Danny's OSCAR Recap 2010

Well, all in all, I was happy with how things went at last night's OSCAR AWARDS.

- Not only were a good chunk of my predictions (see my picks from last week's post) correct, but more importantly, the right movie won for Best Picture - that being THE HURT LOCKER. Given that there seemed to be some backlash around the film in recent weeks, I was a little worried. But ultimately, I felt good that Kathryn Bigelow's masterpiece would take home the prize. And it did. Speaking of Bigelow, her win for Best Director is just plain cool. I love that the first female director to win the Best Director trophy has had a career that defies gender or easy stereotypes. This to me is inspirational - a woman who, with her diverse filmography, represents the idea that you have to go out there and tell stories about what resonates with you. This is the woman who brought us Point Break, Near Dark, and Strange Days. And she just won an Oscar for one of the most intense and badass war movies ever made. That's awesome, and the Oscar was well-deserved. Drew McWeeney wrote a nice essay about Bigelow over on Hitfix, and I really agree with his premise - that so many times, it seems like pop culture underestimates women. Give the girls and women the chick flicks and the rom-coms, and leave the serious stuff to the men. And slowly, girls start to just accept the fact that the cheesy chick-flicks are all that they are "supposed" to like, let alone create. Meanwhile, here's a woman in Bigelow who directed one of the most brutal vampire movies ever made, who brought us an adrenaline-fueled crime movie with Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze, and who now delivered this past summer's best and most explosive (literally) action movie. I'm not saying that all women filmmakers should be out there creating action flicks and genre films. But, I think it's great that there is a woman out there who's doing just that, and showing up her male counterparts in the process. And as relates to the Oscars, I think this is a case where, if I honestly didn't know who directed each of the nominated films, I'd still say "yep, Hurt Locker is the one." So again, congrats.

- Otherwise, I thought the show was pretty well-done as far as Academy Awards shows go. Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin were fine as the hosts - some funny bits scattered throughout the show, with a somewhat old-timey, vaudevillian vibe to the comedy. It seems like no matter who the host is in a given year, you can always count on the Oscars for a dose of vintage Vegas night club-style antics. The jokes were sometimes funny but usually pretty stale. Dolly Parton jokes? Jokes about all the Jews in the room? Even Robin Williams' obligatory joke about all the balls being held in Hollywood felt like one of those old standbys that was probably told at the Oscars thirty years ago by Charles Nelson Reilly or something.

- But, I really enjoyed the various tribute segments at this year's show. The John Hughes piece in particular was great, and actually kind of gave me chills. Hughes is the classic example of a guy whose movies were never really Oscar movies but who nonetheless made comedies that defined a generation, comedies that made people like me love movies and want to make them. Seeing former Hughes stars come out to pay tribute to him was one of the better Oscar moments in a while. And, even though the occasion was a sad one, it was great seeing a segment on the show that so clearly focused on great movies. Not necessarilly movies made to win awards, but movies that affected and inspired people, which of course is what making movies is, or should be, all about anyways.

- Meanwhile, the Horror montage was decent - loved all the old Universal horror monsters, Evil Dead, etc., but it felt slightly half-hearted, lacking some of the more iconic moments you might have expected.

- One thing I didn't like - and that's this new tradition of having stars come out to speak on behalf of each of the Best Actor and Actress nominees. Do I really need to hear Stanley Tucci joke (I think?) about how he's always been in love with Meryl Streep? Look, these are awards for acting, not humanitarianism. I think it's unfair and semi-obnoxious to feature these speeches which tend to veer away from acting and into personal anecdotes about the character of the nominees. I feel like there are other and better ways to fill up the broadcast.

Back to the awards though ... again, no *huge* surprises ...

- Probably the biggest surprises for me were in the two screenplay categories. I didn't think The Hurt Locker would win there, but once it did you knew it was probably going to be The Hurt Locker's night. But, I was cool with the screenplay win. It was, I think, an amazing script. It's not a script that's transparent in the same fashion as A Serious Man or Inglourious Basterds. But it's dramatic, brilliantly-structured, perfectly paced for maximum intensity and payoff. It was a well-deserved win. For adapted screenplay, I was also a bit surprised that Precious won. But, it was a powerful movie with a powerful script, and it's a script filled with memorable and dramatic moments. It's another one that I think is a well-deserved win, even if it wasn't my top choice or predicted winner.

-I was excited to see Jeff Bridges win even though I thought this should have been Jeremy Renner's year. But Bridges is the man, and he was superb in Crazy Heart. I only wish he had ended his speech by saying: "And oh yeah, one more thing ... The Dude abides, man!"

- I don't really have anything against Sandra Bullock. And I haven't seen The Blind Side. I want to see it eventually, but I don't know, it's just hard for me to buy that this was the female peformance of the year. I thought Gabourey should have won. But, I liked Sandra's acceptance speech, and I do think that she is one of many actresses who in their careers have gotten typecast and ultimately shafted by Hollywood, which rarely comes up with great female leading roles.

- No big surprise that Up won for animated film. Despite the fact that I actively rooted for Coraline and/or The Princess and the Frog, I still love Pixar and am glad that they are out there continually making innovative movies. And I loved the one guy from Pixar's speech about how dedicating our life to creativity is not a waste of time. As someone who's been told over and over that my creative pursuits are, in fact, a waste of time, I say ... THANK YOU, SIR.

- Mo'nique deservedly won for her amazing turn in Precious. And you know, I actually admire the fact that she sort of stayed away from the Hollywood political machine to some extent in terms of promoting the movie. It's a good test case to show that the PR machine may not really matter as much as some might want it to at the end of the day. Still, yikes ... I wish I could un-see Mo'niques interview with Barbara Walters after the show. A bit disturbing, to say the least.

- I know that Christoph Waltz was a shoe-in, but man, even just from watching the highlight reel of his role in Basterds, I couldn't help but think "good lord, he freaking ruled in that movie." Waltz was incredible, an award well-deserved.

- Speaking of Inglourious Basterds, it's interesting. I think Tarantino's movies are really hard to quantify, so to speak. I love his films, and Basterds is one of his best. But I think he'll always have trouble winning an Oscar because his movies are less about being conventionally "good" and more about appealling to a certain geeky "this is awesome" sensibility. His movies can be a bit messy, a bit all over the place, but that's why we love them. At the same time, it'd be almost weird if he actually won an Oscar, as Tarantino's movies celebrate the very movies that the Oscars typically ignore - pulp fiction, crime, grindhouse movies, genre movies. Still, it's fun seeing Tarantino at the show, and in the mix. Him being there is a constant reminder that, sure, we have our grand period pieces and melodramas and epics. But let's not forget about the movies that get dirty, that get raw, that get pulpy. Suffice it to say, when the show cut to QT applauding after the horror-film highlight reel, it felt all-too appropriate.

- I feel almost similarly about District 9. This was a gritty movie. A dark movie. It was 100% geeky in the best way possible. I don't think Oscar is quite ready for a movie like District 9 just yet, but I'm glad it was there in the running, as a reminder of "this is what's coming, this is what's cool."

- All that said, I guess it is kind of amazing that The Hurt Locker - a gritty, violent war movie -actually won Best Picture.

- By the way, I cracked up at Barbara Streisand opening the envelope and announcing Bigelow for Best Director. She got all verklempt.

- And yeah, I guess this wasn't The Coen Bros.' year to win. Part of that is how under-the-radar A Serious Man was. I don't get why the movie received such an uneventful and limited release. To me though, it was one of the absolute best movies of 2009, and it's another one where, even if it didn't win, I'm happy that it was right there in the race for Best Picture.

- It's funny, I joked about Logorama winning, but it actually looks sort of amazing. I'll have to check it out.

- Was Ben Stiller speaking Hebrew while dressed as an alien from Avatar?

- Would have liked to have seen the Roger Corman tribute on the main telecast. A highlight reel of some of his best and/or crazies films would have been a lot of fun.

Finally, here's a list of some of my favorite movies from 2009 that received NO nominations, yet are still very much great films worth checking out:

- Moon
- Observe & Report
- Anvil: The Story of Anvil
- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
- Drag Me to Hell
- Paranormal Activity
- The Road
- Taken
- Adventureland
- The Invention of Lying
- Pirate Radio
- Watchmen
- Bruno
- House of the Devil
- Thirst

And on that note, that's all for now. Stay tuned for more, very soon!

“Ooh, spooky. But why?” THE OFFICE's Big Baby Episode - Reviewed! And More!

Almsot the weekend. It's been a long week, and I've been feeling a little under-the-weather the last few days ... so I'm really looking forward to a few days off. I hope I feel 100% soon though - there's lots to do.

In terms of movies, personally, I'm excited for ALICE IN WONDERLAND, despite some of the recent negativity with regards to the film. Like many, I'm a longtime fan of Tim Burton, and I'm always eager to see what he comes up with next. I don't quite see why there's such a Burton backlash. Obviously, he's had a few misfires in his career. I think we can all agree that Planet of the Apes, for example, was just plain bad. I really liked Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I know others didn't ... but ... how are people now making blanket statements that Tim Burton has lost his touch, has sold out, etc? Sweeney Todd, anyone? That was one of Burton's best-ever films, a total masterpiece. And the thing is, even if Alice proves to be a highly flawed film, it's still likely to be more interesting - certainly more visually interesting - than most other fantasy films that you'll find. And for now, Burton has made enough great films - both early in his career and more recently - that I'm happy to give him the benefit of the doubt.

And ... I am super-psyched to see the TRON trailer prior to Alice. I can't wait for that movie. As a kid, Tron was one of those movies that I'd always watch whenever it came on TV. As with many children of the 80's, growing up I was completely fascinated with the idea of computers gone awry - the fact that these then-mysterious machines could unlock the door to whole universes of danger and intrigue. The idea of "the ghost in the machine." Tron was kind of the end-all be-all of the subgenre. Now that computer technologys is such a pervasive part of our everyday lives, you could argue that that old mystique no longer exists. Certainly not in pop-culture. So that's why Tron is going to be kind of awesome (well, one reason at least). I think it will be a supernova blast of 80's nostalgia.

Speaking of which ... I can't wait for SCOTT PILGRIM. Everything I've seen and read points to a movie that is positively dripping with awesomeness.


TV STUFF:


- I really loved last night's big baby episode of THE OFFICE. Seriously, the first half of this hour-long was completely classic. I was dying of laughter for much of it. Everything just came together to perfection. The very real-yet-funny nervousness of Jim and Pam contrasted nicely with the absolutely absurd craziness of Michael and Dwight. Dwight in particular, realizing that he too wanted a baby, and thus making a baby-making pact with Angela ... hilarious. And this was also one of those rare times where Michael felt just right. He was annoying and over-the-top, but at the same time, you really felt like he was trying to help, and that he had a genuine affection for Jim and Pam and the fact that their romance and family blossomed within the halls of Dunder-Mifflin. There were a lot of those genuine, happy moments, but they really felt earned. They were the kind of moments that could really only work after spending so much time with these characters that we know them inside and out. The result was a half hour of near-euphoric hilarity where everything clicked. I loved Michael and Dwight driving Jim and pam to the hospital - in fact, the whole sequence of them rushing out of the office was just brilliant. From Stanley stopping the elevator (and Toby getting shut out of it) to Dwight getting pulled over due to impersonating a police officer (and having to quickly empty his car of various weaponry). There was just a lot of frenetic comedic energy throughout that whole first half hour. Everyone got their little moment. The birth of Pam and Jim's baby was funny, touching, and a nice payoff to years' worth of storylines. Just a great episode of The Office - one of the best ever, I think.

The second half-hour was a little bit of a come-down. Michael, who really felt spot-on in Part 1, became a bit more cartoonish in Part 2 - spending all of his time trying to recreate the Pam and Jim romance by hooking up other single people in the office. This led to an awkward lunch-date between Erin and Kevin, and more shenanigans preventing Erin and Andy from finally hooking up. But, at episode's end, the two finally made it happen via the always amusing tactic of a self-faxed date request. Oh, Andy, you smooth operator, you. But yeah - there is a lot of comedic potential now that the two are finally going to be dating. You've got to love Andy and Erin - both are hilarious characters, and I can't wait to see scenes from their first date. Similarly, Pam and Jim had some really funny moments in the hospital, post-preganancy. But, some of the cameos from Pam's mom and sister were jarring reminders of some somewhat misguided storylines (Michael hooking up with Pam's mom) from the show's past. And Jim's annoyance with a male nurse / breast-feeding coach seemed a little out-of-character and forced. Overall, the second half of the hourlong Office event was really good, but never quite matched the comedic heights of the first.

Still, an awesome overall night for one of TV's best comedies of the last decade. It was great to see THE OFFICE in top form. And, looking at the ratings now, great to see the show doing so well. Kudos to The Office for showing everyone else how these types of TV events should be done.

My Grade:

Part 1: A
Part 2: B+

- MODERN FAMILY had a really funny episode on Wednesday night. While this wasn't a huge belly-laugh type of episode, it was really enjoyable nonetheless. I got a huge kick out of Phil and Luke's expadition to find some hinted-at hidden treasure buried under the house. I could easily watch a whole episode of just these two interacting, and Ty Burell continues to just kill in every scene he's in. The Mitchell and Cameron storyline was also funny, with baby Lilly saying "mommy" as her first words, prompting her two dads to freak out. Meanwhile, Haley's quest to get her driver's license (for the third time) was amusing and definitely (at least for me) relatable. Finally, the Jay/Manny/Gloria plotline involving Manny's fear of rollercoasters also worked. Pretty amazing - all four parallel plotlines were really strong this week, leading to an episode that overall really hit it out of the park. Again, nothing mind-blowing, but just really great characters that are endlessly watchable and funny. Another excellent ep from Modern Family.

My Grade: B+

- Still have to catch up on PARKS and COMMUNITY. Loving both shows lately, though!


- Okay, I am kind of losing steam here and need to shut my brain off for a bit. So I bid you adieu. Stay tuned, of course, for new movie reviews, Oscar thoughts and reaction, and lots of other assorted craziness.

Danny's Oscar Predictions 2010

Stephen King said it best in his latest Entertainment Weekly column: To paraphrase: "The Oscars are most important for people who like movies, not for those who love them."

And that's why the Oscars can be so frustrating for those of us who are true film fans - so much of the awards and the awards build-up is about politics, politics, politics. Whenever you hear so-called experts making their predictions, you hear every reason in the book why a particular movie or talent will win, but only rarely do you hear "because they were the best."

This year, there are ten Best Picture nominees, presumably with the idea that expanding the number of nominated films helps to make the Oscars more populist. That's great, but should that automatically mean that the highest-grossing movie of the year wins? I hope not. Personally, I like having ten nominees. Even if certain films seem like odd choices, there are others that 100% deserve to be there, like A Serious Man or District 9, that probably would not have gotten a shot if there were still only five slots. That said, some people seem to get so bent out of shape because they think that the Oscars typically favor smaller, more obscure films. If the best film of the year is small and obscure, then I say it should be awarded regardless of box-office gross. This year, the best film of 2009 was The Hurt Locker. There are other movies that came close, very close. Personally I could make a case for A Serious Man, Inglorious Basterds, or even District 9, at least in terms of other nominated films. But was Avatar in the same league as those films? At first, upon its release, many wanted to say yes. But I think that as time has passed, reaction has cooled. The visuals of Avatar were indeed spectacular and award-worthy, but the movie, as a whole ... well, it was great, but not in that very top, absolute elite category.

That's why I hate having to speculate on box office gross or populist appeal or which director is more likable or anything else that's tangential to the movie itself. I say may the best movie win. And in 2009, that movie was, I think, The Hurt Locker.

But hey, predicting things can be fun, and even if to me an Oscar isn't necessary for creative validation, it's still cool when your favorite movie, or director, or actor wins. So here are my picks - who should win, and who I think will win. And yeah, I tend to be optimistic and predict that some of my should-wins will win. But ... the Oscars have actually had a pretty good track record these last few years, in my opinion. In fact, Best Picture winners like The Departed, Slumdog Millionaire, and No Country For Old Men all correllated with my own picks for the #1 movie of their respective years of release. So I've been somewhat in tune with Oscar over the last few years, I guess. We'll see if the same holds true this time around ...

DANNY'S 2010 OSCAR PREDICTIONS:

BEST PICTURE:

Should Win: The Hurt Locker

- As I said above, this to me was the best film of 2009. No other movie from this past year could claim to be as complete of a package. Hurt Locker boasts an incredible cast, stunning, ultra-intense direction, a deep and memorable script, and themes that really hit home during this tumultuous era of international conflict. To me, Inglourious Basterds and A Serious Man are right up there. So is District 9. Precious is another one that it's hard not to root for. But ultimately, it's Hurt Locker FTW.

Will Win: The Hurt Locker

- Hey, I've got to go with my streak of best movie pics ending up winning Best Picture. I think that enough people have seen this movie on DVD and blu ray at this point that it has widespread awareness. And I think that people who have seen it are largely blown away. I think that having ten nominees dividing votes will ultimately help the one film that has few real detractors.

BEST DIRECTOR:

Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow

- This one is tough. Of the nominees, I think both James Cameron and Quentin Tarantino are very deserving. Avatar was a visual tour de force, and Inglorious Basterds combined action, suspense, and comedy like few other movies before it. But ultimately, I think Kathryn Bigelow deserves the win. Hurt Locker was one of THE most intense movie-going experiences I've ever had. It's amazing, because I remember seeing the movie in close proximity with Transformers 2, supposedly the summer's big action blockbuster. In one fell swoop, The Hurt Locker and Bigelow showed Michael Bay how to do action the right way, and she did it in the context of a movie that was also cerebral, layered, and nuanced. Bigelow delivered her masterwork with The Hurt Locker.

Will Win: Kathryn Bigelow

- James Cameron may be the biggest name in this pool, but I think Bigelow is the favorite. She has momentum on her side and I think she's easy to root for. She's a woman making action movies bolder and ballsier than her male counterparts. She knocked it out of the park with The Hurt Locker. I think this is her moment.

BEST ACTOR:

Should Win: Jeremy Renner

- As great as Jeff Bridges was in Crazy Heart, The Hurt Locker was the better movie, and it was Jeremy Renner who delivered what was, to me, the year's most memorable performance. Bridges was great, but he was Jeff Bridges. Renner in this one broke through to the other side. He's now at the top of my list to play every badass action movie role there is. He played a character both iconic and nuanced. He deserves to win. And for the record, this category is missing numerous deserving nominees. Sam Rockwell in Moon, Sharlto Copley in District 9, Michael Stuhlbarg in A Serious Man, and Viggo Mortenson for The Road ... for starters.

Will Win: Jeff Bridges

- Everyone loves Jeff Bridges. The guy is awesome. He's The Dude, fer crying out loud. And in Crazy Heart, he was vintage Jeff Bridges. It was an awesome performance, but more so it was a sort of reminder of how great this guy has always been. For that, I think he's the favorite to win.

BEST ACTRESS

Should Win: Gabourey Sidibe

- To me this is absolutely no contest. Gabourey was phenomenal in Precious. It was a transformation. It was an iconic role. It was a powerful performance. A breakthrough performance. This is a category where I'm pretty surprised by who was and wasn't nominated, but at the end of the day, Sidibe's Precious performance was the year's best.

Will Win: Gabourey Sidibe

- I don't think many are predicting Gabourey to win, for some reason, but I am. I mean, like I said above, this was an AMAZING performance. I can't honestly see how anyone can put Streep in Julie & Julia or Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side in the same league. Those are the big names, but I predict something of an upset, because Gabourey was too good to ignore.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR:

Should Win: Christoph Waltz

- No contest. For one thing, the nominee pool is incredibly weak other than Waltz. Matt Damon's five minutes of blandness in Invictus? Are you serious? Where are the supporting actors from The Hurt Locker?! But yeah, Waltz was awesome in Inglourious Basterds - a villain for the ages, and one of Tarantino's most memorable characters to date.

Will Win: Christoph Waltz

- Again, no contest. It's a weak pool of nominees. And Basterds needs a couple of bones thrown its way since it likely won't win for Best Picture or Director. An wasy win for Waltz.

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS:

Should Win: Mo'nique

- Similar to the Best Actress category, I think Mo'niqe's performance in Precious was just crazy-intense and ultra-memorable, and it's hands-down the best in this category. Anna Kendrick, Vera Farmiga, and Maggie Gyllenhaal were excellent in Up In the Air and Crazy Heart, but Mo'nique delivers a gut-wrenching performance that stands heads and shoulders above the pack.

Will Win: Mo'nique

- Unlike in the Best Actress category, Mo'nique has no huge, big-name competition to distract from her breakthrough performance in Precious. Farmiga and Gyllenhaal might be more glamorous choices, but still, I think this will be a fairly easy win for Mo'nique.

BEST ANIMATED FILM:

Should Win: Coraline or The Princess and the Frog

- Sorry, I just don't think this was Pixar's year. Up was great, but much moreso in its first fifteen minutes. After that, it became standard kids-movie fare. On the other hand, I thought that Coraline was an amazingly-realized, wholly unique animated fantasy film that seemed to really capture the spirit of Neil Gaiman's dreamlike writing. It was a dark, creepy movie full of wonder and spectacular imagery. By the same token, The Princess and the Frog was a spectacular return for traditional Disney animation. To me, it skillfully blended classic Disney themes with a more modern sensibility, and it worked wonderfully. Both of these films were great animated movies. Pixar had its shining moment with Wall-E, and to me Up was not in that same league of greatness. Meanwhile, I thought Fantastic Mr. Fox was a bit overrated - Wes Anderson in animated form didn't quite work for me.

Will Win: Up

- I think there's this weird consensus that Pixar must be honored this year. There's still leftover resentment that Wall-E wasn't nominated for Best Picture, and now you see Up in the Best Picture race. To that end, it basically has to win *at least* Best Animated Feature, right?

BEST FOREIGN FILM:

Should Win: ???

- Unfortunately, I haven't yet see any of the nominated films. I am really intrigued by the Israeli film Ajami though, and I'm hearing amazing things about A Prophet, which is currently in theaters in limited release.

Will Win: A Prophet

- From the sheer buzz that A Prophet is getting, with people comparing it favorably to the likes of The Godfather, I feel like it has to be the favorite. Then again, this category tends to be pretty unpredictable, so you never know.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY:

Should Win: A Serious Man

- This is a tough one, but I think the Coens are geniuses, and their screenplays are consistently works of art in and of themselves. The dialogue in A Serious Man is so rich, the characters so funny, the situations so darkly hilarious, that to me this one is right up there with the Coen's best. And it's a tough call, because The Hurt Locker had an amazingly-structured screenplay that hit all the right beats. And man, Inglourious Basterds was just crackling. Those three movies had three of the best scripts of the decade, so it's tough to pick one. But to me, the Coens are the best screenwriters working today. Most movies make you think "yeah, I could do better." Not A Serious Man. Instead you think "man, *how* do they do it?"

Will Win: Inglorious Basterds

- I think this one boils down to the fact that a lot of people saw this movie, and a lot of people surely came away highly impressed by the great script. The Hurt Locker also has a strong shot. And it'd be a cool surprise if A Serious Man wins. But I think this might be Tarantino's to win - I mean, I can't remember the last time so many people were writing reviews OF A SCREENPLAY when a draft of the script got leaked way back when.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY:

Should Win: District 9

- There's something to be said for a sci-fi movie that's a burst of originality and imagination. District 9 works so well, I think, in part because the script continually defies all expectations. It dared to make its main character a complete asshole. It dared to morph from faux-documentary into balls-to-the-wall action movie. It dared to mix sci-fi and horror and socio-political commentary. If only more sci-fi movies were made out of scripts as unique and daring as this one.

Will Win: Up in the Air

- I think it's ultimately going to be a tough night for Up In the Air, but this one will be its token prize. And look, it is a great, great screenplay, with many memorable moments, and some really great interactions between its main characters. It's also a story that feels relevant and timely. I think it's probably the favorite to win here.

BEST DOCUMENTARY:

Should Win: ???

- Another category where, unfortunately, I haven't seen any of the nominated features. Honestly, none have really jumped out at me as must-sees, but I'm sure I'm missing out on one or two great films. I have to say though, one of my absolute favorite movies of 2009 was Anvil: The Story of Anvil - one of the best rock-docs I've ever seen - funny, sad, and endlessly entertaining. How or why it wasn't nominated, I have no idea.

Will Win: The Cove

- Most of the buzz seems to be around eco-doc The Cove, so that's my pick to win it. I haven't really heard much about any of the other nominees, to be honest.

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE:

Should Win: ???

- I honestly don't remember the scores for any of the nominees being all that memorable, but I may need an additional viewing to really get a better handle on it. I do distinctly remember wishing that Avatar had had a better, more epic score given how cool the rest of the movie's aesthetics were.

Will Win: Up

- Just a feeling that Up could take this one by default. We shall see.

BEST ORIGINAL SONG:

Should Win: The Weary Kind (from Crazy Heart)

- I really enjoyed the music from The Princess and the Frog, but I think Crazy Heart nailed it with this key anthem from the movie. For Crazy Heart to work, you really had to buy Bad Blake as a legit country music legend, and a song like The Weary Kind accomplished that, while also being a nice thematic tie-in to the movie's central themes.

Will Win: The Weary Kind (from Crazy Heart)

- I think it's probably a shoe-in. When you get a memorable song like this one that's so deeply tied to the fabric of a movie, it tends to win.

BEST FILM EDITING:

Should Win: The Hurt Locker

- Like I said earlier, The Hurt Locker showed up summer action movies with more hype and bigger budgets by showcasing some of the most intense, visceral action of this past year, or this past decade. Some of the credit for that, I think, has to go to the movie's great editing.

Will Win: The Hurt Locker

- For all the reasons mentioned above ...

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY:

Should Win: Avatar

- I'm not an Avatar hater. In fact, I'm a huge fan. I just don't think it was on the same level, storytelling-wise, as movies like The Hurt Locker or District 9. That said, Avatar's visuals were absolutely jaw-dropping, and a lot of that was the sweeping cinematography that took us on a journey through a breathtaking alien landscape. Avatar deserves the win.

Will Win: Avatar

- Again, for all the reasons mentioned above.

BEST COSTUME DESIGN:

Should Win: The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus

- Terry Gilliam and his team winning an Oscar ... yep, that would be awesome.

Will Win: Nine

- It has to win something, right?

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS:

Should Win: Avatar

Will Win: Avatar

- No contest - this was the year's f/x game-changer. Avatar deserves to win for its revolutionary visuals.

BEST MAKEUP:

Should Win: Star Trek

Will Win: Star Trek

Hmm ... pretty weak entries in this category. Star Trek I guess is the winner by default, even if your basic Vulcan makeup job has been around since, what, the 60's? I guess it wins for Zoe Saldana's green roommate?

BEST SOUND EDITING:

Should Win: The Hurt Locker

Will Win: The Hurt Locker

- The single movie "sound" from 2009 that sticks with me? The sniper-fire from that one amazing scene in The Hurt Locker. I'll go out on a limb and predict that others had a similar experience.

BEST SOUND MIXING:

Should Win: Star Trek

Will Win: Avatar

- If you've seen Star Trek on Blu Ray, you've gotta appreciate just how slick this movie is from an A/V perspective. But look, I think Avatar will sweep just about all of these more technical categories.

BEST ART DIRECTION:

Should Win: Avatar

Will Win: Avatar

- Part of me wants to root for Dr. Parnassus, but I think the game-changing nature of Avatar ultimately wins out.

BEST SHORT FILM - ANIMATED:

Should Win: ???

Will Win: Logorama

- Why not? I say let's start a movement - LOGORAMA FTW!

BEST SHORT FILM - LIVE ACTION:

Should win: ???

Will Win: Instead of Abracadabra

- Hmm ... intriguing title, right?

BEST SHORT FILM - DOCUMENTARY:

Should Win: ???

Will Win: The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant

- Hmm ... sounds timely and important.

- Okay, those are my picks. Again, most of the time I'd rather the best movies win even if it invalidates my predictions. I'll be rooting for The Hurt Locker, for Inglorious Basterds, for A Serious Man, and District 9. Of the nominated movies this year, those were my favorites. I think the women of Precious should win big. I think Avatar is a lock for visual f/x. I think there are a number of amazing films that were barely nominated, if at all, so at the end of the day, these awards are by no means definitive. But here you go. May the best movies win.

LOST - Taking a Stand

LOST Review:

- First of all ... thank you, Sayid. Thank you for swiftly and brutally killing off two of the most annoying and useless characters ever on LOST ... Dogen and Lennon, aka the two men with the nifty superpower of being COMPLETELY UNABLE TO DIRECTLY ANSWER ANY QUESTION THAT IS POSED TO THEM. I mean, seriously, holy $%&# were those dudes obnoxious.

And it kind of pisses me off, because here we are in the final season of Lost, hopefully moving towards some sort of climactic endgame, only to have these two crappy characters introduce us to about 500 new concepts that seem designed to elicit one cry of "WTF?" after another. In this episode alone, let's see:

- A machine that can tell if you're good or evil - WTF.
- Sayid is evil so he must leave the Temple - WTF
- No, wait! Sayid should go kill Smokey - WTF
- No, wait! It was just a trap - Sayid was sent to kill the unkillable Smokey so that he'd fail and Smokey would kill HIM - WTF
- Dogen was a businessman in Osaka who got in a drunk-driving accident that killed his son. Jacob agreed to revive his son if Dogen promised to go to the island and never leave - WTF
- Sayid says "I want answers!" ... Dogen doesn't answer a single thing ... Sayid seems to accept the non-answers because the writers of Lost have never heard of the concept of a FOLLOW-UP QUESTION. - WTF

Okay, here's the thing. Some people will say "but Danny, why don't you just chill out and go with the flow - it's more about the journey than about getting your precious answers." And you know what? That's a valid point. The problem is that Lost has a nasty habit of specifically POSING QUESTIONS, setting up a scenario in which the only satisfying narrative response is ... AN ANSWER. If you don't believe me, then I point you to all the times in the history of Lost where a character, like Sayid in this very episode, has angrily grabbed Ben, or Juliette, or Dogen by the collar and demanded ... answers! In those moments, we are MEANT to identify with the characters. We're meant to think "Hells yeah! It's about time! Spill it!" At that moment, we don't need everything spelled out for us, but we at least need the clues so that we feel like we're getting somewhere.

And that's why I sometimes doubt the strength of Lost as a TV show. Because, it's one thing - and I've talked about this before - if you set up a narrative where everything exists in a dreamlike, ambiguous, murky state of reality. Old episodes of The Twilight Zone, the movies of David Lynch, the writing of Ray Bradbury - all of those works were captivating because half the fun was just getting "lost" in these sort of waking nightmare scenarios. But, LOST is different. The whole show is set up as a MYSTERY, in which answers are presumably forthcoming. I mean, so much of the show's own self-promotion is about how "the answers will be revealed!", etc. Hell, each week ABC runs pop-up versions of the show that explicitly exist to help clarify the show's mysteries. And in fact, big parts of Lost's uber-mythology HAVE been explained - the Dharma Initiative, the island's unique electromagnetic properties, the history of Ben and Widmore and The Others, etc. So, we have gotten SOME answers. There is the expectation OF answers still to come. And yet ... so many times, over and over, Lost cheats at its own game. Having a character ask a specific question, only to be met with an only tangentially-related answer ... that's not good mystery writing - that's just lazy. It would be good writing if the character being questioned has a defined motive for being ambiguous. Then we think "aha, they're withholding information because they have their own agenda - interesting." BUT ... how did Dogen and Lennon benefit, AT ALL, from never telling anyone jack squat? We never knew their motivations. We never knew their backstories. The characters were just time-wasters, and that's just lazy.

I'm not a Lost hater, in general. I supported the show in Season 3 when many dismissed it. And I LOVED all of Season 4, really enjoyed Season 5 as well. But when I think back, so much of what I've enjoyed about Lost has consisted of moments that were essentially self-contained. Moments that took a particular element of Lost's complex makeup and ran with it. Time-travel. Pulpy adventure. Great characters with powerful central conflicts at their core. By that same token, every time Lost actively attempts to address the BIG questions at the heart of the show, it falters. It collapses under its own weight. From the beginning, Lost's central mythology has been something of a patchwork quilt of wildly varying ideas and concepts - some scientific, some supernatural. The thread that held it all together was the characters. But the characters have now been milked for all they're worth. We've seen them deconstructed inside and out - we've seen their pasts, futures, and "what-if" alternate realities. In turn, Lost is now forced to finally and quickly make sense of all that *other* stuff that's going on on the show - to tie together a storyline that's involved everything from Smoke Monsters to ghosts to electromagnetic irregularities. It's messy. It's been a mess all along, but we went along for the ride, enjoyed each new concept as it was presented. But parallel to that, there's been this idea that there's a master plan to it all, that in one fell swoop we'll get a Twilight Zone-esque exclamation-point ending. But given all of that messiness, bringing together all those threads, answering those questions in a satisfactory manner - it's likely impossible and likely not gonna happen. And we're seeing that play out now in the final season.

Part of the problem is that there's never exactly been one central idea at the heart of Lost. With something like The X-Files, even when the mythology sort of collapsed, it was okay because the core idea of the entire show - "the Truth is out there" - remained intact. Here in Season 6 of Lost, we're suddenly being told that the whole show has been about the good and evil inside all of us. No, that's not what the show's been about. Sayid has always been about that conflict. So has Sawyer. Maybe Ben. But Claire was never at all evil. Jack was an asshole, but not evil. If this is what the show is now about, it doesn't ring true. Tonight's episode heavily riffed on Stephen King's THE STAND - characters divided up - Team Smokey or Team Jacob - or something. But if that's how things go, again, it doesn't feel earned. There could have been a big, dramatic moment where someone like Sawyer has to choose - good or evil. And we may still get that moment. But the big deaths in this ep came about because Sayid was infected by the Smoke Monster. It wasn't because of any natural character progression. Again - an easy way out.

I liked a lot of this episode. I liked the bigtime feel of the climactic finale, with the Smoke Monster wreaking havoc on the Temple. It was exciting, exhilirating. It felt cinematic. There were some great little moments - Ben backing away from crazy-Sayid was priceless. Keamy showing up in Sayid's flash-sideways was pretty cool. Miles' dry humor is always appreciated. And the scene where Sayid stabs Not Locke was exciting and intense. The ensuing conversation not so much, but still.

As for the flash-sideways, it was alright, but fell into the same pattern as others where we just end up covering the same ground we've covered in several previous flashbacks and flashforwards. Sayid is a man who struggles with his violent past, who tends to be forced into conflict even though he oftentimes wants to live a simpler, more peaceful life - even though he wants to be a good person. We get it. We've covered this. At least with Jack's flash last week, we got some thematic closure on Jack's long-running father issues. This week, Sayid's flash ended rather abruptly - he kills Keamy and his lackey, finds Jin, for some reason, and that's all she wrote.

Despite the exciting finish, so much of this episode had a feeling of pointlessness to it. Lost has practically been playing musical chairs with its characters, sending them back and forth between the Temple and the Jungle, with no real reason except logistics, ie "we need Kate in this scene with Claire, so ... she's back at the Temple!" Meanwhile, the quick deaths of Dogen and Lennon, while perversely satisfying, just exemplified how pointless they were to the larger story. All that time teasing us with who they are, what their relationship was with Jacob, how they got to the island, etc. - all a waste, or so it appears. Oh wait, we got a completely random martial-arts showdown between Sayid and Dogen at the start of the episode. So at least there was that. Uhhh ... why was a former businessman from Osaka an insane kung-fu master again? And why did Lennon dress like a muppet? I guess we'll never know.

So many times though, LOST is saved by its awesome cast and its amazing production values. I give total credit to people like Naveen Andrews, who's made Sayid into such a likable, intriguing character. I can once again only offer praise for Terry O'Quinn, who has the unenviable task of playing a completely new character who, so far at least, is a complete question mark. O'Quinn makes it work - few others could. And the show always looks awesome. Few if any other series on TV have such a cinematic look and feel.

But ... I feel like Lost right now is becoming very, very messy as it races towards its final episode. Last year at this time, Lost was on a roll, making us ponder the nature of time travel, putting the puzzle pieces together, solidfying its mythology, making us wonder where it stood in the cannon of TV's all-time greatest series.

(And, by the way, is it merely coincidence that Lost's best overall seasons coincided with the great Brian K. Vaughan's involvement on the show as a writer and producer? I think not - his influence was obvious over the last few seasons, and this season is sorely missing his knack for great character moments, witty dialogue, cool pop-culture references, and mind-bending sci-fi storytelling.)

Anyways, a year ago I really did think Lost was one season away from claiming an undisputed claim to all-time TV greatness. Now, to be honest, I'm not so sure. Lost is falling back on old habits. The cracks are becoming deeper. We're getting lots of shortcuts. It feels like the endgame was hastily-assembled. as opposed to deeply rooted in the show's natural path of progression. I'm enjoying the show - that much I'm not questioning. But I'm enjoying it with serious reservations.

My Grade: B

Has everyone gone CRAZY?! THE CRAZIES - Reviewed! 24 Thoughts! Chuck! Smallville! And More!

- So, I had a pretty nice weekend, a mix of fun and relaxation, although as always, I could use a couple more days off. Still, I was really counting down to Friday night this past week - all week, I was recovering from the previous weekend's family visit to LA and the nonstop car-shopping that went with it, and I was dying for a quiet night to just do nothing, relax, and catch up on sleep. On Saturday, however, I was pretty productive during the day, and then that night I hit up PURIMPALOOZA, a huge Jew party at a swanky Beverly Hills establishment, in honor of the holiday of Purim. Purim is one of the few Jewish holidays that's purely celebratory - the only real "rules" are to eat and drink, dress in costumes, and to listen to the story of Purim and boo and make noise whenever the name of Haman - the villain of the story- is mentioned. Anyways, Purimpalooza was fun, although, the venue was crowded as heck, so much so that you could barely move. I guess it was cool to see such sizable attendance, but, at the same time, after about two hours of pushing and shoving just to walk around, I got kind of sick of it and decided it was time to head out. Still, always nice to see an event like that so well-attended, and hey, it filled my quota of Purim-related activities for the weekend.

On Sunday, I took in an afternoon showing of THE CRAZIES, which I'll be reviewing in this very column. Scroll down to check out my thoughts.

In the meantime, I've been working dilligently on a new movie script idea that my brother and I came up with a while back. I'm getting close to the halfway point of the screenplay, and I'm pretty psyched about how it's coming out. It's a dark, over-the-top comedy in the mold of something like Observe & Report, but I don't think there's ever been a comedy quite like this one. I'll hold off on saying anything more for now, except that it's been fun getting so immersed in a new creative endeavor.


Some TV Reviews:


TWENTY BY-GOD FOUR:

- Okay, now that's more like it. I'm not saying that this was a mind-blowing episode of 24 or anything, but for the first time this season, this felt like a real by-gum episode of the show I know and love. The focus was, finally, squarely on Jack again - and this was a Jack who was large and in charge, kicking ass and taking names with the full support of the US government. It's about time. This episode also had the kind of cleverly intense action scenario that has long been 24's trademark. When Farhad Hassan was killed before CTU could get to him, Jack has CTU leak false info to the media that Farhad is still alive and is about to talk. Far-fetched? Sure. But it was fun. Even more fun was the terrorist group's attempt to kill Farhad in his hospital room, not realizing that the whole thing was a CTU setup. The badguys send some nervous kid with a suicide bomb into the hospital, where he inevitably runs into CTU's own fresh-out-of-college rookie. Suffice it to say, the confrontation between the two kids was intense, sort of funny, and definitely entertaining. It was also cool to see some vintage Chloe techie-action, as she remotely disarmed the bomb's detonator in a sweet sequence of tech-ops intensity. It was fun and totally refreshing to finally see the now-legendary Jack and Chloe team back in action.

Now, the episode broke down a bit when Jack finally cornered the would-be suicide bomber in Farhad's hospital room. I mean, come on - the kid jumps out the window and CTU is totally unprepared? It just felt frustrating to have all of this build-up lead to a cliffhanger that felt somewhat cheaply earned - of the kid locking himself in a hospital vault, looking to manually detonate his bomb-vest as Jack looks on helplessly.

That said, I don't like to grade an episode based on the previews for next week ... but ... my feeling of being underwhelmed was severely lessened by the previews, in which we see Jack go old-school, and apparently find the kid's mom to use as leverage to get him to drop the bomb and cooperate. Damn - that's going to be intense.

Oh yeah, Jack's line to Renee about having a CTU team bring her to his apartment ... man, that was hilariously cheesy. I guess Jack works fast both in the field and with regards to the ladies. But, Jack and Renee haven't so much as enjoyed an intimate moment yet - their whole relationship this season has been Jack listening in while Renee stabs people. A little bit more subtlety in their seeimingly-inevitable romance would be appreciated. But, you've got to give that scene props for sheer entertainment value as well. Damn Jack, you may be a grandpa, but you're still a playa'.

Otherwise, this ep felt like a breath of fresh air in more ways than one. Jack was back in action with CTU, working with Chloe etc - which was great. At the same time, the terrible Dana Walsh storyline seemed to end its long and painful opening chapter. The next chapter apparently involves Stephen Root, so I'm assuming it can only get better from here.

I think 24 viewers eveywhere also applauded when Hastings finally grew a pair and stood up to the White House, following last week's assurance from Jack that he's got "more juice than he thinks." Hastings is still no Bill Buchanan, but he's slowly become a bit more likable on a season of 24 that's been in desperate need of likable characters.

Meanwhile, the stuff with President Hassan is still kind of draggy. Other than the novelty of his daughter going from unassuming blandness to sultry sexbomb very quickly, I still don't really care about the Hassan family intrigue.

Still, this episode of 24 had me on the edge of my seat like old times. There were a lot of positive signs that the season is in the process of turning a corner, and the action was the most intense and involving of the season to date. The stakes were upped with the threat of a nuclear bomb in the middle of New York. And Jack felt like "the man" again. Good stuff.

My Grade: B+


- CHUCK was back on Monday night, and it was good to see everyone's favorite Nerd-Herder return to action. Although, as excited as I was about Chuck's post-Olympics return, this episode was way too emo for my tastes. Look, I know that Josh Schwartz shows inevitably have their share of lovelorn characters staring off into the distance as contemplative indie-rock plays in the background ... but with Chuck, I'm always hoping that Schwartz can keep his tendency towards relationshippy angst in check. Not so last night - practically the whole focus of the episode was on the fact that Chuck still, apparently, has feelings for Sarah (or Sam - her real name as revealed this ep). Yeah, no duh. Considering the fact that the two broke up for no real reason - and that as soon as Sarah leaves Chuck to avoid mixing her work and personal lives, she immediately shacks up with the first new co-worker she meets - well, it's understandable why Chuck might feel a lack of closure there. Still, the sudden monkey wrench in the Chuck and Hannah relationship felt a bit out-of-nowhere. And Chuck breaking up with her right before he's about to have dinner with her parents felt like an unnecessary moment inserted for cheap dramatic effect. And as I type this, I'm wondering, why is there SO much emphasis on the emotastic relationships in what is supposed to be a comedic spy show? Obviously, this stuff has always been a huge part of Chuck, but I definitely missed the action, fun, and comedy of Chuck-at-its-best in this particular ep. Instead, I had flashbacks to Smallville at its worst - endless will-they-or-won't-they melodrama between Clark and Lana (hello, Kristen Kreuk), and endless trust issues getting in the way of their relationship (hello again, KK). There were some really fun moments in this one, particularly when Chuck was pared with a couple of clueless goombas (one of whom was EDGAR from 24 - poor Edgar!). I liked Chuck trying to act the part of a badass assassin while undercover, yet having his usual geeky personality slip through the cracks at inopportune moments ("cupcakes - everyone loves cupcakes.") And as always, Adam Baldwin as Casey got in some choice lines. But, way too much sappiness - and not well-earned sappiness, at that - for my tastes.

