MOVIES:
Steven Spielberg once said “the only thing better than seeing movies is
reading about them.”
We agree. This month:
Anvil: The Story of Anvil,
Rudo y Cursi and The Hangover.
DVD'S:
The brothers Sayre are in full force: David Sayre reviews
No Country For Old Men: the Special Edition and The
Wrestler, and Rick Sayre reviews "True Blood: Season
One."
MUSIC:
Juan Marcos Percy reviews Green Day's new album, 21st
Century Breakdown, and explains "The Promise if Bruce
Springsteen." Rick Sayre reviews Jeff Buckley's Grace
Around the World:Deluxe Edition.
BOOKS:
A Prayer for Owen Meany
by John Irving.
FOCUS:
Chris Wilson's comic strip "Dracula's Blog."
SPOTLIGHT:
Rick
Sayre shares with us a little bit about what makes him a "Balehead."
MOVIES:
Movies Lily Saw: Anvil: The Story of
Anvil, Rudo y Cursi and The Hangover.
The summer movie season is off to a brilliant start, a surprising albeit
welcome treat considering it’s the summer and not the fall, which
usually means more popcorn blockbusters and less art house fare. And yet
the indies and comedies are in full force.
First up is Anvil: The Story of Anvil, a terrific documentary by
Sacha Gervasi (a die-hard Anvil fan himself) about the heavy-metal
Canadian rock band Anvil. The band had some success in the early 80s,
paving the way for bands like Metallica and Anthrax among many others,
and indeed the doc features Lars Ulrich and Slash waxing poetic on the
brilliance of the band. Outside of the uber-heavy metal fan however, no
one has heard of the band, and after record debacle after record
debacle, the documentary finds Anvil at a particularly difficult point
in their career, twenty-something years after their short-lived success.
The documentary is brilliant—tender and sincere and heartbreaking. You
really root for Anvil’s success and you especially fall in love with
lead singer Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, a guy so passionate, driven and
charismatic that he could charm the pants right off of you. Critics have
called Anvil: The Story of Anvil a kind of real-life Spinal
Tap but I think that’s unfair—Anvil is not a comedy, it is the
tragic and brutal reality of what it takes to be a rock band in today’s
music business.
Rudo y Cursi
is Cha Cha Cha’s first film for Universal. The production company was
formed by Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro and Alejandro González
Iñárritu and the movie was written and directed by first-time filmmaker,
and Alfonso Cuarón’s brother, Carlos, who also wrote Y Tu Mama
Tambien in 2001. The movie stars Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna,
best friends in real life, as the brothers Rudo y Cursi, respectively.
The two become soccer stars overnight and the film is really a chance to
explore what fame and success means in Latin America, and for Bernal and
Luna to do what they do best—charm and bicker together onscreen. The
movie is funny and endearing, and especially well-directed considering
it is Carlos Cuarón’s first time out, but it lacks any of the depth or
emotion that many of his brother’s films so easily exhibit. Rudo y
Cursi is a fun movie to watch but it is fairly middle-of-the-road,
and that is something that you would never think to say about any of
Cuarón, del Toro or Iñárritu’s films.
The latest bromance comedy, The Hangover, had all of the
makings of a movie whose funniest and raunchiest punch lines were all
included in the trailer. (Think Stepbrothers.) But low and
behold, The Hangover is even funnier and raunchier than the
trailer makes it out to be. All of the pivotal plot points are revealed
in the trailer—four guys go to Vegas for a bachelor party only to wake
up the next morning with no memory of the previous night and no sign of
the groom—and let’s be honest, there’s not much of a plot to begin with,
but the gags and the zany adventures are all inspired ideas from the
director of Old School, and the writers of more predictable fair
such as Four Christmases and Ghosts of Girlfriends Past.
The movie actually gave me a laugh-headache and I was doubled over in
fits of laughter for most of the film. Zach Galifianakis is incredible
as the very ‘special’ Alan, as is Ed Helms in a surprising turn as Stu,
the more reserved member of the gang. But the real star of the film is
the film itself—just when you think it’s gone far enough it goes even
farther, making you cringe in both horror and delight at what you are
watching unfold before your eyes. I know that not everyone is a fan of
the raunchy male comedies of late but I for one can’t get enough of
them. If every bromance were as bravely absurd and vulgar as
The Hangover, I would finally be able to stop turning to bad action
movies to get my small much-needed dose of testosterone.
I have to admit that I was a bit at a loss to see how Alan Ball, the
brilliant writer of American Beauty and creator of “Six Feet
Under” was going to be involved in bringing to television a vampire show
based on a series of, frankly, silly looking books featuring a Southern
gal with the improbable name of Sookie Stackhouse. As a bookseller, I
had, I suppose, been committing the ultimate sin of judging books by
their covers. (Although my trusted advisors assure me that Charlaine
Harris’s series is a terribly guilty pleasure and that my judgment was
pretty accurate.) Nevertheless, despite the winning combination of Ball
and HBO, I was skeptical. In fact, I didn’t give the show a chance until
it was about four episodes in. But after the first taste, I ended up
spending four hours glued to the screen and anxiously awaiting my chance
to see the next episode every week thereafter.
The premise of the series is that after years of hiding their existence
from humanity, vampires have finally “come out of the coffin” after the
invention of a synthetic blood that means they no longer have to feed on
humans. While many of them blend in just fine, there are of course many
people who continue to hate them and treat them as sub-human; mostly the
conservative right and rednecks. But don’t think that means that it’s a
serious show about how close-minded bigots treat minorities. Because,
much like “Six Feet Under,” this series has got a little bit of
everything. The major storyline involves a series of shocking murders in
the small Louisiana town of Bon Temps. So there’s suspense, there is
horror, a giant romantic triangle, and did I mention the insane amount
of laughs? In fact, there is a lot of comedy, mostly supplied by
Sookie’s brother, Jason, played to pitch perfection by Ryan Kwanten. He
might initially strike you as a stupid horny redneck, but by the end of
the season Jason will win you over, despite making one dumb move after
the other.
Sookie’s best friend, Tara, is a smart-ass played by newcomer Rutina
Wesley, who gives Tara just enough fiery rage to keep her from being
totally unlikeable and gets some of the best moments of the season, from
a truly frightening exorcism scene to a deliciously nasty “Melrose
Place”-esque catfight. Tara’s cousin, Lafayette, is in some ways the
standout character of this season, thanks mostly to a flawless
performance by the great Nelsan Ellis. And of course there is Sookie,
played by Anna Paquin and her vampire beau, Bill, portrayed by Stephen
Moyer. As interesting as mind-reading Sookie and Civil War gentleman
Bill are and as great as Paquin and Moyer are in their roles, they are
(too?) often overshadowed by their more interesting supporting
characters. When Sookie meets Bill and realizes that he’s the one person
whose thoughts she can’t hear, she finds herself attracted to him, much
to the worry and dismay of her boss/friend, Sam, who has been in love
with Sookie for years. I can’t say too much about Sam without ruining
some of the season’s story, but watching the show for the second time
gave me such a strong appreciation of actor Sam Trammell’s work. In
addition to the regulars, we have fantastic turns from Lizzy Caplan,
Stephen Root, Carrie Preston and Todd Lowe, almost unrecognizable as
“Gilmore Girls’” rock-n-roll Zack.
The DVD collection includes some of the faux commercials for “True
Blood,” which is the name of the synthetic blood, as well as ads from
supporters and foes of vampire civil rights. But the meat of the special
features are definitely the commentaries on six (that’s half) of the
episodes. Best of all is Ball’s thoughts on the pilot episode, but also
worthy of a listen are Nancy Oliver (the writer/director of Lars &
the Real Girl) on my favorite episode, “To Love Is To Bury,” and a
couple of fun commentaries feature Paquin and Moyer (although not
together). HBO has released this set on the eve of the second season,
due to start airing on June 14th. We’ve got plenty of loose ends to
clear up from last season, and the exciting news that Evan Rachel Wood
will be joining the show definitely has me psyched for another season of
Southern vamps (and demons and shapeshifters and whatever that was in
the last episode…) and of course that fantastic opening sequence with
Jace Everett’s equally fantastic theme song. More bad things, please.
No Country for Old Men – 3 Disc
Collector’s Edition
The latest release of The
Coen Brothers’ Oscar winning No Country for Old Men on DVD is
certainly an improvement over the original edition that was released a
little over a year ago, but it is really not much of a monumental
difference from its predecessor. Don’t get me wrong, there are more
features and if you are as fascinated by the Coens’ dark voyage into the
heart of unstoppable evil as I am, you will still appreciate any
additional insight you can get. But I guess I’m still holding out hope
that the Brothers Coen will treat us to home video releases that include
commentary on their fine collection of work; as of yet, The Man Who
Wasn’t There is the only such picture to feature such treatment.
What you will get out of
this edition is Josh Brolin at his comedic best, two shows a night on
center stage, please tip your waitress. Ultimately what this version
boils down to is the “Josh and Javier Show.” While the first disc is an
exact replica of the original release (the feature film and three brief
featurettes), disc two of this set features a collection of supplemental
material that break down into two basic categories: Josh Brolin’s
Unauthorized “Making of” and a promotional timeline of interviews.
Brolin’s “documentary” is tongue-in-cheek hilarity wherein Javier Bardem
speaks uncomfortably about being attacked and injured by Ethan Coen when
the actor asked his director to pass the salt at lunch, and Woody
Harrelson recalls with sheepish adulation the acts of a love that dare
not speak its name that he committed with Mr. Brolin.
The promotional timeline is
just as entertaining, yet more insightful. Again Josh Brolin is the star
of this collection of television and radio interviews, showing how
wonderful he must be to work with, impressing you one minute while
speaking with great intelligence about the film, and cracking you up the
next second with his self-deprecating humor. The video highlight of the
promotional material is an episode of “The Charlie Rose Show” featuring
both of the Coens, Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem. But another treat in
the over fifteen interview segments provided on the second disc are a
few NPR interviews. Anyone who knows anything about this periodical
knows that we have several “Pictures and Frames” staffers who are big
NPR supporters (certainly those in the know need not ask about our
wonderful Editor Lily Percy’s well-deserved admiration of Teri Gross and
my unrequited love for Michelle Norris). Well NPR provides four
interviews on this disc from shows such as “All Things Considered” and
“Morning Edition.”
The third and final disc on
the set is the digital copy, which seems to be included now on more and
more DVDs, and though the concept has been explained to me before, I
still really don’t understand the purpose. Then again I’m sort of a
Techno-Tard. But if digital copies are a plus for your DVD
purchasing, this one has got that too.
Bottom line, if you love
No Country for Old Men as much as I do, this is worth forking over
your cash, especially if you had not previously purchased this film. If
you’re not an insane cine-geek or just aren’t that crazy about the
movie, stick with the individual single disc release.
The Wrestler is a
film that affected me very deeply. I found it to be a very honest,
touching film with moving performances, a sincere script and wonderful
direction by a filmmaker of whom I’ve never particularly been a fan. So
it’s safe to say that the movie itself was more than enough to make me
want to own this DVD. The only two features on the disc are Bruce
Springsteen’s music video for the title song and a 45-minute “making of
The Wrestler” featurette. The documentary is quite interesting in
as much as it includes some comments by director Darren Aronofsky as
well as his producers and many of the crew persons. For an independent
filmmaker like myself, some of the comments are especially interesting
such as the details behind making a film on a tight budget and on a very
quick schedule. Also fascinating are interviews with stunt people
involved in the making of the film and actual professional wrestlers who
are aging just like their cinematic counterpart Randy “The Ram”. Even
though there is behind-the –scenes footage of the film’s star, Mickey
Rourke, in the documentary, there is no interview with him. Nor is there
any comment from his co-star, Marisa Tomei.
Insightful though some of
the “Making of” featurette may be, the lack of any involvement from the
film’s stars and no director’s (or actor’s) commentary make this DVD
release a tad on the disappointing side.
Green Day—the
band that always manages to surprise me. Just when you think that they
couldn’t get any better, they release their next album. 21st
Century Breakdown is the eighth album by the punk rock California
band. I don’t know about you but I can’t believe that it has been 15
years since they released Dookie; it seems like only yesterday I
was jamming to “Basket Case” thinking that it was the coolest, catchiest
song ever.
21st
Century Breakdown
was recorded in the same Rock opera style of American Idiot. The
album is split into three parts, "Heroes and Cons,” "Charlatans and
Saints,” and "Horseshoes and Hand grenades.” Its loose narrative follows
a young couple named Christian and Gloria through life in the United
States following the presidency of George W. Bush, as they "deal with
the mess our 43rd President left behind.” Green Day and Garbage’s Butch
Vig produced the album, and it’s interesting to hear how he influenced
the album by adding an in-your-face pop rock edginess to the songs.
