Casablanca and Cleopatra -- digitally restored and on the big screen; and evidence of First Contact

Both movies were recently shown as part of the Cinemark Classics series. Despite having seen Casablanca enough times to be able to recite nearly the entire movie along with the actors, I'd never seen it on the big screen. I may have seen it on a moderately large screen in my college film appreciation class, but that might have been Citizen Kane.

And it did make a difference -- subtle, but noticeable. The street scenes were far more detailed and atmospheric, and somewhat claustrophobic; that sense of being in a crush of people, all moving and talking and shoving, really came through. The lighting, the sets, the close-ups, the emotions : this was more than seeing the movie as it was meant to be seen, it was experiencing it as it was meant to be experienced.

So, when Mike noticed on Monday that Cleopatra was showing today, there was not question that we'd be seeing it. There is nothing subtle about this cinematic spectacle, even on the small screen, so we were prepared to be overwhelmed, and we were.

From the opening scene, with literally thousands of extras -- that's thousands of real, live human beings, not CGI clones -- to the final shot of Cleopatra decked out in her gold Isis dress, this film defines "spectacle." The colors; the sets; the cast; the sex; the politics; the sexual politics. This is a movie truly for adults, who can infer what the movie implies.

Elizabeth Taylor is luminous. Richard Harrison is, by turns, dignified and regal and terrified. He makes Caesar's transformation from Roman general to would-be dictator real and believable. Roddy McDowell is, as usual, only too believable as the scheming, treacherous Octavian. And Richard Burton -- well, only in his alcohol-fueled pipe dreams does Russell Crowe even come close to standing in his shadow. And the supporting cast is as excellent, although I found Hume Cronyn somewhat bland and wooden.

And, with the exception of a few painted backdrops, there are no "special effects" (and those hardly count). All of those sets were built from the ground up. All of those sphinxes. Everything. And then there is that triumphal entrance into Rome. The movie is worth seeing just for that scene.

Interestingly, Cleopatra's hairstyle and clothing becomes increasingly modern as the film progresses. Her straight, chin-length bob eventually morphs into a waist-length mane of romantic curls, while her initially sheer, revealing vaguely Egyptian robes give way to demure, almost matronly dresses after she becomes a mother and a woman in love. She is no longer a powerful political threat, no longer able to use her sexual abilities to manipulate men.

I won't bore you with a repetition of the plot, as we all know the story, but I did discover something fascinating. Evidence of First Contact. I thought they were Vulcans at first, but then I realized that, of course, they were Romulans. Romulans were behind the fall of the Egyptian empire. Oh, yes. If you don't believe me, take a look at this. He was going by the name of Ramos (Ramos -- Romulan. A coincidence? I think not). I saw at least two more in the Egyptian military.

Star Trek : Into Darkness (Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers)

It has not been two years since we were last at a theatre, but we do watch a lot more streaming these days. Thanks to a colleague's gift of a Fandango gift card (an entirely unnecessary "thank you" for giving her a lift on a few occasions), we've recently seen "Casablanca" on the big screen, and today, ST:ID.

As with the first movie in this new franchise, I was relieved that the actors are not trying to do impersonations of the actors in "our" universe, and that the accents are accurate (ok -- more accurate). The core personalities are correct, but these are new expressions that are the result of different circumstances. And, of course, they are younger chronologically and in terms of their career.

This remake of "Wrath of Khan" -- I told you there were spoilers -- manages to introduce nearly all of the same characters and most of the same tropes, but in a 21st century framework.

Kirk's dressing down by Pike was something that many of us have been waiting 50 years for. It didn't happen in our universe, but it should have. It felt good and it felt right. We had to wait until the original "Wrath of Khan" for Kirk to finally have to take responsibility for the consequences of his command decisions.

But why did Spock agree to create the volcano neutralizer in the first place? It clearly violated the prime directive. That was never explained or even addressed. (And was I the only one whispering, "My preciousssss -- my precioussss?")

According to the Onion, this movie lacks a heavy-handed message. Whoever wrote that clearly didn't watch the film. Less than 30 minutes in, we are aware that this is truly a post-9/11 Star Trek. A terrorist attack leads to a controversy over targeting the villain vs capturing him and bringing him back for trial. Added to that is the secret development and use of super-duper smart "photon torpedos" -- or drones by any other name. Oh, and let's not forget that the villain has escaped to Iraq the Klingon home world of Kronos, and that Star Fleet is developing weapons of mass destruction in secret.

Secrets abound in this entry. There are also the secrets surrounding the villain. I admit that I did not identify Khan until Sherlock he was about 30 seconds in to his speech. Of all the actors, Cumberbatch was the least effective. His trademark clinical detachment is simply not convincing; I didn't believe for a moment that he was burning with an intense desire to save his people and for vengeance. In fact, I originally thought he was some kind of robot or android. Of course, the backstory he's given doesn't support it, either. There's nothing like watching your beloved wife die to push a megalomaniac over the edge. Saving a bunch of popsicles just doesn't have the same emotional weight. Now, if Admiral Marcus had destroyed a few of them . . . but I guess there is a limit to how far the writers were willing to go.

Both Mike and I murmured that we did not trust Carol Wallace. A blonde with a Ph.D.? Please -- it's unnatural. And we were right -- and wrong. Given her accent, we thought she was in league with the villain -- both limeys -- but then it's revealed that she's Carol Marcus, pre-David, of course, with a degree in weapons engineering, not bioengineering. Why is she a limey when her daddy is clearly an American?

Uhura speaks Klingon to the Klingons -- after she forces Kirk to backdown. Sulu shows us what he's made of. Yeah, he'll be a captain of his own starship in this universe, too. And this ships are big -- massively, overpoweringly big. No short, narrow studio corridors for this crew. Christine Chapel has gone off to be a nurse. Hmmmmm . . .

The action sequences owed a little too much to "Star Wars" for my taste -- and were too long. And will someone please explain to me why the Earth has not one single planetary defense system in place? Not even over Star Fleet? Honestly -- not even a simple deflector beam to repulse rogue comets and asteroids!

And then there's the ending. Spock's big moment -- given to Kirk. I feel like Jan Brady -- "Kirk, Kirk, Kirk, it's always Kirk!" On the other hand, only a Vulcan would have stood a chance against Khan, and we get to see Spock unleash some of his repressed Vulcan rage, and Uhura gets to do something more than open hailing frequencies.

But it lacked the emotional impact of the original. By this point in the film, we knew it was coming, so there was no shock value. And, not only had I already realized how they would save Kirk, but we were not witnessing what was, for us, the end of a 20-year friendship. However, with luck, we were witnessing the beginning of one.

The epilogue, on the other hand, brought everything back around full circle. We're back in our familiar Star Trek world where normal human beings, not super heroes, have overcome poverty and ignorance and (most) disease; where every alien is a potential friend; where space holds untold wonders, just waiting for us to discover them. Yeah, that's why we keep coming back for more.

Ok -- I admit it -- I cried (a little) when the original theme started playing during the end credits.