tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79055408968578502172024-03-12T18:40:49.502-07:00The X-Files Lexicon BlogThe X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.comBlogger113125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-78006974573516945972018-10-30T21:55:00.001-07:002018-10-30T21:55:21.659-07:00Halloween and a theory of fundamental evil<br />
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Just in the past few days I saw the new 2018 <i><b>Halloween</b></i> with Jamie Lee Curtis, and directed by David Gordon Green, and while much has been made about the survivor trauma aspect of the film (and as a bi product of our “Me Too” climate), there were a number of layered themes to be found. The review by our friend <a href="https://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2018/10/the-film-of-2018-halloween.html" target="_blank">John Kenneth Muir</a> set off of train of thought about the film that left me mulling over a number of issues. Let’s address the major changes, the dispensing of all of the established mythology that began with <i><b>Halloween II</b></i> in 1980. Laurie is no longer a relation of Meyers, which re-directs to focus on the idea that The Shape has no motive; the film also avoids humanizing him, a mistake that even Rob Zombie made with his re-imaging. Thus, the audience is forced to ponder something a little deeper. One thought came to mind where I flash backwards to Chris Nolan’s <i><b>The Dark Knight</b></i>, when Alfred shared a story to Bruce which lead to him describing The Joker as someone who just wanted to ‘see the world burn’. Watching <i><b>Halloween</b></i> left me with the inkling of the same idea about The Shape / Boogieman / Michael Meyer, that he too just wanted to ‘see the world burn’, that Michael’s interest in watching his victims in their final moments of writhing agony, this child like curiosity in their final moments, might not represent anything most people understand as anything ‘rational’, but could just be the desire to ‘see the world burn’. He, like the Joker, just is. <br />
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We cling to notions of morality, or understanding psychosis through diagnosis, or the accepted rule of justice, to explain something that simply exists, that can’t be correlated or defined. Thus is the basis for an idea that I am coining; ‘fundamental evil’, that evil is something that is tangible and concrete, and there’s a very small percentage of individuals throughout history, aberrations that truly fit my working definition of the term ‘fundamental evil’. The working definition of ‘fundamental’ is ‘serving as a basis supporting existence or determining essential structure or function’, and ‘evil’ as in ‘willful harm’. Of course, <b>The X-Files</b> explored the same theme or tenant of fundamental evil in such episodes like “Irresistible”, but the series <b>Millennium</b> was very specific in dealing with this theme, for example, the season two episode “Monster”.<br />
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But the uncomfortable truth is, Fundamental evil cannot be negotiated with, it cannot be reasoned with, it has to be obliterated, either through psychical violence, or the destruction of the ideals it espouses. There have been figures from Caligula to Adolph Hitler, and onward, that I would define as representing ‘fundamental evil’. <br />
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Yet the <i><b>Halloween</b></i> film in fact offers up ideas about the solution over how to overcome it, FAIR WARNING (Spoilers), but one has to recognize it, and get past hubris, and preconceived notions, before one can face it and redefine the terms to defeat it. Laurie Strode resets the terms in her preparation to defeat Michael, while others insist on finding a rational motive or explanations for his actions. Those who insist on finding ‘the answer’ do so with fatal results. Other’s see Laurie as someone who has created a prison, due to her trauma, and she is characterized as unstable, ridiculed for her obsession, and she has been ostracized by her daughter, and kept at bay with her granddaughter. But it is often those who can see the forest through the trees that can see something for what is it.<br />
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Let’s look at the theme of something being predestined for a moment, the back story about Laurie and Michael having no sibling connection does refocus their relationship, but it also implies a notion, an inkling that there’s some kind of psychic connection, or predetermined fate that leads back to their encounter. This might be nothing more than the fact she was the one victim that got away. One visual motif that opens the film suggest a related idea, in the yard sequence with the chained inmates where Michael stands mute, there’s a checkered pattern. Which one could read as ‘whom is playing whom’, either a game a checkers or chess, and this mirrors the themes at the end. Is everything predestined, or is that fate determined by one’s actions, or fate based on wish fulfillment ? Your choice in that point of view, might help decide how one can defeat this fundamental evil.<br />
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The desire to find a rational answer to Michael Meyers past actions leads two misguided bloggers / journalists to not only seek out Michael, and insist on an explanation over his actions, which leads to their brutal demise. Michael’s psychologist Dr. Sartain, ‘the new Loomis’ as Laurie calls him, not only goes so far to defend him, but kills a police officer to gleam an understanding of what the kill must feel like, only to have Sartain face a grim demise when the shape refuses to offer an answer . The hubris of all three characters assume there’s something left that is human, but fundamentalist evil operates on its own set of rules.<br />
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Laurie, in spite of the troubles she has faced with her daughter and grand-daughter and has grown to understand all too well that such evil works outside the bounds of convention, and she sets up a profound trap that evades understanding to those who cling to convention.<br />
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The prey has become the hunter, but the motive is to fight for her family, whereas the shape just kills for selfish reasons and to perpetuate the desire to ‘see the world burn’. The final moments of <i><b>Halloween</b></i> enforces the truth about such fundamentalist evil. Laurie has set up a series of ingenious traps throughout her home to isolate Meyers, and even misdirects him to the basement, while seeing her family to safety. While the shape is burning in that basement, it utters no screams for mercy; it remains mute and unapologetic for its nature. This level of evil works outside the bounds of reason, one has to set the terms to a new adjustment to deal with this evil.<br />
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It seems fitting that this film would come out at one of the most heightened and unstable periods of society, both in the United States and the globe when you consider the uptake in right wing nationalism. Fundamental Evil shrouds the truth, it misdirects, and indulges people to engage in relativist arguments, and make false equivalent points. I have seen countless examples of people in the last few years that have intellectually contorted themselves into arguing that something right in front of their eyes isn’t happening. They have deconstructed mythology and archetypes, and revised past social history to suite their present agenda, and often all for the sake of clouding the issue of right or wrong. Often hiding their head in the sand to ignore what is self evident – it is folly to do so, and will lead to their demise. <br />
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Evil is unrelenting, due to its true nature it doesn’t blink, but Fundamental evil grows like a cancer, and it’s ripple effect continues long after its impact is seen. Very often, trauma creates new forms of traumas in other areas. We are reaching a period where we will have to create those very traps that Laurie understands, I don’t know what such traps will be, or the solution myself, but we might want to consider being very clear eyed and hardened for what will be needed to face which we have to face.<br />
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Films like <i><b>Halloween</b></i> might be a timely blessing at the moment; all story telling can often be a tool to help navigate the world we live in. These warnings might need to be heeded.<br />
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<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-52359737246171848122018-02-01T19:48:00.000-08:002018-02-01T20:23:43.577-08:00XFLB review for "My Struggle III"<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>XFL’s review of My Struggle III</b></div>
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By Christopher Irish</div>
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All italic comments by Matt Allair</div>
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Season eleven of The X-Files picks up where season ten left off. The cliff hanger with Mulder and the rest of the world suffering and dying of an Alien contagion or disease propagated by CSM and his world ending conspiracy left fans clamoring for answers and explanation. If the X-Files has taught fans anything, though, it’s to trust no one. Or no plot arc. <br />
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The intro of the premier has CSM explaining why he’s done what he’s done. Again, trusting his word is shaky at best. He’s been a power player behind the Alien Conspiracy since the beginning as we know. He’s at times been part of the group of powerful men who set the wheels of invasion rolling and has been ostracized from that group. It seems that at this point in the series he’s engineered his way into being the most powerful man on Earth, deciding the fate of millions. We then see the familiar intro ending with “I Want to Believe” which turns into “I Want to Lie”. That should be in the backs of viewers minds the whole time this show is on, by the way.<br />
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<i>(The title sequence closing tag line makes the theme of the episode explicit – I Want To Believe – I Want To Lie. This works on several levels, is belief founded on lies? If the Truth is the two edge sword, are lies built into the truth even for some greater good? Can our belief become so fervent we will ignore inconvenient truths?)</i><br />
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The season ten finale turns out to be a vision by Scully causing her to have a seizure. Mulder and Scully’s relationship has been the core of the show from the beginning with their initial distrust that gradually led to them only relying on each other and their eventual relationship culminating in the conception of their son William. William has been at risk since he was born and has been hidden away for his own safety. Early in the episode former Special Agent Jeffery Spender being attacked by an unknown assailant who says they “want the boy”. The boy, we can only assume at this point, is William. Spender’s relationship with Mulder and Scully is another shaky one. He is CSM’s son the same as Mulder is but where Mulder rejects CSM and his conspiracy, Spender embraced it and tried to be part of it but the cost of his decision left him horribly disfigured.<br />
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<i>(Fans have been wondering why Spender seems less disfigured from the last time we saw him from The Truth, Orodromeus from <a href="http://www.eatthecorn.com/2018/01/06/11x01-my-struggle-iii/" target="_blank">Eat The Corn</a> assumes his reconstruction was due to conventional plastic surgery, but one cannot dismiss the possibility that the reconstruction was alien, by whom, without the benefits of Carl Spender’s access, is hard to say. But if the remains of the alien rebels exists, it could explain this.)</i><br />
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Once Scully wakes up she conveys her vision to Mulder about the plague CSM will unleash on the Earth’s population. Mulder doubts her cautiously since the last time he saw CSM was when he presumably died in a helicopter attack in the desert. Mulder trusts Scully enough to go search for CSM and find out what their son has to do with the plot. Immediately he is tailed and one of the more extensive car chase scenes in X-Files history ensues. While Mulder is playing out Scully’s vision Scully is left at the hospital. Spender shows up and informs Scully that someone is after William. Spender knows where their son is and Scully begs him to tell her where he is. As she tries to leave we join CSM and Agent Reyes discussing the situation. CSM mentions that if his plan leaks out it would be dismissed as “fake news”. The X-Files’ touching on cultural issues continues.<br />
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<i>(A Key point missed that fans whom are insisting that because SM II was a vision, that the prior episode Babylon didn’t exist, is the detail of Mulder’s car. Aside from the question if Miller and Einstein recognizes Mulder. There is the fact that Mulder is driving Miller's mustang from MS II. Miller's license plate from MSII is JVR-1131 and Mulder is driving this same car and plate in MSIII.)</i><br />
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Scully calls Mulder from his desk and Mulder tells her where he is, which is part of Scully’s vision she warned him about. As she’s talking to Mulder she suffers another seizure. According to her visions, CSM’s end game is to reset the Earth’s population in his image. Only select people will survive the apocalypse as the planet is returned to, in CSM’s words, a “savage state”. It seems that his plan requires William for unknown reasons, hence why everyone is searching for him. <br />
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<i>(Much of the plot points about Scully’s visions, while likely channeled via their Son William, does mirror Mulder’s brain storm during “Biogenesis” and season Seven’s “The Sixth Extinction I and II. Much of the episode mirrors ideas laid out with “The Sixth Extinction” series. But Season Seven did expand and reset the conspiracy. This brings up the fundamental flaw with fans who cling to the narrative laid out “Redux I and II”, treating the information laid out in season five as gospel truth, and that should never have been taken at face value. </i>The X-Files<i> has always played with the theme of Empirical Truth and Subjective Truth, and most of the time has leaned towards Subjective Truth.) </i><br />
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Mulder arrives at a mansion after his long car chase that led him through multiple states where he discovers and talks with members of the Alien Conspiracy who broke off from CSM years ago. It turns out they didn’t factor into CSM’s vision so their plot is to eject themselves and other ‘worthy’ individuals into space where they will survive the impending cataclysm with CSM’s Alien Virus. So now there are two competing conspiracies in the X-Files universe. Scully, attempting to go in search of William ends up crashing her car due to her seizure issues. Mulder is busy discussing the remaining Syndicate member’s own plot to save themselves. They try to ply Mulder into working for them by assassinating CSM, which Mulder declines. Meanwhile CSM and Reyes have AD Skinner in a car where CSM threatens him with his Pathogen intended on slaughtering the population. <br />
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<i>(At this point Carl Spender completely represents hubris, he was a key henchmen for The Syndicate, and as various members were killed off via in-fighting, or the Alien rebels from season five, Carl Spender took on the mantle of the cause, or his own idea of such a cause. His pathology leading to act as judge, jury, and executioner of the mere pawns of mortal men, thus, his hubris reminds of Christian Dominionist, Dispensationist Tim La Haye. In Spender’s case he has become to believe he is God.)</i><br />
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The Syndicate members tell Mulder that the Alien Invasion that was a threat for so long has been called off due to humanities destruction of their own environment. The social commentary is no doubt divisive in today’s increasingly polarized culture. The X-Files has always played off cultural events and there is no shortage of social and environmental issues for the series to delve into. If the reasoning for the invasion never occurring is true, it does explain why the time table never was met in the series. It could also mean that it was rescheduled or was a ruse the whole time since CSM and the Syndicate’s word should never be trusted. <br />
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<i>(Some fans dismissal of the Global warming comment miss the point. Mr. Y’s comments should not be taken completely at face value, but in spirit, his explanation makes sense when you consider the events depicted in season five, and especially the feature, Fight The Future. Mulder saves Scully in the arctic with the vaccination injection that reverses the gestation process that was begun by the insect carrier, via Purity Control. But this action triggers the mother ship into activation and escape, hence, the Grey’s had realized that humans had the knowledge to reverse the gestational plague, and therefore Earth was no longer a viable option for colonization. But that does not mean that Carl Spender did not have his own ideas about who deserved to exist. There is no reason to not believe there weren’t multitier viruses that served different purposes if the aim was the deplete the population without the use the technological weapons.) </i><br />
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Mulder hears the Syndicate member’s explanation that their game plan is to basically eject humanity to space for colonization but ultimately declines. He leaves to find and help Scully who is now back at the hospital thanks to Agents Einstein and Miller, making their only appearance in this episode. While Scully is in bed a man attempts to kill Scully only to be saved at the last moment by a scalpel-wielding Mulder. They both sit together finally as the dead man is cleaned up and the police do their job in the background and Scully tells him that her visions are caused by William. This seems to be more of a feeling than a solid answer, no doubt we will revisit this issue during this season. Skinner shows up and Mulder confronts him since he tried to contact him. Mulder’s inherent distrust in anyone but Scully and he shoves Skinner saying he smells like smoke. <br />
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Now is where things get tricky as we see through flashbacks that indicate that CSM is the father of William, not Mulder. Scully seemingly agreed to a trip where she was drugged, or according to CSM, passed out after being awake for thirty hours. The implication that CSM may have raped her is there, either by himself or through scientific means of fertilizing Scully with an embryo. The issue has rose concerns over Scully’s situation, rightfully and the implication that CSM is the father and not Mulder has definitely caused an uproar with the fan base, and more specifically the “shipper” aspect of the fanbase. <br />
<br />
That said, we should keep in mind that CSM has a long, terrible history of being a known liar when it suits his needs. Whether or not William is actually CSM’s and possibly a super human birthed by Scully or Mulder’s child who may have suffered altering effects by Scully’s past abduction remains to be seen. <br />
<br />
<i>(This is probably one of the fundamental misunderstandings of the episode. With little doubt, Carl Spender is one of the most deceptive figures in television history. He has always used lies to suit his needs, even forcing a Samantha alien hybrid to pose as Mulder’s sister as a distraction starting in Colony. What his final aims are at the moment are elusive, but there should be little doubt that he views William as a threat, and as a potential tool. Look at the tragic history of Gibson Praise, who’s parents were murdered, and once the boy was abducted, exploratory surgery was done on his brain, and the boy as a teen was forced to go into hiding in an American desert. Considering his hubris, one should not trust Spender’s claims about the parentage, nor believe that he isn’t using Monica Reyes and Walter Skinner as mere pawns, the only thing that is likely true is that he did drug Scully and used technology to make Scully fertile again during the episode “En Ami”, and figuratively he was just stating that in his comments to Reyes, and subsequently Skinner. It should be noted that <a href="http://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-x-files-my-struggle-iii-january-3.html" target="_blank">John Kenneth Muir's</a> review is the complete contrast to the Eat The Corn review. You can draw your own conclusions on it's merits. )</i><br />
<br />
At the end of the day the headline “I Want to Lie” weighs heavy on the season already. We can trust Mulder and Scully but now with two separate conspiracies competing and CSM’s plot to annihilate humanity to suit his vision, it will no doubt be a complex mystery for our heroes to resolve. Hopefully seeing the resolution of a years long conspiracy being solved by Mulder and Scully will be exciting as well as seeing new MOTW episodes which are so loved by The X-Files fans everywhere.<br />
<br />
All publicity stills courtesy of FOX. <br />
<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-31144620251809036572017-12-05T16:58:00.001-08:002017-12-05T16:58:35.444-08:00I Can't Give Everything Away<br />
<i>The following was started in early summer of 2016, and continued in July 0f 2017.</i><br />
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2016 has turned out to be a very challenging year in many respects, there’s a sense that collectively things are winding down, and building up at the same moment. The harbinger of mortality is a very cruel beast, and I don’t mean that in just the sense of psychical death, but in things ending, established ideas about the world, the role of governments, businesses, religions, science, and philosophies, and a real sense about no one knows where things are heading. Doors are closing, and most really don’t know which new doors are opening and it is unsettling indeed. When icons pass on, there’s a vacuum that is felt, and that has always been the case. When established ideas on a beloved series end, and the proverbial slate is cleared, it shakes our assumptions, and people react violently, stabbing in the dark with a hope of some answers, or solace. The world moves onward and one either adapts to a new matrix, or withers.<br />
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A series of events happened in January that seemed synonymous in hindsight. On Jan 11th, I was driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles when I got the news of David Bowie’s death. It was early in the morning before the sun rose, and I didn’t have time to process it, I found myself mulling over the countless songs he has written while on the drive. A similar drive to what I documented in 2011. That day was a mix of anticipation and excitement over what I might be experiencing on the following day, 12th with covering <i>The X-Files</i> Red Carpet screening of “My Struggle”.<br />
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<i>Little did I realize at the time the profound events that would shape everything that followed the first months of 2016, and I can’t say things progressed any better throughout 2016, For example, The consternations by fans over those six episodes, and then a certain election at the end of 2016.<br /> </i><br />
I found myself thinking about the expectations of the artist, within any genre. I found myself thinking about a comment Beatle George Harrison made (to paraphrase): “The fans gave their screams and love, but we gave away our nervous systems.” Most artists lead difficult lives because of an innate sensitivity they have, their receptors are more acute, more heightened, and they take more in, and it’s difficult to deal with the external stimulus. In many cases, artists fall into drug use, or, if not, just straight up madness or mental illness (and in many cases don’t even see it within themselves). Many have to build up a wall, or a dam to control the flow of the creative river. Fans often live vicariously through the artist and build up their own expectations about the work the artist produces. But this becomes a two edged sword as the artist must create work that stays true to their point of view, and that P.O.V. doesn’t always jive with the public’s expectation. Steven King of course commented on the above point with his novel, Misery, about an obsessed fan’s drive towards hostage taking and torment. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3r5ZmGu3cZAKYCFkQ_AcRJ8ZbpE8GWigEFbslnEEb2hE9pjtRcRVxsR4fQeTj9HtcFdgklW3vq2Z0l4hbnO7leurcmILbjvikcVcSFuaEHrrhGByTnVkSdBLbTM0KbGAHOh7FitTubU/s1600/misery-cover-stephen-king.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="461" data-original-width="316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih3r5ZmGu3cZAKYCFkQ_AcRJ8ZbpE8GWigEFbslnEEb2hE9pjtRcRVxsR4fQeTj9HtcFdgklW3vq2Z0l4hbnO7leurcmILbjvikcVcSFuaEHrrhGByTnVkSdBLbTM0KbGAHOh7FitTubU/s320/misery-cover-stephen-king.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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Which brings us back to David Bowie, and his final album before his passing, <i>Blackstar</i>, generally a meditation of mortality and death, but the closing track, following a series of pretty stunning tracks, “I Can’t Give Everything Away”, could be viewed on several levels. I could argue that the final track was his statement of intent, his motivations behind the career sabbatical and the periods where he focused on the relationship with his wife and raising his daughter. Only a person with a deep neurosis could be driven to put out themselves to the public, but that energy can only go on for so long before it can be self destructive, and more often than not, the public cares little about the well being of the artist as long as they are fed what they need. <br />
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“Seeing more and feeling less,<br />
Saying no but meaning yes,<br />
This is all I ever meant,<br />
That's the message that I sent.”<br />
<br />
“I Can’t Give Everything Away.”<br />
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Indeed.<br />
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Which brings us to the issue of Chris Carter and the fan reaction to season 10, the massive consternation, the endless accusations of “Retcon” mythology betrayals, and the simple fact that Chris Carter wasn’t so much giving the fans what they thought they wanted, but more what they needed. That is the thrust of the few people whom qualify with being an artist, to tell the public what they need to hear as opposed to what they want to hear. It’s too easy for a creative person to just treat what they do as a commodity and to second guess what the public wants. It takes work to listen to their intuition and serve the work to the best of their ability. Some do it, and some don’t.<br />
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But if you are rubbing people the wrong way, it’s usually a pretty good sign you are doing your job. <br />
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When all is said and done, the artist can only give what they can and be honest about it. No amount of wish furfillment by the public, no amount of reconfiguring what you would like something to be, will change the intent of a creative person’s work. <br />
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<i>Since the bulk of this was written and pondered, a massive amount of assumptions have been challenged, 2016 wasn’t really all that great with a staggering number of deaths and scandals, and 2017 has turned out to be worse in many respects. The anchors have vanished, or drifted away, few have little to cling to, and the bearings one could rely on before have faded step by step, and we are in the nadir of living through a graceless and coarse age. I can’t really say how the new season of </i>The X-Files <i>will be received in 2018, will it be a mirror to the shows reception in 2001-2002, or will it have a bigger reception next year. Carl Jung, in principle, may have been correct that we will need to invent new symbols, new masks, and heroes. But you won’t find those answers by depending on self appointed nihilists, so don’t take up your time, this might be the alpha or the omega, but</i> The X-Files <i>has always been about finding a trace of hope, a little light, in the darkness. We’ll see what clues it leaves us soon enough.</i>The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-11465799231469776732017-11-10T22:04:00.000-08:002017-11-10T22:04:15.917-08:00Creature Feature appearance...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrK01kFA9Ts6FviNrhYmT6Ny9whcK1ZJiVkE5bRB2Bya7gJn2Qo38duUGaTiz54w7yHNOK1Fhkcaq0J2-6uQQ-LZrTHLOvSWJ1q84wrR19jkrTJkmwmDLvO6Tm2_2JfNe07opfAo2miM/s1600/23334044_1918754475008939_7940922151315321248_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrK01kFA9Ts6FviNrhYmT6Ny9whcK1ZJiVkE5bRB2Bya7gJn2Qo38duUGaTiz54w7yHNOK1Fhkcaq0J2-6uQQ-LZrTHLOvSWJ1q84wrR19jkrTJkmwmDLvO6Tm2_2JfNe07opfAo2miM/s320/23334044_1918754475008939_7940922151315321248_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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If you live long enough, everything comes back full circle
at some point, things that become unfashionable and that people move on from,
can be re-evaluated, and find a way to come back to life. Years ago, I wrote
about my <a href="http://thex-fileslexicon.blogspot.com/2009/10/remembering-past-genre-late-night.html" target="_blank">thoughts</a> of the horror host TV show on Channel 2, KTVU, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Creature Features</i> with Bob Wilkins, and
then John Stanley from 1971 until 1984. A series of nostalgia based books by
Tom Wyrsch and video releases of episodes reminded people of made the show so
special in its prime, a Documentary in 2008 – <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Watch Horror Films, Keep America Strong: A Journey Into Creature Features</i>
seemed to solidify this reassessment.<br />
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It’s funny how things happen by accident, but bay area actor
/ Producer Jeff Bodean created an on-line series that lasted six episodes, and
the Production work used opened a window to bring back <a href="https://creaturefeatures.tv/page/3/" target="_blank"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Creature Features</i></a> to the fledgling North Bay TV streaming network
based in Santa Rosa. North Bay TV mirrors the localized focus of KOFY TV,
another smaller bay area station. The premise of this new version is simple, a ‘has-been’
British 80s rock star has moved into a mansion on a hill with his aid, Mr
Livingston, and his strange, macabe and mute friend Tangella, and shows classic
horror films of yesterday, has guest, and offers of playful dose of fun. I
watched the original debut stream on North Bay TV that had John Stanley as a
guest and ran “Night of The Living Dead” in 2016, it looked promising and I
even reached out to them, but you can tell what the future holds, so when I
discovered that KOFY has picked up the show and was airing the show, it gave me
confidence that others saw the promise of it as well.<br />
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By good fortune, I was invited to appear on the show in late
October, and went up to the studio in Santa Rosa. The mansion is lovely, and
the cast and crew could not have been more nicer, relaxed, unassuming, and fun.
