Buffy | Studio23 | 06.28.2004

On Buffy last Monday: End of Days

The penultimate episode of Buffy is upon us. With the impending conflict with The First, Buffy comes upon a huge gift when she finds the scythe that can kill the last pure demon to walk the earth. She also meets up with the Last Guardian, and sets up a fight with Caleb, where Angel lends a helping hand but doesn't get in the way. She kisses Angel, with Spike watching in the shadows and The First, eager to regain his lost champion, whispering in his ear.

Buffy regains de-facto leadership of the bunch when Faith leads the Potentials into a trap and gets injured, but she's not sure if she wants to accept it. However, it seems she has to accept it. Such is the burden of the Slayer, at the moment the one human who stands between the world and the powers of ultimate darkness. The bar is high for Buffy episodes, but this one passes with flying colors. Although not one of the best episodes, it effectively mixes good action with tender drama and that dollop of comic relief that's necessary to keep sane when the world's about to end.

Notes: Buffy's imploring Xander to take Dawn away was so human, so very like the big, protective sister. But kudos to Dawnie for fighting back. The kid's got balls. * The banter between Anya and Andrew was very entertaining. There was chemistry. * Last Guardian looked quite familiar. Also the symbol above her temple/crypt was eerily similar to the object that the Beast uses to block out the sun in the concurrent season of Angel. * Eliza Dushku looked a little bloated this episode, it seems. Still knock-out though. * Angel was positively yummy. In the context of the Buffyverse, this is after he and the gang have taken over Wolfram and Hart, and he has negotiated an alternate reality--a "normal" one--for Connor. Therefore, less brooding, more good looks.

Indictment: The McMartin Trial | Hallmark Channel | 06.28.2004

This Oliver Stone-produced docudrama documents the events in the famous trial of the McMartin family, owners of a preschool in Manhattan Beach, CA. The main defendant, Ray McMartin Buckey, was accused of sexually abusing the children and there were allegations of child pornography and Satanic rituals. The McMartin trial was one of the most watched trials in history. It was one of the first trials to be televised. It was also one of the most expensive trials in US history, costing a whopping $15M over a span of seven years, compared to the $8M that the OJ Simpson trial cost a few years later. Most importantly, the McMartin trial effectively underscored the frailty and pliability of juvenile witnesses, in this case preschool children. In hindsight, it was speculated that the interview techniques used by the Children's Institute International organization were leading and led the children to experience false memories.

However, the McMartin-Buckeys' lives were ruined. Impoverished because of the closure of their school and considered social pariahs, the McMartin matriarchs are now dead and take their despair at the foul hand dealt them to their grave. People still considered them guilty, despite accusations that were getting more and more bizarre. Finally, the woman who first filed a case against the McMartin family, Judy Johnson, was found to be an alcoholic and a paranoid schizophrenic, a detail that was withheld from the defense, the revelation of which was a deciding factor in the acquittal.

James Woods plays the brash defense attorney Danny Davis, who gets his clients acquitted through sheer perseverance and a few tricks; Mercedes Ruehl is the lead prosecutor Lael Rubin, who is portrayed as misguided and a little manic in this movie. The drama focuses on the trial and the effects on the defendants, especially Ray and his mother Peggy. Portrayed by a listless Henry Thomas and Shirley Knight, respectively, the duo doesn't really elicit much sympathy from the viewers, unlike Sada Thompson (portraying Peggy's mother Virginia McMartin) and Alison Elliott, who plays Ray's sister Peggy Ann. The script is quite bland and not exploratory; it seems to be trying to be incendiary and/or cautionary but ends up falling a bit flat. I honestly watched it just to see what would happen--I almost fell asleep midway. I realize now that I could have just visited this website and read about the whole thing instead. That wouldn't have been much of a waste of time.

Criss Angel: Mindfreak | StarWorld | 06.27.2004

Flipping through channels nearing daybreak this morning, something caught my eye. It was this creature (okay so it was human) covered entirely in black lycra coming out from the stomach of a man who was held in a metal contraption. Weird is too mild a word to describe the antics of Criss Angel, combination illusionist and daredevil. He is bizarre.

