Stanley Kubrick Films: 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

If you know me well, then you will most certainly know that I have been a big Stanley Kubrick aficionado for at least 4 years now.  His obsessive attention to detail, his painstaking labour in the art of motion pictures and his subversive nature in telling stories is simply a  delight for me to see and hear. And I, for one, have never seen such a bonding of craft and workmanship in any body of work than I have in his films. Kubrick always delved into different genres, and in doing so, constantly shocked and surprised every one of his viewers. As Steven Spielberg stated in his "Look Back at Stanley" interview, Kubrick had this "fail safe button" where it is always impossible to turn off a Kubrick film. A subjective statement though it may be, I have always found a lot of truth with that. And the resonance of that truth couldn't be any truer than with his Sci-Fi epic that I will be reviewing today. His most important film will always be 2001: A Space Odyssey.

2001: A Space Odyssey is a film that was crafted with so much effort and love that each scene always elicits so many smiles from me. It was also a film I disliked when I first seen it. I knew of the greatness that it yielded since all subsequent Sci-Fi films (like Star Trek and Star Wars) were influenced monumentally by it (George Lucas even commented in the extras that he had wanted to make a film that would match the scale of 2001. And as the Star Wars films retain many references to their predecessors, it's no surprise that it took some conventions from that film) and it changed the form of conventional storytelling as we know it. But I was meandering through the film at first rather than embracing it. The Dawn of Man was very slow for me, and the Jupiter mission failed to interest me. But after that first viewing of the film, there was a compulsion to watch it again. The images of the Ships and Pods in Space as they slowly circulate was so jawdropping and enticing that I realised that this film was simply a completely different experience to any other film that I had ever seen. It wasn't a film that was inherently bad on any level. But it was certainly new territory for me, being a novice to Kubrick and films of the 50's and 60's. As repeated viewings commenced, I slowly realised that the film would become one of my top 20 favourite films of all time (and it was even my favourite film for a short while).

I decided to properly deconstruct this film now since I went to see the HD re-release that Glasgow Film Theatre are hosting from the 28th of November to the 4th of December. And it made me love the film even more. If you were ever tentative about seeing the film due to length, a lack of dialogue or for its ambiguous riddles that are littered throughout, then I seriously recommend watching it on the big screen. The opening with the eclipse as it gets highlighted by the sun was grandiose and it spellbound me throughout. I found that each scene on the big screen had the most minute of details such as being able to see people in colossal ships and even in the miniatures. You get this incredible depth of field as you travel through space. You feel the most tangible of details as you look at the Lunar surface from afar. There's a greater sense of progression by seeing it from afar because it doesn't make you feel lost in Space with the the people as they try to locate the mysterious Monolith. You feel like you are part of that quest as the camera angles, impeccable sound design and laboriously made sets give you the entire ambience of where our discovery takes us. And all of this ambience is aided by an incredible collection of classical music stemming from such artists like Johan Strauss and Legeti. There is many reasons why classical music, on a subconscious and psychological level, really appeals to me. But this film and Amadeus really embed these kinds of compositions in my head. Ligeti's powerful music emanates throughout the Jupiter mission section of the film, and it does a great job of establishing the base of each ship and planet. It is the epitome of Space Ballet to subconsciously tune you into the film's mood.

The film (for me) is broken up into 4 sections. The first section involves the Dawn of Man and how apes behaved in their own territory and the entire beauty of life back then. The second section involves the Jupiter mission that introduces Dr. Floyd who is secretly trying to find the Monolith buried under the Lunar surface. As the Monolith takes over, we then get the third section which establishes one of the most amazing characters of all time, HAL 9000. The third section involves the quest with Dave and Frank as they try and find the Monolith. As their resistance to the mission grows, HAL becomes increasingly more unstable in his decision making and as he controls the ship they are on, tries to cause havoc anyway he can. And the fourth section is the Monolith carrying us through this loopy trip into the complete unknown. Kubrick had collaborated with Douglas Trumbull (one of the people who helped out with the special effects) and in doing so, used a Pan and Scan effect that created trippy colours. Each region was mountainous, grainy and full of reflections. The images of Dave in this room as he ages within the scene is strange but never out of place. It is more proof of Kubrick's unconventional storytelling techniques and while the ambiguity of it may turn some off, it only heightened my interest of the entire film.

