My thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises

This is not your father's Bane. Or your one-liner Mr. Freeze.

The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan's third and final stab at the Batman film franchise, is due out a little over a year from now, and so far, it looks pretty damn exciting. In addition to the outstanding ensemble from the first two films returning (Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman), we get two iconic Bat-villains in Anne Hathaway's Catwoman and Tom Hardy's Bane. I must say, I was excited that Hathaway would be Selina Kyle from the outset, thinking her perfect for the role, and was interested that Bane would be involved, as it would be exciting to see him done justice (as opposed to the horrifyingly oversimplified Bane from 1997's Bat-nipple bomber Batman & Robin). I, like many others, was puzzled at Hardy's casting; a short, skinny man playing the monster of a man that is the steroid-infused supervillain. Until I saw this picture, of course. Nolan appears to be using camera trickery, as well as a bulked up and partially masked Hardy, to make the Inception star far more imposing than he would otherwise be. As for Catwoman, it would appear that her costume will be relatively faithful to the comics, goggles and all (though with a more gritty, realistic vibe). As for who the main villain is, I cannot say. It may be Talia Al Ghul (many think that Marion Cotillard's character, Miranda Tate, is an alias for Talia, seeking revenge as the new leader of the League of Shadows on Batman for her father, Liam Neeson Ra's Al Ghul's, death), or it may even be the aforementioned Batman Begins antagonist himself, as Josh Pence has been cast as a young version of the character, while Neeson is reported to have been spotted on the TDKR set. Would Nolan's realistic universe really use a plot device as comic booky as Lazarus Pits? Then again, this could all be misdirection, and Bane could truly be the main villain, perhaps an apprentice of Ra's, now operating as the new leader of the League. Or he could be the muscle for the true villain, possibly an as-yet-unseen character. Gary Oldman implied that TDKR's main villain was from the earliest days of the comics, before even the Joker himself. Bane doesn't really fit that profile, as he's only been around for the last two decades or so. Catwoman's an old villain, so she's a possible candidate. I don't think it will be Hugo Strange (as many rumors have suggested), as I doubt Nolan wants to compete with the plot of the video game Batman: Arkham City (which features Strange as the main villain), due out later this year. If Strange is in fact the villain, then maybe Nolan is going for a combination of the Prey and Knightfall storylines from the 90s, which would allow for the inclusion of Strange, Catwoman, and Bane. Until we get more concrete details, I will take this stance: In Nolan I Trust. The man has done a far better job of adapting Batman for live-action than any man before him, and I believe that his final film will not be the exception to the rule.

The Dark Knight Rises opens July 20, 2012.

Gotta give kudos to the fans behind this poster. EPIC.

Falling Skies- "Prisoner of War" Review

OK, Someone tell me that WASN'T like ID4.

The third episode of Falling Skies, "Prisoner of War", did feature some interesting new developments, such as a more in-depth explanation of how harnesses work, as well as a better look in general at the skitters themselves. Hal's girlfriend Karen was also captured, while Pope discovered his new calling as the 2nd Mass' smartass but lovable cook. Ben, Tom's son, was seen multiple times, but was never actually acquired for experimentation by the new doctor, played by Steven Weber. The doctor and Tom apparently had a history, as the doc abandoned Tom's wife Rebecca in the first waves of the invasion in order to fend for himself. By far, the most harrowing scene of the episode is when the harnessed kids were executed by a mech in front of Hal, showing that these skitters are a methodical, vindictive bunch who use similar tactics to the ultimate historical evil, the Nazis. This episode belongs to Noah Wyle, as he carries the story with his intense and heartfelt performance. However, one particular scene annoyed me, that being the episode's title's namesake. When Tom brings in that skitter as a prisoner, it is more than a little reminiscent of Will Smith in Independence Day. While this show has many brilliant moments, at times it feels a tiny bit too derivative. I was entertained by "Prisoner of War", but I would argue that it is not the best episode of Falling Skies. Though the cliffhanger definitely excited me, as the skitters seem to have some sort of telepathic connection with the captured kids. I look forward to next week.

