So I’ve made a decision.This decision has been reached after going to the movies in what can only be described as a rather lackluster era of cinema.It’s just felt like recently the bar has been lowered to such a level that some real crap is being seen as decent by comparison to everything else out there.So, the decision I have made?Christopher Nolan needs to make more movies.
I’m serious about this.I’ve only seen four movies of his (he’s only made six) but I have yet to be disappointed.Memento truly changed how I look at thrillers.If I’m watching a movie that people tell me is a “mess with your mind” movie, I’m going to be comparing it to Memento.It’s that good.Insomnia is, I feel, the weakest of his movies.But when your worst effort is a movie that is as good as Insomnia, that truly speaks volumes about you as a director.And then there is Batman Begins, which is such a brilliant piece of work it almost isn’t fair to compare it to other comic book movies.It’s just on another level.
His latest movie is The Prestige, which I think may be his best effort yet.And yes, I know, I’ve been talking about Memento for years as one of the best movies ever.The Prestige may be better.It is a dark, manipulative look at two obsessed, disturbed individuals.
The movie centers around two magician apprentices:Rupert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale).After an event that destroys the master’s career and their friendship, the two strike out on their own.Yet they always have each other firmly in their minds.They try to make acts that are better than the other’s, and sabotage each others’ acts as well.
It comes to the point when Borden creates a trick called The Transported Man.This trick is so good that Angier cannot figure out how it is does.He becomes obsessed with it.He must find out how it is done, and steal it.And so sets off his journey into…well, damn it, I can’t tell you.
There is so much about this movie that I wish I could talk about here, but I wouldn’t dream of revealing the things this movie does.It is, at its heart, a movie about obsession, and how that obsession can destroy you as a person.
Everything about this movie is perfect.The acting draws you in and makes the characters so real to you.Both Jackman and Bale simply disappear into their roles.And Michael Caine is…well, Michael Caine.Does anything else need to be said about him?And Christopher Nolan adapted the script from the book with his brother.Things were changed from the book, but all in the right places I feel.And the direction manages to hit all the right notes.
And the way that movie manages to fool you.The tagline for this movie is “Are You Watching Closely?”And that sums up this movie.If you watch closely, I have no doubt you’d be able to figure out what’s going on.But as they explain in the movie, “The answer is right in front of you, but you don’t see it, because you don’t want to.”My advice?Let the movie take you in.Fall for it’s every trick.It makes the final reveal that much more exciting.
My rating for this movie is 5 top hats out of 5.(that will make more sense when you see it)This is the best movie of the year.Without a doubt.See this movie.See it now.See it often.And when you do, let me know.Because I’m dying to have someone to talk to about it.
In the interest of full disclosure, I should admit that I am a Kevin Smith fan.A rabid one.I love everything he has ever done.Be they his five (now six) movies taking place in the viewaskewniverse (Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back), his attempt at something more adult (Jersey Girl), or just listening to him talk (An Evening with Kevin Smith).Hell, I even love all of his appearances on Jay Leno with his Roadside Attraction bits he’s been known to do.So, going into this movie, I was already biased towards liking it.But I didn’t expect what I actually got out of it.And that is one of Smith’s best movies yet.
After making Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Kevin Smith said that he would never be making another movie with the characters again.But he apparently made a promise to help friend and costar Jason Mewes (Jay).He told Mewes that if Mewes quit drugs and went to rehab, he would make another movie with the characters.Smith was later quoted saying, “I just never thought he would actually do it.”At this time Smith had also been working on the special features for the new Clerks X special edition DVD.He has said that while revisiting the characters in Clerks, he fell in love with them all over again, and had this urge to continue their story.
Whatever the reasons, we can be glad they happened, because Smith held nothing back for this part dumb comedy, part touching story that I honestly didn’t know Smith had in him. The movie was originally going to be called Clerks II: The Passion of the Clerks, but the subtitle was dropped. Which is a good thing, because I don't think Kevin Smith really wanted to piss off the Catholic League...again. (Or a drunk Mel Gibson.)
The movie opens ten years after the first movie with the destruction of the QuikStop.After the livelihood of Dante (Brian O’Halloran) and Randall (Jeff Anderson) burns down, they are forced to find new jobs, and find them at Mooby’s, a McDonald’s type restaurant.The new setting doesn’t stop them from being the same lazy, crass, pop-culture obsessed slackers that they were at the QuikStop.Here they are joined by two new characters:Becky (played beautifully by Rosario Dawson) and Elias (Trevor Fehrman, who is surprisingly funny here).
