Fresh Loaf

ONE EPISODE LEFT: Some much to say, so little time

There’s a theory regarding the pleasures of delayed gratification via online shopping. It starts with the small thrill of buying something over the internet. It’s not yet tactile, but you know it’s coming. Depending on your shipping methods, you’re either waiting at the mailbox every day or have semi-forget about the package altogether. Either way, when that box comes, it’s a little bit birthday and a little bit Christmas. Online videos have even been posted of people carefully and deliberately opening their packages, savoring each moment before their present to themselves is revealed.

Richard Alpert is this week’s wrapping paper for Darlton’s gift that’s been carefully unveiled in small parts for several seasons now. Though “Follow the Leader” was initially rumored to be the Richard backstory episode Lostphiles have been waiting at the proverbial mailbox for, it wasn’t quite so obvious. We did see Richard (looking like a true GQ gentlemen in all spaces and places) throughout time, but it was time we’re already familiar with. The episode was Richard-centric insofar as his (never-aging) presence coherently linked our two Lostie camps.

I have to say, for being some kind of “adviser” who’s had the job for “a very, very, very long time,” Richard appears constantly perplexed. Does the island tell him anything? And who are all those Others anyway? Where did they come from? Next week’s episode appears to promise answers to some of these questions — after all, Darlton said this was going to be the last season of sci-fi business. If so, there’s a lot of island mythology that will need to be sewn up before we delve head first into the Quadrangle. (The Quadrangle is the current preferred term for the Jack-Kate-Sawyer-Juliet mess.) Though Faraday’s death last week shocked and appalled, rumor has it that wasn’t the “major” death this season. Will one of the Quad-dwellers die off?

Continue reading “The Televangelist: ‘Lost’ episode 15″

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All’s not lost in Requiem for a Paper Bag (In honor of A&E Assistant Wyatt Williams’ last day — he’ll still be contributing regularly to the paper and blog — I present to you one of his great recent blog posts.)

‘Snoutbreak’ is the word of the week (Jon Stewart coins a new term for the swine flu.)

The Televangelist: ‘Lost’ episode 14 (The show’s 100th episode following Obama’s 100 days speech. Coincidence? I think not.)

Bench Press: Weekend sports roundup (GOkickball, the Mitty and more.)

Hollywood Product: X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Curt breaks down the vengeful action flick with mutant powers.)

Atlanta stores to celebrate Free Comic Book Day tomorrow (Oxford Comics, Criminal Records, the Book Nook and many more participate.)

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YOU CAN CHANGE: Your own diaper

Ah yes, the long awaited Miles episode! I usually complain about needless backstory episodes (cough, Jack’s tattoos, cough) that don’t push the narrative forward enough, but “Some Like it Hoth” was a crowd pleaser, and I thereby refuse to judge it harshly. Miles the Swindler Ghost Whisperer held court this week as we sprinted through his life story: toddler Miles in a single-parent low-rent household; punk Miles uneasy with his gifts and searching for answers; and adult Miles, exploiting the grieving for cash and about to be recruited by Widmore. Finally, we learned that Dr. “Douchebag” Chang is Miles’ “Douchebag” Dad. Fellow watchers inform me that the rumor of Chang as Miles’ father has been around for some time, but since I apparently missed that boat my mouth was suitably agape at the thought. Of course, Miles has had three years to get used to the idea since, “on the third day here I was in line in the cafeteria and my mom got into the line behind me. That was my first clue.”

At first gander, “Some Like it Hoth” feels chock full of island lore, but for most “Lost” devotees the reveals weren’t anything new. Hey, there’s the Hatch! Hey, Kate’s messing something up! Hey, everyone on the island has Daddy issues! We saw the beginnings of study regarding the island’s electromagnetism (thanks to an unfortunate Dharma Denizen’s filling being yanked through his brain. It’s not a plane but … it will be). We don’t know what Chang is learning from the bodies (or what he’s doing with them when he’s done), but we do know something even stranger: he loves country music.

Continue reading “The Televangelist: ‘Lost’ episode 13″

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ADVENTURELAND: James (Jesse Eisenberg) and Joel (Martin Starr)

Art House Co-op opens Sketchbook Project at MODA (Art House Co-op breaks the mold by taking indie art on the road.)

League does justice to lit history (Curt delves into the third volume of the League of Extraordinary Gentleman graphic novels, Century, from Watchman writer Alan Moore.)

Adventureland finds charm in the mysteries of Pittsburgh (The director of Superbadtakes us back to the 80s with another flick that is sure to be a success.)

The Televangelist: ‘Lost’ episode 11 (”Lost” returns to the flashback/character-driven mode in this week’s episode.)

This just in: Newspaper crisis solved! (One word ladies and gentlemen: Boobs!)

Weekend arts agenda: Yamamoto and Seto (Thai-Japanese photographer’s latest show opens at Jackson Fine Art tonight.)

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(Photo courtesy Miramax)

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WOLVERINE: The Phantom Limb

Violence runs in veins of three new plays (Curt Holman takes a closer look at three plays that all share a common thread.)

The 1950s creature features that spawned Monster vs. Aliens (The Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Blob and The Fly … oh my!)

The Televangelist ‘Lost’ episode 10 (It’s “Lost” people, how am I expected to describe it in one dinky sentence?)

Atlanta Rollergirls bring the Blood, Sweat and Fishnet Saturday (Bangin’ babes get down and dirty this weekend.)

Weekend arts agenda (Head to Whitespace this weekend, you won’t be disappointed.)

Dude, Where The Wild Things Are trailer is hella sweet (I think the title says it all. Plus Arcade Fire? Swoon.)

Read more at Culture Surfing

(Photo by Stephanie Richardson)

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CHICKS WITH GUNS: Friday night’s Lux Interior Benefit at Graveyard Tavern

Lux Interior benefit Cramps the Graveyard’s style (The Graveyard was transformed into a virtual shrine to Lux, the late Cramps frontman.)

Hollywood Product: I Love You, Man (This flick partners Paul Rudd and Jason Segel in what is surely not another dirty bromance comedy … right?)

The Televangelist: ‘Lost’ episode 9 (It’s back! And so the speculation can resume — all is once again right in the world.)

Why is Rush suddenly living in the cinematic limelight? (Curt can’t seem to fathom why there’s a sudden resurgence of Rush. The Canadian band, not Limbaugh.)

The Buddy System: Rock/animation spectacle at WonderRoot (”…a strange, colorful world where cats can fly and bunnies divide asexually like amoebas” — acid flashback or artistic rock band? You be the judge.)

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(Photo by Morgan Copper)

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YOU HEARD RIGHT: I'm in charge now.

Namaste, recruits! After a long two weeks “Lost” was back last night in an episode lacking in focus but full of small, fan-pleasing moments. To begin at the beginning: We returned to the plane crash, this time from the point of view of the other Others (Planies?), who mysteriously include Sun. After not quite crash-landing on the island, Lapidus gives a half-hearted attempt to organize the passengers, but allows Caesar to play that role as he follows Sun who’s following a shifty Ben.

Turns out, the plane landed on one of the satellite islands — one where our Losties were held hostage in season three. Ben, Lapidus and a newly badass Sun take a boat to the island proper, which is not in 1977 where the Oceanic Four landed, but in present day. After a cameo appearance by Old Smokey, Christian Shepherd emerges from the shadows to reveal that the folks they seek are actually in the past.

One plot down, several to go. As mentioned, last night’s episode didn’t set its sights on one character arc in particular, instead keeping a wide scope on all the new groupings. Whereas the Sun-Ben-Lapidus plot might have taken up an entire episode of its own in seasons past, last night it was barely a footnote in this filler-sode. I say filler not in a “Jack’s Tattoos” way, but in that it literally filled in some gaps in island mythology (specifically Dharma-related). In doing so, it also uncovered the further significance of characters from the past (including Radinsky and, holy horrors, Ethan!), tying it in with our main characters’ present. As the cinematography showcased the island’s dramatic and varied scenery, so too did the plot take us to all all the hills and valleys of our characters new situations.

