#tommy lynch

[thepermanentrainpress]

THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH KAILEEN CHANG

Kaileen Chang wants to be a role model – to be creative in her work, compassionate to herself and others, and representative of her mixed (Latinx and Taiwanese) heritage. The young artist from Los Angeles, California is certainly on her way, currently starring as the half-human, half-vampire lead Carmie Henley in the aptly titled, I Woke Up a Vampire. The series, airing now on Family Channel, is expected to be released on Netflix later this year. 

What can you share about your background in the arts, and what inspired you to pursue film as a career?

I started off performing when I was young, specifically in dance and ice skating. Then I explored theater and later started acting. What inspired me the most was the ability to be creative and show the media and young kids a role model who is relatable and responsible.

Who and/or what were some early inspirations for you - such as actors you admired, favourite TV shows or films, and instructors or teachers in your own classes? What impact did they have on you?

I get inspired by a variety of women actors such as Florence Pugh, Angelina Jolie, Anne Hathaway, and many others. Their ability to be so creative and embody characters really is incredible. I also love 80's/90's films or inspired films because they are the right combination of serious drama and comedy.

How has your family supported you in your career?

My family has been more than just supportive, I would say they are my number one fans and the building blocks to this all. Without their encouragement and dedication, I would have not been where I am today.

Congratulations on I Woke Up a Vampire! As your first series lead, what can you tell us about your audition and casting process?

I did an audition like normal, but I never got called back until like almost a month later. Then I got told I was on hold, but I never did a callback. I waited for a solid two weeks before getting the call that I booked it, which I was surprised because I hadn't had any callbacks or contact. Next thing I know I was on a plane to Toronto.

Carmie Henley is a dynamic character with a unique life! What drew you to her, and how are you similar and different from Carmie (aside from the supernatural and superhuman powers)?

I think that the little aspects of Carmie are so similar to many teenage girls, and there are some little parts to her that are a part of me. Carmie is such a relatable character and she is inspiring for young girls. I am really drawn to the fact that she wasn't planned out or written specifically as a character but her story was, and they let Carmie grow and be built by her experiences and some of mine too.

Who are your favourite superheroes from the comics or screen, and why?

I really like Scarlet Witch, because she is just so misunderstood and I loved the WandaVision series lol.

Creator and showrunner Thomas (Tommy) Lynch has a great resume, including producer credits on recent teen, coming-of-age series Make It Pop and The Other Kingdom. What was it like working with Tommy and did you have conversations about your character and the story?

Working With Tommy was amazing, he and Ryan Lynch (his son) are just amazing collaborators. It's tough starting off on a big show and being really fresh and new to the business but they helped me along the way and were so incredibly supportive and protective. They also valued my opinions and creative decisions. We had a lot of fun shaping Carmie and making her a character with a lot of depth. Tommy is actually amazing and so great to work with. He really made it a lot of fun and we became close with the whole cast too, just one big family.

How did you prepare for this role? Is there anything special you did to get into character before your scenes?

I wanted Carmie to be as authentic as possible. I didn't want her personality to seem cheesy or unrealistic. I made sure that I had a lot of fun when doing scenes and just went with the flow. Music helped a lot and not thinking about the scene too much made it natural.

Carmie and Kev share a close and supportive friendship. Did you and Niko Ceci have a lot of fun together, and how was he as a scene partner?

Carmie and Kev are like Kaileen and Niko. It's really funny because me and Niko joke that we don't even have to act most of the time because we are just so close. I love doing scenes with him because they just come so naturally and flow well. We definitely have a very close relationship off-screen, we are best friends. We love Tommy because he basically united two halves into one, I and Niko are like the same person and we love that.

The show has a talented young cast, also including Aaliyah Cinello (Madison), Zebastin Borjeau (Dylan) and Ana Araujo (Leanna). Did it feel like summer camp, and was it nice to share this experience with cast members similar in age to yourself?  

I had so much fun being able to share the experience with young actors like me. It definitely felt like work but in the best way possible. We made sure to keep it professional and not goof around too much but had our fair share of giggles and fun off-screen. I loved working with each and every one of them and also developing close relationships as friends off set as well.

Actor and comedian Kris Siddiqi stars as The Collector. How was Kris to work with, and was it hard to stay in character without laughing? What did he teach you about performing?

Kris was THE FUNNIEST person ever. We all loved working with him because he was just so warm and welcoming every time we did a scene. It was definitely very funny when he started to improv at the end of a scene but we managed to keep it together. He was an amazing mentor and I loved being able to work with him.

Take us behind the scenes! What is your favourite memory from Season 1?

I had a blast filming this show. It's hard to pick just one memory. Also most of the things me and the cast find funny might not make sense to you guys. But I do remember filming episode five - we had to jump off the rooftop set onto a mat, me and Niko would fall onto the mat into a splat position on purpose so that whoever had to jump next would just start laughing and we would just fall onto the mat because we were laughing so much we lost our balance.

Why would you encourage viewers to tune in to I Woke Up a Vampire? What can they expect to see and take away from the show?

I would love for young kids to watch this show because as the episodes go on we explore real topics, but it's still fun to watch because of the supernatural side to it. Carmie faces the hard reality of school and feels like she needs to fit in which is very relatable to many kids and it is comforting to know that other people are going through the same thing.

We know it’s early on, as the show hasn’t even premiered on Netflix yet, but are you aware of plans for future seasons? Would you like to explore Carmie’s story further?

I am actually not sure what the plans are for further seasons, Tommy loves to keep his ideas very very secret. I remember filming the early episodes and as we got closer to the later ones we would bombard him with questions and he would never tell us anything until the script came out. But I would love to explore Carmie's adventure and exploration towards more serious topics and her journey with self-love and acceptance.

You are an advocate for those with down syndrome, which is personal and meaningful to you and your family. Tell us about the importance of this work for you, and how you stay involved and informed.

My little sister has Down Syndrome, and I think it is very important for people to stay aware and understand that she may be different but she is just as capable. I am an advocate because she deserves equality and to be treated just how everyone else is. I love to bring awareness to the kids with Down Syndrome and their amazing talents.

You have multiple cultures, with both Latinx and Taiwanese heritage. Have you always been in touch with your identity and where you came from? Why are you proud to be Latinx and Taiwanese?

I am very proud of my mix, I think it makes me very unique and who I am. I have always embraced the different features I hold and love to spread my culture to those around me.

Has your ethnicity impacted your career so far? Are you hopeful for more diversity in film (ethnic and minority creatives) in the near future, and being a part of that positive change?

I think one thing that really had me drawn to acting was the little diversity and awareness. I wanted to be able to be a role model for young girls because I remember watching TV when I was younger and the main character was always a pretty white girl who was a cheerleader, always looked perfect, and was a popular girl.

With Carmie, I wanted to show the viewers that they can have some comfort in this show knowing that some people can relate to Carmie in the sense that she isn't perfect, popular, and she's mixed. I was also really attracted to the fact that I could be a responsible and inspiring person to young people so that when they grow up, they can see someone who they can follow and look up to.

What inspired you to learn and become fluent in American Sign Language (ASL)?

I love inclusivity, and I think that it was important for me to learn ASL so that I could practice my beliefs of inclusivity. I grew up in a school that prioritized being inclusive and I want to carry that on with me as I go in the real world so learning ASL was a big accomplishment and milestone for me becoming a step further into the person I want to be.

Who are you listening to on your playlist? 

I love music, I personally get really shy when it comes to asking about my music taste. It's hard to narrow down my favorites when I have such a range of music tastes.

Our signature question: If you could be any ice cream flavour, which would you be and why?

I would be cotton candy because it's like two different colors and I have two very different sides to me that are completely opposite.

-

Thank you to Kaileen Chang for answering our questions! 

Follow her on Instagram to stay updated with what’s next for the rising star. New episodes of I Woke Up a Vampire air Fridays at 6:30 pm ET/PT on Family Channel. 

Photo credit to: Tommy Flanagan (portraits)

[sondheim-girly]

The Beginning

The idea to make The Outsiders into a musical first came from Francis Coppola’s company, which owns the stage rights. Fred Roos, who was one of the movie's producers, thought that the story would attract theater goers. He proposed this to S. E. Hinton, and though at first she was surprised and a bit skeptical, she let him run with it.

