The X-Files | the m0vie blog

New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 26 (“Anasazi”)

Posted on June 13, 2017 by Darren

Just a quick link to my final guest appearance of the season over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the charming Tony Black.

Providing symmetry to my guest appearances over the year, I had the pleasure of an extended conversation with Tony about Anasazi. It was great to be invited back, given that I’d had the good fortune to cover Little Green Men with Tony at the start of the season. We got to talk about all sorts of fun things, from skirting the line with new age clichés to apocalyptic anxieties to how you never throw down against Walter Skinner. I will be working with Tony on a secret project in the future, which I’ll talk about as soon as I get back from the bathroom. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 17 (“End Game”)

Posted on April 7, 2017 by Darren

Just a quick link to a recent (unscheduled) guest appearance over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the prolific Tony Black.

Following on from last week, I had the pleasure of an extended conversation with Tony about End Game. It was a joy, given the my own fondness for the episode and its place in the large X-Files canon. It was a fun to talk through the episode, from what Mulder really wants to whether the show’s popularity drove the mythology or the mythology’s popularity drove the show to Mister X’s appreciation for the fine arts. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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Filed under: Podcasts!, The X-Files | Tagged: alien bounty hunter, conspiracy, end game, mulder, mythology, tony black, x-files | Leave a comment »

New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 16 (“Colony”)

Posted on April 2, 2017 by Darren

Just a quick link to a recent (unscheduled) guest appearance over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the prolific Tony Black.

In the first of a two-parter experience, I had the pleasure of an extended conversation with Tony about Colony. It was a huge honour, given the importance of Colony in the overall mythology of The X-Files. We got to talk about all sorts of fun things, from Chris Carter’s recurring fascination with Frankenstein to nineties television direction to how hard it must be for the Alien Bounty Hunter to shop for clothes. I will also be back next week to talk about End Game with Tony. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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Filed under: Podcasts!, The X-Files | Tagged: colony, the x-cast, the x-files, tony black, x-files | 2 Comments »

New Podcast! The X-Cast – Episode 80 (Chris Carter’s “The After)

Posted on March 10, 2017 by Darren

Just a quick link to a recent guest appearance on a lovely bonus episode of The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the prolific Tony Black.

Taking a quick break from the show’s coverage of the second season, I chatted with Tony about Chris Carter’s pilot for Amazon, The After. The After is an interesting addition to Carter’s filmography, and in many ways prefigures the direction in which he would take his six-episode revival of The X-Files. We got to talk about all sorts of fun things, from Irish stereotypes to dead bees to capitalising most effectively on the lack of broadcast standards and practices. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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Filed under: Podcasts!, The X-Files | Tagged: chris carter, podcast, the after, the x-cast | 2 Comments »

New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 8 (“One Breath”)

Posted on December 2, 2016 by Darren

Just a quick link to another recent guest appearance over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the prolific Tony Black.

In my final appearance on the show’s second season, I had the pleasure of an extended conversation with Tony about One Breath. Readers of the blog will know that One Breath is (along with Never Again) one of my absolute favourite episodes of the show, so it was an honour and a privilege to be invited to talk about it on the show. We got to talk about all sorts of fun things, from Mister X’s grouchy demeanour to performative masculinity to just how carefully Walter Skinner sets up his stylish dead drops. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 6 (“Ascension”)

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Darren

Previously on the X-Cast…

Just a quick link to another recent guest appearance over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the prolific Tony Black.

I got to return to the show to talk about the second part of the series’ (and the podcast’s) first two-part episode, Ascension. Wherein we discuss the unrelenting forward momentum of the second part of X-Files two-parters, the recurring sense that Krycek thinks all of this is just a little bit beneath him, and the joy of Roger Moore style stunt sequences. As ever, it was my pleasure to appear on the show, and Tony was as wonderful a host as ever. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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Filed under: Podcasts!, The X-Files | Tagged: ascension, duane barry, the x-cast, the x-files | Leave a comment »

New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 5 (“Duane Barry”)

Posted on November 4, 2016 by Darren

Just a quick link to another recent guest appearance over on The X-Cast, a great X-Files podcast run by the prolific Tony Black.

I had the privilege of guesting on the show to talk about the first two-part episode of the series in the first two-part episode of the podcast. First up, Duane Barry. Wherein we discuss the directorial debut of Chris Carter, the point of intersection between The X-Files and regular procedurals, and the vandalism of supermarket scanners. Once again, it was a joy to appear on the show, and Tony was as gracious a host as ever. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

To be continued…

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New Podcast! The X-Cast – Season 2, Episode 1 (“Little Green Men”)

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Darren

Just a quick link to a guest appearance over on The X-Cast, an X-Files podcast run by the wonderful Tony Black.

I had the privilege of guesting on the show to talk about the second season premiere, Little Green Men. Wherein we discuss the worst government surveillance agents ever, how parking charges are the real crime at the Watergate, and whether Mulder really is a “pig.” More seriously, it was an absolute pleasure to guest on the show, and Tony knows his stuff inside and out. Check it out the episode here, or click the link below.

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The X-Files Reviews Master List

Posted on July 21, 2016 by Darren

Our X-Files reviews are now more-or-less update, covering twenty-three years of the franchise and related materials.

Somebody got in contact with me to point out that there is not a complete list anywhere on the site of all the reviews and all the supplemental material in a rough “reading order” for somebody looking to get a sense of just what this project covered. So here that is. Think of it as a rough table of contents for our X-Files coverage, including every episode and various other goodies – crossovers, tangents, best-of lists, sister series, projects involving key creative personal.

The ordering on the list is approximate at best, but it does offer a sense of how various pieces of coverage relate to one another. As one might expect, the fourth and fifth seasons were very much the “peak” of the show and its coverage, with the various threads getting more esoteric from that point onward.

Just a quick thanks to everybody who read these pieces, commented upon them and engaged with them. Thanks to everybody who pointed me in good directions, and those who offered constructive criticism. I hope you enjoy. I’ll be back when the show is.

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The X-Files: Season 11 (IDW) (Review)

Posted on July 15, 2016 by Darren

This June, we’re going to be taking a look at the current run of The X-Files, beginning with the IDW comic book revival and perhaps taking some detours along the way. Check back daily for the latest review.

The X-Files: Season 11 is a relatively lean beast.

The X-Files: Season 10 seemed to struggle to map out a clear direction or identity for itself. This was most obvious in the context of the comic book’s mythology, as writer Joe Harris and his collaborators frequently found themselves revising and rewriting the mythology from one story to the next. All the elements introduced in Believers were reduced to a footnote in Monica & John. Although Gibson Praise made his first reappearance in the final pages of Believers, the mythology only truly galvinised around him over the course of Elders.

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In contrast, The X-Files: Season 11 has a very clear idea of where it is going and room for a minimal amount of distractions along the way. While the art team on Season 10 changed quite frequently, the nine comic book issues that comprise Season 11 are all handled by the core team of writer Joe Harris, penciller Matthew Dow Smith and colourist Jordie Bellaire. There is a consistency and focus to the run that is striking. There is no time for exploration or improvisation. Everything serves its purpose in the context of the story being told.

This is a double-edged sword. While it does reduce the chance of an endearing standalone story like Chitter or Immaculate, it does afford the run a purity and energy that was somewhat lacking as Harris had to revise and rewrite his mythology while the revival miniseries moved closer and closer to public announcement. In some respects, Season 11 feels kind of like the version of The X-Files that some fans wanted when the revival was announced. It is an efficient attempt to resolve dangling plot threads and bring closure to the story being told.

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