Family Bonding and Friendship Come to the Forefront in The Wild

Several years ago, Dreamworks released Madagascar, and shortly thereafter, Disney released The Wild. Both were computer-animated films about a ragtag group of animals who escape a New York City zoo and are forced to fend for themselves in the wild. Both groups included a lion and a giraffe. On the whole, the premises looked so similar that they sort of canceled each other out in my mind and I didn’t watch either of them, but I finally got around to seeing The Wild recently. While I occasionally found it a bit manic for my tastes, for the most part, I thought it was a fun movie.

The Wild, directed by Steve Williams, is a quest story in which daddy issues play a major role. In that regard, it is rather like Finding Nemo, but in this case, the father, a lion named Samson (Kiefer Sutherland), has several plucky sidekicks aiding him in his search every step of the way. Samson delights in regaling the other zoo animals with tales of his early years in the wild, back when the ferocity of his roar sent the most monstrous wildebeests running for cover.

His son Ryan (Greg Cipes), who can’t produce anything more than a kittenish snarl, does not appreciate the tales so much, and after a particularly humiliating incident, he decides to run away and find his roar. By the time he has a chance to rethink his plan, he’s already on a truck headed out to the harbor. Neither he nor Samson, who dashes off to the rescue, can imagine the perilous journey that lies ahead.

The movie’s early scenes showing the rapid transformation the zoo undergoes at night and the amusing ways in which Samson and his companions interact with the big city in which they find themselves are entertaining. While one scene involving a peculiar sport the zoo residents play dragged a bit for me, I loved the homage to Star Wars that accompanies the friends’ arrival in the city at large, and I also found the incorporation of animals reflective of the escapees amusing. For instance, the runaways catch a glimpse of Geoffrey, the Toys ‘R’ Us giraffe, on a sign as they run through the city streets.

Joining Samson on his mission are four close friends. The closest is the squirrel Benny (Jim Belushi), who is annoying but fiercely loyal. He also harbors a not-so-secret crush on Bridget (Janeane Garofalo), a dignified giraffe. I found this plot point pretty odd until I recalled the romance between Donkey and Dragon in Shrek and figured that if I could accept that, this wasn’t too much of a stretch. Ultimately I enjoyed the way their interaction with each other changed over the course of the movie. Many of the stand-alone comedic moments belong to Nigel (Eddie Izzard), a koala from a London zoo who is plagued by the popularity of a plush toy in his image. Of the four, the snake Larry (Richard Kind) made the least impact on me, but he still gets a few good gags in.

The movie includes several prominent nods to The Lion King, from a glimpse of the marquee for the Broadway show in the city to the general prevalence of wildebeests in the plot. The opening in particular offers many visual parallels with that Disney classic, as does the climax, revolving around a deranged wildebeest played by William Shatner – the only voice actor, incidentally, who I recognized at once. Meanwhile, another element of the climax reminded me of one of my favorite scenes in Return of the Jedi, though I don’t think that was a direct homage.

The visuals in the movie are excellent, from the natural landscapes to the bright lights of a New York City night, and most of the animals have a very realistic look to them. The lions and wildebeests often seem as if they were lifted out of The Lion King and given computer-animated embellishment. Some of the smaller characters, particularly the snake and the pigeons, look a bit cartoonish and silly, but in most cases, the animation is impressive. I wasn’t particularly fond of the soundtrack, mostly, I guess, because I tend to find it distracting when songs designed for radio are deposited in animated movies. I suppose I shouldn’t feel that way, since I often enjoy their use in live-action films, but I generally didn’t feel like the songs added much. The exception is the wildebeest song that is essential to the plot, though frankly, I just found that one pretty weird.

Overall, I liked the themes of father-son understanding and self-discovery, along with the importance of having friends who will stick with you no matter what happens. Some of the humor gelled with me and some of it didn’t; at times, I think there was a little too much going on and the jokes got lost in the shuffle. Mostly, though, this is a well-crafted movie whose characters complement one another well and conquer their fears through the power of love. Factor in the top-notch animation, and it’s easy to be wild about this family-friendly film.

Osmosis Jones Can't Decide What Its Audience Is

Over the past few decades, Bill Murray has played a lot of schlubby fellas, but never have I seen him less attractive than in Osmosis Jones, the 2001 Farrelly Brothers movie about the quest of a white blood cell and a cold pill to defeat the virus ravaging Frank, the grungy guy in whom they reside.

Murray portrays Frank, a zookeeper and widower with astonishingly poor eating habits and hygiene. His young daughter Shane (Elena Franklin) is alarmed about both, but her concerns fall upon deaf ears, and after an especially disgusting scene involving an ill-advised implementation of the 10-second rule, he pays the price for his lack of standards as to what he puts into his mouth. A malevolent virus makes its way into his system, and the micro-organisms inside of him must work overtime to counteract the damage.

This is an odd movie because it seems geared toward two different audiences. The live-action portion is stilted and absurdly over-the-top, with all the finesse of a film created for the express purpose of encouraging elementary school students to eat their veggies and wash their hands before dinner. Pouty Shane tries not to condescend too much, but she still comes across as an insufferable know-it-all; she may be just a tween, but she seems to spend her life lecturing her father. Then again, his immaturity level is off the charts. His gross-out antics may amuse a certain subset of youngsters, but most adults are likely to find these scenes tedious and B-movie-ish.

While the live-action portion is clearly aimed at a young audience, the animated part is slick-looking, filled with familiar voice talent and hip commentary on contemporary culture. Health lessons abound here as well, but they are much more technical, and the writing in general is far more sophisticated. There’s also some innuendo, and several moments involving uber-villain The Red Death (Laurence Fishburne) are quite terrifying, so not only will a lot of the animated stuff go over the heads of kids, some of it is pretty inappropriate.

The most enjoyable elements of the film are the maneuvers of the campy mayor of Frank’s body, voiced by William Shatner, and the friendship that develops between loose cannon cop Osmosis (Chris Rock) and distinguished but heroic cold pill Drix (David Hyde Pierce). These two characters initially clash, but they bond as they become two of the only organisms in the body who understand what they are truly up against with this virus. Frasier turned me into an ardent fan of Pierce, and as always, his voice work is fantastic here. Rock is almost a little too spastic for my tastes, but he’s likable nonetheless.

Osmosis Jones is a mixed bag of a movie that is worth a watch, but most people will probably find at least one part of the movie frustrating. Parents of kids under twelve should be aware of the adult themes in the animated portion, while adults in general should know that the live segments are very juvenile indeed. Still, the movie’s message about the importance of a healthy diet and proper cleanliness, heavy-handed as it may be, is a worthwhile one, and Drix and Osmosis make an entertaining and visually appealing team.

James T. Kirk Is Ready to Command in This 1995 Hallmark Ornament

When it comes to picking a favorite character from Star Trek, I am definitely a Spock gal. This surprises me sometimes, since I am also a very emotional creature. But something about Spock’s serene, logical presence is extremely soothing, and while I often find myself frustrated with Captain Kirk when I watch the series, I seldom get aggravated with Spock. Nonetheless, a First Officer needs a good Captain, so every year, when I pull out the shuttlecraft ornament containing the voice chip of Spock addressing the Enterprise, I make sure his addressee is somewhere on the tree.

The 1995 Captain James T. Kirk ornament stands about four inches tall and two and three quarters inches wide. Kirk sits in his iconic chair, the cushion of which is black against a light gray setting. His left hand rests near a colorful controller, while his right hand is in a pensive, chin-scratching position. Captain Kirk wears black pants and shiny black boots. His uniform shirt is gold, with shiny accents on the rings around the arms and the insignia. He also has a black collar. The color on the figure is striking, and he looks quite realistic, though the lines between his shoulders and torso are so well-defined that it looks like his arms ought to move, and they don’t. His hands and smirky face are flesh-toned, and he has a thick head of brown hair. Attached to the top of the chair is a golden wire that ends in an ornament loop above Kirk's head through which to place the hook.

Captain Kirk sits nicely on a flat surface thanks to the one-inch circular base supporting the chair. If I weren’t so determined to have as much Star Trek as possible on our tree, I’d consider just sticking him on the piano instead, because the ornament is a little on the clunky side, and it can be tricky to find a branch that is large enough to support such a heavy ornament. Kirk has fallen off the tree on more than one occasion, though on the plus side, this hasn’t damaged him at all. The ornament may be slightly awkward, but it’s resilient. And unlike the shuttlecraft ornament, none of the paint has peeled at all.

Last year Hallmark came out with an ornament featuring Captain Kirk drowning in Tribbles. One of these days, I’d love to snag that one, which not only salutes one of my favorite episodes but also features nifty sound and motion. Mine is much more general and could apply to pretty much any episode. Sadly, there is no sound, motion or light embedded in this ornament, and there’s nothing Christmassy about it either, though making Star Trek Christmassy is a rather tricky thing to pull off without coming across as totally corny. So I don’t require a holiday message, but I do wish that Kirk said something. I also found it a little odd that on the back, the chosen “famous words” are “All I ask is a tall ship, and a star to steer her by,” which is from the John Masefield poem Sea Fever. Yes, Kirk quoted that, but it seems like it would have made more sense to include something he said more frequently, and that was more unique to him.

Despite a few quibbles, I love my Captain Kirk ornament, and I think most Trekkies would be glad to have it as well.

From Furballs to Barroom Brawls, The Trouble With Tribbles Has it All!

I have a large collection of stuffed animals that always is threatening to take over the house. Some of my cuddly friends have now moved into the attic, while countless others have dejectedly made their way to garage sales and church nurseries. I still have dozens out in public view, however. One of the smallest, plainest yet downright strangest in my collection is a little ball of fur with no distinct features whatsoever. That is, until you squeeze it, and it makes an odd trilling noise that sounds something like a cross between the squeaking of a guinea pig and the purring of a cat. It is a tribble, given to me by my parents on my 18th birthday. It's not alive, and if it were, I wouldn't have any idea how to feed it, since it doesn't seem to have a mouth. So I don't have to worry about my house being over-run with furballs. A tribble is a nice sort of thing to have... when you can have just one.

For the less geeky among us, tribbles are the titular creatures in The Trouble With Tribbles, a second-season episode in the original Star Trek series. We're introduced to them when Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), out for a little shore leave shopping with Chekov (Walter Koenig) on a space station Captain Kirk (William Shatner) has been coerced into guarding, sees comically shifty inter-galactic trader Cyrano Jones (Stanley Adams) trying to sell one to a merchant. She's so charmed by its tranquilizing trilling that Cyrano offers her one, thinking her enthusiasm will lead to dozens of future sales. Except when she gets to the ship, it turns out that her precious little pet was in a family way, and before Dr. McCoy (DeForrest Kelley) has a chance to discover that tribbles are hard-wired for reproduction - "born pregnant," as he so delicately puts it - the ship is inundated with the furry creatures until there are enough that every crew member could have a dozen pet tribbles for free if they wanted. Except by this point, of course, they just want to get rid of the things, especially Spock (Leonard Nimoy), who observes with disdain that they don’t seem to serve any practical purpose.

This all comes about because the space station to which Kirk was summoned with a pseudo-emergency is holding a large quantity of quadro-triticale, and overzealous bureaucratic agriculture undersecretary Nilz Baris has the authority to hold the Enterprise in this sector until the highly prized grain is safely on nearby Sherman’s Planet. To add to Kirk’s frustration, Klingon commander Koloth (William Campbell) shows up with a ship full of Klingons in need of a vacation, meaning the Starfleet folks will be forced to interact with these historically antagonistic aliens while attempting to enjoy shore leave. Chekov certainly has no love for these fierce warriors, and if anyone’s going to start a scuffle, he seems the most likely candidate. Good thing Scotty (James Doohan) is accompanying him; the chief engineer is bound to keep him in line, right?

The Trouble With Tribbles is one of my favorite Star Trek episodes because it’s just so light-hearted. There’s the verbal sparring between Kirk and the endlessly irritating Baris, witnessed with understated amusement by a dead-pan Spock. There’s the physical sparring between the Klingons and the Starfleet contingent - initiated when Scotty, restraining Chekov against throwing a punch to defend the honor of Starfleet and Captain Kirk, is enraged into action when the Klingons call the Enterprise a “garbage scow”. And then there are the tribbles, who are such inherently silly creatures. All they do is eat, reproduce and lull anyone nearby into a idyllic state - except the Klingons, around whom they make loud, unpleasant screeching noises.

With some of the best one-liners in the Trek canon and shining moments involving most of the main characters - except Sulu - The Trouble With Tribbles is a highly satisfying episode. Trek fans’ laughs will multiply almost as quickly as those prolific little tribbles.

With Episodes Like This, Star Trek Should Have Lasted Forever

Our local Fox station has recently begun playing re-runs of Star Trek. Years ago, we got them once a day, at which time we managed to tape half of the series' episodes, though I often botched the job, and we ended up pitching the tapes, which were already suffering tracking problems after only a couple of viewings. Bummer. But now I can watch them again, and it was my good luck that one of the first ones I caught was the iconic The City on the Edge of Forever.

It's a bad day on the U. S. S. Enterprise. The ship, sent to explore some wacky time-space anomalies emanating from nearby, finds itself right in the middle of these tears in time, which shakes the ship, which causes Dr. McCoy (DeForrest Kelley) to accidentally inject himself with a large amount of a dangerous drug, which makes him go stark raving mad. Convinced everyone around him is out to get him, he beams down to the surface of the troublesome planet and finds the Guardian of Forever, an intelligence that keeps track of history and allows visitors to leap into the past, which McCoy does, with disastrous consequences.

Captain Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and the rest of the landing party, unable to halt his flight, are in for a shock when the Guardian informs them that he has changed something that has negated the existence of the Enterprise and the Earth as they know it. Their only hope lies in time travel, which means approximating the time of McCoy's jump, pin-pointing his calamitous interference and putting a stop to it.

So it is that Kirk and Spock find themselves in New York City during the Great Depression, hopelessly out of place, scarcely able to explain away Spock's ears ("They got caught in a mechanical rice picker"), little knowing how to go about their essential task in such a strange land with nothing in the way of tools but what Spock disdainfully calls "stone knives and bear skins." Yes, they're in a tricky spot, and the inevitable culture clash is rich with comedic possibilities, while a romantic angle develops when Kirk turns on the charm with visionary humanitarian Edith Keeler (Joan Collins in an atypically virtuous role).

But the trouble really begins when Spock discovers what it is that McCoy has changed, creating a painful moral and ethical crisis. We get more emotion from Shatner than usual in this episode, while Nimoy has some hilarious scenes. Though Kirk is the one experiencing the anguish in this episode, Spock has to deliver the bad news to his captain, which he does with characteristic detachment, though in the aftermath, he exhibits something that looks an awful lot like sympathy.

The City on the Edge of Forever is a sometimes funny, sometimes tragic, always thought-provoking tale from Star Trek's first year. Watching episodes like this, it's hard to believe the original series only lasted three seasons.

The FBI Meets Miss America

I finally saw Miss Congeniality a couple weeks ago with my mom and a good friend of mine. She had wanted to see it ever since we saw the previews for it on Unbreakable, and we finally got our chance. I wasn't sure going into it what to expect, but when the movie ended I could say with conviction that the movie had been well worth watching.

Miss Congeniality begins much like Sister Act, with a moment from our heroine's past. She is sitting on the playground, reading a mystery, when she spies a boy of whom she is fond being beaten up by a bully. She springs to the rescue and the bully flees, but instead of being grateful, the boy she saved is angry because now everyone will think he had to be rescued by a girl. Furious, she then proceeds to punch him in the nose.

Fast forward to a small restaurant, where Sandra Bullock plays the still-tomboy Gracie Hart, now all grown up and working for the FBI. When her compassionate side kicks in while trying to apprehend a Russian criminal, one of her comrades is injured and she faces disciplinary action for her insubordination. This comes at a most inconvenient time, for the Bureau has just gotten its hands on the latest in a string of letters written by the serial killer "the Citizen". Ordered not to participate in the investigation, she gets a reprieve in a most unwanted form when Eric Matthews (Benjamin Bratt), the agent in charge of the case, assigns her to go undercover in the Miss United States Pageant, where the Citizen is expected to strike.

Unfortunately for the uncouth Hart, that means undergoing an incredible transformation to become a lady worthy of the pageant's honored tradition. Candace Bergen plays the pageant administrator, Kathy Morningside, a woman you love to hate. She is horrified at the thought of having Gracie (re-dubbed Gracie Lou Freebush) contaminating her beautiful event, and she only agrees to consider the idea if Gracie agrees to undergo instruction by Victor Melling (Michael Caine), a fallen giant who trained several past pageant winners.

Stan Fields (William Shatner), meanwhile, is the lovable but clueless host of the pageant who will be hosting for the final time this year. He is much more receptive to Gracie, who will be taking over Miss New Jersey's slot. (She explains that they discovered the winner was in a porno flick called "Armaget-it-on," to which a shocked Fields replies, "That was her??!")

Michael Caine is charming as always in his role as the unwilling Mr. Higgins trying to find a proper lady in the Eliza Doolittle he has been given. The snooty but ultimately kindly man accomplishes the miraculous by readying Gracie for the walkway in just three days.