Continue reading “The Televangelist: ‘Lost’ episode 9″

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IT'S HARD OUT THERE FOR A CHIMP: Cartoon Madness IV: Circus' opening night festivities

Cartoon Madness IV: Circus presents three-ring art show (Alcove Gallery’s fourth annual show in a series that emphasizes local artists sets its sights under the big top.)

Which summer movie has the best trailer? (This summer looks like it’s going to be a good one with X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Star Trek, Pixar’s Up, and, well, you’ll just have to click the link to find out what else.)

What (other) character will die on ‘Lost’s’ fifth season? (Since this week’s “Lost” was a rerun, the Televangelist hands the baton to Curt, who gets the discussion started with one simple question: “Who’s next?”)

The Last Dragon and Bruce Leroy at Midtown Arts tonight (What could be better than a watching The Last Dragon with a beer? How about watching it with a beer and Bruce Leroy, the man who played the bullet-catching black-belt Taimak in the movie.)

Speakeasy with Donnell Rawlings (The “Chapelle’s Show” alum brings his act to Vortex’s Laughing Skull Lounge this weekend. “I’m rich, bitch!”)

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(Photo by Liz Barclay)

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NO SHIRT, NO SHOES: At your service

What if the Dharma years of “Lost” had its own spin-off? The U.S. version of “Life on Mars” may not have worked out, but the ’70s were so far out man why not try again, can you dig? This week’s episode felt so out of time and so far removed from where we’ve been the past few weeks (with the Last Days of Bentham and the O6 Reunion Tour), it was nice that the episode was still peppered with familiar tidbits from the future past: the sonic fence, Horace, Richard, Dharma Merlot.

Three years forward and 30 years back, the island has stopped skipping and those on it find themselves in the land of Dharma. As Faraday explains, “The record is spinning again, we’re just not on the song we want.” The Misfits (Sawyer, Juliet, Jin, the Ghost Whisperer Miles, Faraday) immediately cause trouble by offing two Hostiles in the midst of an afternoon picnic that ends up as a mini-massacre. Though James “I used to lie for a living” Sawyer/LaFleur schmoozes his way into Dharma’s good graces (and also Horace’s … remember him?), Richard comes back to ask about his lost men, assuming Horace and company have broken the truce. Sawyer, using his time-traveling knowledge of Locke and the Jughead, convinces Richard that he’s not his enemy … but also not his friend. One would think Richard would be a little more interested in these revelations, but as far as we know, all he wants is slain Dharma employee Paul’s body to do who knows what with. OK then.

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TRUST ME: I haven't even tried to kill you.

In the first season of “Lost” I was absolutely on Team Jack. I would have followed him to the caves and lived there as Adam and Eve no problem. Locke, on the other hand, I despised. “Lost” has always been keen at creating divisions and factions and then subverting them.  Over the course of the show, Jack grew less and less likable whereas the once creepy John Locke became an unlikely hero and possibly (if fan theories are to be believed) the very soul of the island.

Last night we were treated to a Locke-centric episode written by Darlton and helmed by frequent lost director Jack Bender. The premise was a game of catch-up in the form of a whirlwind journey through “Jeremy Benthem’s” experiences that were teased last season. Locke is back in the dreaded wheelchair after finding himself in sunny Tunisia, home of island refugees courtesy of Frozen Donkey Wheel Tours, where Charles Widmore is on hand to offer his services and make us believe, once again, that he’s somehow the good guy and Ben is more or less Shiva. If that’s true, then why does Widmore have an assistant named Abaddon (a Hebrew word which translates loosely to “Satan”)?

