Reviews Written by Lawrance
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December 23, 2001
A challenging portrait of modern alienat
Produced, written and directed by Nina Menkes, “Queen of Diamonds” is a demanding 77-minute film, which requires attention and contemplation to arrive at a semblance of meaning. The director labels it “a minimalist post-pop emotional x-ray of the U.S.,” and clearly the first half of the description applies. For the most part the camera remains quite static, framing a scene with minimal attempt to influence our perceptions of what is transpiring. The rare close ups are of the faces of the gamblers or of the hands of the “heroine” dealing cards at the black jack table or picking at her food. If we get close to seeing her face her arm invariably covers it; clearly we are not supposed to get close enough to see. The dialogue is also almost maddeningly sparse throughout the film, often heard indistinctly, and never provides any meaningful information for unraveling what is going on. Made in 1991, “Queen of Diamonds” reveals a Las Vegas black jack dealer, portrayed by Tinka Menkes, and treats us to a bleak but compelling portrait of alienation, which for me is best captured in the shot of her standing in front of the “Wheel of Fortune” at the casino waiting dispassionately for someone to come up and play.
This is film where we are told nothing and are never quite sure what we are being shown at any given moment. However, there is a rhythm to the scenes that begins to provide some framework for accessing the film’s meaning as we alternate between the quiet of her apartment and the bustle of the casino. Even when the film moves beyond those two primary settings the patterns remains constant of alternating scenes of sound (she sits in a bar drinking while “Moonlight Serenade” plays loudly) with those of eerie quiet (she is part of a crowd that watches a dead body being carted off the street). She works mainly as a black jack dealer. Eventually we discover she has a husband who has been missing for several months and sometimes she makes an effort to find him (she is neither clear on the details nor especially motivated to search for him). She also takes care of an old man who lives in a motel. Then she goes back to dealing black jack and the routine continues. Against this relentless cycle the attempts to break away from the routine stand out starkly, for both their oddity and their failure to produce a spark. Sitting on a bench waiting for a bus a man sings to her, to no effect. On the shores of a lake she another man asks her to go for a walk and we cut to the pair watching a burning palm tree. After a while the man walks away, but she continues to watch it burn. Is she barely going through the motions out of a sense of routine or simply resigned to her fate? Does she feel any pain or take any pleasure out of anything she does?
“Queen of Diamonds” is a cinematic Rorschach test, where the meaning and significance is going to come from the viewer, provoked by what is being shown on the screen. Those who demand explanations, who want obvious narrative structure and crystal clear resolutions, are going to be extremely frustrated by this film. This film plays around the edges of a life that is being lived on the periphery. “Queen of Diamonds” is not for everybody, but rather for those who enjoy an above average example of the contemporary American art film and who are willing to be involved in the viewing experience. I have changed my mind several times as to what I think is “really going on” in this film, but then I have no problem with a fluid reading of a cinematic text. Does the fact the end credits are in a gothic type hint at an ironic frame of reference? Certainly the turning Queen of Diamonds card at the beginning reflects the film’s rhythm, or is that pushing the symbolism too much? As I said, this is a most demanding film, but not without its rewards. ... -
November 1, 2001
Reconsidering the First Season of Buffy tVS
Surely the legions of fans of the "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" television series appreciate the irony that now that the show is in syndication, the First Season (1997) is finally coming out on DVD. This still puts us behind the fans in Europe who can already get last season on video tape, but we will try to be patient, hard as that might be (But it was still a big mistake NOT to include "Prophecy Girl" in the first set of videotapes). Now that "BtVS" is into its Sixth Season and the Slayer is on her third life, this might be a good time to re-evaluate that first season. I therefore offer the following points for contemplation:
(1) The most important factor that gives the television series more depth than the movie is clearly the character of Angel (David Boreanaz), although the creation of the Scooby Gang is huge as well. But even more impressive than the fact that a vampire with a soul is in love with the Slayer is the fact that Joss Whedon holds off on this revelation until the seventh episode ("Angel"). For the first six episodes Angel was Mystery Guy, Stealth Guy, Cryptic Guy, and then in the first truly memorable moment of the series, Buffy learns the truth as Angel's face morphs in her bedroom. Creating these star-crossed lovers is where this television series start an operatic story arc that culminates in "Becoming: Part II," the show's zenith. (2) Related to this is the Master (Mark Metcalf) story arc that defines the first season. Each subsequent season of Buffy has similarly been defined by a pair of story arcs, usually dividing the season in half: Season 2 starts with Spike & Dru and then Angelus takes over in the second half. Of course, this helps set up the thrilling season finales each year as the Master/Angelus/ ...Mayor/ Adam/ Glory meets their fate. But it also means that throughout the season things are brewing and building. In other words, the order of the episodes matters.
(3) As Joss Whedon has often told us, the subtext of "BtVS" is that High School is Hell. I was surprised that over half the episodes from the First Season dealt primarily with the horrors of going to high school, as opposed to expanding the Buffy mythos. Living up to the unreasonable expectations of parents ("Witch"), having a crush on a teacher ("Teacher's Pet"), school cliques ("The Pack"), meeting someone on the internet ("I Robot, You Jane"), facing your worst fears ("Nightmares"), being ignored by everybody ("Out of Mind, Out of Sight"), and even just trying to go out on a date ("Never Kill a Boy On the First Date") are dealt with in Season One. (4) The final obvious strength of the show would be the characters and the actors playing them. Willow (Allyson Hannigan) might by the all-time best Best Friend, and watching the character grow over the years has been fascinating. Poking fun at the pomposity of Giles (Anthony Stewart Head) never grows old, but I have to admit that I think Xander (Nicholas Brendon) is the [punch line] of way too many jokes. Then again, one of the show's masterstrokes is that Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter), who represents everything about high school that the others hate, gets dragged into being a member of the gang.
Watching the first season episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" makes it clear that the show certainly started strong. Yes, there are some efforts that could be a lot better: my groaner is "Teacher's Pet." But "Welcome to the Hellmouth/The Harvest" pilot, "The Pack," "Angel" and "Prophecy Girl" are first-rate efforts, and that's a third of the initial season right there. However, as soon as you watch "When She Was Bad," the first episode from Season Two, it is clear that the show had gotten a LOT better. So I would really give Season One 4.5 stars, which rounds up on the strength of Sarah Michelle Gellar's performance and especially her "I don't want to die" speech in "Prophecy Girl." Killing Buffy only makes her stronger. -
October 26, 2001
Kirk and Spock battle a Warlock and his
"Catspaw" is the Halloween episode of Star Trek, where the Enterprise discovers fog, witches and a haunted castle on Pryis VII. There they also find a wizard named Korob and his beautiful but definitely strange associate, Sylvia. The pair are visitors to Prysi VII themselves and want to learn about the technology of humans, apparently as a prelude to launching some sort of invasion. They demonstrate their powers when Sylvia holds a small pendant shaped like the Enterprise over a fire and the crew reports things getting suddenly very hot aboard the ship. This is one of the few times that Kirk relies on his good look and charm rather than his brain or his right hook to save the day. "Catspaw" does not amount to much as an episode, although we do get to see Kirk and Spock hung up in a dungeon and you have to chuckle at the Vulcan's characterization of the witches' curse as "very bad poetry." But the idea that "magic" is nothing but alien technology dressed up with smoke and mirrors, is a tad cliche, even for Star Trek. ... -
October 26, 2001
Attack of the giant brain cells on Denev
In the last episode from the first season, "Operation--Annihilate!" the Enterprise arrives at the planet Deneva in time to see a spaceship fly into the sun after the pilot cries out that he is finally free. Things are equally strange on the planet, where a mob attacks the Away Team. Then Kirk learns that his brother Sam is dead and his sister-in-law and nephew have been infected by strange creatures that sort of look like killer blood cells with little tails. While trying to capture one of the creatures for testing, Spock is attacked; the creature tries to control the Vulcan through his nervous system, causing great pain. So it turns out the creatures are more like giant brain cells (with little tails). Meanwhile, McCoy tries to figure out why flying close to the sun freed the Denevan pilot from the creature's control. On the one hand this episode has several very emotional moment, when Kirk discovers his brother is dead and when McCoy realizes he did not need to blind Spock to free him from the creature. But on the other hand this "inner eyelid" bit is just too damn convenient, even for television/science fiction. You would think between the Science Officer and the Chief Medical Officer they would know enough about the scientific method and the correct way to perform scientific experiments in your own lab to avoid making such a horrible mistook. ... -
Star Trek - Volume 15 (Episodes 29 & 30) (1967)
by Herschel Daugherty | VideoPrice: $6.92 to $14.99 Compare PricesOctober 26, 2001
Kirk takes on giant brain cells and a wa
In the last episode from the first season, "Operation--Annihilate!" the Enterprise arrives at the planet Deneva in time to see a spaceship fly into the sun after the pilot cries out that he is finally free. Things are equally strange on the planet, where a mob attacks the Away Team. Then Kirk learns that his brother Sam is dead and his sister-in-law and nephew have been infected by strange creatures that sort of look like killer blood cells with little tails. While trying to capture one of the creatures for testing, Spock is attacked; the creature tries to control the Vulcan through his nervous system, causing great pain. So it turns out the creatures are more like giant brain cells (with little tails). Meanwhile, McCoy tries to figure out why flying close to the sun freed the Denevan pilot from the creature's control. On the one hand this episode has several very emotional moment, when Kirk discovers his brother is dead and when McCoy realizes he did not need to blind Spock to free him from the creature. But on the other hand this "inner eyelid" bit is just too damn convenient, even for television/science fiction. You would think between the Science Officer and the Chief Medical Officer they would know enough about the scientific method and the correct way to perform scientific experiments in your own lab to avoid making such a horrible mistook.
Then we skip ahead to the Second Season for "Catspaw," the Halloween episode of Star Trek, where the Enterprise discovers fog, witches and a haunted castle on Pryis VII. There they also find a wizard named Korob and his beautiful but definitely strange associate, Sylvia. The pair are visitors to Prysi VII themselves and want to learn about the technology of humans, apparently as a prelude to launching some sort of invasion. They demonstrate their powers when Sylvia holds a small pendant shaped like the Enterprise over a fire and the crew reports things getting suddenly very hot aboard the ship. This is one of the few times that Kirk relies on his good look and charm rather than his brain or his right hook to save the day. "Catspaw" does not amount to much as an episode, although we do get to see Kirk and Spock hung up in a dungeon and you have to chuckle at the Vulcan's characterization of the witches' curse as "very bad poetry." But the idea that "magic" is nothing but alien technology dressed up with smoke and mirrors, is a tad cliche, even for Star Trek. ... -
October 26, 2001
Willow tries to rescue Buffy in two time
A single bad judgment as the result of a monstrous lie has catapulted Buffy into the future and a world where vampires rule Sunnydale and the Slayer has been held captive for six years. A horrified Buffy learns she is now known as "The Lost Slayer," forgotten by the Watcher's Council. The most dramatic scene in this book comes early, when Buffy stages a chilling escape from her cell after resolving the cliffhanger that ended Part One, when August, the recently imprisoned second Slayer called to replace Faith, decided to kill Buffy so that a new Slayer could be called. This is definitely one of those sequences that is too intense for small children. Meanwhile, in the present, Giles is still being held hostage while Willow and the Scoobys discover something is not right with Buffy.
A photograph of Willow appears prominently on the cover of "Dark Times," because Buffy's best bud is a significant figure in both of the time periods in which this tale is told. Christopher Golden might have gone back to the start of Buffy's freshman year at UC-Sunnydale (i.e., the beginning of Season 4 of "Buffy"), but he is obviously setting up Willow's growth as a Wicca on the show. The once and future Willow gets to see almost as much action as the Slayer this time around, which is one of the strengths of "Dark Times." Certainly there are some flaws in the story, having mainly to do with the fact the vampires actually put a door into Buffy's cell (without which, escape would be totally impossible), but such things are easily forgivable when Golden has constructed a storyline that is trying to work on the same sort of operatic level as the best Buffy episodes (e.g., "Becoming"). I can still nitpick the details and thoroughly enjoy the novel.
One of the things that makes "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" one of the best shows on television is that there is a dark side, a world in which bad things happen to good people and the world just might come to an end as we know it. In "Dark Times" we get to see such a world, which is as horrific as when Anyanka granted Cordelia's wish that Buffy Summers had never come to Sunnydale in "Dopplegangland." Unlike "Prophecies," where the book ended with a dramatic cliffhanger that made you rush to pick up the next installment in the series, "Dark Times" ends with a shattering revelation as Buffy receives some unbelievably bad news. Thus, Golden again achieves the main goal when writing a serial novel: to leave the reader dying to find out what happens next. ... -
October 26, 2001
Buffy and Angel finally learn what's goi
"Door to Alternity," the second in the "Unseen" Buffy/Angel crossover trilogy, offers us an explanation for why people are disappearing in Los Angeles while monsters are popping up all over the place in Sunnydale. But what is more interesting is what we discover to be the power behind the opening of these doors to "alternity," as Nancy Holder and Jeff Mariotte offer an interesting twist on the downfall of the Soviet Union. Now we understand why the Russian Mafiya has been playing so prominent a role in the proceedings. However, overall "Door to Alternity" is pretty much a holding pattern for the Vampire Slayer and her former beau, as well as the supporting players. By the end of the book is it finally time for Buffy and Angel to go do something about it and all you can say is "About time."
The idea of "alternity" is certainly interesting, but the explanation gets held off for over 200 pages and there is no exploration of the concept in this novel. For those of us who were so impressed by "The Ghost Roads," the second book in the first Buffy the Vampire Slayer trilogy, "Door to Alternity" suffers in comparison, but to be fair, most Buffy books would. Among the supporting cast Wesley has a couple of nice moments, Willow gets to be a bird (but does not get to learn as much as I would have wished from Dona Pilar), Anya continues to say the wrong things (usually about sex) at each and every opportunity, and Gunn gets to take a road trip to Sunnydale. But now that this second book has put (almost) all the pieces in place, it is time to see if Holden and Mariotte can put it into high gear for the finale. ... -
Unseen
by Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) | BookPrice: $5.92 to $5.92 Compare PricesOctober 26, 2001
Buffy and Angel take on monsters and gan
Buffy and Angel do not learn that they are in a crossover story until fairly late in "The Burning," the first book in the "Unseen" trilogy by Nancy Holder and Jeff Mariotte, which is to be expected since there are two more books to go (Yes, I did not start the first book until the third one was published because I do not like to wait for the next volume). It is the summer after the downfall of the Initiative and Buffy and Willow are trying to help Salma de la Navidad, a fellow student at UC-Sunnydale, who is upset that her brother Nicky has disappeared. From this rather simple beginning the Slayer becomes involved in a case involving magic and gangs as well as invisible monsters. Meanwhile, in L.A., Angel is working on a case that he thinks involves poltergeists, but which really involves supernatural abilities, corrupt cops and the Russian Mafiya. When Buffy discovers that what is happening in Sunnydale has its roots in L.A., she visits Angel's turf. Only at the very end of the book do our unhappy couple discover the two cases are related, which is about where you would expect the connection to be made. Actually, the subplot involving Cordelia and Wesley dealing with a group of young girls who are vampire wannabes is more interesting at this point. Of course there is even a hint that this all links up with the main plot lines as well.
The strengths of "The Burning" as the opening volume in this trilogy are as follows. First, the mystery appears to be big enough to give Buffy, Angel and the rest of the gang plenty to do. Second, the evil this time around is magic rather than vampires, which is nice because it gives Willow more to do. The best new character in the novel is Dona Pilar, the bruja of the Navidad family who has some opportunities to take our red-headed wicca in training under her wing. Third, the large number of Hispanic characters work well, not only because it introduces some nice mystical elements into the Buffy mythos, but also because there is a large Hispanic population in Southern California which really deserves to be represented by more than the Inca Mummy Girl. Fourth, the story gets Buffy out of Sunnydale. I have always been in favor of Buffy road trips, especially after "The Ghost Roads" trilogy. I know L.A. is only a hop, skip and a jump for the Slayer, but new turf is new turf. Finally, I love it when Buffy uses the name "Anita" as a cover. Nothing like a good homage to make my day.
The main problem with "The Burning" has to do with the relationship of the main characters. Riley is edgy about Buffy and Angel, Buffy is edgy about Angel and Cordelia, Tara is edgy about Willow and the known universe, etc. Yes, most of this makes sense at face value, but there is a sort of tentativeness to all this angst. These feelings get repeated over and over again without anything really happening and I think I know why. The major problem for dealing with the relationships on "Buffy" and "Angel" is that things are so fluid on the show that by the time one of these novels comes out, things can be radically different. By the time "The Burning" came out, Riley was long gone. This sort of forces the authors of these books to tread water with the characters since you cannot really create any epic moments between them because they are reserved for the two television series. So when Buffy is miffed with Angel because he does not drop everything to come help her as soon as she shows up in "his" town, it comes across as motivated more by plot concerns ("Buffy is mad at Angel in Book 1, but then they make up in Book 3") than true characterization. However, Holder and Mariotte have set up some solid elements to be explored in the rest of the trilogy, which is enough to justify four stars at this point. Now we shall see what happens next in "Door to Alternity." True, Holder co-writing this trilogy with someone other than Christopher Golden, but she is still the finest belly dancer writing Buffy books today. ... -
October 26, 2001
Buffy and Angel take on monsters and gan
Buffy and Angel do not learn that they are in a crossover story until fairly late in "The Burning," the first book in the "Unseen" trilogy by Nancy Holder and Jeff Mariotte, which is to be expected since there are two more books to go (Yes, I did not start the first book until the third one was published because I do not like to wait for the next volume). It is the summer after the downfall of the Initiative and Buffy and Willow are trying to help Salma de la Navidad, a fellow student at UC-Sunnydale, who is upset that her brother Nicky has disappeared. From this rather simple beginning the Slayer becomes involved in a case involving magic and gangs as well as invisible monsters. Meanwhile, in L.A., Angel is working on a case that he thinks involves poltergeists, but which really involves supernatural abilities, corrupt cops and the Russian Mafiya. When Buffy discovers that what is happening in Sunnydale has its roots in L.A., she visits Angel's turf. Only at the very end of the book do our unhappy couple discover the two cases are related, which is about where you would expect the connection to be made. Actually, the subplot involving Cordelia and Wesley dealing with a group of young girls who are vampire wannabes is more interesting at this point. Of course there is even a hint that this all links up with the main plot lines as well.
The strengths of "The Burning" as the opening volume in this trilogy are as follows. First, the mystery appears to be big enough to give Buffy, Angel and the rest of the gang plenty to do. Second, the evil this time around is magic rather than vampires, which is nice because it gives Willow more to do. The best new character in the novel is Dona Pilar, the bruja of the Navidad family who has some opportunities to take our red-headed wicca in training under her wing. Third, the large number of Hispanic characters work well, not only because it introduces some nice mystical elements into the Buffy mythos, but also because there is a large Hispanic population in Southern California which really deserves to be represented by more than the Inca Mummy Girl. Fourth, the story gets Buffy out of Sunnydale. I have always been in favor of Buffy road trips, especially after "The Ghost Roads" trilogy. I know L.A. is only a hop, skip and a jump for the Slayer, but new turf is new turf. Finally, I love it when Buffy uses the name "Anita" as a cover. Nothing like a good homage to make my day.
The main problem with "The Burning" has to do with the relationship of the main characters. Riley is edgy about Buffy and Angel, Buffy is edgy about Angel and Cordelia, Tara is edgy about Willow and the known universe, etc. Yes, most of this makes sense at face value, but there is a sort of tentativeness to all this angst. These feelings get repeated over and over again without anything really happening and I think I know why. The major problem for dealing with the relationships on "Buffy" and "Angel" is that things are so fluid on the show that by the time one of these novels comes out, things can be radically different. By the time "The Burning" came out, Riley was long gone. This sort of forces the authors of these books to tread water with the characters since you cannot really create any epic moments between them because they are reserved for the two television series. So when Buffy is miffed with Angel because he does not drop everything to come help her as soon as she shows up in "his" town, it comes across as motivated more by plot concerns ("Buffy is mad at Angel in Book 1, but then they make up in Book 3") than true characterization. However, Holder and Mariotte have set up some solid elements to be explored in the rest of the trilogy, which is enough to justify four stars at this point. Now we shall see what happens next in "Door to Alternity." True, Holder co-writing this trilogy with someone other than Christopher Golden, but she is still the finest belly dancer writing Buffy books today. ...
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