dvampyrlestat (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
dvampyrlestat) wrote2008-07-20 09:45 am
dvampyrlestat) wrote2008-07-20 09:45 am
How Naruse learned from The Joker, and became even better
Pimp first:
Maou Ep 2 hardsubs. High-definition, people. Get the best! XDD
Sho's advice to Kei-chan. Ohno's glare at Kame. Nino's debt to Kazama....
OK. WHO ELSE SAW EDISON CHEN IN THE DARK NIGHT?
SPOILERS.
If you haven't seen Maou Ep 3 yet, you might want to rethink looking under the cut.
With this smirk, I taunt you, THI. Yes, dear Thi. You. LOLZ.
Maou Ep 2 hardsubs. High-definition, people. Get the best! XDD
Sho's advice to Kei-chan. Ohno's glare at Kame. Nino's debt to Kazama....
OK. WHO ELSE SAW EDISON CHEN IN THE DARK NIGHT?
Wow, the movie was lo~ong.
I got out of the office at 5 (yes, I worked overtime on a Saturday yet again), had early dinner with my friend, and entered the cinema at around 6:30ish. Then came out at 9.
The Nolan Brothers picked up where their previous Batman movie, "Batman Begins" left off, and kept its texture. Well, maybe even made it darker. There's a new kind of criminal in town, and he is even worse than the mafia. He wears clown make-up and is ingeniously brilliant. He's the Joker.
On the other end of the spectrum, a crime-fighting group was formed by District Attorneys Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent, backed up by Lieutenant Gordon and Batman himself. But, knowing Joker, he has more than an ace up his sleeves.
The Film
They weren't kidding when they said this was dark. It certainly lived up to its title. Even the setting Gotham City was recreated. Not your flashy colorful-at-night Gotham, but more like your typical industrialized city (an interview with Nolan said he used Chicago as an inspiration).
Characters from Batman Begins are still around. Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred, Lieutenant Gordon, Bruce Wayne's 'armorer' Lucius Fox...But now there's a new White Knight of Gotham: gritty and tough-as-nails District Attorney Harvey Dent, who also happens to be dating Bruce Wayne's love, Rachel Dawes.
A series of bank heists point to the mafia as the instigators, and Dent makes it his life's mission to bring them all down. With Batman's help, Dent gets the indictments he needed, but desperation pushes the mob to ask for the help of the one man they cannot understand, The Joker. Soon, anarchy rules as The Joker hatches one devious plan after the other to expose Batman.
The gadgets were there, the Batmobile made a spectacular show, the Caped Crusader stuck to crimefighting while sticking to the shadows. It was very long, and I thought they crammed more plotlines than is required (Dent becoming a villain was almost anticlimactic, after The Joker), but it was nevertheless a fun action thrill ride.
The performances
There was actually a point in this film where I stopped listening for a bit, and TRIED TO REMEMBER WHAT HEATH LEDGER'S REAL VOICE SOUNDED LIKE. It was amazing how he totally transformed into the Joker. His body movements, his voice, his eyes...He was completely unrecognizable. Nolan says the the tiniest tics in The Joker's face: the voice change, the licking thing he does with his tongue...it was all Heath's idea.
I am a Heath Ledger fan. Even when he first started in Hollywood, I thought he's a hell of an actor. (All he had to do was sing "I love you baby!" a ca pella on the bleachers in "Ten Things I Hate About You" and I liked him. Yes. It only took that much.) Much of the hype of this film was that it was his last performance before his death.
And what a performance it was. I always say, "If you go out, at least go out with a bang." And he did.
Talks of a posthumous Oscar abound. Maybe he does deserve it. Who knows. All I know is, he was verrrry good.
Christian Bale. Hot. This is talent+looks combined. Although, I thought he was given more opportunities in Batman Begins to show that power. In The Dark Knight, he just had to be the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. But with the Batsuit, and the mask, he is very intimidating. (And a great bod, too. I think the nipples on the Batsuit in Joel Schumacher's Batman films were now forgotten.)
Maggie Gyllenhaal. I was super relieved when I found out Katie Holmes won't be in this film. And I was kinda glad when it was Maggie. And THEN, I sort of changed my mind. Maggie is TOO GOOD for such a role. She is too good that it turned out...well, not too good.
Morgan Freeman. Give any role to this guy, and he'll do it. With flying colors.
Funny. In a movie where almost everyone is a target, my friend noted that the offices were so exposed. Harvey Dent's DA office, the Police Commissioner's office, even the Mayor's, they had their backs to the City, separated only by glass walls. And Bruce Wayne, the wealthiest man in Gotham, his penthouse suit is glass-walled and super-exposed.
Then I said, "Oh, no one would dare assassinate Bruce Wayne. Why? Fox and Wesley of The Brotherhood (in the Wanted movie) won't dare curve their bullets at him, because their leader, Morgan Freeman, is in Wayne's payroll."
AND NOW.
EDISON CHEN.
Who.Saw.Him?
