The X-Files: I Want to Believe - *** is not what I was expecting. The first X-Files film (Fight the Future) took the idea of the big screen literally, by making everything larger than what was expected on the weekly tv series. The world of the show felt vast and the conspiracy more threatening in that first film.

With IWTB, creator Chris Carter does the opposite, and shrinks the lens, if you will, with a story that focuses on the relationship of Mulder and Scully; the "case" that they're involved in is almost secondary, a reason for them to discuss their issues. The film is shot very simply and the performances from Duchovny and Anderson do not disappoint.

I enjoyed this one as a fan of the X-files, and consider it a solid film. It was nice to see the name-dropping agents back together again, and the film's slower pace and understated style was a nice respite from the usual summer bombast. The overall theme of belief is explored throughout the film (as it was in the series), and controversial issues are raised. How far should we go to save a life?

One of the wedding gifts we received was X-Files seasons 1-4 on DVD...that's how big a set we are of X Files geeks.

So you can imagine that we were saving our pennies to go and see The X Files: I Want To Believe when it came out tonight.  We were hoping that this was well worth the long wait since 1998.

I want to be able to tell you it was worth the wait.

When the movie started, it was a nice moment of humor.  The theme song started playing and the people in attendance at the film started to applaud.  Amy leaned over to me and said "isn't it nice to see this in a room full of geeks like us?"

After that, not much noise from the audience.

I'm not going to reveal spoilers although it's tempting to do so because then you might wait for this to come to DVD.  As much as I hate to say it, this was a complete disappointment to any hard core X Files fan.

THIS was the story we waited ten years to see?  This was barely on par with one of the mediocre episodes of the series.  It was as if Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz (the writers) were so focused on trying to make a stand-alone movie that they neglected to reward the long time fans of the series who were dying to see this film come out.

I can only hope this makes enough money to merit a sequel that perhaps could be aimed at those who made the X Files a hit and have kept it alive through the years in DVD sales.  If you're a hard core X Files fan, do not go see this movie in the theatre or you will walk away very disappointed.

Come on, Chris Carter.  Can't you make a movie that's worth an X Files' fan's time?

Miren lo que me encontre, dice Mulder a Scully. Un nuevo caso sin resolver que requiere de nuestros servicios. Hace muchos años la serie X FILES se volvio un icono del SCI FI ninguna otra serie cautivo a la audiencia tan rapido como los casos que los Agentes Mulder y Scully presenciaban; considero que su fama se volvio tan grande debido a que se acercaba el año 2000 y las famosas profecias, y los extraterrestres, en fin. FUE UN EXITO, no asi su primer largometraje, que fue una especie de capitulo especial con hora y media de duración, donde no se descubria nada que no supieras antes. Posterior a esto la serie empezo a decaer y la salida de David Duchovny del programa fue la gota que derramo el vaso.

Ahora algunos años despues se lanza esta pelicula que promete complementar el final de la serie, y dar pie a una nueva vision del concepto. Se estreno este 25 de Julio en USA, asi que esperamos nos llegue la proxima semana a México por lo menos. Ya les dare mi revisión . . .

". . . la verdad esta ahi" . . . yo la verdad no la veo

The movie was a good X-Files episode.  Not a great one.  And that was my problem with it.  I didn't just want a great X-Files episode, I wanted a great X-Files Movie.  It had been so long since the first movie, and so long since the show and even longer since the show had been good  that I was hoping enough time had passed that they could put so much more into it.  I wanted above and beyond creepy I wanted REALLY FUCKING CREEPY.  I wanted more. 

I at least wanted them to have Duchovny grow out his own beard.

I may have even taken a remake of this... but probably not.

Ok in honor of the X-Files coming out this week, I am going to post this story via AICN.  This is a conversation between Dr. Edgar Mitchell, a former Apollo 14 astronaut, and someone from Kerrang radio, in which Mitchell claims that aliens exist, and that the government has been covering it up for 60 years.  Cool stuff or maybe the ramblings of a Professor Farnsworthesque crazy scientist.  Who knows maybe walking on the moon for over 9hrs just completely makes a person insane, or maybe he has seen shit that we only think exists in the X-Files.  Story here, and more news coverage here, here, here, and here, if you're interested.

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.642002&w=425&h=350&fv=]

Long version:  Mulder and scully are living together, and not just to share the rent!  they have a house in the country together.  Scully's a pediatrician now (and still gorgeous) and Mulder's a lovable goof of a retired conspiracy theorist (and still a hunk once you get those frumpy sweaters off him).

They get brought in to consult on a case.  a psychic called the FBI out of the blue with information regarding a missing agent.  He cries tears of blood, his clues are helpful, and he's a convicted pedophile priest.  Scully and Mulder are called in to authenticate the psychic-ness of Father Bad-Touch, and...

... well.. it gets convoluted.  there's a lot of twists and turns like unto a two-part episode of CSI, but these twists and turns and clues and discoveries are but a frame for the story of Mulder still chasing the paranormal and Scully feeling burned out by all the human nastiness she's seen over the years in the form of criminals and callous hospital directors that would rather let a little brain-disease boy die than give him a new lease on life with a stem-cell-based treatment.  Scully cries, Mulder comforts her, then he changes the subject to how sure he is Father Bad-Touch is a really real psychic and not just a sick old perv trying to get some attention.  They're a great couple, and they manage to argue without pulling guns on one another when they do argue, although Scully does go in for the low blow at one point and bring up Mulder's sister.

Needless to say, the very things that irritate her about Mulder are the things she loves about him, so it all works out, and Scully's faith in humanity is restored by someone she once saw as one of the reasons she'd lost it.

There's also a bit about black-market organ smuggling, mad scientists, and that kinda thing, but it's not important.  what's important is that Mulder and Scully are officially together, and have been all this time, so the fans can cease their fanfic-writing and rest easy knowing that their fantasies have been officially, x-files-canonically fulfilled.

Ultimately, "I want to believe" is not about belief in aliens, conspiracies, or psychics.  We all know that Mulder always has and always will believe in these things, and Scully always has been and always will be skeptical about them.  It's about wanting to believe that individuals can make a difference, that the Good Guys can triumph over the assholes and bureaucrats that try to keep them down.

I do have one big spoiler that I want to share, but I will change the font color so you don't have to see it if you don't want to.  If you're interested, highlight the following text:  if you're patient, there's a scene of Mulder and Scully in their beachwear after the credits!

oh, and weird trivia:  when Mulder wants to call Scully on his phone, he selects "Gillian" from the contacts menu.

« Les Aliens avec lesquels nous sommes en contact sont des êtres de petite taille. Ils n’ont pas d’intentions hostiles »

Qui est Edgar Mitchell ?!

« Les Ovnis sont réels. Ils font l’objet d’opérations de couverture. Mais nous sommes bien en contact avec des êtres d’autres planètes »

Des déclarations qui coïncide avec la sortie en salle du film X-FILES 2 !

Faites vos Valises !!!!!!!!

Zee : «Mais Pourqwaàa?!!»

]]> http://boxofficeanalysis.wordpress.com/?p=91 Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:57:01 +0000 Mr. Box Office http://boxofficeanalysis.wordpress.com/?p=91 This weekend The Dark Knight will try and establish some more records as it enters its second weekend. The Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly starring comedy, Step Brothers, and The X-Files: I Want to Believe, the second film adaptation to the once popular sci-fi television series, will both try and steal some business from Batman.

The Dark Knight has already set a gargantuan number of records, and this weekend, more should continue to fall. I've already detailed exactly what records Knight has broken thus far (click here for the article), but I'll sum up the main records. It's the quickest film to both $100 million and $200 million. Knight also lodged the biggest opening day, weekend, and week.

The largest second weekend ever is the $72.2 million take from Shrek 2 over the lucrative 2004 Memorial Day weekend frame. To match or beat that number, The Dark Knight would have to fall 54% or less from its opening weekend. For a sequel with such a huge debut, that may seem hard to accomplish at first glance. After all, the previous weekend record holder, Spider-Man 3 dove 62%, but Dark Knight has much better word-of-mouth, and the potential for repeat business is high. Instead, Dark Knight's hold should be comparable to another previous record holder, 2006's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. That film also opened in July and fell 54% in its second weekend. Knight's daily patterns during the week have closely followed Dead Man's Chest and the level of competition is also very similar so a similar drop should occur giving Dark Knight about a $73 million second weekend and a running total of $312 million, which would easily be the largest ten day start in history.

