"LOST": A Tale of Two Fathers

 

"LOST": A TALE OF TWO FATHERS

During its Season Two, "LOST" had aired an episode called (2.09) "What Kate Did". The episode revealed the crime that led castaway Kate Austen to being a fugitive for three years - she had murdered her father, Wayne Janssen, and used his death to collect insurance for her mother, Diane Janssen. The episode had also revealed Kate's reason for her act of murder. She had just learned that Wayne - a man she had presumed to be her stepfather - was actually her father.

Kate had made it perfectly clear that she disliked Wayne Janssen. She held him responsible for her mother's break-up with Sam Austen, the man she had longed believed was her father. She certainly disliked the fact that he was an alcoholic who physically abused Diane. And she found his habit of occasionally leering at her disgusting and beneath contempt. Many believed that Kate had been a victim of sexual abuse. And that Wayne had been the perpetrator. But "What Kate Did" hinted that Wayne may not have abused Kate. In this scene, Kate talks to an unconscious fellow castaway, James "Sawyer" Ford (Josh Holloway), whose body she believes had been temporarily possessed by her late father:

"Can you hear me? Sawyer? Wayne? [Sawyer stirs] I'm probably crazy and this doesn't matter, but maybe you're in there somehow. But you asked me a question. You asked me why I -- why I did it. It wasn't because you drove my father away, or the way you looked at me, or because you beat her. It's because I hated that you were a part of me -- that I would never be good. That I would never have anything good. And every time that I look at Sawyer -- every time I feel something for him -- I see you, Wayne. It makes me sick.".

Judging from her comments, it seems quite apparent that Wayne had never sexually abused her. Kate did accuse him of leering at her, which was conveyed in a flashback at the beginning of the episode. However, there are fans who still insist that Wayne may have abused her. They are entitled to their opinions. Frankly, I have doubts that Kate had ever been abused. But if she had . . . Wayne Janssen would not be on the top of my list of suspects.

When "What Kate Did" first aired during the 2005-2006 television season, I had also viewed an episode of "HOUSE" called (2.13) "Skin Deep". I noticed how Dr. Gregory House (portrayed by Hugh Laurie) had correctly guessed that a 15 year-old female patient, who happened to be a model, had sex with her father. How did House come to this conclusion? He had noticed the close relationship between the model and her father. He noticed how the former seemed overtly concerned with pleasing said father. This scene had also revived about memories from the 1995 movie, "DOLORES CLAIRBORNE". Based on Stephen King' 1992 novel, it told the story about a Maine woman who had murdered her husband in order to stop him from continuing his sexual abuse of their daughter. What I found interesting was that the daughter had over-idealized her abusive father. And he (in flashbacks) had over-idealized his mother, who I believe may have sexually abused him.

Both that particular episode of "HOUSE" and "DOLORES CLAIRBORNE" led me to suspect that if Kate had actually been sexually molested, I would have suspected her stepfather, Sergeant Sam Austen, of being the perpetrator. After all, Kate had expressed nothing but contempt for Wayne. Yet, she had a tendency to idealize Sergeant Austen. And in an odd way, she had this same tendency to idealize other men who probably reminded her of the Army sergeant - Tom Brennan, her husband Kevin Callis, and leader of the island castaways, Dr. Jack Shephard.

Below is a link to a web page that lists traits of those (especially adult women) who may have suffered sexual abuse as a child - Beyond Victim. Included on the web page is a small list of the following traits of victims of sexual abuse:

*You feel powerless in important relationships and are terrified of honest confrontations. Yet you try to control and manipulate other people.

*If you were sexually abused by your father, you also may have felt unconsciously empowered by him; you are his special girl and you can do and be whatever you choose (as long as you don't replace daddy with a new man in your life with whom you can be truly intimate). Your troubled relationships with men present a sharp contrast to other areas of your life.

*You over-idealize your father and fail to see his destructive side while seeing the negative side of your mother and ignoring her positive attributes. Consequently, you over-value and perceive men while devaluing and discounting women. Or . . . if you had been sexually abused by a woman parental figure, you may over-idealize your mother and see your father as totally bad. This was revealed in a single flashback scene from "DOLORES CLAIRBORNE".

I am not claiming that Kate had definitely been a victim of sexual abuse. Nearly seventeen years have passed since "What Kate Did" first aired and the producers of "LOST" have never supported the theory that she had. I do find it interesting that Kate's feelings toward Sam Austen had followed a pattern similar to those harbored by sexual abuse victims, toward their perpetrators - as described above. Yet, the series has never out-and-out conveyed that she had experienced any sexual abuse of any kind.

Despite Kate's soliloquy in "What Kate Did" and the lack of any evidence of her experiencing abuse, I find myself wondering why a certain number of fans still continue to believe that her father, Wayne Janssen had abused her. Perhaps they cannot accept that Kate's cold-blooded murder of Wayne had never been justified. And they could not deal with this, considering she had been the series' leading female character. Who knows?

Favorite Movie Villains of 2015

 

The year 2015 seemed to be filled with some very memorable screen villains. I am certain that many have their own opinions of what constituted their favorite villains. Well . . . I have mine. Below is that list of my favorite movie villains from 2015: 


FAVORITE MOVIE VILLAINS OF 2015



1. Samuel L. Jackson as Richmond Valentine ("Kingsman: The Secret Service") - I have to say it. Samuel Jackson has created some very memorable characters throughout his career - both heroic and villainous. But his portrayal of high tech tycoon, Richmond Valentine, has to be very high on the list. Not only was his goal - to decimate the majority of mankind in order to save the Earth - diabolical, but his lisp and aversion to violence made his character extremely memorable. Extremely.





2. Corey Stoll as Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket ("Ant-Man") - It is a pity that Marvel Studios seemed incapable of maintaining its gallery of villains. One of the best Marvel villains I have come across in quite a while was Corey Stoll's interpretation of Darren Cross aka Yellowjacket, scientist and CEO of Hank Pym's company. Stoll's Cross projected daddy issues with a style that rivaled Loki from the THOR movies, thanks to the actor's performance.





3. Elizabeth Debicki as Victoria Vinciguerra ("The Man From U.N.C.L.E.") - Elizabeth Debicki gave a deliciously entertaining, yet subtle performance as the cool and cruel Victoria Vinciguerra, the leader of a neo-fascist criminal organization and co-owner of a shipping company, who harbored plans to build a nuclear weapon for her own personal use.





4. Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow ("The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part II") - For the fourth time, Donald Sutherland did an excellent in creeping out movie audiences as the cruel and manipulative leader of Panem, as his character resorts to extraordinary methods to put down a rebellion.





5. Haley Joel Osment as Travis McCerdle ("Entourage: the Movie") - I never thought in a million years that I would see Haley Joel Osment portray a truly unpleasant character, let alone make this list. But he proved to be the sole gem in an otherwise entertaining, yet mediocre film as the son of a Texas billionaire, who is given authority to oversee his father's investment in Ari Gold's film. Osment's performance struck me as so spot-on that he almost resembled a living embodiment of excrement. He has come a long way.





6. James Spader as Ultron ("The Avengers: Age of Ultron") - Another Marvel villain bit the dust this year. But before he (or it) did, audiences were treated to a superb voice performance by actor James Spader as the self-aware artificial intelligence bent upon decimating humanity. Not only was Spader's performance a joy to hear, he had one of the best lines in the movie.





7. Jennifer Jason-Leigh ("The Hateful Eight") - In a movie filled with villains, the most memorable for me turned out to be Daisy Domergue, an outlaw being escorted to her execution by ruthless bounty hunter John Ruth. What made Jason-Leigh's Daisy so memorable was her penchant for sadistic humor, vengeful nature and more importantly her patience. Despite being smacked around throughout most of the movie, the actress superbly conveyed just how ruthless Miss Domergue could actually be.





8. Hugh Laurie as David Nix ("Tomorrowland") - Hugh Laurie gave a subtle, yet sardonic performance as David Nix, the mayor of Tomorrowland, who valued technological achievement over scientific originality. Laurie did an excellent job in conveying the character's paranoia and willingness to resort extreme methods - including murder - in order to maintain the status quo - something he strongly supported. His rant against humanity is a must-see for any moviegoer.





9. Julianne Moore as President Alma Coin ("The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part II") - Julianne Moore gave a very subtle performance as the leader of Panem's District 13 and the rebellion against the Capitol. At first glance, her efforts to free Panem from President Snow's rule seemed very genuine. But Moore did an excellent job in occasionally conveying Coin's manipulative and patient personality, along with a penchant for bloodletting that rivaled Snow's.





10. Christoph Waltz as Ernst Stavros Blofeld ("SPECTRE") - Christoph Waltz became the fifth actor to portray British agent James Bond's biggest nemesis, Ernst Stavros Blofeld, head of criminal/terrorist organization SPECTRE. And he gave a memorable performance, project the character's ruthlessness, intelligence, sadism and . . . dare I say it . . . charm? Waltz's Blofeld made a very charming sadist, only rivaled by Telly Savalas' portrayal in the late 1960s.

"TOMORROWLAND" (2015) Review

"TOMORROWLAND" (2015) Review

Back in May 2015, the Disney Studios released a movie that did not proved to be successful at the box office. Directed by Brad Bird, the movie got its title - "TOMORROWLAND" - from futuristic themed land found at Disney theme parks. 

It is a pity that "TOMORROWLAND" did not prove to be as successful as the Disney Studios had hoped. It struck me as a very unusual film. Superficially, it is a family friendly movie about a disillusioned genius inventor and a teenage science enthusiast, who embark upon a journey to an ambiguous dimension known as "Tomorrowland", where they believe their actions can directly affect both the world and themselves. On another level, "TOMORROWLAND" produced an emotional reaction within me that truly took a cynical person like myself, by surprise.

The story begins with the adult Frank Walker telling an off-screen audience about when he had attended the 1964-1965 New York Fair as a child, and his attempt to present the jet pack he had invented to be used as an exhibit at the Fair. When his jet pack is rejected by a man named David Nix, young Frank is approached by a girl named Athena, who sees great potential within him. Athena gives Frank a pin with a "T" symbol and instructs him to follow her aboard the new It's a Small World" attraction, created by Walt Disney's engineers for his Disneyland theme park. Frank follows Athena, Nix and a group of other people and ends up transported to the futuristic cityscape, "Tomorrowland", when his pin is scanned.

At this point, the narration shifts to the adolescent Casey Newton, the daughter of a Cape Canaveral engineer, who tries to sabotage the machines that are dismantling the NASA launch pad in order to save her dad's job. at who sneaks into a decommissioned NASA launch pad in Cape Canaveral, where her father Eddie is an engineer. After one attempt at sabotage, Casey returns home, where Athena sneaks another "T" pin that is programmed to Casey's DNA into the latter's motorcycle helmet. The next night, Casey attempts to break into the NASA compound again, but is arrested. At the police station, Casey not only discovers the pin among her personal items, she also discovers that upon contact, the pin instantly shows her a view of "Tomorrowland". Determined to find the origin of the pin, Casey traces it to a Houston memorabilia store that is owned by a couple that proves to be robots, who attack her. Athena, who also proves to be an Audio-Animatronic robot, rescues Casey and takes her to Frank's farm in New York. She also tells Casey that the latter and Frank are needed to save the world. And the only way to do that is to head for Tomorrowland.

From a technical point-of-view, "TOMORROWLAND" is a very attractive looking movie. First of all, I have to applaud Scott Chambliss' production designs for the film. His re-creation of the 1964-1965 New York New York's World Fair in Flushing Meadows, New York really impressed me. It must have been difficult to re-create not only the event's physical look, but also the mid-1960s. Then Chambliss went a step further and created the sleek, futuristic look of "Tomorrowland". If his work does not earn an Academy Award nomination, I will be very surprised. And yes, other members of the crew contributed to Miranda's production designs. I thought the work of the art direction team, Lin MacDonald's set decorations, Jeffrey Kurland's costume designs and especially Claudio Miranda's sharp and colorful photography truly enhanced the movie's style and look. I only have one problem - namely Michael Giacchino's score. Quite honestly, I did not find it memorable.

The movie can also boast some excellent performances. George Clooney was at top form as the adult Frank Walker, who had become weary and cynical after being rejected from "Tomorrowland". I cannot recall the last time I saw Hugh Laurie in a motion picture. But he was superb as the cool and judgmental leader of "Tomorrowland", David Nix. I especially enjoyed his performance in the scene in which his character went into a rant over humanity's foibles. I was surprised to learn that Britt Robertson is 25 years-old. She did an excellent job in portraying a character who seemed to be at least a decade younger. More importantly, she managed to develop a strong screen chemistry with both Clooney and the young actress who portrayed Athena, namely Raffey Cassidy. The latter gave a first-rate performance as the long-living android, who managed to develop some kind of affection toward both Casey and especially Frank. Thomas Robinson was superb as the young Frank. Not only did he have great chemistry with Cassidy, he managed to give an intelligent performance without coming off as an adult in a boy's body. I also enjoyed the performances of Keegan-Michael Key (of "KEY AND PEELE") and Kathryn Hahn as the pair of android managers of the Houston memorabilia store, who proved to be both funny and rather scary.

For the likes of me, I tried to understand why this movie had produced so much hostility from the critics and from some moviegoers. In the end, I decided it would be a waste of my time. I cannot control the opinions of others. And quite frankly, I have no desire to do so. I find such efforts rather frustrating and exhausting. All I can do is express my feelings of the movie. Personally? I rather liked it."TOMORROWLAND" is such an oddball of a film. Superficially, it struck me as one of those solid Disney family actions films that the studio had been making for the past 60 years or so. But once Frank and Casey reached "Tomorrowland", the film shifted into a tone that made it quite unique and in the end, I found rather touching. How touching did I find it? Let me put it this way . . . I found myself crying when the movie ended.

I am certain that many who did not like the film would say that I cried over how much of a mess it turned out to be. Perhaps these same fans and critics did not like the shift of tone in the movie's last half hour or so. I must confess . . . I had a bit of trouble with that shift, myself. Or perhaps they disliked Nix's rant . . . or the fact that it revealed a great deal of truth about humanity. Nix's rant made me acknowledge the negative aspects of humanity, something that I tend to complain about to this day. But as George Clooney's character managed to point out, not all is negative about humanity. Sometimes, we humans can surprise each other in a positive way. Did other moviegoers and critics come to this conclusion? Or did they expect some kind of one-dimensional "good-vs.-evil"conflict that can usually be found in many summer films? Perhaps I should not dwell upon what the audience wanted and focus on my reaction of "TOMORROWLAND". After all, my opinion should count . . . at least to me. 

There is another aspect of the film that I had carried away with me upon leaving the movie theater. I noticed that following Frank's expulsion by the character Nix and the latter's intent to ensure the cityscape's separation from Earth, the dimension known as "Tomorrowland" declined as a community. This outcome reminded me of what seems to me is the decline of today's culture and originality. Many societies today seem so bent upon either remembering the past (through rose-colored glasses) or rejecting anything remotely original that I find myself wondering if the same happened to "Tomorrowland", when Nix had decided to close itself off from Earth and the innovations of humans when he discovered the possibility of a worldwide catastrophe. Perhaps that last scene of Frank and Casey entrusting "Tomorrowland" androids (to whom they had been narrating this story) to recruit new"dreamers" from Earth and bring them to "Tomorrowland" is what drove me to tears when I left the theater.

Once again, I found myself encountering another original film that very few seem capable of appreciating or enjoying. I only hope that director Brad Bird and co-screenwriter Damon Lindelof are aware there are some people - including myself - who truly appreciated their creation of "TOMORROWLAND", along with the cast and crew who worked on this film.

"TOMORROWLAND" (2015) Photo Gallery

Below are images from the new Disney science-fiction adventure, "TOMORROWLAND". Directed by Brad Bird, the movie starred George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Hugh Laurie: 


"TOMORROWLAND" (2015) Photo Gallery