Why Fear a Batman Reboot?

It's inevitable that WB will be rebooting Batman, probably sooner rather than later. Batman is their biggest DC cash-cow, and after the success of The Dark Knight Rises, they will want to move on without Nolan and Bale (not because they choose to, but because they have to). This leaves many fans of the Nolan Bat-verse shaking in our boots. However, many others have come out of the wood work claiming that people who don't want a new Batman reboot aren't Batman fans but are instead just Nolan fans. 

Why would people who love Batman fear a reboot? Wouldn't we all want MORE Batman, regardless? My response goes as so:

It has a lot to do with trust. I’ve grown up a Batman fan, I’ve lived through many versions of Batman (I watched the silly ’60s reruns as a toddler, BTAS as a child, Burton’s series, etc…) and what I think a lot of fans of BATMAN are worried about is that rushing into a new “reboot” will bring about the issues we had with Batman Forever/Batman and Robin. 

There is a reason we love Nolan’s Batman so much, and I think it has a lot do with (at least for me) giving Batman the presentation he deserves by a writer/director/team of actors that actually understand it better than any other group has. I think Christian Bale said it nicely after Batman Begins: Nolan gave Batman his dignity back. What fans are worried about is that a new director with a less honest understanding of Batman may come along and strip him of that again.

There can be TOO much of something. There can likewise be a good place to stop and realize more could ruin it. 

I’m TERRIFIED to see what the reboot does to this character I have loved for so long, especially after being presented with something like Nolan’s Bat-series. I am a fan of Nolan as a director, but what he did for Batman is something on a completely other level for me. It’s not because it’s Nolan that I love his Batman movies. It’s because I can see through almost every aspect of his Batman movies that he loves Batman as much as the fans of Batman do, and he’s trying to him justice for that reason. That’s a rare trait to find in directors. Even if they think they get it, not many do. Nolan DOES. 

It’s trust. It will take a lot of convincing for me to trust anyone else with Batman. It just will. I've been burned before, I hope I can love again like I loved Nolan, but I can't make that promise.

Addressing a The Dark Knight Rises "plot hole" ...

I don't know how many of you guys follow the film blog culture, but the most recent trend has been to try to poke holes in The Dark Knight Rises. Most of these things boil down to the fact that the writer wrote his/her blog after seeing the movie only once (or just didn't pay attention) and didn't fully understand the plot. Because of this, they aren't worth responding to because the answer to their condescending questions about the film can be answered by a second viewing of the film. 

However, there is one "plot hole" I did ended up addressing in conversation with some of my friends so I decided to go ahead and post it anyways. 

Obviously this will be spoilery in nature, so read at your own risk.

It has to do with Bruce Wayne and the Miranda character. Check it out if you are interested:

One of the points an entry tried to make was this:

Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard Have Sex – On the one hand, yes these are two very attractive individuals. Why shouldn’t they give in to their carnal desires? On the other, more reasonable hand, there is virtually no development in the relationship between these two. They’re running in the rain, then they start making out, then in the next scene they’re naked. If only real-life romance worked like this. 

Seriously though, with no emotional attachment to this relationship, Talia’s eventual betrayal is nothing more than a Shyamalan-style twist with no impact behind it. A missed opportunity.

So condescending... good lord...

So is the argument against the TDKR sex scene being "out of the blue" based on Batman's reaction to Miranda/Talia's betrayal?  I understand why someone would question Batman's reaction to the Talia reveal if the Bruce/Miranda thing is viewed as only a one-night stand, but I think to view what happens between Bruce and Miranda as a one-night stand is a really shallow interpretation of what is actually going on with Bruce at the time. 

The way I see it is, emotionally, Bruce is really vulnerable at that time, he just lost everything (almost literally) but -especially- he lost Alfred, someone who has always been there for him his entire life. I see him finally opening himself up to someone new as a way of him trying to forgive Alfred and move forward in his life for the first time in 8 years. That one night with Miranda meant a lot to Bruce because it was the first person he allowed to be close to him -the first woman he allowed himself to trust and feel for- since Rachel died. From that point on it wasn't just a one-nighter to him. She meant a new future and a new Bruce.

So Batman's reaction when Miranda/Talia turned out to be behind everything he's fighting against is actually pretty accurate. Especially because I don't think he's only reacting to the betrayal, but also to the fact that Bane and Talia have worked for so long to bring him down on BOTH fronts (the Batman and the Bruce front), that he was wrong about the League of Shadows/Bane/Ras/etc, and the fact that he just got flipping stabbed so is probably going to lose this fight, too.

The only understandable comment on the Bruce/Miranda relationship that I've heard is that there didn't seem to be a lot of chemistry between the two of them...

I disagree. I think there was a good bit of chemistry between them (especially in the scene at the party where she kind of shut him down for assuming the party $$ wasn't going to the charity; cute moments like that between them).

But also, I think if there was chemistry lacking, it worked for the story because we find out that Miranda/Talia actually hates Bruce... so if it felt forced, it could still work for the characters.

Bruce was trying to be open to the possibility of a future with a new lady that everyone around him was pushing on him even though he may not have been emotionally ready, and Talia was only hitting that to drive the knife in deeper for later when she reveals the betrayal. 

You can't look at this scene without also taking into consideration everything happening around it.

If you watch a movie and evaluate scenes in a shallow way then OF COURSE you are going to only see something shallow. So just shut up already with your "plot hole" bull until you actually take a deeper approach to what you're doing rather than just trying to sound smarter than Nolan.

The Dark Knight Rises: The Ending

This started as a small response about the ending then turned into kind of a mini-break down Bruce's relationships with the people close to him and a mini-character analysis of Selina... WHOOPS, I don't know.

Seriously read at your own risk, it completely ruins the ending, but I really want to discuss it so...

CLICK THE READ MORE TO READ...MORE. :)

Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises

I can only really express my feelings for this movie with bullet points... so here we go:

MEGA Spoilers below...

• I absolutely ABSOLUTELY loved this dang movie.. sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much. I JUST... lk;fasjdlkfajsdl;kfajwefncihxg;e rijkg[pflht

Ok now actual things. 

• I CRIED
• I enjoyed Bale as Bruce more in this movie than ever before. I felt like there was so much more playful writing for his character than there ever has been. 
• I was very sad when Alfred left Bruce.
  
  And then I was sure Alfred was going to die... bc Bane knew who Bruce was, so I was sure he'd use Alfred against him. So glad he didn't.
• IT WAS SO VIOLENT. I know that's redundant for a super hero movie, but I've never seen Batman get beat on like he does in this movie, and I was NOT okay with. Nope. Nope. Nope. 
• ANNE HATHAWAY ... she was like... good. I was so skeptical the whole lead-up to this movie about her being Catwoman, but the way they did her.. she was fabulous. It was great. GREAT. 

(Let me preface the next "feels" by this, Catwoman and Batman were the cake toppers at my and my husband's wedding, srsly)

•     BATMAN AND CATWOMAN KISS
      IN COSTUME
      AND OMG
      lkasjdl;fkjdflkwjekrlfjpbdfbj;lkcvjb
• And Catwoman even begs Batman to come with her because they could go anywhere and be anything together and GOD OH GOD OHOOOGFGG GODDDDD

Here are all my ending feels:

• THE ENDING. THE FLIPPING ENDING OF THIS MOVIE... OH MY GODDDD. 
• I was stifling sobs. It was... almost like Snape-crying. 
• They absolutely tricked me. 
• And then the funeral... and Alfred CRIED and said he was sorry he failed the Waynes... and I just... fg;lehcjgnjsdhjg NO NO NO ALFRED NO. 
• Then JGL quits the force... and then they give Batman a statue in the city... 
• Then Alfred goes on his little trip... and we find out JGL's REAL NAME IS ROBIN AND Asdj hcgnfpaieudfnghkdjfvnlksajfghbkljdh 
• Then Alfred SEES SELINA AND BRUCE HAVING LUNCH BC THAT FLIPPING SHIP IS FINALLY CANON.... 
• SELINA AND BRUCE WERE ENDGAME FOR THIS SERIES!!! 
• THEY NEVER END UP TOGETHEERRRR BUT THEY FINALLY DID 
• A HAPPILY EVER AFTER SELINA AND BRUCE OMG
• I kept having feel after feel after feel until I died of emotions.
• The ending was everything I never knew I was allowed to want and especially didn't think we'd get.
• I was SURE Bat and Cats would not be in love. I was sure they were going with the Talia thing as the love interest. Period. So I was SO surprised and happy kldjfgldaksjghenhgbcxjd nfxhvjm
• Nolan it's like you wrote your ending after digging through my HEART

Movie Review: Inception

Just like most everyone else, whose review I've glanced through, I had to see Inception at least twice before I even thought about starting my review. I also thought of waiting until I see it a third time, tomorrow, but I decided to go ahead with it. My general impressions will be the same, regardless of how much more of the mystery I can uncover by further viewings.


Going into this movie, I didn't know what to expect. I knew the cast was stacked pretty deep with wonderful actors, that Nolan was directing and had written the script, and that from the looks of the trailers it was more than likely going to blow my mind. But I didn't know what the plot was really about and what kind of story it was going to try to tell. I went in with a very open mind, trusting and believing that Nolan would never let me down, and my faith was rewarded. Inception was fantastic in pretty much every way.

I always love the way Nolan casts his movies and how he enjoys reusing some people over and over, like Ken Watanabe and Michael Cain. And, I suppose, Cillian Murphy can be counted too! But I also love that he finds new talent and new ways to use it. I think the casting of Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon Levitt was so interesting and wonderful. Both are doing a role that the general public (general as in most, as I understand that both have done roles similar to these that their biggest fans have seen) are not used to seeing them in, and yet seem to fill them perfectly. I also think part of my adoration for Page's part is that I love her character's interaction with Leo's character so much. Ariadne was a character that Cobb needed, but she seemed to me to be such an unlikely character to fill that role. It was very unique and, in my opinion, sweet. Plus, what a role of a life time to play side by side with Leonardo Dicaprio? (I'm really trying hard to keep my fan-girl at bay, here.)

Which leads me to Mr. Dicaprio's performance. Of course he did a great job. I don't know that I've seen a performance where I didn't think that about him. He's just a fantastic actor all around. Leo has played characters like this many times: tortured with guilt, can't escape the past even as he's trying to, and with some sort of family tragedy that's completely shaped him. Sounds a little like Shutter Island's Teddy to me. I thought that this Inception role wasn't as good for him, as far as Oscar nominations go, as his role in Shutter Island but he still knocked it out of the park as Cobb.


No one can review this movie and not talk about the amazing visuals. creating a dream world can't be an easy thing to do, especially for a director like Nolan who doesn't use CGI ever, unless it's the very last resort. So the fact that this movie looks so dream-like, and yet uses the least amount of CGI possible is amazing. And not only that, but the way he was able to capture the true feel of dreams itself really impressed me. I've had dreams where I've tried to recreate them through writing or explaining them the next day, and yet there was no way I could. And yet Nolan was able to put an image on the screen that depicts similar moments that I've felt in my dreams with no trouble (though I'm sure, with lots of hard work)! Amazing.

What really blew my mind was the entire concept of the dream within the dream, and how what could be happening in one dream will affect the other dream. And also, how time is so different in a dream. Blew my mind, and yet it's something we already know. We dream for what seems forever, and we wake up and we've only been asleep for 15 minutes. Nolan just brought that to the screen and made it seem tangible.

It's something that I would have never in my life thought of or wondered about, until now. Now, that Nolan has made dreams into this logical reality on screen. It's so amazing and refreshing to know that in a world filled with movies based on remakes, tv shows, and regurgitated romance stories, etc... there is still a director who is writing fresh, unique scripts, with amazing depth and insight. I think one of my favorite parts for sure was the fight the Joseph Gordon Levitt has as the hotel is flipping and he actually fights this guy on the walls and ceiling! And this is happening to the dreamworld because the dreamer is in a van that's flipping. Mind. Blown. I love it.


THEORIES AND INTERPRETATION

Which brings me to the part where we have to talk about theories and interpretations. After seeing it and reading a few articles and talking to all my friends about the possibilities, I have come up with my own interpretation of this film. Many people have tried to convince me that Cobb, at the end of the movie, is actually stuck in a dream. I don't believe that. I don't think that he was trapped. I think he found his way home, in the REAL world. I'll explain why.