My Grade: B-

- I was pretty underwhelmed by Friday's new episode of SMALLVILLE. The show has seemed to be in steady decline since the great "Absolute Justice" episode several weeks back, and this latest episode felt like a whole other series as compared to that landmark installment. I mean, it's amazing to me how none of the intriguing threads from that episode have yet been followed up on - Amanda Waller, Checkmate, the Suicide Squad, the JSA, etc. I understand that the JSA episode was likely shoehorned into the schedule, but still. But there's more to it than that. That Geoff Johns-penned episode was so effective in part because it didn't follow the typical Smallville formula. It broke from the mold and felt more like a great serialized TV show as opposed to a series of constant retreads. This week's Smallville was something we've seen countless times before - a random, meteor-rock powered villain surfaces and draws Clark towards a confrontation in his lair. Clark saves the day, minimally using his powers even as everyone else remains blissfully oblivious to what actually happened. Now, this ep was tied into the ongoing Zod storyline, and yet, after last week's promising cliffhanger - in which Clark burns down Zod's tower - this week abandoned the high drama of that scene for a relatively low-key, run-of-the-mill freak-of-the-week plotline. We met a scientist who had been experimented on by the Kandorians, and was now out for revenge, capturing some of Zod's army and performing his own freakish experiments on them, trying to prove to the world that aliens walk among us. Um, yeah, it was a totally weaksauce plotline. Why is it always so hard for Smallville to build momentum week to week? The big twist came when Clark used some of his blood to "heal" a dying Zod. Why this healed him, or why it suddenly gave Zod Clark's powers, I don't know. But the big reveal at the end was a suped-up Zod now powered-up and able to fly. It was definitely a roundabout way to get to that endgame, but at least now we have some set up in place for a big Zod-Clark smackdown. Then again, Smallville has rarely delivered on those big fight scenes, so who knows if this one will satisfy? In any case, as per usual, this storyline has been dragging for a while now. Let's wrap up this Zod story and move on, shall we? And you know, I don't get why Smallville is so afraid of just doing a sequence of episodes that directly deals with a single plotline. Think of how much momentum the Zod stuff might have had going into April, if only we didn't need to spend time on all the lame freak-of-the-week filler.

My Grade: C


- And now, a movie review of Breck Eisner's new psuedo-zombie horror flick ...


THE CRAZIES Review:

- The Crazies is one of those movies that very easily could have, you know, gone either way. There was the potential in the premise - a remake of the old George Romero movie - for it to be a cool, interesting film that improved upon the original - widely regarded as a decent flick but not necessarilly among Romero's classics. At the same time, this one could have been a disaster. Helmed by Breck Eisner, mainly known to date for the adventure movie dud Sahara, there were certainly signs that The Crazies could be nothing more than B-grade horror junk. But, encouraged by some very positive reviews, and eager for a fun movie to cap off my weekend, I went to check out The Crazies, and am happy to report that I was thoroughly entertained. While The Crazies isn't going to change the horror movie landscape or anything, it's a solid movie that's elevated by a great cast and a couple of fairly awesome action scenes. I wish more attention had been given to the somewhat inconsistent script, but I can recommend the movie to anyone looking for a fun, action-packed horror flick.

The Crazies is essentially a Zombie movie, but in this particular scenario, we're not dealing with the living dead, but with ordinary people who have been infected by a mysterious contagion. The infected become violent, homicidal, and yes, crazy - and a couple of isolated cases in a small Iowa town quickly escalate, to the point where an entire town has been overrun by murderous, braindead maniacs. Good times.

I liked that The Crazies took some time in the beginning to set up the location and the main characters. Breck Eisner nicely establishes the quiet, small-town locale - a sleepy farming 'berg in rural Iowa. Similarly, our main characters tend to fall into the usual zombie-movie-cliches, but the solid cast helps make us care about them in a way that many horror movies don't. But here, Eisner takes his time setting the mood - and in doing so, he creates the perfect setup for a great opening scene. As the town gathers for a local minor-league baseball game, it's a picture-perfect scene of middle-American tranquility. That is, until the local drunk staggers towards the field, wielding a loaded shotgun. The sheriff, who's there watching the game, of course, confronts him. It seems like no big deal - except that the drunk isn't drunk - there's something else wrong with him, a blank, vacant look in his eyes. The truth is, he's infected. And the violent outcome of this establishing scene sets the small-town-goes-crazy vibe for the rest of the film.

Again, the cast is overall pretty solid. But the man who anchors the film is Timothy Olyphant as the local sheriff, the hero of the movie. Olyphant is a refreshing change of pace for a movie like this, because he has acting chops, and he easily pulls off the small-town sheriff thing while actually seeming heroic and likable as opposed to just in-over-his-head. He's old enough to be believable as a world-weary yet competent leader. And he's got a gravitas to him that helps sell even the movie's cheesier moments. Radha Mitchell is also good as Olyphant's wife, a local doctor. Another case where it's nice to see someone a little older and more world-weary as opposed to the usual dumb-teenagers in peril situation. One other standout is Joe Anderson as the younger Deputy. Anderson is good as a sidekick / foil, and was fun to watch throughout the movie. Also, there's a cameo from the guy who plays Aaron Pierce on 24, which was sort of awesome.

Where The Crazies falters is in plot and pacing. For one thing, the movie started annoying me with how frequently it went for ultra-cheap scares. There are a couple of really effective "thing jumps out at you accompanied by a loud noise" moments, especially in a really kickass, climactic action scene set inside of a carwash. But many other times, Eisner resorts to cheap, "jump" scares for no real reason - loud music cues and "jumps", oftentimes gotcha-style fakeouts, that just give watching the movie the feeling of being in a cheap haunted house at times. It's weird, because the movie has enough genuinely exciting action and thrills that it didn't need so many lame moments that go for the easy scare. Similarly, there are a number of groaner-type moments where characters split up and such for no apparent reason. I mean, come on, if you're one of a handful of healthy people in a town infected by homicidal freaks, at the very least, stick together!

In addition, I wish The Crazies had a bit more meat to its plotline. Even in terms of the little details that help create suspension of disbelief, the movie oftentimes gets lazy. For example, we never quite know the "rules" of the infection. Some people seem to instantly succumb to it, whereas for others it's a long, slow burn (i.e. for main characters for whom it's convenient, plotwise). Similarly, at one point in the film, a bunch of characters are rescued from a military containment camp, where people who are suspected of infection are being held. The idea is that the characters deserve to be rescued because they were so viciously captured and contained by the army. And yet, no one really stops to wonder who is or isn't infected, or if rescuing them puts the rest of the group at risk. In short, there are a lot of weird plot holes, and a seeming reluctance to really set the stakes by clearly explaining the nature of the infection.

Finally, the movie definitely lacks much in the way of subtext. There isn't really much going on below the surface, and the movie rarely pauses to really comment on any sort of bigger themes or ideas that you might expect it to touch on. In most films, this wouldn't be such an issue. But, given the tradition of zombie films - and Romero's movies in particular - as vehicles for astute social commentary, the lack of real depth to the film is a tad disappointing.

Still, the movie is entertaining enough that you don't think too hard about some of the logic gaps. As I said, the acting is above-average, and the direction - from the mood-setting scenes early in the film, to the wild carnage later on - is well done, definitely an impressive visual effort from Eisner. This was a fun roller-coaster ride of a film - cliche at times, but packed with fun action and a nifty premise. I mean, sometimes, you're just in the mood for a good ol' fashioned zombie flick, and despite some flaws, The Crazies nicely fits the bill.

My Grade: B


- Alright, I'll be back with thoughts on LOST and, eventually, my official Oscar predictions. Stay tuned.

LOST Its Way?! Making Sense of the Latest Episode and Asking the Tough Questions...

LOST Review:

- Last night's LOST was definitely an improvement, but the same overarching problems were apparent that have been there throughout the season thus far. Again, when Lost is telling such serialized stories, with each episode serving as merely a single piece of the puzzle, it's hard to talk about the overall direction of the series within the context of a single episode. On one hand, I realize that some very interesting groundwork is being laid, and that there is the potential for some really cool moments to come about over the course of the next few weeks. At the same time, there are no guarantees that a satisfying payoff is on the way, and what we've seen so far has been fairly unremarkable in terms of plot progression, in terms of "answers," and in terms of a sense of "bigness" befitting the final season of Lost.

Still, this Jack-centric episode had some really nice moments. The flash-sideways was easily the most compelling we've yet seen, for example, as it had some real emotional beats to it. We learn that this version of Jack is actually the father of a teenage son. Given Jack's own history of father issues, it was interesting to see the tables turned, with Jack's son acting cold and somewhat distant towards his dad. In a way, seeing Jack ultimately work to repair that relationship and somewhat bond with his sone was cathartic - it served as a nice bookend to all of Jack's oft-explored parental hangups. Whereas the Kate and Locke flashes seemed pretty redundant as compared to previous character explorations, this one actually covered some new territory and provided a compelling "what-if" scenario for Jack.

I do think that the random pop-ups from island characters in the alternaverse are getting a little tiring though. Am I really supposed to get excited that Dogen from the Temple randomly shows up as the father of a kid trying out for the same conservatory as Jack's son? Here's where I think that the sideways flashes are lacking a real sense of importance to the overall plotline. I'm sure that the connection between the two universes will ultimately prove important, but as of now we have no clue how events in one world reflect or affect those in the other. For now, there's no reason to care about the sideways flashes except to catch a glimpse of the Lost characters' lives had they not ended up on the island. It's a fun little character excercise, but without some added weight to keep us invested in these flashes, it's still tough to get all that excited about them.

On the island, I enjoyed the light banter and sense of comraderie between Jack and Hurley. Like Hurley said, it felt "old-school," and Hurley's comic relief provided some much-needed self-mocking. I mean, after all the craziness that's occured this season, it was nice to hear Hurley somewhat acknowledge just how absurd all of it was. On the other hand, there were moments that pushed the meta-commentary a little far. I mean, when Hurley and Jack stumbled upon the twin skeletons in the cave, I think fans everywhere thought "okay, FINALLY, let's hear what the deal is with these two". Instead, we get Hurley speculating on the same sorts of ideas that fans have many times, like, what if the skeletons are two of the castaways, there due to some crazy time-travel shenanigans? It was kind of put in there as an in-joke of sorts, but, seriously, just give us some of these answers! And look, I'm not saying I want a bland laundry list or checklist of answers, but, I do want a couple of genuine "wow" moments that address the series' longstanding questions. Preferably sooner rather than later ...

And then there's the ongoing saga of Jacob vs. Smokey. On one level I'm curious where all of this is going. At the same time, I don't think either character is all that intriguing, at least not yet. Especially considering how into the story of Whidmore and Penelope I was. I mean, what about the "war" that Whidmore mentioned way back when? The Lost landscape was pretty awesome back then. Ben and Whidmore as at-odds villains. Desmond as the epic hero. The island as a mythical place that was the source of real-world melodrama. Now, I worry that Lost has devolved into a 1960's-era Marvel comic book. Because historically, nearly every character on Lost was a real character. They had depth and nuance. So far, Jacob and Smokey don't. When Lost has introduced peripheral characters, even those have often been flat-out awesome (eye-Patch Guy, anyone? Keamy? Clancy Brown?! All badasses!). So far, Jacob and Smokey are pretty bland. And yes, I get it, that's part of the point. But again, throughout Lost's history we've had epic time-travelling sagas, talk of war and gathering stormclouds, huge twists, and shocking revelations. A sense of pulpy fun and adventure. Now, all that boils down to Jack going into a lighthouse and seeing his name on a wheel?

