Tuesday Talk: The Dark Knight Legend

36 days until The Dark Knight Rises...

From the age of three, I fell in love with two things that remain to this day dear to my heart: dinosaurs, and Batman, the Dark Knight. Around this time, Warner Bros. debuted Batman: The Animated Series, and with that, my love for the Caped Crusader was cemented. Naturally I sought the live action productions soon afterward (with Batman Forever being a favorite for a long time) and I owned enough Batman toys I would need a whole house to display their beauty. Batman was awesome because he kicked butt and the Joker was cool and the series was beautifully drawn.

In 2005, everything changed. Batman Begins, written by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer and directed by Nolan, opened up a whole new understanding of Bruce Wayne and his path to rid Gotham of its criminal underworld. The psychology of the character suddenly became of paramount importance in my life, and the poetic, Shakespearean, magical story of this one man who so finely crafted himself a instrument of perfect deduction and physical skill, vowing that on his watch not another kid will have to suffer the same pain he has suffered, became this beautiful addiction. Begins had me fall in love with the man. In 2008, Nolan and Goyer teamed up to bring The Dark Knight, and with it, my imagination grew even more. A corrupt city, a madman who wanted nothing other than to "watch the world burn", a good man turned vengeful, and the outlaw who fought the fight against insurmountable odds.

These weren't/aren't just movies to me. They represent something fundamentally important to my life personally, and helped mold the type of storytelling I find interesting in my 'career' as a writer. I'm not in love with a guy in a cape and a bat outfit - I'm in love with the why he's in that outfit, the how he came to be in it, the what the costume represents, and the city that refuses to be healed. This is truly amazing material, brought to life by three brilliant, talented individuals who approached the subject from a realistic perspective. And thanks to them, Batman transcended the 'superhero' genre staple and became loved by the mainstream audience.

So understand me when I say, there will be few things in my life I will look forward to as much as I am 20 July 2012 when at midnight The Dark Knight Rises plays at the local movie theater.

Over the weekend, during the MTV Movie Awards (rather bland, minus the hilarious and gorgeous Emma Stone, future wife-to-be), Christopher Nolan, Gary Oldman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Christian Bale took the stage and presented one minute and twenty-five seconds worth of Rises footage. Some new, some recycled, but it was amazing nonetheless. It gave us some spectacularly intimidating shots of the ruthless Bane (Tom Hardy, Inception) and further insight into Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway, Love & Other Drugs). This is very, very good.

Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) holds no allegiances

Not gonna lie, I for one was not on the Catwoman bandwagon. Now, as much as the next guy in the world, I was all for Anne Hathaway in this rather nice, form-fitting outfit, but the casting of Hathaway didn't exactly inspire me, nor did the very inclusion of Selina Kyle/Catwoman in this Nolan universe. I guess it stems from me just not really caring that much about the character - Catwoman just never made that much of a mark on me. After the footage seen here (and the third and final trailer released under a month ago), I'm sold, I'm game. Hathaway nails it, and Nolan clearly understands the character. I'm still a little fuzzy and unsure how she fits into this world, and specifically this story. The amazing thing about Begins and Dark Knight is that each member of the sizable cast played a part - a very important part - in the film's narrative. I'm curious as to how she fits into all of this, and I hope that Selina won't come across as a superfluous character thrown in there for the sake of simply being there. People can complain about the presence of The Joker, Two-Face and Scarecrow in The Dark Knight, but their argument holds very little water when looking at how each of the villains affects the story. So how Selina is relevant to the narrative, that waits to be seen, but for the first time, I'm quite giddy about it. She doesn't appear to be on anyone's side, doing what she wants and needs. From the looks of it, Selina's the one who gets Batman and Bane in close quarters which initiates the first brawl.

So Selina Kyle, I still don't quite know where she's going or how she impacts the story, but I'm having a bit more faith in her inclusion. And with more and more promo shots of her Catwoman visage, I'm becoming more convinced that her outfit is more in line with the trilogy universe. Basically, I'm getting excited.

Bane (Tom Hardy) is revealed in all his glory.

In December Warner released a 6-minute prologue that showed before Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, exclusive to IMAX screens. Naturally I took it upon myself to find a copy online, since the Minnesota Zoo ain't exactly a quick jaunt. The prologue was our primary introduction to Bane, showing a man who is mysterious and calculating, willing to do anything and sacrifice anyone to achieve his plan. Visually, it was very striking, in true Nolan fashion, and Bane looked absolutely intimidating. But seeing as how this was also our first introduction to Bane's voice, this is where the red alert lights started going bonkers in the entertainment world - eventually making itself mainstream by getting mentions on late night talk shows. The problem was that because of the mask and the accent of Bane's voice, some of his dialogue was muddled and indecipherable.

This is my feelings about the Bane stuff: honestly, I love what they're doing with his voice. It's menacing. It's freakin' frightening. A man in a mask isn't scary enough, it needs to have the voice to back it up (e.g., Darth Vader, Batman, The Joker), and Tom Hardy accomplishes that. In the video of the prologue I watched, I could understand Bane's dialogue up until the climax when he wrestles his target in his hands and says something along the lines of "Now is not the time for fear. That comes later." It was muffled, and I had to consult alternatives to find out exactly what was said. Still, Trailer #2 and Trailer #3, both which feature Bane dialogue, feature Bane's voice in all its crystal clear spine-tingling glory.

"I am Gotham's reckoning."

"Your punishment must be more severe."

"Let the games begin."

"When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die."

So in conclusion about Bane: I'm freakin' excited. The Joker was the absolute right villain to counter Batman in The Dark Knight, and Bane is absolutely appropriate as Batman's final nemesis in this concluding chapter. A man with a plan, who will resort to any length to fulfill those devious, murderous plans. His voice is spine chilling, and his physical presence enough to make me recoil and pray he chooses to spare me. During filming of the daylight royale between Batman and Bane, onlookers commented on the two adversaries demeanor: Batman fifty or so feet away from Bane, a crowd of police and henchmen beating each other, and the two men in masks searching each other out, ready to fight, ready to end it.

Whatever the story elements or the theme of The Dark Knight Rises is, Batman vs. Bane has me giddy as New York. This is going to be amazing.

Look at the intensity of Bane. This is going to be a seriously awesome battle.

"The Legend Ends", the tagline reads, and this is bloody enticing. For once, we get a genuine, honest to God, planned conclusion to a hero's journey. It's not exactly something we see with hero stories anymore, with the properties usually abandoned (e.g., Spider-Man, Fantastic Four) and rebooted, but never really given a proper ending. Now we're getting that, and to my favorite heroic character of all. How does one end Bruce Wayne's journey? In Batman Begins, Rachel comments that Bruce's true face is the one the criminals now fear, that Bruce Wayne never came back [in essence, that from the minute his parents where killed, he was from then on always Batman], and in The Dark Knight, Bruce begins to contemplate life outside of Batman, looking to Harvey Dent to be "the hero with a face" that "Gotham deserves." I don't think this Batman tale will end with Bruce Wayne dying, but his rise into the city's savior will spell the end of the cape and cowl. Will Bruce relinquish himself into police custody to stand trial for the acts of Batman (as foreshadowed in Dark Knight)? Will Batman 'die' saving the city (and successfully inspiring it) leaving Bruce free to shake off the shackles of his Dark Passenger and finally be free?

Nolan has always been a man to approach characters from a psychological standpoint first and foremost, and however the physical journey ends, I think Bruce Wayne will end on a completed, content note. As the trailers ay, this is the end of the 'Dark Knight Legend'; Batman will live on through stories or whispers or in the spirit of the Police Department, it's how Bruce hangs up the mask that interests me. Hell, everything interests me. I could go on and on and on about this production.

Perhaps I'm too excited. That's a possibility, and all I will be heading towards is inevitable disappointment. That is a possibility, of course. When I first saw The Dark Knight, it didn't deliver what I was expecting, so I was initially taken aback. I studied those trailers like one of 'em CSI blokes, dissecting every frame and tidbit I could get my hands on, and the movie still 95% surprised the hell out of me. I still have no frakkin' idea what transpires in The Dark Knight Rises, but as long as Nolan continues to honor the themes and story beats he set up in the first two movies and brings a natural resolution to Bruce and, just as importantly, Gotham City, we're in for a wild ride.

All this writing boils down to one simple proclamation: I, Andy Simon, am more excited for The Dark Knight Rises than any other event in 2012. I'm already planning my activities for 19 July - when to arrive, what to bring, what to buy, etc. - because I both will be anxious to see the movie and sad that the time of Nolan's reign over the Batman franchise will shortly be coming to an end.

I'm thinking of dedicating most, if not all, of July to covering the Batman saga. Sound fun?

My tickets for Dark Knight Rises at the Marcus Oakdale UltraScreen. :) Boo ya!

How about you much less Batman addicted fans but general movie lovers? Excited for Dark Knight Rises? Thoughts on the Bane voice? Thoughts on Hathaway's Selina Kyle? How do you think the film will conclude Bruce Wayne's story?

Tuesday Talk: Oscars, Netflix, Kimmel

Welcome to Tuesday Talk, a new feature here at Ramblings of a Minnesota Geek. It allows me the ability to just talk about whatever I want, movies or TV, without actually having some big grandiose topic like, say, 'What is the best Orson Wells performance and why?' or what have you. So I'll do a Tuesday Talk one week, a Tuesday Cap the other - just the Cap thing got a bit tedious after awhile, and I wasn't all that into it. Anyhow, time for me to stay true to the blog's title, and ramble!

As a fan of movies, this is what we do, right? We watch the Oscars, love 'em or loathe 'em. And each year, I find myself less and less impressed. Although, after the Franco/Hathaway lackluster fest that was 2011, this year's broadcast had nowhere to go but up. And host Billy Crystal succeeded for the most part. At least he was lively and jovial (and not looking high), and even gave us a dance routine that I had no understanding of the words [for realzies, the sound was very off all evening]. Highlights include the clever inclusion of Crystal in key 2011 films, the actresses of Bridesmaids coming out and announcing awards, Iron Man and Pepper Pots doing a nice shtick, and the Cirque du Soleil routine which was pretty much awesome [but, frankly, could easily have been trimmed....that said, that was awesome!], and Emma Stone being Emma Stone which is always a plus.

Concerning the awards, well, we got two clear winners: Hugo and The Artist, both of which I have yet to see, and I have a sinking feeling that unless one of 'em blows me away, neither are going to be impactful enough to alter how I view my favorite/best flicks of 2011 as I have it right now. I haven't seen Beginners, which I know everyone is raving about, so I can't full well join the Christopher Plummer bandwagon - although I do recognize the award is a reflection of his entire career, not just this singular movie, so in that regard, kudos Mr. Plummer. Still, a part of me wanted to see Gary Oldman win. Honestly. And while I'm being honest, Midnight in Paris didn't do a single bloody thing for me. Nada. Zilch. So to have the screenplay win for Best Original, and have accolades sprung on it over and over, I just couldn't muster any enthusiasm. But it won, that's the reality, and the big question is this: why didn't that little dick show up and accept the award? Get your ass up there, doofus.

I believe the final running time clock in for the awards was 3.09, and that's pretty bad. For a show that concerns itself so much with time, they really are pretty bad at mastering it. Oh well. I hope the 2013 awards will be far more interesting and unpredictable.

Just - alright, full thoughts confession time: eight movies, a theme park, and bazillions of fans later, and Harry Potter gets nothing? That's criminal. Hugo winning special effects? Granted, all I've seen of it is from the trailers, but c'mon! Rise of the Planet of the Apes or, just as deserving, Transformers: Dark of the Moon. These things demand to be recognized, and nobody is giving them anything more than, 'Oh, right, yeah, that was pretty neat-o effects, wasn't it? Sure, let's nom them.' Not cool. Award these movies already. The more I think about the Oscars, the less in love I am with them. But the Oscars weren't the highlight of the evening. Nay, that was something far more full of hilarity and brilliance and celebratory of everything movie. You'll find that...right after some Netflix' talkin.

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I just finished How I Met Your Mother, so naturally I would have to move onto another series and not actively do homework, right? You are correct! Finding out that the entire series run of the ABC Family show GREEK was available, I put aside any plans for doing stuff that matters and instead concentrating my time on finishing up this series. A long time ago I rented Chapter One from the local library, loved it, reviewed it, and never got back to its awesomeness. Well, I sought to remedy my error of not having seen the complete series (which ended its run early 2011), and voilia, Netflix was my saving grace.

Chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 were watched within a span of, I believe, nine days. Not bad, not bad. It's shows like these that solidify my television addiction. I found myself pressing the 'Next' arrow each and every time an episode finished. When the season two finale reared its head, and Cappie was faced with the decision of chasing after Casey or not (no spoilerage; anyone who cares about what I'm writing about at the moment will most likely had seen all there is to see of GREEK), I resolved to turn it off, and revisit the series a week later (or hell, a day later) with season three. Nope. The camera closed in on Cappie, the credits rolled. Season 2 ended. Approximately two seconds later, I pressed Next, and Season 3 began. I don't honestly think I went through a season as fast as I did with three.

The long and short of it is, the final twelve episodes of season two were strong. I liked them, I liked the introduction of Max and their blossoming relationship. I wasn't so much a fan of the 'oh, you're leaving, what does this mean for our future?' thing the show seemed to pull a lot, and especially with this relationship, but Casey and Max were strong enough together that I let it slide. Evan began a downward spiral into becoming a bigger ass than ever before, rather self destructive, really, and that was very interesting to watch. More to that, Evan and Cappie reconciling their differences and becoming friends for the first time in years - that was a fantastic arc, and to see how their friendship was tested in completely 'Oh no they didint!' ways was a real pleasure. Side characters Calvin and Dale were also given a huge load of material to work with, and not only did it make me have tremendous respect for the actors for going with the flow, but also the writers for their balls going there with these characters. If there's one thing GREEK excelled at (other than fun, fun, fun!) was character development. Even some of the standalone episodes that don't feel like they serve a larger purpose, they tie into character surprisingly well.

That's season three for ya. Loads of stories that don't quite engage, or just aren't really inspired, but thanks to these characters and especially these actors - whatever imperfections the story had, I just didn't care. Season 3 was still enjoyable. I also loved that characters that played important parts in each others lives in the first season, and suddenly had practically no screentime together in the second season, rekindled their friendship/romance in its third year. Not just letting things fall into oblivion because one storyline is over - there aren't many shows that don't fall into that unfortunate crux. Overall, season three was the least bestest of the bunch, but considering the quality of seasons one, two and four, that's not saying it was bad by any means.

Season 4, the final ten episodes. I entered the season with the dread of knowing once it's done, it's done. No more. I deliberately decided to wait a few hours (!) before clicking Next, which wasn't always easy when they introduced subplots and romantic pairings that I was highly interested in seeing [e.g. SPOILERS - Rusty and Ashleigh, weirdly works] and fun stand alone episodes that poked deeper into second hand characters [e.g., the Beaver episode, brilliant!]. Overall, with only ten episodes composing its season, a lot was packed into each episode, making them gripping from beginning to end - at least I dug 'em. Casey growing up and getting into Cyprus law using her wits and attitude, Evan continuously burying himself in a hole, the return of the ultra-bitchy Rebecca Logan who now runs ZBZ, the lost-and-found Ashleigh looking for meaning and direction, Calvin who's stuck between allegiances, Dale who decides to pledge, and finally Cappie's journey into adulthood, the will he? won't he? conundrum. For any final season, the important thing is that the character arcs are left in a satisfying way, and how GREEK chose to go out - it works, it fits, and it's entirely satisfying. There's clear progression of character from when we were introduced to these blokes in the first season, and where they end up - some make choices, have a sort of direction, while others don't know what the hell they're going to do, and simply choose to wing it all. Very real, very honest, very true to characters and life. In a sentence, I loved the final run of GREEK, and furthermore, I take no shame in saying I got all emotionally invested in everyone's damn relationships.

With GREEK finished, my eyes are set on two gritty FX shows: Terriers and Sons of Anarchy. The first didn't make it past its thirteen episode freshman order, no thanks to horrible ratings, and the second just finished its fourth season (I'm resuming with its sophomore run). Thus far, three episodes into both respective shows, they're bloody fantastic. In future ramblings or reviews, I'll do a good ol' write-up, but for now, just gotta say, FX is the channel to watch out for. If I ever develop a series and pursue my life ambition of being a screenwriter (specifically for television, although I ain't about to decline film), I'm bringing my material to FX.

In conclusion, GREEK is one hell of an awesome serious, highly recommended to all young adults or not young adults who enjoy college dramadies. It's sad to see the series go, but it left on a high note. As of this writing, the first three seasons are available in five DVD sets [God I hate ABC Family in regards to how they release their shows, split into half-season 'Volume' DVDs], with the fourth and final season available strictly through Shout! Factory's online website.

What's everyone else watching on Netflix Streaming?

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Now, I don't normally watch late night talk shows, though about a year ago I went on a Craig Ferguson kick and made it my business to watch anything of his I could get my hand on, but since I was already procrastinating on homework (which I later completed, by the way; I know you were all anxiously wondering) I decided to check out Jimmy Kimmel's post-Oscar par-tay with special guest Oprah Winfrey. There was the promise of, like, two dozen stars showing up during the show, and in a manner of speaking, they did. Alright, right off the bat, Kimmel got the humble 'we're not worthy of you, Oprah' jokes out of the way, and they settled in together quite nicely. First Kimmel premiered Movie: The Movie, a 9 1/2 minute trailer that compiles every imaginable cliche in the book in one potential feature film that I would pay top dollar to see. Those ten minutes were the highlight of the evening. Hell, best ten minutes of the day. Kimmel is brilliant. I'm not going to write an exhaustive list of all the actors/actresses that cameod in the piece, but there were tons of surprises, none more so than an appearance of an adorable sci-fi character.

In addition to the faux trailer, Oprah got into the well of funny and delivered some hilarious bits along with Kimmel in some sketches. She actually got her fight on in Oprah's Book Fight Club, where she and her fellow bookie peeps beat the livin' snot out of each other. It was genuinely quite amazing to see, ladies and gents. Next to the movie trailer thing, do yourself the service of watching the Oprah/Kimmel skit. Just as hilarious, just as brilliant. Watch the spectacular Movie: The Movie here. These two skits made Oscar night completely and totally worth it (same meaning, I know, just sounded fun).

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And that concludes the first edition of Tuesday Talk! Man, just writing for the hell of writing feels great. No source citing or thesis statements or any of that college-y stuff. Nice. Spring Break next week, so I hope to finish whatever Netflix addictions I have left and concentrate on watching more movies, which I am at a miserable number with at the moment. Come back later this week, because the Geek is gearing up to hand out his awards for 2011. He's seen enough, now it's time to finally, completely, wholeheartedly close that chapter of the movie world and look yonder to 2012 (!!!), that magnificent, world-ending year that we just happen to be living in now. 2012 air....ahhhh...how it smells and is just as air-y as 2011 air....what am I talking about again? Movie stuff! Right, see y'all tomorrow. Hopefully. Maybe. Happy Tuesday!