Review: Being Remastered Made "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" Better

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 (of 2014) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Running time:  105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR:   Leonard Nimoy
WRITER:  Harve Bennett (based upon the TV series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCER:  Harve Bennett
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Charles Correll
EDITOR:  Robert F. Shugrue
COMPOSER:  James Horner

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring:  William Shatner, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Mark Leonard, Robin Curtis, Merritt Butrick, Christopher Lloyd, and Leonard Nimoy and Robert Hooks, Phil Morris, Phillip Richard Allen, Miguel Ferrer, and Carl Steven

The subject of this movie review is Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, a 1984 science fiction action-adventure film.  It is the third movie in the Star Trek film franchise, which is based on “Star Trek,” the science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry and originally broadcast on NBC from September 1966 to June 1969.  In The Search for Spock, the crew of USS Enterprise goes on a mission to recover the body of friend and crew mate, Spock, and finds more danger than they expected.

The Search for Spock follows the events depicted in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn.  Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner) won the battle against his ghost-from-the-past, Khan Noonien Singh, but it was a hollow victory.  The USS Enterprise limps back to Earth.  Doctor Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) is going insane.  And Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) is dead… or is he?

Spock’s father, Sarek (Mark Leonard), confronts Kirk about leaving Spock’s body in a casket on the “Genesis planet” which was created by the “Genesis device.”  Sarek tells Kirk that there might be hope for Spock.  Kirk and his bridge crew:  Montgomery Scott (James Doohan), Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), and Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), risk their careers by stealing the decommissioned Enterprise to return to the now-restricted Genesis planet to recover Spock’s body.

Meanwhile, Kirk’s son, David (Merritt Butrick), one of the creators of Genesis, returns to the Genesis planet with the Vulcan, Lieutenant Saavik (Robin Curtis), to investigate strange sensor readings emanating from the planet.  Neither realizes that an ambitious and murderous Klingon commander named Kruge (Christopher Lloyd) is also interested in the Genesis device.  Kruge is leading his Klingon ship, the Bird of Prey, to the Genesis planet, determined to obtain the secrets of Genesis.

2014 is the 30th anniversary (specifically June 1, 1984) of the original theatrical release of Star Trek III:  The Search for Spock.  It was the first Star Trek film that I saw in a movie theatre.  Before I saw it, all I knew of the film’s plot was that it involved Spock, who was dead, and that the Enterprise was destroyed in the film.  From news media reports and through word-of-mouth, I heard that some Star Trek fans (“Trekkies” or “Trekkers”) were furious about the destruction of the ship.

When I finally saw the movie, I did not find myself particularly upset about the Enterprise’s destruction.  It was done.  What could I do about it?  What did upset me was (Spoiler!) the brutal stabbing death of Kirk’s son, David, at the hands of a Klingon.  For years, I thought Kruge had actually done the stabbing, but he only gave the order to kill a prisoner.  For years, also, I avoided The Search for Spock because I found David’s death upsetting and troubling in a way I could not explain then and cannot explain now.

This recent viewing of The Search for Spock is the first time that I have seen the film in its entirety since watching it a second time on VHS in either 1984 or 1985.  I don’t remember how much I liked the film then, but I now find myself quite fond of it.

I won’t lie and say that The Search for Spock is great; it is not.  Some of scenes have blatantly bad acting.  The last ten minutes of the film is somewhat marred by tedious mysticism.  Still, Christopher Lloyd’s turn as Kruge is both brilliant and unique.  His is one of the best and most memorable performances of a villain in a Star Trek film.

Besides Lloyd, two other things about The Search for Spock grabbed me.  First, the race to recover Spock against the ticking clock of the doomed Genesis planet coupled with the Klingon threat is a captivating hook.  Secondly, the theme of camaraderie, as exemplified by the crew of the Enterprise and measured against the blood-thirsty Kruge, makes me forget this film’s blemishes.  I know my feelings about Star Trek III: The Search for Spock are about me being nostalgic for “Star Trek classic,” but I would choose it over many other films, including many Oscar-winners, any old time of day.

