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Top Six Seasons of LOST

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I obviously couldn’t make a top ten list of the seasons of LOST simply because there’s only six seasons and that’s all there will ever be. This is just a list ordering those six seasons from least to greatest. LOST is a story that has lasted six perfect seasons with over 100 perfect episodes. How does one order perfection? It’s a difficult task, but its a good way to start this section of moviesfilmsmotionpictures.

6. Season 4

While, it is my least favorite Season of LOST, it still is simply spectacular. Every season of LOST follows a specific story line, and with Season 4, we follow the intense and fast-paced story of the freighter. Season offers series classics from the beautifully touching “The Constant” to the excellently plotted “The Shape of Things to Come”. Season 4 is fantastic and completely underrated. The only reason it is here at spot 6  is because it only has 12 episodes and in that way it simply doesn’t offer as much, story wise, to the series as a whole.

5. Season 1

The season that started it all and introduced us to some of the most interesting characters in existence. What we didn’t know was that the best was yet to come. If I was told that at the time, I wouldn’t have believed it because of how brilliant the first season actually was. In Season 1, you get a glimpse at the lives of a group of strangers and their fascinating pasts. You also learn the nature of the island they’ve landed on. The real nature and scope of the show wasn’t truly revealed until the first season’s finale, Exodus when all hope is lost with the line, “we’re gonna have to take the boy.” And of course the opening of the hatch.

4. Season 3

The third season of LOST is absolutely amazing and without a doubt, the most underrated Season of the entire series. With brilliant tales such as, “The Man Behind the Curtain”, “The Brig” and the mind-bending season finale, “Through the Looking Glass”, it always blows my mind that this season gets such a bad reputation. Season 3 is mostly dedicated to learning about the mysterious “Others”. In it we are introduced to the greatest female character of the series, Juliet Burke. We also become more familiar with the sinister Benjamin Linus and learn quickly that there’s always more than meets the eye. Whether its Jack’s surgery of Ben’s spine or Sawyer killing Sawyer, season 3 always has something new and awesome to offer.

3. Season 5

Season 5 was proof that the creators of LOST weren’t afraid to tell the exact story they set out to tell. In a science-fiction filled season complete with teleportation and time-traveling, you get a plot that might seem corny from the outside, but due to pristine story-telling is actually nothing less than magnificent. After five years of a show about being on an island (obviously some got off and came back in episode “316” of this season) you’d think the story by this point would have become redundant or boring, but it just got better. In Season 5, we’re introduced to one of the most surprising and beautiful romances with Juliet and Sawyer, we learn of “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham” and don’t even get me started on “The Incident”. Season 5 is pure brilliance.

2. Season 2

With Season 1, you thought you were watching a great television show, but it was Season 2 that showed you that you were watching a truly epic and amazing story unfold right before your eyes. Season 2 is what really starts getting the ball rolling of the greatest television show in existence. We learn what’s in the hatch and expectations are exceeded, we learn there are survivors of the tail end of the plane, we really start delving into one of the greatest aspects of the show, the relationship between main character’s Jack Shephard and John Locke. Above all else though Season 2 is when the questions really start getting asked whether they be about “The Others”, the black smoke monster, the button that has to be pushed every 108 minutes, the numbers, the stone foot, etc. Season 2 is the true set up for one of the greatest stories ever told.

1. Season 6

Season 6 is, to put it as bluntly as possible, the perfect ending to the perfect story. Every single event that transpired in the past seasons were all working its way to this, the greatest season of them all. Season 6 is fueled by the true nature of the island itself and the rivalry between the fascinating characters, Jacob and The Man in Black. In this season we realize just how much is on the line and how much larger than life of a chess game that the main characters we know and love are involved in. Also, on an emotional level, nothing on LOST is breathtaking as Season 6 is.

We’ve gone on this journey just as these characters have and we want nothing more than to be satisfied and not feel as though time has been wasted by the end of it all. We want an ending worth talking about long after. Season 6, as a whole, was an ending to the series and fans needed something just as amazing as the proceeding seasons had offered. What Season 6 offered was nothing short of an assortment of some of the greatest and most memorable moments of the entire series. I couldn’t possibly recount them here, but I will say this: A lot was expected out of Season 6 and what was given was the ending that established LOST as a true masterpiece.

