Tag Archives: William Shatner

To Boldly Go Where No Man Has Gone Before: Re-Watching The Star Trek Films

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

59 years ago today, the first episode of Star Trek aired in America.

There’s been a lot of different Star Trek shows and crews over the decades.  I have to admit that I’ve always preferred the Original Series, with Kirk sleeping with every alien he met, McCoy and Spock bickering about logic, and Scotty warning that the engines can’t take much more.  The Next Generation was strong as well, especially in the later seasons.  The subsequent series have been hit-and-miss for me.

I was born long after the Original Series went off the air so, like a lot of people, my real introduction to Star Trek came through watching the films.  This weekend, I sat down and watched all fourteen of the Star Trek films in order, from The Motion Picture to Section 31.  Here are my thoughts.

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979, directed by Robert Wise)

In the first Star Trek film, Voyager returns to Earth, now known as V’ger.  James T. Kirk (William Shatner) returns to the Enterprise with his old crew and takes command from Decker (Stephen Collins).  Spock (Leonard Nimoy) returns from Vulcan is not happy about it.

Directed by Robert Wise, the first Star Trek film feels out-of-place amongst the films that followed it.  It’s long and slowly paced and it doesn’t have the sense of humor that runs through the best of the films featuring the original cast.  The film favors Kirk and Spock, with the rest of the original cast being largely used as bit players.  Even the costumes are different from the uniforms worn in the later films, making Star Trek: The Motion Picture feel like an entry from an alternate universe.

Despite mixed review, Star Trek: The Motion Picture made the most money of any of the pre-reboot films at the box office.  Because the film itself was so expensive, it was still judged to be a box office disappointment.  The Star Trek films would continue but in a new direction.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, directed by Nicholas Meyer)

Featuring a character-driven script, exciting action, the best villain in the history of the franchise, and an ending that will bring tears to the eyes of the most cynical viewer, The Wrath of Khan is the film that set the standard for the Star Trek films that would follow.

Ricardo Montalban, recreating a character that he originally played in the television series, is a compelling villain as the vengeance-driven Khan.  Montalban and William Shatner make for perfect rivals, two sides of the same coin.  At the same time, the other members of the original cast all get their moments to shine, especially Walter Koenig as Chekhov.  Kirstie Alley is the sexist Vulcan to ever appear in the franchise and even the revelation that Kirk has a son is handled effectively.  Kirstie Alley, Bibi Besch, and Merritt Butrick all fit in with the original crew.

But the thing everyone remembers about The Wrath of Khan is the death of Spock.  Even though the movie features plenty of hints that Spock will return (including his command of “Remember” to McCoy), it’s impossible not to get emotional when Spock sacrifices himself for the crew.  “I have always been your friend.”  To quote George Costanza, that was hell of a thing when Spock died.  In that scene, Leonard Nimoy shows that he was the (logical) heart of the franchise.  Just as Spock brought out the best in the rest of the crew, Nimoy brought out the best in his co-stars.  Shatner was never better than when he was mourning Spock.

Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984, directed by Leonard Nimoy)

Spock’s back!  It’s not a surprise.  I think everyone knew, at the end of Wrath of Khan, that the Genesis Project would bring back Spock.  Star Trek III isn’t bad.  Christopher Lloyd reminds us of how brutal the Klingons were before their Next Generation makeover.  The self-destruction of the Enterprise is a powerful moment.  I just wish that a film about Spock being given a new life hadn’t featured so much death.  Both the revelation that David Marcus tampered with the Genesis Project and his subsequent death feel like missteps.  Robin Curtis takes over the role of Saavik and Kirstie Alley is very much missed.  DeForest Kelley playing McCoy possessed by Spock was, for me, the highlight of the film.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986, directed by Leonard Nimoy)

Returning home after rescuing Spock from the Genesis Planet, the Enterprise crew is instead sent back into the past so that they can bring two whales into the future.  The Voyage Home might not be the best Star Trek film (that honor belongs to Wrath of Khan) but it is the most likable and the most entertaining.  Every member of the cast gets something to do in 20th Century San Francisco.  The film is full of classic moments, from Chekhov looking for the “nuclear wessels” to Scotty trying to speak to the computer.  The moment with the punk on the bus is a crowd-pleaser.  I always laugh at Spock’s “One damn minute, Admiral.”  After the violence in The Search for Spock, The Voyage Home‘s humor, gentle sincerity, and emphasis on the efforts of the entire ensemble is a welcome development.

