For All Your Movie Reviewing Needs! This blog will feature film reviews, the occasional personal blog, a tally of the films I see at the cinema and anything else I deem worthy of sharing with YOU, my loyal readers. I have archived my two previous blogs here too so anyone new can catch up with something they might have missed. Thanks for reading!
It turns out Cineworld membership has some serious perks. Other than making it incredibly cheap to watch as many movies as I want per month, and giving me discount on food and drinks, they recently introduced a 'secret screening'. For Cineworld Unlimited members only, you could get a ticket to an as-yet-unannounced film which would be revealed on the night of the screening. I hope, from the success of this one, they make this a regular occurrence. Especially as the film they chose to secretly screen - Now You See Me - isn't out here until the start of next month.
The film tells the tale of four magicians who are brought together by an unknown figure and given a fantastical plan to bring those in power, a bank, a millionaire who built his fortune on the misfortune of others and the police force, to their knees. And they achieve this, all by the art of illusion. Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco play the Four Horsemen, while Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent are the ones in pursuit.
I had a feeling from the clues that had been given to the secret screening, that we were sitting down to watch World War Z. I would have happily sat through any film, but I could not have been more pleased that we were actually sitting down to this. I am a huge fan of Mark Ruffalo and had been looking forward to this movie for some time. And I have to say that I really enjoyed it.
I love a mystery and this one had me guessing right up until the reveal. The cast are a dream. We know from Zombieland that Eisenberg and Harrelson work well together, but throw in firecracker Fisher and James Franco's charismatic and cute younger brother Dave and you have a team that can't be cracked. Ruffalo's ruffled cop has great chemistry with Interpol detective Laurent and the thesps Freeman and Caine are clearly having a whale of a time. And so the audience does too.
It's well put together, pacy, got a good story and great actors. I really don't see what more you could want? How about locations? Vegas, New Orleans, New York and Paris all look stunning in this movie. It's not going to win any awards but if you want a fun and intriguing night out, you can't really go wrong. 8 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 17th June 2013 UK Release Date - 3rd July 2013 Cast Overview:
Jesse Eisenberg ~ J Daniel Atlas
Mark Ruffalo ~ Dylan Rhodes
Woody Harrelson ~ Merritt McKinney
Isla Fisher ~ Henley Reeves
Dave Franco ~ Jack Wilder
Mélanie Laurent ~ Alma Dray
Morgan Freeman ~ Thaddeus Bradley
Michael Caine ~ Arthur Tressler
Director ~ Louise Leterrier
Writer(s) ~ Ed Solomon (Screenplay), Boaz Yakin (Screenplay and Story), Edward Ricourt (Screenplay and Story)
"The movie theatre is my home, and the idea that someone would violate that innocent and hopeful place in such an unbearably savage way is devastating to me." Christopher Nolan following the Aurora shooting.
I felt the need to acknowledge that statement because I share Christopher Nolan's sentiments. The movie theatre is my home too, heck it's likely to be the home of most of the people who read my blog. I feel safe there. It's a place I can go to on my own and not feel self conscious, and it's also a place I go to with friends and family. The thought that someone could be so cruel as to pick on people in a darkened theatre, when the only thing they did was go to see a movie, is horrific to me. I hope the people of Aurora find the strength to put this behind them.
I can't help but think that the tragedy surrounding The Dark Knight Rises is one of the reasons I struggled to write a review for the film. I actually saw the movie way back on the 22nd July but had no time to sit down and pen a review for it as it was my pre-birthday weekend. I then went to visit family for my birthday and since then have been back home and then back up north due to a bereavement. It seems all things were conspiring against me actually telling the world what I thought of the finale to Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy.
To refresh my memory of the film I went to see it again this weekend.
For those uninitiated, the first of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy was Batman Begins. Whilst I have seen (and in fact own) it, I must confess that I'm not a huge fan of the first film. And as such I don't really remember that much of it. So I hope I get this right! *Spoilers Abound* In Batman Begins Bruce Wayne travels the world and receives combat (no pun intended) training in Asia from The League Of Shadows. When he returns to Gotham he puts his alter ego to the test against the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy). In The Dark Knight, Batman faced two villains, The Joker (Heath Ledger) and Two-Face (Aaron Eckhart) and in the process he loses the woman he loves and is incorrectly accused of district attorney Harvey Dent's murder.
