My Favorite Movies: High Noon

Hollywood in the '50s was a much different place than it is today. Oh sure, you had all of the fashion, gossip, intrigue, and excitement, but beneath that sheen of glamour lay one of the most right wing agendas ever. Much of this had to do with the continued persecution of the Jewish people and the desire from Hollywood execs to keep this persecution out of Hollywood. After all, without the efforts of such pioneers as Louis B. Mayer, David Selznick, Irving Thalberg, Carl Laemmle, Darryl Zanuck, Harry Cohn, and Jack Warner, we might not even have the Hollywood that we have today. Still, the common threat that all of these great men faced was the fear of persecution because of their religious or social beliefs. In trying to stem anti-Semitism, these leaders of Hollywood took the route of being the MOST American they could be. For a time, this worked. After all, the rise of Hollywood thanks to the great studio systems of the 20s-40s is the stuff of legends. The 1950s, however, would be a different story.

In 1947, the House Un-American Activities Committee (yes, there was actually something called this) launched an investigation into the "infiltration of Communists in Hollywood." Part of this investigation consisted of 9 days of hearings whereby various Hollywood craftsmen (actors, directors, writers) were called before Congress to testify as to the infiltration of Communist propaganda in Hollywood and to"name names" of Communist sympathizers. This was a classic case of guilt by suspicion. Where the craftsmen named no names or refused to answer questions, they were immediately considered guilty. The Hollywood 10, 10 individuals who refused to kowtow to this most UNAMERICAN of committees, were instantly blacklisted by all of Hollywood. Think of it: these individuals were denied the opportunity to practice their craft for most of the rest of their lives because they EXERCISED THEIR RIGHTS. Furthermore, they refused to name names. Even while "upstanding Americans" like John Wayne, Elia Kazan, and Ronald Reagan were damning their fellow workers to suspicion (grounded or not) by naming names, these 10 stood their ground-and were left alone on an island, isolated for doing what was right.

One of these individuals was a screenwriter named Carl Forman. Forman could not get hired in Hollywood after this, and he tried to write and submit screenplays under pseudonyms. One of his screenplays told the story of a small town sheriff who, years earlier with the help of the townspeople, had cleared out the most evil of evil men, Frank Miller. In his story, Miller's sentence was commuted, and the sheriff tries to round up a posse from among the town men, only to be rebuffed and standing alone against the coming storm. It was the perfect allegory to the era of blacklisting and the story of the Hollywood Ten, dressed up in that most innocuous of genres-the Western. Of course, since Foreman could not submit the story, now fleshed out with details from a short story called "the Tin Star", by John Cunningham, needed his production partner, Stanley Kramer, to have the production see the light of day. The name of the film was "High Noon".

At first glance, "High Noon" seems to be a most conventional Western. The title itself conjures up images of a "showdown at high noon between the noble sheriff and the desperadoes", but the actual story is much deeper than that. This film could be considered the first existential Western, the forerunner to such films as Clint Eastwood's "Unforgiven" and Kevin Reynold's "Open Range." The film's opening sequence is filled with iconic imagery and sound. With the opening notes of "Do Not Forsake Me" (with a rhythm track evoking the sound of a slow trotting horse), we see a lone cowboy resting under a tree, smoking a cigarette. Tex Ritter's song then begins in earnest, and it tells the story through the rest of the opening credits, a forlorn ballad of loneliness in the face of pending danger. The one cowboy gets on his horse and rides to meet a second, and the two together ride to meet a third. They all ride, three abreast as the song ends, to reach the train depot of the town of Hadleyville. The depot manager recognizes all three and is frightened, but he becomes more frightened when he receives a telegram. He sneaks out and races to the Marshal's office, where the marriage of Sheriff Will Kane (Gary Cooper) and his Quaker wife Amy (Grace Kelly) has just taken place. Amy is happy that Will is leaving the violent life of a sheriff, for Quakers do not condone violence of any type. Their happiness is short lived however, as the depot manager brings the shocking news that Frank Miller, a ruthless killer who Kane arrested years ago, was released from jail and is on his way back on the noon train, most likely to get his revenge. Kane looks at the clock, and from this point on, the clock becomes a main character in the film. The story is told in real time, meaning one minute of screen time passes for each minute of real time.

Kane figures it will be easy-after all the townspeople helped him last time, and they reaped the benefits of his efforts. Surely they would help him in his time of need. What happens next, in the real time of the film, is the slow rejection of Kane by all of the people that he met. All of them, save for his wife (who also rejects him because of his intent to follow through on a violent course of action) have their own motives, none of which are the same. But we are left with an interesting morality tale, the lone person who wants to do what is right but has his faith in the people he is trying to help shaken beyond redemption. Even as the townspeople are urging him to leave town, he refuses to back down for the sake of the town itself. His reward? Being left to face certain death at the hands of 4 killers.

The film is one of my favorites for so many reasons. The iconic imagery, the setting, the excellent acting, the characters. I will give you a run down:

1) Gary Cooper: he deservedly won an Academy Award for his nuanced portrayal of Will Kane. In a time of Hollywood he-man, Cooper brought a realistic vulnerability to the square jawed nature of Will Kane. As the film progresses, we see close-ups of Cooper's features and the fear that is building inside him as he realizes that he will likely have to stand alone. A masterful performance.

2) The camera work is astounding. In watching the film, one feels enveloped by the story and invested in its outcome. Fred Zinneman did a wonderful job using certain camera setups to evoke emotions from his audience. I never cease to be amazed by one famous camera shot...just before high noon itself, where the camera, on a crane, focuses first on Kane and then gradually pulls back. Cooper's body language nicely captures the fear and isolation that the character should be feeling at that point, and the crane shot is one long withdrawal until Cooper, a tall guy, looks tiny and insignificant against the backdrop of the deserted town streets.



3) The music. Tex Ritter (John Ritter's dad) was a famous country western cowboy singer of the era. The ballad that begins the film picks up during the film itself, with several musical cues, complete with lyrics, evoking the inner workings of Kane's mind without having to resort to any sort of voice over. For me, it is one of the best film scores ever because the music is SO intertwined with the success of the film.

4) The final shot of the film. For those of you who have never watched the film, I will not spoil it. However, I will tell you that this is #1 on my list of favorite last shots EVER. When you see it, you will understand.

"High Noon" works on many levels. It works as an excellent non-conventional Western with an engaging story, top notch production values, and excellent performances. It also works as a wonderful allegory for the story of the Hollywood 10, albeit with a much happier ending. For these reasons and more, "High Noon" is on my short list of favorite films.

Various things that I wonder about . . .

1) So why is it that every laundry and dry cleaning store seems to be owned and operated by individuals from East Asia. Now, I am Asian myself, so please do not take this as me being at all racist, but ever since I was a wee lad in Virginia, all of the dry cleaning establishments have been run (quite well, mind you) by individuals from East Asia. What gives? And on the same subject, why are all the Dunkin' Donuts here (and, it seems, elsewhere) run by individuals who are, like me, South Asian. I man, I can laugh about Apu Nahasapeemapetilon, he of the PhD in Engineering, owning and operating a convenience store. It is funny 'cause its true. But why?

2) The other day, a homeless man approached me and asked for change. This happens almost on a daily basis here in Chicago, and I would not have given it another thought but for the specificity of the request. You see, most of the time, I will get the generic "spare change?" query, and as I rarely carry cash around anymore, I can say with conviction "I'm sorry, but I have no cash." On this occasion, the individual asked: "Excuse me, but do you have 41 cents?" I kind of did a double take, for the request was so darned specific. Not a dollar, not 50 cents, but 41 cents. Now granted, this may have been the amount that the guy needed to get on a bus, buy a sandwich, or secure a 40 for the night, but I was taken aback (and a bit impressed) by the request for 41 cents. I had to give him that exact amount and count it out, and he was happy. Has anyone else run into awfully specific requests for spare change?

3) Do sirens on the city streets REALLY NEED to be as loud as they are? I can here them on the 32nd floor of my building. When I am street level, it is even worse.

Welcome to the First Day of the Rest of Your Life

So there I was, during the first week at work, stressing and stressing about the bar exam. I was one of those sick individuals who looked up my essays to discover the points of law that I missed and worried and fretted that that would be enough for me to get a failing grade. AARGH! The agony was unbearable. I must explain at this point that no member of my firm who is currently working here has failed the bar. Therefore, I did not want to be the first. All during the first week, me and my fellow first year associated were vetted and congratulated and welcomed, yet all of us felt uneasy, for as much as we hoped to have passed the bar, we honestly had NO IDEA how we had done.

