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ARKHAM (James Somerton of Nova Scotia, Canada)
Directed By: Darren Aronofsky
Written By: Andrew Kevin Walker
Produced By: James Vanderbilt
Cinematography By: Darius Khondji
Edited By: Richard Francis-Bruce
Cast:
Armie Hammer as Bruce Wayne
Alan Rickman as Dr. Jeremiah Arkham
Marisa Tomei as Dr. Harleen Quinzel
Olivia Wilde as Andrea Beaumont
Daniel Craig as Jim Gordon
Alexander Gould as Jason Todd
John Hawkes as Professor Jonathan Crane
Tagline: "Welcome To Insanity"
Synopsis:
The city of Gotham is in turmoil. The police have become utterly ineffective as mobsters, rapists, and murderers show up dead all over the city. The Batman is doing his part in dealing with crime, but even he can't seem to find the culprit behind these murders. The stress is wearing Bruce Wayne thin. He continues his search for his missing fiancé, Andrea Beaumont, but the stress of being The Batman is cutting down on the time he can spend searching. Then a surveillance video of one of the dead criminals being murdered surfaces… and the assailant is a caped figure clad in black.
Gotham City is torn. The Batman is blamed for the murders, but nobody is of one mind on what to do. Much of the city looks at him as a hero, while others see him as a mad vigilante that must be taken down. As he hunts down the real killer, Bruce finds himself doubting his own mind. Could he be the killer? He seeks the help of Dr. Harleen Quinzel. He concocts a story enough like the truth to gain some real insight, but remote enough to keep his secrets private. After several sessions, in which he says that he is blacking out at night and waking up in strange places, Dr. Quinzel arranges for him to spend a night at Arkham Asylum, where he will be monitored closely. If for no other reason than to ease his own mind. She has a patient there and highly recommends it. Wayne is friendly with the hospital's owner, Jeremiah Arkham, so he agrees.
Inside Arkham, Bruce is shocked at what he sees. Many patients haven't a shred of sanity left, some are so violent that they are contained underground. But one boy, Jason Todd, does not seem to belong. The orderlies say he was admitted due to severe violent behaviour, but he seems quiet and shy. Bruce speaks to the boy and finds out that he's an orphan, like him. They talk for a long time, all the while being closely watched by orderlies, who fear for Bruce's safety.
Elsewhere in the hospital, Dr. Jeremiah Arkham and Professor Jonathan Crane are conducting experiments on new patients. Crane is using a "fear drug" on them. Patients with manageable cases of bipolar disorder are being driven completely mad by the drug, which Crane is developing to be used as a biological warfare agent. But he wants to test it on someone who is completely in charge of his faculties. Bruce Wayne is a perfect candidate. As night falls, they drug Bruce but it's seen by Jason Todd, who follows them down to the lower levels. As two more mobsters are murdered in Gotham, Bruce Wayne is forced to fight for his own sanity. He breaks away from his captors and out into the asylum, which is now less a hospital than a den of terror.
As Crane and Arkham hunt down Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd breaks into the security station of the the hospital. They're closing in on Wayne, so Jason release the locks on all the cells. The hospital falls into bedlam as the inmates start taking control of the building. Crane unleashes his "fear drug", creating absolute chaos. Wayne had managed to lock himself away from the gas in time. As the gases wear away, he narrowly escaped the building. Returning soon after as The Batman, he takes control of the situation, but the police have gotten a tip from Jeremiah Arkham that he's there. They storm the facility but The Batman is nowhere to be found. When they find out that Jason Todd was the one who let the inmates out, they swiftly arrest him and place the blame for the entire Arkham Incident on him. Several officers are left to round up the inmates but are overtaken when Crane's gas is let loose. The inmates take complete control of the asylum and start spilling out of it's gates.
As the Batman flees the police, he comes face to face with the man he's been hunting. His doppelgänger has an advantage though; he hasn't been fighting his way through an asylum all night. A fight ensues but is swiftly broken up by the wale of police sirens. The killer escapes, leaving Bruce Wayne exhausted and feeling defeated. He has failed to clear his name, he has not found his fiancé, he can only wonder what has happened to Jason Todd, and Arkham Asylum has devolved into hell on earth. This night has ended, but he isn't finished. The Batman takes off into the night, ready to fight another day.
