A custom sketch JUST FOR ME

A custom sketch JUST FOR ME by Andrew Wilson of http://andrewandavid.blogspot.com

Great art, and a lovely idea to spread original art to the corners of the globe.

Some iPad sketches

The Media does not equal The Truth

http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/globlogization/2010/6/16/a-sense-of-just-how-risk-averse-the-chinese-single-party-sta.html

Lossie Days 7

Flashforward: The Finale

Superpunch Interview!

Good day, Superpunch readers! Welcome to the Gospel According to Ben.

While this is only a sporadically posted-to Blog, I do intend over the coming months, years and decades to Blog more if there is a demand for it, so please do comment if you like what you see/read.

Also, please do check out my ongoing series (only two parts at present, but more on the way) of short films The Adventures of Findo Gask.

Overall, enjoy if you will,

Ben

Lost - The End (Spoilers)

Hmmm...
How do I feel about the Finale of Lost? How do you feel about it? How does the world feel about it?
[WARNING: If you haven't yet seen the Finale of Lost, then this post will contain Spoilers. Big Ones!!!]
Firstly, I have to say... I get the feeling from that great beast The Internet that it is displeased with the Ending (at least, 2 hours later, that seems to be the general consensus). Although I can't say I'm surprised - when something that big, and that old (Six Years is old in Television Years, isn't it? When Firefly got the following it did after 14 Episodes, six years has got to count) and that involved ends, it literally cannot match everyone's expectations.
HAVING SAID THAT, I'm still going to bitch about what I did and didn't like, and I invite anyone who may read this Blog to add their 'tuppence at the end.

Firstly, what I liked;

• It resolved. It wasn't all a dream, Jack didn't wake up in the shower, it didn't end of a cliffhanger that was never going to be un-hanged. It finished the Story (at least the story it had been telling for the past two years - more on that later).
• I really liked that Jack was the classical Hero, taking the torch from Jacob, defeating the bad guy (with Kate's help - because bad guys stand alone and good guys work together) and sacrificing himself to save the rest.
• I really enjoyed the fact that Ben had his redemption and didn't die (he's the best, most complex antagonist prime time television has ever seen, and to simply kill him off would have been such a disservice).
• I love that Hurley, Desmond, Sawyer and Lupedis survived.
• I'm kinda glad Kate and Miles survived.
• I like the Rose and Bernard survived, as did (presumably) Vincent.
• I think the Punch-up on the Cliff face was good, though could have been longer (although long fights aren't always good - look at Revenge of the Sith).

Okay, so what I didn't like;

• I didn't like the resolution to the Flash-sideways. Lost has, for me, always been a Sci-fi show (or a Philosophy show) and a Religious Ending just seems like a cop-out. And I'm not bashing religion, though I'm not a Christian, but I think a more complex, thoughtful, philosophical or sci-fi ending would have served better. I thought the Flash sideways was a Parallel universe created by the Bomb, and the survivors of The Original Timeline were going to escape into it somehow, and be with their lost loved ones. Or, the two realisties would converge (with a second explosion at the Heart of the Island?) so that those who had died could live on in L.A. and those who lived could stay on the Island and protect it. So, basically, even though the show itself wasn't "all a dream", the Flash-sideways was. (As my girlfriend pointed out; "who gets tied up, locked in a freezer and shot at in the Afterlife?" Especially one they created themselves!)
• I think one of the real strengths of the last two years in the ambiguity between Jacob and the Man in Black. Who is the bad guy, and who is the good guy? I really hoped that it wouldn't become a case of Black/White, Good/Bad (although the clues were there, you could read more into it that simple duality). I mean, come on - Jacob basically kidnapped a plane full of people, then his followers shot some of them with bows and arrows on their first night?! Are those the actions of a good guy? I think not! Admittedly, those were the actions and decisions of Ben, but still - is Ben not supposed to follow Jacob? (maybe answered when Ben says "I thought I was summoning the monster, but I realise now the monster was summoning me" or similar, but then why didn't Jacob tell Ben about it). Anyway, my point is that I would have preferred to have the lines more blurred between the two. Maybe at the end Jack could have taken them both on, Ghost Jacob and Not-Locke, a bit like Sheridan did with the Vorlons and Shadows in Babylon 5)
• Sun and Jin dying, needlessly. Now, I know that not everyone could survive, I know the Death is an integral part of this kind of Drama, and I know that Death of Characters we really like raises the tension for the rest of them (Wash in Serenity being the best recent SF example of that), but did they really have to die so needlessly?! I loved Sayiid, and I think his self-sacrifice in the submarine would have been enough for me to really worry for the rest without them having to Die. But then they die, and I kinda switched off after that, emotionally. They died for nothing, and the Flash-sideways resolution takes away any chance of a happy ending for them. Fuck you, Lost writers!
• The Big One, Unanswered Questions - And I don't mean questions raised within the last two years. I don't need to know where the Mother of Jacob and Not-Locke came from. I don't need to know what "The Heart of the Island" really is, and I don't need to know Walt's midichlorian count. What I want to know is this; What did the numbers mean? Why were they cursed? Why was Desmond stuck on the Island for so long after the Dharma people had gone? What is the resolution to the Valenzetti equation? Where did Hanso go? Did Dharma know about Jacob? Why was Jacob invisible and angry before we saw him on the beach with the Man in Black? How did Locke's Dad get to the Island? Why was Walt special? Why did Richard not choose Locke as a child? Did Jacob know he was going to die? If so, why bring him to the Island and heal his legs, and all that? What was the significance of the Shark with the Dharma Logo? Actually, the Dharma thing was just kind of dropped. So, more explanation about the Dharma people? What were they looking for (Valenzetti equation), did they find any of it and what did Hanso do once he found out they were all dead?
• And then, some questions from more recent times; Who built the lighthouse? How did Jacob learn his powers when there was no-one there to teach him? How does having two skeletons in a cave at the beginning prove the creators knew where they were going - they could have retconned ANY two randoms into that cave? How did Jack know about the power? What turned Not-Locke into a Smoke Monster (Midichlorians?)? Who or What gave Jacob and his mother (and Jack and Hurley) powers, and where were they? Why was the Island on the bottom of the Ocean in the Flash-sideways? Who were Jacobs and Not-Locke's people, and where did they go? Did they become the Others, because there was no sign the Jacob went to be their leader. So then, where did the Others come from? And why did Young Ben being healed turn him into a manipulative little bastard?

Okay, so a Lot of Questions and a lot of issues, and this is just my opinion. Some of these questions still don't need answering, but a lot of them do (in fact, if any have been answered and I've missed the answer, please do comment on this post).

To continue, and then conclude, this rant... here's how I would have written Lost - The End;

• It starts with Jacob disappearing, and Jack being given a vision which unlocks his powers. How he can live forever, grant eternal life, travel the globe, build a lighthouse, etc.
• In the flash side-ways universe, Desmond unlocks all of the memories of the primary universe in the Oceanic 815 bunch. They all book the same flight to Sydney (from L.A.) with Ajira airlines - piloted by Lupedis.
• Jack (along with his crew) go to find Desmond... to kill him.
• Not-Locke and Ben find Desmond first. They need him to go back to where the Hatch was... the present day location of the Heart of the Island.
• Jack resurrects Locke as the White Smoke. He and Not-Locke have a smoky scrap, which saps Not-Locke of his power (he is also robbed of his Locke-like form, and reverts to the Man in Black, a mortal called Esau.) Locke dies again, having saved the world from the power of the Black Smoke - which is what the Island had in mind for him all this time!
• Esau and Jack have their clifftop fistfight, with Jack barely defeating Esau (Jack's power does not grant him invincibility against physical damage, much like how Jacob could be stabbed, so there's still tension).
• Desmond arrives at the Hatch, and is about to go and nullify the magnetic field, when Kate and Sawyer arrive. They tell him not to, and to get to the boat - everyone is leaving this island!
• In the Flash-sideways, everyone is on the plane, and taking off. As they get over the sunken island, Jack in the Original Timeline turns the Donkey Wheel and sucks the plane down onto the Island. Jack disappears.
• On the island, everyone who was on the FS plane who died in the OT wakes up on the beach (Sayiid is with Shannon, Sun is with Jin, etc.) and those who survived are out to sea on the boat. The boat comes back, and Jack (who wears his FS clothes but retains his OT memories and powers) explains that those who died cannot leave the Island as their universe no longer exists beyond the borders of the Island.
• Sawyer decides to stay on the Island to be with Juliet, Hurley to stay with Libby. Claire decides to leave to be with Aaron, and Kate promises to bring back Sun and Jin's baby to them. Desmond leaves to be with Penny and his kid. Everyone lives (kind of) happily ever after.
• It turns out that by nullifying the power which drove the Smoke Monster/Not-Locke, the Valenzetti equation has been altered. The numbers are no longer cursed, and the end of the world is no longer prophecied (though might still happen soon, if Al Gore is right).

What do you think? Worst Lost episode ever, or stroke of genius (or somewhere in between). I haven't answered all my questions, but is there anything obvious I've missed?

Anyway, that is my Lost Rant in it's entirety right now. I might come back to it later, once my brains had time to process the last six years of mystery chords, one-liners and cliffhanger episodes. For now, I have a hole in my mind which I need to fill. I might go back to books (although its more likely I'm just gonna start watching Fringe and go through this all over again.)

Peace out,

Ben

[SPOILERS END]

FG3 - Coming Soon

Muhammed hates fundamentalists too...

Some points to accompany this cartoon;

1) Nowhere in the Qu'ran does it state you can't show a picture of Muhammed.

2) South Park wasn't insulting Muhammed, it was insulting - if anyone - itself (or maybe modern celebrity culture).

3) I don't care what people fucking say, religion is not an excuse to do shit. It's important to you, it ain't important to me!!!

4) There is never an excuse to kill someone - jihad is a made up concept.

5) If a system of belief expressly prohibits questioning of that belief, then it's senseless brainwashing shit. I don't believe this of Islam, but neither do I believe this of Christianity, and look at the Pope!!

6) I don't understand politics, and I'm not really very good at satire, but I do believe in freedom of speech and the right to express myself.

7) If you don't like it, don't fucking watch/read it!

8) Yes, I'm aware I misspelt "fundamentalists" - I'm dyslexfjnfwoejnf.

Lossie Days 6

The Story so far...

Here we have the Lossie Days archive, originally hosted on http://www.tuxedojane.com

It's been a while... the comic is a sequel to a comic I did called Hopeman Days.

Both are attempts to express myself "artistically" and therefore not take a shotgun and blow myself away.

The Adventures of Findo Gask - Part II

At long last, the wait is over. The Second Chapter in The Adventures of Findo Gask is finally here...

The Adventures of Findo Gask - Part II from Church of Ben on Vimeo.

Oscar Predictions 2010

Here are my Oscar predictions for this year; some are what I think and some are what I want. Take these to the bookies, and if you win I'll split the proceeds.

BEST PICTURE
AVATAR
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS - I think Precious is going to win - let's face it; Based on a book, depressing subject matter, Mariah Carey looking "dowdy" - all it needs in an AIDS inflicted Retard and the bookies wouldn't even be taking bets.
UP IN THE AIR
UP
AN EDUCATION
A SERIOUS MAN
DISTRICT 9
THE BLIND SIDE

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges - CRAZY HEART - He's a Dark Horse, but he's been passed over before and didn't win, and this is a Music Biopic. It's gotta be The Dude.
George Clooney - UP IN THE AIR
Colin Firth - A SINGLE MAN
Morgan Freeman - INVICTUS
Jeremy Renner - THE HURT LOCKER

BEST ACTRESS
Meryl Streep - JULIE & JULIA
Carey Mulligan - AN EDUCATION
Gabourey Sidibe - PRECIOUS
Sandra Bullock - THE BLIND SIDE - Could this be Sandra's year? I've got a gut feeling it could be...
Helen Mirren - THE LAST STATION

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christoph Waltz - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Who turned in a more complex and varied performance? This guy has Bond Villain written all over him. Besides, Woody Harrelson should have been nominated for Zombieland.
Woody Harrelson - THE MESSENGER
Christopher Plummer - THE LAST STATION
Stanley Tucci - THE LOVELY BONES
Matt Damon - INVICTUS

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Vera Farmiga - UP IN THE AIR - Too close to call, I'm gonna say Vera Farmiga because I like her surname. It's a bit like Farmer, and a little bit like Vagina.
Anna Kendrick - UP IN THE AIR
Mo'nique - PRECIOUS
Penelope Cruz - NINE
Maggie Gyllenhaal - CRAZY HEART

BEST ANIMATED FILM
UP - I think Up will win, though I would like Fantastic Mr. Fox to win. To be honest, allof the films nominated deserve something.
CORALINE
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
THE SECRET OF KELLS
THE FANTASTIC MR. FOX

BEST DIRECTOR
Kathryn Bigelow - THE HURT LOCKER - War, no revisionism, no aliens. Sure thing. It should be QT though.
James Cameron - AVATAR
Quentin Tarantino - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
Jason Reitman - UP IN THE AIR
Lee Daniels - PRECIOUS

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Nick Hornby - AN EDUCATION
Neill Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell - DISTRICT 9
Jesse Armstrong and Armando Iannucci - IN THE LOOP Geoffrey Fletcher - PRECIOUS
Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner - UP IN THE AIR

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Quentin Tarantino - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - If there's any justice in the world...
Mark Boal - THE HURT LOCKER
Pete Docter and Bob Peterson - UP
Oren Moverman and Alessandro Camon - THE MESSENGER
Joel and Ethan Coen - A SERIOUS MAN

BEST ART DIRECTION
AVATAR
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSUS - Dr. Parnassus, while flawed and Gilliamesque, looked amazing.
SHERLOCK HOLMES
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
NINE

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
THE HURT LOCKER
HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE
THE WHITE RIBBON
AVATAR - He invented a new kind of Camera, for gods sake!
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
THE IMAGINARIUM OF DR. PARNASSSUS
BRIGHT STAR
NINE
COCO BEFORE CHANEL - Hmmm... a film about a clothes maker... possibly...

BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
FOOD, INC.
THE COVE - Haven't heard much about any of the others, but this one has China and Dolphins - two of the most popular things in the world.
BURMA VJ
THE MOST DANGEROUS MAN IN AMERICA
WHICH WAY HOME

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
"China’s Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province" - China. Nuff said.
"Music by Prudence"
"Rabbit a la Berlin"
"The Last Campaign of Governor Booth Gardner"
"The Last Truck: The Closing of a GM Plant"

BEST EDITING
AVATAR
THE HURT LOCKER
DISTRICT 9 - Again, District 9 was inventive, effective and utterly brilliant.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
A PROPHET - This.
THE WHITE RIBBON
AJAMI
EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS
THE MILK OF SORROW

BEST MAKEUP
STAR TREK - Spock's ears, come on!
THE YOUNG VICTORIA
IL DIVO

BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
AVATAR - Because it's ethnic, and white guilt will lead to triumph.
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
THE HURT LOCKER
SHERLOCK HOLMES
UP

BEST ORIGINAL SONG
"Almost There" - THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
"Down in New Orleans" - THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
"Loin de Panama" - PARIS 36
"Take It All" - NINE
"The Weary Kind" - CRAZY HEART - Probably this.

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
"French Roast
"Granny O'Grimm's Sleeping Beauty"
"The Lady and the Reaper"
"Logorama"
"A Matter of Loaf or Death - Wallace and Gromit have a proven track record of Oscar success, and this film was just as good as Close Shave.

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
"The Door"
"Instead of Abracadabra"
"Kavi"
"Miracle Fish"
"The New Tenants"

BEST SOUND EDITING
AVATAR
DISTRICT 9
STAR TREK
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
UP

BEST SOUND MIXING
AVATAR
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
STAR TREK
TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
AVATAR - I want one of the others to win, just to see the look on James Cameron's face. "I invented a whole new Technology!"
DISTRICT 9
STAR TREK

Preview of 2010 in Cinema

Okay, since I have yet to visit the Cinema this year, I thought it would be a good time to Preview 2010 in Film.
My mind is fresh, my opinions unfounded – here’s what I think the next 253 Days are going to be like on the Big Screen;

Daybreakers – I can’t imagine this film is going to be any sort of a Classic, but it might just have enough style to make it’s way onto my burgeoning Blu-ray collection.

The Road – I’d hate to meet Viggo Mortensen in real life, but I do love to watch him act!

The Book of Eli – While I am not a huge Denzel fan, I do love the Post-apocalypse. Shaft meets Mad Max with Gary “The Greatest Living Actor” Oldman as the villain – can’t miss it.

Legion – I don’t doubt I’ll see it, but I know it’s going to annoy me. If you’re God, why send an army of CGI to kill the Human Race. Just “Will” it! It doesn’t make for a very good film, I’ll admit, but it saves me a Logic Headache.

Edge of Darkness – I’ll probably wait for this one of DVD, but still – Mel Gibson is a great movie star.

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief – I won’t see this film, though I fear many of my pupils will. Suffice to say, Chris Columbus has not made a decent film since Home Alone.

The Wolfman – Should be the Mummy for the Teens (and hopefully, not the Mummy Returns for the teens)

Shutter Island – I like Leo more the older he gets. The trailers for this look really intriguing, and Martin Scorsese makes okay films, doesn’t he?

Cop Out – Title changed from a Couple of Dicks by a Couple of Dicks. I love Kevin Smith, but his films are... changeable. Haven’t seen Zack and Miri, but I adored Clerks II with a religious fervour, so I’m staying hopeful for this one.

Alice in Wonderland – OI! BURTON! STOP CASTING YOUR WIFE AND YOUR MATE!!!

Green Zone – Can’t miss the next film from the guys who brought us the best sequels in Action Movie history.

Hot Tub Time Machine – Need I say more?

Season of the Witch – Because I find Nicolas Cage’s performances like the shapes in a Lava Lamp. I can’t quite make out what they’re meant to be, but I know they mean something.

Clash of the Titans – I love the original, despite its flaws, so can’t not see this. Script sounds bobbins, but the effects look good.

How to Train Your Dragon – Before the trailer, I couldn’t have cared less about this. After the trailer, it’s one of my must see Animated films of the year.

Kick-Ass – I can’t write long paragraphs, but I can kick your ass!

Machete – The Trailer was better than some films, so this film should be good. Plus, Danny Trejo is one of the only movie stars I believe could actually kill a guy without breaking a sweat.

Iron Man 2 – Who won’t see this next year?

Robin Hood – I love Ridley Scott in all his forms, and while I can’t see this becoming the Generation Defining Robin Hood film (that still belongs to the Two Kevs), I’m sure it will be much more than just “Gladiator II”. Plus, Robin Hood with an authentic Nottingham accent? That’s got to be a first!

Shrek Forever After – I didn’t hate Shrek The Third. The least I can do is watch this one.

The A-Team – I pity the fool who doesn’t want to watch this film. It’s gonna be shit, but it’s gonna be so much fun!

The Karate Kid – another film that seemed like a terrible idea, but the trailer implants a glimmer of hope into me. Will Smith’s kid could kick my ass!

Toy Story 3 – Will it be a Return of the King, or a Godfather Part 3? Only time will tell.

Inception – Because I’d watch Chris Nolan sit on the loo and take a shit for two hours if they released it. The man hasn’t made a bad film yet.

The Expendables – I don’t want to see this, but my Testicles insist.

Let Me In – Shouldn’t have been renamed, but might just be worth seeing.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – I don’t agree with splitting the damned thing in two, but this is kind of a watered down Revenge of the Sith (not in terms of Quality ,but certainly in terms of build-up)

Burlesque – Christina Aguilera as a Burlesque dancer. I’m sure the mise-en-scene will be excellent.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader – My favourite Narnia book, without Disney but with Michael Apted (y’know, a proper Director) the rest of the series stands or falls based on this Film.

Tron Legacy – Because I liked Tron and I like new things.

Conan – Should be made by the entire team behind The Expendables.

Scott Pilgrim vs. The World – I loved the Comics, and Edgar Wright knows both funny, and good film making.


Just to be clear, I do watch low key films too, and I love them, I just don't like spending twenty quid (when you take petrol and snacks into account) to see them. I prefer to wait for DVD or Telly.

The Adventures of Findo Gask II - Trailer