The initial newness of the job had worn off, and the middle of September found me settling into a normal routine of work and going home. I was able to put the bar aside and just look forward to work. I had a career (finally) and was doing something that I enjoyed. The first paycheck arrived, and all I thought was: "Hallelujah! I can pay my mortgage this month." Slowly, however, the specter of bar results began to rear its ugly head. As the time grew nearer, there was a noticeable increase in anxiety from my fellow test takers. I had resolved not to worry. After all, I had another chance to take it before my firm would "suggest" that I find employment elsewhere. At the same time, I dreaded the process of studying for the bar and going through that hell again. My fellow first years and I were hopeful, yet we were tentative.

On Monday, September 29, a message posted on the Illinois Bar website, informing all of us that bar results would be posted late in the afternoon the next day. The message instructed us to wait until we had received our individual notification before checking our bar results. Everyone was on DEFINITE pins and needles the night before the results were to be posted. The air around Chicago was papable with the tension of thousands of young adults whose life courses would be determined by a simple message on a website: pass or fail.

So on Tuesday, September 30, everyone waited.....

and waited.....

and waited......

E-mails flew back and forth among friends " has it posted yet, has it posted yet, are there results yet? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE????" Of course, everyone was careful to follow (ignore) the Illinois Bar's instruction to wait until we received an e-mail.

At 4 PM, the collective power of thousands of bar takers succeeded in crashing the servers at the Illinois Bar site. Along with that came the sobering realization that we would NOT be finding out our results for another few hours. *GROAN*

I was getting absolutely NO WORK accomplished, so I went home. I quickly started cooking. Chicken Tikka Masala. Beef Rogan Josh, Chicken curry...anything to get my mind off the results. Time ticked by slowly, and no new e-mails were forthcoming. I waited...

and waited...


and waited...

at 2:30 AM. I received an email. With my heart pounding like a jackhammer, I logged onto the website to read the first line of the letter to me: We are pleased to inform you...

YYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES! The 3 years of tortuous work and the worry and the strain were all worth it! I had passed!

And then I had to go to sleep and prepare for the next day at work. This proved to be the beginning of the BEST WEEK EVER. Why the beginning? More on that next time . . .

A Very Special Artful Birthday

We now return you to our regularly scheduled program . . .catching you all up on the excitement that is my life.

When last we left off , I had just returned to Chicago from a visit with my parents. Work was to start that Tuesday after Labor Day. I had a restful Labor Day weekend in order to gear up for the long week ahead. I was worried about so many things (passing the bar, starting my real work, etc.) but at least I had a belated birthday dinner with PAG and Xander to look forward to. Xander and PAG, in addition to being friends of Daisy, are friends of mine as well (funny how that works). Xander is, in fact, one of my very best friends. Since the bar, where we were in the same classroom for the review courses for most of the summer, we had not hung out as guy friends should. He and PAG were traveling a bit, and whenever they were in town, I was out of town. Finally, PAG (being the scheduling maven that she is), tied down a date where all three of us could go to dinner. I suggested a quaint Italian restaurant near my own place, and PAG and Xander agreed. PAG then took it upon herself to change the venue. I understood; after all, PAG has EXCELLENT taste in restaurants, and when she informed me that we were still going to have Italian food, I was happy. The only problem was that the day of our dinner, she was going to be in class, so Xander and I were stuck with nothing to do until PAG got out of work. We decided to go down to Rock Bottom and sample a few of their fall microbrews while waiting for PAG to get out of her class. Finally, at 7:30, Xander received PAG's text that she was on her way and that we should get to the restaurant.

So we walked the 2 blocks to the restaurant. It was good to speak with Xander after so long. We walked into the restaurant, and Xander gave the hostess PAG's name. She was already here! As Xander took the lead, I started looking around for a short red head seated at one of the tables. I turned around to look for Xander, and he had stepped off to the side. "Huh", I thought. "where's he go?"


"SURPRISE!!!!!"

I was stunned. There, off to the side in a private dining room, was PAG, but she was not alone. She was surrounded by some of my very best friends in the world. Hey, there's Smart Hottie! There's Daisy and the Wayward Esquire! Eddie! All in all, 13 friends in all gathered on a weeknight for me (for me!!) to celebrate my birthday. I was stunned. I was overcome with emotion. No one had ever done anything like this for me EVER. PAG was so happy to have pulled off the PERFECT SURPRISE. I was none the wiser. Everyone was there for me. I still cannot believe this. Over wine and some of the best gourmet pizza I have ever tasted, we laughed, talked and socialized for a few hours. For one small moment in time, the rest of the world and my worries melted away, and I could enjoy the company of my best friends.

Thank you, PAG. I will never forget this nor will I forget PAGMom's gift of a "justice scales" paperweight and a congratulatory card that plays the theme to "Law and Order". Wow. Just wow.

Next up-did I pass the bar? Tune in to find out.

Meeting Grace

You may have noticed that there is a new link from my blog this morning. Law With Grace has been a longtime read of mine ever since Daisy started blogging. I remember clicking onto Grace's blog for the first time, and I found her entries to be warm, hysterical, and poignant all at the same time (a real trick). My favorite Grace post can be found here. In reading the post, I found myself reminiscing about a sofa, an ex-girlfriend, and the very issues and emotions that Grace described in her post that day. I thought to myself: (1) the quality of my posts is EXTREMELY low compared to this and (2) Grace is gifted.

Now, Grace is well known in our circle of blogging friends. She was one of the first to start the cathartic process of blogging, and Daisy, Namby, the Wayward Esquire, Anonymous Hottie, and Eddie had all met and reveled in the wonderfulness that is Grace.

Until last night, I had never met her.

The funny thing is that I was surrounded by people who insisted that my memory was faulty, that Grace and I had had NUMEROUS conversations and "remember that time when Artful and Grace...?" Umm, no, because Artful had never MET Grace. It seemed that we just kept missing each other. She would go to some functions where the rest were gathered, and I would be at others. Somehow, along the way, our paths never crossed.

Grace took it upon herself to organize a post-work happy hour gathering for all of us. With the exception of AH, we were all in town and amenable to getting together for some post-work fun. I must admit to being kind of nervous. You see, all of the other bloggers and I were friends, as they were with Grace, but this was one of those "will my friends get along when they meet each other?" kind of moments. I have always felt that bringing friends together is a lot more loaded with minefields than bringing a significant other to meet your friends. While significant others come and go, friends are for life. What happens if she can't stand me? What does that do to my friendships with the others? Would we all be able to still get along?

So there I was, walking into the tavern at just after 5 PM yesterday. I looked around and immediately spotted (and heard) the Wayward Esquire. Across from him was Eddie and at the other end of the table was Daisy. Daisy was deep in conversation with a tall, gorgeous blonde dressed in a business suit. In all fairness to Daisy, let me also disclose that Daisy is also a gorgeous blonde, so it crossed my mind that such women really DO hang out in groups. Then, I began to get nervous. Could that be Grace? Holy crap is she hot! I made idle conversation with Eddie and the Wayward Esquire until the gorgeous blonde (the one that I did not know) noticed my presence at the table.

"Who the hell are you?" she demanded to know.

"Uhh...who the hell are YOU?" I asked, tentatively, in return (I know, smooth, right?).

"I asked you first." she replied, a challenge still in her eye.

"I asked you second." I replied meekly, averting my eyes.

Eddie, who, by this time, had rightfully grown tired of this back and forth, said " she has you there."

She stared at me and I stared at her. Defeated, I broke into a smile and extended my hand and said: "It is so nice to finally meet you!"

Grace took mercy on me and broke into a dazzling smile (one of those that can melt hearts): "It is nice to meet you too. Wait, you get a hug."

With that, Grace walked around the table and I received a heartfelt, warm embrace and a kiss on my cheek. Instantaneously, Grace and I were good friends. I found myself telling her things that few of the others knew about me, and Grace smiled, laughed, and listened. I told her of how her posted story of the IKEA picture affected me, and she accepted my compliments modestly. When Namby arrived, the party finally felt complete. As Namby tossed peanuts into the beer mugs surrounding us and he, Eddie, and the Wayward Esquire belted out Monty Python tunes, our party was one of laughter and conversation. Any passersby would have assumed that the six of us were lifelong friends rather than just people who met through law school and through law school friends, much less THAT NIGHT. The friendships among all of the bloggers survived the first meeting of me and Grace, and I look forward to many more evenings of fun.

So, what are my impressions of Grace? Intelligent, witty, gorgeous, vivacious, intense, warm, funny, irrepressible, and...dare I say it...yes, I must...AMAZING. All of you should be so lucky to know someone like her.

