Train Travel in Film

Below is a list of my favorite movies that feature train travel. Ironically, three of these movies feature Scottish actor, Sean Connery:



TRAIN TRAVEL IN FILM


1. "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974) - Sidney Lumet directed this stylish adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1934 novel about the murder of a mysterious American aboard the Orient Express. Albert Finney led an all-star cast as Hercule Poirot. Ingrid Bergman won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar as one of the suspects.



"Silver Streak" (1976) - Arthur Hiller directed this comedic mystery thriller about the murder of an art historian during a Los Angeles-to-Chicago train journey. The movie starred Gene Wilder, Jill Clayburgh, Richard Pryor, Patrick McGoohan and Ned Beatty. It marked the first pairing between Wilder and Pryor.




3. "The First Great Train Robbery" (1979) - Sean Connery, Lesley Anne-Down and Donald Sutherland are a trio of Victorian thieves determined to steal a cache of gold bound for the Crimea, from a train in 1855. This caper thriller was based upon Michael Crighton's novel, who also directed and wrote the screenplay.




4. "From Russia With Love" (1963) - Terence Young directed Sean Connery in the latter's second appearance as James Bond in this adaptation of Ian Fleming's thriller about the British spy's mission to retrieve a Soviet code detector from Istanbul. The second half of the film is set aboard the Orient Express. Daniela Bianchi, Lotte Lenya, Pedro Armendáriz and Robert Shaw co-starred.



5. "Narrow Margin" (1990) - Gene Hackman portrayed a Los Angeles District Attorney who accompanies an unwilling witness to a crime from Canada to Los Angeles via train. Anne Archer portrayed the witness. James B. Sikking co-starred and Peter Hyams directed.




6. "The Twentieth Century" (1934) - John Barrymore and Carole Lombard starred in this classic screwball comedy about a Broadway producer who boards the famous Twentieth Century train in order to convince his former protegee and lover to star in his next play. Howard Hawks directed this adaptation of Charles MacArthur and Ben Hecht's play.




7. "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) - Alfred Hitchcock directed this thriller about a rich, English playgirl who realizes that an elderly lady has disappeared from a train traveling through central Europe. Margaret Lockwood, Michael Redgrave, Paul Lukas and Dame May Whitty starred.




8. "The Darjeeling Limited" (2007) - Wes Anderson directed and co-wrote this comedy-drama about three American brothers who travel by rail through India for a reunion with their mother, following their father's death. Owen Wilson, Adrian Brody, and Jason Schwartzman star.




9. "The Mystery of the Blue Train" (2005) - David Suchet portrays Hercule Poirot in this second television version of Agatha Christie's 1928 novel about the murder of an American heiress aboard the Blue Train from London to Nice. Georgina Rylance, Elliot Gould and Nicholas Farrell co-starred.




10. "Shanghai Express" (1932) - Josef von Sternberg directed Marlene Dietrich, Clive Brook and Anna May Wong in this stylish melodrama about passengers aboard a train traveling through war-torn China in the early 1930s. The movie won a Best Cinematography Oscar for Lee Garmes.

"Consequences of a Crime"

I wrote this little RANT about what happened . . . or what did not happened to Piper at the end of the Season 2 episode, (2.12) "Awakened".


"CONSEQUENCES OF A CRIME"

In the Season 2 episode, (2.12) "Awakened", Piper had deliberately purchased an illegal fruit from South America called "kiwano" - fruit that had NOT been inspected by the U.S. Customs - in order to get it at a cheap price for her customers at P3.

However, Piper had sampled the kiwano and became ill with a deadly and uncurable disease called Oroya Fever. Phoebe and Prue used magic to cure her by transfering the disease into a borrowed Ninja doll. Unfortunately, a consequence arose when the doll became animated and ended up infecting several patients at the hospital. The sisters realized their mistake and transfered the disease back to Piper, using another spell. But this time, Leo prevented Piper from paying the consequences of her actions, when he heals her. The Elders punished him by clipping his wings. But what happened to Piper?

[Scene: P3. Piper gives a box of fruit to a guy.]

Piper: These haven't been inspected yet. Put them in the back. We're returning them to the supplier.

(She walks up to Prue and Phoebe.)

Phoebe: Looks like someone learnt their lesson.

Piper: Yeah, the hard way unfortunately.

Prue: Still, the clubs doing okay. Doesn't look like quarantine ruined business too much.

How peachy! Piper learned her lesson. Unfortunately, she failed to face any consequences for her actions. Or should I say her crime? Piper had committed a felony. Even Dr. Williamson, her doctor, knew this. Piper should have been facing some serious fines for her actions. Or the Federal government should have closed down P3. Yet, by the end of the episode, P3 had reopened. Nor did the episode point out that Piper would be facing a court trial or fines for her crimes.

What the hell is this crap?

”BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: Buffy and Riley"

Below is an article I have written about the breakup of Buffy Summers and Riley Finn in the Season Five episode of "BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER" called, (5.10) "Into the Woods":


”BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO: Buffy and Riley”

I have read many opinions regarding the breakup of vampire slayer Buffy Summers and her Season Four/Season Five boyfriend, Riley Finn on many discussion forums, blogs and message boards about ”BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER”. The prevailing viewpoint seemed to be that Riley had ruined the relationship with his behavior and attitude in Season Five. I might be one of the few fans of the show who might harbor another opinion. Then again, I might not. Let me explain.

At the end of Season Three, Buffy’s vampire paramour – Angel – had decided it would be safer for her if he left Sunnydale and her for good. Following Buffy’s graduation from high school, she enrolled in the University of California at Sunnydale. And not long after starting school, she met Riley Finn inside a student bookstore for the first time. As it turned out, Riley was not only a Teacher’s Assistant for one of the university’s instructors (Maggie Walsh), he was also an Army officer and demon hunter for a government-sponsored organization called ’The Initiative’. And unbeknownst to both Buffy and Riley, his mentor Dr. Walsh had been feeding him drugs to enhance his physical prowess. Not only did the couple spend most of Season Four coming to terms with Riley’s participation in the Initiative, but also dealing with Maggie Walsh’s other experiment – namely a human/demon cyborg hybrid named Adam. But after their adventures with the Initiative, Adam and other demons; Riley resigned from the Army and became part of the Scoobies.

But all was not as well as it seemed by the beginning of Season Five for Buffy and Riley. Buffy began sneaking away from Riley at nights to engage in her usual Slayer activities. She suddenly found herself the older sister of a fourteen year-old adolescent girl named Dawn, who was in reality a mystical object known as the Key transformed into human for by a group of monks and sent to Buffy from protection from a hell god named Glory. The drugs that Maggie Walsh had fed into Riley began having a deteriorating effect upon his health. Riley had the drugs removed from him via an operation by a former Initiative doctor and became slightly weaker. Buffy discovered that her mother, Joyce Summers, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Worst of all, Riley began harboring suspicions that the blond vampire slayer did not really love him. It finally ended for Buffy and Riley in (5.10) “Into the Woods” when two things happened: 1) Riley was approached by his old friend, Graham Miller, to consider rejoining the Army and a new version of the Initiative; and 2) Buffy learned via chipped vampire Spike that Riley was seeing vampire whores who suck his blood for money. After a bitter fight between the two, Riley left Buffy and Sunnydale for good.

Ever since ”Into the Woods”, many ”BUFFY” fans have placed either most or all of the blame of the couple’s breakup upon Riley’s shoulders. First of all, many have accused his character of over-the-top machismo. They claimed that Riley could not handle being physically weaker than Buffy after his operation in (5.04) ”Out of My Mind”. They used his actions with the vampire whores as example that Riley tried to be “monstrous” enough to be a worthy mate for Buffy . . . and fell short.

I must admit that I found the above claims about Riley very hard to accept. Granted, he possessed a black-and-white view of the world before meeting Buffy. And this conservative viewpoint led him to join the Army, allow Maggie Walsh to recruit him into the Initiative and help the latter capture Oz in (4.19) “New Moon Rising”, despite Buffy’s protests. But Riley made bigger mistakes. After resigning his Army commission, Riley should have taken the time to make a life for himself outside of Buffy. He could have continued his studies at UC Sunnydale or try to become a teacher. Perhaps one of the reasons he failed to pursue another profession was that the only life he really wanted was in the military. I see nothing wrong with that. As long as Riley went through life with his eyes opened and without the naivety that Maggie Walsh had exploited in the past . . . he could be on the right track.

But Riley tried to make his life all about Buffy (just as Spike would attempt to do so between late Season Five and Season Seven) and it was another mistake on his part. Even worse, he failed to inform Buffy of his true feelings about everything – his lack of a direction in his life, the vampire whores and Buffy’s growing emotional distance - until it was too late. Quite simply, Riley made three major mistakes. He failed to make a new life for himself outside of Buffy, he cavorted with vampire whores in order to explore his inner darkness and most importantly, he failed to communicate with Buffy.

On the other hand, Buffy also contributed to her breakup with Riley. I suspect that she had been using Riley as rebound from Day One of their relationship. She was not only rebounding from Angel's departure, but also from the idea of a relationship with a supernatural being. To her, Riley was her ”Joe Normal”. And this was a mistake. There is a chance that some part of Buffy had deep feelings for him, but I doubt that it was enough for a long term relationship.

But the one thing that really annoyed me was Buffy's habit of treating Riley like fine china, following the operation to remove his physical enhancements in "Out of My Mind". So what if he had lost some of his strength? He was still a competent demon hunter. He certainly proved that in (5.07) "Fool For Love". Instead, Buffy treated him like a damsel-in-distress by insisting that the Scoobies help him hunt down the vampire that attacked her. In other words, she became ridiculously macho when it came to Riley. She failed to remember that Riley was an experienced demon hunter, who could help her deal with vampires, demons, etc. a little more effectively than the other Scoobies. It almost seemed as if Buffy was treating Riley with a patriarchal air. And that was a major mistake for her to make with a strong-willed personality like Riley. Another major mistake that Buffy made was like Riley, she failed to communicate with her. Many fans pointed out that Buffy was too busy dealing with Joyce’s illness and the appearance of a new sister to deal with Riley’s demons. But if Buffy could confide with Spike about Joyce’s illness in (5.08) “Shadow”, why did she wait so long to do the same with Riley? Why did she confide in Spike first?

I suspect that in the end, the real problem with Buffy and Riley was that emotionally, they were too similar to each other. Each, in their own way, possessed a . . . masculine personality. And instead of creating a balance between two people, it created conflict in the end. Neither of them were really honest with each other. Both had a problem with communicating with each other. Is it any wonder that the relationship failed in the end?

"THE FOUR FEATHERS" (1939) Photo Gallery

In celebration of the 70th anniversary of its original release, below is a gallery of photos from the 1939 Alexander Korda classic adaptation of A.E.W. Mason's novel, "THE FOUR FEATHERS". The movie starred John Clements, June Duprez, Ralph Richardson and C. Aubrey Smith:


"THE FOUR FEATHERS" (1939) Photo Gallery

"Altered Lives" [PG-13] - Chapter Five

"ALTERED LIVES"

CHAPTER FIVE

CORUSCANT

Palpatine glanced up from the data pad in his hand, as Sly Moore entered his office. She bowed to the new Emperor. "Pardon me, Your Highness. Senator Jaren Tagge of Bonadan awaits your presence."

The Emperor quickly switched off his data pad and tossed it on his desk. "Send him in." The Umbaran female started to turn away, when Palpatine added, "Also, send in the Jedi prisoner . . . after you have escorted Senator Tagge into my office."

Sly Moore nodded and left the office. Nearly a minute later, she returned with the senator from Bonadan, Jaren Tagge. A stocky human with pale skin and pale blue eyes, Senator Tagge happened to be a scion from a wealthy family that has represented Bonadan for the past twelve years. "Your Highness!" the visitor greeted Palpatine with a low bow. "As you can see, I have returned from Naboo. Very sad business. Very sad." He spoke with the sincerity of a smuggler from the Outer Rim.

"Ah yes," Palpatine responded with equal insincerity. "Senator Amidala's funeral. I regret not being there. Considering that she had represented my homeworld."

Senator Tagge heaved a feigned sigh. "And to have died so young . . . and violently." He paused, as a sly expression crept across his solid face. "By the way, did you know that she was with child at the time of her death?"

"Really?" Palpatine crowed inwardly at the comment. He had seen the news report of Amidala's funeral and recalled noticing her pregnant body being carried through the streets of Theed. The HoloNet News Service made no mention of the late senator's pregnant state. Obviously, the news service had decided to respect Nabooan tradition of respecting the citizens' private lives. It seemed that Senator Tagge could not care less about Nabooan tradition. Palpatine felt greatly relieved. He already has to live with the idea of Anakin Skywalker no longer within his grasp. A possible encounter with both Skywalker and his offspring could prove to be a greater threat.

"I wonder who was the father."

Palpatine deliberately hesitated. "I am not in the habit of spreading rumors, mind you, but I have been aware of a . . . friendship between the late senator and a young Jedi Knight."

