LOST: Thoughts, Ideas, and Questions for the final season

We’re less than 48 hours away until the final season premier of LOST, which I feel will go down as one of TV’s greatest dramas ever. I have been watching the show since day one, and because of that, this will be a very bittersweet season for me. I can happily say though, that I have helped turned the show on to several people in my life, my buddy Jason, my sister and brother-in-law, and even my dad. We’re all hooked. I really can’t think of any other show right now that has had so many questions, but at the same time so many interesting and original characters and such a gripping storyline from the past decade.

The show is one of a kind, and has spawned so many shows like it lately. Most, if not all of them, simply were not able to live up to the greatness of LOST. Executive producers and creators of the show Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse promise that many of the questions we all have about the show will be answered this season. I, however, do not think that every single question will be answered, and that some of the answers will not be simply explained in clear detail. At least, this is my hope. I find that LOST is a show that branches itself off from several different simple themes, including science vs. faith, fate vs. free will, rebirth/redemption, and father vs. child. The final one doesn’t seem as “deep” as the others, but if you’ve watched the show, you know what I mean. It’s the kind of show that has to be all encompassing. So while I think many people would be disappointed if the final shot of the show doesn’t make them go “Holy shit that’s insane” and is more of just a closure, I think it would fit perfectly into the mantra the show has created, and it’s what I’m rooting for.

I must say that I am very curious about what exactly Cuse and Lindelof have in store not just for the entire final season, but the first hour of Tuesday’s premier. Season 5 ended, in case you don’t remember (but how couldn’t you?) with Ben killing Jacob, and presumably, the Man in Black, taking the form of John Locke, kicking Jacob’s body into a fire pit. Oh yeah, Juliet also set off the nuclear warhead, which Jack hopes will reset everything, and put everyone back on Oceanic 815, safely landing them in Los Angeles. So many questions have come up over the past five years; here I will post my thoughts (if any) on what I think are the answers to some of the more important questions the show faces in its final season. If you’re a fan of the show let me know what you think will happen this season. Please note, I have not read any spoilers on the season. I know they’re out there, but I don’t really wish to know any details. These are my thoughts, gathered from discussions I’ve had with friends about the upcoming final season.

The nuke/opening of season 6: Honestly? I think Season 6 will open with the ending of season 5, Juliet at the bottom of the hatch, smashing the nuke with a rock. One last swing. Crescendo music peaks. The bomb explodes. Flash of white. Whoa. Cut to: shot of clouds, pan camera back to….Jack, sitting on Flight 815, possibly the scene where he discusses with the stewardess the lack of alcohol in his drink. I remember this scene being the first flashback the show had, when we saw the turbulence that caused 815 to crash. Jack turned to Rose, who was sitting beside him, told her everything would be okay, right before the plane began to crash. I find this same thing happening again, only this time, the plane gets through the turbulence, and maybe even perhaps Rose is the one that is calm and Jack is the one scared as hell.
But…then cut to Jack again, only this time still on the island. Possibly when the plane crashed. Yes, I think LOST will, in its final season, introduce the concept of “flash-presents” (It’s the best name I could come up with). The show has relied heavily on the goings on in these characters lives off the island, with flashbacks, then flash-forwards, introduced at the end of Season 4, just as much as it has with their lives on the island. So there’s every reason to believe the show will still focus just as much on these characters lives off the island, and the only way it can do that now is by creating parallel worlds, one where the characters survive the plane crash and land safely in LA, and another where they are still stuck on the island. It may sound like a stretch I know, but I just can’t see this show taking away either aspect: the island lives, or the shore lives. Parallel worlds seem to be the only logical way of going about this.

Jacob and the Man in Black: The show introduced both of these characters in the opening moments of the finale last season. Their brief scene ended with the Man in Black reminding Jacob how much he wanted him dead, but he needed to find his loophole. He evidently found it with Locke. Many people believe that Jacob is “good” and the Man in Black is “evil”. A lot of symbolism points to this; the most obvious being their dress in the scene: Jacob is in white, almost always a sign for good, and the Man in Black is in well…duh. Black is usually a symbol for evil. However, I don’t think the show would make it that clear-cut. I’m not saying Jacob is in fact evil, but what I’m saying is that perhaps there is not a good or evil character between these two. Perhaps both characters exhibit traits of good and evil, a la Locke and Ben, and the show will not make us choose which character to root for, but instead have us identify with the causes (whatever they may be) of both characters and see what happens. Consider how the characters were shot in their brief scene. The MIB came and sat in front of Jacob, sitting on a rock, whereas Jacob was slouched behind him, in his shadow in a way. The MIB took hold of our view with this shot, and took dominance over the shot. It could be argued that he holds a higher position than Jacob. A lot can be interpreted from this shot, but that is the brilliance of the show. I was reminded of the backgammon game that Locke and Walt play early on in season one, where Locke described the game being played between two pieces, one light and one dark. He also stated that archeologists found boards of the game in ancient Mesopotamia, which could possibly be where the four toed statue is from that we see. I find that to be a major symbol for the relationship between Jacob and MIB. I think it’s no doubt that the relationship between Jacob and MIB will be a major, if not the central part of the final season. But who are they exactly?

