“Star Trek: Nemesis” is a bad movie. Just awful. As much as the recently cancelled “Star Trek: Enterprise”, “Nemesis” is a symbol of just how far this once great franchise has fallen. It also dispels the notion that even numbered Star Trek movies do not stink.

It is obvious that the producers where attempting to make “Nemesis” the Next Gen’s “Wrath of Khan”. Not only did they fail miserably but it is almost insulting the extent to which they ripped-off almost every major plot thread from “Wrath of Khan”.

This movie is cold, emotionless and lacks the passion and excitement of “Wrath of Khan”. Tom Hardy as Shinzon is supposed to be Khan to Picard’s Kirk. However, Hardy is no Ricardo Montalban and Patrick Stewart, while a better actor than William Shatner, could not summon the requisite emotion to make this movie work. The rest of the cast is no better. Clearly tired of playing these roles the cast merely mailed in their performances.

The movies special effects and action sequences are merely OK but do not come close to clearing the bar set by George Lucas and ILM. Even if they did they would ultimately fall flat because the rest of the movie is so utterly horrendous.

The movies sole bright spot is the performance of Brent Spiner in a dual role as both Data and his Rainman like “brother” B4. Spiner is so talented he simply never disappoints. As a matter of fact the only scene in “Nemesis” that conveys any real emotion is Data’s Irish wake at the end of the film.

Leave it to a movie this bad to leave an excellent scene on the cutting room floor. One of the deleted scenes is an alternate ending where we would have been introduced to the Enterprise’s new first office Commander Martin Madden, to have been played by first rate character actor Steven Culp (“Desperate Housewives”, “JAG”, “The West Wing”, “Star Trek: Enterprise”). This light hearted scene which showed Riker leaving the Enterprise for the last time and ended with the Enterprise warping to where “No Man has Gone Before” was shelved. In its place the movie ends with the Enterprise in an orbital dry dock undergoing repairs. An unworthy ending to end what was once a first rate franchise known as Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Star Trek is in desperate need of fresh blood and a new perspective. Rick Berman has run this franchise into the ground. He should step aside but sadly I do not see this happening.

When Gene Roddenberry first pitched his concept for Star Trek to networks execs he presented it as “a ‘Wagon Train’ to the stars”. It is unclear whether Star Trek ever achieved that vision. However, there is no doubt that Joss Wheedon did succeed when he created the television series “Firefly” and the current major motion picture “Serenity”.

The story so far.

Five hundred years from now the earth is used up and humanity takes to the stars. They discover hundreds of planets and moons that they terraform to become new earths. Some of these planets are “rich and flush with the new technology; some not so much”. The Alliance tries to bring all planets under centralized control.

There was some disagreement on that point. A civil war ensued between the Alliance and the Independents. After the war many of the defeated Independents drifted to the outer reaches of the known universe (or simply the ‘verse in Firefly-speak) and they are made to get by with only the most basic of technology.

Enter the crew of the cargo ship Serenity, an amiable and good hearted group of outlaws just trying to get by in a screwed up universe, I mean ‘verse.

The movie opens where the TV shows leaves off. Simon Tam (Sean Maher) has rescued his sister River (Summer Glau) from the clutches of the Alliance. You see River is a prodigy and the Alliance has conducted experiments on her in an effort to enhance her abilities which has the side effect of leaving her psychotic.

They take refuge on board Serenity but are pursued by an evil agent of the Alliance known only as “The Operative”, played with icy panache by Chiwetel Ejiofor. Ejifor’s performance is one the best in the film and his is most memorable villain.

We are then whisked off on a wild ride to discover the secrets of not only River’s psychosis but also the awful truth behind the origins of the cannibalistic sub-humans known as “The Reavers”.

I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Though the special effects are good they are in no way in the class of Star Wars. However, where Star Wars tends to fall flat in the areas of acting, story and dialogue “Serenity” wildly succeeds. The story is well told and plotted and Wheedon suffuses the whole with moments of whit and humor. Some of the best comic moments are reserved for engineer Kaylee Frye, played by the incredibly gorgeous Jewell Staite, and tough guy Jayne Cobb, played by the always reliable Adam Baldwin.

The entire cast, which is lead by Nathan Fillion as Captain Malcolm Reynolds (think Robin Hood meets Han Solo), reprise their roles without missing a beat. Unlike some of the failed Star Trek movies, Wheedon does an excellent job of utilizing his entire cast in a way that never seems contrived. Each character is given their own unique moment in the film. Other returning members of the cast include Gina Torres as first mate Zoe Washburn, Alan Turdyk as the pilot simply known as “Wash”, Ron Glass as the intriguing clergyman Shepherd Book and the exotically beautiful Morena Baccarin as Ambassador Inara Serra.

Another reason “Serenity” is so successful is the Wheedon resists the temptation to condescend to his audience and does not fall back on tired plot devices. This leads to some surprising moments, including the deaths of two major characters. Wheedon also does not succumb to the temptation to provide a romantic moment between Fillion and Baccarin.

Fans of the television show should and I think will adore this movie. It picks up and embellishes on the original episodes and provides a satisfying conclusion should this be the end of the line. I certainly hope it is not and I have read that the entire cast has signed on for a sequel should “Serenity” prove sufficiently successful at the box office.

If you have never watched the show before the movie provides enough backstory for you to jump right in and enjoy. Some of the character bits will not be as meaningful but there is more than enough here for you to enjoy. So please do all of us “Firefly” fans a favor see “Serenity” so that there might be a future for this great story and these great characters.

The book “Tony and Me: A Styory of Friendship” is Jack Klugman’s loving tribute to his long time co-star and dear friend the late Tony Randall. The book covers the extent of their decades long friendship from their first meeting on the set of a 1950’s TV show, to their days on “The Odd Couple”, to Mr. Klugman’s battle with cancer and ultimately with the passing of Mr. Randall in 2004.

Although the book is not autobiographical Mr. Klugman, nonetheless, does spend the first couple of chapters detailing the path he took to become an actor. If you are a fan of “The Odd Couple” or Jack Klugman these chapters will provide some interesting incite into the man. The author spends the balance of the book recounting various stories and anecdotes of their career together.

The book is short (less than 150 pages) and I was able to read it in a single sitting. It is an at times funny and very touching book. I found myself laughing out loud more than once and even getting choked up on a couple of occasions. The love Jack Klugman feels for Tony Randall is palpable as you read through portions of this book.

As a bonus, the book comes with a DVD containing out takes from the “The Odd Couple”. This 15 minute DVD, introduced by Jack Klugman, contains some extremely funny out takes from the series. It alone is worth the price of the book.

If you are a fan of “The Odd Couple”, or Jack Klugman, or Tony Randall or just of classic TV I highly recommend this book. The investment of time needed to read it is minor compared with the enjoyment you with derive.