Little Drummer Nerd

A brief interlude in my "let's catch up on the boring life of the Artful Blogger":

IT'S HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, Eddie was kind enough to go to my management office and pick up the ULTIMATE in wasteful purchases. Amazon rocks for such purchases. We went to a local Irish Pub (where we scored Guinness openers and where Eddie scored a T-Shirt) to dine on some very good food. After hanging out with Eddie, I went home and set about putting together my most nerdy of purchases:



Yes, what are are looking at is the Ion Drum Kit manufactured EXCLUSIVELY for use with Rock Band and Rock Band 2 for the X-Box. This drum kit is around twice the price of the normal kit, but it sports a metal bass pedal, metal structure, and professional-grade drum heads. The coolest thing of all is that, should I one day be able to master Keith Moon's masterful drum work in "Won't Get Fooled Again" and fancy myself a real drummer, I can swap out the Xbox "brain" and install a "brain" for the set that would enable me to use them as a REAL SET OF DRUMS!!!!!

(Pantpantpant.....)

OK, so I am a little excited, and i have not even had the opportunity to try them out, as assembly took an abnormally long time. Tonight, on the other hand, I plan on breaking them in.

Oh...and I also purchased a professional drum "throne"(you know, those three legged metal stools that drummers use?). Yeah, I bought one to play my video game drum set up. I am THAT COOL (or not).

We now will return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Eddie's Place-or where everybody knows your name

So I had returned from my trip out East. I was now in possession of a new (well, new to me anyway as it was manufactured in the 1990s) vehicle. I was still faced with the insurmountable task of unpacking and getting ready for my first day of work the following Tuesday. PAG and Xander had already made plans with me for dinner the following Wednesday, but I was feeling rather isolated sitting in my new place staring at mounds and mounds of boxes (a major downside of being a comic and toy collector). I mean, Scuba Steve and Anonymous Hottie, the two longest-lived individuals in the area where I moved, were out gallivanting the various wildernesses of Colorado and Grenada (was the Ford Grenada named after the island or vice versa? I forget), and Daisy and BSSMOW lived too far away for easy access and were busy in their own right. As a result, I was left to my own devices-or so I thought.

Enter Eddie and HASWOE.

Now, save for a few occasions (including the disastrous screening experience that was Speed Racer), I had never had an opportunity to hang out with Eddie and HASWOE. After all, they lived far away in the mecca that was MY haunt for the FIRST 7 year period of my graduate study (long after I had moved away from said mecca). They, in their infinite consideration, had sought to throw a housewarming party when I would be in town, but my schedule of the previous 2 weeks (traveling and my brother's wedding) prevented me from being present for either of the 2 weekends that they had available, so I told them not to worry about me. They ended up having what sounds like a fabulous housewarming party, and I was sad that I missed it.

While sitting at the computer by my lonesome on Friday night (yes, I am quite the party cossack), Eddie and I start gChatting). We agree that brunch the next morning would be fun. Wow! I had plans for Saturday morning! The next morning, I walked the 2 blocks to Eddie and HASWOE's place and was comforted by the fact that it took scarcely 5 minutes to cover the distance from my place to theirs. We had a fabulous brunch, killing time by shopping at a local gourmet and liquor store. My mind, however, was elsewhere a lot of the time, as I was thinking about all of the moving out from my old place that still needed to be done. As soon as brunch was over, we walked back to our respective places, and I immediately felt alone again. What the heck? I LOVE being alone. What's the deal here?

So there I was, the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, having no plans whatsoever except to move more things from my old place and to fall asleep with college football on in the background. Having done much of the moving and returned to my new place, I was exhausted and collapsed on my sofa. As I was drifting in and out of sleep, my phone rang:

Eddie: "Do you have plans for tonight"

Me (still sleepy): "zxfdfdfssfxzzfxfzzz? asd .fdsfa sd.fewrewqwef!"

Eddie (patiently): "Do you have plans for tonight?"

Me (with the fog of REM sleep lifting): "No no..I thought I might sit here in the dark by myself turning on and off the light switch while listening to Madame Butterfly." Wait...no, actually I said "No plans, dude. What do you have in mind?"

Eddie: "HASWOE and I were going to grill out and, since you missed the housewarming, we wanted you to come over. You need to see how well Ralphie (the grill that Eddie and I put together..um..together) works."

Immediately, my spirits lifted. I mean, sure, I missed the housewarming, but here, I was able to have Eddie and HASWOE all to myself! Those of you who read Eddie's blog can get a sense of how fun the two of them are. Now fully awake, I told Eddie: "When and where, and what can I bring?"

Eddie, or course, said "nothing-and whenever you want to come over." Cool.

I headed over to the Eddie house and was met immediately by the yapping of Crossers. Eddie came to the door (HASWOE was immersed in her own closet-organization hell). Eddie and I bantered back and forth in the kitchen and then moved out to the balcony where Ralphie lives. As Eddie prepared to grill, HASWOE joined us, and, over wine and cheese, we sat and chatted. The weather was perfect and the conversation was intelligent.

"Wow," I thought. "So THIS is what this is like."

In short order, HASWOE and Eddie have become two close friends. This is not my normal MO. Usually, people have to be around me for months before they enter what De Niro, in "Meet the Parents" so aptly called the Circle of Trust. The two of them are as warm and wonderful a couple as any that I have met. Since then, we have hung out a lot together, and their place feels like home. Even the dogs have become accustomed to my presence. So to all of you out there who read Eddie's blog and think that he and HASWOE are awesome, I am here to tell you that, with ONE EXCEPTION, you are correct.

The evil couple introduced me to authentic imported British chocolate, and it has become my heroin. I am always looking for my next fix. DAMN YOU EDDIE!!!!

The Road West-Part II

So there I was...in the Northwest Baltimore suburb of Owings Mills, staying at the rather nice Hyatt Place. It was early in the morning of August 27, and I set out on the road. As I mentioned, my original plan to travel via I-70 changed at the last minute, and it dawned on me, as I made my way on to I-68 that (a) I had no road map or atlas of any kind, (b) I had no GPS or phone with any sort of GPS, and (c) I am a man-therefore, I was willing to end up in Florida before stooping to the level to asking for directions. I vaguely remembered that to get to I-80, I would have to drive to Pittsburgh, so away I went. My only stop during the morning was to refuel at a McDonalds in the rural mecca of Cumberland, MD. Now, I am a lover of Southern style biscuits. You can TASTE the lard in a properly made Southern biscuits, and the biscuits that I would eat from fast food chains in the Midwest never seemed to measure up to the SAME biscuits prepared in the ovens of the SAME fast food joints located in Southern states. I'd like to think that the attention to detail that the "biscuit artisans" of the Southern McDonalds observed was due to their own watchful and clucking Grandmothers who KNEW how to make a good biscuit. So it was with great anticipation that I ordered my Southern style Chicken biscuit from McDonalds in Cumberland, and oh man....it did NOT disappoint. The biscuit was hot out of the oven, and the chicken was piping hot as well and perfectly seasoned. I luxuriated over ever bite, and took my time. Although Chicago is my adopted hometown, there are just SOME THINGS that I cannot find in Chicago. Thankfully, those things are alive and well on the road to Cleveland.

So I made my way on I-68 and passed through West Virginia, looping North towards Cleveland. I ended up reaching Cleveland at around 1:30 PM and checked into my hotel. I then made my way to my buddy Aaron's place, and we tooled around North Olmsted for a bit. He and his wife Julie were to take to out to celebrate my birthday, and we had a wonderful evening at Champps. Aaron's original intention was to take me to a nice restaurant, but in actuality, I was looking more for a bistro atmosphere and not a fancy sit-down situation. Suffice it to say, a good time was had by all. We made our way back to Aaron's place, and the kids were already asleep. I put in the first disc of "Arrested Development: Season One", and Aaron and Julie were both hooked by the saga of the Bluths, as I knew they would be. What a great series! Early the next morning, Aaron and I dined at the middle America mecca that is Baker's Square, and I immediately understood one of the root causes for the obesity epidemic in the United States (notwithstanding my own fascination with Southern-style biscuits...so good...). Everything on the Baker's Square menu was laden with fats and carbs. Just by glancing at the menu, I could tell that the entire menu was a landmine. No wonder corporations like Baker's Square, Denny's and IHOP refuse to publish their nutritional information! They would never get people in the door if they knew. Uusually in situations like this, I opt for the fruit plate and oatmeal, but those self-same restaurants always have the WORST oatmeal..a watery gruel that one cannot justify paying for. Would it be too much to ask for some good old fashioned steel-cut oats?

Breakfast aside, Aaron and I had a good time just relaxing and talking. We always have excellent conversations, and these quite moments with one's friends are something that I treasure. The time then came for my return trip to Chicago, and I made my way back to I-80. The trip was uneventful, but I was pleased to see that the Indiana Toll authority would now recognize my I-Pass...this will make trips East that much easier. Now if only the Ohio toll authority would catch up.