What’s up with Richard?: The dude doesn’t age; weird right? I think this can easily be explained. At the beginning of last season’s finale, Jacob and MIB see a ship heading towards the island. My thought is that the ship is the Black Rock. It’s captain? Richard. My guess is Jacob kills everyone on board except Richard and grants him one wish. Richard, at this point a greedy pirate, asks for eternal life. But, in that classic theme of be careful what you wish for, Richard is forced to remain on the island forever, serve Jacob, and always be second in command, a constant reminder of his terrible deeds aboard his slave/pirate ship.

Where the hell is Claire?: Cuse and Lindelof promise that she will be back this season. Last time we saw her was Season 4, and she just kind of got up and left everyone behind. Is she the key to everything? A sort of Mary, and Aaron perhaps as a kind of Jesus figure, with Locke taking the role of God? Locke did, after all, build Aaron’s crib remember.

Who is the most important character of the Oceanic survivors?: Almost everyone has been thought to be the most important character. Jack was the first, then Walt, then Locke, then Charlie, then Walt again for like a minute when he showed up randomly to tell Locke he had “work to do”, then Sawyer, then Claire, then Aaron, then Kate, then Locke again, then Jack again, then “Locke” (MIB as Locke). But someone who hasn’t been mentioned there? Hurley. Go ahead laugh, but I think Hurley has a lot more to do with the outcome of everyone’s lives than the creators have been leading on. Think about it, he was the first person the numbers affected. He used them to win the lottery, and became very unlucky. He’s seen all of the people who have been killed on the island. Jacob even said to Hurley that what he thought was a curse could in fact be a gift. Hurley had a difficult life off the island. I’m fairly certain there is not one LOST fan that dislikes Hurley. Also, it’s always Hurley who wants to keep everyone in good spirits. He created the golf course in season 1, he discovered the food in the hatch in season 2, he found the Volkswagen Darhma van in season 3. So I would not be surprised if Hurley plays a vital role in the lives of the losties this season.

Those numbers!: 4. 8. 15. 16. 23. 42. Such a random set. Yet, as the show has shown us, they are not so random. Adding them up gives you 108, the amount of minutes between each time the button had to be pushed in the hatch in season 2. The flight number was 815. There were 42 crash survivors. Countless upon countless of other references to the numbers appear throughout the show. The season has to explain their meaning, no matter how messed up it may be. In fact, it is the answer I am most intrigued by this season.

The Black Smoke: I think the answer to this puzzle lies with the answer to the appearances of “dead” characters showing up on the island. People like Jack’s father, Hurley’s friend from the mental hospital, Ben’s daughter, Eko’s brother, even Walt and Locke (although Walt technically isn’t dead). They’re all the MIB. Has anyone considered the smoke monster to be good? I think it is very possible that his actions are for a greater good. Consider that Locke said the monster was “beautiful” when he saw it. Perhaps the monster looks for its victims to seek redemption, or show them the wrongs of their ways. This would counteract my theory of the MIB in fact being a “good” character, but I do believe that the recurrences of dead characters appearing on the island are his doing. Consider that Jacob touched each character that he interacted with in last season’s finale. Perhaps this gained him the ability to transform into them.

Other questions: A lot of people want to know answers about specific questions. Take for example, will Sun and Jin reunite, why are Boone and Charlie (supposedly) back? Although these are fairly interesting questions, I am more concerned with the show answering its big questions, and concentrating more on its overarching themes, rather than specific characters. However, if the show can in fact answer the bigger questions by showing them in smaller implications, then that would be a way to satisfy all viewers.

One thing I can be certain of though, is that this is going to be a mind-blowing season, with twists we won’t see coming. I can’t wait to see what the show has in store, and I have full confidence that Lindelof and Cuse will bring us a final season that will not only leave us impressed and satisfied, but also continuing the conversations about the shows themes, ideas, and characters long after the show is finally off the air. I can’t wait.