At the pageant, Gracie is immediately befriended by Cheryl (Heather Burns), the slightly ditzy but extremely friendly Miss Rhode Island. She is kind, caring, and genuine, and she also has a very low opinion of herself. The two of them quickly bond, and slowly Gracie grows to have more and more respect for the women who participate in pageants such as this one.

She still feels terribly out of place, though, and her talent displays are unconventional to say the least. She frequently has outbursts which she only narrowly manages to cover up, but she does so with wit and hilarity. But the main concern still hangs over her head. When the Citizen is apprehended, her boss thinks the pageant is safe. Gracie, however, believes that the bomb threat for the pageant is from a Citizen imitator and is still in effect. She gives up her badge to go on her instincts, and the final segment of the film is both exciting and riotous, culminating in Gracie's teary-eyed acceptance of the Miss Congeniality award.

This movie is absolutely hilarious from start to finish, and it's got a little bit of action, romance, and warm fuzziness to round out the experience. Each actor does a fantastic job; my favorites were Caine, Shatner, and Burns. Burns is just so genuinely sugary sweet, it's impossible not to love her. Caine is a kindly curmudgeon, a softie who shines through his mask of sternness. And Shatner is just plain goofy. As a huge Star Trek fan, I love a good Shatner parody, and here he parodies himself. (He even "sings" at one point, and anyone familiar with his Priceline commercials will recognize the tuneless droning.)

Rent the movie. You'll laugh yourself silly. I know I did.

The Good of the Many...

After the floundering "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" (couldn't they have come up with a better title than THAT?), "The Wrath of Khan" is a glorious triumph. Following up on an episode in the show's first season, the movie centers around Khan, a criminal exiled to Seti Alpha 5 by Captain Kirk. With his band of shipmates from Botany Bay, an Australian penal colony, Khan had been wandering through space cryogenically frozen for two centuries before he encountered the Enterprise. Unfortunately, after leaving Khan and crew on the ideal planet, no one ever checks back to see what has happened to them. An astronomical disaster on Seti Alpha 6 lays waste to Seti Alpha 5 shortly afterward, turning it into a desert.

Mr. Chekov and another officer are sent to the planet to scan it for life. If it is uninhabited, it will be the test site of the Genesis Project, which will attempt to create life from scratch. While surveying the planet, they discover a hideout and Chekov sees the words "Botany Bay" printed inside. He realizes too late the dangerous situation they have stepped into.

Khan inserts a parasite into one of each of the officer's ears, thereby rendering them under his control. Using them as the bait, he plans to trap Captain Kirk and get revenge for his abandonment which led to the death of his wife. Kirk's own conflicts with his aging self, his newfound son, and his dull position as admiral take the backseat as he fights for his life, and that of his entire crew.

The most moving of the Star Trek movies, "The Wrath of Khan" tackles such issues as creation, aging, and friendship. There are many great lines, especially among Bones, Kirk and Spock. The death of Scotty's nephew towards the beginning is the first tear-jerker in this movie. The lush beauty of Genesis coupled with the orchestral soundtrack are stunning, but it is the ultimate sacrifice at the end that makes the film so memorable.

A must-see for any Star Trek fan, it is guaranteed to leave you weeping. With its underlying themes of friendship and new life, it can be enjoyed by anyone, Trekkee or not. And it also made "The good of the many outweighs the good of the few or the one" a welcome well-known phrase...and philosophy.

Down to Earth Humor

"Star Trek IV" is the contender for best Star Trek movie. It is as hilarious as "The Wrath of Khan" is touching. And it provides us sophisticated 20th-century folks with a look at our society of fifteen years ago. Have we changed that much? Hmm...

And beyond being hilarious, it also has a wonderful message. The Earth is being destroyed by a probe which is searching for hump-backed whales. The whales became extinct in the 21st century, and Earth's only hope is to go to the 20th century and bring a couple of hump-backed whales to the future. It shows just how important the protection of endangered species is.

Each of the crew members has a special task when they reach Earth. Chekov and Uhura have to try to find the Alameda naval base. Sulu gets a crash course in flying a helicopter. Scotty and Bones have to find plexiglass for their makeshift aquarium. And Spock and Kirk take on the mean streets of San Francisco to convince a marine biologist to let them beam the whales in her care on board.

From the moment Kirk and company land their cloaked Klingon bird of prey in the park, this movie is nonstop laughs. Experience all the "colorful metaphors," "dark age" medical technology, and other 1980s phenomena as seen from the viewpoint of our favorite folks from the future as they race to save Earth. And watch as Spock becomes a bit more human in the process.