jakobnicholas Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Interesting. I thought TDK was brilliant, if awkwardly paced, while Iron Man was just terrible. The wonderful cast was essentially sleepwalking through a by-the-numbers superhero script, the origin sequence was interminable for too many reasons to list, and the willing-suspension-of-disbelief factor surely has to be about equal to a Chuck Jones WB short in order for the thing to work. To me, Robert Downey Jr. gets a TON of credit for making Iron Man work. I really, truly cared for and felt for his character. And his swagger and confidence and humor throughout the movie was fun to watch. On the other hand, I could hardly invest an ounce of emotion into Bale's Batman. I think it's mostly Bale's fault (does he always have to look and sound so serious and pissed?) But maybe most of the reason is that the Batman character is just dark and bland. He's a little similar to Superman....but with Superman, we also get to see his very likeable, bungling Clark Kent character. The best part about Batman was his awesome motor-bike. Thank God the Joker was around to lighten the mood and give us some entertainment. And Iron Man may have been a little far-fetched (though I think people can suspend their belief very easy in a super-hero film), but it pales to the sonar bit, the cheesiness of the people on the boats scene, and transformation of Harvey. There's no wrong thought here. I just prefer my super-hero movies to have a tiny bit of fun and campiness to them....much like I prefer the older James Bond's to the most recent 2. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Moses Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 The voice thing didn't bother me as much as some. I can understand the need for Bruce Wayne to use a different voice as Batman. What bothered me about Bale's performance was that a huge part of the drama hung on the reaction to Rachel's death. And, while Bale is normally a great actor, I little weight to his performance when the love of his life is killed. Add to that totally contrived boat ultimatum, the sonar thing and the Hayden Christesen-like ease of Harvey's turn to evil and it left me flat. It was entertaining -- and perhaps that's all you should ask of a Batman movie -- but it seemed it wanted to be more... it could have been more. this entire post sums it up perfectly for me as well. i think someone else said it felt "crammed", at least from a plot perspective, and i agree. i also thought (and have stated it a few times too )that it was just so piss-poorly edited that i was actually mad watching the movie. it cut way too quickly for me, as if the sole purpose of the cuts was to make things dramatic and thrilling. there are so many other devices that could have pulled off such a feel - acting and writing being the two i'd prefer. my friends all completely disagree with me on this so maybe i'm wrong or some sort of closeted editing snob or something. i don't know. and In Bruges is probably my favorite '08 movie so far as well. i haven't seen much though to be honest, but that's a really good movie. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Iron Man > The Dark Knight Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moe_Syzlak Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 I just prefer my super-hero movies to have a tiny bit of fun and campiness to them....much like I prefer the older James Bond's to the most recent 2.can't agree with this. The most recent two Bond movies have been the best since On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which probably for relatively weak performance by Lazenby, gets too often overlooked. If it had Connery, it would be the best Bond movie made, IMO. Roger Moore was the height of campy Bond and those films are mostly unwatchable for me. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
EL the Famous Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Iron Man > The Dark Knight i didn't think so after seeing TDK in the theatre, but now...i have to agree. it's close, but IM is superior as a whole. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 can't agree with this. The most recent two Bond movies have been the best since On Her Majesty's Secret Service, which probably for relatively weak performance by Lazenby, gets too often overlooked. If it had Connery, it would be the best Bond movie made, IMO. Roger Moore was the height of campy Bond and those films are mostly unwatchable for me. Different strokes, I guess. The last 2 Bond movies were OK, but just didn't seem like James Bond movies to me. They seemed closer to Rambo....a serious macho dude kicking all kinds of ass and destroying things. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JUDE Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 The Bond Ultimatum and The Bond Supremecy Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moe_Syzlak Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Different strokes, I guess. The last 2 Bond movies were OK, but just didn't seem like James Bond movies to me. They seemed closer to Rambo....a serious macho dude kicking all kinds of ass and destroying things.Well I feel like other Bond movies, even Connery editions, leave the character seriously one-dimensional. That's boring to me. I like that Bond makes mistakes, falls in love (not just lust), loses people and is shut off from everyone. He is able to do what he does becuase he is so troubled and borderline psychotic. But I agree some of the action is a little much and wears you down after a while. I think that's so the masses will accept a more human Bond movie, which is a shame. But you're right... it's just different strokes. Back on topic (sorta), I think IM and TDK are just about equal. IM doesn't take itself too seriously though so a lot more can be forgiven. Downey -- just like Ledger -- single-handedly saves that movie. The last act of IM was just terrible, IMO, though. The Bond Ultimatum and The Bond Supremecy Yeah that's a common criticism, but I happen to love the Borne movies. And the most recent Bond movies are much truer to the books than other movies (excepting On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and thise came before Borne was a even a thought in Ludlum's mind. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted December 18, 2008 Share Posted December 18, 2008 Back on topic (sorta), I think IM and TDK are just about equal. IM doesn't take itself too seriously though so a lot more can be forgiven. Downey -- just like Ledger -- single-handedly saves that movie. The last act of IM was just terrible, IMO, though. I agree. I think Batman has more substance to stand on without Ledger than Iron Man without Downey, but both movies leap from "decent" to "good" or "great" because of the 2 actors. The end of Iron Man didn't live up to the first 2/3....but again, Downey helped immensely. I love when he has to wolf down the hamburger. And the relationship with Paltrow's character is fairly strong. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Moe_Syzlak Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Saw TDK again. A couple of thoughts... 1. The movie is pretty darn good up until the hospital explodes. After that, it just loses me. 2. I understand Bruce Wayne needs to disguise his voice while he is Batman (I, unlike many others, don't really have a problem with that). But why does he need to disguise his voice when it is just him and Morgan Freeman? Freeman's character (forget the name) knows who Batman is. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Gym Teacher Man Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 i also rewatched TDK not long ago and all i can say is that without ledger's unbelievable performance, it would probably go on my "well, i don't ever see myself watching that again" shelf. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bjorn_skurj Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 dittoI concur. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jakobnicholas Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Saw TDK again. A couple of thoughts... 1. The movie is pretty darn good up until the hospital explodes. After that, it just loses me. 2. I understand Bruce Wayne needs to disguise his voice while he is Batman (I, unlike many others, don't really have a problem with that). But why does he need to disguise his voice when it is just him and Morgan Freeman? Freeman's character (forget the name) knows who Batman is. I agree. The ending 3rd is SO underwhelming. And his voice drove me...uh...pardon the pun....batty. You all hear the Christian Bale rant that apparently was broadcast on TMZ? It's funny as hell. I think it's a year old, but got leaked somehow. I guess Bale got pissed at a sound or lighting guy interupting a scene during filming of the new Terminator movie. Here's a sampling of the 4-minute rant: "I will kick your ass," says Bale in the rant. "I want you off the f***ing set. No, don't just be sorry. Think for one f***ing second. What the f*** are you doing? Am I going to walk around and rip your f***ing lights down in the middle of the scene? So why the f*** are you walking right through?You do that one more f***ing time and I'm not walking on this set if you're hired." Here's the audio: http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/020209_christianbale.mp3 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 I agree. The ending 3rd is SO underwhelming. And his voice drove me...uh...pardon the pun....batty. You all hear the Christian Bale rant that apparently was broadcast on TMZ? It's funny as hell. I think it's a year old, but got leaked somehow. I guess Bale got pissed at a sound or lighting guy interupting a scene during filming of the new Terminator movie. Here's a sampling of the 4-minute rant: "I will kick your ass," says Bale in the rant. "I want you off the f***ing set. No, don't just be sorry. Think for one f***ing second. What the f*** are you doing? Am I going to walk around and rip your f***ing lights down in the middle of the scene? So why the f*** are you walking right through?You do that one more f***ing time and I'm not walking on this set if you're hired." Here's the audio: http://www.aolcdn.com/tmz_audio/020209_christianbale.mp3 Ain't It Cool has some thoughts on that story. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mfwahl Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Ain't It Cool has some thoughts on that story.It took me a minute to get what "light tweaker" means. At first, I thought they meant he smokes meth occassionally. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Of course, this sort of thing has happened many times in various ways over the years. It just does not make the news every time it happens. I read a book written by an actor recently. Among other things, he talked about a director threatening people with fines who ruined shots by messing with the lights or whatever. I also think these things come about due to the fact that is is easy to capture someone's actions these days - due to cell phones and such like devices. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Good Old Neon Posted February 4, 2009 Share Posted February 4, 2009 Meh, AICN Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Guest Speed Racer Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Plus and so but seriously, how emotional can a scene be when it takes place in Terminator 4, directed by the guy responsible for Charlie Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sir Stewart Posted February 5, 2009 Share Posted February 5, 2009 Along the lines of 'Mothafuckin snakes on this mothafuckin plane!' and 'I'm the Juggernaut bitch!', I wonder if they're considering a rewrite of this scene. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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