“The Bonding” is a notable episode because it dwells on what would normally be a footnote in any other episode. A routine mission and a redshirt is killed. Here we see the consequences as the crew deals with the death. Of course, an alien force has to come in and monkey with Troi’s patented grieving process, but all works out (kinda) in the end.
Philip Roth’s novel “The Counterlife” may be his farthest jump into the world of post-modernism. His books always contain winks toward meta-writing (the much-beloved American Pastoral, remember, is 9/10ths not the actual story but what might have been the story) but this time we see Roth’s thesis presented in four bold colors with varying permutations connecting them. The premise, essentially, is what if I zigged instead of zagged? This is part of being human – forever wondering what life would be like if you chose differently at important crossroads. The decision here (since it is Philip Roth, after all) has to do with his cock. A mild heart condition is treated with medication that leaves him impotent. The solution is simple surgery, but there is always a risk. Leave it alone or adapt? The surgery is a success or does it kill you? Does the success of the surgery lead you back to a normal life, or send you wildly off the deep end sending you to live with dementedly normal British woman in a small village or (in the case of your brother) to join a band of extremists on a West Bank settlement? Oh, that’s the other big either/or — is the story about you or about your brother? And if it is about your brother, will he mind or will he take vengeance and steal all your unpublished pages after your heart surgery goes awry and kills you? (Leading us to believe that everything we’ve read so far, and the upcoming chapter, isn’t in fact the new Philip Roth book, but in fact everything left out of the new Philip Roth book.)
It’s one of those and it ends, as these things must, with the characters confronting the author. Or do they just confront the lead character, who happens to be an author who writes about his brother and his cock and his brother’s cock? Woah. I’m exhausted.
Luckily, in the midst of all this heavyness and lit theory, there are some fantastic scenes — best being an ill-fated El Al hijacking by a crazed reverse-Zionist (shades of Operation Shylock) who feels the best way to honor the Holocaust is to pretend it never happened.
A surprisingly blunt episode in its rejection of religion. Picard refers to belief in a meddlesome supreme being as “living in the stone ages” and presented as a detriment to intellectual and scientific evolution. Secular thrills aside, this episode is a really zippy and fun yarn. A hidden team of anthropologists squirreled away on a Vulcan-like planet in their early history goofs up and throws all kinds of kinks into the Prime Directive. Next thing you know a band of upstarts are ready to sacrifice naysayers to “The Picard.” The plot moves in unexpected places and, as mentioned, really socks it surprisingly to organized religion. 1989 was a different time. An episode like this would have Hannity and O’Reilly going berserk.
Every New Yorker should endeavor to go to Coney Island once a year. I admit, I’ve been remiss in this task for quite some time.
So we squeezed a lot of Coney Island in last Saturday. The truth is, my back still aches from the Cyclone. Yes, that was five days ago and, no, I’m not kidding.
Go to Coney Island and you can’t stop taking pictures. This ain’t all of ‘em, but it’s enough:
I’d forgotten how wonderfully dopey and entertaining this movie is. As good as Hollywood Action-Comedy comes.
When TNG is really cookin’ it should be like Twilight Zone in Space. Here’s a good example. Actually this may be the first episode where we, the audience, has guessed the ending before its happened. This is going to recur as the show gets better and better. The mystery stuff is there and then the spaceships and lasers and strange alien powers stuff comes in, too. No synopsis on this one — see it for yourself.
A group of errant settlers have “made the desert bloom” but have to evacuate ’cause the Sheliak are comin’ in to put up a new sports arena. Hell no, we won’t go! But it is only land, Data argues. Oh Data, you shouldn’t know from such troubles.
A clear parallel to the crisis in Judea with The Sheliak as the Arabs and cool, calculating Data as the anti-Zionist elite. If you wanna go that route. Never forget the horrors of Hyperonic Radiation! shouts the chief of the settlement Gosheven — Gosheven? Yad Vashem???? Do I have to draw you people a road map?
And that Picard should want to negotiate with such people? A shonde fur der Klingon!
Oy vey! What a way to start off Season Three! Dr. Crusher is back, just when I was getting to like Dr. Pulaski. Also young Wesley is leaving jars of, like, Space Termites out and they are destroying the ship. Picard’s adherence to the Prime Directive is completely insane — these mircroscopic organisms are putting everyone’s life in jeopardy, but he refuses to open a can of NanoRaid. Idiotic. Then, with the computers broken down, they use the computer to solve the problem. Yeah, I know. Sheesh.
No Insignia
I’ll say it. Don’t think I won’t say it. You wanna hear it? Here it is: Worst Episode Ever!!!
Whereas something like TOS’s And The Children Shall Lead or Spock’s Brain can at least be enjoyed on a masochistic level, “Shades of Grey” is just an insult. A “clips episode,” like you’ll find on the Partridge Family. A disgrace. And the frame for this cheap stunt is pretty retarded, too.
And on this horrible note we say good-bye to Season Two, altogether something of a success. We also say good-bye to Dr. Pulaski who, I must admit, is a good character even if it did leave Troi the only sexy chick left in the crew. Pulaski has more spunk than Dr. Crusher and Diana Muldaur is ten times the actor Gates McFadden is.
