Always vs. Ghost

This looks at two romantic ghost stories.

Here now is a comparison between two romantic ghost stories that came out within a year of each other. Both stories involve the dearly departed still present in a spiritual form to assist their still-earthbound sweetheart in the aftermath of their premature departure.

So, which is better? Let’s find out.

Always (1989)
This film, directed by Steven Spielberg, is a remake of the 1943 film A Guy Named Joe. That movie dealt with a pilot named Pete (played by Spencer Tracy) who’s shot down in action during World War II. As that war had long ended by 1989, the setting for Always was changed so that Richard Dreyfuss (playing Tracy’s part) is now an aerial firefighter who’s known for taking risks on the job.

At the behest of both his girlfriend Dorina (Holly Hunter) and his BFF Al (John Goodman), Pete agrees to take a safer job as a trainer. But only after one last mission, in which Dorinda’s fears are realized when Pete’s plane blows up after he flies through a forest fire in order to save Al’s plane.

On the other side, Pete meets a lady named Hap (Audrey Hepburn) who informs him that he’s passed on. She also states that Pete must provide inspiration to those who are still alive. Months later, as Dorinda and Al are still mourning him, Pete is assigned to give guidance to a new firefighting pilot named Ted Baker (Brad Johnson).

Soon, however, Pete realizes that Ted is falling for Dorinda—and that she’s slowly but surely reciprocating. Pete tries to put a stop to this but Hap tells him that he must also let Dorinda go.

To that end, Pete gives Ted the guidance he needs to become a great firefighter himself. But Dorinda takes matters into her own hands when she personally commandeers a plane to stop a blaze so she doesn’t have to go through the pain of losing someone she loves again. Both Pete and Al unsuccessfully attempt to talk her down, but Pete manages to help her stop the fire, while telling her things that he didn’t when he was still alive.

Dorinda’s plane crash-lands in the water, but she sees Pete extending his hand, which she takes in order to swim to safety. Pete smiles as Dorinda and Ted embrace before he goes off.

Ghost (1990)
A long while ago, this site posted a detailed recap of this movie, so I’ll keep this one short. Sam Wheat (Patrick Swayze) and his girlfriend Molly Jensen (Demi Moore) begin their lives anew when they move into a new Manhattan apartment. But their great life is shattered one night when a mugger named Willie Lopez (Rick Aviles) accosts them and fatally shoots Sam in the process.

As Molly mourns him, Sam himself is horrified to discover that he’s now a ghost. He can’t been seen or heard by anybody (except other ghosts, who he sees quite a lot of in this story) until he encounters a psychic named Oda Mae Brown (Whoopi Goldberg), who didn’t think she had psychic powers until she realizes that she can actually hear Sam. Through her, Sam attempts to tell Molly that Willie broke into their place to look for something, and only left because Sam was able to influence their cat into scaring Willie off. But Molly is skeptical, and this skepticism isn’t helped when, after she goes to the police with Willie’s address, Molly discovers that Oda Mae has an extensive police record for fraud.

At the same time, Sam is shocked to find out that Willie was sent by his friend and fellow banker Carl Bruner (Tony Goldwyn). This, along with Carl’s unsuccessful attempts to romance Molly, prompt Sam to seek out a pissed-off ghost he previously encountered on the subway (Vincent Schiavelli) in order to learn his technique of moving objects. Sam also convinces Oda Mae to go to his bank, using another name, in order to withdraw all the money he discovered Carl was laundering, so that his drug dealing bosses won’t get it. She’s subsequently pissed off when Sam forces her to give all that money ($4 million) to nearby nuns rather than pocketing it.

Carl practically pisses in his pants when he realizes all that money is gone mpw, but Molly later tells him that she briefly saw Oda Mae at the bank. He and Willie go to Oda Mae’s place, but Sam ensures that she’s safe before Willie is killed in the ensuing fight, and his ghost is dragged away screaming by shadowy forms.

But Carl escapes and Sam and Oda Mae go back to warn Molly, who’s finally convinced Sam is present when he levitates a penny into her hand. Carl breaks in and his attempts to take both Oda Mae and Molly hostage in order to get the money back are thwarted by Sam. When Carl attempts to escape, a hook he throws hits the window that he’s going through, causing a large shard to kill him. Carl’s ghost is quickly carried off by those shadows seen earlier.

