So lately I haven’t been blogging much. I think it’s because I’m too busy doing things, like watching movies, which is quite strange of me. Within the last month I have reached half of my annual (normal) quota.
There was Mirror, Mirror entertaining but not impressionable. Sleeping Beauty which was disappointing – after the second half the salient points of the plot simply stagnated. Then I caught Battleships, which was fun while it lasted – as most action flicks are – but too predictable to leave a pleasant aftertaste. Madam Butterfly was a strange experience – an opera in a cinema, my first! And The Raven was one of the better ones as with kingdoms by the seas. I think I missed out one but I can’t recall so it doesn’t deserve mention.
Anyway that wasn’t the point of this post. The point, at least initially, was to list out the movies I am looking forward to watching, the movies I would like to watch again, and the men and women I adore in some of these.
Movies I look forward to watching
First on the list (not by chronology of release) would definitely be The Dark Knight Rises. Typically I don’t like superhero flicks. Stuff like Captain America is fine for an afternoon visual frolic but nothing I take too seriously – once I leave the cinema the only thing I can remember is his fabulous physique (#justsaying). But Nolan’s Batman is another thing altogether. He’s a little grim, narcissistic and off the bat. Not your typical mainstream blockbuster superhero. But if you read into the character, how normal can a billionaire who personifies himself as a mask-wearing, bat-looking vigilante be? In Arkham Asylum, the Joker welcomes him ‘home’ to ‘the place where he belongs’. It questions the concept of madness, delves into repression (fear of death, as symbolised by the bat) and sheds new light on the hero archetype. Pretty stuff to mull over.
And Christian Bale is rather suited for this. The American Psycho actor is tall, handsome and dark – in the brooding sense, the way still waters run deep and may drown you. His (and Nolan’s) interpretation of the character gives it raw energy – a little unsettling for the mainstream folks who prefer the good to always prevail – but perfect for my unsettled mind who sees the world in a multitude of grays.
The second on my list for 2012 would be Resident Evil 5: Retribution. Now my passion for the whole RE franchise is a little personal. It all started way back with The Fifth Element where Bruce Willis held a red-headed and strange looking but beautiful girl in his arms and cried. That beautiful young woman became the heroine of the RE movie franchise as Alice, with an edginess, strength and cool-headedness that is unequaled. When she stares out from the screen with those eyes steely-cold with determination, I’m spellbound.
My interest in RE doesn’t end just here. Aside from Milla Jovovich, I am also very much taken by two other characters – namely Leon Kennedy and Claire Redfield. But that’s something else for another time.
The third, fourth and fifth movie I am looking forward to are pretty predictable. Avengers, which everyone wants to catch and is fully booked for IMAX for this weekend and the next (which is fine, I can wait). Snow White and the Huntsmen, because it looks like an interesting interpretation of the fairytale (although I doubt it can equal this version by Neil Gaiman). And the Amazing Spiderman, because it looks like a new series with some potential (I hope it doesn’t disappoint).
And then there are the movies I wish to watch again
Along with the general fever of my fascination with movies is this nostalgia for previous favourites.
The entire series of Resident Evil just because I enjoy watching Alice in action, and I especially like the last one where Claire and Chris Redfield joins the fray. Watchmen because it is so mind fcking. Leon: The Professional, because it makes me cry every time, and I must have watched it at least five times. The Hours, for personal reasons – but it makes me depressed so it’s not such a good idea. And lastly (for now), Shawshank Redemption which is not a movie I have watched but would like to (read the book, was really awesome).
I need to find a movie rental store, a location and a weekend.
Before Diablo III launches.
