Labor Day movie-fest!

So, I ended up seeing several movies this holiday weekend.


THE DARK KNIGHT (PART II)

"Either you die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Yesterday (Labor Day), I saw TDK for the third time (2nd time in IMAX)!

I was reminded once again of the stunning prowess of Heath Ledger's performance. My favorite part (SPOILERS AHEAD! Highlight to read) is still when he is dressed up as a nurse wearing an "I believe in Harvey Dent" sticker, hopping out of the hospital, explosions all around. Suddenly the detonation halts, and he turns back. Still playful yet slightly miffed, he presses the button on his remote several more times. The burst of another detonation causes him to flinch just before he laughs and jumps into a retreating school bus. (END OF SPOILERS)

A couple of the friends I was with yesterday indicated that they still preferred Batman Begins to its sequel. However, without detracting from the brilliance of Nolan's first Batman installment, I must say that TDK felt more tense, had more to say, and was better executed. Unfortunately, all my friend could say about her preference for Begins was that she prefers movies wherein she does not have to think. While I agree that the story included much more action and close-up fight scenes, this cannot compare to the storyline in Knight. TDK offers monumental moral dillemmas packed into small spaces. (POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD) Each moral choice incrementally leads Batman (as well as Harvey Dent) deeper into the Joker's rabbit hole. As the heroes try, desperately, to hang on to both their own and their city's souls, they find that their fastidious grasp on reality is not so strong. In the end, one Knight cannot abide the torturous strain and loses his soul. Nevertheless, the other Knight, his foil, becomes his savior as he acts as proxy for the sins of the first, leaving him unblemeshed. (END OF SPOILERS).

I apologize to my friend who prefers not to think in her movies, but personally, I believe Christopher Nolan and his team have topped themselves and given themselves the almost insurmountable task of creating a third installment that lives up to its predecessors.





HAMLET 2

"I'm simultaneously horrified...and fascinated."

This weekend, I also took in a "double-dip" of comedy at the theater on Friday. I know theater hopping is not what everyone would consider honest (or that anyone would consider honest). But, sometimes, the theaters just make it too easy...sorry mom.

For those who may not be aware, Hamlet 2 is a small, independent movie that tells the story of Dana Marschz, a down-on-his-luck former actor turned drama teacher who is threatened with the cancellation of the school's theater program. In response, along with the inspiration of a 9-year-old theater critic, he decides to pen what becomes a crass, offensive, and possibly illegal sequel to William Shakespeare's most famous creation..."based on [Dana's] life."

Those familiar with the story of Hamlet, the Dane will, of course, remember that at the end of Shakespeare's opus, all of the main characters are dead. Thus, Dana determines that Hamlet's task in the sequel must be to SAVE his loved ones. The use of a time-machine was never more needed. And if people are to be saved, who better to conscript to the cause than THE Savior...Jesus.

To avoid getting into all the details of the plot, I will simply move on to review the movie itself. Although, it starts off rather uneven and with slow pacing, the final act of the film could not be more funny. Many of the jokes in the beginning are strained and often overlap leaving the audience feeling ambiguous. A ray of light, however, is cast by Katherine Keener who's portrayal of Dana's wife, Brie, offers a beautiful dichotomous love-hate relationship with her husband as well as their boarder. She was quite hilarious right up to her sudden exit from the film.

Steve Coogan as Dana Marschz has his moments, but tends to try too hard to make the audience laugh. His dedication to his character's sense of drama is commendable, but his over-the-top style tended to stand out in a rather cartoonish manner when set against the backdrop of the movie. This is not entirley unexpected considering the script was written in part by one of the creators of "South Park." However, in the third act, the rest of the cast rises to Dana's level of enthusiasm which allows his off-beat acts to become less awkward and more humorous. At this point, I began to laugh long and hard.


THE HOUSE BUNNY

I know, I know....sorry.

Ok. Let me get this out in the open. I really like Anna Faris. I think she is funny, as well as sexy. I loved her turn in Entourage and actually enjoyed parts of Scary Movie (and possibly a sequel or two). However, I was not so excited by the plot of this movie (a Playboy bunny who is deemed "too old" is forced out of the mansion and moves in with a group of geeky sorority girls). But, when I walked out of Hamlet 2 on Friday and noticed that the theater next to it was showing the house bunny, and that it was starting right then...I wandered on in.

There are no real surprises here. Anna's character (the sexy playboy bunny) is thrust in with 7 seemingly plain/ugly geeks only to turn them into the "hot" girls they should be - they, in return show her that looks aren't everything. Blah, blah, blah.

Despite a couple of funny moments, this movie falls pretty flat. I am disappointed, because I feel like Anna could do so much better. She is a step above the Scary Movie franchise here, but not much. I would love to see her career take a different direction. Anyway, the biggest fault of the film, is that it steps on its own toes. It tries to portray an image of feminism and girl-power, yet it's vehicle for doing so is the use of sex and physical attraction. The sorority girls are all the "beautiful inside" stereotype who are rejected from the rest of the school until they are transformed by the Playboy playmate into the frat boys' dream-girls. Exactly how do they expect to sell an ideology of the effectiveness and power of women through their objectification?

At any rate, I don't expect many people who read this blog to even have a great desire to see this film, but I did (thankfully for free), so I felt it my duty to report. Nevertheless, should any of you be wandering around your local theater or some day through your nearest blockbuster, and pick it up...I might recommend looking around a bit more before deciding to bring this one home.