I get that a lot of the lighthouse stuff was more about Jack's character than anything else. And I did enjoy the sheer journey of getting there. Even if it was unsatisfying plot-wise, Jack flipping out and shattering the magical lighthouse mirror was in-character. But still ... the whole excercise was ultimately pointless, in terms of advancing the plot. Jack now knows what Sawyer found out last week - he and the other castaways were "chosen," they were "candidates," so to speak. Their lives were observed and manipulated. This was all news to Jack, but not to us, the viewers. So again - good to great character stuff, counterbalanced by little to no plot development.

The overall feel of this episode was strong. Matthew Fox turned in a great performance as always, and the overall portrait of Jack in this episode - both versions - was really interesting and compelling. It was one of the stronger character pieces Lost has done in a while, and it was an episode that finally showed off some of the potential that the sideways flashes have to offer us some *new* insights into the characters.

And yeah, the next couple of episodes could deliver the payoff to all of this prolonged setup. But I do feel the pacing has been off, and I am wondering if Lost has gotten off track from the intriguing mythology that it set up last season and prior. I feel similarly to how I felt last week - this was a strong episode, but it still left me with doubts about where we're headed from here.

My Grade: B+

FURTHER QUESTIONS:

- Is Jacob really the "good guy" here? If so, then what was his relationship with Ben all this time? Ben is pretty clearly an evil, lying, bastard. So why was *he* Jacob's figurehead leader for all these years?

- Who are all the people who live at the Temple? Are they pro-Jacob or pro-Smokey? How long have they been on the island? And why are they so damn reluctant to answer a single question with a direct response?!

- Who *are* Jacob and "The Man in Black?"

- Who are the group of people who were killed by Smokey in the premiere, of which Ilana is now the only survivor? What is the deal with their little Cult of Jacob, and how does it relate back to the fabled Statue?

- What's up with the various supernatural powers that various people possess? How/why is Richard Alpert seemingly immortal? How/why did Walt have supernatural abilities? How did Locke regain the ability to walk and how did Rose become cancer-free? How about Miles? How/why can he speak with the dead?

- And how/why can Hurley speak to the dead, for that matter?

- Who was the Christian Shephard that we've seen on the island? Was he the Smoke Monster in possession of Christian's body, as he now is with Locke? If so, then what happened to Christian's body? Locke's original body is still around, afterall.

- Who were "The Others" anyways? How and when did they originally get to the island, and why did they wear fake beards when they were originally introduced? At one point, they were depicted as sort of wild, tribal people, and then they were basically Ben's lackeys living in suburban tranquility on the island. How do "The Others" that we had previously met relate to the *other* Others that live in the Temple? And why do they call themselves "The Others?"

- What's up with Claire? She's been tainted / corrupted by Smokey, I guess - but how and why? Can he just possess anyone he wants? If so, why doesn't he just possess everyone and call it a day? If Sayid is also possessed, then when will he start acting crazy a la Claire?

- Speaking of Claire, I didn't quite get her interaction with Jin. I mean, yes, she's crazy now, but still ... where did she expect her baby to be once she was presumed dead? Wouldn't she maybe guess that Kate or Juliette helped take care of Aaron in her absence? And why did she randomly have animal bones in her cradle?! Weird.

- So why did Ben have to kill Locke again? Has Ben been working for Smokey the whole time? I assume yes, but if so why couldn't Jacob do something about him? Why is Jacob so darn passive about everything? Why can Smokey proactively kill people, etc. but not Jacob?

- We know that each castaway was assigned a number by Jacob and Smokey - each number is from "the Numbers." So ... what are The Numbers?!

- What was the war that Whidmore talked about, and will we get to see it?

- Who is Dogen? Who is Lennon? Why are they so lame?

- Did Juliette somehow know about the creation of a parallel timeline before she died? That seemed to be the implication, but if so, how did she know?

- What's up with Jack's health issues in the alternaverse? The appendix scar, etc? Is this the first hint of crossover between the two universes?

- Is this show even about time travel anymore? I mean, I loved it last season when we got into all of the quantum physics stuff that helped explain the nature of the island (RIP Faraday, once again). Now all that seems to be out the window in favor of supernatural cosmic craziness.

- And what about Eloise Hawking? Wasn't she one of the main people who urged the castaways to return to the island in the first place? Why did she want them to go back? What's her deal, anyways?

- Why does Jacob get to have all of the castaways' names on a wheel, complete with magic mirror that looks into their lives, whereas Smokey just has their names scrawled on a cave ceiling?

- Okay, brain hurts now. Leave your comments and thoughts. Dammit all.

TWENTY-FOUR: "Son, you better put that down, or you're gonna get hurt."

TWENTY FOUR (24), SUCKA:

- Hmm ... one one hand, last night's 24 was one of the season's all-around most solid eps. On the other hand, there were a couple of ridiculous moments that made me roll my eyes in annoyance. Let me start with those. Okay ... 24 has always played fast and loose with time ... BUT ... are you seriously telling me that that woman from the Justice Dept. was called, summoned to CTU, and made it there to question Renee ... at 1 am?! Come on. I think it speaks to the fact that 24 has lost a lot of its old sense of pacing. I've talked about this a few times in the last couple of weeks, but it bears repeating: I still want 24 to justify itself. I want actual reasons why everyone is working around the clock with no food and no sleep. There has to be such a sense of urgency, such a driving force behind the plotlines, that we don't even have time to question the show's internal logic, and we don't want to. On last night's ep, and throughout the season, that hasn't really been the case. There are plenty of lulls in the action where you wonder why people aren't just calling it a day. There are plenty of logic-killing moments like the Justice Dept. visit to CTU that just don't make sense given the timing. I like that 24 is over the top, but I hate these kinds of logic gaps.

Otherwise, this was, as I said, a very solid episode of 24. First off, they FINALLY gave the Dana Walsh / Jenny Scott / creepy stalker storyline a shot in the arm (or a shot to the head, depending on how you look at it). Dana decided to take matters into her own hands, and contemplated killing her abusive stalker and his crazy-ass friend. But, Cole Prinze Jr. catches up with her, threatens the stalker, and that seems to be that. That is, until Crazy Bearded Stalker Friend flips out, stabs Stalker and tries to take out Cole and Dana, leading Cole to blow him away with a shotgun. Finally. Although, it would have been hilarious and semi-awesome if somehow Crazy Friend-of-Stalker (the same guy who some local ho-bags dubbed "a total freak" after being lured into his rapemobile), somehow became the Big Bad of the whole season! I mean, what if he wanted to "graduate to the bigtime", got ahold of the nuclear rods, and became Jack Bauer's public enemy #1. Bauer vs. Redneck, no-holds-barred. But alas, two of 24's most annoying-ever characters are (hopefully) gone. And yeah, we can only pray that Stalker Guy does not recover from his stab wounds. Honestly, I'm not sure where to take the Dana storyline from here. Maybe have her kind of resume Renee's undercover op, using her past criminal connections to help find the nukes? In any case, they need to do something to get Katee Sackhoff in the middle of the action and not on her cellphone fretting about stalkers. But, at least the wild showdown in tonight's ep was a good first step.

Meanwhile, I enjoyed just about everything with Jack in this one. It's funny - in this season, we've seen Jack do a lot of talking. But over the years on 24, Jack sometimes goes for so long without showing emotion or introspection that it still feels kind of novel when we do see it. And Kiefer had some great moments in this one. Plus, it was super-refreshing to have a sequence where all signs pointed to Jack "going rogue" yet again, only to have him regain his composure a bit and actually talk things out with Hastings. I mean, if Jack had gone rogue and helped Renee escape CTU, what was he planning to do from there? If his goal was to have her avoid prosecution, how would that have helped her cause? So yeah, kudos to 24 for actually changing things up and letting some CTU agents get the jump on Jack.

You also had to love the scene where Jack is about to leave CTU, only for Hastings to ask him to go "all in." Now that's what's been missing from 24 for a while - a scene with some real GRAVITAS, baby. Jack gritting his teeth and tightening the strap on his Jack-Sack ruled it. And it was a nice way to keep Jack in the middle of the action without him having to constantly work outside the system. Good stuff.

I also thought there were some pretty nice twists on the badguy front. I was sure we were in for many episodes of Jack and CTU chasing the rogue Russian son around NYC. But, very quickly, things changed - the son was killed, Evil Hassan escaped with the rods, and then turned on his extremist co-conspirators when they decided to up the ante and try to blow up an NYC landmark. Now, he's on the run and quite possibly a deadman. Again, it was an interesting change-up. Now we just need a really awesome character to emerge as the true villain of the season (paging Mr. Almeda ...). The stage is set, so I can only hope that 24 follows through.

This ep definitely felt like a turning point in the season, and that's good, because we needed it. Again, the stage has been set. Let's see if business, finally, begins to really pick up.

My Grade: B+

A Duly-Appointed Federal Blog Post: SHUTTER ISLAND - Reviewed! Plus: Smallville, The Simpsons, and More!

Back in the thick of things after a couple of days where I was decidely off the grid. The reason? A visit from the parents, who were in LA from the east coast for the last few days. It was a pretty exhausting weekend though. I spent two straight days, Friday and Saturday, driving around with my Dad, from car dealership to car dealership, looking at used cars. I am not really a car person. And I am not really a shopping person. And I am definitely not a used car dealership person (although who is?). So yeah, this was a pretty painful process for me. I didn't end up purchasing a car, but the upside is that I'm now much more familiar with the used car landscape - what I like and don't like - and the kinds of price ranges that you can expect to find in the marketplace. As with many areas though, I tend to have expensive taste. I think the car market right now is particularly frustrating in that regard, because so many of the new models of popular cars are so superior to the older models, as the car companies have tried to step up their game to fight their way out of the recession. But yeah, part of this was due to my lack of familiarity with the car market going into this process, but I kept finding myself taking a liking to a particular car, only to find that the features and look that I like were only recently introduced in newer and pricier models. I came somewhat close to picking up a used '06 Altima, for example. The exterior was nice, but the interior was somewhat uncomfortable and unappealling, especially as compared to newer and nicer Altima iterations. I get that with a used car, especially a modestly budgeted one, I am never going to get my ideal model. But, with that being the case, I'm much better educated now and better equipped to actually make a purchase. But, good lord, is there anything worse than a used car salesman?

Anyways, I am now pretty wiped from a long weekend, but ... I still have a lot to talk about in terms of movies and TV. I caught SHUTTER ISLAND on Sunday, which I'll be reviewing in this very post. But first, some TV Reviews:


- SMALLVILLE on Friday was a return to the overarching Zod storyline that's been running throughout the season. After the awesome Justice Society episode and the fun Zatanna ep, it felt like a bit of a come-down to dive back into the somewhat plodding Zod / Kandorian saga. The fact is, the storyline has had its moments, and Callium Blue has made Zod a more compelling adversary than he might have been otherwise ... but overall, this storyline has never 100% made sense, and it hasn't yet really picked up much steam. The future-looking ep in which Clark time travels to a world ruled by Zod was a highlight, but the show never quite built on that episode's key plot points in a really effective manner. Clark knew that Zod was planning to build a tower that would transform the earth's sun - granting Zod and his army superhuman powers while robbing Clark of his. And yet, Clark never really seemed to be doing much about it. Meanwhile, "Absolute Justice" set a bunch of other, more interesting storylines in motion - the JSA, Checkmate, and the reveal that Tess Mercer was, in fact, a Checkmate agent all along. So, yeah, now we're back to Zod, with little to no allusions to Tess' newly-revealed identity, and Clark back to treating Zod - aka the soon-to-to-be evil ruler of earth - with kid gloves.

