The Dark Knight

I waited too long to see this film - and not just a few weeks. This is the presentation the public deserved in 1989. Yes, Tim Burton's Batman was an instant hit with terrific one-liners ("You ever dance with the devil in the pale moon light?" or "I'm Batman") and amazing visualization, however it did not deliver in the same way The Dark Knight delivered.

First off, I recommend anyone willing to review or critique this film start by disregarding the political undertones (thank you, Morgan Freeman) and realize the sheer gravity of the overall plot. There was a weightyness that pervaded every moment, constantly burdening me with a wierd sense of guilt - like there was something I did that brought about this devilry in Gotham! As citizens and principle characters got "off-ed" throughout the film I felt somewhat responsible. This is the true irony of the film in my mind and the thing that makes it unique to the very end.



(spoiler alert - do not continue if you have not seen the film and wish to do so)




In the end, the villain is no villain and the hero is no hero. Batman suffers from the guilt that his existence brought about the madness and I felt like I had to flee with him. As the plot unveiled its evil face, I knew, as did Batman, that it needed to get messy before it got better. I knew that some honest citizens would have to be killed. I knew that some who should have never seen the light of day would really need to survive. It's a twisted ploy by the writers and I almost feel sick that I had a part in it.

Perhaps, though, that is an indication of a truly amazing work of cinemetography. Suppose you left a movie and felt absolutely nothing from it - no joy, no sadness, no humor, no guilt - why did you go, then, in the first place? Certainly it wasn't to spend $20 on a baby-sitter, $15 on tickets, and $11 on some refreshments! No, you went because deep down inside you wanted to be moved - either because you wanted to be first, or because you wanted to be moved how everyone else was moved. If you spend all that money and have no desire for the inevitable emotional response, then I would recommend you spend your money a little more wisely! This movie will move you, whether you like it or not. The color will leave your face at times and breathless, you'll sit there wondering, "why do I really want to see this life ended?" If you don't want to be moved - don't see The Dark Knight or any other movie for that matter.

I guess that's it - that's all I'm feeling right now. I could go on about the special effects or the cast selection or Batman's new deep voice, but in the end, those things are superficial issues that we use to avoid discussing the real matters at hand. I strongly recommend this movie for anyone wishing to dissolve the previous Batman establishment from your memory (that is, those movies prior to Batman Begins yet following the Adam West Batman) and anyone else that wants to know where Christian Bale's line of the Caped Crusader leads.

The Bucket List

"Witness something majestic"
"Skydiving"
"Kiss the most beautiful girl in the world"

It should have been a no-brainer that pairing up Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson would result in a tremendous film. Though, I could see where there would be some reluctancy to do so considering their personalities. They both are masters of the art, and have been for a long time. They are both very strong-willed in their roles, filling spots that usually connote characters willing to accept the status quo or even an improvement. Each man is an oscar winner and they both have distinctive voices that could never be mistaken. Naturally, the question of who would receive top-billing may have mattered at one point in their career, yet I'm guessing these gentlemen probably put that aside when figuring out how to convey the message.

I would argue that the greatest films are definitely akin to the parables of Christ. Entertaining, certainly, yet inspiring - even moreso. In this regard, I examine The Bucket List as a modern day parable, where the message outweighs the entertainment and the star-factor. Simply put, the film teaches us how to love ourselves. Huh? Why doesn't that make sense? Why should I "love myself?" Well, Christ tells us to love others as we love ourselves, so logically we must love ourselves first to follow His direction. There is however, a good and nourishing way to love ourselves as well as a destructive and sad way. Jack Nicholson's character (Edward) had spent his life loving himself in the way so many of us think is the best - fine girls, exotic adventures, billions of dollars, etc. Carter, played by Morgan Freeman, had loved himself through finding joy in sustaining his family, hard work, and mental and spiritual enlightenment.

The notion of a "Bucket List" with no limit on funding, presented both men the opportunity to really love themselves (do the things they wanted to do). So, naturally, the human response is to satisfy the dreams that were more a part of Edward's life than Carter's. In this regard, Carter spends weeks with Edward crossing off things on their shared bucket list - everything from skydiving to seeing the Wall of China. The message becomes clear in the end when Edward learns how to truly love himself after realizing there was no added joy in how he had been loving himself over the years.

Anyway, you get the picture. I won't spoil the rest of the film as I think it is really great and was very well done. I hope you'll watch the movie sometime soon, as it is sure to open your heart and your mind to a little more of life that you could be experiencing - without spending a penny - and with that, a few of the items on your "Bucket List" that you can cross off, even today.

In Him,
David

Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites at Ameristar

The days of overpriced and undermaintained Holiday Inns with scum floating on outdoor rot-iron fence enclosed pools and no ammenities to speak of are over. I've been travelling these United States my entire life - mostly traversing the mid-section - and I recall thinking of how fun it would be to stay at a Holiday Inn during my youth - after all, they usually offered HBO in the room! Back then, they were expensive compared to the Cheap Z's, Days Inns, and Econo Lodges that we usually ended up in - but it was probably for the better that we never stayed under the star.

Those days are over.

The full compliment of Holiday Inn hotels has raised the bar as far as renovations, ammenities, locations, and pricing in my short lifespan to a noticeable degree. Nowadays, I rarely plan a trip without first checking on the company's easy-to-use website for the closest accomodations where I can benefit under my Priority Club account. Tonight it's the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites next door to the Ameristar Casino just off of I-29 in Council Bluffs, IA. We didn't plan on this stay, however the flight my brother and I were slated to take to Minneapolis, MN was delayed to far to make our connecting flight, so we're stuck till tomorrow, and I'm not too upset. Free Wi-Fi is standard and the beds/linens are second only to another chain's offerings of a Sleep Number bed in every room. Of course there is a free hot breakfast in the morning, though our early flight will unfortunately prevent us from partaking the usual fresh waffles, eggs, bacon, danishes, juices, and other breakfast items. We took a dive in the indoor pool inside an expanse of windows looking out over the powerful Missouri River and relaxed in the hot tub after an arduous airport experience.

I booked it online for 10 bucks less than anything else comparable in the area and a shuttle was at the airport within 10 minutes of booking and a follow-up phone call.

Someday I'll provide a proper review of the best roadside hotel I've ever stayed at - the Holiday Inn Express in Coeur d'Lane, ID - but I think I'll need another visit to refresh my memory, that was after all 1.5 years ago and my memory is a little fuzzy. . .

Prince Caspian

Everything definitely changed. I won't waste much time discussing the story line or plot, needless to say the plot alone makes this a story worth reading/viewing. Rather, I'd like to focus on it's movie merits. First, the orchestration was terrific. It was subtle yet supportive, conjuring up the idea of "Narnia" even before the kids were whisked away. I would defintely rank the effects as being on the same level as LOTR, though on a smaller scale. Something that surprised me was the humor the screenplay writer's included to help reinforce the relationships. From the first Narnian the kids meet upon returning to their departure, subtle comedy was comfortably interwoven throughout dying, battles, love, sorrow, and suspense. Best of all, it was not overdone, like most sequels. Disney has proven once again that it takes a company that has only one way of doing business to do justice to a work of cinema - with high quality.

Blogsavy blog host

I had three blogs on blagsavy. Now they're gone. I'm disappointed - especially considering one of them was all of my reviews! So now I start from scratch. The first thing I'm reviewing is the blog host that lost two of my blogs. Thankfully I retrieved the data from one of the blogs and transferred to a more reliable blog host (blogger.com), however I am kicking myself in the backside for not moving over my reviews as well. I give blogsavy no stars and two thumbs down.

The Family Christmas Plan

So, today I received an e-mail from my mom explaining the plan for when all 20 members of my family get together in a few days.  Overall, she did what she does best: direct and control (and of course, love).  Not only did she effectively divvy out their 7200 s.f. to the proper sub-families, but she also established standards (e.g. all toys, clothes, etc must stay in the appropriate room, kids room should be returned to its current status prior to departure, etc).  Additionally, there is no question as to what meals are covered, which are "potluck" and which ones are on our own.  I'm a guy that needs black and white - clear boundaries of operation and specific objecives.  I can operate with this e-mail in hand, without a doubt.  I give the directions two thumbs up!

Shrek the Third

Shrek the Third, 2007 - PG

Mike Myers and his crew are settling in to what may prove to be a "Land Before Time-esque" franchise.  It has proven to be a successful formula to date, that is big fat ogres belching, farting, screaming, laughing, being sarcastic and in the end, learning something about themselves while building someone else up.  Same story - just more characters this time.  John Cleese somehow was able to get his Monty Python buddy, Eric Idle, into the picture as Merlin, the outcast magic professor, and Justin Timberlake even made an entrance as a High School loser.  I'm not sure what I thought completely yet, but I did enjoy it - of course.  The long dream sequence with Shrek was a bit overdone and almost scary, and some of the jokes have become a little tired by this third installment, but overall it accomplished its mission of making me laugh and occassionally feel a little gushy inside.  Especially after the last semester I had, the AF classes I took, classes I taught, music I've learned, business trip I had and lack of sleep, this movie was a great way to give my mind a rest!  My favorite line came at the end when a character was trying to make everyone feel good about themselves and then said, "And the only thing standing in the way of becoming that creature . . . .is . . . .you" This character then pointed to some random dude and everyone just about ganged up on him as though that were the guy standing in the way of their success.  OK, you had to be there.  I'm still laughing though.  My recommendation: wait until it's in the "2 for 11" bin at Wal-Mart to pick up a copy.  I know we'll have to if I plan on buying it on our budget!