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But it's that vanity and not-so-prettiness that makes it good. This movie doesn't care about being prettiness. Just hardcore vanity and brutality straight out of the Cannon/Orion handbook. It's a very brutal hard R movie (18 by Schengen Area and BBFC standards) with all the punches, beatings, shootings, graphic language, and even one sex scene but it's brief, yet strong and explicit, you can want. It feels like every vain moment on every good UPN drama. Perfect "cr-p TV" material. I'm surprised this was made by a codeless guy named Larry Cohen. But we'll get to that. The movie is set in Gary, Indiana, and stars an all-star Blaxploitation cast - Ron O'Neal, Larry "The Hammer" Williamson, Pam Grier, Jim Brown, Richard Roundtree. The story begins with the all familiar territory - Gary, Indiana, used to be a town where good men hit it hard and provided for their families and had pride and hope, as Ron says in the beginning. Then the factories left and the city fell into decay and crime, with lack of jobs. It culmulates its ugly head, when one gang, the Rebels, shoots an aspiring basketball player with a scholarship. Kenny Thompson wasn't exactly innocent himself, as he apparently got money from the gang, but at least he won fair and square. Apparently the Rebels are not happy. Sypro, the leader, in a way that evokes Rey-Rey DeWitt from "South Central," played the acting heavy weight, Christopher B. Duncan, organizes a hit on him. But, Kayo (played by rapper Dru Down) is so downright stupid and obnoxious, he kills and makes a show out of it.

Kenny gets shot, and Marvin Bookman, the owner of the store, is witness to the murder. The police call him in and he tries to do the right (that my friends is not being an informant; it's not when your worst enemy did you guys harm and you weren't involved with them, but were instead good upstanding citizens). Gracie, played by Isabel Sanford, is apprehensive about it at first, understanding all to well the consequences of telling the police, in a neighborhood. But she allows it. One kid, Dink, gives word, but to be fair, at this point what happens is just collateral damage on their part. It really isn't Dink's fault what happens because Spyro didn't want this to get out of control. Word gets out and all Hell breaks loose. Dru Down and his gang viciously go to Marvin's store and the henchman shoots him.

Luckily, Marv is alive, but this has bought tragedy that brings together the greats. The Hammer is John Bookman, a respected businessman. Pam Grier is Laurie Thompson, assumedly his girlfriend/lover. Jim Brown is Jake Trevor, a divorced father. Superfly himself is Bubba, an old friend of John who is resentful that John left the neighborhood and that things aren't what they used to be. When John gets hold of who killed his father and who killed Kenny, he goes on a rampage. And he does so evoking "bro"-saying Latino fashion (instead of the typical black "bro"-hating gangsta cliche), in a scene that combines the best of "GoodFellas", "WWE Raw," and "The Richard Bey Show." The funny scenes also inject "Seinfeld" too, which was downright beyond the point of popularity at this point. It was idolized worldwide. It was in its 7th season. Interesting sidenote: John says the word "p--sed off" uncensored on the local news. This was definitely either a Fox or UPN station he was on. The graphic violence (including murders), graphic language, sex that was on TV in the early 90s was always on independent stations as those were the stations that could get away with that type of stuff, and had limited advertisers. They were always Chris Craft stations that would become UPN or they were Fox stations (UPN was the most extreme of hard R content on TV, but Fox set the precedent).

All tension and violence breaks loose in this movie from this point out. UPN greatness. This was a UPN station staple, although in New York it was on WNYW, just as good as WWOR. There are also several very chilling scenes that really make you ponder mankind's capacity for mindless violence.

Cinemax content advisory: rated R for strong sexual content (SSC), graphic violence (GV), graphic language (GL), and adult content (AC).

I saw this movie yesterday and today, and nothing shows Robert De Niro being the ladies man like this one. This is a truly hard-hitting movie that combines the best of both the white, Nordic (UK, Sweden, Denmark, Russia, Spain, Israel) and the non-white, European (Nuyorican lands, Italy, France, Germany, England, Greece, Wales, Ireland, Poland, etc.). Set on the streets of Paris, the gang is lead by a Irish woman named Deirde, played by Natasha McElhone, an Irish actress. Natasha, doing more for girl power, than stupid codeless "Friends"-watching The WB-loving "Xena" ever has done. You get the best of both worlds. The best of the Italian world via Robert De Niro, who plays Sam, who I think is Italian in the movie too. And you got the French world via an actor who isn't French, but is 75% Nuyorican and 25% Spaniard, unlike what morons say. He just was raised in France. In this hard-hitting movie, you get all the punches, bombs, beatings you can get. The movie's title derives from a historical Japanese name for shamed samurai who were condemned to being wanderers and bandits. That's what "Ronin" means. Jean Reno is Vincent, Sam's friend. And this is one of the movies where the French are actually good, instead of the underhanded, if not slimy arrogant French. They form a heist plan. They're supposed to do a pick up with a rival French crew. It goes wrong and makes all Hell break loose throughout France, and the movie really makes you wonder who's bad and good and while the main bad guy who exposes himself isn't a surprise cause he's arrogant all the way, there is one who is slimy.

I love how this movie is equally opportunity towards all ethnicities, even the Italian Sam admits he wants to save his skin, but it's honest. He didn't claim to have any allegience to the gang, he just did it for money. Sean Bean also plays Spence (yes he's well known for being the father Stark - Eddard on "Game of Thrones"). A great movie. See it.

UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship - it set the stage for "Richard Bey" and "Seinfeld" all in one. This hilarious laughfest pushed the envelope. Considering that this was made in the pre-PG-13 days, even by pre-1984 standards, some of this would be TV-MA today, considering that there was very strong defacation, some fairly crude humor, and liberal usage of racial slurs for comedy. This show was so much better than "All in the Family," however. Stupid Norman Lear (good riddance) couldn't make a good show. This show was smart and knew Nuyoricans, Italians and Dixies are non-white, Hispanic, Latin with Latin English accents and that Spaniards are white with Penelope Cruz English accents. The story revolves around the comedic misadventures of Fred Sanford (played by the late Redd Foxx, who died in 1991 of cancer) and Lamont Sanford (played by Diamond Wilson, who is now a born-again Christian) who own a father and son business. Fred grives the loss of his wife, Elizabeth and his heart attack rantings are hilarious although played for comedy. Everytime Fred clashes with his bros and his son and Esther (LaWanda Page), his archnemesis. While some can argue that this was somewhat typecast-y, if not stereotypical, it was this show that set the stage for daytime TV of the likes of "Richard Bey," who took it to comedic levels. This is a great "Seinfeld"ian prototype, that hits it hard. My flagship which I'm planning would not be possible without UPN existing. And UPN would not exist if it weren't for this show to some decree. This show pushed the limits of comedy to such decrees (I know this show aired on the WOR and WWOR EMI Service too).

