for a full season.
Notes:
-If my choices for being a wife are "cook, and sew, and cry" or be "vain, selfish, and useless" can I pick none of the above? Please??
-Honestly, this entire episode's attitude towards women bugged me.
-Unintentionally funny line: "Are you wearing some unusual perfume? Or something radioactive?" Oh yes, you noticed my new Eau de Plutonium. Do you like it?
-There was a poll on the TV.com Star Trek forum about whether Kirk or Spock was more attractive. It was pretty close, but the last time I checked, Spock was in the lead. Honestly, I think they're absolutely right. I like Spock. Maybe it's because I can't look at Kirk without seeing William Shatner as the "Priceline Negotiator," but I do think Spock is kinda cute.
-Next week I will be on spring break, so I'm going to catch up as much as I can on Star Trek. I apologize for the lack of updates lately, but I'm glad at least one person is still reading. This one's for you, Rob!
The male crew members find themselves inexplicably drawn to the women (surprise, surprise). Mr. Walsh, who dresses like a pirate pimp with a cowboy hat, is clearly hiding something. Actually, it turns out that he's hiding quite a lot, beginning with his real name (his name is actually Mudd!). This was the first appearance of the ship's lie detector computer, which I found highly amusing. I don't know that I'd call the computer a "character" but it was one of my favorite scenes in this episode. Also, I found the conversation between Kirk and Bones highly amusing for no apparent reason. They clearly didn't understand their attraction to the women at all. And Spock just kind of stared at them without saying anything.
They arrive at the planet with the lithium miners. Conveniently, there are three single, lonely men for the three single, beautiful women. The head miner tells Kirk that they will exchange the lithium crystals for the women and to have the charges against Mudd dropped. Kirk tells them, "No deal."
"All right, Captain Kirk, the banker has offered you six lithium crystals for the woman holding your case. What do you say? Deal or no deal?"
The focus of this episode was the women. They're all dressed like intergalactic runway models, but Mudd says they're moving to another planet to find pioneer husbands. These ladies are about as far from Little House on the Prairie as you could possibly imagine. They also refuse to be examined by the doctor, and apparently need to take some sort of pill to remain beautiful. In the end we find out that they are taking the illegal Venus drugs, which make women more womanly and men more manly. Apparently they share a common ingredient with Corn Flakes. One of the women runs off and one of the miners sees her true face. She gives him this whole speech about how he's attracted to a lie and swallows one of the pills in front of him. She turns beautiful again, and then we find out that the pills were replaced with colored gelatin.
That's one hell of a placebo effect. Highly illogical.
In the words of Mister Spock, this episode was "a most annoying, unusual affair. I'm glad it's over." But never fear. This was the first episode of Star Trek that I actively disliked, and I realize I can't love every single episode of any TV show (even the ones that get canceled after one season). Incidentally, CBS has a long-running history of picking up unusual shows and then canceling them when they don't catch on right away. Star Trek, which is iconic among sci-fi fans, only managed to stay on the air for three years. CBS also tried to cancel "The Twilight Zone" (which is still my favorite sci-fi show of all time) before it had even run for a full season.
Notes:
-If my choices for being a wife are "cook, and sew, and cry" or be "vain, selfish, and useless" can I pick none of the above? Please??
-Honestly, this entire episode's attitude towards women bugged me.
-Unintentionally funny line: "Are you wearing some unusual perfume? Or something radioactive?" Oh yes, you noticed my new Eau de Plutonium. Do you like it?
-There was a poll on the TV.com Star Trek forum about whether Kirk or Spock was more attractive. It was pretty close, but the last time I checked, Spock was in the lead. Honestly, I think they're absolutely right. I like Spock. Maybe it's because I can't look at Kirk without seeing William Shatner as the "Priceline Negotiator," but I do think Spock is kinda cute.
-Next week I will be on spring break, so I'm going to catch up as much as I can on Star Trek. I apologize for the lack of updates lately, but I'm glad at least one person is still reading. This one's for you, Rob!
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Movie Revue: Coraline
This movie is the story of a girl who reluctantly moves to a new town and discovers that there are hidden dangers and a deadly secret...on a completely unrelated note, the Twilight DVD hits stores this Saturday.
After her parents move her across the country, Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) thinks her life couldn't be worse: her friends are hundreds of miles away, her new neighbors can't get her name right (they all call her Caroline), and her parents have no time for her. Everything changes when she discovers the tiny door hidden behind some wallpaper. Late at night, the door opens into a passage into an alternate reality, where life is just like Coraline wishes it would be...at first. It's populated by Other versions of her family and neighbors, who all have buttons for eyes and aren't as benign as they first appear.