The Dark Knight Rises is set 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight. Bruce Wayne has become a recluse and Batman has not been seen or heard of since he fled the scene of Harvey Dent's murder. A different kind of masked man is threatening to disturb the peace that has been built on a lie. A battle scarred and broken spirited Bruce must bring Batman back to face his most challenging enemy yet.
After not really loving Batman Begins I went into The Dark Knight with a lot of hope. I was a big Heath Ledger fan and I wanted the film to do him proud. And in some respects I think it did. But it still wasn't as good as I'd hoped. Everyone raved about The Dark Knight but I feel it was mostly for the wrong reasons. Because of Heath's death I think people were afraid to say that it was a less than perfect film. I'm not saying it's not well written, stylishly directed and brilliantly acted, it is. But it still has it's problems too.
So going in to The Dark Knight Rises I was sceptical. Doubly so when the Aurora shooting happened because again I feared that this would be a less than perfect film that everyone heaped praise on for the wrong reasons. I am happy to say that the film surprised me in that respect and that I was proved wrong.
The Dark Knight Rises is a wonderful note to end on. Christian Bale has never portrayed Bruce Wayne better than he does in this final installment. As a broken man - both physically and mentally - Bale plays Bruce as real as a comic book character can be. He is of course supported by one of the finest casts you could ask for - Gary Oldman, Matthew Modine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Morgan Freeman. And what would a Batman movie be without a couple of stunning beauties on Bruce Wayne's arm? Marion Cotillard and Anne Hathaway both do a great job in their respective roles.
You will notice I left out a very important cog in this movie machine. Sir Michael Caine. He reduced me to tears on more than one occassion. Give the geezer another blinkin' Oscar, he deserves it. I love him as Alfred and here he gives it his all. What a performance.
*Contains Spoilers*
I was recently lucky enough to see Batman Live and I was over the moon to discover that Christopher Nolan lead his Catwoman down the same path as the stage show creators by having her be a cat burglar rather than a super human woman created by cats (wtf?). And not only that but she was eventually on Batman's side, fighting with him. I really loved that about the show as it put a new twist on the Batman/Catwoman relationship (new in today's culture - not new in the comics obviously) and I was so happy that they went the same way for the film too. I also liked that Catwoman's 'ears' were her goggles when perched on her head. So simple but so brilliant.
Those who have yet to see the film will be relieved to know that for the most part Bane is completely audible. I had very little problems hearing him. Any parts that aren't clear are understood by the next person's dialogue or by actions taken, so fear not.
One of my favourite scenes in the movie has to be the scene in the football stadium with the only sound being that of a young boy singing the American national anthem. Such a beautiful voice and yet you know destruction is looming.
I saw one of the twists coming a mile off - involving Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character - but not the one involving Marion Cotillard's character. And I know some who haven't seen any of the twists coming at all. So I think the writers/director have done well to keep them under wraps and keep their agendas hidden until the last possible moment. The one thing I won't spoil is the end but I will just say that it's bloody brilliant.
*End of Spoilers*
In conclusion, whatever you thought of the two previous Batman movies, go and see this last installment. And if you haven't seen the two previous Batman movies, go and rent them and then go see this one while it's still in theatres. 9.5 out of 10.
Viewing Date - 22nd July 2012
UK Release Date - 20th July 2012
Cast Overview:
Christian Bale ~ Bruce Wayne/Batman
Gary Oldman ~ Commissioner Jim Gordon
Tom Hardy ~ Bane
Joseph Gordon-Levitt ~ Officer John Blake
Anne Hathaway ~ Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Marion Cotillard ~ Miranda Tate
Morgan Freeman ~ Lucius Fox
Michael Caine ~ Alfred Pennyworth
Matthew Modine ~ Deputy Commissioner Peter Foley
Director ~ Christopher Nolan
Writer(s) ~ Christopher Nolan (Screenplay and Story), Jonathan Nolan (Screenplay), David S Goyer (Story) and Bob Kane (Batman Characters)
