ABC's show, Lost's season finale aired last night and I've been thinking about the mysteries and symbolism of the show since. Being a literature major, the scene where Jacob is reading the book by Flannery O'Connor, Everything that Rises Must Converge, caught my attention and I did a bit of research. I found this analysis of the book by Sarah Madsen Hardy especially helpful. According to Hardy,

Throughout the seasons we have seen the struggles between individual characters, (John vs. Jack, Ben Vs. John, James Vs. Jack, etc.) as well as groups poised against eachother, (Lost team Vs. the Others, Others Vs. The Dharma people, etc.) and now we see Jacob Vs. the Unnamed. It is hard to judge which ones are the good guys, as each side shows flaws, and goodness alike. The recurring theme of struggle seems to resonate with a recurring quote that characters seem to agree on as well: "Live together, die alone." So it comes to mind that in order for evolution or progress to take place, opposing sides need to converge, for human beings to truly evolve they need to bring together the animal and spiritual side, and for dark and light to intertwine.

So how do I think the show will end? That depends on the worldview of the writers of the show. If they have an affirmative vision of the universe, then we will see things end happily for all involved where the struggling sides learn to live happily together. If the creators of the show are realists though and their vision of the world is based on what we see today, then dark and light will battle eachother destroying everything and ultimately eachother. I, for one, can't wait for season 6. I love this show.

Haven't been doing movie reviews for a while on this site, only because I've been watching some stupid movies, I didn't think they even deserved a review: these include Step Brothers, Dewey Cox, Kung Fu Panda, Drillbit Taylor, Goodluck Chuck, and Mr. Woodcock. I realized in my quest for funny, and entertaining movies to watch, I keep renting dumbass DVDs not worth the disc they are burned on. So please if you know of any good funny movies, send me an email. Otherwise, I have to watch A Fish Called Wanda and The Rat Race over and over again.

The last two movies that I have watched, the documentary titled "We Live in Public" and the anime titled "Persepolis",  have not been funny and entertaining so much as they have been thought provocative and controversial. I recommend watching both of them, as I enjoyed each in a different way and learned from them.

Since the documentary chronicles a decade in the life of one of Internet pioneers, Josh Harris, it was interesting to watch "We Live in Public" with my husband, as Robert has been living in public as long as I've known him and in his own words is fanatic about the Internet. Robert called the movie, a cautionary tale when we let things go to extremes. For me, it was amazing to watch how the mind of a genius works and how often the society laughs and rejects those who tend to think ahead of their time. It has been my experience, that some of those who have extremely high IQs or are extremely intelligent, inventive or creative, have a hard time dealing with their emotions and come out as cold, detached, and socially inept. It was sad to see that for all his brilliance, Josh Harris had such a hard time relating to people he cared about and could not find and hold on to love. It was also sad to see that all his ideas that were thought foolish, and creepy are now picked up by the major networks and the masses as the popularity of social networks and reality TV soars. I definitely recommend watching this film, especially to those spending more and more time on the Internet. I think that includes many of us.

While I found "We Live in Public" an eye-opening film about the Internet culture, and our culture in general, "Persepolis" hit me so much closer to home and heart. As an Iranian immigrant who experienced the revolution and war in an early age in my homeland, I could relate in such a deep level to the cultural issues explored in "Persepolis." I think that in many ways though this story of coming of age touches on many universal human aspects that we all share and it is sweet and sad, romantic and political, funny at times, and heart-rending at others. It is fantastic how this is all portrayed in the form of anime; no wonder it was nominated for an Oscar and has won so many awards.

I think I need to watch more critically acclaimed movies, especially from Sundance Festival and Foreign movies and stay away from stupid Hollywood movies for a while. What have you been watching lately?