A few of Black Sheep's Favorite Things

Thus far, this has proven to be a fairly interesting holiday season. I’m not sure how many of you find yourselves in the same boat as me but I don’t have any time to shop this year, let alone think of what to buy people. Then of course, there is the small matter of being able to afford said gifts but hey, it’s the holidays; that’s what credit was created for. Seeing as how it would be best to be modest this season, stocking stuffers are the way to go Do you know fits perfectly in your average sized stocking? A blu-ray disc! They are even smaller than DVD’s and they carry more information than a DVD but yet are somehow no heavier. Funny that. Here are a few perfect disc suggestions for that perfect someone …

We all have one of them in our family. It’s that little cousin that used to walk around with a “Trust No One” T-shirt and had an “I Want to Believe” poster tacked above his bed during the majority of the ‘90’s. In my family, that guy is me and I was big X-Phile (that’s what we’re called) back in the day. Last Christmas, one of my best friends bought me the first three seasons and I practically watched the entire series before the second feature film THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE was released in theatres last summer. Now, I was among the many that blasted the film upon its release but then I watched it again on blu-ray and I realized what was missing – me in my sweats lounging on my couch. The X-Files belongs on the small screen and it has been released in time for the holidays, packaged alongside the new to blu-ray, THE X-FILES: FIGHT THE FUTURE. Both films are packed with the kinds of extras only true X-Philes will appreciate. Geek it up, yo!

Speaking of television, I am a HUGE fan of TV on DVD. There are no commercials, no waiting until next week to see what happens and I can run to the kitchen for more holiday treats as often as I darn well want. My favorite television discovery this year has got to be NBC’s 30ROCK. This is Tina Fey’s crowning achievement. As creator of the show, head writer and star, she has finally found a vehicle to culminate all of her talents and she does so with very little ego. This stylish show centers around the stars and staff of a “Saturday Night Live” type show and features brilliantly hilarious ensemble cast, including Alec Baldwin and Tracy Morgan (who is not the least bit annoying so be not afraid). Fey anchors the show as Liz Lemon, a woman in her 30’s whose career is her life. Her constant struggle between the importance of her career and her ever distant personal life makes her the perfect modern woman and her back and forth with Baldwin is priceless. Pick up the first two seasons now and let the laughter carry you through the new year.

If laughter isn’t what you’re looking for, I have just the thing. I’m sure you all have an artsy friend who would have already scoffed at the suggestions I’ve made here. Well, this next film was just re-released in 8K Ultradigital High Definition. I don’t know what that means exactly but I can tell you it looks amazing. BARAKA is both beautiful and breathtaking. It was shot in 24 countries and is a genuinely moving experience to behold. Now that is has been restored, it is even more magnificent. It is 97 minutes of nothing but imagery, music, humanity and nature. It draws you in, shows you the wonders of our world and humbles you right before it shows you how we are teetering so closely to losing it all. Clearly, this isn’t for all and requires a certain amount of patience to be appreciated but photography lovers will love you even more if you get this for them.

I cannot say enough about this last suggestion and I assure you, I’ve said plenty about it already. There is something altogether magical about this film. Every time I’ve seen it, and yes, I’ve seen it a number of times now, I see something new or I have a deeper appreciation for the craft that created it. I am speaking about WALL-E. Pixar’s pinnacle of perfection is unabashedly romantic and an altogether unique experience. WALL-E himself will enchant you within minutes and you will be able to enjoy his antics with the entire family. In addition to this, the values your kids will take from this film will make them better people so get them watching young! The 3-disc blu-ray edition contains a digital copy, the feature itself and plenty of games for the kids. There are also two shorts, two commentaries and extensive background footage to satisfy all the big kids out there too.
And for the true WALL-E fanatics (Mom, are you paying attention?), you can add the Pixar book, “The Art of WALL-E”, as the perfect companion piece under the tree.

Now that you have stuffed everyone’s stockings with great movies and TV on DVD, you’ll need something to play these blu-ray discs on. Might I suggest the Playstation 3. Not only will it look great in your living room but it only costs a fraction more than straight blu-ray players and it does a ton more. Your DVD’s will look better on the Playstation 3; your new blu-ray’s will be right at home; and you can play games too. Santa can’t go wrong with this one. Besides, you’ll be able to enjoy this gift too and don’t you deserve a little something after all that hard shopping?

Happy Holidays … and shop responsibly.

X-Files Producer Blames The Dark Knight

I feel bad for X-Files fans. I really do. Having never been a follower of the show, I can't say I was very emotionally invested when the sequel no one was asking for, The X-Files: I Want to Believe, pulled a Hindenberg at the box office last summer, raking in a meager $21 million domestic against a $30 million budget. In fact, I would've been surprised by any other outcome.

But this week, Chris Carter's co-producer and co-writer Frank Spotnitz added salt to the wound by going on a delusional rant in an interview with the Toronto Sun. See, it wasn't X-Files' fault that no one came out to see the flick. Whose fault was it? Why, Batman's, of course:

"Our theatrical performance this past summer notwithstanding, I think The X-Files is still a natural for theatrical release. We just opened the wrong week. The week after The Dark Knight, I think, was just not the right week for us.

"I think it was especially brutal to us because we weren't counter-programming. We weren't Mamma Mia! or Step Brothers. We were a little dark scary movie coming in the fumes, in the exhaust, of this mammoth machine that was The Dark Knight. And I don't think we had a chance!"

See, kids? It had nothing to do with the ill will generated among the fan base by a disastrous final season on television. Or with the ten year gap since the last X-Files movie, which made almost ten times as much. Or with the X-Files' almost complete disappearance from the popular consciousness since the series ended. Or with the decision not to make the film about the main storyline that the fans actually cared about. Or with the fact that The Dark Knight was one of the best-reviewed movies of the year, and I Want to Believe...wasn't.

No, they just picked the wrong weekend. I'm sure X-Files 3: The Search for an Audience will do much better.

* * * * * * * * * *

For those who may not yet be aware, the Vault is now firmly entrenched in both of those modern bastions of vain frivolity, MySpace and Facebook. So, should you be so inclined, feel free to stop by and feed my ravenous ego by adding the VoH as a close and personal friend. Take care now!

Small-Screen Revolution: A History of Horror TV, Part 4

With the onset of cable television over the course of the 1980s, horror TV underwent something of a transformation. For some time, the increasing brutality on the big screen had posed a challenge to those working on the little screen, who were bound to far more stringent restrictions. But cable, free of the censoring influences of sponsors, would allow them at last to compete on an even playing field.

As it would a decade later in the area of straight drama, HBO led the way. They had given the public a taste of what they could do with The Hitchhiker (1983), an intriguing cross between Twilight Zone and Hitchcock, but even that wasn't enough to prepare audiences for what they were about to unleash at the end of the decade. While the networks continued to churn out popular yet tame material like the vampire cop series Forever Knight (1989-96), HBO took a gamble by infusing sinister new life into a potent old horror franchise.

With Tales from the Crypt (1989-96), horror fans finally got everything they loved about modern theatrical fright films, right in the comfort of their own homes. Using stories--many taken from the legendary EC comic book of 30 years prior--introduced each week by the grisly Crypt Keeper, the show took full advantage of HBO's wide berth, never skimping on the violence and gore, and relishing every minute of it with typical Gaines-ian glee. It was everything the old anthology series of the past had been, taken to a bold and horrifying new level. Plus, it was funny as hell, which made it HBO's first smash hit series.

There was still horror to be found on traditional channels, to be sure, but the old guard almost seemed to have given up trying to keep up, knowing their hands were tied. Instead, the focus switched to the juvenile, and a mini-phenomenon of horror shows for kids emerged. With series like Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1991-96), Eerie, Indiana (1991-92) and the animated Beetlejuice (1989-91), producers no longer had to worry about pleasing an adult horror audience that had grown tired of TV's limitations. Perhaps the best example of all was the wildly successful Goosebumps (1995-98), based on a line of kids' novels by R.L. Stine that were huge back when J.K. Rowling was still a schoolteacher.

When it did try and deal with more grown-up horror, it seemed like broadcast TV was still stuck in the rut of tried-and-true formulas. You had attempts to feed of the success of the past, such as the ill-fated relaunch of Dark Shadows (1990), as well as made-for-TV sequels like Psycho IV (1990) and The Omen IV (1991).

A spate of Stephen King adaptations made the best of network restrictions with mixed results. While some, like The Tommyknockers (1993), proved largely forgettable, others, like the miniseries It (1990) and The Stand (1994) proved quite chilling, if flawed. Some have even argued that the first of the two, featuring the nightmarish clown Pennywise portrayed by Tim Curry, could be one of the finest adaptations of King's work shown on screens of any size.

After spending years taking a beating against the ropes, conventional broadcast TV finally rebounded in 1993 with its first mega-hit in years. Inspired by Kolchak: The Night Stalker of two decades prior, Fox's The X-Files became a hit of massive proportions, helping to propel the fledgling network to major status, and creating a passionate, loyal fan base. The cryptic, supernatural adventures of Agents Scully and Mulder captivated, with their hints of alien invasions, vast government conspiracy and the thin veil of normalcy that protected the regular world from the perils of the unknown.

The series ran for 10 seasons, and attained a popularity rivaled among sci-fi/horror TV only by the likes of Star Trek and The Twilight Zone (and like them, it also made the leap to the big screen). Best of all, it was intelligently written, providing the genre's first breath of fresh air in decades. Nevertheless, for the most part, it would prove to be the exception.

When it came to boob tube scares, the cutting edge continued to be on the pay channels. Showtime threw its hat in the ring in 1993 by teaming directors Tobe Hooper and John Carpenter for the anthology movie Body Bags, and later by reintroducing audiences to an old property with the vastly underrated New Outer Limits (1995-02), as well as Poltergeist: The Legacy (1996-99). Even a commercial cable channel like TNT was able to get into the act, bringing beloved genre commentator Joe Bob Briggs on board to host a series of theatrical horror films packaged as "Monstervision" (1993-00). Nothing like that had been attempted on regular TV since the heyday of the "horror hosts".

By the middle of the 1990s, the entire continental United States was wired for cable. The rules had changed. But that didn't mean that the lower channels on the dial were ready to give up the ghost, if you'll pardon the pun. Although the future of televised horror clearly lay in pay TV, another one of those fledgling broadcast networks was about to pull off just what Fox had done with The X-Files. But this time it would be a show set even more firmly within the scare genre, and as such would become arguably the most successful and beloved "pure horror" TV series of all time.

Other major shows:

• Jeckyll & Hyde (1990)
• Sometimes They Come Back (1991)
• The Langoliers (1995)
• Kindred: The Embraced (1996)

Soon to come: Part 5 - Triumph of the Tube

Part 1: Fear Invades the Living Room
Part 2: Terror Comes of Age
Part 3: How to Scare Without Losing Sponsors

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: Fraser's Fanaticism

Who cares about opening at the top of the box office when you can have two titles in the Top 5? Right? How cool is that? Ok, fine. I’m sure THE DARK KNIGHT folks are tickled purple that they narrowly held off the competition to secure a rare three consecutive weekends at the top of the heap. But, I’ll tell you who doesn’t care … Brandon Fraser, that’s who. This guy puts out one mind numbing, crowd-pleasing hit after another and consistently delivers the cash. And now, with the number two debut of THE MUMMY: TOMB OF THE DRAGON EMPEROR and the slight 29% drop for JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D, Fraser finds himself headlining two big hits at the same time.

Meanwhile, THE DARK KNIGHT camp continues to command the attention of every man, woman and child on the planet (not surprisingly, the Batman sequel is doing boffo business overseas as well). It drops off a very respectful 42% in its third week and is will close in on $400 million before Monday is up.


THE MUMMY (above) people should be happy they managed as well as they did. This may not be the kind of movie that people read reviews for but this is by far one of the worst reviewed films of the year. It’s supposed to be worst than THE LOVE GURU people! (I cannot back this up as I have carefully avoided both titles.) The $42 million take is a far cry from the $65+ million take of the last mummy movie from seven years ago. In fact, this debut marks the worst for the series, which falls perfectly in line with the critical consensus.

The only other debut the Top 10 saw this weekend is barely worth mentioning. Opening in sixth place and soon to be forgotten in the Kevin Costner starring, SWING VOTE. There, that’s about as much attention as it deserves.

Moving on, the Top 10 saw very strong holds for a number of its titles. This might mean that summer is slowing down and some might be finally catching up with the titles they missed or perhaps just that these films are that good. Who knows? Still, the numbers don’t lie and five titles in this week’s Top 10 saw drops below 40%. The aforementioned JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH, WALL-E and MAMMA MIA! saw drops even lower, under 30%. Meanwhile, THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE must have found its few scant believers last weekend as the film, which only made $10 million last weekend, fell off over 65% this weekend. Maybe Mulder & Scully could investigate the unsolved case of why no one cared about their movie. They aren't doing anything else anyway.


Below the Top 10, the art house scene is finally alive and well after being overshadowed by the summer blockbusters. BRIDESHEAD REVISITED (above) continues its successful, aggressive expansion. Adding over 150 screens pushed its business nearly 250% and it might even find itself sitting comfortably in the Top 10 next weekend when it adds another chunk of screens across the country. If you thought an increase of 250% was impressive, how about 280%. This is a feat boasted by Sundance favorite, AMERICAN TEEN. The documentary about today’s teens added 34 screens and will continue to roll out in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, the highest per screen average of any film playing belongs to TRANSSIBERIAN, a Brad Anderson thriller starring Woody Harrelson. In its third week, the film pulled in an average of $15K per screen on just two screens.

NEXT WEEK: Opening early on Wednesday, PINEAPPLE EXPRESS looks to hit the young, both the stoned and the sober but they best be quick because the “highly anticipated” THE SISTERHOOD OF THE TRAVELING PANTS 2 is opening two short days later. All the girls from the original have returned but unfortunately, the jeans have been worn out.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: The Dark Knight Holds Court

The truth is out there and it can be found in THE DARK KNIGHT apparently. The geeks have spoken and they have shunned THE X-FILES in favour of their new leader, Batman. It half pains me to see how dismal the returns for THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE actually were. On the one hand, I wonder where all the X-philes were but on the other hand, I guess they were just avoiding this incredibly disappointing return. Even the musical and stupid comedy followers were more loyal than the X-philes. The film will go on to recoup its $30 million budget but a $10 million take essentially ensures that this is the last we will see of Mulder & Scully. I for one will miss you.

THE DARK KNIGHT continues to shatter records as it pulls in another $75 million. It is now just shy of IRON MAN’s $315 million to take the title of 2008’s biggest film. No other film came close to matching Batman’s success and there is now even talk that THE DARK KNIGHT could go on to become the greatest domestic blockbuster of all time. It would have to beat TITANIC’s $600 million take to do so but as it only took 10 days to pass the $300 million mark, it is certainly the first film in years to pose a viable threat. At the very least, it should go on to take the runner up spot, ahead of the original STAR WARS.


Opening in second place is the new Will Ferrell pic, STEP BROTHERS. Ferrell has reclaimed his king of comedy crown after it was in jeopardy of being taken from him after this spring’s disappointing SEMI-PRO. The $30 million take doesn’t match the previous opening weekends for summer comedies like GET SMART or YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN but it surpassed negative reviews to take the number two spot, which is the best anyone could have hoped for.

Many titles in the Top 10 held on strongly while a number of art house films opened to promising titles. MAMMA MIA! saw a minimal decline, putting in a position to best last year’s HAIRSPRAY. JOURNEY TO THE CENTER OF THE EARTH 3D continues to benefit from strong word of mouth and should help usher in next week’s other Brandon Fraser movie, THE MUMMY 3. And Pixar’s WALL-E may no longer be on course to be one of the top three Pixar successes but as it rounds the $200 million mark, it should definitely surpass last year’s RATATOUILLE.


On the art house front, the steamy BRIDESHEAD REVISITED debuted on 33 screens to a per screen average of $10K. The film is expanding aggressively in the next couple of weeks. The critically acclaimed documentary, MAN ON WIRE, opened on a mere 2 screens and took in $24K per screen. And French import, TELL NO ONE, continues to expand strongly, taking in almost $6K per screen in its fourth week. Last but not least, this year’s documentary winner at Sundance, AMERICAN TEEN, pulled in $8.5K per screen but it remains to be seen whether the apathetic teens the film portrays will overcome their apathy to make their way to the theatres as it expands.

NEXT WEEK: THE MUMMY 3 is the first reasonable challenge to THE DARK KNIGHT. Mind you, I guess Kevin Costner could swing the vote his way with his election comedy, SWING VOTE.

Source: Box Office Mojo

THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

Written by Frank Spotnitz and Chris Carter
Directed by Chris Carter
Starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Billy Connolly and Xzibit


Father Joe: So you believe in these kind of things?
Fox Mulder: Let’s just say I want to believe.

Like Mulder, I too want to believe. Or at least at this point, I wanted to. I wanted to believe that THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE could bear its inherently heavy burden of justifiably resurrecting this classic modern television series six years after its close and ten years after the last film incarnation. I wanted to believe because I was an X-Phile; I watched religiously every week to see Mulder and Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) take each other on while they tackled the unexplained that no one else wanted to deal with. I wanted to believe show creator and film director, Chris Carter, knew that this was the right time, that he had the right story to come back with that would breathe new life into these two characters that are cherished by and inspirational to so many fans around the world. The truth is, and I do understand the weight of that particular phrase given the context, that Carter and co-writer/X-Files veteran, Frank Spotnitz, clearly put a lot of care and thought into bringing these characters into the present but their best efforts are also their ultimate undoing. Carter may have shattered all of my beliefs but they were all the wrong ones to break.


Given the amount of secrecy that surrounded the production of this film, one would think it might be difficult to discuss the plot without revealing too much about the film. However, I fail to see the need for all the precautions, as there isn’t too much to the plot. In order to sell the X-Files to a wider and younger market, it was decided that this new movie would be a stand-alone X-file and not one shrouded in the alien conspiracy that made the show so compelling long before contemporary serial dramas like “Lost” or “Heroes” followed suit. Only the conspiracy was one of the major factors in creating the urgency that the X-Files television series commanded. It may not have been prominent in every episode but it was never forgotten. Now, we find that Mulder and Scully have moved on from the FBI. She has become the medical doctor she had always planned to and he is hiding out in the woods somewhere, true to his paranoid character. When the FBI comes around asking for their assistance on a case that only their expertise can help solve, the twosome are at odds with how deep they wish to get involved. Let alone that the case itself would be better suited for a “Without a Trace” movie as there is nothing particularly freaky or scary about it,
but how am I supposed to be excited about Mulder and Scully being back if they aren’t?


This is not to say that Duchovny and Anderson aren’t there; they are. In fact, the most satisfying element of I WANT TO BELIEVE is the opportunity to spend time with these two unique personas once again. Although they both acknowledged publicly that they struggled with finding these characters again when they first started shooting, you can’t tell. The love and respect that bonds them together is still present, as is the stubbornness and frustration that stems from that mutual admiration. The way in which Carter and Spotnitz approach these characters after years apart from them is to imagine where they would have ended up, drop them there and then let us see them. While this is very mindful of the inevitably intelligent audience the X-Files has always attracted, it is not terribly satisfying for that same audience that has craved progress and resolution to the Mulder & Scully relationship all this time. Bits and pieces of what has happened between them in the years we’ve missed are revealed in dialogue that is tossed out casually and we have to notice it, grab it and connect the dots ourselves. I would ordinarily applaud this writing but we’ve had this dance before; in fact we had it for nine seasons. It is no longer enough to tease. The time has come where seeing is believing.


It is near impossible for me to be entirely objective when it comes to the X-Files so I warn you ahead of time that my grade will probably be higher than it should be and the truth about THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE is still out there for you to discover all on your own. The problem here is that I can’t recommend you pursue this particular truth. Fans will be disappointed but still find a part of their hunger fed but I can’t see any appeal for anyone outside of the fan base. It lacks thrills, chills and the aesthetic of a feature film. I almost wish they had left it all alone but I wanted to believe that Carter could kick-start a film franchise he should have jumped on years ago. Instead, all I believe now is that we can’t go back and forward at the same time.

DEBUNKING THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE

In the X-Files television series, certain buzzwords would be tossed around more often that Mulder would be caught watching porn. Words like “truth” and “trust” or even “alien-human hybrid.” None of these words bothered me like this one particular word, “debunk.” Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) was brought on to the X-Files specifically to "debunk" Agent Fox Mulder’s (David Duchovny) work in the FBI basement and the writers never let you forget it. Well, now it’s my turn.

Series creator and THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE director, Chris Carter, has gone to great lengths to make sure that fans get to experience the pleasure of his new film with absolutely no knowledge going in whatsoever. He wanted the experience to be like Christmas morning for the fans – well, the fans who didn’t go sneaking through their parents’ bedroom days beforehand anyway. I’m not even kidding you here but only directors and producers had copies of the script. Actors were allowed to read it and then it was taken away from them. (Everyone knows you can’t trust actors.) Studio up and up’s were only allowed to read the script under video surveillance in a locked vault. Cast and crew showed up day of, unsure of what exactly was to be filmed, received the day’s script pages and then had them taken away and shredded at the end of the day.

Considering all of this extravagance (I would hope that some people have bigger conspiracies to expose outside of the new X-Files movie plot), it seems somewhat odd that Carter would put together a DVD anthology of eight episodes from the award winning series, entitled THE X-FILES REVELATIONS, that would enhance the viewing experience of the new film. Well, I’ve watched these eight episodes and I’ve got a theory of my own now about what to expect on July 25th. Here’s a breakdown of the great eight.


PILOT (season one)
The X-Files begins in silence. Mark Snow’s infamous theme music has yet to be created but the ominous X looms with enough weight to alert us that what is about to begin is more than you’re likely ready for. A girl runs through the woods before she is surrounded by light. When the light and the night both disappear, she lies there dead without explanation.

We meet Scully before we meet Mulder. She is being assigned to the so-called X-files unit of the FBI. This is where unexplained files go to die and also where she meets agent Mulder. He believes in the fantastic. She believes in the scientific. Many elements of the alien lore that became the foundation of the series are introduced right off the bat (losing time, the cigarette smoking man) but as the new movie is not supposed to involve the alien conspiracy, then I would think that watching the pilot is just a great way to see where Mulder and Scully took their first steps.

BEYOND THE SEA (season one)
It’s Christmas time but it’s hardly merry. After entertaining her parents for dinner, Scully passes out on her couch. She wakes to a vision of her father sitting across form her, mouthing something without making any actual noise. The phone rings suddenly and her mother tells her that her father has died. Scully jumps right into her work. When Mulder sees her, he calls her by her first name for what seems like the first time. The case in front of them throws the two reliable agents into opposite roles. A death row prisoner summons Mulder to see him regarding information he knows about a kidnapping that is currently in progress. He claims to be psychic. Here’s the kicker. Mulder doesn’t believe he’s the real deal. Scully, on the other hand, is taken entirely under his spell. When Scully tells Mulder that she thought he would be pleased that she has opened herself up to new ways of seeing, he wishes it were under more supposedly legitimate circumstances.

THE HOST (season two)
The X-Files have been shut down and Mulder is not happy. Scully has been reassigned elsewhere but the twosome sneak around piers for midnight meetings. This episode doesn’t seem to offer much insight into where the movie might go but it is definitely one of the series’ more gruesome offerings. A giant fluke worm has infiltrated the New Jersey sewers and Mulder is in charge of catching him. Even though they’re not supposed to, Scully and Mulder are still working hand in hand. Though reassignment can’t keep these two apart, it does make Mulder think about his future at the FBI.


CLYDE BRUCKMAN’S FINAL REPOSE (season three)
Another episode, another psychic. Unlike “Beyond the Sea”, this episode is much more playful. Belief is the word though. A serial killer is taking the lives of fortunetellers and a famous fortuneteller is called in by local police to help shed some light on the case. Mulder and Scully are also called in but Mulder is quickly kicked out of the fold because of his supposed skepticism. Again, Mulder only believes the real deal and he finds it in an insurance salesman by the name of Clyde Bruckman, played by an adorably irritable Peter Boyle. Scully is in true form, disbelieving Mr. Bruckman’s abilities but Mulder, as usual, has enough belief for the both of them. Boyle makes this episode is a joy to watch as he tests Mulder’s already thin patience and sends Scully’s eyes further inward then they ever have been before.

MOMENTO MORI (season four)
From laughs to tears, this episode is one of the best in the entire series. While it is steeped in conspiracy, it is also incredibly heartbreaking for anyone who cares about these beautiful characters. Scully has discovered that she has an inoperable brain tumor (caused by tests she endured while she was abducted in an earlier season but that’s not really important). Mulder refuses to accept what Scully believe to be the inevitable. His commitment to Scully has never been stronger and her inner peace offers a soothing tranquility. Watching this episode only further strengthens my presumption that the Mulder and Scully relationship will reach new levels of intimacy in the upcoming film.

POST-MODERN PROMETHEUS (season five)
Alright, Carter, you got me here. I’m stumped. I have no idea how this episode, in which Mulder and Scully investigate a comic book character come to life, could possibly add weight to understanding the new film. It is in black and white and, while it is certainly an amusing episode, it marks for me the beginning of the end for the originality and immediacy demanded by the four previous seasons. It is a mad scientist shout out to Frankenstein, in which genetic manipulation is unleashed on a public dying to see a parade of freaks on the Jerry Springer show. It just feels gimmicky, like it’s trying to be cool when it never had to try before.


