Dark knight

The new Batman film is now the biggest debut ever in U.S. box office history. The Dark Knight took in $155.34 million Fri-Sun. I have some reservations as to whether it’s worth all this.

In essence, The Dark Knight is a tired morality play rerun, too convoluted, too dense and too long. The plot has done before, frequently better. The nihilistic moral dilemmas are created by a clever sociopath for no apparent reason than to generate as much confusion and violence possible. After a while the viewer wonders what the point is.

There doesn’t seem to be one. The villain has no history, doesn’t want anything and doesn’t care about the outcome of his actions. Christian Bale consistently plays a straight man to the Joker. Aaron Eckhart overacts. Talented veterans Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman toss away peripheral roles. Gary Oldman delivers a soggy melodramatic performance. All have done much better in the past.
The film is carried stem to stern by the late Heath Ledger. It is a pretty safe bet that the film was built around Ledger, who appears in virtually every scene. Ledgers performance is very good, but not awe inspiring. The character is very original and Ledger plays him creatively, intensely and believably. Ledger works hard to create an original interpretation of the character, and occasionally goes a little over the top in scenes that would do better by more subtlety.
In essence I think this is yet another film that showcases the talents of one actor in an otherwise mediocre setting, much like “There will be blood” did for Daniel-Day Lewis and “No country for old men” did for Javier Bardem. Ledger’s performance was very watchable and consistently interesting. The rest of the cast fell on their swords to highlight Ledger. Will this get the very talented actor Heath Ledger an Oscar?

Sadly, I don’t think so. This performance, although very good, is not Oscar material. Ledger’s performance in “Brokeback Mountain” was Oscar material and it remains one of the great theatrical bonehead mistakes to give Best Actor award to overblown Philip Seymour Hoffman in 2005. I think history will remember Ledger for the Joker and Lionize him for Brokeback.

I give it three and a half of five smeared red scowls.

Star Trek 2008

It’s difficult to really savor this film unless you were a true Trekkie before it was fashionable to be a Trekkie. Back in the mid-60s, this was a TV series that died a miserable death in prime time, much like “Kings” (NBC) is doing now. The network perceived that no one was watching it and it was summarily dumped. Shortly thereafter, a deluge of letters arrived from outraged viewers demanding it back. It was canceled after three seasons and then lived on in syndication for another 30 years, generating multiple spin-offs and massive numbers of rabid enthusiasts as it went. Star Trek conventions continue to be the standard for weirdness today. Best original episode BTW is “City on the edge of forever”, written by Harlan Ellison, winner of the 1968 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. Should not be missed.

The film starts with the youthful versions of the original stars in random motion as they enter their careers. The fascination is appreciating the raw material for each as it’s wrought into the prophesy of their destiny. You see their destiny develop before your eyes, before they understand it. James T. Kirk is perfection as he massacres political correctness on his way into the Captain’s chair. The principal actors bear an uncanny resemblance to the originals in form and substance. The style of the film is visual and pyrotechnic. Director J.J. Abrams pushed the envelope with the visual effects and in the end delivered a Star Trek that is fresh and vibrant, while maintaining a commitment to character and story, The film is true to the ethos of the original but evolutionary. When the characters finally take their final form, they fall into places reserved for them, the essence of self fulfilling prophesies.

Former Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy) was invited back for a featured role but former Captain Kirk (William Shatner) was not. This seeming slight is borne out as the film progresses. There was a place in the story for Spock but it quickly becomes apparent that to put Shatner back into a cameo role would have been a distraction and would not have worked.

The film is not Academy Award material and there are a few weak points. But all things considered, it is a superb must-see for a new generation of fans.

I give it four and a half of five impertinent smirks.
—

District 9

In a fog of chick flicks, zombie epics and insipid action epics, this little jewel of a film is welcome and incredibly powerful.