The episode airs Saturday night 11/11, on KOFY between 11 PM to 1 AM PT, where
I talk about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>, the new
season, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files Lexicon</i>, and the
work for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Den of Geek</i>, my love for
Richard Matheson’s novel “I Am Legend”, and the film that was based on the
book, ‘The Last Man on Earth’ with Vincent Price. We also talk about X-Files
alumni Veronica Cartwright, and the show Millennium. </div>
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Since I have shared this news to neighbors, I have
encountered countless people who remember the original show.</div>
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You can upload the <a href="https://northbaytv.com/" target="_blank">North Bay TV</a> app to see the live stream,
if you don’t get KOFY, and the full episode will appear on the Creature Feature’s
website within a few days.</div>
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Worthwhile fun indeed.</div>
The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-49735447248054348712017-09-02T18:44:00.001-07:002017-09-02T18:44:59.635-07:00Those Dark Monsters Within...“Those dark monsters within”<br />
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XFL Blog’s exclusive interview with Jason V. Brock, conducted via E-mail by Matt Allair<br />
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XFL Blog’s review of DVD documentary “The Ackermonster Chronicles”, and book review for “The Dark Sea Within” by Matt Allair<br />
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<b>For many Philes, they might not be familiar with author and filmmaker <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jason_V._Brock" target="_blank">Jason V. Brock</a>, but he is a consequential and evolving voice in the field and subgenres of Horror, fantasy, and Science Fiction, he has also an admitted X-Files fan from back in the day. But my personal bonding with Jason came out of our shared passion for iconic genre writer H.P. Lovecraft, a figure we have written about on this blog. Jason is known for being very outspoken, and while open about his liberal leanings, he has been very vocal about the excesses of liberal political correctness, and has made no bones about the misguided aims behind such efforts in relation to deceased authors like Lovecraft. But his interests are varied, and range into a celebration of the life of first generation superfan, Forrest J Ackerman, a man who was involved in the evolving field of Science Fiction literature, and its fandom from as far back as the early 1930s. Ackerman had become the agent to a wide range of notable authors, and an avid collector of classic genre films and publications. Ackerman was also the creator of ‘Famous Monsters of Filmland’, a magazine that, no doubt, <i>X-Files</i> writers Glen and Darin Morgan had followed as children. One can see the review of this great documentary below. His interests also extended into a documentary of television writer Charles Beaumont, whose work is notable in Rod Serling’s seminal series <i>The Twilight Zone</i>, which is another series I have noted that had an impact on the work of <i>The X-Files</i>.</b> <br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Courtesy of the author</span></div>
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<b>But Jason is notable as a short story author, and this second point might interest X-Files fans who are looking for something dark and interesting. His second collection of Poems and Tales has been issued by Hippocampus Press, ‘The Dark Sea Within’. While the following musings might appear to some fans as six degrees of separation in relation to <i>The X-Files</i>, I felt this would be a great interest. Jason has been gracious and generous with his time, and he is in person a very fun and charming person to interact with (we met during Alien Con in Northern California last year). His devotion to interact with other fans and other authors shows a real commitment to bridge gaps and find common ground in all areas. The format is broken into a review, then interview format, for both the documentary and his book.</b><br />
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“The Ackermonster Chronicles” – A compelling documentary from filmmaker, Author and Musician Jason V Brock about first generation genre super fan Forest J. Ackerman whom began his life as an avid reader of Science Fiction and Fantasy pulps from the 1920s to the 1940s, and became an avid movie fan of all horror and science fiction films from the 1930s onward. Over time he amassed a huge collection of everything conceivable that related to those fields, as well as amassed a great number of industry contacts, both in film and literature. His tale has been occasionally told before, but not with the level of candor and earthiness that one finds here. Jason managed to interview Ackerman before his passing, and Brock managed, in the process, to get many revealing little tales about iconic figures such as Ray Bradbury, and Harlan Ellison. But Jason also managed to get some revelations about Ackerman’s sexual fetishes - little of this white-washes anything. The presentation of the Documentary is also surprising, it doesn’t rely on nostalgic images or genre clichés in how it reveals the human story behind Ackerman and his circle, but rather edgy. He may have been a geek, but he still was a man nevertheless. This presentation seems like a tactic to appeal to Millennial’s whom have little idea of the man, or his role these fledgling fields of Science Fiction and Horror in the early years. The tactic evidently works. The number of people involved in the roster is impressive: Ray Bradbury, William F. Nolan, Dan O’Bannon, John Landis, Joe Dante, Greg Bear, film historian David J. Skal, Lovecraft expert S.T. Joshi, and visual effects icon Ray Harryhausen.<br />
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<b>Matt Allair</b>: <i>I understand that you first started on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forrest_J_Ackerman" target="_blank">Forrest J Ackerman</a> documentary (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2180547/" target="_blank">The Ackermonster Chronicles!</a> [2012]) before others worked on similar documentaries about Forrest, and that you shot about 30 hours of material. Was it difficult to prioritize what to include?</i><br />
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<b>Jason V Brock</b>: It was, and my wife, Sunni, did an outstanding job as editor. The main reason was that there was so much to cover. Ackerman lived into his 90s, and was a pivotal figure in the development of several areas of popular culture, from fandom to the emergence of science fiction as a mainstay genre in literature and film, to the acceptance of horror by the masses via <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_Monsters_of_Filmland" target="_blank">Famous Monsters of Filmland</a> magazine and the legitimization of collecting. He was key in all of these roles, not to mention a beloved ham actor appearing in over 200 films and an agent and editor. Along the way, he even managed to cultivate a few outspoken foes (Harlan Ellison pops to mind!), and lifelong friendships with other people he inspired, such as the late Messrs. Ray Bradbury and <a href="http://www.rayharryhausen.com/" target="_blank">Ray Harryhausen</a>. Inevitably, Sunni had quite a job assembling everything, as I shot what I believe to be the longest interview Forry ever conducted, which ran about eleven hours! It was done in a single day, with a few breaks for food. Later we did some pick-ups to cover things missed in the original interview. To complicate matters, I shot in HD, which at the time was almost unheard of, so we had to have special gear to film and edit. It was sort of a nightmare, technically, back then.<br />
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And yes: Ours was the first documentary to be solely about Ackerman. Later, a few others came around and managed to get theirs out before we did, but that was only because they weren’t as thorough. I don’t want to say anything more negative, so I’ll leave it there. I will note that ours went on to win the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award for Best Documentary in 2014, so that tells you something. <br />
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We actually began the interview process in 2006, as I recall. During that time, we were encouraged to do another documentary about a man that Ackerman had agented at one time, the late writer for The Twilight Zone and some of Roger Corman’s Poe films, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Beaumont" target="_blank">Charles Beaumont</a>. Beaumont and Ackerman had many of the same friends and so on, so as I shot things for the Ackerman film, I also shot material for the Beaumont effort (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531642/" target="_blank">Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone’s Magic Man</a> [2010]). During these interviews, Ackerman had a serious injury and was hospitalized. While he http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1531642/recovered, we continued to work on the Beaumont documentary, and were able to finish it. After that documentary was done, we had an invitation to have the World Premiere at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grauman%27s_Egyptian_Theatre" target="_blank">Egyptian Theater</a> in Hollywood, CA. It went very well, with a near capacity turnout of around 400 people from all walks of life: Movie industry folks, reviewers, Twilight Zone fans, and so on. We also had an assembly of people who knew, worked with, or had studied Beaumont at this premiere, including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Clayton_Johnson" target="_blank">George Clayton Johnson</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._Nolan" target="_blank">William F. Nolan</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0866634/" target="_blank">John Tomerlin</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marc_Scott_Zicree" target="_blank">Marc Scott Zicree</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Bradbury" target="_blank">Ray Bradbury</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earl_Hamner_Jr." target="_blank">Earl Hamner</a>. Other screenings of the film took place all over the world, including a special showing at the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_the_Study_of_Science_Fiction" target="_blank">Center for the Study of Science Fiction</a> at the University of Kansas under the invitation of the Founding Director and science fiction legend <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_E._Gunn_(writer)" target="_blank">James E. Gunn</a>.<br />
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After about a year, we were able to pick-up with the Ackerman documentary; sadly he passed away before the film was completed, though he did live to see a short 10-minute preview. After the film was completed, we had the World Premiere, by invitation once again, at the historic Aero Theatre in Santa Monica (which, like the Egyptian Theatre in LA, is part of the prestigious <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Cinematheque" target="_blank">American Cinematheque</a>), and panelists there for the audience Q&A included the widow of screenwriter/director <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_O'Bannon" target="_blank">Dan O’Bannon</a> (Dan briefly lived with the Ackermans as a teenager), long-time Ackerman assistant <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Warren_(film_historian_and_critic)" target="_blank">Bill Warren</a>, William F. Nolan (Ackerman was his first agent, as he had been with Tomerlin and Beaumont, among many others), and George Clayton Johnson. Again, we had a fantastic turnout, and the documentaries have since been shown numerous times all over the world.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>What was the most difficult interview to secure?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: Well, for Ackermonster, I would have to say it was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Landis" target="_blank">John Landis</a>, simply due to scheduling. He’s a busy guy. For the Beaumont film it was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shatner" target="_blank">William Shatner</a>, mainly for the same reason. <br />
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We’re completing a third film at present, entitled <a href="https://www.facebook.com/FantasticArtDocumentary" target="_blank">Image, Reflection, Shadow: Artists of the Fantastic</a>. For that, likely the toughest to secure was <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernst_Fuchs_(artist)" target="_blank">Prof. Ernst Fuchs</a>. We had to go to Europe for the majority of the interviews, and he was at work painting an amazing mural inside a chapel in the capital city of Klagenfurt in state of Carinthia, Austria. We had to drive through the Alps from Vienna, and once we arrived, Prof. Fuchs had me deliver a small brass model of a proposed sculpture to him, but the City Hall made me leave my passport as collateral before letting me take it to him! That was a bit of an odyssey.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>It’s one of the few documentaries that is so candid about the sexuality of his era, as well as his sexual fetishes and interests; was the decision to include that aspect of his life intentionally going against the grain about what you would usually see in such documentaries? Did that aspect just naturally unfold as you learned more about him?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: Well, in my films I prefer to uncover the true essence of the individual or topic. As a result, I tend to use unconventional means to achieve this goal. One thing I don’t like—especially if the subject is a person—is to have a narrator. I find that to be an old-fashioned way of doing things. Instead I let the people who knew the person explain to me, in long and candid terms, what the person they knew was like. Over the course of 20 or 30 interviews, one can establish a fuller picture of all aspects of the subject as viewed by others. I call it “peeling away the onion layers.” It gives us, I feel, a much fuller appreciation of the person at the heart of the film.<br />
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With respect to sexuality, it was Forry who brought that stuff up. I never got the feeling he was embarrassed or ashamed of it (and he had no reason to be), so we went with it. I found it an interesting window into how his mind worked, and it tied in to idealized notions of the past (such as nudism) as they changed into what we see today. Forry was genuinely fascinated with the good in people, and was what I would deem an optimist. He truly felt that in the future, we would be living by the tenets of what I have come to call the “Utopian Triangle”: everyone speaking Esperanto, living on a spaceship, and nude. He was more complex than just an old guy who liked science fiction books. I wanted to show that.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>The documentary has a very edgy, contemporary presentation, and isn’t packaged with many nostalgic clichés. Was the approach done to appeal to younger Millennial viewers who might not be aware of Forrest’s, or Science Fiction’s, early history?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: It was not done in a contrived way to appeal to a demographic, but if it does, that’s fine with me. It was done as a way to humanize the past, actually.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>When did you first meet Forrest?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: We first met him at San Diego Comic-Con in 2005, where he was doing a signing with Ray Harryhausen and Ray Bradbury.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>Was there particular story you had to omit that you wished you hadn’t?</i><br />
<b>Brock</b>: Several! There are so many stories told by different people I wished we could have included. Alas, there’s not room for everything! Perhaps more in a future edition. . .<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>In the commentary you mentioned being something of a neophyte about Ackerman when you started the project, did what you learn change your perspective about him?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: Well, I understood his impact with respect to Famous Monsters, which I read growing up, but with regard to his importance in the larger scheme of things, that was surprising. To my mind, he’s the fulcrum of bringing this type of literature and film into the present. I say that not only because of his own achievements, but also because of his friendships with Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen. They have, collectively, inspired millions of people, quite literally. And all over the world. People who love the genre don’t even understand the impact of these men, and I predict none of it would have happened if Ackerman hadn’t been the catalyst.<br />
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<i>“The Dark Sea Within: Tales and Poems”</i> By Jason V. Brock – Personally, I find it difficult to be easily captivated by contemporary weird horror or fantasy fiction. Most mass market fiction has been so commoditized to pander to a demographic, and so many genre writers fall into a generic cul-de-sac that provides a comfort eye candy to the reader whom happily takes it all in, it is difficult to find a genre writer that has something to say, and something transgressive that leads to new revelations about the characters depicted. But the purpose of weird horror and fantasy should be to reveal to the reader something new about the human condition that hasn’t been considered. H.P. Lovecraft, within his obsessional interests and neurosis, did open up a view of man as minuscule in a greater scheme of things, that notion ran in contrast to the comforts of Christianity. While Lovecraft did not influence him, Clive Barker’s early work remains some of the most transgressive to come out of the eighties, he’s one writer that moved Lovecraftian sensibilities into new directions, Clive was also unapologetic in celebrating the other as something beautiful. Anne Rice is another example of someone who celebrated the sensuality of the other with new perspectives. Yet the point is that horror and fantasy cannot move forward unless it is transgressive, unless it makes the reader uncomfortable, yet shock tactics are not enough. The reason why filmmakers like George Romero and David Cronenberg remained so interesting is the depth of their best work to have something to say. I am happy to reveal that Jason Brock’s new book reveals an ability to write good, captivating prose, and meets many of the expected above points.<br />
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The first tale that I was most curious to check out was ‘Brood’, a Lovecraftian tale that acts as a contemporary sequel to ‘The Shadow Over Innsmouth’, set in the coast of Massachusetts, a Sheriff and deputy investigate the bodies of mutilated half breeds off the coast, and this leads to as grim revelation. ‘The Dark Sea Within’ reminds me of a Clive Barker tale from his short story era – An art dealer, and his girlfriend, lured by the promise of rare art in Prague are lead into other realms. ‘Memento Mori’ is a vignette that deals with an old man’s recollection of an unusual event from the Second World War. ‘Transposition’ is a surgical horror tale with a O’Henry twist. Thus far his work reveals a writer with a breath of influences. ‘The Shadow of Heaven’ is another Lovecraftian influenced tale of a Military unit in the Arctic that faces a grim outcome. ‘The Man With The Horn’ is another tale of a woman overwhelmed with curiosity about an apartment neighbor that leads cosmic revelations, this tale might remind others of Lovecraft’s “The Music Of Erich Zann’. The tale ‘Verlassen’ manages to have the flavor of a Ray Bradbury tale, introspective. <br />
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The tales ‘Unity of Affect’ and ‘Epistles From Dis’ manage to be structurally inventive, in the case of ‘Dis’, the title makes reference to the city in six level of Hell of Dante Alighieri’s poem, ‘Epistles from Dis’ manages to be an ambitious apocalyptic novella that demonstrates his sure hand with working in the longer-form format. In terms of his Poetry, many follow in the spirit of Edgar Allen Poe’s poetry, or Lovecraft’s dalliances with Poetry, but they also demonstrate the influences of writers like Milton and Edgar Lee Masters. There are many sides to Jason’s influences and that breath is revealed with each piece. I should note that the book concludes with ‘notes’ about the writing, while this isn’t completely unusual, it is rare to see a writer willing to share his through process and inspiration behind each work. The closest example I can think is musician Pete Townshend who is very open about his creative process. Jason V. Brock is a writer with great promise, although already very accomplished, I would be intrigued to see where could go with a longer-form Novel. Fans who have an interest in the weird fantasy field should celebrate such a new voice, recommended.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>Your second collection, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Sea-Within-Tales-Poems/dp/1614981949" target="_blank">The Dark Sea Within</a>, is very eclectic in its prose styles; was the selection process difficult?</i><br />
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<b>Jason V Brock</b>: Not really, I have always written in a variety of styles and with a broad thematic base. I like to challenge myself, and I like to gently confound expectations. The main thing is getting the flow of the book to be a smooth experience for readers. Of course, some people dislike poetry, so they can skip those if they wish.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>Since the publication of <a href="https://hippocampuspress.com/mythos-and-other-authors/fiction/simulacrum-by-jason-v-brock" target="_blank">Simulacrum and Other Possible Realities</a>, how many years did it take to write the tales and poems in Dark Sea?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: Well, not too long, actually. I had the bulk of the material together in a couple years. I write very quickly, and generally have three to five story requests in the hopper at any given moment. The longest part of the process for me is perfecting the pieces and handling final revisions before going to press on a collection. I am a chronic reviser, and enjoy that aspect of writing. <br />
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I did have to put in a great deal of work on the novella that debuted in Dark Sea entitled Epistles from Dis. I had been working on that piece—which clocks in at about 23,000 words—off and on for roughly ten years. It is a complex work, and involves a sweep of history as well as a lot of research related to the machinations of the disaster that unfolds in the story. It was fun to do, but tough as well. At the moment I am building the contents for my third collection, tentatively called Grotteschi: Further Explorations of the Kafkaesque. I hope to have it ready for early 2019. It’s about half-completed now; I have to wait for some of the pieces to appear in print before I can release it, though.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>You are known for being an advocate for writers like H.P. Lovecraft and Richard Matheson: Is there a writer that has influenced you that would surprise most people?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: I think most people would be very surprised to learn about one in particular. He was a fine literary writer named <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Selzer" target="_blank">Richard Selzer</a>. His work is lyrical, but rooted in reality. He began as a surgeon, and his book Mortal Lessons: Notes on the Art of Surgery is one of my favorites of all time. I had the chance to publish him once, and he was great to work with. A real gentleman. I also really admire the work of Gabriel García Márquez. Rod Serling, O’Bannon, David Bowie, William S. Burroughs. The aforementioned members of The Group, of course, and the cohort they influenced: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dennis_Etchison" target="_blank">Dennis Etchison</a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0040643/" target="_blank">Peter Atkins</a>, et al. (In fact, our publishing shingle, Cycatrix Press, is re-issuing Etchison’s Masters of the Weird Tale Centipede volume, <a href="http://www.jasunnistore.com/it-only-comes-out-at-night-fiction-collection-by-dennis-etchison/" target="_blank">It Only Comes Out at Night</a>, in paperback.) Also the theatre has been a big influence; I was really into plays and theatre in high school. And the poet Dante.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>Do you see a moral thread that runs through most of your story telling?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: One theme is “be careful what you wish for.” I see others, but that one is recurrent. Also “things are not always what they seem to be.”<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>Is a lot of your story telling based on personal experiences? Is any of your fictional work autobiographical in some manner?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: Most of my work has some tinge of biographical material. Many of my characters reflect amalgamations of aspects that I have, for better or worse. And liberal doses of imagination, of course.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>I’m always fascinated with the issue of societal censorship, which seems to be an on-going scenario, and with artists—be they writers, musicians, painters, or filmmakers—the issue of self-censorship. Has there ever been an image, idea, or sequence that you thought of, to which you decided ‘It’s too extreme, I can’t go there’, when you were developing your work?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: No. I am generally most interested in ideas that challenge or excite me. I have dialed back some of the baser elements of gore that I had in my earlier efforts. I was interested in medicine, and still am, and would frequently go for realism in describing things. Sometimes that grueling for a reader. So I learned to temper that with more flair with respect to style. It’s not so much about endurance as it is about conveying messages in my work. Sometimes the extreme parts stepped on that, though I have been known to be extreme from time-to-time!<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>Now that you have several story collections under your belt, do you feel ready to work on a long form novel?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: I do, certainly. I have done a variety of long-form pieces now, ranging from 11,000 to more than 20,000 words. My literary agent, Cherry Weiner, is after me to complete my novel series, the first of which is tentatively called (UnSub). This is the beginning of a trilogy about a specific character, a woman named Sinthya Morrigan. She is an FBI investigator in the Behavioral Sciences Unit, and starts the series with her coming in to clean up a serial murder investigation in the Pacific Northwest, which is where I now reside. It’s a police procedural/crime book in part, but with a strong supernatural element. The trilogy is all mapped out; I’m finishing the first book.<br />
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I also have a Weird fiction short novel entitled The Kellen Diaries on the backburner. It will be a sort of lost document book about a specific character, and drawing on the Weird tradition, a bit of Lovecraft, and also Southern Gothic ideas. The latter is a natural draw for me, considering I am from the South, so it feels comfortable. Along the way, I plan on an S-F novel, and a couple others I have ideas for. William F. Nolan and I are working on several projects as well—one is his forthcoming <a href="http://centipedepress.com/" target="_blank">Centipede Press</a> Masters of the Weird Tale series omnibus (due in early 2018), and his memoirs, currently titled Nolan’s Run, due in 2018 as well from <a href="https://darkregions.com/" target="_blank">Dark Regions</a> Press; I am serving as editor for those two. I have also outlined another novel—with Nolan’s blessing, as he wants me to assume the mantle for the literary franchise—which is an extension of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan%27s_Run" target="_blank">Logan’s Run</a> universe, called Logan Falls.<br />
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Additionally, I have planned a couple nonfiction books of scholarship—one on The Group, and one about film, music, literature, and art, similar to, but wider in scope, than my Bram Stoker and Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award Finalist book from 2014, <a href="https://rowman.com/ISBN/978-1-4422-3524-3" target="_blank">Disorders of Magnitude</a>. Then there is my semi-regular ongoing print/online anthology/periodical <a href="http://www.namelessdigest.com/" target="_blank">Nameless Digest</a> which will see two issues out this year, with some fantastic stuff in them, including original stories by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsey_Campbell" target="_blank">Ramsey Campbell</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Amanda_Salmonson" target="_blank">Jessica Amanda Salmonson</a>, and a new <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Ligotti" target="_blank">Thomas Ligotti </a>interview from <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_Schweitzer" target="_blank">Darrell Schweitzer</a>.<br />
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Lastly, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._T._Joshi" target="_blank">S. T. Joshi</a>, the scholar, critic, and anthologist, and I are planning a new book called Future Weird for 2018. Should be pretty interesting, as it merges the non-Lovecraftian Weird with Science Fiction; we already have some excellent contributions for it. Very interesting admixture, that.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>Are you optimistic about the current field of Science Fiction, Horror, or Fantasy Literature in 2017?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: Overall, I suppose. Right now, there seems to be quite a bit of overtly preachy material out there. I think that will date badly as social mores change and people get tired of being lectured to; we’re not children here, for the most part. We can handle ideas that are different from our own, or at least I can, and the people I generally associate with. <br />
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There is also a bad trend toward PCism that needs to be kicked to the curb. “Artists” who are PC aren’t artists: They’re politicians yearning for acceptance, I feel. Now, there’s nothing wrong with addressing ethical concerns, or moral dilemmas, or recasting things contextually, but trying to dictate terms to people and hammer at them if they differ from your overly-rigid worldview is not only foolish, but dangerous. That’s mind control. Groupthink. I’m against it. I refer to these types as “Stalinists” but they aren’t that organized. They’re reactionaries, mainly. I am personally liberal, and find the very notion of people telling me what to think—or, even worse, the “correct” way to think—to be unacceptable. I’ll decide for me, thanks. <br />
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Along those lines, casting people into the lake of fire over a political stance is not only counter-productive, it’s a streak of self-righteous idiocy and narcissism that I find to be anathema to the tolerance, understanding, and compassion I was raised to be mindful of. It also stymies being the person who wants to grow as a creator and a human being; it involves too much talking and not enough listening; wanting to be “right” and not open to other points-of-view; even if someone has an outré or negative set of ideas, hearing them out is not an endorsement. It’s an acceptance that they are different in their perspective. That’s all. It won’t “turn you into _______” to listen, think, then formulate a reply rather than simply react in regurgitated, half-digested stereotypes and cockamamie ideas of pseudo-justice. We have to try and come to terms with one another, not just condemn people who are different than we are: How is that any different that being a sexist, or a racist, or a homophobe, or an ageist? That sort of unenlightened “thinking” violates my personal ethos.<br />
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There’s been way too much of that in the literary community of late. Enough already. Don’t become what you hate.<br />
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<b>Matt</b>: <i>Due to the nature of this blog, I understand you are an X-Files fan, do you have a favorite episode or season?</i><br />
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<b>Brock</b>: I do! My favorite is the one where Scully and Mulder visited the retired sideshow community in Florida. Season 2, episode 20: "Humbug." I especially love it as I am frequently treated like a freak in real-life by people who have a hard time appreciating my takes on things. <br />
I also tend to gravitate toward the misunderstood; that, too, is a large thematic concern in my work. I can trace it back to my upbringing in the rural South: We were poor, and I frequently felt the sting of ridicule over that, which was out of my control, of course. Most of my friends were the same, and I had a bit of a split childhood, first with my mother, then later with my father (who was mixed race) and stepmother. Looking back, growing up that way, in those conditions, gives one insight into humanity that you can’t get any otherwise.<br />
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<b>Jason is a fascinating figure, and all areas of his work are worth looking into. You can Purchase The Ackerman documentary <a href="http://www.jasunnistore.com/ackermonster" target="_blank">here</a>, as well as his new collection of tales The Dark Sea Within <a href="http://www.jasunnistore.com/The-Dark-Sea-Within-publisher-direct/" target="_blank">here</a>. Or via <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Jason-V-Brock/e/B0053A2JTM/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1351625216&sr=1-2-ent" target="_blank">Amazon</a>. </b><br />
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<b>You can find Jason V. Brock via his <a href="https://twitter.com/JasonVbrocK" target="_blank">Twitter,</a> his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/JasonVbrocK" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, or his <a href="http://www.jasunni.com/" target="_blank">website</a> with his wife Sunni.</b><br />
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<b>Special thanks to Jason for his time! </b><br />
<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-77559457302999776992017-02-12T08:02:00.000-08:002017-02-12T08:04:03.436-08:00Chris's Comics Corner 6<br />
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<b>Chris Irish’s long delayed review of IDW’s season 10, some more terrific analysis, and something we are always pleased to present. </b><br />
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Season 10, Issue 16: <i>Immaculate, Part 1</i><br />
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Written by: <b>Joe Harris</b><br />
Art by: <b>Colin Lorimer</b><br />
Colors by: <b>Joana Lafuente</b><br />
Letters by: <b>Neil Uyetake</b><br />
Editor: <b>Denton J. Tipton</b><br />
Executive Producer: <b>Chris Carter</b><br />
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This installation of Season 10 opens up in front of an abortion clinic with a group of pro-life protesters in Murphysville, North Carolina. A blonde pregnant woman is standing across the street from them, saying the Lord’s Prayer to herself. A bright white panel with a black speech bubble says, “I will never abandon you, my child,” and she says she believes it. She walks through the snarling crowd to the clinic, the group lobs insults at her aggressively, and she is greeted by some clinic workers. Once inside she talks to the receptionist, who asks if she is with anyone, and she confirms, but when the receptionist notices no one with her, the pregnant woman says, “You’ll see.” She’s inside the doctor’s office now, ready for a procedure. The doctor asks if they’ve met before, and she says they haven’t. As the doctor talks to the woman, the receptionist in the office area is reviewing files and mumbles to herself that she’s seen the woman before as well. She pulls out a file with the name “Joanie Cartwright” on it and has a look of shock before she runs to the doctor’s office. From outside the clinic we see a giant explosion, and the protesters look on as the blonde woman walks from the fire unscathed, and no longer pregnant. She addresses the crowd and asks if they want to burn it all down and says, “Follow Us.” Enter title panel. <br />
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We join Mulder and Scully at the familiar FBI headquarters in Washington, DC. Our protagonists enter an office as two other agents are discussing something with A.D. Morales. One tells Mulder it’s “spooky stuff,” and Mulder quips at him, but Morales at the desk clarifies that it isn’t Mulder being called “Spooky.” She hands them a picture of Joanie Cartwright, who is age 16, that was taken before the explosion at the abortion clinic. They are told that the girl smuggled in a crude fertilizer bomb and blew the clinic up, killing six people. Mulder asks why they are being brought into this investigation as the local field office would be better suited (a familiar occurrence in The X-Files, nice touch). Mulder is handed some more pictures and is told that they are confirmed not be retouched, and in one photo the girl has a faint halo over her head. It also looks like there’s a ghostly figure behind the girl (fantastic artwork, by the way). Scully and Mulder are reminded that their past dealings in Saudi Arabia have put the X-Files under scrutiny (the storyline “Pilgrims”), which is familiar territory for both Mulder and Scully over the years.<br />
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Mulder and Scully travel to North Carolina to interview a survivor who has images of the girl standing in the explosion with a ghostly figure seeming to stand next to her. Mulder and Scully question her about the girl in question. Initially, she can’t recall the name of the boy who brought Joanie in the first time, but she has some sort of flash where Joanie says, “He will not abandon you,” and she tells them the boy’s name. Joanie again addresses her and says, “I can tell you where to find him,” and the receptionist tells Mulder and Scully. Scully tells Mulder they should let Morales know the details, but Mulder suggests the quiet approach—not surprising, knowing Mulder’s tendency to buck authority through the years.<br />
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Scully finds a relative of Joanie in a church in Murphysville. The lady is leaning on a pew praying the same prayer Joanie was at the beginning of the issue. The same “He will not abandon me” is mentioned as Scully approaches. Scully addresses the lady as “Mrs. Cartwright,” presumably Joanie’s mother. Scully asks her where Joanie is, but the mother keeps praying and mumbles that Joanie is a good girl, then says, “Don’t you see?” and turns to Scully, who sees the lady’s eyes are clouded. After this shock, the church’s pastor Alvin Johns approaches Scully and explains that he’s been caring for Mrs. Cartwright since her husband died. Pastor Johns offers to walk and talk with Scully.<br />
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Back to Mulder, he’s outside of Murphysville in a trailer park. In a thoroughly creepy X-Files scene with red sky and crosses hanging in a nearby tree, Mulder begins to investigate the area. During his poking around we see Pastor Johns and Scully walking and talking about the town and how religious people in the area are. As he says this, Mulder finds an unlocked trailer and enters. He finds an open book on Demonology lying on a desk. He finds a picture of Joanie in the pages of the book as someone else enters the trailer. Mulder surprises the man and runs from the scene. Back to Scully, she confronts the pastor and says it looks like Mrs. Cartwright’s eyesight was taken from her, and the Pastor says that it should. Returning to Mulder, he’s chasing the men, and he sees the man mysteriously get yanked to a halt by an unknown force. Mulder catches up to the man and notices a large group of men, women, and children standing in the way, all with the same problem with their eyes that Mrs. Cartwright has. Back to Scully, the pastor finishes his sentence, telling her that Mrs. Cartwright took her sight by herself.<br />
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Now Mulder and Scully are at the Murphysville Police Station interrogating the man who turns out to be Daniel, the boy who took Joanie in for her first abortion. Mulder grills him, and Daniel tries to explain himself. As Mulder and Scully talk to Daniel, we see a scene in Murphysville where a group of people encounter a dark woman with a group of armed individuals behind them. Back in the police station, Mulder and Scully are outside the interrogation room, discussing the case, while Daniel is waiting inside the room. As they are discussing the case, Daniel is staring at the mirror that separates the room and seems to be hallucinating. He says, “She wasn’t ready to have a baby,” as he reaches for a pen. In the next panels we see Joanie Cartwright standing among dead people left behind by the crowd she leads. Mulder and Scully hear Daniel scream and rush into the room to see that he’s gouged his eyes out, and the issue ends.<br />
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Season 10, Issue 17: <i>Immaculate, Part 2</i><br />
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Written by: <b>Joe Harris</b><br />
Art by: <b>Colin Lorimer</b><br />
Colors by: <b>Joana Lafuente</b><br />
Letters by: <b>Shawn Lee</b><br />
Editor: <b>Denton J. Tipton</b><br />
Executive producer: <b>Chris Carter</b><br />
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Part two of “Immaculate” starts with an FBI team going over the group of dead in the streets left behind at the end of the last issue. Mulder and Scully are walking amongst them. Scully tells Mulder the mobile ballistics lab is on the site, and Mulder has one of his hunches that the bullets will be traced back to these people’s friends and neighbors. Scully notices that not only have the dead been shot to pieces, but that they all seem white as a sheet, as if something terrified them beyond just getting shot. They go over the corpses and discuss what’s going on between images of the violence that unfolded earlier with the people being shot down and Joanie leading. Mulder says that an autopsy might shed some light on the events. As they walk away someone approaches a deceased woman and puts a hand on the dead woman’s head. We see a flash of her last moments, seeing Joanie with a large demon-looking shadow behind her. We see that it’s in fact Frank Black from the <i>X-Files</i> spinoff <i>Millennium</i>, before the title block.<br />
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The next scene opens in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina at a kind of refugee camp. A small boy is calling for his mother, but his sister is the only relative he has. Her name is Sarah, and she says she’ll take care of him. His name is Lucas. She assures him that she’ll be back and leaves him in his tent and goes to see Joanie. She recognizes Joanie from school, but Joanie only says, “He is our heart, he is our shepherd.” Sarah tells Joanie that they can’t find their mother, and Joanie tells her that she’s in a better place. Joanie is standing on the edge of a cliff and tells Sarah that she will see things for herself. Sarah starts to go back to Lucas, but everyone starts to gather around her and gets on their knees, and they all start chanting, “He is come” repeatedly. <br />
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We join Scully in the next page conducting an autopsy on one of the victims from the previous shooting. She notes an extreme amount of blood loss even for someone shot three times and that the dead man’s eyes are burned—that tells her that he was exposed to intense light. She goes on to say that some victims seem to have been scared to death, literally. Scully hears a noise in the hallway and goes to check but only finds a briefcase with a familiar symbol from <i>Millennium</i> on it. Inside she finds a file on Joanie Cartwright. Later on in the town church, Scully is waiting for Pastor Johns. She tells him that she’s come to see him and presents the briefcase that she found in the hallway in the morgue. <br />
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Elsewhere, Mulder is in the forest, leading a team that’s going to investigate the wooded area where the suspects from the mass shooting in town were last seen. Mulder asks one of the men where Scully is but is met by Frank Black, who informs him that she is seeking the truth and that he isn’t going to find anything in the woods if he continues following that lead. Mulder and Frank go into the FBI Mobile Command Unit bus to discuss the situation. Frank imparts what he knows to Agent Mulder regarding the case. They sort of clash regarding the nature of the case itself, being domestic terrorism or something worse. Frank tells Mulder what’s causing these problems is Joanie Cartwright. She believed that she was talking to God, but Frank knows better. Mulder asks him if it has anything to do with the Millennium Group, but Frank tells him he’s no longer associated with them. Right then another agent barges in and tells Mulder he has to see something. The girl Sarah from the beginning of the issue carries her brother to the agents. His eyes have been burned like the people who encountered Joanie in the town. Mulder talks to the girl while the agents try to help the boy. She says she never wanted to follow Joanie but everyone else seemed attracted to her for some reason. They load Sarah’s brother, Lucas, into an ambulance. Sarah tries to explain what it is that makes people want to follow her and how they would do anything for her, amongst panels showing people swan diving off the cliff to their deaths from earlier at the camp. <br />
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Back at the town church, Scully is talking to the pastor. She asks if he’s aware that Joanie has had an abortion once already, and he confirms that he knew. Scully asks why it seems that he was the one who signed her out from school before her pregnancy and subsequent abortion. Scully indicates that the investigation is not over and she will be seeing him again. In the woods the FBI task force has found Joanie standing alone at the edge of the cliff. She tells the men that she never meant to hurt anyone and wasn’t ready to have a baby. They try to calm her down and get her to back off from the edge, but she says, “He said he’d never leave me,” right before she swan dives off the cliff. Mulder lunges to try and save her, but Frank holds him back. Mulder asks Frank what would do this to these people, and Frank says, “If you knew the things I knew, Agent Mulder, your hair would be gray too.” Below them at the bottom of the cliff Frank can see a demon emerging from the pile of bodies strewn on the cliff floor.<br />
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In the woods the paramedics are working on trying to save Lucas as Sarah looks on. They charge an AED and shock the boy’s chest to shock his heart back. Scully is leaving the church as this is happening and calls Mulder. She tells him that she has a good idea who the father of Joanie’s children was but can’t prove it without testimony. Mulder says it’d be difficult to do so since Joanie just committed suicide. Mulder tells Scully about Frank Black helping him and that he’s no longer part of the Millennium Group. Mulder looks up for a moment and sees that Sarah is no longer in the camp. Back at the church we see Sarah appear. She sneaks into the church where the pastor is alone. She approaches him, and he sees a halo on her head and giant demon wings coming out of her back. She says, “He is come.” And the issue ends.<br />
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This story line was pretty creepy. It didn’t really clarify what this demon actually was, but that leaves it open for further story lines either in more <i>X-Files</i> issues or in <i>Millennium</i> comics. It was great to see Frank Black working with Mulder and Scully again. The whole thing was pretty creepy and touched on multiple hot button issues in today’s society as only <i>The X-Files</i> can. This kind of fearless commentary on difficult subjects is vital to the comics as it was in the television series.<br />
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Season 10, Issue 18: <i>Monica and John</i><br />
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Written by: <b>Joe Harris</b><br />
Art by: <b>Matthew Dow Smith</b><br />
Colors by: <b>Jordie Bellaire</b><br />
Letters by: <b>Shawn Lee</b><br />
Editor: <b>Denton J. Tipton</b><br />
Executive Producer: <b>Chris Carter</b><br />
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This issue opens in a farmhouse in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. An unidentified man is putting his shoes on, heads downstairs, then pulls a kettle off the burner. The man eats breakfast, reads a paper, then deposits the issue on a pile of others near the table. The person exits the kitchen, goes down to the basement via a hidden door, and grabs a set of keys off the wall, and there are a couple FBI badges hanging on the wall. One of them is Monica Reyes’s. The mystery character opens another door, and we find Monica Reyes curled up in a dark room alone. The person gives her some food to eat and shuts her in again. Monica hits the door but the person leaves her. She sees that she knocked her food to the floor, and we see the wall is scored with dozens of marks, indicating that she’s been locked up for a long time.<br />
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The mystery person then leaves the house in a truck as snow is falling. The person heads to the local post office and picks up a package. The postal worker tells the person that they should fix their address, and they say they will fix it. On a poster board behind them, there is missing person’s notifications for both Agent Reyes and Agent Doggett. The person leaves the post office, and we see that it is in fact Agent Doggett himself. Monica couldn’t tell who he was since the basement was dark. <br />
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In a flashback to events early in the comic Season 10, we see Agent Doggett doubled over in the dirt as the remains of the exploded pipeline are smoldering around him. Some workers call for help for Doggett and a man face down on the ground, but Doggett seems to have started glowing red, then stabs the man through the chest (pretty nice nod to Terminator 2). What we thought was Doggett turns into a cloaked man who proceeds to kill the rest of the workers, picks up the real Agent Doggett from the ground, and walks off. <br />
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In Sioux Falls in another dark cell, a long haired and bearded man hears a man in the hallway. The man is clearly John Doggett. He says he’s been in the cell for eighteen months, so clearly the Doggett we saw earlier was an imposter. Doggett yells at the imposter through the door before a mouse appears and then transforms into the hooded man, who grabs his throat and lifts him in the air. The man tells Doggett he’s been waiting for a sign before disappearing, leaving the door open. Doggett takes his chance and leaves the cell. He finds his and Reyes’s FBI badges hanging in the hall and goes to her cell to let her out. As he approaches her she tackles him, clearly not trusting him. He finally tells her it’s really him, sparing a further beating. They hold each other in the dark cell.<br />
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At the FBI Headquarters in Washington, DC, we join Agent Scully. Mulder is currently testifying at a parole board, covered in Millennium #1. Skinner enters the office as she’s about to leave and tells her to come see something. He shares the news that someone resembling John Doggett was spotted at a post office in Sioux Falls. As the panels catch Scully up, it shows the FBI responding to the house John and Monica were held in. It also flashes back to their escape, where John finds one of the shivs used to kill the Alien Bounty Hunters in the show. The hooded man tells Doggett that he’s to kill him, but John tries to arrest him instead to find out why he did this to them. Before he can do that, Monica drives the shiv into the man’s neck, and he dissolves into the green paste that the other aliens have in the series. Doggett questions Reyes to why she did it, but she tells him that they forgot all about them, just as Skinner and Scully burst in with an FBI team. Scully and the team assist Monica, and Scully sees Doggett at the top of the stairs. She runs up and hugs John and asks if he’s alright. He says he will file a report on the events and that they’re fine.<br />
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Now aside from Agent Mulder, who is busy elsewhere, the team is back together. This could aid Mulder and Scully to uncover this new conspiracy pretty well since Reyes and Doggett bring a lot to the X-Files. We shall see how these events play out in the following issues!<br />
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<b>Special thanks for editorial assistance from A.M.D.</b>The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-15339625999892025202016-12-14T08:23:00.001-08:002016-12-14T08:26:34.464-08:00Recent promo for Medici: Masters of Florence fron NetflixThe good folks on the <i>Medici : Masters of Florence</i> promotion team sent us a new trailer prior to the American debut of the new series from Netflix.<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SFUWvceed5s" width="560"></iframe>
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<i>Medici: Masters of Florence</i> is the new production from Frank Spotnitz, and co-written by film icon, Nicholas Meyer (<i>The Seven Percent Solution, Time After Time, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn, The Day After</i>, and <i>Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country</i>) and stars Dustin Hoffman and Richard Madden (of <i>Game of Thrones</i>, Robb Stark fame).<br />
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The series was a resounding success last year when it debut in Italy, where the bulk of the series was filmed. This is worth looking into for anyone who enjoyed Mr. Spotnitz's work with Man In The High Castle for Amazon. The American debut was December 9th.The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-64314647216890581412016-11-30T16:29:00.002-08:002016-11-30T16:29:15.929-08:00Consequences<br />
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Where I live, or I should add nearby, there’s an old white building for years I assumed was a library. It’s right off Presidio Park drive in San Francisco. I learned a year and a half ago that it was the home of the Internet Archive.<br />
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Now, the <a href="https://archive.org/index.php" target="_blank">Internet Archive</a> has been a resource for all on-line internet media, including books, sites that have gone missing have been archived there. This is especially important for some of the valuable written content that has existed since the mid 90s on the Internet. While it is true that the internet features a great deal of misinformed dreck, the internet has also featured some great resources that are / were well researched, informed, insightful, and that broke the line between legitimate, old school journalism, and freed up a kind of citizen based journalism that was a two edged sword. <br />
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Some of that citizen journalism was well done, and responsible, and some of that citizen journalism was not, and that is really the fault of the individuals involved when they were not responsible for their work. Nevertheless, you’ve had people who worked quite hard, with long hours of thought, elbow grease, and ethics to offer their best for little payment, or no pay, and with the belief in the free exchange of ideas. There might have been excesses along the way, abuses, when it comes to file sharing, or breaches in ‘Fair use’ rules, or abuses with frivolous sound bite content that is driven by 140 characters. <br />
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There might have been Silicon Valley figures with Utopian dreams about using the internet in the ‘app age’ to solve the ills of services, and goods, thus creating new problems without fixing the displacement of the work force of those services. Few could have seen the downside to a Facebook or a Redditt many years before. There have been abuses indeed, but the many bad apples shouldn’t spoil the whole bunch, we have always seen excesses in every aspect of culture. <br />
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The folks behind the Internet Archive have announced, due to developments with the new President Elect, they are moving their operations from San Francisco to <a href="http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/11/30/1605487/-The-Internet-Archive-is-Moving-to-Canada" target="_blank">Canada</a>, to protect their servers in light of a new administration that has indicated, during the campaign, a lack of support for <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2016/11/10/how-donald-trump-will-dismantle-obamas-internet-legacy/" target="_blank">Internet Neutrality</a>, the elimination of the <a href="https://www.engadget.com/2016/11/23/trumps-new-tech-adviser-wants-to-gut-the-fcc/" target="_blank">FCC</a>, and raised questions about revising the meaning of the <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/29/politics/donald-trump-first-amendment/index.html" target="_blank">First Amendment</a>. Now, as to if this is all just heated rhetoric that will lead to nothing is hard to say, but we are facing a seismic shift in our culture, in our politics that one should be vigilant with, Elections have consequences and this is more true when our culture could be facing a government that no one really knows what to expect. An Autocratic government? A Kleptocratic government? More of the same authoritarian government we saw in the early 2000s? All of the above, or none of the above?<br />
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We have supported, at <a href="http://www.x-fileslexicon.com/" target="_blank">The X-Files Lexicon</a>, Internet Neutrality for a decade now for sound reasons. The belief that information is the coin of the realm, regardless as to if that information is entertainment based, news based, history based, or science based. The mechanics of explaining how Internet Neutrality works has been complicated, but the objective has remained that a consumer should not have to pay to play, while it’s understandable with on-line news outlets to pay a subscription fee, the system should not be rigged to force that situation in all matters, especially when it’s done for politically expedient reasons.<br />
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We should address the other ramifications related to <i>The X-Files</i> season 11 news. The comments from <a href="http://in.mobile.reuters.com/article/idINKBN13O1O5" target="_blank">Gillian Anderson</a> about nothing happening, and the added comments from <a href="https://twitter.com/Annealiz1/status/803649256632352769?s=09" target="_blank">Anne Simon</a>, which suggest that the election outcome has affected FOX studios decision to not move forward with another short form season. This could have little to do with politics, but more about scheduling conflicts and how much various parties want to commit. If this set of circumstances had to do with knee jerk action to the political climate, it would be a waste to ignore such salient points as the high ratings of the first three episodes. It also runs counter to how Television networks operate, where they live and breath off of high ratings. I feel people shouldn’t draw certain conclusions yet.<br />
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Fact based truth should not be a causality of social or political movements, but they often seem to be the first causality in the struggle to uphold free speech. <br />
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We are living in cynical and faithless times, it’s true that trust in all institutions have collapsed, but that doesn’t have to be the case. This collapsing of trust was intentional, by design and by various parties. <br />
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This lack of faith in the realm of information, this blurring of legitimate information, and artificial information has extend into every area now.<br />
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When the line between the tiny sliver of legitimate global conspiracies has been blurred to mean everything is a conspiracy, it loses all meaning now.<br />
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When we are conditioned to accept what was once unacceptable, it has lost all meaning now.<br />
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When we abandon fact based truths, or data, then everything means nothing now.<br />
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This malaise is not just a symptom of America, but of the entire world now. It does feel like there’s a global re-wiring at work in Europe, The UK, France, Italy, and Latin America, all to benefit the Eastern regions at the expense of everyone else. <br />
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This example with the relocation of the Internet Archive is one tiny piece of this new paradigm shift, the list is vast with other pieces of this puzzle. But we might see further changes soon. One cannot predict the future, only pay attention to the clues.<br />
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Like the destruction of the Library of Alexandria in AD 642, we should take care to not repeat history.<br />
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The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-85040854967557945912016-11-20T07:20:00.000-08:002016-11-20T07:20:42.033-08:00New XFL appearance on X-Cast about ep 3<br />
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<br />The X-Files Lexicon webmaster appeared on Tony Black’s <a href="http://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/id/4805249" target="_blank">The X-Cast</a> to talk about season two’s episode, ‘3’. Tony could not have been more gracious and some interesting points about “3” were raised, as Matt Allair has always felt it was a better episode than given credit for by fans. The podcast explains why.<br /><br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-86222127238420280542016-11-10T21:24:00.000-08:002016-11-10T21:25:19.799-08:00The Future of The X-Files Lexicon blog...<br />
Hi, crazy and rough week for many. I don’t know what the future of <i>The X-Files Lexicon blog</i> is going to be now. The good news is that we will continue publishing the great work of Chris Irish and his reviews of the IDW comics, and <i>X-Files </i>topic related articles.<br />
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Some of the past articles that I was writing, that initially built up the reputation of the blog as an alternative source of topics related, and somewhat unrelated to <i>The X-Files</i> is under review.<br />
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You see, there were certain articles that appealed to a certain audience, and the relationship with certain circles changed. With the personal views that are expressed, I feel the need to be real and honest about everything as I saw things. I just couldn’t post anything I didn’t believe in.<br />
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We’ll keep going, rest assured. But I feel I could use some input about what you want to see on the Blog at this point.The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-27502425019748102522016-09-21T21:13:00.001-07:002016-09-21T21:13:59.998-07:00Praying for time...As of late, I have never seen so much discord on so many levels, and in so many areas, but I sensed it was coming a good number of years back, as evidenced with the <i>Ophiuchus Code</i> series. There’s a couple of key pieces I plan to run before the end of October, but sometimes the best thing is say is very little, hence…<br />
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This George Michael song from 1990 seems more prophetic now than ever, we have some things to figure out in the next few months.<br />
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It’s hard to <b>love</b>, there’s so much to <b>hate</b><br />
Hanging onto <b>hope</b>, when there is no hope to speak of<br />
And the <b>wounded skies</b> above say it’s much too late<br />
So maybe we should all be <b>praying for time</b>.
The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-22688415633134994222016-06-23T17:00:00.000-07:002016-07-05T21:29:18.096-07:00The X-Files: Event Series - How do the extras measure up?<br />
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Review of the DVD extras on <i>The X-Files: Event Series</i>, Season 10<br />
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Now we are here, now we have arrived at not only having seen the new series episodes in Jan and Feb, but now having the release of the Blu Ray and DVD release of the <i>Event Series</i>, Season 10. The following is to not access the merit of the episodes, there’s plenty of time to do so, but to access how the extra’s content measures up. There has been a legacy with the previous media releases, from the VHS cassettes, onward to the DVD and the High Def Blu Ray releases, to this release. There’s much to have to measure up to for those who want to learn about every aspect of the series, and this was always going to be a tall order, but fortunately it seems to measure up well.<br />
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Let’s address the most pressing points first.<br />
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<b>Deleted Scenes</b> – There has been a lot of consternation by many fans over what felt like what was missing from aspects of the episodes, especially the two mythology episodes, there were fans who felt like some details were rushed, or glossed over, and considering the network time limits of what can air in the space of an hour, or more accurately 43 minutes, there’s only so much that can be done. The Deleted Scenes only cover two episodes, a sequence from “My Struggle” that features the old man’s daughter. We learn what happened to the old man, and just how much danger Mulder and his circle are facing. The other episode features en extended take on Mulder’s hoe down dance from “Babylon”, this isn’t really essential viewing, but features a few extra glimpses of ‘cowboy Skinner’, and the ‘cowboy lone gunmen’. It will depend on one’s feelings about the fan aspects of the sequence.<br />
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<b>43:45 – The Making of a Struggle</b>: This is an exhaustive breakdown of the development and production of “My Struggle”, including the event screenings at Comic Con, and Los Angeles. This much more comprehensive than I expected. How does it measure up to the documentaries that were featured on the prior DVD / Blu Ray, seasonal box set collections? Pretty well. What you get is a more interactive documentation of the production, with a greater sense of the play that occurred on the set. The title is in reference to the network requirement for broadcast length. When you consider that the original DVD sets started up in 2000, and offered a lot of after the fact, recollective segments about the prior seasons. What separates the new documentaries is the new ‘in-the-moment’ coverage from pre production, to shooting and crowd management, and post production. The production values for the interview segments are quite high. The comprehensive aspect also seems to be about demystifying the creative process. It’s hard to really say, nor presume, that the efforts of The X-Files Lexicon, or X-Files News to cover every aspect of the series had an influence on this comprehensive focus.<br />
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<b>Season X</b> – These long segments cover the rest of the series episodes, and offers more in depth background that led to FOX’s interest in producing more. These are structured longer than the ‘behind the series’ features that could be found on the original series DVD or Blu Rays. Once again, the production values for the interview segments are quite high. The menu segments are as follows “A 13 Year Commercial Break ,Getting The Band Back Together, Platonic Activity, Art Comes to Life, The Little-Uber Scullys, Man Bites Lizard, The Meta-Files, Homegrown Terror, Mulder’s Wild Ride, Signal To Noise, The Last Temptation of Mulder and Scully, Scully Likes Science, This Is The End.”<br />
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<b>Gag Reel</b> – There’s been a long tradition of X-Philes sharing the previous production crew Gag or Blooper reels on-line. The producers of the extras must of realized this to include this new Gag reel from Season 10. It reinforces just how relaxed the cast and crew looked during the bulk of the production from the summer of 2015.<br />
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<b>Monsters of the Week</b> - The Wildest and Scariest from the Original Series – There’s nine selections from each season and this is hilariously hosted by Kumail Nanjiani. Those selections include – “Squeeze, The Host, Pusher, Home, Folie A Deux, Field Trip, Orison, Roadrunners, Sunshine Days.” The choices seem to be Kumail’s personal view, he acknowledges the ton of episodes not highlighted. It’s a fun little segment.<br />
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<b>The X-Files: Green Production</b> – This acts as a short PSA about how the production was green conservation conscious during all aspects, from the offices, to the set construction, and props. Actually, A similar segment appeared on the “I Want To Believe” feature extras in 2008.<br />
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<b>Grace</b> – This is a short film by Karen Nielsen, the Script supervisor during the new season. The selection is apt as the story does have the flavor of an <i>X-Files</i>, or <i>Millennium</i> episode. A small percentage of people who worked on <i>The X-Files</i> were involved with this.<br />
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The audio commentaries hold up well, in comparison to the tradition of past commentaries. The Commentaries for “Founder’s Mutation” and “My Struggle II” are comprehensive. The commentary for “Mulder and Scully Meet The Were-Monster” is far more looser. The “Founder’s Mutation” commentary features James Wong and Chris Carter. The commentary for “My Struggle II” features Chris Carter and Producer / Director of Development at 1013 Gabe Rotter. The “Mulder and Scully Meet The Were-Monster” commentary is the most generous featuring both David Duchvony and Gillian Anderson, and Darin Morgan and Kumail Nanjiani, the humor is a lot of relaxed. I suspect the Duchvony and Anderson comments, and Morgan / Nanjiani comments were recorded separately.<br />
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The entire three disc package is generous, while it doesn’t include the kind of menu booklets that were found in the 2000-2002 DVD reissues, nor has the kind of inserts like the “Threads of the Mythology” foldout booklets, it does have some deep content, thanks to the documentaries from Julie Ng. As of this writing, word came back it just won a Saturn Award for best DVD / BD TV set. The extras are worth looking into.<br />
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Promotion images courtesy of FOX home entertainment.The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-21241674971874695462016-06-11T12:21:00.002-07:002016-06-11T12:21:23.460-07:00In memoriam 2016, part 2<br />
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<i>(The following reflects the views of the webmaster and not the entire XFL staff.)</i><br />
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The previous piece ran so long, we wanted to continue with other important figures who passed on: <br />
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<b>Honorable Mentions</b><br />
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<b>Glenn Frey</b> (November 1948 – January 2016)<br />
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Glenn Frey was the co-founder of The Eagles, one of the most vilified and yet beloved bands of the 70s. He sang lead vocals on "Take It Easy, Peaceful Easy Feeling, Tequila Sunrise, Already Gone, Lyin’ Eyes, New Kid In Town" and "Heartache Tonight". The Eagles started in 1970 as a backup unit for Linda Ronstadt. Born in Michigan, he became part of Detroit’s rock scene of the 1960s, and played on Bob Seger’s "Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man" in 1968 before moving to Los Angeles in 1969. The Eagles were signed to Asylum Records in 1971, and released their first album in 1972, followed by <i>Desperado</i> in 1973, <i>On The Border</i> in 1974, <i>One of These Nights</i> in 1975, <i>Hotel California</i> in 1976, and <i>The Long Run</i> in 1979. The Eagles were never really the worst band; they were mostly guilty of producing impeccable tracks that were middle of the road to most critical tastes. Frey started his solo career in 1982 with <i>No Fun Aloud</i> with the single "The One You Love". In 1984 he followed it with <i>The Allnighter</i>, with the "Sexy Girl" single, and the bigger "Smuggler’s Blues", which inspired a <i>Miami Vice</i> episode he co-starred in. He wrote "The Heat Is On" for <i>Beverly Hills Cop</i>, and "You Belong To The City" for <i>Miami Vice</i>. He released three other solo records, 1988’s <i>Soul Searchin’,</i> 1992’s <i>Strange Weather</i> and 2012’s <i>After Hours</i>. The Eagles reformed in 1994, toured, and put out <i>Hell Freezes Over</i>, a mix of live tracks and studio cuts including "Get Over It", a tirade against political correctness. Their album <i>Long Road Out of Eden</i> was primarily released via their website in 2007. While Don Henley was the more celebrated and incisive writer of the two, and while Frey might not have been a groundbreaker, he did have the knack of crafting a good pop tune.<br />
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<b>Sir George Martin</b> (Jan 1923 – March 2016)<br />
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Almost every record producer wanted to emulate George Martin, but few have ever matched him. Sir George seemed to define what being a rock record producer meant and demonstrated it with true meaning, which was to draw the best performance out of an artist, whoever it was. The tag of being the ‘fifth Beatle’ had some merit, though many others, such as Stu Sutcliffe, Derek Taylor, Neil Aspinall and particularly Brian Epstein could lay claim to that title. In the studio he was sober, even-handed most of the time, and flexible. He didn’t discover The Beatles, but was open enough to see their potential to his great credit. As a child Martin developed an early interest and ability with music. Aged 17, in 1943, he joined the Fleet Air Aim of the Royal Navy and became an aerial observer and commissioned officer. Using his veterans’ grant, he attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1947 to 1950. In 1948 he married his wife Sheena Chisholm, whom he had two children with, and was hired at EMI in 1950. He married his second wife Judy in 1966, having two children with her also He started recording comedy albums with Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan and making classical recordings after becoming of head of Parlophone in 1955. Martin was approached through channels to consider signing The Beatles in February 1962. He found their Decca recording demos not very promising, but liked Lennon and McCartney’s vocals. He wasn’t initially impressed with their originals nor cover selections, but was more impressed with their personal charm; after Ringo Starr replaced Pete Best (at his suggestion), their original writing rapidly evolved at an astonishing rate, and once they had their first number one with "Please Please Me" they never looked back. Martin’s classical background and arrangement skills helped the band to broaden their palette from 1965 onwards. In 1979 Martin created Air Studios in the Caribbean city of Montserrat and countless artists such as Elton John, Eric Clapton, Dire Straits, The Police and Stevie Wonder recorded there. The studio closed in 1989 after much of the island was destroyed by Hurricane Hugo, but his UK studio, also called Air, is still maintained, and remains one of the largest scoring facilities for soundtracks.<br />
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After the Beatles breakup in 1970, Martin could have retired and rested on his laurels, but he carried on and produced countless bands and artists, working with America from 1974 to 1979, and recording two of Jeff Beck’s best instrumental albums <i>Blow By Blow</i> in 1975 and Wired in 1976. He also produced Mahavishnu Orchestra’s <i>Apocalypse</i> album. He produced heavier acts like U.F.O’s 1980 album <i>No Place To Run</i>, and Cheap Trick’s unexpectedly experimental <i>All Shook Up</i> in 1980. He supervised the music selections for the Beatles Anthology in 1994-1995. I have always argued that George Martin was more adept as an orchestral arranger and composer than he was given credit for. The orchestral score for <i>Yellow Submarine</i> (1968) has some hugely inventive moments. Martin did a second score when he worked with Paul McCartney on the theme for the James Bond film <i>Live and Let Die</i> in 1973, which he also wrote the score to alongside some nice embellishments to the Monty Norman theme. Martin was also involved with Elton John’s re-recording of "Candle In The Wind" (the biggest selling single of all time) in 1997 following the death of Princess Diana. He helmed a retirement album in 1998 called <i>In My Life</i> with various artists.<br />
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<b>Paul Kantner</b> (March 1941 – January 2016)<br />
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Let me start by adding that I have an indirect connection to Paul Kantner, and while his life may not have had a great personal impact, I recognized his importance to the field of rock n’ roll. At the end of the eighties and early nineties I attended Marin Community College around the time that China Kantner, his daughter with Grace Slick, was still attending classes there. Also, back when my mother was a manicurist, she once did Grace Slick’s nails. Kantner was a native of San Francisco, unlike many musician transplants who ended up moving there in the mid 60s. After his mother passed when he was eight, Kantner spent his childhood at a Catholic boarding school, and was an avid reader of science fiction. Once he got into music, he wanted to be a protest folk singer in the mould of Pete Seeger. When Marty Balin came across Paul at a folk gig, he invited Kantner to join his band Jefferson Airplane, and Kantner had a hand in bringing in guitarist Jorma Kaukonen in around 1965. During his time in Jefferson Airplane he wrote "The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil, Watch Her Ride, Crown of Creation", and co-wrote with Balin "Volunteers". In 1970 Kantner recorded the science fiction themed album <i>Blows Against The Empire</i> under the banner of Paul Kantner and Jefferson Starship. Kantner and Grace had become a couple by then and their daughter China was born in 1971. After numerous personal changes, Balin reappeared in 1975 to give them a huge hit with "Miracles", the band changed course, Jefferson Starship were retooled with Mickey Thomas and guitarist/songwriter Craig Chaquico, and had a string of hits like "Jane, Find Your Way Back, Winds of Change, No Way Out" and "Layin’ It On The Line". They able to compete with Bay Area acts like Journey for a spell, while Kantner would continue to contribute his idiosyncratic songs. He left after 1984’s <i>Nuclear Furniture</i> and the band had to change their name to Jefferson Starship due to Kantner’s legal action but in 1989 Jefferson Airplane did a reunion album and tour. Kantner continued solo projects, and toured under the Jefferson Starship banner with a new circle of players. He helped define the social activism of the 60s, and sincerely held the belief that music could socially change things.<br />
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<b>Keith Emerson</b> (November 1944 – March 2016)<br />
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For some, Keith Emerson was a polarizing figure in the field of progressive rock. It all depended on if you felt virtuoso playing distanced the listener from the emotion of a rock arrangement or not. But little could be argued that Emerson was a groundbreaker in helping to change the evolution of the synthesizer from a strictly studio recording instrument to a working touring instrument and, like Jon Lord from Deep Purple, used stage dynamics and theatrics to excite the audience by not having the keyboard remain a static instrument. Emerson was born in Todmorden, Yorkshire, and grew up in Worthing, West Sussex. As a child, he didn’t own a record player, but used jazz sheet music from Dave Brubeck and George Shearing and learned jazz piano from books. While he studied Beethoven, he could also play Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis songs, which helped him to avoid getting bullied. After becoming adept on Hammond organ, he formed The Nice in 1967, before discovering the Moog synthesizer. He formed Emerson, Lake & Palmer in 1970, and pieces like "The Barbarian" and "Knife-Edge" were based on Bartok and Janacek pieces. The bulk of the "Tarkus" track on their second album was composed by Emerson. The live EP <i>Pictures at an Exhibition</i> was based on a Mussorgsky suite. The band’s third album <i>Trilogy</i> featured such Emerson compositions as "Fugue" and "Abaddon’s Bolero". <i>Brain Salad Surgery</i> in 1973 was their most successful album with Emerson compositions such as "Karn Evil 9: Second Impression". A triple live album was released in 1974. Some classical scholars complained that he didn’t write his own classical compositions so he answered them on the 1976 double <i>Works: Volume 1</i> album, with a piano concerto; that album also featured their rock arrangement of Aaron Copeland’s "Fanfare for the Common Man". The more condensed <i>Works, Volume 2</i> in 1977 featured such compositions as "Barrelhouse Shake Down" but after<i> Love Beach</i> in 1978 the band fell apart. In the eighties Emerson recorded several solo projects and soundtracks. He formed the brief <i>Emerson, Lake & Powell</i> in 1985. At the start of the 1990s, the band saw a resurgence of interest and the album <i>Black Moon</i> was released in 1992 with cuts such as "Changing States, Close to Home" and Prokofiev’s "Dance of the Knights" from 'Romeo & Juliet', followed by <i>In The Hot Seat</i> in 1994. As the 2000s progressed, Keith formed his own band and collaborated with classical figures like Takashi Yoshimatsu, with classical players like Jeffrey Biegel performing "Piano Concerto 1". Emerson also enjoyed flying and secured his pilot’s license in 1972. Health problems had started to limit his abilities and, suffering from depression, he took his own life in Santa Monica. He will be remembered for exposing many rock fans to classical pieces they might not have held an interest in. A tribute concert is pending.<br />
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<b>Alan Rickman</b> (February 1946 – January 2016)<br />
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Alan Rickman became one of the most respected stage and screen actors of his generation, due to his distinct voice and sardonic persona. He could play a charming heavy, but he was a much more layered actor than that. In film franchises populated with impeccable castings, his work on the Harry Potter films alone as the teacher nemesis Severus Snape might have been one of the most perfect possible. Born in Acton, London to a working class family, his father Bernard died when he was eight. As a youth he was adept at calligraphy and watercolors, attended the Chelsea College of Art and Design, and then the Royal College of Art. He considered becoming a graphic designer, but auditioned for and then attended the legendary acting school RADA (Royal Academy of Dramatic Art) from 1972 to 1974. He worked with British repertory and experimental theatre, securing his first theatre lead role in 1985 with "Les Liaisons Dangereuses". He appeared in several BBC Shakespeare productions before he got his first notable attention for playing Hans Gruber in <i>Die Hard</i> (1988). He followed this by playing the Sheriff of Nottingham in <i>Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves</i> (1991). He also appeared in <i>Sense and Sensibility</i> (1995) and <i>Michael Collins</i> (1996). He appeared in Kevin Smith’s <i>Dogma</i> in 1999 playing a representative of God as well as appearing in the fan-beloved <i>Galaxy Quest</i> as Alexander Dane/Dr Lazarus. He started playing Severus Snape in <i>Harry Potter & The Philosopher’s Stone</i> (2001) and would continue to do so for seven more films. In 2005 he played the voice of Marvin, the Manic Depressive Robot in <i>Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy.</i> In 2007, He appeared in Tim Burton’s version of the musical <i>Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street</i> as Judge Turin. He soon followed this by playing the voice of Absolem in Burton’s <i>Alice In Wonderland</i> (2010). He appeared in Lee Daniels’ The Butler in 2013, playing, somewhat bizarrely, but as ever brilliantly, Ronald Reagan. His final two films were <i>Eye in the Sky</i> and <i>Alice Through The Looking Glass</i>; both released this year. There’s a story that when Rickman first played the role of Severus Snape, before the third film, J.K. Rowling took him aside and shared the secret of Snape’s relationship to Lily Potter. Later, Snape’s heroic dedication was poignant when the character died in film eight, <i>The Deathly Hallows Part 2</i>. Rickman was able to embody great understanding in even the most unlikable character. His passing was overlooked somewhat, coming only four days after Bowie, but he will be hugely missed.<br />
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And lastly....<br />
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<b>Muhammad Ali</b> (January 1942- June 2016)<br />
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For most of my life, Muhammad Ali has been an icon that I recognized, but also someone who was in decline due to Parkinson’s Disease since 1984. Due to that situation, he hasn’t had much of a personal impact on me, but it has been hard to ignore that fact he has been one of the most celebrated and significant sports figures of the 20th, and as much as I have never been much of a follower of Boxing, he was to be admired. There was a lot to admire about the man, he held an honesty that was rare, his verbal skills, and verbal jousting could not be matched by any other athlete. He was born Cassius Clay and raised in Lousiville, Kentucky. At 18, he won the Light Heavyweight gold metal in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. At 22, He beat Sonny Liston in the 1964 upset of WBA and WBC heavyweight championships, he had already converted to Islam by the time he changed his name to Muhammad Ali during that year. But he would remain an inspiring and polarizing figure. He won significant titles in 1964, 1974, and 1978. He was the only boxer to be named in <i>The Ring</i> magazine Fighter of the Year five times, and Sportsman of the Century by <i>Sports Illustrated</i>. By 1966, he triggered controversy by refusing to be conscripted in the U.S. Military, due to his religious beliefs and his opposition to the Viet Nam war. Nevertheless, he was given the nickname of “The Greatest”. His trash talking, a free style rhyme scheme, and spoken word poetry was so musical, he worked in acting, and music as well, and his style anticipated elements of Hip Hop and Rap. As a Muslim, he initially was affiliated with Elijah Muhammad’s Nation of Islam (NIO), but disavowed it and converted to Sunni Islam, and devoted his life to religious and charitable work after he retired in 1981. His conscientious objector stance made him a counterculture icon with the 60s youth. Even some of Ali’s fights would inspire Sylvester Stallone to write <i>Rocky</i>. He is ranked alongside Joe Louis as the top all time greatest Boxer. But for many, it was his humanity in later years, and generous nature, that made him all the more a marvel, he will be missed. <br />
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Special thanks to Liz Tray for editorial assistance.<br />
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<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-21618015318054706742016-06-03T14:58:00.002-07:002016-06-08T13:51:40.344-07:00In memoriam 2016, part 1<i>(The following are the personal views of the webmaster, and doesn't reflect the views of the XFL staff.)</i><br />
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We haven’t really addressed a wave of major deaths at the start of 2016. This pattern has become so disturbing and distressing that for anyone who believed in the notion of a higher power it would be hard not to argue that the cosmos is resetting everything, and that we are losing our greatest icons and heroes at an alarming rate. If God does exist, is he nudging us to step up and become our own heroes? I don’t have an answer for that, but we need to address the meaning of these people’s passing, and apply some understanding. I sensed that was a major shift brewing after the death of <a href="http://thex-fileslexicon.blogspot.com/2014/08/death-of-poet.html" target="_blank">Robin Williams</a> in 2014. Then came the death of <a href="http://thex-fileslexicon.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-undiscovered-country.html" target="_blank">Leonard Nimoy</a> in 2015, another passing we noted, but we never addressed the passing of actor Christopher Lee in June of 2015. Certain deaths are expected once an actor reaches a certain age, and come as less of a surprise. But when others pass on at a younger age, and when those figures have been such a vibrant force in their fields, it is unnerving as it throws off our continuity with the world, and our sense that ‘things are normal’. This wave of death doesn’t just extend to celebrities, but I have experienced two personal losses that have left their impact on me. One was a black actor who I knew in passing named WM Hunter, a man who was very charming, and aspired to go further with his career. The other was an old high school friend named Chris Gariffo, who had a great impact on all who knew him. He was an avid fisherman, businessman, and expert in a range of fields, from jazz music, to geography and geology, sports, married but with no children, and who acted as a uncle, surrogate uncle or godfather to a number of children. No one is really safe from the grip of time and mortality, and we must learn to make the most of our lives. As much as we don’t know celebrities, they act as markers, or benchmarks for our own time here. I want to go back to Christopher Lee before I go forward.<br />
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<b>Christopher Lee</b> (May 1922 – June 2015)<br />
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Christopher Lee was a true icon of my childhood, and as an actor he was involved in a number of classic and iconic films, and some not so great films. He was known for his feral performance as Dracula in the Hammer Horror films of the late 50s, 60s and 70s and for playing Scaramanga in the Bond film <i>The Man With The Golden Gun</i> (1974). Lee was a lifelong Tolkien expert and played Saruman in Peter Jackson’s<i> Lord of The Rings</i> trilogy, as well as the <i>Hobbit</i> films, and Count Dooku in two of the<i> Star Wars</i> prequels. But he also appeared in the highly acclaimed horror drama <i>The Wicker Man</i>. The son of Countess Marie Carandini De Sarzano and Lieutenant Colonel Geoffrey Trollope Lee, he was an ancestor of Robert E. Lee. He came from a great lineage, was a cousin to Bond writer Ian Fleming, and had met J.R.R. Tolkien as a child. But his history was even more interesting than some might assume. Lee also served in World War II as a British officer in various guises and worked in British intelligence. Lee’s acting career began in the late 40s, appearing in un-credited roles in Lawrence Olivier’s <i>Hamlet</i> and <i>Quo Vadis</i> before his star turn as the creature in the Hammer films adaptation of <i>The Curse of Frankenstein</i> in 1957, which was soon followed by his turn as the count in <i>Dracula</i> (1958). Lee followed this with <i>The Mummy</i> (1959), and played off of Peter Cushing’s Sherlock Holmes as Henry Baskerville in <i>The Hound of the Baskervilles</i> (1959). Lee came back to the role of Dracula to Hammer films under protest for <i>Dracula: Prince of Darkness</i> (1965), and would continue to appear under protest in more: <i>Dracula Has Risen From The Grave</i> (1968), <i>Taste the Blood of Dracula</i> (1969) <i>Scars of Dracula</i> (1970), and the modern takes on the series with <i>Dracula 72 A.D.</i> (1972), and <i>The Satanic Rites of Dracula</i> (1973).<br />
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He also appeared for Hammer in <i>The Devil Rides Out</i> (1967) and <i>Rasputin, The Mad Monk</i> (1966).<br />
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Lee also appeared in the early sixties in a number of European films, notably those by Antonio Margheriti, and several Mario Bava films, <i>Hercules In The Haunted World</i> (1961) and <i>The Whip And The Body</i> (1963) with Daliah Lavi, which we’ve discussed before here. At the start of the 70s he appeared in the iconic <i>The Wicker Man</i> in 1973, written by Anthony Shaffer, the brother of Peter Shaffer (of <i>Equus</i> and <i>Amadeus</i> fame). Lee played Lord Summerisle, the leader of a small island village that harbors a dark secret, the practice of fundamentalist Paganism, while a British inspector played by Edward Woodward searches for a missing girl. The Inspector suffers from his own fundamentalist Christianity, and the extremes by both sides become the real horror of the piece. Aside from Lee’s Bond outing, he also appeared in a notable <i>Space: 1999</i> episode from season one, "Earthbound". Lee also could appear in some really awful films, of note would be <i>Starship Invasions</i>, and <i>End Of The World</i>. He appeared in Spielberg’s <i>1941</i> as a Nazi commander. He carried on in the 80s and 90s, and started a real comeback by appearing in a number of Tim Burton pictures, starting in 1999 with <i>Sleepy Hollow,</i> followed by <i>The Corpse Bride</i>, <i>Charlie and the Chocolate Factory</i>, one of the voices in <i>Alice In Wonderland</i>, and <i>Dark Shadows</i>. He worked with Scorsese on <i>Hugo</i> and appeared in <i>The Golden Compass</i>. He was married and had a daughter, and held an interest in both heavy metal and Italian opera, producing two metal-based concept records. It was largely due to Lee’s imposing height (6 ft 5in), and aristocratic demeanor that he could project charm with a dark quality. Christopher Lee was a complex man who led a robust life.<br />
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But we now must discuss the new wave of deaths, as Christopher Lee’s should have been an imposing omen of what would come next. The passing of David Bowie and Prince would have been unthinkable a few years earlier, so let’s review in the most current order.<br />
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<b>Prince</b> (June 1958 – April 2016)<br />
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My first real exposure to Prince happened in junior high school once I heard his <i>1999</i> album in late 1982. It was bold and shocking in many respects, the varied, yet bold dance workouts which encompassed a range of musical styles and evocative portraits. While he credited his band, The Revolution, he handled the bulk of the playing and he was a dynamo of a player in every respect. Aside from his incredible range as a vocalist, you knew he was someone special from the outset. Prince pushed to star in a film, and when <i>Purple Rain </i>was released in 1984, the film, soundtrack and tour were juggernauts. While it might not have been a great movie, it acted as a showcase for the songs, and the soundtrack took Prince to a new level. At that point, he had already become a kingmaker, helping to launch the careers of Morris Day and The Time and Vanity, and writing countless hits for other artists. <br />
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Prince Rogers Nelson grew up in Minneapolis, the son of Mattie Della and John Lewis Nelson, both musicians. He developed a mastery of various instruments at an early age and signed with Warner Brothers Records at 19, after recording a demo in 1976, and set about playing and producing everything himself.<br />
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<i>For You</i> was released in 1978 and had a moderate hit in "Soft and Wet". His second album was released in 1979, simply titled <i>Prince</i>, and included "I Wanna Be Your Lover" and "I Feel For You", later made hugely famous by Chaka Khan. He had found a place in the R&B market place, but pushed for more. Prince allowed himself to be influenced by new wave and rock, and his next record <i>Dirty Mind</i> was a audacious change in style and content, with such tracks as "Head", and the post-pop-punk of "When You Were Mine", which Cyndi Lauper would eventually cover. <i>Controversy</i> followed in 1981, and in addition to the single helped to refine the Minneapolis sound. He helped launched The Time around this period, and his female protégé Vanity, who sadly also passed this February. His fifth album, the double <i>1999</i>, was his breakthrough with such mainstays as the title track, "Little Red Corvette" and "Delirious", with "Let’s Pretend We’re Married" covered by Tina Turner as a B-side. His <i>Purple Rain</i> soundtrack pushed him commercially into the stratosphere with singles like "When Doves Cry, Let’s Go Crazy, I Would Die 4 U" and "Take Me With U" and the title track. Prince followed it with a bold psychedelic pop album, <i>Around The World In A Day</i>, with "Raspberry Beret" another huge hit, as well as "Pop Life". Prince tackled his second film, this time directing it, <i>Under the Cherry Moon</i>, to more mixed results, but its soundtrack <i>Parade</i> featured a massive hit with "Kiss" and singles such as "Mountains" and "Girls & Boys", not to mention the gorgeous "Sometimes It Snows In April", which has been much played following his passing. <br />
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Prince soon disbanded The Revolution and headed off in new directions. <i>Sign o’ the Times</i> was his second double album, where Sheila E and Eric Leeds took on a bigger role. "U Got The Look" was a big hit, a duet with Sheena Easton, and aside from the title track other hits followed, like "If I Was Your Girlfriend", the great "I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man", and "Adore". After attempting to put out <i>The Black Album</i> in 1988 and being prevented by his label, Prince followed up with<i> Lovesexy</i>, which contained the masterful hit, "Alphabet Street", also featuring "Glam Slam" and "When 2 Are In Love". Right when Prince’s commercial appeal seemed like it was starting to wane, he embarked on a crossover project that was unprecedented, a rock score to Tim Burton’s <i>Batman</i> film in 1989 (Not the Danny Elfman Orchestral score). Several of the songs were featured in the film and the score acted as a conceptual mini rock opera with the Batman/Bruce Wayne, Joker and Vicki Vale characters playing out Prince’s interest in sex, good and evil, and spirituality with tracks like "Batdance" - the album closer - "Partyman", the Prince/Sheena Easton ballad "The Arms of Orion"(which was even better than the previous duet.), the ballad "Scandalous!" and such Stevie Wonder-flavored cuts like "Vicki Waiting". But Prince commercially stumbled again when directing his second film in 1990, <i>Graffiti Bridge</i>, a <i>Purple Rain</i> sequel, that both kind of stumbled as a film and as an album soundtrack. Part of the problem was that the album was diffused with too many guest artists, and "Thieves In The Temple" was the one standout track, perhaps alongside the "New Power Generation".<br />
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Prince managed another surge in 1991 with the <i>Diamonds And Pearls</i> album, and aside from the title track, "Cream" and "Gett Off" were another pair of major hits. He debuted his new band, and shifted away from synths and drum machines, using players that could deliver a live James Brown flavor. "Money Don’t Matter 2 Night" was another standout. Prince was on the verge of making some radical changes when he released <i>The Love Symbol</i> album in 1992. It pushed the live band feel again with tracks such as "Sexy MF" and "My Name Is Prince", the mid tempo "7" was most intriguing, as was the Queen flavored "3 Chains of Gold", but it would be the last album where he enjoyed the kind of commercial impact he saw in the 80s. His dispute with Warner Bros in 1993 triggered a lot of misunderstandings and strange behavior seen by the public that would only be explained in hindsight. He became known as The Artist Formerly Known As Prince with his love symbol to ID his name. His dispute with the record label had to do with their refusal to release material at a faster rate, and his realization that they owned his name. <i>The Black Album</i> was finally released in 1994, and admittedly subpar albums like <i>Come</i>, in 1995, and <i>The Gold Experience</i>, which had his final big single "The Most Beautiful Girl In The World". His final release for Warner Brothers was 1996’s <i>Chaos and Disorder</i>. Prince set up his own label NPG records, and released his sprawling three-disc <i>Emancipation</i> in the same year, but the album was almost too overwhelming for most listeners. This issue came up again in 1998 with the four disc set <i>Crystal Ball</i>, which featured various 80s and 90s cuts not released, and by now, it was only the most dedicated fans who were following him.<br />
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In 1999, he must have sensed the problem when he signed with Arista Records, and tried a comeback with <i>Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic</i>, his attempt at pop, but the guest appearances didn’t give him the hit he desired. He managed a more assured comeback in 2004 by signing with Columbia and releasing <i>Musicology</i> with the title track released as a single. He managed to maintain more momentum by signing with Universal Music in 2005, and releasing <i>3121</i> with the brilliant single "Black Sweat". He gained a lot more awards recognition in 2006 with the Webby Awards and Brit Awards. In 2007, following his landmark Superbowl performance, he released <i>Planet Earth</i> and <i>Lotusflower</i>, and embarked on a remarkable 21-night run at London’s O2 arena (which inspired Michael Jackson to sign his own, doomed, 50-show residency). In 2010 he won a lifetime achievement award from BET, and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2013 he re-signed with Warner Brothers after having settled his disputes, and formed a project with the all-girl group 3rdeyegirl. His last two releases during his lifetime were <i>Hit and Run, Phase One</i> and <i>Two</i>, in 2015. <br />
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As for his personal life, he married Mayte Garcia in 1996 but tragically their son, Boy Gregory, was born with Pfeiffer syndrome and died a week later. They divorced in 1999. Some have speculated that after his son’s death, a further miscarriage, and the decline of his marriage, he was never the same. He later married and divorced his second wife, Manuela Testolini.<br />
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While the films he starred in may have been mixed, there was one constant: his screen presence was dazzling; this was even more true with his music videos. He was a multiple threat, a great stage performer, and unique dancer, with phenomenal musical skills as a player, guitarist, pianist, and singer with a great range. His sense of style in fashion blurred the lines of gender, while remaining afro-centrically hip. He wrote multiple hits for other artists, ghost writing "Stand Back" for Stevie Nicks and not taking credit. He wrote The Bangles’ "Manic Monday", Sinead O’Connor’s "Nothing Compares 2 U", Sheila E’s "The Glamorous Life", and The Time’s "Jungle Love" while more recently guesting on the last Janelle Monae record. He could craft a great pop song, or write something completely on the fringe. Prince was a complex man, an enigma that could be wildly contradictory; he could praise women, but could also be juvenilely misogynistic, as evidenced in the <i>Purple Rain</i> film and perhaps even in his videos for "Cream" and "Gett Off", but he championed female artists more than anyone you can think of in pop music, and constantly had his bands populated by brilliant female musicians. There’s said to be a mountain of unreleased material, as well as the anticipated collaboration with another icon, Miles Davis, which only surfaced, unofficially, years later. He was fearless. His kind is rare.<br />
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<b>David Bowie</b> (January 1947 – January 2016)<br />
