Some Toy Story 3 tidbits from EW.com
First, from a prediction of this weekend’s box office:
Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the summer of Pixar. Once all the dust settles on this summer of unoriginality, the one shining bright spot will be Pixar’s latest adventure following Buzz and Woody. In fact, the film was beloved by audiences over the last week, it already earned $155 million in the last six days. This movie is sure to beat Iron Man 2‘s overall gross, and will most likely become the highest-grossing film of the summer.
I had predicted (before it opened - really!!!) that this will be the biggest movie of the summer because A) its Brilliant B) it appeals to all ages and C) Its BRILLIANT!
Yesterday at Box Office Mojo they reported: "Dominating the box office, Toy Story 3 grossed a stellar $167.6 million in its first seven days." ...to infinity....and BEYOND!!!
Second, check out this http://movie-critics.ew.com/2010/06/21/its-okay-for-men-to-cry-at-toy-story-3/ I will go on record that I and my similarly aged movie buddy also cried for the last half hour or so... mush ball that I am I was teary in several other moments during the film. But I (and the entire audience) also laughed uproariously during the film, too. It has everything you could want in entertainment: action, romance, fun, tenderness, betrayal, heroics...Shakespeare would love this.
And BIG story… the boy behind the voice of ANDY:
http://popwatch.ew.com/2010/06/18/toy-story-3-john-morris-andy/ that was online in June 18th.
Interesting that in the latest print issue, (dated July 2) the article has a bit different information: He went to an open call for boys, who were told to bring their one favorite toy. “I brought 45 X-Men figures and dumped them all out on the floor,” says Morris, now 25. “I remember [the Pixar team] bursting out in laughter. I couldn’t choose just one. It was all part of a set. I think Pixar got that.”
How perfect…and how great that the PIXAR team recognized it. Also cool that they kept the same actor for all 3 movies…
OK, that’s it.
Namaste, Yinz
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Monday, May 31, 2010
The End, More Musings and DVD Alert
DVD Alert - in the version of Doc Jensen's review of the series finale in the Entertainment Weekly double issue of June 4/11, he states: "The producers are planning to address some lingering mysteries with special content on the season 6 DVD (available in August). On the menu: Waaaaalt!"
Ok, now my Musings.
I have watched the The End twice now, parts 3 times. Every time I see something I missed...no doubt because of crying or note taking. Several things that struck me the last go 'round:
1. When the Jack's Island group first meets up with Smocke and Kate starts shooting, with no harm to him, Smocke smirks and tells her "she might want to save her bullets". I totally missed that the first time. So, when she later pops him one and says "I saved you a bullet...." well, HA! Take that, Smockey Boy.... gives it another layer of satisfaction.
2. The first time we see Jack's body after his return to the well of the Golden Light and turning on whatever Desmond turned off its at the waterfall pond, the same place, in the same position as was MIB's so long ago when discovered by brother Jacob. Only this time...we do see Jack start to move.
3. I so missed the connection that the reason Charlie was asleep backstage at the concert was because Hurley had shot him...and it must have been Hurley who left the note. Duh.
Now, as this has been churning in my brain, I do wonder why Jacob's sending his brother's body into the Golden Light Tunnel set loose the Monster, and why Desmond's going in and "unplugging" the Well destroyed it. Or whatever happened that made Smocke mortal again. But with further thought, I realized that no one knew what was going on. Sort of like real life. Not just philosophically, but pretty much everywhere. Humanity likes to think we are in control (our rules) but usually the joke's on us.
See Bill Bryson's A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, in which he attempts to understand "how we went from there being nothing at all to there being something, and then how a little of that something turned into us, and also what happened between and since." The simple (hah!) goal of his book is to capture the excitement of science and "to see if it isn't possible to understand and appreciate - marvel at, enjoy, even - the wonder and accomplishments of science at a level that isn't too technical or demanding, but isn't entirely superficial, either." I think he does a darn good job. So from the stars to the earth's core, from atoms to quarks, supervocanoes to ice ages, he searches. I learned a lot...(most disturbing, in Chapter 15 "Dangerous Beauty", is that virtually all of Yellowstone Park is the worlds' largest Supervolcano...and is due to erupt again...!) but what struck me the most was how many times scientists say "we don't know why..." It's too much to go into here, but I started keeping track of all the things the experts can't explain and have over 25 page citations noted. My point... we don't know what's going on a lot of the time...we can make up rules, guidelines to help us navigate what we (think) we know, like wash your hands, don't run out into traffic, only you can prevent forest fires, be good to your elders, never tickle a sleeping dragon, you know...the basics. So, from Faux Mom to Jacob to Jack to Hurley they try to keep the balance between the Golden Light and The Smoke Monster as best they can.
I do have one little idea that came as I was writing...perhaps intent has something to do with it. When Jacob shoved MIB into the tunnel he was full of anger and rage... when Desmond and later Jack went in, they were trying to help, to heal. I need to mull this over a bit.
So...besides reading the Bryson book, what to do now with all this "after LOST is over" time?
Well, here are a couple of immediate ideas:
First, this Thursday, 2 great shows on the USA Network start their new seasons, BURN NOTICE and ROYAL PAINS. You can catch up with them on their marathons this week...or catch up at the USA website http://www.usanetwork.com/index.html
Second, TOY STORY 3 is coming out on June 18th!!!! I am so excited I could burst. I adore the first two films... Leonard Maltin describes them "a grown-up story masquerading as a kid's film, ...[a] story of friendship, fickleness, and the need for acceptance..." and its sequel is one of the few times a TWO lived up to and topped the original. If you were ever a child and had a favorite toy, you will love these films. They tap the heart of being a child, the fears of childhood we carry with us at any age, the longings for a home and friends, in much the same way as the classic The Wizard of Oz. And besides, how can you resist Mr. and Mrs Potato Head!?!?!? I know I am going to watch the first 2 again in preparation...if you haven't seen them, wow, what a treat awaits you!!!!
