The Sound behind Silent Film

A musician plays the Mighty Wurlitzer for
a silent filmrer

[Revised] Silent films have well, always had sound, but until talkies were adopted by the five major studios in the late Twenties, it was simply never synchronized on screen. Sound was conveyed outside the production itself. The earliest theaters hired a local pianist or guitarist looking to make a quick buck to add as a sort of audio narration- making up tunes to match the tones of scenes, creating sound effects, and so on and so forth.

By the early teens, theaters, esp. those in wealthy suburban and highly trafficked urban areas, began to purchase massive organs called "Mighty Wurlitzers" (created by Rudolph Wurlitzer) which featured many different sound effects and musical melodies to compensate for the lack of an orchestra. Eventually, "epic" films such as Ben Hur and the Birth of a Nation featured actual scores, composed and shipped to the specific theater upon release.  Local musicians thrived during the teens and roaring 20s, but, when the Depression hit in the late 20s, it destroyed live music in cinema. Most theaters, those that were still open, anyways, couldn't afford to pay any longer, not to mention, by 1931, nearly 80% of all films released by Hollywood studios had synchronized sound.

Music has always played a part in film history, but one of the most common misconceptions about silent films is that they never had sound to go along with it, and that silent films were barely watchable as a result. Hopefully, I've provided some insight, and I hope you all have a wonderful holiday. 

The Dunkirk Dilemma

(My favorite shot of the entire trailer)

Earlier this week, Warner Brothers released the full length theatrical trailer for Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk, based on the events of the successful Allied evacuation in May-June 1940. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the clips showcased were both visually stimulating and terrifying.

When I first saw the trailer in theaters on Thursday, I was blown away, only to be interrupted by a man behind me, who leaned over to his friend, asking "What is that?"

Leaflet dropped by German personnel as featured in
the trailer 

While Operation Dynamo is an extremely riveting and harrowing tale (that arguably dictated the fate of the entire Western World), it involved no American personnel whatsoever, and as such,

it receives little attention in U.S. history books. This is a purely Franco-British endeavor, and a fairly unknown one, at best. Blockbuster World War II films generally seem to be centered around American forces, and well-known engagements. For every for every Dunkirk-esque film, there are at least five productions detailing aspects of the Invasion of Normandy or Pearl Harbor. Even British made epic films such as A Bridge too Far focus extensively on U.S. troops.  The big budget nature of the picture and it's relative obscurity give it potential for financial failure as American audiences may fail to turn out as they have with other, Ameri-centric productions such as Saving Private Ryan. 

Veteran actor and Nolan-favorite Tom Hardy as a (presumably)
Royal Air Force pilot

The ensemble cast and crew- featuring fantastic actors such as Mark Rylance, Cillian Murphy, and Tom Hardy and debuting Harry Styles (with the added bonus of Nolan himself) if promoted well enough could compensate for any potential financial downside. The trailer; however, failed to capitalize on their name recognition.  To be fair, it is only the first clips to be released, and I'm sure more will be released in due time. Overall; however, I am absolutely looking forward to seeing Dunkirk next summer, and advise you to, as well. 

The 15 Beats of a Film

Gene Wilder (1933-2016) as Wonka.

Every film has unique aspects (The good ones, at least), but most stories follow the same basic rudimentary structure that can be characterized as the '15 Beats'. In honor of the comedic legend, Gene Wilder (RIP), I'
ve decided to use Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Paramount, 1971) as my example.

The Opening Image of Wonka features a machine churning chocolate. The image goes hand in hand with the theme- that, more or less, that the little things make life great. After the credits, which feature an elaborate chocolate making process in the background, we are introduced to Charlie Bucket, a young boy who maintains his hopes and dreams despite the crushing adversity of his family's current financial situation.

Charlie Bucket finds a
Golden Ticket

The catalyst is introduced fairly early in the pictures. Willy Wonka, regarded as the greatest 'chocolateer', and also a shut-in, has placed five golden tickets into various candy-bars around the world. Charlie, extremely hopeful at the prospect of getting both a tour of Wonka's factory (The lifetime supply of chocolate is a bonus, too) and buys, with what little money he has acquired, two candy bars, neither of which contain a Golden Ticket. Charlie debates buying more candy, and accidentally stumbles across the last ticket in the entire world. He decides to take his eccentric and optimistic grandpa, Joe, with him to Wonka's factory, but not before the B story is introduced. Arthur Slugworth, a rival businessman attempts to bribe Charlie and the other children to give him an 'everlasting gobstopper' so he can discover the secret formula. 

