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Batman: The Animated Series: The Underdwellers (1992)
The Oliver Twist of Batman Episodes
I've seen this episode being discussed as one of the shows worst and I simply have to disagree. I think the biggest reason I enjoy the episode more than many is Batman himself. It just stood out to me that of all the time villains you see on this show, this is the one that pushes Batman to the point where he is seriously tempted to kill him. The Sewer King is the one he sees no redemption in whatsoever.
It's also one of the shows darkest where The Sewer King is taking advantage of orphaned children, having them dressed as leprechauns to steal, and cruelly punishing those who disobey by exposing them to bright lights. Batman the Animated series stands out in general by it's noir style where it would make things like the TV coverage in black and white, and here this style is used at it's most effective here where Batman finds the childrens hideout, where you see the joy in them seeing Batman and interacting with each other, while he takes pictures to show the conditions they are forced to live in and you see the grim looking pictures in black and white. It's a brilliant way to show the different perspectives.
Is it a perfect episode? No. The Sewer King is very much a one and done character and its easy to see why he never returned. You don't really see why he is motivated to do some of the horrible things he does like you do with villains like say Two Face, the Penguin or The Joker and that does make him far less memorable and the stuff where he has pet crocodiles that can kill at his command is very Saturday Morning Cartoony which is at odds with the rest of the tone.
Ultimately it's an episode with flaws and there's definitely better episodes out there, but this is far from one being one of it's worst. In fact, I recomend seeing it. I like things that explore Batman as a character and seeing him admit he had to resist the urge to kill is a very human layer to me and it's something that made this series as strong as it is. It's also well animated and has its own unique charm in my opinion because of the innocence of the children that are forced into crime and the scenes where one of the children Batman rescues has to live with Alfred is fun to watch.
Oldeuboi (2003)
"Laugh and the world laughs with you. Weep and you weep alone."
I finally re-watched this masterpiece from Park Chan-wook. When it comes to movies about revenge, I have never seen something as effectively shocking as this was. It made me remember why I was so shaken up by this movie the first time I watched it. Nothing can truly prepare you for the kind of deranged story that unfolds in front you.
The plot is about Oh Dae-su, a man who is kidnapped and confined to a prison where, with his only form of contact with the outside world being a television where you see someone of the worlds biggest events he missed out on. He also finds out that his wife is murdered and he is framed for it, leaving his daughter orphaned. He is mysteriously released by his captors after 15 years. He is left unaware who did it, why he did it or why he was released. While his life is consumed with revenge, he also falls in love with a young woman who works in a sushi restaurant. When it comes to extreme violence, this is one of those films where I found a lot of it deeply affecting to the point where I was just completely taken out of my comfort zone the first time I watched it. It is razor sharp in terms of its storytelling and it feels so rich because for all the twisted insanity that involves in front of you, it feels impactful in all the right ways. All of the characters, no matter who they are feel like their motivations are handled properly. Oldboy becomes a better movie with every scene, because every plot point that's revealed to you, it is just consistently riveting and I was noticing a few subtle new things on repeat viewings.
All of the performances are superb in this and I feel I would have to spoil things if I was talking about everyone, however I will say that I absolutely adored Choi Min-Sik's performance as Oh Dae-su. Everything is revealed to you from his perspective and everything about his performance feels real and believable. He has that wonderful mix where he is just completely deranged and bad ass, while also having down-to-earth vulnerabilities and weaknesses and this makes him easy to connect with as a viewer. It makes everything revealed to you feel so much more meaningful.
His fight scenes.... wow! Just wow! How can something so messed up look so beautiful? The famous hallway scene one of best fight scenes I have ever seen put to film and it is just staggering to me how perfect it looks. It's not so much the martial arts that looks impressive, it's the fact that the film isn't afraid to make the fighting a little raw and sloppy at times which makes for a visceral and painful looking scene. Seeing Oh Dae-su with a switchblade stuck in his back for most of the scene just has me grimacing. And to top of that it is filmed in a beautiful extended long tracking shot. As badass as he is in this film Choi Min-Sik also gives a wonderful physical performance and he looks like he is in pain.... a lot. He sells a character who only has one thing left to fight for in his life and that is revenge and you feel his desperation for it.
