The X-Files 01 x 03: “Squeeze”

May 312009
 

I’m re-watching some of The X-Files series over from the beginning and trying post a write-up about one episode a week.

We get our first Monster of the Week (MotW) episode with number three, which introduces us to the freaky character, Eugene Tooms.

Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate serial killings, where there appears to be no way the killer could have gotten in or out. Plus, all the victims have had their livers extracted. Dum, dum dum.

What their investigation reveals is a mutant (ie, monster) who can contort his body to squeeze through air ducts. He awakens every 30 years and feasts on five livers then goes back into hibernation.

The X-Files: ToomsTooms is one of those characters that still makes my skin crawl. His mannerisms are borderline perverse. Add to that the way he wriggles into “locked” areas and you’ve got one downright creepy dude there. They even got a contortionist to climb into the top of a chimney to better illustrate Tooms’ wriggly ways, which of course I loved seeing!

Most of all, it was the expressions, body language,  and soft, eerie voice that I think made this character succeed. Doug Hutchison did such an amazing job with that, I  have a hard time watching him in other things and not thinking about Tooms….

Yet, Mulder stole the entire episode with one line. Mulder and Scully discover Tooms’ nest. Mulder touches the bile, not realizing what it is. Then he delivers a classic quote that demonstrates the twisted humor of the show well:

“Is there any way I can get it off my fingers quickly without betraying my cool exterior?”

And I guess that’s that for this fangirl recap.

Writing Prompt: Sound Awakening

May 312009
 

I Tarocchi dell'Alba Dorata: Il RisveglioWith their diverse imagery and symbolism, tarot cards can make for interesting subjects of writing prompts. Here’s an example tarot writing prompt that I posted this morning on Cat ‘N Owl:

This is the Judgment card from I Tarocchi dell’Alba Dorata by Giacinto Gaudenzi. But the direct translation of Il Risveglio is The Awakening rather than Judgment and it is in that difference that I found inspiration for this writing prompt. I also love imagery, the witch’s hat and the shape of her horn. She walks barefoot with a posture that seems relaxed to me. Does she even realize she’s waking up the trolls?

Your writing prompt: Imagine you are one of the trolls sleeping underground. A distant noise catches your attention. It’s soft but somehow you find yourself wanting to be near it. You begin to pull yourself to the surface, the sound growing louder as you go. What does it sound like? Why do you feel drawn to it? Once you reach it, what message does it have for you?

Enjoy!

A Carnival of Caravans

May 282009
 

I saw mention of  the “A Carnival of Caravans” post from The Hermitage on Will Shetterly’s blog this morning. Of course I had to share! I love vardos! What a treat it must have been to be immersed in that scene…wandering musicians, storytellers, tons ‘o crafted goods,  just being in the outdoors…yes, I am a big time jealous. And I SO want a vardo too! :)

The X-Files 01 x 02: “Deep Throat”

May 242009
 

I’m re-watching some of The X-Files series over from the beginning and trying post a write-up about one episode a week.

Episode two brings us back into a reoccurring focus throughout the series, military cover ups. Good stuff. I think this kind of things appealed to me more from having grown up at West Point.

In this one we find out that a test pilot had some sort of psychotic breakdown. The military took him away and his wife declared him missing.

As the episode begins I couldn’t help but notice that Scully had a haircut since the pilot episode. And the color is lighter. I also zoned in on the colors and styles of her suits in these earlier episodes. A lot of the jackets were double breasted plaids in light or bright colors—oh and shoulder pads, naturally. Such an 80s feel.

Anyway, back to the plot…

The X-Files: Deep Throat Deep Throat makes his debut in this episode by approaching Mulder in the bathroom of a bar and warning him to stay away from this case. Mulder of course will have none of that and off to Ellens Air Base they go.