They then needed to find a creative team. The Araca group were bought on as producers, and they started looking for songwriters to write the music for the show. Their goal was to find someone who had never written a musical before. In 2015 they reached out to the songwriting duo from Texas known as Jamestown Revival. (Jonathan Clay and Zach Chance.) They asked them to write a few songs as a sort of audition, so Jamestown wrote two songs: one was slower, and they assumed the producers would hate it. The other was more fast paced and ‘Broadway,’ which they assumed the producers would like. They sent in the second one, and the Araca Group hated it. They then decided to send in the first one. This time the Araca Group loved it. This song was called Stay Gold, and it remains in the show to this day. Adam Rapp was the next person to join the creative team. He was a novelist and playwright who had also never worked on a musical before. He wasn’t sure about joining the project at first due to those reasons, but once he heard the music, he knew he couldn’t pass up this chance. Justine Levine joined to do a variety of things, including working on the book and score. He had been working on musicals for years, so he sort of functioned as a musical theater guide to Jamestown and Adam. Liesl Tommy was brought on to direct, and Lorin Lattaro became the choreographer.

Not much is known about the first cast of the show. We do know that Josh Strobl played Ponyboy, and that Ryan Vazquez played Darry. We also know that Sky joined as Johnny in 2018. He first auditioned for Two-Bit, because he believed that he could only play the comedic relief character due to the role he was playing in Dear Evan Hansen (Jared). However Liesl Tommy (the director) knew immediately that he was Johnny. Sky only had the Two-Bit sides, and due to his dyslexia couldn’t learn the Johnny ones in the room. Liesl Tommy told him that he could just take home the sides and send in a tape, and the role has been his since. Brody Grant and Emma Pittman also had auditioned for the show at this time.

The show was set to premiere in Chicago's Goodman theater on June 20, 2020. However, due to Covid, this never happened. They were then set to premier at the Goodman on May 27, 2022. But in January of 2022, they announced that their opening would be postponed indefinitely. This premier never ended up happening. Instead, a few members of the creative team were replaced, and the show made its world premiere about a year later, at the La Jolla playhouse.

[run-down-that-dream]

[supercalime]

I’ve been lurking in the 911 tags for only a week and I’m already exhausted of most b*ddie shippers holy shit

[crosseyedcricketart]

MET Gala 2024, "The Garden of Time".

[tommyflanagangifs]

Tommy Flanagan as Brock Donnelly in Max Cloud (2020)

[lordbettany]

Gwen: God, how you must hate us white people after all we've done to you.

Hawk: Some of my best friends are white people.

[oncemorewithqueering]

twin peaks sexuality headcanons

warning: very long

my god do I have THINGS to say about this show and 99 of them are about albert

so I thought before my feed is entirely twin peaks, I’d give my thoughts on the Outrageous Gay Tension of this show with some context

also ignore my handwriting, I’m very sick at the moment and have taken a lot of paracetamol (be more responsible than me kids)

spoilers for all 3 seasons, sorry

DALE COOPER

he/him

transmasc (FTM)

bisexual

listen. listen. trucoop is real rosencoop is real it’s all real. i love coop more than i can describe (which is weird considering I’m gay) and i heavily head cannoned him as trans and bi the second he drove onto my screen. i think he’d prefer men but women are also his cup of tea, or coffee rather. anyway he deserved better and he deserved to give Harry a little kiss.

HARRY TRUMAN

he/him

cisgender male

bisexual

i originally would have said Harry was gay, but I’m not a big fan of relationship erasure. yes, he is with josie. that’s why he’s bi.

i think Harry would have had a crush on some guys at school but would have bottled it down, until coop came to town, and he suddenly had a gay crisis. if i had to pinpoint a moment, i would say his initial realisation would have been when coop steals his nose (best scene) and he would have come to terms with it by the end of season 1.

even harry is not immune to the eyes of Dale cooper.

