From: "David Hearne" Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 11:19:20 -0400 Subject: xfc: As Long As It's Not Patrick Swayze (1 of 1) Source: xfc TITLE: AS LONG AS IT'S NOT PATRICK SWAYZE (1 of 1) AUTHOR: DAVID HEARNE CLASSIFICATION: Post-ep for "Shadows" RATING: PG PERMISSION TO ARCHIVE: Yes. Send feedback to ottercrk@sover.net Website is located at http://members.dencity.com/hearne XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX "Hey, Scully, I'm watching one of the worst movies ever made." "Wha...?" "I said, I'm watching one of the worst movies ever made." "Mulder...what...what time is it?" "By the clock on the old VCR, I would say that it's 11:21 P.M." "You...you called me and woke me up to tell me..." "That I'm watching one of the worst movies ever made." "Mulder, I need to go to sleep." "Aren't you curious about what movie it is?" "..." "Scully?" "What's the movie?" "'Ghost.'" "Oh." "Classic example of late Hollywood tripe. Obvious plot devices and crude characters layered with a faux-spiritual gloss." "Hm. Yeah." "Did you ever see Joel Bruce Rubin accept his Oscar for this film? He was the guy who wrote it." "Uh-uh." "He got up there on the podium and thanked the Academy for 'acknowledging a film with a spiritual side.' Oh, is that why you wrote a scene where an evil Hispanic man leers at a naked white woman? How did that get you in touch with your spiritual side? Rubin is a great example of a writer who think he's merely doing his job by using the most Neanderthal...Scully, are you there?" "Yeah, yeah. I get your point, Mulder. 'Ghost' sucks. Is that why you've called me up in the middle of the night?" "Well...it's got me thinking about this case we've just investigated." "Oh. You mean...Lauren Kyte believed she had her own ghost looking over her." "Right. Just like Demi Moore. Of course, it wasn't just a belief. It was a fact." "I'm too tired to argue that point. So is this why you're watching 'Ghost?'" "Well, as bad as this movie is, it taps into a basic fantasy. We all want something to watch over us. Some kind of force. Some kind of invisible powerful ally. I mean, screw all this romantic stuff in the movie. What the audience really likes is Patrick Swayze wailing on his enemies and the bad guys can't see the blows coming." "Well, the audience may have loved that fantasy, but I don't think Lauren did." "Because she saw the damage done. She could smell the bodies. Even within the context of the afterlife, death is still death. In a way, this is the central dilemma of religion as well." "Excuse me?" "I'm thinking specifically of Judaism and Christianity. They are both centered on a deity who punishes the wicked and rewards the just. Now it's an appealing idea -- that there's some kind of cop whom nobody escapes. At the same time...oh, Demi Moore is crying now. You know, this isn't even a fun bad movie. Not like 'Roadhouse.' You ever see that one, Scully?" "Uh..." "My favorite scene is when the old man who runs the store talks about his ex-wife. 'I married an ugly woman. Then she left me for someone even uglier. That's life, I guess.' I don't know why, but that scene just tickles me..." "Mulder, you were saying something about religion?" "Oh, yeah. Anyway...what if God isn't like a cop? Maybe he's more like a mafia don. He grants favors to the loyal, but even the loyal have to walk on glass around him..." "Now you're trying to bait me." "Am I?" "Surely you've noticed the crucifix I wear." "Kind of. So are you a believer?" "I was raised to be one." "And are you still one?" "That's...a question I haven't fully answered to myself." "Fair enough. But how does the general idea of a god...or a ghost, a karmic force, whatever...how does the idea of some kind of protective force appeal to you?" "I think it's a good idea not to get yourself in a situation where you have to rely on such an entity." "Whoa. Tough lady." "I'm not dismissing the comfort people take from the idea. I've taken comfort from it myself at various parts of my life. But my upbringing also taught me that we have to take responsiblity for ourselves. If there is a God, then He has given us the gift of free will. And we should take advantage of that." "Amen." "Still...we all want somebody to watch over us, supernatural or not." "As long as it's not Patrick Swayze." "I have a teenage cousin who would disagree with you. She's seen "Dirty Dancing' a million times." "Ah, yes. 'Nobody puts Babe in a corner.' Say, whatever happened to Jennifer Grey?" "Mmmmmm..." "Scully? You there?" "Say 'good night,' Mulder." "Good night, Mulder." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX