'A Way Out' is a 2011 short film made by Stian Hafstad as part of a directing course. The film stars Diogo Cronemberger, Sunmi Cho and Tianyi Li. The film revolves around a young boy (Cronemberger) who wakes up to discover a mysterious disturbance in his room.
When making this film, Hafstad had to stick to two rules, and these were that it had to be one continuous shot and that there had to be no dialogue. It's only just over two minutes long but I think he does a good job considering he wasn't allowed any dialogue, it feels like something out of an episode of Doctor Who. The best bit is the score by Kevin Macleod, I think he did a really good job at making up for their being no dialogue. I'll say this though, it by far isn't the best short film I've seen, but it definitely isn't the worst. He could have done a better job at getting the story across to us, there's one gaping question right in the middle that doesn't make sense.
The link for 'A Way Out' is below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUR9imgXyVE
I'm going to give 'A Way Out' 6/10.
Monday, 11 June 2012
Sunday, 10 June 2012
Answering Prometheus Questions (Future Post)
Since 'Prometheus' left us all on the edge of our seats expecting questions to be answered, but instead leaving us with more questions, I have decided to write a blog post going through and answering as many questions as I can about the film. It wouldn't be true science fiction without leaving us confused.
I would really like it if people could leave comments with their own questions about the movie, it will be better for you, for me and it'll make a better end result.
Hopefully I'll be able to get this post finished by tonight, if not then tomorrow for definite.
Keep checking in!
I would really like it if people could leave comments with their own questions about the movie, it will be better for you, for me and it'll make a better end result.
Hopefully I'll be able to get this post finished by tonight, if not then tomorrow for definite.
Keep checking in!
Weekly Blu Ray Review: Aliens, Highlander and Rise of the Planet of the Apes
This is my list of blu rays I have watched this week, beginning the 4/6/12. As you can see, 'Chronicle' still hasn't arrived, much to my annoyance, but I have emailed amazon.co.uk and they are sending me out another copy which they say will definitely arrive on Monday. It better! So this is what I watched this week.
Highlander (1986) Immortal Edition
One of those really cheesy 80s action films that you can't help but love. It's got some bad effects and some awful swords fighting scenes, but its got Sean Connery in it, so instantly we have to like it. As for blu ray quality, it isn't the best. It starts off really well, the first fifteen minutes looks splendid, and sound quite good, but as the film goes on it gradually gets worse, it's as if they just got lazy towards the end. It's a real shame because a lot of the film is set in Scotland, which has some gorgeous scenery, which we see in the film, but we can't appreciate it because it's all blurry. It's a wasted opportunity, don't convert a classic film unless you're going to make an effort with it. On the bright side it has a decent amount of special features, from brand new unseen deleted scenes, to commentaries and documentaries about the script and visual style. So the special features are decent, but the quality of the blu ray as a whole is disappointing. I'm going to give 'Highlander' on blu ray a 6/10.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
This was my favourite film of 2011, I think I scored it 9/10, but that was just on Twitter before I made this blog.The CGI looks spectacular in the film and on blu ray, it still looks spectacular. I mentioned last week that 'Toy Story' was the best blu ray I've watched, well that's in a class of its own because it's animated, this is the best live action blu ray I've watched. There is not a single blurry part in this movie, it looks and sounds epic. Only downfall is that when the CGI looks less detailed in the film, it is more noticeable on blu ray, like I've always said, things are magnified, but there are forest scenes and scene with building with lots of windows and they're normally the biggest give away for a bad blu ray, but they look crystal clear. Even the special features are good, we have deleted scenes (most of them are pre-post production so the apes are just CGI models at this point), audio commentaries, scene breakdowns, a documentary on the motion capture (on the new break-through technology), a section on the species of ape in the movie, a mythology of the apes (talking about the franchise), a documentary on the genius of Andy Serkis (who also did the motion capture for King Kong in 'King Kong' and Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings'), character concept art and a documentary on composing the score. So you get a lot for your money (plus a digital copy, which sadly, as usual is only in standard definition). I'm going to give 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' on blu ray 10/10.
Aliens (1986)
A really good film, one of James Cameron's better ones, the blu ray of this film is alright, it looks pretty blurry sometimes. Most of the time it looks and sounds great, but there are those few moments (especially on characters faces), where it just looks bad. I got this as part of the 'Alien Anthology' and I have to say that compared to the 'Alien Quadrilogy' (the DVD collection) I bought several years ago, this one has barely any special features. It has the 1986 theatrical version, and the 2003 special edition and a few commentaries, and that's it. Whereas the quadrilogy had documentaries on the making of the film and everything. Seems like they rushed to get this out before the release of 'Prometheus'. At least the actions scenes look amazing. I'm going to give 'Aliens' on blu ray, a 6.5/10.
Highlander (1986) Immortal Edition
One of those really cheesy 80s action films that you can't help but love. It's got some bad effects and some awful swords fighting scenes, but its got Sean Connery in it, so instantly we have to like it. As for blu ray quality, it isn't the best. It starts off really well, the first fifteen minutes looks splendid, and sound quite good, but as the film goes on it gradually gets worse, it's as if they just got lazy towards the end. It's a real shame because a lot of the film is set in Scotland, which has some gorgeous scenery, which we see in the film, but we can't appreciate it because it's all blurry. It's a wasted opportunity, don't convert a classic film unless you're going to make an effort with it. On the bright side it has a decent amount of special features, from brand new unseen deleted scenes, to commentaries and documentaries about the script and visual style. So the special features are decent, but the quality of the blu ray as a whole is disappointing. I'm going to give 'Highlander' on blu ray a 6/10.
Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)
This was my favourite film of 2011, I think I scored it 9/10, but that was just on Twitter before I made this blog.The CGI looks spectacular in the film and on blu ray, it still looks spectacular. I mentioned last week that 'Toy Story' was the best blu ray I've watched, well that's in a class of its own because it's animated, this is the best live action blu ray I've watched. There is not a single blurry part in this movie, it looks and sounds epic. Only downfall is that when the CGI looks less detailed in the film, it is more noticeable on blu ray, like I've always said, things are magnified, but there are forest scenes and scene with building with lots of windows and they're normally the biggest give away for a bad blu ray, but they look crystal clear. Even the special features are good, we have deleted scenes (most of them are pre-post production so the apes are just CGI models at this point), audio commentaries, scene breakdowns, a documentary on the motion capture (on the new break-through technology), a section on the species of ape in the movie, a mythology of the apes (talking about the franchise), a documentary on the genius of Andy Serkis (who also did the motion capture for King Kong in 'King Kong' and Gollum in 'The Lord of the Rings'), character concept art and a documentary on composing the score. So you get a lot for your money (plus a digital copy, which sadly, as usual is only in standard definition). I'm going to give 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' on blu ray 10/10.
Saturday, 9 June 2012
The Build Up To The Dark Knight Rises
'The Dark Knight Rises' is one of the biggest anticipated films of the year. On July 20th we will all witness the end to Christopher Nolan's epic trilogy, which revolutionized the style in which superhero films were made. When Nolan brought out 'Batman Begins' in 2005, we saw something new, a realistic view on a Comic Book movie. It moved away from the comic themed Batman movies of the past and into the real world. But where did it all begin? How have the films changed over years? In this blog entry, I will go through all of the Batman films, including the ones that didn't happen, and talk about how the tone has changed throughout years, all building up to the end result. 'The Dark Knight Rises' is actually the first film in the series that is intended to be the last. All the others were made with sequels in mind, but Nolan has confirmed that this is his last Batman movie. THIS IS A SPOILER FREE BLOG POST.
We begin back in 1966, with 'Batman', often promoted as 'Batman: The Movie'. The film based on the 'Batman' television series, and the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comic character. It was released by 20th Century Fox and stars Adam West (Family Guy) as Batman, and Burt Ward as Robin. The film was directed by Leslie H. Martinson, who also directed a pair of Batman episodes from season one. Looking back at this movie today, it wasn't great, it was very cheesy and the acting wasn't the best, but it was funny, I can give it that much. It very much continues the comic book theme that the television series had (with the 'whack' and 'smash' every time they hit someone). The film appealed to the mass audiences that watched the television series because it included all the major villains, including The Joker (Cesar Romero) and The Penguin (Burgess Meredith). Surprisingly it received very positive reviews, getting 82% from Rotten Tomatoes.
It was a while before we saw Batman on the big screens, not until 1989 when Tim Burton took the helm of director (back when his style was new and interesting). The films revolves around the rise of The Batman and his struggle to deal with an up and coming costumed criminal know as The Joker, and stars Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. It was the first installment of Warner Bros' initial Batman film series. The film takes a much darker tone than the first Batman movie, it still keeps an element of humor, but it reflects the darker tone that much better suits the character. Admittedly today a lot of the effects don't look good, and The Joker's make-up looks ridiculous, but the acting in it is superb, especially Jack Nicholson's (the man's amazing at everything he does). Altogether the film stands the test of time better than the 1960s Batman film, proved to be the biggest competition for Nolan's 'The Dark Knight', because everyone wanted to know whether or not Heath Ledger could stand a chance against Nicholson's performance. Tim Burton created a style that would come to define future Batman film. The success of the film also led to the created of the Emmy Award winning 'Batman: The Animated Series'.
In 1992 we were presented with Burton's second installment, 'Batman Returns', the film features the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, with the new arrivals Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Burton originally didn't want to direct a sequel because of his mixed emotions towards the previous film. Daniel Waters delivered a script that satisfied Burton. Wesley Strick did an uncredited rewrite, deleting the character of Robin and rewriting the climax. 'Batman Returns' was released to financial and critical success, though it caused some controversy for being darker than its predecessor. The story revolves around murder, corruption and abandoning children. The films takes out much of the minor comedy
With 'Batman Forever' (1995) Warner Bros decided to go in "lighter" direction to be more mainstream, with the intention of making it a family film. Before writing began, Burton was interested in a third film, but Keaton would only return with Burton as director. As the studio wanted a more "family-friendly" approach, Burton was to serve only as a producer. With Warner Bros moving on development for 'Batman Forever' in June 1993, a 'Catwoman' spin-off was announced. Michelle Pfeiffer was to reprise her role, with the character not to appear in Forever because of "her own little movie". 'Batman Forever' ended up being directed by Joel Schumacher, and Val Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton as the lead role. The plot focuses on Batman trying to stop Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey) in their villainous scheme to drain information from all the brains in Gotham City. Nicole Kidman plays psychiatrist Chase Meridian, who falls in love with both Batman and Bruce Wayne. Batman is joined by Dick Grayson/Robin (Chris O'Donnell), the two are brought together when Robin's family is killed by Two-Face.
Interestingly, although they didn't go with Tim Burton as director, they did who with the story that he had planned to use, Burton had planned to continue along the dark route he had been previously using, but he wanted Robin Williams to play The Riddler, which although I think Jim Carrey did a great job portraying him, I think Robin Williams would have been brilliant. The biggest change that was made was the inclusion of Two-Face, the only reason they added him into the film was money (they wanted more characters that they could design toys off). I quite liked this film, but there is a large audience who think it is awful, and I can understand why, it was such a rapid change of tone from the two previous films. They went from being serious films, to being family films.
Now we reach a dark time in the world of Batman, the 1997 'Batman & Robin', George Clooney replaced Val Kilmer as the title role, the film also stars Arnold Schwarzenegger (as Mr. Freeze), Uma Thurman (as Poison Ivy) and Alicia Silverstone (as Barbara Wilson/Batgirl). Chris O'Donnell reprised his role as Robin. The film tells the story of Batman and Robin struggling to keep their partnership together while trying to stop Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Bane from covering Gotham City with ice and vegetation. It is well known for being the first Batman film of the series, observers criticized the film for its toyetic andcamp approach, as well as the possible homosexual innuendo added by Schumacher. The film also has some of the worst acting I've ever seen, especially from Clooney and Schwarzenegger, and the worst portrayal of Bane they could possibly have done. 'Batman & Robin' received 11 niminations at the 1997 Razzie Awards and frequently ranks among the worst superhero films (and work films) lists. The way you have to look at it is that Schumacher was told to make a two hour toy commercial, which is what it ended up being, with more good guys (with more costumes), more villains and more vehicles that could all be made into toys.