BAD BLOOD (season five)
There are two sides to every story and those sides are always at odds when they’re being told by agents Mulder and Scully. Mulder has killed a boy who may have been parading as a vampire under the belief that he actually was a vampire. The twosome must get their stories straight before they present their case to their superiors. And so the story is told from each perspective. Scully’s interpretation of Mulder is as a hyperactive personality, both in presence and imagination. Mulder’s version of Scully is controlling, aggressive, frighteningly intimidating even. This dissection of character by the characters themselves is absolutely hilarious while revealing a closeness that can only be experienced fully after years of being together.

MILAGRO (season six)
Spending years in a sexless relationship can take its toll on a person, even a super person like Dana Scully. After a somewhat eerie, somewhat enticing elevator ride with Mulder’s new neighbour, Scully can’t get this guy out of her mind. I mean, so what if he looks a little crazy and has no furniture whatsoever in his apartment. So what if he’s a failed novelist. When you’ve gone this long without knowing another person in the biblical sense, I guess certain concessions have to be made. Not that Scully is the kind of girl to jump into bed with someone but even the mere possibility sends Mulder into such a tizzy that he puts a gun to the guy’s head. Sure, the guy is quite possibly writing people’s deaths so vividly that his stories manifest themselves in real life but there was definitely a little jealousy involved.

Let’s review. We’ve got three episodes with people who can predict the future or at least portend to do so, two episodes with genetic mutations and three episodes that deal specifically with the intensely touching yet platonic relationship between Mulder and Scully. Psychics + genetic miscreants + Mulder & Scully = I WANT TO BELIEVE? OK, so it’s not a theory so much as an equation. We’ll soon find out though as months of secrecy are about to be revealed. Now the only mystery left unsolved is whether all this suspense and time was worth the wait.

Billy Connolly Talks X-Files

There's a great interview up at the UK's Independent with Scottish comedian and sometimes-dramatic-actor Billy Connolly, who talks at length about his role in The X-Files: I Want to Believe, coming to theaters next month.

The usually hysterical Connolly plays it straight this time around, taking on the part of a disturbed Catholic priest--despite his real-life atheism. Incidentally, Connolly also played the title role in Fido, in case you didn't recognize him under all that makeup (and yes, he was also Howard Hesseman's replacement on Head of the Class.)

According to The Independent, the part of Father Joe was specifically written by Chris Carter with Connolly in mind. Check out the interview here.

WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: A Bright Weekend for a Dark Knight

I was telling a friend of mine that THE DARK KNIGHT had beaten SPIDER-MAN 3 this weekend to claim the title of best 3-day opening weekend of all time. His response, big deal. Apparently, he’s heard enough of box office record breakers. It seems that every weekend some new movie has claimed the title of best R-rated, live action July opening for a non-sequel in a language other than English. It’s a shame really because all these box office boys calling wolf makes it hard to spot the real deal when it happens. And the records set by THE DARK KNIGHT this past weekend are definitely the real deal.

THE DARK KNIGHT, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger, set one record before it even began its Thursday night midnight screenings. Playing on 4,366 screens across North America, THE DARK KNIGHT had the widest release of all time, besting the previous record by PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD’S END, which launched on 4,362 screens. The film then broke another record before its official launch date. Pulling in over $18.5 million from its Thursday midnight screenings, THE DARK KNIGHT bested the $16.9 million taken in from midnight showings by STAR WARS EPISODE III: THE REVENGE OF THE SITH. And that didn’t even include the extra screenings movie houses added at 3:00 AM and 6:00 AM to accommodate for the demand.


Going into its first official day of release with its head held very high, THE DARK KNIGHT then took in an unprecedented first day tally of $66.4 million (including the overnight screenings). These numbers bested the record for one-day take previously held by SPIDER-MAN 3, which took in $59.8 million on its first day in theatres. Prognosticators expected THE DARK KNIGHT to do well before the weekend started (you’d have to be pretty daft not to have figured that out) but it was not expected to shatter record for all-time best opening weekend. SPIDER-MAN 3 claimed that title last summer when it opened to an awesome $151.9 million but the bar has now been bumped up that much higher as THE DARK KNIGHT estimates have come in at $155.4 million.