The music in this film is just beautiful. The use of Vivaldi's 4 Seasons to someone's teeth getting pulled is so indescribably twisted, I just love it! That piece will probably haunt me whenever I go to the dentist now. The rest of the soundtrack is so beautiful it almost brings me to tears listening to it by itself. Jo Yeoung- wook and Shim Hyun-Jung's classical score feels very contrasting to the visuals, and just feels so tragic and melancholic. The last track called The Last Waltz, is one of the most beautiful pieces in the film and just has me deep in thought as I'm meditating and processing everything that has just happened in the film.
I also appreciate how you get a few darkly funny moments in there as well. There's one scene early on, while Oh Dae-su is still held prisoner, where he decides to write a list of people who he think might be motivated enough to do something like that to him and he ends up filling up an entire journal of it. There's a few little moments like that where you see humour like that just sprinkled in and I love that. I simply have to see more films from Park Chan-wook, because in my opinion he is one of the best filmmakers of all time. It's both beautiful and brutal to watch at the same and it's just one of those films that held my attention from start to finish. It is such a riveting experience, that the 2 hours just fly by and it's shocking ending makes the film linger on long after it's over. It's a great story where you end up buying into every characters motivations no matter how you look at it and that's what makes Oldboy a truly special experience. I loved every minute of this.
The Terminator (1984)
"It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."
There used to be a time I thought the sequel blew this movie completely out of the water, because it's bigger and more epic in scale and the action is a lot stronger, but this is one of those films where it gets stronger with every re-watch. There's always something I pick up on every time I see it.
The Terminator is an unrelenting experience to say the least and the whole premise of this where an almost indestructible machine only has one thing in mind, to kill you, and will stop at absolutely nothing to do it, is terrifying. It is such a simple premise, yet the way James Cameron writes and directs these characters makes this film almost perfect in my eyes.
Linda Hamilton as Sarah Conner is a much more grounded and vulnerable character in this film compared to the badass she would become in the sequel. In fact, she was completely unrecognisable to me once the second film roles on, yet it never feels far- fetched she would become this way because of how good the character development is in this film. You see her gradually become the soldier she is truly destined to be and all of it feels real. Plus, you've gotta love that mullet :)
Michael Biehn as Kyle Reece is terrific in this film and again he also feels like a grounded character. In fact straight away it's impossible not to see the vulnerability of the character when you see all the marks and scars all over his body as he comes through the time portal. He is completely outmatched by The Terminator he is assigned to protect Sarah from so he has to out smart it. You see that life as a soldier in a post-apocalyptic world where man fights machines, is the only thing he has ever known in his life, and there's a lot of great flashback scenes that really emphasise that point so effectively. Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn share great chemistry together as well, I really did buy the fact they loved each other despite the fact they only know each other for a day.
Of course, how could I not mention Arnie as The Terminator. He's another one of those badass villains that has very little dialogue, but you you feel the intensity amp up every time he's on screen. To say he is a presence would be an understatement, he is friggin' scary as a villain because all he cares about is killing Sarah Conner... that's it, that is the only thing he was sent to do and he stops at absolutely nothing to do it. It is just so intense, when you see a scene where Kyle shoots him multiple times, and all it does is buy some time. And it just returns to the deadly game of cat and mouse.
There are only brief fleeting moments where the film allows you to breathe. There is not a single scene in the film where I felt like it was filler or just there to kill time, it is a tightly edited masterpiece of cinema that just never lets up. It doesn't dumb itself down so that its more accessible to the audience either, there's a good 45 minutes or so where you don't know why this thing is targeting Sarah, or why she is so important and it doesn't matter because the film allows the atmosphere to take over. When she does find out why she's being targeted, it never feels tacked on, forced or drawn out with exposition.
