Monday, March 22, 2010

Lost - Recon

While I enjoyed last week’s episode of Lost, after watching it a second time I’m starting to understand everyone’s frustration with the Season 6. I loved the cameos by Charlie’s brother Liam and Rebecca Mader’s Charlotte and thought this week’s Flash Sidways was brilliant, but the so-called answers we’re receiving have been kind of a letdown.

Lost - Recon - Josh Holloway as James Sawyer Ford and Sheila Kelley as Kendall
When FLocke explained to Kate how and why Claire was crazy I almost threw something at my TV. After two years the only answer we get is that Smokey needed Claire to help him in his war against the Others, so he tricked her into hating them!?! I expect so much more from Lost and its writers, and this seemed like a weak copout to me. I really, really hope this isn’t a sign of things to come.

Lost - Recon - Emilie de Ravin as Claire Littleton and Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen
As for those loony scenes between Kate and Claire, they really freaked me out! Emilie de Raven is doing a fantastic job playing crazy, and I can’t wait to see her go nuts on Kate again (we all know it’s going to happen right?). What really terrified me was the look on Sayid’s face as Claire tried to kill Kate. He’s totally out of it and doesn’t seem to care about anyone or anything anymore. Naveen Andrews has always been able to convey a wide range of emotions with just a turn of his head and a piercing look, and in “Recon” he delivered once again. I don’t know what’s going on with Sayid, but I fear for anyone that gets in his way.

Lost - Recon - Evangeline Lilly as Kate Austen, Naveen Andrews as Sayid Jarrah & Terry O'Quinn as John Locke
After talking about “Recon” with some fellow Lost fans, I was surprised to learn that not everyone is as interested in this upcoming war over the island as I am. In some respects I agree with them that too much of the show has centered around the island’s new found mythology, and not enough time on the show’s characters. Truth be told, Lost has never been just about the island, but it definitely became a huge part of the show these past two seasons, really ever since the characters first began time jumping.

Lost - Recon - Josh Holloway as James Sawyer Ford and Sheila Kelley as Kendall 0
I for one have really enjoyed watching the Losties pick sides for the impending battle over the island, but throwing in a third team, Team Widmore, this late in the game may have been unwise. We don’t know anything about these new characters from Widmore’s sub, and it’s hard to want to give them a chance knowing all of the terrible things Charles has done over the years. Regardless, the rest of this season is definitely going to be focusing on the upcoming battle between FLocke’s team of crazies and the combined forces of Team Widmore and Team Jacob, so we’d better get used it (and ready for some action).

I know I mentioned it earlier, but how awesome was this week’s Sawyer-centric Flash Sideways!?! Learning that Sawyer and Miles ended up as partners on the police force was just too damn cool. If ABC had half a brain, they’d already be developing an hour long police dramedy spin-off staring Sawyer and Miles. That’s the show they should be making instead of a Hawaii 5-O remake!

Lost - Recon - Rebecca Mader as Charlotte Lewis and Josh Holloway as James Sawyer Ford
I enjoyed learning Charlotte works with Miles’ father at the museum in the Flash Sideways, and that she’s still an adventure seeking archeologist. But what really made this week’s Flash Sideways stand out was the twist that Sawyer had become a cop instead of a con-man. Thankfully, he’s still searching for the real Sawyer, a.k.a. Anthony Cooper, and now that Miles is in on the hunt, I’ve got a feeling this storyline is going to get really interesting really fast. Thankfully, with only ten or eleven more hours of Lost left, we won’t have to wait that much longer for a resolution to Sawyer’s quest for vengeance.

No big theories this week, but tomorrow night’s episode is going to be HUGE!!! From my understanding, it’s a Richard-centric episode and features an old school Flash Back instead of a Flash Sideways. The episode is entitled "Ab Aeterno,” which is Latin for “since the beginning of time” or, more figuratively, “since a very long time ago.” (link) I can’t wait!
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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Teaser Movie Poster

The Blot loves me some Scott Pilgrim, and this new teaser one sheet movie poster, released last week at SXSW, rocks! Fans have gone gaga over everything Scott Pilgrim ever since creator Bryan Lee O’Malley released his first SP graphic novel back in 2004, and 2010 is shaping up to be a huge year for the character. At this point, I’m not sure if I’m more excited for the release of the 6th and final graphic novel in the Scott Pilgrim series, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, or the first live action movie adaptation of the series, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Teaser One Sheet Promo Movie Poster - An epic of epic epicness
For those of you unfamiliar with the Canadian slacker, here’s the skinny: “Scott Pilgrim's life is awesome. He's 23 years old, in a rock band, between jobs, and dating a cute high school girl. Everything's fantastic until a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. But the path to Ms. Flowers isn't covered in rose petals. Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends stand in the way between Scott and true happiness. Can Scott beat the bad guys and get the girl without turning his life upside-down?”

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6: Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour Graphic Novel Cover Artwork by Bryan Lee O’Malley
The Scott Pilgrim live action movie, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, stars Michael Cera as Scott Pilgrim, Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Ramona V. Flowers, Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Chris Evans as Lucas Lee, Anna Kendrick as Stacey Pilgrim, Brandon Routh as Todd Ingram, Alison Pill as Kim Pine, Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Gordon Graves, Ellen Wong as Knives Chau, Satya Bhabha as Matthew Patel, and Mark Webber as Stephen Stills. The film is scheduled to premiere on August 13, 2010.

Scott Pilgrim Volume 6, Scott Pilgrim’s Finest Hour, will be released on July 20, 2010 at bookstores everywhere.
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Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Provence

Tonight’s all new episode of No Reservations finds Tony visiting Provence, a region of southeastern France on the Mediterranean. Provence's simplistic lifestyle and approach to food is one of its most captivating and salient qualities. While there, Tony becomes enamored with its culture and cuisine, which stresses using fresh and superior ingredients like wine, cheese, bread and beautiful cuts of meat.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel
Anthony’s first adventure while in Provence is to learn how to make aioli, a sauce made of garlic and olive oil. As simple as it sounds, this sauce takes time and care for the perfect consistency and taste. In fact, the woman preparing it refused to do so outside because the wind might have affected the outcome. She uses a mortar and pestle, while Tony snaps green beans next to her. This sauce is traditionally served on vegetables and fish, which is exactly what Tony and his friends have for lunch.



Next, it's an early rise for drinks at Bar du Marche. The local men have made this an early Sunday morning tradition with wine, cheese, and sausages. Tony chats with his tablemates about their opinions on Provence food versus other areas of France. Tony then gets a family history lesson from his friend Anne and sits down for a snacks and drinks. The drink of choice in this region is Ricard wine (ice cubes and all). According to Anne, the popularity of this drink is due to how refreshing it is and the fact that it helps with digestion.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Provence - Tony on a tour of the Domaine de Val Joanis winery with owner Jean Chancel
After that, Tony tries his hand at a game called Pétanque, which is similar to Bocce. The game originated in Provence and the locals consider it a serious competition. Tony gets his you-know-what handed to him within just a few minutes! Bourdain then takes a tour the Domaine de Val Joanis winery. Interestingly, the soil is really rocky and unforgiving. The locals believe that the soil forces the grape vines to work harder and penetrate deeper, which provides a unique taste to the wine. Last but not least, Tony meets back up with his friend Anne at her dessert shop Au Petit Duc to try Calisson, a classic almond dessert. Anne ends up putting Tony to work in her kitchen to see just how good his dessert skills really are. I hope Tony brought his A game!

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations airs Monday nights at 10/9c on the Travel Channel.
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