The Rush Blog

"THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN" (2003) Photo Gallery

2012-01-30T20:58:00.000-08:00

Below are images from the 2003 movie, "THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN". Directed by Stephen Norrington, the movie starred Sean Connery:

"THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN" (2003) Photo Gallery

"CENTENNIAL" (1978-79) - Episode Eight "The Storm" Commentary

2012-01-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

"CENTENNIAL" (1978-79) - Episode Eight "The Storm" Commentary

The eighth episode of "CENTENNIAL" is a bit of a conundrum for me. Of the eight episodes so far, it seemed to be the only one in which the time span struck me as rather confusing. Which is a pity, because I found it rather interesting.

"The Storm" had the potential to be one of the better episodes of the miniseries. Unfortunately, it seemed marred by a good deal of mistakes that left the time span rather confusing. The previous episode, "The Shepherds" ended with Levi Zendt leaving Centennial to visit his hometown of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. And since the episode opened with Levi's arrival in Lancaster, I can only assume that the episode began in the fall of 1881. Levi did not return to Centennial until the onset of winter. And this led me to assume that the episode spanned a few months around the late fall and early winter of 1881. However, certain aspect in the episode seemed to hint that several years, instead of a few months, had passed between Levi’s arrival in Lancaster and the winter storm that finally struck Centennial.

Charles Larson's screenplay made it clear that Levi's visit to Pennsylvania did not last that long. In fact, his wife Lucinda and his son, Martin, expressed surprise that he had returned home to Centennial before the winter. And considering that it took seven days to journey by rail from the West Coast to the East Coast; Levi's journey from Colorado to Pennsylvania should have taken less than seven days. In total, his entire trip should have lasted less than a month. And yet . . . there were signs in the episode that several years had passed since the end of "The Shepherds". One, the character of Amos Calendar seemed to have aged by a decade. Seriously. While Levi was in Pennsylvania, the Findlay Perkins character had arrived in Centennial. Around the time of his arrival, Oliver and Charlotte Seccombe were behaving like a couple that had been married for several years, instead of honeymooners. More importantly, a semi-manor made of brick (or stones) had replaced the clapboard ranch house that served as Venneford Ranch's main house. I doubt very much that Seccombe was able erect a small manor house within a month or two. Also, the winter storm that struck the Western Plains occurred in 1886-1887. Levi's journey to Pennsylvania should have occurred five years later. Larson's handling of the episode's time span seemed so sloppy that I could only shake my head in disbelief.

But the episode's time span was not the only thing that troubled me. The first thirty minutes of "The Storm" featured a number of flashbacks I have not seen since "Only the Rocks Live Forever". The flashbacks in that first episode made sense. It was the only episode that featured the character of Lame Beaver in the main narrative, yet at the same time, allowed viewers access to the character's past. Because "The Storm" featured the deaths of Levi Zendt and Mule Canby, viewers were subjected to flashbacks featuring Levi's journey to the West in "" and the Skimmerhorn cattle drive in "The Longhorns". Instead of providing background to the characters of Levi and Mule, these flashbacks only dragged the episode's first half hour.

Thankfully, "The Storm" was not a complete waste of time. It featured some first-rate drama and performances. The episode marked the first appearances of the Wendell family. So far, the family has managed to charm most of Centennial's citizens with their good manners, verbal skills and acting talent. They have also attracted the suspicion of one Sheriff Axel Dumire. As I had stated earlier, the character of Mule Canby, last seen wounded and hauled to a military fort by R.J. Poteet in "The Longhorns". He has become a trick shot artist for a circus, with Nacho Gomez as his assistant. Their reunion with former members of the Skimmerhorn drive - Jim Lloyd, John Skimmerhorn and Amos Calendar - provided the episode with a very warm and emotional moment before Canby's tragic death in a tent fire.

There were two story arcs in "The Storm" that proved to be the highlights of the episodes. One story arc featured Levi and Lucinda's frustrations with their younger offspring, the unhappy and unstable Clemma. Following his return to Centennial, Levi was surprised by the appearance of his daughter, who was supposed to be going to school in St. Louis. Instead, the couple learned of their wayward daughter's lurid exploits that included prostitution, jail time and marriage to a bigamist. In a memorable speech, Levi reminded Lucinda that despite the disappointments and unhappy times, they had also experienced many positive things in their lives - including their marriage and the growth of Centennial. Unfortunately, this poignant moment was spoiled by Clemma's decision to leave town on the first available eastbound train - a decision that led to Levi's death near the rail tracks during the winter storm.

The storm also featured in a tense plot arc that spelled the possible doom of Oliver Seccombe's career as a rancher. His handling of the Venneford Ranch's accounts had led his London bosses to send a Scottish accountant named Findlay Perkins to check the books. Both John Skimmerhorn and Jim Lloyd tried to explain to the accountant that the region's method of free-range cattle ranching made it impossible to precisely account for every cow or bull on the ranch. Being a very perceptive man, Findlay was still able to discover that Seccombe had been mishandling the ranch's profits in order to build the new house for his wife, Charlotte. Before Findlay could return to Britain, the storm struck the region, forcing him to remain at Venneford. One of the episode's highlights proved to be the tense scenes between Findlay and the Seccombes, as they waited out the storm.

The episode's biggest virtue proved to be the outstanding performances by the cast. Just about everyone in this episode gave top-notch performances. But there were a few I would consider to be the best. One of them came from Gregory Harrison, who made his last appearance as former emigrant-turned-merchant, Levi Zendt. Timothy Dalton and Lynn Redgrave were superb as the besieged Oliver and Charlotte Seccombe, anxious over their future with Venneford Ranch and forced to deal with the likes of Findlay Perkins. Clive Revill gave an excellent performance as the Scottish accountant. And his scenes with Dalton and Redgrave were filled with delicious tension and humor. It was nice to see Greg Mullavey as the always gregarious Mule Canby. And I truly enjoyed the tensions between Brian Keith's suspcious Sheriff Axel Dumire and the wonderfully scheming Wendells, portrayed by Anthony Zerbe, Lois Nettleton and Doug McKeon. But the stand-out performance came from Adrienne LaRussa's excellent portrayal of the sad and conflicted Clemma Zendt. LaRussa was superb in conveying all aspects of Clemma's personality, which included her spiteful teasing of Jim Lloyd, and her insecurities. But she gave an Emmy worthy performance in the scene in which she conveyed Clemma's pathetic life back East to the Zendts.

It is a pity that "The Storm" was marred by a questionable time span and unnecessary flashbacks. The episode had the potential to be one of the best in the 12-part miniseries. It marked the death of a major character and also a change in Centennial's history with the end of free-range ranching and the Wendells' arrival. But some outstanding performances and the winter storm featured still made it one of the more interesting episodes, in the end.

"The Power of One" [PG-13] - 5/20

2012-01-27T13:34:00.000-08:00

"THE POWER OF ONE"

PART V

Piper felt more than happy that she had finally found the perfect nanny for Wyatt. Donna Thompson turned out to be a Voudon practioner - a mambo, like Cecile Dubois. Although Ms. Thompson's power happened to be thermokinesis, she also possessed the ability to use other forms of psychic powers through spells and chants. Nor did she seem to mind dealing with the constant demonic attacks upon Wyatt. It seemed that Ms. Thompson had experienced plenty of them, during her years as a mambo. But it was Wyatt's immediate acceptance of her that led Piper to finally hire her.

"So, when can you start?" the Charmed One asked the priestess. She lowered Wyatt back in his basquinet.

Ms. Thompson replied, "Is tomorrow okay?"

"Sounds great." Piper led the other woman out of the Solarium. "Uh, how about eight in the morning? Is that okay?"

"Fine by me."

Piper continued, "You know, I didn't realize there were any Vodoun practioners here on the West Coast. I mean, my sisters and I had once encountered this witch doctor, but we thought he came from somewhere else." She noticed that the other woman had stiffened slightly. "Is there something wrong?"

Flashing a prim smile, Ms. Thompson replied, "We Vodoun practioners don't like the term 'witch doctor'. We find it insulting. And the word - witch - is considered . . . an insult in the Vodoun world. I know that it isn't in your world. But it is in ours."

"Oh. Uh . . ." Now there was something that Cecile or the McNeills had never bothered to reveal. "I, uh . . . didn't know that. Maybe this guy was a priest. Anyway, I don't think he was from around here. And Cecile and Andre are from New Orleans. Besides, I've always thought that Vodoun was only practiced back East."

Ms. Thompson added, "I didn't realize you were that familiar with Vodoun. You've been to New Orleans?"

"No, I met Cecile and Andre, here in San Francisco. In fact, they're visiting the city, this week." The Charmed One told the Vodoun priestess about the two visitors from Louisiana.

For a brief second, Piper thought she saw Ms. Thompson's eyes widened in alarm. She realized that she had imagining things, when the other woman smiled. "Really? And this Miss Dubois is a telepath? And a clairvoyant? That's interesting. My grandmother was a seer."

"So is one of my sisters," Piper added. "Phoebe. She's also an empath." Then she sighed. "I should warn you about the latter. Phoebe had just received her empathic powers over a month ago. And it's been driving us all crazy."

Ms. Thompson smiled. "Thanks for the warning." Then she glanced at the floor and a frown appeared on her face. "Hey, what happened to that amulet? The one that daemon had been wearing."

Piper glanced around. "I don't know. I didn't see it after we had vanquished him. Maybe it was destroyed."

"Hmmm. Well," Ms. Thompson glanced at the grandfather clock, "I better get going. I had promised to pick up a friend in another twenty minutes. Uh . . . see you tomorrow morning? Around eight?"

"Around eight." The two women shook hands and bid each other good-bye. After Ms. Thompson had left, Piper heaved a smile and returned to the Solarium to begin the cleanup.

Two figures materialized into the room, taking Piper by surprise. It was Cole and Cecile. "My God!" the latter replied. "Piper! Are you okay? Have you been . . .?"

"Attacked? By a demon?" Piper nodded. "Yeah, but I'm fine. How did you, uh . . .?" Realization hit Piper, as she remembered one of Cecile's powers. "Oh. Yeah. Uh, everything's okay. I . . ."

Two more figures orbed into view. Phoebe and Chris. The former rushed toward her older sister. "Piper! You're alive!"

"No kidding," Piper murmured in her usual sardonic manner. "I'm fine. I'm okay. And the demon has been vanquished." She paused and stared at both Phoebe and Cecile. "You mean to say that the both of you had visions of me . . ."

Cecile interrupted. "Apparently so." She stared at Piper. "So, uh . . . you managed to fight off the daemon?"

Piper sighed. "Actually, I had a little help. I probably would have been dead, if it weren't for her."

Cole asked, "Who rescued you?"

"Wyatt's new nanny." Piper then proceeded to tell the others about Donna Thompson, and the demon who had attacked them. "It turns out that she's also a Vodoun priestess. Like Cecile. If she had not spotted that amulet . . ."

Chris frowned. "What amulet?"

Piper told them about the amulet that had protected the demon from her powers. "I think it may have been destroyed, when we vanquished him. We couldn't find it."

Phoebe enveloped her sister into a bear hug. "Who cares? As long as you're safe. And alive," she said. "Is this Miss Thompson here? I would love to thank her."

"You can do that, tomorrow. She'll be arriving around eight." She glanced around the Solarium. "Oh God! Look at this mess! I'm going to be cleaning this up, all day!"

"Why don't you use that spell that Paige had used when . . ." Phoebe broke off and shot an uncomfortable glance at Cole. Then she murmured, "Never mind."

But Piper knew what Phoebe was about to mention - namely the spell Paige had used to clean up Cole's penthouse, after they had killed him. She sighed and decided to thank her younger sister for the advice, later. "I guess I better start . . . cleaning up, right away. Meanwhile, you all can leave. Because once I'm finished, I'll have to feed Wyatt and then both of us will be taking naps."

The others mumbled their good-byes and teleported out of the house. Much to her relief.

-----------

The doorbell to Daley's house rang, later that evening. The sorceress made her way to the front door and opened it. Marc stood in front of the doorway, wearing an anxious look. "Well? How did it go?" he asked.

"Everything's just peachy," Daley wearily replied. "You're looking at Wyatt Halliwell's new nanny. Of course, I had to help his mama fight off a daemon in order to get the job."

"Say what?" Marc stepped inside the house. Daley led him to her large sitting room, just east of the foyer. He sat down in one of the chairs. "You had to do what?"

Daley settled on the sofa. "Help save her and the boy from a daemon. Some damn shapeshifter, I think. He had disguised himself as some Mexican woman, applying for the job. He tried to kill Piper . . ."

"Who?"

Annoyed by her assistant's dense questions, she threw a pillow at his head. Marc neatly caught it, instead. "The damn witch who had just hired me! Piper Halliwell! Who in the hell do you think I've been talking about?" Daley retorted. "Some daemon had tried to kill her. Strange that he didn't bother to simply snatch the kid."

"Maybe he wanted to make sure that this Halliwell witch didn't come after him. After all, she's supposed to be pretty powerful, herself."

Daley sighed. "Good point. Anyway, I helped Piper kill him. And in gratitude," she allowed herself a smug smile, "she hired me on the spot. No references were necessary."

Marc nodded approvingly. "So, everything's okay. Right?"

Daley's smile disappeared. "Not quite. It seems that one of the other sisters - the newspaper columnist - is clairvoyant. And empathic."

"That's not good," Marc said with a frown. "She might find out the truth about you, before you're ready to do the ritual."

"Oh, it gets worse," Daley added. "The Halliwells are friends of a Vodoun priestess named Cecile Dubois, who also happens to be clairvoyant. And she's a telepath. And guess who happens to be her boyfriend?" Marc shook his head. "Andre Morell. He's here in San Francisco. With her."

A low whistle escaped from Marc's mouth. "Are you shitting me?" he cried. "Have you ever met . . ."

"No! But, I've met the drug lord that he used to work for - Aaron Mercer. And there's a good chance that he has heard of me."

Marc shrugged his shoulders. "As long as you two have never met, and you're using a phony name . . . what's the big deal? You have nothing to worry about."

Daley paused, as she walked over to her bar. "Except for this Cecile Dubois, and Phoebe Halliwell. It'll be nearly a week before the half moon. I don't want to take the chance of being found out by a bunch of seers."

"So, what are you going to do? Kill 'em?"

A sigh left Daley's mouth. "I don't think that's a good idea. Not now. Maybe I'll . . ." She broke off and contemplated on how to deal with this psychic double threat. Until she spied an object resting on the bar's surface. It was the amulet that had been worn by the daemon killed by her and Piper Halliwell. She had snatched the amulet, while the witch's back had been turned. "Maybe I won't have to worry about them, after all."

"What's that?" Marc asked.

Daley stared at the object in her hand. "I don't know. Judging from the symbol on this thing, it may have been created by a dominion spirit. All I know is that it prevented that daemon from being affected by the witch's powers."

Marc stared at her. "Do you think it'll work against the two seers?"

"I'll find out, tomorrow."

----------

Cole and Andre stepped out of the elevator and made their way toward Olivia's apartment. They found the two women finishing the last of their breakfast.

"You mean to say that you two aren't ready, yet?" the houngan protested in jest.

Cecile remained silent, while Olivia shot Andre an amused look. "My, we are impatient this morning! You must really enjoy going through my shop."

Andre shrugged. "I have to admit that I find it interesting. Reminds me of when I was studying mythology and anthropology in college." He leaned down to plant a kiss on Cecile's cheek. "I guess I'll be seeing you later, baby. Take care."

"You too," Cecile murmured. She and Cole watched the other two leave the apartment. Once Olivia and Andre had left, she stood up and headed for the living room. "I'll be ready in a minute."

Cole replied, "No problem."

A few minutes later, Cecile emerged from her bedroom, carrying her portfolio and a suitcase. "Okay. Let's go." The pair left the apartment and traveled down to the building's underground garage, via the elevator. After they climbed into Cole's black Porsche, the half-daemon heaved a sigh. Cecile stared at him. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Cole shook his head. "Nothing. I . . ." He paused, before continuing. "I was thinking about that attack on Piper, yesterday."

"She got out of it, okay. She's alive. What's the big deal?"

Another sigh left Cole's mouth. "Nothing. I just find this whole idea of her hiring a nanny, a big mistake. Maybe she should try to get in touch with Leo."

Cecile snorted with derision. "Seems like he's more interested in being some high-level guardian angel than being a husband and father."

Her acid response drew a long and hard stare from Cole. "What brought this on?"

"Brought what?"

"Why are you so bitter? Are you speaking of Leo? Or Andre?"

Rolling her eyes, Cecile retorted, "What are you talking about? Andre hasn't abandoned me!"

"No, you seem more interested in abandoning him," Cole shot back. "Olivia told me about that little rant against men. About how we end up shoving the women in our lives into the background. You were talking about Andre, right? Do you think he's no longer interested in you? Is that why you want to get married?"

Cecile stared at the half-daemon. "Are you always in the habit of asking so many questions, at once?"

"C'mon, Cecile! Don't bullshit me!" Cole continued, "Do you honestly think that a marriage is going to help you?"

Resentment flickered in Cecile's dark eyes. "I guess you don't."

It took all of Cole's efforts not to roll his eyes in contempt. "Why do people believe that a wedding ring is going to solve all of their problems?" He slipped his key into the car's ignition, and switched on the engine.

"This isn't about solving a problem!" Cecile retorted. "I just . . . I just want something different in my life. Something more solid than a convenient boyfriend on the other side of town. After what you told me about what led you to propose marriage to Phoebe, I thought you would understand!"

The Porsche rolled out of the parking lot and merged into San Francisco's early morning traffic. "Yeah, well now I know better! I found out that marriage didn't make my life better or improved my relationship with Phoebe. In fact, our relationship ended in the toilet. Our marriage didn't solve one fucking thing!"

"You had been possessed around the time you got married!" Cecile retorted.

Cole shot back, "And you honestly think that Phoebe and I would still be together, if the Source hadn't possess me? Because I can tell you right now that we wouldn't. I was in love with a woman who wanted a fantasy romance, and who's still incapable of growing up. And I would have remained a mortal - a state that I hated with every goddamn breath in my body - for nothing! Trust me. Our marriage would have ended, just as our little summer 'romance' did, over two months ago. Maybe a wedding ring might give you a little stability with Andre for a while. But sooner or later, your marriage will become a routine that will bore you out of your mind. And once again, you'll find yourself longing for a change. For something new. You know, you and Andre have a good thing going. Why can't you appreciate it?"

"Because it's no longer a good thing! At least to me." Cecile's eyes narrowed. "If what you and Phoebe had before your marriage was such a good thing, why did you ask her to marry you?"

The Porsche rolled to a stop at a red light. Cole took a deep breath and growled in a low voice, "Because I was too fucking stupid to appreciate what we had! That's why!"

"Hmmph! Just as you probably thought that your friendship with Olivia was good enough, I bet," Cecile said with a sneer. "Until she got frustrated and started paying attention to that bastard, Paul Margolin. Tell me Cole, what if Olivia decides that she wants to be more than your girlfriend? Are you going to make the same mistake that you did, last spring? Pretend that your relationship is fine as it is?"

The light turned green. The Porsche roared into life and continued toward downtown. Cole opened his mouth to say something. Tell Cecile that she was wrong. Unfortunately, he could not find the right words.

END OF PART V

"TOWER HEIST" (2011) Review

2012-01-26T12:29:00.001-08:00

"TOWER HEIST" (2011) Review

Six years ago, Eddie Murphy had an idea about him and a group of comedians starring in a movie about a group planning to rob Trump Tower. The script developed and changed into an "OCEAN'S ELEVEN"-style caper, leading Murphy to leave the project. When director Brett Ratner continued to develop the idea into the movie's present story, Murphy eventually rejoined the production.

"TOWER HEIST" told the story about three employees of an exclusive apartment building called The Tower, who lose their pensions in the Ponzi scheme of a Wall Street businessman, who also lives in the building. The group enlist the aid of criminal, a bankrupt businessman that also lives in the building, and another building employee to break into the businessman's apartment and steal back their money, while avoiding the FBI Agent in charge of his case.

One of my favorite types of movies has always been the heist comedy. This is why I am a fan of such movies like "LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS", "A FISH CALLED WANDA" and the "OCEAN'S ELEVEN" series. I do not know if I would place "TOWER HEIST" on the same level as the previously mentioned films. I would not regard it as one of the best heist films I have ever seen, or even one of the best comedies. But I cannot deny that I found it entertaining.

I must admit that I did not believe Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy would ever generate a strong screen chemistry. But in a rather odd way, they seemed to click. I suppose this was due to the fact that Stiller's more subdued performance perfectly balanced Murphy's more extroverted one. And they had solid support from the likes of Casey Affleck, Téa Leoni, Alan Alda, Michael Peña, Matthew Broderick and Gabourey Sidibe. I was especially impressed by Alda's insidious performance as the scheming businessman Arthur Shaw and Sidibe's portrayal of the sharp-tongued maid Odessa, whose savy proved to be the group's godsend on at least two occasions.

Another aspect of "TOWER HEIST" that I admired was the movie's script written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson. It was not the most spectacular story I have seen on the movie screen. I had a problem with the movie's last five or ten minutes. I would reveal what I found troubling about the ending. But if I did, I would give away the story. I suspect Griffin and Nathanson ended it this way to put a little bite in the movie's ending. It just did not work for me.

However, I did enjoy most of the story. I also liked that one of the main aspects that injected a good deal of suspense into the story was the possibility of one or more of the robbers betraying the others - especially in the case of both Murphy and Affleck's characters. This is something that is usually common in a heist drama. But I have yet to see such a thing in a comedy, until I saw "TOWER HEIST".

In the end, "TOWER HEIST" proved to be a solid and entertaining comedy with a slightly weak ending. The movie was also blessed with a first-rate cast led by Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy. And director Brett Ratner did a good job in utilizing both the story and the cast to make a pretty solid film.

"MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL" (2011) Photo Gallery

2012-01-25T11:39:00.001-08:00

Below are images from "MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL", the fourth entry in the MISSION IMPOSSIBLE movie franchise. Directed by Brad Bird, the movie stars Tom Cruise:

"MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - GHOST PROTOCOL" (2011) Photo Gallery

My Ten Favorite TELEVISION VILLAINS

2012-01-23T10:09:00.000-08:00

Here is a list of my ten (10) favorite television villains . . . so far:

MY TEN FAVORITE TELEVISION VILLAINS

1. Seska "Star Trek Voyager" (1995-2001) - Actress Martha Hackett portrayed my favorite television villain of all time, the Cardassian spy that had herself surgically altered as a Bajoran in order to infiltrate Chakotay's Maquis cell. Following Voyager's arrival in the Delta Quadrant, Seska was revealed as a spy and she became an ally and lover of the crew's first enemy, Kazon Nistrim leader Maje Cullah.

2. Nina Myers - "24" (2001-2010) - Sarah Clarke was excellent as Jack Bauer's second-in-command at CTU Los Angeles, who ended up killing his wife Teri and being exposed as a mole. Following her revelation as a mole, she appeared on the show for another two seasons before she was murdered in cold blood at the hands of her former boss and lover.

3. Wo Fat "Hawaii Five-O" (1968-1980) - Khigh Dheigh was a joy to watch as the Communist Chinese intelligence officer who became the main nemesis of Hawaii State Police chief, Steve McGarrett.

4. President Morgan Clark "Babylon Five" (1993-1998) - For at least three to four seasons, actor Gary McGurk appeared only a few times as the Earth politician who became head of state and dictator of Earth Alliance via political assassination. Despite his limited appearances, Clark proved to be one of the most effective villains in recent television history.

5. Owen Crawford "Taken" (2002) - Joel Gretsch first made a name for himself as the aggressive and ruthless Owen Crawford, an Air Force officer who schemed and murdered his way into control of the private program in charge of investigating aliens that crashed in New Mexico and the U.S. citizens who had been "taken" by said aliens.

6. The Borg Queen "Star Trek Voyager" (1995-2001) - Alice Kriege first became a science-fiction icon in her portrayal of the eader or avatar of the Borg Collective in the 1996 film, "STAR TREK: FIRST CONTACT". But she did memorably reprised her role in the two-part series finale for "Star Trek Voyager".

7. Luther Mahoney "Homicide: Life on the Street" (1993-1999) - Erik Dellums gave a memorable performance in the recurring role as the Baltimore drug lord who made a big impact upon the lives of some of the police detectives in the series - in life and after his death.

8. Elkhanah Bent "North and South Trilogy" (1985; 1986; and 1994) - No fan of the television adaptations of John Jakes' trilogy could ever forget Philip Casnoff's twisted portrayal of the demented West Point cadet-turned Army officer-turned mercenary who made the lives of the Hazards and the Mains miserable before, during and after the Civil War.

9. The Borg Queen "Star Trek Voyager" (1995-2001) - Susanna Thompson also gave memorable performances as the Borg Collective's leader in two two-part episodes from the series. Whereas Kriege had "the voice", Thompson had "the eyes". And both were fantastic.

10. John Goetz "Jericho" (2006-2008) - D.B. Sweeney surprised the hell out of me in his chilling portrayal of the mercenary in post-apocalyptic Kansas, who inflicted a strong impact upon the town of Jericho. His cold-blooded murder of the adolescent deaf-mute Bonnie Richmond sent shock waves throughout the series' fandom.

"The Power of One" [PG-13] - 4/20

2012-01-22T21:00:00.000-08:00

"THE POWER OF ONE"

PART IV

"Hey." Jason popped into Phoebe's private office.

Phoebe smiled at her paramour. "Hey yourself. What can I do for you?"

The publisher leaned over Phoebe's desk, his face hovering inches away from hers. "How about lunch . . . with me?" he asked in a seductive voice.

Smiling, Phoebe automatically picked up a paper weight that had been an office-warming present from Piper. "Well . . . hmmmm. Let me think about that," she whispered. "Now, where do you plan to take me?"

"Well, there's the Compass Rose at the St. Francis Hotel."

Phoebe wrinkled her nose playfully. "Too stuffy. How about . . .?" A gasp left her mouth, as images of a demon attacking her older sister filled her mind. Despite Piper's best efforts, the demon kills the oldest Charmed One and kidnaps a sleeping Wyatt. The vision ended with the disappearance of the demon and her nephew.

Jason stared at Phoebe, frowning. "Something wrong, honey? You looked a . . . I don't know. A bit spaced out."

"Oh, uh . . ." Phoebe quickly tried to think of an excuse. "It's nothing. Nothing big. I . . . uh, just remembered."

"Remembered what?"

Think Phoebe, think! Finally an answer came to the Charmed One. "Uh . . . I just remembered that Piper wanted me to a favor for her. Pick up both her and the food she had prepared for some private luncheon at P3."

Jason's frown deepened. "A luncheon at a nightclub?"

"Actually . . . it's a party. Office party."

"Yeah, but at a night . . ."

Phoebe stood up and walked around her desk. "Oh baby, I'm sorry." She planted a light kiss on Jason's cheek. "I'm going to have to take a rain check on lunch, today." Then she grabbed his arm and steered him toward the door. "We can have lunch, tomorrow."

Reluctantly, Jason allowed himself to be dragged out of the office. "Okay, but you tell Piper that I've got you all booked for myself, tomorrow."

"Okay baby. Bye." Phoebe gave Jason one last kiss and slammed the door in his face. She leaned against the wall and sighed. Then she picked up the telephone receiver on her desk and dialed the number for Ostera's.

After the third ring, a voice answered. "Ostera's Herbal Shop. May I help you?"

"Hello? Who is this?" Phoebe demanded.

The voice continued, "This is Maddy. May I help you?"

"Maddy, this is Phoebe Halliwell. I need to speak with Paige. Is she there?"

Maddy replied, "Sorry, but she's making a special delivery right now. I can take a message."

Phoebe hesitated. Until she realized that she could reach Paige by the latter's cell phone. "Never mind. I'll call back, later."

"Is this some kind of magical emergency?" Maddy's question reminded Phoebe that the shop assistant happened to be a witch. "I could get hold of Barbara."

"No, that's okay. Thanks anyway. Bye." Phoebe hung up the phone. Then she took a deep breath and cried out her whitelighter's name. "Chris! Chris, I need you! Now!"

---------

Around the same time of Jason's visit to Phoebe's office, Cecile sat inside the McNeill boardroom, as she provided the last figures for her presentation to the Board members. "Cresent, Incorporated now provides computer office software to over thirty companies and corporations in the Lower Mississippi Valley, and parts of the Southeast," she concluded. "With McNeill Enterprises, I hope to expand distribution to the West Coast. I could provide the Board with a list of my clients and their contact numbers. I am sure they will confirm what I have just told you."

Bursts of conversation broke out among the members inside the boardroom. Both Cole and Harry gave Cecile reassuring smiles. She smiled back, despite the fact that her heart was not really into the meeting at the moment. Cecile had managed to put aside her bleak mood regarding Andre during the meeting. But once she had completed her presentation, her mood immediately returned.

Perhaps she should consider ditching the idea of breaking up from Andre. To be honest, she did not really want to end their relationship. Hell, she was in love with him! Why on earth would she want to break up with the only true love she had ever had in her life?

Then Cecile thought of Piper Halliwell and Olivia's former whitelighter. She recalled Olivia telling her about the couple's difficult courtship and the problems they had encountered, getting married. Piper and Leo had viewed themselves as soulmates. Yet, less than three years after their wedding . . .

The vision hit Cecile's mind without any warning. She saw Piper unsuccessfully fighting a demon. . . Piper dying . . . and the daemon stealing Wyatt from a basquinet before disappearing from the Halliwells' Solarium. The vision ended and Cecile gasped out loud.