The big day rolls around, and the five lucky winners and their chaperones visit the factory, which features a series of lush and extravagant rooms- with one parent commenting that it is a 'fun house'. Our fun and games continue, eventually leading to our midpoint- where Augustus Gloop, an overweight German child, becomes stuck in a pipe after falling into a chocolate river. (If you've never seen this before, this must sound quite alarming). The Bad Guys Close In, but in this film, there's a bit of a twist. Each child represents some element of greed, and ultimately their treachery is shown as they one by one succumb to their greed and lose out on the prospect of winning the Grand Prize. 

The Glass Elevator

Charlie is the last man standing, but All is Lost Wonka says he is disqualified for drinking the Fizzy Lifting drinks after Wonka specifically told them not to. Charlie regrets his decision, his 'Dark night of the soul moment', and prepares to leave empty handed, but first he returns the Gobstopper. Wonka then reveals that Sluggworth was a plant to test the children's loyalties, and congratulates Charlie for winning not only the chocolate, but also his entire factory. The Finale is quite epic, Wonka and co travel through a glass elevator into the ceiling, revealing the city, which is our final image. 

Ranking the Batman films

Okay, so, hundreds of Batman fans have been making arbitrary lists of the most iconic appearances, and the most terrible, but today, I want to jump in on the fun, but I won't be judging by nostalgia alone. Now, I'm gonna be brutally honest, and rank all the Batman live-action films since 1989. 

8. Batman and Robin

The obvious choice, I'm not even sure this should be considered a serious film.  The fourth and final installment of the original Batman series, Batman and Robin takes the franchise to a new, cartoonish tone. Filled with flat performances from most of the cast, a terrible script, and flimsy set pieces, and undeveloped characters, Batman and Robin was a disaster, but, good did come out of it, as we would

The cast of Batman and Robin

have never gotten the Nolan reboot if it wasn't for this movie. I'm pretty sure I'm in line with

 other reviewers here, and that's why Batman and Robin gets the bottom slot. 

7. Batman Forever 

A Batman film that's hardly remembered, even by fans of the Batman franchise, Batman Forever is a mediocre third installment that moves the franchise away from it's darker and grittier past. Val Kilmer doesn't necessarily phone it in as the caped crusader, but his portrayal is less than convincing at best. I think that the casting really doesn't make much impact if you have a lousy story, and unfortunately, that's the curse Forever has. It's not a terrible movie by every means, and I'm sure when it was released in 1995, it was a smash hit at the box office, and in the hearts of children everywhere, which is ultimately what the movies are going for, anyways. 

6. Batman (1989)

Keaton (right) as Batman
and Nicholson (left) as the Joker
 in the 1989 film

The film that got the ball rolling, Batman is an iconic superhero flick that comic-book fans will always remember, not so much for the story, but for the performances. Michael Keaton stars as Batman, and despite backlash from fans (sound familiar?), plays a more inclusive Bruce Wayne than the one we're used to seeing in other media, but, for this film, it works. Jack Nicholson's Joker was, at the time, praised for it's accuracy, but with the dawn of Mark Hamil and Heath Ledger's Joker, it may not stand the test of time. The film's plot is; however, somewhat dull, but ultimately, that's not what matters to fans, and it will be remembered for starting the franchise, and for convincing portrayals of the Dark Knight and his nemesis.  

5. Batman vs Superman 

The most recent appearance of DC"s most popular characters, Batman vs Superman, so far, seems beloved by fans, but hated by critics. Expectations were high, especially since DC"s top rival, Marvel, cranks out quality superhero films at assembly line speeds, and DC is struggling to get it's cinematic universe off the ground. This film, if critically praised, would have given Warner Bros ample room to expand upon. The problem was that Batman v Superman had to set up so much in such a short time span, and I think critics have been a little harsh on the movie. There is multiple plots shoved into the movie, but the performances, from Cavil and Affleck specifically, bring the film out of the depths of awfulness. We'll see; however, how this film holds up twenty five years from now. 