As Arkham bursts with the sound of insane revelry, the underground cell block remains silent. The doors hang open and the only sound is that of bare feet on the stone floor. A man emerges from one of the cells. He looks toward the exit door and starts his walk toward it, all the while smiling. And then he begins to laugh.
What The Press Would Say:
"Arkham" hits its stride about half way into the movie when Bruce Wayne arrives at the fabled Asylum for voluntary treatment. Having spent the first half of the movie working with the police and taking down the bad guys, Batman had been framed for multiple murders and the city of Gotham is against him. We see a lot more of Batman in this film than in it's predecessor, and his presence is a strong one. Armie Hammer's imposing physical stature makes Batman an even more threatening presence than in past movies. He also brings a flawed humanity to the roll of Bruce Wayne, whose psyche has worn thin over the past couple of years. He gives a strong performance, even from behind the mask. His flash backs of his ex-fiancé, Andrea Beaumont, can be heartbreaking. Once inside the asylum we meet Jeremiah Arkham, played by Alan Rickman. He is a doctor far less interested in medicine than in money. A dark presence in the asylum that inmates fear, and even cower from when he's around. Rickman portrays Arkham's seeming lack of humanity perfectly, as he allows other doctors to experiment on his patients with mind altering drugs; almost gleeful at the fact that they'll be under his care for a long time to come. His closest confidant, Professor Jonathan Crane, is the leading expert in these mind altering drugs. His latest sends the user into a state of utter panic. His dark aura from the first film has been expanded greatly as he practically tortures the poor souls inside of Arkham, creating an alter ego he calls "The Scarecrow" to further imprint himself in their minds. One patient he's not been able to crack though is a young man named Jason Todd. We learn that he's not immune to the drug, but that it has little affect on him. Alexander Gould plays Jason Todd and he does it almost entirely with his eyes. Jason rarely speaks, except to Bruce, so for most of the film we are left with his silent figure. But his eyes are so expressive that he doesn't have to speak at all and we can see the wheels moving inside his mind. He is reserved, but boasts extreme bursts of violence when need me. When these takes place, it's like a kick to a gut. But in the end, when he's taken in by the police, he doesn't fight back. He allows it to happen, his face as calm as we've ever seen it.
All the while Bruce is in Arkham Asylum, we're aware that there's a lot going on outside in Gotham. A new masked vigilante has been murdering criminals and the police have no real leads until they make the assumption that it's batman. We get rare glimpses into what's going on outside, but it's a welcome break from the cramped spaces and empty eyes of Arkham Asylum.Daniel Craig returns in what amounts to little more than a cameo as Jim Gordon. He does a lot with the short amount of time allotted him; making it clear that Gordon doesn't believe that Batman is responsible for the killings. And this killer is brutal, to say the least, and almost makes you feel bad for the horrible criminals being dispatched. When Batman and this violent vigilante finally come face to face at the end of the movie, the fight is intense, with Batman narrowly escaping the killer's deadly weapon. But the fight ends quickly, and with little resolution. There were so many loose ends at the end of this movie that it ran the risk of falling apart, but it stayed strong until the very last frame, which I have to admit sent chills down my spine.
"Arkham" has a strong cast, and a great team behind the camera. Darren Aronofsky takes over the directing reigns from David Fincher, and does a great job at creating a film unique to his own sensibilities, but still keeping it within the brutal world defined by Fincher. This though is much more of a Batman movie than Fincher's "Gotham City", and The Dark Knight is gladly welcomed back into the fray. He's less of a super hero, and more of a horror figure as he stalks criminals in the streets, and lurks around the corners of Arkham Asylum in the end of the film. Aronofsky, wisely, keeps even the mask of Batman's violent doppelgänger hidden, creating an even more dangerous aura around the killer. The screenplay is smartly written, playing largely on the psychology of Bruce Wayne, and how the trauma in his early life has affected his adult self. It has plenty of action, but doesn't rely on it to tell the story. We know the characters very well before any real action begins, and it gives us a strong foundation when the fists start to fly. "Arkham" is definitely a dark film, and probably even less appropriate for younger audiences than it's predecessor. It's nightmarish imagery sets it apart from other Batman films, but in a very good way. This is the Batman film for the fans who grew up with the Batman of the 1980's. It dark, graphic, and deeper than your average comic book movie. The Dark Knight is back.