There they find another test pilot that was returned to his wife, only he’s not right in the head. He keeps plucking out his own hair in a creepy makes you raise your eyebrow in wonder kinda way. Eventually the missing pilot that started them on this case is returned to his wife. However, certain information has been extrapolated from his brain, making him seem somewhat a shell of himself to his wife.

My favorite part of this episode is when they stumble upon Seth Green’s entertaining stoner character. He informs Mulder of the location of the test flight site—a place Mulder presumes has crafts made of UFO technology.

This juicy nugget is of course too much for him to resist and he finds his way into the testing area just in time to see a triangular craft fly over him. It hovers over him and shines a few lights, creating a classic X-Files image, I’ve featured up top there. Yeah, good stuff!

Of course the military guys have to cover things up so they capture him and suck that memory from his mind too.

In a crazy cool move by Scully, she holds a base security guy at gun point and demands an exchange for Mulder’s release.

Deep Throat makes an appearance again at the end, reminding Mulder that that he can be of assistance to him, but only if it furthers his own cause. This makes it a beginning of a troublesome relationship of spotty “help,” but hey, at least it’s something. In this scene, there is also an amazing moment when Mulder asks if they are already here. Deep Throat’s response, “Mr. Mulder, They’ve been here for a long, long time.”

That’s that. End fangirl ramble.

Writing Prompt: Aliens in the Road

May 222009
 

Great image, isn’t it? Right away I see inspiration in it for crazy alien abductions:

So there I was already having the worst day ever when my car came to rest on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. I had no flashlight and wasn’t sure what to do so I sat there for a moment, punching the steering wheel. What can I say? It felt like the right thing to do. Like I said, worst day ever!

That morning I had gotten to work to find an FBI raid going on. Seems the executives had been stealing from our clients and now they were going to jail and the rest of us schlubs were stuck with no jobs—not to mention a black mark on our resumes.

I decided to head home to start doing some online job hunting, but while walking back to the subway, I got mashed in a crowd of people and burned by a cigarette. My skirt went up on flames and next thing I knew it I was on the ground and being rolled across the cement. I sat up and discovered that not only was I sitting there in a charred skirt, I had gum in my hair.

I finally made it to the subway and find out the train has been shut down due to electrical failure. I decided to huff it home despite the less than walking-friendly shoes I had on. I wanted to kick myself for deciding to place fashion against comfort that day.

A few hours later I found myself on the doorstep to my apartment, exhausted and in desperate need of a hot shower. My boyfriend opened the door, carrying a box and our cat, Minxie. He said that he was leaving me for a blonde and he was taking the cat too. As he drove away I noticed the box in the backseat of the car. It was full of my X-Files DVDs.

I kicked my front door. Then I went inside and got cleaned up and tried to relax. Sitting there wasn’t helping though, especially since I couldn’t help but stare at the gaping hole where my X-Files DVDs had been. So I decided to go for a drive.

I just needed to clear my head. I cranked up my tunes and drove out of the City and through some suburbs. I didn’t even realize had far I’d driven until my car stopped like it did, leaving me stranded in the middle of the country and in the dark.

An iridescent glow caught my attention and I glanced up to see three forms lingering in front of my car. I rubbed my eyes and blinked a few times. The forms were more like creatures, tilting their heads at odd angles that didn’t seem all that normal. I wondered if I missed Halloween and it was really kids in costumes.

Then I heard a voice say something that sounded like meezletinepop. Or at least that’s how it sounded to me…

……………………………………………………………………

Where does the story go? Or make one up from scratch yourself. Either way, enjoy!

The X-Files 01 x 01: “Pilot”

May 212009
 

I’ve been in such The X-Files mood lately that I’ve started watching The X-Files series over from the beginning. I’ll try to post a write-up about one episode a week—at least while this re-watch mood lasts. :P

The pilot episode starts off with a girl running in the woods. She falls and a man approaches her and picks her up. Leaves swirl around them and there is a bright light. She turns up dead the next day.

Welcome to Oregon.

