• Tag Archives joel schumacher

  • Canister X Movie Review #106: The Number 23 (2007)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

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    The Number 23 (2007)
    Written by Fernley Phillips
    Directed by Joel Schumacher
    Runtime  101 min.
    3 out of 5

    They say it is just a number. They say it doesn’t mean anything, but for Walter Sparrow, the number 23 quickly becomes his whole world and he begins seeing it in everything he sets his eyes on.

    At first things appear to be mere coincidence—the numerical value of his name (23), his birthday (2/3), but as time goes on, the number seems to take on a life of its own and leads him down a pathway to darkness and psychosis.

    Jim Carrey stars as Walter Sparrow in this Joel Schumacher-directed flick and once again Carrey proves he’s more than just a goofball actor. Carrey plays the serious role well. He blew me away in Man on the Moon. I loved him in Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind. If anything, I prefer him in his more dramatic roles than playing the funny man.

    Virginia Madsen did an excellent job portraying Sparrow’s wife. The unconditional love she had for her husband was in every scene even when things got crazy.

    My first reaction as to how it all wrapped up left me wanting more, then, after thinking about it prior to writing this review, the way it all came together in the end worked perfectly.

    This is a movie for those who enjoy intrigue, the hidden threads of Reality and how exploring those threads leads a person down the dangerous and dark path of obsession and skewed perception of the world around them.

    Numerology, which plays a part in the Reality you and I live in, is dangerous and this movie shows why. Though this was a work of fiction, the dangers of getting into numerology are real. It has the potential to control you. Be careful.

    The only reason for the lower rating was because, despite its detailed plot, I still felt I was only getting part of the story and not a deep submergence into Sparrow’s psyche.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #10: Batman Forever (1995)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

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    Batman Forever (1995)
    Written by Lee Batchler, Janet Scott-Batchler and Akiva Goldsman
    Directed by Joel Schumacher
    Runtime 121 min.
    3 out of 5

    Two Face has been terrorizing Gotham for a while and after executing a terrible sentence at Gotham Circus, he inadvertently changes the life of the Dark Knight forever by setting in motion a chain of events that lead to the birth of Batman’s legendary partner, Robin.

    Continuing in the “double villain” trend as established by Batman Returns, a disgruntled—and stalker-ish—employee of Wayne Industries, Edward Nigma, gets revenge on his boss by becoming the Riddler, and steals his way to the top of the technology enterprise game.

    It’s two-on-two in this third installment of the Batman franchise.

     

    Riddle me this: what do you get when you cross Adam West and Michael Keaton? You get Val Kilmer’s portrayal of Batman, one who is part serious and part humorous. This is the film that I’ve always viewed as the “transition piece” between the dark Bat-flicks done by Tim Burton and the all-out camp-fest that is Batman & Robin.

    Though a bit over the top, the story of Batman Forever is a good one and if you watch it just for that, you’ll highly enjoy it.

    It was the humor that brought this film down.

    First, Batman ain’t funny. He’s so serious and dry he makes Al Gore look like Superman.

    Second, Two Face isn’t funny. Tommy Lee Jones, as much as I enjoy him as an actor, got the character wrong. Two Face is a gangster not another version of the Joker.

    Third, Riddler isn’t all whacky and zany, though by director Joel Schumacher’s choice to cast Jim Carrey in the role, it’s evident he was after Frank Gorshin’s Riddler from the ’60s instead of the comic book Riddler. Jim also got this part shortly after he became super famous so obviously this role was playing to his strength of being a rubber-faced whack job.

    Fourth, though it was a neat thing to add Robin to the mix, Chris O’Donnell was too old, but, I suppose, having a kid running around in an anatomically-correct rubber suit would have raised too many questions.

    This film was 50/50 for me. Had its pluses and minuses. I’m going to leave this in the “decide for yourself” category.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #6: Batman & Robin (1997)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

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    Batman & Robin (1997)
    Written by Akiva Goldsman
    Directed by Joel Schumacher
    Runtime 125 min.
    2 out of 5

    A freeze is coming.

    Gotham is under siege, this time by not one but three supervillains: Mr. Freeze (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Poison Ivy (Uma Thurman) and Bane (Jeep Swenson).