Pale blue eyes widened with surprise . . . and pleasure. "A Jedi? No wonder they had her killed. I never believed the story that Senator Amidala had merely been caught up in the Jedi's attempt to grab control of the Senate."

Heaving a mournful sigh, Palpatine replied, "I can only say that we will never know the truth. By the way," he sat down in the chair behind his desk, "I wanted to discuss another matter. Namely, the hyperbarides that your family's corporation has been supplying the Empire. I . . ." He paused dramatically. "I have just received word from your sister-in-law, the Baroness that the Tagge Company insists upon charging the Empire 1,000 credits per kilo for the mineral. Is this true?"

Tagge's demeanor stiffened. The obsequious politician with a taste for gossip had disappeared. In its place appeared a cool and ruthless businessman. "Yes, I'm afraid so, Your Highness. My sister-in-law had been foolish to promise you that the price for the hyperbarides would remain at 600 credits per kilo. Considering the recent political upheavals and the costs of the war, we felt it was best to raise the prices. After all, hyperbarides is very expensive to mine."

Palpatine gave the politician a long, hard stare. He considered using the Force to manipulate the senator's thoughts. But instinct told him that corrupt or not, Jaren Tagge was not weak-minded. The Tagge family possessed a reputation for their business acumen, ruthlessness and strong will. So that left . . .

His office door slid open, revealing Sly Moore. The Umbaran aide entered the room. "Pardon me, Your Highness. The Jedi prisoner is here. I believe you wanted to see him before we send him to the detention center for execution."

"He's here?" Palpatine asked, feigning surprise.

Sly Moore hesitated. "Why . . . yes. He is . . . in the corridor, outside. I wanted to make sure . . ."

"Send him in," Palpatine ordered. "I want to speak to him, one last time."

A frowning Tagge spoke up. "Pardon me Your Highness, but is that wise? He could be a danger to you."

Playing her role to perfection, Sly Moore added, "The Jedi traitor has been slightly drugged. He is in no condition to be a threat."

Palpatine nodded. "Send him in," he repeated.

Sly Moore bowed and disappeared into the corridor. Seconds later, she returned with two red-clad Imperial Guards escorting a slightly dazed Romulus Wort. "Like I said, he is slightly drugged," the aide added.

From the corner of his eye, Palpatine saw his aide surreptiously inject the Jedi prisoner's arm with a needle . . . something to purge the drug from the latter's blood system. It did not take long for Wort to lose his dazed expression. "What hap . . .?" He glanced down at the shackles that bound his wrists. They snapped open. Tagge jumped back in fear. Using the Force, Palpatine refastened the shackles. The Jedi Knight stared at him with sheer hatred. The Sith Lord could barely contain his revelry in the young man's emotions. This should prove to be interesting.

"So, this is the Jedi," Tagge pronounced in a sneering voice. "Guardians of the galaxy. Or should I say . . . usurpers?" The Bonadanian senator regarded Wort with contempt. "Tell me Jedi, were you into seducing female senators, as well?"

Wort stared at Senator Tagge with shock and confusion. "What?"

The Bonadanian ignored the younger man's question, as he snorted with derision. "Jedi scum! You know, clone troopers managed to find two of your kind hiding out on my homeworld. Thankfully, they were cut down like the scum they were. It's a shame that you'll receive a military execution." He turned to Palpatine. "Your Highness, may I ask how you had captured him?"

The Emperor replied smoothly, "Our Imperial troopers found him inside the Jedi Temple." He found himself enjoying Tagge's harassment of the young Jedi. The Bonadanian not only enjoyed gossip, but intimidating his lesser opponents. This made Tagge well feared in the Senate.

"Probably hiding, while his comrades were finally being rid of." Tagge returned his attention to Wort. "You! Jedi! Did you hide, while your comrades were being killed? How did it feel to betray the Senate? To betray the Re . . . the Empire? I bet you enjoyed it." A sly smile curved his lips. "Just as you must have enjoyed Senator Amidala's favors. Were you the piece of scum who had conceived a child with her?

In a timely fashion, Palpatine intervened. "Now, Senator. Even though Senator Amidala had a relationship with one of the Jedi Knights, I do not believe that Master Wort here, was the father of her child."

Wort's eyes widened in shock. "Senator Amidala was . . .?" He shook his head. "That means Ana . . ."

Nodding, Tagge interrupted. "I believe you may be right, Your Highness. I doubt very much that this . . ." He sneered at the Jedi Knight. ". . . this scum has the energy, let alone the imagination to warm the late senator's bed. I can only imagine which Jedi filth had been responsible." He threw back his head in raucous laughter.

The next few minutes happened so fast that it nearly took Palpatine's breath away. Once more, Wort's restraints snapped open. He shook them off, grabbed one of the guard's pike and knocked both guards to the floor. Then the Jedi Knight let out a roar and swung the pike Senator Tagge's head. Three times. His left temple bleeding profusely, the senator slowly slumped to the floor. Palpatine quickly intervened by using the Force to thwack the back of Wort's neck, causing the latter to fall to his knees, bleeding.

"Good!" Palpatine cackled. "Very good!"

The second Imperial Guard examined the unconscious senator and announced sonorously, "He is dead."

"I assumed as much," the Emperor coolly replied. "Leave us. All of you." The guard dragged his unconscious colleague out of the office. A slightly shaken Sly Moore followed closely behind. Once the door slid shut, Palpatine turned to the slightly injured Jedi Knight. "Congratulations, Master Wort. I'm afraid that Senator Tagge was becoming quite a problem for me. However, you have managed to solve it, quite well."

Wort regarded Tagge's body with horror. "What have I done? I didn't mean to hurt . . . I mean . . . He was saying all those horrible things about the Jedi. I had to shut him up."

"Of course you did," Palpatine replied in his most sympathetic voice. "But you must realize that you have just murdered a member of the Senate and a member of a prominent family. The Bonadanians, and especially the Tagge family will not take kindly to learning of his murder."

"It's not true," Wort demanded, "about Senator Amidala being pregnant, is it?"

Palpatine sighed. "She was pregnant. Both she and the unborn child did not survive the recent upheaval, thanks to the child's father." He paused. "And I am quite certain that you now know his identity."

Disbelief and rage formed storm clouds within Wort's eyes. "Skywalker! This is all his fault! He is responsible! I never trusted him. Even from the day when he first joined the Order! And now, this? He had an illicit affair with Senator Amidala?"

"Yes, that did come as a surprise," Palpatine murmured. "Along with the unborn child."

Rage literally poured from Wort's eyes. "Where is he? Where is Skywalker? Before you execute me, I should at least have the chance to kill him! He deserves nothing less!"

Coolly, Palpatine faced the young Jedi. "I'm afraid that Skywalker is . . . missing. Disappeared. He has failed to return from an assignment on Mustafar."

"Is he dead?"

"Oh no, my young Jedi. No, I believe that he is still alive." Palpatine paused before he murmured, "Or else I would have sensed otherwise."

Wort's dark eyes bored into Palpatine's. "So, he has betrayed you, as well. I'm still asking for that chance."

Palpatine returned Wort's stare. "I sense a great desire to exact revenge, Master Wort. If that is what you truly desire, there is only one path in which to attain it." He paused dramatically. "By my side."

For a long moment, Wort hesitated. His eyes reflected a conflict between his past loyalties and oath and a new desire to inflict pain. The latter finally won out, as he slowly knelt on one knee. His face trembling with emotion, Wort declared, "The Jedi is gone. The Order no longer exists. Everyone that mattered to me in my life is . . . gone. I've committed murder . . . in cold blood." His eyes once again expressed rage. "And that scum, Skywalker roams the galaxy. There is nothing left for me . . . other than to spill that traitorous scum's blood. If serving you means allowing me the chance to do so, then so bet it."

"You cannot back away from this," Palpatine warned. "One apprentice has already betrayed me. I will not take kindly to another . . ."

Wort resolutely declared, "Unlike Skywalker, I am not in the habit of betraying one's trust." He lowered his head. "I will do . . . as you ask. Even if learning the Dark Side will achieve both of our goals. I . . . I pledge myself to the Empire, to the ways of the Sith . . . and to you."

Palpatine allowed himself a triumphant smile. "Arise, my young apprentice. From now on, you shall be known as Darth Rasche."

"Yes . . . Master." The new Darth Rasche rose unsteadily to his feet and faced his new master.

"And now, we need to see about your immediate needs." Palpatine activated the comlink on his desk. Sly Moore entered the room. "Please tend to Lord Rasche's injuries. And he will also need new clothes and new quarters. Also, have someone tend to . . . Senator Tagge's body. I will need to contact Baroness Tagge, as soon as possible."

Sly Moore bowed. "Yes, Your Highness." She turned to face Darth Rasche. "Please follow me, my Lord."

After his aide and new apprentice had left the office, Palpatine strode toward the new windows that overlooked Coruscant's skyline. Amazing, he thought. In one fell swoop, he had managed to rid himself of a troublesome senator and acquire a new apprentice . . . all at the same time. And this new apprentice might prove to be more malleable than his predecessor. Anakin Skywalker will rue the day he had turned his back on the Sith.


END OF CHAPTER FIVE

"STATE OF PLAY" Photo Gallery

Below are photos from the new political thriller directed by Kevin MacDonald. It stars Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, Harry Lennix, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels and Helen Mirren:


"STATE OF PLAY" Photo Gallery

”LOST” – (5.08) “LaFleur” Review

Below is an article I had written on my opinion and observations of the latest episode of "LOST" - (5.08) "LaFleur":


”LOST” – (5.08) “LaFleur” Review

Many fans of ”LOST” have claimed that its Season Five has been the series’ best since the first season. I have to be honest. I do not think I can agree with that sentiment. At least not for Season Five’s first five episodes. I have mixed feelings for it, just as I had for Seasons Two to Four. But there are elements of the fifth season that I have enjoyed so far. And many of those elements had a lot to do with the story arcs surrounding the island castaways left behind when the Oceanic Six departed the island at the end of Season Four.

”LaFleur”, the eighth episode of Season Five, picked up where (5.05) “This Place Is Death” left off – when John Locke turned the Frozen Donkey Wheel from ”(4.13) “There’s No Place Like Home, Part II” and vanished from the island and into the future. Following Locke’s departure, Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, Miles and Daniel are relieved to discover that they no longer have to endure the constant time jumps that have threatened their existence and ended Charlotte Lewis’ in ”This Place Is Death”. However, they are surprised to discover that the time jumps have stopped in 1974, when the Dharma Initiative has been in existence for at least four years. The five survivors decide to return to the beach and make camp, when they comes across a pair of Dharma Initiative members who have been captured by some of the island's native inhabitants, known as the Others. Juliet and Sawyer kill the two Others and free Amy (Reiko Aylesworth), but her husband has been killed. The group returns to the Barracks, where Amy resides; however, she tricks them into walking through the sonic fence which surrounds the Barracks, knocking them unconscious. The rest of the episode focused upon how the five survivors ended up joining the Dharma Initiative in 1974 and the state of their lives, three years later in 1977.

Remember when I had stated that I had mixed feelings about the series’ Season Five? Well, some of those reasons had a lot to do with how Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindehof’s writers handled the story arcs surrounding the two groups of characters during this season. Of course, there are the members of the Oceanic Six who made it off the island – Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, Sayid Jarrah, Sun Kwon, Hugo “Hurley” Reyes and the infant Aaron Littleton. And there are the members of those left behind on the island, included James “Sawyer” Ford, Juliet Burke, John Locke, Jin Kwon, Miles Straume, Charlotte Lewis, Daniel Faraday, Bernard Nadler and his wife, Rose Henderson. Quite frankly, I did not care for the episodes that heavily featured the Oceanic Six. One, I never cared for their lie that left the infant Aaron in the hands of fugitive Kate Austen for nearly three years. Two, I simply did not care for their story arc in the first half of Season Five. I found it contrived, trite and a waste of my time. On the other hand, the story arc featuring those survivors left behind turned out to be a different kettle of fish.

I found myself enjoying the segments surrounding the ‘Left Behinders’ in episodes like (5.01) “Because You Left”, (5.02) “The Lie” and ”This Place Is Death”. So, it is no surprise that after eight episodes, my favorite Season Five episodes turned out to be both (5.03) “The Jughead” and ”LaFleur”, which heavily featured Sawyer, Juliet and the gang. But . . . I am not here to discuss both episodes. Only ”LaFleur”.

What can I say? I loved the episode. I love it so much that I now consider it to be one of my ten favorite episodes of the entire series. And I never thought I would be saying this about a Sawyer-centric episode. Five days after it first aired, I found myself still thinking about it. I am sitting in front of my computer, trying to think of something meaningful or witty to say about this episode. But the words continue to elude me. I have a deep suspicion that my high opinion of ”LaFleur” had more to do with how this episode had such an emotional impact upon me.