Following them to Mooby’s are, of course, Jay and Silent Bob.Jason Mewes plays Jay better here than I think he ever has.In the last couple of movies, Jay has seemed almost cartoonish in the things he says and does.Here he is back to being the Jay he was originally intended to be, a drug dealer hanging out in front of a shop selling to anyone who has the money.He and Smith as Silent Bob have some of the funniest moments in the movie. Their characters have found Jesus and given up using drugs. Of course, that won't stop them from selling them. From impromtu dance scenes to a shocking homage to Buffalo Bill from Silence of the lambs, they are both in rare form here.
We meet up with Dante on his last day at Mooby’s.He is engaged to Emma (Jennifer Schwalbach, Smith’s real-life wife) and they are about to move to Florida the following day.Gone are Dante’s two love interests from the first one because, as I see it, these guys are so in denial about aging that the girls have to get younger as they get older.Dante is leaving New Jersey behind and is going to settle down working at Emma’s father’s car wash.
Smith uses this setting to tell a story about doing the right thing, doing the responsible thing, growing up, leaving your friends behind, and, by the end, doing what you have to do in order to be happy with yourself.
I’m giving this movie 5 MegaMoobyMuffins out of 5.Yes, this movie is mostly stoner comedy, and is at some points down right disgusting (interspecies erotica for example).But it is also a movie that actually has a meaning, and that was more than I was expected out of it.And oh yeah, it’s damn funny.
He's the man of steel. Easily the most popular comic book character ever created. (I didn't say my favorite, I said most popular.) He's seen numerous incarnations: comic books, radio dramas, movies, television...you name it, Superman has been there. But he was perhaps best portrayed in the Warner Brothers movies in the 70's and 80's. Superman and Superman II set a standard for comic book movies and it's star Christopher Reeve made you believe a man can fly. (Superman III and IV? Well, we don't really talk about those.) So, when it came time for Superman to return to the big screen after a 19 year absence from the movies, expectations were high. This could be one of the greatest comic book movies ever.
Meh.
Superman did indeed return to the theaters this summer. It has action. It has a man in tights flying around a city that looks like metropolis. It has a bald guy chewing up scenary and threatening said man in tights with green crystals. They just seem to have forgotten one thing.
A movie.
Warner Brothers has been trying to bring Superman back for some years. Superman rumors seemed to become jokes on movie websites. Directors and writers came and went. So did actors who were to play the man of steel himself. (At least Nicolas Cage didn't get the role.) At one point, Kevin Smith was hired to come out and write a script. But he too was told his services were no longer needed. In the end, they probably could have used the guy who wrote Mallrats to get this one right.
This movie is missing something. Maybe it's the spirit of the first movies. Maybe it's the fun the director of the first movie, and most of the second movie (Richard Donner), managed to infuse into it. Maybe they just shouldn't have tried to make a sequel for a movie that many people hold to be religion in movie making.
Whatever this movie was missing, it left me feeling, well, nothing. No passion, no fun. Just plain, nothing.
Warner Brothers had originally planned to do a remake of Superman. Start him again from scratch. Then Batman Begins came out, and they decided to go another way. Maybe they thought that they didn't want to do the same thing Batman did. Maybe they didn't want this to be a Smallville movie. Regardless of the reason, they decided to make this a sequel to the first two Superman movies (ignoring III and IV, which I do have to say, was a rather good idea).
The problem with this is that when you make a sequel, and change the actors (which they obviously had to do here), the new actors really aren't able to put their own touch on the role. Instead of recreating Superman/Clark Kent, Brandon Routh is trying to do his very best Christopher Reeve impersonation. And as it turns out, that's not all that interesting to watch.
Kate Bosworth went a different route with her portrayel of Lois Lane: sleep-walking through the role. Her "hard-hitting, gritty reporter" act came off as bored in most situations she was in. She lacked the fire and attitude Margot Kidder brought to the role. And when you take that away from Lois Lane, you're left with pretty much nothing.
Kevin Spacey was the one bright spot in the cast. He's deliciously evil, and out for revenge, as well as a buck. Perfect Lex Luthor. I just wish he had played him in a better movie.
The rest of the supporting cast is left with little to do. Sam Huntington who played Jimmy Olsen was, well, there. Kal Penn was woefully underused as one of Luthor's thugs. Parker Posey was annoying. Not in a fun way, just plain annoying.
There were some parts of this movie I liked. The entire scene where Superman saves the plane from crashing is great. Pure Superman. Unfortunately it comes far too early in the movie, leaving nothing left for the movie but to go downhill.
In the end, I'm giving Superman Returns 2 out of 5 kryptonite crystals. It had a couple of kinda fun scenes, but it could have been so much more. I left the theater thinking that they didn't try all that hard. They seemed kind of impressed with themselves that they were finally getting to make a Superman movie at all. Overall feeling from me was a simple meh.
Movie Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
I have to admit that I didn’t want to see the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.I mean, it was a movie based on a ride at Disney.What would be next?It’s A Small World?Teacups?I had to be dragged to see it.
And damn was I ever wrong with that one.The movie was fun, exciting, funny…pretty much everything a summer blockbuster should be.And watching Johnny Depp in that first movie was to see a legend being created.He took what could have been a token character and made it…well, made Captain Jack Sparrow.
But what about it’s sequel?I heard that they were filming the next two pirate movies back to back.A movie that changes the way movies are looked at having two sequels made at the same time?Sound a bit like the Matrix trilogy to anyone else?Yeah, I was worried.
Luckily, my worries were completely unfounded.This movie rocks.
This is the movie we’ve been waiting for this summer.It’s funny, has great characters who go through real arcs as the story progressed, has amazing visual effects, incredible action scenes, and is easily the most fun I’ve had at the movies this year.
The movie starts with the arrest of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan for their help in the escape of Captain Jack Sparrow.They’re told that Will has to find Jack and acquire his compass, or else Elizabeth will be executed for her crimes.Will, being the lovesick puppy that we all know him to be, leaves for his journey without question.He has no idea where to find Jack, or how he’ll get the compass when he does find him, but none of that matters now.It has to be done.
Jack, meanwhile, is having problems of his own.After his entrance in the movie (which I actually loved more than his entrance in the first movie), he learns that Davy Jones is looking for him.It seems he sold his soul to Jones in order to be Captain of the Black Pearl for thirteen years, and those years are now up.Jack has a plan though that should get Jones off his back for good.
That’s the basic start of the plot.From there, the movie takes you on numerous twists and turns, involving Elizabeth joining with Jack, and Will meeting with someone from his past in the crew of Davy Jones.Also popping back up in this movie is former Commodore Norrington, whose life has become destroyed by his relentless search for Jack Sparrow.He’s lost his title, his standing, and everything that was once important to him, left only with his quest for vengeance.His character is an incredible addition to this movie and I loved him.The actor has so much more to do in this movie than the last, and he relishes the chance.Brilliant performance.
At no point does this movie stop being just plain fun.Sure, the cannibal scene was kind of pointless in the overall plot of the movie, but it was so much fun, no one really cares.
And the visual effects are amazing.The crew of Davy Jones are the best creature effects I have ever seen in a movie.With most of the shots, it’s hard to tell where the make-up ends and the CGI begins.Perfect.And the Kraken is unbelievable.When it attacks the ships, you start to feel real terror.As in, “Whoa, some of these guys might actually not make it through this.”These scenes blew me away.
And I feel I should also say something about the fight between Will, Jack, and Norrington on the giant wheel.Great stuff.Some people said it went on so long that it became unrealistic.The movie is about sea monsters attacking pirates.Let’s leave our ideas about realism at the door, shall we?
I’m giving Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 5 bottles of rum out of 5.I almost feel like I should take a bit away for the cliffhanger at the end.But I actually loved the way it ended.The audience literally gasped at the final shot of the movie, and then screamed, “NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!” when the credits came, realizing that they would have to wait until May of 2007 to see the rest.The ending guaranteed I will be there for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, and if these past two movies are any indication, I’ll have a hell of a good time with it too.
In 2000, Disturbed entered the music world with about as much grace as a sledgehammer. Their debut album, The Sickness, was greeted with immense success. It started with the metal hit Stupify, and only grew with their hit Down With the Sickness. Everyone knew this song, and lead singer David Draiman's unique screaming. The album was a raw, sometimes amateurish, but always intense, metal party.