7 of 10
B+

Saturday, July 26, 2014


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Review: "The Wrath of Kahn" is Still Great Star Trek

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 34 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux


Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982)
Running time: 113 minutes (1 hour, 53 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Meyer
WRITERS: Jack B. Sowards; from a story by Harve Bennett and Jack B. Sowards (based upon the TV series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCER: Robert Sallin
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Gayne Rescher
EDITOR: William P. Dornisch
COMPOSER: James Horner

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Ricardo Montalban, Bibi Besch, Merritt Butrick, Paul Winfield, Kirstie Alley, and Ike Eisenmann with Judson Earney Scott

The subject of this movie review is Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, a 1982 science fiction movie. It is the second movie in the Star Trek film franchise, which is based on “Star Trek,” a science fiction television series originally broadcast on NBC from September 1966 to June 1969. The Wrath of Kahn finds the crew of the Enterprise fighting an old and practically forgotten nemesis and trying to stop him from using a life-generating device as the ultimate weapon.

In fact, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn’s plot is based on an episode of the TV series entitled, “Space Seed,” which was originally broadcast in February 1967, the show’s first season. Writers Samuel A. Peeples and Roman Sanchez apparently contributed to film’s story, while The Wrath of Kahn’s director, Nicholas Meyer, wrote the final script for the film, but did not receive a screen credit.

As The Wrath of Kahn opens, the USS Enterprise is commanded by Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and has a mostly novice crew. Captain Kirk is now Admiral James T. Kirk (William Shatner), and now, he mostly oversees training of Starfleet personnel and inspection of starships. The Enterprise is about to embark on a three-week training voyage with Spock in command and Kirk along for observation.

Meanwhile, former Enterprise crewman, Pavel Chekov (Walter Koenig), is on the USS Reliant with Captain Clark Terrell (Paul Winfield). The two men accidentally discover that the genetically-engineered tyrant, Khan Noonien Singh (Ricardo Montalban), who once tried to seize control of the Enterprise, is still alive and has an old score to settle with Admiral Kirk. Khan learns of the “Genesis Drive,” created by Dr. Carol Marcus (Bibi Besch) and her son, David (Merritt Butrick). This device can create life on barren worlds, but it can also destroy a planet. Now, Khan wants it, but can Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the Enterprise regulars stop him?

Following the first Star Trek film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which was considered a disappointment to some, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn became the first great Star Trek film. I can’t remember whom, but a writer I like once described the original Star Trek series as basically a blending of World War II submarine movies and the television series, “Wagon Train.” The original Star Trek was escapist entertainment with a swashbuckling adventure aspect, but it was often socially relevant, as it alluded to, in one form or another, what was occurring in the 1960s.

The Wrath of Kahn was a bit of all of that, but on a grander scale. Director Nicholas Meyer took advantage of the medium of cinema and made the drama more melodramatic, the conflicts edgier, the villains more menacing, and the specter of death more tangible than it had been on the small screen. Even the score by James Horner evokes a sense of adventure that the earlier Star Trek film did not have. Watching this movie, I almost felt as if I were a seafaring adventurer, ready for swashbuckling fun across the expanse of outer space.

The Wrath of Kahn deals with the themes of growing old, death, and resurrection. However, I think the overarching theme of this film is renewal, especially following the first film. For the characters, there is a renewal of purpose, status, friendships, etc. Khan represents the renewal of old conflicts (which carries over into the third film). The younger crew of the Enterprise hints at a renewal of the mission. To me, this Star Trek is less about winding down and ending and more about restarting.

The performances are good, and thanks to the screenplay, William Shatner has some weighty material to use and delivers what is probably his best performance in a Star Trek film. Ricardo Montalban is fantastic – plain and simple. In Khan, Montalban delivers just the kind of grand, vengeful, madman The Wrath of Kahn has to have. He is Oscar-worth and is the main reason Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn is so distinctive among Star Trek films.

8 of 10
A

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Disney's "The Wild" is Mild, Cute Kid Stuff

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 75 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


The Wild (2006) – computer animation
Running time: 94 minutes (1 hour, 34 minutes)
MPAA – G
DIRECTOR: Steve “Spaz” Williams
WRITERS: Ed Decter, John J. Strauss, and Mark Gibson & Philip Halprin; from a story by Mark Gibson and Philip Halprin
PRODUCERS: Beau Flynn and Clint Goldman
EDITORS: Scott Balcerek and Steven L. Wagner
COMPOSER: Alan Silvestri

ANIMATION/COMEDY/ACTION and ADVENTURE/DRAMA/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Kiefer Sutherland, James Belushi, Eddie Izzard, Janeane Garofalo, William Shatner, Richard Kind, Greg Cipes, and Patrick Warburton

The subject of this movie review is The Wild, a 2006 computer-animated film. It was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures and was produced by the now-defunct, Canadian computer animation company, C.O.R.E. Feature Animation (a part of C.O.R.E. Digital Pictures). The film is of note for its similarities to DreamWorks Animation’s Madagascar (2005).

When his son, Ryan (Greg Cipes), an sullen pre-teen lion cub, is mistakenly shipped out of the country, Samson (Kiefer Sutherland), the star lion at the New York Zoo, chases the ship across the ocean with his friends: Benny (Jim Belushi), a savvy and streetwise squirrel; Bridget (Janeane Garofalo), an independent-minded giraffe; Larry (Richard Kind), a dim-witted anaconda; and Nigel (Eddie Izzard), a smart aleck koala in toe. They eventually trek the ship to an island with a highly active volcano. Here, Samson and his friends are confronted by something new to them – a dark foreboding jungle – the wild.

Disney apparently had been preparing for the day that their relationship with Pixar Animation Studios, the makers of such computer animated smash hits as the Toy Story franchise, Finding Nemo, and The Incredibles, among others, might end. However, Disney and Pixar announced their merger a few months ago (as of this writing), but before the happy nuptials, Disney had produced two computer animated feature films independently of their esteemed partners at Pixar. The first, Chicken Little, debuted early last fall. Mid-April 2005 sees the arrival of the second film, The Wild.

The Wild has some high quality computer animation, not Pixar quality, but as good films such as Blue Sky Animation’s (Fox) Ice Age and PDI’s (DreamWorks) Shark Tale. The opening scenes – a fantasy/dream sequence – are electric and alive. The texture and fur on the animals, especially on Samson, Benny, and Nigel is superb. When the narrative reaches “the wild,” the movie comes alive in a world of diverse, vibrant, and rich colors. The characters move with fluidity and grace, and the action sequences are as good as Pixar’s work up to Monster’s Inc.

On the other hand, the script is dust bowl dry and sandpaper scratchy, from the beginning until the heroes reach “the wild.” By then, it would almost be too late to save the movie, except the film’s action and the array of creatures during the last third of the story reach a fever pitch. Most non-Pixar computer animated features generally fail in the story department, and this one barely gets an average grade. In fact, The Wild is embarrassingly (for Disney) similar to DreamWorks late spring 2005 hit, Madagascar. Both films have a lion in an identity crisis as the lead character. Both films also have New York Zoo creatures suddenly tossed back into their jungle (or “wild”) habitats after a forced Atlantic Ocean voyage.

As nice as the film looks, the voice acting is not so nice a listening experience. Kiefer Sutherland’s distinctive voice is lost in a poor character. In fact, Samson is often just the straight guy to Jim Belushi’s Benny, a good character well played by Belushi. Eddie Izzard’s unique vocal style, which works best when he’s on stage doing standup comedy, is neutered as the voice behind a cartoon character. Izzard’s performance here is a good example of why it is not always a good idea to get well-known screen and TV actors to do voice over work for animation. Sometimes a big movie star’s voice and acting style just doesn’t work without the face, so the studios would do better hiring actors who specialize in doing voiceover work for animation.

