![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matt_zimmerAlso a review for the latest episode of TMNT: Back to the Sewer.
Heroes: "Volume Three: Villains-- Chapter One: The Second Coming"
I am about to become one of those people I never thought I'd be. Someone who mercilessly bashes Heroes even though the show delivered everything I had been complaining they didn't last season.
First off, the revelation that Future-Peter shot Nathan was only decent and not really all that shocking. I'm just pleasantly surprised they didn't go the obvious HRG route which is what I feared all summer. The problem with it being Future-Peter is that we don't know anything about him and since it's shown that alternate futures CAN be changed we don't know that we ever will.
I had been FURIOUS at the end of last season when it appeared that they killed Nathan off. But, if this is the Nathan we're going to be stuck with I'd rather he'd have gone out a martyr. It's SO obvious that he is on an unstoppable path to villainy and it's for quite an irksome reason: he found God.
Seriously? That's the best they can do? I'll admit religious people have their share of evil leaders and followers (it's a big part of the reason I constantly question my faith) but this is unbearably sloppy and cliched writing. I get that Hollywood is liberal (I am too) but this is about as subtle a turn of events as a ton of bricks dropping on a puppy. They even have him sucking up to right-wing politicians. It's just SO predictable and even though I always KNEW they were going to make Nathan evil when he DOES turn on Peter and become a Big Bad I wanted the brother on brother smack-down to MEAN something. Here, he's become conservative and it's why he's bad. I think conservatism is a remarkably bankrupt and stupid philosophy but even I can tell that the writers have really no idea how to turn Nathan into a real villain. Which is ironic because the guy who plays him was Jim Profit, one of the most evil television characters EVER. He can do this stuff in his sleep. It shouldn't be all that hard to give him a good motivation.
I'm also bummed that the series dropped the characters of Micah and Monica without giving their cliffhanger last season ANY closure. Sure we get Ali Larter playing a woman who may or may not be Niki but a whole cool sub-plot was unceremoniously dumped. They also made the mistake of shipping off Molly who was easily the most likable character on the show.
Oooh, and this year Suresh is different! Big change. He's still the idiot he always was except now he's in bed with the only character on the show even more annoying than he is. Suresh smash.
Greg Grunberg's Matt always works best interacting with different people so what do they do? Drop him in a desert. Alone.
Hiro's stuff? Unwatchable. I'll try to put words to my feelings of disgust in the next episode review.
I'm unsure about how I feel about Sylar successfully "getting" Claire. On the one hand this makes him pratically unstoppable and formidable and the scenes of him chasing Claire in her house were horror-movie-good. But this actually will make rewatching season one seem empty if "Saving the cheerleader = Saving the World" turns out to be much ado about nothing (if Claire can't die AND it was Nathan and not Claire who prevented Peter from blowing up New York what exactly is the threat in season one again?) I'm going to take a wait-and-see approach to see what the fall-out is here but after seeing the second episode I'm not optimistic.
VERY disappointing premiere. **.
Heroes "Chapter Two: The Butterfly Effect"
Not much better than chapter one and in some ways quite a bit worse. First off, the less said about the cliffhanger, the better. Me personally? That last scene is the point the series officially jumped the shark. It was inexcusable.
Why, oh WHY did they have to kill off Bob? Is turning things into gold a power the writers absolutely thought Sylar needed to have? Because unless Stephen Tobolowsky was playing hardball with his contract he should have been on the series as often as possible (and considering "That Guy" has roles in practically every movie and series ever made I somehow don't see him as a guy who plays contract hardball).
Good to see Elle again (Kristen Bell was labeled as a special guest star, as was David Anders who I didn't see one bit of. Did I miss him?).
The best scenes of the episode were between Angela and Future-Peter but I doubt Christine Rose will EVER be able to fully sell me on her character again after that cliffhanger.
Hiro. Hiro wants to be a hero SO badly he creates trouble rather than responding to it. I get that he has an active fantasy life but it seems to me this is the second crisis in a row that is ultimately started because Hiro was over-enthusiastic in trying to BE somebody special. Frankly, I'm not shocked that Future-Ando would find a need to off Hiro. If he keeps acting like he has been for the past two seasons he is such a huge liability that the world probably WOULD be better off.
Claire's drama is getting somewhat interesting but I can't help but feel the writers dropped a VERY huge ball that could have had HUGE repercussions and explained why Claire is so cranky in the future. Sylar took away her ability to feel pain and THAT'S what made her feel human? Lame.
What if the writers had gone the Metallo route and made it so Claire couldn't feel ANYTHING or any sensation? THAT would be a much worse burden for her to have and it would be easier for people in the audience to relate to because, face it, people don't LIKE having pain. The average person would think of this as a net win for Claire and think that her complaining about it is completely insane. Because it is. Now she is the third most powerful character on the show after Peter and Sylar. I can't relate to the idea that getting rid of pain is a bad thing if she STILL has the ability to feel other sensations.
Man, this episode was weak. Even more so than the first. *1/2.
TMNT: Back to the Sewer "Karate Schooled"
This was a good second episode that introduced us to Khan although I kind of wish he hadn't turned out to be a brain-washy cult leader. Thankfully it appears this concept will peter out after this episode but even though Casey IS a lunk-head it's hard to believe even he'd be this stupid.
I like April's new character design and how they all seem to be modeled after the CGI movie now. Good move for the show to cash in.
The time-travel concept of the Turtles already meeting Khan in the future makes my head hurt. Does this mean if the Turtles DO manage to stop their own deaths at the hand of Khan that Serling (and Cody's) future will be erased? The only way I can see out of this head-ache inducing paradox is for the Turtles to have to have faked their own deaths at some point in the near-future. I doubt the show will go in that direction but this and last episode are stretching time-travel rules to the limits.
Good episode. ****.
The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season:
The fifth year of The X-Files is generally considered by most fans to be the last "good" year of the show. I actually like the sixth season and the first half of seven a lot too but it's easy to see why a lot of fans feel this way. This was the last year that the show basically had Mulder and Scully investigating X-Files for the season without any interferences from either higher ups trying to shut them down or reluctant new partners who came aboard after David Duchovny bailed on the show full time at the end of season seven. And although season seven features Mulder and Scully in their original roles for the most part, it like Season Six becomes a wee bit too bogged down in their romantic relationship which is always at it's best when it's hinted at but never outright discussed.
This year is also interesting because Mulder and Scully almost seem to switch roles with Scully as the believer and Mulder as the skeptic for a good deal of the season. I'm still not convinced making Mulder a disbeliever for a whole season was the most logical path for the show to follow. And it's never really addressed in the movie Fight The Future (unfortunately out of print on DVD until December 2008) so we never actually understand why the writers felt the need to do this in the first place. Still, Gillian Anderson is a fabulous actress and putting her in positions where she has to question either her religious faith or her faith in science is riveting television.
The best episodes of the season are The Lone Gunmen Genesis episode (Unusual Suspects), the brilliant and expiremental feel-good episode (The Post-Modern Prometheus), the criminially underrated Stephen King-penned chiller (Chinga), the best mythology two-parter in years (Patient X/ The Red and the Black), the debut of Darin MacGavin as Arthur Dale (Travelers), the political thriller that throws twist after unexpected twist at the audience (The Pine Bluff Variant) and the solid season ender (The End).
There aren't really any outright BAD episodes this season but my least favorites are the weak conclusion to Scully's daughter arc (Emily), the spiritual mush-fest (All Souls), and the decent but not great postal episode (Folie a Deux). Season Overall: ****1/2.
Redux: All Lies Lead To The Truth. Very good season premiere which answered a lot of questions and gave us a great cliffhanger. Best part was Krischau's story of "the truth" with lots of cool graphics and footage from history. Bad parts: it's a little bit too late in the series' run to be questioning Skinner's loyalties at this point. Thankfully this and the conclusion are the final episodes in the series to do that. ****.
Redux II: I hate Bill Scully. With a white-hot passion. Other than the fact that he was in it I loved this episode. I loved how Samantha being "alive" was open-ended at this point in the series and not dealt with until later so Mulder still had some hope. Frankly I think CSM is lying about Krischau lying to Mulder. I KNOW his facts are wrong but I get the distinct impression he truly believed what he told Mulder. ****.
Unusual Suspects: The story of the birth of the Lone Gunmen and how they befriended Mulder is told in this episode. This episode is notable for many things not the least of which is turning John Fitzgerald Byers into an unlikely romantic leading hero and pretty much setting up the relationships between the three Lone Gunmen which would be further explored on their own spin-off. This is also X's last major role on the series and it's a doozy. It was SO great seeing Homicide: Life On The Street's John Munch (Richard Belzer) as the guy who interrogates Byers although his skeptical nature this episode doesn't exactly jibe with the government distrusting conspiracy theorist he was later portrayed as on Law and Order: SVU. A phenomenal episode that proved the Trio could handle their own series (even if thanks to Fox scheduling it was short-lived.) *****.