This movie is based on a book by Neil Gaiman, who is known for writing creepy, disturbing children's literature. He's fantastic. The movie stayed fairly close to the book, though Coraline's new neighbor Wybie was added in to the mix. I absolutely loved the movie. First off, the animation was phenomenal. I've been a fan of the Real-D animation since it was first used, and "Coraline" is a prime example of how it can make a great movie excellent. I knew enough about the story that I could focus on the details a little. For example,the passage between the real world and the Other world changes. The first few times when Coraline goes through, it's colorful and bright and looks...squishy, almost. Once she discovers the horrible secret, the passage is hard and gray and filled with spiderwebs and bones. The voicework is fantastic, and the story kept Johnny guessing (I'd already read the book, which kept me guessing, but then I knew how the movie would end).
Overall: 5/5 stars!
After her parents move her across the country, Coraline (voiced by Dakota Fanning) thinks her life couldn't be worse: her friends are hundreds of miles away, her new neighbors can't get her name right (they all call her Caroline), and her parents have no time for her. Everything changes when she discovers the tiny door hidden behind some wallpaper. Late at night, the door opens into a passage into an alternate reality, where life is just like Coraline wishes it would be...at first. It's populated by Other versions of her family and neighbors, who all have buttons for eyes and aren't as benign as they first appear.
This movie is based on a book by Neil Gaiman, who is known for writing creepy, disturbing children's literature. He's fantastic. The movie stayed fairly close to the book, though Coraline's new neighbor Wybie was added in to the mix. I absolutely loved the movie. First off, the animation was phenomenal. I've been a fan of the Real-D animation since it was first used, and "Coraline" is a prime example of how it can make a great movie excellent. I knew enough about the story that I could focus on the details a little. For example,the passage between the real world and the Other world changes. The first few times when Coraline goes through, it's colorful and bright and looks...squishy, almost. Once she discovers the horrible secret, the passage is hard and gray and filled with spiderwebs and bones. The voicework is fantastic, and the story kept Johnny guessing (I'd already read the book, which kept me guessing, but then I knew how the movie would end).
Overall: 5/5 stars!
Monday, March 9, 2009
TV show revue: Castle
Anybody who's been reading this blog for a while knows the kind of shows I like: anything involving a supernatural element. Unfortunately, unless the ratings are through the roof, those kinds of shows tend to get canceled (see "Moonlight" or "Pushing Daisies" or "Kyle XY"). They're full of expensive special effects and aimed at a core of dedicated, borderline-psychotic fans.
So I have tried branching out and finding shows that are more realistic than fantasy. From this, I have decided that I like the "crime" genre. You get crime-solving doctors (Diagnosis Murder), crime-solving psychics (Medium), crime-solving fake psychics (Psych!), crime-solving former cops with OCD (Monk), and, of course, crime-solving vampires (Forever Knight, Angel, Blood Ties, AND Moonlight). And now, ABC has a new crime drama called "Castle" about a crime-solving mystery novelist.
I read about this show in the TV guide, and decided to watch it for one reason: Nathan Fillion. Also known as "Captain Hammer" from last summer's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." It's kind of sad that almost every show I watch, I began watching because of some actor connected to Joss Whedon (Evil Genius).
But, as it turns out, "Castle" is a good show. The pilot episode was tonight, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It begins with two murders that appear to be copied from the mystery novels of Rick Castle (Fillion). He is called by the police as a consultant, and teams up with Detective Beckett. She happens to be a (closet) fan of Castle's books, but she can't stand him in person. Which, of course, means they will probably hook up before the first season ends.
Anyway, it appears that the killer wasn't very smooth: they find a fan letter with his prints all over it, and evidence in his apartment. But something doesn't seem right to Castle, who insists that it wouldn't make a very good story. And, as the prime suspect was arrested before the show was half over, you can guess who's right.
The writing in this show is excellent, and Castle and Becket have a great chemistry. Other highlights include Castle's mother, who walks off with every scene she's in, and his teenage daughter. I will definitely be tuning in next week!
Oh, and my other favorite non-fantasy show: "Leverage." It has officially been granted a second season! The first season finished a couple weeks ago, and I cannot WAIT for season 2...which happens to be this summer (when I will be in my cable-less house, and not my college dorm). But that's what iTunes is for. Or Hulu (which will forever be known in my house as "eat-your-brain-dot-com").
