The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is the third and final installment in the Dark Knight trilogy from Christopher Nolan. This final installment ends up being the ultimate culmination in my mind of the Dark Knight story arc. Batman has always been one of my favorite super heroes, so a trilogy of Batman that really took his character places it has not been in previous movie installments. So from the first teaser trailer I have been excited to see how Christopher Nolan would finish this work. The Dark Knight Rises had huge expectations to fill based on how well the previous two had done as well as what the entire super hero genre has been doing as of late on the big screen. I was pleased to have it exceed my own expectations and even though it is a long movie, the audience is taken on an amazing journey.

Christian Bale reprises his role of Bruce Wayne/Batman and he has given once again a marvelous performance. Bale has had a great ability to give his character more depth in each go around and he has humanized the role in a way that no other super hero has done. With this film taking place eight years after The Dark Knight it only makes us wonder what has happened during that time that has taken Bruce Wayne/Batman on a journey to who he is now. Bale plays the role in such a way that we can speculate what he has been through and yet we still want to know more because of the way Bale has made the character flawed and relatable. To contrast Bale we have Tom Hardy in the role of Bane. Hardy completely transformed Bane into a great villain. His character was one that was perfect to combat against Batman, yet he serves a hidden purpose that really makes the movie all the more intriguing and a perfect way to end the trilogy. While initially I did not love the way they made the voice for Bane as the time has passed it made for a perfect villain in the end. Hardy took the role and really transformed himself into the terrorist of Bane that had I not known that it was Hardy in the role I would have not known it was him in the role of Bane. Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was a huge surprise for me. I was not sure if Hathaway would be able to pull off the role of Selina Kyle/Catwoman because of the mixture of finesse yet power required I did not know if she had it in her. I thought in the end she played the femme fatale role perfectly. I loved the way her character was written in this installment, as she was doing what she had to in order to survive and was working for a way to erase her current life and have a clean slate. The supporting cast do great jobs as they all serve a purpose and they embody their roles that I think that it is like they are not acting but are actually the person in Gotham. Personally, I loved Cillian Murphy in his small role as it is one that is kind of light hearted and meant to make the audience smile. Nolan has a great ability to cast in such a way that the chemistry is so fluid.

The story for The Dark Knight Rise was written perfectly and executed perfectly as well. While there are those critics that still felt the story was very similarly dark as to The Dark Knight, I felt that the story was not as dark, but was one that was in between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. Nolan told the story in such a way that we are taken on the journey of progression for the finishing of the trilogy story arc. While, we are taken on this journey for Bruce Wayne to who he wants to be in the end, Nolan allows the audience to make our own determination of what will happen as nothing ends with the typical sappy type ending that happens in so many different movies. Instead, we are left to draw all of our own thoughts. While many may think that the ending is to leave things open for future movies, I think the ending was one that was similar to Inception, in that it was meant to let the audience decide how the story ends and that is fitting for the end of the Dark Knight trilogy. The Dark Knight Rises comes in at just under three hours, the pacing was set perfectly in such a way that The Dark knight Rises does not feel like it was that long of a movie. Nolan has a great hand to pace his story perfect with the action and from that we feel like each scene serves a purpose and is not just put in to be put in. The musical score for The Dark Knight Rises is one that is tribal and is a driving force throughout the movie. While, I am not sure if it was the theater I saw the movie in or how the sound was mixed, but there were a couple of moments where the soundtrack was so loud at times that it drowned out the dialogue that was taking place. Even with that the score fit the theme and feeling for The Dark Knight Rises.

The action for a summer blockbuster is a vital key and The Dark Knight Rises does not disappoint. All of the action fits into the story and with everything it all seems to be well thought out and choreographed with such a great fluidity. The opening action sequence was one that was not only well planned but was very unique as it was a sequence I had not thought to do before in a movie. To do a mid flight escape from custody using a cargo plane was completely unexpected. An aspect that is great in this movie is the realism, whether it is trying to using science to explain technology or the simplicity of the fighting sequences it is another way that the trilogy humanizes itself. The technology that we see from The Dark Knight Rises does not disappoint. In the final installment we are introduced to the Bat. While the re imagined batmobile and batpod were great for the previous installments, introducing a flying vehicle for the final installment takes them all and worked precisely as needed. The design and concept is unique and yet it fits in with the line of Batman vehicles. Everything within the technology fits with the tone and feeling for The Dark Knight Rises.