When I arrived home, I felt different than I had in the past. This is the first time EVER...well, since moving from my parents' home in Virginia...that I felt like I was HOME. There were the walls, cabinets, granite countertops, and paint colors that I (well, with AH's help with the colors, at least) had chosen. There was MY entertainment set-up. There was MY ginormous king size comfy bed. I felt like I was home, and it felt good. I still need to have a housewarming party, but I also need to do some unpacking. Oh well...time enough for that later.

Next time....my first weeks at work and the fun that is having Eddie and HASWOE living so close by.

So now I am a full-time attorney..at least until October 1...

Has it really been 3 weeks since my last update? So much has happened since then! With so much material, I can stretch out my normal large updates into several smaller ones, just to get those of you who stopped checking my site back into the habit of checking it.

So...August 21 was the last entry, and I was in Virginia. I had a wonderful time resting with my folks after a rather tumultuous few weeks (closing, packing, moving, parent's visit to new place, and my brother's wedding). I celebrated my birthday on August 25 with my parents and then hit the road the next day. Yes, I said hit the road. My parents gifted me their 1992 car for the trip, and it made the trip amazingly low stress. My folks had meticulously maintained the car, and it was in garage-kept condition. Only time will tell if the rough streets of Chicago will be so kind to it (I am thinking NO).

My first stop on the road trip back was Baltimore. Now, I had not been to Baltimore in quite some time, and my first impression upon getting to the city was "how the heck did I ever enjoy living here?" The contrast to my adopted city of Chicago was startling. Baltimore has an industrial feel that goes beyond mere blue collar. I can love a blue collar city, but it is tough to love one that is clearly on the decline. I had forgotten how rude the people could be, and I was dismayed to find that many of my former haunts had deteriorated to the point where I hardly recognized them anymore. Eddie had prepared me for this, but to actually see it with my own eyes..well..it was tough. I ended up staying the evening in Owings Mills, a now overgrown suburb of Baltimore located on the Northwest side. At least I had a fun dinner with friends at McCormick and Schmicks. I was looking forward to having some good seafood, but sadly, the barramudi I ordered was woefully overdone. At least the hoisin sauce rescued the dish a little bit, but I was disappointed. How can a restaurant located on the water screw up a basic fish preparation? I think that the world class restaurants in Chicago have raised my expectation for proper dinner preparation.

I then went to sleep, but I woke up early the next morning to continue my trip. I hopped onto interstate 70 and enjoyed the morning drive, for at that time of the day, there was very little traffic on the road. I had intended to take the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but a radio warning informed me that construction delays were severe. I instead opted to go west via I-68, through West Virginia and the Cumberland Gap.

Join me tomorrow when I regale you with Part II of my trip-from West Virginia to Cleveland.

Phew!

What a busy busy few weeks! I am sure that many of you might have thought I have just given up on the blog, but I assure you that this is not the case. There are just so many things that are tied into the beginning of my new life that I have barely had the time to catch my breath. I will try to share with you the highlights of the whirlwind that has been my last few weeks.

1) I closed on my condo. Yes, I am finally a homeowner. In this time of housing market uncertainty with banks, mortgage companies, and title companies scrutinizing each and every application with a fine toothed comb, I was able to convince them that I was a good risk. Of course, the closing was not without its share of anxiety. I had to come up with an extra 5% down payment within 2 weeks of the closing. If that were not enough, the day of the closing almost became the day that was NOT the closing. So there I was, sitting at Chicago Title Company with my agent, my attorney, and my mortgage broker signing away my life. The closing was going along very smoothly until the title agent asked about the certificate that brought me in compliance with the new Illinois Anti-Predatory Lending law that went into effect the month before. The minute my mortgage broker said "huh?", I started sweating. You see, I had already reserved the movers and the freight elevator for a Monday move, and here it was, Friday, and I might not close until Monday night. Panic set in, and I felt a little angry and frustrated. I had jumped through a LOT of hoops just to get to this point, and I could not believe that a little bit of red tape (a form that needed to be filled out by computer) would be the thing that threw a wrench in the works. Thankfully, the title agent was amazing. Not only did he stay with the closing throughout the next 5 hours (I was told to go home and wait), but he also stayed later than 6 PM on a Friday because he, too, recognized that this was not my fault and I should not be penalized for a new law whose implementation NO ONE understands. I ended up closing. On Friday. During this period of uncertainty, I became more aware of how much I wanted my new place, and I was glad that, by the end of 08-08-08, I was a new homeowner.

2. Moving. Having concluded the closing drama, I spent the next 2 days packing for the move. I expected the movers to be ready by 10 AM and be down at the new place by 1 PM (when I had reserved the freight elevator). Instead, I received a call at 7:30 (!) the next morning, with the movers telling me that they were outside. They had the truck loaded up by 9:30 and were on the way to my place by 10. We waited out another set of people who were moving in, but the movers started up again and completed the move by 1:30 PM. I was finally in my new place, surrounded by boxes, and utterly exhausted. Of course, the gas alarm was beeping every 30 seconds thanks to a low battery (and I did not have a ladder tall enough to reach it-my new place is a loft). The contractors had also failed to light the hot water heater, so I went back to the old place to shower. After moving day, I really needed one. Still, it was nice to spend my first night in my new place. With all of the boxes surrounding me, it should come as no surprise that I started with all of my electronics. A man's gotta be able to play Guitar Hero, right? The place is looking pretty good. Anonymous Hottie continued her design efforts by introducing me to her furniture guy. A major purchase is in the offing. At least I had enough furniture to entertain my parents. After all, they were coming into town for my brother's wedding on Thursday and would be staying with me on Thursday night. EGADS!!!!! At least it forced me to get the place habitable for guests. My parents loved the place and declared that I had done well (and I basked in the afterglow of THAT comment).

3. My Brother's Wedding. Many of you know of the drama that has surrounded my brother's wedding. There has been a little animosity on both sides (well, OK, mostly the GROOM's side of the family), but my folks were there for my brother, and my brother was great in getting them there. After spending Thursday night in my place, all of us went to stay at the wedding hotel in Itasca. My brother had arranged for suites at the Westin there, the site of the wedding. There, in a large tent on the Westin grounds, I watched my brother get married in a traditional (2 hours long!) Hindu ceremony. Of course, my brother being my brother, he decided to make a substitution to the tradition of the groom riding in on a horse. He decorated his BMW motorcycle with the headdress reserved for the ceremonial horse and rode it, with his best man and groomsmen surrounding him, to the ceremony. After all, he reasoned, why settle for one horse when you can have 90 (horsepower)? So I was one of the groomesmen and was dressed in traditional Indian garb for the ceremony. The unfortunate thing was that traditional Indian garb is VERY SIMILAR to traditional Muslim garb, and there was an Orthodox Jewish wedding that was occurring at the very same venue after our service. I can only imagine the feelings of concernation among the assembled members of Jewish society at the site of so many people dressed as we were.

So the wedding and the pictures went off without a hitch, and it was now time to get ready for the reception. I was exhausted, but I was looking forward to the reception. After all, I had no responsibilities except to look after my folks. This was also the reason my sister-in-law told me not to bring a date. Oh well. All of the groomsmen looked replendent in their back suits and red ties as we marched in with the bridesmaids. The food at the cocktail hour was excellent, and I was settling back for an enjoyable evening when I saw the emcee, my sister-in-law's cousin, approaching our table.

"So you are set for your speech, right?" he asked.
"Yes," I replied confidently. "Wait, what?"
"The bride's side has 4 speakers and the groom's side has 3," he replied. "Your brother said that his best man, you, and another member of his wedding party are giving speeches."
"Oh, ok." I responded. Then, "wait, what?"

Right about that time, the first of the speeches started, and the salad course was beginning. I had 5 speeches worth of time to think about what I would say. I paid attention to the speeches and took in what was working with the crowd and what was not working. Then, with no rehearsal and no true outline of what I would say, I was called to the floor. Thanks to the stress of the occasion + a few glasses of wine, I was able to deliver a speech that was probably better than something I might have agonized over. I was proud of myself, but I was also grateful that my brother and sister-in-law seemed to really like it. I also wanted to throttle my brother for putting me in that situation, but that's just him.

I think that my favorite part of the wedding had to be the post reception party. My brother, his bride, and a few close family members and friends retired to one of the suites for some wine, pizza, and Olympics coverage. I went to sleep at 4 and was awoken by my Mom's phone call at 8:30. Some things never change.

4. Recovery. The rest of the week was recovery and more unpacking. I now am the proud possessor of an HD-DVR + the NFL Sunday Ticket, courtesy of Direct TV. I also realized the benefits of living 3 blocks away from Eddie and Anonymous Hottie. We were able to hang out on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday, Eddie and I assembled his new grill (cue manly music), and he, HASWOE, and I met Anonymous Hottie and another friend out for a late dinner. The next morning, I went over to Eddie's again to watch for furniture delivery from AH's furniture store (well, she doesn't OWN it, but all of us were turned onto it because of her), and Eddie and I dined on sandwiches from an AMAZING new Italian Deli in my new neighborhood. I can already see that living so close to so many of my friends is going to be a wonderful experience. And Eddie, I am not just saying that because you let me mooch off of your internet service. On Wednesday, I flew home to Virginia for some R & R, as work (for real) begins the day after Labor Day.