In 2002, their second album, Believe, came out, and it exhibited a more mature sound. The production value went up, and the screaming went down (a little). The album did very well, spearheaded by such singles as Prayer and Remember, but true metal fans, ones that fell in love with the first album, began to become a little disappointed. The album focused more on melodies, and tried to preach certain things about religion that apparently David Draiman wanted to get off his chest. The sound was different, and very good, but certain people started to feel their Disturbed had left them for good.
This week, Disturbed released their third album, Ten Thousand Fists. And all worries of Disturbed going soft have officially ended. Make no mistake, this is a near perfect album. It manages to take the melodies of Believe, and fuse it with the intense rock of The Sickness. The album is filled with almost nothing but highs.
1. Ten Thousand Fists The opening track of this CD is the title track. This is a call to arms in the way only Disturbed can accomplish. Plainly put, this is the perfect song to open with. It has a slow build up, heavy drums, and starts in earnest with a belted scream from Draiman. The guitar is heavy, the drums shake you, and the lyrics will get the crowd at a concert on their feet, shoving their fists in the air. An anthem for the metal freaks like me. The perfect live song. Rating: 10/10
2. Just Stop Traditionally for Disturbed, the second song on the album is the most electronic. And while this is still true, there is actually very little tech on this song. Just some in the beginning, before hitting into a hard, low guitar riff. This song is simple, not a bunch to it, but is sure to become a mosh pit favorite. Rating: 9/10
3. Guarded Holy shit. The song wastes no time, starting with the most intense guitar/drums mix I think I've ever heard. Like Holier Than Thou on Metallica's Black album (which was also track 3 on that album), this is nothing more than a 3 minute metal fest. Fast, aggressive, and some sudden guitar stops that I just totally love. This was the first song I heard from this album (they released it on iTunes about a month ago) and it got me incredibly worked up for the album. Great song. Rating: 10/10
4. Deify 4 songs in and the album is still not slowing down. Quite the opposite in fact. The song opens with a sound clip of George W. Bush. And the songs lyrics seem to be written about him. "I won't let them deify you/they view you as the new Messiah." In an interview, Draiman said the song is about attributing God-like qualities to politicians and public figures. "People in those red states saw him as a God," he said. The primal screams of Draiman create a scary tone, and the guitar is incredible. One of my favorite songs on the album. Rating: 10/10
5. Stricken The first single off the album. A truly great song from Disturbed. Has a great mix of singing and screaming from Draiman, and features a unique part, the first solo in a Disturbed song. The solo is short, but fun. In the end, the only way this song suffers is that for the most part it sounds like it could have been from Believe. However, if it was on that album, it would have been one of the best songs there. Rating: 9/10
6. I'm Alive This song is the closest this album gets to a filler song. I don't mean to diminish how good this song is, it just sounds like they didn't spend as much time on this song. Kind of standard Disturbed song. That's not really a bad thing, though. And this song serves as a perfect bridge from the first part of the album to the next. Rating: 8/10
7. Sons of Plunder Okay, clearly Disturbed have been hearing the same cookie cutter metal bands that I've had to suffer through for the part few years. (Trapt, anyone?) This song is an angry fight against record producers who are just looking for the same band redone over and over again, always looking for that combination that will make them the most money. "All the pimping sons of plunder will roll up their sleeves" I mean, how can you not love a lyric like that? The song has a sound kind of like Droppin' Plates off their first album, except manages to not sound nearly as silly, and creates a really great sound. Rating: 9/10
8. Overburdened Okay, here we have my only problem with the album. This is Disturbed going for the power ballad. It's a good song, mostly. I have a slight problem with Draiman's vocals. I've never thought his voice was suited for songs like this. The base he tries to accomplish seems just a little below the range where his voice is comfortable. And the placement of the song on the album, between Sons of Plunder and Decadance almost hurts the momentum. But the lyrics are powerful, and the guitar work, especially featuring another solo. Good song, just not as incredible as the rest of the album. Rating: 7/10
9. Decadance This song can be best described by saying base drum. Damn. This song uses base drum behind Draiman's voice during the verses the create a sound that I can honestly say I've never heard anything like before. It's creepy, fast, scary, intense, and I can't wait to see them perform this one live. The mosh pits are going to go crazy over this one. Rating: 9/10
10. Forgiven This song also comes dangerously close to being filler, but the guitar work and drums save it. The vocals are pretty much what we've come to expect from Draiman, occasional singing interspersed throughout the screaming. But the drums in the back ground prove that Mike Wengren knows how to use drums for something other than just keeping beat. They really drive this song. Rating: 8/10
