Perfection

Writing about my idea of a perfect movie night seemed like an easy way to churn out a blog with little effort. Instead, I have found that it would require more effort than just typing about films. So, I'm going to save blogging about my idea of a perfect movie night for another day, one where I feel a bit more motivated.

The Dark Knight
First, a second viewing of The Dark Knight. I found it flawed and bloated the first time I saw it, unfortunatley, my second viewing didn't better my opinion of Christopher Nolan's second Bat-flick. Christian Bale's portrayal of Bruce Wayne is passable, but his performance as Batman is laughable at best. His voice for Batman is awful. The other performances were okay, Gary Oldman makes a good Jim Gordon, Aaron Eckhart is a good Harvey Dent/Two Face, and Heath Ledger is a decent Joker.

Unlike 99% of peole that have seen The Dark Knight, I am not enamored by Nolan's vision of Batman. Nolan doen't quite seem to grasp that Batman isn't just an emo James Bond with a Halloween mask. He fails to capitalize on the rich history of the character as a genius level man that posses an unending drive to right wrongs. Instead of the world's greatest detective, we get a whiny wackjob in a cape and cowl that relies more on gadgets and those around him than on his own abilities.

If there is a third film in Nolan's Batman series, and I'm sure there will be, I'll most likely go see it, but I'm not clamoring for it. After seeing how self-congratulatory Nolan and his cohorts became following the success of Batman Begins, I'd prefer that they stop making Batman films, because I just don't see them getting it right.

SLiTHER
Moving right along to the second of three films in this blog, we have SLiTHER. Directed by James Gunn, SLiTHER is a horror comedy that stars Nathan Fillion, Elizabeth Banks, Greg Henry and Michael Rooker.

When an alien organism falls to Earth, landing in a small town, it begins to assimilate the townsfolk to fulfill it's ultimate purpose, utter control of all living things. The only thing standing it the way is a small group of locals led by Police Chief Bill Pardy (Fillion), Mayor Jack McCreedy (Henry), and Starla Grant (Banks), wife of the first person to come into contact with the alien.

Where does one start with a film as nearly perfect as SLiTHER is? James Gunn's direction is wonderfully assured and fluid. Gunn mixes the horror elements and the comedy in such a sly way that at times they blend together so much that the lines between the two genres become blurred.

Besides Gunn's top notch direction, SLiTHER has some superbly talented acting. Nathan Fillion's take on a small town police chief is hilarious, as is Greg Henry's performance as a small town mayor that is as vulgar as he is inept, much like a real life small town mayor. Elizabeth Banks manages to be likeable and brings a subtle blend of humor, while Michael Rooker's Grant Grant provides the perfect obstacle for Fillion's Bill Pardy.

If you like films akin to Ghostbusters, An American Werewolf in London, or Dead & Breakfast, and haven't already seen SLiTHER, you should check it out. With a great blend of humor and horror, and the best ending in the genre, SLiTHER is well worth the rental or purchase.

Dark City
Directed by Alex Proyas, and starring Rufus Sewell, William Hurt, Jennifer Connelly, and Kiefer Sutherland.

After waking up in a bathroom, without any idea of who he is or why he is there, John (Sewell) is quickly swept up into a series of events that test his patience, resolve and sanity. While searching the streets and inhabitants of the dark city for the truth, John comes to learn that he is wanted for a string of murders, has a wife he doesn't know, and has life that isn't his. As John seeks questions and answers regarding his life, his wife Emma (Connelly) and Police Detective Bumstead (Hurt) begin to question the facts of the case and reality as they know it. With the help of Dr. Daniel Schreber, the inquisitive trio comes together and uncovers the nefarious plans of a group of strangers with a deep seeded power over the city, second only to their ambition.

Unfortunately, not long after Dark City hit theaters, a little flick called The Matrix came out, dwarfing Dark City and proving to be a box office smash. The theatrical version of Dark City saw limited success upon it's release, and, like so many other great films, it came to find a cult following on video. Far superior to The Matrix in many ways, Dark City is an intelligent film that questions the meaning of life, and what makes a man who he/she is. Heavily influenced by German Expressionist films like M, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Dark City has an industrial look that provides an atmosphere that is both foreign and recognizably familiar.

Though the theatrical version has been available for years, a director's cut of the film was recenlty released on dvd. There are several differences between the two versions. Certain scenes have lengthier shots in the director's cut, mostly amounting to less than a minute each, and the voice over introduction that dumbed down the previous release has been removed. What I found to be the most noticeable difference, along with a superior quality tranfser, was the two muscial performances given by Connelly's Emma.

In the theatrical release of Dark City, Emma's performances of the songs "Sway" and "The Night Has 1000 Eyes" were sung by Anita Kelsey, though they were filmed with Jennifer Connelly providing the vocals. In the director's cut, Connelly's vocals is used. Kelsey's rendition of both songs worked fine in the theatrical release, but they didn't quite fit with Connelly's regular voice. The placement of Connelly's vocals, which are really good, is a nice touch.

Dark City was already a fantastic movie that puts The Matrix and others like it to shame, but the subtle differences in the director's cut take it from being a really good movie to a great film. The little things really do make a difference, even if you don't immediately notice them. A gripping psychological thriller, with drama, touches of scifi, a love story, and a message that is neither heavy handed nor trite, the director's cut of Dark City has it all.

Next Blog: The latest film from Edward Burns, Purple Violets.