Bewitched

All the talent in the world could not save this sorry excuse for a film. Bewitched feels more like a curse than anything else.
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, Shirley MacLaine, Michael Caine, and Jason Schwartzman
Written by: Delia Ephron, Nora Ephron, and Adam McKay
Directed by: Nora Ephron

On paper, this is a film that could have done exceptionally well. Between the great cast, relatively smart filmmakers behind it, and the still-popular TV show that the movie is based on, how could this movie fail? Well, quite simply, the writing is poor enough that it would be hard to believe that anyone put more than five minutes of thought into the film. Granted, none of the writers involved are known for particularly riveting film, but the movie is a lost, fuzzy, and unfocused shamble of scenes that never adds up to anything more than a half-baked homage to the TV series. While each of the actors do a relatively good job of all of their roles (Steve Carell does an outstanding job of mimicking the off-beat Uncle Arthur), some of the writing for the characters is so bad that you often feel perplexed. This is particularly true with the character of Samantha/Isabel Bigelow, who is such a ditz to the point that it's almost offensive, and really leaves little room for Nicole Kidman to do much more than just look stupid. This is an excruciatingly painful watch, with the only source of relief coming from Will Ferell usually crazy antics, and some surprising scenes (surprising only in the sense that they're actually relatively funny). Within the first five to ten minutes, it's pretty obvious how the rest of the film will flow, and for the most part it's a slow, long, boring ride.

★☆☆☆☆

Batman Begins

Raising the bar significantly, Batman Begins is the ultimate benchmark in the comic book genre.
Starring: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, and Morgan Freeman
Written By: Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer, and Bob Kane
Directed By: Christopher Nolan

The Batman story, while already thoroughly covered on the big screen, has never fully realized the importance of the history of Bruce Wayne as a character. This is a fault seen in many of the other movies that are all within the same comic-book based vein. In Batman begins however, we are introduced to the very core of Bruce Wayne's character and as such the essence of what Batman is really all about, and while almost anyone (particularly those familiar with Batman's story) knows his history, to see it fully flushed on film is nearly unheard of. As such, Batman/Bruce Wayne becomes more of a complete hero, rather than just being the masked crusader who beats up the bad guys. Christopher Nolan's direction is remarkable, straying away from the inconsistent and overly-dark thematics that earlier movies featured, instead creating a world where Gotham (which is a CGI-enhanced Chicago) is much more a reflection of the world we in and a much more tangible place, and also keeping true to the original concept that makes Batman so popular. In truth Christopher Nolan doesn't reinvent the wheel, he just refines it. The formula is still mostly the same, Batman is still the ultimate "vengeance" story, but we instead see deeper into that mindset and with a great screenplay as well as extremely well-done character and plot development, Batman Begins is that much stronger. Christian Bale is superb in his role as the protagonist, easily outperforming all previous Batmans (including Michael Keaton). He perfectly balances the bitterness reflected from his painful past, and also the desire the his character continuously shows to save his own city. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both also perform wonderfully in their supporting roles of Alfred and Lucius Fox, respectively, each guiding Bruce Wayne through his up-and-coming glory. Neither actor appears to be dull in their approach, giving the standard treatment rather than fully immersing themselves into character, instead they (especially Michael Caine) almost seem natural in playing their characters. Equally so, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, and yes even Tom Wilkinson are very convincing for each of their bad guy roles, being incredulously menacing or, in the case of the former two, even downright creepy. Tom Wilkinson and Cillian Murphy in particular make distant departures from their typical "nice-guy" roles, Tom Wilkinson is surprisingly convincing (complete with atypical "mobster" American accent) as a no-good crimelord, Carmine Falcone. Cillian Murphy's character on the other hand, Dr. Jonathon Crane, who has an apparent obsession with fears and the mind of people, is often mind-numbingly creepy in his approach, not to mention his general world view. The final great facet of Batman Begins is the integration of such themes of how people react to fears, and also people's constant (and need of) adaptation, which adds a psychological depth unforeseen in many of the other movies that fall within this genre. All in all, Batman Begins is a very surprising and inspiring movie, and is the one big film that everyone had been waiting for, and is also the movie that Spider-Man really should have been. Finally, sixteen years after the original film was released, there is a crowning achievement in the Batman portfolio.

★★★★★

Q101 Block Party Day One (Hot Hot Heat, Interpol, and Queens of the Stone Age), 6.03.05

Always well done, this year's opening Q101 show should prove that rock is not dead after all...

The show began with a modest effort by Hot Hot Heat, a band while not new in any way they have yet to exercise a certain clout that veteran rockers like Queens of the Stone Age and (while relatively new themselves) Interpol carry. That's not to say that Hot Hot Heat is amateurish, they are just still on the brink of finding themselves it seems. An example is that while on album Steve Bays vocals, while never entirely pleasing, do get the job done and serve quite well with the rest of the band. In concert however, Bays tends to oversing, almost attempting to overpower the sound of his band through his nearly-incoherent screeching. The band was at their best (and appeared their most comfortable) when performing their singles "Bandages," "Goodnight Goodnight," and "You Owe Me an IOU."