"Prisoner of War" - 3.5/5 stars

My Take on the Marvel Cinematic Universe

It's all building towards SOMETHING, but to what??

The Marvel Cinematic Universe, with all its flaws, has definitely been one of the better things to come to superhero films. After all the Marvel garbage we've had to suffer through over the years (Spider-Man 3, Ghost Rider, Fantastic Four, Ang Lee's Hulk), we finally got some worthy adaptations of some of the lesser-known properties of Marvel's canon. And while the overall quality of the universe has varied, it definitely feels like the stories of the individual heroes are slowly coming together for next year's Avengers movie. I'm giving my individual opinion of these films, in order of release, and will try to speculate on where the story is going. First up, Iron Man.

Jon Favreau's original 2008 Iron Man is, without a doubt, the best of the bunch. Taking advantage of an action-packed script by Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby, and the utterly perfect star casting of Robert Downey Jr. as eccentric billionaire Tony Stark, the film was a hit with critics and audiences, the MCU was launched in style with one of the best superhero films to date. Jeff Bridges was also awesome as chilling villain Obadiah Stane, with strong casting for Gwyneth Paltrow as well. I would say that Terrence Howard was good casting, but they blew this by failing to keep him around for the sequel. I really have no complaints about this film, it's just that good. Samuel L. Jackson's surprise cameo, in effect announcing the MCU, just made it better.

The Incredible Hulk is a decent, fun summer blockbuster, and director Louis Leterrier certain didn't ease up on the action the way that Ang Lee did. Edward Norton could be awesome as almost anything, so good casting as Bruce Banner, and Tim Roth was an interesting villain. However, I think that this film's release was ill-timed, as it was only 5 years out from the Lee film. I think it would have been wiser to focus on Thor or Captain America first, and then to come back to the Hulk before the Avengers. Certain aspects of the film are generic or unconvincing, such as the one-track General Ross (despite William Hurt's best efforts), Liv Tyler's unconvincing love interest, and the just plain annoying Tim Blake Nelson. The film gets more right than wrong, I suppose, and is definitely better than Lee's movie.

WHAT THE F*** HAPPENED?!!

Jon Favreau's sequel, for all its merits, stinks of the movie-killing bile known as STUDIO INTERFERENCE. They wanted Iron Man 2 to be more than a sequel, they wanted it to set up The Avengers. However, it tries to be both, and never completely succeeds. Superfluous plot points (why does Tony have to be dying? So Agent Romanoff can have a purpose, of course!), the overly ninja Scarlett Johansson, the unnecessary extended cameo of Samuel L. Jackson, and the just plain annoying acting by Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer culminate in another case of sequel-itis. I also think Don Cheadle is inferior to Terrence Howard. If it wasn't for the continued acting prowess by Downey and Paltrow, the hilarious scenery chewing of Mickey Rourke, and the thankful appearance of War Machine, the movie might have killed the universe. The worst entry, but still OK.

Idris Elba's golden helmet is indescribable. Words like "majestic" simply don't cut it.

Though The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2 were by no means bad, Thor was something of a return to form for the MCU. Considering how utterly absurd the trailers looked, I'm thankful that this one worked out. Kenneth Branagh was the PERFECT choice to direct Thor, and kudos to them for going with Aussie unknown Chris Hemsworth instead of star stunt casting. The fantastical Asgardian scenes were brilliantly done, creating a sense of awe in the viewer, and the mythical presence of Anthony Hopkins' Odin and Idris Elba's Heimdall (with his magnificent golden helmet) only adds to this. The Earth scenes are a little run-of-the-mill and dull, and Natalie Portman spends too much time looking less astrophysicist and more horny chick. Thor's a blast though, and helped get this series back on track. Tom Hiddleston's Loki is looking like he could be the villain of the whole damn thing.

FLAME ON!!...Wait, I've changed characters? I'm not Peter F***ing Sellers.

