Supernova (2000)

The Nightingale is a medical rescue ship currently cruising through space.  A new co-pilot has been assigned to the ship, the over serious and humorless Nick Vanzant (James Spader).  As it happens, he is a perfect fit on this humorless and over serious crew though each of them treat him as an unwanted interloper, most especially medical officer Kaela Evers (Angela Bassett).  Once all the crew have been given a brief biography, a distress call arrives.  Strangely, the call is direct; most calls are assigned via a 911 call center which is never detailed beyond that throwaway line.  The call is long distance and will require a dimension jump, which turns out to be a risky maneuver.  No sooner has the ship completed the jump than it is struck by debris and tumbling into a rogue moon orbiting a high-gravity blue giant and suffering additional emergencies related to the dimension jump itself.

The movie alternates between a dull noir vibe and a frenetic panic. No one on this ship is friends with anyone else. Yerzy (Lou Diamond Phillips) and Danika (Robin Tunney) are lovers but she cheats on him with just a little prompting. Captain Marley (Robert Forster) knowingly puts the crew at risk during the dimension jump, placing the ship in mortal danger but for the extraordinary piloting skills of Vanzant. The one and only person who needs saving is a specimen of health and really only needed extraction, not medical help. Larson (Peter Facinelli) comes across as an untrustworthy bad guy from the first moment. He's got the charm of a used car salesman and the sincerity of a politician in a safe district. He offers an unbelievable tale of being abandoned by fellow scavengers and has also lied about the contents of his shuttle. Sounds like someone who should be given run of the ship, including the computer core and the bridge. Meanwhile the only person who distrusts Larson goes to the moonbase to putatively get fuel for the Nightingale but also to investigate Larson's story.

James Spader was not the right person for this.  He plays the arrogant prick just fine but action hero he is not.  I could buy his piloting prowess but when he got into fisticuffs with the obviously superior villain, it was too much suspension of disbelief.  Despite plenty of screen time, he's still a mostly unlikeable fellow.  If he dies, so what?  That is not how the audience should view the main character.

Angela Bassett is just as serious and humorless as Spader.  I think she cracked a smile once.  Other than that, she was a mostly sour character who was largely unaware of what was happening on the ship.  Her ties to Larson were weakly portrayed and could have been dumped if it weren't the hook for the rescue in the first place.

Robert Forester was wasted.  His part is small and added nothing.  When I saw this movie the first time, I thought he was an odd casting choice.  Watching it this time, I of course realized he had been in The Black Hole.  It may have been a hint of things to come that he was working on a PhD thesis regarding how violent cartoons like Tom & Jerry had been banned in the early 21st century.  Ah, humanity has lost its sense of humor.  That explains why this crew is a dour bunch.

None of the crew were likeable enough that I felt anything when they were killed off.  The ship's computer - "Sweetie" - has simultaneous conversations with multiple crewmen in multiple parts of the ship in the early scenes but, when the bad guy is roaming the halls with murder on his mind, she's useless.  Crewmen get spaced and somehow she doesn't alert any other crew.

With only minutes remaining before the ship's orbit deteriorates and second before the blue giant goes Supernova, the crew has to fight to the death and get to the only remaining dimension jump pod!  Behold the excitement!  Yawn.

A weak blend of Alien and Dead Calm.  Director Walter Hill had such confidence that he was credited as Thomas Lee.  The dimension jumping special effects are cool though.

Skip this one.

The Swedish Model

We the Internet usually does political comedy videos but this one is more of a mini-documentary.  Entertaining and informative.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcX6BUZlEw4

Clive Cussler

A band of Romans trekked through the arid hills of a foreign land, constantly attacked by the primitive but tenacious natives.  Though they have hidden a valuable treasure, it seems they will never get to tell anyone where they hid it.  The sheer number of natives wore down the Romans until they were overwhelmed.  Flash to the present day with adventurer extraordinaire Dirk Pitt in Greenland.  So began Treasure (1988), one of the wildest adventure tales I had ever read at that time.  I was soon hooked on Dirk Pitt novels, reading the 8 that preceded this one in short order before Dragon (1990), a story that saw the discovery of lost atom bombs from WWII to be recovered from the sea floor.  Clive Cussler's character has made it to be big screen a couple of times.  There was Raise the Titanic! (1980) and Sahara (2005).  Sadly, neither launched a franchise.  If you haven't read Cussler, you've missed some great stories.

Clive Cussler was 88.  RIP

City of Bones

A resident in Laurel Canyon reports that his dog found a bone on the nearby hill and that it is a human bone.  Though doubtful, Bosch goes to check on it.  The resident who found it is a retired medical doctor who declares that it is a humerus.  Harry climbed the hill and located more remains.  The next day, an archeological dig is brought in to excavate.  Soon, the bones of a 10 to 12 year-old boy are found and they tell a tale of long-term child abuse.  Dating puts the death between 1975 and 1985.

Harry's marriage is confirmed to be over and he gets involved with a rookie cop met at the scene.  Julia is old for a rookie, having spent time as a lawyer and world traveler before becoming a cop.  She is eager to learn.  In fact, she is impatient to get to Bosch's level rather than driving is a black & white where she deals with domestic disturbances.

The story is gripping as the history of the boy is revealed and the story of his tragic life becomes clear.  Even the hard-boiled Bosch finds himself emotional.  His partner Jerry Edgar, who is a father, is unforgiving of all those who had known the boy.

Of note, this story was used as the first season of the TV Series.  That version is different from this one but also quite good.

Highly recommended.

Sanctuary Counties

In Virginia, 91 of the 96 counties have declared themselves to be 2nd Amendment sanctuaries.  How is it that the state passed a law that the overwhelming majority of counties oppose?  This is a case of urban centers attempting to enforce their preferences in rural areas.  The urban centers are far more populous than the rural areas and can swamp them with votes.  However, a law that may be appropriate for a densely populated city might be unworkable for a low density area.

It is funny that the party that celebrates sanctuary cities, counties, and states when the issue is illegal immigration is outraged when the same tactic is used for gun rights.  Why is it okay - even commendable - for California and Colorado to ignore Federal law as regards marijuana but it is wrong when that same tactic is used by 'the other side' to protect gun rights?  Either we live by the laws that are passed or we have localities nullify laws they don't like.  Pick one and be consistent.

As a fan of federalism, my preference is for localities to govern themselves.  Cities should not be allowed to strong arm rural areas because they have more votes in the legislature.  This is resolved at the federal level with the bicameral legislature but is meaningless at the state level thanks to a Reynolds v. Sims, which negated the point of bicameralism.

The Lodge (2019)

Richard (Richard Armitage) hopes to get his children better acquainted with Grace (Riley Keough), his fiancé.  The four of them go to a lodge in the mountains for the holidays.  Needing to return to work for a couple of days, Richard leaves Grace and the kids to bond.  However, once he is gone, strange things begin to happen.  This is made worse by the unfriendly interactions between Grace and the two kids; they clearly blame her for the breakup of their parent's marriage and take every opportunity to let her know it.

The movie has a strong opening.  Grace is only a glimpsed figure for the first 20 minutes or so, giving her an air of mystery.  Should Grace be viewed as an interloper or a sympathetic character?  Is she fully in control of herself?  There are many questions as to what is happening.  The building tension is quite good.

In the third act, the movie collapses.  The twist ruins the movie.  Disappointing.  Skip this one.

The Gentleman (2019)

Guy Ritchie's latest movie is a return to form, fitting with such great films as Snatch and Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels.  Mickey (Matthew McConaughey) is an American who came to England as a Rhodes Scholar.  While attending university, he found he had a talent for selling marijuana and turned it into a business.  Thanks to his high-end education, he has connections among the gentry.  However, at this late date, he is ready to leave the business, sellout and retire with his lovely wife, Rosalind (Michelle Dockery).  However, his plans to sell, interpreted as weakness, draw competitors to challenge him.

Much of the story is shown as a narration from Fletcher (Hugh Grant) as he spends the evening with Ray (Charlie Hunnam).  Fletcher is a reporter while Ray is Mickey's top fixer.  Fletcher has been following Mickey and discovering all sorts of secrets, which he reveals to Ray.  He wants to be bought off.  Failure to pay will mean he publishes a disastrous expose.  It looks very bad for Mickey.

The casting is terrific.  McConaughey is much more hard edged than his usual.  There is very little of his usual easy-going charm.  Michelle Dockery is very different from her most famous role as Lady Mary of Downton Abbey.  She curses like a sailor and speaks with a more working class accent.  Charlie Hunnam, who has had a rocky career in movies, is a perfect sidekick.  He's a straight man to Hugh Grant.  Hugh is very cheeky and full of himself.  Though he knows the doings of everyone, he only interacts with Hunnam and the banter is great fun.  Henry Golding, who I've only seen as a romantic lead (e.g. Crazy Rich Asians, A Simple Favor), offers a very different character.  He's an up and comer with delusions of grandeur.  A supremely confident naif.  Although I don't generally like Colin Farrell, he proves to be a great side character.  Having abandoned his pretty-boy looks, he is a good man who finds himself indebted to criminals but never corrupted by them.  He is the most admirable character in the movie though that is a low bar among this crowd.

As Fletcher is not always a reliable narrator, the story is sometime not quite true to the events.  Also, the story is often told out of order.  This is standard Ritchie and done well.  Great movie.  Go see it.

