Thank you to my husband for bring this to my attention!
Starring Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett, and Kevin Durand from Evil Mr. Keamy Lost fame! Here's the imdb page.
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Monday, June 15, 2009
Saturday, June 13, 2009
TV - Lost Season Four
So Season Four is all about getting off the Island and the freighter folk. We meet Daniel Faraday, Charlotte, Miles (my favorite of the new crew), Frank Lapidus and a whole slew of meanies out to get Ben Linus. Instead of flashbacks, we have flash-forwards where we learn about the lives of the Oceanic Six off of the Island. Although this Season was cut short by the writers’ strike, it actually seems the longest, placing itself as my second least favorite year of Lost. Read on for a discussion of some interesting ideas presented in this season.
Good v. Evil
A major element to Season Four is the debate over who is good and who is evil. This is a key theme to the entire series, but it’s especially highlighted in this year. Are the freighter folk really out to kill everyone on the Island? Is Charles Widmore the bad guy, or is Ben the bad guy? Is it good to get off the island or is it bad to get off the Island is sort of an extension of this.
Regarding the intentions of Widmore, naturally his hired-hand Evil Keamy didn’t hesitate to do a “shock and awe” on New Otherton in his attempt to get Ben. Was it Charles Widmore’s plan to kill everyone on the Island after apprehending Ben? I’m not sure.
Certainly the science team was looking out for the livelihood of the castaways in an attempt to gain trust and because they are not bad people. Daniel and Charlotte made the journey to the Tempest to render the evil poison gases inert in order to prevent Ben from gassing the non-Temple folks on the Island. Was Ben really going to gas the Island? I believe Ben was willing to sacrifice the lives of the castaways in order to kill the freighter folk, knowing his Others were safe in the Temple. So Charles and Ben were both willing to kill those who interfered with their objectives (capturing Ben / not getting captured). Thus we’re sort stuck in a stale-mate in the debate of who is good and who is bad.
This brings us to the War these two characters discuss. We are unsure of who represents what side. They both have been leaders of the Others with the assistance of Richard Alpert, and thus they both have theoretically been serving Jacob. But is that the case? I think it’s possible that Widmore could represent the Man in Black somehow.
Another reason to think that Ben represents Jacob and Widmore is on the side of the Man in Black is their discussion in Charles' penthouse suite. Ben charges Widmore with changing the rules by killing his daughter. Widmore questions if Ben is there to kill him. Ben says “You know I can’t do that” leading me to believe that there are larger Island forces governing their behavior. Remember in Season Five how the Man in Black wanted to kill Jacob, but knew that he’d need to find a loop-hole in order to do so? Interesting parallel!
However, we still don’t know which of the leaders (Jacob or the Man in Black) is evil, therefore learning that Ben and Widmore are indeed working for these guys doesn’t solve the mystery for who should really be wearing white and black. I’d put my money on Ben and Jacob somehow being on the side of goodness. If nothing else, Widmore’s henchman Abbadon (whose name is a reference to Satan or the anti-Christ) certainly looks evil…
Tunisia:
Maybe you’re wondering what the deal is with Tunisia being the exit for the Island. It may interest you to know that Tunisia is the anti-podal point of some empty South Pacific ocean spot not too far from Australia. Do the characters travel through the center of the Earth when they turn the frozen donkey wheel? Very Jules Verne!
Aaron:
What’s the deal with Aaron? Claire was told by the psychic that no one should raise the baby but her. If we are to believe the psychic, why should Aaron not be raised by anyone else? Was the psychic foreseeing that Claire would run away with Christian leaving Aaron behind, and that this would be bad news for Claire and the Island? Or was he reacting to Aaron being adopted by Kate (essentially) because they got off the Island, and this is the negative experience the psychic was picking-up? Or could it be something truly about Aaron being raised by other parents? We’ll have to leave this to Season Six.
