The Dark Knight Rises

I don't know if I have ever started a review like this but I want you to do yourself a favor and stop reading after this first paragraph, in fact stop reading everything about this movie. There are no spoilers in this review, I'm not going to ruin anything but if you really want to enjoy this movie then you need to get away from it all.   If you are anything like me before you saw this movie you read everything that came out, you rewatched the previous ones, you are probably even shaking in anticipation.  Nothing I write is going to sway your opinion one way or the other, and being one of the most hyped movies EVER how can this movie possibly rise to the occasion. Plus with reviewers getting death threats for posting anything negative about the movie I think a step back would do us all some good.  So step away and go enjoy The Dark Knight Rises and what I can promise you is an epic finale to a near perfect series.

Alright so now you are either someone who has followed my directions or a rebel who enjoys torturing thenselves.  For the latter while I appreciate your devotion reading everything will not make Friday come any faster.  For those who have seen the movie:  OH MY GOD HOW AWESOME WAS IT RIGHT AHHHHHH! I loved this movie.

While the movie is long, a running time of 164 minutes, I don't know if anything could have been cut.  It seems like it takes a while to get there, but everything seems so important.  If anything it feels like some of the movie was rushed (if that is even possible at almost three hours).  After examining the movie, it is impossible to tell what if anything could have been cut out.

You already know what you are getting from the series regulars like Christian Bale (A growley and deep voice), Morgan Freeman (a wonderful smile and clever quips), and Michael Caine (a stirring speech to inspire the Bat-Man).  But what about the newbies?  Well they are just as good, if not better.  By now I am sure everyone has seen Anne Hathaway in her cat suit, but her performance is just as hot.  I loved that while the script contained some not so subtle quips Selena Kyle is never referred to as Catwoman.  And why would she be, she is just a regular hi-tech burglar.  It makes the whole thing feel more realistic which keeps the audience entrenched.  While it was assured a couple movies ago that Joseph Gordon Levitt was a star now there is no doubt.  Tom Hardy plays an incredibly soft spoken part for a man so powerful.  It is impressive just how jacked he got for this movie, and while there are some moments that are hard to hear the mask doesn't stop you from understanding the character.  As for Marion Cotillard, Nolan thought her performance was so necessary he pushed back the filming schedule and the release just so she could be cast in the movie and it is tough to disagree with that.

The effects are amazing.  One of the features that make Christopher Nolan the best director of our current generation (and he is, don't kid yourselves), is his love for filming things without CGI whenever possible.  It is not possible to film the bat wing flying inbetween buildings, but the opening sequence featuring a mid-air hijacking was incredible and really set the tone.  That along with the reemergence of Batman into the public eye and the football sequence that we have all seen by now (and if not the trailer is at the bottom) are just as epic as the buildup to the movie has been.

Christopher Nolan is able to pull off a climax in modern day storytelling that I think many directors today are afraid to even try, worried they may not be convincing enough.  All the anticipation builds to this conflict making the ride totally worth getting there.  You can not help but be on the edge of your seat, feeling the danger these characters are in.  Plus knowing that this is the end for Nolan and Bale, that they are done with the series doesn't help you feel at ease.  There is a real sense of danger throughout, I'm sure the eight year old inside you is scarred.  Nolan has shown before he is remorseless and loves to leave his viewer wanting more.  He leaves you wondering: could this really be the end?

The direction that Nolan chose to take this movie is amazing.  There is not any cartoonish silliness and his trilogy has set a new almost impossible bar to reach in what we should expect from our blockbusters.  The combination of fierce and well shot action sequences set against real world concerns of class inequality and terrorism is an amazing feat.  Even more astonishing may be keeping his movie away from the 3-D glasses, although if you get the chance some of his long shots are definitely worth an IMAX viewing.  I won't say it is better than The Dark Knight, it's not.  That movie was near perfect and Heath Ledger's performance was untouchable but the finale is edge of your seat stuff.  The Dark Knight Rises is an amazing conclusion to a near perfect trilogy.  A

2011 Oscars: Best Picture

It is time. If there was a year to have 10 best picture nominations it is definitely this year. Unfortunately they started this trend last year when there were not 10 great movies. But all that has changed and now after having seen all of these movies it is time to whittle them down to see what is the best picture of the year.

Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

It is tough for small independent movies to get noticed in a world full of blockbusters, its even harder when the movies debuted early in the year. Which is why the nominations of "Winter's Bone" and "The Kids Are Alright" is so impressive. Both movies were smash hits at Sundance last year and that kind of kudos never usually carry over. For Kids the acclaim has not stopped, winning some major awards from the foreign press. But for small films like this they need to pack a lot of punch for them to overcome huge budgets and a much larger pool of talent to work from. Bone moves far too slow for anyone to not fidget around, and while an honest look at a bigger problem without self examination it probably didn't blow you away. And comedies, well as we all know comedies are very rarely deemed artistic enough to be certified with the highest awards. Kids won't walk away with any major awards because of such fierce competition from more dramatic categories, and until a comedy comes out with a lot more to say, one will probably never win in best picture. There is no need for the Oscars to split the genres like the Golden Globes does as that would water down what it means to be best picture, it’s just something we will have to deal with.

