The Dark Knight

**** Stars

There are only a few films every year that have an anticipation of such unyielding force that The Dark Knight has created. I have seen several films this year (including all the blockbusters to this point) and I can guarantee you to the absolute fullest that no finer film has been made this year. The Dark Knight surpasses all others as the greatest superhero film of all time. The secret? It's not created like a superhero film. This one is a haunting nightmare that will stay with you long after you've woken up.

First, let's clear up the thing that everyone wants to know. Does Heath Ledger go out on top as the mask Joker? Absolutely. This is the greatest performance of the year, as Ledger mixes in influences stretching from Alex in A Clockwork Orange to Hannibal Lector in The Silence of the Lambs. He puts Jack Nicholson's Joker to shame.

The film doesn't give you a moment's breath. It begins with no introduction to any of Batman's past. We've already seen five films about Batman and his huge condition of post-traumatic stress (due to his parent’s tragic death when he was a child). Now it's time for Batman to evolve into something else. It is true what the Joker says: people look at Batman like he's a freak. That draws the Joker to him, as the two characters play an action packed, steroid abusive cat-and-mouse game that starts with haste and ends in tragedy. The process is a 2-hour and 32-minute masterpiece with without an ounce of fat.

A midnight premiere is a good test for a film. It has to work even harder to make sure it keep an audience member in focus. It does not make the mistake Spiderman 3 made. Spiderman 3 took way too much time redeveloping a relationship between Peter Parker and Mary Jane while also trying to introduce three villains. That leads to boredom, frustration, and disappointment. The Dark Knight already knows where Batman and Bruce Wayne need to be. His girl, Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has a new man in her life. District Attorney Harvey Dent (a very strong Aaron Eckhart) has taken Rachel from Bruce while also becoming an iconic hero to the city. He is reducing violence and boosting the economy. The Dark Knight manages to avoid a cliched act where Batman purposely seeks revenge. There are much bigger things happening for that to occur.

The Joker likes to play games with themes of morality and choice. He creates situations where good people have to make decisions that will save one but hurt another. That what happens to Harvey Dent, turning him into Two-Face. The effects of this character are perfectly executed.

What makes these two villains work in this movie is that the Joker lays a profound effect on Harvey Dent. Both villains mature through the actions of one another, leaving Batman no choice but to use questionable logic to stop them. If a villain like the Joker is this menacing and hellish inside a comic-book film, imagine how it feels to the audience in an ordinary world? It's as though Ledger's Joker has become the definitive face of the world's strongest evil. It is absolutely fascinating.

Director Christopher Nolan made a great decision to create this piece of cinema as an ensemble. Everyone has their moment. Even Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) is spiced up in this one, giving another character to fall back on when the story isn't revolving around Batman and the Joker. Other plotlines include Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox. Both are very small and almost feel like cameos, but like the Return of the King, everyone's story serves a purpose, and the film would be incomplete without them.

By the end of the film, we understand why it is called The Dark Knight. The word Batman is out of the title because Batman is no longer himself. Everything that is happening is a translucent vision to an epilogue Batman and Bruce Wayne soon must face. With the Joker blowing up buildings and killing people like a child with G.I Joe's, Gotham is out of Batman's hands. But who else will pick up the pieces? The caped-crusader has to make the choice that no others will face. It is a true definition of a hero, no matter how dark the knight becomes.

We have finally seen what everyone has been waiting for: Ledger's final portrayal. While watching him perform the simplicity of acting, we are left with a thought of tragedy and triumph. In his final moments as the Joker, I will find it absolutely appropriate to find each individual audience member who sees The Dark Knight, create their own emotion to an ending as apocalyptic as the actor's. Why? Because we will never know what could have happened next.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army

*** Stars

The imagination of Guillmero Del Toro runs wild in Hellboy II: The Golden Army. It's like watching a kid play with his toys. The man can put on a show, even when that is extremely untamed and ultimately very weird.

The way I looked at this picture was an image of what is to come with Del Toro. I was never a huge fan of this comic book series, but the visuals and style that he brings to the screen has given me more comfort towards his next project: a duo of Hobbit films. Peter Jackson had the power to get rid of him for the Hobbit flicks, so you know he's got something up his sleeves. Especially in Pan's Labyrinth.

In this sequel, both Ron Perlman and Selma Blair return as the hero Hellboy and the pyro-kinetic girlfriend Liz Sherman. While Hellboy is a superhero, he is showing off a lot to the media, even though the leader of the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense (he belongs to this) is telling him not to. The company wants the world to know that their business is in control. They don't want the fear of being shut down. When a threat to both the company and the people ensue, Hellboy and his crew must save the day once again. He journeys to fight rock monsters, a pair of twins (one evil, one good), and most of all: his girlfriend. Hellboy and Liz begin to show problems with their relationship and must figure out how to fix it, while also trying to save the world. And you thought you were having a bad day?

Del Toro is clearly a master of the fantasy genre. It's great to know we still have directors that want to explore other worlds. Whether Del Toro wants us to explore with him or not is a different topic all together. Hellboy II is no Iron Man or Dark Knight, but it sure beats the absolute piss out of The Incredible Hulk.

Hancock

*** Stars

A Fourth of July without Will Smith is like Thanksgiving Dinner without a turkey. Where would the world be without it? Since 2002, the man hasn't had a film gross under $138 million domestically. It's an astonishing feat, even when some of those films were less than stellar (Men in Black II and Bad Boys II, the only sequels he's ever done). Over time, the Fresh Prince has still stayed very fresh.

This time around, Smith plays a superhero known as Hancock (don’t worry, they explain the name). He is a drunken self-absorbed ass who will help someone out of a certain situation without thinking about the consequences. In the opening sequence, Hancock flies drunk, almost hits a plane, picks up an SUV filled with gangsters, and throws him on top of a building. His heart is in the right place, but his mind is somewhere else floating into oblivion. His behavior continues when he saves a PR spokesman named Ray Embrey (a spot on Jason Bateman) from a moving train by running it into the ground. Ray has been struggling with work and decides to pull a Jerry Maguire (Help me, Help you…) and return the favor of saving his life by offering Hancock a new image. He brings him to his home for dinner where he meets Ray’s wife Mary, played by Charlize Theron. Playing Mary, Theron is not hiding her beauty anymore, as she looks more gorgeous than ever. There is a connection between Mary and Hancock, but you will have to see the movie to figure that one out. If any reviewer spills the secret, then it’s the biggest sin a film critic can do.

Hancock is so sloppy and drunk during dinner that he even eats like a bum, with spaghetti and meatballs dropping all over the place. Ray gives him an offer for a new life and a choice to be accepted by the population. Hancock unenthusiastically accepts and decides to fix all the problems the media have created for him. With a warrant out for his arrest for charges of public disturbance and damaging the city, Hancock goes to prison. Maybe the world will miss him after all.

After crime is on the rise, the chief of police asks Hancock for help. Now out of prison, it’s time for Hancock to get a new suit (of course every proper hero needs a suit). He saves a police officer properly without destruction and booze. Where’s the fun in that? That’s when things turn serious.

Now judging by the trailers, I knew this movie was going to have a hard time balancing the first and second half (a comedy turned drama). It’s very noticeable, sudden, and it comes out of nowhere, but thank God the plot is able to stay original with its story. We are able to accept the third act and its flaws because of the A-list stars. Smith, Theron, and Bateman are so easy to love and watch that we are unable to question their decisions. Props especially to Smith, who is an unstoppable box-office phenomenon. Happy Fourth.

Get Smart

*** Stars

I saw a screening of Get Smart with my father, a huge fan of the original show. Having only seeing a few episodes, I wanted to see this with him so I could get an accurate judgment of the film. He loved it, so I assume it is a classy ode to the classic series.

Get Smart is perfectly cast. Steve Carrell plays the infamously goofy Maxwell Smart, Anne Hathaway is the beautiful Agent 99, Dwayne Johnson (not The Rock anymore, he doesn't like to be called that) plays the muscular Agent 23, and Alan Arkin scores with The Chief. You would think the Carrell and Hathaway love story would be weird (given the age difference between the two actors), but it plays nicely. They meet when Max gets his first assignment to track down a nuclear thrat in Russia. With the help of Agent 99, the two find very interesting ways to complete their missions. Max knows his details and reports so intensely that he literally connects the dots by figuring out what kind of food a terrorist eats and/or coffee it drinks. He is so good in fact, that he bores the hell out of the rest of the agency.

The film is surprisingly well made with its stunt work. Not once are we questioning logic or fake visual effects. And if we do, it's the films goofball ability to let us realize that if we are trying to take this film seriously, then you bought the wrong ticket the minute you stepped into the theater. The film makes it by THAT much.

Wanted

*** Stars

Wanted: Think Shoot Em’ Up meets The Matrix. It has a hardcore imagination like the original Matrix, but it’s trapped inside a piece of garbage like Shoot Em’ Up. So what’s the outcome? A slam bang-thriller that has no purpose but to just make sure stuff gets blown up.

In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly, Angelina Jolie told reporters that she chooses projects based on her stages in life. She needed a movie with something physical, which is why she took on Wanted. She plays Fox, a secret assassin apart of a secret organization called The Fraternity. Their philosophy is kill one person to save a thousand (a premise once again for just gun battles). Fox picks up Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy) at a pharmacy to tell him that his father (an assassin) had just been killed. McAvoy is a low level employee at a dead end job (picture Office Space), he has no money, and his girlfriend is cheating on him with his best friend. He definitely has a lot of stress to get rid of, making him a perfect candidate for a new job for a killer.

When McAvoy is taken to meet the members, it makes sense to have Morgan Freeman be the President of the Fraternity. It’s worth the price of admission just to hear Freeman get pissed and swear. He’s not the sweet and gentle narrator this time around. There are several scenes with McAvoy being trained involving curving bullets, a rehabilitation session that cures gunshot wounds, and a huge book-lined library.

Ok, did you get that? Because I didn’t. Nothing really makes sense or needs to happen in Wanted, but as the film continues, your brain leaves the room and your adrenaline kicks in. It’s a schlock fest, where coherence is punished and action is rewarded.