Reviews by Matt

I was going to write something about the finale of “Lost.” In fact, I had a 254 word start a few days ago. Now though, after reading some of the backlash from “The End,” I have some thoughts of my own to share.

One big thing I keep reading is that there are still unanswered questions. My simple, one word response is- “So?” There is nothing wrong with that as far as I am concerned. The show has always had questions surrounding it.

Maybe some expected to have their every question answered by 11:30 p.m. on that finale Sunday. That is why they hated the ending or how the show handled the ending. I went in to Sunday’s finale knowing that there were still going to be questions and I came away loving the ending. I have not watched it again yet, but I just might do so after this, so I might still be in awe of it all, but I doubt it.

I have spent a lot of time thinking about/theorizing with friends/reading about the finale and the show in general. It is an amazing ending and was one I never saw coming, but now feels like it was the perfect ending to the show.

Having everything explained would have been worse ending. I loved that there were things left unsaid. I liked that I still do no completely understand everything. For me, it means that “Lost” will live on. Fans can still talk about and theorize about the show even though all the episodes have aired. When I go back and rewatch the show on DVD, there is a very good chance I will pick up on clues and answers I don’t know at this point.

Think about it. If “Lost” really had provided answers to all the questions it asked, wouldn’t that have been the most un-“Lost” way for the show to end?

When Monday morning comes I will be facing a whole new world. It will be new and scary. It will be a dark world full of unknown dangers and things that go bump in the night. I will be stranded at sea with no hope of rescue. It will be as if I have crashed on a mysterious island full of “others” polar bears and a black smoke monster. It is something I have not had to face for a very long time. It is my life after “Lost.”

The last new episode before the series finale aired last night and it was bitter sweet. I love this show and will continue to for as long as I live. Last night thought, I had a thought as I walked up the steps to my friend’s apartment. I don’t want to watch the finale. It means that there will be no new “Lost” ever again. Yet, I am dying for answers to questions I have had for many years. Come 11:30 p.m. on Sunday night, “Lost” will be over.

Don’t get me wrong. I will still watch the show on DVD and theorize with my friends about just what the hell is going on, but it will be different. For the past 5 years (I did not get into the show until season 2) I have been there every week, eyes glued to the screen, mind racing with theories, anger and confusion flowing through me mixed with wonder and amazement. Now what do I have to fill the void caused by the absence of “Lost?”

Looking at the current television climate, not much. “Lost” has truly changed my television viewing habits. It has raised my expectations of what a TV show can be. To be honest, nothing has come close to matching it. I have stopped watching more shows because they did not give me what “Lost” did. I have loved being immersed in the fandom. At one point I listened to four weekly podcasts about the show, now because of time constraints it is down to two. I have visited websites and read countless articles dedicated to the show. There is nothing I am currently watching that merits this kind of attention.

So come Monday morning things are going to be different. I trust the writers enough to know that the finale will be amazing. Whether I like it or not, it is guaranteed to be something worth watching. I have faith that I will be satisfied with the ending—there is very little in the show I have not liked (Nikki and Palo, the episode with Bai Ling.) They would have to try very hard to mess it up now. I know that on Monday morning, some fans will be angry, some will be glad with how it ended up. One thing if for certain, we will still be theorizing and I would not have the show end any other way.

I love summer. The weather is great, I go back to day camp and my responsibilities are minimal. It is also a hell of a time to be a movie fan. The summer movie season kicked off Friday with “Iron Man 2.”

The world knows that Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is Iron Man and that is posing some problems for Stark. The U.S. government wants to get their hands on the suit of iron. They feel that the technology is too great for one man to have and are worried about what will happen if other countries were able to replicate it. Stark refuses to give them the Iron Man suit.

While racing in Monaco, Stark is attacked by Ivan Vanko (Micky Rourke) a Russian wielding the same technology as the Iron Man suit. He has added a electric whip on each arm and uses them to devastate Stark.

Meanwhile Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell,) a competitor to Stark Industries, wants to bring down the arrogant Stark. He enlists Vanko’s help in improving Hammer’s very own suits of armor in hopes of using them to embarrass Stark.

I am going to be honest I hate that plot synopsis. There is a lot going on in the movie and there are a ton of characters that it is damn near impossible to write a good enough plot summary.
So let’s start there. I did not like how over blown the movie was. There is way too much going on. And this is coming from a guy who watches “Lost.” There were a bunch of characters that I just did not care about.

So that is the bad. The good?

Robert Downey Jr. is awesome as Tony Stark. He is arrogant, but he is also brilliant and dedicated to helping people. Stark goes through some growth in this sequel. He discovers that the very thing keeping him alive (he has an electromagnet in his chest to keep shrapnel away from his heart), is also killing him. He has to find a new way to keep himself alive. He is faced with his own mortality and starts to self district, but is forced to pull himself out and face the bad guy.

The first one was better. While there are some elements to the first in this one, something is missing. I am not sure what it is, but I was not as satisfied with his as I was with the first. Don’t rush out to see this unless you have seen and love the first. It is good, but not great.

7/10
Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence, and some language.
124 min

We now take a break from the reviews to bring a mini-review.

I love watching The History Channel and The Discovery Channel. I could spend hours on just one of those two channels and not get board easily. I have recently been watching “America: The Story of Us” on History and have been really loving it.

The show looks at the events that shaped this country. It is complete with talking heads, reenactments and cheap CGI. Still the content is pretty cool. It started with the first settlers and the Revolutionary War three weeks ago. Last week was the Western exploration and this past Sunday, took us up through the Civil War.

I really like it and it is worth the watch.

My only issue is that some of the talking heads seem less qualified (Sheryl Crow and Michael Strahan?) than others. The talk is more about the American spirit than the facts of the topic discussed.

Check it out Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on History.

Opinions are a tricky thing. When I first saw the poster for “How To Train Your Dragon,” I was not interested. When I saw the first trailer I was unimpressed. I figured it would be a good rental one day. Then on the SlashFilmcast podcast, I heard them rave about it. I took a Friday off and went to see what all the hype was about. I left the theater in awe of how wrong my opinion had been.

The Viking island of Berk has been around for centuries, but all the buildings are new. Why? That stems from the village biggest problem — dragons. Dragon attacks are commonplace and slaying one is a sign of bravery and honor among the village. Hiccup (voiced by Jay Baruchal) dreams of slaying a dragon and earning his father’s love. One night during an attack, Hiccup uses a machine he invented to hit a Night Fury, the most elusive of all the dragons. He sets out the next morning to find out if he really hit it or if the dragon escaped. He comes upon the dragon that is trapped in a valley unable to fly out because of its crash landing. He eventually befriends the dragon, which he calls Toothless.

If you have ever had a pet you need to see this movie. I could not help but think of Bunker as I watched the interactions between Hiccup and Toothless. Toothless becomes a pet to Hiccup. Both of them share a friendship that is tested when Toothless is discovered.

The real star here is the animation, and even the 3D. Especially the flying scenes. Hiccup eventually makes Toothless what amounts to a prosthetic that allows him to fly again. When Hiccup first climbs on Toothless and they take off it is amazing. It is in these scenes where the 3D really shines. It rivaled “Avatar.” They are incredible in 3D and if you see it in 2D, you are missing out on an incredible experience. Not that it makes or breaks the movie like it did with “Avatar.”

What started out as a movie I could not care less about ended up being one of the best movies I have seen all year. The story is not that new, it has been done before plenty of times. It is still an amazing story nonetheless. Where “Kick-Ass” is made for a very specific audience, this is for everyone and everyone should see it.

9/10
Rated PG for sequences of intense action and some scary images, and brief mild language.
98 min

One of the most critical skills a writer can have is to know their audience. This is even more important than being able to write in the first place. If you don’t know for whom you are writing, you will be as effective in communicating your point as a blank piece of paper.

That being said, “Kick-Ass” is not a movie for the majority of the people who read this blog. So why review it? Because I loved it.

With all the comic books out there, why has no one tried to become a super hero? This is how “Kick-Ass” starts. Dave Lizewski (Aaron Johnson) is a loser. He is invisible to everyone else in high school and one day decides to become a hero. He dresses up in a green costume and stands up to two thieves — it does not end well. He ends up in the hospital with severe nerve damage. It leaves him almost numb to pain. He begins to train and when he is filmed saving a man from a gang, Kick-Ass is in high demand.

Two other heroes emerge in the wake of Kick-Ass’s fame. Big Daddy (Nicholas Cage) and Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz), a father and daughter team who are out to avenge the loss of their Big Daddy’s wife/Hit Girl’s mother.
Kick-Ass, Big Daddy and Hit Girl are welcomed by most of the public, but not Frank D’Amico (Mark Strong) a gangster who sees them as a threat to his seat of power.

I liked how the movie kept things pretty real. There are no super powers, if you don’t count Kick-Ass’s ability to not feel pain. It dealt with how the world would deal with people who dressed up in colored spandex and went looking for bad guys. Kick-Ass even uses a MySpace page to offer his services to help those in need — sure beats a Bat Signal.

Even with Kick-Ass being the central character, his is not the most interesting. That honor goes to Hit Girl. Here is where all but the teens/slightly older members of the Levy clan might want to stop reading. I am about to write something that might tarnish your opinion of me. Still here? Well, don’t say I did not warn you. I loved Hit Girl. There is something endearing about an 11-year-old girl who curses like a sailor and is a killing machine. See? Told you that you should have stopped reading. I cannot really explain it but there is just something about it that I really enjoyed.

So should my audience see this movie? Lets just say that if you have grandkids, nieces, nephews, son or daughters, then you will not like it. It is crude, violent and not your cup of tea. If you are a grandkid, niece, nephew, son or daughter then you might enjoy it — the guys more than the girls.

8/10
Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, pervasive language, sexual content, nudity and some drug use - some involving children. (See what I mean about knowing your audience?)
117 min