CSI: Gedda and Gary Dourdan, So Long Warrick Brown
Monday, May 19, 2008



Was it the budget cuts? Was it the writer's strike? Is the show becoming too expensive to produce? I watched CSI, since the show started, not only for the ridiculous crime scenes and scenarios, but for the interaction of its characters. They were quirky people with interesting, yet troubled pasts, narratives, and characteristics than the other CSI franchise shows.

I've always watched watched Gary Dourdan's Warrick Brown with a sense of foreboding. I remember the Mod Squad reruns as a kid, when they killed off Linc Hayes (Clarence Williams III). I cried when it happened! How could they do that?

Even when Sara and Nick were in danger, I never expected them to die. I'll let you figure out why. The storyline was that the crew would do their best to find them, which is exactly what happened.

You can always tell when it is the final episode for a character. The plot is ridiculous: the story isn't plausible no matter what. Then there are those deep heartfelt hugs, handshakes, and strange looks that pass between the actors.

I never thought that Gary Dourdan's character would last up to and including the show's end. Steam runs out of a program by the third or fourth year. CSI gave up the ghost around year five or six.

It's just that I can't get the image of that bullet hole in Warrick Brown's neck out of my mind.


He was my favorite character, because he was a bit "off the rails" and foine as hell. Physically, he's the biggest guy there, and if people started nonsense, he'd step in to protect the others. I liked him, because he acted real: a normal guy doing his job, with lots of emotional and personal baggage.

I also liked the interaction he had with Grissom (William Petersen). I could never put my finger on it, but it wasn't that typical Hollywood phony and stupid dynamic of black guy being a doofus or supernegro sidekick to the white guy (see Psych, and every damn black-white buddy flick).

I think Grissom's character was able get the best out of Warrick, because he demanded it. Warrick respected him for that. I saw Grissom as a quasi-surrogate father figure to Warrick.

Since Gary Dourdan isn't returning, neither am I.

Labels: CSI, Gary Dourdan, Mod Squad, William Petersen

posted by GoldenAh
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Naked Lunch
Thursday, May 15, 2008

A film by David Cronenberg, from a novel by William S. Burroughs. I watched this film because I always expect work produced by Cronenberg to be weird.

Plot summary: an exterminator's wife has been using his bug powder as a drug. He's at the police station when they ask that he speak to someone. Turns out to be this big disgusting bug, which asks him to kill his wife. Why? Supposedly, she's an agent and not really human. Later, he "accidentally" shoots her in the head. After that episode, the film follows a circular path covering the same issue(s) over and over again.

Can't say I was disappointed. This is a perfect film art school movie. I can imagine a professor prodding students to find the hidden themes, symbolism, metaphors, subtext, context and the like in this film.

Since I loathe cockroaches and all manner of bugs, I found this film to be disgusting and creepy.

The only thing I enjoyed was Peter Weller's well shaped lips.

But was it a good film? Honestly, I dunno. I was wondering if there was some kind of anti-communist, anti-homosexual, or pro-homosexual, pro-communist subtext. It had a very 1950s feel to it. And the repressed 1950s gave us the over-expressive 1960s and 1970s.

I think only someone during those eras could "get" what was going on in this film. 'Cause I didn't.

Labels: David Cronenberg, Naked Lunch, Peter Weller

posted by GoldenAh
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