Universal Opportunities

Soundtrack: Goldfrapp - "Seventh Tree". The entire album, a number of times over. Need good music for activities like these. Things to do on a rainy day, etc. Yup, it's raining again over here, at the moment, and I just wanted to talk about movies for a while, and then I got a bit carried away. Just a bit. Slightly. But, hey, it's fun. And so very important to me. This piece consists of a short essay about science fiction, morphing into a discussion about sci-fi stuff to like, and this summer's being the crammed with such, followed by an improvised review and critical look at "The Dark Knight"; which I had wanted to do anyway. Hope you all enjoy, and please do not condemn my taste, or any of my opinions; they're just my humble thoughts on the matter; instead - take it to consideration and please comment!

So. As you should all know (by now), I'm quite a fan of anything and everything sci-fi. As in downright absolutely all that's even remotely linked with the genre. It's one of my favourites, and it manages to combine most, if not all, of the things I truly like about the motion picture department. Where else do you find such a broad spectre of action, thriller, drama, crime, love, passion, humour and neat special effects? Just like the theme of the genre-specific products themselves; there are no boundries here, no limits, no general illegalities. Science fiction holds the very essence of entertainment business; it may include everything, really, that can be branded entertaining. And that's the beauty of it. The brilliance. And the risk - of being slightly over the top. This branch has seen some of the greatest and the worst of movies, as well as television series - but most of what is made here, ends up belonging to the former category, fortunately enough, and remains safe and well-deservedly amongst the truest classics of all time. And I, for one, can enjoy almost anything within this particular space, pun very much intended, for instance - I like time travelling, spaceships, and superhero movies. Of course. And scary post-apocalyptic flicks. Lone hunters, armies of darkness, robots and scary machines. Whatever you get here; without question, without wonder, without doubt. Nothing's too surreal, or plain unrealistic. This is fantasy, except it's supposed to be fact. The people in charge don't pretend to be too engulfed in own seriousness, nor do they take it all for a joke; they are dead serious about the reality of what they create, but can also make jokes within, and about, its canon. Still, sci-fi geeks are known to be a little self-righteous, and lacking in so-called self-ironic perspective; especially in not being willing to recognize the incredibility that is so characteristic about this style. Because they, or should I say we, like to involve ourselves in what we see; on a level of enthusiasm and sympathy; at least, we always do take it seriously, and never dismiss it as something funny, but hardly believable. The debate here, keeps evolving around what can be considered possible to believe in, and what's just too farfetched. Some people hate science fiction on the basis of its being exactly what it is; out of this world. Too abstract. Too little emotion, because it deals with matters quite difficult to relate to. There is no denying the imaginary factors, here, nor the distinctly fanciful and - well - incredible storylines that so frequently occur. But that is the whole point, too, because that's what it's all about. Those are the stories; they're the results of our wildest, unrestrained imaginations. Trouble is, the critics fail to see these stories as the allegories they truly are, in addition to everything else, and they only spot the outer layers of locations and space suits and ray guns and disregard the entire subject as "plastic fantastic"; nothing deep enough to be bothered with. I'd say on the contrary, since I would describe most of my sci-fi favourites as thoughtful, not to mention thought-provoking, heartwarming, dramatic and intensely exciting tales. Actually founded on the same principles as historic biopics or costume dramas, or whatever else and more culturally advanced; the conflicts of another time and place, involving a variety of intriguing individuals and their personal fates, with which we might still be able to identify. To a certain extent. These might seem pretty contrasting, and barely comparable, but in the long run - as long as they're inspired by human creation, even based thereupon - the different genres will always be connected, and share certain similarities. In that we can spot elaborate, or more subconscious, if only subtextual, references to our own society - in which the finished works also emerge. Our makings, our rules. A sheer dismissal would, actually, be most like a contradiction. We build everything we need out of the ideas, ideologies and inspirational makings found within our surroundings and the complexity of our minds. Hence, whatever artistic pieces constructed therefrom will also be reflections thereof, and understood only through our experiences therewith. A sense of humanity, in the human world, and with human efforts. Logical matters. Made purely out of reason; if not defining it. Then again, we are not purely reasonable beings; we need our share of absurdity as well. Some of us tend to prefer that, too. Some of us simply can't do without being transported to other dimensions, now and then, and find ourselves absorbed in another society, utterly different in looks and structures, amongst other and utterly different creatures, again judging from appearances, yet never with a feeling of being alienated. A matter of finding what's familiar underneath all that's unknown. To see the familarities within what it is that we don't know. On some level, it's still possible to understand - or, if nothing else, enjoy. You just have to let your defences down, and all your scepticism go, in order to give yourself up to the endless and powerful universe with all its wonders. Both literally and figuratively speaking, that is. There's so much to learn, so much to use, so many amazing possibilities. Sci-fi can be anything you want it to be. Anytime, anywhere, anyhow. You decide. It's not restricted to a specific period in history, or to a place on earth. You can go wherever you wish. Escape, if you will. Its a true kind of metafiction - derived from the rules of the Universe, or its lack of any such, in addition to being their retelling; the depiction of anything that is universally in existence. Consequently, it's a travel with many potential pauses, turns, scenes and bizarre creatures; horrors, deaths and truly unexpected black holes; but with no actual end. No sudden, unpleasant full stop. Only the road to another star. Or another undiscovered planet. Going on and on into eternity.

But let's not become too philosophical, let's try our hands at being a little more specific. I'm a science fiction fangirl, true as it is, and I promote this genre as often and as much as I possibly can. I declare, to the world, and whoever cares to listen, all that I enjoy about this spectacle. The sights, the shows, the fun. Like, for instance, "Star Trek". And "X-Men", a lot, Wolverine being one of my greatest heroes. Also, I love me a bit of "Iron Man", "Spider-Man", "Batman"; all that involves man, preferrably hunk, with superpowers and nice, tight bodysuits. "Star Wars" and "The Matrix", even more, despite the lack of skinembracing costumes on males. After all, there's the leather clad miss Trinity, plus Leia's gold bikini. And Keanu Keeves' long and fancy cloak. Sorry, coat. Need I say more. Furthermore, you've got "Heroes", "V for Vendetta", "RoboCop", "Terminator", other Arnie-movies, not to forget the even funnier side; with the absurd comedy stuff of Douglas Adams' and the likes. "Hitchhikers", "Futurama", and - alright - a little more serious again; "Battlestar Galctica". Not least, though - and speaking of which; someone who admires Arthus Dent as much as the rest of us - what I completely adore, cherish and worship to the point of ridicule: "Doctor Who". Longest lasting television program of this particular type, along with being impossibly grand. The very best there is, in all the galaxies. And, not only in this particular case, but with regard to all the personal preferences as mentioned above, this has indeed been a summer both to enjoy and remember.

