Highbrow Magazine - Christian Bale https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/christian-bale en ‘Amsterdam’ Is a Flawed Retelling of a Real Conspiracy https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/21770-amsterdam-flawed-retelling-real-conspiracy <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Sat, 10/22/2022 - 15:56</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1amsterdamfilm.jpg?itok=uKqjbFUi"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1amsterdamfilm.jpg?itok=uKqjbFUi" width="480" height="256" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><em>Amsterdam</em> is a movie with an interesting plot and some solid acting from a good cast, but it gets bogged down by its script and subplots. The film is based on real events from the 1930s and it’s a story that’s relevant today -- although that doesn’t mean that it’s a must-watch.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, and John David Washington make up the central trio of the story as a doctor, nurse, and lawyer, respectively. Their bond was created after meeting in a hospital in France at the end of World War I. Twelve years later, they get swept up in a grand conspiracy that aims to change the course of the United States. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/2amsterdamfilm.jpg" style="height:652px; width:521px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">While watching the conspiracy unravel is entertaining, the core story is at odds with subplots and an abundance of side characters. The first half of the movie feels slow because of that since by the time you’re at the halfway mark, it seems that there’s been little progress in solving the mystery, and when it does get to it, the pacing feels rushed.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">While Washington and Robbie put in good performances, it’s Bale’s work that really stands out in the film. His portrayal of an eccentric doctor plagued with pain and trauma from the war is compelling and provides moments of comedy throughout the film. While a lot of the movie is lighthearted in tone, there weren’t any scenes that are "laugh out loud" funny, but the script does have some dry wit to it.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/3amsterdamfilm.jpg" style="height:347px; width:650px" typeof="foaf:Image" /></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">The biggest problem with <em>Amsterdam</em> is that the longer it goes on, the preachier it gets with its messages. The conspiracy involves the rise of fascism that would cause World War II and the writer is willing to beat you over the head to make sure you get the parallels between the movie and today’s world. There’s also a message about chasing love and beauty wherever you can find it, and while there’s nothing wrong with these themes, the heavy-handed way the film goes about conveying them makes the whole thing off-putting. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif">In today’s America, a film about resisting fascism, race relations, and love is totally relevant, but many films have proven that themes alone cannot carry a movie. <em>Amsterdam</em> has a lot going for it between its plot, cast, and interesting setting, but its problems are hard to ignore as you watch it. Those issues keep this movie from being great, but it’s still worth a shot if you have the chance to see it.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>Author Bio:                             </strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong><em>Ulises Duenas is a senior writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine.</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman,Times,serif"><strong>For Highbrow Magazine</strong></span></span></p> <p> </p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/amsterdam" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">amsterdam</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/amsterdam-movie" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Amsterdam movie</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/chris-rock" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">chris rock</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/john-david-washington" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">John David Washington</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/margot-robbie" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">margot robbie</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/christian-bale" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Christian Bale</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/david-o-russell-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">David O&#039; Russell</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/new-films" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">new films</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Ulises Duenas</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">In Slider</div></div></div> Sat, 22 Oct 2022 19:56:10 +0000 tara 11405 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/21770-amsterdam-flawed-retelling-real-conspiracy#comments Is Cinema Making a Comeback? The Plight of ‘American Hustle’ https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/3901-cinema-making-comeback-plight-american-hustle <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Fri, 04/11/2014 - 10:34</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1American%20Hustle%20-%20Horizontal_0.jpg?itok=LyHj4evp"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/1American%20Hustle%20-%20Horizontal_0.jpg?itok=LyHj4evp" width="480" height="280" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p> </p> <p><em>American Hustle </em>went big. They had showy outfits, plunging necklines, big hair, bigger personalities. But since it was directed by David O. Russell, the film embraced a certain strangeness, which was then embraced by audiences. As many action movies haven’t been raking in profits the way they used to, some were hoping that the “art of cinema”—in a more traditional sense—might make its way back into the cultural mainstream. A recent <em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/01/magazine/the-big-picture-strikes-back.html?_r=0">New York Times article</a></em> by A. O. Scott spoke to this potential rise of the “cinema.”</p> <p> </p> <p>With so many critically acclaimed films out this winter—and a stacked awards season—it’s easy to make the argument for a new golden age of cinema: this season,<em> American Hustle</em>, <em>Wolf of Wall Street</em>, <em>Twelve Years a Slave</em> and more films were garnering buzz for their nominations and reviews. Is this the sign of a new boom for cinema? Or does saying the art of film is back a self-fulfilling prophecy? </p> <p> </p> <p><em>American Hustle</em> was a front-runner this award season and was initially met with fairly consistent acclaim, but with its 10 Oscar nominations, <em>American Hustle </em>left viewers empty-handed. This came as a surprise to some. David O. Russell's all-star cast and his previous track record made the film seem promising. It was released just before the awards season, nabbing both the Critics Circle award and the Golden Globe for Best Picture (among others). But as the hype began to fade, several critics have expressed feeling that they were <a href="http://variety.com/2013/film/awards/how-american-hustle-conned-the-critics-1200963635/">"conned"</a> by the film. Others feel <em>American Hustle</em> is <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2014/01/american_hustle_is_the_worst_best_picture_nominee_of_the_year.html">"empty."</a></p> <p> </p> <p>Many other nominees this year met somewhat similar pushback: being lauded as an indicator of a new era but fell short of foretold breakthroughs (though there are still exceptions to the rule: Best Picture Winner <em>Twelve Years A Slave</em> was the first film with a black director to win the accolade). Does this recent set of films mark a change in the business?</p> <p> </p> <p>Meanwhile, other industries have been stealing all of the cultural capita: with TV becoming the medium of experiments, between <em>Breaking Bad</em>, <em>House of Cards</em>, and <em>Girls</em>, audiences are engrossed in the intriguing plotlines, making events of each episode viewing. These said events have all but taken the place of big movie premieres and blockbuster hits. But because of this recent usurping, <em>cinema</em>—an unprofitable industry as opposed to giant action blockbusters—may have been given a chance to thrive.</p> <p> </p> <p>Critic David Denby admired the way <em>American Hustle </em>stood out amongst the competition in his <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2013/12/16/131216crci_cinema_denby?currentPage=all">New Yorker review</a>, writing, “<em>Inside Llewyn Davis</em> and <em>Nebraska</em> are the current standards of what a serious Hollywood movie looks like. <em>American Hustle</em> offers so many easy pleasures that people may not think of it as a work of art, but it is.” Interestingly, none of these three examples made big wins at the Academy Awards. </p> <p> </p> <p>But these promises of a new chapter for film seemed to set many of these winter releases up for failure—or, at least, disappointment. <em>American Hustle </em>was not out for long before it saw backlash for its praise: to some, <em>American Hustle</em> was considered the “worst” Best Picture nominee.</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/1girls.jpg" style="height:261px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Peter Debruge wrote an article for <em>Variety </em>entitled, <a href="http://variety.com/2013/film/awards/how-american-hustle-conned-the-critics-1200963635/">“How American Hustle Conned the Critics,”</a> explaining that the film is a mess, and though some of its champions seem to love that most about it.” The smoke and mirrors of David O. Russell’s craft seems to dissipate in the film, according to Debruge. He writes, “Arriving so swiftly on the heels of the director’s similarly batty films <em>The Fighter</em> and <em>Silver Linings Playbook</em>, <em>American Hustle</em> inadvertently reveals Russell’s shtick, and once you spot the pattern, the jig is up.”</p> <p> </p> <p>Debruge admits the impressive costumes and hairdos but asks, “Just how great are all those plunging necklines and feathered hairstyles if they risk overtaking everything else onscreen, forcing the actors to compete with their own wardrobes?” This is a question that the jury is still out on.</p> <p> </p> <p>Critic for <em>Slate</em> Willa Paskin <a href="http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/culturebox/2014/01/american_hustle_is_the_worst_best_picture_nominee_of_the_year.html">explains</a> the hype behind <em>American Hustle</em>. She notes that it is “a well-acted, coolly costumed, high-energy period caper that is exactly as well made as all movies should be, but, against the backdrop of our superhero blockbuster economy, gets mistaken for something truly special.” For many of the other Best Picture nominees, this could potentially be said. How do we gauge cinema’s standing? Is it in the scheme of its competing industries?</p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/Silver%20Linings%20Playbook%20--%20Horizontal.jpg" style="height:446px; width:731px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Perhaps this backlash, this fading of hype is why <em>American Hustle </em>holds <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-oscar-snubs-surprises-20140303,0,1910633.story#ixzz2wW2ci0Tn">nearly the poorest awards turnout</a> in Oscar history—surpassed only by 1985's <em>The Color</em> <em>Purple</em> and 1977's <em>The Turning Point</em>, which both went 0-for-11 nominations.</p> <p> </p> <p>Others have found other reasons to explain <em>American Hustle</em>’s fall from glory. Critics have noted that though the film shared the most nominations with <em>Gravity</em>, it wasn’t the favorite for any category.  Jennifer Lawrence won best actress last year for her work in <em>Silver Linings Playbook</em>, so it was unlikely that she would win best supporting this year. Amy Adams’ work was promising, but she was up against what is considered Cate Blanchett’s “career best.”</p> <p> </p> <p>For the Oscars, there was a lot running against <em>American Hustle</em>. Yet why did the film get the Critics Circle Award for Best Picture? The film also won the Golden Globe for Best Picture in a Comedy Series, and the film gained a slew of other awards ahead of the Academy Awards. It’s unclear what led the Academy to make these decisions, but this much is clear: there were a lot of differing opinions about <em>American Hustle, </em>from audiences and critics alike.</p> <p> </p> <p>So what does this say about the current state of cinema? Has it revealed all of its tricks like Russell has, only for us to be let down at the finale?</p> <p> </p> <p><img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2americanhustle.jpg" style="height:352px; width:625px" /></p> <p> </p> <p>Perhaps <em>American Hustle</em> conned us into thinking we had brought back cinema and it took us a while to come to our senses. The movie was fun, the characters were outrageous, and the strange energy about it was initially alluring. What do we take with us after we leave the theater and the smoke and mirrors become illuminated? Apparently, it isn't an Oscar.</p> <p> </p> <p><strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p><em>Mary Kinney is a contributing writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/american-hustler" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">american hustler</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/bradley-cooper" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">bradley cooper</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/christian-bale" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Christian Bale</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/jennifer-lawrence" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">jennifer lawrence</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/amy-adams" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">amy adams</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/david-o-russell" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">david o russell</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/12-years-slave" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">12 years a slave</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/wolf-wall-street" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">wolf of wall street</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/cinema" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">cinema</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/film" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">film</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/making-movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">making movies</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/art-cinema" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">art of cinema</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/new-york-times" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">New York Times</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/golden-age-cinema" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">golden age of cinema</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Mary Kinney</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Fri, 11 Apr 2014 14:34:39 +0000 tara 4578 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/3901-cinema-making-comeback-plight-american-hustle#comments The Darkest Knight: James Holmes and the Choice of Destruction Over Ethos https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1428-darkest-knight-james-holmes-and-choice-destruction-over-ethos <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Mon, 07/30/2012 - 18:19</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumdarkknightbane.jpg?itok=5RB7BfSb"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumdarkknightbane.jpg?itok=5RB7BfSb" width="480" height="268" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>  </p> <p> From <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2012/07/the-darkest-knight---could-bane-have-saved-james-holmes.php">New America Media</a>:</p> <p>  </p> <p> When I learned of the theater shooting in Aurora, Colorado, I immediately thought of the chilling and explosive climax to Quentin Tarantino’s film <em>Inglorious Basterds</em>. In it, a team of Jewish American soldiers in occupied France manages to infiltrate the glittery premiere of a Nazi propaganda film and lock the doors from the outside, firing down on the audience from a balcony with machine guns. I had similar flashes when I was in high school and two young men shot up Columbine less than 20 miles away from Aurora. I thought of the movie <em>Heathers</em>, in which Christian Slater and Winona Ryder murder their most popular classmates and orchestrate an explosive showdown at their suburban high school. I also remembered a scene from <em>Basketball Diaries</em> in which Leonardo DiCaprio dreams of entering his school in a black trench coat with a shotgun, gleefully killing classmates and an instructor.