Fighting Injustice...Out of Nothin' at All

That's my attempt at a witty title, by the way. And because it's probably not as witty as I thought it would be, I shall explain. What I'm basically trying to say is that "I've had the chance to watch Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Batman Begins recently, and I'm going to post my thoughts on them". Pilitin daw ba? Anyway...

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

The chemistry between Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie is just amazing. It's the first thing you'll notice in the movie. For lack of a better description, it's pretty obvious that they reek of sex. They practically have SEX stamped all over them. Other than that, I think they fit their roles perfectly. I couldn't imagine any other actors playing the parts. Pitt is as funny as ever. Pi was right to note that he's mastered the art of still being charming, despite making a complete fool of himself. *Making looove out of nothin' at all (making love)* And Angelina? What's not there to like? I mean, c'mon...the woman is the ultimate guy magnet!

The action is pretty intense and hilarious at the same time (my favorite sequence would definitely have to be the "after dinner" fight, where they still manage to kiss and make up in the end after all the destruction). I like the whole "invincible" treatment they gave John and Jane. I think it was cool. They are, afterall, the world's greatest assasins. The plot is a lot of fun, though quite typical of a summer film. There's the right amount of romance and drama in it too, which are also welcome breaks from all the Kick!Splode! (sorry, Jon) that make up 90% of the movie.

All in all, this film doesn't disappoint. It's what you'd come to expect from a film that supposedly broke up a marriage. Definitely a must have in anyone's DVD collection.

Batman Begins

First things first: Wow, wow, and mega-wow! This film is the shiznit (though I don't exactly know what that means, but it's supposed to be a good thing)! No more bat-skates! And thank goodness, no more bat-nipples! The nipples are finally in their rightful place...on the leading lady! (I got that from Peejay, by the way). Seriously though, the reviews were right...forget what you know about the first four films, this is how a Batman film was meant to be made. Gotham is finally a real city, none of those stupid towering statues with observatories on their backs and roads built on their shoulders. The problems are a lot more human...poverty, corruption, crime, things the audience can relate to. The casting is brilliant, and the acting superb (yes, I even found Katie Holmes superb), though I would've wanted to see more of Morgan Freeman and Gary Oldman. And Christian Bale! Christian Bale! Christian Bale! Potah, he was born to play the Dark Knight. He's the perfect Bruce Wayne/Batman. Heck, he is Bruce Wayne/Batman! Christian Bale for President!

Chris Nolan and David Goyer are my latest heroes. The story, cinematography, pacing, action, comedy, drama, everything was excellent. Personally, I think it was great that they tried to be as true as possible to the source material for the sake of the fans, but still added a different touch to educate those not familiar with the legend of the Bat. I loved the Crime Alley scene...it almost made me cry, dammit (even though I knew it was going to happen anyway). That was how well that scene was shot. The image of young Bruce on his knees, crying over his dead parents' bodies...it just sticks to you, sort of makes you feel bad because you couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. Then again, there is no Batman without Crime Alley. But my most favorite part in the film has got to be Bruce's training. It's something that's never really been explored in detail in the comics, so it was a great thing to watch. I especially liked the part where he beats the crap out of six inmates and then shouts "I don't need protection!" when the guards restrain him. I thought that was funny.

Naturally, the Batman scenes were fantastic. Well, it wouldn't be a Batman film if the Batman scenes sucked, now would it? I had my reservations on the costume when word of it first came out, but I'm glad I kept an open mind. The design of the costume makes sense in the movie and is a necessary part for Bruce's transformation into the Dark Knight. Same can be said with his other gadgets. And the car, dammit! What a fine piece of machinery. I have got to get me one of those.

So, we're down to the million dollar question. Is Batman Begins better than Spider-Man in the comics-to-film category? In some areas, maybe, but overall I personally think they're just on the same, great level. Both were excellent depictions of the origins of two of the greatest comicbook heroes of all time, and their stories were told exactly the way they were meant to be told: with a lot of love and respect for the mythologies behind them. At the end of the day, I believe any movie that does that deserves to be at the top of the charts.