I would not change a single thing about the story or the characters in this film. There are one or two effects in this such as the 'eye' scene are dated by today's standards, but given the films budget was only $6 million, significantly smaller than the blockbuster sequel, there's bound to be a few dated scenes here or there, but it doesn't hurt the experience. There's still something about that final scene with the stop motion exoskeleton that just has my skin crawling. It is such an intense final act, that had me gripped right to the end! It is a filmmaking achievement and one of my favourite films of all time :)
Daredevil: Speak of the Devil (2015)
"Are you struggling with the fact that you don't wanna kill this man, but have to? Or that you don't have to kill him, but want to?"
The last episode was a great character piece on Fisk and this one goes deeper into Murdock's character. It dives deeper into his religious beliefs, why he visits the priest (Peter McRobbie) so often for confessions and the type of relationship they have.
It also has arguably one of the bloodiest fights in the shows history when he fights Nabu. The episode is bookended by this fight as it starts with the brutal beating Daredevil takes, then it flashes back to the events that lead him there. Daredevil is lured into a trap because he is consumed by rage because of the murder of Elenor, who was a close friend to Karen and Foggy.
It exposes Murdock's character flaws, for instance he never wants to kill, but deep down he has urges. Yet another really good episode.
Daredevil: Shadows in the Glass (2015)
"It is the clever man who plays the fool. And a foolish woman... who does not recognize it."
This episode is absolutely fantastic :) Vincent D'Onofrio is absolutely exceptional as Fisk in this episode as you see why his very nature is violence and why he does so many irrational, horrible things! The episode is about his childhood and its messed up to say the least. Domenick Lombardozzi gives an absolutely chilling performance as Wilson Fisk's father. He's an alcoholic and you see how he abuses both him and his mother. It's rare you see a villain centred episode THIS compelling to watch, plus it gives you more about his associates like Leland Owlsley (Bob Gunton) who constantly doubts everything Fisk does. Also the cold way he gets Sgt. Brett Mahoney to murder his childhood friend to keep him quiet is completely chilling.
Meanwhile Matt Murdock finds out about Karen and Foggy's involvement in the Union Allied investigation and as Daredevil informs Ulrich about Wilson Fisk running everything, which eventually leads to mind games between Fisk and Murdock. It's brilliant writing. Absolutely exceptional episode from beginning to end.
Daredevil: Stick (2015)
"The only thing you know for sure is he's gone now. But I'm here. Now, get up. Time to stop taking a beating and start giving one"
This episode is all about Matt Murdock's past and how he trained to become the vigilante he is. His master known as 'The Stick' is also blind and he trains Murdock when he is very young. The relationship between them was strained because Murdock wanted him as a father figure. The Stick returns in his life distracting Murdock as he was attacking Leland Owlsley trying to get more followers information on Fisk.
Scott Glenn gives a great performance as 'The Stick' as he gives off a cold, distant performance. It's clear him and Daredevil are not on the same wave length as each other, there just seems to be absolutely no compassion or remorse for his actions.
The other side plot is more about Karen and Foggy and more about Karen and Ben trying expose Union Allied. Those are okay but unremarkable and don't really progress much.
Definitely a stand out episode though because of the presence of The Stick and also the mysterious ending :)
Daredevil: Condemned (2015)
"That sounds pretty bad, but I don't speak asshole."
This is simply a continuation of the events from Episode 5 where Fisk's plan to cause chaos to the city of Hell's Kitchen comes into fruition. He specifically has the areas with the Russian gangs blown up, and you see how he has complete control of the whole city by having most of the police on his payroll.
It is simply about how Daredevil keeps Vladimir alive to try and get the intel he needs to bring Fisk down. The most enthralling part of the episode was where Fisk uses Police communication to interact with Daredevil. The mind games truly began.
Overall a solid episode :)
Daredevil: World on Fire (2015)
"I've hurt people and I'm going to hurt more. It's impossible to avoid for what I'm trying to do. But I take no pleasure in it, in cruelty."
"I've hurt people and I'm going to hurt more. It's impossible to avoid for what I'm trying to do. But I take no pleasure in it, in cruelty."
Another compelling episode, Vladimir looks for revenge on Daredevil because of his belief that he was the one who brutally murdered his brother and Turk Barrett (Rob Morgan) has him believing that Daredevil is actually in cahoots with Fisk all along.
The episode is mostly themed on the character relationships though, Matt Murdock and Claire's relationship starts to fall apart because she can't handle the idea of him 'enjoying' hurting criminals, Karen and Foggy start to develop a close relationship with each other, but the most compelling one was that of Wilson Fisk and Vanessa. Every scene those two are in are intense because of issues of trust and lies.
What's interesting about this is their relationship is that Fisk actually opens up to Vanessa and admits to the type of person he truly is. In contrast to Murdock saying he inflicts pain on his enemies because he enjoys it, Fisk says that he takes NO pleasure in what he does. While it is clear that Fisk is a ruthless and a dangerous man, it really does blur the lines even further between good and evil. This is a cliché thats been done so often in comic book movies where it just throws the "Are the good guys really as bad as the villains" thing at you, but the way this series is written, it actually feels compelling.
Another very good episode that has me wanting more.
Daredevil: In the Blood (2015)
"A woman that can be bought isn't worth having"
This episode explores Wilson Fisk's personality more and how brutal and ruthless he can be (just you wait till the end of the episode). His love for Vanessa leaves him in a vulnerable emotional state, making him irrational. His date with her is uncomfortable watch to say the least! It's clear right from this episode onwards that Vincent D'Onofrio is absolutely perfect casting for this role.
This episode mainly tells the story of two of the Russian brothers Vladimir (Gideon Emery) and Anatoly Ranskahov (Nikolai Nikolaeff), who work for Fisk despite a clear disregard for him. They come after Daredevil after finding out about his connections with Claire, and their gang kidnap her in an attempt to draw him out and ambush him, you don't see the violence against her but it's very uncomfortable and intense to see her so bruised and bloody.
Also there's another side plot Karen Page meeting Ben Ulrich trying to get a story about Union Allied and exposing them. There's a great dynamic here with these two because he tries to keep her in the dark to protect her because of what's happened to people who have informed him of the crimes he exposed in the past.
Despite a lot of side plots all of it makes sense for the great episodes that followed, it progresses the story further and gives you so much important character development. Very solid episode in my opinion.
Daredevil: Rabbit in a Snowstorm (2015)
"It used to be if you killed a man you sent his wife flowers. Now they just send his wife with him."
The plot is mostly about Murdock defending a client John Healy (Alex Morf) who murders one of the crime bosses by bashing his head in with a bowling ball in 'self defence', to try and get closer to finding out who the crime boss is.
Meanwhile Karen Page refuses payment from Union Allied to keep her mouth shut about the death of her boss and Ben Ulrich (Vonde Curtis-Hall), who appears for the first time here is a journalist who is also trying to uncover the truth and is warned of the dangers in front of him.
This is a much slower paced episode compared to the first two episodes, but it is still an effective one because it allows for character development. I loved the whole idea of how they built up the crime boss Wilson Fisk (Vincent D'Onofrio) almost as an inhuman monster, yet his reveal and first lines with Vanessa (Ayelet Zurer) showed something so frail and human. His comments about 'The Rabbit In A Snowstorm' made him feel alone. It was just a great touch to really give his character more depth. Fisk is only in the final minute of the episode yet that short scene told me so much about this character.
It also does a great job of showing Murdock's conflicted, yet ruthless defence of the clearly psychopathic client to get the name of the crime boss, the one they're all working for. Also how he juggles his business as a lawyer and his crime fighting ways as well as trying to cover up his bruises and cuts is another nice touch to this series, and keeps a continuous momentum to the show, as well as still giving it an episodic structure. Another very strong Season 1 episode.
Daredevil: Cut Man (2015)
"I do this because I enjoy it"
A very good follow up episode. After the ending of Episode 1 which ended with Daredevil perusing Russian mobsters, who kidnap a young boy, it turned out to be a trap as they did it to ambush him. Episode 2 is the first time we meet Claire Temple (Rosario Dawson) who helps Daredevil after a neighbour found him beaten almost to death. She sees the face of the masked vigilante, and still decides to help nurse him and stitch him up.
While that is going on we get some great flashbacks of him stitching his father up after he was brutally beaten up in a boxing match. John Patrick Hayden gives a great performance in this episode his father "Battlin" Jack Murdock, a man who lost pride by throwing a fight for financial gain. This sequence of flashbacks is really well done in my opinion.