Looking like Bret Michaels heavily influenced by Marilyn Manson, Criss Angel pays homage to Harry Houdini with the water tank stunt as well as the suspended-in-the-air-in-a-straitjacket escape act. As the zeester is into David Blaine and I think we have seen every David Blaine TV special to be shown, I wasn't really paying much attention to the ads on StarWorld; Criss Angel, however, is different. Definitely bizarre. In one of his stunts, he is suspended by fish hooks that pierce his skin. In another stunt, he becomes a flaming man for almost a minute--much longer than the requisite 6 to 8 seconds a stuntman would be on fire for a shot.

There is also the matter of his commentary, about a third of which is bleeped out. Mindfreak, indeed. Criss Angel raises the bar on the bizarre, effectively challenging the likes of David Blaine. If strangeness were the deciding factor, he would definitely win out.

Mean Girls | Tina Fey's Winning Punch

I have fond memories of high school. Perhaps the scene was different here in the Philippines a decade ago, or perhaps I did lead a sheltered existence, but I cringe involuntarily each time the cruelty of teenagers—especially teenage girls—to each other is explored. I have not read Rachel Wiseman’s Queen Bees and Wanna-Bes, from which Tina Fey has adapted her screenplay for Mean Girls, but I have a feeling it will leave me depressed. Meanwhile, the movie itself is an entirely different matter.

Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) is entering school for the first time. All her life, she has been homeschooled by her parents, biologists who were stationed in Africa. Jolted into the reality that is American high school, Cady likens it to the jungle to which she is more familiar—and frighteningly, it almost proves true. Cady has a hard time fitting in, but is befriended by Goth girl Janis Ian (not the singer, played by Lizzy Caplan—although ‘At Seventeen’ does play in the background in one scene); and big gay guy Damian (no surname needed, played by Daniel Franzese).

In a surprising turn, Cady is also befriended by the most popular clique in their school, headed by the prettiest and most popular girl in school, Regina George (Rachel McAdams), who is also quite the bitch. Regina’s handmaidens are the rich, shallow Gretchen Wieners (a grown up Lacey Chabert) and the ditzy Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried). Janis has a score to settle with Regina, so she urges Cady to play along and find out their secrets. The trouble starts when Cady falls for Regina’s cast-off boyfriend Aaron Samuels (Jonathan Bennett—where has he been all my life?); in true mean-girl mold, Regina now wants him back and Cady is left hanging. Cady vows to fight back, but in the ensuing melee, which includes catfights in the halls and an unfortunate incident with a bus, Cady realizes that she has become a mean girl herself and challenges everything she thinks is right.

I don't know why, but I have always liked Lindsay Lohan. Every since she took on the dual roles of Hallie and Annie in The Parent Trap, I've always felt a certain degree of fondness for the red-headed freckle-faced kid. In Freaky Friday she wasn’t that much of a kid anymore, and in Mean Girls, she is staking her claim as Teen Queen of Hollywood (made-up title that could be awarded, in hindsight, to the likes of Molly Ringwald, or Jennifer Love Hewitt—thereby implying that this could be the kiss of death to an adult career).

She holds her own in this movie, and is definitely on her way to being the next ‘it’ girl. The movie, however, is a wonderful achievement not basically for Lohan, but for the screenwriter, Tina Fey, the first female headwriter of Saturday Night Live. Fey is able to effectively reshape the parenting manual that was Wiseman’s book and bend it into a light but intelligent romp into the agonies and ironies that constitute high school life. Hers is a brand of comedy so different from fellow SNL alumni Rob Schneider or Adam Sandler—a fresh new voice that won’t easily be overlooked.

Fey and Mark S. Waters (who also directed Lohan in Freaky Friday) are able to coach delightful comic performances from their young stars and some of the old ones, delving into what seem like stereotypes without being trite. Rachel McAdams, Rob Schneider’s alter ego in The Hot Chick, may be a little old to be playing high school teen queens (but I am not one to judge, right, Gabrielle Carteris and Bobby Andrews?); but she has a spirited turn as mean, conniving Regina. Lacey Chabert and Amanda Seyfried are equally effective as the henchwomen; and there is a notable performance by Rajiv Surendra, who plays a math geek-cum-rapper. The adult supporting cast gives a solid performance, and what do you expect from mostly Saturday Night Live alums—from the controlled yet hilarious performance of Tim Meadows as the Principal to the wacky Amy Poehler as Mrs. George (who is only five years older than McAdams, who plays her daughter). The best adult role, though, goes to the madam herself—Tina Fey essays Ms. Norbury’s sometime-clueless-but-actually-profound (and quite pretty) math teacher with understated comedy and great timing.