Best Moment:
Sawyer jumping out of the helicopter. I know that this scene has a possible underlying element that Sawyer wasn’t in fact being heroic, but rather being a coward unwilling to take the risk of pursuing a future with Kate. I don’t care. Those folk want to get on the freighter, and he allows that to happen. Also, he is embracing the thinking Kate should have adopted: nothing but trouble awaits Sawyer on the mainland, why bother? He is rewarded with three blissful years as a respected head of security and boyfriend to Juliet. <
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Films - Up & The Hangover
My internet is FINALLY back. So, that means I'm back to blogging. Lucky you. We saw Up about a week ago and The Hangover last Sunday. I'm going to briefly blog about both of them. The internet's a big place and I've got a lot of internetting to do.
First, Up. It was fantastic. Pixar has completely perfected the combination of funny sweet that turns me into a little puddle of whimpering mush.
The movie begins with about fifteen minutes of backstory on the main character. As a little kid, he idolizes an explorer/adventurer, and he is lucky enough to find a little girl who shares his passion. They share a dream of following in their idol's footsteps to travel to Paradise Falls, in South America.
We follow them through their lives. They fall in love and get married. In a small tragic montage, we learn that his wife wanted to have children, but they weren't able to. They built a very happy life together, but never traveled to South America. He buys some plane tickets when they are getting older, but his beloved wife passes away before they are able to take the trip.
I'm pausing here. Those first twenty minutes were completely touching. Some friends of mine felt like it was too manipulative. I understand the criticism, I just don't agree. It was a brief but necessary set up for us to understand Carl as an old man. Because, you see, for most of the film, he is crotchety and mean, but the audience still needs to like him. That first twenty minutes explains to the audience why he is the way he is, and it allows us to cheer for him despite how mean he sometimes is.
Then he goes on his adventure. He accidentally brings along a little boy scout. I'll forgo giving away the details of the rest of the plot. I'll just say I laughed a lot.
Also, a different friend suggested that Up was actually better than Wall-E, which was the second best movie of last year, BTW. I have to disagree. I do think that Up is a more even movie. The least good parts of Wall-E were not as good as the least good parts of Up, but the best parts of Wall-E are transcendent.
Okay, on to The Hangover. What can I say. It was EXACTLY what I thought it would be. Hilarious, gross, shocking, and wonderful. Also, Bradley Cooper is insanely hot. I'm glad he's finally getting a little bit of buzz. He totally deserves it. He's hilarious, gorgeous and majorly talented. Can't wait to see what he's in next.
Zach Galafinakis was stellar. He also deserves to finally have large roles in mainstream movies. There are some pretty shocking shots during the end credits involving him, so stick around, for sure.
Ed Helms was great, too, but I knew that already.
The movie itself is basically Dude, Where's My Car? There is definitely an intentional homage involving an impounded car and Cleo King. There's no way it was a coincidence that she plays a police office in both movies, and has impounded the protagonists car in both movies. Considering how much I love Dude, Where's My Car? (for anyone who is curious, I'm not sarcastic about that at all; it's a great movie), it makes sense that I loved this.
Delicious screwball comedy goodness.
Read more!
First, Up. It was fantastic. Pixar has completely perfected the combination of funny sweet that turns me into a little puddle of whimpering mush.
The movie begins with about fifteen minutes of backstory on the main character. As a little kid, he idolizes an explorer/adventurer, and he is lucky enough to find a little girl who shares his passion. They share a dream of following in their idol's footsteps to travel to Paradise Falls, in South America.
We follow them through their lives. They fall in love and get married. In a small tragic montage, we learn that his wife wanted to have children, but they weren't able to. They built a very happy life together, but never traveled to South America. He buys some plane tickets when they are getting older, but his beloved wife passes away before they are able to take the trip.
I'm pausing here. Those first twenty minutes were completely touching. Some friends of mine felt like it was too manipulative. I understand the criticism, I just don't agree. It was a brief but necessary set up for us to understand Carl as an old man. Because, you see, for most of the film, he is crotchety and mean, but the audience still needs to like him. That first twenty minutes explains to the audience why he is the way he is, and it allows us to cheer for him despite how mean he sometimes is.
Then he goes on his adventure. He accidentally brings along a little boy scout. I'll forgo giving away the details of the rest of the plot. I'll just say I laughed a lot.
Also, a different friend suggested that Up was actually better than Wall-E, which was the second best movie of last year, BTW. I have to disagree. I do think that Up is a more even movie. The least good parts of Wall-E were not as good as the least good parts of Up, but the best parts of Wall-E are transcendent.
