This review is for you, if you have watched it, and are wondering if the movie was brilliant and flawless. Watching three hours of non stop sensory overload, can often leave you unable to make an unbiased judgment, making you wonder if it really was that amazing.
Or was there a tiny little "hard to point your finger at” thing that was wrong with it?
I am an avid Batman fan, who has been devouring the Frank Miller graphic novels that depict the grim and gritty side of the dark Knight. I have followed the tidbits and stories on Dark Knight for over a year. Batman Begins marked the beginning of one of the most amazing "ordinary superhero movie" ever witnessed. Four years later, as I stepped into the hall, and awaited the beginning of this new movie, the excitement was almost palpable.
I was not disappointed. The movie had enough chills and sadistic pleasures to keep me hooked and unable to look away from the screen for the most parts. And yet, when the credits rolled, I had a queer feeling, as though something wasn't entirely right.
For one, the movie was too long. There was too much happening at every given instant, which almost made it difficult to grasp. But later, when I thought about what the movie could have avoided, I realized that one of its drawbacks was dwelling into too many story plots simultaneously. We follow the joker through a long, and sometimes cumbersome car chase, which except for that final brilliant (and much publicized) truck sequence, was nothing great. We have been lead to believe that the joker is a man who attacks psychologically, and is not physically strong. This is portrayed eloquently in the interrogation scene. The joker is clumsy and weak. Which made the car chase sequence look like the sort of thing they were forced to put in. It was an action movie. It was a cliché they could not avoid. Henceforth, it become one of the most boring sequences in an otherwise splendid movie. I remember because, I caught myself yawning.
Also considering how Joker is the arch nemesis of Batman - the yang to the Dark Ying, the absolute bad guy, Two Face pales by comparison. No doubt, the make up and graphics are grotesque and excellently done. But we just are not able to believe that he is capable of the menace that Joker manages to exude. Similarly, I just could not believe that Two Face was that bad. The directors have somehow failed to bring the transition between his characters. If i remember the comic books, the disaster drove Two Face insane, making him dependent on the coin even for small decisions.
The real trouble if you ask me, was bringing in a new villain in the last half hour of the movie. One that made the joker's final confrontation with Batman seem a little unsatisfying. I kept expecting them to show Joker one last time. He didn't die, did he? Yes, I do understand how Joker is the arch nemesis, and its Batman's great burden that he can never kill Joker, and they are back at it time and again...but Ledger is dead. We know he won't return. So we, as audience wanted an ultimatum. Not a dangling loose end and definitely not a dangling loose joker from a building top.
Enough with the criticism. I am Batman fan. A son of batman, if you wanna call me (ref: Frank Miller). I loved the style. I loved the bat pod, the first robbery sequence, Joker's pencil disappearing trick, the flick of his tongue, the little line about Joker completing Batman, the other line about joker being the dog that chases the car and not knowing what to do if it catches the car...
Dark Knight was about Heath Ledger. Sadly, we wanted more of him. It JUST WASN'T ENOUGH! Batman as always was his sporting best, the flight sequences were brilliant, Caine and Freeman had the best lines apart from Ledger. Aaron Eckhart did a great job as Harvey Dent, though I did feel that Two-Face lacked character. I expected the sort of chill Javier Bardem inspired in No country for old men, when he tosses the coin. Instead, Two-Face's tosses were merely just passably interesting. Oh, I must really commend the Nolan brothers for doing away with the only female lead, and in such a sudden and scary way. I almost couldn't believe it.
Enough has been spoken about Ledger. I do not want to be repetitive. Clearly, his lines were the best. But more important was his body language and sequences, which were to say the least, eccentric. Kudos to Nolan for a good script, something that could give Ledger an opportunity for such a mind blowing performance. He sparkles in every scene, and we only wish there was much more of him.
A word on Bale. As Batman, he is the best ever. As Bruce Wayne, he does excel in a few scenes. But were those scenes requiring Bruce Wayne driving around in his Lamborghini necessary at all? In the quest to make The Joker the most remarkable villain ever, some of the dilemmas that made Batman the Dark Knight are never questioned. Batman Begins did such a good job of bringing in the character. Why leave him like hanging like a prop actor in this one?
Some of these sequences could no doubt be shortened. Batman could have been given some character and Two Face could've been the surprise element, AFTER a somewhat more definite end to JOKER, and the movie would have been a tad more awesome.Background score was brilliant. The scenes involving Joker, just before he mutilates someone, or pops a psychological question, are well, horrifying. I was almost squirming in my seat.
Over all a brilliant movie. A landmark Batman film, that ends on the right note, ready to jump headlong into the next phase of Batman's life. I only hope it doesn't take four more years! Long Live the Batman franchise. Long live Nolan fraternity. RIP ledger.
If even the longest of journeys begin with a single step and even the most amazing of discoveries happen per chance, then it would be safe to assume that a journey of discovering something as limitless and profound as music is bound to be besot with errors.
Nevertheless that first step is necessary, despite all our natural propensity to love bad music first. Well, not bad music, really. Forgettable music. However, that phase is a necessary one. Loving Popular music (pop), getting tired of it, and eventually forgetting all about it, is like a coming of age ritual every music enthusiast must go through. It sets the parameters of evaluation right. A dedicated listener is bound to travel beyond that eventually.
And one day, discover the sort of music that makes him high.
For me the first faulty foray into music was a mixed cassette (Sponsored by Bacardi Rum, for whatever reasons) seated on the "Newly out" section at a Stationary Store back home.Extremely tacky.
But it was an essential step. One that lead to other equally tacky choices of music - ranging from Aqua to Vengaboys, Britney Spears to Ricky Martin, all the essential trash one must have listened to in order to appreciate finer genres of music.
I grew up on a diet of Hindi music. The voices of Rafi and Lata played on the radio by doting parents. As I grew and graduated to school, the family evolved to hear current trends of music. Like say, Anu Malik? While I did revel under the tunes of Jatin Lalit and Anu Malik, I realized eventually that the tunes were forgettable, and the lyrics merely existing. I was coming of age, and realized I would have to explore more.
It took me twenty three years and a per chance hearing of the track, "Coming back to life" to discover Pink Floyd.
Perhaps I envisioned a great disparity between what I was and what I could become. Or perhaps, I was plain lucky to discover the kind of music that will save my soul.
Or perhaps, it was just an attempt to ape the west.
Whatever the reasons, the entry into secondary school, and its subsequents years of wannabeness, made me go through the usual boy and girl bands. Backstreet boys, West Life and all the usual crap.
And along came Eminem.
Blatant hate, explicit lyrics. This is who I am and fuck you if you don't understand me. The kind of stuff that every teenager would love, and I had found my first god.
Eminem was the crudest version of what rock n roll stood for. Yes yes, I know he is a rap artist and all that. But some of his lyrics had a rawness that other rappers failed to bring out. I have always considered hip hop artists to be a bunch of mumbling idiots, calling women bitches, and each other derogatory words. Eminem, instead, gave a hint about what music could be about.
But he got repetitive. He never went beyond the little spurge of brilliance that he initially showed. And the music wasn't great. Which is when I made my first foray into rock music.
It began with
Bryan Adams. For a kid in his first year of college, it held a universe of possibility. It was a first glimpse of what music could mean. A new perspective.
Over the years, I have gone through phases when I have found him to be cheesy. Come on, what proud heterosexual would sing "Let's make a night to remember"? You could be using it as your make out song with a girl friend, but it would still be gay. But before I write him off completely, lemme concede that there are days, when I find myself returning to Bryan Adams. Some of his songs are catchy. "
Run to You" is my favorite Bryan Adam track. It has the sort of riff that makes me give up whatever I am doing and croon with him midway...
I got my mind made up,
I need to feel your touch,
I'm gonna run to you!
Works every time.
Also, despite being one of the more popular songs, and despite my aversian for really popular pop songs,
Summer of '69 is indeed a work of genius. A riff that will stick with you for a lifetime, specially in the accoustic version, and lyrics that reminisce about a past and sing to a lost lady love who,
Standin on your mama's porch,
You told me that you'd wait forever,
Oh and when you held my hand,
I knew that it was now or never,
Those were the best days of my life.
Must Hear: Heaven, Cuts like a knife, Hidin' from Love, Win some Lose some, 18 till I die.
Around the same time as Bryan Adams, I also happened to hear
Bon Jovi. Now, here was an artist, that went beyond the sloppy display of love. Bon Jovi, thus became my first legitimate hard rock band. Everybody is familiar with the all so popular "It's my life". But my favorite song by this artist happened to be
"Livin' on a prayer", a song about sadness and giving it a shot for love even as,
Gina dreams of running away
When she cries in the night
Tommy whispers baby its okay,
Someday.
The first two years of college were the years I discovered many bands like Police, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Meatloaf. It is not possible to describe my journey with each of these bands without making this post extremely long. Suffice to say, that I came across some really good songs.
Message in a Bottle by The Police is one such song, in which Sting sings very soulfully,
I should have known this right from the start,
Only hope can keep me together
Love can mend your life but
Love can break your heart.
However, during those years in college there was one band which I found amazing.
My first palaver with Guns N' Roses happened when I ended up watching this video of
Paradise City. They manage to exude so much coolness and style, that I found myself entranced with a lifestyle which I could not yet name. I was still freshly introduced to the nuances of this genre of music, to realize that Guns N' Roses was one of the last straws - The final bands of Classic Rock. I went to the local music store and bought their Best Of GNR cassete. I fell in love with their tracks. Slash was coolness personified, and Axle was a master performed (I hadn't heard of Freddy Mercury yet).
Guns 'n Roses, along with Slash and Axle Rose became my new gods
It was also the time that I flitted across Megadeth, Iron Maiden and Metallica. There were some offhanded good songs, but I found myself struggling with the music, trying to grasp it. Ages later, I am able to appreciate the sheer energy of
Hallowed be Thy Name by Maiden or
A tout le monde by Megadeth. But apart from their "Best of" CDs, it is still music I find difficult to comprehend. Heavy metal is not my cup of tea.
What I seemed to be waiting for was the kind of music that would change my life. As I soon found out, my kind of music happened to be classic rock.
But this revelation would come to me after two great discoveries. One, a tribute band called Led Zeppelica. And another, a movie called The Doors, by Oliver Stone.
Led Zeppelica, a
Led Zeppelin tribute band played at IIT saarang Chennai. We had smoked up before the concert, and their music changed my perspective of music was all about. Back home, I downloaded all of Zeppelins music. Saw all their videos. It began with
"Stairway to heaven", like it usually does, but the fixation stayed while I discovered the high pitched stanza 2:15 minutes into
"Going to California", when Robert Plant croons,
Seems that the wrath of the gods,
Got a punch on the nose
And it started to flow;
I think I might be sinking.
The fixation stays even today, as I head to BB Kings at Times Square, New York, every time a Zeppelin tribute band plays.
There is something about Led Zeppelin, that makes their music so indelible. The folksy haunting guitar work and the screeching voice of Robert Plant forms a combination that along with the stoner trip lyrics make it an out of world experience to listen to their stuff. What other band could have written a line that says,
Been dazed and confused for so long its not true,
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you.
Lots of people talk and few of them know,
Soul of a woman was created below.
Must Hear: No Quarter, All of My Love, When the Levee breaks, Rock 'n Roll, The Battle of Evermore, Immigrant Song, Heartbreaker, Ramble On, Good Times Bad Times, Fool in the Rain, Dyer Maker.
The second milestone event was discovering
The Doors. It introduced me to the baritone voice of Jim Morrison and the often cynical, often simple words that made his songs fabulous.
It was a time of realization that some of the best music came from the 60s and 70s. The retrospective era. The era of The Doors.
Be it the cheerful melody of "
Love me two times" and "
Love her madly", or the more aesthetic "
The End", it was the kind of music that would make one fall in love with it.My personal favorite - "
L.A. Woman".
With the joy of discovery came the urge to discover more. And along the way, I discovered Pink Floyd.
Pink Floyd stays the numero uno band in my list.The soul quenching music, their progressive tunes, the philosophical lyrics of Roger Waters, the experimental overtures of David Gilmore's guitar, the occasional meandering into the absurd chimes and bells, psychedelic lights and sound effects in their concerts, Rick Wright's extended guitar and keyboard solos...
Need I say more?
One of the reason Pink Floyd entrances me so much is the sheer charisma of each of its band members. It was one of those bands that was overflowing with genius, making an eventual break up inevitable. From the Syd Barette era, where we witnessed songs like Lucifer Sam or Arnold Lane and saw two Psychedelic Rock genres of albums (Piper at the Gate of Dawn and Saucerful of Secrets), to the Roger Waters led era, with amazing Concept albums like Animals, The Final Cut and The Wall.
Sometimes, genius becomes too carried away with itself, which is what happened in Roger Waters' case, leading to a fall out between the band members. What eventually followed, was a David Gilmour era and one of Floyd's top selling albums, Division Bell. Pink Floyd was a band that performed on many many levels and delighted fans on many many more. My personal favorite favorite songs, well everything actually, but to mention just two, "
Shine on you crazy diamond" and "
Wish you were here".
Consecutively, I began to listen to The Beatles.
The sing song nursery rhyme like lyrics of John Lennon's songs usually had a wit and humor that made this one of the most inspiring bands to listen to. My favorite Beatles songs range from the tripped out "
A day in the life", the high spirited "
I've got a feeling" to the seductive crooning of "
I want you (she's so heavy)".
(Cont'd)
