BRUCE WAYNE: STRAIGHT OUTTA GOTHAM
Movie Review:
Batman Begins
10/10
by Raph Tombasco
Batman is, has, and always will be the greatest superhero. No matter what anyone says, no matter who claims it to be Superman or Spiderman or Powdered Toast Man, Batman rules supreme. His alter ego, Bruce Wayne, is just a man driven to rid his hometown, Gotham City, of corruption and crime. Batman Begins, the new film from director Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia), is a fresh, more realistic restart for the long defunct film franchise, and one of the best comic book adaptations to date.
In order to do Batman true justice, Nolan and screenwriter David S. Goyer (Blade) dug deep into the mythos, drawing some elements from Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One and other story-arcs from the comic. Another crucial point was the casting of Christian Bale (American Psycho, The Machinist) as Bruce Wayne. He is a truly inspired choice; Bale brings a fury to the role that only he could channel. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne is not just a rich Playboy with fancy gadgets, he is a tortured man who is obsessed with the murder of his parents. His reaction to their deaths borders on the psychopathic and Bale carries this weight well while maintaining nobility.
The film begins without the usual, obnoxious, CGI-heavy opening title sequences seen in most other comic book adaptations. A dark sky is filled with a frenzied flock of bats that briefly bunch together in the form of the bat symbol, the music builds and the story takes off immediately—no bullshit, just straight to it.
The story follows Bruce Wayne, young and old, as he witnesses the murder of his parents by a common thug and trains with the mysterious crime-lord Ras Al Ghul (Ken Watanabe) and his League of Shadows. Supporting Bale in the cast are Michael Cain as the Wayne family’s dedicated butler, Alfred, Liam Neeson as Ras Al Ghul’s right hand man, Henry Ducard, Gary Oldman as Chief Gordon, and Cillian Murphy as the twisted Dr. Jonathan Crane. With the exception of Katie Holmes’ hammy role as Bruce Wayne’s love-interest, Rachael Daws, the cast is right on their mark. Gotham City becomes as real as any other with this intimidating assembly of talented actors taking the material seriously.
Nolan hammers the final nail in the coffin of Joel Schumacher’s obscene failure with the Batman franchise (Batman Forever and Batman and Robin). Just forget that those ever existed. The nipple adorned Batsuit: Gone. The gratuitous butt shots of Bruce Wayne suiting up to fight crime: Gone. Chris O’donnell as Robin: Gone.
And on a side note: The new batmobile is absolutely ridiculous. The thing is a goddamn tank. And once you see that beast jump from roof to roof in what will no doubt become one of the most memorable car chases in recent film history, you will be impressed.
However, the most impressive aspect of the production is the amount of detail the filmmakers went into in putting together the origin of Batman and all of his “wonderful toys.” The plot is tightly woven and manages to balance multiple character arcs at the same time without losing focus of the subject of development: Bruce Wayne.
Batman Begins far surpasses any other incarnation, including Tim Burton’s imaginative take on the Bat-legend. Packed with action and highlighted by an incredibly intense musical score, this is the one the kids will be talking about for years to come. With sequels already in development, most Bat-geeks will finally be able to sleep peacefully at night knowing their favorite crime-fighter is in good hands.
EDWARD SCISSORHANDS 2
MOVIE Review
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
3/10
by Raph Tombasco
Tim Burton is no hack, which is the reason why his latest film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, is such a frustrating disappointment. Production values and performances aside, Chocolate Factory marks Burton’s greatest failure since his utterly terrible “re-imagining” of Planet of the Apes. Furthermore, the similarities to Edward Scissorhands are so outrageous it seems as though he just cut and pasted segments from that film.
In comparison to the original Gene Wilder hit, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Burton’s film is a much more faithful adaptation of Roald Dahl’s classic book. Before its release, the major hype surrounding the film concerned Johnny Depp’s performance as Willy Wonka and his fourth collaboration with Burton. Unfortunately, it was only hype. Depp does a good job, but absolutely nothing can save this mess of a film.
It all begins with the familiar story of young Charlie Bucket (played with great skill by Freddie Highmore, Depp’s co-star in Finding Neverland) living in destitution with his family in the shadow of Wonka’s gigantic factory. His Grandpa Joe tells the young boy stories of what it was like to work in the factory before Wonka fired his entire staff for selling the secrets to his unique style of chocolate making. As the situation with the Bucket family worsens, Charlie’s hopes are lifted when Wonka comes out of seclusion to announce that 5 golden tickets have been hidden in his chocolate bars. Suffice to say, the lucky children who find the tickets will be given a personal tour of the factory and an opportunity to win an unspecified grand prize.
This exposition sets the rest of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory up so well that it is unbelievable that a seasoned director like Tim Burton could have messed it up, especially with the talent involved. But he certainly did, and he messed it up royally. The director is at his best telling the story of Charlie and revealing the four other golden tickets winners: Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Mike Teevee, and Violet. But all is lost upon their arrival at Wonka’s factory and this is no fault of Johnny Depp’s. His portrayal of Wonka is creepily absurd and just as good, if not better, than Gene Wilder’s. The main problem with the factory portion of the film is that Charlie and Grandpa Joe disappear.
The dynamic between Charlie and Grandpa Joe carried the opening, but Burton goes absolutely wild trying to juggle the other children, their parents, and a Wonka back-story (think Ichabod Crane’s in Burton’s Sleepy Hollow), which was never in the book. As a result, the focus of the exposition is blurred to a sickening point. Aside from this, the Oompa Loompa’s songs flat out suck and bring the flow of the movie to a screeching halt. One would expect better from Danny Elfman, the film composer and creative mind behind Oingo Boingo who has worked with Burton frequently over the past 20 years.
To be perfectly blunt, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a culmination of all of Burton’s previous films over the past two decades, from the opening title sequence (lifted directly from Edward Scissorhands and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure) to the lost father/son theme in Wonka’s unnecessary back-story. Although Burton is a particularly strong stylist, style isn’t everything. It seems that Ed Wood and Big Fish, his two most substantial films, were just flukes. That or Tim Burton should stop trying to “re-imagine” material that was fine the way it was in the beginning. After all, the man did bring us the original Batman. He just needs to stop making the same movie over and over again.
COMPLETELY MESMERIZED
ALBUM Review
SYSTEM OF A DOWN - 8/10
by ZACH O’NEILL
System of a Down waited a long time to release their follow-up to 2002’s Steal This Album, so one would think they would go all out and bring their double disc monstrosity, Mezmerize/Hypnotize, to the table all at once. But since this is what Madonna would call a “material world,” they felt it fit to release the discs separately for the cash. Well, at least this is the message it sends.
Sadly, the world is left with just Mezmerize for now, but that is not a bad thing at all. Serj Tankian’s vocals furiously scream straight into the brain. Shavo Odadjian’s bass rumbles deep while Daron Malakin’s guitar lights the airwaves on fire and John Dolymayan’s drums increase your heart rate. All of this together will fill your metal needs and reinvigorate the most disoriented music lover. This album rocks, and the louder you play it, the better it sounds.
The hard metal sound that blasts from the speakers has strong tempo shifts and powerful vocal melodies that manage to enthrall even those that suffer from the most advanced forms of ADD. Each song changes itself over and over, but the main idea remains: Rock! It’s the audio equivalent to a breath of fresh air.
Anyone expecting a sound like the band’s 2001 release Toxicity is in for a surprise: this album is a vast improvement. As Dolyman states, “Mezmerize /Hypnotize is still System of a Down, but definitely there’s a huge growth. It’s more melodic but at the same time more aggressive.”
This is evidenced throughout every track on the album. Not once will anyone feel compelled to hit the skip button. The release “B.Y.O.B.” is fast, catchy, and something that can block out the noise pollution of the heaviest traffic jam. When the line “Blast off, it’s party time” screams from your stereo, that’s exactly what you’ll do.
The next song, “Revenga,” is another that will shake your spine. The imagery of the lyrics is a perfect display of the anger inherent in the musical distortion. “Cigaro” is another highlight, as it is equal parts hard rock and lyrically poignant social commentary. The disc ends strong with “Old School Hollywood” and “Lost in Hollywood,” the darkest songs System has released to date.
Mezmerize is exactly what could spice up your collection of Meatloaf, Huey Lewis and the News, and Dan Fogelburg discs you may or may not have. So, go out and buy this album. Before the year is over and long before you get tired of playing it, Hypnotize will be here too and you’ll be giddier than a Vestal Virgin at a public orgy.
A ROUND OF APPLAUSE
ALBUM Review
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH
CLAP YOUR HANDS SAY YEAH - 9/10
by CHRISTOPHER AHEARN
Each summer, it seems like one new band breaks out from the deluge of the postured indie rock scene to really carve a niche for itself in the increasingly commercialized market. Last year it was the dense orchestration and somber drudge of the Arcade Fire that captured our collective imagination, while this summer, if you’ll allow me to get ahead of myself here, the newest it-band-to-be is the low-fi quintet out of Brooklyn, New York: Clap Your Hands Say Yeah.
Their self-titled, self-released debut album is a blend of folk-rock, new wave, and early ‘90s indie rock, mixed together into surprisingly fluent melodies. They are reminiscent of everyone from the Talking Heads to Neutral Milk Hotel to Bob Dylan to My Bloody Valentine, though at the same time they stand on their own as an original act. The album is populated by a wall of fuzz and catchy hooks that posses a feeling of raw power and emotion—true talent in the place of the void that most bands today are using a PR firm and polished production to cover up.
The songs are mostly up-tempo pop diddies, bordering on saccharine, but grounded by the soulful rasp of vocalist Alec Ounsworth. The instrumental work is for the most part simple, opting for aesthetic value over a show-offy highlighting of its parts. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah employs, in addition to the standard guitar, bass, and drums, an eclectic mix of organs, bells, harmonicas, synthesizers, and various other musical oddities to create a surprisingly sparse and folky sound.
The album opens with an odd, almost a cappella track titled “Clap Your Hands”, which may put some listeners off with it’s creepy organ pipes and its carnival-esque feel, but soon melts into the lush throbbing of “Let the Cool Goddess Rust Away,” one of the best songs on the album. The momentum that slowly builds from the vaporous “Goddess” stays throughout the album and doesn’t let up until the final climactic moments of the last track, “Upon This Tidal Wave of Young Blood.”
“The Skin of My Yellow Country Teeth,” which is probably the best, if not the most peculiar song on the album is driven by the liquid-staccato-twang of guitars which loop in and out of the song, perfectly caressing Ounsworth’s vocals. Their skilled delivery makes its highly danceable beat and eccentric lyrics seem like added bonuses on an already near-perfect track. Other standouts include the follow-up song “Is This Love?” with the vocal theatrics on the refrain of “Is this love/ Is this love/ Is this love,” and the ice-cold harshness of the penultimate track “Gimme Some Salt.”
Ultimately, the most exciting feature of the album is that it’s their first. The promise and maturity shown on this short, self-produced debut spells out nothing but success and greatness for Clap Your Hands Say Yeah’s future.
