Wednesday, November 30, 2016

"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" (2010) Photo Gallery




Below is a photo gallery featuring images of Tim Burton's 2010 movie for Disney, "ALICE IN WONDERLAND".  Based upon Lewis Carroll's 1861 novel, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and 1871 novel, "Through the Looking Glass, and What Alice Found There", the movie starred Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter and Anne Hathaway: 


"ALICE IN WONDERLAND" (2010) Photo Gallery

















































Friday, November 25, 2016

"Crossroads of the Force" [PG-13] - Prologue



The following story is the third in the "Altered Lives" Series (following "Altered Lives" and "The Corellian Connection") about the lives of Anakin, Padme and other SW characters during the period between ROTS and ANH. This third story is called "Crossroads of the Force":



"CROSSROADS OF THE FORCE"

RATING: PG-13 - Violence
SUMMARY: Romance, betrayal and danger surrounds a conference being held on Ord Mantell for the newly formed Rebel Alliance.
FEEDBACK: - Be my guest. But please, be kind.
DISCLAIMER: All characters and things STAR WARS belong to Lucasfilm. The characters, Romulus Wort aka Darth Rasche, Voranda Sen, Zoebeida Dahl and Igraine Colbert are my creations.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the third Alternate Universe story in a series of five set between ROTS and ANH. It is set ten years after "The Corellian Connection".


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PROLOGUE

17BBY - MOS EISLEY, TATOOINE

Two men slowly descended the ramp of a small star cruiser. The younger man regarded Obi-Wan Kenobi with deep brown yes that radiated hope. "Have you changed your mind, Obi-Wan? About Coruscant?"

The former Jedi Master heaved a regretful sigh. "I'm afraid not, Ferus. I have already taken a great chance by searching for you and helping you search for your friends, Roan Lands and that Garen fellow."

"But the more Jedi we find, the better chance we will have in creating a strong resistance against the Empire," Ferus protested. Several weeks ago, Obi-Wan had learned that Jedi Knight Siri Tachi's former padawan had survived the Jedi Purge. Obi-Wan decided to chance leaving Tatooine for the planet of Bellasa. There, he found both Ferus Olin and a young boy named Trevor Flume hiding from Imperial authorities. From then on, the trio set upon a series of adventures that included the rescue of Ferus' friend and business partner, Roan Lands; encounters with Boba Fett, a young bounty hunter whose father Obi-Wan had first fought on Kamino so many years ago; participation in a resistance movement against the Empire on Acherin; and the rescue of former Jedi Knight Garen Muln on Ilum. Following Garen's rescue, the trio and the Acherin resistance group set up a clinic at the Nixor Spaceport for the malnutrition Garen.

Obi-Wan gave the younger man a shrewd look. "Surely our experiences on Bellasa and Acherin have convinced you of the futility of such a movement? Now is not the time to confront the Empire, Ferus. We lack the manpower and the arms."

"And you believe that hiding out on Tatooine will help matters?" Ferus retorted.

A deep silence filled the small hangar occupied by the two men. A shaft of sunlight filtered through one of the hangar's windows, illuminating the gold highlights in Ferus' brown hair. For a brief moment, Obi-Wan had to restrain himself from reacting to the young man's impudence. Until he realized that Ferus would understand better if he revealed the truth. Well . . . most of the truth. Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Ever since the beginning of the Jedi Purge, Master Yoda and I have been in contact with my old master . . . Qui-Gon Jinn." He paused. "At least, Qui-Gon's ghost."

Ferus frowned. "How is that possible? Once a Jedi dies, he or she becomes one with the Force and loses the individual identity. Are you saying that it's possible to retain one's identity following death?"

"Qui-Gon has done it," Obi-Wan stated simply. "And he is now teaching both Master Yoda and myself." He gave Ferus an intense stare. "I could teach you how to contact Qui-Gon's ghost. And he can help you learn to retain your identity in the afterlife."

After a long pause, Ferus replied, "I'm sorry, Obi-Wan. Perhaps another time." The former glanced away in disappointment, as the other man continued, "I believe it is more important to find any surviving Jedi Knights."

"And confront the Emperor?" Obi-Wan sadly added. He sighed. "I see."

Ferus stiffened slightly. "Do you? I cannot help but wonder how your former padawan would have reacted to your suggestion. I cannot see him living in some remote corner of the galaxy, learning how to become a ghost."

Annoyed by the younger man's righteous tone, Obi-Wan replied sharply, "I assure you that searching for missing Jedi Knights is the last thing on Anakin's mind."

"Anakin is alive?" Ferus' deep brown eyes bored sharply into Obi-Wan's.

Obi-Wan cursed himself inwardly for his slip of the tongue. He, Master Yoda and Bail Organa had promised each other to maintain silence on the Skywalker family's situation. More importantly, Obi-Wan had not been able to reveal Anakin's brief stint as a Sith apprentice. Especially since Ferus already knew about the identity of Sidious' present 'emissary' - Darth Rasche.

"To be honest, I'm not quite certain anymore," Obi-Wan finally answered. "He was last seen by Solipo Yeb, the former senator of Andalia. According to an acquaintance of mine, Anakin had given Senator Yeb passage from Corellia to Avaram about a year ago. It seems he has become a freight pilot . . . and an occasional smuggler." He spoke the last words with slight distaste.

"I see." Ferus' face became expressionless. "In other words, seeking Anakin's help would be a complete waste of time."

Obi-Wan heaved another sigh. "Perhaps not. I am certain that Anakin might consider helping . . ."

"No, I'm afraid that you may have been right the first time, Obi-Wan," the younger man insisted. "That searching for missing Jedi would be the last thing on Anakin's mind. Obviously, being a freight captain and smuggler is a more profitable endeavor."

A retort hovered on the tip of Obi-Wan's tongue. He considered reminding Ferus that the latter had left the Jedi Order, while still a padawan . . . in order to form a business partnership with Roan Lands. But the former Jedi Master also recalled that an incident between Anakin and Ferus had precipitated the latter's departure from the Order. And he remembered that Ferus' business with Lands involved finding new identities for those who had exposed corporate wrongdoings. Since the creation of the Empire, the two partners seemed determined to create a Jedi sanctuary on an asteroid near Ilam. It would seem pointless to remind Ferus of his defection from the Jedi Order. Especially since it would pale in comparison with Anakin's defection. And if Ferus knew the truth about his former apprentice, his low opinion of Anakin would only strengthen. 

Obi-Wan took a deep breath. "Well, it seems that the matter is closed." He started toward the hangar's exit. Then he paused, as whirled around to face the younger man. "But what if you do happen to encounter Anakin? What then?"

After a brief hesitation, Ferus shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, Obi-Wan. Perhaps I might suggest that he join Roan and me in our endeavor. I simply don't know."

The younger man's voice hinted reluctance. Which did not surprise Obi-Wan. Both Anakin and Ferus had never respond well to one another. Come to think of it, Anakin's relationship with Romulus Wort - now Darth Rasche - had been equally strained. "I am sure that the both of you will decide upon the right course," Obi-Wan added. "As for this decision to go to Coruscant . . ."

"According to Galen, Fay-Tor might be there," Ferus said, interrupting the older man. "I must find out for myself."

"But to take the boy into danger with you," Obi-Wan argued. "Are you sure that is wise?" He referred to Ferus' young companion, a young orphan named Trevor Flame, who had remained aboard the starship.

Ferus quickly dismissed Obi-Wan's fears. "Do not worry about Trevor. As you have seen, he is quite capable of handling himself. Besides, I cannot think of no finer companion."

Nodding, Obi-Wan replied, "If you believe so." Then he fell silent. The two men reached the hangar's entrance. Beyond the opened doors, pedestrians rushed along one of Mos Eisley's narrow streets. "Well . . . this is where we part." Obi-Wan held out his hand to the other man. "Take care, Ferus. And be careful."

A smile touched Fergus' lips, as he shook Obi-Wan's hand. "I will. And I suggest that you do the same."

"Oh, and please do keep in touch." Obi-Wan sighed. "May the Force be with you."

Ferus gravely replied, "May the Force be with you, Obi-Wan. Good-bye." He turned away and strode back to the starship, inside the hangar.

Obi-Wan covered his head with his cloak's hood and slipped into the crowd that thronged the narrow street. Several minutes later, he glanced up in the sky and saw Ferus' starship zoom into the stratosphere. He wondered if he would ever see the younger man, again.


