Lost Episode 4 Recap and Review
Disclaimer: Spoilers, duh!
The Lighthouse (a Jack-centric episode)
I’ll start this blog with my review and feelings of this episode overall. At the end of my episode recap I’ll have my general thoughts about what has happened, and things to come, so please read on for those most enlightening tidbits. Let’s get things squared away. This episode is pretty weak in my general opinion. It is certainly weak by the standards of what Lost is/has been capable of. My only guess is that it was a bit of a filler episode as a segway to next week. Note: The preview for next week’s episode was wild and confusing and better live up to the hype it has created. Alright, so this wasn’t the most “engaging” of episodes, but there were some revelations, some explanations, and some what the bloody hell moments.
Flashsideways: A Father and Son
Our episode opens in our flashsideways timeline. Jack is in his very white and bright flat. He washes his face and inspects a scar on his belly. Mama Shephard gives him a ring, and Jack asks his mom when he had his appendix taken out (after further inspection of the scar) His mother says it was when he was a child, but obviously this is the first time Jack is noticing this scar. Remember, we know Juliet took Jack’s appendix out on the island! Anyways, Mama Shephard cannot find Christian’s damn will, so Jack agrees to pop on by to look for it with her.
Later in the day, Jack drives up to a prep school, where he picks up his SON, DAVID! (This is one of those what the bloody hell moments if you didn’t catch my drift). David seems to be a moody teenager; quite a lot older than I would have imagined any son of Jack’s to be, but I digress. They arrive at Jack’s place and moody David immediately goes into “his bedroom” and unpacks some books. Jack tries desperately to make idle conversation with David, who has his mp3 earbuds in (how disrespectful!) They seem like strangers to one another. David says to Jack, “We only see each other once a month, can’t we just get through it?” That’s a kick in the face if I ever saw one! Jack leaves to go round his mum’s to sort through his father’s affairs (no pun intended!)
At Jack’s family home, his mother and he feverishly search though Christian’s papers, files, and desk. Mrs. Shephard asks how David is doing, as he was quite a wreck at his grandfather’s funeral. They move on to discuss Jack’s relationship with his son, in comparison to Jack’s relationship with his father when he was a boy. Mum gives Jack some obvious motherly advice about trying to communicate better with David. Eventually, she spots the will! She begins to read it. Suddenly, with a very confused look on her face, she asks Jack if her father has ever mentioned a “Claire Littleton”. (Gasp!) An obvious look of familiarity is in Jack’s eyes upon hearing the name. Jack does not answer, and we don’t see any more of this scene, so as to what the Will had said specifically, we do not know. I’m sure it was dictating some of Christians personal affects / money to go to Claire. But we MUST remember that the hydrogen bomb altered so many things, and merely assuming that Claire is still Jack’s half-sister in this timeline may be risky.
Jack returns home with a pizza in hand for him and David. Course, David is nowhere to be found. Jack calls David’s cell phone, apologizing for possibly hurting and upsetting him. He then drives over to David’s mother’s house to see if he is there. After locating the house key and entering the empty house (of which I can only assume is breaking and entering; Oh Jack you bad boy!) he goes up to David’s room. David’s room is filled with posters and piano music and lo and behold there is a photo booth picture set on his mirror of David and Jack. *Oh the tears in my eyes! Committing a serious breach of personal privacy, Jack listens to the messages on the answering machine. There is a voice message to David from a music conservatory, confirming his audition (which of course, is that night! I wonder where David is…). The next message plays, and it is from himself. A distraught Jack calls from Sydney and just wants to hear David’s voice. *Sad face*
Jack goes to the music conservatory only to walk in right as his son is playing the piano (quite expertly I might add). Might I point out here that the sign at the conservatory says “Welcome All Candidates” (oh the subtleness of hints!) Jack listens and looks upon David in such awe and pride. His son finishes. A little Asian boy tells Jack that his son is really good! His Asian dad gives his Asian son a hug. The Asian dad turns around and it is none other than our good Temple Other Genghis Kahn impersonator, Dogen! Dogen talks to Jack about his son’s gift.
Outside the conservatory, Jack goes up to David, whom had no idea his father had been there. Jack tells him how great he had played. David explains to Jack how he didn’t want him to know he still played the piano, because Jack used to make such a big deal about it. He says he did not want Jack to see him fail. They have a tried and true heart to heart (it reminded me of Full House heart to hearts when Danny sits down with one of the girls and tells them how special they are or some horseshit whilst violins play in the background!). Jack tells David how Christian used to tell Jack that he did not have what it takes. It’s all very emotional and they reconnect on some level. Then they decide to head back to Jack’s for some pizza. And that, folks, is our flashsideways of the week.
The Lighthouse Quest
Back at the temple, Jack and Dogen discuss topics such as honesty, and the fact that Sawyer, Kate, and Jin probably will not be coming back. Meanwhile, Miles and Hugo play some tic tac toe on the ground, and then decide to search for some grub. Hugo sees a man hunched over the fountain. It’s Jacob, of course! Jacob tells Hugo to get a pen, because he needs his help with a few things. Apparently, someone is coming to the island, and he needs Hugo to “help him find it” (Okay, so we’re implying that whomever is coming to the island, is a ‘him’).
Sayid approaches Jack, and asks him why all these Others be grilling him. Jack informs him that the pill was poisoned and they had intended for Jack to kill him. When clearly confused by this information, Jack explains that the Others say that this infection has happened to someone else too. (We all know this to be Claire, but more on her story later!)
Hugo walks along a very old and creepy passageway, with writing all over his arm. There are hieroglyphics along the wall, and he is clearly looking for something specific. Dogen finds him creeping, and tells him to go back out into the courtyard. Jacob appears behind Dogen (of course only Hugo can see him) and tells Hugo to say that he is a candidate. Hugo does so, and Dogen leaves him alone and walks away. Jacob then urgently reminds Hugo that he MUST get Jack to go with him before finding this secret passageway! Hugo is hesitant to believe that Jack will accompany him.
Out in the courtyard, Hugo comes up next to Jack and talks to him very stealth and ninja-like. He tries convincing Jack to go with him, but Jack adamantly refuses at first. Hugo then tells Jack that “Jacob says you have what it takes; he said you’d know what that means”. Jack, and the audience, knows that is a reference to his father. Upon hearing this, Jack demands to speak with Jacob. Hugo reminds jack that Jacob is “dead, but just shows up, like Obi Won Kenobi”. He says that wherever it is they’re going, they can talk to Jacob when they get there. Jack consents to go with him.
Hugo and Jack walk through the woods and come across Kate, whom is all alone. She tells them that Jin was headed back to the temple and Sawyer is on his own now. Kate says that she is going to go look for Claire. Jack explains that the Others think “something” has happened to Claire. Jack impresses that Kate come along with them, but Hugo dissents. Kate rejects the invitation and departs. See ya, Kate! They continue to walk through the forest. Hugo apologizes for wrecking his game with Kate, but Jack says there is nothing to wreck. Hugo wonders what ever happened to Jack and Kate; he thought they’d have a family and Jack would make a great dad! Jack says he would have made a terrible dad. They come across an asthma inhaler, and reminisce on Shannon. Suddenly, they realize that they are back at the caves where they used to live. Hugo looks over the Adam and Eve skeletons that have been there from Season 1. Jack explains how he found the caves when he was chasing the ghost of his dead dad (White Rabbit, S1). He points out the coffin that he smashed to bits because his dad’s body wasn’t in it! As they walk through the Jungle, Hugo is reminded of good old times. They both ask each other why they came back to the island. Hugo simply says that while in LA, Jacob got into his cab and told him to, so he came. Jack says, “I came back because I was broken, and I was stupid enough to think that this place could fix me.”
Finally, they come out onto the shoreline. In front of them stands a very old lighthouse (oh, now we get it!) They approach the lighthouse door. Jack asks if Jacob is in there, and Hugo says he assumes so, but first they have to go inside and turn the beacon on. The door is jammed. Rambo Jack kicks the door in, and they proceed. They reach the top of the lighthouse, which is full of mirrors, controlled by movement of a massive dial! Jack asks where Jacob is, and Hugo says he isn’t there yet. Hugo informs Jack that he’s got to pull on the rope, until the dial points to 108 degrees (who didn’t see that coming?) Jack looks at the mirrors while Hugo pulls the rope. Suddenly he sees a very strange reflection and tells Hugo to stop. They inspect the dial. All around it there are hundreds of names circling it. Every degree has a corresponding name, most of which are crossed out (remind you of somewhere else?) Jack sees Shephard at 23 degrees (obviously we know what names are at degrees 4, 8, 15, 16, and 42!). He turns the dial to 23 degrees and looks in the mirror. He sees his childhood house! Jack then asserts that Jacob has been watching them all, since they were kids! He angrily asks one last time where Jacob is. Hugo says he assumed Jacob would be there. At this point, Jack is super fucking frustrated. He grabs a handy and well-placed telescope blows a gasket. He smashes all the mirrors.
Outside the lighthouse, Hugo and Jack sit far away from one another (Jack’s in a time out!). Jacob appears to Hugo, yet again. Hugo freaks out about how Jack broke all the mirrors, thus making their mission completely pointless. When Jacob stands there silent with his smug smile, it dawns on Hugo that Jacob obviously wanted Jack to see what was in the mirror. Jacob tells Hugo that he wants Jacob to learn just how important he is, and Jack has to figure that out for himself! Then dramatically, Jacob says he also had to get them as far away from the temple as possible. “Someone bad is heading to that temple and you can’t do anything about it!”
Crazy Claire-sseau
Jin’s leg is in a giant bear trap set by Claire, Claire checks to see that one of the men she shot is dead, and then frees Jin. Talking with Jin, Claire realizes she has been out here for 3 years. She tries taking Jin to her domain, but Jin faints.
When Jin comes to, he finds himself in Claire’s crazy jungle lair (very reminiscent of Rousseau’s crib piece). His leg is all sorts of fucked up and he begins to freak out and look around. He sees a box of explosives, probably from The Black Rock. He also sees a super old looking crib. Peeking inside the crib, he sees a dead animal skull and gross pelt baby inside it. WHAT THE FUCK?!
Claire returns with one of the men she shot, who obviously, is not dead. She whacks him down and ties him up. She begins to interrogate him about the whereabouts of her son! Jin asks if she has been out here all by herself. Claire tells Jin that she isn’t alone! She leaves to fetch some medical supplies and sharpen her axe. The captured Other tells Jin that homegirl is crazy and if they both don’t escape, she will kill them. The Other tries to convince Jin to set him free so they can both kill her. She returns.
It’s very unnerving to kooky to see Claire speak genuinely sweet and completely normally to Jin, and very vicious and crazy to the Other. The is convinced They took her son The Other says they never had Aaron. Jin asks how Claire knows They took Aaron. Claire gets super creepy here, explaining “First my father told me, and then my friend told me” Jin asks who her friend is. Claire says “Just…my friend…you’re still my friend, Jin, aren’t you?” He replies, “Of course, Claire”. (Meanwhile, I love how Claire never once says, “Holy tits, Jin! You speak fluent English now! Then again, she is nuts so it probably never occurred to her). Happily, she stitches him up. She turns to the Other and says “Now it’s your turn” She holds up her axe and has a seriously demented look in her eye.
Crazy Claire interrogates the Other about Aaron’s whereabouts. She brandishes the axe, and Jin pleads with her to chill. She tells Jin of how They tortured her and branded her (just like They’ve done with Sayid) but she escaped. Right before she is about to axe this fool, Jin hurriedly tells her that Kate took Aaron when she left the island. He says Aaron is 3 years old now and has been with Kate all the time. The Other confirms this story. She ponders this new revelation, then axes the fool anyway because, as I may remind you, she is NUTS. She walks away, and the camera closes in on Jin, with what can only be assumed as a mental monologue of “What the fuck is wrong with this crazy ass bitch?”
Later, she asks Jin why he said that Kate was raising Aaron. Jin tells her that he was lying, in hopes of saving the Other’s life. He blatantly lies, and tells her that the Others have her baby, and he is at the temple right now. He even says that he saw Aaron there! He tells Claire that she needs him to get into the temple, because he knows a secret way to get inside. In all sincerity, she thanks him, and is relieved to know Kate didn’t have Aaron. In the most normal-but-psychopathic way, she says “If she did, I’d kill her.” Who should pop in for a visit but Flocke! Jin is absolutely shocked to see John. But Claire assures him, “This isn’t John, this is my friend!” El Fin.
My Thoughts
While it wasn’t a very impactful episode, it did stir up a whole new slew of questions. So here are my thoughts and questions about what’s going on in Lost:
First, who is David’s mother? Are we to assume that Jack’s ex wife, Sarah is David’s mother? I have a feeling it may be some startling revelation as to David’s mother, which is why she is never shown or mentioned by name in the episode.
Who the bloody hell is coming back to the island? There has been lots of fan-spec about it being Desmond or Charles Whidmore. I’d say if Charles Whidmore came back, it would be a pretty monumental feat, as he was banished oh so many years ago, and he’s been trying to find it forever. My vote’s for him.
What is the true meaning of 108? It appears in so many places. It haunts my dreams! Obviously in the basic sense, that is how many minutes they had to push the button in season to, and if you add up our favourite numbers 4+8+15+16+23+42 you get 108. That’s old news. We have learned that every number on the dial in the lighthouse is signified by a person. Hugo was supposedly turning it to degree 108, which would obviously have a corresponding name. After hunting down a screenshot of the dial, it looks like 108 – Wallace. It is also crossed out. Who the bloody hell is Wallace?
Obviously that Lighthouse has much more meaning to the island than what we saw. I think this is verified by the fact that Jacob intended Jack to go apeshit and smash the mirror to pieces. Lighthouses are used as beacons of sorts to help us find places. Destroying the mirrors in the lighthouse = destroying a way to help find the island for “whomever is coming”. Jacob wanted Hugo to help this person find the island, yet was intending Jack to ruin those chances. I have yet to discern if this mysterious person coming to the island is friend or foe. Then again, I really don’t know who on the island can be considered “friend” or “foe”. It’s all relative.
Jacob also told Hugo that he had to get Hugo and Jack as far away from the Temple as possible, because someone is coming. Obviously, as Jack and Hugo are both candidates, he wants to protect them (I’m assuming). The audience is led to believe that this horrible person heading to the temple is none other than Claire-sseau, as she now believes that Aaron is there, and Jin can help her get in. Now is a good time to remember that Sun, Ilana, Ben, and Frank are heading to the temple also. Curious!
Speaking of Jin, why did Jin lie? I could see him lying to protect Kate and save his own ass, but why would he go as far as to say he’d help her get into the temple? Obviously he is confused, a bit concerned about Claire’s mental state, but why deliberately lies to her and agree to help her get into the temple?
