About a week and a half ago, I finally saw The Dark Knight. I’m still trying to figure out what to make of it. So I’ll dump a few thoughts here.
Sure, it was fun to watch Christian Bale kicking butt in a batsuit again. But the film’s darker, more morbid outlook, while rather appropriate and well-captured, is difficult to take.
I just got done watching Schindler’s List. I’d never seen the film before, but it is available from the library, so I availed myself of the opportunity.
Some reactions:
Jennifer & I watched Cry, the Beloved Country this evening. I heartily recommend it (though not for small children).
Set in South Africa in the days leading to Apartheid, it tells the story of two men, a black priest and a white landowner, whose lives are brought together through a crime. It is a deeply moving film of pain, sorrow, and redemption. The acting and photography were also quite excellent.
I finally watched Pirates of the Caribbean — At World’s End today, finishing out the Pirates saga (hopefully). In a sense, I wasn’t disappointed. I primarily watched it to see how the story finished out, having thought the second film took the franchise in a poor direction.
As you most likely are aware, the 2nd and 3rd films are really one movie broken in two. One really long movie. And not something Pirates is overly great at.
Jenn & I just watched Star Trek — Nemesis tonight. We were both rather unimpressed. Between the bad directing, poor writing, and sub-par acting, it just didn’t work for us.
For starters, the bridge felt stiff and cluttered. Forget the warm sparseness of the bridge on the Enterprise D (for those of you not familiar with the various ships to bear the name Enterprise, that’s the one used in all the Next Gen episodes and the film Generations); the bridge here was darker, less open, and usually photographed with much closer shots. The new uniforms didn’t contribute anything beneficial (although they didn’t present a problem in First Contact).
Jenn & I picked up 12 Angry Men from the library this week and watched it on Sunday. One word comes to mind to describe it: flawless.
OK, so it did have a flaw: I didn’t feel the heat and humidity of the jury room as much as I thought might be appropriate. But that could just be me.
Jenn & I watched The Bridge on the River Kwai the other day. ’Twas a good movie.
Warning: this may spoil some plot points; don’t read more if you don’t want to.
The cast list for Star Trek XI (the upcoming Star Trek movie about Kirk and Spock’s past) has been released. I don’t recognize any of the names. But that’s OK.
Oh, and Leonard Nimoy is slated to make an appearance somewhere in the film.