An Unusual Suspect is An American Psycho!

            

So I decided to go a little old school and revisit 'American Psycho' and 'The Usual Suspects'. First up, American Psycho. You may be surprised to learn that this film almost had Leo Di Caprio in the lead role along with James Woods as the cop and Oliver Stone as the director. Di Caprio baled (pun intended) to shoot 'The Beach' so Stone pulled out along with Woods. Personally I'm glad it was Bale who got the role (just because he's a brilliant actor) and this shot him to stardom which ultimately led him to becoming a hardcore actor who lets rip at lighting people crossing his set and climbs into bullet proof suits with capes. Anyway, I had forgotten the part of the film when he opens the fridge to hand his receptionist some sorbet and there, sitting in a plastic bag, is the head of a woman he murdered the night before! He truly was a psycho and was definitely worth the re-visit. Oh yeah, I also liked his taste in music.

The Usual Suspects...well, I'm embarrassed to say that I had actually forgotten the twist which was great because I watched the film with 'fresh' eyes. Strange to notice that the only actor who made it out there alive to become an A-list actor was Spacey. He is just brilliant. The fact that I've interviewed him before might have something to do with that statement...I mean, the guy had a couple of fingers glued down to make his 'gimpy' disability look more real! Anyway, I really enjoyed the story (again) and I thought that Stephen Baldwin was actually pretty good. Del Toro was also good, well, the times when I could hear what he was saying.

After having watched these 2 movies I gotta say that I really miss old school films. No CGI, no waste your time 3D and no hiring hot chicks just because they're hot!

The Dark Knight Rises (Well, almost...)

There's no beating around the bush here. I'm upset. No, not because it's not in 3D, that was one of my favourite parts. You see, I built up my expectations only to have them chipped away at until about 15 minutes before the end but by then, it was too late, the foundations had already been too badly damaged. The length of the movie is another sore point. For some reason this film felt long (even though it's only approx. 15 minutes longer than The Dark Knight). The introduction of Selina - Catwoman-ish (Anne Hathaway) was unnecessary and I felt that she added nothing to the story line except for the odd grin I managed to squeeze out of myself. Bane (Tom Hardy) was played ruthlessly and with malice but unfortunately I couldn't hear most of what he said throughout the film. Now whether this was the sound in the theatre or I hadn't cleaned my ears out, I don't know and whether or not it interfered with the story line, I don't know, but I still felt cheated. I did however like the introduction of Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as the never say die police officer fighting for justice like his caped protector and soon to be friend. I really do believe that it's not going to be long before Gordon-Levitt accepts his Oscar. There's no need to mention the acting talents of any of the other stalwarts i.e. Bale, Freeman, Caine or Oldman because they haven't changed an ounce since the start of the 'Trilogy'. Besides the inclusion of a flying machine called 'The Bat', don't expect any other gadgets to amaze us, however, with a budget of around $250m, I was hoping for a device that would help Batman escape the beating he received from Bane within an inch of his life, but what would the movie be without a fallen hero, rising? Anyway, I'm glad I saw this film but disappointed that I couldn't have written a nicer review. However, with the way the film ended, there might just be a nicer review to look forward to...