Reviews
A Slight Case of Murder (1999)
Pretty good fare
Not a stunner, but a good movie to see once or twice. Bill Macy shows he can do more than just act; his writing was pretty darn good. Great supporting cast, especially Jamie Cromwell as the extortionist private eye.
The movie's greatest strength is the work of Macy, who reminds us of his Jerry Lundergaard role from Fargo. He has numerous scenes where he is extremely funny as a slimy, manipulating and deceitful character. It's enjoyable to watch him be a weasel, and for a while I was happy that things were turning out well for him. *** out of four.
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998)
Pretty amusing
In the course of this movie coming together, it was rumored to
have about 10 subtitles before they settled on "Insurrection."
Among them were "Rebellion," "Prime Directive," and "Defiance."
I think that if they used "The Comedy" it would have been just
as well. This is by far the most fun "Star Trek" movie I have ever seen,
and one of the most enjoyable movies I've seen this year. Aside
from being the newest "Trek" movie, this latest adventure of the
"Next Generation" crew is quite a departure from the previous 8
films. It has drama, the plot is excellent, the special effects
are superb as usual, but the humor is unexpectedly outstanding. This time, Captain Picard and the crew of the Enterprise-E (what
happens when they run out of letters?) find themselves fighting
to preserve the home planet of the Baku, an alien race (who of
course, look human and speak perfect English) who inhabit a
planet with a special power. The villains, an alien race known
as the So'na, are a dying species who the Federation wants to
help out by removing the Baku from the planet and making use of
the secret power. The "power" in question involves perpetual
youth, which has an effect on the behavior of the Enterprise
crew throughout the movie. Their antics are to say the least,
bizarre. Without spoiling the surprises, one crew member experiences the
effects of puberty again, another regains one of his lost
senses, one walks into their quarters and starts dancing to
Mambo music, while two others engage in a steamy bubble bath
session. These scenes, while unusual in a "Star Trek" movie, are
a much welcome break from the obligatory "We've lost phasers!"
or "That's an order!" dramatic sequences that are required to be
in every "Star Trek" film. Anyone familiar with the regular
episodes of "The Next Generation" television series could recall
episodes where crew member behavior was just as unusual or even
more bizarre than in "Insurrection." Some which come to mind are
the episodes where some were turned into cavemen and fish, as
well as the ones where some of them turn into 12-year-olds or
get inhabited by aliens and commit mutiny. When they complete the 15th or 16th movie in this series, ("Star
Trek: Retirement Age") "Insurrection" probably won't be regarded
as the best ever, but it will most likely have its place in
"Star Trek" lore as