Captain America: The First Avenger is next, and so far it looks pretty awesome. Chris Evans (despite my reservations about his casting) looks good as both the skinny little Steve Rogers and the muscular and resolute Captain. Hugo Weaving's Red Skull looks just plain SICK, and Tommy Lee Jones' speech in the trailer very nearly gave me chills. I feel this should have been released earlier in the MCU, but its looking damn good.

Obviously, Joss Whedon's Avengers movie is where this will all come together next May, and it's being kept tightly under wraps. I've heard rumors that Loki may use the Cosmic Cube seen in Thor and the Captain America trailer to summon the alien Skrulls, but that's all just speculation at this point. Mark Ruffalo has replaced Edward Norton as Bruce Banner, no clue how he'll fit into the story. I've heard that Don Cheadle won't be in it, but Downey, Hemsworth, Jackson, Johansson, and Evans all will be, along with Stellan Skarsgård from Thor, and Clark Gregg as SHIELD agent Coulson. I presume Hiddleston will return as Loki. If anyone can pull this off, it's Whedon, so I think they've got the right idea.

Can't forget that Iron Man 3 is due a couple of years down the road either, without Favreau in the director's chair. He's been replaced by Downey's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang director Shane Black, and his days from writing the Lethal Weapon movies make me think that he may be a worthy choice. But this isn't even close to production yet, so I'll have to hang on for this one.

My star ratings for the MCU so far:

Iron Man- 4.5/5
The Incredible Hulk- 3.5/5
Iron Man 2- 3/5
Thor- 4/5

Harry Potter: The Story So Far

I can't imagine my soon-to-be life without these title screens.

With the arrival of Deathly Hallows Part 2 very nearly upon us, I thought it would be nice to have a retrospective look at what has become the Harry Potter media franchise. When I received a paperback copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone on my eighth birthday (July 2000), I doubt anyone had an idea of what this popular book series would eventually become. I have read and reread all the books, and have watched all of the films (for better or worse) to this point. And now, with the final film drawing ever closer, I think back to the early 2000s, when I was a kid watching the events unfolding on the screen with wonder and awe and eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next book. I remember very nearly shedding a tear as I tore through the final chapters of Deathly Hallows on July 21, 2007, as the series drew to its awesome and emotional conclusion. And now, for my general feelings on all the books and films to this point.

Whoops I crushed the baby on the ride. Knowing later events, we are summarily F***ED!!

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is truly a wonderful book. Crammed with so much, yet telling so little about the wizarding world, this book merely hints at the potential that this series had running through its veins, yet J. K. Rowling saw what was to come. Young Harry was a sympathetic and likable hero, whose friends only served to strengthen him in a world where he would accomplish things that, mere months earlier, he never could have imagined. The forthcoming plotlines for the series were established, which (by the time of Phoenix's release) proves that Rowling knew EXACTLY what she was doing when writing this series. Stone, while far from being the best book in this series, served its purpose, and continues to enchant young readers to this day. The film adaptation is also well done, if a little overly faithful and unsurprising. Director Chris Columbus was so religiously faithful to the source material that he somewhat failed to deliver a completely compelling theatrical experience. Columbus suffers from a lack of artistic vision, and this ultimately holds him back from creating a film that could both entertain fans and entice newcomers. Nevertheless, the film is visually spectacular, and a young Daniel Radcliffe was perfectly cast as Harry. The presence of veteran British actors such as Richard Harris and Alan Rickman in key roles doesn't hurt things either.

Heil Hitler...Er, Slytherin!

Chamber of Secrets, reputed as some as being possibly the worst book in the series, is a strong, more exciting sequel to Sorcerer's Stone, it's only problem being that it followed the plot path of its predecessor a little too closely. We learned far more about our feared antagonist, Lord Voldemort, as well as some of the murky secrets lurking in Hogwarts School. However, the plot focus of "Harry arrives, faces some sort of prejudice, gets overly involved in school affairs, confronts and overcomes foe with the help of a little deus ex machina" was a little too close for comfort to the first. Thus, Columbus' second and final film adaptation feels quite similar to the first, if with a bit of a darker edge. It is a slightly better movie than the first, and features even more terrific effects scenes, but Columbus' bland visual style and direction continues to hold him back, despite Steve Kloves' great script. Nevertheless, the second film was superior to the first.

Get ready cuz Imma comin' to suck you dry.

Prisoner of Azkaban tells an interesting tale, but somewhat goes off the main focus of the previous books in favor of a secondary plot surrounding Harry's lineage that ultimately leads directly into the second, darker half of the series. It was probably one of my least favorite books, mainly because I failed to see (at the time) what the new developments would bring to the overall story. However, this also made for some great character development, as the growing main characters began to experience teenage hormones for the first time (if only in the slightest sense). Much of the backstory of the series was resolved in this installment, which leads to some interesting little stories in the later books. However, this book was never quite as good as the others to me. The film adaptation, however, is my personal favorite and most likely the best movie to date. New director Alfonso Cuarón brings an artistic sense that his predecessor lacked, being less faithful to the source material in favor of a more stylized, character-driven approach. However, his handling of plot elements such as Sirius Black and the dementors was flawless, and made the film much darker and more entertaining. Michael Gambon replaces the late Richard Harris as Dumbledore, which works as the professor takes on a more active role in later installments. The three leads continue to be excellent, with Emma Watson really coming into her own as Hermione. One of the lesser books turned out the best film. Pity Cuarón only directed one.

I'm the basilisk with wings, B****!!

Goblet of Fire literally combines the length of the two preceding books in the series, and Rowling churns out the first true masterpiece. Telling a far more epic and ambitious story than previous books, this installment turns the franchise on its axis, transitioning away from the light and expository approach of the earlier books, and moving into the harrowing, bleaker, and grander territory that populates the final three. A multitude of new characters are introduced, and Chapters 32-34 should be remembered as a dark and macabre all time classic of modern writing. The film manages to deliver on the weighty expectations of the book, with one-shot director Mike Newell capturing all the visual and emotional gravity packed into the book. The only flaw is that it, at times, deviates TOO far from the source material, leaving some sections feeling clunky or rushed. It's a bit of a step backwards from the previous film, but is worthy of the book that led to it.

Yeah, we know, she's not as good as the dragon. Or even the hippogriff. Or flobberworms....

Given the ridiculously high expectations Goblet of Fire left in my mind, for me, Order of the Phoenix is the low point of the series. I thought that the s*** would hit the proverbial fan after the epic ending to the fourth, and yet, until the final 7 chapters, the book actually feels kind of crappy or even BORING at times. It feels too scaled back from the previous book, once again offering a gratuitous amount of backstory in exchange for sacrificing the main narrative. Nevertheless, the ending is exciting, and promises a grim future for Harry and his friends. The film falls with the book, with even more deviations from the source material leaving to grade the fifth Harry Potter film as about 50% GARBAGE, 25% drama and character development, and 25% of what made the first four films so much better. David Yates, the series' final director, focuses too much on style in this film, robbing it of the magic that filled the earlier films so brilliantly. The ending is suitably epic, but not worth the price of the ticket. It doesn't help that Deathly Hallows the book came out the following week...

WTF HAPPENED LAST NIGHT??!!

Half-Blood Prince, despite being shorter than its bloated predecessor, delivered everything that I hoped the fifth would. With horrific actions by Voldemort being heard about constantly, a "no one is safe" attitude about its characters, and a brilliantly use of backstory to flesh out the final storylines of the series, Prince brings the series to a head. The plot twist at the end still has me reeling, six years later. Harry finally finds true, complete happiness (if only for a few short weeks), while learning at the same time what he must do in order to stop Voldemort once and for all. Unfortunately, Yates' second stab at a Harry Potter movie still failed to fully deliver. The plot, while less bloated and cut apart than the last film, focuses too much on the romance and humor and not enough on how truly effed up the wizarding world (and all of Britain, pretty much) is these days. Not to mention that some of the best scenes from the book are cut from the film, while leaving average, lesser scenes in, once again aped beyond the point of recognition. Were it not for Jim Broadbent as Horace Slughorn, Tom Felton's more dimensional Draco Malfoy, and the excellent cinematography, this film might actually have been worst than the last.

