4 stars out of 5
It had been five and and a half weeks and I still hadn’t seen The Batman. Seven-dollar Tuesday came and went. Just wait till Monday and fire it up on HBOMax? No, I’d seen every Batman flick since 1989 in the theater and by god, I wasn’t stopping now! Which is how I found myself at a nearly empty Wednesday afternoon screening.
Hey, I really liked it! Definitely my favorite Batman movie since the Tim Burton ones and the first two hours of The Dark Knight. I’ll even state that this is the best superhero movie in recent history, which is not saying too much, because so many of the current ones are assembly-line garbage.
Director/co-writer Matt Reeves’ name didn’t jump out at me, but he wrote and then directed two of the most enjoyable recent Planet of the Apes movies, and also wrote and directed the American adaptation Let Me In, which was really creepy and good. Here, he creates — are you sitting down? — a realistic world… in a superhero story! New York uh I mean Gotham City is believably run down and Batman is the only costumed freak in town. The Penguin is a mafioso and the Riddler and Catwoman cover up on the cheap just to hide their identities. Most importantly, the plot deals with actual concerns: municipal corruption, fringe online communities, even Bruce Wayne’s privilege. Who needs laser guns and tanks of acid when you’re coping with MODERN LIFE?!?
My man RPatz is terrific as tortured soul Bruce Wayne who, don’t tell anyone, is also Batman. (When a thug early on asks, “What the hell are you?!?” I soooo wanted Pattinson to say, “I’m Batman” but instead he says “I’m vengeance” which is also pretty cool.) Jeffrey Wright steps right out of James Bond and right into Batman as Commissioner Gordon without breaking stride as a reliable on-screen presence. From the trailers I wasn’t sure how I’d react to Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, but she plays it as a genuine person and that really works. I believed that she taught herself to fight. And the character is important here because she allows Bat Boy to show a sliver of humanity.
John Turturro is a mob boss and knows how to play it without going over the top. Between this and Severance, he is on a roll of late! An unrecognizable Colin Farrell is excellent as the Penguin — scary and funny. He also gets in a solid “world’s greatest detectives” crack, nice touch. The only real weak link here is the missing link himself, Caesar from Reeves’ monkey movies, Andy Serkis as Alfred. He provides a workmanlike but unremarkable performance, and should perhaps stick to playing apes and Gollum instead of people.
The movie is long — nearly 3 hours — but keeps a steady pace most of the way through. So hopefully you won’t get too distracted by your phone when watching from the couch. There are a couple of clumsy exposition-heavy scenes, one involving an “oh how convenient!” lengthy and too-well-recorded cellphone message. But in general this is a smartly constructed film. It’s always grey, rainy, and gloomy in Gotham, yet not the phony apocalyptic gloom of past Batmans. They also don’t shove soundtrack songs in your ears, only making very effective use of Nirvana’s “Something in the Way.” The action is clearly shot and pretty thrilling, especially a superb Batmobile chase. (Spoiler alert: It does not lose a wheel.) Call me corny, but Reeves even works in a worthwhile message for teens and young adults. And no spoiler for the ending, but the climax is — here’s that word again — incredibly realistic, which as a viewer I really appreciated. I will definitely join in next time if it’s the same Bat director, same Bat actor!
Movie Review: The Batman
Aquarium Playlist, 4/12/22
EPISODE #482: PSYCHIC
The Who — “Happy Jack” [acoustic; ALTERNATE THEME]
Neil Young — “If You Could Read My Mind”
The Goon Sax — “Psychic”
Joy Cleaner — “My Psychic Dent (Is Acting Up Again)”
Dog Date — “Psychic Clay”
Castle Black — “Psychic Surgery”
Hüsker Dü — “Terms of Psychic Warfare”
Crocodiles — “Sunday (Psychic Conversation 9)”
Art Brut — “I Am the Psychic”
Yo La Tengo — “Evanescent Psychic Pez Drop”
Bat Fangs — “Psychic Eye”
Papercuts — “Psychic Friends”
Neon Indian — “Psychic Chasms”
East River Pipe — “Psychic Whore”
Nap Eyes — “Even Though I Can’t Read Your Mind”
The Saints — “Know Your Product” r.i.p. Chris Bailey
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 4/5/22
EPISODE #481: ASTROLOGY
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Teenage Fanclub — “Star Sign”
of montreal — “Aries Equals Good Trash”
Spirit — “Taurus”
Del Shannon — “Gemini”
Sloan — “I Am the Cancer”
Gary Usher w/ David Crosby — “Leo”
The Courtneys — “Virgo”
The Pattern — “She’s a Libra”
The Operators — “Scorpio Rising”
Sagittarius — “Lonely Girl”
Allo Darlin’ — “Capricornia”
The 5th Dimension — “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In”
Shika — “Pisces Girl”
Slothrust — “Strange Astrology”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 3/29/22
EPISODE #480: JACK III
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Ramones — “53rd & 3rd”
The Buffets — “Saucy Jack”
Spinal Tap — “Saucy Jack”
Arabesque — “Peppermint Jack”
KRS-One — “Jack of Spades”
AC/DC — “The Jack”
Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds — “Jangling Jack”
The Gun Club — “Jack on Fire”
The Ladybug Transistor — “Hey Jack I’m on Fire”
The Velvet Underground — “Little Jack”
Aretha Franklin — “The House That Jack Built”
Cecil Gant — “Jump Jack Jump”
Louis Jordan — “Jack, You’re Dead”
Illinois Jacquet — “A Jacquet for Jack the Bellboy”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Aquarium Playlist, 3/22/22
EPISODE #479: SPRING 2022
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
k.d. Lang — “I Dream of Spring”
Adult Mom — “First Day of Spring”
Spit-Take — “Boulder of Spring”
Frank Sinatra — “Spring Is Here”
La Luz — “Sure as Spring”
Magnetic Fields — “Love Comes Home to Paris in the Spring”
Bill Callahan — “Spring”
Willie Nile — “Rite of Spring”
The Paley Brothers — “Spring Fever”
Beach Boys — “Their Hearts Were Full of Spring” (demo)
Luluc — “Spring”
Mission of Burma — “Peking Spring”
Tanya Tucker — “Spring”
The Producers cast — “Springtime for Hitler”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: 2022 Oscar Nominated Animated Short Films
Robin Robin (United Kingdom)
3 stars out of 5
This is the mainstream nominee, from Aardman Studios (Wallace and Gromit, Chicken Run) with voices by Gillian Anderson and Richard E. Grant. And though it’s cute — a bird growing up in a mouse family! Oh and it’s Christmastime! — this is real kid-oriented and nothing particularly special. We get it, it’s OK to be different.
Boxballet (Russia)
3 stars out of 5
I was enjoying this tale of a big, beat-up, oaf of a boxer living a working-class life in a grimy apartment. On the subway one day, he falls hard for a ballet dancer (who has also gained the attention of a slimy oligarch-like pre-me-too dance instructor). And the main ballet sequence is indeed lovingly animated. But then this short just kind of… stops short, after images of Gorbachev and Yeltsin flash on-screen. Hmm, maybe Putin censored the ending.
Affairs of the Art (United Kingdom/Canada)
4 stars out of 5
This was like a 1960s/70s middle-grade illustrated book come to life/animation. Like if Judy Blume was Canadian. Our artistic narrator flashes back to her childhood with a wacky trouble-prone sister, occasionally flashing forward to her own offbeat son. It’s smart, silly, and real-feeling.
Bestia (Chile)
4 stars out of 5
This was cool and cool-looking though I must admit I had no idea what was going on. It’s stop-motion animation of a porcelain-ish stout woman who has a dog and who… does bad things. It was not clear to me what exactly she was doing. Later googling revealed it was loosely based on a real woman in the Chilean secret police who tortured people. Um, ok. Maybe some narration or text screens for us who aren’t Chilean history buffs. Still, though, very cool.
The Windshield Wiper (Spain)
3 stars out of 5
Some very good animation but I found the whole thing too self-consciously modern, without having much to say. Potential lovers keep just missing each other. (WE KNOW.) Oh, and every now and then it works out. In the end credits we learn that the short was based on the filmmaker’s travels, but I feel like he could’ve put in a bit more effort with the result being more substance, less gloss.
Movie Review: 2022 Oscar Nominated Documentary Short Films
Audible (USA)
4.5 stars out of 5
No, this isn’t a documentary about the audio book company. If you’re a fan of Friday Night Lights, fire up your Netflix and watch this 38-minute doc. (The similarities are no coincidence: Lights’ Peter Berg is a producer here.) Audible focuses on the high school football team at the Maryland School for the Deaf, and star player Amaree. I got choked up quite a lot watching these teens navigate not only the normal ups and downs of life, but the added challenges — and loneliness — of being deaf.
When We Were Bullies (Germany/USA)
3 stars out of 5
This one didn’t really come together for me or the filmmaker. He’s compelled to explore a bullying incident he participated in in 5th grade, 50 years ago. (He already touched on the topic in a doc 30 years ago.) But interviews with old classmates and even the teacher don’t yield the sort of a-ha moments or insight that would tell us something bigger. As a result, it just felt like the director was trying to make himself feel better, while the film only isolates the bullied individual further.
Three Songs for Benazir (Afghanistan)
4 stars out of 5
This is a world I’ve never seen — life in a camp of Afghanis who have fled their homes. They fear both the Taliban and the foreigners who seemingly monitor their actions from a balloon drone that continually floats overhead. We meet Shaista, a charming, goofy young guy who loves his wife but wants something more, to be educated or to join the army. His relatives feel he should stay at home, raise a family, and harvest poppies. Will Shaista be able to break free?
Lead Me Home (USA)
4 stars out of 5
Homelessness has reached epidemic levels in many American cities — 500,000 Americans are homeless every night. This heart-wrenching doc takes us inside the tent cities that have sprung up in western cities, and among the social services, workers, and advocates who struggle to keep up with the growing numbers. What really jumped out at me was the extreme difficulty of breaking out, and staying out, of the cycle of homelessness.
The Queen of Basketball (USA)
4.5 stars out of 5
After a few downer docs, it was great to smile. We meet Lucy Davis, women’s basketball superstar in the days well before the WNBA or even NCAA women’s sports. Her humor, humility, and pride in her accomplishments are absolutely infectious. And why shouldn’t she be proud, she was the first woman drafted by an NBA team! Of course there were obstacles in her path, but Lucy seems to have always stepped up. This is a story more sports fans need to know. And non-fans too.
Aquarium Playlist, 3/15/22
EPISODE #478: ST. PATRICK’S DAY EPISODE 2022 (SNAKES)
The Pogues — “Streams of Whiskey” [ALTERNATE THEME] in memory of Al Landes
M. Ward — “He Asked Me To Be a Snake & Live Underground”
Brother JT — “Snakebit”
Half Japanese — “Snakeline”
Duran Duran — “Union of the Snake”
Lithics — “Snake Tattoo”
Bush Tetras — “Snakes Crawl”
John Lee Hooker — “Crawlin’ King Snake”
Charley Pride — “The Snakes Crawl at Night”
Wire — “A Serious of Snakes”
Indian Jewelry — “Lesser Snake”
Tuff Sunshine — “Sunday Means Snakes”
Pixies — “Snakes”
Jon Langford — “Snake Behind Glass”
Hammerbrain — “Blanche” (acoustic) r.i.p. Al Landes
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Movie Review: 2022 Oscar Nominated Live-Action Short Films
On My Mind (Denmark)
3.5 stars out of 5
Man walks into a bar. But it’s not the set-up for a joke, it’s an Oscar-nominated short. He downs a stiff drink and, on his way out, notices the karaoke stage. Can he please sing a song? Gruff owner is dismissive — it’s morning, he’s working on finances — while the bartender is supportive. The dark, divey bar is a pleasing setting but the film didn’t have the emotional resonance the director was going for.
Please Hold (USA)
3.5 stars out of 5
Things are so automated these days! This is the theme of a mistaken-arrest tale which is by turns amusing and harrowing. But ultimately it felt more like a Black Mirror episode than an award-worthy short.
The Dress (Poland)
4 stars out of 5
Julia is a chain-smoking, video-game-gambling dwarf housekeeper at a motel, living her not-quite-best life. A rare shot at romance shakes things up a bit. I appreciated the rawness and realness of this film before I even realized, “Hey, I also don’t like when people treat me as different.” But the thing that truly sets this film apart is the sweet friendship between Julia and her co-worker. The Dress would be my pick as best live-action short.
Ala Kachuu/Take and Run (Switzerland)
4 stars out of 5
This is a “cause” film, and one I absolutely didn’t know about: bride kidnapping in Kyrgyzstan. We’re presented with a heartbreaking story of Sezim who just wants to continue her studies but is grabbed for an unwanted marriage. We also see the difficulty of escape in the rural regions, and the unwillingness of families to intervene. I hope this film is greatly increasing awareness and helps eradicate the practice.
The Long Goodbye (United Kingdom)
3.5 stars out of 5
Hey, it’s Riz Ahmed from HBO’s The Night Of! This Brexit-inspired tale shows an innocent family rounded up by a militia as the police and anglo neighbors look the other way. It’s an important heads-up on the rise of the anti-immigrant authoritarian right around the globe, and maybe a Riz Ahmed music video is the best way to reach younger people… but to me it didn’t quite feel Oscar worthy.
Aquarium Playlist, 3/8/22
EPISODE #477: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH 2022
Palmyra Delran & the Doppel Gang (w/ Kim Shattuck) — “Walk Away” [ALTERNATE THEME]
Stephanie Seymour — “There Was a Time”
Kait Eldridge — “Father Callahan”
Rosanne Cash — “The Wheel”
Smile Machine — “Pretty Today”
Hank Thompson & his Brazos Valley Boys — “The Wild Side of Life”
Kitty Wells — “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”
Loretta Lynn — “Fist City”
Beverly Jones & the Prestons — “Hear You Talking”
The Mo-Dettes — “White Mice”
Faith NYC — “Surrender”
Bush Tetras — “You Can’t Be Funky”
Pylon — “Beep”
The Raincoats — “No One’s Little Girl”
Beth Orton — “Where Do You Go”
Jack Silbert proudly records the Aquarium podcast in Hoboken, NJ.
Jack Silbert, curator