On one hand, this ep did take steps to ramp up the Zod storyline. But first, it introduced YET ANOTHER storyline revolving around mind-control and characters not acting like themselves. Are you serious, Smallville? I mean, really? I like how at this point nobody even blinks when confronted with mind-control - Clark just sort of shrugs it off as "yep, here we go again." In fact, Clark even uses his meteor-rock-induced power of suggestion to get Zod to spill the beans on who killed Jor-El (funny how Clark waited until now to man up and get Zod to talk). But, the whole light-hearted, Valentine's Day Lois-as-domesticated-housewife storyline made for an odd contrast with the episode's more serious Zod plotline. I mean, why even bother with the Valentine's stuff? If the show ever does do a real Lois and Clark wedding, then episodes like this one only serve to undermine their relationship. How about a couple of episodes where we actually see why the two enjoy spending time together?

It's funny too because Clark barely even seemed interested in his own romantic subplot this week. Instead, he was occupied with the Kandorians and trying to peacefully win them over to the side of earth, and to turn them against Zod. When that didn't work, the show actually had a pretty damn badass moment: on the eve of Zod's unveiling of his new tower, Clark, perched on a gargoyle, Batman-style, uses his heat-vision to BURN THE TOWER DOWN. A surprisingly dark and cool ending to what was a really all-over-the-place episode. Hopefully, Clark's drastic actions at episode's end escalate this whole storyline, and we get back to big action and epic storytelling. And please, NO MORE MIND CONTROL storylines, EVER, for the love of god.

My Grade: B-


FOX SUNDAY NIGHT Reviews:

- Well, I gove THE SIMPSONS credit for at least attempting a unique (sort of) and ambitious storyline with Sunday's ep. But, what could have been a really cool episode fell flat as the jokes ran dry after the first commercial break. Basically, the premise was that Lisa researches her family's history, and comes across the diary of her Civil War-era ancestor whose family helped a slave escape to freedom via the famous Underground Railroad. It was an interesting idea, but just not a very funny one. Worse, instead of creating some interesting new characters for the episode, the flashbacks to the 1800's used the same device as the mostly-terrible "three stories" eps, in which the primary Simpsons characters are reimagined as historical dopplegangers. Nevermind the fact that, if Lisa was learning about her dad's side of the family, it makes no sense for the matriarch of the clan to be an 1800's version of Marge. Also nevermind the fact that Lisa already investigated her family history in the great ep "Lisa, The Simpson." Odd that in an episode that had numerous visual callbacks to classic episodes, the writers threw continuity out the door. On the plus side, the first several minutes of the ep were a lot of fun. Lisa's talk with Homer and Grandpa about the Simpson family history was filled with hilarity (I loved the jokes about how every Simpson was a bad apple, even Adam and Eve Simpson, aka the Rosenbergs). The heart of the episode, though, the Civil War era stuff, was just barely watchable. The jokes were only so-so, and while there was some visually appealling animation, the segments were mostly a bore. Still, a couple sequences that were packed with spot-on jokes (I also loved everything at the school's Black History Month assembly - Lisa's powerpoint presentation was great) helped save the episode from mediocrity.

My Grade: B-

- As for THE CLEVELAND SHOW, I think we've established by this point that episodes which focus on Cleveland Jr. = funny. This one was no exception, as the ep revolved around a pretty funny feud between father and son. Cleveland wanted Jr. to get a job, but the plan backfires when Jr. ends up working as a bartender at Cleveland's usual hangout spot. Jr. actually runs the place competently, unlike the usual owner (voiced by David Lynch!), and has Cleveland and his friends paying for their drinks and contending with a new, more upscale clientelle. It was sort of a cross between The Simpsons episode where Bart works at the Burlesque House and the one where Moe makes his bar more upscale. Nonetheless, it was funny, and Cleveland Jr. chopping off his dad's mustache in retaliation for Cleveland causing Jr. to lose his job was great. The Cleveland Show isn't yet a "great" comedy series, but it's still one of the more reliable fixtures of the FOX Sunday night lineup. And yeah, I know, American Dad. Well, I don't watch it, suckas.

My Grade: B+


Okay, time to take a look at Martin Scorsese's latest ...



SHUTTER ISLAND Review:

- Shutter Island has a lot of the trappings of a truly great movie. An incredible cast. Moody, absorbing, mesmerizing direction from a master filmmaker - Martin Scorsese. A memorable, haunting score. At times, Shutter Island almost feels like a lost film noir from the 50's by way of The Twilight Zone. It's a movie that evokes the 50's not just in setting and theme but in style. It's a crime procedural that is also very much about the larger context of the era - trauma from WWII, the illusion of the suburbs and of postwar domestic tranquility - it's about H-Bombs and HUAC and the Cold War. And it's also about delivering that Twilight Zone-style headtrip - that feeling of "is everyone else crazy or is it just me?" It's a beautifully-shot movie, and it's an ambitious one. But ... I also don't think it's up there with Scorsese's best. Visually, the legendary director is at the top of his game. But this isn't necessarilly his thematic comfort zone. The script is a bit messy, a bit long and dragged-out. There are some very, very interesting twists and turns, but they aren't delivered with quite the punch that they should be. The movie has several intense, amazing scenes, but it also has some clunkers. Shutter Island is a memorable movie that's well worth seeing, but it falls short of true greatness, especially given the pedigree of talent involved.

Shutter Island starts off with a crackling setup. Through thick fog and cold water, two federal marshalls ride a ferry to an island off the coast of Boston. On the island is an asylum for the criminally insane, and somehow, one of the asylum's patients has escaped, and is currently missing. From the get-go, we get a feel for what Scorsese is going for in this one: thick atmosphere, an ominous, creepy vibe that's like a 50's film noir meets Kubrick's The Shining, and an air of otherworldly, hallucinagenic mystery. This isn't a gritty, realistic film - it's melodramatic, exaggerated, stylized, and oftentimes surreal.

Scorsese does everything he can to make the film pop. There are great, sweeping shots of the island - dangerous and foreboding - surrounded by jagged grey rocks and a stormy, violent ocean. Like the characters, we feel trapped, cut off from the outside world. As the mysteries deepen and the sense of paranoia increases, Scorsese ups the tension and quickens the pace. He also reminds us that our protagonist is an unreliable guide through this world. He suffers flashbacks to his WWII days, when he was a participant in the liberation of Dachau. He has nightmarish visions of his dead wife. His cool exterior belies a lot of inner turmoil. And Scorcese masterfully puts us in his headspace.

The cast is also very much up to the task of absorbing us in this noirish, nightmarish world. Leonardo DiCaprio has proved a reliable collaborater for Scorsese, and he's really good here as (duly-appointed!) federal marshall Teddy Daniels. He still looks young to me - it's hard to buy him as the sort of hard-boiled, grizzled army vet that he plays here. But, DiCaprio mostly sells it anyways. Meanwhile, there are a number of really amazing supporting turns in this one. Ben Kingsley is a scene stealer as the sinister-seeming doctor who oversees the asylum on Shutter Island. As Dr. Cawley, Kingsley is appropriately creepy and mysterious. Same goes for Max Von Sydow as a German colleague of Cawley's. It's interesting in that we've seen a lot of creepy asylum's in pop culture lately. Batman's Arkham Asylum (which, if you're a Batman nerd like me, you can't help but think of when you see this movie), for one, and the Victorian asylum of The Wolfman, for another (and some of those macabre methods of psychotherapy from Victorian times are alluded to in Shutter Island).

I also thought Mark Ruffallo was excellent as DiCaprio's partner-in-crime-fighting. Rufallo looks like he stepped right out of a 50's-era film noir, and he has some great moments in the film. Similarly great is Michelle Williams, who appears in flashback as Teddy's deceased wife. While some of William's scenes tend to drag (more the fault of the script), her impressive performance helps lift them up and make them watchable. Suffice it to say, I've seen Williams play eccentric, but after this movie, there's no doubt that she can also play crazy. Patricia Clarkson and Jackie Earl Haley also have memorable cameo roles, as does Ted Levine as the asylum's devilish Warden.

The direction, the cast - both are stellar. The movie's main fault then, I think, lies in the script. As I alluded to, the script - an adaptation of the book by Dennis Lehane - is not as tight as it should be. And some of this is in the editing, too. Some scenes really drag. Some of the big reveals are very overexpository. And the movie beats you over the head with some of its big twists, essentially to prove that they hold up under the movie's internal logic. But still, you leave the movie wondering whether it all really fits together in the end. In the wake of movies like Memento that elegantly and dynamically fit together like a well-crafted puzzle, the various drawn-out reveals of Shutter Island feel clunky in comparison.

Still, this is a movie that is sure to provoke a lot of debate and discussion, and that's great. It's certainly well worth checking out, and there are any number of great scenes and memorable performances that make the movie enjoyable and absorbing. But it's a movie with A LOT going on, and it's a movie that ultimately leaves you scratching your head. With a narrative this complex and multilayered, the film desperately needed to come together like clockwork and to end with a bang in order to really resonate. And I'm not sure if Shutter Island really pulls that off. Still, it definitely has its moments.

My Grade: B+


- Okay, just about made it through another Monday. Stay tuned for thoughts on 24, and much more.

LOST Latest Episode - Reviewed: Is That All You've Got?

LOST:

- Okay, it's going to be difficult to talk about last night's episode of Lost. Because I am of two minds about it. Here's the thing: there were a lot of cool scenes / moments in this one. That's pretty much guaranteed when you have an episode that focuses in on perhaps the two best characters in the Lost pantheon - Locke and Sawyer - who also happen to be played by probably the show's two best and most charismatic actors. Terry O'Quinn was awesome, as always, in this ep. He sold every story beat like a champ. And he played two completely different characters with relative ease - alterna-timeline Locke, and possessed-by-the-man-in-black Locke. O'Quinn has always been the MVP of Lost, and he proved it again in last night's ep, bringing genuine emotion and pathos to the flash-sideways storyline of a still-wheelchair-bound version of Locke who was coming to grips with his own limitations. In this reality, the Locke who screamed "Don't tell me what I can't do!" in "Walkabout" had begun to lose some of his conviction. He came back from his Australia trip dejected, a beaten man. He's fired from his job and can't summon the nerve to call up Dr. Jack Shephard for a spinal consultation. He's engaged to Katey Segal, but has convinced himself that she has to suffer through his handicap. For longtime Lost fans, none of these themes were anything knew. This is familiar territory in terms of Locke's backstory. But again, O'Quinn sells it, and makes it all interesting and compelling one more time.

We saw something similar occur back on the island. I was pretty ambivalent about the overarching storyline involving Not Locke and his cosmic chess match with Jacob. But, I did get a kick out of Sawyer going back to his old, rebellious ways. Seeing the return of Sawyer: cowboy antihero was fun, as was seeing him act snarky and cavalier in the face of a powerful and potentially evil supernatural entity. I liked the little hints of Indiana Jones-style adventure - the precarious ladder-climb down a steep cliff, for example. But again ... all of that was cool, but, I am beginning to worry that the big-picture stuff is in just as precarious a position as Sawyer on that rickety rope ladder.

