The Dark Knight Will Still Rise

Last night, a tragedy occurred.  A mentally-imbalanced young man took several weapons and randomly and senselessly massacred an audience of moviegoers, injuring countless others.  Sadly, in the last twenty or so years, this is not an uncommon event, especially if you live in the Middle East.  But, it is the first time I recall where the venue was a movie cinema (at least, on American soil).  That doesn't change the severity of the crime.  Yet, the irony is confounding.  In our ever changing world, where we seem to be getting simultaneously closer and yet further away, there are few outlets left for the common experience--something most of us can share.  Movies are that one place where strangers get together with their differing viewpoints and backgrounds and share watching the same story unfold before them.  And, even rarer still, is that one movie where everyone and their mother want to go see.  The Dark Knight Rises was one of those "event" films.  It was the final installment in a trilogy from the vision of a talented director based on perhaps the most revered superhero of our time.  (If you have any doubts, name a single comic book hero who has had more feature-length commercial release adaptations in the last twenty-five years; I rest my case)  This was the followup to what many have suggested is the best superhero movie ever, which boasted an Oscar-winning performance from an actor who died before the film came out and is considered one of the definitive villainous portrayals ever.  This movie was special.  It was an event and so was this.  And, now, it's tainted by travesty by a man who couldn't separate fact from fiction.  If the answer to have avoided such an occurrence was simple, I'm sure it would have never happened to begin with.  A Batman could come in really handy now.  My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims, their families, and friends.  

Read More

Big Hollywood's John Nolte on The Dark Knight

""The Dark Knight" was an obvious thank you to George W. Bush for agreeing to take the slings and arrows required to fight against an evil that "just wants to watch the world burn.""  Those are the words of John Nolte from Big Hollywood, the site Andrew Breibart spearheaded back in late 2008 around the time Barack Obama was elected president of the United States.  Nolte willfully ignores that Bruce Wayne's parents were wealthy liberals and that Bruce used his private proceeds from their deaths to fight public ills without profit.  Bush was a federally appointed/then elected politician who used public funds to fight matters that were partially private (in Bush's words, Saddam Hussein "tried to kill my dad").  And, last time I checked Heath Ledger's accent in Knight was American (aka making The Joker a domestic terrorist).  This isn't to make the argument that The Dark Knight was some kind of liberal manifesto.  It certainly was not.  But, it was much more complicated than Nolte's perception that it was a "thank you to George W. Bush."  Just a little something to chew on, Mr. Nolte.  

Read More

Outfest Film Review: I Do

Glenn Gaylord's (writer and producer of Leave It on the Floor) new film I Do is quite topical.  The U.S., led by the state of Arizona, backed by the Supreme Court, has drawn some kind of new demarcation line against those who are willing to risk everything to achieve a better life for themselves and their family.  Say what you will about illegal immigration, it still occurs and will continue, as with anything, the have not's will always bear the brunt of the law more so than the have's.  Green-card marriages are a matter of fact and more common than you'd expect.  In the six short years I've lived in Los Angeles, I've been propositioned three times, and, not by the nationalities one might assume.  And, were I to I have proceeded with any of these "proposals," as an American, it would have been my choice, whatever the law or others may have prejudged about "the marriage."  Yet, the one common denominator in all three instances was that the people who asked for my hand in marriage were all female.  Naturally, of course, why would they be male, thanks to the federal statute DOMA--the provision, written by a Republican who now campaigns against the very law he composed, and then President Clinton signed into law in 1996--which arbitrarily decided that marriage (never legally defined by gender, only two consenting adults) was between a man and a woman.  The statute was a relic before it even hit the books, yet, we, as a society, must wait for time and reason to play themselves out.

The film I Do boasts a star-studded cast including Jamie-Lynn Sigler (The Sopranos' Willow) and Alicia Witt (Twin Peaks, Cybil, Friday Night Lights), as well as a host of new talent including screenwriter David W. Ross, who produced as well as played the central character Jack Edwards.  He's a photographer who helps raise his niece Tara (Jessica Tyler Brown) with her mother Mya (Witt), wife of his deceased brother Peter (Grant Bowler).  He has been living in the U.S. for decades since his teenage years and, through a glitch no fault of his own, finds himself being expulsed from the country.  Thanks to a lesbian friend and associate Ali (Sigler), he finds a green-card opportunity to retain everything which he has built up, but then, in an ironic twist, finds himself genuinely falling in love with a man, Mano (Maurice Compte).  The editing is swift, the performances solid, and the message clear.

On the surface, Ross' story asks, "Should not gays have the opportunity to get away with a common "fraud" committed by straights?"  At its core, however, is the more refined, "Why is it that a gay couple facing the random deportation of one of its partners not have the same recourse as two straights in the same situation?"  And, more subtly, the movie posits the question, "Just where does one draw the line between a genuine and feigned love?" Can government really decipher the nuances? Can a federal employee(s) extract what exists in the heart of one or both partners?  Is not love more fluid and malleable?  Cannot something true spring from a foundation built originally on artifice?


Before the screening, producer Stephen Israel, director Gaylord, hyphenate Ross, editor James Cude, and stars Sigler, Witt, Brown, Compte, Mickey Cottrell, and Mike C. Manning took to the red carpet at the Ford Amphitheater.  On the way up the stairs, Ross warned young Brown that there would be plenty of flash photography.  She replied, "I know, this is my third time," (she starred in Paranormal Activity 3, as well as a guest spot on TV show Happy Endings) only to be munching on popcorn just a few minutes afterwards.  Sigler commented on how the unusual overcast weather for Los Angeles this Summer night felt very "East Coast," as she was interviewed by Ms. Sassy.  The whole cast and crew was very gracious and accommodating for the photographers.  Afterwards, they also took the stage before the audience in the Amphitheatre's outdoor seating area.

