Why so serious?

It's not gone to print yet, but here's my article for issue three of Brown Paper.

THE DARK KNIGHT

AN IMPORTANT, AND PERHAPS UNEXPECTED, MESSAGE

You know what wouldn’t surprise me? I have this really strong feeling that a lot of people are going to see The Dark Knight, like, a million times each, this summer, simply as a result of Heath Ledger’s – admittedly very shocking and sudden – death.

For this month’s article, I was initially going to be writing about the films of 2008 that I, for one, am looking forward to, in order to give you all an idea of what films you should be intending to watch. However, I unfortunately do not control the world, and thus the unexpected occurred, and ruined my plans; if I were to totally ignore Ledger’s death and what it entails, then that would simply make me appear slow and uninformed, and then nobody would view me as a credible writer, and so – even though it now makes me look like someone who just HAS to follow the crowd, and swoon and gasp at how hunky and gorgeous he was (sorry, but I’m just not keen on him) – I have found myself unexpectedly writing about his death, in order to give you all an important message.

You see, it’s strange how events like this provoke guilt trips or an excessive sense of sympathy within people. Of course, I would be hypocritical if I were to say “don’t watch the film!”, seeing as I encouraged everyone to do pretty much the same thing in my Waitress article in issue 1, when I wrote about the death of Adrienne Shelly. I dislike Heath Ledger, true, but it would be heartless of me to try and desensitise his death, or be cynical about it. I simply think that The Dark Knight is now unarguably going to be about the Joker. Even if that’s not the film-makers’ intention, the public are going to make sure that that is the case.

Batman Returns was a great film – not just a rehash of the1990s’ entries to the franchise, but a dark retelling and an actual decent film – and many (including myself – please don’t misinterpret my standing on this film. I really do want to see it) have been looking forward to this sequel. Casting Heath Ledger as Batman’s craziest – and probably most famous – nemesis seemed like a strange choice at first, but if you’ve seen the images of him in his costume and full make-up, no doubt you’ll agree that he seems right for the part. This casting choice has thus far perhaps brought the most publicity to the film. With news of Heath Ledger’s death suddenly sucked up into a maelstrom of media, this publicity is going to get an even bigger boost. If foul play is suspected – which, at the time of writing, it is not – then The Dark Knight could potentially have money pouring in at the box office.

Simply, I urge you to see this film for the right reasons. If Christopher Nolan’s track record is anything to go by, it’s going to be a great film. Christian Bale has already succeeded in portraying Bruce Wayne and his alter-ego very well, Michael Caine is always great fun to watch, the fantastic Maggie Gyllenhaal has replied Katie Holmes as Bruce’s childhood friend, Rachel (thank God)—oh, and it’s got Gary Oldman! But yeah, seriously, don’t go to see this film because you feel guilty about the fact that a young, talented actor died way before his time. Go because you like him as an actor, because you want to celebrate his life, or simply because you know you’ll enjoy the film.

By The Duke

----------------
Now playing: Fiction Plane - Cross The Line
via FoxyTunes

Waitress

Well, I'm bored, and as I was writing my Hairspray article earlier for Brown Paper, I figured I might as well start posting the articles that I write for the publication on this blog as well, seeing as they are technically 'creative writings' of mine. (Note that this is the original article, but for the actual publication, I had to cut it down by about a third, as I was only permitted one A5 page, and in its original format, it took up one and a half pages.)
----
If you want film related articles, you will get film related articles. Be ready for them. There should be one every issue, and even if you're not a big fan of films, you might as well read them. You might learn something. Hell, you might even gain an interest in the subject. I hope nobody expects me to summarise or review these films for them, though. That’s not my job. There are plenty of magazines, newspapers or websites you could check out for that sort of information. My purpose is to talk about the films on a more personal level, and put them into context a little for you. Hopefully you’ll then find a good reason to watch them.

Waitress
Who it's for: people who like pie, Nathan Fillion, comedy, romance, southern accents, or just seeing the good guy/gal win without it being horribly cheesy and clichéd. Also for people who are bored or for those who just happen to like to watch lots and lots of films
Who it’s directed by: Adrienne Shelly
When it came out: 2007

There are a number of perfectly valid reasons as to why you should see this film at some point in the near future. Firstly, if you’ve got heart, you’ll be going out of sympathy. Adrienne Shelly - writer, director, and co-star of the film - was killed last November. Some 19 year old Ecuadorian kid got a bit upset when she complained to him about the noise he was making in the apartment below her; he punched her, and - believing her to be dead - hung her from her shower-curtain rail, which strangled her, all in an attempt to make her death look like a suicide. Obviously he got found out eventually, though. Shelly’s performance as Dawn is haunting to watch; knowing that the woman on the screen is not only dead, but murdered - and so recently, too - makes you feel slightly uncomfortable, even though the character is sweet and thoughtful and makes you laugh at her simplicity. You owe it to Shelly to watch this film, her last project.

Another thing: the film stars Nathan Fillion. His may not be a name you’re particularly familiar with; he’s no A-list celebrity, certainly, and he’s definitely not a household name (unless you mean specifically in my household, anyway), but the difference between he and many of those who are is that he deserves to be more well-known. In the words of Empire magazine, he is “a man who improves any movie by 27 percent with his charming befuddlement”. That’s rating him highly if you ask me. If you’re a fan of LOST, you should remember him as Kevin, the police officer Kate was married to, shown in flashbacks in the season 3 episode ‘I Do‘. Alternatively, if you love the Joss Whedon ‘verse, you may remember Caleb from season 7 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. His most well-known role, however, is Captain Mal Reynolds in Whedon’s [sadly cancelled] TV show, Firefly (later, a film - Serenity - was released as a follow-on, in which Fillion reprised this role). It’s impossible to not love Mal; he’s bumbling, cheeky, funny, sweet, and essentially a bit of a rogue (read: Han Solo-ish). Nathan Fillion brings many of these qualities to Dr. Pomatter, the gynaecologist who has an affair with Waitress’s main character, Jenna (played by Keri Russell). If you’ve never seen Fillion in anything before, you might as well go see this. Even though Dr. Pomatter has zero valid reasons for having the affair, the whole point is that for Jenna, it’s acceptable; her life and dreams are crushed by her husband, who treats her like property, and who cries like an absolute baby whenever she does something to displease him. Jenna is made a free woman when she starts the affair, albeit intermittently, and because he’s so nice, and treats her so much better than her husband does, we love Fillion’s character (and, really, who can blame her for liking him?).

This film genuinely deserves a lot of credit. It was snapped up at the Sundance film festival earlier this year, where it received a standing ovation, and has been lauded by critics. Some are passing it off as this year’s Little Miss Sunshine; it’s original, funny, and - most importantly - real. It’s not a Hollywood movie; the main character’s life is not perfect by the end; and she does not become a princess, or marry a prince, and have lots of beautiful babies/Dalmatians/fine, exquisite clothing (there’s just one baby). Russell is the main focus; Jenna has a lot of problems in her life, and although the characters of the supporting cast have issues too, none of them equate to hers. But the fact that these people do have problems makes the story so much more believable: a weird, spontaneous poem-spouting blind date, who won’t give up on Dawn, despite being unwanted; a baby that - despite being unborn - is already unloved; Becky’s wonky boobs; and, of course, the gorgeous gynaecologist (that should be a book title, really). If any of the things on the who’s it for list apply to you, you’d do well to watch this film. Go on, go for it.

Written by The Duke

----------------
Now playing: The Police - Walking In Your Footsteps
via FoxyTunes