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989, directed by William Shatner)

Leonard Nimoy got his chance to shine as the director of the previous two Star Trek films so William Shatner was allowed to direct The Final Frontier.  The Enterprise crew is brainwashed by a religious fanatic (Laurence Luckinbill) who is also, improbably, Spock’s brother.  Only Kirk is able to resist and confront the entity claiming to be God.  “What does God need with a starship!?”  Kirk demands.  It’s such an obvious question that I can’t believe the entity didn’t already have an answer worked out.

The Final Frontier gets no respect and it was probably doomed as soon as Shatner was announced as director.  Shatner also developed the story and it’s probably not surprising that the main theme is that Kirk was the only person on the Enterprise strong enough to not be brainwashed by the film’s fake God.  Laurence Luckinbill gave a good performance as Sybok but this film really does feel like an unfortunate episode of the original television series.

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991, directed by Nicholas Meyer)

Star Trek VI featured the final appearance of the Original Series cast as a group and they get a send-off worthy of their legacy.  Having been previously established as the Federation’s greatest enemies, the Klingons finally pursue peace.  Just as only Nixon could go to China, only Kirk and the original Enterprise crew can go to the Klingons.  This movie is what Star Trek was all about, with enough world-building and continuity for the hardcore fans and a story that was interesting enough to hold the attention of the casual viewers.  By featuring the start of the era of peace between the Federation and the Klingons, this film also filled in some of the Next Generation‘s backstory.  The Final Frontier was meant to be the final Star Trek film featuring any of the original cast and it would have been the perfect entry for Captain Kirk to go out on.  Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.

Star Trek Generations (1994, directed by David Cason)

William Shatner meets Patrick Stewart as one Star Trek crew passes the torch to the new Star Trek crew.  Malcolm McDowell is the latest villain with an ill-defined plan.  Picard and Kirk team up to stop McDowell’s villain.  They succeed but at the cost of Kirk’s life.  As opposed to Spock’s death in Wrath of Khan, Kirk’s death feels pointless and tacked on for no reason other than to signify the arrival of The Next Generation to the films.  Seeing Shatner and Stewart together is interesting.  Stewart may have been the better actor but Shatner still dominates their scenes together.  Not giving Kirk a better send-off was one of the franchise’s biggest sins.

Star Trek: First Contact (1996, directed by Jonathan Frakes)

After the disappointing Generations, Picard and his crew finally got a film worthy of them with First Contact.  Not only do the Borg return but the crew goes back into their past and experience a key date in the history of the Federation.  After being outshone by Shatner in Generations, Patrick Stewart takes control in this film, giving a multi-layered and commanding performance that still gives the rest of the cast room to shine.  Director Jonathan Frakes not only handles the action well but he also shows that he understands what makes the characters click.  This was, without a doubt, the best of the Next Generation films and one the best of the Star Trek films overall.

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998, directed by Jonathan Frakes)

Entertaining but forgettable, Insurrection features Picard pulling a Kirk and defying orders from from a superior officer (played by Anthony Zerbe) and going out of his way to save Data from being decommissioned.  Insurrection feels like an extended episodes of the Next Generation television series and lacks the epic scale of First Contact.  Under the direction of Jonathan Frakes, the ensemble is strong and watching them interact feels like spending time with a group of old friends.  F. Murray Abraham and Anthony Zerbe make for effective villains.

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002, directed by Stuart Baird)

Just as the Original Series crew sought peace with the Klingons in The Undiscovered Country, the final Next Generation film finds Picard, Riker, and the rest seeking peace with the Romulan Empire.  Tom Hardy plays a clone of Picard who is now the leader of the Romulans.  Data sacrifices himself in a move that tries too hard to duplicate the death of Spock.  Picard retires.  Director Stuart Baird emphasizes action over the chemistry of the Next Generation cast and the end result is a disappointing finale that left critics and audiences underwhelmed.

Star Trek (2009, directed by J.J. Abrams)

I think people forget about what a big deal this Star Trek reboot was when it first came out.  Today, people focus on things like Kirk being a Beastie Boys fan and they forget how exciting it was to see Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, John Cho, and Zoe Saldana all effortlessly stepping into the roles of the younger versions of the original cast.  The storyline is predictable and Eric Bana’s a bland villain but the scenes between Leonard Nimoy and Zachary Quinto were a reminder of how important Spock was and is to Star Trek.

Star Trek wasn’t perfect, of course.  In retrospect, I think creating an alternate timeline was a mistake because it created a situation where, even if someone died, it was just an alternate version dying and not the version that audiences knew and cared about.  The alternate timeline would also lead to one of the biggest missteps in the history of the franchise.

Star Trek Into The Darkness (2013, directed by J.J. Abrams)

After the surprising success, both critically and commercially, of his Star Trek reboot, J.J. Abrams. Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, and Damon Lindelof wasted most of that good will by messing around with one of the franchise’s most memorable characters.

There are some good things to be said about Star Trek Into The Darkness.  I like the action sequences and the climatic battle in the film’s futuristic version of San Francisco.  But casting Benedict Cumberbatch, of all people, as Khan is a misstep that can’t be overcome.  That the movie brought back Khan instead of exploring “strange new worlds” exposed the weakness of Abrams entire reboot.  For all the hype, did the Star Trek reboot actually have anything new or original to offer?  The answer here seemed to be no.

Star Trek Beyond (2016, directed by Justin Linn)

The final (for now) Star Trek theatrical film featured a memorable villain in the form of Idris Elba and a plot that felt like it could have just as easily been an episode of the original series.  In retrospect, the film is mostly memorable for featuring the announcement of the death of Ambassador Spock.  (The film was released a year after the death of Leonard Nimoy.)  The death of Spock, this time with no Genesis Project around to bring him back, makes this installment feel like right place to end the films.  For many of us, Nimoy was Star Trek.

Stark Trek: Section 31 (2025, directed by Olatunde Osunsanmi)

Though there have been many subsequent televisions shows, there hasn’t been a Star Trek theatrical release since 2016.  The next installment has been in pre-production limbo for nearly ten years.  (Quentin Tarantino was supposedly attached at one time.)  Instead of coming to theaters, the latest Star Trek movie came to Paramount Plus.

I debated whether or not to include Section 31 in this list, both because it was a “made-for-TV” movie and also because it was so bad that I think most Star Trek fans would rather forget about it.  A mediocre heist film that wastes star Michelle Yeoh and which doesn’t feel like it belongs in the Star Trek universe, Section 31 may still represent the way forward for the franchise.  With theaters having never recovered from the COVID shut-downs and more and more people preferring to stream their entertainment at home, the future of the Star Trek films could very well be a collection of assembly line Paramount Plus movies.

Finally, Case turned me onto this short film:

765874: Unification (2024, directed by Carlos Baena)

A collaboration between Otoy, a VFX company, and The Roddenberry Archive, with support from Paramount, 765874: Unification is a 10-minute short film that imagines Kirk meeting Spock in the afterlife.  Shatner returns as Kirk, de-aged with CGI.  Just as Kirk and Spock were friends in the film, the same was true of Shatner and Nimoy in real life.  (You only have to compare Nimoy’s comments about Shatner with George Takei’s endlessly bitter takes to see what true class actually is.)  This short film gives both characters the finale that they deserved.

It’s possible that we may never see another true Star Trek film.  Most of the original cast is gone now.  Patrick Stewart will always be Picard but even he is now approaching 90.  But whatever the future may hold, I’m happy for the films that Star Trek gave us.

Scenes That I Love: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

To quote George Costanza, “That was a hell of a thing when Spock died.”

That we all know that Spock was restored to life by the Genesis Project does not make this scene from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan any less effective.  Spock, who was ruled by logic and often accused of not having any feelings, made the ultimate sacrifice for his ship and, even more importantly, for his friends.

He’s not really dead, as long as we remember him.

