Christian Bale Talks About 'The Dark Knight'

Christian Bale was sporting a buzz cut courtesy of another Warner Bros Pictures movie – Terminator Salvation – at the Los Angeles press junket for The Dark Knight, the second Batman movie for both Bale and writer/director Christopher Nolan. Bale, like Nolan, was only interested in doing another Batman movie if there was a compelling story to tell and if it could live up to the standards they set the first time out of the gate with Batman Begins.

Bale believes The Dark Knight achieves what Nolan set out to do with this Batman Begins sequel. "I knew that Chris had proven his ideas in Batman Begins, so I feel as though he was given more freedom to make exactly the movie that he wished to make for The Dark Knight. He can correct me on that if I'm wrong, but that was my feeling. I know that with Chris, this is our third time we've worked together, that he's not going to bother making another movie if he doesn't feel like he can improve upon the first one."

"I went to his house, I sat and read the script and felt like he had really nailed just kind of exploding all of the clichés of genre movies, that this was no longer an action movie. This was no longer a superhero movie. This was a movie that can stand shoulder to shoulder with any genre of movie. Of course, we have the resources and the ability to have the spectacle of the stunts and the explosions and all the excitement of that, but not have the compromise of great storytelling. These special effects and explosions, they don't mean crap if they're not in the context of a really great, substantial drama," said Bale.

Although Batman's been around since the 1930s, Bale believes there's plenty of wiggle room as to how to play the character. Looking back on past incarnations of the character, Bale offered, "What do we have to look at? Adam West, hey, listen, he did it brilliantly. It was a spoof. It's a spoof of what I believe Bob Kane's original intention was. Then we have the other movies which we were in-between, but still very, very theatrical. These were, with all due respect to them, and Tim Burton is a wonderful filmmaker, but ultimately these were men walking around dressed up like a bat. These were not people who became a different creature when they donned that, and I'd never seen that done before."

"I was misunderstood a number of times after Batman Begins when I'd mentioned about the possibility of making an R-rated Batman. A number of people came to me and said, 'Well, you want to put sex scenes into Batman?' I said, 'No, no, no, that's not at all what I was talking about.' What I was meaning is if you look at the more recent graphic novels, there is such a darkness to it and such an internal human conflict and such questioning of the shadow side and the good motivation and good versus evil and the violence and his capability and propensity for violence, that it could very easily become an R-rated movie. I feel like the reinvention here - I'm not sure what anyone would do in the future with Batman movies, but they'll work it out - but this version has certainly never been seen before, not in a movie."

The Batman costume has been revamped for The Dark Knight, with the new suit offering Bale increased flexibility. This new suit lets Bale move his head and neck more than the Batman Begins costume ever did. Because Bale's in the suit more in The Dark Knight, these changes were crucial. Asked about the challenge of doing more scenes in the Batman costume, Bale replied, "I think that there's an opportunity with the body language to show everything there. He's not a guy who feels the suit to be constricting. Wearing the mask and putting on the suit gives him absolute freedom. He feels most free within that because he's free to anonymously let his anger out and his violence out and become that person who he has to hide from the rest of society most of the time. I think that's something that's interesting. He does it in a more extreme fashion probably than most of us do, but I think everybody has a shadow side to them. We all understand the rules of engagement for civilized society, but we're all tempted to break them all the time and we all are intrigued when we see people happily breaking those rules. With Batman, it's often a very fine line with him crossing the line, going too far."

The moral dilemma of how far do you push the line when dealing with crime and corruption figures heavily in The Dark Knight story. "It's the circumstances," offered Bale on Batman's thought process. "As we see in The Dark Knight, if there's the possibility of having the system work and of having somebody like Harvey Dent be an elected official who can actually solve the problems that Batman's trying to do himself, then obviously Batman is obsolete at that point. So he believes in the system. It's just that the system in Gotham is broken."