Also, can we be under the impression that Christian Shephard...zombie/ghost he may be, seems to be on the side of The Man in Black/Smokey/Flocke? He’s obviously on Claire’s home team, and Claire seems to play ball for Flocke.
Lastly, I’m glad Kate didn’t join Jack and Hugo. She’s off to go roam the jungle by herself. She generally annoys me, so be gone with her I say. Who knows, maybe something will happen to her (Kate, meet axe-wielding Claire?). After all, she isn’t one of the candidates!
Anyways, that’s the nub of my jist. I’m looking forward to next week’s episode, which, in promos, looks to be fantastic! Details on that below and Happy Viewings!
Next Week: Tuesday, March 2 at 9pm/8c
Episode Title: Sundown (a Sayid-centric episode)
Summary: Sayid faces a difficult decision, and Claire sends a warning to the temple inhabitants.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
B-MOVIE HORROR REVIEW SERIES #3: LONG TIME DEAD (2002)
[This is my 3rd of 3 blog posts on B-Movie Horror Flicks]
Long Time Dead (2002. Directed by Marcus Adams)
This little gem of a find is a low-budget UK horror film. The short and sweet of the plot, is after 8 crazy college friends mess with a Ouija board, they realize they’ve released a djinn (an Arabic hellish fire demon). This demon, having possessed one of the 8 friends, is now killing them off one by one. Only when they are all dead, can the djinn be set free. I won’t go too deeply into the plot, or give too much of a synopsis, as I don’t want to spoil too much for you.
Sounds like an unoriginal, run-of-the-mill slasher flick, right? Well yes, and no. While it does not fail to deliver the obvious clichéd horror aspects, I felt the director really made it fresh and so enjoyable to watch. This movie was at risk to go down the road of a disastrously cheesy film, but it was extremely engaging and suspenseful.
I was wonderfully surprised that the acting was really top notch and believable, with perhaps 1 or 2 slight exceptions. The cast had great chemistry together, and I found myself rooting for some of the characters. The major exception for me would be the American. I love how in every film and in every group of pals, there’s got to be that one git who is nothing like the rest of the crew. In this film, it was the random American bloke they had hanging around. Lulz.
I was intrigued by the gore/death sequences presented. Out of all of the deaths, the film only actually showed a few. The rest of the deaths were signified by blood, and perhaps a body found later. The first death is shown, and it was an intense way to set the tone. The second death was not actually shown (fully). This sort of annoyed me at first. I wanted to see some badass murder! When they continued with this theme, it began to grow on me. My mind started reeling with the possibilities of what could have happened to the character, and how the death played out exactly (and if you’ve got a twisted mind like mine, the death’s begin to get really imaginative!). There was also minimal gore, and the gore the film did show was tasteful (can gore be tasteful?) and not in your face. The deaths were also quite paced and spread out. We do get the first death in the first 10 minutes of the film, but the next one doesn’t come until close to 30 minutes later. This really built the tension for me. In between that time, there were multiple occasions where a character would be alone, wandering around some darkened place, and I was just WAITING for them to get it. It kept the suspense throughout.
I can firmly say I did not know who the person was possessed by the djinn. Obviously, the film has to heavily play up one character to seem like a candidate, but it’s never them! I changed my mind 3 times about who it was. Then I finally firmly said, “IT IS ______!” …2 minutes later ______ got owned. I loved that the movie fooled me with a twist. And speaking of twists, don’t dismiss this film until the very end. You may think the action is over, but it ain’t until those credits roll!
The lighting was great as well. A lot of the scenes were, obviously, dark and shadowy. The use of low lighting and of fire (a theme throughout the film) worked great. They played around with a number of camera angles, and some interesting POV angles, as well as flashbacks. Those were done quite well.
My last praise, which really made me so happy, was that this film was not glamorous in any way. You know how in most slasher moves, there’s always some chick with big tits who gets naked and gets killed in some horribly gory way? There is none of that. The girls in this movie were all extremely real and down to earth. There was no pervy attempt to get some glamour points, which so many horror films (especially b-movie horror films) do. It’s gritty and raw and realistic.
There are obviously a great many flaws of the film. While some of the music in the film was good (shout out to “In the Waiting Line” by Zero 7), they had the really annoying score playing during those JUMP scenes to intensify every moment. It got a little screechy and was overemphasized. Speaking of the jump scenes, there were MAYBE too many. Cheap scares here and there are appreciated, but let’s not overdo it! There were a few plot holes as well, but they weren’t a distraction from the film.
This is by no means a solid or perfect horror flick, but it exemplifies a really great B-Movie Horror. I love torturing myself by watching as many random, low-budget horrors, and as expected, few rarely stand out to me as a quality watch. What I want out of a B-Movie Horror are the following:
Are the characters likeable and actors believable?
Is the suspense carried throughout the film?
Is the plot easy to follow and well paced?
Is the gore/death tasteful?
Are the deaths/reason for murder justified by the end?
Does it throw me for a curveball?
I can firmly answer yes to all of these questions. I was thoroughly interested throughout the film, and enjoyed it. I would say that this is the perfect movie for a late night with a bowl of popcorn. It’s definitively a great date movie. Plenty of opportunities to console a date! It’s the perfect amount of scare and thrill to get a jolt, but not have nightmares after. I recommend this for a fun watch!
Long Time Dead (2002. Directed by Marcus Adams)
This little gem of a find is a low-budget UK horror film. The short and sweet of the plot, is after 8 crazy college friends mess with a Ouija board, they realize they’ve released a djinn (an Arabic hellish fire demon). This demon, having possessed one of the 8 friends, is now killing them off one by one. Only when they are all dead, can the djinn be set free. I won’t go too deeply into the plot, or give too much of a synopsis, as I don’t want to spoil too much for you.
Sounds like an unoriginal, run-of-the-mill slasher flick, right? Well yes, and no. While it does not fail to deliver the obvious clichéd horror aspects, I felt the director really made it fresh and so enjoyable to watch. This movie was at risk to go down the road of a disastrously cheesy film, but it was extremely engaging and suspenseful.
I was wonderfully surprised that the acting was really top notch and believable, with perhaps 1 or 2 slight exceptions. The cast had great chemistry together, and I found myself rooting for some of the characters. The major exception for me would be the American. I love how in every film and in every group of pals, there’s got to be that one git who is nothing like the rest of the crew. In this film, it was the random American bloke they had hanging around. Lulz.
I was intrigued by the gore/death sequences presented. Out of all of the deaths, the film only actually showed a few. The rest of the deaths were signified by blood, and perhaps a body found later. The first death is shown, and it was an intense way to set the tone. The second death was not actually shown (fully). This sort of annoyed me at first. I wanted to see some badass murder! When they continued with this theme, it began to grow on me. My mind started reeling with the possibilities of what could have happened to the character, and how the death played out exactly (and if you’ve got a twisted mind like mine, the death’s begin to get really imaginative!). There was also minimal gore, and the gore the film did show was tasteful (can gore be tasteful?) and not in your face. The deaths were also quite paced and spread out. We do get the first death in the first 10 minutes of the film, but the next one doesn’t come until close to 30 minutes later. This really built the tension for me. In between that time, there were multiple occasions where a character would be alone, wandering around some darkened place, and I was just WAITING for them to get it. It kept the suspense throughout.
I can firmly say I did not know who the person was possessed by the djinn. Obviously, the film has to heavily play up one character to seem like a candidate, but it’s never them! I changed my mind 3 times about who it was. Then I finally firmly said, “IT IS ______!” …2 minutes later ______ got owned. I loved that the movie fooled me with a twist. And speaking of twists, don’t dismiss this film until the very end. You may think the action is over, but it ain’t until those credits roll!
The lighting was great as well. A lot of the scenes were, obviously, dark and shadowy. The use of low lighting and of fire (a theme throughout the film) worked great. They played around with a number of camera angles, and some interesting POV angles, as well as flashbacks. Those were done quite well.
My last praise, which really made me so happy, was that this film was not glamorous in any way. You know how in most slasher moves, there’s always some chick with big tits who gets naked and gets killed in some horribly gory way? There is none of that. The girls in this movie were all extremely real and down to earth. There was no pervy attempt to get some glamour points, which so many horror films (especially b-movie horror films) do. It’s gritty and raw and realistic.
There are obviously a great many flaws of the film. While some of the music in the film was good (shout out to “In the Waiting Line” by Zero 7), they had the really annoying score playing during those JUMP scenes to intensify every moment. It got a little screechy and was overemphasized. Speaking of the jump scenes, there were MAYBE too many. Cheap scares here and there are appreciated, but let’s not overdo it! There were a few plot holes as well, but they weren’t a distraction from the film.
This is by no means a solid or perfect horror flick, but it exemplifies a really great B-Movie Horror. I love torturing myself by watching as many random, low-budget horrors, and as expected, few rarely stand out to me as a quality watch. What I want out of a B-Movie Horror are the following:
Are the characters likeable and actors believable?
Is the suspense carried throughout the film?
Is the plot easy to follow and well paced?
Is the gore/death tasteful?
Are the deaths/reason for murder justified by the end?
Does it throw me for a curveball?
I can firmly answer yes to all of these questions. I was thoroughly interested throughout the film, and enjoyed it. I would say that this is the perfect movie for a late night with a bowl of popcorn. It’s definitively a great date movie. Plenty of opportunities to console a date! It’s the perfect amount of scare and thrill to get a jolt, but not have nightmares after. I recommend this for a fun watch!
B-MOVIE HORROR REVIEW SERIES #2: SEVERANCE (2006)
[This is my 2nd of 3 blog posts on B-Horror Movie Flicks]
Severance (2006. Directed by Christopher Smith)
I am so excited to talk about this film! I watched it a few months ago, and was blown away by it. I’m just now getting to reviewing it. I should start by saying this is a UK Horror/Dark Comedy. This movie is “Shaun of the Dead” meets “The Office”! Employees of Palisade, an international arms distributer embark on a team-building excursion out in the woods to a company cabin, only to find themselves being offed one by one. Where do I begin?
The plot, which I really won’t get too deeply into at all because this is honestly a MUST-SEE, is so original and hysterical. The script is so rich with witty British humor (which I am the biggest sucker for). The boss of this office party is so reminiscent of Wernham Hogg Paper Company manager, Stephen Merchant (The Office UK). All of the characters are so uniquely funny in their own ways, that it leaves audiences constantly laughing at them all. The writing is so sarcastic, smart, and clever.
While this movie does employ many typical horror movie clichés (the druggie, chicks with floppy tits running through the forest in the lingerie, horrified) it offers these clichés in an obviously satirical way, which is why they work so wonderfully!
There is gore in this movie. Those with a weak stomach; be warned. I love how such a funny black comedy can also be quite scary. Unlike Shaun of the Dead, which makes you laugh at the Zombie revolution, this film is generally scary and thrilling. Cheers to a perfect combination of the two genres!
If you want a hilariously terrifying film with lots of insanely cool gore/death scenes and hysterical chaos ensuing, please watch this! It has easily won a place in my heart. I really don’t know what else to say about this movie, except you have to experience it’s awesomeness for yourself! This B-Movie gets an A+ in my book!
Severance (2006. Directed by Christopher Smith)
I am so excited to talk about this film! I watched it a few months ago, and was blown away by it. I’m just now getting to reviewing it. I should start by saying this is a UK Horror/Dark Comedy. This movie is “Shaun of the Dead” meets “The Office”! Employees of Palisade, an international arms distributer embark on a team-building excursion out in the woods to a company cabin, only to find themselves being offed one by one. Where do I begin?
The plot, which I really won’t get too deeply into at all because this is honestly a MUST-SEE, is so original and hysterical. The script is so rich with witty British humor (which I am the biggest sucker for). The boss of this office party is so reminiscent of Wernham Hogg Paper Company manager, Stephen Merchant (The Office UK). All of the characters are so uniquely funny in their own ways, that it leaves audiences constantly laughing at them all. The writing is so sarcastic, smart, and clever.
While this movie does employ many typical horror movie clichés (the druggie, chicks with floppy tits running through the forest in the lingerie, horrified) it offers these clichés in an obviously satirical way, which is why they work so wonderfully!
There is gore in this movie. Those with a weak stomach; be warned. I love how such a funny black comedy can also be quite scary. Unlike Shaun of the Dead, which makes you laugh at the Zombie revolution, this film is generally scary and thrilling. Cheers to a perfect combination of the two genres!
If you want a hilariously terrifying film with lots of insanely cool gore/death scenes and hysterical chaos ensuing, please watch this! It has easily won a place in my heart. I really don’t know what else to say about this movie, except you have to experience it’s awesomeness for yourself! This B-Movie gets an A+ in my book!
B-MOVIE HORROR REVIEW SERIES #1: DEAD AND BREAKFAST (2004)
[My 1st in a series of 3 blog posts on B-Movie Horror Flicks]
Dead and Breakfast (2004. Directed by Matthew Leutwyler. Staring Ever Carradine, Jeremy Sisto, Brent David Fraser, Bianca Lawson, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Diedrich Bader, and David Carradine)
This little horror/comedy is very campy, very silly, has very cheap special gore effects, and has a very strange plot. That being said, I had a great time watching this film. Cheese and cheap gags aside, this is a really funny film. Half the time I was laughing with it, the other half I was laughing at it. I don’t think for a second you can really take this film seriously, which is why I can forgive it for the immense stupidity that it brings.
I was incredibly surprised by the cast, which features a lot of well known names (Jeffery Dean Morgan, Jeremy Sisto, Diedrich Bader). Oh, and did I mention David Carradine is in this movie? Do you need any more reason to watch this, than that fact alone?
Basically, 6 friends on their way to a wedding (Portia Del Rossi makes a small cameo as the bride), stay at a B&B on their way. Overnight, the chef and the owner end up dead, which keeps the 6 friends stuck in town as the suspects. Eventually, though, this murder mystery takes a seriously supernatural turn, as the townspeople begin to turn into the strangest zombies imaginable.
This zombie flick is mindless, silly, foolish, and never takes itself seriously, which is why it was so fun to watch. It’s the kind of movie that you have to go into not expecting to see anything impressing, and just enjoy the experience.
I’ll tell you what I firmly LOVED about this film. There is a semi-narrator in the form of a singing redneck cowboy. This character honestly makes this film! Even when he turns into a zombie, he strums away on his guitar and sings his hysterical narration. The movie also employs interesting comic book transitions, which I appreciated.
I am very surprised to see how many horror related awards this film received, including Best Feature at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival (shout out to RI =) )
My best advice for those of you interested in watching this film: Leave your expectations at the door. This is a film that is so silly that you can’t do anything else but laugh. This film is simply fun to watch, nothing more and nothing less. Give it a shot, and I truly hope you get some serious laughs at its senselessness!
Dead and Breakfast (2004. Directed by Matthew Leutwyler. Staring Ever Carradine, Jeremy Sisto, Brent David Fraser, Bianca Lawson, Jeffery Dean Morgan, Diedrich Bader, and David Carradine)
This little horror/comedy is very campy, very silly, has very cheap special gore effects, and has a very strange plot. That being said, I had a great time watching this film. Cheese and cheap gags aside, this is a really funny film. Half the time I was laughing with it, the other half I was laughing at it. I don’t think for a second you can really take this film seriously, which is why I can forgive it for the immense stupidity that it brings.
I was incredibly surprised by the cast, which features a lot of well known names (Jeffery Dean Morgan, Jeremy Sisto, Diedrich Bader). Oh, and did I mention David Carradine is in this movie? Do you need any more reason to watch this, than that fact alone?
Basically, 6 friends on their way to a wedding (Portia Del Rossi makes a small cameo as the bride), stay at a B&B on their way. Overnight, the chef and the owner end up dead, which keeps the 6 friends stuck in town as the suspects. Eventually, though, this murder mystery takes a seriously supernatural turn, as the townspeople begin to turn into the strangest zombies imaginable.
This zombie flick is mindless, silly, foolish, and never takes itself seriously, which is why it was so fun to watch. It’s the kind of movie that you have to go into not expecting to see anything impressing, and just enjoy the experience.
I’ll tell you what I firmly LOVED about this film. There is a semi-narrator in the form of a singing redneck cowboy. This character honestly makes this film! Even when he turns into a zombie, he strums away on his guitar and sings his hysterical narration. The movie also employs interesting comic book transitions, which I appreciated.
I am very surprised to see how many horror related awards this film received, including Best Feature at the Rhode Island International Horror Film Festival (shout out to RI =) )
My best advice for those of you interested in watching this film: Leave your expectations at the door. This is a film that is so silly that you can’t do anything else but laugh. This film is simply fun to watch, nothing more and nothing less. Give it a shot, and I truly hope you get some serious laughs at its senselessness!
B-MOVIE HORROR REVIEW SERIES
When I lay down to go to sleep every night, I like to have a movie playing on my tv or computer to fall asleep to. Generally speaking I usually put on a movie I've seen a million times, so I don't have to watch it, but just listen to the familiar lines and drift off into dreamworld. Other times, I like to browse Netflix Instant Stream movies to look for an incredibly low-budget, possibly indie, most likely cheesey, and hopefully gory horror flick to fall asleep to. I know...what kind of twisted person likes to fall asleep to a campy slasher ficks and the sounds of idiot teens getting gruesomely killed? The answer is Me. I like to be able to get a taste of corny horror, without having to actually "watch" it, since I assume it'll suck, in which case I can happily just pass out (whoa run-on sentence)!
Anyways, last night was one of those nights where I decided to switch up my regular bedtime movie selection for a low-budget horror movie. So I browsed Netflix for about 20 minutes until I found a movie that I was sure would be cheesey enough. I streamed it, got comfy in bed, and got ready to catch a few minutes of it before ultimatly catching some z's.
Flashforward an hour later:
It's 2 am, I'm sitting fully awake at my computer, eating a PB&J, and totally enthralled in this thriller! In my attempt to find an awful movie, I fell upon a delightful little gem of a horror flick!
After the movie finished, it reminded me of two other great low-budget horror flicks I stumbled upon when subsequently looking for shitty movies. This is what lead me to the decision to write a series of 3 reviews of these fantastic B-Movie Horrors that I really think are worth a viewing!
With B-Movies, especially in the Horror genre, I think they are either a hit or miss. A film could either be brilliantly done and offers up great scares, really fun to watch and laugh at, or just so bloody awful you can't make it through 15 minutes! So the three films I'll be reviewing all made a great impression on me. They will be the following:
Dead and Breakfast (2004)
Severance (2006)
Long Time Dead (2002)
All three of these movies have a lot of offer: Two are fantastic UK flicks, we have zombies, supernatural forces, revenge, hilarity, gore, and just plain old enjoyable thrills! I'll post each review separately. Hope you enjoy, and Happy Viewings!
Anyways, last night was one of those nights where I decided to switch up my regular bedtime movie selection for a low-budget horror movie. So I browsed Netflix for about 20 minutes until I found a movie that I was sure would be cheesey enough. I streamed it, got comfy in bed, and got ready to catch a few minutes of it before ultimatly catching some z's.
Flashforward an hour later:
It's 2 am, I'm sitting fully awake at my computer, eating a PB&J, and totally enthralled in this thriller! In my attempt to find an awful movie, I fell upon a delightful little gem of a horror flick!
After the movie finished, it reminded me of two other great low-budget horror flicks I stumbled upon when subsequently looking for shitty movies. This is what lead me to the decision to write a series of 3 reviews of these fantastic B-Movie Horrors that I really think are worth a viewing!
With B-Movies, especially in the Horror genre, I think they are either a hit or miss. A film could either be brilliantly done and offers up great scares, really fun to watch and laugh at, or just so bloody awful you can't make it through 15 minutes! So the three films I'll be reviewing all made a great impression on me. They will be the following:
Dead and Breakfast (2004)
Severance (2006)
Long Time Dead (2002)
All three of these movies have a lot of offer: Two are fantastic UK flicks, we have zombies, supernatural forces, revenge, hilarity, gore, and just plain old enjoyable thrills! I'll post each review separately. Hope you enjoy, and Happy Viewings!
Lost Episode 3 Recap and Review
Lost Episode 3 Recap and Review
Disclaimer: Spoilers galore!
The Substitute (a Locke-Centric episode)
I’ll begin by saying that this episode was BOSS. Finally I feel like we’re getting back to what fans have loved most about Lost. Also, we are finally getting some god damn answers! The following is my episode recap, which is rather long...but there's a lot to cover!
Flashsideways Timeline
The episode opens in the Flashsideways storyline of Locke. We see Locke in his wheelchair, maneuvering the lift out of his sweet handicapable whip. The lift, of course, malfunctions midway down. Locke decides it’s a good idea to try to pop a wheelie off the lift. He fails miserably. We are then brought into his house, which he shares with his fiancé. Welcome back, Helen. Helen finds Jack’s business card in the pocket of Locke’s pants, and thinks Locke should give him a call (“What are the odds of you running into a spinal surgeon? Maybe it’s destiny.”).
Locke wheels into his workplace and up to his desk. We see the return of his douche bag boss, Randy. Randy points out that Locke never went to the work conference that he was meant to have gone on while in Australia. Randy the douche proceeds to fire Locke. Shucks, bad luck.
Locke and his box of desk things leave his old job, only to find no way to get into his handicapable car, as it is being blocked by an obnoxious car. Out of frustration he starts banging on said car. Who should appear as the owner of the car, but Hurley! He apologies to Locke, also revealing he is the owner of the whole flipping company. I might also point out he goes by “Hugo” and looks awfully dapper in a sharp suit. Upon learning that Locke was just fired from his company, he gives him a number to a temp agency he also owns. He says to tell them that Hugo says to hook him up with a new job (“Chin up, things are gonna work out.”)
At the temp agency, Locke interviews for a job, and demands to speak to the supervisor as he is unhappy with the interview process. Who should appear as the supervisor, but Rose! They get down to brass tacks. Locke wants a construction site supervising job. Rose agrees to let him have it, but says that it won’t work out, and they must be realistic (obviously referring to Locke being handicapped). When Locke gets angry, Rose tells him about her terminal cancer, and how she understands realistic expectations.
Locke wakes up to his alarm clock and does his morning routine. He pulls out Jack’s card, and dials the number, but cannot bring himself to make an appointment. He tells Helen that he got fired. The doorbell then rings, and Locke’s lost luggage from the flight is delivered. Helen asks how he got fired, and John explains that he did not go to the conference in Sydney, urging her to open the luggage. She does so, seeing Locke’s arsenal of knives. Lock explains his hopes of going on the walkabout, which he was refused participation. Locke delivers a very high-emotion monologue about being in the chair, and the things he cannot do, such as walk with her down the aisle. He then says there are no such things as miracles, which is why he will not call Jack. It’s very odd to see this side of Locke, whom we have all grown to know as a man of faith. Helen says that miracles do exist, and the only thing she was ever waiting for, was him. She tears up the business card and they kiss. How romantic.
The Beach Crew
Ben walks back into the temple to find Ilana crying over her dead comrades, and begs Ben to tell her what happened. Ben explains bluntly that Locke turned into a pillar of black smoke and killed them all. (He’s the picture of sensitivity, eh?). He also says Locke killed Jacob, and then kicked his body into the fire. Ilana proceeds to grab the ash from the fire and put it in a bag. Ilana tells Ben that he took Richard, because he is recruiting.
Ilana, Ben, Sun, and Frank decide to head out for the temple together, where the rest of the Others have gone. Sun goes in hope that Jin is there, which Ilana says if he is alive, he will be. Sun demands they bury dead body of Locke before they go.
The Beach crew carries Locke’s body. Ben questions Ilana about what the hell is happening, as he obviously is confused. Ilana tells him that Smokey is stuck as the Locke look-alike for now. They make their way to the burial ground of flight 815. It’s an emotional moment to see all the graves of past characters (RIP Boone). They bury Locke (with Ben showing off some muscles in a thin white undershirt). Ilana asks if anyone should say some words. Ben does, in an emotional eulogy, saying, “John Locke was a…a believer. He was a man of faith. He was a much better man that I will ever be. And I’m very sorry I murdered him.” It was very heartfelt, and a very different colour of Ben Linus.
Flocke Recruiting
Back on the island, we get a great cinematic camera sweep of Smokey’s POV traveling all over the island, through the jungle, pit stop at Other Town (we hear bottles smashing and heavy metal music blasting), and back into the jungle. Stopping, Smokey transforms back into fake Locke, or as he has been deemed by fans, “Flocke”. Flocke picks up a machete, and cuts lose a trap in which he has Richard ensnared, saying “Alright Richard, time to talk”.
Flocke becomes somewhat sympathetic with Richard, saying “Richard I’m sorry I hit you in the throat and dragged you off the beach but I had to do something”. Giving him water, he explains to Richard that he had to do what he did to get access to Jacob. He says he looks like Locke because “Locke was a candidate” (more on what it means to be a candidate a little later). Flocke wants Richard to come join him, stating how Jacob disrespected Richard by keeping him in the dark all this time. Richard absolutely refuses to go anywhere with Flocke, clearly showing where his allegiance lies. Suddenly Flocke sees what appears to be a vision of a blonde boy. He quickly departs from Richard.
Back in Other Town, Locke enters the house that is blasting music. He comes upon a drunken Sawyer, mourning Juliet in his own way. Sawyer looks at him without a hint of surprise, saying “I thought you were dead”. Flocke says, “I am”. Sawyer plays host and gives Locke a drink. He wears soiled clothes (the the most attractive look for him I might add). He seems not to give a damn whether Locke is “dead, time traveling, or the Ghost of Christmas Past. Bottoms up and get the hell out of my house!” Sawyer wonders who the heck this is, because this is not Locke. Locke was scared, but this man is not. Flocke says he can give Sawyer the answer to the most important question in the world. “Why are you on this island?” He says if Sawyer comes with him, he can show him. Sawyer decides to go with him.
Flocke and Sawyer walk through the jungle, and Flocke questions him about why he was in the house, and where everyone else is. Flocke sees the little blonde kid again, whom Sawyer also sees. Upon hearing that Sawyer also sees him, Flocke and Sawyer give chase to the boy. Flocke trips and the kid says “You know the rules, you can’t kill him” Flocke then speaks the famous Locke line of “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” The kid walks away. Sawyer looks for Flocke, whom apparently got away from him. Richard comes out towards Sawyer, frightened and telling Sawyer he must go to the temple and that Flocke will kill him. He says Flocke wants everyone dead and not to trust him! He runs off when he realizes Flocke is coming back. Flocke and Sawyer proceed. Sawyer and Flocke walk, and Sawyer tells him about his favourite book, Of Mice and Men. Sawyer pulls out a gun and wonders what would happen if he put a bullet in Flocke’s head. Flocke tempts him to. Sawyer wonders, “What are you?” Locke responds, “What I am is trapped. I’ve been trapped for so long that I don’t remember what it’s like to be free. But before I was trapped, I was a man, just like you.” Flocke urges them to continue, which they do.
Sawyer and Flocke come to the ocean line, on the rocks, and proceed down the rocks. There is apparently come sort of cave/alcove in the cliff face. There is a very sketchy ladder going straight down the cliff face. They both proceed to go down it. There are 2 ladders, which you must swing over to the other after going down the first. Of course the ladder breaks and Sawyer holds onto the swinging ladder for dear life, getting tossed around like a pinball. Flocke saves him. They get their footing and proceed into the cave. The cave features a scale, in which the infamous black and white rocks sit on each side. Flocke picks up the white rock and chucks it. Sawyer asks, “What was that about?” Flocke states, “It’s an inside joke.” Oh the humor and symbolism! They proceed deeper into the cave, into a second chamber. Flocke indicates upwards, and says “That is why you are here.” There is writing carved all over the cave ceiling, which clearly show names of those on Flight 815, some of which are assigned a number. Yes folks, the infamous numbers are about to be (somewhat) explained!
Sawyer asks who carved everything. Flocke tells him it was Jacob. Practically all of the names are crossed out, with 6 exceptions. We see:
Locke – 4
Reyes – 8
Ford – 15
Jarrah – 16
Shephard – 23
Kwon - 42
(Got shivers yet?)
We see a montage of Jacob’s past meetings with the 815 crew that we were shown in the Season 5 Finale. Flocke explains that Sawyer met Jacob at some point in his life when he was naive and Jacob did something to push him towards the island. Flocke explains that the ones written are candidates for taking over the island. He has 3 choices: 1) Do nothing and see how it all get’s played out, and his name may get crossed out (he then crosses out Locke’s name) 2) you can become the new Jacob and protect the island. But you’d be protecting it from nothing at all because it’s pointless and a waste. Or 3) they just go. They just get the hell off this island and never look back. Flocke asks, “What do you say James, are you ready to go home? Sawyer dramatically answers, “Hell yes.” Fin.
My Thoughts
Wow. We get some answers, and we spark some new questions.
Who is this blonde boy? I’ve been reading a lot of fan speculation that revolves around 3 possibilities. Could this be a Future Aaron? Could this be a Young Jacob? Or could this be a completely new character? And why couldn’t Richard see the boy, yet Sawyer could?