Aliens have landed on Earth before, but never so anticlimactically in Johannesburg, South Africa. A dead in the water space vehicle hangs silently for months before curious technicians break in to find a million sick and dying aliens, who, once discovered must be cared for. Deposited in what amounts to a huge resettlement camp outside Johannesburg, the forces of social nature quickly apply.

Civility, propriety and legality within the overcrowded, miserable and filthy camp are suspended. Corporate weasels looking to make some kind of profit cover up the specter of unauthorized medical experiments on unwilling aliens. Ultimately they become undesirables the local citizens want moved anywhere else.

Finally a smarmy corporate bureaucrat (Sharlto Copley) is picked to lead the expedition that will resettle them in a worse site 200 km away, far from the city. Out of sight, out of mind. Incredibly silly, even for dense bureaucrats, the letter of the law needs to be fulfilled by getting each alien to sign off on an eviction notice, with predictable results.

During an eviction, Copley becomes contaminated with a substance meant to provide an escape attempt, and slowly begins to morph into an alien. This changes everything. The same corporate geeks that chose him for the assignment now want to dissect him, the Army is tired of chasing him and wants to kill him, and by a fortuitous turn of events, he discovers alignment and allegiances to survive he never dreamed of.

That’s all you get.

You will see some similarities to the 1986 film “Aliens” as it pertains to the interest of corporate entities looking to find a profit in dangerous endeavors. There’s an especially touching scene with the Alien frozen in shock after seeing what’s been done to his kind. It’s a very touching human moment.

Filmed in “Blair Witch” style, seemingly with hand held cameras, the production is stunning. Deftly directed by newcomer Neill Blomkamp and produced by the Stanley Kubrick of our generation, Peter Jackson.

Without compromising the end, I will tell you to keep an eye out for the last talking head news analyst asking a very interesting question about what comes next.

This is the best film of the summer and will probably be the best film of the year.

I give it four and a half of five squirming tentacles.

Get him to the Greek

At several points in the progression of the film, the sickly embodiment of the British rock scene explains his behavior as “That’s Rock & Roll!!”, a concept amenable to some exploration.

The medium of Rock has always been one of rebellion against conformity and conventionality. The musicality selects strains and chords evolved to selectively pull resonant strings of the human brain, abandoning order. Those drawn in march to their own desultory beat. Normally composed hominids become temporarily irrational and start ripping out seats at a Jerry Lee Lewis concert. Jerry Lee lights a piano on fire and is carried out with it by firemen, still playing. A surging crowd trying to get prime seats at a Who concert trample and kill eleven people. Concert-goers assault the Rolling Stones on stage at Altamont resulting in one death at the hands of the Hell’s Angels. Dimebag Darrel of Pantera is assassinated on stage.

The medium selects for those who actively live the dream. Rock is a high-risk high gain proposition. Those selected as the cast had no safety net and were drawn in at their jeopardy. Duane Allman thought he was immune to laws of traffic. Bonzo and Moonie thought they were immune to the toxicity of ethanol. Janis Joplin made love to 10,000 fans at the Fillmore and then went home alone. Hendrix couldn’t sleep without escalating soporifics that ultimately put him to sleep forever. Cobain chose the brief pain of a shotgun blast to end the constant pain of his life. Jim Morrison died alone in a bathtub.

Ray Manzrek has always said it was Jim Morrison’s karma to explore the outer reaches of human perception for vicarious onlookers from a safe vantage. Jim remains a stolid personification of Rock ideals; release from reason, self-validating expression and the quest for fulfillment in alternative consciousnesses. Watching him is a fascinating experience. He embodies total absorption with the unexplored universe of the mind. He doesn’t understand it either but he most definitely feels it. He takes us there, but we are ultimately as perplexed as he. We are a captive audience as we pass through the Doors of Perception. I still get that feeling all these years later.

