My Favorite Lost Season 6 Moments

The final season has come and gone, and we are left with quite a few thoughts as to what transpired. The curtain has closed for Lost, but not for my fascination with it. So before I get around to doing some much needed analysis on the show as a complete saga, I will have to complete my listing of the ten favorite moments from each season. The Final Season of Lost, where after the detonation of the Jughead bomb in 1977 we find ourselves faced with what seem to be divided realities: One in which Oceanic Flight 815 never crashes in 2004 and we see what would become of our heroes in this slightly different world. The other, where the bomb shifted our time traveling characters back to the present of 2007 where they face the Island's most destructive villain yet, The Man in Black, the infamous Smoke Monster who is disguised as deceased castaway leader John Locke.

10. Making a Monster

"Don't worry brother, I'm not going to kill you." - Jacob

In the long awaited Jacob/Man in Black flashback episode, we see Jacob and MIB were brothers raised by an unstable Island Guardian who posed as their Mother, though she really murdered the real one. As a boy, The Man in Black grew distrustful of his "Mother" and leaves to join some stranded people hoping they will help him leave the Island. Some thirty years later when MIB does find a way through some complex scheme of using the energy at the Island's core with the water to turn the Donkey Wheel that will someday be under The Flame station, Mother takes it upon herself to bludgeon her nameless stolen son, break his magic well, and kill everyone in his camp (which leads me to believe there may have been a smokie before Smokie). The Man in Black isn't too happy about this, so he kills Mother, who was too happy about that, who is then avenged by her newly Island Guardian appointed son Jacob. Since Jacob can't kill his brother, he opts instead to toss him down the cave where the Island's source of energy lies. Unfortunately when a regular person touches this energy they experience something "worst than death." I can only translate that into meaning that once a normie touches the energy their soul is stripped from their body, resulting in a dark ghost that is just as emotionlessly empty as the shell it once inhabited. That's my theory, but what we see is that lovable pillar of black smoke jetting out of the cave and into the jungle. It leaves The Man in Black's true body behind where it becomes "Adam" of the Adam and Eve (Mother) skeletons the castaways found in the cave in season 1. Interesting, if not really confusing.

9. Jacob's list

"This is why you are here. This is why all of you are here." - The Man in Black

Promising a morose Sawyer the answer for his Island blues, The Man in Black brings him to the cliffs on the edge of the Island. After climbing down a treacherous ladder, MIB and Sawyer find a cave down below. Inside is a desk, ontop of which are scales: on one side lies a white stone, on antoher side lies a black stone. The Man in Black tosses the white stone into the ocean. He leads Sawyer further into the cave until they reach a place where Jacob, a man with a fondness for secret lists, made his largest and most important list. The Candidate list, the list of those who he found eligable to replace him. The numbered surnames are written in chalk all over the walls, the majority of which are scratched off. The remaining candidates: 4. Locke, 8. Reyes, 15. Ford, 16. Jarrah, 23. Shepherd, 42. Kwon. MIB scratches off Locke's name of course. He tells Sawyer, again cynically that if he is a candidate he has three choices: 1, do nothing and possibly get crossed off the list. 2, stay behind and protect the Island, though he claims "it's just a damn Island!" and there is nothing to protect it from = Jack? 3, everyone just leaves the Island with him. Sawyer, seeing clearly this Man in Black is not as saintly as he would like himself to appear, agrees only with the hidden agenda that he will leave MIB in the dust once they have a way off the Island. Little did he know, his conman wisdom mixed with heroic selflessness is what plays him and his friends right into The Man in Black's own sinister long con.

8. Man in Black, Man of Faith

"You should know, he was very confused when you killed him." - The Man in Black

After revealing to Ben his true nature, The Man in Black proceeds to creep him out even further by revealing some unsettling insight into the man Ben killed, the man this Monster now looks like: John Locke. MIB apparently knows exactly what Locke was thinking when Ben killed him: "I don't understand..." and mocks him for his flaws. MIB further explains his hatred for Locke, and thus humanity, by classifying Locke as simply an angry, pathetic weakling and the only thing that set him apart from everyone else was that he was the only one who chose a life on the Island instead of the "pitiful life he left behind." In this we gain knowledge of what kind of person, or creature, The Man in Black is. He is clearly angry, frustrated, and cynical. We also know that if there was one person he hated more than Jacob, it was Locke. And finally we get his motive. Ben fearfully asks him what he wants, and he says he wants to go home aka Smokie's coming to town. Even more frightening than the thought of The Man in Black unleashed upon the world is the fact that all of these lines are coming out of the mouth of John Locke, or at least his form. It is very spooky and a complete 180 idealogically speaking.

7. The Man in Black's army unites

This is the incredibly creepy scene at the end of the Sayid centric episode "Sundown." After Sayid kills head honcho Temple Other Dogen, The Man in Black is allowed to wave right through The Temple and kill anyone who doesn't join him. Most of the heroes escape through a secret door. Ben tries to get Sayid to leave with him, but MIB's zombie-like foot soldier stays behind. After everyone who stayed to fight is dead, and when "Catch a Falling Star" plays in the background, Sayid, Claire, and Kate make their way through the ruins of The Temple. Outside they meet The Man in Black and his group of Others who were scared enough to leave. He is satisfied to see his two heroes turned zealots Sayid and Claire arrive, but has to do a slasher villain head tilt upon noticing the "unclaimed" Kate joining him. After this, The Man in Black takes the lead and moves out with his army, ominously trekking into the night. Seeing MIB's terribly content face heading toward us at the end, leaving total single-handed destruction behind him, I only had one thing going through my head: he is just getting started.