I just wonder whether the show is really beginning to collapse under the weight of its years of mysteries and mythology. I mean, I really only wanted two things from this final season. One: a huge, epic sense of scope and adventure as characters clashed and plotlines intersected - I wanted big stakes and big moments. Secondly, I wanted answers that didn't necessarilly answer *everything*, but that tied together the themes of the series in a manner worthy of the best Twilight Zone twist endings. with a few jaw-dropping, mind-bending moments thrown in for good measure. So far, I don't feel like Lost is urgently racing towards a giant-sized and epic conclusion. I feel like it's throwing a bunch of stuff at us that is pretty out-of-left-field. Just when the show should be tightening the screws, it feels like the plotline just keeps getting wider and looser. The sideways flashes feel like yet another opportunity to examine these characters, most of which have already been psychoanalyzed to death. The Jacob stuff just feels deflated from what it once was. It almost feels like the writers now have to be intentionally cautious about revealing story info simply because they know that the story they've worked out is nothing all that mind-blowing. Two cosmic entities playing a life-size game of chess with real people as pawns? That's what this all boils down to? And if that's the route you're going to go, at least make us feel like we are really in the presence of gods wielding awesome levels of power and knowledge. Instead, it's just a dude who looks like Locke battling for the fate of the universe with a blonde guy who looks like your average generic TV actor.

I just want a sense of grandeur, a sense that business is picking up, that five years of twists and turns have all led up to THIS defining, climactic moment. And yet, I'm still waiting for Lost's final season to deliver its first truly great episode. This was a really well-done ep taken on its own terms, a solid B+ and a big improvement over last week's ep ... but as a key chapter in the final volume of LOST? ... I want an A-level episode, and I feel like saying "come on, is that all you got?"

My Grade: B+

All-Star Jammin' - NBA Thoughts, 24~!, and More!

Well, back from a long weekend and back to the grind. This week is going to be slightly crazy. My parents were supposed to have flown into LA from the east coast *last* week, but due to the snowstorm over there (well, morel ike fear of a snowstorm - turns out it wasn't actually much of a storm), their flight was cancelled. They rescheduled the trip, and now they'll be here Tuesday through Sunday. Good times.

Anyways, it was a fun three-day weekend, and I felt like I got the chance to both relax and be productive. On Friday, I hit up the famous "Friday Night Live" event at Temple Sinai in West LA, for the first time ever. Basically, it's a Shabbat service followed by a gigantic gathering of Jewish young adults for basically a giant reception/party/schmoozefest. It was fun, I ran into some Birthright Israel peeps, and it was cool to see so many young Jews in one place. It definitely felt like the place to be.

Meanwhile, it was a huge weekend for sports. The Olympics in Vancouver kicked off in grand fashion, with an interesting opening ceremonies. Even more exciting for me though was NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND. I caught all of the various events and festivities, and as always it was a lot of fun to see the NBA's best square off in the three point shoot-out, the dunk-contest, and the All-Star game itself.

Still, there was no denying that this year's dunk contest was flat-out weak. In the last few years, guys like Dwight Howard have helped to bring some excitement back to the show - so much so that rumors swirled that big guns like LeBron or Dwayne Wade might enter the fray this year. Instead, the oppositte occurred. Dwight Howard dropped out, and the contestants were mostly no-names. Past winner Nate Robinson won basically by default, and the crowd was never all that into the whole thing. So I say: the NBA needs to do something to get the game's biggest names back in the contest. Throw in some veterans, some newbies ... hell, get that D-League guy who apparently did a 720 in the D-League dunk contest. But this year's dunk contest was, undeniably, a let-down.

The rest of All-Star Saturday Night was fun - the best part is always the celebratory atmosphere, and the TNT crew always seems to have a blast calling the event. As is often the case with TNT's NBA coverage, half the fun is just watching the banter between Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Reggie Miller, Ernie Johnson, etc. I will say - I got a kick out of Paul Pierce of the Celtics pulling off the surprise win in the 3-Point Shootout, and then declaring himself one of the "best shooters of all-time." Wow. Hey, the guy doesn't hold back, got to respect that - right?

The actual All-Star Game on Sunday was actually one of the better games in a while - a close game that was competitive but still had dozens of jaw-dropping highlights. It was strange not having Shaq in the game - he's practically been Mr. All-Star Game for years now - but it was also fun to see some of the newer guys, like Deron Williams and Rajon Rondo - step up. And of course, between LeBron, D-Wade, and Dwight Howard, there were plenty of human-highlight-reel moments. Typically, The All-Star Game is when I start to really get into the NBA season and start to pay closer attention to the standings and big matchups. So yeah, I'm excited to see how this NBA season plays out - it's going to be interesting.


And now, some TV reviews ...


TWENTY-BY-GOD-FOUR (24):

- Well, this week's ep was definitely more fun than last week's. But, the same basic problems still persist - whenever Jack is kicking ass, things are good. But just about every other character and subplot is really tanking. Some are boring (everything with Hassan and his daughter), and some are just plain cringe-worthy (Dana Walsh and her redneck stalker). The Dana Walsh storyline sometimes threatens to be so-bad-it's-good - I mean, her stalker's dumbass friend grabbing his cellphone and calling Dana a bitch - well, that was sort of funny. But, the storyline as a whole is just terrible, and worse, it lessens the intensity of the main nuke plot. I mean, if Dana, one of CTU's top operatives, runs away from her desk to deal with this other stuff like every two minutes, then it can't be *that* urgent, can it?

Speaking of urgency, 24 thrives when there is a sense of urgency and desperation driving the action. Even if this is the show's ninth season, we still need a reason why these characters are going full speed ahead for 24 straight hours. This episode was frustrating in that regard, because there were a couple of instances where characters like The President, Hassan, Renee, and maybe even Jack would, under normal circumstances, call it a day and go home. So far, the plotline on 24 is relatively low-key compared to what Jack and co have dealt with in the past. No one is really in danger yet - all that's at stake is a peace deal that seemed to be on somewhat shaky ground to begin with. The problem then becomes that we don't really get invested in the plot week to week - we just tune in to see what kind of badass, violent thing Jack will do next. I mean, it used to be that most of Jack's big "holy-$#%&" moments were at least somewhat organic to the plot and context of the story. Time was running out, the clock was ticking, etc.

That said, there were some scenes in this ep that definitely brought the awesome. Jack escaping from his torturous predicament was a classic moment of Jack Bauer Power. Same goes for Jack's under-the-table gun battle with the Russian crime boss. Jack went hardcore and put that Commie right through a table. Great stuff. And the following scenes were great as well - with Jack casually syncing up with the President. I mean, how many people not named Jack Bauer can hand you a cell phone and be like "dude, it's the President of the United States." More gravitas-infused moments like this, please.

Ultimately, this season of 24 just needs something to give it that extra dose of energy. Really, Renee's psychotic / violent breakdown is the only real storyline with any bite so far this season. The actual threat - nuclear rods loose in the USA - is nothing special. Jack has no real personal stake in the mission - he's basically just there because he's a workaholic who can't seem to stay retired. And the political intrigue is basically non-existent. And geez, where's Aaron Pierce?!?!

It's easy to get distracted by an episode that has a couple of kickass moments of vintage Bauer awesomeness. But ... business still needs to pick up soon to help salvage this season.

My Grade: B


SMALLVILLE:

- Man, the "Absolute Justice" episode of Smallville was so good ... it was hard going back to "normal" Smallville in its wake. Luckily, this past Friday's episode was an above-average effort. Not in the same league (no pun intended) as the previous week's stellar effort, but still, a fun little adventure. I mean, hey, I will never complain about live-action Zatanna, and it was cool seeing the fishnet-clad master of magic back for another appearance. This ep was much better, actually, than Z's first appearance. It was a more light-hearted ep, but it was fun. This one started off in the midst of a Comic-Con style comic book convention, with Lois and Clark on the scene for the Planet. But when a young boy steals a rare comic - a rare comic that also happened to be cursed - he undergoes a magical transformation similar to the hero of the comic book in question - morphing from unassuming boy to superpowered man. The episode has some fun with the Captain Marvel-style shenanigans, even having Chloe fall for the new mystery man-who-also-happens-to-really-be-a-boy. There were some nice Zatanna moments (including a playful seduction scene with Clark), and some cool homages to Captain Marvel and Miracleman in the storyline, which saw the boy-turned-hero begin to snap thanks to the overwhelming influence of the cursed comic. Still, while the ep was fun, it was also pretty cheesy in parts. I wish Smallville would have followed up on "Absolute Justice" by doing a definitive Zatanna ep, that really took Clark on a journey into the world of magic that the character embodies. Plus, this was another in a loooong line of Smallville eps where the plot is predicated on mistaken identity and people not being who they appear to be. After all the cool twists and turns in the previous week's epic episode, it was a bit frustrating to see Smallville go back to the well yet again.

My Grade: B


FOX SUNDAY NIGHT Reviews:

- THE SIMPSONS has one of those episodes that was saved from being a total dud thanks to several jokes that hit the mark. In this ep, the Simpsons travelled to the Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver, after Homer and Marge join with Skinner and Agnes to form a Curling team. Of course, Homer ends up being the weak link in the team, causing a rift between him and the rest of the squad. Meanwhile, Lisa gets Olympic pin-collecting fever. So, yeah, the plotlines in this one were pretty predictable and basically old-hat to longtime Simpsons fans. But, the episode managed to get in some pretty good Canada jokes, and featured a nice cameo role for Bob Costas, who was clearly very game. These various moments of inspired comedy helped save an otherwise forgettable ep.

My Grade: B-

- FAMILY GUY had some funny moments in an ep that is sure to be somewhat controversial, in which Chris tries to win the affections of a girl with down-syndrome. The ep had some pretty good cutaway gags and consistent laughs throughout, though few if any moments of true hilarity. Still, this was probably the most solid comedy of the night overall, and the ep felt more focused and less ADD than some other recent FG installments.

My Grade: B

- THE CLEVELAND SHOW had a pretty strange ep. The main plotline, with Cleveland's friend beginning to date a mousy woman who turns out to be mean and violent, well, it was alright but never fully clicked. And the subplot with Cleveland Jr. swallong Rollo's fish and acting as if he were pregnant ... just weird. There were some pretty funny moments though sprinkled throughout the half-hour - the climactic fight scene between Cleveland's wife and the mousy girl-turned-enforcer was pretty funny, for one.

My Grade: B-


THURSDAY COMEDY Rundown:

- It's kind of amazing ... over the last couple of weeks, somehow, the first hour of NBC Thursday night comedy has eclipsed the second. Community, which I was lukewarm about at first, is now really starting to fire on all cylinders. Parks and Recreation went from having a questionable first season to having a stellar Season 2. In fact, over the last few weeks, Parks has been so good, well, it just might have become the funniest show on television. The show has managed to combine sharp humor with surprising realism and heart. The ensemble cast is really gelling. And the show's never been funnier. This past week's Valentine's episode was another excellent installment. I thought 30 Rock and The Office were pretty good but not great this week, but I just wanted to give a shout-out to Parks & Rec - if you haven't watched yet, give it a shot.


- Okay, I'm out for now. Back soon with thoughts on LOST.