The same genre discrimination happens with animation. Are you telling me that "Lion King" wasn't a better movie than "Quiz Show"? Or that Wall-E didn't have important critiques of society just because it was done by robots. Any movie that can go 45 minutes without dialogue and still tell a beautiful story has done amazing things. But alas only three animated movies have ever been nominated for best picture and if the category hadn't been expanded I doubt "Up" or "Toy Story 3" would be in the running. Last year was a weak year for movies and they were trying to correct an injustice from the previous years. "Toy Story 3" is without questions one of the best movies of the year but with so many other quality live action films I doubt they would have received the recognition they deserve. The movie had everything; there was action, comedy, drama and heart. There were moments in the movie where I was afraid for the well being of the toys I have gotten to know so well. Anyone who tells me there wasn't any water leaking from your face you are either a liar or soulless, both options kind of suck. Pixar has changed the game and now require children's movies to appeal to an older generation as well. It also forced the Academy to increase the number of movies they nominate.

Nolan also had a hand in that when audiences and critics agreed that "The Dark Knight" also got the snub treatment. Nolan has done amazing things with a camera and I would implore everyone to see all of the movies he has done as there is not a dud among them. This meteoric rise to prominence is what has alienated some of the voters. It is without doubt one of the most original movies of the year, but without any nominations in acting or directing it shrinks any legitimate chances of winning, even though I could see this movie getting a fair share of the votes. It should clean up in most of the technical awards but that will be it.

Had the category not been extended I am not sure that "True Grit" or "127 Hours" would be receiving this honor. These two movies, more so than the independents that I mentioned earlier, are probably closer to the edge of the bubble. They were both really good movies, but I don't know if I would classify either of them as great. Danny Boyle and the Coen Brother's both recently won and for better works I doubt that the Academy will look to reward them again so soon.

Now here are 4 of the 5 that would be on the list had the Oscars chosen to keep it short. "Black Swan” is a beautiful art house movie that was transformed into a blockbuster using special effects. Critically, this may be the actual best movie of the year. It could go round for round with any of the four movies that are left, but I am not voting, and neither are the critics. This is an old man's game and it was a weird movie. And if you are not into the psychological frenzy that comes with turning into a big black duck than I doubt this is a movie for you. Plus the weight of it all is entirely on Natalie Portman to assure this movie does well, she has a solid cast around her but the acting block, which is the largest group of voting members in the academy, didn't deem any of their performances worthy enough to also be nominated.

All the acting kudos went to “The Fighter,” and justifiably so. The cast is fantastic and coming from Boston I can say they captured the essence of the town. Not Boston proper per say as that is full of rich people and college kids now, but the suburbs of Boston, which is actually where the movie takes place. While usually not as telling as the Director's Guild, the Screen Actor's Guild's best ensemble award and Best Picture have been in sync about 50% of the time. It also helped to predict major upsets in the past. Many thought that "The Fighter" would win for best ensemble, which is not surprising as three of the supporting players are also nominated for Oscars and two are heavy favorites. I would argue that the cast for "The Fighter" is the best this year, but the voters chose "The King's Speech" perhaps confusing the honor for what they perceive as the best movie of the year. Speech does have a solid cast but it isn't nearly as deep or as powerful as the one from Lowell.

With only two movies left, these remain the popular movies to win the night’s biggest award, the heavy favorite being "The King's Speech." After winning the SAG for best ensemble many thought that David Fincher would win the DGA award but it was not meant to be as the director's involved chose Tom Hooper as their recipient. The Producer's Guild also rewarded Speech which made it a Triple Crown winner. This has happened only six other times and of those six times five of those movies won the best picture award. The only time it didn't happen was when "Apollo 13" lost to "Braveheart." But 'The Social Network" also has some major awards as well winning the Golden Globes and Critics' Awards big prizes. The Facebook Movie had all of the early momentum but that has since vanished to the other side of the pond.

This is a classic match up between the youth and the older vote. And that is how many of the battle lines may be drawn with an assist from the Brits supporting a movie about the crown. Historical dramas with an uplifting message have always done well in this category, but in the past decade there has been more of a sway towards grittier movies with appeal from the critics. The past three winners "Hurt Locker," "Slumdog Millionaire," and "No Country for Old Men" have not been typical Oscar winners. They have even been nominating towards a younger and hipster crowd, with nominations like "Juno" and "District 9." But did it go too young with a movie about college kids being smarter than you alienating voters.

This also sets up a rematch and possible vengeance for producer Scott Rudin. Harvey Weinstein has always been one to go after Oscars and in 1999 he pulled off one of the biggest Oscar upsets when "Shakespeare in Love" beat "Saving Private Ryan." Now there is little doubt over which is the actual better movie (if any of you say Shakespeare send me your address so I can slap the taste right out of your mouth) but campaigning helped and won him the award. Now it is Rudin who is knocking on the door of the man who won all three of the guild’s awards. It would not be anywhere near the same kind of upset but it would still be impressive.

Any fan of this writer knows who my support is behind. "The King's Speech," while a very well done movie, just tried following a winning formula. Academy members love historical dramas and love to humanize monarchs. A successful formula to follow, but it was a wholly unoriginal story and idea. The performance of Colin Firth is sublime as His Royal Highness; he submerged himself in the role and helped to make a historically unimportant role seem regal again. The praise it received from the guilds and an Oscar for best acting should be enough. "The Social Network" is without a doubt the best picture of the year, it is current, it is fresh, and god damn it, its American. It had all of the best parts to it. The writing and directing will no doubt win but Jesse Eisenberg is also nominated and at one point there was talk that all three supporting actors could get nominated, and maybe they all deserved it. Tell me it wasn't impressive that one man played both Winklevoss twins. All of the interactions between each character were amazing. Not only that but Trent Reznor did a fantastic job with the score. It was the best produced movie of the year with all of the parts contributing to a masterpiece. A direct correlation between this movie and "Citizen Kane," arguably the greatest movie of all time, is impressive as well. Even if this movie were to lose in the end it would still go down as the more important film of our time and much more telling of our era.

What do you think? Do I have it wrong? Will you even be watching? I personally can't wait. And to those of you who made it to the end of this extremely long article and my others thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the show.

2011 Oscars: Writing

It's my favorite time of year. The time when my true elitism can come out and I can look at some artsy-fartsy movies and debate with fellow film lovers who deserve to win. Through the next week I'm going to look at each category. Let’s start with screenplay.

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter's Bone

Besides Best Actor and Actress aside this is the biggest lock of the major awards. The Social Network won the Writer's Guild Award and it will no doubt win the Academy Award. The dialogue is fast paced and quick witted. The story moves fast and engages you the whole way through. All five films are extremely well written and interesting stories but the lightning pace of words that flow off the screen give The Social Network the clear edge. And the fact that Sorkin has never been nominated for an Oscar before, most notably for A Few Good Men is a mistake that the Academy will look to remedy. Count it.

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King's Speech

When a movie is pegged as a favorite for best picture usually the voters will get swept away and just assume that this movie has the best everything. That is what will likely happen with The King's Speech this year. The story is extremely interesting but would often get looked over because of some of the other larger than life characters that came out of the Second World War But then that was it, no one was talking about it, and people would comment that Colin Firth was amazing but not really comment on the story. And frankly I hate considering movies based on real life events as an original screenplay. It was based on the story of King George VI and while still a slight exaggeration of history it was much more accurate than The Social Network which is in the adapted screenplay category, tell me how that makes sense. The movie that had everyone talking was Inception, the story was interesting, it had everyone engaged and while Nolan may have made it complicated for the sake of making it complicated people could not stop talking about it. And that fucking top. But people in the Academy hate Christopher Nolan and they have not hidden this fact, most notably with his snub as best director. Members of the Academy don't like awarding new comers and believe that there is a process and people need to earn the award through a career of work. Plus Nolan hasn't been campaigning, but rather working on the third Batman. Does Nolan deserve the award, I think so. Will he win, not a chance. The award will go to The King's Speech and later on in life we'll laugh about this.

Hopefully I'll be doing one of these a day until Oscar time. Let me know what you think of the writing category. Tomorrow I'll take a look at the women of the silver screen. Melissa Leo better put up one hell of a fight if she wants the award. Ah I love puns.

Oscars 2011: First Glance

It's Oscar Season. Followers of this blog know that I love this time of year and like to draw it out as much as possible. So while I do plan on doing a post on my predictions for the awards, first here are a few things that caught my eye.

I knew that The King's Speech would be Oscar bait, I didn't think it would be leading the pack with 12 nominations. I thought it would be The Social Network. But the movie leading with all the best picture awards already didn't even garner second place. True Grit, which is a fun movie don't get wrong, took second with ten nominations.

This may be because of the glaring omission of Andrew Garfield as Supporting Actor. I genuinely thought all three men, Garfield, Justin Timberlake and Armie Hammer all deserved nominations for their performances, but that wasn't legitimately possible. Instead none get nominated and that is unfortunate.

Where was Nolan's nomination for director? Two years ago they expanded the Best Picture field to include blockbusters that don't get love from the Academy. So while Inception is rightly included in the best picture field it didn't get any love in the directing field. Nolan probably deserved more accolades for his directing than his screen writing. But if it were the other way around I'd probably still be bitching about it.

For lead actors Ryan Gosling got robbed. His performance with Michelle Williams is symbiotic, how is it possible for one to get nominatted and not the other. I imagine it was Javier Bardem who took his spot. Like most of America though I haven't seen Biutiful but I plan on getting to the bottom of this. I hear good things though, and to his credit Bardem becomes the first actor to be nominated as solely specking in Spanish throughout the film.

Call me crazy but I enjoyed Julianne Moore's performance more than Annette Bening's from The Kids Are Alright. Both deserved nominations and if only one was going to get the honor everyone knew it was going to be Bening but I thought Bening had a one strong moment where as Moore was consistently good throughout the movie.

Wasn't Waiting for "Superman" supposed to be the documentary everyone had to see to save our children? How did this movie not get nominated?

I love that Melissa Leo earned a nomination as the maniacal mother in The Fighter but where is the love for Barbara Hershey an equally if not more sinister parental figure for Black Swan because I'm not actually even sure if she was that evil or not.

Everyone is saying that The Town deserved more accolades. And with ten pictures being nominated for Best Picture it is really hard to snub a film anymore when it really only comes down to one or two films. What about directing or the screenplay. I actually agreed with the Academy on this one, and while it was a fun movie, unlike Nolan (who I would gladly substitute for Tom Hooper) I couldn't take anyone off the directing list for Ben Affleck.

What did you think. Am I wrong in any of these nomiantions? Is there someone else you thought got snubbed? Let me know

Inception

Christopher Nolan does it again, and without the need of a giant rubber bat suit. Rather we are privileged to what feels like some of his earlier work in Memento or Following but with the budget of a Batman movie. Nolan takes you through the labyrinth of his mind, and with great relief you come out the other side but with the insatiable urge to go through again.

Open on our hero Dom Cobb, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, a thief for hire who can go into your mind while you sleep and extract information. But his next job requires something more, Cobb recruits an incredible ensemble cast to pull off what everyone believes is impossible - Inception.

And that is all I am physically able to say about the plot. Nolan once again creates an intricate world layered upon itself. In normal hands the task may seem daunting but Nolan takes great care in his projects, this particular one about eight years worth of care which shows on the screen.

With a plot so heavy it is easy to get lost in extensive explanation on the rules of this world. Luckily we have Ellen Page as Ariadne, the newbie to the team who is hired to build the dream world. She also serves as a guide to the audience as we travel through the maze of intricate plot points. I know what you must all be thinking, having Nolan name his female lead after the Greek goddess who guided Theseus through the Minotaur's maze in ancient mythology shows little initiative. But I suppose we can give him a pass.

Nolan puts together a great cast including some actors you may remember from his previous movies such as Ken Watanabe, Michael Caine, and Cillian Murphy (Nolan reportedly loves Murphy's eyes and tries to draw attention to them whenever possible). Joseph Gordon-Levitt does great work as Leo's right hand man and provides some stability to Leo's character that is starting to play unhinged so well someone may want to put him on suicide watch. Tom Hardy looked to have the most fun in the movie as the Forger of the group. He has a suave coolness about him that steals every scene. Marion Cotillard plays the fem fatale so well that I'm glad there has been a recent resurgence in the fem fatale character.

The cinematics are dazzling in the movie, the scene that pits Joseph Gordon-Levitt fighting in and around a hotel hallway lives up for the hype seen in the trailer. All the big visual cues that would typically be there just to show off the movie are important to the story. I also always appreciate Nolan a little more due to his minimal use of green screens. Especially in this era of cinematography where a man like James Cameron can create entire worlds, Nolan still prefers using sets and wires to give his films a realer look.

Still some of the visual cues Nolan uses are goofy due to the time differential in the different dream worlds. This effect leaves a van hanging in the air for what could be a legitimate hour of the movie. In the same breath that may be the only way to distinguish just how far down the rabbit hole Nolan takes us.

The movie almost demands second and third viewings. I'm sure I will be inclined to join any of my friends who wish to go again, but I fear the length of the film will get to me a second time around. The movie takes its time getting to the main sequence of the plot, not that there were wasted frames, but rather the audience may get weighed down sifting through so much set up material.

Nolan continues his trend of creating an incredibly intricate plot with a huge payoff at the end. Any actor is lucky to gain access to his world. And the audience is treated to a summer blockbuster that will achieve more than just a huge box office earning. A-