The Shadow - 1994

I'd never heard of "The Shadow" before a friend of mine suggested I check it out (thanks Jordan!). 1994 was a massive year for movies: "The Lion King", "Pulp Fiction", "Forrest Gump", "The Mask", "Speed", "The Shawshank Redemption", "The Santa Clause" ...the list goes on. Some big names there to compete with but I'm still surprised I never heard of this movie until a week or two ago.

"The Shadow" stars Alec Baldwin (his second film of that year) along with a slew of familiar facing you'll have fun IMDBing later. The story takes place in a 1930's Dick Tracey version of New York City. It's a superhero tale of good against evil - a war that rages internally as well as externally. The Shadow himself is an anti-hero on a quest for redemption; a character that has the class of James Bond with the powers of a Jedi (what a winning combination!). 

On one hand I'm a little disappointed that, in the end, the movie really doesn't do a lot with its themes of darkness (shadow) vs light or the nature of redemption. I felt that the character of the Shadow was set up to have a lot more depth than what ultimately played out on screen. But at the same time a part of me was relieved it didn't take itself too seriously. 

The truth is, I had a great time watching this movie. I was never so pleased to have a bowl of popcorn on my lap! Part of what made the movie so much fun was its uncompromising and delightfully macabre B movie sensibility with full on A movie production values. For 1994 it is still a visual treat!

The secret messages, old cars, swanky night clubs and cool brain-battles thrilled me like a child and the dark sense of humour amused me like an adult.

Ultimately a 3 star movie but your popcorn will never taste so good.

The Act of Killing - 2013

It's hard to know where to begin with this documentary. It contains some of the most incredible human responses I've seen captured on camera.

If you clicked on the link attached to poster you'd see the following IMDB plot synopsis:

A documentary which challenges former Indonesian death-squad leaders to reenact their mass-killings in whichever cinematic genres they wish, including classic Hollywood crime scenarios and lavish musical numbers.

Doesn't sound like an easy watch, and it isn't. In 1965 there was a military coup in Indonesia which resulted in a massive anti-communist purge. During that year 1-2 million "communists" were tortured and killed. The military did a lot of their dirty work through a number of well known gangsters. These gangsters became national heroes for the service provided their country. I tell you what, even as I write this it is difficult to resist the temptation to put most of these words in ironic quotations: "gangsters", "heroes", "service", even "country".

As challenging a subject matter as this is, the documentary handles it with stunning bravery and elegance. The most fascinating thing for me was watching the different ways each gangster made their peace (or not) with the past. For any human being, to face reality of having done such atrocities once all the violence, power and political propaganda has faded is near impossible.

At first there is a real pride in the role they played in these killings. They are, after all, national heroes because of it. But as each one revisits their memories of the time and share stories with the camera crew there is a very visible war going on inside their heads. Some do an about-face and deny their involvement completely with some surprising lies. Some, even as they are hearing themselves tell these stories, start to try harder and harder to rationalise why the killings were good or even necessary. Some accept that what they did was terrible and leave it in the past. Some, sad to say, abandon all morals in order to maintain the believe they've done nothing wrong.

But the most compelling character in this documentary is a gangster named Anwar Congo who is fiercely committed to honesty and telling the whole story. He believes at the beginning that the truth will speak for itself. If what they did is as heroic as the government says it is, then they have nothing to hide. And while his story through the documentary is absolutely heart breaking, you champion him for keeping his heart open and allowing it to break. Again, I've never witnessed anything quite like this on film.

If you have any interest in human psychology, morality, history or film-making I urge you to check this phenomenal work!

A Little Ditty

I'm working on an ensemble piece and I plan to record using an electric guitar in place of a few of the instruments I can't play myself. I'd like to steer away from automated midi tracks as much as possible. Nothing wrong with using them (I done it myself for years), but for the next wee while I want to focus on generating sounds from real instruments - whether played by me or special guest performers.

All that to say, I'm waiting on an adapter in the mail to record the guitar tracks. So in the meantime, here is a little unrelated ditty. Enjoy.

Batman Returns - 1992

I read an IMDB article that ranked all of the Batman movies ever made and was surprised to see that Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" came just (barely) below "The Dark Knight" for first place. I have always loved the idea of Batman - a hero with an edge. As a little kid I used to run around with a Batman cape and fight crime. But my first introduction to Batman on the big screen was through Christopher Nolan's incredible trilogy. It never occurred to me that any previous cinematic incarnation might be on the same level.

So I decided I needed to check out "Batman Returns". And while I don't think it's on the same level with Nolan's trilogy in terms of character and story I have to say, a week on from watching the film, it has really stuck with me. This is thanks largely to the incredibly imaginative and immersive world Burton brings to life in his version of Gotham - the abandoned zoo being a particular highlight for me. What amazing set design!

Danny DeVito and Michelle Pfeiffer have a ball with their villainous roles of Penguin and Cat Woman. They throw themselves into these characters with enthusiasm and confidence. What you get are wildly entertaining performances that are just on the right side of silly.

Having been introduced to Michael Keaton for the first time last year in "Birdman", it was fun to finally see him playing the role that made him famous. He does a decent job and looks good in the suit. But, truth be told, there actually isn't a lot for him to do in this film.

The plot is simple and forgettable. The dialog is fine - again, just on the right side of cheesy.

All up, while this is not holistically masterful film-making, there is much to enjoy in "Batman Returns". I'd watch it again for the performances and for another chance to get lost in Tim Burton's lush, gothic, cartoony world.