Overall, The Wild is a B-movie computer animated feature because of story and character, but its technical quality is noteworthy. I’d like to see director Steve “Spaz” Williams and his crew give it another shot, but like the makers of Chicken Little, there may be no place for them at the new Disney, now that Pixar will be calling the cartoon shots for the famed movie studio long into the foreseeable future.

5 of 10
B-

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Review: "Star Trek: The Final Frontier" Has Some Good Moments

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 232 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)
Running time: 107 minutes (1 hour, 47 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: William Shatner
WRITERS: David Loughery; from a story by William Shatner, Harve Bennett, and David Loughery (based upon the TV series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCER: Harve Bennett
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Andrew Laszlo
EDITOR: Peter Berger, A.C.E.
COMPOSER: Jerry Goldsmith

SCI-FI/ACTION/DRAMA

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, David Warner, Laurence Luckinbill, Charles Cooper, Cynthia Gouw, Todd Bryant, and Spice Williams

The subject of this movie review is Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, a 1989 science fiction adventure film. It is the fifth film in the Star Trek film franchise, and the second-to-last (or penultimate) to feature the cast of the original Star Trek television series. The Final Frontier takes place shortly after Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and pits the crew of the USS Enterprise against a renegade Vulcan.

The crew of the original “Star Trek” returned for its fifth cinematic adventure, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is sharing his shore leave with Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in Yosemite National Park, where Kirk is attempting to climb the mountain, El Capitan, freestyle (without gear). The festivities, however, are cut short when the Federation sends the U.S.S. Enterprise on an emergency mission to the Neutral Zone.

The Enterprise arrives at the planet, Nimbus III, where, Sybock (Laurence Luckinbill), a renegade Vulcan who shares a past with Spock, hijacks the Enterprise. He pilots it on a journey past The Great Barrier to a mythical planet named Sha Ka Ree, where Sybock hopes to uncover the secrets of existence. It’s up to the Star Trek holy trinity of Kirk, Spock, and Bones to keep the crew and this new Enterprise (Enterprise-A) safe while Sybock obsesses on his quest. Meanwhile, a Klingon warship, a bird of prey, stalks the Enterprise.

Star Trek V stumbles because it tries to be a sci-fi action flick, a tale of brotherly love, a therapy session, and a spiritual odyssey. It doesn’t do three of them well, but The Final Frontier does work as a nice spotlight on the relationship of Kirk, Spock, and Bones. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is the least of the six movies featuring the original crew of the Enterprise, but production problems (including loosing their special effects house of choice) played a part in this film not coming together as director William Shatner envisioned it. It isn’t all that satisfying as a Trek flick, but it’ll do in a pinch.

5 of 10
C+

Friday, November 10, 2006

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Review: "Over the Hedge" is a Surprising Delight

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 107 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Over the Hedge (2006)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some rude humor and mild comic action
DIRECTORS: Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick
WRITERS: Len Blum, Lorne Cameron and David Hoselton, and Karey Kirkpatrick with Chris Poche (based upon characters created by Michael Fry and T. Lewis)
PRODUCER: Bonnie Arnold
EDITOR: John K. Carr
COMPOSER: Rupert Gregson-Williams
SONGS: Ben Folds

ANIMATION/COMEDY/ACTION/FAMILY

Starring: (voices) Bruce Willis, Gary Shandling, Steve Carell, Wanda Sykes, William Shatner, Nick Nolte, Thomas Haden Church, Allison Janney, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, Avril Lavigne, Omid Djalili, Sami Kirkpatrick, Shane Baumel, and Madison Davenport

The subject of this movie review is Over the Hedge, a 2006 computer-animated film from DreamWorks Animation. This action comedy is based upon the syndicated newspaper comic strip, Over the Hedge, created by Michael Fry and T. Lewis. The film focuses on a raccoon who uses his friends to help him repay a debt.

RJ (Bruce Willis) is an opportunistic raccoon, and his greed causes him to destroy the treasure trove of a dangerous bear named Vincent (Nick Nolte). Vincent gives RJ less than a week to replace his loot. Fortune leads RJ to a sprawling new suburban neighborhood, where he figures he can replace all of Vincent’s things (such as potato chips, a red wagon, a blue ice cooler, etc.).

