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ScottH409
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- Review count4
- Helpfulness votes0
- First reviewMay 27, 2008
- Last reviewJuly 21, 2008
- Featured reviews0
- Average rating4
ScottH409's Reviews
Overall rating
5
/
5
So much more than a "summer flick" - it DELIVERS!
PostedJuly 21, 2008
ScottH409
from Ellicott City, MD
Being a longtime superhero fan, I have been (sometimes correctly) accused of having a bias towards movies based upon comic book characters. There's no bias here - "Dark Knight" is an extremely well-written, well-acted movie that should be considered one of the best films of the year - if not the best.
You've heard the hype about Heath Ledger as the Joker. It's all true. His performance is akin to a huge onion, where we slowly peel away the layers, learning more but never KNOWING. What will happen next? How complex is the depth of his twisted psyche and machinations? You'll have to see the movie to find out. His performance alone is worth the price of admission and really is Oscar-worthy. He BECOMES the Joker.
What about the rest? Christian Bale shows a man struggling not only with his dual roles as millionare and vengeful protector, but exactly where to draw that line - what does one do with infinite power and resources? A Machievellian question, to be sure, but Bale plays out the role with unexpected twists and makes us believe he is both Bruce Wayne and the Dark Knight.
The supporting cast, consisting of Maggie Gyllenhal, Morgan Freeman and the always-superb Michael Caine play well-balanced roles that all expand upon their characters' development in Batman Begins. In particular, Freeman's understanding of the corruptable power that Batman gains - and his refusal to be involved with it - is yet another example of the central question asked by this movie - what do you REALLY do when the chips are down?
Gyllenhal expands on the role that Katie Holmes played in the first movie and brings her soft emotion to the role. She, too, has choices to make. You'll be suprised by what she does. And Aaron Eckhart, as crusading DA Harvey Dent, while not quite the actor that Bale and Ledger are in this movie, also plumbs the depth of human despair. His tortured rise and fall are shocking, yet believable, to anyone put in his position and tortured as he is.
Altogether, the movie will leave you shaking and wanting more. There has to be more. Even at 2 1/2 hours, you keep hoping the story will continue, as an adrenaline-laced ride with such depth can't end, can it?
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
4
/
5
Two films in one - but both are good
PostedJuly 4, 2008
ScottH409
from Ellicott City, MD
We all know Will Smith owns July 4th. His self-depreciating humor, emotion and acting chops that he brings to all of his roles make him great summer fun. He brings all of those and more to Hancock - a totally new twist on the superhero genre. As John Hancock, he's invulnerable with a couple of twists - he doesn't know why (I won't tell you how we find out) and he doesn't know who he is. At least, besides the foul-mouthed, drunken a*s that he acts like every day. He's reviled. He's cursed at by 4-year-olds. And he doesn't care.
That's where Jason Bateman, continuing his pattern of playing overexcited characters (but good ones at that) comes in. He's a PR man, and Hancock has a heck of a PR problem. So he convinces the anti-person Hancock to, well, love his fellow man. The problem? Bateman has Charlize Theron as his wife - and somehow, somewhere, it seems like Hancock and she met sometime in the past. I won't spoil it, only to say that Charlize does get to look like - Charlize!
The "twist" that everyone is talking about either works or it doesn't work, depending upon your point of view. I thought it worked - I understood where the director was going with the story, albeit a weak tie-in to a nemesis for Hancock. You surely won't expect it - most people didn't - but I think you'll like it.
You could take the first two-thirds of the movie and extend that to a full film - and do the same with the last third, the story lines work so well independently. Together, they provide a fun, interesting twist on the traditional superhero tale.
That's where Jason Bateman, continuing his pattern of playing overexcited characters (but good ones at that) comes in. He's a PR man, and Hancock has a heck of a PR problem. So he convinces the anti-person Hancock to, well, love his fellow man. The problem? Bateman has Charlize Theron as his wife - and somehow, somewhere, it seems like Hancock and she met sometime in the past. I won't spoil it, only to say that Charlize does get to look like - Charlize!
The "twist" that everyone is talking about either works or it doesn't work, depending upon your point of view. I thought it worked - I understood where the director was going with the story, albeit a weak tie-in to a nemesis for Hancock. You surely won't expect it - most people didn't - but I think you'll like it.
You could take the first two-thirds of the movie and extend that to a full film - and do the same with the last third, the story lines work so well independently. Together, they provide a fun, interesting twist on the traditional superhero tale.
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
2
/
5
More bang - less fun
PostedJune 2, 2008
ScottH409
from Ellicott City, MD
Counting myself among the legions of Indiana Jones fans, I found myself somewhat disappointed by the fourth installment. The special effects were great, and the chase scenes were especially nice, but they lacked - a human touch.
Lucas' over-the-top love of special effects is well-known (and lamented, by some) from the second 'Star Wars' trilogy. In SW1 and SW2 (I think he got it right in Revenge of the Sith), the personalities became secondary to the real show - special effects. I believe the same thing happened here in IJ4. What makes the Indiana Jones series REALLY special is that, in the search for the extraordinary object, we find out what is extraordinary in ourselves. There was none of that in this installment.
What we are left with is a plot that was too far-fetched, even for me, with a conclusion that has been covered by many other movies, most notably in 'Stargate', and covered better. Harrison Ford is a calmer, more mature Indy and it is a pleasure to see Karen Allen back with Dr. Jones. However, her role is too small to have any real impact, and Shia LeBoeuf - great in 'Transformers' - plays a stereotypical role with no fleshing out of his character.
The fantastic Cate Blanchett is wasted in what could have been an excellent role with a character that we really never understand; her true strengths are only hinted at during the beginning of the movie. And (spoiler alert!) 4 guards to cover all of Area 51? I know that Indiana Jones thrives on the fantastic, but this one was too much for me.
Catch it on cable and save your money.
No, I do not recommend this movie.
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Overall rating
5
/
5
Excellent, well-developed, fun movie!
PostedMay 27, 2008
ScottH409
from Ellicott City, MD
Robert Downey, Jr. brings a great combination of self-confidence, snarkiness and humanity to the role of Tony Stark. Gwenneth Paltrow is an excellent foil as the overworked assistant Pepper and keeps her feelings for her boss simmering just below the surface. Finally, Jeff Bridges plays an outsized version of some of his more grandoise roles as the power-mongering executive at Tony's weapons firm. The special effects are first-rate, and Downey Jr. behaves as most of us would if suddenly given superpowers - with a little fun and some responsibility. Well done!
Yes, I recommend this movie.
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