★★★☆☆

Although Interpol had to restart their opener of "Next Exit" due to technical difficulties, the band effortlessly went through their set which appeased many of the fans in attendance and also engaged those who either originally did not like Interpol or were unfamiliar with them. While their sound (especially in studio) is undoubtedly mellow, the sheer confidence and presence of the group is what made their performance so engaging. While each of the songs performed were equally special in their own right some of the highlights were "PDA," "Evil," "Narc," "Stella...", and finally "Not Even Jail."

★★★★½

Queens of the Stone Age, who appeared on the side of the stage to enjoy Interpol's performance came back out later and, as always, were ready to rock. When singer/guitarist Josh Homme wasn't poking fun at or hilariously reprimanding crowd members, he was leading QOTSA in a very energetic performance that featured stellar guitar work and also some exceptional drum solos that would make even David Grohl proud. They played a very balance setlist of old and new songs, and also mixed in their hits of "No One Knows," "The Lost Art Of Keeping A Secret," and the newer "Little Sister" with the all out rock jams of "Song For The Dead" and "Monsters In The Perisol." All in all, it was a very solid set that proved, in case anyone had forgotten, that while such new acts like the Hives, White Stripes and others get much of the press, Queens of the Stone Age still rock, and rock hard... and they'll also kick your ass.

★★★★¾

Dave Matthews Band Live at Tweeter Center (Tinley Park, IL): 6.02.05

On what started out as a terribly rainy evening, the storms let up just in time as the band emerged onto the stage. After recently releasing Stand Up many fans wondered just how well the tracks from the latest album would sound when being played live, and after hearing the nine (yes, nine) songs that were played during the course of the set, Daveheads have plenty to be excited about. The band started out with "One Sweet World," which really got the energy amongst the crowd going, as it is one of their earlier songs. However, after following that up with "Grey Street"--an often-played, but always welcome song--eight of the next thirteen songs all came from their latest release, a number obscenely high for DMB, and also for many other established artists. That's not to say it wasn't enjoyable, as a matter of fact, it was great to see the members so enthusiastic about the new material rather than referring to their older songs and more "safe" choices, not to mention that most of the highlights were in fact from the newer songs they performed. Among the highlights was the surprise cover of the Zombies' "Time of the Season" which was truly outstanding and played with such precision that it would seem as if the band had been playing it for years, and also "Hello Again" which featured some incredibly intricate work from the drummer Carter Beauford. "All Along the Watchtower" and "Warehouse," while both relative standards, were also very well-done, especially with Butch Taylor (keyboard) seeming to have gained a great deal of confidence in working with the band both on solos as well as even singing. The encore of the show was a bit uneven, as after the dynamic and thrilling "Watchtower" which really had the crowd in a frenzy the band came back out to play "Old Dirt Hill (Bring That Beat Back)," a song, while amazingly breezy and fun, seemed a bit out of place in this part of the setlist. The conclusionary "Tripping Billies" was nothing short of astounding and truly showcased (as always-- the song was almost specifically written for him) Boyd Tinsley's skills on the violin and left everyone leaving the Tweeter Center feeling happy even if most were still soaking wet. For those that do have tickets at the Alpine shows, you should be in for one hell of a concert, as the only thing truly keeping anything away from DMB tonight was it's notoriously shoddy acoustics.

★★★★★

Common Live at The House of Blues: 06.01.05

The DJs from Power92 might've hyped up the crowd in anticipation of Common's return to his hometown Chicago, nothing could've prepared them for the performance that he gave. From the moment he stepped out on to the stage, there was a feeling that this night would be genuinely special. His new album BE, reviewed earlier, is now sitting high in the #2 slot of the Billboard charts (#1 Hip Hop) and has already gone gold. This concert could very well have marked a turning point in his career, as this could potentially be the album that pushes Common into being a mainstream name. He introduced the set with his lovely and appropriate intro to his most current album (also entitled "BE"), and defined the significance of the "Basement Experience" that he is trying to represent; a place where individuals shined for their own uniqueness. This uniqueness was clearly brought through Common's own definitive personality and style, as the already incredible tracks from BE, Like Water For Chocolate and even earlier albums were taken to an even higher level. Common also did an exceptional job of mixing his own music with that of songs that he guest appeared on such as Black Star's "Respiration," Kanye West's "Get 'Em High," and surprisingly even Erykah Badu's remix of "Love of My Life." Common also paid tribute to a number of the older Hip Hop artists, through not only giving a brief history of Hip Hop (which appropriately also led to a great solo performance by his DJ, as the DJ was the original centerpiece of Hip Hop), but also referencing a number of the older songs during his performances. The highlights of the concert were Common's freestyle over A Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation," his more or less first hit single "The Light," "Funky For You," and the outstanding encore which featured a spoken word piece as an intro to the concluding song, "It's Your World." The concert gave newer fans a great opportunity to see what Common is truly about, as a man who loves Chicago, and is not only about fun, but also about expanding people's horizon's (both intellectually and socially) as he expresses that both through his music and his improv work in-between songs. Mix that with an incredible amount of crowd participation and energy, which Common fed off of really well and it adds up to one of the best shows of the year by far.

★★★★★