Batman Begins Rocks!

I saw Batman Begins last night with a bunch of friends and I have to say it was intensely good. I would say it was excellent, but Katie Holmes' random character/performance keeps it from hitting that mark.

As my friend Laurie said, Batman Begins is the best Crime-fighting Super-hero Action Movie ever. It's the best Batman movie yet. And it's better than either Spiderman, for sure. War of the Worlds is going to have to be really impressive to outslug Batman for the early summer blockbuster.

Christian Bale makes a fantastic Bruce Wayne and a very good Batman. And he blends the two identities in a way that none of the three other Batman actors have been able to accomplish. That feat alone is worth the price of admission.

The action scenes were all shot in seemingly too-close in. Some have criticized this. In my opinion, it lends a kind of chaotic motion to the action scenes. We've become so used to the choreographed dance-fu of Crouching Tiger/Flying Daggers (or even Kung Fu Hustle) that it's become expected. In this movie, however, it seems innapropriate. And Batman's close-in struggles are vivid, exciting and give the grimier, grittier impression of an all-out melee.

The movie is almost 2-and-a-half hours long. I wasn't bothered by the length. They took the time to tell this story, pacing it beautifully and developing both Wayne and the Batman character.

Batman Begins is well acted, shot and directed. The characters are endearing, the storyline flows beautifully together. Do yourself a favor and go see this movie.

(I really hope that they can get Christian Bale and director Chris Nolan back to do another film. And, guys, next time leave Katie Holmes on the cutting room floor.)

Watch Them Flop

Watching the Spurs two nights ago, and then the Heat last night, I was struck by one thing the two teams have in common. No, not their dominant big-men. And not their playmaking guards. No, it was their star players' tendency to flop, to over-act and draw the foul.

The Heat used the flop to great effect last night in shutting down Rasheed Wallace under the basket. The refs were all too inclined to call fouls when the Heat players hit the floor. 6 offensive fouls called on the Pistons; 3 on Rasheed Wallace alone.

The result was predictable. The Pistons players became hesitant on offense and the Heat became much more aggressive, sensing that the refs were out to control the Pistons hard-pounding inside game. In one particular stretch of the 2nd quarter (with the pistons down by 3 points) three straight Pistons possesions were ended by whistles. And instead of the Pistons tying the game up, the Heat pushed the lead out to 9.

The games in this series have been great until last night. The difference last night was the refs.

Usually refs are pretty good about smelling the flop. But they've been particularly lack-luster in these playoffs. Maybe I'm watching the games more closely. Maybe, seeing the same players day-in-day-out makes me more aware of their tendencies. Maybe the players themselves are the best of the best of the floppers. Or some combination of these elements.

Regardless, the NBA needs to outlaw the flop. League officials should review tapes of games and levy fines against players who are exagerating contact and falling to the ground to draw fouls.

Give players motivation to stay upright and play defense. That's what the fans want and that's true to the spirit of the game of basketball.