Anton Yelchin as Kyle Reese

Anton Yelchin has starred in two very notable action movies this year, also both falling under the science-fiction genre: Star Trek and Terminator Salvation. In the latter, he plays the young Kyle Reese, future father of John Connor, the story's main protagonist. Yelchin's voice and actions are very clear, making for a great action actor -- Kyle's slightly hoarse voice and imperfect fighting skills make the character more believable. His humor is spot-on as well, used sparingly but very well-placed, such as his repetition of wisdom given to him by others, in order to seem more intelligent and tough. His doing this -- taking others' wisdom instead of creating his own -- is a sign that, no matter how hardened and smart he thinks he's become, he's still just a kid; the typical, idiotic teenager.

Yelchin's young face and wide eyes make him capable of incredible expression, and also helps stir up sympathy from the audience. He also has a way of making the audience like Kyle, which helps create sympathy as well. His ability to act, even through copius amounts of sprinting, fighting, and escaping, is admirable. His panic as he tried to escape from the cell, the tears in his eyes when John tells him that he's earned his jacket... he even proves to be sufficiently creepy as the Skynet computer; all displays of phenomenal acting. Anton Yelchin is definitely one to watch for.

GREAT LINES/MOMENTS:

"Come with me if you want to live."

"If you're going to point a gun, you'd better be ready to pull the trigger."

"You want to know the difference between us and machines? We bury our dead. But no one is coming to bury you."

Kyle Reese: "Who are you?"
John Connor: "John Connor!"

Review by Kell

Walter Koenig as Alfred Bester

In the sci-fi TV series Babylon 5, the character of Alfred Bester is cold, calculating, and more than a little bit creepy. The idea of people being able to search inside your head for any information they want is disturbing enough without being attached to such a sinister figure as Bester. A far cry from Walter Koenig's most well-known character, Pavel Chekov, Bester is, simply put, one of those characters that most fans love to hate.

Being an avid fan of Walter Koenig, I suppose I'm a bit biased when I say that I adore his portrayl of Bester, but I believe that even if he weren't one of my favorite actors, I would still love the performance. His approach to humor as Bester is dry and unnerving, almost making you wonder whether or not it actually was intended by the character to be humor. Everything about Bester, from the way he speaks to the way he walks, tells the audience that we don't want him anywhere near our brains. Which, I think, is exactly what Koenig wants us to think. He creates such an elusive, eerie character and, on top of all the things that already make him creepy, he can read your mind and get inside your head whenever he wants -- the recipe for a perfect villain.

In my opinion, no one could have made Bester as delightfully spooky as Koenig did, if not only for the fact that Star Trek fans went into the twelve B5 episodes that featured him thinking about his portrayl of Chekov. And since Bester couldn't be any more different than Chekov, it came as more of a surprise to sci-fi buffs, which, of course, only added to the creepiness.

In this role, Walter Koenig proves to Trekkers everywhere that he is more than Pavel Chekov. He also shows Babylon 5 fans that Bester is definitely a formidable villain.

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GREAT LINES/MOMENTS:

"Anatomically impossible, Mr. Garibaldi, but you're welcome to try .. anytime .. anywhere."

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Bester: If I had my talent working, I could've warned you when he was coming.
Garibaldi: And if I had a baseball bat, we could hang you from the ceiling and play piñata. I still think I should've gone straight to G'Kar.
Bester: We have no evidence that he made the sale yet. Why annoy the Narn without cause if we are wrong? Shut off the problem at the source and the rest attends to itself. A piñata, huh? So, you think of me as something bright and cheerful full of toys and candy for young children. Thank you! That makes me feel... much better about our relationship.

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"You know the real reason you don't like me, Commander? It's the jealousy of evolution. Normals like you are obsolete. The future belongs to telepaths .. and I intend to make sure that future happens. One way or another."

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"Your war .. is now my war."

John C. Reilly as Amos Hart

The movie-musical Chicago is primarily known for its flashing, red and white lights, its glittering costumes, its trumpets and piano and gorgeous women. It's easy to forget about minor male characters while so many sequined beauties are dancing around in your face. However, even through all of the marvelous dancers, sexy murderesses, and tense courtroom scenes, I believe that some attention should be given to the character of Amos Hart, and his portrayal by John C. Reilly.

Now, since Chicago, Reilly has gone on to play some less-dignified roles, including such movies as Tenacious D, Talladega Nights, and Step Brothers. Although I don't think his comedy is first-rate, his acting here certainly is. He perfectly exhibits the timid husband, willing to protect and support his wife, even though she couldn't care less about him. And although George Chandler, the first man to portray Amos Hart, did a noteable job, Reilly brought something completely different to the character, and that was sympathy. He didn't make the audience laugh, but he may have drawn a tear or two, because In a way, I think that's something we all can relate to: feeling neglected, like a 'Mr. Cellophane' rather than a 'Roxie'.

And after the trial, even though Roxie is being such a bitch to him, he's still sitting there, waiting for her, with the sweetest smile on his face. And the look of disappointment in his eyes when he finds out that she's not pregnant -- it's almost enough to remind us of our greatest disappointments. The mark of a first-rate actor.

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GREAT LINES/MOMENTS:

"Hope I didn't take up too much of your time."

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"Cellophane, Mr. Cellophane
Shoulda been my name
Mr. Cellophane
Cause you can look right through me
Walk right by me
And never know I'm there."

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"She's got him covered in a sheet and she's telling me this cock-and-bull story about this burgular, and how I ought to say it was me 'cuz I was sure to get off. 'Help me Amos', she says, 'it's my Goddamn hour of need'. That cheap little tramp. So she's been two-timing me, huh? Well I'm through protecting her; she can swing for all I care! Boy, I'm down at the garage working my butt off 14 hours a day and she's out there munching on bon-bons and tramping around like some goddamn floozy! Thought she could pull the wool over my eyes? Well, I wasn't born yesterday. I tell ya, there are some things a man just can't take, and this time she pushed me too far. That little chiseler. Boy what a sap I was!"

Review by Kell

John Cho as Hikaru Sulu

I'll be the first to admit that when I saw that John Cho had been cast as Sulu in the newest Star Trek movie, I raised an eyebrow. John Cho? From Harold and Kumar? They can't be serious. I mean, at the time of the movie's release, I had yet to become a complete and utter Trekkie, but I still liked the show and knew who Sulu was, and he was not John Cho. Or so I thought. As the movie progressed, I could clearly see that, although he bears little resemblance to George Takei, the original Sulu, Cho has the character down. Sulu's sincerity and warmth came through perfectly, as did his occasional mischievousness (the look he gives Kirk when he says that the type of combat he's trained in is fencing is priceless). Also, at times like when he's introducing himself to Captain Pike, and when he's corrected by Spock, he exhibits classic Sulu-ish reactions. All in all, I was wrong. John Cho was a fabulous addition to the cast, and I'm sure George Takei is pleased with his performance.

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GREAT LINES/MOMENTS:

Kirk: So what type of combat training do you have?
Sulu: Fencing.

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Pike: Maximum warp. Punch it.
Sulu: Yes, sir.
[One by one, the rest of the star fleet jumps into warp drive, leaving the Enterprise behind. Sulu frowns at the console, puzzled]
Pike: Lieutenant, where is Helmsman McKenna?
Sulu: He has lungworms, sir. He couldn't report to his post. I'm Hikaru Sulu.
Christopher Pike: And you are a pilot, right?
Sulu: Yes, very much so sir.
[he trails off, hitting buttons]
Sulu: Uh, I'm not sure what's wrong here...
Pike: Is the parking brake on?
Sulu: Uh, no sir. I'll figure it out
Spock: Have you disengaged the external inertial dampener?
Sulu: [Embarrassed. Without looking at anyone, he punches in the correct sequence] Ready for warp, sir.
Pike: Let's punch it.

Review written by Kell.