You wanna know how I got these scars?

Not being a comic book fan has its advantages, but when it came to Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight I've come to think it wouldn't have hurt to have been privy to some back-story. Then again the brilliance of Nolan's Kierkegaardian passage in the Batman Series is in its perceived contemporary tenets; rather, from what I'm told, the movie's deviation from source. I don't find fault here for obvious reasons. Dark Knight comes off a bit skittish, as if a dose of pedestrian might shatter the film's surface tension (it's no No Country), but once again it is comic book material. Where I soaked in every gallon of this movie can be found expressly in the wherewithal of Christian Bale, Heath Ledger (his first film called "Clowning Around"...you have to be kidding me), Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, et al (peripheral characters included; with the possible exception of an ill-cast Maggie Gyllenhaal) insomuch as their respective gravities influence rather than dominate. Kudos to Nolan regular John Papsidera. A cast this good (and scrapped content?) might have warranted a run time closer to 3-hours. I'm thinking the next episode will be Joker-free... How could they...?

Other films have successfully posited the as bad as bad can get themes (J'ai pas sommeil/I Can't Sleep being the first that I thought of; and the aforementioned 'No Country') with a search for peace and/or escape, but none so mainstream, none so forceful (maybe a tad transparent), and none as controversial as The Dark Knight is turning out to be. For laypeople and aficionados alike. And this is where I saw it, btw.

A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Without putting the adaptation into historical context, (because I haven't researched the movie's history or the play itself), I have to say A Streetcar Named Desire seems one of the most realistic and honest acted (by all involved) films around. Brando himself seems to disappear into the role of the down-to-earth Stanley. Stanley and Stella make the quintessential Orleanian couple, for their time, as they live foot-loose but deeply in love with each other, and they know each of the other is the only one for them. They quarrel now & again but the fights are usually either rooted in fun or serve as foreplay. Things change for them when Stella's hoity-toity sister Blanche shows herself and begins living with the couple.

Stanley clearly doesn't enjoy Blanche's elitist attitude and how it's beginning to rub off on Stella; or maybe more precisely awaken Stella as she may have been before her time with Stanely. It would be interesting to know the time when Stanley and Stella met. I can imagine Stella being just as aggravated if one of Stanley's relatives suddenly began staying in the apartment with no prospects and no plan to leave anytime soon, but in this case, Stanley is at his wits end when Blanche's story (of the past several years before showing up) doesn't check out and Stanley exposes Blanche's past. Let's just say it's a sorted past and whatever the road she traveled to get to the point where she hopped from hotel to motel, depending on the kindness of strangers , she's a bit used and a little lost in the mind to say the least.

We do know some of her story about Stella leaving Blanche in a troubled situation at home as kids for New Orleans, but it comes off as patronizing Stella and more than a little selfish...the very thing Blanche believes of Stella! As a matter of fact, I can identify with Stella somewhat in that respect. Blanche meets a would-be gentleman and the entire situation blows up in many areas; with Stella & Stanley, Stella & Blanche, Stanley & Mitch, Blanche & Mitch...it's a regular royal rumble of sorts. Throw in some card playing buddies and a close-knit, cheeky neighborhood and 'Streetcar' stands as maybe the best adaptation from a play out there (with Glengarry Glen Ross way up there also).

Wall-E & Hancock (2008)

Had the chance to see Wall·E (director Andrew Stanton) this weekend, and I acted. Wall·E is one of probably thousands of trash-compacting bots bent on rearranging a planet choked of post-consumer flotsam and jetsam for Man's eventual (or supposed) return from 700 years of planetary exile; so choked is the plant, that not a single organic remains on the surface. We've all seen the trailers, so I'll keep this brief. The storyline itself is fairly simple, honest, and loaded with that special type of Disney iconography and unobtrusive symbolism; i.e. when the first specimen of organic life is discovered by EVE (or ee-vuh, as Wall·E pronounces it), it's held inside EVE's stomach, then, a light is produced at the left-chest. Like I said, it's a straightforward movie. Never mind the comparisons to E.T., I guess. Mix in some Playskool environmentalism and a few gags on human detachment and rife obesity and there we have it. It's been said a thousand times that the animation is amazing, but especially incredible is the opening Earth scenes, about the first 20 minutes; the remainder wears more cartoonish. The only other thing, and it is a petty criticism, is the Dislovian dialogue (Disney + Pavlovian, if you'll indulge me) between the two bots which is nothing but repetitive waahl-ee's and ee-vuuh's sprinkled with emotion. I wouldn't say it irritating, but a hundred times later it approached my tolerance level. I genuinely expected the many children in the theater to begin parroting at any moment. To my surprise not a single one did.

Also saw Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, et al in Peter Berg's Hancock but I have no real thoughts on this one, probably because it's terrible. I'll simply paraphrase a chunk of my Paradise Villa (Park Jong Won, '02) review from nearly 3 years ago to the day:

The main problem is that it's just there. It takes itself too seriously to be considered a comedy; too dry to be camp (where it might have had a fighting chance); too base to be considered drama. It just doesn't have a home, so I was left detached and unconvinced in any case.

Had a great 4th of July extended weekend. Lots of fireworks, a few adult beverages, a bit of grilling, perfect weather; couldn't ask for more. Hope everyone did the same