The Dark Knight Rises is the perfect ending to this trilogy. The villains for The Dark Knight Rises being from The League of Shadows brings the story full circle in a way and that just works to give the audience the right amount of resolution. Bale in the role is once again perfect as he brings so much to the role that secretly I am hoping that he will not hang up the cape and will hopefully take up the cape once again. The entire cast really embodied their roles in such a way that it truly feels like they are not acting but are actually the character. The story and the action work together so well that the action that takes place in the final thirty minutes along with the climax are perfect and left me wanting more. The technology that made up the final installment was well done and the Bat meets expectations. The Bat ends up being a great piece of technology for Batman to use and ends up being vital in the movie. I am giving the Dark Knight Rises four and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. The Dark Knight Rises is one that is well worth seeing in the theater and it is one that will end up in the movie collection when it is released to Blu-Ray.

-The Movie Man

Battle Los Angeles



 Battle Los Angeles is another one of those movies that is far from an amazing movie, however I felt like in the end this was an enjoyable sit back and eat a bag of popcorn while watching. Alien invasion/humanity being on the edge of extinction while they end up being a fairly formulaic story, doe not always work, but for Battle Los Angeles the formulaic story works alright. This movie ends up being a straight up action blockbuster that is an adrenaline ride that puts the pedal to the metal on the action and does not let up until the ending credits. Battle Los Angeles never tries to be anything more then an action blockbuster, but even with that it did have moments where it gave us those moments where we will care about what happens to the characters.

Aaron Eckhart stars as staff Sergeant Nantz, who ends up being asked to put off his resignation from the Marines to go on one last mission behind enemy lines to extract possible citizens from a police department. Eckhart plays the role with a lot of emotion and depth with a role in which not much else is given. Eckhart's character is the only one we get much on so that we actually understand what has happened to make him the Marine he is today. I think Eckhart has a great ability to take any role and not only make it his own, but he really can make a mediocre role better. Michelle Rodriguez in the role of TSgt. Elena Santos, does a decent job. While her performance is just fine, she does a great job at being the tough Air Force recon specialist that can hang with the Marines and proves it through her shooting in a couple of tense situations with the aliens. Unfortunately, she ends up being fairly forgettable and is outshone by the female civilian they rescue. Bridget Moynahan as Michele fit the role so perfectly.  She really plays the civilian with a great amount of strength and resiliency. The strength she shows in what would be a terrifying ordeal the strength necessary to keep her niece calm. The rest of the supporting cast while are all admirable are pretty forgettable and we really never get anything from the characters development.

The story for Battle Los Angeles is nothing new. The plot can be summed up rather succinctly: Aliens and on Earth throughout the globe, including near Los Angeles. The Marines while trying to extract the civilians encounter heavy resistance and must find a way back to the forward operating base, all while keeping the civilians and themselves alive. Of course one thing anyone who has seen this type of movie knows that as much as you want it all to be successful, not everyone will end up making it back safely. Visually, Battle Los Angeles is influenced heavily by movies like Black Hawk Down and Saving Private Ryan in the staging of its action. Much of the film is photographed with hand-held cameras, this is to give the audience of being directly in the line of fire and the action. While this is hardly a new technique it does work to a degree by bringing a different approach to a familiar plot. Battle Los Angeles isn't about scientists trying to figure out what the aliens want, or politicians trying to make the big decisions in the midst of an alien onslaught. Instead it keeps its focus on the soldiers in the thick of battle, presenting the action in a no-holds manner. It was nice to see from at least that perspective a more gritty, harder edge for an alien invasion movie.

While the action was fairly enjoyable throughout the movie, it did feel a little overdone because with such an action oriented movie a lot of similar scenes play out over and over again. Marines trapped behind enemy lines, things do not look good, a character makes a brave choice or sacrifice, they manage to hold off the alien force, only to move a little further down to have a similar scene unfold with more aliens. These is also little development of the alien force. Bits of television coverage in the background featuring scientific experts fills in a little of the back story to them, but it is mostly incidental.

