Someone I was talking to last week predicted that LOST would end with a twist. The twist would be that there was going to be another season. How I wish that were true! With only two episodes remaining before the 2-hour 2.5-hour season finale, I feel like we’re wringing our hands in desperation, wondering what to do next, once our beloved television program ends. I think maybe we’ll join a cult.

But in all seriousness, LOST has become more than a mere television show for those who have remained faithful through all six seasons. It’s become this wild journey, this all-consuming mystery—it’s taken on a life of its own. I remember sitting on the bed with Maria, my wife (then girlfriend), in her dank basement apartment—student housing!—in Waterloo going through the first season of LOST on DVD. She was sick that weekend and we had nothing to do so we watched LOST, which we heard from friends was good. The apartment was later gutted after being plagued by plumbing and mold problems and I did develop a significant mold allergy later that year but was it worth it? I’ll leave that to you to decide.

Read the rest of this article »

Damon Lindelof, one of the talented writer’s for TV’s LOST sat down with The Hollywood Reporter this past week to talk about the show’s 2-hour finale. The full text and video interview can be found here, and I thought I’d spend a few minutes going through the cliffnotes, and adding some of my own ideas and wild theories.

Read the rest of this article »

I really didn’t expect a lot from Bobby. After all, it was written and directed by Emilio Estevez. Yes, that Emilio Estevez—the guy who played Coach Gordon in the highly-acclaimed Mighty Ducks series (tongue firmly planted in cheek). Really. So you can see why I didn’t go into this film expecting a whole lot, but Maria assured me that it was good and, as it turns out like in most all things, she was right.

Read the rest of this article »

This is one of those episodes of LOST that moves so quickly you barely have time to catch your breath, and when our normal LOST viewing party was canceled at the last minute we rushed already breathless to plunk down in front of our TV, just in time. I don’t think we ever really caught our breath until the credits rolled. Despite a pattern of only answering approximately zero to one question per episode, the pace of this week’s “The Last Recruit” was indeed staggering, and a lot went down even if we didn’t learn a whole lot about the over-arching plots.

Read the rest of this article »

LOST has always been about balance. Whether it’s a balance between good and evil, a balance between two leaders—John Locke and Jack—or a balance between the Survivors and the Others, it’s always been about balance. This week’s “Everybody Loves Hugo” seems to be striking a balance in a new way.

Read the rest of this article »

The Stoning of Soraya M. is a movie akin to The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s 2004 magnum opus in more than one way. Like The Passion of the Christ, we know from the start that our main character, Soraya M., is going to be killed. We’re told this from the very start. Like The Passion, this movie is also unflinchingly graphic in its portrayal of the violence demonstrated against its main character. And like The Passion of the Christ, The Stoning of Soraya M. too gives us a heroic, messiah-like character who dies a seemingly unjust death at the hands of the law. The result, too, is not unlike Gibson’s film. The Stoning of Soraya M. will leave you breathless, in tears, and quite possibly traumatized for days.

Read the rest of this article »

The Blind Side is different than I expected. For starters, I don’t like sports movies, pretty much as a rule, because I don’t really like sports. But, like Invictus, which I reviewed earlier, The Blind Side isn’t so much about sports as it is about the human condition, hope, and faith. But, while it was different in that the sports aspect was pretty much glossed over, it wasn’t too different than everything else out there and what you ultimately have on your hands here is a feel-good movie. A feel-good movie done well, but a feel-good movie nonetheless.

Read the rest of this article »