Molly hears Sam when he asks if she and Oda Mae are okay. A bright light appears beckoning Sam, who goes into it after bidding both Molly and Oda Mae goodbye.

Which is better?
Ghost is certainly (if you’ll pardon the pun) the livelier of the two movies. It has a nice number of laughs, thanks mainly to Goldberg, who won an Oscar for her performance (the screenplay from Bruce Joel Rubin also got an Oscar). But both Swayze and Moore are good as well. Their love scene while Molly attempts to make a pot with the Righteous Brothers’ “Unchained Melody” playing in the background quickly became one of the classic movie love scenes. Sam’s scenes with other ghosts are amusing, with Schiavelli stealing the show with his work, and the moments where Sam frantically tries to outmaneuver Carl and Willie are exciting, with the fact that the woman he loves can’t see or hear him adding to the tension. I’ve heard some say that the shadow ghosts quickly taking away the bad guys was cheesy, but it works in the context of this film.

One thing I disliked, though, was that Molly is not 100% convinced that Sam is with her until he basically performs a magic trick for her. It would’ve been more moving if she had been convinced via something more personal, especially since Oda Mae had previously revealed she knows that Sam responded to Molly saying she loved him with the word “ditto”. I would think that would’ve been enough to convince Molly. I’m also unsure of what to make of Sam screwing with Carl in his office by typing his name on his computer. Yes, I realize Sam wants to gloat that he screwed Carl over by getting that money away from him, and I certainly understand why Sam wants to keep an eye on him. But simply putting all his cards on the table like that was asking for trouble.

Still, Ghost works at being funny, touching, and even thrilling, so it’s not hard to see why this film became the biggest moneymaker of 1990, a year which I always felt was the year of the sleeper hits. This film wasn’t expected to be a smash when it first came out, as it wasn’t exactly a big-budget action movie. Other films released later that year, such as Home Alone and Dances With Wolves, were also not exactly highly anticipated. Yet all three of these became enormous successes (Home Alone became the biggest moneymaking comedy ever, and Dances With Wolves won seven Oscars, including the one for Best Picture), while other 1990 films that were expected to be huge hits such as The Bonfire of the Vanities, Rocky V, and The Godfather Part III ended up being hugely disappointing.

But this isn’t to say Always is bad. On the contrary, it has some very nice moments. Like Ghost, it has an instantly likable protagonist (this film was Spielberg’s third with Dreyfuss, after Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind) and a nice supporting cast. The moment when Dorinda sees Pete again is especially sweet. The best part, though, is seeing the legendary Audrey Hepburn in what would be her final film appearance. As this review perfectly said, she’s as close to an angel as a human being can get. I like to think that meeting lovely souls such as her is a given once we pass on.

Also, like Ghost, the movie nicely uses a classic song. In this case, it’s the Platters’ “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” which Pete and Dorinda dance to early in the film, and which is played in the film’s closing credits.

These pluses are what help the viewer get through the movie’s slower moments, such as the moments when Al angrily tries to tell Dorinda that she shouldn’t let Pete’s death stop her from living her life (although I did crack up when Al slurps out the cream in Twinkies with a straw). Curiously, Spielberg’s next film Hook would also be hampered by moments that drag before he got back on track with Jurassic Park. It probably also didn’t help that this film was overshadowed by the enormous success of Spielberg’s previous film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which came out just a few months earlier. As it turns out, this was the first of a number of times he put out two movies in a single year.

On a dramatic level, Always doesn’t do anything A Guy Named Joe didn’t do better, but it’s definitely worth a look.

Interview with Andrea Feczko

I recently had the pleasure of chatting with the delightful travel expert Andrea Feczko.

Andrea Feczko is a writer, producer and TV host who has appeared in numerous videos for such media outlets as YouTube and Yahoo! She’s probably best known for her videos in which she gives tips on what to do when traveling to different parts of the world. Andrea can currently be seen on the series Vacation Creation, which airs Saturdays on ABC. You can learn more about her and her work by going to her website, andreafeczko.com. I recently had the pleasure of chatting with this kind, talented woman.

