Batman Begins

The night before Batman Begins was released, I was working the closing shift at the local theater.  Excitement about the newest Batman franchise had been buzzing through the theater for months.  That night, as I was cleaning out the popcorn machine, I heard that we could stay and watch the movie, making sure the reel had been assembled correctly.  After a long evening’s work, I settled in the the other lowly popcorn-crusted employees and watched Batman Begins.  I’ll admit, I was tired, may have fallen asleep somewhere in the middle and later went on about how Spiderman 2 had already done a climactic train scene.  But watching it again, seven years later, with a well rested mind and on blu-ray, I’ve grown to appreciate Nolan’s opening to an amazing trilogy.

The name does not disappoint, we are shown the very beginnings of everything that formed Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) into Batman.  We see his most important childhood moments, where he falls into a well full of bats, creating his deepest fear.  There is also the death of his parents, gunned down in front of young Bruce in the senseless violence that they worked so hard to stop.  We are shown Bruce as a young man, full of anger and wanting revenge.  He realizes even as an orphan who knows pain, he is still too privileged to understand Gotham’s lower class citizens and those who seccumb to crime.  So he travels, gets himself into a remote prison to study criminals.  But his skills are noticed by Ducard (Liam Neeson), a member of the League of Shadows.  He trains Bruce, unintentionally inspiring him to return to Gotham and use his training to become a vigilante larger than he could be simply as a man.

By the time Bruce and Alfred (Michael Caine) get the Batcave set up, Dr. Johnathan Crane (Cillian Murphy), i.e. Scarecrow, is well underway in a plan to make Gotham tear itself apart.  With the help of a crime boss, Falcone (Tom Wilkinson), he plans to let the loose the prisoners in Arkham Asylum while a drug that induces terrifying hallucinations is realized into the air.  Even worse, The League of Shadows seems to have a hand in all this, wanting to make sure that Gotham falls.  On top of all that, Bruce needs to keep up appearances as Gotham’s prince and billionaire playboy, so that no one, especially not his friend Rachel (Katie Holmes), suspects him of being Batman.

I’ve mentioned that each film of The Dark Knight Trilogy has a broad theme tying everything together that Bruce must overcome.  In Batman Begins, that theme is fear.  Fear is instilled in Bruce and inadvertently causes the death of his parents.  In his process of becoming Batman, he conquers and harnesses his fear, using it as a symbol.  Crane’s drug produces fear through terrifying images and paranoia.  He uses it to manipulate people, hoping that a mass mob of fear can destroy Gotham from the inside out.

Visually, Batman Begins is beautiful and portrays Gotham in a more classical light than the other two films.  Among a few glittering glass skyscrapers are also older style buildings, including the original Wayne tower.   One of my favorite images is the elevated railway when it’s brand new, it feels futuristic and yet very art deco all at once.  In a huge contrast is the neighborhood around Arkham Asylum, full of old, rundown buildings.  The whole area seems dark, damp and dirty compared to the sparkling skyline surrounding it.  One image I never shook is how the neighborhood always seems wet and steamy, yet all the clothes are hanging out on lines between the dingy buildings, even in the rain.

When studying Christopher Nolan’s work or the progression of Batman in film, Batman Begins is a much see.  At the Oscars, its only nomination was for cinematography, emphasizing how visually powerful the film is.  Though it can drag a bit in the middle as we are eagerly awaiting our caped crusader to emerge, it is a great story and makes the wait worth it.  Most important, Batman Begins is the perfect base to support a heavy trilogy.

“And why do we fall, Bruce?   So we can learn to pick ourselves up.”

Michael Clayton

Michael Clayton (George Clooney) is a fixer.  He’s the lawyer you call when everything has gone to shit.  He’s the guy you buy.  Some call him a miracle worker and get pissed if he’s anything less.  But it’s going to take a man gone crazy off his pills to get Clayton to realize that those who call him dad and brother matter most.

The opening of the film is actually closer to the end, then it backs up four days earlier to show how it got to that point.  Keeping that in mind and realizing that the voice we hear in that opening, intriguing monologue on Michael’s voicemail is Arthur’s are key pieces that are essential for understanding the plot.

Arthur (Tom Wilkinson) is a lawyer working for UNorth, a crooked agrochemical company that poses as environmentally friendly.  For the past six years he’s been working on a three billion dollar lawsuit and trying to cover up the fact that UNorth’s chemicals are toxic.  He has a nervous breakdown where he starts ranting and strips naked in the middle of a meeting.  It’s caught on tape.  UNorth hires Clayton to fix the damage that Arthur has done to their company, but maybe it wasn’t just a nervous breakdown, but a rebirth of morality.

Unfortunately for Michael, the Arthur situation isn’t the only thing he’s worried about.  He’s gambled so much that he owes a loan shark eighty grand to cover his alcoholic brother’s debts and his son (who thankfully seems pretty smart) needs a male figure to look up to.

Now, my husband saw this when it first came out and complained that he didn’t enjoy it.  I think he was looking for a movie to just veg out to for a while; that doesn’t work well for Michael Clayton.  I wouldn’t exactly call it a thinking movie, but it does contain more intelligence rather than cheap entertainment.  And like I said earlier, if you don’t process that opening, it’s easy to be lost for the rest of the movie.

Michael Clayton was nominated for about as many awards as it could be.  Pretty much all the big awards, except editing.  George Clooney and Tom Wilkinson are nominated as lead and supporting actor, but it is Tilda Swinton who takes home the film’s only Oscar for best supporting actress.  Her portrayal of Karen, the high stakes, corrupt business woman for UNorth is astounding, especially from that first unflattering shot of her profusely sweating in a bathroom stall.

Who would enjoy Michael Clayton?  If you’re a fan of George Clooney, Tom Wilkinson or Tilda Swinton, this should be on your list.  If you enjoy morality lawsuit movies, I encourage this.  But if you’re looking for something to kick back and let your mind turn to mush for a while, you won’t get anything out of this film.  Pick up The Men Who Stare at Goats instead.

“I am Shiva, the god of death.”

The Full Monty

My husband did not want to watch The Full Monty with me.  I think he imagined it to be filled with naked men running around shaking their goods with a British accent.  He watched the entire film with me and hardly had a fit, but he won’t admit to liking it yet.  Believe me, if he didn’t like it, he would have left and played video games, no problem; but he did stay till the very end, which makes a stronger recommendation for men than I could make by myself.

There’s so much more at stake here than just the taboos of male stripping.  The mill that used to be the main job source in town is closed and none of the men can find jobs.  They spend their time in a sad little jobs center, stealing scrap metal and drinking.  With all the women able to work and support themselves, their male counterparts feel inferior and to add insult to injury, a one night strip act excites the ladies more than their men.  The whole idea to become strippers came from Gaz (Robert Carlyle) who wants to start stripping so he can pay for custody of his son, Nathan (William Snape) who’s alongside the men for support and working the boombox.  His friend Dave (Mark Addy) is hesitant due to his pudginess and their lack of any dance skills.  When they find out their old boss Gerald (Tom Wilkinson) is taking ballroom dancing with his wife, they recruit him to learn some moves.  Gerald is desperate for money since he’s been out of work six months and hasn’t told his wife yet.  So the three men plus little Nathan learn to dance, recruit three more dance members and become the talk of the town.

The way The Full Monty flips the gender roles is wonderful.  Society is accustomed to women being desperate enough to strip, not men, certainly not this bunch.  These men are pale, skinny, old and fat.  One can pass for the typical male stripper, but he makes his pals look worse.  In a scene where the guys glance through a nudy magazine, they pass their judgments, “Her boobs could be smaller.”  Dave makes the haunting revelation that women will be passing the same judgments on them.  Suddenly, Horse (Paul Barber), the graying black guy, is frantically calling the company who produces an enhancement device, frantic that it isn’t working.

The member who is most self conscious is Dave.  From the beginning he knows he’s the fattest member of the group and immediately classifies himself as hopeless.  It gets so bad for him that he drops out of the group and can’t even find enough spunk in himself to be intimate with his girlfriend, who’s never said a negative word about him.  He’s told, “Fat, David, is a feminist issue.”  Clearly not.  The negative self body image isn’t just a woman’s problem, and that’s one of the best things about this film.  Even better, is when the ladies love Dave’s full body and he’s ballsy enough to strut his stuff.

The Full Monty is fun, hilarious, uplifting and a great time.  The material could have easily turned into a pointless sex romp, but the desperation of the situation gives the story a well rounded body.  If you can stand the adult themes and seeing a few guys butts I recommend this.  Really, in half the time of Titanic you will have twice the fun and triple the laughs.

“No one said anything to me about the full monty!”

In the Bedroom

A college boy is home with his parents for the summer and starts dating an older woman with two children.  It’s not official yet, but she plans to divorce her husband, whose family owns a large local business.  He becomes jealous, angry and violent.  The boy’s aging parents try to warn their son about the dangers of fooling around with a married woman.  But the mother tries to preach too much and the father secretly envies his son.  When tragedy strikes, life is completely changed, becomes unbearable and drives people to do crazy things.

This film is completely charged with emotion and it is the driving force to the end.  That’s about all I can say without revealing any spoilers, so for those who want a fresh view, stop here.  All others proceed.

***Spoiler Alert!***

The bulk of In the Bedroom is about the boy’s parents trying to move on after the murder of their son.  Yes, he dies early on.  If you’re upset, I warned you, remember?  Most of their grieving is accompanied by silence.  The movie is tragically quiet.  All around the couple are reminders of the youth they’ve lost.  All their friends have children and grandchildren and their blood won’t live on.  It is heart wrenching.

Everything changes after their son dies.  Their cute old couple relationship turns on a dime to very cold and quiet.  It seems they sit on the couch staring blankly at the television for days.  Friends don’t know what to say around them anymore.  Their solemn spirits even show through the mother’s work when her choir girls walk into the Labor Day concert with candles.  The whole picnic crowd looks as cheerful as tombstones in a graveyard.

This is a story of loss and grief and anguish.  And you may wish that the couple will just move to Florida to bask in the sunshine through their golden years and tell proud stories of their son.  Don’t get your hopes up.  It’s not that kind of movie.

One of the best scenes works like an emotional explosion.  Ruth and Matt finally talk about their son and what they say to each other is shocking.  Every pent up piece of anger, regret and blame is thrown out of the bag and it’s a little scary to watch.  It’s the few scenes that blow the walls down like that that gave both Tom Wilkinson and Sissy Spacek Oscar nominations.

If you’re wondering where the title of the film comes from, think of an old lobster trapper’s saying.  For those not familiar with lobster lingo don’t worry, you’ll catch it in the first few minutes of the film.  Remember, two is company, three’s a crowd.

Now, this film may not stir the soul of an average young person, but I hope it does.  Mostly, I recommend this to older couples, and hope that they have sunnier days than those depicted here.  For you young people, see it anyway.  Maybe with your parents, but be ready for those teary eyes to look at you with some gratitude and brace for a hug.  They might need one.

“He was with her not because of me. He went there because of you. Because you are so controlling, so overbearing, so angry, that he was it! That he was our only son!”