Movie 111 Batman Begins

For starters, this will probably not be a short review. Batman Begins is one of my top 5 favorite movies of all time, and Christian Bale is one of my favorite actors to watch play his roles.

Now restarting this franchise was something that surely Christopher Nolan and the studio knew had to be done correctly. I thought at first that Bale was a stretch for Batman. He had smaller roles, in much smaller films, and then he was thrown into one of the most well known, and loved, super heroes of all time. I think that what they did with the Batman story gave much more depth than what was provided to movie goers with the batman movies of the 90's. Gave him a real purpose and reason to do what he is doing. I felt that the old batman movies he got turned into James Bond with a batsuit. Fighting crime just because, and having all the money for the gadgets and the women. Just like with the Transformers franchise, ignoring most of the previous fiction as to build the character the way they saw fit, was really the best way to reopen the franchise to a new audience. This batman universe has a much more real, tangible, and dark feel to it than before.

Now having Bruce Waynes parents killed by someone other than joker allows Nolan to create a Gotham City that is truly in disarray. There still has to be a central antagonist, but the city itself is as much an enemy as the "bad guy". Also building the character from the ground up, we are shown why Bruce eventually picks the bat as his symbol, not simply because it is a universally feared creature, but it is his own deepest fear that he is using against his enemies. The movie spends the better part of an hour, showing you Wayne's journey from childhood, to leaving Gotham, only to return again with his focus set. Still there are some people who hate this departure from what we "knew" Batman was before, and that is fine, because I think this version is much more real and successful.

The acting quality in this movie is outstanding. Not only do we have Bale playing batman, and playing it well. We have a supporting cast including Micheal Cane as Alfred, Liam Neeson as Ducard, Morgan Freeman as Lucious Fox, Cillian Murphy as Dr. Crane, as well as others. Nolan set out to surround Wayne by high quality acting to really make it seem like he was in the world we were told he was in. I could go on and on about Bales performance, and I know most people have seen the transformation he went through, but here it is again for perspective. He was down to nearly 100 pounds for his role in "The Machinist". His next movie was Batman, which it has been said he was near 200 lbs. And then his latest film, "The Fighter" he was down to 120 lbs again, and the next film after that? That's right the next Batman installment. Incredible dedication to his craft.

Now obviously not only was Bale essential to bringing back Batman, but Nolan continued his successful directorial works. Starting with "Momento" in 2000, he has made some of the most memorable, and popular movie of the last decade. Also directing "The Prestige", "The Dark Knight", and "Inception", five of Nolan's seven movies are in the top 100 movies, which is very impressive.


Overall this was a well produced, well acted, well directed ressurrection of the most popular super hero movie franchise of the last 30 years. If you are like me, and you enjoy watching a movie where the lead character makes his name by doing what he thinks is right, no matter the cost, no matter the pain, then it is a no-brainer and must be part of your collection.

Rating: 4.8 Must see, must own.

The Fighter, and other movie thoughts

So I went and saw The Fighter after a birthday dinner last night, and it was definitely a little different that what I was expecting. When you think about it, there have been so many boxing movies it should be old by now. Here is a list of them, that I have "borrowed" from Bill Simmons' article on espn.com "Rocky"; "The Greatest"; "Rocky II"; "The Champ"; "The Main Event"; "Penitentiary"; "Raging Bull"; "Body and Soul"; "Penitentiary II"; "Rocky III"; "Tough Enough"; "Rocky IV"; "Teen Wolf II"; "Penitentiary III"; "Rocky V"; "Play It to the Bone"; "Gladiator"; "Diggstown"; "When We Were Kings"; "The Great White Hype"; "The Hurricane"; "The Boxer"; "Rocky Marciano"; "Girlfight"; "Ali"; "Undisputed"; "Million Dollar Baby"; "Against the Ropes"; "Cinderella Man"; "Undisputed II"; "Rocky Balboa"; "Resurrecting the Champ"; "The Hammer"; "Fighting"; "The Fighter."

Some of those I would hardly call boxing movies, Gladiator? Teen Wolf II? A stretch to say the least, but it still illustrates Hollywoods love of the boxing movie. And it makes sense, most boxers are a rags to riches story of overcoming overwhelming odds, and personal trials and tribulations. "The Fighter" is no different.

Where it is different however is that it deals with Ward's, Mark Wahlberg, personal life, for nearly the entire movie. The boxing scenes are actually fairly short, and not all that impressive. For all the work that clearly actors go through for getting in "boxing" shape, it does not get a lot of screen time in this movie. He still is more ripped than ill ever be, but really its a drama with boxing on the side.

Wahlberg plays his typical role, good guy trying hard, soft spoken and trying to please everyone. He does it well, and although its predictable from him, it is still an enjoyable performance. Christian Bale on the otherhand gave a spectacular performance as the drug riddled ex-boxer brother. When he is on screen he steals the show, and you almost wish the movie was solely about him, with Wahlberg on the side. And to think that he has to put another 60-70 pounds again after filming for the next batman, much like he had to going from "The Machinist" to "Batman Begins".

Overall it was enjoyable, gave a good 90's feel with the locations and details, yet fell through on trying to get you to really connect with the main character. If you want a really good boxing movie of late, go rent/netflix/however you acquire your movies, "Cinderella Man".

Rating: 3.7 Thumb and a quarter, probably a renter.

I went through the Top 100 on IMDB.com again this morning and tallied all the movies that I have seen that are on the list, stopping at strictly 100 for comparison purposes. I have seen a total of 32 of the top 100, which is ok, but there are lots of movies that I should have seen by now that I have not, thus explaining why im doing this anyway right. Also looked at the bottom 100, and luckily I have only seen one of them, "Meet the Spartans". Trust me, were I not having a dinner night at someone else's house, I would have never chosen to watch it on my own time. It definitely deserves its bottom 100 rating.

I'm just sayin...

Movie 112 Princess Mononoke

I finally got around to watching Movie 112 on IMDB.com's top 250. I started at 112 because everything from 77-112 are all rated 8.3, and I felt that they should all count as 77, like when people are tied for a position. I do not care if you like that logic or not, because that is what im doing.

For starters I was slightly surprised to find this anime on the list. There is also another from the same director/writer Hayao Miyazaki, named Spirited away. It is much higher on the list at 49. I mainly find this surprising because for all of our love of Disney films, both animated and computer animated, most people have this baseless distaste for anime. I guess they think of Pokemon, or they know some of the "anime" crowd and how different they seem to be, like what they watch made them be different not just having different points of view to begin with. The easiest way to watch any of the Miyazaki films, is to watch them like you would watch most dramas. This is not a cartoon, this is a movie. If the characters happen to be cutesy, it is not because it is supposed to be lighthearted, it is just the style. Lastly, at least with this anime, any humor that appears is supposed to make you quietly chuckle at most, there is no "lols" with this animated film.

I have watched several of his other works and they are very very good movies. Clear story to be told, strong main characters, and a morally good resolution for even some of the more dark characters in the film. I watched the English dubbed version, which includes the voice work of Billy Bob Thorton, Claire Danes, Gillian Anderson, Billy Crudup, and Keith David. To most anime purists, both you and i know who you are, would say that dubbed versions of these films are heinous. If its bad and cheesy, like a lot of the lower budget/smaller market shows that come over, I might agree, but a movie like this with the production that is put into it, the English dubbing actually comes off quite natural and well done.

As with most movies, the music helps really set the mood for the viewer, and this movie does not disappoint. It gives you both the older, rural Japanese feel, as well as setting the tension for the events throughout the film. If you heard the music on its own, you would be able to clearly tell that it was asian in nature and it could stand as its own work.

The pacing to the movie is, ok. It comes in at a little longer than two hours, so not on the short side, and it lulls a little bit in the middle like most films, but it definitely helps round out the characters relationships that ultimately determine their actions at the climax of the movie.

The quality of the animation is superb, and it will not leave you with wanting anything more from the visual standpoint. Miyazaki's films all provide a surreal experience at times, giving you visuals that are definitely stretching the imagination, trying to show a larger picture than what is happening right here right now. Also using animation lets them show you everything in extreme ways if need be, which for reasons of blood and gore, I would definitely give a warning to parents with very little kids.

Overall, while I find the underlying theme of nature conservation, that can be found in many anime titles including Nausicaa, also of Miyazaki, and Vexille, a little overplayed, it tells a good story about doing the right thing no matter the cost, and showing what good deeds can do, even for those who seem wicked at heart. I enjoyed the film and am looking forward to the next anime on the list.

Final rating: 4.2 or two thumbs up, or whatever, just go watch it yourself because you will probably enjoy it.

Next movie: #111 Batman Begins until then,
I'm just sayin...

Tron Legacy

Now clearly this is not a beginning to the top 100 movies of all time. Just my review of Tron sequel that many people have been waiting quite a while for.

Now for starters, the original Tron movie, was by no means a commercial success. The arcade game made more revenue than the movie did. For any movie even nowadays that would not be a success. Some of us though have fond memories of watching it when we were kids, and enjoyed the experience and the idea that someone could be sucked into a video game world. Also much of the sequel definitely plays on knowing what happened in the past as well as re-using some dialogue to add to the connection between the two.

Several people have asked me if they should watch the original first, and I say yes and no. Yes because it will give you a better understanding of the movie as a whole, and it will give you a clear understanding of who Tron is, something that is not terribly well explained in Legacy. I say no because it may ruin those memories of Tron being a good movie, it is not. The dialog is pretty bad. Tron even says at one point, "We've made it. This far." It was not in response to anything, or a really particularly distinct point in their journey, terribly awkward and not well thought out.

Now on to Tron Legacy. It was made with the old movie in mind, but with the imagination that only todays technology could fulfill. For starters the look and feel of the movie is very very good. Convincing yet still you know that you are in a digital world. The movie starts off very fasted pace, and pushes into the digital world almost as fast as they can. In doing that they do not develop Sam's character very much. Sam Flynn, played by Garrett Hedlund, is of course Kevin Flynn's, Jeff Bridges, son. I did not remember his face off the top of my head, but after looking he played the youngest brother in Four Brothers. Garrett preformed very well, even though his character was not given much depth to begin with.

Everything you expect from Tron is there, lightcycles, identity disks, recognizers, and even the tanks make a brief appearance. Even though Legacy wanted to pay its dues to the old fans and the original movie, they dont get caught up in giving us the same thing just with a new skin. It is something that has been done with some success for other franchises that have been brought back as of late, Transformers and Star Trek most notable, than give enough to the purists to keep them moderately pleased, and an overall experience that can appeal to any audience regardless of prior knowledge or interest in the universe.

The movie stays pretty fast paced throughout. It slows down a little at times to try and keep the story up to speed, but action scenes are this films vehicle to advancing you from one place to another. My favorite scene is the light fighter dog fighting near the end of the movie. The light cycle race is cool, but this was awesome. If was a fitting action sequence for the movie and if you are not satisfied by then, the movie lost you an hour ago.

Overall i really enjoyed the movie. It probably would have been better off as a summer action type movie, rather than a Christmas time movie, which is usually more family oriented and light-hearted. It gave the Tron fans enough to really tie the movies together, and it was so complicated that any newcomer to the name Tron couldn't follow this film. The acting performances were good enough, even Olivia Wilde who in the previews just looks like a pretty face, turns in a good effort playing her role.

My rating: 3.9/5 Its a good fluff movie, it is a good ride, you just want more when its over. It wont win any oscars acting awards, but that soundtrack is pretty much a lock for best musical score. Daft Punk did and amazing job putting the mood into the movie with the score.

I Love Movies

I hoped that would be obvious, but just so you are sure. I definitely love watching movies, and it truly is a good escape for anyone when they get down on things. I have seen plenty of people talk about movies, and claim to be movie buffs, and try to compare a fluff movie to The Godfather and think they sound intelligent saying The Godfather is a better movie. Really, because I could not have figured that one out. Many movies are good when looked at in the context that they were made, even though on a grand scale they probably belong in the razzies.

I found that I have not seen as many of the "great" movies as I thought I have. So I now have a mission, to watch the top 100(ish) movies on IMDB.com and review every single one of them. Its a challenge and a great learning experience that I think will keep my occupied for quite some time. I will also review new movies and post interesting movie news from time to time. That is about if for any opening post, now I'll go write something with some meaning...