Cannot have & do not need

Hello again. 

It's been a while hasn't it? 

I would like to apologise for my lack of blogging. Following the unprecedented success of the first two posts, I just didn't know what to do from there.

This morning I was having one of those reflective periods where my mind was churning out profound philosophical thoughts with every spoonful of rice krispies. One such thought went something like this: 

We want what we cannot have & we have what we do not need.

After repeating that to myself a couple of times I typed it verbatim into Google to see if I had actually thought of a very thought provoking saying or if I had in fact heard it before and was fooling myself into thinking I'm some kind of philosopher who deserves to be listened to.

Anyway, let's think about what that means for a second.

We want what we cannot have
Okay, fairly straight forward. You see something or someone, be it an item of clothing, a car, or a girl/boy you just met and you cannot have it/them for whatever reason. It's safe to say everyone's been in that position before. The reason might be financial (which it is most of the time) or psychological.

        Financial - The new designer jacket is £250 but you only have 69p in the bank. You could save up all your money, work a new job or borrow. People don't apply here, unless your situation involves soliciting a prostitute. 

        Psychological - You see someone who you think is 'cool' wearing a certain jacket or sunglasses. You immediately want to buy the same item because you think it will make you like them and subsequently attract people's attentions. It's all about consumerism.

We have what we do not need
Now, you may think 'of course I need everything I have, otherwise I wouldn't have it', but you'd be wrong -  if you've ever seen the film Fight Club you may recall Tyler Durden says something like this: "Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need." Safe to say he's anti-consumerism. Perhaps a fictional movie chracter telling us to give a modicum of thought to the purposeless items we purchase for ourselves is more ironic than I first realised.

Now far be it from me to imply every thing we desire is purposeless, I'm merely trying to introduce a different perspective on how we spend our money.

Why do we want things we cannot have?
The answer is straightforward because the questions answers itself. Figured it out yet? People are far more likely to want things they cannot have than they are things that are easy to gain.
Think of a young child who wants to play with their parent's brand new phone when the living room floor is littered with every Disney character imaginable.

What I'm trying to get at here (and excuse me if this blog doesn't seem to be going anywhere) is that when you next see some new designer earrings or shoes, ask yourself 'why do I need this?'
Even if you end up purchasing whatever it is that has caught your eye, it's worth thinking about why you want what you want. Is it really worth it? Will it make you a better person? Will it make you happier? If so, for how long?

I hope you can take something away from this blog - can't say I didn't at least try to enrich your life with some wisdom.

I'm off to eat some nice hot soup because I'm not feeling very well at all, but before I do 
I need to use my new Apple iPad to check my Ebay account to see If I have won that Armani watch I've wanted for so long. £250 should definitely be high enough to win it, right?

My take on The Dark Knight Rises

First of all I would like to say that my initial response following my first viewing of the film is very positive. I'm going to give the film (or movie, for my international audience) a strong 9/10 overall. I will give my reasons for this rating below.

This blog will contain 'spoilers', so for those of you who don't like them - 'You have my permission to leave' (in Bane's voice). 

Let me begin with a few things I noticed throughout the film. The fast paced editing was noticeable from the get go and began to annoy me after about 15-20 minutes, especially around the time Selina Kyle snatches Wayne's jewellery. It was too quick at one point when the shot changed a second before Wayne finished speaking to Alfred. I'm not nitpicking here. There was a superfluity of fast editing within the first 20 minutes which made each scene feel as though it was being rushed, for no other purpose than to progress the story. You may feel differently but that's the impression I got. 

Moving on, I acknowledge the argument that too many characters were introduced in the first act of the film - and to some extent agree. I understand that this film is heavily influenced by new characters, yet it felt as though one or two were being thrown in just for fun. A prime example being Holly Robinson (fetch girl). Now correct me if I'm wrong but dear Holly Robinson could be removed from the script and the film would be no worse off without her. She could be invisible in the scenes she is in and funnily enough, her absence would not change a thing. I feel Juno Temple got lucky with this role and her inclusion is unnecessary, but credit to her - at least she's in the credits. It was necessary, however, to introduce Selina Kyle and my word, she did have quite the introduction. In all honesty, I wasn't expecting much from Anne Hathaway. In fact, I will admit to being so naive as to assume that there would be no way for her to top Michelle Pfieffer's Catwoman in Batman Returns. How wrong I was. Although, I suggest that had Burton's Catwoman had a stronger back-story and less of the cheesy one liners, she would have been invincible. Nevertheless, Hathaway's portrayal of a seemingly innocent and unassuming waitress transforms into that of a streetwise cat-burglar who outsmarts the frail Bruce Wayne in their first meeting. This all happens within 10 minutes of being introduced to the character. She manages to find a balance between sexy, sophisticated, sassy and unpredictable - a combination even the almighty Bruce Wayne struggled to deal with. 

Lets move onto the menacing antagonist, Bane. Tom Hardy's performance seems to have been denounced by critics and fans alike. Concerns over his voice being inaudible range back to pre-screenings a few months ago (the overdub was sometimes rather obvious). His fight scenes being 'too soft' for a man who is described by Hardy himself as being "heavy-handed, heavy-footed and just generally nasty." Personally, I think the flaw in Hardy's character was not a result of his performance, rather, it was due to his character not having enough screen time with the other major characters (Batman, Catwoman & even Talia). Admittedly, there were a couple of times I found it difficult to understand Bane's utterances, however for the most part there was no issue, and I even think the voice is fitting for the character he portrayed. Regrettably, Bane was not deployed as effectively as he should have been. The fight scenes with Batman were great but there were only two of them, and they both ended prematurely. Their first encounter was much anticipated and the audience were once again taken by surprise as Catwoman swiftly trapped the dark knight in a sewer with his nemesis. That ended with the heavily apprehended theory that Bane would break the Bat's back, and Nolan doesn't fail to deliver. Nice to see the story staying true to the source material. By this point in the story, we're just under half way through and Bane has already prevailed. 

The final battle between the two takes place in the ultimate act where the police take on Bane's army in a truly astonishing spectacle. Once again, the fight ends early and Batman figures out, after all this time, that the key to stopping the monster is to punch him in the mouth, repeatedly. He does this and voila - Bane's eyes become lifeless and Batman has him where he wants him. Or at least he thinks he does until Talia al Ghul decides to spring a surprise and let Batman know that it was actually her who climbed out of the inescapable prison, whilst simultaneously stabbing him in the ribs (and doing that jerking motion with the blade to really get at Bruce's guts). This happens around 10 minutes prior to the film's conclusion and as Talia toyed with Batman, I came to a conclusion that Marion Cotillard's acting in this film is amongst the worst performances I have ever seen in any film, ever. This opinion was supported further when she rambles on about something after the truck crashes and dies in one of the most laughable and shambolic death scenes in cinematic history. It was just dry. It was even drier than my mouth after 2 hours and 35 minutes without any fluid intake. I think Nolan made a mistake casting her as Talia, but that's just me.

The final scene between Bane and the Bat is short in length and actually quite surprising. I mean, everyone knew Batman would prevail but I doubt too many people saw Catwoman entering on her high-tech bicycle and blasting the poor chap to the other side of the room. Many assume he dies, but there's no final shot of him dying or even a later mention or reference to it, which suggest that it has been left open - either for the audience to decide, or for a future film. I doubt the latter is the case. The way he is dispatched does injustice to the character. Someone as powerful, intimidating and intelligent as Bane has to be killed off by Batman himself, not his girlfriend. One thing's for sure though - he was definitely better than Robert Swenson

As it's now 4:45am and my body is telling me that I am an idiot and I should be asleep, I will try to wrap this up fairly swiftly. 

I cannot end without mentioning John Blake. For me, he portrays Robin from the very beginning. Everything about his character is parallel with the Dick Grayson from the comics, albeit with minor alterations. His character, his role throughout the film is purely to protect the innocent and promote good. He is the shining light in an otherwise war-ridden and apocalyptic Gotham City. The only difference is that he's wearing a cop's uniform instead of a red leotard. Nolan was really intelligent with the way he used John Blake, and a film addict may have been able to spot his character's outcome towards the latter stages of the film. I'm not saying I did, although my initial theory was that he would take up Wayne's throne and become the next Batman. Not too far off. 

In conclusion, I was very impressed with Nolan's third and final film in the legendary trilogy which will no doubt go down as one of the best, if not the best, ever. His unique style, vision and resources allowed for a more modern, a more realistic Batman who we could relate to, understand and grow to love. It's very rare that a director manages to find a balance of a good story, good characters and strong emotional ties to make the whole thing that next level better, yet Nolan does this with ease - especially in the final two films with The Joker and Alfred. Although I'm susceptible to viewing super-hero films in a different way to usual ones (mainly for nostalgic reasons), I still feel that the underdevelopment of Bane as a character was ultimately one of the more prominent flaws in TDKR. Add to that; a miscast of an important role; additional unnecessary characters, and you have yourself a few things to argue about. That's not to say that TDKR has any overwhelming weaknesses, rather a culmination of smaller issues that present themselves more vividly once considered on a broader scale. 

This is by quite a stretch the best film of the year . Far better than The Avengers, and, quite frankly, if you were to compare the two films honestly, it makes The Avengers look like a fairy-tale in comparison to the gritty, realistic and apocalyptic spectacle.
All in all, The Dark Knight Rises was everything that I expected it to be: entertaining, emotionally engaging, action packed and a respectable end to Nolan's Batman.
Warner Brothers trusted him after the money he made from the first two films and let's be honest - who wouldn't give Christopher Nolan $250,000,000 to make a Batman film? 
If one day I save that much, I'll be sure to give him a call.

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UPDATE - Second Viewing
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Today, I watched the film for a second time and it impressed me just as much as it did following the first viewing. You really have to sit back and admire the work Christopher Nolan and his team produced in this epic final outing. Epic in every sense, from cinematography to narrative - It simply blows its predecessors away (every single one of them including Batman and yes, The Dark Knight). 

After watching it again - Anne Hathaway truly deserves all the praise she receives. The way she switches from Selina Kyle to Catwoman is believable, and for her to do it effectively makes the overall performance commendable.  I stand by my view that Holly Robinson adds nothing to the film as well as Marion Cotillard delivering a milquetoast performance. 
If anything, it was slightly more bearable the second time, simply because I knew I would be disappointed. Michael Caine's touching speeches throughout the film hit the emotional spot in exactly the same manner and with exactly the same effectiveness.
Another person who deserves a lot of credit is Christian Bale. He portrays four or five different characters - going from a broken spirited Bruce Wayne to a weak Batman to a shattered and defeated Bruce Wayne to a recovering Bruce Wayne to a returning and full strength Batman. All of which included vulnerability, frailty, sympathy, hope and intimidation. I have to admire his versatility and must admit that he absolutely cracks both Bruce Wayne and Batman in this film. I didn't like his performance in Batman Begins, I wasn't a huge fan in The Dark Knight (although he was more intimidating) but he has everything spot on in The Dark Knight Rises. Previously, my favourite Batman was Keaton and I believe he does a brilliant job in both Batman and Batman Returns -however Bale just goes that extra gear in this film and that, for me, makes him the best Batman.

I am a supporter of Tom Hardy's portrayal of Bane and I believe his performance was outstanding. You must remember that it is incredibly difficult to only have your eyes and your voice to work with. Fortunately, he is a talented actor who had trained well for this role and created a physical appearance worthy of wearing the mask. Interestingly Tom Hardy is billed at 5"10 tall, whereas Christian Bale stands 2" taller at 6"0. In the comic books Bane is around 6"8 which makes him considerably bigger than Batman - who is supposed to be 6"2.
Christopher Nolan approached this 'issue' as if it was not an issue at all - ensuring that all of the shots of Bane excluded his entire body (unless from a distance and/or him not being stood up) and those which showed him next to others did so in the form of a low angle shot (to give power to the subject). An example of this shot use is seen in the picture above.
Furthermore, this made Bane look much taller and created much more of a presence for the character. In the fight scenes, however, he looks the same height as Bale's Batman - but who cares, right?

After watching the film a second time I noticed a very, very subtle indication that Bane is not the young child who escaped the prison. During the first fight scene with Batman, he says "You merely adopted the darkness....I was born it in. Moulded by it. I didn't see the light until i was already a man." To finish up on Bane - I think Nolan chose the perfect villain to follow up on Ledger's incredible performance as The Joker. There would have been little purpose in using a character even remotely similar to the antagonist in The Dark Knight and Nolan knew that any use of such character would have drawn comparison to Heath Ledger. That's not to say that fans haven't compared Bane to the Joker, but they compare their differences! Bane is pure brute force and anarchy, whereas The Joker was solely about psychology. Bane is a terrorist intent on destroying Gotham, whereas The Joker just wanted to toy with Batman.

The fight scenes in TDKR are incredible and none better than Bane v Batman (both occasions). Fans deserved some unadulterated violence and they definitely got that - especially the part in the first fight scene where Bane repeatedly punches Batman's cowl until it cracks open. Another great part is in the second fight scene were Bane becomes enraged and performs a combination of left and right jabs to Batman and misses a couple which ultimately disfigure the concrete pillar behind them. This is completely different to Batman v The Joker - and is, for me, far more entertaining.

The ending is the final part I'd like to talk about, funnily enough. Originally - having read people's comments on forums - I understood the theory that Alfred seeing Bruce at the end is just a dream or a vision. However the various hints towards the latter stages of the film suggest otherwise. For instance, the part where the Wayne Enterprises' technicians tell Lucius Fox that Bruce Wayne fixed the autopilot. In addition to there being no real purpose or sense of satisfaction or closure in ending the film on something that could be interpreted differently. Remember that this is not Inception, this is Batman. Of course, there are some who believe Bruce Wayne dies in the explosion (which realistically he would have, considering the bomb's blast has a 6 mile radius which means Wayne cheated death) but then that just seems to depict Alfred as an ageing psychotic who suffers from hallucinations. Moreover, the man who is announcing what happens to Bruce Wayne's possessions clearly states that the pearl necklace is still missing - which may mean that Bruce gave it to Selina. I think Wayne lives, and it makes more sense that way but everyone is free to interpret how they want to interpret. 

I don't think this will lead onto a fourth film, nor do I see Joseph Gordon Levitt having his own full-length feature with Catwoman. The only way that we will see all the major characters on screen again is if Christopher Nolan is the director. Anyone other than him and I highly doubt the actors would want to return. 

Whoever is assigned with the task of rebooting this franchise, good luck to you.
What Christopher Nolan has created in these three films is nothing short of a masterpiece, and will be remembered for many years to come. It is the greatest trilogy to date and will stay that way for a long time.