Happy Halloween!!

Alright, this clip does not LOOK very Halloweenie, but it's from Nightmare. Need something more explicitly Halloween? Then here ya go. 

'Lost' Revisited: "Confirmed Dead"

Previously on Lost...man, do I love that deep deep voice. I would love to know who says that. 

I didn't participate in "The Lost Experience" the summer between the second and third seasons, mostly because I was in Maine most of the summer, without internet access. Last summer, between the third and fourth seasons, I was a little more into it, watching some of the videos of the boyfriend of a stewardess, and of course I watched all of the Missing Pieces.

It was great how they made them somewhat mundane, but a quite fun moments for fans of the show, at least until the last Missing Piece, with Christian Shephard BEING ALIVE*.

MASSACHUSETTS!! (sorry, I always gotta recognize my roots) I don't know why Dan is so freaked out. We still don't know by the end of the season. Maybe it has to do with the time travel, like what happened to Desmond in "The Constant?" 

Man, Daniel (Jeremy Davies) is great in his delivery. His voice goes up along with his body "Along with the phone."

That image of Locke standing in the clearing in the rain is so quintessential John Locke. I wish I had as much clarity as that man has (at least sometimes). 

I love Sawyer, but really, man cannot pull off wet hair as sexy. 

The great thing about Lost is, like life, you never know where people are coming from, or where they're going. It's strange, how despite the fact that there are flash backs and forwards, everything feels so present. 

Miles Straume!! A number one, that has to be one of the best names ever. Not only is it cool, but very loaded with the connotations of maelstrom. Ken Leung is very attractive as well. I can't wait to learn more about Miles, there are so many places his character can go, so much we don't know. 

I am with the line of thinking that Miles "saw" that Claire was dead in the season finale, that is why he is looking at her funny. Did he maybe have previous contact with the Island, is that why he can talk to dead people? Could there possibly be some Firestarter connotation about the DHARMA Initiative and the Island, tests done on people, who then had children also with special abilities? 

Dude, what is that machine? And he better be involved more next season. 

Again, Ben is amazing. I still think he's a bad man. Willing to sacrifice most people. But how he delivers all his lines, like "Carl, now if you're going to sleep with my daughter I insist you call me Ben," oh so great. 

I completely did not get the possible moment of realization for Sawyer of getting Ben in front of his daughter. It must have gotten him thinking about HIS daughter, Clementine. Is that possibly what got him thinking that finally resulted in what he said to Kate in the finale?

Kate's look at Dan when he talks about the light, too magnificent. 

I love the mirroring in this show. Like just now, how they make a mini ambush of Miles and Dan. Then in the later end of the season, how the Others ambush Kate and Sayid. It's like how the music gets repeated themes, but changed, throughout the show.

Charlotte Staples Lewis. There is so much about faith in this show. 

The reveal of the polar bear skeleton was so shocking when the episode first aired. Now, obviously, it must have gotten to Tunisia via the Orchid station and its chamber, coming from the Hydra as we learned. 

Miles gets the line of the night with "Oh my God, you guys were on Oceanic 815! Wow, that better?"

This violin work sounds like Psycho. I do love it though. So ominous. And yet, it's for nothing. Brilliant.

Frank Lapidus is pretty great in this scene. By the way, gotta love the Greg Grunberg picture with the mustache. Now, what happened to Frank that brought him from flying for Oceanic to the Bahamas? Hopefully that's a thing we'll find out (eventually). 

Oh, silly Ben! Don't try to shoot people!

Is it just me, or does Franks forehead wound look like Charlie's from the first season finale? Aw, I miss him.

Lance Reddick is magnificent. I won't reiterate too much.

This whole scene, Locke readying to kill Ben, Ben's staggering to save himself, Alex not willing to see her, albeit manipulative father die, Charlotte's reaction shots, the weight of why they have been sent to capture Ben, it is all so intricate. The question is, does Ben really know what the Monster is. I know he can "control" or "summon" it, but does he know what makes it up? And knowing now that it is Michael on the boat...well, it doesn't add that much, to be frank. 

So that's that. Next time on Lost: Sayid has creepy straightened hair in the future, and kills people while in cahoots with Ben. Also, the Losties participate in some human trafficing!

BOOM.

*I'm not sure he really is alive, but he's walking 

Bond. James Bond. X20

After three months, 21 movies, and innumerable double entendres, I have finally finished watching all the James Bond films. That's right, all of them.*

I love Casino Royale. Like, really love it. It is just a wonderful, well crafted movie, Let alone a Bond film. Daniel Craig is fantastic. But I'd never seen another Bond film. So in light of Quantum of Solace coming out this year, and my obsessive nature, I decided to watch them all. Save for two instances, I saw them in order (my Dad wanted to watch Goldfinger with me, and The World is Not Enough wouldn't play on my computer). 

Sean Connery was amazing. Cause he's Sean freakin' Connery. I actually thought On Her Majesty's Secret Service was pretty good, but who knows where George Lazenby would have gone after that. Hated Roger Moore - too jokey, too suave, not enough bite. Timothy Dalton was not attractive (I have no appreciation of butt-chins) and it was so eighties. Pierce Brosnan was alright, but things were too gadgety and the stories totally stupid. 

And that's that. Man, if I drank, I would totally need a martini. The closest I can get to an actual Bond clip is this Quantum of Solace video game trailer. Definitely not as good as the real thing. 

*My list is in order of EW's rank of all the Bond films.

Mi az on telefonszama?

Now I know if I hear that while in Hungary, I should slap that man in the face. Why should I? He's asking for my number, and I don't want to give skeevy Hungarian men (or any skeevy men, for that matter) my number. How do I know this? Well, I am going to London (woot!)

Our orientation was this weekend, and my parents came up for it. In all honesty, it was probably better they did, so I wouldn't have to get annoyed at them when they asked all sorts of questions about things. Anywho, Bill Sheasgreen, who runs the London Centre (gotta get used to the British spelling) asked questions and gave out prizes.

Of course, my Dad had to say the answers to everything, despite my protests. And he won me this European phrase book. I couldn't be too annoyed at him after that. It's cool, because it's a DK book. 

That Guilty Feeling

The new 30 Rock episode is on Hulu, a full week before it premieres on that boxy thing that looks like a computer screen without a keyboard. What's it called again? Oh, that's right, a television. 

Afterward, I proceeded to watch a solid half hour of clips, which culminated with this one. 

It is so true. 

"Lost" Revisted: "The Beginning of the End"

As a means of satiating my hunger for Lost and giving this blog a feeling of legitimacy (and procrastinating the actual work I have to do) I have decided to start a regular feature. Each week, I'll recap at least one episode of Lost from season 4. Part analysis, part recap, all mushy fan-love, it'll be a good prep for the coming Lost penultimate season.

So lets begin, shall we?

Hurley's exclamation about being one of the oceanic six isn't a mystery anymore - if you don't know that those are Hurley, Jack, Kate, Sayid, Sun, and Aaron, well then you live ON the Island (by the way, out of respect for the Island as a character, I'll be capitalizing it).

The thing that puzzles me is why exactly Hurley is so susceptible to visions, hallucinations, generally going crazy. Maybe it's his gift, having a connection to the world of the dead, like Walt's special powers. Or Locke's understanding of the Island. It just makes me sad he's in the Loony Bin.

I'm surprised Locke killed Naomi. Of all the characters, I feel he and Hurley are the least likely to kill anyone. I would say Claire, too, but I she is so protective of Aaron she would kill someone for him. There's a fierce streak in her. But Locke's gift is that he's not a ruthless as Ben, and therefore a better leader for the Others and the Island in general. He has come so close to killing but been unable to in the past.

Oh, it is so sad to hear Ben say Rousseau has to take Alex away. Given the awful things that happen in "The Shape of Things to Come."

Ok, this will reveal the fullness of my Lost geek-itude/obsession, but all I can think about when Hurley jumps into the water is how Jorge jumped into the water after finishing the filming of the pilot (revealed in the season 1 extras).

I spent the entire summer contemplating the reactions of people to the news of Charlie's death. When I first saw "The Beginning of the End" when it aired, I was highly underwhelmed. Being able to see the reaction shots of those on the beach again, they are completely appropriate.

Ah, Fisher Stevens (aka Chuck from Early Edition!) is the voice of Minkowski now! I knew that he wasn't in the previous season finale, but he's clearly the voice on the phone now!

Jack has gone crazy with...something. Not power, Jack is not a man who needs to rule. He (as has been clearly established by flashbacks, his actions on the Island, everything) needs control. while I have come to highly dislike the character of Jack, he's a pompous control-freak so obsessed with his own beliefs the well-being of others is compromised, Matthew Fox's quality as an actor to convincingly portray such a complex - and to some dislikable - character is truly wonderful. And if you need any proof that Jack is not this great savior, a real knight in shining armor, more of a hero than Sawyer, look no further than the fact that he ACTUALLY PULLS THE TRIGGER ON LOCKE!

ARGH! Lance Reddick is probably one of the creepiest looking people out there. And he is a superb actor. He infuses every word with intensity. I am so sad he's a series regular on Fringe (well, not sad for the quality of Fringe) but I think it means he'll not be as regular on Lost as I would like. Hopefully before the end he'll have some scenes with Michael Emerson, and more with Terry O'Quinn, because those fabulous actors would play off each other like nobody's business.

I need to who Abaddon is working for, and in what capacity. Well, let me qualify that. I'm pretty sure he's working for Widmore, though there's something about his demeanor that makes me think he could be a plant in Widmore's ranks.

I am still convinced he, Widmore, Alpert, and others are survivors of the Black Rock crash on the Island.

The actress who plays Naomi was recently on something else. I can't remember what it was.

Ok, so if Christian Shephard was sitting in the chair, does that mean John Locke had seen him before meeting him in the finale? Or was Hurley's ability to see Christian for a moment like Locke's seeing him for a moment in the season 3 finale? I think that's how I'll see things.

What were they all leaning against? Oh, the cockpit. I see.

Juliet just had the most hilarious look on her face when everyone else cocked the guns.

So, I still cry when Hurley tells Claire Charlie's dead. Cause it is really sad. He had been one of the main survivors over the course of three full seasons. Though Charlie wasn't always the most well-served character ("Fire+Water" was one of the worst episodes of Lost, IMHO)

But man did he (Dom) look good with short hair and aviators. This conversation is chock full of fabulous lines and acting. I can tell Jorge and Dom probably had a lot of fun getting back together for a day of shooting. "I am here. You're being a baby." And what fortuitousness about "They need you." It's all set-up for the finale.

Jack has also got some serious rage issues.

Though I love Jorge, he's a great actor, Hurley's big monalogue is a bit contrived. I just don't like the dialogue that much. That's ok, the flash-forward scene makes up for it.

"Jack, with your permission, I would like to go with John" has got to be one of the best lines, and line deliveries, in this series' history. If only for the context.

Ok, so Jack. You WOULD look bad with a beard. You would look like a crazy mountain-man.

I still don't understand why Hurley is sorry he went with Locke. Is it because that caused Jack and Sawyer to go after him, thereby causing them to be later to the copter, thereby causing them to lose Jin? I still don't know.

And with the introduction of Daniel Faraday, we are introduced to the first of the Freighter Folk. Overall, I feel they were better additions than the Tailies. Though I loved Eko and Bernard, and would have loved to know more about Libby, their intro was a little sloppy, part of the reason season 2 was the weakest so far.

And so, thus ends what could have been an insanely long foray into the world of Lost.

Next time on Lost Revisited: We meet the key members of the Freighter Folk, Locke is a little, well, lost, and Jack gets a little gun-happy.

BOOM

EW and I Have a Mind-meld*

This is why I want to write for EW when I graduate. I was thinking about writing a "Happy 50th, Viggo" post, and they up and did it before me.

*Only my heterosexual life-partner Kim** would understand this reference. 

**Again, only Kim would know.

Yeah, I Did That!: Beating PopWatch

Have you heard of Raiders of the Lost Ark: The Adaptation, a film three Mississippi boys made over the course of 7 years in the 80s recreating shot-for-shot the original Raiders film? 

Well, my first point is you should see it if you get the opportunity - it is great. My more important point is that I saw it and wrote about it - 4 weeks before EW.com's PopWatch blog wrote about it. And for someone who loves EW, someone who'd love to work there one day, it was a great feeling of scoop-age and accomplishment. Check out my article in The Ithacan and the PopWatch piece about Raiders: The Adaptation.

CSI Brings on the Waterworks Like It's Grey's Anatomy

I finally watched the season nine premiere of CSI last night. And it was oh so good. 

It was not good that Warrick (Gary Dourdan) died. But his sad (and exceptionally bloody) demise brought on the A-game from the rest of the cast. From Grissom's (William Petersen) panicked last few moments with Warrick, to Catherine's (Marg Helgenberger) hyperventilating, Greg's (Eric Szmanda) shock, and Nick's (George Eads) simmering sorrow and rage. I was moved to tears — though that's not too difficult — by the team's responses, especially at the funeral in the final moments of the episode. 

Seriously, how has this show only been nominated 5 times for non-creative arts Emmys? AND never won? It's a travesty. The show has been the number one on television for nearly nine years for a reason. 

Now I am all riled up .

Why is Prison Taking Over My Life?

Ha ha, get it? LIFE! Cause I'm obsessed with that show. My wit amazes me. 

But seriously, there has been an erie amount of prison-oriented entertainment recently for me. 

First, Life is back on NBC. It premiered last Monday, and had its second episode on Friday, which will be the show's normal night (NBC, this better not cause the show to fail, or I will hold you personally responsible. I have on my "grr" face, just so you know how serious I am). It's about a cop sentenced to life in prison for murders he did not commit who is released 12 years later, becoming a cop once again. And it is fabulous. The stories are really unique and involving, and all the acting is great, especially Damien Lewis as the protagonist Charlie Crews. He also has red hair and is British in real life, but that's completely besides the point. Also, the awesome Donal Logue has joined the cast. The opening of the second season HAD the fabulous song "Devil's Playground" by Gram Rabbit kicking things off, but stupidly they changed the song (and I am irrationally depressed by this fact). 

Second, IC Theatre's mainstay productions kick off this week, with "The Exonerated" previewing October 7th. Since I'm in Intro to Theatre I've already had to read the play and will be seeing the preview. It's a moving play about six innocent people sent to death row and their experiences until their eventual exoneration. 

Finally, I just watched The Shawshank Redemption in full for the first time at the Catholic Community's Movie Monday. It was so-oh good. Morgan Freeman is the master of narration. His closest rival - Ron Howard. That's how good he is. 

Everything comes in threes, so I hope that's all the prison-ness I'm going to get for a while. Because even though all those three things are great, it's also kind of depressing. 

Happy October!

The month of Halloween is already off to a scary start thanks to a particularly creepy episode of Fringe last night. 

I'm not the most easily freaked out person. But who wouldn't be creeped out by the hairless man who apparently has no taste buds. I honestly don't know what's scarier - his voice, his lack of eyebrows, his creepy backwards handwriting, or the heap of pepper, Tabasco sauce, and jalapenos he put on his roast beast. Please back me up on this.