Movie-A-Day #115: Batman: The Movie (1966).
Batman, one of the great figures in modern mythology, made his debut 72 years ago today, in Detective Comics #27. There have been several screen versions of the character over the years, most of them leaning toward the brooding antihero depiction perfected by Frank Miller in his 1980s graphic novel “Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.” But today, we’re going to look at the feature film adaptation of Adam West’s campy 1960s television version instead. While it may be light years away from the darker Frank Miller/Tim Burton/Christopher Nolan interpretations, it was the success of the TV series that helped set the stage for Batman’s current popularity. Besides, it’s kind of a fun film too.
Movie-A-Day #114: The Last Temptation of Christ (1988).
On Easter, the holiest day on the Christian calendar, I just want to say a few words about Martin Scorcese’s adaptation of Nikos Kazantzakis’ “The Last Temptation of Christ.” Both the novel and the film met with furious opposition from conservative Christian groups who objected to the depiction of Jesus as a human being, with human flaws and desires. But isn’t that the point? What makes him so powerful is that as the Christ he is both human and divine, and that by personifying the two he is able to bridge the gap and help the rest of humanity redeem themselves and get in touch with God. If Christ is solely divine, how can we find ourselves in him, and him in us? But if he has a human side that can struggle with and finally resist Satan’s temptation on the cross, why shouldn’t we be able to do the same?
Movie-A-Day #113: Shakespeare in Love (1998).
Happy birthday, William Shakespeare! You may be 447 years old, but you don’t look a day over 430. There have been approximately 50 kazillion movies based on his plays (according to IMDb, there are at least three more due out before the end of the year, and about 14 more currently in production or development), but not too many about the man himself. That’s mainly because most of the details of his life have been lost to history, which means that “Shakespeare in Love” is almost entirely conjecture, and probably all wrong at that. But at least Gwyneth Paltrow is pretty enchanting.
Movie-A-Day #112: Dante’s Inferno (2007).
“The Divine Comedy” by Dante Alighieri is one of the earliest literary classics. A journey through hell, purgatory and heaven, it was a mixture of medieval theology and personal psychological meta-fiction – a work both of its time and very much ahead of its time. The narrative is constructed around a very specific time, Easter weekend in 1300, with the journey beginning on Good Friday.
The story’s thick tangle of arcane Catholic theology and medieval historical references have made the “Comedy” notoriously difficult to adapt to film, although there have been a couple half-hearted attempts. But for Good Friday 2011, we look at the 2007 version of “Dante’s Inferno,” a version of the first book of the “Comedy,” updated to the modern era with paper puppetry. It’s a very experimental adaptation, but a worthy effort.
May you all each find your own personal Virgil.
Movie-A-Day #111: Kindergarten Cop (1990).
Today is Kindergarten Day, a day to celebrate those courageous 5-year-olds who are making their first step into real school, and the teachers who help them do it. But let’s hope your kid doesn’t get Arnold Schwarzeneggar in “Kindergarten Cop” as a teacher. That wouldn’t be so fun.
Desuko Movie Spot. 