Golden Globe Predicitons 2010

Award season is now officially upon us. Although nothing can top the excitement of the Academy Awards, the Globes always appear to be the 'cooler' show. Everyone has a good time, with a loose attitude, and everyone is graceful to the winners (remember how excited everyone got for Kate Winslet's double-win last year?) So, here are my predictions for each category. Be sure to tune in, if for nothing else than for Martin Scorsese’s Cecil B. DeMille Award acceptance speech.

Best Picture Drama: "Avatar"

Best Picture Comedy/Musical: "(500) Days of Summer"

Best Actor Drama: George Clooney, "Up in the Air"

Best Actress Drama: Carey Mulligan, "An Education"

Best Actor Comedy/Musical: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, "(500) Days of Summer"

Best Actress Comedy/Musical: Meryl Streep, "Julie & Julia"

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique, "Precious"

Best Director: James Cameron, "Avatar"

Best Screenplay: Quentin Tarantino, "Inglourious Basterds"

Best Foreign Language Film: "A Prophet"

Best Animated Film: "Up"

Best Original Score: James Horner, "Avatar"

Best Original Song: ‘I Want to Come Home’ Paul McCartney, "Everybody’s Fine"

Best Television Series Drama: “Mad Men”

Best Television Series Comedy/Musical: “Glee”

Best Actor TV Drama: Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”

Best Actress TV Drama: January Jones, “Mad Men”

Best Actor TV Comedy/Musical: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”

Best Actress TV Comedy/Musical: Courtney Cox, “Cougar Town”

Best Mini-Series/Movie Made for TV: “Grey Gardens”

Best Actor Mini-Series/TV Movie: Brendan Gleeson, “Into the Storm”

Best Actress Mini-Series/TV Movie: Jessica Lange, “Grey Gardens”

Best Supporting Actor Series/Mini-Series/TV Movie: Neil Patrick Harris, “How I Met Your Mother”

Best Supporting Actress Series/Mini-Series/TV Movie: Jane Lynch, “Glee”

Spider-Man 4 Scrapped; Studio Turns Attention to Reboot

According to a report from Deadline Hollywood earlier today, Sony Pictures has scrapped Spider-Man 4 and will instead concentrate its efforts on a reboot of the franchise, with a script from Jamie Vanderbilt, who wrote the highly acclaimed Zodiac from 2007.

Rumors circulate that James Cameron could possibly direct, and Anne Hathaway would take the role of love interest Mary Jane. No word on a new Peter Parker, but the Cameron/Hathaway talks, I feel are simply wishful thinking at this point. The move seems to be no real big surprise with the almost daily reports of Raimi's dissatisfaction of the script. The reboot is tentatively scheduled for a summer 2012 release.

Sam Mendes to direct Bond 23

In a surprising announcement today, Oscar winner Sam Mendes is apparently close to signing on to direct the 23rd film in the long running Bond franchise. Mendes, who has a terrific vision for film, is known for film's concentrating more on the family and home life, for example American Beauty, and more recently Revolutionary Road and Away We Go. To see him in an action series like Bond is an interesting decision, but keep in mind this would not be his first foray into violence, as he did direct the brilliant Road to Perdition and the slightly inferior Jarhead. Although I'm curious to see his take on the character, this is still an interesting move.

The Worst Films of 2009

Another year has come to pass, and another batch of films has come to make me question my undying love for films. These ten films have unfortunately lessened my intelligence, but thankfully, my top ten (coming soon) will redeem my brains, and sense of hope. On to the bottom ten:

10. Amelia - Mira Nair.

Hilary Swank is a funny actress. She can either be earth-shattering terrific (Boys Don't Cry, Million Dollar Baby) or truly awful (The Core, The Reaping). Here she is somewhere in between. But where the film loses its opportunity is it's direction and just dreadful story. This could have been one of the most compelling films of the year, yet it was just wrong from the start.

9. Knowing - Alex Proyas.

Although the film's first half is actually quite intriguing, it falls flat on its face when it decides Earth needs an apocalypse. No mention of it at any point early in the film makes it utterly usless except as a means to put CGI effects into the trailer to try and get more people in the seats. What could have been a sci-fi cult favorite turns into a huge disappointment.

8. Push - Paul McGuigan.

Simply a dull action flick. The concept of the film is a huge farce, and the film just expects us to just go with it. Sometimes that's okay, if the action makes us not worry about it, but this is one of the rare shoot 'em up films that was putting me asleep.

7. Funny People - Judd Apatow.

Although not a terrible film, Judd Apatow's third feature film has a huge identity crisis. Known for his comedic skills with his two previous features, Apatow does a 180 and tries to create a dramatic comedy in the sense of the old Frank Capra films of the 1940's. It is a huge misstep. The funny scenes aren't that funny, and the drama is overdone to the point where I didn't care about any of the characters or what happened to them. Please, stick to comedy.