Rock is the stuff of existential anti-heroism, inviting those seeking salvation by immersing their souls in cathartic rock media masquerading as social profundity. But in the cold glare of reality, Jim doesn’t wash well as a role model for self-enlightenment. He considered himself a serious poet, but ultimately found himself a “rock star”, shouting verse lost in the aura of performance. In the end, Jim could not, himself, find the values of freedom and self-expression his performance stood for and it shows in his life.

Ultimately it was found that there were consequences to the message of Rock. A number of very talented people found out those consequences the hard way in the early 70s. Perhaps prior lessons learned from the existential philosophers, most of whom went mad or suffered violent deaths, should have been heeded. Forty years later, Jim, Janis and Jimi remain examples of the fate awaiting those who reach too far for answers unobtainable.

Russell Brand as Aldous Snow does a fascinating job of channeling the archetypical Rock star of the 60s, warts and all. He has a very surprising range that I didn’t expect from this film, given the hype on TV variety shows. He has unusual presence and you really can’t take your eyes off him. He’s worth seeing the otherwise predictable and clichéd film in the groove of “Hangover”.

It gets three of five well-worn leather trousers.

“Pirate radio”

(The boat that rocked) starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, as a DJ on the famous pirate radio ship transmitting off the coast of England in the mid-60s, when official UK stations did not play rock and roll. Loosely based on Radio Caroline and Radio London broadcast to the UK from offshore ships or disused sea ports. Not technically illegal at the time because they broadcast from international waters. Naturally, the British government, unable to control the competition to the BBC, established Marine Broadcasting Offences Act of 1967, making them illegal. Of course, this made them more popular. By 1968 21 pirate radio stations were broadcasting to an estimated daily audience of 10 to 15 million. Today there are currently an estimated 150 active, unlicensed pirate radio stations in the UK.

Most of the actors in the film are rather obscure but all are well cast. The plot is silly and rambles but it has its moments, particularly watching flashes of the good UK citizens enjoying the music. The sound track is pure 60’s all the way and weaves its way into the proceedings. There is some truly funny but typically British dry humor and because of the accents you have to be quick to catch it. It was entertaining and enjoyable although not stellar acting. A bit of enjoyable fluff and more than a few good laughs.

Which brings me to how history tends to repeat itself. The exact same scenario is happening today, right now with bootleg peer-to-peer movement of movies and songs over the Internet. The Pirate Bay (www.piratebay.com) is the world’s largest repository grey area downloading, and the most visible promoter of a burgeoning international anti-copyright movement, said to have over 25 million unique peers and almost 4 million registered users. Although mired in multiple lawsuits, they continue to swashbuckle at this moment.

Rock and Roll is the perfect substrate for piracy. Were there no piracy, there would probably be no rock and roll. Rock and Roll is by its nature rude, irreverent, disrespectful and contemptuous of authority. The Count (Philip Seymour Hoffman) encapsulates as the ship begins to sink:

“To all our listeners, – God bless you all. And as for you bastards
in charge, don’t dream it’s over. Years will come, years will go, and
politicians will do all to make the world a better place. But all over
the world, young men and young women will always dream dreams
and put those dreams into song. Nothing important dies tonight,
just a few ugly guys on a crappy ship. The only sadness tonight
is that, in future years, there’ll be so many fantastic songs that
it will not be our privilege to play. But, believe you me, they will
still be written, they will still be sung and they will be the wonder
of the world”.

Post Script: Meat Loaf (Bat out of Hell II -Back into Hell) (2002)-

“So, I took my guitar and I smashed it against the wall,
I smashed it against the body of a varsity cheerleader,
I smashed it against a 1981 Harley Davidson.
The Harley howled in pain.
The guitar howled in heat.
And I ran up the stairs to my parents’ bedroom
I raised the guitar high above my head,
and just as I was about to bring the guitar crashing
down upon the centre of the bed, My father woke up screaming: “Stop! Stop it boy! What do you think you’re doing? That’s no way to treat an expensive musical instrument!” And I said “Dammit Dad! You know I love you, but you’ve got a hell of a lot to learn about rock and roll!”

I give it three of five power chords strangling a Shure PGX14-85-J6 microphone.

Avitar

Historically, there have only been three quantum leaps in film: sound, color and Avatar. The latter of this triad is Infinitely bigger than the tepid reviews of those that don’t understand exactly what’s happening. It’s the first time 3-D perspective works. It’s a very, very big deal. An absolutely pivotal leap.

The golden age of 3-D was the late 50s. The most memorable film produced as such was House of Wax, starring Vincent Price (1953). Only a relatively small portion of the film was in 3-D and the audience had to take their glasses on and off. The wax spilled out into the audience, sort of. It didn’t work very well and generally made audiences dizzy more than anything else. It fizzled quickly as did the next big thing in the early 60s, Cinerama.

Then there was the “feelies”. The theater wired a few seats with vibrators and turned them on during scary parts to generate screams from the few that quickly recruited the rest of the audience. It flopped after one film “The Tingler” (1959).

3-D is back with new technology and a massive impact. Ignore the tepid reviews are from those that try to see academic logic of the story line. Why would an advanced race of people use bow and arrows? Why would humanoid creatures have only a few characteristics that make them alien? This is nonsense. People don’t go to films to get a Masters Degree in anthropology. They go like kids to marvel at the story and fantasize about the action. This film puts the viewer closer than ever to both.

Writer, Director, Producer James Cameron is indeed the king of the world in 2010. The story line is adequate, not inspired but we can forgive Cameron because of the incredible effects that really must be seen (preferably on IMAX) to be believed. It’s a little long but it goes quickly. Mauro Fiore’s cinematography is beyond amazing. You believe in Pandora and you become part of it.

This is a MUST SEE (IMAX). It is a view of things to come.

I give it four and a half of five ten-foot tall yellow eyed, blue people.

Iron Man

Started out with lots of promise. Robert Downey is just the right measure of insouciance, narcissism and quick witted humor to make him the perfect not-quite super-not-quite-hero. Bumbling through life with equal parts dumb luck and aimless purpose works for Downey. His performance in front of the Senate Committee on something-or-other was perfect. Mickey Roark pulls it off as the villain for the first 30 minutes or so.

OK, Two AC/DC songs work well, the action scenes are OK but start to get pretty busy near the end. Then about the time the plot should start taking off, things fall apart and the film never recoups. Still playing “The Wrestler”, Mickey Roark turns into a mumbling dumbwaiter. Gwyneth Paltrow fusses and fumes and never shows anything put pretty nice legs. Scarlett Johansson doesn’t pull off the Emma Peel routine. Sam Rockwell is too smarmy for too long. The rest of the actors are entirely forgettable and most of their participation detracts from the plot.

I think it showed promise for about 45 minutes, then started bogging down, the characters lost their attraction and it went up in a big fireball. Robert Downey is as good as it gets for portraying iterations of his probable basic personality. I would like to see him with better direction and screenplay. Mickey Roark is a very strange duck in real life as well, and this comes across on the screen. It’s time to move on to new characters.

I think this film is “Just OK”, and would be a good candidate to wait till it comes out on DVD.

I give it two and a half of five palladium crystals, wearing out at about the same rate this film does after the first 45 minutes.

Taking Chance

If you haven’t seen “Taking Chance”, it isn’t surprising. It was never released to theaters, tubed straight to HBO, a fate usually reserved for losers. But this is a remarkable exception. Said to have been officially discouraged by the Marine Corps, they did, in fact, render very accurate detail about the content, behind-the-scenes details of the trip home for a fallen soldier in Iraq. It is a drama presented as a documentary, and it works only too well. It is a film in the spirit of “Saving Private Ryan”, updated to 2009.

It is at once a very inspiring and disquieting film. Very few know the rituals involving bringing a body back from overseas, preparing it for the funeral and accompanying if to the funeral (every step of the way by a Marine escort). The details of this ritual are interspaced during the trip and are spellbinding. Remarkable care is shown by those who come in contact with the remains at each stage of the journey. It is truly haunting. I had no idea.

This is a film that transcends politics and governance. It is simply a view of the respect and dignity offered by his country to a young person who died under honorable circumstances. A powerful reminder that their deaths did take place, and that their lives mattered. The story is simple and honest. The dialog is brief. Kevin Bacon shines like a beacon, absolutely his best ever heartfelt performance ever.

If not making the rounds of HBO, it is avaialble on the torrents. I will mail to anyone wanting it via or on DVD. It’s an 800 MB .AVI file.

Unrated by me out of respect for the content.

There will be blood

I wondered why this film had not been released in wide distribution until after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences nominated it for eight awards. I see why tonight.

I am seeing a trend away from classic film structure in which there is a beginning, a trail to a dilemma, a consideration of the dilemma, a resolution and an ending where the principals go on happier or sadder. The films that are getting critical acclaim are structured to give the stars opportunity to show their depth, breadth and range not how they fit into a plot. But in so doing, they tend to bore many moviegoers expecting (and adapted to) tradition. I suspect that had this film been opened in wide distribution initially, it would have died at the box office. But after it got a big Academy Award splash, the pent up demand will push it further along. Savvy marketing.

That isn’t to say that it isn’t worth a look, it is, even at two hours and forty minutes. But like similarly acclaimed Michael Clayton, and to some degree “3:10 to Yuma”, it has no flashing lights and bells. What it does have is showcase the incredible talent of Daniel Day-Lewis, an actor whose range appears to be limitless. Day-Lewis is given the opportunity to do what he does, not interpret his role but to become it. His performance simply cannot be over-rated.

The Rolling Stone review transcends mine so I will reiterate it verbatim: “Gargantuan is a puny word to describe (Day-Lewis’s) landmark performance. Try electrifying or volcanic or anything else that sounds dangerous if you get too close. His triumph is in making us see ourselves in Plainview, no matter how much we want to turn away. Day-Lewis and Anderson — a huge talent with an uncompromising gift for language and composition — are out to batter every cliché Hollywood holds dear. There Will Be Blood hits with hurricane force. Lovers of formula and sugarcoating will hate it. Screw them. In terms of excitement, imagination and rule-busting experimentation, it’s a gusher”.

All factors considered, I give it four and a half of five oil soaked Western hats.

Only in limited release, and with mixed notices, this gem of a film reminds you not to look too closely at reviews (except mine). Lately reviewers cater to the need for constant stimulation from CGI and endless action, most of it gratuitous. This film is crafted with subtlety and texture that draws the viewer in slowly but relentlessly and ultimately with great satisfaction.

It’s a simple tale, eloquently told and superbly interpreted by masters of their art. Set in the rural South, an aging curmudgeon plots a funeral in which he’s there to hear the stories about him. The old guy has been a mystery to the area for 40 years and he wants some dark secret to come out before he dies. The plot starts slowly and builds progressively to a moving climax that today would not have rated a fifteen second aside on any local news. All of these actors, Duvall, Bill Murray and Sissy Spacek are maturing wonderfully in their crafts.

A deathly silent theater audience greets the climax as Robert Duvall proves his worth as one of the greatest actors of our time. The cinematography makes the period landscape leap out. The sound track is incredible, culminating in a song you’ll remember by Allison Krause.

Seasoned actors now have the clout to make films they want, and their maturity shows. These films are usually in limited release and need to be sought out, as they aren’t heavily marketed, especially if they don’t star Sly Stallone and 3D. Get Low (a term uttered only once) is a must-see if you appreciate the pinnacle of actors at their finest. Don’t expect pyrotechnics. Just quietly observe the best of the best at work.

It gets FIVE (yes FIVE) of five Model A Hearses.