</p> <p>  </p> <p> At the time, I was invited to speak on a panel exploring the phenomenon of the school shooting. I worked with a friend to compile a short video incorporating scenes from <em>Heathers </em>and <em>Basketball Diaries</em> as part of my presentation. People were shocked. They asked me, “What does this mean? Are you saying the shooters saw these movies and they were performing a re-enactment?” I hadn’t really prepared an answer to that. I thought the scenes stood alone as a curious and shocking revelation: these ideas existed long before the shooting. Now, I might offer a little more nuance: darkness exists in the human psyche. It is reflected in our art and in tragic events like the shootings at Columbine and Aurora. Sometimes, these dark acts are a sort of performance, an imitation of what we see in our most popular stories. Other times, movies and books seek to explain or explore the darkness that leads to these tragedies.</p> <p>  </p> <p> I made another short video after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, including a scene from <em>Escape From New York</em> in which Kurt Russell enters Manhattan by crashing an airplane into a towering modernist skyscraper downtown. This was followed by a sequence from the alien attack film <em>Independence Day</em>, in which several American skyscrapers are destroyed from above. People who saw the video were shocked, many of them offended. I asked if they were upset when they initially saw <em>Independence Day</em> and they said that it was “different now.” Four months after the attacks, a 15-year-old boy in Tampa stole a small Cessna and crashed it into a downtown office building, killing himself and damaging an office. Had he seen <em>Escape From New York</em>? Was he emulating the spectacle of September 11? Had Bin Laden ever seen <em>Independence Day</em>?</p> <p>  </p> <p> Movies reflect, predict and process the violence and ethos of a generation. And in the case of the recent shooting in the movie theater in Colorado, <em>The Dark Knight Rises</em> became the setting for a real-life tragedy. It's worth considering that if the shooter had actually seen the film, things might have turned out differently. Maybe.</p> <p>  </p> <p> There has been much discussion about the social relevance of <em>The Dark Knight Rises</em> film. Independent of the theater shooting, some have interpreted the film as a violent actualization of the Occupy movement. Bane, the film’s primary villain, takes over the New York Stock Exchange, holding everyone hostage while chastising a young, suspendered broker for his “criminal” behavior. As Bane’s plan unfolds, we see “the people” dragging the one-percenters from their high-rise apartments and claiming them as their own. The Catwoman in the film thinks of herself as a class warrior, stealing from the mega wealthy and selectively re-allocating the wealth (mostly to herself).</p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumdarkknightrise_0.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 431px; " /></p> <p>  </p> <p> Christopher Nolan, the film’s director, denies any connection between the film’s plot and the Occupy movement, pointing out that the screenplay was written long before the events of 2011 and citing <em>A Tale of Two Cities</em> as the source material. Charles Dickens’ account of the French Revolution is rife with warnings about the consequences of class realignment: there is much exploration of the savagery committed by the French peasantry toward the aristocracy. The book ends, though, with Sydney Carton stepping behind the rest of the elite in line for the guillotine and saying, “I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss.” A less eloquent person might say, “Sometimes you have to break a few eggs . . . .” This is certainly Bane’s position.</p> <p>  </p> <p> A largely overlooked fact in the aftermath of the shooting in Aurora is that James Holmes didn’t actually see <em>The Dark Knight Rises</em>. If he had, he might have found a place to direct his ire, a group ethos to identify with. Bane’s henchmen in the film are young, disaffected white men with scraggly (but trim) beards, dressed in Libya-chic clothing (also the outfit of Occupiers): camoflauge pants, <em>keffiyehs</em>, baseball hats, sneakers, t-shirts. Some of the film’s visuals are indecipherable from footage of last year’s London riots. These young men found purpose in Bane’s chaotic plan of reallocation.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The odd danger here might be that, unlike Timothy McVeigh, James Holmes wasn’t politicized.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumescapefromNYmovie.jpg" style="width: 412px; height: 649px; " /></p> <p>  </p> <p> The last time young white men found an anarchic outlet for their angst on film was in 1999’s <em>Fight Club</em>. In fact, Bane’s plan is almost identical in tone to “Project Mayhem,” the acts of vandalism and destruction in <em>Fight Club</em> that sought to undermine a conformist stranglehold on society. Ed Norton’s character feels emasculated by modern culture, an office drone defined by his IKEA furniture and daily Starbucks consumption, so he develops a plan to band disaffected young men like him together in a campaign of chaos.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The difference, of course, is the status and outlook of young white American men in 1999 and in 2012. In <em>Fight Club</em>, the source of their emasculation was their success: they had become defined by what they consumed because they could consume so much. Young men have a different set of concerns now, defined by a series of broken promises: a generation that will never have a pension, never pay off their student loans and can’t imagine owning a home outright. Unemployment for young people James Holmes’ age is over 20 percent. His massacre may have been a twisted vision of power for the powerless.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Midway through <em>Fight Club</em>, Brad Pitt delivers a speech to his followers, saying, “We have no great war, no great depression. Our great war is a spiritual war. Our great depression is our lives.” In the years since 1999, we’ve gotten our great war and our great depression, but haven’t been able to extract any meaning from them. James Holmes is a disturbed product of this era, a man who gave himself over to his darkest impulses, choosing destruction over art or ethos.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <a href="http://newamericamedia.org/2012/07/the-darkest-knight---could-bane-have-saved-james-holmes.php">New America Media</a></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/dark-knight-rises" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">The Dark Knight Rises</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/james-holmes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">james holmes</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/aurora" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Aurora</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/colorado" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Colorado</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/christopher-nolan" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Christopher Nolan</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/bane" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Bane</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/christian-bale" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Christian Bale</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/batman" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Batman</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/violence" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">violence</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/fight-club" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">fight club</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/brad-pitt" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">brad pitt</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/edward-norton" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">edward norton</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/escape-new-york" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Escape from New York</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/independence-day" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Independence Day</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/osama-bin-laden" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Osama bin Laden</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Russell Morse</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-photographer field-type-text field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Photographer:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">New America Media</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Mon, 30 Jul 2012 22:19:34 +0000 tara 1319 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1428-darkest-knight-james-holmes-and-choice-destruction-over-ethos#comments The Dark Knight and the Rise of ‘Realistic’ Superheroes on Screen https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1404-dark-knight-and-rise-realistic-superheroes-screen <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Wed, 07/25/2012 - 18:49</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/largedarkknightrise.jpg?itok=3C5Dvtji"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/largedarkknightrise.jpg?itok=3C5Dvtji" width="480" height="345" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>  </p> <p> Batman has been stuck in the same cycle for 70 years. As soon as the “Dark Knight’s” mythology becomes too dark, he is reinterpreted through the faddish lens of pop cultural parody. Consequently, Batman’s legend lacks substance. So he’s reinterpreted once again with darker shadings. But “The Dark Knight Rises,” the final chapter in Christopher Nolan’s epic addition to the Batman myth, looks past both interpretations. As Nolan promised us from the beginning, his trilogy offers a realistic superhero. But can there really be such a thing? Should there be?</p> <p>  </p> <p> Batman’s original creator, Bob Kane, drew inspiration from a sketch by Leonardo da Vinci of a glider with bat-like wings and the swashbuckling hero played by Douglas Fairbanks in 1920’s “The Mark of Zorro.” Kane blended Da Vinci’s adventurous imagination with Fairbanks’ matinee idol charm to construct a darker hero named Batman — a playboy-turned-vigilante, driven by the demons of revenge, determined to strike fear in the hearts of all criminals.</p> <p>  </p> <p> By the 1950s, Batman, like other caped crusaders during the Eisenhower era, was forced to fight aliens and endure the embarrassment of sci-fi-inspired sidekicks like the Bat-Ape and Ace the Bat-Hound. It wasn’t long before Kane’s brooding superhero was transplanted into a campy TV series. This was the spirit of the first “Batman” film in 1966. Tim Burton’s “Batman” spent 10 years in developmental purgatory before reaching the screen in 1989. The sequel, “Batman Returns” (1992), was so disturbing that the franchise was handed over to Joel Schumacher, who opted for the studio-sanctioned, safer, more satirical interpretation. “Batman Forever” (1995) was a box-office smash and sold a ton of toys, but the fourth installment, “Batman and Robin” (1997), was a fiasco that resulted in nearly a dozen Razzie Award nominations.</p> <p>  </p> <p> After lengthy discussions about how to repackage Batman once again, it was ultimately decided that he needed to be rebooted as the Dark Knight. It could be dark, but not black; violent, but not bloody; scary, but not terrifying. Nolan and his collaborators, screenwriters David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan, attempted to achieve this middle-of-the-road goal by bathing Batman in realism and “humanity,” an industry code word meaning everything-is-explained.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The trilogy, with a total running time of seven-and-a-half-hours, has absolutely no trace of parody or camp. There’s not even a directorial sense of humor. One could argue that the series is “dark,” but it doesn’t approach the twisted uneasiness induced by the gory, haunted endings of Burton’s two films. Nolan has a realistic notion of Batman. “The world of Batman is that of grounded reality,” he told <em>Variety</em> in 2004. “Ours will be a recognizable, contemporary reality against which an extraordinary heroic figure arises.”