6. X-Men Origins: Wolverine - Gavin Hood.

Oh, what a box office hit this could have been. Except they forgot one thing: a story. The film centers itself around a big action sequence involving a helicopter. That's all well and good, except it occurs within the first half hour. The rest of the film is a painful bore to experience.

5. Bruno - Larry Charles.

I had such hopes for this film. After the huge success of Borat, it seemed Bruno was destined to be just as good. What made Borat so refreshing, original, and hilarious, was its sense of reality. Some of the scenes were staged, but watching the film, its hard to distinguish which are. Bruno is simply not funny, and it seems as if much of the film was staged. A huge disappointment, and I hope that Cohen does not give his characters a third try. Borat should have been his only film.

4. I Love You, Beth Cooper - Chris Columbus.

It's hard to imagine Larry Doyle, the author of the novel, also wrote this films screenplay. None of his heartwarming charm and descriptions are anywhere in the film. The film lacks any substance, and relies on recycled teenage antics that we've been seeing since the days of Animal House. Oh yeah, the acting sucks too.

3. Observe and Report - Jody Hill.

Some people say this film got a bad rap because it came out close to the box office hit Paul Blart: Mall Cop. That's not the case. The film, in a word, is disturbing. Seth Rogen's character makes me question the hiring process of malls in America today. His character, suffering from bi-polar disorder, and a bad case of the creepers, has no place being employed as a security guard in a public place. The "jokes" are downright disturbing and offensive. And yeah, the acting sucks in this one too.

2. Year One - Harold Ramis.

I'm sick of Michael Cera. What does everyone see in him that I don't? He has the exact, let me repeat, the EXACT same character in each film he has played. There was nothing different about Nick and Paulie Bleeker. There's no difference here, and I expect there won't be much of a difference in Youth in Revolt. Plus, I don't find Jack Black all that funny either. These two together was a recipe for disaster from the beginning.

1. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen - Michael Bay.

I didn't think Bay could get much worse than Armageddon, his worst film. He comes close with this awful sequel to a halfway decent film. Borderline racist, terribly loud, utterly incomprehensible, the film is a waste of time and money. Bay should have ten the film's budget and spread it to the various film companies who are on the verge of breakup, instead of releasing this garbage.

And there you have it, the worst films of the year. We got through it (mostly) unscathed.

The Ten Films of the Decade

Writing out a top ten list for the best films of a year is a fairly simple process. Most of the choices are fresh in your mind, and most of the time you know which films are exceedingly better than the rest. A top ten of the decade though? A much more difficult process. It's not about choosing which films are great, but which films defined the decade in which we lived, which ones stood out the most. At least, that's how I feel. Yes, they have to be pretty good as well.
Before I get to my top ten, here are the ten that just missed the cut. In my opinion, this would have been a damn fine top ten as well.

20. Requiem for a Dream - Darren Aronofsky. 2000. Aronofsky's second feature is a bold creation of life consumed with drugs. Ellen Burstyn is haunting.

19. Letters from Iwo Jima - Clint Eastwood. 2006. Telling WWII from the side of the Japanese, Eastwood shows us with painstaking detail that sometimes, war has no enemy.

18. The Hurt Locker - Kathryn Bigelow. 2009. Not just the best film made about the war in Iraq, but a heartbreaking tale of the courage to survive.

17. Adaptation. - Spike Jonze. 2002. Hilarious but at the same time terribly sad, Jonze's feature is a refreshing look at the worn down idea of writer's block.

16. Memento - Christopher Nolan. 2000. Nolan may very well be the best director of the naughties, and it wouldn't have happened without this little gem.

15. The Departed - Martin Scorsese. 2006. A thoroughly entertaining mob story from the man who knows mob films the best.

14. Milk - Gus Van Sant. 2008. Although not possible without Brokeback Mountain, Van Sant's film gives us hope for a change in America's mindset.

13. No Country for Old Men - Joel and Ethan Coen. 2007. Haunting. Thrilling. Thought-provoking. Obscure. Brilliant.

12. 25th Hour - Spike Lee. 2002. Many filmmakers thought it was too early for films to comment on 9/11. Lee takes it head on with a brilliant look at a man on the brink.

11. Elephant - Gus Van Sant. 2003. Winner of the Cannes Palme d'Or, this little masterpiece takes only eighty minutes to haunt our minds, and break our hearts.

And now, the top ten.

