Houston Blogs: Celeb Blog

Inception review

In a summer movie season, when it seems like there is a rush to aim for the biggest common denominator in order to sell the most tickets (entertaining for kids, AND adults!) it's refreshing to finally have a film that is aimed squarely at grownups. That's not to say that Inception can't be enjoyed by kids ... visually Christopher Nolan has created an exciting world, with mind bending action sequences that walk the line between The Matrix and the latest Bond films. There is a lot to see but, even bigger than that, there is a lot to think about.

It's rare that I go into a movie knowing nearly nothing about it. From the trailers I picked up that Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is some kind of mental mercenary who can enter people's minds in order to steal secrets from their subconscious. And ...

Well, actually ... that's about it.

If you don't want to know any more about the film, I would recommend skipping the rest of this review (thanks for reading this far) and just go knowing that the summer isn't a total wasteland of bad sequels and 3-D headache-makers (Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me excluded.)

Okay, everyone else? Here we go.

As I mentioned, Cobb and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are a pair of thieves who make their living stealing secrets from the subconscious. They use a silver briefcase filled with tubing and sedatives to connect their minds to their target. Once inside they try to convince the subject's internal avatar to give up the info either through intimidation, flattery or confusion. During a tryout, the duo try to get information from the mind of a rich and powerful businessman named Saito (Ken Watanabe.) They don't do it, but he's impressed enough to hire them for a special job: tor plant an idea in the mind of a business rival. The job is practically impossible and very risky but Cobb accepts the job because Saito can give Cobb what he wants the most, the chance to be reunited with his children.

Then, like all good heist films, Cobb begins to gather his team and formulate a plan. Along the way we learn the rules of the subconscious through Ariadne (Ellen Page) a young brilliant architect who soon learns how to create and manipulate entire worlds just through her imagination. Some of the basics: don't 'build' the dreamscape from your own memories because you might lose track of what is and is not real. Don't change the dreamscape too much or else you might upset the other 'figments' who will try to attack you to restore the memories. Plus, if you're killed in the dream world you simply wake up in the real world (sorry, Freddy Krueger!), but if you are injured you really feel it because pain is of the mind. You can also set up dreams within the dreams to get deeper into a subject's subconscious, and that's where this film really sets itself apart. Time moves at a different speed in every level. Five minutes of sleep feels like an hour in the dream world, which can feel like a full day in the second level and so on.
At one point there are four different action sequences each happening in different time frames ... each one has an impact in the level above it and, somewhat miraculously, director Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight) manages to keep it all in order for the audience. Additionally it all feels very real. Even when entire buildings are crumbling into the sea like eroding sand castles or freight trains pass through the center of a busy street there is a genuine feeling of danger and, unlike most movies about adventures in a dreamland, these characters have limits ... they can't fly, they can't turn into big monsters and they don't have superhuman strength.

And I haven't even mentioned the menacing presence of Cobb's wife who constantly thwarts Cobb's actions in the dreamscapes because ...

But, I think I've said too much already.

See it.

P.S. Ironically this is the one summer film that I think would really work well in 3D, but it was a relief not having to wear those glasses again!

The Last Airbender review

That's kind of cool ... but ... oh, nevermind.

That's what kept going through my mind while watching M. Night Shyamalan's The Last Airbender.  The same director who built his career on building character, atmosphere and tension (with sometimes eye-rolling payoffs) has now brought us one of the most visually incredible yet shallow movies of the summer.

 

And it's in 3-D! More on that later (but quick note: Skip it!)

 

In "The Last Airbender" the world (either in the far future or alternate-universe-past) is split up between four tribes; Fire, Water, Earth and Air.  The tribes were at peace for a while thanks to the Avatar, the one person who has total control over the four elements. But the Avatar vanished about a hundred years ago and the Fire tribe has decided it wants to rule the world.

 

In each tribe there are 'Benders' people who can manipulate their tribe's element.  They are supposed to be rare except in the case when the script needs three or four or dozens of people who can control them telekinetically.  A teenage girl Waterbender named Katara and her non-bending but protective brother, Sokka, from the southern 'Water' tribe are out hunting when they find a large ice globe and inside is a mysterious bald child who appears to be the last of the 'Air' benders … and he may possibly be the Avatar.  The forces of the Fire tribe know that if they can control the Airbender (and the last Avatar) they can rule the world.

 

And so the story goes.

 

This is Shyamalan’s first movie that was not based on one of his original ideas.  It’s based on the Nickelodeon cartoon series Avatar: The Last Airbender (Avatar was apparently already being used by some other movie?) Adaptation is not Shyamalan’s strong suit.  The film is a big mess of half-conceived characters, unexplained plots and lost potential.  The best example of this:  When we first meet Aang, the airbender, he is in suspended animation along with his friend, Appa, a flying bison (I only knew that because I looked it up on Wikipedia.)  We see the beast’s furry sides and flat tail, but we don’t see its face until three-quarters into the movie.  Apparently Appa flies Aang, Katara and Sokka back to their village, but we don’t see that.  We don’t even know that Appa can fly until we see him playing with some of the children in the village.  Later, when the Fire nation is launching an attack on the Northern Water Tribe, Appa joins in the fight in what is supposed to be a big crowd cheering moment … but all he does is roar and we never see him again.  Over and over again we see cool things starting to happen and then it all falls apart.  It’s disheartening, really.  My nephews keep telling me I need to watch the series and I’m kind of glad I didn’t, because I didn’t know what I was missing. (I’ll leave it to other fanboy reviewers to details what was left out.)  It’s a shame because you can tell that there are some very cool ideas here.

 

Shyamalan has bit off more than he can chew.  Not only is this his first big special FX film, it’s also his first martial arts film and it seems like all of his focus was on the look, but not the script. 

 

Now to the 3-D.  Once again we have a 2-D film that has been rushed through the process of adding a third demension to the film's detriment.  This film was not originally filmed with 3-D in mind ... it was pretty much an afterhtought which became a priority after the success of that other "Avatar" film.  Thankfully the process was better done than "Clash Of The Titans" which was painful ... but not much better.  There are still the few odd scenes when characters and scenery seem flat and artificially distanced from the objects on the background.  There are also a couple of scenes filmed with the characters in the foreground out of of focus while characters in the background are in focus ... a classic way of projecting depth on 2-D screen.  It just looks weird in 3-D ... once again like watching the film through a ViewMaster.  Save the extra money and watch the film as it was intended.

Lost finale blog ... Really!?

I'm going to call it the Six Season Blink.

 

I should trademark that phrase, actually!  Lost began with a closed eye opening, and ended with an open eye closing, and in the blink of an eye it was all over.  Has it really been six years?  I have too many disjointed thoughts about the finale of Lost that I think I'll just throw out a few first impressions and maybe I'll write back in a couple of days when I've had time to digest it all.

 

My first thought are these phrases:

"It only ends once, everything else is just progress." - Jacob

"Every question I answer will just bring you to another question,." - The Other Mother

"Whatever happened, happened." - Daniel Faraday

 

That's pretty much all you need to know about the series.  Sure there are a ton of unanswered mysteries raised during the past six years, but it doesn't really matter ... because it's all progress to the final ending, right? Right!?