The Black Hole (1979)

The USS Palomino is returning from a long exploratory mission when they pass near a black hole.  To their surprise, the long lost USS Cygnus is located nearby.  Dr. Kate McCrae (Yvette Mimieux) is particularly interested since her father served on the ship when it went missing.  They fly in to take a closer look, fighting the increasing gravity of The Black Hole all the way, but suddenly enter a zero gravity field around the Cygnus.  There appear to be no signs of life.  No sooner have they made a pass of the ship than the gravity takes hold again.  The Palomino suffers damage fighting back to the null gravity field of the Cygnus and must make repairs before they can continue.  They land on the Cygnus, which suddenly shows signs of life.

Boarding the ship, they are disarmed by unseen forces and then 'led' by opening doors to the ship's bridge. There they meet Dr. Hans Reinhardt (Maximilian Schell) and his robot enforcer, Maximilian. Reinhardt spins a tale about a damage ship unable to return. The crew left - never making it back - while he stayed to repair the Cygnus and continue his research. In the intervening years, he has constructed faceless androids to crew the ship. Captain Holland (Robert Forester), Reporter Harry Booth (Ernest Borgnine), and Vincent the Robot (Roddy McDowell) all encounter things on the Cygnus that contradict Reinhardt's telling.

There are some oddball facets to the movie.  Vincent has a fully developed personality and is entirely unlike a robot.  He provides snarky banter and certainly doesn't follow Asimov's laws of robotics.  Bob (Slim Pickens) even has a western twang.  Meanwhile, all other robots are mute, including Maximilian.  Oddly, Maximilian seems able to speak with Reinhardt.  Perhaps they shared ESP, like Kate did with Vincent.  It was strange that she could only use her ESP with the robot and not her fellow humans.  Does Vincent have a special ESP circuit installed? 

There are a lot of crazy problems with the movie. The Cygnus has been here for 20 years and, on the very day it plans to fly through the black hole, it is smashed to bits by a meteor storm. What, they didn't see them coming? They were glowing red! Why did Reinhardt turn against the crew of the Palomino? If he had just let them go, all would have worked out fine, except for that meteor storm he didn't see coming. After seeing what happened to the fully-crewed Palomino last time it was beyond the null gravity field of the Cygnus, what made Harry Booth think he could pilot it solo? The ending is truly bizarre, with Reinhardt melding with Maximilian and ending on a fiery landscape, presumably hell. Hardly a sci-fi ending. Meanwhile, the survivors of the Palomino find themselves traveling through the black hole, flung to some distant and unexplored region. Happy ending? Hardly! That scout ship isn't going to support them for long and the odds of finding a habitable planet are extremely slim.

When I originally saw this - as a 12 year-old - I thought it was mostly cool.  I loved Vincent and Bob most of all and made them out of Legos.  Today, it's a movie that had potential but was poorly executed.  The effort at some 2001: A Space Odyssey ending was misguided.  Vincent and Bob are now my two least favorite characters.

State of the Union 2020

President Trump is one to present a show rather than give a speech.  There are little acts set among the audience to be brought out like magic acts.  Let's introduce the parents of a slain aid worker and explain how the country didn't forget their daughter.  Now let's move to a woman whose husband is stationed overseas while she is left at home with two kids and, voila, your husband is here.  That was one grinning 3 year-old when his dad arrived.  And here's Rush Limbaugh with stage 4 lung cancer who, during the speech, is awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.  There were many more such emotional scenes that tugged heartstrings.  This is showmanship rather than a sober report on the state of the union.  Of course, people remember emotions longer than cold facts.  I was more impressed with the state of the economy but who will remember that tomorrow.  That grinning 3 year-old, the parents grateful that their daughter got justice, and the recognition of Rush will stick much longer.

On the downside, Trump offered a bunch of new legislation.  I would far prefer some repeals.  Family leave?  Really?  A national law to cover charter schools?  I thought Secretary De Vos was there to diminish the Federal role in education.

I had noted that Trump didn't shake Pelosi's hand when he stepped to the podium.  I had thought he hadn't noticed her offer her hand.  She shrugged.  One reviewer took that as Trump intentionally rebuffing her offer, unwilling to shake hands with Nancy on account of impeachment.  Yes, that is probably the case.  It is standard practice to shake hands and my impression was obviously wrong.  After the speech, Nancy made a show of ripping her copy of the speech in half.  No love lost here.

The speech was somewhat rambling but clearly effective.  The Democrats sat on their hands for most of it.  Sure, it makes sense that they wouldn't approve of Republican priorities but a good economy is a good economy  Lowest ever black unemployment should get approval regardless of who is president.  They did applaud when he called for bringing troops home and ending wars.  We are not the world's policeman.

The ending of the speech was a soaring paean to America, calling forth Washington, Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Annie Oakley, Neil Armstrong, and many others.  It touched on the greatness of America and said the best is yet to come.  Yeah, that's more my kind of speech.

A Darkness More than Night

Former FBI Agent Terry McCaleb, last seen in Blood Work, has taken up a new life on Catalina Island with his wife Graciella, adopted son Raymond, and new baby daughter.  Rather than profiling serial killers, he makes a living with his charter boat.  Then Jaye Winston, who worked with him in Blood Work, arrives to ask him to help on another murder case.  Edward Gunn had been arrested by Harry Bosch some years ago during the events of Concrete Blonde but walked thanks to the intervention of Lt. Harvey Pounds.  Oddly enough, Pounds is also dead and his case is open.  After a bit of investigating, McCaleb suspects Bosch!

Meanwhile, Bosch is part of the prosecution at a murder trial of noted director David Story. Story is accused of strangling an aspiring actress and then posing her body as if she accidentally killed herself. Bosch is the chief investigator and also heard Story admit to the crime. He is the linchpin of the prosecution's case against Story. As such, it would be disastrous if he were suddenly implicated in the murder of Edward Gunn.

Jack McEvoy, last seen in The Poet, is reporting on the Story case for a local paper when he gets a tip about Bosch being under investigation. He confronts both Bosch and McCaleb, both of whom want to know who his source is. He intends to write the story which will be published during the defense phase of the Story trial.

Here is a book that brings back three of Connelly's protagonists in a case that, once again, has no coincidences. Highly recommended.

Doom Patrol

The latest DC comics TV series is Doom Patrol.  The Doom Patrol consists of a bunch of misfits with superpowers, more or less.  There is Robotman, Elasti-Girl, Negative Man, Crazy Jane, and the Chief.  Cyborg shows up early though he appears to be on -loan rather than a full member.  The series opens with introductions of each character and their origin story.  Cliff was a race car driver who, in 1988, 'died' in a car crash.  Now he is a brain in a can.  Rita Farr was a successful Hollywood actress who, in 1955, was exposed to a toxin that made her melt when stressed.  She has achieved some control so as to maintain her shape but she's still iffy.  Larry Trainor was a test pilot with dreams of joining Project Mercury in 1961 until he flew through a radioactive entity that left him horribly disfigured and inhabited by an alien symbiote.  Crazy Jane has multiple-personality disorder with the twist that most of the personalities have a superpower.  Chief is a rich, secretive genius who appears to be immortal.

Early on, the Chief (Timothy Dalton) is abducted by archvillain Mr. Nobody (Alan Tudyk).  The entire season has the general goal of finding Chief.  Instead, it mostly delves deeply into the ruined hyper-sensitive psyches of the misfits.  Robotman is obsessed with the daughter who grew up without him.  Rita misses the limelight but starts melting at the slightest provocation.  Larry is gay.  Though the show takes place in the current year, he is still stuck in 1961 and obsessed with a lover he hasn't seen in almost 60 years.  Flashbacks and imagined encounters have gratuitous face sucking.  Of course, the comic version of Larry was straight (he was written in the 60s after all).  Crazy Jane is just a basket case who emotes venom at everyone and at all times.  She shifts from one unappealing personality to another.  Cyborg is guilt-ridden about his mother's death and can't seem to master his cybernetics.

The biggest problem of the show was the timeline.  It keeps flashing back to each character's origin which becomes infuriating.  Rita and Larry are in their 90s.  Cliff and Jane are pushing 70.  The Chief was an active explorer in 1912 and doesn't look any older as of 2019.  Clearly, the comic was published in the 60s and the character bios would work just fine if the setting was somewhere in the 1960s.  Robotman looks like he was assembled with 1950s technology rather than 1990s tech.  Why?  Every time you start to buy into the characters in the modern era, we flashback to the 1950s or 60s and you wonder why these characters aren't dead already.

Beyond the timeline issues, the characters suck.  Robotman and Crazy Jane spend their time being angry and dropping a variety of four letter words.  They scream and yell and curse to prove that they care and want to be proactive.  Or, in Jane's case, just wants to scream and yell and curse because life isn't fair.  Negative Man is generally apathetic.  When he isn't having his imagined trysts with his 1960s boyfriend, he mopes and bemoans his fate.  Wow, 60 years on and he still hasn't adjusted or even figured out how to communicate with his symbiote.  Rita is similar though she is more of the keep up appearance type person.  When forced to participate, she complains and whines.  Cyborg is tolerable.  In fact, he's a fairly likeable character who isn't either in a constant rage or soul-crushing depression.  Chief is rational and stable but has a very small part and is absent for much of the series.  Of course, the 'team' he has assembled reflects poorly on him.

Skip this turkey.  I wish I had.