Review: Batman Returns

SPOILER ALERT: There are spoilers throughout the entirety of this review

Batman Returns is about Batman's latest villain, the Penguin, that is determined to be accepted by society. Max Schreck, a businessman, is persuaded into helping Penguin become Mayor of Gotham, they both end up attempting to expose Batman as an evil person towards Gotham. However, Max's secretary, Selina Kyle, is transformed into Catwoman after she is thrown from a building. After Batman's name becomes tarnished he must attempt to repair the damages caused by Penguin. And we can't forget about Catwoman, not even if we tried, what should Batman do with her...

This was not my favorite Batman film, but this film portrayed the internal struggles that one may face with the acceptance of a society that does not understand something other than what is considered normal. It is a decently quick paced film that does not lose your attention often.

Tim Burton did a great job directing the actors. Michael Keaton did a good job as Batman. He was very believable with the fighting sequences. Danny DeVito was probably the perfect cast for the role of the Penguin, as well as Michelle Pfeiffer for Catwoman. I loved Michelle's take on Catwoman, she was down right dirty and won't take any hassle from any man.

The cinematography was also done well, Stefan Czapsky was a great choice as Director of Photography. There were however a couple scenes that seemed they used a steady cam for but was a little wobbley. I'm not sure why but seemed odd to me. 

Of course who can forget the Bat Mobile

We didn't see to much of it but it is always a cool sight!

I give Batman Returns an 9 out of 10

Definitely should be watched in a BMW...

 a Batman Marathon Weekend!

Review: Jaws

SPOILER ALERT: There are spoilers throughout the entirety of this review

Jaws is about a small community on Amity Island, during a hot summer which is when all the tourists go to their beaches. The new Sheriff, Martin Brody, discovers a shark attack victim on the beach. His initial reaction is to shut down the beaches to swimmers, however the Mayor Larry Vaughn and several of the local businessmen disagree because it will hurt their businesses. 

Brody stands down and a young boy winds up getting killed by the shark. The dead boy's mother puts a bounty on the shark and Amity is then quickly consumed with amateur hunters and fishermen hoping to cash in. A local fisherman with a lot of experience, Quint, offers his services for a higher fee. Soon the town caves in and offers to pay Quint for his services. 

Quint, Brody and Matt Hooper, a scientist from the Oceanographic Institute go out into the ocean to start the hunt. During the first encounter they realize they need a bigger boat. After a long night and a long day after they finally catch the shark, after Quints boat has been destroyed. 

This film was a little slow for my taste. However the cinematography and the direction in this film were great. Steven Spielberg and Bill Butler worked very well together. 

Though there were many struggles on set Spielberg had the determination to push through a produce one of the influential films of all times. 

The casting of locals for the film was a genius idea. This saved both time and money, and time IS money... so it saved money and more money; to bad the film still went way over budget...anyhow, the locals did a great job. 

I did not pick up on a deeper meaning behind the story though. This seemed more specifically for entertainment purposes, that big summer blockbuster hit.

I give Jaws a 7 out of 10

Definitely a classic!

Review: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back

SPOILER ALERT: There are spoilers throughout the entirety of this review

Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back is the second of the Star Wars films to be produced. After saving Princess Leia and destroying the Death Star the Rebels make a temporary home on the ice world, Hoth. The Galactic Empire finally finds them causing the Rebels to flee from Hoth. First they encounter the AT-AT walkers and then the presence of Darth Vader himself. After a narrow escape on the Millennium Falcon Princess Leia, Han Solo, Chewbacca and C-3PO are soon captured by the evil empire. Meanwhile, Luke Skywalker and R2-D2 follow a command from Obi-Wan Kenobi to receive Jedi training from Master Yoda on the swampy world, Dagobah. Here Luke consistently showed his impatience causing Master Yoda to think that Luke is not ready. After some training Luke decides to postpone his training until he saves his friends. 

I think the pacing of the film could have been improved. During the action scenes the cinematography was quite slow similar to other scenes that gave a calm feeling where there was no action. This felt a little awkward for me. At times the story line become a little slow for my taste.

I feel as though one of the messages conveyed are impatience and cockiness must be overcame. However, there is definitely much to take from this film.

The direction from Director Irvin Kershner was great. Every character seemed realistic except for Anthony Daniels as C-3PO. He seemed a little to human-like at times; by the way that he moved. I felt the highest connection with Harrison Fords, Han Solo than any other character. Mark Hamill did a good job with Luke Skywalker, though I do believe they could have found someone better for the role. And we can't forget Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. Carrie did a phenominal job with her role.
For the time that it was produced both the special and visual effects were fantastic; from the laser guns and light sabers to Yoda. I remember when I was younger watching this I thought they looked incredible, though, currently I have gotten used to higher quality visual effects. The way that Kenny Baker in R2-D2 conveyed his emotions was perfect

There are actually widely known mistakes within this film that gave the impression that the production crew was in a rush to produce this piece. However, they did produce a great product.

