The Dark Knight Rises

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Matthew Modine      

Released: 2012

Runtime: 164 minutes

Rating: 4/5

Eight years have passed since the events of The Dark Knight; Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse as a result of Batman being branded an enemy due to the death of Harvey Dent. Gotham City is enjoying a much welcomed period of peace prosperity with the city’s criminal element massively reduced; until the arrival of the ferocious and mysterious masked terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy), who overwhelms Gotham and is hell bent on bringing about its complete destruction. This causes Batman to resurface to once again protect the city.

I admit I don’t share the same level of excitement and enthusiasm that most fans appear to have with Christopher Nolan’s Batman films. But I agree they are excellent films of a very high stranded in overall filmmaking and this final chapter in the trilogy is no exception.

The Dark Knight Rises is grand, operatic and powerful cinematic experience. The plot is somewhat complex but by no means difficult to follow and it’s extremely well structured and balanced. I think it would be unfair to say that it’s a tad predictable, as it is a super hero film but there are twists that for a second really make you think otherwise.

The over story is compelling and really quite emotionally at times; in particular the scenes between Bruce Wayne and Alfred, there is some really meaningful heart felt dialogue there. I was surprised by how bleak the story becomes and the utter sense of hopelessness. You wonder how our hero will overcome these dire circumstances. The film is a tad long coming 16 minutes short of being 3 hours. Some scenes I felt just went longer than they should have.

    

One thing that I did find a little tiresome, was the constant back and forth dialogue about justice, corruption, doing the right thing, overcoming ones fear, what defines us as people etc. I’m not saying it’s a negative thing as it is an essential theme to the story that’s consistent throughout the three films, but for me it gets to the point where you’re just hearing the same stuff over and over again; for goodness sake I get it.

The film is not as action heavy as the previous two but it delivers some truly spectacular sequences, with a well-balanced use of practical and near flawless CG effects. All of which would not work half as well if it wasn’t for the dramatic, thunderous and intense music from Hans Zimmer. The much anticipated fight scenes between Batman and Bane are brilliantly choreographed. They’re intensely brutal almost too the point of being hard to watch. You can feel every punch, kick and bone crunching movement.

The many performances in this film are great, from a cast that’s impressive to say the least. Christian Bale as the emotionally tortured Bruce Wayne is excellent. I felt more sympathy towards his character than I did the previous films, there is a great deal of pain buried within him that starts to seep out. Michael Caine as poor long suffering Alfred in my opinion gives the most powerful and touching performance out the support characters; he is absolutely heart breaking to watch. Anne Hathaway; my good what a magnificent and beautiful looking woman she is; and just terrific as Selina (Catwoman), sexy, seductive and not an overused character. Tom Hardy is very menacing as Bane, intimidating and frankly a little frightening. However I found his voice a little hard to understand at times, especially when he was shouting. Other supporting cast all very good, including Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Matthew Modine who I was very surprised to see and of course Morgan Freeman as the loyal Lucius Fox.

The ending is very satisfying; there is proper closure, it’s positive with a strong sense of hope and it’s very moving. Yet it’s also completely open to interpretation which I thought was great. Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises is an epic conclusion to a very memorable trilogy; that since its beginning in 2005 has set a new benchmark for the super hero genre and in many ways modern filmmaking in general. 

The Boys from Brazil

Directed by: Franklin J. Schaffnerand
Starring: Gregory Peck, Laurence Olivier
& James Mason
Released: 1978
Runtime: 125 minutes
Rating: 4.5/5

Imagine a world with 94 identical clones of Adolf Hitler, each living their innocent adolescent lives in locations specifically chosen throughout the world completely unaware of what they are and of their purpose. The plan and ultimate goal is that at least one of these clones will become the man that Adolf Hitler once was and to ensure the dominance of the superior Aryan race over the world; a ‘Fourth Reich’

This is the plan of Dr. Josef Mengele (Gregory Peck); the infamous German SS officer and a physician known for his atrocious human experiments in the Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz. Now living secretly in Paraguay, South America amongst a secret organisation of Third Reich war criminals who have agreed to fund and support his project, are now preparing to put the final stage of Mengele’s plan into effect by ordering the calculated assassinations of 94 elder men scattered along locations across the globe. The assassinations are to be spread over the course of several years so that each man is 65 years of age at the time of his murder.

A well intentioned young man Barry Kohler (Steve Guttenberg) learns of these planned assassinations and manages to gets some of the information to highly respected and aging Nazi hunter Ezra Lieberman (Laurence Olivier). Convinced that something is amiss Lieberman begins to follow Kohler’s leads.

While most of the movie going world was out enjoying the final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s highly acclaimed Batman trilogy The Dark Knight Rises, I was in a department store at my local shopping centre on a Saturday morning browsing through dozens of titles in a $5 DVD bargain bin. Amongst them all I came across a copy of The Boys from Brazil on Blu-ray. I had wanted to see it for years so I did not hesitate in my purchase.

Now you could easily say that I’ve spoiled the movie for you in my opening paragraph, which in a way I have, but I can safely say that this film is pretty well know as being the movie about the ‘Hitler clones’, regardless of having seen it or not. I knew the big twist when I first heard of the film many years ago and it by no means ruins the film.

The Boys from Brazil was directed by Franklin J. Schaffnerand who is best know for Planet of the Apes (1968,) and adapted from Ira Levin’s novel of the same name. This is an amazing, thought provoking piece of cinematic story telling. I was just drawn right in from the opening shot of Paraguay. One of the many great things about this film is the chase, or pursuit for the truth and how the plot unfolds piece by piece. Watching our hero Lieberman piecing the puzzle together and his many interactions with the people he meets along the way is just captivating. It doesn’t matter if you already know the big secret, seeing it discovered is the real treat.

There is a very unsettling feeling and tone about this film, it’s frightening. I felt very disturbed after watching it much like how I felt when I first saw The Omen which does remind me a lot of this film; in regards to the whole rebirth of evil and the strong element of mystery.

As for performances you could not ask for anything better from such an overwhelmingly strong cast. Gregory Peck as Mengele is terrifying. He is pure evil and an absolute monster in every sense of the word. His screen presence is on a whole other level. Olivier is brilliant as Lieberman; the role that earned him is last Academy Award nomination for best actor. His Character is the polar opposite of Mengele’s. He represents all that is good, a determined individual in search of the truth who stands for justice as opposed to simple revenge. James Mason appears in a supporting role as Mengele’s superior who is excellent. He plays a Nazi yet still manages to come across as quite pleasant and charming. And just on a side note, Bruno Ganz who eventually went on to play Adolf Hitler in Downfall has a minor role as a medical scientist.

The music by Jerry Goldsmith is something I must mention, his wonderful musical score sounds a little odd at first given the tone of the film, but its works quite effectively. It’s a great example of how music can truly enhance a story.

The Boy’s from Brazil is a thriller of the highest order that I cannot possibly recommend enough if you’re a fan of the genre, as well as history or even the odd conspiracy theory. It’s a disturbing look at the remains of an evil and hateful regime struggling for one last attempt at power and oppression. The film’s lasting message is simple yet very strong and meaningful. We are individuals before anything else.

Ted

DIRECTED BY: Seth MacFarlane

STARRING: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis & Seth MacFarlane

RELEASED: 2012

RUNTIME: 106 minutes

RATING: 3.5/5

Seth MacFarlane, creator of the hilarious and hugely successful animated TV series Family Guy makes his feature film directorial debut with Ted. In which he also stars alongside Mark Wahlberg and fellow Family Guy cast member Mila Kunis.

Ted is an adult yet childish comedy which begins with ten year old John Bennett; a boy with no real friends and who struggles to fit in with the other kids on his street. Then one Christmas morning he receives a large plush teddy bear which he falls instantly in love with. That night he wishes that his bear now named Ted would come to life so they can be best friends. The next morning much to his delight he find that his wish has been granted, Ted is alive and his new best friend.  

Fast forward 27 years later, John now played by Mark Wahlberg and Ted voiced by Seth MacFarlane are still by each other’s side. But Ted’s influence on John’s life is starting to strain John’s four year relationship with girlfriend Lori (Mila Kunis).

Upon first hearing about Ted I wasn’t overly keen on seeing it. It just didn’t look like it would work as a decent comedy and the fact that Family Guy is now half the show it used to be didn’t fill me with much hope.  But I was wrong; it’s really funny, laugh out loud funny in fact. The film feels like one long Family Guy episode, but a very good one with its crude and vulgar trademark humor at its best. It’s even structured like Family Guy, with a few hilarious cut-aways and constant references to pop culture. However some of the jokes do wear a bit thin and just miss the mark completely; farts jokes are getting really old.

The plot is fairly straight forward and quite predictable but its works fine for the type of film that it is. The film’s opening has a very traditionally family feel to it but with a slight adult twist and it’s complete with a very pleasant narration by Patrick Stewart. The subplots involving  the boss of Kunis’s characters played Joel McHale and an obsessed fan of Ted played disturbingly well by Giovanni Ribisi are uninspired and could have been a lot better. 

Performances from the cast are all fine. MacFarlane is great as Ted who is simply Peter Griffin as a bear. He sounds and acts almost exactly the same. He drinks, smokes, swears and has little desire to do anything except party and sit around getting stoned watching TV. Mark Wahlberg is very funny and likable as John who like his best friend sits around too much and has little to no prospects in life. Mila Kunis brings a level of maturity to the film; she is definitely the more serious character out of the three but still has some genuinely funny moments. I think the main cast fit together very nicely.

Fans of MacFarlane’s Family Guy will no doubt enjoy Ted a lot. Apart from lacking in some areas in regards to the plot, it’s a straight comedy that’s overall all pretty strong and doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s a hilariously fun film to watch.