LOST: Dr. Linus

For the beginning of season 6, I have been saying that the stuff off the island has been better than the stuff on the island and actually, the on the island stuff has been pretty obnoxious. The last few episodes have started changing that. Jack's episode had some interesting on the island stuff and Sayid's episode really ratcheted up the action and intrigue on the island. Now this week, we get a Benjamin Linus episode. Finally!

Linus is one of the most interesting television characters I can ever remember. What started as a guy being tortured like crazy for maybe knowing too much has turned into one of the most fleshed out, while still being unknowable, characters to appear on television. he is well written to be sure, but also, Michael Emerson acts his ass off every week. His line delivery is pitch perfect, but the man can say more with an eye brow raise than most actors can with a whole monologue. He takes the idea of face acting to a whole new level. This week finds Benjamin Linus as a crossroads on the island, maybe beginning to pay for all of the devious things he has done. Linus is forced to dig his own grave, realizing he has no allies, no friends, no one who really cares. He tries to plead his way out and eventually bribe his way out, but it takes Not-Locke to come give him freedom, but Linus is surprised by what happens after that.

Off the island, in what have become known as "Flash Sideways", Linus is a high school history teacher. He has a Ph.D and he is miserable. His dad is alive and sick, but Linus takes care of him. We learn that they did go to the island, but they did not stay. So in this flash sideways world, the island exists, just not as we know it? It is the first reference to the island in the flash sideways. It kind of blew my mind and made me wonder if the island is going to start playing a part in the off the island stuff. Linus appears to be very mild mannered, meek and submissive in his flash sideways, but much like when we first met Mr. Linus, he is not what he seems. When he gets wind that the principal may be having a sexual affair on campus with anurse, he blackmails the principal to get what he wants, but unlike the Ben we have come to know, he backs down. Having the student that Ben cares about be his daughter was a nice, if a little on the nose, touch. It was nice to see that Ben has flairs of the man he was on the island. The parallels make me curious if I missed similar things in the episodes from earlier in the season.

With super intense stuff off the island and interesting character stuff off the island, this week's Lost is my favorite of the young season and keeps me getting excited for upcoming episodes. I love that the Linus storyline still gave us all this other stuff. We got to witness more of Not-Locke, then there was the great cliff hanger and most importantly and most intensely, Jack and Richard.

Jack is a character many people do not much care for, but he has always been one of my favorites. I think he has undergone more changes in character than anyone else on the island and well, I kind of like Matthew Fox. This week, we see a new side of Jack. He is slowly starting to pick up clues as to what is going on the island. He does not understand the motives, and he cannot answer the "why" question, but he is starting to understand some of the rules of the island. Richard wants to die and his impassioned reasoning was perfectly played, but he cannot kill himself, so he asks Jack to do it. Jack and Richard then engage in this crazy intense back and forth about fate and destiny all while a stick of dynamite is lit and is slowly burning. Oh man, some seriously crazy few moments!

As the final season winds down, we are faced with the knowledge that not every question will be answered directly for us and that is okay with me. I like that we have an understanding of what the smoke monster is and how these people came to be on the island, but more importantly, I am thankful for great television every week. That is what is important! Lost continues to deliver top notch intrigue and thrills, while throwing in enough humor for levity and it almost always works. This week worked in every way imaginable and I am already hankering for next Tuesday!

Valentine's Day

Any movie that features Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner and Anne Hathaway is going to be high on my list of movies to see. Granted, this is not exactly the kind of movie I had in my mind when hearing this cast, but I will take what I can get. Piggy backing off of the success of He's Just not that into you, this movie was attempting to bring together scores of actors and putting them in a movie that serves the purpose of making single people miserable. Why would I subject myself to such a film, in my current single status? I honestly wish I could answer that question, but I can't. Perhaps I am glutton for punishment. Perhaps, as hopeless as I feel right now, I am deep down always hoping to be hopeful and cute or cheesy romantic comedies help me to feel hopeful? Or maybe, just maybe, I was still hoping a movie starring those four women would go the way it does when I close my eyes and imagine it.

Set on the day full of reds, pinks and flowers, Valentine's Day is a story about 16-20 different people in different states of romance maneuvering their way through this unholy day. The stories are loosely connected and it is all set in Los Angeles. Going through it all would be impossible and I am not going to bother with character names, so I will just kind of touch on the main stories. Ashton Kutcher owns a flower shop and he proposes to Jessica Alba who says "yes" but it might not be what it seems. Jennifer Garner is Kutcher's best friend and she is in love with McDreamy, who may or may not still be married. Garner is also friends with Jessica Biel, who hates Valentine's Day because she cannot find a man until Jaime Foxx enters the picture. Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway play an adorable couple who struggle through the early stages of a relationship which is not helped by her side job as a phone sex operator. Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts are two people who meet on a plane and spend the movie talking, but it is never what it seems with them. I know I am forgetting people and characters and stories, but you get the idea.

One of the best and worst qualities about these Vignette style movies is we do not get a lot of time with characters. When it comes to annoying or boring characters like the Jessica Alba or Jessica Biel characters, that is a great thing, but when you want to actually spend more time with some of these people, like the coupling of Topher Grace and Anne Hathaway, you are left unfulfilled. Ashton Kutcher is essentially the heart of this movie and he is actually pretty good. As a guy who believes in the true power of love, Kutcher is charming and funny and he even does a good job when the movie breaks his heart. We know where he will end up about 25 minutes into the movie, but that is okay. There is something comforting about the familiar end of a romantic comedy.

Valentine's Day is a lot more serious than the commercials or the cast would lead you to believe. You have an adorable little boy who spends the entire movie trying to tell a girl he loves her and is consistently vanquished, then you have an elderly married couple played delightfully by Shirley McClaine and Hector Elizondo going through something serious and even the Bradley Cooper and Julia Roberts storyline is mostly serious. Most of the comedy is actually handled by the goofily charming Taylor Swift who plays a love sick teenager and while she is not a great actress and her line readings were a bit stiff, she is not afraid to go out there for a laugh and I admired her for that.

Heavy on the cheesy cliches of the Romantic Comedy genre, Valentine's Day is not a bad movie. It is not a great movie either. It is definitely cute, if a bit predictable, but who cares, when we go to these movies we want to see the best friends realize they are in love and we want to see the gay quarterback find love and we want the girl who hates Valentine's Day to find a guy to kiss at the end of the night. We complain about the conventions of movie genres, but we want them. They make us feel safe and comfortable and from a movie called Valentine's Day, released on Valentine's Day, I expect happy endings and we mostly get them. Also, props to George Lopez for not being at all annoying for the first time ever.

Final Grade: C+

The Oscars

I am not entirely sure what the best way to talk about the Oscars would be. Would reviewing the show be the right way to go, or just talk about the winners and how I feel about them? Ultimately, I thought I would kind of combine those two ideas. First off, I want to talk about the winners of some of the major categories and briefly mention who I thought should have won and why. Then, I will give a few thoughts on the show in general.

Best Supporting Actor:
To be fair, I have only seen two of these performances but I doubt I would change my mind if I had seen the other 3. Christoph Waltz was a revelation. The twinkle in his eye in every scene and the pure menace in his performance is beyond incredible. There is no one that even holds a candle to him this year in terms of a supporting role.

I am skipping Best Supporting actress because I did not see the winning performance and so I cannot compare the others to it, but Monique's acceptance speech was obnoxious, just like she is, so it was fitting.

Best Original screenplay:
I am kind of torn on this because (500) Days of Summer was not even nominated, but I have no problem with The Hurt Locker winning. I do think Inglorious Basterds not winning is kind of lame because that script had so many astonishing elements to it, but The the script for The Hurt Locker is tight, intense and just the right amount of bare bones to let the actors and director really work. Ultimately, I would have voted on Inglorious Basterds, if for no other reason than having the balls to re-write history.

Adapted Screenplay:
Precious won and the guy who won got up and gave a heartfelt, if too blubbery speech, and that is nice, but in a category that included the brilliant Up in the Air screenplay, the scathingly funny In the Loop screenplay and the eloquently beautiful An Education screenplay, I just do not understand Precious. Granted, I have not seen the film, nor do I have a single bit of desire to see it, but Up in the Air stole my heart and I think it deserved to win. Jason Reitman will get his due eventually, and I really thought it would be this year.

Best Actor:
Jeff Bridges won and that is nice for him. I truly do not get his victory. I saw the movie and was not as impressed as I expected to be. George Clooney or Jeremy Renner really deserved this award. Bridges was fine, but he did not get me going the way the other two guys did. If I had to pick, I would have given the award to Clooney. Just because a guy makes it look effortless does not mean he is not working hard. His performance fits like your favorite suit and he just lives in that role. Watching his transition in the film makes the movie that much more heart breaking.

Best Actress:
Just like best actor, I am happy for Sandra Bullock because I like her. She is charming, affable and has been working hard. Of course, none of this means she deserves the award, because she does not. Sure, she was good and believable. I would even go as far as to say she did solid work, but solid is not enough. Carey Mulligan's star making turn in An Education takes a pretty good movie and turns it into a wonderful movie. She is fierce while being naive, and she grows in every minute of the movie. I am sure Mulligan will be back on the Oscar stage, but she really did deserve it this year.

Best Director:
This is another one where I was kind of torn. Katherine Bigelow (How hot is she???) directed the hell out of The Hurt Locker. There is no denying her influence made that movie one of the most gripping and intense movie watching experiences I have had in years. However, Tarantino created a masterpiece. I think when it is all said and done, I would have voted for Tarantino. Yes, Tarantino is the biggest star of his movies, but "Basterds" is just ridiculous in every way and Tarantino is responsible for that.

Best Picture:
First off, let me say that Avatar, The Blind Side, Serious Man and District 9 had absolutely no business being nominated. I cannot speak for Precious as it is the only one I did not see, but Where the Wild Things Are should have been nominated. Aside from that, I cannot complain about The Hurt Locker winning. It was one of the best of movies of the year easily and I like that a small picture won and is was basically deserved. For me, Inglorious Basterds was the most deserving. It had all of the elements of what makes a movie "The Best Picture." Again, this is not a complaint about The Hurt Locker winning. I am perfectly content with it winning and I was happy it won. However, part of me was just excited to see Avatar lose. 2009 was a phenomenal year for movies and The Hurt Locker does a great job of being the ambassador of 2009 movies for future generations of movie lovers who go back and watch winners.

General thoughts on the show:

Any show that opens with Neil Patrick Harris in a sparkly tuxedo jacket singing a song, is pretty much gold in my book. Yes, I openly swooned when I saw his beautiful face on my television.

Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were kind of hit and miss in their opening, but Martin referencing his start as "a poor black child" made me laugh. The Clooney bit and all Avatar jokes tanked. I was hoping for a little more Meryl Streep ribbing.

Ben Stiller did not look happy doing the Avatar bit. Sacha Baron Cohen was originally supposed to do it, but he dropped out. For Cohen this bit would have been a step up.

Christoph Waltz had my favorite acceptance speech and Robert Downey Jr and Tina Fey were my favorite presenters.

The street dancing was cool enough, but I did not love it.

The Paranormal Activity spoof was really funny as was the Snuggie/Slanket bit.

Tyler Perry was at the Oscars and no one punched him. That is a shame. Someone should punch that man and soon.

Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner have absolutely no charisma whatsoever.

I loved the John Hughes tribute, but How cool would it have been if the actors recreated some of the lip-syncing moments from his movies on stage? Matthew Broderick doing "Do you love me" or Jon Cryer doing "Try a Little Tenderness" would have been amazing!

I had a good time watching the show, and I love Martin and Baldwin, but I prefer more of a showman as the host.

OOOHHH Final note: Avatar won for best Cinematography. How a movie that is all computer generated wins that award is beyond me! Did the voters not see Inglorious Basterds?? I mean, SERIOUSLY!!

Possible relaunch

This may or may not be a relaunch of my blog. I have enough stuff to cover this week pretty easily with The Oscars, reviews of Crazies, Cop Out and Valentine's Day. Along with possibly going to see Alice in Wonderland, Brooklyn's Finest or Shutter Island. Also, the television stuff just got to be too much of a hassle because I stopped watching everything when it was on, but, if I decide to actually relaunch this thing for real, I will do a Lost post every Wednesday and would really like other people to chime in.

The last few months have been kind of a whirlwind and now that reality has come back to me, I am going to try and do the things I always did to make myself happy and of course writing about movies has always been towards the top of that list. I cannot afford to go to the theater nearly as often as before, so it is a bit depressing, however, I miss writing about movies. If I actually rededicate myself to this project, I might rely on DVD reviews a little more than in the previous years.

I do not want to get anyone too excited yet, but if after this week, I keep going, I hope whoever is reading this continues to read and possibly comment and invites other people to read.