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Probably one of the most profound losses in rock music, David Bowie redefined rock music both in substance and style in the same way that Miles Davis redefined jazz. Bowie was an artist in every way possible, as a composer, lyricist, musician, actor, conceptualist, a trend maker in fashion, and he found a way to take the avant-garde and make it accessible via theatre. I first really knew of Bowie in junior high around the time of <i>Let’s Dance</i> in 1983, then gradually started to discover his body of work via radio, and became obsessed by 1990 when the Rykodisc reissues reminded the public of how vital his work from 1969-1980 really was. Few musicians have had as great an impact on my thinking about music and presentation as Bowie did. Anything was possible, and anything was almost permitted; he might not have been an exclusively bisexual man (he even said he was gay in 1972, while married to his first wife Angie), but he was influenced greatly by London’s gay culture, which let him be fearless. David Robert Jones, as he was born, was racked with fears over his family’s history of insanity, and he channeled that concern into his art, and managed to remain whole until his death from cancer. Not only was his life astonishing, his final year was also remarkable as he went out on his own terms, and managed two final statements (his album <i>Blackstar</i> and play "Lazarus"), a feat that few have been able to achieve.<br />
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Born to Margaret Burns and Haywood Jones In Brixton, he showed gifts as a dancer and prose writer; as a young child, Elvis Presley and Little Richard had a profound impact on him in the 50s. His half brother Terry Burns exposed him to jazz, and he took up the alto saxophone. Terry also exposed him to Buddhism. As the sixties progressed, Terry would be diagnosed with schizophrenia (he took his own life in 1985), and this decline and the mental illness history of his mother’s aide of the family would have a profound impact on his life. Another event would help to reinforce his ‘otherness’. A fistfight with his friend George Underwood, in 1962, would damage one eye and leave it permanently dilated. Thus, this would establish the identity of David being both inwardly, and outwardly ‘cracked’, and he would take advantage of his otherness like no one else. He played in a number of R&B bands, many of which got signed to small record labels and put out singles that went nowhere. He would change his name from David Jones to Bowie, due to that other Monkee, and would cross paths with Ken Pitt, who would become his manager in the mid 60s. Pitt would have an impact, shifting Bowie to focus on music hall numbers with the flavor of Anthony Newley, and David would also be exposed to The Velvet Underground’s <i>1967 album</i> thanks to Pitt. He became the first artist to cover a Velvets song, releasing his own version of "Waiting For The Man" before the original had even come out. Bowie met mime Lindsay Kemp in 1967, studied dance under him and became his lover; Kemp’s work would have a great impact on Bowie’s later work. By 1968, Bowie briefly worked with his first great love, Hermione Farthingale, and bassist John Hutchinson, and their break-up would have another impact that would carry over to several songs in later years. He founded the Beckenham Arts Lab at the start of 1969, and while that floundered, he wrote his first significant single, "Space Oddity", which became a huge hit after being used on the BBC’s moon landing coverage The record was produced by Gus Dudegon, arranged by Paul Buckmaster, with keyboards by Rick Wakeman. It would have a great impact on at least one person, as the Elton John would later snatch up the team for his own albums. The album, also titled <i>Space Oddity</i>, a mix of folk and rock, was produced by his longest serving collaborator, producer Tony Visconti. Bowie met Angie Barnett, his future wife, around the same time, and it was she who would embolden him to take risks.<br />
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Bowie started off 1970 by forming a new band with guitarist Mick Ronson and drummer Mick ‘Woody’ Woodmansey, and released the heavy <i>The Man Who Sold The World</i>, which was a flop. The title track would gain attention in time and would become a concert staple. The album’s engineer Ken Scott would be promoted to co-producer on the lighter follow up, 1971’s <i>Hunky Dory</i> rescued his chart career (he was considered a one-hit wonder and "Space Oddity" a novelty record) and gave Bowie his next major hit with "Changes, Oh, You Pretty Things" and the landmark "Life on Mars?" He added bass player Trevor Bolder to the band and brought back Rick Wakeman for <i>Hunky Dory</i> before he joined Yes. Many of these early albums would reference occult or religious themes. By now Ken Pitt had been replaced by manger Tony Defries, and the groundwork for Bowie’s success was in place. After a radical image change, the album <i>The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars</i> was released in 1972, and would turn Bowie into a megastar of the glam scene; the singles "Ziggy Stardust, Suffragette City", and "Starman" would be ubiquitous. 1973 saw the American sequel, <i>Aladdin Sane</i> with the "Jean Genie" single and the track "Prettiest Star", and the covers collection <i>Pin Ups,</i> all co-produced by Ken Scott. Then, just as quickly as he had formed them, Bowie broke up the Spiders (during his Hammersmith tour finale in July 1973, he told only Ronson he intended to announce on stage that the band was over). During the heady period of 1972/3, Bowie would also produce albums for his heroes, Lou Reed’s <i>Transformer</i>, and Iggy Pop’s band The Stooges’ <i>Raw Power</i>, while also penning the biggest single of Mott The Hoople’s career, "All The Young Dudes", as well as release the non-album single, "John, I’m Only Dancing". His output was astonishing.<br />
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In 1974 Bowie tried the loose concept album <i>Diamond Dogs</i>, and spent the better part of the period trying to shake his Ziggy persona. He released his first live album, <i>David Live</i>, which hinted at him letting go of his hard rock sound. He retooled his band in 1975 with R&B players, and recorded the soul, disco flavored <i>Young Americans</i>, the title track being a massive hit, as well as the follow up single "Fame", co-written with John Lennon. 1976 saw his first feature film appearance as a lead in <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i>, while his next record <i>Station To Station</i> hinted at a Kraftwerk influence, and featured "Golden Years", as he donned a new persona of the Thin White Duke. But his drug addictions had him in such a grip at that point he was driven close to death or madness. He moved, with Iggy, to Berlin in 1977, at least in the official narrative to overcome his cocaine addiction and met <a href="http://secretsun.blogspot.com/2016/01/bowie-blackstar-and-stories-still_19.html" target="_blank">Romy Haag</a>, a transgender German drag queen who he was infatuated with. Regardless, the move probably saved Bowie’s life. During this period he reunited with co-producer Tony Visconti and brought in Brian Eno to help with a groundbreaking series of albums. <i>Low</i> which featured tracks such as "Sound and Vision" and "Be My Wife" was released the start of that year. The follow up, <i>Heroes</i>, was released in October and featured the hit title track, powered by Robert Fripp’s guitar mastery, and "Beauty and the Beast", with both albums also featuring a series of impressionistic instrumentals. He also worked in Berlin and at Château d'Hérouville in France (where much of his ‘Berlin trilogy’ was recorded) on Iggy Pop’s two best albums, <i>The Idiot</i> and <i>Lust For Life</i>. The live album <i>Stage</i> was released in 1978, and included new reworkings of his past hits and the newer material. The final album of the trilogy, <i>Lodger</i>, recorded in New York and Queen’s studio Mountain in Montreux (he recorded a huge amount there for the next 15 years) was released in 1979 and featured a trilogy of radio singles "D.J., Look Back In Anger" and "Boys Keep Swinging". He had ended ‘78 by appearing in his second film <i>Just A Gigolo</i>.<br />
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Bowie began 1980 by divorcing Angie Bowie, their relationship having deteriorated many years before, taking custody of their son Duncan, and recording <i>Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)</i>, an album that distilled his experimentation, and essentially brought about the entire New Romantic movement. The album featured a sequel to "Space Oddity" with "Ashes to Ashes" and the bold cut "Fashion". He took to the stage in Dallas and then on Broadway appearing for three months in a production of The Elephant Man, playing Joseph Merrick. He cut a duet with Queen, "Under Pressure", in 1981, which would remain an important single for both parties. In 1982 he co-wrote with Giorgio Moroder the theme to Paul Schrader’s film <i>Cat People</i>. Bowie decided to head in a new direction with a lighter sound inspired by the feel of his favorite R&B records, working with Nile Rodgers, and debuting Stevie Ray Vaughn on lead guitar. He reached megastar status with 1983’s<i> Let’s Dance</i>. The album had three massive singles; the title track, "China Girl" and "Modern Love", and a reworked faster tempo take of "Cat People (Putting Out Fire)" with a fiery Ray Vaughn solo. He also acted in gritty POW drama <i>Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence</i>, and the cult favorite <i>The Hunger</i> as the ancient vampire lover of Catherine Deneuve. But his newly found, somewhat uncomfortable, superstar status might have hampered him, the follow up <i>Tonight,</i> in 1984, felt tentative with the only two memorable songs being the singles, "Blue Jean" and "Loving The Alien", the rest being reworkings of Bowie/Iggy Pop songs, and a Brian Wilson cover. His work with the Pat Metheny Group on "This Is Not America" was better, and he clearly enjoyed camping it up with Mick Jagger on a cover created for Live Aid of "Dancing In The Street" in 1985, while the soundtrack single "Absolute Beginners" held up in 1986. His next album in 1987, <i>Never Let Me Down</i> produced the single "Day-In, Day-Out" but it seemed over wrought and too much of a product of its time: some changes were needed.<br />
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After appearing in the film <i>Labyrinth</i> (which gained him an entirely new generation of fans) and more importantly as Pontius Pilate in Scorsese’s <i>The Last Temptation of Christ</i>, Bowie decided to form the rock band Tin Machine in 1989 with Reeves Gabriels, and Iggy’s old rhythm section of Tony and Hunt Sales. The band lasted for two albums and a live set until 1991 – they reinvigorated his passion for music and their 1991 tour was considered one of his greatest sets of shows. Rykodisc reissued his past catalog, and a box set, thus prompting a ‘greatest hits’ tour in 1990 under the banner of <i>Sound + Vision</i>. After marrying model Iman Abdulmajid, Bowie went back to working with Nile Rodgers with the more experimental <i>Black Tie White Noise</i> in 1993. By now his commercial appeal had waned among other than the most faithful of fans. Following his superb soundtrack for a TV adaptation of Hanif Kureishi’s <i>The Buddha of Suburbia</i>, 1995 saw <i>1. Outside</i>, a new and thrilling collaboration with Brian Eno that was a loose concept record with an electronic industrial flavor. 1997’s <i>Earthling</i>, a drum’n’bass opus, was tentatively received and featured "I’m Afraid of Americans" with Trent Reznor providing a remix and appearing in the video. The wistful <i>…hours</i> in 1999 veered away from electronica and used his live band. He had his daughter with Iman, Alexandria (Lexi) in 2000. Following a triumphant appearance heading the Glastonbury Festival in 2000, he reunited with Tony Visconti on the 2002 album <i>Heathen</i>, which caused a huge resurgence in interest, and was followed up in 2003 with <i>Reality</i> and its massive accompanying word tour, his first in many years. But a heart attack on stage in Germany, in 2004, forced Bowie to refocus on family, and he went into a semi-retirement phase. He had made a cameo in 2001’s <i>Zoolander</i>, and the acting bug returned with the notable role of Nikola Tesla in Christopher Nolan’s <i>The Prestige</i> in 2006, alongside a few other cameos. He never played a concert again but did make a couple of brief live appearances: twice with Arcade Fire in 2005, two songs with David Gilmour in London in 2006 (his last live appearance in his home country) and later that same year a charity concert, singing three songs, "Fantastic Voyage, Wild Is The Wind" and a duet with Alicia Keys on "Changes". It would be his last appearance singing in public. <br />
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But he was cooking up a new secret: he had been making an album for a couple of years that nobody bar a few friends and his label knew about. He dropped <i>The Next Day</i> on his 66th birthday in 2013. The album seemed to be a nod to his 70s Berlin period, but in some respects it was continuing his later work; it was well received, and it was considered that Bowie was really back to form. He was highly productive in the final years of his life; he secretly (again) recorded the <i>Blackstar</i> album, which followed his collaboration with jazz composer Maria Schneider on the Grammy-winning "Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)", all the while working on a stage musical, a sequel of sorts to <i>The Man Who Fell To Earth</i> titled <i>Lazarus</i>, which caused quite the stir off-Broadway and will shortly open in London. <i>Blackstar</i> was released, again on his birthday, on January 8th 2016, two days before his death.<br />
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What is astonishing about the last 15 years of his life is that he managed to find real contentment with Iman and his second child, as he became an elder statesmen to a new generation of musicians and watched his son Duncan become a successful Hollywood genre director of movies like <i>Moon, Source Code</i> and the upcoming <i>Warcraft</i>. He managed to keep the demons at bay and deal with his death on his own terms, going out as mystically and symbolically as he came in. Bowie became and remained a forward thinking artist for the bulk of his career. No one could dress like him, nor move like him; he took his alienation and found a way for other outsiders to relate to it. Even during his superstar phase in the 80s, he always found ways to be subversive. He pushed people to think differently, and to work through their dark impulses; he was a beacon of light, and he will be missed for the next hundred years.<br />
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To be continued…<br />
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Special thanks to Liz Tray for editorial assistance, and heavy editorial revisions with the Bowie obituary piece.<br />
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Extra thanks must go to Christopher Knowles for his work on Romy Haag and Bowie. <br />
<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-87044861165761060302016-05-15T07:44:00.002-07:002016-05-15T07:44:34.921-07:00Chris's Comic Corner 5A new review of IDW’s season 10 of The X-Files for issue 14 and 15, By Christopher Irish!<br />
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<b>Season 10: Issue 14 Pilgrims Part 4</b><br />
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<u>Written by: Joe Harris</u><br />
<u>Art by: Matthew Dow Smith</u><br />
<u>Colors by: Jordie Bellaire</u><br />
<u>Letters by: Robbie Robbins</u><br />
<u>Editor: Denton J. Tipton</u><br />
<u>Executive Producer: Chris Carter</u><br />
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The fourth part of the “Pilgrims” story begins with Scully on top of Mulder in bed aiming a gun at his head. She asks to see Mulder’s eyes, but he knocks the gun out of her hand, throws her to the ground and tells her to surrender – his voice changes and his eyes are clouded by the familiar Black Oil.<br />
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The comic flashes way back, to 72 million years ago. Dinosaurs are wandering the land as something flies across the sky and impacts in the distance. We see the familiar shape of the gray extraterrestrials in the dust approaching a dinosaur, before the comic shifts to two years before the present at an Arabian Desert excavation, presumably in the same spot. That scene ends and we return to Scully and Mulder, who has been narrating the whole section. He is still possessed by the Black Oil and is trying to explain it to Scully as she’s driving. Mulder explains that he needs her help and tells her that she’ll be able to help if she values the oil’s chosen host. <br />
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We cut to see the Cigarette Smoking Man enter an apartment in New York, where a shadowy figure wearing glasses is playing chess. The figure goes on about a specific chess game as CSM stands listening and says “it’s in the country now”. The figure calls the entity possessing Mulder by name and asks CSM if he’s trying to follow it or just the host it’s chosen to take. CSM angers the shadowy man, who uses telekinetic power to lift CSM Darth Vader-style as he assigns him a new mission.<br />
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We go back to Deputy Director Skinner, who has Alex Krycek bound in his apartment still. Krycek is nervous about what Skinner is planning to do with him as he stands above him, messing with a length of rope. Skinner explains what a pain Krycek has been throughout the years and how he shot him in the head (in the episode ‘Existence’, S8E21). Krycek seems surprised by this information, as Skinner hoists him up with the rope attached to his hands. Just as Skinner does this Krycek warns him that something is after him and the door rings. <br />
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We return to Scully and possessed Mulder riding in a car to an unknown destination. Mulder assures her that he will reveal truths to her as long as they keep going. Scully gets pulled over by a police officer and Mulder warns her that assassins could be sent after them. She asks if he knows anything about their son, William. We bounce back to D.D. Skinner, who answers the door with his handgun ready. No one is in the hallway, but before Skinner can return a bright light envelops him. Back with Scully, she is speaking with the officer who pulled her over, who insists that she get out of the car but won’t tell her why. She turns to Mulder but realizes that he has left. Flashing back to Skinner’s apartment, we see Scully enter the apartment armed with a handgun. Skinner calls out to her to find him since he’s been blinded, but we don’t see Krycek hanging from Skinner’s rope anymore.<br />
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We return to Krycek, who has inexplicably been snatched by two helicopter crews (black helicopters, no doubt). He is strapped to a chair and is wearing an orange prisoner-type outfit. He recognizes the situation he is in and begs to be released, and as we see the helicopter land, the Cigarette Smoking Man is on the spot waiting for him. We end this issue with Scully and Skinner deciding that they have to go out and find Mulder then figure out how to save him. Scully says she knows where the Black Oil is taking him and we see Mulder sneaking through the woods. He looks up and sees a big sign for “Skyland Mountain National Park”. <br />
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<b>Season 10: Issue 14 Pilgrims Part 5</b><br />
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<u>Written by: Joe Harris</u><br />
<u>Art by: Matthew Dow Smith</u><br />
<u>Colors by: Jordie Bellaire</u><br />
<u>Letters by: Chris Mowry</u><br />
<u>Editor: Denton J. Tipton</u><br />
<u>Executive Producer: Chris Carter</u><br />
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This issue starts off with a memory of Alex Krycek’s where he’s emitting Black Oil into an alien object in a missile silo (from the episode “Apocrypha”, S3E16). Krycek is recounting what he can remember since mysteriously re-emerging into the X-Files. He recollects a group of grey aliens approaching him and he tells his captors that he is their prisoner. We see that he is being questioned by the Cigarette Smoking Man. CSM tells him that his very existence is troubling since D.D. Skinner shot him in the head and Krycek has no memory of that event (in the episode ‘Existence’, S8E21). CSM expresses that his memories aren’t fully complete either and Krycek states that they should be working together since they’re both after the same thing.<br />
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We skip to Skyland Mountain in Virginia at 10:13PM. A group of sheriffs are standing near their cars drinking coffee. They stop what they’re doing when Mulder emerges from the woods and one sheriff reaches for his gun. He tells Mulder his orders are to detain him until the F.B.I. can retrieve him. As Mulder turns his back on the sheriff, his eyes blacken and we reach the title panel. We return with Scully and Skinner reaching the mountain at 11:21 PM. They find the group of sheriffs dead on the ground. They enter the station where the sheriffs were parked and find a security system. From there they see that, when the sheriff touched Mulder’s arm, he became possessed by the Black Oil, turned and shot his fellow officers. The officer then approaches the camera and then the feed dies. Scully and Skinner look around the area and find Mulder sitting on the edge of the ramp for the mountain lift looking at the woods somberly. He tells Scully that they’re too late and he’salready gone.<br />
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Back to CSM and Krycek, CSM is not satisfied with the answers he has been given and Krycek frantically tries to explain that he knows what he is and because he’s been bonded with the oil he can tell. It does him no good as CSM puts out one of his infamous cigarettes in Krycek’s eye, thus continuing the X-Files tradition of Krycek’s abuse. CSM asks more forcibly where Mulder is and where the Black Oil is taking him. Before he can answer, the mysterious man in glasses shows up and telekinetically throws CSM across the room, then frees Krycek. Krycek talks to the man, who communicates telekinetically as well. He mentions to Krycek something about “The Forsaken Ones” and Krycek says he eliminated them, but he is told that he is wrong. Krycek explains that he is their exterminator and every time he is killed in the future they can “grab him out of the past”. The man says to Krycek that he doesn’t understand one thing: what the entity he is hunting, which is called “Sheltem”, wants and what he is here to prevent. Krycek picks up a gun from the floor that the man left in front of him, points it at him and CSM, and says that he wants to go home. The man tells him he had better stop, but instead Krycek holds the gun to his head and fires.<br />
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Back at Skyland Mountain, Skinner is talking to Mulder and tells him that they will comb the woods to make sure they can’t find the now-possessed sheriff. Mulder leaves Skinner to it and goes to talk to Scully. He tells Scully about his time being possessed by the alien oil and that it wouldn’t give up any information other than “he’s ok”. They infer that it was talking about William. Mulder says he thinks that no one knows where he is so he is safe and Scully agrees with him. As they talk, a thunderstorm rolls in. Scully senses something is wrong with the weather and calls back all the search teams looking for the sheriff.<br />
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We see the possessed sheriff wander into a clearing and say “the cradle is full”, as a large crowd of other possessed individuals emerges. Suddenly, a man outside of the group starts screaming and we see that he is on fire. The possessed sheriff turns and sees the familiar and terrifying faces of a group of people with their eyes and mouths sewn shut that we’ve seen on and off throughout <i>The X-Files</i>. They burn this group of people and the oil seeps out and bubbles. All that is left are the charred remains of the people the oil possessed. As the smoke clears, we see Krycek emerge from the woods. He looks at the remains of the burned people and says “I’m free, aren’t I?” and is answered by thunder. He walks back to the woods.<br />
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We then get back to Cigarette Smoking Man in New York in the Mysterious Man’s apartment. He tells the man that he’s heard some interesting information from his sources in the F.B.I. The MM doesn’t seem impressed and CSM notices that the room is full of people sitting in the dark. We see Mulder’s old informant X and the Well-Manicured Man sitting amongst them and the MM says they all owe him a lot for their “second chances”. CSM says that they all have the same concerns and that they know him to be goal-oriented. He reaches for his cigarettes, which he finds are empty, then a familiar “ssst” sound emanates and he falls face first to the ground. The Mysterious Man tells someone that was behind CSM to clean up the mess, as we see CSM degrading to the green goo. We see that the person behind CSM was actually a new CSM. The plot thickens.<br />
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Now we have seen that the Black Oil can possess individuals, and that characters from the past have been returning, dying, and returning again. Could this Mysterious Man be the origin of their resurrections, or are there outside forces that Mulder and Scully haven’t encountered before? Multiple past story elements have intersected in this storyline and it’s been very interesting from a mytharc perspective. I commend Joe Harris’s ability to take past characters and twist them into a new plot that any <i>X-Files</i> fan could appreciate. We’ll see where this goes in future installments!<br />
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<b>Special Thanks to Liz Tray for editorial assistance.</b>The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-59949431431383649732016-02-11T14:36:00.000-08:002016-02-13T15:22:07.013-08:00"The Old World Falls Away"<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">We are pleased to
present Christopher Irish’s review of <i>The X-Files FAQ</i> by John Kenneth Muir.