Possible Nominations
Best Picture
Best Director - Darren Aronofsky
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actor - Armie Hammer
Best Supporting Actor - Alan Rickman
Best Supporting Actor - Alexander Gould
Written By: Andrew Kevin Walker
Produced By: James Vanderbilt
Cinematography By: Darius Khondji
Edited By: Richard Francis-Bruce
Cast:
Armie Hammer as Bruce Wayne
Alan Rickman as Dr. Jeremiah Arkham
Marisa Tomei as Dr. Harleen Quinzel
Olivia Wilde as Andrea Beaumont
Daniel Craig as Jim Gordon
Alexander Gould as Jason Todd
John Hawkes as Professor Jonathan Crane
Tagline: "Welcome To Insanity"
Synopsis:
The city of Gotham is in turmoil. The police have become utterly ineffective as mobsters, rapists, and murderers show up dead all over the city. The Batman is doing his part in dealing with crime, but even he can't seem to find the culprit behind these murders. The stress is wearing Bruce Wayne thin. He continues his search for his missing fiancé, Andrea Beaumont, but the stress of being The Batman is cutting down on the time he can spend searching. Then a surveillance video of one of the dead criminals being murdered surfaces… and the assailant is a caped figure clad in black.
Gotham City is torn. The Batman is blamed for the murders, but nobody is of one mind on what to do. Much of the city looks at him as a hero, while others see him as a mad vigilante that must be taken down. As he hunts down the real killer, Bruce finds himself doubting his own mind. Could he be the killer? He seeks the help of Dr. Harleen Quinzel. He concocts a story enough like the truth to gain some real insight, but remote enough to keep his secrets private. After several sessions, in which he says that he is blacking out at night and waking up in strange places, Dr. Quinzel arranges for him to spend a night at Arkham Asylum, where he will be monitored closely. If for no other reason than to ease his own mind. She has a patient there and highly recommends it. Wayne is friendly with the hospital's owner, Jeremiah Arkham, so he agrees.
Inside Arkham, Bruce is shocked at what he sees. Many patients haven't a shred of sanity left, some are so violent that they are contained underground. But one boy, Jason Todd, does not seem to belong. The orderlies say he was admitted due to severe violent behaviour, but he seems quiet and shy. Bruce speaks to the boy and finds out that he's an orphan, like him. They talk for a long time, all the while being closely watched by orderlies, who fear for Bruce's safety.
Elsewhere in the hospital, Dr. Jeremiah Arkham and Professor Jonathan Crane are conducting experiments on new patients. Crane is using a "fear drug" on them. Patients with manageable cases of bipolar disorder are being driven completely mad by the drug, which Crane is developing to be used as a biological warfare agent. But he wants to test it on someone who is completely in charge of his faculties. Bruce Wayne is a perfect candidate. As night falls, they drug Bruce but it's seen by Jason Todd, who follows them down to the lower levels. As two more mobsters are murdered in Gotham, Bruce Wayne is forced to fight for his own sanity. He breaks away from his captors and out into the asylum, which is now less a hospital than a den of terror.
As Crane and Arkham hunt down Bruce Wayne, Jason Todd breaks into the security station of the the hospital. They're closing in on Wayne, so Jason release the locks on all the cells. The hospital falls into bedlam as the inmates start taking control of the building. Crane unleashes his "fear drug", creating absolute chaos. Wayne had managed to lock himself away from the gas in time. As the gases wear away, he narrowly escaped the building. Returning soon after as The Batman, he takes control of the situation, but the police have gotten a tip from Jeremiah Arkham that he's there. They storm the facility but The Batman is nowhere to be found. When they find out that Jason Todd was the one who let the inmates out, they swiftly arrest him and place the blame for the entire Arkham Incident on him. Several officers are left to round up the inmates but are overtaken when Crane's gas is let loose. The inmates take complete control of the asylum and start spilling out of it's gates.
As the Batman flees the police, he comes face to face with the man he's been hunting. His doppelgänger has an advantage though; he hasn't been fighting his way through an asylum all night. A fight ensues but is swiftly broken up by the wale of police sirens. The killer escapes, leaving Bruce Wayne exhausted and feeling defeated. He has failed to clear his name, he has not found his fiancé, he can only wonder what has happened to Jason Todd, and Arkham Asylum has devolved into hell on earth. This night has ended, but he isn't finished. The Batman takes off into the night, ready to fight another day.
As Arkham bursts with the sound of insane revelry, the underground cell block remains silent. The doors hang open and the only sound is that of bare feet on the stone floor. A man emerges from one of the cells. He looks toward the exit door and starts his walk toward it, all the while smiling. And then he begins to laugh.