One final note: I heart Stephen Colbert.
So I have tried branching out and finding shows that are more realistic than fantasy. From this, I have decided that I like the "crime" genre. You get crime-solving doctors (Diagnosis Murder), crime-solving psychics (Medium), crime-solving fake psychics (Psych!), crime-solving former cops with OCD (Monk), and, of course, crime-solving vampires (Forever Knight, Angel, Blood Ties, AND Moonlight). And now, ABC has a new crime drama called "Castle" about a crime-solving mystery novelist.
I read about this show in the TV guide, and decided to watch it for one reason: Nathan Fillion. Also known as "Captain Hammer" from last summer's "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog." It's kind of sad that almost every show I watch, I began watching because of some actor connected to Joss Whedon (Evil Genius).
But, as it turns out, "Castle" is a good show. The pilot episode was tonight, and I enjoyed it thoroughly. It begins with two murders that appear to be copied from the mystery novels of Rick Castle (Fillion). He is called by the police as a consultant, and teams up with Detective Beckett. She happens to be a (closet) fan of Castle's books, but she can't stand him in person. Which, of course, means they will probably hook up before the first season ends.
Anyway, it appears that the killer wasn't very smooth: they find a fan letter with his prints all over it, and evidence in his apartment. But something doesn't seem right to Castle, who insists that it wouldn't make a very good story. And, as the prime suspect was arrested before the show was half over, you can guess who's right.
The writing in this show is excellent, and Castle and Becket have a great chemistry. Other highlights include Castle's mother, who walks off with every scene she's in, and his teenage daughter. I will definitely be tuning in next week!
Oh, and my other favorite non-fantasy show: "Leverage." It has officially been granted a second season! The first season finished a couple weeks ago, and I cannot WAIT for season 2...which happens to be this summer (when I will be in my cable-less house, and not my college dorm). But that's what iTunes is for. Or Hulu (which will forever be known in my house as "eat-your-brain-dot-com").
One final note: I heart Stephen Colbert.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: "The Enemy Within"
Wow, almost 2 weeks without any posting! I would like to apologize to my readers (all 3 of you) for the lack of updates. My life has kind of exploded, and I'm trying very hard not to fall behind in any of my classes. Which also explains the lack of podcasts. We recorded a show, we really did. Then we have to edit it. And then there was a thing with my computer and I think I lost the file, so we're just going to re-record the show. Whenever we have time.
I did manage to watch the next episode of Star Trek, however. This was an interesting episode. I've noticed that there's sort of a formula: each episode presents two problems simultaneously, and one problem prevents the other from being solved. Also, the piece of equipment that is most needed will undoubtedly be broken or malfunctioning.
This episode begins as the crew is visiting a planet that becomes terribly cold once its sun sets. They beam aboard a little animal; the species is never identified, but it was clearly played by a dog who could handle a costume. Once the dog beams aboard, another identical dog appears a few minutes later. They figure out that the dog wasn't so much duplicated as split, into a "good" half and an "evil" half. Unfortunately, they don't figure this out until after the same thing happens to Kirk.
It is immediately obvious that Evil Kirk should not be allowed to run around; he attempts to rape Yeoman Janice in a scene that was incredibly uncomfortable for me, as a woman, to watch. She manages to get away from him by scratching his face. I was hoping she'd get a good kick in, or punch him in the face, but she did manage to escape without physical harm.
Unfortunately, Good Kirk is not much help. It turns out that the decision-making skills that make him such a good captain ended up with Evil Kirk. It's an interesting idea, that we need both halves to make us complete, and that what is "evil" if left unchecked can also be very beneficial. Also, Good Kirk ended up with all of the bravery, while Evil Kirk was almost a coward. Which, I suppose, makes sense.
After the doctor and Spock figure out what happened, they decide that it is unsafe to beam up Sulu and the rest of the crew still down on the planet's surface. Unfortunately, the transporter must be repaired before nightfall, or Sulu and Co. will freeze to death.
Understatement of the week:
"Tonight it gets down to 120 degrees below zero."
"That's nippy."
They figure out just in time how to fix things (beam both halves down together, and then when they beam back up they should recombine--I forget how that was supposed to work). They test it out on the dog-creature thing. Good news: one dog beams back. Bad news: it's dead. Good Kirk can't decide whether he should make the attempt or not. He finally does, and of course it works, just in time to save Sulu and Co. from the icy jaws of death.
Notes:
-Evil dog-thing: If I had to wear that fuzzy, one-horned getup, I'd be mad too.
