Five Reasons To Still Be Excited About Summer Movies

For many people there are only two movies that matter in Summer 2010: Iron Man 2 and Inception. Tony Stark and his mechanical friends have came and mostly departed, and people seemed pleased with what they got. The other film, Christopher Nolan's "Inception" is still more than a month away and if you believe the general tone when people talk about the summer, this is the only movie that matters. Well, I'm here to tell you that those people are right, "Inception" is probably going to be the cinematic messiah that everyone is making it out to be. However, there are some other movies coming out this summer that people should still be pumped about. And I'm here to tell you what they are:

1. Knight & Day - Once upon a time, Tom Cruise's public persona was locked into full Scientology mode. He tried to fight it, he played a one eyed German and masses weren't happy. Then he realized that rather than fight his public image he should embrace it. The result, the hilarious Les Grossman and the new film Knight and Day. It's clear that he is playing himself on steroids, albeit one that kills people, hey who knows, maybe he does that in real life too (note, he doesn't use bullets, he uses his mind).

2. Predators - At first the only thing people were brewing about regarding this movie was how they didn't think Adrien Brody could be a badass. After the second trailer though, it seems people are talking about how savage this film could potentially be. The entire movie is a risk, the director Nimrod Atal is relatively new, and some of the cast (Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Adrian Brody) are starring in a new genre. If this beast of film gets even remotely good reviews, consider me ready to rock and roll.

3. The Other Guys - Adam McKay makes funny ass movies. They may not win awards or earn you points when you tell your snooty Kubrick loving friends that you liked them, but "Anchorman" "Talledega Nights" and "Step-Brothers" are hilarious. Will Ferrell is still around and he is joined by underated comedic actors Samuel L Jackson and Dwayne Johnson.

4. The Expendables - I recently read this article about how this movie is going to be more insane than people think it is going to be. People already thought it was going to be crazy, so make of that what you will. See my pages of Expendables hype here

5.  Scott Pilgrim Vs The World - While I'm not completely sold on this movie, I'm including it on this list because it looks fresher than summer tomatoes and basil from an earthy garden. In a world of 3D remakes, reboots, and rebirths this film boasts a new visual style that deserves to be mentioned. Edgar Wright's previous films "Hot Fuzz" and "Shaun of the Dead" are both almost perfect and it looks like he's taking some massive chances here. I hope it pays off. 

New Picture From Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows

Just kidding, 

This is a picture from Rupert Grint's new film Wild Target

Summer Movie Smackdown: Get Him To The Greek

Director: Nicholas Stoller

Starring: Jonah Hill, Russell Brand, Rose Byrne, Colm Meany, Elizabeth Moss, Sean Combs, aka P Diddy, aka Puff Daddy, aka swimming in women with their own condominiums, five plus five....

Plot? - Wanna be record exec Aaron Greene (Jonah Hill) must get professional drug addict and part time rock god Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) to the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles so he can save the record business by melting faces. Audiences will know Snow from "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" where he played the same role and dominated the movie.

Reminds You Of?  -  It's kind of like "Spinal Tap" because it's a satire of the rock and roll mythos, but by that reasoning it has a dash of "Tenacious D: The Pick of Destiny" as well. And there are the usual Apatowian (he's the producer) 20 something males who are searching for love, romance, and meaning in life, so by that reasoning it's a lot like "Knocked Up" and "Superbad."

Ass Kicking Factor (AKF) - There is some mild level debauchery, but most of the ass kicking here involves the pretty solid musical performances that Brand puts on with his band "Infant Sorrow." The album is available to buy and I gotta say the songs are pretty damn catchy, dare I say even rocking. I'm listening to them right now and I'm into it.

Oh Shit Moments (OSM) - This is a comedy, it's not like there are Iron Men battling it out in every frame, but there are some funny moments here that really had the audience rolling. A segment in Vegas involving a specific type of joint is particularly funny and would technically qualify as a oh shit moment.

Memorable Dialogue  - While there isn't anything as simple as the classic Forgetting Sarah Marshall line "oh that's my driver I'm going to go have sex with her," there are some classic lines here. Also the movie scores some points for having some great music industry related jokes. Ozzy, Miley, Mick, and even The Mars Volta aren't spared from the sharp comedic barbs

MOM Factor - A little too crude, but my Mom thought "Beavis and Butthead Do America" was the funniest thing ever, so who knows, hard to tell with comedies.

