Movies: "Star Trek: Nemesis..An Unworthy End to a Great Franchise"....

It seems oddly appropriate on the day of James Doohan's passing to say that "Star Trek: Nemesis" is a bad movie. Just awful. As much as the recently cancelled "Star Trek: Enterprise", "Nemesis" is a symbol of just how far this once great franchise has fallen. It also dispels the notion that even numbered Star Trek movies do not suck.

It is obvious that the producers where attempting to make "Nemesis" the Next Gen's "Wrath of Khan". Not only did they fail miserably but it is almost insulting the extent to which they ripped-off almost every major plot thread from "Wrath of Khan".

This movie is cold, emotionless and lacks the passion and excitement of "Wrath of Khan". Tom Hardy as Shinzon is supposed to be Khan to Picard's Kirk. However, Hardy is no Ricardo Montalban and Patrick Stewart, while a better actor than William Shatner, could not summon the requisite emotion to make this movie work. The rest of the cast is no better. Clearly tired of playing these roles the cast merely mailed in their performances.

The movies special effects and action sequences are merely OK but do not come close to clearing the bar set by George Lucas and ILM. Even if they did they would ultimately fall flat because the rest of the movie is so utterly horrendous.

The movies sole bright spot is the performance of Brent Spiner in a dual role as both Data and his Rainman like "brother" B4. Spiner is so talented he simply never disappoints. As a matter of fact the only scene in "Nemesis" that conveys any real emotion is Data's Irish wake at the end of the film.

Leave it to a movie this bad to leave an excellent scene on the cutting room floor. One of the deleted scenes is an alternate ending where we would have been introduced to the Enterprise's new first office Commander Martin Madden, to have been played by first rate character actor Steven Culp ("Desperate Housewives", "JAG", "The West Wing", "Star Trek: Enterprise"). This light hearted scene which showed Riker leaving the Enterprise for the last time and ended with the Enterprise warping to where "No Man has Gone Before" was shelved. In its place the movie ends with the Enterprise in an orbital dry dock undergoing repairs. An unworthy ending to end what was once a first rate franchise known as Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek is in desperate need of fresh blood and a new perspective. Rick Berman has run this franchise into the ground. He should step aside but sadly I do not see this happening.

Opinion: "I Don't Get It. What's the Big Deal???"....

Colorado Republican Tom Tancredo is coming under fire for saying on a radio program that the United States might target Muslim Holy Sites in response to a hypothetical nuclear terrorist attack on US soil. What is the big deal?? If the United States were ever to be attacked by nuclear weapons, or other WMD's, by either a nation state or a terror group we would be more than within our rights to respond in kind. It was the whole basis for our strategy for countering the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Kudos to Tancredo for not succumbing to the calls for him to apologize for this comment.

To his critics I would ask how they would respond to a nuclear attack on our soil? Throw spit balls? GIVE ME A BREAK! We must leave no doubt in the mind of our enemies that any such attack on our soil would be dwarfed by the hell on earth we would unleash upon them. To suggest anything else would signal weakness on our part and invite further attacks.

Hats off to Congressman Tancredo!

RIP: James Doohan - 1920-2005.....

Actor James Doohan, Scotty from Star Trek, died today. He was 85. Beloved by millions as engineer Montgomery Scott of the USS Enterprise was a talented actor and a master at imititating accents. He will be missed.

Rant: "Anyone Else Sick of the Natalie Holloway Story??"...

Aside from the obvious combination of a missing pretty white girl and ratings can anyone explain to me why this girls disappearance is a national news story?

I for one loathe and despise all news stories of this type. They are fine for local news broadcasts but wholely unworthy of national attention. I am disappointed in Fox News for their near non-stop coverage of this non-story.

As a conservative people ask me all the time why I still read The New York Times. The answer is simple. Stories like Natalie Holloway, Michael Jackson, Scot Peterson and other lowest common denominator news stories are not covered.

There are many serious and potentially dangerous things happening in our world and our national obsession with pseudo-news and infotainment is depressing at best and disastrous at worst.

Sports: "The War is Over...Now Drop the Puck!"...

After 301 disastrous days a semblance of labor peace has returned to the National Hockey League. Yesterday, the league and the players union agreed to a new six year collective bargaining agreement. The nearly 600 page document will radically change the way business is conducted in the NHL. The centerpiece of the new CBA is a draconian salary cap of $39 million per team. Under the terms of the agreement no player can make in excess of $7 million per year. In the final analysis the players rolled the dice and lost it all. The owners got nearly everything they wanted in a new CBA and the players got nothing. In the end it was a rout.

The next step is for both sides to ratify the new agreement. This process, which should be a mere formality, is expected to be completed by next week. After which, the process of rebuilding the sport can begin. The next six weeks before training camp should see an unprecedented flurry of activity as teams try and gear up for the new season. Not only will a makeshift draft be conducted but a record number of free agents should keep the NHL front offices burning the midnight oil for months to come.

The NHL suffered tremendous damage as a result of the long lockout. Not only have they alienated a great many of their fans but they are currently without a national television contract; which, as everyone sports fan knows, is a major source of league revenue. It will be interesting to see the the steps the league takes in re-launching the sport. If any good can come out of the debacle it might be in the form of the long overdue rules changes that will hopefully restore some of the excitement to what has become a rather dull product.

Now that the war is over it is time for the generals on both sides of this conflict to step aside and fade away. Both Bob Goodenow, the head of the players union, and Gary Bettman, the league commissioner, should step down immediately or be forced out. Goodenow for misreading the the resolve of the owners and leading the players to fight an unwinnable battle and Bettman for his greed, lack of leadership and for canceling the season. If hockey is to move forward it needs fresh leadership at the top.

