so i was almost mugged on my way home this past wednesday night, around 10:30pm on argyle and sheridan. i was coming from my friend lucy's house. she lives on glenwood and carmen, about 10 blocks from my house, so about 10-15 minutes on foot.
as i was walking up to argyle's cta station, i noticed a short black guy with a hair pick tucked into his matted up afro, a dirty tank top and something shoved in his back pocket with his tank pulled down over it so it looked like a box was sticking out from his left ass cheek. my 'dar signaled me to be aware. he seemed to be pacing in front of the station but he eventually stopped to sit by the empty storefront after the alley that borders the cta rail line. as i walked up, he was staring at me pretty hard and as soon as i walked past him, he got up and started walking. he was trailing behind me by 3 feet so i hurried up to catch up with some mexican guy who had come out of the cta station a few moments before i had passed it. but nappy 'fro in a tank top matched my pace and kept the 3 feet distance. eventually, my mexican friend turned left onto winthrop.
shit, what do i do now?
i crossed the intersection of argyle and winthrop to the south side of the street, thinking that was the test to make sure if he was following me. i mean, this could just be in my head, right? i turned to look behind me. yep, he was right behind me.
once on the south side of argyle, i slowed down to keep the older, and obviously tipsy, black guy smoking a cigarette walking west towards me in my line of sight. but once i passed him and got to kenmore, i decided to cross back to the north side of argyle because there was a couple walking up the block. my tank top wearing friend followed. the couple i spied were two drunk and laughing riff-raff types, a middle-aged white woman and black man, walking west up the street from sheridan. i figured i was still safe; they even stopped him to talk. but he really didn't want to talk to them because when i turned around to look, i saw he was watching me as i walked towards sheridan.
at this point, i considered going to big chicks to wait a bit or call MCL to come pick me up. but something inside of me said, "no! you're going home!" (good thing i had liquor courage from being tipsy, damnit! oh yea, i kinda forgot to mention i'd had a drink or two. i wasn't drunk tho.). so i crossed over to the south side of the street to walk to the corner of sheridan.
at the southwest corner of sheridan and argyle, there is a lamp post, some newspaper kiosks and about 5 feet further south, a bus stop. then it's a desert until you get to ainslie street - poor lighting, no open businesses, an empty parking lot, an empty parcel of land, a dark, tree-covered park: a real wasteland. but i had turned the corner and left him behind mid-block with the drunk couple on argyle. something told me to look back before i passed the bus stop; i needed to know if i was safe to run or if i was just plain crazy for considering trying to get through the "wasteland."
but when i turned back, there he was, turning the corner and walking pretty fast towards me. a lot of shit started going through my mind and i realized i was scared. i turned around to walk past the bus stop, but i got bold. i turned around and stopped. he stopped. for a few seconds, we stared at each other until i finally said, "what?!" all pissy like -pretty funny in retrospect. i mean, i CHALLENGED him. wtf was i thinking?
that's when he ran for me.
this is where it gets crazy, my mind came up with two options: dig my heels into the ground and fucking swat this motherfucker with my bag as hard as i can or run into traffic (mind's dialogue: do you want to get attacked or go to the hospital? either way, you'll end up in the hospital! fuck it, you have insurance! run into traffic!). there wasn't a lot of traffic but cars were passing here and there. there was a huge van with blacked out windows parked between the bus stop and the empty parking lot. as he ran for me, i ran around to the other side of the van so any oncoming traffic would see us if he were truly going to attack me.
luckily, a cabbie had seen me turn to confront the guy, saw him run for me and then turn back around when i ran into the road. he had slowed down to see what was happening and stopped to ask me what was going on.
i explained to the cabbie the guy had been following me for three blocks, was about to go for me but that i ran into traffic. i told him i lived 3 blocks down sheridan road. he offered to drive me home and he really pressed me to call the police. thank you, whatever higher powers are out there for making him notice what was happening.
when i got home, i was on an adrenaline high and shaking. i told MCL what had happened. MCL immediately got dressed, saying, "i want to go take a walk in the neighborhood to meet some people," all vigilante-style with the dog. i told him not to confront anyone and i didn't want him starting shit with the wrong person. MCL did go out and walked over to sheridan but he said it was a ghost town .thank god too because he was pissed. i was afraid he was gonna go do something stupid.
isn't that nuts!?! in all the years i've lived in Chicago, i've walked around at night many, many times, sometimes alone in this city. i never dreamed that something like that could happen. i guess, as tyler durden likes to say, on a long enough time line, anything can happen. this experience was certainly a lesson learned: no more walking around at night by myself.
it's all taxis now.
update:
i realize i was very lucky in this incident. after talking with a few people, there are a few lessons i'd like to share with anyone who cares:
- do not walk alone at night if you are a woman, or a man for that matter.
- be aware. don't listen to your ipod if you have to walk alone at night. there's nothing worse than shutting down your senses in a situation where safety is questionable.
- trust your instincts. you know more than you realize. my instinct was that this guy was casing the people coming out of the argyle el stop, he was looking for someone to mug.
- always go where there are people. in my case, this was near the few people that were on the street and into moving traffic.
- consider carrying pepper spray.
- do not do what i did: confronting him. i was very lucky, but it's just not a good idea to do that. what if he had been bolder than me?
- if you are being followed, enter a business, a convenience store, restaurant, even a bar. i should have gone to Big Chicks instead of insisting on continuing home.
- also, maybe always carry $10 for emergency taxis.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
paris in two days
Paris. Day One
Spent my first day in Paris for the first time in 10 years, maybe more. Every moment was magnificent. Talk about being in the present and actively participating…
While so much has changed and some of the places I loved are no longer there, there are also a few places still there, waiting for me. One such place was Mai Do, my favorite Vietnamese restaurant on the Avenue du Montparnasse. Back in 2000, I must have eaten there at least 3 times a week and I brought EVERY friend in Paris and out of town visitor to eat there. To my surprise, the waitress was still there and recognized me – she even came to say goodbye to us before she left. It turns out she’s now the owner. And the Pho was still tasty.
I looked for the Vampyr chocolate shop and didn’t find it. Either I don’t remember where it is or I do know exactly where it was but it’s now gone. Sad face.
I found a store with the name the French seem to call organic food, Bio Naturelle. It was pretty badass, especially the gluten free section, which had a lot of varied baked goods and flours.
Since it was Friday morning, the farmer’s market was in full swing and I took incredible joy in walking through the stalls, eyeing the fruit, breathing in the smells and listening to the vendors calling out the beauty of their plums and cherries. I saw beautiful honey, cheeses, and fruits; great looking meats, patés en croutes and rotisserie chicken. I smiled at the little, bent over grannies walking with bichon frissées and canes. I stopped at the flower stall and fell in love with all the blooms, electric colours and incredible fragrances. Even the flower vendor was charming in the way only the French know how to be charming when they want to.
I took my café at the Café RuBis, sitting on the terrace, watching the traffic on the avenue. Dads pushing strollers, African grannies walking with bags on rice on their heads, and young, bright things swaggering with youthful beauty. It’s nice to know that there are hipsters everywhere wearing the best of the worst 80’s fashions, even in Paris, France.
I met up with my cousin Muriel, whom I’m very connected to despite not being very good at keeping in touch. We ate at Mai Do, drank tons of coffee, smoked cigarettes, wandered down Avenue du Montparnasse, smelled the roses in Rodin’s garden, contemplated the Gate of Hell, and watched the people around Rodin’s backyard. We talked the whole while without feeling the time fly by.
Dad, always the music junkie, planned an evening at the Jazz Club in the Meridian Hotel off the Etoile with the lovely Miss Candye Cane. A blues singer who seems to me like she could have been the original Suicide Girl, she’s voluptuously corpulent, reveling in her sexuality and loving her general badassery. This woman is so bold that she beat pancreatic cancer and despite her French being pretty rudiementary, wrote and performed songs in French. She sings the praises of fat-bottomed girls, super-sized queens and nice, strong healthy women. Her axeman is a girl who shreds some shit up on stage, Laura Chavez. Her piano player is Sue, whom Romain referred to as the “female Jerry Lee”. Watching three women on stage, play the blues, that’s fucking empowering to watch as a woman.
The only thing that made me sad was that I could not share it with Michael, my best friend.
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Paris. Day Two
My cousin, Severine, and her two sons Lucas and Theo came down to Paris with her mother Didi. It was so nice to see them after all these years, easily 15 years or more. We couldn’t remember the last time we saw each other at all but we enjoyed each other’s company, catching up and sharing everything that’s happened over the last decade.
