July 18: Batman Begins- 200th Review

"Bruce Wayne loses his philanthropic parents to a senseless crime, and years later becomes the Batman to save the crime-ridden Gotham City on the verge of destruction by an ancient order."

Directed by: Christopher Nolan, Rated: PG-13, 140 minutes

How fitting it is that my 200th review is the first film in an epic franchise that concludes this Friday with The Dark Knight Rises. Where do I start when discussing Batman Begins? It's the film that re-introduces one of the world's greatest superheroes and turns him into a legend of epic proportions. The film made Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale both house-hold names and set the precedent for not only superhero movies, but film as a whole. It combines both excellent story-telling and great spectacle, and shows that a blockbuster movie doesn't need to be all about the visuals. Batman Begins is a film that never loses itself in its scale, and knows that it's human emotion at the heart of the story. Batman is more than just a man in a suit and Nolan paints a tragic, yet beautiful portrait of the soul in the cowl- Bruce Wayne (Bale). 

He's also our rippest Batman, yet. 

With most superhero movies lately, the biggest flaw is the re-telling of the origin story, or how so-and-so became the hero. With Batman Begins, the origin story is turned on it's side, as it delves into the actual process Bruce goes through to become The Dark Knight. He's a man-made hero and we witness him training and learning how to not only fight with his fists, but with his mind and ideas. Unlike most origin stories, however; scenes of his training are intertwined with those of his homecoming to Gotham and even flashbacks to his childhood. It's all broken up very well and not one story gets too tedious. It's a unique way to build Bruce's character and we see how flawed a character the man really is. He's not perfect, but he's determined, and it's in that determination that a hero emerges. He's not from a distant planet, he's not bitten by a radioactive spider, and he's not in some accident involving toxic waste or a failed experiment. We literally see his creation every step of the way, from his suit and utility belt, to his own version of the Batmobile. His power is his muscle and his mind, all of which he pushes to the limits. It's in this humanity and realism of Batman Begins that the movie flourishes. Gotham is a city destroyed by crime, not by supernatural forces or super-powered villains, but simply by bad men with bad intentions. 

Ras al Ghul is the leader (also Bruce's mentor) of the League of Shadows, a secret organization that claims to be involved in the rise and fall of countless civilizations. In the eyes of Ras al Ghul, Gotham is a city on the verge of destroying itself and must be destroyed to not only save itself, but prevent the spread of it's evil. When Bruce gets wind of this news, he escapes his training grounds in Asia and returns home. He sees that the city is indeed not what he remembers it to be, and knows that something must be done. Bruce designs a symbol, inspired by his own fears, to take to the streets of Gotham. He knows that if he can create a persona, or even an idea, that's strong enough to evoke fear into the hearts of Gotham's criminals, things will get better. Thus, Batman, his symbol, is born. As Batman fights the criminal and the corrupt, he discovers that the man behind it all is Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), who owns half the city through payoffs and fear. If Batman can take down Falcone, he knows he can take down the mob. However, even the mob has it's tricks and Falcone has Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), a psychologist who has a rather unusual way of "treating" his patients. Using a neurological toxin, Crane has the power to expose the hidden fears in everyone, and as the League of Shadows takes claim to Gotham, Crane relishes in the chaos and panic. Batman must face a great challenge before he can even make a dent in Gotham's crime. Of course, a hero is only as strong as his allies, and Batman has not only the loyal and wise Alfred (Michael Caine), but the courageous and honest Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman), the beautiful Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), and the inventive Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). 

There's so many good things about Batman Begins, it's hard to pinpoint any specific moment that elevates it to greatness. The realism is its biggest strength, and understanding that a man has the power and determination to become a hero makes it so much better. It also helps that the movie has a pitch-perfect cast, with each actor filling their respective role brilliantly. Bale not only becomes the suave, playboy Bruce, but the heroic, badass Batman. Michael Caine lends his natural sophistication and knowledge to Alfred. Gary Oldman, usually a chameleon in his roles, stands his ground as Gordon and makes you want to give every honest cop you know a hug. Morgan Freeman owns the role of Lucius Fox, a character that was all too unfamiliar before the film. Liam Neeson is the perfect mentor and teacher and, even if his cause seems immoral, you can't help but wonder if he's right. Cillian Murphy borders the thin line between genius and psychotic brilliantly. It's the sum of its parts that makes Batman Begins a masterpiece, and without any of these men in their roles, it would not be the same. Even the smallest characters add a lot to the film and I have got to give recognition to Linus Roache who gives a small, but incredibly effective performance as Bruce's dad, Thomas. 

He has less than five minutes of screen time but is so damn good in his role. He has an intangible characteristic that makes him shine, and every time I watch the movie I can't help but wish he was in it even more. 

Batman Begins is a quiet little masterpiece. In retrospect, it's a little difficult watching the film without realizing its importance as a precursor to The Dark Knight. However, even then, it's a strong film on its own and a beautifully dark introduction to the world's favorite hero. Christopher Nolan is a great director, and while Batman Begins is nowhere near the scale as its sequels, its self-contained, emotionally driven story turns it into something much bigger. I can't recommend this movie enough and I cannot wait for the trilogy's epic conclusion this weekend. 

The Good:

Christian Bale is Batman, I don't care what anyone says

The Better:

a realistic approach at one of the world's most recognized and loved superheros, giving Batman the dark, gritty tone he deserves 

The Best:

along with Bale, a phenomenal cast that rises to each and every occasion, owning his/her respective roles without any doubt

Overall: 9.4/10

Trailer:

July 1: The Extra Man

"A man who escorts wealthy widows in New York's Upper East Side takes a young aspiring playwright under his wing."

Directed by: Shari Springer Berman & Robert Pulcini, Rated: R, 108 minutes

Now, I am usually an avid fan of Kevin Kline, loving nearly everything he is in. I even like Wild, Wild, West based purely on his performance. I'll give anything he is in a chance, and I went into The Extra Man thinking it would be a little gem. I was certainly wrong. The Extra Man is the type of film that tries way too hard to be "quirky", but instead turns out to be incredibly annoying. It does have its moments, but when you look at the movie as a whole, it feels like a bunch of randomness strung together on a laundry line that stayed out to dry a little too long. It's stiff, stale, and quite the mess.

Hell, this is even more enjoyable to watch. Peaceful, serene, and probably smells a lot nicer. 

The story follows Louis (Paul Dano), an emotionally f**ked up man who moves to Manhattan to follow his writing dreams. He moves into an apartment with Henry (Kline), a wannabe aristocrat who moonlights as an escort to the city's wealthiest widows. As Louis tries to discover who he is and flirt with his odd inner desires, he begins to learn about the eccentricities and the perks of trying to live the high life in one of the world's grandest cities. Oh, Louis has an odd curiosity towards woman's clothing and even experiments with cross-dressing. I'm not saying that it's necessary wrong to do so, but the way Louis is portrayed makes him come across as a sheltered, perverted weirdo. I am also a huge fan of Paul Dano (he is great in Little Miss Sunshine and There Will Be Blood), but he's following the career paths of Michael Cera, John Heder, and  even Jesse Eisenberg, playing the same, socially awkward loner over and over. 

A little creepier looking though. 

The Extra Man can't decide on what kind of movie it wants to be. It jumps drastically from comedy to drama and it's in these transitions that the film loses itself completely. I blame the directing and the script. Although the directing duo of Berman and Pulcini did make the great American Splendor, I feel the two did not work together at all on this film. With the mess at hand, I can only assume each director showed up on his/her schedule and filmed a scene on his/her own, without consulting the other. The film lacks a singular heart, style, and theme. As for the script, it's just as big of a mess as the directing. I am a huge fan of Jonathan Ames, one of the screenwriters and the author of the novel on which the film is based. His TV series, Bored to Death, is one of my favorite shows of all time. However, The Extra Man is far from the quality of his show, and it's a huge disappointment. The characters lack nearly all likability and are more annoying than they are funny or developed. While Kline and Dano's acting is good, the characters they create are victims to the script. John C. Reilly is a saving grace, playing Henry's neighbor, Gershon. However, he has very little screen time and is tiny role cannot save the film. Oh, and Katie Holmes sneaks in as a possible love-interest to Louis, but the two share absolutely no chemistry and her character's a total bitch. Why would an introvert intellectual fall for a shallow, fake semi-attractive working girl?