Read More

Outfest Film Review: The Queen of Versailles

The Queen of Versailles is the recent compelling documentary from filmmaker Lauren Greenfield about billionaire couple David and Jackie Siegel, who amassed a fortune as he was the proverbial king of the timeshare business. Greenfield had the fortuitous front-row seat from the family making headlines for building the biggest house on American soil to a financial tailspin on the heals of the market collapse. The film swiftly delves into the history of the ambitious Jackie, who, on the surface, initially comes across as a self-absorbed and superficial gold-digging mother of eight. An obliviousness may complement her opulent lifestyle, but there is surprising depth to her often cartoonish ways and frustrating choices. A taxidermied former pet and a closet the size of a one-bedroom house are enough to make one want to tear her hair out, yet she isn’t one so easy to write off. This reality show nightmare quickly turns into an upscale Grey Gardens. An exaggerated version of the American can-do spirit paused, as the filmmaker ruminates over the residual obscenely lavish effects. Luckily, there's a voice of consciousness in the form of an adopted member of the family who went from rags to riches over night.

The documentary has no agenda; the businessman does a fine job digging his own grave with his short-sighted and unfortunate view of humanity (his belief is that what everybody wants most is to be rich or, at the very least, feel rich for a week out of every year; if they don’t, then they’re probably dead inside). While David contributes to the economy and supplies employment, his virtue is filtered through a minimizing and saddening purely capitalist view. He honestly believes he is saving the lives of people he has no way or interest of having any meaningful connection to. He also suffers from a victim-complex that only seems to strike people during tough times. His saving grace, unbeknownst to him, is his wife, who makes it impossible to judge the couple’s wealth without considering: is excess often a symptom of job production?

After the screening, director Greenfield explained meeting Jackie Siegel randomly through a Donatella Versace connection. She had no problem accumulating the fascinating footage, as she was just another stranger of many passing through the Siegel home. Even though there is a pending lawsuit filed by David Siegel against the film, Greenfield said she had no intent to “make an ideological statement,” rather, “a profound one.”

Read More

Movie Spoiler THE DARK KNIGHT - after review

Anticipation levels rode high for director Christopher Nolan's follow-up to Batman Begins. Not only were fans and critics alike impressed by his first installment, but the whole venture became bittersweet upon the untimely passing of actor Heath Ledger, who played the film's villain, months before its release. As it turned out, it was that rare sequel that satisfied general audiences more than its progenitor. Not only is it one of the highest grossing films of all time, it enjoys exceptionally high approval ratings on most major movie aggregates. The Dark Knight picks up where Begins left off as the cape crusader (Christian Bale) continues to fight the Gotham City mobs, vulnerable ethics of justice, and merciless criminal The Joker (Ledger). Nolan's screenplay (which he wrote with his brother Jonathan) touches on topical subjects like the merits of terrorist negotiations, social politics, and corruption. While he sometimes hits his head on his operatic tone (the ferry scene, for one), he still manages to craft an absorbing tale of good verses evil that is indeed one of the best comic book adaptations ever. What kills me is the lengths the handful of naysayers will go to counterbalance the ardor fans express towards this movie.

Movie Spoiler Summary
The Joker (Heath Ledger) and his men adorned with masks stage an elaborate bank robbery. The bank manager (screen veteran William Fichtner) fights back. Clowns are taken out. A bus crashes in and they load it with money. The Joker stuffs a device emitting gas into the mouth of the manager. And he disappears anonymously riding a school bus in a parade of vehicles passing by.

New mayor Anthony Garcia (Nestor Carbonell) is interviewed about Batman. Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) puts out the bat signal. In a parking garage, The Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy) meets with a greasy guy who wants drugs. A man pretending to be Batman shows up and starts firing a semiautomatic weapon at the men. Then, the Batmobile emerges and deliver its name brand of justice. The real Batman (Christian Bale) starts kicking some ass. The Scarecrow and the faux Batman are left tied up for arrest. Batman meets with Lt. Gordon to discuss The Joker.

There’s a huge amount of dirty money flooding the banks. Alfred (Michael Caine) visits Bruce in a secret location at Wayne Enterprises. At a court hearing, new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) flips a coin to see if Rachel (Maggie Gyllenhaal recast after Katie Holmes’ departure) or him will lead on a case against Sal Maroni (Eric Roberts). A witness on stand fails to identify him as the new head of the Falcone crime family and pulls a gun on Dent, who immediately disarms him with quite the panache. He discusses Batman with Lt. Gordon, who wants warrants on five banks.

Ethically-challenged accountant Mr. Lau (Chin Han) proposes a venture between his company and Wayne Enterprises. Wayne employee Mr. Reese (Joshua Harto) is embarrassed by Bruce’s behavior during the proceedings. Bruce asks Fox (Morgan Freeman) to cancel the deal with Lau, who is involved with illegal activity. On a date, Bruce bumps into Rachel and Harvey. During dinner, Bruce’s partner Natascha (Beatrice Rosen) besmirches Batman’s name. Dent predicts his fate, “You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become a villain.” Bruce tells Dent he can ensure him that he’ll never need to raise money again.

Via monitor, Lau speaks to a group of gangsters who inform him that one of their deposits ($68M) was stolen. Maroni is in attendance and it’s explained that the banks that have been laundering their dirty money have been exposed. Lau reveals to them that he has transferred all of their funds to a bank in Hong Kong as protection. The Joker arrives and offers his first impression by making a pencil disappear by slamming one of the thug’s face into it. The Joker expresses his mistrust of Lau and writes him off as a squealer. Gambol (Michael Jai White) takes a stand against The Joker when he demands a great deal of money, and the clown reveals he is wearing explosive devices, leaving his calling card behind. Dent meets with Batman on a rooftop. Dent and Gordon get into an argument and both accuse the other of having corrupt people in their office. Dent asks Batman to retrieve Lau. Bruce discusses the request with Fox and Alfred. Bruce ruins Rachel’s date with Harvey by absconding with the entire Russian ballet. On a boat in the Pacific while partying with the dance company, Bruce jumps into the ocean and boards a seaplane. The Joker pays Gambol a visit and shares the origins of his scars, letting out the line, “Why so serious, son?” “Let’s put a smile on that face,” he concludes and kills Gambol. He breaks a pool stick in half and lets Gambol’s two remaining decide between themselves who lives to work for The Joker and who dies.

Fox travels to Hong Kong and meets with Lau at the top of his building. Afterwards, Fox plants a sonar device on his departure. Bruce scales the building and shoots out some projectiles which activate the device and kill the electricity in the building. Batman takes flight and crashes into one of the building’s windows, launches an attack, and kidnaps Lau. Via sky hook, he escapes by attaching him and Lau to a passing airplane. Upon their return to the U.S., he leaves Lau in Gordon’s hands. Lau offers to snitch on the gangsters, as predicted by The Joker. Gordon subsequently arrests Maroni and company.

Wuertz’ (Ron Dean) warning to Dent concerning his ambition for seeking justice is interrupted by a “Jokerized” man in a Batman costume hanging from a noose. There’s also video of the faux Batman, Brian (Andy Luther), terrorized by The Joker. He threatens that if Batman doesn’t reveal his true identity, “people will die, starting tonight.”

At a party, Bruce makes quite an arrival from a copter and praises Dent in front of a crowd of people. Rachel expresses some skepticism, but Bruce assures her that he was genuine about his remarks, and that because of Dent’s work, his days as Batman may be numbered. Detective Ramirez (Monique Gabriela Cumen) shares with Lt. Gordon that three sets of fingerprints were found on the joker card pinned to Brian’s body: Dent, Judge Surrillo (Nydia Rodriguez Terracina), and Commissioner Loeb (Colin McFarlane). He orders immediate protection for all three figures, but Loeb is poisoned and Surrilo’s car blows up. The Joker shows up at the party for Dent, who Bruce has pulled into a panic room.  While holding Rachel at knife point, The Joker shares another version of the origins of his scars. Rachel lands a punch before Batman steps in. The Joker drops her out a window and Batman comes to her rescue

Dent picks up Lau for his court date. Alfred tries to explain to Bruce the phenomenon of The Joker, but he responds, “Criminals aren’t complicated, Alfred, we just need to figure out what he’s after.” He relays a story about Burma, “Some men just want to watch the world burn.”

Gordon finds some dead people in an apartment, including one Patrick Harvey. There’s a clipping of a Jokerized Mayor Garcia lying on the table. Batman takes extracts from a bullet in the wall. Bruce and Alfred run tests. Reese tries to blackmail Bruce, but Fox convinces him otherwise. Through Fox’s assistance, Bruce is able to identify The Joker’s fingerprint on the bullet. Fox expresses his surprise at the R&D department being involved in a project labeled under telecommunications without his knowledge.

The mayor walks in the funeral parade for Loeb, Alfred locates the whereabouts of The Joker, and Bruce hops on his motorcycle.  Bruce finds a bunch of men tied up in the apartment as well a timer. It turns out that The Joker sans makeup is in uniform as one of the firing squad. Havoc ensues. Dent questions Thomas Schiff (David Dastmalchian), a former resident of Arkham Asylum wearing a tag that says “Officer Rachel Dawes.” The Joker’s thug is uncooperative, so Dent takes off. Barbara Gordon (Melinda McGraw) is informed that Gordon is dead. Officers turn off the Bat signal. Batman arrives at a club Maroni is partying at and beats up a bunch of his men. Dent calls Rachel and tells her Gordon is dead and she must hide. Batman throws Maroni from a building who is unaccommodating about The Joker’s whereabouts. Dent puts a gun to Schiff’s head and flips a coin when he’s not forthcoming. Batman stops him and tells him that he must take the lead as Gotham’s savior. Bruce decides that he must turn himself in and reveal himself as Batman before any more blood is spilled on his hands, per The Joker’s demands. He kisses Rachel. Bruce has Alfred destroy all documentation.

When people demand that Batman turn himself in during a press conference, Dent confesses to being Batman. Rachel hands Alfred an envelop to give to Bruce. She tries to convince Dent to change his mind, but he tosses her a one-sided coin. “You make your own luck.” During an elaborate and heavily scrutinized chase scene, The Joker tries to capture the arrested Dent. Batman intervenes, having to self-destruct his vehicle to continue the chase on motorcycle. A police helicopter is destroyed. The Joker plays chicken which results in Batman crashing his motorcycle. Lt. Gordon, who didn’t die, shows up to arrest The Joker. The mayor shows up at the precinct and promotes Gordon to commissioner. Gordon reunites with his wife and child. Gordon returns to find out what The Joker has done with the recently kidnapped Dent and undoes his cuffs. Batman appears and The Joker cheekily says, “You complete me.” The villain explains, “I’m not a monster. I’m just ahead of the curve.” He promises the caped crusader that the law will sell him out.

The Joker reveals that Rachel has also been kidnapped. Batman starts waling on him until he reveals some addresses. Rachel and Harvey are tied up, but there are phones set up that they’re able to communicate with each other. An inmate complains of pains. While trying to break free, Dent falls over and spills gasoline on himself in the process.

The Joker persuades Officer Stephens (Keith Szarabajka) to lower his guard and manages to break out of his holding tank. He makes a call that detonates an explosive device inserted into the body of inmate complaining of physical pains from earlier. Rachel tells Harvey that she wants to marry him. Batman shows up to save Dent instead of Rachel. A bomb goes off killing her. The other bomb goes off as Batman saves Dent; however he catches afire in the process and ends up burning from the gasoline soaked inside of his clothes and skin. The Joker locates Lau and escapes in a cop car. Gordon realizes that was all part of his plan to be locked up. Alfred reads Rachel’s letter to Bruce, which implores Bruce to choose the greater good over his love for her.

In intensive care, Gordon visits Dent, who was once nicknamed “Harvey Two Face” and, now, with his disfigured face, literally lives up to the name, which has led him to an emotional breakdown. Outside, Maroni tells Gordon that he can get him The Joker. At a shipyard, The Joker douses a mountain of money with gasoline in front of one of the gangsters. “This town deserves a better class of criminal and I’m going to give it to them.” While Coleman Reese is on TV discussing Dent in a local interview, The Joker calls into the show and demands that Reese be executed or else a hospital will be blown up. A random shooter tries to kill Reese, but Gordon takes him under protective custody. The Joker pays Dent a visit in a nurse’s uniform, hands Dent a gun, and asks him to “upset the established order.” He allows Dent the opportunity to kill him and Dent flips a coin. Bruce is involved in a car accident. The Joker blows up Gotham General Hospital and departs on his preferred method of transportation: school bus.

He forces Mike Engel (Anthony Michael Hall) of Gotham Tonight to read a threat to the city. Fox investigates a situation at R&D. Dent shows up at a bar and demands Wuertz tells him who picked up Rachel, then kills him. Batman has turned every cell phone in the city into tracking devices. He puts all that power into Fox’s hands, who is weary of Batman’s actions. Fox agrees, but says he will resign after this task is completed. Gordon meets with the mayor and explains he wants to use ferries to evacuate the city, one for prisoners and one for the civilians. Maroni reveals Ramirez was the one who took Rachel to her final location. Dent shoots the driver of the car while they’re in motion. The ferries start to leave, but suddenly stop. The Joker conducts a “social experiment.” He gives each ferry the opportunity to blow up the other, but they have to choose before midnight or else both ferries will explode.

Fox locates The Joker. Under pressure from Dent, Ramirez convinces Gordon’s wife to leave. The civilian ferry decides to vote on whether or not to blow up the other vessel. Mayhem escalates in the prisoner ferry. Batman attacks a man in a mask. Fox is able to inform Bruce of the presence of SWAT in the building. Dent forces Barbra to call Gordon. The civilians decide to blow up the prisoners. Batman continues to battle SWAT. He finds The Joker looking for the detonator. A passenger on the civilian ferry decides to detonate the bomb on the other ferry since no one else will. One of the prisoners throws their detonator out the window. The bomb-happy passenger can’t bring himself to do it. The Joker drops off the building, but Batman saves him. Joker describes their relationship, “This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object.”

While he hangs in the air, “You didn’t think I’d risk losing the battle for Gotham’s soul in a fistfight with you?” The SWAT arrives. Gordon shows up for Barbara and child, where Dent is holding her captive at the location of Rachel's death.  Dent holds it against Gordon for not standing up against corruption and doing what he was told, instead of making a deal with the devil and fighting the mob. Cops show up. So does Batman who implores Dent not to play into The Joker’s fold. He shoots Batman. Dent lets Gordon’s son go and dies.  To protect Dent’s reputation, Batman assumes the responsibility for the six people who died. Gordon dismantles the bat signal. Alfred burns Rachel’s letter. Fox leaves Wayne Enterprises. “Sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded.”

Read More

Movie Spoiler BATMAN BEGINS (2005) - after review

Director Chris Nolan began working on Batman Begins five years after Joel Schumacher's Batman & Robin let out a big fart at the box-office.  The franchise was run to the ground and the timing was right to reinvigorate the superhero for a new audience.  Bryan Singer's first X-Men movie had already hit theaters two years previously (with the second one almost ready to be released) and Sam Raimi's first Spider-Man was on everyone's mind.  The bar had been raised and Nolan rose to the challenge of telling an origin's story that would literally reboot the Batman brand from scratch, set in a reality that could actually exist in the real world.  Rather than work within the theatrics of the previous films or place mood at the top of his list of objectives, Nolan used David Goyer's script (based on several more recent literary incarnations of the crimefighter) to tell a story that would offer audiences something they had never seen before and create a new kind of comic-book movie that would be both mature and admirable in its storytelling.  And, Nolan achieved exactly what he set out to do in the first installment of his pending trilogy.  His Batman is about the how and why it ever came into existence.  Forlorn from losing his family tragically as a boy, after training in eastern Asian fighting and philosophy, the billionaire finds purpose in using his money to stand as an example for humanity and fight against the ills of his adored Gotham City.  Nolan believably captured how this Batman could have actually happened in this day and age and created a solid foundation for the text two films that would follow.

The Movie Spoiler
While playing in the yard with his friend Rachel Dawes (Emma Lockhart), Bruce Wayne (Gus Lewis) falls down a hole.  He lands with little injury, but a colony of bats quickly swarm around him and startle as well as emotionally scar the young lad.  The scene turns out to be a flashback to his youth, as the grownup Bruce (professional thespian Christian Bale) wakes up in a Himalayan cell.  During lunch at the Bhutan prison, an immate picks a fight with Bruce, who ends up kicking his ass, as well as fending off several others.  Guards fire guns and haul Bruce off.  Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) appears interested in training the wayward Wayne to be something greater than himself, with the intent of having him join his League of Shadows.  After being dumped off the side of a road, Bruce climbs a mountain to the home of Ra's Al Ghul (for all intents and purposes, at this point, Ken Watanabe).  He begins to spar with the wisdom-dispensing Ducard, “To manipulate the fears of others, you must first master your own.”  Commence waling on Bruce, ending the assault in asking him what he fears most.  Flashback to Bruce's father Thomas Wayne (Linus Roache) consoling his son after retrieving him from the bat hole.  Later, Bruce takes the train with his parents to the opera.  During the performance, he gets scared and the family leaves.  Consequently, his parents are robbed and killed.  At the police station, Officer Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) comforts him.  Alfred (Michael Caine), the butler (among his many other talents and duties), accompanies him to the funeral.   

Back to present day, Bruce confides in Ducard, “My anger outweighs my guilt.”  His teacher supplies various pieces of knowledge, “I will teach you how to confront it, face the truth ... Danger understands that invisibility is a matter of patience and agility ... Criminals thrive on the indulgences of society’s understanding.”  The trainer also shares personal details about his life over a campfire and asks him why he didn’t avenge his parent’s death. 

