What's good about "The Dark Knight Rises"

I'm very interested in leaving behind Christopher Nolan's latest film altogether, since it's rather brazenly overstaying its welcome in internet talk sessions, particularly for somebody who is not at all taken with it. Personally, I feel the need to move on towards other, optimistically better, film experiences, but I've caught myself with a few notions on "The Dark Knight Rises" that quite honestly aren't too shabby. If for no other reason than to alleviate some of the hate that's come my way due to my own personal opinion, which still stands. Just as most people can't understand why I hate it so fervently, I can't understand what so many people find great about it, but not for lack of trying.

Take for example the opening six minutes that played in front of "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol" half a year ago, which whet my appetite deliciously for what this film could be. I still maintain that it was a ridiculous and frankly overcomplicated scheme that served only to get this character, who is an absolutely cartoonish mad scientist. That doesn't stop it from being the lone example in the entire film of a true cinematic set piece, with some reservations. The sequence doesn't say a whole lot about the world these characters inhabit, other than the fact that the police and CIA are idiots. It doesn't come close to doing what The Joker announcement in "The Dark Knight" did, but it offers some legitimate and ambitious thrills that the rest of the film utterly fails on. Also, as a plus, the CIA agent looks like my uncle Joe, so that's something.

Film Review: "The Dark Knight Rises"

I get tired of having to restate this opinion, but let me verify that I do not spend $15 to see a movie with the expectation, much less the intention, of hating it. Even with this particular film, against which this week has me particularly jaded, I went in with an open heart and a cautious mind, as I do with every film. When you get down to the bare skeleton of it, the film either has to be entertaining or compelling, which is something I can say both previous Batman films from Christopher Nolan did in unison. "Batman Begins" was stunning, insightful, and tightly plotted for the first 70 minutes, and "The Dark Knight" was a nonstop hammering of terrifying notions of terrorism, insanity, and political morality. Moreover, it was a complete piece of cinema, honest and deliberate in all its ideas.

Christopher Nolan has frequently stated that he always devotes himself to the film at hand, not thinking about the future and allowing for there not to be one after the film concludes. I assumed that would go both ways, with films not relying on past sympathy either. In respects to "The Dark Knight Rises", he breaks the promise that each of his films must stand on their own. However few people who go into this film with no previous knowledge of the series will be lost in rushed and extraneous story arcs. It doesn't work as a film on its own, but it doesn't trust the memory of the previous films. Alone, it's a string of plot details carried on from the first two films, but it doesn't tonally reconcile with the first two films in the slightest.

"The Dark Knight Rises" Trailer 3

I'd really like to get to a point of great excitement regarding Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises", but I know that the last way to get there is through the trailers. They have truly never known how to properly sell these films in marketing, always operating well within the material they have, and not diverging for something that's possibly better. Perhaps it's just my disdain for trailers and their knack to give away the game well in advance. That's why I can't muster up a high degree of enthusiasm for this film, but I want to. It sounds like an excellent proposal, but it relies on the execution. The previous flicks tend to fly a little kid-friendly, with cute jokes that really don't warrant inclusion. Hoping that doesn't happen again.

THEN AND NOW: Supporting Actor & Actress

It's no secret, especially since the rather long leave of silence on the site, that I am just not loving this Oscar season anymore. I'm not sure if I ever was. Of course, there are some races that have me quite invested in the outcome, as always, but they are few. And I kept feeling like I had to explain why this year was a low point in the Academy history, though that should be perfectly obvious. The Academy has lost their teeth, which is no huge news, but even more than that, they've lost their sense of spontaneity. For the first time in a while, I am kind of wishing Brett Ratner and Eddie Murphy had stayed. Why? Because the moment they strolled off, this year became extremely safe. The quick choices of Brian Grazer and Billy Crystal to fill in was the first sign.

So it seems so fitting to compare this year to last year in terms of who made the cut for the nominations. This year, it doesn't really matter who the other four nominations are, as we all know it's going to be Christopher Plummer for Best Supporting Actor. I touched on this a bit a while back, but this year's slate of Supporting Actor competitors is extremely soft. I know everyone is pissed off that Jonah Hill made it, but he honestly isn't the worst of evils. In "Moneyball", he is admittedly kind of good. If nothing else, he has shown that he has a possible future in the way of dramatic roles. Does he deserve a nomination for just showing that he has potential. Absolutely not.

