Movie Review - "The Dark Knight Rises" (2012) *****

     I've mentioned several times on the blog that I was not the biggest fan of comic book movies. I never got much from the original Superman films. The Spiderman films did nothing for me. And stuff like the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Green Lantern, etc. just simply didn't appeal to me. The one exception was Batman. I highly enjoyed Tim Burton's 1989 Batman and it's follow-up, Batman Returns. The rest of the films in the series were pretty dreadful, but those first two were favorites of mine at the time. When I heard that the Batman series was being rebooted in 2005, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, after my first viewing of Batman Begins, the first film in Christopher Nolan's trilogy, I was a bit disappointed. Subsequent viewings of that movie have improved my position on it, but I still find it somewhat lacking. However, a few years later when The Dark Knight was released, I had finally found the perfect comic film. I gave The Dark Knight five stars and to this day, it is one of my favorite films. Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was deserving of the Oscar it received, and I still find it a crime that the film didn't receive a Best Picture nomination in what was a weak year for films. So, heading into this year, my anticipation for The Dark Knight Rises was very high. Only Prometheus matched my level of excitement, and that met my expectations. The Dark Knight Rises not only met my expectations...it somehow managed to exceed them.

     I won't go into a plot summary too much. I believe this is one of those films that it's either going to interest you, or not, and those that are even the slightest bit interested should just go see it. Plain and simple. It's been 8 years since Batman was last seen in Gotham City following him taking the fall for the crimes of District Attorney Harvey Dent. The plot that Batman (Christian Bale) and Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) came up with has worked as crime has been almost non-existent in those 8 years. But trouble in Gotham is about to pick up again in the form of two different villains. A cat burglar named Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) is causing havoc and the even more dangerous Bane (Tom Hardy), a masked terrorist set on destroying Gotham. Bruce Wayne/Batman is living as a recluse but the acts of Bane have caused him to rethink his retirement, much to the chagrin of his loyal butler Alfred (Michael Caine). After a visit to see his old friend Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and a new array of crime-fighting devices, Batman is soon back in the game with the help of Gordon and a young, ambitious cop named Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), who is still a big believer in Batman and what he stands for. The group goes after Bane but it isn't long before Batman realizes he has finally met his match, as even he may be no competition for Bane.

     In what has been a strong year for movies so far with films like Prometheus, The Avengers and The Grey all receiving 4+ stars from me, The Dark Knight Rises stands above all and I would find it difficult for a movie to beat it in my year end rankings. It would take a pretty special film along the lines of a Social Network or Moneyball to unseat it. It's possible a gem like those two were will come along, but it's going to be tough. TDKR clocks in at just under 3 hours long, but it could have gone another hour or two and I would have been perfectly fine with it. The first hour is more build-up and if there is a weak point in the movie, it is this first hour, but it's really being nit-picky. I liked it, but some people could find it a touch slow. But when all hell breaks loose in this movie, it doesn't let go. If you like action, this is the movie for you, there's plenty of it. We throw terms around like "edge-of-the-seat excitement" loosely these days, but it applies in this case.

     Comparisons to Dark Knight are inevitable and I have been thinking about this a lot since the movie ended. I would give both 5 stars but I may give the slightest edge to The Dark Knight simply for Heath Ledger's Joker character. There's nothing in this newest installment that is probably Oscar material from an acting standpoint. Everyone gives a fine performance but nothing along the lines of what Heath was able to pull off. That would be the main difference, but the separation is very minimal and additional viewings of TDKR may bump it up over its predecessor. The one acting performance that really shocked me was Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. I wasn't really expecting much from her in this role, but she is awesome (and darn sexy in that Catwoman suit if I do say so myself!). In a genre that is dominated by male actors, her performance along with Scarlett Johanson's in The Avengers have been scene stealers. Kudos to the ladies. Any review of this movie wouldn't be complete without mentioning director Christopher Nolan and his co-writer/brother Jonathan Nolan. You two are to be commended for this trilogy which turned out one solid movie and 2 unforgettable movies. I can't believe I'm saying this, but this trilogy is worthy of being mentioned in the same breath as the original Star Wars trilogy. And people who know my Star Wars love understand what kind of praise that is. If you are on the fence at all about this movie, do not be. It's simply one of the greatest films ever made, I feel confident...and happy...in saying that.

Author' Note:  It's unfortunate that the release of this movie has been overshadowed by the tragic shooting in an Aurora, Colorado theater at a midnight premiere of the film. My thoughts and prayers go out to all the family members of those who lost their lives or were injured in the attack. I cannot begin to understand what people there may be going through right now, but I encourage everyone who reads this review to say a quick prayer for those affected by these tragic events. Thank you.

Movie Review - "Ted" (2012) ***1/2

     I believe there are three types of people in this world, as it relates to the tv show "Family Guy". There are those who have either not seen it or who have seen it and simply don't get it. There are those who get it, but are offended by it and reject it for those reasons. And there are those who get it and think it's simply one of the funniest shows to ever be on television. You can count me in this last group, I get "Family Guy". I realize it's not for everyone, and there is no way I would let my kids watch it if I had any, but underneath the foulness and raunchy humor I get what it is trying to say. There's definitely a "message" in there about how we take things way too seriously these days. I bring this up because "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane is the first-time feature director, and writer, of the new movie Ted. There is a lot of "Family Guy" DNA in Ted, in fact some of the voice actors on the show have roles in this film. Ted is an...interesting...film to say the least and I think it can best be described as an episode of "Family Guy" on steroids. It takes the raunch of the show and turns it up a LOT. This movie will not be for everyone and if you find yourself in either of the first two categories that I mentioned earlier, than this movie will probably not be for you. However, if you are someone who can handle the sometimes uncomfortable subject matter and humor, you will be pleased.

     Ted stars Mark Wahlberg as John Bennett. As a child, John had no friends, not even the kids who got bullied wanted to hang out with him. For Christmas one year, John receives a teddy bear that he names Teddy, of course, and it is the greatest gift he has ever been given. He wishes on a shooting star that Ted will come to life, and sure enough he does, which freaks John's parents out. Ted (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) is a miracle and soon his story is spreading around the world, including an appearance on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. John and Ted are inseparable and make a pact to always be friends, no matter what. Fast forward to his adult years and John is a thirtysomething bachelor who works at a rental car company. Years spent partying and drinking has made him a likable fellow, just not very motivated to accomplish much. Ted is still a part of John's life....and has taken on the same characteristics as his buddy. The first time we see Ted in adult years, he is sitting on a couch taking puffs on a bong pipe. For John and Ted, life is sitting around drinking beers, smoking dope, and watching the 80's cult hit Flash Gordon. This is fine for them, but John's girlfriend of four years, Lori (Mila Kunis), is ready for John to become more of a man and propose to her. She likes Ted, but she feels it is time for the duo to split up so John can finally start acting his age. Ted does end up getting his own place, but John finds it difficult to not hang out with his best friend and he keeps testing Lori to the point where John is forced to choose...his girlfriend or his best friend.

     For the first hour of the film, I laughed as much as I have in a theater in a long time. Ted is very raunchy and there are times when you aren't necessarily proud of the fact that you are laughing, but it is very funny nonetheless. Unfortunatley, the movie goes on for another 45 minutes that is not nearly as strong. For some reason, this becomes an action picture in the end with a car chase and all that jazz. Why? It makes no sense here and really takes away from the comedy that is working so well. I think if the movie would have just stayed the course and played it more straight, this could have been one of the funnier movies ever made. But that last bit just leaves a bad taste in my mouth that I can't ignore. The acting here is all fine, nothing to write home about. Wahlberg can be likable on screen at times and he plays this role very well. Kunis seems to be along for the ride and isn't given much to do other than the frustrated girlfriend, any number of actresses could pull of a similar performance. But she is a "Family Guy" alum, so for that reason I am okay with her here. Giovanni Ribisi has a small role in the film as a father who wants to buy Ted for his son. All I'm going to say about his part is that it is SUPER CREEPY and I will never look at Ribisi the same way again. Don't get me wrong, it made me laugh, but it is strange! Overall, I think MacFarlane did a very good job here, he just messed up the ending a bit and it took away from the finished product. Hopefully he will learn from that because I'd like see more feature work from him. I love his sense of humor. Ted is very funny and if what I have said above seems to appeal to you, by all means give it a shot. This won't be for everyone though. And it's especially not for kids. Parents, please do not let your kids watch this. You don't want to be explaining certain things to them. Trust me.

Thoughts on the James Bond marathon

     In July, the Encore channel is having a James Bond movie marathon all-month long. The first 19 Bond films are being played repeatedly on Encore and you can watch them at any time with Encore OnDemand. I have seen a lot of films in my time, but this may surprise you; I have only seen 2 Bond films all the way through. Back in the 80's, I saw Octopussy because it played what seemed like EVERY day on HBO or Cinemax. I'll be completely honest, I only saw that film because I was young and thought it was about something completely different.....but that's beside the point. I remember liking it and watching it many times. I didn't see my second Bond film until Casino Royale, one of the most recent entries into the series. I thought that one was just okay, although the opening sequence was fantastic. But that's it, just those two. I have caught bits and pieces of other films here and there, but never saw them from start to finish. I don't really have a good answer to why I haven't caught more of the Bond films. There are definitely aspects of them that would seem to appeal to my movie tastes, especially when it comes to the espionage stuff. I think one of the reasons is that I hate coming into a film or tv series in the middle. It's just one of those mental block things that doesn't make sense to a lot of people, but it's just a quirk I have. If I think I might be interested in something that has already been going on for a while, I like to go back and start at the beginning and catch up. In the age of dvd and such, it's easy to do that but I have just been reluctant to for some reason. Until now.

     This Encore marathon seems like the perfect time to catch up on Bond. Throughout the month, I plan on watching the Bond films in order. I don't plan on doing full reviews for each movie, but from time to time I will pop in and give my thoughts on the series. So far I have only seen the first film, Dr. No, and I was less than impressed. I found it quite a bit boring and thought it dragged a lot. But I understand that is the first one and maybe they were trying to find their way through the series. I started From Russia with Love yesterday and watched the first half before something came up and got me sidetracked. But so far, I am enjoying this one much better. I will probably watch all of the Connery films first and then give an update, seems like a logical way to break it up. In the meantime, I'd be interested in hearing what some of your favorite Bond films are and which ones I should look out for. I encourage any feedback.