X-Files
Australian Information Kiosk
November 2001

Original widescreen presentation
Behind-the-scenes featurette on the making of the movie with the entire cast, crew and aliens
Production notes
Talent profiles
Original and bonus movie trailers
Picture disc

There are traces of Fox Mulder in David Duchovny's portrayal of Dr Ira Kane in this month's sci-fi adventure, Evolution, but fans of his TV role will be disappointed to learn his brief stint on the most recent season of The X-Files was his last.

"When I came back I felt somewhat peripheral. For him to come back like Superman's dad or whatever feels cheap to me."

Instead, Duchovny has been working in films. He can be seen in an unrecognisable cameo in Zoolander and will star alongside Julia Roberts in How To Survive A Hotel Room Fire next year.

NEW YORK (Variety) - "X-Files" star Gillian Anderson has put up her own money to option the Elizabeth Rosner novel "Speed of Light," which the actress will adapt to make her feature directorial debut once she completes her ninth and final season on the series.

Published by Ballantine, "Speed of Light" centers on a young man who lives with his sister in Berkeley and has become an obsessive-compulsive recluse after being brought up by a father shell-shocked by his ordeal as an Auschwitz survivor.

He is slowly brought out of his shell by a Latina housekeeper who, to his surprise, has a lot in common with him. She was the lone survivor when her entire Mexican village was obliterated and its inhabitants slaughtered. Meanwhile, the man's sister has gone to Budapest to trace the family's roots and uncovers a horrible secret about her father's time in the concentration camp.

While Anderson has spent nearly a decade on a popular TV series known for its twists and turns, her desire to head into features as a writer and director is surprising. She got a chance to do both on the "X-Files'' episode "All Things," but said it wasn't until she read the novel that she felt the drive to control the way a story was told on the big screen.

"Directing was a transformative experience for me, one that I really enjoyed," Anderson said. "Then when I picked up this book and started reading the poetry of her words, I found myself trying to visualize where the camera should be, the colors of the characters, the texture of the shots. It felt so intimate and natural, like I wrote it myself. I took the steps to option it, something I'd never done before. It's a beautiful piece that needs to see the light of day, and hopefully I can do it justice."

Anderson has just begun writing, with hopes of getting "Speed of Light" financed when her character, Scully, leaves the small screen for good in April. She won't play a role in the film but is hardly giving up acting, as she considers several feature starring offers.

"Human Blockhead," Gibsonton's last legendary freak, dies.

Melvin Burkhart, a circus performer and magician who could hammer nails into his nostrils, died of a stroke on November 8th. Burkhart, 94, was the last of the group that had chosen Gibsonton, FL (AKA "Gibtown") as their circus freak wintering town. Many of them retired there, and have been dying off in recent years -- Jeanie the Half Girl went in 1999, joining Al the Giant, Lobster Boy, and others.

Burkhart had settled into a satisfying life with family and children, celebrating 52 years of marriage this year, but he never abandoned the sideshow tent. Known as "Rubber Face" for his amusing and expressive contortions, his most famous routine was to shove an icepick or 5-inch nail into his skull by way of his nose. As a young man, injuries from prizefighting, along with surgery to remove bone fragments from his head, left a tiny cavity that made the feat possible.