The Dark Knight Rises

     Wow, what an ending to an excellent trilogy by Christopher Nolan.  After the Aurora, CO shooting, I have to admit I was a little nervous about going to see the film and I waited a week to do it instead of seeing it opening weekend like I had originally planned.  Not that I really expected a gunman to be able to make it to the third floor where my theater was located but still, it unnerves me that someone was that deranged and no one knew it until it was too late.  I even caught myself looking at my watch during the first hour, waiting for the 30 minute mark to pass (signaling when James Holmes entered the theater and started shooting) so I could feel more relaxed.  So now onto the actual film...
     WARNING - SPOILERS AHEAD!!!  As usual all the major players were there preformed by exquisit actors - Gary Oldman (Gordon), Morgan Freeman (Fox), Michael Caine (Alfred), Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman).  We even got to see some old favorites from previous films, Liam Neeson and Cillian Murphy along with some great newcomers, Tom Hardy (Bane), Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Blake).  While it can't be denied that the late Heath Ledger was the best Batman villain to ever grace the screen, he was also so chillingly realistic that I have a hard time watching the film.  He made the Joker so disturbing that I always walk away from seeing the film a little scared about what might be around the next corner as well as in my dreams.  Bane is not that kind of villain for which I am grateful as I will be able to watch and enjoy this film repeatedly without the nightmares.  He is well played by Tom Hardy who doesn't even look like himself and the audio team needs to be applauded for making his Darth Vaderish voice distinct enough to hear over the explosions, guns and soundtrack.   Catwoman is also wonderful and her humor is a nice break in the drama that unfolds around her. I wasn't too sure about Nolan's choice of Anne Hathaway but she did an amazing job that made me completely forget her Princess Diaries character that has been stuck in my head for years now.   I especially liked when she pretended to be a damsal in distress as the police showed up at the pub and then she kicked butt whenever they weren't watching.  Blake, however, was my favorite character besides Batman.  His desire for justice and strong belief in Batman was intoxicating.  The reveal at the end of the film that he was going to be Robin and join Batman in the bat cave was the best part of the movie for me.  And I wished for a peek at a sequel involving the caped crusader and his sidekick after the end credits, but no dice, bummer.
     I love films with a happy ending and this ones delivers.  While it is violent, like all the Batman films, it has a strong moral center, surprising twists, and more than one hero to root for.

Spiderman, Take 2

This past weekend I went to see The Amazing Spiderman at the local theater.  As a fan of the original Spiderman movies, I was looking forward to this reboot of the series although it did seem a little too soon as the others hadn't been made that long ago.  The story of this new film is very similar to the first Spiderman film as Peter Parker loses his parents, lives with his aunt and uncle, loses his uncle, is bitten by a spider and becomes a superhero.  The differences are a new girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, a different villain and handmade web shooters instead of naturally occurring ones.  What impressed me the most about this new vision of Spiderman was the teenage humor/pranks that Spiderman employs during the film.  He seemed more like a normal teenager who was trying to have fun with his new gifts.  He mocked his villains when they couldn't keep up with him and seemed to toy with them like an older child does to a younger sibling.  The new Spiderman costume was also fantastic, props to the costume team for this great design.  Andrew Garfield was great in the role of Spiderman and I really loved Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy.  Unlike Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane in the original Spiderman), Gwen Stacy was a strong female character who stood up for herself and willingly participated in the action to save the city from the Lizard.  Mary Jane shied away from danger and screamed most of the time as she always seemed to be captured.  Gwen, however, kept her head, hid from the Lizard and was able to create an antidote and deliver it to Spiderman, through her father, just in time.  The other supporting roles in the film fantastic as well.  Having Martin Sheen and Sally Field as Peter Parker's aunt and uncle was a stroke of genius!  I was moved by their performances and so saddened when Uncle Ben met his inevitable fate.  Denis Leary (Captain Stacy) and Rhys Ifans (Dr. Curt Connors/ The Lizard) were also well cast in their respective roles.  The only thing that was a little off in this version was the speed at which Peter Parker got used to his new skills.  I appreciated the effort it took Tobey Maguire's Spiderman to get used to swinging from his web and use his special skills.  Andrew Garfield's Spiderman was ready to go as soon as he received his powers.  Overall I like both Spiderman films and will continue to enjoy them both as soon as The Amazing Spiderman comes to DVD.