The film's pacing in these sections slows down and picks up speed at the right times. It allows you to embrace the Dawn of Man, while showing you their savage ways, their methods for foraging and how they treat eachother. The Jupiter section slows down the most, but it treats you to an effective musical composition and it slowly gets you accustomed to each fleeting ship and floating planet as we go on the voyage.  It displays the beauty of cinema in its lighting and mystery. We always see what Dr. Floyd and his crew see, and we get just as beguiled by it as the others do. By the time we reached discovery, the third sections kicks in, leaving us clueless still. I love that because it makes the Monolith a plot device throughout the entire film, and keeps us waiting for what will happen next, which a lot of great directors are aware of. The third section is my favourite in the film because we get to see the simple days that go by with Dave, Frank and Hal here. The vertical shafts as you see Frank exercising, the sketching done by Dave and even virtual chess with Hal. And as it goes on, you can see Dave and Frank becoming more robotic in their processes, while Hal becomes more and more human as he begins to suspect their worries in carrying out this dangerous mission. Hal adds a completely different nuance since up to that point, the film had no real proper threat in it, outside of the Monolith. And it really shows a disturbing possibility that machinery will take over humanity. In a consumer world, where we all use phones, computers and tablets, it's safe to say we already rely on technology more than we may think. This film and "A Clockwork Orange" are definitely Kubrick's most realistic films in many ways, even with their surreal elements.
The fourth section is so memorable, and yet still shocking everytime you see it. We really get to the same emotional point that Dave does in abandoning all logic. What I love about this section is thinking what is out there and the possibility of deities way beyond. It makes you think as well as feel and the ending is so open-ended and feels a lot more like an introduction than an ending.

Overall, after watching it again at the GFT with amazing quality control, polish and detail, I can safely say that this film gets better and better the more I watch it. The documentary feel of the Dawn of Man complimented by amazing photography of each set, incredible direction that keeps us in a loop as we go on the quest, the shocking reality of Hal as a machine, the amazing collection of Classical music, the visual effects, especially near the end, and minute details hidden in space and within each interior, 2001 will always rank as my second favourite Kubrick film (behind Barry Lyndon) and one of my top 20 films of all time. Apart from some clothing decisions which date the film ever so slightly, the entire production has aged extremely well. My only real issues with the film would be that some of the acting is stilted, the apes look a little bit fake and some of the scenes where the pods float look a little out of place. But apart from that, it is a film that will transport you into its world.

“The Dark Knight rises meets my ravenous expectations that it’s above the “Comic” label”

Lucas Bolton

Christopher Nolan is one of the most universally lauded directors of this past decade.  So many people have proclaimed him on the pantheon with People like Fritz Lang, Howard Hawk, John Ford, F.W. Murneau and even Spielberg – Nolan is part of a different category of directors.  At once, he’s a shrewd business man who knows that 3D doesn’t cultivate the viewing of a film if the film itself has the right dimensions in sound and in visual.  And generally he’s a master writer and a craftsman of the highest axiom.

So obviously I went to see “The Dark Knight Rises” at the cinema.  It was cued outside to such an extent that I had such trepidation about going in.  So the chief person in the theatre gave me free access due to my Asperger’s Syndrome, but not to sit rather just to get out the atmosphere, albeit I was the first Person to sit.  Essentially it was so that I could occupy a seat at the end of isle 3 without anybody purloining the seat and chiefly so that only the Person I went with sat next to me rather than any other marginal Person as I find that uncomfortable.