Another great thing about this episode is seeing just how ruthless Daredevil is at pursuing the ones who kidnapped the boy. He coldly says to one of the criminals, who works for the police that "he hurts him because he enjoys it". He doesn't go lightly and it truly is great to see Charlie Cox add so much intensity to this character. My favourite scene is the one shot hallway scene, reminiscent of films like Oldboy and The Raid, it is a truly compelling and satisfying moment.
There's also a nice side plot where Karen and Foggy are just together. Not much really happens with them in this episode, but you do see a great chemistry with them. You see them have fun on a night drinking, yet you still feel the presence of fear with Karen after nearly getting killed in the first episode. It might not have been essential to the actual story, but it's always nice to see character development like that.
Daredevil: Into the Ring (2015)
"I'm not seeking penance for what I've done, Father. I'm asking for forgiveness... for what I'm about to do"
It cannot be understated just how good episode 1 of Daredevil really is! The flashbacks to Matt Murdock's childhood is beautifully done and adds so much to the overall story. This episode is a great introduction to Matt Murdock/Daredevil (Charlie Cox), Foggy Nelson (Elden Henson) and Karen Page (Deborah Ann Woll).
Here Murdock and Foggy are on their first case as lawyers and the first person the ever defend is Karen page. Things look pretty cut and dry that Karen murdered her employee, the police find him stabbed to death with Karen covered in his blood and holding the murder weapon, but only Matt believes her because of his ability to sense weather she is telling the truth or not through her heart beats. Gradually more and more unravels and things are not as they seem.
It is also the first and certainly not the last time we see James Wesley (Toby Leanard Moore). You see right away that he is not just a henchman to a notorious crime boss, but he is sly and ruthless in his own right and will sink to evil depths to blackmail someone and use them for his own gain.
The fight scenes look so stylish in this series, you see exactly what motivates him to fight criminal gangs and mobs, you see him get hurt time and time again and I love the scene where he gets up and you just see his blood dripping from his mouth as he gets up in the pouring rain. It is a gorgeously shot series with awesome use of shadows and light really setting the tone and atmosphere perfectly. It is movie quality in my opinion. A fantastic start to a series that makes an impression from the start.
Under the Skin (2013)
An otherworldly experience
One of my favourite 2014 films, Under The Skin is a hard film to talk about without spoilers, but I will not spoil because this film must be seen. Scarlett Johansson is truly out of this World (pun intended) as an Alien in this film and I love how director Jonathan Glazier captured the world around her through her eyes, she would she how the world around her acts and it would have an affect on her appearance and her actions, especially as the film progresses. There is also a man on a motorcycle, who seemingly knows everything she does, like he is testing her. He is mysterious, but a strong presence throughout the film despite not having any dialogue at all.
Some of the things I love about this film is its dialogue, or should I say sparing use of dialogue. For instance you would see her in a car and she would spend all day driving to find her prey (men) and it would use a great score to set the mood and the tone of the film. The conversations were filmed live without a script and while at first viewing this was jarring to watch, the more I see it the more I admire Scarlet in those scenes, she just seemed so natural, frankly though, do you really see her struggling to seduce men? There's a particular scene on a beach that I found really uncomfortable to watch, which I won't spoil and this is because of the involvement of a very young child. If you've seen the film you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.
One of the most poignant scenes in this film is when she pulls over to talk to a man who is deformed and he's lonely and he only shops at night. Most of the guys she talks to are always complimenting her and telling her how beautiful she is, but here the roles are reversed and she's the one doing all the complimenting to get exactly what she wants. Its a truly compelling movie to watch and I have come away with a different feeling about this film. Its a gorgeous piece of cinema, and there are so many stunning visuals that remind me of Kubricks masterpiece 2001: A Space Odyssey and also the shots around Scotland just look so beautiful.
There are very few flaws in this film in my opinion, only one I can think of is that she can't handle herself when she's part of the outside world, yet she is almost too good when it comes to seducing men. This is honestly not enough for me to take away any of the full marks I'm giving this film. It's a great film that has fallen under the radar.