One of her many career casualties after marrying Tom Cruise. 

Skip The Extra Man. It has a good premise but is executed with way too many flaws to maintain any quality storytelling. It's all over the place, never knowing what it is, and in it's attempt to be out of the box and original, it instead turns out to be very annoying. I don't know if Kevin Kline is getting worse with age but he certainly does not save a movie like he used to. 

The Good:

John C. Reilly with a full grizzly man beard

The Bad:

a cast made nearly entirely of unlikable, too-weird characters

The Ugly:

a messy script and directing that turns a good premise into a movie with a terrible identity crisis 

Overall: 3.8/10

Trailer:

May 10: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark

A young girl sent to live with her father and his new girlfriend discovers creatures in her new home who want to claim her as one of their own.

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a pretty big disappointment. With Guillermo del Toro producing, a somewhat unique story, and one incredible house/mansion/estate as its setting, you'd think it would be absolutely terrifying. It's not. At all. It's actually pretty laughable at times and every scare is either the gimmicky pop-out or something else that's very predictable. A film that looked to be the answer to a rather dull past couple of years in the horror genre turns out to be no help at all. I really tried hard to enjoy it, but I just could not forgive its many flaws.

I'll take it!... 

And not utilize it's terrifying everything in the HORROR movie we're making.

Don't Be Afraid's plot starts off with a bang and has a terrific opening. A man is cowering in his basement, clearly afraid and distraught. He calls down his housekeeper for help and immediately attacks her with a hammer, then continues to pull out her teeth with it. He throws them in the furnace as a "tribute" to a hidden creature(s) and demands he gets his son back. He's knocked out and then dragged down the furnace into God knows what. Fade to black- opening credits. Yeah, badass beginning isn't it? Well everything goes downhill from there. Jump ahead to present day, and a little girl named Sally moves into the mansion with her daddy (Guy Pearce) and Katie Holmes (Herself). Soon after arriving, she encounters these little mandingos and, of course, is curious about what they are. But, everything goes to shit and she's continually attacked. Apparently the creatures collect the teeth of children and then kidnap them for their own little world or whatever. That part's never fully explained, we just assume that baby-snatching is regular work for a little monster, similar to being cast in a Tinkerbell movie or moonlighting as a Furby. 

Nope, Furbies are creepier. 

Sally's dad doesn't believe any of her stories and can't even fathom the idea of LOL face critters existing in the first place. By the time he comes around and believes his only daughter is actually in danger, we really don't care what happens to anyone. Sally can't stop looking in the furnaces for the creatures, her dad can't stop focusing on his work and COMPLETELY ignoring her, and Katie Holmes is off trying to be a mom or something. The characters are just too stupid to root for and the creatures are too lame to stand beside. Because there is no "side" to be excited about, you just want the entire movie to end. 

See the resemblance?

Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is a failure in my opinion. With such a big name in horror sitting in the producer's chair, an incredible setting, and a decent cast, it has no excuse for being as bad as it is. The movie is more frustrating than anything and ends up being rather hard to get through. It tests your patience, insults your intelligence, and is certainly not worth 99 minutes of your time. Skip it.

The Good:

a beautiful, old, creepy house that could be the setting to a dozen different horror movies

The Bad:

not utilizing the already terrifing house and instead coming up with a very mundane plot and incredibly stupid characters

The Ugly:

not giving a damn about what happens to anyone because you want the whole thing to end

Overall: 4.0/10

Trailer: