How Else Would You Move an Island! - LOST SPOILERS

Of course you use a giant frozen wheel - after all, who knows how old the island is and what kind of technology was available when its disappearing trick was invented. Maybe all they had was a wheel.

So let's get this straight - of our named characters (sorry anonymous survivors and others), Sawyer, Juliet, Locke, Charlotte Lewis, Straume, Alpert, Rose and Bernard are all on the moved island, Faraday seems to have not been far enough away to avoid the island's pull so he has moved with it as well and even if Jin could have survived the explosion, he would not have been close enough to be pulled in so he is with Michael (and Claire, Charlie, Ecko, AnaLucia, etc.) in possible ghostland. The Oceanic 6 have discovered Indonesia, Desmond gets the girl, Frank gets a lift on a yacht and Ben gets banned and dropped in Tunisia a few months later? I think that covers it.

None of this explains how Locke gets off the island three years later to lay a Jewish mother guilt complex on Jack and the rest of our six (you never wrote, you never called, I've been wasting away without you). Or how he gets dead (although presumably Widmore might have had a hand in that). I'm also dying to know why Sun would want to team up with Widmore - either she's setting him up for revenge for indirectly killing Jin or she's blaming someone else for Jin's death and looking for an ally. She could also just think that Jin might still be alive on the island and be looking for a way back there. Or, or, or...

I don't think I can wait until January - my head might explode before then!

P.S. High points of the episode - Hurley playing chess with an invisible Ecko and the return of Walt. Low point of the episode - Jeremy Betham, seriously? Will we meet someone named Voltaire next season?

The Hilarity of Plan 9 From Outer Space

EW.com is reporting that someone is planning to remake Plan 9 from Outer Space which sounds like a horrible idea. The genius of the original is how passionately it was made, how dreadful it turned out to be and how funny that made the movie overall. I remember being introduced to the film by my Uncle Stevie when I was a kid and laughing hysterically at the sad props and sets, the ludicrous dialogue and the bad acting. I don't think it would be possible for anyone to capture the right combination of missteps again.

EW.com also included this video of film highlights - just remember, you're STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!

Sex and the City Madness and Loneliness

Apparently, going to see Sex and the City this weekend is like a big game of huggy bear - you have to grab as many of your girlfriends as you can as fast as possible and buy tickets to a screening immediately. Since it took me until now to sort out my weekend (it's still only Wednesday after all!), I have lost out on the huggy bear game - all of my girlfriends have already grouped together for sold out shows. I am still determined to see it this weekend so I have decided to go solo on Sunday night - who knows, maybe I can adopt someone else's girlfriends there.

It does make me think though about all my SATC-fan girlfriends who have left New York in recent years for greener pastures (anywhere else has to be greener right?). Beth, Isabel, Jo - I miss all you guys! If I had had the foresight and the wherewithall, I would have flown all of you in from out of town for a Sex and the City celebration!

The real question is what will all the men in New York be doing on Friday night now that all the girlfriend groups have snatched up every last Manhattan ticket for Friday night!

Stay tuned for my thoughts on the film itself coming to you on Monday.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Outlandish Plots

So I understand that an Indiana Jones movie is not going to be based on any kind of logic and I willingly accepted and enjoyed the evil flesh-melting spirits of the lost ark and the long-life powers of the holy grail (let's leave the Temple of Doom out of this). And when the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls started, I thought that there might be a nice Cold War mixed with mysticism plot to carry us along the ride. However, when it became clear a half hour or so into the movie what the actual plot rested on, my tolerance for crazy plots was pushed over the brink. It is hard to imagine that they spent years writing script after script and decided this was the best one! I would like to make Steven Spielberg reach randomly back into the script pile for an earlier draft and make that movie instead - script version 3, 4 or 5 could hardly be worse. Although this movie had great actors and great returning and new characters, when Steven Spielberg has plot elements in common with National Treasure: Book of Secrets, you know it's all skidding downhill (in a duck boat jeep). Perhaps they forgot which film franchise they were making a sequel for - this movie definitely did not belong in the Indiana Jones line.