Andrea, what inspired you to make traveling such an important part of your career?

Travel has always been a part of my life. I grew up in Michigan. It’s nice, but a little boring [laughs]. Even at 13, I had a dream of going to Australia and New Zealand. I overheard a friend of mine in the halls explaining that she had done a People to People program over the summer and that this year they were going to Australia and New Zealand. I remember going home, creating a PowerPoint presentation for my parents, pitched the idea, and luckily they agreed to let me do the program. I am so thankful! And after that, I was bit by the travel bug and couldn’t wait to get on another plane.

Of all the spots you’ve visited, do you have a favorite?

That’s like asking if you have a favorite puppy that you’ve ever met! They are all great. There are so many different parts of the world that are amazing. The more you travel, the bigger your list gets. But I do love Asia, the South Pacific, and the Mediterranean. Southeast Asia is incredibly affordable, so I always recommend that part of the world for people on a budget.

Are there places you still want to visit?

Yeah, I haven’t been to Africa yet, and I’m very upset with myself about that [laughs]. Specifically, I would like to go to Morocco, Zanzibar, Kenya, and South Africa.

You’ve also hosted numerous shows such as Blastr TV for the Syfy Channel. Is there a specific show that stands out for you?

If I’m working, I’m happy. Blastr was so much fun, because I really got to indulge in my nerdy side, which surprises most people. I also worked for Marvel, which was sooooo fun! Currently, I have a show on ABC called Vacation Creation, which is my dream job. I mean, I think anyone—even those who don’t even like to be in front of the camera—would say hosting a travel show is their dream job. Not only is it an incredible experience to travel the world, but the premise of the show is to take deserving friends and families on a vacation of a lifetime. These people are so deserving and grateful and it has really changed me and impacted me. You see beautiful places, but there is depth to the show and also my experience as a host.

The videos where you parody singers like Kesha and Taylor Swift are listed as some of YouTube’s most watched parody videos. Would you like to do more of those?

Yes, please!

You’ve also interviewed numerous celebrities. Is there a favorite of those?

I would say Leonardo DiCaprio saying “You had me at ‘hello’!” I’m sure he was saying it sarcastically, but whatever, he said it! [laughs] It was a highlight. He’s very nice and down to earth, and a lot taller than you would expect.

You wear so many hats: TV presenter, travel guru, writer, producer. Is there one that you find especially fulfilling?

Hosting is the most fulfilling, because it’s what I’m the weakest at. I’ve always been a natural producer and writer. But being myself and acting in front of the camera is difficult and took me years to master. It’s very rewarding for me. With that said, I hope to create my own content in the future, not just on YouTube, but for others as well. And that will probably be the most fulfilling moment when a concept of mine will be sold. How about that for confidence?

Is there anything you can tell us about your future projects?

I’m really focused on increasing my social media. I’ll be doing more live YouTube chats and Instagram stories. I have so many videos that need to be edited, so that’s exciting that I am finally home and I’m able to create this content.

Is there any advice you can give for anyone who may want to pursue a similar career?

The most poignant advice that I was given was that the entertainment industry is a “war of attrition”. Many people have dreams of being on television, but many drop out of the industry or change careers because it takes a lot of time, hard work, and tenacity to finally get work. And it never gets more comfortable. You are always on the hunt for the next gig, even if you have had success in the past. So it’s important to work hard and have faith.

Xena: Warrior Princess-"Maternal Instincts"

As Mother's Day is approaching, I decided to look at an episode of Xena which ended up becoming a double-edged sword for the series.

As another Mother’s Day will soon be upon us, I thought it appropriate to look at one of the most dramatic episodes of Xena: Warrior Princess. Before I begin with the episode itself, I’ll briefly cover what occurred prior to this episode, as it’s the continuation of a few previous storylines.

After “Callisto”, the title character re-emerged the following season in “Return of Callisto”, where she made Gabrielle a widow before Xena killed her by leaving her to be engulfed in quicksand. However, thanks to intervention from Ares, Xena and her adversary swapped bodies for the episodes “Intimate Stranger” and “Ten Little Warlords” (this was partly to accommodate Lucy Lawless, who was recovering from an injury at the time) before Callisto was finally vanquished. Alas, she would return to lock horns with Hercules, becoming a god in the process, just before he locked her up. It was a few episodes after that, in “A Necessary Evil”, that Xena would break Callisto out in order to help her fight a power-obsessed Amazon named Velasca who became a god herself. That episode ended with both Callisto and Velasca being trapped in lava.

The following season had Xena and Gabrielle go to Britannia in the episode “The Deliverer” to help people fight Julius Caesar, whom Xena was itching to get revenge on when he nearly killed her years earlier. Gabrielle became smitten with a guy who told her of his own god, only for her to find out that said god was a malevolent force known as Dahak, who proceeded to force Gabrielle onto his altar, and as we learn in the follow-up “Gabrielle’s Hope”, impregnate her. That baby, who Gabrielle named Hope, was soon born and Xena wasted no time expressing her doubts that she wasn’t a baby, but rather an evil force. But Gabrielle tried to convince her otherwise, and the episode ended with her tricking Xena into thinking Hope was dead, when she actually sent her safely down a river.

“Maternal Instincts” begins with our heroines returning to a Centaur village they visited the previous season, in “Orphan of War”. In that episode, Xena informed Gabrielle about her illegitimate son Solan (David Taylor), who doesn’t know Xena is his mom. But Xena asked Centaur Kaleipus (Jeff Boyd) to raise him in order to protect him from her enemies, a task he happily accepted because he was a friend of Solan’s father Borias. Solan was initially hostile toward Xena, blaming her for his father’s death, but he warmed up to her by the episode’s end.

This is why he and Kaleipus happily greet them at the start of this episode. Another reason to celebrate is a recent treaty between the various Centaur factions.

Elsewhere, a young girl (Amy Morrison) is playing near the edge of the pit where Callisto and Velasca were imprisoned. After her ball goes over the edge, the girl looks down and a chasm opens, spitting out a pillar of fire. Callisto emerges, and the child seems to pass out. I guess she didn’t care about Velasca.

After the title sequence, Gabrielle is surprised by the appearance of her Amazon friend Ephiny (Danielle Cormack) and her son Xenan. They catch up with Gabrielle, informing her of what happened while she and Xena were in Britannia, and Gabrielle lies and says that Hope died.

At the same time, Callisto is disgusted with the decorations celebrating the treaty, and subsequently torches them, as well as two Centaur sentries. Kaleipus and Xena assess the damage, with the latter surmising that only Callisto could’ve done this.

Once alone, Gabrielle discovers that little girl hiding. She quietly shows herself and introduces herself as Fayla. She informs Gabrielle that Callisto knows Xena’s secret. Xena realizes that Callisto knows Solan is her son, so she, Gabrielle, and Kaleipus agree to hide him in nearby caves. But Fayla disappears before they can ask her if she wants to hide there as well. She’s next seen with Callisto, who can’t wait to see Xena’s reaction when Solan is killed. Fayla basically tells her to be patient, because destroying Xena is only the first step to ensuring her father Dahak’s rule over the world.

Gabrielle is getting together the plan to fight Callisto when she runs into Fayla. She’s shocked to see Fayla with the toy lamb Gabrielle got from Senticles in “A Solstice Carol”, and subsequently gave to Hope. Fayla explains that she was found with the lamb, and when she says she was in a basket floating in a river, it makes Gabrielle realize that she’s Hope. Gabrielle tells her to wait for her in her hut.

Xena is seen running through a forest when Callisto appears. After knocking Xena down with her powers, Callisto turns her attention to the hooded figure beside her, thinking it’s Solan. But it turns out to be Gabrielle, and Callisto bolts.

Kaleipus is in the caves where he encounters Hope. She quickly uses her powers to throw a sword into him. Xena and Gabrielle find him dying, and his final words are for Xena to raise Solan. As Solan mourns Kaleipus, he asks to remain with Xena, telling her he cares for her. Xena reluctantly agrees, saying they have much to discuss.

Callisto arrives to see a weakened Hope in the caves. She tells Hope that she’ll go after Solan now, but Hope informs her that she’ll join the other gods and mortals when Dahak arrives. Callisto agrees, and Hope says that they should kill not only Solan, but the other children in the village.