LAURA PALMER

she/they

cisgender female (but questioning her identity)

biromantic lesbian

first up, I’d like to give my consolidation to Laura palmer and anyone who may be reading who ever experienced something like her. she is my favourite character, apart from Coop Harry and Audrey, and i think she deserved so much better. PERSONALLY i think she and Donna had a very strong emotional romance but not necessarily a physical one. i think that her experiences with men caused her to do a big ol’ comphet and assume she liked being intimate with men. in reality, i think she wasn’t actually attracted to them but was doing it, alongside all the canon reasons, to reject her feelings to women.

and James happened, i guess.

DONNA HAYWARD

she/they

demigirl

homoflexible

idk whether i just see my identity in donna, but i think she definitely isn’t 100% female. i can’t explain it at all, but i just get the vibe.

as for her sexuality, obviously she and Laura had their thing, but i think her romantic tension with literally all. the. female. characters. initially made me think she was a lesbian. but, we have the James factor.

fucking James (my reaction whenever he is onscreen btw)

i think that her emotional intimacy to Laura would have naturally led her to the other emotionally intimate person in Laura’s life. i think James is the closest thing she has to Laura left, which is so sad. i love donna, idc what the widely accepted opinion is. i believe the ‘Just You’ song scene is her grappling with her feeling with maddy. i mean tbh if my girlfriend died and then her identical twin came back, i would probably be weird about it too.

AUDREY HORNE

she/they

trans femme (MTF) (i couldn’t fit it on the picture sorry)

biromantic demisexual

AUDREY AUDREY AUDREY AUDREY MY BELOVED

when i tell you i came out of twin peaks 15% gayer it is BECAUSE OF THIS GIRL. i love her storylines, her dialogue, her friendship with coop. it all feels so realistic! and her dancing!

back to the sexuality and gender thing, which is what this post is about, i personally believe her crush on coop came from a place of seeing a happy trans person comfortable in their identity and finding that beautiful. then translating that to love.

as for being biromantic, c’mon. donna and her definitely had a thing going for a bit. her demi sexuality comes from a place of her extreme discomfort in sex work (which is valid if you aren’t demisexual, by the way, but combined with her virginity until she forms a meaningful connection, the pieces fell into place for me. yes i am also demisexual and yes i am totally biased.)

ALBERT ROSENIFELD

he/him (because he is Him)

trans masc (FTM)

gay as fuck

“I love you, sheriff Truman”

I’m sorry??? excuse me?

albert is gay in so many ways it’s not even funny. with coop. with Harry. with gordon in season 3. and my trans headcanon? idk i just sort of vibed with it. normalise head canonning people as gay or trans with no reason.

also i love the idea that Denise, Albert and coop are just a group of trans fbi agents. we already have Mulder from the x files we need more (tell me if you want an x files version of this)

GORDON COLE

he/him

cisgender male

bicurious

i honestly can’t tell if David lynch would curse me for this post or just shrug it off

anyway. gordon didn’t strike me as being particularly fruity until season 3, when he had his whole trans power speech and those weirdly domestic scenes with albert. like, pop off little fbi husbands. i think he’s still working through period-typical biphobia and isn’t ready to say he’s bi. but i think with time he will be.

someone needs to take me away from this show for like a week and sit me down with some literature. I’d just gay headcanon it anyway (looking at you Sherlock Holmes)

BOBBY BRIGGS

they/he

demiboy

bisexual

the more i watch this show, the more i think to myself…”Bobby is…me?” idk whether it’s dana ashbrook’s truly unhinged and amazing performance, the weird nervous gay energy and the lack of masculinity for a character who would normally be obnoxiously masculine. i love him so much.

i think Bobby would struggle in the gender norms of being the child of a military man. and the sexuality norms of being the “bad boy” in school. i firmly believe that he is bisexual, because let’s face it, everyone in this godforsaken show is bi. find me ONE straight character. ONE STRAIGHT.

SHELLY JOHNSON

she/her

cisgender female

heteroflexible and demisexual

SHELLY IS A LITTLE BIT GAY BECAUSE I SWEAR TO GOD AS I WAS WATCHING THIS I WAS THIS CLOSE (HOLDS FINGERS TOGETHER) TO KISSING MY TV SCREEN.

shelly seems like the sort of person to have been raised with certain heteronormative values. but, i think after going out with Bobby, i think she’d have a little sit and think and say “huh maybe i would kiss a girl.” she hasn’t, yet, but that’s just because her crushes so far have been on men. if she met the right girl, she would.

i think her demisexuality comes partly from trauma and also because we need something in common because, if i haven’t made it clear, i LOVE HER.

HAWK

he/him

cisgender male

gay

don’t be lying about that poetry being for your girlfriend hawk. this is the only character where i will defy canon, fold my arms and say no. i love that hawk got a bigger role in season 3, and i think that based off all i know about him (being the best character) i would headcanon him as being gay. why? idk. look at him?

hawk would totally just rock up one day with a guy on his arm, no explanation, and say nothing until Lucy stumbled into asking him about this guy. and he’d just be like “oh this is my husband. yeah we’ve been married for 6 years. you were at the wedding, we just didn’t tell you it was a wedding.”

iconic.

also i had hair envy the entire show, i wish that when i straightened my hair it was that luxurious.

LUCY BRENNAN

she/her

cisgender female

bisexual

I’m sorry Lucy, no one is THAT frazzled and not sapphic. it’s a rule.

i feel like Lucy would consider herself straight until she was taught about the internet, got a Facebook account, and promptly shut it down, but before doing that saw the word ‘bisexual’ and felt weirdly drawn to it. Andy was, of course, super supportive if a little confused. she’s still figuring it out.

i feel like she’d wear sweaters in the bisexual colours and be very happy whenever someone noticed.

ANDY BRENNAN

he/him

cisgender male

straight ally (but not really)

Andy is straight, but like more in a straight with a question mark way. maybe if he hadn’t dated Lucy, maybe if they hadn’t fallen in love, he would have caught feelings for a guy. after Lucy came out, he did some thinking, but decided to keep it to himself. who knows, maybe his tulpa is “kinda gay” (obligatory Buffy reference)

WE ARE DONE LADIES AND GENTS AND PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT EITHER BUT STILL HIGHLY ESTEEMED.

so, thoughts? I’m gonna do a part two with the season 3 exclusive characters, and some characters i forgot, like Norma, ed, Hank, josie, James….and Wyndam Earl. OH and Denise

thank you so much for bearing with me, and love y’all 🫶

(not as much as I’ll ever love Shelly)

[duranduratulsa]

Up next on my 90's Fest Movie 🎬 🎞 🎥 🎦 📽 marathon...The Fugitive (1993) on glorious vintage VHS 📼! #movie #movies #actionadventure #TheFugitive #HarrisonFord #TommyLeeJones #SelaWard #JoePantoliano #JulianneMoore #andreaskatsulas #janelynch #thomasmillswoods #jeroenkrabbe #DanielRoebuck #lscottcaldwell #NickSearcy #RichardRiehle #vintage #VHS #90s #90sfest #durandurantulsas4thannual90sfest

[incorrectdmp]

Valencia: We finally meet for our final battle. I sneer as you draw your sword "You wish to fight? So be it! Now hero, behold! MY TRUE FORM!" What happens next?

Vincent: I am obscured by dark smoke. When it clears, I look exactly the same.

Charlie: I start a 20 minute transformation sequence. You leave halfway through.

Chaos God: I put on an obnoxious shirt and start using bad 90s slang constantly.

Juniper: Dramatic boss battle music underscores me running away like a coward

Stephen: I turn into a weaker version of myself. You punch me to death.

Aelethias: We have a 3 hour philosophical discussion on what constitutes a "true" form

Hailey: I immediately transition. This doesn't help me fight but is nice, right?

Tommy: Nothing happens. I keep awkwardly saying I'll transform soon. I won't

Ezra: I pull off my mask, revealing I've been Danny DeVito this whole time.

Doc: I have a heart attack and keel over dead on the spot

[spects]

“I knew someone once who helped me understand commitment, responsibilities, and the risks. Who taught me the pain of a broken heart.

One woman can make you fly like an eagle, another can give you the strength of a lion, but only one in the cycle of life can fill your heart with wonder and the wisdom that you have known a singular joy.”

- Cooper & Hawk, Twin Peaks

[tennis-out-of-context]

[nysocboy]

Tommy Nelson/Young Junior: Lots of Gay-Subtext Roles

In Righteous Gemstones Episode 2.1, Young Eli Gemstone (Jake Kelley), a professional wrestler, is talking to his manager, Glendon Marsh (Wayne Duvall), while his son Juni (Tommy Nelson) sits bored with a cigarette.  When a naked man enters the locker room, Marsh says "Nice cock!," and Juni is so busy gawking that he trips; then he looks back to gawk at the guy's butt.  Definitely being presented as gay. And, as we see later, as a bigot. 

Glendon offers Young Eli a job in loan enforcement, along with his son. They have to beat up and break the thumbs of a boorish, abusive, tv-watching guy who owes Glendon money (on tv, watching tv is always deviant, unless it's a news report relevant to your situation).

There is no indication that the two become friends, except for the background song: "The tall, dark stranger is a demon...a devil rides close by his side." And of course, near the end of the episode the grown-up Junior will return to Eli's life.

Tommy Nelson is one of the few Gemstone actors who isn't from the south -- he was born in West Haven, Connecticut in 1997.  He's been involved in local theater since he was five years old, with roles in The Laramie Project (about the hate-crime murder of a gay student), The Drowsy Chaperone, and It's a Wonderful Life.  

In front of the camera since age 9, Tommy has 31 acting credits on the IMDB, including canonical or gay-subtext characters in My Friend Dahmer (2017) with Ross Lynch,  and The Cat and the Moon (2019) with Skyler Gisondo and Alex Wolff (above). Since he married a woman in September 2023, we can conclude that he's heterosexual in real life.

[your-cryin-fool]

I have never seen this picture in my entire life, I can't get over Michael's jorts

[unfortunate-arrow]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐧𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 + 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞

Featuring: Saoirse Lynch, Lucy Devlin, Cecilia Kennedy, Reva Rovere-Parsons, Dora O’Donnell-Lee, Keira Khanna-O’Donnell, Brendan O’Donnell-Lee, Maya Kingsley-Valdez, Flora MacKade, Nora Whitten, Harry Pembroke, Matthias Demiurgos-Kennedy, Gio Rovere-Parsons, Louis Battersea, Violet O’Donnell-Lee, Tommy Whitten-March, Seth O’Donnell, Michael O’Donnell, & Winifred O’Donnell

[ljones41]

"THE FUGITIVE" (1993) Review

"THE FUGITIVE" (1993) Review

During a period between the late 1980s and the 2000s, Hollywood released a good number of film adaptations of successful or not-so-successful television shows. This is ironic, considering the television industry tend to do the opposite. One of those film adaptations of TV shows happened to be the 1993 action thriller, "THE FUGITIVE".

Based on the ABC 1963-1967 television series that starred David Janssen, "THE FUGITIVE" told the story of prominent Chicago vascular surgeon Dr. Richard Kimble, who is accused and convicted of murdering his wealthy wife. The movie began with Kimble arriving home from a fund-raising event and later, a surgery, to find his wife murdered. He then struggled with her killer, a one-arm man who yet to make his escape. Despite his efforts to inform the Chicago Police about the one-arm man, the latter charged Kimble with his wife's murder. Following his conviction and death sentence, Kimble found himself being transported to prison on a bus. A few of Kimble's fellow prisoners attempted an escape. In the pandemonium, two prisoners and the driver were killed; and the bus rolled down a ravine and into the path of an oncoming train. Kimble saved a guard, escaped the on-coming collision, and fled as the train derailed. Hours later, U.S. Deputy Marshal Samuel Gerard and his colleagues arrived at the crash site and launched a massive manhunt that started in the Illinois countryside ended up back in Chicago. Upon his arrival in the city, Kimble started his own manhunt for his wife's one-arm killer.