After the awful reaction towards 'Batman & Robin', Warner Bros cancelled the planned 'Batman Triumphant', which was going to include The Scarecrow and Harley Quinn. Jack Nicholson was going to have a cameo as The Joker in one of Scarecrow's hallucinations experienced by Batman, and Harley Quinn was going to be The Joker's daughter rather than his girlfriend. I like the idea of The Joker being back, but changing Quinn messes with the source material, and that's never a good idea. Clooney and O'Donnell were set to reprise their roles, but after how poorly received 'Batman & Robin' was, Clooney swore never to wear the cape and cowl again.
The studio decided the best direction to take would be to make a film adaptation the series 'Batman Beyond' (or 'Batman of the Future' as it's called in the UK) and an adaptation of Frank Miller's 'Batman: Year One'. Warner Bros would pick which ever suited them best. Schumacher believed he owed the Batman fans a real Batman movie, so he approached Warner Bros in 1998 about doing 'Batman: Year One', he said he take it back to the origins of the dark knight, but they were more interesting in going with Darren Aronofsky. Obviously, none of these films ever made it to production.
Eventually in 2005 we see the return of the caped crusader, with Christopher Nolan's first installment, 'Batman Begins'. The films starred Christian Bale as Batman, Gary Oldman as Sgt. James Gordan ,Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow and Liam Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul. The film reboots the series, telling the origin story of the character, beginning with Bruce Wayne's initial fear of bars, the death of parents, and his journey to becoming Batman. The story leads on to Batman discovering a plot by The Scarecrow to poison Gotham's water supply with his hallucinogenic toxins. The films draws inspiration from classic comic book storylines such as 'The Man Who Falls', 'Batman: Year one' and 'Batman: The Long Halloween'.
The film was a fresh look at the character that audiences had not seen so far on the big screen, we've went from comedic, to dark, to family-friendly, to terrible and now we're at realism. This is the first Batman film where we actually see Bruce Wayne become his masked alter-ego. We also get to see how he rebuilt Wayne Enterprises after being away for so long (by this point the company has gone public). We see how he learns to fight, where the choice to dress as a bat came from, and where he gets all of his equipment/how it works. We also get to see how he initially makes an impact on Gotham City, by putting fear into the criminals and marking his territory with symbols of bats (one great scene is when he ties a beaten up criminal to a flood light, making the beam look like a bat in the sky). Nolan wanted the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne, so we see Wayne a lot more than we have done in previous films and we see him and Batman as one, it's not like during the day he's Wayne and at night he's Batman, the two are the same person. He uses his business to fund his crime fighting and seek out corruption in the business and the police. Ra's Al Ghul turns out to be a much more formidable foe, having a much more devious plan than The Scarecrow's. There's a huge theme throughout the film, and it is facing your fears, Batman/Bruce Wayne are forced to do so throughout the film, both by Scarecrow and by Ra's. Wayne also has to face his fear of returning home, and the fear of facing his guilt (he still believes that he was responsible for his parents death).
'Batman Begins' was a massive critical and box office success, and was the first of what was to become Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, following with the sequel 'the Dark Knight' in July 2008, and another sequel 'The Dark Knight Rises' which is due for release in July of this year. 'The Dark Knight' is possibly the greatest superhero movie ever (The Avengers Assemble is very tough competition though). Christian Bale reprises his role, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and introduces Heath Ledger as The Joker and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Harvey Dent is Gotham's newly elected District Attorney and the cohort of Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Gyllenhaal), who joins Batman and the police in combating the new rising threat of a criminal calling himself The Joker. The film received eight Academy Award nominations and won for Best Sound Editing and posthumous Best Supporting Actor for Ledger's performance. The film often appears in the top ten of Best Movies lists.
The thing that really won this film for me was Heath Ledger's The Joker, I was really skeptical before I went into the cinema because I didn't think anyone could best Nicholson's portrayal of the character, clearly I was proven wrong, and I'm glad. I also love the scale of this movie, when I bought the DVD years ago, I watched the special features and found out that they actually build a full scale hospital to blow up, nothing was faked (except one floor of windows because they were stolen) and that is some accomplishment! I also loved the score, especially the sound that's played whenever The Joker is there, which was an electric bass guitar, being played with a violin bow, it sounded really good, really sinister, the notes would get higher and higher, leading to the climax of the scene, it reminded me of nails on a chalk board. Basically I could talk all day about how much I love this movie, it is easily the best Batman film, and it has left some big shoes for 'The Dark Knight Rises' to fill.
Sadly, Heath Ledger died on the 22nd January 2008, before the release of the film, which was really a tragedy because he had already proven that he was an amazing actor well before 'The Dark Knight', but even so this event cast a dark light over the project, and the future of the franchise. It was assumed that Nolan wanted Ledger to return for the third installment of the film and at the news of his death, Nolan was put off from doing a third film because of his relationship with Ledger (and that is why The Joker will not even be mentioned in the new film).
So what do we know about 'The Dark Knight Rises'? Well we know that this is definitely Christopher Nolan's final Batman film, he and Batman will part ways after this. We know that Tom Hardy is playing Bane, and from the trailers we can see that he looks so much more awesome than Bane in 'Batman & Robin' (well he'd have to be, he couldn't be any worse). From the trailer we can also see that Nolan has made Bane into a more realistic character to follow his theme like he did with The Joker. Bale, Freeman, Oldman and Caine are reprising their roles. Eckhart wanted to return as Two-Face, but Nolan said no, he said that Two-Face was dead, he will definitely not return. We see that Batman has a new vehicle, the Bat-Wing, or I think it's just called 'The Bat' in this film, it looks pretty cool. Anne Hathaway is playing Catwoman, which concerns me a bit, there's a reason she is normally cast to play characters like princesses, because she looks like one, she just doesn't seem to suit this role. However Michelle Pfeiffer says that she loves the new Catwoman, stating that she works really well in this universe. I also know that Nolan never intended to have Catwoman in the film, it was his brother who convinced him to include her. Also Nolan announced that Robin will not be in this movie, which is a disappointment for some fans, but I agree with that decision. Although for all we know Nolan could be doing Ridley Scott and say for months that somethings not going to happen, then say it does. You never know. Also apparently Liam Neeson has a cameo as Ra's Al Ghul (yes the character that died in 'Batman Begins'), so that could be interesting. There has been no confirmation that Cillian Murphy's The Scarecrow will appear in the movie, but he has been seen on set and has been in the previous two films, so I think it's safe to assume he may make an appearance.
This next section is about what I think is going to happen, this may contain spoilers. So what will happen to end the trilogy? This is the first Batman film that isn't made with a sequel in mind. I personally think that either Batman's identity will be revealed to the people of Gotham, or he will die at the end of the movie. It would be the perfect way actually end the series. We can expect Batman to actually face a villain that can actually fight back. All of the villains Batman's faced have never had the strength to match him in a fight (except maybe Ra's Al Ghul). The Joker was cunning, and didn't intend to leave it all to a final fight (as he says in the film "You didn't think i was going to risk the battle for Gotham's soul in a fist fight with you?"), but Bane, from what we've seen, has the same destructive mind as The Joker, but he also has the physical capability to fight Batman. I think that'll be amazing, something we haven't seen yet. Hardly any Batman villains have the strength and ability to physically fight Batman in a fist fight.
So there we have it, that's a look at all the Batman movies to date, and we can clearly see a change in tone across the decades, from comedy in the 60s, to darkness in late 80s, early 90s, family fun and utter awfulness for the rest of the 90s and finally realism and works of cinematic art for the 20s. Is this the end of Batman? No. It is the end of Christopher Nolan's Batman, but the character is being rebooted with the possibility of a 'Justice League' movie in mind (most likely to compete with 'The Avengers Assemble'). Sadly the film will probably go back to looking more like a comic book in order to fit in with current DC films like 'The Green Lantern' but hope is on the horizon, apparently Christopher Nolan may agree to produce the new Batman movie, so there is a chance it could be good. Questions now are, who will play Batman? Who's the new villain? Who's directing? All of these I cannot answer yet, but I can say this, The Joker is one of Batman's greatest foes, and I'm pretty sure the Justice League run into him a few times, so we may see a new Joker on our screens in the future. I hope you have all enjoyed reading this blog entry, I certainly enjoyed writing it. There was a lot I had to leave out because of time and length (didn't want this entry to be ridiculously long), but I hope that everyone will agree that what I have included is all good information (I'll accept that 'Batman & Robin' isn't good information, but I had to include it).
'The Dark Knight Rises' is released in cinema on 20th July 2012.
We begin back in 1966, with 'Batman', often promoted as 'Batman: The Movie'. The film based on the 'Batman' television series, and the first full-length theatrical adaptation of the DC Comic character. It was released by 20th Century Fox and stars Adam West (Family Guy) as Batman, and Burt Ward as Robin. The film was directed by Leslie H. Martinson, who also directed a pair of Batman episodes from season one. Looking back at this movie today, it wasn't great, it was very cheesy and the acting wasn't the best, but it was funny, I can give it that much. It very much continues the comic book theme that the television series had (with the 'whack' and 'smash' every time they hit someone). The film appealed to the mass audiences that watched the television series because it included all the major villains, including The Joker (Cesar Romero) and The Penguin (Burgess Meredith). Surprisingly it received very positive reviews, getting 82% from Rotten Tomatoes.
It was a while before we saw Batman on the big screens, not until 1989 when Tim Burton took the helm of director (back when his style was new and interesting). The films revolves around the rise of The Batman and his struggle to deal with an up and coming costumed criminal know as The Joker, and stars Michael Keaton as Batman and Jack Nicholson as The Joker. It was the first installment of Warner Bros' initial Batman film series. The film takes a much darker tone than the first Batman movie, it still keeps an element of humor, but it reflects the darker tone that much better suits the character. Admittedly today a lot of the effects don't look good, and The Joker's make-up looks ridiculous, but the acting in it is superb, especially Jack Nicholson's (the man's amazing at everything he does). Altogether the film stands the test of time better than the 1960s Batman film, proved to be the biggest competition for Nolan's 'The Dark Knight', because everyone wanted to know whether or not Heath Ledger could stand a chance against Nicholson's performance. Tim Burton created a style that would come to define future Batman film. The success of the film also led to the created of the Emmy Award winning 'Batman: The Animated Series'.
In 1992 we were presented with Burton's second installment, 'Batman Returns', the film features the return of Michael Keaton as Batman, with the new arrivals Danny DeVito as The Penguin and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman. Burton originally didn't want to direct a sequel because of his mixed emotions towards the previous film. Daniel Waters delivered a script that satisfied Burton. Wesley Strick did an uncredited rewrite, deleting the character of Robin and rewriting the climax. 'Batman Returns' was released to financial and critical success, though it caused some controversy for being darker than its predecessor. The story revolves around murder, corruption and abandoning children. The films takes out much of the minor comedy
With 'Batman Forever' (1995) Warner Bros decided to go in "lighter" direction to be more mainstream, with the intention of making it a family film. Before writing began, Burton was interested in a third film, but Keaton would only return with Burton as director. As the studio wanted a more "family-friendly" approach, Burton was to serve only as a producer. With Warner Bros moving on development for 'Batman Forever' in June 1993, a 'Catwoman' spin-off was announced. Michelle Pfeiffer was to reprise her role, with the character not to appear in Forever because of "her own little movie". 'Batman Forever' ended up being directed by Joel Schumacher, and Val Kilmer replaced Michael Keaton as the lead role. The plot focuses on Batman trying to stop Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) and The Riddler (Jim Carrey) in their villainous scheme to drain information from all the brains in Gotham City. Nicole Kidman plays psychiatrist Chase Meridian, who falls in love with both Batman and Bruce Wayne. Batman is joined by Dick Grayson/Robin (Chris O'Donnell), the two are brought together when Robin's family is killed by Two-Face.
