Movie Watchings 2009 – February

Deutsche Version | January | March

February, 1st

The Terminator

Arnold Schwarzenegger … The Terminator
Michael Biehn … Kyle Reese
Linda Hamilton … Sarah Connor
Paul Winfield … Lieutenant Ed Traxler
Lance Henriksen … Detective Hal Vukovich
Earl Boen … Dr. Peter Silberman

Synopsis: Earth, 2029. The computer system Skynet is self-aware and highly intelligent. It was invented by men but it has wiped out nearly the entire human race. Shortly before its defeat it sends a Terminator back in time, a cyborg, human flesh over a metal endoskeleton. Its mission: To kill the mother of the resistance leader in the year 1984, before she gives birth to her son. But the resistance sends also someone back to protect her.

My Opinion: The original Terminator movie is a perfect example of a time loop. The fotograph Reese has is the same that Sarah gets at the end of the movie. Except for the logical hole that the one who wants prevent a change cannot travel back in time after the one who wants to change something, it’s quite consistent. And it has aged suprisingly well. I had expected that the skeleton scenes would look rather lame comparing to today’s FX but they weren’t that bad. When the sekeleton was alone in the picture they were actually quite good, even when the full skeleton was in sight. Only when we see Kyle/Sarah and the skeleton they look rather bad.
I especially liked to hear all the one-liners again “for the first time”. And I never even knew that “Come with me, if you want to live!” was even there in the first movie.
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Movie Watchings 2009 – January

Deutsche Version | February

January, 1st

The Dark Knight

Christian Bale … Bruce Wayne / Batman
Heath Ledger … The Joker
Aaron Eckhart … Harvey Dent / Two-Face
Michael Caine … Alfred Pennyworth
Maggie Gyllenhaal … Rachel Dawes
Gary Oldman … James Gordon
Morgan Freeman … Lucius Fox

Synopsis: Batman, Lt. Gordon and DA Harvey Dent have become a very efficient team and they dealt some major blows to Gotham’s underworld. But now Batman gets a new class of enemy: The Joker. The Joker has no plan, he has no goal beside causing havoc and creating chaos. And he’s very good at what he does. But can he force Batman to cross the line?

My Opinion: A great continuation to the great first movie. I always liked the first two Batman movies and I never really liked the cheesy third and especially fourth movie. Although I’ve never read any Batman comic I’ve always felt that it had to be dark and dirty and sometimes morally grey. Batman is no bright character for me. And although it had many comic elements in it Batman Begins felt very realistic. And The Dark Knight is the perfect sequel. It continues where the first movie left off – and I love the Joker. When he first told the story about how he got the scars I thought they were going to blew it and then was relieved when he then told yet another – totally different – story and thus remained his mysteriousness. But to be perfectly honest, I had expected that the “good people” on the ferry would pull the trigger. And then have themselves blown up. That would be totally in the line of Joker’s thinking IMHO. If I were to give stars, what I rarely do, I’d give 9.5 out of 10.
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