Dr. Pulaski, you may have been a little too Bea Arthur for the Enterprise, but I’ll think of you every time I cross from Greenpoint into L.I.C. (unless I’m on the BQE, in which case I’ll be thinking of Tadeusz Kościuszko.
You’d think, by now, that Star Fleet would learn that war games simulations are just a recipe for disaster. Still, Riker & pals go head to head against Picard when (uh oh!) this is no simulation!!!!! The Ferengi are in town and, I guess, they are still dangerous. Great B-story of snotty strategy analyst (pictured above) who reminded me quite a bit of my old supervisor when I was a telemarketer for the Roundabout Theatre Company.
Henry Darger — now there’s a guy who coulda used a blog!
The backstory is fascinating: reclusive janitor dies at 81, landlord discovers a 15,000+ page fantasy novel and hundreds of watercolor paintings to go with it. The paintings are extraordinary, the book is remarkable in its scope. And the documentary about all this is, sadly, kinda dull. At 83 minutes it still felt too long. I think you can safely get all the info you need about Darger on the internet instead of watching this movie (and you don’t have to listen to Dakota Fanning’s annoying voice over.) Wikipedia is always a good place to start.
“Patti Rocks,” a true independent film just as that term was about to take on new meaning in America, is a good example of the almost-great film. The slender narrative is an excuse to have two buddies get drunk and philosophize about (mostly) sex. The trick ending is the last third of the film when they are joined by a woman (Patti) who has her own blunt thoughts on the matter. The problem for me (other than the occasional bad acting moment) is the perceived wow factor the filmmakers thought audiences would have at hearing such frank talk. “Patti Rocks” was a foul-mouthed film in 1988, but nowadays not so much. Nothing you don’t hear on Comedy Central. If I had a time machine I’d love to go back and tell David Burton Morris to downplay this gimmick and stick with what’s working so well in the film — a remarkable portrayal of mid-American blue collar guys living their lives. The bar, the apartment complex, the “deserter” friend who has a management position. This all seems very real and is wonderfully observed.
I left New Jersey at age 17, but for a few summers I went back and worked the occasional bozo job. I met and hung out with guys like this. More importantly, I knew women like Patti. Patti who, in movie terms, ain’t all that attractive, but would sure be the object of much attention at a garage or after-work beer joint. “Patti Rocks” is a real late-80s curiousity. IFC has it in rotation now; you should check it out.
The Decalogue ends “up” with a cheery and touching tale concerning two brothers (one an angry rocker whose lyrics slyly refer to the prior nine films) whose distant father has died and, surprisingly, left behind a fortune in philately. Philately is hysterical to begin with, but two dopey Polish brothers venturing deeper and deeper into its dangerous underbelly is just priceless (much like that Zeppelin stamp on the “Polarfahrt” — which Ann, quite rightly I’m sure, pointed out must be “cold intestinal gas.”)
Summing up the Decalogue: Do you have to see all ten? Shit, no. Make use of the little search box in the upper right hand corner of the blog and watch only the good ones. I’d say about 50-50.
An impotent man wants to watch his wife schtupp another guy. You think this’d be slightly interesting, but it is the most boring thing ever put to film. I fell asleep during multiple attempts to get through it. When the DVD started skipping I offered up a thank you prayer to Cheebus.
Talk about an entry! Fired off in a probe doing warp speed, encased in a tiny space coffin to be picked up in the inky blackness of intergalactic nothingness — this is one tough lady. It’s a love interest for Worf — a half human/half Klingon (shades of a female reverse-Spock, here) — and finally the holodeck is put to good use: a setting for gettin’ it on!!!!
The love story in entwined with an exciting “how to stop from fighting” plot — sleeping Klingons will awaken, think they’re at war, and start knocking the crap out of some peaceful settlements. You’d think the first thing a slumbering ship would do is check in & call home after 75 years. . .but I guess Klingons don’t roll that way.
1/2
I am unique among blogging Trekkers in that I do not despise the character of Lwaxana Troi. I actually find her amusing and I’m willing to look past the fact that she is the boss’ wife. In some ways I like her character more than Counselor Troi’s, as I can never quite figure out what she’s doing there. Sure — a ship’s half-Betazoid therapist is a good idea, but should she sit right there next to the Captain on the bridge? (The answer some would give is, so long as she continues to wear the tight purple spandex and keep her hair long, absolutely.)
Anyway, this episode features Lwaxana chasing Picard around, so much so that he has to hide out on the holodeck. Then there are some fish-monsters, one of whom played by Mick Fleetwood. No, I wouldn’t lie to you.
I’m a little awed that there is a “public outcry” about the last episode of the Sopranos. It makes me think that plenty of alleged fans of the show were missing the point all these years.
I thought this last season was terrific, and the now notorious “diner sequence” in this final episode was absolutely brilliant. I could expand on that and explain why, but if you don’t see for yourself you probably won’t understand anyway. I watched this sequence again and caught something I thought I saw the first time: a direct reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey (This shot, basically.)
Also amusing was the Gray Line bus, only they don’t drive down Mulberry like that.
I count two as “multiple,” don’t you?
Huzzah for Body/Antibody and its recent awards: Audience Award for Best Feature and Jury Award for Best Original Score (huzzah to Charlie Schmid on that one!)
Keep abreast on all Body/Antibody news at our website — we’ll have two more local screenings before this summer is up if you haven’t caught it yet.
