A Firey End to an Epic Trilogy.

Film: The Dark Knight Rises
Year: 2012
Director: Christopher Nolan
Written by: Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Liam Neeson, Cillian Murphy, Juno Temple.
Running time: 164 min.

Let me be straight-forward from the start: The Dark Knight Rises is the biggest film-event of my life so far. Sure, I've only had 16 years for films to compete for that title, but this film takes the cake by a long shot. That is not to say that The Dark Knight Rises is my favourite film ever. I honestly don't think it will have the mass effect that The Dark Knight had, with it making it's way to the top of IMDb's top 250 or anything like that. Simply put, The Dark Knight Rises isn't as good as The Dark Knight. But there's no denying that this is a grand-scale finish to what is probably the best trilogy of films that I have ever seen. The only problem that I have is that now the trilogy is all over. I guess that I can now properly understand how all of those Harry Potter fans felt when their series came to a close this time last year. Even though Christopher Nolan's Batman franchise and I didn't get off to the most conventional start, I can't help but feel a little nostalgic over the way The Dark Knight changed my perception of films when I was just about to leave primary school. Now I'm nearly on the precipice of leaving high school, The Dark Knight Rises has come along and reminded me of why I love Nolan's take on Batman, why I love Nolan's films in general, and why I love going to the cinemas. However, Nolan's closing the door on his Batman, even though he's leaving the door somewhat open for someone else to pick it up. Which I hope isn't the case, because I don't think anyone can do the superhero genre better than Nolan. Hell, this guy invented his own genre.

Reviews Round Up, Part 1: American Beauty, The Disappearance of Alice Creed, Red, The American

In the midst of my Classic Movie Marathon, I was still watching a lot of movies (thank you school holidays). Therefore, I have a lot to catch up on. So, sorry, long reviews fans, I'm just going to give some quick paragraph long reviews otherwise I'll never catch up, though you can expect a lengthy review on Thor coming veeeeery soon.

American Beauty

I was hoping to do a full length review on this one, but I kinda thought that since I’m incredibly late to the party and most people have seen it,  I won’t bother. I can’t really add much to what everyone else has said about the film over the past 12 years. I loved this movie. The performances, the script, the direction, everything. It just felt so real. Some people have pointed out that this film has aged so quickly since it was very ‘in the moment’ when it was released, but I didn’t have a problem with that. Sure, a few things have changed, but this film still captures the world of suburban boredom and discontent so well, and it does still seem quite relevant. Kevin Spacey was positively spectacular in the lead role, with his sarcastic and cynical outlook on life. Watching him with drama queen Annette Bening was great too, they really played the part of an unhappy marriage quite well. Thora Birch was also a believable teen, and one which I felt compelled to relate to in so many instances. Mena Suvari did a brilliant job as the popular dream girl, and I felt so happy once we found out the truth about this girl, because I know there are a lot of people like her. Alan Ball did a wonderful job with the script, using every trick in the book to convey a believable world. From this to the wonderful True Blood, I think he might just be my favourite person right now. Sam Mendes, too, did an exceptional job of directing, considering he made this so early in his career. This really hit the heights of modern film-making.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

The Disappearance of Alice Creed

2010 was really the year to release movies with minimal sets. Like Devil, 127 Hours and Buried. The Disappearance of Alice Creed, a British kidnapping thrilled set almost entirely in a run-down house, is every bit as good as the other movies. Sure, the film may go astray a few times, and it really loses some ground as the movie goes on, but I found it simply reeling with intensity. As the film goes on, it gets increasingly hard to watch, as it really throws you in the position of Alice in a small way. The dynamic between she, Vic and Danny was also very interesting, even though I felt that we found out the truth way to soon, leaving little to be desired for the rest of the film. In saying that, I was completely and utterly entertained throughout the whole thing, and despite it's many flaws, I just kept going with the flow happily. From start to finish, it was an enjoyable thrill ride with a truly haunting end. By far the greatest thing about the film was seeing Gemma Arterton finally in a role worthy of her talents. After seeing her dabble in that blockbuster business (Clash of the Titans, Prince of Persia), she gets down and dirty and seems to be at home when she is just being natural. I can't wait to see future projects with her in it similar to this one, though if a few people in high places see this, hopefully she'll get a bigger break.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

