Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

What a way to go out.

Star Trek 6 is a pretty damn good movie. For many reasons, bust mostly the story. The story involves the Klingon Ascendancy convicting Jim of attempting to assassinate the Klingon leader while on the verge of finally coming to peace with the Klingon race, thus forcing Jim, and Bones to escape a prison planet to push for more aid to the Klingons after their homeworld has been damaged. And this is a great story cause it reflects our own ending of the Cold War when this film was being made. The characters have all got great sign offs, with Jim retiring along with Bones and Spock, being replaced by a skilled doctor and a young Vulcan played by none other than Kim Cattrall. Of course! Wait, what? Kim Cattrall was a Vulcan? Fascinating. Sulu gets the new flagship the Excelsior, everybody gets to someplace different and better than where they have been kinda stuck. I daresay the best part of the movie is Christopher Plummer as Chang, who is an excellent villain that loves quoting Shakespear because as all Trekkies know, every great villain quotes classic literature! I do have to say though the prison planet segments drag hard and it gets boring but the rest of the film is great and I really love it. I recommend Star Trek 2, 3, 4, and 6 those are the best. Next Generation movies are more miss than hit but maybe I'll get to them soon. Until next time, I will see you guys out there amongst the stars.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

I can sum this movie all up in one line, "What does God need with a starship?" and if that doesn't clue you in for the levels of stupid then boy howdy, here we go.

And you know ehat the saddest part is? There are some real genuine good moments in this movie. Good character development, good comedy at times, but it is covered in so much nonsense that not only did Star Trek fans completely drop this movie entirely, never talked about or referenced again in any of the Star Trek media in decades to come but even Gene Roddenberry did not like the movie. Star Trek has learned it's lesson though and has stayed away from the whole "searching for God/the creator" seen in the original Star Trek movie, but when an entire fandom has universally decreed that this movie is the worst with the only other competition being Star Trek Insurrection which itself is heinously anus but with that movie, there were no good parts to it. It was garbage from beginning to end, but this movie had sparks, brief moments of good things in it. But sadly the bad outweighed the good immensely, I don't blame Shatner for this but I do question his choices. He based the movie off the ridiculous tv evangelists that was a boom for some dumbass reason in the 1980s, cause that's exactly what I want in my Star Trek movie, commentary on religious idiots. Now Star Trek has talked about a lot in it's history from racism, to slavery, ethnic relocation, amongst many other issues that reflected our own time and world at that period. And while they have talked about religious beliefs before, they shouldn't dedicate films to it. It disappoints me, it really does. The dialogue and scenes can work incredibly well, with my favorite scene being just Jim, Spock, and Bones camping. Why? Well after you have seen them fight alien races, and travelling to new worlds, to see them on shore leave and to enjoy their time camping and talking around a fire is incredibly nice to see. They have history together, they bicker but they are great friends, we learn about them and their relationships. Whenever Kirk confides in his friends that he knows he will die alone, that's not there for payoff later. It is there for character building. When Kirk explains that pain is what makes us who we are in life, and that while we do not want it, in the end we need it is a incredible step in the series history. Like....why is there good scenes in this movie?! They deserve a better movie! The comedy works in somes scenes, because it's characters we have known for decades bouncing off and working with each other, and it is great! But then there are comedy scenes that make me feel ashamed with the exception of one guilty pleasure line. Ugh!! Why Star Trek 5? You could have been great, you could have been a contender instead of a bum which is what you are! Screw it, at least Star Trek 6 is a pretty good movie so I can wash this taste out of my mouth. Just watch the Nostalgia Critic's review of this, it's pretty great. In fact, watch all his Star Trek reviews! Which I will go do now, see you tomorrow.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture

So Many Things To Review, So Little Money....

It sucks having no cash. But guess what I got today? So expect more reviews next week. I thought about summer, which lead me to summer movies. You got your blockbusters, your action movies, and your sports movies. Right? Well, I don't like sports so therefore I'm not a big fan of sports movies although there is at least 3 or 4 I could talk about, The Sandlot is the first movie that comes to mind so why not do that next week? Blockbusters have been huge for about 40 years but it all started with a big hollywood budget for a b-movie plot, Jaws. That screams summer, and in many cases just screams and it's high time I do that movie! And the sci-fi's have been on my mind a lot lately, mainly Star Wars and recently Star Trek. Why not review more of the Star Trek movies? I only did 3 consecutive movies with the original crew, and 3 with the updated new crew. So there's definitely more to talk about wouldn't you agree? I mean it predates Star Wars by 11 years if I remember correctly, I do need to watch more Star Trek so I would like to talk about the shows but that will come much, much later in the future. And lastly, Atomic Blonde hits theaters next week so you better believe I'm in. I was ready to see that movie 3 months before it hit nationwide theaters. So at the very least, expect Jaws, The Sandlot, and Atomic Blonde next week. Catch you later on down the road, for there is always something in the works in the old duder's head.

