Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The latest trailer for The Dark Knight Rises is out




I enjoyed the first two movies and the trailer has confirmed my hopes that this trilogy will be one of my favorites, on par with the Lord of the Rings trilogy!

Chris Nolan seems to have the Midas touch. I have seen all of his movies except The Prestige and Following. Nolan has a knack for making engrossing psychological thrillers. The Batman movies are not an exception. In the first movie, Bruce Wayne dealt with fear. In the sequel, he had to deal with the anarchy unleashed by the Joker.

In the trilogy finale, he deals with the destruction brought on by the masked terrorist, Bane. Speculations have been rampant ever since the first teaser came out in July 2011, as to whether the Dark Knight will bite the dust.

Fans of the Caped Crusader will be familiar with the infamous storyline ‘Knightfall’ in which Bane systematically breaks down Batman both physically and mentally and finally literally breaks his back. Whether the movie will follow the same plot is debatable, I for one certainly do not think that Batman will be mortally wounded. It is after all his movie and the title also suggests otherwise. My personal opinion is that Bruce Wayne will either pass on the mantle to someone else or possibly go underground and create “Batman Incorporated”.

Christian Bale continues his stellar work as the titular character. The same praise applies to Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Gary Oldman reprising their roles as Lucius Fox, Alfred Pennyworth and Jim Gordon respectively. These men are the few allies, Batman can rely on in his relentless fight on crime in Gotham.

As was the case with Aaron Eckhart and the late Heath Ledger with the second movie, the focus this time is mainly on Tom Hardy as Bane and Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard also have supporting roles and have managed to arouse the curiosity among the fans about their possible dual identities.

Last but not the least, it is also speculated that Ra's al Ghul will make a cameo appearance. With such a strong ensemble cast, Nolan's record of making critically acclaimed movies, Hans Zimmer's music and the rest of the talented crew, July 20 2012 can’t come soon enough...

I would like to hear from the readers on their thoughts about the movie or the ending in particular. Please use the comments section to voice your thoughts.

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Friday, April 27, 2012

Movie Review: Sherlock Holmes (2009)


Guy Ritchie's Sherlock Holmes (2009)

As the movie opens, we meet Dr Watson and Inspector Lestrade racing in a horse-driven carriage to an unknown destination. A medium-sized man (Robert Downey Jr) is also in a hurry as he quickly dispatches some unnamed hoodlums and prevents the villain Lord Blackwood (Mark Strong) from making a sacrifice of a young woman. Thus begins our introduction to Sherlock Holmes in Guy Ritchie’s adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s renowned fictional detective.

Jude Law and Kelly Reilly as Dr John Watson and Mary Morstan in Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Jude Law and Kelly Reilly as Dr Watson and Mary Morstan
Soon, Lord Blackwood is hanged for his dastardly deeds and is pronounced dead. Dr Watson is about to be engaged to Mary Morstan (Kelly Reilly). Even as Holmes tries his best to thwart the impending engagement, Blackwood returns from the dead to menace England once again. Also thrown in the mix is Irene Adler (Rachel McAdams), who has been employed by Professor Moriarty to manipulate Holmes into retrieving a device (the MacGuffin of this movie).

In a considerable departure from the canon, Holmes has a very personal and non-platonic relationship with Irene Adler.

Robert Downey Jr and Irene Adler as Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler share an intimate moment in Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Yes, definitely not the Canonical Holmes....

As Sherlockians know, Holmes is quite distrusting of the opposite sex and his only interaction with Irene Adler is in A Scandal in Bohemia. I will not go into too many details, but suffice to say that this interaction was quite brief and decidedly impersonal.

Click on the link below to buy your copy of the movie:


Moving on to the supporting cast, Jude Law gives a fine performance as Watson. He is every bit the canonical Watson, a strong-minded and decent individual, who also happens to the ally of Sherlock Holmes. Law presents a competent version of Watson along the likes of David BurkeEdward Hardwicke and Vitaly Solomin.

Eddie Marsan makes a remarkable Lestrade. Mark Strong does his best with the given material. Interestingly, Strong has the requisite physical attributes to be Sherlock Holmes.


Mark Strong and Robert Downey Jr as Lord Blackwood and Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Mark Strong and Robert Downey Jr as Lord Blackwood and Sherlock Holmes

The movie is mainly focused on the bromance between the residents of 221 B and the ladies unfortunately have nothing much to do. Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams do perform the requisite duties of providing the necessary eye candy. Geraldine James makes a fleeing appearance in a couple of scenes as Mrs Hudson.

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Image Sources: Warner Bros. Pictures, ColliderFilmHotflick

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