Ok, that should keep you going for a while... until later, Dudes.
Namaste, Yinz
Ok, now my Musings.
I have watched the The End twice now, parts 3 times. Every time I see something I missed...no doubt because of crying or note taking. Several things that struck me the last go 'round:
1. When the Jack's Island group first meets up with Smocke and Kate starts shooting, with no harm to him, Smocke smirks and tells her "she might want to save her bullets". I totally missed that the first time. So, when she later pops him one and says "I saved you a bullet...." well, HA! Take that, Smockey Boy.... gives it another layer of satisfaction.
2. The first time we see Jack's body after his return to the well of the Golden Light and turning on whatever Desmond turned off its at the waterfall pond, the same place, in the same position as was MIB's so long ago when discovered by brother Jacob. Only this time...we do see Jack start to move.
3. I so missed the connection that the reason Charlie was asleep backstage at the concert was because Hurley had shot him...and it must have been Hurley who left the note. Duh.
Now, as this has been churning in my brain, I do wonder why Jacob's sending his brother's body into the Golden Light Tunnel set loose the Monster, and why Desmond's going in and "unplugging" the Well destroyed it. Or whatever happened that made Smocke mortal again. But with further thought, I realized that no one knew what was going on. Sort of like real life. Not just philosophically, but pretty much everywhere. Humanity likes to think we are in control (our rules) but usually the joke's on us.
See Bill Bryson's A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, in which he attempts to understand "how we went from there being nothing at all to there being something, and then how a little of that something turned into us, and also what happened between and since." The simple (hah!) goal of his book is to capture the excitement of science and "to see if it isn't possible to understand and appreciate - marvel at, enjoy, even - the wonder and accomplishments of science at a level that isn't too technical or demanding, but isn't entirely superficial, either." I think he does a darn good job. So from the stars to the earth's core, from atoms to quarks, supervocanoes to ice ages, he searches. I learned a lot...(most disturbing, in Chapter 15 "Dangerous Beauty", is that virtually all of Yellowstone Park is the worlds' largest Supervolcano...and is due to erupt again...!) but what struck me the most was how many times scientists say "we don't know why..." It's too much to go into here, but I started keeping track of all the things the experts can't explain and have over 25 page citations noted. My point... we don't know what's going on a lot of the time...we can make up rules, guidelines to help us navigate what we (think) we know, like wash your hands, don't run out into traffic, only you can prevent forest fires, be good to your elders, never tickle a sleeping dragon, you know...the basics. So, from Faux Mom to Jacob to Jack to Hurley they try to keep the balance between the Golden Light and The Smoke Monster as best they can.
I do have one little idea that came as I was writing...perhaps intent has something to do with it. When Jacob shoved MIB into the tunnel he was full of anger and rage... when Desmond and later Jack went in, they were trying to help, to heal. I need to mull this over a bit.
So...besides reading the Bryson book, what to do now with all this "after LOST is over" time?
Well, here are a couple of immediate ideas:
First, this Thursday, 2 great shows on the USA Network start their new seasons, BURN NOTICE and ROYAL PAINS. You can catch up with them on their marathons this week...or catch up at the USA website http://www.usanetwork.com/index.html
Second, TOY STORY 3 is coming out on June 18th!!!! I am so excited I could burst. I adore the first two films... Leonard Maltin describes them "a grown-up story masquerading as a kid's film, ...[a] story of friendship, fickleness, and the need for acceptance..." and its sequel is one of the few times a TWO lived up to and topped the original. If you were ever a child and had a favorite toy, you will love these films. They tap the heart of being a child, the fears of childhood we carry with us at any age, the longings for a home and friends, in much the same way as the classic The Wizard of Oz. And besides, how can you resist Mr. and Mrs Potato Head!?!?!? I know I am going to watch the first 2 again in preparation...if you haven't seen them, wow, what a treat awaits you!!!!
Ok, that should keep you going for a while... until later, Dudes.
Namaste, Yinz
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Tidbit: The End: Interesting Analysis
My niece and huge LOST fan Jennifer sent this to me, a link to a great summation.
Enjoy!
An interesting take on LOST from the Mix 107.3 website blog of one of their DJays.
Actually, she found this recap on a different site…
http://www.mix1073fm.com/article.asp?id=1818985
Namaste, Yinz!
Enjoy!
An interesting take on LOST from the Mix 107.3 website blog of one of their DJays.
Actually, she found this recap on a different site…
http://www.mix1073fm.com/article.asp?id=1818985
Namaste, Yinz!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
LOST Lunch 6.17 & 6.18, The End
Hard to believe after all this time that this was the last meeting of our little group. In attendence today were Phyllis, Carol, Melissa and your humble reporter. Much to my surprise, all LOVED The End. OK, Melissa REALLY loved it, she's watched it 3 times already.
Granted, we got reports of those of the opposite reaction - Hated It. Phyllis' daughter and the now gone to greener pastures (job that is) Kristina. As they were not present I can't give their point of view.
In general, for us, we found the emotions wonderful, we didn't feel or expect every question to be answered. Of course we were thrilled that Desmond didn't die. Phyllis observed that when we saw him on the plane in Sideways World wearing a wedding band it meant that he WAS married to Penny...just after the time on the Island. Excellent.
Big Moment: One of the most moving scenes for me was the goodbye between Jack and Sawyer. Jack: "Good luck to you, James." Sawyer: "Thanks, Doc, for everything." All animosity and jealousy gone, each now recognizing the strengths of the other. Mega hankie moment.