Bruce returns to Wayne Manor.  There, he discusses the pending hearing of Joe Chill (Richard Brake), the man who killed his parents, with the grownup Rachel (Katie Holmes).  She works for the DA office, who plans on early release in exchange for information Chill has on mafioso Carmine Falcone (Tom Wilkinson).  Afterwards, a woman kills Chill Jack Ruby-style.  While driving with Rachel, he suggests that Chill’s death was justice.  Offended, she takes a detour through skid row to show Bruce that nailing a much bigger criminal for the greater good is worth letting someone like Chill go.  She believes Bruce has personalized Chill's crimes to the point that Bruce can't weigh the variables in the matter objectively.  “As long as [Falcone] keeps the bad people rich and the good people scared, no one will touch him … what chance does Gotham have when good people do nothing?”  Bruce produces a pistol and she slaps him for having been willing to throw his life away for revenge.  Afterwards, he throws the weapon into the harbor.  He visits Falcone, whose establishment is loaded with public officials in his back pocket.  He taunts Bruce with his parent’s deaths and has his goons throw him out of the club.  Outside, Bruce switches jackets with a transient to disguise himself.  

We learn how Bruce ended up in the penitentiary before he met Ducard.  A concealed Ducard tries to locate Bruce in a roomful of masked ninjas.  Bruce is able to outsmart Ducard and Al Ghul holds a modest ceremony to induct him into the League of Shadows, but Bruce refuses to execute a criminal as part of the initiation.  Instead, he attacks everyone and sets the building on fire, carrying out Ducard’s injured body with him.  The compound blows up sending the two sailing down the edge of a cliff.  Bruce saves him again in a scene that would be recreated in Neeson’s The Grey years later.  Back in his home country, Bruce begins discussing his idea of fighting crime under an alias.  “People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy … as a symbol, I can be incorruptible.”  Alfred explains during his seven-year absence, that Earle (Rutger Hauer), who runs Wayne Enterprises, had Bruce declared deceased.

In court, Dr. Jonathan Crane (Cillian Murphy) testifies on behalf of one of Falcone’s thugs and Rachel calls him out on it.  Cole Finch (the deceased Larry Holden) pulls Rachel aside to cool her jets.  A lost bat caught inside Wayne Manor prompts Bruce to explore the hole he fell into as a child. Falcone and Crane meet. The latter no longer wants to work with Falcone, as his boss is coming back to town and he doesn’t want his venture endangered by the snooping Rachel. Bruce enters a meeting held by Earle and attended by George Fredericks (John Nolan). He expresses to Earle that he’s interested in working in Applied Sciences, a little-used department run by Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman). Rachel is surprised to learn from Finch that Bruce is back. Fox shows Bruce prototypes of various weaponry for defense contracts developed over the years and lends him some equipment he uses to spelunk in the bat cave. Bruce starts planning and buying additional materials. Gordon meets with corrupt Detective Flass (Mark Boone Junior).

Bruce holds Gordon at gunpoint and presses him for information on Falcone’s ability to buy off the town to continue his drug ring.  Gordon shares with him that the judge and DA office are in on it.  Bruce, dressed in a protective suit, uses his spelunking kills to escape.  At his office, Fox shows him a new kind of technologically advanced fabric you can run a current through.  He also takes him for a ride in a nifty vehicle referred to as the Tumbler.  Bruce spies on a conversation between Falcone and Flass, who brings up the price on Rachel’s head.  Bruce works on various accruements for his uniform. 

Flass and Falcone go to the dock for a drug shipment, where Flass learns that the shipments come in the form of drug-stuffed bears and rabbits; the former goes to the dealers and the latter goes to “men in the Narrows,” which involves Crane's psychological experiments.  The shipment is interrupted by Bruce, who, after taking down all the thugs, crashes into Falcone’s limo, head-butts him, informing him, “I’m Batman.”  He then saves Rachel from two attackers and gives her photos to help her weed out the scum from the justice department.  At the drug bust, Gordon shows up.  Falcone’s body is tied to a huge signal, projecting his image into the sky.  Mayor Loeb (Colin McFarlane) is displeased.  Rachel shares the development from the previous night with Finch.  Alfred counsels Bruce to come up with a backstory for his likely continuing injuries.  A Wayne employee informs Earle that a coastguard had picked up an abandoned cargo ship that was carrying a microwave emitter weapon.  Via flashbacks, the weapon is used to target an enemy’s water supply.  At a hotel restaurant, Bruce has a little fun with two ladies (Flavia Masetto, Emily Steven-Daly ) while attending a business meeting.  One of the guests believes Batman deserves a medal.  Earle comments, “And a straitjacket to pin it on.”  Bruce bumps into Rachel, who judges him, with the irony being lost on her, “It’s not who you are underneath, it’s what you do that defines you.”  Crane visits Falcone in prison.  Falcone threatens to rat him out about his involvement in the drug deals, as well as his professional activity, unless Crane cuts him in on a big deal that is about to go down.  The doctor places a burlap bag over his head, and, in a move that will contribute to his status as The Scarecrow, administers a gas which sends Crane into mental breakdown.

Batman pays Gordon a surprise visit letting him know that Flass knows where the other half of drugs go.  He locates the crook and interrogates him.  Finch investigates the second shipment, and his inquiry gets him killed.  The boy who plays blond twit Joffrey Baratheon on Game of Thrones (Irish Jack Gleeson) spots Batman and he throws the mesmerized kid a trinket.  In an apartment filled with the stuffed bunnies, Crane orders his men to torch the place. Batman begins his attack, but Crane breaks out his Scarecrow persona and gases Batman, causing him to hallucinate and experience flashbacks to his parent’s murder.  He sets him on fire and Batman falls several stories.  He recovers enough to call Alfred, who rescues him and nurses him back to health.  Alfred phones Fox, who creates an antidote. Rachel visits and receives a call that Falcone has been moved to Arkham Asylum in the Narrows. Bruce enters the Bat Cave and prepares.  Earle approaches Fox about getting information on the microwave emitter and tells him his days are numbered.  At Arkham, Rachel unsuccessfully calls Crane on his shit and then inquires about Falcone’s condition, who has been complaining of seeing visions of a scarecrow.  Rachel demands her own psychiatrist evaluate Falcone and Crane escorts her to the drug production room within the asylum.  She tries to escape, but he gasses and kidnaps her.  Crane asks one of his men to call the police before Batman attacks everyone.  Batman gasses Crane, who drops Ra’s Al Ghul’s name.  The police arrives with Gordon and Flass.  Batman enlists Gordon’s help in getting Rachel the antidote and uses a colony of bats to descend upon the police as a distraction.  Batman escapes with Rachel over the Franklin-Orleans Street Bridge (not to be confused with the LaSalle Street Bridge used in Road to Perdition) and a high-speed chase ensues.  Batman loses the police and makes it to the Batcave to administer the antidote to Rachel.  Gordon discovers Gotham’s water supply has been tainted.  Batman informs Rachel that Crane is a pawn and gives her two antidotes to give to Gordon (one for Gordon and one to be made for mass production).

