Bert Vandecasteele

Month: March 2009

  • Ep. 10 – He’s our You

    It’s back!

    The Episode…

    I was getting kind of disappointed and tired of waiting, but just like it goes with LOST: the waiting did not disappoint. Not one bit. The fact that Sayid shot Ben – I saw it coming but was still shocked – was brilliant, and will have viewers scratching their heads for an entire week.

    The reason for this is of course that people believe that this means the end of Benjamin Linus. In Doc Brown fahsion, Sayid should have created an alternate universe in which Ben Linus does not live past 1977. Now, this obviously does not make sense. LOST boasts a thing called “self-consistent time travel”, meaning that whatever happened, happened. It has always been like this. Ben has always gotten shot by Sayid and always will. Which means that this might possibly be the thing Ben has against our Losties. Maybe it’s the thing that turned him into Ben as we know him?

    Other than that, I loved how Sayid honestly told the Dharma Initiative about himself. Yes, I am from the future. And I know those hatches in past tense even though you haven’t built them yet. Powerful stuff. In fact, it was the second time since the Pilot where we saw Sayid laugh (the first time being when he picked up the French distress call way back when). A creepy laugh, almost like the devil. Speaking of confessions and hatches: I want to see more of Stuart Radzinsky. He is simply awesome.

    Concerning the flashbacks, it was nice to see Sayid’s story finally be tied together. His reasons for helping Ben, his reason for helping Hurley and finally his reason for being on the plane: none whatsoever. This places the ball in Ilana’s court: did she know they weren’t going to Guam? Or was she hired by someone else? Interesting questions…

    The Questions…

    Now we know why Sayid came back. Or was forced to come back. I loved seeing the dread in his face. It looked kind of like Franks, but way funnier. Other than that, I don’t see any clues for other questions.

    In all…

    As I already said, this episode was nice: as always it was solidly written, but this time it actually moved the story forward. Maybe we were taking baby steps towards the first part, but by the time Ben got shot at the end we were leaping. I do start getting annoyed by the fact that we see so little of some of my favourite characters: Locke, Faraday and Desmond. When will they be incorporated in the story again? I know how they’re trying to tell this story as coherently as possible and with as little time flashes as possible, but seriously: no Desmond since episode 7? That’s pretty damn harsh.

    Favourite Quote:
    Sawyer: “Three years no burning buses. Y’all are back for one day…”

  • Ep. 09 – Namaste

    The Episode…

    Okay guys, it’s gone far enough. I’ve been with you for five seasons, rooting for you, cheering you on, hoping something good would come of it. In fact: I still do, don’t doubt that. But seriously: when you’ve only got one and a half season of your show left, the clock is ticking. So… how do you keep the story at a standstill for three consecutive episodes? Namaste, together with the previous episode LaFleur, have “Deathly Hallows” written all over them: in need of serious cutting. Not because of youn Ben. Not at all.

    Now I’m not saying those two episodes were bad – they were clever, funny and well-written, the things I have come to expect from a LOST episode. But: they reeked of filler. And I can handle one filler episode, but two in a row when I know there’s only going to be that many episodes? That stinks.

    I loved one part though, but only time can tell if it has been deliberate. When Christian is talking to Frank and Sun at the reception, all of a sudden the door opens. Obviously our good old island smoke monster. When the camera cuts back to Sun, however, we can see the shadow of a girl moving in the background. Who was that? Claire? And why? Why didn’t Sun notice her? There are so many cool possibilities, so I hope we get to explore one fast. Oh, and I also hope Lapidus grows his beard back. He looks too much like a pedophile now.

    We finally got our first look at the fabled Radzinsky. So he’s the one that designed the Swan station? Does this mean the numbers originated from him (seeing how he is at a communication station at the moment and will brand the numbers on the side of the hatch)? I like how he seems like the perfect Dharma-trooper at the moment. I hope to see him grow into this deranged maniac that drew the blast door map and shot himself through the head. But don’t show us the shooting through the head please. Nobody wants to see that.

    The Questions…

    Interesting point to raise: Sun and Lapidus did not end up in 1977. Why is that? Did the island not take Sun because Jin wasn’t there? Did Lapidus not fit the part of Seth Norris, our original captain? I kind of get the feeling they’re all part of some game at the moment, a game played by either Jacob or the whispers. Interesting, no?

    In All…

    LOST, I know that you’ll get your act together. I know this all just a big set-up towards the next big thing. But it better start next week. These episodes will be awesome on DVD, but when you’ve got to wait in between? Not so much. Let’s hope a Sayid episode can stir things up a bit.

    Favourite Quote:
    Hurley: Dude your English is awesome.

  • Ep. 08 – LaFleur

    I was wrong. There was one more episode inbetween.

    The Episode

    It was so obvious, and I still don’t get why I hadn’t figured it out. We saw the Oceanic Six’s side of the three years. We saw John Locke’s side of the three years. Why did I think for a minute that we wouldn’t see the three years go by for Team Island? When I heard Sawyer say “As long as it takes”, and then “three years later” popped, my heart skipped a beat. And I felt stupid – the good, Lostian way.

    I was a bit suspicious of having a Sawyer episode. Sure, it’s been a while (two seasons!) but they never really were good… mediocre at best, but never good. This episode changes all that: Sawyer, who has redeemed himself in those three years and became a walking woman’s wet dream that will also do your dishes on the side, has suddenly become more interesting than he was before. Odd, seeing how they stripped him of practically everything that made him interesting in the beginning of the show. They did this with Kate, but it didn’t work quite as well as for Sawyer. Maybe they learned from their mistakes? Or maybe Kate’s just a less interesting character than Sawyer?

    I was so, so happy to see Juliet and Sawyer together. It’s not that they are the match made in heaven (unless opposites really do attract), but I realised that these two characters are the two in this quadrangle that I wish to see happy. I don’t care about Jack or Kate (let them be miserable and angsty together), but those two… I wish nothing but the best for them. And that can’t be in the penultimate season. So expect them to be broken up fast.

    On the mysterious islandy side, we got a glimpse of the statue. The fact that we saw it from behind has the mean something. Or is it just because it’s logical that statues look out at the sea (e.g. Alexandria)? At any rate: the thing looked very Egyptian. In case you hadn’t guessed yet: that puts it in the group containing the smoke monster and the temple. Interesting thought.

    Ending up in the seventies means a few things. First: Dharma. Second: Widmore. Third: Ben. I’ve been thinking: if Ben banished Widmore from the island… maybe it wasn’t a power surge? Maybe he was trying to protect him from the purge? There’s so little things we do not know yet, but I have a gut feeling we’ll find it out sooner rather then later. While we’re in the seventies, might as well visit good old young Ben.

    The Questions

    No relevant questions this week. Tune in next time! Even though I fear the questions section will be kind of empty until they leave the Dharma Age.

    In All

    This episode was an emotional roller coaster. We saw Sawyer come so far in three years time, there was Amy who
    ashed between weak strong, Juliet found her happiness, Daniel’s grief over Charlotte… I did miss a little reveals in the second half of the episode, though, and I hated the cliffhanger. I mean: no one can possibly be rooting for Kate to end up with Sawyer after they’ve seen how cute Sawyer looks with a Juliet on him?

    Favourite Quote :
    Sawyer: “Let me talk to him.”
    Horace: “Excuse me?”
    Sawyer: “Your buddy out there with the eyeliner. Let me talk to him.”

  • Winterstilte (Berlinale 2009)

    I am aware of the fact that my Berlinale reviews are way overdue. I am also aware of the fact that I don’t care. So, for those who dig achronicity and who are just dying to read a review about skirts and a Swiss mountain village: allow me to make your day. So coming now and later: my Berlinale 2008 double review! Because I only went to see two movies and I don’t have that much to say about them!

    Today: Winterstilte!

    What do you get when you let a visual artist with no experience in directing whatsoever make a movie? Either you get utter trash, or you get the most brilliant movie of all times. But never, ever have I had such mixed feelings and love-have-annoyance towards a movie than I had towards Winterstilte. But more on that later.

    The (very thin) premise: A Swiss mountain village. Five women – a mother and her four twentysomething daughters – mourn for the loss of their father who ironically fell down a mountain. There is little to no talking. But there is the following: a little girl that has nothing to do with the movie, the synchronized making of a broidery, an owl throwing up furballs in a straight line, a whole lot of mountains, a jester and sex with moose men. Yes, you read that right. All in seventy minutes of film.

    And the truth of the matter is that this isn’t actually a bad movie. The above make for a nice symbolic movie where every piece of footage is so pretty it’ll make your jaws drop to the floor. When the camera pans up and down before the mother, there are no shocks in movement to be seen. This camera man was a genious. Also finding the way to bring these scenes from script to actual shots takes a hell of a visual director.

    But that’s where it ends. End of the line. As it turns out, something that feels so symbolical on so many levels, can be a bit of a turd when the explanation comes afterwards. When the director came on stage afterwards for a little Q and A, it immediately became apparent that she had had no clue of what she was doing storywise. So the owl is wisdom and the girl is innocence, we get that. But why is the owl waking the girl? She could not tell for the life of her.

    You know, if you use pretty metaphores in your movie but cannot explain then, I think you can just admit that to your audience. If people buy a ticket for your seventy minute long movie with about 20 sentences of text, they can take a bit of weirdness. Just admit that you approached it as if it were a moving picture and not an epic tale about the fairer sex.

    In all, the movie itself was pretty good. Emphasize the pretty, and upgrade it to gorgeous. So she can do it. She just shouldn’t say her movie is something it is not. Because it isn’t.

  • La Journée de la Jupe (Berlinale 2009)

    I am aware of the fact that my Berlinale reviews are way overdue. I am also aware of the fact that I don’t care. So, for those who dig achronicity and who are just dying to read a review about skirts and a Swiss mountain village… allow me to make your day. So coming now and later: my Berlinale 2008 double review! Because I only went to see two movies and I don’t have that much to say about them!

    Today: La Journée de la jupe!

    If you only have time and money for two movies and given there are hundreds of movies to choose from, what do you do? You just choose two movies that seem vaguely familiar yet entirely different, and you go for it without thinking. For La Journée de la jupe, this might have just been the best random luck ever. We got a nice movie with some cool twists and a wonderful, wonderful actress: Isabelle Adjani.

    The plot – the thing that attracted me to the movie – is as follows: Sonia teaches French at a public school. Her class is completely out of control: they don’t listen, they are loud, they threaten her… when one day she finds a gun in one her pupil’s bag, she is suddenly holding a group of them hostage.

    What I loved about this movie, is how it tackles a very serious educational problem (the so-called black schools and white schools – the names have nothing to do with cultural roots of the pupils, even though the end results do) on different levels. There is mystery. There is suspense. There is drama. There are emotions. There are humour. Someone (Jean-Paul Lilienfeld) feels the same way about drama I do: humour is a great way of getting a dramatic point accross. It certainly worked in this movie, which at times bordered the downright absurd but was still credible.

    This has a lot to do with the great acting work – not just by the female lead, but also by all the (unknown) teen actors. They delivered their lines in wonderful banlieue French – French I cannot understand for the life of me but which made the whole experience very immersive. Other than the teens, there was Denis Podalydès, who was funny and dramatic at the same time.

    In all, I really loved this movie. It’s basically everything I stand for in a movie, and something more which I’m starting to stand for now. These guys knew what they were doing. It’s worth every second of your time.

  • Ep. 07 – The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham

    For the first time in nearly three seasons of LOST, we have no clue about what’s going to happen anymore. The last flash-forward string has been tied up, and now we get back to – what, exactly?

    The Episode

    I was totally psyched for this episode, and I have to say: it did not disappoint. There were so many little things, so many details that were tied up and now I feel that it finally time for the show to move back to where it’s all going on: the island. It didn’t really feel like the big reveal that I was hoping for, but I actually didn’t mind one bit: instead of the expected lore-heavy episode, I got a good old emotional Locke episode with a solid script and great acting. Oh, and the Locke theme music, which we haven’t heard for a while.

    I loved how Locke went through yet another emotional downwards spiral. He was full of hope when he started by visiting Sayid, but when Jack left the room, we started to understand that John Locke’s suicide might not have been the act of sacrifice it had been intended, but more like… an actual suicide. I didn’t get the whole Ben killing Locke thing, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

    This episode was the first one that really made me think about who the good and the bad guys are on this show. I know: they’ve been playing this theme since season one, but this episode was the first one to truly make me doubt and wonder. Why was this? The change of mind that made Ben kill Locke? His creepy astonishment at hearing that Jin is alive? The emotion with which Charles Widmore told Locke about his fate? It’s probably a mix of all of the above. In a way, I hope there will be no “good guys” and “bad guys”, just differences of opinion and a fight between neighbours that got truly out of hand. Truly Postmodern.

    Something completely different: was it just me, or were Jack and Kate really, really nasty to Locke? This was the first time I truly believed they were looking at what they think is a crazy old man who keeps killing and blowing up stuff in a tantrum to get his own way. They owe resurrected Locke an apology if you ask me. But they did deliver the lines while keeping a sense of “goodness” in their characters: they weren’t being evil, they were just fed up with him. Nice job.

    The Questions

    We now know how Locke ended up in the coffin (question 1). Sooner than expected if you ask me – but just at the right time. The series can move on now. We now also know – given that we watched carefully – that the island is, I think, in several places at the same time. Team Locke is on Alcatraz, the little Dharma island, in what I think is 2008. Reason for thinking this is that the Hydra station looks old and dusty – unlike the Dharma heyday. We found out in 316 that Jack, Hurley, Kate and Jin ended up in the seventies – very much like that same Dharma heyday. What could this mean? On a final note, we found out a bit more about Widmore and Ben and their creepy struggle. Ben apparently “banished” Widmore, who spent more than three decades on the island. Could this have happened during the purge? Does it have anything to do with Annie?

    In All…

    The episode was way less complicated than I thought it would be. That’s okay though: it delivered in a way I thought it wouldn’t deliver. And there it delivered well, with brilliant performances by everyone, but mostly Terry O’Quinn, Michael Emerson and Matthew Fox. There is always something special about the scarce moments where two of those three meet… and this week, we got a whole lotta meetin’

    Favourite Quote:
    Matthew Abbadon: Boy’s gotten big.