TPG Truth Drop -The strength of this film is in the actors; Brand, Hill, and Diddy all are working overtime and killing it. The problem lies with the story, I'm not sure if it's the script, the producer, or the director but there are many elements in the film that don't deliver. In fact, Aldous, the core of the film has plotlines involving his broken family life with his parents, son, and estranged wife that have no emotional payoff. This lack of emotional resolve left me feeling cheated and empty, which is crazy because all the other Apatow movies deliver this cheesy heartfelt ending so well. I  find myself wondering if a different cut of the film exists in a place where these storylines are resolved. That's the film I want to see.

Solid laughs all around, but I'm still banking on "The Other Guys" to be the comedic film to beat this summer. 

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Trailer

This looks epic, honestly, can't wait, so much classic stuff in here from the book!

Have A Great Weekend - Jedi Cat Says So

Yes!

David Beckham, Snoop Dogg, Han Solo, Jay Baruchel walk into Mos Eisley Cantina

Doesn't get much cooler than this. Not sure what this has to do with ADIDAS, but then again, Snoop Dogg with a light saber. How come you couldn't play Snoop Windu in the prequels?

Reality Check: Splice, Get Him To The Greek, Marmaduke, Killers

REALITY CHECK SUCKA!

Splice & Marmaduke

Reality Check says that these movies are pretty damn real. Animal-Human cross breeding is legal in England, don't believe me check it out here. Scientists have been mixing and matching genes for a long time (Napoleon Dynamite's Liger - totally real) so most of the science purported in the film is happening. As for Adrian Brody and Sarah Polley playing scientists, let's just say that I buy Brody as a scientist more than I buy him as a badass in this summer's Predators. I'm just kidding Broooooo-dy, I think you're going to be great in Predators. Also how much better would Marmaduke be, if the reason he could talk was genetically engineering? Marmaduke as a dark horror movie? Hell Yeah!

Get Him To The Greek - History has proven that Rock Stars are morally depraved creatures, that although they are not genetically engineered, they are wild beasts. Rampant drug use, wild sex, and face melting guitar solos are scientifically proven to occur when they are roaming in the wild. This movie is real. Puff Daddy as a mogul-real. Russel Brand as sex maniac- see Katy Perry. Johah Hill as a funny fat dude determined to break out of supporting roles-true.

Killers

Nothing about this movie is remotely real. Ashton is not buyable as a contract killer, the only thing he's good at is tweeting. Heigl is not a killer either, her only crime is starring in a movie with Gerard Butler which was not an action movie thus contributing to Butler's steady decline from the ass-kicking 300 to sappy romantic comedies. Jesus, Butler, the action world needs you.

Next Week: A-Team!

Lost in 30 Days: Part II

A quick introduction: My name is BC Smith. I run a movie-news twitter feed and a business blog. A little over a month ago, I started watching Lost, and a little over a week ago, I finished watching it. TPG was kind enough to allow me to do this guest post chronicling my epic experience. What follows is Part 2 of 2. Enjoy.

Click here to read Part 1.

Much Ado About Lost

Make no mistake, Lost is ridiculous. But, of course, it all makes perfect sense when you're watching it.

"Why does that Middle-Earth guy have a Virgin Mary statue?"

"It has heroin in it. He got it from the drug-smuggling plane Mr. Echo's brother was in."

"Mr. Echo came to the island in a plane filled with heroin?"

"No, no. Mr. Echo was a priest on flight 815. This was years ago, back when he did smuggle drugs. He just happened to crash on the same island that his brothers' plane did, many year ago."

"That doesn't make any sense. What's that clicking sound?"

"The smoke monster."

"I'm walking away."

And, of course, it only got worse. By the final season, trying to explain the plot of Lost to the uninitiated was indistinguishable from the schizophrenic ramblings of a mental patient. Suddenly, I felt like the crazed homeless person at the back of the bus, mumbling frantically to myself about a mysterious man in black, a smoke-monster disguised as an old friend, and an underground pool of magic light. "Don't take out the cork! Don't take out the cork or the magic light will drain like bath water!"

