exx is an offbeat SF series that requires a bit of explaining. The
show started out as four two-hour movies that aired in the United States
with the name Tales from a Parallel Universe. Those movies spawned a
TV series called Lexx, which first came to prominence on Canada's
Space: The Imagination Station. Somewhat confusingly, the first season of
the TV series is usually referred to as Lexx Series 2, and it ran for
20 episodes rather than the 22 that normally make up a TV "season" in the
U.S. The four movies taken together comprise Lexx Series 1, while the
upcoming Lexx Series 3 will actually be the second full season of the
TV show. And there's one more oddity to contend with: The character Zev
(originally played by Eva Habermann) transforms into Xev (Xenia Seeberg)
during Series 2.
Now that all of that is out of the way, on to the show: the series is
about four misfits in the far future who find themselves flying around the
universe in a living starship called Lexx, which is also the
deadliest weapon ever created. Lexx was built (well, grown) by an
evil being called His Shadow, who ruled the 20,000 worlds of the known universe
until said misfits came along and killed him, then absconded with
Lexx. Now the four spend their time primarily looking for fun,
blowing up lots of moons and running into really strange people. The misfits
include: Kai (McManus), the last of the Brunnen-G and an assassin who has
been dead for 2,000 years; Xev (Seeberg), a formerly overweight and
none-too-attractive bride-to-be who has been given the body of a love slave
and the blood of a Cluster Lizard; Stanley Tweedle (Downey), a lowly
security guard and failed heretic who is now captain of Lexx; and
790, a robot head who is madly in love with Xev.
The first episode that will air on SCI FI is "Nook," which was actually
the eleventh episode shown when the series ran on Space. In "Nook," Xev
convinces Stanley to put the Lexx down on an island planet inhabited
only by men. Xev is hoping to slake some of her love-slave thirst on the
local gentry, but things go awry when Kai finds out the boys are involved in
a Name of the Rose-style mystery. The second SCI FI episode is
"Mantrid," which aired as the first episode on Space. In "Mantrid," Kai and
Zev (the Habermann version) travel to a mysterious planet where one of His
Shadow's enemies is being held captive. But His Shadow turns out not to be
dead after all, and he's still interested in annihilating humanity.
They should call it Sexx
Lexx is one of the more unusual shows in the science fiction
pantheon, and not just because of its interesting history. To start with,
Lexx has enough sex in it to qualify for a run on the Spice Channel.
Okay, maybe there is no full frontal nudity, but the series isn't shy about showing off every other part of Zev/Xev's body, nor is it shy about discussing sex, which is about all Xev and Stanley ever discuss. Viewers
are spared the pillow talk when the show turns its attention to Kai, but
only because the dead have no urges. However, if 790 ever finds a body to
go with his head, there's no doubt how he and Xev will spend the rest of the
series. SCI FI has even named its Lexx special Rated Lexx in
recognition of the show's risqué subject matter.
Beyond the sex, Lexx also isn't afraid to explore other subjects
considered somewhat taboo, at least by American TV standards. For
instance, "Nook" is filled with homosexual themes that might make stodgy
viewers a little uneasy, especially when Stanley sets out to explore
"brotherly love" with a milk-fed boy on Nook. The show can also be a bit
more violent and disgusting than American viewers are used to, which is kind of hard to imagine, given the penchant for violence on U.S. TV. This is
especially true in "Mantrid," which features flying amputated arms trying to
rip out the organs of a rather large and formerly dead insect monster.
Judging from the first two episodes of Lexx slated to run on SCI
FI...well, it's not easy to tell exactly how good this show will turn out to
be. It's certainly taking a different path than most SF TV series, which is
probably better than just rehashing Star Trek. But Lexx's
constant reliance on sex to move the plot along seems like it could get old
pretty quickly, and it's not clear that the characters have enough depth to
compensate for this weakness. The only one of the misfits who is remotely
interesting is Kai, and he's been dead for 2,000 years. Not promising.
However, Lexx has a loyal following outside the
U.S., so the series must be doing something right. And even if this isn't a
show for everybody, everybody should probably check it out at least
once.
As with the four Lexx movies, I'm just not sure what to make of this
show. It probably beats watching the Spice Channel, though.
-- Craig
he Littles, a 1950s-esque nuclear family, are about to embark upon
adopting a child, a new brother for their son George (Lipnicki), as this
film adaptation of E.B. White's classic novel Stuart Little opens.
However, upon reaching the orphanage and looking at the children there, the Littles are quickly taken with one unique boy, Stuart (voiced by Fox), who just happens to be a small white mouse, and they quickly adopt him into the family. Once he's brought into the Little family home on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, Stuart is immersed into a new life, a life wholly separate from his idyllic, yet lonely, life in the orphanage. However George, and particularly the family cat Snowbell (Lane), are not too pleased with this strange new member of the family. George refuses to validate Stuart as his brother because he's different, and Snowbell, well...Stuart is a mouse after all!
Stuart is left to deal with his inability to be a human brother, as well as being a mouse with an acerbic cat as a housemate. Yet despite George and Snowbell's misgivings about Stuart, the eccentric but lovable extended Little family immediately embrace Stuart as one of their own, making him feel as if he's living in a fairy tale come to life. Unfortunately, things turn from bad to worse as Snowbell can no longer deal with the shame of essentially living with a mouse who has a pet cat, and calls upon the aid of some street cats to get Stuart out of the picture.
A flawed fairy tale
Filmgoers looking for a faithful adaptation of White's wonderful children's novel will be disappointed. While the film follows some of the basic plot elements, themes, and of course characters, it diverges from the book on several points. Part of this is due to some resistance from White's estate, and the rest can be blamed on Hollywood. However, as most adaptations tend to be disappointing in comparison to the written work upon which they are based, it's best to evaluate the film as a separate endeavor.
Sadly, director Rob Minkoff (The Lion King) hardly utilizes the live actors' talents and instead relies on heavy-handed close-ups and similar techniques to convey emotional moments. In fact, there's more resonance and life in the computer-generated characters voiced by Lane, Bruno Kirby, Chazz Palminteri and others. This is fully evident in Stuart, who is as marvelously voiced by Michael J. Fox as he is crafted by the special effects team.
But the biggest disappointment is not the acting or direction, but the script. In fact, it may be the reason why Davis and Laurie are so static on screen. Here's the kicker--the principal writer for the film is M. Night Shyamalan, the same man who wrote and directed the brilliant The Sixth Sense! The superb storytelling skills he showcased in that film are not evident here. Stuart Little contains very little narrative; it instead jumps from one setup and resolution to another, linked by forced interaction and dialogue. That said, it's a wonderful movie for toddlers and preschoolers: It's non-violent, and its old-fashioned morals are quaint, but it's just not for anyone much older.
I work in children's literature so it's hard not to be disappointed in a less than faithful adaptation of so loved a novel. I also strongly detest the notion that children's books are for children only. So to see a watered-down version that instead tries to portray itself as a modern fairy tale and fails left me wishing I wasn't being talked down to.
-- Joe
exx is an offbeat SF series that requires a bit of explaining. The
show started out as four two-hour movies that aired in the United States
with the name Tales from a Parallel Universe. Those movies spawned a
TV series called Lexx, which first came to prominence on Canada's
Space: The Imagination Station. Somewhat confusingly, the first season of
the TV series is usually referred to as Lexx Series 2, and it ran for
20 episodes rather than the 22 that normally make up a TV "season" in the
U.S. The four movies taken together comprise Lexx Series 1, while the
upcoming Lexx Series 3 will actually be the second full season of the
TV show. And there's one more oddity to contend with: The character Zev
(originally played by Eva Habermann) transforms into Xev (Xenia Seeberg)
during Series 2.
he Littles, a 1950s-esque nuclear family, are about to embark upon
adopting a child, a new brother for their son George (Lipnicki), as this
film adaptation of E.B. White's classic novel Stuart Little opens.
