2001: A Space Odyssey

A

The Addams Family

Addams Family Values

Adventures in Babysitting

Alice in Wonderland

Around the World in 80 Days

B

Babe
Babe 2 Pig In The City

A surprise winner in the 1995 line-up, nominated for six Academy awards, this film is interesting for its unique point-of-view of farm life: From the animals. It does not avoid the issue of animals raised for food, nor does it white-wash the usual treatment of farmyard pigs even while it presents one--the title character--with a "special destiny".

Babe 2 Pig In The City is darker than its predecessor but just as inventive.

Back To The Future

Batman-The Movie

Later I grew to appreciate the very subtle humor, such as when Batman and Robin enter a restaurant to meet with an important figure. The maitre d', excited to have celebrities in his establishment, offers to give them the best seats in the places.

"No, thanks," replies Batman, in full cape, cowl, boots, and utility belt. "We'll sit in back. We don't want to attract any attention."

 And, it's all here! --Encapsulated in the movie spun from the series. Or, as Batman puts it, in a line that dared critics to use it in their reviews: "Some days, you just can't get rid of a bomb!"

Batman
Batman Returns
Batman Forever
Batman and Robin

A traumatic moment, particularly in childhood, can cause a personality split; and so it is with the young Bruce Wayne. As an adult, he divides his time between being his "normal" self--recognized by others as a shallow, if wealthy, playboy--and his altered self, the Batman. Neither being is complete. Neither can find happiness.

The first film of this series, starring Michael Keaton--an odd but serendipitous choice--brings Batman to the fulfillment of his need for revenge, as he stumbles on and destroys his parents' killer. Yet, as in the comics, the personality split is so deep that it can no longer be healed so simply. And so he keeps on: Bruce Wayne by day, the Batman by night.

The second film introduced the Catwoman and the Penguin, more characters born of insanity and trauma. Indeed, this is the real subtext of the entire comic series: That trauma may result in good or evil, depending on the basic character of the traumatized person--but it can never bring happiness or fulfillment. In a sense, Batman fighting his costumed enemies is really Batman fighting his own insanity--but, because his energies are misdirected, outward instead of within, they never bring him relief. Director Tim Burton understood this; and thus the first two films are brilliant achievements.

When it came time to film the third movie of the series, though, Batman faced his most deadly foe: The Accountant, tool of commercialism, took over. Tim Burton was promoted to producer and didn't direct; Michael Keaton, who couldn't turn down the actor's dream job of Multiplicity, left the part of Batman to Val Kilmer. Also gone was the understanding of the subtext; the traumatized insanity of the Joker, Penguin, and Catwoman, was replaced by the silliness of the Riddler (Jim Carrey) and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones). (Two-Face was originally intended to be played by Billy Dee Williams, which would have added a least a dash of diversity to the mind-bogglingly white-bread world of Gotham City.  But most of the third movie's casting seems to have been done by a lottery, rather than a producer or casting director.)

The fourth film killed the series. George Clooney did as good a job as Kilmer in the lead role; but neither the producer, director, nor screenwriters seemed to have any understanding of what the characters meant; and the audience could tell. Mr. Accountant created a movie that was all expensive special effects--and no heart.

So, watching this entire series is worthwhile on two levels: One, the first two films provide an opportunity to grasp and understand the depths to which our childhood traumas can freeze us, emotionally, in the past. And, two, the four films together show the danger and tragedy of mistaking art for commercialism.

Bedazzled

This is a remake. The original, starring Dudley Moore and Robert Cooke, is funny but a bit too British for my tastes--the image of the nuns bouncing on trampolines is one that may take years of therapy to erase. This version, given its premise (it's Faust; a nice guy sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for seven wishes), is nevertheless treated seriously and so becomes much more believable.

Honorable mention goes to the incredible makeup job--Brendan looks and acts so differently in each of his "wishes" (a Columbian drug lord, a red-headed "sensitive" guy, etc.) that you'll wonder if it's really him...but it is!

Oh, and for you straight guys--Elizabeth Hurley is absolutely luscious, and her performance as the Devil is spot-on.

Ben-Hur

Based on a novel written almost a century earlier, Ben-Hur examines the life of a Roman Jew who lived during the supposed time of Jesus--and who keeps encountering him, unintentionally, as his own life takes him from fortune and friendship with a Roman soldier, to disgrace and slavery. Everything that could happen to him, does happen to him; even his beloved mother and sister contract leprosy. However, a final chance encounter with Jesus miraculously sets everything right.

It's the kind of devotional that you'd think could only be enjoyed by confirmed Believers. However, the chariot race alone would hold the attention of the skeptical, not to mention the war at sea and the various soap-opera plights. And, let's face it; we don't mind suspending disbelief long enough to watch the Earth being invaded by aliens, or destroyed by comets or really bad weather; so why not suspend disbelief long enough to listen to the head of the NRA speak of peace and "turning the other cheek"?

Don't miss the homoerotic subtext between Ben-Hur and his Roman pal Messala (Stephen Boyd). Director William Wyler told Boyd to play their argument over Roman politics like a lovers' quarrel. (He didn't inform Heston of this because he didn't believe Heston "could handle it".)

And all of it done without a single frame of CG-enhanced reality!

The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas

I was not disappointed. Proper surround-sound makes the musical numbers all the more enjoyable. And if there's any moment in musical history more fun than watching the Aggies football team dance in the showers after the game singing about how much they like women--please let me know!

Big Business

But motion-controlled cameras, in which computers control every aspect of camera movement--including the ability to re-create the focus, zoom, angle and pan of a lengthy shot--made it possible to make this effect a lot more believable. Big Business was its showcase.

A movie with special effects and no heart is doomed to failure. This film has plenty of heart in its story of two pairs of twins, mismatched at birth, who come together forty years later. Written as a classic farce, it also proposes an answer to the old question "Nature vs. Nurture" as one member of each pair struggles to deal with the environment for which she is apparently unsuited, while the other thrives.

Laughs and something to think about...a winning combination.

The Birdcage

The only flaw in the story, as I see it, is that the son, presumably raised by Robin Williams' and Nathan Lane's characters, is unlikely to fall in love with a girl whose family is so homophobic, much less want to cater to their prejudices. On the other hand, there's no accounting for tastes; and life may have been tough for the straight kid of publicly gay parents. In any case, the rest of the film will keep you laughing non-stop.

The Bounty

A side note: When Captain Bligh is put into a lifeboat with his few supporters and a sextant, the movie never sees him again. But he did not disappear from history; the man was a true sailor, and managed to navigate his lifeboat across thousands of miles of ocean to Peru. He survived, and filed charges against the mutineers, who were tried and found guilty in absentia. Fortunately for them, they had succeeded in hiding themselves so well (Pitcairn Island had been mislocated on the charts) that they were never found.