Post by Neverending on Oct 3, 2014 16:37:09 GMT -5
JULY 20, 2012 - 04:49 AM
JULY 23, 2012 - 12:02 AM
JULY 25, 2012 - 01:50 AM
JULY 26, 2012 - 05:57 AM
It's on fucking autopilot! Christopher Nolan just throws scene after scene and character after character without giving us an opportunity to catch our breath and absorb all this information he's giving us. For example, Batman and Catwoman's relationship is so rushed and given so little space that it's impossible to believe these two fell in love and settled down.
I think The Dark Knight Rises fell victim to the over-bloated 3rd installment syndrome that plagued X-Men: Last Stand and Spider-Man 3. Nolan should have made a simpler movie with less characters and none of the so-called twists that everyone saw coming A YEAR AGO. Miranda Tate as Talia? We knew that the moment we saw set pics from New York. John Blake as "something more" than a simple cop? We've been debating that since the moment Joseph Gordon-Levitt was cast. Honestly, I think Nolan needs a major flop because I'm getting the feeling his ego is out-of-control. He needs to get back to reality. Everything that worked about Batman Begins and The Dark Knight was not used here in favor of spectacle, bull shit, and Nolan's selfish need to end the franchise.
I think The Dark Knight Rises fell victim to the over-bloated 3rd installment syndrome that plagued X-Men: Last Stand and Spider-Man 3. Nolan should have made a simpler movie with less characters and none of the so-called twists that everyone saw coming A YEAR AGO. Miranda Tate as Talia? We knew that the moment we saw set pics from New York. John Blake as "something more" than a simple cop? We've been debating that since the moment Joseph Gordon-Levitt was cast. Honestly, I think Nolan needs a major flop because I'm getting the feeling his ego is out-of-control. He needs to get back to reality. Everything that worked about Batman Begins and The Dark Knight was not used here in favor of spectacle, bull shit, and Nolan's selfish need to end the franchise.
JULY 23, 2012 - 12:02 AM
All these characters would have worked with a tighter script.
1. NO Hermit Bruce. NO 8-year gap.
Nolan should have kept Bruce active and had him delve deeper into his Batman persona. Now that Harvey "The White Knight" Dent has inspired reforms at Gotham and the mob is officially dismantled, Batman can go after everyday criminals like Catwoman. So, we could have had all the flirty encounters between them but with none of the Dagget crap in the way.
2. Miranda Tate as Bruce's girlfriend.
Instead of 8 years, how about a year or two. It's enough for Bruce to get over Rachel and find someone else, like Miranda. Then, when the truth about her is revealed, it has more emotional weight and gives Bruce another doomed romance.
3. John Blake as a proper replacement/partner.
How about keeping Bruce in Gotham instead of shipping him off to India? That way, he can train John Blake and use him as his eyes & ears as he recovers.
These are all simple solutions that anyone could have brought up in the past 4 years. But Nolan has too many "Yes Men" at WB. Sometimes it's good to have somebody keep you in check. When Nolan made The Dark Knight, he was an Indie filmmaker with moderate Hollywood success. But the Nolan who made Dark Knight Rises is the new Hollywood King. He's in Spielberg/1941 mode right now. He needs a major flop to get his ego in check.
1. NO Hermit Bruce. NO 8-year gap.
Nolan should have kept Bruce active and had him delve deeper into his Batman persona. Now that Harvey "The White Knight" Dent has inspired reforms at Gotham and the mob is officially dismantled, Batman can go after everyday criminals like Catwoman. So, we could have had all the flirty encounters between them but with none of the Dagget crap in the way.
2. Miranda Tate as Bruce's girlfriend.
Instead of 8 years, how about a year or two. It's enough for Bruce to get over Rachel and find someone else, like Miranda. Then, when the truth about her is revealed, it has more emotional weight and gives Bruce another doomed romance.
3. John Blake as a proper replacement/partner.
How about keeping Bruce in Gotham instead of shipping him off to India? That way, he can train John Blake and use him as his eyes & ears as he recovers.
These are all simple solutions that anyone could have brought up in the past 4 years. But Nolan has too many "Yes Men" at WB. Sometimes it's good to have somebody keep you in check. When Nolan made The Dark Knight, he was an Indie filmmaker with moderate Hollywood success. But the Nolan who made Dark Knight Rises is the new Hollywood King. He's in Spielberg/1941 mode right now. He needs a major flop to get his ego in check.
