Z/Web

Author: Edward Khmara (story) and David Stevens

Director: Steve Barron

I missed this mini-series on TV (I think I recorded it, but who knows), so I rented the DVD. Not bad. Impressive (but flashy) direction and special effects. (The director used lots of gimmicky transitions, both for exotic effect and to speed scenes. My favorite was a shot where a woman in white is lying on a bed and we see a tiny black dot moving on her chest. As the camera pans left, the dot grows, and suddenly we see it’s a tiny man on a miniature horse. Suddenly everything becomes clear, the woman fades away, and the horse is riding across the white sand of a desert. I replayed it several times. Amazing.) The film itself tries to pack a little too much into one story. It’s like a soap opera, or a Greek myth, with Gods and mortals screwing each other over right and left (literally and figuratively). It’s cool seeing all the big stars, and many, like Sam Neil (as Merlin) and Miranda Richardson (as evil Queen Mab) are excellent. Overall, it’s big, flashy, and there isn’t much depth. Fun, but nothing permanent. Odd religious conflict inserted. Historically accurate, but poorly done.

Author: Oliver Sacks (story) and Steve Levitt

Director: Irwin Winkler

An excellent movie. It’s gimmicky — a man blind since childhood is given the chance to see — but what I liked was the way the characters were done. Many complex questions were raised: Is seeing that important? Do we see with our eyes or our hearts? (And which is more accurate?) What are our motivations when dealing with the disabled? Mira Sorvino’s character, thinking she’s acting out of love, persuades Val Kilmer to have the eye operation. But he’s been blind for so long, seeing is frightening and unnerving for him. It turns his life upside down. When he was blind, he understood his role in life. But as a seeing person, he no longer knows who he is. Fascinating. Good performances by Kilmer and Sorvino, but especially remarkable was Kelly McGillis (Top Gun) as Kilmer’s sister. She displayed amazing subtlty as the caretaker — overprotective of her brother and neglecting her own life.