6. Sideways Jack and Locke discuss "letting go"

"What makes you think letting go is so easy." - Locke

The Sideways World gave us many satisfying and beautiful character moments with the un-Island experienced heroes, who now try to live out their lives in Los Angeles (could be interpreted as "Lost Angels"...no, okay.) But a particularly great scene was one where Jack and Locke come face to face in a world where their relationship cannot be ruined by leadership disagreements, pushing a button, a dead Boone, a dead Naomi, or whether or not 40 people leave an Island. They'd probably be good friends. Locke is struck by a car driven by a highly enigmatic Sideways Desmond and he is rushed to St. Sebastian Hospital with history teacher Ben Linus at his side, ironically. Miracle surgeon Jack manages to save Locke's life, and offers a surgery on his spine that could allow him to walk again. But Locke strangely declines. Jack tries to figure out why. This leads him to Locke's father, a man "he loves more than anything" (LOL), only to find Mr. Anthony Cooper is in a vegetative state so he won't be handing out answers any time soon. So Jack decides to try Locke once more. Increasingly frustrated and emotional, Locke relents and tells Jack that he had gotten a private pilot's license and was taking his dad out in his plane as a passenger, but the plane crashed after a malfunction. The accident left Cooper in his current state and Locke a paraplegic who regrets destroying he and his father's lives. Jack has a harsh but honest response: Locke's father is, for lack of a better word, "gone" just like Jack's and that Locke should not punish himself by staying paralyzed. Jack tells him he "can let it go", even though he himself doesn't know how to. Locke doesn't want to listen and starts to leave. He is stopped briefly when Jack tells him the last thing he told Jack in the other world: "I wish you had believed me." This scene while filled with tear jerking emotion, was also hilariously ironic: Locke destroys his father's life; Locke loves his father deeply; a plane crash is what caused Locke's paralysis; Jack tells someone to "let it go"; basically a reverse of Jack and Locke's "IT'S NEVER BEEN EASY" speech from the Hatch occurs. I just throught this was great.

5. Ben's confession

"I'm sorry, and I know there is no way you will ever forgive me because...I can never forgive myself." - Ben

In season 6, after the revelation that the despised anti-hero had murdered both John Locke and Jacob, Ben was scorned by everyone else now more than ever and left in a powerless position. He became a quiet follower who may as well have been happy to have a group who didn't care enough to tell him not to tag along. Here we see what Ben, formerly the smooth, cold, and manipulative mastermind, truly is. He is a weak man wanting acceptance and purpose. After his recent and important murders are revealed, he finds himself going from one hero like a lost puppy to the next wondering if there is anything they would like him to do. Ben Linus actually asks politely for an order. When Jacob disciple and castaway de facto leader Ilana makes him dig his own grave with his own death following, Ben is offered his position of power over the Island again by The Man in Black. Ben makes a mad dash for a gun MIB left him and gets the drop on Ilana. But instead of killing her as old Ben would have done, he wants to explain himself. After four seasons of lying and remaining aloof, an emotional Ben opens up to a person he doesn't even know. He confesses to Ilana his responsibility for his daughter's death, an unnecessary sacrifice he made for Jacob and The Island. He reveals that he has devoted his entire life to The Island, and for his power, but that no one cared and he has ended up destroyed and outcast. He admits his vulnerable state when he killed Jacob and apologizes. All Ben wants is to join The Man in Black, someone he believes will give him purpose. But, where he would expect others to have no pity for him, Ilana tearfully allows him to join her. Almost in a daze, he walks back to the beach camp with her, lays down his gun, and helps Sun set up her tent. Benjamin Linus, a killer and bad man in every sense of the word, begins to walk the path of redemption for the first time.

4. Why they were lost

"I'm not really sure where to begin." - Jacob

After terrible tragedy has left many of the people who've been on the show since the beginning dead and their mystical killer is on his way to wreack further havoc, the fading spirit of Jacob gathers the final four castaways: Jack, Kate, Sawyer, and Hurley and tells them why they were supposed to be on The Island. They are there to correct his grave mistake. To kill the unnatural, uncontrollable force of evil Jacob was responsible for creating. The Man in Black, the Monster that has plagued the Island for what has probably been thousands of years. A great thing happens when Sawyer questions Jacob for meddling with their lives because of something he did. Jacob, always intolerant toward ignorance, tells him that he "didn't pluck them out of some happy little existence." He tells them that they were lost in the world and that the Island was where they could find themselves. They needed it as much as it needed them. That's a great answer, in my opinion. Finally it comes time to decide who will be the Candidate to replace him. But where it was primarily an act of fate that brought them to The Island, Jacob suggested that one would have to choose to become The Protector of The Island out of their own free will. Jack, the man of science turned man of faith, volunteers and is given the strange ritual by Jacob that he himself was given so long ago. It was good to see someone explain to these very confused people why the hell everything that happened after that plane crash happened, and even better to look at how far Jack has come in his journey.

3. Richard's origin

"Get up, we need to talk?" - Jacob

After three seasons of wondering who the hell this ageless guy is, we get our very refreshing Richard Alpert flashback story. We see Richard was once Ricardo, a poor farmer living on The Canary Islands of Spain. Was it just me or was Richard the Spanish, 1800s version of John Locke. I mean, his wife is dying, he accidentally kills a douchebag doctor to get medicine for her, is captured right after finding out wifey did die, is denied absolution from an even douchier priest before execution, is saved from execution by becoming Magnus Hanso's (Dharma Initiative creator Alvar's granddad) slave, slave ship/Black Rock plows into Egyptian statue and onto Island via tsunami, trapped and starved for days while being harrassed by Smoke Monster and boar, sees apparition of dead wife who tells him they are in hell, she gets "caught" it would seem, a Man in Black rescues him and tells him to kill "the devil" = Jacob if he wants to save his wife and escape hell. After this things start to look up somewhat for Richard. On the beach, Jacob beats Richard down and, frustrated at how senseless he is about the situation, convinces him everything MIB said were lies. He then tells him the importance of the Island: It is the only thing that keeps pure evil (MIB) from seeping into the world and that he brings people to the Island to prove that not everyone is as bad as The Man in Black. I really loved how Jacob presents this God complex mindset to Richard: I will bring people here where the right path is, but I expect them to know the difference between right and wrong, I won't tell them anything for that matter. And Richard kind of shows how flawed that idea is, because if Jacob doesn't help the people he brings to the Island The Man in Black is allowed to step in and manipulate them for his own gain. Jacob pauses: "...Huh...Never really thought of that." Knowing a bright man when he sees one, Jacob offers Richard the job of intermediary to the people to the Island. He will help them get on the right track. When Jacob can't bring his wife back or absolve him of his sins, Richard wants to live forever possibly so he won't go to hell or to serve penance so he can find redemption. Jacob can do that. And so begins Richard Alpert's own little saga. It was very poignant and bittersweet. After a few seasons of flashforwards, time travel, and ultimately flash sideways, it was refreshing to see a classic old flashback tale of tragedy having to do with one of the few mysterious characters left.

2. The Man with The Plan

"We did exactly what he wanted." - Jack

Throughout the season, the very unnerving Man in Black has claimed that he wants nothing more than for he and everyone who ever came to the Island to be free of it forever and go home. But that Jacob's candidates were crucial to leaving, he could not do it without them he said. Despite being separated again and again, MIB and the castaways/candidates ended up together once more. After killing most of Charles Widmore's forces, whom he claimed were trying to kill them, The Man in Black reveals that Frank Lapidus' Ajira plane is too dangerous to risk flying in and that they will have to escape using Widmore's submarine. Sawyer, sticking with his long con idea, tells Jack that since he's staying behind anyway, to keep The Man in Black off of the submarine so everyone else can escape. They arrive at the submarine, and go in in groups to get onboard. While half of the group gets inside and takes over the sub, Jack and MIB are the last to head for it. As MIB tries to persuade Jack to leave with them, Jack knocks him into the water. Immediately after, Widmore's men arrive and a shootout ensues. Kate is shot, forcing Jack to get on the sub to treat her wound. As MIB and Claire kill Widmore's men, Sawyer has the submarine take off. While looking through his bag for medical supplies, Jack finds MIB has planted a ticking time bomb of C4 inside with them. Through a Mulder-esque conclusion, Jack determines everything The Man in Black has done has been so that they would try to leave him behind to escape in a place they would not be able to get out of so he could kill them then. And also that since there is a timer on the bomb, he wants them to inadvertantly set off the bomb and kill themselves, since he can't do it himself due to Jacob's Rules. Sawyer, obviously, doesn't believe Jack and tries to disarm the bomb but instead makes the timer tick faster. Jack was right. Sayid tells Jack to find Desmond because he could help stop MIB, and then bum rushes the bomb to the other side of the sub where it explodes in his hands, killing him. As the submarine sinks, Sawyer and Frank are knocked unconscious, Hurley has to carry Kate to safety, and Jack and Jin try to free Sun from fallen debris. Jin convinces Jack to save Sawyer's life, and tries his hardest to save Sun, his wife who he has been reunited with all too recently. Sun tries to get him leave but he doesn't want to ever leave her again. They kiss tearfully and then drown together. Jack carries Sawyer to the beach where he finds Kate and Hurley. He breaks the news that Sun and Jin are dead too, with this and the deaths of Sayid and Frank (seemingly), the group breaks down in tears. Grief stricken, Jack walks to the waters, as if he thinks he can go back, and then comes to terms. Realizing they are all gone, he painfully begins sobbing. Meanwhile, the villain who caused it all looks out at the ocean unsatisfied, grabs a gun and walks off to "finish what he started." This whole scenario tore me up inside and I'm sure many other Lost fans to pieces. I would have cried had I not been so angry. After this we all had the same idea the survivors had: "We have to kill him."

1. All of the final episode/What it all meant

"We've been waiting for you." - John Locke, last line of the series

I'd be writing for days if I had to describe why I loved this entire episode, one of the best Lost has ever had thankfully, so I will include my favorite parts.

JACK VS. THE MAN IN BLACK: The plans of the players of light and dark worked when Desmond pulled the stone cork from the Island's heart: The Island was crumbling slowly as MIB wanted, and MIB is mortal as Jack wanted, but so is Jack. The Man in Black stood at the cliffs where he planned to climb down and board Desmond's boat the Elizabeth (Libby!) to escape the sinking Island to freedom. He smiled triumphantly, than was startled when his latest enemy, Jack Shepherd showed up and shouted out the name of the man MIB looked like. They both stood on opposite ends of the cliff, staring each other down in the heavy rain. Jack had the prepared, bloodthirsty smile he has when about to fight. The Man in Black, enraged, draws his knife. They take off after each other. What ensues is another, and arguably the most epic, fist fight Lost has given us. It ends when Jack tries to strangle the life out of MIB, who manages to get a hold of his knife and shank Jack in the gut. As our villain tries to ram the blade in our heroe's throat, he goes on telling him how his death is meaningless. But Kate shows up and puts a bullet in this nameless bastard's spine = irony? Jack gets to his feet, and the defeated villain looks on at the Island's impending destruction and tells them: "You're too late." Jack, having enough of this thing, literally boots him off the Island and down the cliff where he meets his death on the rocks below, a killing very reminiscent to Jacob's. And thank god, I must say. No, thank you Jack! The man with fixing in his blood just fixed the Island's biggest mistake. And that was for Sayid, Sun, Jin, Eko, The Oceanic Pilot, Montand, your murdering mother. Good riddance, Smokie.

THE KISS TO END ALL KISSES: After their combined efforts in killing The Island bogieman, Jack and Kate are at a point of separation once again. Frank is about to pilot the Ajira plane off of the Island, Kate wants desparately to leave, Jack feels destined to stay and save the Island. Realizing they will never see each other again, they kiss there on the cliffs just as the sun has come from out of the clouds and blanketed them in a serene light. They part ways, sadly telling each other they love one another. After this scene alone, I never thought I'd say this, Jack and Kate are one of my favorite couples on this show.

JACK AND HURLEY'S GOODBYE: Once they get to The Source, Hurley wonders how Jack will survive if no one goes down to help him bring back the light, to which Jack says nothing, submitting to his own death. Hurley's reaction broke my heart: "No...", he goes on to say that the Island needs Jack, but really you can see Hurley doesn't want to lose another friend. Jack finally tells him the one the Island has always needed was Hurley, which does seem like the most logical choice if you look back on the whole series. Hurley tearfully and reluctantly agrees, telling him it is only until Jack comes back. This was really sad. Jack and Hurley were the first true partners when the show began. But yeah Hurley, who was my choice for candidate, has always been the best of a collection of flawed people: who else was collection and passing out airline food packs in bulk right after the crash. It was a good choice, but a sad goodbye. One of many sad goodbyes in this episode.

BEN AND HURLEY'S PARTNERSHIP: After saving Desmond and the Island, Jack has died. The newly appointed Protector of the Island Hurley lets out how scared he is to the one person who stayed behind. The very redemptive Ben Linus. Hurley doesn't know what to do, but Ben assures him he will end up taking care of people in the end. He also tells him that seeing as how he's in charge, he can have his own Rules instead of living in Jacob's shadow. This helps, but it's not enough. Hurley is a good person, but he doesn't work so well alone (remember Dave?). So Hurley asks Ben if he will help him. Ben accepts. This was such a sweet scene. It really brought back that old hero and villain sharing an Apollo bar in silence memory where I knew Hurley and Ben would end up having an interesting relationship. It was good seeing Hurley pretty much be forgive and forget regarding Ben's past. It was great seeing Ben's humble expression at finally being invited in the loop, unlike Jacob. I think with Hurley's loving and easy going personality and Ben's intellect and experience, they could make the best Island Protector/Island Advisor team yet. A lot better than the cold and very complex sneaking around thing Jacob and Richard were fond of. It certainly seemed that way later. Great moment, giving way to great expectations.

