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THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Jul 21

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THE DARK KNIGHT RISES-United States/United Kingdom-2012

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman

Michael Caine as Alfred

Gary Oldman as Commissioner Gordon

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle

Tom Hardy as Bane

Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake

Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Story by Christopher Nolan and David S. Goyer

Screenplay by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan

Based on characters created by Bob Kane

I had no intention of even writing about “The Dark Knight Rises.” For the most part I review horror films and I leave the reviews of the mainstream films in the hands of others who are perfectly capable of the task. Does this mean I hated the film? It most certainly does not. “The Dark Knight Rises” is a superbly written, acted and directed motion picture and it is a fitting end to a trilogy that began in 2005 with “Batman Begins” and which continued with “The Dark Knight” in 2008. It is a rare film that can be viewed as an individual effort and be enjoyed and still be regarded as part of something way bigger. From the very start, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan had an epic story that they wanted to tell and they never lost sight of that vision.

I tried to pinpoint the theme of this film, but I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Then, as luck would have it and I was glancing over the trivia for the movie I noticed that Christopher Nolan had said that the theme of “Batman Begins” was fear, “The Dark Knight” was about chaos, and finally “The Dark Knight Rises” was about pain. When I read that, I thought back over the events of the movie and realized that that was exactly what this film is about. There is pain all through this movie; the pain of loss, physical pain and finally the pain of betrayal.

But there is a pain that overshadows this film because of one man’s cowardly actions. I am of course talking about the horrific events of the shooting that occurred in Aurora, Colorado during the midnight premiere of the film. 12 people dead and 59 injured because of the rage of one idiot. I refuse to mention this piece of shit’s name for the simple fact that he does not deserve that recognition. People work hard for the right to enjoy themselves, whether it is at a baseball game, a vacation or just going to a movie with friends and family. No one should ever have to suffer the way these people and their loved ones have suffered. For that the only thing I can do is say that I am truly sorry.

Finally, as I pulled up to the theater I expected to see a crowd lined up and waiting to see the film; but that was not the case. I asked the ticket taker if the events in Colorado had put a damper on attendance and sadly he said that they had.  I also know that there have been a lot of people saying that the release of the film should have been moved to a later date. I am sorry, but I disagree. To do this would be to admit that the man responsible had won. He has won nothing and is a complete coward. Oh, and don’t try to tell me he’s crazy. His act was completely premeditated. I know there will be people who disagree with me and that is perfectly fine; but this is one moment when the show must go on.

Thank you.

TRIVIA

Christopher Nolan is the first director to complete a full trilogy of Batman films, but the second to direct a full trilogy of films on one superhero (after Sam Raimi completed his Spider-Man films).

One of the reasons why Christopher Nolan cast Tom Hardy as Bane was because of his performance in the film RocknRolla. Hardy stated that he thought he was cast because of his role in Bronson. He arrived on set only to learn that Nolan has never even seen Bronson.

Anne Hathaway, who plays Catwoman, had been cast as Black Cat (Felicia Hardy) in The Amazing Spider-Man in 2010, which at that time was under Sam Raimi’s direction as “Spider-Man 4″ and was going to feature the Vulture and Black Cat.

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Posted in Films based on Comic Books, Films Based on Graphic Novels, Films released in 2012

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THE PRESTIGE

Mar 12

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THE PRESTIGE-United States/United Kingdom-2006

Note: For reasons known only to WordPress, I cannot list the actor’s name below the photos as I normally do. Hopefully this will soon be resolved; but until then here are the actors’ names and the names of the characters that they portray listed below.

Hugh Jackman as Robert Angier

Christian Bale as Alfred Borden

Michael Caine as Cutter

Scarlett Johansson as Olivia Wenscombe

Piper Perabo as Julia McCullough

Andy Serkis as Alley

Rebecca Hall as Sarah Borden

David Bowie as Nikola Tesla

Directed by Christopher Nolan

Screenplay by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan

Based on the novel by Christopher Priest

I’m going to be honest with you; I had no intention of even reviewing this movie. I was just going to sit back, munch on popcorn and draw from the well known as Natural Light and just enjoy this movie for what it is, a damn good movie. But then that all too familiar bug bit me on my ass; and I began to think about the film in terms of the subject of my next post. So, here I am once again. I think the reason I feel so compelled to review this is that it is such a compelling film to begin with. This may sound strange, but The Prestige made me think of the Spy vs. Spy stories that were so prominently featured in each and every issue of  Mad magazine. Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale are rival magicians, once friends, but now bitter enemies after a tragic accident occurs during an illusion that they’re assisting with. After that, their lives become a maze of deception and sabotage as each tries to ruin the others life and career. Ah, but there is much more. The tagline of this film is “Are you watching closely?”, and though not as intricately woven as his earlier film, Memento, The Prestige is still a film that one can easily see requires repeated viewing. I followed along with the plot of the film fairly well, but I still found myself scratching my head when it was over. At the beginning, Michael Caine narrates about the three components of a successful magic trick. They are The Pledge, in which the magician shows us something ordinary; The Turn, in which the magician makes the ordinary ‘extraordinary’; but make something disappear and you have to bring it back. That final component is known as the Prestige. Watching the film, from start to finish, I realized that the entire story was just that: Pledge, Turn, and Prestige.

Christopher Nolan is fast becoming one of my favorite directors. His work has become consistent with that of an intriguing story with meticulous attention to detail and a plot that reaches far beyond what we see the first time we watch. With that last statement said I can assure you that The Prestige is no exception.

TRIVIA

The main characters’ initials spell ABRA (Alfred Borden Robert Angier), as in Abracadabra, a common word used by magicians.
 
 Christopher Priest created the “Langford Double Knot” for the original novel as a tribute to his friend and business partner, the author David Langford.
 
Sam Mendes had shown interest in adapting Christopher Priest’s novel for the big-screen, but Priest insisted that Christopher Nolan direct the film, based on his love for both Following and Memento.
 
Root, the on-stage double of Angier (Hugh Jackman), announces that he has played Faust and Caesar in the past. Both were famously portrayed on stage as men destroyed by their own ambition, as Angier eventually is.
 
½
 
 
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Posted in Films Released In 2006, Movies

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