The Dark Knight Movie Review

It took me two weeks, but I finally went to see The Dark Knight, the new Batman movie. We went to an afternoon showing in a large theater with about 20 of our new best friends--actually people we didn't know. I was amazed at how empty the theater was and how cold it was as well.

The movie continues the restarted saga of Batman as he faces crime and corruption in Gotham City. When he is not dealing with the mob, or crooked cops, he has interaction with now arch nemesis: The Joker, played by the late Heath Ledger.

A synopsis of the movie: Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) continues to eliminate crime in Gotham City with the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The Dark Knight wants to finally get rid of organized crime for good and be free of their corruption. Batman soon finds that a new psychopathic mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) has taken over organized crime. After the fall of Carmine Falcone, the remaining crime bosses try to pick up the pieces. However, the Joker is killing them off one by one. The Joker's plan is to terrify the citizens and throw the city into chaos, and then kill Batman. Batman takes the fight with the Joker personal, which makes him confront his own beliefs. The Joker is the most dangerous criminal that Batman has encountered, and he will need all his strength and vigilance to defeat him. Douglas Young (the-movie-guy)

OK--but how was the movie? Was it the greatest movie of all time as some (in my family) would suggest? Let's break it down.

Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker is something special and truly troubling. It is without a doubt an Oscar-winning performance that will be talked about in the same vein as Marlon Brando in "On the Waterfront" (1954). As troubling as his performance was, it was downright believable.

The other actors were good, some strong, but not spectacular. Yes, The Joker makes the movie--but if you take Heath Ledger's performance out of the equation you have an above average movie with solid but not sterling performances and which runs about a half-hour too long.

Christian Bale makes a great Batman, but a not so believable Bruce Wayne. He just didn't come off as a real person and even the scripting for Bruce Wayne was weak and trite. The acting didn't make me care about Bruce Wayne and his personal conflicts about right and wrong and good and evil. And his love life in the movie reflected this dissonance.

Gary Oldman, Lt Jim Gordon (and later the iconic Commissioner Gordon) is a strong character. The impact of being in his position in the police department on his personal life is clearly evident and believable. But--for a man in his position to be ignorant of so many dirty cops in his own unit--well it just baffled me. Again--an above average performance on a so-so script.

Aaron Eckhart as DA Harvey Dent was another good, but not great performance tied to so-so script writing. The character was over done and his internal conflict between good and evil almost became comical as I couldn't tell which coin he was going to flip before taking actions. Although he was supposed to be the "best of us" and The Joker brought him down--the movie made it clear that he never really was the best. He was idealistic--but he was a politician. And in the end the darkness that we see in politicians won.

Some of the other supporting actors in the movie--Michael Caine (Alfred), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox), and Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Danes) give strong, but too brief performances. The best of the other actors was actually Chin Han (Lau) who played a Chinese businessman/crook. He was excellent in his role as a smug businessman who takes the mob for a ride and almost gets away with it. There is an aerial extraction scene associated with this character which is fun to watch.

So--what about the movie as a body of work. Definitely above average. Probably on the best 100 movies of all time--but only for Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. Without his performance, the movie is just another "comic book" movie which is fun to watch--once. The movie is too long and drags in the middle and it doesn't transition well from situation to situation internally. The scenes are a bit disconnected and the movie lacks a fluidity of transition. At one point I even though--here come the clowns again for comic relief. There are a lot of loose ends--like what happened to The Joker? What happened to the people on the ferries in the middle of the river?

Does this movie make a great social statement about the course of U.S. national policy as some would suggest? Nope. It's another movie which documents the continuing struggle of good versus evil. The movie is not even helped along by the technology--in contrast to Iron Man where the technology both provided substance and comic relief. There are some good one liners though.

Rating: A must see--just so you can be in the know when everyone around you is talking about the movie and Ledger's performance. There is a lot of violence, good car chase scenes, a bit of destruction. The movie is definitely NOT SUITABLE for young (under 10) children. They WILL have nightmares. I looked at my watch to see how much time was left with about an hour to go in the movie--so there are slow spots.

Mama Mia Movie Review

Fun, beautiful, and thoroughly enjoyable. We saw Mama Mia today and really enjoyed the music, the acting, the story, and especially the imagery/cinematography. And, if you've never seen the stage version--then you, like me, will have fresh view of the movie.

Meryl Streep is fantastic in the lead role and as the movie progresses her singing actually improves as she becomes more sure of her voice.

As the movie opens it becomes an irresistible force for smiles and laughs. The music is fun, the story is fun and the location of the film is absolutely beautiful. That coupled with the strong acting by Pierce Brosnan is enjoyable too.

