Letters

"I really think you've made reviewing bad movies an art form." -- Christine Bell

Due to our lack of a firm letters consensus (otherwise translated as the lack of pictures of Vin Diesel, Glenn Quinn, James Marsters, Nick Brendon or other popular objects of reader contemplation), I shall skip the customary rant and go straight to your thoughts. Bask in your glory here -- and next time thank us for the daily news updates, you ingrates!

Friends Don't Let Friends Download Buffy (They Just Send a VHS)

Immensely enjoyed the article on download sites. But, I'm here to let you in on the real secret. The big secret. The best secret for lazy, lay-about, impatient web surfers with slow modems such as myself. Sure, I painstakingly downloaded Buffy's "Graduation Part II" before it aired. Sure, I watched it grainy part by grainy part. Sure, I bemoaned how blurry the damn sex.... er, I mean bite scene was. Then, eventually, I realized the true treasure I had found by frequenting one of the best Buffy boards out there. You talk about these boards being family, well... you ain't just whistling Dixie. Just the mere mention of how I wouldn't mind getting a look at "Earshot" and "Grad II" before the suits actually deemed to air them for us, and lo and behold, one of my sibs immediately offered to mail me a copy, an actual VIDEO TAPE, in all its visual clarity, which I could just pop in my VCR and watch clear as day on my very own, large screen TV. And thanks to yet another family member, I've got a video tape library of every single previously aired Buffy episode, season one right on up to the current season, in my possession to watch whenever the mood strikes, which I obsessively admit, is more often than one human should, but then again, this IS Buffy we're talking about. And what was it I needed to DO in order to get these tapes, one might ask? Well, like you said...or like Archie Bunker said, it's All In The Family, baby! Downloading, sure... great when the need calls for it. But I prefer the daily run (or somewhat fast paced walk. Lazy, remember?) to my mailbox, to find my little golden nuggets of Buffy-filled video tapes. Oh, and... Legal, Shmegal. Buffy's for everybody.... even the criminally lazy.
-- XW

My family and I don't live in Outer Mongolia -- just Macon, Georgia. Our cable company here, Cox, does not carry any WB channels. Not even 36 out of Atlanta. It is SO frustrating for us to no longer be able to watch Buffy or Angel since WGN in Chicago quit the WB network. There is nothing I would love more than going to the net and downloading those two shows every week! We have considered getting a satellite dish, complained a number of times to Cox; and, finally, I hired my niece in Atlanta to tape them for me, and bought her a huge pack of tapes. Unfortunately, I only see her every 3 months or so; there's a definite lag-time involved. As much as I believe in protecting artist/owner's rights, I have been deeply saddened be Fox TV's treatment of the net fans of their shows -- first The X-Files and then Buffy/Angel. It IS wrong to bypass their rightful dues and bootleg, but I, for one, am starting to feel that Fox deserves what they get!
-- Lindsay Holliday

Let's Talk About Sex

Many romantic (or potentially romantic) couples were mentioned in the article "Sex! Sex! Sex! -- Why We Love To Watch" by Rachel Hyland. However, yet another tragic romance which was not mentioned was Kira Nerys and Odo from Deep Space Nine. You know, how they finally admitted their love for each other after all those years and finally got together -- only to have Odo go off into the sunset to "rehabilitate" his people?
-- Rebekah R.

I cannot believe you left out John Crichton and Aeryn Sun of Farscape fame in the March article, "Sex! Sex! Sex!" In my opinion, these two personify the term sexual tension. They have become in a short time the sexiest couple to hit sci-fi in years and the chemistry between the characters is dynamite. Unlike the wishy-washy relationships that permeate the television wasteland, their relationship remains complex and mysterious. I would take them over the cornball relationships of Buffy and Star Trek anytime.
-- Chris Aguilera

