Doc goes to the movies

With two kids under the age of six, I don't get out to the movies much, but I did take in a double-feature of Get Smart and Dark Knight. While I know these movies have been out long enough for most everybody in America to see them, consider this less of a review and more of a comment on what essentially are two re-makes.

Get Smart

One of my favorite shows as a kid, the TV version of Get Smart perfectly captured America's Cold War obsession with spies as well as 60s kitsch. It was interesting to see how the 21st century version of the movie would pull off revisiting this type of story, and the result was the kind of film that is a pleasant diversion for a couple of hours and completely forgettable thereafter. In other words, what a lot of cinema should be...

Steve Carrell is perfectly cast as Maxwell Smart, and I am glad the movie chose not to make the character quite as campy as the Don Adams version from the TV show. Think more of Dan Aykroyd's Austin Milbarge character from Spies Like Us- smart and capable, but a bit of an outcast who finally gets his break. Anne Hathaway certainly reminds viewers of Barbara Feldon's Agent 99, and Dwayne Johnson puts in a pretty good performance as Agent 23, who tries hard not to be funny but can't help it.

Sadly, however, the rest of the cast is fairly unremarkable. Alan Arkin's turn as the Chief comes off as stiff, and David Koechner's portrayal as Champ Kind Larabee (watch out, Dave! You might get typecast!) is tired. Plus, you have to wonder why the producers spent the money on Terence Stamp to play Sigfried when he brings absolutely nothing to the picture. Besides, this is a Steve Carrell vehicle and Steve steals nearly every scene in which he appears.

Still, there are just enough laughs and just enough reverence paid to the old series (including the shoe phone, some catch phrases like "missed it by that much", and a cameo by the original Sigfried, Bernie Kopell) that hard-core fans aren't left wanting. 2 1/2 stars.

Dark Knight

After reading all of the Best.Movie.Ever. hype for the latest installment of the Batman series, I was left thinking I saw a very good, but not best-ever, picture.

Christian Bale's incarnation of Bruce Wayne is spot-on, truly projecting the image that someone of that degree of wealth and social status would display in this day and age. But his portrayal of Batman is somehow lacking. Part of that may be the writing, in that much of the angst and inner turmoil of Bruce/Batman, cited as one of the strengths of this movie, is manifested in the Bruce Wayne side. With the suit on, Bale looks as stiff as Clooney and voices the character like he is channeling his inner Michael Keaton.

The supporting cast is a mixed bag. Maggie Gyllenhall puts in an unremarkable performance as Rachel Dawes, and personally I was happy when her character died. And Aaron Eckhart stretched his body of work with a capable performance as Harvey Dent, though his change into Two-Face was not as enthralling as it could of been, partly because of the writing, and partly because of the special effects showing his exposed bone and muscle. I found the SFX to be distracting and a little over the top.

The remainder of the supporting cast did an admirable job, but then again, look who they are: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman. Caine nearly steals every scene in which he appears as Alfred, and Morgan Freeman is, well, Morgan Freeman (although his character and addition to the plot line are pointless). And as I read somewhere else, it is refreshing to see Oldman portray a genuinely good character.

Of course, the highlight of the movie is Heath Ledger taking the Joker in an entirely new direction. I have to give Ledger credit - he and the writers were smart enough to know not to try to top Jack Nicholson's standard-setting interpretation as the super-villain. Instead, he took it down a different path - more subdued, more psychological, and the performance was brilliant.

Like the role of the Joker, many people are trying to compare Dark Knight with the late 80s Batman, and my response is that it is not necessarily a remake as much as it is a re-interpretation. The 80s version was supposed to be outlandish and over-the-top, while this one is, to borrow the phrase, darker. Moviegoers should appreciate Dark Knight for what it is, and not what it trying to out-do. 4 stars (but not Best. Movie. Ever).