Elmo's Cinematic Reflections

The Dark Knight is not about Batman or Joker, it’s about Harvey Dent and his fall from Gotham’s white knight to Two-Face and about Batman and Joker fighting for his soul. Dent starts off like Batman, he wants to do good, he wants to save the city but unlike Batman he lacks the willpower to stay on the righteous path. Joker understands this, where he starts off wanting to kill Batman he soon realizes that Dent is a far greater target with far more hard-hitting consequences. Bring the city to chaos – Good. Bring one man to chaos and take the city down with him – Better.

Speaking of Joker, the man is a psychotic but he’s just crazy enough to understand people, he doesn’t have a plan but he can anticipate how people will act because they have order and since he has no order he can act before they can react. Of course this doesn’t always work but when it does it scares the citizens even more than they already are.

And Batman is Batman, unfaltering and incorruptible. He’s the least interesting character in the Batman universe but that’s no fault of the movie’s. At least here they give him some depth and some faults when he loses Rachel because he refuses to bow down to Joker.

The acting is all fantastic. Christian Bale is great as Batman but better as the more fragile and human Bruce Wayne. Heath Ledger is utterly brilliant as Joker, bring true malice and insanity to the character, more so than anyone else who’s played him before – noticed how many times he licks his lips or talks to himself. But the real standout here is Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, as I’ve said above Dent is most complex character in the film and watching him fall into Jokers anarchic dreams is a disturbing but great one.

The direction is also worth a mention, Nolan knows what he’s doing and does everything damn near perfectly. From the large stuff like the use of sound and score and the utterly fantastic action sequences, to the more subtle element like the frequent camera shots of only half of Dent’s face and the slow change from a gangster like film to a more action oriented one. As Joker’s chaos grows so does the amount of action and disorder on-screen.

There’s really not much more I can praise this film for. The score is suitably epic, the actors are all great and the interactions between each of the three main characters and how they grow and become something different due to their actions is brilliant . Nolan once again proves himself to be one to the greatest directors working today. I can’t recommend you watch this because everyone already has, so I recommend a re-watch.

The Dark Knight Rises here I come !

My grade:

Well, I'm at a loss for words. Just like I was after watching Human Centipede (First Sequence). I can't really review this as I would other films because this isn't other films, and it would be hard to classify the things that happen in this move to be good or bad. It's not good or bad, it's just...what it is.

This one is about a pudgy little guy named Martin who loved the first "Human Centipede" movie so much that he decides to create his own, even though he has no medical background whatsoever. That's what really adds to the brutality of it all, he's no professional, he doesn't know what he's doing. No proper equipment, just some duct tape and a staple gun.

I found this one to be a little more interesting than the first one because we were following Martin, and my twisted curiosity did have me craving the idea of an even bigger human centipede. I'm all for a gross out movie, and that's absolutely what this is. And I do like that the film was black and white, that made it easier to watch the laxative scene.

The movie is definitely disturbing, I'd say the most unsettling film I've seen in good while. Martin was a disgusting sight as it is, but we see him beating people's teeth out with a hammer, and masturbating with sand paper wrapped around his dingy. And believe me that's only the tip of the icepick ladies and gentlemen, there's too much gross things to talk about.

Overall, I can't really say if I liked it or not. The only thing it's good for is shock value and turning people's stomachs, so if you're into that kind of thing then this is a masterpiece.

My grade:

Clash of The Titans is a very good looking film. The effects are amazing, the Kraken looks fantastic and the locations are gorgeous ...but that's all there really is to it. It's a good action film but not much else.

The acting is nothing special at all. Nobody even really stands out and everyone is just serviceable in their role. Sam Worthington brings very little to Perseus and in fact there's very little to remember. I only remember Gemma Arterton (Prince of Persia: the Sands of Time, Quantum of Solace) because she looked good during her running scenes.

It's no surprise that the two most known actors are the best in the roles. Ralph Fiennes brings his Voldemort hiss to the treacherous Hades and Liam Neeson is Liam Neeson what more do you need - he plays the King Of The Gods of course and that's all you can ask for.

The actions scenes are good for what they are but they're few and far between, one early moment starts with a with ex-king turned beast Calibos and continues on to a battle royale three massive scorpions. This sequence is great to watch but once it's done the film slows down again and it never really reaches those heights again until the final minutes with the Kraken which doesn't last that long.

Overall an average action film with just a few fleeting moments that elevate it only slightly. I still have yet to catch Wrath of the Titans, and I have a feeling it won't be much better.

My grade:

In 1999 a little film about a group of high-school boys planning to lose their virginity on prom night was released and, unbeknownst to the masses, it became a runaway success. The film was American Pie and after spanning two equally successful, though not as well received, sequels and a string of straight-to-DVD additions (many of which were cashing in on the films name) it seemed as if enough time had passed for the baked-good loving shenanigans to be laid to rest. But this is Hollywood and sequels are a dime a dozen these days so why not revisit a formula that has worked before?

American Pie: Reunion is indeed a sequel we didn’t need, it’s been 9 years since we last saw the gang and that can often be a bit too long between installments, but it’s got to be said that this is one sequel that’s worth the time. Having missed their 10-year reunion, best friends Jim (Jason Biggs), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas), Oz (Chris Klein) and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) decide they should return to their hometown for their 13th year reunion. Naturally the intent of a wholesome trip away is thwarted thanks in large part to eternal party animal Stifler (Seann William Scott) who still hasn’t really grown up from high school and plans on revisiting that craziness despite his friends all being decidedly grown up. There’s a great sense of nostalgia with ‘Reunion’ as everyone from the previous films is back, and I do mean everyone; Tara Reid, Shannon Elizabeth, Mena Suvari, even the ‘Sherminator‘. And this helps the film feel like a true successor in the series.

The storyline is simple, and perhaps a bit too light, but these films have never been about that as such, and they manage to string along enough of a coherent plot to allow the typical over-the-top scenarios the boys get themselves into, and there’s plenty of those on offer. If you had no interest in the films to begin with, or lost interest with the sequels, then ‘Reunion’ is unlikely to capture your attention, but if you are like myself and found the films to be humourous escapism entertainment then I suggest you get out there to re-acquaint yourself with some old friends.

My grade:

Sunshine is an utterly brilliant Sci-Fi horror film with great psychological moments and tense character relations. However it does suffer in the last third of the film from going too far horror then too far sci-fi and not really finding the good middle ground that the first 2/3s of the film had.

The film starts off well by introducing the crew and their important mission, these people are the best and brightest of Earth and they have been sent to reignite a dying sun, the second crew after the first mysteriously vanished. While the crew is set up and everyone has their own distinct personalities only a few are actually memorable, Cillian Murphy (Inception, the upcoming Red Lights) as Capa is shown to have distinct knowledge of the mission which mean only he understands how big the scale of the bomb is, creating an outsider feeling between him and the rest of the crew. Chris Evans (Cellular, upcoming The Avengers) as Mace is short-tempered but he can be level-headed when it’s needed and his final scenes show him to be a sacrificial hero. And Cliff Curtis (The Last Airbender, TV's "Missing") as Searle is built up as a man obsessed with the sun, not to a dangerous level but it does make some of his choices questionable. Unfortunately the rest of the crew aren’t really that memorable, even the lovely Rose Byrne (Insidious, "Damages") is pretty forgettable.

What the film really does well is that it takes it time to start with, showing the psychological breakdown of these characters. You can tell things have gone bad during the journey but the closer they get the tenser the situation becomes. As things go from bad to worse the character’s mental capability’s deteriorate further, the psychological aspect of this film is one of its highlights.

Danny Boyle’s direction is, as always, brilliant, he utilizes his infamous Close-Up for a lot of claustrophobic moments, especially in those tight, boiling suits, making the audience feel the same fear the characters are going through. He also creates a lot of tension building moments, from Kaneda’s shield fix to the ship jump, you really feel your breath stop for a few seconds.

The score is also fantastic, it’s one of the best of any film I’ve ever seen, really giving off the space feel and epic scope. "The Surface Of The Sun" is absolutely sublime and absolutely incredible.

Now for the downside, after the crew has found the first ship and discovered what happened to the first crew it sort of goes downhill, the problem is Pinbaker, the ‘villain’ of the film. Don’t get me wrong Mark Strong (John Carter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy) gives a great performance and the distorted image he gives off is terrifyingly brilliant but he’s an unnecessary character. The film was doing great as a psychological horror but he changes it into more a slasher and the film really didn’t need that. If it wasn’t for a couple of scenes Pinbaker could’ve been a fantastic interpretation of the crew’s failing mental capacity but unfortunately he’s not.

