News broke last week that, after he put himself forward to write the upcoming adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey, Brett Easton Ellis has failed to make the shortlist of screenwriters for the film. Ellis, ever as outspoken and as controversial as his works, announced his interest numerous times via Twitter, casting his ideal actors and even going so far as denouncing openly homosexual Matt Bomer as 'too gay' for the role of Christian Grey. Now, he's definitely off the film with four other writers announced as those in the frontrunning, one of whom wrote Cars 2... And, controversy aside, I can't be alone in thinking that Universal has missed a trick here.
When it was first announced, via his own Twitter page, that he wished to write the film, I was a little surprised. After all, this is a world-renowned and exceptionally popular author wanting to adapt what is arguably, one of the worst-written books ever to hit the bestseller lists. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a great idea. For all its terrible prose, ridiculous catchphrases and questionable sexual politics, Fifty Shades of Grey has the potential to be a dark exploration of issues surrounding Christian's more extreme sexuality and the psychology behind it. The book itself and its two sequels don't really delve into these issues beyond repeatedly reminding us that erstwhile heroine, Anastasia Steele, is the only person capable of making him feel love. Before Ana, Christian is simply an incredibly rich, really really ridiculously good-looking executive with a penchant for violence to specific pieces of music back in his pristine and state-of-the-art apartment. Sound familiar?
To anyone who has read American Psycho, and if you haven't you should rectify this immediately, Christian Grey has a lot of similarities with its central character, the murderous Patrick Bateman (something which Ellis himself has noted). Basically, Christian is a slightly crapper version of Bateman with all the hallmarks that make everyone's favourite American psychopath so interesting; Christian's just a bit less... stabby. For those not in the know, Bateman is a classic symbol of 80s excess; he has to have the latest gadget, be wearing the latest fashions and God help you if you have a better business card than him. Because alongside the extensive critiques of fashion or music albums, he also has quite the talent for sadistic violence, ranging from impulsive killing to torture, rape and mutilation. Granted, Christian never goes this far (or maybe he does, he has a Red Room of Pain after all), but the need for violence in both characters' lives is very much there. Ellis, having created Bateman, naturally has a way in to Christian's psychology and could create a fantastic, three-dimensional character that James fails to fully create.
One of the key themes that could have been explored in an Ellis adaptation is that of the main characters' masculinity and the way their anxieties become manifested in very similar ways. Violence is a key theme of both books and is used by both men to assert control over the environment and the people around them, intrinsically linked to the assertion of their manliness. Patrick Bateman is a man seemingly with everything and prides himself as such, often commenting directly to the reader on the history of his favourite pair of trainers or other such commodities in his possession. Likewise, Christian Grey has got commodities coming out of his ears and relaxes by taking out his boat, driving his sports car or flying his helicopter. Stereotypically masculine, and ever so slightly phallic, possessions are used by Christian to demonstrate not only his wealth, but also the control he has over his environment. These commodities are the aspects over which both men can control, but people are very different and, despite Ana's lack of animation, she's still a remarkably unpredictable factor in Christian's life. The violence committed against humans either consensually or with a rusty coathanger, therefore, becomes an attempt to seize the control both men believe to have lost.
For all the publicity surrounding Fifty Shades and the BDSM aspect of the sex scenes, there isn't a whole lot of the stuff in the novel; it's mostly talking about it with the unsigned contract, light bondage and a bit of spanking (A spanking! A spanking!). The focus is placed upon Christian's need for this kind of lifestyle because he has never really had 'vanilla' sex before. It's all been about him being in control, in power and maintaining that power over the female submissives he has in his possession. When he meets Ana, she (mostly) refuses to be controlled and begins to challenge his dominance. He doesn't like it and retaliates in other, incredibly sexist, ways by buying out the company she works for or dictating what contraception she should be using. Sexually, he maintains his control only through virtue of Ana being about as sexually experienced as a piece of cotton wool. When he does get violent, in the case of the spanking scene at the end of the first book, she runs away from him because she sees just how much he needs that violent control. Inflicting violence on another person is, psychologically, what he needs to get himself off. The same can be said of Bateman though his satisfaction is found not sexually, but in socially gaining over his peers. His entire world is built on him being the best, having the best things and sleeping with the best women. When that's taken away from him, he's lost and the violent aspect of his personality appears to take back the control he believes to have lost from those he feels are superior to him. He kills Paul Owen because Paul is the more successful and popular executive and his torturing and subsequent murder of Christie the prostitute is all about demonstrating his sexual and physical prowess.