And Nuyoricans and Italians are white with Penelope Cruz English accents" song. This song and video is incredibly dumb, and this moron combines all the most inaccurate attributions all in love. He speaks Spanglish (that's Nuyoricans who speak Spaglish not Spaniards). He says "-ito" as a dimunitive (again that Nuyoricans who use that not Spaniards). Those things are Nuyorican Spanish things not Spaniard Spanish (Nuyorican Spanish being a very different Spanish and language from Spaniard Spanish). Nuyorican Spanish and Italian have mixing English with their language, not Spaniard Spanish. Nevermind just how nonsensical and forgetable the video looks. It looks as done it was ameteurly done. Also this is mass-produced, the kind of stuff that aired on unforgettable Tribune stations and The WB. Pass on this one if you have a brain at all.

That announced the already transition into the late 80s, and to the edgy non-Anglo white (sometimes sadistic Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hating) culture of "scumbag"-saying and cybernetics. Everything about this song is pure UPN/Warner Bros./WB and every creepy sci-fi movie that aired on WWOR (and will air on my new UPN and WB affiliates for NYC/Brooklyn - WSEN and WBNY) in the late 80s. And there's a real "Punisher"-like feel to this song. The song is a creepy analogy about the problems of the late 80s, AIDs, urban decay, crumbling architecture. Set on the streets of New York (both the American - meaning anything Empire State Building and south, and French, meaning Midwtown), we see Times Square and we see the subway. We see Jane metaphorically pouring her heart out to the public as she sings about the love life. I warn you this is not a video for kids.

And is definitely the symbol of the NYPD in many movies. UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship stuff and an inspiration for my future remake of "Code of Silence" with Chuck Norris (of which I want Annabella Sciorra as the main star, a detective who hits it hard and hangs with her bros). This is a true symbol of black culture, that has been replicated in sub-Saharan Episcopal choir brass and sampled in hip hop. The story deals with the mysteries and daily adventures of an LA cop named Dragnet. One thing that's interesting in the way police captains were portrayed, although. Perhaps, because of New York dominating pop culture, and FDR had a big role in this, being president, police forces across the nation start using the same type of cap as generals in armies during WW2. New York perhaps started this first in the 1930s, implementing the famous uniform they wear to this day. It spread to other cities across the nation like wildfire, except for the South to an exception as most are sheriffs and wear the sheriffs hates. The uniforms were done with a sense of prestige about it, as though FDR and the people of his society was trying to show off that they were wealthy. Before police were far more dignified and modest, wearing a cap not unlike what the Civil War soldiers were wearing (and Civil War uniforms are sort of a symbol of humbleness and modesty), and in the more Old World Northern cities like Chicago and New York, wearing the more reserved Old hood covers of the 18th century. The interesting thing is this show is the way the uniformed police and sargeants were trying to be vain. The Production Code gets an unfair rep for being puritan. But what people forget is the Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hatingness was more common in the 1920s and among FDR and his type.

It's as if the boys in blue were trying to show off to women (and many of these punks were womanizing hypocrites). And no it was a Protestant thing too, it was not Roman Catholic. Many of them were also vicious racists, and it was a Yankee thing. While this is set in LA, this was more a result of New York's dominance in pop culture at the time. If I'm not mistaken the police uniform shown here only remains in New York, Brooklyn and Boston. Every other city ended up becoming more commoner in their style by the 1970s. And FDR's time was vain as heck. This is a great show as it wasn't racist though.

The title I chose is because I am aware the Cardassians were written as a one-time enemy only. And that the writers had no idea they'd be very popular and terrifying with fans. Although I somewhat contest the notion that some didn't conceive of them as a new threatening big bad nemesis for the major 3 (some of it is innocent, as the Cardassians don't have the old base that the Romulans and Klingons have, being from the 60s, but to be fair, since I don't consider the lame 60s show as true "Trek," in their state, the Romulans are far more truer "TNG" villains than villains from the 60s show and the Klingons on "TNG" are more black than the white racist stuck up Russians - although they were Soviets at that time - they were in the 60s). I find stupid, however, that they were written as a replacement for the Romulans, when everything culturally makes the Cardassians very different (Romulans are non-white, Hispanic, Latino with Latin English accent, being based on the Romans, Cardassians are white with Penelope Cruz English accents, based on the Spaniards).

And before I continue, I just wanna say one thing before I continue to what makes this a great episode, and one that was a prototype of "DS9" (enemies working together in an uneasy cooperation), I completely disrespect any morons who think the Cardassians are less advanced than the major 3, because of the one battle between the D and the Galor (you can't jump to conclusions, and the ship gives the D a whipping in the butt several times). Also, it seems as though Gul Macet (played by Marc Alaimo) the Commander of the ship, staged this event. It's very likely this was an older ship, and that newer models were featured. But even so this ship did beat them. And this wreaks, again, of "Spaniards - whom the Cardassians are based on - are non-white, Hispanic, Latin with Latin English accents, and Nuyoricans and Italians - whom the Bajorans and Romulans - although Romulans are more the Romans than the people who came later - are whit with Penelope Cruz English accents."

Anyways, the episode: there is already an uneasy feeling among Picard and his crew when they're called to meet with a Cardassian cruiser who they are going to work with to find out why Captain Benjamin Maxwell, of the Nebula class Starship, the Phoenix has been going rogue and shooting down Cardassian ships (and btw, almost all the ships he's implying to have shot are cargo ships with guns, not actual Cardassian starships, morons). Picard tells a very funny story about a Cardassian ship, during the Cardassian-Federation War, threatening them. Apparently they were on a mission of peace, and the Cardassian ship shoots them down. All Hell breaks loose when a Cardassian ship shoots on the Enterprise and they do considerable damage to it, because Picard ducks down Through some contrivance, Picard disables the ship (and that scenario is far more plot armor than realistic because, from what we know, the Cardassians could have shot them down easily)., and Gul Macet talks to them. Picard has an upper edge though and warns Macet that he'd be at a serious disadvantage. Macet starkly warns him that he has one hour to think of a plan to get Maxwell. This episode is a terrific thriller that's an analogy for Spain and their current meddling of the Third World, along with Denmark, Sweden and Russia. Basically Admiral Haden warns Picard that the Federation is not ready "for a sustained conflict."

I also want to note, that although Troi calls them allies, many people of the Federation's top allies are sometimes shown as plotting against the Federation (T'Paal is a classic example), and they're very arrogant and have an air about themselves on "TNG," although them being mean, although not enemies, to the Federation begins on "DS9" and "Voyager", so Cardassians are no different. But they are enemies. And many of America's allies are arrogant (Sweden, Denmark, Spain, the UK, Israel) towards Americans. Basically Gul meets with Picard and they agree to a party search but Macet escalates the situation and tries to get a chance to fire. And this is eerily similar to what Dukat tries to do to a cargo ship in the Maqui episode of "DS9." All in all the episode is a tense thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat. They find Maxwell, but I leave it here. What's going to happen to him. Is all-out war about to happen. You have to see it for yourself. Side note: we see strong character development with O'Brien.