Like the Left Behinders, I felt the relief they must have felt over the end of the time jumps, following Locke’s departure. Or the confusion and they had felt upon stumbling across Amy, her dead husband Paul and the two Others. I felt Daniel’s continuing grief over Charlotte’s death . . . or Amy’s grief over Paul’s death. I felt Richard’s curiosity during his conversation with Sawyer (from now on . . . James) about Locke’s appearance twenty years earlier. I felt Horace’s despair over his suspicions that his new wife, Amy, had yet to get over her grief for her husband now dead for three years. I felt James’ desperation to find help for Amy, who was in labor with Horace’s child . . . and Juliet’s reluctance to deal with another childbirth. I certainly felt James’ relief and happiness over the successful birth of Amy’s child and Juliet’s tearful joy. I felt James’ relief and disbelief in discovering that some of the Oceanic Six – Jack, Kate and Hurley – had made it back to the island. And I especially felt the friendship and love both James and Juliet had for one another.

But the above paragraph strikes me as being too simple a way to describe my enjoyment of ”LaFleur”. Foremost, I have to commend writers Elizabeth Sarnoff and Kyle Pennington for penning a well-written episode that revealed the Left Behinders’ experiences with the Dharma Initiative in two time periods without disintegrating into a big mess. The fact that Sarnoff and Pennington also managed to inject some character development – mainly James and Juliet – into a complicated plot has raised my admiration toward their work. Another thing that I liked about ”LaFleur” is that for some reason, it strongly reminded me of my favorite ”LOST” episode of all time - (2.07) “The Other 48 Days”.

This episode is not an exact replica of the Season Two episode that revealed the backstory of the Tail Section passengers' first 48 days on the island. But I feel that both "The Other 48 Days" and "LaFleur" allowed viewers to experience the interactions of a small group - in the case of the Season Five episode, the Left Behinders - developing a close relationship through shared experiences. Mind you, most of James, Juliet, Miles, Jin and Daniel's worst experiences occurred in previous Season Five episodes like "Jughead" and "This Place Is Death". Still, we got to see how they became part of the Dharma Initiative in 1974. And how they had managed to settle into their new lives in 1977.

Josh Holloway literally owned this episode with a performance that nearly knocked my socks off. His James Ford aka James LaFleur has come a long way that rough-hewed Southern con man who had irritated just about everyone back in Season One. This transformation did not happen overnight. In fact, I suspect that it had its origins during late Season Three, when Hugo Reyes forced him to take the mantle of leadership of the Losties during Jack, Sayid, Kate and Locke's absence during that period. The Southern accent has remained intact and so did the snarky sense of humor and talent for pulling a con job. Not only did he managed to convince one of the Dharma Initiative leaders - Horace Goodspeed - that he and his fellow castaways were survivors of a wrecked salvage vessel looking for the Black Rock. Within three years, James had become Head of Security for the Initiative and found a new love, namely one Dr. Juliet Burke.

When I had earlier stated that Hollowy had owned this episode, perhaps I should have said almost. After all, Elizabeth Mitchell (who has become one of my favorite actors on this series) was just as good as Juliet Burke. After three years, she has forgone her profession as a fertility doctor by becoming an auto mechanic for the Dharma Initiative. At first, I was surprised that she would choose to become a mechanic, instead of continuing her role as a doctor. But considering her past heartaches in dealing with previously pregnant Others, I eventually understood. But the premature labor of one of the Dharma members, Amy Goodspeed (portrayed by Reiko Aylesworth of "24" fame), led James to convince Juliet to act as midwife for the new Goodspeed baby. The result of Amy's labor led to one of the most beautifully acted moments in the series' entire history, when Mitchell and Holloway expressed Juliet and James' relief and happiness over the baby's successful delivery. I could go on about the strong screen chemistry between the two actors. But I have been aware of that chemistry ever since the Season Three finale - (3.22) "Through the Looking Glass". The interesting thing about James and Juliet's relationship is that the series used their growing friendship in the previous six or seven episodes to show how they eventually became a couple. They seemed to have become the first romantic pairing, whose relationship started out as a mature friendship. Perhaps that is the reason why I find it so appealing.

The other cast members in this episode also did a fine job - especially Jeremy Davies, as the grieving Daniel Farady, Doug Hutchison as the Dharma Initiative mathematician who came off as less self-assured than he did in past episodes, Nestor Campbell as the Others' ageless second-in-command, Richard Alpert and Reiko Aylesworth's sly performance as Amy, another Dharma member, whose life James and Juliet save. Daniel Dae Kim had a nice moment when Jin witnessed Juliet's news about the successful birth of Amy and Horace's baby.

There were many moments in "LaFleur" that have remained stuck in my mind . . . even after five days. Here are a few that I consider truly memorable:

*James, Juliet, Miles and Jin spot a giant, Egyptian-style statue following Locke's disappearance.
*The brief look on James' face after Juliet saves him from being shot by one of the Others.
*Amy tricks the Left Behinders into walking past the sonic fence.
*James mentions Richard's encounter with Locke and the 'Jughead' bomb in 1954 to the very surprised Other.
*James convinces Juliet to remain on the island for a while.
*Juliet and James' happy reaction to the successful birth of Amy and Horace's child.
*James' conversation with Horace about dealing with past loves.
*The sight of James and Juliet in bed, with her body spooning his. She really 'had his back' in that scene.
*Jin delivers three of the Oceanic Six members - Jack, Kate and Hurley - to an awaiting James.

Even thought that last scene was memorable, I must admit that I found myself comparing it to the sight of a roach crawling across a white rug. It also made me wonder how the Oceanic Six's arrival will affect the Left Behinders - now members of the Dharma Initiative. Both Kate and Jack's presence might prove to be a trial for the James/Juliet romance. Right now, I am beginning to wonder if it will survive. And will the Oceanic Six's presence threaten the Left Behinders' standing with the Dharma Initiative? Or will another threat emerge - mainly in the form of the still grieving Daniel Faraday? I guess that in the remaining eight episodes, we will find out.

"Return With a Vengeance" [PG-13] - 13/18

"RETURN WITH A VENGEANCE"

CHAPTER 13

It was an angry sorcerer who appeared before the Crozats. Judging from his expression, Edward realized that the attack on the youngest McNeill had failed. "What happened?" the warlock asked.

Growling, Dako/Morris wrapped one hand around Cousin Louis' throat. "I'll tell you what happened! That witch had used his psychic abilities to summon help before I could kill him! I found myself surrounded by that girl's two sisters, the McNeill woman, a man surrounded by blue lights, some woman I don't even know and another man who just might be a daemon." He gave Louis' throat a slight squeeze. Edward's cousin gurgled. "And do you want to know what else I had discovered? One of the witches is not only pregnant, but she also might be as powerful as myself. And the same can be said about the man with the demonic powers. Something you had failed to tell me." Dako squeezed Louis' throat tighter, causing the latter's face to turn red.

A panic-stricken Henry blurted out, "We don't know anything about a daemon! As for the witch . . . well, we knew she was carrying a powerful baby, but we didn't realize it might be as powerful as you."

Dark eyes narrowed dangerously. The sorcerer released Louis, who promptly fell upon the floor, coughing. "You had extensive details on the other Halliwell witches and the McNeill witches," Dako replied in a crisp tone, "and you expect me to believe that you knew nothing about the extent of the pregnant witch's powers or the daemon? Do you take me for a fool?"

Feeling the extent of the sorcerer's dark power, Edward immediately bowed. "No, Your Eminence. We sim . . . our source had failed to provide this information to us."

"Then I suggest that you make your source understand the repercussions of his failure to inform you." Dako paused. "Now, I want to know everything about these people. Their secrets and the extent of their powers. Including the daemon."

Edward, Henry, Rudolf and Suzanne responded as one, "Yes, Your Eminence."

Dako stared at the trio. "One question - is there a way to steal this daemon's powers? He struck me as being very powerful."

An uneasy Edward glanced at his fellow warlocks. "If this daemon was with the Charmed Ones and the McNeills, he must be Belthazor. I understand that he is very powerful. Even more powerful than he had been as the Source. Together with his powers and yours, we could possibly kill the pregnant witch."

The bokor stared at the warlock for a long, terrifying moment. Then he declared, "I will kill the witch. I take the demon's powers, and together with mine, I will kill her child. Am I clear?"

His emotions in turmoil, Edward struggled to keep them in check. He had no intention of helping Dako take Belthazor's new powers. But it did seem prudent to keep his intentions to himself. And healthier. In the end, Edward merely nodded in agreement and murmured, "Yes, Your Eminence."

"Start preparing a potion or spell that will help me steal this Belthazor's powers." The sorcerer glared at the warlocks. "You have the knowledge to create this, I hope."

Edward turned to Suzanne, who kept her mouth shut. Good. "I'm sure that we'll be able to, Your Eminence. It's just a matter of time."

"We don't have much time," the bokor snapped. "Once the potion or spell is completed, inform me." Dako glanced down at Louis, who was struggling to stand up. "Meanwhile, I will be in my room, meditating. I . . . this mortal. He is still making it impossible for me to completely control him. And have this one," he pointed at the unfortunate Louis, "deliver my morning meal at sunrise, precisely." With a frown on his face, the sorcerer disappeared.

Edward heaved a large sigh and turned to Suzanne. "Belthazor. What happened to him, tonight?"

Suzanne responded with a glare. "Don't blame me! He stood me up, thanks to 'His Eminence'!"

"All right! No more procrastinating! Make an appointment to see Belthazor, tomorrow. Get him to meet you at the office," Edward snapped. "We have to get our hands on his powers, as soon as possible!"

* * * *

Cole sat in one of the plush chairs inside the McNeills' long drawing rooms. His eyes followed Olivia, who was engaged in a telephone call with an agent from the U.S. Customs Office. He had returned to the family's residence, after dropping off Cecile at Olivia's apartment.

"Yeah Martin, it has been a long time. Like three weeks," Olivia was saying. "I guess you heard about Ben Mallard." She paused. "Yeah, well your boss wasn't exactly thrilled to see me. What can I say? It was San Francisco PD who stumbled across his body." Another pause. "What do I want, this time? Marty, why do you always assume I'm after something?" Olivia threw back her head and laughed.

It was a rich, throaty laugh that seemed filled with warmth and promise. For a brief moment, Cole felt as if someone had punched him in the gut. He wandered what this Marty could have said to generate such a response from Olivia. Something personal? Intimate? Deep down, Cole knew he had nothing to worry about, but speculating the reason behind Olivia's laugh seemed a hell of a lot more preferable than brooding over what was really bothering him.

"Harry's fine. Gwen and Bruce are upstairs with him." The statement came from Jack McNeill, who loomed above Cole. "I guess dodging that sorcerer's attack must have taken a lot out of him."

His eyes still fixed upon Olivia's smiling countenance, Cole nodded. "I'm not surprised. This Dako seemed very powerful. Harry's lucky to be alive."

Mr. McNeill sat down on the sofa, near Cole's chair. "I understand that Paige was also lucky. Third-degree burns." He shook his head in disbelief. "Whew!"

Cole's gaze wrenched away from Olivia. Mention of Paige's name brought back memories of Piper and Phoebe's reaction to his encounter with Dako. He recalled the anger and contempt in their eyes. "Yeah, lucky," he murmured.

Silence followed, broken only by the sound of Olivia's voice. She said, "All right, Marty. You got me. I do need a favor. Is there a way for me to get a copy of the S.S. Enigma's manifest? It had arrived in San Francisco, the day before yesterday. I also need its manifest before it had departed from Singapore." She paused. "I don't know. Maybe two weeks ago." Then, "How soon can I . . .?" Another pause. "That soon?"

"Cole?" The older man's voice drew Cole's attention away from Olivia. "Is there something wrong?" He nodded at Olivia. "She and Marty are old friends. He used to work for San Francisco PD. They tend to flirt sometimes, but it's nothing serious. He's married."

Nodding, Cole merely replied, "Oh." Once the mystery behind Olivia's relationship with this Marty vanished, Cole's real reasons behind his blue mood came back in full force.

Still staring at the half-daemon, Mr. McNeill continued, "But that's not the problem, is it?"

Cole assumed an innocent expression. "What problem?"

Blue-gray eyes bored into the half-daemon's. The latter squirmed uncomfortably. "Okay Cole, what the hell is really bothering you?" the middle-aged witch gently insisted.

Heaving a large sigh, Cole explained what had occurred inside Harry's office, about an hour ago. How Piper managed to deflect one of Dako's attacks and how he did the same, but with different results. "I deflected his electrokinesis right back to him, hitting him in the chest."

"I know," Mr. McNeill calmly replied. "Olivia told me what happened."

Cole continued, "Did she also tell you how Phoebe and Piper had reacted?" He sighed again, as his mind relived that moment, over and over. "Piper . . . well, both she and Phoebe pointed out that I had used unnecessary force to stop Dar . . . uh, Dako. And that I could have killed Darryl." He shook his head. "You should have seen the look on Phoebe's face. I never realized until now that I have lost my chances with her. Things will never go back to what it used to be."

To Cole's surprise, Mr. McNeill shrugged. "So what? Why should you care about what they think about you? You're not part of their family, anymore." He paused. "Unless you plan to change that situation, sometime in the future."

Cole shook his head. "That's just it. I don't see it happening. It's just . . . I'm tired. I'm tired of taking the blame for all that happened, earlier this year. And I'm tired of their self-righteous crap over everything that I do."

"Then to hell with them." Cole stared at Olivia's father. "Look Cole, I know what you're going through. I've been through the same, myself. Believe me." Mr. McNeill paused. His eyes assumed a distant air, as if remembering things past. "Her name was Pamela. Pamela Davidoff. I had met her during my first year in college. At first, she seemed like the world to me. I thought that she liked me for myself, Jack McNeill." A wry smile touched his lips. "I've never exactly been a . . . promising child, if you know what I mean. Many other McNeills tend to view me as morally ambiguous and have always disapproved of me. And perhaps they're right about me. Being the perfect citizen or the perfect witch has never been my forte. Hell, I went through three whitelighters before I was twenty-one."

The revelation took Cole by surprise. Ever since he had recalled Jack McNeill from his past, he knew that Olivia's dad was capable of great ruthlessness and intelligence. Yet, he never realized that the witch had such a troubled past.

The other man continued, "My parents, on the other hand, had treated me differently. And thank God, because if they hadn't, my life would have been hell."

"What about this Pamela?" Cole asked.

"Well, like I said, I had met her during my first year in college. The McNeills were well-known. Still are. And Pamela's family didn't like the idea of us dating, regardless of how much money my family had." Mr. McNeill added, "The Davidoffs were also witches, by the way. I had met her at a Wicca club. But not many of them had a psychic ability, like the McNeills or the Morgans. As for Pamela, I thought she was different from her family, until I found out differently." Blue-gray eyes became clouded. "Pamela . . . she found out that I had helped a daemon. This was back in early '67. The demon name was Marbas . . ." Cole nearly twitched when the other man mentioned the familiar name. ". . . and I helped him after discovering that another daemon was using him as a diversion, in order to steal this pendant. I didn't bother to vanquish Marbas, since it was obvious that he was being framed. Well, Pamela and her family found out, they hit the roof. She dropped me like a hot potato, making it clear that she regarded me no more than a borderline warlock."

Cole murmured sympathetically, "I'm sorry. Did you . . . did you try to win her back?"

Mr. McNeill sighed. "Unfortunately, yes. But Pamela wouldn't have anything to do with me. And I became bitter. I would have stayed that way if hadn't met Gwen. Who, by the way, had also found out what happened between Marbas and me. But as far as Gwen was concerned, I did right. Marbas was the innocent in that incident, regardless in whether he was a daemon or not. She's a true Wiccan, by the way. I can't say the same about a few of my in-laws."

"And you never saw Pamela again?"

After another shrug, Mr. McNeill continued, "Yeah, I did. Not long after I had met Gwen, she decided that she wanted me back. But in the end, I realized that it was too late for us and I had fallen in love with Gwen, by that time. Don't get me wrong. I had some happy times with Pam, but she never seemed willing to accept me for myself. And to be honest, I've never regretted marrying Gwen. Not in a long shot," he added with a small smile. Then Mr. McNeill gave Cole a stern look. "As for Phoebe, I don't know if she'll ever change, but it's obvious that unless you're willing to become the man she wants, she'll never accept you. Not really. And quite frankly, I think it's time you stop worrying about what she and her family thinks about you, and live your own life."

Olivia hung up the telephone, distracting her father and friend from their discussion. She flopped down on the sofa, next to Mr. McNeill. "Why is it that every time I talk to Marty, I end up finding myself in the middle of a bargaining session?"

"Perhaps poor Marty has finally realized that he's given you one too many favors over the years," Mr. McNeill replied with a smirk.

"Thanks a lot, Dad!" Olivia shot her father with a mild glare.

The older man's eyes grew wide with innocence. Cole looked away, as he repressed a smile. The former continued, "So, what was it that you asked Marty for? A manifest?"

"Yeah, one for the S.S. Enigma. I have this suspicion that Dako had somehow arrived on that ship, thanks to the Crozats. Don't ask me why, but I find it odd that our troubles with both them and Dako had occurred during the same week."

Cole sat up. "You're saying that the Crozats might be responsible for this bokor? I guess it's possible, if they knew someone connected with Vodoun. Especially if the Crozats probably considered us too powerful to deal with, themselves."

"The problem is," Olivia added, "that the Crozats might have bitten off more than they can chew. If they have a spell to vanquish Dako . . ."

A short, mirthless laugh escaped from Cole's mouth. "If they have, it won't do them any good. They're missing one important factor."

"Cecile."

Cole nodded. "Right. Only a Vodoun houngan or mamba can vanquish Dako. Whoever sent Dako to the Crozats, probably forgotten to mention that one little matter. Or did he?"

* * * *

Piper poured the contents of the pot into a small glass jar. "That's it," she declared. "The potion is ready. All we have to do now is find Darryl."

"And what happens after that?" Phoebe asked. She regarded her sister with anxious eyes. "This potion is only good for freeing Darryl's body from Whatshisname. How do we vanquish it?"

A sigh left Piper's mouth. "I don't know, Phoebe. The Power of Three?"

"What Power of Three? Paige is in the hospital. And we can't get Leo to heal her without drawing suspicions from the doctors." Phoebe paused, as she carefully contemplated her next words. "Maybe . . . maybe Olivia was right about Cecile being the only one who can vanquish this spirit. I mean, think about it. Even though her premonitions were being blocked, Cecile managed to detect that something wrong would happen to Darryl. The only premonition I had was one with him at a crime scene. And even when I had been with Paige all morning, I didn't get one premonition of her being attacked. Yet, Cecile managed to get one, even if she didn't see the attacker."

Irritation flitted across Piper's face. "C'mon Pheebs. Do you really believe that Cecile is the only one of us capable of defeating Dako, just because she's into Voodoo? If I recall, all of us helped An-Ling defeat Yen-lo inside the Zen Limbo. And you and Paige helped Ava vanquished Orrin when he had the Evil Eye. Using both a Gypsy spell and Wicca magic, I might add." She plugged the small bottle with a cork. "If Cecile can find some Voodoo spell, I have no problem with using it. But I still think we'll have just as much chance with success with this." Piper held up the bottle with a flourish.

"And what about vanquishing that sorcerer?" Phoebe asked.

Piper cocked her head. "Maybe we can't use the Power of Three, but with the Power of Two and the baby . . ." she patted her slightly protruding belly, "we should do just fine."

"Yeah. Along with Olivia, Cecile and maybe even Bruce or Mrs. McNeill. Right?" Phoebe added.

Piper's mouth formed moue. "Yeah," she replied unenthusiastically. "Right."


END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"AN IDEAL HUSBAND" (1999) Photo Gallery

Below is a gallery featuring photos from the 1999 comedy based upon Oscar Wilde's play, called "AN IDEAL HUSBAND". The movie starred Rupert Everett, Cate Blanchett, Jeremy Northam, Minnie Driver and Julianne Moore:


"AN IDEAL HUSBAND" (1999) Photo Gallery

"A VIEW TO A KILL" Review

"A VIEW TO A KILL" Review

The year 1985 marked a milestone in the history of the Bond franchise. This was the year in which EON Productions released their latest Bond film, "A VIEW TO A KILL". The movie would turn out to be Roger Moore's last turn as the British agent, James Bond. With this movie, Moore would become the only actor who has portrayed Bond for EON Productions more than any other - seven times. Sean Connery would also portray Bond seven times, but his last effort would not be for EON Productions.

But this review is not about Moore's tenure as James Bond. It is about his last movie - namely "A VIEW TO A KILL". The franchise's 14th installment is not what I would call a remarkable film. But I do not consider it a travesty like many other Bond fans do. On the whole, it struck me as a slight remake of the 1964 film, "GOLDFINGER" in regard to one scene and the villain's objective. In "GOLDFINGER", the villain's objective was to destroy the U.S. gold reserve at Fort Knox with a nuclear bomb in order to drive up the value of his own supply of gold. In "A VIEW TO A KILL", the villain's objective was to destroy the U.S. dominant control of the microchip market by causing a "natural disaster" in Silicon Valley. Both movies also feature scenes in which the villain reveals his scheme to potential "investors". But whereas "GOLDFINGER" created a major plot hole in the latter, "A VIEW TO A KILL" managed to avoid one.

Bond's discovery of a microchip on the body of the dead Agent 003 in Siberia leads to MI-6's investigation of an industrialist named Max Zorin, who now owns the very company that the British government and military have contracts. Bond's investigation leads to his introduction of certain individuals - a former Nazi criminal/scientist named Carl Mortner, an oil geologist named Conley and the movie's leading lady, whose name is Stacy Sutton. In a nutshell, these three characters - especially Sutton - allow Bond to discover Zorin's past as a KGB agent, his betrayal of his bosses, and his plot to destroy Silicon Valley. Michael G. Wilson and Richard Maibaum's screenplay is not very original, considering that it seemed like a vague rehash of "GOLDFINGER". Fortunately for "A VIEW TO A KILL", director John Glen did what he could with Wilson and Maibaum’s screenplay and did a commendable job in avoiding the major mistakes of the 1964 film. Granted, the movie’s portrayal of the San Francisco Police seemed straight out of the Keystone Cops. Nor I did not care for the writers’ attempt to keep Stacy in the story by allowing her character to reveal the details of Zorin’s plot. It seemed to be stretching things a bit. But in the end, I rather liked the story. And I liked Glen’s direction. I believe that he did better with movies like ”FOR YOUR EYES ONLY”, ”OCTOPUSSY” and ”THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS”. But at least I have nothing major to complain about.

The cast’s performance seemed to be pretty solid. The only complaint I have of Roger Moore is that in certain scenes, he looked a little too old and tired to be portraying Bond. Some fans would attribute this to his age (he was 57 when he filmed the movie). But from what I had learned, Moore had been suffering from the flu at the time. However, there were scenes in which he looked like a handsome, middle-aged man. Despite his illness, Moore managed to turn in a good performance that had not been marred by the occasional silly joke, as it had in ”OCTOPUSSY”. Aside from the silly Beach Boys moment, the humor in ”A VIEW TO A KILL” seemed more restrained and tasteful. Ironically, three of Moore’s best moments featured both humor – which featured Bond’s impersonation as a spoiled and demanding playboy and his reunion with KGB agent Pola Ivanova (Fiona Fullerton) - and also drama – his dislike of Zorin apparent, following the murder of Mr. Howe (Daniel Benzali) of the Department of Conservation.

I would never consider Tanya Roberts (”CHARLIE’S ANGELS”/”THAT 70s SHOW” to be a great actress. Hell, I have enough trouble viewing her as a good actress. She was basically solid as Stacy Sutton, the California State geologist whose oil company Zorin wanted to buy. But she did have her moments of wooden acting. Fortunately for Roberts, she can at least claim to be a better actress than either Barbara Bach or Lois Chiles. And despite her acting limitations, she managed to inject a great deal of spirit and moxie into the Stacy character. Oscar winner Christopher Walker, on the other hand, was great. I loved his slightly off-kilter portrayal of the greedy and psychotic Max Zorin – former KBG agent-turned-entrepreneur and industrialist. And considering that Walken was portraying a psychotic, it is a credit to his skills as an actor that he did not ham it up for the screen. He even managed to provide some great moments. But my favorite moment featured Zorin’s reaction to his discovery that Bond’s true identity. And of course there is Grace Jones as Zorin’s equally psychotic henchman, May Day. Perhaps she was not as psychotic, considering she was able to mourn the deaths of her two female assistants (Alison Doody and Papillon Soo Soo). But like Walken, she brought a lot of style and verve to her role without going over the top. And for an exhibitionist like Jones, it was a miracle.

The regular Bond cast seemed to be their solid selves. I especially enjoyed Moore’s last on-screen interaction with Lois Maxwell (Miss Moneypenny). However, I must confess that the movie’s last scene of Q (Desmond Llewelyn) using a remote controlled “rover” to peep into Bond and Stacy’s shower activities at the end of the movie struck me as distasteful. Included among Bond’s allies is Patrick Macnee, portraying Sir Godfrey Tibbett. Tibbett is a gentleman horse breeder who helps MI-6 investigates the mystery of Zorin’s success on the racetrack (microchips imbedded in the horses’ flesh). Macnee (the fourth ”AVENGERS” cast member to appear in a Bond film) gave a very competent and classy performance and seemed to have produced a good screen chemistry with Moore. It seemed a shame that he was only present in the movie’s first half.

Cinematographer Alan Hume did a great job in taking advantage of the elegant settings of Paris, the French countryside and surprisingly, San Francisco. In fact, I believe that ”A VIEW TO A KILL” marked one of those rare times in a Bond movie in which the U.S. locations actually looked tasteful or interesting. I am usually not a fan of Duran Duran, but I must admit that I am a fan of their rendition of the movie’s theme song – ”A View to a Kill” (written by Duran Duran and John Barry). I am not surprised that the song ended up #2 on the U.K. pop charts and #1 in the U.S.

”A VIEW TO A KILL” will never be considered a top favorite of mine. Aside from the cinematography, the theme song by Duran Duran and Christopher Walken’s performance, there is nothing really remarkable about it. Many Bond fans consider it a travesty that Moore had to end his tenure on such a low. I personally do not consider ”A VIEW TO A KILL” as a low note for Moore. In fact, I feel that he was lucky to end his tenure with a good, solid action film in which he had nothing to feel ashamed of.

Top Ten (10) Favorite DISNEY Animated Films

Below is a list of my top ten (10) favorite Disney animated films of all time . . . so far:


TOP TEN (10) FAVORITE DISNEY ANIMATED FILMS


1. "The Incredibles" (2004) - It still surprises me that a story produced by Brad Bird and Pixar and released by Disney about a family of superheroes would end up being my favorite animated film of all time. It is also one of the best action films and best comic book hero films I have ever seen, hands down. Filled with memorable characters - including the unforgettable designer of superhero costumes, Edna E. Mode - and a fantastic plot about family obligations and the revenge of a superhero wannabe (voiced by the always talented Jason Lee), the movie earned a much deserved Academy Award Best Animated Feature.




2. "101 Dalmations" (1961) - Based upon Dodie Smith's children's book, this 1961 film has one of the best written plots I have ever come across in a Disney film. The plot centered on the fate of the kidnapped puppies of Pongo and Perdita, a pair of Dalmations in 1960 London. Not only is the movie a first-class adventure, it humorously spoofed the public's growing fascination with television and has one of the best villainesses - Cruella DeVille - in the studio's history.




3. "Aladdin" (1992) - This movie caused a bit of controversy with its Middle Eastern setting. But I must admit that this tale of an Arabian street hustler named has also been a big favorite of mine, which featured beautiful animation; a strong story co-written by Ron Clements, John Muser, and the "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" franchise duo Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio; and memorable songs by Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice. But it was Robin Williams' memorable performance as the Genie in the Lamp that stole the show.




4. "Peter Pan" (1953) - Frankly, I think that this animated version of J.M. Barrie's play is one of the best written Disney animated films ever made. I also feel that it has been vastly underrated by many critics, who seemed to harbor very little thought about it. This is a beautiful film that featured great animation, a solid story and entertaining songs by Oliver Wallace.




5. "The Lion King" (1994) - Loosely based upon William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", yet set in Pride Lands of the Serengeti, this tale about a lion cub who loses his father and kingdom via the machination of his evil uncle has been a favorite of mine for over a decade. It boasts an excellent story; great drama; great humor thanks to the voice work of Nathan Lane, Ernie Sabella, Cheech Marin and Whoopi Goldberg; a superb score by Hans Zimmer and Oscar worthy songs written by Elton John.




6. "The Little Mermaid" (1989) - Based upon Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale, this excellent film breathed life back into the Disney animated feature film genre after a string of critical and/or commercial failures that dated back to the early 1980s. It also marked the start of the era known as the "Disney Renaissance". The movie included a number of memorable songs written by Alan Menken.





7. "Ratatouille" (2007) - Produced and directed by Brad Bird at Pixar and released through Disney, this charming and hilarious tale is about Remy, a country rat who dreams of becoming a chef and tries to achieve his goal by forming an alliance with a Parisian restaurant's garbage boy. The movie won a much deserved Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.




8. "The Jungle Book" (1967) - Based upon Ruyard Kipling's famous book, this movie would end up as the last one produced by Walt Disney before his death. Although slightly episodic, it was a fun-filled tale about an orphan boy raised by a panther named Bageera and a bear named Baloo in India. The movie also featured some great songs written by Terry Gilkyson and the Sherman Brothers - Robert and Richard.





9. "The Great Mouse Detective" (1986) - Based on the children's book series "Basil of Baker Street" by Eve Titus, this movie drew heavily on the tradition of Sherlock Holmes with a heroic mouse who consciously emulates the detective. His name, Basil, came from the famous actor who portrayed Holmes. And I must say that Basil turned out to be a lot more interesting as a character than Holmes could ever be. I could say the same for the other characters - including the villain Rattigan (deliciously voiced by Vincent Price).




10. "Sleeping Beauty" (1959) - For some reason, I rather like this adaptation of Renault's classic fairy tale. Both the main heroine and hero - Princess Aurora and Prince Philip - are mildly entertaining. And Eyvind Earle, Marc Davis and Ken Anderson's animation were charming. But what made this film for me were the three fairy sisters - Flora, Fauna and Merryweather. They stole the show, along with the elegant villainess, Maleficent.

"Altered Lives" [PG-13] - Chapter Four

"ALTERED LIVES"

CHAPTER FOUR

OUTSKIRTS OF MOS ESPA, TATOOINE

Anakin glided his Jedi fighter over the stark Tatooine desert before he landed at a spot just outside of Mos Espa. The heat from the planet's twin suns seemed to radiate even stronger than he remembered from the last time he had visited, three years ago. He checked his pockets. Thank goodness he had remembered that Republic credits were not valued highly on Tatooine. Back on Melida/Daan, he had the good luck to exchange the Republic credits in his possession for Wupiupi, which Tatooine's merchants did value.

A sigh left his mouth, as he contemplated his situation. Although he possessed Wupiupi, he only had enough to possibly last him a few days. If he failed to find employment with Watto or any other Tatooine merchant in Mos Espa, he might find himself in serious financial trouble.

The former Jedi Knight and Sith apprentice grabbed his robe and climbed out of the cockpit. He then removed his Jedi tunic before donning the robe to protect himself from the suns' heat. For nearly a half hour, he trudged across the planet's flat sandy terrain. Anakin found himself remembering why he had always disliked this planet. He could already feel the sand slip into his boots and torment the bottom of his feet.

The dome-shaped roofs of Mos Espa finally appeared on the horizon. Upon closer looked just as Anakin had remembered from his early childhood and from three years ago - crowded, dusty and crude. However, he knew that Mos Espa was a glittering metropolis in compare to smaller cities and towns like Mos Entha, Anchorhead, Tosche Station and the planet's capital - Bestine. Only Mos Eisley was larger. He weaved his way through the crowds, ignoring the occasional stare from passing pedestrians. He finally came upon the junk shop where he had worked for several years as a slave.

A door chime announced his entrance. A young human male with light brown hair and a face slightly red from too much sun rushed from the workroom in the back to greet Anakin. "Good afternoon, sir," he greeted obsequiously. "May I help you?"

Anakin hesitated. Had Watto finally managed to survive hard times and acquire a new slave? If so, his chances for employment looked slim. "Um . . . may I speak to the owner of this shop?"

The man's smile widened. "You're speaking to him. I'm the owner. Bashir Gupa. May I help you?"

Oh no. This really looked bad. "You mean that Watto no longer owns this shop?"

Gupa's smile disappeared. "Uh, no. I'm afraid not. I became the new owner nearly two years ago. Watto had lost it in a bet we had made. Over podracing." He peered warily at Anakin. "Were you . . . an old friend?"

Anakin nearly snorted at the idea. He could hardly describe his relationship with his former Toydarian master as friendly. Then he blinked. Did the man just said . . .? "Were?"

"Why yes." Gupa hesitated. "Watto had been killed by one of the Hutts. He had failed to pay back a loan given to him by one of their moneylenders. You see, he had borrowed money from them to save his business. Instead of using it to save his business, he lost it betting on the podraces. And then we . . . uh, wagered on another race. I put up money. And he bet his shop." Looking slightly embarrassed, Gupa added, "I won, as you can see. And when the time came to pay back the loan . . . I'm sure that you understand."

Shock overwhelmed Anakin's mind. Watto dead at the hands of the Hutts? Yet, recalling his former owner's betting habits, Anakin realized that he should not have been surprised. Poor Watto. The Jedi Knight was surprised to feel a glimmer of grief for the late Toydarian. But more importantly, he saw his initial plans for a new life in danger.

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Gupa asked politely. A plea for a temporary job entered Anakin's mind. He opened his mouth to speak, when he spotted an R4 astromech droid rolled into the main room. Anakin saw his chances for employment with Gupa turn into dust.

Smiling politely, the former Jedi shook his head. "No, I'm fine. Thank you for the information."

"If you have parts you might want to acquire . . ." Gupa began. But Anakin had left the shop before the other man could finish.

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THEED, NABOO

The funeral of Padme Nabierre Amidala proved to be a stately and memorable affair. Reports of her death had not only drew prominent Nabooan figures and many of her fellow senators to the planet's capital, Theed, but also Nabooan citizens from all walks of life.

Jobal Nabierre glanced around the chapel with great interest. Her eyes rested upon the tall senator from Alderaan. Bail Organa stood before a podium, as he delivered what Jobal found to be a very stirring eulogy about her daughter. As she listened to Senator Organa's words, Jobal understood how he had become such a prominent figure in the Galactic Senate. It seemed a shame that he had been unable to use that prominence to prevent the three-year Clone War. Or stop the Chancellor from becoming Emperor.

As for the Emperor, he had not bothered to appear at Padme's funeral. Which Jobal found rather odd, considering that he had once been her daughter's mentor. Instead, Palpatine had sent Mas Amedda, the Senate's Speaker, to represent him. Perhaps it was fortuitous that the Emperor had not bother to appear. Considering her daughter's true fate.

Three days ago, the citizens of Naboo had received word that their respected senator and former was dead. The news shocked the planet's citizens and enveloped the Nabierre household into a state of grief. Then more terrible news followed. The Jedi had killed Padme and a few other senators during an attempt to overthrow the Chancellor and take control of the Senate. According to the HoloNet news, this incident had led to the Jedi Temple massacre and the Order's destruction.

After Padme had first began a career in politics, Jobal feared that her daughter's profession might prove to be troublesome or worse, hazardous. In the following years, her fears proved correct after Padme survived the Trade Federation invasion, the Battle of Genoisis and several assassination attempts. But never did Jobal imagine that the Jedi would cause her daughter's destruction. And never did she felt so happy to be proven wrong when she and Ruwee finally learned the truth.

Bail Organa had arrived in Theed with two Jedi masters, Padme's unconscious body and two infants. When the Alderaanian senator and the Jedi revealed the circumstances behind Padme's present state, Jobal and Ruwee learned that they were the grandparents of twin infants. They had already known of their daughter's secret wedding to the young Jedi, Anakin Skywalker. But Jobal found it slightly disturbing that Padme had never bothered to reveal her pregnancy to her own parents.

Following the memorial service, many gathered around the Nabierre family to pay their respects. Jobal accepted well wishes from prominent Nabooans as Boss Nass and Jar-Jar Binks of the Gungans, Queen Apailana, and Grand Moff Panaka - who used to be Padme's bodyguard, when she was Naboo's queen. Only Padme's immediate successor and Apailana's predecessor, former Queen Jamilla, conspicuously missing. Jobal suspected that Jamilla's sympathies toward the Separatist movement made it impractical for her to make an appearance. Some of Padme's former colleagues also came forth to pay their respects - Senators Garm Bel Iblis, Mon Mothma, Jaren Tagge, Giddean Dann, Solipo Yep and Meena Tills, amongst them. Jobal overheard her husband inhaled sharply, when Senator Mas Amedda approached them.

"The Emperor wishes to convey his sympathy during these trying times for your family," the Chagrian boomed solemnly. "He also wishes to convey his regret for being unable to attend. Due to the present political turmoil, he has been forced to remain on Coruscant."

Juwee bowed politely. "Thank you," he began.

Senator Amedda continued, "And I would also like to convey my sympathy, as well. Senator Amidala had been a bright beacon within the Senate. What had happened to her was a travesty."

Ruwee's jaw twitched slightly, as he replied, "Again, thank you . . . for your kind words." The Chagrian senator bowed slightly and moved on. Husband and wife heaved muted sighs of relief.

Less than an hour later, the funeral procession commenced. Padme's drugged body was placed in an open carriage. Three teams of white horses pulled the carriage along a route that stretched from the chapel, through the streets of Theed and to the Nabierre's house. Candles carried by Theed's grieving citizens illuminated the procession. Jobal could not help but feel touched by the Nabooans' response to her daughter's memory. She wondered how many would feel if they knew that Padme was alive.

The procession finally ended at the Nabierres' townhouse. There, the family held a wake. Jobal felt an overwhelming sense of relief when the wake finally ended after three hours. While her older daughter, Sola, bid the guests good-bye, Jobal and Ruwee made their way to a private room in the far west wing of the house. There, they found Padme's two droids attending their now conscious younger daughter. In one corner of the room, the twins slept in matching basquinetts.

"Mother, Father," Padme muttered, as she struggled to sit up.

Jobal rushed forward to help her daughter. "Padme," she exclaimed, "you shouldn't get up. You need more rest."

A sigh left the younger woman's mouth. "I've had enough rest for the past day or two. What I need is to get up. Please help me."

Reluctantly, Jobal and Ruwee helped escort their daughter from her bed to a nearby chair. "Do you want to hold the children?" Ruwee asked.

Padme shook her head. "No, let them sleep." She turned to her protocol droid. "Threepio, could you please pour a glass of juice for me?"

"Yes, Miss Padme." The protocol droid made its way toward the sideboard.

"Where are Master Yoda and Master Kenobi?" Padme asked, after the droid handed her a glass of juice. "And where is Bail?"

Ruwee replied, "The Jedi are in another room. They would like to speak to you before they leave. To say good-bye."

