Merry Christmas, Programs....
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Life Happens
Yes, it's been a while, I know. I've gotten caught up in the holidays, fall TV programming and movies, work's kept me busy, etc. All just lame excuses for not keeping up on the blog. And, even now, I'll probably make this short.
Box office reports for the holiday season have been disappointing. Only 'Harry Potter' has proven to be a success. Disney's 'Tangled' has only done "okay" while Narnia 3 has been a domestic disaster (though it's doing well overseas). 'Tron: Legacy' is off to a good start but we'll wait and see how it goes.
Very disappointed to hear that 'Stargate Universe' has not been picked up for a third season. The remaining 10 episodes will air, as planned, this spring but since they were filmed prior to cancellation, the second season will probably end with a cliff-hanger. I can only hope that they will give the fans a follow-up TV movie to wrap it up later. The 2011/2012 season will be the first in 14 years without a 'Stargate' show on the air.
A smattering of books and music has been released, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, as usual. Nothing outstanding here. The only big news was iTunes getting The Beatles catalog, and depending on who you ask, it wasn't all that significant. I, however, can appreciate the legal navigation that had to take place to make it happen. Now if someone could just talk some sense into Angus Young and AC/DC...
Well, Happy Holidays and all that kind of stuff. If I don't catch up with everyone over the next couple of weeks, I'll see you in the New Year.
Box office reports for the holiday season have been disappointing. Only 'Harry Potter' has proven to be a success. Disney's 'Tangled' has only done "okay" while Narnia 3 has been a domestic disaster (though it's doing well overseas). 'Tron: Legacy' is off to a good start but we'll wait and see how it goes.
Very disappointed to hear that 'Stargate Universe' has not been picked up for a third season. The remaining 10 episodes will air, as planned, this spring but since they were filmed prior to cancellation, the second season will probably end with a cliff-hanger. I can only hope that they will give the fans a follow-up TV movie to wrap it up later. The 2011/2012 season will be the first in 14 years without a 'Stargate' show on the air.
A smattering of books and music has been released, just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, as usual. Nothing outstanding here. The only big news was iTunes getting The Beatles catalog, and depending on who you ask, it wasn't all that significant. I, however, can appreciate the legal navigation that had to take place to make it happen. Now if someone could just talk some sense into Angus Young and AC/DC...
Well, Happy Holidays and all that kind of stuff. If I don't catch up with everyone over the next couple of weeks, I'll see you in the New Year.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Fall TV (Part 2)
Monday Leftovers
I caught up on Chase on NBC, Monday nights via the old DVR. The pilot was lackluster with no character development. I think the criminal-of-the-week had more screen time than any of the stars. It appears U.S. Marshalls, operating out of what looks like a giant museum rotunda in Houston, do not have to abide by any laws to get their man. This is evidenced by the amount of doors they busted in without a warrant and the damage they caused and just laughed about. Example: In the first three minutes they chased a suspect through crowded streets, caused a stampede (you heard me) which caused what they reported to be $17,000 in property damage. Their response to this news, “Ha, ha, ha!” Evidently, no one on the team has a personal life and their boss has no real authority over them as they just kind of ignore him and do their own thing. Using U.S. Marshalls in Texas, it just seems like the writers were trying to fill the void left by Walker: Texas Ranger, but not as well done (yes, really). Maybe this show could develop into something if it wasn’t up against Castle and the new Hawaii Five –O in the same time slot. Both of these shows are infinitely better. I’ll make a prediction, Chase won’t see a second season, at least not on Monday night.Wednesday and Thursday
I know there’s a lot out there on Wednesday on network TV, and Syfy has new episodes of Ghost Hunters which is usually interesting, but the only show that I was truly wanting to check out was The Defenders. Starring Jim Belushi and Jerry O’Connell, it’s about lawyers in Las Vegas. It’s well done and plays out very much like Boston Legal. I guess calling it ‘Vegas Legal’ would have been too obvious. If people will switch the channel from one of NBC’s countless Law and Order programs, it may have a chance of making it.
Thursday night sitcoms were back starting with Big Bang Theory (now on its new night), and the premiere of $#*! My Dad Says (officially pronounced Bleep My Dad Says) starring William Shatner, Jonathan Sadowski, Will Sasso and Nicole Sullivan. ‘Big Bang’ was good, as always, but ‘My Dad Says’ got off to a rough start. The biggest problem for me was that Sadowski, portraying the son, seemed very uncomfortable with doing a comedic role. His delivery was rushed and choppy. The pacing was just off. Shatner, however, was pretty good. He has slipped in to a comedic persona over the past several years and I think it suits him well. Sasso and Sullivan, both MadTv veterans held up ok too. The writing needs to be tweaked a bit, but if they can find their legs, and Sadowski can loosen up, they may be OK.
Next was the long awaited return of Fringe. Transitioning between two “realities” this season should prove to be interesting as several actors will get to portray different personalities of their same characters. According to the writers, each episode will take place mostly in one setting or the other to avoid a lot of jumping around. The season premiere was good and I’m looking forward to see how it plays out. It’s one of the few ‘smart’ science fiction shows on right now.
Friday
The final season of Smallville returns to the CW in the 8 o’clock time slot. I’ve watched this off and on over the years and it’s generally ok, though they’ve taken the Superman story and turned it completely upside down. If you can ignore that, you’re fine. However, I’ll probably be tuning in to Fox’s Human Target whose first season turned out to be a surprise hit. A mid-season replacement, many people liked the smart, fun, action-filled show. Though it’s over-the-top most of the time, it is heads above most of the competition in terms of quality and acting. Medium returns to NBC in the same slot but, judging from the preview, it looks like it may be “jumping the shark”. The season premiere does a Freaky Friday storyline where mother and daughter switch bodies. Taking a supernatural-drama and turning it into a Disney comedy just doesn’t sound like it will work. Oh, well. I gave up on that show after the first season when I realized every week was the exact same story. Several other shows are returning or debuting on Friday, but there are only so many programs the DVR can hold…Saturday and Sunday
Saturday doesn’t offer much in the way of compelling television programming and I think the same can be said about Sunday, though I’m sure one would argue that the Simpsons and Family Guy represent gripping social commentary. Most everything else is just stupid reality shows and the even more stupid Desperate Housewives which had its best storyline in season one and has been hanging around like an unwanted house guest ever since.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. Though I’ve covered quite a bit of ground on this it should be noted that my total television viewing really only amounts to about 5 or 6 hours per week on average. I pick the best-of-the best for my tastes and move on. I’d like to think I have a life….
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
'Tis The Season.... For Fall TV (Part 1)
Monday and Tuesday
Started off with NBC’s Chuck. I’ve watched it on and off over its first 3 seasons and have always enjoyed it. That’s not to say I’ve gone out of my way to make it one of my staple programs but it’s a nice diversion when I have time. The writing and acting are always top-notch and the recent string of guest stars has been cool. Monday night was no exception. Both Dolph Lundgren AND Linda Hamilton were on the season premiere with Hamilton playing Chuck’s long lost mother. For the uninitiated, Chuck is about an electronic store clerk/geek who inadvertently gets drawn in to the world of spy vs. spy due to an accident that leaves him able to experience “flashes” of pertinent knowledge about the international intelligence agencies’ confidential data. Also, as of last season, he can tap into Matrix-like knowledge of martial arts to kick some butt. The show’s a lot of fun…
I stayed tuned into NBC for the series premiere of The Event. It has been described as a combination of 24 and Lost and that actually turns out to be a pretty accurate assessment. It has the mystery/thriller aspect of Lost with the pacing and action of 24 and just a touch of Sci-Fi thrown in for good measure. What is THE event? It appears that will be revealed as the story moves along and the writers have promised you’ll find out sooner rather than later. They reportedly have this mapped out to tell the story prior to, during and then after the event and there will be none of this “making it up as they go” B.S. It’s off to a good start and may be added to my list if they can keep up the good work.
Well, Baseball season is closing in on its finale and Football season is kicking off (get it). It’s also time for all the new and returning Fall shows. I’ll be watching as many as I can to try to get an idea which ones to put on my (usually short) list of must-see-tv.
Monday night:
Started off with NBC’s Chuck. I’ve watched it on and off over its first 3 seasons and have always enjoyed it. That’s not to say I’ve gone out of my way to make it one of my staple programs but it’s a nice diversion when I have time. The writing and acting are always top-notch and the recent string of guest stars has been cool. Monday night was no exception. Both Dolph Lundgren AND Linda Hamilton were on the season premiere with Hamilton playing Chuck’s long lost mother. For the uninitiated, Chuck is about an electronic store clerk/geek who inadvertently gets drawn in to the world of spy vs. spy due to an accident that leaves him able to experience “flashes” of pertinent knowledge about the international intelligence agencies’ confidential data. Also, as of last season, he can tap into Matrix-like knowledge of martial arts to kick some butt. The show’s a lot of fun…
I stayed tuned into NBC for the series premiere of The Event. It has been described as a combination of 24 and Lost and that actually turns out to be a pretty accurate assessment. It has the mystery/thriller aspect of Lost with the pacing and action of 24 and just a touch of Sci-Fi thrown in for good measure. What is THE event? It appears that will be revealed as the story moves along and the writers have promised you’ll find out sooner rather than later. They reportedly have this mapped out to tell the story prior to, during and then after the event and there will be none of this “making it up as they go” B.S. It’s off to a good start and may be added to my list if they can keep up the good work.
At this point I switched over for the series premiere of the new Hawaii Five-O on CBS (I did DVR NBC’s Chase but haven’t watched yet). This show was a big surprise for me. My expectations were low due to all of the re-imagings and re-boots going on right now, most of which are bad. This show, however, was really good. It has a great cast that works well together, lots of action and humor. Plus, it’s in Hawaii, what more can you ask for! This one should make it if people can find it at 10pm on a Monday. I, personally, can see myself tuning in to a combo of The Event and H5-O on Monday night. I’ll just have to see how Chase turns out. From what I’ve seen, it looks like a female version of Walker: Texas Ranger.
Tuesday night:
Not a lot on the agenda except for the season (or is it mid-season, I never can tell with Syfy) finale of Warehouse 13. I can’t say enough good things about this program. It just does everything right and it’s a lot of fun. Next Tuesday, however, is the season premiere of Stargate Universe. I’ve been waiting for this one. The first season was great and I’m looking forward to see where they will take the story next. This chapter of the franchise is a lot more serious than the past outings but it is very well done.
I haven’t tuned in to any of the new sitcoms yet, but I can only stand so much of that. Looking forward to the premieres of Big Bang Theory and $#*! My Dad Says with Shatner on Thursday, though.
Well, that’s all until I get to see a few more shows this week. Talk atchya later….
Friday, August 27, 2010
Hack Master...
(Yes, it is time, once again, to comment on my favorite writing/directing/producing hack)
Joss Whedon-ites live in a bubble. They feed off of each other and have built up his body of work, in their social circles, to be some of the best entertainment ever created. Relying solely on the success of “Buffy”, Mr. Whedon has somehow networked with the right people in Hollywood to keep himself in business.
I recently read an article about what Sci-Fi sequels should be made and, sure enough, Firefly/Serenity was listed near the top. One person posting in the comments added that it was one of the few on the list that had a fan base to support a movie sequel. This comment is so inaccurate that it’s laughable. Let’s look at the facts:
The television series, Firefly, did not pull the ratings in for Fox to even run all 13 produced episodes. The show was CANCELED due to lack of viewership. Yes, it may have had 3 million viewers, but that doesn’t cut it on network TV. Then, somehow, Whedon was given a budget to make a motion picture, Serenity. $39 million is getting off cheap for a feature and yet it failed to make its money back over its WORLDWIDE theatrical run, making it a box office flop. My question, where is this fan base? They’re probably at home watching "Xena" reruns. It is a niche franchise and is not sustainable in the mass media.
Whedon’s follow up TV series, Dollhouse, suffered the same ratings fate and could not stay afloat on network television, despite all of the eye candy. Again, fan base anyone?
The Avengers is poised to be the make or break moment in Whedon’s career. He has taken on writing and directing duties that Marvel execs have graciously bestowed upon him based almost solely on his fan boy appeal. They should take note of "Scott Pilgrim’s" failure to perform at the box office. Its small but vocal audience just couldn’t fill up the theaters. If The Avengers does not make some major cash, Mr. Whedon may have to go back to riding his brothers’ coat tails as he did on "Dr. Horrible" (the songs, by his brothers, and acting made that good, not the writing). To its advantage, The Avengers has star power and character recognition, plus lead-in movies to help get it off the ground. My fear is that the movie WILL be a box office success and help perpetuate the career of one of Hollywood's all-time hacks (Ronald Moore not withstanding, but that's another story)!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Quick Review: "Death at a Funeral"
Just expanding briefly on the Twitter post:
Most of the funny scenes were shown in the movie trailers. James Marsden was a surprise comedic addition. The cast was good and there were a few extra funny moments. Okay for a rental and I'm glad they kept it to 90 minutes. I haven't seen the 2007 version directed by Frank Oz. May have to check it out sometime to compare....
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Four Hours at Gen Con
I picked up my passengers and grabbed a donut at 8AM. Traffic was light on Interstate 74 to Indianapolis. A wrong exit put me 15 minutes behind schedule and I had to park somewhere just shy of the center of the Earth. A short hike later, we were badged and ready for the exhibit hall by 10:20. I thought I might catch the presentation “I’m Wil Wheaton, and I’m a Gamer” but the line was crazy long. Sorry, Wil, maybe next time.
Back at the exhibit hall things were starting to pick up. The costumed attendees sporting the standard backpack survival gear with bags of dice, rulebooks and the smuggled-in Mountain Dews were gathering around the various vendor booths. You could smell the money smoldering in their pockets.
That’s when I spotted Matt. He’d ditched the others and was ready to do a sweep of the room when he decided to bring me along for photo support. We talked to vendors, drank orange root beer, took pictures and drank more orange root beer, Root Jack I think it was. With Vitamin C. Sold by Pirates who claimed it would “fight scurvy”.Stopping by Exile Game Studio’s Hollow Earth Expedition booth, I asked about the long delayed Mars book. “Not Yet, but soon” was the response. They directed me to check out All For One by Triple Ace Games. It uses their Ubiquity rules system and it’s Musketeers vs. Monsters in 17th Century France. I didn’t know what to say to that, except “Thanks”.
Next, we came upon the Nexus Games booth. Typically distributed by Fantasy Flight, they had 3 soon-to-be-released board games with demonstrations going on. Magestorm, Dakota and Letters From Whitechapel all look excellent. I’ll keep an eye out for them this fall.
Moving on, we came across a booth that I recognized by the merchandise as Margaret Weis Productions and I said as much to Matt. Then I looked up. Margaret Weis was standing there smiling at me. We asked for a picture, which she graciously allowed us to take, and she asked Matt if he was part of the preferred retailer program. She directed us to her business manager and we proceeded to get more information.
After this encounter we picked up the pace. We went past the White Wolf booth but something was wrong. No merchandise or demonstrations. Their booth could only be described as a “Goth Lounge”. The only sign of a game tie-in was a banner with the words The Grand Masquerade, September 23-26. We puzzled over this but kept going.We visited the booths for Mayfair Games, Fantasy Flight, Privateer Press, Wizards of the Coast and Paizo among many others. Matt greeted several acquaintances along the way and introduced me. I just kept smiling and taking pictures.
Finally, we reached the end. Independent game developers, authors and artists inhabited this area. From what we could see, there is potential for many good things on the horizon. Suddenly, a growl sounded nearby. We looked around but could not find its source. Then I realized it was my stomach. It was 2PM and I hadn’t had anything but that single donut and orange root beer all day. We rallied the troops and made our way to a local diner where we swapped stories of our encounters. Once we were finished, we launched the expedition to find my car and head back. It was 3PM and I had a 5:30 deadline to meet.See you next year Gen Con.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Quick Review Roundup
I've been lazy... For the past couple of months I have been firing off "Quick Reviews" on Twitter. Sooo, here is a compilation of the unedited (mostly) reviews in 140 characters or less...
Cadillac Records -A bit disjointed trying to cover 30 years of Blues recording at Chess Records. Acting and cast good.
Inception -Intelligent story that is remarkably complex for so little detail. Many things are "assumed". Cast is excellent.
Regarding The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, "a script clearly written on 50 index cards and shuffled at random", via Scifi Wire (now blastr). Website
Max Payne not too payneful. A-List actors meet B-List story and Director. Small shades of Punisher and Blade Runner mixed.
Devils Due is hands-down THE best 80's "Big Hair" cover band in Cincinnati. The look, the sound, the attitude! Website
Shutter Island -Psychological Thriller that's about 45 minutes too long. Story OK, acting good, editing VERY ANNOYING. Zzzzzz.
Shutter Island (continued) Predictable! Crappy editing draws you into the "psychosis" or Scorsese full of crap? You decide.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief -More fun than the last 2 'Potter' movies but similar in theme. Good cast. Story pacing seemed rushed.
Land of the Lost -Better than I thought it would be. Laughed out loud a few times. Effects are decent. Anna Friel is purdy.
The Book of Eli - Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman are great as usual in this post-apocalyptic, thinking-man's Mad Max.
Alice in Wonderland - Visually striking with interesting angle on the story. Great cast and voices. Burton's best in a while.
Whiteout ,with Kate Beckinsale, defies logic and is too long. Story is weak and good acting can't save bad dialogue.
There you have it. More to come my minions....
Cadillac Records -A bit disjointed trying to cover 30 years of Blues recording at Chess Records. Acting and cast good.Inception -Intelligent story that is remarkably complex for so little detail. Many things are "assumed". Cast is excellent.
Regarding The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, "a script clearly written on 50 index cards and shuffled at random", via Scifi Wire (now blastr). Website
Max Payne not too payneful. A-List actors meet B-List story and Director. Small shades of Punisher and Blade Runner mixed.
Devils Due is hands-down THE best 80's "Big Hair" cover band in Cincinnati. The look, the sound, the attitude! Website
Shutter Island -Psychological Thriller that's about 45 minutes too long. Story OK, acting good, editing VERY ANNOYING. Zzzzzz.Shutter Island (continued) Predictable! Crappy editing draws you into the "psychosis" or Scorsese full of crap? You decide.
Land of the Lost -Better than I thought it would be. Laughed out loud a few times. Effects are decent. Anna Friel is purdy.
The Book of Eli - Denzel Washington and Gary Oldman are great as usual in this post-apocalyptic, thinking-man's Mad Max.
Alice in Wonderland - Visually striking with interesting angle on the story. Great cast and voices. Burton's best in a while.
Whiteout ,with Kate Beckinsale, defies logic and is too long. Story is weak and good acting can't save bad dialogue.Thursday, July 8, 2010
Wonder Woman Changes.... Her Clothes
June 30th 2010: A day that will live in infamy.... At least it seems that way if you check out the initial responses to the "new" Wonder Woman. J. Michael Straczynski (Babylon 5, Spider-Man, Thor) takes over writing duties with issue #600 and is making several changes, most notably to the Amazon's look. A change in costume and story shrouded in a mystery doesn't really sound that bad. The character has been around since her first official appearance in All Star Comics in December of 1941. That's a long time for a lady to be wearing a one-piece bathing suit! But, let's be honest, after 68 years she needed a face lift.
Of course, the controversy has fueled interest in a struggling comic and first run printings of issue #600 sold out easily. Wonder Woman comics haven't even been on the charts lately (which is why it is strange that she is considered one of DC's big three, alongside Superman and Batman) and the publisher saw a need to shake things up a bit. Enter Straczynski. Love him or hate him, he certainly generated sales when working on Spider-Man and Thor. Those also had their share of story line, costume and dare I say it, gender changes ( Loki as a woman). Straczynski is a talented writer and his work generally makes you think a bit. He's also working on Superman as well, though I don't think Supes will be trading in his tights just yet.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Feeling LOST....
Wow! The highly anticipated series finale of LOST is over and the heated discussions have begun. You have to expect a big division of opinion on something like this, though. After the build up of six long seasons, there is no way that anyone could satisfy everybody with the resolutions. Let me begin by stating that I realize this is a television show and that over-analyzing it is a bit silly. I should also add that this post will contain spoilers. Having said that, let's move on...
It began with a plane crash. Survivors stranded on a strange island with little hope for rescue (according to the pilot, who didn't last long, they were nearly 1000 miles off course). Everyone quickly turns to Jack Shephard, a doctor, for leadership and he does his best to get them home. Through a series of flashbacks we learn about the main characters and what they were facing in their lives before the plane crash. Some characters came and went, most notably Walt (a boy with some interesting abilities).
This is probably the first of the storylines that did not have a clear resolution. The viewer got the impression that Walt was intended for something more, but for unknown reasons, the writers let him leave the island without much follow up (we see him in a couple of visions and a "flash forward" but that's it). His father, Michael, however does show back up to try to atone for some of his mistakes.
Another character that was developed and let go was Mr. Echo. A man with a violent past, he also attempts to make up for his past transgressions by helping the survivors, fighting The Others and facing down the Smoke Monster. His character is killed off and almost never mentioned again.
Along the way we learn a little more about the mysterious island, The Others that inhabit it, the DHARMA initiative, Jacob and the Man In Black/Smoke Monster. There is time-travel, the metaphysical, forces of good and evil, drama, action and mystery.
So how does this all come together? Well some say, not very well. Let's take a look. The final season is the one where we really start to see some questions answered, in a fashion. First, what is the island? What is its purpose? According to Jacob, the island is a stop-gap for a gateway to "hell". He has been protecting the island for generations and keeping the "cork in the bottle" to use his analogy. His brother is the Man In Black who we later learn is the Smoke Monster.
Which leads us to the next question. What/who is the Smoke Monster? Unfortunately, he is never given a name. His motivation is to leave the island, no matter the method or consequences. Jacob, through a momentary lack of judgement, is actually responsible for MIB's transformation into the Smoke Monster, after which MIB can take on the form of anyone who as died or is dead on the island. This becomes very important to his plans toward the end. This is because the two brothers, through a mysterious set of rules are not allowed to harm one another. MIB vowes to find a loophole which will allow him to kill Jacob and leave the island.
Next, The Candidates. Jacob is seen through flashbacks interacting with the main characters in earlier times of their lives. He speaks to them and touches them in turn, which supposedly protects them and sets things in motion that will lead them to the island. The purpose of this is so that one of them can replace Jacob as the protector of the island as he knows his time is almost up. MIB is not allowed to kill any of The Candidates himself. He finds his loophole when John Locke's dead body is returned to the island. MIB can now take on the persona of Locke, a former candidate, thereby circumventing some of the rules. He is able to manipulate the character of Benjamin Linus and the two of them kill Jacob (though Jacob is able to hang around a little longer in "spirit" form to pass the torch... more on this later).
At one point, Jack is able to leave the island with some of The Candidates. They go back to their old lives for three years but come to realize, for various reasons, that they need to find a way to return to the island. During this time the other survivors have been transported to 1974 and are forced to join the DHARMA initiative. This is a group that have come to the island to study its unique properties and try to live in a "utopian" type of community. For these characters, three years also pass.
When they are re-united, it is in 1977 and physics genius Daniel Faraday has an idea about how to change the timeline and effectively negate the plane crash and the hardships that followed for the survivors. He wants to detonate a hydrogen bomb near the source of the island's power in hopes of neutralizing it. Evidently the island was a post World War II bomb test facility and they happen to have an un-detonated bomb at their disposal. This plan appears not to succeed and we lose some characters in the process.
This is where we begin to see what appears to be a parallel timeline. I think this may be the sticking point for a lot of people as it turns out to be something completely different. In this reality, the island and Jacob never existed. The characters land at LA X safely but their lives appear to be just a little different. Eventually the characters in this existence come together and realize that they know each other and "remember" their time together on the island. More on this in a bit...
Meanwhile, back at the island, the characters have to deal with the aftermath of the failed bomb attempt. After some more hardship and some soul searching by the survivors, "dead" Jacob brings the remaining Candidates together to explain his search for a replacement and what the island represents. Jack volunteers and Jacob performs a short ritual which makes Jack "like him"(presumably immortal). This is Jacob's swan song and the survivors agree that Locke/MIB/Smoke Monster needs to be stopped.
Everyone ends up at the "heart of the island" and it's main source of power. Jack and Locke agree to extinguish its light as they both think it will serve their separate purposes. They utilize the character of Desmond as he is evidently immune to the intense electromagnetic properties of the islands power. Desmond succeeds in neutralizing the power but with disastrous effects. Earthquakes begin to shake the island and Locke runs for his getaway ship. We find that Locke/MIB/Smoke Monster and Jack are no longer immortal and they proceed to begin a fight to the death. Locke loses and he is now no longer a threat to the island. However, Jack is severly wounded and faced with the realization that he has to re-ignite the power source or the island will be destroyed and, possibly, the rest of the world.
In the mean time, the rest of the characters, minus Hurley and Benjamin Linus (who decide to stay with Jack), race to a downed plane that has been repaired and is ready to leave. They all board the plane and manage to take off just as the runway crumbles beneath them. Six people manage to escape on the plane.
Jack finds a way to save the island but he is critically wounded and does not expect to survive. He passes the guardianship of the island to Hurley who asks Ben Linus for help. Desmond also survives.
Jack wanders out to the spot where he first awoke on the island back when it all began. He lays down and dies.
In the alternate reality we find that all of the characters have gathered in a church. Jack is there as well as his father, who had passed away. We find that this reality is a type of "pocket purgatory" (I came up with that myself) and that they have created this place themselves so that they could experience a life without the island and re-unite before they move on....
This in no way cancels out the experiences that were had on the island nor is it a "Dallas-type" dream sequence. The events on the island happened in "reality" and Hurley moves forward as its' protector for who knows how many years. The characters who were able to leave on the plane move forward with their lives from there, but that is all a different story...?
Are all of the questions answered? No. It would be impossible to address the specifics of all the storylines raised. This was a big undertaking with an epic feel to it. We do not know the answers to all of the metaphysical, quasi-religious themes. But then, we do not know these in real-life either. Whether you like the ending or not; whether you found it satisfying or it left you wanting more; it was smart, thought provoking television (something that is sorely lacking these days). And, it was one hell of a ride....
This is probably the first of the storylines that did not have a clear resolution. The viewer got the impression that Walt was intended for something more, but for unknown reasons, the writers let him leave the island without much follow up (we see him in a couple of visions and a "flash forward" but that's it). His father, Michael, however does show back up to try to atone for some of his mistakes.
Another character that was developed and let go was Mr. Echo. A man with a violent past, he also attempts to make up for his past transgressions by helping the survivors, fighting The Others and facing down the Smoke Monster. His character is killed off and almost never mentioned again.
Along the way we learn a little more about the mysterious island, The Others that inhabit it, the DHARMA initiative, Jacob and the Man In Black/Smoke Monster. There is time-travel, the metaphysical, forces of good and evil, drama, action and mystery.
So how does this all come together? Well some say, not very well. Let's take a look. The final season is the one where we really start to see some questions answered, in a fashion. First, what is the island? What is its purpose? According to Jacob, the island is a stop-gap for a gateway to "hell". He has been protecting the island for generations and keeping the "cork in the bottle" to use his analogy. His brother is the Man In Black who we later learn is the Smoke Monster.
Which leads us to the next question. What/who is the Smoke Monster? Unfortunately, he is never given a name. His motivation is to leave the island, no matter the method or consequences. Jacob, through a momentary lack of judgement, is actually responsible for MIB's transformation into the Smoke Monster, after which MIB can take on the form of anyone who as died or is dead on the island. This becomes very important to his plans toward the end. This is because the two brothers, through a mysterious set of rules are not allowed to harm one another. MIB vowes to find a loophole which will allow him to kill Jacob and leave the island.
Next, The Candidates. Jacob is seen through flashbacks interacting with the main characters in earlier times of their lives. He speaks to them and touches them in turn, which supposedly protects them and sets things in motion that will lead them to the island. The purpose of this is so that one of them can replace Jacob as the protector of the island as he knows his time is almost up. MIB is not allowed to kill any of The Candidates himself. He finds his loophole when John Locke's dead body is returned to the island. MIB can now take on the persona of Locke, a former candidate, thereby circumventing some of the rules. He is able to manipulate the character of Benjamin Linus and the two of them kill Jacob (though Jacob is able to hang around a little longer in "spirit" form to pass the torch... more on this later).
At one point, Jack is able to leave the island with some of The Candidates. They go back to their old lives for three years but come to realize, for various reasons, that they need to find a way to return to the island. During this time the other survivors have been transported to 1974 and are forced to join the DHARMA initiative. This is a group that have come to the island to study its unique properties and try to live in a "utopian" type of community. For these characters, three years also pass.
When they are re-united, it is in 1977 and physics genius Daniel Faraday has an idea about how to change the timeline and effectively negate the plane crash and the hardships that followed for the survivors. He wants to detonate a hydrogen bomb near the source of the island's power in hopes of neutralizing it. Evidently the island was a post World War II bomb test facility and they happen to have an un-detonated bomb at their disposal. This plan appears not to succeed and we lose some characters in the process.
This is where we begin to see what appears to be a parallel timeline. I think this may be the sticking point for a lot of people as it turns out to be something completely different. In this reality, the island and Jacob never existed. The characters land at LA X safely but their lives appear to be just a little different. Eventually the characters in this existence come together and realize that they know each other and "remember" their time together on the island. More on this in a bit...
Meanwhile, back at the island, the characters have to deal with the aftermath of the failed bomb attempt. After some more hardship and some soul searching by the survivors, "dead" Jacob brings the remaining Candidates together to explain his search for a replacement and what the island represents. Jack volunteers and Jacob performs a short ritual which makes Jack "like him"(presumably immortal). This is Jacob's swan song and the survivors agree that Locke/MIB/Smoke Monster needs to be stopped.
Everyone ends up at the "heart of the island" and it's main source of power. Jack and Locke agree to extinguish its light as they both think it will serve their separate purposes. They utilize the character of Desmond as he is evidently immune to the intense electromagnetic properties of the islands power. Desmond succeeds in neutralizing the power but with disastrous effects. Earthquakes begin to shake the island and Locke runs for his getaway ship. We find that Locke/MIB/Smoke Monster and Jack are no longer immortal and they proceed to begin a fight to the death. Locke loses and he is now no longer a threat to the island. However, Jack is severly wounded and faced with the realization that he has to re-ignite the power source or the island will be destroyed and, possibly, the rest of the world.
In the mean time, the rest of the characters, minus Hurley and Benjamin Linus (who decide to stay with Jack), race to a downed plane that has been repaired and is ready to leave. They all board the plane and manage to take off just as the runway crumbles beneath them. Six people manage to escape on the plane.
Jack finds a way to save the island but he is critically wounded and does not expect to survive. He passes the guardianship of the island to Hurley who asks Ben Linus for help. Desmond also survives.
Jack wanders out to the spot where he first awoke on the island back when it all began. He lays down and dies.
In the alternate reality we find that all of the characters have gathered in a church. Jack is there as well as his father, who had passed away. We find that this reality is a type of "pocket purgatory" (I came up with that myself) and that they have created this place themselves so that they could experience a life without the island and re-unite before they move on....
This in no way cancels out the experiences that were had on the island nor is it a "Dallas-type" dream sequence. The events on the island happened in "reality" and Hurley moves forward as its' protector for who knows how many years. The characters who were able to leave on the plane move forward with their lives from there, but that is all a different story...?
Are all of the questions answered? No. It would be impossible to address the specifics of all the storylines raised. This was a big undertaking with an epic feel to it. We do not know the answers to all of the metaphysical, quasi-religious themes. But then, we do not know these in real-life either. Whether you like the ending or not; whether you found it satisfying or it left you wanting more; it was smart, thought provoking television (something that is sorely lacking these days). And, it was one hell of a ride....
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Don't Mess With the Crazy Heart.....
I recently screened 2 movies on video. The newly released Crazy Heart and the Adam Sandler comedy You Don't Mess With the Zohan. As you can see, I don't necessarily watch movies in any particular order.... just whenever I get around to it. Keeps people guessing.... Let's begin with the new, and much more respectable, Crazy Heart.
Starring Jeff Bridges (who won the Academy Award for his performance) and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart is the story of an all but washed-up country singer and his attempt to come back from the brink of obscurity and alcoholism. Bridges as "Bad Blake" is perfect for the role and well deserving of the Oscar. You really believe that he is the character. He's kind of reminiscent of Kris Kristofferson's character in A Star is Born and looks quite a bit like modern day Kris in some scenes. Coincidentally, Bridges and Kristofferson are good friends and they reportedly had a good laugh about the similarities. Bridges performs all the original songs himself and does a pretty good job. The story is solid and has great character development for the most part, but they were a little lite on Gyllenhaal's motivations (then again it wasn't about her). The movie ran just a bit longer than it needed but, overall, the pacing was good. I recommend this one for anyone seeking a lite drama.
Next, Adam Sandler's You Don't Mess With The Zohan. Sandler tends to do one of these stinkers every other film... One good mainstream movie, one silly, etc. Zohan is not without merit. It has some genuinely funny moments and his supporting cast that includes John Tuturro and, of course, Rob Schneider are good. However, in the "it's so stupid it's funny" category, this one leaned a little bit more on the stupid side. Sandler got all of his friends together to make another movie (under his own production company, Happy Madison) and they just wanted to poke a little fun at the terrorism paranoia and the racial stereotypes that go along with it. I think he succeeded but you have to wade through all the sexual innuendo and crotch jokes first. There are too many cameos to mention here, suffice it to say there seems to be one in about every scene! All-in-all it's a fun way to waste about 90 minutes if you so choose...
Starring Jeff Bridges (who won the Academy Award for his performance) and Maggie Gyllenhaal, Crazy Heart is the story of an all but washed-up country singer and his attempt to come back from the brink of obscurity and alcoholism. Bridges as "Bad Blake" is perfect for the role and well deserving of the Oscar. You really believe that he is the character. He's kind of reminiscent of Kris Kristofferson's character in A Star is Born and looks quite a bit like modern day Kris in some scenes. Coincidentally, Bridges and Kristofferson are good friends and they reportedly had a good laugh about the similarities. Bridges performs all the original songs himself and does a pretty good job. The story is solid and has great character development for the most part, but they were a little lite on Gyllenhaal's motivations (then again it wasn't about her). The movie ran just a bit longer than it needed but, overall, the pacing was good. I recommend this one for anyone seeking a lite drama.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Iron Clad Sequel...
Iron Man 2 opened Friday to an enthusiastic movie-going public. Kicking off the summer blockbuster season, the movie managed to pull down over $128 million in its opening weekend (5th highest opening ever). With an all-star cast and non-stop action, the movie manages to capture the fun of the original without becoming stale.
Actor roll call:
Robert Downey Jr.
(Tony Stark / Iron Man)
Samuel L. Jackson
(Nick Fury)
Gwyneth Paltrow
(Pepper Potts)
Scarlett Johansson
(Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow)
Sam Rockwell
(Justin Hammer)
Mickey Rourke
(Ivan Vanko / Whiplash)
Don Cheadle
(Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine)
Jon Favreau
(Happy Hogan)
Garry Shandling
(Senator Stern)
The action picks up 6 months after the events of the first movie. All of the fall-out from Tony Stark revealing he is Iron Man is catching up with him, as well as the side-effects of having a small nuclear reactor in his chest! Enemies and competitors are chomping at the bit to take Stark down while he tries to deal with it all. Favreau, again, directs and writes himself a bigger role in front of the camera too (come to think of it, most of his scenes are with Scarlett Johansson.... way to go Jon!).
While maybe not having the depth and character development of the original, IM2 delivers top-notch acting and a good story. There's a lot going on here because Favreau is trying to keep things running smooth within the Marvel Comics universe. They want to make their current crop of movies cohesive so that they will line up and come together in The Avengers, slated for summer 2012. Iron Man began the story, so to speak, and evidence in IM2 suggests that its events coincide with the what happened in The Incredible Hulk movie (the Edward Norton version, not Ang Lee). Thor and Captain America are set to debut next summer. All of these characters are expected to come together in said Avengers movie. That said, be sure to stay after the credits again this time for a "secret scene".
All-in-all a great summer movie for the minions.....
Actor roll call:
Robert Downey Jr.
(Tony Stark / Iron Man)Samuel L. Jackson
(Nick Fury)
Gwyneth Paltrow
(Pepper Potts)
Scarlett Johansson
(Natalie Rushman/Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow)
Sam Rockwell
(Justin Hammer)
Mickey Rourke
(Ivan Vanko / Whiplash)
Don Cheadle
(Lt. Col. James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine)
Jon Favreau
(Happy Hogan)
Garry Shandling
(Senator Stern)
The action picks up 6 months after the events of the first movie. All of the fall-out from Tony Stark revealing he is Iron Man is catching up with him, as well as the side-effects of having a small nuclear reactor in his chest! Enemies and competitors are chomping at the bit to take Stark down while he tries to deal with it all. Favreau, again, directs and writes himself a bigger role in front of the camera too (come to think of it, most of his scenes are with Scarlett Johansson.... way to go Jon!).
While maybe not having the depth and character development of the original, IM2 delivers top-notch acting and a good story. There's a lot going on here because Favreau is trying to keep things running smooth within the Marvel Comics universe. They want to make their current crop of movies cohesive so that they will line up and come together in The Avengers, slated for summer 2012. Iron Man began the story, so to speak, and evidence in IM2 suggests that its events coincide with the what happened in The Incredible Hulk movie (the Edward Norton version, not Ang Lee). Thor and Captain America are set to debut next summer. All of these characters are expected to come together in said Avengers movie. That said, be sure to stay after the credits again this time for a "secret scene".
All-in-all a great summer movie for the minions.....
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Hot Tub Time Machine Is Not "All Wet"
It's been out for 5 weeks, but I finally saw Hot Tub Time Machine last night. What a fun movie (if you don't mind the constant barrage of F bombs). The title pretty much sums it up. Four guys travel back to 1986 by way of an energy drink supercharged hot tub (yes, you read that right). John Cusack is the 'star' but the real lead role goes to Rob Corddry (Old School, Semi-Pro) as Lou.Lou is a Lou-ser (get it?) and after what appears to be a suicide attempt his buddies whisk him off to a dilapidated ski resort for a weekend getaway where they proceed to do the said time traveling. Queue the 80's music and movie spoofs! There are some neat cameos by Chevy Chase, Crispin Glover (Back to the Future) and William Zabka (The Karate Kid). There's even a performance by Poison (not really, it's a bunch of look-alikes up on stage lip-syncing).
All-in-all it was a good way to spend 90 minutes. It's not blockbuster material but I'd recommend it for a matinee or video rental. Rated R for language, drugs, nudity and 80's fashions ;-). Check it out....
Friday, April 23, 2010
Who Watches the Watchers?
There are seven television shows, total, that I'm currently watching. They're not necessarily the best or most popular but they entertain well enough and that's all I'm looking for. As I've stated in the past, I'm not a reality show fan. You'll find none of those on my list. Nor do I watch a lot of sports. I do not find most very exciting in a spectator role. That being said, this is what I have:
Currently, Monday is occupied by 24. This, I think, is my guilty pleasure. It is over-the-top, preposterous action and I've watched it loyaly for the past 5 of its 8 seasons. It's about to wrap up its run (at least on Fox), so I'll be freed up on Monday nights before long.
Tuesday is LOST and V. The former is coming to a close as well, and it has been a wild ride. Did not miss an episode of this one and I hope the finale' is satisfying (2 hrs. on Sunday, May 23rd). V, however, is just 'meh'. Having watched the original series, I'm not seeing anything new here. Once LOST is done and the new Syfy Tuesday lineup kicks off, I won't be going out of my way to watch. It's catching me with its LOST lead-in right now.
Wednesday is Ghost Hunters. While some list this as a "reality show", it is more of a documentary style investigation as opposed to the standard competition/drama. As long as they remain legitimate, I'll continue to follow these guys. Sometimes I catch Destination Truth afterwords, but I consider it to be the National Enquirer of paranormal investigative shows (all flash and no substance). It can be fun, though.
Thursday, of course, is Fringe. One of the most intellectual speculative fiction dramas on television right now. Created by the team that gave you Alias, LOST and the new Star Trek movie, how could it not be good?
Friday is Stargate Universe. Quite a change from previous incarnations of the franchise, this show is very dark and gritty. Some of the most humor I've seen displayed was on tonight's episode "Human" and it was mixed with its fair share of drama.
Saturday is now occupied by the new season of Doctor Who on BBC America. The resurrection of this franchise has been quite a spectacle. I enjoyed it back when it was hokey rubber costumes and cardboard sets. Now it's top-notch science fiction. I'll check out a Syfy original movie on Saturday night from time-to-time but it really depends on the subject matter (not as big on their disaster-of-the-month story as others).
Sundays are usually wide open. Kind of a TV wasteland for me. I used to watch Desperate Housewives but they were really, really finished after season 1. I tried to watch more but it just got predictable and stupid.
Well, I think that's it for now. This list will change when the off-season series start back up this summer. Shows like Warehouse 13 (definitely) and possibly the new series Haven may draw me in. We'll have to see. Until next time my minions...
Currently, Monday is occupied by 24. This, I think, is my guilty pleasure. It is over-the-top, preposterous action and I've watched it loyaly for the past 5 of its 8 seasons. It's about to wrap up its run (at least on Fox), so I'll be freed up on Monday nights before long.
Wednesday is Ghost Hunters. While some list this as a "reality show", it is more of a documentary style investigation as opposed to the standard competition/drama. As long as they remain legitimate, I'll continue to follow these guys. Sometimes I catch Destination Truth afterwords, but I consider it to be the National Enquirer of paranormal investigative shows (all flash and no substance). It can be fun, though.
Friday is Stargate Universe. Quite a change from previous incarnations of the franchise, this show is very dark and gritty. Some of the most humor I've seen displayed was on tonight's episode "Human" and it was mixed with its fair share of drama.
Sundays are usually wide open. Kind of a TV wasteland for me. I used to watch Desperate Housewives but they were really, really finished after season 1. I tried to watch more but it just got predictable and stupid.
Well, I think that's it for now. This list will change when the off-season series start back up this summer. Shows like Warehouse 13 (definitely) and possibly the new series Haven may draw me in. We'll have to see. Until next time my minions...
Monday, April 19, 2010
Take Me to the River....
Last night's Syfy Re-make of RiverWorld turned out to be pretty decent. Better than their first attempt a couple of years ago anyway. Based on Science Fiction author, Philip Jose' Farmer's series of books, the story poses the question; What if everyone who had ever lived on Earth were thrown together on a world at the same time? Five books tried to answer this question, but Syfy thought they could do it in a 4 hour television movie. Ambitious to say the least. Of course, they left it open for a possible series if they feel the viewership is there. The pacing was good through the first three quarters of the movie but the ending felt rushed and convenient. The acting was decent featuring former cast members of such shows as Battlestar Galactica, Highlander: The Series, Smallville and the X-Men. The on-location scenes were refreshing after so many 'green-screen' environments. One word to Syfy, though, everything is really starting to look like Canada ;-)
Characters and storylines have been thrown about to accommodate a TV audience I suppose. The main 'hero' of the first book, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, ended up being the bad guy and a brand new hero was introduced. While the basic story was based on the first 2 books, elements of all were thrown in.If they do try to make this into a series, they may have already given away too much information. Part of the 'mystery' was the Caretakers of RiverWorld. What were they doing and why? The movie revealed much of this. I'm not sure where they can go with a possible series now.
At any rate, if you get the chance check it out, I'm sure Syfy will repeat it many times for your viewing pleasure.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Awards and Stuff...
So, The Hurt Locker pulled it out. People were expecting the Avatar sweep but you can always count on the Academy to mix things up a bit. Kathryn Bigelow also won for her Direction of the movie (ironically, she's one of James Cameron's exes, if you didn't know). Anyway, I'm not really surprised by that since it was a "serious" movie and not some silly sci-fi epic (that has made more money than any other film in history!). Avatar and Star Trek did win some technical awards, however (can you say "consolation prize"?).Other winners were Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart), Christoph Waltz (Inglorious Bastards), Mo'Nique (Precious) and Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side). Sandra is also the proud recipient of this year's worst actress Razzie Award for her performance in All About Steve. Moving on....
This weeks box office has Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland coming in at $116 million, breaking a few records. It has been getting mixed reviews, but money talks. And, yes, Avatar is still at number 5 after twelve weeks in the theaters. Brooklyn's Finest, Shutter Island and Cop Out were numbers 2, 3 and 4 respectively. New this Friday will be Matt Damon's Green Zone. New on video this week; Up In The Air, Precious and Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day.
Watched 2012 the other night. Completely over-the-top action, but a lot of fun (in an end-of-the-world kinda way). I've stated before that you have to give Rolland Emmerich (Director/Producer) credit for being the new Disaster Movie King and this generation's Irwin Allen (creator of such gems as Towering Inferno and The Poseidon Adventure). His next big project is to take on the Isaac Asimov's Foundation story. A difficult task to say the least.
Just found out today that J. Michael Straczynski will be taking over the writing for Superman and Wonder Woman comics in July starting with issues 701 and 601 respectively. JMS is the creator of Babylon 5 and has numerous other writing credits to his name including Changeling (with Angelina Jolie) and most recently Ninja Assassin. Haven't done the comic book scene in a while, might have to check it out. One of his next projects is a remake of the Sci-Fi classic, The Forbidden Planet.No update on Recession Proof as of yet. The local indy film that I am associated with is still in post-production. Editing should be complete soon...
And now I leave you with the latest Iron Man 2 trailer...
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Something Old, Something New...
I finally watched Clerks 2. I wasn't expecting much, but it was actually pretty good. Kevin Smith is clever, albiet raunchy as hell. Most people either love his stuff or hate it. There's usually no middle ground. His new movie, Cop Out with Bruce Willis, starts this Friday, 2/26/10. Some say he's a Sell Out but, in this economy, you've got to get the work where you can.
New to video is Couples Retreat with Vince Vaughn, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell. Saw this the other night and it is pretty amusing. Laughed out loud a few times. My only complaint is that it was nearly 2 hours long. That's fine for some movies but, for a comedy, it was about a half hour too long.Finally, finally, almost done with the Dan Brown book. It's lived up to all the hype. This one should make a good movie.
I've recently been re-discovering Led Zeppelin. I know...I know...Its really old school, but I'd forgotten how good they really were. They only released 9 studio albums but every one has some great music on it. You don't realize how many hits they had until you really start to dig into their library.
Ugh! American Idol preempted Human Target tonight! Glorified karaoke and its still on the air after all these years. Does anyone even care what Randy or Simon have to say anymore? Turned to the Olympics and what were they covering? Cross-country skiing. The announcer even said out loud (this is absolutely true) "This is a boring race". I'm not sure if he knew his microphone was on or what. For a network that admitted that they stood to lose millions on this deal, you'd think NBC would try to liven it up a bit!
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