Interestingly, although they didn't go with Tim Burton as director, they did who with the story that he had planned to use, Burton had planned to continue along the dark route he had been previously using, but he wanted Robin Williams to play The Riddler, which although I think Jim Carrey did a great job portraying him, I think Robin Williams would have been brilliant. The biggest change that was made was the inclusion of Two-Face, the only reason they added him into the film was money (they wanted more characters that they could design toys off). I quite liked this film, but there is a large audience who think it is awful, and I can understand why, it was such a rapid change of tone from the two previous films. They went from being serious films, to being family films.
Now we reach a dark time in the world of Batman, the 1997 'Batman & Robin', George Clooney replaced Val Kilmer as the title role, the film also stars Arnold Schwarzenegger (as Mr. Freeze), Uma Thurman (as Poison Ivy) and Alicia Silverstone (as Barbara Wilson/Batgirl). Chris O'Donnell reprised his role as Robin. The film tells the story of Batman and Robin struggling to keep their partnership together while trying to stop Mr. Freeze, Poison Ivy and Bane from covering Gotham City with ice and vegetation. It is well known for being the first Batman film of the series, observers criticized the film for its toyetic andcamp approach, as well as the possible homosexual innuendo added by Schumacher. The film also has some of the worst acting I've ever seen, especially from Clooney and Schwarzenegger, and the worst portrayal of Bane they could possibly have done. 'Batman & Robin' received 11 niminations at the 1997 Razzie Awards and frequently ranks among the worst superhero films (and work films) lists. The way you have to look at it is that Schumacher was told to make a two hour toy commercial, which is what it ended up being, with more good guys (with more costumes), more villains and more vehicles that could all be made into toys.
After the awful reaction towards 'Batman & Robin', Warner Bros cancelled the planned 'Batman Triumphant', which was going to include The Scarecrow and Harley Quinn. Jack Nicholson was going to have a cameo as The Joker in one of Scarecrow's hallucinations experienced by Batman, and Harley Quinn was going to be The Joker's daughter rather than his girlfriend. I like the idea of The Joker being back, but changing Quinn messes with the source material, and that's never a good idea. Clooney and O'Donnell were set to reprise their roles, but after how poorly received 'Batman & Robin' was, Clooney swore never to wear the cape and cowl again.
The studio decided the best direction to take would be to make a film adaptation the series 'Batman Beyond' (or 'Batman of the Future' as it's called in the UK) and an adaptation of Frank Miller's 'Batman: Year One'. Warner Bros would pick which ever suited them best. Schumacher believed he owed the Batman fans a real Batman movie, so he approached Warner Bros in 1998 about doing 'Batman: Year One', he said he take it back to the origins of the dark knight, but they were more interesting in going with Darren Aronofsky. Obviously, none of these films ever made it to production.
Eventually in 2005 we see the return of the caped crusader, with Christopher Nolan's first installment, 'Batman Begins'. The films starred Christian Bale as Batman, Gary Oldman as Sgt. James Gordan ,Michael Caine as Alfred, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, Cillian Murphy as The Scarecrow and Liam Neeson as Ra's Al Ghul. The film reboots the series, telling the origin story of the character, beginning with Bruce Wayne's initial fear of bars, the death of parents, and his journey to becoming Batman. The story leads on to Batman discovering a plot by The Scarecrow to poison Gotham's water supply with his hallucinogenic toxins. The films draws inspiration from classic comic book storylines such as 'The Man Who Falls', 'Batman: Year one' and 'Batman: The Long Halloween'.
The film was a fresh look at the character that audiences had not seen so far on the big screen, we've went from comedic, to dark, to family-friendly, to terrible and now we're at realism. This is the first Batman film where we actually see Bruce Wayne become his masked alter-ego. We also get to see how he rebuilt Wayne Enterprises after being away for so long (by this point the company has gone public). We see how he learns to fight, where the choice to dress as a bat came from, and where he gets all of his equipment/how it works. We also get to see how he initially makes an impact on Gotham City, by putting fear into the criminals and marking his territory with symbols of bats (one great scene is when he ties a beaten up criminal to a flood light, making the beam look like a bat in the sky). Nolan wanted the audience to care for both Batman and Bruce Wayne, so we see Wayne a lot more than we have done in previous films and we see him and Batman as one, it's not like during the day he's Wayne and at night he's Batman, the two are the same person. He uses his business to fund his crime fighting and seek out corruption in the business and the police. Ra's Al Ghul turns out to be a much more formidable foe, having a much more devious plan than The Scarecrow's. There's a huge theme throughout the film, and it is facing your fears, Batman/Bruce Wayne are forced to do so throughout the film, both by Scarecrow and by Ra's. Wayne also has to face his fear of returning home, and the fear of facing his guilt (he still believes that he was responsible for his parents death).
'Batman Begins' was a massive critical and box office success, and was the first of what was to become Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, following with the sequel 'the Dark Knight' in July 2008, and another sequel 'The Dark Knight Rises' which is due for release in July of this year. 'The Dark Knight' is possibly the greatest superhero movie ever (The Avengers Assemble is very tough competition though). Christian Bale reprises his role, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and introduces Heath Ledger as The Joker and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face. Harvey Dent is Gotham's newly elected District Attorney and the cohort of Bruce Wayne's childhood friend Rachel Dawes (Gyllenhaal), who joins Batman and the police in combating the new rising threat of a criminal calling himself The Joker. The film received eight Academy Award nominations and won for Best Sound Editing and posthumous Best Supporting Actor for Ledger's performance. The film often appears in the top ten of Best Movies lists.
The thing that really won this film for me was Heath Ledger's The Joker, I was really skeptical before I went into the cinema because I didn't think anyone could best Nicholson's portrayal of the character, clearly I was proven wrong, and I'm glad. I also love the scale of this movie, when I bought the DVD years ago, I watched the special features and found out that they actually build a full scale hospital to blow up, nothing was faked (except one floor of windows because they were stolen) and that is some accomplishment! I also loved the score, especially the sound that's played whenever The Joker is there, which was an electric bass guitar, being played with a violin bow, it sounded really good, really sinister, the notes would get higher and higher, leading to the climax of the scene, it reminded me of nails on a chalk board. Basically I could talk all day about how much I love this movie, it is easily the best Batman film, and it has left some big shoes for 'The Dark Knight Rises' to fill.
Sadly, Heath Ledger died on the 22nd January 2008, before the release of the film, which was really a tragedy because he had already proven that he was an amazing actor well before 'The Dark Knight', but even so this event cast a dark light over the project, and the future of the franchise. It was assumed that Nolan wanted Ledger to return for the third installment of the film and at the news of his death, Nolan was put off from doing a third film because of his relationship with Ledger (and that is why The Joker will not even be mentioned in the new film).
So what do we know about 'The Dark Knight Rises'? Well we know that this is definitely Christopher Nolan's final Batman film, he and Batman will part ways after this. We know that Tom Hardy is playing Bane, and from the trailers we can see that he looks so much more awesome than Bane in 'Batman & Robin' (well he'd have to be, he couldn't be any worse). From the trailer we can also see that Nolan has made Bane into a more realistic character to follow his theme like he did with The Joker. Bale, Freeman, Oldman and Caine are reprising their roles. Eckhart wanted to return as Two-Face, but Nolan said no, he said that Two-Face was dead, he will definitely not return. We see that Batman has a new vehicle, the Bat-Wing, or I think it's just called 'The Bat' in this film, it looks pretty cool. Anne Hathaway is playing Catwoman, which concerns me a bit, there's a reason she is normally cast to play characters like princesses, because she looks like one, she just doesn't seem to suit this role. However Michelle Pfeiffer says that she loves the new Catwoman, stating that she works really well in this universe. I also know that Nolan never intended to have Catwoman in the film, it was his brother who convinced him to include her. Also Nolan announced that Robin will not be in this movie, which is a disappointment for some fans, but I agree with that decision. Although for all we know Nolan could be doing Ridley Scott and say for months that somethings not going to happen, then say it does. You never know. Also apparently Liam Neeson has a cameo as Ra's Al Ghul (yes the character that died in 'Batman Begins'), so that could be interesting. There has been no confirmation that Cillian Murphy's The Scarecrow will appear in the movie, but he has been seen on set and has been in the previous two films, so I think it's safe to assume he may make an appearance.
This next section is about what I think is going to happen, this may contain spoilers. So what will happen to end the trilogy? This is the first Batman film that isn't made with a sequel in mind. I personally think that either Batman's identity will be revealed to the people of Gotham, or he will die at the end of the movie. It would be the perfect way actually end the series. We can expect Batman to actually face a villain that can actually fight back. All of the villains Batman's faced have never had the strength to match him in a fight (except maybe Ra's Al Ghul). The Joker was cunning, and didn't intend to leave it all to a final fight (as he says in the film "You didn't think i was going to risk the battle for Gotham's soul in a fist fight with you?"), but Bane, from what we've seen, has the same destructive mind as The Joker, but he also has the physical capability to fight Batman. I think that'll be amazing, something we haven't seen yet. Hardly any Batman villains have the strength and ability to physically fight Batman in a fist fight.
So there we have it, that's a look at all the Batman movies to date, and we can clearly see a change in tone across the decades, from comedy in the 60s, to darkness in late 80s, early 90s, family fun and utter awfulness for the rest of the 90s and finally realism and works of cinematic art for the 20s. Is this the end of Batman? No. It is the end of Christopher Nolan's Batman, but the character is being rebooted with the possibility of a 'Justice League' movie in mind (most likely to compete with 'The Avengers Assemble'). Sadly the film will probably go back to looking more like a comic book in order to fit in with current DC films like 'The Green Lantern' but hope is on the horizon, apparently Christopher Nolan may agree to produce the new Batman movie, so there is a chance it could be good. Questions now are, who will play Batman? Who's the new villain? Who's directing? All of these I cannot answer yet, but I can say this, The Joker is one of Batman's greatest foes, and I'm pretty sure the Justice League run into him a few times, so we may see a new Joker on our screens in the future. I hope you have all enjoyed reading this blog entry, I certainly enjoyed writing it. There was a lot I had to leave out because of time and length (didn't want this entry to be ridiculously long), but I hope that everyone will agree that what I have included is all good information (I'll accept that 'Batman & Robin' isn't good information, but I had to include it).
'The Dark Knight Rises' is released in cinema on 20th July 2012.
Thursday, 7 June 2012
Review of Love Sick (Award Winning Short Film)
'Love Sick' is a 2011 award winning short film written and directed by Kevin Lacey and stars Josh Cameron, Tatum Langton, Heath Maughn, Kirstina Reese, Tristan Philips. The story revolves around the un-named love struck character placed by Lacey (the only words we hear are his narrative).
I quite liked this one, I can see why it won awards, although I don't think it is as good as some of the more science fiction based short films I've watch and reviewed, but I can say that there are a few moments in this that are quite funny and the quality of the film itself it really high. The music is also really good, one of the best scores I've heard in a short film (the music was composed and performed by Randin Graves).
