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Arrow: Schism (2016)
How to Stop a Show from being a Disaster...Even with Horrid Writing
As I've tried to understand the freaky shows of the fourth season of the Arrow, I realized that the shows were much better than the last two seasons, but the writing was still poor.
What saved it? The producers, and more importantly...cash. And when I mean producers, I mean the heads of CW.
There was a lot of re-shooting through out the entire fourth season. Name an instance? Well...There was the scene when Oliver came back to the Arrow cave, after a capture. He asked for an update. Felicity says that Darke's "Hacker" was doing a dastardly deed. Considering that she was the "Hacker's" ex, she couldn't name Cooper?
This wasn't the first. Most of the critiques of this season's Arrow, all pointed to things that happen in re-shoots. Like when Felicity goes to an underground casino, and the next scene she, a non battle-tech, is in a totally different outfit? The same outfit that she was wearing when she was matching wits with Cooper?
There were lines that many characters would never have said. There were many lines that characters should not have known.
The good news? The fourth season was better paced than the second or third seasons. Editing...another sign of re-shooting.
Could the numerous criticisms of the show have reached the CW? Or was this just research groups noticing the banality of the writing? Or was this that many thought Arrow was soon to be gone? Or was this just to increase the presence of a fan favorite like Filicity?
Whatever. The shows were okay. Considering how bad the second and third season were, this was surprising.
Locke & Key (2020)
PG-17 ???
If you have kids, or care for kids, pre-watch the third season before you give them the okay to get involved with this show. There is some insane gun play in here. (Hey, kids can be shot. They'll be fine.)
I had no problem with the Harry Potter stuff. Someone who says die with a magic wand? Got it.
The first season of Locke & Key, with a family dealing with emotional fallout of a gun tragedy? I had no problems with that either.
But it went downhill quick.
I would go in more details, but I want everyone to have the option of reading this.
Arrow: The Offer (2015)
What a "hero" does...
Hmmm...in this episode, The Arrow prevents justice to a mass murder who killed his father. But he takes a critical shot on a revenge seeking man who was tortured by the police into a false confession????
This show is getting worse as it continues.
Arrow: Heir to the Demon (2014)
Overwrought Melodrama
I don't know what happened between the first season and the second. They had pretty much the same writers. But where as the first season soared, this season was lame from the beginning.
Did they have ghost writers the first season? Was that what saved them?
I'll try to give my opinion without poking at the shows surprises. Even though they seemed timid, surprises are one of the main works of writers. But just as a candy bars from a rich daddy can be a disappointing surprise at Christmas; these story surprises were just as underwhelming. (aka Sara's love life.)
And...manipulative.
The first season of Arrow was action packed; and, yes, at the end it demanded that the characters and their motivations change. Then just like every other TV show, these writers and producers were going to have to give episodes of character development and story development. Not every TV show could focus on plots only when they had to arrange writing.
Strangely, these writers felt that they could toss out those necessary details and give us the CW's Soap Opera, instead.
Actually, that's unfair to Soap Operas. Soap operas spend most of their time on character and story development. They wouldn't exploit a story like...Laura's addiction. (Not a surprise of this episode.)
How can I say it's 'exploited"? Tell me what Laura's addicted to. She's been popping pills for the past six episodes. The viewer still dosen't know what she's popping, what effect it has on her body...other than the fact that she's got a smile on her face. Any idea of the negatives? They aren't covered.
A script that won't cover the details of anything?
Sad.
Doctor Who: The Christmas Invasion (2005)
A Weak "Independence Day"
Not a great start to Tenant's time as the Doctor. Instead of forging their own sci-fi, they try and do things that they missed since the Doctor was on hiatus...which is why they seem to have sent the doctor to the Independence Day universe.
Also, whereas, the Eccleston year spent most of the time establishing emotional fronts to the new storyline; it seems that the only thing they seem to consentrate on is how England would have handled an alien invasion.
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman: A Time to Heal: Part 1 (1997)
Too Close to Home...
Watching this during the Covid pandemic is really disturbing. As I sit and hear the characters worry about the economy while people are dying.... Well, to say the least, the script is accurate. This was filmed 22 years before my reference point.
Doctors fighting over which treatments to use? Evacuations? Supply trains avoiding the sick towns?
If you are looking for realism, it's here.
Star Trek: Voyager: Muse (2000)
The Vulkin in Love!
In a lift of the award winning Shakespeare in Love, B'Elaana crash-lands on a hidden planet (cue the final scene of said movie); and provides inspiration to a local playwright.
It's an okay episode. No, Voyager does not get closer to home. Nor is there character development. If anything, Joe Menosky, Fuller and Taylor focuses most of their messages to the criticism they had been receiving at the time from both fans and professionals.
As actors of the plays struggle with the characters of the shipmates, most of the complaints of the actors mirrored the complaints of the viewing audience.
Not bad. Just okay.
Dark Matter: I've Seen the Other Side of You (2016)
They jumped.
Supposedly, after you finish a script it gets to the producer's office. There they approve it or don't. They have lot's of reason's as to why they don't approve it, but three are classic:
You don't jump the shark. It can wreck a show. See "Happy Days".
You don't reveal the underlining emotions to the audience before the end. It invites the audience to tune out before the story is finished. Check out "Moonlighting".