I give Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back a 7 out of 10

I would recommend watching the whole Star Wars series!

Click here to learn about the best viewing orders to watch a Start Wars marathon.

Review: The Mask

SPOILER ALERT: There are spoilers throughout the entirety of this review

The Mask is in fact Stanley Ipkiss, a pushover-helpless-romantic bank clerk by day and a romantic wild man  by night. After having a really bad day he finds the mask in a river, thought to be where Loki, Norse night god of mischief, has been exiled to. After putting the mask on the wearers inner self comes out, in Stanley's case this is a cartoony romantic wild man. For Dorian Tyrel this is a sadistic, menacing, human being. Dorian Tyrel is a small time crime boss that happens to come across Stanley after "The Mask", Stanley's alter ego, kills his friend during a crime. Tyrel vowed to take revenge, he even went as far as to put his own girlfriends life on the line. In the end Stanley got the woman of his dreams and lives happily ever after.

This film was fairly quick paced throughout its entirety; I never got bored. I instantly got the sense that Stanley is a pushover, but I liked his character, he's just a nice guy. 

I did pick up on a message being sent by this film. Simply put, don't repress a part of you because you may feel uncomfortable to show people that side of you; you must have a balance with every aspect of yourself in order to be the happiest you can be.

The direction of the actors was spot on. Chuck Russell did a great job on this film. Though I did not feel a specific connection with Stanley Ipkiss I did get a great sense of the type of person he is, realistic, and I did enjoy watching Stanley go through his dilemma. 

The cinematography by John R. Leonetti, the Director of Photography, was great. As a filmmaker I of course thought to myself how I would have framed a scene just a touch differently but that is normal for me. Every shot in this film was great and helped portray the message that the Director was attempting to convey.

I think the casting for Stanley Ipkiss, Jim Carrey, was perfect for this character. Jim Carrey played his character flawlessly throughout this film. Peter Greene, Dorian Tyrel, and Cameron Diaz, Tina Carlyle, were just as good. The casting department did a great job. 

The set designers also did a great job, every scene looked very realistic and seemed perfect for the shot.

I give The Mask an 8 out of 10

A childhood favorite!

Review: Life of Pi

SPOILER ALERT: There are spoilers throughout the entirety of this review

Life of Pi is about, quite literally, the life of Pi. Pi is a man originally from Pondicherry, India. Pi explains the origin of his nickname as well as his story of his journey to Canada. His family owned zoo is no longer getting funding which causes his father to move the family to Canada. While on the cargo ship going towards their new home a storm capsizes the ship leaving Pi to survive on a lifeboat with a zebra, an orangutan, a hyena and a Bengal tiger named Richard Parker.

This is not a fast paced film, in fact it starts off quite slow. It gave me a sense of calmness, it was very soothing. It does however become more action-ee once Pi gets stranded on his lifeboat. This film definitely had a deep spiritual message, the audience was even blatantly told from the dialogue. Thinking spiritually there were three big events that needed to happen for Pi to fully give his life to God.
The first being when his family realized they must move to Canada, here he lost a lot of his friends as well has his comfortability. The second being the storm that sank the ship causing his family to lose their lives, leaving him helpless in the middle of the ocean. The third is the second storm that almost capsizes his lifeboat; with all the hardships that come from being stranded on a lifeboat as well as a raging storm this seemed to be what was required for Pi to give himself fully to his God.
Once he completed this act he was given some relief with an island that was completely edible, however there were still dangers here. He was given some relief for a day and then Pi went back on his difficult journey. At one point he saw a ship far into the distance, giving him a brief glimpse at hope, only leaving him feeling even more helpless than before. In the end he drifted up onto a shore somewhere finally safe but Richard Parker leaves Pi with no "good-bye" again leaving him with some sense of emptiness. This is definitely a message of how life usually turns out for the average person.

In the end I have only positive things to say about Life of Pi. The actors had great direction, Ang Lee did a phenomenal job working with Suraj Sharma during the scenes in the ocean. It was amazing how Ayush Tandon, the 11 - 12 year old Pi, looked like the adult Pi, Irrfan Khan. The casting for this film was perfect.
I consistently commented on how well the cinematography was throughout the film.  Every technique used by the Director of Photographer, Claudio Miranda, portrayed the emotion being conveyed perfectly to bring the audience a higher connection with Pi.
Of course the visual effects company Rhythm and Hues Studios must be mentioned. They did an amazing job with this film, without them Life of Pi would not be the quality that it is. The Bengal tiger, Richard Parker, was the most realistic animated tiger that I have ever seen.

I give Life of Pi a 10 out of 10

This is a must see!