Lt Daniels Abaddon (played by “Wire” alum Lance Reddick) has been a fan favorite minor character for years.  His name, unexplained presence, and connection to the island have provided him a short but frequently visited Lostpedia page. Given all that, his treatment in this episode seemed particularly unfair and infuriating. First he’s relegated to Driving Mr. Locke and is later unceremoniously executed before we get any deeper sense of his importance. R.I.P. Abaddon. We hardly knew ye.

The main thrust of the episode came in the form of a chess match of manipulation between Charles Widmore and Ben, with Locke as the pawn. We got an Oceanic Six roll call (minus Sun), and saw Locke’s failed (for the nonce) attempts at convincing them to go back to the island, where it appears Locke will eventually be resurrected.

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1. Our complete Oscar predictions, even ‘Documentary Short’ (It undoubtedly was Fresh Loaf’s gusto for “The Conscience of Nhem En’s” that pushed this blog post over the top.)

2. Upcoming AJC cuts to be ’substantial’ (Tragic and unfair, but not really a surprise.)

3. The Televangelist: ‘Lost’ episode 6 (What happened Ben? What happened to Aaron? What happened to Kate’s unconvincing attempt to abide by the law?)

4. Georgia has the Bible Belt blues (The Christian Coaltion relied on teetotaling teenagers to threaten our chance to buy beer on Sundays. Meanies.)

5. Madea Goes to Jail, locks out critics (Tyler Perry is predictably cagey about his newest project.)

(Photo by Ishika Mohan)

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I CAN READ: Because my mother taught me

Merry Lostnesday! Thanks again to Curt Holman for filling in for me last week when I actually happened to be on a remote island without TV or internet but plenty of crazy. I caught up with the latest episode only hours before this one, and boy howdy, I rejoiced. This has to be my favorite season so far, if only because of the payoffs to theories and setups from the past. I might even go so far as to declare last week’s episode the best one since the Constant (gasp!)

In a recent Entertainment Weekly article, producers Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof (known as Darlton from here on out) said our current season 5 was going to be an all-out sci-fi fest (holler!), but that the final season would go back to focusing on the relationships among the characters, a la season 1 (so enjoy this while you can). They also promised the long-awaited Richard back story, a resolution to the “what-the?” regarding the freaky four-toed statue, and of course, more Smokey. For now though, we travel back to L.A. with the Oceanic 6 (minus Aaron) leaving on a jet plane.

After about 20 episodes of dallying (or so it felt), the O6 finally made its way to the island. At the episode’s onset we learned a little bit about the island’s movements and some of its rules. (Why did they all have to go back? To recreate the original plane trip as best as possible to crash again, of course). Sayid is now a fugitive. Hurley shows up out of federal prison, (one would assume, yet with Charlie’s guitar?) and has no trouble getting through airport security. Kate was moody (shouting at Jack, “Don’t ever ask me about Aaron again!” Where is that tyke? And don’t worry Kate, this is “Lost”— no one asks obvious questions). Even Ben shows up at the last possible moment, looking worse for wear, facing no inquiring about his copious injuries (courtesy of Sayid?). The Oceanic Six and Friends are far from the only passengers on the plane, but as far as what’s going to happen to “the others” when the plane crashes, as Ben puts it, “who cares?” The show finally got around to killing off Frogurt and the remaining Red Shirts. The last thing we need is for this plane to be carrying some more Nikkis and Paulos or Tailies 2.0.

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Usually The Televangelist handles the weekly “Lost” recaps, but she disappeared in a flash of white light while paddling on the Zodiac boat, so I’ll be stepping in for last night’s episode, which has the charming title “This Place is Death.” To temper your disappointment, here’s a funny clip that proves that “Lost” almost aired in the 1960s, but was retooled as a comedy and titled “Gilligan’s Island.”

As luck would have it, “This Place is Death” put the spotlight on one of my favorite characters, someone who’s been MIA for months but made a strong return to form last night. I’m talking about, of course, the smoke monster.

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INVASION OF THE BABY SNATCHERS: Kate already has too many men in her life anyway.

