DPO is another episode that I remember seeing way back in the 90s and recently had the chance to watch again.I still enjoyed it a lot and it brought back memories of that particular time in my life. DPO stands for Darin Peter Oswald and as the title suggests the episode is all about him.Hes a small town slacker who works as a mechanic and spends his spare time hanging around the arcades with his friend "Zero",and longing after his schoolteacher,Sharon Kiveat.However he also possesses a special gift,having the ability to apparently channel electricity through his person and focus it on who/whatever is unlucky to get in his way.This is where M&S come in after the number of electricity related deaths in Darin's small town attract their attention.Despite the skepticisms of the local police chief they soon realize Darin had something to do with the deaths.Can they manage to rein him in before his frustration at being rejected in love and his feelings of inadequacy send him spiraling out of control? A Couple of other things to note: The episode featured 2 then relatively unknown actors who would subsequently rise to greater fame:Giovanni Ribisi in the title role and funnyman Jack Black as his friend "Zero".Ribisi is especially good here and he really has the moody teenager persona down to a tee. The opening sequence is tense and exciting and the music(Ring the Bells by James)and action combine very well and peak together in a dramatic climax.The scenes where DPO uses his gift and "strikes" are also handled well and some of these scenes are quite spectacular looking. So to sum up my feelings DPO is a pretty solid X-file.I would put it in the same category as "Pusher",as it features a human character with an extraordinary gift.Its probably not one of my absolute fave eps but its not too far off either.I give it 8.5/10.
Reviews
6 Reviews
Skinner gets his ass kicked
2 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Pusher is indeed a very solid piece of work.The episode deals with Robert "Pusher" Modell,so known because he has the ability to push or impose others to do his will using his mind.He has been taunting the police,claiming convincingly to have been responsible for a number of deaths which appear to have been suicides.M&S move in after the FBI attempt to arrest Pusher only for him to escape after the car he's travelling in suffers an accident in very suspicious circumstances and an officer dies.But Pusher is unlikely to be brought down easily.His gift is the only thing that prevents him from being an ordinary guy and he enjoys all the attention it can generate. The episode is very taut,tense and very well directed.Indeed its hard to point out any mistakes or improvements that could have been made.Robert Wisden is great in the title role.Hes evil for sure,but he gives Pusher a cocky,rogueish charm that rubs off slightly on the viewer.The occasions where he "pushes" people are the best sequences of the episode.The tense precredit scene and his hospital showdown with M&S at the end are also exciting,the latter in particular.Two other things of note I should mention.A guest appearance from Dave Grohl(You cant see his face clearly but hes there)and Skinner cops a beating..and you wont believe who dishes it out!
Not somewhere I'd like to call home
27 October 2006
Home is a landmark episode in the history of the X-Files.Its about as hardcore as it gets for the series.It deals with incest,brutal murder and features close-ups of horribly disfigured individuals and a deformed dead human foetus.Indeed it seems as if the writers had put the regular extra-terrestrial themes to one side,and just concentrated on giving their audience a right good scare.That said this episode is a damn good watch and deserves its high rating.Its plot its linear and straightforward which is rare for the X-Files.M&S travel to the town of Home,Pennsylvania,where the body of a dead baby has been dug up exhibiting all kinds of deformities.Suspicion falls on a local family,the Peacocks,who through years of inbreeding and isolation from normal people,have been moving steadily back down the evolutionary ladder.They are deeply suspicious of strangers and violently resistant to any kind of change to their environment.When M&S search their house and are overheard talking about issuing arrest warrants for the Peacock brothers,it sets in motion a deadly chain of events ultimately leading to a battle for survival for our two heroes,after they forcefully storm the Peacock house with the help of a local police officer. So overall Home is a great episode to watch,especially around Halloween,but definitely not for the faint of heart.I give it 9/10.
Bleak,distressing,riveting.
16 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
If you divide the X-files into those which deal with extra-terrestrial phenonema and those which deal with the unexplained events and evil here on earth,then Irresistible falls into the latter category.Indeed it could be considered as one of the 'monster'episodes,except here instead of a Jersey Devil or a Flukeman,the monster is human.An evil predator. Donnie Pfaster looks unremarkable on the outside.Though tall and ruggedly handsome he is not someone who would demand a second look should you pass him on the street.However all is not as it would appear at first with this guy.This becomes apparent very early in the episode when he is dismissed from his job at a funeral parlour,after being caught cutting the hair of a young dead girl.After several dead bodies are uprooted and desecrated,in particular hair and fingernails are missing,M&S are called in to investigate and to catch whomever is committing the crimes,before he graduates to killing victims for the purpose of mutilating them afterwards,which they suspect he will do. This episode is bleak and distressing as you would expect watching an evil perverted killer at work would be.However all the same it is riveting viewing.Nick Chinlund really has this character down to a tee.He talks slowly and deliberately,he stares intensely at the pretty young women he sees and he moves stealthily,someimes seeming to appear from nowhere.The idea of having him switch jobs during the episode was a good one by the writers,as real life predatore are often known to drift between jobs.The producers also show him appearing as a demonlike form in silhouette to emphasise his evil nature,but this seems a bit gimmicky and unnecessary to me.Oh and btw,i don't want to spoil the episode for you,but lets just say this would not be one of Scully's favourite X-files!
Firestarter
6 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I have just gotten back into the X-files after a break of something like 10 years.Fire was the first episode I saw and it got me hooked again!.The story sees M and S following the trail of a firestarter who can seemingly start fires just by using his mind.Several British aristocrats have been burned alive in a strange manner with no signs of any accelerants and no clue how the fires started.As a prominent British family arrives in America,Mulder is approached by his old flame,Phoebe Green,now working for British Intelligence to help find the killer,who she believes has followed the family to America,and to protect the family from harm. This episode is enjoyable for a number of reasons.It sees the appearance of Mulder's old flame Phoebe Green and there is some definite chemistry between them.The relationship between Scully and Green is a frosty one perhaps indicating that Scully herself has deeper feelings for Mulder than just as a colleague.It also has a good performance from Mark Sheppard(who I thought resembled a young Robbie Williams at times)as the firestarting gardener who takes a devilish delight in his evil work.There is a particularly nice moment when he sticks a cigarette in his mouth and we see it ignite on its own.Plus Mulder has an intense fear of fire and it is interesting to see him battle and try to overcome his fear as he trails the killer.Overall an enjoyable episode and one of the better ones from the first season.
Meet Joe Black
(1998)
boring
2 February 2004
this movie just bored the ass off me.the concept was stupid and the acting was wooden.nothing interesting happened in the entire movie.even when brad pitts charachter was making love to claire forlani,it looked like they were just going through the motions.i cant believe it has a rating of 6.5 on the imdb.i guess that a high number of pitt fans voted for it because i cant think of anyone else who would find this film remotely interesting. thank god i saw it on tv and didnt have to fork out to see this piece of crap.
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