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Star Trek Voyager
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Reviews
Rear Window (1954)
Off-kilter ethics.
The movie examines ethics from a unique perspective: if you are incapacitated in a wheel chair at the rear window of your apartment idly following your neighbors minding their own business, are you committing an invasion of privacy? Jimmy Stewart's wheelchair-bound character sits at his window with a magnificent view sharing in the happiness and the disappointments of his neighbours: there is a woman past her prime looking for love, a middle-aged couple camping out on the balcony, a salesman and his ailing wife with the latter suddenly disappearing, a scantily clad beautiful dancer practicing her moves, a newly-married couple scarcely able to keep their hands off each other, a musician struggling, all in the privacy of their own homes and unaware that they are being watched by someone and that is the delight of the movie. Jeff gets carried away with the little things that make up everyone's lives until he gets wake-up calls as to the ethics of the situation by his nurse and his beautiful girlfriend. The nurse's brutal cracks are a major change of pace. Grace Kelly's character provides great chemistry with Jimmy Stewart's as the two argue about their world's-apart professional lives ever allowing them to get married. The movie takes on an elegant look and feel as Grace Kelly enters. She makes her first appearance in the movie bending down to kiss Jeff against a stunning sunset and then she subsequently progressively illuminates the room by switching on the lights as she refreshes Jeff's memory. It is no surprise that Grace Kelly's glamour on its own gives the movie a gleaming finish. Her verbal waltzes with Jeff are intense. The three team up to solve a murder mystery. However it is Jeff's naughty pastime and his romantic exchanges with Grace Kelly's character and his philosophical exchanges with the nurse that make the movie stand up to viewing again and again.
Star Trek (1966)
Science fiction at its most addictive.
A science fiction series that has been copied more times than anyone would care to admit, Star Trek is a phenomenon. It has everything that a good science fiction series should have. It has character development and it is experimental. Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy and Mr. Scott have a timeless appeal and the chemistry that they shared has been attempted at by practically every TV show in the genre since. Unlike the sci-fi shows before or since, Star Trek's focus was not on fantastic-looking space ships and weapons but on exploring our current beliefs in the context of a space-faring civilization. But it was entertaining. Even as it learnt from and taught new worlds and new civilizations in its explorations, what was never compromised (at least in the first two seasons) was the light-hearted banter shared by the bridge-crew. In spite of the importance of what they did, Captain Kirk, First Officer Spock, Dr. McCoy, Engineer Scott, Helmsman Sulu, Navigator Chekov and Communications Chief Uhura never forgot the equal importance of sharing a good laugh. There are instances particularly during the first two seasons when the show descends into outright hilarity even while exploring the deepest philosophical issues. The huge interiors and the huge speeds of the starship allowed the writers to do anything: action/adventure, drama, comedy, thriller. Other features that stand out are, in no particular order, 1) the clash of ideas between the coldly logical Spock and the highly emotional Dr. McCoy, the can't-live-with-him-can't-live-without-him attitude that each had towards the other lending a special flavor to their arguments. 2) the Engineer's explosive response to anyone who dared criticize the engines of the starship 3) Captain Kirk's romantic involvement almost every week with a lovely alien 3) Highly complex computer systems committing suicide under Spock's mathematical trickery or Captain Kirk's critical reasoning 5) Captain Kirk wanting the impossible from the Engineer 6) Captain Kirk's passionate defense of human qualities 7) the stories unexpectedly switching gears between humor and otherwise. In the ultimate analysis, though, Star Trek had a creator whose sense of wonder at the Unknown was matched only by his sense of humor.
Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. (1966)
Great Doctor Who
With Peter Cushing at the helm, the movie succeeds on every level. The post-apocalyptic look and feel is perfect. The Daleks are fantastic, look the part as evil conquerors. The flying saucer is perfect. Louise is perfect. The premise of the story becomes real with the setting of it in the commonplace. The four travelers are split up into pairs that then become trios in their trip to Bedford losing nothing in the process. The pairing and the de-pairing are nicely done. The Tom-Louise pair-up has great humor. The scene where Louise accidentally turns on the food dispenser and the subsequent scenes involving the disposal chute are from humor heaven, not to mention the scene where Tom acts as one of the robo-men. Subsequently they are joined by the worker at the mine and the three together play a moment to remember. Basically not one character in the movie is without its share of memorable moments. Tom carrying a comb and the Doctor using it to escape is another gift of the gods not to mention his 'back in the cell' question when stopped by the Daleks. Susan's encounter with the two women at the cottage is a special segment in the movie as it adds a fairy-tale feel to it for a moment. When they are betrayed, it is a huge relief not to have to listen to a lecture on morals. The pace throughout the movie is spontaneous. The Doctor putting on the hand gloves is a nice touch, as is Susan's large-print message right in front their eyes all the time they are arguing about where she is. The wheel-chair-bound leader knows exactly what he is doing and is immune to the self-righteous syndrome. His final scene is the closing of a chapter. The mercenary is a cameo. There are no heroes. The action sequences are absorbing, particularly those involving the van and the Daleks closing ranks to spray explosive gases. The scene where the Doctor walks out of the cottage to find himself surrounded by Daleks is gorgeous as is the Doctor's speech to the Daleks towards the end. In this movie it is easy to believe that the Daleks are anything but motorized dustbins. There is chemistry whenever the Doctor and the Daleks meet. The Daleks' first appearance in the movie, slowly rising out of the water, is another gorgeous touch. Susan being pulled both by the Doctor and the resistance fighter with a Dalek hurtling towards them is a delightful touch. Daleks helplessly hurtling to their doom is surprisingly poignant. The sets and the lighting are as good as anything today. Inside the Dalek stronghold, the colors of the Daleks and the bomb and the consoles are mixed and matched to perfection. Returning full circle to the stick-up in London as if nothing had happened in the interim was wonderful.