I can’t say whether the excitement over THE DARK KNIGHT comes from an overwhelming interest in Batman movies, an audience that has grown exponentially since Nolan’s last Batman pic, BATMAN BEGINS (which, comparatively made a scant $47 million on its opening weekend) or whether the Heath Ledger fascination factor made the difference but whatever the reason THE DARK KNIGHT led the way for Hollywood’s most successful non-holiday weekend in history. The overall box office tally this weekend was roughly $250 million, besting the previous 3-day weekend record set on the weekend of July 7-9, 2006, where PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST led the way to a total of $218 million.


Yes, folks, movies other than THE DARK KNIGHT played in theatres this weekend. Musical MAMMA MIA! found its own following, taking in $27.6 million, narrowly besting the opening weekend take of last year’s sleeper hit, HAIRSPRAY. SPACE CHIMPS couldn’t pull any monkey love away from WALL-E, earning a scant $7.4 million.

NEXT WEEKEND: THE DARK KNIGHT faces some reasonable competition but should remain victorious. Well, I guess every X-phile could leave their basement for THE X-FILES: I WANT TO BELIEVE. Or maybe people are truly desperate to see grown men, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly act like prepubescent punks in STEP BROTHERS … I mean, we’ve NEVER seen that before!
Th

Chris Carter Spills the Beans on X-Files 2 Comic Book

Some quick but interesting news from New York's Comic Con today. Seems that last night, during a panel about this summer's long-awaited X-Files: I Want to Believe (yes, that's the title), series creator Chris Carter accidentally (?) let slip about a comic book tie-in that will be released about the same time as the movie.

The normally tight-lipped Carter was answering a question about what other forms the series might take, according to Firefox.org, when he mentioned the upcoming comic from DC/Wildstorm, which has not yet been "officially" announced.

X-Files: I Want to Believe hits theaters on July 25.

Quick! Check Out This X-Files 2 Footage While You Can!

While sitting and watching the Oscars tonight, I started to drift sometime between the Documentary Short Subject nominations and one of the Best Song performances, and so I took a quick peek on the web--only to discover this little chestnut.

Apparently, a preliminary trailer for X-Files 2 was screened for fans yesterday at WonderCon in San Francisco. The following is bootleg footage of that trailer taken by a diligent spy--so enjoy before Fox's legal bulldogs descend!

X-Files Set Pix: Hoax...or Cover-Up?

Last month, if you recall, there were some controversial spy shots from the set of X-Files 2 that leaked to the internet showing director Chris Carter and some guy in a werewolf mask. Quickly, the word spread that the highly anticipated sequel would be lycanthropic in theme--harkening back to an obscure season one episode, rather than the alien invasion storyline most fans had hoped to see resolved.
Now, Movieweb is reporting that the pictures were well-orchestrated fakes. According to someone claiming to be a crewmember, Carter intentionally had the photos leaked in order to throw off the fanboys.
Movieweb isn't questioning the new revelation, but Bloody-Disgusting points out that it's also very possible that this latest development is more like damage control. Could it be that the pix were legit, and now Carter and the studio are using some reverse psychology to invalidate what would otherwise be a major spoiler? Or could it be that I've watched too much X-Files myself? The truth is out there, people.

Mulder and Scully to Tangle with a Werewolf?

That seems to be what would be indicated by the spoilerific spy pic below, snapped by a sure-to-be-in-trouble-soon photographer near the Vancouver set of X-Files 2, and sent in yesterday to JoBlo.com:

That's creator/director Chris Carter on the right surveying the special effects handiwork. I was never that into X-Files, but I do recall there was a lycanthropy-themed episode or two during the show's original 1990s run. If that is the direction in which Carter is going, there are going to be a lot of X-heads plenty upset that there will be no continuation/resolution of the epic alien invasion saga, I can tell you that.

The Truth Is STILL Out There

Nearly a decade after the first feature film, and five years after the mega-hit TV show went off the air, the X-Files movie sequel is finally underway.
Comingsoon.net broke the news today that 20th Century Fox has green-lit The X-Files 2, which goes before the cameras December 10. Both David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson are reportedly on board (what else do they have to do??) to reprise their roles as Special Agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. Series creator Chris Carter will helm the project.
The movie is expected to be released some time next year. How much you wanna make a bet when all is said and done, we still won't know what the hell is going on?