In my opinion
there is a clear distinction between this album and Green Day’s previous
efforts. 21st Century Breakdown seems to be leaning
more towards the current pop rock movement rather than sticking to the
more traditional punk rock structure. So far my favorite tracks from the
album include: “21st Century Breakdown,” “Know Your Enemy,”
“!Viva la Gloria!” “Last Night On Earth,” “Peacemaker,” “Last of the
American Girls,” “Murder City,” “Restless Heart Syndrome,” “Horseshoes
and Hand grenades,” “21 Guns” and “See the Light.” Green Day continues
to mature both lyrically and musically taking punk rock into realms that
have never been explored.
Jeff Buckley -
Grace Around the World: Deluxe Edition
I'm always incredibly skeptical of posthumous releases as there can
sometimes be a heavy vibe of exploitation. However, I must confess that
when it comes to Columbia Records releasing more Jeff Buckley material,
I can never get enough. The newest release, Grace Around the World, is
a great set, comprised of several performances Buckley did in 1995
promoting his magnificent and legendary Grace album. Included in
the package is a 12-song CD as well as a DVD with 17 clips (12 of which
are the tracks on the CD). Serious fans are going to want the Deluxe
Edition, which is a real treat. It includes the hour-long documentary,
Amazing Grace: Jeff Buckley. It's a fantastic tribute to Jeff,
with a lot of great interview footage of him as well as new interviews
with his band members, friends, family and artists who have been
influenced by him. After more than a decade, it is impossible for me to
stop feeling the heartbreak of his loss and this beautiful collection is
once again making me think sadly of all the songs he had yet to sing,
but feel so tremendously blessed that we have the music he left us with.
Every young
musician dreams of making it big, getting a record deal, fame, girls (or
boys), money, thousands of people shouting your name and singing along
to the words you wrote on that miserable night when your girlfriend left
you because you quit your job to write songs and play guitar. As I’ve
gotten older I find that I still have those same childhood dreams and
ambitions but my interpretation of some of those things has changed. Now
I don’t mind if I don’t make it big as long as I can make enough money
playing music to support my family and myself. The other thing I want is
to be able to play in a band with musicians that share my philosophy and
love for making music. This leads me to an experience I had two weeks
ago at my first Bruce Springsteen concert.
Although I’m just
starting to become familiar with Bruce Springsteen’s music, it only took
one show for me to understand why his fans call him “The Boss.” I have
to admit that I’m envious of what the man has accomplished. I’m not just
talking about his fame and successful musical career, I’m talking about
the message he has worked so hard all of these years to teach us, the
very thing that I want: his philosophy and love for making music. If you
want to experience what I mean then buy a ticket to his next show, even
if you are not familiar with his music I promise you that you will
witness real love, friendship and music hard at work, as close to a
religious experience as you can get without meeting the Maker himself.
So do what I did, go to the concert with an open mind and enjoy one of
the last great performers as he shows you what live music should sound
and feel like.
I don’t often delve into my personal life here at P&F but this
past month has been a pretty hard one for me. I only mention this
because of the following point that it makes—whenever I’m feeling sad or
depressed or am going through a particularly rough patch, the book that
I always turn to is John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany. No
matter how bad things may seem at the time, or how bad they may actually
be, this book always comforts me and somehow breaks me out of my stupor,
if only for a brief moment.
Since reading it in my English class senior year of high school I’d say
that I’ve read Owen Meany about twice a year, and every single
time I come to appreciate yet another layer in the novel. The story
seems pretty simple on the surface—Johnny Wheelwright shares stories of
the best friend, Owen Meany, who altered his life forever—but the real
story is in the incredible series of events that lead both boys into
their respective destinies. It is a story of faith and wonder, of
coincidence and fate, and it is one that cemented for me, once and for
all, the fact that we all have a role in this world and therefore we all
have a purpose. It also has one of the greatest intros paragraphs I have
ever read:
“I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his
voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even
because he was the instrument of my mother’s death, but because he is
the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany.”
Whenever I see people on the train reading A Prayer for Owen Meany
I can’t help but smile to myself, content in the knowledge that they too
will soon be in on the secret, they too will soon have their lives
forever changed. I grew up in a pretty religious family, with parents
that definitely believe that the Bible is the instructional guide to
life that has all of the answers. And yet it is Owen Meany that
showed me that my life had true meaning, and it is Owen Meany
that continues to affirm my purpose, not The Bible or some book by Rick
Warren. Both of these books may be incredible best sellers, the top two
actually of all time, but it is Owen Meany, a best seller in it’s
own right, that I find myself turning to when I’m in closest to losing
my way.
