A Commercial Inflation
April 17, 2016
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
D: Zack Snyder. DP: Larry Fong. W: Chris Terrio & David S. Goyer. Starring: Henry Cavill/Ben Affleck/Jeremy Irons/Gal Gadot/Amy Adams/Jesse Eisenberg/Holly Hunter/Scoot McNairy/Laurence Fishburne/Diane Lane. (Based on the Batman character created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and the Superman character created by Jerry Seigel and Joe Shuster.)
As Marvel’s Avengers continue to assemble and reek havoc at the box office it was only a matter of time and rights before DC Comics would attempt to put together their Justice League. Without spending endless time explaining which studios have the rights to which characters, safe it to say it is a complex mess. Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice attempts to pit the caped crusader against the batman in order to contextualize events that can lead to the justice league and the philosophical frictions of these two characters.
Batman v Superman picks up where 2013’s Man of Steel ends with a very svelte Ben Affleck as the new Batman witnessing the final destructive fight between Superman (Henry Cavill) and General Zod (Michael Shannon). As a Wayne Enterprises building goes down in Metropolis Affleck’s Bruce Wayne begins his grudge match with alien Superman. We move to eighteen months later where both men continue to hunt the other and furrow their brows at their competitors moral choices. Superman is treated like a god, but yet is easily framed. Batman pounds the flesh of criminals for information, but misses what is under his nose.
Cavill continues to look the part of Superman, but he still cannot save a dated and one-dimensional character. No one believes this glass wearing alias anymore. He mostly stares and recites, forcing poor Amy Adams to keep trying to give Lois Lane some purpose other than the love interest. Affleck’s Batman is a heavy jawed bully that lacks the sparkle and edge Christian Bale gave us in his Dark Knight films. Alfred gets his sexy back here with a dry and spry Jeremy Irons lending a more casual approach to the Wayne family which now lives in a floor to ceiling glass house perched next to some sort of moor. Don’t worry Batman will drive by the burnt down mansion in case we had forgotten. There is also a tremendously silly work out montage for Affleck, Warner Brothers clearly wanted every bang for their buck.
Director Zack Snyder returns to comics after directing Man of Steel. A movie too loud and violent for its own good, something this new film picks up on. Thematically the film wants to address the questions of violence and hope in both figures. Yet Batman v Superman instead uses Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luther as a scapegoat, excusing the violence as retribution for his actions. Overall Eisenberg is not actually given much to do, but safe to say the creation of his villainous status is sure to come up again.
Cinematographer Larry Fong who shot the excellent Super 8, as well as Watchmen and 300 with Snyder, is working in over drive here. The opening sequence is high resolution glossy commercial art tenuously trying to build a dramatic mood the film cannot maintain. Nearly every zooming close up is accompanied by a blaring bore of a soundtrack that announces every moment with pounding drums. The best bit of music is Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman theme all a bit rock n roll cowgirl. Her own film will be released next summer so she is also introduced here to build interest in that.
Ultimately Batman v Superman is an overstimulated and over inflated bed partner for The Avengers. There is not a moment of humor in nearly two and a half hours of film. Rather the humor comes from laughing at a film that takes itself entirely too seriously. Do Batman and Superman mothers have to be named the same name? After the somewhat realistic Nolan Batman series, which I loved, this group needs some light into it. Here’s hoping Wonder Woman, which is being directed by Patty Jenkins, will be a bit better.
Comic Books for 2016
December 7, 2015
Releasing on March 25, 2016, here is the new full length trailer for Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Loud, violent, and with an Affleck suited up as the caped crusader we also get our first full vision of Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Zach Snyder directs again.
Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice
Assembly Required
July 13, 2015
As news and updates from Comic Con continue to roll in. Below is the trailer not to be missed by of the big WB and DC comics venture into potential justice league land. The trailer introduces Wonder Woman and Lex Luther and is pretty epically long. Zach Snyder returns to direct (Man of Steel).
Batman V. Superman: Dawn of Justice
Geek Tears Commence
April 18, 2015
This week was a big one for trailers. Posting these below, neither needs introducing.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice
Did my Baby Knock me Down?
November 15, 2014
Gone Girl (2014).
D: David Fincher. DP: Jeff Cronenweth. W: Gillian Flynn (based on her novel of the same name). Starring: Ben Affleck/Rosemund Pike/Neil Patrick Harris/Tyler Perry/Carrie Coon/Kim Dickens/Patrick Fugit/Missi Pyle/Casey Wilson/Sela Ward/David Clennon/Lisa Banes/Emily Ratajkowski/Scoot McNairy/Boyd Holbrook/Lola Kirke.
Hands down the most talked about novel of 2012, Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl hit theaters across the globe in October. Taking on scripting the adaptation herself, Flynn’s work got dream team treatment and thankfully lives up to the page turning anxiety her novel provided. Sitting down to a second viewing of the film I discovered more reasons to love and loathe both of her leads.
Stepping out from the Argo shadow (and a few non-performers in between), Ben Affleck gives his best performance since…well awhile. His star persona is clearly drenched in paparazzi fodder and segways well into his character, Nick Dunne. Discovering his wife has disappeared, Affleck’s Nick calls the cops and quickly experiences the evolution of husband-as-killer while he slowly discovers more about his wife than he might have imagined. Not to be outdone, British actress Rosemund Pike (whose worked steadily for years, but this is definitely her breakout) brings incredible skill to her performance of wife Amy. Calculating at every moment Pike’s Amy is unreadable, untouchable, and Flynn’s script aids both actors in giving them both untrustworthy point of views. The protagonist and antagonist discussion would take days.
Fincher and recent collaborator, director of photography Jeff Cronenweth (2010’s The Social Network and 2011’s Girl with the Dragon Tattoo), have continued success here with Gone Girl. Their representation of small town America, where the trauma bleeds against monotonous suburban existence, is fully realized in their shot composition. The camera encroaches on Affleck’s Nick like a nosy neighbor and emphasizes his body throughout the film. The sound editing aids in the menace of the plot with certain noises put in direct relief to stark silence.
Rounding out the cast are two memorable female performances. Carrie Coon as Nick’s twin Margo whose main narrative function is to react to Nick’s plight and align the audience with her own distress at the plot twists. However, Coon acts as not just tragic relief here, but as a physical dichotomy to Affleck. Kim Dickens as the lead detective on the case is also excellent and true to the novel. Flynn’s script for the most part does her work justice, if not slimming down certain elements to create a more concise map for Fincher. My main gripe is that the segment with Desi Collings (played by Neil Patrick Harris) is sped up and Amy’s parents are far less a factor in the narrative.
Ultimately Gone Girl succeeds the way the novel did, with multiple points of view and questioning the authenticity of voice and body. It deconstructs the constructs of marriage from many angles while never endorsing one. Gone Girl‘s very instability is insatiable right down to the last page or shot. I wouldn’t call the film shocking, since I read the novel, but even then a he-said/she-said killer thriller is so over done any new take feels fresh. And I like fresh.
Hopping Aboard the Affleck Train (or Plane?)
November 1, 2012
Argo (2012).
D: Ben Affleck. W: Chris Terrio. DP: Rodrigo Prieto. Starring: Ben Affleck/Bryan Cranston/John Goodman/Alan Arkin/Victor Garber/Tate Donovan/Clea DuVall/Scoot McNairy/Rory Cochrane/Kyle Chandler/Chris Messina/Kerry Bishe. (NOTE: Script based on Joshuah Bearman’s article “Escape from Tehran.”)
Already a festival and critical darling before its wide release, Argo marks actor/writer Ben Affleck’s third directorial effort. 2007’s Gone Baby Gone and 2010’s The Town were not only successful, but also affirmed Affleck’s good taste in adaptable material. Argo is no exception. Keeping with his theme of interpreting strong established material, Affleck ups the anti in tackling a real life rescue mission.
Argo, of course, refers to a fake science fiction movie the CIA operative, Tony Mendez (Affleck), fake produced and scouted for as a guise while actually shepherding American diplomatic hostages out of Iran in 1980. In conjunction with the Canadian government, Affleck’s Mendez created an elaborate farce to get in and out of the country. Luckily this farce makes for a great story. Taking the lead (on and off camera), Affleck deftly balances the tense danger of Iran and the hostages with the second hand tension in the CIA offices and Hollywood production offices of Argo.
Affleck might have learned a few things from his 2009 acting turn in State of Play, but we’ll never know. His film actually succeeds where that one failed. Not only is the premise much more succulent, but there is so much tension from start to finish you hardly breathe until it’s over. Familiar experiences like customs crossings become dangerous mind fields of fear and most audiences will end up forgetting that they already know the outcome. Thankfully some light moments with the brilliant John Goodman and Alan Arkin as Hollywood archetypes allow you to laugh (even if one joke is redone about three times too much).
This balance between two parts of the world also visually allows Argo to explore how information is circulated and lives that exist on the same planet can be so disconnected. Victor Garber, as the Canadian Ambassador in Iran, acts as this bridge between worlds and helps ground the group dynamic of his hostages. In the modern age of technology it is easy to buy into the compulsive use of the internet and cell phones. But let’s not forget there was an age before that! The hostage group, all masterly handled by the actors, effortlessly allows the film to remain personal and engaging. Affleck helps this engagement by using close-ups and tight shots that bring out the suffocation and fear of the hostages.
One of the few pitfalls of Argo is that Affleck gives himself a bit too many glamour/tortured Daddy moments. Understandably Affleck’s acting presence helps get his movies made. However, in this scenario he should have concentrated a bit less on these moments as the true story lies in the action of his character and his intelligent thinking on his feet. This does not ruin the film, but certainty detracted from its mood and rhythm. Thankfully, the man can grow a decade appropriate beard as well.