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On to Batman Begins where it all began tonight (I'm seeing them in reverse order, for variety).
Solid film with a good score.
I finished off my reverse Nolan Bat-thon tonight with Batman Begins. The first of the reboot films and the one that started that craze. What a blast it was to see this again after many years. I remember my first time seeing this in the theatre. I came away with my faith restored in Batman, after Schumacher's horrid disgrace from 8 years before.
Everything is near perfect in this film. Liam owns Ra's Al Ghul, and I'm sure his performance here is what inspired Pierre Morel to cast him as the badass Bryan Mills in Taken. Katie Holmes is the best Rachel Dawes imho, and imbues her character with a lot of spirit and pluck. Christian Bale is magnificent as Bruce Wayne in this origin story, and really acts beyond his (at the time) young 31 years. His scenes with Neeson are 'real' and one feels an almost symbiotic bond between these two men on account of their acting. Michael Caine as Alfred is a stroke of genius, and Gary Oldman confers James Gordon with a necessary humanity, integrity and compassion. Morgan Freeman is also brilliant as Lucius Fox (Batman's Q) and the great Rutger Hauer is just superb as the oily businessman Richard Earle.
The score by Hans Zimmer & James Newton Howard is soaring & memorable. I remember wondering how these two would match Danny Elfman's classic work on Batman (1989), and they did that and then some.
I just love how this film is so adult oriented, and delves into Wayne's damaged psyche, under which lies an honourable man intent on living up to his father's legacy.
While doing that admirably, it also gives us enough cheap thrills - e.g. I forgot just how exciting the first appearance of the Tumbler in action is. Seeing it fly over those rooftops at night is still a thing of wonder.
The only negative (and it's a small one) is the Narrows in the film's finale does look CGI created. It's well done, but nevertheless stands out in a trilogy where nearly everything else is so realistic. I can forgive it, as they probably didn't have the budget, given this was a franchise resurrecting film similar to GE for Bond after the long 6 yr gap.
I'm glad I watched this landmark trilogy again. I wish I had done it last year, out of respect for the 10th anniversary, but better late than never. Thank you Chris Nolan for delivering a masterpiece in the superhero genre. I hope that one day this work can be surpassed, but I highly doubt it.
http://www.firstshowing.net/2015/10-years-later-how-nolans-batman-begins-redefined-a-dark-knight/
Excellent reviews, all 3 of them, thanks. I enjoyed reading them. The reverse order of watching a trilogy seems peculiar to me, but as long as you enjoyed them... I'll need to unwrap my blu-ray box one of these days, and watch them - last seen at BFI IMAX in London in August last year (well worth the trip alone). Just reading reviews like yours makes me go all happy-dreamy-smiling-and-a-bit-emotional. I guess I'll forever have a soft spot for a lot of the people involved - the director, the cinematographer, the composers, most of the cast; I mean... I see a pic of Rade Serbedzija (Homeless Man) with Bale in a restaurant somewhere (while they were shooting The Promise last year), and am just pleased to learn Serbedzija is in that cast, too. (Irrational, I know.)
Absolutely entertaining film. 80 minutes of Clive Owen being a total badass and shooting tons of goons. Killer soundtrack, hardcore action scenes, plenty of humour and a very sexyful Monica Belucci. Extremely fun film - I already want to see it again.
That's a great film.
John Wick tried to do a similar thing and failed miserably in my opinion. It forgot to have a sense of humour. Shoot 'Em Up nails it.
I found the action tediously repetitive. No imagination or suspense whatsoever.
Thankfully, 'John Wick' wasn't trying to be an OTT action-comedy like 'Shoot 'Em Up' was. They're two completely different movies. 'John Wick' is as effective and "funny" as 'Taken' is.
Wild Bill (1995)
Jeff Bridges was excellent as usual. An entertaining western.
WΔZ (2007)
At best mildly interesting, at worst disgusting, on the whole just bad, and a waste of time.
Deception (2008)
Ewan McGregor, Michelle Williams and Hugh Jackman in a very predictable thriller (sans thrills, though). Meh.
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
For just under 2 hours this felt very, very long. Melancholy and kinda heavy, and weird, but with an excellent cast, with Philip Seymour Hoffman as the lead.
Frank (2014)
Before the fantastic Room, Lenny Abrahamson directed this, an interesting, unusual drama about a young man (Domhnall Gleeson) joining an experimental band, whose lead singer (Michael Fassbender) always wears a large papier-maché head. Both funny and sad, and sort of fascinating.
This film was suggested to me in this very thread a couple of pages ago and I couldn't be more grateful for that. What a masterpiece of storytelling and acting this is! Remarkable performance by Sean Connery in his GOLDFINGER days. The only thing missing is a John Barry score.
THE KEEP
Tangerine Dream's atmospheric score is potentially the only thing that kept THE KEEP from being forgotten; that and of course Michael Mann's name attached to it. Mann wrote the screenplay and directed the film, but I'm still convinced it's not a project he was able to give his heart. With heavy studio interference, a budget far too small to achieve the required effects and a subject matter that isn't in Mann's comfort zone, THE KEEP turned into a complicated mess which even the 210 minute cut can't solve. Yet despite these downsides, it's interesting to see the likes of Scott Glenn, Jürgen Prochnow, Ian McKellen and Gabriel Byrne assembled in this supernatural horror flick, set in WWII Romania. The film delivers a few strangely entertaining moments, full of colourful visuals and beautiful sound effects. It's arguably the least of Mann's films in many respects, but I don't think it's a bad film as such.
Glad you liked it, @DarthDimi. Yes, it's hell of a movie. Although, it's made long before Goldfinger, I'd say with Connery in his From Russia With Love days.
What do you get for the man who has everything? This is the question posed by The Game, one of David Fincher’s most unique and intriguing films imho. Nicholas Van Horton, played by Michael Douglas, is a multi-millionaire businessman. He has it all. Successful career, money. He’s a man in control, but a cold and arrogant one as a result. One day he receives a call for lunch. From that point onwards things get interesting. Very interesting. By the end of it all, Van Horton's life is turned upside down.
This is one of my favourite films. It blew me away in the theatre, and it did so again today. It has typical superb direction by Fincher, a superior, moody score by the great Howard Shore (of Lord of the Rings fame), and an excellent performance by Douglas, the master of playing the wealthy businessman who you love to hate, but also can’t help being sympathetic for. Sean Penn is also brilliant in a small role, and other supporting cast members including Deborah Kara Unger & Armin Mueller-Stahl are also stellar.
I won’t spoil this film for you if you’ve not seen it. Just get it, watch it and be prepared to be impressed by one of the late 90’s most inventive thrillers.
Highly Recommended, but try to avoid spoilers
Gets better and better with everything viewing, I'm really looking forward to both the return of Ferguson in the sixth, and that glass bridge sequence that got canned in this due to budget issues.
I think this might be one of the best films ever. Amazing shots, intelligent story and brilliant performances by top class actors like Marcello Mastroianni, Jeanne Moreau and the incredible Monica Vitti.
Must see for cinephiles.