After three action-packed, mind-blowing episodes, “Lost” slowed down the pace tremendously this week, despite the desperate tremolo of violins priming us for high drama.  We launched immediately into a refresher course on Jateyer 101 (that would be the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle of love).  For those who’d forgotten, Kate totally does love Jack! Except that whole thing with Sawyer … and Sawyer still loves Kate, yada yada, bored with it. As Miles would say, “Hooray, everything’s back to normal … now what?”

Did anyone else get the uncomfortable late season 2/early season 3 feeling of useless filler in this episode? Claire’s mom turned out to be a giant red herring whose only purpose might be to show that there’s a lawyer in LA who’s very busy with island-related happenings.

Now that I’m watching “Lost” on a week-by-week basis, I maintain my assertion that the show is a dish best served in generous proportions. Still, “Lost” being “Lost,” there were plenty of redeeming moments. For one, even after being in a coma for 42 hours, International Badass Sayid is at the the ready to “handle” his attackers. The number 42 cropped up a few times in this episode — the sort of winky, layered nuance fans enjoy — along with Brian K. Vaughn’s (who co-wrote the episode) particular brand of ironic humor. Take this gem from Locke for instance, “I want [the Oceanic Six] to come back, even if it kills me.”  Yeah, about that … (more…)

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DR. STRANGELOVE: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Dismantled a Bomb

For those of you who missed last week’s episode, this was the best part. Speaking of, there was a definite lack of the Oceanic Six this week, and I can’t say I minded. Instead, we were treated to happenings on the island, plus an update on everyone’s favorite time-traveling sailor, Desmond.

As far as big reveals go, there were quite a few. One, we learn (as most of us suspected) that the angry, volatile, rude British lad from last week was indeed a young Charles Widmore. His connection to the island remains a tantalizing series of questions (How did he get there? What’s his beef with Ben?), but in “Lost” terms it was pretty fast disclosure. I think Curt Holman pointed out in a blog comment last week that Charles Widmore has, until now, remained a pretty standard villain — I’m hoping that as more as his past is uncovered that’ll change.

As a foil to Widmore’s central casting characterization, we should all hail fearless leader Faraday! Faraday remains one of the best and most entrancing parts of “Lost” these days. For one, nothing about his past has ever fallen the way of “Does Sun’s baby belong to Jin?” or “How Jack got his tattoos.” Instead, Faraday’s past is inextricably linked to the island in a way that only he and his husky, sexy whisper-voice can understand fully at this point. Later, in the Annals of Romance, Faraday finally tells Charlotte indirectly that he loves her, and it seems she’s warming up to that skinny tie and the physicist who wears it … until she passes out possibly dies from Time Travel Sickness, that is.

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CALL WAITING: “I’m kinda alive … I’ll have to call you back.”

Oh boy, oh boy, where to begin? Season 5 picks up exactly where season 4 left off, with Jack and Ben looking at who everyone and their mother now knows is Jeremy Bentham John Locke. I wish I could pinpoint a specific theme of tonight’s episode, but it wasn’t about getting one’s bearings so much as losing them completely. Just as many of us speculated, Ben (looking particularly reptilian this week, no?) “moved” the island out of time. As Faraday explains it, “like a record spinning on a turntable, except now it’s off its rotation and skipping.” Uh-oh!

As if that wasn’t disorienting enough, tonight’s updates on our heroes were no less confusing. It seems everyone’s favorite felon Kate is on the run again — this time taking Aaron with her — and meeting up with Sun who has some suspicious “unfinished business.” Hurley, too, is on the run thanks to International Badass Sayid, who “rescued” him from Santa Rosa, killing a few folks along the way. And I’m pretty sure Ben (and new BFF Jack) are keeping Locke’s body in a meat freezer for the nonce. Back on the island, Juliet, Sawyer, Bernard, Rose and “Frogurt” (RIP), plus the Freighties, wandered around through space and time and were eventually attacked by some flaming arrows and … hang on, let me catch my breath.

Holy nosebleed … put on your conspiracy caps and grab your constants!