Now onto the numbers. This is obviously a HUGE revelation for Losties. We are finally getting answers to the numbers that have haunted us since season 1. We obviously do have questions still.
Where is Kate Austin among these names? We are obviously under the assumption that her name is crossed out.
If someone’s name is crossed out, does that mean they are dead? We obviously get that feeling when Flocke crosses out Locke’s name.
Which Kwon is the writing meant to have implied? My guess is that it is Sun. She is one of the Oceanic 6, the show favors her over Jin, and she is a fan favourite.
Also, what does it mean to be a Candidate?
Lastly, why exactly does Flocke want to get off the island and with Sawyer for that matter. If he wanted to leave, wouldn’t he just leave? Something is tying him to the island, and for some reason he needs assistance from Sawyer. Very curious.
All in all, this episode blew my mind, and I practically cannot wait for next Tuesday. I’m reeling with questions and possibilities that could happen!
Next Week: Tuesday 9pm/8c
Episode Title: Lighthouse [A Jack-centric episode]
Summary: Hurley must convince Jack to accompany him on a mission, and Kin comes across an old acquaintance.
This acquaintance is most obviously going to be Claire, so we can look forward to getting some Claire-related answers. I’m also interested in seeing scenes between Claire and Jin. Remember, Jin was there for the birth of Claire’s baby, so I’m intrigued to see how the onscreen chemistry between them plays off, if she even recognizes him at all!
Disclaimer: Spoilers galore!
The Substitute (a Locke-Centric episode)
I’ll begin by saying that this episode was BOSS. Finally I feel like we’re getting back to what fans have loved most about Lost. Also, we are finally getting some god damn answers! The following is my episode recap, which is rather long...but there's a lot to cover!
Flashsideways Timeline
The episode opens in the Flashsideways storyline of Locke. We see Locke in his wheelchair, maneuvering the lift out of his sweet handicapable whip. The lift, of course, malfunctions midway down. Locke decides it’s a good idea to try to pop a wheelie off the lift. He fails miserably. We are then brought into his house, which he shares with his fiancé. Welcome back, Helen. Helen finds Jack’s business card in the pocket of Locke’s pants, and thinks Locke should give him a call (“What are the odds of you running into a spinal surgeon? Maybe it’s destiny.”).
Locke wheels into his workplace and up to his desk. We see the return of his douche bag boss, Randy. Randy points out that Locke never went to the work conference that he was meant to have gone on while in Australia. Randy the douche proceeds to fire Locke. Shucks, bad luck.
Locke and his box of desk things leave his old job, only to find no way to get into his handicapable car, as it is being blocked by an obnoxious car. Out of frustration he starts banging on said car. Who should appear as the owner of the car, but Hurley! He apologies to Locke, also revealing he is the owner of the whole flipping company. I might also point out he goes by “Hugo” and looks awfully dapper in a sharp suit. Upon learning that Locke was just fired from his company, he gives him a number to a temp agency he also owns. He says to tell them that Hugo says to hook him up with a new job (“Chin up, things are gonna work out.”)
At the temp agency, Locke interviews for a job, and demands to speak to the supervisor as he is unhappy with the interview process. Who should appear as the supervisor, but Rose! They get down to brass tacks. Locke wants a construction site supervising job. Rose agrees to let him have it, but says that it won’t work out, and they must be realistic (obviously referring to Locke being handicapped). When Locke gets angry, Rose tells him about her terminal cancer, and how she understands realistic expectations.
Locke wakes up to his alarm clock and does his morning routine. He pulls out Jack’s card, and dials the number, but cannot bring himself to make an appointment. He tells Helen that he got fired. The doorbell then rings, and Locke’s lost luggage from the flight is delivered. Helen asks how he got fired, and John explains that he did not go to the conference in Sydney, urging her to open the luggage. She does so, seeing Locke’s arsenal of knives. Lock explains his hopes of going on the walkabout, which he was refused participation. Locke delivers a very high-emotion monologue about being in the chair, and the things he cannot do, such as walk with her down the aisle. He then says there are no such things as miracles, which is why he will not call Jack. It’s very odd to see this side of Locke, whom we have all grown to know as a man of faith. Helen says that miracles do exist, and the only thing she was ever waiting for, was him. She tears up the business card and they kiss. How romantic.
The Beach Crew
Ben walks back into the temple to find Ilana crying over her dead comrades, and begs Ben to tell her what happened. Ben explains bluntly that Locke turned into a pillar of black smoke and killed them all. (He’s the picture of sensitivity, eh?). He also says Locke killed Jacob, and then kicked his body into the fire. Ilana proceeds to grab the ash from the fire and put it in a bag. Ilana tells Ben that he took Richard, because he is recruiting.
Ilana, Ben, Sun, and Frank decide to head out for the temple together, where the rest of the Others have gone. Sun goes in hope that Jin is there, which Ilana says if he is alive, he will be. Sun demands they bury dead body of Locke before they go.
The Beach crew carries Locke’s body. Ben questions Ilana about what the hell is happening, as he obviously is confused. Ilana tells him that Smokey is stuck as the Locke look-alike for now. They make their way to the burial ground of flight 815. It’s an emotional moment to see all the graves of past characters (RIP Boone). They bury Locke (with Ben showing off some muscles in a thin white undershirt). Ilana asks if anyone should say some words. Ben does, in an emotional eulogy, saying, “John Locke was a…a believer. He was a man of faith. He was a much better man that I will ever be. And I’m very sorry I murdered him.” It was very heartfelt, and a very different colour of Ben Linus.
Flocke Recruiting
Back on the island, we get a great cinematic camera sweep of Smokey’s POV traveling all over the island, through the jungle, pit stop at Other Town (we hear bottles smashing and heavy metal music blasting), and back into the jungle. Stopping, Smokey transforms back into fake Locke, or as he has been deemed by fans, “Flocke”. Flocke picks up a machete, and cuts lose a trap in which he has Richard ensnared, saying “Alright Richard, time to talk”.
Flocke becomes somewhat sympathetic with Richard, saying “Richard I’m sorry I hit you in the throat and dragged you off the beach but I had to do something”. Giving him water, he explains to Richard that he had to do what he did to get access to Jacob. He says he looks like Locke because “Locke was a candidate” (more on what it means to be a candidate a little later). Flocke wants Richard to come join him, stating how Jacob disrespected Richard by keeping him in the dark all this time. Richard absolutely refuses to go anywhere with Flocke, clearly showing where his allegiance lies. Suddenly Flocke sees what appears to be a vision of a blonde boy. He quickly departs from Richard.
Back in Other Town, Locke enters the house that is blasting music. He comes upon a drunken Sawyer, mourning Juliet in his own way. Sawyer looks at him without a hint of surprise, saying “I thought you were dead”. Flocke says, “I am”. Sawyer plays host and gives Locke a drink. He wears soiled clothes (the the most attractive look for him I might add). He seems not to give a damn whether Locke is “dead, time traveling, or the Ghost of Christmas Past. Bottoms up and get the hell out of my house!” Sawyer wonders who the heck this is, because this is not Locke. Locke was scared, but this man is not. Flocke says he can give Sawyer the answer to the most important question in the world. “Why are you on this island?” He says if Sawyer comes with him, he can show him. Sawyer decides to go with him.
Flocke and Sawyer walk through the jungle, and Flocke questions him about why he was in the house, and where everyone else is. Flocke sees the little blonde kid again, whom Sawyer also sees. Upon hearing that Sawyer also sees him, Flocke and Sawyer give chase to the boy. Flocke trips and the kid says “You know the rules, you can’t kill him” Flocke then speaks the famous Locke line of “Don’t tell me what I can’t do!” The kid walks away. Sawyer looks for Flocke, whom apparently got away from him. Richard comes out towards Sawyer, frightened and telling Sawyer he must go to the temple and that Flocke will kill him. He says Flocke wants everyone dead and not to trust him! He runs off when he realizes Flocke is coming back. Flocke and Sawyer proceed. Sawyer and Flocke walk, and Sawyer tells him about his favourite book, Of Mice and Men. Sawyer pulls out a gun and wonders what would happen if he put a bullet in Flocke’s head. Flocke tempts him to. Sawyer wonders, “What are you?” Locke responds, “What I am is trapped. I’ve been trapped for so long that I don’t remember what it’s like to be free. But before I was trapped, I was a man, just like you.” Flocke urges them to continue, which they do.
Sawyer and Flocke come to the ocean line, on the rocks, and proceed down the rocks. There is apparently come sort of cave/alcove in the cliff face. There is a very sketchy ladder going straight down the cliff face. They both proceed to go down it. There are 2 ladders, which you must swing over to the other after going down the first. Of course the ladder breaks and Sawyer holds onto the swinging ladder for dear life, getting tossed around like a pinball. Flocke saves him. They get their footing and proceed into the cave. The cave features a scale, in which the infamous black and white rocks sit on each side. Flocke picks up the white rock and chucks it. Sawyer asks, “What was that about?” Flocke states, “It’s an inside joke.” Oh the humor and symbolism! They proceed deeper into the cave, into a second chamber. Flocke indicates upwards, and says “That is why you are here.” There is writing carved all over the cave ceiling, which clearly show names of those on Flight 815, some of which are assigned a number. Yes folks, the infamous numbers are about to be (somewhat) explained!
Sawyer asks who carved everything. Flocke tells him it was Jacob. Practically all of the names are crossed out, with 6 exceptions. We see:
Locke – 4
Reyes – 8
Ford – 15
Jarrah – 16
Shephard – 23
Kwon - 42
(Got shivers yet?)
We see a montage of Jacob’s past meetings with the 815 crew that we were shown in the Season 5 Finale. Flocke explains that Sawyer met Jacob at some point in his life when he was naive and Jacob did something to push him towards the island. Flocke explains that the ones written are candidates for taking over the island. He has 3 choices: 1) Do nothing and see how it all get’s played out, and his name may get crossed out (he then crosses out Locke’s name) 2) you can become the new Jacob and protect the island. But you’d be protecting it from nothing at all because it’s pointless and a waste. Or 3) they just go. They just get the hell off this island and never look back. Flocke asks, “What do you say James, are you ready to go home? Sawyer dramatically answers, “Hell yes.” Fin.
My Thoughts
Wow. We get some answers, and we spark some new questions.
Who is this blonde boy? I’ve been reading a lot of fan speculation that revolves around 3 possibilities. Could this be a Future Aaron? Could this be a Young Jacob? Or could this be a completely new character? And why couldn’t Richard see the boy, yet Sawyer could?
Now onto the numbers. This is obviously a HUGE revelation for Losties. We are finally getting answers to the numbers that have haunted us since season 1. We obviously do have questions still.
Where is Kate Austin among these names? We are obviously under the assumption that her name is crossed out.
If someone’s name is crossed out, does that mean they are dead? We obviously get that feeling when Flocke crosses out Locke’s name.
Which Kwon is the writing meant to have implied? My guess is that it is Sun. She is one of the Oceanic 6, the show favors her over Jin, and she is a fan favourite.
Also, what does it mean to be a Candidate?
Lastly, why exactly does Flocke want to get off the island and with Sawyer for that matter. If he wanted to leave, wouldn’t he just leave? Something is tying him to the island, and for some reason he needs assistance from Sawyer. Very curious.
All in all, this episode blew my mind, and I practically cannot wait for next Tuesday. I’m reeling with questions and possibilities that could happen!
Next Week: Tuesday 9pm/8c
Episode Title: Lighthouse [A Jack-centric episode]
Summary: Hurley must convince Jack to accompany him on a mission, and Kin comes across an old acquaintance.
This acquaintance is most obviously going to be Claire, so we can look forward to getting some Claire-related answers. I’m also interested in seeing scenes between Claire and Jin. Remember, Jin was there for the birth of Claire’s baby, so I’m intrigued to see how the onscreen chemistry between them plays off, if she even recognizes him at all!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Film News Around Hollywood!
Film News Around Hollywood:
Over the past week or so, I’ve been hearing and reading lot’s of exciting and intreiguing tidbits about prospective films. I am 99.9% sure these ARE NOT rumors, but there may be a spoiler for those wishing to remain naïve to upcoming movies. Here are just a few bits that caught my attention:
Christopher Nolan to Mentor the Previously Failing Superman Franchise
Anyone who was privy to Brian Singer’s “Superman Returns” may know that it was a financial bust, especially when considering its massive budget. It is reported (Hollywood Deadline) that Warner has approached Christopher Nolan (director of the current/badass Batman Franchise) to take on a mentoring role in the revamping of the Superman Franchise. While Nolan is not expected to direct (he’s got his hands full working on the third Batman installment), he will “oversee” and “give advice” to the new Superman movie. The movie will not be a sequel to the previous “Superman Returns”, but instead the slate will be wiped clean to take a fresh crack at the franchise. This is very exciting news for DC Comic fans, Superhero movie fans, and action lover fans. Maybe we’ll finally get a truly epic Superman hit! (Hollywood Deadline)
“If there’s something strange in your neighborhood; who ya gonna call?”
BILLY MURRAY?
Ghostbusters fans will love this! As you may or may not have known, "Ghostbusters 3" is in the works. While the rumor mill was running amuck with reports of fan favourite Bill Murray to reappear in the film, it can now be confirmed as true! In an interview with The Daily Mail, Murray confirmed he will indeed be back for the third installment, under specific stipulations, of course:
"I said to them, 'I'll do it if you kill me off in the first reel,'" he said. "So now they are going to have me as a ghost in the film." – Billy Murray
Let’s hope for another epic and hilarious film! I look forward to hearing more about the production of this film! (MTV Movie Blogs)
National Lampoon’s Vacation Reboot?
Variety reports that New Line Cinemas in the works of revamping the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” franchise! According to Variety, “the new film is being described as more of an update than a sequel and will be closer in tone to “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” than the previous chapters”. (Rotten Tomatoes)
21 Jump Street to jump to the big screen?
80’s television series “21 Jump Street”, starring Johnny Depp and Richard Grieco is being brought to the big screen. Columbia Pictures announced that the movie is slated for an August 2011 release. It will star funny man Jonah Hill. Personally, I think this is a TERRIBLE idea. (Comingsoon.net)
This Weekend at the Box Office
Avatar may be the highest grossing movie of all time (domestically and internationally), but it was no match for LOVE! This weekend’s box office top five are as follows:
1. Valentine's Day - $66,855,000
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief - $38,750,000
3. The Wolfman - $36,489,150
4. Avatar - $30,000,000
5. Dear John - $18,800,000
Formula to get the top stop: make a movie about the worlds mushiest, chick holiday, throw in like, 50 fucking huge and gorgeous celebrities, stir, and distribute on said holiday weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing how long Valentine’s Day is going to hold the top spot. My thoughts? Let it have a nice run this week, because upcoming movies to be released are going to kick some fucking ass! I am speaking mainly of course of the new Scorsese film, “Shutter Island” starring a little known fellow, Leo DiCaprio. This is the film I’m looking forward to the most, aside from Tim’ Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”. I purchased the novel “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lehane yesterday, so I hope to finish it before the movie release on Friday. There are sure to be a lot of great movies coming out in the next few weeks, and a lot to review up ahead!