On Stage On The Lens: The Andersonville Trial (dir by George C. Soctt)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

1970’s The Andersonville Trial takes place in one muggy military court room.  The year is 1865.  The Civil War is over but the wounds of the conflict are still fresh.  Many of the leaders of the Confederacy are still fugitives.  Abraham Lincoln has been dead for only a month.  The people want someone to pay and it appears that person might be Captain Henry Wirz (Richard Basehart).

Originally born in Switzerland and forced to flee Europe after being convicted of embezzlement, Henry Wirz eventually ended up in Kentucky.  He served in the Confederate Army and was eventually named the commandant of Camp Sumter, a prison camp located near Andersonville, Georgia.  After the war, Captain Wirz is indicted for war crimes connected to his treatment of the Union prisoners at the camp.  Wirz and his defense counsel, Otis Baker (Jack Cassidy), argue that the prison soon became overcrowded due to the war and that Wirz treated the prisoners as well as he could considering that he had limited resoruces.  Wirz points out that his requests for much-needed supplies were denied by his superiors.   Prosecutor Norton Chipman (William Shatner) argues that Wirz purposefully neglected the prisoners and their needs and that Wirz is personally responsible for every death that occurred under his watch.  The trial is overseen by Maj. General Lew Wallace (Cameron Mitchell), the same Lew Wallace who would later write Ben-Hur and who reportedly offered a pardon to Billy the Kid shortly before the latter’s death.  Wallace attempts to give Wirz a fair trial, even allowing Wirz to spend the trial reclining on a couch due to a case of gangrene.  (Agck!  The 19th century was a scary time!)

The Andersonville Trial started life as a 1959 Broadway production.  On stage, George C. Scott played Chipman, an experience he described as difficult because, even though Chipman was nominally the play’s hero, Wirz was actually a much more sympathetic character.  When the play was adapted for television in 1970, Scott returned to direct.  Admittedly, the television version is very stagey.  Scott doesn’t make much effort to open up the play.  Almost all of the action is confined to that courtroom.  We learn about the conditions at Fort Sumter in the same way that the judges learned about the conditions.  We listen as the witnesses testify.  We listen as a doctor played by Buddy Ebsen talks about the deplorable conditions at Fort Sumter.  We also listen as a soldier played by Martin Sheen reports that Wirz has previously attempted to suicide and we’re left to wonder if it was due to guilt or fear of the public execution that would follow a guilty verdict.  We watch as Chipman and Baker throw themselves into the trial, two attorneys who both believe that they are correct.  And we watch as Wirz finally testifies and the play hits its unexpected emotional high point.

As most filmed plays do, The Andersonville Trial demands a bit of patience on the part of the viewer.  It’s important to actually focus on not only what people are saying but also how they’re saying it.  Fortunately, Scott gets wonderful performances from his ensemble cast.  Even William Shatner’s overdramatic tendencies are put to good use.  Chipman is outraged but the play asks if Chipman is angry with the right person.  With many of the Confederacy’s leaders in Canada and Europe, Wirz finds himself standing in for all of them and facing a nation that wants vengeance for the death of their president.  Wirz claims and his defense attorney argues that Wirz was ultimately just a soldier who followed orders, which is what soldiers are continually told to do.  The Andersonville Trial considers when military discipline must be set aside to do what is morally right.

Admittedly, when it comes to The Andersonville Trial, it helps to not only like courtroom dramas but to also be a bit of a history nerd as well.  Fortunately, both of those are true of me.  I found The Andersonville Trial to be a fascinating story and a worthy production.

4 Shots From 4 Films: Special William Shatner Edition

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

4 Or More Shots From 4 Or More Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

Today is William Shatner’s birthday, which means that it is time for….

4 Shots From 4 William Shatner Films

Judgment at Nuremberg (1961, dir by Stanley Kramer, DP: Ernest Laszlo)

Incubus (1966, dir by Leslie Stevens, DP: Conrad Hall)

Big Bad Mama (1974, dir by Steve Carver, DP: Bruce Logan)

The Devil’s Rain (1975, dir by Robert Fuest, DP: Alex Phillips Jr.)

Scenes That I Love: William Shatner Interprets Rocket Man

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we wish a happy 95th birthday to the one and only William Shatner!

In this scene that I love, William Shatner performs Rocket Man at the 1978 Science Fiction Film Awards (better known as the Saturn Awards).

Documentary Review: William Shatner’s Mysteries of the Gods (dir by Harald Reinl and Charlie Romine)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

First released in 1976, the German documentary Mysteries of the Gods raises the same questions that were asked by Chariots of the Gods and it offers up the same answers.  How did ancient man build the pyramids?  Aliens!  How were the giant statues of Easter Island moved to their final resting place?  Aliens!  Who created Stonehenge?  Aliens!  Who drew the South American ley lines?  Aliens!  Who took Elijah, Gilgamesh, and Enoch up into the sky?  Aliens!  Who is responsible for religion?  Aliens!

Mysteries of the Gods was made by the same people who did Chariots of the Gods but it’s less a continuation and more of a remake.  The only new thing that Mysteries of the Gods brought to the table was the suggestion that the governments of the world knew about the aliens and that they were, in some cases, working with the aliens.  I’ve already made my feelings about those theories clear.  I’m a skeptic and I’m proud of it.  Still, it’s interesting to wonder what type of advice the aliens would have given the world leaders.  I mean, considering everything that has happened over the past 66 years, it doesn’t appear to be very good advice!

Seriously, tell those dumbass aliens to go home and mess around with their own planet.

When Mysteries of the Gods came over to the United States, it was decided that the film needed a bit more of an American feel to it.  The original’s German narrator would have to go.  But who could replace him?  Who had the gravitas necessary to seriously discuss the theory of ancient astronauts?  Who would draw in the science fiction crowd while possibly still appealing to people who didn’t know much about the history of UFO sightings?  Who would have the proper enthusiasm for the project?  Who was reasonably famous but still enough in need of a paycheck that they would agree to be associated with something as shoddy as Mysteries of the Gods?

We all know the answer to that question.

And if the American distributors were going to pay William Shatner to re-record the film’s narration, why not take full advantage of his presence and film some scenes of him interviewing various psychics and scientists?  Why not have him wax rhapsodic about a crystal skull while actually holding the artifact?  Why not have him actually visiting the locations described in the documentary?  Why not put him in a green turtleneck and a black jacket and present him as being the hip face of pseudo-science?  And why not change the title of the film to William Shatner’s Mysteries of the Gods, implying that Shatner himself had something substantial to do with the making of the film?

And let’s give credit where credit is due.  Mysteries of the Gods is a ludicrous documentary that provides even less evidence for its fantastical claim than Chariot of the Gods did.  But the American version of the film is worth watching, just to see William Shatner trying to repress his natural smirk while reciting the film’s overwrought narration.  Shatner appears to be amused by the whole thing and he definitely comes across as being a good sport as he gamely interview a series of crackpots who are all convinced they’ve cracked some sort of alien code.  The film ends on a triumphant note, with psychic Jeanne Dixon telling an excited Shatner that aliens will visit Earth in April of 1977.

Now, you may say that Dixon was incorrect.  There’s no record of aliens coming to Earth in 1977.  Maybe that’s just what they want you to believe!  To quote the Amazing Criswell, can you prove it didn’t happen?

Airplane II: The Sequel (1982, directed by Ken Finkleman)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

It isn’t the past.  It isn’t the present.  It’s the future.

The moon has been colonized and, on Earth, the Mayflower II is preparing for its first international flight.  It will be carrying passengers from Houston to the lunar station.  Test pilot Ted Striker (Robert Hays) claims that the Mayflower II is not ready to make the trip but he’s been in the Ronald Reagan Hospital For The Mentally Ill ever since he had a nervous breakdown after losing his squadron during “the war.”

Aboard the Mayflower II is Ted’s ex-wife, Elaine (Julie Haggerty), and her new boyfriend, Simon (Chad Everett).  Simon says the Mayflower II is in perfect shape but he also turns into jelly whenever things get too rough.  Piloting the Mayflower II is Captain Clarence Oveur (Peter Graves) and waiting on the Moon is Commander Buck Murdock (William Shatner).  The crew of the Mayflower II is going to have a tough flight ahead of them.  Not only is the shipboard computer making plans of its own but one of the passengers (Sonny Bono) has a bomb in his briefcase.  Also, Ted has broken out of the hospital and is on the flight, boring people with his long stories.

