The Dark Knight Rises: First Pic of Tom Hardy as Bane.

Alright so I am jumping on this a little late, the image was released this morning on the newly built official website for "The Dark Knight Rises". Its the first official look on what Christopher Nolan and co. have been up two the past two weeks. So you can imagine my complete giddiness when I discovered this had been released, anyone who read this blog leading up to "Inception"'s release knows how much I worship the guy and his films. The way the photo was released in a pretty crazy way. According to Nolan Fan's website the Dark Knight Rises website was seemingly just black, with an audio file playing chanting. Then I guess a fan at Super Hero Hype took the video spectrum of the audio file and embedded in that was the Twitter hashtag #thefirerises. Once tweeting the hashtag, each persons icon was assembled to make the picture of Tom Hardy as Bane. Click on the image to view a larger, hi-res version.



Its an awesome picture, and i'm incredibly stoked about it! Tom Hardy is an amazing actor. There was some speculation if Bane would have a mask or not in Nolan's film (usually Bane has a luchador mask), some thought it wouldn't work, but looking at his it works perfectly. Hardy looks wildly intimidating and has bulked up a bit since playing Eames in "Inception".

"The Dark Knight Rises" has been filming for two weeks now, it started last week in India for a few days, and this week it has been going in London. The film has many other locations on the filming list, such as Pittsburgh, LA and Scotland. Now brace yourselves everyone cause the film is set for a July 20, 2012 meaning I've got over a year to let my hype grow and grow and grow, it will more than likely eclipse both my "Inception" and "The Dark Knight" hype, so get ready for it gang!

12 Angry Men

Recently the great Sidney Lumet passed away, leaving behind a legacy of terrific and inspiring films such as "Network" "Dog Day Afternoon" and "The Verdict". For a while I have been a fan of his films, but had never seen the film that really started his career, 1957's "12 Angry Men". Fortunately, I had to watch it for a class.

From the moment the film began I knew I was in for something special. the film is about 12 jurors on a murder trial. The defendant is an 18 year old kid, accused of stabbing his father to death. The entire film takes place in the locked room where the jury decides this boys fate. Everyone in the room seems to unanimously agree that the kid was guilty, the trail seemed to leave them with no question, except for juror #8, played incredibly by Henry Fonda.

He doesn't know if the kid is guilty or not, he just has doubts, and doesn't feel like they can send a kid to the electric chair without discussion. All the other jurors (many big names throughout like Ed Begely, Jack Warden, Jack Klugman and Lee J. Cobb) are in a hurry to be done, one has a baseball game to get to, others just seem rushed. Nobody but #8 seems to think it needs discussion.

In a murder trial the vote has to be unanimous to send a person to the chair, and with #8's vote of not guilty, the discussion begins. As each presents their case to him about why the kid is guilty, he easily comes up with logical rebuttals. Slowly he convinces more and more of them to question their own beliefs and decide if the kid is really guilty.

As stated above the performance from Fonda is brilliant, it proves why he is a Hollywood legend. The emotion conveyed in his facial expressions, the morality his character portrays is just brilliant. This film puts him up there with the classic greats of Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. The rest of the jurors put in great performances as well.

Jack Warden (While You Were Sleeping) plays the jokster, who just wants to be done so he can watch the ball game. Jack Klugman (TVs The Odd Couple) plays a quiet reserved man, who is also from the slums, just like the accused, who can't stand the social prejudices of some of the other jurors.

Like I said the entire film takes place in one room. But the script is razor sharp, leaving you riveted the entire film. The cast is electric, and the directing is perfect. The film was a glimpse at everything to come in Sidney Lumet's long and brilliant career as a master filmmaker. No matter how good he got though, I think its safe to say "12 Angry Men" is more than just the beginning of his career, it might have just been his best work period. Its the classic example of the cliche`d phrase, "They just don't make em like the used to!", they really don't.....

Hesher

Alright, I am terribly sorry to those few of you, well really probably nobody, who have missed my once frequent posting. I have been busy therefore not much time to write about movies, no matter how stoked about some of them I have gotten. I have had a strong desire to end my hiatus though, due to the release of the trailer for the indie film "Hesher". "Hesher" played over a year ago at the Sundance Film Festival, and now has finally gotten a release date.

The film stars Joseph Gordon Levitt as the title character Hesher, a dirty, long-haired, home-made tattooed, drug addicted, violent lowlife who forces his way into the life of a young boy grieving over his recently deceased mother. Natalie Portman (who also produced the film) plays a nice caring store clerk who wants to help the young boy stay away from the unhinged Hesher. The movie looks quite dark, quite moody but the performances look outstanding. Riann Wilson known for his role as Dwight on "The Office" plays the depressed and grieving father, looking nothing like the odd-ball he plays on television.

What I find most intriguing about this film, is the acting of Levitt. He has been an immensely talented actor for years, especially in the independent scene. Films like "The Lookout", "Brick" and even "500 Days of Summer" really show off his ability, but this shows off just how far and wide of a range he has as an actor, he looks completely different as the creepy "Hesher".

Now to be honest, I don't even know if this film will be good, most of the reviews from film festivals label it as dark and and hard to watch. Yet they also label it as touching and at times funny. A good review from the Sundance screening can be read here http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/02/04/hesher-review-sundance/ If nothing else, the trailer is worth watching just to see the transformation of Joseph Gordon Levitt.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIY9F5FZsxI

Super 8

So a while back a trailer was released for the Steven Spielberg produced JJ Abrams flick "Super 8". The trailer was very reminiscent of the trailer for the Abrams produced film "Cloverfield" meaning it told us nothing, literally nothing about what the film was about. The trailer involved a train wreck.....that's about it.

Fast forward a little while and we know a bit more about the highly kept secret film. According to writer/director Abrams, its a throwback, or love letter of sorts to the old school films done by Spielberg and Amblin entertainment back in Spielbergs hay day. Think "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "E.T." "The Goonies" and "Stand By Me" as references. That is enough to get me excited. Films like the old Spielberg movies just don't happen anymore. They were all heartfelt, fun, funny and exciting. Somehow that got lost as time went on, even Spielberg seems to have lost it, as was evident with "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".

If Abrams pulls it off, which I have complete confidence he will, we are in for a really great time and its now become one of my, if not my most anticipated film of this summer. Its release date is set for June 10Th and I can't wait.

With the Super Bowl we got a 30 second or so television spot which shows a little more than just a train crashing, and it looks awesome.

Brief Thoughts on The Dark Knight Rises Casting.

Leading the post off with a title that begins with Brief might be risky considering the topic I'm writing about. Today we learned who the two villains, well one for sure villain is going to be. We have Tom Hardy, who was cast a while back just his role not revealed until now, as Bane. Add to that we are getting Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. What I aim to do here is settle down some of those people who are complaining about Anne Hathaway's casting, but first lets look at Tom Hardy as Bane.

If you don't know Tom Hardy as a name, he is the guy who played the forger, Eames, in Christopher Nolan's "Inception". He was one of the best in that

film, which was filled to the brim with talent. I'm excited about

his casting and character because its a character that has loads of potential and depth.

Bane has made an appearance in a Batman film already but its nothing like h

ow the original character of Bane was. In Joel Shumacher's atrocious Batman

and Robin he shows up as a brutish mindless thug who is pumped full of the drug Venom making him go insane with rage (think The Hulk). The problem is Bane was never meant to be mindless.

Bane originally in the comics grew up in a violent world where from a early age learned

how to be calculating to achieve what he wanted. He isn't only a psychological genius, but also very strong and powerful pretty much a double threat for Batman. In the comics he does pump the serum Venum into his brain to make himself even more powerful, but I'm not sure how Nolan will work that into the film. I also don't know if they will go for the traditional look of Bane, seeing as how it would seem cheesy in the realistic world of Nolan to have a villain who looks like he belongs on WWF, looks aside though Bane really is an awesome Batman villain, among the very best. No matter what though its an awesome character mix in Hardy and Nolan and I'm more than giddy.

