Charlie's Choice

At about the 20-minute mark of "Charlie X," young Charlie Evans plays a very short, one-sided game of three-dimensional chess against Mister Spock. Charlie plays white, Spock black. Spock defeats Charlie in a couple of moves: "Checkmate." Charlie, who's not very mature because of his alien upbringing, throws a verbal tantrum, shouting irrationally, "No, it's not!" Spock, unflappable, walks out. 

A moment later, Charlie focuses his rage on the chessboard, using uncanny psychic powers to melt about half of the pieces. 

Despite having seen this episode probably a half-dozen times, this time I noticed an interesting detail: Charlie only melts the white pieces--his own pieces. He may have refused to acknowledge Spock's victory with words, but by melting his own pieces, Charlie shows the audience that he knows the truth; he lost because he wasn't smart enough to beat his opponent. By melting his own pieces instead of Spock's Charlie shows us that along with all his other emotional difficulties, he's prone to self-loathing. 

Throughout the episode, Charlie says he wants people to like him, but that somehow he always "gets things wrong." He doesn't understand human social mores, having spent the first 17 years of his life with benevolent but distinctly non-human, unknowable aliens--the aliens who gave him the powers Charlie needed to survive after he was marooned without parents on their world. The aliens who come to take him back to their world, not out of malice, but to protect the galaxy from Charlie, who has unlimited power but not the sense of responsibility to use that power wisely. 

"Charlie X" is already one of Star Trek's most tragic and moving episodes, and taking a closer look at that short-lived game of chess increases the pathos. 
 

Masters of Their Universe

Masters of the Universe (Travis Knight, 2026) delivered the kind of goofy, unhinged fun I haven't experienced in quite the same way since Flash Gordon (Mike Hodges, 1980). 

Based on the Mattel action figure toys released in 1982, Masters of the Universe tells the story of Adam Glenn (Nicholas Galitzine), who is determined to find the mythical Sword of Power and in doing so save his home dimension, Eternia, from the skullduggery of Skeletor (Jared Leto). 

But fifteen years after arriving on Earth as a child--hidden there to escape Skeletor--Adam hasn't had any luck. Instead, he's grown up, making the best of things by taking an office job in Oklahoma City. He works in Human Resources, and his affable, charming personality makes him a beloved, if eccentric, figure among his colleagues. Adam can't seem to lie, and he speaks earnestly about his quest to anyone who will listen. They think he's either role-playing or insane. But soon enough Eternia comes calling, and Adam's quest moves into high gear. Can mild-mannered HR drone Adam retrieve the Sword of Power and become the kind of hero who defeat Skeletor, his right-hand woman Evil-Lyn (Alison Brie), and their horde of monstrous minions? 

Of course he can, and does. What's important, as ever, lies in how the tale is told. And this time around, the tale is told with tongue planted firmly in cheek. The screenplay is full of clever gags, the action is well-structured, well-executed, and essential to moving the story forward, the actors are clearly having tremendous fun, and the whole thing is so genuine and wholesome that I fell in love with the film about five minutes in and never fell out. 

Some highlights:

• The brilliant origin story of many of the ridiculous character names
• The characterizations of the chief villains, Skeletor and Evil-Lyn, captured in clever dialogue, performance, and special effects--I never once thought of Skeletor as a CGI creation, but always as a full-fledged, delightful villain in the over-the-top style of old serial villains from the 1940s
• Camila Mendes as competent, steel-nerved warrior bestie Teela
  
• Idris Elba as Man-at-Arms, a fallen warrior lost to alcoholism in the wake of Eternia's fall, who reluctantly answers the call to destiny once more
• Two of the most satisfying and delightful post-credits scenes I've seen in quite some time
  

As far as modern takes on old franchises go, I'd put this one right up there with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

A movie based on a toy line has no right to be this good. IT HAS THE POWERRRRRR

White's Wounded Women

Some of St. Elsewhere's Season Three Players.
Fans of Babylon 5 might recognize Stephen Furst in the middle. 

I guess you could say that Doctor Peter White's story began with some whimpering, and ended with a bang. A couple of days ago, I wrote about my amazement regarding the character's dark turn, and how I wondered how the writers could possibly bring him back for a third season. 

They found a way. White is a deeply troubling foil for the first third of the season, shoving his verdict of innocence in the faces of his colleagues while continuing to brazenly rape women--including a second attack on one of his prior victims, who winds up deeply psychologically damaged on top of her physical trauma (and little wonder). 

Three of White's victims: Nurse Shirley Daniels (driven to murder), Doctor Wendy Armstrong (victim of attempted rape, assaulted, driven to suicide), and Doctor Cathy Martin (raped and assaulted twice, driven to madness. Also, Ed Begley Jr.

Having White parading around St. Eligius as if he wasn't a violent rapist gets to be too much for Nurse Shirley Daniels (Ellen Bry), who steals a weapon from a police officer in the ER, hunts white down, and shoots him. White survives for a couple of hours, but ties before he can name is killer. It doesn't matter, because while it took forever for the police to arrest White for his crimes, poor Nurse Daniels is caught within hours. Hmmmm. 

The whole arc has, thus far, shone a lot of light--maybe accidentally, maybe not--on how women are treated at home, in the workplace, and in fiction. Wendy Armstrong (Kim Miyori) lasted only a season and a half on St. Elsewhere, and I can only think of one episode in which she was the focus and got a win--a "win" defined as a moment of respect from the male doctors. Even worse, Cathy Martin (Barbara Whinnery) was written from the beginning as a flighty, promiscuous eccentric--part of the reason her testimony is dismissed by the jury. The show neglected Armstrong and killed her off--without much real buildup or even proper connection to her frustration with White's trial or her assault. It just felt like the writers didn't know what to do with her. But Martin fares even worse, treated as comic relief for most of her appearances, then as a victim--twice--and then to madness. (She might recover; I haven't watched the whole series yet.) And the formerly level-headed Nurse Daniels becomes erratic enough to take revenge on White, resorting to a murder that she surely knows she can't get away with. She also confesses to a crush on Doctor Jack Morrison (David Morse), without any hint of having those feelings in previous episodes. One of the episodes I watched tonight culimates with Nurse Daniels being captured by the police, so I assume that she'll be written out shortly, as well. 

David Morse as Doctor Jack Morrison

The somewhat hapless Jack Morrison has, all the while, stuck by his friend, Peter White, despite everyone else at the hospital believing White to be responsible for the attacks. At one point, White asks Morrison "Why do you believe me?" Jack says something like "Because you told me you didn't do it, and that's good enough for me." He believes his male friend, but not the multiple women colleagues who were victimized. This really puts a dark stain on Jack's character, who I really want to like because he's the most compassionate doctor of the bunch. But wow, his reaction here is completely tone-deaf, and he seems to be confident in it even after White is shot! (Morse is a superb actor, by the way; I still remember him as a police officer blinded in the line of duty in Homicide: Life on the Streets.)

Eric Laneuville as Luther Hawkins. 

To be fair to Jack, in the last episode I watched tonight, "Sweet Dreams," it appears as though Jack does indeed have doubts. Jack, Dr. Victor Ehrlich (Ed Begley Jr.), and orderly Luther Hawkins (Eric Laneuville) are all involved in a dream study. Ehrlich, true to his character, dreams of being stranded on a tropical island with beautiful warrior women who sentence him to death by, er, snu-snu. Hawkins' dream is a wonderful spoof of the ZZ Top music video for "Legs," complete with the music track, several members of the cast dressed as the band and sexy models, and the ZZ Top roadster famous from the video. 

Jack, on the other hand, has a terrible nightmare about Peter White. Only in the dream do Jack's doubts materialize, and though he asks "Who killed you?" (White says "That's classified"), he does not ask "Did you do it?" 

But he doesn't need to, because the dream shows that he knows the answer is "yes" and hasn't been able to accept it. White bids Jack farewell, then puts on his ski mask and laughs manically, mocking Jack for his unearned trust. It's a very chilling sequence, and redeems Jack a tiny bit. I hope he apologizes to the women he dismissed. 