It's amazing to me how quickly you can get drawn into the world of Lost. Within the first couple days (read: 10 or 12 episodes in), I already felt like I'd been watching the show for a year. I had already formed strong opinions about the characters, I had invested myself in (some of) their back stories, and I was already used to being left in the dark.

When I was preparing to start my epic journey, a coworker of mine braced me by saying, "Lost has a way of answering questions without really answering them." In hindsight, I would amend his statement to, "Lost has a way of not answering questions at all."

Watching the show in such a brief period of time has only made that much all the more obvious to me. With such a crystal-clear memory of nearly every season, I was painfully aware when things didn't add up or pay off.

For me, the best set up that didn't deliver was the entire Walt subplot, thwarted by puberty, no doubt.

Juliet: Does Walt ever show up in places where doesn't belong?

Me: Why yes, he does. Sometimes he appears, dripping wet, speaking in tongues.

Juliet: Let's never speak of it again.

Me: Oh. Okay.

I must say though, probably the most different thing about watching Lost all at once, is that I wasn't theorizing. Like, at all. There were no weeks of waiting and wondering and blogging about the show. There weren't even minutes of waiting. There were always new shows to watch. I didn't actually catch up until the day before the final episode. It was that down to the wire. So while most people into the show have spent at least a few years speculating about the mysteries of the island, I just sort of pushed on, confident that all would be revealed in due time. Sure, I had questions. "What did Rosseau mean when she called the smoke monster a 'security device?'" for instance. (By the way, what did she mean by that?)

But having all those answers waiting around the corner dramatically altered how I looked at the show. It wasn't my weekly dose of mystery, intrigue, and inter-island sexual trysts. It was more like my hourly morphine fix. All I had to do was press the little button beside my bed, and Lost would just drip, drip, drip into me.

The End

So what of the ending? I liked it, personally. It was satisfying and touching. But... it still didn't feel complete to me. The alternate dimension/purgatory business was wrapped up. But that was a plot device which existed exclusively in the sixth season. It was a great ending for that season, but not quite as cohesive an ending for the entire series as I would have hoped for.

No show is perfect, and I never would expect Lost to be an exception. But I think the reason has gotten all of the flack that it has over the years is because-- at its best, it's a show that has reached levels of brilliance and entertainment unparalleled in recent television history. Certainly no other show could have ever inspired me to dedicate over 120 hours to it--5 entire days of uninterrupted viewing--in a single month. But I did it because I loved the show. I loved the characters. I loved the stories. I loved the questions, and I loved the answers. When there were answers.

But even that isn't why I started watching the show. I started watching because, put simply: I wanted to be there. Lost was a cultural and entertainment pheneomenon, one that was coming to an end. And I wanted to be a part of it. It was something special, something I didn't want to miss. I paid the price, and I put in the hours--some rewarding, some less so--but in the end it was completely worth it. In fact, I would do it all over again. And, if anyone ever turns that secret ice-wheel I keep in my basement, I just might have to.

Thanks again to TPG for letting me post here. Follow me on Twitter and friend me on Facebook, or just send me money via Paypal. Thanks for reading.

The Avengers = Geek Heaven

My Dad is in a movie group with his buddies. Every month they get together, go out for dinner and see a flick. Yesterday, after my recommendation they went and saw Iron Man 2. The film was success with the group (how could it not be, Iron Man 2 is the shit, see my infamous poem about that). While talking to him this morning, I briefly explained The Avengers to him and he agreed that it is going to be one cool movie. This fan made art, compiled from existing images above, gives us a mere taste of awesome this is going to be. For more information on "The Avengers" check out my previous much nerdier posts about the topic here.

And to make matters sweeter, the above image is missing some key players. There is no Hawkeye who is confirmed to be in the film, and there is no Nick Fury, who most certainly will be loudly kicking ass.

At this point, Comic Con should just stop existing after The Avengers comes out, because after this film, whether it's good or bad, nothing else will matter. Of course, until Christopher Nolan directs "The Dark Knight Returns."