END OF PROLOGUE

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

"LOST" RETROSPECT: (5.02) "The Lie"

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"LOST" RETROSPECT: (5.02) "The Lie"

Season Five of ABC's "LOST" has always struck me as the series' Odd Man Out. It is not the first season to break the rules of the series' format. Season Four not only featured flashbacks, but also flash forwards. But Season Five seemed to be all over the place. And I believe this was due to the cast being split up for the first half of its season. 

Before I talk about the season's second episode, (5.02) "The Lie", I feel I should do a recap of what led to its events. As many of the show's fans know, at least five of the original Oceanic Flight 815 survivors made it off the island. They were Dr. Jack Shephard, Kate Austen, Sayid Jarrah, Sun-Hwa Kwon, and Hugo "Hurley" Reyes. Five others inhabitants also managed to leave - including Claire Littleton's son Aaron, who was born on the island; Desmond Hume, who had been stranded on the island for three years; former Others leader Benjamin Linus, who left around the same time as the Oceanic survivors; Frank Lapidus, an airline pilot who had been hired to join an expedition traveling to the island aboard a freighter called the Kahana; and John Locke, whose later departure would be revealed in details in a future episode. The Season Four finale, (4.12 - 4.14) "There's No Place Like Home", viewers discovered that the original five survivors, Desmond and young Aaron were floating in a Zodiac raft, when they were picked up by a yacht owned by Desmond's love, Penny Widmore. While Desmond and Frank remained aboard Penny's yacht; Jack, Kate, Sayid, Sun, Hurley and young Aaron arrived on Fiji with a cover story about Oceanic 815's crash and how they ended there. They became known as "the Oceanic Six". 

The first half of Season Five seemed to be divided into two major time period. The episodes and scenes featuring the survivors back on the island are set during the time following the Oceanic Six's departure from the island and how they dealt with the various inhabitants they encountered, while flashing back and forth through time. Rather confusing . . . eh? The episodes and scenes featuring the Oceanic Six focused on their lives nearly three years after being off the island and Benjamin Linus' efforts to get them to return. "The Lie" continued the story of the Oceanic Six during the latter period of those three years and the efforts of the island castaways to survive the constant shifts in time, which seemed to have caused a good deal of upheaval for them. 

In this particular episode, Hurley finds himself labeled as a fugitive, when the police blames him for the deaths of two men whom Sayid had killed in the previous episode, (5.01) "Because You Left". With a barely conscious Sayid as his companion, Hurley appears at the Reyes family home and seeks refuge from the police with his parents. During his stay, he reveals to the latter the truth behind the lies concocted by Jack Shephard for the media and Oceanic Airlines. Meanwhile, Jack, who is forced to deal with withdrawal symptoms, and Ben try to round up the other Oceanic Six members and John Locke for their return to the island. According to former Other and island inhabitant, Eloise Hawking, Ben has seventy (70) hours to get them on a plane for the South Pacific. In the previous episode, two men had approached Kate for a blood sample to determine Aaron Littleton's bloodline. Fearful that Aaron might be taken away from her, Kate decides to go on the run with the toddler. However, a visit from Sun-Hwa Kwon prevents her from doing so. And when Kate tells her about the two men, Sun suggests that she takes excessive steps to prevent them from taking Aaron.

"The Lie" also featured the further adventures of those castaways left behind. Unlike those who had managed to leave the island, their story is set two to three years earlier - following Ben Linus and the Oceanic Six's departure. "Because You Left" revealed that when Ben left by turning that Frozen Donkey Wheel inside the DHARMA Orchid Station, those left behind found themselves flashing back and forth through time. In "The Lie", the remaining castaways attempt to start a fire at the old beach camp. Daniel, who had instructed a past Desmond Hume to find Eloise Hawking, join the others before they are attacked by the Others with a barrage of flaming arrows. Fortunately for James "Sawyer" Ford and Juliet Burke, John Locke comes to their rescue before they can be killed.

Wow! That seemed a lot for one particular episode. Was "The Lie" supposed to part of a two-part episode with "Because You Left"? If not, one could easily describe this episode as convoluted. There seemed to be at least three . . . perhaps four story arcs going on. At least a few of the episode's story arcs seemed to relate to its title. Hurley and Sayid's stay at the Reyes home and the former's confession to his mother about the lies Jack had concocted for the media and Oceanic Airlines seemed to be one. I could also say the same about the story arc featuring Kate's anxiety over losing Aaron. And Daniel did fail to tell Sawyer and Juliet that he had instruct the past Desmond to pay a visit to Eloise Hawking. The episode's title seemed to suggest there were consequences in the Oceanic Six's lies about their survival of the Flight 815 crash, their time on the island and return to civilization. But honestly, these consequences only seemed apparent in two story arcs - Hurley's survival guilt and Kate's anxiety over losing Aaron. 