Star Trek Beyond

Time for some new movies. How does this movie hold up on Star Trek's 50th anniversary? Well....

It did a very good job, I highly enjoyed the movie and felt it was an appropriate celebration of Star Trek. The plot takes place two and a half years after the Enterprise crew encountered Khan, as they explore the deep reaches of space. The ship is brutally attacked, destroying the entire ship and stranding the crew on a hostile alien planet as they desperately try to escape. Good plot with some interesting new characters, but of course the crew is the best part. Nothing much is new in terms of character development, with one exception but we will touch base on that later. The comedy is still there but toned down from previous films, the sets are...unbelievable, these are the best designed sets of the new Star Trek movies with extensive levels and amazing attention to detail, the special effects are still kick ass adding new and yet older ships and some original ideas. And has without a doubt the most ludicrous, most badass fight scene ever near the end! The movie has plenty of nods to past Star Trek movies and television shows, some only the most hardcore Trekkies will spot, I myself only caught a handful. From a ship straight out of Star Trek Enterprise to the poster itself being a throwback to Star Trek The Motion Picture, there is tons to notice. And of course, it is almost impossible to not talk about how we lost two beloved members of the Enterprise, Leonard Nimoy sadly passed away before filming and the movie takes the time to pay respect to the one and only Mr. Spock with a beautiful and heartfelt scene at the end, and we tragically lost Anton Yelchin in a car accident after filming ended, it was a true shock and I am still very sad that he is gone, Star Trek will never be the same without these two wonderful actors. I want to thank all of you who joined me tonight, and as always till next time live long and prosper.

Join me tomorrow as we travel through the looking glass. You are invited.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Dear God this movie is still a riot to watch.

This is the funniest Star Trek movie ever, but not in a bad cheesy way I mean the genuine hilarious way. The film was directed by Leonard Nimoy and he really had fun with this movie! Our story follows the events of the third movie with Spock fully returning to the crew, meanwhile a mysterious probe is travelling to Earth with a mysterious encoded message. The crew soon pieces together the message is in fact for humpback whales. Yes the movie has several messages of communication whether misinterpreted or lack thereof, and environmental protection. For in the 23rd century humpback whales have been extinct due to massive whale hunting, forcing the crew to actually time travel back to the 1980's to locate two whales and bring them back to their own time. A good story with an admirable message but the film's true stride is in it's humor. This movie had me rolling, even after watching it so many times. For the most part the humor comes from the dialogue itself, but it actually has some physical comedy like slapstick and chases like in a Benny Hill episode. And it works. You really do enjoy the jokes and the dialogue and never once feel like it was forced. That's great comedy writing to be certain. I think my favorite parts are when Spock curses and when Dr. McCoy deals with 20th century medicine, that makes the whole film to me. This is the most fun Star Trek movie you will ever see, and I highly recommend it. Tell me what you think, and next week is kind of a mystery. I have nothing really planned out so I guess we'll see what happens...

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock

A good follow up to Wrath Of Khan, but not as fantastic.

Our story picks up right after Wrath Of Khan with the Enterprise leaving the Genesis planet and on their way home. Soon after they arrive the Enterprise is decommisioned and it is discovered that Spock is still alive on the Genesis planet so Kirk and crew travel to the self destructing planet to save their friend. Meanwhile in all this a Klingon commander played by Christopher Lloyd seeks Genesis as well to help his people continue to strive. And this is a very good villain, not with a commanding presence and powerful dialogue like Khan but still a formidable foe with excellent character development which for the most part is very subtle but is nevertheless fascinating to watch. The film takes major steps and risks with their characters, with major losses and yet it adds strength to the film as a whole. Is it as excellent as Wrath Of Khan? No. Is it still a really good Star Trek movie? Absolutely! If you wish for a further continuation of the last film you really couldn't ask for more. And thus the journey continues in the next film, so join us tomorrow when we make The Voyage Home.

Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

That's right. The Star Wars kid is reviewing a Star Trek movie the day the new Star Wars movie comes out on video. Oh the irony...

