The Dark Knight - Movie Review

I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to type up the review for perhaps the movie of the year. I had been forewarned by a friend or two about the sheer epic-ness of this movie. Meer words cannot do this film justice.

Obviously, the acting should be the first thing talked about. These were some huge characters roles to fill and every single one was nailed. Starring in the latest edition of such a popular story line is daunting in itself. Christian Bale is all angsty badass again. I think the switch from Katie Holmes to Maggie Gyllenhaal worked very well, almost better than before. The introduction of Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent is brilliant for his physical and character contrast to Bale’s Bruce Wayne. And of course the person America’s been freaking out over: Heath Ledger. I would say all the hype is worth it. I have never seen an actor so in to character like this before. All the little nuances, mannerisms, speech, appearances just complete the character, making the Joker completely believable. Award winning performance, most definitely.

Now for the screen play. Holy cow? The story was so dark and deep and insane. I always knew the Batman series was dark, but this movie takes it to a whole new level. The action, the drama, the excitement, the intrigue, the tears… this movie had it all. The several epic fight scenes were well choreographed and placed within the movie. They were rough and tough but still managed to pull out a few comic-book-esq moments. The psychoanalysis going on throughout the movie amazed and delighted me. Psychology and violence never fought together so well as in this movie. It really makes you question yourself and society and our heroes. Yet there is still an uplifting moment of pride in being a member of human society. Visuals were above par. Very little if any CGI was obvious, though you know they had to have used it. Even some of the in-your-face CGI moments were realistic. And big-badda-booms were very pretty. Woe are the tears, though. I haven’t ever cried over a comic-book movie. This one made the tears well up.

On a note that is rarely talked about, the musical score is amazing. Normally I don’t pay attention to the music, which is bad to say, I know, but it usually blends into the movie like background noise. But that’s impossible to do with this movie. I was well aware, during the whole movie, of the scores being played because they made the scenes complete. There’s even a bit of a surprise in the music if you actually pay attention!

So in conclusion: holy cow, zomg, wtfbbq, so freaking amazing. This movie is worth multiple viewings at full price. Can you say movie of the decade? Let’s see if the next movie can top this.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army Review

*** Spoiler Alert! Huge spoilers at the end of the review! I ruin the end of the movie!***

This movie was definitely kick-ass. From the fight scenes to the character development, Hellboy II rocked my socks. This time around, the producers included a few different twists that I was totally not expecting from a comic book movie.

As usual, the fight scenes are worthy of supernatural creatures and comic book glory. I particularly enjoyed when the extra comic, over the top, hilarity ensued during fights such as in the Troll Market, with all the tossing around and face slapping. These kinds of fights are definitely worth the laughter. Yet there is still the epic boss fight at the end of the movie with it’s ‘on the edge of your seat’ holy-cow-ness that leaves you anticipating the final outcome. And of course there are a few moments of Hellboy hilarity that ease the tension of the fight scene. All of the fights are well choreographed and showed the particular talents and flaws of the characters involved.

I was forewarned that the movie is quite long but flows well. I would have to agree with this person’s opinion. Coming in at just under two hours long, Hellboy was one of the longest movies I’ve seen lately, but I was definitely not bored during any part of it. The producers and writers did a fairly awesome job of filling up every moment with meaningful material relevant to the story-line and characters. Even if these moments were totally cliché or excessive or absolutely adorable, they were there and well played.

The one thing that threw me off most within the movie was the central theme of love and family. The theme is almost pounded into you at every turn. It was a bit excessive to me, very contradictory to what I think of concerning comic book stories. That said, this theme is well played throughout the movie, being infused to every aspect of the plot. From the beginning short of Red and his ‘father’ to Liz’s pregnancy to the twin royals to Abe’s falling for Princess Nuala, the theme of love and family influences everyone’s decisions and eventually the outcome of the story. Liz’s love of Red leads her to decide to condemn the world to hell in his hands and the knowledge of her pregnancy to bring him back to life (aw!). The cliché of Abe’s love of Princess Nuala leads him to deliver the last piece of the crown into Prince Nuada’s hands to save her, which, again cliché, doesn’t happen anyways (poor Abe). And Princess Nuala’s love of Abe takes her own life and that of her twin, saving the world for the love to come. I do absolutely love the use of these themes as a way to connect humans and mutants through the universal weakness and strength of love. Through the movie we see Red’s apparently failure to become a part of human society, yet in the end he achieves this goal through his love of Liz. Even Abe’s very human infatuation-turned love of Princess Nuala and the things he does for her is a mirror of a human relationship. This connection in itself is what made sitting through all the unusual yet cliché lovey-dovey moments in the movie, which were obviously several.

So in the end I would definitely give this movie a double-thumbs-up. It’s worth the money to see in theaters and makes a most excellent sequel to the first Hellboy movie.

Occupation: Homemaker

In this day and age, women are pressed to go out and bring home their own share of the bacon. The household has become a dual income situation. Couples are bringing in more income which betters the finances. However, is it truly better for the family as a whole?

Until the Women’s Rights Movement and through most of the century, there was no taboo against a wife and mother staying home to take care of the house and raise the children. It was expected! Well, if your man’s bringing home the bacon, the least you could do is clean house. I’ve heard the grumbling about the unfairness of this arrangement. After working even a short while in this full time job and seeing my mom the homemaker’s schedule on a normal day, I’d say each job is pretty equal. My mom stayed home and raised us, never going back to work except to take in kids to babysit. Raising and cleaning up after three children is a lot of work.

Speaking of children, how would they react to both parents working? It seems like it would harm the kids, especially young ones, to have only “nighttime” parents. The first few years are integral to a child’s development, which means it’s crucial that either or both of parents are there in the child’s life to mold and teach and bond with the child. In my situation, my older sister and I developed a wonderful relationship with our mother. Of course puberty threw us a detour when mom just wasn’t cool anymore, but overall having my mom here when I needed her was a blessing. Even to this day she’s there to be called upon. In my dad’s defense, he is the more easy-going of the two, so when he got home the reins were loosened.

There are a few alternate options that can go along with being a homemaker. This would of course assume that you can find free time! If you can find time, pick a hobby! There are several to choose from that can benefit your sanity and offer a chance for group and one-on-one projects. Another good option is to return to work once the kids are in a stable school environment, if you think you’re ready for it. No pressure though! Or if you’re not ready to return to the workforce but still want to make a little spending cash, offer to start babysitting other kids. My mom did this for several of our relatives for several years and managed to put that aside for saving (which helped her buy a new car after the storm!).

Now there will always be setbacks with your decision to be a homemaker. Obviously with one parent working, there will be a… well, not a shortage of money but not a surplus of it either. Just plan your budget wisely and it’ll be fine. My family made it! Another problem is an overbearing mother! Just because you stay home all the time doesn’t mean you have to do everything for your kids. It’s very important that your kids learn independence before leaving the nest because that can affect their ability to cope in the wide world. Most importantly, moms, don’t let yourself go! Put on that dash of makeup, borrow a yoga dvd from the library, walk around the block, involve the kids and hubby. There’s no excuse!

So, see, it’s not so bad being a homemaker. There are so many positives to it, mainly being the time you spend with your kids. Just watch out for the problems and you’ll be fine. It’s time to be proud to be a stay-at-home-mom again!