Step Brothers will likely open to a liitle more than half of Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby's $47 million debut due to tougher competition, a lower theater count, and a harsher 'R' rating. Step, however, does benefit from being the first high profile comedy to target the 17-30 age group in over a month. About $25 million or so should result, which would have seemed sub-par if it wasn't for Semi-Pro bombing earlier this year.

The latest X-Files film will likely have a very disappointing opening this weekend. The X Files: Fight the Future launched in theaters to a potent $30.1 million en route to an $84 million total. Unfortuantely for the new X-Files, that was a decade ago when the series viewership was at its highest. The show has now been off the air for six years, and the last few seasons saw a significant drop-off in the ratings. Plus, on Rotten Tomatoes, the reviews are only at 31% positive versus 64% positive for the 1998 X Files. All of this combined with huge competition from the Caped Crusader suggests an opening of just $15 million.

Predictions for the weekend of July 25-27, 2008:

1. The Dark Knight - $73 million, -54%
2. Step Brothers (3,094 theaters) - $25.5 million, NEW
3. Mamma Mia! - $16.9 million, -39%
4. X-Files: I Want to Believe - $14.8 million, NEW
5. Journey to the Center of the Earth - $8.1 million, -34%
6. Hancock - $7.8 million, -44%
7. Wall-E - $6.6 million, -34%
8. Hellboy II: The Golden Army - $5.2 million, -49%
9. Space Chimps - $5 million, -30%
10. Wanted - $2.8 million, -45%

Box Office Data Source: The Numbers

It was as they said a stand alone movie. There was no past storyline, just little tidbits so that X File fans like myself wouldn't be like "what?! That doesn't make sense!" There was also no aliens, even I expected aliens to be in it, even if it was stand-alone. But no. However, the plot was still really interesting, and it kept you guessing and the final outcome was like, ":O! Whoa! so THAT'S what they were doing. That's weird..." And Mulder and Scully are a couple! And they kissed!

It was very much NOT an action film, it was a suspense/thriller with a bit of drama in it.  One of the other main characters made an appearance; Skinner came into the picture in the last part of the film, when the plot was being revealed.

My only criticism was that it was a bit slow moving at times and I reallly wanted aliens, I was also the slightest, teeny, littlest bit disappointed. It's a movie for everyone though, non-believers will like it, believers will have it's babies. I really hope they make another one, but this time have aliens. Or even better, have it full on storyline so that it finishes the plot, let them defeat the aliens and the government. Even if its a straight-to-dvd movie I'll be happy. WATCH THIS MOVIE!

Rating: 8.5/10

Furries ain't got shit on that.

Chris Carter, is this my reward for 17 years of unflinching dedication to the franchise you created? I renounce The X-Files! I will rise from my death to avenge this disappointment with all the powers of darkness!

The subtitle of the New X-Files is resonates with a new poignancy in retrospect. The attitude I maintained in anticipation of this movie is most succinctly conveyed thusly: I wanted to believe it would be good. I wanted to believe that a script penned by some of the series' most accomplished writers would contain compelling dialogue and engaging characters. I wanted to believe that Chris Carter would learn from the mistakes he rendered in his first effort to translate the show's atmosphere to a feature film. I wanted to believe that production team would valiantly resist the compulsion to retread the very path that lead to the show's decline in order to appease chubby, lonely fan girls. Even as negative reviews poured in like a torrent of truth surging forth from out there, I wanted to believe I could find some way to enjoy it. As Agent Mulder said once, "I wanted to believe, but the tools had been taken away. The X-Files had been shut down. They closed our eyes... our voices have been silenced.... our ears now deaf to the realms of extreme possibilities". 

The question as to how this project went so horribly wrong is one that utterly baffles me. I feel as though any pubescent boy instructed to write a movie script about 'two FBI agents who work together to solve cases judged unexplained by bureau proper- an eccentric whose sister's abduction by mysterious forces when he was eight years old provokes him to obsessively pursue supernatural phenomena, and uncompromising skeptic who doggedly challenges her partner's beliefs' would produce a composition superior to The X-Files: I Want To Believe. Every component that made the television series fantastic was somehow excised from this installment in the saga. Mulder and Scully don't investigate a crime but rather are dragged along, blathering about "the darkness in their lives" as other people do so. The case itself is barely even paranormal in its nature, to the extent that when Mulder demonstrates a belief that forces beyond mortal comprehension are at work, he isn't chastised for 'spookiness' but rather respected for his legitimate opinion. Scully is too entrenched in an inane, trite, lifetime movie of the week worthy subplot involving a boy with a terminal illness to actually serve as her former partner's foil. The convoluted mystery, involving a pederast who experiences psychic visions of his former victim's attempts to perform illegal head transplants, is unraveled not by intuition or cunning on the part of any character, but rather by happenstance as Scully stumbles upon the seminal clue after conducting a google search on Stem Cell Research in hopes of aiding the ailing young man in whom she has become emotionally invested.  Even Mulder and Scully's simmering sexual tension has vanished. With what does Chris Carter seek to fill the empty husk that remains once these elements are stripped away? A fuck-ton of fanservice and rapper-turned actor Xzibit.

I know that a number of people will enjoy this movie, and I know just what sort of people will comprise that number. Lonely, socially maladjusted, most probably obese women who only value the legacy of The X-Files insofar as they want its two central characters to fuck, who squeal rather than choke back vomit when Scully grumbles cutely about Mulder's 'scratchy beard' on her face. These individuals don't care that cuddling in bed and exchanging "I Love You"s mutilates the chemistry these characters previously shared, they care only about projecting their own sexual frustration onto fictional personages. When confronted with my perspective on the matter, people of this kind will likely allege that I'm opposed to 'evolution of the characters'. That idea isn't entirely wrong, especially if the characters evolve into shitty boring people whose show would have never been picked up in the first place. 

What would I have done were I at the helm of the new X-Files movie? I would have taken a page from mainstream American comic books and implemented a major fucking retcon, that is to say, for those unfamiliar with the term, I would have reorganized continuity entirely. Perhaps Chris Carter is so tremendously deluded as to believe that sensible people want his show's last three seasons to be anything but entirely erased from history, but I am not so misguided. I would have put Mulder and Scully back in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, in their cramped basement office, solving unexplained cases. One such case presents itself, Mulder thinks the supernatural is involved, Scully doesn't. Maybe the perpetrator of the crimes turns out to be Satan, or a werewolf, or a genetic mutant who needs to extract livers in order to survive, or all three, I'm flexible as long as it actually possesses some of the palpable menace that head transplanters distinctly lack. Somehow, the simplicity of the formula I've just delineated alluded screenwriter Frank Spotnitz.

Don't misunderstand me, this movie isn't entirely without merit. It facilitates some excellent Xzibit jokes. At one point, Mulder asks Agent Xzibit to "get a car ready". You couldn't do better if you tried. 

-Gothicus Maximus

Dr. Edgar Mitchell, the sixth person to ever walk on the moon and NASA astronaut has been "out" about his belief of aliens for some time.  Recently he gave an interview to a radio station in the UK and the story has been picked up as if Mitchell was revealing his opinions for the first time.

Here is the radio interview:

Here is an older video:

As for me, I am really on the James Randi tip when it comes to aliens, miracles, etc...  show me the proof.  I currently believe it is probable that there is some kind of intelligent life forms on other planets.  There is, for a fact, other life forms as we have discovered bacteria on Mars.  I would ultimately categorize my attitude toward "aliens" as hopefully optimistic.  I'm not optimistic because I think aliens would be particularly helpful toward us, rather it is because I want to know everything.  I'm intellectually curious and being able to explore a literal new world of being would be overwhelmingly amazing.

Cheers,

Tom

Alrighty then. Where are the useful aliens please? I want the technology that turns water into both a limitless food source and limitless energy please. I want my Zed PM. My zero point energy module that derives energy from empty space. I want the cure to all human, plant and animal diseases. I want an anti-violence device that will make me impervious to all weapons--especially alien weapons.

Unlike George Bush and Dick Cheney, I do not lust after nations that did not attack us but I would like everyone every where to fed, healthy, and free from violent government intervention.

PS...No more pre-emptive war crimes please.

Questionnement que j'avais en m'amusant à regarder les critiques pour, entre autres, X Files qui sont moyennes-basses (par contre le critique américain très connu pour ses "thumbs up", Roger Ebert, a pas mal aimé). Parce que théoriquement, en voyant les notes plutôt faibles ou moyennes, je devrais être comme: "Non, je n'y vais pas. Je n'irai pas payer de l'argent pour une merde." Or, je vais y aller comme prévu. Premièrement, parce que je l'attends depuis 2-3 ans et deuxièmement, parce que je veux me faire une idée moi-même. Après tout, je me considère le meilleur juge pour savoir si c'est bon. Or, en disant ça, j'ai l'impression que c'est comme si je prenais chaque critique qui m'ont donné leur argument pour ne PAS le voir et que je leur crachais au visage en leur disant: "Je me fous carrément de votre opinion."

Pourtant, je respecte une majorité de critiques culturels. Je respecte leur boulot et leurs arguments. Or, ça m'arrive d'aimer (et même, beaucoup) des oeuvres qu'ils ont détesté et de ne pas aimer des oeuvres (là aussi, parfois, beaucoup) qu'ils ont louangé. Le côté rédacteur/donneur d'opinions en moi est donc confus. Je ne sais plus quelle relation avoir avec la critique. Je sais, beaucoup disent qu'on est les meilleurs juges pour décider, que tous les goûts sont dans la nature... mais alors, pourquoi on paie des critiques si ce n'est pas comme un indicateur pour savoir un film ou un spectacle ou un disque ou un événement est bon ? Ah, mystère, mystère, mystère...

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Of course I had I expectations for a movie that is 7 years in the making to a show that helped make the Fox network what it is. I left with a feeling of disappointment and distaste for what was put together in this production. Like the previous movie, Fight the Future, you absolutely HAD to have seen the series and followed it pretty well to know what was going on. Right there that limits the audience immediately. The crowd of about 25 people in the theatre were clearly fans of the show though.

There are numerous references to specific shows and incidents, and in a way picked up where it left off with Mulder being wanted by the FBI. Scully was told to get Mulder on a case and all past crimes would be forgiven. Both Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny are clearly older than when they were last seen on the small screen show, but after a few minutes they are right back in character and play their most known roles efficiently.

The biggest issue I had with the movie is that it was nothing special about the plot at all. The final 5 or 6 episodes of the series tied up loose ends all over the place. John Doggett's son's case being put to rest, Scully's son William, the death of the Lone Gunmen, The Smoking Man's' "third death", and of course Mulder's return and ultimate escape from the FBI. Where was the big plot in this movie? All this movie turned out to be was a big reunion for Mulder and Scully with the FBI solving a case that involved little paranormal activity, something that the show itself was based on in the first place. This irks me the most because if felt nothing like the X-Files. It's as if Mulder and Scully were involved in another show and were making guest appearances as themselves.

Throw into the mix that there were zero returning characters from the show until the last 30 minutes when the guy I most expected to be in it, Walter Skinner finally appeared. They really couldn't have Doggett or Monica Reyes, or anyone else from the show on there?

I expected a big deal, an FBI cover up, ANYTHING about aliens, something to reference a real paranormal plot line from the show. What I got was a somewhat psychic priest and nothing else.

Perhaps the best part of the movie was the previews where I got to see the first trailer for Saw V. It lasted all but 20 seconds and showed no footage, but it means that the next installment is only 3 months away.

The reviews for this movie were mixed but a lot of them said only devoted fans of the show will truly enjoy it. I beg to differ. I left unhappy and shocked at the lack of quality put into this movie. True fans of one of the best shows ever deserve better.

On another note! I am happy to say that I have decided to do a book giveaway once 'The Kea' hits 1000 visitors. Which I estimate to be sometime at the end of August perhaps? It'll be a marvelous celebration and it'll be effing fun, because I said so. What will I giveaway? What will happen? Oh my goodness! It'll be excitinggggggggg. I'm already squealing.

Also, someone should slap me because I didn't post the reviews I was supposed to post. It's lunchtime, so I have to eat and I also have to watch the first episode of 'Generation Kill' which makes me excited all over again. And then if I have time before work I will post the reviews. If not, I'll do it tonight. I'm going to watch the X-Files movie tonight!!!! I'm peeing my pants with excitement.

And I hope someone feels the same way that I do about lending books out. If you do, please let me know so I don't feel so alone.

Hoje da mesma maneira como faço todas as sextas-feiras, peguei a revista Programa para me interar do que acontece po aí. Nos últimos tempos este movimento é mto mais uma questão maquinal de seguir uma rotina do que, de fato, uma vontade de ir a algum lugar ou mesmo de estar completamente por dentro do que acontece na cidade. Aliás, constatar isto traz um sorriso irônico a meus lábios: por anos e anos, eu lia a revista com um enorme desejo de participar de todos os Programas que ela trazia. Primeiro, quando criança, era o estado de exilada e a própria idade me impediam de estar nos lugares, ver as pessoas e me divertir. Mas, nada disso me privava da delícia de ler tdas as críticas de filmes, peças, shows e retsaurantes, nem de sonhar com o dia que estaria ali, participando de tudo. Ah, sim, nào suspirava ou almejava o sucesso, longe disso. Afinal, eu não estava a ler a coluna social, o que eu queria era participar ou como dizem muito bem os americanos: Fit-in. Continuando, depois já no meio da adolescencia a revista só me interessava pela primeira parte: os filmes em cartaz. Ai, eu já tinha alguma liberdade para escolher algumas coisas e a direcionava por inteiro a escolha das obras que veria.

Mas, hj não. Nem leio a revista para saber de td o q se passa, nem mesmo para escolher o Programa do fim de semana. Leio, por ler. O processo desde uma realidade até a outra foi, assim como a abertura política brasileira: Lento e gradual. Mas, os hábitos, ah estes companheiros fiéis. Este não deixamos gratuitamente. E foi assim, que, como eu dizia, hoje pela manhã formou-se um sorriso irônico em meus lábios. Tudo isto porque, na segunda página, logo ali no início, estava a crítica do filme, que para mim é o mais esperado do ano. Para não dizer dos últimos seis anos. É emergia naquele sorriso uma pessoa que nem eu mesma reconheço direito em mim, uma pessoa que ficou terrivelmente ansiosa ao ver na terça-feira, quase que sem querer - pq ngm ve trailler sem querer, msm no cinema - o trailler, do segundo longa da série Arquivo X.

Ah, este ser dentro de mim, já vive a um ano mais acordado. Desde que vi meu querido galã em Californication foi impossível não suspirar, não relembrar e nào aguardar ansiosamente o dia de hoje. Aliás, quando vejo pela primeira vez a série, o mesmo sorriso que hoje tenho no rosto se formou, por ver que na série a anti-heroína é alguém que também acompanhei pelas telas nos últimos 10 anos e que hoje deve ter a mesma idade que eu.  Nada mais Nerd e feliz foi este reencontro, com os personagens, os atores, a TV e, principalmente, comigo mesma.

Voltemos ao assunto: o filme.  Imagino que não o tenha aguardado mais do que boa parte do fãs da série, mas o mais interessante foi que o seu lançamento está fazendo com que eu afça algo, que achei que jamais teria coragem de fazer: terminar de ver a série. Sim, eu nunca vi o último epsódio. Mesmo tendo se passado seis anos desde o fim. Não queria dar por terminada esta parte da minha vida. Mas, aí vem, no início deste ano o anúncio de que o filme será lançado. Não me resta outra escolha a não ser reencontrar os meus velhos heróis. Decidi que reveria a série, em ordem e de forma organizada. Como eu nunca tinha feito antes.

Então, agora, estou na última temporada, mais ansiosa do que nunca e já sem medo do fim. Por que depois de cada fim há uma possível continuação. O que mais me aflige, no que toca o passar do tempo é o cabelo da Scully, precisava mesmo estar tão diferente? Maior e mais claro. Isso é mesmo coisa de fã.

Ainda não assisti ao filme "Arquivo X - Eu quero acreditar", que está nos cinemas. Sou um grande fã da série, que tinha como protagonistas Mulder e Scully, os agentes do FBI que investigam casos bizarros, abduções, ETs e que lutavam contra a conspiração governamental de ocultação da "verdade". Pela crítica publicada nesta sexta-feira na Folha (mais abaixo), o filme é uma bomba. A conferir.

Acima, o vídeo promocional da música "Mulder & Scully" do grupo inglês Catatonia, um dos expoentes do Britpop, sucesso nos velhos pubs londrinos. A música é um clássico, embora pouco conhecida no Brasil, e integra o disco "International Velvet", cujas vendas ultrapassaram a marca dos 900 mil discos vendidos no agora longínquo ano de 1998.

Abaixo, a crítica da Folha.

Por que o novo filme é tão ruim?

Marco Aurélio Canônico
Da reportagem local

Como bem sabem os fãs, em "Arquivo X", a série, a verdade está lá fora. O mundo é um lugar misterioso, o governo dos EUA guarda boa parte desses mistérios, e a dupla de agentes do FBI Mulder e Scully trava uma luta inglória, de dentro do sistema, para chegar às respostas dos enigmas.

Já em "Arquivo X - Eu Quero Acreditar", o filme, que estréia hoje, a verdade está lá dentro, no interior dos personagens -traumatizados, estigmatizados, derrotados, mas ainda com algum fiapo de fé. E todos, inclusive o espectador, saem perdendo com a mudança de foco.

As duas forças que moviam o seriado desapareceram no novo filme. Primeiro, o clima de conspiração e paranóia, de que o governo sabe e esconde (cometendo crimes, para isso), de que a dupla de agentes é uma pequena força contra um sistema muito maior do que eles conseguem vislumbrar.

Em segundo lugar, a tensão (sexual, inclusive) entre Mulder e Scully também sumiu.
Eles ainda são personalidades diferentes, mas seus conflitos são outros, assim como seu relacionamento -não há mais o suspense "será que eles se beijam?"; eles já dormem juntos.

Os fãs vão se empolgar com o bom início do filme, que remete ao que a série tinha de melhor, mas o ritmo cai rapidamente à medida que a trama, sem pé nem cabeça, se desenvolve. No fim, a sensação é de decepção, de "o que fizeram com os personagens que eu amava?".

Quem nunca assistiu à série está em situação ainda pior, apesar de o diretor Chris Carter e de o elenco explicarem enfaticamente que o filme é voltado para um público novo. Isso é bobagem. Quem não conhece a mitologia do seriado vai boiar no filme, porque ele retoma os personagens do mesmo ponto em que estavam. Diversos episódios cruciais para entender a psique de Mulder e Scully (como a história do filho do casal e a abdução da irmã de Mulder) são explicados em uma linha de diálogo. Adeus, profundidade.

O novo longa não faz jus nem à série, nem ao primeiro filme, de 1998. Você não vai acreditar.

ARQUIVO X - EU QUERO ACREDITAR
Produção: EUA, 2008
Direção: Chris Carter
Com: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly
Onde: estréia hoje nos cines SP Market, Shopping D e circuito
Classificação indicativa: não recomendado para menores de 12 anos
Avaliação: ruim

FORMER NASA astronaut and moonwalker Dr Edgar Mitchell - a veteran of the Apollo 14 mission - has stunningly claimed aliens do exist.

And he says extra-terrestrials have visited Earth on several occasions - but the alien contact has been repeatedly covered up by governments for six decades.

Dr Mitchell, 77, said during a radio interview that sources at the space agency who had had contact with aliens described the beings as 'little people who look strange to us.'

He said supposedly real-life ET's were similar to the traditional image of a small frame, large eyes and head.

Chillingly, he claimed our technology is "not nearly as sophisticated" as theirs and "had they been hostile", he warned "we would be been gone by now".

Dr Mitchell, along with with Apollo 14 commander Alan Shepard, holds the record for the longest ever moon walk, at nine hours and 17 minutes following their 1971 mission.

"I happen to have been privileged enough to be in on the fact that we've been visited on this planet and the UFO phenomena is real," Dr Mitchell said.

"It's been well covered up by all our governments for the last 60 years or so, but slowly it's leaked out and some of us have been privileged to have been briefed on some of it.

"I've been in military and intelligence circles, who know that beneath the surface of what has been public knowledge, yes - we have been visited. Reading the papers recently, it's been happening quite a bit."

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Man goes back top the moon: Read now

Alien contact soon: Science and Space

Dr Mitchell, who has a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering and a Doctor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics claimed Roswell was real and similar alien visits continue to be investigated.

He told the astonished Kerrang! radio host Nick Margerrison: "This is really starting to open up. I think we're headed for real disclosure and some serious organisations are moving in that direction."

Mr Margerrison said: "I thought I'd stumbled on some sort of astronaut humour but he was absolutely serious that aliens are definitely out there and there's no debating it."

Officials from NASA, however, were quick to play the comments down.

In a statement, a spokesman said: "NASA does not track UFOs. NASA is not involved in any sort of cover up about alien life on this planet or anywhere in the universe.

'Dr Mitchell is a great American, but we do not share his opinions on this issue.'

• Click here to read the full story at Australia's Daily Telegraph.