March | 2021 | MovieGeekBlog

The X-Files (S1.Ep2): “Deep Throat”

March 14, 2021 1 Comment

X-Files (Season 1 – Episode 2): “Deep Throat” ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Director: Daniel Sackheim. Writers: Chris Carter, Chris Carter. Cast: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Jerry Hardin, Seth Green.

This is the episode which really sets up the so-called “X-Files Mythology” about Aliens, alien technology and Government conspiracy. It’s also the one that introduced us to the Deep Throat character who will become an essential part of this first seasonIt’s an essential episode which sets in motion so many elements which will become classic X-Files tropes, but also in a typical X-Files fashion it will leave most of the questions unanswered, so much so that a voice over was required at the end to help the audience a little bit (and even that became a signature of the series).I have to be honest, maybe because I’ve seen all the other episodes after this and I am used to a lot more outrageous events, or maybe because it’s based to commonly known stories and legends about Area 51 or the Roswell UFO incident, on this repeated viewing, I found it slightly weaker than the pilot and more obvious episode, though it does have a great ending and one of the most intriguing final lines: “They’ve been here for a long time”. Classic!! Duchovny and Anderson once again show their comedic timing while arguing about how possible or impossible the existence of aliens is. This is something they’ll do over and over again and yet they will always keep it fresh and make it work seamlessly. It is always a pleasure to watch is Gillian Anderson’s bemused smile as she tries to argue her way though Mulder’s theories. This was clearly not something in the script and yet their performances added the extra level of chemistry between the two of them.Something I have just realised, the title sequence had not ben worked out properly yet and it’s actually different from what it’s going to look like. Also worth mentioning the stoner character played by Seth Green (before his role in Buffy or Austin Power), the first of the many recognisable actors who went on to do many other things after this.

Filed under Reviews, The X-Files, TV

Finding Nemo

March 13, 2021 Leave a comment

Finding Nemo

Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich. Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould

Back in 2003 hardly any animated movie looked as good as Finding Nemo. Fast forward 18 years, this is not only one of those timeless favourite among families, but it’s also still as lush and vibrant as it was. From a story point of view, after starting with a real bang, an unexpected and moving sequence (quite a shock for young kids out there… and probably something of a trademark in the Pixar Universe) the film then moves to introduce its audience to the beautiful world under the sea: the colourful seascapes and the fish, the meticulous details (almost too many to be contained inside a screen, so much so that it becomes almost slightly chaotic), the incredible underwater lighting are all a marvel to watch and they still have the power to impress.

The middle section of the film is probably the weakest (though I am aware that criticising this film feels a bit of a blasphemy), as we move through a series of rather episodic sequences, some more successful than others and most of which rather redundant (Let’s be honest, the shark meeting for example is not as funny as it thinks it is and the bit with the monster in black depths comes and go without many consequences). However once “dad Marvin” gets to Sidney in his search for Nemo and the action kicks in, the film opens up to an exciting third act, with edge-of-your-seat thrills, chases, humour and twists aplenty.

Overall this is an enchanting film, full of lovely characters (probably a bit too many which does harm a little bit their characterisations), beautifully saturated visuals, and lots of heart in true Disney fashion. Though, as you might have gathered, this is not one of my Pixar (or Disney) favourites, it’s hard to dislike it and even harder to criticise it, mainly because it does so many things right. In years to come kids will still be watching Finding Nemo (probably even more than those who go back and watch Snow White) and they will still fall in love with it… and rightly so!

On DisneyPlus.

Filed under recently re-watched, Reviews

Boy Erased

March 12, 2021 Leave a comment

Boy Erased

Director: Joel Edgerton Cast: Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, Russell Crowe

A well intentioned, though rather conventional film, inspired by a true story of a boy, (Lucas Hedges) son of a small-town church pastor (Russel Crowe) who’s been sent to a conversion therapy program to “cleanse him of his homosexuality”. However absurd the story sounds a chilling caption at the end of the film reminds us that 36 states in America still allow conversion therapy to be practiced on minors and to this day, more that 700.000 LGBTQ Americans have been “affected” by convention therapy.In fact I have seen another recent film about the same subject called “the miseducation of Cameron post” (with Cloe Grace Moretz). That film (which by no means was a masterpiece) used comedy to highlight the absurdity of these conversion centres. This one plays it absolutely straight (No pun intended) and it’s pure drama but somehow it seems to lack some of the edge of the other film and doesn’t quite manage to be as punchy as it should be that this subject would require it to be, often falling into cliches.Ironically the strongest moment in the film happens right at the end in the caption that I have mentioned above. Having said there are some powerful tender and emotional moments here and there and it’s defiantly a film which deserves to be talked about and to be seen.

Its true power lays in the acting and especially with the splendid performance by Lucas Hedges who at only 25 is shaping up to be one of the best actors of his generation with a resume of pretty much only good films. His sensitive performance is subtle and multi-layered and definitely lifts the film and made it work for me, so much so that I have to confess, the scene at the end with Russel Crowe had me in tears.

On Netflix.

Filed under Reviews

The X-Files (S01.Ep01): “Pilot”

March 11, 2021 1 Comment

The X-FilesSeason 1 – Episode 1: “Pilot” 1/2

Director: Robert Mandel. Writer: Chris Carter. Stars:David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Charles Cioffi

My new blu-ray full set of all the seasons of the X-Files has been sitting on the shelf for almost a couple years now, looking at me and asking “when are you going to watch me again?” I thought tonight was as good as night as it’ll ever be.

It’s easy today, 28 years later, to underestimate the impact this TV Show has had, not just on Sci-Fi but on television in general.The X-Files was ground-breaking for the time and I’m pleased to see how a lot of it still works today.. A lot of the ingredients that made the series so delicious are in this pilot episode (though the iconic title music isn’t there yet): the mysteries, the government conspiracies, the flashlight at night, the banter between the sceptic (Scully) and the believer, the smoking man in a corner or the room, the gross stuff, the UFO… This is brilliant stuff already from the outset: tight, smartly written, looking more like a movie than a tv show has hardly ever looked and sounded: yes, of course Twin Peaks had been released a couple of years before, but that was this is the show that really broke the rules of television, keeping people in the shadows, only lit by flashlight or letting the action develop in white shots, as opposed to the usual big close ups. Even the typed-up captions on the screen with location, date and time was fresh at the time.

Of course the X-Files will go on getting better an better and by season 3 and 4 it’ll get as good as TV can ever get with episodes as gripping as any movie out there, attempting things TV had never done before (including an episode with one continuous take). Before Binge-TV became a thing (possibly with “24”) The X-Files was there (including people talking and speculating on this “new thing” called the internet)

But the real secret behind this series can be seen already in this pilot: the amazing chemistry between the two leads, possibly unbeaten still today, as far as TV is concerned is palpable. From the moment the two meet to the first unexpected hug leading to years of speculations on whether the two of them will ever get together. David Duchovny gets a lot of slack for his deadpan deliveries, but his understated performance fits the character so well that it’s hard to see anyone else playing the part (truth is, when he left the show towards the later seasons, the X-Files wasn’t quite the same anymore). But beyond the flat tone of his deliveries you can see how much he’s enjoying himself being Fox Mulder. He has a couple of wonderful moments in this episode, smiling and cracking jokes, but also he somehow manages to make the story about the abduction by alien of his sister believable. And then of course, Gilliam Anderson’s Dana Scully who will become he heart and soul of the series and who still to this day can surprise us and win awards left and right. I loved her at the time and I still do today. Her intensity is so powerful that actually does the work for both of them. I loved watching this episode again tonight and aside from the terrible clothes and huge computer monitors which date it all back to the 90s, everything else is still spot on and it made me want to start watching is all again, especially because I know it’s going to get a lot more sophisticated both technically and in terms of content and stories (and yes, it’s going to lose the plot on the mythology a little bit, I know, but those who have seen it all, know that there are a lot of great episodes even in the later seasons).It’s one of the few shows that was able to bring together adventures, sci-fi, horror, police procedures, mysteries and comedy all in one.

Roll on the X-Files again: the truth is out there! (On DisneyPlus)

Next Episode

Filed under Reviews, The X-Files, TV Tagged with 90s, Classic TV, Conspiracy, Mithology, Mulder and Scully, The Truth is Out There, The X-Files

The Traitor

March 9, 2021 Leave a comment

The Traitor (il traditore) 2019

Director: Marco Bellocchio. Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino, Maria Fernanda Cândido, Fabrizio Ferracane, Fausto Russo Alesi, Luigi Lo Cascio,Nicola Calì

It took me a while to actually settle down and appreciate this film and eventually like it. The first act are probably the most conventional, squeezing in “the greatest hits” from any other Mafia related movies we’ve already seen hundreds of times. It seems to add nothing to the genre (though arguably very little has been added since the 70s with the godfather)An unlikeable main character, going through the motions, with cliche dialogue, over-the-top direction, ultra-violence and cheesy Italian mandolino playing in the background. I was ready to dismiss it. And then, at the 40 minutes mark, the story actually find its groove and the real film begins: a deep multi-layered character study of the “rat” Tommaso Buscetta, a high ranking man within the Cosa Nostra ladder, whose key testimonies between 1986 and 1992 would lead to a total of 366 convictions in one of the largest Mafia trial in history. It is an uneven film which works best when it plays it simple and tries to be as real as possible. Most of the scenes during the chaotic trials are gripping, absurdly hilarious and equally spooky, but also the quietest scenes are mostly beautifully handled too (thanks to a towering performance by veteran Favino, who here speaks Italian, Sicilian, English and Brazilian and it brings gravitas to the role like few people can and he alone manages to lift the film from the average a 3 stars film to the edge of a four stars one!). Unfortunately at times director Bellocchio let himself carried away a bit too much by the excitement about making his film look needlessly stylish and “modern” and when he tries to be too flashy, that’s when he falls: the counter on the screen, the intercutting between the big mafia boss being cornered by the police and a trapped animal (was it a lynx? Anyway talking about subtlety.) are some of the most over-the-top examples (though I have to say the POV inside the car exploding was quite something… even if a bit tasteless).

Not all performances are quite as believable to Favino’s, but that may have something to do with the fact that Sicilians seem like bad actors in their day-to-day lives anyway. Eventually the film ends up doing pretty much what Scorsese’s The Irishman did (though with a couple of hours to spare) and somehow it managed too grip me.