LOST

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LOST is unquestionably the greatest thing that the invention called the television has ever allowed us to watch. For that very reason I’ve decided to make a category on my site dedicated strictly to LOST, “The Greatest TV Show Ever Created”. Here, for the most part you’ll find top ten lists that express exactly why and how much I am in love with this epic tale called LOST. And if to justify the fact that I’ve added this category to my site (obviously a site dedicated to my love for film), I will say this. LOST is the most cinematic show in existence. If it were a movie, I’d give it an “A+”. Fortunately though, it’s not a movie, because if it were, it wouldn’t be the 100+ hour long epic masterpiece that it clearly is.

LOST is a television show filled with every single thing that makes anything worth watching. With LOST, you get friendship, love, drama, adventure, action, horror, science-fiction, philosophy, the widest arrangement of characters you would ever hope to meet whether they be good, evil or both and above all else, the show never fails to entertain and surprise until it last beautiful seconds.

I’ve been watching LOST from Day 1 and I stuck with it until “The End”, never once thinking of stopping. I’ve since bought every season and yes have re-watched it and will continue to re-watch it until the day I die. LOST, like any amazing book, song or of course movie, that you love is simply a story that you get to have and hold for as long as you’re breathing. So yes, LOST is over and it has been for almost a year now, but it will live on forever as long as there are fans, like me, who never forget exactly how perfect it truly was.

READ THIS IF NOTHING ELSE, IT’S IMPORTANT: The posts in the category entitled “The Greatest TV Show Ever Created” are dedicated to the show LOST and its fans. They are written by me, a lover of the show, and they will be written as if they are being read by other lovers of the show. If you have not seen the show, do not read the posts in this category. Also, don’t think that just because the show is over you can’t pick it up and start watching it now. Once again, the posts in this category will be addressing many of the essential and pivotal secrets of the show. I’m not going to waste my time and the time of other fans by posting a “!!!SPOILER ALERT!!!” before each post so consider this your first, last and only warning… !!!SPOILER ALERT!!!

Well, let’s get started shall we…

In no way, was that my favorite scene or anything. I just thought I should to put a little snip-bit of LOST to begin with and thought that was a good place to start.

Insidious Review

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Insidious is, to put it as simply as possible, a breath of fresh air. It’s a film that breaths life into a genre’s darkest hour. Insidious is proof that spectacular horror films can still be made today. It’s a true trip to a haunted house and leaves you with chills running down your spine long after. It’s a fascinating and horrific excursion into the dark abyss and I loved the ride. Insidious is a horror movie in every sense and other horror filmmakers should take note because they could learn a thing or two.

This is a film that’s reminiscent of the films that made showed the genre exactly how awesome it could be, films like The Exorcist and The Shining. It’s clever, yet simple and at the same time, contrary to some opinions, it feels extremely fresh in its execution, plot and form. Insidious is a film filled with the kinds of things that you’d imagine as a child and if they were real, would scare the living hell out of you as an adult. It seems almost childish and corny by it’s very nature, by due to the style and execution, it never fails to express maturity.

Insidious is a horror film created by people who know exactly what a horror movie should be. A horror movie’s job isn’t to see how many gallons of blood it can spill in grotesque ways. It’s job is to scare you and not just make you jump (yes a horror movie should do that and Insidious does that constantly), but also just make the very idea of being in the dark by yourself seem like an insane one. You never know who or what is lurking in the shadows. A horror movie scares you and your friends on a friday night because feeling fear is fun.

Insidious does its excels in its job with flying colors. Sure you could point out some corny parts, but even The Shining had a bear giving a butler a blowjob. You could look at any of your favorite movies and find some problems, but who cares?! The question isn’t, “what’s wrong with that movie?”. The question is, “Did you have a good time watching this movie?”. I for one had an awesome time watching Insidious.

Grade: A-

Scream 4 Review

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If you want to talk about surprises, Scream 4 is it. In no way, was I expecting anything remotely resembling a good movie from Scream 4. To my surprise I was very wrong. I won’t lie to you, I have not seen Scream 2 or Scream 3, but I do love the first Scream. I was just never that interested to go out of my way to see the sequels when I’ve heard nothing but bad comments on them. By happen stance though, I was bored and decided just for the hell of it, to get some friends and see the fourth Scream. I had a blast.