Much to my surprise, everyone had stayed up to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live...even Phyllis who usually gets up at the crack of dawn. But it seemed everyone was too wound up post-show to sleep. Carol felt it was almost disappointing to see the real actors, and I agree that Alan Dale, aka Charles Widmore, seemed less than comfortable. But some of the banter was cute and the 3 "alternate endings" were a hoot. Kudos to Bob Newhart!!!
Carol reported that she spotted Kate wearing different clothes outside the church and inside the church at the end. I completely missed that.
Phyllis noted Doc Jensen's excellent recap http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20313460_20388269,00.html
(he really did well at the end... thanks, Doc!) and his theory on why Ben did not go into the church - saying he still had some things to do. [This is in his Part Two, from May 25th] Doc speculates that the group inside was connected by being on Flight 815 and the crash "belonged" to Desmond as he caused the crash. Ben "will become another Desmond...and gather his own spiritual clan" including, maybe, Alex, Roger Linus, Miles, and others. We all really liked that. Also may be why they weren't in the church at the end...
I commented (if I can read my scribbled notes correctly) that we will keep thinking about things...like Walt. Why was all that effort made to get him to the Island only to let him leave with Michael? I speculated that, if Ben was really being guided by MIB rather than Jacob, perhaps MIB found out about Walt's powers and thought he might be able to trump Jacob's powers...only to find out that he would not be able to be controlled by MIB, either. Or the producers realized the folly of hiring a young actor for a long running series that will cross time just before his growth spurts start ! Like I said in an earlier post...sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Big Moment: Sun and Jin's awakening. BIG TIME . Mega, Mega hankies
Big Moment: Carol liked Juliet and Sawyer reunion - Juliet said the exact same thing from the Island World: "It worked" but now we know she meant her candy machine trick, not the bomb!
Phyllis quoted a comment at the Doc recap #2 from Big Walt, Tue 5/25/10, 05:03PM: "My theory is that the sideways world was a gift from the island for what they did for it. It's not something that happens for everyone." We liked it!
Carol felt vindicated by her long time belief that Vincent would have a Lassie moment, a la "Lassie, Timmy fell down a well, go get help." As soon as Smocke spotted a dog at the well, she thought "ah ha!" and sure enough, we found out Rose, Vincent and Bernard rescued Desmond. It was reported that a partner at the firm stated that, of course Vincent was not in the church - he's a dog and has nothing to atone for. Sounds right.
Big Moment: Hurley asking Ben for help. I thought Ben's journey of "letting go" was just amazing... I was so struck by the look on his face when Jack chose Hurley; he looked so knocked down by disappointment yet again. But it was Ben who showed a doubting Hurley the way: "just do what you do best, take care of people"... he was finally able to let go of his jealousy, his longing to belong. In doing so, he finally found his place, his family.
It was actually at this point that Melissa joined us exclaiming that she loved it because "it hit the hightlights of all the relationships"... (It was here that Carol reported that Kristina didn't like it because she wanted the answers, not the relationships. This is why Baskin and Robbins has 37 flavors.)
BIG BIG Moment: even though Jack died, he got to see the plane fly overhead and got to be with Vincent. That ending, Vincent snuggling up to Jack as he dies... Melissa said she was crying so hard during that scene and Oh my goodness we were all crying. Note the first photo in the Doc Recap #1: our answer, no we will never be able to think of that and not cry.
Someone speculated that Hurley's self description in Sideways World of being The Luckiest Man Alive was NOT about the Lottery, but about getting to take care of the Island! Cool...
Doc felt that the final 10 minutes were close to perfect...again, we agreed.
Why were Sun and Jin so happy in their "awakening" - because they knew they would always be together.
Carol said she laughed out loud when Claire said she couldn't get on the plane - "look at me" - referring to her crazy Rousseau appearance. I understood, and thought it was a signal, though that Claire had regained her sanity...she cared about how she looked! (I started crying here, just thinking about Claire and Kate clutching hands as the plane takes off...) Aaron will NOT have a crazy Mom.
Melissa and I were big fans of the Sayid and Shannon BIG MOMENT, and I loved the little aside between Boone and Hurley.
Which led to a discussion of how great Hurley was in Sideways World, his confidence. This was Hurley's true nature...it came out in the episode Everybody Hates Hugo (when Jack gave him the job of being in charge of the Dharma food) and he did a great job. He just always had self doubt. He was always so concerned about others... he came up with the golf tournement to cheer people up. So, we sort of wanted it to be Hurley, the most pure spirit, to inherit the Island Protector role...and he did!
Hurley embodies the shows ability to be combine humor and drama, danger and highjinks.
In discussing NOT getting a lot of answers - and I admit I wish I had gotten more information on Dharma - I shared something I was told by my Rabbi many years ago at a Passover Seder. He noted that in a traditional haggadah (guide to the Seder) there are 4 questions but not 4 answers. He said that this was because in life, there are always more questions than answers. That has always resonated with me as the way life truly is, and LOST reflected that reality and how people struggle to cope and live in that reality. This got a thumbs up from the group - I really should let my Rabbi know.
Many posters on various sites seem to think the show's ending meant all the characters were all dead, they had died on the Island, all that Purgatory talk. But we noted that at the end, when Jack asks Christian if they had all died, Christian answers yes, "but everyone dies sometime, but not all at the same time....there is no NOW here." It seems clear that time is not a factor... and clear that many of the characters had a lot of life ahead of them. If what Christian said wasn't enough, you have Hurley and Ben's exchange outside: Hurley comes out for Ben and invites him in. Ben declines (he has some things to do); Hurley tells him "you were a great #2" and Ben replies "You were a great #1." So, they had their time on the Island!!!!!!
