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Film Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Certificate: 12A (intense sequences of violence and action, some sensuality and language)
Directed By: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Morgan Freeman
Budget: $250 million
Runtime: 164 minutes
Trailer: Watch

The bar that Nolan set with The Dark Knight was so high that there was always the risk that he could become a victim of his own success. In hushed voices people doubted if The Dark Knight Rises would ever be able to hurdle it. Specifically, topping the intensity displayed by Heath Ledger's Joker was always going to be a tall order, and certainly it hasn't been done here. Indeed, the comparisons were always inevitable. But The Dark Knight was one of those rare movie events, the kind of film that doesn't come around often which makes any measurement against it somewhat unyielding. Trilogies are also a notoriously difficult thing to nail, but if there's one man you'd want at the helm it's Christopher Nolan, a man who has yet to make a truly terrible film. And with that, one can safely say that The Dark Knight Rises is one of the most fitting conclusions to a trilogy ever made.

Eight years after the Joker brought a little anarchy to Gotham, the city is at peace and Bruce Wayne (Bale) lives as a recluse within the confines of Wayne Manor. But when cat burglar Selina Kyle (Hathaway) spurs Bruce into donning the mask and cape again he soon unearths a fire rising beneath the streets of Gotham, stoked by a gas mask wearing radical named Bane (Hardy).

In true Nolan fashion, The Dark Knight Rises is very much a film of our time. The stakes are even more portentous where if you thought the Joker's plot was audacious, you haven't seen anything yet. Maniac Bane brands himself as champion of the disenfranchised, issuing a call to arms not to the criminals of Gotham, but to the '99%' lingering in economic recession to take back from those who have exploited them. But this is a smokescreen, a game of shadows masking a far more nefarious plot to tear Gotham apart. The Dark Knight Rises' themes are certainly interesting, raising issues of bankers, occupiers, vengeance and lost hope on an epic and personal scale, and it is these things which you will probably take most from the film. This is a bleak and wholly realistic apocalyptic scenario, something almost tangible in a mirror image to our world. Where the Joker sought to highlight the perennial battle between chaos and order, Bane's plan is much more controlled and purposeful, even simple in its execution. He instigates a battle between the haves and the have nots, playing on inherent systemic unfairness and the uprooting of established models. This is about revolution; a war between existential concepts rather than the fundamentals of the universe.

Bane might not be as iconic as the Joker, or even as nuanced as Heath Ledger's portrayal, but he is nonetheless a memorable villain who demands attention. And while at least you could understand what came out the the Joker's mouth, there's something equally disconcerting and pernicious about the garble emanating through his morphine-pumping Darth Vader costume. But then his sheer physicality does most of the talking for him. Certainly, he is the only villain in the trilogy who ever looks like he might break the Bat, making the caped crusader look fallible, weak, and with that the situation hopeless. In many ways his battle with Batman is just as enthralling as the Dark Knight's brush with the Joker. While a notch below the cerebral out-smarting and counter out-smarting battle of wits with the psychopathic clown, Bane's braun and simplistic eloquence in setting off an unstoppable chain reaction of events poses a different, yet equally fascinating challenge for Batman. Even if the idea of two burly men in pantomime costumes shouting at each other in ridiculous voices should strike one as hysterical.

The contrast between Wayne and Bane is stark. Bruce is the crippled beast that wanders his empty castle without cause or purpose, trapped in a body battered by years of crime fighting. Having lost the love of his life, there is a strong sense that Bruce's journey of channeling his rage into becoming justice incarnate has regressed to the directionless adolescent harbouring uncontrollable grief and rage we met at the beginning of Batman Begins. He believes in nothing anymore, a fact he's consistently reminded of by his conscience, Alfred (Caine). Bruce is concerned only for his own affliction, unlike his parents, who as board member of Wayne Enterprises Miranda Tate (Cotillard) puts it, "invested in the world" through their philanthropic pursuits. The years have left him soft, in the same privileged bracket of the 1% Bane seeks to usurp where his over reliance on technology and bat gadgets prove no match for the masked lunatic. In order to beat Bane, Bruce must first go through the same initiation of the man "born and raised in hell on Earth" (or a pit prison halfway around the world if you will). But this isn't merely for the purpose of a Rocky training montage, slumming it by training in primeval conditions in order to physically harden up; this is very much a spiritual journey which reinvigorates his belief and ethical obligations, ultimately bringing the trilogy full circle.