Published by Applause books, 2015 – Matt Allair</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span>This book was a very informative and
useful resource for seasons 1-9 of The X-Files, as well as both movies. It had
a lot of information regarding the background of the series as well, which was
very interesting to read. The book itself begins with the actors and background
talent that brought Chris Carter’s vision to life. It covers seasons 1-9 by
Muir selecting a few episodes and giving an overview. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">First of all, this book was a real treat to
review. John Muir has a very firm grasp of the material, and it shows. His 368-page,
31-chapter book covers a lot of ground regarding <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i> series as well as both films. We discuss his book, as
well as a plethora of topics related to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
X-Files</i> and Chris Carter, in an interview that will also be posted to <i>The
X-Files Lexicon</i>. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The first thing about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files FAQ</i> is that Chris Carter himself wrote the
introduction. Muir mentions in his interview with me how he came across the
opportunity to have Chris Carter write the introduction for his book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Horror Films FAQ</i> and how that opened the
door for him to write <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files FAQ</i>
and have Chris Carter return to write a second introduction for him. It was
very impressive to know that Chris Carter was enthusiastic about the project,
and that tells me that Muir really knows his stuff if the creator is willing to
give it his stamp of approval.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The first three chapters of the book address inspiration
for the series, and the creative power and actors involved. I found the chapter
regarding the inspirations for the series particularly interesting. There are a
few that are fairly well known to most fans, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Twilight Zone</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twin
Peaks</i>, but there are less-known series that Muir mentions, like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Invaders</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beyond Reality</i>. This is a great source for anyone who might want to
watch any of these shows. The next chapter covers the talent behind the camera:
the writers and directors, including Chris Carter, who have all put in hard
work making the series what it is today. It’s a great chapter to me because I
always found the writing for the series to be excellent, and each writer has a
distinctive style, and each episode they made has a certain feel. Almost the
same as each season has a different tone and arc to them. Muir details each
director and writer excellently. Another entry in the chapter discusses Mark
Snow, whose contribution to the music of the series was indispensable. Muir
acknowledges that the whole series was a special epoch for American pop culture,
not just in the 90s, but also beyond. His chapter that covers the stars of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i> is also very informative.
David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, and others are featured in this chapter. It’s
not a very long chapter, but it does include some interesting information
regarding the actors we’ve spent so long following both on The X-Files and in
their various other projects.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Still from season seven, "Closure", FOX publicity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Chapters 5 and 6 relate to the pilot episode
and the opening montage. Scully is clearly suspicious of Mulder’s methods, and
Mulder is suspicious of Scully’s intentions. That first moment in the show when
we see the silent Cigarette-Smoking Man observing as Scully receives her first
assignment to follow Mulder’s work sets the tone for the beginning of the
season. The lost time and alien involvement in the pilot really sets the series
apart from other science fiction on the big or small screens. Generally, the
depth in the genre was lacking during that period. His notes regarding the
pilot episode are insightful and on point. As for the opening montage, what can
be said other than it’s one of my favorites of all time. Oftentimes,
personally, if I watch a show I get tired of seeing the same opening
repeatedly. I’m not sure if it’s out of nostalgia or if it’s just great, but I
never skip <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>’s montage. Muir
covers the details of the montage and goes in depth on the scenes and images
throughout. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Chapters 7 through 15 address every season of
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>. The level of detail that
Muir goes into for each season is amazing. He really knows what he’s talking
about, and it doesn’t come across as condescending at all. In our interview, Muir
told me that he still has moments when he watches where he picks out details he
might not have noticed the first time through. This notwithstanding, Muir’s grasp
and knowledge of the entire arc of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
X-Files</i> is vast. In each chapter he highlights a handful of key episodes in
each season that warrant deeper discussion. If he covered every single episode
of the series, it would far extend the 368 pages the book already is. I have no
doubt that Muir could easily expound on each episode though. His choice of
episodes to review is great. Some episodes he discusses might have been
overlooked compared to others, and others (like the infamous “Home”)
practically scream for details. Like I mentioned before, each season has a
certain tone. Again, Muir comments on this subject in our interview, but his
book covers each season very well. The manner in which Muir handles the reviews
really lends itself to both longtime fans as well as any newcomers who want a
deeper appreciation of the series. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">After addressing each season, Muir has a
chapter titled “Do You Remember the One Where?” that covers pivotal moments in
the series. The highlights are from various episodes containing important
moments that affect the rest of the series. If you are a newcomer to the show,
it would be best to follow along with these moments rather than read ahead,
just to save yourself any spoilers. If you’re an old fan, this chapter is a
good way to get refreshed on important moments throughout the series.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Still from season four, "Home", FOX publicity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The next chapter was one of my favorites from
the book. Muir covers a few of the most memorable Monster of the Week episodes.
One of my earliest memories from the series when it first aired was “The Host”
episode, where the parasitic man-worm creature injects larvae into its victim’s
backs. There are a lot of memorable monsters the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Files</i> team dreamed up, so I felt this chapter was particularly
entertaining.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Muir picks up on the technology-based episodes
after he discusses the monsters. This is another running theme in the series as
a whole, and definitely warranted a chapter devoted to it. The chapter covers a
few technology-based episodes, including “Ghost in the Machine,” which I always
felt got overlooked by a lot of fans. The way Muir reviews the episodes he
selected make it so you want to take a harder look at them since the points he
makes are valid. After he addresses this topic, he gets into another large
subject <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i> touches on: Christianity.
Interestingly, this subject has always been an area where Mulder and Scully’s
roles are reversed. Muir picks out a few highlight episodes with poignant
moments regarding religion and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
X-Files</i>.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Next, Muir delves into Americana and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>. He goes over some events
from 90s culture and how <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>
took from that culture and put its own spin on it. Again, he selects a few
choice episodes that highlight how effectively the series made social
commentary via real-world inspirations. Muir selects some really good episodes
that demonstrate exactly what he’s getting at. I found the points he made very
interesting and spot on. He then goes on to discuss serial killers throughout <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i> in his next chapter. The
series used the angle more often in the first few seasons, and Muir remarks on
this fact. Chris Carter’s series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Millennium</i>
picked up on the serial killer aspect of his imagination (and if you haven’t
seen it before, you should. It’s excellent). After covering a few episodes and
expounding on serial killers in the show, he goes on to discuss “Lazarus
species.” This is another subject that eerily mirrors reality. I’ve seen plenty
of events through the years where frozen viruses or just odd creatures get dug
up from eons past. A lot of classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Files</i>
episodes like “Ice” and “Firewalker” revolve around this idea, and Muir covers
them well. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Muir’s next chapter regards “Xenophobia and
Ethnocentrism,” which are two subjects that have remained a constant problem in
worldwide culture. The way <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>
handled these subjects was very interesting throughout the series. Muir’s
comments on this subject again are very spot on, and his selection of episodes
is excellent. The next chapter brings up another massive part of our culture:
teenagers and adolescents. Some of these episodes were among my personal
favorites when watching it in the 90s. Watching these episodes now gives one a
definite nostalgic feel for how the youth of the 90s lived. Granted, most of us
weren’t abducted by aliens, or weren’t witches, but it was an interesting time
regardless.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Still from season three, "Talitha Cumi", FOX publicity</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">From these cultural topics we move on to the
paranormal. This is a pretty broad topic for this series since the vast
majority of it could be classified as “paranormal,” but Muir’s commentary is
entertaining to read and covers a lot of good episodes. The way Mulder and
Scully delve into the world of the paranormal varies and gives each character depth
and progression. The next chapter gets into specific “based on a true story”
episodes. Muir’s reflections on these episodes are interesting, and I honestly
learned a lot of details on where these episodes sprang from.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">After Muir delves into background cultural
information in the last few chapters, he lists notable guest stars over the
series. I loved this chapter just so I could review and see how many people
actually appeared in the series. After this, he gets into the two <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">X-Files</i> films. The two movies are so
vastly different, and the fan reception of them seems to be different. Muir’s comments
on each are great to read, regarding both <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fight
the Future</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Want to Believe</i>.
After the movies, Muir devotes a chapter to other series Chris Carter made. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Millennium</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Harsh Realm</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lone Gunmen</i>,
and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The After</i> are all shows Chris
Carter created aside from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>.
Each series has a good summary written by Muir. Two of the shows (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Millennium</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Lone Gunmen</i>) tie into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
X-Files</i>, while the others are stand alones. </span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When a show is as successful as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>, it’s bound to spawn its
fair share of imitations. Muir mentions a lot of series that took a direct line
of influence from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>. To be
honest, a lot of these series I never heard of. That made this chapter very
entertaining to read, since it was a learning experience! Muir details each
series in a summary of what the plot of each show was about. The last chapter discusses
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>’ legacy in other forms of
entertainment, with the comic series (the old Tops issues as well as the new
IDW series) and toys. The last entry is a bibliography for the book.</span>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Overall, the book was very useful, and I
enjoyed reading it. It covered a lot of subjects that influenced the show as
well as the show itself. Muir’s writing conveys that he is a big fan of the
show, not to mention an expert on the subject. This is a good book that any fan
would benefit from owning, either as a quick reference or to delve deeper into
the series for a better appreciation of it.</span>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Special thanks to
A.M.D for editorial assistance.</span></b>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Please check out our
exclusive interview in two parts, <a href="http://www.x-fileslexicon.com/exclusive/muir_part1.html" target="_blank">part one</a> and <a href="http://www.x-fileslexicon.com/exclusive/muir_part2.html" target="_blank">part two</a>, with John Kenneth
Muir, you can find The X-Files FAQ at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/X-Files-FAQ-Conspiracy-Lazarus-Monsters/dp/1480369748/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1454946154&sr=1-1&keywords=The+X-Files+FAQ" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, or your local book store.</span></b>
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The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-1783008923451373232016-01-26T17:02:00.000-08:002016-01-26T17:02:34.914-08:00New podcast appearance on The X-Cast<br />
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Another podcast appearance in short order. The X-Cast is a fairly new UK podcast, and Tony Black was gracious enough to invite me to appear for about <a href="https://www.acast.com/thexcast/unclassifiedinterview01-mattallair" target="_blank">an hour</a>.<br />
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We cover a range of subjects, and in spite of exhaustion, and missing a few questions on a quiz, it was fun times indeed. Everything from the premiere, favorite episodes, the history of the XFL site, The Syndicate platform, my brief thoughts on the paranormal and Carl Jung, music and film projects, and where to go next.<br />
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Mr. Black is a nice gentlemen and the podcast is worth a look.<br />
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<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-23495694670544009482016-01-20T20:54:00.000-08:002016-01-20T20:55:40.358-08:00New Podcast appearance on Sci Fi Fidelity about XFLHi Everyone,<br />
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This has already been making the rounds, but the first of two podcast appearances this month. I did a brief interview with Michael Ahr, and Dave Vitagliano on Sci Fi Fidelity / Den of Geek, nice couple of gentlemen.<br />
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Where we talk about our favorite episodes, interesting segment. <br />
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You can<a href="https://soundcloud.com/denofgeek/sci-fi-fidelity-episode-2a-the-x-files?in=denofgeek%2Fsets%2Fsci-fi-fidelity" target="_blank"> listen here</a>.<br />
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A little hint about our next exclusive, can you guess?<br />
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<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-44681644557028785182015-11-19T15:27:00.000-08:002015-11-19T15:27:58.128-08:00Thought Experiment: Identity BrandingRecently I’ve been mulling over various issues related to life, and related to everyone’s role in the internet, and pondering a new term to describe a set of ideas – “Identity Branding”, meaning a device used by people in the blogosphere, or internet media, where the identity of being angry, or superficial, or ultra intellectual, or crass, has become its own brand within on-line discussions. While terms like “Identity Politics” is freely thrown around like confetti in this day and age, perhaps we should consider this. My terminology is still being developed, and I realize the very phrase, some might argue, seems like an oxymoron or a misnomer. The Blog, in the past have explored related subjects in depth, <a href="http://thex-fileslexicon.blogspot.com/2011/12/past-few-years-in-review.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://thex-fileslexicon.blogspot.com/2010/11/ai-and-iwtb-cont-limits-of-fables-and.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://thex-fileslexicon.blogspot.com/2009/12/ophiuchus-code-part-1.html" target="_blank">here</a>, <a href="http://thex-fileslexicon.blogspot.com/2010/01/ophiuchus-code-pt-2.html" target="_blank">here</a>, and <a href="http://thex-fileslexicon.blogspot.com/2009/10/truth-and-how-to-hide-it.html" target="_blank">here</a> and it’s time to expand the dialog. I see the results of this phenomenon, Identity branding, frequently, and how I came about this epiphany has been a slow process that I couldn’t articulate as I was working through my own frustrations for a good number of months. This phrase could be elaborated on as “Ideological Identity Branding” as well. When I think of the slogan phrase from The X-Files: “Trust No One”, I think of it as having several layers of meaning, one being don’t trust the government, don’t trust corporations, or trust religious institutions based on dogma.<br />
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But my personal interpretation of the phrase has been more along the line of “Don’t accept things at face value.” Retired political Radio personality Randi Rhodes, while acknowledging the cesspool that is talk radio used to say: “I know the company I keep, don’t take my word for it, and look it up yourself.” This crystallizes for me the problem of Identity branding in relation to the internet. We all participate in identity branding, all of us who writes blogs, I do too, and this isn’t about discouraging anyone from the business of blogging, but it was about starting a dialog to become mindful of the mechanizations of identity branding. There’s a relationship between the writer and the reader indeed, while this process can be beneficial, it can be detrimental when the writer is perceived as an authority figure in excess. Identity branding can victimize the reader to lose all sense of themselves, to the point of becoming too invested in championing the point of view, or agenda of the writer. The byproduct of identity branding is that the very notion of ‘free thought’ on either side of the political divide is gone. What is left is a kind of white noise that leaves everyone with closed minds, and the inability of listen. Therefore, the ability to process and accept and reject what you wish to on any given point has been taken away, all for the sake of the validation of a higher figure. This also applies to discussions about gender equality, racial equality, or sexual orientation.<br />
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Instead of the goal to encourage free thought, this identity branding is like a Frankenstein creature of unintended consequences, where people form around their own clicks to such a degree, the intention of democratic dialog dovetails into uniform thinking within those clicks. This device is used to demonize people whom, in most areas, share the same goals, but differ on certain points. I really had assumed that this phrase was already part of the Lexicon of the advertising world, or marketing world, but it seems to not be the case. Therefore I will be developing this term and refining it, and hope readers will start to ponder this point while going on with their day to day lives. More to come.<br />
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Addendum: The XFL Blog will be resuming its reviews by Christopher Irish, who has been busy elsewhere with a special project.<br />
<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-10687157178009298632015-11-17T20:51:00.000-08:002015-11-17T20:52:15.420-08:00Wise UpI feel I must post this, I am weary, I've had some revelations about our racial divide over the last few weeks, and now this attack in France and the sad, inevitable reaction of more the same, more war, more closing boarders. Sometimes, words need to be few:<br />
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I am just weary.<br />
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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_goEernujW8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-72070736118078566672015-10-23T22:25:00.003-07:002015-10-23T22:25:55.692-07:00Chris's Comic Corner - The New Season, Issue 2<br />
<b>The next, and delayed, review by Chris Irish for IDW’s season 11 of The X-Files comic, there’s a couple of surprising, and disturbing developments with Mulder in this issue. –Matt</b><br />
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<b>Season 11</b><br />
<b>“Home Again Part 1”</b><br />
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<u><b>Written by: Joe Harris</b></u><br />
<u><b>Art by: Matthew Dow Smith</b></u><br />
<u>Colors by: Jordie Bellaire</u><br />
<u>Letters by: Chris Mowry</u><br />
<u>Editor: Denton J. Tipton</u><br />
<u>Executive Producer: Chris Carter</u><br />
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This issue begins with a satellite flying above the earth six weeks before the events in the last issue. While there is some communication between the controllers and CENTCOM via speech bubbles, one speech bubble pops up over a black panel, saying, “This is your stop, Mulder,” then there is a rush of colors that harkens back to the time-travel scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. The next scene has a bus driver waking Mulder after a long ride. Once Mulder is off the bus we see that he’s somewhere in Garden Country, Nebraska. He makes his way to an oil field in the middle of a Nebraska corn field (nice reference to the mythology of <i>The X-Files</i>). Mulder asks a man working on the oil rig about a farm in the other field. As he leaves for the farm, the workers get back to the rig, and we see a “Cantus” logo on the office trailer.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The image will remind fans, or evoke memories of <i>The X-Files</i> season one episode, "Space". -Matt</span><br />
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We join Scully in a Washington, D.C., street café. She finds A.D. Skinner sitting at a table and tells him to follow her. Once they are away from public view, they discuss Mulder’s possible return and Gibson Praise’s manipulation. Skinner mentions that Mulder is still wanted by the federal government, and he saw the warrants being filed before he was relieved. Scully points out that the F.B.I. is in a weakened state but Cantus has more resources, and they’ve been digging into old X-Files cases. One such case is the Peacock family, a classic “Monster of the Week” family of cannibalistic inbred mutants in the episode “Home” (season 4, episode 2). Scully recounts the events the night she and Mulder raided their home, how two of the brothers were killed, but the matriarch and a brother escaped. Skinner thinks Gibson is aiming to finish what Mulder couldn’t, and Scully tells him that she has an idea where Gibson’s plan is going, but she’s sure he would be ahead of her in his overall plan. <br />