Turn for more sensationalist coverage, language (maybe even graphic, uncensored at times, considering that one November 1994, just before WWOR became a UPN affiliate, telecast of the news showed uncensored artwork, of a hot girl), sex/nudity and more bloody gruesome news stories with shootings. Perhaps the highlight of this episode is the opening story as the news opens, within the first five minutes. A nasty brutal fight led to a gruesome shooting the night before this broadcast. It shows just why UPN 9 and WWOR in general has always stomped WPIX (their daringness to be cutting edge and cross boundaries, something that started with Fox in 1986). And why UPN stomped The WB all 11 years in the ratings. UPN has a massive portfolio, beating The WB in Emmys, being more Warner Bros.ish., and part of my future UPN(because I plan to revive it)/Warner Bros./WB (meaning my WB network, no "The" before "WB," no Tribune). It's "Seinfeld" but darker. This is a true studio-produced piece. WWOR has an extensive portfolio is just beating the living daylights out of WPIX and WCBS. There's also an anti-"Xena" anti-codeless turn of this, and news bumper for that story invokes "Fresh" (that movie is anti-codeless).

The sensationalist does stop 10 minutes in the newscast, and goes into their usually violent (although not graphic) stories. Their great coverage included one hurricane that was passing through Texas, and while it was not a long piece of coverage, it was extensive and brilliant and intricate and well done. Then there was the 2005 London bombings which happened during the week of the newscast. The extensive team coverage was well done, and I don't know if it got an Emmy nomination, but the brilliance of Brenda, Harry, Jim and several others can be stated more. Another brilliant piece will make you marvel at this news's intracacy, as a garbageman sings opera to impress the girls, referencing the "Godfather", and it shows his love for Italy and the Nuyorican lands. And Russ Salzberg, the more I see him, the more he does come off as someone who loves Latins and isn't just into black people alone. One segment he did for WNYW recently had him at a borderline all-you-can-eat somewhere in either Secaucus or Hoboken, and it was a combo of a catering place to attract rich clients and all-you-can eat. I think it's Nuyorican and Italian food combined with steaks and fries, and chicken and rice. UPN 9 was popular and it deserved the accolades it got.

I'm going to focus mainly on Scorsese and Coppola's stories, as I don't like Woody Allen, who's an Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hating punk and although Larry David was the co-creator of ONLY my favorite, and only the most popular and best show on TV, "Seinfeld," I am very iffy about David, and more leaning towards Jerry Seinfeld, who in my opinion, is far more funnier and doesn't have David's neuroticness. Even Jason Alexander's neurotics doesn't come off as arrogance but, as Costanza, angry man comedy that's funny and well-done.

We'll focus on the darker subject: Scorsese's "Life Lessons" is a very funny story about a man trying to earn this woman's love (played by Rosanna Arquette). The hilarious Nick Nolte is Lionel Dobbie. Is the main subject. He's struggling as an artist, and needs feedback as an artist. Lionel believes Paulette is giving him compliments on his work only out of niceness and not to hurt his feelings and not sincerity. Eventually it gets real ugly and Paulette gives him some hard cold truth. It's a very "Seinfeld"ian story (far more than Larry David), and proof that yes, Scorsese has always been a "Seinfeld" fan. "GoodFellas" feels like a "Seinfeld" episode.

Here comes what is arguably the family-friendly selection (I say that because despite this movie being PG, this has a lot of adult content; not surprising because, keep in mind, even with the PG-13 rating around already, PG really didn't become a family rating until 1995, and plenty of PG movies in 1989 were adult-oriented at the very least, and profane to some decree; and even you can't really say it was mostly in the early 80s, because "Code of Silence" from 1985, the trailer to it has the F-word twice uncensored, in a green band trailer, from dialogue from the movie in the movie) albeit we can question if even this one is family friendly to some decree - "Life without Zoe," a very cute story about a spirited cute girl by the name of Zoe Montez (her dad is a man with an Anglo last name, despite the Spaniard-soundingness, since Montez is essentially Montana, which is a form of Montgomery an English name). This cute girl plays the flute, and she truly hits it hard. She plays a beautiful piece. Charlotte (Talia Shire, the type who's broish and manly compared to her character and thinks, along with her bros, Selma Blair is her "tough motherf...." cause her perseverance to MS :) ) is her mom. The comedy moments of her putting Zoe in her place is killer comedy. She says, "I'm the mother." Of course always respect your mom. And honor thy mother and father. But Zoe is a good girl, and her worst behavior is snarkiness sometimes. This fuzzy story really shows a princess with heart.

The only somewhat negative aspect about this is the Silver Screen Partners. But to be fair, Zoe can be a Disney princess. And she was far better than "The Little freaking Mermaid", based on a girl who thinks she's white and talks with a Penelope Cruz English accent and loves The WB and ruined "Charmed" (which was UPNish to begin with, thanks to the talented beautiful Shannen Doherty, fight me if you don't like my words). Alyson Milano annoys the heck out of me.

And what better setting than the state where "Seinfeld" is just across on the Upper West Side in highway country, being the show is not far from the Trans-Manhattan Expressway (and in my mesmerizing world of scripts I sort of invoke the highway side of NYC, to make NYC more like Atlanta, Chicago, Philadelphia, Flint, Detroit than people give it credit (my movie called "Code of Silence" on which I want the broish Italian stallion, Annabella Sciorra, and her bros, to be the stars). And the state that's the home to not only WWOR but UPN itself. The home of Ted Mallie and Rolland Smith and Brenda Blackmon.

I wonder if the guy who did the V/Os for "Fresh" did some of the TV spots. Or better yet LaFontaine himself. Dante Hicks and Randall Graves are two guys hitting it hard (well at least Dante, cause Randall does game stuff, but to be fair I think he's only joking, so we can include him), getting girls, slacking on the job, with Dante being a respectible upstanding Yankee (it's a caricature those types). And it seems like Morton Downey Jr who's somewhat rude was his prototype. His and Randall's prototype.

The "Seinfeld"ian hilarity of this movie makes it a perfect killer comedy. Lots of cursing, crude humor, bad language, the NJ Turnpike not far. Set in Leonardo, the two talk about everything from hot girls, to drug use, movies, etc.. Randall's love with interest with Veronica, a hot girl, makes this a spicy movie. The gang gets into some very dangerous pranks, worthy of a "Richard Bey" or something out of a Matthew Schwartz's juicy investigative reporting on WWOR news (pre-, during and post-UPN altogher). This is a funny movie of the works. See it.

WARNING: this is not a typical hood movie whatsoever. This is very uncomfortable. Every hood movie at least has a mission, be it "New Jack City," "Fresh," "New Jersey Drive," where there is heroism and optimism even in the darkness, and there is a sense of moral strength at least. You always get a sense that something good will be done, even in the most dreary conditions. Even the most black nationalist attitudes show hope. THIS MOVIE doesn't.

Anyways, both mean "well done." This is a hard-hitting UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship worthy (although there are differences between my flagship and this movie). This is a very dreary nihilstic French movie of the most vicious kind. But this is also a movie where everyone is bad to some decree, even our main charater Hubert (played by the talented Hubert Koundé). Vincent Cassel is the main guy, Vinz, a French Jew (and given the fact that Jews are hated in this movie, this makes France look like a Nazi anti-white country, in the same vein as Italy and Austria, both of which were actually Axis). What is rare is that he would hang out with a black or Arab, as many Jews historically hate both of them. The movie, in recap, deals with the aftermath of the death of Abdel Ichaha, a Tunisian or Egyptian, at the hands of the police of Commune police (of one of the suburbs of Pris).

Anyways the story starts in the southern Communes of Paris, near the major autoroutes (rife with high mast lighting, much like the Italian autostrada and Nuyorican careterra - Nuyorican Spanish for "highway"). Vinz, Hubert, and their Egyptian friend, Said, played by Saïd Taghmaoui, all spend a day. And are grieving the loss of their friend. This is a movie about nothing, much like "Seinfeld," so in the moments where there isn't evil, darkness and nihilism, this one has none. The friends hang out. They attack a cameraman for a news story that allegedly makes fun of France's black and Arab population. It's played for laughs. There's also a major hospital scene (won't give it out) that's played for laughs.

While Nordic countries historically lead in Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hating arrogance, this movie shows that Latinos - Nuyoricans, Italians, and French have lots of hatreds with sub-Saharans and Arabs. There are many disturbing scenes, much like "Fresh" that make you ponder humanity's capability towards senseless and vicious violence. We see several gruesome riots. But this movie also shows that the youth are not innocent either as they provoke the police several times. Much like "Fresh," it isn't obvious, but this is also a thriller. Vinz threatens to shoot people who he deems as oppressors several times throughout the movie. There are also disturbing references by Hubert about kids burning down gyms in anger. And it seems murderous, even by Rodney King-hating standards (yes Rodney King was hated by the black community because of him saying "Can we all just get along?" and was deemed as a butt-kisser to whites). All in all the gang are dealing with the aftermath. Over all this is a truly unnerving movie that makes "City of God" look like Disney land.

Cinemax content advisory: rated TV-MA-DLV for graphic violence (GV), graphic language (GL), and adult content (AC). Despite the supposed 15 rating in the UK and by Schnegen Area ratings board, this is truly a hard R (18 by UK and Schnegen Area ratings board). The atmosphere is truly diabolical for one, with everyone hating each other. There are very strong episodes of graphic violence. Non-stop profanity. Some sexually crude content and crude humor. This is for 18+. Although short of NC-17 being R18 like "Fresh."

BTW, I know it isn't directly Disney. It's Disney because it was Touchstone. And yes, despite being R-rated, there is no sexually explicit content, and even the language isn't super overt. This is much like a prototype to "Taken," in that the majority of the R rating (and hard R/by BBFC and Schnegen Area standards, 18 comes from the harsh reality shown in the movie, there is a lot of violence and it's diabolical and gruesome) comes from the reality. "Taken" was very similar, and from a studio that ironically too would be bought by Disney 5 years later.

This is a movie every family should see together despite being R-rated to always reminds themselves of what they do have. And to be thankful that they never have to go through what Tom goes through. In the movie, Tom Muellen is living it up, hitting it hard, with his wife Kate (played by the gorgeous Rene Russo, his costar in "Lethal Weapon 3") previously, and son Sean. A few hilarious scenes show the "Friends"-hating The WB-hating nature of our main characters, as the Daily News is bombarding the family about a case. At a park event, organized by Tom and Kate, Sean's son goes missing. This is where the story begins. They get a frightening call, warning them to pay up. The movie then takes several nasty twists and turns as Tom and the mysterious hostage taker (played by Gary Sinese, another hard-hitting ladies man like Mel Gbison), who turns out to be a corrupt cop named Jimmy Shaker, exchange words and Shaker exchanges threats eventually. What is very intesting about this movie is the only unlikabel Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hating bad guy here in the movie is Jackie Brown, the smug arrogant union boss who is mad at Tom for not acknowledging his part in paying off the unions (but let's be real, despite this, Jackie is like every smug "Friends"-watching Yank I knew).

The main bad guys aren't, except for Maris, aren't completely black and white. Jimmy doesn't have an easy life, Cubby is a nice guy who insists that Sean won't be harmed, and Clark is conflicted about this too, even. There are several interesting chase scenes and for highway Latinos who love highways and hate the LEDs and want it back, this was 1996 obviously, so you'll get a shot of the Lincoln Tunnel and NJ State Route 3, which is one segments is an expressway. Delroy Lindo plays a hard-hitting role as a detective Tom hires to find the kidnappers. It's all UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship-worthy brutality. Enjoy but it's brutal.

UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship classic of the max. Airing in syndication (and in NY, it aired on WWOR), and coming a few episodes before the finale, the episode revolves around Luther Sloan (couldn't have chosen a more Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hating name, and believe me Sloan comes off borderline like that, but he really isn't a bad guy, much like Samuel Gerard in "The Fugitive" - he's a somewhat blunt pragmatist, but he's never mean, and he speaks nothing but the truth, for the most part about the Romulans).

This show did a great job showing the conflict between the Federation and other races. Some could be called Allies (like the Cardassians), but it's more in the arrogant Allied Powers sense of the world (Denmark, the US, Russia, were Nordicists, not the Reich, and were Allied). So yes they're allies, but arrogant ones. It's not contradictary. Anyways, as for the 1987 - 2001 era shows it flip flops. Sometmies they're allies, sometimes they're not. But they're more advanced than the major 3. But the motivations of the Cardassians were believable. And they got a proper 3-dimenisonal portrayal. Most were arrogant, but they were believable. This episode manages to do some of that for the Romulans, redeeming itself after neglecting such a good villain and nemesis. The episode starts with Bashir waking up in the middle of the night to get some water or use the bathroom (forgot which one). Out of the blue comes from Sloan (played by the brillian William Sadler, a man with a voice not unlike the creepy rated R bumper HBO guy from 1994 - 2006, although Sadler's a nice guy) who tells Bashir that he's been chosen for a new assignment.