I WANT HIM DEAD NOW. NOT TOMORROW, NOT AFTER BREAKFAST, NOW!!!!!

I don't even know where to begin about Deathly Hallows, in all its glory. The book goes further than the previous ones ever would, with a literal bloodbath of major characters coming chapter after chapter. The characters' personalities are never betrayed, and the book, while occasionally slow, builds to an unbelievably epic and powerful conclusion. Plot points bring the series completely full circle, while managing to introduce a completely new and cohesive plotline (the title) in the latter half of the book alone. Simply put, it is the full realization of the series' potential, and J.K. Rowling's magnum opus. So rich is the plot, in fact, that the film adaptation had to be split in two. And due to my somewhat low opinion of David Yates' direction to this point, Part 1, surprisingly, surpassed expectations. While taking a few liberties for the sake of run time and it overly focuses on its main characters, Part 1 was a far more faithful, harrowing, and emotionally resonant film than quite a few of its predecessors. It got me excited for the film series for the first time in over half a decade, and leaves me eager with bated breath for Part 2's release next month, which from trailers looks positively EPIC. For the first time in my entire viewing of the series, I MAY have to attend a midnight screening. And with that, I will bid goodbye to Harry Potter and his magical world for possibly the final time, closing one of the few books still left open from my childhood.

My star ratings for the film series:

Sorcerer's Stone: 3.5/5
Chamber of Secrets: 4/5
Prisoner of Azkaban: 4.5/5
Goblet of Fire: 4/5
Order of the Phoenix: 2.5/5
Half-Blood Prince: 3/5
Deathly Hallows Part 1: 4/5

Game of Thrones "Fire and Blood" Review

Joffrey torments his anguished bride-to-be in this cliffhanger season finale

With me still reading George R. R. Martin's first novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, I did not know how the storylines throughout the first season would be resolved. "Fire and Blood" made me realize that, for the most part, they already were. "Baelor" actually wrapped up most of the season's stories, with this episode being more of a set-up man for the upcoming season 2, set to air next spring. Nevertheless, "Fire and Blood" was yet another exciting chapter in the ongoing epic TV series. All the characters were set up for their paths to come. Arya is leaving King's Landing with Night's Watch recruits, under the guise of a boy called "Ary". Sansa is trapped in a joyless and rather horrible life, still set to be wed to the ultimate a**hole King Joffrey, the virtual murderer of her father. Jon, despite originally planning to join his brother Robb and fight the Lannisters, is staying with the Night's Watch to face what horrors await them north of the Wall. Catelyn and Robb are still fighting Tywin's men, with Jaime in their possession. Tyrion is being sent to King's Landing to serve as Joffrey's new Hand. And Daenerys has lost both her son and husband to black magic, leaving her ready to use the powers of the NEWLY HATCHED DRAGONS (DUN DUN DUN!!!!!) to strike back against whatever enemies come her way. Until the final bits with Jon and Daenerys, this episode deserved a 4/5, but that last pivotal scene pushed it up half a star. Goodbye for now, Game of Thrones, can't wait to see you next April.

"Fire and Blood" - 4.5/5
Game of Thrones Season 1 - 4.75/5

Game of Thrones Season 1 So Far

HBO's most epic and ambitious show yet

Had I started this blog earlier, I would have reviewed all 10 episodes of Game of Thrones, but as the season 1 finale "Fire and Blood", aired tonight, I will meld my review of the finale with an overview of the whole season. I was honestly not aware of George R. R. Martin's work until I saw some previews for the show, and decided to watch without reading the source material. Though I am about 200 pages in to the first book now, the one that gives the show its title, I must say, that this show did an excellent job of drawing me in nonetheless. The grand scope of the land of Westeros, as well as how every plot point in the series has been closely related, has made for terrific and engaging television. From the happenings to King's Landing to the movements of the Dothraki people, every moment was connected and executed extremely well. The Starks and the Lannisters eventually became the main focus, and towards the end of the season, they appear headed for all out war. I assume that people reading this review are familiar with the series, and will do my review of the season finale as such.

SPOILERS AHEAD

As of the end of the 9th episode (the best episode thus far, "Baelor") Eddard "Ned" Stark (the infinitely entertaining Sean Bean) had been beheaded in a shocking twist of cruelty by the newly crowned king Joffrey Baratheon (Jack Gleeson) and his mother Cersei Lannister (Lena Headey) in front of his own daughters Sansa (Sophie Turner) and Arya (Maisie Williams), while Ned's son Robb (Richard Madden) and wife Catelyn (Michelle Fairley), with Cersei's brother/lover (cringe) Jaime (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) captured, prepared to pit the armies of the Starks from the North against the armies of the Lannisters, led by Cersei's father Tywin (Charles Dance) and his dwarf son Tyrion (brilliantly acted by Peter Dinklage). Meanwhile, Daenerys Targaryen attempts to save her Dothraki husband Khal Drogo (Jason Momoa) from certain death through forbidden black magic, against the wishes of Ser Jorah Mormont (Iain Glen). As such, the final episode had quite a many plots to resolve. Up until "Fire and Blood", the season's final episode, I would give the season a mean score of about 4.75/5.

Falling Skies Premiere Review

Steven Spielberg's alien invasion series is the first of two ambitious 2011 TV projects

As my first blog post (which I'm using as an output for practicing my writing), I figured that I'd review TV and movies as I see them. Which brings me to the 2-hour premiere episode of Steven Spielberg's Falling Skies. Created by Spielberg and his Saving Private Ryan writer Robert Rodat, the show deals with an alien invasion, but instead of showing the war itself, it takes the more interesting turn of focusing on the aftermath, which not only portrays a different side of an alien conflict than seen in prior media, but makes it far more feasible for a TV budget. First off, yes: this show does share some similarities with Frank Darabont's AMC adaptation of The Walking Dead, which also dealt with a post-apocalyptic world (zombies in that case) and the situations it caused for the humans fighting for their survival. It also is cut from the same cloth as dozens of movies and other media, with some of its ideas and themes resembling those from movies and video games such as Spielberg's own War of the Worlds and Resistance: Fall of Man. However, it manages to combine all of these cobbling ideas and throw them together into a nice cohesive package that sets it apart from its influences. The story picks up approximately 8 months after the original strike, with 80-90% of the humans eradicated, and the remaining survivors banding together to survive and kill as many of the aliens, which they call "skitters" and "mechs", as they can. The main difference from the post-apocalyptic land of The Walking Dead is that this is much further down the line (8 months vs. 4 weeks) and features a far more composite and militarized force of survivors, leaving the humans in much better shape in this story (although still on the brink of extinction). Our main characters are part of the 2nd Massachusetts unit of the resistance, with our hero being an ex-college professor named Tom Mason (played by Noah Wyle). Turns out that Tom's historical background makes him well-suited to fight the skitters, as he and his team utilize battle strategies from historical records to stay alive. Wyle is good in the role, even if they beat us over the head with his textbook knowledge a little too often. Others include his son Hal (Drew Roy), his commander Weaver (played pitch-perfect by a well cast Will Patton), and pediatrician/medic Anne (Moon Bloodgood playing against type). By far, though, the best character introduced is Pope (Colin Cunningham), a streetwise criminal who's been taking advantage of the situation for his own ends. Pope gets some of the best dialogue, and looks to become a dynamic character as the season progresses. Storylines introduced in these first two episodes include Tom's captured son, Ben (Connor Jessup), who's been equipped with a seemingly irremovable mind control device called a "harness", and a love triangle between Hal and his tough-as-nails girlfriend Karen (Jessy Schram), and the timid Lourdes (Seychelle Gabriel). Written well by Rodat and Justified showrunner Graham Yost, as well as skillfully directed by Carl Franklin and Greg Beeman, this first episode of the series excited me and left me craving more. I will use a 5 star scale to rate episodes, so for the first two in the premiere of Falling Skies:

"Live and Learn" - 4.5/5
"The Armory" - 4/5