The scene opens the way many, including Jack Shepherd, thought it would; aboard Oceanic 815 with all of the characters we have come to know, love and hate, sitting there together on the plane that stranded them on a mysterious island.

And then, something different.

There’s Desmond Hume, sitting next to Jack. Even more unexpected is the follow-up shot as the camera dives into the ocean and in an amazingly shoddy display of television fx shows us something intriguing–the island is underwater. Dharmaville, the four-toed statue, the beach; everything, has gone the way of Atlantis. Welcome to another wonderfully wacky season of Lost.

That’s right kids. Lost is back, and although the two hour premiere, entitled LA X , has its share of flaws, there’s plenty of answers and intrigue packed into the running time. Lindelof and Cuse have woven a tapestry so tangled that not even Philip K. Dick could have hoped to unravel it without getting a headache. In fact, at this current junction–or is it terminal?–there’s no hope of unraveling it. Lost has burned more juicy bridges (Walt and his powers, why women die in childbirth, how Locke’s dad ended up on the island) than it could possibly rebuild.

We can only go forward hoping that they intend to stick the thematic landing, and the dueling banjos of good and evil, order and chaos, fate and chance will continue to play out in feverish melody until seasons end. And, hey, at least now we know who the smoke monster is. Well, sort of.

Without doing a plot rehash, lets take a look at some of last night’s more compelling mysteries and moments.

First off, there’s the implication behind the opening scene. Instead of choosing whether or not the bomb went off and changed things or whether the timeline remained the same, the creators did neither. They followed both possibilities. While this could seem like a cop-out, it’s actually in keeping with some of Lost’s more daring attempts.

We watch Oceanic 815 land safely, and at the same time Jack, Sawyer, Kate, the detonated Swan site, and  a motley group of The Others have all been transplanted to modern day on the island. At the same time, in potentially yet another facet of reality, the Black Smoke monster is wearing Locke like an old, rumpled suit and running circles around Richard, Ben and Jacob’s insurgent army.

What’s the deal then? Is there one true reality, or are we seeing the concept of ‘island universes? This idea, posits that there are entire other worlds that feature versions of ourselves going about their own business exist simultaneously with ours. They are not simply alternate realities with no future, but parallel existences, running next to but never intersecting with our own.

 Why bring this up? Because we are lead to believe that what we are seeing is the result of Juliette blowing up the bomb at the end of Season 5. Wait though, because there are already some significant differences in this universe that may or may not have been influenced by the actions taken in the 70s. Among them:

Desmond is on the plane, although it’s possible he’s still phasing in and out like Billy Pilgrim.

Charlie is choking on a bag of drugs, but not actually doing them, as he was in the first iteration. He’s signifcantly more derailed here than before.

Shannon never got on the plane.

We have yet to see if Claire is pregnant.

Hurley doesn’t appear to be cursed by bad luck.

Potentially, Sun never actually learned English.

 And there’s no Eko, Anna Lucia, or Libby seemingly present there either.

I’d point out no Nikki or Palo either, but why even mention it?

The biggest difference of course is one of global consequence, if the island is as important as Jacob and the Others believe it is; the entire thing is submerged and presumably not serving whatever cosmic purpose it was supposed to serve.

We know Jacob was greatly involved in the lives of the 815ers throughout their history, so maybe detonating the bomb takes him out of the picture and due to some small changes regarding his influence, events are different as a result. Or, what we are witnessing is a universe that was always different and is on a course to intersect with the world we already know.

It can certainly burn the brain, right? No matter, what’s actually so brilliant about this new tact is that it is dramatically satisfying without necessarily being an intellectual closure. We get to follow facets of characters we grew to love because of the circumstances the show put them through, and we are teased now with the opportunity to observe those same characters make an entirely different set of choices, plausibly free of the influence of the island. Lost has never found its most tantalizing material in its answers, but in its provocative ideas, and this is one of the most provocative yet.

Towards the end of the second hour, Jack and Locke have a conversation about his dad’s missing coffin and Locke mentions that “How could they know where he’s at? They lost your dad’s body. Your dad, he was already gone.” Jack looks at Locke’s wheel-chair and says ‘nothing is irreversible’ and puts his business card in John’s hand. Whats happening here? The man of science set to heal the man of faith? What dynamic will this bring about?

And what of the events back on the island, as Jack and the gang race to save Sayid by taking him to the temple of the Others, now lead by the very welcome Hiroyuki Sanada (The Twilight Samurai) . The Others apparently have a fountain of youth–or at least healing– afterall, although something has happened to it that they can’t explain. At first it doesn’t seem to heal Sayid, but kill him. When he rises from the ground, after being lifted Christ-like from the water, who can we expect find behind those eyes now? Is Sayid Jacob’s vessel? Is Mark Pelligrino set to wear Jared Paladecki on Supernatural and Naveen Andrews over here on Lost? That’s just a bit too much soul transference for one character actor to handle right?

Stranger still is that inside of the guitar case that Jacob gave Hurley is a giant wooden ankh cross. Inside that ankh is a message. Wow, could cosmic forces being anymore impractical in their symbolism. I wonder what was running through Hugo’s mind when he found out that the heavy thing he’d been toting through the woods could have served its purpose just as easily as a tiny slip of paper in his shirt pocket.

And then there’s the dark figure who now takes the form and appearance of John Locke who he describes to Ben as ‘admirable.’ The dark man, the Esau to Pelligrino’s Jacob, and now finally, the smoke monster. I’ve always suspected the force trapped in the cabin, surrounded by that ring of ash, was the same entity that revealed himself at the end of season 5. Back then I was worried that Lost might be setting their heavy up as a supernatural or mythical creature. The ring of ash, the ability to alter reality, and the billowing smoke all suggested a variation on the arabian idea of djinns, or ‘dust dogs’.

From my perspective then, the last thing Lost needed was a Barbara Eden wannabe. But, now, the idea of a djinn existing in this universe doesn’t seem so odd, and wouldn’t that sort of make him a kind of cruel demi-god, subverting and altering the world until he’s trapped on the island? But with the island sunk, has this dark angel been loosed from his cage in one reality, all the while seeking to return ‘Home’, not unlike Milton’s Lucifer, in another?

When Dark Locke says to Richard, ‘good to see you out of those chains’, the most logical assumption is that Alpert came to the island as a slave on the Black Rock, or perhaps he’s from earlier than that, a slave from Egyptian lineage. Is it possible though that  the chains spoken of are different altogether–similar to whatever Earthly chains were holding Esau on the island prior to his escape? What relationship do Richard and Not-the-John actually share? Lost has slipped from the quasi-spiritual to the near biblical with an almost imperceptible shifting. Now that we are here, what are the stakes of whats being set up in this final battle?

For me, the most tantalizing thing about Lost remains the character relationships and the empathy which which the writers craft them. Forget all of the gonzo revelations, the best bits were John and Locke talking after the plane, and the poignant moment where Sayid asks Hurley sincerely ‘Where do you think I will go after I die?” At the same time, there’s more than enough heavy-handed drama floating about to sink the island a second time. Juliet dies heroically at the end of season 5, do we really need another teary-eyed, bloody-faced death scene? There’s entirely too much broody Jack on the island as well. The show has moved so far beyond the Kate/Jack/Sawyer triangle that even suggesting its continued existence makes one want to roll their eyes. Well, me anyway.

Regardless of that though, Lost is back, and it’s found a way to remain fresh while actually slyly revealing it’s endgame without betraying all of the layered mystery that went before. If the rest of the season walks such a creative and stimulating line, then we could well be in for one of the finest series endings in the history of television.

See ya next week…

Have you ever seen a movie trailer before they filmed a single frame of the movie? watch:

You might have recognized borrowed images from  Avatar, The Island, and Minority Report among others. This trailer is based on the Serbian comic book Technotise created by Aleksa Gajić and Darko Grkinić. A sequel to the comic has already been successfully adapted into a full-length animated film entitled Technotise: Edit & I. Jaron Pitts is the man behind the trailer, his YouTube page says he made it “for some producers in Hollywood who are making this into a live-action” film. I have to agree with whoever decided to put Milla Jovovich in the starring role, she’s perfect for the film and genre. So I’m wondering what you think, any Technotise comic book fans out there? Anyone see the animated film? Do you want to see a live-action adaptation? Who would you have play the lead? Here’s the trailer for the animated film for those who have not seen it:

With Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opening this week, it seems time to take a look back at the critical punching bag career of Michael Bay. Outside of The Rock, Bad Boys and Transformers people have destroyed and tarnished his films. While Pearl Harbor is undoubtedly one of the worst things to happen to humanity, Bay takes too much blame for films that are otherwise purely and greatly entertaining. The guy knows what he’s making and outside of that film we shall not mention, he never parades them as “the most important film in the history of cinema making.” His flicks cater to the twelve year-old inside us all that wants to kill the villain in the worst possible way or go up and save the world on an asteroid (and really, when you’re twelve, do you care about the science of it all or blowing up the asteroid and being a hero?)

In all of his pictures, there’s something known as Bayhem. What is Bayhem you ask? Well I’ll tell ya. It’s the biggest whirlwind you’ll see on screen mixed with an explosion or bullets whizzing by you or both followed by some glorious slow-motion of the hero and or said action sequence. In short it’s mayhem that only Michael Bay can deliver, and what better way to celebrate the opening of Transformers 2 than with The Top 11 Bayhems.

11. THE ATTACK ON PEARL HARBOR – PEARL HARBOR

My hatred of this film is pretty well-known, but I’m trying to include all of Bay’s film and this does qualify as Bayhem even if it does slap anyone involved in the attack in the face. Slow-motion shots of incoming Japanese planes? Check. Explosions up the wazoo? Check. Planes being shot down left and right and right and left? Check. Likely, it’s the least terrible scene in the movie but I can’t bring myself to call anything about this film good. The fact anything from this crap is on here is a compliment.

10. NAVY SEAL SHOOTOUT – THE ROCK

WHEW, now with that one out of me, we can move on to this brilliant scene from Bay’s second film The Rock. Now, if this had been “The Top 11 Best Directed Bay Scenes” this would be at the top as it perfectly captures the vulnerability and claustrophobia of being in such a tight location for a shootout. As it stands for Bayhem, it’s still great and ends very violently with the SEALs being wasted by Hummel’s mercenaries from above. It’s fairly gripping to see these men fall to their doom and you really wish they wouldn’t. The fallout of the scene leads to one of the best exchanges between Goodspeed and Mason as well as making the viewer feel, if for a minute, all hope is lost.

9. HANGAR ATTACK – BAD BOYS

Interesting fact: Bay took a pay cut on this movie so he could have the hangar explode at the end of this film. It’s debatable whether the scene needed it or not but who doesn’t get riled up watching Mike Lowry and Marcus Burnett launch a small assault on Fouchet and his crew. “You forgot your boardin’ pass,” followed by a flaming body being shot out of a plane is badass, as is Trigger Mike’s leap after Fouchet as the villain tries to flee. It’s all gloriously capped off by a car chase and a really fun take down of the villain. As usual, we get the slow motion shots of our heroes against the sunset as well as Bay’s trademark helicopters. The best thing to me is Mark Mancina’s score as Mike plants one into Fouchet’s leg. Perfect hero music.

8. FREEWAY/BUILDING CHASE - THE ISLAND

A pretty underrated film in it’s own right, The Island did have a strong performance from Djimon Hounsou and was ultimately hurt by terrible marketing which gave away the twist and all of the film’s secrets (see Moon for how to market a film like this properly.) Part of what hurt as well was Bay trying to make this a summer blockbuster with a sci-fi story, as evidenced by the ending (which should have ended the moment a certain character died.) While to me, the freeway chase is a giant rip off of another flick on this list, the sequence that takes place in the building is enough to justify it being here. It culminates with a pretty unrealistic Looney Toones-esque drop that only feels right in a Bay film. Not to mention all the destruction the giant R causes as it races down the side of the structure. Ah, more lovely Bayhem.

7. SOCCENT BASE ATTACK – TRANSFORMERS

This was the perfect way to open Transformers as it begins with that wonderful noise that defined so many of our childhoods. What follows is a giant smackdown of the SOCCENT base in Qatar as Blackout pummels through tank after tank and soldier after soldier. It’s memorable to me because the moment that familiar noise was made, my theater rose and burst into applause and cheers. If Bay was trying to get everyone on his side, he did it within the first five minutes by giving that noise and one of those giant robots whipping all kinds of tail. This, coupled with the introduction of Sam, set us up for what kind of movie we were in for and it didn’t disappoint. Plus, who didn’t want a Blackout toy after that?

6. SAN FRANCISCO CAR CHASE – THE ROCK

The funny thing is Bay wrote this chase into the movie as it wasn’t apart of the original script. While that’s fairly obvious now, Bay still gave us a chase that aspired to be Bullitt on steroids. John Mason launches Womack over the hotel ledge, gets chased by Stanley Goodspeed and the Bayhem ensues once Mason takes a Humvee and Goodspeed “borrows” a Ferrari that’s not his. For my money, it’s one of the best car chases of the last fifteen years with glass being crashed, water tanks being destroyed and even a trolley and the Ferrari are claimed in a giant explosion to cap it all off. Connery’s exchange with the Humvee owner is short and priceless and Cage’s “hero shot” reaction is what the lot of us would feel after being in that. Probably the most badass part of the whole thing is when the Ferrari crashes though the glass from the parking lot. Yeah, I want to do that.

5. ROCKHOUND GOES CRAZY AND DESTRUCTION OF PARIS – ARMAGEDDON

Technically, this counts as one scene as these two follow each other. It all starts when Steve Buscemi gets hold of a gun on an asteroid (and if you’re still taking the flick seriously at this point, shame on you) and starts shooting and blasting everything on the asteroid. The asteroid gets pissed and causes an earthquake that claims an armadillo and one of the astronauts. What follows is one of the most over-dramatic scenes ever put to film with everyone running away and the man standing on the yellow taxi with a “The End is Here” sign. More Bayhem continues when an asteroid falls near Paris and in one fowl swoop the capital of France is leveled. Still, the highlight here is the montage of the world running in fear that has some sort of “we’re sure screwed now” type of mentality behind it. It’s likely the music, which is scored brilliantly by Trevor Rabin.

4. ASSAULT ON TAPIA’S MANSION – BAD BOYS II

Simon Pegg once stated “the film runs on for twenty minutes too long, but it’s the best twenty minutes in the film.” That’s not necessarily true, but the take down of Johnny Tapia is a wonderful action sequence that goes from Plan A, to Plan B, to even Plan C. Not content with the heroes fighting just drug dealers, Bay feels they have to fight the entire Cuban army as well. Bullets fly and magically hit only one of our heroes as they rescue Marcus’ sister and proceed to speed off in a Hummer as Tapia’s house comes tumbling to the ground and only to be finished off the only way Bayhem can be: explosions. The end of all this shooting and explosions does take heavily from Police Story 2 but Plan C ends with one of the best deaths of a villain. Even a lizard is claimed in all of this mess.

3. MISSION CITY BATTLE – TRANSFORMERS

“At the end of this day, one shall stand, one shall fall.” Cue applause from anyone who’s a true Transformers fan and you’re witnessing the best thirty minutes in the movie. This scene displays all of the money that was put into making this flick and nary one time does it look fake. An entire city is destroyed as the robots pound on each other through seemingly downtown Los Angeles. Everyone gets their time to shine, even Optimus Prime who gets pounded on by Megatron and makes an exciting rescue of Sam. In addition, Ironhide’s Chow Yun-Fat like dive as he takes down Brawl (not Devastator, as the movie incorrectly states) is pure greatness. Starscream awesomely takes down a group of Raptor jets before tricking them into thinking he’s one of them and the scene makes Josh Duhamel cool by doing his motorcycle stint to take down Blackout. Enough Bayhem? I thought so.

2. FREEWAY CHASE – BAD BOYS II

It sucks this scene is so early in the movie as it’s my favorite scene and of the best crafted action pieces in a long while. The exchanges between Smith and Lawrence are hysterical and some of it feels natural. The real show stealer though is when the cars start being thrown at the pair by the Haitian drug dealers. Cars aimlessly destroy one another and no, Trigger Mike’s Ferrari doesn’t make it unscathed. Automobiles explode and then get launched from the top of the car carrier. They claim forty-two cars are taken out, but over the course of the scene it looks more like 100. Cars aren’t enough for Explodo (Bay), as he decides to end this with a boat taking out at least ten cars before another five police cars crash and explode into it. The sequence is one of the best car chases you’ll find and is filmed with perfect execution. My favorite exchange? “Know what would be real fuckin’ helpful Marcus? Just shut the fuck up and let me drive, let’s try that!”

1. THE ENDING OF ARMAGEDDON

Odd choice? Not in the slightest, as this scene is everything that IS Michael Bay. “We win Gracie,” kicks off one lighting quick edit of Harry Stamper’s life and daughter, moving onto slow motion destruction of the asteroid. Through all of this, Trevor Rabin’s score hits all of the easy dramatic notes that give the feeling of “WE DID IT!” Even more, there’s shots of people across the world celebrating and running into the streets with space shuttle toys.  It’s over-the-top, slow motion explosions complete with cheese for the resolution with it’s characters, and rapid fast dialog. But this is what defines Michael Bay as all of his tricks are at work in this entire sequence. Nothing is subtle or restrained here and yet it feels like the perfect way to cap off this flick. It’s pretty likely that those who hate this sequence are the ones who detest Bay and those who enjoy the ending for what it is are those who like him. In either case, no other scene of Bayhem depicts what he is or truly defines the man like this and that’s why it’s at the top.