 

Maybe not.

 

Let me start by saying I enjoyed the finale.  I thought it was full of action and came to a somewhat satisfying and heartbreaking conclusion. 

 

Now for my quibbles and questions.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but it appears the flash-sideways world was the product of the castaways collective conciousness ... a place where they could be reunited after their deaths to connect with the people who matter the most during their lives.  Right? (I liked the image of the stained glass window in the church with the symbols of the world's biggest religions which suggested the flash-sideways world is open to everyone.) But in a way doesn't that kind of make that half of the final season a bit of a let down?  The only reality that mattered is the one of the island.  The flash-sideways is essentially a dream world where things work out fine in the end, but it doesn't matter!  All that matters is that Desmond and Jack give their lives to kill MIB/Locke and keep him from leaving the island while Lapidus, Miles, Alpert, Sawyer, Kate and Claire fly off in the least-probable airline flight ever. Everyone else who died in the past six years is dead and the happy endings in the flash-sideways are as genuine as that dream I had the other day where I had Spider-man's powers. (I've had more interesting dreams, but that was probably the only one I could get away with talking about in a blog on my station's website!)  Have you ever had anyone tell you about a cool dream they've had?  Have you ever really cared about what happened to them in a dream?  Unless you are trying to assure them that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar nobody really wants to hear about the cool things you've done in a dream BECAUSE IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER! 

 

Okay, now, as I type, I think I'm starting to get frustrated. 

Should I feel happy that Jin and Sun are together and expecting? Nope, doesn't matter!

Claire and Charlie are together and anxious to start raising together.  Good news? Doesn't matter!

Sawyer and Juliet are together again, and there could be trouble because she's married to Jack.  Should we be worried? NO, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T MATTER! 

 

So while we spent all this time in the flash-sideways world there were a ton of 'real world' mysteries still left unsolved:

Why did the Dharma Initiative bring polar bears to the island?  Why not other animals?

Why did Pierre Chang change his name for every one of the Dharma orientation films?

Why was the cave that held the donkey wheel frozen, and why does accessing the light in that spot transport a person to Tunisia?

Why can't the SM cross the sonic fence or a line of ashes?

How does/did the pool inside the temple ressurect people, and what happened to Sayid after he was dunked in it?

How long did the Other Mother watch over the island?

There are dozens more questions just like this that we will never have answered ... and then a couple new ones presented last night:

If the MIB is totally dead, why does the island need a watcher anymore?  How long did Hurley and Ben have to work together? (Actually that could be a fantastic spin-off! Like the Odd Couple but on an island!)

 

Now you can tell me that those questions don't matter but for me they are the ones that matter the most because those happened in the real world!  The reason the Flashbacks and Flash-Forwards worked so well was because everything was connected.  The things that happened in the castaways past affected the way they dealt with things on the island.  The Flash-Forward season mattered because it worked as a double mystery; how did the Oceanic 6 get off the island and how will they get back.  But this season all of the drama, tension and fears from the Flash-Sideways were just red herrings meant to keep viewers on their toes, but ultimately that reality had less substance than the Smoke Monster.

 

Like I said, these are just first impressions and maybe I'll see things differently when my 20/20 hindsight kicks in.

 

P.S. I've had two people tell me they think the entire show, island and all, was nothing more than Jack dying, sort of like the Tim Robbins film Jacob's Ladder.   I respectfully disagree, but it makes me wonder ...

Shrek Forever After

Stop me if you've heard this one before:

There's an ogre, and he's kind of a grump, and he likes his privacy, and circumstances beyond his control force him out of his comfort zone, and he fights against it but comes to learn that his original lifestyle wasn't all that great to begin with.

Now tell me ... which Shrek film was I describing? ALL OF THEM. Let's get a little more specific.

Shrek: Ogre goes to a big castle to get the fairy tale creatures out of his swamp.
Shrek 2: Ogre goes to a big castle to meet the parents of his new girlfriend, but all he wants to do is return to his swamp.
Shrek The Third: Ogre leaves a big castle so he can find another heir to take the throne so he can get back to the swamp.

Get it!? Shrek just wants to be an ogre and live in a swamp. Leave the poor guy alone! Alas, there is one more story to tell before he can all live happily ever after. Now it may sound like I'm really getting ready for a scathing review but let me say this ... I really liked this film and laughed nearly the entire time. It's far better than the third and while it may not be able to live up to the magic of the first (an almost impossible feat considering that is when we were first introduced to this world) it comes pretty darn close.

In Shrek 4 the big green guy is living a life of domestic bliss, finally in his swamp, surrounded by his loving wife, three precious babies and his good friends Donkey and Dragon and their bizarre hybrid children who seem to defy all laws of nature. The problem this time? Things are getting redundant. Wake up early, feed the kids, change the kids, visit with the friends, eat dinner, go to sleep ... then repeat. Ultimately he starts wishing he were a bachelor again, living on his own ... in the swamp. I guess even ogres can have a mid-life crisis!

After realizing that no one is scared of him anymore, his swamp has become a tourist attraction and his ogre roar has become a novelty act, Shrek confesses to his wife, Fiona, that he wishes things were like they used to be, before he rescued her from the dragon's keep. Not a good thing to say. Enter Rumpelstiltskin (brilliantly voiced by animator Walt Dorhn whose performances during production won him the part). He makes a deal with Shrek that will allow Shrek to become a true ogre again for just one day. But buried deep in the fine print, Shrek must give up one day from his past. Buried even further in the even finer print ... Shrek gives up the day he was born. So while Shrek is thrilled to be able to scare villagers again, he realized that everyone he knows has changed because he was never born: Donkey doesn't know him; Puss-in-Boots is an overfed house cat who shares his milk with mice; and Fiona has become the leader of an ogre resistance force fighting against Rumpelstiltskin who has taken control of Far Far Away along with an army of witches. Now Shrek has only one day to woo Fiona and regain control of the land.

Obviously it's a rip of the 'It's a Wonderful Life' concept, but it's a great way to freshen up characters who have become almost too familiar. One of the funniest changes involves Gingerbread Man, who has been turned into a warrior who uses a broken lollipop to fight off animal crackers in a gladiator arena. Even better ... it's a quick gag. Rather than spending time on these 'fan favorite' side characters the writers uses them for a couple quick hit-and-run jokes and gives us a few all new characters that freshen up the screen. I wouldn't even dream of revealing who Rumpel calls on to get rid of Shrek, but it's an ingenious choice and very true to the 'Shrek' world of fractured fairy tales.

One last note. Skip the 3D. It's well done, and it works but, more than anything, it's unnecessary. I can't think of any one moment in the film that took my breath away or made me feel grateful that I saw it in an extra dimensions.

Lost Blog: The Sides Have Been Set

Just when you start to feel sorry for the guy he goes and slashes an innocent woman's throat.

 

From the first episode the game was laid out for us ... black versus white.  That was what Locke told Walt when he was teaching him how to play backgammon after the crash of Oceanic 815 and ever since then (especially in this final season) the black/white imagery has been crammed down our throats.  For a while it looked like things weren't going to be so cut-and-dried.  When we met Jacob and the Man In Black we assumed they were the embodiments of good and evil, but last week we learned the two men, who were brothers, were both lied to ever since they were children, and all the MIB ever wanted was to see what was across the sea.  You almost felt sorry for him ...

 

And then the MIB/Locke decided to pull his knife and cut Zoe's throat.

 

But I'm getting a little ahead of myself.  After last week's brief 'origin story' episode we reconnect with all the remaining castaways on the island and in the flash-sideways world.  Let's start with the flash-sideways.  Desmond continues to find ways to pull all of the Oceanic passengers together so that they can become aware of the other realities.  Earlier in the season he ran over Locke to send him to the hospital to see Jack.  Then last night he beat up Ben in the school parking lot, and turned himself in for the earlier hit-and-run so he could help Kate and Sayid break out of jail.  Hasn't this guy ever heard of Evite?  Whatever ... he seems to be having some effect though; Hurley seems to be completely aware of both realities (since he recognized Anna Lucia), and Ben had flashes of a previous pummeling at the hands of Desmond on the dock from Season 5.  We'll see what happens when he gets everyone to the Widmore's big party.  (Oooh!  What if the entire series ends with everyone at the party happy and singing "I'm A Believer" like at the end of Shrek! Wouldn't that be cool?  Hello?)

 

Meanwhile, back on the island ...

 

Things are not going well. Jack, Hurley, Kate and Sawyer are still mourning the loss of Sun and Jin in the sub, but set out to find Desmond who was left alive at the bottom of a well by Sayid.   Teen Jacob steals his own ashes from Hurley and tells him to bring everyone together so he can give them answers.  For some reason that I haven't fully figured out (but I'm sure someone will have a good theory) everyone can see Adult Jacob now, and he sits them around the fire. FINALLY!  This is going to be great!  We're finally going to get some of the answers we've been waiting for!  Okay, Jacob .. whatcha got?

 

Locke is evil and can't be allowed to get off the island (we knew that.)

There's a tunnel full of light at the center of the energy that needs to be protected (we knew that, too.)

He brought everyone to the island because he needed someone to take over for him (still waiting for the big OMG reveal.)

He created the Smoke Monster ... (really, is this what we're waiting for?)

The only reason he crossed Kate off the list of candidates was because she had become a 'mom' by caring for Aaron (well, that's something, at least.)

 

Okay, so I guess the big tell-all was really meant more for the castaways than the viewers, but come on!  Give us something more!  And how anti-climactic was it when Jack stood up and said that he would take over for Jacob?  What, no arguing from Hurley or Kate?  Sawyer doesn't want to do a little I'm-as-good-as-Jack posturing?  When I'm at a dinner and someone offers to pick up the check, I at least reach for my pocket to act like I'm going to try and pay (but I somehow left my credit card at home.  Sorry!) 

 

And that's it ... the new 'white' has been assigned.

 

Now to the dark side.   It's been about three or four episodes since we have seen Ben, Richard and Miles who were looking for ways to blow up the plane to keep the MIB from leaving the island.  They arrive in Dharma-ville to get some of the C4 that Ben has stashed away and find Zoe and Widmore there at the same time.  As they argue about their next step, the MIB/Locke comes for a visit.  Richard tries to go talk with him but is thrown into a tree.  Miles run into the jungle, while Widmore and Zoe hid in a secret closet.  Ben steps outside to talk with MIB/Locke (a scene that reminded me a lot of the conversation between Bill and the Bride in Kill Bill 2 before the big slaughter).  He wants Ben to kill a few people and, when he leaves, Ben can have control of the island.  Ben agrees and tells MIB/Locke where Widmore and Zoe are hiding.  And then it happens ... without hesitation MIB/Locke slashes Zoe's throat and any sympathy we have for him evaporates in a puff of smoke (get it?!)  MIB/Locke promises Widmore that he won't kill Penny if he tells him more about Desmond's plans, but as Widmore whispers the information he is shot dead by Ben.  It appears he's still pretty mad that Widmore's men killed Alex, and he still wants Penny's life as payback.

 

And now we have the new 'black.'

 

So the sides have been set ... but it appears the good guys may have an advantage because they apparently got to Desmond first.

 

So a few unanswered questions ...

Why did Widmore bring a geophysicist (Zoe) to the island?  She didn’t seem to do anything other than wear those geeky glasses really well and then she got killed.  Almost as pointless as when Sun lost her ability to speak English.

 

Will  MIB/Locke successfully destroy the island? We saw the island at the bottom of the ocean at the beginning of the season.

 

And are we ever going to see MIB/Locke turn into the SM?  I’m sure it would be cheesy but I really, really want to see it!

Lost Blog: Only 210 minutes left!

Okay ... raise your hands if the biggest question you have after this week's episode is 'How the heck are they going to answer all these questions in the next three and a half hours?'  Why are they still introducing new characters?

 

I have so many thoughts (most of them incoherent) after this week's episode of Lost. 

First: Allison Janey as Jacob and MIB's 'Mom.'  For me Janey will always be White House Spokesperson CJ Craig from The West Wing (and watching her deliver twin brothers made me remember the post-9/11 episode of TWW where the First Lady tried to explain the conflict between Arabic and Jewish descendants by talking about the Old Testament and Abraham's sons, Isaac and Ishmael.  Man, was that a preachy episode, or what? But I digress.)
The episode is set in 'Roman' times, something I know only because I read it on Lostpedia.com (http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Across_the_Sea).  Yet another ship has cracked up near the island and we see a very pregnant woman wash up on the beach.  She is Claudia.  She's separated from the other people on the boat and doesn't realize she's carrying twins.   She is rescued by Janey's  unnamed character (who I'll just call CJ from here on) who helps deliver the two boys.  Claudia names the first one Jacob, but realizes she didn't have a name picked for the second boy.  But before she can pick one CJ picks up a rock and kills her and raises the boys as her own.  Why does she do that? How long has she been on the island?  Did she lose a kid and now suffers from the same paranoid delusions that affected Rousseau and Claire?

And it is at this point when I finally, after 5.75 seasons, join in with skeptics who say ... GET ON WITH IT! There are only 210 minutes left! Stop introducing new characters to create new mysteries and give us some answers! 

 

Of course we'll probably never get those answers. Why? CJ says it herself "If I give you an answer it will only bring up more questions." That is probably the best thing the writers could have ever written about this show.  Think about it ... have you ever had a conversation with a 4 year old who keeps asking, "Why?" to everything you say? 

 

Man: I'm feeling tired.

Kid: Why?

Man: I didn't sleep well last night.

Kid: Why?

Man: My mind kept thinking about work.

Kid: Why?

Man: Because I have a lot of work to do when I go into the office today.

Kid: Why?