    The Dynamic Duo (George Clooney and Chris O’Donnell) is called to the rescue despite the tension growing between them. Complicating things, Barbara Pennyworth (Alicia Silverstone), Alfred’s niece, has come to Wayne Manor to liberate her ailing uncle from a life of servitude. She also has a secret: a wild side that needs to be tamed.

    When an all-out assault is declared on Gotham by Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, the caped crusaders rise to the occasion, and this time they have a little help.

     

    If you took the cheesy, camp-filled ’60’s Batman series and shot it with a huge budget, tons of effects and modern day equipment, Batman & Robin is what you’d get (and is what we got).

    Clearly this was the film that killed the Batman franchise. It took eight years for Warner Brothers to recover from the disaster that was this movie.

    The story—the “what it’s about”—though farfetched, is bearable. It’s the dialogue and stupid jokes that catapult this Bat-flick a zillion miles into the campy canyon.

    On the plus side, if you watch this movie solely for the bright colors, glitter and action, you’ll have a good time.

    If you’re looking for substance, go back to the beginning, namely Burton’s ’89 triumph.


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  • Canister X Movie Review #4: Batman (1966)

    Posted on by A.P. Fuchs

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    Batman (1966)
    Written by Lorenzo Semple Jr.
    Directed by Leslie H. Martinson
    Runtime 105 min.
    4 out of 5

    Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed!

    The dynamic duo, Batman and Robin, hit the big screen in this 1960s action/adventure camp-stravaganza!

    When the caped crusaders’s most dangerous foes—Joker, Riddler, Catwoman, Penquin—team up and plot to dehydrate the United Nations Security Council, Batman and Robin find themselves in over their heads and must pull out all the stops to put an end to the evil villains’ dastardly plans in this big screen adaptation of the hit TV series.

     

    This movie rocks! And here’s why:

    It’s fast-paced, exciting, and is the definition of superhero fun. What? You mean superheroes can be fun? Of course! Remember dressing up as a kid and flying around the house as Superman or climbing the stairs as Spider-Man or swinging from room to room as Batman? Remember laying waste to all those imaginary villains while also saving the damsel in distress and trying to ignore your parents when they called you for dinner? That was superhero fun. Easy-going, super adventure.

    This film is the same thing . . . but with grownups. Of course, it’s also a giant Batman TV episode complete with such goodies as the animated THOKs and POWs bursting across the screen, crazy bat-gadgets for every occasion (i.e. the [in]famous bat-shark repellent), a host of bat-vehicles, and goofy special effects that work well in the context of the movie.

    What’s brilliant about this Batman movie are the jokes. First, it’s meant to be silly and funny, but the humor is both overt and subtle, whether it’s the dialogue, facial expressions or even actions in some cases. It’s also amazing that despite it being purposely campy, Adam West and Burt Ward—Batman and Robin, respectively—played their characters straight. What I mean is, they played these guys seriously in the crazy, colorful world they inhabited—the characters matching the story, the environment and those they interacted with—and not once did it seem like actors goofing around and simply scoring a paycheck. That’s a feat on its own, in my books.

    Nowadays, superhero filmmakers have a hard time trying to do more than one villain in their movies. Why they don’t go back and look at this flick for help, I don’t know. Granted, the four villains in here all had their TV history backing them up, but they still were able to each stand on their own and each share the spotlight and fulfill their roles. No one is second stringer to anyone else.

    If there is a movie out there that represents superhero fantasy, this flick is it. Everything is so over-the-top that it actually works and you feel like you’re watching an old school comic book come to life. Joel Schumacher tried to recreate this with Batman Forever and Batman & Robin and wasn’t able to pull it off. The big reason, in my mind, is because he tried to merge the old with the new and that’s like mixing black and white—you get a bunch of gray and no one knows what’s what.

    Anyway, I love this movie. My kids love this movie and I let them watch it because compared to the ultra dark Bat-flicks of today, I need to know they’ll have fun watching a Bat-movie, will have at least a general sense of what’s going on, and won’t get nightmares after. (I mean, Heath Ledger’s Joker creeps me out and I’m an adult.)

    Batman is one of my all-time favorite movies. It’s lighthearted, it’s funny, it’s exciting, and is a showcase of everything that made the TV series such a hit, even now, nearly fifty years later.

    Recommended.


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