Now Anne Hathaway is different. I hate her, well not hate but I strongly dislike her. I hate her personality and pretentious attitude. I hate the way she felt like the only way to break away from the "Disney image" was to get naked in front of the camera. I just don't like her. With that said, I trust Christopher Nolan.

She has been cast as Selina Kyle, if your even slightly Batman savvy you should be thinking Catwoman when you read Selina Kyle. Pretty much the same way you think Two-Face when you hear Harvey Dent. At first thought Catwoman seems horrible especially when you think of the Halle Barry film and try mixing it with Nolan's universe. But if you look at some of her appearances in the comics and it will actually sound like a pretty good idea.

In many of the comics Selina Kyle/Catwoman tortures Bruce/Batwoman because at some level Bruce is in love with Selina Kyle and Batman is on some levels in love with Catwoman. She messes with him and tortures him psychologically. Taunting him that he is no different than her: a renegade vigilante. She isn't JUST a villain, she is a thief yes, but also does help fight crime when it suits her needs. Her inclusion in the Nolan universe can really bring more angst to the already tormented Batman. Now in the official press release they only mentioned Selina Kyle, so maybe Cat

woman won't play a big role, maybe more like Two-Face in The Dark Knight, or maybe not at all...who knows.

Now to the Anne Hathaway being cast issue. A few years ago, it was announced that an actor named Heath Ledger was going to be cast as the infamous Joker. There was outrage. Many people were having a fit because they could not picture him as The Joker, I am very proud to admit i wasn't one of them! Look what happened though? He was beyond amazing. Now granted Hathaway is not Ledger, and granted there are better choices than her. But there was better choices than Ledger too, at least people thought. But Christopher Nolan is one of the all time best filmmakers working, he has a clear cut vision and he always brings it to life. I promise he will pull it off. He has never let us down, at this point Nolan is throwing a perfect game. Anne Hathaway will surprise us all, Tom Hardy will blow us away and The Dark Knight Rises will be unbelievable. So sit back and enjoy the ride as I build up the hype until July 20 2012 when its released. Think of this blog leading up to Inception, and thats basically what will probably happen again. In Nolan I trust!

trailer for John Carpenter's The Ward

So i've talked many a time about the master of horror John Carpenter and his new flick The Ward. Well finally I got a trailer to back up all my talk and hype! The trailer is classic carpenter, a modest amount of gore and good ol tension! So anyways just check out this trailer here and get stoked for the newest from The Master of Horror!

Top Ten Films of the Decade

Alright, its been quite some time since i have posted anything on this movie blog of mine, and I apologize to my one reader for that! But i figure since we just leapt into the year 2011, I might as well make a list of my top ten films of the past decade. Now top lists are always extremely difficult because my opinion might change in the middle of writing this, so lets hope for the best and get on with it.

In no particular order:

"There Will Be Blood" 2007

Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, Starring Daniel Day-Lewis.

The film is about greed and corruption using the oil boom of the late 1800's as the canvas. Daniel Day-Lewis puts in an Oscar winning performance as the corrupt Daniel Plainview, a greedy and sinister oil Barron.

"No Country For Old Men" 2007

Written and Directed by The Coen Bros. Starring Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones.

Based on the book by Cormac McCarthy. A man stumbles across a drug deal gone wrong, and a lot of money. He steals the money and is then pursued by the murderous Anton Chigurh played intensely by Javier Bardem. Tommy Lee Jones is the old and tired police officer chasing in the wake of the violence left by Chigurh. Possibly one of the most perfectly made films from Acting to the Cinematography

"The Departed"2006

Directed by Martin Scorsese, Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Martin Sheen, Mark Whalberg and Alec Baldwin.

DiCaprio is an undercover cop working in the Boston mob under the paranoid Jack Nicholson, Damon is the mob informant working inside the police. When Damon is ordered by the police to find the informant and the leak, in essence being sent to find himself, and DiCaprio realizes there is an informant tensions rise in one of Scorsese's best films. it doesn't hurt that this film is set in Boston.....

"Up" 2009

Directed by Pete Docter, Bob Peterson. Starring Edward Asner, Delroy Lindo and Christopher Plummer.

This Pixar animated adventure has everything an audience has come to expect from the studio: adventure, excitement, character and heart. What sets "Up" apart from the rest though is its abundance in adventure and its extra doses of character and heart. It has a way of getting down to your emotional core and tugging at your heartstrings. the boys at Pixar are geniuses.

"Memento" 2000

Directed by Christopher Nolan starring Guy Pearce, Carry Anne-Moss and Joe Pantoliano

Christopher Nolan's big debut film has Guy Pearce in his best role as Leonard Shelby, a man who has short term memory loss, and who has been tracking down the man who killed his wife. When he finds clues he tattoo's himself so as not to forget, he takes Polaroids of people to remember them. the film is one of the more original films ever made it plays out backwards over the course of two days, in a way making you feel like the tormented Leonard, always trying to remember....

"Finding Neverland" 2004

Directed by Marc Forester, Starring Johnny Depp and Cate Winslet

This emotional film about J.M Barry and the family he meets and falls in love with, all giving him the inspiration for his newest play "Peter Pan". Johnny Depp gives my favorite performance of his has the playwright Barry, he completely becomes him. The film is poetic, beautiful and tragic. Many would disagree about it being on here, but i feel it must.

"Inglorious Basterds" 2009

Directed by Quentin Tarantino starring Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Christoph Waltz, B.J. Novak and Melanie Laurent.

Tarantino rewrites WW2 with this eccentric yet brilliant film. Brad Pitt leads a team of soldiers, their mission: to kill and torture as many Nazis as possible. Christoph Waltz puts in an amazing Oscar winning performance as the evil Hans Landa. and Melanie Laurent as a young Jewish woman who has the opportunity to assassinate Hitler. All i can say is this movie is amazing.

"The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring" 2001

Directed by Peter Jackson, Starring Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortenson, Sean Bean, Sean Astin, Cate Blanchet, Ian Holm and Ian McKellen.

While the last two films focused more on the big CGI battle scenes, the first remained more about the characters and the adventure. Relying the least on CG effects we can focus more on what is happening. And the battle at the end of the film is better than any of the large scale epic ones in the following two. It belongs on the list just because of the material its comes from and because the sheer amount of time, effort and money put into the adaptation of Tolkien's novel.

"Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" 2004

Directed by Michel Gondry, Starring Jim Carrey, Cate Winslet, Elijah Wood, Mark Ruffalo, Kirsten Dunst, David Cross and Tom Wilkinson.

A trippy surreal film about a man played by Jim Carrey who discovers that his girlfriend had her memories of him erased. He decides to do the same. The majority of the film takes place inside his memories as they are being zapped and as the good ones start to go, he realizes that he doesn't want to lose them. amazing performance by Carrey.

"127 Hours" 2010

Directed by Danny Boyle starring James Franco

This might not have made it had i not seen it just two weeks ago. If it had come out five years ago there is a chance it wouldn't be on this list. But Franco's chilling performance as Aaron Ralston, the man who had to resort to cutting of his own arm while stuck in the middle of the desert near Moab, Utah is unbelievable! The whole time you know whats coming, yet he makes it intense an emotional. Danny Boyle's best film yet.

So there you have it, as of right now, those are my picks of the last decade. Honorable mentions: "The Dark Knight" "Inception" "Crazy Heart" "In Bruges" "Revolutionary Road" "Road To Perdition" "The Road" "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" "500 Days of Summer" "Blood Diamond" "Children of Men" and "Batman Begins"

some of the worst movies of the past decade: "Transformers" "Transformers 2" "Pearl Harbor" "The Island"....okay I'm just naming Michael Bay films here...so lets make it short and just say anything he directed in the past decade makes this list. then we have "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" "Spider Man 3" both the "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels. And really there was just too many crappy movies to list anymore!

In the following decade we can look forward to "The Hobbit" "The Dark Knight Rises" and anything else Christopher Nolan does. New Scorsese films like "Hugo Cabret" and if Spielberg will finally finish "Tintin" and "War Horse" and FINALLY start working on my long anticipated "Interstellar". And we have more waves of inept, useless 3D converted films too look forward to, so enjoy and happy new years!