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Back to Mulder, he finally arrives at the house in the field he asked the oil rig workers about. He knocks, but no one is home. He lets himself in, looking for anyone, and ends up in the back of the house, where a barn is standing. He finds a young lady milking a cow. She pulls out a shotgun and asks if he’s a tax collector (reminded me of a scene in O Brother, Where Art Thou?). Mulder uses his cover name, “Blake,” when he introduces himself, and we find out her name is Molly. He brings up the gas-drilling operation, and Molly tells him that they won’t sell the farm. Mulder (or Blake) mentions the amount of fracking the oil rig is doing nearby and how they’re surrounded. Mulder walks out as Molly comments for the second time how good-looking he is, just as some shadowy figures drop down from the rafters. Mulder crouches down to look at some pigs eating in the mud just as a small horde of misshapen mutants charge him from behind, sending him crashing to the ground. The little mutants all chant, “Poppa,” and Mulder utters an uncharacteristic “I don’t believe this.” Molly tells them to get him “home,” and everything goes black.<br />
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We rejoin Scully at F.B.I. headquarters, where A.D. Morales catches up to her in a hallway. Scully tries to get away from her, but Morales is insistent on bringing up Scully’s saving a member of the board when Gibson caused them to black out or go into seizures. Morales grabs Scully’s arm to finish her statement, when she tells Scully that there’s a discrepancy in the report concerning the events in the meeting room. As this exchange is going on between them, Morales mentions how hard Mulder and Scully have had it over the years because of pressure from management. She hands Scully a file, and Morales tells her that she believes in her. Morales walks away, and Scully reads the file. It has a large “Cantus” logo on it.<br />
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Back to Mulder, he is awakened by someone saying his name. When he opens his eyes he sees a hulking mutant standing over him. Molly arrives at the door and tells the mutant, named Edmund, not to scare Mulder, because it “makes the milk sour early and curdle up.” She tells Mulder that Edmund holds a grudge against him for killing his brothers (in the episode “Home”). She asks Mr. Blake what he’s really doing there as Mulder tries to get out of bed, only to find his pants missing. Mulder discovers that Molly is a member of the Peacock clan, even though she has none of the characteristic defects. She informs Mulder that Edmund has reached the end of his potency and they are in need of “new blood.” The small Peacock horde climbs on Mulder, crouching in his bed chanting, “Poppa,” again. Mulder asks Molly what she’s suggesting, although he has to know by now what the plan is. She explains the plan, but Mulder declines the offer. Molly scoffs at him for assuming she was who was going to breed with him, and the Peacock matriarch wheels out from her spot from under the bed.<br />
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Old fans of the show will no doubt be familiar with the Peacocks. The episode “Home” is one of the most infamous <i>X-Files</i> episodes ever aired. The heavy theme of incest and murder pushed the limits of what TV episodes could air. This, no doubt, will prove to be a creepy and disturbing turn for Mulder. Although the Peacocks are absolutely disgusting, it is nice to see the story line revived. <br />
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<b>Special thanks to A.M.D. for editorial assistance.</b>The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-11436617396164546022015-10-03T21:31:00.001-07:002015-10-03T21:32:50.983-07:00Benjamin's Millennial Compendium - Comics 5<b>Benjamin’s new, and final review, of the <i>Millennium</i> comic from IDW is here, written by Joe Harris, and art by Colin Lorimer. His final review is very candid, and we hope it will be helpful. -Matt</b><br />
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This Is Who We Are</div>
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Before we get into the final review of this series I wanted to call your attention to covers. Each issue has two covers (with the exception of the first, which had a limited third cover by Paul Shipper). One of the covers in each set is done by menton3 and the other is a photo from the series. The work by menton3 is very atmospheric and well done. It matches the mood and even offers some subtle foreshadowing. I am less fond of the photo covers. They are dated. The idea of this story is that we have moved with Frank Black into the present time. The photos are not evocative and except for brand recognition seemingly serve no purpose. I say all this because if you have not been seeing menton3’s covers you are really missing out.<br />
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This issue is the last in the series, and given the respect for the source material and the high quality of this story, the bar was set very high. Did the last issue meet expectations? Let’s dig in and find out.<br />
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The story picks up where we left Mulder, entering Frank’s old yellow house. The place is in disrepair, and Mulder is able to quip with his characteristic humor. He moves down to the basement and finds, written on the wall, the words “The Time Has Passed.” Suddenly the woman we met on the sidewalk last issue (though fans of the show have been meeting her in all her incarnations since the first season; here she is Lucy Butler) is beside Mulder and holding the black cat he found down there. After a brief conversation, in which Lucy praises Mulder’s abilities, the shadows reveal Mulder lying on his back with Lucy on top of him, and the assumption is that they are about to have sex.<br />
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The scene shifts, and Frank, Jordan, and Quentin (Jordan’s patron) are in a rental car lot. Without clues as to where Mulder went, and with time of the essence, Frank apologetically asks Jordan to use her gift. (This is another departure from Frank. Frank’s visions seemed to come or not without an ability to call them. Jordan can call hers.) Jordan tries but only sees her father, as she did in the last issue, caught by a demonic form. Jordan tells Frank, “I don’t see him…” Now a vision comes to her unbidden. A voice says, “Watching.” And she sees red eyes. It catches her off guard, and she cries out and falls to her knees. Quentin says sharply, “That’s enough!” but the vision does not let go that easily. She hears, “Waiting,” and sees the outline of what may be Lucy Butler.<br />
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Frank rushes to her side and wants to know what she sees. Quentin and Frank argue for a moment, but the vision continues and takes its own course. Jordan says that she sees the old house. Frank gets a car and leaves Jordan and Quentin behind to arrange their own transportation. Actually, Frank manages to find a seventeen-year-old red Jeep Cherokee right at the front of the lot. If you can suspend your disbelief for just a moment, it is a lot of fun to see Frank drive off.<br />
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Frank arrives at his old home and recognizes that the car out front must belong to Mulder. As he enters the home, his vision flashes for a moment to happier days, when Jordan was still a little girl. The black cat from earlier eyes Frank warily as he moves down the stairs. Suddenly he sees, in a vision, Bob Bletcher. (For those unfamiliar with the series, Bob was killed by Lucy Butler in the first-season episode “Lamentation” and hanged from a rafter in the very basement Frank is entering.)<br />
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Frank quickly finds Mulder and suggests they leave. Mulder does not seem to be himself and says haltingly, across three panels, “I-I don’t… …know… …if that’s possible.” The last panel on the page shows Mulder with his finger on the trigger and his weapon pointing down, saying, “Y-You need… to go… …Frank…” Chillingly, he continues on the next page, “Does she… know you’re here yet… …Frank?” Frank’s eyes grow wide, and while he asks who Mulder is talking about, it is clear he already knows.<br />
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Lucy emerges from the shadows. I will not fragment or try to recreate the dialogue here, but suffice it to say that Lucy is cruel and written true to character. I know I have said this before, but it bears repeating: the story and dialogue shows tremendous respect for and knowledge of the source material.<br />
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After a moment of conversation, Mulder indicates that he cannot control his arm or weapon any longer. He fires and puts out the light, and Lucy says, “You have to admit, Frank… …for two old players like us… …staying out of the game could only stick for so long.” Now, Jordan appears at the top of the stairs and states, “You think you’re playing games here.” Lucy responds, “I am winning them, child.” Lucy’s form becomes bestial, and she growls, “We are Legion. We create the game.” <br />
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Legion reaches umbral tentacles toward Jordan. Frank tackles it from behind and begs Mulder to shoot, though Mulder is unable to get a clean shot. Jordan does not flinch from the tentacles, and as Frank and Legion tussle she raises her arms slightly, and with eyes white and a resplendent countenance she accuses Legion of the harm it has caused her and her family and countless others.<br />
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The next panels are not clear. It seems that Jordan has in some way contained the creature Legion. Afterward, she falls to her hands and knees. Frank runs to her, to help her, but she flees from him. In another scene of heartbreak, you can see her face clenched in pain and sorrow as she runs up the stairs and away from him, saying, “I’m sorry, Daddy…” as she goes. <br />
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This is one of the low points of the series. Not making clear what was going on in the concluding scene is nearly unforgivable. In fact, if the rest of the series had been so ambiguous, I would not be able to recommend it at all. <br />
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It gets more confusing when Frank and Mulder get outside. Mulder notes, “Looks like your ride left without you. Want a lift?” But the red Jeep is right there. And that Jeep is as iconic as anything in the series. Even weirder, the position of the Jeep has now changed in relation to Mulder’s car. And Frank declines the ride and says he wants to walk? This page ends up being a confusing mishmash. Having suffered a horrific encounter with Legion, Mulder seems mostly concerned with (1) how Frank is going to get home, (2) making sure Frank does not tell Scully about the intimacy with Lucy (even though we have not seen Scully and Frank together for this whole series!), and (3) offering Frank a job at the FBI, even though Frank retired from the FBI already, is likely too old, and has not shown the sort of stability that the government prefers in their agents. And all this assumes that Mulder is a recruiter for the FBI or has the authority to make job offers.<br />
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The last page of the story shows the yellow house again. The black cat is on the roof. Suddenly the cat changes shape into Lucy. Earlier Lucy held the black cat, so there must have been two of them? She says, though she is alone, “True good and evil never die, Frank. They just lay low for a bit, lick their wounds, and wait for the cycle to start again… …for an entire millennium, if necessary…” If Legion does not believe good can be defeated, nor evil, why does it behave like it does? I am sorry to say that the ending of the book nearly ruined it for me. It was careless and sloppy in a way that neither the show nor the previous books in this series have been. A little more time editing here, and we would have a real gem for both fans and newcomers. As it stands, fans will no doubt like the series, as I did, and wish for more, but it will be hard for people who are approaching this world for the first time to give this another chance. This may be a real wasted opportunity to expand the large fan community online. In some ways it seems eerily like the abrupt ending of the show itself.<br />
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One final note: IDW has collected all the material from this series (but not the appearance of Frank Black in the X-Files book) into a softcover compilation (ISBN 978-1631403767) for $19.99. The production quality is good, and while there is little more that needs to be said by way of the story, it should be noted that there are several pages of the art of the series in various degrees of completion, and all the covers are reproduced. Not lots of extras, but a few tidbits for hardcore fans.<br />
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<b>Special editorial thanks to Bellefleur.</b> <br />
<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-62211269601044850532015-09-30T20:36:00.002-07:002015-09-30T20:38:11.186-07:00The Truth is Coming...Not much to really add here. This should interest those who follow the Paranormal, Conspiracy Theories, or Crypto Politics.<br />
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Sometimes, there's very little that needs to be said.<br />
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I would be curious to get peoples thoughts more than offering my own, comments?The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-58800913056513156692015-09-27T20:33:00.000-07:002015-09-27T20:33:59.395-07:00When Duty Calls...Two promo X-Files trailers to debut Monday night...<br />
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We were asked by FOX publicity to mention the two part promo trailers for <i>The X-Files</i> Season 10 episodes that will debut tomorrow night, Monday, during both <i>Gotham</i> and then <i>Minority Report</i>.<br />
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You can tune in to “Gotham” at 8/7 central to view part 1, and the following this, on “Minority Report”, you can view part 2 at 9/8 central to view part 2. <br />
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The descriptions Monday regular programs are as follows: <br />
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<b>On GOTHAM at 8/7c, a deadly escape rocks the city and following his reinstatement, it’s up to Gordon (Ben McKenzie) to track the Maniax. Meanwhile, Galavan (James Frain) plans his next move, while Bruce (David Mazouz) enlists the help of his father’s old friend to unlock the secrets in his office, and Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) attempts to ask out Kristin Kringle (guest star Chelsea Spack). </b><br />
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<b>Then, on MINORITY REPORT at 9/8c, it’s a match made in….the future. Dash (Stark Sands) and Vega (Meagan Good) team up again to find a killer who is currently down on love. Meanwhile, Dash continues to reach out to his siblings for help.</b> <br />
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The Two-Night season premiere of <i>The X-Files</i> is Jan, 24th, 2016, Sunday, 10:00-11:00 PM ET 7:00-8:00 PM PT, and Jan 25th, 8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT<br />
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<br />The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7905540896857850217.post-72069244892178453792015-09-07T08:36:00.003-07:002015-09-07T08:36:36.037-07:00Chris's Comic Corner - The New Season, Issue 1<br />
<b>The new review from Christopher Irish is up for the new season. We have a new relationship with IDW Comics for <i>The X-Files</i>, season 11, and hope to offer the best insight possible, but that is really up to the fans to determine that. Once again, Chris’s work is always a pleasure to read. Feel free to drop us input about how we are doing. – Matt</b><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Season 11 </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">“Cantus”</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Issue 1</span><br />
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<u>Written by: Joe Harris</u><br />
<u>Art by: Matthew Dow Smith</u><br />
<u>Colors by: Jordie Bellaire</u><br />
<u>Letters by: Chris Mowry</u><br />
<u>Editor: Denton J. Tipton</u><br />
<u>Executive Producer: Chris Carter</u><br />
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This new season begins with a recap of season 10’s events. The main story begins in Zion National Park in Utah. A group of people are being led into a cave by a mysterious figure in a hood. The hooded person talks to a man wearing goggles and walking ahead of him who is working on a handheld device. We find out they’re heading to some sort of work site. The man working the device talks to the hooded person while he tries to get the device to work. Unable to get the machine to work, he hands it to the hooded person. Another one of the members walks ahead and we find out it’s the leader, a redheaded lady named Tyler. They mention that if the signal is weak, it could mean someone else might be using the signal at the same time. Tyler says it could be the proverbial “Men In Black” and recounts information about the government losing track of a sophisticated spy satellite. We find out that she and the rest are part of a salvage team, most likely working towards finding this supposed lost satellite. Tyler talks to one of the members who was questioning her while working on the tracker and calls him Mr. Blake. The rest of the team teases him about having the worst codename “Anthony Blake” and how it sounds like an old TV character. The frame shows a clear shot of Agent Fox Mulder with a fake moustache as a disguise. (This is a new look for him; in all the seasons of The X-Files and all of Season 10 I don’t think I’ve ever seen Mulder with a ‘stache. Given his proclivity toward adult entertainment, I think it’s long overdue).<br />
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The redheaded woman corrects the man, saying it’s Bill Bixby the Magician they’re thinking of. They discuss further details of Blake’s suspicion that the satellite that supposedly burned up actually had parts that survived, hence the salvage team. The redhead tells the group that if they manage to find the downed satellite they could have a future. Just as Tyler gets a lock on the signal, Blake mentions that the present concerns him more, and that if they knew what he knows about the future they’d be worried.<br />
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The next scene opens in Jose Marti International Airport, in Havana, Cuba. We see people boarding a plane. One of them is Scully, who turns to look at a person walking down the alley out of frame but who has a vaguely familiar mouth line. She turns down and looks at a file titled “Cantus”. The plane takes off in the next frame. <br />
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Now in Virginia, Scully is working on her laptop late at night. She types in “trust_nnl@x_” to check her messages, and has none. The next panel is a familiar one, Scully sitting before an FBI investigative panel to explain herself sans Mulder. The board mentions that Assistant Director Skinner has been placed on administrative leave and that Scully has no idea of the whereabouts of Agent Fox Mulder, who is wanted for questioning. The board warns Scully that the Attorney General is considering pressing felony charges. Scully reiterates that she hasn’t heard from Mulder in two months and has no idea where he is. They bring up the efforts made to streamline the X-Files, using a consultancy and efficiency contractor the Bureau has hired called “Cantus”. Scully is familiar with it and lets them know she is aware of the organization’s efforts.<br />
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The next scene is back with Mulder and the salvage crew, who have found the downed satellite. She instructs two of them to make their way back to their truck to lock it up while the rest of them work. Mulder (or Blake) and Jasco (another member of the salvage team) make their way back, hefting a large box along with them. Jasco complains about Tyler and Mulder deflects. On the way down Mulder mentions that he heard something. Jasco says it’s just the echo of the canyon as they make their way down a slope. Once at the bottom, Jasco continues to talk about Tyler. He warns Mulder that she’s “up in his business” and if he’s not careful she’ll continue to be wary of him. Mulder tells Jasco to watch his step, but he doesn’t listen and continues to talk about Tyler. As he does this he trips over a rock and falls to the ground. Mulder helps him up and offers to take the heavy end. Jasco claims that Tyler may have taken credit for allowing him to join the group, but says it was actually him that convinced her. Right then he also mentions that he didn’t tell her who he really is; he pulls a knife and says there is a reward out for him since he’s an FBI fugitive. Mulder falls back as Jasco lunges with the knife, but Mulder sends him staggering with a solid karate chop to the thigh. Mulder tells him that he’s only after the satellite wreckage and if he can take it he’ll leave him and the group out of it. Jasco doesn’t listen and claims that Mulder is just setting the group up. Right before the fight can resume they hear an ominous growling noise behind them. It turns out to be a pack of wolves. One wolf jumps on Jasco, and before Mulder can help him he’s killed with a bloody “ggggglrg”. Mulder tries to get back to the equipment as a blood-covered wolf approaches. An odd speech bubble tells Mulder that he has to retrieve the communications hardware from the Medici Satellite. Mulder says it’s not going to be easy and that he won’t do anything else till he knows how Scully is doing. The wolves take off down the canyon and Mulder tells them the team are just scavengers and not mercenaries. The wolves, who are inexplicably communicating with Mulder, warn him to remember who his friends are as they move down the canyon.<br />
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Back to Scully, who’s being grilled on her unauthorized trip to Cuba. As one panel member brings this up, another one falls asleep but another suffers an ischemic stroke and won’t remember any of the proceedings, while the main panel member narrates both occurrences. Scully says “My god, Gibson” as she pulls her phone out to call in a medical emergency. She begins to assist the panel members, who have all passed out now. The scene ends with the face of the member who had the stroke, and it’s A.D. Morales.<br />
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Now in Beaverton, Utah, we find ourselves with The Lone Gunmen. Frohike is talking to Mulder about getting back home. As they finish their talk, the other two Gunmen open the sliding door of the old VW bus they work out of and tell Mulder and Frohike that they have something. They have discovered that the chipset from the downed satellite was manufactured by Cantus, the same organization that the panel brought up to Agent Scully. The communications chip they’ve been working on has a signal the satellite picked up on before it went down. They haven’t figured out what it is yet, but they continue to work on it. They are able to tell that the satellite received this signal about 15 minutes before it entered the atmosphere, which leads them to believe that it didn’t crash in error. The two possibilities are that someone caused the satellite to crash or someone else shot it down.<br />
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Back to Scully, she is in Mulders dungeon-office. A familiar speech bubble-the same one the wolves had- comes up telling her he was wondering when she’d be back. A man is in the office and tells her that he needs Mulder’s help now. She tells the man that he knows where he is. It turns out that the man is Gibson as Scully accuses him of being a traitor and tells him that he’s out of his mind. She pulls her gun on him, but he uses his mind’s power to snatch the gun from her hand. Scully asks where Mulder is and Gibson tells her that he’s serving to do what he needs him to do. Scully asks what she’s supposed to do and he tells her to help him as he telepathically hovers a file to her.<br /><br /> The issue ends with Mulder. We’ll leave it at that and keep the review spoiler-free. The ending does leave you wanting to continue with the upcoming Season 11 #2 however. This season has started off strong. The artwork is excellent and it capitalizes on new aspects brought forth from Season 10 and starts to lay groundwork for another season full of twists, turns, and heavy X-Files conspiracies for our duo to navigate through. We shall see how it goes as this exciting series progresses!<br /><br /><b>Special thanks to Liz Tray for Editorial assistance. </b>The X-Files Lexicon Bloghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02480929818352872986noreply@blogger.com2