Motoko Goes to the Movies

[Motoko]

Welcome to the party, ladies and gentlemen!

The purpose of this thread is to enlighten you, broaden your horizons, open your mind to new films, and answer some questions you might be having when it comes to cinema.

Every week, I will bring you a new entry. The entry will consist of a main introduction to the week, short reviews from a new and/or an old film, and a Q&A from the members of XO.

To send me a question, simply PM me! It can be anything to do with films. Technical questions, questions concerning classics, new releases, just about anything!

I will only answer a few questions per week, so please be patient. I won't answer all questions, either. Feel free to PM me all you wish, but please only PM me the same question once. If I get to it, I'll answer it. If not, I apologize.

Again, the purpose of this thread is to open your eyes to a world of film some of you may have never seen, and for you guys to challenge my views when it comes to the art of cinema.

Lights, camera, action.

[Motoko]

THE FIRST ENTRY WILL BE ON SATURDAY, JUNE 11, 2005. FEEL FREE TO PM ME QUESTIONS AT ANYTIME, I NEED A FEW FOR THE FIRST ENTRY!

Thanks!

[Raycp2004]

may I question your sanity?
other than that: I will be glad to see your views on films toko.

[LTM360]

I'll question what movie(s) will be in the first batch?

[GuiltySpark]

I'm looking forward to this.

[Flood]

motoko, i think you need to make your own website ;)

or become a talkshow host

[thrAsher]

He can be on my radio show. :p

[Flood]

He can be on my radio show. :p

your icon.....is funny at first glance, then it becomes very disturbing the more you look at it

[blinx]

He can be on my radio show. :p


yesssssssssssss

[shrew]

Motoko Needs A Ride to the Movies. . . .

[Motoko]

Going to give it until 10 p.m. this evening. No PMs yet.

[Stifler]

Just saw the preview to Wedding Crashers, tell me more. Movie looks fucking hilarious.

[OneSharpMarble]

So if we ask for a review of a certain movie you have to go watch it? In that case I am dieing to know how "The Perfect Man" starring Hilary Duff is!

Haha have a good time!

[Snake Eyez]

Will you be reviewing porn?

[shrew]

Get to it you slut.

[Motoko]

Ink and Epilepsy
June 19, 2005

Welcome to Gotham City, where the businessmen are as gritty and dark as the streets of The Narrows. Where the shiny, glittering surface is a mere façade cast over the dark underbelly that thrives beneath the towering skyscrapers.

Batman Begins succeeds on every level that each film in the franchise has failed upon thus far. Gone are the flashy colors and neon signs. The Batman world has been completely transformed from a sleek and vibrant to dark, menacing, and gritty. Rightfully so, too, because the characters feel so much more alive when they live in Nolan’s Gotham City.

Another crucial change for this film is the development of Bruce Wayne. We follow his life and back story for literally two complete acts. This is great for someone like myself, who hated the fact that we never figure out how Peter Parker goes from a cheap, felt suit to an unbelievable latex one.

I found the first half of the film to be utterly fascinating. Watching Bruce Wayne’s transformation into the icon we all know was extremely engaging. It was about this time, when he made the transition into the Batman, that the film began to stumble. I’m not going to discuss a basic plot outline of the film, because ordinarily I skip those when reading the reviews of others. Instead, I’m going to jump right into the gripes I had with the film and spare you all a summary you already know off hand.

We have our basic citywide threat, but who’s the villain? The Scarecrow is a disturbing and brilliantly twisted character, but he lacks a significant amount of screen time. There’s no rhyme or reason for his motives, and once he arrives for the film’s dramatic finale, he ends up trotting along without a memorable showdown.

The villain the film ends up centering itself on is a man by the name of Ducard, a character played by Liam Neeson. Neeson, of course, shines in his role of the head of the League of Shadows. His reappearance into the film’s final act is provoked, yes, but questionable. He steals the show from Cillian Murphy’s Scarecrow, and not in a positive way. This twist, though expected and motivated, is very disappointing to watch. After Bruce Wayne’s back story, Dr. Crane begins to make his transformation into the Scarecrow, and the film’s most memorable scenes are the ones containing him and his nightmare gas.

Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins goes where no other Batman film has dared to go, and provides us with a brilliant story centering around Bruce’s transformation and the reasons for it. When it comes time to shell out a threatening villain and a central plot, the film falls and desperately tries to stand back up. There’s a significant dramatic arc going into the final act, but it’s as if the screenplay leads you down one road the entire film and then changes directions to take a long, bumpy ride to the same destination. Instead of sticking on the best road possible, it leads us back to Ducard’s League of Shadows, and it’s monumentally less interesting than where the film was taking us.

The climax of the film is muddled and inconsistent. We never fully realize what each character is attempting to do. Granted, it’s all pretty easy to understand, but the reasons as to why they’re doing what they’re doing within the last half hour are no where to be found. Not only that, I really wanted to see some more Dr. Crane.

Throughout the course of the film, Bruce Wayne struggles with his relationship with Rachel, a close friend since childhood. The trouble he has balancing his image of Bruce Wayne and his life as a vigilante run throughout the course of the film and add a special human characteristic to Bruce Wayne, but at times these struggles seem to center excessively on his relationship with Rachel in particular. By the time they confront each other about the issue, it seems very contrived and not built up enough.

From a technical standpoint, the film soars in most aspects. The visuals are stunning and very dedicated. As I said before, this is a brand new Gotham City. Batman is now a rough, gritty, and dark franchise. The scenes are composed of brown pastels and grungy backdrops, and a thick haze appears to exude from every crack in the street.

My complaints in this department are all about Nolan’s style of filmmaking. The shaky close-up is a style used all too often in the modern age of action sequences. Despite a director’s firm belief, it does not look appealing. It’s hard to watch and screams, “We didn’t properly choreograph these scenes.” Not only is it almost impossible to keep track of the action scenes in Batman Begins, they aggravated me to no end. The editing was clumsy as well, focusing on the wrong things at the wrong time, furthering this frustration I held for most of the film. When it comes time for the car chase, the Tumbler appears to be going almost as slow as the traffic it’s up against.

When all was said and done, I enjoyed this film more when it Bruce Wayne was out of his suit and interacting with the individuals around him. The brilliance of the first half of the movie almost feels wasted once you get to the disappointing conclusion. Half-hearted, confusing action sequences with no true villain or motivation to speak of made this film a mess. Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, and the rest of the cast absolutely nail the characters, but some are wasted. The film seems unsure where to go after showing the history of Wayne.

I’d still recommend it, however, if only for the initial first half. I firmly believe that every comic book franchise should follow in the footsteps of this film and provide us with some insight and depth to the people we watch on screen. Batman Begins just never figures out what it wants to be. It’s a shame, too, because they created such a brilliant look and feel.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This week I don’t have any questions in my PM box, so I think I’ll move right along to my next film review. Instead of re-visiting an old one, I had the opportunity to check out Mr. and Mrs. Smith. There was nothing else playing, so I went along for the ride.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie play a married couple that is unaware of the fact that the other is a secret agent/spy/government official/person who just kills people. Come to think of it, there’s really no explanation as to what their job is. They just kill people in humorous and stylized ways. The situation becomes complicated when they’re both sent to kill the same person. Their true identities are revealed, and all hell breaks loose. Literally. They now have to kill each other, because rival agents/spies/people who just kill people is “bad for business.”

The premise is cute; I’ll give it that. When the film begins to toy around with the concept of a typical marriage (new curtains, dinner table discussions, the in-laws) it works quite well. However, when the same jokes are stretched out to a mind boggling 120 plus minutes, it becomes very old very fast.

Somewhere in the middle of the battle between John and Jane Smith, the film begins to pile on extra dimensions to these characters that never seemed to exist in the first place. Will Jane be able to kill John, or does she love him too deeply? It’s a big question, and sadly, we don’t care, because up until this point in the film, we didn’t even realize these people actually were capable of emotions. If you want us to question their ability to kill one another, give us some reason to believe there might be love between them. A stupid, typical flash back ridden with clichés does not count.

After the duel between Jane and John, the film begins to digress into worse territory. Quite frankly, I’m not sure if they even fought. All I saw on the screen was a horrible display of colors and fast moving objects that resembled pieces of furniture flying around. Seriously, are all Hollywood directors stupid? Do they actually believe filming action scenes in this disgusting, claustrophobic way is entertaining to watch? Hire a decent choreographer, pull back the camera, and put it on a tripod.

Just when I thought the film had reached its ultimate low, it continued. Now, one organization, or maybe two of them, is out to kill John and Jane Smith. Get used to not knowing who these people are, because I suppose it doesn’t matter. As long as Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are continuously shooting in a circle for five whole minutes and not even looking in the direction they’re shooting, everything is fine. Never before have I seen such a blatant and obvious excuse for pretty Hollywood actors to have guns and to be in a room with dozens of people who, I guess, are “bad.” If you want me to shut off my brain and have a fun ride, at least tell me who the hell these people are and why I should care if they win, other than the fact that the glamorous movie stars would be dead if they do.

The ending is even more mind-boggling than the reason why this film was even conceived. I won’t go into details to avoid spoilers, but it literally just ends. All aspects of the story that have been going on for two hours evaporate into thin air. Once again, we’re not supposed to ask questions. It’s a fun summer flick after all, right?