Alfred takes Bruce to task for the high-speed chase, as he gets ready for a birthday party thrown in his honor. Earle informs Bruce that the company going public has been a hit. Gordon interrogates Crane. Fox puts things together with Bruce and realizes that the stolen microwave emitter will be used to administer the poison through the water supply. Bruce asks him to produce the antidote on a massive scale. Ducard appears at the party and reveals himself as Ra’s Al Ghul. Bruce puts on a drunken scene to encourage everyone to leave in order to save their lives. It turns out that Crane has been getting his drugs through Ra’s Al Ghul, who plans to “watch Gotham tear itself apart through fear.” Arkham Asylum opens its doors freeing its residents. He claims that the League of Shadows is responsible for the Fall of Rome and The Black Plague. Crane’s people save him. Al Ghul’s men begin to set Bruce Manor on fire and he knocks the billionaire unconscious. Gordon tries to galvanize Flass into saving the city. Alfred saves Bruce get again. Chaos permeates Gotham. Rachel transports the antidotes to Gordon. She consoles the Game of Thrones boy who has just been threatened by one of Al Ghul’s men. The microwave transmitter arrives.  They start spreading the gas throughout the city. Gordon knocks out Flass who had pulled a gun on two people under the effects of the hallucinogen. Gordon calls the major for backup, but they are all on the island by Arkham Asylum. The Scarecrow rides passed Rachel on a horse, with gas emanating everywhere around him, looking like he just arrived from Sleep Hollow. Batman enlists Gordon’s help into stopping Al Ghul from sending the microwave transmitter on a train to spread the gas around greater Gotham.

Rachel tazes Scarecrow. Batman stops Arkham residents from attacking Rachel and the boy. He clues her in about his identity by gently throwing her words from the party back at her. Batman engages in a fight with four of Al Ghul’s men. He then must escape a throng of people. Batman attacks Al Ghul on the train. Gordon manages to destroy part of the train tracks with guns on the Batmobile. The train crashes with only Al Ghul on board. Fox, who now has Earle’s position at Wayne Enterprises, holds a meeting. The newspapers misreport that Bruce intentionally burned down his own home. Bruce informs Earle that he bought his company back under his nose and then seals up the hole in the backyard. Rachel and Bruce reconcile and kiss. He finds a burnt stethoscope his father gave him.  Alfred and Bruce discuss rebuilding Wayne Manor. Now lieutenant Gordon shows Batman the Bat signal that was just built. They discuss how to beat the bad guys and Gordon hands him the calling card of The Joker. To be continued in Nolan's second installment ...

Read More

Hit Me With Your Best Shot: Pink Narcissus

Nathaniel over at The Film Experience is holding another edition of Hit Me With Your Best Shot (only two more chapters to go for this season!). Cryptic with no narrative through-line or spoken words, Pink Narcissus offers fawning, sometimes graphic, shocking imagery of a ridiculously full-lipped young Mediterranean man, with genetically blessed buns wrapped tightly in white jeans that are so skin tight and pale, on film, with saturated pinks and blues, the actor seems nude when clothed (during the few times that he is). And the camera really loves the model, as well as it did in all of the photos of him littered throughout the apartment of his paramour. There are cryptic, unapologetic pornographic moments, but they are few and far between in the endless array of more nuanced homoerotica that reaches to say something beyond the obvious.

Narcissus is filled with lusty and pensive energy that comes across as a kind of a foreplay for the solo set, with very little contact between bodies and what there is of sex between people is short and dispatched early on in the toilets.  The grungy, raw interaction is quickly flushed down the commode like a jarring palette cleanser that also serves as a stark reminder of the realities of typical gay male behavior of the 1960s.  With very little contact, when the model ventures into the world, it's full of dark, shameful sexual expression and the commercialization of sex, brought on partly by the repressive, puritanical nature of American (and maybe even Westernized) society at the time.  Accentuated by a soundtrack of music gone askew, a glowing, blinking neon sign takes on the form of a limp penis.  This is no world for a healthy relationship. The contrast between the natural beauty of one’s sexuality with the undignified manner in which sex has been exploited by urban living makes it natural for the kid to retreat to the confines of his keeper’s abode like he’s the bottled Barbara Eden in I Dream of Jeannie with nothing else to do but fancy all the different ways he can turn himself on and escape his depraved options. 

Often alone in the apartment, the young man experiences a liberating, sexual awakening, losing himself in a fantasy land of role-play, including both the roles of sheik and slave boy, as well as an admirer of a penis-flopping belly dancer.  The film begins and ends in an almost animated version of the natural world.  Gazing upon a nipple to classical music while stroking his aureole with a piece of grass and inviting the flutter of a butterfly’s wings, the film reaches into the senses of tactility and taste.  There is also a sequence where he becomes one with the ground reminding me of Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1900, when the younger version of Gérard Depardieu literally fucks the Earth.  In Narcissus, the act is identical, but the difference couldn’t be greater, as one may distinguish having sex from making love, at least from the director's point of view.  The protagonist’s motivations are pure and true, whereas Bertolucci’s preteen has an unconsciously arrogant and selfish view of the world (at least, from what I recall).  

However, the shot that most resonated with me may come across as crass and to-the-point, but there was a poeticism in its straightforwardness.  After admiring his blessed body in the mirror and a narcissistic auto-kissing scene which predates navel-gazing artist James Franco, the lead character imagines himself as a toreador pitted against a leather-clad blond motorcyclist.  The pitter-patter of a bull’s feet sounds like a dick getting slapped and for a brief moment, the cape which calls his opponent’s attention is transparent and turns the power play on its head.  As the cyclist charges towards him, the novice toreador cuts to the chase, turns around, and offers his Greek-approved ass-cheeks to  his object of desire.  This dude has a fire that needs to be put out, pronto.  