We came into the movie halfway through, and we sat through the credits, because we have this thing about reading out the names and see how hard they are pronounced.
Then the credits rolled.
L.S.I.P (not sure) Edison Chen
My friend saw this film the previous night already, but she turned on me, and said, "IS THAT THE SAME EDISON CHEN WE KNOW OF?"
So we watched it again, and when Lucius Fox landed in Hong Kong, I strained forward on my seat and resolved not to blink. Then I saw him
It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. Lucius Fox was met by someone outside a building in Hong Kong, and that someone had his back to the camera. Pan to Lucius' face. On the periphery, is Edison Chen, and he hands something to Lucius.
I did not even hear what his line was, I was just "There he is!"
So there goes Edison's Hollywood debut.
Goodness. This is a long entry.
I got out of the office at 5 (yes, I worked overtime on a Saturday yet again), had early dinner with my friend, and entered the cinema at around 6:30ish. Then came out at 9.
The Nolan Brothers picked up where their previous Batman movie, "Batman Begins" left off, and kept its texture. Well, maybe even made it darker. There's a new kind of criminal in town, and he is even worse than the mafia. He wears clown make-up and is ingeniously brilliant. He's the Joker.
On the other end of the spectrum, a crime-fighting group was formed by District Attorneys Rachel Dawes and Harvey Dent, backed up by Lieutenant Gordon and Batman himself. But, knowing Joker, he has more than an ace up his sleeves.
The Film
They weren't kidding when they said this was dark. It certainly lived up to its title. Even the setting Gotham City was recreated. Not your flashy colorful-at-night Gotham, but more like your typical industrialized city (an interview with Nolan said he used Chicago as an inspiration).
Characters from Batman Begins are still around. Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne's butler Alfred, Lieutenant Gordon, Bruce Wayne's 'armorer' Lucius Fox...But now there's a new White Knight of Gotham: gritty and tough-as-nails District Attorney Harvey Dent, who also happens to be dating Bruce Wayne's love, Rachel Dawes.
A series of bank heists point to the mafia as the instigators, and Dent makes it his life's mission to bring them all down. With Batman's help, Dent gets the indictments he needed, but desperation pushes the mob to ask for the help of the one man they cannot understand, The Joker. Soon, anarchy rules as The Joker hatches one devious plan after the other to expose Batman.
The gadgets were there, the Batmobile made a spectacular show, the Caped Crusader stuck to crimefighting while sticking to the shadows. It was very long, and I thought they crammed more plotlines than is required (Dent becoming a villain was almost anticlimactic, after The Joker), but it was nevertheless a fun action thrill ride.
The performances
There was actually a point in this film where I stopped listening for a bit, and TRIED TO REMEMBER WHAT HEATH LEDGER'S REAL VOICE SOUNDED LIKE. It was amazing how he totally transformed into the Joker. His body movements, his voice, his eyes...He was completely unrecognizable. Nolan says the the tiniest tics in The Joker's face: the voice change, the licking thing he does with his tongue...it was all Heath's idea.
I am a Heath Ledger fan. Even when he first started in Hollywood, I thought he's a hell of an actor. (All he had to do was sing "I love you baby!" a ca pella on the bleachers in "Ten Things I Hate About You" and I liked him. Yes. It only took that much.) Much of the hype of this film was that it was his last performance before his death.
And what a performance it was. I always say, "If you go out, at least go out with a bang." And he did.
Talks of a posthumous Oscar abound. Maybe he does deserve it. Who knows. All I know is, he was verrrry good.
Christian Bale. Hot. This is talent+looks combined. Although, I thought he was given more opportunities in Batman Begins to show that power. In The Dark Knight, he just had to be the billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne. But with the Batsuit, and the mask, he is very intimidating. (And a great bod, too. I think the nipples on the Batsuit in Joel Schumacher's Batman films were now forgotten.)
Maggie Gyllenhaal. I was super relieved when I found out Katie Holmes won't be in this film. And I was kinda glad when it was Maggie. And THEN, I sort of changed my mind. Maggie is TOO GOOD for such a role. She is too good that it turned out...well, not too good.
Morgan Freeman. Give any role to this guy, and he'll do it. With flying colors.
Funny. In a movie where almost everyone is a target, my friend noted that the offices were so exposed. Harvey Dent's DA office, the Police Commissioner's office, even the Mayor's, they had their backs to the City, separated only by glass walls. And Bruce Wayne, the wealthiest man in Gotham, his penthouse suit is glass-walled and super-exposed.
Then I said, "Oh, no one would dare assassinate Bruce Wayne. Why? Fox and Wesley of The Brotherhood (in the Wanted movie) won't dare curve their bullets at him, because their leader, Morgan Freeman, is in Wayne's payroll."
AND NOW.
EDISON CHEN.
Who.Saw.Him?
We came into the movie halfway through, and we sat through the credits, because we have this thing about reading out the names and see how hard they are pronounced.
Then the credits rolled.
L.S.I.P (not sure) Edison Chen
My friend saw this film the previous night already, but she turned on me, and said, "IS THAT THE SAME EDISON CHEN WE KNOW OF?"
So we watched it again, and when Lucius Fox landed in Hong Kong, I strained forward on my seat and resolved not to blink. Then I saw him
It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment. Lucius Fox was met by someone outside a building in Hong Kong, and that someone had his back to the camera. Pan to Lucius' face. On the periphery, is Edison Chen, and he hands something to Lucius.
I did not even hear what his line was, I was just "There he is!"
So there goes Edison's Hollywood debut.
Goodness. This is a long entry.
SPOILERS.
If you haven't seen Maou Ep 3 yet, you might want to rethink looking under the cut.
The opening sequence of The Dark Knight showed a group of bank robbers with clown masks entering a bank, talking amongst themselves about this certain thief, a Clown who wears make-up. They're talking, of course, about the Joker. One by one, as they get their loot, each of them are killed by each of their 'comrades'.
All because the brilliant Joker played them off, sending them to double-cross each other without their realizing it.
Naruse does the same, playing off Naoto and company, manipulating people without their realizing it into killing.
* The Joker wears a mask or makeup, with a permanent smile carved onto his face (hideous!). Naruse wears a mask of a different kind: 'angelic', 'cavalier'. But a mask nonetheless.
* The Joker uses man's nature to bring about anarchy, gambling on their human nature. Naruse also 'strums' the 'psychological' strings of those people he uses.
* The Joker uses Joker trump cards. Naruse uses Tarot cards.
OK. I just had to put that last one in. Lolz.
Naruse's bitterness shows a bit in this episode, stemming into his anger. And I think, with that single line, J's thoughts (in my previous Maou entry) were reinforced.
Borrowing Aki-san's translation:
"To have one's life taken away right when it's just beginning...that is truly unfortunate."
He's talking about his young brother's promising life and future being snuffed just like that.
I think Shiori did well in that Church scene, bearing the heavy burden of guilt, not knowing that she's actually piling some of it on Naruse.
I'm beginning to notice Ohno's consistency. It seems he really does have a good grasp of the Naruse character. Three episodes in, and he's got a strong foothold as ever.
Toma is like a rollercoaster. Maybe that's how his character was written, I don't know, but given the temperament of Serizawa Naoto, maybe it is forgivable. His crying-in-the-rain scene was good, though. He looked thoroughly helpless. And his argument with Naruse outside the station. It was a battle of wits; Naoto just did not know it.
One thing to be said about the editing of this show. It is flawless. The intercuts are almost seamless, each scene breathing into the other that it intercuts with. That final sequence, of Naoto and Shiori going back to the middle school, and Naruse at his mother's grave, looking out...It gave the feeling of Naruse being all-seeing, all-knowing, like a puppeteer watching his puppets go about the script he had laid out for them, as if he could see Naoto retracing his steps during that time long ago.
I love this show's editing, its execution as a whole.
All because the brilliant Joker played them off, sending them to double-cross each other without their realizing it.
Naruse does the same, playing off Naoto and company, manipulating people without their realizing it into killing.
* The Joker wears a mask or makeup, with a permanent smile carved onto his face (hideous!). Naruse wears a mask of a different kind: 'angelic', 'cavalier'. But a mask nonetheless.
* The Joker uses man's nature to bring about anarchy, gambling on their human nature. Naruse also 'strums' the 'psychological' strings of those people he uses.
* The Joker uses Joker trump cards. Naruse uses Tarot cards.
OK. I just had to put that last one in. Lolz.
Naruse's bitterness shows a bit in this episode, stemming into his anger. And I think, with that single line, J's thoughts (in my previous Maou entry) were reinforced.
Borrowing Aki-san's translation:
"To have one's life taken away right when it's just beginning...that is truly unfortunate."
He's talking about his young brother's promising life and future being snuffed just like that.
I think Shiori did well in that Church scene, bearing the heavy burden of guilt, not knowing that she's actually piling some of it on Naruse.
I'm beginning to notice Ohno's consistency. It seems he really does have a good grasp of the Naruse character. Three episodes in, and he's got a strong foothold as ever.
Toma is like a rollercoaster. Maybe that's how his character was written, I don't know, but given the temperament of Serizawa Naoto, maybe it is forgivable. His crying-in-the-rain scene was good, though. He looked thoroughly helpless. And his argument with Naruse outside the station. It was a battle of wits; Naoto just did not know it.
One thing to be said about the editing of this show. It is flawless. The intercuts are almost seamless, each scene breathing into the other that it intercuts with. That final sequence, of Naoto and Shiori going back to the middle school, and Naruse at his mother's grave, looking out...It gave the feeling of Naruse being all-seeing, all-knowing, like a puppeteer watching his puppets go about the script he had laid out for them, as if he could see Naoto retracing his steps during that time long ago.
I love this show's editing, its execution as a whole.
With this smirk, I taunt you, THI. Yes, dear Thi. You. LOLZ.