Posts Tagged ‘Christian Bale’

If you loved Christian Bale in The Dark Knight, you’re not only in line with the everyone else that saw it, but you’re also in luck. The talented actor is one of the first people to officially sign on to the next Batman movie.

Yet to be titled, the newest installment will also include Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman. Michael Caine will be returning for his perfectly type-cast role of Alfred.  Filming is set to begin in April 2011, with Christopher Nolan at the helm.

Finally Christian Bale and Johnny Depp, two of today’s most talented actors, are in one movie together. Even though this amazing duo is seldom in the same scene, both add something special to a very sexy and dangerous crime film.

Michael Mann is the director and transports audiences back to an era when robbing banks was the choice money making scheme. “Enemies” is about Melvin Purvis (Bale) the head FBI agent responsible for bringing John Dillinger (Depp), Public Enemy #1, to justice. The accomplices of Depp and Bale are a remarkable cast of actors and really make this ‘cat and mouse chase’ movie complete. Whether you love a good crime film or not – “Public Enemies” is a great escape from summer movie sequels.

The Good: – The Ensemble – Making up an FBI department as well as a “gang” of bank robbers needs more than Depp and Bale. The support characters in “Enemies” are understated yet are key to filling out the atmosphere and feel of the movie. They are an impressive bunch and include: Marion Cotillard (Academy Award Winner for “La Vie en Rose”), David Wenham (“Australia”), Stephen Dorff, Channing Tatum (“Stop-Loss”), Rory Cochrane (“CSI: Miami”), Emilie de Ravin (“Lost”), Billy Crudup, Giovanni Ribisi (“Perfect Stranger”), Domenick Lombardozzi (“The Wire”), and Shawn Hatosy (“Southland”), are just a few of the immensely talented crew.

- The Camera Work – One of the characteristics that stands out the most in “Enemies” is the cinematography. The documentary style filming helps bring the audience into the story more – it isn’t simply watching a bank robber’s life develop, instead it’s getting to live Dillinger’s life with him. Purvis’ story benefits as well because when the camera focuses on him, no matter how much you’re cheering on Dillinger, you want Purvis to catch his man.

- The Look – Michael Mann and the creative team of “Enemies” bring back the distinct 1930’s aesthetics without having to actually recreate much. A lot of the movie was filmed at Dillinger historical spots that are still standing today. Many of the locations, such as the Little Bohemia Lodge where Dillinger and some of his cohorts were found by Purvis and the FBI and the local for one of the major gun battles featured in the movie, are real buildings that are still open.

- The Music – Elliot Goldenthal has created noteworthy scores for movies like “Across the Universe” and “Frida.” For “Enemies” he has combined bad-boy, bluegrass type tunes with music from the era as well as piano ballads to help complete the mood of this movie.

- Christian Bale – Bale’s “Purvis” is a serious guy. He doesn’t smile much during the movie (maybe once when he’s gunning down a famous gangster), but the seriousness works because it plays both to Bale’s assets as an actor as well as the tone of the Purvis character.

- Johnny Depp – Depp’s Dillinger combines sexiness with a sense of real danger. It’s subtle, but sometimes there is a sense that Dillinger truly fears for his life and is genuinely hurt at the loss of friends. I feel like I got to know John Dillinger a little better due to yet another exceptional performance by Depp.

The Bad: – The Time-Span – “Enemies” is over an hour and a half long and could have used a couple more edits in post production to cut down the time a bit.

- What is True – Scenes like Dillinger meandering through the “Dillinger” FBI Department without a soul identify him and scenes such as people on the street waving at Dillinger while being driven to prison as if he’s a celebrity yet he goes unrecognized in a lit movie theater makes me question how much of the film truly represents real events.

- Purvis Perspective – More glimpses into Purvis’ personal life and more of his point of view would have added symmetry and evenness to the movie.

In The End: “Public Enemies” is an exciting film about two Depression era legends – one – a bank robber and the other a bank robber hunter. The entire team who created “Enemies” should be very proud. The talent can be seen in every aspect of the film – from the camera work, to the score, to the costumes and best of all –  the actors.

One of the greatest times of the year for top notch movies is the summer! Movie execs even change the dates their movies debut in order to take part in this sweltering time of year. Here are six films we can’t wait to see during the Summer 2009 movie season…

June

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen – Summer is an infamous time of year for sequels and 2009 is no exception.  The trailer alone for “Transformers 2” promises amazing action, explosive destruction, CG-palooza and there’s even a plot thrown in there too. Sam Witwicky (LaBeouf) discovers the back story of the giant robots that are causing demolition worldwide – Egypt, Paris and the US. The cherry on this sundae – IMAX footage, which is sure to enhance the already exciting special effects. June 24th.

Away We Go – “Go’s” trailer caught my eye when I saw “Adventureland.” The odd couple of John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph (two hugely funny actors not frequently seen on the large screen) had me scribbling down the release date in the dark theater so I wouldn’t forget. “Go” is a “road trip” film for adults as Krasinski and Rudolph travel to see family and friends to find a place that feels like home before they become parents for the first time. Maggie Gyllenhaal, Allison Janney, Jeff Daniels, and Catherine O’Hara are just a couple of the odd ball friends and family members visited by the pregnant couple. June 5th.

July

Public Enemies – Johnny Depp and Christian Bale – that’s all you need to be sold on this summer semi bio-pic. Directed by the successful Michael Mann (“Collateral,” “Ali,” “The Insider,” “Heat,” and “The Last of the Mohicans”) this film is already being talked about as the only summer film that will be remembered at Oscar time.  “Enemies” is a depression era crime drama about infamous bank robber John Dillinger (Depp) and the clean cut FBI agent determined to bring him in, Melvin Purvis (Bale).  Two stories from behind the scenes recount that Bale was in character 24/7 and that Depp was actually giddy at the opportunity to handle Dillinger’s actual brief case. This is going to be a real box office melter. July 1st.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – “Prince” should have been on the Fall ’08 list, but the higher ups who made the movie moved it to summer ’09 for financial reasons. The 2nd to last book in the JK Rowling series has a darker story that revolves around the origins of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Through multiple memory type flashback sequences the audience and Harry will learn a lot more about Voldemort’s history. There’s also the prospect of love for some of our favorite Hogwarts’ students (but I won’t tell you who in case you haven’t read the book). July 15th.

August

The Boat That Rocked – Haven’t heard of this movie yet? That’s ok – you’ll be dying to see it because of the cast alone: Philip Seymour Hoffman (“Doubt”), Emma Thompson (“Stranger Than Fiction’), Gemma Arterton (“Quantum of Solace”), Bill Nighy (“Love Actually”), Kenneth Branagh (“Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”), January Jones (“Mad Men”), Rhys Darby (“Yes Man”), Jack Davenport (the “Pirates” movies), Nick Frost (“Hot Fuzz”), Rhys Ifans (“Elizabeth: The Golden Age”), Kirsty Mather (“Mamma Mia”), and Tom Wisdom (“300”). What a line up! And it’s directed by Richard Curtis who did “Love Actually.” August 28th.

Inglourious Basterds – Yes, the movie title is spelled correctly. Leave it director Quentin Tarantino to find the craziest spelling for his latest film starring Brad Pitt, Mike Myers, B.J. Novak, Samuel L. Jackson and Cloris Leachman. “Inglourious” is two stories in one – the first is about a Jewish girl whose family is killed by Nazis, she leaves and ends up working at a movie theatre, and infatuated with a German war hero and plotting revenge for her family’s deaths. The second story – a group of Jewish-American soldiers who are working behind enemy lines plot their own scheme against the Nazis. How do the two stories relate? The movie theater is the key (how ironic). August 21st.

You don’t have to know much about Bob Dylan to see that “I’m Not There” is a wonderful biopic and just a fascinating movie in general. Todd Haynes, the director, takes a Dylan type direction to piece together a scrapbook of enchanting images both emblematic and realistic to visualize the singer’s career. On the DVD one can navigate the movie either by scene or by song. “I’m Not There” is original, genius and beautiful, which can be admired by both Dylan fans and non Dylan fans.

The Good: Its Novelty-ness: From the order of events to the personas to the narrative style to the dialogue, “I’m Not There” is fresh and inspired.

No Need to Be a Fan: The movie’s details of the star’s life may make more sense if audiences already know a bit about Bob Dylan.  However, it’s not a requirement and “There” is still captivating. One could picture that it’s about a fictional singer and still there are aspects of the movie to admire.

Biopic Is Only a Label: Precise details about the singer’s life are not revealed in the film. Think of it more as an art show displaying roughly some of the events and themes that occurred during Dylan’s early career.

The Cast: Altering themselves into the one man they all represent are six actors who have all either been nominated for or won film or acting related awards. That’s an impressive cast including Richard Gere, Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, and Heath Ledger among others.

The Bad: Its Novelty-ness: “I’m Not There” strays from convention and could loose some viewer’s attention (due to the 6 different actors, the timeline aspects, etc).  It’s definitely not meant for the “Transformers” type crowd, which is fine, but audiences should just be made aware of that before they press the Play button.

