Star Trek: Countdown Comic Review

Like other tie-ins to blockbuster movies, Dark Knight and the DVD Gotham Knight, the Matrix Reloaded and the Animatrix DVD, IDW Publishing's official prequel graphic novel is a tie-in to the hit film Star Trek. Here's the good news. It succeeds beyond expectation because unlike the shallow but entertaining Trek film, the novel is deep and well written.

In a story by Trek film writters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman, written by Mike Johnson and Tim Jones tells the tale of Romulan Nero and his journey towards vengeance that will be depicted in the movie. The story starts out in the 24th Century with the Hobus star about to go supernova. This explosion would destroy Romulus. Spock an ambassador to Romulus proposes to the Romulan Senate that they release the material decalithium mined by Nero to Vulcan so Spock can create a black hole in the star to stop it. The Romulans are cautious and refuse. Nero and Spock decide to take the decalithium to Vulcan anyway. The Vulcans refuse to help due to fear of the Romulans. Hobus in the meantime goes supernova. It destroys Romulus and kills Nero's pregnant wife. This sets into motion Nero's vengeance and the events leading to the new Star Trek movie.

Now, don't assume that Countdown is a talky and boring story. If you want space battles, you get them. Once Nero's ship, the Narada gets armed with Borg technology from surviving Romulans, the story warps to its epic confrontation between Klingons, the Narada and a ship called the Enterprise. You also get reprises of beloved Star Trek Next Generation characters. They all play important parts as the Nero and Spock go back in time to the 23rd Century.

Star Trek:Countdown is an exciting graphic novel. The artwork is gorgeous. It is better than the its sequel, the film Star Trek. That's correct. The reasons are this. The novel is deeper and more intelligent than the film. It feels like science fiction. The dialogue is well written and we get a good look at Nero's motivation for vengeance. But more importantly, like the best Treks, there's a message. Ironically, it's delivered by the Romulans and the Vulcans. Fear can stop us from doing the right thing. The grade is "A."

What went wrong with the 2009 Cincinnati Reds

The season ended when the Reds got swept by the Dodgers July 20-22. So what went wrong? It's time to do a post mortem autopsy.

The Outfield

The Reds gambled that sophomore Jay Bruce would continue to grow and be the stud he was projected to be. For some reason he refused to adjust. Pitchers would throw breaking balls away and Bruce would try to pull these pitches only to strike out or roll the ball over. Signing Willy Taveras seemed like a good idea. Except it would have been a good idea for a team with two other solid outfielders. Taveras doesn't get on base enough to steal, he can't carry a team for any period of time and he needs a strong cast around him to succeed. The Reds lack of success of obtaining the right hand bat also hurt the offense. They tried to get Bobby Abreu but were outbid by the Angels. I bet they are kicking themselves about not getting Raul Ibanez. Perhaps, the Reds may need to overpay next time to get a quality free agent to play here.

The Pitching

This started out as a strength. Later, the starting staff melted down like an UDF ice cream cone sitting out on the sidewalk on a hot summer Cincinnati day. Johnny Cueto still needs seasoning. Aaron Harang has a tendency to let one big inning in every game kill him. He needs to keep the ball down. Bronson Arroyo is no stopper but his ability to keep the team in the game will likely get him dealt.

The Future

There is no short term future for this team. The Reds are reluctant to spend the money that the Cubs did to win. It's time to wait for five years from now.

Those Crazy Birthers, part 4

Last night on "Countdown" with Keith Olbermann, Keith disclosed that Orly Taitz has discovered the original Kenyan birth certificate for President Obama. Does that mean the rightwingers in Congress should start impeachment proceedings? No. Olbermann debunks this document as a big time forgery. Check it out.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Indian Hill Triumphs

I want to congratulate the Indian Hill High School Mock Trial program. Year after year, the school produces powerhouse teams. And the amazing thing about it, is that they defeat teams from schools that are much larger than they are. This is a tribute to the young men and women who dedicate their time to compete and also learn about the Constitution. Coach Steve Reger has built a program that is the best in Ohio.

This year, Indian Hill won the Ohio state championship. Indian Hill Black Team was led by Danny Strunk who was awarded Best Attorney, Hannah Conn, seniors Sonam Jindal, Asif Rahman, Elaine Baynham, Sharif Nassef and Divya Taneja. Catch their performance at the Ohio Center for Law Related- Education's website. Congratulations are also in order for the Red Team which finished sixth in the State. This team included Brittany Schwab, Ned Cowan, Doug Feigelson, Deena Rahman, Olivia Morris, Dylan Grafe, Shaan Pennmetsa, Yilina Lee, Maggie Strike and Sara Matasick.

Bill Maher takes on the Birthers

Check out Bill Maher's "Real Time" for July 31, 2009 on HBO. His "New Rules" segment is one of the show's best. He takes on sex with horses (yes, you heard that right), a vision of Jesus on a dog's butt (yep, you heard that right again) and the crazy Birthers. The rest of the show is great too. Guests include the intelligent Rachel Maddow and the fascinating journalist Michael Ware. Check out the clip below with Bill's take on the Birthers.

In the meantime, here are some prior posts featuring video from MSNBC and the Daily Show regarding those crazy Birthers. I like Jon Stewart's take the best. Those Crazy Birthers, pt. 2 And "Those Crazy Birthers, pt. 3"

Creation Museum Day with the Reds

I wish the Cincinnati Reds would stop giving the Creation Museum credibility by allowing them to sponsor today's game. The Museum teaches a literal approach to the Bible, i.e., it considers the Bible, literal fact. They believe the earth is only 6000 years old. Look you can believe the earth was created by God but the planet is older than 6000 years old. They also believe that people and dinosaurs existed together. This is opposed by many in the scientific community. And with the Reds trying to be a family friendly place, it teaches bad science to our kids. Let's take a look at what my guys at Red State Update have to say about the museum.

"The Hurt Locker" Film Review

The Hurt Locker subtly makes an anti-Iraq war statement. The film is more than a tense drama about three soldiers in an elite bomb disposal unit but what it shows about the Iraqi people's indifference to our presence. It is a stinging indictment of the mistake of this war. There are no scenes of Iraqis giving our guys flowers and candy because that's not what happened. There are only scenes of our soldiers struggling to identify insurgents from innocent civilians. The apathy that the average Iraqi citizen feels for our presence to outright hostility depicted in the film should ask the question, "What are we doing there?"

Jeremy Renner plays Sergeant William James. He joins the unit when another soldier gets killed. Anthony Mackie plays Seargeant J.T. Sanborn. Brian Geraghty is Owen Eldridge. Sanborn and Eldridge are the two surviving members of the unit. Intially, Sanborn and Eldridge are appalled by James swaggering and reckless approach to diarming bombs. Eventually they bond as a unit. But that doesn't change James. He continues to bull his way into situations that endangers the unit. He stands for American blundering into Iraq.

The performances are top notch. The three unknown actors give realistic performances. Watch for cameos from Guy Pearce, Ralph Fiennes and Lost's Evangeline Lilly.

Mark Boal'x screenplay has dialogue that sounds real. It feels more like a non-fiction story. Kathryn Bigelow's direction is sharp and tense. She gives it a documentary feel, with frequent use of hand held cameras. It works here because her characters are usually more engaged in bomb disposal than running around which induces nausea to the viewer. Though, I wish more directors would stop using the hand held camera because of the instability of the picture. Regardless, she makes the movie riveting and both tell the soldiers' psychological toll of fighting the Iraq War.

The Hurt Locker is an intense drama that will receive Oscar nominations. The grade is "A." Here's the trailer.