I emphasise this atmosphere so that I can lucidly articulate the sheer extent of Nolan’s postponing of a film for 4 years.  In a way, breaking that gap up with the wondrous mindscape “Inception” not only gave People something to chew, but also made Nolan’s film the modern version of Citizen Kane – copied, but never imitated – or like Metropolis – Modern and bold, part of both gothic pop rock and the helm of Sci-Fi.  Inception was the film that made me aware that Nolan’s sometimes inscrutable narrative and thoroughly mapped out character development was the key component into how his Batman films are so revered.  Subsequently watching Inception, I then thought that he could never top it or even make another great film.   “The Dark Knight” and “Inception” stand for something more than just films. “Inception” was like “2001: A Space Odyssey” (which Nolan loves) and something more akin to Ingmar Bergman’s “Persona” whereby it questions our constant loopholes in the world, how routine is almost an endless pool of the same thing like “Limbo” and how the fantasy vs reality of a film is comparable to the visual of our world.  The questions are ambiguous due to the divisive open-ended ending, which is what Nolan is great at; provoking thought. “The Dark Knight” questions our sanctimonious morality in how one Man can be so demoralized by another that it’s almost incomprehensible to us how we respond to such psychological torture.  Christian Bale was coming of age in that film, still playing the philanthropic, party boy bachelor while also debunking frauds and going through trial and error with nuances and depth.  

In short, I thought Bale was never what you would call a “Method Actor”. His stamina and physical commitment to the role is sublime, but his raspy, jarred cadences could sometimes undermine an otherwise formidable vigilante.  But with “The Dark Knight Rises” still percolating in my mind, what I have come to realize is that Bale’s abilities, tones and voice come from his almost devout dedication to the role.  I understood the character less in this film and I think that was for the better, whereas in “The Dark Knight” part of the reason why Heath Ledger was so revered was because you barely knew him.  All you knew was that he blamed the world for his madness, whilst simultaneously trying to afflict it, for People to be in an empathy machine.  His plans were so cryptic that it kept you hypothesising and thinking about how you would react to the situation.  It reminds one of Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke” in relation to the Joker’s monologue.  It kept me thinking so much that I had to read that Graphic Novel in order to get a perspicacious view into this dark and tormented mind.

But the strange thing is, as much as I love The Joker (The Nicholson, the Mark Hamill one, The Cesare Romero (for sentimental value!) and Heath Ledger one) and so many other people do, he’s not my favourite Batman villain.  I eventually came to loving Bane more than Batman after playing “Batman Arkham Asylum” where he’s juiced up by Titan chemicals.  This was it for me – when I heard Tom Hardy from Bronson and who played Eames in Inception was going to occupy the role I already preconceived the film as Nolan’s magnum opus and my personal favourite. 

Tom Hardy was so physically adroit and so menacing in his portrayal.  His eyes had no soul what so ever, but his voice encompassed all of the emotive power that the actor had to convey.

One of the rare things to find in Dramas like this is your understanding of the villains.   This plays off other characters brilliantly.   The Bane In this film was not a generic monster as he had been so woefully interpreted by in “Batman and Robin” or a “sidekick”.  He was a Man that had to survive in The League of the Shadows.   It questions the genesis of all villains and Bane is no exception.  In trying to make the best out of his situation, his mind could never recover and his power could wreath upon Gotham City as Rah’s Al Ghul had wanted.    

Bane has to try and find a way for Bruce Wayne’s fusion reactor to detonate the whole city.  Fox and him were the only ones who had known about it, whereas everybody else was mainly ignorant.  But whereas this was made to try and preserve the energy and help the People of Gotham City, it has put Bruce Wayne in financial decrepitude and made him reputed to be a recluse.   The risks were so great, but Bane could take these risks if it was an unstable device.   Deep underground his plans of snuffing out Bruce Wayne from his fantastically gothic and unlikely cave would sure to be a success with the havoc he’s causing.