-I wonder how long it takes Yeoman Janice to do her hair in the morning. It looks great, but that is one complicated hairdo.
-For a man, Evil Kirk is surprisingly adept at applying concealer...
-Sulu asks more than once for some coffee to try and keep warm. Why didn't they beam any down? Or at least hats and mittens!
-Sulu is surprisingly good-natured for a man with real danger of freezing to death.
I did manage to watch the next episode of Star Trek, however. This was an interesting episode. I've noticed that there's sort of a formula: each episode presents two problems simultaneously, and one problem prevents the other from being solved. Also, the piece of equipment that is most needed will undoubtedly be broken or malfunctioning.
This episode begins as the crew is visiting a planet that becomes terribly cold once its sun sets. They beam aboard a little animal; the species is never identified, but it was clearly played by a dog who could handle a costume. Once the dog beams aboard, another identical dog appears a few minutes later. They figure out that the dog wasn't so much duplicated as split, into a "good" half and an "evil" half. Unfortunately, they don't figure this out until after the same thing happens to Kirk.
It is immediately obvious that Evil Kirk should not be allowed to run around; he attempts to rape Yeoman Janice in a scene that was incredibly uncomfortable for me, as a woman, to watch. She manages to get away from him by scratching his face. I was hoping she'd get a good kick in, or punch him in the face, but she did manage to escape without physical harm.
Unfortunately, Good Kirk is not much help. It turns out that the decision-making skills that make him such a good captain ended up with Evil Kirk. It's an interesting idea, that we need both halves to make us complete, and that what is "evil" if left unchecked can also be very beneficial. Also, Good Kirk ended up with all of the bravery, while Evil Kirk was almost a coward. Which, I suppose, makes sense.
After the doctor and Spock figure out what happened, they decide that it is unsafe to beam up Sulu and the rest of the crew still down on the planet's surface. Unfortunately, the transporter must be repaired before nightfall, or Sulu and Co. will freeze to death.
Understatement of the week:
"Tonight it gets down to 120 degrees below zero."
"That's nippy."
They figure out just in time how to fix things (beam both halves down together, and then when they beam back up they should recombine--I forget how that was supposed to work). They test it out on the dog-creature thing. Good news: one dog beams back. Bad news: it's dead. Good Kirk can't decide whether he should make the attempt or not. He finally does, and of course it works, just in time to save Sulu and Co. from the icy jaws of death.
Notes:
-Evil dog-thing: If I had to wear that fuzzy, one-horned getup, I'd be mad too.
-I wonder how long it takes Yeoman Janice to do her hair in the morning. It looks great, but that is one complicated hairdo.
-For a man, Evil Kirk is surprisingly adept at applying concealer...
-Sulu asks more than once for some coffee to try and keep warm. Why didn't they beam any down? Or at least hats and mittens!
-Sulu is surprisingly good-natured for a man with real danger of freezing to death.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: "The Naked Time" (episode 104)
Alas, this episode does not include a cameo from Professor Dumbledore...though it does include almost everything else. This week begins as the crew of the Enterprise is sent to watch a planet explode. Sounds exciting, right? But also, obviously, dangerous. Everyone needs to be as competent as possible or the ship will be pulled into the planet's shifting gravitational field and explode.
Two crewmen are sent down to retrieve the scientists who are still living on the doomed planet, only to find them all inexplicably dead. It soon becomes apparent that the scientists were killed by a disease that is spread by human contact, and even more apparent that said virus has made its way onboard the ship. The physical symptoms include excessive sweating--which is how the disease is spread--and reduced inhibitions. This usually leads to excessive laughter. Sulu begins challenging everyone to fencing matches. A crewman takes over the control room and serenades the crew with Irish songs. Oh, and Spock has a nervous breakdown. It all ends with the crew imploding their own engines and discovering they can travel back in time.
There was a lot going on in this episode. I was trying to figure out all of the ways the crew was screwed. First, they are lost when their communication system is compromised. They have twenty minutes to hack into the hijacked control room. It's interesting how the doors have become a hindrance in almost every episode. When they're supposed to be keeping someone in, they fail. When people are supposed to be able to access a room, they're locked out.
Of course, once they cut a Texas-shaped hole in the wall and get back into the control room, we find out that there isn't enough time to get the engines warmed up before they spiral down to doom. So they decide to try this formula--which only has a 1 in 10,000 shot of not blowing them all to kingdom come--and the man behind the plan (Spock) is crying for his mommy. Although, to be fair, the doctor has come up with a cure by this time. So they get better just in time to implode the engines.