Doctor Peter White's Heel Turn

 

Terence Knox as Doctor Peter White

Last month I finally started watching St. Elsewhere, the groundbreaking 1980s medical drama. I just finished season two, and I find myself astounded by Doctor Peter White's insanely dark heel turn about halfway through the season. 

Up to this point, White had been portrayed as a troubled resident beset with marital and money problems--issues that sometimes caused mildly jerk-ish behaviour, but nothing truly outlandish. Indeed, most of the residents on the show had similar or comparable personality quirks. But some well-meaning actions on White's part backfire on him, leading to his censure and putting his residency at risk. This leads to some addiction problems, which, to his credit, he overcomes, and becomes a better doctor to boot. 

Then, despite this rebound, he puts on a ski mask and rapes several women and attempts to rape one of the other residents. Caught red-handed in this last assault, White is arrested and put on trial. (His amusingly sleazy defence lawyer is played by Conrad Janis, who I remember as Mindy's dad from Mork & Mindy.) Amazingly, he's acquitted, despite testimony from his victims--two of whom are colleagues and fellow doctors at the hospital. And as an innocent man, he can't be prevented from returning to work at St. Eligius (AKA St. Elsewhere). One of the victims who testified commits suicide at the end of the season, and while--somewhat strangely--White's return to work isn't stated as one of the reasons for her suicide, it surely must have played a role. Considering the crucial role women play on this show, I feel like this was a deliberate choice by the writers--even the most accomplished women in crucial positions remain devalued in comparison to their male colleagues. 

I thought for sure this would be the end of White as a character, and that he'd be written off the show. But according to Wikipedia, Knox as White remains part of the main cast through season three, and even returns as a guest in season five. At this point it would be impossible to redeem White, so I imagine he'll act as a villainous foil for the other characters in season three. I did not expect this show to take such a starkly dark turn. 

DC Boardwalk

One might toss some jacks; caltrops for kids
Bounce ball on boardwalk
Grab jack
Second ground, grab two
And so on
Bonus points: ball colour
Perfectly matches wall colour
Ghosts peer through obsidian panes
Nails squeaking against glass
But the kids don't hear
They've reached tensies
And Harpreet has one chance to win
She scoops--she scores. 
Time for ice cream--the wall inspires Neapolitan
"We're all out of chocolate strawberry vanilla ice cream" 

SCTV and Me

At the moment I write this, Amazon Prime is streaming all six seasons of SCTV, AKA Second City Television, the sketch comedy show that arose from Toronto's Second City comedy troupe. Like many others, I was a fan during the series' original run; indeed, we moved to Alberta just in time for the third season, which was filmed in Edmonton at the old Allard studios on 51st avenue and even on location in Leduc, where we lived at the time. 

Because you never know how long any given show will be available these days, I immediately started watching SCTV on Prime from the beginning to try to capture all the episodes I missed back in the 70s and 80s and to revisit any I remembered. It turns out that out of the entire first and second seasons--as far as I've gotten--I remember only the fifth and 26th episodes of the first season, so much of the comedy is new to me thus far--quite a delight. 

The show is as silly as I remember, but also much sharper, with social commentary, double entendres, and pop culture references that went over my head as an adolescent. 

My favourite sketch from the first season is "Crossword" from episode four. I was astounded when the opening credits included Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud, two incredibly gifted and respected British stars of stage and screen. I figured this was a gag--including these legends alongside Dave Thomas, Eugene Levy, John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, Joe Flaherty, and Harold Ramis--virtually unknown, comparatively, especially in the mid-1970s. But sure enough, the two knights show up in a sketch called, "Crosswords," in which they're cast in a Harold Pinter play and exchange dry, mundane dialogue about which landmarks they should visit and how to solve the crossword clues. It's a strange skit, capturing the weird feeling of Pinter plays perfectly, and the two gentlemen are hilarious in the most deadpan manner possible. I'd love to know what circumstances made this bit of television history possible. 

It's also neat to see the loose narrative of the fictional SCTV evolve during the first two seasons; the skits are held together with the various goings-on at the station itself, and it amuses me to no end that Harold Ramis' departure as Moe Green, station manager, is covered by a kidnapping; the station is too cheap to pay the $2000 ransom, and Moe Green is never seen again on the show. Grim! 

As with any sketch show, some bits are funnier than others, but the actors really give every scene their all, and the cheap production values bring their own charm, putting the show's success almost entirely in the hands of the writers and comedians. 

I already remember why I loved this show, and it's a real treat to finally see the many episodes I missed. Looking forward to seasons three to six! 

New Closet Space

 

If only I had one of these at 1:1 scale to store all my movies...

Come, Let's Review "Come, Let's Away"

SPOILERS BELOW for "Come, Let's Away,"
Episode Six of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

I came to the latest iteration of Star Trek with low expectations, given my disappointment with Star Trek: Discovery and its last three seasons in particular. But I must say, I feel like the show keeps getting better with each successive episode, and "Come, Let's Away" is certainly its best hour yet. 

Once again, I'm glad that the showrunners have learned you don't need world-ending stakes to create suspense and meaning in science fiction. I note this because the stakes for this episode change as the story progresses, to excellent effect; it starts as a training exercise, entertwined with the fate of a budding relationship, progresses to a hostage situation, and then pulls the rug out from under the audience with an 11th hour turn that reveals the stakes are higher than this cast has ever faced--and as a bonus, the good guys lose in a big way by the time the curtain drops. Characters we came to enjoy over the course of the first five episodes meet their final fates here in a way that feels organic and earned, relationships evolve naturally, and we learn things about our protagonists and, in a welcome return, one of our chief antagonists--Paul Giamatti's Nus Braka. 

Indeed, there are couple of scenes with Nus Braka and Holly Hunter's Chancellor Nahla Ake that are utterly compelling, a master class in acting from both performers. 

Crucially, the plot points all make sense, too, progressing logically, and none of the characters are stupid; they make good decisions, they have backup plans--and they still lose, because the opposition is just a couple of steps ahead. It's great to see--proper drama with relatable stakes. 

Come, let's bring on the last three episodes of season one! 

P.S. I do have thoughts on last week's episode, "Series Acclimation Mil," but I haven't put them to . . . well, not to paper, but to screen. I haven't decided how I feel about the episode yet, because there are parts I genuinely love, and parts I have reservations about, and I haven't decided if the problems are with the episode or my perception. 

 

Parallel Treks

 

In some universes, Star Trek never existed. Instead, those universes have

• Stork Trek (storks)
  
• Stone Trek (Flintstones-style)
• Stark Trek (Gritty and tragic film noir)
  
• Stab Trek (Redshirts die violently every episode via stabbing)
• Snark Trek (Everyone is sarcastic)
• Swap Trek (Alternative lifestyles)
• Swamp Trek (Hillbilly style Trek)
• Stay Trek (Boldly going nowhere) 
  
• Styx Trek (Escape from Hell if you can)
• Shirt Trek (Fashion Trek)
• Shart Trek (IBS trek) 
• Sport Trek (Jocks in space)
• Squirt Trek (water gun fights) 
• Squint Trek (everyone is nearsighted) 
• Scare Trek (horror version) 
• Squash Trek (vegetarian version)
• Stag Trek (bachelor version)
• Stun Trek (at least one person gets comically phaser stunned per episode) 
• Stir Trek (set in a Federation rehabilitation colony)

25,000 Films

 

As of today, I have seen 25,000 films. The 25,000th was D.W. Griffith's 1910 one-reeler, The Usurer. 

Last year, Letterboxd separated feature films from shorts. So, technically, 25,000 when shorts are included...

...but only 10, 640 if we're talking about feature length movies. Still not bad. 

And here are the shorts. 

Let the Mystery Be

I first heard Iris DeMent's "Let the Mystery Be" when it came up as the new opening theme for season two of The Leftovers. The song has been on my mind lately as part of my recent preoccupation with death and aging. Given the subject matter--what happens after we die--Iris' lyrics are refreshingly nonjudgmental and upbeat. Here's the chorus: 

Everybody is wonderin' what and where they all came from
Everybody is worryin' about where they're gonna go when the whole thing's done
But no one knows for certain and so it's all the same to me
Think I'll just let the mystery be

Each verse that follows quickly describes one of the various human concepts of what an afterlife might be like. My favourite is the last: 

Some say they're goin' to a place called Glory and I ain't sayin' it ain't a fact
But I've heard that I'm on the road to purgatory and I don't like the sounds of that
 'Cause I believe in love and I live my life accordingly
I choose to let the mystery be

The song sometimes makes me tear up, particularly at that final verse. I love her agency, her choice, and her acceptance of other ways of thinking about philosophy and religion. 

Back in Theatres: Movies I watched in 2025

 

I needed escape in 2025, and the movies delivered. The vast majority of the films I watched in 2025 were shorts, so don't be alarmed by that huge number on the left; only 538 of the 3,363 were feature-length films (one hour or longer). 

Here are some of my favourite feature-length films of the year. 

For the first time since December 2019, I went back to theatres this year. I chose times designed to reduce exposure to COVID-19, and I'm happy to say the strategy worked; neither Sylvia nor I fell ill. 

Anyone who knows me can't be surprised that James Gunn's Superman was the film that brought me back to the theatre experience. I simply couldn't miss seeing the latest iteration of my favourite fictional character on the big screen. Sylvia, sport that she is, came along with me, and while I'm sure she didn't enjoy it as much as I did, she did like the film, which I think of as a return to form after Zack Snyder's bleak, colourless, cynical interpretation in Man of Steel and its follow-up films. 

The Fantastic Four are my favourite Marvel characters (alongside Spider-Man), so nor could I resist seeing their first official MCU film, Fantastic Four: First Steps. I thought it was a lovely throwback to the spirit of the original comics from the 1960s, with rich characterization for all four leads, amazing production design, and a self-contained, thrilling adventure harkening back to some of the best of the Lee/Kirby comic run. Sylvia skipped this one, and I don't blame her; I don't think she would have gotten much out of it. 

Finally, I won tickets from Letterboxd to see The Long Walk, which adapts one of Stephen King's earliest and most chilling novels. Sylvia came along with me, and we were both impressed by the film's stark production, creating a dystopian near-future (or perhaps recent alternate past) of a fallen United States and the fascist measures it takes to entertain and distract its citizens. Mark Hamill is incredible in this as the tyrant who organizes the titular long walk, but it's the young men competing in the event who really steal the show. The film is raw, disconcerting, unforgiving, and doesn't leave the audience with any means of escaping its bleak, hopeless message. 

My favourite film of the year, though, has to be Yorgos Lanthimos' latest surreal masterpiece, Bugonia. Jesse Plemons and Emma Stone are utterly captivating in this tale of desperate paranoia, and that's all I'll say for fear of spoiling the film's tremendous impact. It really is worth seeing. 

With that, here are some screenshots from my year in film as compiled by Letterboxd: 

At this rate, it's going to take me a long time to finish my watchlist...

See you at the movies! 

Lego Advent Calendar Haiku 2025 Day 24

BB-8's beeps
Announce Santa's arrival 
Ice patronus glares
 

Lego Advent Calendar Haiku 2025 Day 23

Bitter mandrake frowns
For Christmas, garbage and junk
Roots of his evil
 

Lego Advent Calendar Haiku 2025 Day 21

Heart-shaped box chimes out
Mrs. Claus, coming to town
Floating robot drones
 

Lego Advent Calendar Haiku 2025 Day 20

 

Chocolate spider
Creeps toward the droid's treat cart
Cannibal Christmas

Lego Advent Calendar Haiku 2025 Day 19

Blaise and a snowman
Quiet as a holiday 
Mouse droid on the morn
 

Lego Advent Calendar Haiku 2025 Day 18

Christmas mad science
Gurgling potions make monsters
A yuletide nightmare
 

Lego Advent Calendar Haiku 2025 Day 17

A droid on a wing
Squeaks "Roger, roger," noting
Christmas tree cosplay
 

Lego Advent Calendar Haiku 2025 Day 16

Beep-blooping Treadwell
Chasing Luna's toy robot 
Night cacophony