The Dark Knight Trilogy (Part 3 of 3)

Eight years after the death of Harvey Dent, Batman is no more, hunted by the Gotham Police Department and condemned by the public when he assumed responsibility for the murders perpetrated by Two-Face. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has become a recluse, exiling himself to the re-built Wayne Mansion and leaving the day-to-day operations of Wayne Enterprises to his trusted CEO Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), all the while still struggling to cope with the death of his childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes at the hands of the Joker. Gotham City, as a result of new legislation enacted in the wake of Dent being murdered, has seen its crime rate plummet to an all-time low, with much of the credit going to Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman), the man tasked with perpetuating the lie that has helped Harvey Dent become a symbol of hope for the people of Gotham. Bruce is drawn out of seclusion when, at a gala held at his house in honor of Harvey Dent, a cat burglar manages to abscond with one of his most precious possessions, leading him to track down the enigmatic Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a woman with a mysterious agenda who warns him of a coming storm. When the terrorist leader Bane (Tom Hardy) and his forces descend upon Gotham City, Bruce is forced to don the cape and cowl once again to defend his home, but it soon becomes clear that this might be a battle even Batman can't win.

Where do I begin? I will admit, I have mixed feelings about THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, mere hours after leaving the midnight premiere. But, more than anything, I feel closure, and that is what Christopher Nolan set out to do when he began constructing this final chapter to his epic saga. While there are new characters added to the mix in Selina Kyle, Bane, John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is all about Bruce Wayne. Here, eight years after taking the fall for Harvey Dent, Bruce is a man without a purpose, unable to move on with his life despite living under the belief that he sacrificed his alter ego for the greater good. Back in BATMAN BEGINS, Bruce decided to put on the cape and cowl because he wanted Batman to serve as a symbol for the people of Gotham and inspire them to believe in good. In THE DARK KNIGHT, Bruce believed he had accomplished that goal by positioning Harvey Dent as the white knight of Gotham, certain that he - not Batman - was the hero that could inspire the citizens to take action. But, as THE DARK KNIGHT RISES explores, the foundations of that success were tenuous at best, built on a lie that, if exposed, would cause Gotham to collapse on itself like a house of cards. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is about Bruce realizing that Batman is the hero that Gotham needs and coming to terms with the fact that, in order to be that hero, he must first confront his own personal demons, rather than let them continue to define him.

There are some flaws to be found in THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, but a lot of them are forgivable. Most of the performances are top notch and the writing behind the characters works well enough, with the lone exception of Miranda Tate, whose character never seems to find her footing even as she takes on a more pivotal role towards the end of the film. I never expected to love Anne Hathaway as much as I did, having had some misgivings about her initial casting as Catwoman, and I am happy to report that my one complaint about her character is that she wasn't given more screen time, taking a backseat to Bane during the film's cataclysmic second half. Because much of the focus is on Bruce Wayne, Bane isn't given a whole lot to do here, unlike his predecessor the Joker, but Tom Hardy still owns the role nonetheless, functioning as a brutal force of nature the likes of which Batman has never faced before. THE DARK KNIGHT RISES struggles at times to find an equal balance of its characters, with regulars like Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) and Jim Gordon assuming minimalized roles in favor of John Blake, an earnest beat cop who serves as a sobering reminder to Batman of the kind of good he once intended to inspire. But it never feels bloated or overcrowded, like what we saw from SPIDER-MAN 3, and the worst criticism I can give it is that I left the theater not quite ready to say goodbye yet to some of these characters.

Was it better than THE DARK KNIGHT? No. Was I at all disappointed? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but that doesn't detract from the quality of the film. I went into THE DARK KNIGHT RISES with unrealistic expectations, certain that Christopher Nolan was going to top THE DARK KNIGHT, but what I got instead was a final chapter that was more interested in providing closure than spectacle. The writing here isn't as tight as THE DARK KNIGHT, with a couple ill-advised plot twists that don't quite work as well on screen as they might have on paper, but this might be the most ambitious entry of the trilogy, tackling issues of class warfare, social injustice, and the difference between heroism and vigilantism. I'll need to watch it again one more time to see how well it holds the second time around, but this is without question the swan song that Bruce Wayne deserved and I tip my hat to Christopher Nolan, who managed to close out his trilogy with a spectacular final film that felt both necessary and cathartic. With crisp storytelling that brings everything to a satisfying finish and an all-star cast that leaves it all on the table in terms of performance, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is a poignant end to a trilogy that has re-defined comic book films as we know them, and I will miss this version of the Caped Crusader more than any of his predecessors.

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Part 2 of 3)

Months after saving Gotham from Ra's Al Ghul and the League of Shadows, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has turned his focus to organized crime, working together with Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and ambitious district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to bring down the mob. Bruce is aware that Batman cannot last forever and views Harvey as his true successor, the public hero that Gotham needs and one who is willing to fight crime without having to hide behind a mask, despite the fact that Harvey has been dating his childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Their plan to clean up the streets of Gotham is put to the test when the Joker (Heath Ledger) strolls into town and offers up his services to the mob, orchestrating a campaign of terror and destruction that pushes Batman to his limits. As the death toll begins to mount and chaos reigns throughout Gotham, Batman is forced to question how far he is willing to go to take this madman down - and what he is willing to sacrifice for the sake of the greater good.

I remember sitting in the movie theater during opening weekend of THE DARK KNIGHT and there was a moment during the film where I thought to myself, "I never want this to end." I went in with highest of expectations and, for the first time in a long time, I left the theater feeling like I had witnessed something special - a moviegoing experience that I would remember for the rest of my life. It was that good. It isn't without its flaws, like some will point out that Bruce Wayne takes a backseat to the Joker and Harvey Dent, but there is so much that Christopher Nolan gets right that his missteps are more than forgivable. And, to be quite honest, there is a reason Bruce gets lost in the shuffle at times, and its because the drama happening around him is so intelligent and compelling that the weight of the film didn't need to be on his shoulders. I'll get to the Joker in a minute, because I'd first like to talk about Harvey Dent, whose character arc provides the framework for THE DARK KNIGHT and brings the various plot strands together. Played with effortless charisma by Aaron Eckhart, Dent represents the kind of hope that Batman was meant to inspire, an ordinary citizen who believes that good can prevail over evil and is willing to fight the good fight to protect the people of Gotham. But, like the opposing sides of a coin, Dent also embodies the idea that even the most noble of men have a dark side and all it takes is the right push, as the Joker so aptly illustrates in his manipulations of Dent in the latter half of THE DARK KNIGHT. Like BATMAN BEGINS before it, THE DARK KNIGHT raises the question of whether or not the people of Gotham can be saved and explores the dichotic nature of mankind through Harvey Dent, whose tortured soul serves as the ultimate prize in the battle between Batman and the Joker.

But while I found the transformation of Harvey Dent to be the heart of THE DARK KNIGHT, what elevates this film to another level is the performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker. Simply put, it is one of the most iconic performances of our time, which makes his premature death all the more tragic. Almost unrecognizable behind the clown make-up, Ledger transformed himself into the Joker, so much so that you can't help but feel mesmerized every time he appears on the screen. From his nihilistic behavior to his lack of an origin, this is how the Joker was meant to be portrayed, and I give as much credit to Ledger as I do to the writers, who clearly understood the character and what makes him tick from the get-go. This kind of respect for the source material is what sets this franchise apart from other comic book films of the past, in this new era of fandom where filmmakers can win over a fan base by simply taking a serious approach to these characters and their storylines. By continuing to keep Batman grounded in the real world, Christopher Nolan has achieved something that no other comic book film could have even dreamed of, and it is the idea that these movies can reflect something about ourselves while also keeping us entertained. Which is why THE DARK KNIGHT functions not just as an exceptional comic book film, but also as a thrilling crime drama not seen since Michael Mann's HEAT. THE DARK KNIGHT addresses modern issues of justice, morality, and terrorism, hefty baggage for a superhero film, but it never feels forced because all of them are natural elements of this world the filmmakers have created.