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WE'RE BAAAAACK: The new season of 'Lost' starts Wed., Jan. 21.

Hey Losties, Freighties, Tailies and Dharma groupies — Lost is back!  Last night’s episode was just a series recap, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

Let’s begin by being thankful we can finally kick the methadone of Fringe and get down and dirty with the real thing in Lost.  I was a latecomer to the show, catching a rogue episode (”The Constant”) that made me fly through the first three seasons in time to catch up for the season four finale. Even though I feel like it was only yesterday that I watched Ben crank that Frozen Donkey Wheel, tonight’s Pop Up Video-style recap reminded me of a few more arcane plot points, such as Farady’s treacheries, Keamy-the-undead, and several references to Richard’s ageless eyeliner visage. Other captions weren’t so helpful, such as this gem:

Jin (to Sun): “I told you I’d get you off the island.”
Caption: Jin told Sun he would get her off the island. (more…)

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To paraphrase “The Simpsons,” it’s currently the start of everybody’s second-favorite TV season: mid-season! “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report” returned on Monday, “30 Rock” came back last night (you can watch it now on Hulu) and “24″ launches its seventh season on Sunday, opposite the Golden Globe Awards. For a comprehensive run-down, Ain’t It Cool News has a list in both alphabetical and chronological order, but you might find the CinemaBlend list a little more readable. Apparently you can see the pilot of Showtime’s “The United States of Tara” (starring Toni Collette and written by Juno’s Diablo Cody) online ahead of its Jan. 18 debut. Some notable others include:

“The Office” (NBC) Jan. 15 (with additional episode on Superbowl Sunday, Feb. 1)
“Battlestar Galactica” (SciFi) Jan. 16
“Flight of the Conchords” (HBO) Jan. 18 — now available on FunnyorDie.com.
“Lost” (ABC) Jan. 21
“The Closer” (TNT) Jan. 26
“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles” (Fox) Feb. 13
“Dollhouse” (Fox) Feb. 13
“South Park” (CC) March 11

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Marvel Comics’ next superhero to get a big-screen introduction (following next summer’s prequel X-Men Origins: Wolverine) will be The Mighty Thor, the Norse God of Thunder reconceived as a Superman-style do-gooder by Stan Lee, Larry Leiber and Jack Kirby in 1962. Variety reports that Kenneth Branagh is in negotiations to direct the big-screen Thor film, which has a release date of July 16, 2010. (Incidentally, Iron Man 2 is set for May 7 of that year.)

Branagh is an intriguing potential choice. As his generation’s best-known interpreter of Shakespeare for the big screen, he could deftly handle the antiquated dialogue of the Thor comics, which have more “forsooths” than a day at the Renaissance Festival. Branagh’s fluency with special effects and action scenes is a bigger question mark — he didn’t really distinguish himself with Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein — but his Henry V suggests he could bring gravity and wit to the (literally) mythic elements of the story. Rumor has it that much of the Thor script takes place in Asgard, realm of the Norse Gods. Screenwriter Mark Protosevich says:

“It’s going to be like a super hero origin story, but not one about a human gaining super powers, but of a god realizing his true potential. It’s the story of a Old Testament god who becomes a new Testament god.”

It sounds pretty ambitious for a superhero popcorn movie — more Lord of the Rings than Spider-Man. The next question becomes, who could play a convincing Thor?  In the comics, he’s a strapping guy with long blonde hair, and his look includes a red cape, a winged helmet and a big honking hammer. To even approximate the comics, you’d need someone with the physique of He-Man era Dolph Lundgren, but with the vocal authority of a Shakespearean thespian.

So is “Lost” star and former Georgian Josh Holloway a crazy choice?

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While sifting through the ballots cast for our upcoming Best Of Atlanta issue, I found that some intuitive person, in the category of Best Off-the-Beaten-Path Tourist Destination, nominated this place.

Wow. I’m half-expecting someone in a DHARMA Initiative lab coat to creep into the frame. It’s freakin’ amazing.

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