Walking Leaf

After restoring credibility in the 2005 hit Batman Begins, British director Christopher Nolan returns to Gotham City with this highly anticipated sequel. In The Dark Knight, Batman (Christian Bale) squares off against a new foe: the Joker (the late Heath Ledger).

Nolan’s second Batman film is a more gritty, darker and brooding story. Certain scenes will leave a lasting impression that you never imagined and the sense of drama will continue to sustain disbelieve in how fantastic this film is. The Dark Knight is certainly the most violent, gripping and thrilling in the superhero series.

Christian Bale once again plays the Caped Crusader, sworn to fight the evil and injustice, though his perception of justice is causing an emotional and personal shift. It’s fascinating to see the talented actor playing on these themes that you emphasise with Bale’s flawed hero more than Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney. Bale is probably the best actor to play the Bruce Wayne/Batman character and his performance in The Dark Knight is first-class.

But it is Bale’s late co-star that steals the film. Heath Ledger is simply outstanding in the role of The Joker. He makes Jack Nicholson look like a cartoon figure! Yes, Nicholson was great in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman but he takes it to a whole new level. Ledger’s character reveals a more sinister, twisted and psychotic side that it becomes deeply disturbing. With a cynical smile, he proclaims in a scene where Batman is a freak to the public, like the Joker himself. This also explains the balance of righteousness that Bruce Wayne is going through. The Joker is downright evil, and Ledger makes this performance legendary.

As for the rest of the cast, Aaron Eckhart performs superbly in the role of district attorney Harvey Dent. The transformation into Two-Face is truly fascinating and shocking.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is a great replacement for Katie Holmes as Wayne’s love interest Rachel Dawes. She shows a more sensitive and caring side towards Bruce, other than Holmes’ nearly flat performance in Batman Begins.

Sir Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are perfect as Wayne’s ancillary staff playing the loyal butler and CEO of Wayne Enterprises respectively.

And special mention goes to Gary Oldman, who does a marvellous job of portraying Lieutenant James Gordon.

Moving on to the set pieces in The Dark Knight, the action sequences are nothing short of remarkable. It is really exhilarating in particular the opening scene with a high-tension, high-anxiety bank raid. Another outstanding moment was the duel between Batman’s bat bike and The Joker’s 18-wheelier. Fantastic!

The cinematography is also breathtaking. At one point, Batman travels to the Far East to track down a lead and to see Hong Kong in all its glory is stunning. Alongside the new Gotham City, the atmosphere and mood in The Dark Knight is a work of art.

I must applaud Christopher Nolan for his hard work in this film. Not only for writing a great story about corruption and chaos but also in casting great actors. Yes, The Dark Knight is Heath Ledger’s final performance but he is the main reason that makes this film so entertaining and thrilling.

This is by far the best Batman film. It certainly lives up to the hype. See it for Bale, for Ledger, for the music, the action and for Nolan’s flawless direction.

Oh dear… My childhood memories of high-speed chases, menacing Nazis and the pure sense of adventure when exploring different parts of the world looking for mysterious artifacts in the company of Doctor Henry Jones ‘Junior’ a.k.a. Indiana Jones has been shattered.

It has been 19 years since we last joined the part-time professor and archaeologist in his action-packed adventures. Over the time since Indy rode off into the sunset in the closing scene of The Last Crusade, the fourth film has been in ‘development hell’ in terms of creating the perfect story.

Director Steven Spielberg, executive producer George Lucas and Hollywood legend Harrison Ford rejected script after script, due to disagreement over the direction the fourth Indiana Jones would take. None of them agreed upon the story until the concept of setting it in the 1950s – during the Cold War and involving aliens – was taken further. Lucas suggested the crystal skulls to ground the idea and after some redrafts, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was ready to start shooting.

Spielberg wanted to maintain the ‘look and feel’ from his past three Indiana Jones films by not shooting the film digitally (unlike George Lucas with his Star Wars prequels). So when watching Kingdom of the Crystal Skullкомпютри, you get the impression that it hasn’t been that long since The Last Crusade. The Oscar-winning director mentioned he wanted to do the action-scenes ‘old school’ by opting out of the use of digital effects, giving the sense of realism. In spite of this, the truck-chase scene set in the jungle ended up as CGI.

Despite being 65 years old, Harrison Ford still looks the part of Doctor Jones – outfitted in his trademark leather jacket, fedora hat and whip. Some critics might say he is too old to play the part of the adventurer but in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Ford still manages to pull off the action scenes with ease and confidence.

Karen Allen returns as Indy’s love interest by reprising the role of Marion Ravenwood. It’s amusing to see Marion and Indy together again, as the last time the pair made an appearance was Raiders of the Lost Ark back in 1981! Since that time, Marion has got married and had a son. Ah yes, the son that turns out to be a youthful and arrogant parody of Indiana Jones. From Spielberg and Lucas I got the impression that this character, Mutt Williams (played by Shia LeBeouf) could be the next action hero if they want to continue making Indiana Jones in the near future.

I hope not as Shia LeBeouf’s performance was dreadful. He might have made a grand entrance in the film by riding his motorbike, wearing the same outfit as Marlon Brando in The Wild One… His character – Mutt Williams – was simply annoying. His cockiness and banter with the older and wiser Jones wasn’t convincing and the image of Mutt swinging through the trees with his monkey friends during the truck-chase scene was unforgivable.

Worse still are the fellow cast members. Ray Winstone plays Indy’s friend ‘Mac’ who is either working with him or backstabbing the archaeologist by teaming up with the Russians. Ray’s character was simply irritating and I hated the way he called Indy ‘Jonesy’. Good for ‘Jonesy’ to punch him in the face every time he said it!

John Hurt plays Professor Harold Oxley who seems to be high after being possessed by the strange power of the crystal skull… He becomes ‘sane’ at the end but his presence wasn’t memorable in any way.

Jim Broadbent’s role was underused and he lacked the charm of Marcus Brody (the late Denholm Elliott) as Dean Charles Stanford.

As for Cate Blanchett, who played the villainous Soviet agent Irina Spalko, she was not scary or threatening when compared to other bad guys in the previous Indiana Jones films. It’s not the actress’ fault (she has won an Oscar for her portrayal of Elizabeth) and the blame lies solely on the material that was written for the part.

What about the new threat to Indiana Jones, the Russians? Well, I’m surprised to say this but the Nazis were more sinister in their evil ways compared to the Russians.

But the worst aspect of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the main plot. After years of delay, you would expect a more convincing storyline than what is shown on the big screen.

Set in the 1950s, the film opens with a grizzled Indiana Jones being forced to locate a mysterious crate (that is highly magnetic) inside a hanger in Area 51 for the evil psychic Irina Spalko. After escaping the Russians (and dodging a nuclear blast by hiding inside a fridge!), Indy meets young Mutt Williams who tells him that his mother has disappeared and has sent him to ask Indy for help.

Following a trail of clues, Indy and Mutt travel to a South American jungle in search of Professor Oxley and Mutt’s mother. Decoding Oxley’s ramblings, Indy realises that he has to return a mysterious crystal skull to the lost golden city of Akator, while keeping one step ahead of the Russians.

It might sound exciting but compared to the previous adventures in Raiders of the Lost Ark, Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade, the new fourth Indiana Jones is a disappointment. The magic and appeal that made the first three films a delight is missing from Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and some of the scenes felt unnecessary, especially the chase scene in the jungle followed by giant flesh-eating ants!

I had high hopes, being a fan of Doctor Jones for many years, but I feel Spielberg and Lucas have betrayed my childhood memories forever with this horrendous film. It’s time for Indy to hang up his hat.

Rising star Ellen Page stars as a smart-talking 16-year-old Juno MacGuff, who gets pregnant the first time she has sex with fellow virgin Paulie Bleeker (Michael Cera). Unable to face the prospect of abortion, Juno decides to give up the baby up for adoption, so she finds a loving but childless couple Mark and Vanessa (Jason Bateman and Jennifer Garner) through the want ads in a local paper.

However, as she spends more time with the couple, she discovers that their marriage isn’t quite picture-perfect as it first appeared. Meanwhile, Juno’s father (J.K. Simmons), stepmother (Allison Janney) and best friend Leah (Olivia Thirlby) offer as much help as they can.

Nominated by four Academy Awards in the run up to this year’s Oscars, including Best Picture, Juno is an engaging and witty teen comedy written by a former stripper now blogger Diablo Cody. The script provides plenty of laughs with some razor-sharp dialogue throughout the running time of 96 minutes.

Ellen Page is fabulous in the leading role, with her enthusiastic personality and dry-wit. Some people may remember Ellen from her shining performance in Hard Candy back in 2005, in which many critics praised her for “one of the most complex, disturbing and haunting performances of the year”. With a nomination for the Best Actress award in the 2008 Academy Awards, Ellen is on route to becoming a future star of Hollywood.

As for the supporting cast, it is great to see several star names I recognised from past television and movie roles appearing in Juno. Michael Cera and Jason Bateman from Arrested Development, Jennifer Garner (Alias) and Allison Janney (The West Wing). Each of them playing their roles superbly alongside Ellen.

Even though the subject matter may seem controversial on the whole pregnancy/childbirth/adoption issue, director Jason Reitman (Thank You For Smoking) sets an up-beat tone with a great soundtrack, colourful production design and a delightful animated opening credits sequence. Despite the ‘feel good’ attitude, Juno manages to address the abortion versus adoption issue in a surprisingly mature way – with the final scenes in particular emotionally moving.

Probably the best independent film since Little Miss Sunshine, Juno is a hilariously teen comedy with delightful characters working with a fantastic script. Highly recommended.

Thanks to its clever viral marketing on MySpace and countless other websites devoting to the movie, J.J. Abrams’ ambitions homage to monster flicks takes a new step further by providing an unique viewpoint on a giant creature destroying Manhattan.

The film begins as if someone is watching a videotape that has been found after a mysterious incident in New York City, codenamed ‘Cloverfield’. We briefly see images of a young good-looking couple, Robert Hawkins (Michael Stahl-David) and Elizabeth “Beth” McIntyre (Odette Yustman) before we realise that someone has taped over their day at Coney Island with footage of Rob’s leaving party, before he heads off to Japan.

However, during the party there’s an attack on New York by an initially unseen monster and everyone runs for the streets, just in time to witness the head of the Statue of Liberty come crashing to the ground. With one of his friends still filming – Hudson “Hud” Platt (T. J. Miller) – in the same style of the Blair Witch Project, Rob and his friends risk their lives to rescue Beth before attempting to flee the city.

The action sequences in Cloverfield are pretty intense with echoes to the chaotic moments that followed 9/11, with buildings crumbling to rubble and panic in the city streets. The use of a video camera shot from the victim perspective is a distinctive step of documentary events as it unfolds. Sure, the camerawork might cause some viewers to become ill with the constant shaking and movement but in the age of Web 2.0 and YouTube, the director – Matt Reeves – handles the central concept extremely well, perfectly capturing the sense of fear and mayhem, while maintaining exactly the sort of breathless pace that you’d expect if you were fleeing a giant monster.

Cloverfield is certainly frightening that you left thinking that this attack could happen… The only criticism is all that running and screaming doesn’t provide enough characterisation or dialogue. In addition, we don’t get any back-story on why this monster is here in New York City stomping, eating and causing as much damage as possible.

Despite that, the film is superbly directed with some skilful use of editing – from the happier times of Rob and Beth to the horror of his close friends dying one by one… Cloverfield is an enjoyable thriller that adds a modern twist to the Godzilla-style monster movie, though it’s slightly let down by its characters and plot.

Based on the stage musical by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street stars Johnny Depp as Benjamin Baker, who returns to 19th century London after fifteen years in exile, seeking revenge against Judge Turpin (Alan Rickman), who imprisoned Barker and stole his wife (Laura Michelle Kelly) and infant daughter.

Renaming himself as Sweeney Todd, Benjamin sets himself up as a barber, above a grotesque pie shop run by Mrs Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter), who has always secretly loved him.When Todd kills a blackmailing rival barber (Sacha Baron Cohen), he finds himself with a body on his bloody hands, until Mrs Lovett hits upon an innovative solution that soon sees her pie shop transformed into a roaring success. Meanwhile, as Todd plots his vengeance against Turpin, a young sailor (Jamie Campbell Bower) falls in love with Todd’s imprisoned daughter (Jayne Wisener) and vows to rescue her.

This sixth collaboration with director Tim Burton, Johnny Depp delivers an exceptional performance in the leading role that combines the gothic horror, black comedy and heartache similar to his previous hit in Edward Scissorhands.

As for his singing, Depp’s vocal performance was full of passion with a nod to David Bowie. He may not be a great singer, but his voice was both distinctive and perfectly suited to the part as the demon barber.

Helena Bonham Carter was terrific as Mrs Lovett providing some laughs thanks to her sharp wit. She can also sing well with the dreamy summer sequence the highlight.

As for the supporting cast, Alan Rickman brings a crafty charisma to Judge Turpin alongside the creepy Timothy Spall as Beadle Bamford. As for Sacha Baron Cohen – better known as Ali G and Borat – his short appearance was memorable thanks to his humour as Signor Adolfo Pirelli.

Despite the gory factor, Sweeney Todd is a beautifully directed, superbly designed and suitably bloodthirsty musical. Entertaining with a sense of dark comical moments make this a movie to remember.

After the misfire of Cars, Pixar returns with a delightful story on a rat that seeks to become the best chef in the heart of Paris. With Ratatouille, the animated geniuses behind such great hits like Toy Story, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo has provided a stunning and entertaining journey into a life of a small rodent that loves to cook.

Being a fan of Disney/Pixar films, I love the simple beauty of the CGI visuals. The advancement of computer technology has made the images even more photo-realistic over the last few years but I always take the pleasure that the studio is there to tell a story with fascinating characters. And with Ratatouille, the idea that Remy can inspire the love of preparing a meal is a sight to behold, no matter if he is seen as a street vermin.

Ratatouille is written and directed by Brad Bird, whose previous Pixar hit with The Incredibles was by far my favourite in the digitally-animated series. His talent is on par with the legendary Hayao Miyazaki by providing enthralling stories and characters in an emotionally driven movie. In fact, the director has gone from strength to strength since The Iron Giant and I am sure his next hit will be even more special.

The voice acting from the likes of Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Peter Sohn, Brad Garrett, Janeane Garofalo, Ian Holm, Brian Dennehy and Peter O’Toole are sensational and give these characters a sense of poetic warmth to the viewer.

Remy (Patton Oswalt) is a little rat who dreams of becoming a chef just like his idol, the human Gusteau (Brad Garrett). After a mishap, Remy loses his family in the sewers and comes upon a fading restaurant that had previously been owned by Gusteau before his untimely death. There he comes upon a lowly garbage boy, Linguini (Lou Romano), and together they set out to revive the once-legendary restaurant.

Ratatouille is filled with plenty of surprises that will amuse and excite. As for the animation, this is by far the best than any other Disney/Pixar productions. The breathtaking landscape of Paris adds a layer of realism to the movie, while the food looking so real it must be delicious!

In summary, you couldn’t ask for more than an entertaining movie with Ratatouille. It has become a new benchmark with amazing animation and visuals. Not forgetting Pixar’s sense of humour that will delight the young and old. An instant classic.

The third chapter in the series of the CIA amnesiac super agent that is Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) ends an exciting trilogy inspired by Robert Ludlum’s books. With The Bourne Ultimatum, the trained assassin is trying to piece together his identity and with it, uncover the truth of project Treadstone.

The opening scene follows immediately from The Bourne Supremacy where a wounded Jason Bourne is evading the Moscow police. From there, the action shifts to a relentless pace as he travels around the world looking for the truth behind the CIA operation named Blackbriar, which was first uncovered by a newspaper journalist (Paddy Considine).

The action sequences in London’s Waterloo station – as Bourne directs Considine’s nervous Simon Ross through a crowd of hostile CIA agents - is simply breathtaking. You assume the film has peaked just twenty minutes in, but from here director Paul Greengrass continues to set a dynamic and edgy pace to thrill the viewers throughout the 115-minute running time.

We are also treated with not one, but two exciting car chases and yet, the frenetic foot pursuit across the rooftops of Tangier overshadows both metal-crunching incidents. To see Bourne leaping from building to building – tumbling though opening windows and crashing into living rooms before engaging in a furious fighting scene with Desh Bouksani (Joey Ansah) is truly spectacular.

As for the supporting cast in Ultimatum, Joan Allen makes a welcome return as the CIA investigator Pamela Landy. Working alongside her is David Strathairn, the main villain in the movie. Albert Finney has only a brief role but plays an important part to Bourne’s previous life. As for Julia Stiles, she gets more screen time then the previous two films but her role feels slightly redundant.

Star performances go to director Paul Greengrass and actor Matt Damon, who both exceeded themselves in Ultimatum. From the stylish and quick cut camera work to Damon’s portray as the 21-century killing machine. The Bourne Ultimatum is definitely the best summer film of 2007; not only for its compelling story but also with its impressive action scenes from start to finish.

American’s longest-running animated comedy featuring a dysfunctional family continues to delight and entertain a generation of fans for the last 18 years and with the film version based on The Simpsons, you would expect the magical formula of providing witty jokes and visual gags would work on the big screen.