In order to get any enjoyment at all out of Scream 4, you have to except it for what it is. Like the first Scream, it is not a frightening film, it doesn’t go out of its way to literally attempt to scare or creep you out like The Shining or The Exorcist, it does offer cheap thrills that might make you jump, but no it is not a scary movie. It’s merely a, dare I say brilliant, commentary on the horror (more so sub-genre, slasher) genre in general.

Over the past years, we’ve gotten many horror movies and aside from a few worth mentioning most don’t even come close to what the genre use to be. This is a time period of remakes, sequels and films that try to make you throw up instead of jumping out of your skin. Scream 4 puts a mirror in the face of this generation of horror and says , look what you’ve done. Scream 4 did for this generation of horror films what the original Scream did for its generation of horror films. And since I grew up in this generation I might just have to say that Scream 4 was actually even more enjoyable.

With Scream 4, you’ve got a delightful batch of the same old characters (or should I say suspects) who you get to watch taken out one by one, while attempting, with your friends and a bucket of popcorn, to decipher the who and the why. It’s fun, it’s entertaining, it’s expected and that’s the point. Scream 4 is exactly the movie it should be, nothing more, nothing less. Is it a perfect movie? No. It is however a perfect Scream 4.

Grade: B+

Rango Review

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When it comes to animated films, I’m not usually one to rush out and buy a ticket unless of course its a Pixar movie. Rango however was not a Pixar movie, but it was a pretty darn good movie too say the least. My interest was peaked solely by a Johnny Depp performance and the direction of Pirates’ director, Gore Verbinski. That and let’s face it, there’s not much to see in theaters now, but with Rango, I was glad I did.

The plot was a fun one and not the kind you’d might expect from what looks to be a children’s film. A lonely lizard with troubles in finding who he truly is invents a character for himself and becomes the unlikely savior of a town in dire need of saving. While comical through, in turn the movie is whether intense and very mature for what it’s attempting to do. It was almost as if the filmmakers were confused themselves at who their target audience was. At times this made for a few awkward and weird moments. That would be one major complaint.

Aside from that, I had a lot of fun with this film. I loved the delivery by almost every actor, especially Johnny Depp and Bill Nighy. Ned Beatty fit right in with a role that practically mirrored the antagonist of Toy Story 3. The look and feel of the film were top-notch. The animation was absolutely breath-taking. From every scale and grain f sand, the job was done and done perfectly. You couldn’t look away.

The most fun I had with this film came from the very subtle references made to classic westerns. The most recognizable ones came from the brilliant “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, but the most entertaining to me came from the plot in general that seemed to pay homage to themes of “the dying west” that you get a full dose of in “Once Upon a Time in the West”. Rango is a western in every sense and I very fun one, I’d suggest a view.

Grade: B

Top Ten Revenge Movies

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One of the most common motives for a character in a film is vengeance. It’s such a common motive that films centered around vengeance have basically become a genre all their own. This is a list dedicated to the films that made revenge into an art form. Its such a classic tale, to see a character wronged and then enjoy the subsequent actions that character takes in order to usually get well-deserved revenge. Here are my favorite films where the act of vengeance are key to drive the plot.

10. Gangs of New York

Martin Scorsese’s gritty look into the lives of gangster’s in 1800s New York was driven almost solely by the fact that the main character, Amsterdam (Leonardo DiCaprio), wanted nothing more in the world than to kill his father’s killer. The sadistic basterd, Bill “The Butcher” Cutting, was played to perfection by the great Daniel Day-Lewis because we wanted him dead almost as much as Amsterdam.

9. Oldboy

Oldboy was able to succeed in doing what no other film was able to do. It was able to take the act of vengeance to the next level. Oldboy tells the tale of a man imprisoned for 15 years and the days after his imprisonment, in which he attempts to figure out the why, the who, and how to best exact his revenge. Oldboy is not for the faint of heart, but if you know what you’re getting into you won’t be disappointed.