Now let's get to the review of The Wrath Of Khan, where Kirk feels old and Ricardo Montalban gives him grief. But I joke, this film is actually one of my favorite films of all time. The story is practically Shakespearean with it's themes of age, revenge, obssesion, and death with literary analogies to books like Moby Dick and Paradise Lost. The acting is exquisite, without a doubt the original actors at their best. The direction, fight scenes, music, and editing is stellar. The dialogue is quotable as all get out, and every line of dialogue has a purpose in the movie to the point where, if you watch an edited version on TV you lose a lot of the film. This is THE Star Trek movie. Even if you are not a fan of the series, you need to watch this movie! But enough gushing it's time to get to the story. Kirk has been promoted to Admiral and has not been Captain of the Enterprise for some time and soon takes command again not too long before an old enemy has returned. Khan Noonien Singh, the most dangerous opponet the crew of the Enterprise has ever faced returns for vengeance against Kirk, so the crew must battle Khan before he unleashes a machine able to create worlds but also destroy them. Now for a few things to clear up, this week is reviews of the Star Trek trilogy and you may be saying well why the hell did you start with Wrath Of Khan and not the first film? Well the second, third, and fourth films are continuations of the previous movies and share one overarching storyline. Secondly, if you wish to learn more about the events before the film I recommend an episode of the original series named Space Seed which is an origin of Khan and explains how he came to be exiled. So that is it for today, tune in tomorrow when we join The Search For Spock.

Star Trek Into Darkness

Two words why this movie is better than the first: Benedict Cumberbatch.

If you liked the first new Star Trek movie, you will love this one. It seriously fixed every damn problem I had with the last movie and made everything else better. So the story of Star Trek Into Darkness has Kirk and crew on a manhunt for a fugitive who has attacked the Starfleet headquarters. And it kinda sorta may have several parallels to the greatest Star Trek movie ever, Wrath Of Khan. Which only makes it better. I mean the writing in Wrath Of Khan was practically Shakespearean with it's storytelling of death, revenge, old age, and the reclaiming of one's youth and this movie really does a good job with those elements in their own way. But the man who steals the show is Benedict Cumberbatch who is a genius badass, who really is the greatest threat the Enterprise crew has ever faced, and he is awesome! I would almost recommend this movie solely for Benedicts performance but there is so much more than that. The action is fantastic, the acting is amazing, the special effects are still spectacular, the dialogue is still very good, we see more evolution of the characters and that is always a good thing, and we just get to see more of the Star Trek universe so this movie is well worth your time and money, and if you have seen Wrath Of Khan you will enjoy it a little more. And honestly, I cannot wait for the next Star Trek movie. I hear it has Idris Elba in it which makes me ecstatic, and it still has everyone on board with it so you better believe I will be seeing that in theatres. Hopefully I might be able to go to the theatre tomorrow and review Mr. Holmes, so fingers crossed!

Star Trek (2009)

Who says you can only be a fan of either Star Wars or Star Trek? This is 2015, we can be both!

I wanted to review something fairly recent and I highly enjoyed both new Star Trek movies so I couldn't say no. So this new reboot of the Star Trek franchise is very, very familiar and yet very different from the Original Series. The story does involve time travel and the consequences it has on the Star Trek universe we all know of, and I mean friggin' consequences. Deaths, destruction of worlds, among many other things really help the story and most importantly of all, the characters. It gives you an opportunity to view these classic and iconic characters in a brand new way and the film is immensely applauded for that, and I'll be damned if I can think of anybody else that could have played this cast of characters better than who they chose. The casting choices were chosen very wisely, and really if they decided to make a reboot of the television series with these actors I would tune in every week. Hell that would be really cool, because we haven't had a Star Trek series since Star Trek Enterprise and that was in 2001 so I would be all for that! I actually have a few gripes with the movie but it's nitpicking at best, the ridiculous lens flares in this movie...I just don't get it. Why is it there? Why make everything flashy when there is no reason for it? But when the starships are battling each other it really works but everywhere else no. I love the exterior design of the Enterprise, it is faithful to the show but still looks incredibly advanced, but the interior is what I take issue with because every damn thing in that ship almost is sterile white. Where is all the color? You remember the Original Series? There was color in every part of that ship, and not just a little I mean a lot! It was just so much more visually appealing back in 1966. It still does that thing where it zooms in that I ranted about in Man Of Steel but it only happens twice and once it's just to show how massive a scene is, so it really isn't such a bother this time around. But there is so much more good stuff on top of the bad thankfully. The casting is perfect, the cinematogrophy is excellent, the music is sweeping, the dialogue is fun, the special effects are so outstanding it was nominated for an Oscar, and the entire movie focuses on Kirk and Spock and that is what people like. If you are not a big science fiction fan or even a Star Trek fan I would still recommend you to see this movie because it really is a lot of fun and you will get your money's worth out of it. And you better believe we will look at the sequel that is even better than this one tomorrow. Until next time, live long and prosper.