I hope that you all are having a pleasant summer. I cannot believe that it is almost over. I only hope that the rest of the year will be as fun.

One month off and the Summer Movie Season in Review

Part I: Personal Stuff (the year in review)

This has been quite the busy year for me. I know that I have not been sharing a lot regarding my personal life (boring as it is), but my buddy Aaron was remarking on how many changes I experienced over the last year, and the list is amazing. Here is the year in review:

1. I completed law school. This was the last degree I will ever get. Really. It is. Honest Injun. No fooling. I am NOT going for my MBA. Nope. Not even for the executive program on weekends. Law school was an interesting exercise. I was able to live like a 25 year old for three more years, and I did not even come close to pulling THAT off. Finishing law school is the beginning of my real life. No more will I wander into a classroom to learn something for the sake of a test. When I first entered law school, I had doubts as to whether I could pull it off. I mean, it had been a good 10 years since my last written exam, and now I would be pitted against a group of students who were well versed in test taking as a result of their recent pasts in college. I felt that I was at a distinct disadvantage, but when the dust settled, I graduated with honors. This is something that would not have been possible without the care and support of my friends and family (you all know who you are, and the list is long but distinguished).

2. I took the Illinois State Bar Exam. Um...my mind is still in shock over the sheer difficulty of this most heinous of hazing rituals. The preparation for this test made for the single worst summer of my life. If I failed, at least the next time I take it will be in the dead of winter, and I will have a study buddy in HASWOE.

3. I took (and passed) the Examination for Admission to Pratice before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (the Patent Bar). Yes, I took this exam and passed it. Unlike the Illinois Bar exam, the USPTO test is taken at a computer testing site, and you are immediately told whether or not you passed. I took the test the second week of May, and I passed. This was one of the hurdles I needed to leap over in order to realize my goal of becoming a patent attorney. I was also the first person in my firm's entering class to pass it. At least I will not have to study for it while working! Please let there be no more tests!!!

4. My apartment was broken into. Many of you longtime readers are already aware of this, but my place was broken into while I was out of town for a weekend. I must take this opportunity to give a shout out to State Farm insurance, for they made my claim process painless and quick, and I was almost whole again (in terms of items that were missing) within a month. Wow. This, of course, was a major stressor in my life.

5. I purchased my first home. The closing is this Friday, and I am extremely excited about it. Of course, for the sake of sanity, I really should have thought better of undergoing two of the most stressful events that one can experience all at the same time (bar exam and home purchase), but the timing seemed right, and I fell in love with my new condo. I expect to move a week from Monday, and all of my friends (especially AH, Daisy, and HASWOE) have been extremely helpful with decorating and logistics suggestions concerning the new place. The housewarming should be a lot of fun.

6. I start a brand new job the day after Labor Day. The job market is not too kind out there for recently graduated attorneys, so I consider myself lucky to have a position at a good firm. I am not so naive as to believe that my PhD had nothing to do with my procuring a position, but I suppose this is a benefit for having taken my lumps in getting my degree. And here I thought the 90s were a complete waste :-)


Whew! What a list! And most of these things only happened within the last 7 months! I still have a good 5 months of the year to go, and I anticipate that (for better or for worse), October 1 will be a banner date . This is the date that the results of the bar are announced. At least I can pretend that I passed for another 2 months. I know that, on that date, I will be checking the website, my heart beating through my chest in full on tachycardia. Good times.

I must mention that NONE of this would have been possible without the support of all of my friends here in Chicago (and some who are NOW in Chicago). The list includes Xander, Daisy, AH, Scuba Steve, Eddie, HASWOE, Missy, Ricedogg and wife of Ricedogg, Funniestthing and Julie, my brother, his fiance, and, most of all, my parents. You all are the best, and there were so many times during this last year where you did something that, while you might not have known it at the time, made a HUGE deal of difference in my life. Thank you.

Part II: The Summer Movie Season.

As I write this entry, "The Dark Knight" is a few million away from passing the $400 million barrier and I am basking in the glow of a really enjoyable summer movie season. I still remember the horrible movie season of 2006, a season that spilled over into 2007 with the yawn-inspiring releases of "Spider-Man 3", "Shrek 3", and "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." And then, the summer picked up with the releases of "Order of the Phoenix", "Live Free or Die Hard", "The Bourne Ultimatum", and "The Simpsons Movie". This summer, there were relatively few clunkers. I think that I was able to avoid a lot of them simply by reading the ratings at rottentomatoes.com before making my movie going decisions. As for the rankings of the list, the list merely reflects my own feelings as to which films I believe really succeeded (for me) this summer. Of the top 5, 3 have been the subject of multiple viewings. I have not yet watched "Stepbrothers", "The Clone Wars", or "Death Race", but I will be seeing them soon enough. For the moment, here is my list of the top films of the summer.

1. "The Dark Knight": No surprise here. Director Christopher Nolan picked up where he left off with "Batman Begins" and created a comic book movie that was one in the truest sense of the word. The Nolan brothers crafted a story that perfectly captured the nuances of the Batman universe while grounding it in reality. Much was made of how movie goers were motivated to see the film because of the death of Heath Ledger, but I believe a lot of the excitement surrounding this film was the crossover appeal from their first film. This film had it all (dark humor, angst, a gripping storyline, twists and turns, and respect for the underlying mythology). I loved it. #1 with a bullet.

2. "Wall-E": Now, this film has been a controversial topic of conversation for my friends and I. I noticed something quite amusing. When I discussed the film with my married or "coupled" friends, they seemed to focus on the environmental message and the problem with Pixar's failure at even attempting subtlety. When I discussed the film with my single friends, they marveled at the romantic aspects of the film, the throwback nature of Wall-E and Eve's romance that harkened back to a more innocent time. What does that say about the existence of romance where people are already coupled? Maybe nothing, but it was an interesting phenomenon nonetheless. I stand by my earlier review in which I stated that "Wall-E" is my favorite Pixar film. Time will tell; maybe "The Incredibles" will regain the top spot. Who knows.

3. "Iron Man": What do you get when you combine a top notch director, an Academy Award-winning cast, and a faithful comics adaptation updated for the 00s? You get "Iron Man", the best pure popcorn film of the summer. There was nothing particularly deep about "Iron Man", but it did have a minimal level of the requisite seriousness required to inspire Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) into acting for the good of all. With this film, Jon Favreau cemented his reputation as a versatile director who is as at home with comedy ("Elf") as he is with a big budget studio summer tentpole film. I only hope that Marvel Films can keep the same cast and crew together for "Iron Man 2". "Iron Man" also wins the award for the best post-credit sequence of the summer.

4. tie-"Wanted" and "The Incredible Hulk": First, "Wanted". I am rarely surprised by action films anymore. I think it is because most stories within the general action genre are rather hackneyed and poorly executed. "Wanted" changed the rules for action films. Rather than the Michael Bay meets Tony Scott look of 90s action films, "Wanted" takes the lessons learned from films such as "The Matrix" (stories and stunts) and marries them to the fun vibe from 80s action films. I cannot wait for the sequel. As for "The Incredible Hulk", I only know of one person who enjoyed Ang Lee's travesty from a few years ago (Eddie, how can you actually LIKE that piece of tripe?). Marvel Films got it right this time and created a "Hulk" film that marries the best of the comics with the nostalgia of the television show from the late 1970s. The action sequences are fun to watch and the story is grounded in the romance between Betty and Bruce. Ed Norton and Liv Tyler have the chemistry so sorely missing from the Jennifer Connelly-Eric Bana coupling from the earlier film. A lot of you never gave this film a chance in the theaters. Please do so when it comes to video. It deserves to be seen (maybe as a double feature with "Iron Man", goven Robert Downey Jr.'s cameo as Tony Stark in "Hulk").

5. "Sex and the City": Now, I know that a lot of people (women and men alike) might disagree with this ranking, but I stand by it. Although I enjoyed it as a good sequel to the television series of the same name, there was nothing in the film that could not have been done for the small screen. Michael Patrick King fell into the trap of most small screen directors in failing to take advantage of the big screen. I expected New York to "pop", and I expected something more than just another good story about Samantha, Charlotte, Carrie, and Miranda. That is not to say that I did not enjoy the story. It is just that, in a summer of great films, this was just adequate. It is exactly what it should have been-but nothing more. That having been said, I would see another "SATC" film. There...I said it.