Detour: Y'know I hadn't realized it until now but it's been a loooooong time since this show actually did a good ol' fashioned monster episode. This was a good one. I especially like that everyone likable survived. Also good for Mulder / Scully shippers with some truly adorable banter. ****.
The Post-Modern Prometheus: A feel-good episode of the X-Files? It happened! And it's in black-and-white! This one answers the question "What would happen if Frankenstein had a SUPER happy ending?" (Look for Seinfeld's John O'Hurley as the mad scientist.) I love this episode so much. It would EASILY be the best episode of the series if Jose Chung's "From Outer Space" didn't exist. It's still my personal favorite and the best thing Chris Carter has ever written or directed. I literally cheer every time at the ending as Walking in Memphis plays while Mutato celebrates at the Cher concert. Outstanding and the best episode of the season. *****.
Christmas Carol: Very touching and sad episode that I really enjoyed. I loved how concerned Scully was for Emily and the lengths she went to to protect her. Also good to see Melinda McGraw again. ****.
Emily: Not as good as part one. I have to say I think this two-parter was stretched way too thin. It probably would have worked better as one episode. The ending was very sad but I think two episodes devoted to Emily were too much. ***.
Kitsunegari: Foxhunt. Pusher's back! And he's a good guy! (Sort of.) Lots of unexpected twists and turns which is pretty much all you can ask for in a sequel episode especially one in which the audience is already aware of the formula. Me likey. ****1/2.
Schizogeny: The story wasn't much but the episode had two really good things going for it: the creepy orchards at night and Sarah-Jane Redmond (Millennium) as the psychotic social worker. I'm pretty sure that the writers just decided to write an episode about both concepts and see what stuck. Because, really once you see those trees lined up in a row during the night fog you automatically get spooked. And watching Lucy Butler go nuts is money in the bank too. It's too bad the writers didn't bother adding anything else interesting. ***1/2.
Chinga: Mulder (excitedly): "You mean like Chucky?!" I have NO idea why this episode co-written by Stephen King gets such a bad rap among the fanbase. It takes a straight up horror tale and fits it PERFECTLY in the Ten-Thirteeniverse. LOTS of King mainstays here: the fundamentalist shrew who gets what's coming to her, the addlepated, yet kindly sheriff, and yes, it's set in Maine.The episode also has a great sense of humor about itself and the ridiculousness of the concept of killer dolls and takes the smart step of putting a lone Scully reluctantly in the Mulder role. About the only thing I can really complain about is that QUITE a few of the Vancouver based-actors have NO clue how to do a New England accent. You can't just phonetically say "a'yuh" and expect to be taken seriously by us Chowderheads. ****1/2.
Kill Switch: Cool episode that deals with the internet before the internet was cool. I liked this version of virtual reality too since it was never billed as such. ****.
Bad Blood: Vince Gilligan is a funny writer but he's just not in Darin Morgan's league. That said, seeing Luke Wilson as the vampire sheriff who may or may not have had buck teeth was great. I loved Scully's versions of events because that really seems to be how she sees Mulder and how I pretty much see him too. ****.
Patient X: It's been a while since the show has done a GOOD mythology episode, much less a two-parter so I'd say we were overdue. Really hot to hook up the two sexiest people on the show (Krycek and Marita Covarubbias) and I loved getting a firmer hint of what exactly the Syndicate is up to. Also the first appearance of Jeffrey Spender. ****1/2.
The Red and the Black: Resist Or Serve. Awesome conclusion. I like how at this point in the series Mulder and Scully's roles of believer and skeptic have been reversed. GREAT scene with Krycek and Mulder and I loved seeing the Well-Manicured Man get his hands dirty. And yes, Cancer Man is back. *****.
Travelers: Another wild prequel episode this one had coolness up the wazoo. Why is Mulder wearing a wedding ring and smoking? And how awesome was it to see Kolchak himself (Darin MacGavin) as the guy who founded the X-Files? Excellent social commentary on the fifties too. Look for Frederic Lane (Lost) as the young Arthur Dale. ****1/2.
Mind's Eye: I liked this one (written by Angel's Tim Minear) because of where it was going and where it ended up. Frankly, it was a pleasant surprise to see Blu Mankuma survive this episode along with Marti and I thought the ending was perfect. ****.
All Souls: This one had a lot of interesting religious concepts but it was somewhat slow-moving. Cool seeing Glenn Morshower (24) in a surprise role as a villain though. ***.
The Pine Bluff Variant: Very cool thriller episode dealing with paranoia, double-crosses, secrets and lies. VERY enjoyable. Look for Sam Anderson (Angel, Lost) as the government lawyer. Very unpredictable and neat. ****1/2.
Folie a Deux: Decent monster episode that puts Mulder through the wringer. I like Brian Markinson as the guy who goes nuts. And I was feeling for Mulder when Scully didn't believe him. ***.
The End: The End. Extremely well-written episode that sets up both the next season and the movie. This is also the Well-Manicured Man's last episode (he died in the movie) so it only made sense they end-billed him in the guest cast credits as a tribute. I'll miss him. Look for Gibson Praise to be watching Fox cartoons on TV (The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Silver Surfer) and Mimi Roger's first appearance as Diana Fowley. *****.
Deleted Scenes: The Post-Modern Prometeus: These scenes featuring Johnny Weiner and a weiner dog are SO funny but, face it the episode was already perfect as is. ****.
Deleted Scene: Christmas Carol: This is the first meeting between Scully and her daughter and it is VERY cool. I wish it had been in the episode. ****1/2.
Deleted Scene: The Red and the Black: Do you want to know what Mulder's most annoying characteristic is? He ALWAYS has to be right even if his own beliefs flip back and forth. Frankly, Scully is a saint for putting up with him. **1/2.
Deleted Scenes: All Souls: I like these two little scenes a lot as they fleshed out the story a bit. ****.
Beetlejuice:
Tim Burton's first big-budget film is a doozy with a LOT of great visuals, effects and characters. I love the concept of a "bio-exorcist" and I personally think Beetlejuice is the best role of Micheal Keaton's entire career. He's such a great character and unique among ANY TV or movie character in that EVERY single one of his lines and scenes are hilarious and absolutely perfect. You don't get that kind of hit ratio with even the best of characters.
The movie was probably able to do that because the movie itself only briefly features the title character in the middle and at the very end so everytime he's on-screen you REALLY appreciate and enjoy it.
Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are great as the dead couple, Adam and Barbara and Winona Ryder is nowhere near as annoying as I remembered her as Lydia. I especially loved the exciting climax and the wonky Sandworms of Saturn. I love the rules the movie set up between the living and the dead.
I think my favorite character outside of Beetlejuice is Uncle Otho (played by Glen Shadix, who was the Brain on Teen Titans) who is deliciously smarmy and hilarious. I love that Catherine O'Hara's Delia is constantly humiliated by the writers and is afforded no respect.
The movie is also notable for both Danny Elfman's brilliant musical score and the huge number of Harry Belafante songs. I especially liked the demon-possessed party-goers version of the Banana Boat Song.
Tim Burton is in my mind a VERY shaky director in the sense that a lot of his movies offer WAY too much style over substance. Both of his Batman movies and Edward Scissorhands are messes and even The Nightmare Before Christmas isn't perfect. I think this movie along with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Ed Wood are Burton's best films and a real treat overall. *****.
Beetlejuice: The Animated Series:
"A-Ha!": I hadn't seen the animated series in years so it was kind of cool to see it again in these extra cartoons on the Deluxe Edition DVD. It IS however kind of bad and doesn't hold up so well. It's no worse than Tiny Toons or Animaniacs but coming from me, that's not a compliment. I think the character of Beetlejuice is WAY too punny on this show and not as nasty as he was in the film which was a big part of his appeal. This episode, in which he dresses up as a Sherlock Holmes character to find Doom Buggy wasn't very good. **1/2.
"Skeletons in the Closet": The best of the cartoons on the Deluxe Edition DVD probably because it's one of the earlier GOOD cartoons from the shows run. I still remember "Beetlejuice bothered your dog". ***1/2.
"Spooky Boo-Tique": This was pretty awful. It definitely came during the latter part of the show's run. *1/2.
Heroes: "Volume Three: Villains-- Chapter One: The Second Coming"
I am about to become one of those people I never thought I'd be. Someone who mercilessly bashes Heroes even though the show delivered everything I had been complaining they didn't last season.
First off, the revelation that Future-Peter shot Nathan was only decent and not really all that shocking. I'm just pleasantly surprised they didn't go the obvious HRG route which is what I feared all summer. The problem with it being Future-Peter is that we don't know anything about him and since it's shown that alternate futures CAN be changed we don't know that we ever will.
I had been FURIOUS at the end of last season when it appeared that they killed Nathan off. But, if this is the Nathan we're going to be stuck with I'd rather he'd have gone out a martyr. It's SO obvious that he is on an unstoppable path to villainy and it's for quite an irksome reason: he found God.
Seriously? That's the best they can do? I'll admit religious people have their share of evil leaders and followers (it's a big part of the reason I constantly question my faith) but this is unbearably sloppy and cliched writing. I get that Hollywood is liberal (I am too) but this is about as subtle a turn of events as a ton of bricks dropping on a puppy. They even have him sucking up to right-wing politicians. It's just SO predictable and even though I always KNEW they were going to make Nathan evil when he DOES turn on Peter and become a Big Bad I wanted the brother on brother smack-down to MEAN something. Here, he's become conservative and it's why he's bad. I think conservatism is a remarkably bankrupt and stupid philosophy but even I can tell that the writers have really no idea how to turn Nathan into a real villain. Which is ironic because the guy who plays him was Jim Profit, one of the most evil television characters EVER. He can do this stuff in his sleep. It shouldn't be all that hard to give him a good motivation.
I'm also bummed that the series dropped the characters of Micah and Monica without giving their cliffhanger last season ANY closure. Sure we get Ali Larter playing a woman who may or may not be Niki but a whole cool sub-plot was unceremoniously dumped. They also made the mistake of shipping off Molly who was easily the most likable character on the show.
Oooh, and this year Suresh is different! Big change. He's still the idiot he always was except now he's in bed with the only character on the show even more annoying than he is. Suresh smash.
Greg Grunberg's Matt always works best interacting with different people so what do they do? Drop him in a desert. Alone.
Hiro's stuff? Unwatchable. I'll try to put words to my feelings of disgust in the next episode review.
I'm unsure about how I feel about Sylar successfully "getting" Claire. On the one hand this makes him pratically unstoppable and formidable and the scenes of him chasing Claire in her house were horror-movie-good. But this actually will make rewatching season one seem empty if "Saving the cheerleader = Saving the World" turns out to be much ado about nothing (if Claire can't die AND it was Nathan and not Claire who prevented Peter from blowing up New York what exactly is the threat in season one again?) I'm going to take a wait-and-see approach to see what the fall-out is here but after seeing the second episode I'm not optimistic.
VERY disappointing premiere. **.
Heroes "Chapter Two: The Butterfly Effect"
Not much better than chapter one and in some ways quite a bit worse. First off, the less said about the cliffhanger, the better. Me personally? That last scene is the point the series officially jumped the shark. It was inexcusable.
Why, oh WHY did they have to kill off Bob? Is turning things into gold a power the writers absolutely thought Sylar needed to have? Because unless Stephen Tobolowsky was playing hardball with his contract he should have been on the series as often as possible (and considering "That Guy" has roles in practically every movie and series ever made I somehow don't see him as a guy who plays contract hardball).
Good to see Elle again (Kristen Bell was labeled as a special guest star, as was David Anders who I didn't see one bit of. Did I miss him?).
The best scenes of the episode were between Angela and Future-Peter but I doubt Christine Rose will EVER be able to fully sell me on her character again after that cliffhanger.
Hiro. Hiro wants to be a hero SO badly he creates trouble rather than responding to it. I get that he has an active fantasy life but it seems to me this is the second crisis in a row that is ultimately started because Hiro was over-enthusiastic in trying to BE somebody special. Frankly, I'm not shocked that Future-Ando would find a need to off Hiro. If he keeps acting like he has been for the past two seasons he is such a huge liability that the world probably WOULD be better off.
Claire's drama is getting somewhat interesting but I can't help but feel the writers dropped a VERY huge ball that could have had HUGE repercussions and explained why Claire is so cranky in the future. Sylar took away her ability to feel pain and THAT'S what made her feel human? Lame.
What if the writers had gone the Metallo route and made it so Claire couldn't feel ANYTHING or any sensation? THAT would be a much worse burden for her to have and it would be easier for people in the audience to relate to because, face it, people don't LIKE having pain. The average person would think of this as a net win for Claire and think that her complaining about it is completely insane. Because it is. Now she is the third most powerful character on the show after Peter and Sylar. I can't relate to the idea that getting rid of pain is a bad thing if she STILL has the ability to feel other sensations.
Man, this episode was weak. Even more so than the first. *1/2.
TMNT: Back to the Sewer "Karate Schooled"
This was a good second episode that introduced us to Khan although I kind of wish he hadn't turned out to be a brain-washy cult leader. Thankfully it appears this concept will peter out after this episode but even though Casey IS a lunk-head it's hard to believe even he'd be this stupid.
