Movies

A darker movie about the darker side of Bruce Wayne's life as he transitions into his role as Batman. After the first two Batman movies (starring Michael Keaton) Hollywood took a two movie hiatus giving us garbage instead. What they got away from was the dark cloud that Batman wears like a, well...cape.

Batman Begins takes us back to the beginning and shows us where Bruce Wayne first became afraid. It is this fear that he then turns to anger; an anger which he desires to use to rid Gotham City of the crime now rampant.

Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego Batman have always been portrayed as well polished and expert at their crafts; Bruce as head of a business empire and Batman as hero to Gotham City. What was nice about Batman Begins was how they showed how Bruce is just learning how to do both. He has a few growing pains and trips a few times along the way, but you see how he will improve over time into the gentleman hero he becomes.

I had initial doubts about Christian Bale starring in this movie, but he proved to be a worthy Batman. When I saw Liam Neeson and learned of his part in the story I was hesitant again, but he was great. I like both Bale and Neeson. Katie Holmes plays the now grown up version of Bruce's childhood playmate. She, like most if not all other roles she has played, brings nothing to the table. Luckily there is no depth built into her character so we did not have to deal with her often.

My one real complaint with the movie was how Batman acquires the toys that allow this hero with no superhuman abilities to do the amazing things he does. I rationalize how they did it by saying that, in the interest of time, it was best.

I also liked the following things:
1) They showed Gordon as a Seargant...so you don't only see Batman's rise to power.
2) They used a bad guy that Batman had not faced in the four previous movies made.

The things I wonder after having seen it:
1) The young boy who pops up twice while scenes take place in the Narrows, is his name by any chance Dick Grayson?
2) At the end of the movie there are many things left unfinished and when Gordon hands Batman the "calling card" of this other villain you have to wonder: Are they setting up to make more new Batman movies? Or are they simply helping to catch up to where Michael Keaton began?

This movie was done well overall. I was entertained throughout. I would like to see more done in the same style, even if it means a Batman/Joker battle involving neither Jack Nicholson nor Michael Keaton (especially if we get a special appearance from Harley Quinn).

I liked Batman Begins a lot. Go see it and hope with me that they make more.

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Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

From acclaimed writer Charlie Kaufman and visionary director Michel Gondry comes Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. An all-star cast shines in this comical and poignant look at breakups, breakdowns and breakthroughs.

Joel (Jim Carrey) is stunned to discover that his girlfriend, Clementine (Kate Winslet), has had their tumultuous relationship erased from her mind. Out of desperation, he contacts the inventor of the process, Dr. Howard Mierzwiak (Tom Wilkinson), to get the same treatment. But as his memories of Clementine begin to fade, Joel suddenly realizes how much he still loves her.

Kirsten Dunst, Mark Ruffalo and Elijah Wood co-star in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind -- a memorable firm that The Wall Street Journal calls "a romantic comedy unlike any other!"

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Jack: Hang on tightly, let go lightly.

With Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Marcia Gay Harden and Laura Linney. Directed by Clint Eastwood. Friends torn apart by tragedy are reunited after one loses a daughter to murder. Oscar winner for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.

After my review of the book Mystic River, one friend said he would be curious what I would think about the movie once I had finally seen it. I have now seen it. Please, read on.

Here you have an incredible cast working together to portray a story based upon a book that received relatively high praise. Take those two pieces and mash them together. What results is a movie that falls short on plot and even shorter on acting.

First allow me to clarify how short it fell on acting. EVERYONE in this film with the exception of Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn did an absolutely terrible job. The dialogue was forced and raw. Nothing seemed natural from them, any of them; especially the Savage brothers. Kevin Bacon is generally solid in any role he is given. Sean Penn absolutely blew me away. The passion he brought to this role absolutely sold me on his being Jimmy, not him playing Jimmy. Maybe to the chagrin of the rest of the cast his performance made them all look like amateurs.

The casting of Laura Linney (of whom I'm a huge fan. who knew?) and Tim Robbins in the roles they played was poor in the eyes of someone who read the book. I understand now more than ever why authors say that they do not want to option their novels to production studios. They have an idea of the characters in their head that cannot be translated into the best available big name actor. I had a picture of Dave Boyle in my head, Tim Robbins was far from it.

It fell short on plot as any movie will in regards to the book upon which it is based. There is so much detail in a book, detail that as a reader you consider important to the story. Director Clint Eastwood and I do not see eye to eye on which details should have made the movie and which should have not.

The movie was good. The book was better. Yes the disproportionate majority of the time, that will be the case. I was challenged to consider Mystic River as one that may fit in the minority, or at least do the book justice. I will say it did that. I recommend this movie anyway, but more so if you have not read the book.

P.S. There was a question regarding the ending of the movie in the forum thread linked below that was not given enough attention in the movie. The book does a much better job of explaining it, though they do elude to its explanation throughout the movie. You just have to dig a little deeper to find it. I will reply to that question there to avoid leaving any spoiler information in plane view.

P.P.S. Another complaint about the movie is regarding Sean Devine's (Bacon) wife. In the book he receives the same voiceless phone calls yet you are never sure it is his wife calling as he speculates to his partner. In the movie, the possibility that he is simply living too much in the past is destroyed as there are cut scenes to a woman on the other end of the phone apparently trying to gather the courage to speak to the husband on whom she walked out.

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