This episode makes for a great foundation to the series overall. We learn that Scully is placed as Mulder’s partner to record what’s going on there with constant field reports. She is a medical doctor who chose to join the FBI instead of becoming a practicing physician.

Mulder is an Oxford grad with a study in psychology. He made a name for himself with his knowledge of the occult and serial killers. However, after hypnotic regression, he learned of the strangeness around his sisters abduction, and dove deeply into the X-Files, pursing anything and everything that may hold some sort of clue for him. It was then that people started calling him Spooky.

We also learn some little quirks, like Mulder eats sunflowers seeds, plus his love for slide shows. Hah!

Something interesting I noticed this time around was that I found that Scully trusted Mulder quickly in this episode and became a bit passionate about the case and his unconventional methods. Perhaps it was the startled fear of what was going on in this small town that came upon her. Having marks (albeit mosquito bites) appear on her own back only aided to that fear. I just found it interesting because by the next episode, she flips back to the Scully we know and love as the prove it to me girl.

This episode also introduced us to the Cigarette Smoking Man, government conspiracies, alien abductions, implants, and so much more!

Yes, a remarkable beginning to one amazing show! How I do love The X-Files! :)

Here’s a trailer that launched the series:

Monsters vs. Aliens

May 052009
 

Monsters vs. Aliens launches DreamWorks’ first production with their new 3D technology—a process C.E.O. Jeffrey Katzenberg says they’ll be using on all their films moving forward. I’m not really sure what to make of that. Yes, the visuals were spectacular to see, but when I removed my glasses, I still got hit with a monster headache. That’s not exactly how I like to end a movie viewing. Plus, the 3D format is not available in all theaters, since many have not upgraded from reel film to digital, which is what they would need to run this technology. If you’re looking to see it in 3D, make sure you check your listings carefully or call the theater to be sure it’s available. And for those who are curious about the 2D version, it does hold up well. The opening sequence was the only part where I noticed elements that would have been used to accentuate 3D.

The movie itself is a homage to B horror flicks, filled with nods to such films as The Blob, The Fly, Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman, The Creature From the Black Lagoon, and Mothra. Outside of that genre, I also noticed references to E.T., Star Trek, The X-Files, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Dr. Strangelove, and An Inconvenient Truth. I got so absorbed with catching references (and giggling at one liners) that I almost forgot about the plot—and that’s not actually a bad thing here. I think they spent so much time focusing on technology and inserting as many references as they could, that they skimmed on creating plot and character depth.

The story: Susan Murphy (Reese Witherspoon) gets his by a meteorite on her wedding day and mutates into a giant. The government scoops her up and deposits her into a secret monster containment facility on Area 51. There, the newly renamed, Ginormica meets the other inmates, Dr. Cockroach Ph.D. (Hugh Laurie), B.O.B. (Seth Rogen) The Missing Link (Will Arnett), and Insectosaurus (Conrad Vernon). Meanwhile, out in space, evil alien, Gallaxhar (Rainn Wilson) discovers that the meteorite that collided with Susan is filled with a substance he’s been seeking. He sends a giant robot down to Earth to retrieve it. General W.R. Monger (Kiefer Sutherland) believes the monsters are their only hope and persuades President Hathaway (Stephen Colbert) to grant freedom to the monsters in exchange for saving Earth.

The plot felt predictable and Susan was the only character with any back story, narrow as it was. She wanted to find a way back to her original size so she could return to her normal life. The other monsters seemed to only be there to freak people out and deliver one liners. However, the voices were phenomenal and made the characters interesting regardless. Hugh Laurie sounded downright diabolical with his mad scientist laugh and Seth Rogen nailed the brainless simplicity that is B.O.B.. I would’ve enjoyed more depth to many of the characters. I also wish they’d had more monster vs. alien action. There wasn’t nearly enough of that.

Overall, I think this is a good, fun family film. It’s not on par with the quality of Shrek or Kung Fu Panda, but the visuals and humor make it a worthwhile one to see.