6. "Hellboy: The Golden Army": Wow-"Hellboy" is kinda low, huh? I suppose this comes from the little known factor of the forgettable film-those films that are good and enjoyable when you watch them but then fall away from your memory the minute you leave the theater. I felt this way about "Hellboy" and "Get Smart". "Hellboy" had wonderful visuals, a great story, and wonderful acting. With all that having been said, I did not really give the film a second thought upon leaving the theater. I would recommend it for a fun evening, but my thoughts following "Hellboy" were a far cry from my thoughts after my first screening of "The Dark Knight." When I left "The Dark Knight", the film was in my thoughts for hours. Indeed, I had numerous phone calls from people who accompanied me to that film just so they could discuss the film...hours after the fact. "Hellboy"? Not so much.

7. "Get Smart": I thoroughly enjoyed this film, but like "Hellboy", this is a film that just fell away from me after I left the theater. I loved the story, I loved the fact that Max was not an incompetent boob, I LOVE Anne Hathaway (seriously...I love her), and I appreciated the various homages the film paid to its inspiration-the Mel Brooks-Buck Henry-Don Adams series of the 1960s. With this having been said, this could just as easily been a rental.

8. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull": I must admit to being a bit surprised myself with how low I ranked this film. At the time of my earlier review, I was still reeling from the horrible experience of "Speed Racer", so perhaps my mood upon watching the film was simply one of relief for seeing something familiar. However, familiar just doesn't cut it when you are up against some truly good films. As the summer went on, Dr. Henry Jones' latest adventure just does not measure up. It just seemed like lazy filmmaking where the writer (in this case, George Lucas) was playing it safe and not taking any chances. Sometimes that can work, and Harrison Ford ably recaptured his glory days with his performance. Unfortunately, in the end, that simply was not enough. I had the distinct impression that I had seen it all before. Whereas this film would have been a blockbuster in the 1980s, a small part of me would prefer to believe that we were still more sophisticated than THAT...but then I remember how much I enjoyed "Rocky IV" and I cringe.

I will not rank the other film I saw this summer. That would be "Speed Racer". The less said about that travesty the better. Let's hope that the Wachowskis find their way...and soon.

So I did not see "The Happening", "Kung Fu Panda", "Prince Caspian", and "Hancock." Maybe that is why I enjoyed the summer as much as I did. I still have high (heh) hopes for "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder" as well as "Stepbrothers", but the real big films of the summer have come and gone. It was a good summer, and next summer looks to be pretty good as well if for no other reason than I will NOT be studying for the bar exam.

The rest of the year still looks to be fun, with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", "Righteous Kill", and "Quantum of Solace" coming in the fall. Stay tuned for more reviews, and let me know what else you might want me to write about.

Batman Week Concludes: The Dark Knight Returns

So the big day finally arrived! The biggest movie of the summer! In IMAX, no less. I had a group 20 people (organized by yours truly) there to watch the film and experience it with me (yes, Daisy, AH, and Scuba Steve were there and Eddie, in spirit if not in fact). The screening started with a brief teaser for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" in IMAX 3-D (yes-going to be there opening weekend...next...) and then the trailer for Zack Snyder's "Watchmen" film, based on the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. I will be writing a column on "Watchmen" (one of the best works of fiction ever written, by the way) in the future. And then...the main event....

The deep base from Zimmer and Newton Howard's soundtrack started, and the Warner Brothers and DC Comics emblems flashed on the screen and disappeared. From the distinctive opening notes of the soundtrack that announced this as a Batman film, the music shifted to the eerie strains of "Why So Serious", a track that reflected the tonal shift that this film would represent versus the previous film. We see a group of gangsters dressed in clown mask...and a solitary figure standing on the street corner, his scraggly green (GREEN!!!!) hair blowing gently in the wind, his back to us, holding, with his left hand by his side, a similar clown mask. The mayhem begins as the Joker is introduced to the audience, representative of all of the chaos that is sure to follow. This was no villainous R'as Al Ghul or Scarecrow-level of lower tier villain. The Joker represented chaos in all of its glory. Did I mention this sequence was shot completely in IMAX (taking up the vast expanse of the IMAX screen? WOW. We track Batman to a parking garage fighting off Russian mobsters, a gang of Batman-inspired vigilantes, and the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy reprising his role in a nice little cameo). The movie then begins in earnest, and we learn that new cops and a new DA have restored hope to Gotham, a hope that remains so long as Batman is serving as guardian over the city. In their efforts to halt organized crime in Gotham, they have driven the criminal underworld to the brink, and the Joker is there with an offer for them-an offer to kill Batman. While this is occurring, Gordon, DA Harvey Dent, and Batman are showing just how far they will take their "ends justify the means" approach to cleaning up Gotham by working covertly to kidnap a Chinese national (the mob banker of Gotham) and return him to Gotham. This is a little unsettling; gone is the clear cut line between what was right and what was wrong that seemed so apparent in the first film. How can there be a clear cut line when chaos is just around the corner? Even though Batman has the mantle of the bat to protect those that he loves, it is not enough to protect those who fearlessly are out in front without the benefit of such disguises. All of these parties pay dearly not only for their own moral transgressions but also for daring to hope in a city that could give birth to a creature such as the Joker.

It is extremely difficult to speak of different aspects of the film without going into specific plot points. I must warn that the following will be one of my patented "favorite moments from the film" bullet point list, and it WILL be full of spoilers, so read on at your own peril.








Still reading?






OK-here I go:

1) The establishing shot of Gotham through the lens of an IMAX camera was astonishing to behold. Everything was crystal clear, and the shot provided an amazing sense of perspective from the skies of the city.

2) The introduction of the Joker and the performance of the late Heath Ledger throughout the film. Wow. At times, I forgot that I was watching an actor. Ledger inhabited the role of the Joker to an amazing level. He created an unforgettable character and was faithful enough to the comics versions of the Joker to satisfy even the most die hard of Batman fans (such as myself). From his voice innotations to the way he wielded his daggers, the Joker was a living unpredictable force of mayhem in an arena (a comic book film) where such things should not exist. In point of fact, one could almost sense the palpable tension that gripped the movie audience whenever the Joker was on the screen, as no one could predict what he would do next. While I marveled at the performance, I am also saddened by the knowledge that we will never see this actor in another new film. This was a performance for the ages.

3) The action sequences over Hong Kong were amazing (also shot in IMAX). Batman's assault on the skyscraper and his amazing escape with his hostage were truly amazing to behold. If I have not mentioned this before, let me say that this film needs to be experienced in IMAX.

4) The capture of the Joker: round one. The chase sequences were breathtaking and the last minute rescue of the Dark Knight by an unforeseen participant was a joy to behold. The interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker was hard to watch. After all, Batman is one of the good guys. He was played by Adam West, for gosh sakes! Here, he mercilessly pummels the Joker while demanding information, and, even more disturbingly, the Joker lets him know that there is nothing Batman can do to him. He just does not care. The tragic sequence of events that unfolds soon after this...well, even though I could spoil it for you, there are some things that need to be experienced. The interrogation scene also held a special place for me because of its eerie resemblance to a similar scene at the beginning of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's graphic novel "The Killing Joke." This was a great way to pay homage to this excellent story.



5) Speaking of "The Killing Joke", I also loved how the Joker HAD no origin. He just simply seemed to...just...be. I was taken with how the Nolans chose to purposefully keep the origin of the Joker a mystery, and the fact that the Joker used as his henchmen many of the escapees of Arkham from the first film made his anarchaic tendencies all that more chilling. There have been many Joker origin stories, but the Nolans' approach (there IS no origin) is, by far, the best of them all.

6) The Nolans seemed to borrow from a lot of Batman graphic novels. The look-alike Batman vigilante echoed the Mutant gang/Sons of Batman from Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns", and the tragic rise and fall of Harvey Dent owed a lot to Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's maxi-series "Batman: The Long Halloween". The slogan "I believe in Harvey Dent", the character of Maroni (portrayed by Eric Roberts),the decision of the mob to "go to the freaks" to deal with Batman, and even the scenes with Dent and Gordon all seemed to be lifted directly from "The Long Halloween". In the film, Dent's transformation to Two-Face was tragic and affecting, and the excellent CGI work that was used to give actor Aaron Eckhart the gruesome visage of Two-Face deserves special attention. Finally, the devil's choice that the Joker gave the citizens of Gotham at the climax of the film mirrored the Joker's feelings from "The Killing Joke"-namely, the feeling that everyone has the capability to feel (or not feel) as the Joker does and all it takes is something to push them over-was wonderfully realized as the expected response does not materialize at all. Confused? Trust me, see the film and it will all make sense.



