Short Review: Proof that even superheroes hate to go to work everyday.


Director Christopher Nolan has shown that even if you have your hero dressed up for Halloween, it doesn’t mean you have to play down to your audience. This is easily the best version of Batman to be produced. Where the Tim Burton line of Batman films were comical and goofy, this one is brooding and serious. I believe the latter is more suited to this hero. Batman is a guilt-ridden anti-hero, he’s not Superman. Nolan was very smart to take this opportunity to explore the underside of the conflicted post-modern hero.

Exposing the darker side of the Batman character is an interesting choice because he is essentially a god (notice the lower case). Today’s superheroes are much like the pantheon of Greek gods of old. They are a stopping point between us and God (notice the upper case). The superheroes (gods) are super human but sub-God. The Greek gods were powerful and controlled the fates of men but were flawed with lust and greed like man. It is interesting to see one of these fallen gods (Batman) be troubled with this situation. This film takes the fallen hero’s humanity very seriously and that makes this film worth the investment.


Christian Bale is a solid choice for this reinvention of the cinematic Batman. The darker take on Bruce Wayne is a perfect fit for Bale's intense performance style. He is the kind of performer who can read the instructions for a can opener and make it sound like its the launch codes of a nuclear warhead about to be unleashed. Bale's brooding presence heightens Wayne's guilt-ridden, conflicted personality. Through the strong display of Wayne's emotional baggage, his transformation into Batman makes more sense. In the goofier versions of the character, there was always a disconnect. He was heroic, yet he was dressed up like a bat - a shadowy vermin.

I appreciate that Nolan and David S. Goyer, who wrote the screenplay, have left us with a perfect set-up for the sequel. I won’t ruin the ending but with Gotham left in the state that it is in, the rise of The Joker is perfectly logical. The ending of the film is a far better beginning for The Joker than having him being dipped in a vat of goo as they did in the Burton version.

Too bad they messed up The Dark Knight so badly. For more on why The Dark Knight is useless, read my review.

Overall, this is a top-notch film that has more brains that a majority of films released today. By the time this film was released, Nolan had already proven himself to be a director of notable talent. This production marked him as one of the top of his generation

I highly recommend this film but would caution people with small children. While this is a superhero movie, there are some rough scenes that may frighten smaller kids to death. Be warned.


Related Reviews:
Christopher Nolan movies
Inception (2010)
The Prestige (2006)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Variety
Roger Ebert



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Labels: Christian Bale, Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, film, Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, movie review, superhero, Tom Wilkinson

Short Review: It's like The Matrix without all the black leather, pliable physics and all of that "There is no spoon" blathering.


Christopher Nolan (The Prestige, The Dark Knight, Memento) has established himself as the best director of his generation with this film. Then again, his generation includes directors like Brett Ratner, Ben Stiller and Ben Affleck, so he probably shouldn't start gripping his lapels too tightly.

This is a great movie. It is a masterful work. This is one of the most fully realized and complicated movies ever made. When I drag out the word "complicated", I mean Nolan tackles a plot with so many moving, interwoven layers that it is a technical marvel his movie is even comprehensible. The fact that one can walk away from the film with a clear understanding of what happened is worthy of an Oscar at the least.

Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Cobb, a guilt-ridden "extractor". He is a man who has the means, through technology, to enter a person's mind and rob secrets from their subconscious while the subject is in a dream state. Cobb and his partner Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are hired by the infinitely wealthy businessman Saito (Ken Watanabe) to reverse their methods. Saito wants the men to not steal a thought from a target, but implant an idea in a man's head. The target? Robert Fischer, Jr. (Cillian Murphy) the troubled heir of a newly dead energy tycoon. The idea? Fischer must have the idea to dismantle his father's massive business empire.

Cobb assembles a crew and gets to work. They knock Fischer out, enter his mind and proceed to drill down into his subconscious. The plot gets complicated when the crew begins to work, not only in Fischer's dreams, but in his dreams inside of his dreams, inside of his dream (and then a little deeper still). You read that correctly.

Nolan has his characters literally working through five different realms of consciousness at the same time and never loses control of his movie. It is logical, visually identifiable and amazingly coherent. This is an amazing feat of storytelling.

If working on all of these levels wasn't a big enough feat, there is the added layer of Cobb's subconscious mind intruding into the the dreams. As with all of Nolan's films, the major element of this story is remorse. Nolan seems obsessed with remorse and guilt. All of his heroes suffer from their pasts, tormented by what they did or did not do. Will Dormer in Insomnia is in anguish over his accidentally shooting his partner, Leonard in Memento is likewise troubled and Bruce Wayne (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight) is defined by his shame. Like these men, Cobb is stunted by the tragic suicide of his wife Mal (Marion Cotillard).

Cobb must overcome his guilt, define it, and ultimately reject it, if he is to move forward in his life. In tandem with Cobb, Fischer must likewise resolve his deeply painful issues with his deceased father. The pair of cathartic character arcs work seamlessly together and are thematically interwoven. Each compliments and enhances the other, bringing about an emotionally satisfying and intellectually fulfilling ending to the film. I've been writing reviews for years and trust me when I say, I don't get to use a sentence like that often.

If there is a downside to the film it is that the movie will be hindered by its connection to The Matrix. While this movie is certainly not a derivative of The Matrix, it will remind many of the sci-fi classic. The characters exist within a dream state. This means much of the movie's universe is pliable and weird things can and do happen. Reality is unsettled and it gets hard to know what is real and what is imaginary.

The Matrix is an important film for many technical and cinematic reasons. I do not mean to reduce its place. The fact is that The Matrix stoops to silly fight sequences, slow motion bullet trickery and is loaded down with meaningless philosophical mumbo jumbo. Inception is clearly the smarter film and avoids these thrill-ride gimmicks.


Nolan's film contains some striking special effects, but none of them are out of context nor overdone. He includes the visuals only when it enhances the story. The same goes with his fight sequences. There is a zero-gravity fight at one point. Instead of turning it into a display of "hey, ain't this cool" film making, Nolan has the fight, but keeps his eye on his narrative ball - moving his story forward.

This is a great film. It is as good as you have heard, if not better. It is a complex, moving film and stands as one of the better movies made in the past decade. It is possibly the best film since the turn of the century.*

It is worth seeing on the big screen. It is worth leaving your home, paying too much of your money for a ticket and sitting in a large crowd. That is saying something.


* - It takes more than one viewing to mark something as being the best of anything. Let's see if it holds up over time.




Related Reviews:
Christopher Nolan movies
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Prestige (2006)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Movie Freak
Cinema Blend



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You Are What You See:
Watching Movies Through a Christian Lens

Labels: Christopher Nolan, Cillian Murphy, Dileep Rao, Ellen Page, film, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ken Watanabe, Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine, movie review, Tom Berenger, Tom Hardy

Short Review: The second half doesn't mesh well with the first. Its like having a tilt-a-whirl at an festival that also has a hot dog eating contest. Sure, both on their own are fun but when mixed...


Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Millions, Trainspotting) is one of those directors who can be relied upon to build films that reinvigorate my love for cinema. Unfortunately, he is also one of those directors who can be relied upon to frustrate me by pulling me into a narrative only to fall apart in the final act. His works all begin wonderfully. They are visually engaging, his set ups are perfect and his talents are in full effect. Following the reversal scene in the middle of the film (at the literal middle of all stories there is a reversal where the plot is turned on its ear) Boyle's works all begin to stumble and eventually fall. Like his other works (except Millions which is simply dreadful) Sunshine is mostly brilliant with a touch of lame tossed in - which is a little like a chef spitting in your manicotti florentine for flavor. It does matter how good the cuisine is if the chef botches a part of the plate.

To give this film credit, it is a very smart work and will likely impress most lovers of science fiction. Until the final moments of the film this piece works brilliantly and provides one of the more engrossing science fiction films of recent years. A group of astronauts are sent on a mission to reignite the sun. The sun has begun to dim and the cast must send a payload of explosives into it in order to save all of humanity from dying in darkness. Their ship is the second mission to perform this act, the first group disappeared. As the group approaches the burning globe they slowly descend into insanity, paranoia and fear. Things turn stranger when they come across the first ship drifting in space, sending out a distress signal. This is the makings of a thoughtful character-centered piece and for the most part it delivers. Screenwriter Alex Garland's script is an intelligent and well crafted work and is rich in character and handles the narrative with a masterful hand. The brewing conflicts between the astronauts set against the slowly building stress of their circumstances is a thrill to watch. The elements of insanity and spirituality are likewise interesting. While I hammered home that the ending of this piece is clunky and disappointing, I also want to make certain you understand the piece leading up to it is just as marvelous.







Worldview:There is a serious spiritual side to this film and its not all good. The mystical Dr. Searle fawns over the sun and looks to find spiritual meaning in it. He stands before the sun with eye protection and bathes in its light. His sensual reaction to the light heightens the spiritual tone of these scenes. As the characters approach the sun Searle gets weirder in his thoughts and actions, like a zealot coming closer to holy ground.

In the end of the film, Captain Pinbacker, the ghostly captain of the first ship, is a frightening specter that attacks the crew members. He is a blurry demonic image who rambles about God making statements like "For seven years I spoke with God. He told me to take us all to Heaven." His destructive religious fervor is the main thrust of what he has become. While this may have been an attempt to cast all religious people in a poor light (pun unintended) the handling of this part of the script is so unfocused and inorganic that Pinbacker becomes a mushy stereotype rather than a polemic caricature.

The themes of man's solitary relation with God are touched upon but not investigated except under the shadow of Pinbacker's raging vengeance. In a story where people have been sent out into the vastness of space heading towards their probable doom, the lack of God in the proceedings (other than as a propellant for the villain) is illogical and a let down. People grow more towards God when alone and when under stress. It is interesting that some characters turn to paganism to quench this search for the Almighty but none of them seem to consider God, as he's normally presented, as a viable solution. The wispy references to spiritual matters only serves to undermine the otherwise intellectual flow of the piece. It's not that this movie should have had a never ending stream of Jesus references, but to remove him completely leaves a hole in the works. Ultimately, the work strives to be spiritual without committing to any theological strain and it therefore ends up being completely nonsensical in this regard. In other words, the script is so concerned with being abstract that it doesn't even do us the favor of being wrong - its just senseless.

Cautions: There's plenty of violence and on-screen death. This is a movie for adults.


Related Reviews:
Cillian Murphy movies
Batman Begins (2005)
Red Eye (2005)

Other Critic's Reviews:
DarkMatters: The Mind of Matt
Cinepinion

Labels: Cillian Murphy, Cliff Curtis, film, Michelle Yeoh, movie review, science fiction

Screenwriter: Sharman Macdonald
Director: John Maybury (The Jacket)
Actors: Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End), Cillian Murphy (Red Eye) and Sienna Miller (Stardust)

Labels: Cillian Murphy, film, Keira Knightley, movie trailer, Sienna Miller

Short Review: I understand the sequel will be even more claustrophobic and terrifying. The plot will involve a plane full of poor souls who have to watch film as the in-flight movie.



Wes Craven is not exactly known for his adherence to quality. He has spent his career littering the cultural landscape with more trash than a New Jersey landfill. This dim flick is little more than another chewed up Styrofoam cup in Craven’s cinematic heap.

The story revolves around…wait; I won’t use the word “revolves” that would imply some sense of spry movement. The story passively lumbers around the idea of Lisa (Rachel McAdams) a workaholic hotel manager who is taking a red eye flight to meet with her father (played by Brian Cox recreating his breakthrough role from Super Troopers.) She is then menaced by a creepy stranger named Rippner (Cillian Murphy.) Rippner (ohhh scary name!) blackmails Lisa (not important enough to be given a last name by the writer) to become a part of an assassination attempt of a senator who is staying in her hotel. If she calls the hotel and has the senator moved to a room facing the ocean so the bad guys can kill him, the bad guys won’t kill her daddy.

If you’re thinking this sounds like a stupid plot – you’re right, it is. It is spectacularly stupid.

To be fair, this film is good until the plot comes into play. The movie works for the first act while we watch Rachel McAdams and Cillian Murphy develop their relationship and characters. The moment the plot is exposed the whole film falls apart under the weight of its own broken logic.

This film is a vehicle for McAdams and in that effort is succeeds mildly. She shows she has the ability to command a simple film. She is also a very good-looking woman with an every day woman demeanor. Her performance in this film shows that she has an approachable charisma that will serve her well. Murphy kicks out another creepy performance that he seems able to give without much work. Playing against McAdams, he does well…until the stinky plot fouls his efforts.

To summarize, this film is neither worth the rental price nor the time it takes to watch it. I can say the film is as good as it can be, but that isn’t setting the bar very high. Unfortunately, with a plot this moronic, this movie was doomed from take off.


Related Reviews:
Rachel McAdams movies
Mean Girls (2004)
The Notebook (2004)


Other Critic's Reviews:
Film Freak Central
Screen It!

Labels: Cillian Murphy, film, movie review, Rachel McAdams, Wes Craven

This is a brilliant film, possibly the greatest horror film of all time...for the first fifty minutes. The first half of this movie is stunningly good. It redefines the zombie genre, giving us a realistic view of the world following such a catastrophe. Director Danny Boyle follows the first rule of horror: take it seriously. The reasons behind the zombie apocalypse are believable enough, as are the results. Jim (Cillian Murphy) wakes from a coma in a hospital bed, naked and confused. He finds the hospital is deserted and he has no idea how long he's been unconscious. He stumbles out on to the London streets to find them empty as well. The scenes of Jim's discovery are perfectly handled. When he discovers that the world has been consumed by an epidemic, and finds other survivors, the film really finds its groove. This film makes the zombies actually frightening since they're not undead, they're infected by a man-made virus. This means the classic shuffling undead slabs of evil meat are gone. These zombies run, and blindly attack in a violent rage. So, its a little like being in the parking lot of a futbol game.