Man: Because I didn't get it all finished yesterday.

Kid: Why?

Man: Stop talking and eat your cereal!

 

See what I mean?  We're not meant to get all of the answers and I think I have finally come to accept that we will still have a ton of questions even after the May 23rd finale.

However, there were a few answers to be found:

We learned that Jacob and the MIB are twin brothers, and were born just as human a the rest of us.  However ...

We learned their immortality was given to them by CJ (How? Stop talking and eat your cereal!)

We learned the MIB always wondered about life off the island while Jacob accepted that the island was, pretty much, all there is.

We learned the crew members that crashed with the Jacob and MIB's real mother are the ones who learned about and began to research the island's electromagnetic energies.

We learned the MIB helped install the so-called 'donkey wheel' to create an opening to the island's electromagnetic 'light' that he thinks will allow him to leave the island.

The 'light' was always a secret that CJ felt she had to protect and when she realized the MIB had found an access point other than the one she knew about she knocks out the MIB and kills everyone in the camp. When MIB realizes she has done this he hunts her down and kills her, but he is then beaten up by Jacob who tosses him in the river which sweeps him into the island's inner light and ... taa daa ... the Smoke Monster is born.   My original theory was that the SM was actually made up of the MIB's individual cells which he was able to break apart and fly around the island.  But it turns out it the island's light separates the SM from the MIB, and the MIB's body is left behind.  Jacob lays his twin brother next to CJ  ... and now we know who were the Adam and Eve skeletons shown to us in the first season.

Disappointing?  A little ... I had been hoping the skeletons would have been Jin and Sun whose bodies would have somehow been sent back in time and placed in the cave, but since all the time jumping ended last season (or was it two seasons ago?) this is as good of an explanation as anything.

So what's next?  The title of the next episode is 'What They Died For', which I believe means we will finally figure out the nature of the true 'evil' that Jacob and the island were keeping from the rest of the world. 

 

That's probably the biggest question of the entire series, even if we didn't know we had to ask it until 6 episodes ago!

Iron Man 2: More Metal Than You Can Imagine!

Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) has a problem.

 

Correction.

 

Tony Stark IS a problem.  He's richer than ever, he can have any woman he wants and he has a super cool metal suit that makes him into a superhero.

 

I can relate.

 

Okay, that's not true, but I also like to think about what it would be like to win the lottery so forgive my indulgence if, every now and then, I wish to be Tony Stark, too.

 

Let's start over.

 

Tony Stark IS a problem.  Now that he has admitted to being Iron Man and become a one-man peacemaker there is no one who can keep him from indulging in whatever his glow-in-the-dark heart desires.  Use the suit to go on a donut run? Check.  Jump into a Formula 1 to test his skills on in the Monaco Grand Prix? Check.  Mock a powerful senator who is hell bent on using the Iron Man suit as a template for an unstoppable military force?  Check.  But there is something he can't check off the list ... the palladium that he uses to power the 'arc reactor' in his chest is also poisoning him and, unless he can find an alternate source of energy, he won't live long enough to make any more sequels.  Knowing that the end is near Stark is letting it all hang out, including getting drunk while in the Iron Man suit and skeet shooting champagne bottles during his birthday party.  (I once had a few too many during one of my birthday parties and tried to impress my guests with magic tricks but ended up giving away all of the secrets.  I told you I could relate!)

 

Stark is being hunted by Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the son of a Russian physicist who worked with Stark's father on the original arc reactor.  Vanko's father was deported back to Russia and died in poverty and always believed Stark's father was the reason for his misfortune.  Vanko uses his skills, his own version of an arc reactor and an apparent love of whips to become the villain known to comic book fans as Whiplash. 

 

But Stark has other things to worry about.  His best friend Lt. Colonel James 'Rhodey' Rhodes (Don Cheadle) is starting to realize that Stark is getting too reckless and selfish with the Iron Man technology, and that it needs to be put in the hands of someone a little more responsible.  Rhodey takes an earlier model of the Iron Man suit and brings it to his superiors who quickly turn it over to ...

 

Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a rival inventor who is constantly in Stark's shadow when it comes to his money, his technology and his popularity with the ladies.  Hammer is desperate to secure a government contract and has been trying to create his own mechanical suit that won't permanently injure the soldiers he sticks inside.  When Hammer witnesses Whiplash's showdown with Iron Man on the Monaco speedway he realizes that he has found the man that can put him over the top.

 

Does that seem like a lot?  I haven't even brought up Stark's platonic, but heating up, relationship with his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) who he promotes to CEO; Nick Fury's (Samuel L. Jackson) ongoing attempts to recruit Stark into the 'Avengers Initiative'; and Natalie Rushman (Scarlett Johansson) the hot new lawyer whose fighting skills are as dangerous as the curves she displays in her too-tight-for-the-workplace dresses.

 

Truth be told, it's not really that complicated.  Iron Man 2 is a great kick-off to the summer movie season.  Like most sequels it's not as good as the first.  My complaints are mostly petty, but here they are.

 

First: the dialogue.  Downey is a master at making every script sound like improv.  He always seems to be saying three times as many words as I'm sure the writers ever typed into their computers.  This time, however, everyone is joining in on the game. It becomes distracting after a while because I know the characters are talking about something important, but I can't actually understand it.  It's like watching The View!  It does work best, however, when you see Rockwell trying to keep up and failing because his character is just so envious of Stark.

 

Second: Jackson's interpretation of Nick Fury.  (Note: this complaint will really only matter to comic book fans.)  Fury was always no-nonsense, gruff and commanding.  Jackson had it right during his 10-second cameo in the 'after-the-credits' bonus scene in the first film. (Hint: there's another bonus scene after the credits in this one, too!) But now he's playing Fury almost too loose. Honestly, I thought he sounded more like Jules from Pulp Fiction this time around.  I was expecting him to pull out his Bad MF wallet during the restaurant scene.

 

Third: Fight cinematography.  The scenes with Johansson as the Black Widow are nearly unwatchable.  There's a lot of great action, but someone set the camera shutter on 'high' and it's like watching the sequence with a strobe light on.  Also, why is nearly every Iron Man battle at night?  My favorite sequence in the first film was the dogfight with the fighter jets in broad daylight.  This time around there's so much fast flying and bright explosions it's almost impossible to see the suit in action. 

 

Finally (spoiler alert) I'm done with Iron Man fighting with other iron men ... the Big Bads of both films have had powersuits that supposedly rival Stark's creation.  The Marvel Universe is a big place ... let's take on a mutant or two!

Lost Blog: And then there were ...

If you haven't seen this week's episode, stop reading now, get over to Hulu and come back in 45 minutes because ... O ... M ... G!

 

First of all let me take a moment to say ... CALLED IT!  I knew that Sayid would not make it to the end of the series.  The pile of dead bodies he left in his wake after emerging from the 'resurrection' pool in the temple was just too big to go unpunished.  I also predicted that he would go out in an act of self-sacrifice, and I guess taking the ticking time-bomb to the other side of the sub qualifies, but I didn't expect him to take others with him.  Which leads me to say ...

 

RIP Jin and Sun.  I really expected that at least one of these two crazy love-struck kids to make it to the end.  I was really expecting that Sun would tell Jin to leave the sinking sub for the sake of their child, to make sure their daughter would not grow up an orphan, but, alas, no.  (Speaking of Orphan.  I just saw that movie last month.  Have you seen it? Creepy!  But I digress.)  I was pretty moved by how Jack, Kate and Hurley openly wept over their death.  I guess after six years of violence and death it was time for them all to have at least one good cry over someone's passing.  

 

Now comes this question ... what, exactly, are the rules for the candidates?  The MIB/Locke can't be directly responsible for their deaths, and they can't kill themselves, right? So if Sawyer had never touched the bomb, and if Sayid hadn't run away with it, it probably never would have gone off ... I think. Considering that one of the Kwon's was a prospective candidate to take over Jacob's job 'protecting' the island, I thought at least one of them would have survived (there's always the daughter, but with just two more episodes before the big 2-and-a-half hour finale I think that might be a bit of a stretch.)

 

Back in the 'real' world, we learn the reason that Locke doesn't want to walk again ... after getting his pilot's license he took his father, Anthony Cooper (the real Sawyer that Sawyer is chasing), up in a small plane for his inaugural flight and it crashed, leaving Locke in a wheelchair and his father with severe brain damage.  Jack is starting to realize that the passengers of Oceanic 815 are almost too closely connected to be coincidence.  In effort to convince John Locke to agree to the surgery that could help him walk again he meets Bernard, the dentist, who recognizes him from the plane.  Jack also learns that step-sister Claire was on the flight.  Jack is becoming a believer in both realities ... BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?  

 

As the bodies start piling up in the 'island' world and the passengers begin connecting again in the 'real' world the writers are definitely headed for an ending, but what do you think will happen next?  I imagine that at some point one of the realities will have to cease to exist, but which one will prevail.  Sayid told Jack that Desmond is the key. (and is there anyone who thought Sayid killed Desmond? Didn't think so.)  My thoughts: Desmond will learn how to control his ability to see both realities and somehow show the castaways that Juliette's atom-bomb really was the reset button that Daniel Faraday predicted ... even though it reset their lives in 1977, not 2004 as they had expected.   I don't think they will be able to vanish into the 'real world' but will probably accept that if they die on the island they know their spirits will live on in the better ... no,  no, no ... forget all of that!  Too cheesy ... I guess that's why I'm just blogging about this show and not writing it!

CB Kareem Jackson ready to step right in...

OK, I know a lot of you said Kareem Who?, but the Texans had Alabama's Kareem Jackson targeted as the cornerback they wanted.   Jackson a three year starter with the Tide brings in the type of experience in a big program that should translate into the NFL.     Playing under Nick Saben has Jackson NFL ready and that's what the Texans are banking on. 

I had to chance to sit down with Jackson today, he comes across as a grounded young man one hungry to prove he can play on the big stage.   His family, Dad Hezekiak, Mom, Rossalyn and Big Sis, Crystalynn are down to earth and living a dream, especially his Dad.  More than 100 family and friends enjoying Kareem's Draft Day experience.

Look for Jackson to be in the starting lineup when the Texans Kick off the season against the Colts. Jackson is looking forward to getting his feet wet against Peyton Manning.

Bob Slovak

Lost Blog: All of the loose ends are coming together ... kind of.

As the final minutes of 'Lost' tick down, we have finally been presented with an episode that gives more answers than questions.

 

First, a real quick recap, starting with the 'Flash-Sideways' world.

 

All of our familiar castaways are finally coming together in the parallell universe;  Sawyer is interrogating Kate before he and Miles arrest Sayid, who was involved in the restaurant shooting that lead to Sun and Jin being in the same hospital as Locke, who is being operated on by Jack, who just realized Claire is his step-sister but only because Desmon pointed her to the lawyer, Ilana, who is handling Jack’s father’s will ... I think I got everyone. 

 

So how does that matter in the 'Island Still Exists' Universe? No idea.

 

On the Island (I've decide to capitalize the island because it is more than just a background, it's been a full-blown character since about the end of the third season) ... Locke is gathering the 'candidates' so he can leave the Island, but first he dispatches Sayid (RIP, I promise you!) to kill Desmond who is sitting at the bottom of the well, while Sawyer rallies Kate, Jack, Sun and Hurley (and stowaway Claire) to Hydra Island so they can unite with Widmore to escape ... 

 

Honestly, if you are asking for a scorecard, it’s really too late now!

 

I think it all boils down to this ... the Man In Black/Smoke Monster/Locke can only escape from The Island if he drags all of the Island's watchers along with him.  If Jacob is to be believed, the Island Watchers are the only things keeping the Smoke Monster from spreading his 'evil' around the world.  Although the consequence of the 'evil' is up for debate ... right?  What would the SM do if he got out, really?  Would he screw with people's minds one-by-one, or toss them about, killing them by blunt force trauma?  Will he unite with Houston's smog and randomly cause accidents along the Southwest Freeway and make me even later to work?

 

Some of the ‘solved’ mysteries: The SM/MIB can only take on the image of someone who is dead on the island.  That’s why he can only look like Locke now (although in an earlier episode Jacob said he wouldn’t be able to change anymore), and it also explains why Jack saw his father walking around after the crash in the first episode.  SM/MIB/Locke says he did that to lead the Oceanic 815 survivors to fresh water.

 

So here are a few parting questions:

Exactly what is Desmond's purpose? Is his knowledge of the two realities guiding him to make sure all of the 'What If ...' storylines are tied up, or will he, somehow, merge the two realities?

Did Desmond run over Locke because he knew that in the ‘Island’ reality Locke wanted to kill him? Or was he just making sure Locke was sent to the same hospital where Jack works?

Exactly how does the sonic fence affect the SM, and why are the castaways now being held hostage by Whitmore?

And what’s up with this ‘Dural sack’ that Jack keeps having to operate on?

 

Only four episodes left!  My doctor told me to watch my blood pressure … I think I’ll have to go in for another checkup after the FIVE HOURS of Lost on the series finale night! Woo Hoo!

 

Lost Blog: Desmond is my constant.

In fact Desmond seems to be the one constant in this whole darn program! 

 

I have always felt that Desmond was the most interesting character in the entire Lost series, even though we really didn't get to know him until the second season. He was a monk and a military man, devoted to do whatever it took to be with his true love, Penny Widmore.  Near the end of Season 4, when Desmond was rescued by Penny along with the Oceanic Six I got this odd feeling that the entire series was really just about their love story.

 

Alas ... no.

 

Desmond is just another piece of the puzzle in the mysteries of the Island ... but he's a big piece.  If this were Chess, he would be, at least, the rook. He's a Full House in Poker, the 'Advance To Go' card in Monopoly, the hard-to-find Destroyer in Battleship ... he's the game changer.

 

In this episode we are reminded that he is the only person to survive, upclose, two major electromagnetic disasters, which would kill anyone else.  The first time was when he initiated the Failsafe after Locke refused to type in the numbers that kept the electromagnetic energy in check.  After that Desmond woke up naked in the jungle and somehow had the ability to see into the future.

 

The second time was when lightning struck near the helicopter between the island and the freighter in Season 4, and his conciousness flashbacked between his body in 1996 and 2004.  (Full disclosure ... I only remember these things because of the wonderful folks at Lostpedia! http://lostpedia.wikia.com/wiki/Desmond_Hume)

 

Desmond appears to be a bridge between the parallel universes which were split when Juliette set off the bomb.   In the reality where Oceanic 815 landed safely he has become Charles Widmore's right hand man, but has lost his passion for things of the heart.  Actually the passion is there, in his conciousness, which is, once again, jumping between the two realities.

 

So here are the new questions:

Why can Desmond survive all of those magnetic explosions?

Even if he is a bridge between the two realities, how does that benefit Widmore?

Why does Eloise Widmore seem to know about the alternate realities?

How in the world can the producers wrap this up in 6 episodes?

 

Last week the series producers said that after this week's episode the conversation would change ...and it has ... but answers are as elusive as ever.

 

P.S. Sayid, once again, kills a man in cold blood.  I think we will soon find out that he's really not Sayid at all and, once again, I predict that he will not survive through the end.  Kind of a shame that we didn't really get to say goodbye to the real Sayid.

Clash of the Titans

In the list of films from the '80s that are deserving of a remake or a sequel, I would say Clash of the Titans was a good choice (another Beverly Hills Cop? Not very interested.)  The world of Greek Gods, blind witches, flying horses, Medusa and, of course, the Kraken, has been surprisingly overlooked in the theaters.  I know the original Clash set the bar pretty high, but there's a lot of mythology out there, right? Why haven't we seen more? 

 

Before I go any further I should echo what nearly every other reviewer is saying about this film, and I'll say it in all caps for emphasis: DO NOT SEE THIS FILM IN 3-D! SAVE YOUR FOUR BUCKS FOR A SHOT OF SODA AND WATCH IT IN 2-D!  More on the reason why later.

 

When the original Clash came out in 1981 was thrilling to me, as it was to the rest of my 6th grade friends ... but even then I knew that something more could be done.  I loved Ray Harryhausen's stop-action monsters, and it was amazing to see them interacting with live actors, but my brain wouldn't let me really believe what I was seeing.  Then there was Bilbo, the mechanical owl ... even back then I knew it was silly and cheesy, and with his beeps and chirps I knew he was kind of a knock-off of R2-D2.  Despite all this I still loved the film because it was fun, and thrilling, and you could really tell that Perseus was desperate to do whatever it took to save the love of his life, Andromeda.

 

But now ... not so much.

 

This time around Perseus does not grow up knowing he is the son of Zeus.  Instead he is the adopted son of a fisherman who found the boy with his dead mother inside a locked coffin floating in the sea.  He doesn't realize he is a demi-god until about 30 minutes into the film and it makes him mad.  Why? Because he grew up hearing his dad bad-mouthing the gods for years and witnessed Hades kill his family in cold blood.   Fair enough.

 

When Hades threatens the city of Argos he sees it as his opportunity to strike back ... so now it becomes a vengeance tale rather than a love story.  I think this is where the film makes its biggest mistake.  The updates and upgrades to the creatures is fantastic.  Olympus is amazing, the fight with the giant scorpions is gritty and watching Medusa play cat-and-mouse with the soldiers before turning them into stone is just as exciting as it was in the original.  But by taking the heart out of the film, you take out some of the urgency.  When Perseus finally faces down the Kraken, he's not doing it out of love for Andromeda, it's just another step towards his goal of taking on Hades.

 

Now for the 3D issue.  The main thing you need to know is that this film was not filmed in 3D.  It was all done after the fact and, apparently, pretty quickly and cheaply.  Unlike Avatar, which James Cameron always planned to show in 3D, this film is supposed to be seen in 2D.  That's how the shots are composed ... swords standing on end in the foreground are out of focus so the audience can concentrate on the characters in the background.  But with the 3D transfer anything that is even just a couple of inches toward or away from the audience is set to a different depth.  In one shot it even appeared that Perseus' ears were separated from his head.

 

It was like watching the entire film through a ViewMaster.  I even found myself closing one eye or taking off the glasses completely during some scenes because it was just too difficult to watch. 

 

Bottom line, I'm ready for more Greek mythology movies, but I'm leaving my 3D glasses behind.

Could someone PLEASE get those two crazy kids back together?

So Sun and Jin finally get their turn in the spotlight as we learn about their lives in the FlashSideways universe.  This time they are not married, but are still in love.  She is taking a shopping trip to Los Angeles (Seoul to LA by way of Sydney? Is that the best way? Someone get me a globe!) while he rides along as her bodyguard.  It was nice to see Sun and Jin with actual passion for each other ... something I don't think we've been shown since their intial flashbacks in the first season. I don't think there has been a hotter moment on the show than when Sun unbuttoned the top to buttons on her blouse. 

 

Alas, there's also work to be done.  Jin has also been assigned to deliver $25K and a watch to a business partner of Sun's father ... none other than Martin Keamy, the loan shark who had been threatening Sayid's brother.  When Keamy learns the money has been seized, he has one of his men take Sun to the bank to get more money, and hauls Jin to the restaurant.  It turns out the money wasn't for any loan ... it was payment from Sun's father for Keamy to kill Jin.  It appears daddy knew about the affair and wasn't happy.  He even cleaned out Sun's apparently not-so-secret bank account.

 

As we saw in the Sayid FlashSideways things don't end too well for Keamy.  Sayid shoots him and his henchmen, and finds Jin tied up in the restaurant's walk-in refrigerator.  He gives Jin a blade to cut himself loose, and leaves.  By the time Sun makes it to the restaurant Jin is free and shoots the last of Keamy's men, but not before a stray bullet hits Sun in the gut threatening (are you sitting down for the non-surprise?) her unborn child!  Dun, dun, dunnnn.

 

Meanwhile, on the island ... not much happens.  When MIB/Locke leaves camp to retrieve Sun and bring her back to Jin, Widmore's crew knocks out everyone in MIB/Locke's camp with tranquilizer darts, and kidnaps Jin.  They bring him back to Hydra island and show him pictures of the daughter he didn't know he had.   MIB/Locke is unsuccesful in getting Sun to go back with him ... she actually flees, hitting her head and losing her ability to speak English (a plot device more worthy of a daytime soap rather than this fine show ... I assume this will be dealt with soon.)  When MIB/Locke learns that Jin has been abducted he travels to Hydra island where he sees they have set up a sonic fence to keep him out.  He and Widmore exchange not-so-veiled threats and old-men-glares … I love those moments. 

 

We also learned what, or rather, who, Widmore was holding inside that padlocked room on the sub … IT’S DESMOND! What the heck?

 

Question time!

 

Why did Sayid say he can’t feel anything? I guess being drowned then brought back to life will do that to a guy. 

 

What did they do to poor Desmond?

 

I know Sun and Jin will finally get back together … but when? Am I the only one sick of hearing them pine for each other?

 

And … again … Sun can’t speak English after hitting her head?  Really?! REALLY!?

 

P.S.  Producer Damon Lindelof tweeted ‘In one week, the conversation is going to change.’ Exciting!

Hooray for the return of the Flashback!

This entry is a couple of days late, but there was a lot to take in. As I mentioned earlier, I’m still divided on the Flash Sideways storylines that have defined this season. They’re interesting but, up to this point at least, they’re kind of like listening to someone telling you about a dream they had the night before; it sounds like some interesting and cool things happened, but it doesn’t really matter.

But now we got a good ol’ fashioned Flashback, and it was one of the best episodes of the entire series. The flashback focused on Richard, the seemingly immortal island resident. This was also the first episode where the flashback was not interrupted by the action on the island, but considering Richard’s age, that’s understandable because there was a lot to say.

Once again, rather than recap, let’s take a look at what we learned.

We now know that Richard is about 170 years old; he appears to be in his mid-30’s when we first see him in 1867. He also has the most tragic pre-island life than any of the other castaways. Jack’s Daddy issues got nothing on Richard who witnesses his wife’s death, accidently kills the doctor who refused to save her, is sentenced to death, denied absolution by a priest and then sold into slavery.

Richard (or Ricardo as he is known back then) is chained in the hull of the Black Rock, which crashes onto the island, destroying the statue at the same time.

We are also getting a clearer idea of the ongoing battle between Jacob and the Man In Black. If Jacob is to be believed, he is the only thing keeping the MIB trapped on the island, preventing him from spreading his evil around the world. So here’s my new question (unless it’s already been answered), why does Jacob keep bringing ‘candidates’ to the island? Does he need help? Does he need to pass the baton onto a new watcher? Does he want someone to kill the MIB?

Obviously the MIB doesn't like the candidates, but apparently he can't kill them, sohe just creates chaos around them and watches as they kill each other. Perhaps that's the basis of the 'loophole' the MIB was looking for. After Ben killed Locke, MIB was able to take over his body because he was a candidate, and one of the few people able to get close enough to Jacob to ...

Okay, my head is starting to hurt. With fewer than 10 episodes to go I figure we can answer those questions later. Here are a few more questions that remain unresolved.

Who is Ilana, and why did Jacob ask her to escort the candidates back to the island? Why was she so badly injured, and why wouldn't Jacob touch her?

Who are the 'Adam and Eve' skeletons?

Also … when the MIB smashed Jacob’s wine bottle, was that foreshadowing that he was going to find a different way off the island, or was he just frustrated? Maybe a bit of both? Was he just being a jerk?

Why can't the Smoke Monster cross the Sonic Fence or lines of ash? Will we ever get to see MIB/Locke actually turn into the Smoke Monster? I have a feeling it would be real cheesy, but I still want to see it!

 

The end is near ...

I'm going to go out on the limb and predict the death of a major character.  This is just speculation, and I may be way off base, but here we go.

 

RIP Sayid Jarrah.

 

You heard me!  Of course, I guess I'm already right considering that Sayid was already dead once this season, but I'm talking dead-dead, not Locke-dead, if you get my meaning. 

 

So why Sayid? In this week's episode we finally got a chance to see the darkness inside the Wacky Iraqi.  For the entire series we knew it was there, but he kept supressing those instincts, even going so far as banishing himself to the other side of the island after he tortured Sawyer in season 1.   This season Dogen, the keeper of the temple, warned Jack there was a darkness building inside Sayid but it looks like it was there the entire time.  As evidence, look at Sayid in the real-world ... he didn't hesitate to kill the men who beat his brother and threatened his childhood-love Nadia ... and that was after Oceanic Flight 815 landed safely!   On the island Sayid not only drowned Dogen, but slashed the interpreters throat in one of the most cold-blooded moments on the show since the death of Rousseau's daughter. 

 

Of course Dogen kind of had it coming considering he had tried to have Sayid killed three times before ... but the interpreter?  Wow!  And before you could even catch your breath, Locke/MIB tore through the temple in all his Smoke Monster fury killing everyone who didn't heed Sayid's warning to leave before sundown.  The final shot of Locke/MIB walking away with his army of recruits solidifies the idea that evil is winning in the battle for control of the island.

Now back to my original prediction ... why will Sayid die?  It's the Hollywood way.  The general rule is that no character that kills in cold-blood will go unpunished.  In fact, next week's promo is teasing the end of Ben, the biggest mass murderer on the island. I'm sure Sayid will have some sort of redemption, and his death will come at a moment of self-sacrifice to save the lives of others ... but he's doomed for sure.  Of course, Lost has never really followed formula, and the creators have changed their minds before in the wake of fan disapproval (sorry Paulo and Nikki), but I don't think they have time to change course just in order to prove one blogger wrong.  So dust off your black suit ... it's time to say goodbye.

 

Or maybe I'm just wrong.

Aha! So that's what the numbers mean ... I don't get it.

Aha! So that's what the numbers mean ... I don't get it.

 

So this week we got another peek into that weird parallel universe to see what happened to Locke after Oceanic Flight 815 landed at LAX.   The hits just keep on coming for John, who still can't seem to accept that he is probably going to be in that wheelchair for the rest of his life. He insisted on trying to go on that walkabout, he refuses to park in handicap spaces ... the one thing that might make a difference is the one thing he is too scared to do, call Jack for a consult.  Oh, well, at least he gets a lot of support from his fiance (always nice to see you Katie Sagal!)

Meanwhile, on the island we learn that Locke/MIB is looking for a little help to get into the temple.  I was thrilled, and a bit creeped out, with the brilliant POV sequence of flying around as the Smoke Monster, complete with the SM seeing its own reflection in the window.   Locke/MIB goes back into the jungle, hoping to recruit Richard, but it seems the ageless Other doesn't like being beaten up and held hostage 10 feet off the ground in a canvas bag.  Locke/MIB then goes to visit the still-mourning Sawyer who is getting drunk in Dharmaville.   He lures him out with the promise of showing him the reason he is on the island.

 

But, of course, this is Lost, answers only beget more questions.

 

He leads Sawyer to a cliff-side cave, presumably Jacob's hideout.  Inside is a scale balanced with one white rock and one black rock.  Locke/MIB upsets the balance by tossing the white rock into the ocean ... get it? GET IT?  DON'T YOU GET IT!?!?!?!  It's subtle as a heart attack, really, but I laughed when Sawyer asked what he was doing and Locke/MIB responded, 'It's an inside joke.'

 

So we see that Jacob has been listing candidates who, apparently, can take over his job as island participants.  Here's the names, along with THE NUMBERS!: 4-Locke; 8-Reyes; 15-Ford; 16-Jarrah; 23-Shephard; 42-Kwon. I get it!  That’s where the numbers came from that answers … almost nothing. Harrumph.