11. Land of Confusion Nothing quite like Disturbed covering Genesis. Yes, this is the same song Phil Collins did. I've never really been too fond of the last cover Disturbed did, Shout 2000, but this time they pull it off. They chose it because the lyrics really seem to relate to the world we are in now. They worked then, they work now. And the sound of this isn't quite Disturbed, they managed to change their sound to mirror the original, only if Genesis happened to be a metal band. Now I can just hope for a Disturbed/Phil Collins performance. Rating: 9/10
12. Sacred Lie Once again Disturbed goes political on this one. This song is about the war in Iraq, plain and simple. About how the people were lied to about the reasons for going to war. Lyrically, I like it, but I agree with what he's saying. Musically, it also happens to be a good song. It's got a nice rythm to it, and once again I love the drums on it. And a little past the half way point there comes one of Draiman's low base, almost rap, primal riffs, that I have always loved. Rating: 8/10
13. Pain Redefined Yes, here we are. I believe this is currently my favorite song on the album. The guitar is in spot on. The drums once again managing to be an intergral part of the song, not just keeping beat, the lyrics are good, and the rhythm. Dammit the rhythm and melody of this song are something truly great. I also love the fast pace of the verses. Love this song. Rating: 10/10
14. Avarice Anyone who was worried that they would end the album without a slow ballad like they did with Believe need not worry. They finish this one with a fast, intense, screaming rock song. Plenty of screaming, heavy drums and guitar, in short, exactly the way a metal album should end. And the message behind the song pretty much sums up the theme of the album, about politics and apathy. Perfect end. Rating: 10/10
I'm giving the album 10,000 out of 10,000 fists. Too obvious? Fine, 5 out of 5 headbangers. This album is the one Disturbed has been trying to make their entire career. It has a more mature sound than their first album, and a more fun tone than their second album. If you even remotely like hard rock or heavy metal, waste no time, buy this album now. Help them pick up sales, help make Disturbed the successful band they deserve to be.
I know this is a site for reviews now, but I can't not say something about this. When I was a child, my father watched Peter Jennings on ABC News. To me, this was the face of news. I remember back in the early 90's, he did a special on Iraq, walking around on a giant map of the middle east. I don't remember much of it now, but I remember he seemed to explain it in a way I got. Me, a kid, understanding what was going on in the Gulf War. That was how Peter Jennings did his thing.
Even over the past few years, he still to me was the voice of news. Nothing really felt true, or like important news, until I saw him say it. I think seeing him shaken over 9/11 affected me more than I thought possible. He was my rock. He was the news.
Peter Jennings died late Sunday night of lung cancer. Back in April, he announced that he had the disease, but he seemed okay with it. Like he felt he was going to beat it. And he still stayed with ABC News as an editor for the time he couldn't be anchor. But lung cancer moves fast. He was the best looking 67 I've ever seen.
Book review: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Another year at Hogwarts, another meeting with our favorite wizards and witches, another battle against the Dark Arts. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince came out this past weekend, and the fans were out in droves at midnight to get it (yes, I was too). This book had more printings than any first run book in history. So, did it live up to it's hype?
I'd say yes, mostly.
I'm going to try to keep clear of spoilers in this review. Nothing major will be mentioned. But I may let loose a few minor details here and there. So, if you wish to stay totally spoiler free, I wouldn't read this just yet. But then again, if you haven't read the book yet, either you're not a fan and don't plan to read it, or....well, I can't think of any other reason for you to have not read it yet.
Each Harry Potter book so far has served some ulitmate purpose in the story. The first book introduced us to the world our characters live in. It showed us Harry, Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, Snape, Hagrid, and Voldemort. The second book gave us some background for the our main villian, and planted seeds for the future of the series. The third book turned the story to a much darker tone, and gave Harry a family member to lean on. The fourth book established an epic feel, and created the basic storyline for the remainder of the books. The fifth book brought war to the wizarding world, showed Harry to be turning into an angst ridden teen, and introduced death to the series.
I've felt that each book has gotten somewhat better than the last, both in story, and in writing style. So, where does book 6 fall in with this theory? Depends on which part of the book you're reading. Allow me to explain.
Throughout most of this book, the reader tends to feel a general sense of "been there, done that". We've seen Quidditch. We know Malfroy and Harry fued. And yes, mixing magic and politics is never fun. We get the picture.
Which isn't to say that it isn't still fun. I love the world Rowling has created, and will miss it when it's gone. It's just that all the other books have all taken us a little further than the book before it did. And through most of this book, it's more of the same.
You'll notice that I have been saying most of the book. There is a new character, Professor Slughorn, whom I love reading about. He's the kind of person who has connections, because he's always known who to suck up to. If you're from an important wizarding family, Slughorn will be coming to visit. He seems nice and genuine, but he's really only out for enhancing his status in society. Fun to watch.
And Rowling uses flashbacks to show us quite a bit about the origin of Voldemort. From his time as Tom Riddle, to becoming the Dark Lord. It also explains some things from previous books, and, I maintain, makes book 2, Chamber of Secrets, a better book by adding some elements you weren't aware of before.
The characters do grow. They're still somewhat in their angst years, and they're falling for each other. The main theme for this book really does seem to be love. For each other, for ourselves, and to battle evil.
And then there's the last five chapters. I won't say what happens (and if anyone in the comments says what happens, you will be flogged...hard), suffice to say, magic. Brilliant. Earth shatteringly sad. Sad because of what happens to one (actually, two) of the characters. Sad because of what these kids are having to go through at this age. Sad because, very soon, this series will be over.
In the grand scheme of things, this book, I believe, will be seen as a setting of the chess pieces. There were things that needed to be done before the final book. This book has set the stage wonderfully.
I'm giving this book 4 wands out of 5. Yes, there are times when this book seems to drag. And yes, we've seen much of this before. But that isn't entirely a bad thing. What we have here is a very good book in a truly excellent series.
The fans of the Batman comics are legion. And to be perfectly honest, they never have been truly satisfied with any of the Batman movies. I mean, they've been happy with the cartoon show, but they have never felt that the movies delivered. The first Batman made the Joker into a comical gangster, instead of the actually crazy man he's supposed to be. Batman Returns focused too much on the villians, and just felt a little too bizarre. And the next two Batmans, both directed by Joel Schumacher, took away any hints of darkness which tend to drive the series. They were more of a tribute to the Adam West series than the comic book. All of the movies had their fun parts, but they never held up, mainly because of how they treated the character of Bruce Wayne. His parents were killed as a child, and he becomes so disturbed he dressed like a bat and tries to wipe out all evil. In these movies, Wayne still seems like a fully functional person. He just happens to dress like a bat. They never seemed to peg down the dark place he must constantly be in.
Damn, did this movie ever get that right.
The newest installment, entitled Batman Begins, is directed by Christopher Nolan (Memento). It takes the series back to the beginning, starting with the death of his parents (not by Jack Napier, who turned into the Joker, like the first Batman movie would have you believe. Don't know where Tim Burton came up with that one.) From there it shows Bruce Wayne (now played perfectly by Christian Bale) as a troubled youth, and enventually leaving Gotham to live a life of crime, to try and understand criminals. He is there found by Ducard, played brilliantly in this movie by Liam Neeson. Ducard tells Bruce Wayne that he works for the crime boss Ra's Al Ghul, played by Ken Watanabe. They train Wayne, hoping he will join them in their ulitmate plan, the destruction of Gotham.
Bruce Wayne returns to Gotham, where he meets with his old butler, Alfred, played by Michael Caine. I want to note that this is the first movie without Michael Gough playing Alfred. I was a little worried at this change. Alfred in my mind is so identifiable in Gough. My fears were not grounded at all. Caine is amazing here, truly something to see.
Bruce Wayne sees that Gotham has decended into a city of crime and sin. He sets about to clean up the city, to give the people of Gotham a pure and good symbol to get behind. Hence Batman.
This movie set a more realistic tone for the series. Nothing here is truly over the top. The only thing that comes close to that is the Scarecrow, one of the movies villians. But Cillian Murphy, who plays Scarecrow, manages to take a character that would have been laughable in the other Batman movies, and makes him into a truly scary demented villian.
Christian Bale is Batman, not other way to look at it. He owns this role. He is dark and disturbing, and only plays the role of young billionare to make sure no one begins to suspect him being Batman.
No one scene in the movie truly stands out. There's no one scene that will be replayed time and time again. Instead, this movie manages to make every scene play towards one purpose, the telling of the overall story. It works on every level.
I'm giving Batman Begins 5 Batmoblies out of 5 (because that Batmoblie is bitchin'). It may very well be the best movie of the year so far. And yes, I know Star Wars came out this year.