Which brings me to my final topic: Summer blockbusters. Before all of you attack me for “not being able to just have fun at the movies,” I’ll ask you to re-read my entire review. I am fully and completely capable of watching stylized, fun, and imaginable popcorn movies. I love films like The Bourne Identity and The Italian Job. Hell, Minority Report is one of the best movies I’ve seen in the past decade. What sets these films apart from garbage like Mr. and Mrs. Smith is that they have substance under their layer of style, and they offer something more than non-existent plotlines and seizure-inducing action sequences. They’re not trying to sell themselves completely on the popular people in the film, and they actually have a coherent and engaging premise. Mr. and Mrs. Smith is over two hours of sloppy writing, bad directing, and everything wrong with big-budget studio films today. While I was in New York City deciding upon which film to see with my sister and father, I recommended we check out what was playing at the Angelika, a small art house in Greenwich Village. She replied in an irritated and unexited tone, “Something I’ve never heard of before, I’m sure.”

And it’s that attitude that adds fuel to the fire, ladies and gentlemen. Hell, they got me to see it, didn’t they?

Batman Begins: 7.3/10
Mr. and Mrs. Smith: 3.0/10

Until next week.

[Lax]

I dunno, I thought Scarecrow's "showdown" was really memorable.

[Sheeyt]

What?

[jHawk]

Motoko, have you ever tried MARIJUANA? Lossen up, dude, Jesus! Just because of some bad cinematography and not your definition of "a central villian" (it might be the one plotting to destroy the whole city...I'm glad they didn't center the film's attention on Raz al Ghul...it just adds to another one of those things that sets this movie apart) you give it a 7? C'mon, man, you know you enjoyed this ENTIRE movie. I know for a fact you didn't walk outta there going, "Man, I wish that ending had been stronger." You were saying, "That was the best damn Batman movie anyone could ever have made, despite a few faults I will overlook."

Just because it's from Hollywood, doesn't make it below your 'ideal' movie.
And BTW, I am the only one of my friends who thinks Mr. & Mrs. Smith sucked donkey scrot.

[Motoko]

Motoko, have you ever tried MARIJUANA? Lossen up, dude, Jesus! Just because of some bad cinematography and not your definition of "a central villian" (it might be the one plotting to destroy the whole city...I'm glad they didn't center the film's attention on Raz al Ghul...it just adds to another one of those things that sets this movie apart) you give it a 7? C'mon, man, you know you enjoyed this ENTIRE movie. I know for a fact you didn't walk outta there going, "Man, I wish that ending had been stronger." You were saying, "That was the best damn Batman movie anyone could ever have made, despite a few faults I will overlook."

Just because it's from Hollywood, doesn't make it below your 'ideal' movie.
And BTW, I am the only one of my friends who thinks Mr. & Mrs. Smith sucked donkey scrot.

One half of the film is centered around creating a fascinating and engaging character of Batman. The other half is centered around action sequences.

One half of this film was done superbly, the other not. If you want me to loosen up and enjoy some action scenes, start by letting me see them. :)

I did walk out of Batman firmly believing it to be the best one of the bunch, but I certainly didn't enjoy all of it. I much preferred the scenes when Bruce Wayne was not wearing his suit.

And about your Hollywood comment...I am one of the few people who adore the Matrix sequels. Both Spider-Man movies are extremely well done and are endlessly re-watchable. I'm not against all big-budget Hollywood movies, just the ones that are lazily thrown together with not a care in the world, knowing it'll bring in millions regardless of what's on the screen. That was my gripe with Mr. and Mrs. Smith.

[Sheeyt]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Batman about fighting crime? To fight crime doesn't that require action?

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the action scenes.

[Motoko]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't Batman about fighting crime? To fight crime doesn't that require action?

There was absolutely nothing wrong with the action scenes.

I'm not quite sure what point you're trying to make by that first statement. I understood full well that there was going to have to be a ton of action in the movie, so I don't know why you're assuming I didn't expect it.

I was pumped and axious to see Chsitian Bale dawn the cape and mask and kick ass, but I never got the oppurtunity to see that due to the horrid choreography.

[The Covenant]

i disagree with motoko's batman review, but im tired, so ill just agree with it.

[Sheeyt]

Dont agree because you're tired! Fight the power!

[OneSharpMarble]

Batman is more of a detective than anything else, none of the movies do that part of the story justice though.

[jHawk]

Well kinda...he kept pointing Gordon in the right direction and was telling him all the info he could...normally, superheroes are always running from cops, but he seems to be feeding this one information...and besides, Bruce Wayne seems like a pretty competent guy, I think he can piece things together on his own without having to snoop around too much...

So, which villians do you think will be in future batman movies? I am really hoping to see two-face, or that one guy who swallowed that creme that makes his face look good, and became that big hulking blob...as you can see, I don't remember the name...

BTW sorry about my previous post, Motoko...I don't know why I got agitated, a 7 isn't that bad...its these pills, you see...

[Motoko]

Well kinda...he kept pointing Gordon in the right direction and was telling him all the info he could...normally, superheroes are always running from cops, but he seems to be feeding this one information...and besides, Bruce Wayne seems like a pretty competent guy, I think he can piece things together on his own without having to snoop around too much...

So, which villians do you think will be in future batman movies? I am really hoping to see two-face, or that one guy who swallowed that creme that makes his face look good, and became that big hulking blob...as you can see, I don't remember the name...

BTW sorry about my previous post, Motoko...I don't know why I got agitated, a 7 isn't that bad...its these pills, you see...

I personally am hoping for Crispin Glover as the Joker. Seriously. Think about that for a few seconds. That would be insanely awesome.

Don't sweat the previous post, I didn't take any offense. I want people to pick apart these reviews and get some discussions going. :)

[Raycp2004]

I personally am hoping for Crispin Glover as the Joker. Seriously. Think about that for a few seconds. That would be insanely awesome.

he has that insane look to him already...hmmmm. I can see it happening.

[shrew]

I personally am hoping for Crispin Glover as the Joker. Seriously.

You're not the only one.

http://www.villainousvamps.com/crispinjoker.jpg

[P-Rock]

You're not the only one.

http://www.villainousvamps.com/crispinjoker.jpg

EDIT, nevermind. McFly is a go.

[OneMaverick]

They say its between him and Mark Hamill. I'd pick Crispin Glover, although Mark Hamill wouldnt be that bad since he was the voice of Joker in the animated series.

[MapleHamwich]

Motoko likes the Matrix sequels!? Since when?
:huh:

[Motoko]

Motoko likes the Matrix sequels!? Since when?
:huh:

Oh man! I saw them both opening night in New York and was part of the cheering fans!

So it's a bit nerdy. :D

Still, I love 'em. Especially Revolutions. I don't know why it gets so much harsh criticism. :huh:

[OneSharpMarble]

Motoko, you should review "Land Of the Dead" when it comes out, I love "Dawn Of the Dead" and this one looks like a bad ripoff.

[Motoko]

Motoko, you should review "Land Of the Dead" when it comes out, I love "Dawn Of the Dead" and this one looks like a bad ripoff.

Oh, the irony!

The director of Land of the Dead, George Romero, is one of the most popular filmmakers in cult/horror movie history. He's got a huge following.

In fact, Romero directed the original Dawn of the Dead. The version you're thinking of (2003) is a remake of the insanely popular classic!

[MapleHamwich]

Question. What does Bill Murray "whisper" into Scarlette Johansson's ear at the end of Lost in Translation?

-edit-
The remake of Dawn of the Dead is my favorite zombie movie ever.

I dunno why so many poeple harshly criticise the matrix sequels either. I liked em. They are what they are, and I appreciate them for that.

[Motoko]

Question. What does Bill Murray "whisper" into Scarlette Johansson's ear at the end of Lost in Translation?

-edit-
The remake of Dawn of the Dead is my favorite zombie movie ever.

I've heard stories of projectionists turning up the volume of the movie while it was in theatres so friends can hear what he says. They've removed that from the DVD, of course, as well as the closed captioning. I've also heard people who know what he says mention that it's not worth it, and kind of "ruins" the end for them.

I believe Roger Ebert said it best when he said:

We shouldn't be allowed to hear it. It's between them, and by this point in the movie, they've become real enough to deserve their privacy. Maybe he gave her his phone number. Or said he loved her. Or said she was a good person. Or thanked her. Or whispered, "Had we but world enough, and time..." and left her to look up the rest of it.

I, myself, enjoy not knowing. But that's just me. :D

And yes, the remake of Dawn of the Dead is almost too much fun. I love the hell out of it, no pun intended.

[Motoko]

I dunno why so many poeple harshly criticise the matrix sequels either. I liked em. They are what they are, and I appreciate them for that.

Amen, brotha.

I'd be hard pressed to find a more intense scene in 2003 than the seige of Zion. Well, maybe the Showdown at the House of Blue Leaves in Kill Bill.

[MapleHamwich]

Yeah, I suppose it adds to the whole feeling of the movie not knowing. It's just that natural human want to know I guess. Man I love that movie.

[OneSharpMarble]

Oh, the irony!

The director of Land of the Dead, George Romero, is one of the most popular filmmakers in cult/horror movie history. He's got a huge following.

In fact, Romero directed the original Dawn of the Dead. The version you're thinking of (2003) is a remake of the insanely popular classic!

Yes yes I know that 2003 DotD was a remake, I did not know Romero did the first one.
Reguardless Land of the Dead looks like a ripoff of the recent DotD.