Star Trek Insurrection

Star Trek Insurrection
I put off watching this one because it seemed like it would be the episode Journey's End made over. Not one of my favorite episodes and the promise of Data being compromised - again- seemed overdone. But I really liked this movie. Data was compromised a lot in the series, just not usually two episodes in a row which is probably why two movies in a row seemed excessive. But it was only a temporary thing to draw the crew onto a world in which the people are in danger of being unknowingly displaced for the sake of a larger society in need of the planet's benefits. It had the Federation under Anthony Zerbe's (I swear that man hasn't aged in 30 years!) supervision aiding in the deception which I thought was wrong but it served the purpose of making their political point. It has all the preachiness that a lot of people appreciate in Star Trek but it was also a lot deeper than that. I had a feeling there was an H. G. Wells quality about the two societies involved in the conflict and the ensuing plot twist made the movie like an elongated episode which is always the best type of Star Trek movie. I liked it better than First Contact. It had a smoother flow. And it made me sad that the actors have to (had to) get old and stop.

Book? Review

Westworld, Michael Crichton

I can't deny I'm disappointed and I feel like an idiot.

When I saw the 1973 movie Westworld I was amazed at how Crichton had predicted the technological future as far as robotics and computer viruses go. I was sure the book would be amazing. I had to wait a few years because the only thing I saw was egregiously overpriced. But I got it last month... only to discover that it's not a book; it's the screen play for the movie. Further research has led me to understand that it probably never was a book.

I had no reason to suspect it wasn't a book... a lot of books have movie art on them and I don't mind that so I didn't look at the description of the product. So it's my own fault. But in the forward that Crichton wrote there's a lot of inside-baseball on the film industry and some neat stories about making the movie. And I've got a screenplay to look at now if I ever want to write one... so I guess it's not a total loss.

Book Review

Sherlock Holmes His Last Bow
Now this was much more like it! The last set was good but the stories were a little too short. They'd just start getting interesting and then they were over. These are a better length and far more exciting. I was surprised to realize that Doyle recycled some of his material though. The opening segment of The Adventure of the Cardboard Box in which Holmes reads Watson's thoughts was used at the beginning of one of the stories from Memoirs. I just didn't expect that. Anyway, the works in this collection have a faster pace, more danger and intense moments, and more difficult puzzles for the great detective. We get a closer look at Mycroft's life as Sherlock solves a governmental mystery in The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans. The Adventure of the Dying Detective was the best one. I couldn't get that one out of my head for a couple of days. I haven't sat down and made a list of my favorite Holmes stories yet but this one would definitely be in the count. The title story His Last Bow takes place either just prior to or during WW1 with Holmes coming out of retirement to thwart German spies. That was a nice twist on it all. But it's not the end. I apparently have one more Doyle series to get to complete my Sherlock Holmes collection. I gave up trying to figure out what order they all ran in a long time ago. They're just the best.

Book Review

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
This is a collection of some of the shortest Holmes tales. Fun little brain teasers, a few of which Holmes' assistance is inaccurate or too late. The Adventures of the Yellow Face, the Gloria Scott, and the Musgrave Ritual had fascinating hindsight or unexpected twists But there are some tense stories in the last half that were slightly longer as well. The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter featuring Sherlock's brother Mycroft Holmes that was particularly exciting and my favorite of the set along with The Adventures of the Crooked Man, the Naval Treaty, and of course the Final Problem chronicling his long evasion of Professor Moriarty before their standoff at Reichenbach Falls. I only wished that one could've been longer. The details of that standoff are told in a later compilation of mysteries after Holmes is "brought back to life." I loved this set like all the others only the stories were a little short in this bunch

Book Review

This is an old one and I think there have even been movies made. But it's new to me. And it was an excellent choice. Oh my goodness, this book was downright terrifying at times, and I'm not inexperienced in the thriller genre. But, there's something about these old mysteries and the skill with which they were written that always outclasses the desensitizing horrors of newer authors.

A group of ten mostly unconnected people are lured to an island from which they can't escape and are killed off one by one in correspondence with a dark nursery rhyme which is altered and sanitized in this book to the title of "Ten Little Soldier Boys." (I'm sorry, but I take offense to the altering of original material just because it's been declared "offensive" and people aren't mature enough to study and value older literature [or film] within context of the time period in which it was created. It's the only beef I had with this book once I found out... had to roll my eyes a little, but it doesn't effect the story so it's not a big deal.) Anyway, they are invited guests to the house of a mysterious, rich owner who they never officially meet. They are placed in rooms with the poem to look at as well as figurines of soldier boys in a glass case which disappear one by one with each victim who is murdered in a manner that is similar to the lines of the poem. It's a tense and gripping story that builds into a nightmarish climax. It's not the sort of mystery in which the murderer is caught in the act or discovered by another character throughout the plot, but rather a mystery that leaves one hanging until explained from an outside perspective at the end. I did guess who the killer was fairly early on, however I can't claim victory because I then had more than ample reason to doubt that guess to the point where I was considering other options and finally just confused at the end. That's exactly the trap that Christie was laying for the reader and it worked brilliantly. Even the police at the end didn't have it completely right. The identity of the killer is danced around until the final chapter. It's more of an afterword really and it's the confession letter of the killer who details the plan to exact vigilante justice on those who were also guilty of murder but had circumvented the law. Since the perpetrator is said to have been dying anyway, the score is settled all around.

It really is a mini masterpiece as most classics are. That's why I love the "classic" genre so much. And I recommend it for those who like murder mysteries of any kind.