Lo_behold

I saw this film during midnight madness at the Toronto film festival and right from the beginning moments, I knew I would be having a rollicking good time. The film is a charmer from start to finish. It's also one of the funniest films I have seen in a long time. My friend said he hadn't laughed so hard, possibly, ever. And that's not a stretch; the film was ridiculously funny. The audience completely ate it up. The film is a self-parody of the Japanese from beginning to end (Soichi dreams of making 'trendy' j-pop, wearing 'trendy' clothes and living in a 'trendy' apartment). It's like watching the Japanese hold a mirror up to themselves and mocking every detail. Watching Soichi try to reconcile his 'true' wannabe pop star self with his newly acquired and undesired status as death metal god is priceless. He spends his nights dressed as a 'demon' singing songs about rape and murder (the film mocks heavy metal in such a comical and respectable way that even serious metal fans can't help but roll with laughter), and his days on street corners singing sweet-sounding pop songs about love and, um, rainbows. Katsuyama had fantastic comic timing as Soichi, and completely won over the audience. It was a hoot to watch him totally commit himself to his metal persona while on stage, but being completely miserable and lovelorn (the girl he likes hates metal and knows nothing of his metal persona) after taking his make-up off. His two sides are completely different and you wonder if he'll ever just embrace his metal god status and give up his pop star dream. Of course, that's the journey the director wants to take us on. And it is one hell of a ride.

Some films are so ridiculous that it's just nonsense. DMC manages to be ridiculous and sublime at the same time. The film is a guaranteed good time and I can't imagine anyone watching it without a huge grin on their face afterward.

I give this film a 10 rating if only for Michelle Pfeiffer's wondrous portrayal of catwoman. As a child growing up, catwoman was an icon for me and Pfeiffer's portrayal was remarkable. Even now, as i am older, the performance still holds up as one of my favorite performances of all time. She didn't just portray one character to perfection but played three. It's remarkable that she can meld all three sides of Selina Kyle together so perfectly. That being said, I enjoyed the film thoroughly. It was much more Gothic and surreal than any other Batman film. I think some scenes may be a little "frightening" for younger kids though, such as the scene where Penguin bites the reporter's nose or when catwoman falls into the greenhouse and starts to scream. I thought Danny Devito did a good job, and Keaton did what the role called for. I especially enjoyed Christopher Walken's Max Shreck. Well I love anything that man does, he's just a howling good time. But back to catwoman. She was just gorgeous, crazed, sexy and stunning. Her whip-cracking, her black eye shadow and pale skin, and her vinyl suit are a perfect combo. Her lunacy makes her all the more sexy. Too bad Halle Berry completely ruined catwoman in the self-titled flop. We'll all remember Michelle as the goddess in the black suit. Meow.

This movie solidified my love for Michelle Pfeiffer. Not only is she stunningly gorgeous in this film, her characterization of lounge singer Susie Diamond is glorious. She personified the tough-as-nails, cynical, witty former call girl that the role called for. Jeff Bridges also shined. He is an underrated actor, and anyone who does not believe him to be a very capable performer needs to watch this film. Pfeiffer's rendition of 'Makin' Whoopee' which is already quite a classic is forever etched in my mind. I also loved the cinematography. The beautiful but dreary nightclub scene of Seattle is beautifully photographed and portrayed on film. But back to Michelle, she is incredible. I just can't get over how great she is! J'adore Michelle ma belle!