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Reviews
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
Fun film, sets the stage for the series
This is a refreshing film that pokes fun at the horror genre on many levels. The title is the first clue that this is something different. A girly girl name for someone who slays vampires as The Chosen One. Heavy stuff. lol. Females are usually the fodder in the horror genre, but not here. Empowering a female to try and save the world from the forces of darkness while she tries to maintain her keen fashion sense is both groundbreaking and hilarious. And who says a little comedy can't be interjected amidst the gore and death? Humor, after all, keeps all of us sane and this film has it in spades; whether it be in the form of a quick quip or a sight gag or an over-the-top performance, it all undercuts the seriousness perfectly.
The cast is, for the most part, great- especially Rutger Hauer and Paul Reubens. Kristy Swanson carries off the title role with aplomb. Easily her best role, in my humble opinion. After having immensely enjoyed the seven seasons of the TV series, I still find myself watching this film and appreciating it even though it did not end up the way the creator, Joss Whedon, originally envisioned. I believe were it not for his strong reaction to the changes made from his original script that 4 years later, he would not have been so gung-ho to take Buffy to the little screen. Thank The Master.
FYI, the trivia posted here regarding Buffy having burned down the gym in the original script version penned by Joss Whedon does not appear to be correct. I have read what looks to be the original script(found on the internet movie script database) and the ending is pretty much like how it happened in the film. The gym remains mostly intact, as the vampires all skedaddled after Buffy killed Lothos. The script is definitely darker than the film and you can see a much more direct correlation between it and the TV series.
P.S. This film predates Clueless not the other way around so the references should be attributed as such. BtVS was the influence.
The X Files (1993)
It's all about the writing folks.
The X-Files was created from a synthesis of Twin Peaks and Silence of the Lambs with a little twist of The Twilight Zone and a dash of Kolchak: The Night Stalker(A really cheesy movie-turned-weekly drama series from the early 70s with a paranormal slant).
I was there at the beginning on September 10th, 1993. I actually stumbled onto the show by accident. I had seen a couple of promos for the show and it looked rather cheesy to me. Of course, this was around the time when Fox started up with all that alien autopsy and so-called reality bull***t and The X-Files, to me, fell into that category. So there I was flipping through the channels at a rapid pace on a Friday night(no I didn't have a life- then or now) and I stopped on Fox for a few seconds to see what cheesy thing they were doing and the next thing I know, it's an hour later and I'm completely hooked.
It was nice to see a show that covered a lot of subjects that had interested me for a long time: UFOs, cryptozoology, the occult, and paranormal phenomena. And it was interesting to see it from the viewpoint of a government worker who was being stonewalled by the very people he was working for. It was also nice to see a strong intelligent female hold her own against her male counterpart and yet remain feminine and vulnerable at the same time. However, the chemistry between the two lead characters was not- and could not be- the strength of the series. And neither could it be just the subject matter. What drives a show like this or any other- and keeps them going- is the writing: The dialog, the story, the characters, and the correct balance between all of these elements. Good writing is the bane of most TV shows and movies.
And the best writing on The X-Files was by the person who played the Flukeman in a second season episode(The Host), Darin Morgan. Darin was the brother of one of the show's better writers- Glen Morgan(who created The Lone Gunmen among other characters with his writing partner James Wong)- and he quickly proved that he was just as good a writer- if not better- than his brother.
His first episode was Humbug(second season) which has the distinction of containing the most bizarre bunch of characters you will ever see on TV outside of Twin Peaks. He then wrote 3 episodes for the third season: War of the Coprophages, Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose, and Jose Chung's From Outer Space. The latter of the three, in my opinion, is the single best X-Files episode ever done, hands down. And Peter Boyle as the title character in Clyde Bruckman's Final Repose is simply the best guest appearance ever(He won an Emmy for it, for chrissakes!). In fact, The X-Files has had a history of having the most delightful guest appearances this side of The Simpsons.
Unfortunately, for us and for the show, Darin has never written another X-Files episode(He did write one for another Chris Carter series, Millenium). I don't really know why he hasn't written anymore episodes(or anything else for that matter) because he was the best writer the show ever had. I like to think that Chris Carter and some of the other writers on the show felt threatened by his talent and were jealous of his success so they blackballed him. Think about it, Chris Carter created the show and never got any awards for HIS writing. If you think I'm crazy, ask any serious fan of the show what their 5 favorite episodes are and I guarantee that at least one of them was written by Darin Morgan.
Anyway, with that said, I believe that The X-Files reached its peak early in the fourth season and went downhill to stay after what I consider the last great episode- Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man.(Any writer who can make CSM a sympathetic character is a genius) It's not that the show became terrible and has been bad ever since, it's just that they have never even come close to the high level of quality achieved in the third season. There have been some really good episodes since then,(Rush, First Person Shooter, Small Potatoes, and Post Modern Prometheus) but there just haven't been any awesome episodes.
More than anything, though, the elements that turned me off were the banality of the neverending mythology arc(Just how long is this stupid game of cover-up and conspiracy going to last? Enough already. It has become tiresome) and Scully's insistent and consistent unwillingness to accept that a lot of the stuff she had seen and experienced could not be explained scientifically and never will be.(Come on now, Scully. You have seen things that would make a grown man cry)
Scully has been attacked by a man-bat, a guy who ate human livers and could crawl through a 1 foot wide vent, a sentient computer, and an alien bounty hunter. She's seen spirits, ghosts, apparitions, and monsters. She's been kidnapped or held hostage more times than anyone can remember. And yet, through all this she remains steadfastly assured that everything fits into some nice, neat scientifically-plausible category. Doh!
When it's all said and done, this show may not be one of the best ever, but at least it was willing to do things and cover subjects that most shows wouldn't touch with a ten foot pole(anyone remember the episode, Home?). And it had a lot of good episodes and great guest appearances. That gets a vote in my book.
The Shining (1980)
The BEST film-adapted Stephen King story and a classic horror film
For those of you who know of Kubrick and his great work, and love this movie then you need not read on. This is for those ardent Stephen King fans who hate this movie and LOVE the mini-series. The main reason this movie is so great is because King had nothing to do with it- or should I say that Kubrick would not let him anywhere near it. When Kubrick makes his films he becomes an autocrat- he has to if the film is going to approach the vision he has for it. King laid the groundwork for the plot, but Kubrick shaped it into a cinematic masterpiece. Let us not forget that King is a WRITER. This is a point which most people-who are fans of authors whose books become the basis for films- tend to overlook. A film is 50% SOUND and 50% VISUALS. It is the filmmaker's responsibility to create the best audio-visual experience he/she can while remaining true to the story. The mini-series pales in comparison to the film because it tried to follow the book exactly. Point in case- what is scarier when being swung at your head- a croquet mallet or an axe? Everyone who reads the book visualizes it(and eveything else) differently, but on the big screen an axe has a more direct emotional impact. Some of you may feel that I am a King-basher and I am unfair. That is not the case. I thoroughly enjoyed It, the Stand, Eyes of the Dragon and the Dark Tower series. I even liked the Shining. But we are talking about making a STORY into a MOVIE. Just look at King's track record when involved in other films and TV projects. They are all weak and most are poorly done because a WRITER is trying to bring to the screen something that only exists in his head. King is a good storyteller, but to create a great, even good, film it requires different thinking and a different creative approach. If you see the film version of the Shining again or if it is for the first time then enjoy the sights and sounds of one of the greatest tales of terror ever told- one man's journey into isolation, desperation and madness. And for an added bonus look for the subtle link between the hotel and Native Americans. Enjoy!
Fargo (1996)
Coen brothers dazzle us again
If more people in Hollywood would follow the Coen brothers', and others'(i.e. John Sayles and Mike Leigh) formula for making movies- no big name stars(read low budget), great script, great direction and focus- then everyone would benefit from movies like this one. This is an absolute gem with perfect casting, performances and the most beautiful photography I have seen in a long time. Frances McDormand is an absolute charm as the pregnant police officer trying to solve a murder in Paul Bunyan land, but it is William H. Macy's character and his performance that elevate this movie to greatness.
Blue Velvet (1986)
Frightening, Funny and just out and out Weird
It is said that the most disturbed and the most bizarre people come out of the midwest. Well, Lynch fits this to a tee. Aside from this movie being dark and eerie, it also has some of the best-and funniest- lines in movies ever(Observe Frank's(Dennis Hopper) take on beer and breasts) Many people do not "get" Lynch or think he is too bizarre or try too hard to find something,anything, in his work. Many think that he does not know how to make a REAL movie(i.e. linear plot with an ending that explains everything or ties up loose ends) as opposed to moving art(See any Roger Ebert review of any Lynch film). All you have to do is see this film to see Lynch's brilliance. Don't put too much into it, but don't dismiss it.