EVERY ENLIGHTENMENT SCENE: Every time a character in the sideways world was enlightened to their past lives I choked up. They were all so beautiful. The birth of Aaron was once again powerful, but that was moreso because of Kate and Claire's reaction to the real birth. Icing on the cake to that was the tearjerking moment where Charlie and Claire remember and embrace. Jin and Sun remembering through a Juliet operated sonogram, and their spark of perfect english. It was just great seeing them in an upper scene after the tragic submarine sinking. Also loved Jin and Sun's impressed reactions when meeting "Detective Ford." The Sawyer and Juliet awakening was multidimensional, it went from funny to funnier to touching. Sayid meeting Shannon and their awakening was a breath of fresh air; I didn't realize how much I missed their little romance. I'm also glad she was his constant, seeing as how he hadn't mentioned her since season 2. And hey Boone, I always liked him and I was glad he was in on Desmond and Hurley's plan. Then finally John Locke's powerful enlightenment. He sees his toes wiggle after Jack performs the miracle spinal surgery and remembers everything. I especially loved the overjoyed smile at seeing his one-time friend and full-time rival Jack. It was wonderful having the great and mystical and seemingly flawless John Locke back. All of these were beautiful moments with great performances all around. If only we got Desmond enlightening Penny, or Ben's full enlightenment.

CHRISTIAN'S REVELATION: Jack is brought to a Los Angeles church (a church that he was going to have his father's funeral at, and the church where The Lamp Post was located). He goes into a back room, while everyone else who had been enlightened would be waiting in the chapel. In the backroom, a minister's office I guess, is the coffin of Jack's father, Christian Shepherd, surrounded by a variety of symbols from different religions. Jack touches the coffin and is flooded with memories of his past life on the Island, the enlightenment he had been rejecting. Once it is over, he opens the coffin and, like in season 1 on the Island, it is once again empty. He closes it, saddened deeply. A voice startles him. It is his father, Christian Shepherd, right in front of him. Jack asks how he is there, to which Christian asks the same question of him. Jack realizes that he had died, and tearfully embraces his father. Christian reassures him (and all the pissed off fans) that they are real and everything that happened was real. Everyone who was enlightened were not enlightened to a life in an alternate reality but a life before their deaths. Christian tells Jack they are in a place where time doesn't exist, a place where they could find each other. Some died before Jack, some after. It is a place where they can remember what they did and to let go now that it's all over. All that's left is moving on into the unknown. This seemed like a fitting end, the lives after and for the rest of the Island days were left a mystery and we were instead graced with our heroes' final journey. A journey into peace.

THE END OF IT ALL: In the afterlife we get the satisfying reunion scene where Christian escorts Jack into the church chapel where the people he lived with, fought with, and died with are there waiting. It was good because on the Island characters are very frequently split apart, but in this scene they are all together and happy. He shakes hands with Locke (finally), hugs Boone (a man he failed to save), Desmond (a friend even long before the Island), Sawyer (a rival turned ally), and Hurley (a trusted partner and friend). Finally he is led to his seat by Kate, the woman he loved. Everyone else take their seats as well, as Christian in his white tennis shoes strolls to the door and opens it. A light envelopes the room, a light not unlike the one at the Heart of the Island, and they all look about in wonder at what comes next.

Intertwined with this scene, is that of Jack's last moments on the Island. He wakes up near a stream after restoring the light. Dying, he makes his way into the jungle until he arrives back in the bamboo forest where his journey first began. Losing strength, he collapses and lies down looking into the sky. Vincent wanders over and lies down next to him. Looking up, Jack sees his friends fly away home on their plane and he smiles happily. As the light goes out of his eyes, and the light fills the room of the church in the afterlife, Jack closes his eyes in a reversal of the show's first image.

After all of this, the only Your Modest Guru as a Lost fan can say is this...

Perfect

Lost: Jack and Locke/The Purpose

Jack: "I don't believe in destiny."
Locke:"Yes you do, you just don't know it yet."

Undoubtedly, one of my favorite Lost dynamic duos is the castaways' science/faith debate team that is Jack Shepherd and John Locke. Jack is the troubled doctor who was almost immediately chosen to be leader of the Oceanic 815 survivors. John is the mysterious passenger who revealed his mastery of hunting and sage wisdom that proved he was one of the castaways' most valuable assets. Despite the fact that Locke supported Jack as the survivors leader, he was also a rebel who didn't like to be told what he couldn't do. Though early on they tried to be civil to one another when dealing with Island drama, tensions soon rose as Jack began to find Locke untrustworthy after his actions led to Boone's death. But the main problem between the two was a philosophical one. Locke believed the Island was a special place where miracles happened, seeing as how he was cured of paralysis the moment he was thrown to the beach. Jack, disillusioned by doubt, the past, and his unwavering sense of the possible, thought Locke was crazy for thinking such things. Throughout the series, the two men are almost at constant odds with each other. But I have a theory on what this violent and angry relationship may have meant.

I for a long time envisioned both Jack and Locke to be two men with completely different arcs. I always felt that Jack was meant to lead his friends the castaways and Locke was meant to watch over the Island. That idea didn't quite pan out when Locke died. But then something happened, something I didn't see coming but it happened anyway. After Locke died doing everything he could to convince Jack that he and everyone else was special and important, Jack had an epiphany. He suddenly found himself in the role of the man of faith that Locke was not around to fill. He starts to see the signs of fate, not coincidence. He starts to realize what John Locke had been saying all along was true.

After bombing himself back to the future and causing the death of Juliet, I felt Jack was going to go back to same old cynical and angry Jack. For awhile he was and after his centric episode of season six "Lighthouse" in which he discovered Jacob watched him because he was special, I was sure Jack was going to go on a self destructive turn to the dark side by joining The Man in Black. But I was wrong, Jack's sense of faith has only increased as well as his newfound respect in the memory of Locke.

The fact that in the sideways world the still living and paralyzed Locke is working as a substitute teacher at a school is only more symbolism. From seasons 1 to 4 I had thought Locke was shaping up to be a leader and the show's eventual hero. But now I think all along, Locke wasn't supposed to be the big hero of Lost. He was supposed to be the mentor of the people he believed were special all along. He was a teacher who tried to help them understand what they had to do was important, but like uncooperative kids they didn't listen until it was too late. He was an especially crucial teacher for Jack, a substitute to be more precise, because of the failure of his first one. Christian Shepherd, Jack's father. Christian all along had burrowed it into Jack's mind that he "didn't have what it takes" to be a hero, a statement Jack had rebelled against his entire life until his rebellion eventually led to him destroying his father. Before finding out he was dead, Jack didn't have much respect for his father anymore. When he did find him, Jack only had regret that he had been the main reason his father's life was ruined and he died. When he met Locke and was subjected to another idea he might not want to accept: destiny, Jack once again rebelled. He found another father to prove wrong. Jack believed he drove Locke to his death as well. The suicide note "I wish you had believed me, Jack." didn't help much either. But unlike his father, Locke believed in Jack. And he had an idea that Jack could believe in too but just didn't want to until he saw the truth of that idea in his own situation. Jack decided he did have what it took when it came to destiny. Locke, the substitute father and teacher of men, had succeeded even in death.

Now I would have liked for Jack and Locke to have at one point set aside their differences and maintained a partnership, but that just wasn't in the cards. Sacrifice is a major theme in Lost, especially sacrifice of one's self, and Locke did just that to help just one of his students get what he had been teaching. Jack Shepherd, the class rebel. After Locke died, all of the survivors left school. They are all starting to grow up and discover what it takes to become Jacob's Candidates. A part of me would like to think this was Jacob's plan for Locke. To be the mentor. I noticed, how helpless and disappointed Jacob looked when he met John when he fell from that eighth story window and broke his spine. He said "Don't worry, everything's going to be alright. I'm sorry this happened to you." I believed what he said right there. But maybe this was a code Locke could not understand at that time. Everything is going to be alright = you will do your duty, your friends will listen to you, and they will come through for all of us in the end. I'm sorry this happened to you = I'm sorry, this is just the beginning, it doesn't get better, but that's the way it has to be. Maybe it is all part of that master design. Perhaps more than anything, it was John Locke's mission in life to bring forth The Candidate, the true one who will watch over the Island. Perhaps this is just something to give me hope for the future of Jack Shepherd, and to give me peace with the death of John Locke. Probably, but still I think the point has a chance if one looks just right.

This has been another Lost analysis. The second to last episode airs tonight. Follow Your Modest Guru as he checks it out. And thanks for reading.

Lost: What to do later?

I know I am sort of taking this from Mandy Bierly's article from Entertainment Weekly in which she ponders what the cast of Lost will do afterward. With only one episode left until the grand finale of one of television's most exciting and amazing shows, one wonders what is going to become of the many important touchstones that exist within Lost. This includes the cast, the creators, and the legacy of the show itself. Where will it all be in the years following the climax of the original series. Well no one really knows for sure, but let me tell you what I think.

J.J. ABRAMS

The show's very notorious co-creator, writer and director J.J. Abrams. Eh, there is not much to say, seeing as how he pretty much moved on from Lost after the pilot episode. Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have said that throughout the series, Abrams' biggest contribution was being one of Lost's top fans. While his second genius series, next to Alias, flourished, Abrams spent his time as director of the action adventure films Mission Impossible 3 and Star Trek, creator of another successful sci fi series Fringe, and producer of the science fiction thriller Cloverfield. He is also in the middle of weaving up his next mysterious science fiction thriller Super 8, which I am really looking forward to at this point. So yeah, the future of J.J. Abrams is looking pretty sunny.

DARLTON

Lost's main writers and producers, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse, will not be looking for a great deal of work after completing Lost, apparently. Can't blame them really. After a strenuous and intricate six year saga I'd want to take a load off in my own fortress of solitude for just a little while too. It was rumored that Team Darlton and J.J. Abrams were going to adapt Stephen King's glorious fantasy series The Dark Tower (I would have orgasmed). But seeing as how The Dark Tower is a seven book series, Damon and Carlton didn't really want to take that big of a chunk out of their lives again for fear they may screw it up. It would have been freaking awesome though. But I'm sure they will have more work in the future, because they are talented as hell.

THE CAST

I am not the first to admit that Lost has one of the most incredible ensemble casts ever put together. We have veterans like Matthew Fox from Part of Five playing Jack and journeyman actor Terry O'Quinn in the Emmy winning role of John Locke. From The Practice (which he won an Emmy for) and Saw, Michael Emerson plays Ben. Jorge Garcia (Hurley), Naveen Andrews (Sayid), Yunjin Kim and Daniel Dae Kim (Sun and Jin), Elizabeth Mitchell (Juliet), Nestor Carbonell (Richard), Ken Leung (Miles), and Mark Pelligrino (Jacob), who have been given small or supporting roles in movies and television beforehand, now have epic roles and brilliant performances. Talented newcomers Josh Holloway (Sawyer) and Evangeline Lilly (Kate) show their chops and have prospered greatly. Henry Ian Cusick (Desmond) even once played Jesus...And a Scarface-esque druglord in Hitman, but still. And a wealth of other familiar faces appear to give us all fresh and exciting characters. They are all extraordinary actors who were brought on to a show that was almost universally character driven and made way for depth, great stories, and marvelous acting. But where will they go once Lost is all said and done.

The commentors on Ms. Bierly's EW article have a great many ideas: Josh Holloway, Michael Emerson, maybe the entire cast of Lost being on True Blood. Sawyer and Miles in a buddy cop spinoff show. Terry O'Quinn on Glee or just about anything else. Yunjin Kim as a Bond girl. Matthew Fox in dad roles. Michael Emerson on Dexter as a rival killer, Breaking Bad as a badass cop, or The Office. Jorge Garcia in a spot on Saturday Night Live. Naveen Andrews or Henry Ian Cusick on 24 (if it was still on). Lots of ideas like that.

Where do I think they'll be, though: Hopefully they all branch off into either films or television roles that are just as good as Lost. Or at least shows that strive to be as good as Lost. Actors Matthew Fox and Evangeline Lilly are apparently retiring from acting for awhile for personal reasons, but hopefully just for awhile. Hopefully their work as pretty much the male and female leads of the show will inspire lead movie roles in the future should they choose to get back in the game. The thought occured to me that Josh Holloway could play Jesse Custer in an adaptation of the awesome graphic novel series Preacher, seeing as how he's already mastered the badass southerner very well. Daniel Dae Kim is already getting movie roles and I hope to see him more frequently, even one alongside Samuel L. Jackson. The thought crossed my mind that Jorge Garcia and Naveen Andrews could be in a buddy comedy together, I always liked the immediate friendship of their characters on the show = regretful, stoic Iraqi man meets easy going, lovable nice guy. I also wouldn't mind Yunjin Kim as the leading lady in a James Bond movie, or maybe more serious roles. Either way they go, their futures in the business will more than likely be promising.

O'QUINN AND EMERSON REUNION

Perhaps the two most beloved actors on Lost, Terry O'Quinn (Locke) and Michael Emerson (Ben), may be brought to the small screen again. It has been said that O'Quinn has been developing his own idea for a series that he has been passing around stations to possibly get a run. The show would apparently be about O'Quinn and Emerson starring as "awkward suburban hitmen." That sounds like an interesting dark comedy idea, and with these two award winning powerhouses behind it, I probably wouldn't mind checking it out. But then again, I'd say these two are pretty much set if the show does or doesn't get picked up. Terry O'Quinn has been acting on television and movies since the early 80s, appearing in one of Star Trek's sequel series' as well as garnering acclaim as the deranged killer in the original film The Stepfather, and now having played the pivotal and famous role of John Locke maybe he can move into larger film roles. Michael Emerson is a sophisticated actor and is tremendous even in small roles like Saw or on The Practice, just watching one scene of that could make it clear to anyone that he is an impressive actor and his role as Benjamin Linus only strengthened that impression. Right now we've all got high hopes for this dynamic duo.

LOST ITSELF

Team Darlton has made it clear that, even if they are not involved, there is bound to be something in the future with a Lost label on it. It is not something that just comes along, becomes one of the most epic things ever, and goes away never to be brought up again. I predict there will most likely be some sort of spin off like former genius George Lucas did to his glorious Star Wars saga. Yeah, I don't want to be seeing my kids watching an animated show called Lost: The Island Wars on Saturday mornings and thinking it is the greatest thing ever...well unless I really love my kids which I probably will. A friend, my best friend actually, told me that they were making a movie out of Lost, an idea which he thought was good. Of course, my best friend has not watched Lost (only the first disc of season 1) so I don't put to much stock in this supposed fact. That and I really think making Lost into a movie is the worst idea for it, unless you were going to chuck out whatever saga and mystery there is to Lost. If anything they could make more spin off novels for it. I can see reading a book in which the story pertained to Lost (the missing years of the Dharma Initiative, the missing years of Jacob's life on the Island and his failed candidates, whole story arcs from the main characters past we may have missed, or whole new character stories in general). Books could work. I know as well that they are more than likely going to make something else with Lost further down the road. But if it's bad, I can take comfort in the fact that it will never grasp the magic and excitement of watching the genuine Lost, a lot like Star Wars.

Only one episode left and then we see what it all meant. Well, I will hold out for as much as they can give us. And I will eat it with a spoon!

This has been another late spectulative Lost post from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Iron Man 2 Review

Though not as great as I had expected, Iron Man 2 was a delightful movie. There was a lot of craft running throughout and it was very alive. It's like the super hero movie that strived as much as it could to appeal to a moderately intelligent male audience in almost every way. I mean we have one badass superhero who surrounds himself with hard alcohol, hot women, fast cars, fine places, awesome heavy rock blaring, and the best mechanized battle armor any bleeding heart ex-arms manufacturer could hope to invent. He is Tony Stark aka Iron Man and he seems to think more than others (every other superhero) that superheroics should be fun as hell. It's like if Batman had the same values but his parents weren't murdered viciously.

One thing, this movie has a lot going on so I will try to round out all of the different subplots.The film begins almost immediately after the first, when Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) reveals to the world recklessly that he is Iron Man. The government on a dime deems the armor unsafe in Stark's hands, even though he already saved countless people with it, and presses it him to give it over to the army where I'm sure their plan is to use it to just go on Red Cross missions (not likely). But Stark is clear on not wanting to give up the armor to the government or arrogant arms manufacturer Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), and decides it the world would be safer if it were in his hands. At the same time, a genius Russian physicist named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke) arrives to kill Stark because he believes Stark's dad stole his dad's work. Also at the same time, Stark's superpowered pacemaker of sorts that keeps him alive is beginning to wear his body down and will soon kill him; this leads to a self destructive behavior in which he shuts out his closest friends including his beloved secretary Pepper Potts (Gwenyth Paltrow) and diplomatic military man Jim Rhodes (Don Cheadle). And also at the same time, mysterious Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) of SHIELD assists Stark in his ventures while also giving not subtle hints to his "Avengers Initiative." So yeah, a lot's happening other than thing's blowing up.

The movie kind of pulls a Spider Man 3 where it gives you too much real-life drama and not enough good guys going toe to toe with bad guys. Except, unlike Spider Man 3, I actually found this watchable, even fun. Don't get me wrong, I love Spider Man, but Peter Parker is pretty boring and I mean Clark Kent boring. So when I saw a whole movie about Peter Parker and not Spider Man for 20% doing nothing but screwing up and trying to apologize and then 55% of him doing nothing but acting like a douche to everyone who truly cares for him or not, I was kinda pissed off. But here we have Tony Stark who enjoys being both himself and Iron Man without too much worry and is above all else a fun person. There is a point where he gets drunk and starts dancing at his birthday party in the armor. Now that's hilarious. Even if there was too much happening in the story that doesn't involve battle suits thrashing into each other, I didn't mind because it had the right touches of humour and intrigue throughout.

But then so much is happening that not all of the characters can be fully developed. Namely the villains, who most of the time make movies work (coughHeathcoughLedgercough!), Ivan Vanko has very few lines and only has two action scenes, the running time of those two together would be about three and a half minutes. So technically the more prominant villain in this would be Justin Hammer, who pulls off being a wound tight snob who always sounds like he's trying to sell you his most top quality product whenever he opens his mouth. But being played by Sam Rockwell, I can see how easy that can be. Also the character of Natalie Romanov (Scarlett Johansson), the enigmatic new secretary who we already know is going to be the kickass Black Widow, goes undeveloped but then she is not super prominant in the scheme of the movie.

But when there is action, you can just about guarentee it's cool as hell. Every time a suit comes into play, anything is a battlefield complete with rows of exploding cars, gunfire and aerial manuevers. My favorite might be a scene where Iron Man and his friend Rhodes, in another battlesuit, duke it out in his own home. I won't spoil anything but it's all quite a ride.
As far as acting and any other technical aspect goes, the movie is fine. Robert Downey, Jr. once again leads this movie and proves again that he was born to play Tony Stark. Though Mickey Rourke is very underused, despite playing the main villain, he is still a very intimidating person and even has a good emotional scene at the beginning of the film. Sam Rockwell seemed kind of flat at first but he can't really go wrong when he is playing a douchebag. Everyone else was pretty good, I can never dislike Gwenyth Paltrow, especially when her character always seems to be on the same level as Downey, Jr.'s. Don Cheadle is funny and convincing as always. Scarlett Johansson seems to be here only to introduce her character...and to dress up in that skintight Black Widow outfit, but I won't go into that again. The CGI looked like clear CGI just like the first but like the first one this is still somehow impressive. Jon Favreau shows what a talented director he is again and I am glad he gave his character Happy Hogan a bigger role than last time. All in all nothing but the length and scale of the movie were problems.

This movie gives a lot. It delivers a compelling and entertaining story, some sweet action, a comeback to a great performance, and expectations for a bigger film to come (you might catch a certain someone's shield and a certain someone else's hammer here and there). So I highly recommend Iron Man 2, it's just as good as the first and was a very enjoyable movie. Just don't expect wall-to-wall action. Honestly, I think we can all stand to pay attention to a story that actually contains story and not action posing as story. You know, Michael Bay movies.

This has been an Invincible review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Tetro Review

"Every family has a secret." - Tagline

James Cameron wasn't the only master director who made a comeback in 2009. Veteran director Francis Ford Coppola came along to write, produce, and direct his semi-autobiographical drama Tetro. I just watched it last night and this is my review. Many directors have a thing where they make a movie that is very mainstream and does very well or is very popular so that they can use the profits to make a more independent film they wanted to make more. It seems like many of Coppola's films, mainstream or independent, are made with all of his passion and craft. For example after directing The Godfather, one of the greatest and most popular movies of all time, Coppola made a film called The Conversation. Tetro may be his most passionate project yet.

It is a black and white film that tells the story of a dysfucntional family of prodigies. No not Royal Tenenbaums. It's starts off as a young man named Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich) shows up at his brother Angelou's door in Buenos Aires. Angelou (Vincent Gallo) has not been home in years, calls himself Tetro, lives with the beautiful Miranda (Maribel Verdu), and seems content with not wanting anything to do with his past. He shuns Bennie as soon as he arrives and is set on making waves with just about anyone. Tetro is a failed writer, Bennie writes too, and their father is a great and legendary composer who kept Tetro in his shadow. At the center of the family and the story seems to be rivalry but there is more to it.

This movie has twists and intrigue that is not meant to be OMG moments but surprise you just the same. This almost simplistic story begins to become epic. You are, or at least I was, totally interested in how these characters live and how they interact with each other. The narrative is a bit jumbled but then I think that's what makes it kind of fun. There are some sequences where the movie shifts into these kind of operatic dance scenes that symbolize what is happening or what has happened. I also like that it becomes sort of a mystery (which I am obviously a fan of), where you find out one bit a time what has gone on between this unique and tragic family. It may not be epic on the scale of the Corleone Family but it may be on a more human level.

Like his writing, Coppola has not lost his extraordinary directorial skills. This film is a feast for the eyes above all else. The black and white photography (which I've always loved in movies) is very effective here. At times and with the right shots it felt like a '50s film noir. Other times the visuals are just kind of mesmerizing the kind you want to rewind and play back. So yeah art direction gets an A plus. And the locations and sets are not lacking in the least bit, something Coppola never fails on. Than there are the flashback scenes shot in this shaky-cam-color photography.

As far as acting goes the movie thrives on the performance of Vincent Gallo more than anything and it is a powerful performance. He brings a lot of depth to the character of Tetro. Gallo plays a jerk very well and that's how he portrays Tetro at first, but he also has a uniqueness about the character that makes you want to learn more about how he came to be the way he is. Maribel Verdu is perfect as lover who triples as a muse and support. She may not know his past, bu she is wise about how he acts and is strong enough to even make him back down in an arguement. Her performance felt kind of classy and I liked it. Starring as the younger brother was Aldren Ehrenreich, who I had mixed feelings about. There were times where he conveyed emotion very well but any other time he just seemed like a mumbling, prickish kid. Perhaps that was intentional. The only real interesting attribute about him is he looks remarkably like Leonardo Dicaprio, but he definitely can't act like him. So acting was pretty well solid too.

All in all Tetro was a very interesting movie. It's a long movie to be sure, and at times it might feel slow, but you can't help wanting to see it through to the end. And trust me, the ending is good. It showed that Francis Ford Coppola hasn't lost his talents after all these years. A little bit of trivia: Tetro was sabotaged when terrorists broke into Coppola's Argentina studio and the script was stolen among the things stolen. Luckily the script was recovered, or rewritten, I'm not sure, and Tetro was brought to the screen. I'm glad it was because it is quite an extraordinary movie. A great family drama made by a true master of that genre.

This has been another modest review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.

Bombings: The Taliban Big Dick Contest

Come on, that's essentially what it is. Ever since 9/11, every Middle Eastern terrorist or Middle East sympathizing terrorist has been trying to make a bigger dent in the American infrastructure or other nations. Of the notable close calls recently have been very elaborate bombing attempts. First there was the guy who tried to activate an explosive weaved into his underwear aboard a plane aka Crotch Bomber. I'm pretty he ended up setting himself on fire or just exposed himself while trying to get the bomb to work, either way the bomb didn't go off and he was arrested. Now we've got the guy who left a car bomb in the middle of Times Square, New York City, but luckily it was also deactivated.

This is just a random thought, but it really does seem like the dark and morbid pissing contest terrorists are in to see which one can create a more destructive terrorist attack. Hate to break it to ya, fellas, but you can't really top flying planes into some of the most iconic things in America. A blown up plane and dead innocent bystanders would be tragic like all hell, but to be honest it is not like people would still be talking about fifty years from now. Ya wanna know what I think, terrorists? Seeing as how the last terrorist attack only ended in a war that rages on to day and has you hiding under every rock in What'sitsnameastan, maybe you should focus less on making further waves. Or you could just surrender. Sadly, I've given up hope on Al Queda or the Taliban or whatever surrendering. The only thing they seem to want to do in a no-win situation is go out guns blazing. Not a good end to this story.