I have been a Balehead since 1994. In fact, a year later, when
I got my first computer and went onto the Internet for the very first
time, I almost immediately used it to look for more information on
Christian Bale. I ran out of ink printing up picture after picture of
him for my wall. At the time he had been something of a mystery to me.
How I initially discovered him is a typical Rick Sayre moment: Being
distracted by a cute guy. I was working at Toys R Us, in charge of video
games and the VHS display. One day, setting up the videos, I saw the box
for a Disney film called Newsies. Around this time, I was going
through a phase where I was learning about musicals. There was a lot of
Andrew Lloyd Webber on my stereo. There was “Cats.” I had heard of
Newsies, but hadn’t seen it. At the time, pretty much no one had. It
was a box-office bomb and probably the last attempt at a big musical
until Moulin Rouge brought the genre back in 2001. However, the
guy on the cover of the video was dreamy. So I bought it. And I was
totally won over. Soon, I found myself watching Bale in Swing Kids
and Empire of the Sun, and yeah, even breaking family tradition
and going out to see Little Women when it opened in Miami on
Christmas Day. Upon my introduction to the Internet and my BFF the
Internet Movie Database, I discovered movies like A Murder of Quality
and the mini-series, “Anastasia: The Truth About Anna.” I also
discovered an online community of fans through AOL.
Oh yeah. I was an original Balehead. I was an addict. So much
so that to this day there are only two of his movies that I haven’t seen
and don’t own, both early ones, Mio in the Land of Faraway and a
mini-series called “Heart of the Country.” But what started as a crush
on the newsboy Jack Kelly and became full blown unrequited love with
Little Women’s Laurie, developed into respect and eventually
complete awe at the talent of the actor behind them. To be sure, ask me
who I think the best contemporary actor is and I will immediately
answer: Christian Bale.
Bale was born in Wales. This much we know. He’s told many a colorful
tale about his life, but revealed in an interview last year that he
tends to lie to the press. He was a child star who first received
international acclaim for his starring role in one of Steven Spielberg’s
most underrated films, Empire of the Sun. He is married, and the
father of a child. He went to an extreme length to play the lead role in
The Machinist, losing so much weight he looked like a horrifying
skeleton. Then he bulked up for the role of Batman in Batman Begins.
Yes, he blew up at a crewmember on the set of the new Terminator:
Salvation film. These are all facts. Here’s another one: He’s a
genius. So you can probably chalk up the recent controversies to the
fact that most geniuses are probably at least a little crazy. He’s an
intense, brilliant actor, though and that can’t be denied.
Bale was cast in Empire of the Sun after appearing in
“Anastasia: The Truth About Anna,” which starred Spielberg’s then-wife,
Amy Irving. Empire is based on J.G. Ballard’s novel, telling the
tale of a young British boy who is separated from his parents in China
during World War II and lives on his own in a detention camp. It’s a
fantastic tale that hinges utterly on the performance of Christian Bale
as young Jamie. His performance isn’t just good for a child, it’s great
for an actor of any age. The National Board of Review created a “Best
Performance By a Juvenile” award for his work in the movie. Bale went on
to appear briefly in Kenneth Branagh’s adaptation of Henry V.
Next was a co-starring role with Charlton Heston in the
made-for-television “Treasure Island.” A great version of the novel by
Robert Louis Stevenson, “Treasure Island” was directed by Heston’s son
and Bale played Jim Hawkins. He would also play a pivotal role in the
wonderful British TV movie, “A Murder of Quality,” a George Smiley
mystery by author John Le Carré.
When Bale signed on for Newsies, it was not actually a
musical. In the end he manages to do quite well as Jack Kelly, an orphan
who leads the newsboys of New York City in a strike. A strike that
includes lots of singing and dancing! Bale would dance again, though, as
his next film, Swing Kids, featured him as a young German in love
with jazz, dancing, and girls. When he and his friends are forced to
join the Hitler Youth, it is Bale who ends up buying into the system and
his betrayal will break your heart. It’s the first time he plays a
character so unlikeable, the first time the intensity that he is so well
known for is really seen on screen. He would go on to add a bit of crazy
to that intensity in The Prince of Jutland (or Royal Deceit), a
film that tells the story of Hamlet, without the Shakespeare. On screen
with Helen Mirren and Gabriel Byrne, Bale manages to hold his own as the
son who pretends at madness to avenge his father’s death.