Lucas is 14 and Theo is 12. Both are really good looking boys, very athletic and smart. They both were full of laughter and questions about music and what life is like in the US. Severine has done really well for herself and seems to be happy with the life she has built with her high school sweetheart, Xavier.
We had lunch at Hippotamus, a steak restaurant chain in France. We went to the Musee Grevin, a house of wax figures. Truth be told, the wax figures were weird and most of the figures were of French stars and celebrities that I didn’t know. Most of them were atrocious and pretty eerie.
We walked around the Avenue Haussman and went to Le Printemps, a French department store. Since it was Saturday, it was absolutely crowded to the point where I couldn’t really take it.
All in all, we spent the whole day together. I got home at about 8. As soon as I walked in the door, Romain told me we had to meet Martine and Laurent at Candelaria, a Mexican restaurant in the 11th district, so I turned right back around to head out with him. The place was really small. I read the blog post Romain had sent me and it mentioned there weren’t many tables. What it failed to mention was that the restaurant only had ONE table.
The food was not to Romain’s liking. He wanted Tex Mex, which is beyond me, really. I hate TexMex, it’s a bastardization of Mexican food. To be fair, TexMex cuisine has it’s place for the right time – like when you’re in Texas at a family BBQ. Only white Texans eat Frito Pie and Rotel Dip, or deep fried burritos smothered in watered down red sauce and cream. I’ve never known a self respecting Texas Mexican to eat that kind of stuff. While I enjoyed the food at Candelaria and found it be “real” Mexican, complete with the pickled red cabbage and onions, Romain was disappointed. Also, I think we didn’t receive all the food I’d ordered.
On the way home, Romain drove me around Paris to see the Pantheon. I don’t think I’ve ever set foot near there, I didn’t even know what it was. Turns out all the French heroes - literary, political, academic, scientific, etc - are buried there. We drove through the Latin Quarter and I gaped at architecture. The best part of Paris is the architecture, an amalgam of every period and style hunched together. We passed a church, the St. Jacques, which Romain told me was built by and for the Templars. The myriads of gargoyles were mind-blowingly ugly and magnificent at the same time.
When I got home, despite being dirty, sweaty and uncomfortable, I couldn’t even think about showering. All I could think about was my bed. As I fell asleep, the rains came down, softly and then harder, cooling everything down and singing a wet song of nature.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Rest in peace, dear Friend: For Paul Wildermuth
Spending the day at Paul and Patience's house today, I saw how many people loved Paul. I imagine all the people who loved him is actually 5,000 times that. Everyone who showed up today said they admired his dedication to food, that he was a mentor and the reason they did what they did was because of Paul. And they all said the same thing: I loved him. But it was easy to love Paul.
I first met Paul at Opera, when my then-boyfriend and his best friend who was also a chef, went to try the vegan/vegetarian menu. My then-boyfriend was vegan and I was entertaining the concept of converting to veganism. Opera got a lot of buzz for the vegan offerings and we decided to have a go. The food was delicious and when we met Paul briefly, we told him so. But it was mostly Joshua who spoke with him. I was struck by how friendly and humble Paul was. He thanked us for coming and asked us to come again.
About two years later, I was single and definitely not vegan. I met Paul again through my parents, but not before meeting his "better half" Patience Hayes, a real, honest-to-God Southern Belle. He and Patience had bought a condo in the building my parents lived in. Patience and my mother became immediate friends, bonding over food and cats. At the time, Paul and Patience had just lost a cat - this cat had been Paul’s cat. My mother, a fanatical feline devotee, had traveled back from Michigan with a white and grey kitten especially for Paul. His name was Brutus.
I met Patience in the backyard of the 1434-1436 condo in the middle of summer 2006, a few days after Brutus had been brought home to Paul. Patience came down with Brutus, who was passed around, cuddling with everyone sitting at the table. Patience was long, lean and beautiful; full of laughter and light. I loved her instantly; I could tell she was my tribe. When Paul finally came down, it was late and we'd been drinking wine and smoking cigarettes for hours, talking and enjoying the mid-summer evening. Paul was again warm and kind, and when I told him I’d met him two years before at Opera, he told me, you should come down to the restaurant, I’ll treat you to an amazing dinner. That was the first of many feasts of beautiful food crafted by Paul’s hands.
Over the years, he treated me to some of the MOST amazing dinners I was lucky enough to enjoy, including a Thanksgiving dinner in the middle of nowheresville, MI with my parents and Patience. I was also lucky enough to experience the incredible power of Paul: his kindness, his warmth, and his encouragement.
When I was laid off from my job in December of 2009, Paul took me to cheetah gym and bought me a membership. "You need a hobby like working out to help you figure out what you want to do next." He took me through the weight room, showing me the different contraptions and how to use them. We had a great afternoon together. It was the one of the few times I spent alone with Paul. But his kindness in helping me to see that this "layoff" was the opportunity to re-invent myself was the bigger gift. He made me realize that I needed time to think about what I wanted my next move to be and that I didn't have to hurry. And exercise could help me dig for what that next move would be. Who do you know who takes someone aside and tells them, it's gonna be ok, it's your opportunity to figure it out and I think I know a way to help you focus on that? Paul, that's who.
Paul and I spoke about food. He told me about guys he went to school with, chefs he was lucky to have worked with, and things he wanted to do with food. I trusted Paul implicitly when it came to food. I never told him I didn't like something, I only told him that I disliked something after he'd made me like it. I never liked salmon. As absurd as this sounds, I never liked the way salmon tasted like fish, or what I called, "that ocean taste." Paul knew what I meant when I explained "that ocean taste" to him. He made us poached salmon in olive oil and it was better than butter, simply amazing and incredibly flavorful. He made me believe that salmon could be good, it was just a question of knowing how to draw out the flavors.
Paul and I constantly recommended restaurants to each other. We were culinary adventurers on a constant journey of discovery - I took him to a Pakistani Chinese restaurant and he ordered half the menu, he had to know and I understood that. I dug my heels in and helped eat. He would ask me to come sample new dishes he was working on and asked for my feedback. When I said, “But who am I to judge your food? I’m a professional eater, not a professional chef.” "I trust your palate, you know what you're talking about," he replied.
One night, my partner Michael and I invited Paul and Patience for dinner. Michael’s specialty is Greek Christmas leg of lamb and potatoes. Michael also served saganaki, something he devised that day and then taught Paul. When the lamb came out of the oven, Paul was IN LOVE with it. I remember how enamored with the juice he was; how he fawned over the potatoes' velvet consistency. Paul was proud and approving of Michael’s reverence in explaining the details of preparation, how he mixed the herbs and spices, the slits filled with garlic, how he roasted it with the lid on and then off. He couldn't believe his eyes when we pulled that leg out of the huge pan. He taught Michael how to cut the meat off the bone and how to best slice it. We enjoyed ourselves that night, drinking too much and sitting with engorged bellies. It was an evening of reveling in what bonded us: the love of good food.
It’s cool. Paul said that a lot. It must’ve been the Hawaii surfer boy in him - he was chill, laid back and chose to concentrate on positives, not negatives. And he encouraged that in everyone around him. The people who loved him, looked up to him, worked alongside him, called him friend, business partner or boss; they all feel he was a gift to their lives.
He was a gift. Not just to us but to Patience as well. Our friend lost her best friend and husband last night. It made me cry to listen to her describe her last moments with him: "I held his hand, kissed his face and he was so beautiful." That's more than love, that’s devotion.
To know Paul and Patience was to know how devoted they were to each other. They were both so INTO each other. Paul was head over heels in love with Patience. It was evident in his words, behavior and actions how much he loved her and how much his world to revolved around her.
Essentially Paul had two passions: cooking and Patience. And then maybe cars. He created beautiful food every day, for everyone around him, it was his gift and talent. But his greatest masterpiece was his love with Patience. His dedication to Patience was amazing and enviable. Most women can only dream of a husband as attentive, indulgent and dedicated as Paul was to Patience. Their love for one another wrapped them together in a way where everyone knew it, "That's REAL love." They rejoiced in each other's glow and acted as a constant reminder to me that while relationships are hard and require a lot more effort than most of us know, if your partner is your best friend and makes up the center of your being, then everything else falls in line.
It’s wild that this is real. But this is life and life is wild. We must continue with the business of life. We must help Patience get on with the business of life. The most shocking thing about Death is the gaping hole left when he snatches someone we love away from us. And as cliché as this is, it is Time who smooths out those edges and heals the pain of absence.
