Joe Menosky Movies

Based on Casual Rex, one of a series of lighthearted fantasy novels by Eric Garcia, the made-for-cable Anonymous Rex would have us believe that not all dinosaurs were rendered exinct 65 million years ago. The survivors dinos had gone into hiding, gradually re-emerging in human form courtesy of a special holographic process. In fact, one out of every ten thousand "humans" is actually a well-assimilated dinosaur, and among these are a pair of private eyes: Ernie Watson (Daniel Baldwin) and Vincent Rubio (Sam Trammell), respectively a raptor and a triceratops. Hired to investigate the "accidental" death of the son of one of Ernie's old girlfriends, the two lizardy gumshoes stumble upon a cult called the Voice of Progress, comprised of fanatical dinosaurs who want to wipe out all humans and take over the world. Things take a serious turn when one of the two detectives is killed, and Ernie's daughter Gabrielle (Stephanie Nicole Lemelin) is kidnapped. Although the special effects are nothing to write home about, the film scores with its wry, knowing humor, likening the plight of the disguised dinos to those people in real life who must "pass" as something they're not (there's even a scene at a nocturnal dino club which looks more like a reptilian gay bar). Anonymous Rex debuted December 4, 2004 on the Sci-Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This weekly, 60-minute sci-fi/fantasy series was based on a novel by Stephen King, previously filmed in 1983 with Christopher Walken in the lead. Anthony Michael Hall, who (in this instance, at least) bore a remarkable resemblance to Walken, starred as schoolteacher Johnny Smith, who spent several years in a coma after surviving a terrible auto accident. Upon awakening, Johnny realized that his ESP abilities, which had been mild at best before the accident, have been amplified to an astonishing degree. In fact, Johnny now possessed the ability to read a person's mind -- and that person's future -- simply by touching hands. Naturally, this gift turned out to be both blessing and curse, depending upon the touchee. As reconceived by series creator Michael Piller, the TV version of The Dead Zone had a somewhat lighter touch than the original novel and earlier theatrical film. The series debuted June 16, 2002, over the USA cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) agrees to use his psychic powers to reunite elderly WWII veteran Arthur Allen (George Murdock) with the girl he left behind at the Stage Door Canteen 60 years earlier. But, while "seeing" the long-ago sweetheart through the eyes of Arthur's best buddy Tommy (Alvie N. Leeper), Johnny falls in love with the younger version of the woman himself. He also discovers anew that appearances can be deceiving -- in more ways than one. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season six of Star Trek: Voyager came to a traditional climax with Part I of the cliffhanger "Unimatrix Zero." In a dream, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) envisions a world called Unimatrix Zero, where all Borg Drones briefly become individuals during the Borg Collective's regeneration process. It turns out that this strange new world is very real, and when the Borg Queen (Susanna Thompson) finds out about the "recessive mutation" of her minions, she vows to destroy Unimatrix Zero. Combining forces with Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), Seven of Nine attempts to stop the Queen by fomenting an all-out mutiny against the Collective. Former Star Trek: The Next Generation star Brent Spiner makes a cameo appearance as an "uncompleted" Drone. "Unimatrix Zero, Part I" first aired on May 24, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Voyager crew finds itself locked in an orbit around a primitive planet. Though time passes normally on the ship, several centuries go by on the planet's surface -- during which period a tribal society develops, worshipping the orbiting "star" as the manifestation of an omnipotent Greater Power. The dilemma: If the crew does not break free of the planet's gravitational pull, they will be doomed; and if they do escape, that aforementioned society may collapse in ruins. A fascinating exercise in relativity and reverence, "Blink of an Eye" was first telecast on January 19, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally telecast as a two-hour "special" episode on February 17, 1999, the Star Trek: Voyager adventure "Dark Frontier" has since been telecast as two separate hour-long installments, and accordingly has been assigned two different episode numbers (it also boasted two different directors: Cliff Bole for Part I, Terry Windell for Part II). Highlighting the second half is the special effects department's visualization of the Borg City, which as much as anything else earned "Dark Frontier" an Emmy award. As for the plot: When the Borg realize that Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) intends to steal a piece of advanced technology in order to bring Voyager safely home to Earth, they threaten to destroy everyone involved unless their hostage, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), agrees to help squash Janeway's plan. Part II climaxes by Janeway's attempt to rescue her comrade, bringing her virtually face to face with the dreaded Borg Queen (here played by Susanna Thompson). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An alien assures the Voyager crew that his space "catapult" can take them all home. Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) suspects that this is not true, and further believes that Janeway and the alien are planning to double-cross the Federation. Unaware that Seven of Nine's paranoia has been caused by a data overload, the rest of the crew begins to imagine that treachery and betrayal lurks around every corner. The Voyager Conspiracy was first telecast on November 24, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide