LOST: Reflection on Lost

As Lost airs its final episode tonight. I thought I should look back and reflect on what made this show so great. Enjoy the finale!

FIVE REASONS WHY LOST IS ONE OF THE BEST TELEVISION SHOWS EVER CREATED :

1 The showrunners knew how it would end.

Ever since working out a deal with ABC on how many episodes were left, the creators brilliantly began a slow reveal of answers to many of the islands mysteries. Before this was accomplished three years ago, they were unsure how to proceed; they described it as running a marathon without knowing the distance which messes up the pacing. I have had complete faith in this series because I am confident that Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse know what their doing.

2 The characters are fully fleshed out.

While cool stuff happens on/off the island, this show has always been character-centered. With the help of ‘flashes’ we have learned so much about all these characters and what makes them tick.

3 They are willing to change the formula.

Moving from flashbacks to flashforwads to sideflashes was a creative way to keep things fresh on Lost. I like showrunners who are unafraid of taking risks.

4 They know how to start and end an episode.

Each episode began with something usually out of place and had a fun twist to start the story. Each episode also finished off with something that usually got me saying out loud, “What just happened?” followed by the Lost title card and bong sound. I’ve watched every episode since it began and it has always made anticipate the next airing.

5 They are not afraid to kill off key cast members.

Jack was supposed to die in the pilot episode; they decided to keep him around. Many others were not so lucky. There has been quite the body count on Lost, and not just small recurring characters either. No one was safe and that makes the stakes much higher and more fun to watch.

FIVE FAVOURITE EPISODES:

1 The Constant (Season 4, Episode 5)

Desmond goes back and forth in time with a phone call from Penny being the only thing that grounds him. Brilliant editing with a powerful love story.

2 Walkabout (Season 1, Episode 4)

Locke’s yells of “Don’t tell what I can’t do” are still heartbreaking as it is finally revealed that he has been in a wheelchair for the entire flashback. Awesome twist.

3 Pilot (Season 1, Episode 1 & 2)

It’s more like a movie that a TV show. Lots of action, lots of character introduction, lots of mystery. This is one of the best pilots I have ever seen. It’s practically flawless.

4 Happily Ever After (Season 6, Episode 11)

Charlie inadvertently wakes up Desmond from his sideflash and pushes Desmond to start waking up others, including mowing down wheel-chair bound Locke.

5 There’s No Place Like Home (Season 4, Episode 14)

Michael blows up, Sawyer sacrifices, Sun screams, donkey-wheel gets turned, the island moves. That’s a lot of stuff to pack into an hour.

FIVE FAVOURITE SCENES :

(NOT FOUND IN FAVOURITE EPISODES)

1 Not Penny’s Boat

(Through the Looking Glass, Part II Season 3, Episode 23)

They did a real job of Charlie’s death scene. Brave and sad.

2 Desmond Introduction

(Man of Science, Man of Faith Season 2, Episode 1)

The start of the episode looks like a 70’s flashback. No wait it’s Desmond, the one living inside the hatch that Locke and Jack just opened. Awesome.

3 Book Club Interruption

(A Tale of Two Cities Season 3, Episode 1)

The start of the episode looks like a Benjamin Linus flashback. Not wait, they are on the idland and Oceanic 815 is splitting in two. Welcome to New Otherton.

4 Locke’s Nightmare

(Deus Ex Machina Season 1, Episode 19)

Locke has a trippy nightmare with him in a wheelchair, his mom pointing and a bloody Boone repeating, “Theresa falls up the stairs, Theresa falls down the stair.” Creepy.

5 Submarine Body Count

(The Candidate Season 6, Episode 14)

In a matter of minutes, Sayid sacrifices himself with a bomb, Lapidus get beaned in the head with the sub door, and newly reunited Sun and Jin end up in their watery grave. Four characters dead. Didn’t see that coming.

FIVE FAVOURITE CHARACTERS :

1 Desmond Hume

He’s the key to everything. His love story is the heart of the show. His episodes are always trippy. I love the way he says “brutha”.

2 Benjamin Linus

What a wonderfully complex villain. You never know what he’s thinking. He can be both heartless and kind. His bulging eyes are unnerving.

3 Hugo “Hurley” Reyes

How can you not root for this guy? He is such an innocent and good-natured man. Love that he sees dead people. Dude.

4 James “Sawyer” Ford

How can you not like a street-smart hustler? I also share Sawyers dislike for Jack. Great hair. Love the nicknames.

5 Miles Straum

Love his every man for himself attitude. Perfect amount of sarcasm, like a mini-Sawyer. He’s a ghostbuster. Love his conversations with Hurley.

FIVE FAVOURITE QUOTES :

1 From The Whole Truth (Season 2, Episode 16)

BEN (as Henry Gale): Of course, if I was one of them -- these people that you seem to think are your enemies -- what would I do? Well, there'd be no balloon, so I'd draw a map to a real secluded place like a cave or some underbrush -- good place for a trap -- an ambush. And when your friends got there a bunch of my people would be waiting for them. Then they'd use them to trade for me. I guess it's a good thing I'm not one of them, huh? You guys got any milk?

2 From Exodus, Part II (Season 1, Episode 24)

ARTZ: What, am -- am I boring you?

HURLEY: Huh?

ARZT: You know what? I'm -- I'm sorry, I'm so... I'm sorry that I'm not cool enough to be part of your merry little band of adventurers.

HURLEY: What?

ARZT: I know a clique when I see it. I teach high school, pal-y. You know, you people think you're the only ones on this island doing anything of value. I've got news for you. There were 40 other survivors of this plane crash. And we are all people, too.

HURLEY: Dude, this is all in your head.

ARZT: Really? Then you explain to me why Kate gets the best pieces of wreckage to build her shelter? And the Korean guy? Does he catch fish for everybody on the Island? No, he does not. He doesn't. And some of us have actually lost weight while we were here. Now, would mind telling me where you're hiding the carbs because I can't figure...

3 From The Hunting Party (Season 2, Episode 11)

LOCKE: [to Sawyer] Does any of this look familiar from when you were coming back?

SAWYER: Well, yeah, there's my favorite leaf. How could I forget this place?

4 From 316 (Season 5, Episode 6)

LAPIDUS: [Coming out of the cockpit. He's clean shaven and doesn't have a bandage on his forehead.] Well, hello, Doc. Small world. [Jack exhales] What are you doing going to Guam?

JACK: What are you doing here, Frank?

LAPIDUS: Well, I picked this gig up about eight months ago. I fly this route all the time. Sometimes I take the big birds into New [Noticing the group in first class]... Delhi. Is... that Sayid? And Hurley. Wait a second. We're not going to Guam, are we?

5 From Whatever Happened, Happened

(Season 5, Episode 11)

MILES: What the hell are you doing, Tubby?

HURLEY: Checking to see if I'm disappearing.

MILES: What?

HURLEY: "Back to the Future," man. We came back in time to the island and changed stuff. So if little Ben dies, he'll never grow up to be big Ben, who's the one who made us come back here in the first place. Which means we can't be here. And therefore, dude? We don't exist.

MILES: You're an idiot.

ENJOY THE FINALE!

Film: Iron Man 2

GENRE: Action/Adventure

RATING: PG-13 for violence and some language

RUNTIME: 2 hours and 4 minutes

STARRING: Robert Downey Jr. (Tropic Thunder),

Mickey Rourke (The Wrestler), Don Cheadle (Crash)

DIRECTOR: Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf, Made)

WRITER: Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder)

PLOT: Tony Stark faces health issues, friend issues, trust issues and government issues now that everyone knows that he is Iron Man.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 I went in with pretty low expectations and left quite satisfied with what I saw. I enjoy the characters and snappy dialogue and didn’t even mind the slowed-down middle act. Not bad for a sequel.

2 Favreau needs a little help in the action-sequence department. Robots fighting each other are pretty boring. Robots flying after each other are pretty boring. Interesting how the best action sequence is Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow taking down numerous guards. And no, it’s not because of the skin-tight suit . . . well, let's just say that’s not the only reason.

3 This movie had much better bad guys than the first Iron Man. I hated Jeff Bridges, he was too predictable. Mickey Rourke did a fine job but the scene-stealer was the smarmy Sam Rockwell as Stark nemesis, Justin Hammer. He was fun to watch, but I didn’t understand why Rourke’s Vanko would not have killed Hammer instantly with his bare hands.

4 I wanted to see a bit more interaction between Gwyneth Paltrow’s Pepper Potts and Tony Stark. That was the factor that worked best for me in the first one. Pepper seemed a lot more disgruntled this time around.

5 Loved the small roles John Slattery and Garry Shandling brought to the film. Slattery put on his Mad Men best as Tony’s self-absorbed father and Shandling was fun to watch as a floundering US Senator.

RECOMMENDATION: Fun to watch in the theatres

UPCOMING REVIEWS: TV Season wrap-up

Film: Date Night

GENRE: Comedy / Action

RATING: PG-13 for sexual content. Language & violence

RUNTIME: 1 hour and 28 minutes

STARRING: Steve Carell (The Office),

Tina Fey (30 Rock), Mark Wahlberg (The Happening)

DIRECTOR: Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum)

WRITER: Josh Klausner (Shrek Forever After)

PLOT: A bored couples date night turns dangerous when they steal the dinner reservation of some blackmailers.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 This films hinges on the talents of Steve Carell and Tina Fey. Put in a different couple and the film would instantly flop. Their chemistry, comic timing and improv skills save this film from being mediocre. They are believable as a married couple and bring the laughs time and time again.

2 The story is so far-fetched and unbelievable that a married couple would go to such extremes, thank goodness the actors made it funny.

3 Stealing someone’s dinner reservation is the worst crime of all. Apparently.

4 Loved the interaction between the Fosters (Carell & Fey) and James Franco and Mila Kunis as Taste and Whippit. It’s like a deleted SNL sketch.

5 This film was a lot of fun. Definitely some laugh out loud moments. Unfortunately, the stripper stuff at the end and some of the language makes it hard to recommend for family entertainment.

RECOMMENDATION: Theatre for your own date night.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: TV season finales

Film: Alice in Wonderland

GENRE: Adventure/Family/Fantasy

RATING: PG for fantasy violence

RUNTIME: 1 hour and 48 minutes

STARRING: Mia Wasikowska (In Treatment),

Johnny Depp (Charlie & the Chocolate Factory)

DIRECTOR: Tim Burton (Sweeny Todd)

WRITERS: Linda Woolverton (Beauty and the Beast)

PLOT: Alice returns to Wonderland and learns she must defeat the Jabberwocky in order to end the reign of the Red Queen.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 This film is all about the breathtaking visuals. The art direction is outstanding. The Red palace is beautifully drawn and filled with monkeys doing all the heavy lifting. The White castle is also ornately drawn with chess piece aspects everywhere. Of course, Tim Burton also has dark edge to the forests and other locations in Wonderland.

2 Johnny Depp is fun as the The Mad Hatter in the beginning but becomes quite dull in the middle of the story. The March Hare is much more crazy and fun to watch. Talk about stealing thunder.

3 The story has some adventure elements but not much happens. Granted the original is not that amazing either. A girl falls down a hole, meets some strange people, ticks off a queen and runs back home. At least Tim Burton imported the Jabberwocky from Lewis Carroll’s poem into the mix.

4 I didn’t find myself rooting for Alice. As child, she had a sense of naivety and wonderment. As a 19-year-old, she just seems annoyed by her situation and that’s not fun to watch.

5 While there is some amazing coloring in this film, they needed to go back to the drawing board with Anne Hathaway’s White Queen. She was hard to look at with her white-washed hair and clothes accented with incredibly dark and off-putting lipstick. What a shame.

RECOMMENDATION: DVD

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Date Night

Oscar Predictions 2010

Time for my fearless Oscar predictions. It’s basically a fight between Avatar and Hurt Locker and Bullock and Streep. The rest seem pretty straightforward. Remember that I’m not voting for who I want to win, but who I think the Academy will vote for. From smaller to bigger, here we go:

LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM

INSTEAD OF ABBRACADABRA

(Seems quirky and fun.)

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH

(Wallace & Gromit can’t lose.)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT

CHINA’S UNNATURAL DISASTER

(It’s sad. It has children in it.)

SOUND EDITING

AVATAR

(Those beasts sound scary.)

SOUND MIXING

AVATAR

(Pandora is alive both visually & aurally.)

ORIGINAL SCORE

UP

(It’s uplifting. Get it?)

ORIGINAL SONG

THE WEARY KIND [CRAZY HEART]

(Only songs that deals with theme of film.)

VISUAL EFFECTS

AVATAR

(Umm, it’s all visual effects.)

MAKE-UP

STAR TREK

(Romulan tattoos and Spock ears, oh boy.)

COSTUME DESIGN

YOUNG VICTORIA

(Royal period dramas always win these.)

ART DIRECTION

AVATAR

(Pandora. Need I say more?)

FILM EDITING

HURT LOCKER

(It’s the editing that brings the suspense.)

CINEMATOGRAPHY

HURT LOCKER

(Intense camera movement keeps you involved.)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE

THE COVE

(Who doesn’t want to save dolphins?)

ANIMATED FEATURE

UP

(It’s Pixar. It’s up for Best Picture. Duh.)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

THE WHITE RIBBON

(It’s been winning a bunch of awards lately.)

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY

UP IN THE AIR

(It’s gotta win something. It’s a pretty slick script.)

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY

INGLORIOUS BASTERDS

(Tarantino deserves one. He rewrote history!)

BEST DIRECTOR

KATHRYN BIGELOW [THE HURT LOCKER]

(Won’t it be cool having a woman win?)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS

MO’NIQUE [PRECIOUS]

(It’s a slamdunk. Why have other nominees?)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR

CHRISTOPH WALTZ [INGLORIOUS BASTERDS]

(See comment for Best Supporting Actress.)

BEST ACTRESS

MERYL STREEP [JULIE & JULIA]

(Streep has done more than just go against type.)

BEST ACTOR

JEFF BRIDGES [CRAZY HEART]

(It’s his time. Shoulda got it for The Big Lebowski.)

BEST PICTURE

HURT LOCKER

(Everything works in this film. Avatar’s story is plain.)

Film: Shutter Island

GENRE: Mystery/Thriller/Drama

RATING: R for disturbing violent content, language & nudity

RUNTIME: 2 hour and 18 minutes

STARRING: Leonardo DiCaprio (The Departed),

Mark Ruffalo (Zodiac), Ben Kingsley (Elegy)

DIRECTOR: Martin Scorcese (Cape Fear)

WRITERS: Laeta Kalogridis (Pathfinder, Alexander)

PLOT: A US marshal investigates the disappearance of a murderess who has escaped from a hospital for the criminally insane.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 A skillfully shot film. The camera movement and angles are creative, creepy and captivating. Of course, I expect that from Scorcese. The visual effects, lighting and cinematography of the dream sequences are also masterfully done.

2 Leonardo DiCaprio does amazing work. He keeps you connected to his character through his wide range of emotions. The squinty eyes get a little distracting a times though. Ruffalo and Kingsley also give wonderful performances.

3 It’s weird but the plot is both predictable and complex at the same time. I think I’ve seen too many movies where I don’t get shocked at revelations anymore. Book of Eli’s twist was far better.

4 The movie runs a little too long and slow at times. The beginning and end are well paced but three-quarters in I was a getting sleepy from all the talking.

5 Some of the music was a little overdone. When our main characters are approaching the hospital/prison we are so bombarded with suspenseful music, it's almost laughable.

RECOMMENDATION: DVD (so you can pause)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Oscars, Alice in Wonderland

Film: The Book of Eli

GENRE: Action/Drama/Sci-Fi

RATING: R for some brutal violence

RUNTIME: 1 hour and 57 minutes

STARRING: Denzel Washington (Man on Fire),

Gary Oldman (Air Force One), Mila Kunis (Max Payne)

DIRECTOR: The Hughes Brothers (From Hell)

WRITERS: Gary Whitta (newcomer)

PLOT: A post-apocalyptic tale, where a lone man goes west to protect a sacred book.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Being a Christian, I was impressed with the religious overtones in this film. I love how they unabashedly talk about the power and the importance of the Bible.

2 This film is beautifully shot. The camera has this mesmerizing flow to it. The clouds in the background, the silhouettes when Denzel is killing people, the dusty roads. All good.

3 There is definitely some brutal violence in this film. Denzel is pretty handy with his machete, but Washington’s performance trumps the gratuitous mayhem. There are plenty of slower, reflective moments in this movie.

4 You can’t help but think of Mad Max and The Road Warrior when watching this film. And Gary Oldman reminded me of Mickey Roarke’s bad guy role in Enrique’s Hero music video.