Red

I admit, I need to watch this one again. While I liked it, and thought it was quite funny, everyone in Dannevirke has been going absolutely nutters for it. And fair enough, I think this is just a little too high above my age group, since it's all about old peeps with their guns. But hey, Helen Mirren, shooting people? Now that makes for a good movie! I swear that woman can do anything! And when Helen Mirren is in a film, you know the class level goes up a bit. Though you could say that this movie is pretty classy, as it has one of the better casts of recent history. You take Bruce Willis, you give him a little bit to do, some downright cool action scenes and tell him to smile a few times. Then you get John Malkovich to play a complete nutso. And along comes Morgan Freeman, taking a break from being God or narrator in Alec Baldwin's dreams to kick some ass. Mary Louise Parker also comes for the ride as the confused girlfriend of old Willis, and she's fun, too. Oh, and Kiwi man Karl Urban continues his Hollywood rise being a guy who always looks angry. The cast do lift this a hell of a lot, and it's a really fun ride. If only more Hollywood action comedies could be a bit more like this.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

The American

I do like slow movies. As long as I have the willpower to really get into them and dissect all the hidden themes . Which usually takes me a couple of watches. The American is a damn slow movie. Yet, in all it's slowness, in all the minimal things that happen, you really get to just bask in the glory of beautiful cinematography. Jaw droppingly beautiful cinematography. And then you get to bask in the glory of a mostly silent, completely charmless George Clooney. It's hard, but there it is. The story is quite interesting, as it unfolds slowly. The set pieces and the various beautiful women are great to look at. Yeah, this movie is all about the aesthetics. If aesthetics are enough, then there is a 75% chance you'll love this movie. The ending is absolutely haunting. However, I do admit to succumbing to boredom while watching this movie, and definitely wasn't wowed by it at all. It wasn't anything special, it was just an incredibly stylish and stunning piece of cinema. It's not a movie, it's cinema. Which will be a little too hard for the mainstream audiences to grasp, but that's just the way it rolls, Holmes.

What I hoped for:

What I got:

Classic--Se7en

or: One of the reasons why I love David Fincher.

One word to sum it up: Creepy.

It's official. David Fincher is now my third favourite director. Wow, come to think of it, Se7en will be the fourth film of his that I give the full quota of stars to. Again, Fincher proves his versatility with the crime and creepiness of this one (which kinda compares with Zodiac). When you look at his other great films, such as the visionary Fight Club, the schmaltzy and adorably romantic The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and the all round amazing The Social Network, it's hard to imagine a director so incredibly capable of making all these different movies work. Se7en pretty much serves as one of his finest works, and the markings of a true genius.

Se7en portrays the exploits of a deranged serial-killer. His twisted agenda involves choosing seven victims who represent egregious examples of transgressions of each of the Seven Deadly Sins. He then views himself as akin to the Sword of God, handing out horrific punishment to these sinners. Two cops, an experienced veteran of the streets who is about to retire and the ambitious young homicide detective hired to replace him, team up to capture the perpetrator of these gruesome killings. Unfortunately, they too become ensnared in his diabolical plan....

As one of David Fincher's earliest works, this isn't done as stylistically as Fight Club was. Instead, he adopts the subtle style as seen in Zodiac, which makes the movie all the more better. While Zodiac is very similar to this film, Se7en comes up trumps because of it's stronger themes and how generally disturbing it is. The dialogue used in this film is graphic, therefore adding to how morally wrong this movie is, as opposed to using senseless gore to display the story. Along with being an amazing crime film, Se7en is also a fantastic psychological thriller and quasi horror. Mixed in with those genres are themes of obsession and guilt, and of course, the successful interwoven Seven Deadly Sins. What comes out of this film feels like a film within a film, which is often intriguing and terribly entertaining.

Morgan Freeman, the cinematic God that he is, turns up in this film being like a father figure to a then young and rookie Brad Pitt. Their partnership throughout this film is one of the greatest elements to it. Now I see why most cop movies these days feature a near retired cop trying to help along the headstrong and more technically talented rookie cop. Not only does this film focus on the serial killer storyline, but it also weaves our protagonists personal feelings into this, which makes the ending that little bit more satisfying. The supporting performances from Gwyneth Paltrow and Kevin Spacey are both really well done too. The perfectionism from David Fincher is most evident in Se7en, which aligns with the films theme of obsession in a way that sets this apart from others.


THE VERDICT: David Fincher creates a masterpiece of psychological thriller, with an ingenious blend of obsession themes and disturbing and graphic content to help the story along. Top performances from the leads make this film one to remember.

10/10