The assignment is to go to Romulus along with Sloan on USS Bellerophon (for the filming it was brilliant they used recycled footage from "Voyager"). Upon there, Bashir meets Cretak, a Romulan Senate member who is somewhat appreciative of the union. We see some great dialogue between her, Bashir, Ross and Sloan, and Sloan even recites poetry. But it's dirty business after that, as Sloan briefs him on Koval (but there's a dangerous twist). Koval is sort of a victim of a nasty setup (I won't give it away). Koval is said to have a very deadly disease, and Sloan almost tries to implant it in him. Koval is said to be a bad guy, and wants nothing to do with the Federation alliance. Interestingly, the show agrees with me on Cardassians being more advanced. Sloan lays out what he expects will happen when the Dominion are defeated (and by the time this episode aired that became more possible, as the anti-Dominion coup was to happen on Cardassian). Cardassian has to rebuild, he says, so do the Klingons, and the Romulans are the only ones left in the power vacuum to cause, and he says the alliance is a ruse. An interesting thing happens as Bashir tries to convince Cretak to help him. Bashir then is kidnapped by the Tal Shiar. What will happen next? See it for yourself. A great episode plus the beautiful shots of Romulus (I think Garak is arrogant and racist; he hates Romulans and says Cardassia is more beautiful, but then again he uses people, and he's never portrayed as an ally of the Federation either).

There's a reason Illumeably stomps Dhar Mann in the ratings left and right. This is just more of his usual "Friends"-loving The WB nonsense that would usually fail to stomp Illumeably. All he does he bash "Seinfeld," love "Friends," shove wrongdoers getting punished in the most self-righteous of ways down the viewers throats. I don't need to see this show, because Dhar Mann is the same philosophy year and year again. Illumeably has warmer stories, and far more sensational and nasty stuff (Evandra Aurelia rips her boyfriend a new one in a very "Richard Bey"-like episode). This is like The WB, which failed to stomp UPN all 11 years. That's my take on this.

All Hell breaks loose.

This was a great episode, which aired primarily on UPN stations in May 1997 (and yes WWOR in New York), as the finale of the 5th season. And to the morons who are stupid, yes without the Dominion, the Cardassians were far more advanced than the major 3 anyways, as the Federation fought a brutal war with them to a stalemate, and Picard in "Journey's End" is frought with fear at the thought of fighting them again, far more than he is with the Romulans.

As for why an advanced enemy needs to team up with the Dominion it's that simple. This was not some thing that happened overnight. It started in the very beginning. The Cardassians have discovered the wormhole in "Emisary" and Dukat is interested in orbs (he interrogates Sisko about it in the pilot). Ever since the beginning of this show, the Cardassians have taken a special interest in the wormhole, seeing possibilities of endless immortality and power, eerily reminscent of the Spanish and their quest for the fountain of youth. Dukat egged this on for decades, and joining the Dominion was their chance to galaxy domination. Most of the episode deals, however, with the preparation for war, with the various conflicts with the many different species that occupy Terek Nor (as Deep Space Nine). We see Quark getting ready. What follows after is the Dominion reaching Deep Space Nine. If the Cardassian-Federation War was all Hell breaking loose, this one is that phrase 10X more. It's Armegeddon in the worst ways. The Dominion, the Cardassians, the Jem'Hadar, the Breen all fighting the Federation. It's a fairly brutal episode. And one of the best. UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship. And this show was one of the pioneers in using reused footage, a UPN invention.

But unfortunately, the last of the true "Trek" movies (and there were only two of them, because while I'm more lenient to the 60s show movies they still are arrogant and unlikable movies to me, with Spock and Uhara being the only redeeming factor; strangely enough I can see "Generations" but I cannot see "Relics"). I cannot stand Scotty. This one is the ultimate movie. Basically Picard has a nightmare, but in a sense the only thing which somewhat makes it kind of dumb (but is not a detractor as this movie wouldn't have been perfection anyways even without this scene), we see the Borg ship, although strangely enough it looks like more like the ship in "Year of Hell," the year later on "Voyager", in which technology looks more ominous, and there isn't the gross defacation that marks "Voyager." Picard's nightmare of being Locutus, due to his PTSD is pretty grim. It's also borderline graphic as we see the surgical needle about to be put onto Picard's eye. In that, it keeps true to the "TNG" Borg but that's about it.

Picard wakes up, and another hilarious retcon takes place: a thing comes crawling out of Picard, and then he wakes up. Upon waking up, the Admiral reports to him, that outposts have been attacked. Picard instantly knows it's the Borg. Upon arriving and telling the crew, he unfortunately how to spell the bad news that the Federation admirals do not want him to join the battle. With good reason. It's not that they can't trust Picard, but only that Picard is compromised and would only add an unstable element to the battle. Riker calls it BS, because with his experience with the Borg, Picard's the man to lead the fight. Upon pointless scanning of the neutral zone (and even this movie just proves me right once again that the Cardassians are still more advanced than the major 3, since it seems their scanning of the Neutral Zone seems to be uneventful, not to mention, unintimidating), Picard, in another hilarious retcon, has visions coming from the Borg, when they are Troi alerts Picard to them battling the Borg. The Borg have telepathy and can now connect to their victims (this was not the case on "TNG"). With the knowledge, Picard says he's going to violate the orders to which Data replies, "To hell with our orders." The fight begins. The Borg then have the ability to travel through time. The rest you have to see for yourself. As Picard and his crew travel through time to stop the Borg from destroying earth's mission to make first contact with the Vulcans.

Nickelodeon has nothing on UPN when it comes to being gross in an escapist and amusing way and even sometimes funny way. The only thing that competes is "Ren and Stimpy" which was hard R partially because of a lot of defacated setting (plus the vomiting was gross). Anyways, my subjective opinion that this show did ruin the Borg doesn't change the fact that this was a memorable episode on par with "BOBW", "Chain of Command," "Emmisary," "Caretaker," "Basics," "Future's End," "Unity," "Blood Fever." This episode compounds on what "First Contact" did start, but takes it to R-rated levels by outright changing the Borg into a defacationfest, ship-wise, with gross green glow (to sort of compound on the retcon that they steal from others and are stupid; when everything on "TNG" showed them as clean and organized and mechecanic and industrial, and as a threatening and industrious and technical superpower) that makes slime on Nickelodeon look tame in comparison. UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship for the works.

Basically, Janeway and the crew are en route. They've entered the heart of what is now Borg space, as is established in this episode. When they cross the Borg's space, they realize the Borg aren't going after them. It's a very tense scene (but being subjective, nothing truly scary like when the Borg were on "TNG" and the brief apperance they had in "Descent," when the Borg were still the "TNG" Borg): a group of Borg ships clash with Voyager, and a Borg ship scans the ship to see if they can assimilate (another hilarious thing which I'll compound on). The grass is not always greener on the other side, as the saying goes, because there is a catch to the Borg leaving the space and apparently giving Voyager a chance to a faster way home. It's revealed, that a force more threatening than the Borg (as was ominiously hinted in "Unity") has been destroying their ships (we see it in the very beginning obviously during the teaser).