A grimace appeared on Padme's face before it quickly disappeared. "Now that I'm awake, you might as well send them in."

After Ruwee left the room, Jobal sat down in a nearby empty chair. "Well, this has certainly been an interesting week. By the way, Padme, when were you planning to tell us about your pregnancy?"

Padme sighed heavily. "Ani . . . Anakin and I had plans to move here to Naboo. We wanted to go to the Lake District for the twins' births. Only . . ." Another sigh left her mouth. "Only, we never had a chance to go ahead with our plans."

"Like Anakin joining the Emperor?" Jobal asked. Padme glanced sharply at her. "Yes, Senator Organa and Master Kenobi told us what happened on Mustafar and Polis Massa."

Padme's mouth twisted into another grimace. "I wanted to tell you and Father, myself."

"Would you have told us the truth?"

The younger woman took another sip of juice. "What happened is a long story, Mother. It's not as simple as you think."

At that moment, Ruwee returned with the two Jedi masters in tow. Both Master Yoda and Master Kenobi bowed at Padme. "Have recovered, I am happy to see," the green, dimunitive Jedi Master commented. "You are well, we hope?"

Padme's mouth barely stretched into a smile. "Yes. Thank you, Master Yoda. And thank you for your help. Both of you." She paused, as hope gleamed in her dark eyes. "About . . . um, what happened to Anakin on Mustafar? You never told me."

Master Yoda and Master Kenobi exchanged uneasy looks. Jobal felt a small, sense of forbodance. Master Kenboi inhaled sharply, as he glanced at her daughter with mournful eyes. "I'm so sorry, Padme. I really am. But you must understand. I had to . . . face him."

Jobal saw the hope dim from her daughter's eyes. Her mouth twitched momentarily. "I see," Padme murmured. She glanced away. "So much for that."

"Again, I am so sor . . ."

Padme held up one hand, interrupting Master Kenobi. "No. It's fine. I . . ." She took a deep breath. "I suppose it's time for you two to leave."

Master Yoda murmured, "Yes, of course." He took hold of her hand and bowed over it. "Farewell, Senator Amidala. May the Force be with you." He hobbled out of the room.

Slowly, Master Kenobi approached Padme with sorrowful eyes. He leaned forward and planted a light kiss on Padme's cheek. She flinched slightly. "Take care, Padme. And may the Force be with you." He then bowed and immediately left. Ruwee followed.

A heavy silence permeated the room. Jobal glanced at her daughter's mournful expression. Pity welled within her chest. She tried to lift Padme's mood by suggesting that the latter eat a meal. "You probably haven't eaten a bite in days. I'll have one of your droids bring you a tray . . ."

"I'm not hungry, Mother," Padme murmured. "Not now. Frankly, I would rather rest."

Jobal protested. "But you said that you had enough rest for the past few days."

Padme sighed. "Apparently, I was wrong. So, if you don't mind?"

Keeping her thoughts to herself, Jobal helped lead her daughter back to the bed. As she covered Padme with a blanket, a dark wish came to her that Padme had never given up on Kun Largo's son, Ian, those many years ago.

--------

MOS ESPA, TATOOINE


The tavern's barkeep walked along the bar's length before he dumped a plate of food before Anakin. "Anything else, sir?"

Anakin stared at the food and murmured, "No. This will be fine. Thanks." The bartender nodded and moved away.

Ignoring the conversation that buzzed around the tavern's main dining room and the Holonet monitor situated above the bar, Anakin heaved a sigh. Now that his plans for being temporarily employed by Watto no longer existed, he realized that he might have to consider another option - the Lars' moisture farm. He did not look forward to facing the painful memories of his mother's death. But it was either that or face gradual homelessness and starvation, here in Mos Espa.

After learning of Watto's death, Anakin had sought employment at some of the other local businesses. But slavery had maintained a firm grip upon Tatooine's economy. Most merchants were willing to accept Anakin's labor - but only if he volunteered his services as an indentured servant. Being a slaveowner was considered to be part of the planet's status quo. And if one could not afford to purchase slaves, one used droids instead. Free labor seemed a long way from becoming popular on Tatooine. Anakin wondered if it ever will.

He took a bit of the Lamta. Not bad, he thought. Although Shmi Skywalker could have done a lot better. While he continued to eat his Lamta and Jerked Dewback Meat, a dusty stranger sat down on the stool next to him. "Bartender!" the man cried. "I'll have a Tatooine Sunburn." The bartender nodded and proceeded to prepare the beverage.

"How do you do?" the stranger greeted Anakin. "Nice little meal you got there."

Anakin suppressed an annoyed sigh. He felt no urge to engage in light conversation. "It's not bad," he politely replied.

The bartender returned with the man's drink. He took a sip. "Ah! That hits the spot! Nothing like a Tatooine Sunburn to relieve you after hours in this damn, dusty town."

So much for a private meal. Anakin spared the man a cool smile and said, "Yeah. Mos Espa can be rather congested."

"No kidding! I much prefer the wide, open spaces of my moisture farm, near Anchorhead." The man paused. "Are you a farmer? Though to be honest, you don't look like one."

Anakin took a sip of his blue milk. "I'm a pilot. A spacer."

"Oh."

A thought came to the younger man. "You say that you're a moisture farmer?" he asked. "Do you, by any chance, know one named Cliegg Lars?"

The man nodded. "Sure, I knew him."

"Knew?" A bad feeling formed in the pit of Anakin's stomach.

"Well . . . yeah." The man paused. "I'm Gorn Meese, by the way."

Anakin replied, "I'm . . . Ric Olie. Did you say that you knew Cliegg Lars?"

Meese nodded. "That's right. Lars had passed away over two years ago. Poor fellow. He had lost a leg after his wife was kidnapped and killed by Tusken Raiders. He didn't live very long after that. His son, Owen, now owns the farm. Good solid lad, but a bit too solemn for my taste, if you ask me."

Dead? Anakin's mind reeled at Meese's news. Cliegg Lars had died . . . along with his last hope. Anakin realized that he could still seek refuge at the Lars' homestead. But the idea of spending most of his time with Owen Lars did not appeal to him. The two step-brothers had not exactly warm to each other when they met, three years ago. Anakin harbored a slight suspicion that Owen either disliked him - or merely disapproved of him. And he had no desire to spend time at a place where he was barely tolerated. Thirteen years with the Jedi Order had been bad enough.

"Hey fella! Mr. Olie. Are you okay?" Meese asked with a slight frown. "You look a bit pale."

Anakin shook his head. "No, I'm . . . I'm fine. I . . . I had known Mr. Lars. A few years ago, I had sold him a utility droid in exchange for parts. He and his . . . wife . . . had offered me a meal and a bed for the night." Anakin swallowed hard, as he spoke his next words. "I haven't forgotten their kindness."

Again, Meese nodded. "I know what you mean. Quite a pair they were - Cliegg and Shmi Lars." He drained the last of his Tatooine Sunburn. "Well, nice meeting you, Mr. Olie. Hope you have good luck in your future ventures."

"Same to you, Mr. Meese. Good day." Anakin managed to give the farmer a brief smile, before the latter left the bar.

Once alone, the former Jedi Knight sighed long and hard. Since he could not find refuge with Watto and refused to do so with Owen Lars, he no longer had a place to go. Well, that not might be true. He could return to Coruscant and continue to serve Palpatine. But Anakin could no longer accept the idea of becoming a Sith Lord again. Of course, there was Naboo . . .

While Anakin continued to finish his meal, the bartender turned up the Holonet monitor's volume. ". . . yesterday, mourned the loss of one of the Senate's most prominent members. During the Jedi Order's attempted takeover of the Galactic Senate, Senator Padme Amidala of Naboo had been killed during the ensuing struggle. Her body was returned to Theed, Naboo's capital, where fellow citizens bid her a final farewell."

A horrified Anakin glanced up at the monitor and listened while the journalist described details of the funeral at Theed and Padme's personal and political background. The journalist concluded, "Senator Padme Nabierre Amidala, Princess of Theed, Queen of Naboo and Senator of the Galactic Senate . . . dead at the age of 27. This is Narella Shibab of the HoloNet News Service, reporting."

"Damn Jedi!" the bartender muttered. "Can you beat that? Killing a good woman for their own thirst for power." He faced Anakin. "Say mister, would you like a refill? Mister?"

Anakin could not hear the bartender over the anguished cries that filled his mind.

---------

It took all of Anakin's self-control to keep his grief in check. Anger, sorrow and disbelief raged within him as he quickly paid the bartender for his meal. Then he rushed out of the tavern and made his way toward the edge of town. By the time he reached his the spot where had left his starfighter, Anakin allowed his emotions to overwhelm him.

Padme dead? It could not have been possible! He had felt her. Sensed her, after he had . . . With a cry, Anakin shut off the unpleasant memory of his attack upon his wife. No! No, it was impossible. She could not be dead. Not his Padme. She . . .

At that moment, Anakin completely surrendered to his grief. He plopped down on the sand and began to cry. She could not be dead. Not Padme. Not . . . The sobs tore from his mouth, while his shoulders heaved up and down in grief. After several minutes had passed, he sniffled for a few seconds and wiped away his tears. He decided that he would go to Naboo and discover the truth. There must be some mistake. Perhaps she was in hiding from the Emperor. Or perhaps she . . . Memories of the HoloNet News Service airing Padme's funeral procession flashed in Anakin's mind. Along with a memory of his wife's body - her pregnant body - being carried throughout the streets of Theed in an open carriage.

Utter despair finally settled within him. There seemed to be no doubt that Padme was dead. By his hand. He was evil. An evil monster. Not only had he helped destroy the Jedi Order, he had killed the one person who meant more to him than anyone in this galaxy, aside from his mother. At first, Anakin had an urge to return to Mos Espa and inflict his grief upon the city's population. Someone had to experience the pain he now felt. But then he remembered Shmi's death and how he had reacted. A sigh left his mouth. He simply could not do it. Not again. Becoming a monster had done nothing but ruined his life. And indulging in his darker impulses would only sink his life further into the abyss. But Anakin could not remain here on Tatooine. Once again, the desert planet had reared its ugly head and inflicted great pain upon him. He had to leave. Find a place where he could escape from his painful memories.

Anakin took a deep breath and stood up. His eyes fell upon a few small cogs half-buried in the desert sand near his left foot. He also noticed tracks made from a Jawa sandcrawler. What were they . . .? Then Anakin glanced around his surroundings. Sure enough, this seemed to be the very spot where he had landed on Tatooine. Only . . . aside from a few cogs, his Jedi starfighter seemed to be missing.


END OF CHAPTER FOUR

Another "SPEED RACER" (2008) Photo Gallery

Below is another gallery featuring photos from one of my favorite movies of 2008. I am speaking of "SPEED RACER", which featured Emile Hirsch, Christina Ricci and Matthew Fox:


Another "SPEED RACER" (2008) Photo Gallery

"AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" (1989) Review

Below is my review of the 1989 miniseries, "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS":


”AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS” (1989) Review

I have seen at least three full versions of Jules Verne’s 1873 novel, ”AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS”. And if I must be frank, I have yet to see a version that I would consider to be flawless or near flawless. But if I had to choose which version would rank as my favorite, it would be the three-part miniseries that aired on NBC in 1989.

Directed by the late Buzz Kulik, this version of Jules Verne’s novel starred Pierce Brosnan as the globe-trotting Phineas Fogg. ”MONTY PYTHON” alumni Eric Idle co-starred as Fogg’s French manservant, Passepartout; Julia Nickson portrayed the India-born Princess Aouda; and the late Peter Ustinov was the English detective who was convinced that Fogg had robbed the Bank of England, Detective Fix. The story started with a conversation between Fogg (Brosnan) and three fellow members of the Reform Club (Christopher Lee, Patrick Macnee and Simon Ward) in 19th century London about the technological advances in transportation in the past thirty to forty years. This leads Fogg to make a wager for twenty-thousand pounds (£20,000) that he could travel around the world in eighty (80) days or less. During the same day, a thief robs the Bank of England and all suspicions point to Fogg, who is identified by a bank employee as the robber.

Wentworth (Robert Morely), an official from the Bank of England and his assistant McBaines (Roddy MacDowell) dispatch private detectives to various ports throughout Europe to find Fogg and have him extradicted back to England. One of the detectives include Fix (Ustinov), who is sent to Brindisi, Italy. Unfortunately, Fix spots Fogg and Passepartout boarding a steamer bound for Suez and Bombay a minute too late and is forced to follow them on their trek around the world. Upon Fogg's arrival in India, one last member joins his traveling party when he and Passepartout (actually, Passepartout) rescue a recently widowed Indian princess from a suttee funeral pyre.

Like its 1956 predecessor, this version of "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" turned out to be longer than necessary. The miniseries could have easily been a two-part miniseries or a 135-minute television movie. Unfortunately, John Gay filled his screenplay with unecessary scenes and dialogue that merely served as fillers to justify a three-part miniseries. In Part I, Fogg and Passepartout's adventures in France lasted longer than necessary - especially after they met a balloonist named Gravier and his mistress, Lucette. Even worse, viewers have to endure Fogg and Passepartout's balloon journey from France to Italy - which included a period that the heroes found themselves stranded in the Italian Alps. Part II included scenes that featured Fogg, Passepartout and Aouda's adventures with a Burmese prince and the bandits that kidnapped all of them; and Fogg, Aouda and Fix's encounter with the Empress of China and her son, the Emperor. I realize Gay also added these scenes to make Fogg's journey around the world more interesting. Unfortunately, they failed to interest or impress me.

Another problem I had with Gay's script turned out to be a major blooper that involved Fogg's encounters with the famous bandit, Jesse James (Stephen Nicols). Following Fogg's first encounter with James in San Francisco; he, Aouda, Passepartout and Fix boarded an eastbound train for Omaha. By some miracle, Jesse James and his brother Frank managed to catch up with this train somewhere on the Great Plains (probably in Nebraska), where Jesse boarded said train before the second encounter with Fogg. How was this possible? Fogg's train should have traveling eastbound for at least a day or two before James boarded it. There is NO WAY that the bandit could have caught up with that train. Gay should have allowed the James brothers or Jesse board the train in Oakland, along with Fogg and his party. Sloppy writing. And some of the dialogue featured in the miniseries seemed ladened with pedantic and half-finished sentences and unecessarily long pauses that seemed to serve no other function than to act as fillers to stretch the story.

One might wonder how I can view this version of "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" as my favorite, considering the above criticism. But despite the flaws, I must admit there were many aspects about the miniseries I found enjoyable. John Gay's screenplay did not turn out to be a total loss. In fact, the number of gems in the story seemed to outweigh the flaws. I especially enjoyed the following:

*Fogg and Passepartout's charming encounter with actress Sarah Bernhardt (portrayed by a still sexy 54 year-old Lee Remick) at Dover
*Fogg and Passepartout's hilarious adventure at a Parisian bar
*The steamship journey from Brindisi to Suez that featured Fogg's encounter with Egyptian stonecutters and Fix's hilarious encounter with a Turkish prisoner willing to offer himself to help the detective pass the time
*Princess Aouda's rescue
*Fogg, Aouda and Fix find themselves shipwrecked on the China coast
*Fogg's first encounter with Jesse James at a San Francisco ball
*Fogg and James' duel on the Omaha-bound train

One particular scene I truly found enjoyable was Fogg and Aouda's hilarious and unsuccessful attempt to stowaway aboard Cornelius Vanderbilt's (Rick Jason) Europe-bound yacht. It was never featured in the novel or the 1956 movie. Too bad. I thought it was one of the best written scenes in the miniseries.

And it was Pierce Brosnan's performance as Phileas Fogg that really made that last scene a comic gem for me. Which is not surprising, considering he has turned out to be my favorite Fogg. Sorry Mr. Niven and Mr. Coogan, but I feel that Brosnan's portrayal has the other two beat. He managed to combined the best of the other two actors' performances to create the most emotionally rounded Phileas Fogg. He managed to perfectly convey the angst of Fogg's tendencies to suppress his emotions with some great comic timing.

Speaking of comic timing, Eric Idle's timing was effectively on display in some of my favorite scenes. Granted, I found his French accent rather questionable. But Idle more than made up for it in some very hilarious scenes. One featured his reaction to being attacked by a French thug at the Parisian bar and another a drunken moment shared with Fix at a Hong Kong tavern. But my favorite Idle moment centered around his reaction to a questionable meat pie purchased by Fogg on the Omaha-bound train in probably the funniest line in the entire miniseries.

Julia Nickson was both charming and amusing as the very brave Princess Aouda. Her Indian princess provided the miniseries with some deliciously angst-filled moments that allowed Aouda to question Fogg about his habit of suppressing his feelings from others. Nickson's Aouda also provided the miniseries with some political correct moments that were not only amusing, but well handled without being overbearing. And I simply enjoyed Peter Ustinov's performance as Detective Fix. Like Brosnan's Fogg, his Fix came off as more rounded and complex as Robert Newton or Ewan Bremmer's Fix. Without a doubt, Ustinov had some hilarious moments - especially in scenes that featured Fix's encounter with the Turkish prisoner on the voyage to Suez; and his reaction to another game of whist with Fogg. Not only did Ustinov managed to be funny, but also give Fix's character with a great deal of depth not found in other versions of the story.

I do have to say something about the supporting characters. One, I really enjoyed Robert Morely and Roddy McDowall as the Bank of England official and his assistant. Morely was a lot more amusing and fun in this miniseries than he was as the more stoic bank official in the 1956 version. And McDowall supported him beautifully. I also enjoyed the performances of Christopher Lee, Patrick Macnee and Simon Ward as the three Reform Club members who made the bet with Fogg. I especially enjoyed Lee's performance as the one member who especially found Fogg's precision and rigid habits rather annoying.

This version of "AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS" lacked Victor Young's memorable score and Lionel Lindon's cinematography. But it does possess a pleasant and catchy score written by Billy Goldenberg. And I must admit that I found myself impressed by Emma Porteus' costume design, which captured the styles of the early 1870s more effectively than the 1956 movie.

In a nutshell, the three-part miniseries is simply too long. It has scenes and some clunky dialogue that could have easily been edited. But screenwriter John Gay also provided some wonderful and effective moments in the script. Frankly, I thought the cast was top-notch - especially the four main characters led by Pierce Brosnan. And although he is not well known, I thought that director Buzz Kulik did a solid job bringing it all together. The 1956 version may have won the awards, but in my book, this 1989 miniseries remains my favorite version of Jules Verne's novel.

"Return With a Vengeance" [PG-13] - 12/18

"RETURN WITH VENGEANCE"

CHAPTER 12

Cole disconnected his cordless telephone and sighed. Another call from Suzanne Maxwell. Or should he say . . . Crozat? Earlier this morning, he had called his old friend and Cecile's boyfriend to check the so-called "widow's" background. As for Mrs. Maxwell, she had just invited him for a late night supper at her home in Palo Alto. Cole wondered what she had in store for him.

A quick glance at his watch read six forty-five. He was due at Suzanne's house in a little over two hours. Quickly stripping off his clothes, Cole dumped them on the sofa and headed for the bathroom, for a quick shower.

Hot water poured down his body, providing Cole a welcome relief from the stress of the past two days. Poor Paige. He still found it hard to believe that his former sister-in-law had been attacked by a bokor possessing Darryl Morris' body. And as for the good inspector, if it is true that Dako now possessed him, he must be in a state of hell right now. Cole only hoped that Darryl's experiences might proved to be less of a disaster than his own possession by the Source, last spring.

The past seven months flashed through Cole's mind. Had his life really turned out that disastrous? At least during the past month? It still pained him that the Halliwells, especially Phoebe, viewed him with such dislike. Despite Olivia's words that Phoebe might still be in love with him, Cole doubted that the middle Halliwell would be willing to give him a second chance. And to be honest, Cole did not really feel that upset by the possibility. Perhaps he was finally learning to live his life without Phoebe's love. Or perhaps it was the friendship of a certain red-haired witch that now made his life bearable.

Or was it friendship? Cole decided that friendship seemed the perfect word to describe his relationship with Olivia McNeill. By the way she always spoke of her late fiancé, she was obviously still in love with Richard Bannen. And for some reason, it bothered Cole. Why? Did he fear that Olivia's feelings for Bannen might ruin any chance for future love? Did her mourning over another man - dead or alive - filled Cole with jealousy?

Cole nearly laughed at the idea of him being jealous over some woman other than Phoebe. It was ridiculous! Well, almost. He still recalled his reaction the last time Olivia had mentioned Bannen's name. And his irritation at that low life, Gunther Weiss, who tried to proposition Olivia. Instead of laughing, Cole shook his head in disbelief. Life can certainly be . . .

'Help! Anyone, help me! I'm being attacked!'

The voice hit Cole's psyche with such force that he nearly slipped in the shower stall. The voice. It sounded as if it belonged to . . . Harry McNeill. Cole shook his head. Maybe he was imagining things. Grabbing his sponge, he began to . . .

'Help! Please help! Darryl is attacking me!'

Cole definitely recognized Harry's voice. Since Olivia's younger brother happened to be a telepath, it could only mean one thing . . . the youngest McNeill was in serious trouble.

* * * *

The voice took Phoebe by surprise. She gasped out loud. Oddly enough, so did Piper and Leo. The two witches and the whitelighter stood inside the Halliwell kitchen, staring at each other.

"Did you hear that?" Phoebe asked. "I don't think that was a premonition." She stared at her sister and brother-in-law. "I know you two heard that voice. Right?"

Piper replied, "Yeah, I heard it, too." She returned the ladle in her hand, on the table and turned off the stove. "For a moment, I thought it was the baby, or . . ."

A frowning Leo shook his head. "Not the baby. Harry. I think he's trouble. And that Darryl is part of it. We have to help."

* * * *

"Don't worry, Sheila," Olivia assured her partner's wife over the telephone. "I'll find Darryl. I'm sure that he's okay. Just don't . . . don't tell anyone else at the precinct that he's missing. As far as Captain McPherson is concerned, Darryl has been home . . . sick."

A pause followed. Then Sheila asked, "Has this something to do with the Halliwells?"

The question nearly floored Olivia. She knew that Darryl had kept the Halliwells' and her secret from Sheila, but she had no idea that the latter harbored some suspicions about the three sisters. What should she say? Olivia took a deep breath. "I rather doubt it. Maybe Darryl is still working on the DiMatteo case. He seemed very . . . I don't know, obsessed about it. You know how Darryl can be when he becomes obsessed over a case. However, I'm sure that he's fine. I'm still loo. . ."

'Help! Anyone, help me! I'm being attacked!'

The voice rang in Olivia's mind. It sounded like it belonged to Harry. Which meant that her little brother was in trouble. Realizing that she had to cut this telephone call short, Olivia continued, "Uh, Sheila? Don't worry about Darryl. I'll find him. Meanwhile, don't tell anyone else that he's missing. Please."

Sheila Morris murmured a subdued "Okay" and hung up. The moment Olivia hung up her telephone another cry invaded her mind. 'Help! Please help! Darryl is attacking me!' Oh great! She turned to Cecile. "Did you just hear . . .?"

"Harry's voice?" the other woman finished. "Yeah, I did. Where is he?"

A figure materialized in the middle of Olivia's living room. It was Cole, dressed in a dark pullover sweater and trousers. And he seemed to be . . . slightly wet. "I thought I heard Harry's voice," he declared. "Sounded like he was in trouble."

"We heard it too," Olivia replied. "His telepathy must really be growing."

Cecile added, "If Darryl or Dako is attacking him, we better leave. Now."

"Hold on." Cole grabbed the two women's hands and beamed out of the apartment.

* * * *

The attack had come so fast that Harry felt lucky to be alive. One moment, he was examining a list of figures for a new company that McNeill Incorporated had purchased and the next thing he knew, one Inspector Darryl Morris had materialized in the middle of his office.

Harry tossed a file aside and stood up. "Hey Darryl! What . . . how did you get here?" At that moment, the police inspector raised his hand and a bolt of lightning spewed forth. Years of martial arts training kicked in and Harry immediately dropped to the floor. The lightning bolt destroyed his chair, instead.

'What the hell?' Harry thought, as he scrambled away from his desk. Another lightning bolt came his way. This time, Harry jumped away, missing the second bolt by inches. In a fit of panic, he sent a telepathic SOS - something he had never done before. 'Help! Anyone, help me! I'm being attacked!'

Darryl attacked again with a third bolt. It hit its target and pain exploded in Harry's right side. He immediately sent another message - 'Help! Please help! Darryl is attacking me!'

Harry began to crawl toward an empty spot between the liquor cabinet and the bookcase. It was a hopeless gesture. Darryl merely followed him, until he found himself cornered between the two pieces of furniture. A smirk appeared on the inspector's face before he declared, "Say hello to Ghede for me."

Darryl raised his hand. Harry heard a voice cry out, "Darryl, don't!" And then he blacked out.

* * * *

Cole, along with Olivia and Cecile, beamed inside Harry's office. They had arrived just in time to see the Vodoun sorcerer in Darryl's body, fling the Halliwells and Leo across the room, using telekinesis. They also saw Dako/Darryl glaring at his victims.

Piper immediately scrambled to her feet and tried to freeze Dako. She failed. The sorcerer shot a bolt of lightning at her. Without even doing anything, she deflected his attack and the lightning bolt dissipated. The baby, Cole surmised, must have given her the power of deflection. Which meant that Dako was no more powerful than the Halliwell-Wyatt baby. Or, Cole hoped, himself.

Using telekinesis, Dako flung Piper across the room, once more. Then he leveled his hand at Harry for a final strike. This time, Olivia used her telekinesis to budge the sorcerer. And she did . . . for only a few feet. The sorcerer faced her with enraged eyes and seconds later, she found herself joining the Halliwells.

Cole almost cried out, "No!". Instead, he struggled to keep his emotions in check. This was not the time to give in to anger or fear. Especially with Dako now eyeing him. The half-demon attempted to manipulate the bokor's mind, convince the latter to stop the attacks. He failed. Not only did he fail, he also attracted the sorcerer's anger.

"Nice try!" the bokor boomed with Darryl's deep voice. Then Dako sent a bolt of lightning toward Cole's direction. Olivia yelled something, but Cole did not hear. Instead, he deflected the sorcerer's attack and the bolt struck Dako squarely in the chest. Seconds later, some kind of dark spirit rose from Darryl's body. But only for a brief moment. It quickly returned inside the body and Dako/Darryl disappeared.

Cecile stared in horror at the spot that the bokor had previous occupied. "Good Lord!" she exclaimed. "That was Dako? How in the hell are we supposed to defeat someone like that?"

Cole quickly knelt beside Harry to check for injuries. The red-haired young man was unconscious, but alive. Thankfully. Cole called for the whitelighter. "Leo, over here. He needs your help."

The whitelighter scrambled over to the witch. He placed his hand over the young man's side. A white glow indicated that the latter's wound had been healed. "Are you okay, Harry?" Leo finally asked.

The youngest McNeill fluttered his eyes momentarily, before he managed to croak, "Yeah. I'm alive, thank goodness. But I feel a little sore. Jeez! That guy sure packs a punch. And that wasn't even a killing blow." He sat up.

"Hey! Turner!" The cry came from Piper, who along with Olivia and Phoebe, managed to scramble to her feet. She glared at Cole. "Next time, take it easy when you deflect an attack, will you? You could have hurt Darryl!"

Cole sighed. Naturally, he could not spent two minutes in the same room with a Halliwell without receiving a snarky comment. "Sorry about that. I barely deflected his attack and I didn't think it would affect . . ."

"That seems to be a problem with you, doesn't it?" Phoebe strode toward Cole, hands on hips and her eyes brimming with anger. "You never seem to think! Why is it that everything you do or touch ends in death? Darryl could have been killed! But in typical fashion," she continued, throwing her hands in the air with exasperation, "you resort to your true nature and . . ."

Olivia cried out loud, interrupting Phoebe. "Stop it! Both of you! This bitch-and-moan session is getting boring!"

"Cole could have hurt Darryl!" Phoebe retorted.

Olivia shot back, "And Darryl . . . I mean, Dako could have hurt all of us! Just be glad that no one was permanently killed this time! Besides," her voice grew more reflective, "we might have a way to free Darryl from Dako, if a potion or spell doesn't work."

Piper now glared at Olivia. "By hurting Darryl?"

"Perhaps." Olivia glared at the two Halliwells. "I seemed to recall Leo telling me about the time when Prue stabbed you, Piper, in order to free you from some non-corporeal spirit. Is that true?" The two sisters looked away. Cole gave Olivia a grateful smile. She responded with one of her own.

A morose Phoebe murmured, "I don't think we'll have to resort to such drastic measures. Piper and I were working on a potion, before we heard Harry's call."

Cecile offered to help create the potion. "I can help. It might need a touch of Voudon magic," she added.

"Thanks, but we're doing just fine," Phoebe responded uneasily. "We've got the Power of Two and Piper's baby." She grabbed her sister's hand. "Let's get out of here." Leo grabbed hold of the Halliwells' shoulders.

"Wait!" Cecile cried. "It'll probably be better if I . . ." The Halliwells and Leo orbed away before she could finish. The Vodoun priestess snarled with anger. "Dammit! What the hell is wrong with them?" She rounded on Cole. "How in the hell did you put up with them for so long?"

Cole responded with a silent shrug. It was something he had pondered over a lot - especially during the past three months. Phoebe no longer seemed to be a plausible answer. Sighing, he picked up the semi-conscious Harry and slung the latter over his shoulder. "Okay, ladies. It's time to go. Ready?" Both Olivia and Cecile took hold of an arm and Cole beamed the entire party out of the office.


END OF CHAPTER 12

Famous Hollywood Cars

Below are some famous cars from Hollywood films and television:


FAMOUS HOLLYWOOD CARS

BACK TO THE FUTURE


Emmett Brown's DeLorean ("Back to the Future Trilogy" 1985; 1989-1990)



Biff's Ford Convertible ("Back to the Future" 1985; "Back to the Future II" 1989)



THE BLUES BROTHERS


Dodge Monaco ("The Blues Brothers" 1980)



SMOKEY AND THE BANDIT


Pontiac Trans Am ("Smokey and the Bandit" 1977)



THE DUKES OF HAZARD


General Lee ("The Dukes of Hazard" 1979-1985)


General Lee ("The Dukes of Hazard" 2005)


MAGNUM P.I.


Ferrari 308 ("Magnum P.I. 1980-1988)



THE SAINT


Volvo ("The Saint" 1962-1969)



BATMAN


Batmobile ("Batman" 1965-1968)



Batmobile ("Batman Begins" 2005; "The Dark Knight" 2008)



JAMES BOND


Aston-Martin ("Goldfinger" 1964)



Aston-Martin ("Casino Royale" 2006)



Lotus Esprit ("The Spy Who Loved Me" 1977)

"Misunderstanding Willie Scott"

"MISUNDERSTANDING WILLIE SCOTT"

One of the special feature clips for my "LAST CRUSADE" DVD featured a take on the characters featured in the Indiana Jones franchise - love interests, villains and side kicks. When "Indy's Friends and Enemies" focused on Indy's love interests, the subject eventually came upon the leading lady of "TEMPLE OF DOOM" - Willie Scott.

Now, I am aware that poor Willie has never been popular with the majority of Indiana Jones fans. She is probably the least popular of Indy's three love interests in the films. I just want to make it clear that I do not share this opinion of Willie. I have liked her since I first saw "TEMPLE OF DOOM" twenty-four years ago. But while watching this special feature about the franchise's characters, it occurred to me that not only was Willie universally disliked, there was a possibility that she was misunderstood as well.

In "Indy's Friends and Enemies", the franchise's director, Steven Spielberg, made a monumentally stupid and misguided comment about Willie Scott. He had described Willie as a showgirl who also happened to come from a rich and privileged background. In other words, Willie was a showgirl who was originally a rich and spoiled woman who was not used to the great outdoors. Either Spielberg was suffering from senility when he did this interview, or he had never really paid much attention to the character’s background.

During their journey to Pankot Palace, Willie revealed to Indy and Short Round that he grandfather had been a magician who died a poor man. Near the end of the film, she made it clear that she came from Missouri:

"I'm going home to Missouri, where they never ever feed you snake before ripping your heart out and lowering you into hot pits. This is not my idea of a swell time!"

And according to the novelization for ”THE TEMPLE OF DOOM”, Willie Scott had been born on a farm in Missouri. She had ambitions to become a success in Hollywood. Unable to get a break in Depression-era Hollywood, she made her way to Shanghai, where she became a nightclub singer. Considering that she had been born on a farm, one would assume that she was used to the outdoors. However, it seemed apparent to me that a life on a dirt farm was not for her and she wanted the finer things in life – including a successful career as an entertainer of sorts.

I do not think that Willie was not used to being pampered. I suspect that she WANTED a life of privilege. She wanted to be pampered. And Willie was prepared to latch herself to anyone able to give her that life. Which would explain her becoming the mistress of the rich Shanghai gangster, Lao Che . . . or her interest in the Maharajah of Pankot before learning that he was a child.

Willie Scott was not what Steven Spielberg had described her - a spoiled, rich woman used to a life of privilege. She was a woman from a poor background who wanted a better life for herself . . . at almost any cost. Willie was a gold digger, plain and simple. How this managed to escape Spielberg is beyond me.

"SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE" Review

Here is my review of the 2008 winner of the Best Picture Oscar:


”SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” Review

After finally seeing the latest Academy Award winning Best Picture, ”SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE”, I am beginning to suspect that this film has garnered a great deal of unnecessarily extreme reactions. Moviegoers either love it with every fiber of their being or consider it as either vastly overrated or insulting to the citizens of India. My reaction to the movie has been neither.

Directed by Danny Boyle, co-directed by Loveleen Tandan and written by Simon Beaufoy, ”SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” is about a young man from the slums of Mumbai who appears on the Indian version of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” (Kaun Banega Crorepati, mentioned in the Hindi version) and exceeds people's expectations, arousing the suspicions of the game show host and of law enforcement officials. Beaufoy based his script upon the Boeke Prize-winning and Commonwealth Writers' Prize-nominated novel, ”Q & A” (2005), written by Indian author and diplomat Vikas Swarup.

The question is – do I believe that ”SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” had deserved its Best Picture Oscar? Honestly? No, I do not. In fact, the movie did not even make my list of Top Ten Favorite Movies of 2008. In some ways, I do feel that it is slightly overrated. No movie is perfect, but the flaws in this movie – or aspects of the movie I saw as flaws – made me wonder how it managed to win Oscars in the Picture, Director and Adapted Screenplay categories. I realize that this movie is based upon Swarup’s novel, in which the plot is centered around a popular game show. But I really could have done without this particular plot device. I found the scenes that featured Jamal Malik’s moments during the question-and-answer sessions of the game show unnecessarily dramatic. This plot device also provided a ridiculously over-the-top ‘happy ending’ that provided a sharp contrast to most of the story. And the idea that the game show questions provided triggers to Jamal’s reminisces about his childhood and his feelings about Latika, a girl he first fell in love with following the deaths of their parents in a mob attack did not exactly work for me. It seemed . . . off. There were times when director Danny Boyle and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy made it difficult to keep track on what Jamal was reminiscing in regard to the question he was being asked on the game show. By biggest complaints centered around the movie’s second half, the characterization of Latika and Chris Dickens’ editing.

At least two-thirds of ”SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” are focused around the boyhoods of Jamal’s recollections of his childhood in the slums of Mumbai with his older brother, Salim. In my opinion, this was the movie’s strongest part. It was not perfect, but a hell of a lot better than the second half. There have been complaints that Boyle’s savage look into Mumbai’s slums is not the real India. Perhaps it is. Perhaps it is not. I would not know. I have never seen the real India. I must admit that the series of incidents presented in the movie’s first half left me feeling that I was watching an Anglo-Indian version of a Charles Dickens novel. Especially ”Oliver Twist”. And I found it fascinating, despite the squalor presented on the screen. But once the movie’s setting shifted to 2006 Mumbai, I found myself mired in a contrived story in which the rescue of Jamal’s love, Latika, from a wealthy gangster depended upon his success on the ”Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” show. As it turned out, Latika ended up being rescued by Jamal’s gangster brother, Salim.

Speaking of Latika, she proved to be another problem. Quite frankly, I found her character rather one-dimensional and frustrating. She seemed to be the ultimate example of the damsel-in-distress archetype. Jamal saw her as his ”destiny”. I saw her as this rather uninteresting character that became nothing more than a trophy for various character – including Jamal. There was one scene in which Salim decided to claim Latika as a sex partner after he had saved her and Jamal by killing some minor gangster whom she worked for. Jamal naturally tried to prevent Salim from claiming Latika. Latika did nothing . . . until she agreed to sleep with Salim to prevent him from hurting Latika. And I . . . was disgusted. She could have easily helped Jamal overcome Salim. Instead, she stood there like an idiot before offering herself to the older brother. The only time Latika ever really did something for herself was when she unsuccessfully tried to flee from the wealthy gangster. She was a very frustrating character and I felt sorry for the actresses – especially Freida Pinto – forced to portray such an uninteresting character. One last problem I had with this movie was Chris Dickens’ editing. It seemed like it was more appropriate for a MTV music video clip, instead of a two hour movie. Worse, it interfered with my enjoyment of Anthony Dod Mantle’s colorful cinematography. What makes this nauseating is that Dickens managed to win an Oscar for his work.

On the whole, ”SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” is pretty good movie that tries to give Westerners a peek into late 20th century and early 21st century India. The movie can boast some first rate performances by the movie’s lead actor, Dev Petel, who portrayed the 18 year-old Jamal, Tanay Chheda as the pre-adolescent Jamal, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail as the young Salim and Tanay Chheda as the early adolescent Salim. I was also impressed by Irrfan Khan’s performance as the police inspector who interrogated Jamal throughout most of the movie. He and Petel created a very interesting screen team. As I had stated earlier, I was also impressed by Mantle’s cinematography in the movie. Despite the squalor that permeated the scenes featuring Jamal and Salim’s childhood, he infused the photography with color, energy and sweep. And what can I say about the exciting music featured in this film? I loved it. A. R. Rahman definitely deserved his Oscar for one of the most exciting and original film scores I have heard in years . . . and that includes ”Jai Ho”, the song he wrote for the film. By the way, he earned a well deserved Oscar for that as well.

Considering the eight (8) Academy Awards that it recently earned, I wish I could say that it deserved all of its awards. But I do not think it did. Despite the movie’s first-rate cast, Mantle’s excellent photography and Rahman’s superb score, I cannot say that it was the best movie I had seen in 2008. In fact, it failed to make my list of 10 favorite movies of that year. Frankly, I found Simon Beaufoy’s script rather uneven and his characterization of the Latika character one-dimensional. And Danny Boyle failed to rise above these flaws with his direction. But . . . despite the movie’s flaws, I could honestly say that it would have made my list of the top 20 movies of 2008.