Let's roll some dice, watch some movies, or generally just geek out. New posts at 6:30 pm ET but only if I have something to say. Menu at the top. gsllc@chirp.enworld.org on Mastodon and @gsllc on Twitter.
I should add a category to this blog’s menu for Old Man Yells at Clouds. Here I go again, speculating about how my age is affecting my perception. I started watching Bloodline on Netflix (more on that soon). I was urged to watch it by an article I read that said fans of Ozark would love Bloodline, but once I researched it more, I was convinced to watch it by yet another incredible array of actors starring in it. Unfortunately, that got me thinking.
Danger! Rob’s thinking!
It seems like there are a lot of shows that have rock-solid casts from head to toe. Why would such accomplished actors take television roles when they could be making huge dollars in the movies? It’s not like they’re making Citizen Kane (thankfully) for the small screen. These are bit parts that won’t have a huge impact.
Maybe I don’t appreciate how much Netflix, Hulu, etc. are paying. After all, the big stars are certainly getting paid. On the other hand, maybe the actors simply can’t make huge dollars in the movies anymore. Maybe I think they’re great, so by definition the younger generation doesn’t, so they’re not the draw I think they are despite their clear talent. Or maybe I’m overthinking things.
How convenient that tharalon radiation is green. The Romulan Empire has always been assigned a green motif.
Oh, crap. Denna Troi is going to cry again.
Considering that Romulan ale is illegal, it sure pops up a lot among Federation personnel.
I guess Worf has been studying up on ancient Earth composers since the last mission.
Worf is a prude.
“You have the bridge . . . Mr. Troi.”
Why didn’t they catch shit for this line?
I feel for Picard here. I plan to buy a Jeep Wrangler next month.
We’re within several kilometers of the signals.
That’s not very precise.
It appears that B-4’s clothing is actually a part of him rather than something he wears.
Suddenly they can pinpoint the signal to within a few meters?
There’s no way that jeep would make that jump. It’s too far.
So much for the Prime Directive.
The Enterprise is always the closest ship.
There’s no way the Federation flagship goes to Romulus unescorted. Many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation made mention of how the Romulans were going to capture the Enterprise and dismantle it to learn its technological secrets. Going in alone seems naive.
So Data no longer uses his emotion chip?
Considering how strong B-4 is, it was rather reckless to assemble him. They didn’t need him to be assembled in order to speak with him.
They’ve been waiting for 17 hours? That seems like a waste of time, and not just for the Enterprise. As we eventually see (SPOILER ALERT!), Shinzon is in a time crunch.
Is Ron Perlman in every movie?
It’s not dark enough that Picard shouldn’t already recognize Shinzon.
They should have known he was evil the second they saw he was Bane.
Was Picard always bald?
The busted lip and crooked teeth are a nice touch. They’re subtle and non-distracting, yet hint that he’s lived a rough life.
Oh, Dina Meyer. Even as a Romulan . . . .
The Romulans must be thinking, “Out of the frying pan; into the fire.” That’s assuming they fry food. Who knows?
Picard’s clone was intended to be the perfect nemesis (get it?!) for Picard in order to relive the magic of the Wrath of Khan. They didn’t quite achieve that. Shinzon’s statement of motivation later in the film isn’t as convincing.
When I saw this dinner scene, I knew Tom Hardy would be something special.
Shinzon’s backstory is some kind of rough.
A Starfleet captain standing in the Romulan Senate!
Well, only Nixon could go to China.
This scene with Picard and Crusher in the ready room reminds me of a strange, human (American?) custom. We often sit on desks. Think about how rude that is.
Boom-chicka-wow-wow.
The whole psychic sex thing is stupid. What was the point? Was it just a set up to explain (SPOILER ALERT!) how they eventually pierce the cloak? All that dumb for just a single photon torpedo. Why not use what they did in Star Trek VI?
So Shinzon also prefers hot tea. Does that mean genetics determines what you drink. Am I a Picard?
Worf! Shields up!
Because you don’t want there to be any chance of getting Picard back? No wonder you haven’t gotten a command yet, Riker. Someone inform Starfleet command before he takes command of the Titan!
I always noted that for a Reman, no/stop was accompanied by the color purple, and okay/yes by the color yellow (unlike humans, that use red and green). Of course you should expect those differences to exist from culture to culture, but not all shows appreciate that kind of detail.
Picard gets to pilot another vehicle unsafely.
Good thing those hallways are Original Series level of stupidly big. Otherwise, they could never have flown that ship through the hallways.
Leave it to Dina Meyer to be the ethical Romulan.
I guess it makes sense that a Romulan ship can now fire while cloaked, but that’s a big ship expending huge amounts of energy on weapons and shields.
Now that Shinzon is in the final stages of his genetic breakdown, his complexion is now identical to that of a Reman.
The Scimitar’s bridge has even more wasted space than the hallways.
*sigh* Here we go. We have to give Riker his moment of glory. I never liked the character.
What the hell? A character that never had a speaking role and we’d never seen before this movie gets killed off? I never saw that coming. The poor guy doesn’t even have a picture on IMDB.com. Here you go, buddy.
Recognition!
Ramming speed! Everyone talks about it; only Picard has ever actually done it, and it was pretty cool. The look of confusion on the Reman helmsman’s face at 1:28:33 was priceless.
I have a lot of respect for psychologists, but the day one is put in command of a naval vessel is the day that navy loses the war.
Why doesn’t Data use his super-strength to screw with the ship’s arms. According to Geordi’s analysis, mess up just one arm, and the thalaron weapon may not work.
I’ve seen people on social media ask, “Do you think you could beat up your younger self?” Picard gets to find out, though he has an added advantage. Shinzon is a bit sick.
I don’t buy Shinzon’s death here. He could just stop running forward and not get stabbed. Plus, that bar had a blunt end. It wouldn’t have stabbed him. Maybe it would have busted a rib or something.
Like Khan, Shinzon assumes he’s killed his nemesis (get it?!). He dies before he realizes that Picard escapes.
On screen.
Ha!
Oh, is Deanna going to cry ag…. Yep. There it is.
Data was trying to whistle, Pop Goes the Weasel, dipshit. I hate Riker.
Wait. Why is Worf still on the ship? Why isn’t he on his way back to Deep Space 9? Is the Enterprise just going to drop him off like a taxi? I think they have actual space taxis for that.
I also like the ending music that segues into the Original Series theme, and then ending with the Next Generation theme.
Maybe they should have done the same signature thing that they did with the end of The Undiscovered Country. If Avengers: Endgamecould steal it, why couldn’t Star Trek steal it from themselves? It seems the appropriate thing to do.
And that concludes my viewing notes for Star Trek X: The Search for Data.
And now we’re back to Hulu. I’m going to do my best to be kind to this one. It’s easily my least favorite Star Trek film, but like Iron Man 2 in the MCU, that still means it’s good enough.
Data shouldn’t have lost control like this, but sometimes the writers don’t know how else to get the story started.
Does this personal cloaking technology, which we’ve never seen before despite its incredible usefulness, violate the treat with the Romulans?
She’s a super freak! Super freak! She’s super freaky! Yow!
It doesn’t seem like this medical procedure uses any anesthetics.
We know that Troi and Riker get married in the next movie. Is the basis of their rekindled relationship the effect of the Briar Patch? It certainly appears so (despite Worf’s later save).
Another excuse for Patrick Stewart to sing. 😐 Anyway, why should Worf, a Klingon, be expected to know who Gilbert and Sullivan are?
If the away team is going to draw phasers the moment you they arrive, why aren’t they drawn before they beam down?
Boom-chicka-wow-wow! Doc Ock wouldn’t be pleased with Picard honing in on his wife.
Admirals really like to hang up on people. Hold on. Do you kids even know what “hang up” means?
What I need I can’t get from Dr. Crusher.
Don’t be so sure, Riker.
Why does that caterpillar have humanoid eyes?
If she really couldn’t swim, she’d be dead already.
The Briar Patch gets Geordi new eyes and everyone else laid. Except Worf. He gets a pimple.
Apprenticing for 30 years seems tedious. Besides, nothing takes that long to become a professional. For example, it doesn’t matter how far engineering progresses, you still need no more than a four-year degree to reach the minimum level to be a professional.
