El Topo (Alejandro Jodorowski, 1970) I discussed this title recently in This Week in Geek so check it out if you're interested. I'm a fan of Jodorowski second-hand, having been exposed to his work by a friend of mine, and really, taking his word for it that the man was a genius. But I came across his work on my own in Dark Horse Presents, of all places, where he teamed up with the great comic artist Moebius on a story. And frankly, those two were made for each other. I've gotten many Jodorowski comics since then, a few with Moebius, and they're definitely the same kind of trippy. An artist's artist, I think he gravitates towards the medium best suited to his vision, and it just became comics after a while.
Elektra (Rob Bowman, 2005) People often mention Elektra in the same breath as Catwoman, but I assure you, the unflattering comparison isn't justified. The Director's Cut, at least, doesn't deserve all the venom spit in this movie's direction. I'm not calling it the best thing put to celluloid or anything, but I rather enjoyed this. It's got a Hong Kong vibe, and Stick, and a story that I don't think is as full of holes as I've heard people say. Stylish, good action, but also meditative. Do people resent it's not being Daredevil II? Or just not a proper superhero movie? Sometimes it's all about expectations. Going in without any, I wasn't disappointed.
Elizabeth (Shekhar Kapur, 1998) I was sad to see the sequel's Tomatoes coming out Rotten because it would have been the first film I was ready to see in a theater in a good long while. Seems like it's pretty awful. Too bad because the original is a marvelous biopic, with Cate Blanchett in a star-making role, Geoffrey Rush as the magnificent pederast assassin Walsingham, my personal guitar hero Christopher Eccleston as Norfolk, and the greatest Shakespearean actor ever, Sir John Gielgud as the evil pope. Great, atmospheric intrigue, like a mafia picture set in the 16th century.
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004) Can writer Charlie Kaufman do no wrong? After the genius of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation, I knew I had to had Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. It did more for my opinion of Jim Carrey than The Truman Show or Man on the Moon, and put Kate Winslet back on the map of my heart (I always fall for the crazy ones, don't I?). It's another totally original script with quirky performances, visual bravura, and depths of meaning.
Fallen Angels (Kar Wai Wong, 1995) Reviewed it the same week as El Topo (can you tell I was boning up for this installment of DVD Tales?), so more details there. Still need to find that soundtrack. I'll go do that now. See you later.
But what did YOU think? Next: Fando y Lis to Fifth Element.
FORMULA: Vortex + Final Mission + The Search, Part II
WHY WE LIKE IT: Nog in Starfleet.
WHY WE DON'T: A static dilemma.
REVIEW: When you haven't seen the episode before, Odo and Kira's dilemma is so static (she's stuck in a fake-looking rock for 40 minutes) that you want to revisit the subplot some more. When you HAVE seen the episode, and you know what's really going on, it goes from static to no dilemma at all, just a longish conversation about anything and everything. When it's not technobabble, it's the Founder Leader fishing for personal information. I didn't think the Dominion was that interested in O'Brien sea shanties.
But really, what she's trying to gauge with her somewhat overwrought plan is what kind of bond Odo has with the solids. What's keeping him on DS9. There's a bit about how he got his name. A sharing of hobbies with O'Brien which is never shown onscreen (first the Mike Hammer books, now kayaking), and the Big One, of course, his being in love with Kira. It actually causes Odo pain to admit to "Kira". It's a strong performance from Auberjenois, but it lets the cat out of the bag AND doesn't own up to the consequences (it's not really her). A bit of an anti-climax.
Over at the station, the subplot rewrites Rom and Nog as the most uncommon of Ferengi. Rom is now a mechanical genius, where before he "couldn't fix a bent straw". What that just Quark keeping him down by propagating the fallacy that he was an idiot? And Nog now wants to join Starfleet. Not such a stretch, but he's never mentioned it before. His motivation is an emotional one - deep shame for his father, and the desire not to follow in his footsteps. He doesn't realize he's more his uncle's nephew than he is his father's son.
That story is the real reason to watch Heart of Stone. There's a lot of good comedy in it, especially in Nog trying to buy his apprenticeship from a suspicious Sisko. His good job at doing an inventory raises a few eyebrows, though it's technically in the Ferengi skill set. And while it's the light portion of the episode, there's a real emotional impact to its reveal. Nog and Rom are on their way to the rest of their arcs.
LESSON: You can't buy yourself into Starfleet Academy. It's free.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium: The main plot takes too long to get to the point, though it does have a couple things to say about Odo. The Nog subplot is more fun, more interesting and more satisfying.
Doctor Who did an 8-minute piece for Children in Need this year, revisiting the idea of multiple Doctors. But I'll let you watch it:
What starts out as fanfic fare from maverick writer Steven Moffat (all the pokes at the 80s era, the 5th Doctor's tropes and the fans, the name dropping, etc. etc.) turns magical in the last minute when Tennant breaks that fourth wall for us and calls Davison's Doctor, HIS Doctor.
I'm not particularly interested in knowing if that's David Tennant's opinion or Moffat's, but it is SOMEone's. It might even be mine. After all, I could only watch Who in repeats here in Canada, and stations would usually run the adventures of the 3rd, 4th and 5th Doctors and ignore the rest. Maybe you'd get a Hartnell or a McCoy from time to time, but these seemed like anomalies. My first Doctor was the 4th, yes, but the story seemed to end with the 5th's. So until the 1996 TV Movie, Davison was my "last" Doctor. And since the TVM wasn't picked up as a series, Davison remained firmly in position until BBC World started churning out DVDs from across Classic Who, and then of course, the new series.
Time Crash acknowledges the idea that every Doctor is SOMEONE's Doctor. Fandom sometimes tends to be divisive about which Doctors are good and not, and which eras are good and not, but your rubbish might be my gold. I know I'm in the minority when I say Sylvester McCoy is close to the top of my favorites' list. I can now say without restraint that the 5th Doctor's era was most often pretty terrible, and yet I have an emotional investment in that version of the character. And depending on when you grew up, or when you discovered Who, you might love any of them the same way - apologetically perhaps, but no less intensely.
Tennant also gets to acknowledge his debt to Davison, since he did in part model his performance on the energetic, youthful 5th Doctor. It's what Doctor Who now does best: One minute you're laughing and the next, you're holding back the tears. I LOVED this. And I can't wait for this year's Christmas special, Kylie Minogue and all.
REVIEW: Opposites coming together is the theme of this episode, with an insubstantial subplot about Nog ruining Jake's love life with his Ferengi ways, and a plot about Bareil and Winn working on negotiations with the Cardassians together. Their alliance is surprising for Winn, but in Bareil's character, and had he lived, she might well have been redeemed. But that's not in the cards, especially with her putting politics, ambition, and the success of her mission above his life.
It's unfortunate that Louise Fletcher was so sick while making this episode. She is visibly and audibly having trouble, and it drains all the energy from her performance. Combined with the idea that Bareil is a power behind the throne, Life Support presents us with Winn at her weakest, both politically and rhetorically. She's middle management, hiding behind her underlings' competence.
As for Bareil, I've long been a critic of the character, especially his relationship to Major Kira, so I'm not unhappy to see him go. The way he goes is pretty gruesome however. Replacing organs is one thing. Replacing a person's brain is tantamount to lobotomy, no matter what kind of android technology you use. Bareil's impressions after getting brain implants is very creepy indeed. It's why I have a little trouble with Kira negotiating for the other part of his brain to be replaced. Why would she want that? Her pain and emotion at the end is genuine though, and well played.
What saves Life Support, really, is that it's another strong medical episode for Bashir. He's never so strong as when he meets an ethical dilemma head on, here keeping the Kai on her toes and making an enemy of her. But Bashir is the only thing that's not a bit limp in this thing. Oh, inside joke to look for: "I don't even know what a Tholian LOOKS like!" I feel your pain, Nog.
LESSON: Girls don't like it when you ask them to cut up their food on dates. Now I know what I've been doing wrong.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium-Low: Going a little less extreme on the organ replacements and a Louise Fletcher in good health might have spun this one around for me. As is, it's got an important moment or two, but that's it.
Friday. They came in. The DVDs that announced and proclaimed that it would be a Doctor Who Weekend. Two 5th Doctor adventures in glorious DVD format, Time-Flight and Arc of Infinity, and Doctor Who Series 3 (which does not include the web cartoon the Infinite Quest, but does have an hour-long special on the concert performance of the two first series' music, which I have found to be excellent). But see the next section for the breadth and scope of Doctor Who Weekend.
"Accomplishments"
If I may start with the weekend and then move backwards through the past week, I'll preface by saying that in the last two days alone, I've watched over 16 hours of Doctor Who-related television, including Time-Flight three times (once with commentary, and once to make cards for it - my Heaven is now assured), Arc of Infinity twice, The Runaway Bride twice, episodes 1 to 3 of Series 3, the Children in Need special three times, and a ton of DVD extras. I'm also reading an old Doctor Who novel at the moment, just because it's never enough apparently.
Time-Flight. By many regarded as one of the worst example of Who ever. I don't think it's that bad, personally, i.e. there are performances I like and the main characters are unusually easy to stand. Of course, the plot is rubbish, and it's made me appreciate how 80s producer John-Nathan Turner was the George Lucas of Doctor Who. With Time-Flight, he basically asked his production team to include the Concorde, Tegan's departure and that the villain turn out to be the Master after a couple of episodes. Why? Because JNT thinks publicity is good for the program. Unfortunately, he was getting the media to talk about a train wreck. Ah well. Why get these DVDs if the stories are so bad? Because the commentary tracks are totally worth it. Lots of laughs with the cast to be had. I found myself giggling throughout.
Arc of Infinity's publicity stunts? The return of Tegan, the return of Omega, the return of the Time Lords, and location shooting in Amsterdam. Fit THAT in your script and smoke it! Again, it's got its moments, and has remained noteworthy thanks to Colin Baker (the 6th Doctor) appearing as Maxil, the dead serious Time Lord Head of Security. It just gives him an excuse to show up to the commentary track recording, and the man is quite witty. Again, it's all about the commentary track saving the release from its story's mediocrity. But Gallifrey as an airport lounge has to be seen to be believed.
After that, I decided to make CCG cards from Time-Flight because 1) I'd planned to include the story in my Time Meddlers expansion (made sense), and 2) didn't want to have to watch it again in a couple weeks. Doing it now while it was still fresh in my mind yielded 19 cards, none of which is a Plot or Goal card (because there's no making sense of the story's point). Tegan's (not) last hurrah: Earlier in the week, I'd made 25 cards from the 7th Doctor story, Ghost Light, which wasn't an easy one to work on. I quite like it, but its script is... ornate, if I may use that word. My favorite image is this one of Ace: So that's 44 cards in all, which isn't too shabby.
In the middle of the week, I managed to get my World of Warcraft character, Lynda with a Y, up to 69, and you know what that means. 1) I've steadily climbed one level a week since I started playing after my month's hiatus. 2) The big 7-0 is next. 3) And she can legitimately get an email account called lynda69.
And going back early in the week, I flipped the tape on the Complete Studio 60. I hadn't seen the pilot or the last 3 or 4 episodes, so it was great to revisit a series I thought should have made it through to this year (not that this year's gonna be a good one for television). And man, those last few episodes are really intense, with a series finale that felt like the show had been running 7 years. The characters are so well written, you care about them THAT much. I really wish US programs would embrace the 6-part format for shows like these (maybe I'm thinking of that because Mark McKinney co-wrote some of Studio 60 as well as Slings&Arrows). Like S&A, I could totally see an annual 6-part Studio 60 that revisits this world and these characters. DS9 could have gone on that way too, now that I think about it.
Anyway, that was my week. Who heavy, as is my ideal.
FORMULA: The City on the Edge of Forever + The High Ground
WHY WE LIKE IT: Sisko's righteousness.