Where the film falters is when Boyle decides to remove the characters from their abandoned urban setting, and has them travel out into the rural areas. There they come across a band of soldiers who are bunkered in a huge mansion. Once the heroes enter the mansion, effectively a second movie begins. This makes the film seem uneven and incomplete. A listen to the audio commentary will show that this is actually the case. Boyle cobbled together the second half of the movie in a short amount of time. The original storyline was more focused on the epidemic which caused the zombification of the population and was absolutely more satisfying thematically speaking. But this isn't a world of what could have been, its a world of what is, and this film is very strong but fractured. Its like looking at a wonderful piece of pottery but there's a huge crack in it. Sure its nice to look at and ultimately functional but its still broke.

As a huge fan of zombie movies, this stands as one of the best. This would be the only zombie film that has ever come close to challenging the original Night of the Living Dead as the best of its kind.


Cautions: As with any zombie movie, this film is drenched in blood and gore. The zombies projectile vomit blood and...well, generally act like zombies, eat people, tear them apart, etc. Those sensitive to fake blood will be best served by avoiding this movie like the plague - pun intended.


Worldview: Zombie movies tend to be Darwinist affairs where it is two species against one another: the human versus the zombie. The weak are decimated while those willing to do what it takes survive. This falls under the classification of "pick off movie" where a group of two dimensional characters are set up to be picked off one by one. It is traditional for filmmakers to attempt to use the zombie masses as a symbol of a social group. Or to use the zombie apocalypse as a delivery system for some grand social message, like the racism overtones in Night of the Living Dead. What's great about the zombie movies, and probably the reason I like them so much, is because they are immune to directorial messages. No matter how you dress it up, regardless of intent, you always just have a stupid story about zombies chasing people down. As someone who sees way too many movies and focuses on their messages and statements, the clean stupidity of a zombie movie is refreshing. Granted, the nihilistic core of the zombie template does impart a dim message to its audience and there's metaphysical issues that can be pondered. But again, most intellectual study is diminished by the fact that the messages are delivered by a raging torrent of gnashing undead.




Related Reviews:
Zombie movies
The Omega Man (1971)
28 Weeks Later (2007)


Other Critic's Reviews:
ReelViews
FilmStew

Labels: Cillian Murphy, film, movie review, zombie

Danny Boyle's zombie movie may be the best horror film since The Exorcist. Well, at least the first half of the film is that good.

As a bone fide zombie movie fan, I have to recommend this great reworking of the genre.

Labels: Cillian Murphy, Danny Boyle, epidemic, movie trailer, zombie

Short Review: The second half doesn't mesh well with the first. Its like having a tilt-a-whirl at an festival that also has a hot dog eating contest. Sure, both on their own are fun but when mixed...


Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Millions, Trainspotting) is one of those directors who can be relied upon to build films that reinvigorate my love for cinema. Unfortunately, he is also one of those directors who can be relied upon to frustrate me by pulling me into a narrative only to fall apart in the final act. His works all begin wonderfully. They are visually engaging, his set ups are perfect and his talents are in full effect. Following the reversal scene in the middle of the film (at the literal middle of all stories there is a reversal where the plot is turned on its ear) Boyle's works all begin to stumble and eventually fall. Like his other works (except Millions which is simply dreadful) Sunshine is mostly brilliant with a touch of lame tossed in - which is a little like a chef spitting in your manicotti florentine for flavor. It does matter how good the cuisine is if the chef botches a part of the plate.

To give this film credit, it is a very smart work and will likely impress most lovers of science fiction. Until the final moments of the film this piece works brilliantly and provides one of the more engrossing science fiction films of recent years. A group of astronauts are sent on a mission to reignite the sun. The sun has begun to dim and the cast must send a payload of explosives into it in order to save all of humanity from dying in darkness. Their ship is the second mission to perform this act, the first group disappeared. As the group approaches the burning globe they slowly descend into insanity, paranoia and fear. Things turn stranger when they come across the first ship drifting in space, sending out a distress signal. This is the makings of a thoughtful character-centered piece and for the most part it delivers. Screenwriter Alex Garland's script is an intelligent and well crafted work and is rich in character and handles the narrative with a masterful hand. The brewing conflicts between the astronauts set against the slowly building stress of their circumstances is a thrill to watch. The elements of insanity and spirituality are likewise interesting. While I hammered home that the ending of this piece is clunky and disappointing, I also want to make certain you understand the piece leading up to it is just as marvelous.

Labels: Cillian Murphy, Cliff Curtis, film, Michelle Yeoh, movie review, science fiction

Reviews:
PopMatters
Christian Spotlight on the Movies
Arrow in the Head


Director: Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Millions)
Screenwriter: Alex Garland (28 Days Later)
Actors: Cliff Curtis (Whale Rider), Cillian Murphy (Batman Begins), Michelle Yeoh (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)


Categories: DVD, movie trailer, Danny Boyle, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, Sunshine

Labels: Cillian Murphy, Cliff Curtis, Michelle Yeoh, movie trailer, science fiction