Movie Review- "The Dark Knight Rises"

Ok, before I mention anything about this film, let me just say that this is one of the few exception where I did not viewt  the films in order. I never saw "Batman Begins". Only caught the first half of it on TV recently. So, this trilogy started with "The Dark Knight" for me. Don't get me wrong. I think, for the most part, "The Dark Knight" almost works as a stand alone film. The same, I can say, for "The Dark Knight Rises". It may have a few references to the past 2 films, but nothing that you can't fill in the gaps for later.

I initially thought that Anne Hathaway was an odd choice to play Catwoman. There are better actresses to play her, but then again, there are worse ones. But, during her first scene of screen, I thought "yep, she IS Catwoman". The beauty and grace, and the selfishness, all of which she portrayed tremendously on screen.

Now, I do not know the Batman villain Bane that well, as I am not a DC, I'm a Marvel. Our only other previous Bane (in a theatrically released movie) was in "Batman & Robin", and they movie got a lot of inconsistencies and errors that I will not go into right now. But, from what I do know of Bane, this movie captured what he was like a lot better. He wasn't a mindless thug of Poison Ivy. He was a mastermind, almost on par with Lex Luthor or Kingpin. That's the impression of what I received watching this. (If any of my comic book nerd friends know of Bane differently, please feel free to comment below).

This 3rd part also introduced a new character: John Drake. And with any 3rd part there had to be a reason why he was introduced. Throughout the movie, we are shown that he is brave and honest and has honor. I knew there had to be a reason why they were showing us this. And when/if you see this movie, you will know why at the movie's end. He is a likable character.

The most emotional scene in this for me involved Alfred. He mentioned something about a letter in the previous movie. I won't go too much into detail, but i almost cried during that scene, but Nolan knows when and where to put emotion into his movies, and more importantly, how to do it right. Nolan's movies just keep getting better and better. However, with this trilogy, I must say that I do think "The Dark Knight" was a better story, but "The Dark Knight Rises" did have a lot of good points. And one of the best endings in film history.

My Overall Rating: B+

Movie Review-"Moonrise Kingdom"

Ok, let me start off by saying that I like Wes Anderson's style of filmmaking but have only seen a few of his movies. From what i have seen, he does have an artsy feel to his films. With "Moonrise Kingdom", the opening sequence did not really "pull me in", so to speak. It actually starts off a little slow and boring, but the movie does pick up speed very quickly, as we are introduced to the two kids this film centers around. And the two kids played their parts perfectly. These two have bright futures as actors.
The adults in the movie were kind of hit and miss for me. Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand were really great and filled their respective roles well. But, I personally felt that Bill Murray or Edward Norton's characters in the film lacked any real depth. I did not get a feeling about how they were as characters. But, after the story gets going, the adults kid of lose focus and we start caring more about the kids. This was a nice, innocent tale of romance. The chemistry between the kids paid off. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if their kiss in the film made someone's Top Ten list of Best On-Screen Kiss. It was just sweet and innocent. I left the movie with a smile, feeling good.

My Overall Rating: B+

Movie Review- "The Amazing Spider-Man"

Ok, this was partially my fault. I went in with high expectations. Marc Webb is a talented director (see "(500) Days of Summer"). I used to be a comic book geek, and Spider-Man was one of my favorite superheroes. While i understand that the director went with more of the "Ultimates" storyline, there are just some things that should be left alone. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

First off, I think Andrew Garfield made a really good Peter Parker. And Emma Stone made a terrific Gwen Stacy. But, Dennis Leary as Capt. Stacy didn't really fit the part for me. Not necessarily his look, but his demeanor. In this movie, he appeared to be something of a hard-ass. In the comic books, he was always friendly (and almost always smoking a pipe). Martin Sheen made a good Uncle Ben, but Sally Field didn't look like the Aunt May i remember from the comics. I know they wanted her closer to the "Ultimates" version, and her behavior/mannerisms were spot-on, but having her "aged down" kind of threw me.

Having the Lizard as the main villain was an interesting choice. There are worse villains that the writers/directors could have chosen (i.e.- Kangaroo, Spot, White Rabbit, etc.). But, conversely, there are many villains that could have been chosen that would have been SPECTACULAR to see on screen (i.e.- Mysterio [my personal favorite], Kraven, Chameleon, etc.). So, i was ok with the Lizard... until I saw him on screen. The Lizard usually still wears his trademark labcoat on, even after he transforms. And the Lizard has something of a snout. No snout, but no nose either. He kind of reminded me of Grig, from "The Last Starfighter".

I didn't feel that Peter and Gwen had any chemistry together, until the last 30 minutes of the movie. Whenever there was an emotional scene, it just didn't move me like it should have. Whether it be the musical score, sound effects, or mood. In fact, most of the movie felt as if it were been rushed. Filmed in a hurry to get it in the theaters as quick as possible, I would have preferred if they took a bit more time and got more of the character connections better established.


My Overall Rating: D+

Update: July 10th, 2012- Upon giving the movie a second viewing and now understanding that they were trying to do a "Batman Begins" type of thing, I would probably re-rate it as: C+