10. Up in the Air - Jason Reitman. 2009.

Reitman's masterpiece is a film for the blue-collar American. Anyone who has lost anything during this recession can identify with so much of this film. Using actual unemployed people for several scenes, we understand that the emotions they show are not a form of acting, but their own feelings about their lives. Shying away from what could have been a conventional, cliche film, Reitman pulls a 180, and continues to surprise us throughout.

9. Wall-E - Andrew Stanton. 2008.

Pixar had the best decade of any film studio. Continuing to shelve out hit after hit, they had their best success here. Not just a great kids movie, the film is a also a terrific comment on today's society, with its vision of humans using robotic chairs for their daily purposes. Nothing short of brilliant.

8. The Pianist - Roman Polanski. 2002.

One of only two of Polanski's films of the decade, it proves to us that he is still a master filmmaker. Despite his shortcomings, he is still one of the best auteur's alive. Brody is on screen for much of the film by himself, walking through the wastelands of his hometown helpless. Having some of the most haunting shots of the decade, the film is difficult to forget quickly.

7. Rachel Getting Married - Johnathan Demme. 2008.

If any film has made you wish you attended a wedding, it would be this wedding. Demme's documentary style filmmaking brings these characters to life. The tagline for the film was "This is not your family, but this is your family." No truer tagline has ever been conceived. We may not know people exactly like this in our family, but we can find similarities, and that alone makes it brilliant. The film's subtle hints of these characters past is real, and makes them all the more fascinating.

6. Children of Men - Alfonso Cuaron. 2006.

This is not a film to view if you are looking for a hopeful future. Cuaron's bleak tale of a future without the ability of reproduction has stayed in my mind in the three years following the first time I saw it. Coming back to it again only resonated those thoughts even more. His quality and attention to detail is stunning, his thoughts on the human condition in the sight of apocalypse is haunting.

5. Lost in Translation - Sofia Coppola. 2003

What is it like for two people finding themselves in a completely new environment, alone, with no one to turn to? Who do they talk to when no one is there to listen? Coppola answers these questions with terrific quality and a great eye for minimalist scenes. These two characters are unforgettable, made so by the terrific performances from Scarlett Johannson and Bill Murray. Murray is still able to bring the laughs, but he is able to tell us so much about his character from his facial expressions. No other actor can do it quite like Murray can.

4. Brokeback Mountain - Ang Lee. 2005

Ang Lee's 2005 masterpiece was a groundbreaking moment in cinema. It made gay and lesbian themed films relevant in mainstream media, which is mostly thanks to the A-list cast, headlined by its two heterosexual leads, Ledger and Gyllenhaal. But the standout is Ledger. His Ennis Del Mar is easily the most fascinating character of the decade. A married family man, he's torn about his feelings for Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist, and what it could mean if their secret was revealed. Del Mar wants to look like the tough guy cowboy of the west, with his rage exploding at various points. But he lifts our hearts in the films final scene, one of the most hopeful moments film has ever given us.

3. In the Bedroom - Todd Field. 2001.

Field is able to build a mountain of tension throughout the film that makes it almost too unbearable to watch. Yet we cannot take our eyes away from it. Set in the beautiful lakeshore homes of New England, the film is gorgeous to look at just for its set pieces. Yet underneath that lies a terrible secret that this family is forced to bear. Field doesn't do much flashy in his first feature, but the film didn't need that. The story and acting drives this film, and the camera is simply there to follow.

2. There Will Be Blood - Paul Thomas Anderson. 2007.

An American tragedy through and through. Daniel Plainview is one of the most haunting characters ever put on film. His greed and lust for oil is something that can be identifiable in today's society. Working very much like a classic silent film, it is perfect in every sense of the word. Plainview never looks for sympathy, but at times we can see twinges of it in his soul. The baptism scene is the best pure cinematic scene of the decade.

1. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind - Michael Gondry. 2004.

Timeless and pure. A joy to watch. Gondry's masterpiece is something that almost anyone can enjoy. Not necessarily fully comprehendible on a first viewing, it is the most well made film of the decade. Gondry went for an unconventional style of storytelling that paved the way for numerous films throughout the rest of the decade. He wasn't the first to do it this decade, but he did it the best. It is always a joy to come back to, and will be a timeless film in the decades to come.

So there you have it, my favorite films of the decade. I found this to be a surprisingly terrific decade for high end films. Here's to hoping the '10's are even better! What do you think? What are your ten favorites?

Flash: RIP Brittany Murphy

Brittany Murphy passed away today after suffering from cardiac arrest. She was 32. The young actress was known most for her performances in intriguing films such as 8 Mile and Sin City. Not much else is known about the untimely death, but this is yet another tragic case of a talent lost at far too young of an age.