I should note here the confusion caused by the shots of the plane debris under the credits at the end. many took it to mean that the Ajira plane never made it off the Island. I thought it was just shots from the set of the crash, what brought all the people together. Well, it turns out I was right!!! There are a lot of reports like this one http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00032758.html - ABC really blew it with this, I bet the producers are not happy.
In addition to being another "Desmond" in Sideways world, Carol put forth the theory that Ben also was working on his need to be special...he wasn't quite ready to let that go.
Melissa said she had never been a huge Jack fan until the finale; Carol conceded only that she didn't despise him anymore. We all (guilty pleasure!) LOVED it when Jack shoved Smocke off the cliff...sorry Doc Jensen, sometimes evil does need a push!
We decided not to worry about understanding everything; Smocke/Locke and Jack didn't, they got a lot wrong in their assumptions about what would happen...so why should we figure it all out?
I hated how many commercials there were but most of the comments were how much people loved the clever Target spots. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by how good the 2 hour pre-show turned out - not what we expected...a lot of fun to see Josh Holloway and Daniel Dae Kim kibbitzing as themselves, hearing the actors thoughts on the show and their characters journeys.
ALERT: The finale and the Jimmy Kimmel show will be repeated on Saturday night!!!!! Interesting that they will trim the time for the finale down to 2 hours...I hope they cut commercials and not show!
Well, that pretty much wraps it up. We had a lot of fun sharing LOST over the years. I would love to get your comments on your insights, reactions.
I hope to put up some more thoughts over the weekend as I have time to digest more recaps and thoughts...and I have some ideas for what to do next!!!! Life without LOST... what a concept!
Namaste, Yinz
Granted, we got reports of those of the opposite reaction - Hated It. Phyllis' daughter and the now gone to greener pastures (job that is) Kristina. As they were not present I can't give their point of view.
In general, for us, we found the emotions wonderful, we didn't feel or expect every question to be answered. Of course we were thrilled that Desmond didn't die. Phyllis observed that when we saw him on the plane in Sideways World wearing a wedding band it meant that he WAS married to Penny...just after the time on the Island. Excellent.
Big Moment: One of the most moving scenes for me was the goodbye between Jack and Sawyer. Jack: "Good luck to you, James." Sawyer: "Thanks, Doc, for everything." All animosity and jealousy gone, each now recognizing the strengths of the other. Mega hankie moment.
Much to my surprise, everyone had stayed up to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live...even Phyllis who usually gets up at the crack of dawn. But it seemed everyone was too wound up post-show to sleep. Carol felt it was almost disappointing to see the real actors, and I agree that Alan Dale, aka Charles Widmore, seemed less than comfortable. But some of the banter was cute and the 3 "alternate endings" were a hoot. Kudos to Bob Newhart!!!
Carol reported that she spotted Kate wearing different clothes outside the church and inside the church at the end. I completely missed that.
Phyllis noted Doc Jensen's excellent recap http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20313460_20388269,00.html
(he really did well at the end... thanks, Doc!) and his theory on why Ben did not go into the church - saying he still had some things to do. [This is in his Part Two, from May 25th] Doc speculates that the group inside was connected by being on Flight 815 and the crash "belonged" to Desmond as he caused the crash. Ben "will become another Desmond...and gather his own spiritual clan" including, maybe, Alex, Roger Linus, Miles, and others. We all really liked that. Also may be why they weren't in the church at the end...
I commented (if I can read my scribbled notes correctly) that we will keep thinking about things...like Walt. Why was all that effort made to get him to the Island only to let him leave with Michael? I speculated that, if Ben was really being guided by MIB rather than Jacob, perhaps MIB found out about Walt's powers and thought he might be able to trump Jacob's powers...only to find out that he would not be able to be controlled by MIB, either. Or the producers realized the folly of hiring a young actor for a long running series that will cross time just before his growth spurts start ! Like I said in an earlier post...sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.
Big Moment: Sun and Jin's awakening. BIG TIME . Mega, Mega hankies
Big Moment: Carol liked Juliet and Sawyer reunion - Juliet said the exact same thing from the Island World: "It worked" but now we know she meant her candy machine trick, not the bomb!
Phyllis quoted a comment at the Doc recap #2 from Big Walt, Tue 5/25/10, 05:03PM: "My theory is that the sideways world was a gift from the island for what they did for it. It's not something that happens for everyone." We liked it!
Carol felt vindicated by her long time belief that Vincent would have a Lassie moment, a la "Lassie, Timmy fell down a well, go get help." As soon as Smocke spotted a dog at the well, she thought "ah ha!" and sure enough, we found out Rose, Vincent and Bernard rescued Desmond. It was reported that a partner at the firm stated that, of course Vincent was not in the church - he's a dog and has nothing to atone for. Sounds right.
Big Moment: Hurley asking Ben for help. I thought Ben's journey of "letting go" was just amazing... I was so struck by the look on his face when Jack chose Hurley; he looked so knocked down by disappointment yet again. But it was Ben who showed a doubting Hurley the way: "just do what you do best, take care of people"... he was finally able to let go of his jealousy, his longing to belong. In doing so, he finally found his place, his family.
It was actually at this point that Melissa joined us exclaiming that she loved it because "it hit the hightlights of all the relationships"... (It was here that Carol reported that Kristina didn't like it because she wanted the answers, not the relationships. This is why Baskin and Robbins has 37 flavors.)
BIG BIG Moment: even though Jack died, he got to see the plane fly overhead and got to be with Vincent. That ending, Vincent snuggling up to Jack as he dies... Melissa said she was crying so hard during that scene and Oh my goodness we were all crying. Note the first photo in the Doc Recap #1: our answer, no we will never be able to think of that and not cry.
Someone speculated that Hurley's self description in Sideways World of being The Luckiest Man Alive was NOT about the Lottery, but about getting to take care of the Island! Cool...
Doc felt that the final 10 minutes were close to perfect...again, we agreed.
Why were Sun and Jin so happy in their "awakening" - because they knew they would always be together.
Carol said she laughed out loud when Claire said she couldn't get on the plane - "look at me" - referring to her crazy Rousseau appearance. I understood, and thought it was a signal, though that Claire had regained her sanity...she cared about how she looked! (I started crying here, just thinking about Claire and Kate clutching hands as the plane takes off...) Aaron will NOT have a crazy Mom.
Melissa and I were big fans of the Sayid and Shannon BIG MOMENT, and I loved the little aside between Boone and Hurley.
Which led to a discussion of how great Hurley was in Sideways World, his confidence. This was Hurley's true nature...it came out in the episode Everybody Hates Hugo (when Jack gave him the job of being in charge of the Dharma food) and he did a great job. He just always had self doubt. He was always so concerned about others... he came up with the golf tournement to cheer people up. So, we sort of wanted it to be Hurley, the most pure spirit, to inherit the Island Protector role...and he did!
Hurley embodies the shows ability to be combine humor and drama, danger and highjinks.
In discussing NOT getting a lot of answers - and I admit I wish I had gotten more information on Dharma - I shared something I was told by my Rabbi many years ago at a Passover Seder. He noted that in a traditional haggadah (guide to the Seder) there are 4 questions but not 4 answers. He said that this was because in life, there are always more questions than answers. That has always resonated with me as the way life truly is, and LOST reflected that reality and how people struggle to cope and live in that reality. This got a thumbs up from the group - I really should let my Rabbi know.
Many posters on various sites seem to think the show's ending meant all the characters were all dead, they had died on the Island, all that Purgatory talk. But we noted that at the end, when Jack asks Christian if they had all died, Christian answers yes, "but everyone dies sometime, but not all at the same time....there is no NOW here." It seems clear that time is not a factor... and clear that many of the characters had a lot of life ahead of them. If what Christian said wasn't enough, you have Hurley and Ben's exchange outside: Hurley comes out for Ben and invites him in. Ben declines (he has some things to do); Hurley tells him "you were a great #2" and Ben replies "You were a great #1." So, they had their time on the Island!!!!!!
I should note here the confusion caused by the shots of the plane debris under the credits at the end. many took it to mean that the Ajira plane never made it off the Island. I thought it was just shots from the set of the crash, what brought all the people together. Well, it turns out I was right!!! There are a lot of reports like this one http://www.aceshowbiz.com/news/view/00032758.html - ABC really blew it with this, I bet the producers are not happy.
In addition to being another "Desmond" in Sideways world, Carol put forth the theory that Ben also was working on his need to be special...he wasn't quite ready to let that go.
Melissa said she had never been a huge Jack fan until the finale; Carol conceded only that she didn't despise him anymore. We all (guilty pleasure!) LOVED it when Jack shoved Smocke off the cliff...sorry Doc Jensen, sometimes evil does need a push!
We decided not to worry about understanding everything; Smocke/Locke and Jack didn't, they got a lot wrong in their assumptions about what would happen...so why should we figure it all out?
I hated how many commercials there were but most of the comments were how much people loved the clever Target spots. Everyone was pleasantly surprised by how good the 2 hour pre-show turned out - not what we expected...a lot of fun to see Josh Holloway and Daniel Dae Kim kibbitzing as themselves, hearing the actors thoughts on the show and their characters journeys.
ALERT: The finale and the Jimmy Kimmel show will be repeated on Saturday night!!!!! Interesting that they will trim the time for the finale down to 2 hours...I hope they cut commercials and not show!
Well, that pretty much wraps it up. We had a lot of fun sharing LOST over the years. I would love to get your comments on your insights, reactions.
I hope to put up some more thoughts over the weekend as I have time to digest more recaps and thoughts...and I have some ideas for what to do next!!!! Life without LOST... what a concept!
Namaste, Yinz
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
The End, A Little Note
I find I can't stop thinking about the season finale... moments that still make me teary eyed. I am trying to put off reading the online recaps until I get to watch it again...tonight and tomorrow morning, hopefully.
I went to the Watcher site (at the Chicago Tribune) and in her “Further Thoughts…” on the LOST Finale
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2010/05/lost-finale-jack.html#more
I found this line: "The emotional delivery of the finale quiets my logical side. I don't know [that] all has to be answered." Sums it up pretty well.
Another scene that really got me… on the plane taking off – finally – from the Island, Claire and Kate’s hands clutched together… I know there are questions that will never be answered... but that is so like life. Always more questions than answers.
On a completely different note...I was watching an old episode of Cheers, "Suspicion" from 1986, on WGN America at 5:30pm... a man is seated in the bar and being very dark and mysterious. I thought... I KNOW THAT FACE! It came to me in a flash... a much younger, a MUCH thinner Mr. Friendly!!! I confirmed the actor's name in the credits as M.C. Gainey and sure enough... that's our Other! So, it's true, there is no Now or Then. ha ha.
Namaste, yinz
I went to the Watcher site (at the Chicago Tribune) and in her “Further Thoughts…” on the LOST Finale
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2010/05/lost-finale-jack.html#more
I found this line: "The emotional delivery of the finale quiets my logical side. I don't know [that] all has to be answered." Sums it up pretty well.
Another scene that really got me… on the plane taking off – finally – from the Island, Claire and Kate’s hands clutched together… I know there are questions that will never be answered... but that is so like life. Always more questions than answers.
On a completely different note...I was watching an old episode of Cheers, "Suspicion" from 1986, on WGN America at 5:30pm... a man is seated in the bar and being very dark and mysterious. I thought... I KNOW THAT FACE! It came to me in a flash... a much younger, a MUCH thinner Mr. Friendly!!! I confirmed the actor's name in the credits as M.C. Gainey and sure enough... that's our Other! So, it's true, there is no Now or Then. ha ha.
Namaste, yinz
Monday, May 24, 2010
Lost the beginning of The End
Well, I was blown away...and wrung out....and just plain exhausted after that show. Staying up to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live certainly didn't help my mental state today. Thanks to Leslie for joining me for the grand finale, the snacks, your insights and the JKL fun .
I do want to wait to commit my thoughts until I have a chance to watch at least some of it again tomorrow.
Briefly... the acting on this show is just so awesome. Michael Emerson rocks.
At first I was troubled by the reveal of the true Nature of Sideways World...but as its had time to work...and boy has it ever... I am OK. I guess I'm letting go too.
Namaste, Yinz...
I do want to wait to commit my thoughts until I have a chance to watch at least some of it again tomorrow.
Briefly... the acting on this show is just so awesome. Michael Emerson rocks.
At first I was troubled by the reveal of the true Nature of Sideways World...but as its had time to work...and boy has it ever... I am OK. I guess I'm letting go too.
Namaste, Yinz...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
LOST Lunch 6.16 What They Died For (Updated)
Hard to believe...the End is nigh, literally.
[update at bottom]
General feeling was that this was one of the best episodes ever.
Miles was in great form, with a number of memorable lines, like "the secreter room" and "I lived in these houses 30 years before you did... otherwise known as last week." So glad he has a great sense of when to make an exit.
I observed that I thought the scene between Jack and Sawyer, where Sawyer says he killed Sun, Jin and Lapidus, and Jack counters, "No, he killed them" was one of the best ever... after all of their fighting, competing and head butting, they were down to their raw souls, and Jack had the grace to try to heal Sawyer. Carol made the analogy that it was like when a criminal wants to commit suicide by cop and pushes a situation so that the police have no choice but to shoot... so MIB used Sawyer - he was being used as the weapon, not the purp.
Melissa thinks that Widmore isn't dead; that it all happened too quickly. I confess she was alone in feeling that the senior Widmore lives. However, we do like the idea that the scar on Sideways Jack's neck may be a hint at what is to come... MIB's attempt to kill him the way he killed Zoe. We wondered if MIB could kill Jack now that he has ASSUMED THE MANTLE OF PROTECTOR (imagine a nice drum roll echo thing going on there) the way MIB couldn't kill Jacob. I for one hope it's only from a failed attempt, not a successful one.
Big Question: Who is the mother of David - Jack's son in Sideways World? (I forgot to bring up at the time, but there was a nasty little tease in the show when Locke, in front of Jack's desk, notices a photo. We see it in a flash. I had hoped it would show the Mom...but it was Christian, Jack and David. Those little devils know how to rattle our mental cages!) We suspect the big reveal will be at the Mystery concert; mystery because we aren't sure if it is piano (for David) or the Drive Shaft concert or the Museum or all they all the same? We are hoping all of the above so the whole gang will be in one place for some big, big WOW moments. Chief of which might be some showdown between dear Mrs. Hawking/Widmore and Desmond.
Speaking of Desmond - he was ON FIRE!!!
Ben...Ben...Ben... he certainly seemed to fall off the redemption wagon. I am in the camp that feels his anger and rage at Widmore over the death of Alex was just too strong for him to ignore. Note the sequence of scenes: Island Ben is brought back to the death of Alex with Miles "discovery" of her grave followed by the admission at the house getting the C-4 that he now realizes HE was summoned by the Monster/Locke, not the other way round; Ben comes in contact with Widmore and learns he has met Jacob; Sideways Ben is brought into the familial embrace of Alex and Danielle Rousseau when Alex doesn't want him to be alone after his beating; after the dinner Danielle tells him he is the closest thing to a father Alex has ever had and he cries! Then... the Island World scene where Smocke threatens to kill Penny if Widmore doesn't tell him why he came back...and Ben shoots him and saying "He doesn't get to save his daughter." I think it was a big ball of anger, guilt and rage exploding out of that rifle at Widmore (who, remember, Ben accused of changing the rules back when Island Alex was killed.) and is more the complexity of Ben than just evil. The group hoped that Ben was still on the side of Good, (Craig did think he was back on the dark side) and mused that he is using his knowledge of Smockey/MIB/Puffy... whatever... gained over the years to out-fox him in the end. All agree that Michael Emerson once again delivered a brilliant performance.
Carol worried that referring to Desmond as the Failsafe sounds like certain death.
I raised a question I had with the group: It seemed to me that when Desmond was first thrown into the well by Smockey it had a dry bottom. But, at the end of this episode, when he arrived at the well with Ben, there was water at the bottom. At first I thought...is this really the same one? Is he pulling a fast one on Ben? Did Sayid really get Desmond out of the well, after all? Everyone said they, too, noticed the water at the bottom...so its nice to know I wasn't hallucinating. Some felt that maybe Sayid hadn't gotten him out, but just hadn't killed him. Nothing was really decided.
Is Richard Alpert really dead? Well, supposedly he can't die... or can he? I think we felt that ole "the Island has finished with you" and he might be gone. I sort of hope to see him with his wife at last.
Big Question: WHERE IS CLAIRE!?!?! We last saw her on the dock with Smocke as the sub pulled out. As Scooby Doo would put it...roah, roh.!?!
Doc Jensen was at his best for this week's recap. If you haven't seen it yet... it is long but because the episode was chock full of...gems. We particularly loved his description of Sawyer, Kate and Hurley watching Jack's "annointment" as "the three wise-asses from the East" and his coining of the term SOIES for Sudden Onset Island Enlightenment Syndrome.
Hurley...was his "glad it wasn't me" premature? or a twisted hint that, oops, he celebrated too soon?
Kristina brought up Jacob's comment to Kate, that her name being crossed out was just a line of chalk on rock. Was that a nod to us LOST obsessives that sometimes things DON'T have deeper meaning? (a la Freud's "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar") Carol referred to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where one learns that the answer of life, everything and the universe is 42. Yes, one of those numbers. When an obsessed fan asked a very long question about the meaning of the number the author answered only "it's fiction". 'nuf said.
I noted that Jacob never really explained Why they died, just What they died for - the Golden Light. He never really gives an explanation, the Why. Carol said it was just semantics.
Question: Any connection between Desmond entering the numbers in the computer in the Swan Hatch and the numbers by the candidates names on the cave wall? Speculation: Putting the numbers in contained the electromagnetism and protected the Island. The Candidate's job is the same thing - containing the Monster, protecting the Golden Light, and saving the Island.
Craig brought up the idea of...who is bad here? Jacob and Faux Mom made MIB the Monster. Anyone would be a bit testy if lied to all one's life by one's parent, attacked by both mom and brother and killed by one's brother. Well, yes, but Smokey took it a whole lot further...killing LOTS of people. Did he never hear of You catch more flies with honey? Oh, yeah, I guess not.
Phyllis observed: the last episode is coming and we still don't know what's going on!
We remembered Smocke telling Kate to keep Aaron away from Claire, as he knows what its like to be raised by a crazy Mom. (Which again made me wonder, where is Claire...did he get rid of her to absolutely prevent her from getting to Aaron?) Are Locke and MIB now a melding together of 2 men who had that experience? Is that the reason MIB chose his body/being to take? Again, the Island had a large supply of dead bodies over 2,000 years...why wait for Locke? Another possibility - Locke was in a good position to manipulate Ben. For me this is one of the big questions I hope gets addressed...but I'm not holding out much hope for that.
Craig thinks Jacob is like Lucifer - he makes deals with people to do his bidding, made "deals with the Devil" when he touched them, maybe more for his goals than their own good.
Something that came to me watching it a second time: Desmond not seen on the Island because...he really isn't there. He is able to go, really, from Island World to Sideways World because of his experience in the ElectroMagnetic Doughnuts. (Widmore said he brought him back "because of his unique resistance to electromagnetism...a measure of last resort") I was gratified that the group liked my theory. I will hold onto that until Sunday when I fully expect it to be blown out of the water... Craig said he thought Desmond was the Jacob of Sideways World! We sort of liked that too. It was also pointed out that Desmond had this ability back after the Hatch blew up - remember "The Constant"...but I think this is more... now HE determines where he goes and when. He is not just being tossed about on Time's Trampoline.
All wondered what we will be feeling at 11:30pm EST, on Sunday. We are feeling hopeful after this great episode and knowing they had 2 years to plan for this big finish. And despite our most noble pronouncements we will probably stay up for Jimmy Kimmel's show. How many of you are planning to take Monday off?
How many wish you could?
Update: after leaving the lunch I finally got to read my Examiner and found that LOST had found its way to their editorial page in the form of this wonderful cartoon; sounds like as good a theory for the finish for one character as any I’ve heard.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/NateBeelerToons/Back-to-Normal-After-Lost-94376344.html
Namaste, Yinz!
[update at bottom]
General feeling was that this was one of the best episodes ever.
Miles was in great form, with a number of memorable lines, like "the secreter room" and "I lived in these houses 30 years before you did... otherwise known as last week." So glad he has a great sense of when to make an exit.
I observed that I thought the scene between Jack and Sawyer, where Sawyer says he killed Sun, Jin and Lapidus, and Jack counters, "No, he killed them" was one of the best ever... after all of their fighting, competing and head butting, they were down to their raw souls, and Jack had the grace to try to heal Sawyer. Carol made the analogy that it was like when a criminal wants to commit suicide by cop and pushes a situation so that the police have no choice but to shoot... so MIB used Sawyer - he was being used as the weapon, not the purp.
Melissa thinks that Widmore isn't dead; that it all happened too quickly. I confess she was alone in feeling that the senior Widmore lives. However, we do like the idea that the scar on Sideways Jack's neck may be a hint at what is to come... MIB's attempt to kill him the way he killed Zoe. We wondered if MIB could kill Jack now that he has ASSUMED THE MANTLE OF PROTECTOR (imagine a nice drum roll echo thing going on there) the way MIB couldn't kill Jacob. I for one hope it's only from a failed attempt, not a successful one.
Big Question: Who is the mother of David - Jack's son in Sideways World? (I forgot to bring up at the time, but there was a nasty little tease in the show when Locke, in front of Jack's desk, notices a photo. We see it in a flash. I had hoped it would show the Mom...but it was Christian, Jack and David. Those little devils know how to rattle our mental cages!) We suspect the big reveal will be at the Mystery concert; mystery because we aren't sure if it is piano (for David) or the Drive Shaft concert or the Museum or all they all the same? We are hoping all of the above so the whole gang will be in one place for some big, big WOW moments. Chief of which might be some showdown between dear Mrs. Hawking/Widmore and Desmond.
Speaking of Desmond - he was ON FIRE!!!
Ben...Ben...Ben... he certainly seemed to fall off the redemption wagon. I am in the camp that feels his anger and rage at Widmore over the death of Alex was just too strong for him to ignore. Note the sequence of scenes: Island Ben is brought back to the death of Alex with Miles "discovery" of her grave followed by the admission at the house getting the C-4 that he now realizes HE was summoned by the Monster/Locke, not the other way round; Ben comes in contact with Widmore and learns he has met Jacob; Sideways Ben is brought into the familial embrace of Alex and Danielle Rousseau when Alex doesn't want him to be alone after his beating; after the dinner Danielle tells him he is the closest thing to a father Alex has ever had and he cries! Then... the Island World scene where Smocke threatens to kill Penny if Widmore doesn't tell him why he came back...and Ben shoots him and saying "He doesn't get to save his daughter." I think it was a big ball of anger, guilt and rage exploding out of that rifle at Widmore (who, remember, Ben accused of changing the rules back when Island Alex was killed.) and is more the complexity of Ben than just evil. The group hoped that Ben was still on the side of Good, (Craig did think he was back on the dark side) and mused that he is using his knowledge of Smockey/MIB/Puffy... whatever... gained over the years to out-fox him in the end. All agree that Michael Emerson once again delivered a brilliant performance.
Carol worried that referring to Desmond as the Failsafe sounds like certain death.
I raised a question I had with the group: It seemed to me that when Desmond was first thrown into the well by Smockey it had a dry bottom. But, at the end of this episode, when he arrived at the well with Ben, there was water at the bottom. At first I thought...is this really the same one? Is he pulling a fast one on Ben? Did Sayid really get Desmond out of the well, after all? Everyone said they, too, noticed the water at the bottom...so its nice to know I wasn't hallucinating. Some felt that maybe Sayid hadn't gotten him out, but just hadn't killed him. Nothing was really decided.
Is Richard Alpert really dead? Well, supposedly he can't die... or can he? I think we felt that ole "the Island has finished with you" and he might be gone. I sort of hope to see him with his wife at last.
Big Question: WHERE IS CLAIRE!?!?! We last saw her on the dock with Smocke as the sub pulled out. As Scooby Doo would put it...roah, roh.!?!
Doc Jensen was at his best for this week's recap. If you haven't seen it yet... it is long but because the episode was chock full of...gems. We particularly loved his description of Sawyer, Kate and Hurley watching Jack's "annointment" as "the three wise-asses from the East" and his coining of the term SOIES for Sudden Onset Island Enlightenment Syndrome.
Hurley...was his "glad it wasn't me" premature? or a twisted hint that, oops, he celebrated too soon?
Kristina brought up Jacob's comment to Kate, that her name being crossed out was just a line of chalk on rock. Was that a nod to us LOST obsessives that sometimes things DON'T have deeper meaning? (a la Freud's "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar") Carol referred to the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, where one learns that the answer of life, everything and the universe is 42. Yes, one of those numbers. When an obsessed fan asked a very long question about the meaning of the number the author answered only "it's fiction". 'nuf said.
I noted that Jacob never really explained Why they died, just What they died for - the Golden Light. He never really gives an explanation, the Why. Carol said it was just semantics.
Question: Any connection between Desmond entering the numbers in the computer in the Swan Hatch and the numbers by the candidates names on the cave wall? Speculation: Putting the numbers in contained the electromagnetism and protected the Island. The Candidate's job is the same thing - containing the Monster, protecting the Golden Light, and saving the Island.
Craig brought up the idea of...who is bad here? Jacob and Faux Mom made MIB the Monster. Anyone would be a bit testy if lied to all one's life by one's parent, attacked by both mom and brother and killed by one's brother. Well, yes, but Smokey took it a whole lot further...killing LOTS of people. Did he never hear of You catch more flies with honey? Oh, yeah, I guess not.
Phyllis observed: the last episode is coming and we still don't know what's going on!
We remembered Smocke telling Kate to keep Aaron away from Claire, as he knows what its like to be raised by a crazy Mom. (Which again made me wonder, where is Claire...did he get rid of her to absolutely prevent her from getting to Aaron?) Are Locke and MIB now a melding together of 2 men who had that experience? Is that the reason MIB chose his body/being to take? Again, the Island had a large supply of dead bodies over 2,000 years...why wait for Locke? Another possibility - Locke was in a good position to manipulate Ben. For me this is one of the big questions I hope gets addressed...but I'm not holding out much hope for that.
Craig thinks Jacob is like Lucifer - he makes deals with people to do his bidding, made "deals with the Devil" when he touched them, maybe more for his goals than their own good.
Something that came to me watching it a second time: Desmond not seen on the Island because...he really isn't there. He is able to go, really, from Island World to Sideways World because of his experience in the ElectroMagnetic Doughnuts. (Widmore said he brought him back "because of his unique resistance to electromagnetism...a measure of last resort") I was gratified that the group liked my theory. I will hold onto that until Sunday when I fully expect it to be blown out of the water... Craig said he thought Desmond was the Jacob of Sideways World! We sort of liked that too. It was also pointed out that Desmond had this ability back after the Hatch blew up - remember "The Constant"...but I think this is more... now HE determines where he goes and when. He is not just being tossed about on Time's Trampoline.
All wondered what we will be feeling at 11:30pm EST, on Sunday. We are feeling hopeful after this great episode and knowing they had 2 years to plan for this big finish. And despite our most noble pronouncements we will probably stay up for Jimmy Kimmel's show. How many of you are planning to take Monday off?
How many wish you could?
Update: after leaving the lunch I finally got to read my Examiner and found that LOST had found its way to their editorial page in the form of this wonderful cartoon; sounds like as good a theory for the finish for one character as any I’ve heard.
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/NateBeelerToons/Back-to-Normal-After-Lost-94376344.html
Namaste, Yinz!
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