I also couldn’t help, but find that the Alfred is so profoundly great in this film that you hate him.  Like the way you would just say “I hate you” without meaning it.  I verily believe that this is Cane’s best role; in the other films, he was more enthused to help Batman to get him to protect a city and to serve for a purpose without failure.  Not just a Man in a costume, but rather one of the higher respected Men in authority.  Cane doesn’t move that way in this film.  He can be cantankerous and full of emotion.  At some points you understand why he did what he did and then in others you want to know more.  That’s film as a telepathic machine, very much like “Sunrise” or any of Borzage’s films.  They penetrate deep into your spirit, which is greatly emphasised in The League of Shadows as well.

If you had went to see Marvel’s “The Avengers” this year and were impressed by Joss Whedon’s alacrity in the writing and the amazingly cast roles that’s great.  But taking a look at this film and the way it conveys its deeply grounded narrative, in the same light as Frank Miller’s “Dark Knight Returns” and combining past films, you’ll start thinking that The Avengers was a comical film of great quality, but it didn’t handle as many adult dilemmas as Christopher Nolan’s film does.

And also we have Anna Hathaway playing Selina Kyle/Catwoman .  I love how we don’t have origins as we did in “Batman Returns”.  She was always a masterful “Cat” Burglar who knew ways of getting into safes and vaults and how to fight off highbrow Men and People of high standards.   I have a special penchant for “Batman Returns” (or you could say a guilty pleasure!), but I was never satisfied with the superficiality to Kyle’s transition into being Catwoman.  It was rushed and flaccid.   The atmosphere and the deep dark shadows though gave it a fascinating quality.   Hathaway’s portrayal though proves how iconic Pfeiffer was in the role, while also staying original.   She’s a crook, but one with purpose.  Her diverse morality was great as well – how she would say that her and Batman were saps for staying in a place where you don’t get what you should be reciprocated, while initially hesitating to do anything for Gotham being greatly persuaded by Bruce Wayne.

Joseph Gordon Levitt was a powerhouse actor in this film, as was Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman and Marion Cotillard.  Gary Oldman was definitely proving himself to be more than just Comissioner Gordon in this film.  This is what you would envision a dedicated citizen to be and a deeply corrupting Man below the height of his authority.  There’s a real sense of “The Dark Knight Returns” when you see how he’s depicted storywise.

As well as the people that populate, Gotham City is a valid world just as Joh Frederson’s world in Metropolis is, the world in Blade Runner and the skewed world in Bernardno Bertoluccio’s “The Conformist”.  It’s so rich and detailed and where they chose to shoot the film in places like Glasgow and so forth was even more enticing as our illusion of reality gets reiterated even more.   Each composition of the film makes you aware of the key to lighting Batman and my favourite moments with Bruce Wayne are when he’s in that cavernously lit cave trying to trace back the address to Selina Kyle where Alfred makes his frank speech. 

In other words, Christian Bale in this film has become the modern version of Batman to me.  I will always retain my love for Keaton’s portrayal and consider Batman 1989 to be one of my favourite films for different reasons.  But this film tops it in my opinion.  Its planes of focus on hypocrisy, the enigma of Bruce Wayne and how everybody thinks they know him, as well as detailed storylines interlinked with Bane – a burly, Darth Vader and Vincent Price voiced-like character with so much grounded intellect.  You get a feeling that “The Clean Slate” Selina wants is metaphorical to what Wayne’s done to himself and the monumentally thrilling combat and brawns in Bane and Batman perfectly complement each other and slowly subside in the 2^nd to 3^rd act.

If your faith in modern cinema is defaulting, go check out this masterpiece for it gives a cinema a higher ranking still.