Unfortunately, The Simpsons Movie provides little joy which is disheartening compared to the sublime half-hour show on Springfield. It seems the team of writers were having difficulty on how to adapt the popular cartoon series into a feature-length picture, as every pop-culture references and situations have been done before… After all, why would you buy a ticket when you can watch it on television?

The lack of jokes hits you hard. It’s unbelievable to discover that the movie is more like a mediocre episode from the current season, only this time it is stretched over eighty minutes… And it certainly doesn’t help that some of the inhabitants of Springfield have only very brief cameos including Monty Burns.

Speaking of characters, Homer J Simpson never reaches his true absurdist extremes you come to expect. Rebel Bart Simpson is lost in a dull storyline of being neglected by his father’s love and turns to Ned Flanders for a sense of well being… Lisa falls in love with a random Irish boy. As for Marge, she continues to despair over her husband’s antics while Maggie… well, she does say her first words.

Don’t get me wrong, the movie is still entertaining and the quality of the animation is more advanced over the cartoon show, but you can’t help but feel a little under whelmed. It still has it charms and Homer continues to make you laugh at his stupidity, but by ‘Simpsons’-standards it’s just not good enough.

Based on a toy franchise by Hasbro, Transformers tells a story of an epic intergalactic war between the Autobots and Decepticons. In this live action movie directed by Michael Bay, the giant robots are fighting over a cube, the Allspark.

The Allspark holds the key to the Autobots and Decepticons as the relic can bring mechanical objects to life. In fact, anything that is exposed to the Allspark can both repair Cybertronians and convert Earth electronics and vehicles into Transformers.

But to locate the cube, first the robots need to acquire a map and thanks to the Internet plus eBay (yes really!) Optimus Prime and his group of Autobots track down a teenager who has it. The item in question turns out to be a pair of glasses, which happens to have an imprint of the location on the lens!

Rising Hollywood star Shia LaBeouf plays Sam Witwicky, who receives his first car from his father. The car was no ordinary vehicle however, but it turns out to be Autobot Bumblebee! But unlike the original cartoon series, the yellow car with black racing stripes is based on a 1977 Chevrolet Camaro instead of a Volkswagen Beetle.

The alien robot is tasked to protect Sam, who is in a possession of something his great-great-grandfather (Captain Archibald Witwicky) owned. If the item falls into the wrong hands such as the evil Decepticons, then the world and mankind will be destroyed.

Meanwhile, as the US military led by Secretary of Defense John Keller (Jon Voight) and his team of advisors are trying to figure out who is hacking into their computer system and stealing classified files, Sam and his girlfriend Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) must evade the Decepticon Barricade as well as Agent Reggie Simmons (John Turturro) from the secret government group Sector 7.

Being a Michael Bay movie, the action scenes speak louder than words and it is not surprising that the CGI-heavy fighting sequences take centre stage in this two-hour plus film. The poor dialogue, humour and a lack of plot doesn’t help but to make up for that are some of the most impressive special effects thanks to the creative geniuses at Industrial Light & Magic (ILM). The detail of each robot when transforming are stylish and far more complex compare to the original.

Overall an entertaining film that will please fans but for others, a lack of character development and its ridiculous story will put off many.

One of my favourite actress – Elisha Cuthbert - might be coming back to her familiar role in a movie adaptation of the hit ‘real time’ drama 24, but only if her character plays a more significant part. The Canadian star used to play the part of Kimberly Bauer, the on-screen daughter of Kiefer Sutherland’s agent Jack Bauer of the Counter Terrorist Unit in Los Angeles.

However, Elisha would prefer that the TV producers let her share some of the action with her busy on-screen dad. She says: “There’s definitely room for (a movie). But it depends on whether or not Kiefer can take it any more! The poor guy’s been hacking away at Jack Bauer for years.

“If he’s into it, it’ll be great, because everything he does is awesome [damn straight Elisha!]. People love to watch my character Kim, but she’s also a bit of a spanner in the works and I wouldn’t want her to be that [like that infamous cougar scene]. Three years ago I wanted her to be Jack’s partner and kick ass [Kim was working at CTU], but to the producers it was like, ‘We’ve got to be realistic about this.’ But if the movie comes round and it works to have her there, then I’d love to play her again.”

It would be fantastic if she came back in the role of Kim Bauer in the highly anticipated movie based on my favourite television show. I am aware that her current film, Captivity, is considered to be the worst movie in her short career as a serious film actress but to return to her famous role, as daughter of Jack Bauer is a dream came true.