Okay, on to The Hangover. What can I say. It was EXACTLY what I thought it would be. Hilarious, gross, shocking, and wonderful. Also, Bradley Cooper is insanely hot. I'm glad he's finally getting a little bit of buzz. He totally deserves it. He's hilarious, gorgeous and majorly talented. Can't wait to see what he's in next.
Zach Galafinakis was stellar. He also deserves to finally have large roles in mainstream movies. There are some pretty shocking shots during the end credits involving him, so stick around, for sure.
Ed Helms was great, too, but I knew that already.
The movie itself is basically Dude, Where's My Car? There is definitely an intentional homage involving an impounded car and Cleo King. There's no way it was a coincidence that she plays a police office in both movies, and has impounded the protagonists car in both movies. Considering how much I love Dude, Where's My Car? (for anyone who is curious, I'm not sarcastic about that at all; it's a great movie), it makes sense that I loved this.
Delicious screwball comedy goodness.
Read more!
Film - Who the $%#! is Jackson Pollack
The other day I watched this 74-minute documentary about a woman who bought what could be a real Jackson Pollack painting at a thrift store for $5. Tess is a bawdy broad who drives an 18-wheeler, and loves to dumpster dive. After getting a heads-up from a local art teacher that she may be the proud owner of a 25 million dollar treasure, she sets out on a quest to have the painting authenticated.
The juxtaposition between her gruff and spunky personality against the snootiness of the art world's elite is a hoot, and the battle between science and soul is fascinating. Definitely worth the short amount of time, if only to hear Tess's bullshit story about how the painting could be linked from Pollack to herself. Read more!
The juxtaposition between her gruff and spunky personality against the snootiness of the art world's elite is a hoot, and the battle between science and soul is fascinating. Definitely worth the short amount of time, if only to hear Tess's bullshit story about how the painting could be linked from Pollack to herself. Read more!
TV - Lost Season Three
In my continued (and surprisingly fast-moving) quest to re-watch all of Lost, I have finished Season Three. This was by-far my favorite season of the five, and that’s saying something considering how much I love this show. Read on for my musings.
There are a lot of reasons for why Season Three is my favorite. For one, there are so many answers given to previously established mysteries. We learn how Locke’s legs became paralyzed, we learn about Jack’s tattoos, we learn a whole lot about what’s going on with the Others, and we certainly gain a better understanding of the Smoke Monster (hint: I don’t think it’s nanobots!).
Smoke Monter
When the Smoke Monster encountered Eko in Season Two, it flashed images of his life-story. It would appear in Season Three that Smokey has used this information in order to learn what form it should take to best get Eko’s attention. When Eko sees Yemi, the “ghost” says “You talk to me as if I was your brother,” and the executive producers confirmed in their podcast that this was an incarnation of the Smoke Monster.
So we learn that Smokey can take the form of people (and horsies!) and that it probably does so for a set purpose (to lead the characters towards an enlightenment experience?). Since Eko gets beaten to death by the Monster after refusing to apologize for the crimes that haunt him, I think it’s safe to assume that Smokey, at least in part, is on the Island to lead the castaways to redemption.
Shipper Friendly
Another awesome part about Season Three is that it is incredibly shipper friendly. Kate and Sawyer get-in-on while Jack watches, Jack and Juliet start their relationship, Claire and Charlie kiss, we learn that Ben had a mad crush on Juliet, and Jack tells Kate he loves her. It’s also really interesting to watch any of the scenes between Sawyer and Juliet, knowing what happens in Season Five. I could even be convinced that Juliet knew what would happen between her and Sawyer in future-1977 should some wacky story-telling lead us in that direction.
The Others
One of the joys about re-watching Season Three was that this time around I could really like Ben and Juliet. Well, with Ben it’s more of a love-to-hate type reaction. Learning about his history on the Island in “The Man Behind the Curtain” was crazy-fun and also exciting because I know there’s a chunk of history missing there that I hope will be revealed in Season Six. What happened to Anne? What happened between his first encounter with Richard and the Purge? I bet we’ll get some answers.
Speaking of Richard, we learn a significant amount about him in Season Three, but not nearly enough. (BTW: How does he get the Man from Tallahassee without the aid of the submarine and so freaking fast?) I think one of the ways that the writers will reveal much of the Island mythology next year is through a Richard flash-back episode and that would be AMAZING.
And we also hear a lot more about the Super-Mega Other: Jacob. Was he really the one in the cabin telling John to help him? Or was that the Man in Black? We know now that Ben couldn’t really see or hear anything in the cabin, so has Ben ever really gotten directions from Jacob? The list with the names of Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley was said to be from Jacob in Season Two, but in Season Three we see Juliet and Ben discussing who to put on the list in the Pearl Station… so Ben’s actual relationship with Jacob is still a bit of mystery.
There are a lot of reasons for why Season Three is my favorite. For one, there are so many answers given to previously established mysteries. We learn how Locke’s legs became paralyzed, we learn about Jack’s tattoos, we learn a whole lot about what’s going on with the Others, and we certainly gain a better understanding of the Smoke Monster (hint: I don’t think it’s nanobots!).
Smoke Monter
When the Smoke Monster encountered Eko in Season Two, it flashed images of his life-story. It would appear in Season Three that Smokey has used this information in order to learn what form it should take to best get Eko’s attention. When Eko sees Yemi, the “ghost” says “You talk to me as if I was your brother,” and the executive producers confirmed in their podcast that this was an incarnation of the Smoke Monster.
So we learn that Smokey can take the form of people (and horsies!) and that it probably does so for a set purpose (to lead the characters towards an enlightenment experience?). Since Eko gets beaten to death by the Monster after refusing to apologize for the crimes that haunt him, I think it’s safe to assume that Smokey, at least in part, is on the Island to lead the castaways to redemption.
Shipper Friendly
Another awesome part about Season Three is that it is incredibly shipper friendly. Kate and Sawyer get-in-on while Jack watches, Jack and Juliet start their relationship, Claire and Charlie kiss, we learn that Ben had a mad crush on Juliet, and Jack tells Kate he loves her. It’s also really interesting to watch any of the scenes between Sawyer and Juliet, knowing what happens in Season Five. I could even be convinced that Juliet knew what would happen between her and Sawyer in future-1977 should some wacky story-telling lead us in that direction.
The Others
One of the joys about re-watching Season Three was that this time around I could really like Ben and Juliet. Well, with Ben it’s more of a love-to-hate type reaction. Learning about his history on the Island in “The Man Behind the Curtain” was crazy-fun and also exciting because I know there’s a chunk of history missing there that I hope will be revealed in Season Six. What happened to Anne? What happened between his first encounter with Richard and the Purge? I bet we’ll get some answers.
Speaking of Richard, we learn a significant amount about him in Season Three, but not nearly enough. (BTW: How does he get the Man from Tallahassee without the aid of the submarine and so freaking fast?) I think one of the ways that the writers will reveal much of the Island mythology next year is through a Richard flash-back episode and that would be AMAZING.
And we also hear a lot more about the Super-Mega Other: Jacob. Was he really the one in the cabin telling John to help him? Or was that the Man in Black? We know now that Ben couldn’t really see or hear anything in the cabin, so has Ben ever really gotten directions from Jacob? The list with the names of Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley was said to be from Jacob in Season Two, but in Season Three we see Juliet and Ben discussing who to put on the list in the Pearl Station… so Ben’s actual relationship with Jacob is still a bit of mystery.
Expose:
One of the weirdest episodes in all of Lost history is "Expose." How bizarre to have a complete filler episode on a series that had for two and a half years prior been relying on a reveal-some, question-some pace. I remember being completely baffled and frustrated when watching this episode live because it was essentially a waste of a week for someone who wanted answers. This time around I enjoyed the episode because for one, I think getting buried alive is crazy compelling. For another, it really illustrated how the creators and writers listen to the fans. They heard that the fan community wanted to learn more about the whole slew of other castaways (called the "socks" by the writers), so they introduced Nikki and Paulo. Then they heard the tremendous backlash against these idiots, so they took an episode to get their story-line out of the way and kill 'em off. I love that they respect their fans and were able to react to the response in a timely manner.
