Best moment of the series (so far!).
1.30.2010
LOST Observation #24
It's so funny to hear it all spelled out like this.
(From "The Lie")
HURLEY: Okay. See, we did crash, but it was on this crazy island. And we waited for rescue, and there wasn't any rescue. And there was a smoke monster, and then there were other people on the island. We called them the Others, and they started attacking us. And we found some hatches, and there was a button you had to push every 108 minutes or... well, I was never really clear on that. But... the Others didn't have anything to do with the hatches. That was the DHARMA Initiative. The Others killed them, and now they're trying to kill us. And then we teamed up with the Others because some worse people were coming on a freighter. Desmond's girlfriend's father sent them to kill us. So we stole their helicopter and we flew it to their freighter, but it blew up. And we couldn't go back to the island because it disappeared, so then we crashed into the ocean, and we floated there for a while until a boat came and picked us up. And by then, there were six of us. That part was true.
(From "The Lie")
HURLEY: Okay. See, we did crash, but it was on this crazy island. And we waited for rescue, and there wasn't any rescue. And there was a smoke monster, and then there were other people on the island. We called them the Others, and they started attacking us. And we found some hatches, and there was a button you had to push every 108 minutes or... well, I was never really clear on that. But... the Others didn't have anything to do with the hatches. That was the DHARMA Initiative. The Others killed them, and now they're trying to kill us. And then we teamed up with the Others because some worse people were coming on a freighter. Desmond's girlfriend's father sent them to kill us. So we stole their helicopter and we flew it to their freighter, but it blew up. And we couldn't go back to the island because it disappeared, so then we crashed into the ocean, and we floated there for a while until a boat came and picked us up. And by then, there were six of us. That part was true.
1.26.2010
Rosemary's Baby
The most effective part, for me, was thinking about 90% of the way through, "Wait... maybe she's crazy."
1.25.2010
LOST Observation #20
Why is Ethan, the Others' best surgeon (according to Ben), fixing Juliet's plumbing (or whatever) as Oceanic 815 is about to crash?
1.23.2010
Breathless
I finished the second of 15 books on my list -- Dean Koontz's "Breathless." He's one of my favorite authors, but his books are all over the place sometimes. Some I love, some I like and some I have a hard time getting through.
Of those three categories, I'd say this fell into the "books I like." The book tells seemingly four or five tales, all revolving around a different main character. With about 40 pages left, I was trying to figure out how he was going to wrap everything up. He did so, but it seemed almost like he was telling two or three stories linked loosely with a common theme. This isn't to say it was bad, but I was almost anticipating everyone coming together and meeting, more so than in the way it happened.
It's not bad. It's not nearly the worst of his that I've read -- but it's also nowhere near the best. I'd give it a solid 7 out of 10.
Of those three categories, I'd say this fell into the "books I like." The book tells seemingly four or five tales, all revolving around a different main character. With about 40 pages left, I was trying to figure out how he was going to wrap everything up. He did so, but it seemed almost like he was telling two or three stories linked loosely with a common theme. This isn't to say it was bad, but I was almost anticipating everyone coming together and meeting, more so than in the way it happened.
It's not bad. It's not nearly the worst of his that I've read -- but it's also nowhere near the best. I'd give it a solid 7 out of 10.
1.22.2010
LOST Observation #19
Why I love Rose and Bernard (from "Through the Looking Glass"):
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROSE: If I told you that I'd help you with your SOS sign, would you change your mind?
BERNARD: No ma'am.
ROSE: Then I want you to say it again.
BERNARD: Rose...
ROSE: Say it, Bernard.
BERNARD: I am a dentist. I am not Rambo.
ROSE: And don't you forget it.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ROSE: If I told you that I'd help you with your SOS sign, would you change your mind?
BERNARD: No ma'am.
ROSE: Then I want you to say it again.
BERNARD: Rose...
ROSE: Say it, Bernard.
BERNARD: I am a dentist. I am not Rambo.
ROSE: And don't you forget it.
1.21.2010
Critter Crunch
Critter Crunch, on the PSN, is a great game. I think it's only $7 yet it's given me at least ten hours of game time. Good value, good fun, good looks. There are three modes which add to the fun -- adventure, challenge and puzzle.
I finished all of the challenges last night. While I enjoyed them, there was something that Critter Crunch does that a lot of other video games do too, which bothers me: some challenges ask you to do things that go against the spirit of the game. For instance, spitting a small critter into the mouth of a medium critter that is below a large critter creates a food chain (small into medium into big). One of the final challenges asks you to fill your meter (aka complete the level) without creating a food chain. While that is a challenge, yes, it requires you to play the game in a way other than how it was meant to be played.
And I don't like it.
I finished all of the challenges last night. While I enjoyed them, there was something that Critter Crunch does that a lot of other video games do too, which bothers me: some challenges ask you to do things that go against the spirit of the game. For instance, spitting a small critter into the mouth of a medium critter that is below a large critter creates a food chain (small into medium into big). One of the final challenges asks you to fill your meter (aka complete the level) without creating a food chain. While that is a challenge, yes, it requires you to play the game in a way other than how it was meant to be played.
And I don't like it.
LOST Observation #18
I'm sure countless others have noticed this, but MITTELOS BIOSCIENCES, the company that recruits Juliet, is an anagram for LOST TIME.
1.20.2010
LOST Observation #17
One of the best quotes in the series:
BEN: "No, John, unfortunately we don't have a code for 'There's a man in my closet with a gun to my daughter's head.' Although we obviously should."
BEN: "No, John, unfortunately we don't have a code for 'There's a man in my closet with a gun to my daughter's head.' Although we obviously should."
1.18.2010
LOST Observation #16
Season 3 is far, far better (in my eyes) than the first two seasons. There's a three episode stretch -- "Not in Portland," "Flashes Before Our Eyes" and "Stranger in a Strange Land" -- that is phenomenal.
We're introduced to Alpert, we learn Juliet's back story, we hear Jacob's name mentioned twice (Danny says it and we see it on the screen as Carl gets brainwashed), we meet Eloise Hawking and we're introduced to time travel (via an incredible Desmond episode). All in three episodes!
Also, we learn Charlie's middle name is Hieronymous. Which is just awesome.
We're introduced to Alpert, we learn Juliet's back story, we hear Jacob's name mentioned twice (Danny says it and we see it on the screen as Carl gets brainwashed), we meet Eloise Hawking and we're introduced to time travel (via an incredible Desmond episode). All in three episodes!
Also, we learn Charlie's middle name is Hieronymous. Which is just awesome.
LOST Observation #15
Alex is one of my favorite characters. I wish we got to know her more. She's spunky.
LOST Observation #14
Mr. Eko's Death
Right before he dies, Eko sees Yemi. After Eko tells Yemi he has nothing to ask forgiveness for, that everything he did was justified, Yemi says, "You speak to me as if I were your brother."
Why would he say that? I have two theories. The first, which seems less likely, is that it was actually Yemi, who felt Eko definitely needed to repent, so when he said he didn't, he gave up on Eko.
The other theory is that the incarnations of people on the Island who aren't actually there -- Yemi, Christian, fake Locke, etc. -- are incarnations of the man in black from the Season 5 finale. Perhaps he was testing Eko. The question, then, is whether or not Eko passed or failed. Did passing mean living? Or did he pass and therefore die?
That's less important, though, than Eko's final encounter with the Smoke Monster. Smokie approached him twice, leaving Eko alive both times. The second time, Smokie leaves after Eko grabs his prayer club. Is Smokie afraid of religion? When he does kill Eko, Eko no longer has his prayer club.
If the man in black is the devil, and Jacob is God, and if Smokie works for the man in black, perhaps religion is enough to ward Smokie off (which would also explain why Locke, a faithful man, was spared).
Or -- and this would be trippy -- if Jacob is the devil and the man in black is God, perhaps Eko was smote for not repenting.
Right before he dies, Eko sees Yemi. After Eko tells Yemi he has nothing to ask forgiveness for, that everything he did was justified, Yemi says, "You speak to me as if I were your brother."
Why would he say that? I have two theories. The first, which seems less likely, is that it was actually Yemi, who felt Eko definitely needed to repent, so when he said he didn't, he gave up on Eko.
The other theory is that the incarnations of people on the Island who aren't actually there -- Yemi, Christian, fake Locke, etc. -- are incarnations of the man in black from the Season 5 finale. Perhaps he was testing Eko. The question, then, is whether or not Eko passed or failed. Did passing mean living? Or did he pass and therefore die?
That's less important, though, than Eko's final encounter with the Smoke Monster. Smokie approached him twice, leaving Eko alive both times. The second time, Smokie leaves after Eko grabs his prayer club. Is Smokie afraid of religion? When he does kill Eko, Eko no longer has his prayer club.
If the man in black is the devil, and Jacob is God, and if Smokie works for the man in black, perhaps religion is enough to ward Smokie off (which would also explain why Locke, a faithful man, was spared).
Or -- and this would be trippy -- if Jacob is the devil and the man in black is God, perhaps Eko was smote for not repenting.
LOST Observation #13
My favorite part about Jack, Kate and Sawyer being captured is that Nikki and Paulo play a far larger role in the show.
1.16.2010
LOST Observation #12
I finished re-watching Season Two this morning. After I watched it through the first time, I liked the first season more than the second. On second viewing, though, I like the first better -- except when Mr. Eko interacts with the original survivors, especially Locke. He's an excellent addition to their crew. I'll be sad to see him go... again.
1.15.2010
LOST Observation #11
In Season 2, Episode 17 ("Dave"), how does no one notice they're running over Dharma Cheerios and ranch dressing en route to the supply drop? I have more trouble buying into this than anything else so far on this show.
LOST Observation #10
I love Ben, and now that we've met Henry Gale, I can love all these scenes that I never really knew what to think about before. This one is one of my favorites. (The embedded video starts playing at the 5:55 mark.)
LOST Observation #8
Everyone on this island knows how to knock someone else out with one swift blow to the head. Is it really that easy?
LOST Observation #7
Waaaaaay back in Season 2, Episode 13 ("The Long Con"), Hurley makes a time travel joke. Spooky! It's like he's... from the future. Like, the season five future.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Sayid fixes the signal on Bernard's radio)
HURLEY: Whoa, you hear how clear that is? It's got to be close, right?
SAYID: Radio waves at this frequency bounce off the ionosphere. They can travel thousands of miles. It could be coming from anywhere.
HURLEY: Or, anytime. -- Just kidding, dude.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Sayid fixes the signal on Bernard's radio)
HURLEY: Whoa, you hear how clear that is? It's got to be close, right?
SAYID: Radio waves at this frequency bounce off the ionosphere. They can travel thousands of miles. It could be coming from anywhere.
HURLEY: Or, anytime. -- Just kidding, dude.
1.14.2010
LOST Observation #6
Here's my favorite scene from the first 30 episodes of LOST. It comes at the end of Season 2, Episode 4: "Everybody Hates Hugo." I like seeing Hurley get some closure, but I REALLY love Bernard's relief -- I love him and Rose.
1.13.2010
LOST Observation #5
Mr. Eko has the single greatest introduction of any character -- coming in, club blazing, smashing Sawyer upside the head.
LOST Observation #2
Also, while watching through a second time, I like Locke way more and Jack and Kate way less. I guess the first time through, I liked Jack and Kate because they're sort of forced down your throat -- why shouldn't you like the stars? But now Jack seems whiny and hot-headed, while Kate seems just sort of crazy. Locke is far more level-headed this time around. I just wonder how that will hold up when we meet Ben (my favorite character, alongside Alpert, as well as Locke's mortal enemy).
LOST Observation #1
I should have started documenting these when I began re-watching the series, but here's a big one: it's incredible how quickly Michael jumps to conclusions. As soon as something goes wrong, he targets someone for blame. No wonder I don't like him.
1.12.2010
Jennifer's Body
One of the films on that list that I wasn't expecting much from (and I got what I expected) was Jennifer's Body. I really loved Juno, but I was still skeptical of Diablo Cody's follow-up (even though I like horror more than comedy, or rom-com, or teen comedy, or whatever Juno would be classified as).
Anyway, one of the biggest shortcomings in my eyes was that I had to reference Urban Dictionary four times and rolled my eyes at least 17 other times (yeah, I counted) at corny or just plain weird lines. What were they, you ask?!
lesbi-gay
"hey monistat"
"hey vagisil"
"extra salty" / salty morsels
front butt
jello -- lime green jello
hello titty
try a sea cucumber
"cheese and fries"
to buff your situation
shutties
MoveOn.org, Needy
freaktarded
tragedy boner
wetty
nice hardware, ace
pluggin'
Anyway, one of the biggest shortcomings in my eyes was that I had to reference Urban Dictionary four times and rolled my eyes at least 17 other times (yeah, I counted) at corny or just plain weird lines. What were they, you ask?!
lesbi-gay
"hey monistat"
"hey vagisil"
"extra salty" / salty morsels
front butt
jello -- lime green jello
hello titty
try a sea cucumber
"cheese and fries"
to buff your situation
shutties
MoveOn.org, Needy
freaktarded
tragedy boner
wetty
nice hardware, ace
pluggin'
Ranking 2009 in Film
Here's a continuation of that last post, with my favorites to my least favorites of what I've seen so far:
1 Black Dynamite
2 Inglourious Basterds
3 Up
4 Drag Me to Hell
5 Zombieland
6 Watchmen
7 District 9
8 Star Trek
9 Taken
10 Whip It
11 500 Days of Summer
12 9
13 Extract
14 Coraline
15 Great Buck Howard
16 Paranormal Activity
17 Hangover
18 Jennifer's Body
19 Terminator Salvation
20 Bruno
21 My Bloody Valentine
1 Black Dynamite
2 Inglourious Basterds
3 Up
4 Drag Me to Hell
5 Zombieland
6 Watchmen
7 District 9
8 Star Trek
9 Taken
10 Whip It
11 500 Days of Summer
12 9
13 Extract
14 Coraline
15 Great Buck Howard
16 Paranormal Activity
17 Hangover
18 Jennifer's Body
19 Terminator Salvation
20 Bruno
21 My Bloody Valentine
2009 in Film
Fifty movies came out in 2009 that I want to see at some point. I've only seen 21 so far, but many of them aren't out on DVD yet. The ones I've seen are:
9
500 Days of Summer
Black Dynamite
Bruno
Coraline
District 9
Drag Me to Hell
Extract
Great Buck Howard
Hangover
Inglourious Basterds
Jennifer's Body
My Bloody Valentine
Paranormal Activity
Star Trek
Taken
Terminator Salvation
Up
Watchmen
Whip It
Zombieland
I still would like to see:
12
Adventureland
Avatar
Brothers
Dead Snow
Duplicity
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Funny People
Hurt Locker
Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Knowing
Last House on the Left
Lovely Bones
Me and Orson Welles
Men Who Stare at Goats
Moon
New York, I Love You
Nine
Observe and Report
Pirate Radio
Ponyo
Public Enemies
Road
Sherlock Holmes
Shorts
Sunshine Cleaning
The Informant!
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are
9
500 Days of Summer
Black Dynamite
Bruno
Coraline
District 9
Drag Me to Hell
Extract
Great Buck Howard
Hangover
Inglourious Basterds
Jennifer's Body
My Bloody Valentine
Paranormal Activity
Star Trek
Taken
Terminator Salvation
Up
Watchmen
Whip It
Zombieland
I still would like to see:
12
Adventureland
Avatar
Brothers
Dead Snow
Duplicity
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Funny People
Hurt Locker
Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus
Knowing
Last House on the Left
Lovely Bones
Me and Orson Welles
Men Who Stare at Goats
Moon
New York, I Love You
Nine
Observe and Report
Pirate Radio
Ponyo
Public Enemies
Road
Sherlock Holmes
Shorts
Sunshine Cleaning
The Informant!
Up in the Air
Where the Wild Things Are
1.01.2010
Eating the Dinosaur
I finished the first of my 15 books off my "To Read" list. Chuck Klosterman's "Eating the Dinosaur" was good -- so good, in fact, that I blew through it in five or six hours.
As much as I enjoyed it, and as easy and fun as it was for me to read, it seemed decidedly different from his other essay collections. It seemed less fun, almost, and more contemplative. Instead of getting essays where he compares his former lovers to members of KISS, we get essays about why people bother talking to journalists at all. This isn't to say that the new content is less interesting in any way, but simply different.
It's definitely worth checking out. I loved the little interview snippets between the essays. I loved his essay on the NFL. He's basically the type of writer I'd very much like to be, both in style and in content. Here's to hoping I take a step in that direction.
As much as I enjoyed it, and as easy and fun as it was for me to read, it seemed decidedly different from his other essay collections. It seemed less fun, almost, and more contemplative. Instead of getting essays where he compares his former lovers to members of KISS, we get essays about why people bother talking to journalists at all. This isn't to say that the new content is less interesting in any way, but simply different.
It's definitely worth checking out. I loved the little interview snippets between the essays. I loved his essay on the NFL. He's basically the type of writer I'd very much like to be, both in style and in content. Here's to hoping I take a step in that direction.
My Top 25 Albums of the 2000s
I have way too much music, and way too much from this decade. There's a ton I have that I've never listened to, a ton more that I have that I love that didn't make this list. After these 25, there was a definite difference in how good I thought they were, though, which is why I ended it here.
25 Mastodon - Crack the Skye
24 Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
23 Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
22 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
21 Feist - The Reminder
20 Muse - The Resistance
19 Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
18 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
17 Eminem - Relapse
16 Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
15 Beck - Sea Change
14 Beck - Guero
13 Cake - Comfort Eagle
12 Beck - Modern Guilt
11 Radiohead - In Rainbows
10 Eminem - The Eminem Show
9 Muse - Origin of Symmetry
8 Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
7 Bang Camaro - Bang Camaro
6 Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
5 Girl Talk - Night Ripper
4 Radiohead - Kid A
3 Coldplay - Viva La Vida
2 Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
1 Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
There are some albums, including ones by the White Stripes and Strokes, which I want to listen to more. As the decade came to a close, these were my favorite albums from what I had heard.
25 Mastodon - Crack the Skye
24 Lady Gaga - The Fame Monster
23 Nine Inch Nails - Ghosts I-IV
22 Red Hot Chili Peppers - Stadium Arcadium
21 Feist - The Reminder
20 Muse - The Resistance
19 Lily Allen - It's Not Me, It's You
18 Animal Collective - Merriweather Post Pavilion
17 Eminem - Relapse
16 Girl Talk - Feed the Animals
15 Beck - Sea Change
14 Beck - Guero
13 Cake - Comfort Eagle
12 Beck - Modern Guilt
11 Radiohead - In Rainbows
10 Eminem - The Eminem Show
9 Muse - Origin of Symmetry
8 Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights
7 Bang Camaro - Bang Camaro
6 Atmosphere - When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold
5 Girl Talk - Night Ripper
4 Radiohead - Kid A
3 Coldplay - Viva La Vida
2 Queens of the Stone Age - Songs for the Deaf
1 Muse - Black Holes & Revelations
There are some albums, including ones by the White Stripes and Strokes, which I want to listen to more. As the decade came to a close, these were my favorite albums from what I had heard.
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