This battle between millionaires and billionaires has cost hockey dearly. The question is can the NHL recover? Only time will tell.

Book Review: "Act of War" by Dale Brown.....

Dale Brown is the John Grisham of the techno-thriller. He writes engrossing, fast moving novels and he has a knack for characterization. He is also one of the most prolific writers working today. “Act of War” is Brown’s seventeenth novel but not his best.

What works in “Act of War”?

• The premise is a good one. When terrorists explode a nuclear weapon on US soil a new generation of elite trooper is needed. Major Jason Richter and his team are introduced as Brown’s new heroes.
• One of the most entertaining aspects of all of Brown’s novels is his ability to combine combat action with political brinksmanship and infighting. “Act of War” is no exception.
• The characters are well written and likeable. You care what happens to these people and feel it when a character dies, which Brown has a habit of doing in his novels and not only to minor characters.
• Not to sound creepy but Brown knows how to write a death scene.
  

What does not work in “Act of War”?

• Seems a bit too much like “Robocop” at times.
• The ending is a bit rushed.
• Would a Sergeant Major treat an officer the way Jefferson treats Richter? I think not.
• Would a beautiful television reporter fall for a techno-geek like Richter? I think not.
• Major characters disappear midway through the book never to return.
• The terrorist mastermind is a bit obvious.
• The ending is a bit corny and too feel good.
  

The ending of “Act of War” makes it clear that Brown intends for this to be the start of a new series of novels; much in the same way that “Flight of the Old Dog” spawned many future novels set in the same universe with many of the same characters. This is not necessarily a bad thing provided Brown can correct some the of the short comings of “AoW”.

If you are looking for a quick reading action novel “Act of War” is good choice but you might want to wait for the paperback.

Opinion: "The Greatest Generation and The Worst Generation".....

Everyone hales members of the World War II generation. After all, this is the generation that lived through the Great Depression and won the war against fascism. Former NBC anchorman Tom Brokaw wrote a book and coined the term “The Greatest Generation”. Even members of Hollywood’s liberal elite like Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are great admirers of this generation of Americans and rightly so.

One of the reasons this generation was so successful in fighting the war against Germany and Japan is that they did what it took to get the job done. They were not burdened by foolish notions political correctness or undue concerns for civil and human rights. They had a war to win, a world to save and did whatever it took. Case in point, when the US was engaged in its island hopping campaign in the Pacific the Japanese bunkered themselves in caves. The American troops used flamethrowers to force the Japanese troops from these entrenchments. When the enemy emerged from the caves they were shot by US troops. I dare say that if our military were to use similar tactics today in our current war against Islamo-fascism these same liberals would accuse our military of war crimes.

When German saboteurs were caught on US soil they were tried before a military tribunal and executed. Today The New York Times Op-Ed page, the ACLU and their allies on the left would fight with their last once of strength on behalf of these enemies of America.

It is clear that America has been weaken by “The Worst Generation”. Those born after World War II, the Baby Boom generation, are in large part the authors of political correctness. They are the lawyers, professors, politicians and journalists that came of age in the 60’s and early 70’s. At their very core they have a deep hatred for traditional American values. I have said it before and I will say it again, we could no longer fight and win a war on the scale of World War II the “Worst Generation“ does not have the stomach for it.

Rebuttal: "Let's Not Make the Terrorists Mad. HUH???"

A response to one of my recent postings asked whether our treatment of prisoners at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo might lead to more 9/11’s. I guess he is afraid that we might make the terrorists mad. Well let’s look at a little history.

There was no Abu Ghraib or Gitmo in 1979 when Islamo-fascists took 52 American’s hostage.

There was no Abu Ghraib or Gitmo in 1983 when Islamo-fascists bombed the US Embassy in Beirut killing 260 US Marines.

There was no Abu Ghraib or Gitmo in 1985 when Islamo-fascists hijacked the cruise ship Achille Lauro and killed American Leon Klinghoffer.

There was no Abu Ghraib or Gitmo in 1986 when Islamo-fascists bombed a discotheque in Berlin.

Their was no Abu Ghraib or Gitmo in 1988 when Islamo-fascists brought down Pan Am flight 103 over Scotland killing all 259 people abroad.

There was no Abu Ghraib or Gitmo in 1993 when Islamo-fascists bombed the World Trade Center in the New York the first time killing six.

There was no Abu-Ghraib or Gitmo in 1998 when Islamo-fascists bombed US embassies in Africa killing hundreds.

There was no Abu-Ghraib or Gitmo in 2000 when Islamo-fascists attacked the USS Cole and killed eighteen sailors.

There was no Abu-Ghraib or Gitmo on September 11, 2001 when Islamo-fascists destroyed the World Trade Center in New York killing 3000.

Spain had nothing to do with detaining terror suspects when Islamo-fascists bombed the Madrid rail system in 2004 killing 191 people.

Great Britain had nothing to do with detaining terror suspects when Islamo-fascists today attacked London killing an unknown number.

This is to say nothing of how many Israeli’s have been killed over the years by Islamo-fascists.

Muslim extremists declared war on the US and the West 26 years ago. We only figured it out four years ago. Many have yet to come to terms with the fact that we are dealing with an evil every bit the equal of Nazi Germany. Infidels are sub-human to these fanatics. It is literally either us or them.

Announcement: I'm Baaaaaaack!!!!!! Yeah Baby!!!!

Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, I AM BACK!!!! That’s right, at this very moment I am sitting here in StarBucks typing away on my shiny brand new HP Pavilion zd8230us laptop computer!!! Am I loving this!! Anyway for any of you out there I am back. I will try and make updates to this blog a regular event. As always it will be about What I Think About. Enjoy and feel free to leave your comments. It’s good to be back. See you around!