WHY WE DON'T: The comedy interludes.
REVIEW: Past Tense has a strong, relevant story, and a suspenseful time travel dilemma (impersonating someone fated to die), so it was probably a mistake to pad it out with various homages to the Original Series. I understand the compulsion: The District is played by the Paramount back lot which played some many roles on TOS, and the plot owes a lot to The City on the Edge of Forever, right down to which three characters are sent into the past (the commander, science officer and doctor). Throwing in Clint Howard, the actor who played Balok on The Corbomite Maneuver as a "dim" who stole Dax's combadge is something of a waste of time, and not as funny as you want it to be. The same goes for Kira and O'Brien's forays into the past. The first trip, which must be around the same time Kirk and Spock are there if we go by the boxing poster (yet another homage), has a good broken nose gag, but the hippies in the love van... Let's just say I wouldn't think stoner humor appropriate for Star Trek even if I thought stoner humor was funny in the first place.
But none of this is too distracting, and with the exposition over and done with, Past Tense becomes very effective drama. The hostage situation is tense, and Sisko is excellent, trying to keep the two sides from blowing everything up. Not easy, especially with the meddling security guard. The episode does a good job of putting a sympathetic face on everyone, from the civilians, to the guards, to the police, to the media, and even on B.C. the ghost as he resigns himself to his fate and gives away his hat.
Seems like a short review, but I managed to hit a number of points in Part I, so refer to that one if you have questions.
LESSON: One day, You-Tube will save the world.
REWATCHABILITY - High: Aside from the asides, Part II is a tense, occasionally powerful piece. Definitely justified in taking a break from the station to make its points.
FORMULA: The City on the Edge of Forever + 90 years
WHY WE LIKE IT: Its relevance.
WHY WE DON'T: So Quark is in charge of the station?
REVIEW: Past Tense starts out with beautiful shots of the Moon and Earth and a cute conversation between Dax and Kira about the color of the oceans being a bit... off. Nice to see our world as an alien world. In the prologue, Sisko also mentions his sister, but not his father, leading one to believe that he didn't exist yet. There's a nice bit showing Sisko having studied the Rules of Acquisition to better manipulate Quark... and then it turns into a time travel story.
The idea behind Sanctuary Districts to house the homeless, whether they be unemployed, mentally ill or criminal, isn't all that far-fetched. It's a lot like what was done with people who couldn't pay they debts in Victorian England. And it's a souped-up version of today's ghettos. As a solution to where we put the people we don't want to see, it's probably something some governments might consider. And so setting this dystopic concept, not on some alien planet where it can serve the grand allegory, but in our rather near future, here on Earth, makes it hit closer to home. That the two men of color on the show are the ones trapped in the District is not lost on me.
Of course, it's a big set-up for Part II, and there's a LOT of info-dump. How the Districts were set up and why, what happened to them and to the residents, what's a dim, a ghost or a gimme, how do you get food or jobs, etc. A lot of talking. Still, Sisko gives us a road map of the Bell Riots so that we know what we're in for, and what kind of danger he's personally placed himself in by adopting the guise of Gabriel Bell.
Meanwhile, Dax trades on her looks to get the help of a rich Internet mogul, but also shows a lot of smarts. It's a strong story for her as she ably fudges her way through conversations and explains away her jewelry and tatoos. For fans of the Star Trek timeline, listen closely at the cocktail party for Euro-news that might indicate the rumblings of World War III. And up on the Defiant, we find out the timeline's been altered and there's no Starfleet anymore. Without a Starfleet, the Romulans move in. So that's that.
LESSON: Sometimes, Harlan Ellison lets one slip by.
REWATCHABILITY - Medium-High: Yes, a heck of a lot of set-up, but it's all important to the story, and explores an important issue in a slightly bolder way than usual.
El Topo (Alejandro Jodorowski, 1970)
Elektra (Rob Bowman, 2005)
Elizabeth (Shekhar Kapur, 1998)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Michel Gondry, 2004)
Fallen Angels (Kar Wai Wong, 1995)