7) The supporting cast. From Morgan Freeman's quiet humor in light situations and his gravity in serious situations to Michael Caine's similar approach, Lucius Fox and Alfred continued to be indispensable parts of Bruce Wayne's fight for Gotham. I particularly loved a scene between Alfred and Bruce that mirrored one from the first film. The scene in the first film was where Bruce, after the funeral, breaks down as he believes the death of his parents to be his fault. Something similar is at work here, and Alfred, as always, knows what to say.

8) The final face-off between the Joker and Batman, where the Joker intones how Batman will not kill him and how their fates will forever be intertwined. Now, because their fates have been intertwined for almost 70 years in the comics, this particular bit of dialogue rang true and also reflected a similar conversation between Batman and Joker in "The Killing Joke", but in that story, Batman was giving this same bit of reasoning to the Joker.



9) The ambiguous ending. Sure, most of the good guys were standing at the end, but at what cost? The city has been put through the ringer yet again, and every single person has lost something. The final voice over montage delivered by Gordon was eloquent. In the hands of an actor other than Gary Oldman, the monologue might have seemed cheesy. Here, it seemed sad, as Gordon informs his child of how Batman is to be hunted and to be viewed as an outlaw for the good of the city.


There is SO MUCH more that I could write about the film, and I will probably re-visit it when it comes out on home video. For now, all I can say is that Hollywood saved the best of the summer for last. Bravo!

Batman Week Part 3 of 4: "Batman Begins"

(We continue our discussion of Batman's film and TV history here. Yesterday, I left off with the anticipation and angst felt by fanboys everywhere over the direction that the Batman franchise would take in the post-Joel Schumacher era.)

So now there was a completed script from David Goyer, and the fanboys were guardedly optimistic. The thing about Goyer's screenplay that was new and exciting was the reverence it displayed to the source material. There was no need to kowtow to the demands of the suits in command at WB; the story of Batman, properly told, had everything: murder, intrigue, action, romance, complexity, and, most important, fully developed characters. Goyer's script returned Batman to his role of a detective, fully trained in the deadly arts with a brain that matched his physique and bank accounts. This was the story of the genesis of Batman. It had never before been shown on screen, and in truth, had never before been so wonderfully realized even in comics form.

I had the opportunity to read Goyer's screenplay before Warners made their casting and crew announcements, and I remember the experience as being distinct from the feeling I had when I first read the 3rd draft of Sam Hamm's "Batman" script in mid 1989. Whereas Hamm's script could easily be identified as the perfect summer popcorn flick, Goyer's screenplay had nuances that were more akin to a crime drama than a superhero film. The action sequences that punctuated the story beats grew out of necessity rather than out of a baseless need for spectacle (more on this later). However, even as I was marveling at the job Goyer had done, I knew that there was a long way to go before this script would become reality. There would, no doubt, be a few more bumps in the road. My fears that Warners would drop the the ball, however, were soon assuaged with their announcement of their hiring of a director, Christopher Nolan. This was an inspired choice. Unlike Burton and Schumacher before him, Nolan was not known as a "visual" director but as an "actor's" director. Where Burton and Schumacher placed a much higher emphasis on visual splendor and effects, Nolan's works up to that point ("Memento" and "Insomnia") were quieter pieces that both focused in on the fragility of the human condition (witness Guy Pearce's character from "Memento" and Al Pacino's from "Insomnia".) With the hiring of Nolan, I started to become guardedly optimistic. After all, history has shown us that it is far easier for an actor's director to become a visual director than the other way around (see Bryan Singer's move from "The Usual Suspects" to the "X-Men" franchise and Jon Favreau moving from small films like "Swingers", "Made", and "Elf" to the home run that was "Iron Man."). Maybe actor's directors more easily accept the suggestions made to them as they pertain to visual cues on screen. I don't know. All I know is that Nolan would be responsible for not only saving the Batman franchise but also for raising it to heights never before seen for ANY superhero film.

I am sure that many of those at Warners were nervous about these developments. After all, "Spider-Man" had become one of the top grossing films of all time, and the story was a relatively happy one with bright colors and young adults. This was a film with a brooding main character in a corrupt city surrounded by homicidal criminals. How could they EVER put THAT on a lunch box? Thankfully, their fears did not derail the production. Nolan immersed himself in Batman lore and found his hook: the tortuous childhood of Bruce Wayne, his need (and ultimate failure to achieve) vengeance, and his dedication to his role as the savior of Gotham. Nolan was intimately involved in every detail of the production. For example, his meetings with composers Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard resulted in an AMAZING cinematic soundtrack that, though completely different from the efforts of Danny Elfman and Elliot Goldenthal, accurately reflected the theme of duality within the life and persona of Bruce Wayne. Nolan's casting decisions were spot on, with Morgan Freeman taking on the role of Lucius Fox, Michael Caine taking on the role of Alfred, and Gary Oldman in the role of the young Captain Gordon. Tom Wilkinson, Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson rounded out what would be a stellar cast (the less said about Katie Holmes, the better). The actors themselves refused to approach their roles in a movie about a comic book hero with the same disdain that thespians such as Kevin Spacey and Uma Thurman (with Uma, I use the term "thespian" lightly) embraced similar roles (in "Superman Returns" and "Batman and Robin", respectively). Indeed, all of the actors did NOT overact and treated their roles as they would if the film were a Scorsese crime drama. The most inspired casting decision was that of Christian Bale in the title role. Bale was not a Hollywood superstar nor was he viewed as a vacuous pretty boy. He had honed his acting chops as a young man in Steven Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" and had been a steady working actor ever since. Bale LOOKED the part of Bruce Wayne, and after his manic performance in "American Psycho", it was easy to see that he could pull off the duality of nature required for the role of Batman.

For the most part, production of "Batman Begins" occurred under the radar. After all, the general public had moved on beyond "Batman." After the debacle that was "Batman and Robin", no one was particularly looking forward to another Batman film. Only the fanboys (myself included) held out any hope, but even our hopes were guarded. We had been let down by Hollywood to many times. In addition, this was to be the summer of "Revenge of the Sith", the last of the Star Wars prequels. Fox was releasing a "Fantastic Four" film that looked pretty darned good (at the time it did, but the less said about THAT flaming pile of crap the better). The new Harry Potter movie and the first Narnia film were to be released in the fall. There was also a movie that looked to be pretty darned funny; it was called "Wedding Crashers." Even Spielberg had something out that summer: his version of "War of the Worlds." With all of the attention being paid to these films, Nolan was able to toil in obscurity. The crew took over some London soundstages and set to work.

I distinctly remember seeing the first trailer for the film. At the beginning of the trailer, I had no idea it was a film about Batman. It was a scene between Liam Neeson's character Ducard and Christian Bale's Bruce Wayne fighting with swords on an ice lake in the mountains. Neeson is taunting Bruce, and with the strains of Zimmer and Newton Howard's track "Eptesicus" in the background, Ducard taunted Bruce "Your parents' death was not your fault." Bruce starts. Ducard continues: "It was your father's." Bruce, enraged, rushed Ducard who promptly taught him a lesson in the importance of controlling one's emotions when in combat. It was a powerful scene, and I was dumfounded. This was a studio film about Batman????? HOLY S--T!!!

Still, though, I was worried. Studios had a tendency to put their best stuff out in the trailers, and I was thinking that there was no way the entire film could fulfill the promise of that scene. Boy was I wrong. The weekend it was released, I went to an early morning show of the film. I enjoy morning shows, as they are usually less crowded with annoying personalities and I usually have no problems finding a seat that I like. As the lights went down, the deep, resonating purcussion of the score started playing over the speakers, the DC emblem and WB emblems came and went, and a flurry of bats flew across the screen. Barely visible within that flurry was the iconic emblem of the bat...and then we were off and running with a young Bruce and a young Rachel on the grounds of Wayne Manor. We see Bruce fall through the old rotted boards covering a dried out well and we see him fall. We also se his horror as his impact has disturbed the bats that nested in the cave adjacent to the well, and the bats swarm all around the Bruce. The action then takes us to Bruce Wayne in a Chinese prison, where he meets Ducard. Ducard has an offer for him, an offer to provide Bruce with the gifts he needs to combat evil. All along, we, the audience, are treated to glimpses of Bruce's childhood and the events that led Bruce to be incarcerated in China. What follows is my list of sequences that are immediately unforgettable.

1) The image of Thomas Wayne coming down via rope, reaching out to his son, and intoning "It's all right, Bruce, you are safe."

2) The death scene of the Waynes. It was wonderfully shot (pardon the pun) and realized from Frank Miller's graphic novel "Batman: Year One." I also thought Thomas's dying request of Bruce that he not "be afraid" was extremely touching. Nolan and Goyer successfully illustrated the reason why Bruce was SO devoted to his parents and their memory.