I like April's new character design and how they all seem to be modeled after the CGI movie now. Good move for the show to cash in.
The time-travel concept of the Turtles already meeting Khan in the future makes my head hurt. Does this mean if the Turtles DO manage to stop their own deaths at the hand of Khan that Serling (and Cody's) future will be erased? The only way I can see out of this head-ache inducing paradox is for the Turtles to have to have faked their own deaths at some point in the near-future. I doubt the show will go in that direction but this and last episode are stretching time-travel rules to the limits.
Good episode. ****.
The X-Files: The Complete Fifth Season:
The fifth year of The X-Files is generally considered by most fans to be the last "good" year of the show. I actually like the sixth season and the first half of seven a lot too but it's easy to see why a lot of fans feel this way. This was the last year that the show basically had Mulder and Scully investigating X-Files for the season without any interferences from either higher ups trying to shut them down or reluctant new partners who came aboard after David Duchovny bailed on the show full time at the end of season seven. And although season seven features Mulder and Scully in their original roles for the most part, it like Season Six becomes a wee bit too bogged down in their romantic relationship which is always at it's best when it's hinted at but never outright discussed.
This year is also interesting because Mulder and Scully almost seem to switch roles with Scully as the believer and Mulder as the skeptic for a good deal of the season. I'm still not convinced making Mulder a disbeliever for a whole season was the most logical path for the show to follow. And it's never really addressed in the movie Fight The Future (unfortunately out of print on DVD until December 2008) so we never actually understand why the writers felt the need to do this in the first place. Still, Gillian Anderson is a fabulous actress and putting her in positions where she has to question either her religious faith or her faith in science is riveting television.
The best episodes of the season are The Lone Gunmen Genesis episode (Unusual Suspects), the brilliant and expiremental feel-good episode (The Post-Modern Prometheus), the criminially underrated Stephen King-penned chiller (Chinga), the best mythology two-parter in years (Patient X/ The Red and the Black), the debut of Darin MacGavin as Arthur Dale (Travelers), the political thriller that throws twist after unexpected twist at the audience (The Pine Bluff Variant) and the solid season ender (The End).
There aren't really any outright BAD episodes this season but my least favorites are the weak conclusion to Scully's daughter arc (Emily), the spiritual mush-fest (All Souls), and the decent but not great postal episode (Folie a Deux). Season Overall: ****1/2.
Redux: All Lies Lead To The Truth. Very good season premiere which answered a lot of questions and gave us a great cliffhanger. Best part was Krischau's story of "the truth" with lots of cool graphics and footage from history. Bad parts: it's a little bit too late in the series' run to be questioning Skinner's loyalties at this point. Thankfully this and the conclusion are the final episodes in the series to do that. ****.
Redux II: I hate Bill Scully. With a white-hot passion. Other than the fact that he was in it I loved this episode. I loved how Samantha being "alive" was open-ended at this point in the series and not dealt with until later so Mulder still had some hope. Frankly I think CSM is lying about Krischau lying to Mulder. I KNOW his facts are wrong but I get the distinct impression he truly believed what he told Mulder. ****.
Unusual Suspects: The story of the birth of the Lone Gunmen and how they befriended Mulder is told in this episode. This episode is notable for many things not the least of which is turning John Fitzgerald Byers into an unlikely romantic leading hero and pretty much setting up the relationships between the three Lone Gunmen which would be further explored on their own spin-off. This is also X's last major role on the series and it's a doozy. It was SO great seeing Homicide: Life On The Street's John Munch (Richard Belzer) as the guy who interrogates Byers although his skeptical nature this episode doesn't exactly jibe with the government distrusting conspiracy theorist he was later portrayed as on Law and Order: SVU. A phenomenal episode that proved the Trio could handle their own series (even if thanks to Fox scheduling it was short-lived.) *****.
Detour: Y'know I hadn't realized it until now but it's been a loooooong time since this show actually did a good ol' fashioned monster episode. This was a good one. I especially like that everyone likable survived. Also good for Mulder / Scully shippers with some truly adorable banter. ****.
The Post-Modern Prometheus: A feel-good episode of the X-Files? It happened! And it's in black-and-white! This one answers the question "What would happen if Frankenstein had a SUPER happy ending?" (Look for Seinfeld's John O'Hurley as the mad scientist.) I love this episode so much. It would EASILY be the best episode of the series if Jose Chung's "From Outer Space" didn't exist. It's still my personal favorite and the best thing Chris Carter has ever written or directed. I literally cheer every time at the ending as Walking in Memphis plays while Mutato celebrates at the Cher concert. Outstanding and the best episode of the season. *****.