Upcoming films to be sure to look out for:
- “Shutter Island” (3/19/10)
- "The Crazies" (2/26/2010)
- "Alice In Wonderland" (3/5/10)
- "Green Zone" ( 3/12/10)
- "Clash of the Titans" (3/26/10)
- "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (4/30/10) [sure to be a train wreck, but I LOVE Freddy!]
- "Robin Hood" (5/14/10)
Over the past week or so, I’ve been hearing and reading lot’s of exciting and intreiguing tidbits about prospective films. I am 99.9% sure these ARE NOT rumors, but there may be a spoiler for those wishing to remain naïve to upcoming movies. Here are just a few bits that caught my attention:
Christopher Nolan to Mentor the Previously Failing Superman Franchise
Anyone who was privy to Brian Singer’s “Superman Returns” may know that it was a financial bust, especially when considering its massive budget. It is reported (Hollywood Deadline) that Warner has approached Christopher Nolan (director of the current/badass Batman Franchise) to take on a mentoring role in the revamping of the Superman Franchise. While Nolan is not expected to direct (he’s got his hands full working on the third Batman installment), he will “oversee” and “give advice” to the new Superman movie. The movie will not be a sequel to the previous “Superman Returns”, but instead the slate will be wiped clean to take a fresh crack at the franchise. This is very exciting news for DC Comic fans, Superhero movie fans, and action lover fans. Maybe we’ll finally get a truly epic Superman hit! (Hollywood Deadline)
“If there’s something strange in your neighborhood; who ya gonna call?”
BILLY MURRAY?
Ghostbusters fans will love this! As you may or may not have known, "Ghostbusters 3" is in the works. While the rumor mill was running amuck with reports of fan favourite Bill Murray to reappear in the film, it can now be confirmed as true! In an interview with The Daily Mail, Murray confirmed he will indeed be back for the third installment, under specific stipulations, of course:
"I said to them, 'I'll do it if you kill me off in the first reel,'" he said. "So now they are going to have me as a ghost in the film." – Billy Murray
Let’s hope for another epic and hilarious film! I look forward to hearing more about the production of this film! (MTV Movie Blogs)
National Lampoon’s Vacation Reboot?
Variety reports that New Line Cinemas in the works of revamping the “National Lampoon’s Vacation” franchise! According to Variety, “the new film is being described as more of an update than a sequel and will be closer in tone to “Planes, Trains and Automobiles” than the previous chapters”. (Rotten Tomatoes)
21 Jump Street to jump to the big screen?
80’s television series “21 Jump Street”, starring Johnny Depp and Richard Grieco is being brought to the big screen. Columbia Pictures announced that the movie is slated for an August 2011 release. It will star funny man Jonah Hill. Personally, I think this is a TERRIBLE idea. (Comingsoon.net)
This Weekend at the Box Office
Avatar may be the highest grossing movie of all time (domestically and internationally), but it was no match for LOVE! This weekend’s box office top five are as follows:
1. Valentine's Day - $66,855,000
2. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lighting Thief - $38,750,000
3. The Wolfman - $36,489,150
4. Avatar - $30,000,000
5. Dear John - $18,800,000
Formula to get the top stop: make a movie about the worlds mushiest, chick holiday, throw in like, 50 fucking huge and gorgeous celebrities, stir, and distribute on said holiday weekend. I’m looking forward to seeing how long Valentine’s Day is going to hold the top spot. My thoughts? Let it have a nice run this week, because upcoming movies to be released are going to kick some fucking ass! I am speaking mainly of course of the new Scorsese film, “Shutter Island” starring a little known fellow, Leo DiCaprio. This is the film I’m looking forward to the most, aside from Tim’ Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”. I purchased the novel “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lehane yesterday, so I hope to finish it before the movie release on Friday. There are sure to be a lot of great movies coming out in the next few weeks, and a lot to review up ahead!
Upcoming films to be sure to look out for:
- “Shutter Island” (3/19/10)
- "The Crazies" (2/26/2010)
- "Alice In Wonderland" (3/5/10)
- "Green Zone" ( 3/12/10)
- "Clash of the Titans" (3/26/10)
- "A Nightmare on Elm Street" (4/30/10) [sure to be a train wreck, but I LOVE Freddy!]
- "Robin Hood" (5/14/10)
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Lost Episode 2 Recap and Review
Lost Episode 2 Recap and Review
Disclaimer: Total spoilers!
What Kate Does (a Kate-centric episode)
I’ve been hearing things from both camps about this episode. I’ve heard lots of griping about this being a ‘filler’ episode with no real meaning. On the flipside, I hear that this episode is full of some massive revelations. I happen to fall into the latter camp. I’ll start by saying, WOW. “Darlton” seriously threw me for a curveball with this episode. Both our Island folks and our Flashsideways crew had some serious obstacles and issues to deal with. I’ll start by saying I’m glad we got our Kate-centric episode out of the way early on into the season, because generally speaking, I have little interest in her storylines. However, what these flashsideways have to offer us is a brand new chance to get to know these characters. As we know, the exploded bomb has an impact and possible side effects to which we will be learning as the season unfolds. Having said this, I am wiping my slate clean of my distaste for most Kate-centric episodes and giving this new flashsideways Kate a chance. And what a different person she is!
Flashsideways with Kate
I think the first thing to note is the difference we see in Kate. In previous flashbacks, we’ve seen Kate as a woman who absolutely hated being on the run. She really felt lost and never safe or complacent. Flashsideways Kate is kind of a badass. She hijacks a taxi for crying out loud without a second’s hesitation. Whatever altered effect the bomb had on Kate, it certainly made her embrace to fugitive on the run persona. So let’s jump right into it. After hijacking the taxi, Kate starts calling shots to the driver while Claire freaks in the backseat. I’d like to point out that Kate sees Jack outside her window and stares at him with a serious familiarity (sort of how Jack looked as Desmond in the premiere). So the cabbie jumps out, and Kate takes over, kicking Claire out on the side of the road. After visiting a mechanic to wield some mechanical tools to get her cuffs off, Kate is stabbed through the heart with a little thing called guilt (you just don’t hold up a pregnant chick, okay?) Kate drives back to find Claire sitting on the side of the road still. Claire laments about how she had come to LA to give up her baby (obviously the bomb didn’t change the fact that she was going to give the child up). Kate kindly offers to go with Claire to the address of the perspective adoptive parents. Lo and behold, the adoptive parents have separated! Obviously upon this news, Claire starts having contractions. Just their luck! Kate brings Claire to the hospital and is by her side throughout this child birthing process. I find it very meaningful that even though this flashsideways timeline is essentially a new existence for these characters, Kate, Claire, and Aaron are still intertwined in this powerful way, just as they had been on the island. Another point of interest, Kate screams for the doctor to help and in swoops in our favourite prenatal psycho other, ETHAN! I won’t lie, when Ethan came on the screen I screamed in shock. While in labor, Claire screams for them to help “Aaron”. The name just “came to her” Obviously it did. Ethan tells Claire that “Aaron is going to be a handful”. Ha! Anyways, while Claire is resting in her hospital bed, the police come in to question her about “Joan Heart”, the cab driver she came in with. In the spirit of sisterhood, Claire covers for Kate. They bond (how sweet). Claire gives Kate her credit card to help her out, since Kate helped her. Kate leaves (first saying that Aaron is a great name). And that’s the flashsideways for you folks!
Back on the Island
A LOT OF SHIT WENT DOWN ON THE ISLAND. We left off last time with the apparently dead Sayid waking up and being very much not dead. Even more, his wound is practically healed up. As the temple goes on lockdown, Sawyer decides to leave. After losing Juliet, Sawyer just does not give a shit about anything anymore. He leaves, and Kate and Jin offer to go after him, along with a few douchebag Others.
The lead Others decide they need to “talk” to Sayid in private. Their conversation involves strapping Sayid down, torturing him, and branding him. It’s always nice to have a heart to heart with the Others. John Lennon Other tells Sayid they were testing him and he passed. In private, he confirms with Genghis Kahn other that he felt like he just lied to Sayid.
Back out on the trail of Sawyer Kate, Jin, and Dumb and Dumber come across a well-maneuvered trap, in the style of our old French nutcase Danielle Rousseau. But they can’t be Rousseau traps! As Dumber Other reminds us, “But she’s been dead for years!” to with Dumb Other whaps him to shut up. Hmm, whose traps are they then? Kate knocks out Dumb and Dumber so she can go follow Sawyer (with no intentions of bringing him back). Jin is fucking pissed cause he just wants to find Sun god dammit!
Back to Otherville, John Lennon Other tells Jack that Sayid is “infected”. Too-good-to-speak-English Genghis Kahn tells Jack that Sayid must take a pill. Jack must give him the pill, because Sayid trusts Jack. Jack and Sayid talk, and Jack is hesitant about this whole pill deal.
Back at the deserted Other Town, Kate finds Sawyer rummaging through his and Juliet’s old bedroom. He is mourning and retrieving something. They have a heart to heart by the water, where Kate says she came back for one reason only: to find Claire. Sawyer, in a heartfelt diatribe shows Kate the wedding ring (Do they have a Kay Jewelers on the Island or something?) and talks about his plans to propose to Juliet. He chucks the ring in the water and walks away. Kate cries and kind of looks like an ass for chasing after Sawyer. It’s here that I’d like to give a standing ovation to Josh Holloway’s performance. His range of acting during this scene was breathtaking and had me crying. We see him hurt, pissed as hell, defiant, defeated, and empty. In a Kate-centric episode, Sawyer steals this episode!
Jack and Genghis Kahn talk. Genghis Kahn reveals his name, which is obviously unimportant since he looks like GK! He tells Jack that the reason he is too good for the English language, is that he has to remain separate from the rest of the people and it makes it easier to make decisions that people may not be happy with. He says he was “brought here, just like everyone else” (which reminds us of the AGE OLD question of why are they on the island?). Jack reveals that he will not give Sayid the pill because he doesn’t know what is in it. He does not trust himself, so why should he trust Genghis Kahn? So he decides to see how far trust will go. He takes the pill himself! An enraged Genghis Kahn beats that pill out of Jack’s mouth. He reveals that there was poison in the pill! Dun dun dun!
Genghis, Lennon, and Jack all have a little sit down to talk about what just transpired and why they want to kill Sayid. Lennon, “He has been claimed.” Genghis, “There is a darkness growing inside of him, and once it reaches his heart, everything your friend once was will be gone.” Jack, “How can you be sure?” Are you ready for this?! Genghis, “Because it happened to your sister.” Whoa.
Dumb and Dumber jump Jin, They’re about to shoot him when all of a sudden they get shot dead themselves. Who just saved Jin? Camera pans over to a rugged, fucked-up Rousseau looking CLAIRE! (Guess we know whose traps those were, and what has become of Claire. But how?)
My Thoughts
Well…what an episode of twists and revelations. A few thoughts and questions came to me after this episode. First and possibly least important pertains to these adoptive parents. I feel like if they didn’t matter in some way other than not taking the baby, we would not have seen the woman. Which brings up the question of who was the adoptive father supposed to be, and does it matter? Now, onto this whole “claimed” business. So Claire has been claimed. Has she been living like Rousseau used to all this time? What does it mean to be “claimed”/ how did they get infected? I’m assuming John Locke has been claimed too. Sayid is possibly claimed as well. Claire went off with Christian and last we saw her. She was chilling with her pops in Jacob’s hut. If we last we saw her with the Jacob crew, how is it that she has a darkness in her that Jacob’s followers fear? How does one become “claimed”? Is this the same kind of “infection” that Rousseau feared so much back when she was young and first came to the island? How do Sayid, Claire, John, Jacob, and the Smoke Monster (and Christian and Danielle for that matter) all connect around this central idea of being claimed by darkness? And what the hell is the deal with Christian Sheppard? So many questions!
Next week: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 9pm/8c
Episode Name: The Substitute.
My guess from previews is that this is going to be a John-centric episode. Keep watching Lost!
Disclaimer: Total spoilers!
What Kate Does (a Kate-centric episode)
I’ve been hearing things from both camps about this episode. I’ve heard lots of griping about this being a ‘filler’ episode with no real meaning. On the flipside, I hear that this episode is full of some massive revelations. I happen to fall into the latter camp. I’ll start by saying, WOW. “Darlton” seriously threw me for a curveball with this episode. Both our Island folks and our Flashsideways crew had some serious obstacles and issues to deal with. I’ll start by saying I’m glad we got our Kate-centric episode out of the way early on into the season, because generally speaking, I have little interest in her storylines. However, what these flashsideways have to offer us is a brand new chance to get to know these characters. As we know, the exploded bomb has an impact and possible side effects to which we will be learning as the season unfolds. Having said this, I am wiping my slate clean of my distaste for most Kate-centric episodes and giving this new flashsideways Kate a chance. And what a different person she is!
Flashsideways with Kate
I think the first thing to note is the difference we see in Kate. In previous flashbacks, we’ve seen Kate as a woman who absolutely hated being on the run. She really felt lost and never safe or complacent. Flashsideways Kate is kind of a badass. She hijacks a taxi for crying out loud without a second’s hesitation. Whatever altered effect the bomb had on Kate, it certainly made her embrace to fugitive on the run persona. So let’s jump right into it. After hijacking the taxi, Kate starts calling shots to the driver while Claire freaks in the backseat. I’d like to point out that Kate sees Jack outside her window and stares at him with a serious familiarity (sort of how Jack looked as Desmond in the premiere). So the cabbie jumps out, and Kate takes over, kicking Claire out on the side of the road. After visiting a mechanic to wield some mechanical tools to get her cuffs off, Kate is stabbed through the heart with a little thing called guilt (you just don’t hold up a pregnant chick, okay?) Kate drives back to find Claire sitting on the side of the road still. Claire laments about how she had come to LA to give up her baby (obviously the bomb didn’t change the fact that she was going to give the child up). Kate kindly offers to go with Claire to the address of the perspective adoptive parents. Lo and behold, the adoptive parents have separated! Obviously upon this news, Claire starts having contractions. Just their luck! Kate brings Claire to the hospital and is by her side throughout this child birthing process. I find it very meaningful that even though this flashsideways timeline is essentially a new existence for these characters, Kate, Claire, and Aaron are still intertwined in this powerful way, just as they had been on the island. Another point of interest, Kate screams for the doctor to help and in swoops in our favourite prenatal psycho other, ETHAN! I won’t lie, when Ethan came on the screen I screamed in shock. While in labor, Claire screams for them to help “Aaron”. The name just “came to her” Obviously it did. Ethan tells Claire that “Aaron is going to be a handful”. Ha! Anyways, while Claire is resting in her hospital bed, the police come in to question her about “Joan Heart”, the cab driver she came in with. In the spirit of sisterhood, Claire covers for Kate. They bond (how sweet). Claire gives Kate her credit card to help her out, since Kate helped her. Kate leaves (first saying that Aaron is a great name). And that’s the flashsideways for you folks!