What The Press Would Say:
"Arkham" hits its stride about half way into the movie when Bruce Wayne arrives at the fabled Asylum for voluntary treatment. Having spent the first half of the movie working with the police and taking down the bad guys, Batman had been framed for multiple murders and the city of Gotham is against him. We see a lot more of Batman in this film than in it's predecessor, and his presence is a strong one. Armie Hammer's imposing physical stature makes Batman an even more threatening presence than in past movies. He also brings a flawed humanity to the roll of Bruce Wayne, whose psyche has worn thin over the past couple of years. He gives a strong performance, even from behind the mask. His flash backs of his ex-fiancé, Andrea Beaumont, can be heartbreaking. Once inside the asylum we meet Jeremiah Arkham, played by Alan Rickman. He is a doctor far less interested in medicine than in money. A dark presence in the asylum that inmates fear, and even cower from when he's around. Rickman portrays Arkham's seeming lack of humanity perfectly, as he allows other doctors to experiment on his patients with mind altering drugs; almost gleeful at the fact that they'll be under his care for a long time to come. His closest confidant, Professor Jonathan Crane, is the leading expert in these mind altering drugs. His latest sends the user into a state of utter panic. His dark aura from the first film has been expanded greatly as he practically tortures the poor souls inside of Arkham, creating an alter ego he calls "The Scarecrow" to further imprint himself in their minds. One patient he's not been able to crack though is a young man named Jason Todd. We learn that he's not immune to the drug, but that it has little affect on him. Alexander Gould plays Jason Todd and he does it almost entirely with his eyes. Jason rarely speaks, except to Bruce, so for most of the film we are left with his silent figure. But his eyes are so expressive that he doesn't have to speak at all and we can see the wheels moving inside his mind. He is reserved, but boasts extreme bursts of violence when need me. When these takes place, it's like a kick to a gut. But in the end, when he's taken in by the police, he doesn't fight back. He allows it to happen, his face as calm as we've ever seen it.
All the while Bruce is in Arkham Asylum, we're aware that there's a lot going on outside in Gotham. A new masked vigilante has been murdering criminals and the police have no real leads until they make the assumption that it's batman. We get rare glimpses into what's going on outside, but it's a welcome break from the cramped spaces and empty eyes of Arkham Asylum.Daniel Craig returns in what amounts to little more than a cameo as Jim Gordon. He does a lot with the short amount of time allotted him; making it clear that Gordon doesn't believe that Batman is responsible for the killings. And this killer is brutal, to say the least, and almost makes you feel bad for the horrible criminals being dispatched. When Batman and this violent vigilante finally come face to face at the end of the movie, the fight is intense, with Batman narrowly escaping the killer's deadly weapon. But the fight ends quickly, and with little resolution. There were so many loose ends at the end of this movie that it ran the risk of falling apart, but it stayed strong until the very last frame, which I have to admit sent chills down my spine.
"Arkham" has a strong cast, and a great team behind the camera. Darren Aronofsky takes over the directing reigns from David Fincher, and does a great job at creating a film unique to his own sensibilities, but still keeping it within the brutal world defined by Fincher. This though is much more of a Batman movie than Fincher's "Gotham City", and The Dark Knight is gladly welcomed back into the fray. He's less of a super hero, and more of a horror figure as he stalks criminals in the streets, and lurks around the corners of Arkham Asylum in the end of the film. Aronofsky, wisely, keeps even the mask of Batman's violent doppelgänger hidden, creating an even more dangerous aura around the killer. The screenplay is smartly written, playing largely on the psychology of Bruce Wayne, and how the trauma in his early life has affected his adult self. It has plenty of action, but doesn't rely on it to tell the story. We know the characters very well before any real action begins, and it gives us a strong foundation when the fists start to fly. "Arkham" is definitely a dark film, and probably even less appropriate for younger audiences than it's predecessor. It's nightmarish imagery sets it apart from other Batman films, but in a very good way. This is the Batman film for the fans who grew up with the Batman of the 1980's. It dark, graphic, and deeper than your average comic book movie. The Dark Knight is back.
Possible Nominations
Best Picture
Best Director - Darren Aronofsky
Best Original Screenplay
Best Actor - Armie Hammer
Best Supporting Actor - Alan Rickman
Best Supporting Actor - Alexander Gould