Douglas Fairbanks and My Film Review of "The Black Pirate"

In 1926, audiences were coming faster and faster and growing larger and larger.  When the art form of film had augmented from Edwin S Porter's triumph "The Great Train Robbery" (1903) and even further back when Louis Lumiere showed the virtual realism of the perambulating train (back in the late 1800's) audiences were reluctant to this new art form.  It was considered a form of pantomime, and they would repudiate it as a lowbrow form of entertainment.  It was great though as time went on italian epics like "L'inferno" (1911) and "Cabiria" (1913) created epics of biblical proportions, and audiences were soon attached to it.  From this to George Melies to D.W Griffith and Victor Sjöström there was something to look forward to and become aspired to.

Douglas Fairbanks had been on the scene during the production of Black Pirate in 1926.  He starred in "When the Clouds Roll By" (1919) a debut by Victor Fleming ("Gone with the Wind" and "The Wizard of Oz"), which was about Dan, a nondescript man who gets rendered by a mad scientist to become deeply more impaired mentally.  It was a great film that showcased the vivid imagination of Fairbank's script.  It was also a disorderly story that perpetuates old superstitions in the hope of bringing it together to form a marriage (if you watch it, you'll know what I mean!).  Regardless of how off the wall it was, it's a happy and well done story, even with its racial undertones (prevalent back then) and it also showed the evolution of pop culture as there's a scene where the chauffeur is Chaplin-quasi.
Fairbanks became a rogue starring in The Mark of Zorro 1920 Allan Dwan's 1922 Robin Hood, Raoul Walsh's The Thief of Bagdad and many more.  He was even married to Mary Pickwalsh, so he was a huge stellar in his day.

"Black Pirate" was nearing the end of Fairbanks' career.  He also write the movie, which Albert Parker directed from.

It's about a young avenger who tries to avenge his Father's death.  The film chronicles Fairbanks' acrobatic flare, and the sets are lavish.  The melancholy of the people forced to work influences us more to see justice prevail.  However, if you are accustomed to Fairbanks, this will not be any different to you - he's a pariah and must take matters into his hands.  "I shall solemnly swear to avenge you, Father” (paraphrasing), what encapsulates the motivations of Fairbanks.  He’s sort of like a picaresque character underneath the undercurrents of being part of a social distinction, but always raging against it.

Parkers connection with the melancholy and swashbuckling elements is, while not subtle, hard to recognise at first because you sort of forget the motives behind it, and you get really totally involved with what's happening on the foreground.

It was made with a simple story arch that Fairbanks then inherited and as he looks and is very iconic, he would of course find a woman near the end of the film.

The film is built with a splendor and it purports to be have been one of the earliest technicolor (with "Star Struck" directed by Allan Dwan, starring Gloria Swanson, which was distributed a year prior).  With the Black and White negative that I have (not the Kino fully restored version) it's still as thrilling in my opinion as it never detracts from the iconography and it gives it that authenticity.  In 1926, with the technicolor negative, critics were comparing it to the great paintings from centuries.  It was starting to entice audiences and you can imagine how unprecedented it must have seemed to certain people at that time to see the film in such a kinetic way.

Fairbanks' adversary is a Captain, who is similar to Captain Nemo or Hook.  He's not that indelible or memorable, but he sets the trend for this functional type of antagonist or tyrant.  He still feels somewhat lacking in depth for me though, which is saved by the investment we have in Fairbanks, and as it builds on powerful wielding and its closure is similar to "The Mark of Zorro" leaves you with a bittersweet feeling, but as drawn from the experience, enthralling and sumptuous.

Black Pirate

Batman 1989 Review

Batman is the first comic/superhero movie to really take a darker approach at Adult interactions, subtlety and epic battles. It was in direction by dark visionist, Tim Burton who was inspired to adapt the movie due to the critically acclaimed graphic novel “Batman Year One” and Alan Moore’s “The Killing Joke” which took a more direct approach at the character of The Joker (which captivated more of the psychotic, malevolent, and totally demented laughter that the villain has gained recognition for)

The Protagonist Batman is played by versatile actor, Michael Keaton, whose arch nemesis is played by Jack Nicholson, who takes the Joker’s persona, and totally gives him the edge with his weird, crazy, sick, degenerate, and totally self absorbed traits!