8. V for Vendetta

The graphic novel based science-fiction film about the not-so-distant future is nothing short of a masterful act of vengeance. V for Vendetta is such a monumentally enjoyable film that it astounds me. V for Vendetta is amazing in the way that the protagonist isn’t just driven by vengeance, but also justice. The people who wronged V didn’t just wrong him, they wronged a country and they deserve exactly what they get.

7. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Tim Burton has made some brilliant films, but none were nearly as good as his dark yet beautiful look into the physical and mental casualties of vengeance. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street is unquestionably the most beautiful of all Tim Burton’s films. Johnny Depp gives the performance of his career as the vengeful barber from hell. This is my favorite musical and one of the greatest tales of revenge ever told.

6. Brick

Beneath the classic detective tale, the mystery and the pitch-perfect references to film-noir, Brick is the tale of a loner getting back at a world who took away the only thing he ever loved. Brick is a truly brilliant crime drama set in the confines of a high school and where that could easily become corny, Brick stays serious and manages to keep you involved until the beautiful ending that you crave for from the second you start putting the puzzle together.

5. Unforgiven

I would just like to make this clear, Unforgiven is the greatest western in existence and one of the greatest films ever made. It is undoubtedly my favorite of the movies listed here, it is however not my favorite tale of vengeance. There’s a lot more substance to Unforgiven thematically and even when it comes to the plot. It’s not a tale driven simply by vengeance, so I am certainly welling to put it at number 5, but the top four spots are more fitting for solely tales of revenge.

4. Once Upon a Time in the West

Sergio Leone’s masterful take on revenge is not only unmistakably brilliant, but also unique. Once Upon a Time in the West is unique in the way that it establishes a truly cold-blooded basterd of a villain in the character Frank (played spectacularly by Henry Fonda), but doesn’t establish that the movie is actually a simple tale of revenge until the final showdown. Frank is one of the most villainous characters ever put on screen throughout, but we don’t know the true extent of his wrath until the second before he’s shot in the chest.

3. Memento

It’s pretty self-explanatory why Memento is this high on the list if you’ve seen the movie and that right there is a statement all its own. Quite honestly, Memento is one of the most original and refreshing films ever concocted. It’s the innovative tale of a man bent on revenge for the murder of his wife, unfortunately that task is made rather difficult due to the fact that he has short-term memory loss. He constantly has to take notes and get tattoos in order to stay on track, but he never knows who he can trust whether that be his best friend or even himself.

2. Gladiator

Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is so utterly pure in its tale of good vs. evil. What you get in the film Gladiator is a hero of almost mythical status, a general who becomes a slave, a slave that becomes a gladiator and the gladiator that defied an empire. You also get one one of the most despicable movie villains in film. There are many villains I love in film, The Joker, Hannibal, Anton Chigurh, Hans Landa, etc. Commodus is not one of those villains. I hate him almost as much as I hate Nurse Ratched and that’s a lot of hate.

Long story short, you basically love Maximus and hate Commodus. You cannot wait until he is able to exact his well-deserved revenge and that’s exactly what you get. Gladiator is a beautifully epic, yet simple film and that quite honestly is what a true tale of vengeance should be. Gladiator is one of the greatest films in existence and is well deserving of a spot on a list of the greatest tales of revenge ever put on the silver screen.

1. Kill Bill

With his blood-soaked masterpiece, Kill Bill, Quentin Tarantino manages to perfectly epitomize the idea of a film centralized by the act of vengeance. There is truthfully no story of revenge that was as magnificent, beautiful and epic as Kill Bill is. Once again, its a generally simple tale, what  you see is what you get. A woman is betrayed, her family killed and due to a bullet to the head, put into a coma.

The people responsible are her former associates and the man she once loved, Bill. After four years in a comatose state, she wakes up and goes on a killing spree with a single agenda, see title. Kill Bill is both a tale of revenge and a journey and like any amazing journey, there are highs, lows, interesting characters and experiences that all lead to a single climax.

The climax in Kill Bill is one you’re forced to crave for four amazing hours and what you get is one of the most satisfying scenes in the history of film. Quentin Tarantino always seems to have a way of creating some of the most memorable moments in film and does nothing short of that when he created the greatest the tale of revenge of all time. Kill Bill is one of my favorite films in existence and can’t be described in a greater way than to say that it is without a shred of doubt the greatest tale of revenge ever told.