Review: American Psycho (2000)

American Psycho had been on my watch list for quite a while.  About a week ago I finally had the opportunity to see it.

Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a young and very wealthy man who is working on Wall Street.  He seems to have everything going for him.  However, underneath this mask lies a dark and intense need to kill people for absolutely no reason.

The first time that I saw this movie, I didn’t quite understand the ending until I watched it a second time.  But even at that, I found American Psycho kind of fascinating, while at the same time wondering what exactly it was supposed to be about.

When we talked about it in class, there was mention of it being satirical towards Wall Street and focusing on themes of greed, vanity, and materialism, which aren’t just limited to the character of Patrick Bateman.  We see Bateman and his friends comparing business cards in an “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours” kind of way; his fiancé is all about appearance it seems; and if Bateman’s whole apartment/life/attitude doesn’t scream out materialistic, vain, misogynistic bastard then I don’t know what does.

The outward appearance of other’s is also a relevant theme.  Bateman is trying to fit into a world where virtually everyone is the same.  It seems like he is always trying to find meaning in things that have no meaning, like his constant critiquing of songs and music that are completely mindless.  (WARNING: The scene below is graphic! If you’re not into that, don’t watch)

Going off of the fact that everyone is basically pretty much the same in his society, Bateman has no sense of identity.  Keep this idea in mind when you watch the film and notice that from the very beginning of the movie, everybody is always mistaking certain characters for other people.  Even at the end of the movie, Bateman is mistaken as someone else by his own lawyer.

To me, the character of Patrick Bateman is probably one of the most disturbing I’ve ever encountered.  I automatically disliked him before he started his killing spree.  However I find it interesting that because of the fact that he lives in this society that is so conformed and petty, he has no sense of self; because of this he creates a monstrous alter ego where he is a raging psycho who kills other people just for the hell of it.  He is sick.  And disturbing.  And what makes Patrick Bateman even more frightening is the fact that at the end of the movie, you as a viewer (as well as Bateman himself, it seems) don’t know whether or not he killed anybody or if it was all in his head.

 

American Psycho is definitely worth a watch.  Christian Bale did an excellent job at portraying the monster that is Patrick Bateman.  It’s a movie that will shock you, disturb you, and leave you thinking in the end.

 

 

 

 

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

I have two things that I must own up to:

1. I’ve neglected this blog for a bit.  And I apologize.  School has been my top priority recently.
2. I haven’t seen any of the big blockbuster movies that have come out this summer, except “The Dark Knight Rises”…  Didn’t see “Avengers”, didn’t see “Brave”, didn’t see “The Amazing Spiderman”.  I’m sorry, ok?!  Hopefully, the fact that I did get to see “The Dark Knight Rises” will make up for all of that…. maybe.

With all of that being said, is there any point to writing a review of “The Dark Knight Rises”?  I mean, seriously, I don’t understand how anyone could not like this movie.

“The Dark Knight Rises” takes places 8 years after the events of “The Dark Knight”.  Gotham has found peace after the death of Harvey Dent and Batman has stepped out of the picture, a vigilante turned enemy of the city, taking the blame for Dent’s death so that Gotham can get its shit together (pardon the language).  That peace is broken, however, when Bane (Tom Hardy) steps into the picture and all hell breaks loose.

Christian Bale returns as Batman/Bruce Wayne and, as always, does a fantastic job in his portrayal of the Dark Knight.  I have to say though, there was more emotion in his performance in this movie than there has been in the previous two, and this ultimately worked extremely well for the entire film.

Gary Oldman is back as Lieutenant Gordon and, because it is Gary Oldman we’re talking about, he is awesome.

Michael Caine as Alfred was heartbreaking.  A couple of times, he nearly had me in tears.

Christian Bale and Michael Caine in “The Dark Knight Rises”

Marion Cotillard is Miranda Tate.  Her role may seem small, however, her character is an important factor towards the end of the film, and she pulls it off nicely.

Joseph Gordon Levitt  plays police officer John Blake.  Other than the fact that I have a huge crush on this man, I think he is an excellent actor, and I am extremely happy with how he has been in so many great movies (Inception, 500 Days of Summer, 50/50)  and has pulled off great performances.  This movie is no exception.  He is amazing.

Joseph Gordon Levitt in “The Dark Knight Rises”

Anne Hathaway stole the show for me as Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman).  I was not expecting the girl from “The Princess Diaries” to pull off this role.  But she did, and I was extremely impressed.

Anne Hathaway in “The Dark Knight Rises”

Last, but certainly not least, is Tom Hardy as Bane.  When I found out that Bane was going to be the villain in this movie, I wasn’t very ecstatic about it, I must admit.  Bane?! I thought.  After Heath Ledger’s Joker, they’re going to try and pull off Bane as the next villain?  I will say this, though- no actor in the world will ever be able to portray the Joker as amazingly as Heath Ledger did… ever.  However, I am being completely honest when I say that Tom Hardy as Bane was completely terrifying.  He literally leaves you feeling like there is no hope for anybody.  He is in control and he is indestructible.  It was everything that you expect in a villain.

Tom Hardy in “The Dark Knight Rises”

Amazing, phenomenal, fantastic… These words can’t even come close to describing what Christopher Nolan pulled off.  And it really is a shame that he won’t be coming back to make another one.

Everything about this movie is amazing- the acting, the visuals, the effects, the plot- everything is there.  Everything works.  Everything is great.

When I saw this movie, everyone in the theater was literally sitting forward in their seats in anticipation.  The entire theater was completely silent, just taking everything in- a testiment to how great this movie is, when you can go to a theater in my town and be in the presence of an audience full of movie-watchers who are not being obnoxious.

It’s an adrenaline rush that keeps delivering and keeps you wanting more.

Did you see “The Dark Knight Rises” yet?  What did you think of it?