The other supporting cast are Jack Palance as the mob boss, and owner of axis chemicals, Carl Grissom, Billy Dee Williams as Harvey Dent the attorney, Kim Bassinger as Vickie Vale, Pat Hingle as Commissioner Gordon, and Michael Gough as the loyal butler Alfred Pennyworth.

The story involves an already suspicious vigilante, Batman, who has been cleaning up the city of Gotham, and has never been noted by anyone except the thugs he’s struck a long term fear on, and a news reporter Alexander Knox. But Knox is incapable of proving he genuinely exists. When Knox is acquainted with Photojournalist Vickie Vale, she becomes fascinated in the bachelor, Bruce Wayne. During this Jack Napier gets tricked by his boss, Grissom that there is business to be taken care of at Axis Chemicals because Harvey Dent tries to clean up the city as an inclusion he also plans to take further actions with Axis Chemicals (a company that’s branched out a lot of chemicals). When Grissom tricks Napier by calling the police and rat them out, Batman shows up and throws him into a vat of chemicals thus the genesis of The Joker. The Joker is psychotic, annoyed, and completely insane. When he’s on a rampage, Batman discovers secrets about him, as does Vickie when she finds out things about Bruce Wayne...

I love this movie. It captivates an essence of the comics that I admire, the era of the roots, the subtle psychosis and enigma of Bruce Wayne as the breaking, middle ground for Batman, the sick and simultaneously guilty laughter of The Joker’s one liners, and a back-story between The Batman and The Joker. It’s tense, strong on visuals, and full of energetic fighting mixed in with Danny Elfman (the music composer)’s epic score that gets you enthusiastic in completely routing for the caped crusader on his quest after his discover that builds up the potential for wanting the Joker dead.

Now, granted, there are people who still disagree about the morality of Batman killing, Batman keeping distanced in the dark, The Joker getting more screen time, and how this movies story is barely preached to the extent of it having ‘substance’. And there are people who enjoy Batman, The Joker’s weird comments, The Love interest, and undeniably the music.

The gadgets are very traditional; the sets are of an anonymous era (which sort of makes it an ordeal to imagine where it is – Although it is during a golden age where the motives and so on are concerned).

0verall, Tim Burton’s shot at Batman is very grim, dark, and a pleasure to watch. Some people think it’s a visual amazement – I think it’s the ultimate barrier breaker in the historical sense of comic book movies. It was also the movie to really get petitioned for the ’12’ rating due to the fact it wasn’t that ‘bad’ in terms of how it’s got factors and aspects to really be a 15. But it’s Burton’s image, and it’s something that I myself enjoy.

Movie Thoughts and Reviews

Movies are a great way of deviating your mind from the real world into a new visual scope and an ideal outlook at what's different. Sometimes they have morals, sometimes they speak a lot of truth on True Stories, they are made to scare you to an extreme, they are sci-fi, and that's only a brief list of what genres that are avalable.

On this blog I intend on sharing my sentiments and feelings on historical movies, and even some modern age movies. Movies are what I admire most - I love how serious they can be taken, and I love how realistic they make it feel from how I personally perceive them.  I like many movies, but I tend to have more of a fascination on Horror Movies, Visual Movies, Psychological Movies, Comic Book Movies, Sci-Fi Movies - I have a variety of interests relating to Genres, subjects and concepts of many movies. But there are a lot more out there that may meet other peoples expectations differently, and not how mines are anticipated.

But with my Blog I'll be able to give a bit of a deeper look into films. I will give a more elaborate scale on what I found to be the highlights, what the story consists of and maybe what you could consider a little bit of nit picking and minor flaws (As I don't really look at a movie to find out what I really dislike about it - If I dislike a movie I usually put it to the side, unless the badness of it can evolve into something much better).

So I'll keep people updated on the best watches, my recommendations and the movies that you maybe should stay away from if it's not to your cultural or genre based interests. But I will keep everyone informed!