There are gems of one-liners, both comedic and otherwise: for a former math geek such as myself, there is Cady’s declaration that she likes math because it is the same in every country. The Plastics are apparently called such because of their resemblance to Barbie dolls, but as we know hereabouts, there is another more derogatory meaning that is more applicable to the clique. Other subplots, including Gretchen’s trying to initiate a new buzzword and its eventual demise at the hand of queen bee Regina, the hints at sexual tension between the principal and a teacher and a coach and a student, and the joke (shown in the trailer) about Karen kissing her cousin (“he’s just my first cousin anyway”) border on the ribald but are well-handled so as not to be totally vulgar.

More importantly, the movie does not degenerate into the clichés and stereotypes almost expected of teen movies. The denouement of Mean Girls, though, is a bit sappy, culminating in the Spring Fling (perhaps one of the few cliches in the film), where the loose ends are wrapped up a bit too nicely for comfort. The last fifteen minutes or so, despite getting a little preachy, don’t really ruin the whole movie, though, because the movie is downright enjoyable, from the fresh take on school, to the radio-friendly soundtrack, to the witticisms and the accurate teen language (“shut up!”). The same plot in the hands of a less gifted screenwriter would be a recipe for disaster. Fey has us in her thrall—what better way to look at high school’s foibles than from an outsider’s point of view, an outsider who is aware of the inconsequentiality but is still drawn like a moth to flame? This is a dissection of high school life, hidden in a gem of a teen comedy, which is almost on the dot. Although it may not reach the cult-classic status of, say, Heathers, it is right there, in league with Jawbreaker, as a simultaneously dark and funny film that you won’t hesitate to watch one more time.

Notes:
Rachel McAdams will next be seen in The Notebook opposite Sandra Bullock’s erstwhile boy-toy Ryan Gosling. They star as the younger version of star-crossed lovers Gena Rowlands and James Garner in the adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks sentimental favorite. Something to sigh about next time!

Channel Flipping | 06.24.2004

Buffy (Conversations with Dead People) on StarWorld - Azura Skye was positively riveting as she reprised her guest role of Cassie/The First; The Good Son on StarMovies - dark, and made even more depressing because the creep was a little kid. Was also good to see little Frodo-er-Elijah; Try to Remember on CineMax - Gabrielle Anwar looks really old. Really. Old. And she's supposed to be only 34. Lines and eyebags and everything, and I don't think the role called for her to be old; Zach Braff/Garden State interview on BBC - looking cute. Will look out for Garden State, if only for him and Natalie Portman.

Race to the Altar | StarWorld | 06.24.2004

From a show focusing on infidelity, I tuned in to StarWorld, default channel #2 (just recently dethroned by ETC), where they've started airing Race to the Altar, the latest reality show to hit the airwaves. Eight couples are vying for their dream altar date by going through various challenges, physical and otherwise, including having to hold on to each other the longest while suspended from cables ten storeys above the ground, and a newlywed-game-like matching game where questions are asked on hypothetical prenup clauses.

I understand the mystique of a reality show such as this; it's fun to watch real people bicker and blame each other, but it's also nice to see couples who seem to totally in love at times. It just so happens, unfortunately, that the setup of the games really bring out some friction in these engaged couples. This is a newer take on the newlywed game, only it's the pre-wedding game; it's a jumble of various reality game shows, and the game portions are not that entertaining. Definitely less entertaining than the goings-on in between the games, within the couples and between the various pairs. It's not good TV, but it's watchable.

Oprah | Studio23 | 06.24.2004

Flipping through the channels I came across archive footage of Kobe Bryant's press conference regarding the rape charges against him, in which his wife Vanessa is rubbing his hand, playing the supportive wife. Curiosity got the better of me, because I wanted to see the reaction of this young, nubile woman to the allegations that her husband sexually assaulted another woman. Oprah's show was about infidelity.

Joining Oprah were other NBA wives who experienced their husbands' infidelities, namely James Worthy's ex-wife and Kenny Anderson's ex-wife, as well as other women who were victims of their husbands' infidelities, and some husbands who were unfaithful in the past. Worthy's wife learned about her husband's infidelity on the headline news when he was caught for soliciting prostitution; Anderson's wife caught him in another woman's room on a hunch.

In my opinion, there were too many things happening at the same time; there were the two NBA wives, who were later relegated to the background, then there were the couples who were trying to work it out, and then there was a marriage counselor, amid audience participation and pre-taped interviews with adulterous husbands and suffering wives. At one point, things got really out of hand when everyone started talking at once; and although Oprah was able to keep things at bay--testament to her quick thinking and skill--the episode lost some of its coherence at some time.

It was good to see something like this being tackled though. It was done very intelligently, albeit quite emotionally, and siding with the wronged wives. What do you expect from a daytime show mainly geared towards women? It could have been handled better, but then maybe it's the cynic in me talking.

CSI | AXN | 06.23.2004

On CSI last night: Dead Ringer

The police Olympics (or something like that) are being held in Las Vegas. An LA cop is found dead in the desert in the middle of a relay race, with signs pointing to foreign substances (read: drugs) as the cause of death. Meanwhile, at a hotel, the apparent murder-suicide of a male and female cop from different areas triggers an investigation into infidelities and mistaken identity.

This is one of the better episodes of CSI for this season; lately however, it seems that the CSI episodes have been a bit dry compared to previous episodes. Could it be an over-saturation of sordid crime on my part? Or has the series really degraded? Apparently, 20 million viewers in the US don't share my opinion on this, because it's still the #1 show in the US.

I don't really relish the thought of Grissom's scruffy look nowadays. He looks tired and unprofessional (IMHO). Gary Dourdan (Warrick Brown), meanwhile, seems to be getting less and less screen time along with another favorite of mine, Eric Szmanda (Greg Sanders), which contributes to the lack of spark. The "processing" sequences, where the state-of-the-art crime lab machines are being used, have become tedious of late, seeming to be shot unimaginatively. The color palette, too, is quite gray, contributing to the lack of visual liveliness of the scenes.

Meanwhile, it seems that there are more and more cops being investigated lately. A few episodes back, in Paper or Plastic?, a gritty cop was the main suspect in the crossfire murder of a patron in a grocery holdup. In this episode, cops are suspects in both murder cases. Is this a statement of sorts?

Charmed | StarWorld | 06.23.2004

On Charmed last night: The Courtship of Wyatt's Father

Darklighters are after Leo. A designated hitman traps Leo and Piper in the ghostly realm, where their powers are non-existent. Meanwhile, Chris is fading away because he must be conceived before the night is over. It is then revealed that Gideon, the elder from the magic school, is behind the threat to Leo's life, while the estranged husband and wife have a go at it, thereby saving Chris!

I think this is one of the better episodes this season. Of course, I'm such a sucker for the Leo-Piper tragic love story. Although I can't seem to find much sympathy in me for Drew Fuller's pouty performances, the fact that his character is who it is, serves as impetus for emotional reach for this story, aside, of course, from the fact that you are rooting for Leo and Piper to get together in some way or another. And then there is the mysterious figure who hired the Darklighters. (I myself have a dark lighter: black Cricket electronic.) The person who is trying to wrench Leo away from his family is none other than Gideon, his trusted mentor and head of the magic school (setting for The Legend of Sleepy Halliwell two episodes ago). What a ride this is going to be for the next few episodes!

The First Post

I decided to follow Jacs' lead and have a separate site for my musings on big and small screen goings-on to de-clutter the "personal blog". It seems I'll be linking from Deeper Shade to Soul to here quite a lot. I picked the name because I'm no pro at cinema reviews, nor am I quite the certified TV addict as Kristin Veitch; but I do like watching stuff (am visual animal). Besides it reminds me of Giles (the Watcher bit, not the casual bit).