I consider THE DARK KNIGHT to be one of the best films that I've ever seen because it excels in all aspects of filmmaking, both behind the camera and in front it. The look of the film is crisp and stunning, the writing is brilliant and imaginative, the acting is all top notch and headlined by a performance well deserving of its Best Supporting Actor Oscar, and the soundtrack from Hans Zimmer, as usual, is nothing short of magnificent. This is the kind of film that will be remembered for years to come, reminding us of the greatness that Hollywood is capable of producing when its most talented people are allowed to come together and work their magic.

Check back on Friday for Part 3!

The Dark Knight Trilogy (Part 1 of 3)

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES hits theaters this Friday and, in a tribute to one of the greatest cinematic trilogies of our time, I will be revisiting each of the films and discussing what makes them so great, starting with BATMAN BEGINS, moving on to THE DARK KNIGHT on Wednesday, and finishing up with THE DARK KNIGHT RISES on Friday. Having spent countless hours of my childhood sitting in front of the television watching episodes of BATMAN - THE ANIMATED SERIES, Batman is a character that I hold very close to my heart, and I can't even begin to describe how amazing it has been to see him brought to life on the big screen. There are those who still hold 1989's BATMAN and its sequel BATMAN RETURN in high regard, but for me, this incarnation of Batman is the greatest that I've ever seen, largely because of how much respect it has for the source material, the skill with which its been adapted, and the care that has gone into preserving the themes that have come to define the world of Batman in comic books, television, and film.

Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is a man haunted by the past, traumatized as a child after witnessing the murder of his beloved parents at the hands of a petty thief. Raised by his trusted family butler Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine), Bruce grew up with an uncontrollable rage burning away inside of him, an anger that refused to subside even when the man who murdered his parents was shot dead outside of a courtroom. Leaving behind his life in Gotham City, Bruce flees to a third world country in hopes of ingratiating himself into the criminal underworld, but ends up drawing the attention of Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson). Ducard reveals himself to be a member of the League of Shadows, an organization that answers to Ra's Al Ghul (Ken Watanbe) and seeks to fight injustice across the globe, and convinces Bruce to become a part of their cause, teaching him how to use fear against those who prey on the fearful. But when Ducard insists that he execute a common criminal, Bruce draws the line and, after escaping the League in an explosive confrontation, returns to Gotham a new man, now certain of his role as the sworn protector of the city. With the help of the idealistic Sergeant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and assistant district attorney Rachel Dawes (Katie Holmes), Bruce attempts to clean up the streets of Gotham under the mask of the caped crusader Batman, striking fear into the hearts of the criminals who have held a stranglehold over the city for decades. But when a plot to tear the city apart emerges, Batman is forced to put his abilities to the rest and the fight to save Gotham from total destruction begins.

Back in 1997, BATMAN AND ROBIN was released and the result was the death of Batman, or at least the death of his film career for the foreseeable future. It would be almost a decade before we would ever see Batman on the big screen but how could you blame them, what with Arnold Schwarzenegger forced to spout a slew of excruciating puns as Mr. Freeze, Batman committing the infamous fashion faux pas of adding nipples to his costume, and director Joel Schumacher obsessed with using as much neon as possible. It was a trainwreck, from start to finish. But, in hindsight, this disaster did have one redeeming trait, as it could be argued that it paved the road for the triumph of BATMAN BEGINS. This is the origin tale that Bruce Wayne deserved but never received, not even in Tim Burton's BATMAN. With two lesser known villains in Ra's Al Ghul and Dr. Jonathan "The Scarecrow" Crane (Cillian Murphy), much of the film is spent focusing on the psychological issues that drive Bruce, with Batman unseen until at least an hour into the running time. BATMAN BEGINS dares to ask the question "What kind of man chooses to spend his nights beating up criminals in a bat costume?" and exposes Bruce for the broken man that he is - a man so consumed with anger and grief that he needs to create an alter ego to exorcise his personal demons. What makes Batman so accessible is that, like the rest of us, Bruce has his own issues, but instead of letting them destroy him, he channels into them into a force for good.

What sets BATMAN BEGINS apart from the previous incarnations of the Caped Crusader is the decision to ground it in the real world, which makes sense given that Batman, unlike his comic book brethren, possesses no super powers. Just like the tagline of 1978's SUPERMAN promised that you'll believe a man can fly, BATMAN BEGINS braves the task of convincing the audience that a hero like Batman could exist in the real world, and does so with impressive skill. You see the bruises that Bruce wakes up with in the morning after a night out crusading, the constant struggles of a cop like Jim Gordon forced to operate in a police department rife with corruption, and the sufferings of the impoverished people who serve as the lower class of Gotham, and the audience is all the more invested as a result. None of the problems that Batman is attempting to combat are confined to Gotham City and that is what elevates BATMAN BEGINS above its peers in the comic book film genre, because it wants to use Batman to reflect the issues of fear, justice, and class that we encounter in our own lives. There are two conflicts presented in BATMAN BEGINS that become the driving forces of this trilogy, one being the battle between Bruce Wayne and his own personal demons and the other being the battle between Batman and those who believe that the people of Gotham City are beyond saving. We live in a brutal world full of violence, greed, and murder, and Batman represents the idea that mankind, with all of its flaws, is still worth fighting for.

Something else worth mentioning about BATMAN BEGINS is the impressive cast list, which, at the time of its release, was rare for a comic book film, but also a sign that we were entering a period where superhero films could be considered more than popcorn fare. There isn't a weak performance in the group, even though some will point to Katie Holmes at a weak spot, with much of the praise belonging to the terrific trio of Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Gary Oldman. While often overshadowed by the enormous popularity of its successor THE DARK KNIGHT, BATMAN BEGINS is quite an achievement on its own, providing a blueprint for how to deliver a proper origin story and ushering in a new era of superhero films that would aspire to be something more.

Be sure to check back for Part 2!

"What's Your Favorite Movie?"

X-MEN. DEATH TO SMOOCHY. BIG FISH. WEDDING CRASHERS. THE DEPARTED. And, for the past four years, THE DARK KNIGHT. At one point or another, these are the answers that I've produced when asked the question that every film buff dreads... "What's your favorite movie?" It all started back in 2000, when I walked out of the theater having just seen X-MEN, passing standees of some of the film's larger-than-life characters as I left, and realized that what I had just witnessed was awesome. From that moment on, I was obsessed with X-MEN, making multiple trips to Toys "R" Us with my dad to collect all of the action figures and even dressing up as Cyclops (my favorite member of the X-Men) on several occasions, doing battle with the various supervillains that frequented my house. And from that obsession with X-MEN, my love of movies was born.

And from that point forward, "What's your favorite movie?" went from short answer to essay question. Looking back on it, each of the movies that stood atop my favorites at one point or another said something about me at the time, and I find that to be a credit to the power that a film can hold. For me, X-MEN represented the idea that imagination wasn't reserved for childhood and that the cartoon heroes I watched on television after school could be more than just two-dimensional drawings. Seeing those characters brought to life on the big screen made them real and, after that, it dawned on me that the possibilities of what you could bring to life through film were endless and unimaginable. DEATH TO SMOOCHY, which would take the reins from X-MEN, was a little less grandiose in scope, but that didn't keep me from laughing every time that I watched it. I've revisited it a couple times and, while I still think it has quite a bit of dark comedic value, it isn't a great movie by any measure, lacking focus and logic. But for me, during the time that I first saw it, it had a cynicism to it that I found to be a refreshing change of pace from the cheeseball kiddie fare that I'd become accustomed to, and I came to appreciate humor that had some bite to it.

Then BIG FISH rolled into town and changed everything for me. I have no idea why, but I was more excited to see BIG FISH than I was for any other movie that came out during 2003. I can't explain it. It didn't have a big budget, wasn't a summer blockbuster, had no characters with super powers, and its biggest star was Ewan McGregor, someone I was only slightly familiar with at that point. But I went to see it and I loved it. I'm not sure I realized it at the time, but I think the reason it struck a chord with me was because I could relate to both main characters, Edward Bloom (Albert Finney) and Will Bloom (Billy Crudup), a father unsatisfied with the boring and mundane limitations of the real world and a frustrated son desperate to get to know a man obsessed with tall tales and half-truths. For the first time that I can remember, I was able to create a deep emotional connection with the characters and, as a result, I saw something in BIG FISH that was below the surface level. WEDDING CRASHERS, which came along a few years down the road, took the mantle from BIG FISH for the simple fact that it was the funniest movie that I had ever seen and, like a cherry on top of a delicious sundae, it was a raunchy comedy that had real heart and intelligence. It was a balanced mixture of clever, hilarious, and romantic, and it felt fresh and polished to boot, something that I had not seen in a modern comedy before. It showed me that you could make people laugh without having to throw common sense out the window, and that is a lesson I will never forget.

But THE DEPARTED was a different animal from WEDDING CRASHERS. When I first saw THE DEPARTED, I was enthralled in it from start to finish, which felt odd to me because I had expected more of a slown burn effort from director Martin Scorsese. And it had an all-star cast that included Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, and Martin Sheen, all of them combining their stellar efforts to bring a commanding presence to the film that I had never seen before. It was dark, gritty, and violent, and I ate it all up, from sitting on the edge of my seat as Bill Costigan (DiCaprio) races against time to prevent his dual identities from being exposed to watching Colin Sullivan (Damon) weasel his way through the police department with aims at self-preservation to sitting in awe as Nicholson took over each scene as the ruthless, homicidal and paranoid Frank Costello. It was mesmerizing to watch the fireworks as these men collided and a wave of collateral damage unfolded onscreen, leaving bullets, blood, and dead bodies in its wake.

All of these paled in comparison to THE DARK KNIGHT. I remember sitting in the theater on July 20th, 2008, watching the events of THE DARK KNIGHT unfold on the screen, and thinking to myself that I never wanted it to end. Everything was perfect. I wasn't watching Heath Ledger acting onscreen, I was watching the Joker terrorize Gotham City, the face of a former heartthrob buried beneath a layer of clown make-up that made him virtually unrecognizable. It was incredible to watch. On top of that, Aaron Eckhart almost stole the show from him with his turn as Harvey Dent, the ambitious district attorney who descends into madness when the Joker tears him down and transforms him into the vengeful Two-Face. It was a comic book film that strived to be more than that, incorporating modern elements of justice, terrorism, and herosim that elevated it to a level not seen before by a movie about a man in a cape and cowl. I saw it three times in theaters, the most times I've ever seen the same film more than once, and I've watched it countless times on DVD.

Looking back on this list, I can't help but notice how much my idea of "favorite movie" changed and evolved over time, from X-MEN to WEDDING CRASHERS to THE DARK KNIGHT. Does this mean these are the best movies that I've seen? I doubt that, given that DEATH TO SMOOCHY is among them. Part of it could be attributed to the fact that I was fickle when I was younger. But these were the movies that meant the most to me at the time that I saw them and, even now, they remain some of the most memorable of the hundreds of movies that I've seen to date. I challenge you to think of your own favorite movie, consider why you see it as your favorite, and think about what it meant to you at the time that you saw it. You might be surprised by what comes to mind.

So... "What's your favorite movie?"

How Audiences Broke Adam Sandler

We are responsible for the death of Adam Sandler.

Perhaps I should re-phrase that... We are responsible for the death of Adam Sandler as an actor. GROWN UPS, JACK AND JILL, THAT'S MY BOY... We brought these on ourselves. We can blame Adam Sandler all we want, but the truth is that three years ago, he gave the best performance of his career and no one seemed to notice. He gave us his best and, in return, we gave him a blank stare, because this was not the Sandler we had come to know and people weren't sure how to react.

FUNNY PEOPLE was not a perfect film. To be honest, it had a number of flaws, the most glaring being the fact that it didn't seem to know what kind of film it wanted to be. It was a schizophrenic movie, an unexpected failure given the fact that it was written and directed by Judd Apatow, the creative mind behind THE 40-YEAR-OLD-VIRGIN and KNOCKED UP whose name has become a genre all its own, adeptly balancing touching human drama with raunchy comedy. FUNNY PEOPLE begins with veteran comedian George Simmons (Adam Sandler) being diagnosed with leukemia, prompting him to make a return to stand-up comedy due to the belief that he doesn't have much life left. After he does a somber stand-up routine at a local club, George takes notice of young up-and-comer Ira Wright (Seth Rogen) and, in preparation for an upcoming gig at a corporate event, he hires Ira to write some jokes for him. Eventually, the two become friends and, after learning that George is dying, Ira pleads with him to start telling other people about his condition, the most important being his ex-fiancee Laura (Leslie Mann). But once George begins to re-connect with Laura, things become complicated and he begins to question the choices he has made in life.

This was the role of a lifetime for Adam Sandler. George Simmons is an actor who has made a career out of cheeseball comedies like MERMAN, MY BEST FRIEND IS A ROBOT, ASTRO-NOT, and RE-DO. You know, the cheap, generic kind of comedies that kids will find hilarious while their parents try not to gouge their own eyes out in horror. On the big screen, getting people to laugh seemed effortless for George, but in real life, his ability to create emotional connections with real people was almost non-existent, negated by his selfish nature and bitter attitude. The one woman that he did truly love was pushed out of his life and by his own doing, having cheated on her with another woman, and that rejection broke him, as he proceeded to insulate himself from heartbreak by keeping everyone else at a safe distance and resorted to working solely on kiddie movies that required him to invest as little of himself as possible. This was a role that, for the first time, required Sandler to show some real acting chops, rather than just acting like a goofy man child, and he knocked it out of the park, unlike his more artificial turn in the uncomfortable REIGN OVER ME.

Unlike some of the roles that made him famous, this was a damaged character who didn't know how to repair himself or if he was even capable of doing so, whereas in a movie like BILLY MADISON all it took was an attractive teacher and some hard core studying. I'm not knocking the likes of BILLY MADISON or HAPPY GILMORE or THE WEDDING SINGER, because I enjoyed those films and still do, but FUNNY PEOPLE represented a mature career move for Sandler, where he was challenging himself rather than falling back on what came easy to him. But then, FUNNY PEOPLE hit theaters and flopped, garnering mixed reviews from critics and receiving little box office success. Most called it a failed experiment, but others saw it as a brave and bold dramatic performance from a man who built a successful career on poop jokes. I was certainly one of them.

But, three years later, we have had to endure both the atrocities of GROWN UPS and JACK AND JILL, and with THAT'S MY BOY being released this weekend and GROWNS UP 2 in the works, the future doesn't look bright. I know that GROWN UPS has amassed its own fan base and I'm sure there will be those who will find pleasure in the gross-out raunch of THAT'S MY BOY, but there is no denying that JACK AND JILL is one of the worst movies of our generation, if not all time. It has zero redeeming qualities, and I often find myself wondering if the man who greenlit its production is still employed. But Sandler will continue to makes these "movies" because this is what he thinks audiences want from him. We reject him for taking risks like FUNNY PEOPLE, but we'll go see YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN in theaters and even buy the DVD because Silly Sandler is the one we love. I grew up loving movies like HAPPY GILMORE, THE WEDDING SINGER, and even THE WATERBOY, but what we're seeing from today's Sandler doesn't even compare to those movies. Those movies had heart, something that seems lost on Sandler now, and they were actually pretty funny, which amazingly does wonders for the repeat value of a comedy. I'm sure there will be those who defend the modern Sandler and his latest slew of movies, but I am not one of them and I know that I'm not alone. All I can do is wait for the day when he decides to start trying again.