Does Bale live within the system? "Everyone would want to live in a system that works but when it doesn't, I think everyone would like to think that they were able to affect some kind of a change themselves, and answer problems for themselves instead of being completely useless," answered Bale. "Whether that's the correct thing to do in the long term or not, I'm not sure. But certainly when it comes to protecting things that you love, then it's black and white. You don't really care too much about the long term consequences. You're going to do what is right for the people around you in that instant which is, of course, always the conflict between what is right for the individual and is that right for society in general. It's what's so great about being human. We're not ants. We do have individual streaks and we will do what is right for ourselves and not just toe the line."

Christian Bale worked extensively with Heath Ledger on The Dark Knight, and got to know the man as well as the actor. Ledger's performance in The Dark Knight is attracting Oscar attention and Bale's very pleased with the buzz surrounding Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. "First of all it's wonderful that people are recognizing that. I love the fact that - regardless of whether it ever comes to fruition or not - the fact that Chris has created in this movie even the possibility that people are talking about accolades for an actor in a superhero action genre movie. Usually that is never even considered so kudos to Chris for doing that and to Heath for coming forward with that devastating performance. He has raised the bar, completely, with it. He was absolutely committed."

"I enjoyed working with him immensely. Clearly it is tragic that we are talking about this as his last complete performance. I would love it if he were to be walking in the room right now - he would be talking, he's great company. I looked forward to working with him many times in the future; I looked forward to being his friend for many years to come. But this movie can be a celebration of his talent," said Bale. "He was a fierce talent and I was very fortunate to get to witness that talent and work with it and know the man during his lifetime."

After finishing up The Dark Knight, Bale signed on to a starring role in the fourth film of the Terminator franchise, Terminator Salvation. Bale plays the grown up John Connor in the action-heavy drama directed by McG ( We Are Marshall).

Bale wasn't sure about signing on to another franchise and did his research before committing to the role. "I felt that I wasn't sure where it could go to. I went back, I reviewed, before I gave an answer, I went back and reviewed the other movies. I felt like okay, unlike Batman Begins, this would be something where we would be respecting the previous mythology. Certainly of one and two, not so much number three, but certainly you would be recognizing that mythology, unlike Batman Begins where we were saying that this is the beginning right here. But what I view in it and what has ultimately made me make the choice to make it is that I see the same potential for reinvention and for breathing new life into the mythology. That's what I view our responsibility as filmmakers to be. It's pointless if we don't succeed in doing that."

He's also got Killing Pablo in the works and recently completed work on Public Enemies alongside Johnny Depp, Channing Tatum, and Billy Crudup. Bale described his attraction to Public Enemies: "It's first of all just a great story and then with the character of Melvin Purvis in Public Enemies, he was a fascinating character. You could make a couple of movies just about his life. It's working with Michael Mann who is one of the most thorough and wonderful researchers, and just has such nuance and I think is just such a fine filmmaker."

After losing massive amounts of weight for The Machinist and Rescue Dawn and bulking up for both Batman movies, Bale admits he's almost ready to take it a little easier on his body. "Absolutely. Maybe there's a temptation to find a role where preparation involves drinking a lot of wine and eating a lot of pasta and just putting on a lot of weight or something, and taking it easy," said Bale. "I think I put my body through enough transformation in the past few years that at my age now, getting to mid-30s, I'm starting to think, 'Yeah, I might start to have consequences if I keep doing this to myself too much.' I'm starting not to quite feel as invulnerable as I always have. But I enjoy the notion of strenuous work. I like it. I like to know I really worked at something. I don't like particularly taking it easy. The thing that I dislike most about filmmaking is waiting, waiting around. You're standing around doing nothing. That's what I dislike."

The Book of Eli (2010) - Movie Review

It's been nearly ten years since we last heard from the Hughes brothers, but they're back with the religiously themed apocalyptic action-thriller The Book of Eli, starring Denzel Washington. The movie looks great and features yet another good performance from the A-list actor, but the movie gets bogged down by its lack of a strong plot.

In The Book of Eli, Washington plays the title character - Eli, not Book - a mysterious traveler who wanders the wastelands of America in a post-apocalyptic future. He is a religious man, but he is also extremely lethal when it comes to self defense. He also is in possession of the last King James Bible on the planet, something that a man named Carnegie (Gary Oldman) covets. After Eli enters Carnegie's hoodlum-run town, he finds himself at odds with the man, and with a beautiful straggler (Mila Kunis) in tow.

The first half of The Book of Eli is incredibly effective. The Hughes brothers, who haven't done a movie since 2001's From Hell, seemingly had a lot of fun with the movie, as it's full of some beautiful (albeit ravaged) scenery, slow-motion shots and long, brooding sequences. The movie presents a bleak yet compelling setting and solid set up for potential action to come. A few short but entertaining action scenes confirm that the brothers may be on to something.

Unfortunately, as the story progresses, it becomes clear that there isn't much story at all. That may not be entirely fair, but don't expect a picture that builds suspense to some massive climax. The Hughes brothers set the scene, but then fail to carry through. The result: a movie that slowly transforms from an engaging cult classic to a boring quasi-drama. The picture's dramatic turn is unwelcome, as the movie looks, feels and was marketed as an action movie. It becomes increasingly talky as it goes along, and lacks any form of a satisfying climax.

The minor twist that is revealed in the final minutes is clever, though it's not nearly enough to save the picture from itself. The final shot in the movie is wholly unnecessary, too, as it seems to be desperately begging for a sequel.

Washington delivers yet another fine performance; though he won't win any awards, he should be commended for his most subdued role in years. It's nice to see him do something other than what everyone is used to seeing him do. Kunis, though she has looked out of place in past action films, holds her own very well and looks good doing it, too.

The Book of Eli is an okay movie and features some excellent film work by the Hughes brothers, but it slowly devolves into a disappointment. Its religious overtones are not so much the issue as much as they overwhelm all levels of suspense or excitement that were established in the earlier parts of the movie. Ultimately, The Book of Eli will make for an adequate rental but not much more than that.

The Boys Are Back (2009) - Movie Review

From the director of Shine comes The Boys Are Back, which is easily one of the more underrated movies of 2009. Now out on DVD and Blu-Ray, the drama doesn't break any new ground but still offers up some fine performances and compelling moments.

Though Clive Owen, the star of the movie, has yet to truly resonate with audiences, the actor who was once rumored to be a candidate to become James Bond has quietly built a strong resume in smaller films and roles. Few of his movies can be called box office hits, and his other two 2009 movies - Duplicity and The International - were underwhelming, but he has a knack for finding roles that suite his style and charm.

In The Boys Are Back, Owen plays Joe Warr, a father whose wife dies rather suddenly, leaving him alone with a young son in Australia. Unsure how to raise or relate to his six-year old son, he takes the path of least resistance, essentially letting his house fall to pieces so as to not come into conflict with the kid. But when his older son from another marriage comes to stay with them, the family is put to the test.

The movie is directed by Scott Hicks, but it belongs to Owen. There's nothing particularly new about his performance in the movie, but he plays it so damned well: the slick, charming man who can switch his fragility on and off in a heartbeat. Hell, if I were a woman, I'd throw myself at him. In The Boys Are Back, Owen plays a damaged soul, but one who can't show how torn up he is to his youngest son and is unwilling to do so to the older one. The character is not an easy one to play, but Owen does it superbly well. The performance is understated and subtle and not one that will garner a lot of attention, but it's impressive nonetheless.

The Boys Are Back features an excellent performance by Owen and an entertaining, engaging story. The movie isn't remarkable in any one way, and yet it works nonetheless. Recommended.

The Final Destination (2009) - Movie Review

Ten years ago, a couple of filmmakers thought of a great idea: create a slasher film without a physical killer, where Death Itself enacts revenge. The result was a surprisingly suspenseful and well made horror movie. Three sequels later, however, all semblance of originality and cleverness has devolved into a 3D spectacle of awfulness.

In the confusingly titled The Final Destination, which, by adding "The" somehow, and presumably deceptively, implies that this is the last we'll see of the franchise, a group of young people go to a race car event. After one of them has a vision of a car wreck that kills dozens of people, he and his friends escape just in time. Unfortunately for them, their bad acting is punished by horrible deaths.

The Final Destination is, to be blunt, awful. The screenplay and cast combine forces like Captain Planet to create the perfect synergy of bad dialogue, embarrassing acting and shallow, one-dimensional characters. Taking the terrible visual effects into account, the only good thing that comes out of the movie is that it made me feel nostalgic for the original.

There is nothing redeemable about the movie. Director David R. Ellis, who also did Final Destination 2 and Snakes on a Plane, fails to develop any sense of dread or suspense: he seems satisfied providing some poorly conceived death sequences. The embarrassment is capped by a truly dreadful final scene, where for some reason Ellis switches to a CGI X-Ray view of the remaining characters as they get crushed to death by a truck. Lack of budget? That's the only thing I can think of.

The Final Destination only has one destination, and that's the garbage can.

Dumbest Idea of 2009: Titanic 3D?

Studio executives should have a good sense for future trends, correct? They are the ones intimately involved in the business of movies, and as much as we gripe about the crap that is shoveled into theaters, the fact is that studios make a good amount of money. These executives, to some extent or another, know what they’re doing.

But it’s funny that these same studio execs – and several filmmakers – believe that 3D is the future of film. It is so clearly a fad it’s almost pointless wasting breath on it. Yes, movies are making more money than ever thanks to 3D – a nifty gimmick that allows theaters to charge $3-$4 of what I presume has to be near-pure profit. But, it’s still a gimmick. And everyone tires of gimmick.

After a trickle of 3D movies over the last year or two, the spring and beyond has delivered a deluge of 3D films to a point where, in less than a year, the thrill is fading. I must admit I went to go see My Bloody Valentine 3D for one reason only, and that’s the 3D; the movie was pretty bad, but the 3D was fun. I saw Monsters vs. Aliens 3D for one reason, the 3D. The movie was OK, but the 3D was excellent. I then went and saw Up in 3D; it was a great movie with so-so 3D. Now, it’d have to be a really captivating movie to draw me to a 3D theater… if a movie is good, it’ll be good; if it’s bad, I’d rather not spend an extra $3 to watch it.

By next year, the “benefit” of 3D will have faded; families are already getting jaded by the amount of kiddie films in 3D; older audiences are losing interest as well. Sure, it’ll provide boosts for months to come, but those boosts will fade over time. After a while, the effect will be minimal, and studios will abandon 3D altogether. It happened before with 3D, and it will happen again.

But that’s not what this article is about. This article is about rumors that Titanic will bere- released in 2010 in 3D. Kids’ movies I can understand. Horror movies I can understand. Cheesy movies I can understand. Dramas – especially Oscar-winning dramas – I do not. Sure, there are a fair amount of special effects in Titanic, but other than a few scenes, will it really be worth seeing the film in three dimensions (other than seeing Kate Winslet’s boobs in 3D)? No. If anything, 3D cheapens a film – it doesn’t enhance it – and even more so with dramas. Don’t do it, Mr. Cameron. Don’t do it.

We’re already seeing Disney-Pixar re-release its famed Toy Story and Toy Story 2 movies, but at least those are kid’s movies, the genre that most easily transfers to 3D. But beyond Titanic, according to Lightstorm Entertainment insiders, Terminator 2: Judgment Day has already been screen tested in 3D. Awesome action movie. Will it benefit from 3D? Highly unlikely.

Hopefully the 3D fad will die sooner than later so that Titanic 3D never makes it to the big screen; we’re already being inundated with unoriginal remakes – why should the market be further clouded by movies we’ve already paid to see? It’s silly, and Hollywood has got to stop.

The Latest Movie News: Blair Witch 3?

Here’s a recap of the latest movie news from the last week:

• Robert Zemeckis announced that a script, by the original writers, is in the works for Roger Rabbit 2. Ironically, a movie that stars a cartoon may be his first movie in a long while to feature live-action actors.
• Eduardo Sanchez announced some troubling news: he is preparing to pitch a spec script to Lionsgate for a sequel to The Blair Witch Project. Though he plans to ignore the disastrous second film, this still sounds like a desperate money play.
• John Rhys-Davies said he won’t be returning to The Hobbit as Gimli, which makes sense since Gimli isn’t in the book. He said he would like to return as an elf or another character, though.
• A production company has acquired the rights to remake Gattaca, which starred Ethan Hawke, as a futuristic police procedural on television.
• Anthony Hopkins will play Odin, father of Thor, in the upcoming Marvel action film.
• Tropic Thunder screenwriter Etan Cohen has been hired to write Men in Black 3.
• Mad Max 4: Fury Road is moving ahead with Tom Hardy in the role once played by Mel Gibson. Charlize Theron will co-star.
• With a bunch of other projects in the pipe, J.J. Abrams will unfortunately not direct Mission: Impossible IV. He will produce the project, however, and said that the story will not be a reboot.
• Producer Stephen L’Hereux said that the long-rumored Sin City 2 may finally go to cameras in the second half of 2010, to be directed by both Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller.
• It looks like a Monsters vs. Aliens sequel won’t e happening, due to lackluster international reception. Other than being in 3D, the movie really wasn’t that good.
• Director Peter Berg has dropped out of doing Dune, and rumors put Neil Marshall or Neill Blomkamp as possible replacements.
• Shortly after announcing that Matt Damon and Josh Brolin would star in the Coen brothers remake of True Grit, the famed directors stated that the movie would follow the novel more closely, bringing to life some of the humor that “was lost in the original.”
• Joe Wright will direct Kiera Knightley in a remake of My Fair Lady.
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Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball Misses the Target

In 2006, Joe Carnahan unleashed the psychedelic Smokin’ Aces upon audiences, developing a cult following that unfortunately never formulated for his previous, much-better cop thriller Narc. Apparently, Smokin’ Aces was good enough to warrant a sequel – or at least a prequel – because Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball has now arrived on DVD and Blu-Ray. As can be expected, the movie is horrible and a waste of time.

To set things straight, the original Smokin’ Aces wasn’t that good. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t that good, either. A victim of its own hype, it lacked the memorable action sequences – and a single meaningful protagonist – for a movie like that to succeed. So, when a direct-to-DVD release was announced, there was little question as to how good it would be.

Assassins’ Ball has a plot that has something to do with a federal witness being placed in a maximum security safe room somewhere underground (the creative bastards really mixed things up this time, as the last one took place on the top floor of a Vegas hotel), and a bunch of assassins who’ve been hired to kill him. The assassins belong to the Tremor family, which include that absolutely insane trio from the first movie. Awesome. Only not.

The plot really doesn’t matter and apparently we aren’t met to care, as the writers clearly didn’t. The movie is a jumbled mess, and even at an hour and a half (and that’s the extended, unrated version) really has to draw things out to provide some apparition of a narrative. Once again, the characters are one-dimensional and unlikable; in the few minutes that actually grab the attention, it’s unclear who to root for.

Without a decent plot or screenplay, Assassins’ Ball must rely on the action, and the action is terrible. There are a few gunfights, but nothing really happens until about halfway into the movie – and by that point, most people will have turned it off. The action that does ensue is both sporadic and uninspiring; director P.J. Pesce takes “cool” shots and styles from other, better movies and replicates them here while failing to capture any sense of suspense or set up.

Smokin’ Aces 2: Assassins’ Ball had potential, just not as anything that should ever be seen by audiences. This was a pointless sequel that has little to no merit.