A day late, but getting there...
Jun. 27th, 2005 06:28 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deathpixieBack at work again and it's quiet so far. And yes, 5am is still an ungodly time to get up. Not just mildly irreligious, it's downright sacreligious. Blasphemous, even.
But, on Saturday I went and saw Batman Begins with [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]. And I have to say, it was probably one of the best comic book adaptations I've seen... well, ever. Mind you, we're still waiting on Sin City down here. "Coming Soon" my butt...
Not really spoilery, but hey, extending the courtesy extended to me so often.
Casting was just about perfect. Christian Bale isn't an actor I know, but he was the right combination of brooding loner and a man who cares so much about his city he's willing to dress up as a bat to save it. ;) There were nice realistic touches - the bruises and the grunts/screams of pain as one action scene or other ended with Batman being flung into something or falling from a height. The gadgets were just nifty. And the fight scenes, whilst frustrating from a martial artist POV, were realistically blurry and hard to see what was going on - that's what happens in a real fight, there's blurry movement and grappling and then someone falls down. ;)
And I {heart} Michael Cain as Alfred. He was perfect.
Even Katie Holmes did a deceent job in what was effectively one of those 'damsel in distress' roles. Mainly because it wasn't entirely the standard damsel role, and Katie, regardless of her personal tastes in romantic attachments (*shudder*) is actually a decent actress. Although yeah, weird seeing my RP character in a suit. ;) And it was a very nice touch, having her not go all gooey over Batman at the end - she recognises him as something more than a man, and realises that you can't love - or be loved in return by - a force like that. Batman's power lies in the use of fear against the bad guys, and having a girlfriend, even a secret one, takes away from the mystique. Establishes too much clash.
Oh, and this is how good Gary Oldman is as Jim Gordon. Cerdits come up, I see Oldman's name and go "Huh? Which one was he?" Basically he so immersed himself in the character, did such a convincing job, I was able to think of Gordon as entirely a character in his own right, not a character played by an actor. He was Jim Gordon.
Nice touches of humour - I loved Morgan Freeman's role as well. Little moments of lovely wry humour, the little comments... From Alfred, especially. I loved the way his accent started off as generic formal British, and developed a distinct London edge to it as he and Bruce worked together more. Becoming less master and servant, and more friends and comrades in arms. And the remark about thrill seeking... *dies*
So, yeah, good movie. Go and see it. :) Mr and Mrs Smith is on at the George, so I'll go see that next set of days off. Getting out of the house, even if it's to go sit in a theatre for a bit? Is actually doing me good.
On a work-type note... this building is freezing. Not as cold as it was yesterday when I couldn't stop shivering for the first three hours of my shift and my fingers weren't working on the keyboard, but still. Cold. It's 4 degrees C out there and I'm waiting for my ears to thaw out after the ride in. Definitely a morning for the double layer og cycling gloves.
But, on Saturday I went and saw Batman Begins with [Bad username or site: @ livejournal.com]. And I have to say, it was probably one of the best comic book adaptations I've seen... well, ever. Mind you, we're still waiting on Sin City down here. "Coming Soon" my butt...
Not really spoilery, but hey, extending the courtesy extended to me so often.
Casting was just about perfect. Christian Bale isn't an actor I know, but he was the right combination of brooding loner and a man who cares so much about his city he's willing to dress up as a bat to save it. ;) There were nice realistic touches - the bruises and the grunts/screams of pain as one action scene or other ended with Batman being flung into something or falling from a height. The gadgets were just nifty. And the fight scenes, whilst frustrating from a martial artist POV, were realistically blurry and hard to see what was going on - that's what happens in a real fight, there's blurry movement and grappling and then someone falls down. ;)
And I {heart} Michael Cain as Alfred. He was perfect.
Even Katie Holmes did a deceent job in what was effectively one of those 'damsel in distress' roles. Mainly because it wasn't entirely the standard damsel role, and Katie, regardless of her personal tastes in romantic attachments (*shudder*) is actually a decent actress. Although yeah, weird seeing my RP character in a suit. ;) And it was a very nice touch, having her not go all gooey over Batman at the end - she recognises him as something more than a man, and realises that you can't love - or be loved in return by - a force like that. Batman's power lies in the use of fear against the bad guys, and having a girlfriend, even a secret one, takes away from the mystique. Establishes too much clash.
Oh, and this is how good Gary Oldman is as Jim Gordon. Cerdits come up, I see Oldman's name and go "Huh? Which one was he?" Basically he so immersed himself in the character, did such a convincing job, I was able to think of Gordon as entirely a character in his own right, not a character played by an actor. He was Jim Gordon.
Nice touches of humour - I loved Morgan Freeman's role as well. Little moments of lovely wry humour, the little comments... From Alfred, especially. I loved the way his accent started off as generic formal British, and developed a distinct London edge to it as he and Bruce worked together more. Becoming less master and servant, and more friends and comrades in arms. And the remark about thrill seeking... *dies*
So, yeah, good movie. Go and see it. :) Mr and Mrs Smith is on at the George, so I'll go see that next set of days off. Getting out of the house, even if it's to go sit in a theatre for a bit? Is actually doing me good.
On a work-type note... this building is freezing. Not as cold as it was yesterday when I couldn't stop shivering for the first three hours of my shift and my fingers weren't working on the keyboard, but still. Cold. It's 4 degrees C out there and I'm waiting for my ears to thaw out after the ride in. Definitely a morning for the double layer og cycling gloves.
