Last year I posted my Oscar screener reviews on NRO. This year (no surprise) I will be doing it Sundays on the Pajamas Site. The first round-up (Capote, Walk the Line and Batman Begins) is up now. You can use the space below to attack my paltry opinions. Hey, it’s all fun and it’s “only a movie.”
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I think you ejected the comic book/graphic novel inspired movie that easily comes the closest to emulating Spiderman II. It’s their audience the filmmakers took seriously.
Well, you’re right about one thing, Patrick. Batman Begins did very respectable 200 million (as compared to Spiderman II’s nearly 400 million). These are box office, not DVD figures. But I still thought this Batman was a dreadful version.
Spider-Man 2 respected the intelligence and the expectations of the fans of the material being adapted. The same is true of Batman Begins.
Had Christian Bale (the best screen Batman to date) returned to Gotham before you gave up on it?
Oh, yes, for quite a while. All those dull scenes in bars with stock villains. Badly missed the Joker and Jack Nicholson. You obviously felt differently.
Roger…..
I’m wondering what you thought of David Strathairn and Good Night and Good Luck? Hope you are going to review the film……
I too thought Batman Begins was a bad film. It had the same problem as Angst Lee’s Hulk, too much “deep psychological aspects of tormented character” and not enough of the pulp energy that made comics great in the first place.
Bruce Wayne is not interesting except as the mask Batman wears when he’s not being Batman, so naturally Chris Nolan re-made Memento and focused almost entirely on Bruce Wayne.
In addition the movie suffered from a major “gotcha” that wasn’t particularly interesting; Katie Holmes as the female lead was non-existent; and Christian Bale had zero charisma. Michael Caine and Gary Oldman were great as was Morgan Freeman; however Liam Neeson phoned in his hammy, over-wrought performance.
The best Comic book film IMHO is the “Director’s Cut” of Daredevil on DVD. It focused far more on the political and corruption aspects; with the deliberate lines the hero draws about what he will and won’t do. Several aspects of the theatrical release that were puzzling become clearer, and the role of the hero as protector of the innocent or downtrodden in the neighborhood is emphasized over the love story (a wiser choice IMHO); along with a much bigger part for Jon Favreau (who really shines in his role).
Lastly, the SOUNDTRACK for Batman Begins was nothing. In an adventure-action movie this is not trivial. Look at John William’s Superman or Star Wars scores. Or Howard Shore’s LoTR score. Yes the Daredevil soundtrack is quite effective.
L. B. I will be reviewing “Good Night and Good Luck” in the coming weeks, as I will most of the “Academy” films, but, to be honest, it’s just my opinion. These reviews are for fun only (and I’m going to try NOT to lose too many friends!). But each time I will open a discussion on here, so everybody can get their innings, if they want.
Thanks Roger……and you never going to lose any of us!
imdb.com user ratings for 26 “superhero” movies:
The Incredibles 8.4
Batman Begins 8.3
Spider-Man 2 7.9
X2 7.9
Batman 7.4
Spider-Man 7.4
X-Men 7.3
Superman 7.1
Blade 6.8
Hellboy 6.7
Batman Returns 6.6
Superman II 6.5
Blade II 6.5
Constantine 6.5
Underworld 6.4
The Punisher 6.3
The Hulk 6.0
Fantastic Four 5.9
Blade: Trinity 5.7
Daredevil 5.6
Batman Forever 5.4
Elektra 5.1
Superman 3 4.6
Spawn 4.6
Batman & Robin 3.5
Catwoman 3.4
That Batman Begins has a higher rating than Spider-Man 2 is something of a surprise, but is also unlikely to change as it has also been rated by many more users (65,105 to 51,246). The real surprise is that The Punisher isn’t down there with the bottom two.
…
I agree with most of the Walk The Line review and I still haven’t seen Capote.
OOOPPS!
Meant. you ARE NEVER going to lose any of us! Have to start checking preview
Agree with the comments on Walk the Line, very entertaining and Witherspoon I thought was really outstanding. Liked Capote more than you did and would probably give Hoffman slight edge for Oscar over Joaquin as Cash, although he is also excellent. Batman Begins finally does begin to seem longwinded, but overall I found it entertaining.
Better you than me, Roger: I assume you will have to watch Spielberg’s ground breaking opus on Munich.
I took one look at the Time cover at Drudge and thought: that man is a smug twirp. He managed to sentimentalize Schindler; his War of the Worlds was an anti American screed with a little girl who kept screaming and shrieking and weeping throughout… and now he has the absolute hubris, the utter nauseating conceit to think his “Art” will bring Peace to the Middle East. If his ancestors, who I am sure came to America from a gawdawful village in Russia, could see that man, they would smack him up the side of his head.
Heather,
Also watched “War of the Worlds” through a fog of furious disappointment – though chiefly because I thought Spielberg had lost his knack for cheesey yet effective manipulation rather than anti-Yank sensibilitites.
But how on earth do you know he thinks “Munich” will make a jot of difference to politics? Is this from some unambiguous direct quote I’ve missed?
I agree with Roger’s views on “Capote” being All About Hoffman. But – suspecting this in advance – I did love the moment Hoffman first opened his mouth and you knew in your marrow that whatever else was going to be less than perfect, it wasn’t going to be Hoffman!
Batman Begins was dull and uninspired in the first half; terrific in the second. Basically Batman Begins doesn’t begin until Batman begins. As a purist and an old fart, I despised the Katie Holmes character.
Hey,Roger,I didn’t eject BBegins quite as soon:I made 46 minutes.And a looonnnggg 46 minutes it was.the 2nd half might well have been terrific,as Pat says,but if you are asleep,what difference does it make?