Robocop

Review by Pete Roche

I was barely old enough to catch Paul Verhoeven’s ROBOCOP in theatres back in 1987.  Shocking for its violence, the offbeat sci-fi flick was a surprise blockbuster and warranted frequent rental on VHS in my neck of the woods.

It took a while to appreciate the Dutch director’s dark satire.  Yes, the movie was true to Edward Neumeier’s story of a human policeman turned into a technological crime-fighting machine—but Verhoeven was also concerned with what it meant to be human in a dystopia where corrupt corporations make backroom deals with crooked politicians and constituent / consumers numb themselves with narcotics and schlock television.

Star Trek: Into Darkness

Review by Pete Roche

Captain’s Log, Stardate 2259:

Damn it, Jim, it’s a dicey thing discussing STAR TREK: INTO DARKNESS without revealing major spoilers, referencing past films, or alluding to episodes of the original 1966-69 CBS television series (TOS in Trekkie vernacular), like “Space Seed” and “The Trouble With Tribbles.”    

Hell, it’s still hard for some of us old dudes to concede that Gen-Y doppelgangers of the Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock played so memorably (and for so long) by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy even exist.