Mission Impossible... To Watch

Oh, thank God! I was not alone in thinking this latest sci-fi drivel was childish and contrived. Your review [of Mission to Mars] was right on target. I walked away from this movie muttering to myself why I didn't go see Pitch Black one more time. Damnit! How can there be such a difference between this $75 million dollar garbage of a movie and a $25 million charmer? My friend and I were unanimous in our view of this movie. Being a fan of all things sci-fi and space science related, the only aspect of this movie I liked was the science depicted about a flight to Mars. Having said that, the acting and poor character development distracted me from that aspect of the movie. No one will understand why McConnell is plunged into a super-oxygenated vat of water -- a scene that needed better setting-up so that the audience could understand that the water would buffer him against the rigors of near light-speed space flight. I guess I'll go see Pitch Black one more time.
-- Mary Southern

And Now Here's a Good Movie...

Great review of Final Destination. I haven't seen the movie yet, but I've been wanting to ever since I read the Cinescape article on it when it was still called "Flight 180." I've always wanted to be a director, and it seems as though myself and James Wong share a similar desire to capture the atmosphere as the main character of a film, and leaving the viewer with an odd feeling when thinking back on just what exactly has taken place. Another thing I liked about your review was your mention of the film's subtlety which is lacking in films today, and especially in teen films, which Final Destination seems very different from. Keep up the good work, I'm seeing Final Destination Friday,
-- Teddy Schenck

Lisa responds: So? Did you like it?! I personally dug the hell out of Final Destination and think that Jim Wong deserves all the praise that we bestow upon him for that wicked-ass direction. Oh, and... Cinescape? Forget that, man, you don't need Cinescape when you've got us.

Oh, But We Thought the Digitized Scully Was Just So Clever...

I was just exploring your great site, and I noticed those awards you handed out to the worst episodes of the X-Files ever, and I had a question. Where would the recent episode "First Person Shooter" be on that list? Personally I think it belongs on the top. This episode, written by William Gibson & Tom Maddox, and directed by Chris Carter, was not only bad and plain stupid, it was also extremely embarrassing to watch. In the video-gaming community around the internet, it was a joke. I can only imagine what the actors were thinking of while filming this episode. Cowgirls and tanks in a ghost town setting. Uhh, yeah, that's what the most popular games are made of.
How did this pathetic attempt at entertainment get past the development stage? I think it's definitely time to end the show. And if the shows' creator chooses to direct THIS episode, I shudder at what could happen in a possible next season. This episode was followed by yet another Voodoo episode, and an hour of film wasted when Scully and C.S.M. went for a trip to get a disk with the cures for every disease ever known to man. So of course C.S.M. throws it into the river. Thanks for nothing. Is it just me or has this season been getting worse and worse? Hopefully the show ends with a bang, as opposed to the bungled momentum of these past episodes.
-- Greg Spenser

Another Disgruntled Roswell Fan

Hey Sarah K, I am a fully functional male. Married and with children; I love football, basketball and "guy flicks" - you know, stupid action movies with no plot or acting? I think Roswell is a great show and lo and behold, apparently so do most people watching it. This is March, 2000 and you might want to check out the numbers as far as how many people watch and enjoy this show. In short: we the viewers, think your full of it! Why don't you take out your 'Laura Schlesinger like' venom on shows that really do deserve it. If you want to know which ones those are, here are the signs: Critics love it but for some, unknown reason, nobody's watching! Lord knows the WB has most of these and they are not Roswell.
-- J. Richie

Sarah responds: What, no Tabasco sauce for me? That is, after all, what you've been sending to executives and critics all over the country to encourage them to keep Roswell from being canceled? An act obviously quite necessary for a show that so many people are watching. Add to this the fact that 1) your letter makes no sense and 2) Roswell just hired what is ostensibly the Danny Wood of the Backstreet Boys for a guest slot and you've got the losing argument, pal.

Thanks to everyone who wrote in; although we can't publish every letter we do read all of them and greatly appreciate your input. Responses to this issue can be sent to letters@the11thhour.com