Welcome to the first installment of Subversive Theatre, a column that will explore the most censored, reviled, or just plain revolutionary films ever made. Not all the films will necessarily be works by underground filmmakers, however, as the two movies being reviewed in this piece show.

The Devils was filmed by famed director Ken Russell, stars Oliver Reed and Vanessa Redgrave, with distribution by Warner Bros. Hardly an indie film, but that hasn’t kept it from being heavily censored, banned and nearly forgotten. Warner Bros, for instance, has long been promising to release an uncut version on DVD, but still hasn’t. This is in contrast to the treatment Salo has received, having recently been released in a deluxe two-disc set.

The discrepancy likely has to do with subject matter. The Devils is a damning indictment against Christianity whereas Salo condemns, of all things, Italian fascism. Not that Salo hasn’t faced plenty of censorship since it was first released in 1976: it has been banned in numerous countries, and its director, Pier Paolo Pasolini, was murdered (whether because of the film or not is a matter of debate).

It would be a shame if Salo was the reason for Pasolini’s death because, while it’s a fairly good film, it’s not really worth killing anyone over. [Read more]

When Fox brought us the first episode of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles back in January, it’s a fair bet that none of us expected the freshman series to last more than a few episodes. “It’s Fox, the grim reaper! Scourge of sci-fi/fantasy television!” exclaimed some familiar voices. “They’ve even got River from Firefly! It’s doomed!”

To be honest, it still might be. Anyone reading this from the perspective of a genre fan won’t need to be reminded that Fox hasn’t allowed a fledgling science fiction series to prosper since David Duchovny was still a fresh face. With that in mind, let’s just enjoy this little deviation while we can and try not to knock on wood too much.

Following a redone opening and recap sequence (I still get a huge kick out of “come with me if you want to live!” as delivered by Summer Glau), “Samson and Delilah” picks up right where the first season finale left off: with fire, and lots of it. Hit the break for my full review, but beware that past this point there be dragons. Spoiler dragons. [Read more]

“Who controls the future? Whoever has the biggest club. One they can bash you with and one they can belong to.”

Documentaries can be difficult to review for a number of reasons. Nine times out of ten, so long as the director presents his or her facts accurately, in an even-handed fashion, and preferably without too much emotional manipulation of the audience, it’s hard to fault the films themselves of any particular wrongdoing regardless of whether you agree with the intended viewpoint or not. Maybe that in addition to the anger stirred up by the movie (and my bizarre sleeping habits) can be blamed for the impenetrable writer’s block I’ve been so unsuccessfully clawing and scratching at for the last week.

Who Killed the Electric Car?, written and directed by Chris Paine and expertly narrated by Martin Sheen, guides us through the troubled history of General Motors’ EV1, the first real attempt in about eighty years by a large auto manufacturer at mass-producing an electric vehicle. Yes, you read that correctly: electric cars dominated America’s cities and highways in the early 20th century, and the downfall of those elderly vehicles in many ways paralleled that of the EV1 and its contemporaries.

But that’s just the history lesson; the real meat of this documentary is the murder mystery. Kicked-off quite appropriately by a maudlin but nonetheless quite amusing faux-funeral, Paine, Sheen, and many of those directly involved with the EV1 project - designers, marketers, even the owners themselves (many of them celebrities, for reasons explained in the film) - walk us through the assassination blow-by-blow, putting at least half a dozen individuals and organizations in the lineup before the midpoint.

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The Wal-Mart fantasy/sci-fi book selection, in general, blows. Sure, you can often find the major novels there, like Shannara novels or the Wheel of Time, but finding something worthwhile takes rolling a natural 20. Imagine my surprise when, futilely browsing it, I come across a novel which looks not only decent, but is written by someone who has actual experience, but isn’t a huge author like Brooks or Jordan. I like new authors as much as the next guy, but there’s something to say about a fellow that’s been writing for a decade.

The Man with the Golden Torc, by Simon R. Green, is a part of one of my favorite trends sweeping fantasy; the idea that you can incorporate magic into any genre or setting. Call me weird, but I’m a sucker for the Dresden Files and the WebMage series precisely because they mix something awesome (Magic and Mythology) with different genres to create entirely untapped worlds and markets. More, after I bind the summoned break to my will.

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Although I was never a fan of the Batman movies released during my childhood, The Dark Knight had a certain appeal to me; at least, enough that I was willing to endure lines of highly excited teenagers to see a midnight showing. After years of gradually shelling off the mid-twentieth century sentiment that comic books are for children, Dark Knight returns to Batman’s original premise of a psychologically dark, somewhat uncertain hero.

I’m pretty sure we all know the premise of Batman. If you don’t, I welcome you back from your 70-year coma, and since you’re using the internet now I’ll advise you to stay away from 4chan. The story of Dark Knight, however, has little in common with the 80s Dark Knight Returns mini-series.

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