Gabrielle finds Hope, and as they both cry, she admits that she’s her mother. Hope tells her that she helped Callisto escape, and that the children are in danger. Gabrielle says they should inform Xena, confident that she can now convince the Warrior Princess that Hope is benevolent. To that end, Gabrielle tells Hope to go to a safe place for now. That place turns out to be Kaleipus’s hut, where Solan is. Hope gives a malevolent grin once she’s alone with Solan.

Ephiny goes off to gather the children after Gabrielle informs her and Xena of Callisto’s plan. Xena says she’s unsure of what they’ve been told, and Gabrielle’s vehement counter-argument convinces a shocked Xena that the girl is Hope. Gabrielle apologizes for lying to Xena, who states that poison may be able to kill Hope. This continues their argument, as Gabrielle says Hope is a victim, which is why she sent her to Kaleipus’s hut. Xena races there to find Solan dead. She forcefully tells a shocked Gabrielle to leave before crying out in anguish. These cries are heard by Callisto, who smiles, but only briefly.

Gabrielle pours poison in a wineskin and hides it as Hope appears. Hope tells her that she ran off after entering the hut and seeing Solan dead. This almost convinces Gabrielle that Callisto killed Solan, until Hope mentions his name, which Gabrielle never gave to her.

Callisto walks through the seemingly deserted village, when suddenly Xena shoots an arrow into her body, which naturally doesn’t hurt her. Callisto turns to Xena, and sensing her anger at losing her son, basically tells her “welcome to my world”. This is followed by Callisto shooting fireballs at everything, while Xena and hidden archers proceed to shoot arrows into her. Not that this does any good, as Callisto forces the arrows out and into the bodies of the archers. But Xena manages to keep her from hurting Ephiny and the children, even though Callisto keeps knocking her down.

Tracking her would-be victims into the caves, Callisto is confronted by Xena. But Callisto basically says that nothing matters anymore. Even though she’s finally gotten the vengeance on Xena she’s dreamed of, there’s nothing satisfying about it. This is no doubt why she basically allows Xena to pummel her until the cave itself collapses on her, with Xena, Ephiny, and the children escaping.

Xena walks off and sees that Gabrielle has poisoned Hope, who’s now covered with a blanket. Gabrielle almost gives herself the poison as well, but pours it onto the ground. And the looks they give each other are definitely not those of affection.

The episode ends with our heroines standing by the burning bodies of their children. Gabrielle tearfully says that Solan and Kaleipus would still be alive if she had killed Hope in Britannia, but Xena coldly cuts her off, saying that her lies have led to Solan’s death. In anguish, they walk off in separate directions.

Like Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “Preemptive Strike”, this episode is a downbeat tale involving betrayal that serves as an emotional punch to the gut, with great performances by all. This storyline would continue with the next episode, the acclaimed “The Bitter Suite”.

However, one aspect that would end up being problematic is Callisto. On the one hand, it was a dramatically good choice to take her character in a different direction. One reason Khan is considered Star Trek’s greatest villain is because he has different motivations in both of his appearances. In “Space Seed”, he simply wanted to conquer, and the fact that he had access to technology centuries ahead of him upon his awakening was an added bonus. In Star Trek II, he simply wanted revenge, even ignoring the fact that he was able to obtain a weapon that could destroy worlds. As Callisto made more than two appearances, it would’ve easily become repetitive to have her appear again and again simply seeking revenge on Xena. Hence, actually allowing her to get that revenge was an interesting idea.

But the fact that she now says that she feels empty doesn’t leave much room for her character to grow. Alas, subsequent appearances by the character, while entertaining, don’t have the dramatic punch that her earlier appearances did.

As it turned out, the Hope storyline didn’t exactly end on a satisfying note either, as she would re-appear (played by Renee O’Connor) in the two-part season finale “Sacrifice”, only to be killed off in a lackluster way the following season in “A Family Affair”. Dahak himself would meet his demise thanks to Hercules in a multi-episode arc on that series with, disappointingly, no mention or appearance by either of our heroines.

Hence, “Maternal Instincts” is a wonderfully intense drama that turned out to be a double-edged sword for the series.