The others inside the boardroom stared at her. "Is there something wrong?" Cole asked.

"I . . ." Cecile began to rub her forehead. "I think I'm getting a slight headache. Uh, excuse me." She stood up. Cole and the McNeills did the same.

Mr. McNeill gently took Cecile by the arm. "Why don't you come inside my office, Cecile?" I'm sure that my assistant could find some aspirin or something for your headache. Cole?"

"Yeah." The half-daemon and the witch escorted Cecile into the latter's spacious office. Once they were alone, Cole demanded, "Are you really having a headache? Because if I didn't know any better . . ."

Cecile sighed. "Yeah, I just had a vision. I saw some daemon killing Piper, before kidnapping Wyatt."

Mr. McNeill frowned. "How is that possible? I thought that Wyatt had some kind of protective shield."

"I only know what I saw," Cecile insisted. She turned to Cole. "Maybe we should pop over there. Now."

Cole nodded. "Yeah. Right." He took hold of Cecile's hand. "We'll back," he said to Mr. McNeill. Then the two friends teleported out of the office.

------------

Twenty minutes before Phoebe and Cecile had simultaneously experienced their visions, Piper ended her interview with Warren Koslo and bid him good-bye. Then she turned to the Latina woman. "Mrs. Madrigal? Could you follow me, please?"

Mrs. Madrigal rose to her feet and followed Piper into the Solarium. The applicant shot a quick glance at the sleeping Wyatt, before she sat down in a nearby wicker chair.

"So," Piper began, "I understand that you saw my announcement on the bulletin board at the Red Pyramid. Do you . . . go there a lot? Or was that just a one time visit?"

Mrs. Madrigal nodded. "I'm a regular customer. Are you?"

"I've been there a few times." Piper hesitated, unsure of how to ask her next question. "Um . . . are you into . . . uh, the occult?"

The older woman frowned. "Aren't you? I had assumed that you were also into it . . . considering where you had posted the ad." She paused. "You are into it. Right?"

Piper replied sardonically, "More than you can imagine." Mrs. Madrigal's eyes grew wide. "I'm . . . uh, a witch. One of those Wiccans. I've been one for at least five years."

"Oh." The older woman's shoulders sagged with relief. "Well, I'm glad that I wasn't wrong. You see, I also practice magic."

Relief flooded Piper's veins. "Really? Are you some kind of witch?"

Mrs. Madrigal stood up. And right before Piper's eyes, she transformed into a pale, stocky man with wintergreen eyes. "No," he said in a deep voice. "I'm a daemon!" He tossed an energy ball at the Charmed One.

Piper let out a squeal, before she flung her hands at the energy ball and destroyed it in mid-air. "Oh crap!" Then she flung her hands at the demon. His body immediately exploded . . . and reassembled within seconds. "Oh crap! Chris! CHRIS!"

The demon flung another energy ball at Piper. She froze it in mid-air and ducked behind the chair. The demon waved one hand and the energy ball continued its course toward her, striking the wall and missing her head by inches. With her sisters at work and Chris failing to show up, Piper realized that she might be in serious danger. "You can't hide from me forever, witch! And your sisters can't help you!" The demon sent another energy ball toward Piper's direction. Before she could destroy it with her combustion power, it blew up the chair in front of her. And led the Charmed One to rue the day she had thought about hiring a nanny, in the first place.

--------------

Daley heard a woman's voice cry out the name - Chris. She frowned. What in the hell was going on in the other room? Then she heard a man shout, "You can't hide from me forever, witch!" At that moment, the sorceress realized that something was wrong. She had seen a middle-aged woman follow Piper Halliwell into the other room. Where did the man come from?

An explosive sound interrupted Daley's musings. Without thinking, she rushed into the other room and found Ms. Halliwell cowering before a stocky man with pale skin. And no sign of Mrs. Madrigal. An energy ball formed in the intruder's hand. Viewing him as a threat to her plans, Daley quickly reached for a dagger in her knit bag and threw it at the man. The dagger's sharp point pierced his shoulder, forcing him to cry out in pain and dissipate the energy ball.

"You!" the man growled, as he glared at Daley. An energy ball materialized in his hand. As he hurled it at Daley's direction, she cried out, "Deflect" in Yoruba. The energy ball zinged back toward the man. He ducked before it could strike his body.

Daley rushed toward Ms. Halliwell. "Are you okay?" she asked, breathlessly.

"I could be better," the other woman shot back. "Do you . . . uh, recognize this demon?"

"He's a daemon?"

Another energy ball zoomed toward them. Ms. Halliwell flung out her hands and the energy ball exploded in mid-air. "I guess that's a no." Desperation shone in the witch's dark eyes. "Do you know any spell to get rid of this guy?"

"Uh . . ." At that moment, one immediately came to Daley's mind. "Wait. Here's one." She began to chant, "Hell threw you from its inner core, but earth won't hold you anymore. Since heaven cannot be your place, your flesh and blood I now erase." The two women stared at the daemon. Nothing happened. "Damn! Maybe we should say the spell, together."

Both women took a deep breath and repeated the spell. "Hell threw you from its inner core, but earth won't hold you anymore. Since heaven cannot be your place, your flesh and blood I now erase!" Instead of the daemon's death, they were faced with another energy ball that missed Ms. Halliwell's head by inches. The pair quickly scurried on their knees, toward the sofa.

"Too bad my sisters aren't here," the witch commented. "I could use the Power of Three. And why does that spell sound familiar?"

Daley asked, "Why is he trying to kill you?"

"So that me and my sisters won't come after him, if he steals my son."

Ah! So the attack was about the child. Then Daley's eyes narrowed, as she spotted a string holding an object around the daemon's neck. "Look! There's something around his neck! Let me . . ." Focusing her attention upon the object, Daley murmured a chant underneath her breath. The string broke, taking the daemon by surprise. Then the object - obviously an amulet - fell upon the floor. "The spell again!"

The two women chanted, "Hell threw you from its inner core, but earth won't hold you anymore. Since heaven cannot be your place, your flesh and blood I now erase!" Cries of pain poured out of the daemon's mouth, as flames engulfed his body. Within seconds, he exploded into a ball of fire and light.

Ms. Halliwell rushed over to the basquinet for a peek at her son. "He's safe," she said with relief. "Awake, but safe." She turned to Daley. "Are you still interested in the job?"

Daley struggled not to flash a triumphant smile. "Sure."

"You're hired."

END OF PART IV

"THE FOUR FEATHERS" (2002) Review

2012-01-21T21:25:00.000-08:00

"THE FOUR FEATHERS" (2002) Review

To my knowledge, there have been seven cinematic versions of A.E.W. Mason’s 1902 adventure story, "THE FOUR FEATHERS". The first version was released in 1915 as a black-and-white silent film. The most famous and highly revered version was produced by legendary producer Alexander Korda in 1939. And the latest version – the focus of this review – was released in 2002. Heath Ledger, Kate Hudson and Wes Bentley starred in the film. And it was directed by Shekhar Kapur.

"THE FOUR FEATHERS" began with Harry Faversham (Heath Ledger), a young British officer of the Royal Cumbrians infantry regiment and the son of a stern British general, celebrating his recent engagement to the beautiful young Ethne (Kate Hudson) in a lavish ball with his fellow officers and his father in attendance. When the regimental colonel announced that the regiment is being dispatched to Egyptian-ruled Sudan to rescue the British general Charles "Chinese" Gordon (who was being besieged in Khartoum by Islamic rebels of The Mahdi), young Faversham became nervous and resigned his commission. After resigning his commission, Harry’s charmed life began to fall apart. Despite his claims that his decision to in order to stay in England with new fiancée because he would never "go to war for anyone or anything", three of his fellow officers – Tom Willoughby (Rupert Penry-Jones), Edward Castleton (Kris Marshall) and William Trench (Michael Sheen) censured Harry by delivery three white feathers (signs of cowardice). Ethne ended their engagement and presented him with a fourth feather. And both Harry’s best friend, Jack Durrance (Wes Bentley) and his father, General Faversham (Tim Piggott-Smith) disavowed him. With his former comrades already en route to the conflict, the young Faversham questioned his own true motives, and resolved to redeem himself through combat in Sudan. Disguised as an Arab laborer, he accompanied a French slave trader to take him deep into the Sudanese desert. Faversham is left alone in the vast sands when the slave trader is killed by his own Sudanese slaves. Eventually a lone black Sudanese warrior named Abou Fatma (Djimon Hounsou), who is against the Mahdists' rebellion, came to Harry’s aid and helped the latter redeem himself through combat against the Mahdists.

In the beginning, "THE FOUR FEATHERS" bore a strong resemblance to the 1902 novel it is based upon and the 1939 movie. Granted, in this version, General Faversham is a living and somewhat stern parent, and not some dead military hero in whose shadow Harry is forced to live. And Ethne’s father is dead. The most important aspect of this version of the story is the fact that the British presence in the Sudan is not portrayed in a sympathetic light. Following Colonel Hamilton’s (Alex Jennings) announcement of the Royal Cumbrians being deployed to the Sudan, Harry made this comment to Jack:

"What does a godforsaken desert, in the middle of nowhere, have to do with Her Majesty the Queen?"

Mind you, I did not take Harry’s question as a commentary against British Imperialism. I suspect that Harry’s question had more to do with him dreading the idea of going to war than any anti-Imperialist sympathies. But once the story shifted toward the Sudan, the anti-British Imperialism messages came across in the following scenes:

*The Royal Cumbrians’ encounter with a Sudanese sniper
*Harry’s travels with the French slave trader and the latter’s "merchandise"
*Abou Fatma’s attempt to warn the Royal Cumbrians of an impending attack and his treatment at their hands
*Ethne’s regret over her rejection of Harry
*Harry and Abou’s conversations about the differences between Eastern and Western culture

Surprisingly, the European characters are not the only ones shown to be capable of bigotry. Abou Fatma has to deal with the Sudanese Arab soldiers who seemed offended by his presence, due to his kinship with the tribe that had served as slaves for the soldiers’ families and ancestors. Also, both Harry and Trench, along with other British and anti-Mahdist prisoners have to deal with the malevolent commander of the prison camp at Omdurman, Idris-Es-Saier, whose hatred toward them stemmed from the death of his family by British artillery.

As I had stated earlier, the 1939 version (which starred John Clements, June Duprez and Ralph Richardson) is considered to be the best version of Mason’s novel. I have seen the 1939 version and I must admit that I found it pretty damn enjoyable. As much as I found the 1939 version entertaining, I must admit that this latest version – directed by Shekhar Kapur – happens to be my favorite. Like the other versions of this tale, it is filled with exciting action and does an excellent job of recapturing both British and the Sudanese societies in the late nineteenth century, thanks to Allan Cameron’s production design, Ahmed Abounouom and Zack Grobler’s art direction and Robert Richardson’s photography. But for me, the movie proved to be more than simply a costumed adventure film. Thanks to the "political correctness" slant provided by screenwriters Michael Schiffer and Hossein Amini and especially Shekhar Kapur’s direction; this version of "THE FOUR FEATHERS" seemed to have more emotional depth and ambiguity than other versions. Not only did Kapur and the two writers challenge the positive view on the British Empire, but also Western views on masculinity and Islamic cultures.

One of the biggest criticisms directed at this version of "THE FOUR FEATHERS" centered around the movie’s major action sequence – namely the Battle of Abu Klea. During the actual historical battle, which had been fought between January 16-18, 1885, the famous British square had been briefly broken by the Mahdists before it closed, forcing the latter to retreat. In the movie, the square formed by the Royal Cumbrians was permanently broken, resulting in the regiment’s retreat, Castleton’s death and Trench’s capture by Mahdists. In other words, the movie received criticism for not being historically accurate. The charge of historical inaccuracy does have validity. But I do find the critics’ accusations rather hypocritical, considering that hardly no one paid attention to the historical inaccuracy of another Kapur movie, namely the 1998 Academy Award nominated film, "ELIZABETH". I can only assume that it is easier to criticize a film that challenged Western culture for historical inaccuracy and ignore the same flaw in a film that celebrated a famous Western monarch.

Before I end this review, I want to say something about the performances. "THE FOUR FEATHERS" possessed an excellent supporting cast that featured an entertaining Michael Sheen as the witty and extroverted William Trench, a competent Rupert Penry-Jones as the regiment’s finicky and slightly narrow-minded Tom Willoughby, and an excellent Deobia Oparei who portrayed the intimidating Idris-Es-Saier. Kris Marshall’s performance as the religious Edward "Vicar" Willoughby seemed pretty solid, but there were moments when I found it slightly overwrought. Wes Bentley portrayed Jack Durrance, Harry’s reserved best friend who was also in love with Ethne. I must admit that I found myself very impressed by Bentley’s performance. He did an excellent job of portraying a very intense character whose emotions were conveyed through his eyes and expressions. And as far as I am concerned, Djimon Hounsou could do no wrong in this movie. His portrayal of the enigmatic Abou Fatma was spot on. His performance could have easily become another example of one of those "Magical Negro" roles in which a non-white character dispensed wisdom and comfort to the main white character. Yes, Fatma offered some advice and assistance to Harry Faversham. But thanks to Schiffer and Amini’s script and Hounson’s performance, Fatma became a more complicated character that ended up undergoing his own journey in becoming acquainted with someone from another culture.

Kate Hudson did an excellent job in portraying the spirited Ethne, Harry’s fiancée and the object of Jack’s desire. Hudson’s portrayal of Ethne was interesting and a little unexpected. I had expected her to react with anger over Harry’s lies about his resignation from the Army and fear over the opinions of society. I had expected her to form a closer friendship with Jack – a friendship that eventually led to their engagement. What I had not expected was for Ethne to express regret over her rejection of Harry. In this movie, Harry did not have to earn back her love through heroic acts in the Sudan. Interestingly, Ethne felt both guilt and self-disgust for worrying about how the rest of society would view Harry’s resignation and her association with him. I realize this is another example of the "political correctness" found in the movie’s script. Frankly, I welcomed it. This slant made Ethne’s character a lot more interesting to me. And Hudson did a hell of a job with what was given to her.

We finally come to Heath Ledger’s performance as Harry Faversham, the disgraced Army officer who tried to find redemption in the Sudanese desert. The interesting thing about Harry’s character was that he truly was guilty of cowardice. Some of his cowardice centered on his lie to Ethne about his reason for leaving the Army. But for me, Harry’s worst act of cowardice had occurred before the movie began. He buckled under pressure from society and especially his father, General Faversham, and joined the Royal Cumbrians as an officer. He allowed society, Ethne and his father to pressure him into assuming a life filled with lies. I suspect that Harry believed that as long as his regiment remained in England, he would have no problems maintaining the lie. But he could no longer maintain the lie when Colonel Hamilton announced the regiment’s deployment to the Sudan. The most interesting aspect about Harry’s journey was that he did not reach the nadir of his emotional journey until late into the film. The nadir did not happen when he received the white feathers from his friends and Ethne. Nor did it happened when he found himself stranded in the desert with nothing but a camel, when he discovered via Jack’s letters that the latter and Ethne had formed a deeper bond, or when he found himself in the Omdurman prison camp with Trench. No, Harry’s nadir finally arrived when he stripped away any civil façade of himself and he killed Idris-Es-Saier. At that moment, Harry’s true animal self – something that all human beings possessed - was finally revealed. I must admit that I am curious over Ledger’s reputation as an actor before he did "BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN" (2005). I would be very surprised if it took his role as Ennis de Mar for critics to take his skills as an actor seriously. Quite frankly, I was very impressed by his performance as Harry Faversham. Both the script and Kapur’s direction gave Ledger the opportunity to reveal the full length of his character’s journey – from the self-satisfied, yet cowardly Army officer to the private gentleman who is not only more sure of himself, but more honest as well.

I wish I could say that Kapur’s version of "THE FOUR FEATHERS" is for everyone. But I suspect that it is not. If I must be brutally honest, I suspect that a good number of fans of the Mason’s story would be put off by the so-called "revisionist" take on the story. They would probably prefer a version in which Harry Faversham learns to find his capacity for physical or military courage. Or a version in which the British victory over the Mahdist rebels are celebrated and the Empire appreciated. But as much as I like this version of Mason’s story – especially embodied in the 1939 film – I must admit that I much prefer this latest version directed by Shekhar Kapur. Not only did I find myself impressed by the cast’s performances, I found the movie more emotionally deep and complex. More importantly, it questioned the ideals and beliefs that had been the bulwark of 19th century and still harbor some influence upon many societies today.

"NORTHANGER ABBEY" (1986) Screencaps Gallery

2012-01-18T10:19:00.000-08:00

Below are screencaps from "NORTHANGER ABBEY", the 1986 A&E/BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's 1817 novel. Directed by Giles Foster, the movie starred Katharine Schlesinger, Peter Firth and Robert Hardy:

"NORTHANGER ABBEY" (1986) Screencaps Gallery

You can find more screencaps from this photo album.

"LOST" (2004-2010): Favorite Character Centric Episodes - Part II

2012-01-17T09:44:00.000-08:00

Below is Part II of a list of my favorite episodes featuring "LOST" characters:

"LOST" (2004-2010): FAVORITE CHARACTER CENTRIC EPISODES - Part II

James "Sawyer" Ford

1. (5.08) "La Fleur" - Sawyer, Juliet and the other remaining island survivors are left in 1974, following the end of the time jumps. They join the Dharma Initiative after rescuing one of their members from the Others.

2. (1.16) "Outlaws" - Sawyer becomes obsessed with finding the boar that raided his tent and goes into the jungle to find it. A flashback reveal the murder/suicide of his parents and his hunt for the con man who cheated them in Australia.

Sayid Jarrah

1. (4.03) "The Economist" - Sayid makes a deal with Frank Lapidus to leave the island and head for the freighter, in exchange for freeing Charlotte Lewis from Locke's group. Flash forwards reveal his experiences as Ben's personal assassin.

2. (1.09) "Solitary" - Sayid meets Danielle Rosseau for the first time and is held captive by her. Flashbacks reveal his reunion with an old childhood friend, Nadia

3. (6.06) "Sundown" - After Sayid is recruited to the Man in Black's (aka the Smoke Monster) cause, the latter issues an ultimatum to the Others: either join him or die. Sayid helps his brother deal with a loan shark in the Flash Sideways.

Jin-Soo Kwon

1. (1.17) ". . . In Translation" - Jin finally discovers that Sun knows English, while dealing with his latest clash with Michael. Flashbacks reveal the Kwons' troubling marriage from his POV.

2. (5.05) "This Place Is Death" - This episode featured Jin's experiences with a younger Danielle Rousseau, her team and the Smoke Monster in 1988. Charlotte Lewis dies from the time jumping and Locke finally leaves the island via the Donkey Wheel.

Sun Hwa-Kwon

1. (3.18) "D.O.C." - After revealing that the Others' pregnant women have died before giving birth, Juliet helps Sun confirm the date of conception of her unborn baby, verifying the identity of the father.

2. (2.16) "The Whole Truth" - Sun discovers that she is pregnant. And flashbacks reveal some of her close relationship with an old beau and Jin's infertility. Meanwhile, Ana-Lucia, Sayid and Charlie set out verify Ben's story about arriving on the island in a balloon.

3. (1.06) "House of the Rising Sun" - Sun's unhappy marriage to Jin is revealed in this episode. Also, Jack makes plans to move the crash survivors to a large cave.

Benjamin Linus

1. (3.20) "The Man Behind the Curtain" - Ben leads Locke to a meeting with the Others' leader, Jacob at the island's mysterious cabin. And flashbacks reveal Ben's birth and his early years on the island.

2. (4.09) "The Shape of Things to Come" - In this episode, a team of mercenaries from the freighter attacks Locke's group at the Others' barracks. Meanwhile, flash forwards reveal Ben's early months off the island, which include recruiting Sayid as his assassin and a confrontation with Charles Widmore.

Part III will feature the last five characters

"The Power of One" [PG-13] - 3/20

2012-01-15T22:18:00.001-08:00

"THE POWER OF ONE"

PART III

Power transference. Daley heaved a sigh, inside her private office. She had checked her spell book for anything on the subject, but came up empty. Not surprising, since she has never dealt with the transfer of power during her fifteen years as a sorceress.

Another sigh left her mouth and she examined her spell book one more time. Again, nothing. She slammed the book shut. Perhaps she should forget about this insane idea and go ahead with the plans to expand her business. Then again . . . to hell with it! She had to find a way to access that child's powers.

Out of desperation, Daley scanned her bookshelf for any information she might find on West African magic. She finally came upon a book titled "THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD OF THE IVORY COAST". It had been written by an early 20th century anthropologist named Jonathan Close. Much to Daley's surprise, the book contained detailed information on the region's myths . . . and practices of various West African shamans. Including spells that she never knew had existed. It still eluded Daley that a British anthropologist would come upon such a discovery. And record them. Perhaps he had been so fervent in his desire to record West African culture, he failed to realize that he had exposed practices and spells that others would consider valuable . . . and dangerous.

After removing the book from the shelf, Daley examined it - page by page. She came across rituals that had been performed by now dead houngans, mambos and other magic practioners. Rituals for good health, prosperity, and protection against evil spirits. The latest chapters, however, included spells and ritual on a more sophisticated level. In one of the chapters, Daley finally found a ritual that transferred psychic abilities and magic from one being to another. A ritual, according to the book, that had first been created by a 12th century sorcerer. After reading the details of the ritual, Daley realized that she had found what she was looking for. The sorceress copied details and instructions of the ritual on a notebook. Once she was finished, she reached for her cordless telephone and dialed a number.

"Hello?" a voice finally answered. "This is the Halliwell residence. May I help you?"

Daley replied, "Is this P. Halliwell, who had placed an ad for a nanny?"

"Yes, this is Piper Halliwell. Who is this?"

Taking a deep breath, Daley continued, "Hi, my name is Donna Thompson. I saw your ad in THE LUNAR VOICE newspaper. And I was wondering if the nanny position had been filled.

Piper Halliwell informed Daley that she had not filled the position. "Right now, you're the second person who has called about the job. Uh, why don't you come by, tomorrow? Say around eleven in the morning? There might be a few more applicants. And after I finish with the interviews, I'll . . . make my choice."

"Okay. Sounds great to me. I'll see you tomorrow, around eleven. Bye." After the other woman said good-bye, Daley disconnected the line. And smiled.

---------

Around five-thirty that evening, Piper bid good-bye to the third and final applicant for the position of Wyatt's nanny and hung up the telephone. "Well, that's three so far," she said to her guest. "Two women and a man have answered the ad."

Chris, who had dropped by to warn the sisters about a shape-shifting demon that steals the essence and powers of other beings, frowned. "What ad?"

Piper shot an annoyed glance at the young whitelighter. "The ad I had placed in newspapers and in some of the local occult stores for the position of nanny. For Wyatt."

"A nanny for . . ." Disbelief poured out of Chris' blue eyes. "Are you crazy? Getting a nanny for Wyatt?"

"Well, it's either that or allow my club to sink into bankruptcy," Piper retorted. "I need some time to get back my customers and attract new ones. Which means I'll need a regular babysitter for Wyatt. A nanny."

Chris demanded, "What about Paige and Phoebe? Or D. . .Leo?"

Piper sighed. "Both Phoebe and Paige have jobs . . . and a social life. As for Leo . . ." She rolled her eyes in contempt. "Forget it. He's too busy being an Elder."

"Still . . ."

"Don't you have other charges to see?" she interrupted in a too-sweet voice that failed to match the hard gleam in her eyes.

The whitelighter's face turned red. "There's still the matter of that demonic shape shifter . . ."

"We'll let you know when we find it. Bye." Piper continued to stare at Chris, letting him know in no uncertain terms that he was no longer welcomed.

Fortunately, Chris got the hint. He gave Piper a sharp nod and immediately orbed out of the kitchen. Much to the Charmed One's relief.

------------

Dinner at the Golden Horn restaurant did not turn out as Cecile had hoped. Or expected. Although Olivia and Andre proved to be lively dinner companions - with Cole providing his usual caustic wit - Cecile remained mired in her present dark mood.

She stared at her boyfriend, while he related his findings at Olivia's new store. Poor Andre, she thought. He seemed so happy. So energetic. Soon, she would have to pull the plug on his happiness, when she breaks the bad news. Cecile had considered telling him over a week ago. But when Olivia had asked him to accompany her to San Francisco and help appraise certain items in that new shop, the Vodoun priestess had decided to postpone her announcement. She realized that it could wait until their return to New Orleans.

". . . and the next thing I knew," Andre said, "I found myself holding a statute of Ammut."

Olivia frowned. "Who?"

Cole explained, "Ammut. An ancient Egyptian daemon that devours the souls of those whose hearts proved to be too heavy to be sent to the Hall of Maat. Which is where judgment of the dead is performed."

"Ewww!" Olivia said with a shiver. She said to the half-daemon, "You seemed to know a lot of this stuff."

"Not as much as Andre," Cole protested. "He had studied a lot on the mythologies of this world and other dimensions."

Andre shook his head. "What I can't understand is how this guy . . . what was his name?"

"Stefan Kostopulos."

"How did he get his hands on such stuff?" Andre continued, "Including a medallion created by a dominion spirit."

The red-haired witch replied, "I don't know. According to his son, Kostopulos was a big collector of antiquities. He also studied the occult, but I got the feeling that he didn't know the significance of some of the stuff he had collected."

"I bet that Cecile's mama would love to get her hands on some of that stuff. Right, cherie?" Andre addressed the question to Cecile.

The Vodoun priestess blinked, aware that she had been drawn into the conversation. "Huh? Oh . . . yeah, I guess."

"You guess?" Andre shook his head. "Baby, I've seen some of the stuff inside your mama's shop. A lot of those items are pretty freaky. I mean, there's a reason why she keeps 'certain items' locked up in that storeroom in the back."

Olivia frowned. "Is that what Mrs. Dubois does with her . . . uh, with the certain items in her shop? Lock them up in a back room? Maybe I should do the same. There's an empty storeroom in the back." She squirmed slightly in her chair. "Right now, I think I need a trip to the restroom." She stood up.

Andre also stood from his chair. "Yeah. Same here. Excuse us, folks." He and Olivia left the table.

The moment the pair exited from the private dining room, Cole turned to Cecile. "Is there something wrong?"

"Huh?" Cecile blinked. Was her bad mood that apparent?

Looking worried, the half-daemon said in a low voice, "You seemed to be on another planet, lately. I'm talking about what you had told me, earlier. About our lives being in a rut. What was that about?"

Oh shit! Cecile could have kicked herself for opening her big mouth. Realizing that Cole would not easily dismiss the matter, she heaved a large sigh. And decided to tell the truth. "It's about . . ." Cecile hesitated. "I . . . I guess I want something new in my life. You know what I mean?"

A confused looking Cole shook his head. "No, I don't. What . . .?"

"May I ask you something?" Cecile realized that she had caught the half-daemon off guard. To be honest, she did not really care. "You were the one who first brought up marriage to Phoebe, right? You were the one who asked her to marry you? And not the other way around?"

Cole's expression became guarded. Almost mask like. "What are you getting at?"

Cecile's mouth curved into a wry smile. "I guess that's a big yes."

"Yeah, I had asked Phoebe to marry me. So what?"

After a brief hesitation, Cecile continued, "Why? What I'm getting at . . . Hell! Look, all I want to know is why you were the one to ask Phoebe, before she could ask you."

Cole hesitated. Then a slight smirk appeared on his mouth. "I don't know, Cecile. Because it's traditional for the man to ask, I guess."

Cecile rolled her eyes in contempt. "Cole, get real! This is the 21st century. And I know you're not a sexist. So, stop bullshitting and please answer the answer the question."

The half-daemon shot a quick glance at the dining room's door. And sighed. "All right. If you must know . . . I guess I had wanted something different with Phoebe. Something more permanent. You know, build a life together. Only it didn't . . ." Pain flashed in his blue eyes for a brief moment. "I guess it didn't work out."

Nodding, Cecile said, "Now, you know what I want."

Surprise reflected in Cole's eyes. "Wait a minute! Are you saying that you want to get married?"

After a brief hesitation, Cecile shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe." She paused again. "Yeah, I do. Why not? I'm tired of our old relation . . ." Spotting Andre and Olivia in the doorway, she broke off. "Don't say anything to Andre or anyone else!" she hissed. "Please? Not until I'm ready." Then she smiled at the newcomers, ignoring Cole's stunned expression. "So, are you guys ready for dessert?"

----------

The doorbell rang. Piper glanced at the grandfather clock. It read 10:43 in the morning. It seemed that the first applicant for Wyatt's nanny had finally arrived.

Doubts began to assail the Charmed One's senses. Piper took a deep breath. Calm down, she told herself. But what if she was making a mistake? Chris seemed to think so. Along with Barbara McNeill and Cole. And their experiences with that elf nanny seemed to hint to Piper that perhaps a nanny might not be in the cards. After the last attack on Wyatt, the Elf Nanny decided she had enough with the Halliwell household.

Again, the doorbell rang. Piper sighed. Screw it, she decided. Might as well finish what she had started. She fixed a bright smile on her face and opened the door. "Good morning," she greeted the slender man, standing in the doorway.

The newcomer held out his hand. "Hi! Warren Koslo. I uh, I saw your ad on the bulletin board at Ostera's." He referred to the herbal shop where Paige worked.

"Oh." Piper shook his hand. "Um, why don't you come inside?"

Mr. Koslo smiled. "Sure." Piper stepped aside and ushered him inside the manor.

Less than five minutes after Warren Koslo's arrival, the doorbell rang again. "Excuse me," Piper said to her guest. Then she left him inside the Solarium with Wyatt and headed for the front door.

The next applicant turned out to be a middle-aged Latino woman with short hair and stoic features. "Good morning," she greeted in a pleasant voice. "My name is Mrs. Rosa Madrigal. I'm here for the nanny position. I saw the ad on the bulletin board, at the Red Pyramid."

"How nice." The Charmed One smiled at the newcomer. She widened the door. "Why don't you come in?" Then she held a hand to Mrs. Madrigal. "I'm Piper Halliwell, Wyatt's mother. Uh . . ." She glanced toward the direction of the Solarium. "I'm interviewing another candidate right now."

Mrs. Madrigal looked slightly disappointed. "You are?"

"Oh, don't worry. He's the first one to arrive. Um, why don't you wait here, until I finish?"

A polite smile appeared on the older woman's face. "Oh. Okay. Of course." Then she sat down on the sofa. Piper flashed one quick smile at her, and returned to the Solarium and Warren Koslo.

The doorbell rang for the third time that morning. Piper bit back a frustrated oath, and smiled at Mr. Koslo. Once more, their interview had been interrupted. She sighed and shot a weary smile at the applicant. "Excuse me." Then she glanced at Wyatt, who seemed fast asleep in his basquinet, and headed for the living room.

On her way to the front door, Piper smiled at Mrs. Madrigal. The doorbell rang one last time, before she finally opened it. Outside stood a slender black woman of medium height, curly long hair, along with wide brown eyes and narrow cheekbones on a narrow face. "Hi," the woman greeted, "I'm Da . . . Donna Thompson. I saw your ad in THE LUNAR VOICE for the nanny position."

Piper shook the woman's hand. "Come on in. You're the third person to show up."

Brown eyes widened in surprise, as Ms. Thompson entered the manor. "Third person?" she said with a frown.

"Yeah, um why don't you take a seat?" Piper indicated the living room, where Mrs. Madrigal sat. "I'll get to you, as soon as I finish with Mrs. Madrigal, here, and my other applicant."

Ms. Thompson eyed Mrs. Madrigal with wary eyes. She sat down in the chair, left of the sofa. The two female applicants exchanged polite smiles. Piper heaved a soft sigh and returned to her guest in the Solarium. At that moment, the Charmed One realized that she was in for a long morning and afternoon.

END OF PART III

"IN TIME" (2011) Review

2012-01-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

"IN TIME" (2011) Review

New Zealand-born director Andrew Niccol seemed to have developed a habit . . . or reputation for writing and directing a handful of science-fiction oriented movies with the theme of physical youth or some kind of artificial situation as a motif. The recent science-fiction thriller, "IN TIME" turned out to be his fourth (I think) movie in this genre.

Set in the year 2161, "IN TIME" told the story about a working-class factory worker named Will Salas, who lives in a world in which people are genetically created to stop aging at 25. However, they are given the means to buy their way out of instant death and live as long as possible as 25 year-olds by acquiring extra years as currency. Society is divided by social class living in 'Time Zones'. The poor live in the ghettos, working each day to earn a few more hours of life, which they must also use to pay for everyday necessities. The rich live in the luxurious New Greenwich, drive fast electric cars, and can live forever on the time they have acquired.

When Will best friend Borel save a rich 105-year-old man named Henry Hamilton from suffering a time-robbery assault by a mobster boss of the Minutemen gang named Fortis, Will leads Hamilton to safety. Although grateful to Will for saving his life, Hamilton is also mentally and emotionally weary at the idea of living eternally, he transfers all of his life years (116 years), except for five minutes to a sleeping Will. As his time expires, Hamilton commits suicide from a bridge. Will arrives too late to save him, realizes he has been filmed by a nearby surveillance , and flees the area. He ends up in New Greenwich, where he meets time-loaning businessman Philippe Weis and his 27-year-old daughter Sylvia Weis. But Raymond Leon, a member of the timekeepers, which is the resident police force arrive and accuse Will of murdering Hamilton. Using Sylvia Weis as a hostage, Will goes on the run and demands 1,000 years from Weis in exchange for the safety of his daughter.

Aside from "THE TRUMAN SHOW", I have never seen any of his other movies. But I must admit that I found Niccol's premise for "IN TIME" rather intriguing, which led to my decision to see the movie. "IN TIME" revealed a great deal of promise, especially in the first half of the film. The idea of humans being genetically altered to stop aging at the age of 25 as a means to deal with population control seemed very . . . well, creepy. I originally thought that the movie would focus upon the hero discovering a means to allow the human population to age naturally. By the time the movie reached its mid-point, I finally understood what it was really about. It occurred to me that "IN TIME" might be Niccol's allegory about capitalism and class distinctions. Just in today's society, possessing enough currency (money in our time and years in this movie) to live a long life of luxury and privilege; or live day by day, making the effort to stay alive and healthy.

"IN TIME" has a running time of 109 minutes. And I must admit that I believe Niccol did an excellent job of not only creating this future world in which aging stops at 25 and additional years are used as currency. I was also impressed by Niccol's storytelling in the movie's first hour or so. But once Will and Sylvia - his hostage-turned girlfriend - became allies and begin robbing her fahter's Time Banks to distribute years to the ghetto's population, the movie simply falls apart. It almost seems as Niccol had created this interesting premise and could not find a way to conclude the story. Because of this, the movie seemed to end on the same note as its mid-point - with Will and Sylvia robbing time banks. Even their decision to rob Philippe Weis of his precious Time Capsule near the end of the film came to nothing.

Fortunately for Niccol, "IN TIME" possessed a truly first rate cast. Justin Timberlake proved that the first-rate acting skills he had displayed in "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" had not been a fluke. He did an excellent job in not only carrying the film, but conveying his character's emotional and moral development. In her wig and heavy makeup, Amanda Seyfried almost looked comical and out of place, as the privileged youngest daughter of wealthy businessman Philippe Weis. Thankfully, her talents proved to be a lot more worthy than her hairstyle and makeup and she gave an excellent performance as the young socialite-turned bank robber and freedom fighter. Niccol must have been a fan of the television series, "MAD MEN". He chose the right actor to portray Sylvia's slimy businessman father. And I cannot deny that Vincent Kartheiser was perfect in the role. Cillian Murphy gave a subtle and complex performance as Raymond León, the obsessive timekeeper hunting for Will and Sylvia. Unfortunately for Murphy, his León ended up going no where by the movie's last half hour or so, thanks to Niccol's script. The movie also boasted solid performances from Olivia Wilde (Will's 50 year-old mother Rachel), Matt Bormer (Hamilton), Johnny Galecki (Will's best friend), and La Monde Byrd (León's second-in-command Rado). The only supporting performance that turned me off came from Alex Pettyfer. His portrayal of mob boss Fortis struck me as somewhat theatrical and over-the-top.

"IN TIME" possessed an intriguing premise and setting, thanks to Andrew Niccol's script. And it also boasted of a first-rate cast led by Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried. Unfortunately, Niccol wasted it all with a story that ended with a whimper and no real conclusion. Pity. Because I believe it had the potential to be a first-rate story.

"SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS" (2011) Photo Gallery

2012-01-12T12:59:00.000-08:00

Below are images from "SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS", the sequel to the 2009 hit, "SHERLOCK HOLMES". Directed by Guy Ritchie, the movie stars Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law as Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson:

"SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHADOWS" (2011) Photo Gallery

"CENTENNIAL" (1978-79) - Episode Seven "The Shepherds" Commentary

2012-01-11T09:40:00.001-08:00

"CENTENNIAL" (1978-79) - Episode Seven "The Shepherds" Commentary

The seventh episode of "CENTENNIAL" is set thirteen years after Episode Six. And it is a doozy. Although I would not consider this episode to be the best of the miniseries, I definitely believe it is one of the better ones.

Some of the events of the last two episodes end up having major consequences in this episode, set in 1881. The feud between farmer Hans Brumbaugh and the English rancher Oliver Seccombe spill out in an ugly range war between the region's farmers and the ranchers, led by Seccombe. Acting as the ranchers' hired guns are members from the Pettis gang, the same outlaws that had attacked the Skimmerhorn/Poteet cattle drive, in the last episode. After killing several farmers, whose land Seccombe managed to purchase, the Pettis boys set their sights on Brumbaugh's farm. However, they encounter stiff resistance from Hans, his family and two men from the Venneford Ranch - John Skimmerhorn, who is now ranch foreman; and Jim Lloyd, now a strapping 27 year-old ranch hand.

Brumbaugh turns to Centennial's sheriff for justice, but Axel Dumire is reluctant to move against the Pettis boys, claiming that no one could identify them as the attackers. However, the ranchers' focus upon the farmers transfer to a new enemy, with the arrival of one Messmore Garrett. The latter decides to settle near Centennial in order to raise sheep - something that cattle ranchers find abhorrent. Three men from the previous cattle drive end up working for Garrett - Nate Pearson, Bufe Coker (who was a former Venneford ranch hand) and Amos Calendar. The feud between Garrett and the ranchers spill into an ugly shootout that leaves Pearson, Coker and the latter's lady love, a former Cheyenne prostitute named Fat Laura, dead. As the only surviving shepherd, Calendar recruits his former fellow cowhand, Jim Lloyd and Brumbaugh to seek vengeance against the Pettis boys.

More personal matters also loomed large in this episode. Levi Zendt, just barely into his sixties, receive a visit from his Lancaster nephew, Christian Zendt, and gives him a tour of Centennial. Christian's visit leads Levi to visit his hometown in Pennsylvania one last time. Brumbaugh's struggles to find decent farmhands leads him to hire a family of Japanese immigrants named Takemoto. Love also hits Centennial in this episode. Jim Lloyd falls in love with Levi and Lucinda's wayward daughter, Clemma; who feels no affection towards him whatsoever. And Oliver Seccombe meets two visitors from England - a British investor named Claude Richards and Charlotte Buckland, the daughter of another investor - and ends falling in love and marrying the latter.

Screenwriter Charles Larson and director Virgil W. Vogel really did an outstanding job with this episode. I thought they did a great job in balancing the various storylines - including the romances, Levi Zendt's memories of the past via a visit from his nephew, and Brumbaugh's labor problems. But the episode's pièce de résistance were the range wars that threatened to overwhelm the region surrounding Centennial. It is believed that James Michner had based this particular chapter on the infamous Johnson County War in 1892. This was very apparent in three brutal action scenes featuring the attack on the Brumbaugh farm (shot at night), the attack on Bufe Coker and Fat Laura's homestead, and the vigilante attack on the Pettis gang.

The amount of violence featured in this episode seemed to contrast rather well with the more dramatic scenes directed beautifully by Vogel. I was especially taken by the romantic scenes between Seccombe and Charlotte, Brumbaugh's meeting with the Takemoto family, and Amos Calendar's heartfelt speech about the bonds of brotherhood, as he convinces Jim to seek vengeance against the Pettis boys. Apparently, those bonds formed during the Skimmerhorn cattle drive had failed to disappear, despite the brutal range wars. But the one scene that brought tears to my eyes turned out to be Levi and Lucinda's emotional parting, as he prepares to board an eastbound train for Pennsylvania.

If "The Shepherds" had one fault, it was its running time. A great deal of narrative and characterization occurred in this particular episode. And not all of it was focused around the range wars inflamed Centennial. Some of the story arcs - including the visit by Claude Richards and Charlotte Buckland, Levi Zendt's visit to Pennsylvania, and Hans Brumbaugh's labor problems - served as introductions to the main plots for the next two or three episodes. The episode started out well paced. But when Messmore Garrett's character was introduced into the story, I got the feeling that the pacing increased in order to include the entire plot within ninety minutes. In all honesty, "The Shepherds required a longer running time of at least two hours and fifteen minutes.

But I cannot deny that the performances featured in the episode were outstanding. Timothy Dalton continued his excellent work of conveying the ambiguous nature of Oliver Seccombe, whether the latter was plotting the destruction of Messmore Garrett and the shepherds or allowing himself to be wooed by Charlotte Buckland. "The Shepherds" served as the introduction of Lynn Redgrave as part of the main cast. She did a solid job in this episode, but her time to shine will appear in the next two to three episodes. I could say the same for Brian Keith, who gave a remarkable performance as the ambiguous and frustrating sheriff, Axel Dumire. Alex Karras was superb, as always, in his portrayal of Hans Brumbaugh. Both Mark Neely and Adrienne Larussa were excellent as Levi and Lucinda's children, Martin and Clemma. The two did a great job in conveying how their characters dealt with the stigma of being mixed blood. Gregory Harrison and Christina Raines shone once more in the wonderful and poignant scene that featured Levi's departure from Centennial by train.

William Atherton stepped into the role of Jim Lloyd for the first time and did a great job, especially in a scene that featured his desperate attempt to convince Amos Calendar to give up working for Garrett. Speaking of Amos Calendar, I thought Jesse Vint gave one of the better performances in this episode in a scene in which he convinces Jim to seek revenge for Nate and Bufe's deaths. While watching Glenn Turman and Les Lannom portray Nate Pearson and Bufe Coker for the last time, it occurred to me that their characters had come a long way since setting eyes upon each other for the first time in "The Longhorns". And both gave beautiful performances, as their characters prepared to meet death during the shootout with Pettis boys.

The running time for "The Shepherds" was very frustrating for me. I believe the episode's transcript would have been better served with a longer running time. But as far as I am concerned, this was the only drawback to the episode. I believe it is still one of the more exciting and fascinating episodes in "CENTENNIAL", thanks to director Virgil Vogel and screenwriter Charles Larson.

"The Power of One" [PG-13] - 2/20

2012-01-09T09:20:00.000-08:00

"THE POWER OF ONE"

PART II

Later that evening; Olivia, Cole, the two visitors from New Orleans and the Halliwells appeared at the McNeills' house for the dinner party hosted by Jack and Gweneth McNeill. No sooner had the guests arrived, they - along with the McNeills - gathered inside the large drawing room and waited for the family manservant to announce dinner.

"I just read the latest copy of THE LUNAR VOICE," Barbara said to Piper. The blond-haired witch, who was married to Olivia's older brother, had joined the redhead, Cecile and Piper near the fireplace. "And I saw an ad placed by a P. Halliwell . . . for the position of nanny. Was that . . . Did you place that ad? Is that the reason why Paige was asking me about local Wiccan newspapers?"

Piper sighed. "Yeah. I . . . I'm trying to find a permanent nanny for Wyatt."

"Why?"

Olivia immediately came to Piper's defense. "Barbara!"

Her sister-in-law assumed an innocent and confused expression. "What? I simply asking Piper about that ad in THE LUNAR VOICE."

"Yeah, and with all the subtlety of a Gestapo interrogator. Is there a problem?"

Barbara let out a gust of breath. "No, there isn't a problem. I'm simply curious, that's all. I mean . . . this is Wyatt we're talking about. He's only nine months old and already he's had more supernatural activity surrounding him than all of us in a period of three years. And I'm just . . . surprised . . . well, you know what I mean!"

"I understand," Piper replied. "That's why Olivia had suggested that I place the ad in 'certain' newspapers and shops in the city."

"Where's Wyatt right now?"

Olivia pointed to where Paige, Phoebe and her grandmother stood. "Over there, in Gran's arms." She said to the other women, "I had also asked Cole's uncle - Marbus - if he knew of anyone who could baby sit Wyatt."

"What about Leo?" Barbara asked.

Piper's face immediately became a cold mask. "What about him?"

"Um . . ." Barbara began. But a quick jab in the side by Olivia cut her short, leaving her to finish lamely, "Never mind. What about that Elf Nanny?"

Piper continued, "Oh, she, uh . . . vowed never to step foot inside the manor, after those two warlocks tried to attack Wyatt. She likes a quiet household. So, I need a new nanny, fast. Like I had told Olivia, I'm having trouble with P3 at the moment. And splitting my time between Wyatt and the club - along with dealing with demons . . . and Leo's absence . . ." The Charmed One sighed. "I don't know. It seems like everything is falling apart."

"In other words, this whole mess started, because Leo decided that being an Elder was a lot more important than his family." The other women stared at Cecile, who had broken her silence. She stared back. "What?"

Frowning, Olivia commented, "Is it just me, or are you sounding a little bitter right now?"

"I'm not being bitter," Cecile protested. "Just telling the truth. If Leo had really loved Piper . . . or if she was that important to him, he would have never become an Elder."

Piper's eyes cast downward. "I think you might be right," she muttered.

Triumph gleamed in Cecile's dark eyes. "See? You really can't trust a man's love. First, they'll move heaven and earth to possess us. Then sooner or later, they end up taking us for granted. We become like background noise to them." The others continued to stare at her. "Well, am I wrong?" Cecile let out a gust of breath, turned on her heels and walked away.

"Wow," Barbara murmured. "What's wrong with her? You don't think that she and Andre are having troubles, do you?"

A new voice added, "She's frustrated. Cecile, I mean." Olivia and the other two women found Phoebe standing behind them. "I could sense Cecile's frustration." Annoyed, Olivia bit back a retort.

Piper, on the other hand, made her displeasure known. "Phoebe! Do you mind?"

Looking slightly affronted, Phoebe protested, "What? Cecile is obviously frustrated about something! Probably Andre."

Her older sister heaved a sigh. "We all know that you're now an empath, Pheebs. But could you please put a sock in it?"

"I can't help sensing everyone's emotions!" Phoebe retorted. "I don't know how to control this new power. At least not yet."

Olivia tartly added, "But I'm sure that you can control that tongue of yours. Must you broadcast everyone's feelings to the world, every time you sense them?"

A deep silence fell between the four women. Phoebe's face turned pink. "Excuse me," she said in a stiff voice, before walking away.

Feeling slightly remorseful, Olivia apologized to Piper. "Sorry about that. I guess I had lost my temper."

"I'm not," Piper grumbled. "That new power of hers has been driving us crazy. Just over a week ago, Paige had lost her temper and shoved an apple into Phoebe's mouth."

The image of Phoebe's mouth plugged by an apple nearly sent Olivia into a spate of giggles. Nearly. Instead, she kept her mirth to herself and said, "Oh well. At least you can't deny that Phoebe is right about Cecile. She is frustrated."

"Do you think it has to do with Andre?"

Olivia responded silently with a slight shrug.

-------------

The following morning, Andre and Olivia met the latter's grandmother outside of an antiquity shop on Union Square. "There you are," the elderly woman declared. She glanced at her watch. "You're late."

"Only by fifteen minutes," Olivia muttered. She retrieved a key from her purse and used it to unlock the shop's front door. "Here we go. Welcome to . . ." Her face formed a slight frown. "Well, I haven't renamed it, yet." She switched on the lights.

Andre took one sweeping glance around the shop's interior and whistled.

"My sentiments exactly," old Mrs. McNeill added. "Goddess! I've never seen so many . . . How much is all of this stuff worth, Livy?"

With a sigh, Olivia answered wearily, "You really don't want to know. Fortunately, Alexis Kostopulos wanted to get rid of the shop so badly that I managed to buy it at a cheaper price."

"Why?" Andre asked.

"Well, his father had been murdered by someone looking for a medallion that used to be in this shop. Didn't Cole tell you about the Erebor medallions, and the attack on the Whitelighter Realm?"

The houngan nodded. "Oh yeah." His eyes fell upon a small, sandalwood box with Druidic symbols carved on the sides. "So, where are the . . . um other pieces that you were talking about?" He picked up the box. "Besides this?"

Olivia replied, "The rest of the items are scattered throughout the shop. Mixed with the other items. Hopefully, you and Gran will be able to identify and separate them from the regular items. While I'm at work."

"Hmmm." Mrs. McNeill swept a finger across one of the glass casings. "This looks like a job that might take a week or two."

Andre added, "That's no problem for me. Besides . . ." he paused, wondering if he should allow the two women in his confidence.

"Besides what?" Olivia asked.

The houngan sighed. "This trip should give me plenty of time to find . . . a ring. To buy."

"A ring?" Mrs. McNeill frowned. "What for?"

After a brief hesitation, Andre decided to confess. "Well, I plan to ask Cecile to marry me. I'm looking for an engagement ring."

The two women reacted with delight. "Oh my God!" Olivia cried. "I can't believe it! Finally! After all these years!"

"I'm so happy for you," Mrs. McNeill added. Then she frowned. "But . . . you mean to say you couldn't find a ring in New Orleans?"

Andre sighed. "Yeah, I did look around for one. But I couldn't find one that satisfied me. You know, the right one. Maybe I'll find one, while I'm here in San Francisco."

Olivia's eyes grew wide with excitement. "Wow! An engagement! I can't wait for Cecile to find out. Maybe this will get her out of that bad mood of hers."

A smile illuminated Mrs. McNeill's lined face. "Oh, I'm sure that it will"

------------

Cole and Cecile silently stood side-by-side inside the elevator, as it conveyed them to the spacious boardroom of McNeill Enterprises. The half-daemon tried to think of something to say. He even considered discussing the upcoming business conference, but they had covered that topic more than adequately, in the past few days.

A quick glance at Cecile's forlorn expression told him that she was not in the mood to talk. Come to think of it, the Vodoun priestess has been in a bleak mood since her arrival, yesterday. Unable to deal with the silent tension any longer, he finally murmured, "Penny for your thoughts."

"Huh?" Cecile stared at the half-daemon with wide eyes.

Cole continued, "You seemed to be deep in thought. Is there something on your mind? The upcoming meeting?"

Cecile shook her head. "No. I'm fine. I . . ." She sighed. Long and hard. "Have you ever thought that your life might be in a rut, sometimes? That no matter how much you try, everything stays the same?"

Wondering what brought on this rant, Cole stared at her. "Uh . . . well, considering the changes I've been through during the past three years . . . not really."

Another sigh left Cecile's mouth. "What about those years before that? Before you first met Phoebe? I mean . . . didn't you feel then that your life was in a rut?"

"What are you getting at?"

"I . . ." The elevator stopped. The doors slid open and Cecile walked out before she could form a coherent answer.

The pair found themselves greeted by a well-dressed young executive. "Ms. Dubois? Mr. Turner? Hello, my name is Milo Kendrick. I'm Mr. McNeill's assistant. Please follow me." He led Cole and Cecile into an expensively furnished boardroom, where Harry and Jack McNeill awaited them. Along with other members of the Board. As the door closed behind them, Cole realized that Cecile's surprising revelation would have to wait for another time.

------------

A young man in his late twenties burst into Daley's herbal shop off Telegraph Road, later that morning. The Vodoun sorceress recognized the newcomer, and rang up her customer's purchases. No sooner had the latter left; she led the younger man to the stockroom in the back.

"Did you and Jeffrey find out anything about these . . . Charmed Ones?" Daley asked.

The young man, a narrow-faced novice bokor with rich brown skin and handsome features named Marc Beaudine, breathlessly sat down on a nearby stool. He removed a small notebook from his jacket pocket. "Yeah. They're practically famous in the local Wiccan community."

"That's nice," Daley commented tartly. "The question is . . . why are they famous?"

Marc removed a few sheets of folded paper from his jacket and handed them to Daley. "I got that from the Internet. There's this tale, or legend or whatever about these three sisters from a long line of witches, who are destined to become the world's most powerful witches. Called the Charmed Ones. They were destined to kill the leader of some demonic faction. Someone called the Source."

Daley read the sheet of paper, which had been printed from an Internet website on Wiccan mythology. "I think I had heard about this Source. From a warlock I used to know. Too bad he's dead."

"Well, I know this other warlock," Marc added. "And he told me and Jeffrey that this Source is dead. He had been killed nearly two years ago. By these witches called the Charmed Ones. Wilson - he's the warlock I had spoken with - told me a lot about them."

"So, who are they? The Charmed Ones?"

Marc continued, "Like I said, three sisters who happened to be witches. They're believed to be the most powerful witches ever."

A frown appeared on Daley's face. "What do you mean by . . . believed? Aren't they the most powerful Wiccan witches?"

"Well . . . not really. According to Wilson, they would have been, if it wasn't for the Aingeal Staff Bearer."

"Now, I'm confused. The who?"

Sighing, Marc added, "A witch from some Scottish family, who happens to be the bearer of a powerful wizard's staff. The present bearer is a descendant of this wizard. But no one knows his or her identity. But the Aingeal Staff Bearer is just as powerful as the Charmed Ones. And these sisters are only that strong when they come together as the Power of Three."

Daley took a deep breath. "And what is the name of this family of witches?"

"Halliwell," Marc replied. "Right now, the family's name is Halliwell."

"That name sounds familiar."

A sly smile curved Marc's lips. "It should. Phoebe Halliwell. Of the 'DEAR PHOEBE' column of the BAY-MIRROR."

Daley felt flabbergasted. "Are you kidding me?" The idea of a local celebrity being a powerful witch would have never occurred to her. "Wait a minute. She's one of the Charmed Ones?"

"Yep! And so is the owner of that nightclub on Fremont. You know . . . P3? Her name is Piper Halliwell. There's a third sister, but Wilson didn't get her name. As for Piper, she's the mother of this powerful child you had told me about. Do you remember that day, over eight months ago, when we weren't able to perform any magic?"

Nodding, Daley replied, "Yeah. I never did find out what happened that day."

Marc leaned forward, his brown eyes glittering with intensity. "That was the day Piper Halliwell gave birth to her son. His father is believed to be a whitelighter."

"A what?"

"Whitelighters. They're daemons. Only they're on the side of good. Guardian angels or something like that."

Daley said, "So, what you're saying is this child is the son of an extremely powerful witch and a daemon."

Marc continued, "And he's also an extremely powerful little baby. He has great magical powers. Stronger than his mother, his aunts, his daddy and everyone else. Other daemons and warlocks have been trying to get their hands on his powers for months."

The idea of possessing the Halliwell child's magic struck Daley as very appealing. With such power, she could destroy the leadership of the local Vodoun community. Or any other magical community that opposed her. And protect her little side business, so that it could develop into a multi-billion dollar business. If only she could get her hands on the child.

"By the way," Marc added, "I've discovered something interesting about the Halliwell baby." He handed Daley a newspaper. "That's one of the local Wiccan papers. Called THE LUNAR VOICE. Turn to page eight."

Daley turned to the page as instructed. It was filled with employment ads and notices. "What am I looking for?" she asked.

"The ad near the bottom of the page. In the column, second from the left."

Sure enough, Daley founded what she was looking for. It was an ad seeking a nanny for a nine month-old baby. It featured a telephone and a person of contact - namely P. Halliwell. The sorceress smiled. This sounded promising. Very promising, indeed.

END OF PART II

"HEAT" (1995) Review

2012-01-07T23:18:00.000-08:00

Below is my review of "HEAT", Michael Mann’s 1995 crime melodrama that starred Al Pacino, Robert De Niro and Val Kilmer:

"HEAT" (1995) Review

For many filmgoers and critics, the 1995 crime drama ”HEAT” is regarded as director Michael Mann’s masterpiece. It is the movie that most fans think of when the director’s name is mentioned. "TIME" magazine had even placed it on its list of top 100 crime dramas of all time. And the brutal downtown Los Angeles shootout is considered to be one of the best action sequences in movie history.

So . . . how do I feel about "HEAT"? Like many others, I consider it to be one of the best crime dramas I have ever seen. Honestly. The movie centered around a cat-and-mouse game between a Los Angeles Police detective named Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino) and a ruthless professional thief named Neil McCauley (Robert De Niro). McCauley’s carefully planned heist of an armored car that contained US$1.6 million dollars in bearer bonds owned by a money launderer named Roger Van Zant (William Fichtner) goes slightly wrong when one of his crew – a trigger-happy cowboy named Waingro (Kevin Gage) – kills one of the armored car guards being held at gunpoint by the crew. Realizing they cannot leave behind any witnesses, McCauley’s crew is forced to kill the remaining guards. This multiple homicide, along with the armored car robbery, attracts the attention of Detective Hanna and his squad – members of the L.A.P.D. Robbery/Homicide Unit.

Back in the late 1980s, Michael Mann had written a transcript for a 1989 made-for-television film called "L.A. TAKEDOWN" about a cat-and-mouse game between a Los Angeles Police detective and a hardened and methodical criminal that affected a bank robbery in downtown Los Angeles. Following his success of "THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS", Mann took that transcript and broadened it for a theatrical movie that would become "HEAT". Mann’s screenplay featured a multi-layered and complex look into the lives of professional criminals and the police officers that pursued them. Through characters like the introverted thief McCauley and one of his co-horts, Chris Shiherlis (Val Kilmer), audiences received a glimpse into the lives of professional criminals that were neither mobsters or amateurish lone wolves. Men like McCauley and Shiherlis were just as organized as the Mob, but they did not come from any particular ethnic group like the La Cosa Nostra. The movie also offered a glimpse into their personal lives and reveal how their pursuit of crime affected their families and other loved ones. "HEAT" also presented a parallel glimpse into the lives of police officers like Vincent Hanna, who led a special unit of detectives that investigate robberies and homicides. Mann took filmgoers into Hanna’s marriage. There, the director revealed how the detective’s intense dedication to his profession and temper affected said marriage.

As I had earlier stated, "HEAT" is a complex tale filled with intriguing characters and multiple subplots that served the movie’s main plot. Well . . . some of the subplots accomplished this task. The one plot that dominated the movie (and served as the only plot for Mann’s "L.A. TAKEDOWN") was the clash between Hanna and McCauley that culminated in a downtown Los Angeles bank robbery and its aftereffects. Through his script and direction, Mann provided some memorable moments in the film. I found myself impressed by the scene that featured McCauley and his crew being double-crossed at a local drive-in theater by men working for money launderer Van Zant. Another scene that impressed me was the more dramatic quarrel between Chris Shiherlis and his wife, Charlene (Ashley Judd) over his gambling habits. The scene served as a reminder on how the activities of criminals end up affecting their lives on a personal scale. One favorite scene featured an amusing, yet crowd-pleasing moment when Hanna realized that McCauley had become aware of the squad’s presence with his own investigation. But the movie’s tour-de-force remains, of course, the famous shootout in downtown Los Angeles, following a bank robbery committed by McCauley and his crew. I could rave over the excellence and excitement of the scene. But why should I bother? The sequence’s positive reputation amongst critics and filmgoers is a perfect reflection of the scene’s excellence. I can only think of a handful of similar action sequences – two of them from other Mann movies – that are this well shot.

As much as I admire "HEAT", it has its flaws. One, the movie has a running time of 165 minutes. Now, this might not be much of a problem on its own. However, it does become something of a problem with a movie filled with what I consider to be unnecessary subplots that dragged the film in certain areas. I could have done without the movie’s romantic subplots. McCauley’s romance with a bookstore clerk/graphics artist named Eady (Amy Bremmerman) bored the hell out of me. Hanna’s marriage to a divorcee named Justine (Diane Verona) annoyed me. Well . . . her character annoyed me. I became weary of her constant complaints about his “dedication” to the job. This particular subplot had its own in the form of Hanna’s suicidal stepdaughter (Natalie Portman), who seemed incapable of dealing with her real father’s absence from her life. In the end, Hanna and McCauley’s personal lives seemed to have NO real impact upon the movie’s main plot and minor impact upon their respective characters. Worse, both subplots nearly dragged the film. Ironically, the two relationships that had a stronger impact upon the movie’s main plot turned out to be Chris and Charlene Shiherlis’s troubled marriage and the marriage between another member of McCauley’s crew named Trejo (Danny Trejo) and his wife, Anna (Begonya Plaza). Chris and Charlene’s marriage and feelings for one another played a role in Chris’ fate following the disastrous bank robbery. And Trejo’s love for his wife led him to reveal McCauley’s robbery plans, while being tortured by Van Zant’s men and Waingro . . . before they could tip off the police. And yet, these two relationships did not receive as much screen time as Hanna and McCauley’s relationships.

Three other subplots failed to grab me. With Trejo and his wife in Van Zant’s clutches, McCauley was forced to recruit a driver for the bank robbery – a paroled convict named Donald Breeden (Dennis Haysbert). Unfortunately, Mann included a subplot that led Breeden to break his parole and accept McCauley’s job offer – a subplot that described the parolee’s difficulties in staying straight. I found the story a bore and a waste of Haysbert’s talent. And I never understood Mann’s decision to include Waingro’s murder of a teenage prostitute. Hanna and his team had never linked the murder to Waingro. Nor did the crime have an impact upon the movie’s plot, except force Hanna to abandon a dinner party with his squad and their wives . . . and give Justine another excuse to complain about his job. One last subplot seemed useless to me. It featured Hanna and McCauley’s only meeting at a local diner near, where each man examined the other and revealed that they would not hesitate to kill the other if the situation demands it. And while I must admit that Pacino and De Niro gave top notch performances, the entire scene struck me as a . . . waste . . . of . . . time. The only thing this entire scene had served was a chance to allow Pacino and De Niro to share one scene together.

I realized that I had written so much about the movie’s plot that I nearly forgotten about the performances. Fortunately, Mann had cast the movie with talented actors and actresses and I cannot fault any one of them. I realize much has been said about Al Pacino’s tendency to engage in theatrical acting. In other words, he can be a ham. He certainly was a ham in "HEAT". But the thing about Pacino is that he can be subtle or he can be a ham . . . with style. Which is why I am willing to give him a pass on some of his hammier moments. But I cannot deny that Vincent Hanna may be one of his best roles. Whereas Pacino’s Hanna is all fire and theatrics, De Niro’s Neil McCauley is quiet intensity. His McCauley must be one of the most subtle performances he has ever given. I cannot even remember a scene where he had raised his voice, let alone mugged for the . There were other performances that also impressed me - Mykelti Williamson as the no-nonsense Sergeant Drucker, one of Hanna’s teammates; Tom Siezemore as McCauley’s most loyal henchman, Michael Cheritto; Jon Voight as Nate, McCauley’s pragmatic fence; and Diane Verona as Hanna’s embittered wife, Justine. Yes I had complained about her character, but I must admit that Verona gave a memorable performance. However, I have to give special kudos to Natalie Portman’s emotional performance as Hanna’s suicidal stepdaughter who is desperate for her real father’s attention; and to Val Kilmer and Ashley Judd, who managed to give complex performances as Chris and Charlene Shiherlis – one of McCauley’s colleagues and his wife. Despite their constant clashes over his gambling habit and her brief foray into adultery with a Las Vegas resident named Alan Marciano (Hank Azaria), Kilmer and Judd made it clear that these two loved each other . . . especially in a quiet and tense scene that featured Charlene giving fugitive Chris a silent warning to stay away, due to the presence of nearby police.

As much as I admire Michael Mann as a director, there is one aspect of his filmmaking that turns me off – namely his cinematic view of Los Angeles. I tend to find this view cold and antiseptic. I have noticed this in both "HEAT" and his 2004 thriller, "COLLATERAL". Hell, Mann’s view of Chicago in "PUBLIC ENEMIES" struck me as ten times more colorful. Considering that Mann is from Chicago, I am not surprised. Mind you, cinematographer Dante Spinotti captured some memorable shots of Los Angeles – including one breathtaking one of the city at night from McCauley’s Hollywood Hills home. But it still came off as slightly chilly. Mann’s view of Los Angeles is probably a reflection of his view of the city . . . which is completely opposite of my own. I did find Pasquale Buba, William Goldenberg, Dov Hoenig and Tom Rolf’s editing very impressive; especially in the downtown shootout. But there is one technical aspect of "HEAT" that really knocked my socks off. I am speaking of Elliot Goldenthal’s score. Granted, most of Goldenthal’s score failed to make an impression upon me. However . . . his score for the bank robbery sequence was more than memorable. I enjoyed the way Goldenthal used percussion to underscore the scene’s growing tension that finally exploded into violence when Chris Shirherlis spotted cops and Hanna’s team waiting outside of the bank. For me, the entire sequence featured a perfect blend of music and action.

To repeat myself, "HEAT" is not a perfect movie, despite its reputation. I consider Mann’s septic view of Los Angeles to be one of the movie’s minor flaws. But its major flaw seemed to be the numerous subplots that had nothing to do with the movie’s main narrative. A flaw that ended up dragging the movie’s pacing in many scenes. But despite these flaws, Mann still managed to create an exciting and complex story about two men – a methodical thief and an intuitive police detective – whose cat-and-mouse game engulfed those in their lives and an entire city. It is this cat-and-mouse game that made "HEAT" a recent Hollywood classic.

"PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" (1940) Photo Gallery

2012-01-05T20:50:00.000-08:00

Below are images of "PRIDE AND PREJUDICE", the 1940 adaptation of Jane Austen's 1813 novel. Directed by Robert Z. Leonard and adapted by Aldous Huxley, Helen Jerome and Jane Murfin; the movie starred Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier:

"PRIDE AND PREJUDICE" (1940) Photo Gallery

"LOST" (2004-2010): Favorite Character Centric Episodes - Part I

2012-01-04T10:10:00.000-08:00

Below is Part I of a list of my favorite episodes featuring "LOST" characters:

"LOST" (2004-2010): FAVORITE CHARACTER CENTRIC EPISODES - Part I

Kate Austen

1. (2.09) "What Kate Did" - While Kate tends to a wounded Sawyer, flashbacks reveal her original crime, the murder of her father.

2. (1.22) "Born to Run" - Kate seeks a spot on Michael's raft, threatening to take Sawyer's place. Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal the circumstances behind the death of her childhood love, Tom.

3. "(5.04) "The Little Prince" - Kate and Jack discovers that Aaron's grandmother, Carole Littleton is in Los Angeles. A flashback reveals the truth behind Kate's decision to claim him as her son; while the remaining island survivors jump to the day when Aaron was born.

Juliet Burke

1. (3.16) "One of Us" - Juliet arrives at the castaways' camp, accompanied by Jack, Kate and Sayid. While the survivors question Jack's motives, a strange illness strikes down Claire. Flashbacks reveal Juliet's first three years on the island.

2. (3.07) "Not in Portland" - Flashbacks reveal the events behind the Others' recruitment of Juliet. Meanwhile, she assists Kate and Sawyer in their escape from one of the Others' camps.

Ana-Lucia Cortez

1. (2.07) "The Other 48 Days" - The first 48 days following the crash of Oceanic 815 are shown from the Tail Section survivors' point of view, along with Ana-Lucia's leadership.

2. (2.08) "Collision" - Shannon's death causes a clash between Ana-Lucia and Sayid, near the Fuselage survivors' camp. Flashbacks reveal a tragic shooting in Ana-Lucia's past and her subsequent desire for revenge.

Michael Dawson

1. (4.08) "Meet Kevin Johnson" - Flashbacks reveal Michael's experiences in New York and the deal he made with the Others to spy upon the crew and passengers of Widmore's freighter.

2. (2.22) "Three Minutes" - Michael convinces Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sawyer to help him lead an attempt to rescue Walt, following Ana-Lucia and Libby's deaths. Flashbacks reveal the time he spent as a captive of the Others.

3. (1.14) "Special" - Michael clashes with Locke over his parenting of Walt. Meanwhile, flashbacks reveal the breakup between Michael and Walt's mother, Susan.

Mr. Eko

1. (2.10) "The 23rd Psalms" - While Charlie leads Mr. Eko to a drug smuggler's plane that contains the latter's brother, flashbacks reveal the path that led to his life as a warlord in Nigeria.

2. (2.21) "?" - While dealing with the deaths of Ana-Lucia and Libby, Mr. Eko accompanies Locke when they find another Dharma station. Flashbacks reveal his experiences in Australia before boarding Oceanic Flight 815.

Part II will feature the next five characters..

"The Power of One" [PG-13] - 1/20

2012-01-03T15:03:00.000-08:00

"THE POWER OF ONE"

RATING: PG-13 Adult language and mild violence.
SUMMARY: A Vodoun sorceress develops an interest in Wyatt's powers and becomes his new nanny. Set three weeks after "An Afternoon in Babysitting". AU S6.
FEEDBACK: - Be my guest. But please, be kind.
DISCLAIMER: The Charmed Ones, Leo Wyatt, Wyatt Halliwell and Cole Turner belong to Constance Burge, Brad Kern and Spelling Productions. The McNeills, Cecile Dubois and Andre Morrell, are thankfully, my creations.

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"THE POWER OF ONE"

PART I

Piper Halliwell examined last month's profit sheet one last time and shook her head in despair. "Oh my God! I can't believe this! I just can't . . ."

"What's wrong?" Paige asked. The Charmed Ones sat inside the manor's Solarium, as they watched television. Actually, Paige and Phoebe watched TV, while Piper focused her attention upon her nightclub's profit sheets.

Heaving a sigh, Piper continued, "Last month's profits for P3. They're . . . Oh my God! Has it really gotten this bad?"

Phoebe glanced away from the TV screen and frowned. "Profits are down?" She continued to gently rock Wyatt, who was fast asleep in her arms.

"That's the understatement of the year," Piper muttered. "They've been down before. But not like this. By at least twenty-five to thirty percent. I guess I've just been too busy with Wyatt."

The middle Charmed One continued to rock her nephew. "So, what are you going to do about it?"

Her eyes still glued to P3's account book, Piper answered, "Well, I'm going to fire Everett for starters. He had really let things slide. What in the hell had he been doing . . .?" She broke off with a sigh. "Looks like I'll have to fix this. At least until I can get a new manager."

"And Paige and I will take care of Wyatt, while you deal with P3," Phoebe added, before planting a light kiss on the baby's forehead.

One of Piper's brows formed a dubious arch. "During the daytime, as well? While you two are working? And what about when you two are out on dates?"

"Get Leo to baby sit," Paige declared. "I'm sure that he won't mind."

The mention of her soon-to-be former husband brought a grimace on Piper's lips. "Well that sounds great. I'm sure that Leo had abandoned his family, so that he could baby sit Wyatt, in between Council meetings."

Paige shrugged her shoulders. "I'm sure that Leo won't be stuck in Council meetings forever. On the other hand, you can always consider hiring a new nanny or an au pair for Wyatt. Didn't you once consider hiring one before he was born?"

Piper stared thoughtfully at her youngest sister. "You know, that's not a bad idea. Except . . . how do we find someone willing or capable of dealing with a magically powerful baby? Or deal with demons or warlocks like those two who had tried to snatch Wyatt a few weeks ago? I'd consider rehiring that Elf Nanny, but you saw how she had reacted, after the last attack." Two warlocks had recently appeared at the manor, disguised as employees from the city's Publics Works Department, and tried to kidnap Wyatt. Without any help from the Charmed Ones, Piper's infant son managed to stop the warlocks all on his own.

"Try placing an ad at some local occult shop," Paige suggested. "I'm sure that Barbara might know which shops you can do that. Or maybe Chris or Leo can ask around in the Whitelighter Realm. Or, you can place an ad in one of the local Wiccan newsletters or newspapers."

Impressed and a little surprised by her sister's suggestions, Piper stared at Paige. "Wow! You sure got it all figured out, don't you?"

"Just remembering some ideas I had the last time you thought about hiring a nanny." Paige's gaze returned to the TV screen. "Oh. By the way guys, don't forget that we've been invited to dinner at the McNeills, one week from tonight."

Phoebe frowned. "Why?"

"Cecile and Andre are coming to San Francisco," the youngest Charmed One continued. "They'll be here for at least a week or two."

Now, it was Piper's turn to frown. "Who?"

"Hel-lo? Cecile Dubois? Olivia's friend? And her boyfriend, Andre Morrell? Who's also Cole's friend? Remember them?"

"Oh. Yeah." Now Piper remembered. Olivia and Cole's Vodoun friends. To be honest, she had forgotten about the dinner invitation. Concern over P3's profits have occupied Piper's mind during the past several days. And now, she has a new nanny for Wyatt to think about. Speaking of a new nanny . . . "Uh Paige, could you do me a favor and ask both Barbara, Olivia or Harry about where I can place an ad for a nanny?"

Paige reassured the older woman that she would do as the latter asked. Satisfied, Piper returned her attention to P3's account book.

---------

Located near the northwest corner of Fredrick and Cole, the Red Pyramid happened to be a popular coffeehouse that also served as an occult shop for past 30 years. Not only did students of the occult frequent the place, but it also counted many of the city's magic practitioners as regular customers. One of the Red Pyramid's regular customers happened to be a bokor - or a sorceress named Daley Baker.

A native of nearby Oakland, Daley's family had emigrated from Alabama to California, back in the mid-1930s, to seek financial security during the Depression. At the age of thirteen, Daley had discovered that she possessed a psychic ability - namely, thermo kinesis. And even more importantly, a talent for sorcerery. Her grandmother suggested that she study under an old Vodoun priestess from Baton Rouge, which she did for several years. Although Daley's skills in magic eventually developed, the spiritual aspect of Vodoun only eluded her. Quite frankly, she never had the desire to use her skills to help others. Only herself.

On one particular afternoon in late October, Daley dropped by the Red Pyramid to purchase some figure candles for her altar and gris-gris bags. She had tried the Botanica Yoruba on Valencia, but that particular shop did not have what she needed. While searching for her items, she overheard two voices from the other side of the one of the store's shelves.

". . . is dead," a female's voice said. "Can you believe it? Killed by a child."

Her ears perked with curiosity, Daley held her breath. The woman's companion replied, "Well, what did you expect? The boy is a child of one of the Charmed Ones."

The Charmed what? Confused, Daley shook her head. What the hell was a Charmed One?

The woman exclaimed in a soft hiss, "A child of one of the Charmed Ones? You mean the Halliwells? The witches who had vanquished the Source and God know how many other daemons and warlocks? You mean to say . . .?"

"Yes!" the man retorted in exasperation. "I'm saying that the baby is a child of the oldest Charmed One, and her whitelighter. Well, former whitelighter. No one knows what happened to him. As for the child, I hear that he's extremely powerful. Probably the most powerful magical entity around."

Daley's brows rose several millimeters toward her hairline. Hmm, how very interesting.

The man continued, "Which is why Sidney and Dominick didn't have a chance, when they tried to snatch him."

"Because of this child?" the woman demanded.

"They wanted the baby's powers. Who wouldn't?"

The woman replied, "Not me." Daley found her answer hard to believe.

Apparently, so did the woman's companion. "Oh please! Are you serious? You mean to say that you would pass up the chance to acquire all of that power?"

"Yes," the woman replied. "I'm saying . . . yes, I would. Look Michael, I'm very satisfied with what I am right now. I don't need the extra powers. Nor do I want it or have to deal with everyone else trying to steal them from me. Personally, I think that Dominick and Sidney were fools to go after that child. They would still be alive if they hadn't."

The man conceded, "You've got a point. Still . . . could you imagine yourself with all of that power? Frankly, I rather like the idea."

So would I, Daley silently added. Maybe she should contact Marc Beaudine from Oakland . . . and hire him to search for more information on these Charmed Ones. And the baby.

------------

The two men and the woman materialized in the middle of Cole's penthouse. "Here we are," the half-daemon declared. "Home sweet home." He had just teleported Cecile Dubois and Andre Morell from the former's New Orleans house. "At least, while you're here in town."

Cecile glanced around. "Both of us are staying here?"

"No. You'll be staying at Olivia's apartment, as usual. In fact," Cole glanced at his wristwatch, "she should be home in another twenty minutes or so."

The Vodoun priestess said in a voice that struck Cole as slightly cool, "Could you send me there, anyway? I'm sure that Livy won't mind."

Andre stared at his girlfriend. "What's the big hurry? Frankly, I could use a drink, after all that traveling."

"Traveling that took us a few seconds," Cecile retorted. "Besides, I want to get unpacked. Get everything ready for tomorrow's presentation." Her dark eyes penetrated Cole's. "Do you mind?"

With a shrug, the half-daemon waved his hand and sent the priestess and her luggage to Olivia's apartment. Once Cecile had disappeared, he frowned at Andre. "Is there something wrong with Cecile? She seemed a little . . . I don't know . . . withdrawn."

"I think she's worried about the presentation," Andre replied, as he sat down in a nearby chair. "Ever since she had approached Olivia's dad about selling her new computer software program to his company, she's been . . . well, a little on edge. Anxious."

Cole went over to the liquor cabinet to prepare a drink for himself and Andre. "Anxious? Hmmm, she seemed more . . . distant to me. Cold. Not anxious."

"Well, she's been pretty moody lately. Ever since she began this little project." Cole handed Andre a glass of whiskey and soda. "Thanks."

The half-daemon poured himself a glass of bourbon. "I know why Cecile is here - considering I'll be acting as her legal representative. But what about you? What are you doing here?"

"Didn't Olivia tell you?" Andre asked. "It's about her new shop. The one that used to be owned by that guy who ended up killed. She wants me to do a little appraising for her."

Taking a sip of bourbon, Cole replied, "But Olivia already had that shop appraised. Before it officially became hers."

A knowing smile appeared on Andre's lips. "I'm talking about certain . . . items in the shop. Of the supernatural variety. It seemed this Stefan Kostopulos or Whatever, was quite the collector. You mean to say that Olivia didn't tell you all of this?"

Cole sighed. "She probably did. But I've been so busy lately with Cecile . . . becoming her new attorney and helping her set up this deal with Jack McNeill that I must have forgotten." As he took another sip of bourbon, he noticed Andre staring at something. "What is it?" he asked.

"What's that?" Andre pointed at a small, folded newspaper on the coffee table.

Cole replied, "Some newspaper or newsletter for local Wiccans. Olivia must have left it."

Andre placed his drink on the coffee table and snatched up the newspaper. "Hmmm. A friend of mine operates a newsletter at home for Vodoun practioners. But this seems more like a newspaper. The LUNAR VOICE." He opened the paper and read. "Not bad, he said before turning to another page. "It even has want ads and job positions. I've got to tell Marcel about all . . ." Andre broke off, as his eyes narrowed into slits. "What the hell? Say, what's the name of your ex-wife? Piper or something, right?"

Cole stared at his friend. "It's Phoebe. Why do you . . .?"

"And isn't her last name - Halliwell?"

"Yeah." Cole paused for a brief moment. "Why?"

Andre tossed the newspaper to the half-demon. "Check out page eight. Someone named P. Halliwell, at 415-306-1468, had placed an ad for a nanny.

It was not hard for Cole to find the advertisement. He reeled in shock, as he read the following:

"WANTED - Nanny for nine month-old baby Salary $8.00/hour
Contact P. Halliwell 415-306-146"

"What the hell is the matter with her?" Cole exclaimed. "Is she crazy?"

Andre frowned. "Which sister are you talking about?"

"Piper! Phoebe's older sister. You know, the one who can freeze time." Cole stared at the advertisement. "What the hell is she doing, getting a nanny for Wyatt? That kid is too powerful to be placed in the hands of some stranger. Hell, I'll bet that Leo would agree with me."

A sly smile appeared on Andre's face. "Maybe. Of course, she could always get you to baby sit Wyatt, again." Cole stared at him. "Olivia told me and Cecile about your little babysitting job, last month."

Cole groaned. "Oh God! Thanks for reminding me! Between Wyatt's crying, eating my shirt and stealing other people's stuff, I had one hell of a time dealing with that kid! And Piper expects some stranger to handle him?" He shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell is that woman thinking?"

END OF PART I

"REAL STEEL" (2011) Review

2012-01-01T11:22:00.001-08:00

"REAL STEEL" (2011) Review

Every once in a while, I would come across one of those movies in which I have to be forced to watch . . . against my will. This happened with Matthew Vaughn's 2007 comedy-fantasy "STARDUST". And it happened again with the 2008 movie, "SPEED RACER". Since I ended up enjoying both movies, I finally allowed a member of my family to talk me into seeing the recent Disney movie, "REAL STEEL".

Partially based upon Richard Matheson's 1956 short story called "Steel", the movie told the story of a struggling promoter of boxing robots named Charlie Kenton in the year 2020. After his own boxing robot bites the dust in a match with bull owned by a promoter to whom he owns money, Charlie finds himself saddled with Max, an 11 year-old son he had conceived with an ex-girlfriend that recently passed away. The two stumbles across a discarded robot, whom they hope will rise to the top of the robotic boxing world. Along the way, Charlie and Max manage to learn about each other before the latter ends up in the custody of his aunt Debra and her husband, Marvin.

I understand that the majority of "REAL STEEL" was filmed in Michigan. I find this rather odd, considering that most of the movie was set in Texas. Oh well. The movie did a pretty good job of creating an atmosphere similar to eastern and central Texas, thanks to Mauro Fiore's rich and colorful photograph. Unfortunately, the cast failed to convey the same atmosphere, considering that only one used a Texan accent.

But "REAL STEEL" is not about Texas. It is about the sport of boxing in which the contestants are no longer humans, but robots. Despite the fact that the movie is somewhat based upon a short story that also served as the basis of a "TWILIGHT ZONE" episode. What can I say? The movie failed to impress me. Boxing robots? Perhaps this story theme would have worked in the STAR TREK universe or even in that "TWILIGHT ZONE" episode. But this movie did not work for me. I simply could not find it within myself to care about the characters or whether the main protagonists' robot, Atom, would prevail.

One of my problems with "REAL STEEL" was screenwriter John Gatins' failure to make me care about Atom. The robot seemed more like a slightly contrived plot device created to manipulate tears and compassion toward it. If this movie had been about a human boxer, an android with strong human characteristics (think Data in "STAR TREK: NEXT GENERATION"), or in the case of the "TWILIGHT ZONE" episode - about a human pretending to be a robot; perhaps I could have felt some sympathy or any kind of emotion toward it, instead of sheer boredom.

As for the story regarding Charlie and Max's relationship, I found it very unoriginal and equally manipulative. This estranged parent-child plot line has been done to death in many movies either directed or produced by Steven Spielberg. By the way, "REAL STEEL" was released by DreamWorks, Spielberg's production company. From a technical perspective, "REAL STEEL" seemed like a well made movie. But I found it so unoriginal - despite the premise of boxing robots - and emotionally manipulative that it occurred to me that I may never warm up to it.

Like the movie's plot and production, the cast of "REAL STEEL" seemed technically on spot. I can honestly say that I could not spot a bad performance from the cast. Unfortunately, only two or three performances impressed me. One of them did not come from Hugh Jackman. Charlie Kenton was not the first slightly unsympathetic character he has portrayed. But his Charlie struck me as too much of a cliché for me to really care about. Even worse, Jackman portrayed a Texan with a Brooklyn (or New Jersey?) accent. On the other hand Kevin Durand managed to utilize a Texan accent. He portrayed a sports promoter named Ricky, to whom Charlie owned money. And I was not impressed. It was not Durand's fault. The poor man found himself stuck with a character that was nothing more than a second-rate, one-dimensional villain. Anthony Mackie was clearly wasted as Finn, another sports promoter and Charlie's friend. He gave it his best, but the character of Finn never struck me as interesting. And poor James Rehborn looked as if he could barely generate any interest in his character, the husband of Max's aunt.

But there were performances that managed to impress me. Dakota Goyo gave a savy performance as Charlie's estranged son, Max. Thankfully, he did not spend most of his screen time acting like many other petulant children, noisily resentful of being in the company of an estranged parent figure. Thanks to Gatins' script and Goyo's performance, Max struck me not only a lot more mature than his father; but also a far cry from being a cliché. I could say the same for Hope Davis' portrayal of Max's aunt Debra. Gatins could have easily written her character as a prim and cold-eye parental figure that would drive Max to his father's arms. But Davis had the good luck to portray a warm and intelligent woman, whose desire to raise Max had more to do with love than cold responsibility to a blood relative. Evangeline Lilly had come a long way from her first season on "LOST", seven years ago. I have never viewed her as a terrible actress. But I found her acting skills rather mediocre. Like I said, she has come a long way. Her performance in "REAL STEEL" made it apparent that she has become a solid and competent actress. In fact, I found her portrayal of Charlie's childhood friend and potential love interest, Bailey Tallet, to be a breath of fresh air. Her Bailey was frank, emotional, witty and not tainted by any clichés.

But in the end, neither the performances of Goyo, Hope, and Lilly; along with Fiore's photography could save "REAL STEEL". At least not for me. The movie did turn out to be a hit. And a good number of critics actually enjoyed the film. The problem for me was that I found it difficult to share their opinions. Who knows? Perhaps one day I might change my mind.

"UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS" (2010) Series One Photo Gallery

2011-12-30T20:12:00.000-08:00

Below are images from "UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS", the updated version of the old BBC television series. The series stars Jean Marsh, Keeley Hawes, Ed Stoppard, Claire Foy and Eileen Atkins:

"UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS" (2010) SERIES ONE PHOTO GALLERY

"WESTWARD HO": Introduction

2011-12-28T19:18:00.000-08:00

Below is the introduction to an article about Hollywood's depiction about the westward migration via wagon trains in the United States - especially during the 1840s:

"WESTWARD HO!": Introduction

I. History vs. Hollywood

Between 2001 and 2004, the A&E Channel used to air a series called "HISTORY vs. HOLLYWOOD". Each episode featured experts that were interviewed about the historical accuracy of a film or television special that was based on a historical event. These experts or historians would examine a newly released film - usually a period drama - and comment on the historical accuracy featured in the story. Not surprisingly, most productions would receive a verdict of "both Hollywood fiction and historical fact".

A rising demand for more historical accuracy seemed to have become very prevalent in recent years. I cannot explain this demand. And if I must be honest, I do not know if I would always agree. If such accuracy ever got in the way of a whopping good story, I believe it should be tossed in favor of the story. Many of William Shakespeare's dramas have proven to be historically inaccurate. I can think of a good number of well-regarded productions that I would never consider to be completely accurate as far as history is concerned - "GONE WITH THE WIND" (1939), "GLORY" (1989), "ENIGMA" (2001) and "THE TUDORS" (2007-2010).

All of this brings me to this article's main topic - namely the depiction of the 19th century western migration in various movies and television productions. I thought it would be interesting to examine five productions and see how they compare to historical accuracy. I will focus upon two movies and three television miniseries:

*"HOW THE WEST WAS WON" (1962)

*"THE WAY WEST" (1967)

*"CENTENNIAL: The Wagon and the Elephant" [Episode 3] (1978-79)

*"THE CHISHOLMS" (1979)

*"INTO THE WEST: Manifest Destiny" [Episode 2] (2005)

II. The Essentials of Western Travel

Before I start making comparisons, I might as well focus on the correct essentials needed by westbound emigrants during their trek to either Oregon, California or other destinations. The essentials are the following:

1. Farm wagon/Prairie schooner vs. Conestoga wagon - The Conestoga wagon is well-known among those who study American history during the late 18th and early 19th centuries. It was a heavy, broad-wheeled covered wagon used extensively during that period in the United States east of the Mississippi River and Canada to transport goods up to 8 tons. It was designed to resemble a boat in order to help it cross rivers and streams.

However, the Conestoga wagon was considered too large and bulky for the 2,000 miles journey between Western Missouri and the West Coast - especially for the teams of stock pulling the wagon. It was highly recommended for emigrants to use regular farm wagons. The farm wagon was primarily used to transport goods. However, small children, the elderly, and the sick/or injured rode in them. But since the wagons had no suspension and the roads were rough, many people preferred to walk, unless they had horses to ride. The wagon - depending on luck - was sturdy enough for the 2,000 to 3,000 westbound trek. More importantly, the wagon would not wear down the team of animals pulling it.

2. Draft animals - The westbound emigrants depended upon draft animals to haul their wagons for the long trek. Horses were out of the questions. A single rider could travel to Oregon or California astride a horse. But horses were not sturdy enough for the 2,000 miles trek and would die before reaching the end of the journey. It was recommended that emigrants use oxen or mules to pull their wagons.

Both oxen and mules were considered sturdy enough for the long trek. However, most would recommend oxen to haul a wagon, for they were cheaper and could survive slightly better on the grazing found along the trails. Mules could do the same, but at a lesser rate. But they were more expensive than oxen. They had a tendency to be temperamental. And they were more inclined to attract the attention of Native Americans.

3. Supplies and Goods - It was very essential for emigrants to haul supplies and goods during their long, westward trek. Upon leaving Independence, Missouri; there were very little opportunities to purchase food and supplies. The only locations that offered such opportunities to purchase more goods were a small number of trading and military outposts along the western trails. However, many emigrants attempted to bring along furniture, family heirlooms and other valuable possessions. They realized it was wiser to rid said possessions in order to lighten their wagon loads. And this would explain why these discarded possessions practically littered the major emigrant trails during the second half of the 19th century.

4. Western Outposts - As I had stated earlier, westbound emigrants encountered very little opportunities to re-stock on supplies during their journey west. Only a series of trading or military outposts on the western plains offered emigrants opportunities for more supplies. Emigrants encountered Fort Laramie (present day eastern Wyoming), Fort Hall (present day Idaho) and Fort Laramie after 1848 (present day Nebraska) along the Oregon/California Trails. Along the Santa Fe Trail, they would eventually encounter Fort Leavenworth (present day northeastern Kansas). Fort Bent (present day southeastern Colorado) and eventually Santa Fe in the New Mexico Territory.

5. Native American Encounters - The portrayal of emigrants' encounters with Native Americans during the western trek could either be chalked up to Hollywood exaggeration, American racism or a mixture of both. But many movie and television productions about the western migration tend to feature large scale attacks upon wagon trains by Native American warriors. One, such attacks never happened - at least as far as I know. The various nations and tribes possessed too much sense to attack a wagon train that was likely to be well-armed. And the number of Native Americans portrayed in these cinematic attacks tend to be ridiculously large. A small band of warriors might be inclined to steal some horses or stock in the middle of the night, or attack a lone wagon traveling on the plains for the same reason. However, westbound emigrants either socialized or traded with the Native Americans they encountered. Or perhaps some trigger-happy emigrant or more might be inclined to take pot shots at a lone rider or two. But large scale attacks by Native Americans ended up being figments of a filmmaker's imagination.

In the following article, I will focus upon the history accuracy or lack thereof featured in 1962's "HOW THE WEST WAS WON".

"West to Laramie" [PG] - 4/4

2011-12-27T23:02:00.000-08:00

Part 4 – The conclusion of a series of letters from a Philadelphia matron and her companion during their journey to the Pre-Civil War West.

"WEST TO LARAMIE”

Chapter 4

May 10, 1860

Mrs. Elizabeth Evans
64 Anderson Road
Falmouth, MA

Dear Cousin Elizabeth,

How is your family? You should receive the last letter I had written to you from Fort Kearny with a few weeks. But so much has happened that I decided to write another.

Since leaving the Fort, the trip has become even more miserable. The weather remains hot and windy. A pale-colored dust called alkali continues to blow in our faces. Gnats take every opportunity to bite us. And we still have to contend with the constant verbosity of Mr. Hornbottom. The gambler, Mr. McEvers, once asked him to stop talking. Mr. Hornbottom actually managed to do so for one hour.

We have stopped at least two of these home stations where we ate and rested, while the horses were being changed. We have slept at three of these stations since the beginning of our trip. What wretched hives they have turned out to be! The beds barely seemed stable and are infested with bugs. The meals usually consisted of rancid meat (usually bacon) and fried corn dodgers. However, at least one of these home stations did provide satisfactory service. But I do find myself longing for Fort Kearny or anywhere east of Kansas.

At the first home station west of Fort Kearny, a Mr. William Duff joined our stagecoach. A former trapper and wagon train guide, he plans to head for Virginia City and prospect for silver in the Nevada mines. To our surprise, he turned out to be an old friend of Mr. Wright, the shotgun rider. Mr. Duff spent his first day riding with Mr. Kolp and Mr. Wright on top. The following day, he switched places with Captain Pearson (thank goodness). He turned out to be a lively companion. Unfortunately, he also possesses an offensive body odor. Practically everyone inside the coach had no choice but to cover their noses with handkerchiefs in order to breath.

Two days following our departure from Kearny, we had encountered a ferocious thunderstorm. Mr. McEvers’ mistress went into hysterics and at one point, opened the door and tried to jump out of the coach. Fortunately, Mr. McEvers and Captain Pearson (who had rejoined us inside) managed to settle her back into her seat. It seems the ”lady” has a fear of thunderstorms dating from an incident during childhood. Before the storm finally subsided, the coach had found itself stuck in a quagmire of mud. We were forced to step outside and endure the last twenty minutes of the storm, while the men attempted to pry the coach loose. One of those Pony Express riders, a skinny young fellow with lanky brown hair and buckskins, stopped to offer his help. He and the other men finally managed to pry the coach loose from the mud after the storm subsided.

We reached another home station for a supper break within a few hours. Horrid as usual. The place – or more accurately, hovel – looked as if it could barely remain erect. The landscape looked flat and desolate. The stationmaster, a morose fellow with missing teeth, spent most of his time grunting orders to his two colored workers. His wife, an overweight slattern, prepared overcooked beans, bacon and greasy corn dodgers. Unfortunately for Mrs. Middleton, she found the meal unsettling and had to rush outside before her food could come back up. Later that evening, I had walked around the station for some fresh air in my own attempt to recover from the meal. One of the colored handymen, a tall fellow in his mid-thirties made lewd advances toward me. The other handyman, the only decent person on that station, attempted to intervene on my behalf. Before this gallant man could do so, I came to my own defense and let the lecherous pest know that I was the wrong woman to fool around with. There is nothing, I believe, like a good kick below the belt to teach a person a valuable lesson.

The next day, we passed the first of rock formations on this trail – Courthouse Rock. I swear Elizabeth, it looked as if it had been constructed by man himself. Mr. Hornbottom claimed that it strongly resembled the old courthouse in St. Louis. Our coach has now stopped near another monument called . This formation bears a strong resemblance to a large, craggy tower twisting toward the sky. The reason I am able to write this letter is that we have come across a band of Indians traveling from the south. At first sight, Mr. McEvers drew out his revolver in order to shoot. But Mr. Duff stopped this act of folly in time. According to the former trapper, the Indians had given a sign of peace.

There are five of them – three men and two women. Two of the men are tall. All are muscular and gaunt-looking. They wear muslin shirts and buckskin trousers or leggings colorfully decorated with beads. The women, who are attractive, wear doeskin dresses decorated with tassels and a wide ornamental belt. According to Mr. Duff, they belong to the Ogalalla Sioux tribe. All five are on horseback and on their way to Fort Laramie. The coach stopped in order to allow Mr. Duff to converse with the newcomers. He informed us that the Indians have asked to accompany the coach to Laramie. Mr. McEvers, his mistress Lucy and Mr. Hornbottom have all objected. Captain Pearson remained silent and both Mr. Kolp and Mr. Wright have given their consent.

In a few minutes, we shall resume our journey. The traveling party now consists of five Ogalalla Sioux Indians and the usual and now nervous passengers. I have no idea how Mrs. Middleton feels about our new companions. Personally, I see no reason for us to be apprehensive. The Sioux seem friendly and there are only five of them. As for the others, it never fails to surprise me how some people can be so easily frightened by the presence of others considered different. Some things never change. Good-bye for now. You shall hear from me, once we reach Fort Laramie.

Your loving cousin,

Patricia North

============================================================

May 14, 1860

Mrs. Adalaide Middleton Taylor
231 Green Street
Philadelphia, PA

Dear Addie,

This journey has been the most tedious and uncomfortable I have ever experienced. Except for the last day. I hope that I will never have to endure what I had experienced yesterday. All I can say is thank goodness it will be a while before Patricia and I will resume our journey back East.

Four days ago, a small group of Sioux Indians had joined our coach near an earth formation called Chimney Rock to travel with to Laramie. Personally, I found them to be a barbarous and colorful group. After our journey had resumed, we passed an imposing rock formation called Scott’s Bluff. I have never seen anything like this for it resembled a walled city.

Fifty miles later, we came upon another home station. Thankfully, this station – like a previous one we had encountered nearly a week ago – not only served decent meals, but had a stoic man named Fox and his family as competent stationmasters. If only other home stations along the route could be this satisfactory. Mr. Fox warned us to be on the lookout for a band of outlaws operating in the area. I do not believe that any of us had bothered to pay attention to his warning. We were more apprehensive of our red companions.

Around noon, the following day, the three male Indians went ahead to hunt for game and left their two women behind with us. Mr. McEvers began spouting that the men had left to ”fetch their red brethren in order to massacre the lot of us”. Both Mr. Duff and Mr. Wright scoffed at the idea, pointing out that the Sioux had left behind their women. However, the rest of the passengers and I agree with Mr. McEvers – Patricia being the exception. She regarded the rest of us with scorn, but remained silent. The coach ended up being attacked after all. Thirty minutes after the Sioux men left, the very outlaws that Mr. Fox had warned us about, swooped upon the stagecoach from an isolated patch of woods, situated below a low ridge. Within minutes, they had rifles trained on us.

They were nine outlaws. Their leader, a shifty-eyed short man on a bay roan ordered two of his men to grab the Sioux women - ”for some fun later”, he had remarked. His words made my blood chill thinking of the fate of those poor women. The leader then ordered our men to throw down their weapons. As Mr. Hornbottom started to comply, three shots rang out, killing three of the bandits. The outlaws became confused as more shots followed. Another bandit fell dead. Ahead, the three Sioux men galloped toward us, releasing horrendous war cries. The bandits attempted to escape the red men’s attack, but our men took the opportunity to join in the fray. Both Captain Pearson and Mr. Duff managed to climb out of the coach, while bullets flew in all directions. We women did our best to remain out of the line of fire by crouching in our seats. Rather difficult to accomplish in full skirts One bandit aimed his rifle at Patricia, when Captain Pearson blocked his line of fire and received a bullet in the temple. Both Patricia and myself found ourselves in a state of shock when we realized that the Army officer had given his life to save hers.

Less than eight minutes later, the gun battle finally ceased. One of the bandits managed to escape. Two other bandits fell dead – including the leader. Another two became our prisoners. One prisoner turned out to be the very fellow who had killed Captain Pearson. He was seriously injured. One of the Sioux women had been injured in the shoulder. Mr. Wright and Mr. Duff slung Captain Pearson’s body over a horse and tied the latter behind the coach. We resumed our journey until we came upon another home station. There, Captain Pearson’s killer died. And the good captain’s body was buried.

Patricia and I are still in shock over Captain Pearson’s sacrifice. Perhaps both of us should have realized that he had been the type who would defend anyone he felt it was his duty to do so – despite any bigotry on his part. This reminded me of those brave Sioux Indians who had come to our rescue. How ironic! We had been so concerned with their presence that we did not take heed of Mr. Fox’s warning about the outlaws. And the Sioux turned out to be our rescuers.

It took us eighteen hours upon leaving the last home station to reach Fort Laramie. Both Robert and Penelope were at the stage depot to greet us. The wounded Indian woman went to the infirmary and Mr. Kolp informed the fort’s commander about Captain Pearson’s death and the location of his body. The remaining outlaw was arrested by troopers and sent to the jailhouse. I can only assume that he will swing from a rope within a few days for his part in the attempted robbery and the captain’s death. Some officer offered the Army’s appreciation to the Sioux for their rescue. Yet, he seemed to be rather cool about it – as if he did not want to forget that he considered them his enemies. I also detected this attitude amongst the other military personnel – including Robert, I am sorry to say. Patricia, myself and the other passengers were more appreciative toward our rescuers. They had saved our hides, after all.

Three new passengers boarded the stagecoach, while Patricia, Mr. Hornbottom and I said our good-byes to the remaining travelers. As the coach resumed its journey west, Patricia turned around and remarked that it seemed a shame there was no chance of a railroad being built in time for our trip back east. Both Robert and Penelope merely treated her remark as a joke. I believe Patricia was being serious. I certainly felt the same.

Dearest Addie! The West is such a complex place. Yes, it has its physical beauties. But it so different and stark . . . so incredibly harsh in compare to the East. It is beyond my understanding. Why on earth would anyone want to settle here? There is still good farmland back East. My love to you and Harold and I hope to see you again by early September.

I love you always,

Mother

THE END

"HALF SLAVE, HALF FREE: SOLOMON NORTHUP'S ODYSSEY" (1984) Review

2011-12-26T02:17:00.000-08:00

Seven months ago, I had posted a gallery featuring screencaps from the 1984 television movie, "HALF SLAVE, HALF FREE: SOLOMON NORTHUP'S ODYSSEY". Below is my review of that movie:

"HALF SLAVE, HALF FREE: SOLOMON NORTHUP'S ODYSSEY" (1984) Review

Years ago, I had come across a television movie, at my local video store, about a 19th African-American who found himself kidnapped into slavery. Being a history nut about 19th century America, I decided to check it out. The movie turned out to be 1984's "HALF SLAVE, HALF FREE: SOLOMON NORTHUP'S ODYSSEY".

Directed by photographer Gordon Parks, "SOLOMON NORTHRUP'S ODYSSEY" told the story of an African-American carpenter and musician from Saratoga Springs, New York named Solomon Northrup. Because of his reputation as a skilled violinist, he attracts the attention of two men calling themselves Merrill Brown and Abram Hamilton. They claimed that they wanted to hire Solomon to play his fiddle in a circus in Washington, D.C., for the rate of one dollar per day and three dollars per musical performance. This was considered a good wage in 1841 Believing the trip to be short, Solomon decides not to notify his wife, Anne. Unfortunately, not long after his arrival in the nation's capital, Solomon is drugged and sold to a slave dealer named Jim Birch. At Birch's slave market, Solomon is beaten by Birch in an attempt to coerce the former into accepting his new name of Platt. He also meets a Virginia-born slave named Jenny, with whom he strikes up an immediate friendship. And during the sea journey to Louisiana, he meets another female slave named Eliza and her children during a stopover in Norfolk. Upon their arrival in New Orleans, all three are sold to a planter named Thomas Ford. After two years at Ford's plantation, Solomon has a violent encounter with one of the planter's white employees and is sold to a second owner, a self-made planter named Edward Epps. Solomon spends another nine-and-a-half years at Epps' plantation until his meeting with a Canadian-born carpenter named Bass allows him to send a letter to Anne of his whereabouts. With the help of a childhood friend and son of his father's former owner, Henry Northup, Solomon is free and returns to his family in Saratoga Springs.

I really did not know how I would react to "SOLOMON NORTHRUP'S ODYSSEY" when I first saw it so many years ago. After all, the movie had not been directed by someone from the established Hollywood community or from any of the film industries overseas. Gordon Parks was a well-established photographer who had worked for "LIFE" magazine and a documentary director, before turning his attention to directing films. And before "SOLOMON NORTHRUP'S ODYSSEY", he had only directed eight films, his most successful being the 1971 movie "SHAFT". I must admit that Parks did a first-rate job in his direction of the movie, but I would not go as far to say that it was perfect.

First of all, I wish that Parks had managed to curtail some of leading man Avery Brooks’ penchant for theatrical acting. I realize that "SOLOMON NORTHRUP'S ODYSSEY" was the actor’s first job in screen acting, but traces of hammy acting – a leftover from years of success on the stage – remained in his performance. Come to think of it, I could say the same about a handful of cast members in minor roles, including Janet League as Eliza, the slave mother who ended up losing her children during the journey to Louisiana and eventually, her mind. I had no problems with the movie's slow pacing, which I felt perfectly reflected its setting of antebellum Louisiana circa 1841-53. But there were times when the pacing threatened to slow down to a halt, especially in scenes that featured montages of Solomon's duties on the Epps plantation.

Fortunately, the good outweighed the bad. Between Parks' direction and Hiro Narita's photography, "SOLOMON NORTHRUP'S ODYSSEY" reeked with the semi-tropical setting of central Louisiana. The Southern Georgia locations that stood in for the area surrounding the Ford and Epps plantations radiated with a natural beauty and a lush green that nearly took my breath away. Yet, the photography also conveyed how the setting served as a physical prison for the outsider from New York. I noticed that Parks was billed as the composer for the movie's score. Quite frankly, I did not find it memorable. However, I did enjoy Parks' use of 19th century music throughout the movie and especially in the opening scene that featured a social dance in Saratoga Springs. Most importantly, Parks did an excellent job in guiding television viewers into the world of antebellum United States and Solomon Northup's journey from freedom in New York, to the slave marts of Washington D.C. and New Orleans, and eventually the slave plantations of Louisiana.

I was also impressed by the screenplay written by Lou Potter and Samm-Art Williams. I have never read Solomon Northup's 1853 autobiography. But it would not be difficult for me to assume that the movie was an exact adaptation of his memoirs. After all, we are dealing with a movie based upon historical facts, not a documentary. However, Potter and Williams did an excellent job in capturing the shock, despair and eventual resignation of Solomon's experiences and situation. They also captured the conflicting and chaotic nature that had an impact upon all of those who participated in American slavery - willingly or not.

One aspect of Potter and Williams' script that I found especially fascinating was how they pointed out how slavery enabled those trapped in the system to use others as scapegoats for their frustrations and anger. A good example of this is the strange relationship between Solomon's second master and the latter's wife, Mr. and Mrs. Epps, the Virginia-born slave Jenny and Solomon. Mr. Epps was a self-made man from the working class, who married a woman from the old planter aristocracy. However, this marriage failed to lessen his insecurities about his origins and his fears that his wife might view him as inferior being. Because of his inferiority complex, he preferred the company of Jenny, the Virginia-born slave with whom Solomon had a brief romance during their time on the Ford plantation. His preference for Jenny (who yearned for Solomon) made him jealous of the New Yorker. However, Mrs. Epps genuinely loved her husband and harbored jealousy toward Jenny. And Solomon harbored jealousy and frustration toward Jenny's relationship with their master. The interesting thing about this love triangle/quadrangle was that Mr. Epps vented his jealousy upon Solomon; and both Mrs. Epps and Solomon used Jenny as a scapegoat for their anger toward Mr. Epps. And poor Jenny ended up as a sexual victim of Mr. Epps, and a scapegoat of both Solomon and Mrs. Epps' anger and frustration.

Despite Avery Brooks' occasional forays into theatrical acting, I must admit that I found his movie/television debut to be very impressive. He did a great job in conveying his character's emotional journey in what must have been a traumatic period and end in the end, earned well-deserved praise from the critics. I was also impressed by Rhetta Greene's complex portrayal of Jenny, the slave caught between her love for Solomon and her master's desire. Both John Saxon and Lee Bryant were excellent as Mr. and Mrs. Epps, who added a great deal of ambiguity into roles that could have easily been a portrait of one-dimensional villainy - especially Saxon's role. Joe Seneca gave an interesting role as Noah, the elderly slave who tried to guide Solomon into establishing relationship with their fellow slaves and remind the latter of the difficulties in escaping from central Louisiana. Art Evans provided amusing comic relief as Harry, a slave and Solomon's fawning close friend. Petronia Paley gave a solid performance as Solomon's wife, Anne, who was beset with worry and frustration over her missing husband. And Mason Adams' portrayal of Mr. Ford, Solomon's first master, was an interesting contrast between a genuinely decent man, and a no-nonsense slave master was not above issuing veiled threats whenever he felt they were needed.

Yes, "HALF SLAVE, HALF FREE: SOLOMON NORTHUP'S ODYSSEY" had a few flaws that include the occasional slow pacing and hammy acting from a few members of the cast (including the leading man). But the movie is a well made and fascinating look into the experiences of a free man who found himself trapped into the institution of 19th century slavery. Director Gordon Parks and star Avery Brooks proved to be the driving force in a first-rate movie that was at times entertaining, horrifying, educational and especially poignant. "SOLOMON NORTHUP'S ODYSSEY" might prove to be hard to find. I would recommend Netflix or Amazon. But in the end, the movie is worth the search. I assure you.

"THE IDES OF MARCH" (2011) Photo Gallery

2011-12-23T07:51:00.000-08:00

"THE IDES OF MARCH" (2011) Review

While watching George Clooney's recent political thriller, "THE IDES OF MARCH", it occurred to me that two-and-a-half years have passed since I last watched a movie about politicians . . . inside a movie theater. It also led me to wonder if Hollywood has become increasingly reluctant to make movies about politicians. It would be a shame if that were truth. Because I believe the studios need to release more movies about them.

On the other hand, I am grateful to Clooney for directing, co-producing and co-writing "THE IDES OF MARCH", an adaptation of co-writer Beau Willimon's 2008 play called "FARRAGUT NORTH". The movie is about Stephen Meyers, an idealistic junior campaign manager for Democratic presidential candidate, Governor Mike Morris of Pennsylvania, and his crash course on the brutal realities of politics on the campaign trail in Southern Ohio. His life and role in Governor Morris' presidential campaign is threatened when Tom Duffy, the senior campaign manager of Governor Morris' Democratic rival, Arkansas Senator Ted Pullman, offers him a job. Unfortunately for Meyers, his boss, Governor Morris' senior campaign manager, Paul Zara learns about the job offer. Complicating Meyers' situation is his romance with one of the campaign interns and daughter of the Democratic National Committee chairman, Molly Stearns, leads him to discover about her one night liaison with Governor Morris and her eventual pregnancy.

On paper, "THE IDES OF MARCH" looks and reads like a lurid melodrama with political overtones. But I believe the movie revealed to be a lot more. This is just a theory, but I believe that "THE IDES OF MARCH" served as a warning for those who tend to look toward politicians as saviors or leaders who can solve the problems of society. At the beginning of "THE IDES OF MARCH", Stephen Meyers is a sharp and canny political campaigner. He has seen enough of the world to be somewhat jaded. But he is still young enough at age thirty to believe that one man can change his world for the better. And in his mind, that man is Michael Morris. But his own ambitions for a career as a political adviser and the revelation of Morris' brief affair with Molly Stearns forces Meyers to grow up . . . in a most painful way. Considering the methods that he used in an effort to save his career, one might view Stearns' loss of idealism with a negative eye. Or one might now. Personally, I believe that loss turned out to be a mixture of good and bad for Stearns.

"THE IDES OF MARCH" received a good deal of positive reviews from many of the media's critics. Did the movie deserve the positive word-of-mouth? I believe so. I really enjoyed the story. And I believe that Clooney, Willimon and the third co-writer, Grant Heslov, did an excellent job of conveying Stephen Meyers' final loss of innocence with plenty of melodrama (oh, that word!), tight pacing, political wheeling-dealing and plot twists. What is interesting about this movie is that all of the characters involved in the story are Democrats. There is no Republican or hard line conservative in sight. And I have to hand it to Clooney, Willimon and Heslov for being willing to show that in their own way, Democratic politicians and political wheeler-dealers could be just as dirty and manipulative as their Republican counterparts. Personally, I believe that this is a good lesson to learn that when it comes to the world of politics - and the media, for that matter - you cannot trust anyone, regardless of political suasion.

Clooney managed to gather a fine collection of actors and actresses for his movie. I do have one minor quibble about this . . . and it involves actress Jennifer Ehle, who portrayed Governor Morris' wife, Cindy Morris. I had no problem with her performance. But aside from a brief scene with Clooney in which the two discussed his future in the White House, she seemed wasted in this film. I almost found myself thinking the same about Jeffrey Wright, who portrayed a North Carolina senator, whose support both Democratic candidates sought. He only had brief scenes in the movie. But he made the most of it portraying Senator Thompson as an egotistical power seeker with great relish. Max Minghella gave a decent performance as Meyers' assistant who harbored ambitions to achieve the latter's position. Marisa Tomei gave a witty performance as a snarky New York Times reporter, whose attitude toward Meyers changes drastically by the end of the movie. The year 2011 seemed to be a busy year for Evan Rachel Wood. She returned in her third role this year to portray the young intern Molly Stearns. Wood did an excellent job in portraying the vulnerable and scared young woman behind the sexy temptress. Her description of Morris' seduction of Molly at an Iowa hotel left my skin crawling.

Both Philip Seymour Hoffman and Paul Giamatti gave powerhouse performances as the two rival senior campaign managers, Paul Zara and Tom Duffy. Watching these two manipulate and trip up Meyers was like watching two warhorses showing the world how to give colorful performances. George Clooney's portrayal of Governor Mike Morris was a lot more restrained than Hoffman and Giamatti, but equally memorable as Democratic candidate, Michael Morris. Superficially, Clooney invested a great deal of subtle charm and idealism into the character. But I liked the way he slowly revealed the ambition and corruption behind the Mr. Smith persona. If anything, Clooney's Governor Morris reminded me of the numerous so-called ideally liberal politicians, who are revealed to be not only corrupt, but disappointing.

Despite the powerhouse appearances of veterans like Clooney, Giamatti, Hoffman, Wright and Tomei, the real star of "THE IDES OF MARCH" turned out to be Ryan Gosling. The ironic thing is that his portrayal of political campaign manager Stephen Meyers made Clooney's restrained performance look absolutely subtle. Yet, along with Clooney's direction, Gosling more or less managed to carry the movie. I am not saying this because Gosling is the star of the movie. In his quiet way, he managed to carry a film featured with more colorful performances from an older cast. More importantly, Gosling did an excellent job in quietly conveying Stephen Meyers from a savy, yet idealistic junior campaign manager to a harder and wiser politico who is willing to embrace corruption in order to save his career. I thought he gave a very impressive performance.

So far, "THE IDES OF MARCH" has earned accolades during this award season. It won an award at the Venice International Film Festival, was listed as one of the year's ten best films by the National Board of Review and earned four Golden Globe nominations, recently. I believe the movie deserve these accolades. Thanks to George Clooney's direction, the script and a talented cast led by Ryan Gosling, I was very impressed by it.

"BOARDWALK EMPIRE" Season One (2010) Photo Gallery

2011-12-22T10:44:00.000-08:00

Below are images from the HBO series called "BOARDWALK EMPIRE". Produced by Terence Winter, Mark Wahlberg and Martin Scorcese, the series stars Steve Buscemi:

"BOARDWALK EMPIRE" Season One (2010) Photo Gallery

"CENTENNIAL" (1978-79) - Episode Six "The Longhorns" Commentary

2011-12-20T07:53:00.000-08:00

"CENTENNIAL" (1978-79) - Episode Six "The Longhorns" Commentary

After the bleak narrative of "The Massacre", the fifth episode of "CENTENNIAL", the following episode is almost a joy to watch. I can state with absolute certainty that "The Longhorns" is one of my favorite episodes of the series.

"The Massascre" ended with Englishman Oliver Seccombe's return to the West and his declaration to start a ranch in Northern Colorado on behalf of a major British investor, one Earl Venneford of Wye. Upon Levi Zendt's recommendation, Seccombe hires John Zimmerhorn, the son of the disgraced militia colonel, to acquire Longhorn cattle in Texas and drive them back to Colorado. Upon his arrival in Texas, John meets a Latino cook by the name of Ignacio "Nacho" Gomez, who recommends that he hired an experienced trail boss named R.J. Poteet to lead the cattle drive to Colorado. Poteet hires a few experienced hands such as ex-slave Nate Pearson, Mule Canby and an ex-thief named Mike Lassiter to serve as cowboys for the drive. He also hires a handful of inexperienced young hands that includes a sharpshooter named Amos Calendar and a former Confederate soldier from South Carolina named Bufe Coker. To avoid any encounters with Commanche raiders and ex-Confederate bandits from Kansas, Poteet suggests to John that they travel through a trail established by Charles Goodnight and Oliver Loving that would take them through the Llano Estacado (Staked Plains) and New Mexico. Before leaving Texas, Poteet hires one last cowboy - one Jim Lloyd, who happens to be the 14 year-old son of his best friend who was killed during the Civil War.

One of things that I like about "The Longhorns" is that it is filled with characters trying to make a new start in life, following the chaos of war. Most, if not all, are outsiders. For example:

*Jim Lloyd is the only cowhand on the drive who is under the age of 16.

*John Skimmerhorn has to deal with the reverberations of his father's murderous actions in the last episode.

*"Nacho" Gomez is the only Latino and has to constantly deal with comments about his use of beans in his cooking.

*Nate Pearson is the only African-American on the drive and a former slave.

*Mike Lassiter is a former thief who uses the drive to clear his name and start a new life of respectability.

*Bufe Coker is the only Easterner (from South Carolina) with very little experiences in dealing with the West.

The ironic thing about "The Longhorns" is that instead of constant conflict between the cowboys, all of them managed to form a strong bond during the long drive between Texas and the Colorado Territory. This strong bond is formed through a series of shared experiences - battling the environment, Native American raiders and Kansas bandits; along with humorous stories around a campfire and sensible wisdom from the experienced hands. One of the episode's long-running joke are Lassiter and Canby's recollections of an eccentric named O.D. Cleaver. The drive not only introduced one of the miniseries' major characters, Jim Lloyd; but also the strong bond formed by the cowboys that would end up having consequences in future episodes.