Bale pulls off the troubled Bruce Wayne masterfully, embodying the tragic tale of a man born with everything yet trapped within the darkest recesses of his own mind. But as much as there is a focus on Bruce's story, The Dark Knight Rises features many other wonderfully character driven plot strands. In particular Anne Hathaway is superb, and any fears surrounding the inclusion of 'Catwoman' (never referred to as such here) are quickly laid to rest. Selina Kyle is introduced in such a delectable manner that you wonder why there was any grumbling in the first place. She effortlessly oozes sex appeal without ever meaning to, her ambiguous motivations making her one of the most intriguing characters in the film. Likewise, there is an incredible amount of time spent on rookie cop John Blake (Gordon-Levit). Displaying similar levels of integrity and fortitude to Commissioner Gordon (Oldman), The Dark Knight Rises actually threatens to become more his story, making a compelling point that DC might do well to make a new spin-off trilogy based purely on him. Michael Caine's Alfred is also given some meaty material, delivered with incredible heart as he imparts the hopes and dreams he once had for his effective adopted son.

If there's any criticism to be had here then perhaps at two-hours forty-minutes The Dark Knight Rises does get nebulous in places.  There's so many plots and sub-plots going on that proceedings slow down about halfway through. Also, similarly to The Amazing Spider-Man, this might be one of the few superhero films which barely features a superhero. Certainly Batman's screen time is less than in Begins or the Dark Knight, but then this is a film which thrives more on the expositions of its characters rather than its action. This also shows, where apart from the American football scene we saw in the trailer its action sequences are perhaps not as spectacular as we've seen before.

None of this however stops this being one of the most satisfying climaxes to a movie trilogy ever put to film. Indeed, Nolan's Batman will be cemented for some time as the best superhero series ever. The Dark Knight Rises is a wrought, emotional epic which is complimented perfectly with Hans Zimmer's exhorting musical score. As bat-fans we have truly witnessed something very impressive over the last seven years. This has been a remarkable series combining spectacle with equally engaging character-driven exposition, delivered in such a delightfully understated manner with style and aplomb. It's just such a shame the legend has to end.

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*saliva*

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Well fuck.

2011: Year In Review

Videogames, TV, movies and music, these are a few of my favourite things...

There was an overwhelming feeling compiling this list of "well, something's got to go on it", which to me says this was a highly disappointing year for games. Yes, those present were good, more than good in fact, but no release this year ever made me think "well, fuck me sideways". I'll admit that LA Noire remains untouched while the year's other major releases, namely Shogun 2, Crysis 2 and Deus Ex: Human Revolution likewise merely sit on my Steam library, uninstalled. Although the latter two partly because I feel uncomfortable playing them when I haven't finished their predecessors. And while I've had fun playing Dead Island, I'm not far enough in to say whether it warrants a place on my list. So, almost with a hesitance then, here are my 'favourite' games from 2011...

1. Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception (PS3)

This wins almost by default. With the delay of Mass Effect 3 and my disappointment with Batman: Arkham City, Naughty Dog didn't really face much in the way of competition. Now don't get me wrong, Uncharted 3 is a phenomenal game in its own right and vastly improves upon its progenitors in many ways, but this is also the one I least enjoyed playing in the series. Once again the story is grand, the graphics impossibly good and the set-pieces second to none. This was all very well, but I couldn't help but feel this was a more contrived experience than the previous two. Uncharted 3 was by far the most streamlined experience in the series with more set pieces and movie-esque shenanigans than ever before. The problem with this however was that it saw a divergence away from the more challenging puzzles and epic wall-scaling of Nathan Drake's earlier outings. I felt less like I was playing a game and more like I was interacting with a story and while I enjoyed being a part of an unravelling plot, I also missed, y'know, playing a video game. Still, it could have been worse. It could have been Metal Gear Solid 4.

2. Battlefield 3 (PC)
I don't think there are any more superlatives one can attribute to the Battlefield series. Once again the boys at DICE have outdone themselves with one stunning game which also happens to be hella fun too. Like last year's Bad Company 2 they've also added a nice little single player campaign in what used to be an anomaly for the series. While admittedly the story is incredibly dated by today's standard and almost as ludicrously bombastic and batshit-crazy as that of the Modern Warfare series, it is nonetheless an appreciated and highly polished effort. However it is also incredibly frustrating and it would be perfectly understandable should one choose to disregard in favour of fragging some noobs online instead. Chances are this is what you came for anyway and by now you should know what to expect from Battlefield's multiplayer. That is to say, some of the most goddamn fun you can have online! Gear up soldier!

3. Assassin's Creed: Revelations (X-Box 360)
This is the smallest, most concise Assassin's Creed yet, taking place exclusively in Constantinople and delivering to fans the conclusion of Altair and Ezio's respective stories. I've put Revelations on this list more out of a fanboy loyalty than anything else, the Assassin's Creed world having captivated me since the first instalment back in 2007. I love how it pulled all the real-world conspiracy theories together into a 'coherent' narrative and have consequently eagerly anticipated each sequel for the next plot twist. As for the actual gameplay itself nothing revolutionary has been added here. You will get a hook which allows you to catch onto things but not much else. Saying that, there are two additions which can only be described as 'iffy' at best, feeling much like unnatural bolt-ons. First, a tower-defence minigame which has absolutely abysmal mechanics, second a first-person animus platform puzzle thingy which ostensibly gives us a deeper insight into Desmond but ultimately controls like a dog. Fortunately neither is essential to the game as Revelations mercifully allows you to ignore them should you choose. Other than that nothing revolutionary here, just nice to see the final -cough- revelation.

4. Batman: Arkham City (PS3)
There was one game this year upon which I pinned all my hopes and hype after ME3's postponement. Indeed, the Bat was back. With Batman Arkham Asylum being one of my, if not most favourite game in the past few years, then you could imagine my glee at the prospect of a sequel which promised to be bigger and better. Giving more freedom than the infamous lunatic asylum, Arkham City was certainly larger than the Dark Knight's first outing, so much so in fact that it was almost overwhelming. But it was here where the problem lay. There was something to be said about Arkham Asylum's confined setting, an environment which allowed you to get more intimate with the big bad bat. And while Arkham City is in many ways an improvement, particularly with the additions to its fighting system and bat gadgets, I felt strangely less connected to the caped crusader than I was in Arkham Asylum. This was perhaps in part due to the decision to include every bad guy Bats has ever faced which, in my opinion, diluted the story no end. And while Arkham Asylum had a more focused narrative and largely linear progression, it was nonetheless enjoyable and logical. Arkham City conversely piled on the content, and while gave me more freedom to play like Batman, it scarcely ever felt like I was Batman. In a sense then I was a little disappointed with the final outcome of what I'd been plugging as 'game of the year' beforehand.

5. Football Manager 2012 (PC)
Last year I made a promise to myself. After winning the Champions League with Everton I vowed never again to play this horrific game. Guess what? I broke that promise. I'm now Norwich and on the cusp of achieving similar feats of greatness. I don't even know what the allure is any more. It's the same game as before, the same look, the same feel, the same mechanics, but every year Football Manager just feels... different. Maybe it's the updated squad lists, or the different tones you can use in your team talks. Perhaps it's even the new transfer and contract features available to you. Whatever it is, I've once again been sucked into this black hole, spending by far the most time on this than any other game this year - by several orders of magnitude. There's something bewitching about her, like a really toxic, co-dependent relationship you know isn't good for you, but you stick with on account of a series of complex emotions built up over the years. I hate what she does to me, but I still love her. So, SO much!

The album is dead. Long live the single. At least to my mind it is. With the advent of services which enable one to download individual songs, you'd have to produce something pretty fucking special for me to want to download your entire album. Indeed, only one album this year actually made me go "fuck yeah!", and that was M83's Hurry Up, We're Dreaming. As such I don't really have a basis to make a top 10 albums list. Thus I'll list my favourite songs released in 2011 instead. It has been compiled using the latest methods known to science. That is to say, the number of plays on my iTunes library.

1. Pop Culture - Madeon
2. A Real Hero - College feat. Electric Youth
3. Nightcall - Kavinsky & Lovefoxxx
4. Loca People (What The Fuck?) - Sak Noel
5. Wovon Sollen Wir Träumen - Frida Gold
6. Jar Of Hearts - Christina Perri
7. Midnight City - M83
8. Take You To Rio - Ester Dean
9. After The Moment - Craft Spells
10. Why Even Try - Theophilus London feat. Sara Quin

Perhaps the biggest curiosity is German artist Frida Gold, although then again maybe not considering that ever since an ex-girlfriend I've kept my beady little eye on the German charts. Indeed, there would have been another entry on the list, Culcha Candela's Berlin City Girl, had I not only found out about it this year. But yeah, you can safely assume that I have a bit of a guilty pleasure when it comes to Deutsches pop-music. Another track which defined 2011 for me, likewise released in 2010, was the unofficial 'theme song' of my 'lads on tour' Cyprus holiday. Ralvero's In My Bedroom boasts ridiculous lyrics while also happening to be ridiculously catchy. Anywho, there you have it, my 'favourite songs', or near enough, released in 2011.

Not a bad year at all as far as movies go. Where 2010 was the year of 80s-remakes and blockbuster sequels, 2011 was certainly the year of the art house film. Indeed there was an ambrosial amount of originality on display this year, even the year's mega films mostly new franchises. And while the King's Speech set a seemingly impossible bar by critic's standards early in the year, new films continued to delight and surpass each time. Here is a list of my favourites.

1. Drive - Ryan Gosling's finest performance to date as an ultra-cool getaway driver with an ultra-cool soundtrack to match. Definitely the most stylish film of the year. Read the review.

2. Melancholia - Perhaps one of the more disquieting films I've seen in a while, Melancholia is a strangely alluring film which should be recognised as Kirsten Dunst's breakthrough role. Read the review.

3. Midnight In Paris - Difficult choice between this and The Artist as most charming film of the year, but Woody Allen's love letter to Paris is just delectable. The completely unassuming Owen Wilson merely adds to its appeal. Read the review.

4. Zeitgeist: Moving Forward - A documentary which may well prove to be the most influential thing you've ever seen. It has its faults, but filmmaker Peter Joseph will challenge everything you previously thought to be true. Ever wanted to know why the world is so fucked up? Watch this. Read the review. (YOU CAN WATCH THE WHOLE THING HERE)

5. The Artist - An immensely beguiling film which, to paraphrase Ronan Keating, says it best when it says nothing at all. Made all the more enchanting with the two most effervescent performances all year from the wonderful Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo. Read the review.

6. 50/50 - Ever wondered how to make a comedy about cancer? No, me neither. But it's exactly what screenwriter Will Riser, upon whose experience this is based, did in this touching yet funny tale. Read the review.

7. The Guard - Hilarious dark comedy about a contrarian cop who's partial to the occasional drug use. Brendan Gleeson is phenomenal, sporting shades of an equally fantastic portrayal in In Bruges, while you wonder how the fuck they got Danny Glover anywhere near this. Read the review.

8. Moneyball - Not quite your traditional sports drama, more like what would happen if economists ran a baseball team. Brad Pitt in glorious form once again while Jonah Hill shows another side to himself as the pair set about sticking it to the man by using numbers. Read the review.

9. The Tree Of Life - Probably a controversial choice given that many people will see it as esoteric existentialist bullshit. However, if you're into all that contemplative metaphysical garb and are able to accept that this is not your typical kind of film, then this might be well worth a shot. Read the review.

10. Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - While this received the plaudits it deserved it was another British film, The King's Speech, which hogged the limelight this year. However there is no doubt in my mind that this was the superior film, dragging you into its compelling dreary world and helped on by an all-star cast with a fine performance from one Gary Oldman. Read the review.