I have never seen the 1963-1967 series that starred David Janssen. But I have heard and read so much about it over the years. I am aware of a few differences between the series and the movie. Whereas the latter began with Helen Kimble's death, the television series began with Kimble already on the run for six months. Sam Gerard was a U.S. Marshal in the film. Philip Gerard was a local police detective, obsessed with finding Kimble. Which made me wonder how he was able to track Kimble all over the country for four years without losing his job. The television series featured members of both Kimble and Gerard's families, whereas the movie only featured the pair's colleagues - past and present. And so on.

After years of watching movies, I came to the realization that I have never seen a perfect movie. "THE FUGITIVE" was certainly not one. As much as I like the Richard Kimble character, there were times when he came off as a little too ideal for my taste. He came dangerously close to being a Gary Stu - especially in those scenes featuring Gerard and his team's interrogations of Kimble's old medical colleagues. How can I put this? The Richard Kimble character struck me as so ideal that in the end, he did not really develop as a character. How could he? He seemed so perfect from beginning to the end. Unlike his television counterpart, the cinematic Kimble was also blessed with a happy marriage before her death. Kimble's counterpart was the U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard. Unlike Kimble, Gerard proved to be a more complex character who possessed a ruthless streak that bordered on brutality sometimes. Especially when it came to the welfare of the deputy marshals assigned to his team. He also possessed a sharp wit that blended with sarcasm. But like Kimble, Gerard also possessed an unrelenting steak that leads him to maintain focused on his goal. And like Kimble, Gerard never really developed as a character. Now many might find my last observation hard to swallow, considering that Gerard realized that Kimble was an innocent man. So what if Gerard had finally realized that Kimble was innocent? He was never the investigator for the Kimble case in the first place. Gerard's task was to simply hunt down Kimble, who was a fugitive of the law, and return him to jail. Which he did in the end. Only he learned that Kimble was an innocent man along the way. But this discovery did not change or develop his character. After all, it was up to the Chicago Police to realize Kimble was innocent. Yet, the two original police investigators had refused to acknowledge Kimble's innocence and their mistake right up to the bitter end.

Also, a part of me wondered whether Richard Kimble or his wife Helen had relatives in Chicago. My one last complaint about "THE FUGITIVE" centered around at least two action sequences. One involved the collision between the prison bus conveying Kimble and a freight train. I was amazed that so many of the occupants inside that bus managed to survive, especially Kimble who had lingered inside longer to care for a wounded prison guard. The other action sequence that left me scratching my head was Kimble's swan dive from a dam spillover. Perhaps it was plausible for him to survive such a dive. Unfortunately, I cannot see that happening . . . even to this day. I wish that screenwriters Jeb Stuart and David Twohy, along with Andrew Davies, had used another way for Kimble to evade Gerard. Something a bit more plausible.

For a movie based on an old television series from the 1960s, "THE FUGITIVE" proved to be first-rate. That is correct. I enjoyed this film very much. In fact, I more than enjoyed it. I thought Stuart, Twohy and Davies had created a very satisfying movie filled with top-notch action, a solid mystery involving the killer's identity, intelligence and deep emotion.

Although I believed the sequences featuring the prison bus/train collision and Kimble's leap from a dam spillover bordered on the implausibility, I certainly had no problems with the film's other action sequences. In fact, I especially enjoyed three in particular - the chase sequence through downtown Chicago on St. Patrick's Day, Kimble's encounter with the one-arm man aboard a Chicago El-train and especially the final sequence that featured both Kimble and Gerard's confrontation with the real culprit behind Helen Kimble's murder. Andrew Davis did a great job in directing these sequences, filling them with breathless tension.

The 1960s television series had mainly focused on Kimble evading the police and finding the one-arm man's whereabouts. I had no problems with this. Once the cinematic Kimble had made his way back to Chicago, he started off doing the same. But thanks to screenwriters Jeb Stuart and David Twohy, the film featured an additional twist that allowed the one-armed killer to be a part of a bigger conspiracy involving a pharmaceutical company and new drug called Provasic that Kimble had failed to approve, because it caused liver damage. During Kimble's search for the one-armed man and his investigation of the mystery behind his false conviction, I felt pleased that the movie also delved into his continuing grief over his wife's death via flashbacks. These brief moments reminded audiences that Kimble was more than an action man trying to prove his innocence. He was a man still grieving over the death of his wife. Another aspect of "THE FUGITIVE" was its portrayal of Tommy Lee Jones and his team of U.S. Marshals. Unlike the ABC series, which almost portrayed the Philip Gerard character as a modern version of Inspector Javert of "LES MISERABLES" in Les Misérables - relentless and obsessive in pursuit of his prey; U.S. Marshal Sam Gerard seemed to lack the obsession of his television and literary counterparts. Which I personally found refreshing. Well, Gerard is relentless in this film, but only in a cool and professional manner. And thanks to Stuart and Twohy's screenplay, along with Tommy Lee Jones' performance, Gerard conducted his assignment with a dry and sarcastic wit.

I might as well discuss the cast's performances. What can I say? There did not seemed to be a false step among any of them. The movie boasted some first-rate supporting performances from the likes of Ron Dean, Joseph Kosala, Nick Searcy, Eddie Bo Smith, Dick Cusack, David Darlow, Kirsten Nelson, Neil Flynn, Andy Romano and Richard Riehle. This movie marked the first time I saw Julianne Moore in any motion picture, and I thought she gave a sharp performance as a hospital physician nearly overwhelmed by a crisis. Both Jane Lynch and John M. Watson Sr. seemed equally sharp as two of Kimble's colleagues and closest friends. In her few scenes, Sela Ward radiated warmth and wit as Kimble's loving wife and murder victim, Helen Kimble. It seemed a pity that she was not featured in more scenes. Andreas Katsulas gave an intelligent, yet sinister performance as Fredrick Sykes aka the One-Arm Man and Helen Kimble's killer. Jeroen Krabbé portrayed another one of Kimble's friends and colleagues, Dr. Charles Nichols, who also believed in the former's innocence. Krabbé injected a "proud father" aura in his performance, as he needled the U.S. Marshals for their failure to capture Kimble and come to the realization of the latter's innocence. I found this aspect of Krabbé's performance very subtle and very entertaining. For me, one of the most entertaining aspects of "THE FUGITIVE" proved to be those who portrayed the deputy marshals who formed Gerard's team. I am referring to L. Scott Caldwell, Daniel Roebuck, Tom Wood, Johnny Lee Davenport and especially Joe Pantoliano. Not only did I enjoy the wit and humor that permeated their interactions with each other, but I also enjoyed their interactions with Tommy Lee Jones' Gerard. In fact, Jones and Pantoliano's scenes proved to be so funny that it seemed as if they had created some kind of comedy team.

I realized I had been a little critical of the Dr. Richard Kimble and U.S. Deputy Marshal Sam Gerard characters. And I stand by my criticism. But I cannot do the same about the two actors that portrayed them. I believe Harrison Ford gave one of his career best performances as the beleaguered surgeon who found himself convicted of murdering his wife. Ford did an excellent job of conveying not only Kimble's grief over his wife's death, but also his desperation to evade the police and U.S. marshals searching for him, and the character's intelligence, while he investigates the one-arm man and the latter's motive behind Helen's death. Sam Gerard seemed like a different kettle of fish in compared to Richard Kimble and Tommy Lee Jones' portrayal of the colorful lawman proved to be one of the film's highlights. Jones managed to infuse a great deal of energy into Gerard's determined search for Kimble, without transforming the character into a copycat of the Javert character from "Les Misérables". Jones' Gerard is a tough and no-nonsense man who would ruthlessly defend members of his team and his slightly extreme form of law enforcement. I am not surprised that Jones managed to snag both acting nominations and awards for his portrayal of Gerard. However, I am astounded that Ford was never nominated.

One can tell how good a movie after so many years had passed. Twenty-nine years have passed since the release of "THE FUGITIVE". It might have a few flaws, but I believe it still holds up after so long. I also believe the movie proved to be just as superb as the 1960s television series it was based on. One can thank Andrew Davis for his energetic and intelligent direction, Jeb Stuart and David Twohy's excellent screenplay; and the superb cast led by Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones.