Speed Racer (2008, U.S.)

One guess why I watched this bit of silliness—yeah, that would be Matthew Fox. I love that man, and I loved him as Racer X. Add to that the brilliant, truly comic-book inspired score by Michael Giacchino, and the whole thing was worthwhile.

Don't get me wrong, this was a good family movie. The Wachowski brothers did a great job of creating this brightly-colored science fictional world, where car racing is a way of life. It was almost overwhelming to the point of distraction, all this color and such.

The movie's got great messages about family, fighting against the corrupt capitalist upper-class, doing the right thing, etc. The cast was really high-profile, which was a bit incongruous with this type of movie. (The last thing I saw Emile Hirsch in was Into the Wild, so seeing him now as Speed Racer was even stranger.) The plot was confusing at times, but it all became clear in the end.

As I seem to have really lost my gift for description, I think I'm going to give up on this review. Suffice is to say that for the type of movie this was, it was really good. Oh, and did I mention Matthew Fox?

Rating: 3.5

We Are Marshall (2006, U.S.)

I meant to see this movie when it came to the dollar theater, but I never quite made it. (Main attraction being, of course, Matthew Fox.) Mom bought it recently, so I finally got to see it, two years later.

It was okay. I mean, it was sad, vaguely hopeful, and Matthew Fox was in it. Past that, it could have used more of everything. I felt like I spent a lot of the movie reading emotion into the characters that wasn't actually portrayed, just because I thought it should be there. I don't know if this was bad acting, scripting, or directing, but it wasn't nearly as moving as it could have been.

What else is there really to say about this one? If you haven't seen it, you haven't missed much—especially if you're a big fan of the emotional sports films like Remember the Titans, Miracle, and the rest. I guess that's to be expected from a director whose main movie projects were Charlie's Angels—I and II.

It wasn't a total waste of time, but... eh. Maybe I would've liked it better without a raging headache. And if Matthew Fox's horrible dye-job wasn't so distracting.

Rating: 3.0

Lost (Season 4 Finale)

So I didn't intend on using this for TV shows, but I can't pass up an opportunity to rave about the season 4 finale of Lost. I was absolutely blown away. There was shock after shock, most of them pretty emotional. Several people died, and even more people who were dead seemed suddenly alive.

(SPOILER ALERT: I wouldn't read this if you haven't seen it.)

My favorite moments: Sawyer jumping out of the plane (I actually liked him for once), Sun's reaction to Jin's death (beautiful and sad), Keamy dying (hated that bastard), Claire showing up at Kate's house (very twilight zone), Penny and Demond reuniting (that seemed too easy--but I'm happy!), and best of all, the fact that they actually showed the face in the coffin--and it was someone whose death I'd been hoping for since season 1. (Does this conversation sound familiar? "The crew guys that would go down to the planet with the main guys, the captain and the guy with the pointy ears, they always wore red shirts. And they always got killed." "Sounds like a piss-poor captain." Yeah, I'll never forgive him for Boone.)

I'm finding it impossible to go to sleep because I'm all wound-up and jumpy from the finale. Lost has been a bit of a roller coaster lately, and I don't mean that in a good way. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad. The last few episodes have been getting stronger, and this one might have been the best one for several seasons. Just... wow.

One interesting thing I will point out: There was a bit of deja vu from every preceding season finale. Season 1 -- the boat with the spotlight coming towards the raft with lights flashing. (I could feel the panic rising before I saw Penny.) Season 2 -- someone messes with thing beneath the island's surface, the sky turns strangely noisy and purple. Everything changes. Season 3 -- Jack goes to the funeral home, and there's a mystery person in the coffin, but we don't know who. I was shocked when they gave it away this time. So way to give me goosebumps, you genius Lost writers.

Which brings me to the last thing I wanted to say. It seems all of my education about the Enlightenment and the history of ideas has not gone to waste, because I have always found good use for it watching Lost. I knew all about Rousseau, Locke, and Hume before seeing their island counterparts, which I find can be quite helpful when interpreting the characters. So of course I was thrilled to recognize the name of Jeremy Bentham, the man in the coffin. Especially in relation to "watching." Bentham designed the panopticon, a circular prison with a guard tower in the middle. The idea was that the inmates would behave well all the time, because they could never be sure when a guard was watching them. (Fascinating idea.) Anyway, this could become very interesting as things unfold next season. Especially because many of Bentham's other ideas directly conflict with those of the philosopher the dead man was originally named for. So we shall see.

Wow, can I run on about this show. I'm just loving it again!

Rating: 5.0