The professional reviewers reviews are mixed. Joel Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal writes During the first few minutes of Mamma Mia! I resisted the bombardment of good cheer, then surrendered almost unconditionally. Yes, of course this is fairly old-fashioned entertainment, but it's really, really entertaining." A.O. Scott in the New York Times found himself similarly torn. "You can have a perfectly nice time watching this spirited adaptation of the popular stage musical and, once the hangover wears off, acknowledge just how bad it is. ... If you insist on folding your arms, looking at your watch and defending yourself against this mindless, hedonistic assault on coherence, you are unlikely to survive until the end credits (which may, by themselves, kill you all over again). Surrender, on the other hand, is easy and painless. It's Greece! It's bellybuttons! It's Meryl Streep! It's Abba!" Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times remarks that he saw the original stage version and didn't think much of it then, even though it went on to become one of the biggest musical hits of the decade. "So here's the fact of the matter. This movie wasn't made for me. It was made for the people who will love it, of which there may be a multitude. The stage musical has sold 30 million tickets, and I feel like the grouch at the party." He has company. Michael Phillips, the Chicago Tribune critic, says that he's seen the stage version of Mamma Mia! three times. "It's disappointing, then, to see the film version of the stage hit turn out this way -- not lousy, but pushy." Lisa Kennedy in the Denver Post comments that the movie "too often feels like a souvenir program: something to revive the feelings you had watching the stage performance." And Michael Sragow in the Baltimore Sun comments that the movie "is like a party where everyone is so desperate to have a good time that it makes you miserable."

But the important one is the Baltimore Sun reviewer--if he hates it, it has to be a good movie.

A couple cautions for those who do not know the story--while the music is compelling and fun, there are references to sex and homosexuality.

Rating: See the movie on the big screen. This movie is fun and beautiful. Young children may not enjoy the adult story line--but the sights and sounds are worth the ride.

If you see the movie--come back and leave a comment about how you reacted to it. I'd love to know about your opinion of the movie.

Hancock: Movie Review

Hancock, the movie was an afternoon project the other day. We love to watch movies during our vacation and catch up a bit with what's out there. Despite the relatively low ratings from the critics, we decided to take a chance on Hancock.

We thoroughly enjoyed the movie. Will Smith shows a great degree of versatility in the role and the supporting cast is fun to watch. The story--this is not just another superhero movie worked for us. The plot twist through which Hancock is a superhero also worked.

Kenneth Turan of the LA Times said this of the plot twist:

"But then, just about without warning, “Hancock” makes a completely unexpected and head-shaking plot turn that derails the film in a way that it never recovers from. This second part of “Hancock” has the further disadvantage of coming up with its convoluted rules as it goes along, making it especially hard to understand what is happening to its characters or the reasons for its events."

I admit the plot twist really changes the course of the movie and takes a bit of flexibility to get used to, but in reflecting back on how it worked out--I thought it worked. Let me tell you, I liked this twist a lot better than the ending of the new Indiana Jones movie.

Will Smith in the lead is great as the superhero Hancock. Jason Bateman as a supporting actor is strong as well serving as Ray, the man who begins to ressurect Hancock's career as a crime fighter. Be advised--there are no Oscar worthy performances in this movie. Jae Head is cute and makes a solid contribution to the film an the son, Aaron. Charlize Theron as Mary, the wife if Jason Batemen's charascter is beautiful, but the role didn't work well for her.

The movie moved well, I never looked at my watch to see how much longer I had to suffer.

Rating: Entertainment for a rainy afternoon. Definite rental when it comes out on DVD.

WALL-E: Movie Review

WALL-E the movie. I knew I wanted to see this movie, but I had no idea how deep this movie would really be. Pixar and Disney have teamed up for many great movies and this one is by far the best. The messages in the movie about being responsible citizens of the planet, taking care of ourselves, and of love are very mature and deep. But the movie is a lot of fun too. The movie short which precedes WALL-E is extremely funny--I haven't laughed that hard in a long time.

WALL-E is not a kids movie! It is a must see movie for our generation. The main character is a lovable trash-compactor robot charged with cleaning up the world after the human race departed for a five year trip in space--which turned into 700 years. There is romance and friendship in the movie. The robot comes of age watching "Hello Dolly" which adds a surreal twist to the plot.

WALL-E is extremely well done and the animation is definitely top notch. The messages in the movie are serious and real--so the entertainment factor is high as well as the social statement factor. The movie is well balanced and there are no slow periods.

Rating: Superior. Suitable for all ages. My recommendation is that you drop what you are doing and go see this movie. Everyone will be talking about it so you need to see it too. Buy it when it comes out on video. Some of the statements made in the movie are too close to being true.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Went to see this movie this weekend, which is opening weekend. The movie grossed $101 million, but really it isn't a great movie. I expect the take to dwindle next week.

The movie had the great Indiana Jones lines and action. The action though is not non-stop and there were a couple points where I actually looked at my watch. The old characters are back and the film does a nice job of catching us up. Some of the relationships are trite and very predictable.

The ending of the movie is weak. It could have been a lot better.

Here is what Roger Ebert wrote: ""Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Say it aloud. The very title causes the pulse to quicken, if you, like me, are a lover of pulp fiction. What I want is goofy action--lots of it. I want man-eating ants, swordfights between two people balanced on the backs of speeding jeeps, subterranean caverns of gold, vicious femme fatales, plunges down three waterfalls in a row, and the explanation for flying saucers. And throw in lots of monkeys."