And then there was the time-travel bit. They only traveled back in time three days. Does this mean there's another Enterprise now for the next three days? Are they going to meet themselves in the next episode? There was some foreshadowing about using the time-travel formula at some point. Now they can also boldly go WHEN no man has gone before!
Favorite character this week: Sulu. I laughed out loud when he appeared dressed to fence and challenging everyone. Incidentally, where people surprised when George Takei came out of the closet?
The 3-D chess made a brief appearance, along with what I believe was 3-D checkers.
Don't forget to comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts on Star Trek, the blog, or anything else. Or e-mail us at videorevue@gmail.com
Two crewmen are sent down to retrieve the scientists who are still living on the doomed planet, only to find them all inexplicably dead. It soon becomes apparent that the scientists were killed by a disease that is spread by human contact, and even more apparent that said virus has made its way onboard the ship. The physical symptoms include excessive sweating--which is how the disease is spread--and reduced inhibitions. This usually leads to excessive laughter. Sulu begins challenging everyone to fencing matches. A crewman takes over the control room and serenades the crew with Irish songs. Oh, and Spock has a nervous breakdown. It all ends with the crew imploding their own engines and discovering they can travel back in time.
There was a lot going on in this episode. I was trying to figure out all of the ways the crew was screwed. First, they are lost when their communication system is compromised. They have twenty minutes to hack into the hijacked control room. It's interesting how the doors have become a hindrance in almost every episode. When they're supposed to be keeping someone in, they fail. When people are supposed to be able to access a room, they're locked out.
Of course, once they cut a Texas-shaped hole in the wall and get back into the control room, we find out that there isn't enough time to get the engines warmed up before they spiral down to doom. So they decide to try this formula--which only has a 1 in 10,000 shot of not blowing them all to kingdom come--and the man behind the plan (Spock) is crying for his mommy. Although, to be fair, the doctor has come up with a cure by this time. So they get better just in time to implode the engines.
And then there was the time-travel bit. They only traveled back in time three days. Does this mean there's another Enterprise now for the next three days? Are they going to meet themselves in the next episode? There was some foreshadowing about using the time-travel formula at some point. Now they can also boldly go WHEN no man has gone before!
Favorite character this week: Sulu. I laughed out loud when he appeared dressed to fence and challenging everyone. Incidentally, where people surprised when George Takei came out of the closet?
The 3-D chess made a brief appearance, along with what I believe was 3-D checkers.
Don't forget to comment! I'd love to hear your thoughts on Star Trek, the blog, or anything else. Or e-mail us at videorevue@gmail.com
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: "Where No Man Has Gone Before"
"Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." This saying is proven to be all too true as the crew aboard the Enterprise discover in this episode. Unlike the first two episodes, the "enemy" this week is not a mysterious stranger, but a member of their own crew: Kirk's good friend Gary Mitchell. After the ship flies through a mysterious forcefield (or something like that? Correct me if I'm wrong) Gary's ESP powers develop into something more powerful and dangerous. Suddenly granted the powers of gods, Gary loses all perspective on humanity and all respect for human life--even the lives of his crew members.
I have to say I enjoyed this episode much more than the first two. I don't know whether I've just gotten used to the "Star Trek" world more now, or if this episode is actually better, but I found myself waiting nervously to see what would happen. At first it seemed the problem was almost the same as in "Charlie X"--how do you stop someone who's WAY more powerful than you?--but with the added complexity that they all remember Gary before he went psycho. Of course, Mr. Spock is the only one who can look at the situation "rationally." There was some interesting juxtaposition between Spock (the epitome of logical, unemotional thinking) and the ship's new psychiatrist, Elizabeth Dehner (who relies on emotions and finds herself falling in love with Gary). I thought it was ironic that Elizabeth was sent to observe how the crew members handled emergencies. The situation with Gary was definitely an emergency, and during the first evaluation, she was the only one who refused to consider the possibility of killing Gary before he became too powerful (his powers were increasing at an exponential rate). But they decide not to, and Gary becomes a bigger problem than they can handle.
At the same time, the ship is damaged from traveling through the forcefield. They decide to land on another planet, which has a power station with the parts they need. It's also completely barren. Their plan is to leave Gary behind, which he isn't too happy about. They lock him up in the room with the electric barrier. Charlie from last week was able to disable that pretty quickly (just take out the power source!) but for some reason it held Gary for a while. Oh, but then he developed telekinesis. Kirk's backup plan was to blow the power station up (with Gary inside) and they hooked up a self-destruct button. Gary used his mind to strangle the button-pusher, a guy named Kelso. It was a very intense scene, probably one of the best I've seen so far.