Thanks to slashfilm for the image

Lost in 30 Days: Part I

A quick introduction: My name is BC Smith. I run a movie-news twitter feed and a business blog. When I first met TPG, he was babbling on about some fabled Nicholas Cage Action Trilogy, and I knew we'd hit it off right away. I quickly proceeded to make fun of his obsession with "his little island show." Now it's time for me to eat my words. A little over a month ago, I started watching Lost, and a little over a week ago, I finished watching it. Tim was kind enough to allow me to do this guest post chronicling my epic experience. What follows is Part 1 of 2. Enjoy.

Orientation

There are about 720 hours in a month. There are about 120 hours of Lost. To watch the entire series in a month would mean dedicating over one-seventh of your time to the show. It also stands to reason that, were one to sleep roughly half that time, one-third of all waking hours would have to be dedicated solely to watching Lost, if such a feat were to be achieved.

I achieved such a feat. And this is my story.

I know plenty of people started watching the show a little late in the game, only to catch up in a series of epic, marathon sessions. But I'd like to consider my task a particularly mammoth one. At first, it was surprisingly easy. I remember thinking, “If all of the episodes are even half as good as the first season, this will be no problem.”

Of course, they weren't all that good. By seasons three and four, watching Lost became a chore. A tedious, excruciating chore. The questions were mounting, the answers less and less forthcoming. Ben Linus was getting more and more irritating, if not creepier. The characters' subplots were getting less and less compelling.

And, let's be honest- Lost left us with no shortage of terrible subplots. (Charlie sleep-stealing Claire's baby? Just about everything to do with Claire's baby?) But like all shit-storms, the worst soon passed, and I was reminded—time and again—just why I was watching this show.

Every Man For Himself

Watching all of Lost before the finale was an undertaking me and my roommates all took on simultaneously. The only problem was we all had wildly different schedules, which meant we were all watching the show on our own. Soon enough, some of my roommates were seasons ahead of me, some seasons behind me. This resulted in a lot of isolation. I literally had to walk around the house with headphones on for a good couple weeks, doing everything I could not to look at the TV. Many meals were cooked with music blaring directly into my ears, then eaten alone in my bedroom, with Lost streaming directly into my frontal lobe. I explained the situation to my cousin, a rocket scientist and avid Lost fan, and he thought it was hilarious.

“Don't you see the parallel?" he said. "You're four people occupying the same space, but you're all temporally disconnected and alienated from one another. It's just like Lost."

It took me a few seasons of catching up to understand what he meant, though, to be honest, I'm still not sure I completely understand the analogy.

If You Like Confusing Time Travel Movies...

To me, Lost was at its best when our characters were dislodged in time, hopping blindly from era to era, with only the occasional signpost marking the way-- a rogue atom bomb here, a four toed statue there, an improvised birth in the bushes over there, etc. Everyone I talked to had told me to brace myself for the fifth season. The fifth season, they said, was when Lost started getting really crazy. But to me, it's when the show regained its footing. No longer were the producers trying to milk five episodes of characters being locked in bear cages. Instead, the show was taking creative risks, and getting just about as complicated as

a show can get while still appealing to a mass audience.

Could I have done without Faraday's constant whispering? Sure. Did they say, "When are we?" one too many times? You betcha. But, damn it, I like confusing time travel stuff. (A Google Video search for "Confusing Time Travel" yields this Lost clip as the top result. Little asides like this on the nature of time travel--provided solely for the slower audience members--bugged me, I'll be honest. But then again, I'm a rocket scientist's cousin. I'm brilliant.) Maybe I'm biased towards time-travel malarkey. Hell, I even liked the Butterfly Effect, despite, you know, it's problems.

But I like to note that the first four seasons of Lost were all supposed to have taken place in a matter of months, while Season Five alone spanned three years. It was a much needed jump-start to the show, but it also brings us to one of Lost's biggest problems: Pacing.

When the show first started, they built up the mythology slowly, steadily. But pretty soon it seemed there was too much time and not enough story. The show crawled. When the freighter arrived at the end of the third season, I never would have imagined that they would drag that silliness out for another entire season. But they did. Then, with the end-date only a couple of years away, the show started blitzing through the story, sprinting at break-neck pace to the finish. For me, it was this highly uneven pacing that most detracted from Lost feeling like a cohesive, unified saga.

Go to Part II of "Lost in 30 Days."

Join me tomorrow as I wrap up my Lost experience. Thanks for reading, and thanks to TPG for letting me rant on his most excellent blog. Oh yeah, and follow me, @35mmofheaven, on Twitter.