I have been very careful about not revealing any plots points but take my advice and rent Temple of Doom instead - it's actually the better film.

Why I love the Yankees

All right, so the Yankees are having a terrible year - I admit that. And they are rattling around the bottom of the AL East (Tampa Bay? Seriously?) With A-Rod back in the line-up, the Yankees should have had plenty of hitting off the Orioles starter last night and the game should have been sealed up early (as it was on Wednesday). However, since the Yankees can't get their act together, they only eked out one run in the first eight innings. By some miracle, Kennedy and Farnsworth were able to hold it together with just one Orioles run (although Kennedy did provide some scary moments) to get the game to Mariano who held it in the top of the ninth.

So there we were, in the bottom of the ninth, freezing our butts off having sat out in the wind and cold for four hours, just praying that the game would end so we could go home. And that of course is when the fun really starts. Although the mighty A-Rod struck out, Matsui's single and Abreu's walk gave the Yankees their opening, bringing the crowd to its feet. When the ump called a ridiculous foul tip, Girardi really got the crowd going by throwing his hat around, kicking up dust and screaming loud enough to get himself kicked out. Then Cano's single brought in the winning run and the crowd really let loose. There was plenty of screaming, cheering, jumping and singing ("it's up to you New York!") - I managed to lose my voice in the mayhem.

So the season may be bleak, the game should perhaps not have been that close but that one inning was the most fun I've had at the stadium in a long time. The singing and celebrating continued all the way into the subway as no one wanted to let go of that one little victorious moment. They may continue to lose but if they can pull together enough little moments like that I will keep on coming. After all, any game that ends with a Melky/Cano victory hug is absolutely irresistable.

If a tree falls in the forest...

and you're not there to hear it, do you care if it made a sound? Apparently, it is earth-shattering that the older David beat the younger David on the bad-karaoke fest called American Idol. It is the pop culture story of the day but I have to confess that I detest the show and have only watched it once (I saw Carrie Underwood beat the long-haired guy when I stayed in my hotel room one night on vacation). From where I stand, there is the occasional American Idol artist that has enough style and personality to make it as a real recording star and I'm happy to check them out when they do hit (although I hated Carrie Underwood on that one episode I saw, Before He Cheats is pretty damn catchy). However, most American Idol winners seem to be bland, personality-devoid, hyped up karaoke singers with no real identity or style of their own and I therefore feel justified in skipping weeks of watching them butcher songs I love.

Clearly I'm in the minority in this one given its ratings but does anyone agree me?

Glen Hansard is Absolutely Adorable

I saw the Swell Season concert with Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova last night at Radio City. The show was completely sold out and mobbed which seemed to completely shock and amaze the performers. Hansard said that when they were in New York two years ago to perform (at a 150 seat theater which they were thrilled to sell out), they walked by Radio City and could only dream of playing there. They repeatedly said throughout the concert how important the concert was to them and they kept thanking the audience for coming. They were so excited about playing at Radio City that Irglova had flown her whole family in from the Czech Republic for the occasion (she sang one song with her sister which was beautiful).

One of the best parts of the concert was listening to Glen Hansard introduce each song. His earnest explanation of each song was nearly as long as the song itself and each involved a rambling story about love and loss that was very funny and beautiful. Introducting their Oscar-winning hit, "Falling Slowly," he compared the success of that song to wanting to kick a ball across a yard and then kicking it over the fence, over a river, around the world and ultimately to a place you never imagined (although he admitted that part of him still wants to ask for his fuckin' ball back).

The music itself was absolutely gorgeous. They played some new material, some songs from the film and even some Van Morrison covers. Watching Hansard perform Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks," was enthralling - his voice is so heartbreakingly beautiful and he stood alone on stage vigorously strumming his acoustic guitar creating the aural allusion that a full band was behind him. Hansard and Irglova meld so well together - their vocal harmonies just stir the soul. Ending with a cover of "Into the Mystic" after two hours of performing, you could tell that they were reluctant to leave the stage and have the night end and I didn't particularly want it to end either.

This is a poor, poor substitute but here's just a taste of the beauty and power of Hansard's music:

Atrocities perpetrated by the U.S.

A very serious title I know and it should certainly be followed by an extensive discussion of the human rights violations the U.S. is committing daily at home and around the world. However, this is not a serious blog and so the atrocities I speak of today are of the entertainment kind.

I understand that occasionally a remake can be enlightening - The Departed was so exciting my sister and I jumped out of our seats at each twist even though we already knew the plot from seeing Infernal Affairs (the Hong Kong original). However, there are just some things that should be left alone and that includes well-made British TV shows. The UK's Viva Blackpool was a riot but CBS slashed and garbled it, turned it into the Melanie Griffith/Hugh Jackman mess that was Viva Laughlin and then wondered why no one watched it. The proposed remake of The Thick of It never saw the light of day (although as a Christopher Guest project, I would have been willing to give it a chance).

Now ABC is literally taking a stab and turning the wonderful Life on Mars into a watered down mess. Here is ABC's preview:



At least they've gone to the trouble of casting a legit British actor (Colm Meaney) for this production but since it's set in L.A. it's not much of a gesture. The original Life on Mars is so dark and gritty but the new show looks like it will be an excuse to create 70s jokes. I don't think I'm even going to be able to stomach the advertising for the show.

Unfortunately, none of these shows I've mentioned are available in the U.S. on DVD (although if you have a multi-region player, do check out the Region 2 versions). However, allow me to recommend State of Play, a British miniseries available on DVD in the U.S. - check it out now before the U.S. version (with Ben Affleck and Russell Crowe) hits theaters next year.

And before the comments come in I will say that yes I have heard of The Office, I recognize that Steve Carell is hilarious and you can yell at me all you want but I've never been much of a fan.

Lost - SPOILER from 5/15 episode

So I caught up with Lost last night - first thing I did when I arrived home from vacation (is that wrong?). I really liked the flash forwards in this one which fleshed out the Oceanic 6 story and the pace was exciting. I had a little trouble keeping track of who was where and what the immediate danger was at each location but I had just arrived home after a whole day of travelling so my level of focus was a bit low. I'm really excited to see the season finale on May 29th - how the hell is Locke going to move the island from a greenhouse? And how can Hurley, Sayid, Sun, Kate and Jack find each other in time to be the Oceanic 6? Here's hoping we find out!

Pop Culture break!

Everyone needs a little rest time some time so I am off to get a few days of sun. Check back for more posts next week when I will inevitably vent about Lost again and report on a Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova concert - they're from the movie Once in case you don't know (check out their adorable Oscar acceptance here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qx8yLvb0gZM)

Harold and Kumar (and NPH) Return

So yes, most of Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay can be classified as terrible. And I wouldn't necessarily recommend rushing to theaters to see it. But once Neil Patrick Harris makes an appearance in the middle of the film, the comedy picks up and the last half was quite enjoyable. A romantic poem about the square root of 3 had Merri in stitches (math humor gets her every time).

The strangest part about seeing the film was that Merri and I were completely on our own in the theater. When we arrived, there was one guy sitting on his own but he left right before the film started and never came back. Knowing that no one else is in the theater is an odd feeling - you feel like you should talk through the whole movie because you can but then you end up distracting yourself. Part of me wanted to jump up and scream and cheer and make all the noise I could and part of me felt ridiculous that we were the only ones dying to see the 10:45am show of Harold and Kumar. Maybe it is ridiculous and this is all an embarrassing admission but NPH really is hysterical.

Lost has lost me - SPOILERS from 5/8 episode

So Claire has to have died in the cabin explosion, right? And she is now just one of the ghosts haunting the island, hanging out with daddy ghost?

And Richard Alpert (Nestor Carbonell) is also ghost or just immortal? I suppose Abbingdon (Lance Reddick) could still be presently human since his scene took place much closer in time to current events but I'm not sure what role any of them is playing. Do they just work for Jacob and are trying to help Locke fulfill his destiny to come to the island? What was the point of Alpert's test in this? I get that by choosing the sand and the compass, child Locke was indicating that he was already tied to the island but why is the knife the wrong choice?

At least I understand what's going on on the freighter - I think. Please let there be some answers before the season ends or I might lose my mind trying to puzzle all of this out until next January!

W!

So while I would never consider myself to be an Oliver Stone fan (I think I may have only made it completely through one or two of his films), I do have to say the Bush biopic intrigues me. Particularly when I saw this picture of a very transformed Josh Brolin at http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20198476,00.html. and popwatch.ew.com. Elizabeth Banks as Laura doesn't look nearly as convincing but Josh Brolin's appearance may scare me into seeing the film. The fact that it will probably be one long Bush rant doesn't hurt either. Let's hope he makes it by October (although I would be very, very impressed if he pulled it off).

DVR Addiction

So flipping channels this morning I came upon Babe which I absolutely adore. Thankfully, I switched in time to see James Cromwell sing and dance for the pig which always makes me smile. However, I had to leave to go to work 25 minutes before the end but it pained me to miss him saying "that'll do pig. That'll do." So I pressed record and I intend to watch it as soon as I get home.

Considering I've seen this movie many, many times I realize that recording the last half-hour of Babe is more than a bit unnecessary but the ability to do so is just too tempting. Does taping the end of the movie so I can come home later and watch one scene I've seen before make me a DVR junkie?

Check out Green Porno now!

These Isabella Rossellini insect reproduction shorts were my favorite of the Tribeca Film Festival. Check them out now and let me know what you think:

http://www.sundancechannel.com/greenporno?go=watch

What were we thinking?

Flipping channels this morning, I caught the end of Dirty Dancing on TV. I have a very clear memory of watching this movie at my house on rented video with a bunch of my junior high friends (one boy and the gang of girls). Some of them had seen it in the theaters but I'm sure my mom would not let me go see a film called Dirty Dancing in the theater (she thought Karate Kid was going to be a kung fu flick and got angry when my dad said he was going to take us). My friends had all been talking about it so much I was very anxious to see it but I clearly remember that I just didn't get it - I couldn't figure out what was so great about it. Watching it this morning, I now think that I was right and they didn't get it. "I know you weren't the one who got Penny in trouble." - blech!

Laugh of the Day

It is impossible not to giggle at this. Keep your eyes out for the cow.


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The Riches

I made it through another season (although I watched the finale one week late). Although I love, love, love Eddie Izzard and like the newly added Jared Harris, I'm just not sure if I care where it's going any more. They seem to be spinning the story in circles and the characters keep having crises over the same issues. If it comes back again (I assume FX will renew it) I may start out watching but I'm not sure I'd make it through another whole season.

I'd much rather see Eddie Izzard doing stand-up. And I will see him doing just that in only seven weeks! I should start a countdown...

Shamelessly Fun

I've really been enjoying the second season of Shameless on the Sundance Channel. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it is a British show (which is already up to season five in the UK) about a large, crazy family in working-class Manchester. I started watching because James McAvoy was in it (he's so dreamy) and although he left (but came back for one episode this week), I'm still having a lot of fun with it. Since it takes place in Manchester the accents are thick (I'm usually pretty good and I only understand half of it) but it is wacky as hell which I enjoy. I definitely recommend checking it out from the beginning if you can.

If you're looking for fun British shows, you should also check out Life on Mars - it has two seasons which should be on DVD. A cop somehow ends up back in time (again in Manchester) and has to deal with the corruption and attitudes of the '70s. It's trippy and intrguing!

Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. is awesome. I could watch him wisecrack endlessly. That certainly was the best part of Iron Man since the heavy suit doesn't allow for a lot of personality. At least the film kept cutting to his reactions inside the suit - Spider Man would have been a lot better if they had done that for Willem Defoe. Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeff Bridges and Terrence Howard were all fine but it bears note that they are all upstaged by Iron Man's trusty robotic arm and voice assistants.

I got very excited early in the film when I thought one character said his name was Jensen (pronounced the Danish way "yen-sen"). However, according to the credits, his name was Yinsen. Oh well.