"The Dark Knight Rises" Trailer

It's rather difficult to post up something on a trailer that you haven't seen, and luckily I broke my self-embargo on film trailers for this particular one. I wish I hadn't, as it makes me all the more excited to see what Nolan has going on here. Notes of confusion from "The Dark Knight" continue irritatingly here, with many who keep asking annoying questions about what they think is going on. It gets old very quickly, but in short, I think Nolan is trying something rather special with this one. He's attempting to tie together the previous two movies in one final go, and though I have as much suspicion as I do anticipation, that's much of what makes this an appropriate tease. I'm done viewing trailers from this, and any other film next year. From here on, the floor is yours.

"The Dark Knight Rises" Teaser Trailer

I honestly haven't a damn clue why people are so damn disappointed about the new teaser for The Dark Knight Rises. The film is an entire year away from release, so what more could you have been expecting? I'd say we get a great deal more than we received from the teaser for The Dark Knight. It's clear that the stakes are raised, and Nolan's trilogy is effectively concluding. I'm hoping that he doesn't hold back on this one. I want massive hell to be unleashed upon Gotham, and this trailer hints at about as much as that. With luck, this could be the perfect joining of the pulp excitement of Batman Begins with the realistic tension of The Dark Knight.

"The Man Dresses Up Like a Bat. Clearly He Has Issues."

I feel like Christopher Nolan could craft this into the plot for Inception 2, if he were ever to make one. In any case, this is a really fun interesting fan item.

Oscar 2010 Predictions: Supporting Actor

We live in a world of good and bad, and it almost seems as if we spend so much time defining the line between those two that we forget about the line between good and great. That's my biggest problem with this year's Oscar race, and I doubt that I'm alone on this one. I had so much overwhelming trouble compiling a list of last year's best, not only because I hadn't seen everything, but because there were so few truly great films. Not to mention the fact that at the time I was compiling my list, I hadn't made the important revelations that didn't occur until we reached this Oscar race. This Oscar season has really shaped me more critically than any other in recent memory, and that's the biggest complement I can give it.

So, you can stand to reason that all of the performances in the Best Supporting Actor category are good, but can we really say that they're all great? I hardly believe that to be the case, especially since one of my favorite supporting performances of the year wasn't even nominated here, and I'm not speaking of Andrew Garfield's sweet and sympathetic performance in The Social Network. I'm talking about Vincent Cassel's finely cut performance in Black Swan as the intense ballet director and Nina's romantic fancy. Almost every character in the film is two-sided, which offers only the greatest performances.

As for what is nominated, I can't say all are deserving to be here, and the one I find my mind coming back to constantly is Geoffrey Rush in The King's Speech. I know he used to be the frontrunner, but he just lacks the extra depth that's needed to go above and beyond. If there's anybody who's going to steal the top prize from the preferred winner, it will be him, but undeservedly so. Similarly, Jeremy Renner did a fantastic job with what he was given in The Town, and he just bordered on being truly great. The role was there, and he was there, but something benign just seems to be holding him back a bit.

So who is nominated here and deserves to be here? For one thing, I still feel Mark Ruffalo's character in The Kids Are All Right was given a melancholic and half-fulfilled ending, which is really perfect for the performance he gave. It's really fascinating in that less-is-more sort of way, and Ruffalo has always excelled in such subtleties. John Hawkes is my #2 pick for this category, and he emphasizes everything I loved about Winter's Bone, with the gruff exterior shrouding a wearied heart underneath. He's sadly not going to win this year, which adds to my hopes that he really pulls out all the stops in Martha Marcy May Marlene.

This category simply belongs to Christian Bale this year, and it's almost an act of apology after the Academy snubbing him all these years. It's unfortunate that he hasn't received a nomination until now, but it's great that he's set to receive his first win this year. He always falls completely into these roles, from every expression and every breathe, and it almost always feels unique to that specific character. This is one of those instances, and when Bale's playing a coked up former-wrestler whose fame is widely debatable, as is the case in The Fighter, you're going to deal with some crazy emotions. Bale matches those perfectly, as he almost always does.

1. Christian Bale (The Fighter)
2. John Hawkes (Winter's Bone)
3. Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
4. Jeremy Renner (The Town)
5. Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Will & Should Win: Christian Bale (The Fighter)

Potential Upset: Geoffrey Rush (The King's Speech)

Should Have Been Nominated: Vincent Cassel (Black Swan)

What's Next?: Best Supporting Actor

We had something of a weak start to this series last week, with a bunch of supporting actresses who weren't planning on doing anything radical or new in the next year. This week is certainly a step in the right direction, with five supporting actors who have rather large and immediate plans made. Take John Hawkes for example, who is currently nominated for his role in Winter's Bone, which premiered a year ago at Sundance. This year he has a similar Sundance darling in the form of Martha Marcy May Marlene, in which he plays the leader of the cult that Elizabeth Olsen's character is trying to escape from. I'd be very happy to see the man back here again next year.

Mark Ruffalo's next feature is certainly an ambitious one, and he has some literally huge shoes to fill. He's set to appear as Bruce Banner, otherwise known as the Hulk, in Joss Whedon's The Avengers, currently slotted to release in May of 2012. On a related note, Christian Bale also has a superhero role by the first name of Bruce to head into after he picks up his Oscar statuette later this month. The Dark Knight Rises is piecing itself together as we speak, with a few casting rumors still circulating. I doubt they're going to put Robin Williams in as Hugo Strange, because I feel we have all the villains we need for the film to work. However, if Joseph Gordon Levitt ends up playing a supporting protagonist, I'm totally in. Wally Pfister has also recently said that he's read the script for the film, and it could potentially top The Dark Knight. If that doesn't make you want to push time forward to July 2012, then I have no idea what does.

I'm sorry if it felt like I was going off course, but I just had to get that news out there. Getting back on topic, Geoffrey Rush can be said to have big plans this year, but depending on who you ask, he could also have made some decisions. This May, Rush reunites with Johnny Depp for the fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides, this time circling around the fountain of youth. With each film, there is a certain chance of some shred of disappointment, and this is no different. Still, it may be good impure entertainment, but certainly no more. Capping things off with Jeremy Renner, he has two rather large box office enterprises to head into. For one thing he has a supporting role in The Avengers, so he may have a scene to shoot with Mark Ruffalo. On the more immediate horizon, he's working with Brad Bird on Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, which could be the best film in the franchise. I expect big things of Brad Bird, and he's never let us down before. Not to my recollection anyway.

Images (in order): Christian Bale in The Dark Knight; John Hawkes in Martha Marcy May Marlene

Awards 2010: Screen Actor's Guild (SAG) Winners

It's amazing how the entire Oscar race can take a complete U-turn in the matter of only six days, not to mention how it could so totally head for calamity. The King's Speech woefully won Best Ensemble at last night's Screen Actor's Guild Awards, and I am just as despondent as I was when it was the DGA on Friday. That was the sole suprise and upset of the night, and I'm only happy about in the slightest way possible. Firth, Rush, Pierce, and Gambon deserve it, but there were so many better ensemble casts this year. It just feels like nobody is thinking logically about who deserves these awards, and they're just handing them out to The King's Speech for no reason. I didn't actually watch the telecast, so I can't really comment on it at all.

Best Ensemble: The King's Speech
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo (The Fighter)

Oscar 2010: Final Nomination Predictions (Part 2: Acting Categories)

Sorry I didn't get this to you guys yesterday, but I had a lot more on my plate than I anticipated. Nonetheless, we have plenty to discuss today in terms of the acting categories, which are often the vital organs of the Academy Awards. The technical awards can be slid over, but the acting races are so closely observed. There's bound to be more than one disappointment in the books. The Supporting Actor category is perhaps the least competitive of the bunch, because everybody knows at this point that Christian Bale is going to take the award for The Fighter. It's almost unnecessary to have anyone else be nominated, and yet those slots still have to be filled.

Geoffrey Rush was the original frontrunner in the category for his work in The King's Speech, but once Bale entered the ring, there was little hope for Rush taking the win, but he should still get a nod. Mark Ruffalo was never anything more than a contender looking for a nomination for his work in The Kids Are All Right, and by that standard he should get it. This is where things get really tricky. Jeremy Renner entered the game later in the year for his work in The Town, and that's really the only outstanding aspect of that film, so he deserves a nod. That leaves only one major slot to fill, and in most ways it's the major battle between Andrew Garfield's work in The Social Network and John Hawkes' bravura performance in Winter's Bone. Personally, I'd go for John Hawkes to win the category in a second, but that's not going to happen. I shudder at the idea of him not taking a nomination at all. As much as I love Garfield's sentimental and appealing work as Eduardo Saverin, he's just outside the arena in this case.

One of the less predictable races, Supporting Actress, the entire race and its outcome depends on who is nominated. Amy Adams and Helena Bonham Carter are pretty solid bets to get nominations for The Fighter and The King's Speech respectively. Melissa Leo is in a major fight to win the award, but could so easily be thwarted by Hailee Steinfeld. It all depends on whether Steinfeld will be nominated in the lead or supporting race for True Grit, because that's still up for debate. If nominated in the supporting race, Leo has some major competition to go up against, a sad statement for such an esteemed actress. If nominated for lead, Leo should take the win, and Steinfeld walks away with some sort of consolation prize for her effort. As for who will round out the category, it's between Jacki Weaver for Animal Kingdom and Mila Kunis for Black Swan. I'd prefer the latter, and that's who I'm going to bet on. Of course, if Steinfeld makes the cut for lead, they could both make it in.

Awards 2010: Kansas City Film Critics Circle

Nah. I already saw that one. Go fish.

Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: Christopher Nolan (Inception)
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Best Original Screenplay: Inception
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Animated Film: Toy Story 3
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Foreign Language Film: Mother

Awards 2010: Online Film Critics Society

Well, we're finally into the final stretch of the awards season, and it seems like things are finally taking shape. The Social Network is continuing to lay the groundwork for its upcoming Best Picture win. Colin Firth and Natalie Portman have become the frontrunners in their respective category. Christian Bale has no competition, so that's a good thing for him. True Grit is finally getting those cinematography digs that it deserves, and Hailee Steinfeld won another Supporting Actress category, which would be great except for one small tiny little thing that could ruin this year for me, and I'll get to that later. What do you think? Happy? Sad? Pissed? Let me know!

Awards 2010: Black Film Critics Circle

As much as I still think David Fincher deserves to win Best Director, it looks like most of the heat is going towards the Best Picture race for The Social Network. However, I wouldn't be opposed to Darren Aronofsky getting the award for Black Swan when the time comes. It seems that the two races have become rather routine over the past few years. If a film wins one, it will likely win the other. They almost go hand in hand. I'm more than ready to shake things up. Speaking of shaking things up, Melissa Leo is becoming a little overrated to tell you the truth. Her performance in The Fighter just seemed to come second to Christian Bale's, and he's the one getting the most attention. See the winners after the jump!

Awards 2010: Austin Film Critics Association

We're about to reach the dead center of the awards season, and this is the time where things really start to take their final shape, so I'm looking forward to having more awards that try to break the usual formula. The Austin critics are off to a pretty good start, opting out of giving the top prize to The Social Network in favor of Black Swan. I think it's a great choice, and it definitely reminds us that there's more than just one film in the race. Also, Hailee Steinfeld was awarded in the Best Supporting Actress category, which has been flailing between Melissa Leo, Mila Kunis, and several different performers over the past few months. I think Steinfeld could end up being the winner in that category for her fantastic performance in True Grit. I'd be willing to put good money on that bet.

Best Picture: Black Swan
Best Director: Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan)
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Original Screenplay: Black Swan
Best Foreign Language Film: A Prophet
Best Cinematography: Black Swan
Best Original Score: Daft Punk (TRON: Legacy)
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop

Awards 2010: Oklahoma Film Critics Circle

Once again...

Best Film: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress: Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Best Original Screenplay: Inception
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3

Awards 2010: Houston Film Critics Society

So, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World won Best Original Song. That's... different.

Best Picture: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Best Actor: Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Best Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Cinematography: Inception
Best Documentary: Restrepo
Best Foreign Language Film: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Best Original Score: Inception
Best Original Song: "We Are Sex Bob-Omb!" from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Awards 2010: Chicago Film Critics Association

You know the drill. The Social Network is cleaning out at least three central categories. Colin Firth and Natalie Portman continue to struggle as the frontrunners in the lead acting race. Christian Bale is really the only sure thing in the acting category. Hailee Steinfeld is getting some starting momentum for her role in True Grit, and I'll have to see the film before I call judgment. Finally, Jennifer Lawrence and Derek Cianfrance were given special honors for their breakout work this year.

Best Picture: The Social Network
Best Director: David Fincher (The Social Network)
Best Actor: Colin Firth (The King's Speech)
Best Actress: Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale (The Fighter)
Best Supporting Actress: Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)
Best Adapted Screenplay: The Social Network
Best Original Screenplay: Inception
Best Foreign Language Film: A Prophet
Best Documentary: Exit Through the Gift Shop
Best Animated Feature: Toy Story 3
Best Cinematography: Inception
Best Original Score: Black Swan
Most Promising Performer: Jennifer Lawrence (Winter's Bone)
Most Promising Filmmaker: Derek Cianfrance (Blue Valentine)

Film Review: The Fighter

I've had a long running tussle with The Fighter, and even now I'm still at war with it. If I were to make predictions for the Oscars based on my views alone, I would not place this one in the nominations. On the other hand, I do not for a second believe this to be a bad film. As a matter of fact, it's a pretty great one. For those who weren't aware, The Fighter is the story of "Irish" Micky Ward, a boxer who has been trained by his brother Dickie for years, and his manager has always been his overbearing and counterproductive mother. Things haven't been going well for him lately, and his family has been holding him back his whole life.

A few things influence Micky in changing his life, including the entrance of hot bar girl Charlene, who really believes in him and just doesn't like his family. Then there's Dickie's descent into drug use, and the negative ramifications it has for the entire family. Micky's reputation is damaged, simply based on the fact that he's his brother. There's a lot of emotions going on, and it's actually inspirational. It's a hardcore underdog film at heart, and that is always something to root for. It felt a lot like Million Dollar Baby in respects to the family aspect of it, but it had a forward momentum it could keep to.

This film doesn't really bring us anything truly new that we haven't seen before. The roads it treads have already been set upon, but the execution of it all is completely original. Towards the end of the film, we go from a rather quiet setting straight to a furious Christian Bale, and it's one of the most aggressive cuts I've ever seen. Talking of which, the acting in this film is absolutely spectacular, with Christian Bale being at the top of his game. During the ending credits, we get a clip of the real Micky and Dickie, and while Mark Wahlberg just did his usual acting style, it's clear that Bale spent a lot of time nailing down Dickie's mannerisms and such. It's just uncanny, and it's the most Oscar worthy performance from a supporting actor this year.

The other members of the cast range from fine to phenomenal. Like I said, Mark Wahlberg isn't anything new, but I could still stand him being onscreen. Melissa Leo does a great job as the mother who wants to control everything in Micky's life, but ultimately cares more about her other children. Amy Adams is stunning, because she's still a white trash sort of girl, and she's got a bit of a tummy on her, but she's a sexy bitch with a heart of gold. Sure it's been done before, but what in this film hasn't? The real life Mickey O'Keefe plays himself in this film, which adds a whole lot of credibility to the enterprise, and he obviously does a great job of it. He lived it. He knows better than anyone how it felt. This film could've been rather pedestrian, but thanks to the powerful supporting cast, The Fighter turns out to be an inspirational film with some proper grit tacked onto it. It's not a truly great film, but it's a good one.

B+

Awards 2010: Screen Actors Guild Nominations

The Screen Actors Guild announced their nominations yesterday, and that The Town was probably the biggest thing that I missed. There were quite a few notable occurrences, such as being left out of Best Ensemble Cast, though it has been playing well in that category during critics awards. John Hawkes deservedly made it into the Supporting Actor race for Winter's Bone, though it was at the loss of Andrew Garfield who was snubbed. I'm surprised Prince of Persia didn't make the stunt ensemble, because that was one of the only outstanding qualities that film had. Also worth noting, Mila Kunis is getting some heat going for her turn in Black Swan. This could lead to a bigger nomination this January. As for my guesses at who will win, they are, in order of the categories below, The Kids Are All Right, Colin Firth, Annette Bening, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, and Inception.

BEST ENSEMBLE CAST
Black Swan
The Fighter
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network

BEST ACTOR
Jeff Bridges (True Grit)
Robert Duvall (Get Low)
Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network)
Colin Firth (The King’s Speech)
James Franco (127 Hours)

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right)
Nicole Kidman (Rabbit Hole)
Jennifer Lawrence (Winter’s Bone)
Natalie Portman (Black Swan)
Hilary Swank (Conviction)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale (The Fighter)
John Hawkes (Winter’s Bone)
Jeremy Renner (The Town)
Mark Ruffalo (The Kids Are All Right)
Geoffrey Rush (The King’s Speech)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams (The Fighter)
Helena Bonham Carter (The King’s Speech)
Mila Kunis (Black Swan)
Melissa Leo (The Fighter)
Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit)

BEST STUNT ENSEMBLE
Green Zone
Inception
Robin Hood