Patrick Bateman is built upon these masculine-centered insecurities and when everything is taken away from him, he becomes increasingly more violent in order to assert himself. Much is made in Fifty Shades of Christian's self-confidence issues; he doesn't understand why Ana loves him for example (I don't either, but that's another point entirely) and struggles with this concept. I've had a conversation where an acquaintance tried to assert that Christian Grey doesn't have any issues with his masculinity and instead, the BDSM aspect was all about his 'desire to be loved'. Firstly, vomit. Secondly, he introduces his penis to Ana as the 'most cherished' part of his anatomy so if that isn't symbolic of 'issues with masculinity', I should probably hand back my English Literature degree and give up now. Christian needs to be in control, whether it's freeing his constant erection from his fashionable grey sweatpants, dominating his lover in the bedroom with variety of sex toys or 'protecting' Ana by beating the crap out any guy who comes near her.
What this comparison, I hope, demonstrates is that Ellis is actually quite perfect for writing the role of Christian Grey - he understands this character, he's written him, albeit in his extremity, before. Whether or not Ellis could adequately create the character of Ana Steele is another matter and would be a far trickier job seeing as she's suffers from a distinct lack of dimension. But if Hollywood were brave enough to see a Brett Easton Ellis adaptation of E.L. James' bonkbuster, I think we'd be looking at a very interesting, extremely dark take on a relationship that has a huge amount of potential to be interesting. And then I would say David Fincher or David Cronenburg to direct please because what this book needs is totally ripping apart and putting back together again with two people who know how to create a darkly compelling story.
- Becky
P.S. I'm sorry I've gone into a little depth here, I know Fifty Shades of Grey is not an actual piece of literature and is really quite appalling. Sorry. Really sorry.
Becky's review of Fifty Shades of Grey can be found here.
You can follow Becky on Twitter here @beckygracelea
It's been eight years since Gotham last saw the Batman, wanted for the murder of white knight Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne is shut up inside his manor and peace reigns in the city. However, a mercenary by the name of Bane has other ideas and sets about reducing Gotham City to its knees.
Christopher Nolan's vision of Batman has been revolutionary from its very beginning, transforming not only the summer blockbuster, but also the superhero movie, reaching dizzy heights with The Dark Knight. A resounding success with audiences and critics alike, the sequel was helped in no small part by Heath Ledger's anarchic performance as a truly terrifying Joker. Anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises then has been marked by the fact that it has to follow one of the best superhero movies ever and that it has to provide a satisfactory end to a fascinating exploration of the Caped Crusader. Thankfully, Nolan and his impressive cast rise to the challenge, providing us with a truly memorable ending for the Dark Knight Trilogy in what is easily one of the best films of this year so far.
Following a broken and emotionally worn out Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), The Dark Knight Rises charts the return of the Batman after the manhunt that was launched at the end of The Dark Knight when he is believed to have murdered Harvey Dent. Still mourning the loss of childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes, Wayne has hung up his cape, seemingly for good and his neglect has led Wayne Enterprises down a dark route with board member Daggett (Ben Mendolhson) planning a hostile takeover. Slinky cat burglar Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) and masked man mountain Bane (Tom Hardy) are key players in Daggett's plan but both have their own agendas to carry out. Meanwhile, Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and police officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) are watching over a seemingly peaceful Gotham City. But, as Kyle wryly observes, a storm is coming and no one is prepared for it.
Worries that this film would go down the same route as previous superhero threequels Spider-man 3 and X-Men: The Last Stand are thankfully unfounded and despite the many characters, new and old, and various plotlines, Nolan keeps a steady hand over the proceedings. A couple of characters fail to make a big impression, especially Matthew Modine who is easily forgotten in the wider spectacle of the film. Likewise Marion Cotillard delivers a fairly bland performance for the first two acts before suddenly shifting into gear later. However, the rest of the performances more than make up for it. Gary Oldman is as dependable as ever while Christian Bale delivers his best Bruce Wayne to date, giving us a very mature look at the physical and emotional tolls upon a man with two very distinct identities. Both Wayne and Batman have a very clear character arc over the course of the film and Bale handles both well with a more emotional connection available than there has been in the previous films. Michael Caine's Alfred is again the moral centre of the proceedings and his scenes with Bale brought out the best in both actors, delivering a nuanced pseudo-father/son relationship that felt very real.
But the outstanding performances belonged to the newcomers to the franchise with Anne Hathaway pretty much stealing the show right from the beginning. Catwoman has always been a mercurial figure, ambiguous to the end and Hathaway pitches it perfectly, switching emotions in the blink of an eye with a welcome sense of humour. Continuing the current run of excellent portrayal of female characters in superhero films, it's great to see another heroine who can not only look good in a catsuit but physically and mentally match her male counterparts with relative ease. Her chemistry with Bale is excellent, ensuring that any scene with the two of them is a real highlight and something to look forward to. Joseph Gordon-Levitt's idealistic John Blake is another standout and further proof that the man is yet to deliver a bad performance. As a villain, Tom Hardy's Bane had a tough act to follow with Ledger's Joker and delivers a worthy performance, every bit as terrifying as his predecessor but in an entirely different way. Whereas the Joker was shocking in his unpredictability and sheer desire for chaos, Bane is all physical intimidation powered by an intense belief in what he's doing. Hardy's vocals took a little getting used to but gave Bane a unique voice and his speech about giving Gotham back to the people was imbued with a delicious sense of irony.
The action sequences also benefit from this emphasis on character-driven storytelling. Any scene with Catwoman (though she is never referred to as such) and Batman fighting together has an inbuilt sense of humour with the two working in collaboration almost immediately and whilst going for all-out spectacle, Nolan still manages to create a sense of intimacy with those involved. Perhaps the best example of this is the first confrontation between Bane and Batman, a brutal and intense fight sequence that is designed to make you wince. Stripped of any music, all you can hear are the blows connecting with the two bodies and the grunts of physical effort. Nolan also holds the shot just long enough to make it slightly uncomfortable and the slow cuts add to the tension of an already suspenseful scene. Important for both plot and character development, this is a moment that stays in the memory long after the credits have rolled.
The characters are where the film's true strength lies, carrying you through a plot that, at times, is both a little difficult to follow and some slow moments early on. The first two acts in particular were a little plodding and occasionally it did feel as if the pace had slowed too much. There are enough twists and turns throughout to keep you interested and thanks to the great performances, you find yourself swept up in each character's journey. But then there's the third act. Awesome from start to finish, the last forty-five minutes of the film is a triumph of cheerworthy, fist-pumping moments and an ending that was just perfect for the trilogy as a whole. Without going into details, I sat in the cinema for the last two minutes of the film with the largest grin on my face. Providing a satisfactory resolution to this incarnation of Bruce Wayne's journey was always going to be tough but Nolan passes with flying colours, staying true to the character he and Bale have crafted whilst also providing plenty of crowd-pleasing moments.
After the success of The Dark Knight, it would have been easy for Christopher Nolan et. al. to all rest on their laurels, knowing full well that the hype surrounding their final film would have been enough to net them a decent box office. Thankfully for us, they do no such thing and deliver what is easily one of the best blockbusters of the summer and a fitting end to one of the greatest trilogies of all time. I don't think I'm alone when I say that I'll miss the incarnation of the Batman universe but the ending is just so brilliant that I wouldn't want anyone else but Nolan to come along and mess with it.
*****
- Becky
You can find more of Becky's writings here http://beckygracelea.blogspot.com or follow her on Twitter @beckygracelea
Patrick Bateman is built upon these masculine-centered insecurities and when everything is taken away from him, he becomes increasingly more violent in order to assert himself. Much is made in Fifty Shades of Christian's self-confidence issues; he doesn't understand why Ana loves him for example (I don't either, but that's another point entirely) and struggles with this concept. I've had a conversation where an acquaintance tried to assert that Christian Grey doesn't have any issues with his masculinity and instead, the BDSM aspect was all about his 'desire to be loved'. Firstly, vomit. Secondly, he introduces his penis to Ana as the 'most cherished' part of his anatomy so if that isn't symbolic of 'issues with masculinity', I should probably hand back my English Literature degree and give up now. Christian needs to be in control, whether it's freeing his constant erection from his fashionable grey sweatpants, dominating his lover in the bedroom with variety of sex toys or 'protecting' Ana by beating the crap out any guy who comes near her. 
