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Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
The Best Batman Film Ever. Period.
I remember hearing about this movie coming out about a month before it did, then didn't hear a thing again about until I saw it sitting on a video shelf nearly a year later. Needless to say, I grabbed it on the spot and was promptly blown out of my socks. I had never seen The Animated Series before so this was my first taste to this particular iteration of The Dark Knight. All I can say is "Wow". To say they nailed the essence of the characters is an understatement. Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm is unquestionably the best adaptation of the Batman universe ever done in any visual medium and even surpasses the comicbook in some respects.
Where to start:
1. The Story After watching the live action versions of Batman in recent years and then this, the differences are night and day. Whereas the live-action movies rely on guest stars and gimmicks, B:MOTP relies on Story, plot, and character development to entertain, and yes, there is considerable irony that a "children's cartoon" is more mature in its story than movies geared to teenagers and adults. To basically sum up with a minimum of spoilers, A mysterious figure is killing off the Underworld bosses in Gotham and it's up to Batman to find out who's behind it and why. At the same time, Bruce Wayne has to deal with the Long Lost love of his life reappearing in town and the complications she brings with her. A simple, yet effective framework that suffers no distractions and allows everyone to have their moment in the sun.
2. The Characters/Voices After watching this movie, I came to the conclusion that whatever they were paying Andrea Romano for casting the voices, it wasn't enough. EVERYONE is spot-on for voice casting. Kevin Conroy is exactly how Batman/Bruce Wayne would sound in your head as if you were reading a comicbook and he manages to convey emotion in his voice to make Batman a three-dimensional character. Dana Delany does a great job with Andrea Beaumont especially considering this was her 1st animation voice-over. She manages to inject humor, wit, and sadness into her character. Quite an achievment. Efram Zimbalist, Jr. (Alfred) Jim Hastings (Commisioner Gordon) and the rest of the regulars do an fantastic job in filling out the Batman Mythos, especially in their interplay with Batman. Like i said before, it's nice to see everyone get their moment. And then there's Mark Hamill as The Joker: To say I was skeptical when I heard he was the voice was an understatement. To say he blew my mind afterwards is also an understatement. I have seen the movies and read the comicbook for years and I firmly believe that this is the closest to the essence of The Joker i've seen in ANY medium. The perfect balance of slapstick and pure malice in The Joker is reached in this movie and it is a testament to Hamill's and the filmmakers' skill that they do this so effectivly.
3. The art and music I've heard complaints that the art was too simplistic. I argue that the minimalist nature of the art adds to the story and movie as opposed to distracts from it. It adds character and mood to the movie that wouldn't be there if a 'lighter' style were used. Shirley Walker's score only adds to the atmosphere and helps to underline the characters in every scene it's used
To sum, it's a downright shame that this movie was hardly distributed in theaters and that it's had to rely on word-of-mouth to find an audience. This movie proves that animation can tell a serious, involving story and that Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm stands up as one of the best comicbook adaptations ever done (along with 'Superman: The Movie) but one of the best animated films ever made.
Secret World Live (1994)
One of the finest concert films ever made
It's actually kind of funny. I never meant to see this film. I was home one night studying when i happened to turn on the T.V. and I saw 'Peter Gabriel's Secret World' on the screen while the opening strains of what I later found out to be 'Come Talk To Me'. Thinking I would get to see 'Sledgehammer' (the only song i knew of by PG), I left it on. By the time 'Come Talk To Me' and 'Steam' were done, there was nothing that could have gotten me to turn the channel.
I have since seen the entire film as well as purchased the CD, and it impresses me as much now as when I first watched it 6 years ago. Shot over 2 nights in November, 1993 in Modena, Italy, composed of 2 stages, a catwalk with a 60' treadmill built into it, a dome which doubled as the lighting structure for the 'female' (round) stage and a rotating screen over the 'male' (square) stage, there is definately a lot to keep track of. And I haven't even mentioned the band yet! To the credit of Gabriel and stage director Robert LePage, it all works together seamlessly from song to song and never seems excessive or disjointed.
And then there is the band itself. Peter has always managed to stock his studio albums with top-notch talent and his tours are no exception. Tony Levin on bass is rock-solid in his playing and actually getting to watch his technique for playing, from tapping out notes with drumsticks, to the upright bass, to doing a little jig with the Chapman Stick during 'Solisbury Hill' will impress everyone watching. David Rhodes, while not nearly as flashy on guitar, is equally solid and provided a lot of the background rhythm in the songs. When you're following along to something in your head and can't quite put your finger on it, credit Mr. Rhodes. Manu Katche on drums manages to infuse a variety of sources into some truly enjoyable percussion work. Levon Miinissian and Jean-Claude Naimro both serve to add depth and atmosphere to the songs on the Duooduk and keyboards respectivly. And for her 1st tour, Paula Cole does an amazing job on vocals alongside Gabriel. And considering she was brought in as a 2nd replacement female vox. on the tour, it is all the more impressive. And then there is Peter himself. While not quite able to sustain the high notes of his youth and looking rather embaressing doing pelvic thrusts during 'Steam', he nontheless turns in an impressive vocal performance which manages to convey the emotion of the tracks selected here, most of which are from the 'Us' album, which was written as a form of therapy for Peter after a divorce from his childhood sweetheart and 2 nasty ends to relationships.
Overall, this is a top-notch concert film from start to finish, and I think only Pink Floyd's The Wall beats it in terms of a concert that combines performance, music and a theme to take home with you and think about after it's all said and done.
Pay It Forward (2000)
Inspirational
What if an idea from an 11-year old could change the world? This is the premise behind the new film 'Pay It Forward' starring Kevin Spacy, Helen Hunt and Haley Joel Osment. It's the 1st day of school in Las Vegas and Trevor (Osment) has a new Social Studies teacher, Eugene Simonent (Spacy) who gives his students an extra-credit assignment at the start of each year; Do something to help change the world, not actually thinking that one of his students might actually accomplish something meaningful. Trevor comes up with 'Pay it Forward'. 3 big favors for 3 different people, something that they can't do on their own, and the only condition being that they pay it forward to 3 more strangers.
It's interesting to see that all three leads carry some kind of emotional baggage and a reluctance to share what they are feeling. Arlene (Hunt) hides with alcohol, Eugene hides behind his intelligence, and Trevor just refuses to talk to his mom (Arlene). Of course, we see this change during the course of the movie as Trevor implements 'Pay it Forward' by bringing a homeless man into the house, playing matchmaker for his mom and Eugene, and helping a friend fight off the school bully, the outcome of which is foreshadowed earlier in the film.
I liked this movie a lot. The performances were all universally good, even Hunt, whom i have never really enjoyed that much as an actress (she did not deserve her 1998 oscar win). Everyone makes their characters believable, and the way it plays out seems plausible, not contrived. My only issues with the film is that it is a little predictable and the ending seems far too contrived.
Other than that, if you are looking for a movie amidst this year that actually conveys hope in the human condition and wonders aloud why we can't just 'Pay it Forward', this is it. Heck, see it anyway for the acting. This is one of the best films i've seen this year and i'll be paying my recommendation forward.
Highlander: Endgame (2000)
Better than expected, but had the potential for more...
And once again, welcome to the wonderful world of Highlander, where all the material so far contradicts with everything else. All of the movies take place with a slightly different take on each other, with only the newest release, Highlander: Endgame, following canon, or at least, its own version of it. This new movie, starring Adrian Paul (Duncan McLeod) and Christopher Lambert (Connor McLeod) borrows elements from the 1st movie while ignoring that the last 2 movies even existed (Thank God!)
It is mainly a movie continuation of the well-regarded TV series starring Paul. In this one, we learn that Conner, unable to cope with his immortal existence any longer, is being kept in a coma in a place called The Sancutary. His slumber is disturbed by a mysterious Immortal from his past named Jason Kell, who has no regard for the rules that all Immortals must follow for their existence, and kills everyone except Connor. Duncan, sensing this occurring, leaves Paris to find Connor and to hunt Kell, who has a band of Immortal followers, including a former love from Duncan's past. Lots of beheadings, fight scenes, and a love scene ensue, with only one left standing in the end.
I enjoyed this movie. There was enough explanation of the various rules and story to allow the casual viewer to follow along. Fans of the television series and movies will obviously enjoy the movie more and will pick up on the little touches in the film, such as the movie studio sign, cameos of actors from the 1st film, the end theme ('Bonny Portmore', which has become the unofficial theme of Highlander) as well as other little touches.
However, i did have some issues with the film. Such as the limited use of Methos and Joe Dawson (Peter Wingfield and Jim Byrnes, respectively), who seemed to be there for window dressing, the ending seemed to be rushed, and the premise didn't seem to be 'Big' enough to warrant a movie treatment. TV fans know that there were episodes (the Horsemen 2-parter comes to mind) that were strong enough plot-wise that they would stand better than H:E in theatres.
Overall, Highlander: Endgame is good, but seems to play more like an episode of the series rather than something on the big screen. Good, but like Star Trek: Insurrection, slightly disappointing considering the effort put into it.
Verdict: Good fun for the casual viewer, and a must-see for the fan. 7 out of 10