The X-Files: I Want to Believe | B

director: Chris Carter
starring: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Amanda Peet, Xzibit, Callum Keith Rennie

xf2An ultimately pointless exercise, perhaps, this second film entry in The X-Files franchise. While I Want to Believe certainly has some very good moments, it makes for a relatively underwhelming episode if it were a part of the long-running TV series, let alone as a major motion picture. And God forbid you’re not an X-Files fan, as you’ll likely be hopelessly confused at some of the references in the film. Despite this not being a “mythology-centric” story, there are references liberally sprinkled throughout the movie that only fans will grasp. Said mythology was the underlying, driving force behind the show for it’s 9-season run on Fox (that mythology was largely completed in season 6, but that’s a discussion for another time…in the past), and was the central plot of the first X-Files movie in 1998, Fight the Future, which did quite well despite that type of plot.

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The Dark Knight | A+

director: Christopher Nolan
starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman

TDKHow could you expect anything less than an A+ after all the advance hype and favorable critical reviews leading up to The Dark Knight’s release date of July 18? Never have my expectations been so high going into a moviegoing experience, and never have I had such lofty expectations exceeded in so brilliant a fashion. The Dark Knight is a masterpiece, one that will require many more viewings to fully absorb its’ nearly perfect execution. Hyperbole aside, this movie was as thrilling and impactful on an artistic level as any I’ve ever seen.

I guess I’ll start with a few non-spoiler points, for the three of you that haven’t seen TDK by Monday morning (what are you waiting for?).

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W.M.A.

[audio:wma.mp3]

He won the lottery when he was born
Took his mother’s white breast to his tongue
Trained like dogs, color and smell
Walks by me to get to him
Police man
Police man

He won the lottery by being born
Big hand slapped a white male American
Do no wrong, so clean cut…
Dirty his hands, it comes right off
Police man
Police man
Police stopped my brother again (x3)
Police man
Police man
Police man

Jesus greets me…looks just like me…

Do no wrong, so clean cut
Dirty his hands, it comes right off
Police man
Police man
Police man
Police stopped my brother again (x3)
Police man
Police man
Police stopped my brother again (x3)
Police man
Police man
Police man…

All my pieces set me free…human devices set me free…
All my pieces set me free…
Human devices set me free…
All my pieces set me free…
Human devices set me free…


Pearl Jam
Madison Square Garden II 6.25.08
Release: 2008
Lyrics: Eddie Vedder
Music: Pearl Jam

John Adams | A-

John AdamsHaving just come back from Washington, DC a week ago, it seemed like an opportune time to catch HBO’s latest mini-series sensation, John Adams. Adams, our 2nd president, is a guy I knew little about, other than the fact he had a ridiculous haircut. When you think about it, though, if he was the second President in our nation’s history, he had to have done something noteworthy beforehand, right? But why do we, as a nation, seem to know so little about the man, other than he and George Bush are the only Presidents to have their sons occupy the same job (John Quincy Adams was our 6th president)? Why is he not honored with the other Founding Fathers with a monument in Washington? Why haven’t we learned more about him from our high school history teachers?

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