In 300 years, you never learned how to swim.
Exactly my thought.
Boom-chicka-wow-wow!
We are betraying the principles on which the Federation was founded.
No, actually, you aren’t. As Admiral Dougherty points out, the Prime Directive doesn’t apply. Picard engages in some Captain America-level of naïve bullshit. If one person (Vision) is willing to sacrifice himself for trillions of lives, you let him. Same thing here. I don’t know exactly where the line is drawn, but trading the (unnatural) convenience of 600 for the health of billions is a fair trade, especially where the 600 settled on a world that was already Federation property. “But . . . but . . . but the kid and his caterpillar!” He’ll get over it, and so should you. Sure, the script turns the Son’a into murderers, but that’s so you can see them as the bad guys and justify some silly “principles.”
No, seriously. How the hell are you doing that? A time stop spell? It makes no sense.
I’ll be in engineering.
Why weren’t you there in the first place, Geordi. Haven’t you been chief engineer since season 2 of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Why are you at navigation?
If the ensign isn’t good enough to work navigation, he should be at navigation on the Federation’s flagship. The captain shouldn’t do everything. Maybe Riker would be a captain by now if he understood that.
And now he’s using a joystick to run the entire ship. Is there any doubt as to why this is my least favorite Star Trek movie?
So, the kid runs back to find his caterpillar thing, and not a single adult stops him?
Why would a medical chair have a locking mechanism on it? When I was younger, I was told to sit on my hands during a medical procedure, but that’s the only constraint I’ve ever had that I recall.
So, the Captain’s chair on a Son’a ship is a gaudy, 1970s couch?
Good trick to fool the Son’a.
This is F. Murray Abraham’s “Khaaaaan” moment.
But I have 318 days of shore leave coming, and I intend to use them.
With whom, Picard? Anij? Nella? Vash? Until we have resolution for any of these relationships, I’m assuming each one gets 106 days with him. Maybe 104. He probably needs some alone time on his vacation.
Wait a second. I don’t think Picard actually had sex with Anji. Bummer for him.
Finally, some Romulan . . . . Oh. No. It’s just a reference to their existence. No Romulan threats in this one either. When am I going to get my damn Romulans?!?! (In two days, actually.)
If Starfleet sees Picard as a potential ally to the Borg, then why is he still captain of the most important ship in the fleet?
Considering the urgency, Data’s delivery of “to Hell with our orders” was too slow.
Despite not being able to act drunk (neither could Marina Sirtis), James Cromwell played a great version of Zefram Cochrane. Sometimes history forgets the bad parts of a character, remembering only the good parts. Some think that’s a bad thing; I don’t. However, I believe we should remember that these heroes of history were ultimately just humans. They were as flawed as the rest of us.
The Enterprise’s internal sensors suck. How did they not know the Borg transported over?
The song playing in the bar is stupid.
Alfre Woodard can’t play a “tough guy.” It’s just not believable.
And you people, you’re all . . . astronauts. On some kind of star trek.
The idea of a Borg queen completely undoes the meaning of the Borg. It didn’t ruin things for me — not even close — but I didn’t like it.
And now we’re back to not having money in the 24th century. Amazing how that goes back and forth.
Phasers don’t work, but a tommy gun does.
“Taking a leak” has lost all meaning. Nice touch.
I liked how the script had somewhere to go after Data installed the emotion chip, focusing on touch. And the callback to Data’s line to Tasha Yar before bumping uglies was a good bit of nostalgia. However, I didn’t need to see robots making out. Not hot.
Stunning may not hurt, but the fall you take after being stunned probably does. You could also drown if you wind up face first in a creek.
Worf saves the day!
Who the hell has Moby Dick memorized? I’m sure some people do. I know a part of Rime of the Ancient Mariner that’s just as long because I listen to Iron Maiden, but if someone randomly mentioned a book, I wouldn’t be able to quote it. Picard’s knowledge base was always unrealistically broad. He also speaks fluent Latin. I call bullshit.
Overall, this movie seems to be a bit overrated. It wasn’t bad by any stretch, but it was nothing more than the best of the Next Generation crew’s films. For me, that places it behind most of Kirk’s films. I do like the soundtrack, but I like all the Star Trek soundtracks, so that’s a low bar.
Sundays are now lazy days for me. Going forward, I’m just going to re-post other people’s work or just do something silly. In light of this post appearing between my viewing notes for the Star Trek: The Next Generation movies, today is a series of Next Generation bloopers that were put back into the shows.
For the start of the Next Generation movies, we return to CBS All Access for a couple films (with my usual Sunday distraction in between), bounce back to Hulu, and then end at CBS. I’m writing this on September 8, the day the new trailer for Star Trek: Discovery, season 3 dropped. I’m looking forward to some more new Star Trek, but here’s some more of the old to get me ready.
The Old (and Older) Crew
Even in slow motion, the champaign bottle took an awful long time to hit the ship. Without an atmosphere or severe gravity to alter its course, that at least makes sense.
Oh, it’s an Excelsior class ship! Of course!
Chekov and Scotty were originally supposed to be Spock and McCoy. Nimoy didn’t return (and allegedly turned down a chance to direct) because of script issues, and Kelley had health issues.
It wouldn’t be an Enterprise without a Sulu at the helm.
These silly callbacks — Sulu’s daughter, Chekov reminiscing about youth — are actually pretty good for an old timer like me.
The most important message to come away with from this movie is that the media never changes.
Captain Harriman seemed too green to be the captain of the Federation’s flagship. At least he knew he was out of his league and sought Kirk’s advice.
John Connor’s stepmom, Vasquez. I guess she was in the Navy after leaving the Marine Corps.
I knew Tuvok was a fake Vulcan!
Did Guinan always dress in silly hats?
Kirk was the best captain . . . until Anson Mount became Captain Pike. I guess we’ll see if that holds up. Mount has some big shoes to fill, but he seems like he’s going to.
The New Crew
The fake indignation isn’t funny to me. We get it. You’re not actually angry at Worf. Oh, hardy-har-har-har.
I hope there aren’t any sharks in that holodeck ocean.
I always had a thing for Gates McFadden.
In response to my claim that the Shatner is a “so bad it’s great” actor from my Star Trek V audio blog post, Kessel Junkie wrote a retort defending the Shatner’s acting chops. Either way, even he must admit that Sir Patrick is a better technical actor than the Shatner. In fact, he may be the best actor ever to appear in Star Trek.
Finally, we see some Romulans in a Star Trek movie! Oh, crap. They’re dead. Never mind.
Why is Data’s emotion chip so different from how it appeared in the tv show? This drives every Star Trek fan nuts. Not only is it an inconsistency, but it’s an unnecessary one. It’s appearance in the TV show was more realistic, and there was nothing “neat” about its new appearance (as with the Klingons).
It’s too dark on this ship. I wish someone would turn on the damn lights.
I liked Data’s introduction to emotions. It was, at times, overacting, but that makes sense considering what was happening.
Whenever I see a character pretend to talk but not make a sound, I’m always reminded that the Screen Actors Guild contracts dictate that without lines, the actor receives far less pay. Star Trek did that a lot to save money.
The special effects on Data’s face were basically the same we saw with Bilbo Baggins when he tried to take back the ring from Frodo. And they were just as unnecessary.
Damn, Sir Patrick can act.
I’d always heard that some of the actors playing the main characters doubled as Klingons. That rumor probably came from the fact that some background roles were played by the main cast’s stunt doubles. This explains why, for example, one of the Klingons looks like Levar Burton.
If Geordi was unconscious before he was transported, how was he standing when he arrived on the transporter pad? If he was lying down when transported, why not arrive lying down?
Human females are so repulsive.
It seems like a small class G-12 Bird of Prey shouldn’t be able to wreak so much havoc on a Galaxy class ship that can take them out with one photon torpedo, but okay.
Yes!
Why would a force field have a hole in it like that?
That teddy bear won’t survive the warp core breach.
Closing that hatch by repeatedly pumping a mechanical arm seems like very old tech.
Yup. There goes the teddy bear.
Oh, shit!
