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Star Trek: First Contact, a review by DJ Doena

Star Trek: First Contact



Patrick Stewart ... Captain Jean-Luc Picard
Jonathan Frakes ... Commander William Riker
Brent Spiner ... Lt. Commander Data
LeVar Burton ... Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge
Michael Dorn ... Lt. Commander Worf
Gates McFadden ... Commander / Dr. Beverly Crusher
Marina Sirtis ... Commander Deanna Troi
Alfre Woodard ... Lily Sloane
James Cromwell ... Dr. Zefram Cochrane
Alice Krige ... Borg Queen
Michael Horton ... Lieutenant Daniels
Neal McDonough ... Lieutenant Hawk
Marnie McPhail ... Lieutenant Eiger
Robert Picardo ... Emergency Medical Hologram
Dwight Schultz ... Lieutenant Reginald Endicott Barclay III

The Borg are attacking the Federation and Earth again and the fleet can't stop them. But then Picard finds a way to destroy the Borg Cube. At this moment a Borg Sphere can escape and it opens a tunnel into the past, to destroy the Federation before it was even founded. The Enterprise has no choice but to follow and try to prevent it.

My opinion:
While I Picard's mourning in 7 didn't felt believeable, I had no problem believing his hatred. I also thought it to be a good idea that he got out of it with the help of classic literature which is a known hobby of Picard's. I don't know if it's a coincidence but movies that are based directly on the events of the series (II and use Moby Dick as a basic plotline.
It was also nice to see how image and reality clashes when it comes to Cochrane.

(From Weekend Star Trek Marathon on February 10th, 2008)

Bar 20 Rides Again, a review by Rogmeister

Bar 20 Rides Again (Part of a double-feature DVD that includes "Hopalong Cassidy", the first film in the series)
Cast: William Boyd, Jimmy Ellison, George "Gabby" Hayes, Harry Worth, Jean Rouveral, Al St. John, Paul Fix
Director: Howard Bretherton   Camera: Archie Stout  Year of Release: 1935

Plot: Hoppy gets a letter from a friend (and the father of a girl Johnny has seen) telling him he is having rustling problems...and not to tell Johnny since his daughter Margaret is now seeing someoone else.  Hoppy reveals to Johnny part of the message (about Margaret, not the rustling) and the impetuous Johnny (Jimmy Ellison) takes off for the ranch ahead of Hoppy.   It turns out that the man Margaret is seeing is secretly the mastermind behind the rustling and someone who sees himself as a Western Napoleon...he even has Napoleon's personal snuff box.  Hoppy disguises himself as a gambler and infiltrates the rustler's band of outlaws while also befriending a prospector named Windy (Gabby Hayes).  It all eventually comes to a head ahd Hoppy, with the aid of his Bar 20 riders, once again emerges victorious.

I enjoyed this film a lot...of course, you have to be in a "Hoppy" mood to watch such a film.  Luckily for those of us who aren't into singing cowboys, there's only one short number (Johnny serenading Margaret) and lots of action, well-shot by Archie Stout who would eventually go on to "A" pictures (for instance, he was one of the photographers for The Quiet Man).  Gabby Hayes had appeared in the first two Hoppy films as different characters, getting killed in both films, but in this film he first played Windy and survived to aid Hoppy in several future films.  The Hoppy films are fun to watch with Hopalong having a great sense of humor and Johnny being a hothead who usually rushes headlong into action without thinking.  A good film for the kid in all of us. 

(From Roger's Ongoing Westerns Marathon on September 7th, 2009)

Smallville Marathon #2, a review by DJ Doena

Synopsis: Jonathan has had an heart attack and Martha and Clark have brought him to the hospital. When they return from there, they nearly get hit by a car that is participating in illegal car races. The driver of this car is Pete who tries to emerge from Clark's shadow. Clark tries to warn him about the danger but when Pete realizes this danger, it's too late.

My Opinion: Episodes with illegal street races don't work for me because these "dangerous speeds" they are driving (100 mph in this episode) is my average cruising speed on the autobahn. Granted, I wouldn't drive that fast on a country road (and that would be forbidden even here) but still I am not really impressed. The other reason may be that I never was much into cars, for me they are a means of transportation from A to B.

Synopsis: During a visit of a LuthorCorp plant Clark is in an elevator with Alicia when the cable breaks and the elevator starts to fall down. Clark has to ram his hand through the wall to stop it. But Alicia has a secret of her own: She "beams" them out. Clark has finally found someone with whom he can be perfectly honest.

My Opinion: "To good to be true" would be the phrase here. I don't understand why Clark isn't allowed to be happy for more than one episode. I like Alicia and think they should have given her more time before she made her obsessed with Clark. But we will see her again and she will be an eye-opener.

Synopsis: Jonathan agrees to get a tripple bypass when Clark meets his friend Garrett in the hospital. Garrett's older brother is waiting for a new liver but then he dies. He is brought to Metropolis but suddenly reappears in Smallville - alive (sort of). But then he collapses again and Garrett takes hostages to get a liver for his brother.

My Opinion: Parents can be cruel. Garrett's actor's name is James Nichol Kirk. James Kirk. I don't want to imagine the childhood of that man.
As I said during my Stargate SG-1 marathon, I find it funny how you suddenly stumble over actors once you've come to know them. Back in Obscura Aaron Douglas (Chief Tyrol in Battlestar Galactica) played a deputy and now Tahmoh Penikett ("Helo" in BSG) played Garrett's older brother.
When I watched this episode for the first time (and the others before this) I had no idea that the serum could be connected to Clark's blood. Seems I am good at picking up details but making a line between two points is not my strong side.

Synopsis: Clark receives an emergency call from Lana but when he comes to the rescue she isn't in any danger at all. Clark didn't imagine it, there's a tape that proves that call was made. But who called if it wasn't Lana? Or from when did she call if it was (will be?) her?

My Opinion: None of the four episodes on this disc have impressed me very much. In this one I didn't really understood Adam's motivation to kill Lana.

(From Smallville Marathon #2 on May 31st, 2008)