Back on the Island
A LOT OF SHIT WENT DOWN ON THE ISLAND. We left off last time with the apparently dead Sayid waking up and being very much not dead. Even more, his wound is practically healed up. As the temple goes on lockdown, Sawyer decides to leave. After losing Juliet, Sawyer just does not give a shit about anything anymore. He leaves, and Kate and Jin offer to go after him, along with a few douchebag Others.
The lead Others decide they need to “talk” to Sayid in private. Their conversation involves strapping Sayid down, torturing him, and branding him. It’s always nice to have a heart to heart with the Others. John Lennon Other tells Sayid they were testing him and he passed. In private, he confirms with Genghis Kahn other that he felt like he just lied to Sayid.
Back out on the trail of Sawyer Kate, Jin, and Dumb and Dumber come across a well-maneuvered trap, in the style of our old French nutcase Danielle Rousseau. But they can’t be Rousseau traps! As Dumber Other reminds us, “But she’s been dead for years!” to with Dumb Other whaps him to shut up. Hmm, whose traps are they then? Kate knocks out Dumb and Dumber so she can go follow Sawyer (with no intentions of bringing him back). Jin is fucking pissed cause he just wants to find Sun god dammit!
Back to Otherville, John Lennon Other tells Jack that Sayid is “infected”. Too-good-to-speak-English Genghis Kahn tells Jack that Sayid must take a pill. Jack must give him the pill, because Sayid trusts Jack. Jack and Sayid talk, and Jack is hesitant about this whole pill deal.
Back at the deserted Other Town, Kate finds Sawyer rummaging through his and Juliet’s old bedroom. He is mourning and retrieving something. They have a heart to heart by the water, where Kate says she came back for one reason only: to find Claire. Sawyer, in a heartfelt diatribe shows Kate the wedding ring (Do they have a Kay Jewelers on the Island or something?) and talks about his plans to propose to Juliet. He chucks the ring in the water and walks away. Kate cries and kind of looks like an ass for chasing after Sawyer. It’s here that I’d like to give a standing ovation to Josh Holloway’s performance. His range of acting during this scene was breathtaking and had me crying. We see him hurt, pissed as hell, defiant, defeated, and empty. In a Kate-centric episode, Sawyer steals this episode!
Jack and Genghis Kahn talk. Genghis Kahn reveals his name, which is obviously unimportant since he looks like GK! He tells Jack that the reason he is too good for the English language, is that he has to remain separate from the rest of the people and it makes it easier to make decisions that people may not be happy with. He says he was “brought here, just like everyone else” (which reminds us of the AGE OLD question of why are they on the island?). Jack reveals that he will not give Sayid the pill because he doesn’t know what is in it. He does not trust himself, so why should he trust Genghis Kahn? So he decides to see how far trust will go. He takes the pill himself! An enraged Genghis Kahn beats that pill out of Jack’s mouth. He reveals that there was poison in the pill! Dun dun dun!
Genghis, Lennon, and Jack all have a little sit down to talk about what just transpired and why they want to kill Sayid. Lennon, “He has been claimed.” Genghis, “There is a darkness growing inside of him, and once it reaches his heart, everything your friend once was will be gone.” Jack, “How can you be sure?” Are you ready for this?! Genghis, “Because it happened to your sister.” Whoa.
Dumb and Dumber jump Jin, They’re about to shoot him when all of a sudden they get shot dead themselves. Who just saved Jin? Camera pans over to a rugged, fucked-up Rousseau looking CLAIRE! (Guess we know whose traps those were, and what has become of Claire. But how?)
My Thoughts
Well…what an episode of twists and revelations. A few thoughts and questions came to me after this episode. First and possibly least important pertains to these adoptive parents. I feel like if they didn’t matter in some way other than not taking the baby, we would not have seen the woman. Which brings up the question of who was the adoptive father supposed to be, and does it matter? Now, onto this whole “claimed” business. So Claire has been claimed. Has she been living like Rousseau used to all this time? What does it mean to be “claimed”/ how did they get infected? I’m assuming John Locke has been claimed too. Sayid is possibly claimed as well. Claire went off with Christian and last we saw her. She was chilling with her pops in Jacob’s hut. If we last we saw her with the Jacob crew, how is it that she has a darkness in her that Jacob’s followers fear? How does one become “claimed”? Is this the same kind of “infection” that Rousseau feared so much back when she was young and first came to the island? How do Sayid, Claire, John, Jacob, and the Smoke Monster (and Christian and Danielle for that matter) all connect around this central idea of being claimed by darkness? And what the hell is the deal with Christian Sheppard? So many questions!
Next week: Tuesday, February 16, 2010 9pm/8c
Episode Name: The Substitute.
My guess from previews is that this is going to be a John-centric episode. Keep watching Lost!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Time Bandits (1981)
What I’m Watching
Time Bandits (1981. Directed By Terry Gilliam. Starring Craig Warnock, John Cleese, Sean Connery, Michael Palin, Ian Holm, Shelly Duvall)
Written by Pythons Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin comes a fantasy adventure like no other. Part fairytale, part satire, part history lesson, Time Bandits is a whimsical adventure about a young, emotionally neglected boy who finds himself in the company of 6 wacky, thieving dwarves. This isn’t just any odyssey of plunder though. This gang of bandits has a special map that allows them to find time holes in the universe to transport them to random periods in time. Along the way of their greedy search for treasures, they drop in on a number of historical events and meet a great many erratic people through history. With Evil (yes, Evil) conspiring to get the map, along with the Supreme Being on their tale, this unlikely band of boys have exploits of a lifetime (literally)!
Within 5 minutes, this story jumps into high gear and moves along at a great pace. Between the different scenes / periods of time we travel to, there are dynamic links and transitions. Unlike other Gilliam films (ahem, Brazil) this movie is very easy to follow, concise, and uncomplicated. Now, while I love a good mind-bender, especially from Gilliam, this is the perfect movie for all ages to just sit back with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the journey you’re presented with.
As always, special effects and makeup are always ace in Gilliam’s films. This movie combines a marvelous mixture of animatronics and computer effects (keep an eye on Evil’s crazy powers and the end battle!). Another admirable visual is the giant in the ocean. Through the proficient use of models, computer generated effects, and great camera angles, the “giant” is astronomical.
The special effects makeup is awesome (I’m sure it helps that Gilliam and the makeup artist are hitched!) The whole semblance of Evil is menacing and demanding! Another notable special effects makeup feat is the elderly Ogre, who just looks misshapen, monstrous, and boss!
The scenery is diverse and very keyed in to each time period that the film recognizes. My favourite scenery is Evil’s high-tech, Lego-like “Fortress of Ultimate Darkness”. Ancient Greece is another astounding landscape, and the city itself looks realistic and inviting.
Notable performances are numerous and superb. Ian Holm plays the man-child, immature and inept Napoleon Bonaparte. The painfully hilarious John Cleese plays Robin Hood, the sweetest, soft spoken and completely optimistic robber to ever hit the big screen. The great Sean Connery plays the fatherly, honourable, and brave King Agamemnon. David Warner plays the heinous and hysterical Evil. Young Craig Warnock is Kevin, the picture of innocence and naivety. The 6 dwarves are kooky, crazy, and eccentric. My favourite characters are Vincent and Pansy. Vincent and Pansy are a couple who appear in all different time periods (the Middle Ages, aboard the Titanic). The special aspect of this couple is that they are ALWAYS on the verge of a very intimate moment when BAM; 6 dwarves and a kid pop out of a time hole and land on top of them. Talk about a buzz kill! Nothing else ruins a moment such as a parade of dwarves raining down on you. Vincent (played by my ultimate love, Michael Palin) and Pansy (Shelly Duvall) are the ultimate riot in an already amusing film. They deliver perfect over-the-top slapstick performances. They play off of each other’s idiocy and extreme dramatics. They are so entertaining together and for me, they delivered the most laughs (but perhaps I am biased in the matter!)
This is a convivial experience from beginning to end. For kids, teens, and adults alike, this movie is perfect for those who love fantasy, thrill, adventure, British humor, and super sarcastic humor. Written by two Pythons and co-starring two, this movie is quite un-python like in a really great way. The banter is witty and sarcastic. The story is formulaic and a really imaginative narrative. So often I find myself sitting down to watch a film with pen and paper in hand, all distractions turned away, and my concentration cap put on. This film is perfect to just sit back without having to think too hard about what you’re watching. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time watching this film and I highly recommend it to ALL!
Time Bandits (1981. Directed By Terry Gilliam. Starring Craig Warnock, John Cleese, Sean Connery, Michael Palin, Ian Holm, Shelly Duvall)
Written by Pythons Terry Gilliam and Michael Palin comes a fantasy adventure like no other. Part fairytale, part satire, part history lesson, Time Bandits is a whimsical adventure about a young, emotionally neglected boy who finds himself in the company of 6 wacky, thieving dwarves. This isn’t just any odyssey of plunder though. This gang of bandits has a special map that allows them to find time holes in the universe to transport them to random periods in time. Along the way of their greedy search for treasures, they drop in on a number of historical events and meet a great many erratic people through history. With Evil (yes, Evil) conspiring to get the map, along with the Supreme Being on their tale, this unlikely band of boys have exploits of a lifetime (literally)!
Within 5 minutes, this story jumps into high gear and moves along at a great pace. Between the different scenes / periods of time we travel to, there are dynamic links and transitions. Unlike other Gilliam films (ahem, Brazil) this movie is very easy to follow, concise, and uncomplicated. Now, while I love a good mind-bender, especially from Gilliam, this is the perfect movie for all ages to just sit back with a bowl of popcorn and enjoy the journey you’re presented with.
As always, special effects and makeup are always ace in Gilliam’s films. This movie combines a marvelous mixture of animatronics and computer effects (keep an eye on Evil’s crazy powers and the end battle!). Another admirable visual is the giant in the ocean. Through the proficient use of models, computer generated effects, and great camera angles, the “giant” is astronomical.
The special effects makeup is awesome (I’m sure it helps that Gilliam and the makeup artist are hitched!) The whole semblance of Evil is menacing and demanding! Another notable special effects makeup feat is the elderly Ogre, who just looks misshapen, monstrous, and boss!
The scenery is diverse and very keyed in to each time period that the film recognizes. My favourite scenery is Evil’s high-tech, Lego-like “Fortress of Ultimate Darkness”. Ancient Greece is another astounding landscape, and the city itself looks realistic and inviting.
Notable performances are numerous and superb. Ian Holm plays the man-child, immature and inept Napoleon Bonaparte. The painfully hilarious John Cleese plays Robin Hood, the sweetest, soft spoken and completely optimistic robber to ever hit the big screen. The great Sean Connery plays the fatherly, honourable, and brave King Agamemnon. David Warner plays the heinous and hysterical Evil. Young Craig Warnock is Kevin, the picture of innocence and naivety. The 6 dwarves are kooky, crazy, and eccentric. My favourite characters are Vincent and Pansy. Vincent and Pansy are a couple who appear in all different time periods (the Middle Ages, aboard the Titanic). The special aspect of this couple is that they are ALWAYS on the verge of a very intimate moment when BAM; 6 dwarves and a kid pop out of a time hole and land on top of them. Talk about a buzz kill! Nothing else ruins a moment such as a parade of dwarves raining down on you. Vincent (played by my ultimate love, Michael Palin) and Pansy (Shelly Duvall) are the ultimate riot in an already amusing film. They deliver perfect over-the-top slapstick performances. They play off of each other’s idiocy and extreme dramatics. They are so entertaining together and for me, they delivered the most laughs (but perhaps I am biased in the matter!)
This is a convivial experience from beginning to end. For kids, teens, and adults alike, this movie is perfect for those who love fantasy, thrill, adventure, British humor, and super sarcastic humor. Written by two Pythons and co-starring two, this movie is quite un-python like in a really great way. The banter is witty and sarcastic. The story is formulaic and a really imaginative narrative. So often I find myself sitting down to watch a film with pen and paper in hand, all distractions turned away, and my concentration cap put on. This film is perfect to just sit back without having to think too hard about what you’re watching. I had a thoroughly enjoyable time watching this film and I highly recommend it to ALL!
Film Review : Lo (2009)
What I'm Watching
Lo (2009. Directed by Travis Betz. Starring Ward Roberts and Jeremiah Birkett)
Storytelling from the confines of a demonic circle may seem like a seriously risky film choice, but Travis Betz takes that chance and executes it expertly. Lo is an offbeat, mind-bending tale of a man who goes up against smart-mouthed demons in order to see his love, April again. Course, April just happens to be a demon herself. With very little to work with (or to distract the film with) the audience relies on the dialogue and performance from these great actors to see how love knows no bounds. There are so many aspects brilliantly done in what on the surface seems like a minimalists’ film.
The special effects makeup is extravagant, twisted, disgusting, grotesquely realistic, and AWESOME!
I enjoy the use of vibrant colours (notably the reds) in the flashback illusions, which boldly contrast that of the morose dark shades of grey’s and blacks in the surrounding focal point of the movie.
This film is based very heavily on dialogue, which is sharp, savvy and candid.
Ward Roberts as ‘Justin’ [aka Dinner] shows immense talent, as he stretches his emotional bounds from acting within the confines of this devilish circle. We see him weak, defeated, and lost without his love in the beginning, and see him develop into a strong, powerful and determined man who isn’t going to take anymore bullshit from Lo.
Jeremiah Birkett as the demon, ‘Lo’ is without a doubt my favourite part of this film. Lo is so horrifyingly gross, demanding, and austere, but at the same time impetuously hysterical.
Sarah Lassez as the gorgeous demon ‘April’ is quirky, bizarre, and incredibly charismatic to watch onscreen.
Devin Barry as ‘Jeez’ cracked me up as the berserk demon who took April, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find myself swaying along to his devilish musical number!
I especially enjoy the shadow scenes featuring ‘May’ and ‘June’. The torturous monologue that the audience hears as delivered by ‘May’ (I think this is director Travis Betz himself) is so disturbing! The implied gore that the audience hears and visualizes gives so much more impact than had we seen it.
Behind its pithy banter and incomparable story, is this intensely high-tension mind-fuck between this man and this manipulative and apathetic demon. The fact that all the action (or lack thereof) takes place in this seriously small space really amps up the apprehension and edge, which keeps the story moving along at a perfect pace.
It’s imaginative, thought-provoking, visually pleasing, and incredibly refreshing to see such a different take on filmmaking. A perfect release around Valentine’s Day; grab your loved one and hold them close while you watch this trippy and beautiful love story. So fuck “The Notebook”, this movie really shows you that love knows no bounds!
Lo (2009. Directed by Travis Betz. Starring Ward Roberts and Jeremiah Birkett)
Storytelling from the confines of a demonic circle may seem like a seriously risky film choice, but Travis Betz takes that chance and executes it expertly. Lo is an offbeat, mind-bending tale of a man who goes up against smart-mouthed demons in order to see his love, April again. Course, April just happens to be a demon herself. With very little to work with (or to distract the film with) the audience relies on the dialogue and performance from these great actors to see how love knows no bounds. There are so many aspects brilliantly done in what on the surface seems like a minimalists’ film.
The special effects makeup is extravagant, twisted, disgusting, grotesquely realistic, and AWESOME!
I enjoy the use of vibrant colours (notably the reds) in the flashback illusions, which boldly contrast that of the morose dark shades of grey’s and blacks in the surrounding focal point of the movie.
This film is based very heavily on dialogue, which is sharp, savvy and candid.
Ward Roberts as ‘Justin’ [aka Dinner] shows immense talent, as he stretches his emotional bounds from acting within the confines of this devilish circle. We see him weak, defeated, and lost without his love in the beginning, and see him develop into a strong, powerful and determined man who isn’t going to take anymore bullshit from Lo.
Jeremiah Birkett as the demon, ‘Lo’ is without a doubt my favourite part of this film. Lo is so horrifyingly gross, demanding, and austere, but at the same time impetuously hysterical.
Sarah Lassez as the gorgeous demon ‘April’ is quirky, bizarre, and incredibly charismatic to watch onscreen.
Devin Barry as ‘Jeez’ cracked me up as the berserk demon who took April, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find myself swaying along to his devilish musical number!
I especially enjoy the shadow scenes featuring ‘May’ and ‘June’. The torturous monologue that the audience hears as delivered by ‘May’ (I think this is director Travis Betz himself) is so disturbing! The implied gore that the audience hears and visualizes gives so much more impact than had we seen it.
Behind its pithy banter and incomparable story, is this intensely high-tension mind-fuck between this man and this manipulative and apathetic demon. The fact that all the action (or lack thereof) takes place in this seriously small space really amps up the apprehension and edge, which keeps the story moving along at a perfect pace.
It’s imaginative, thought-provoking, visually pleasing, and incredibly refreshing to see such a different take on filmmaking. A perfect release around Valentine’s Day; grab your loved one and hold them close while you watch this trippy and beautiful love story. So fuck “The Notebook”, this movie really shows you that love knows no bounds!
Sunday, February 7, 2010
LOST PREMIERE RECAP AND REVIEW
Recap and Review of the Lost Season 6 Premiere: The Beginning of the End: WARNING, TOTAL SPOILERS AND A VERY "ALL OVER THE PLACE" RECAP!
LA X 1 & 2 Recap
I don’t even know how to begin analyzing the choice of episode title. LAX of course is the airport, but here we have a significant space in between LA and X. My thoughts: The LA signifies our “what if the plane never crashed storyline” and the X is our island storyline (X marks the spot). There are a lot of possible theories on it, but that’s just one of my thoughts, but I digress. Beginning right when Juliet triggers the bomb in the finale of Season 5, we immediately find our survivors back on Flight 815. At this point, I should be very clear in NOT calling this an “alternate reality”. As Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, creators of Lost have adamantly said, these are NOT alternate realities. On their recent podcast after the premiere, they state clearly that BOTH the Island storyline and the new Flight 815 storyline are both REAL timelines, and by the end of the show these timelines will be “reconciled”. In previous seasons, we’ve had flashbacks and flashforwards. The creators, or Darlton as they’ve been fondly dubbed, are calling this new narrative storytelling form as “Flashsideways”.
FLIGHT 815 SAFE STORYLINE: Anyways, back on 815, we see the flight take the course it would have had it not crashed on the island. In fact, the island does not even exist on this timeline, as we see flashes of it immerged underwater. Had the flight not crashed, we see quite a few significant changes and events for the characters. Rose and Bernard are united the entire flight (yay!) We RANDOMLY see Desmond making a gorgeous appearance. Now when Desmond sits next to Jack, we see that Jack has some sort of recognition of Desmond. But, supposing the island was nuked in 1977, would Desmond have been training for the Around the World race where he subsequently met Jack a few years back? So my first question is what was Desmond doing on that flight and how/why does Jack recognize him? And where the flip did he disappear to? Next, we get to see two previously deceased/personal favourite characters. Boone sits next to John, however he is sans Shannon. Por que?! We also see darling Charlie overdosed in the bathroom. Not to worry though, Jack and Sayid come to the rescue! I was very interested when, upon resuscitating Charlie, Charlie was quite upset about being saved and said something along the lines of “I was supposed to die.” Curious. Jin and Sun look quite miserable, Sawyer stays sexy, a non-exploded Dr. Arzt fawns over lottery winner Hurley, whom regards himself as the luckiest man in the world. That sure doesn’t sound like the Hugo I know! Upon landing at LA X more trouble ensues for our heroes. But let’s hop back over to the island for some crazy revelations over there.
THE ISLAND: On the island, we really have two separate storylines going on. We have the Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Jin, Hurley crowd, and then we have the Ben, Sun, John, Richard, Others/Algera 316 crowd. Let’s start with the (arguably) less complicated one.
Four-Toed Statue Camp: We all know at the end of Season 5, Ben killed Jacob because “John”/Jacob’s old nemesis told him to. We also saw the Others and Algera 316 crowd discovering the dead body of John Locke. That sure puts a spin on events. After some intense smoke monster battles in the temple, we discover that…IMPOSTER JOHN LOCK IS THE SMOKE MONSTER!! Smokey John tells Ben that “Unlike John, he wants to go home”. A lot can be inferred by that. Where is his home? Who exactly is he? Lots of discoveries in store! From this storyline we can also discern that Richard and Smokey John have some bad blood between them. He says he is glad to see Richard “out of the chains”, precedes to pwn him, and then tells the onlookers that he is very disappointed in them. Bam! I also want to quickly talk about Ilana, the “leader” of the Algera 316 survivors. She’s been a mystery since she appeared last season. I think it is safe to say that she is somehow working/was working as a protector of sorts for Jacob, along with all those men who got pwned by Smokey John. I’m excited to see how that all plays out.
Our Heroes: I should start off by saying Rest in Peace Juliet; may your soul find solace on starting on ABC’s V. Our heroes are still on the island, although the bomb explosion does seem to have put them back on track in time back in the present. Hurley taps in to his 6th sense and talks to newly deceased Jacob, who tells him that he MUST bring Sayid to the temple in order to save his life. Meanwhile Sawyer buries Juliet, and he is super fucking pissed at Jack. Jack gets served multiple times in this premiere which was rather amusing. Miles uses his ability to talk to Juliet, who says “It worked!” The questions start piling up here now. What did she mean by it worked?! I have heard many theories that all revolve around a certain theme. The theory, more or less, is that when you die on the island, it gets you off the island and out of that timeline, continuing with the life you once had (going back to our new 815 storyline) It’s too early for me to ultimately make firm conjectures about exactly what she meant. Anyhow, the gang brings Sayid to the temple on dead Jacob’s orders, only to be CAPTURED and brought to a NEW and IMPROVED massive temple. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the Other Others. Our crack new Others are headed by our old friend Cindy the Stewardess. We also meet Genghis Kahn and John Lennon, who seem to call the shots. These guys work directly for Jacob, and seriously fear Jacob’s nemesis, Mr. Smokey. They look in the guitar case, break the ankh, and read some note from Jacob saying if they don’t save Sayid, they’ll be in some serious shit. Thus, they proceed to the drowning…I MEAN, saving. We may remember that it was in this fountain that the Others brought a young Ben Linus to save his life after Sayid shot him. Things are different this time around, as the water looks a little funky. They proceed with the ceremony and end up drowning Sayid. How sad. After a little chit chat with Hurley, they’re put on the alert that Jacob is dead and Smokey John is on the move. They put up their defenses (largely involving the black ash). John Lennon Other wants to talk with Jack, but he’s antisocial. Doesn’t matter though; cause what’s going on behind them? Oh, could it be the formerly dead Sayid waking up to say what’s up?
BACK AT LAX: Flight 815 lands safe and sound in LA. Charlie immediately gets hurried off in handcuffs (that’s what happens when you snort heroin in airplane bathrooms, kids!). Kate does what she always does, RUNS AWAY. Kate pulls some hinky shit in the women’s bathroom, pwns the Air Marshall, and runs. Along the way, she meets none other than Sawyer in the elevator. I had to chuckle at this “chance meeting”. She then essentially hijacks a taxi containing none other than our favourite MIA mom, Claire! Meanwhile, airport baggage claim does what they do best and lose something. They inform Jack that they have indeed LOST his FATHER’S BODY (oh, and they lost John’s knife arsenal. Jack and John talk for awhile in an office in the airport. It’s very weird to see them talking so civilly. Jin is taken in by customs for being balls deep in mad cash in his luggage. Sun responds “No English!” when asked if she understands. We have to remember, that the explosion of the island has the ability to alter an incredible amount in the future. So, with this idea, it could very well be that Sun cannot speak English now, and also why Hurley thinks he is lucky, why Shannon is not on the flight, and why Desmond is. Anyways, the premiere ended having created a lot more questions rather than answering any, but we got the whole season ahead of us. All in all I thought this was a fantastic premiere. Now on to my questions and hopes for the near future:
My Thoughts: Just a few tid-bits to throw out there for your consideration.
I think we are all under the impression that the revived Sayid is most likely Jacob in his body, just as Ol’ Smokey is now John.
I’m wondering what in bloody hell has happened to Claire on the island for all this time.
What is the deal with Jin and all that money?
How did baggage claim lose dead body?
Can Sun and Jin PLEASE reunite soon now that they’re both finally in the same time period?
I feel like even though Flight 815 made it safely to LAX, these characters are going to have to come together again somehow and the island will play some part in their lives in that timeline, regardless. I tried keeping tabs of what characters met one another in the flashsideways timeline. Here’s what I got: Locke/Boone, Rose/Jack, Locke/Jack, Kate/Sawyer, Kate/Claire, Sawyer/Hurley, Arzt/Hurley, Jack/Sayid, Jack/Charlie, and Kate/Steve.
A Look Ahead At Next Week:
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9pm/8c
Episode Title: What Kate Does
[Perhaps a throwback to Season 2’s episode titled What Kate Did]
“Darlton” has informed on their podcast that among other revelations, in this episode Tuesday episode we will find out what exactly happens to Sayid and what the consequences are of putting him in the murky water as opposed to what should have been clear water.
LA X 1 & 2 Recap
I don’t even know how to begin analyzing the choice of episode title. LAX of course is the airport, but here we have a significant space in between LA and X. My thoughts: The LA signifies our “what if the plane never crashed storyline” and the X is our island storyline (X marks the spot). There are a lot of possible theories on it, but that’s just one of my thoughts, but I digress. Beginning right when Juliet triggers the bomb in the finale of Season 5, we immediately find our survivors back on Flight 815. At this point, I should be very clear in NOT calling this an “alternate reality”. As Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, creators of Lost have adamantly said, these are NOT alternate realities. On their recent podcast after the premiere, they state clearly that BOTH the Island storyline and the new Flight 815 storyline are both REAL timelines, and by the end of the show these timelines will be “reconciled”. In previous seasons, we’ve had flashbacks and flashforwards. The creators, or Darlton as they’ve been fondly dubbed, are calling this new narrative storytelling form as “Flashsideways”.
FLIGHT 815 SAFE STORYLINE: Anyways, back on 815, we see the flight take the course it would have had it not crashed on the island. In fact, the island does not even exist on this timeline, as we see flashes of it immerged underwater. Had the flight not crashed, we see quite a few significant changes and events for the characters. Rose and Bernard are united the entire flight (yay!) We RANDOMLY see Desmond making a gorgeous appearance. Now when Desmond sits next to Jack, we see that Jack has some sort of recognition of Desmond. But, supposing the island was nuked in 1977, would Desmond have been training for the Around the World race where he subsequently met Jack a few years back? So my first question is what was Desmond doing on that flight and how/why does Jack recognize him? And where the flip did he disappear to? Next, we get to see two previously deceased/personal favourite characters. Boone sits next to John, however he is sans Shannon. Por que?! We also see darling Charlie overdosed in the bathroom. Not to worry though, Jack and Sayid come to the rescue! I was very interested when, upon resuscitating Charlie, Charlie was quite upset about being saved and said something along the lines of “I was supposed to die.” Curious. Jin and Sun look quite miserable, Sawyer stays sexy, a non-exploded Dr. Arzt fawns over lottery winner Hurley, whom regards himself as the luckiest man in the world. That sure doesn’t sound like the Hugo I know! Upon landing at LA X more trouble ensues for our heroes. But let’s hop back over to the island for some crazy revelations over there.
THE ISLAND: On the island, we really have two separate storylines going on. We have the Jack, Kate, Sawyer, Sayid, Jin, Hurley crowd, and then we have the Ben, Sun, John, Richard, Others/Algera 316 crowd. Let’s start with the (arguably) less complicated one.
Four-Toed Statue Camp: We all know at the end of Season 5, Ben killed Jacob because “John”/Jacob’s old nemesis told him to. We also saw the Others and Algera 316 crowd discovering the dead body of John Locke. That sure puts a spin on events. After some intense smoke monster battles in the temple, we discover that…IMPOSTER JOHN LOCK IS THE SMOKE MONSTER!! Smokey John tells Ben that “Unlike John, he wants to go home”. A lot can be inferred by that. Where is his home? Who exactly is he? Lots of discoveries in store! From this storyline we can also discern that Richard and Smokey John have some bad blood between them. He says he is glad to see Richard “out of the chains”, precedes to pwn him, and then tells the onlookers that he is very disappointed in them. Bam! I also want to quickly talk about Ilana, the “leader” of the Algera 316 survivors. She’s been a mystery since she appeared last season. I think it is safe to say that she is somehow working/was working as a protector of sorts for Jacob, along with all those men who got pwned by Smokey John. I’m excited to see how that all plays out.