And you don't have your main characters betray their main purpose if you expect an audience to keep watching. As can be seen from the very negative reviews, that's what happened on this show. In fact all three happened.
Three of the main crew members of Raza regain the memories that they had been searching for since the series began. That's not a spoiler. That's what they advertised.
And they target the other four members of the crew for extinction. But their fight's don't matter. It's all about Five trying to put Two, Three and Four back in the bottle.
This script never should have gotten beyond the pitch stage. It doesn't work to introduce the three new members of the show. It works to keep them apart. It doesn't tell the audience anything new. The watchers of this show already knew these crew members weren't good guys.
Also, this situation develops because they are trying to fix Android. She lets their true memories slip out. But since the first show she has said that their was noting that she could do to help them learn about themselves. But now we have to think that she has a hidden agenda that they never hinted at, nor explore or explain.
And, no, it's not a good action script.
Further, it exposes holes in the actors' performances as well as poor writing. When you write a personality change, an actor needs more than what is provided in this script. Shooting off a gun and making pronouncements don't show a personality change, they show a tired script.
Babylon Berlin: Episode #1.1 (2017)
Interesting
I decided to give this series a try, and since this is the first episode I admit that I am pleasently surprised. The first show was visually arresting. I rewound many of the scenes because the composition was stark.
It was also well written. They compose the script in a mini-series style, even though this is a regular series. They have many headliner characters all with different dramas. There doesn't seem to be a main event that will solve all there problems, like most mini-series; however, let's let the story develop.
There are a lot of storylines covering an entire historical period. This was a great beginning, so I'll try following it for awhile.
I didn't like the dubs, though.
Veronica Mars: Not Pictured (2006)
The Butler Did It.
This was a jaw dropper episode. It was pretty much up there with the Elevator episode from LA Law as a well held surprise. And it wasn't shocking that UPN couldn't get casual viewers to the tube to watch it.
UPN was that bad of a network.
It wasn't the reveal of the Bus terrorist that garnered my high rating. It was that and the sub stories: Veronika's "What If" Dream. Jackie Cook's conversion to a great character, and her determination to not give that up. Vinnie Van Lowe's and Keith Mars' partnership. Principal Clemmon's final conversation with Veronica. And Weevil's "march" to graduation. All these scenes were something to remember.
The culprit's reveal, however, was well underplayed - straight out of an Agatha Christie pulp novel. As they watch the reveal, the viewer will only wonder why they didn't catch on sooner.
MacGyver: The Assassin (1986)
Q up the Villain
"Intelligence" (?) has uncovered an assassination plot of an unknown target. The Phoenix Foundation (PF) suspects that the operative involved will be an explosive expert that the international community has been after for a long time. PF believes one of the assassin's associates is a clock maker who creates bomb triggers. After detaining the craftsman, they assign the freelancer MacGyver on forensics duty in the watch shop to find evidence to prove their theory. Then the Assassin, Piedra (Anthony De Longis) shows up.
Finally, MacGyver is provided a villain. Not every story has to have one. But when you have an original character such as MacGyver, you need more than the cookie cutter opponents that he has previously faced in the first twenty plus shows. The assassin is a well-drawn adversary who uses a technique that MacGyver would be fascinated by: gussy up common household items to be fatal. Some of these items have been on display in Bond films...hence, my title. All of them are items that MacGyver lusts after.
The script for The Assassin was the most ambitious of MacGyver's first season. It has five major locations of interest, and it stacks each with well written supporting characters. The teleplay has a compelling side story of revenge against the assassin by a survivor – sister – of one of his fallen patsies. This tale leads off the narrative, and competes with the main: the audience has a tension of wondering who will get the assassin, the victim's sister, or MacGyver. In all honesty, Terrie Ross ( Corinne Bohrer) – The Survivor – is one of the five best supporting characters created for the entire run.
The Assassin was written by James Schmerer, and was his last project for the series. Schmerer had previously written for the original Hawaii Five-O, Starkey and Hutch, and The Six Million Dollar Man...pretty much seventies pulp serials. As can be gleamed from Schmerer's past work, he took law enforcement work seriously - hence the first believable assignment for Agent MacGyver. Schmerer knew how to write a mystery procedural.
Most of Schmerer's stories for MacGyver were written for an adult audience. He infused them with themes of psychology, vengeance, sexuality, the profits of murder, corruption, fatalities and dangers of the people who choose law enforcement, and anxieties about work performance. None of Scmerer's adversaries for MacGyver were intimidated by the badge; and all resorted to torture and killing to get their way.
(These themes wouldn't carry further as it was obvious that MacGyver wanted to trend to a much younger viewership.)
One other major production standout: Pam Pilifroni, the casting director. With complex location settings, she had to cast several actors who could nail their characters with one line or less. Add that to the facts she also found one of the best in both supporting characters and villains for the series, and you can see she did a yeoman's job.
I give this a 7.5.
MacGyver (1985)
A Great Concept that Could Have Been Better.
When I watched the original broadcasts of MacGyver, I had a lot of conflicting opinions: I loved the Science aspects of it. The fact that a house contained many over the counter items that were dangerous to a mind that knows science was something that had never been seriously explored in any type of series before this show premiered. And if nothing else, I always err on giving original ideas a try. But this wasn't a science fiction show. If they had tried to be, I doubt they would have gotten on the air.
Science Fiction was all the rage in the movie theaters with the original trilogy of Star Wars just finishing up, Terminator and Aliens having great receptions, and the Star Trek adaptations being a monster hit. But even though Star Trek had three hundred-million dollar films in a row, the spin-off, Star Trek: Generations- which came out at the same time as MacGyver - couldn't get a network to broadcast it.
MacGyver mostly concentrated on the spy-fi aspects of the show, which was a grave mistake. Whereas the creative team made a great decision to keep the science somewhat real, Producers Henry Winkler & John Rich; and the Creator of the show, Lee David Zlotoff (plus, whoever was the show runner – if they had a show runner) simply had no reasonable knowledge of the spy community, and the show suffered. Add to that the fact that the show got life due to the break-out success of writer Tom Clancy - a technical wizard of how the spy/military community worked, and the show was instantly behind the eight-ball.
There were several episodes that had plot holes that one could drive an RV through. MacGyver had no concept of keeping his ID a secret - which led to bad guys coming after his family for revenge plots. A concept that got praise from the political community - MacGyver refused to use guns to shoot his assailants, even to just shoot them in the leg - led to many twisted adventures in which MacGyver would place the villains and innocent bystanders in more physical jeopardy by blowing something up to stop their attack. And the Phoenix Foundation, which employed MacGyver, seemed to lack the knowledge of how the laws of the United States worked much less the inner working of the minds of America's threats.
As far as plots were concerned, there were three types of shows the first season:
A Handy Man at the Right Place, and Right Time
These were by far the best of the shows. It had MacGyver be an adventurer more like Indiana Jones, and Science took center stage. They covered everything from Wildcatting to Nuclear Power Plants
MacGyver, established operative
With the exception of the breakout sections most of these shows were the poorest written of the stories. It involved MacGyver going on assignment, but without having any clear idea of what a spy does or a spy agency for that fact. It's not like I know, but there were more than a few times that MacGyver would give out his agency's address and phone number, and ask some stranger to just make contact. At the end of every show, every character would know that character was a spy and working for a top-secret organization that was always named. Some secret ID.
Propaganda
Basically, there was a Soviet plot everywhere. Not to dismiss the Russians, but it was incredible that so many Russian spies were operating unimpeded in the United States. That was the opinion back then. Now? Living in the age of Trump? With everyone knowing who the Russian spies are, with the possible exception of the Donald, and all of those spies under surveillance, these stories seem even more impossible.
What Rich/Winkler/Zlotoff did do right was mix a seventies action show philosophy with low budget special effects. Their unit teams were top notch, and never once did anyone watch their shows and accuse them of cheesy special effects or production values. This made the science seem more urgent, and gave a tension to science never before shown. Would the Science work? Would it be effective? There were several stories in which MacGyver faced intimidating technology only to bend it to his knowledge of the science behind it. This fueled a hunger of Science in the show's audience. (Which backfired on adult watchers: As the show became popular, the creative team devolved the character into a role model and went for kid friendly plots.)
Also, the creative team scored big by giving the lead role to Richard Dean Anderson, who created a complete lead character that had never been allowed in either a science fiction show nor a spy-fi adventure before this show's run. He was modest, self-effacing, aloof, and yet still an action hero. He didn't know everything about science, just enough to get him out of jams. MacGyver often used science that seemed to point to some say a prayer plot. (Save me! Please) But as the character would often say: He was open to a better plan. Without this deep mannered portrayal, Mulder of the X-Files could not have existed. (Again, Anderson's good work goes out the window after season one.)
MacGyver was a great idea that needed a stronger creative team(...maybe one that would have tried to keep this a serious show after the first season?) Could you imagine what would have happened had they had someone with the technical knowledge of Tom Clancy as a co-Creator of the show, and Stephen J. Cannell as the Producer? But as it is, the show is just sort of maddening.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Extreme Measures (1999)
The Unfinished Business of Julian and Miles
Dr. Bashir discovers that Odo's disease was the result of germ warfare started by Starfleet's cloak and dagger organization, Section 31. After weeks of attempts at creating a cure, however, Bashir becomes frustrated as Odo lies dying in the infirmary.
Chief O'Brien has a hunch that Section 31 might have a cure for the plague, or at least some research that might advance Bashir's efforts. Miles suggests to his war games buddy that they lure Section 31 to DS9 by having Bashir announce to Starfleet Medical that the good doctor has found a cure for the Plague. Showing that they both have spent too much time in the holo-suites, Julian agrees to the plan, and devises a way to coerce the needed information out of the operative that shows up.
Luther Sloan - the only operative of Section 31 that has been identified, at that time, to Star Trek fans - shows up. And he frustrates the hologram warriors by showing that he's not so easily coerced.
This is not a stand alone episode. This is episode seven in a nine episode arc that finishes business on DS9. And part of that unfinished business up until now is the unanswered questions in the relationship of Miles and Julian. Even though the episode creates a story time unique to DS9, it relies on what has gone before. Think of it as a necessary aside, or as gamers would say, a solo mission that would need to be completed before the final battle could continue; a.k.a, a snack break.
This episode is a gift, and, by far, the best written episode in the final year, IMO. It is a character study that takes all three main characters seriously...so seriously, it hires one of the best character actors of his time, William Sadler, to play one of them, Sloan.
This is not the first episode that delved into Bashir's virtual realities; but, whereas one of them, the season four episode "Our Man Bashir", tackled Julian's incessant need for escapism; "Extreme Measures" shows that he just has plain trouble with reality. There is a scene where a valedictorian Slone, under the influence of Bashir's device, admits that he has been a bad father, a bad husband, and a bad son in his drive to protect his universe from what he believes to be threats. That look on Bashir's face is of pure disgust. How dare his fantasy heroes have to make choices in life? (Garak told Julian that a spy's life was never as fun as his holo-suite choices, and their deeds never as honorable. Obviously, Julian never listened.)
We already know that Bashir is a bad date from Leeta and Erzi. And from "Dr. Bashir, I Presume" we know he's a bad son. His excuses aren't as noble as Slone's. Julian's medical career comes easy for him. He's a born doctor. He's bad at life because he lives in his escapism. It's something that since episode three, Garak has been telling him to improve. But it's not till now that Julian must come to the realization that maybe he enjoys fantasy more than reality.
Even then he hedges his bet. In the virtual world he admits to Miles that he stays too much in the Virtual World because maybe he likes Miles more than the reality that awaits him. But it's an admission made to get Miles to fess up to the same. Don't read too much into that. It isn't intimate. Julian just gets his kicks from controlling VR characters and over-matching his wits with someone who plays with him than he gets from interacting with real people.
O'Brian is as obsessed with competitive gaming as Julian is. But in the other areas of life, he is far and above Bashir and Luther. He is a great Dad, a great Husband, a great son, a great coworker, a good soldier?...He elbows his way into the "Section 31 Game" because he recognizes that the doctor might be in over his head. The Chief is also confused by the valedictorian Slone, even though that speech sounds similar to final letters soldiers have made up to send to loved ones before a dangerous mission - letters Miles makes up for Keiko all the time.
Perhaps the key to the Chief is not that he seeks escapism, but containment; or, better yet, a way for denial. He was once a soldier; and, he pointedly notes on several occasions that is a part of his life he does not talk about. Miles has frequently said that he has no idea how many people he killed during his commission; which makes him the only person on DS9 to not know their death toll. And he thinks the societies that he was warring on should just forget it now that the war is over - that means you Cardassia.
It is obvious that O'Brian doesn't want Warriorhood as part of his make-up...even though that's what he did - like it or not - and that's what he's trained to do. I believe to keep this Warrior Miles in a controllable box, he has moved that part of himself to the competitive gaming world. And, fortunately, Julian is a great Virtual Game Master so that the Chief never gets bored.
It's easy to spot the Alpha male in this relationship.
This has been the most developed storyline in the DS9 years. It started with O'Brian tut-tutting Bashir over his making friends with Garak, escalated into friendly games of racketball; and morphed into Vic Fountaine, Julian's genetic engineering, and Section 31. It has been used as a foreshadowing technique (Remember the Alamo), various subplots, main story lines, and, here, an aside. For fans of the show, this should have been a great payoff.
It was for me.
The X Files: Darkness Falls (1994)
Go Into the Light!
An entire group of lumberjacks disappears while on a clear cutting job. The Federal Forest Service asks for the FBI's help because they believe eco-terrorists are responsible. Mulder tags it as an X-file because in 1934 a group of WPA workers disappeared from the same spot.
A "monster of the week" episode, Scully and Mulder along with Federal Forest Service Agent Larry Moore (Jason Beghe, fresh off Thelma and Louise) go deep into the jungle hoping to find evidence they can use against the eco-terrorists. Instead, they discover that the killer is a bug, and they have stepped into its lair.
This is a nice horror show. Scully and Mulder quickly agree on who the killers are. And then figure out that the cabin they are in acts as a table - and the investigators are dinner. The only thing that keeps the bugs at bay is light. And - of course - all they have is an incandescent light bulb; one that looks like it's on it's last filament - which is when people start to panic.
The bug story is a little far fetched, as are most horror conventions. But the great thing about the X-Files is the science they use to give the stories some weight. I also liked that, as usually occurs in horror films, all the characters make questionable decisions, including Scully and Mulder. It makes for great tension.
Enterprise: Anomaly (2003)
This Could Have Been...
Not too long after arriving into the Expanse, the crew has become frustrated by the many "Anomalies" - occurrences that have no scientific explanation - that they are experiencing. Of course every space exploration from NASA has run into anomalies, so three years and encountering their first set of anomalies is pretty amazing...Enterprise becomes stranded by a particularly awful round of anomalies, however, and the disabled ship gets attacked by a pirate vessel that steals Enterprise's fuel.
During the attack, one of the pirates is captured, Orgoth the Osarian. Orgoth is a particularly unpleasant capture. Having never met an earthling, he assumes that we don't torture, and he dares Archer to do so, otherwise he won't give him vital information. With this story line originating so soon after the 9/11 attacks, of course Archer obliges.
This is - what? - the fifth pirate episode out of 50 produced? WAY TOO MANY. But this is the problem with this series, the writing wasn't that great. The problem with anomalies and maybe this being the first, or second pirate episode in season one would have made this a stand out episode. This late into it, it just serves as a plot advance technique.
Further, the Producers sold the torture story as realism. Looking back upon it, it just seems lame. Having Orgorth play "torture me, please" isn't realistic, and it just seems that Star Trek was trying to give cover for the Bush Administration's torture policy. If they were reduced to this to try and save the show; pity. If they did this because they agreed with the Bush policy; worse. I didn't know they would use a show to comment on a present political policy situation.
This torture bit mired the show to 2003-2004, and makes it laughable as time goes on.
What a loss!
Enterprise: Dead Stop (2002)
One of the Better Ones
As a follow-up to episode 28, Minefield, Enterprise is damaged to the point of being ineffective. After initiating a general distress call, Capt. Archer receives a confusing message that leads him to a very mysterious space station.
There are a lot of horror film elements in this piece, including the death of a crew member; sparse uncomfortable sets; and the abandoned location. The addition of this type of genre only helps. It gives the show's regulars a lot more emotional space to act, and brings some believability to the performances. You could see from the whole that this was a professional cast dying for some meaty scripts.
Although the story - which seems to have borrowed heavily from another source - is stronger than many in the first two years; other elements lagged. The soundtrack is tame, not highlighting many of the creepy scenes. And the director, Roxanne Dawson, also needed to stretch some of the scenes out to bring some tension - which seemed unreasonably low throughout the episode.
As a whole there seems to be a factory quality to many of the stories coming from these first fifty episodes. It was probably why very few of these shows connected. There needed to be better sci-fi, and more risk in each episode.
Just something to remember for the next series...
Spectre (2015)
SPECTRE Re-tread, Instead Needs to Be Re-Vitalized.
Welcome back to Bond the Tool! Episode IV. First off, be thankful. This is not the joke-y Irreverent Bond. Nor the serious Reformed Bond. No this is the Bond that's trying to get the character of Bond to fit in with everything modern. It's where the production staff tries to explain Bond to an audience that doesn't know the lore, but likes a good action film.
This isn't a good action film. But it is an okay reboot.
James Bond (Daniel Craig) causes a mess in Mexico City - a really big mess - in an unauthorized attempt to assassinate a terrorist thug that doesn't register on any MI6 lists. This comes at a time when MI6 is being consolidated with MI5, and British Intelligence is undergoing a change to British Surveillance. The mess is diplomatic as well as politically embarrassing. During the mission, however, James stumbles upon an organization called SPECTRE that seems very well connected; headed by a previously unknown villain, that makes this battle personal.
As they have in all of the reboots, the writers (there were a lot of them), producers (even more) and director (Sam Mendes) get rid of some of the more silly compromises made some fifty odd years ago. In this film, James is labeled an "Assassin". As strange as it may seem considering that was part of the character's job, the producers in the past would not let James Bond be called that, for, idk, maybe to be considered more likable. They also give Blofeld a history, which was always a mistake that needed to be resolved. And they modernize SPECTRE, giving it a purpose and a function that seems believable.
But what the production staff failed to do was give the story an excitement or an urgency that many of the great Bond films in the past had. Although the SPECTRE storyline is topical, and the Blofeld re-telling becomes personal, neither has the necessary appeal to bring tension to this film. Not once was I on the edge of my seat, as I was sometimes with Skyfall. The filmmakers have the settings correct, but not the payoffs.
This is especially disappointing because they had Christoph Waltz, a good actor at the top of his game, playing the villain, Blofeld. The writers never supplied him with any good lines like past memorable villains - nor did they give him interesting interactions with any of the other characters. He sneers well, but even with the correction of Blofeld's history, this was the weakest Blofeld characterization for the Bond series.
Further, although SPECTRE has a nice introduction, they seem pretty weak next to the nuclear acquiring SPECTRE that existed during the first three incarnations of James Bond. Part of that has to do with Mr. Hinx (Dave Bautista), who makes a very uninteresting operative/henchman. (Not due to poor acting...he has very few lines to act upon...another bad concept from the writers.) In past films, the scripts always highlighted how ingenious the henchmen were at slipping through the cracks, even though they eventually got caught. Here, Mr. Hinx seems like a strong thug who hasn't yet met a bullet. I had very little respect or fear of Mr. Hinx...and the character was too much of a take-off of Oddjob - always a fav of Bond Henchman.
(I keep getting the feel that this is another View To A Kill. Capable supporting actors, blah film.)
Maybe the payoff comes in the next film. Maybe SPECTRE continues to morph, but this time into a more effective villainous group. Maybe the excitement will return.
I hope so.
P.S. I loved the fact that Blofeld's cat returned. Is it possible it survived?
The X Files: F. Emasculata (1995)
Catch The Virus!
Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) & Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) are assigned to help the U.S. Marshall Service recapture two escaped convicts from a high security prison
an unusual assignment for FBI agents. After bumping heads with Marshall Tapia (Derrick Norris), the head of the US Marshall's team, the X-File's duo discover a quarantined section of the prison filled with men in hazmat suits. Scully breaks off from Mulder; and, through some investigation and some talks with a guilt ridden scientist (Charles Martin Smith), she discovers that the prison is the beginning point of an outbreak of an infectious disease – probably a war germ – caused by the fictitious Pink Pharmaceuticals. Worse she believes that the two escapees might be contagious, and will probably spread the disease if not captured soon.
This is a Conspiracy Theory of the Week episode. It probably is based upon how the government handled the outbreak of the Ebola virus, and the sexual diseases that later became known as AIDS, HIV, and Hepatitus-C. The story, as written by Chris Carter & Howard Gordan, has two main competing plots, and two main subplots: Catch the killers vs. figure out the disease; and uncover the conspiracy and find out who is infected.
This is not an episode for a novice watcher of the X-Files. This recurring character of the Cigarette Man in this episode would be considered more of a distraction, and confusing to someone who hasn't followed the show. (Heck he doesn't appear till the second half hour!) And Mulder's conspiracy leanings as well as Scully's faith in governmental procedures would be considered too over the top if not backed up with some background stories that previous viewers would have. In other words, this story can't stand on it's own.
For followers of the show, however, there were a lot of rich nuggets to mine. One was Scully's embrace of the government's keep it quiet scheme even though she agreed with Mulder that they were nothing but slimeballs. And another was convincing Mulder to at least temper his actions till the time was right. What a great double agent Scully was!
The two subplots are carried out very personally for the two mains. This really helps bring out the acting chops in both. It was stunning that Scully never reveled who all might be infected, but it added weight to why she had some faith in the governmental procedures.
Black and White (1999)
OK. You Don't Like Rap, But So What...
An examination of the New York rap scene in the late nineties uncovers a lot of characters who don't know anything about themselves, and don't care about much about anything else.
I just watched this film sixteen years after it was made, and give the film credit for attempting to catch the language of the generation that it portrays. It doesn't succeed. It doesn't even try to catch the trouble of the times, nor the immediacy of the subject matter. The topics of racism, poverty and discrimination - which powered most of the New York scene in the nineties - weren't covered. Instead, much of the focus was on confused European Americans who worshiped hip-hop as a form of rebellion. Those scenes weren't even done right.
James Toback wrote and directed the film in a vignette format. He jumps around from character to character giving them very little to do other than show no respect for whoever might be the authority figure.
Who are the authority figures? Well, one is a banker, and another is the D.A. of NY. Ironically, the banker was probably involved with trading dirivatives which would go on to wreck the worldwide economy seven years later. And the real D.A. of NY at the time of this film's making would later be thrown out of elected office for funneling money to a prostitute and her escort services business - an escort that he was seeing at the time of the film's release.
That's the problem with Toback's film - not that it lacks foresight. (It truly has no vision.) The principal problem is that it doesn't take the grievances or problems or wants of the character's it tries to portray as serious. Part of it was because he didn't do sufficient research into the characters or the genre of Hip Hop.
The black rappers in the film are gangsta rappers - which if Toback would have done any type of investigation into the field, he would have found that the group he was writing about were West Coast rappers - not East Coast. There is no Puff Daddy or 50 Cent in this group. The basketball player that he portrays wouldn't have been asking his girlfriend if he should take $50,000 from a gambler. He would have asked his super rich drug dealing friend if he should have taken $50,000 from a gambler. Not to show any disrespect to his girlfriend, but his friend had probably more experience with that type of money, and problems caused by taking that type of money.
Was Toback trying to create a film that showed his dislike of Rap? It seems that way. That's not where the fault lies. It lies in the fact that his dislike of the subject matter blinded him from doing the necessary crafting that goes into making a good film.
John Wick (2014)
A Cat Would Have Known When To Skip Out.
When you watch a lot of action films, you get to the point where you can write the plot. If you're a really good writer, you can write interesting genre pieces. If you are a hack, tired tales come out:
* Bob, the ex-plumber's chance at reforming his life is challenged when a crazed IRS section chief kidnaps Bob's wife and kids.
* Officer Walker gets his shot at the case to end all cases when Kermit the Alien invades the small town of Wyoming, MI to impregnate all the prostitutes.
This is the curse of the story of John Wick.
Keanu Reeves stars as John Wick, an ex-super hit-man, who pursues a vendetta against his former boss' son for killing Wick's dog.
The dog line is a running joke that falls flat each time it's spoken. People can't believe that Wick would do all the killing he does in the movie over a dog. I'm not certain if the filmmakers want us to laugh over it, too. It's not a well constructed statement like "Snake Plisken? I thought you were dead." Nor is it ironic enough. But they keep putting it out there.
That's the film in a nutshell. It's a weak story highlighted with sub-par craftsmanship.
For action, the film takes the AK-47 route. A lot of people get shot...in the head, which makes for great blood origami murals. (By the way, if all these people die in these types of films, how do we have massive overcrowding on the planet?) There are six mass killing scenes; one at Wick's residence, one in a dance club, one in a church, two in abandoned buildings, and the final.
There is not much to distinguish one from the other. Most of that has to do with the script from Derek Kolstad, but Chad Stahelski's direction wasn't any better. In the scene at the church, there is a secret stash. It's a scene that begs for suspense, tension and thrills. There are none. There is some shooting, some primping and some f-bombs. In a scene that many writers and directors would do their best to show off their talents, they do the minimum to advance the plot.
Keanu Reeves is a mystery. Before the Matrix he displayed an ease with slipping into the parts that came his way. Now he can't seem to flesh them out fully for the big screen. There was no empathy established for John Wick's character. And there is no moment where Reeves connects with the audience as he once could do with the drop of a "Whoa!" Maybe he has to go through the bottom barrels to re-discover his talent. I hope he gets it back soon.
Wonder Woman: Disco Devil (1978)
Dance Till You Just Don't Care
After a failed readiness test at a U.S. military nuclear institution, Diana Prince discovers a cell of spies at a disco. But she finds that they have a secret spy weapon in a psychic who steals memories and leaves the victim blank. This is dangerous for Diana, for she fears her secret ID is in danger of being revealed.
When the producers changed from the WWII version of Wonder Woman to the modern version, the creators said that they would have more choices to create better story lines. That statement would be hard to believe from watching "Disco Devil". The story seams tired and void of creativity. It was done in 1979, near the end of the Disco Era, and even the title seams silly and exploitive. It was written by Alan Brennert, and if this is a fair example of his work, I'll try and avoid his stuff in the future.
There is nothing of note in either the adventure or the science fiction genres. Brennert uses the standard plot line of good psychic/bad psychic, and it plays out like a soap opera. Diana Prince theorizes that Del Franklin (Paul Sand) might be the psychic involved with the sellers of state secrets group. But when she interviews him, she discovers that he is self deprecating and ashamed of his powers, and too weak to be a villain. She recruits him to help her, instead. (?) Lucky us. The audience gets to listen to his moaning "why me?" for the next 30 minutes.
In the meantime, the real villain, Nick Moreno (Michael DeLano), is enjoying his powers, and primping in front of the mirror in order to get his disco suits just right. He goes hunting on the dance floor, snarling out orders, and preparing for his eventual appearance on "Dallas". (Perhaps if the psychic pair would have had a melt down that caused everyone to get the Boogie Fever...)
The Avengers: Warlock (1963)
Gale throws Steed a Bone
John Steed's charge of being a body guard to a rocket scientist, Peter Neville (Alban Blacklock), goes awry when the scientist collapses in a catatonic state while holding a raven's (?) feather. John has a physician (Brian Vaughan) examine him only to discover that there is nothing physically wrong with Neville. One-Ten (Douglas Muir) speculates that this illness and the deaths of three other scientists might be connected to some foreign intrigue; and John is reassigned to discover who might be the deadly source. With only the feather and some occult reading material, Steed goes to Catherine Gale for help.
This is not "Dr." or "Mrs." or "Cathy". We assume the woman that is introduced in the ninth minute – very late for a televised show – is a major character from the set that we meet her on. The scene is given an exterior shot – a massive building with a sign that says "Natural History Museum". Elaborate props are used: a nice sized dinosaur. Plus John uses playful banter when he enters the scene
language that seems more attuned to an acquaintance that one hasn't been seen for awhile.
Was this the first story written for Dr. Cathy Gale? Possibly. The writer of this episode, Doreen Montgomery, would go on to create the character of Mrs. Emma Peel for the series; therefore it is more than possible that Sydney Newton – the creator of both John Steed and Cathy Gale – let Montgomery develop Gale's character into a teleplay.
Many of the signs are there: Catherine's boundaries and interests are set. Through their repartee, Catherine lets it be known why she would help John, and what she finds important about the mission. And the scenarios that are created showcase that Catherine Gale will not be a wilting flower.
Montgomery's fame as a writer arose with her screenplays for English Boardroom drama films. She exhibits an easy dialogue with this script coming up with some of the best exchanges for all her characters – especially John and Cathy. Her characters are fully formed including small supporting characters such as Neville's housekeeper, Mrs. Dunning (Olive Milbourne), and the antagonists, Markel (John Hollis), and the Aleister Crowley-like Cosmo Gaillion (Peter Arne).
From the scenarios she creates, the director Peter Hammond is able to make this into more of a horror show, than a spy adventure. In truth, this would haunt the Gale series throughout. There would always be a small sense of dark, Gothic horror to her shows – in stark contrast to light touch of Venus Smith's tales, or the fantasies associated with Mrs. Emma Peel.
It's easy to see why this was not chosen as the first broadcast Gale adventure. Cosmo, the traitorous Warlock, takes money from the highest bidder, and throws rituals with wild costumes. But as a villain, he pales to Mr. Teddy Bear. Further, although the subject of witchcraft is handled well, it invites a lot of camp and unintentional giggles.
Finally, although the background of John & Cathy's history is unexplored in Montgomery's script, the producers' decision to have Steed & Gale's first partnership happen during the Mau-Mau - an adventure that would never be televised, but always hinted at - seems a lot more exotic than invading a coven.
P.S. Although it was obvious that Montgomery wanted to make Gale an anthropologist, I don't think she did any investigation into the career background. The skill set that Dr. Cathy Gale exhibits in other shows from the first season, aren't those that are on display here. And as someone who has worked in a museum, Dr. Gale would never – ever – be in the bone lab. Mr. Teddy Bear did a better job of introducing her anthropology credentials.
Demon Hunter (2005)
Down & Dirty With The Demons On The Runway
A Fallen Angel/Demon, Asmodeus (Billy Drago), wants to fornicate with pretty girls and impregnate them with his..."devil spawn". He hangs out in LA and goes after all the wannabe models. A victim calls the Catholic Church's Bad Dating Hotline, and asks for help. They send over GQ coverboy Jacob Greyman (Sean Patrick Flanery), Demon Hunter; and Sister Sarah Ryan (Colleen Porch), the shapely nun who must have found God off the fashion runways of New York. They set out to save LA by taking off their clothes (love the lacy underwear worn by nuns), and getting into the line of...Demon Fire.
Somehow, this isn't a porno film. Maybe it was because they had serious actors. Or maybe it was because they had bad actors emoting to what the film makers believed were serious situations. Take for example the head of the Demon Hunting outfit, Cardinal White. William Bassett plays Cardinal White as if he had just stepped off the Kandahar front in Afghanistan. He lets the audience know that he has been saving Sister Sarah for just such a mission
as if she were the new Demon Fighter, Jason-a Bourne - complete with designer dresses, pumps and layered haircuts.
In the meantime, Jacob is hanging around with Asmodeus' demon hitwoman (Tania Deighton) who wants Greyman's..."dark soul" as a trophy. Or maybe she just wants something else. Anyway, she spends half the movie making out with him...and exchanging horns, or something.
There is a lot of primping and posing and demon faces in this movie. But you would have to expect it with this type of film. It is by no means a good film. But it is unintentionally funny.
The Avengers: Death on the Rocks (1962)
A Diamond In The Rough
A jeweler's wife (Annete Kerr as Mrs. Ross) gets a facial that turns deadly, prompting John Steed (Patrick Macnee) and Mrs. Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) to investigate what looks to be the beginnings of a new crime syndicate.
Steed goes undercover as a green jeweler after the death, buying the Ross family home. He asks Cathy to pose as his wife for the investigation, peaking her interest by implicating the syndicate in smuggling and selling conflict diamonds. It's revealed early in dialogue exchanges, however, that Steed believes the syndicate keeps its members in line by threatening their wives.
Although earlier scripts of the Steed/Gale alliance were re-written replacing Ian Hendry's David Keel before production began; this teleplay by Eric Paice was conceived only with Mrs. Gale in mind. (I seriously doubt that British television would have had an open mind to a Keel/Steed marriage in 1962.) You can tell that Paice ran as much as he could with the assignment.
It's a piece that examines the cultural role of woman in the 1960's. A strong supporting character is Jackie Ross (Toni Gilpin), who is moaning her mother's death, but more concerned about her ailing father, and her upcoming nuptials. She is just as gifted a jeweler as her father – Samual Ross (Meier Tzelniker) – or her fiancé – Nicky (David Sumner) – but she's kept in the dark about the behind the scenes drama, and pushed into the role of a subservient by both fearful men.
Much of the story contrasts the bored upper-class housewife and their helplessness with Cathy Gale. Firstly, she finds it difficult to believe that Steed thinks she could pose as a housewife. Secondly, she finds it difficult to understand that someone would actually believe that she was a helpless housewife. In one magnificent scene, goons come to threaten the helpless Mrs. Cathy "Steed", and get the surprise of their lives.
What's really impressive about the episode is that fifty years after it was written, it seems as refreshing today as it must have been then. Or maybe that's something to pause at.
The Avengers: Death's Door (1967)
Don't Open That Door!
John Steed and Mrs. Emma Peel provide security at a conference intended to "unify" Europe. The discussion is delayed, however, when the British chair panics, and runs away before he even enters the door. His phobia is that he will die at the meeting
this resulting from a premonition he had the night before.
The minister is replaced with a good friend of Steed's. He starts having similar supernatural forebodings. This sets off John and Emma into performing dream analysis, with dangerous diagnosis resulting.
By far this is the best of the Color Avengers: all of the Peel's, The King's and the New Avengers. The Producers dropped the formula, including the irksome "Mrs. Peel, we're needed"; kept the wit, and returned to the suspense of the Dr. Cathy Gale era. (Why they did it, is a speculation that I'm not going to delve into at this moment. I'm just glad that they did.)
It's strange watching this episode 50 years after it was produced. This fictitious conference is reminiscent of the real one that set up the EU, the European Union – which as we know didn't occur till the seventies. (No one ran from the door out of fear at the real meeting.) With the struggles over the last five years of Greece, Spain and Italy trying to pull out – and the British public recently voting to dump it – it's clear that the alliance is as fragile today as Phillip Levine wrote it would be in the late sixties. This is clearly one of those science fiction pieces that is so dead on that it is predictive – eerie since its science subject IS premonition.
The production design is sort of hokey, with the obligatory surrealistic images inside the dream world. None of Salvador Dali's films were this iconic, which reveals how over the top the design was. (Was it Christian Metz inspired? Who knows!) It is the only dated part of this story. This lame imagery would become commonplace during the King era.
Unlike the earlier Dr. Gale adventure, "The White Dwarf", Levine balances this procedural so that both Steed and Mrs. Peel uncover important information that could be considered "scientific". Steed is more than just muscle here as he was in the earlier Gale adventure. This is not to say that this makes "Death's Door" better. It just shows how far Steed has come from the out of his league denier of "The White Dwarf" to this embracer of odds. How? Maybe he denies the parapsychology as much as he did the solar big bang theories of the earlier episode. (Steed doesn't strike me as a big statician.) In truth, the development and progression of John Steed from the cad, user and science doubter to Steed the common sense man & loyal friend is probably the underlying appeal of The Avengers' storyline.
This is my first time seeing this episode in thirty years. It really holds up well. I give it a 9.0 even. It has bested time for nearly fifty years. No, it is not as inventive as "The White Dwarf", nor as satisfyingly surreal as "Too Many Christmas Trees", but very thought provoking.