A Boom and a Bust

It should come as no surprise to anyone that reads this blog that I am EXTREMELY happy about the creation of a new Star Trek franchise. It should also come as no surprise that I was very skeptical about the idea of new hands taking hold of the reins. I feared this new younger generation had no connection to the show and had not experienced the love of the original series. I doubted they would handle it with the respect and dignity that we true fans believe it deserves. My feelings were to either make the movie in good taste, or leave it alone. I was very happy that the movie was created with great passion and a new youthful energy that had been missing for the last couple of releases. It also looked like the cast had been well schooled on how to be good Starfleet officers. They also appeared to love and respect their characters. They looked like the sexy children of the original cast. If I were Shatner, Nimoy, Kelley, Nichols, Koenig, Takei, and Doohan, I would be very flattered.

The story was close to perfect. It gave us Vulcans, Romulans, the Kobayashi Maru. We had warp drive, phasers, photon torpedoes and deflector shields. We had an Enterprise that was built like a college boy’s hot rod. I believe this is the ship we would have had if Gene Rodenberry or Rick Berman had the technology to make it years ago. My only disappointment with this outing was a little story twist that involved time travel. I understand it was used as a device to give us Leonard Nimoy in a nostalgic homage to the original series. He gave the new guys the necessary LL&P as a blessing to continue. I appreciated that. However, time travel episodes get very complicated with their plots. It was cool that the “alternate universe” now gives us liberty to do almost anything with the new set of movies. But, stay in the present with these new kids now. Let them have fun and save the universe on their own without the help of the old guys. Our beloved Jimmy Doohan and D. Kelley are gone now. Let’s not try to bring back cast reunions without them. If any of the original cast deserves a cameo, let them appear as holographic computer references and move on with the new guys. And, as Captain Janeway was told a couple of times in Voyager, try to avoid time travel.

As much as I enjoyed the new Trek, I disliked the new Dan Brown movie, Angels and Demons. I went to this movie with the greatest sense of anticipation for good. Many of you have seen my drawing of Bernini’s Ganges from the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Rome. That drawing was inspired because I fell in love with it after reading Angels and Demons a few years ago. I posted the drawing here on this very blog.

We all have to agree that DaVinci Code the movie was awful. It was boring. I didn’t care if they solved the codex or destroyed it. I didn’t care if the main characters lived or died. I was angry that a great book had been made into a bad movie. Of course, we all hoped that Howard and Hanks had learned their lesson and would do a better job this time. The one good thing about these movies is the fact they are based on fantastic stories written by Dan Brown. Angels and Demons is an even better book than DaVinci so it should have been a better movie, right?

The show started out better than the last one. There was action, there was excitement, and there was the very adorable Ewan McGregor as a heroic and lovable camarlengo. Then they ruined it. Spoiler alert here! They made McGregor the villain. The joy of the book is that the hero is elected Pope after he risks his life to save the church he loves. When he shows he is willing to sacrifice himself for it, he is made leader of the church. It is a beautiful and optimistic ending that shows the possibility of a Catholic church that just might have the common man’s touch. Instead, Hollywood makes the church appear to be an institution of crime, misdirection, lies and conspiracy again. That’s how we left it at the end of the DaVinci Code. Wouldn’t it have been better to show a balanced interpretation of faith in this movie? Brown did. Brown showed that men of faith could be heroic, altruistic and noble. He allowed that the Christian faith could inspire men to greatness and allow them to find their better selves. Why did the makers of the movie feel it necessary to tarnish what was an optimistic and inspiring ending to the story?

Brown created a noble and honorable character, why did Hollywood feel it necessary to destroy him? Do the makers of the movie not believe that such men are realistic? Are good men so fictitious and unrealistic that Hollywood can’t portray them? If so, they are a very pessimistic lot. If that’s what they believe, then they should watch the new Star Trek. Those moviemakers believe in heroes and know that the good guys should always win.

Caesar's Palace

Caesar's Palace was an all day experience. We spent most of our time in a section called "The Forum Shops". Basically its a giant shopping mall attached to the hotel/casino. There are very upscale shops that most "normal" people can't afford to shop at unless they've won that fabled jackpot on one of the slot machines. I enjoyed the place because of the decor. You have to admire a place that uses reproductions of life size nude male statuary as decorative items. The only other place you might see this many artistically beautiful nude male figures is in Rome itself or backstage at a modern-day body-building contest. Since its not likely I'll visit either of those locations in the near future this served as a reasonable substitute. So, I appropriately got busy with my camera.

Don't judge me too quickly. I did more than just gawk at the hunky statues. We spent quite a while playing in the three story FAO Schwartz store. I was soundly defeated a couple of times playing air hockey. I would be scolded by my opponent if I were to leave out that detail. And, on the top floor of the store we found a giant keyboard like the one from the Tom Hanks movie "Big". There were a few amateurs goofing around with the thing. But, being a true piano player I decided to prove that what Hanks did in the movie wasn't just possible for movie stars. I located G and F and proceeded to play Chopsticks with my feet. I hit a few clunkers but after a couple of tries I made it through the whole tune. I attracted a tiny little audience and got just a smattering of applause when I finished. I felt good about the performance. Yes, I have pictures to prove I did it. But, you'll never see them here. After seeing my pasty legs sticking out from under my old man shorts and my flabby belly bouncing to the beat, I decided that's not appropriate material for public consumption.

That afternoon we ate at a Cheesecake Factory restaurant. I had never eaten at one before. The meal was great. I also began my Las Vegas relationship with a drink called a "Mojito." I had two with dinner. I think I had two the next night also. I've had mojitos before but it was always a bottled mix with rum stirred in. In a city that takes bar tending very seriously the mojitos are a religious experience. In Vegas they're made with handfuls of real crushed mint, fresh squeezed lime juice and cane syrup. I had a couple that actually had sugar cane sticks in them as stirrers. My Vegas vacation is over now but I'm sure I'll continue my affair with the mojito if I ever meet a good one around here.