Our Heroes: I should start off by saying Rest in Peace Juliet; may your soul find solace on starting on ABC’s V. Our heroes are still on the island, although the bomb explosion does seem to have put them back on track in time back in the present. Hurley taps in to his 6th sense and talks to newly deceased Jacob, who tells him that he MUST bring Sayid to the temple in order to save his life. Meanwhile Sawyer buries Juliet, and he is super fucking pissed at Jack. Jack gets served multiple times in this premiere which was rather amusing. Miles uses his ability to talk to Juliet, who says “It worked!” The questions start piling up here now. What did she mean by it worked?! I have heard many theories that all revolve around a certain theme. The theory, more or less, is that when you die on the island, it gets you off the island and out of that timeline, continuing with the life you once had (going back to our new 815 storyline) It’s too early for me to ultimately make firm conjectures about exactly what she meant. Anyhow, the gang brings Sayid to the temple on dead Jacob’s orders, only to be CAPTURED and brought to a NEW and IMPROVED massive temple. Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the Other Others. Our crack new Others are headed by our old friend Cindy the Stewardess. We also meet Genghis Kahn and John Lennon, who seem to call the shots. These guys work directly for Jacob, and seriously fear Jacob’s nemesis, Mr. Smokey. They look in the guitar case, break the ankh, and read some note from Jacob saying if they don’t save Sayid, they’ll be in some serious shit. Thus, they proceed to the drowning…I MEAN, saving. We may remember that it was in this fountain that the Others brought a young Ben Linus to save his life after Sayid shot him. Things are different this time around, as the water looks a little funky. They proceed with the ceremony and end up drowning Sayid. How sad. After a little chit chat with Hurley, they’re put on the alert that Jacob is dead and Smokey John is on the move. They put up their defenses (largely involving the black ash). John Lennon Other wants to talk with Jack, but he’s antisocial. Doesn’t matter though; cause what’s going on behind them? Oh, could it be the formerly dead Sayid waking up to say what’s up?
BACK AT LAX: Flight 815 lands safe and sound in LA. Charlie immediately gets hurried off in handcuffs (that’s what happens when you snort heroin in airplane bathrooms, kids!). Kate does what she always does, RUNS AWAY. Kate pulls some hinky shit in the women’s bathroom, pwns the Air Marshall, and runs. Along the way, she meets none other than Sawyer in the elevator. I had to chuckle at this “chance meeting”. She then essentially hijacks a taxi containing none other than our favourite MIA mom, Claire! Meanwhile, airport baggage claim does what they do best and lose something. They inform Jack that they have indeed LOST his FATHER’S BODY (oh, and they lost John’s knife arsenal. Jack and John talk for awhile in an office in the airport. It’s very weird to see them talking so civilly. Jin is taken in by customs for being balls deep in mad cash in his luggage. Sun responds “No English!” when asked if she understands. We have to remember, that the explosion of the island has the ability to alter an incredible amount in the future. So, with this idea, it could very well be that Sun cannot speak English now, and also why Hurley thinks he is lucky, why Shannon is not on the flight, and why Desmond is. Anyways, the premiere ended having created a lot more questions rather than answering any, but we got the whole season ahead of us. All in all I thought this was a fantastic premiere. Now on to my questions and hopes for the near future:
My Thoughts: Just a few tid-bits to throw out there for your consideration.
I think we are all under the impression that the revived Sayid is most likely Jacob in his body, just as Ol’ Smokey is now John.
I’m wondering what in bloody hell has happened to Claire on the island for all this time.
What is the deal with Jin and all that money?
How did baggage claim lose dead body?
Can Sun and Jin PLEASE reunite soon now that they’re both finally in the same time period?
I feel like even though Flight 815 made it safely to LAX, these characters are going to have to come together again somehow and the island will play some part in their lives in that timeline, regardless. I tried keeping tabs of what characters met one another in the flashsideways timeline. Here’s what I got: Locke/Boone, Rose/Jack, Locke/Jack, Kate/Sawyer, Kate/Claire, Sawyer/Hurley, Arzt/Hurley, Jack/Sayid, Jack/Charlie, and Kate/Steve.
A Look Ahead At Next Week:
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 9pm/8c
Episode Title: What Kate Does
[Perhaps a throwback to Season 2’s episode titled What Kate Did]
“Darlton” has informed on their podcast that among other revelations, in this episode Tuesday episode we will find out what exactly happens to Sayid and what the consequences are of putting him in the murky water as opposed to what should have been clear water.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Film Review - And Then There Were None (1945)
What I’m Watching: WARNING! SPOILERS IN REVIEW!
And Then There Were None (1945. Directed by Rene Clair)
Based on the widely popular murder mystery “Ten Little Indians” by the great Agatha Christie, this film brings to life this chilling tale of 10 seemingly random people all brought to a mysterious island under false pretenses. There, they begin to be killed off one by one in accordance to a morbid nursery rhyme, for crimes which they have committed in the past. Although the script is taken widely verbatim from the novel itself, the film made some changes to the details, as well as a major plot change at the end of the film. Before adapted into a film, Christie’s book was made into a stage play. Like most theatrical performances, there is a call for some “happy” resolution and some romance. Unlike the morose yet justifiable ending to the novel where all of the characters die in accordance to the nursery rhyme, the play adaptation and later the film adaptation has our last two characters slated for death (Phillip Lombard and Vera Claythorne) not only escape their fate, but leave the island with a very Hollywood-like romance in the air. Other minor changes are to a few of the character names, a few crimes and a few different instruments of death. Minor tweaks to the plot such as skipping over long explanations of evidence and different suspicions and so forth were done very well to keep the plot moving. The movie itself is all in black and white (obviously, it was 1945)! The scenery of the island as well as the interior of the large manor are very fitting with the story, and definitely keeps the tension of the plot high. The acting, to me, was either a hit or miss for each character. The first victim, in the book as Anthony Marston, a rich and apathetic playboy of sorts, is here changed to a Prince Starloff, who is a foreigner and boozehound. While the obvious apathy for anyone but himself is apparent still, the distinct change in character was a bit awkward to get accustomed to. The housemaid Ethel Rogers was plainly a terrible actress altogether, but she’s second to die so she does not affect the film very much. The rest of the cast played their parts exceedingly well and quite in sync with the novel. I will point out the distinct difference from novel to film though from the manservant Thomas Rogers. In the novel Rogers is a very quiet and timid fellow with no real impact. In the film, Richard Haydn turns Rogers into a hysterical and antsy man who ultimately decides the best thing to do is getting wasted. While this was a complete 180 from his written character, I enjoyed this performance immensely and it left Rogers easily as my favourite character. Other noteworthy performances are Barry Fitzgerald as the level-headed turned madman Judge Quinncannon, Louis Hayward as the strong-willed and ruggedly handsome Phillip Lombard, and June Duprez as the beautiful, timid, yet suspicious Vera Claythorne. The film kept the tension high throughout the film, and very wonderfully incorporated many slapstick jokes and backhanded quips to turn an extremely violent and frightening story into a lighthearted Who-Dunnit! They did not show the gruesome murders which are quite unnerving in the book, which I thought was smart. Implied gore that isn’t fully shown is always more powerful, as it leave the audience reeling with possibilities. My biggest issue with the film was the change of ending. I can understand why a theatrical performance would change the ending, but I feel that a film should hold true to the nature of the story. I’m a lover of Agatha Christie novels, and this is undoubtedly my favourite. I am perhaps unfairly biased in this sense, that I would have preferred the real ending where everyone dies and the shocking truth revealed in the epilogue. All in all though, it is a wonderful film and is certainly at the forefront of the early “slasher genre” that has become so popular. I recommend this film to any light horror/ thriller fans. If you’ve read the novel, I recommend it with caution. It’s a good and enjoyable film, but it might leave you itchy if you read and love the novel.
And Then There Were None (1945. Directed by Rene Clair)
Based on the widely popular murder mystery “Ten Little Indians” by the great Agatha Christie, this film brings to life this chilling tale of 10 seemingly random people all brought to a mysterious island under false pretenses. There, they begin to be killed off one by one in accordance to a morbid nursery rhyme, for crimes which they have committed in the past. Although the script is taken widely verbatim from the novel itself, the film made some changes to the details, as well as a major plot change at the end of the film. Before adapted into a film, Christie’s book was made into a stage play. Like most theatrical performances, there is a call for some “happy” resolution and some romance. Unlike the morose yet justifiable ending to the novel where all of the characters die in accordance to the nursery rhyme, the play adaptation and later the film adaptation has our last two characters slated for death (Phillip Lombard and Vera Claythorne) not only escape their fate, but leave the island with a very Hollywood-like romance in the air. Other minor changes are to a few of the character names, a few crimes and a few different instruments of death. Minor tweaks to the plot such as skipping over long explanations of evidence and different suspicions and so forth were done very well to keep the plot moving. The movie itself is all in black and white (obviously, it was 1945)! The scenery of the island as well as the interior of the large manor are very fitting with the story, and definitely keeps the tension of the plot high. The acting, to me, was either a hit or miss for each character. The first victim, in the book as Anthony Marston, a rich and apathetic playboy of sorts, is here changed to a Prince Starloff, who is a foreigner and boozehound. While the obvious apathy for anyone but himself is apparent still, the distinct change in character was a bit awkward to get accustomed to. The housemaid Ethel Rogers was plainly a terrible actress altogether, but she’s second to die so she does not affect the film very much. The rest of the cast played their parts exceedingly well and quite in sync with the novel. I will point out the distinct difference from novel to film though from the manservant Thomas Rogers. In the novel Rogers is a very quiet and timid fellow with no real impact. In the film, Richard Haydn turns Rogers into a hysterical and antsy man who ultimately decides the best thing to do is getting wasted. While this was a complete 180 from his written character, I enjoyed this performance immensely and it left Rogers easily as my favourite character. Other noteworthy performances are Barry Fitzgerald as the level-headed turned madman Judge Quinncannon, Louis Hayward as the strong-willed and ruggedly handsome Phillip Lombard, and June Duprez as the beautiful, timid, yet suspicious Vera Claythorne. The film kept the tension high throughout the film, and very wonderfully incorporated many slapstick jokes and backhanded quips to turn an extremely violent and frightening story into a lighthearted Who-Dunnit! They did not show the gruesome murders which are quite unnerving in the book, which I thought was smart. Implied gore that isn’t fully shown is always more powerful, as it leave the audience reeling with possibilities. My biggest issue with the film was the change of ending. I can understand why a theatrical performance would change the ending, but I feel that a film should hold true to the nature of the story. I’m a lover of Agatha Christie novels, and this is undoubtedly my favourite. I am perhaps unfairly biased in this sense, that I would have preferred the real ending where everyone dies and the shocking truth revealed in the epilogue. All in all though, it is a wonderful film and is certainly at the forefront of the early “slasher genre” that has become so popular. I recommend this film to any light horror/ thriller fans. If you’ve read the novel, I recommend it with caution. It’s a good and enjoyable film, but it might leave you itchy if you read and love the novel.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Film Review - Brazil (1985)
What I’m Watching
Brazil – (1985. Directed by Terry Gilliam. Starring Jonathan Pryce)
It’s extremely difficult to put this film into words. From the twisted mind of former Python Terry Gilliam, comes his 3rd solo directorial movie. Set in a futuristic anti-utopia, a central government entity, aptly named ‘Central Services’ controls every aspect of society…badly. In this inept government corporation is low level employee Sam Lowry (Pryce) who, while frustrated in his work and life, has incredible dreams of his “dream woman” in fantastical fantasy sequences. This is the sort of film that is near impossible to give a plot summary. It is a great movie, don’t get me wrong. The backhanded satirical message that it delivers is true and pertinent, especially now. Visually this movie is remarkable and very Gilliamesque. As a Terry G. fan, from his beginnings as a cut-out animator on Monty Python’s Flying Circus to his stark visual fantasy films, this movie is true to his nature. The special effects are boss, especially for the year. I love the anti-utopia set. The buildings, devices, and people are so extreme. My favourite scenes were the dream sequences. My best description for these scenes would be part Salvadore Dali surrealism painting and part insane acid trip. Robert Di Nero makes an appearance in the film also playing wanted terrorist/freelance air conditioner repairman Harry Tuttle. Michael Palin, former Monty Python member and my number one celebrity crush also appears as Lowry’s friend and Information Retrieval torturer. It’s quite the dark comedy/satire/psychological sci-fi flick that spits in the face of a totalitarian bureaucracy. And not to worry, it has some great slapstick humor moments of a pythonesque nature. Be advised though, this is not the kind of movie you can casually watch and leave to go grab a snack or take a pee. The story is madness and a lot of chaos ensues, so don’t get lost! It’s a crazy cool film worth a watch!
Brazil – (1985. Directed by Terry Gilliam. Starring Jonathan Pryce)
It’s extremely difficult to put this film into words. From the twisted mind of former Python Terry Gilliam, comes his 3rd solo directorial movie. Set in a futuristic anti-utopia, a central government entity, aptly named ‘Central Services’ controls every aspect of society…badly. In this inept government corporation is low level employee Sam Lowry (Pryce) who, while frustrated in his work and life, has incredible dreams of his “dream woman” in fantastical fantasy sequences. This is the sort of film that is near impossible to give a plot summary. It is a great movie, don’t get me wrong. The backhanded satirical message that it delivers is true and pertinent, especially now. Visually this movie is remarkable and very Gilliamesque. As a Terry G. fan, from his beginnings as a cut-out animator on Monty Python’s Flying Circus to his stark visual fantasy films, this movie is true to his nature. The special effects are boss, especially for the year. I love the anti-utopia set. The buildings, devices, and people are so extreme. My favourite scenes were the dream sequences. My best description for these scenes would be part Salvadore Dali surrealism painting and part insane acid trip. Robert Di Nero makes an appearance in the film also playing wanted terrorist/freelance air conditioner repairman Harry Tuttle. Michael Palin, former Monty Python member and my number one celebrity crush also appears as Lowry’s friend and Information Retrieval torturer. It’s quite the dark comedy/satire/psychological sci-fi flick that spits in the face of a totalitarian bureaucracy. And not to worry, it has some great slapstick humor moments of a pythonesque nature. Be advised though, this is not the kind of movie you can casually watch and leave to go grab a snack or take a pee. The story is madness and a lot of chaos ensues, so don’t get lost! It’s a crazy cool film worth a watch!
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