The wunderkind nature of the Westley Crusher character was always a bit over the top, so much so that it was roundly satirized in the great Star Trek sendup movie, Galaxy Quest. But the sendoff of Wesley is truly laughable. Not only is he Mozart, but now he's sacred and heading off to "another plane of existence? His mother's final words to him are basically, "Dress warm and have fun in those other planes of existence." Seriously?
Reviews
11 Reviews
No Consequences?
19 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
So, Dr. Crusher accidentally creates a disease that almost destroys the crew and kills at least one of them, but at the end she says (basically) "Oh, my bad!" and life goes on. I agree that the whole plot is unbelievable, but can we accept that there is no accountability for this incredible goof?
No Genealogist on the Writing Staff
16 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Like many STNG fans, I'm binge-watching the whole series in Blu-Ray -- enjoying the High Def and reminiscing where I was when each episode originally aired. I don't recall seeing this episode before, but after seeing it, I find that I have a better opinion of it than the majority of reviewers. Certainly the re-creation of Scotland was marred by the apparent lack of understanding of the difference between Anglo-Saxon lowland Scotland and Celtic highland Scotland, but I give the writers credit for attempting to address sexuality through a female lens given the dearth of serious treatment of the topic in 1990s TV. The episode was sometimes overly melodramatic on this score, but a serious question was asked; was it wrong that the parasitic entity controlled its host if it made the host happy? I think the episode answered that question at the end.
But, so many of us who have been lifelong fans of the Star Trek universe can't help but nitpick incongruent details. In this case it's the assertion that the entity possessed multiple "Howard women" over a span of 800 years because they passed down a compatible genetic signature. Although by STNG's century the tradition of women taking their husband's names when they marry may well have died out, still the string of "Howard women" would have to be until our time the wives of Howard men. These wives would each have brought a different genetic makeup to the union.
My final observation is to agree with some reviewers that Gates McFadden did a lot with the material she was given to work with. She certainly convinced me that she was having a very good time.
But, so many of us who have been lifelong fans of the Star Trek universe can't help but nitpick incongruent details. In this case it's the assertion that the entity possessed multiple "Howard women" over a span of 800 years because they passed down a compatible genetic signature. Although by STNG's century the tradition of women taking their husband's names when they marry may well have died out, still the string of "Howard women" would have to be until our time the wives of Howard men. These wives would each have brought a different genetic makeup to the union.
My final observation is to agree with some reviewers that Gates McFadden did a lot with the material she was given to work with. She certainly convinced me that she was having a very good time.
The Cardinal
(1963)
This film had a lot of impact among Catholics in 1963.
17 June 2003
The Cardinal is a historically significant film because of what was happening in the Roman Catholic Church at the time it premiered -- the Second Vatican Council. Called by Pope John XXVIII to bring about reforms in the Church, many of the issues touched upon in the film -- the liturgy, the role of lay persons and women in the Church, rights of the mother vs. the child, mixed marriage, ecumenism -- were being hotly debated by the bishops in Rome. The film added to that debate among ordinary Catholics.
I was a student at a Catholic high school in 1963. To many of us who hoped to see significant and even radical changes toward a more modern Church, the Cardinal dramatized many of the problems that we believed needed correcting. The Second Vatican Council didn't go as far as some of us would like, and the Church hasn't seen much reform since, but when I see the Cardinal today, I'm reminded how much more confining Church doctrine was before the Council did its work.
By the way, in response to the comment that no one could have done all the things that the Cardinal was portrayed as doing in the film, my understanding is that the story is based on the life of Cardinal Spellman of New York. The details are changed, but in fact Cardinal Spellman was from Boston and did undertake many of the same roles in his career, including working as a Vatican diplomat from 1925-1932.
I was a student at a Catholic high school in 1963. To many of us who hoped to see significant and even radical changes toward a more modern Church, the Cardinal dramatized many of the problems that we believed needed correcting. The Second Vatican Council didn't go as far as some of us would like, and the Church hasn't seen much reform since, but when I see the Cardinal today, I'm reminded how much more confining Church doctrine was before the Council did its work.
By the way, in response to the comment that no one could have done all the things that the Cardinal was portrayed as doing in the film, my understanding is that the story is based on the life of Cardinal Spellman of New York. The details are changed, but in fact Cardinal Spellman was from Boston and did undertake many of the same roles in his career, including working as a Vatican diplomat from 1925-1932.
Water
(1985)
Satire of the Caribbean, But Some Truth To It
12 February 2003
As Michael Caine competes for another Best Actor Oscar, Water has been included by some commentators in the list of the "bombs" he has taken on "to pay the bills." Ill-advised choices such as The Swarm and Jaws III certainly belong on the list, but I have always considered Water to have brought out Caine's comic ability rather well. The satire is sometimes heavy-handed (especially the Texas oil man caricature by Fred Gwynn) but I find that there is some pretty close to target satire of life, culture, and politics on the many tiny isles of the Eastern Caribbean. I lived on a couple of them myself, and I'm always finding some familiar old friends among Water's characters.
The Swarm
(1978)
Good Actors Do Not A Good Movie Make
12 February 2003
I just ran across The Swarm on cable TV and sat watching in horror, not because of the killer bees but because of the incredibly wooden acting by an all-star cast! This flick shows that a bad plot, bad script, and bad directing can produce bad performances from Oscar winners like Henry Fonda and Michael Caine. Like the Jaws sequel he so often mentions, I hope Caine bought himself something nice with the proceeds of this clunker. Katherine Ross holds a special place in my heart because I met her on the set of The Hellfighters in 1968 (a movie that really WAS made in Houston) but it was painful to watch her plod through this one.
As for the special effects, The Swarm was made in the era of Star Wars with none of George Lucas' magic. The train scenes are particularly pathetic. My own HO model railroad was more realistic! Irwin Allen should have been ashamed of himself.
As for the special effects, The Swarm was made in the era of Star Wars with none of George Lucas' magic. The train scenes are particularly pathetic. My own HO model railroad was more realistic! Irwin Allen should have been ashamed of himself.
Joe Versus the Volcano
(1990)
Hanks' and Ryan's talent shines through dismal plot
25 June 2001
The main lesson I learned from Joe Versus the Volcano is that highly talented people can make some pretty bad movies. Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan do their best, which is considerable, to put some life into a plot that reminds me of a high school skit (or maybe Saturday Night Live!) There's no character development, and most of the situations are not funny, or even believable. Except for the joy of watching Hanks and Ryan together, this is one to miss.
Miss Congeniality
(2000)
Surpassed My Expectations
18 June 2001
I had read the generally tepid reviews, so I expected a predictable farce. Instead, I found a lot to laugh about, and some deeper content as well. I'm not surprised that women are giving this movie a more favorable rating in the IMDb poll than men. Bullock's FBI agent represents what a lot of women would like to be if they dared free themselves from conventional behavior, and her eventual appreciation of the other contestants' value appeals to women who are put off by strident feminism's criticism of the more traditional point of view. Men, however, may appreciate less seeing some of their typical behavior towards women (such as the male agents' reactions to having the hidden camera in the contestants' dressing room.) But I'm getting too heavy here. The film is enjoyable on the surface, and well worth the time.
Hanging Up
(2000)
a very unpleasant and unproductive ride
12 April 2001
I picked up this film on video expecting to experience the feel-good atmosphere of Nora Ephron's two sparkling Tom Hanks-Meg Ryan hits, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail. What I got was an unpleasant nightmare billed as a comedy. The last time that happened to me was with the gory, supposed black comedy Fargo. This film has none of that movie's limited strengths.
I understand that the script of Hanging Up is somewhat autobiographical. If so, it would explain the whole focus of the movie as a catharsis of the Ephron sisters' problems with their own parents. The audience is barely brought in to this process the result is like watching a psychiatric therapy session from behind one-way glass. We are taken through this emotionally wrenching experience without the opportunity to gain anything valuable from it ourselves. Which is a pity, because the subject of difficult aging parents is important to a lot of us these days. At the end, I was angry. Angry for buying the video, and angry with everyone involved in producing the movie for taking me for a very unpleasant and unproductive ride.
I understand that the script of Hanging Up is somewhat autobiographical. If so, it would explain the whole focus of the movie as a catharsis of the Ephron sisters' problems with their own parents. The audience is barely brought in to this process the result is like watching a psychiatric therapy session from behind one-way glass. We are taken through this emotionally wrenching experience without the opportunity to gain anything valuable from it ourselves. Which is a pity, because the subject of difficult aging parents is important to a lot of us these days. At the end, I was angry. Angry for buying the video, and angry with everyone involved in producing the movie for taking me for a very unpleasant and unproductive ride.
Thirteen Days
(2000)
Worth it just to remind us "how close we came"
30 March 2001
OK, Kevin Costner's Boston accent is terrible (and keeps changing during the film) and it's too long and there was too much bashing of the military. But the script was fairly accurate history as far as Hollywood plots go, and it makes "Thirteen Days" a valuable film if only to remind us all, particularly the two generations that have grown up since 1962 (many of whom now think the Cold War was no big deal) how just the tiniest misstep could have sparked a general nuclear war. As I watched the movie, I couldn't help but speculate how more recent chief executives would have handled what JFK faced.
Also, from the perspective of seeing the film in Uruguay, a country where many are sympathetic to Castro, "Thirteen Days" may provide people here with a better understanding of why many Northamericans have negative feelings about the man. After all, he was apparently prepared to blow us all up.
Also, from the perspective of seeing the film in Uruguay, a country where many are sympathetic to Castro, "Thirteen Days" may provide people here with a better understanding of why many Northamericans have negative feelings about the man. After all, he was apparently prepared to blow us all up.
The Man with One Red Shoe
(1985)
Still a good spy spoof, and Oh, that dress!
26 February 2001
I'm a huge fan of Tom Hanks and I have collected almost all of his films (I can't get myself to buy Bonfire of the Vanities, however.) Seeing The Man with One Red Shoe again after 15 years, I still find it to be a pretty good spoof of the spy genre, perhaps even at times a little too uncomfortably close a portrayal of some of the shenanigans our intelligence services have gotten involved in from time to time. Tom Hanks is charming and funny, as he was in most of his films in the 1980s, but the script did not let him develop his character as much as in his next film, Nothing in Common. Dabney Coleman is also very funny as the "rogue spy." All that being said, however, the most memorable moment in the film has got to be when Lori Singer turns around and reveals the last word in "backless" evening gowns! That scene alone makes this movie a "must rental."
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