 

Now for the new questions … why isn't Kate or Claire on the list? Who’s the bloody blonde kid that can only be seen by Locke/MIB and Sawyer. And could you imagine studying European History with Ben as your teacher?

There’s something taking over Sayid, and it looks like it’s a bit of a coward!

Now that the final season of Lost is underway, I have to say I’m still compelled but not as much as in previous seasons. The show’s brilliant flashback-flash forward storytelling device was perfect. In the first four seasons we saw what happened in the castaways’ past, and how it dictated the way they handle the island’s mysteries in the present. Then in season five we saw how the actions on the island affected everything the Oceanic 6 did once they returned to the real world.

But now we’ve got the flash-sideways, a peek into what might have happened if Flight 815 had made it safely into LAX … but there’s a sort of disconnect. These characters are the same, but they’re a little bit different. In the premiere we saw what appeared to be a ’mirror’ universe where Hurley considers himself the luckiest guy on earth, Rose was calm, Jack was a bit panicky and Sawyer was actually a nice guy warning him of scam artists (unless that’s just the set up for another scam … I guess we’ll see the answer to that sometime this season.) However, Kate is still the murder-suspect-with-a-heart-of-gold and Claire is still the freaked out pregnant girl … and whatever they do in this reality has almost nothing to do with what is happening simultaneously on the island.

I think … right?

I’m sure I’ll look back on this blog entry at then end of the season (meaning it the page will have been visited at least twice!) and shake my head saying, ‘you poor naïve, fool, you had no idea what was coming.’ But, just like the castaways, I can’t see the future and know the cool, tragic, mind-bending twists that are sure to come, so I can only react in the now.

Okay … now for the weird stuff.

I’m going to have to check my season 1 DVD, but I don’t remember Sayid sounding so pathetic when he was being tortured by The French Woman. I’ll assume that whatever took over his body at the end of the premiere is the real coward*.

Also, what’s up with the Dharma residents popping up in the parallel universe? Ethan Rom playing doctor to Claire’s baby?

Is it just me or is something really weird going on here?

(* When I say coward I mean in relation to Sayid ’Torture Master For the Iraqi Guard’ Jarrah … I would have been screaming when the Japanese guy blew the dust over his chest, and totally lost it when the electrodes and hot poker were brought out.)

THE RETURN OF LOST!

Okay, guys, buckle your seatbelt because the ride is not over. Once again the writers have thrown us another curve ball, and set the series in an exciting new direction as we head into the final hours of the best show on TV!
All of the flashbacks and flash-forwards are over … now the world has somehow been split into two separate realities, all courtesy of the tiny-atomic-warhead-that-could. I won’t recap the whole show, because there is so much to tell, but let’s take a look at some of what we have learned, and the new mysteries we have to solve. I will try to keep the new realities separated as OTI (On The Island) and LAX (Oceanic Flight 815 lands safely in Los Angeles).
OTI:
Learned:
The Man In Black is also the Smoke Monster. I actually called this one noting that both MIB and SM were shape shifters. (MIB is now in the shape of Locke) but exactly why or how he can do it is still a question.
We finally got to see the temple that we heard so much about last season. It’s a pretty crowded place, populated with what appear to be the pre-Other-Others. Inside the temple is some kind of healing pool, which probably is the reason why Richard hasn’t aged a day in the past 40 years. There is a problem with the pool however, and it wasn’t able to heal Sayid, who has apparently died. Last year we heard Faraday say ‘dead is dead,’ so that may be it for our wacky Iraqi … until he sits up in the final moments of the show and asks what happened.
New mysteries:
If Juliette did manage to blow up the pocket of energy, why was the Swan Station still built?
Is Sayid really alive, or could Jacob have found a new home?
Why does the line of ash keep the Smoke Monster away?
Why does Locke/MIB say he wants to go home … is he talking about the temple? It appears they don’t want him there.
LAX:
Learned:
Posthumously Juliette told Miles, ‘It worked’, and in this storyline it apparently did. Oceanic flight 815 is still in the air and, in one of the biggest shockers, we see the island is now at the bottom of the ocean. Everyone is still alive, but there are small differences. Jack is the one who gets nervous during the turbulence and is comforted by Rose (instead of the other way around as in the pilot.) Also, Jack is now the optimist, even assuring a wheelchair-bound cynical Locke that he might be able to help him walk again, saying ‘Nothing is irreversible’ (like Sayid’s death perhaps?)
Other differences: Hurley has become a chicken restaurant mogul who brags about his luck and winning the lottery, while Sawyer warns him to watch out for scam artists. Artz is a geeky nerd instead of an arrogant know-it-all science teacher. Boone is back, but he was apparently unable to get his sister out of her bad relationship in Sydney. There are some things that haven’t changed, though. Jin is still domineering over Sun, and Charlie is still addicted to heroine.
New mysteries:
Why was Desmond on the flight, and why did he disappear? What happened with Jack’s father’s body, which also, somehow disappeared? Why was the island now on the ocean floor … and shouldn’t everyone in the alternate universes have goatees? (Star Trek reference.)
What did you think of the show? Any new theories about where this is all headed?

So the Academy Award nominations are finally out and there don’t seem to be too many surprises in the major acting nominations.

 

Click here to see the list!

 

One of the biggest things stirring debate in the newsroom is the expansion of Best Picture nominations from 5 to 10.  The Academy made that decision last year partly because the crowd-pleasing, critically-praised, blockbuster “The Dark Knight” didn’t make the cut in 2008.  More often than not the best picture nominees are smaller, emotional, ‘insight into human nature’ dramas that most moviegoers simply decide to skip over.   That has resulted in the diminished interest in the Oscars as a whole … the biggest viewing audience was 55-million back in 1998 when Titanic took home 11 awards, including Best Picture.

 

So now we have 10 … the biggest surprise? I believe it’s District 9, which was a good movie and got a whopping 90% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes, but I’m not sure if I believe it to be Oscar-caliber.  Honestly, when they announced that they were expanding the field to 10 pictures, I figured the revamped Star Trek, which got a 94% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes would have a tractor beam set on at least one of the spots.

 

So let me hear from you … do you like the nominees? Who do you think got snubbed?

THE COUNTDOWN IS ON …

Hey, Lost Fans!

Can you believe it’s already been nine months since Juliette appeared to have set off an atomic warhead on Lost island? While the producers are being tight-lipped about exactly what happens next, the consensus is that the clock has been reset somehow. All year long we have been hearing that characters who have been killed off will be making a return appearance on the show … but how? No idea.

Personally I haven’t been interested in delving too deep into the predictions and theories … I would rather have the secrets be revealed to me one week at a time (no matter how crazy it makes me.)

Just to whet the appetite, check out this amazing fan-made video from a couple months ago (I just saw it for the first time yesterday.) It shows the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 in real time from the perspective of Desmond, the passengers and those living in The Village. Considering the clips have been collected from several different seasons, I think it shows the creators really did know what they were doing the entire time!

Enjoy!