Finale:
Season three is made all the better by it’s awesome finale. Whether or not you knew right away that those were flash-forwards (like co-blogger Metta did), it’s still a cool change of pace! The mysteries were a lot less frustrating when you knew that the characters would be reaching a certain destination at some point, it was just a matter of how they got to that point and where they would go from there.
Repeated Lines:
We have to indoctrinate Charlie in the “Don’t tell me what I can’t do” crew. We also have a new repeated line when Locke quotes Eko saying “don’t confuse coincidence for fate.”
Questions:
Of course there are still many questions. One of which is why can’t a nice show like Lost afford good wigs? Some of the hairdos in the flash-backs were beyond laughable.
Read more!
Finale:
Season three is made all the better by it’s awesome finale. Whether or not you knew right away that those were flash-forwards (like co-blogger Metta did), it’s still a cool change of pace! The mysteries were a lot less frustrating when you knew that the characters would be reaching a certain destination at some point, it was just a matter of how they got to that point and where they would go from there.
Repeated Lines:
We have to indoctrinate Charlie in the “Don’t tell me what I can’t do” crew. We also have a new repeated line when Locke quotes Eko saying “don’t confuse coincidence for fate.”
Questions:
Of course there are still many questions. One of which is why can’t a nice show like Lost afford good wigs? Some of the hairdos in the flash-backs were beyond laughable.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Film - Girls Just Want to Have Fun Remake
I don't know whether to be very happy or very sad about this news. "Girls Just Want To Have Fun" is a masterpiece. I strongly encourage you to watch the original before you see this remake (whenever it gets made). As for the Miley Cyrus casting rumors? I think it could be a good thing! She reminds me of a young Sarah Jessica, actually...
Funny story for you who chose to "Read More." I once agreed to eat a piece of rhubarb pie (which I hated) in return for having the rest of my male roommates (Bob, Tom, and Greg) watch GJWTHF with me. Good times. . Read more!
Funny story for you who chose to "Read More." I once agreed to eat a piece of rhubarb pie (which I hated) in return for having the rest of my male roommates (Bob, Tom, and Greg) watch GJWTHF with me. Good times. . Read more!
Monday, June 1, 2009
TV - Lost Season Two
I've finished re-watching Season Two of Lost. Read more for my analysis, favorite moments, some trivia, and questions that I still have about this season.
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Season Two is not one of my favorite seasons. I guess I won't be sure where to place it until after I've re-watched the first five, but I'm going to guess it'll be either my second or absolute least favorite. The success of Lost rides in it's ability to keep viewer's engaged in the Island's mysteries and in the characters emotional journeys. Season Two focused a bit too much on the Mystery of the Hatch and the character bickering was tiresome. Not only were Locke and Jack constantly feuding, but Charlie drifts dangerously close to unlikable.
New Characters
Although I somewhat resented the time it took to get to know the slew of new characters presented this season, almost all of them are welcome additions, like Desmond, Mr. Eko, Libby, and "Henry Gale." One is a triumphant annoyance: Ana Lucia. in true Lost style, Ana was presented in such a way that the audience was supposed to have a strong (negative) reaction to her, that would then be questioned once her back-story was revealed. However, learning Ana's story that she had been shot in the abdomen, resulting in the loss of her pregnancy, really didn't do much in reducing my hatred of her. The massive backlash against Ana was so powerful that the writers made a last minute decision to kill Libby off as well as Ana in "Two for the Road" in order to create the necessary emotional-blow.
I have to say, I'm sticking to my guns about my theories regarding Kate/Jack/and Sawyer. In this episode Kate attacks Jack for his goodness and is mad knowing that she'll "never be good" like him. She also addresses the fact that Sawyer reminds her of the ugliest parts of her - the fact that she can have murder in her heart because step-dad was actually dad-dad. But the fact that Sawyer represents who she really is and Jack is what she "just ain't" is a pretty good predictor in my book about with whom Kate'd have the most successful relationship. Take that sentence structure and basic grammar!