If viewers are expecting "The Longhorns" to be a 90-minute version of the 1989 CBS miniseries, "LONESOME DOVE", they will be in for a disappointment. "The Longhorns" is basically a contribution to the narrative and history of "CENTENNIAL", not a major storyline. The relationships formed in the episode does have consequences on the story . . . but that is about it. I certainly did not expect it to be another "CENTENNIAL". In fact, I was too busy enjoying the episode to really care.

When I said that I enjoyed "The Longhorns", I was not joking. One, it featured one of my favorite themes in any story - long distance traveling. Two, I enjoyed watching the characters - major and minor - develop a strong camaraderie within the episode's 97-minute running time. And thanks to screenwriter John Wilder and director Virgil W. Vogel, the miniseries featured some strong characterizations, allowing many of the actors to shine. I wish I could pinpoint which performance really impressed me. This episode was filled with some strong performances. But if I had to be honest, the performances that really impressed me came from Dennis Weaver as the tough and pragmatic trail boss, R.J. Poteet; Michael St. Clair as the young Jim Lloyd who in a poignant scene, eventually realizes that he will never see Texas and his family again; Cliff De Young, who continued his solid performance as the very steady John Skimmerhorn; Glynn Turman as the warm, yet competent Nate Pearson; Greg Mullavey as the gregarious Mule Canby; Rafael Campos as the tough, yet friendly "Nacho" Campos; Les Lannom as the slightly caustic Bufe Coker who is also desperate to start a new life in the post-war West; Jesse Vint as soft-spoken, yet slightly intimidating Amos Calendar; Dennis Frimple as the enthusiastic, but odor-challenged Buck; and Scott Hylands, who gave a very entertaining performance as the verbose teller of tall tales, Mike Lassiter.

For an episode that is considered part of a miniseries called "CENTENNIAL", I found it interesting that it featured the setting in question in only two minor scenes. One of them featured the cowboys arrival in the vicinity of Centennial. The other and more important scene featured the continued feud between Seccombe and immigrant farmer Hans Brumbaugh. Both Timothy Dalton and Alex Karras played the hell out of this brief scene, reminding viewers that the hostility between the two is destined to spill over in a very ugly way.

What more can I say about "The Longhorns"? I loved it. I loved it when I first saw it and I still do. It featured long-distance traveling, strong characterizations and a strong, yet steady narrative. Both Virgil Vogel and John Wilder, along with the cast made this episode one of the most memorable in the entire miniseries.

"West to Laramie" [PG] - 3/4

2011-12-18T11:13:00.000-08:00

Part 3– The third part in a series of letters from a Philadelphia matron and her companion during their journey to the Pre-Civil War West.

"WEST TO LARAMIE”

Chapter 3

May 3, 1860

Mrs. Adelaide Taylor
231 Green Street
Philadelphia, PA

Dear Addie,

Patricia and I have arrived at this small prairie town in the Kansas Territory. Our coach stopped for a few minutes to retrieve mail and other packages. The sooner we are on our way, the better. Stagecoach travel has proved to be quite unbearable. You cannot imagine how I long to be at Fort Laramie by now. Being here in Kansas has reminded me of the violent outbreaks over slavery that has tainted this part of the country, recently. I fear that some Missouri border ruffians or Kansas Jayhawkers might descend upon our coach and harass us before we can leave the territory.

Addie my love, whoever said that stagecoach traveling would be comfortable was either the greatest charlatan on this earth or worse, a drunk. No reflection upon your brother, but we must remember that he has been blind with love for nearly a year. I should really listen to Patricia more often.

I must say that the land here in Kansas seem quite impressive – at least visually. The eastern part of the territory resembled Missouri with its green woods and expansive plains filled with tall grass that swayed like graceful dancers. Eventually, the land became flat as a pancake with hardly a stem of grass or flowers in sight. An occasional tree or prairie animal would break the monotony of the open wide spaces. Thank goodness for the bright orange that glows across the western skyline when the sun descends for the night.

Right now, I am sure you are asking - ”What is Mother complaining about?” Well, there is this series of elements that seem bent upon assaulting my face – namely the wind, dust, heat and insects. Rocks and other objects of this so-called “road” cause the coach to bump and sway over long periods of time. It had taken me nearly three hours to recover from a case of maldemere, after our departure from St. Joseph. The coach leaves very little room for passengers. There are only six of us, inside the vehicle – including three females who did not have the sense to don narrower skirts for this journey. Patricia and I have the best seats – right behind the front boot, facing backward. We can see the backs of two men seated in the coach’s most uncomfortable spots.

The passengers come from an extremely interesting selection of humanity. First, there is Mr. Atticus Hornbottom (trust me, I am not making this up), a whiskey drummer from St. Louis. This rotund and balding man wears a horrid checked suit and spends most of his time either talking about himself or snooping into the background of other passengers. He sells whiskey to various Army and trading posts throughout the Plains. He is also destined for Fort Laramie.

Another passenger happens to be Captain Jonas Pearson, an Army officer destined for Fort Hall, which is further west of Laramie. After Mr. Hornbottom managed to coerce that bit of information from him, the good Captain kept to himself. It took the subject of the violence here in Kansas raised by Mr. Hornbottom for Captain Pearson to finally speak again. He declared that the Jayhawkers were to blame for the troubles here in Kansas. This prompted Patricia to declare that the Missouri border men were also not exempt from blame. She also accused the bordermen of attempting to vote in a pro-slavery constitution by fraudulent means. The captain did not take kindly to such an outburst – especially from a colored woman. The two have been exchanging dark looks ever since. By the way, Captain Pearson hails from Georgia.

Sitting against the rear boot is a flashy-looking couple that consist of a gentleman (I use this word in the broadest sense) named Reese McEvers and an overdressed woman with gold curls named Lucy. By the look of his and dark hair slicked back with Madagascar oil, Mr. McEvers must be a professional gambler or a distributor of women’s favors. As for his golden-curled companion, Mr. McEvers claimed that she is his wife. Yet, I saw no wedding ring on her finger. Curious.

Our ”jehu” or driver is Mr. Kolp, a no-nonsense type who is all business. Every now and then, he encourages the horses on with cries of "Ha!” or ”Giddap there!”. Riding shotgun is a Mr. Harvey Wright, a former muleteer who is as talkative as Mr. Hornbottom. Unlike the whiskey-drummer, we rarely have the chance to listen to his talk. Except at way stations and stops such as this place. I would love to continue this letter, but we are about depart. Writing in a jostling stagecoach is virtually impossible. Give my love to Harold for me.

I love you always,

Mother

P.S. I will write another letter when we reach Fort Kearny, near the Platte River.

=====================================================

May 6, 1860

Mrs. Elizabeth Evans
64 Anderson Road
Falmouth, MA

Dear Cousin Elizabeth,

We have finally reached Fort Kearny in the Nebraska Territory late this afternoon and will not depart until tomorrow, due to certain complications. The coach’s left axle wheel (or whatever) was in danger of loosening. Mr. Kolp, our driver, ordered us out of the coach and we were forced to walk the last twelve miles to the fort. Once inside, Mr. Kolp informed us that the axle should be repaired by tomorrow morning.

Both Mrs. Middleton and I were at first relieved to be outside that stuffy coach. Sitting inside with four other passengers became quite unbearable. The prairie winds had covered everyone’s faces with layers of dust. Do you remember that Army captain from Georgia that I had written about in my last letter? Well, I find it amusing that the captain’s face now closely resembles mine. What delicious irony. But after walking eight miles, we found ourselves missing that coach a great deal. My pair of sturdy was nearly ruined by the time we reached the fort.

Fort Kearny is one of the many forts that station the Army’s First Calvary (the same regiment that Robert Middleton serve) on the Great Plains. Named after Philip Kearney, a Mexican War army officer, it is situated near the Platte River. And what a dismal looking body of water the Platte is! The Missouri and Ohio Rivers are beautiful and even the Mississippi River possesses a certain magnificence. But the Platte? Good Lord! I have never looked upon a more turgid stream of water in my life.

The fort’s commander was kind enough to offer Mrs. Middleton, Mr. McEvers’ mistress (wife indeed!) and myself the guest rooms. For which I am eternally grateful! The men accepted room in the enlisted men’s barracks. For one evening, we have walking space to stretch our legs and comfortable beds to sleep upon. I do not have much to say about the fort. It is merely a collection of adobe, sod and wooden buildings that include the kitchen, the stables for the horses, one for the sutler (civilian trader for the military), two dining rooms, a recreation hall, a billiard’s room, barracks for the enlisted troopers and living quarters for the officers. All of these buildings surround a central parade ground. Yet, the fort lacks fortified walls.

This evening, we dined on an edible meal (the only one we will have, I suspect, until Fort Laramie) that consisted of pheasant, roasted potatoes, sage stuffing, beans and salt pork, garden vegetables, sourdough bread and a dried apple pie. The memory of that meal still lingers. Afterwards, the wife of a junior office sang ”Listen to the Mockingbird” and other selections for our entertainment. She has a sweet voice, but not as strong as your Charlotte’s. She also struck me as a poor, delicate creature. I suspect that she will not last very long on the frontier. Her husband, in my opinion, apparently lacked the sense and compassion to realize that she needs to be sent back East. Preferably with relations or friends. Or perhaps he cannot afford to do so. It would be a shame if this is true. Anything would be better for her than staying in this wilderness.

It is late and I need my rest. I do not look forward to resuming our journey in that stagecoach. But I fear I would need to take advantage of our stay here for peaceful rest. Who knows how long it will be before we find ourselves at Fort Laramie and in decent beds again. Give my love to your family and take care of yourself.

Your loving cousin,

Patricia North

"TAKERS" (2010) Review

2011-12-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

"TAKERS" (2010) Review

Over a year ago, a crime thriller about a group of bank robbers operating in Los Angeles was released to the theaters with little fanfare and a great deal of scorn. Although "TAKERS" earned over twice its budget, it barely made a dent with filmgoers. Out of curiosity, I decided to see what the lack of fuss was all about.

In a nutshell, "TAKERS" began with a successful bank robbery committed by a team of seasoned criminals - including Gordon Cozier, John Rahway, A.J., and brothers Jake and Jesse Attica. Following the success of their heist, the five lead a life of luxury while planning their next job. Unfortunately, a former member of their team named "Ghost" is released from prison. He convinces the group to strike an armored car carrying $20 million. While the bank robbers carefully plot their strategy, a pair of L.A.P.D. police detectives named Jack Welles and Eddie Hatcher investigate their last job. Welles and Hatcher, aware of Ghost's release, finally become aware of the five robbers, and set about apprehending them.

"TAKERS" is basically a run-of-the-mill crime drama filled with complex characters and fast-paced action sequences. The movie also unfolded a peak into the private lives of both the robbers and cops - culminating into a series of familial and romantic frustrations, betrayal, and loyalty. The screenplay written by Peter Allen, Gabriel Casseus, John Luessenhop and Avery Duff pretty much touched upon every topic one could find in a story about bank robbers - aside from the hostage situation featured in movies such as 1975's "DOG DAY AFTERNOON" and 2006's "INSIDE MAN". If I must be honest, the story structure and characterizations in "TAKERS" strongly reminded me of Michael Mann's 1995 opus, "HEAT", but with less complexity. To a certain degree.

In a way, I could see why most reviewers and moviegoers failed to warm up to "TAKERS" - aside from the controversial presence of Chris Brown in the cast. It is not exactly an crime epic in compare to some of the other movies I have mentioned. Although Michael Barrett's photography struck me as colorful and glossy, there was nothing unique about it. Some of the dialogue in the film seemed wooden and unmemorable. And I could tell that some of the inexperienced actors like Tip "T.I." Harris had a little trouble handling it. One of the action sequences featured a shoot-out between the five bank robbers and Russian mobsters at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel. Both Barrett and director John Luessenhop tried to be ambitious by shooting most of the sequence in slow motion, while maintaining the sound effects - dialogue included - at a regular pace. Paul Haslinger's mournful score somewhat helped the sequence, but the screenwriters' insipid dialogue nearly undermined it.

I realize that many might find this hard to believe, but "TAKERS" possessed virtues that managed to outweigh its flaws. One, it possessed a first-rate cast lead by the likes Idris Elba and Matt Dillon. Both actors were superb in their roles as British-born immigrant and current leader of the robbers Gordon Cozier and veteran L.A.P.D. detective Jack Welles. The movie also featured first-rate performances from Michael Ealy, Hayden Christensen, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Jay Hernandez, Zoë Saldaña and yes, even Chris Brown. Paul Walker, Glynn Turman and Tip Harris gave solid support as well. I realize that I had been a little critical of Harris' handling of some of the dialogue, but I must admit that his handling of the manipulative and vindictive "Ghost" character really impressed me.

Aside from the Roosevelt Hotel shoot-out, "TAKERS" was filled with some outstanding action sequences, thanks to Luessenhop's direction, Barrett's photography and the editing of both Armen Minasian and Colby Parker, Jr. Some of the best sequences featured Hayden Christensen's (A.J.) encounter with a double-crossing explosive dealer and his crew; the entire heist of an armored truck in downtown Los Angeles; and a chase sequence that featured Chris Brown, Jay Hernandez and Matt Dillon.

However, the one virtue that really made "TAKERS" work for me was the screenplay written by Luessenhop and three other writers. I realize that I might attract a good deal of flap of pointing this out, but the screenplay for "TAKERS" possessed one virtue that the highly regarded "HEAT" lacked - the minor plot lines featuring the some of the characters' personal lives had strong connections to the movie's main narrative. This prevented the movie's pacing from dragging at an unnecessarily long pace.

Although "TAKERS" actually made a profit at the box, it was only able to do so, due to the movie's low budget. Because otherwise, one might as well call it failure. Well, failure or not, I ended up enjoying "TAKERS" . . . much to my great surprise. It may not be one of the best crime dramas ever made, but I cannot deny that I found it entertaining, suspenseful and exciting.

"ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO" (1953) Photo and Screenshot Gallery

2011-12-14T17:42:00.000-08:00

Below are galleries featuring photos and screenshots from the 1953 Western drama called "ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO". Directed by John Sturges, the movie starred William Holden, Eleanor Parker and John Forsythe:

"ESCAPE FROM FORT BRAVO" (1953) Photo and Screenshot Gallery

Photos

Screenshots

"HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER" and the Not-So-Great Robin/Barney Love Fest

2011-12-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

"HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER" AND THE NOT-SO-GREAT ROBIN/BARNEY LOVE FEST

I am tired of the Robin Scherbatsky/Barney Stinson (Cobie Smulders/Neil Patrick Harris) saga. I really am. They have practically dominated Season Seven of CBS's "HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER" with a romance that seemed to be force-fed by the series' creators Craig Thomas and Carter Bays, in order to satisfy the certain shippers.

What can I say? Everything about the Robin/Barney love story has seemed forced to me. As far back as Seasons Four and Five. When the pair first became a couple back in Season Five, Thomas and Bays managed to screw that relationship by breaking them up in (5.07) "The Rough Patch". And they used one of the most contrived reasons I have come across in television history. After dating each other for a while, the two decided to break up, because their relationship led them - "two awesomes" - to "cancel each other out", making them less than they want to be. Their relationship led Robin to become a sloppy dresser and Barney to gain weight. It was one of the most ridiculous episodes I had ever seen.

But what happened between Robin and Barney seemed nothing in compare to the love saga that awaited viewers in Seasons Six and Seven. Robin introduced Barney to a work colleague of hers named Nora (Nazanin Boniadi) in the Season Six episode, (6.16) "Desperation Day. After Barney struggled with his feelings for Nora throughout late Season Six, he finally realized that he was interested in her in the season finale, (6.24) "Challenge Accepted". In the following season, Barney told Nora about his sexual past in (7.02) "The Naked Truth". She nearly dumped him, until she realized how serious he was about her . . . and decided to give him a chance. During this initial courtship between Barney and Nora, Robin decided that she still have feelings for him. Gee . . . how convenient. Instead of telling Barney about her feelings, she eventually began dating her psychiatrist, Kevin (portrayed by Kai Penn).

I was willing to give the possibility of a second Barney/Robin hook-up another chance. But Thomas and Bays managed to fuck it all up. At least for me. One, the producers had decided to portray poor Nora as a one-dimensional paragon of perfection. During the nine episodes Nora appeared in the series, the writers never developed her beyond her penchant for Valentine's Day, kids and ideal romance. She was a female Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor), but without any flaws or complexity whatsoever. Hell, Ted's past girlfriends were portrayed with more complexity than Nora. And I am not just talking about Robin. Even the latter's new boyfriend, Kevin, seemed more complex and interesting as Nora. The only time I ever came close to really liking Nora was in (7.07) "Noretta", in which she suffered a series of mishaps during a date that was supposed to culminate in sex for the first time with Barney. But Thomas and Bays never allowed Nora's character to develop beyond the mishaps she had suffered in that particular episode. They seemed determined to manipulate the viewers into disliking her and cheering for a Barney/Robin hookup.

In the end, Thomas and Bays got rid of Nora in (7.10) "Tick, Tick, Tick . . .". And how do they achieve this? They allowed Barney and Robin to cheat on both her and Kevin by having sex sometime between (7.09) "Disaster Averted" and "Tick, Tick, Tick . . .". In the latter episode, Barney eventually told Nora that he had "slept with another woman". He failed to inform her that the woman in question was her colleague and the woman who had introduced them . . . namely Robin. Then he dumped Nora. What the fuck? This unpleasant task was followed with a scene in which Robin silently conveyed to Barney that she decided to keep their night of illicit sex as a secret from Kevin. Barney ended up crying in his milk, because Robin decided to stay with Kevin. And how did I feel? I realized that I could not give a shit . . . about either Barney or Robin.

Wait. It got worse. At the end of (7.11) "The Rebound Girl", Robin informed Barney that she might be pregnant. Even worse, he might be the father, since she has yet to have sex with Kevin. This bit of information had me rolling my eyes with disbelief. In (7.12) "Symphony of Illumination", Robin discovered that she was not pregnant. Her celebration was short-lived, when her doctor informed that she could never have children. This last plot twist disgusted me to no end.

Why? Why in the hell did Thomas and Bays use to plot line for Robin in the first damn place? For what purpose? They revealed in a few interviews that Robin's discovery about her inability to conceive would drive her to become more career-oriented. Really? How lame! They could have simply continued to use Robin's dislike of motherhood to explain why she never had kids. Why in the hell did they bother to use this "inability to have kids" plot line, straight out of a Ross Hunter production from the late 1950s and early 60s? It is so Lana Turner. Did they honestly believe that the only way for Robin to remain sympathetic was for her to be physically denied the chance to get pregnant, instead of simply disliking the idea of being a mother? Or was this simply another addition to the Robin/Barney soap opera, leading to their eventual marriage?

What makes Robin and Barney's romance even harder to swallow is the fact that I do not find their romantic chemistry all that exciting. In fact, I find it rather dull. Both Harris and Smulders had great chemistry when portraying their characters as close friends, or whenever Robin repelled one of Barney's cheap come-ons. But when it came to portraying serious romance between the two, I found the chemistry between Harris and Smulders as exciting as a piece of wood. Smulders had better chemistry with Radnor during Robin's romance with Ted. In the Season Two episode, (2.05) "The World's Greatest Couple", Lily had moved into Barney's apartment to help him stave off persistent one-night stands. Harris and Hannigan had more chemistry in that one episode than he ever did with Smulders. He even had better chemistry with Boniadi, when her Nora character was at its most one-dimensional.

The Barney/Robin soap opera seemed to have affected the characters of Ted, Marshall Eriksen (Jason Segel) and Lily Aldrin (Alyson Hannigan). I realize that "HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER" is not solely about Ted's search for his future wife. Six seasons of the series have proven this. But Ted, Marshall and Lily have been treated as supporting characters in compare to Barney and Robin. They have been given silly "B" plots in most of the season's episodes, despite the fact that Marshall and Lily are expecting their first child and Ted is supposed to be the series' leading character. while viewers (at least those who, like myself, are not Barney/Robin shippers) have been forced to swallow the barely digestible Barney/Robin love fest of Season Seven. The balance between all five characters have been off ever since the producers had decided to engage in Barney and Robin's "love story" this past year.

Will the great Robin/Barney love fest abate at least a little by the second half of Season Seven? I hope so, but I have doubts. Barney is scheduled for his own wedding sometime in the near future, thanks to a flash forward seen in the season premiere, (7.01) "The Best Man". Like many viewers, I suspect that the bride in question is likely to be Robin. When the series' first two seasons led toward Marshall and Lily's wedding in (2.21) "Something Borrowed", their characters did not overshadow the other three with dominant appearances throughout the first two seasons. Yet, Thomas and Bays have bombarded viewers with episodes centering around Robin and Barney during this past year. Why? I suspect to satisfy the growing number of Barney/Robin shippers that seemed to have materialize over the past few seasons.

Now, is it really two much to ask for the producers to get over their Barney/Robin obsession and return the balance for all five characters? Is it? Many fans of the show had complained about the quality of Season Six. Mind you, the last season did not feature "HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER" at its best. But I managed to enjoy it a hell of a lot better than Season Seven. If this Robin/Barney love fest get any worse, Craig Thomas and Carter Bays is going to lose a fan . . . namely me.

"West to Laramie" [PG] - 2/4

2011-12-12T17:16:00.000-08:00

Part 2 – The second part in a series of letters from a Philadelphia matron and her companion during their journey to the Pre-Civil War West.

”WEST TO LARAMIE”

Chapter 2

April 28, 1860

Mrs. Adelaide Middleton Taylor
231 Green Street
Philadelphia, Pa

Dear Addie,

Nearly twenty-four hours after you and Harold had deposited Patricia and myself aboard the train for New York City, we finally arrive in Chicago. Despite a delay in Princeton, we managed to make our connecting train for Chicago in time. The basket of food that you had insisted upon giving to me proved to be most fortuitous.

The trip to Chicago provided no complications, I am happy to say – aside from the boorish behavior of our conductor. An unpleasant man with a sour face, the conductor had insisted that Patricia leave the first-class coach and sit in the car reserved for colored passengers. Patricia became irritated by his manner and an argument ensued between the two. I must say that man conducted himself in the most ridiculous manner! At least Patricia did not carry on like some hysterical child. I had firmly insisted that she stay with me, claiming I would require her services at all time. I doubt that the conductor believed me, but he had no proof to doubt my word. Patricia remained in my company throughout the entire trip. The conductor obviously must have been the type who was too cowardly to make further scenes. Especially with a white woman.

The basket of food proved to be more than fortuitous. It was God-sent. Both Patricia and I discovered in Pittsburg how atrocious the food served in these railway dining depots can be. One bite of a smoked sausage had sent us both scurrying back to the train for your basket.

We finally arrived in Chicago covered in dust and soot. The station master informed us that the next train for St. Joseph, Missouri was due to leave tomorrow afternoon. Patricia and I shared a room at a local boardinghouse located near the railway station. A plump, cheerful woman named Lenora Clarke owned the place. We had assumed that she would raise a fuss regarding Patricia’s presence. Unlike some of her fellow citizens of Illinois, Mrs. Clarke turned out to be a very tolerant woman. In fact, she and Patricia took to each other like ducks to water.

Chicago struck me as being a thriving city with great vitality. Within two decades, it has become the railway center of the West and the major stockyard for the entire country. Mrs. Clarke informed us that the city is preparing for the Republican convention for the next presidential election. There is talk that Illinois will push for one of its prominent citizens – an attorney named Abraham Lincoln from Springfield – as a potential candidate. He was the fellow who had ran against Stephen Douglas for the U.S. Senate seat, two years ago. He had made that famous "house divided against itself" speech.

After supper, I had hired a local cab to drive Patricia and myself on a little evening excursion along Lake Michigan. We stopped briefly to stretch our legs and encountered a Mr. McPherson, a local businessman and congenial companion. When I informed him of our travel plans, he assured us that unlike the stagecoaches here in the East, the Western coaches were the latest models built in Concord, New Hampshire. They should prove to be very comfortable. Patricia remained silent, but there seemed to be a "wait and see" expression in her eyes.

Dearest Addie, I do hope that you and Harold will take care of yourselves. I hope to meet the third member of your little family by the time Patricia and I return to Philadelphia.

I love you always,

Mother

=============================================================

May 3, 1860

Mrs. Elizabeth Evans
64 Anderson Road
Falmouth, MA

Dear Cousin Elizabeth,

How is Samuel and the rest of your family? And how is my favorite cousin, Charlotte? Is she still working as an assistant for the town’s doctor? I cannot say that I approve of her working for him. After all, nursing is an inappropriate profession for a young lady from a respectable family. I hope, for her sake that she is happy.

As you know from my last letter, Mrs. Middleton and I are on our way to Fort Laramie to attend her son’s wedding to the daughter of an Army major. We have finally reached St. Joseph in Western Missouri, two days ago. Frankly, I still find this little metropolis rather uncomfortable and cannot wait to leave. Do not misunderstand me. St. Joseph, I must admit, is a pleasant-looking community. There seem to be a large number of emigrants waiting to form trains for the trek west. It is situated directly north of the Missouri River and just east of the Missouri-Kansas border. Because it is a jump-off spot for westbound travelers, St. Joseph has grown quickly in size over the past decade.

Mrs. Middleton and I stayed at a hotel situated across the street from the Russell, Major and Widdell office of the Pony Express. Unlike a pleasant woman we had met in Chicago named Mrs. Clarke, the proprietor of the Hatten Hotel had at first refused to allow me to share a room with my employer. Claiming he did not want any "free niggers" in his place, he bluntly suggested that I find another place to board or sleep in the stables. Frankly, I would have preferred another hotel or boarding house than stay under the same roof with the narrow-minded fool. But Mrs. Middleton lied by informing him that I was her "bond servant" (Dear God!) and lacked extra money to pay for a room elsewhere. How humiliating! Mrs. Middleton’s ploy only reminded me that the North still practiced indenture servitude. The proprietor did not mind my new . . . "status" and allowed me to remain. However, I was forced to eat in the kitchen with the slaves.

During our tour of the town, we stopped at the Central Overland Stage Line office. The clerk assured us that we will have a comfortable trip. He added that the Indians would be no trouble. Apparently, the Army is keeping them away from "civilized" settlers and back on their lands. It amazes me that so many people have insisted that we had nothing to worry about the trip by stage. I feel that the Government and private businesses seem bent upon inducing people to settle in the West. And for some reason, my doubts regarding this journey have increased.

As I had stated before, the headquarters for the Pony Express is located across the street from our hotel. This postal service delivers mail and small packages between St. Joseph and San Francisco on the West Coast, using orphan boys and young men as dispatch riders. These young fellows travel hundreds of miles across the wilderness to deliver the mail in record speed. The Pony Express service has been in operation for only a month so far. I do not think it will last very long. Already, there is word of telegraph lines scheduled to be erected in the near future.

Yesterday afternoon, I came face to face with a very unsettling scene. It not only made me more than anxious than ever to leave this town, it reminded me that St. Joseph is part of Missouri – a slave state. Upon finishing my supper, I stepped outside for some air and spotted a gang of slaves shackled together and being herded toward the local slave mart. The sight of the ragged prisoners slowly making their way down the street, accompanied by a white man driving a wagon, sent chills down my spine. Not only did I remember that I was presently in a slave state, but that said state has sent hundreds of men into Kansas in order to turn that territory into a slave state.

At the moment, Mrs. Middleton and I are at the stage depot, waiting for the horses to be harnessed to our coach. All of the passengers were given two blankets (in May?) and a canteen of water for the journey. Four other passengers wait with us to board the coach. I will write to you when I can. Give my love to your family.

Your loving cousin,

Patricia North

"SYLVIA" (2003) Review

2011-12-11T08:31:00.001-08:00

"SYLVIA" (2003) Review

I finally watched "SYLVIA" on DVD. After all I have heard about the movie, I had expected to be disappointed by it. To be truthful, I found it quite interesting biopic that was especially enhanced by the leads' performances. But . . . "SYLVIA" was not a perfect film.

Set between the mid-1950s to the early 1960s, The movie's revelation of the Sylvia Plath/Ted Hughes courtship, followed by their marriage turned out to be very interesting and rather intense. I suspect that many had expected it to take sides in the couple's breakup. To its credit, the movie avoided this route. There were no heroes/heroines and villains/villainesses in their story . . . just two people who had failed to create a successful marriage. In fact, the movie presented the possibility that both Plath and Hughes had contributed their breakup.

To be honest, I think that Gwenyth Paltrow and Daniel Craig's performances as Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes had more to do with the movie's main virtue than the director, Christine Jeffs or the screenwriter, John Brownlow. Also, both Jared Harris as Al Alvarez and Blythe Danner as Aurelia Plath, gave able support. But it is obvious that this movie belonged to Paltrow and Craig, who brought the intensity of the Plath/Hughes marriage with an honesty and rawness that - if I must be honest - I sometimes found hard to bear.

But even those two were not able to save the movie's last half hour from almost sinking into an abyss of unrelenting boredom. I suspect that Jeffs and Brownlow wanted to give the moviegoers an in-depth look at Plath's emotional descent into suicide, following the break-up of her marriage to Hughes. But I wish they could have paced the movie's ending a little better than what had been shown in the movie theaters. The movie's last half hour nearly dragged it to a standstill.

Despite the last half hour, I would still recommend "SYLVIA". In the end, it turned out to be a pretty interesting look into the marriage of the two famous poets. I give it 7 out of 10 stars.