The consequences of Oceanic Six's lies seemed to stem in the episode's flashback aboard Penny Widmore's yacht, where Jack presented the story he planned to tell Oceanic Airlines and the media. There were two very interesting reactions to his revelations. Hurley seemed very reluctant to accept Jack's lies, making it clear that he found them unnecessary. But . . . being Hurley, he caved in from Jack's pressure to accept the false story for them to tell Oceanic Airlines and spent the next three years being haunted by his decision and the lies, until he finally confessed them to his mother. Another interesting reaction to Jack's suggestion came from Kate, who seemed unusually quick to accept it. Did Kate believe that his suggestion enabled her to pretend to be Aaron's mother? This seemed rather surprising to me when"LOST" was still on the air, considering that between the time she helped Claire Littleton give birth to Aaron in (1.20) "Do No Harm" and Oceanic Six's flight from the island in (4.14) "There's No Place Like Home, Part III", Kate had expressed very little interest in Claire or Aaron. Yet, nearly three years later found Kate willing to flee from Los Angeles with Aaron, due to her fear that the courts would have a legal reason to take him away from her. These two story arcs seemed to have the strongest connections to the episode's title. 

However, I had trouble making any connections between the Oceanic Six's lies and the other story arcs. If there were any connections, they struck me as a bit weak - in the case of Ben's visit to Eloise Hawking and the butcher shop that was holding Locke's body, or barely non-existent - the remaining survivors' travails with time traveling. Mind you, I found both story arcs fascinating. Ben's visit with Ms. Hawkings eventually played out in a near future episode. And the story arc surrounding those left behind on the island proved to be action-filled and very exciting. But again, their story arcs seemed to have a stronger connection to the island incidents in "There's No Place Like Home" than the Oceanic Six's lies. Speaking of the latter, I do have to give Horowitz, Kitsis and director Jack Bender for injecting a good deal of mystery regarding the island inhabitants' time traveling experiences, along with both drama and action. I am sure that many viewers were on the edge of their seats over the identities of the castaways' attackers - especially the two uniformed men who tried to kill Sawyer and Juliet.

But the crux of the episode seemed to be all about the climax over Hurley's emotional dilemma over his return to Los Angeles, along with his guilt over leaving behind many of his fellow castaways. I have rather mixed feelings about this particular story arc. On one hand, I thought Hurley's confession to Mrs. Reyes about the island seemed like an emotional payoff of his survivor guilt that first manifested in the flash forward scenes from the Season Four episode, (4.01) "The Beginning of the End". But Horowitz and Kitsis undermined this emotional payoff by having Hurley turning himself in to the authorities, after Ben Linus confronted him about returning to the island. What was the point of that? Ben gave him the opportunity to finally return to the island and put his mind at ease over leaving some of his fellow castaways behind . . . and "poof" . . . he decides to ignore Ben's offer? Even after Ana-Lucia Cortez's ghost had warned him to avoid the police?

There are some who believe that "The Lie" is an unevenly paced episode. Perhaps. I thought the episode featured too many story arcs. And if it was supposed to be the second half of a two-part episode, I wish that show runners Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindehof had not given the two episodes different titles . . . with different themes. Their actions only left me in a conundrum over whether "The Lie" is a two-part episode or not. Regardless, the opening episodes of Season Five struck me as unevenly handled, despite some very memorable scenes and performances, especially from Jorge Garcia.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

"THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY" (2006) Photo Gallery



Below are images from "THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY", the 2006 adaptation of Agatha Christie's 1931 novel. The television movie starred Geraldine McEwan as Miss Jane Marple: 


"THE SITTAFORD MYSTERY" (2006) Photo Gallery











































Saturday, November 5, 2016

"LIFE WITH FATHER" (1947) Photo Gallery

lifewithfather

Below are images from "LIFE WITH FATHER", the 1947 adaptation of Howard Lindsay and Russel Crose's 1939 play, which is an adaptation of Clarence Day's 1935 novel. Directed by Michael Curtiz, the movie starred William Powell and Irene Dunne: 


"LIFE WITH FATHER" (1947) Photo Gallery

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