Bale, Bale, Everywhere
Cause he's just so cool!I saw three films this weekend that are probably the three best films I've seen so far this year: Twist of Faith, Howl's Moving Castle, and Batman Begins. Twist of Faith is an amazing documentary that's coming on HBO next week, so I'll save my comments on that till then. Don't let me forget.
Howl's Moving Castle comes from the brilliance of Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away). The story is about a young girl, who considers herself plain and is turned into a 90 year old woman by a witch. She stumbles into a a castle that is motorized, moving across the land, makes friends with a fire demon, and falls in love with a dashing young wizard named Howl, voiced by Christian Bale.
If you've ever seen any of Miyazaki's films, you know it's impossible to really describe what his movies are about. You just have to see them, experience them, and have a blast doing so. This one isn't any different. While it might not be as incredibly audacious as Spirited Away, there is more imagination in a single frame of this film than in every combined frame of Madagascar.
The animation is lovely and carefully drawn. The voice work from Bale, Lauren Bacall, Jean Simmons, Blythe Danner, and particularly Emily Mortimer is impressive. Like any good film, Castle grapples with some big questions--like say maybe the futility of war. I left the theater Friday night thinking it would be a long time before I saw a movie better than this.
A whole 24 hours long.
Batman Begins is not only the best comic book hero movie yet (sorry Ang Lee), it's easily the best thing I've seen all year. Christopher Nolan put together a taut film that thrills, excites, and tells a more complex and interesting story than any other superhero film has. Nolan and co-screenwriter David Goyer recognize that their movie doesn't need to have glib characters, witty repartee, or clever gags to be fun or memorable. What it needs is a solid story with compelling characters, and strong actors.
The film delivers on all three parts.
Additionally, the film resonates on a deep level, pondering the depths and meaning of goodness and the value of a society. I couldn't help but think of Abraham bartering for Sodom and Gomorrah throughout the entire film. That's exactly what this film is. A modern day telling of the destruction of those two cities with another force standing in the place of God. Themes don't get more resonate than that.
The film's not perfect. Katie Holmes is wasted in her role and doesn't really seem to fit the part. She looks a little too young. Rutger Hauer is involved in a subplot that, while amusing, doesn't really go anywhere and should've been given a few more beats. Michael Caine is superb once again, as he is always. But the star of this film is Christian Bale. (Who knew a Batman movie could be about Batman and not the villains?) He is by far the best actor of all the Batman's who have gone before and he flies bat circles around his predecessors. He brings real depth and angst to Bruce Wayne, while using his physicality to really evoke fear. There are few actors willing to sacrifice as much for a part as Bale is, and it all works here beautifully.
Holy smokes! I can't wait to see it again.
posted by cinegod @ 9:45 PM
2 Comments:
Of all the seven or so "Batman" stories to make it to the big screen, this is certainly the most satisfying. Barb makes a good point on her blog that Nolan is demythologizing the Batman legend, and that's in keeping with Nolan's realist-noir disposition and, I think, with the original legend. Can't wait for a sequel, maybe with this guy as the Joker.
I just don't see them even admitting the other films existed, if for no other reason than frankly, we all wish they didn't. I'd guess they still won't use another previously seen villian for the second one because they will try and make it as different as possible, but, I'm not a huge Batman myth person, so I don't know what else there is to choose from.
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