An English-language trailer for the upcoming film The Little Prince has been released, following an earlier French trailer version. The much-anticipated movie, which will bring Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s novel to the big screen, intertwines the story of the prince with a story about a little girl and her mother.
An all-star cast provides the voices in the movie, and they include Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard, Jeff Bridges, Benicio del Toro, Paul Giamatti, Ricky Gervais and James Franco. Check out the new trailer.
The movie theater where I watched The Dark Knight Rises (2012) had this poster in the coming attractions display, warning the audience for Step Up Revolution (2012). While the dance movie has garnered some positive reviews, some are concerned that a scene with the dancers wearing gas masks amid a cloudy haze might evoke thoughts of the shootings at the Aurora, Colorado movie theater during a midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises. My theater, however, had no similar warnings for The Dark Knight Rises, a film that is full of scenes of terrorism, violence, and killings. I guess it is all about expectations, and one going to a Batman movie in 2012 should expect levels of violence that far exceed the Batman television show of the 1960s.
I have written about how movies often follow a familiar pattern of endorsing redemptive violence, showing a hero who is repeatedly beaten down so that we want nothing more than for the hero to rise up and use violence against his oppressor or oppressors. And The Dark Knight Rises follows this typical movie pattern, where we accept that the solution to the problems will be more violence. Director Christopher Nolan does present these themes with more complexity than other movies, as we see Bruce Wayne tiring of the Batman job while Batman still declines to use guns.
But I do not think that the movie violence itself determines whether a film is good or bad, only that we film-goers should be knowledgeable about the way our entertainment is used. So, that said, The Dark Knight Rises is a well-told story that ties up and concludes one of the best trilogies in movie history. So do not let the press about one crazy act in Colorado stop you from going to see this film.
The film picks up years after The Dark Knight (2008) left off, and it also ties in much of the story of the first film in the trilogy, Batman Begins (2005). Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is a recluse and Batman has disappeared. A powerful new villain, Bane (Tom Hardy), appears, and we meet Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). We learn of a connection between Bane and Ra’s Al Ghul (Liam Neeson) from Batman Begins. And, well, if you have not seen the previous two films — or it has been awhile — you might want to rent them before seeing The Dark Knight Rises as the new film assumes a certain level of familiarity with the earlier films.
The acting is excellent, as Bale may give his best performance as Wayne/Batman, showing layers of character in Bruce Wayne and growling less as Batman than in the previous film. While Bane wears a mask so you cannot see his mouth, Nolan makes sure you can understand what he is saying. Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman), Alfred (Michael Caine), and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), return as much of the heart of the trilogy. The film also introduces new key characters, including young police officer Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard).
The movie has several layers that may leave one wondering about the message of the film. Bane and other villains talk about the oppressed rising up against the rich class, which some have noted evokes recent protests by Occupy Wall Street. But as the bad guys advocate chaos and destruction, does that mean Nolan is against them? Or is he just incorporating the reference without taking sides? And is Nolan supporting the strict Harvey Dent law that evokes recent terrorism laws passed in the U.S.? The answers are not clear, but good movies give one something to think about after the lights come on, and The Dark Knight Rises is worth further thought and discussion.
Although the film takes 2 hours and 44 minutes to reach its conclusion, it did not seem long to me, as it tied together the various stories (although there is no reference to The Joker out of respect to the late Heath Ledger). About half-way through the film someone said something that made me realize how the film would end, but I was still entertained as the movie took some twists and turns to get there.
Conclusion: How does the film compare to its predecessors?The Dark Knight had the great performance of Heath Ledger, so I suspect most people will find that the second film is their favorite of the series. I also liked that The Dark Knight avoided the typical villain-as-brilliant-genius story and went for a villain-as-mentally-ill story, which as we see from the Colorado shooting is probably more realistic. But for the excellent screenplay asking more complex questions than a typical superhero film, a few surprises, and the way Nolan wrapped it all up, I would make a case for The Dark Knight Rises as one of the best final films in any trilogy.
I have already posted the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises, so check out a trailer for the entire trilogy, which reminds you of what Nolan and company have accomplished with the films.
Other Reviews Because Why Should You Listen to Me?:Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an 87% rating from critics and a 92% rating from audience members. The movie has received some mixed reviews, perhaps partly due to high expectations. Anthony Lane at The New Yorker says The Dark Knight Rises is “is murky, interminable, confused, and dropsical with self-importance,” although he finds the film redeemed by Anne Hathaway’s performance. The Daily Mail calls the movie “a pretentious mess.” Bob Garver at the Herald-Mail, by contrast, says the movie is “satisfying enough to be considered a worthy finale” to the trilogy. Lisa Kennedy at The Denver Post liked the movie even more, saying “the film is a feat of painstakingly crafted closure.” Omer M. Mozaffar wrote a very good essay about the trilogy on the Chicago Sun-Times website, but be warned that it contains spoilers if you have not seen the film. Finally, my reference in this post to “redemptive violence” in films, cartoons, etc. comes from scholar and theologian Walter Wink, who passed away this May. Although he wrote books on the topic, one of his short essays on redemptive violence is at Ekklesia. RIP.
What did you think of “The Dark Knight Rises”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
One of the most highly anticipated films of the upcoming summer is The Dark Knight Rises, the conclusion of the Dark Knight trilogy with Christian Bale that started with Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008), the latter of which starred the late Heath Ledger. The trailer for the new film makes me want to see it even more than I did. And now a new version of the trailer in Legos makes me want to see a Legos version of the film too.
Here’s the trailer that is remade in the Lego trailer scene-for-scene:
For an extra treat, press the start button on both videos, syncing the first scene, and you can watch the same scenes in both real and Legos versions at the same time. The non-Legos human version of The Dark Knight Rises comes to theaters on July 20, 2012. The film also stars Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine. What movie trailer would you like to see in Legos? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Midnight in Paris is a very good light-hearted entry from director Woody Allen and starring Owen Wilson. The film begins with Wilson and his fiance, played by Rachel McAdams, visiting Paris. Wilson is a screenwriter struggling to write his first book. Wilson loves Paris and longs for the literary Paris of the past, and then his desire to live in the past comes true. One night, after he gets lost walking back to his hotel, he ends up back in the 1920s where he encounters F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, as well as other artists from that era. After the night’s adventure, he goes back to his hotel and the twenty-first century, but he plans to visit his friends from the 1920s again the next evening. What will he see and what will he learn from his trips to the romantic 1920s?
I realize different people have different feelings about films directed by Woody Allen. Some adore most or all of them while others are not fans, perhaps because they feel his life has tainted the films, as in a topic we discussed last week. Critics often like Allen’s films more than viewers, as shown by the current Rotten Tomatoes rating for Midnight in Paris (92% critics; 77% audience). By way of disclosure, I like most of Allen’s films; I love several of them; and there is one that I would probably list among my top twenty films of all time (Crimes and Misdemeanors).
While it is unfortunate that Allen’s films often have to compete with each other, it it is fair for viewers to consider how a new film ranks within Allen’s canon of films. Considering Midnight in Paris in that context, it is not his best work ever, but it is certainly very good. And, more fairly, considering the comedies usually released during the summer, it is more enjoyable and thoughtful than most of them. The lines are witty, the background is beautiful, the story is interesting, and the movie features fine acting from Wilson in “the Woody Allen role” as well as other actors in the ensemble like Kathy Bates and Marion Cotillard.
Since Allen has started making several films in cities outside New York, he has used the camera to make these other cities characters in his films the way he once made New York a character in films like Manhattan. And Midnight in Paris certainly makes one desire to walk the streets of Paris and live a rich lifestyle there, beginning with the opening several minutes devoted to various scenes around the city.
Another feature of Allen’s films is that he often addresses serious themes about life and death, and he does so in Midnight in Paris. For many years Allen has noted that he has been influenced by Ernest Becker’s book The Denial of Death, which is about how our fears affect the way we live. Some of those themes are touched on in this film, as are themes about nostalgia and longing for the past. The themes of nostalgia are reminiscent of Allen’s excellent movie The Purple Rose of Cairo. Although the resolution of these themes in Midnight in Paris is fairly predictable, one may not mind the ride because the journey is so scenic.
What is your favorite Woody Allen film? Leave a comment.
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, which is about how our fears affect the way we live. Some of those themes are touched on in this film, as are themes about nostalgia and longing for the past. The themes of nostalgia are reminiscent of Allen’s excellent movie 
. Although the resolution of these themes in Midnight in Paris is fairly predictable, one may not mind the ride because the journey is so scenic.