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Cavedog_pdx
Reviews
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002)
Maybe it's time for new blood to write for Star Trek?
****Spoiler Warning****
Star Trek: Nemesis looked so promising from the advertisements but had to be the biggest disappointment for me out of all the Star Trek movies except for maybe Star Trek V. At least Star Trek V had an original storyline. Now it's okay for a movie to use an old story in creating a new one, but why rehash almost letter for letter the most beloved story of the franchise in a lame attempt to rejuvenate the series. What I'm trying to say ladies and gentlemen is that Star Trek: Nemesis is just a simple reworking of Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan!
Observe the following: Khan is a villain from Captain Kirk's past / Picard fights a clone of himself from his past. Khan had a weapon of terrible destructive power - the Genesis device / the Romulans have a weapon of terrible destructive power - that radiation bomb thingy. Spock dies saving the crew of the Enterprise / Data sacrifices himself to save the crew of the Enterprise The writers had in mind a way to bring Spock back through the transference of his consciousness into Dr McCoy / Data has a clone robot that's kinda dumb that the crew will just dump his brain into and voila! he's back! You think I'm kidding?
When Spock died in Star Trek II the world responded and that movie is beloved by every Star Trek fan. When Kirk died it seemed very lame that he died in the hands of Picard and not one of his true friends - Spock or McCoy. Killing off of Data was a failed attempt to manipulate the audience to sadness. Why even bother advertising one crewman was going to die if it was the one that wouldn't have mattered? Killing off any of the next Generation characters would not have been any more dramatic or sad than how Kirk died unless it was maybe Picard. Killing off Wesley Crusher might have elicited some cheers though.
The only redeeming parts of this movie are the space combat scenes and the fact that once again Counselor Troi gets to crash the space ship. It seems like she gets asked to take the helm whenever they're going to crash the ship (Star Trek: Generations) or when they need to as in this movie. Poor girl's gonna get a complex but it makes a great running joke. Too bad that's the most inspired thing that happens in Nemesis.
So somebody please get the writers some new ideas before the next Star Trek installment is just a rehash of The Search for Spock.
Only the Strong (1993)
Not meant to be funny, but it really is!
First off, the capoiera scenes in the movie are amazing! Capoiera is the Brazilian martial art designed to allow one to fight while in chains ergo the cartwheels and acrobatics. The music is a lot of fun too and the soundtrack is a lot of fun!
However, this is one of the worst offenders of movies that have thirty year old high school students - er - actors in their late 20s playing 16 year olds. The main character does a Michelle Pfeiffer-esque dangerous minds revolution in what is supposed to be the worst high school in LA by taking a group of the "worst" students and teaching them martial arts. Well these "worst" students actually just seem like wise cracking slackers and not all that bad. Many are just quiet and look bored. The bad guys in the movie are also capoiera experts. Who'd have thought there'd be a Brazilian capoiera gang right there in Los Angeles? Okay the movie is utterly unbelievable but the funnest thing about this movie is the blatantly thick overtones of homo-eroticism. Seriously it's just a crack up seeing these guys trying to act all macho while doing these martial arts. Perhaps it's bad acting combined with excess testosterone but it's a hoot to behold! Very much a party movie for your gay friends!