Meanwhile, Verne (Gary Shandling), a turtle, and the woodland friends that make up his family: a hyperactive squirrel named Hammy (Steve Carell); a sassy, but low on self esteem skunk named Stella (Wanda Sykes); a melodramatic possum named Ozzie (William Shatner) and his daughter, Heather (Avril Lavigne); Lou & Penny (Eugene Levy and Catherine O’Hara), a porcupine couple with three little ones, wake up from their long winter’s nap only to discover that a tall green thing has cropped up in the middle of their forest home. RJ arrives just in time to inform Verne and his group that the “thing” is actually a hedge, and over the hedge is the “gateway to the good life” – a neighborhood full of humans. Humans live to eat (where as the animals eat to live), and they have lots of food and lots of stuff, he tells them – stuff they can take for themselves.

Verne is suspicious and a little jealous of RJ’s assertive nature, but Verne’s woodland band is ready to follow the manipulative raccoon into the domain of their over-indulgent human neighbors. Verne believes that they have more to fear than to gain from humans, and he is right. Gladys (Allison Janney), the president of the neighborhood association, hires a murderous pest exterminator, Dwayne (Thomas Haden Church), to get rid or RJ, Verne, and the rest of the animals. Can RJ and Verne put aside their differences in time to save the group? Will RJ be able to replace Vincent’s things before he shows up to kill the poor raccoon?

Although there were times in DreamWorks Animation’s latest computer animated film, Over the Hedge, when I was sure the filmmakers were simply trying to make another middle of the road, easily digestible family film, there were many more times when I was shocked at how genuinely sly, witty, smart, and lightly subversive this cartoon movie is. The narrative takes the side of the group over the individual, in this case because the group survives best as a unit and not on the whims of an individual prone to always look out for number one. There’s lots of clever commentary on American consumerism and also on how much people waste, and class division comes up in the form of the woodland animals being poor people who are conservative and gather to live, while the humans over the hedge in suburbia are more about gathering things for status. The movie also takes several digs at junk food.

The quality of the computer animation in DreamWorks Animation’s films (produced by PDI) continues to improve with each film, and that’s evident in Over the Hedge. The texture of the animals’ fur, the reflective surfaces, and the sets (the neighborhood lawn grass is good enough to call attention to itself) are all quite impressive. The surface consistency looks more real; it’s as if the animals’ skins, fur, quills, etc are authentic and not rubber suits. Character movement, which took a leap forward for DreamWorks in last year’s Madagascar, improved here. RJ, Hammy, Ozzie & Heather, and the porcupine triplets move with such grace and fluidity. There is a subtlety to their facial expressions that gives a sincere feel to their emotional displays, and when combined with smooth physical movement, makes their performances feel genuine.

If Pixar (now officially owned by the Walt Disney Company, just a few weeks prior to this review) is like Disney in that the studio create animated feature films that focus on story and the art of animation, DreamWorks is like Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes in that it emphasizes broad comedy (sketch, slapstick, situation, etc.) of varying appeal to adults, and it stresses caricature and cartoon-style drawing in the design of its characters. PDI also goes for the “squash and stretch” animation that marked the work of cartoon short directors like Tex Avery and Chuck Jones, so in many ways DreamWorks’ computer animated films are like Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Road Runner, and Droopy cartoons.

While Over the Hedge occasionally drags in its first half, the voice acting comes together to strengthen both the film’s narrative and its message of family. The acting also makes for some surprisingly strong comedy. Bruce Willis, well known as an action movie hero, first came to fame in the romantic, detective comedy television series, “Moonlighting.” Audiences tend to forget his boyish charm and wit, his sharp sarcasm, and a sense of humor that make him a very good comic actor. It takes a bit of warming up, but he makes a great foil for Gary Shandling’s über-responsible family patriarch. Shandling also takes a bit of warming up to, but that’s true of most of the cast. The film’s writers play well to the actors’ strengths.