4. Batman Begins

Christian Bale as Batman in the 2005
reboot

The first installment of the critically-praised Nolan reboot franchise, Batman Begins is the weakest of the three films, but calling it the weakest doesn't give the film credit. A dark, gritty reimagining of the Batman story, Batman Begins shows us the origins of Batman- beyond the unfortuante death of his parents in his youth. In this film, we get to see Batman ultimately become Batman- in other installments, Batman has already doned the cloak and cape for a decade- or we start at their first mission, past the training stage. We also get to see more of the Bruce Wayne persona, which, we never really did see in the previous installments. The casting is very well put together. Bale's Batman and Cane's Alfred work well together on-screen, and a character based plot ultimately puts Batman begins at the top of the list. 

3. The Dark Knight Rises

Tom Hardy played a convincing
villain in 2012's the Dark Knight
Rises

Coming off the heels of the Avengers and a boatload of other superhero flicks, The Dark Knight Rises had a lot of hype, and DKR lives up to it. The plot, although long, and somewhat grandiose, is ultimately a stroy about redemption, and the casting department is at it again with the good choices for characters. Tom Hardy's Bane, though barely audible, is a compelling villain for Batman, who isn't is enemy based on ideals, but based on history.  In the comics, Bane merely served as a big, destructive brute, in this film, Bane is a cunning warrior with extreme views, but dastardly intelligence. A great ending, and villain, The Dark Knight Rises will be forever remembered as one of the best Batman films. 

2. Batman Returns

Batman Returns is, objectively speaking, one of the best Batman films out there, but it's ultimately the characters that make the movie stand out compared to it's competition. I know I've been praising characters left and right through the course of this review, but here, it's a no brainer. Michael Keaton, flanked by Danny Devito and Michelle Pfieffer, yet again picks up the cape to defeat the Penguin. It's bizarre, but Tim Burton's second and final Batman film is much grittier, and darker than it's earlier contemporaries, and I think that's the allure of it. With convincing characters, a creepy story, and great sets, Batman Returns is in the top tier of superhero films.

1. The Dark Knight

It's the dark knight. What can I say. 10/10, you already knew this. 

Batman v Superman Review [SPOILER-FREE]

The film comic book fans have been waiting for, but does Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice live up to the hype? Today we're gonna be taking a look at what works and what doesn't in this superhero epic.

First off, let's settle one thing: This isn't a Superman movie, it's a Batman flick that's mascaraed as a shared film. It makes sense because Batman is a more popular character and, if the film received substantial negative reviews, as it has, it's better to lean on a financially viable character so that Warner Bros can turn a profit (But that won't be a problem, considering the film grossed over 400 million dollars in just two days). With that out of the way, we can move on to the meat and potatoes of the review

THE GOOD: Ben Affleck portrays a very convincing, jaded, and aging version of the caped crusader. I't's somewhat ironic, considering how fans across the world cried out in terror when Warner Bros announced the casting a couple of years ago, and then he turns out to be one of the best parts of the movie. An interesting thing about this movie is that we get to see more depth to the Bruce Wayne side of the persona, including a scene where we see the destruction of Metropolis from Wayne's point of view. Out of all of the characters, Affleck's Batman, and Iron's Alfred are by far the most detailed, complicated, and believable.

The Fight Scene. The movie builds up to it for about an hour and a half for this scene, and when Batman and Superman throw down, it's exciting. I'm not gonna lie, I had a huge grin sprawled across my face when I saw Bats and Supes throw punches, but, the fight ends pretty quickly and we move onto our final act.

THE BAD: I hate talking trash on movies, partly because I understand how much time, energy, manpower, and money a whole host of people spend to create films, but also, there is a part of me that wants to totally forget all of the negatives and blindly love the movie, however, there are some major flaws in this film.

First, the way Doomsday is created makes basically no sense, and the screenwriters basically skipped
over the science just so we could have Batman, Supes, and Wonder Woman throw down and save the world. Doomsday feels shoved into the movie in the final act and there is hardly any build up for his appearance. Character wise, the only one I have a problem with is Jessie Eisenburg's portrayal of Lex Luthor (yes, yes, I know it's his son, but let me finish). Luthor has legitimate no motives to kill Superman besides the fact that he's a bad guy who does bad things, and his portrayal of the character, while convincing, made me cringe overtime he appeared on- screen. I'm not gonna go into too much detail, but these are the major problems I noticed.

CONSENSUS:  Batman V Superman, despite what most critics tell you, is an entertaining, yet much darker interpretation of the Man of Steel and the Caped Crusader. If you love the comics and hold authenticity dearly, you may not love the movie. But if you're a fan who's willing to see a different incarnation of the heroes you grew up on, you'll probably be satisfied by it.