Although I somewhat resented the time it took to get to know the slew of new characters presented this season, almost all of them are welcome additions, like Desmond, Mr. Eko, Libby, and "Henry Gale." One is a triumphant annoyance: Ana Lucia. in true Lost style, Ana was presented in such a way that the audience was supposed to have a strong (negative) reaction to her, that would then be questioned once her back-story was revealed. However, learning Ana's story that she had been shot in the abdomen, resulting in the loss of her pregnancy, really didn't do much in reducing my hatred of her. The massive backlash against Ana was so powerful that the writers made a last minute decision to kill Libby off as well as Ana in "Two for the Road" in order to create the necessary emotional-blow.
Repeated Lines:
Add Mr. Eko to the "Don't tell me what I can't do!" club!
Favorite Moments:
- The Rose and Bernard reunion, of course! It was great knowing that Rose's gut was right all along and that her husband was, in fact, alive. It's also great for the 'shippers out there (hello: me!) to have a stable relationship to enjoy.
- The Orientation film: what a creepy, weird scene! I love a great big WTF moment on Lost, and this true introduction to the Dharma Initiative is one of my favorites.
- In the episode "The Hunting Party," we get a nice chat from a bearded Tom. This is another one of those truly game-changing moments in Lost: there's no denying from here on out that our castaways are not alone on the Island. And that "Light them up!" shout, revealing that our castaways are surrounded by Others with torches is a truly exciting, nerve-wracking scene.
- Knowing who "Henry Gale" really is makes watching the episodes with him trapped in the ammo room so much more enjoyable. My favorite scene of his is watching him react to Eko's redemption speech in "Maternity Leave," complete with his slack jawed reception of Eko's beard trimmings. Although Ben prides himself on always sticking to a plan, he lets a genuine "oh shit - this be crazy" face slip-out.
Favorite Episode:
It was hard for me to pick a favorite episode from this season. Although many episodes contained great moments, the episode as a whole was often tainted by endless Ana Lucia hating, or Locke vs. Jack grumblings (which were important for defining these characters, but a bit exhausting).
I'm going to go ahead and pick "What Kate Did." Here was an episode with a nice answer to a mystery, as well as some relationshippy goodness, and some more mystery with the appearance of Kate's black horse and Michael IMing "Walt" on the computer.
I have to say, I'm sticking to my guns about my theories regarding Kate/Jack/and Sawyer. In this episode Kate attacks Jack for his goodness and is mad knowing that she'll "never be good" like him. She also addresses the fact that Sawyer reminds her of the ugliest parts of her - the fact that she can have murder in her heart because step-dad was actually dad-dad. But the fact that Sawyer represents who she really is and Jack is what she "just ain't" is a pretty good predictor in my book about with whom Kate'd have the most successful relationship. Take that sentence structure and basic grammar!
Trivia:
Creator and Executive Producer Damon Lindelof confirmed the Hatch's hieroglyphics mean "Underworld" in Egyptian.
A glass eye was found by the Tailies along with the bible and the radio. Did you know the world's "first glass eye" was supposedly found in a tomb containing a backgammon game? (See Season One)
We hear Mama Cass's "Make Your Own Kind of Music" a lot in Season Two. While vacationing at the Virgin Islands, Mama Cass was hit on the head by a falling copper pipe and claimed that after the incident her vocal range had increased by three notes.
The Dharma Initiative logo incorporates the "ba gua" Chinese symbol, which represents eight interrelated concepts such as wind, water, mountain, and earth.
Questions:
The Smoke Monster: In Season One it ate the Pilot immediately. Then it showed Locke a brilliant white light. Then in this season it shows Eko flashes from his past. Certainly the monster behaves differently based on with whom it's interacting. What drives the Monster's behavior?
Libby: Libby was shown in the same mental institution as Hurley. What's the deal there, especially considering she said she was a psychologist?
Walt: We hear from Ms. Klugh some interesting hints at Walt's talents (teleportation?), and we've gotten the idea that he can kill birds when he's angry and throw a mean knife. Certainly he has some special abilities that I'd love to have explained.
The Pearl Station: What was the experiment being monitored? Was it watching people push the button over in the Hatch? Or was it watching them take their shots? Or was the experiment, like Desmond hinted, the other way around and the monitors were actually the test-subjects?
That's more than enough on that. Hope you took something away of value to help you with your own Lost theorizing!
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