Also the ending is a little strange, you need to get your head around gravity and continuums and the like and it’s a whole big mess that kinda ruins the film.

But despite this the film is really good, the slow mental breakdown of the crew, the score and the visuals of the sun all make it one of the best sci-fi films of recent memory, it’s just a shame the end stops it from being the best.

My grade:

On its own merits Thor is a good film, pretty typical story but very enjoyable along the way. This is perhaps the funniest of the Marvel movies thanks in part to a surprisingly comedic turn from relative newbie Chris Hemsworth. Chris shows Thor to be a spoiled child, one that’s used to getting his own way and preferring to talk with his fists. When the Frost-Giants break into Asgard, Thor wants to use violence to get answers but his father Odin (a good, almost Shakespearean turn by Anthony Hopkins) tells him to ignore it as some chancers trying their luck. Of course Thor doesn’t listen and when he seeks out violence he puts his world on the brink of war, Odin banishes his son for his actions.

When on earth Thor has trouble fitting into this new world, he has become mortal and he needs to get use to his loss of powers, with hilarious results. Hemsworth is really great as Thor, his arc is fully believable because he sells both the spoiled brat and the sacrificial hero with good comedic timing in-between both ends of Thor’s spectrum.

Of course that’s not to say no-one else was great, Natalie Portman brought something special to Jane Foster, it’s not a difficult role but you can believe someone like Portman as a scientist. Jaimie Alexandra ("Kyle XY", Rest Stop) was actually pretty bad-ass as maiden warrior Sif, Idris Elba ("The Wire", upcoming Prometheus) was amazing as always playing the all-seeing, all hearing gatekeeper Heimdall, and Tom Hiddleston (War Horse) plays the mischievous Loki amazingly.

In terms of directing Kenneth Branagh does a damn good job, mixing both the speeches of honor and loyalty and the large action sequences. The Frost-Giant battle and the Destroyer rampage being two highlights of the film. The visuals are also fantastic, Asgard looks fantastic and the rainbow bridge is spectacular.

In conclusion, Thor is a visually stunning film with great humor, action and two amazing performances from Hemsworth and Hiddleston. Thor holds a special place in my Marvel Universe heart, and I'm counting down the days until The Avengers.

My grade:

Se7en is one of the all-time great crime dramas, I’m hesitant to call it a thriller but it does have some thrilling moments, especially in the ending. Se7en is set in a permanently grey and dull world where it never stops raining and the police just want to get the job done fast, not right.

In this world there is two detectives, the veteran Somerset (Morgan Freeman), a smart, orderly, calm detective that’s nearing his retirement, and the new kid on the block, Mills (Brad Pitt) a recently promoted detective that wants to do the job right but doesn’t have the patience to stay focussed. Freeman and Pitt both play their roles brilliantly, Freeman’s quiet intensity really sells Somerset’s world-weary manner and Pitt’s loud-mouth attitude fits Mills’ brash nature but you can also see him as the devoted husband. Everyone in the film plays their role well, even Gwyneth Paltrow in her small role as Mills’ wife.

David Fincher’s direction is near perfect as it always is, he really sells the grey world with its dark people and vicious criminal activity. Even when the killer is first seen Fincher keeps his face in darkness, building up the enigma of who this maniac is. The film doesn’t rely on action scenes, instead it’s a lot more psychological and clever, so when the film does have an action scene, and in fact there is one when Mills chases John Doe, it’s a lot tenser and actually means something.

Of course the film really comes into its greatness when John Doe is revealed and everything from there to the end is absolutely spectacular, Kevin Spacey is utterly terrifying as the killer, his monologue in the car about the supposed ‘innocence’ of his victims shows that he really believes he’s doing something important. Then he reveals what’s in the box.

Before the police car journey Mills makes a few references to his wife to remind you that she’s there, she’s got a small role and hasn’t been seen in a while but she’s there and she means a lot to Mills. So when John reveals what he did it’s even more of a gut punch. Everything in that scene is perfect, from the score, the changing camera focus from Somerset with the box, Mills with John and the helicopter, Spacey’s cold demeanor and Somerset’s fruitless attempt to stop his distraught partner. Pitt might have overdone it before he kills John but his disconnected look after he pulls the trigger makes up for that.

Before the twist this would have been a pretty good police thriller. But with that end sequence and an absolutely terrifying villain it bumps it up to one of the greats.

My grade: