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PICARD (PATRICK STEWART) comes face to face with the Borg Queen (Alice Krige) in the science-fiction action thriller “StarTVelrFiret
Contact.” '
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‘Generations’ takes next step
Newest starship installment
battles against popular enemy
—
By Gebby Beltz
Film Critic
I
I '*
New ship. Same crew. Same en
emy. New battleground.
“Star Trek: First Contact” once
again brings our favorite starship
crew into battle against their deadli
est — and most popular — enemy,
the Borg.
Director Jonathan Frakes doesn’t
wait for long to start the action. The
movie has barely begun and the bio
logical Erector sets have already set
their mechanical crouton on course
for conquering Earth.
Picard and crew are all set to go
kick some Borg booty, but Starfleet
orders thebald one to take the Enter
prise over to the Neutral Zone to look
at comets. Reasoning: Picard was
once part of the Borg collective, so
he may falter during battle.
However, Starfleet is eventually
getting stomped like Mondale in ’84,
so Picard defiesorders (surprise!) and
gets into the fifftt.
On top of everything else, the
Borg go back in time to keep
Zephram Cochrane (James
Cromwell, “Babe”) from making his
warp drive experimental run, thus
changing history, and the Borg start
taking over the Enterprise as well.
But there are some good things for
the Enterprise crew; Geordi got rid
of his hair-barette visor, Beverly
Crusher dyed her hair again and
Deanna Troi gets introduced to a
funky new beverage called ‘tequila.’
Overall, the movie works. Frakes
creates a very nice blend of action,
drama and comedy. There’s also a
few familiar ‘Trek’ faces showing up
here and there throughout the film.
However, there are other charac
ters to work with besides Picard and
Data. Where the Batman movies are
focusing on everyone but the lead
character, the last two Star Ttek mov
ies are only looking at Picard and
Data. Lest we forget about William
“Eternal 2nd Banana” Riker or the
budding romance between Ttoi and
Worf?
Still, “Star Ttek: First Contact” is
a fun film to see and is a worthy ad
dition to the “Star Ttek” film legacy.
Check it out.
Film: “Star TYek: First Omtact”
Stars: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner,
James Cromwell
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Rating: PG-13 (language, mild vio
lence)
Grade: B+
Five Words: Picard takes on the
Thkkies should be proud;
First Contactf best film yet
*i p|nHHHHHHnnHnnnnB
By Cuff Hicks
Film Critic
Let’s be blunt—“Star Trek: Gen
erations” was disappointing in a big
way. But at least it got rid of the flesh
toned Enterprise D bridge.
“Generations,” the first appear
ance of the “Star Trek: The Next Gen
eration” cast, was a poor excuse for
a film. It hung under the shadow of
the old cast and tried to be an old
“Star Bek” film.
Welcome to “The Next Genera
tion.”
“First Contact” pits Picard
(Patrick Stewart) against the Borg and
Data (Brent Spiner) against the Borg
Queen, as the Borg attempt to stop
Earth's first contact with an alien race
in the past.
Is time travel getting to be a bit
overused? Somewhat. Do the Borg
look like the dark side of “Toy
Story?” Sure. Does this stop the film
from being perhaps the best “Bek”
film yet? Not a chance.
^ The Enterprise E’s bridge looks
more like the bridge of a flagship. It
is not the kind of bridge you’ll find
Wesley Crusher on.
In fact, the look of “First Contact”
is a lot crisper all around. The spe
cial effects are sharper, the ships look
V sleeker and the Borg look really evil.
“First Contact” is, however,
mostly performance driven. Once you
get past the fact that this is a Picard
and-Data film (and that the rest of the
crew members are just really excess
baggage), there is some truly great
acting in the film.
Spiner’s performance as Data is,
asalways, impeccable. The added el
ement of the emotion chip (which he
can now turn on and off) makes him
have to work a little harder for his
salary, but there isn’t a spot where he
slips.
Stewart, however, gives the per
formance of a lifetime. A drawn tan
gent between Captain Picard and
Captain Ahab (from Melville’s
“Moby Dick”) leads Stewart into de
livering a beautiful speech.
So, other than the fact that the rest
of the crew are really just set pieces
with lines, “First Contact” is the best
“Star Trek” film in years, possibly
ever.
Now we’re boldly going where no
one has gone before. Gene
Roddenbeny would be proud. Happy
30th birthday, “Star TVek.”
Film: “Star Trek: First Contact”
Director: Jonathan Frakes
Cast: Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner,
James Cromwell
Rating: PG-13 (violence, language)
Grade: A- ; * ;
Five Words: Now THIS is boldly go
Performance
teamshumoi;
tense drama
Cast of ‘Speed the
Plow1 delivers realistic
production.
By Liza Holtmeier
Theater Critic
The Theatrix cast of “Speed the
Plow” brought the world of Hollywood
deal-making to life this weekend, while
achieving an adequate balance between
the comic and dramatic elements of
Mamet’s play. ,
The play opened with Charlie Fox,
played by Jason Richards, arriving at
the office of studio executive Bobby ,
Gould, played by Michael Rothmayer.
While making a deal for a big-time
prison movie, Charlie and Bobby make
a bet concerning whether or not Bobby
could seduce his naive temporary sec
retary Karen, played by Lisa Mercer.
The fast pace and rapid delivery of
lines between Rothmayer and Richards
immediately pulled the audience in
during scene 1. Their chemistry and
stage camaraderie established the ba
sis for their relationship for the rest of
the show.
In the first scene, Rothmayer’s self
assuredposture, brash fojtiQ of voice
and casual, flippant ^delivery* of lines
painted the picture of the consummate
greedy Hollywood executive. Every
time he thanked one of the characters,
his subtext let the audience know that
he thought the characters should re
ally have been thanking him.
Every nuance of Richards’ repre
sentation, from his walk to his gestures
to his rambling delivery of lines, helped
to create the image of a sneaky, self
ish, cocky Hollywood producer. The
way his thoughts aid movements con
stantly shifted revealed the alterior
motives of Charlie Fox.
Mercer exhibited her ability to por
tray contrasting characteristics in her
role aS Karen. Through the timidity of
her voice and gestures in Scene 1, she
accentuated Karen’s naivete and weak
ness. In Scene2, however, her gestures
and vocalization changed to reveal
Karen’s strength, intelligence and abil
ity to manipulate. Despite the often too
quiet delivery of ha* lines in Scene 2,
she created a very intimate and intense
moment in the play.
Scene 3 served as Rothmayer’s
chance to show his talent for contrast.
He adjusted easily from vain to vul
nerable as Bobby’s former arrogance
was replaced by confusion and distress
over his relationship with Karen.
Richards’ acting in Scene 3 was the
highlight of the show. His tension and
jumpy movement rounded out the char
acter and motivation of Charlie Fox.
Despite a couplecontrived and unreal
istic stage punches to Bobby, Richards
added foe final dimension to the rela
tionship between Bobby and Charhe.
Through his anger and mocking atti
tude, he epitomized the fickle, conniv
ing, unscrupulous Hollywood deal
maker.
The scenes of the play exemplified
the manipulation skills of the power
hungry. The entire cast skillfully de
livered the comic lines of the play while
keeping foe characters and situations
real.