i want to believe...but i don't.

[dianora2]

Finally saw the XF movie last night with md1016 and eloiseinparis, and the three of us had a wonderful time. It had been five years since the three of us were all together, so it was like old times. Great dinner beforehand, great seats at the movie theater, great dessert and discussion afterward.

If only the movie itself had been half as great.

Yeah, I'm afraid I didn't like it very much. Sorry. It could be because getting thrown a bone just doesn't work for me anymore; I'm too over it all. Of course, I'm sure the chip the size of Rhode Island on my shoulder didn't help any. ;) I didn't HATE it, but, it was deeply flawed and I'm not sure the good stuff was enough to outweigh the bad, for me. Which isn't to say there wasn't some good stuff. :)



Now, god knows I was NEVER one to watch XF for the plot -- I think my record on this matter has been pretty clear and consistent *g* -- but this plot was SO bad that it was really difficult for me to overlook it. This guy is hanging out in a public pool in a small town in Wisconsin looking for women with AB negative blood? And were there no men with AB negative blood? Did the Medic Alert bracelets indicate AB negative blood, do people do that? And why a woman's body? Because he was GAY? Because I'm pretty sure gay men like having sex with men's bodies, not women's. Of course, what Chris Carter knows about gay people could probably fit in a thimble. Plus: it was barely an X-File; it wasn't scary; there was no great villain to root against; and, most glaringly, Mulder and Scully did not solve the case together.

I know, I know, it's CRAZY, but when I watch X-Files I actually want to see, like, Mulder and Scully working together and stuff. Not Scully off being a doctor at Priest's Anatomy. Speaking of which, I'm so proud of Scully that apparently while being on the run she went back to medical school to become a pediatric neurosurgeon? And I am so impressed that you can Google "stem cell research" and the next day perform delicate brain surgery on the topic! I'm going to try that next week, I'm sure they won't mind down at St. Vincent's. But yeah, I hated that they spent so little time together, overall. And *worked* together almost not at all. Mulder himself said he's only half the team -- if only Carter had listened to his own dialogue!

And Mulder can't jimmy up a fake ID to get a job? He's mooching off Scully all this time? If so, can't he at least KEEP THE HOUSE CLEAN? Jesus. *g*

Amanda Peet and Xzibit -- wow, two completely useless and personality-less characters. Xzibit showed me nothing to justify his being Carter's new muse. Peet was mediocre as always, and were they trying to pull some nonsense where her character had a thing for Mulder? The hell? With the toilet paper? Oy. And why didn't they make Peet & Rapper partners so that there could at least be that comparison there? Or, as eloiseinparis said last night, why not use Doggett & Reyes instead? On the plus side, I loved that they killed Amanda Peet. E. and I cheered.

Billy Connolly was good. Scully's scene with Father Joe was probably the best in the movie.

Skinner? Why did she need him to expedite her car getting run off the road? The hell? Seemed like there could have been a better use for him. Although at least HE got to pull a gun, which is more than I can say for Moose & Squirrel. The Mulder/Skinner hug was hilarious in its badness. OMG.

I laughed to myself when Scully burst into the lab and said "Mulder needs warmth and fluids!" I wanted Skinner to say, "Well, there's a fucking disembodied head looking at me over here, how about them apples?"

I'm amused that I apparently didn't recognize any of the old XF people, but was excited to see Ted from Reaper. *g* And Mulder and Jordan McDeere chasing Leoben kind of made my head explode. (Seriously, you get Callum Keith Rennie, who is creepy as hell on BSG, and THAT'S the character you give him to play? Really?)

As for the relationship stuff: well, I mostly liked that. :) I liked that they were very comfortable with each other, having been together for a long time; I liked that it felt like a mature relationship. One of my favorite throwaway lines was when they're in bed (!) and Mulder says about Christian (anvil name!), "Why didn't you tell me about this before?" indicating that normally she does talk to him about her cases. And yes, getting to finally see M&S discuss a case while in bed together was a bit of a dream come true, even if they were underneath the ugliest comforter ever. *g* (And just proved that they could have been doing that for SEASONS without it harming the show -- instead of NO ONE WATCHING ANYMORE by the time anything DID happen, but I guarantee that is not a lesson Carter actually learned.) "Scratchy beard!" was adorable, though I wondered why she ever let him get to that point, eeek. I thought it was lame that Carter had to be all about the fake-out at the beginning, making us think that they *weren't* living together, that she was just coming to visit. Whatever, dude. I know you think you're more clever than we are, but, I hate you.

I liked the fighting, and I liked that Mulder spent a chunk of the movie being really pissed at her. His pulling his hand away when she took it was ouchy. And I thought it was interesting that she had reached such a black-and-white point with him on the subject of cases -- especially since this is apparently the first time in six years it's even come up. And when someone's life is at stake, no less? Not sure I could totally be with her on that. But it made for a good scene in the locker room.

Yes, hearing her say "...reason I fell in love with you" was also a bit of a thrill, even though it was delivered with no passion whatsoever. ;P

Really, the first movie had more physicality and romance between them than this one did, so that's kind of surprising, to me. Typical Carter. I am so glad I'm not his wife (for so many reasons)....

The last scene between them was also quite nice -- but don't think I didn't notice that Carter purposely blocked the kiss so that we couldn't get a nice full-on shot of it. God, I hate him. It was a nice kiss but aggravatingly chaste and devoid of passion. The kiss in "The Truth" was hotter, even if it was in shadow. I did get a little thrill when Mulder said "just the two of us," because that's as it should be. I mean, the sentiment was really nice, and they were good. Both of them were good in this, throughout, despite bad hair on her part and bad facial hair on his part. *g* And I of course look forward to the inevitable icons! I can't wait to make a Scully one that says "Instant Brain Surgeon -- Just Add Google."

The bit after the credits could have been so cute, and instead they gave us an image that made absolutely no sense. I was expecting to see them living on a houseboat -- which would have been AWESOME -- or lying on the beach or something. Instead they're in a rowboat miles from shore with no water or sunscreen. OK. So cheesy. Oh well, might as well wave goodbye to them now, since there's not going to be another one!

I guess I'm just kind of stunned that after six years, THAT'S what they came up with. And THAT was the script that got David to finally come back on board? Really? Okay.

All that said I do plan on seeing it again this week with some other people. And after we got home last night md1016 and I watched all our old fanvids (which still hold up BTW) and ironically, THAT got me much more excited/nostalgic/wistful about Mulder and Scully again than the new movie did. So maybe I am going to be in a better frame of mind for my second viewing. I think I will be. And it will be nice to see the shippy stuff again.

Comments

[eloiseinparis.livejournal.com]

Whatever, dude. I know you think you're more clever than we are, but, I hate you.

LOLOL you kill me in the very best way.

I am also still chuckling at your statement that there is a Grand Tradition of Houseboats that should have been followed here. *g*


And after we got home last night [info]md1016 and I watched all our old fanvids

AH! Would have SO loved to have been there for that. Instead I sat in the hotel bed and read fic for an hour or so. *g* I guarantee you the 2nd viewing will be more enjoyable and you'll be able to just relax and enjoy the shippy bits. :)

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

I'm just saying, if you have the chance to make a Romancing the Stone homage, TAKE IT. Houseboats are love! Joey and Pacey! Sonny Crockett! Riptide! Who doesn't love a houseboat? No one I want to know, that's for sure.

[hhw]

I was curious about Mulder the luddite -- cutting out newspaper articles in paper?!? Really? If he doesn't know how to cover his tracks online, somebody should get him a copy of Little Brother. And why Why WHY couldn't they at least have had Scully using google SCHOLAR? would that be so hard? Not that the foremost medical database is available online for free or anything.

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

Seriously, if he really felt the need to decorate his office with clippings, he could just invest in a printer. *g*

[nursedianaklim.livejournal.com]

The bit after the credits could have been so cute, and instead they gave us an image that made absolutely no sense. I was expecting to see them living on a houseboat -- which would have been AWESOME -- or lying on the beach or something. Instead they're in a rowboat miles from shore with no water or sunscreen. OK. So cheesy. Oh well, might as well wave goodbye to them now, since there's not going to be another one!

Wait, what? Like. What?

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

Do you know about the scene that appears after the closing credits?

[nursedianaklim.livejournal.com]

I heard there was Scully in a bikini, which pleased me.


.... unless I completely made that up in my head. Which I might have.

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

It's an overhead shot of Mulder and Scully in a rowboat, practically in the middle of the ocean (there is an island in the distance). Mulder is in swim trunks and nothing else; Scully is in a bikini and a strategically open robe, lounging. They look up at us/a helicopter flying overhead and wave. Fade to black.

It was weird.

[nursedianaklim.livejournal.com]

Errrmkay.


I'm thinking I'm glad I've decided to wait until it comes to video.

[lagilman]

it was all just a dream.

there never was a second movie.

it was just a bad sun-fever hallucination Mulder suffered while they were waiting to get rescued after an actual case involving a series of planes going down after leaving Australia....

Re: i don't have an appropriate icon for this comment.

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

what bugged me was the implication (intended or not) that being 'buggered' (heh) by a priest will turn you gay

I honestly didn't even think of that until I read other people commenting on it, and: ugh. So true. What the hell is wrong with him?

that being said, i came home and read chunks of the x-files wiki and marched over to the gossamer project :)

It's all too easy to get sucked back in, isn't it? *g*

[imperviousness.livejournal.com]

And why a woman's body? Because he was GAY?

Um, yeah. Pretty much what I questioned. All of what you said. Yeah. When I play the part of rational adult instead of ten-year-old fangirl. I was expecting it to be way more X-File-y than it turned out to be. The werewolf crap they were bandying about to throw the fans off would've been more entertaining. They could've be stuck in the woods. And it could've rained SLEEPING BAGS.

Sigh. But I liked the house stuff and the status of their relationship. And I liked seeing Mulder and Scully on a big screen since I missed that the last time around.

I knew it would be disappointing before it was even made. My friends thought I was trying to justify something whenever I said "OMG, it's gonna suck, but I'll still like it!" But no. I meant what I said, and I knew I'd like seeing Mulder and Scully together again in some capacity. And the well-lit forehead photo gave me hope. ;)

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

Werewolves would have been cool! Maybe. At least it would have felt like, you know, AN X-FILE.

But I liked the house stuff and the status of their relationship.

I did too, I just wish there had been more of it.

[ozzyols.livejournal.com]

I have to admit, I said to my friends the other day, I liked Sex in the City better than X-files.

To me, if it wasn't for the fact it was the x-files franchise it came across as a b-grade hammer horror flick.

I have never watched SiTC and in the first two minutes I knew enough of the series to understand the rest of the film. I only watched X-files up to the first film, I never saw the later ones... so a lot of the film was lost on me...

Billy Connolly rocked... I did cack my dacks when they had Mulder and Scully standing in the hallway of the FBI and the shot panned across to the picture of GWB... that was a scream. But all in all, I found it plodding and rather annoying because neither actor is really known for their articulation and diction and they blew the sound FX out so badly that I could barely understand a word they were saying!

On the up side, I did go and see Dark Knight last night. I was holding my thoughts on the whole "Should Heath get an oscar nod" because I wasn't too sure if it was hype or real... having seen the film... YEAH it's real! He was outstanding!

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

I liked Sex and the City a HUNDRED times better than the X-Files. *That* was a movie written to please fans of the show *and* was still an entertaining film all on its own. XF was neither.

And Dark Knight is fantastic.

[em-meredith.livejournal.com]

On the plus side, I loved that they killed Amanda Peet. E. and I cheered.

I did, too. jesouhaite47 told me I was Not Right, but clearly I am in good company. *g*

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

The name Dakota Whitney was enough reason for her to die. *g*

[thestickywicket.livejournal.com]

it was lame that Carter had to be all about the fake-out at the beginning, making us think that they *weren't* living together, that she was just coming to visit. Whatever, dude. I know you think you're more clever than we are, but, I hate you.

LOL! Yes, yes, I hate that fucker quite a bit, too. You make good points about all the stupid (including the FBI and Cancer Man being unable to suss out Mulder's location, cunningly hidden as he was), but all the MSR squee was enough for me to laugh off teh stupid. :)

[crossmymind.livejournal.com]

I am so glad you made a Jordan McDeere reference because that was bothering me SO MUCH. I mean, with the way she brought in Mulder's help, it was the same as her bringing Matt and Danny to Studio 60, and that just made me want to scream.

When Mulder saw Skinner and said his name, I was expecting him to follow it with something like, "...what the hell are you doing here?"

You can learn ANYTHING from google, didn't you know that?

I was disappointed in the movie as well, but at the same time, I was kinda happy simply because it was Mulder and Scully. And then again at the same time, after so long, we should have gotten so much better than what we were given with that movie. I left the theater going, "where was the conspiracy? WHERE WERE THE EFFIN ALIENS?!"

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

And then again at the same time, after so long, we should have gotten so much better than what we were given with that movie.

Well, exactly. Carter's utter contempt for his audience means that he KNOWS that all most people care about is "It's Mulder and Scully!", so he thinks he can throw up any crap he wants and fans will still be happy. ... which is exactly what happened. *g*

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

And this is why I turned off my critical brain when I went into the movie theater. Because I knew that Carter was going to do all his stupid shit -- and still give us Scully and Mulder doing the dirty. But you're right: they appear to have as much passion between them as my broom and dustpan.

"Scratchy beard": I loved that and yet, at the same time, if they're living together, why did it sound as though it's the first time she's complained about it? I mean, if it were two days' growth, that would be one thing, but it's clear that beard's been there a while, what with its thickness and all. And was that scene ever chaste? We didn't even get to see their shoulders, all huddled under the covers like a couple of six-year-olds. Yeah, winter, it's cold in our big, drafty house, blah, blah, whatever.

It made all sorts of no sense. I'll go back and watch earlier episodes and all that. But we've got the kiss, even blocked a bit, which was nice, and scratchy beard cuddling, which was all good.

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

The problem is that after all this time Chris Carter still thinks sex is gross and dirty. In his mind, he gave us some super hot Mulder and Scully action that we should all be overjoyed with.

God, I hate him.

[bigboobedcanuck.livejournal.com]

I guess I'm just kind of stunned that after six years, THAT'S what they came up with. And THAT was the script that got David to finally come back on board? Really? Okay.

Yeah, that's the thought that keeps returning to me whenever I think of the movie. THAT was the best they could do? Of all the reasons for the FBI to want Mulder's help, it was THAT case? Because there was a psychic involved? Really? It was just so anticlimactic.

I enjoyed the movie for the most part and loved a few of the shipper scenes quite a lot. But disappointment is the order of the day. It was all so...average.

It pains me that due to the craptacular box office, we'll never get the 2012 alien invasion movie we deserve. Like, why not have Mulder and Scully having to go save William, or something? There was so much they could have done!

Sigh.

[dianora2.livejournal.com]

Of all the reasons for the FBI to want Mulder's help, it was THAT case? Because there was a psychic involved? Really?

Ugh, exactly.

It pains me that due to the craptacular box office, we'll never get the 2012 alien invasion movie we deserve. Like, why not have Mulder and Scully having to go save William, or something? There was so much they could have done!

I feel like I know so many people who could have written a better screenplay. Sigh.