In case you were wondering, I happen to be watching the "digitally remastered" version of the show, where they went back and re-did the special effects. I haven't seen the original to compare it to, but I do like the look of the new effects.
I find myself liking Spock. I don't even know why, exactly. He's probably not a very good conversationalist. And I've noticed for the second episode in a row that he and Kirk play 3-D chess, which looks interesting. (Before you try and teach me the rules, let me say I'm not even very good at regular chess!). Oh, and I think the phaser rifle is pretty badass, even if it looks like a Super Soaker with a giant needle on the end.
I have to say I enjoyed this episode much more than the first two. I don't know whether I've just gotten used to the "Star Trek" world more now, or if this episode is actually better, but I found myself waiting nervously to see what would happen. At first it seemed the problem was almost the same as in "Charlie X"--how do you stop someone who's WAY more powerful than you?--but with the added complexity that they all remember Gary before he went psycho. Of course, Mr. Spock is the only one who can look at the situation "rationally." There was some interesting juxtaposition between Spock (the epitome of logical, unemotional thinking) and the ship's new psychiatrist, Elizabeth Dehner (who relies on emotions and finds herself falling in love with Gary). I thought it was ironic that Elizabeth was sent to observe how the crew members handled emergencies. The situation with Gary was definitely an emergency, and during the first evaluation, she was the only one who refused to consider the possibility of killing Gary before he became too powerful (his powers were increasing at an exponential rate). But they decide not to, and Gary becomes a bigger problem than they can handle.
At the same time, the ship is damaged from traveling through the forcefield. They decide to land on another planet, which has a power station with the parts they need. It's also completely barren. Their plan is to leave Gary behind, which he isn't too happy about. They lock him up in the room with the electric barrier. Charlie from last week was able to disable that pretty quickly (just take out the power source!) but for some reason it held Gary for a while. Oh, but then he developed telekinesis. Kirk's backup plan was to blow the power station up (with Gary inside) and they hooked up a self-destruct button. Gary used his mind to strangle the button-pusher, a guy named Kelso. It was a very intense scene, probably one of the best I've seen so far.
In case you were wondering, I happen to be watching the "digitally remastered" version of the show, where they went back and re-did the special effects. I haven't seen the original to compare it to, but I do like the look of the new effects.
I find myself liking Spock. I don't even know why, exactly. He's probably not a very good conversationalist. And I've noticed for the second episode in a row that he and Kirk play 3-D chess, which looks interesting. (Before you try and teach me the rules, let me say I'm not even very good at regular chess!). Oh, and I think the phaser rifle is pretty badass, even if it looks like a Super Soaker with a giant needle on the end.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Star Trek Initiation: Charlie "X"
So I know I promised one review a week and it's been nearly 2 weeks. Sorry. I'm back now with Episode 2: Charlie "X". Charlie is the only survivor of a spaceship crash nearly 14 years ago. He was three years old at the time, and somehow survived on his own. He's grown up on a nearly deserted planet, and suddenly finds himself on the starship Enterprise. Everyone is trying to help him at first, but Charlie's understandably not very good with people. He manages to alienate most of the crew members...and then they discover that there's something else odd about Charlie: he has incredible mental powers. He can make people and things disappear. He turns one woman into an iguana.
It reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone called "It's a Good Life" and, like the people controlled by little Anthony, the crew of the Enterprise has trouble controlling Charlie. I was really wondering how they were going to get him to stop sending people off into oblivion, and the ending really made sense. I did wonder why the aliens who gave him his powers didn't step in sooner, though.
The other night, I saw an old episode of "Night Gallery" with Leonard Nimoy. I was surprised by how pointy his eyebrows are in real life.
Look for another episode of "Video Revue" before the end of the month!
It reminded me of an episode of The Twilight Zone called "It's a Good Life" and, like the people controlled by little Anthony, the crew of the Enterprise has trouble controlling Charlie. I was really wondering how they were going to get him to stop sending people off into oblivion, and the ending really made sense. I did wonder why the aliens who gave him his powers didn't step in sooner, though.
The other night, I saw an old episode of "Night Gallery" with Leonard Nimoy. I was surprised by how pointy his eyebrows are in real life.
Look for another episode of "Video Revue" before the end of the month!
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