Who knew it was possible to get such excellent comedy out of the perception that William Shatner overacted in the original Star Trek TV series and films? Here, his penchant for over dramatizing or melodrama is turned into pure comedy gold. The writers also make good use of Wanda Sykes’ saucy personality and constant sarcasm, as well as her ability create characters that ingratiate themselves to others while still being a smart ass. By the end of the film, my favorite character by far was Steve Carell’s Hammy the squirrel. Carell can do manic, panic, and hyperactivity and can babble with the best. When combined with the superb character animation done on Hammy, Carell creates a memorable cartoon animal character – one worth seeing again.

Over the Hedge is also a good action comedy. The chase that closes its last act is almost as good as the kind of slam-bam showdowns in the Toy Story franchise and could rival a car chase in a Lethal Weapon movie. It’s this facility for action comedy and funny characters that makes Over the Hedge DreamWorks’ best non-Shrek film to date.

7 of 10
A-

Sunday, May 21, 2006

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Review: "DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story" is Still Funny (Happy B'day, Ben Stiller)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 100 (of 2004) by Leroy Douresseaux

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Running time: 92 minutes (1 hour, 32 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for rude and sexual humor, and language
WRITER/DIRECTOR: Rawson Marshall Thurber
PRODUCERS: Stuart Cornfeld and Ben Stiller
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Jerzy Zielinski
EDITOR: Alan Baumgarten and Peter Teschner
COMPOSER: Theodore Shapiro

COMEDY/SPORTS with elements of romance

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Christine Taylor, Ben Stiller, Rip Torn, Justin Long, Stephen Root, Joel David Moore, Chris Williams, Alan Tudyk, Missi Pyle, Jamal E. Duff, Gary Cole, Jason Bateman, Al Kaplon, Curtis Armstrong, and Hank Azaria with (cameos) Lance Armstrong, Chuck Norris, and William Shatner

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story is a 2004 sports comedy set in the world of competitive dodgeball. Ben Stiller is one of the film’s producers and is also one of the movie’s stars. DodgeBall follows an underdog dodgeball team and their rivalry with a powerhouse team from a big-budget gym.

A group of misfits band together and enter a dodgeball tournament in Las Vegas in order to save their cherished gym, Average Guy Gym. The gym owner, Peter La Fleur (Vince Vaughn), is not an ambitious guy, but he reluctantly joins his friends/customers to go after the $50,000 championship prize.

This prize money will save his gym from foreclosure, where upon it will end up in the hands of Global Gym and its owner, White Goodman (Ben Stiller). When Goodman learns that Peter’s friends will compete in the tournament and that Peter is also dating an attorney (Christine Taylor) he desires, Goodman assembles a killer team of hired muscle to compete in the Las Vegas tournament against Peter and his friends.

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story is absolutely hilarious. It’s witty, sarcastic, lewd, crude, snarky, and unabashedly lowbrow, but ultimately it’s the kind of belly laugh comedy that doesn’t come around often enough. It’s not high art; it’s the love child of such films as Caddyshack and Revenge of the Nerds. Vince Vaughn, once destined to be a matinee idol, has turned out to be a funny comic actor who gets plenty of mileage out of dry wit and dead pan humor, and though he is warmer than he is hot in this film, he makes DodgeBall.

Anyone who can not take DodgeBall seriously and has the kind of sense of humor that finds a film like Dude, Where’s My Car? funny will like this.

6 of 10
B

NOTES:
2005 Razzie Awards: 1 nomination: “Worst Actor” (Ben Stiller)

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Review: "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country" Gets Better with Age (Happy B'day, Star Trek)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 233 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991)
Running time: 109 minutes (1 hour, 49 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: Nicholas Meyer
WRITERS: Nicholas Meyer and Denny Martin Flinn; from a story by Leonard Nimoy and Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal (based upon the TV series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCERS: Steven-Charles Jaffe and Ralph Winter
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Hiro Narita
EDITORS: Ronald Roose with William Hoy
Academy Award nominee

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/MYSTERY

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, George Takei, Kim Cattrall, Mark Lenard, Grace Lee Whitney, Brock Peters, Leon Russom, Kurtwood Smith, Christopher Plummer, Rosanna DeSoto, David Warner, Michael Dorn, Iman, and Christian Slater

The cast of the original “Star Trek” (1966-69) returned for its sixth and final feature film, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (also known as TUC).