The "best" shot

Shot over seven years, the producers funding the project grew understandably impatient with the once anonymous director (now known to be James Bidgood) and hired editor and co-scorer Martin Jay Sadoff to assemble the fascinating and carefully composed footage together to create some kind of watchable product.  The result is a meandering homoerotic pastiche which also stands in as a historical document of the gay male artist perspective of the 1960s.  

Previous HMWYBS:
Pink Narcissus
Road to Perdition
Picnic
The Story of Adele H.

Possessed

Edward Scissorhands

The Exorcist

Pariah
Raise the Red Lantern

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

The Circus

Read More

Outfest Film Review: Satan's Angel: Queen of the Fire Tassels

Before the screening at the REDCAT Sunday night for Satan's Angel: Queen of the Fire Tassels, a sassy, vivacious woman who has been around the block a couple of times, stood up and loudly inquired, "Has anyone else not seen this movie?" The throaty blonde was none other than Satan's Angel herself, exotic performer Angela Walker. And the answer to her declarative question was mostly a 'no,' as it was the world premiere of Joshua Dragotta's documentary. The rowdy crowd was peppered with women dressed in revealing sequined bustiers and dresses and many of those scantily clad beauties were interview subjects who have worked closely with the lively 67-year old over the years.


The documentary is a biography of the burlesque pioneer illustrated with interviews and old photographs of the San Francisco-bred gal from her early childhood as a simultaneously rebellious, yet sweet-natured Catholic girl to jet-setter rubbing elbows (and other body parts) with the celebrities of her time. While her fearlessness is what paved her way to erotic entertainer, her innocence informed her appeal. The tough-talking broad (she would ideally be played by Kathleen Turner from the late 1980s to the mid 1990s in the movie version of her life) details her performing antics, as well as details about her private life. "I probably had more class onstage than I did off," she shares, as the list of beaus include Clint Eastwood, Janis Joplin (whom she met at a Redd Foxx show!), as well as a long-running affair with Bobby Darin. Missing from the documentary is a larger context that places Walker's style of burlesque within the dance form's evolution. Dragotta, who produced, directed, lensed, and edited Angel, clocks his film in at a very lean 72-minutes, which still feels like a stretch. By the very nature of Walker's profession, as well as her entrepreneurial spirit and the fact that she is a bisexual who came of age before such a thing was socially acceptable, the subject matter is compelling. The lady must be filled with stories, yet the well here feels largely untapped and results sometimes superficial. Afterwards, at the Q&A, when asked about her "nineteen year old legs" from an audience member, she responded that she sure as Hell wished her tits and ass were that age. There was also discussion about Walker's upcoming biography, so perhaps this filmed document was intended as a simple appetizer for what she has in store with the written word.

Read More

Outfest Film Review: Le Reflet

The coming of age film Le Reflet, framed within the Greek legend of Narcissus, concerns entitled teenager Louis (Oscar Comtet) who spends his Summer studying for his exams while his parents vacation. When the dark complected Alexis catches his eye, he becomes quite smitten with the uneducated farmhand down the road.  Living away from the trappings of the city on the very rural and innocent French countryside, the boys negotiate their feelings of sexuality and fraternity rather clumsily. Once the obstacle of a girl Irène is removed from the equation, the two carry on like a married couple without the sex. One criticizes the other for not measuring up, while trying to impose his romantic ideals upon him and teach him poetry. Director Morgane Rousseau expertly captures the randomness of youthful emotions through long, carefully crafted, pensive takes. Foreboding music often rises to a simmer, as Louis experiences longing he doesn't quite understand how to act upon. Few words are spoken between the characters and the ones that are chosen reveal just how much they're able to process the mechanics of their relationship.  While not the impatient, Rousseau sprinkles her coming-of-age story with a sense of humor on its path to a subtle, yet painfully tragic ending.

Read More

Los Angeles Theatre Review: To Quiet the Quiet at the Elephant Stages

Lisa Richards, Stephen Mendillo

To Quiet the Quiet premiered in the Elephant Space of the Elephant Stages last night to a full house and standing ovation. Barbara Bain directed the three person production starring Lisa Richards, Michael Friedman, and Stephen Mendillo. The timeless setting involves protagonist Kathy (Richards) in the security of her kitchen, "central to a home and a woman's life," Bain recently shared with me. On the surface, the daffy spinster has a bit of an attention deficit disorder and there's nothing like a good breathing exercise to keep her focus in check--something many of us can relate to. Luckily for her, she has Quinn (Michael Friedman with his deep, resonant voice), a strapping, young hunk of a man who is her red-suspendered counselor of sorts. He's her point of reference when her memory clouds over--her beacon of light to regain her footing. Details about her life are impressed upon, finely tuned, and revisited often much to Kathy's chagrin. But, everything rides on her endurance if, as Bain put it, she is to "get everything she wants." The ending is a real jaw-dropper and for those unjaded types, a bit shocking--something The Exorcist recently attempted.

Michael Friedman, Lisa Richards 

There are clues aplenty buried in this slowly unfolding tale. Nothing more can really be said about the plot that one can't find out for themselves by going to see the show. Richards captures Kathy's distracted, nervous energy from the get-go. Her comic timing is shrewd and she has a sexiness that is both tender and desperate. Every now and then, the playful minx will cop a feel or steal a whiff of masculine scent as if it's the closest she'll ever get to the real thing. She's like a magnet in search of something to attach herself to. Her success depends on which side she uses that attracts or repels. Her more emotional deliveries are riveting and heartbreaking, and, rather swiftly, she can erase all traces of fragility with her dismissive laugh. Richards' husband Mendillo plays good man Todd to a "T." The cast is solid and, together, share wonderful chemistry. Matt Richter's sly lighting is simple and unobtrusive, complete with a soundless soundtrack. Joel Daavid's abstract Santa Fe-ish color schemed kitchen is quite a little marvel. The clearly domestic set has no specific setting (as none is really required), other than being post-World War II, with a fractured background, topped off with puzzle-like end pieces. And it's director Bain who deserves accolades for putting them all together to fit just so perfectly together.

Lisa Richards on Joel Daavid's set

Playwright Christy Hall yearned to make a mystery that harkens back to plays of yesteryear like The Mousetrap and The Woman in Black. And, she wanted to hold the audience's attention for ninety minutes without intermission, before sending them on their merry (or stunned) way. She has certainly accomplished everything she set out to do and, additionally, one might say, created a sinister valentine to an all too commonly marginalized part of our society. She even manages to add a cherry on top of the sundae for the theatregoer--a whole bowl of them, actually. Get thee to the Elephant, so you can experience Hall's brilliance for yourself. You have until August 12th to buy tickets here. Not to would be a crime, or, at the very least, a misdemeanor.

Read More

Outfest Film Review: Vito

Tonight was the opening of Outfest 2012, the world’s largest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. A little L.A. drizzle for the first time in months peppered the orange carpet proceedings outside the Orpheum Theatre. Introductions inside included Ricki Lake presenting director John Waters with the Outfest 2012 Achievement Award. Lake has a new show starting this Fall and dates back to 1988 with Waters who directed her in her feature film debut in the original Hairspray. Arguably his most mainstream film went on to spawn the even more socially popular musical and film remake from the 2000s. Lake alludes to the irony of filmdom’s king of trash creating the blueprint for the recent family-friendly Broadway phenomenon. Her knowledge of his oeuvre rolled out with much ease and it was obvious how honored she was to share this occasion with him. Waters took to the stage with a eggplant purple tie against a monochromatic blue-striped suit, and much graciousness to uproarious applause. After the well-produced promo showing footage of his movies and interview clips, as wit comes second nature to the icon, the impressed Waters quipped, “Please play this at my funeral.” Part of his success is due to his ability to judge people on an equal playing field, “I look up to my subject matter, I never look down.”

[Thank You to The Los Angeles Beat for John Waters image]

Outfest honoree John Waters

Also speaking were Outfest board members and co-presidents Laura Ivey, Jon Larson, Executive Director Kirsten Schaffer, Director of Programming Kim Yutani, and Jeffrey Schwarz, director of the opening selection for the film festival, Vito, only the third documentary in all of Outfest’s thirty years to kick off the eleven day gig. One of his first comments regarded the serendipity behind his subject matter, Vito Russo, being a huge fan of Frances Gumm who once sang on the Orpheum’s stage as a little girl with her sisters, before she became known to the rest of the world as Judy Garland. “Vito was a fan of hers and would be so happy to share the stage with her.”

The documentary details the life of gay activist Vito Russo, best known for not only writing the seminal tome on gays in film, The Celluloid Closet, but was one of the founding members of pioneering gay rights groups GAA, GLAAD, and Act Up. The documentary offers a straight-forward narrative describing his home life (his family was ultimately quite accepting and loving), his adventurous preternatural spirit, and active presence in New York night life. His love of movies led him to work as a film archivist for MOMA which planted the seed for his opus Closet, a book that took a decade to research and write as the amateur celluloid detective assembled what is regarded as the preeminent catalogue of the development of gay characters from the beginning of motion pictures through the 1970s. The film understandably spends a healthy chunk of time retreading what’s covered in the film version of Closet, if only because it involved a huge part of Russo’s life.

Through interviews with family and friends (including well known cultural icons like Larry Kramer and Lily Tomlin), as well as stock footage (there is an astounding video record of Russo’s life as an activist, as well as incredible never-seen-before footage of Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin—and, no, I’m not talking about deleted scenes from Big Business either), Vito pieces together a compelling story of man born in the right place and time, fired up with the right amount of passion, to encapsulate the American gay male during the early days of the fight for civil rights. With his heart firmly planted in New York City, Russo stood by on the sidelines during the Stonewall Riots, only to jump into the fray a few months later during subsequent bar raids. “The wiry, fuzzy guy with the huge grin” saw himself as a uniter in the 1970s, only to raise the stakes during the fight for more AIDS funding when the disease first annihilated a huge swath of the gay community in the early 1980s. Russo not only fought conservative demagoguery in politics (there were audible hisses from a faction of the audience whenever Ronald Reagan or Jesse Helms appeared onscreen), but the media itself (including the New York Post’s openly hostile and homophobic tone). The successes of his group's earlier work were vital and helped shape gay progress to what it is today as well as provide templates for other minority activism. Yet, rather than turn Russo into some kind of martyr like some other movies (whose names will not be mentioned here), Schwarz’ restrained approach allows the audiences to marvel at how truly incredible his contributions were, and how lucky we are for the stars to have aligned so perfectly for this man to have graced this earth. Vito debuts on HBO July 23rd at 6 pm EST/9pm PST.

An after party and silent auction followed the film in one of the parking lots behind the Orpheum and included several food vendors and open bar hosted by Absolut, which reminds me of one of my new favorite Sandra Bernhard quotes, “A vodka company supporting a gay cause? Sort of like Gerber giving a shout-out to babies.”

Read More

Oz: The Great and Powerful Trailer

"Kansas is full of good men ... I don't want to be a good man, I want to be a great one," Oz (James Franco) starts off the teaser trailer to Sam Raim's upcoming Oz: The Great and Powerful.  Like its famous "predecessor," the story begins in black & white with even a smaller aspect ratio.  For kicks, a fire-breather heaves flames off the frame.  Once Oz makes it to the wondrous land he's named for, the screen widens and morphs into color.  Additionally, we get a look at the three witches: Theodora, Glinda, and Evanora.  While Raimi as director is a good sign, the involvement of producers from Alice in Wonderland is worrisome.  Still, at this stage, it's an event film that we know little about and therefore is still exciting to anticipate.  Ignorance is bliss.  


[Via Deadline]

Fire-breathing off the frame

Oz

Michelle Williams as Glinda

Mila Kunis as Theodora

Rachel Weisz as Evanora

Flying monkey baby?

Read More