Subtitles: Yep, subtitles may be needed even though it’s an English speaking film.

Assistance Please: Some help may be needed as a guide to the events of the film. Try typing “I’m Not There” into Wikipedia (I did).

It’s Long: There seems to be a recent trend of very long movies. “I’m Not There” runs a little over 2 hours.

In The End: “I’m Not There” uses imagination, fresh cinematography and a familiar soundtrack to create an enthralling film. Regardless if you know a lot about Bob Dylan or not you can still enjoy the captivating and artistic acting, writing, and directing.

It’s hard to believe anything could have gone wrong with Nottingham.  The upcoming Ridley Scott project, a Robin Hood film which will cast the traditionally maligned Sheriff of Nottingham in a favorable light, has been postponed yet again after a minor setback: they don’t have a Robin Hood.

For those who have been following this film, it seemed as though Christian Bale has been rumored to play Robin Hood since he wrapped shooting on Newsies in 1992.

Unfortunately, the Welsh-born Bale has dashed our hopes of hearing Robin Hood speak with the appropriate accent.  Bale is currently filming Terminator Salvation, and has signed on for a movie about Pablo Escobar that for some reason will not feature Vincent Chase.

Considering the fortune The Dark Knight has amassed and the lack of evidence that the folks at Warner Brothers are allergic to money, a reprisal of his role as Batman may be in the works as well.  As far as star power is concerned however, Nottingham hasn’t been entirely robbed.

Russell Crowe, Bale’s 3:10 to Yuma costar, has signed on as the titular lawman, and Sienna Miller will portray Maid Marion.  Expect a November 2009 release, which, if Bale were an American who celebrated Thanksgiving, would have made even more awkward.

Here are 10 movies that aren’t even out yet, but are already creating that infamous buzz.

1. Watchmen – The next in line of comic books adapted to film series, Watchmen was “all the rage” at Comic Con.  Set in 1985, but in an alternative USA, this graphic novel series is supposed to take apart what is normally thought of when it comes to superheroes.  Set to release March 6, 2009.

2. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince – I recently wrapped up reading the 6th book in J.K. Rowling’s series and it was terrific.  A lot of the energy surrounding this episode of H.P. is that it takes a darker look into the enemy’s youth as well as saying some goodbyes.  Set to release November 21, 2008.

3. W – An unconventional look at life through our 43rd President’s eyes. To be released while the real George W. Bush is still in office, it’s the “will it make fun of the President or support him” question that has people talking. Directed by Oliver Stone and starring Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Banks, Thandie Newton, Ellen Burstyn, Richard Dreyfuss and James Cromwell.   This is gonna be one hot topic of a film. Set to release October 29, 2008.

4. Angels & Demons – The book before “The Da Vinci Code”, Dan Brown’s Vatican City novel is hitting theaters soon.  No one is forgetting the controversies of “The Da Vinci Code” and this edition possess more challenges because it actually takes place in Vatican City as well as on the grounds itself.  Tom Hanks, Ron Howard and Ewan McGregor team up to bring us another mystery. Set to Release May 15, 2009.

5. Twilight – If you haven’t heard of the novels by Stephanie Meyer yet then you officially live under a rock. The teenage vampire saga is receiving a lot of attention from not only the MTV crowd, but the VH1-ers as well. The series, made up of 4 books, has been on the New York Times Best Seller list for over 40 weeks.  Set to release December 12, 2008.

6. Eagle Eye – Shia LaBeouf is a guy suddenly thrown into a deadly version of a scavenger hunt by some mysterious woman on the phone watching every move he and Michelle Monaghan make.  And I have a sneaking feeling there will be a twist no one is expecting.  Set to release September 26, 2008.

7. Terminator Salvation – As if Christian Bale doesn’t have enough on his plate, people are already talking about his next movie where he plays the boy the Terminator was sent to save.  Set to release May 22, 2009.

8. X-Men Origins: Wolverine – Adding on to the X-Men series, but in a different way, is the story of Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman.  Set to release May 1, 2009.

9. Tropic Thunder – Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. are the reasons why audiences will fall out of their seats for this movie. Also starring Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey, Tobey Maguire, Mickey Rooney, Nick Nolte and Bill Hader.  Set to release August 15, 2008.

10. Australia – People are talking about the chemistry and steamy love scenes between two native Australians, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman (looks like he’s going to have a busy year!) in a war film about their homeland.  Set to release November 14, 2008.