Soran is a lousy shot, and an even worse tactician. Just shoot a bunch of times to make sure you don’t miss. It’s not like he’s going to run out of ammunition for his disruptor, and collateral damage isn’t an issue.
No seatbelts? They’re far too reliant on inertial dampeners that never seem to work when they’re needed.
Without an epee or foil, Picard is useless in a fight. That’s why Riker had to go on all of those away missions instead.
Well, this scene hits home. But who the hell dresses like that at home? And why is Picard still in his Starfleet uniform.
That kid’s too old for a toy like that. My fellow nerds may not like that statement, so let’s try this: That kid is at an age where he’d see that toy as beneath him.
Who has a carousel in his home?
So, if Picard leaves the Nexus and prevents Soran from ever entering the Nexus, what happens to the Soran that’s in the Nexus? That’s not an “echo” of Soran; it’s actually Soran. If this is another multiple universe thing, then Picard doesn’t exit to his own universe, so every movie that follows is in another universe as well.
All you guys who think Picard is a better captain than Kirk, note well that Kirk is Picard’s hero.
Stop trying to rush things, Picard. Time has no meaning here, dipshit.
It’s my house. Or at least it used to be. I sold it years ago.
Sold it for what? I thought they didn’t have money in Kirk’s time. Didn’t the director see Star Trek IV, or did he limit himself to the Trouble with Tribbles? I guess they’ll go back to having no money in the next film.
It’s a good thing that door opened into the stable. That could have been awkward.
This isn’t your bedroom. No, it’s not. Better. Better?!
I’m with Picard on this one.
I bought the Generations soundtrack almost immediately after I saw the film. I love Jumping the Ravine, and many other tracks.
Oh, great. We’re in an alternate universe.
They reshot this fight scene because Kirk’s death was deemed too cheap for the test audience.
Seriously, Picard can’t fight for shit.
Good luck, Captain. Call me Jim.
Picard’s reaction reinforces my position that he’s starstruck.
Hooray! Alternate universe Soran is dead! So is prime universe Riker, along with the rest of the prime universe Enterprise crew. What a happy ending.
Kirk’s Death is another musical piece that captures the scene perfectly, but I would not have buried him on that planet. Kirk deserved better. Picard has lost all points I’ve previously given him.
In most cases (e.g., Tony Stark in the MCU), I don’t want a character to be resurrected because it cheapens the loss in the prior script. Kirk’s an exception. I’d love it if Shatner would reprise his role. It’ll never happen, though.
Someone’s going to have to clean up that mess of a shipwreck.
Felis catus is your taxonomic nomenclature, An endothermic quadruped, carnivorous by nature; Your visual, olfactory, and auditory senses Contribute to your hunting skills and natural defenses.
I find myself intrigued by your subvocal oscillations, A singular development of cat communications That obviates your basic hedonistic predilection For a rhythmic stroking of your fur to demonstrate affection.
A tail is quite essential for your acrobatic talents; You would not be so agile if you lacked its counterbalance. And when not being utilized to aid in locomotion, It often serves to illustrate the state of your emotion.
O Spot, the complex levels of behavior you display Connote a fairly well-developed cognitive array. And though you are not sentient, Spot, and do not comprehend, I nonetheless consider you a true and valued friend.
I’m so glad Spot survived.
And one last musical piece I love from the soundtrack: To Live Forever.
And to close it out, an Oberth and a Miranda class ship complete the bridge between the old and new Star Trek. Nice touch.
Here’s another one of those “watch this before it leaves Netflix” movies. But is it any good? It’s 1:27:00 long, so it’s easy to find time to watch it.
Presented by Pad Thai Pictures. Good start. I like pad Thai.
Netflix calls it Time Trap, but the opening credits call it Timetrap.
Enough nonsense. Let’s get to it. It doesn’t take too long to figure out what’s going on. Once you get past the fundamental premise, there’s some decent science playing out. While I can’t stand some of the occasional histrionics and stupidity of the characters — seriously, why are most writers unable to write a story independent of such elements — I still found myself unable to turn away. I wanted to learn more as things went on, and then wanted to see how it ended. Which it kind of didn’t. Not because it was necessarily setting up a sequel, but just because they didn’t give you an explanation. It’s left for you to fill in the blanks. If you don’t like that, you won’t like the ending.
Pringles recently announced two new flavors based on characters from Rick and Morty. If you don’t know what Rick and Morty is, you have my sympathy. Anyhoo, joining the previously released Pickle Rick are Honey Mustard Morty and Look at Me! I’m Cheddar & Sour Cream.
Come again? Did you say “Honey Mustard Morty”? Other than Morty’s voice, what’s not to love? I love Pringles. I love honey mustard. As far as I was concerned, my diet was officially over (while supplies last). So, I did some research. The first thing I learned is that they already have honey mustard. Honey Mustard Morty is nothing more than Honey Mustard Pringles with a picture of Morty on the can.
I felt betrayed.
But hell, I was still asking, “What’s not to love about Honey Mustard Pringles?” I remained intrigued, so I kept digging. It turns out that they’re sold exclusively at Walmart, and the only Walmart near me that sells them was a bit out of the way. “Never mind,” I thought, until I noticed the nutritional content. Sugars? Less than 1g per serving, which is 16 freaking chips! Even on my strictest diet, I can have one serving of those per day, and I’m not on my strictest diet. Geez, even the salt content isn’t as bad as you’d expect (6% RDA per serving). On the flip side, the fundamental basis of almost all diets is caloric count, and each serving has 150 calories. This is certainly manageable, but you must be careful not to load up on them.
I decided to give them a shot. Today (actually, 9/15), I stopped by that Walmart and grabbed three tins. I thought it was a worthwhile investment. How bad could Pringles and honey mustard be? The verdict?
Meh.
From a sugar perspective, you get what you pay for, so they’re good, but I won’t be driving out of my way to get them again.
I really don’t like pickles.
By the way, that image could be the next blue dress/gold dress thing (it’s gold). That shirt and tie are clearly purple, with the tie particularly purple. I see this as a grey-blue.
As always, the real lesson here is the value of intellectual property.
Well, I’ve now published 156 posts in as many days. I missed a day, but published twice on 9/11, so my current streak is really 120 days in a row. But much like Cal Ripken, I’m choosing to end my streak. I’m not going to post today.
Oh, shit. Oops.
This still counts as a post, and it’ll probably piss off Kessel Junkie for bonus points, suckers.
American Pickle is a strange story. Herschel Greenbaum falls into a vat of pickle brine in 1919 and wakes up in 2019. There, he connects with his great-grandson, Ben. Both characters are played by Seth Rogan.
I suspect that the message I pulled from this movie isn’t what I was expected to get. The message I suspect we’re supposed to get is that people’s antiquated are harming American society, but that ignores the setting in which the story plays out. What I’m witnessing is that everyone is so focused on what everyone else has, they forget what they have. Both Hershel and Ben share this trait, but being out of time, Hershel is amazed at the things Ben, a relative loser, has. Hershel would be ecstatic to have the life of a renter with a struggling business, being focused more on his personal and family honor than on “things.” The idea of a machine that creates seltzer water mesmerizes Hershel, which shows us how silly it is to lose sight of the amazing things we now take for granted.
At this point, I think it’s best to say SPOILER ALERT. I’ll place the next paragraph as quoted, italicized text so it’s easier to ignore.
Ben is a complete villain. As Hershel’s work ethic pushes him to success, Ben’s jealously has him leveraging cancel culture against Hershel. He even tries to get him deported. I suspect that, as with all art, people will read into it what they need in order to justify their worldview, which gives it a guaranteed fanbase. That’s a bit heavy for something I think is supposed to be a comedy, but not necessarily a deal breaker. Ben’s behavior really didn’t make me laugh, and that’s the deal breaker. When Ben attempts to reconcile, Hershel’s old-time notions of honor turn him into the villain, and aided by a typical Hollywood mischaracterization of the legal system, does Ben dirty.
Of course, everyone comes together by the end, but to me it’s too little, too late (and honestly a little cheap). The movie is just a depressing tale of how selfish we all can be, and I can’t help but feel I’m being lectured over things I didn’t do. Moreover, it just drags.
Play What You Want 