Movie day...

[fajrdrako]

Today was a day to watch movies. I was ensconced on maaseru's sofa from an early hour, watching movies with josanpq, maaboroshi and lunacy_gal.

We watched:

• Ice Blues, the fourth Donald Strachey movie, which I'd seen before;
  
  
• Big Eden, which I'd also seen before, but which I think I enjoyed more the second time round, knowing what to expect. I certainly enjoy watching Eric Schweig!
  
  
• Shakespeare Retold: The Taming of the Shew, with Rufus Sewell and Shirley Henderson. Rufus Sewell is one of those actors I adore and would watch in anything - and Petrucchio just might be his best role yet. Shirley Henderson was Ursula in the remarkable Doctor Who episode "Love and Monsters" and Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter. This adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew was magnificent, in my opinion: it is in so many ways one of Shakespeare's more problematic plays for our time, and yet, done right, is exceptionally clever and funny.
  
  Actually, the more remarkable thing about Henderson's performance here is that she reminded me of the first woman I ever fell in love with. I imagine that gave me an extra bit of identification with Petrucchio.
  
  
• Theatre of Blood, with Vincent Price and Diana Rigg, from 1973. A wildly lurid and somewhat silly story about an actor who, driven mad by critics' opinions of his play, become a serial killer enacting revenge upon the critics by killing them in the manner of murders in Shakepeare's plays. It was a real treat to see the young Diana Rigg again. In one scene, a man's beloved poodles are brutally murdered; I couldn't help thinking of Captain John Hart.

Then maaseru and I actually ventured out into the world to see The Dark Knight at a movie theatre. I had many thoughts on the movie. As always, I'm fussy about movies based on comics, especially comic and characters I love, and I certainly love Batman. The movie Batman is not the comic book Batman, and I generally prefer the one in the comic - with the caveat that there is no one comic book version of the character. None of the Batman movies capture what I most love about Batman¹, but I do like Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne.

1. Heath Ledger as the Joker was as good as they say. It wasn't just his doing: the direction and writing on the Joker was superb. Loved it that he was a 'mad dog', an agent of chaos; loved it that he had a different version of his origin every time he told it. Loved it that he really wore make-up, and didn't have his skin stained in a chemical factory accident. Loved his Nurse Jane scene with Harvey Dent. The Joker was the best thing about the movie.
   
   
2. The second best thing about the movie was Garry Oldman as Jim Gordon . Convincing, interesting, a good friend and foil to Batman. He has a son in the movie: this surprised me, as I've only ever known him to have a daughter (Barbara); but I see from the Wikipedia entry that in pre-Crisis continuity he had a son named Tony.
   
   
3. Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Daws was infinitely better than Katie Holmes, or at least, much more convincing as an Assistant D.A. She still was not the equal of Bruce Wayne or Harvey Dent, and a prime example of a Refrigerator Woman - something movies do much more blatantly than comics, in my opinion.
   
   She did have a role in the plot that I loved, though: the whole theme of her choosing between Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent, and writing the letter to Bruce, which Alfred burned after the fact. I loved that with a passion.
   
   
4. In terms of weakness, I thought the movie was very badly paced, repetitious, a little too long, and sometimes difficult to follow. I'd have edited it so differently. And I'd have added gargoyles and narrow dark alleyways.
   
   
5. They didn't identify Detective Ramirez by name for a long time, and for a long time I was all excited because I thought the movie was featuring Renée Montoya, one of my favourite DC characters. It wasn't. Damn.
   
   
6. Michael Caine remains delightful as Alfred.
   
   
7. I spent the whole movie, of course, waiting for the accident that would turn Harvey Dent into Two-Face.

One further Batman-related comment: a week ago a bunch of my friends were discussing the movie, which I hadn't then seen. The were commenting on Christian Bale in the Batman role, and several of them said how much they'd loved the old show with Adam West. I had to bite my tongue not to rant about how much I hated that show in general, and Adam West in particular. Even at the very worst, I look at versions of Batman and thing, "At least it isn't Adam West."

¹ Which I'd love to go into but not now. Later sometime.

Comments

[monsieureden.livejournal.com]

Ugh, I can't stand it when people go on about the 'good old Batman,' i.e. Adam West Batman. They are usually people who haven't read the comics and that was their first impression of Batman. Ugh ugh ugh. I watched it only because I liked Batman so much, I'd watch anything Batman. Batman Begins was much closer to the comic for me.

When I left the movie, I felt it was too long, definitely could have been edited down, I figured it would be confusing to follow (for a lot of people, if they really tried)... I wasn't really trying to follow it. I was just waiting for another Joker scene.

Which instantly reveals why *I* truly liked the movie. I thought many of the actors overshadowed Batman, which I'm not sure was their intention. When it was over, I wanted to see it again, but only to fast forward through Joker's scenes.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

They are usually people who haven't read the comics and that was their first impression of Batman.

Yes, exactly. People who have no idea what the character is about, and don't care what he stands for.

Batman Begins was much closer to the comic for me.

I agree. It had its flaws, but it had the right spirit.

I felt it was too long, definitely could have been edited down, I figured it would be confusing to follow

The plot could have been made a lot tighter, a lot tenser. Maybe they ran out of editing time? It wasn't bad, just that it could have been better.

I can understand about 'waiting for the next Joker' scene. He really lit up the screen.

I thought many of the actors overshadowed Batman, which I'm not sure was their intention.

I agree. I'm sure they wanted to feature Harvey Dent (for example) in a positive light, but Batman got a little bit lost and forgotten from time to time in his own movie. And we had very, very little of his point of view. The comics often do that too, so there's precedent, but I'm much happier when we (a) get Batman's point of view and (b) have him a part of most of the action. I would have liked more characterization of Bruce/Batman; as it was, I think they thought they set up his character in the last movie, and didn't need to focus on him this time. Wrong choice, I'd say.

I thought we should have had more scenes that were conversations between Batman and the Joker. I'd have also liked some scenes between the Joker and Bruce Wayne, the Joker not knowing he was Batman.

When it was over, I wanted to see it again, but only to fast forward through Joker's scenes.

You'll be able to do that, soon enough.