When Everybody Loves You
You Can Never Be Lonely
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I caught a leaked version of the IMAX prologue for The Dark Knight Rises.
It isn’t in any theaters anywhere near me, so I had to resort to the crappy version, but it’s still pretty awesome. I can’t wait to see Bane in this movie.
Bane has always been one of my favorite Batman characters. I think there’s something so interesting about him. I mean, he actually defeated Batman, and it was believable. That’s a major feat, especially for the writers of Knightfall, Doug Moench, Chuck Dixon, Denny O’neal, and Alan Grant. I’m sure that Bane will break Batman in some way or another in The Dark Knight Rises. Normally I would say you can’t use Bane without keeping that in the plot, but, well…look at Batman & Robin. -
Ha! This was just pointed out to me. Anyone notice how familiar that ‘R’ from trailer for The Dark Knight Rises looks?
That clever Christopher Nolan… -
In seeking to craft ‘a portrayal of a city and the different strata of people living in it,’ [Christopher] Nolan and his brother [Jonathan] were inspired by Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities and the silent cinema of Fritz Lang, arguably best known for the sci-fi landmark Metropolis.Entertainment Weekly. 20 1 2012:
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In anticipation for the release of The Dark Knight Risesthis week, I’m showing all of the Nolan-verse related Batman films in my backyard with a projector, a white sheet, and a stereo system. Tonight was the first night, so we, appropriately, watched Batman Begins. Tomorrow we’ll watch Gotham Knight, the animated anthology that bridges the gap between the two live action films, with The Dark Knightfollowing on Wednesday.
Above is a shot of the screen, which doesn’t do justice to how cool the movie actually looked. If you’re in the area, come hang out with us tomorrow and/or Wednesday night. I asked Batman trivia questions and gave away some prizes, so you might be able to win some cool stuff! -
Initial Thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises
It’s very late, and I honestly can’t form a full opinion on the movie. I enjoyed it immensely, and I think Team Nolan certainly finished their trilogy. The movie feels like it belongs with the previous two, and it is without a doubt a small piece of a large whole.
Bane is awesome. He’s always been one of my favorite villains, and after Batman and Robin totally ruined a general audience’s perception of who that character is, it’s nice to see someone treat the character with respect. Tom Hardy plays the character wonderfully; he’s vicious, intimidating, and unrelenting.
I think the real praise goes to Anne Hathaway whose Selina Kyle is the best portrayal of the character outside of comics, period. A lot of people like to give that to Michelle Pfeifer (which I will never understand), but this movie almost makes you forget about the Tim Burton Catwoman from 1992. Once again, this is a character that has never really been taken seriously, so it’s great to get a version of Selina that people will actually enjoy.
I don’t want to talk much on the plot, so I really won’t. There are some definite cool points, but at times things felt a bit off. I almost feel like there’s a fourth movie somewhere between The Dark Knight and Rises.
We all know that following the previous installment is no easy task, and I do feel it has been done, and done well. Is it better thanThe Dark Knight? No, no it’s not. But wasReturn of the Jedi better thanThe Empire Strikes Back? And that’s a fitting comparison. This trilogy is this generation’sStar Wars, andRises is the newJedi.And I am perfectly happy with that.
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This is all that needs to be said from me about last night’s terrible events.
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I’ve Thought About It a Lot Today
This situation in Colorado has affected me a bit more than I thought it would. Granted, it’s hundreds of miles away from me, and there’s really little impact on me in any noticeable way. Truth be told, it has me kind of sad. I don’t really know why since tragedies like this one tend to leave me with little to no thoughts on the matter. I’d usually rather the affected parties find their peace and be left alone, out of the public’s scrutiny. As unsympathetic as it may be, I know that life goes on, and that we will learn something from what has happened.
But I am a Batman fan, and this happened to other Batman fans during a Batman-related event. Somehow, I feel connected to this violence. I’ve learned a lot from Batman over the years. First of all, I know that criminals are a superstitious and cowardly lot. Whatever this shooter’s motives are, it cannot be reduced any further than that; these are the simplest of terms we can use to describe his actions. However, this person really does seem like someone who, as Alfred told us in The Dark Knight, “just wanted to watch the world burn.” And I think that’s the first lesson of this violence: to prevent such crimes, we have to come to understand them. Why did this person lash out at innocents the way that he did? I’ve read some people clamoring for his execution, but his being kept alive will allow us to learn from him. That’s something else I’ve taken from Batman.
Even when someone probably deserves death—when his actions have completely transcended any means of punishment—we cannot allow our thirst for vengeance to take over. Obviously, this person is a disturbed, otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this post. Though he seems more Joe Chill than Joker, this person belongs in Arkham more than he does Blackgate. In this case, I think we all need to ask ourselves, “What Would Batman Do?” The answer: he would admit that revenge is not justice. The world needs less revenge, but more justice is always welcome. Batman has always taught me to believe in justice, even against the people who supposedly handle the law.
There’s a quote that I love from Grant Morisson’s Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth that applies very much to this situation: “Sometimes it’s only madness that makes us what we are.” Think about that. This guy was different from us in one way: his madness was more extreme, just as Batman and the Joker are both somewhat insane but in different degrees. And given that each villain is in some way or another a grim reflection of Batman himself, perhaps this attacker is a only a twisted version of us. That’s a scary thing to think about—we may not be so different when it comes down to it. But we, both as individuals and as a society, need to understand something about that: in order to combat such tragedies and prevent future acts of violence, we need only to keep ourselves a bit more grounded in who we are, our humanity. Sometimes we can’t do this alone. No, we need help sometimes. Our fellow man is there to help us, just as Nightwing, Robin, Red Robin, Batgirl, Batwoman, Alfred, and any other members of the Bat-family past and present will be there for each other, even when the odds are impossible. We all need to keep each other from being lost in our own madness.
I’m sorry for this very long entry, but this was on my mind. I’m not editing it because I want it to be raw and real, so if there are some mistakes along the way, I apologize. I’ll try to clarify if anyone asks what I was trying to say, but hopefully it’s clear enough. I really think we can learn a lot from this tragedy, and if we don’t we’re missing an opportunity to take something horrifying and use it for good.
That’s what Batman would do. And I believe in Batman.
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NerdNight Ep. 1 is Online!
Each week, some friends and I get together and discuss comics and related material. We decided we’d record it this time, so we did. We talk pretty in-depth each time, so if you’re into long talks about geeky things, you might dig it.
This week, we talked about Punk Rock Jesus, Uncanny X-Force, 100 Bullets, Aquaman, Thief of Thieves, The Dark Knight Rises,and Before Watchmen. Click the link above and download to give us a listen! -
NerdNight Episode 2 is Ready for Download!
This time around, Joel #1 discusses Mark Waid’s DAREDEVIL, Joel #2 talks about a Kevin Smith podcast everyone should hear, Matt (Spudz) gives some insight into the Batman stories that influenced Christopher Nolan’s DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY, I go a bit more into detail about Image Comics’ SAGA, and James talks all about BEFORE WATCHMEN: THE COMEDIAN. All that, plus a few extras. Lemme know if you listened!
Click above to download!
St. Louis. Geek. Straight Edge.