It is shocking how many awards this film won, here's a list below:
WINNER - Fringe Film Festival 2011 - Grand Jury Prize
WINNER - Fear No Film 2011 - Utah Short Film of the Year
WINNER - CityWeekly Artys 2011 - Reader's Choice Award
WINNER - Salt Lake Comedy Festival 2012 - Best Actor - Josh Cameron
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Action on Film Festival 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION - HollyShorts Film Festival 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Who Likes Short Shorts Festival Spring 2011
That is a lot of awards, the name of the last one amuses me. Here's a link for 'Love Sick' below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFDAvcwDPTA
So obviously officials believed it to be a good watch, I quite liked it, wasn't the best, but by no means is it the worst I've seen. I'm going to give 'Love Sick' a 7/10.
I quite liked this one, I can see why it won awards, although I don't think it is as good as some of the more science fiction based short films I've watch and reviewed, but I can say that there are a few moments in this that are quite funny and the quality of the film itself it really high. The music is also really good, one of the best scores I've heard in a short film (the music was composed and performed by Randin Graves).
It is shocking how many awards this film won, here's a list below:
WINNER - Fringe Film Festival 2011 - Grand Jury Prize
WINNER - Fear No Film 2011 - Utah Short Film of the Year
WINNER - CityWeekly Artys 2011 - Reader's Choice Award
WINNER - Salt Lake Comedy Festival 2012 - Best Actor - Josh Cameron
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Action on Film Festival 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION - HollyShorts Film Festival 2011
OFFICIAL SELECTION - Who Likes Short Shorts Festival Spring 2011
That is a lot of awards, the name of the last one amuses me. Here's a link for 'Love Sick' below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFDAvcwDPTA
So obviously officials believed it to be a good watch, I quite liked it, wasn't the best, but by no means is it the worst I've seen. I'm going to give 'Love Sick' a 7/10.
Wednesday, 6 June 2012
My Next 'Build Up' Blog Post Will Be...
I expect my daily view count is about to take a nose dive, because over the next few days I will not be blogging as much because I will be working on my next 'Build Up' blog post. It will be called 'The Build Up To The Dark Knight Rises', to be honest anyone who follows this blog regularly would have seen this coming, considering I have done one for 'The Avengers Assemble', 'American Reunion' and 'Prometheus' (although the 'Prometheus' post was more of a look at the films competition in the already existing franchise).
This will possibly be one of my longest blog entries because I will not just be taking a look at the Christopher Nolan films ('Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight'), but I will be going through all of the movies, starting all the way back in 1966 and I will go through each film individually and take about how the films differ, in tone, cast/characters and story, all building up to and influencing 'The Dark Knight Rises'. I will also be taking a look at the Batman films that didn't happen (particularly at why they didn't happen).
I will try and post as often as I can whilst working on this blog post, I'll probably only be able to get a few short film reviews out, unless I get the chance to go and see 'Top Cat' this week.
Keep checking the blog for new content and as usual follow me on here, or on Twitter and Facebook.
One last note, so far my 'Weekly Blu Ray Review' consists 'Aliens', and I have just purchased 'Machine Gun Preacher' so that will be added to it as soon as possible, as well as a few others, depending on what I a decide to watch this weekend. I am still waiting for 'Chronicle' to arrive, it's currently a week and a half late (honestly no point in pre-ordering stuff to get it on time, even 'Iron Sky' was a day late), so if it arrive I will also add a review of that to the post. Also with 'The Amazing Spider-Man' on the horizon I will also try and review the Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' collection on blu ray over the next week or two.
As usual, if you have any requests for movie reviews, I will be more than happy to oblige.
This will possibly be one of my longest blog entries because I will not just be taking a look at the Christopher Nolan films ('Batman Begins' and 'The Dark Knight'), but I will be going through all of the movies, starting all the way back in 1966 and I will go through each film individually and take about how the films differ, in tone, cast/characters and story, all building up to and influencing 'The Dark Knight Rises'. I will also be taking a look at the Batman films that didn't happen (particularly at why they didn't happen).
I will try and post as often as I can whilst working on this blog post, I'll probably only be able to get a few short film reviews out, unless I get the chance to go and see 'Top Cat' this week.
Keep checking the blog for new content and as usual follow me on here, or on Twitter and Facebook.
One last note, so far my 'Weekly Blu Ray Review' consists 'Aliens', and I have just purchased 'Machine Gun Preacher' so that will be added to it as soon as possible, as well as a few others, depending on what I a decide to watch this weekend. I am still waiting for 'Chronicle' to arrive, it's currently a week and a half late (honestly no point in pre-ordering stuff to get it on time, even 'Iron Sky' was a day late), so if it arrive I will also add a review of that to the post. Also with 'The Amazing Spider-Man' on the horizon I will also try and review the Sam Raimi's 'Spider-Man' collection on blu ray over the next week or two.
As usual, if you have any requests for movie reviews, I will be more than happy to oblige.
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
What's Your Top Ten Movie Endings? (Spoiler Version)
It is well known that the ending of a movie is what establishes whether or not we would want to see a sequel if it were to be made. A lot of the time for me the ending is what sells the film to me. So this the spoiler version of my Top Ten Movie Endings post that I posted earlier today.
10. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
The ending to this film is exactly what everyone watching wanted. The films ends with him lying in a hospital bed after trying to kill himself. It's a really sad situation because although he was a bit of a trouble maker, prison failed him, science failed, him his family failed him, and society failed him, eventually leading to him attempting to take his own life. Admittedly, him being locked in a room being forced to listen to the thing that makes him sick is him getting his come up ins, but, no matter what, he is a like able character and at the end when we see that the process has been reversed (his attempt at suicide broke the barriers) and his mind goes back to being the sick/twisted punk that we all love.
9. Back to the Future Part 2 (1989)
The ending to this movie is great, half of us were expecting it to end similarly to the first film, but when the DeLorean is struck by lightning and is seemingly destroyed, audiences were baffled, we weren't expecting it. And then there comes the iconic scene, when the mail man arrives out of nowhere with a letter, and we find out that the Doc is still alive and living in 1885, the wild west (omg sequel!). The best bit has to be the 1950s Doc's reaction to finding Marty still in the 50s after he just sent him back to 1985. It's a brilliant movie, with a brilliant ending. I also like how the trailer for 'Back to the Future Part 3' was at the end of the movie.
8. Batman Begins (2005)
After an epic final battle for Gotham, Batman and Gordan meet on the rooftop to 'discuss the current situation'. Batman wants no thanks for what he has done, he is not in this for personal gain, he is a hero through and through. This is a really simple ending that got Batman fans extremely excited, the sight of the legendary Joker card (instant sequel!). Instantly fans are thinking. who's going to play the Joker? Who could possibly be better than Jack Nicholson? How will he fit into Nolan's realistic world? It was simple and brilliant.
7. Terminator 2 (1991)
Another classic movie, I love the ending to this movie, it's another simple one, after a great final battle, a nice little shoot out and hand to hand combat ending with the inevitable demise of the villain. What makes it great is that we've became attached to Schwarzenegger's character and were generally saddened when he revealed that he needs to be destroyed. Then there's the really simplistic part that sticks, when he's being lowered into the furnace and his face is submerged, his wrist and hand being the only thing left, and his hand forms the shape of the thumbs up. It's great, it's simple and it doesn't set up for a sequel. No sequel was in mind in this final scene, yes two sequels were made (sadly) but it wasn't intended for setting up for anything, it just finished the story of that film in a memorable way.
6. The Thing (1982)
John Carpenter is one for the forerunners in horror, he has great vision and knows get to put that image on the big screen. The film ends with the creature being 'destroyed', well we assume it has, because he leaves the ending as open as a book, there are two survivors trapped in the middle of know where, one of them hasn't been seen in a while, is he infected? What happens next? Carpenter leaves with so many questions unanswered. It is classic science fiction and horror.
5. Planet of the Apes (1968)
Possibly one of my favourite movies of all time, and that's probably because it's all about humanity and where we heading to. This film was made during the height of Cold War fear, the fear of nuclear war, so this movie takes advantage of that and basically says "this is what will happen is we launch the nukes". The ending is great because it's the realization for Taylor that he isn't on a foreign planet, he is on Earth, and has been all along. This becomes clear when we see the Statue of Liberty (or what remains of it) on the shoreline. Mankind destroyed itself. It's another iconic moment in cinema, and stupidly, the image of the destroyed Statue of Liberty is on the front of the DVD boxset (kind of ruins the story a bit)!
4. Pulp Fiction (1994)
This is one of those films where you either love it or you hate. Me, I love it. One of the best ensembles of cast members there has ever been and the ending is priceless. After a Mexican standoff style situation in the diner, with some amazing examples of acting, including John Travolta and Samuel L Jackson, we see them walk away from what many would class as a hopeless situation, without even firing a shot. So they get to walk away and have their happy ending, even if they do look like idiot in their attire. Of course, due to the chopped up chronology of this movie, we know the buffoonish Vincent Vega's (Travolta) gets shot coming out of the toilet (by Bruce Willis' character) of another job. So before the final scene we know he's going to die in the near future, but we still relish in the happy ending for these two characters coming out of the diner.
3. One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (1971)
We knew it was going to happen from the beginning, Jack Nicholson's character pushes it too far and he ends up being lobotomized. It's a really sad moment because I personally had become really attached to his character and I generally wanted him to be released, but inevitably science felt they need to destroy the part of the brain that made him him, which was what got him into trouble in the first place. Then comes the sadder part, when he returns to join his fellow patients, the Chief thinks he's alright and wants to go ahead with the escape plan, upon realizing what has happened, he smothers him with his pillow, not wanting him to live as a shadow of his former self, a vegetable. He then goes on to rip the water fountain from the ground (something the others had joked about doing earlier in the film), throw it through the window, and escape. So it's a really sad ending, with a little hint of a nice ending in there too.
2. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
"No Luke, I, am your father", what more do I need to say? It is yet another example of an iconic scene in the history of cinema. Everybody knows that line. Although it does raise some questions about Luke and Leia's kiss earlier in the film, but it opens up a whole new world for the sequel. This iconic scene is backed up by Han Solo being frozen in carbonate and kidnapped by the Bounty Hunter to be taken to Jabba's palace. Straight away we have two powerful plot lines, one to save their friend from a life of captivity, and the other a quest to find out if his father isn't beyond saving (and also the fate of the universe is at stake in the galactic war between the Empire and the Rebellions final confrontation of the films series).
1. Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes (2001)
Here we are, my favourite ending to a movie ever. Now personally I do not like this movie, it is a poor attempt by Tim Burton to re-in vision a classic movie. Burton himself actually classes this movie as his biggest regret. At least the make-up was impressive. However, the ending is amazing! Wahlberg's character returns to Earth through the wormhole he originally came through, assuming that all is well when he returns to Earth, we were expecting something to happen, but I don't think anyone was prepared for this. He arrives back in modern 21st Century America, but the world is still run by apes. Apes driving cars, flying helicopters, working as police. We see First World War memorials dedicated to apes that had given their lives and the most shocking of all, is the Lincoln Memorial, which is now a statue of Thade, the villain we'd just been watching. Somehow he is now an iconic figure in history. It laves is as open as it could be to a sequel, with literally an unlimited supply of possible story lines. Multiple critics have interpreted this ending in different ways, many don't know what to say about it. It was a big shock, an amazing way to end an otherwise, very disappointing movie. It's a shame it didn't do better, because the whole cast was ready and willing to begin a sequel, although I didn't like the movie very much, I would have jumped at an opportunity to see a sequel.
There we have it. my Top Ten Movie Endings, the spoiler version. I would really like to see your opinions and your Top Tens. Comment on here, or on Facebook or twitter.
Also I wouldn't mind hearing any ideas you may have for future polls. They can be as obscure as you want, as long as it's movie related (endless possibilities).
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