Captain America Concept Art Released

This is cool, the more I see of this film, the cooler I think it will be. I think the fact that he's going to be fighting nazis in WWII is going to take the cool factor, and lower it to sub-zero freeze factor. Big tip to Aint it Cool for the scoop.

Josh Holloway (Sawyer) Being Considered for Marvel Projects

HAWKEYE?

It's clear to me that the Marvel masterminds who sit in magically marvelous lairs have every intention of delivering the goods to all the fanboys out there. The very fact that the Avengers is going to be a movie, and it's going to be directed by the much adored Joss Whedon (I don't love the guy) is evidence of that. Now they're taking it to the next level, with the guy the featured above.

There are rumors abound that Marvel is actively seeking out actor Josh Holloway, aka Sawyer from LOST for major roles in upcoming marvel films. While it's possible that Holloway could be playing "Ant-Man" or "Dum Dum Dugan" one must really hope that he will be playing "Hawkeye." I won't explain Ant-Man or Dum Dum, but I will tell all the none nerds out there that Hawkeye is a badass archer who is tough and funny. Which pretty sums up the Sawyer character from LOST. Don't believe me check out the video below.

When Prince of Persia First Came Out

When the original Prince of Persia came out in 1989, me and my brothers were playing it non-stop on the old school mac. Granted, I was three years old and now you can play Prince of Persia on a device 1/8 the size of those computers, but still, this game was/is/will be till the end of time the real deal awesome game. But since the movie is coming out today, let's take a look where everyone was when the original game came out.

1. Jake Gyllenhaal was 9 years old and just getting ready to star in the classic 80s film "City Slickers." Wait, what the shit? Jake Gyllenhaal was in City Slickers?

2. Jerry Bruckheimer was 45 years old which is crazy because he looks exactly the same now as he did then. And he's making the same type of movies. So basically he doesn't age, which either means he's an alien or he's got some really good Doctors.

3. Prince of Persia resident babe Gemma Arterton was 3 years old. Which makes her the same age as me. Which means she wants to go on a date with me, whoah, that's a big jump there, but hey, this is LA and I can dream.

4. Ben Kingsley had already won an Oscar for Ghandhi, so naturally in 1989 he thought to himself - "Now that I have my hardware, I can go make any movie I want"

5. The game was just a game. Little did creator Jordan Mechner now that it would soon spawn a mega franchise that would be reinvented four times and keep the name. Since that fateful game, there has been:

Prince of Persia 3D (No one talks about this one)

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

Prince of Persia: Warrior Within (This is a reinvention cause this one is hyper violent)

Prince of Persia (cell shaded)

6.  Persia as a country had been around for about 7,011 years. That's a long time and shitload of princes

7.  Steve Jobs probably had the iphone, ipad, and the upcoming ibrain all planned out

8.  Paul Abdul had a number one album, which is crazy, because now Paula Abdul is still very much important, albeit in a much much different sense.

9. Batman was the number one movie at the box office, it starred a Persian actor named Michael Keaton. I'm just kidding Keaton is not Persian, he's just a super hero.

10. The transformers were around, ready and waiting to be reborn into  a franchise.

Iron Baby Blasts Off

DAMNNNNNNNNNNN. Are you serious with this shit? I mean there is no way that this is real. Obviously it's just as real as when Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. showed up in my midnight screening. When I first saw the title I thought to myself, ohhh, how cute some guy made a video of his little child in an Iron Man costume. Then at the :10 second mark, that baby hand comes up with the repulser rays in his little baby palm, I realized this wasn't going to be some simple youtube video.

It's the little things that really make the video. The bunny getting blasted through the wall. The hot-rod in the background of the play room. The final credits that are just like Iron Man. Honestly, I'd love to see Iron Baby get his own franchise, this is just too much to handle now.

When you really think about it, it's also pretty crazy that this video can even be made. Just 10 years ago, effects like this would have cost a fortune to produce. Now, we probably have a Dad who clearly really loves his baby (and Iron Man) and made this video on his Imac. In time, videos like this will be easier and easier to make, and we all will be able to create own versions of popular franchises.

And finally I gotta say, this must have taken a considerable amount of time, maybe Mr. Stark senior, creator of this project, should spent some more actual time with the baby, instead of Ironizing him. Then again, I spent two hours writing a poem about Iron Man so.....more power to this guy.


**Big Ups to the legendary Ryan Kawamoto for tipping me off about this video**

Lost Finale Now With Light Sabers

Damn, do I love the Internet!

The Two Jacks: What Are Lost and 24 Really Telling us?

Now that "24" and "Lost" aka the anchors of my media existence have traveled on to the great television in the sky, I'm left reeling and wondering with their impact on society. Technically these are shows that exist at different ends of the television spectrum. "24" is a nail biting logic free thriller about Captain America aka Jack Bauer saving lives in the course of a day. "Lost" is a mind bending statement about faith, life, death, and everything else in between. They can't have that much in common, right?

Beyond the obvious comparisons that the focal point of both shows is a character named Jack, the real similarity of both shows is a theme of sacrifice. Both Jacks endure a heaping amount of bad shit in order to save the thing they love the most. In the case of Mr. Bauer, what he is protecting would be his country, everything else whether it's his family, friends, or own soul, comes second to the Red White and Blue. Jack Shephard on the either hand sacrifices many of the same things: relationships, sanity, and personal hygiene to save his friends on "The Island", and depending which way you look at it, the world (see the Lost Compasses for that)

But here is where our two Jack's split. 24 ends with our hero, our resident Patriot, bleeding in the streets of New York, betrayed by his country. The last words of the series are "shut it down" and then we scramble the screen and the clock winds down. Jack is alone, after all mental and physical harm he has endured for Lady Liberty, he's left solo, he still has his family, but it's tough to be a Grandpa when goddam Uncle Sam wants to kill you. His sacrifice was pointless. Perhaps 24, once deemed an ultra conservative show, is now telling us that war and counter terrorism leaves both terrorists and the "good guys" like Jack emotional wrecks walking the world with barren souls.

"Lost" on the other hand rewards the sacrifices that Jack with the ultimate prize: peace, love and understanding and a very very happy meet up with his buddies. He's at peace with his father, with his true love (Kate Austen) and with his buddies. His sacrifice was worth it. LOST is telling us that if you sacrifice for your friends, you'll be rewarded in heaven. What a Christian, and depending how you view the political spectrum, "neo-conservative bible belt" point of view.

Yeah I know, like the characters on both Lost and 24 there is a lot of grey area here. No one is completely good or entirely evil. But in the case of these shows, and our beloved Jacks, their only is one happy ending, that is of course until the inevitable  sequel, feature films, and spinoffs.

24 Points About 24: 2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

 TRUTH

1. First point, here we go, Kiefer such a classy guy. Thanks for thanking us for watching, even if only the even numbered seasons were good. Wait, actually this season is awesome, and it's an even numbered season, so the curse is broken.
2. Michael Madsen has so many damn servers, you'd think he was running the entire network for limewire, bearshare, and kazaa.
3. Jack saved Madsen's life in Damascus. What was Jack doing in Damascus? You know it's ending, and I can't ever do this again, so I hope that Jack was killing vampires and demons in Damascus.

4. If there is one thing FPJ hates, it's the when the press get's abused. You see FPJ has a degree in journalism from Syracuse and also a law degree in First Ammendment litigation from the halls of Harvard or as he says Hevid.
5. I said it last week, Charles Logan is such a rookie. He's still having conversations on cell phones in the accident scene within earshot of everyone. Get your game up Charlie Boy.
6. Charles Logan doesn't know how to quit Jason Pillar or it's the other way around.
7. Love how Jack Bauer's hands are literally bloody in the car with Pillar. You know that P-Meng was losing in shit, maybe literally, when Jack appeared in that back seat.
8. This scene with Dalia Hassan, President Taylor, and the pen is really driving home how far Allison Taylor has fallen in the abyss of evil, and you know what Angel cleans the abyss of filth, angel Bauer
9. I'm not sure why Chloe is talking about email the file to everyone in the government and the media. Just post that shit on the CTU twitter or the CTU facebook page with a hashtag "JUSTIN BIEBER TWILIGHT" and it will blow up quicker than that suicide bomber.
10. "You try to make a move on me, the slightest twitch, I will put a bullet in your brain," says Jack to Pilar. And then he follows it up with "I AM JUDGE AND JURY!" Classic shit right there
11. Meredith Reed being involved this late in the game is a great twist by the writers, a twist, that I didn't see coming.

12. Dalia Hassan vs Allison Taylor, one of the best scenes in 24 history.  I'm making the call right now. Acting, acting, and more acting! Necar Zadegan, the actress playing Dalia Hassan is on point and just when you thought it couldn't get crazier, Cherry Jones as Pres Taylor brings the acting wrath by threatening war!
13. Where are these buildings in New York City where you can just walk through marble hallways with a giant packpack and a pistol? No security cameras or nothing.
14. The word "Russian Bastards" should be used more in action movies and television shows involving spies. It's just so cool, almost as highly ranking as "these nazi bastards."
15. Arlo is one sly son of a bitch, picking up Jack's Bauer reflection in a vending machine selling Appolo bars? That's two finales in a row with vending machines playing key roles.
16. Jack getting on that video chat is a statement to the whole series. He's talking to the viewers, the dedicated folks who've tuned in for eight years, he's explaining his entire philosophy, of the show.

17. Tim Woods is the new Agent Pierce.
18. A fellow CTU Agent points out that the head of the UN, who by the way we haven't seen all season, looks a lot like Tyler Perry.
19. And another fellow CTU agent points out that Logan is always picking out ties, and then agent points out that the fact that Logan is always fixing his tie is a way of showing, not telling us that Logan is obsessed with his appearance. What a dream team of CTU agents I have working with me?
20. Chloe is the head of CTU, she should know better than to go off the grid in high heels and a pant suit.
21. Jack taking out Chloe was disturbing, there's history there, I didn't like it one bit.
22. Then again, I DID LIKE Jack smiling at the end of barrel with Logan's face at the end of it.
23. Honestly I forgot that this Russian President Yuri Suvarov has been featured in past seasons five and six. And man what a surprise that he played a slimy bastard on LOST too. Yes, believe it, he was  psychic Richard Malkin on LOST.
24. My fellow CTU Agents and I are in agreement that the scene where President Logan has nothing to say to the Russian President was actually pretty funny. "So brah, what the shit are we talking about here, you called me up here for nothing?"
25. Jack can't stand see someone put their hands on his real true love - Chloe.
26.  THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE BITE! Pillar had it coming.
27.  FPJ you've been through so much today, you've buried bodies in Marshes, engaged in fire fights in docks, and done other wild shit, but you can't stop two stooges from stopping your file transfer, weak FPJ, weak, go back to Wing Commander.
28. Damn, Logan is getting pretty Shakespearean with his description of Bauer "he will claw his way out of the very depths"
29. Jack's video message to President Taylor was a little too hippie for me, but I understand Jack's been through a lot and after 8 days he's developed a little liberal streak, not sure how the network is going to take this.
30. I never would have thought that one of the most tense moments of the season would have been the simple act of signing a treaty
31. The drone finally works! The Drone works! Arlo saved the day!
32. "I would do anything to take back the time" says President Taylor. Not sure if I would, I love every damn hour of this show. Even the bad ones were better than everything else*.
33. It's been real doing these points for you guys these past years, thanks for reading, I appreciate it. So until the movie.

Scramble and countdown to zero

TPG's LOST COMPASS: The End

So this is how it ends, not with a head spinning twist for people to theorize til the end times, but with with a portrait of our beloved characters painted with beautiful strokes of human emotion.  It was the least physical of the season finales, but the most emotional by far. And lest there is any doubt, IT WAS AMAZING. So what do you say, one last time, we tie a rope around our waists and jump into the heart of The Island.
1. What a wonderful way to wrap it up. I knew something was going on when Jack entered the church and every single religious symbol in the history of time was all over the walls. But boy was I not ready for that end. Now, it's open for theorizing, but as I see it, the flash sideways world was purgatory, and they were waiting for Jack before they could travel on, that's enough right there to make a couple mind melts, and I got the cooking hat on.
2. MIND MELT USING OLIVE OIL INSTEAD OF BUTTER - How great was Ben and Hurley's conversation. "You were a great #2!" says Hurley. Just how long was Hurley the Island Jedi that he wished he was the whole series? Why didn't Ben join them in the church? Did Ben not go in because he thought he wouldn't be welcome? Was he waiting for Walt to show up? Or perhaps could Ben not go inside because The Island wasn't finished with him.
3. MIND MELT HEATING UP, ADD SOME RED ONIONS - Pretty sure that magical Church was the same one that good ol Eloise Hawking used to find the Island in the beginning of season 5.
4. MIND MELT COMPLETE SERVED WITH A SIDE OF CAPE COD POTATO CHIPS - I loved how the end of the series was a direct reference to the fans. The island, the object that you've obsessed over for years, literally fell into the ocean! "Let go" says Christian. It's like Damon and Carlton were saying "hey, look, it's over, and it's ok, you guys can move on to other shows and perhaps move on with your lives, go pick up a new hobby, stop bloggin'."

5. When Desmond goes to the bottom of the Island, I couldn't help but notice the skeletons that littered the groovy architecture. Were these the skeletons of the previous incarnations of the smoke monster? Was the Island built on the foundations of these people's bones. Who were these people? Were they Egyptians? Were they from Atlantis? Oh that one is far out.
6. Way back in April, I spoke about how LOST at it's core is a show about LOVE. And man, what a fulfilling episode in that context. All these people having their connections, realizing past lives, damn, it was like "The Constant" on Steroids!
7. Of course I wanted that battle between Smocked out Locke and Jacob Jack to be even more epic, but let's just be honest, those two are exactly Sayid Jarahhhhhhhh. While both have shown a proficiency in badass fight moves in the past, they both were weakened here, so I'll let it past. Props to Kate Austen for having a very Red Sonja one liner with the whole "I saved a bullet for you" moment.
8. You thought I was done, after the MIND MELT main courses, I now serve you up a little dessert, call it a MIND MELT CREM BRULEE. When Jack is lying there in the jungle with Vincent and he sees the plane fly over. What plane is that exactly? Is that the Ajira flight which Richard "I've never been on a plane before even though I'm old as shit" Alpert on it? Or is it the original Oceanic flight now intact and fine?  
9. And finally, I just want to say what a pleasure it was writing these posts for everyone. I'd like that thank my good friend Dewey, wherever you are brotha for pushing me to blog about Lost. I'd also like to thank all my brothas from school who sent me positive emails of encouragement as the season moved on. Thanks to fellow Bostonian Crit over at fuckyeahlost, for posting my shit. Steve over at Lifting Fog (great LOST poem over there) for challenging me about the show. Thanks to the actual creators for making such a great show too, I guess they deserve to be thanked. I'll have one more Compass for you on Wednesday, where I'll try to answer some lingering questions, but until then:

Going Into Lost Weekend Strong

It's official, I'm not ready for LOST to end. I'm going to try to see MacGruber to this weekend to take my mind off it, but that won't help. In the meantime, check out these truly touching words from Hurley about what the show means to him:

I think the time spent under the cast tent on set will be what I'll miss the most. We sang songs to Terry and Naveen's guitar playing, made valiant group efforts to complete a Friday edition of the New York Times crossword puzzle and played a lot of Scrabble.

Amen Hurley

BROTHA! 

Waterworld Re-Strikes Again

May moons ago I wrote a post about why "Waterworld" is almost as good as "Casablanca," and now to my surprise it's clear that Costner's aquatic opus is now taking on legendary status by saving the world. Check out the video below.

Now, just in case you aren't familiar with Waterworld, I present the following legendary video of The Mariner finding a creative way to get fresh water. There is a nice  new electro soundtrack here which is welcome.

Now the bar has really been raised for other 80's stars. Arnold becomes governor Costner saves the oceans. Stallone becomes a painter, Van Damme remains a Universal Soldier. As for Bruce Willis, he's now Tracy Morgan's partner. I've just learned that Costner is also opening up a wolf dance studio , ugh, that one was bad.

No Megan Fox in Transformers 3!

It was just announced that Megan Fox will not be returning for Transformers 3. Great news, I found it annoying that Fox thought she was a huge part of the transformers success. Listen I'm here for the robots, the explosions, the vehicles turning into robots, the explosions, the robots, the destruction, and the babes. Which before we forget, it's not like there is a short supply of hot babes for these movies. Check out Isabel Lucas from Transformers 2 below