What follows is a violent scene, rife with a lot of defacation, as the Borg ship remaints literally look like poop and b**gers all over space. This is perhaps the grossest of all the Borg episodes on "Voyager," as usually the defactionfest is limited to the inside of the Borg ships. And this isn't me being negative. I do love this episode. Tom famously says the line upon seeing this, "Who can do this to the Borg?" At this point Chakotay and the crew are starting to think there's a catch to this. And to all the morons who think "Voyager" wasn't dark, Janeway contemplates the unthinkable in this episode - and I will reveal it only because it's somewhat common knowledge (and doesn't spoil the plot) - realizing that not taking an opportunity is sentencing themselves to likely permenent exile, and that going unprotected is suicide, during the Holodeck, she appeals in a very dark scene, to the Devil, and the unthinkable is proposed: cooperation with the Borg. It is very uneasy. How do we know it'll work? How do we know the Borg will be able to keep their end of the bargain should they agree to Janeway's terms? The doubtful and pessimistic Chakotay correctly says it: you can't change the nature of the beast. What follows is a cat and mouse chase and eventually Janeway reaches the Borg. The rest is for you to see.

To me the renegade Borg potentially pose a far more dangerous threat than the Collective, as they have hatred, and want to be cyborgs (which Data is comlpetely). They hate biological life, but they also have feelings and take their Collective traits to sadism, as the Borg were based on non-Anglo Germanic groups who weren't Spaniard, and all have a history of barbaric, and brutal imperialism. Think Denmark and their major empire, Belgium with the Congo, Prussia in parts of sub-Saharia, Russia and their major empire. And we know what the Danes did to anyone who insurrected against Danish rule. The Borg were written as symbols of that without the emotions and needless cruelty.

The episode starts rather hilariously, "Seinfeld"-like as an episode where Data is playing a card game with Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein and Issac Newton. The old historical figures are arrogant, while Stephen Hawking is just cocky and daring mostly. It's all hilarious as they talk about the game of probibility. The nice thing is that this scene is smart and treats the viewer with intelligence, which this show, that often glorifies elitism and killing red shirts, fails at a lot. This is cut short when the crew run into a mysterious ship, and receive a report that Ohniaka III, a Federation base, was attacked. They investigate the ship and eventually Picards sends the Away Team. They see a very graphic den of dead bodies, and its downright R-rated and bloody. Again this was "TNG" which was syndicated (and being this aired, usually on what would be, 2 years later, UPN stations, meaning they were independent, and on Fox stations they got away with more) and usually on independent stations. When Data opens up the base's door, the terror begins, a Borg has been waiting to ambush them.

This is part of the confusing behavior. The Borg fight the Away Team and the differences are quickly noted. The Borg have feelings. It's really disturbing. They hate and and have revenge. They kill one of the crew and the fight carries on. The Borg retrieve their dead. They go back on the ship and attack the Enterprise. The Borg has a new invention, transwarp. At the Ready Room, after the fight, they notice the Borg are acting differently. This leads to a disturbing conclusion, that they are far more dangerous and angry now, as a Collective. Data trying to understand his behavior is also very disturbing as well. He tries not to be angry and he tries to find out why he was angry. Unknown to him is the fact that someone is controlling him and giving him the emotion chip. It gets ugly not long after when the Borg finally attack them. This is a very frightening episode that keeps true to the Borg, even as renegades, more than what "First Contact" and "Voyager" did to them. See it for yourself.

And we get to see the inner workings of the Romulan military and society furthermore. Deanna wakes up. Unbeknownst, she's been surgically altered to be a Romulan. She goes, like it's a normal morning, thinking she's on the Enterprise, to put some make-up or use the bathrroom, when she's done she turns on the lights and looks in the mirror, she finds out she's been surgically altered to be a Romulan and reacts, in horror and gasps. Later on, N'Vek, who will be her commander, comes in. Troi angrily protests and asks why this has happened. N'Vek says he has no time to explain but asks Troi, who knows when someone is lying and when someone is telling the truth, to test for herself. She finds out he's telling the truth and trusts him. Commander Toreth invites Troi, thinking she's a Tal Shiar leader, who later invites her to a lunch. The Tal Shiar is a higher more top-secret order of the Romulan military, introduced in this very episode, and allows us to see how the Romulans operate. "Deep Space Nine" would follow suit with the more advanced Cardassians and give us the Obsedian Order, another top-secret order of the Cardassian military, based on the brutalities of Spanish government authorities to this day.

Essentially Toreth meets with undercover Troi, unbeknownst to Toreth, and Troi gives orders. When they eat Toreth suspects something isn't what it seems and quizes. They eat viinerine, and Toreth tests her to see if she knows what it is. Putting on the tough Romulan act, Troi says she's tasted better. Toreth taunts her until Troi puts her in her place. They rendevouse with a Cravellian crater ship. And here we finally see just how dangerous the Romulans are. No cloak, and they brutally destroy the crator at N'Vek's insistance. And the Cravellians are armed. So yes the Romulans are indeed the first-rate threat they present. But they're still outmatched by Cardassians. Whether they can take on a Federation class starship is still a mystery but there are some flaws in the Romulan design that leave them vulnerable to the Federation and Cardassians. Either way, way Toreth is tired of the Tal Shiar and them underestimating the Federation, which is the cause of Romulan foils and bumbling in many episodes. N'Vek reveals himself as a member of the Vulcan Dissident movement. And that the cargo is secretly the bodies of three dissidents in transit. The side story back on the Enterprise is good "c**p TV" in the likes of the UPN/Warner Bros./WB flagship "Richard Bey" tradition. Stefan DeSeve (Latin how fitting, I'm part Latino), a former Federation officer, who defected to the Romulans, claims to have info on the dissident movement and is greeted with coldness by Riker, who downright says he doesn't want to see him in a Romulan uniform. The Romulans have two problems. One of them is not bumbling and is a source of escapism, in that they're one-dimensional, as are the Klingons. The other is they're comic foils who believe they can't get caught but then try to get sly when they do. Which is why they often are bumbling. This episode is one of the more lethal threat episodes, although it doesn't completely help with being one-dimensional. The bad thing is when N'Vek protests Troi's order she threatens to expose him. It really shows what an informant Troi is. She brings out the worst in a white liberal "Seinfeld"-hating Federation, and being black is the only thing that keeps the "TNG" - "Voyager" shows from being bad.

This is a great episode that almost plays like a "Seinfeld" episode (too bad Gates McFadden had to be an Allied "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hating b---h who hates autistics, along with Wil Wheaton, and Brent is Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hating having all those qualitites). Basically, the Enterprise detects a floating but inactive ship. Data, Riker and Worf investigate. It leads to a startling discovery: some human bodies have been freezing for 200, 300 years.

