Movie Minds

So the movie everyone wanted to see this summer finally came out. After all the buzz, all the hype, the tragic death of one of the stars, fanboys drooling over every photo and plot point, was it worth it? I think the answer on most people’s lips is HELL YES.

Honestly, I though Batman Begins was a great reboot of the franchise. Batman and Robin was such a colossal blunder, I thought what Chris Nolan and his cast pulled off was nothing more than miraculous. But what he did with this follow-up is almost inconceivable. Nolan didn’t take the Batman mythos and turn it on its ear. That would have been too easy. No, Nolan took Batman to a far darker place than ever before, staying within the established limits of the mythology. I don’t want to give too much away for those who may not have seen the movie yet, but suffice to say, GO NOW. Go see it as soon as you can. Just get up now and go see it. Don’t wait.

Christian Bale returns, of course, and once again pulls off both Batman and Bruce Wayne masterfully. He also seems to have mastered the voice, something I thought sounded a little forced in Batman Begins. Michael Caine is still a hoot as Alfred, and grows in his role as the emotional tether to his volatile employer. Morgan Freeman, who I think could play opposite a brick wall and still be interesting, adds more layers to the character of Lucius Fox, fleshing out a character that seemed pretty one-dimensional in the first flick. Gary Oldman gets a bit more of a work out, which suited me just fine. I thought he was criminally underused in Batman Begins. Yeah, I know he got to drive the Batmobile, but he didn’t get to do much else.

The newcomers do an excellent job holding their own as well. Aaron Eckhart plays Harvey Dent as a gallant noble hero, making it easy to understand why he is the “white” knight. He and Bale have some great scenes and play off each other nicely. His transformation into Two-Face isn’t as smooth as I would have liked, but Eckhart does a far sight better than Tommy Lee Jones did in Batman Forever. He brought a lot more menace and a lot less camp. Unfortunately for Maggie Gyllenhaal, she takes on the formidable challenge of Rachel Dawes, perhaps the most undeveloped and annoying character from Batman Begins. Played by Katie Holmes, I found Rachel to be shrill and self-righteous, and overly dramatic. I also don’t think Holmes is that great an actress. Gyllenhaal, on the other hand, has a lot of talent and does a great job with a role that is still underwritten. Gone is the shrillness, replaced with the conflict between her love for Bruce and her feelings on his actions.

Then there is Heath Ledger. Whether he deserves some kind of recognition with an Oscar or not, I can’t say. His family should be proud their son accomplished so much in such short time. They should be proud that he made this movie. The people I saw the movie with seemed a little underwhelmed regarding his take on the Joker. After all the hype and stories, I think that was inevitable. Still, I was amazed at the transformation. He seemed so natural in his performance, like he really had gone through whatever trauma sent the Joker over the edge. Do I think another actor could take his place? Yes, I do. But it wouldn’t be quite the same character. Ledger didn’t overplay the character’s little twitches and tics, but incorporated them subtly. What really got me was the laugh. The Joker’s laugh left me a little nervous, a little scared. It made me believe that this person was far beyond salvation, that he had found the darkest corner of his soul and started digging even deeper. With his bare hands.

The movie itself doesn’t feel like the 2.5 hours it’s advertised to be. Maybe it’s because Nolan paces the film so well, you never have reason to look at your watch. Maybe it’s because, at any time during the movie, what’s on the screen is so compelling, you can’t help but watch.

A little heads up to movie buffs, keep an eye out for character actor Nicky Katt in a cameo as a SWAT team member.

Also, I’d just like to put in a special mention to the Studio Cinema in Belmont, MA. I saw the film there while visiting friends. I thought it was a great place to see a film. It may only have one screen, but it’s a charming little cinema house and if you live in the area, I suggest you check it out.

First post in two weeks. I’m the man. Okay, so not really, but I had to get this out before the weekend. The same day I got to meet Gordon Liu at Fantasia Fest, I also got to meet three young filmmakers from Ottawa. Trevor Matthews, Patrick White, and Jon Knautz were at the fest to present Jack Brooks, Monster Slayer. I actually got to have dinner with them prior to the screening. They were nice guys, anxious to see how their film would play to a Montreal crowd. I was tagging along with a friend who had actually press credentials to the festival, so I was happy to just be there.

What a movie. Made on a tiny budget ($2.5 million Canadian dollars someone told me), these guys paid homage to 80s horror films in style. A very funny horror comedy, Jack Brooks is the sort of film big-name Canadian producers have failed to make for years. Eschewing CGI for practical effects, the film thrives in its gory glory. Not that things go too far. The story is fairly straight forward. As a boy, Jack Brooks watches as his whole family is devoured by a forest monster. Now an adult, Jack has anger management issues that cause him to lash out violently at the drop of a hat. His science professor at the night school he attends becomes possessed by the heart of a demon. Horror and hilarity ensue. Jack must face his fears to save the day. But can he?

Far from the ridiculous teen sex hijinks of Going the Distance or the just plain awful Foolproof, this homegrown flick plays to its audience without pandering to it. There are obvious nods to films like The Evil Dead and its sequels and Friday the 13th and less obvious nods to films like The Terminator. Most of the cast is Canadian, with a few Montreal actors popping up in supporting roles. The most delightful part of the film for me was seeing Robert Englund as the science teacher, Prof. Crowley. He plays the role for laughs and scores several. That he agreed to make the film was a casting coup for Matthews, White and Knautz. The fans at Fantasia were certainly thrilled to see him in another horror film. They cheered every time he was on screen.

It’s pretty obvious that I like this movie. I’d like to see it do as well as another certain Canadian film, Bon Cop Bad Cop, another film that shrugged arty pretension for fun entertainment. Certainly, with quality movies like this being made in Canada, maybe we’ll see more entertainment films coming out and less art films.

That said, I should note that the filmmakers have managed to secure an independent theatrical release of the movie Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal on July 25. It’ll be playing at the AMC Forum 22 in Montreal. I’ll be going back I think.  As well, for my readers down in the USA, the film is getting a limited release through Anchor Bay Media, opening in Chicago on August 1, LA and NY on August 8, and more cities after that. I’ll try and keep you updated.

Seriously, go see this film. It’s got thrills and chills but enough laughs to make sure you don’t spend the night scared some one-eyed jungle monster will come bursting through your window.

I’m all about the cheesy headlines, so get used to it. This weekend, I got to meet a true living legend in the world of Hong Kong movies. Gordon Liu, who most North American movie goers will remember as Pai Mei in Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol. 2, was in town this past weekend to present a digitally-restored version of Disciples of the 36th Chamber at Fantasia Fest. The print looked gorgeous and the stunts were immaculately choreographed. Liu introduced the film and then held a lengthy Q&A session with the audience. We were even treated to a brief kung fu demonstration. Afterwards, fans lined up in the lobby of the Hall building to meet the man, who graciously posed for countless photos and signed several autographs. Thanks to Chris Bumbray for the photo.

Hi.

This is, I hope, the start of something big. I love movies. I watch ‘em all the time. Now, I want to share my thoughts on them. Hopefully, you’ll like what I have to say. Even if you don’t, I hope you’ll take the time to express your opinion in the comments section. Thanks for stopping by.

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