Now, I read this amazing article (click to check it out!), that actually argues not only that Cobb is stuck in a dream at the end, but that the ENTIRE movie is a dream from beginning to end. I don't agree with that part at all, but this article also points out a fantastic allegory of film-making that this movie may portrays. He says that this movie is about how Nolan makes movies, and each character represents a part of the movie-making process. Cobb is the director (Leo based his performance on Nolan, he said), Arthur (JGL) is the producer, Ariadne (the architect) is the screen-writer, the chemist is the techie, Tom Hardy's character is the actor, and Cillian Murphy's character (the man they are trying to convince of these dreams, or the 'movie') is the audience. It's a wonderful idea, and it fits perfectly, and I rather enjoy believing that Nolan is really telling the story of what it means to him to make movies. The article also points out that Mal (Marion Cotillard, who is frighteningly beautiful in this film) represents what Nolan as a director brings in of himself to a film. Because Mal sabotages most everything Cobb tries to accomplish, it seems Nolan views a director bringing himself into a piece as a bad thing, which the article points out as unique, and that most directors may have written Mal as what helps Cobb succeed, instead. This is an interesting look at the kind of director Nolan is/hopes to be.

From all this, the article explains that the message Nolan is trying to show in Inception is that the catharsis a person feels from a dream is just as true as the catharsis that can be felt from a movie as the catharsis that can be felt in real life. I absolutely loved this idea. If you know me at all, you know that I believe in this, especially as a fantasy nerd. A world or story doesn't have to be real to create real emotion and healing, because those emotions you feel are real. Even if you are yearning for or missing a character that doesn't exist, even if you wish you could go to a place that isn't real, even if you have some sort of real healing because you can relate to a story that never happened, all of those feelings and revelations REALLY happened. In this way, the article is saying that even if Cob IS lost in a dream world at the end, it isn't a tragedy, because the joy he feels at the end is real.


That's where I disagree with that article, obviously, because I believe he made it out. I saw this movie last night with a few of my friends, and one of them had read another article about Inception (click to see!) that talked about some other observations I hadn't thought about. One of the key things was that the top was not Cobb's totem, but it was his wedding ring. When he's in a dream world (and we watched for this last night) he's wearing it, when he's in reality, he doesn't. In fact, Cobb never even says what his totem is. It's clever editing that makes the viewer assume that the top is Cobb's totem, but he never says that the top is his totem or what object is instead. Spinning the top isn't about checking reality. Spinning the top is an action of guilt, maybe to remind himself of what he did, or the last piece of Mal he has in the physical world, but it's not his totem. (This last thought was brought to you by my husband.)

I suggest looking over this 2nd article to gain more evidence of this, because it is wonderfully put together and makes it pretty clear that this wedding-ring theory is onto something. For example, he compiled this list:

• "On the train before Saito wakes up. No Ring.
• All of Mombasa. No Ring.
• Yusuf’s basement, after dropping his totem. No Ring.
• Paris workshop . No Ring.
• Aridane’s first experience with Dream sharing. Wedding Ring.
• First Class cabin scene. No Ring.
• ALL of the inception. Wedding Ring.
• Final scene of the film. No Ring."

This was no accident that Nolan had Cobb wearing his ring in some scenes but not others. It absolutely means something, and since a totem is supposed to be something that's specific to you, that only you know that weight and feel of... what is more personal than your wedding ring? It's right to assume that this must be Cobb's. Also, this same article even has a screen cap of IMDB, where it shows that they cast 2 different sets of children to play Cobb's kids because they age 2 years, from Cobb's dream version of them to when he comes home at the end. Like the article says, why cast 2 new kids unless it's important to show that time has elapsed?

And to further disprove the idea that the ENTIRE thing is a dream, I'd have to say there is just TOO much logic for it all to have taken place inside a dreamworld. The way time is effected and played out within each dreamworld, the exactness required to make sure they all reach the kick, the way JGL's character was affected by the gravity and lack there of... etc. I just don't see how all of this LOGIC, albeit dream logic, could have been dreamt up the entire time by Cobb, while he's off doing other things. No. I really believe there was a true reality in this movie. And that at the end, Cobb finally reaches it.

Overall, I obviously loved this movie. It's another of Nolan's wonderful pieces, and in my opinion, is one of his best so far. I can't wait to continue to follow his career and see what other great works he comes up with! Oh, and please keep using Hans Zimmer. The Inception score is TOTAL WIN.