Christmas Carol: Very touching and sad episode that I really enjoyed. I loved how concerned Scully was for Emily and the lengths she went to to protect her. Also good to see Melinda McGraw again. ****.
Emily: Not as good as part one. I have to say I think this two-parter was stretched way too thin. It probably would have worked better as one episode. The ending was very sad but I think two episodes devoted to Emily were too much. ***.
Kitsunegari: Foxhunt. Pusher's back! And he's a good guy! (Sort of.) Lots of unexpected twists and turns which is pretty much all you can ask for in a sequel episode especially one in which the audience is already aware of the formula. Me likey. ****1/2.
Schizogeny: The story wasn't much but the episode had two really good things going for it: the creepy orchards at night and Sarah-Jane Redmond (Millennium) as the psychotic social worker. I'm pretty sure that the writers just decided to write an episode about both concepts and see what stuck. Because, really once you see those trees lined up in a row during the night fog you automatically get spooked. And watching Lucy Butler go nuts is money in the bank too. It's too bad the writers didn't bother adding anything else interesting. ***1/2.
Chinga: Mulder (excitedly): "You mean like Chucky?!" I have NO idea why this episode co-written by Stephen King gets such a bad rap among the fanbase. It takes a straight up horror tale and fits it PERFECTLY in the Ten-Thirteeniverse. LOTS of King mainstays here: the fundamentalist shrew who gets what's coming to her, the addlepated, yet kindly sheriff, and yes, it's set in Maine.The episode also has a great sense of humor about itself and the ridiculousness of the concept of killer dolls and takes the smart step of putting a lone Scully reluctantly in the Mulder role. About the only thing I can really complain about is that QUITE a few of the Vancouver based-actors have NO clue how to do a New England accent. You can't just phonetically say "a'yuh" and expect to be taken seriously by us Chowderheads. ****1/2.
Kill Switch: Cool episode that deals with the internet before the internet was cool. I liked this version of virtual reality too since it was never billed as such. ****.
Bad Blood: Vince Gilligan is a funny writer but he's just not in Darin Morgan's league. That said, seeing Luke Wilson as the vampire sheriff who may or may not have had buck teeth was great. I loved Scully's versions of events because that really seems to be how she sees Mulder and how I pretty much see him too. ****.
Patient X: It's been a while since the show has done a GOOD mythology episode, much less a two-parter so I'd say we were overdue. Really hot to hook up the two sexiest people on the show (Krycek and Marita Covarubbias) and I loved getting a firmer hint of what exactly the Syndicate is up to. Also the first appearance of Jeffrey Spender. ****1/2.
The Red and the Black: Resist Or Serve. Awesome conclusion. I like how at this point in the series Mulder and Scully's roles of believer and skeptic have been reversed. GREAT scene with Krycek and Mulder and I loved seeing the Well-Manicured Man get his hands dirty. And yes, Cancer Man is back. *****.
Travelers: Another wild prequel episode this one had coolness up the wazoo. Why is Mulder wearing a wedding ring and smoking? And how awesome was it to see Kolchak himself (Darin MacGavin) as the guy who founded the X-Files? Excellent social commentary on the fifties too. Look for Frederic Lane (Lost) as the young Arthur Dale. ****1/2.
Mind's Eye: I liked this one (written by Angel's Tim Minear) because of where it was going and where it ended up. Frankly, it was a pleasant surprise to see Blu Mankuma survive this episode along with Marti and I thought the ending was perfect. ****.
All Souls: This one had a lot of interesting religious concepts but it was somewhat slow-moving. Cool seeing Glenn Morshower (24) in a surprise role as a villain though. ***.
The Pine Bluff Variant: Very cool thriller episode dealing with paranoia, double-crosses, secrets and lies. VERY enjoyable. Look for Sam Anderson (Angel, Lost) as the government lawyer. Very unpredictable and neat. ****1/2.
Folie a Deux: Decent monster episode that puts Mulder through the wringer. I like Brian Markinson as the guy who goes nuts. And I was feeling for Mulder when Scully didn't believe him. ***.
The End: The End. Extremely well-written episode that sets up both the next season and the movie. This is also the Well-Manicured Man's last episode (he died in the movie) so it only made sense they end-billed him in the guest cast credits as a tribute. I'll miss him. Look for Gibson Praise to be watching Fox cartoons on TV (The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Silver Surfer) and Mimi Roger's first appearance as Diana Fowley. *****.
Deleted Scenes: The Post-Modern Prometeus: These scenes featuring Johnny Weiner and a weiner dog are SO funny but, face it the episode was already perfect as is. ****.
Deleted Scene: Christmas Carol: This is the first meeting between Scully and her daughter and it is VERY cool. I wish it had been in the episode. ****1/2.
Deleted Scene: The Red and the Black: Do you want to know what Mulder's most annoying characteristic is? He ALWAYS has to be right even if his own beliefs flip back and forth. Frankly, Scully is a saint for putting up with him. **1/2.
Deleted Scenes: All Souls: I like these two little scenes a lot as they fleshed out the story a bit. ****.
Beetlejuice:
Tim Burton's first big-budget film is a doozy with a LOT of great visuals, effects and characters. I love the concept of a "bio-exorcist" and I personally think Beetlejuice is the best role of Micheal Keaton's entire career. He's such a great character and unique among ANY TV or movie character in that EVERY single one of his lines and scenes are hilarious and absolutely perfect. You don't get that kind of hit ratio with even the best of characters.
The movie was probably able to do that because the movie itself only briefly features the title character in the middle and at the very end so everytime he's on-screen you REALLY appreciate and enjoy it.
Alec Baldwin and Geena Davis are great as the dead couple, Adam and Barbara and Winona Ryder is nowhere near as annoying as I remembered her as Lydia. I especially loved the exciting climax and the wonky Sandworms of Saturn. I love the rules the movie set up between the living and the dead.
I think my favorite character outside of Beetlejuice is Uncle Otho (played by Glen Shadix, who was the Brain on Teen Titans) who is deliciously smarmy and hilarious. I love that Catherine O'Hara's Delia is constantly humiliated by the writers and is afforded no respect.
The movie is also notable for both Danny Elfman's brilliant musical score and the huge number of Harry Belafante songs. I especially liked the demon-possessed party-goers version of the Banana Boat Song.
Tim Burton is in my mind a VERY shaky director in the sense that a lot of his movies offer WAY too much style over substance. Both of his Batman movies and Edward Scissorhands are messes and even The Nightmare Before Christmas isn't perfect. I think this movie along with Pee-Wee's Big Adventure and Ed Wood are Burton's best films and a real treat overall. *****.
Beetlejuice: The Animated Series:
"A-Ha!": I hadn't seen the animated series in years so it was kind of cool to see it again in these extra cartoons on the Deluxe Edition DVD. It IS however kind of bad and doesn't hold up so well. It's no worse than Tiny Toons or Animaniacs but coming from me, that's not a compliment. I think the character of Beetlejuice is WAY too punny on this show and not as nasty as he was in the film which was a big part of his appeal. This episode, in which he dresses up as a Sherlock Holmes character to find Doom Buggy wasn't very good. **1/2.
"Skeletons in the Closet": The best of the cartoons on the Deluxe Edition DVD probably because it's one of the earlier GOOD cartoons from the shows run. I still remember "Beetlejuice bothered your dog". ***1/2.
"Spooky Boo-Tique": This was pretty awful. It definitely came during the latter part of the show's run. *1/2.
Tags:
- batman (film),
- batman returns,
- beetlejuice,
- buffy the vampire slayer and angel,
- ed wood,
- heroes,
- lost,
- millennium,
- pee-wee's big adventure,
- profit,
- stephen king,
- superman: the animated series,
- teen titans,
- teenage mutant ninja turtles,
- the incredible hulk (film),
- the lone gunmen,
- the nightmare before christmas,
- the simpsons,
- the x-files
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2008-09-25 10:45 pm (UTC)I don't think they killed off Bob to give Sylar his power, just to give Elle more motivation and to put her in an interesting position of losing her job. I don't like that they killed him either, though. David Anders was in Angela Petrelli's vision, he and the others were all shadowy, though. We're probably seeing just the beginning of what Claire's new power is, so maybe she will go a Metallo-like route.
Beetlejuice has always been a favorite movie of mine, I agree, Keaton is amazing in it. Although I have to admit, I am a bit of a Burton fan. How many episodes of the show are on the deluxe DVD? I know the puns were corny, but the musical sting that followed it cracked me up.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-26 02:16 pm (UTC)Three twelve minute cartoons are on the Beetlejuice DVD. They each have the opening theme and end credits though so they play like entire episodes.
no subject
Date: 2008-09-30 04:07 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-09-30 12:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-05 11:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-10-06 01:48 am (UTC)