I think the one thing that would really dampen morale on their side would be to find and capture/kill Osama Bin Laden. Seriously, all of our guys are pretty much trudging over the place he is hiding. Though he is most likely moving around, and this sounds mighty primitive and Palin-esque of me, but we should really just find as much information on where he most likely is, get a definite fix and bomb the hell out of it. Civilian lives would be lost, yes, but even more would be killed if the war were to continue on. It's essentially Obama's plan when he shipped all of those soldiers out there: end the war as quickly and efficiently as possible. Or we could just drop Philip Marlowe, Rorschach, Batman, Liam Neeson from Taken, and Nancy Drew into the Middle East and let them find Osama. They seem to be able to find everything else out. That'd do the trick.

But I could be wrong about this whole "Taliban big dick contest." Perhaps these fucked up psychos are simply doing the obvious = trying to kill as many of everyone not them as they can. In which case they can all burn.

I am sorry if some found this post offensive, but really this war has gone on longer than WWII and Vietnam combined so I can't help but mock it or try to make the mood a little lighter.

This has been a rough dose of satire from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading and God Bless Amer--Aw who cares anymore?

A Nightmare on Elm Street remake Review

"In dreams I walk with you. In dreams I talk to you. In dreams you are mine all the time..." - Roy Orbison

Okay, so I've just seen the latest installment in Michael Bay's string of classic horror movie remakes. A Nightmare on Elm Street. The promotion for this movie gave the hope of a really fun experience. But then so did the promotion for every other remake. But this had an ace actor behind it playing one of the more entertaining slasher villains. That's right, the dream walker himself, Freddy Kruger.

The original 1984 Nightmare movie was made by Wes Craven, a top director in the horror movie genre. He had already made his mark after directing gory, shocking movies like The Last House on the Left (which got remade) and The Hills Have Eyes (remade as well). A Nightmare on Elm Street was so good because it was more clever than a standard slasher movie like Friday the 13th. It's easy for a killer to stalk you in your house or something like that. But Freddy Kruger stalks you in the most private place of all. Your mind. And that's scary. Could it have been remade with as much creepiness and horror or with a villain as monstrously fun as Freddy? I'll tell you what I thought.

The remake of course follows pretty much the same story. A bunch of kids from fictional Springwood, Illinois are getting massacred in their sleep by some crispy guy wearing a hat, striped sweater and bladed glove. While trying to stay awake and alive, the kids try to solve the mystery of who is picking them off, a mystery that could reveal the whole town's dark secret. Now for anyone who actually watched the original or the franchise altogether, you know Freddy Kruger was once a child killer and pedophile who was caught, let off the hook for lack of evidence, and then killed by the angry parents. I like what they did different here, putting Kruger's guilt into question. Like maybe the parents were wrong about him.

But really there is nothing else to be excited about. I mean, some of the kills were okay and Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy was fun. But in the end, I was just kind of bored. You know the story so there's no suspense. What's new about the story? It takes place in 2010 so we have internet, cell phones, and syrianges full of adrenalin (even that doesn't help them stay awake, but at least the kids can reenact Pulp Fiction). The characters are given no depth so you don't care about them. I can't complain about the kids looking like twenty-five year olds because they do in the original too. They could at least act like they were teenagers. These kids could have fit right in the high school from Brick, because they seem to be very good investigators. Rooney Mara and Kyle Gallner, the two leads, are pretty much Mulder and Scully for the entire movie. I just don't know any teenager who act like this. Can they act? Yes, but it just wasn't believable. The villain is the only good part and he appears in quick frames more than actual scenes. Is Jackie Earle Haley as good as I thought he would be? Not as good, but he's still the savior of the movie. His creepy, gravelly voice brings on the chills, not to mention the way he carries about with the glove. He does not exert as much passion or as much fear as Robert Englund did as Freddy however. When Robert Englund was Freddy you could tell he was totally into the role, it looked like he was having a helluva of a lot of fun. Haley not so much, but still good. The movie's effects were pretty good, I thought. I like the way they mixed prosthetic make up with CGI for Freddy's face. And the times when the dreams start to really spill over into reality.

Looking back, I remember the original Nightmare on Elm Street. I remember the kids were believable and even somewhat interesting; I remember Freddy was this taunting force that was so ominous and cruel; I remember Johnny Depp got sucked into his bed and sprayed all over the room; I remember Tina was smashed and dragged all over her ceiling with blood everywhere (in a scene filmed upside down); I remember the last act featured an actual 80s montage of Nancy preparing for her fight with Freddy, complete with booby traps galore; I remember it had a clever resolution to the film's problem and a shocker ending. I remember it was a fun scary movie. But god, this movie is boring! Some people can't stand jump scares, but even those people would agree, this is a movie that needed jump scares every other scene just to keep you awake. Maybe that was the desired effect of this movie, the audience has to try to stay awake to watch a bunch of kids try to stay awake. Hmm. Anyways, for 80 percent of the movie we are stuck with a bunch of kids who we don't care about, who are completely uninteresting, and spend all of their time dozing off. You are not rooting for these kids, if anything you're rooting for Freddy to come along and kill them. I would love to see a slasher film, just one, where the villain was the person we were following. I mean think about it, it would be awesome. Have a cool and creepy narration, see his lair, watch as he plots his kills, and in the end we feel for him once he gets killed or if he survives and slaughters these boring ass teenagers. This movie also completely steals things from other Nightmare movies. It could at least strive for a little originality. But no, we get dullness and sameness. Just like almost every horror movie that has come out in the last decade. Even the sequels to the original movie were better than this, and they were pretty lame too.

It seems the target audience for this movie is for modern day people who were too lazy to see the original. It's kind of sad, because I know people who have seen all of these lame remakes but not the orignals. And they are stuck thinking these lame movies are so scary. Here's an idea for Hollywood: Why not just re-release the original movies in theatres. That'd be awesome. I would love to see the original Nightmare on Elm Street or Halloween in theatres. At some point, they should just do that for a bunch of classic movies. I saw Alien in theatres once and it was terrific.

But back on point. The remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street is not a terrible movie, but it certainly isn't good. If you want to see it see it, I'm sure you will get scared. A group of teenagers showed up and sat in front of me when I saw the movie. They came in late, girlfriends snuggled up to boyfriends, and had fun getting freaked out. So if you can stand to watch a mediocre movie that has been done to death, see this one. Still though, a thought occurs to me. The only other Nightmare on Elm Street movie Wes Craven made after the original was a film called "New Nightmare." It was a very startling and even fascinating movie because it showed how the force Freddy Kruger had been made into was actually haunting the people who made the first film to begin with. A part of me thinks that should have happened to the people who made this movie.

This has been a nightmarish review from Your Modest Guru. Thanks for reading.