3) Young Bruce and Alfred after the funeral of the Waynes, where Bruce breaks down because he believes that he was the cause of his parents' death. Michael Caine did an AMAZING job in this scene as Alfred. I also enjoyed this as it was a continuing reminder of the relationship young Bruce had with his parents. Nolan and Goyer successfully humanized Bruce with scenes depicting loving family scenes with the Waynes, and it was these scenes that served to give the film its heart.

4) Alfred's admonishing of Bruce when Bruce intones that he would rather Wayne Manor were torn down. This scene was followed by Bruce reminiscing about he and his father and how his father allowed him to play with his stethoscope. I smiled when I saw this on screen, as my own father, a physician, did the same with me when I was a child.

5) Bruce throwing away the gun that he had intended to use to kill Joe Chill.

6) Bruce's rediscovery of the Batcave. The image of the bats swirling about his stationary figure in the space that was to become the Batcave is an indelible image. The music in this scene is AMAZING, and I loved how Nolan pulled the camera's back to give the audience a greater sense of perspective.

7) Bruce and Alfred in preparation for Batman. I loved seeing how Bruce was making each of his "throwing bats" and his explanation to Alfred concerning the symbolism of the bat.

8) Batman's first battle. When the thug screams in fear "Where are you???" and Batman whispers "Here", that was the moment Bale became Batman for me.

9) Batman's call for "back-up" in Arkham Asylum, a scene lifted directly from Frank Miller's "Batman: Year One."

10) The flight of the batmobile and the cops communication therein. Once again, the music MADE this sequence.

11) The final fight sequence. Wow.

12) The coda to the film and the introduction of the Batsignal. Gordon's warning of escalation was perfect for it set the stage for the creation, over time, of what (hopefully) will become Batman's Rogues Gallery. With one final scene lifted from "Batman: Year One", Nolan left no doubt as to where he would go in the sequel:

Gordon: What about escalation

Batman: Escalation?

Gordon: We start carrying semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing Kevlar, they buy armor-piercing rounds.

Batman: And?

Gordon: And *you're* wearing a mask and jumping off rooftops. Now, take this guy: armed robbery, double homicide. Got a taste for theatrical, like you. Leaves a calling card.
[Gordon presents Batman with a clear plastic evidence bag containing what appears to be a single playing card; Batman turns it over to reveal a "Joker"]




Batman: I'll look into it.

Nolan had accomplished the impossible. He had successfully revived a dead franchise and made it relevant in the minds of movie goers everywhere. I remember walking out of the theater later that day, mesmerized by what I had watched. That next weekend, I told my brother about it, and he purchased IMAX tickets for the film. It was even better the second time around. My enthusiasm for the film has not diminished even after several screenings. It is simply that good.

When the film was released, it grossed just north of $50 million during its opening weekend. While that was respectable, it was no where near the blockbuster neighborhood of the opening weekend grosses of the "Spider-Man" films. And then a funny thing happened. Word of mouth started to spread, and "Batman Begins", against all odds, became one of the highest grossing films of the year. With a worldwide gross in excess of $377 million, a sequel was inevitable.

Now, after 3 years, it is upon us. Advance word on the film has been stellar, and "The Dark Knight", unlike its predecessor, has become THE event film of the summer. Will it live up to the hype? My expectations for it are pretty high. Check back here on Sunday evening to find out!

Batman Week Continues: the 90s until 2005..

There is simply too much to write in 3 posts; therefore, I have decided to extend Batman Week to 4 posts. Keep reading!!!

During the late 1990s, the “Batman” franchise was in dire straits. The comic book speculation market that had driven the popularity of comics to insane heights imploded, and comic shops across the country started to shutter their doors. The creativity of comics was also stifled, as publishers self-destructed in their neverending quest for huge EVENT stories that crossed over multiple titles and forced the comic buyer to purchase numerous issues just to follow the story. At the same time, the price of comic books started to skyrocket. When I first started collecting comics, the price was 65 cents. The introduction of the Prestige Format from DC comics (also known as “bookshelf format”) was a then-hefty $1.95. In fact, Frank Miller’s “The Dark Knight Returns” was the first limited series to be published in the Prestige Format.

Amid all of these problems in the comics, Batman was struggling as well. One of the major stories (occurring shortly after the infamous “Death of Superman” event) was the breaking of Batman at the hands of the villain Bane. This storyling, called “Knightfall”, resulted in Bruce Wayne giving up the mantle of the bat while taking some time to heal. He handed over the reigns of Batman to Jean-Paul Valley, a member of a sacred order of knights known for their harsh treatment of law breakers. The result of all of these storylines was that, in the comics, Bruce Wayne was not Batman for many long stretches of time. This signaled the loss of connection between the writers of the “Batman” books and their audience, a connection that would be tenuous until the arrival of Greg Rucka.

So the comics world of Batman was in shambles. The motion picture world was not much better. As I mentioned yesterday, Joel Schumacher’s “Batman and Robin” signaled the death knell for the character in the movies for the rest of the 90s and the first half of the 00s. The one success story for the character was the Warner Brother’s animated series. “Batman: The Animated Series” was a revolutionary work from the minds of Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. With a throwback look reminiscent of the classic Fleischer Superman cartoons of the 1940s, “B:TAS” captured the imagination of young and old alike. With its action and colorful array of villains, children of all ages were enthralled with the show. Adults in particular gravitated to the more mature themes and complex character storylines. For the first time, many of the villains in Batman’s rogue’s gallery were given the proper treatment. Richard Moll, more famously known as Bull Shannon from the 1980s situation comedy “Night Court” gave an amazingly nuanced performance as Harvey Dent, the DA who would become the villainous Two-Face. Mark Hamill returned the menace to the Joker’s reputation, and Michael Ansara portrayed the tragic character of Victor Fries with a heartrending honesty; the episode “Heart of Ice” remains my favorite among all of the episodes from the series. The gothic nourish look to the series was also a great success. To highlight the darkness of Gotham City, Timm decided to have all of the backgrounds painted onto black paper instead of white paper. The result was a truly unique look that served to highlight the shadowy world for Gotham City. “B:TAS” was such a success that Timm and Co. were tapped to created “Superman: TAS” and then “Batman Beyond.” Originally a show beyond the comics continuity of Batman, “Batman Beyond” was the story of Terry McGuinness, a young high schooler and street tough who becomes the mentee for an elderly, decrepit and bitter Bruce Wayne. The show was nothing short of amazing, and it remains a personal favorite of mine.

The success of the animated adventures of Batman did not go unnoticed at either DC Comics or by its parent company, Warner Communications (AOL Time Warner at the time). Rather than dismissing Batman out of hand, like so many critics had, as a character whose time had come and gone, the powers that be commissioned numerous scripts and invited numerous filmmakers to pitch their visions for Batman films. The WB brain trust realized that they needed to get back to basics, and the scripts that they commissioned reflected this fact. Frank Miller adapted his comic series “Batman: Year One,” with Darren Aronofsky attached to direct, but WB, rightfully, rejected the idea as being too dark for the movie going masses. Trust me, I have read the script. When you introduce Selina Kyle, the woman who would be Catwoman, as a madam and prostitute, you are getting into VERY dark territory. The second script commissioned by Warner Brothers was an adaptation of “Batman Beyond”, written by Paul Dini (one of the creators of the T show) to be directed by Boaz Yachin. Warners shelved the project, and while I personally was disappointed by that development, I felt heartened knowing that they were trying to find the right script. Warners had learned from their experience with “Batman Forever” and “Batman and Robin,” Warners was not going to proceed until they had the right script.

Enter David Goyer. Goyer had long toiled in obscurity in Hollywood, but his script for the film that would eventually become “Batman Begins” captivated the WB braintrust. Goyer went back to the basics of the origin, picking and choosing key elements from the varied sources and utilizing sequences from stories as diverse as Bob Kane’s original “Batman” origin story, Len Wein’s 1980s-era “The Untold Legend of Batman”, Denny O’Neill’s “The Man Who Falls” and, most importantly, Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One”. After Goyer’s script started to make the rounds, comic fans maintained a tenuous state of excitement. After all, the script made use of 2 obscure villains from the Batman rogues gallery, Ra’s Al G’hul and Jonathan Crane, the Scarecrow. Also included was the villainous Carmine Falcone from “Batman: Year One” and Joe Chill, the murderer of Dr. Thomas and Martha Wayne from Bob Kane’s original “Batman” origin story. Who would they get to direct it? Who would be Batman? Who would play the villains? Would Warner’s drop the ball again and get a director who had NO IDEA how to make a character-driven story of the tortured existence of a man haunted by an unimaginable childhood trauma? Would the director embrace the duality of Batman/Bruce Wayne by doing justice to the wonderful script or would he inject “songs by Prince”? Would they ask Val Kilmer or George Clooney back (OH NO! THE HORROR!!!). Comics fans everywhere waited on pins and needles. With the announcement that was to come (as well as the FILM that was to come), we were about to be rewarded for our perseverance.