JULY 25, 2012 - 01:50 AM
I watched the movie again tonight.
1. NOLAN LIKES MESSING WITH US!
Remember how everyone hated Jar Jar Binks, and yet, George Lucas kept featuring him in the prequels to the point that he became a very important part of the mythology? Well... Nolan is doing the same. He knows our complains and keeps doing it for his own amusement.
You want evidence? Towards the end, two scenes are out-of-order. When Gordon is being sentenced, Miranda Tate is with him and Bane asks that she be delivered to him. The very next scene is Bruce Wayne meeting up with Lucius Fox. Miranda Tate is there with him. Then, after Bruce and Lucius pick-up some gear at Batman's wearhouse, we see Gordon being exiled. Batman rescues him and immediately asks, "where's Miranda?" "Bane's got her," says Gordon.
Also, if you think about it, there's a third scene out-of-order. Before all this happens, Gordon visits Matthew Modine to call him a coward. Then, out of nowhere, Miranda Tate pops out and offers her help.
2. BANE'S PLAN MAKES NO SENSE
Let's go back to Batman Begins. Gotham City was a corrupt city and Ra's al Ghul wanted to restore balance. In The Dark Knight, Batman and Gordon accomplish this by hiding the truth about Harvey Dent. So... in The Dark Knight Rises, there's nothing for Bane to do. Gotham has been saved. All he is doing is cause mayhem for the sake of causing mayhem. No different than The Joker. Now, of course, this is the part where MasterChief says that "everything was based on a lie." Well... who gives a shit? LOTS of stuff throughout history have been caused by lies and deception. Why is Nolan making such a big deal about this? Everything was fine and by the time people discovered the truth, it wouldn't have mattered. Bane's plan should have just been getting revenge for Ra's death. His whole moral crusade was simply nonsense and a rehash of what we've seen before in the series. This is no different than re-building The Death Star in Return of the Jedi.
3. TECHNICALLY, THE BOMB SHOULD HAVE BLOWN UP SOONER!
Remember Doomsday's rant that there was 6 minutes left? He was wrong. When Talia died, there was LESS than 2 minutes left. In that time, Batman and Gordon have a little chat. Batman and Catwoman kiss. And, Batman has to strap on the bomb to the Batwing. Guys, I'm sorry, but there's only so far you can suspend disbelief. The bomb would have blown up before Batman even got in the air. Doomsday is totally right. There should have been more time. This is something that in repeat viewings, people are gonna criticize. Trust me! In Richard Donner's Superman, when Superman turns the Earth around, and essentially time travels, people didn't criticize it at first. But as time went on, it became a MAJOR issue with people. By Superman rewinding the clock, the Earthquake should have still be going on when he rescues Lois. But the film ignores it for some reason. So, if people gave Superman shit then expect TDKR to get shit too.
1. NOLAN LIKES MESSING WITH US!
Remember how everyone hated Jar Jar Binks, and yet, George Lucas kept featuring him in the prequels to the point that he became a very important part of the mythology? Well... Nolan is doing the same. He knows our complains and keeps doing it for his own amusement.
You want evidence? Towards the end, two scenes are out-of-order. When Gordon is being sentenced, Miranda Tate is with him and Bane asks that she be delivered to him. The very next scene is Bruce Wayne meeting up with Lucius Fox. Miranda Tate is there with him. Then, after Bruce and Lucius pick-up some gear at Batman's wearhouse, we see Gordon being exiled. Batman rescues him and immediately asks, "where's Miranda?" "Bane's got her," says Gordon.
Also, if you think about it, there's a third scene out-of-order. Before all this happens, Gordon visits Matthew Modine to call him a coward. Then, out of nowhere, Miranda Tate pops out and offers her help.
2. BANE'S PLAN MAKES NO SENSE
Let's go back to Batman Begins. Gotham City was a corrupt city and Ra's al Ghul wanted to restore balance. In The Dark Knight, Batman and Gordon accomplish this by hiding the truth about Harvey Dent. So... in The Dark Knight Rises, there's nothing for Bane to do. Gotham has been saved. All he is doing is cause mayhem for the sake of causing mayhem. No different than The Joker. Now, of course, this is the part where MasterChief says that "everything was based on a lie." Well... who gives a shit? LOTS of stuff throughout history have been caused by lies and deception. Why is Nolan making such a big deal about this? Everything was fine and by the time people discovered the truth, it wouldn't have mattered. Bane's plan should have just been getting revenge for Ra's death. His whole moral crusade was simply nonsense and a rehash of what we've seen before in the series. This is no different than re-building The Death Star in Return of the Jedi.
3. TECHNICALLY, THE BOMB SHOULD HAVE BLOWN UP SOONER!
Remember Doomsday's rant that there was 6 minutes left? He was wrong. When Talia died, there was LESS than 2 minutes left. In that time, Batman and Gordon have a little chat. Batman and Catwoman kiss. And, Batman has to strap on the bomb to the Batwing. Guys, I'm sorry, but there's only so far you can suspend disbelief. The bomb would have blown up before Batman even got in the air. Doomsday is totally right. There should have been more time. This is something that in repeat viewings, people are gonna criticize. Trust me! In Richard Donner's Superman, when Superman turns the Earth around, and essentially time travels, people didn't criticize it at first. But as time went on, it became a MAJOR issue with people. By Superman rewinding the clock, the Earthquake should have still be going on when he rescues Lois. But the film ignores it for some reason. So, if people gave Superman shit then expect TDKR to get shit too.
JULY 26, 2012 - 05:57 AM
10 THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE DARK KNIGHT RISES
because masterchief shouldn't cry anymore
1. THE SCOPE
Nolan's Bat-Trilogy has been his growth as a technical filmmaker. Before Batman Begins, he was an Indie director making low-budget thrillers. Since then he has become the Hollywood version of Quentin Tarantino. In our current world of cinema where CGI-fests, 3D, and digital photography have become the norm, Nolan has faught to continue the old school approach. And so, TDKR is the film where Nolan has taken everything to the extreme while still remaining in the modern and realistic setting of his Batman universe. Every action sequence is a display of how Nolan has mastered big-budget filmmaking and it makes The Avengers look cartoon-ish by comparison.
2. BANE'S VOICE
As silly as it is, the voice amuses me. Sure, the obvious ADR is distracting, but I can live with it. I also find it humorous that his voice is so elegant and sophisticated even though he's this blunt force, and essentially, a glorified henchman.
3. CATWOMAN'S ASS
Anne Hathaway was a lot more attractive in her Princess Diaries era. Remember how excited we all were to see her topless in Havoc? These days, she has sadly lost too much weight. She looks borderline anorexic. As a result, I'd say she's the 4th best-looking Catwoman, behind Julie Newmar, Lee Meriweather, and Michelle P. And yet, with all this being said, whenever she was in her leather suit and we got to see her ass, it was glorious.
4. THE BATMAN & CATWOMAN SCENES
I've always been a HUGE fan of the flirtation between Batman and Catwoman. So it's great that Nolan decided to include it in his trilogy. Although I'm still disappointed that "the romance" between them wasn't given any breathing room. But, oh well, I guess beggers can't be choosers. I'll take what I can get.
5. BATMAN VS. BANE
I've made a few complains revolving around this scene, but from a technical point-of-view, it is an amazing fight sequence. It was shot well. The exclusion of music was a smart choice. I loved the way Bane taunts Batman. And, most importantly, it featured "the breaking of the bat." In my first screening, that scene was met with silence. It must of been a combination of excitement and awe since it was all fanboys. In my second screening, with the general public, most people were in shock. They weren't expecting things to turn out that way. So it was definitely an interesting experience and why I continue to champion seeing movies with an audience.
6. JOSPEH GORDON-LEVITT
I'm not too crazy about John Blake and the way he replaces Batman. However, I've been a fan of Gordon-Levitt since Angels in the Outfield. Okay... maybe "fan" is a strong word. But I've always enjoyed his performances and it's always fun seeing him in movies and TV shows. If Nolan had done things properly, Gordon-Levitt could have been a total badass in this film. Just think about how awesome he was in Inception.
7. MARION COTILLARD
Like Gordon-Levitt, she got screwed over by the screenplay, but I still liked what she had to offer. As I said on Friday, if Nolan had been forced to eliminate all the excessive characters, I would have chosen Cotillard over Hathaway's Catwoman. And that isn't easy for me to say considering how much I enjoyed Catwoman in this movie. But Miranda Tate/Talia makes more sense for the story and Cotillard, unlike Hathaway, is better eye-candy.
8. THE PIT / UNDERGROUND PRISON
I don't know what the heck this place was called, but I liked the idea of Bruce Wayne having to climb his way towards freedom. It was a cool concept and resulted in, arguably, the most badass scene in the movie.
9. BATMAN VS. BANE, PART II
I like that this is an actual fight. Batman and Bane are going toe-to-toe and it's awesome. Extra kudos to Christian Bale and Tom Hardy for going all-out. There were certain parts where I'm pretty sure they hit each other for real.
10. THE ACTION SCENES
I pretty much loved all of them. They were epic and over-the-top. And at times, like some have said, they were very comic book-y. That rooftop fight with Batman and Catwoman gave the fanboy in me a lot to smile about.
because masterchief shouldn't cry anymore
1. THE SCOPE
Nolan's Bat-Trilogy has been his growth as a technical filmmaker. Before Batman Begins, he was an Indie director making low-budget thrillers. Since then he has become the Hollywood version of Quentin Tarantino. In our current world of cinema where CGI-fests, 3D, and digital photography have become the norm, Nolan has faught to continue the old school approach. And so, TDKR is the film where Nolan has taken everything to the extreme while still remaining in the modern and realistic setting of his Batman universe. Every action sequence is a display of how Nolan has mastered big-budget filmmaking and it makes The Avengers look cartoon-ish by comparison.
2. BANE'S VOICE
As silly as it is, the voice amuses me. Sure, the obvious ADR is distracting, but I can live with it. I also find it humorous that his voice is so elegant and sophisticated even though he's this blunt force, and essentially, a glorified henchman.
3. CATWOMAN'S ASS
Anne Hathaway was a lot more attractive in her Princess Diaries era. Remember how excited we all were to see her topless in Havoc? These days, she has sadly lost too much weight. She looks borderline anorexic. As a result, I'd say she's the 4th best-looking Catwoman, behind Julie Newmar, Lee Meriweather, and Michelle P. And yet, with all this being said, whenever she was in her leather suit and we got to see her ass, it was glorious.
4. THE BATMAN & CATWOMAN SCENES
I've always been a HUGE fan of the flirtation between Batman and Catwoman. So it's great that Nolan decided to include it in his trilogy. Although I'm still disappointed that "the romance" between them wasn't given any breathing room. But, oh well, I guess beggers can't be choosers. I'll take what I can get.
5. BATMAN VS. BANE
I've made a few complains revolving around this scene, but from a technical point-of-view, it is an amazing fight sequence. It was shot well. The exclusion of music was a smart choice. I loved the way Bane taunts Batman. And, most importantly, it featured "the breaking of the bat." In my first screening, that scene was met with silence. It must of been a combination of excitement and awe since it was all fanboys. In my second screening, with the general public, most people were in shock. They weren't expecting things to turn out that way. So it was definitely an interesting experience and why I continue to champion seeing movies with an audience.
6. JOSPEH GORDON-LEVITT
I'm not too crazy about John Blake and the way he replaces Batman. However, I've been a fan of Gordon-Levitt since Angels in the Outfield. Okay... maybe "fan" is a strong word. But I've always enjoyed his performances and it's always fun seeing him in movies and TV shows. If Nolan had done things properly, Gordon-Levitt could have been a total badass in this film. Just think about how awesome he was in Inception.
7. MARION COTILLARD
Like Gordon-Levitt, she got screwed over by the screenplay, but I still liked what she had to offer. As I said on Friday, if Nolan had been forced to eliminate all the excessive characters, I would have chosen Cotillard over Hathaway's Catwoman. And that isn't easy for me to say considering how much I enjoyed Catwoman in this movie. But Miranda Tate/Talia makes more sense for the story and Cotillard, unlike Hathaway, is better eye-candy.
8. THE PIT / UNDERGROUND PRISON
I don't know what the heck this place was called, but I liked the idea of Bruce Wayne having to climb his way towards freedom. It was a cool concept and resulted in, arguably, the most badass scene in the movie.
9. BATMAN VS. BANE, PART II
I like that this is an actual fight. Batman and Bane are going toe-to-toe and it's awesome. Extra kudos to Christian Bale and Tom Hardy for going all-out. There were certain parts where I'm pretty sure they hit each other for real.
10. THE ACTION SCENES
I pretty much loved all of them. They were epic and over-the-top. And at times, like some have said, they were very comic book-y. That rooftop fight with Batman and Catwoman gave the fanboy in me a lot to smile about.