Bale managed to find himself one step closer to mainstream
cinema with his work as Laurie in Gillian Armstrong’s 1994 adaptation of
Little Women. As the love of Jo March’s youth, Bale is charming
and swoon-worthy and will set your heart all a-flutter. Little did
Baleheads know that this playful side of Bale would not be seen again.
At least not until 2006, in The Prestige, which I’m fairly
certain is the next film you see him crack a smile in. You don’t see him
at all in his next project, Disney’s animated Pocahontas, in
which he voices the character of young Thomas.
Despite the fact that Little Women brought him to the
attention of many more people, Bale remained “our little secret” over
the next few years, starring in prestigious and independent films that
were never giant box office hits. In Christopher Hampton’s adaptation of
Joseph Conrad’s The Secret Agent, he plays a mentally handicapped
youth, who trusts the wrong man. In Jane Campion’s glorious take on
Henry James’s The Portrait of a Lady, he plays the stubborn young
suitor of Nicole Kidman’s stepdaughter. It was around this time that one
of my dearest friends found out that Bale would be presenting an award
for Discover Magazine at an event at Disney’s Epcot Center. Being the
slightly crazy Baleheads we were, we met up in Orlando to attend the
ceremony on May 31, 1997. After the show, we met Christian, who was
incredibly kind and staggeringly handsome. It was one of the coolest
moments of my life. (Also, I’m fairly certain that his handshake cured
my headache.) Little did I know that in another decade, he would be one
of the biggest stars on the face of the planet.
In late 1997, Christian starred in Metroland, based on
a novel by Julian Barnes. In it, he portrays a young man coming of age
in Paris and the same man, now married and in his thirties, wrestling
with infidelity. It was his first truly adult role and quite a lot to
tackle at the age of 23, but he pulls it off effortlessly. The next
year, he would also play a man at different times of his life, in Todd
Hayne’s exuberant ode to 70s glam rock, Velvet Goldmine. Bale may
not have the showiest part in the film, which also has outstanding
performances by Ewan McGregor, Toni Collette and Jonathan Rhys Meyers,
but he is the anchor to the film as a reporter who returns to the world
of his youth to unravel a mystery. It’s Citizen Kane with the
music of T. Rex and it’s one of the best movies of the 90s. Bale would
make another independent film, All the Little Animals, with John
Hurt, that year. Playing a mentally handicapped young man, Bale will
leave you in awe. Watching it again, it seems unbelievable that the
gentle soul of All the Little Animals could also be the vile
Patrick Bateman of American Psycho or the unfeeling Cleric of
Equilibrium.
1999 saw Bale shifting back into the mainstream in a
star-studded production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream
as Demetrius and then in a made for television movie as the most
mainstream character ever, Jesus Christ, in “Mary, Mother of Jesus.” In
an astounding about-face, he would gain infamy for his next role, that
of Patrick Bateman in Mary Harron’s controversial adaptation of Bret
Easton Ellis’s appalling American Psycho. Harron and Guinevere
Turner turned the novel into a very black comedy, starring Bale as Wall
Street serial killing Bateman. Bale seems completely immersed in the
role, oozing sleazy charm. It’s a long way from Jack Kelly to chasing
whores while naked, covered in blood, wielding only a chainsaw, but Bale
accomplishes the feat. In fact, his character in Shaft, his next
film, makes one wonder if he had trouble shedding the skin of Patrick
Bateman, as the character is just as chilling.
After Shaft, Bale went on to make three more big
Hollywood movies that, to me, have always represented a mid-career low.
He is the best thing about John Madden’s Captain Corelli’s Mandolin,
a jealous Greek lover of Penélope Cruz, who is unfathomably falling for
Nicolas Cage’s Italian Corelli. (Can we just take a moment to wonder who
allowed Cage to use his cartoon-character Italian accent in this
movie?!?) Bale slew dragons alongside Matthew McConaughey and Gerard
Butler in the futuristic adventure film Reign of Fire and slew
emotion by ridding the world of books, music and art with Taye Diggs in
the “Fahrenheit 451”-ish sci-fi Equilibrium. In 2003, he made a
welcome return to independent cinema with a role in fantastic
writer-director Lisa Cholodenko’s Laurel Canyon. Bale plays an
ambitious medical intern engaged to a young woman (Kate Beckinsale).
When they move to Los Angeles and are introduced to his mother’s rock &
roll lifestyle, their commitment to one another is tested. After this,
Christian lost 62 pounds to star as The Machinist, a man
suffering extreme insomnia and experiencing hallucinations. He gives a
bravura performance as a haunted, obsessed man, although it is painful
to see Bale’s bones protruding. And just like his transformation from
Jesus to Patrick Bateman, Bale would go from one extreme to another,
gaining weight and muscle mass to portray Bruce Wayne in Christopher
Nolan’s Batman Begins. There’s no doubt that Nolan’s vision of
Batman is mythic, but it all hinges on Bale’s performance as
Wayne/Batman. One can imagine that Bale’s commitment to his work is
similar to the commitment and discipline of Bruce Wayne on his way to
becoming Batman. I remember clearly walking out of the theatre after
seeing the movie and shaking my head in wonder that Christian Bale, my
Christian Bale, was now Batman. I admit that the only thing I didn’t
initially care for in Batman Begins was the voice Bale used as
the Dark Knight. (However, the gravelly voice worked much better in
Hayao Miyazaki’s Howl’s Moving Castle, as the wizard Howl.)
Once again Bale appeared in a film about Pocahontas, this time
Terrence Malick’s gorgeous, lyrical The New World. Bale then
collaborated with Christopher Nolan again in an adaptation of
Christopher Priest’s wonderful novel, The Prestige. In this
elegant piece, we get to see Bale lighten up (a bit) as one of a pair of
dueling magicians, constantly trying to one up his competition, played
by Hugh Jackman. If you see The Prestige once, you’re in for a
treat. See it twice and you will really appreciate Bale’s work in the
movie. The Intense Bale reappears the next year in two projects,
Harsh Times, written and directed by David Ayers, and Werner
Herzog’s Rescue Dawn. Although I’m not a fan of Ayers, who also
wrote the screenplay for Training Day and seems to specialize in
macho thugs, Bale is impressive as Harsh Times’ violent ex-Army
Ranger who can’t stay out of trouble. He is even better as a POW
escaping his captors in Rescue Dawn. Once again, he lost weight
for this role, and his work in this true story is astounding. From a war
movie to a western, Bale’s next project was James Mangold’s remake of
3:10 to Yuma, co-starring with Russell Crowe. Much like The
Prestige, this movie is pure entertainment, the story of a Civil War
veteran charged with getting a murderer to a train while evading the
killer’s gang. Even in a popcorn blockbuster sort of film, Bale is
dependable to lend gravitas to his characters and make you care for them
more than you might otherwise. Bale next worked once more with Todd
Haynes in I’m Not There, playing one of the characters inspired
by Bob Dylan, the one who finds Jesus and becomes a preacher.
With last years audacious The Dark Knight, Nolan and
Bale proved that they have a lot more to give us when it comes to
Batman. The movie improved immensely on the first film and set a pretty
high standard for a third movie, which Bale is contractually obliged to
star in, luckily for us. Hopefully Nolan will sign on, too. This summer
brings two more high profile films starring Bale: This month’s
Terminator: Salvation and July’s Public Enemies. I’m much
more interested in the second film, the story of 1930s bank robber
Dillinger (played by Johnny Depp) and the FBI man on his tail, played by
Bale.
Looking back on Christian Bale’s work, one can find some
similar themes, but the one that stood out for me is how often his
characters go through extreme changes from point A to point B. Young
Jamie of Empire of the Sun, as a spoiled brat and a humbled
prisoner. A swing kid becomes a Hitler Youth. Laurie as a young and
playful lad, grows up to become a bitter young man living up a depraved
life in Europe and then changes for the better again. His characters in
Metroland and Velvet Goldmine grow into grey, almost
completely different men from their youth. Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. A
folk singer who becomes a Jesus freak. You can see Bale himself growing
and evolving with every single performance, whether it’s a little-seen
independent movie or the second highest grossing film in the history of
cinema. It’s pretty safe to say that we have no idea what he’ll do next.
And that is what makes him so exciting. No matter how my opinions on
Christian Bale “The Person” may have changed, whatever disappointments I
may have felt, I will still be sitting here in the front row, anxiously
waiting to see what Christian Bale “The Actor” will be doing for the
next 15 years and more.