After the explosion of its moon, Praxis, the Klingon Homeworld has only a 50-year supply of oxygen left. The subsequent economic and environmental instabilities mean that the Klingons won’t be able to continue their long-running hostilities with the Federation, so they sue for peace. Starfleet, the diplomatic, exploration, military defense, and research arm of the Federation, sends the U.S.S. Enterprise to meet the Klingon ship Kronos One, which is carrying Klingon Chancellor Gorkon (David Warner) to Earth for negotiations. The Enterprise’s Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner) is not only upset about escorting a Klingon ship, but also about peace with them because it was a Klingon officer that murdered his son.

While en route to Earth, the Enterprise appears to fire on Kronos One, and assassins, apparently from the Enterprise, murder Gorkon. The Klingons arrest Kirk and Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy (DeForest Kelley) for the death of Gorkon and imprison them on the penal mining colony, Rura Penthe. Gorkon’s daughter, Azetbur (Rosanna DeSoto), becomes the new chancellor, and she vows to continue negotiations with the Federation.

Meanwhile, Captain Spock (Leonard Nimoy) assumes command of the Enterprise. Spock must discover how or if the Enterprise fired on Kronos One when the ship’s computer says it did, but no weapons were expended, and he must clear Capt. Kirk of Gorkon’s murder. With the aid of the U.S.S. Excelsior, commanded by former Enterprise crewman, Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei), Spock must also rescue Kirk and Dr. McCoy from their imprisonment. The heroic Enterprise crew is running out of time to discover the identities of the Gorkon’s assassins and of the traitors aboard the Enterprise before they strike again to stop peace negotiations between the Federation and Klingon Empire.

An allegory for the fall of communism in Eastern Europe (which had occurred around 1990, just before this film went into production), Star Trek VI is a poignant expression of the need to end cold wars, constant hostilities, and old grudges. It emphasizes letting go of yearnings to avenge personal and painful losses that come about because of war (the death of Kirk’s son).

The film also has a melancholy edge because the Enterprise is to be decommissioned after this adventure, and this is the last time the original crew would be together. The performances, all of which are good (especially Christopher Plummer as Klingon General Chang), portray the essence of something grand coming to an end. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is not the best Star Trek feature film, but its sense of purpose and determination, and the engaging mystery that hangs over the narrative make this a nice farewell.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
1992 Academy Awards: 2 nominations: “Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing” (George Watters II and F. Hudson Miller) and “Best Makeup” (Michael Mills, Ed French, and Richard Snell)

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Review: "Star Trek: Generations" Does Not Stray Far from the TV Series

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 211 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux

Star Trek: Generations (1994)
Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)
MPAA – PG
DIRECTOR: David Carson
WRITERS: Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga; from a story by Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga, and Rick Berman (based on the TV series “Star Trek” created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCER: Rick Berman
CINEMATOGRAPHER: John A. Alonzo
EDITOR: Peter E. Berger, A.C.E.

SCI-FI/ACTION/ADVENTURE/DRAMA

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, Marina Sirtis, Malcolm McDowell, James Doohan, Walter Koening, William Shatner, Alan Ruck, Tim Russ, and Whoppi Goldberg

In 1994, the seventh film in the Star Trek movie franchise debuted in theatres, but unlike the previous six films, this one featured a new incarnation of the U.S.S. Enterprise (Enterprise-D) and a new crew, led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Star Trek: Generations starred the cast of the second Trek series, “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” which ran for seven seasons from 1987-1994 in syndication.

While investigating a disaster at an outlying observation station, the crew of the Enterprise finds that the catastrophe’s sole survivor is Dr. Tolian Soran (Malcolm McDowell), an intense man insistent that he be allowed to complete his work on the station. Soran turns out to be of the same race as the Enterprise’s bartender, Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg, who did not receive a screen credit in the film), the El Aurian. Soran has malevolent plans for a roaming energy field called The Nexus, which involves the destruction of the Veridian solar system. When Picard tries to intervene, he becomes caught in the Nexus and meets a man presumed-dead the last time a U.S.S. Enterprise (Enterprise-B) tangled with The Nexus, the retired Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner).

Star Trek: Generations is a good, but not great film, which is the same way one can categorize it as part of the Trek pantheon – good, but not great. Perhaps, it needs to grow on the audience; in fact, I certainly liked it much more the second time I saw it than I did the first. Generations is simply an extended version of the TV show, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” put in the context of a feature film, meaning a longer story, better special effects, and improved production values (even a few scenes of exceptional cinematography).

The acting is more or less the same as in the TV show with a moment here and there of more thoughtful performances. Malcolm McDowell brings a welcome jolt of viciousness as the single-minded Soran. The actors playing the Klingons also bring the same kind of intensity to their performances, as did the actors who played the aliens in the earlier installments of the franchise. Even director David Caruso seems to spring to life when the Klingons are involved.

The best parts of the film are those that take place in the past and involve the only three cast members from the original “Star Trek” television series and films to appear in Star Trek: Generations. Seeing Shatner, Koening, and Doohan made me sad because for all intents and purposes, their Trek can only exist as artifacts from a long time ago.

6 of 10
B

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

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In "Star Trek The Motion Picture" Old Friends Returned

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 210 (of 2006) by Leroy Douresseaux


Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)
Running time: 132 minutes (2 hours, 12 minutes)
MPAA – PG for sci-fi action and mild language
DIRECTOR: Robert Wise
WRITER: Harold Livingston; from a story by Alan Dean Foster (based on the TV series created by Gene Roddenberry)
PRODUCER: Gene Roddenberry
CINEMATOGRAPHER: Richard H. Kline
EDITOR: Todd Ramsay

SCI-FI/ADVENTURE with elements of drama

Starring: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelley, James Doohan, George Takei, Majel Barrett, Walter Koenig, Nichelle Nichols, Persis Khambatta, and Stephen Collins

The original cast of the 1960’s sci-fi television series, “Star Trek,” reunites aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise with Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner), now admiral, back in the big chair. Their mission is to intercept a giant alien ship steadily approaching Earth and destroying everything in its path. Kirk must also square off with the man who was the Enterprise’s new captain, Commander Decker (Stephen Collins), until Kirk displaced Decker and made him his assistant.

In 1979, Star Trek: The Motion Picture blasted onto movie screens, much to the delight of Trekkies/Trekkers (Star Trek fanatics) and TV viewers who made the original series, which ran on broadcast TV from 1966-69, a smash hit in syndication during the 1970s.

While not the best of the Star Trek films featuring the cast of the original series, it’s joyous simply because the film marked the return of the original cast. The film has many good moments, some of them awe-inspiring and others deeply emotional (such as the scene in which Kirk sees the Enterprise in dock for the first time in over two years). While at times, it comes across as a Star Trek riff on 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek: The Motion Picture hits all the right notes for those of us who are not fanatics, but who have a soft spot for the original Star Trek – warts and all.

7 of 10
B+

NOTES:
1980 Academy Awards: 3 nominations: “Best Art Direction-Set Decoration” (Harold Michelson, Joseph R. Jennings, Leon Harris, John Vallone, and Linda DeScenna), “Best Effects, Visual Effects” (Douglas Trumbull, John Dykstra, Richard Yuricich, Robert Swarthe, David K. Stewart, and Grant McCune), and “Best Music, Original Score” (Jerry Goldsmith)

1980 Golden Globes: 1 nomination: “Best Original Score - Motion Picture” (Jerry Goldsmith)

Tuesday, October 10, 2006