So let's remember to always carry a piece of Paul with us every day. Today, from this very point on, promise to be like Paul Wildermuth: devoted, kind, caring, loving, doting, positive, a dreamer and a doer, offering help. And always laughing.
Watch this video. The last 10 seconds is Paul, laughing.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
movie review by brandon, the movie nerd! mesrine: public enemy no.1
***1/2 out *****
The second Mesrine film is a step down from the original. The first one crammed about 10-12 years into two hours, this once only has to cram about 6 or 7, but still manages to feel slow and chuggy.
Mesrine, fresh from his criminal adventures in Canada, has returned to France and begun robbing banks with gusto. Although, if you're looking for action, you're in the wrong place. We see maybe one bank robbery in this one. Mesrine's ego has grown with his legend, and he now thinks of himself as someone who robs from the rich and gives to himself. It's like crossing Gordon Gekko with Robin Hood. He sees himself as a revolutionary, bringing down the French establishment.
But the French establishment has something for him…bullets! Hey, it worked for Bonnie and Clyde… This film is filled with more French character actors (well, that I recognized anyway). Samuel LiBehan (Brotherhood of the Wolf, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not), Mathieu Almaric (Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Quantum of Solace) and Ludivine Sagnier (Swimming Pool, Paris, je t'aime) all show up at varying times as partners of Mesrine. There's also a cameo by Georges Wilson, who I don't particularly know, but is a big deal in France I'm told. They're not given a whole lot to do, though, and tend to disappear unceremoniously when the movie is through with them.
We never really delve into Mesrine's ego, just see him flaunt it (although there is an interesting scene where a real revolutionary shoots down his fight-the-power dreams). There's also a fun scene where Wilson manages to beat Mesrine at his own game. Cassell is still great, and carries the movie almost single-handedly, but here Mesrine is static. He's still charming and psychotic, but he's not as interesting.
The protracted climax basically replays the entire opening credits of the first film. It's a bad choice…they could've built some real suspense here, but it's deadened by us already knowing what the end result is. We also don't get much in the way of the controversy surrounding the French police ruthlessly gunning Mesrine down in broad daylight (no, I'm not giving away the end…we know this happens from the credits of the first film). It also more unfocused, sometimes making Mesrine the focal point, sometimes focusing on the cops hunting him. But there's never a sense of the cat-and-mouse game between the two.
It doesn't ruin the first one, and it's not a bad movie, but like Soderbergh's Che, the second half doesn't quite equal up to the first. Still, I'd recommend seeing Mesrine's saga.
The second Mesrine film is a step down from the original. The first one crammed about 10-12 years into two hours, this once only has to cram about 6 or 7, but still manages to feel slow and chuggy.
Mesrine, fresh from his criminal adventures in Canada, has returned to France and begun robbing banks with gusto. Although, if you're looking for action, you're in the wrong place. We see maybe one bank robbery in this one. Mesrine's ego has grown with his legend, and he now thinks of himself as someone who robs from the rich and gives to himself. It's like crossing Gordon Gekko with Robin Hood. He sees himself as a revolutionary, bringing down the French establishment.
But the French establishment has something for him…bullets! Hey, it worked for Bonnie and Clyde… This film is filled with more French character actors (well, that I recognized anyway). Samuel LiBehan (Brotherhood of the Wolf, He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not), Mathieu Almaric (Diving Bell and the Butterfly, Quantum of Solace) and Ludivine Sagnier (Swimming Pool, Paris, je t'aime) all show up at varying times as partners of Mesrine. There's also a cameo by Georges Wilson, who I don't particularly know, but is a big deal in France I'm told. They're not given a whole lot to do, though, and tend to disappear unceremoniously when the movie is through with them.
We never really delve into Mesrine's ego, just see him flaunt it (although there is an interesting scene where a real revolutionary shoots down his fight-the-power dreams). There's also a fun scene where Wilson manages to beat Mesrine at his own game. Cassell is still great, and carries the movie almost single-handedly, but here Mesrine is static. He's still charming and psychotic, but he's not as interesting.
The protracted climax basically replays the entire opening credits of the first film. It's a bad choice…they could've built some real suspense here, but it's deadened by us already knowing what the end result is. We also don't get much in the way of the controversy surrounding the French police ruthlessly gunning Mesrine down in broad daylight (no, I'm not giving away the end…we know this happens from the credits of the first film). It also more unfocused, sometimes making Mesrine the focal point, sometimes focusing on the cops hunting him. But there's never a sense of the cat-and-mouse game between the two.
It doesn't ruin the first one, and it's not a bad movie, but like Soderbergh's Che, the second half doesn't quite equal up to the first. Still, I'd recommend seeing Mesrine's saga.
movie review by brandon, the movie nerd! mesrine: killer instinct
**** out of *****
Jacques Mesrine (pronounced May-reen, or May-reign, or even sometimes, May-reign-uh) was a real-life French criminal who was sort of a cross between John Dillinger and Goodfellas. His sordid life was made into two movies in 2008 (or 07 and 08, depending on your online sources). The first film details his rise to becoming France's public enemy number one.
It starts with his release from the army, where he discovered a taste for brutality while torturing the rebellious Algerians (pretty ironic/hypocritical, considering how he fancied himself a rebel later on). He returns to France, and quickly hooks up with gangster Gerard Depardieu, rising through the ranks of Depardieu's small mob and eventually striking out on his own as a kidnapper and bank robber in both France, Canada, and even escaping to the U.S. once (although he was apparently apprehended in Arkansas, not Arizona as the movie depicts).
As Mesrine, Vincent Cassell is simply brilliant. He's got the perfect amount of charm and violence needed to show why this character is both magnetic and horrifying. The film remains neutral on Mesrine, showing us his life instead of making a judgment. We see the fun, party aspect of his life with girls and money, and we also see his sense of honor and loyalty (like when he tries to go straight...he accepts being laid off, and doesn't blame his boss).
But we also see the horrific violence he inflicts, and the crazy anger hiding just beneath his eyes. This is a guy who one minutes loves his wife and the next minute shoves a gun in her mouth. But we also can see why…the boss was not disrespecting him, just doing what needed to be done. A wife trying to hold him back from his own desires…to him, that's disrespect.
Director Jean-Francois Richet has a good grasp of American crime sagas, and does this in the grand seventies tradition of something like The Godfather, Serpico, or GoodFellas (yes, I know GoodFellas isn't from the seventies, but it's also in that same style). It bounces along, giving us glimpses into his life at different times. This can sometimes work against the film, as we sometimes don't really get to know the people orbiting him. But Richet does a good job with the passing of time. He shows us things that we know take a certain amount of time: babies being born, jail sentences, etc. And even though he sometimes skips action we think we'd like to see, he spares us one more bank robbery in order to prime us for the stunning (and amazingly off-the-cuff) jailbreak scene toward the end.
It can be choppy sometimes, but it works in that 70s way, and gives us a full portrait of one man's slow descent into crime. Definitely worth seeing, especially for fans of crime movies.
Monday, September 13, 2010
movie review by brandon, the movie nerd: the losers
*** out of *****
I've never read the comic book this is based on, but it's apparently got its fans, so I assume it's gotta be better than this thing. It opens they way all action-comedies should open…with the murder of 25 innocent children. At this rate, we'll be seeing 9/11 movies starring The Rock and some cutsy kid.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan (the Robert Downey, Jr.-looking guy from Watchmen) is the leader of an A-Team-like band of military specialists. They, much like the A-Team, are great soldiers with all sorts of wisecracks, and run afoul of a bad guy G-Man (Jason Patric) who attempts to kill them and kills the aforementioned 25 children instead. Our team of lovable losers must nut up and get back to America with the help of a truly awful Zoe Saldana and even the score with Patric. Too bad we've seen it all before, and much better.
It really does feel like a long episode of The A-Team, where everything goes 1) plot point 2) one-liners 3) action 4) one-liners 5) repeat. But the action is fairly typical and the plot is so unmemorable that it's hard to remember why anyone is actually doing any of these things. Most of the "clever one-liners" aren't near as clever as the screenwriters think they are, although a few work here and there. The best one is probably "I'm the black MacGuyver! Blaguyver!" But I only say that because it's the only one I bothered to remember, and that might be more because it was in all the previews.
To their credit, Morgan and the underrated Chris Evans do the best they can with the weak material, and even manage to make it work here and there. Idris Elba is utterly wasted in his role. I barely remember the other guys on the team. The best performance though belongs to Patric, who seems to be channeling Nicolas Cage at his Bad Lieutenanty best. He twitches and preens and generally looks like he knows it's a shitty movie so he's going to be as ridiculous as possible to teach someone a lesson. I'm not sure who learned anything, but I had a blast watching him.
I want to make a special point to discuss Zoe Saldana, who's the latest "it girl." She sucks pretty fucking hard. Watching her in this movie was like being the guy at the end of Audition getting needles shoved into your eyelids. She's got that Angelina Jolie problem of being way too damn skinny to be tough or fearsome in any way, and her attempts at being a badass chick just made me wonder how any of her costars could take her seriously.
I suppose the good and bad kinda cancel each other out, and just make the movie sort of forgettable instead of painful. Maybe something for nondiscriminating action fans. Everyone else can just watch some old A-Team episodes.
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
i suck at this posting thing
the summer flew by without one post from me. but it speaks to how how busy i've been.
here's a recap of my summer:
sharepoint. innovation and ideation. sexy brochure design for boring non-profit that became a whole branding strategy. the yoga studio and building up a client base. learning more about yoga and studying new methodologies. enjoying the lakefront with the dog. two dog injuries (a burnt pawpad from some dolts who left live embers by the foot of a tree and over exerting himself at the doggie beach). parties with tavo, barb and mike and then a few weddings. discovering the purple pig and girl & the goat. having kai and kevin spend a week with us, eating, talking and watching the world cup. watching my team win the world cup - forza roja! welcoming tammy and rose for a lakefront weekend. so many babies born this summer: giuliana, wesley, abigail and a few others whom i can't remember at this very moment. my birthday followed by a four year anniversary celebration with my partner, michael: we are blessed to be together. successfully playing cupid and joining two hearts with love's arrow. my lil' sister's engagement means saving my pennies for a month in Australia in OCT 2011. the loss of the loveliest of ginger tabbies, meepers: R.I.P. getting my dream kitchen by moving down one flight. picking out paint for the new home. shopping for the right couch and coffee table. getting my AIGA membership. getting CS5. considering a new macbook pro. or is it a desktop? hmmm.
but the best part in all of this: being told by two different people that i've helped them change their lives. this made me feel like i have done something good. i also realised that i changed my life, which was my nye resolution. i've never actually realised a nye resolution so i'm feeling pretty grown up about all of this. the point is, really, that if i can do this, so can you.
here's a recap of my summer:
sharepoint. innovation and ideation. sexy brochure design for boring non-profit that became a whole branding strategy. the yoga studio and building up a client base. learning more about yoga and studying new methodologies. enjoying the lakefront with the dog. two dog injuries (a burnt pawpad from some dolts who left live embers by the foot of a tree and over exerting himself at the doggie beach). parties with tavo, barb and mike and then a few weddings. discovering the purple pig and girl & the goat. having kai and kevin spend a week with us, eating, talking and watching the world cup. watching my team win the world cup - forza roja! welcoming tammy and rose for a lakefront weekend. so many babies born this summer: giuliana, wesley, abigail and a few others whom i can't remember at this very moment. my birthday followed by a four year anniversary celebration with my partner, michael: we are blessed to be together. successfully playing cupid and joining two hearts with love's arrow. my lil' sister's engagement means saving my pennies for a month in Australia in OCT 2011. the loss of the loveliest of ginger tabbies, meepers: R.I.P. getting my dream kitchen by moving down one flight. picking out paint for the new home. shopping for the right couch and coffee table. getting my AIGA membership. getting CS5. considering a new macbook pro. or is it a desktop? hmmm.
but the best part in all of this: being told by two different people that i've helped them change their lives. this made me feel like i have done something good. i also realised that i changed my life, which was my nye resolution. i've never actually realised a nye resolution so i'm feeling pretty grown up about all of this. the point is, really, that if i can do this, so can you.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Lost Questions, as answered by Brandon the Movie Nerd
our resident geekologist, LOSTie and total movie nerd, brandon, came across some websites listing questions they say Lost HAS to answer. he felt compelled and qualified to opine.
read on:
10 Questions Lost Needs to Answer
(posted May 18th on Jezebel, before "What They Died For")
1.) Charles Widmore
There are so many mysteries surrounding Charles Widmore, and I'm certain that not all of them will be cleared up, but we need something more. Like, how did he and Eloise come to live on the Island? Who is Penny's mother? Why didn't he have anything to do with raising his son, Daniel Faraday?
I'm not sure I need to know exactly how Widmore and Eloise got to the island…probably the same way everyone else did, by "accident," or offered the job by Jacob (like Dogen). I'm also not concerned with Penny's mother, we were told that Widmore left the island and carried out an affair with an off-island woman. Good enough for me, and enough to explain why he and Eloise aren't together (and why he didn't raise Faraday).
2.) Fertility
Lost fans—or at least I—will be livid if the issue of the Island's fertility problem is not addressed by the end of the finale. At some point, either right before or right after the purge of the DHARMA folk, women were able to conceive, but not give birth, on the Island. Or they were able to give birth, but not conceive on the Island. We need to know why!
This might be a little grating, but I can live with it. My guess is it's the downside to the island's healing factor. Or maybe that since it contains The Source, there can't be people to be creating populations there.
3.) The Statue
Connected to the fertility issue is the statue of Taweret, who is the Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility. Who built it?
Um. I would guess Egyptians. There have been several obvious hints that Egyptians once inhabited the island, and if childbirth is impossible, I could see primitive people building a large statue to a fertility goddess. Although who knows…Ethan was born on the island, and we assume conceived there…although we don't know for sure.
4.) Infection
According to the dirty Temple hippies, Sayid and Claire are "infected." Rousseau talked about how the science team also got infected. What the hell does that mean, how does it happen, and is this just a red herring?
It may never have been explained fully, but the infection is the "corruption" that happens when you begin to turn to Blackie's side. Sayid and Claire both had it (and were put through The Others' test), and Rousseau's team was infected after heading down under the temple to Blackie's lair. A bigger question…why does Blackie have a lair under a temple he can't enter, and why were there Egyptian carving of him when he wasn't created until long after Egyptian times? Was there perhaps a previous Smokie?
5.) Sideways Universe
How did it come to be? Will it ever converge with the original timeline? What does it all mean!!?!?!?
Through the explosion of Jughead, I'm guessing, and I believe the finale will answer this question.
6.) Island Under Water
In the first few minutes of this season, we saw that, in the sideways universe, the Island is submerged underwater. How did that happen? What happened to the DHARMA people who had been there? What is the significance of its destruction?
Again, I'm sure we'll see this in the finale. My guess is something to do with the hinted-at volcano on the island (the writers hinted that there will be an important explosion in the finale). But maybe Dharma digs too far and accidentally discharges the Source?
7.) Desmond
A relationship with electromagnetic energy probably has something to do with his importance to what is currently happening on the Island, but why does Mocke (Blackie) want him dead? What is Widmore's planning to do with him? Will he ever see Penny again?
Some of this was answered Tuesday…the rest in the finale.
8.) Eloise Hawking
Much like the mysteries surrounding Widmore, we need to know a little bit more about Eloise Hawking. How did she come to live on the Island? When and why did she leave? Why doesn't she have the same last name as her son? Why did she spend so much time in her science sorcery dungeon under the church devising a way for the Losties to return to the Island, but didn't want to go back herself?
Most of this is unimportant, or can be figured out contextually. We don't NEED to know how she came to the island. We know she left before Widmore, and they had a falling out (perhaps due to his affair). She could have a different last name because she remarried. And the Lamp Post was there before Eloise left the island…it was how Dharma found the island in the first place. She probably didn’t go back because she knew it was up to the candidates to do the work (she was always a little more in tune with fate).
9.) Jacob's Army
Jacob had apparently set up an army—Bram, Ilana, etc.—of bodyguards who spent their lives training for whatever war that was going to happen. How did he do this? Why? How did he chose Ilana? What's her deal anyway? Why were none of these army people "candidates"?
Yeah, okay, I agree with this one, but I fear we may not get an answer.
10.) MIB's Name
We know we will get it…in an interview, Hurley said he didn't want to say anything because it's a "cool reveal."
TEN QUESTIONS TO LET GO
1.) Walt
I think we should just give up any hope of knowing why Walt is "special," why he has creepy powers, and how and why he appeared to Shannon and Locke on the Island after he'd already left. That kid pubed too hard and fast for them to ever really include him in any more central story lines.
I really hope they deal with the emphasis on Walt the first three seasons, but I too have a feeling we won't get it.
2.) Vincent
Did he time travel to 2007 after Juliet activated the atomic bomb? I don't know if we'll ever see him again, but I'm thinking that we might just have to think of him as being safe and sound somewhere, at some time.
3.) Rose and Bernard
They were with Vincent, so whatever happened to him, probably happened to them. But honestly, I don't care for them, because they annoy me and I find Rose to be an asshole.
Personally, I think these story lines are done. They retired. I bet they did time travel to 2007, but just stayed out of it. Who knows, maybe they'll become the foundation for the new Others working under Jack.
4.) Desmond & Penny Photo
Why did Naomi have it in her backpack when she parachuted on to the Island? How the hell did she get a copy of it? I think we have to just forget that ever happened.
Um…she was working for Widmore. She probably was given the photo to see if Desmond was indeed on the island.
5.) Ethan
How did he join up with the Others? Was he partially responsible for the Purge of the DHARMA people? How did he become a doctor? We'll probably never know.
I'm not sure it matters.
6.) Karl
Remember him? He was Alex's 16-year-old boyfriend. If there were fertility issues on the Island, where did he come from? He's certainly not one of the DHARMA people, given his age. Oh well.
Why do we need answers about Karl? Did anyone even like him anyway? He probably wound up on the island the same way Alex did.
7.) Food Drops
Who orchestrated the food drops to the Hatch? Did the Others have a helicopter? That one, I'm sure, will remain a mystery forever.
I would like to know this one. The writers did say this will be answered this season. Here's hoping they weren't lying...
8.) Black Rock Journal
How did the journal of the first mate of the Black Rock get off the Island for Widmore to purchase it at an auction many years later.
Hmm. Good question, but yeah, I don't think we'll ever know.
9.) Christian Shepherd
Beyond being a vessel for MIB, what was Christian Shepherd's deal? Why was his body never discovered, when MIB didn't need Locke's original body to take his form?
Ditto. But, then again, explaining where Christian's body is isn't all that important to the show. Maybe it landed in a cave somewhere. Or maybe Blackie hid it so it couldn't be buried, thus trapping him in Christian's body.
10.) Why Them?
Why, specifically, were these people chosen over all others to be candidates? I think we're just going to have to accept that—beyond being "lost" people—they were just chosen by a casting director.
Jacob explained…kinda. It might not be much, but it's probably all we'll get.
50 Questions Lost Really Does Need To Answer -
(posted May 18th, 2010 on io9.com)
So the island is the place with the glowy light that's inside all of us. Does this mean the Island's alive? People talk about what the island "wants." What do they mean? Is the island Eywa?
For those who didn't see Avatar, Eywa is the "earth spirit," like Gaia. I'm not sure we need these explanations…sometimes things are better left open-ended, and I'm not sure they could explain this one away without being really disappointing (plus, it gives Lost nerds something to argue about for years until Lost is remade as a bad movie/TV show). I don't think the island is alive as much as it's a source of life. But, then again, how does it seem to speak to people?
How come the island heals people? Why does it heal them selectively?
Good question. And another pointing to the island having some sort of "life," or at least thought process.
Who was the woman who raised Jacob and the Man In Black, and how did she get there?
I would like to know more, but I'm not sure we'll get it. We can infer she's Egyptian, I suppose, and probably was shipwrecked. Although an Egyptian shipwreck in the Pacific is even less plausible than a Roman one…but hey, I suppose Polynesians must've sailed to Hawaii, and America, in primitive times…
If Jacob was a Roman, why is he so into Egyptian gods?
I think it was people before him
What was with those Egyptian symbols that appeared in the Hatch when the countdown went past 108 minutes? That didn't seem like the Dharma Initiative's style.
True. It was probably just for effect. Seriously, the first time I saw the symbols, I freaked a little.
Jacob told Alpert some previous visitors to the island had built that Taweret statue. Did he tell them to build it? Why Taweret?
Um, fertility goddess. Can’t have babies on the island. Think about it… The only issues I have with that explanation was that Ethan was born on the island…but again, was he conceived there? Maybe Horace and Amy took a trip back to Ann Arbor and got it on? The issue seemed to stem from conception, as Claire conceived off-island and gave birth no problem. I'm personally more interested in whatever happened to Horace's first wife.
Is Jacob bringing people to the island, as the Man In Black suggests? If so, then who was bringing all those people to the island before Jacob did it? Why does Jacob want to bring so many people to the island? What was he trying to prove to the Man In Black?
Most of these questions have been answered. Jacob brought people for two reasons…to prove to Blackie that they weren't all bad (as well as for "progress"), and to find a replacement. As to who did it before Jacob…maybe the island itself. Or maybe anyone who wound up there did it by accident.
Why did Widmore bring Desmond to the island? What's the sacrifice Desmond has to make?
This was posted prior to What They Died For, so this one was answered…for the most part.
Why was Charlie fated to die, exactly? What did Charlie's death accomplish, in the end?
I think Charlie was needed to figure out the code in the communications room on the underwater hatch. He was the only one who could do it, since he was a musician. Once he served his purpose, there was no reason for him to live anymore.
Was that the Smoke Monster telling Ben and Locke to move the island, back in season four? If so, why did Smokey want the island moved? What did moving the island accomplish exactly?
It got Locke off the island where Ben could kill him. Although, since Smokie (as Christian) chided him for letting Ben do it first, I wonder if Ben was always part of the equation. Another reason…to hide it from Widmore, since Widmore had figured out the coordinates. I think Smokie didn't want Widmore coming back because he knew Widmore, as a former Other, would be against him.
Why was Libby in the same mental hospital as Hurley? What's her deal exactly? Why was she in Australia?
Yeah…I don't think we know all we'll ever know about Libby's original timeline breakdown. Let's assume it's something similar to her reasons in the sideways timeline. As to why she was in Australia, does it matter?
Why did the Smoke Monster kill Mr. Eko? Why did the Smoke Monster leave Rousseau alive after killing or "claiming" the rest of her expedition?
Well, the real reason was Mr. Eko wanted off the show. But in the story, I think it was because he refused to "repent" for his misdeeds. I think Smokie saw him as a good choice for killing Jacob, but he refused to join Smokie, so he was no longer necessary. He even said that Smokie was coming for the rest of the people who journeyed out to the Question Mark Hatch, maybe because Smokie wanted all the candidates dead?
Who made the Rules? Like, what's preventing Smokey from killing the Candidates directly?
Yeah, I'd like to know this too. Or at least get a few hints dropped.
What was so special about Walt? No, really. They made a big deal out of it and everything.
Yeah, I agree. Dare we hold out hope for Walt being in the finale?
Jacob was immortal, right? So what made him decide he needed to start doing such a huge head-hunting search for his replacement?
Probably because he was tired of doing the job. Or he knew Blackie would eventually find his loophole.
Why is Aaron so important? Why wasn't Kate supposed to raise him?
I'm not sure we'll ever know.
Why isn't Kate a candidate?
Because she became a mother, but she was reinstated after giving up Aaron.
What was the Dharma Initiative really up to on the Island? What was their ultimate goal? Why did the Hanso Foundation regard the Dharma Initiative as a failure?
I think they were trying to learn more about the island's properties. They always said the purpose was to make life better for humanity, so they were probably trying to discover the secret of the healing properties. And we know they discovered the teleportation/time travel elements. How they found out about it in the first place is anyone's guess. I assume Hanso considered it a failure because they never figured it all out, and they all mysteriously died.
It seems like everyone who was a passenger on Oceanic 815 has numerous connections that they don't even know about. Like Jack and Claire being half-siblings, and Sawyer's ex-girlfriend helping Kate confront her mom. What caused this excessive degree of synchronicity?
Fate. Jacob. Who knows, but I like it better unexplained.
What really happens if the Smoke Monster leaves the island?
Everything ceases to be, or so we're told…probably find out in the finale.
In the "flash-sideways" universe, the island is under water. When exactly did this happen?
Ditto.
How/when did Roger Linus and Pierre Chang get off the island before it sank?
I don't think we have to know. Maybe Dharma itself gave up before the island sank, but I think there's a different history in the sideways timeline, and Jughead was never exploded. After all, if 815 didn't crash, Jack and Company can't go back in time and cause the Incident.
Why did Ben and Widmore hate each other quite so much? Why couldn't Ben just shoot Widmore in the face that one time when Ben came into Widmore's bedroom?
Widmore hates Ben because Ben got him kicked off the island. I'm sure Ben just wanted to be the leader, and looked for every reason he could to undermine Widmore. We know Ben couldn't kill him because of the rules…but I'm not sure the rules will ever be fully explained.
Why did Widmore order Keamy's gang to kill everyone on the island except for Ben? Especially since Widmore is so keen for Locke to lead the Oceanic Six back to the island a few years later. And why exactly is Widmore so keen for the Oceanic Six to come back to the island? Because they're Candidates? Or some other reason? If he is keen for there to be Candidates on the island, why did he order Keamy to kill them all?
I don't think Widmore had all the information when he sent the freighter (he said that Jacob came to him right after that and explained things). I think he originally just wanted revenge on Ben, and wanted to exploit the island for his own gain.
After Richard Alpert met Jacob and Jacob explained the island to him, why didn't Richard repeat that explanation to everyone he met?
There's something in those who know the island that they feel like they can't explain it. While most viewers think this is an example of the writers not knowing themselves (and maybe it is), I think it plays into the idea that people CAN'T fully understand it. Like Mother said, every answer leads to more questions. And maybe people can only know bits until they figure it out for themselves (like Jack at the Lighthouse).
How did Richard and the Others decide whom to recruit from among the various people who came to the island after that? What was the deal with all those lists? The lists weren't lists of Candidates, since the Others didn't try to recruit Sawyer or Jack. So what were they?
Jacob probably chose the people (specifically kids, since kids couldn't be born on the island), and gave them to Richard in the form of lists.
Why did the Incident in 1977 leave the island's women unable to give birth? What's with the huge importance placed on fertility on the island, what with the Tawaret statue? Why are so many women separated from their babies?
That's assuming the Incident caused the fertility problem (which I have thought in the past, but now am not sure).
So why was Widmore unable to return to the island? And then why was he able to return to the island after all? Also, why did turning the donkey wheel mean that Ben was unable to return to the island, except with the Oceanic Six?
Probably because he and Ben just couldn't find it. It moves around, and seems to have some protective covering of sorts.
What was the deal with that brand on Juliet's lower back? The cross/asterisk thing?
Considering it's from the most hated episode of Lost (even more hated than the Nikki and Paolo episode), I'm going to assume this won't be addressed.
Where did that supply drop come from? You know, the huge pallet of food and stuff?
Yeah I wanna know too…hope the writers keep their promise. Perhaps it was the place Richard "worked" when off island (like when recruiting Juliet).
Who built that weird Dharma Initiative door that leads to a stone wall? Did the Others put it there as part of their fake village?
Probably, although it's possible Dharma found it.
Was Rousseau "claimed" by the Smoke Monster the same way Claire and Sayid were?
Possibly…she was "crazy," and only seemed to change after Sayid showed her kindness.
What was the Sickness that the Dharma Initiative was vaccinating people against? Is it similar to the Smoke Monster "claiming" people, or something else?
I think so, but I don't think we're going to get any more explanation on that. But who knows, maybe...
When the Smoke Monster told Sayid that he could have Nadia back from the dead, was he referring to the "flash sideways" universe, or something else? Or just lying?
I think just lying. He also promised that to Richard. But, as we've been told, dead is dead.
What was the deal with Pierre Chang having so many wacky pseudonyms?
Yeah, why was that?
What were the Others having Kate and Sawyer build? Was it really going to be a runway? For what?
Um…have you watched the show? It was the runway for the Ajira flight.
So if the hydrogen bomb going off caused the "flash sideways" universe and prevented Oceanic 815 from crashing, how did it change Hurley's lottery numbers, or make Sawyer a cop instead of a con-man?
The whole flash-sideways world is different. Not just from 815 on, but the history is different too.
Is Ji Yeon the "Kwon" who's a candidate?
I doubt it.
Who's the mother of Jack's son David in the "flash-sideways" universe? On a related note, where's alt-Juliet?
I think we’ll find out at the concert in the finale.
What happened to the body of Christian Shephard on the "flash-sideways" Flight 815?
Yeah, what did happen to it?
Come to think of it, what happened to Christian's body on the island?
Hmm.
Sayid was "claimed" by the Smoke Monster, but he still had free will afterward. What did that being "claimed" thing mean anyway?
In my mind, the same thing as being made "an Other." You were changed in some small way that made give allegiance to one side or another.
What does god need with a starship? I mean, why does Locke need an airplane to leave the island?
He didn't.
Why are the Numbers so important? I get that each of the Numbers corresponds to one of the remaining Candidates as of a while ago. But that's just another instance of the Numbers popping up in relation to something. Why these numbers? Why were they powerful long before Jack, Hurley, et al. came to the island?
The numbers are part of the Valenzetti Equation, which was supposed to predict the end of the world. It was one of the many things Dharma was working on.
And come to think of it, what was the point of having someone broadcasting the numbers over the radio over and over again for years?
Don't have a snappy answer for that one. Maybe just because they brought that guy so much strife?
If Jacob is dead, and his ghost is wandering around talking to Hurley, what's with the little kid version of Jacob? Why can only certain people, like Sawyer, see the little-kid Jacob?
I assume because he's a candidate. As to why he has to appear as a kid, who knows...
Who was Juliet inviting to coffee?
My guess is Sideways Sawyer, but I think we'll find out in the finale.
Why can't the Smoke Monster cross a line of ash? What about the sonic fence?
Um. Because…he…can't? Can we just say "mysterious rules" and get away with it?
So the Man In Black can't leave the island. But Jacob was wandering off the island all the time, buying Louis Vuitton luggage, touching the Oceanic Six and various other people, and stocking up on Flannery O'Connor books. At one point, Jacob opened a dance studio in Newark. What gives?
Jacob isn't a smokie. Although how he got off the island is anyone's guess. Maybe it's a protector power.
When Ben took Locke to Jacob's Cabin, there was a weird telekinetic storm and Locke heard a voice saying "Help me." Was that Jacob? Or the M.I.B.? What sort of help did the voice have in mind? More importantly, what's with the dog painting in Jacob's Cabin???
I think it was Blackie, and he knew exactly how to play Locke. As to the dog painting…I don't know…maybe he really likes Vincent? After all, it was Blackie (in Christian's form…well, I assume anyway) who told Vincent to go wake him (Jack) up after the crash
read on:
10 Questions Lost Needs to Answer
(posted May 18th on Jezebel, before "What They Died For")
1.) Charles Widmore
There are so many mysteries surrounding Charles Widmore, and I'm certain that not all of them will be cleared up, but we need something more. Like, how did he and Eloise come to live on the Island? Who is Penny's mother? Why didn't he have anything to do with raising his son, Daniel Faraday?
I'm not sure I need to know exactly how Widmore and Eloise got to the island…probably the same way everyone else did, by "accident," or offered the job by Jacob (like Dogen). I'm also not concerned with Penny's mother, we were told that Widmore left the island and carried out an affair with an off-island woman. Good enough for me, and enough to explain why he and Eloise aren't together (and why he didn't raise Faraday).
2.) Fertility
Lost fans—or at least I—will be livid if the issue of the Island's fertility problem is not addressed by the end of the finale. At some point, either right before or right after the purge of the DHARMA folk, women were able to conceive, but not give birth, on the Island. Or they were able to give birth, but not conceive on the Island. We need to know why!
This might be a little grating, but I can live with it. My guess is it's the downside to the island's healing factor. Or maybe that since it contains The Source, there can't be people to be creating populations there.
3.) The Statue
Connected to the fertility issue is the statue of Taweret, who is the Egyptian goddess of childbirth and fertility. Who built it?
Um. I would guess Egyptians. There have been several obvious hints that Egyptians once inhabited the island, and if childbirth is impossible, I could see primitive people building a large statue to a fertility goddess. Although who knows…Ethan was born on the island, and we assume conceived there…although we don't know for sure.
4.) Infection
According to the dirty Temple hippies, Sayid and Claire are "infected." Rousseau talked about how the science team also got infected. What the hell does that mean, how does it happen, and is this just a red herring?
It may never have been explained fully, but the infection is the "corruption" that happens when you begin to turn to Blackie's side. Sayid and Claire both had it (and were put through The Others' test), and Rousseau's team was infected after heading down under the temple to Blackie's lair. A bigger question…why does Blackie have a lair under a temple he can't enter, and why were there Egyptian carving of him when he wasn't created until long after Egyptian times? Was there perhaps a previous Smokie?
5.) Sideways Universe
How did it come to be? Will it ever converge with the original timeline? What does it all mean!!?!?!?
Through the explosion of Jughead, I'm guessing, and I believe the finale will answer this question.
6.) Island Under Water
In the first few minutes of this season, we saw that, in the sideways universe, the Island is submerged underwater. How did that happen? What happened to the DHARMA people who had been there? What is the significance of its destruction?
Again, I'm sure we'll see this in the finale. My guess is something to do with the hinted-at volcano on the island (the writers hinted that there will be an important explosion in the finale). But maybe Dharma digs too far and accidentally discharges the Source?
7.) Desmond
A relationship with electromagnetic energy probably has something to do with his importance to what is currently happening on the Island, but why does Mocke (Blackie) want him dead? What is Widmore's planning to do with him? Will he ever see Penny again?
Some of this was answered Tuesday…the rest in the finale.
8.) Eloise Hawking
Much like the mysteries surrounding Widmore, we need to know a little bit more about Eloise Hawking. How did she come to live on the Island? When and why did she leave? Why doesn't she have the same last name as her son? Why did she spend so much time in her science sorcery dungeon under the church devising a way for the Losties to return to the Island, but didn't want to go back herself?
Most of this is unimportant, or can be figured out contextually. We don't NEED to know how she came to the island. We know she left before Widmore, and they had a falling out (perhaps due to his affair). She could have a different last name because she remarried. And the Lamp Post was there before Eloise left the island…it was how Dharma found the island in the first place. She probably didn’t go back because she knew it was up to the candidates to do the work (she was always a little more in tune with fate).
9.) Jacob's Army
Jacob had apparently set up an army—Bram, Ilana, etc.—of bodyguards who spent their lives training for whatever war that was going to happen. How did he do this? Why? How did he chose Ilana? What's her deal anyway? Why were none of these army people "candidates"?
Yeah, okay, I agree with this one, but I fear we may not get an answer.
10.) MIB's Name
We know we will get it…in an interview, Hurley said he didn't want to say anything because it's a "cool reveal."
TEN QUESTIONS TO LET GO
1.) Walt
I think we should just give up any hope of knowing why Walt is "special," why he has creepy powers, and how and why he appeared to Shannon and Locke on the Island after he'd already left. That kid pubed too hard and fast for them to ever really include him in any more central story lines.
I really hope they deal with the emphasis on Walt the first three seasons, but I too have a feeling we won't get it.
2.) Vincent
Did he time travel to 2007 after Juliet activated the atomic bomb? I don't know if we'll ever see him again, but I'm thinking that we might just have to think of him as being safe and sound somewhere, at some time.
3.) Rose and Bernard
They were with Vincent, so whatever happened to him, probably happened to them. But honestly, I don't care for them, because they annoy me and I find Rose to be an asshole.
Personally, I think these story lines are done. They retired. I bet they did time travel to 2007, but just stayed out of it. Who knows, maybe they'll become the foundation for the new Others working under Jack.
4.) Desmond & Penny Photo
Why did Naomi have it in her backpack when she parachuted on to the Island? How the hell did she get a copy of it? I think we have to just forget that ever happened.
Um…she was working for Widmore. She probably was given the photo to see if Desmond was indeed on the island.
5.) Ethan
How did he join up with the Others? Was he partially responsible for the Purge of the DHARMA people? How did he become a doctor? We'll probably never know.
I'm not sure it matters.
6.) Karl
Remember him? He was Alex's 16-year-old boyfriend. If there were fertility issues on the Island, where did he come from? He's certainly not one of the DHARMA people, given his age. Oh well.
Why do we need answers about Karl? Did anyone even like him anyway? He probably wound up on the island the same way Alex did.
7.) Food Drops
Who orchestrated the food drops to the Hatch? Did the Others have a helicopter? That one, I'm sure, will remain a mystery forever.
I would like to know this one. The writers did say this will be answered this season. Here's hoping they weren't lying...
8.) Black Rock Journal
How did the journal of the first mate of the Black Rock get off the Island for Widmore to purchase it at an auction many years later.
Hmm. Good question, but yeah, I don't think we'll ever know.
9.) Christian Shepherd
Beyond being a vessel for MIB, what was Christian Shepherd's deal? Why was his body never discovered, when MIB didn't need Locke's original body to take his form?
Ditto. But, then again, explaining where Christian's body is isn't all that important to the show. Maybe it landed in a cave somewhere. Or maybe Blackie hid it so it couldn't be buried, thus trapping him in Christian's body.
10.) Why Them?
Why, specifically, were these people chosen over all others to be candidates? I think we're just going to have to accept that—beyond being "lost" people—they were just chosen by a casting director.
Jacob explained…kinda. It might not be much, but it's probably all we'll get.
50 Questions Lost Really Does Need To Answer -
(posted May 18th, 2010 on io9.com)
So the island is the place with the glowy light that's inside all of us. Does this mean the Island's alive? People talk about what the island "wants." What do they mean? Is the island Eywa?
For those who didn't see Avatar, Eywa is the "earth spirit," like Gaia. I'm not sure we need these explanations…sometimes things are better left open-ended, and I'm not sure they could explain this one away without being really disappointing (plus, it gives Lost nerds something to argue about for years until Lost is remade as a bad movie/TV show). I don't think the island is alive as much as it's a source of life. But, then again, how does it seem to speak to people?
How come the island heals people? Why does it heal them selectively?
Good question. And another pointing to the island having some sort of "life," or at least thought process.
Who was the woman who raised Jacob and the Man In Black, and how did she get there?
I would like to know more, but I'm not sure we'll get it. We can infer she's Egyptian, I suppose, and probably was shipwrecked. Although an Egyptian shipwreck in the Pacific is even less plausible than a Roman one…but hey, I suppose Polynesians must've sailed to Hawaii, and America, in primitive times…
If Jacob was a Roman, why is he so into Egyptian gods?
I think it was people before him
What was with those Egyptian symbols that appeared in the Hatch when the countdown went past 108 minutes? That didn't seem like the Dharma Initiative's style.
True. It was probably just for effect. Seriously, the first time I saw the symbols, I freaked a little.
Jacob told Alpert some previous visitors to the island had built that Taweret statue. Did he tell them to build it? Why Taweret?
Um, fertility goddess. Can’t have babies on the island. Think about it… The only issues I have with that explanation was that Ethan was born on the island…but again, was he conceived there? Maybe Horace and Amy took a trip back to Ann Arbor and got it on? The issue seemed to stem from conception, as Claire conceived off-island and gave birth no problem. I'm personally more interested in whatever happened to Horace's first wife.
Is Jacob bringing people to the island, as the Man In Black suggests? If so, then who was bringing all those people to the island before Jacob did it? Why does Jacob want to bring so many people to the island? What was he trying to prove to the Man In Black?
Most of these questions have been answered. Jacob brought people for two reasons…to prove to Blackie that they weren't all bad (as well as for "progress"), and to find a replacement. As to who did it before Jacob…maybe the island itself. Or maybe anyone who wound up there did it by accident.
Why did Widmore bring Desmond to the island? What's the sacrifice Desmond has to make?
This was posted prior to What They Died For, so this one was answered…for the most part.
Why was Charlie fated to die, exactly? What did Charlie's death accomplish, in the end?
I think Charlie was needed to figure out the code in the communications room on the underwater hatch. He was the only one who could do it, since he was a musician. Once he served his purpose, there was no reason for him to live anymore.
Was that the Smoke Monster telling Ben and Locke to move the island, back in season four? If so, why did Smokey want the island moved? What did moving the island accomplish exactly?
It got Locke off the island where Ben could kill him. Although, since Smokie (as Christian) chided him for letting Ben do it first, I wonder if Ben was always part of the equation. Another reason…to hide it from Widmore, since Widmore had figured out the coordinates. I think Smokie didn't want Widmore coming back because he knew Widmore, as a former Other, would be against him.
Why was Libby in the same mental hospital as Hurley? What's her deal exactly? Why was she in Australia?
Yeah…I don't think we know all we'll ever know about Libby's original timeline breakdown. Let's assume it's something similar to her reasons in the sideways timeline. As to why she was in Australia, does it matter?
Why did the Smoke Monster kill Mr. Eko? Why did the Smoke Monster leave Rousseau alive after killing or "claiming" the rest of her expedition?
Well, the real reason was Mr. Eko wanted off the show. But in the story, I think it was because he refused to "repent" for his misdeeds. I think Smokie saw him as a good choice for killing Jacob, but he refused to join Smokie, so he was no longer necessary. He even said that Smokie was coming for the rest of the people who journeyed out to the Question Mark Hatch, maybe because Smokie wanted all the candidates dead?
Who made the Rules? Like, what's preventing Smokey from killing the Candidates directly?
Yeah, I'd like to know this too. Or at least get a few hints dropped.
What was so special about Walt? No, really. They made a big deal out of it and everything.
Yeah, I agree. Dare we hold out hope for Walt being in the finale?
Jacob was immortal, right? So what made him decide he needed to start doing such a huge head-hunting search for his replacement?
Probably because he was tired of doing the job. Or he knew Blackie would eventually find his loophole.
Why is Aaron so important? Why wasn't Kate supposed to raise him?
I'm not sure we'll ever know.
Why isn't Kate a candidate?
Because she became a mother, but she was reinstated after giving up Aaron.
What was the Dharma Initiative really up to on the Island? What was their ultimate goal? Why did the Hanso Foundation regard the Dharma Initiative as a failure?
I think they were trying to learn more about the island's properties. They always said the purpose was to make life better for humanity, so they were probably trying to discover the secret of the healing properties. And we know they discovered the teleportation/time travel elements. How they found out about it in the first place is anyone's guess. I assume Hanso considered it a failure because they never figured it all out, and they all mysteriously died.
It seems like everyone who was a passenger on Oceanic 815 has numerous connections that they don't even know about. Like Jack and Claire being half-siblings, and Sawyer's ex-girlfriend helping Kate confront her mom. What caused this excessive degree of synchronicity?
Fate. Jacob. Who knows, but I like it better unexplained.
What really happens if the Smoke Monster leaves the island?
Everything ceases to be, or so we're told…probably find out in the finale.
In the "flash-sideways" universe, the island is under water. When exactly did this happen?
Ditto.
How/when did Roger Linus and Pierre Chang get off the island before it sank?
I don't think we have to know. Maybe Dharma itself gave up before the island sank, but I think there's a different history in the sideways timeline, and Jughead was never exploded. After all, if 815 didn't crash, Jack and Company can't go back in time and cause the Incident.
Why did Ben and Widmore hate each other quite so much? Why couldn't Ben just shoot Widmore in the face that one time when Ben came into Widmore's bedroom?
Widmore hates Ben because Ben got him kicked off the island. I'm sure Ben just wanted to be the leader, and looked for every reason he could to undermine Widmore. We know Ben couldn't kill him because of the rules…but I'm not sure the rules will ever be fully explained.
Why did Widmore order Keamy's gang to kill everyone on the island except for Ben? Especially since Widmore is so keen for Locke to lead the Oceanic Six back to the island a few years later. And why exactly is Widmore so keen for the Oceanic Six to come back to the island? Because they're Candidates? Or some other reason? If he is keen for there to be Candidates on the island, why did he order Keamy to kill them all?
I don't think Widmore had all the information when he sent the freighter (he said that Jacob came to him right after that and explained things). I think he originally just wanted revenge on Ben, and wanted to exploit the island for his own gain.
After Richard Alpert met Jacob and Jacob explained the island to him, why didn't Richard repeat that explanation to everyone he met?
There's something in those who know the island that they feel like they can't explain it. While most viewers think this is an example of the writers not knowing themselves (and maybe it is), I think it plays into the idea that people CAN'T fully understand it. Like Mother said, every answer leads to more questions. And maybe people can only know bits until they figure it out for themselves (like Jack at the Lighthouse).
How did Richard and the Others decide whom to recruit from among the various people who came to the island after that? What was the deal with all those lists? The lists weren't lists of Candidates, since the Others didn't try to recruit Sawyer or Jack. So what were they?
Jacob probably chose the people (specifically kids, since kids couldn't be born on the island), and gave them to Richard in the form of lists.
Why did the Incident in 1977 leave the island's women unable to give birth? What's with the huge importance placed on fertility on the island, what with the Tawaret statue? Why are so many women separated from their babies?
That's assuming the Incident caused the fertility problem (which I have thought in the past, but now am not sure).
So why was Widmore unable to return to the island? And then why was he able to return to the island after all? Also, why did turning the donkey wheel mean that Ben was unable to return to the island, except with the Oceanic Six?
Probably because he and Ben just couldn't find it. It moves around, and seems to have some protective covering of sorts.
What was the deal with that brand on Juliet's lower back? The cross/asterisk thing?
Considering it's from the most hated episode of Lost (even more hated than the Nikki and Paolo episode), I'm going to assume this won't be addressed.
Where did that supply drop come from? You know, the huge pallet of food and stuff?
Yeah I wanna know too…hope the writers keep their promise. Perhaps it was the place Richard "worked" when off island (like when recruiting Juliet).
Who built that weird Dharma Initiative door that leads to a stone wall? Did the Others put it there as part of their fake village?
Probably, although it's possible Dharma found it.
Was Rousseau "claimed" by the Smoke Monster the same way Claire and Sayid were?
Possibly…she was "crazy," and only seemed to change after Sayid showed her kindness.
What was the Sickness that the Dharma Initiative was vaccinating people against? Is it similar to the Smoke Monster "claiming" people, or something else?
I think so, but I don't think we're going to get any more explanation on that. But who knows, maybe...
When the Smoke Monster told Sayid that he could have Nadia back from the dead, was he referring to the "flash sideways" universe, or something else? Or just lying?
I think just lying. He also promised that to Richard. But, as we've been told, dead is dead.
What was the deal with Pierre Chang having so many wacky pseudonyms?
Yeah, why was that?
What were the Others having Kate and Sawyer build? Was it really going to be a runway? For what?
Um…have you watched the show? It was the runway for the Ajira flight.
So if the hydrogen bomb going off caused the "flash sideways" universe and prevented Oceanic 815 from crashing, how did it change Hurley's lottery numbers, or make Sawyer a cop instead of a con-man?
The whole flash-sideways world is different. Not just from 815 on, but the history is different too.
Is Ji Yeon the "Kwon" who's a candidate?
I doubt it.
Who's the mother of Jack's son David in the "flash-sideways" universe? On a related note, where's alt-Juliet?
I think we’ll find out at the concert in the finale.
What happened to the body of Christian Shephard on the "flash-sideways" Flight 815?
Yeah, what did happen to it?
Come to think of it, what happened to Christian's body on the island?
Hmm.
Sayid was "claimed" by the Smoke Monster, but he still had free will afterward. What did that being "claimed" thing mean anyway?
In my mind, the same thing as being made "an Other." You were changed in some small way that made give allegiance to one side or another.
What does god need with a starship? I mean, why does Locke need an airplane to leave the island?
He didn't.
Why are the Numbers so important? I get that each of the Numbers corresponds to one of the remaining Candidates as of a while ago. But that's just another instance of the Numbers popping up in relation to something. Why these numbers? Why were they powerful long before Jack, Hurley, et al. came to the island?
The numbers are part of the Valenzetti Equation, which was supposed to predict the end of the world. It was one of the many things Dharma was working on.
And come to think of it, what was the point of having someone broadcasting the numbers over the radio over and over again for years?
Don't have a snappy answer for that one. Maybe just because they brought that guy so much strife?
If Jacob is dead, and his ghost is wandering around talking to Hurley, what's with the little kid version of Jacob? Why can only certain people, like Sawyer, see the little-kid Jacob?
I assume because he's a candidate. As to why he has to appear as a kid, who knows...
Who was Juliet inviting to coffee?
My guess is Sideways Sawyer, but I think we'll find out in the finale.
Why can't the Smoke Monster cross a line of ash? What about the sonic fence?
Um. Because…he…can't? Can we just say "mysterious rules" and get away with it?
So the Man In Black can't leave the island. But Jacob was wandering off the island all the time, buying Louis Vuitton luggage, touching the Oceanic Six and various other people, and stocking up on Flannery O'Connor books. At one point, Jacob opened a dance studio in Newark. What gives?
Jacob isn't a smokie. Although how he got off the island is anyone's guess. Maybe it's a protector power.
When Ben took Locke to Jacob's Cabin, there was a weird telekinetic storm and Locke heard a voice saying "Help me." Was that Jacob? Or the M.I.B.? What sort of help did the voice have in mind? More importantly, what's with the dog painting in Jacob's Cabin???
I think it was Blackie, and he knew exactly how to play Locke. As to the dog painting…I don't know…maybe he really likes Vincent? After all, it was Blackie (in Christian's form…well, I assume anyway) who told Vincent to go wake him (Jack) up after the crash
see, technology can be good sometimes
do you know what an Info-Lady is? find out here.
genius. entrepreneurial but in the name of helping others, not self-interest.
genius. entrepreneurial but in the name of helping others, not self-interest.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
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