"J. EDGAR" (2011) Photo Gallery

2011-12-09T18:56:00.000-08:00

Below are images of Clint Eastwood's new biopic about F.B.I. director, J. Edgar Hoover. The movie stars Leonardo Di Caprio:

"J. EDGAR" (2011) Photo Gallery

"BOARDWALK EMPIRE": Echoing John Webster

2011-12-08T10:13:00.000-08:00

"BOARDWALK EMPIRE": ECHOING JOHN WEBSTER

One of the flashbacks in the most recent episode of "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" featured a scene with the future Atlantic City crime lord, Jimmy Darmody, discussing the English dramatist John Webster's 1612 play, "The White Devil" with his class at Princeton University. After watching the entire episode, it occurred to me that another one of Webster's plays could have served as a reference.

I have never posted an article about an episode of "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" during these last two seasons. I have posted a gallery featuring images and a list of favorite episodes from Season One. But after watching (2.11) "Under God's Power She Flourishes", I realized that I could not keep my mouth shut. Or at least refrain from writing something about it. What can I say? It blew my mind. Even more so than the previous episode, (2.10) "Georgia Peaches".

"Under God's Power She Flourishes" featured the deterioration of the relationship between former Atlantic City political boss Nucky Thompson and his Irish-born mistress, Margaret Schroeder. Margaret has been sagging under the belief that her sins - both past and recent - led to divine retribution in the form of her daughter Emily being struck down by polio. Margaret had hoped that a financial contribution to the Catholic Church would lead God to alleviate her daughter's pain. When that failed, she decided that the only way to satisfy God would be to consider testifying against Nucky, regarding the murder of her late husband, Hans Schroeder. Naturally, Nucky is both disturbed and greatly peeved by Margaret's suggestion. He thought he had finally nipped in the bud the possibility of being convicted by the U.S. Department of Justice for Schroeder's murder. Nucky and his attorney had learned from the former's servant about Treasury Agent Nelson Van Alden's murder of fellow colleague Agent Sebso back in Season One.

Like Margaret, Van Alden had hoped that his recent actions - turning over his files on Nucky to Federal prosecutor Esther Randolph, granting his wife a divorce and resisting Mickey Doyle's suggestion that he raid a bootlegging operation ran by Charlie Luciano, Meyer Lansky and Al Capone in exchange for a bribe - would lead God to prevent him from any further suffering or encountering further retribution for his crimes and sins. Instead, Esther Randolph reminded him of Agent Sebso's murder and Van Alden found himself a fugitive from Federal justice. Looking at Margaret and Van Alden's hopes and disappointments, I cannot help but wonder if their idea of embracing God called for some kind of business deal for their safety or the safety of loved ones.

But the meat of "Under God's Power She Flourishes" picked up several hours after "Georgia Peaches" ended. Angela Darmody, who had been murdered by Philadelphia mobster/butcher Manny Horvitz in retaliation for a murder attempt, was being carried away by a coroner's truck. A sheriff deputy questioned mother-in-law Gillian Darmody and Richard Harrow on the whereabouts of Angela's missing husband, Jimmy. Jimmy had traveled to Princeton to unload a supply of bootleg whiskey he was unable to sell in Atlantic City. The news of Angela's death, some booze and Luciano's sample of heroin led to Jimmy recalling his last days at Princeton, before he joined the U.S. Army to fight World War I.

I tried to recall other "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" episodes that had relied on flashbacks, but none came to mind. I have no opinion on the use of flashbacks one way or the other, as long as they manage to serve the episode or movie in question. The Princeton flashbacks certainly served this latest "BOARDWALK EMPIRE" episode, as far as I am concerned. The flashbacks explained a great deal about Jimmy's character and especially his relationships with both his mother Gillian and Angela, who had been a waitress at a local cafe when she and Jimmy first became involved. Jimmy and Angela's pre-marital affair led to son Tommy's conception. The flashbacks also featured Gillian's visit to Princeton, where she met Angela for the first time. It seemed pretty obvious that Gillian did not care for her son's new lady love. I can only wonder if Gillian's feelings toward Jimmy's romance with Angela led her to do what she did that evening. It was bad enough that she had briefly become involved with Jimmy's professor - the one with whom he discussed John Webster. But what she did later - seduce Jimmy into having sex with her - left my head spinning and the Internet buzzing over the incident. The night of incest between mother and son also led the latter to join the Army to escape facing their deed.

But Jimmy could not avoid facing Gillian forever. He eventually returned home to Atlantic City in order to work for Nucky and raise Tommy with Angela by his side. Jimmy also renewed his relationship with Gillian - without any sex being involved, thank goodness. Unfortunately, I suspect that incestuous night at Princeton had left its mark on Jimmy. It may have damaged his psyche considerably. And it may have also led him to make major mistakes such as joining Gillian and his father, former political boss Louis "the Commodore" Kaestner, to betray Nucky, his mentor. It led him to join forces with Luciano, Lansky and Capone, to form their own criminal organization. It, along with pressure from both Eli Thompson and Gillian, led him to organize an unsuccessful hit on Nucky. And it may have led him to commit his two biggest mistakes - welch on a $5,000 payment to Manny Horvitz and suggest that another gangster named Waxy Gordon kill the Philadelphia mobster/butcher. In the end, Angela ended up dead, Tommy motherless and Jimmy finally unable to hold back the memories of the Darmodys' Princeton sexcapade.

But it got worse. Upon his return to Atlantic City in the present, Jimmy found Gillian crowing over Angela's death. With her "rival" gone, I can only assume Gillian saw no need to hide her true feelings about the former "underweight waitress". But her crowing only ignited rage within Jimmy and led him to strangle her. The timely and rather surprising intervention by the recovering Commodore saved Gillian's life. But after stabbing Jimmy's shoulder with an antique spear, Jimmy stabbed his father with a trench knife. Another surprise appeared out of the blue when Gillian, with flashing eyes and a sharp tone, barked at Jimmy to finish the job and kill his father. Which he did. Many fans have compared Jimmy to the mythical Greek tragic hero, Oedipus. But the latter never knew that the man he had killed and woman he married were his parents. Jimmy, probably to his everlasting regret, did not possess such a luxury. But the sight of Gillian carrying Tommy upstairs, while stating that the latter will grow someday, and reminding him of the location of her bedroom, seemed to have left Jimmy wondering if his life had made an even uglier turn.

As for poor Angela . . . did anyone mourn her? Gillian certainly did not. I believe Jimmy did. But his grief seemed to be entwined with guilt over the suspicion that he became involved with Angela for the wrong reasons. Tommy is not even aware that his mother is dead, thanks to Gillian's lie about Angela departing for Paris for a bit of fun. The only one left is hitman Richard Harrow, whose brief and silent regard of Angela's blood made it obviously clear - at least to me - that he will miss her friendship very much. She was the only one who was able to face his disfigurement and situation with an open mind that not even Jimmy completely possessed. But Richard proved that he still had Jimmy's back, when he got rid of the Commodore's body on behalf of his friend.

Jimmy and Gillian's night of incest was shocking, but not really surprising. The series has hinted an incestuous vibe between them since the series' second episode, (1.02) "The Ivory Tower". In this episode, Jimmy finally revealed his return from the Army to Gillian, when he greeted her with a present, backstage at the at the Cafe Beaux-Arts nightclub. I still recall that moment when the two first laid eyes upon each other. A scantily-clad Gillian jumped into his arms and rained kisses on his face before admonishing him for not writing. Jimmy eventually asked her to put some clothes on and handed her a present - a necklace. At first, I thought Gillian was another girlfriend that he kept a secret from Angela. But when he called her "Mom", I found myself in complete shock. What mother would greet her grown son in a scantily-clad costume, by jumping into his arms before wrapping her legs around him? That was the first of many weird moments between Jimmy and Gillian that eventually escalated into that mind-blowing flashback. Some viewers and critics are complaining that the incest came unexpectedly and out of right field. Frankly, I believe they were not paying close attention to the relationship between mother and son.

One of the ironies about the episode is that "Under God's Power She Flourishes" is the motto of Princeton University, the site of Jimmy and Gillian's night of infamy. However, the biggest irony for me turned out to be the Commodore's death. I found it interesting that his death came from his attempt to act as an aging knight-in-armor for Gillian, the very woman he had raped when she was 12 or 13 years-old. In a twisted way, the Commodore's necrophiliac tendencies ended up costing him his life, a quarter of a century later. I did find myself wondering why the Commodore had attempted to save Gillian's life in the first place. Had he grown fond of her during those last months with her and Jimmy in his home? Or did Gillian's bitter recollection of the rape finally brought forth some form of guilt on his mind? I guess we will never know.

And how did John Webster fit into all of this? Jimmy's discussion with his professor about the dramatist's "The White Devil" and the latter's drunken entanglements with the visiting Gillian led to a declaration that Jimmy's life was one Jacobean saga. Webster's tales involved a great deal of tragedy, corruption, murder . . . well, you get the picture. Even the topic of incest had made its way into Webster's works - especially in his 1612-13 play, "The Duchess of Malfi". In that story, the female lead, the Duchess of Malfi, was murdered by her two brothers - in which one of them harbored incestuous feelings for her - after she married beneath her class. Well, the only person Jimmy murdered was the Commodore. But I find it rather interesting that Jimmy and Gillian's incestuous tryst inadvertently led to the Commodore's death.

Some people have expressed fears that the Season Two finale will never be able to top this episode. Frankly, I also rather doubt it will. "Under God's Power She Flourishes" struck me as one of those episodes that many will remember for years to come. I really do not see how (2.12) "To the Lost" will be able even better. I do not see how any episode could top "Under God's Power She Flourishes" so soon. Then again, I had no idea that Terence Winter and his writers would top a first-rate episode like "Georgia Peaches" with the next one. In the end, I can only hope that the Season Two finale would end up being entertaining and interesting in the long run.

"An Afternoon in Babysitting" [R] - 3/3

2011-12-07T11:20:00.001-08:00

"AN AFTERNOON IN BABYSITTING"

PART 3

The middle-aged man and his two daughters climbed the stoop leading toward the manor's front door. Piper glanced at her father, who wore a mournful expression on his face. "Are you okay, Dad?" she asked.

Victor heaved a sigh. "Oh . . . uh, yeah. Yeah, I'm okay." He shot a reassuring smile at his daughter. "You don't have to worry about me crying again. I'm okay."

"I guess Aunt Lillian must have been very close to you," Phoebe said, as she slid her key into the lock and opened the door.

Nodding, Victor replied, "You could say that. She was almost like a second mother to me."

Once inside the manor, the two sisters and their father found Leo pacing back and forth, across the living room floor. Piper immediately stiffened at the sight of her former husband. "Leo? What are you doing here?"

The Elder immediately rounded on Piper. "Where's Wyatt?" he demanded. "I tried to sense his whereabouts, but I couldn't find him. And why isn't Paige here?"

"Huh?" Piper gave Leo a confused stare.

Phoebe spoke up. "Wait a minute, Leo. Piper and I were at a family funeral with Dad. In San Jose. So, Paige had agreed to stay behind and baby-sit Wyatt. Are you saying that both of them are missing?"

His face red with emotion, Leo cried, "Yes Phoebe! That's exactly what I'm saying! After I had finished a Council meeting, I realized that I couldn't sense Wyatt. So, I rushed home and . . ."

"Home?" Piper snorted with derision. "That's funny. I don't recall this house being your home, any longer!"

Victor patted his daughter's shoulder. "Piper . . ."

Through gritted teeth, Leo corrected himself. "What I meant to say was when I got 'here', there was no in the house. Including my son!"

"I wonder what happened to Paige and Harry," Phoebe said, frowning. "You couldn't sense them?"

"Paige is no longer my charge. And Harry has never acknowledged me as his whitelighter."

Victor murmured, "Smart kid." His comment earned him a glare from the Elder.

At that moment, the front door opened. Paige and Harry rushed inside the house. Piper noticed her youngest sister, holding the side of her jaw. "Hey, I see you guys are back," Harry greeted. "How was the funeral?"

Victor replied, "Oh, it went . . ."

"Where's Wyatt?" Leo demanded, interrupting his former father-in-law. "Where's my son?"

Piper added, "Leo's got a point. Where is Wyatt?"

"Ed wid Lide und Co," Paige mumbled. Everyone stared at her. "Uh . . . Sowee."

Phoebe demanded, "What happened to you?"

Harry spoke for Paige. "She had a little dental emergency. Something about a molar."

"Oh my God! I knew you had an appointment on Tuesday. Was the dentist able to do anything?" Phoebe rushed over to comfort her younger sister.

Harry added, "We couldn't get in touch with Paige's dentist, so I took her to mine."

"And what about Wyatt?" Piper asked, before Leo could. The blond-haired Elder looked as if he was about to blow a gasket.

"Oh. I couldn't get hold of Mom or Gran. So, I left Wyatt with Olivia and Cole." Harry paused and frowned. "Ooops. I guess I forgot to pick him up."

Leo's face turned a deeper red, as he shouted, "YOU LEFT MY SON WITH THAT DEMON?"

----------

Olivia stirred briefly from her slumber, wondering why she was hearing bells. A groan left her mouth and returned to sleep. Unfortunately, it did not last, for more bells rang in her ears. Another minute passed, before she realized that the penthouse's doorbell had been ringing.

"Huh? Oh." She glanced down and saw Wyatt sleeping peacefully in her lap. Cole sat next to her on the sofa, with his arm around her. And also fast asleep. The doorbell rang for the third time. Olivia groaned and gently lifted Wyatt from her lap. She placed the infant in Cole's lap and slowly stood up. Wyatt squirmed for a few seconds, clutched at Cole's shirt with his tiny fist and fell back to sleep.

Again, the doorbell rang. Olivia reluctantly dragged her body toward the front door, muttering, "I'm coming, I'm coming." She opened the door and found Harry standing out in the hallway, along with Piper and Leo. "Where's my son?" the latter demanded, as he tried to enter the penthouse.

Olivia shoved the Elder back into the hallway. "What are you doing?" she cried. "Haven't you ever heard of waiting for an invitation?"

A sigh left Piper's mouth. "Sorry about that. Leo's just . . . worried. About Wyatt . . ."

"He's on Cole's lap. Sleeping." Olivia stepped back, and allowed the visitors to enter - including Leo. She led them toward the sofa, where Cole and Wyatt presented an odd picture of domesticity.

Piper murmured, "Talk about a disturbing scene."

"Actually, I think they look cute together," Harry commented. Both Piper and Leo stared at him. "What?"

Olivia shook Cole's shoulder. "Hey! Wake up! Piper and Leo are here for Wyatt."

The half-daemon groaned, as his eyes fluttered open. "Huh? Wha . . .?"

"Wake up! Piper's here to pick up Wyatt."

"Oh." Cole gathered Wyatt into his arms. The infant squirmed a bit, before he finally woke up. Then he yawned. Cole blinked at the visitors. "Uh . . . Piper, Leo. Hi."

Piper gave the half-daemon a polite smile. "Cole. I see you and Wyatt have managed to . . ." A perplexed frown appeared on her face. ". . . bond?"

"Have they ever!" Olivia added in an enthusiastic voice. "They've become quite close."

All eyes fell upon Wyatt, who seemed preoccupied with chewing Cole's shirt. "Yeah . . . uh, being with Wyatt has been . . ." Cole gently pried the baby from his shirt and immediately handed him over to Piper. ". . . uh, interesting. Let alone, hell on my shirts."

"I hope he didn't give you any other trouble," Harry said. His green eyes twinkled with amusement.

Both Olivia and Cole exchanged cryptic glances. "Oh, no trouble at all," the former replied.

"But what?" Leo asked, looking suspicious.

Olivia shook her head. "Nothing much. "Um . . . we took Wyatt out for a walk at the Marina Green. He . . . uh, sto . . . teleported some things from a few people."

"What?" Leo looked horrified.

Piper gave her son an admonishing stare. "Wyatt . . ." Harry's amusement remained unabated.

Olivia continued, "Don't worry. Cole managed to return the items. Without anyone being the wiser. And when we had returned to the building . . . um, a few daemons tried to kidnap Wyatt in the parking lot. By using me as a hostage."

Piper shook her head in disbelief. "Oh my God!"

"But not to worry," Cole added. "They weren't a real threat. Just a bunch of morons with a bad kidnapping plan. Both Olivia and I took care of them."

Her anxiety abated, Piper said, "That's a relief." She gave the two babysitters a grateful smile. "Well, thanks a lot, you two. I guess we better get going."

Cole said, "If you need a lift to the manor, I'd be more than happy to provide it for you."

"I'd . . ." Piper hesitated. She glanced at Leo with mild distaste. "On second thought, maybe I'll take that offer. Uh, where are Wyatt's belongings?" A second later, the carry-on bag appeared on Piper's shoulder. And the pram, along with the baby's car seat, materialized in front of the visitors' feet. "Oh. Okay."

Harry added, "Don't forget to send me back. My car is there."

Cole walked over to where Piper held Wyatt and chucked the latter's chin. "Good-bye Partner. It's been . . . interesting. Don't be a stranger." The baby gurgled.

Olivia planted a kiss on the baby's soft cheek. "Bye Wyatt. Maybe we'll do this again, some day." Cole muttered something under his breath and Leo wore a doubtful expression. But Olivia ignored them and said good-bye to both Piper and Harry, before Cole teleported the three adults, the infant and everything else back to the Halliwell manor.

Disbelief illuminated the half-daemon's blue eyes, as he stared at Olivia. "Uh, what exactly did you mean by 'do this again'?"

"You know," Olivia said with a shrug. "Baby-sit Wyatt."

"You mean . . . 'you' might baby-sit him, again. I don't recall volunteering for another afternoon with that kid. Not if I want to keep my shirts and sanity in check."

Olivia regarded Cole with surprise. "I thought that you had grown to like Wyatt."

Sighing, Cole returned to the sofa and sat down. "Okay, the brat's not so bad. I just don't want to go through another afternoon like that again. And that includes being pissed on."

Chuckling, Olivia replied, "Oh come on. It wasn't that bad." She headed for the liquor cabinet and reached for the club soda and a glass. "Despite the crying, Wyatt pissing on your shirt, the stealing and those demonic morons who . . ." She paused, as she poured the club soda into the glass. "Okay, this afternoon was a bit . . . busy. But it wasn't all bad. Right?" Olivia faced the sofa and found Cole fast asleep.

After returning the bottle of club soda to the cabinet, she strolled over to the sofa, and sat down. Shaking her head in mild disbelief and amusement, she began to stroke Cole's forehead. "What do you know? The mighty Belthazor brought to his knees by the shenanigans of an eight month-old baby." She plant a kiss on his forehead, laid back against the sofa and began to sip her drink.

THE END

"MIDDLEMARCH" (1994) Review

2011-12-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

"MIDDLEMARCH" (1994) Review

Many years have passed since I first saw "MIDDLEMARCH", the 1994 BBC adaptation of George Eliot's 1871 novel. Many years. I recalled enjoying it . . . somewhat. But it had failed to leave any kind of impression upon me. Let me revise that. At least two performances left an impression upon me. But after watching the miniseries for the second time, after so many years, I now realize I should have paid closer attention to the production.

Directed by Anthony Page and adapted for television by Andrew Davies, "MIDDLEMARCH" told the story about a fictitious Midlands town during the years 1830–32. Its multiple plots explored themes that included the status of women and class status, the nature of marriage, idealism and self-interest, religion and hypocrisy, political reform, and education. There seemed to be at least four major story arcs in the saga. Actually, I would say there are two major story arcs and two minor ones. The first of the minor story arcs focused on Fred Vincy, the only son of Middlemarch's mayor, who has a tendency to be spendthrift and irresponsible. Fred is encouraged by his ambitious parents to find a secure life and advance his class standing by becoming a clergyman. But Fred knows that Mary Garth, the woman he loves, will not marry him if he does become one. And there is Mr. Nicholas Bulstrode, Middlemarch's prosperous banker, who is married to Fred's aunt. Mr. Bulstrode is a pious Methodist who is unpopular with Middlemarch's citizens, due to his attempts to impose his beliefs in society. However, he also has a sordid past which he is desperate to hide.

However, two story arcs dominated "MIDDLEMARCH". One of them centered around Dorothea Brooke, the older niece of a wealthy landowner with ambitions to run for political office, and her determination to find some kind of ideal meaning in her life. She becomes somewhat romantically involved with a scholarly clergyman and fellow landowner named the Reverend Edward Casaubon in the hopes of assisting him in his current research. Dorothea eventually finds disappointment in her marriage, as Reverend Casaubon proves to be a selfish and pedantic man who is more interested in his research than anyone else - including his wife. The second arc told the story about a proud, ambitious and talented medical doctor of high birth and a small income named Tertius Lydgate. He arrives at Middlemarch at the beginning of the story in the hopes of making great advancements in medicine through his research and the charity hospital in Middlemarch. Like Dorothea, he ends up in an unhappy marriage with a beautiful, young social climber named Rosamond Vincy, who is more concerned about their social position and the advantages of marrying a man from a higher class than her own. Dr. Lydgage's proud nature and professional connections to Mr. Bulstrode, makes him very unpopular with the locals.

After watching "MIDDLEMARCH", it occurred to me it is one of the best miniseries that came from British television in the past twenty to thirty years. I also believe that it might be one of Andrew Davies' best works. Mind you, "MIDDLEMARCH" is not perfect. It has its flaws . . . perhaps one or two of them . . . but flaws, nonetheless. While watching "MIDDLEMARCH", I got the feeling that screenwriter Andrew Davies could not balance the story arcs featuring Dorothea Brooke and Tertius Lydgate with any real equilibrium. It seemed that most of his interest was focused upon Lydgate as the saga's main character, instead of dividing that honor between Lydgate and Dorothea. While the miniseries revealed Dorothea's unhappy marriage to Casaubon, Davies' screenplay in the first three episodes, Davies did a first rate job in balancing both hers and Lydgate's stories. But Lydgate seemed to dominate the second half of the miniseries - the last three episodes - as his story shoved Dorothea's to the status of a minor plot arc. Mind you, I found the Lydgates' marriage fascinating. But Davies failed to deliver any real . . . punch to Dorothea's story arc and especially her relationship with her cousin-in-law, Will Ladislaw. If I have to be honest, Dorothea and Will's relationship following Casaubon's death struck me as rushed and a bit disappointing.

Thankfully, the virtues outweighed the flaws. Because "MIDDLEMARCH" still managed to be an outstanding miniseries. Davies did a more or less excellent job in weaving the production's many storylines without any confusion whatsoever. In fact, I have to congratulate Davies for accomplishing this feat. And I have to congratulate director Anthony Page for keeping the production and its story in order with allowing the latter to unravel into a complete mess. More importantly, both Page and Davies adhered to George Eliot's ambiguous portrayal of her cast of characters. Even her two most ideal characters - Dorothea and Lydgate - are plagued by their own personal flaws. Some of the characters were able to overcome their flaws for a "happily ever after" and some were not. The period between the Regency Era and the Victorian Age has rarely been explored in television or in motion pictures. But thanks to "MIDDLEMARCH", I have learned about the political movements that led to the Great Reform Act of 1832. A good number of people might find Eliot's saga somewhat depressing and wish she had ended her story with a more romantic vein in the style of Jane Austen . . . or allow Dorothea and Lydgate to happily achieve their altruistic goals. However . . . "MIDDLEMARCH" is not an Austen novel.

I am trying to think of a performance that seemed less than impressive. But I cannot think of one. I was very impressed by everyone's performances. And the ones that really impressed me came from Juliet Aubrey's spot-on performance as the ideal and naive Dorothea Brooke; Jonathan Firth, whose portrayal of the spendthrift Fred Vincy turned out to be one of his best career performances; Rufus Sewell, who first made a name for himself in his passionate portrayal of Casaubon's poor cousin, Will Ladislaw; Peter Jeffrey's complex performance as the ambiguous Nicholas Bulstrode; Julian Wadham as the decent Sir James Chattam, whose unrequited love for Dorothea led him to marry her sister Cecila and develop a deep dislike toward Will; and Rachel Power, who gave a strong, yet solid performance as Fred Vincy's love, the no-nonsense Mary Garth.

However, four performances really impressed me. Both Douglas Hodge and Trevyn McDowell really dominated the miniseries as the ideal, yet slightly arrogant Tertius Lydgate and his shallow and social-climbing wife, Rosamond Vincy Lydgate. The pair superbly brought the Lydgates' passionate, yet disastrous marriage to life . . . even more so than Davies' writing or Page's direction. And I have to give kudos to Patrick Malahide for portraying someone as complex and difficult Reverend Edward Casaubon. The latter could have easily been a one-note character lacking of any sympathy. But thanks to Malahide, audiences were allowed glimpses into an insecure personality filled with surprising sympathy. And Robert Hardy was a hilarious blast as Dorothea's self-involved uncle, the politically ambitious Arthur Brooke. What I enjoyed about Hardy's performance is that his Uncle Brooke seemed like such a friendly and sympathetic character. Yet, Hardy made it clear that this cheerful soul has a selfish streak a mile wide. And despite his willingness to use the current reform movement to seek political office, he is incapable of treating the tenants on his estate with any decency.

"MIDDLEMARCH" could not only boast a first-rate screenplay written by Andrew Davies, first rate direction by Anthony Page and a superb cast; it could also boast excellent production values. One of the crew members responsible for the miniseries' production was Anushia Nieradzik, who created some beautiful costumes that clearly reflected the story's period of the early 1830s. I was also impressed by Gerry Scott's use of a Lincolnshire town called Stamford as a stand-in for 1830-32 Middlemarch. And Brian Tufano's photography beautifully captured Scott's work and the town itself.

Yes, "MIDDLEMARCH" has a few flaws. And the photography featured in the latest DVD copy seems a bit faded. But I believe that it is, without a doubt, one of the finest British television productions from the last twenty to twenty-five years. After all of these years, I have a much higher regard for it than when I first saw it.

"TOWER HEIST" (2011) Photo Gallery

2011-12-03T21:20:00.001-08:00

Below are images from the new comedy called "TOWER HEIST". Directed by Brett Ratner, the movie stars Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy and Alan Alda:

"TOWER HEIST" (2011) Photo Gallery

"LOST" RETROSPECT: (1.23-1.25) "Exodus"

2011-12-02T22:03:00.000-08:00

"LOST" RETROSPECT: (1.23-1.25) "Exodus"

If one was to ask me what was my favorite season finale of "LOST", I would be prone to answer Season Three's (3.22-3.23) "Through the Looking Glass". But my second choice - and a very close one at that - would have definitely been the Season One finale, (1.23-1.25) "Exodus".

Although I do not consider it to be my favorite "LOST" finale, I can honestly say that I found it to be the most emotional . . . at least for me. Many would say that the series finale, (1.17-1.18) "The End". Mind you, "The End" had its share of emotional moments. But there were many aspects of it that I found very irritating. I found some flaws in the script for "Exodus". But I felt those flaws were overshadowed by some great writing by screenwriters/producers Damon Lindehof and Carlton Cuse.

I might as well begin with what I consider to be the episode's flaws. The Season One finale featured flashbacks that revealed the castaways' experiences during their last hours in Sydney, Australia, before boarding Oceanic Flight 815. Mind you, I did not have any trouble with most of the flashbacks. Some of them revealed the development in personalities or relationships for some of the characters. This was apparent in Michael Dawson and Walt Lloyd's two flashbacks, along with Shannon Rutherford's, Charlie Pace's and to a certain extent, James 'Sawyer' Ford's. Other flashbacks revealed the personal clouds that hung over Jin-Soo Kwon, Sayid Jarrah and John Locke. Jack's flashback served as an introduction to Ana-Lucia Cortez, who would have a major role in the second season. But there were some flashbacks which I found useless and a waste of my time:

*Kate Austen - Her flashback featured U.S. Marshal Edward Mars explaining his long search for the young fugitive. Basically, all he did was reveal to the Sydney Airport authorities about his cat-and-mouse games with Kate and her infantile bank robbery in New Mexico. Yawn!

*Sun-Hwa Kwon - Her flashback merely confirmed her original secret knowledge of English via her understanding of the racist American couple who seemed to harbor clichés about Asian marriages.

*Hugo "Hurley" Reyes - His flashbacks consisted of a series of minor incidents that nearly causes him to miss Oceanic Flight 815. Was it Lindehof and Cuse's intent for the audience to view Hurley's experiences with the ironic view that he would have been better off by missing the flight? I do not know. Then again, I do not care.

Not only did I find Kate's flashback a bore, I found some of her actions in this episode rather . . . peculiar. Okay, I had no problem with her decision to accompany Jack and Locke to the Black Rock. She wanted to help. Okay. But following Leslie Artz's death, she decided that she wanted to be one of the two to carry the dynamite in her backpack:

LOCKE: It's not smart to keep it all together. So, we split them up. If we need 3 sticks to blow the hinge then we should bring 6 -- 3 and 3 -- failsafe, in case one of us...

JACK: You and me, then.

KATE: No, I'm -- I'm taking one.

JACK: It's not going to happen, no.

KATE: This is why I came.

JACK: Then, you wasted a trip.

I realize that the castaways' leader, Jack Shephard was being controlling. But why on earth was it necessary for Kate to carry some of the dynamite? Why on earth would a woman with the survival instinct of a well-trained mercenary want to risk her life to carry a bunch of instable sticks of dynamite? Cuse and Lindehof never made Kate's reasons clear. Poor Evangeline Lilly. She really had to put up with a lot of shit from Cuse and Lindehof.

At the beginning of the episode, Danielle Rousseau appeared at the Losties' camp with news that the Others were going to attack their camp. After accompanying Jack's expedition to the Black Rock, she returned to the Losties' camp with the intent to steal baby Aaron in order to exchange him for her long missing daughter, Alex. When Sayid and Charlie finally caught up with her and Aaron, she revealed that she 'did' hear whispering about the Others coming for the "boy". As it turned out, the Others were after Walt. And they snatched him from the raft that Michael, Sawyer and Jin used in their attempt to leave the island. But . . . why did they snatch Walt? More importantly, how did they know that he was special? I doubt that Others spy Ethan Spy had found out. He spent most of his time with the Losties keeping an eye on Claire Littleton, who was pregnant during his stay with them. If Cuse and Lindehof did reveal the details behind Ben Linus' decision to order Walt's kidnapping, they failed to do so in any of the series' 121 episodes.

Thankfully, "Exodus" was filled with so many memorable scenes and moments that I am willing to forgive Cuse and Lindehof some of the episode's missteps. As I had stated earlier, this episode was filled with some very emotional moments. My favorite included Sawyer's revelation to Jack about his meeting with the latter's now deceased father back in Australia. Superb acting by both Josh Holloway and Matthew Fox. Another great moment featured Walt's decision to hand over his dog Vincent to the greiving Shannon. Neither Malcolm David Kelley or Maggie Grace had ever received any recognition for their acting. Well, perhaps Kelley did once. Yet, both of them gave some of their best performances in this scene - especially Grace. But who gave the best performances in the episode? For me, the honors should have went to Daniel Dae Kim and Yunjin Kim as the castaways' estranged Korean couple. The couple finally reconciled over their matter regarding Sun's secret ability to speak English in a very emotional moment that featured tears, hugs and superb acting by the two. In fact, I am still wondering why the two Kims had never received any major acting nominations for their performances on the show. Both Fox and Terry O'Quinn gave excellent performances in an interesting scene in which Jack questioned John Locke about his penchant for revolving his life around the island's mysteries.

Many fans have claimed that strong characterization has always been the major strength on "LOST". Perhaps. But there have been many times during the series' six season run in which some of the characterization seemed to have declined. Think (2.04) "Everybody Hates Hugo", (3.09) "Stranger in a Strange Land", (3.14) "Exposé", (4.04) "Eggtown" or (4.06) "The Other Woman". But when it came to action-oriented scenes and story arcs, "LOST" was truly in its element. And "Exodus" had its share of memorable action-oriented scenes and one truly chilling one.

My favorite action scenes included the expedition to the Black Rock, Leslie Artz's death, and Sayid and Charlie's search for Danielle and the kidnapped Aaron. However, one of the better scenes featured the Black Rock expedition's encounter with the Smoke Monster (aka the Man in Black) and the latter's attempt to drag Locke into some hole. When I think about it, some of the most effective action scenes during the series' first four seasons featured the Smoke Monster. But not even the Smoke Monster's attack upon Locke, Jack, Kate and Hurley was nothing in compare to the castaways on Michael's raft. In what I believe to be one of the most chilling scenes in the series' history, Walt ended up being kidnapped by the Others. Between the night setting, the violent attack upon the raft passengers and Walt's cries as he was being carried away by his kidnappers still leaves chills within me, even after six years.

My recent viewing of "Exodus" also left me pondering about some of the characters and events. While my family and I were watching those moments leading up to Walt's kidnapping, we found ourselves openly wondering what would have happened if Sawyer and Walt had not convinced Michael to fire that flare gun. Because once he did, the Others managed to find them within minutes. While reading some of the reviews and posts about this episode, I noticed that back in 2005, many assumed that Charlie would resume taking drugs after he found the Virgin Mary statuettes filled with heroin. Considering how Locke "helped" Charlie get over his drug addiction in (1.06) "House of the Rising Sun", I am not surprised that Charlie took one of those statuettes. In fact, I believe that Charlie did the right thing. Only he could really help himself get over his drug addiction. All Locke did was manipulate him into doing something that he had never volunteered to do in the first place. That is not real help.

Jack may be a controlling and doubting ass at times, I found myself sympathizing with him during his conversation with Locke about the island. The fact that Locke believed that opening the hatch would lead to his "destiny" and his willingness to be dragged away by the Smoke Monster made me realize that the latter had been right in Season Six - Locke was a chump. He had spent most of his time on the island believing that he had to delve its mysteries in order to achieve some kind of destiny and the position of being special. And when Locke told Jack that the late Boone Carlyle had been a sacrifice that the island demanded, I am surprised that the good doctor managed to refrain from shooting him. If I had been in Jack's shoes, I would have shot him. I realize that it would have been the wrong thing to do, but I still would have shot him. I just do not see how Locke could justify Boone's death in that manner.

"Exodus" has its flaws that I found worthy of a head shake, including some questionable flashbacks and the story arc featuring Kate and the dynamite sticks. But most of the episode featured some excellent writing that included great emotional moments and action sequences, along with first-rate acting by most of the cast. Not surprisingly, it is not only one of my favorite season finales of "LOST", but also one of my favorite episodes period.

"An Afternoon in Babysitting" [R] - 2/3

2011-12-01T20:35:00.000-08:00

"AN AFTERNOON IN BABYSITTING"

PART 2

Within an hour, all seemed well inside the penthouse. Wyatt was fast asleep in one of the guest bedrooms. Olivia and Cole were on the living room sofa, locked in another passionate embrace. Actually, Olivia sat on Cole's lap with her arms wrapped around his neck. And her lips pressed against his.

"Do you think we should be doing this?" she murmured, after Cole's lips traveled to the curve of her neck.

Cole planted a soft kiss, emitting a small moan from her. "Why not?" he whispered. "Wyatt is fast asleep in another room." His tongue flickered into the hollow of Olivia's throat. "And we finally have an opportunity to enjoy some quality time, together." His mouth returned to hers, and the couple engaged in another passionate kiss. Then . . . cries of an infant reverberated into the living room. The half-daemon heaved a long suffering sigh. "Shit!"

Olivia reluctantly climbed out of his lap. "I better see what's wrong."

"Probably nothing," Cole growled. "I think that damn kid simply wants some attention."

"Wait a minute. I thought you and Wyatt were bonding."

Cole rolled his eyes. "I had to do something to keep that kid quiet. Besides, this is the second time, I had to deal with 'coitus interuptus', thanks to his crying!"

More wails traveled into the bedroom. Olivia sighed. "I'll be back." She marched into the guest bedroom, where she found Wyatt squirming underneath his baby blue blanket. Olivia picked up the squalling infant. And sniffed. "Cole!" she cried. "Could you come in here, please?"

Seconds later, the half-daemon rushed into the bedroom. "What's wrong?" he demanded. Then he sniffed the air. "What the hell?"

Olivia replied, "It's Wyatt. We need to change his diapers."

Cole took a step back. "We?"

"Yes, Mr. Turner. We!" Olivia grabbed the reluctant half-daemon's hand and jerked him forward. "I'm not the only one who's going to be changing diapers, today."

Terror filled Cole's eyes. "But I don't know how!"

Smirking, Olivia replied, "Don't worry. By the end of the day, you will be an expert. Now, hand me that bag, and then remove his diaper." She dumped the soiled infant into Cole's arms. He regarded her with horror. "What?"

Cole handed over the handbag filled with Wyatt's belongings. "You want . . . me . . . to remove his diaper?"

A sigh left the redhead's mouth. As much as she loved Cole, he could be so anal at times. She handed him a smaller blanket. "Yes. Put this on the bed, lay Wyatt down and remove his diaper. You don't need written instructions!"

Muttering to himself, an annoyed half-daemon spread the blanket on the bed, using magic. Then he lowered the still squalling Wyatt on the blanket. He stared at the diaper. "Okay," he began, "how do I unfasten this?"

While she rummaged through the bag containing Wyatt's belongings, Olivia replied, "Unfasten the tapes at each side of his diaper. Near the waist."

Cole heaved a deep sigh and bent over the infant. Olivia realized that he must have found the adhesive tapes that held the diaper together, for Wyatt finally stopped crying. And a ripe odor filled the room, as Cole removed the diaper. "God, he smells . . ." the half-daemon began. Then it came at him without any warning. One minute, Cole was holding a soiled diaper, while talking to Olivia. The next moment, an arc of urine streamed out of Wyatt . . . and struck Cole right in the center of his chest.

"Wow!" Olivia exclaimed. "Talk about bullseye!" Then she broke into laughter, earning a glare from the half-daemon. Cole returned his attention to the now gurgling infant, and regarded him with a murderous stare. Olivia's laughter continued, unabated.

Nearly twenty minutes later, Cole strolled out of the bedroom, with Olivia close at his heels. She held Wyatt in her arms. "Oh God," he moaned. "That was probably the most traumatic experience I have ever endured. Not even getting killed by Phoebe and her sisters come that close."

Olivia gave him a cheerful pat on the back. "Oh come on! It wasn't all that bad. You did a good job."

"That . . ." Cole glared at a placid-looking Wyatt. "That crea . . . kid pissed on my shirt." He pointed at the wet circle on his T-shirt. "On my favorite T-shirt."

Mock sympathy appeared on Olivia's face. "Hmmm, Wyatt does have good aim, doesn't he?"

"I'm glad that you found it funny," Cole growled. "Meanwhile, I have to deal with piss on one of my favorite shirts!"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "For heaven sakes, Cole! Just change shirts, will you? And stop making such a fuss." Cole shot her one last glare and headed for the bathroom. He heard her give one last parting shot. "And I would take a shower, if I were you!"

----------

Less than fifteen minutes passed before Cole emerged from the bathroom. He wore a clean, white long-sleeved shirt. Olivia now sat on the sofa, rocking Wyatt in her arms. She looked very maternal. "Is he asleep?" the half-daemon asked. Upon closer look, he noticed that Wyatt seemed focused upon the television set. "I guess not."

"I can't get him to sleep." Olivia shot Cole a long-suffering glance. "And I think he's turning into a TV addict. If he hasn't become one, already."

Cole sat down on the sofa, next to her. In a sardonic tone, he suggested, "Why don't you take him for a walk? Maybe that will stop him from becoming a couch potato before his time."

Despite his sarcastic tone, Olivia seemed to find the idea acceptable. "That is a good idea. We can take Wyatt out for a nice, afternoon stroll. Maybe at Fisherman's Pier. Or the Marina Green."

Cole stared at her, as if she had lost her mind. "Are you crazy? I was just joking!"

Olivia stood up, breaking Wyatt's attention away from the television. The baby began to cry. "Well, it's a good joke. And it's also a good idea. Why don't we?" With Wyatt still crying in her arms, Olivia strode toward the guest bedroom.

Cole closed his eyes and sighed. "Me and my big mouth," he muttered.

------------

Forty minutes later found Olivia and Cole strolling along a paved path that woven between the park and the marina. The reddish-gold spirals of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge loomed in the far left. Cole pushed a baby blue pram that contained the increasingly hyper Wyatt Halliwell.

Olivia took a deep breath and glanced up at the sky. "Isn't it a beautiful day? A blue sky, white clouds, the boats, and the bay looks cleaner than . . ."

"We shouldn't be here." Cole glanced nervously around, as if expecting a daemon to pop up from the nearest bush. "Allowing Wyatt out in the open like this is a mistake. What if we're attacked by . . .?"

"By another daemon?" Olivia snorted. "Well, I can only assume that we're both capable of dealing with an attack. Come to think of it, even Wyatt can take care of himself. Don't you think you're being a little paranoid?"

Cole rolled his eyes. "Of course I'm paranoid. How do you think I've managed to survive for over a century?"

Looking slightly annoyed, Olivia retorted, "Well, can't you ease up a bit? You're ruining my day."

"May I remind you that this park serves as a gateway to one of the demonic market places?" Cole shot back. They passed a man standing next to an ice cream cart. He seemed to be placing a wallet in his back pocket.

Olivia shook her head in disbelief. "That was at the Golden Gate Park, Cole! Remember? And as I recalled, Piper and Phoebe had destroyed that marketplace, last spring. So, why don't you please get it together and put your paranoia on ho . . ." She glanced down into Wyatt's pram and found the infant playing with a wallet. "What on earth?"

"My wallet!" The cry came from the man standing near the ice cream cart. "Someone took my wallet!"

And Olivia knew who was responsible. She gave the baby an admonishing stare. "Wyatt!" Then she turned to Cole, who looked slightly confused. "Wyatt took a wallet from that man near the ice cream cart. Could you send it back?"

"Huh?" Realization slowly dawned on the half-daemon's face, as Olivia pointed out the distraught man. "Oh. Yeah." Cole waved one hand over the wallet and it disappeared. And Wyatt . . . began to cry. "Hey! Kid!" He picked up the infant. "I'm sorry, but you can't go around swiping other people's wallets."

The man near the ice cream cart cried out, "My wallet! It's okay. It's here on the ground."

Wyatt continued to cry. Cole tried to hand him over to Olivia, but she removed a bottle of milk from the shoulder bag, instead. She tried to stick the bottle's nipple into the baby's mouth. "Here you go, sweetheart. Are you hungry?" Apparently not, for Wyatt's wails continued.

Cole lifted the baby, until they were face-to-face. He shook Wyatt for a few seconds. "Hey. Hey! Wyatt?" he said in a stern voice. "Stop this. Listen to me. Listen. You can't go around taking other people's stuff. It's called theft and you can get into a whole lot of trouble." Olivia rolled her eyes in disbelief. Was he kidding? Cole continued, "Trust me on this. I know from personal experience. You hear me?"

To Olivia's surprise, the speech worked. Wyatt's cries finally subsided. Cole coddled him for a few seconds and returned him to the pram. The baby picked up the bottle of milk and happily shook it.

"I don't believe it," Olivia exclaimed in disbelief. "He actually listened to you. I'm beginning to think you're not so bad with kids, after all."

Cole growled, "Don't fool yourself. This experience is only going to make me insist that I use contraceptives, as much as possible. And that we should have stayed indoors."

A long-suffering sigh left Olivia's mouth. "I see the paranoia has returned. Your mother was right. You are too paranoid for your own good."

"Like I said, being paranoid has kept me alive."

Olivia shot back, "It's too bad that it didn't save you from being possessed by the Source. Or being killed by Paige and her sisters, over a year ago."

"What?"

"Look Cole, being vigilant and careful is fine. But no amount of paranoia is going to keep you completely safe." Olivia began pushing the pram. "We all take chances with our lives, when we wake up, every morning. Surely after 118 years, you've managed to figure that out." She glanced down into the pram and heaved an exasperated sigh. Wyatt sat happily inside, playing with a pair of sunglasses that did not belong to him, Olivia or Cole. "For crying out loud! Wyatt!"

Cole demanded, "What did he do now?" Olivia pointed at the baby and the sunglasses. A smirk appeared on the half-daemon's lips. "I see. Now I wonder if this would have happened, if we had remained at the penthouse?"

Annoying bastard! It took all of Olivia's willpower not to bitch-slap her boyfriend. It was a miracle that more than one woman had ever fallen in love with him. Glaring at Cole, she retorted, "I used to do it all the time with my telekinesis, when I was kid. I had even released a bunch of puppies at a pet store, once. And I don't recall being kept inside the house all of the time. Now, will you please return those glasses?"

"Whatever," Cole muttered. He waved his hand over the sunglasses and they disappeared from the pram.

The couple continued to argue over the merits of staying indoors, while they continued their stroll through the park. By the time they had returned to the safety of Olivia's BMW, Wyatt had teleported another seventeen more objects.

-----------

"In Purson's name!" a tall, blond-haired man hissed in a low voice. "I can't believe my eyes!"

One of his companios, a portly man with thinning dark hair asked, "You found the portal, Ciyaher?"

The blond man, a daemon from the Khorne Order, replied, "I found something a lot more interesting."

"Not the portal to the new marketplace?" The portly man, whose name was Grogor, hovered near Ciyaher's shoulder.

Ciyaher sighed. For the umpteenth time, he wondered why he had allowed such a single-minded creature like Grogor to serve under him. "He's not talking about the new market's gateway, moron," the third member of the trio retorted. A gangly redhead, sporting a goatee and mustache, dragged Grogor away from their leader. "He's talking about Belthazor." Ciyaher gave the red-haired daemon a grateful nod. Unlike Grogor, Umbar possessed brains.

"Belthazor? Where?" Grogor glanced frantically around him.

"Over there, idiot!" Ciyaher pointed at the couple climbing into a dark-green BMW. "There's Belthazor . . . with his witch. And a baby."

Confusion whirled in Grogor's dark eyes. "Belthazor is a father?"

To Ciyaher's satisfaction, Umbar swiped the side of the slow-thinking demon's head. "No! Of course not! Belthazor doesn't have a child! We would have known, if he had. That must be the Halliwell baby. Belthazor and the witch are familiar with the Charmed Ones. They must be taking care of the child."

"But I thought that Belthazor's witch was one of the Charmed Ones," the idiot insisted.

Ciyaher closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Why did Grogor always seemed to be one step behind the times? And why did he continue to allow the idiot to be a part of his circle? Then his eyes snapped open. "Belthazor's relationship with the Charmed One is over, Grogor. He is now dating a McNeill witch. And I don't recall any of the Charmed Ones being a redhead. Do you?" He glared at his minion.

A nervous looking Grogor shook his head. "No Ciyaher."

"Then shut the hell up! Unless you are spoken to." Ciyaher paused and thoughtfully regarded the green BMW pulling out of the parking space. "If only we could get our hands on that child. What a source of power he could be for us! Only . . . I don't know how we can take him from Belthazor and the witch."

Grogor commented, "The car must belong to her." The other two daemons stared at him. "What?"

"Did I ask for your opinion?" Ciyaher growled.

Grogor's face turned red. "No Ciyaher. Sorry." He fell silent.

Ciyaher turned to speak to Umbar . . . until he regarded Grogor's words. In Purson's name! He was about to ask for this idiot's opinion. He took a deep breath. "Why do you think the car belongs to the witch?"

"Because she's driving, instead of Belthazor."

Umbar regarded the younger demon as some kind of idiot savant. "And your point?"

Grogor shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? The man driving the car, and the woman holding the baby? And with Belthazor holding the baby, how do we get it from him? How are we supposed to get the baby from him?"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Umbar retorted, "How did that tiny brain of yours ever dredged up such nonsense?"

"It's not nonsense," Ciyaher commented. He stared at Grogor, surprised that the younger demon's babbling had made some sense. "Frankly, it's good observation on Grogor's part." Umbar gawked at the blond demon. "Even more importantly, they're traveling by car and not teleporting."

A confused Umbar shook his head. "What are you getting at Ciyaher?"

The senior daemon smiled cryptically. "I have an idea."

------------

Olivia drove the BMW into the building's underground parking lot and eased it into her usual space. After she switched off the engine, Cole climbed out of the passenger seat. "Uh, mind opening the trunk?" Seconds later, the trunk popped open. Cole removed the pram, placed it on the ground and unfolded it. While Olivia climbed out of the car, he reached inside for Wyatt and placed the latter inside the pram. "Ready?" he asked.

"Just a . . ." Footsteps clattered across the concrete floor. The couple exchanged wary looks. "Oh. Someone's here," Olivia said. "We better use the elevator, instead. You go on ahead, while I get Wyatt's bag from the back seat."

Cole nodded, as he began pushing Wyatt's pram toward the elevator. He had not gone very far, when he heard what sounded like a gasp, followed by a scuffle. Alarmed, he turned around and spotted Olivia surrounded by three men. One of them - sporting red hair and a goatee - held the witch in a tight grip. "Olivia!"

"That's far enough, Belthazor!" a familiar and deep voice ordered. Cole recognized that voice. It belonged to a mid-level daemon he had not seen in twelve years. Ciyaher. The latter continued, "Or else my associate will kill the witch."

Keeping his fear and anger under control, Cole took another step forward. He stared menacingly at the three demons. "Nice try, Ciyaher. But you won't be able to hold on to her, very long." He waved his hand at Olivia. And nothing happened. Much to his consternation. "What the hell?"

Ciyaher smirked. "Thought that would take you by surprise. Didn't you look carefully, Belthazor? Your witch is wearing a little present I thought you might appreciate."

Cole's eyes narrowed, as he spied a necklace hanging from Olivia's neck. An amulet. Or a talisman. "What's that?" he demanded.

The three daemons chuckled. "You don't recognize the talisman around the witch's neck?" Ciyaher mocked. "I'm surprised at you, Belthazor. You're losing it."

An exasperated sigh escaped from Cole's mouth. "Well, why don't you enlighten me?"

"It's a talisman. Valac's Talisman. Surely you've heard of it?"

Indeed, Cole had. The talisman had been created by a dominion spirit for some wizard, over four hundred years ago. It prevented any magic practioner from teleporting a person or object that the talisman hung from. "Very clever," Cole murmured. "How did you manage to get your hands on it?"

Smiling, Ciyaher replied, "Oh, the talisman has been in my order's possession for nearly thirty years. It used to belong to Artemus, the head of my order - until the Source had him imprisoned in the Stygian Abyss. Now . . ." The daemon's smile disappeared. ". . . I want you to hand over the Halliwell baby. To my companion over there." Ciyaher nodded at a dark-haired, stocky being, who stood near Olivia's captor.

Cole hesitated. Ciyaher had him trapped and he knew it. As much as he wanted to save Olivia, he could not sacrifice Wyatt. The eight month-old baby got on his nerves, but Cole could not hand the child over to a second-rate monster like Ciyaher. If only he could teleport Olivia . . . Wait a minute. The talisman only blocked a teleportation power.

"So I can't teleport a person or object while that thing is around," Cole said. "Am I right? Is that all it does? Block teleportation?" He shot a meaningful stare at Olivia, who arched a brow.

Ciyaher frowned. "What do you mean? Of course that's all it does! It's all I need it for. You can't rescue your little girlfri . . ." He rolled his eyes in disgust. "Don't tell me that you're still going to try to rescue her? Give it up, Belthazor! Hand over the child, and you'll get her back."

"I know I can't rescue her," Cole retorted.

"Good." Ciyaher's amusement returned. "Now, don't tell me that you're attached to that baby. He's the son of your enemies - one of the Charmed Ones and that whitelighter. The son of one of the witches who had killed you, over a year ago. You want to protect him?"

Cole sighed. "No. I guess not."

Nodding, Ciyaher added, "Why don't we end this ridiculous standoff and you hand over the child to Grogor."

Feigning reluctance, Cole reached inside the pram . . . and waved his hand over Wyatt's form, causing the infant to disappear. He straightened up, empty-handed. "Why should I hand Wyatt over to you? What if Olivia . . . is able to rescue herself?"

Ciyaher rolled his eyes. "What are you getting at? She's not a Charmed One, Belthazor. So, stop playing around and hand over the child! Or the witch dies! Umbar! Why don't you give our old 'friend' a demonstration? Don't kill her. Just . . . show a little blood."

Before the red-haired daemon could press the knife against Olivia's neck, it flew out of his hand . . . and toward his stocky companion. The hilt buried deep into the latter's forehead. As the daemon called Grogor dropped dead to the ground, Olivia sent Umbar flying against a concrete pillar. He quickly flung a fireball at the witch. Using her telekinesis, she deflected it back toward him and he incinerated into a ball of fire. Olivia removed the talisman.

The blond-haired daemon reacted with horror at the deaths of his minions. "Oh my . . . Wait a minute! This wasn't supposed to happen!"

"No kidding," Olivia muttered sarcastically.

Cole sneered at the other daemon. "It probably wouldn't have happened, Ciyaher, if you had also used a talisman to block telekinesis."

A roar from Ciyaher filled the air, and he whist the pram from Cole's grip. At the same time, he flung an energy ball at Olivia. Cole waved his hand, and the witch and the other demon immediately switched placed before the energy ball engulfed Ciyaher.

Once his screams died to a whisper, Olivia turned to Cole. "Not a very bright bunch, were they?"

The half-daemon glared at his girlfriend. "And you consider taking Wyatt away from the safety of the penthouse, bright?" He waved his hand for the second time and Wyatt returned inside the pram, happily gurgling, as usual.

Olivia rolled her eyes. "I see we're back to that topic, again." She grabbed hold of the pram's handle. Cole immediately teleported all three back to his penthouse.

"There's a lesson to be learned from all of this," Cole replied. "Like safety."

"Well here's a lesson for you." Olivia removed Wyatt from the pram. "It's unhealthy to give in to our own paranoia. Wyatt will always be in danger from daemons, warlocks and maybe even humans. Just like the rest of us." She began to bounce the baby up and down. "It's one thing to be vigilant. It's another to become a prisoner of our own paranoia. Besides, Wyatt had a pleasant time at the park. Right Wyatt?" She planted a light kiss on the baby's cheek.

A wide grin appeared on the infant's face, and he continued to gurgle. Cole folded the pram and shot Wyatt a mock glare. "So much for saving your ass, kid. Thanks a lot." Wyatt responded with more gurgles.

END OF PART 2

"ABDUCTION" (2011) Review

2011-11-29T17:37:00.000-08:00

"ABDUCTION" (2011) Review

It is very rare to find a Hollywood action film that features a leading man under the age of twenty (20). But I recently came across one, when I saw Taylor Lautner's new film called "ABDUCTION".

Directed by John Singleton and written by Shawn Christensen, "ABDUCTION" is an action thriller about a Pennsylvania teen, who sets out to uncover the truth about his life after finding his baby photo on a missing persons website. Nathan Harper has a recurring nightmare featuring the death of an unknown woman and consults a psychiatrist named Dr. Geraldine Bennett to discover why. One day, Nathan is partnered with his neighbor and fellow classmate Karen Murphy for a school assignment about missing children. When Karen finds a website that shows how the children would look like as adults, Nathan discovers that a young boy named Steven Price would look exactly like him at an older age. Searching in his basement, he finds the same shirt that Steven is wearing in the picture and realizes that he and Steven are the same person. Nathan calls the website's owner, unaware that he is a Russian terrorist named Viktor Kozlow.

Not long after Nathan's call, Kozlow sends two of his agents to Nathan's house. They attack Nathan's parents, Kevin and Mara, who tell him to run before being murdered and the house is destroyed. Nathan and Karen escape and attempt to call the police, but the call is intercepted by CIA operative Frank Burton, who tells Nathan that he's in danger and sends a team to pick him up. Before the CIA's arrival, Dr. Bennett appears and tells Nathan that Burton cannot be trusted and reveals that Nathan's adoptive parents were CIA agents assigned to look after him. She also reveals that Nathan's biological father, Martin, is a CIA agent who stole a list from Kozlow with the names of corrupt CIA operatives. Kozlow had created the website in order to locate Nathan and use him as leverage to force Martin to return the list.

When I first saw the preview for "ABDUCTION", I had assumed it would be another "HANNA" - namely about a genetically enhanced adolescent trained in self defense and to be an assassin. Thankfully, it did not turned out that way. I suspect that many critics would have been more satisfied if "ABDUCTION" had been another "HANNA". Personally, I found "HANNA" to be a pretentious bore. And the last thing I wanted to see was another "profound" movie about some highly skilled teenager wanted by various governments and terrorists. "ABDUCTION" does feature a hunt by an intelligence agency and terrorist for an adolescent. But this hunt has nothing to do with him being genetically enhanced. Instead, he wanted as a bargaining chip for a source of valuable information.

Was "ABDUCTION" any good? Most critics seemed to think otherwise. A great deal of negative reviews practically swamped this film. And if I must be frank, "ABDUCTION" is not another "DIE HARD" or "LETHAL WEAPON". However, I do not find this surprising. No Hollywood producer would ever heavily finance an action thriller starring an 18-to-19 year-old star, who is only known for co-starring in a series of adolescent vampire flicks. But I must admit . . . "ABDUCTION" was not a disappointment. In fact, I thought it was an entertaining movie. One, the movie featured a solid story about a teenager being used by the CIA and foreign terrorists, because of his father's profession. Two, thanks to director John Singleton's direction, "ABDUCTION" was a well-paced film that featured exciting action sequences and solid dramatic moments. I also have to commend Peter Menzies Jr. for his beautiful photography of Pittsburgh and the area around southwestern Pennsylvania.

Singleton also worked well with a cast that featured solid performances from the likes of Maria Bello, Jason Isaacs, Sigourney Weaver, Michael Nyqvist, Dermot Mulroney and Alfred Molina. Any of these performers could have easily carried this film. But it was all up to the likes of Taylor Lautner and his co-star, Lily Collins, to achieve this task. And while many critics and moviegoers may believe that these two failed, I do not believe they did. Actually, they did a very good job - especially Lautner - in carrying the film. More importantly, both Lautner and Collins managed to create a great screen chemistry. Screenwriter Shawn Christensen could have easily ended this film on an illogical note by allowing the Nathan character to save the day and outwit the highly skilled Kozlow. Fortunately, the screenwriter used common sense and allowed Nathan to receive some much needed help in the end.

Would I view "ABDUCTION" as a potential film classic? No. I would say that it is a near-mediocre film. I say . . . near-mediocre, because I feel that it was able to raise above the line of mediocrity. I would never consider it at the same level as the likes "DIE HARD" or "LETHAL WEAPON". But I must admit that it was a pretty solid action thriller that would be great to watch on a rainy day, thanks to director John Singleton and leading man Taylor Lautner. Speaking of Lautner, he is probably too young to be seriously considered as an action star. But he has the looks, the presence and talent to achieve this goal in less than a decade. Good luck to him.

"THE FOUR FEATHERS" (2002) Photo Gallery

2011-11-28T19:48:00.000-08:00

Below are photos from "THE FOUR FEATHERS", Shekhar Kapur's 2002 adaptation of A.E.W. Mason's 1902 novel. The movie starred Heath Ledger, Kate Hudson, Wes Bentley and Djimon Hounsou:

"THE FOUR FEATHERS" (2002) Photo Gallery