Heaven Help Us

Education is a big part of our lives, from the moment that we're born to the day we die, our minds are constantly learning new things. But it's the teenage years that society try's to push as much as possible on us, and no matter which form we're taught with we always think that we have it tougher than other people. This film examines a Catholic boys school in Brooklyn during the 1960s and all of the pressures that went a long with being a teenager during those times. With a stellar cast that includes Donald Sutherland and Andrew McCarthy the audience is shown a very realistic view of the education that the Catholic faith was dishing out n the 60s.
A Catholic education at St. Basil's is grueling for the students but the Brothers have to work twice as hard in order to this new batch of students in line. At the time that this film originally came out it was amazing to see the strong young talent that was blossoming on the screen. With a strong storyline and the director, Michael Dinner, who shot the scenes with an authentic eye, the audience is shown a slice of life in the 60s that isn't usually talked about. The performances from the younger members of the cast show how the versatility they are within their craft, since each character goes through life affirming changes we get to see these actors shine in a more down to Earth roles.
This film falls into my classification of a guilty pleasure film, it wasn't a huge success and where the subject matter is very specific the target audience was to small to bring the film to the forefront of the general public, but I love watching it for the Catholic comedy and the sly way it looks at religion. With the star power that was gathered for this film I'm sure the studio thought that there would have been more attention paid to it but when this film was released in 1985 the audience attention was already turning away from nostalgic films that were to specific in their subject matter. This film can be classified in a number of different categories comedy, drama, nostalgic, however you want to look at it it's fun to watch and to see these young actors before their careers sky-rocketed is a treat in itself.

Max Payne

It's very easy for an actor to be stereotyped into a certain type of role, if not an individual character, and unfortunately it takes years to over come the situation if they can get past it at all. You don't see it much now a days but regrettably it does happen and Mark Wahlberg seems to be the latest victim of the stereotype bug. His role in this movie is the same type character that he has played in other films repeatedly, the emotional, high strung, tough willed cop who is out to do the right thing. The character of Max Payne is based on the 2001 video game of the same name which blended aspects of Norse mythology with the action of the Hong Kong cinema. But like so many things that sound good together it just didn't work out that way for the film, even with the success of the games there just wasn't enough substance to keep a movie audience interested.
Max Payne, an undercover DEA agent in New York City, unwillingly teams up with a female assassin to solve and avenge the murder of his family. With the added story aspect of Norse mythology it was interesting to watch the different characters and references throughout the film. But the way some of these characters and situations are presented only helps to confuse and disorient the story. The highlights of this film are the fight scenes, with the well choreographed action and the added slow motion effects, some of the effects are reminiscent of The Matrix, your left wanting more but your left denied every step of the way.
This film had so much potential from the very beginning, with the huge fan base of the game to the fans of Wahlberg this film should have had more legs in the theater. But the average movie going still demands more substance in the stories that they watch, and if anything is lacking their not shy about telling you. I have never played the Max Payne games but I'm sure the game makers didn't hinge every story plot they had one the first game, giving you more then enough information so you knew what was going on. Regrettably the film makers chose not to give the audience all of the story, and prayed that they'd have a hit so that they could tell the rest of the story in the sequel. So between Wahlberg playing a moody cop, an incomplete story for the film and the loss of the strong fan base its very unlikely that there will be a sequel, but you never know stranger things have come out of the Hollywood machine.

Catfish

How much of our lives are truly on the web for everyone to see, and the other side of that coin is how much is the truth. This film examines what happens when the truth collides with fantasy, and most things turn out okay. The other thing that this film examines is the use of technology as the primary source of communication, with out a face-to-face conversation a relationship is started and then, like we’ve all heard a thousand times, one of the people is not telling the truth about themselves. Shocking that people out there don’t tell the truth about themselves, just shocking.
Two film makers document the events that unfold when a young artist named Abby contacts Nev, a photographer, through Facebook, and the relationships that manifest with her sister and mother. Shot as a true documentary helps keep this story grounded in reality, at a number of times during the film you would expect something spectacular to happen, but where this is real life we just move on to the next scene. One thing that is working in the films favor is that the camera work is steady, the frame does not jump around like other documentaries and it gives the audience a chance to focus on the scene and not the movement of the camera.
This film wasn’t all that I thought it was going to be, true there was some suspense but the reviewers that were liking this to Alfred Hitchcock I believe were off base. You do get sucked into the story, and that’s a good thing, but when the conclusion is unfolded you feel a little let down. The film was enjoyable and worth watching, to say I’d see it again, probably not, I’ve seen it once and I’ve had my fill of catfish.

3

The examination of ones life usually doesn't happen until that persons death, and well known celebrities have the same problem. But once the people know the story before that person became famous a new appreciation for that person grows. Dale Earnhardt definitely falls into this category, outside of the racing world there wasn't that much knowledge about the man and what his life was like. Yet once he died his name, and the number of his car became so well known that everyone knew who Dale was, how he lived and how he died.
Dale Earnhardt was born to race and through all of the hardships and trials of his life, he did what he loved to do up until the day he died. The mix of recreated races and real footage of the events keeps the movie at a pace that Earnhardt would have been proud of. Seeing him as a young man chasing his dream, capturing it and taking it for all it was worth is inspiring and is portrayed wonderfully by Barry Pepper. With a supporting cast that helps Pepper carry this story to the unfortunate conclusion of Earnhardt's tragic death.
Earnhardt had earned the nickname of The Intimidator and after watching this story you can see why people said it was well deserved. Even though this is a made for TV movie it still has teeth that will draw you into a life that is well worth learning about. I'm personally not real into NASCAR racing, but after seeing Earnhardt's story I've grown a new appreciation for the sport.