Rating: OK entertainment. Go see it because everyone else is. If you loved the earlier movies, this will be enjoyable. If you never saw the earlier movies, you'll wonder what all the fuss is about. Rating the three blockbusters of the month? Best: Iron Man, Next best: Narnia, and the bottom: Indiana Jones.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

We saw the movie on opening weekend, which is what we wanted to do this time. And I can tell you the movie did not disappoint. The movie is very different from the first--which was more magical. This movie is very earthy and is about the continuing battle of good and evil as well as delving into the pitfalls of pride.

As the children are recalled to Narnia because of a crisis, they immediately resume their roles as kings and queens of Narnia without fully realizing the changes which have occurred in the intervening thirteen hundred years. Peter believes he is the natural and rightful leader and trusts in himself and his abilities. In his mind he is Peter the Magnificent and therefore because he believes it, it is or should be. His pride in his leadership abilities results in a failed assault which costs nearly half of the Narnian forces. It is not until he realizes his weakness that the story begins to turn.

The story is magical and it is violent. It has medieval sword fighting scenes—which are a bit long. There could be more interaction between the main characters, but the primary focus in on the competition between Peter and Prince Capsian. The bond between the brothers, Peter and Edmund, has developed and grown as each realizes the strengths of the other. The relationship between the sisters, Lucy and Susan, have developed a stronger bond too although it is Lucy who remembers the mystical side of Narnia and retains the strongest link to Aslan, the Lion.

The New York Times reviewed the movie with this statement: "So “Prince Caspian” is quite a bit darker than “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” both in look and in mood. It is also in some ways more satisfying. Its violent (though gore-free) combat scenes and high body count may rattle very young viewers, but older children are likely to be drawn into the thick political intrigue. The relative scarcity of digital effects in the first part of the movie allows the director, Andrew Adamson, and the director of photography, Karl Walter Lindenlaub, to explore the beauty of the Narnian landscape by more traditional cinematic means. Its lush glades and rocky escarpments provide a reminder that the supernaturalism of fairy tales originates in the magic of the natural world."

I felt that this movie is an excellent sequel to the original. It was thoroughly enjoyable, very watchable and I did not want the movie to end—it leaves you wanting more and wanting to remain for just a few minutes longer in the magical land of Narnia to enjoy the peace and prosperity which will be the inevitable result of the defeat of the forces of evil.

Rating: This is a must see—multiple times. Buy the DVD when it comes out. Suitable for pre-teens.

Iron Man - the Movie

Went to the movies last night. We used to be busy on Thursday nights, but or lives have changed a bit and we are now free. It was really nice to see a movie and have the theater mostly to ourselves.

The movie was Iron Man and it was great. The acting was strong, the special effects were not over done, and the action was sufficient for a comic book hero but still allowed for character development and a good story line too. The movie was a good update to the story for the current time period.

The cast was strong with Robert Downey Jr leading the way supported strongly by Gwyneth Paltrow, Terrance Howard, Shaun Toub, and (the actor we knew but couldn't name until the end) Jeff Bridges.

The movie is a great ride and very entertaining. There were ZERO "watch looks" during the movie. (What is a watch look? How many times I look at my watch to see if the movie is going to be over soon, I hope). And the pace of the action was well done. Techno geeks will enjoy the computers. I wish I had a couple of his. And the robot with the fire extinguisher is especially funny.

Thoroughly enjoyable. WARNING: There is a gratuitous sex scene and some bad language in one place. Of course--people die and there is violence.

Rating: Highly recommend--see now in theaters, buy when it comes out on DVD. You might even want to see it a couple of times in the theater.

Juno

Another movie review since it is still in the top 10 this week.

Juno was a great movie. I thought it was cutting edge in dealing with a difficult topic: teen pregnancy and families. The family was a bit too supportive and the ending too neat--but the dialog and the acting were very good. The relationships in the movie were strong studies in people and personalities as well. The story:

After taking three pregnancy tests, 16-year-old Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page) discovers she is nine weeks pregnant by her friend and longtime admirer, Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Although she initially opts for an abortion, a last minute change of heart leads her to decide to have the baby and make a plan for the child's adoption. With the help of her friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby), Juno searches the Pennysaver and finds a couple she feels will provide a suitable home. Along with her father, Mac (J. K. Simmons), Juno meets the couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner), in their expensive home and finalizes the adoption arrangements.

If it were only that simple and that is why the story is so interesting and compelling. I found it fresh and enjoyable and the character development was superb.

Rating: Highly recommend--see now in theaters, buy when it comes out on DVD

Fool's Gold

Went and saw Fool's Gold over the weekend. It was a funny movie and very entertaining. Academy Awards performances? No--but very entertaining and funny. Of course you put four of my favorite things together in a movie and I'm bound to like it: SCUBA Diving, Key West, Treasure Hunting, and Warm South Florida Atlantic Ocean water. The imagery in the movie is at times stunning and I kept thinking--I want to dive there! The story is a bit trite and predictable, but that is what makes it all work. I say it is definitely worth paying movie theater prices and seeing.

Rating: Pay to see in theater when in need of diversion