First off, there was the brilliant new "Iron Man" movie. Followed closely by "The Incredible Hulk" and the new Batman film, "The Dark Knight"; all three being science fiction at its best and most ambitious. I do approve of Hollywood's newly-found approach towards the invincible hero; whether he's in the shape of Christian Bale or Edward Norton or Robert Downey Jr., no matter. They're living proof of a rather striking, and by all standards new, tendency. Apparently tired of all the glossy, personality-less superman, one has now reinvented a darker, less picture perfect side to them. And that's quite brilliant, really, because it allows the heroes of the hour to be something more than just that; not your ordinary, stone cold, impregnable saviour, but one who's allowed to show a little more human vulnerability. They've got a "softer side", now, mening a temper; weak points, bad habits, bad hair days, malfunctioning weaponry and fed-up servants, whilst still retaining their super-alias by being appropriately ingenius and suave as well. "Iron Man", for one, was a fabulous way to begin; if turning into a bit of an overdone CGI mess near the ending; and I look forward to seeing that new Hulk story, but nothing could possibly beat "The Dark Knight". Which I have now finally seen, and which I must admit is one of the better superhero action flicks ever made, if not the best. Flawless in every way, production-wise, and superior to almost anything of its kind; being bigger, braver, better, if not particularly original and fresh. They're not redesigning the Batman saga or bringing brand new, innovative elements into the film industry itself. Nor was that ever the idea. What I can say, though, is that "The Dark Knight" defines the true meaning of quality, and it's a spectacular, intense and technically grandiose adventure. It holds no annoying shortcuts, or any shortcomings, it simply works. It seems that everyone involved was determined to do their best, in order make this the best movie possible, and - for once - they actually succeeded. All of them. On every, single level. Consequently, what we've got here, is a true movie classic - not the best movie ever-ever, which some appear to have concluded, but indeed one that lacks the opportunity for general public complaints; which was somewhat strange to bear witness to. It's just an unbelievably great film: no nonsense, no missteps, just plain - great. You can't point your finger at anything unnecessary or anyone useless. It's beeen perfected to the max; with swell direction from Nolan, a divinely suitable score, just the right use of CGI, meaning not too much and not too overexposed, fabulous costumes, beautiful locations, impressive filming sessions, including some insansely sweet bat flying and one of the coolest car chases you'll ever see, plus loads of good twists and memorable lines - in general, it has a better script and far better dialogue than the first one, "Batman Begins"; which was slightly more inventive, but much less consistent. And, last but not least, it's got some stellar acting. Bale does a wonderful job in the lead role; obviously affected by the great and hard working crew behind him; and is no longer inferior to Michael Keaton - he might even have surpassed him, as the true original, despite my love for the Burton versions. And Keaton. Who will always be my Batman. Still, Bale is gorgeous; I've always thought him better as the dandy alter ego, Bruce Wayne, but in this one, he rose to the occassion and was equally suited to play The Bat. Second, there's the rest of the cast, with minor characters played by Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman - a list to die for - giving performances that are extremely precise and topnotch all over and almost unbearably grand. And to top it all, leaving no time to catch one's breath and relax whatsoever, there's Heath Ledger. I have little else to say, except oh my goodness and give the man an Oscar pronto. Meaning, if he doesn't get that statuette, I'm never gonna watch the Academy Awards show again, far less mention it here. It's the interpretation of a lifetime, with so much presence it scared the living hell out of me. You can't actually tell the guy is acting; instead, he is becoming the Joker, whilst the audience is watching, and is in a sense immortalized on a double level. An epitome of the word performer, a character in his own right. The fact that he is no longer with us, marking this the final performance of his career, increases both the sadness and the scariness of the whole piece. And knowing that Heath managed his own stunts, contributed own ideas and did lots of improvisation throughout, and suffered from portrayal-induced insomnia during filming, doesn't exactly help. It's like watching the actual Joker figure, not an actor delivering lines and choreographed movements. Hadn't I known it was Ledger himself, behind all the heavy make-up, I would have believed anyone telling me this was a semi-documentary. That man carries the entire film on his shoulders. It could probably have worked without him, becoming a perfectly okey addition to the Batman franchise, but nowhere near the incredibly fantastic epic that he's made it. Through the maniacal image of a villain unparallelled, in the history of film making; who answers to no-one and kills whoever he feels compelled to kill. No mercy. No bars. No restraints. And yet, he is lovable. There's a fierce irony to this situation, and to Ledger's portrayal, because you're truly not supposed to root for the bad guy here. He is mean and sadistic. Breaking hearts, kidnapping children - destroying the whole world, if he pleases. But charming while he's doing it. Unfathomable, perhaps, yet still a fact: he's got charisma enough to be blowing the whole city of Gotham away without us minding it one bit - 'cos we're so busy laughing at the red wig he's wearing, and those high heels he sauntering about in. There's so much more to his evilness than pure evil. He is a fanatic, a criminal and a jerk. He doesn't even do it for money, he does it because it's so much fun. And yet, when he says to Batman, "I think you and I are destined to do this forever", all you want is for this to be true, and for Heath to come back and reprise this role in a sequel. Which, of course, he can't. Nor will he ever know the success of his final masterpiece. But his fans will have something almost sufficient to live on, and rejoice in, and - hopefully - an Oscar in his honour, that might state for all eternity what an awe-inspiring performance this was. Comparable only to a very small, restricted number of others, like Meryl Streep's in "Sophie's Choice", Peter O'Toole as "Lawrence of Arabia", Johnny Depp as Captain Jack, two guys who don't even need further identifications, and David Tennant's tenth incarnation of The Doctor. In whose league (of one's known), Heath Ledger shall now find his well-earnt place. As a contributor to motion picture magic. Making any grey day better. And a really really great film; that "Dark Knight".

Furthermore, as for the other enjoyable moments of this summer, there was the "Doctor Who" finale, which has been thoroughly discussed already, but allow me to state - once more - its impeccable awesomeness. Giving me some genuinely positive vibes at the very start of this summer, in the midst of rain and storms and stuff, along with "Indiana Jones 4" - also with some supernatural and alien-related elements attached - and the "Resident Evil" trilogy out on DVD. Speaking of Lucas and Speilberg, though, we'll soon have a new "Star Wars" chapter ready for lift-off; the animated tie-in adventure called "Clone Wars", which I still haven't decided whether I want to see or not. Probably will, on DVD at least, but I can't say I'm looking forward to further stories in-between the others. This is becoming pointless. New seasons of Who, planned new films about Batman, Frank Miller and Zack Snyder on the loose with "The Spirit" and "Watchmen" (starring Raoul of "Phantom"!!! Of all people!), however, I can embrace wholeheartedly. And, of course, await with massive enthusiasm. Because, at the end of the day, I am a fangirl - if something more, but nothing less - and I love my fandoms. I love the multiple genres of the entertainment business and all they have to offer; the endless potential. And the upmost enjoyability that comes out of people succeeding at doing great work. Sending all my love, and loads of kudos, out to them. My heroes. My everlasting joy.