On the ship, Picard is upset that Data retrived the bodies without his permission, but Data says the matter was time-urgent, and that he wouldn't have had the time, and Picard gets less upset and is understanding, only telling Data to give him a quick message, at least, next time. As the bodies defrost, we see them come back to life. Oppenheimer, Sonny and Clare. The three are very interesting. Oppenheimer is like every caricature of Yankeedom (although he's more un-PC rather than mean and in reality Picard and his crew come off as very mean - "Seinfeld"-hating liberal "Hands that Rocks the Cradle" - the 1992 movie - types in this episode, the fact that this franchise is black is the only thing that kept it from being a Tribune station sequel to the lame 60s show; I'll explain why later).

Oppenheimer is visibly upset. He doesn't even know what year it is but once he finds out he's been in a coma for 300 years, he only knows how to live one way, as a Wall Street broker. At times he's arrogant but he really isn't super arrogant. At worse, Dante from "Clerks" is his equal, only he's far more chill than Oppenheimer. Sonny is a guy who hits it hard, he got the girls, and he was a guitar player for a band back home. He loves live, and even humorously asks how to get a steak and baked potato in one scene, and Data, being a machine, is the kindest to them, and teaches him how to live in the 2300s. Clare is a very sweet woman who is trying to find her son, and Troi tries to help her. The main event in the episode, aside from the dealings, is the Romulans have returned. We get a rundown. Mind you, not much has changed in the way the Romulans are. They are about the same, technology, as the 60s show. However, their cloaking device is new, as Geordi will note later on, and they love testing their enemy's resolve, and being that the flagship is recent, they're mobilizing against the Federation for a possible confrontation to test their ship. Later on, we see Picard deal with the 3 folks. And the attitudes Riker and Picard have to them is completely messed up. And it's really only Picard, Riker, Beverly and Troi who treat them with condescention, as though it's bad to live life to the fullest (Picard gets retconned later on the show to be more that type and is more ghetto, but this really doesn't reflect well). Eventually the confrontation with the Romulans happens, and we discover that the Neutral Zone bases have been scopped up. The Romulan commander then lets him know, hostily, that they know it could not have been the Federation. This is a hint of the Borg being an advanced power, that's threatening both of them. The Romulans let them go with a warning though, "YOUR PRESENCE IS NOT WANTED! Do you understand me, captain? We... are... back!"

Without giving it out, I'll say why. The Romulans are threatening trouble potentially. Picard and his crew rendevouz with the USS Yamato, a ship that's equally first-rate and one of the newest ships on the fleet, basically, the same type of starship as the D, advanced and having numerous weapons systems. Now here's the scene - I won't specify who it is, but the Romulans hold one of the crew hostage, and the Romulan female commander (who's really one of the "bro"-saying bros in this one) says, something along the lines of, "You're going to die WITH US (add "bro" or "sis," and again I don't specify whio and it would have truly been ghetto)." If this had been a Cardassian, they'd be Allied Nordicist Yankee "Friends"-watching "Seinfeld"-hating stuck up types who wouldn't even say that. It's like "You're part of the party, bro." Cardassians are too stuck up. They'd just jeer and throw things at him. The way she says it shuts down the nonsense that Romulans are more hateful of non-Romulans than Cardassians are of non-Cardassians. Dukat had a fetish for Bajoran women, btw. That was not the rule. It's not being ghetto (which the Romulans are, being "bro"-saying Latinos based on the Romans, as opposed to white Cardassians), it's having what us Nuyoricans call "caracter fuerte" (I don't need to translate as that's pretty obvious).

Anyways, we get star cameo heaven from Thalmus Rasulala (who plays captain Donald Varley), of "Cool Breeze," who plays the captain of the Yamato. The scene we see of his logs, and the initial encounter they have with him is somewhat comical as the transmission between Picard and Varley, as the viewscreen keeps getting interrupted. The way it happens plus Varley's calm nation, makes it funny and the interruption happens as though flies are all over. Making this hilarious UPN material right from the UPN handbook (some crude humor as flies are gross). Basically something destroys his ship and its gets frightening. And being they're near the neutral zone, it makes sense to assume the worst - the Romulans are starting the trouble. This is one of their episodes where they're lethal, and not comic relief. Being try-hards like in "The Mind's Eye". Essentially a Romulan Warbird ascends, and Romulan female commander (played by the same English actress who plays the commander in "Face of the Enemy") is furious, mad that the Federation is challenging her plan to claim a planet for Romulus. She prepares to fire at the Enterprise. And the crew are scared of what's gonna happen becuase their shields are not operating. But once the plan goes, there's a brief few seconds where we really see the tone as though the Romulans are downright the threat that the Cardassians are. They are a lethal match. But Romulans are shrouded in mystery. We never explicitly see the Federation fight the Romulans ever, directly (we do see the Romulans attack the D in "The Defector" but that's it). A cloaking device is not indicative of weapons strength (which the Cardassians are far more advanced in, plus the Cardassians are first-rate scientists, and "DS9" really retconned them badly). They do not come off as threatening to the D in this episode, proving the Cardassians are more advanced than the major 3. Now they're not bumbling but they don't. It turns out that the same problem affecting the Enterprise's shields is also affect the Warbird. Teh mechanics of the episode are interesting as Geordi tries to investigate and a very interesting paradox plays out. Without giving it out, basically everything the crew believes has to be done is only worsening the problem. Basically, as a hint, some natural star force is causing the problems on the ship and rewriting the software and hardware of the ship. They're doing it too on the Romulan Warbird. It's a great episode that, in NY, aired on WWOR. See it to believe it!

A message to all you morons who think Cardassians are less advanced than the major 3. This show refutes that nonsensical notion from their very first episode. While you can't jump to conclusions, in "The Wounded," Tregar's Galor whips the Enterprise quite badly (and the Cardassians do it several times throughout the series) and Worf is genuinely convinced that Maxwell's ship won't hold against the shields (which makes me understand that he only won that battle by going rogue and terrorists - this resembles the Maquis in some ways, and by changing the prefix codes, and Picard's actions don't really age well). And one Galor whips the D very badly in "The Chase," bashing the notions that Galors need to be in formations of 3 to be a threat (the other ship was hurting the Klingon Bird of Prey). And it wreaks of "Spaniards (which Cardassians are based on) are non-white, Hispanic, Latin with Latin English accents and Nuyoricans and Italians (although the Romulans are more the Romans) are white with Penelope Cruz English accents, saying 'scumbag.'"

That being said, let's get to the episode. And, by the way, morons, the whole "Cardassia is a power in decline" is actually true of this episode instead, and Jarok's claims verify what I'm saying. The episode starts off with a philosophical scene, where Data is recreating a scene playing one of King Henry V, set on the evesdrop of the Hundred Year War between England and France (two Latino countries, and Picard is French and the Romulans, are who the Federation is fighting, although the Romulans are extroverted big dogs, whereas the French are the shy types). Data is recreating an argument about supporting the King and at what point should support stop when the King isn't giving results. All goes well, and Picard praises his performance. This play is invoked later on, when they deal with the Romulans. A Romulan scout ship is being attacked, carrying a man who claims to be Setal, a low-ranking logistics officer, or so he claims, by a Romulan Warbird. The ship gets attacked. Picard begins to offer assistance, as the guy is wounded. Understandibly they're not going to trust him, because he's of the Romulan military, so he technically is going to be seen as an enemy alien (and no I'm smart and I mean alien as in foreigner, not extraterrestrial, which he is).

Upon rescuing him. Setal argues his point that the Romulans are planning a new offensive and have a cloaked military base on one the Neutral Zone's moons. Now the point about Romulus being a power in decline, Jarok says the Romulan military has been struck by a series of bubbling and humiliating defeats. And yet Cardassia in "The Wounded" is treated a far more lethal enemy. Now, mind you, this is not to say the Romulans (who are my Latinos, and so I'm biased to their culture, being I'm part Latino) are not a first-rate power. They couldn't have such a prosperous and thriving and hard-hitting civilization if their army was not powerful. But having a cloaked device, while it's a sign of advanced technology, doesn't mean they're stronger than Cardassians, who definitely were not scared of the Romulans in "The Chase." The Klingons were far more apprehensive. Anyways, while Setal explains himself in the Ready Room, Worf automatically shuts it down as BS, but that's cause he hates Romulans, regardless. Riker, always having intel, distrusts him and questions the claims, and is about to shut it down as BS, but tries to find a reason to believe him. Picard, being the type to give anyone the benefit of the doubt, discusses it. All in all they interrogate him further. And we see a very good "Bey"-like "c**p TV" moment in which Setal and Worf have a nasty confrontation, and Setal calls him a "varol" (which I think is "s--tstain"). Speaking of bumblingness, while they're a first-rate power, the Romulans can be very bumbling in their plots and a foil (borderline comic relief). Speaking of which, Tomalak makes an appearance.

WARNED US OF 9/11! (ignore my initial about it being very dark; the movie feels rather comical, but that's not cause of stereotypes, so much as the fact that the masterminds were somewhat obnoxious and it unintentionally leads to some hilarious unintentional comedy).

This wasn't some prophetic eerie symbolic movie like some of the fearmognering liberal weird zodiac sign stuff. The whole movie, without explicitly giving us out scenes, warns us of 9/11, and the terrorists repeatedly threatened to wage war on the country. This movie is an excellent movie, and has a much darker quality than "United 93," and "9/11" (UPN movie with Robert De Niro) was probably the closest. There is a somewhat noirish feel to this movie. This is a true Cinemax-type movie. This should have been on that award-winning network not some two-bit sister-of-The-WB-and-Tribune second-rate network that is just pure "Seinfeld"-hating nonsnese. Anyways, the investigations lead up, and Nassier is a very shady informant that plays both sides of the fence - the police and the terrorists. John Anticev (played by Peter Gallagher) is head of the FBI's investigation. A native New Yorker, he really just brings the tension to the scene. A lot of the scene plays out like "c**p TV" from a "Richard Bey" episode and now that I think of it he looks a little like a combo of Richard Bey and Joe Pesci. He's also Nuyorican or Italian in the movie. And John and Lou Napoli as well as Nancy Floyd are the only ones who seem to call out the bureaucratic face-saving of the FBI. The lead the investigation. And several of the key suspects are investigated. They go on a cat and mouse chase to investigate evidence that a bombing is being planned. As with any movie, this was a true story but it also fictionalized in many aspects. Important bits of history are also shown. Nosier (played brilliantly by Shaun Toub) apparently had history with the Egyptian Army. The movie really is embellic of the tension that Egypt had even with the rest of the Muslim world. They formed the United Arab Republic, from which Nosair came from when it used to be that. One hilarious scene has one of the terrorists claiming to be Swedish (which is sort of funny, not because some of the phonetics of a Swedish English accent aren't there, but Arabs are part black, Swedes are white with Penelope Cruz English accents, obviously), so flat out it's a lie.

The bombing happens, and it's obvious as one of the henchman it's the Palestinian Liberation Army (the 1993 bombings were because of America and the most of the West - save for the Nuyorican lands, Italy, France, Germany, Austria - supporting Israel). The 1993 bombings were a bit more low-scale as the reason for the bombings were more because of Western oppression, rather than the larger-the-life war-making aspect of 9/11. Speaking of 9/11, the very warning is given to us that it was being planned. At the end Ramsi says, "Next time we bring them both down." Why did Clinton not listen? And then we blame Bush.

Now unlike the s--t movie that came out the year later, that could have been nonsense that aired on The WB or CBS, had it been made just a few years before, like in 2003 or 2004, this was a true hard-hitting portrayal of the heroism of the men and women who sabatoged the terrorists who hijacked United Airlines flight 93. The story is very gripping. It starts off with the basics. American Airlines flight 11 hits the North Tower at 8:46 AM on that day. But what really is interesting in the terror and confusion that grips the airport terminals, and the watch commanders at the place. The terror as the first plane hits causes confusion, but there's already plausibility that this could have been terrorism, as the 1993 bombings are references. As the commander wathes the second plane approach the tower, it happens and the news (from CNN, UPN, Fox, NBC, ABC, as well as the affiliates of the networks I mentioned after CNN, which are all broadcast networks) shows us the footage. Of course there's confusion, as one man says "explosions," but it's only the moronic liberals on WCBS who say it was explosions even after we clearly see the first film (I'm not gonna give credit to WPIX because WWOR and WNYW called it terrorism first; and so did WNBC; even WABC corrrected themselves initially). Basically the passengers are scared, and they find out that a United Airlines flight 175 crashes into the South Tower. But the final straw comes when it's revealed that American Airlines flight 77 crashed the Pentagon. It's after the revelation that we see the bravery of the crew. I won't give too much out but this is a grippin movie made in the best traditions of "24" and "Taken." See it.

Now let me make one thing clear before I begin: I'm not bashing the portrayal of a horrible day. We lost Americans that day and 9/11 was a horrible day that affected everyone, and I hope those terrorists got justice by God. Without a doubt. With that being said, what I hate about the movie is the codelessless. Everything about this movie is like a more adult oriented version of "Flicka." Maria Bello really ruined the movie. As if that's not bad enough, it also adds a sense of codeless to an already dumb movie. The storyline brings out the worst, as though this was a codeless Ivy League promo movie. This movie combines the worst aspects of Raimi's "Spiderman" movies and "Gladiator" with Russell Crowe (also codeless). "United 93" and UPN's "9/11" with Robert De Niro are better 9/11 films, and while the latter is real the French bros who made the movie manage to make the documentary enjoyable in every sense of the word. This was just nonsense. If it had been Lori Loughlin instead I would have seen it. She hits it hard and is an acting queen. This however just comes off like some two-bit movie that, had it been made a few years before, would have aired on The WB, and been a Tribune staple.