Chapter 27

One of the heartbreaking events that most of us, over the age of 40, remember from our past was the tragic and senseless murder of John Lennon by Mark David Chapman. After all these years there still seems to be a cloud of eeriness about Chapman and the reasons why he committed such a heinous crime. This film takes a different approach to the events that lead up to that dark night in December, examining Chapman's state of mind the three days before the murder. With an overweight Jared Leto in the lead role we're shown an outstanding performance of a deeply disturbed man who had trouble separating fantasy from reality at the cost of a man's life. The delving into Chapman's mind is expertly directed by a young filmmaker by the name of Jarrett (JP) Schaefer, and with a strong film like this under his belt it will be interesting to see where he goes next.
After being obsessed with the Beatles, their music, John Lennon, and the book The Catcher in the Rye, Mark David Chapman believes that Lennon is the focal point of the down turn in society and that killing him is the only way to set things right. Where the story is only set three days before the murder there is a lot of information that has to be digested to understand what's going on. But with the actors pouring all they can into the characters the audience isn't left out in the cold at any point. One of the strongest things that you seeing during the story is the battle between Chapman's mind and his continence on whether or not to go through with the act of killing Lennon.
It is chilling to see this story played out, considering that there were only a handful of people there at the time, and most of us could only visualize what had actually happened. Seeing how close Chapman could get to Lennon only reinforces the need for celebrities to have security during their comings and goings. It's surprising to see all of the connections that Chapman could make between Lennon, his music and the book The Catcher in the Rye, but that's the way a disturbed mind works, and as you watch the film you can almost believe in what he's saying. After seeing this film I was left with some raw emotions about what had happened that December night in 1980, where at the age of 40 the world lost one of the greatest songwriter history.

Dead Man

Mistaken identity usually doesn't cause any hardships beyond a little embarrassment, but when its part of a series of unfortunate events your lucky to walk away with your life. With bad situations mounting on one man, Jim Jarmusch directs Johnny Depp in this wonderfully constructed story set in the old west, about one man who ends up at death door through a series of events that are none of his own making. Shot completely in black and white to give it the air of an older film, this movie draws you into the lifestyle of the west and how Easterners viewed the change in culture from one part of the country to the other.
After being accused of murder, and accidentally being shot in the process, William Blake is on the run for what little life he has left when he runs into an Indian who mistakes him for a dead English writer by the same name. Using authentic settings and realistic characters that seem to have stepped right out of history, the audience is taken on a trip that's memorable and leaves it's mark on your very being. From the moment that Blake is shot the story takes on an eeriness that gets creepier and creepier all the way to the very end. Along the way to his final demise the characters that Blake encounters enhance that feeling of creepiness as they become more and more the degenerates of society. The cast that Jarmusch gathered for this film range from Depp to Iggy Pop to John Hurt and Robert Mitchum, in one of his last roles before he died.
In the way of westerns this is not one of those shoot'em up action films, its more about character development and the interaction of those characters with others. Where the film is shot in black and white, there is a dreamlike air to the story and with that comes a believability that anything is possible. One of the underlying plotlines in the story is about mortality, and after watching this film you begin to wonder about your own mortality and what you'll leave behind.
One last thought, after watching this film I've got a whole picture in my head now when I hear the phrase "Dead Man Walking," considering Blake is going through most of the movie with a bullet lodged in his chest.

Batman: Gotham Knight

There has begun a new trend that seems to be taking the video market by storm, and that's the creation of sequels through animation films. Some of these films are stand alone stories or their used as sequels, prequels or, like in this case, to bridge the storyline between the live action films. With such a large base of resource material for this franchise, you wouldn't think that there would be a need for a bridge but it works and gives the fans something to gnaw on as they wait for the next film.
Six short animated films describe the journey Bruce Wayne/Batman travels between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. With the introduction of characters from the Batman universe the audience gets to witness these characters fleshed out on film, and how they helped mold The Batman into the crime fighter that he is. With the idea of expanding the character of Batman, and his surrounding universe the film makers and writers have served up six well told stories that leave the audience wanting more after each tale. The one villain that is showcased here that many people forget about in this realm is Killer Croc, and with the story that he is in here you can see quite clearly how the Croc character could be used in a future film.
From the different styles of animation that are used to the gritty stories that are unfolded the audience is exposed to a dark and sinister world that Batman inhabits, and from the comic books to the films this is the true world of the Batman. Each and every tale here is enjoyable and well worth watching, the beauty of this film, like so many others of this new genre, they don't need to be watched in conjunction with the other films but it does enhance them. So if you are a Batman fan I wouldn't miss this film.