Raspberry: Bridesmaids - By far the most overhyped, overrated film of the year. This 'Hangover for girls' did more to reinforce that sexist stereotype of 'women aren't funny' than anything I've seen before. Utter shite. Read the review.

Phenomenal year for television once again. I don't think I've been privy to as many 'WTF' moments in one dose as in 2011. Except maybe with Lost - that had more 'holy shit' moments than all other television combined. Nonetheless, this year was good. The old shows upped their games, deepening or relationships with characters we've come to know and love, while there were also some excellent newbies as well.

1. Breaking Bad (Season 4) - An absolutely fascinating battle of wits played out as Walter White took on one of the most revered bad guys in recent TV history, Gustavo Frings. Some absolutely tense shit right here with an ending that showed that even after four seasons we really don't know Mr. Heisenberg at all...

2. Game Of Thrones (Season 1) - Based on the best selling novels by George R.R. Martin, this well-realised fictional Medieval epic smacks of Machiavellian concepts taken to their logical extremes. Political and literal backstabbing abound, Game Of Thrones was the most absorbing thing on TV this year.

3. Fringe (Season 3/4) - More the third season here, Fringe managed to reignite my passion for the series just where I thought it would never go anywhere. New reveals and plot arcs came into play as the two universes met, adding an impetus to what will surely be its final season. Although season 4 has started slow it's only a matter of time before it kicks up a gear.

4. Boardwalk Empire (Season 2) - Twists and turns abound in season two of Boardwalk as Nucky's former protegee, Jimmy Darmody, attempted to usurp him as Atlantic City's kingpin. Some of the finest drama on television this year.

5. Homeland (Season 1) - It's nice to see Damian Lewis sporting his excellent American accent again, this time in an 'is he, isn't he?' drama about a PoW returned home who's suspected of being a terrorist. Just when you thought you had him figured out, Homeland neatly made you guess again where I don't think any of us truly knew what was going on until the final episode. Promising stuff makes season two an exciting prospect.

6. Sons of Anarchy (Season 4) - A solid season for the Sons which saw a new sheriff, an ambiguously motivated FBI guy and Clay doing some unspeakable shit. Plus, Danny Trejo! The ending was a little bit of an anti-climax, but it did nicely set-up some interesting story arcs for next season.

7. The Killing (Season 1) - US version of the Danish series, this was an entertaining little crime thriller about the seemingly isolated murder of a teenage girl which fitted into a much larger conspiracy. Its aesthetic reminded me heavily of -uhum- Heavy Rain.

8. Person Of Interest (Season 1) - Nuanced drama with Lost star Michael Emerson about a system which can detect pre-crime. The series is still finding its feet but each episode always exceeds the last and they're now beginning to build in some interesting plot threads. If it continues as is this can only get better.

9. Community (Season 3) - One of the best comedies on TV in a long time. Sadly however it's currently on hiatus due to not getting the ratings it deserves. This is probably because it may seem a little recondite if you don't enjoy movies or television that much, particularly if every episode is invariably a piss-take of popular culture.

10. The Walking Dead (Season 2) - The jury's still out on this as far as I'm concerned. This is well above solid in its characters and setting, but the lack of anything 'meta' and the mere function to survive every week can make for more boring than compelling television. Sometimes it's like watching Big Brother but with added zombies. Good drama, but needs direction.

.....

And there you have it folks! My review of 2011. Until next year...

IMAX Dark Knight Rises Trailer

The new Dark Knight Rises trailer, shown only at IMAX theatres exclusively with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol...

Edit: working again.

Batstag

"Swear To Me!"

Batman vanishes...


Batman interrogates...


Riddle me this, Batman...


Batman chooses his voice...

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Thought of the Day #13

"There is a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss. But when it looked back at us, you blinked" - Batman, Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths.

Official The Dark Knight Rises Teaser Trailer

Clicky Piccy!

Fuck yeah!

Batman: Arkham City

I might just explode with excitement. Either this or Mass Effect 3 for Game of the Year, 2011.

Game Informer Front Cover

This month's GameInformer magazine boasts an awesome front cover which I mistook as Assassin's Creed artwork on first glance. No! It is teh Bat-man! And it is awesome. The sequel to last year's Batman Arkham Asylum, personally my game of the year 2009, will be known as Batman: Arkham City and will be released autumn 2011. Taking place in a cordoned section of Gotham City crawling with mental patients, Rocksteady Studios sees the caped crusader able to stand ominously against the gothic, erm, Gotham skyline, looking all cool like. Can't wait!

Film Review: Inception

It's difficult to know where to begin when trying to describe Inception. It's kind of like, the Matrix meets Ocean's 11 meets Bond meets Memento. To sum it up in a word: Mindfuck.

It's difficult to summarise what is an absolutely ingenious plot. Cobb (DiCaprio) is a freelance corporate spy who specialises in a very unique type of security; the human mind. He and his colleagues have developed a technique through which they can enter one's dreams and extract information known only by that person. When a job goes wrong on a Japanese business man, Saito (Watanabe), he enlists Cobb to perform the previously thought impossible; Inception - planting an idea in the mind of a target rather than extracting it. Enticed by the promise from Saito that his success will allow him to see his estranged children again, Cobb agrees, risking his own mind should he fail.

Inception is clever without being pretentious, a rare quality in the face of some hugely pseudo-intellectual arty films that people tend to rave about. It does not try to deceive you with magician's tricks, like one of Nolan's other works, The Prestige. Inception lays everything you need to know in front of you. There are parts where you will say "come again?", but it really works your brain in such an enjoyable manner that you will want to watch it again, and not for the reasons you might think. Christopher Nolan doesn't seem to direct a bad movie. After the massively successful revamp of the Batman films he can do no wrong. But as I think about it, when has he ever directed a bad film? The fantastic thing about Nolan though is that he does not attempt to ram a point down your throat. Rather, he presents numerous themes for the audience to contemplate themselves. Grief, faith and the afterlife are all there to be pondered upon in Inception. Or, if you're like me, have heated discussions with others over what the real meaning of this or that was. Knowing Nolan though, he'll never tell us himself what he truly meant.

The artistry involved in this film is incredible. From the Matrix-style fist fights in zero gravity to Paris being uprooted and twisted upon itself. From the high octane gun battles in the pouring streets of LA to the glaringly blatant yet still enjoyable homage to Modern Warfare 2. Inception has some fucking cool scenes. The way in which these are all so complexly edited together to form the layers of the mind's subconscious is so incredible and mind boggling, yet somehow managing to maintain coherency, that it will absolutely fry your brain at how awesome the whole spectacle is.

DiCaprio used to be someone I never really liked. Don't ask me why, just 'something about him' I guess. A bit like Clooney. However, he has now officially won me over. He is an absolutely brilliant actor and literally carries the film without putting an emphasis on it. Of course everyone puts out a fantastic turn and you will recognise some from previous Nolan films, most noticeably Cillian Murphy who played the Scarecrow in Batman Begins. Whilst the characters are solid, the narrative sacrifices their development for Cobb's story to be told. This in no means detracts from the film, but I thought some characters, particularly Gordon-Levitt's Arthur and Ellen Page's Ariadne could have been explored further or given more personality. This is but a very minor quibble though. For what is sacrificed in them however is made up in DiCaprio's portrayal of Cobb. Depth oozes out of him and you can really believe his tale. You empathise with this man, forming a genuine attachment to his plight. It's fantastic to watch and marks the second time this year (the other being Shutter Island) in which DiCaprio has produced an outstanding, if not career defining performance.

This is a bloody clever film, but it is not half clever as it thinks it is. You are constantly barraged with information so you will need to pay attention if you want to stand any hope of following what's going on. But you will be rewarded with a highly satisfying feeling having done so, even if it may feel a little, for want of better word, clichéd, but not. You will however want to watch it again, just to make sure. Somehow, somehow, Nolan has managed to create an intellectual film which is also emotional without skimping on the explosions. All this without letting the success of the Batman series get to his head to go on a wildly pretentious 'creative' spree. This is an amazing film, probably film of the year, and a definite must see.