5 Some of the product placement was a little silly. Apparently, GMC and Motorola outlasted the apocalypse. The KFC moist towelettes instead of soap was fun, though.

RECOMMENDATION: DVD (It’s almost out of theatres)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Shutter Island

TV: Chuck

GENRE: Action/Comedy

DAY&TIME: Monday 8pm

NETWORK: NBC

SEASON: Three

STARRING: Zachary Levi (Less Than Perfect),

Yvonne Strahovski (newcomer) Adam Baldwin (Firefly)

SHOW RUNNERS: Chris Fedak (newcomer)

& Josh Schwartz (The OC, Gossip Girl)

PLOT: Computer geek has his brain filled with government secrets and now must hide his secret identity as a spy from family and friends.

GENERAL THOUGHTS: This show is just really fun. We know the main characters will survive but that’s okay. Lots of laugh + spy action = good times.

FIVE WAYS CHUCK HAS IMPROVED:

1 Giving Chuck enhanced spy abilities is pretty cool. Even cooler when it doesn’t always work and he has to fumble out of the situation.

2 Love having Awesome in on the secret. Even better seeing how bad he is at the spy stuff. Especially the lying.

3 Having Casey stick up for Chuck a little more has been a nice change of pace.

4 Like the new love interests. Hope they stay so we can keep Chuck and Sarah apart for a little while longer.

5 The Ring has been a pretty good evil organization for Chuck to infiltrate. Although I would like to see a bit more mythology developed.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Shutter Island, Damages

Film: The Lovely Bones

GENRE: Drama/Fantasy

RATING: PG-13 for some violent content and language

RUNTIME: 2 hours and 15 minutes

STARRING: Saoirse Ronan (Atonement),

Mark Wahlberg (The Happening)

Stanley Tucci (Julie & Julia)

DIRECTOR: PeterJackson (Lord of the Rings, King Kong)

WRITERS: Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and

Peter Jackson (Lord of the Rings)

PLOT: A murdered girl watches her family and her killer deal the aftermath of the horrific incident.

FIVE OBSERVATIONS:

1 Stanley Tucci is really creepy as the suspected killer. Didn’t know why they had to go so far as to give him the perv pedophile mustache. Tucci steals this movie.

2 Some of the images shown in the afterlife are really amazing. I found I was more captivated in the beginning rather than the end of the film, however.

3 Enjoyed watching relative newcomer Rose McIver as the sister trying to solve the murder. Some nice work, very suspenseful. Loved her last scenes.

4 I didn’t like how they didn’t spend more time on the parents relating as a couple. They focus on Wahlberg and then all of sudden the marriage is in turmoil. Some more conversation between the parents would have been nice. I also thought they should have included a little more on the emo girl who can sense Susie. Her and potential boyfriend Ray are given an introduction then ignored and then brought back in at the end. Sloppy storytelling.

5 I have no problem with the fact that this film didn’t depict the rape as described in the book. I thought it was just as effective this way without being gratuitous. For some reason, people complained about Jackson leaving out the rape, but you know if he put it in the movie, people would have complained that he showed the raping of a young girl. I guess you just can’t win sometimes.

RECOMMENDATION: DVD (HD for some images)

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Chuck, Shutter Island

TV: Superbowl Commercials

Just a quick Superbowl Commercial edition. I’m happy the Saints won. The second half was much better than the first half. Being in Canada, I got totally screwed out of seeing the cool new commercials. Thank goodness there’s the internet. Here are my top 5, in no particular order.

FIVE FAVOURITE SUPERBOWL COMMERCIALS

1 Bud Light - Asteroid: Loved that they got the scientist from Lost in the commercial. Fun stuff.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

2 Budweiser – Human Bridge: Loved the town getting involved. Liked the tire tracks on the back.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

3 Doritos – Funeral: What an odd final request. Enjoyed the friend helping him out.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

4 Audi – Paper or Plastic: Like the absurdity of the Green Police. Great last line.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

5 Volkswagon – Punch Buggy: Neat concept. Reminds me of my childhood. Great stevie Wonder cameo.

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com

Honorable mention: Bud Light – Plane Crash: Loved the Lost references

2010 | Super Bowl Ads | SPIKE.com