Every successful film gets a sequel and when Airplane! was a surprise hit in 1980, it was inevitable that there would be an Airplane II.  Robert Hays, Julie Haggerty, Lloyd Bridges, Peter Graves, and Stephen Stucker all returned.  Unfortunately, Jim Abrahams, the Zucker brothers, Robert Stack, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Leslie Nielsen did not.  (The directors and Nielsen were all working on Police Squad and their absence is strong felt.)  Airplane II recreates many of the same jokes as the first Airplane! but without the first film’s good nature or genuine affection for the disaster genre.  Airplane! was made for the love of comedy.  Airplane II was made for the love of money and, while there are more than a few amusing moments, the difference is obvious and there for all to see.

Not surprisingly, Airplane II is at its funniest whenever William Shatner is on screen.  In the role of Bud Murdock, Shatner pokes fun at his own image and shows himself to be a good sport.  He’s still not as funny as Leslie Nielsen or Robert Stack in the first film but that’s because, unlike Stack and Nielsen in their pre-Airplane! days, there had always been a hint of self-parody to Shatner, even in his most dramatic roles.  If Stack and Nielsen shocked people by showing that they could do deadpan comedy, Shatner’s performance just confirmed what most suspected, that he had always been in on the joke.  Still, he’s the funniest thing in Airplane II and, whenever I rewatch this movie, I am happy he was there.

Airplane II was a box office failure, which is why the world never got an Airplane III.  Fortunately, the world did get Hot Shots and The Naked Gun.

Horror on the Lens: The Horror at 37,000 Feet (dir by David Lowell Rich)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, we have the 1973 made-for-TV movie, The Horror at 37,000 Feet.  This film starts off like a typical disaster film, with a collection of familiar celebrities catching a flight from Heathrow Airport.    What they don’t know is that celebrity is not the only thing flying across the ocean!  There’s a sacrificial altar sitting in the baggage hold and soon, all sorts of strange things are happening!  Truly, it’s a horror at 37,000 feet!

This film is silly and perhaps even a little bit dumb but it’s also definitely a lot of fun.  To be honest, when you’ve got William Shatner playing an ex-priest who is wondering what happened to his faith, how can you go wrong?  Along with Shatner, keep an eye out for Chuck Conners, Buddy Ebsen, Roy Thinnes, Paul Winfield, Tammy Grimes, and France Nuyen.  Basically, every TV actor who needed a job in 1973 boarded The Horror at 37,000 Feet. 

Happy October and enjoy The Horror at 37,000 Feet!

Retro Television Review: Indict & Convict (dir by Boris Sagal)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Sundays, I will be reviewing the made-for-television movies that used to be a primetime mainstay.  Today’s film is 1974’s Indict & Convict!  It  can be viewed on YouTube.

There’s been a murder!

The wife of Assistant District Attorney Sam Belden (William Shatner) has been found, shot to death.  Making things especially awkward is that the body of her lover is found next to her.  Though Belden is the obvious suspect, he has an alibi for the time of the murders.  He claims that he was in Las Vegas, attending a convention.  Two gas station attendants remember seeing him filling up his car with gas at around the same time that his wife and her lover was being shot.

Attorney General Timothy Fitzgerald (Ed Flanders) is not so sure that Belden is innocent.  He instructs two of his top prosecutors to check out Belden’s story and to see if there’s enough evidence to not only indict but also to convict.  Bob Matthews (George Grizzard) is a veteran prosecutor and he’s the one who narrates the story for us.  Assisting him is Mike Belano, who is played by the always likable Reni Santoni.  Just three years before this movie aired, Santoni played Harry Callahan’s partner in Dirty Harry.  There was just something about Santoni’s friendly but determined demeanor that made him perfect the role of the supportive partner or assistant.

The film is very much a legal procedural, with the emphasis on not only the investigation but also on the strategies and the techniques that are used in the courtroom by Matthews and defense attorney DeWitt Foster (Eli Wallach).  In many ways, it feels like a forerunner to Law & Order.  Usually, I love court procedurals but Indict & Convict was a bit too slow and high-minded for its own good.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been spoiled by all of the legal shows that I’ve seen but I have to admit that I spent a good deal of Indict & Convict wanting the prosecutors to get on with it.  Flanders, Grizzard, Santoni, and Wallach were all ideally cast but the film itself sometimes got bogged down with all the debate about the best way to win a conviction.  It’s a shame because the story itself is an intriguing one and I actually enjoyed the movie’s use of spinning newspaper headlines to let us know what had happened in between scenes.  Also, as a classic film fan, I enjoyed seeing Myrna Loy as the judge.  She didn’t get to do much other than say, “Sustained” and “Overruled,” but still …. Myrna Loy!

Most people who watch this film will probably do so out of the hope of seeing some trademark Shatner overacting.  William Shatner doesn’t actually get to say much in this film.  He spends most of the running time sitting silently at the defense table.  Towards the end, he does finally get a chance to deliver a brief speech and it’s everything you could hope for.  Shatner takes dramatic pauses.  Shatner emphasizes random words.  Every line is delivered with the subtext of, “Pay attention, Emmy voters!”  Eventually, Shatner would learn the value of laughing at oneself but apparently, that lesson had not yet been learned when he did Indict & Convict.

Retro Television Review: Broken Angel (dir by Richard T. Heffron)

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Sundays, I will be reviewing the made-for-television movies that used to be a primetime mainstay.  Today’s film is 1988’s Broken Angel!  It  can be viewed on YouTube.

Chuck Coburn (William Shatner) has a nice house in the suburbs, a nice job, a nice car, and a nice Bruins jacket.  He’s hoping that he can once against have a nice marriage with his wife (Susan Blakely), despite the fact that she cheated on him and she still thinks that he spends too much time at work.

Chuck is proud of his teenage daughter, Jaime (Erika Eleniak).  Jaime seems like the perfect suburban and angelic teenager.  But then Jaime goes to prom and her best friend, Jenny (Amy Lynne), is gunned down in front of her.  Jaime runs from the scene and vanishes.  As Chuck searches for his daughter, he is stunned discover that Jaime, Jenny, and their boyfriends were all a part of a gang!  His perfect daughter was smoking weed, doing cocaine, selling crack, and taking part in rumbles with a rival Asian gang.  Even worse, Jaime’s gang was called …. LFN!

LFN?  That stands for Live For Now.  The Live For Now Gang.  Whenever we see the members of the gang preparing to get into a fight with another gang, they all chant, “LFN!  LFN!”  LFN is a gang of white suburban teenagers and they look just as dorky as they sound.  I mean, I think it would be bad enough to discover that your child is in a gang but discovering they were in a dorky gang would probably make it even worse.

The majority of Broken Angel is made up of scenes of Chuck searching the mean streets of Los Angeles.  He partners with a social worker (Roxann Dawson) who is herself a former gang member.  Chuck discovers that his daughter’s street name was — *snicker* — Shadow.  He also befriend a member of the LFN’s rival Asian gang and tries to encourage her to go straight.  This leads to scene in which he is attacked by Al Leong.  Somehow, middle-aged William Shatner manages to beat up Al Leong.  That, in itself, is worth the cost of admission.

Broken Angel deals with a serious issue but it does so in such an overwrought and melodramatic fashion that most viewers will be moved not to tears but to laughter.  In Broken Angel, William Shatner gave the type of overly dramatic and self-serious performance that he routinely pokes fun at today.  If you’re one of those people who enjoys listening as Shatner emphasize random syllables and takes meaningly pauses, this movie will give you a lot to enjoy.  In every scene, Shatner seems to be saying, “Notice me, Emmy voters!  Notice me!”  Of course, it wouldn’t be until Shatner learned how to laugh at himself that the Emmy voters would finally notice him.

The film ends on an abrupt note but with the promise of better days ahead.  Just remember — keep an eye out for the LFN!