Battle Los Angeles is certainly no masterpiece. It doesn't deviate much from the alien invasion template in regards to the broad strokes of its plot and the style it was filmed in has been pioneered by other films. Eckhart brings a lot of heart and emotion as a battle worn Marine. The film ends up being fairly engaging and applies its style to a source material that at least gives a new twist on a familiar narrative. That is why I am giving Battle Los Angeles two and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This does not make for a tremendous film, but not one that is completely in need of avoidance by the film going public. Battle Los Angeles is one of those movies worth the price of renting.

-The Movie Man

Brave

Brave is the latest movie from Pixar and while it will not go down as one of my favorite Pixar movies, it was definitely the type of movie I expect from Pixar when I go to the theater. Brave is the first movie from Pixar that has a princess that fits into the Disney princess line, as well as being the first Pixar movie to being a period piece. Brave while in the end it did not have the best story that has been put out by Pixar, in the end the attention to detail that was used for the visuals and the animation was some of the best I have ever seen. This was the first time Pixar has journeyed to a period piece and I really enjoyed the use of the Scottish Highlands. While I would have liked to have seen a more prominent villain, I felt Brave to be a great visual animated movie put out by Pixar.

The voice acting is exactly what I have come to expect from a Pixar animated movie. Kelly Macdonald in the role of Princess Merida worked well. With her being Scottish born it made it work a lot easier because she did not have to implement an accent. Originally, Reese Witherspoon was slated for Princess Merida, but due to conflicts she had to withdraw. I am glad the role went to Macdonald because I believe that she truly embodied the character. Her character was truly vital because she was the strong lead character who was in almost all of the movie, so if the audience did not take to her then the movie would have suffered greatly. Emma Thompson in the role of Elinor, Merida's mother gives a strong performance as well. her relationship with Merida is the big part of the story for Brave and so her role plays an important part and plays the stubborn mother well that matches the stubbornness of Merida perfectly. Because of that it makes us truly believe the two of them to be an actual mother and daughter. The supporting cast all fit there roles perfectly and help to support the relationship between Merida and her mother Elinor.

The story for Brave was simple and while the plot centered around the relationship between Merida and Elinor; then after Merida goes about trying to change her fate and how from that she is trying to mend the relationship between her and her mother, unfortunately the story was not as strong as I would have liked and what I have come to expect from a story from a Pixar movie. As well as I felt that the whole bear aspect made me think of the movie Brother Bear more then anything else. With the story I think the pacing was the slowest of any of the Pixar movies and with that I think the attention span for the younger kids will be definitely be put to their limits.  With the story I felt that there not being a prominent villain for the audience to root against made it a lot more difficult for the audience to be fully invested in the story. When the investment is not there it makes the pacing seem even slower and with that it makes anyone not focus on the story.

Where Brave truly excelled was that of the animation. I though visually Brave was the most stunning and awe inspiring scenes that have been done in a Pixar movie. Not too mention that Pixar actually developed new software in order for the hair to be so realistic like actually hair which has never been used in an animated movie. This software allowed for Merida's hair curls to move together with her movements. The hair has such a real movement to it that it is just so surprising that it was from animation . The flow and movement in Princess Merida's curly hair alone is unreal, and it was amazing that they had 1500 curl strands individually rendered. To go along with the stunning technology, the visuals of the landscapes were breathtaking in that it looked just like the Scottish Highlands.

Brave while not the best Pixar movie ever released it was still a fairly enjoyable movie. The voice actors used fit the roles perfectly and I was really glad that Princess Merida was played by a Scottish born actress. While I felt the story was lacking, the visuals are really what carried this movie. I am giving Brave three and a quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This was a movie that was enjoyable and if you have kids that have the short attention spans, this may be a movie to wait for them to see after it is out on DVD.

-The Movie Man

The Amazing Spider-Man

Upon seeing the first trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man I was really not sure if a re-boot was needed, since it was only ten years since the first release of a Spider-Man movie from the last trilogy. Sam Raimi's interpretation has garnered an almost cult like following. However as I saw more trailers and saw how they wanted to go a little more with the following the story of the early comic, my interest was intrigued a lot more to see the re-boot and where they wanted to take the franchise now. Where Raimi's took us with Peter Parker at the end of high school to out of high school quickly, it was great to see them have Peter in his high school years and although he was still the outsider, he ended up showing how smart and handy he was with scientific type things in this go around. I think they did a re-boot that was well worth while and made for an enjoyable movie.

Andrew Garfield in the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man fit the role perfectly. He played the role of Peter Parker as if he is struggling with himself and is your typical angst teenager felt seamless. While he brought a great attitude of sarcasticness to the character of Spider-Man. He brought a lot to the role that I felt it was a fully developed character that is easy for the audience to not only root for, but truly care for with everything he struggles and feels responsible for. Garfield showed the talent he has and he has landed a great franchise to lead. Emma Stone in the role of Gwen Stacy compliments Garfield very well. Where in the previous installments Mary Jane has always been the damsel in distress. As a contrast Stone plays Gwen as being something more then just eye candy, but really brings something in being a smart, strong girlfriend to Peter Parker.  Rhys Ifans in the role of Dr. Connors really brought a lot to the role. Even though he is our villain, the audience feels for him and what he was trying to accomplish with his serum for not only himself, but all mankind to cure deformities. Yet, he shows the audience that under the serum it has driven him mad that his rational thought is gone. The audience is able to have a really sympathy for Dr. Connors because of the way that Ifans is able to play the role. The rest of the supporting cast all give solid performances and only made the performances from Garfield, Stone and Ifans stronger. Particularly, the performances of Martin Sheen and Sally Field in their supporting roles as Uncle Ben and Aunt May. Both of them played the roles so well with Garfield in particular had a great chemistry and truly embodied the way that I believe Uncle Ben and Aunt May to truly be.

The story for The Amazing Spider-Man just worked for me. I felt that taking the story back to the beginning was perfect and allowed them to be more in line with the early comic books. I thought it was great and worked that Peter was not just the awkward outsider, but that they really showed off his smart and ability to create and fix things. I love how in the story that the ability to shoot webbing was not a power he had but he made a contraption that shot the webbing cable that Oscorp sold. I felt that the story in this go around was really the strongest story with a great amount of depth that has been put out in the Spider-Man franchise. I think adding the storyline of Peter's parents is intriguing and just the possibility of learning more about what may have caused the plane crash has me wanting to see the next installment when it comes around. The biggest complaint I had with the story was the pacing at a couple of points seemed to be rushed. Overall, the pacing worked so well there were two points in which I felt they rushed things when normal pacing would have not made the movie noticeably longer.

The action in The Amazing Spider-Man was well choreographed. I liked the fact that they used a lot of parkour in the chase sequences which using it only made Spider-Man seem even more spider like in all of his action sequences. I also thought it really worked for them in the action sequences that they used stunts and rigging for the sequences as much as possible which limited the use of CGI. While technology with CGI is seamless nowadays it is still nice to see movies when possible to use as much non-CGI sequences that they can. I felt like everything worked so well and I loved the way they portrayed the Lizard side of Dr. Connors and the fight sequences between him and Spider-Man went down so smooth and really showed a great difference between the two of them in their fighting styles which only made the battles that much more entertaining. The last part of the movie that I absolutely loved was that of the unique point of view camera angles they used from time to time. By giving us the first person camera angle of Spider-Man climbing up a wall or swinging from a web was really a unique perspective that entwined the audience into being a part of the action even better. I ended up seeing it in 3D and I think that only enhanced that aspect of the camera angles.

The Amazing Spider-Man while it was a re-boot that I was not initially excited to see, over time it grew on me and made me want to go and see what direction they would take the franchise and hopefully improve on it. I thought Garfield and stone had an amazing chemistry that worked perfectly on screen and they matched what you would expect from their characters. On a side note I enjoyed the character of Gwen a lot better then Mary Jane. I felt the action and story were perfect together while at the same time the story had a great depth to it. I am giving The Amazing Spider-Man three and three quarter buckets of popcorn out of five. This movie was well worth the price of admission to see in the theater and even in 3D, and if you are a fan of super heroes you should make sure to get out and see it in the theater.

-The Movie Man