</p> <p>  </p> <p> Even though “Batman Begins” (2005) is somewhat bogus, and, like Nolan’s “Inception” (2010), unnecessarily complicated, it zips along quickly enough to keep you engaged. In that film, Batman fights to stop Ra’s Al Ghul, a madman who wants to destroy Gotham City because, he says, “the city has become a breeding ground for suffering and injustice. It is beyond saving and must be allowed to die.” Batman successfully defeats the bad man (or does he?) and effectively shreds the city into concrete rubble, no doubt killing who-knows-how-many civilians along the way.</p> <p>  </p> <p> In “The Dark Knight” (2008), Batman battles the Joker, who, unlike Batman’s last nemesis, has no purpose other than to incite panic, chaos, and fear. The notion being kicked around in the second film is that Batman is just as much of a terrorist as the Joker. This idea is revisited again (and again) in “The Dark Knight Rises,” a puzzlingly unimaginative movie composed of dense two-person scenes and a half-dozen action sequences. Batman’s enemy here is Bane, a hulking but erudite villain with the metallic legs of a snow crab obscuring his mouth, and making a good many of his words impossible to hear. No matter. You get the idea: He’s a nihilistic, anarchistic, dictatorial, power-hungry brute. But he’s also given a painful backstory, suggesting perhaps (as the Joker’s presence suggested in “The Dark Knight”) that Bane and Batman are two nut-jobs cut from the same cloth. They both have their own extreme ideas about how to administer justice.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But this Batman is only as dark as reality will allow. And for all the supposed darkness in Nolan’s trilogy, there’s a plodding sameness that strips the Dark Knight of his power as a modern pop antihero. The saga suffers from a kind of literal-minded, self-defeating realism that feels wrong for a figure like Batman. The dialogue is packed with plenty of philosophical sputterings on higher themes, but the filmmakers seem resistant to the kind of fantastical excitement that makes comic books come to life. The whole story is so firmly grounded that it never takes off; it doesn’t soar. Some of the action sequences reach toward the extraordinary — like the airplane stunt at the beginning of “The Dark Knight Rises” — but these loud explosions of special effects do little to excite. Nolan’s take on the Batman myth is stubbornly realistic. It’s as if he thinks that the only way to achieve terror onscreen is to show the blunt-witted acts of a terrorist.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Within this prison of realism, he denies any possibility of comic buoyancy. The word comic implies not only that which causes laughter and also a comic book sensibility. The comic book is, after the mystery story, musical comedy, and jazz, one of the very few uniquely American art forms. The most distinctive aspect of these art forms is that they provide an undeniable thrill, a stimulating burst of joy. The difference between the comic book Batman and Christopher Nolan’s Batman is the difference between excitement and dread.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/2mediumdarkknightrises.jpg" style="width: 400px; height: 600px; " /></p> <p>  </p> <p> The landscape of Gotham City is so realistic you find yourself weighed down by a sense of aforementioned dread. The irony of this is that reality is abandoned completely whenever the filmmakers feel it’s necessary. After all, there’s almost nothing realistic about the Batman story — that’s why it’s fun, that’s why it’s exhilarating, that’s why it will endure as pop mythology.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But in a bid for realism, the filmmakers deny Batman all of his Batman-ness, so to speak. In “Dark Knight Rises,” this is literally true. Christian Bale, a fine actor when he’s not encased in the stoic mask of Bruce Wayne, or impeded by his you-can’t-be-serious raspy Batman voice, spends the majority of this film too feeble to walk. He goes from being a recluse in a bathrobe to a partially disabled prisoner.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Can a movie be realistic but implausible? Before the conclusion to Nolan’s trilogy, I wasn’t sure. The stale exchanges between the characters are banal enough to be realistic, but they fail to convince. Maybe I (wrongfully) expect a touch of humor and lightness in a movie about a superhero — yes, even a superhero like Batman. The Dark Knight’s armor loses something of its luster when his revenge-driven desire for justice is reduced to a ho-hum observation that no one is capable of administering justice in the real world. This “reading” of Batman seems pointlessly academic.</p> <p>  </p> <p> That’s why the “The Dark Knight Rises” is so stiff and dutiful and solemn: The filmmakers are, on some level, determined to make some vaguely topical statement that’s actually more of an elliptical mentioning than a statement. Batman makes several War on Terror-type moves throughout the saga; Bane speaks about the people taking back their city from the rich, invoking scenes that invoke everything from the French Revolution to the Occupy Wall Street movement. None of these political allusions come to anything, other than to serve the tired function of grounding the movie in reality.</p> <p>  </p> <p> When it comes to the pure mirth provided by good ol’ fashioned popular entertainment, “The Dark Knight Rises” offers a mirror instead of a rabbit hole. We want our legends to carry us off into another realm. The latest Batman legend carries the hero into our world, and then tries to convince us that a man who takes the law into his own hands would present a problem in reality. But we already know that. That’s why the escapism of the comic superhero is so electrifying and renewing. That’s why superhero movies will always have an audience. Even superhero movies as dreary as “The Dark Knight Rises.”</p> <p>  </p> <p> The catastrophe that occurred in Aurora, Colorado has sparked the same awkward, queasy questions that violent movies have been raising since “Bonnie and Clyde.” How much influence does the moving image have upon the mind? We’ll never know. All we know is that a very sick individual used the opportunity of a midnight movie premiere to unleash a premeditated act of carnage that would keep his name in the media for weeks, maybe months.</p> <p>  </p> <p> But his carnage backfired to a large extent because it was met with acts of true heroism by theatergoers like Allie Young , and Stephanie Davies. In a speech  on Sunday, President Obama spoke of their courageousness in the midst of terror. In the middle of a disaster, average citizens acted heroically, selflessly. Heroes do appear in reality, but the reality we live in is very different from the reality created onscreen.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> <em>Christopher Karr is a contributing writer at</em> Highbrow Magazine.</p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/dark-knight-rises" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">The Dark Knight Rises</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/dark-knight-0" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">the Dark Knight</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/batman" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Batman</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/christian-bale" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Christian Bale</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/christopher-nolan" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Christopher Nolan</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/bob-kane" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Bob Kane</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/superheroes" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">superheroes</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/aurora" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Aurora</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/colorado" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Colorado</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/films" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">films</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/movies" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Movies</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/comic-books" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">comic books</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Christopher Karr</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Wed, 25 Jul 2012 22:49:41 +0000 tara 1287 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1404-dark-knight-and-rise-realistic-superheroes-screen#comments ‘Flowers of War,’ ‘American Reunion’ Arrive on DVD, Blu-ray https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1280-flowers-war-american-reunion-arrive-dvd-blu-ray <div class="field field-name-field-cat field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even"><a href="/film-tv" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Film &amp; TV</a></div></div></div><span class="submitted-by">Submitted by tara on Tue, 07/10/2012 - 19:49</span><div class="field field-name-field-image field-type-image field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="og:image rdfs:seeAlso" resource="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumamericanreunion.jpg?itok=k-U-QIIo"><img typeof="foaf:Image" src="https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/field/image/mediumamericanreunion.jpg?itok=k-U-QIIo" width="480" height="320" alt="" /></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-body field-type-text-with-summary field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" property="content:encoded"><p>  </p> <p> Movie studios seem to be enjoying down time in the wake of the Independence Day holiday, as only one major theatrical release is coming to video this week.</p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>American Reunion</strong></p> <p> <strong>2 stars (out of four)<br /> Rated R</strong></p> <p> <strong>Universal<br /> Available on: DVD, Blu-ray and on demand</strong></p> <p> It’s natural for people to feel an affinity for favorite movie characters, and it can be particularly interesting to follow them through major life changes. “American Reunion,” the latest addition to the “American Pie” franchise, exists for just that reason. The movie is set about a decade after 2003’s “American Wedding,” and it brings the old gang back together for a high school reunion.  </p> <p>  </p> <p> A lot has happened since moviegoers last saw these characters. Jim (Jason Biggs) and Michelle (Alyson Hannigan) are now harried parents, doing their best to raise a two-year old. Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas) is married and settled into domestic life. Oz (Chris Klein) has had tremendous success as a Los Angeles-based sportscaster. And Finch seems to be living a life of mystery and adventure. In fact, the only member of the group who isn’t showing signs of age is eternal party boy Steve Stifler (Seann William Scott).</p> <p>  </p> <p> It wouldn’t be much of a movie – and certainly not an “American Pie” movie – if the writing-directing team of Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (“Harold &amp; Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay”) were content to simply meditate on what it means to mature. So, they put the characters in a variety of challenging situations, many of them sexual in nature. Unfortunately, they fail to recapture the magic of the earlier movies, particularly the first two.</p> <p>  </p> <p> This older, wiser version of “American Pie” simply isn’t as funny or charming as the earlier movies. Much of the problem is a lackluster script that meditates on ideas that most of us have seen before. There are scenes where Jim and Michelle struggle to keep the passion in their marriage despite the pressures of parenthood. There are also the obligatory bits where characters meet up with their old flames.</p> <p>  </p> <p> The best parts of “American Reunion” are those that forget about the age of the characters and create nostalgia for the earlier films. And, unsurprisingly, many of these sections focus on the antics of Stifler. Seann William Scott has played a lot of characters over the years, but Stifler is still his most memorable.  </p> <p>  </p> <p> As flat as “American Reunion” is, it’s fun to see Stifler and his old gang back in action. It’s just too bad the group didn’t have a better script to work with.</p> <p>  </p> <p> Both the DVD and Blu-ray releases include rated and unrated versions of the film. Other extras include a gag reel, deleted scenes, making-of shorts and an audio commentary with Hurwitz and Schlossberg.  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <img alt="" src="/sites/default/files/mediumflowersofwar.jpg" style="width: 600px; height: 339px; " /></p> <p>  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>ALSO OUT THIS WEEK</strong></p> <p> <strong>“Adventure Time” – The Complete First Season:</strong> First 26 episodes of the Emmy-nominated animated series that became a hit on Cartoon Network. The fantasy-based show is centered on the escapades of a teen boy and a magical dog living in a post-apocalyptic world. Along with every first-season episode, this two-disc release includes featurettes, commentary tracks and additional extras.  </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>“The Flowers of War”:</strong> Historical drama about a group of people – including an American mortician (Christian Bale) – who take refuge in a Catholic church during the 1937 Nanking Massacre. The movie – directed by Yimou Zhang – is presented in Chinese with English subtitles, and it was nominated for best foreign language film at the Golden Globes.    </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>“Margaret”:</strong> Long-delayed drama about a teen (Anna Paquin) whose involvement in a bus accident irrevocably changes her life. Matt Damon, Mark Ruffalo, Kieran Culkin, Matthew Broderick and Jean Reno also star. Written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>“You’re Nobody ’til Somebody Kills You”:</strong> Thriller focused on two New York City detectives trying to stop a serial killer who is targeting hip-hop stars. James McDaniel, Michael Mosley, Chance Kelly and Big Daddy Kane star. Directed by Michael A. Pinckney.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>“The Big Bang Theory” – The Complete Second Season:</strong> Twenty-three episodes of the hit CBS comedy about nerdy physicists (Johnny Galecki and Jim Parson) living next door to a blonde bombshell (Kaley Cuoco).</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>“Chariots of Fire”:</strong> The 1981 best picture Oscar winner is making its way to Blu-ray for the first time. The movie tells the story of two runners competing in the 1924 Olympics. Ben Cross and Ian Charleson star. Directed by Hugh Hudson. </p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>“G.I. Joe – A Real American Hero” – Series 2, Season 2:</strong> Twenty episodes of the 1980s animated series inspired by Hasbro’s line of military toys. The plotting centers on highly skilled American soldiers doing battle against the evil Cobra organization.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>“JEM and the Holograms” – Season Three:</strong> Final season of the animated, 1980s show about a music company owner and her band.</p> <p>  </p> <p> <strong>Author Bio:</strong></p> <p> <em>Forrest Hartman is an independent film critic whose byline has appeared in some of the nation's largest publications. For more of his work visit <a href="http://www.ForrestHartman.com">www.ForrestHartman.com</a>. </em></p> </div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Tags:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/flowers-war" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Flowers of War</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/american-reunion" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">American Reunion</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/chariots-fire" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Chariots of Fire</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/big-bang-theory" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Big Bang Theory</a></div><div class="field-item even" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/christian-bale" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Christian Bale</a></div><div class="field-item odd" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/sean-william-scott" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel" datatype="">Sean William Scott</a></div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-author field-type-text field-label-hidden"><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Forrest Hartman</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-pop field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Popular:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">not popular</div></div></div><div class="field field-name-field-bot field-type-list-boolean field-label-above"><div class="field-label">Bottom Slider:&nbsp;</div><div class="field-items"><div class="field-item even">Out Slider</div></div></div> Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:49:06 +0000 tara 1235 at https://www.highbrowmagazine.com https://www.highbrowmagazine.com/1280-flowers-war-american-reunion-arrive-dvd-blu-ray#comments