Christopher Nolan completes his Batman Trilogy superbly, however with a surprisingly (yet welcomed) Spielberg-ish ending. (Mild spoilers throughout).

Nolanfans.com reported on an interview by the Mike and Josh Movie Show that featured Academy Award winning cinematographer Wally Pfister.  Mr. Pfister has photographed all of Christopher Nolan’s since 2000’s Memento, and in this interview Pfister said that after reading the script for The Dark Knight Rises he realized that a perfect trilogy would be completed on July 20^th 2012.  Although I have a few minor complaints, The Dark Knight Rises is a near perfect flowing collage of in-camera effects, appropriate/minimal CGI, stellar acting, and screenwriting. 

87% of the nations professional critics have given TDKR, favorable to highly favorable reviews.  The remaining 13% have predominantly complained that the villain is not as memorable as TDK’s Joker and that the movie lacked humor.

1.  My retort to the former:  Batman Begins ended with Commissioner Gordon warning the Caped Crusader about escalation.  With the appearance of The Joker, Gotham is now faced with a threat that is greater than the organized crime that was already deteriorating the city.  The Joker was an incredible combination of humor and sinister acts, and was an example of how having a symbol of (hope), could attract to equally opposing forces.  Heath Ledger’s Joker with all the tics, walk, talk, and overall creepiness does overshadow Tom Hardy’s physically menacing Bane.  Yet Bane was everything that Nolan said he would be:  A classic movie monster.  Instead of having humorous dialogue (save Bane’s complimenting of a young boy’s singing) the villain in TDKR has had the same training as Batman and emerged from an even more tormented background.  I especially appreciated the first encounter between good and evil, where Bane shows his near-immunity to Batman’s pyrotechnics and even his nocturnal attacks.  If it were not for the breathing apparatus gravely restricting the audience from seeing Tom Hardy’s facial expressions, I may have been bold enough to say his performance was on the same level as the late-great Heath Ledger. 
2. My retort to the latter:  Really?????  Okay, seriously a film that is apocalyptic in its exposition does not have time to (in the words of one of the editors of Nolanfans.com) have the comedy meter set to the max.  The Avengers had wise guys such as Tony Stark and Agent Carlson in the mix so one-liners were expected.  I would call the non-serious dialogue of TDKR more witty than comical.  With a cat-burglar on a quest to get her criminal record expunged, a deteriorating relationship between a loving father figure and the person he loves as a son, and an intelligent/monstrous madman on the loose with a nuclear weapon, there is little time for laughter.  

Nolan has stated in various interviews (most effectively in the documentary These Amazing Shadows), that he is not so much a fan of science fiction as he is a fan of movies that takes the viewer to another world.  Most of scenes in TDKR features wonder and discovery in every fame.  Just as Batman Begins reminds the viewer of Sir Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, TDKR’s technical marvels and set pieces are in the same tradition of the aforementioned film, 2001: A Space Odyssey and Metropolis.  The latter film was during the silent era and just like D.W Griffith’s silent films featured thousands of extras to fill a set.  The scene where Batman and Selina Kyle escape off of a skyscraper’s roof on a helicopter/plane hybrid is subtle and more peaceful than action-packed.  Yet is far more impressive than a CGI Transformer toppling downtown Chicago.  The special effects team and set design lead by Chris Corbould and **** respectively have set a new benchmark in visual splendor.  All of the scenes in the trailers that hyped the film are topped or at least matched by other scenes throughout the film.   The Blu-ray of this film will have the expected making-of shorts that will show the planning and staging of a film with a budget of $250 million.    

3D would have hampered the viewing experience of this film and the IMAX scenes are a testament to bringing film stock back as the ruling format for shooting movies.  I saw TDKR in digital IMAX and TDK film IMAX, and although the film format was larger the digital format was clearer.  I appreciate that Nolan placed the statement “This movie was shot and finished on film” at the end of the credits. 

The ending will please most DC Comics fans and general moviegoers.  Also it gives the person taking over the inevitable reboot a nice slate to start a new Batman series.   Although I have concluded that the ending was well devised and effectively ends a trilogy, the closing scene was a little too neatly wrapped with a bow.  It reminded me of how Steven Spielberg ends his larger scale dramas and action/adventure movies:  There is no room for debating the fate of the characters and the film has that “happily ever after feeling”.  The demise of Bane is no cop-out and answers renowned film critic Roger Ebert’s question (with respect to his positive review):  Why doesn’t someone just shoot Bane when he is in the open?  The Batman Begins and The Dark Knight alumnus all give their best performances in the series, and Detective Comics newcomers, Tom Hardy, Marion Cottilard, Anne Hathaway, and Joseph Gordon Levitt all shine.  Bale’s voice is still raspy yet it does not sound like he is gargling marbles this time, and his acting shows that his Best Supporting Actor Oscar was no fluke.  

Mr. Nolan, take that well deserved vacation that you said that you needed, the cinema world still needs things to be shook-up a bit.  

Here Are Two Notions That Matthew Weiner And AMC Should Have Present In Mad Men Season 5.

I have been a non-smoker all of my life with no actual intention ever to light-up a cancer stick.  The few times that I have consumed alcohol have always been in a responsible manner and were on the occasion of a military or civilian government co-worker being promoted.  However whenever I am viewing AMC’s Mad Men, I often have a strange urge to don a skinny tie, pour a glass of scotch (straight) and inhale and exhale the smoke from a lucky strikes cigarette.  While a dispute over finances has prevented the show from making a 2011 appearance, this will surely not deter fans from viewing their beloved character driven story in early 2012.  Even in the midst of high quality broadcasting such as The Walking Dead and Breaking Bad (the latter of the two having a special effects driven season finale that rival’s the revealing of Two Face in TDK), Mad Men is AMC’s frontrunner.  However, below are two notions that Cinematic Impact would like to see in Mad Men’s fifth season. 

1.  Have an African American character hired at the firm.

Season 1 featured a scene where Pete Campbell suggests that the advertising agency collaborates with African American companies to gain more numbers.  The idea is not entirely ridiculed, but nonetheless the suggestion goes up in smoke along with the rest of the nicotine vapors that rise to the top of the ceiling in Cooper-Pryce’s building.  Season 5 will take the viewer into the final and increasingly turbulent years of the Civil Rights Movement.  If the firm hires a black executive then the show will have much more than simply a new perspective.  This new character can be just a cutthroat if not more than the guys that are obviously going to give him a harder time than those of their same race.  This character can be an established professional whom has little sympathy for blacks that are economically and socially deterred due to racism.  Perhaps this person is not a democrat and could careless about joining the NAACP or attending a Nation of Islam meeting.  This character could also have the charm and wit that is equal to Don Draper.  Instead of having a complex relationship with an ex-wife and harboring a Korean War secret, he could have had an ill-fated relationship with a civil rights activist and seen as the typical (but in this case well-written) Uncle Tom character.  A character whom has issues with the white and black race is wholly complex and not cliché’.    

So far Mad Men has stayed in the norm when it comes to minority characters.  They are the butt of financial jokes, are maids/caretakers, and mostly seen and not heard. Of course most of the aforementioned is socially and historically accurate.  But there have been black Harvard graduates since the 1880s and even the paranoid J. Edgar hoover hired the first black FBI agents in 1919.  Mad Men needs new color (pun intended) added to its palette to keep the Emmy/Golden Globe wins coming. 

2.  Reveal more on Don Draper’s past.

Audiences are intrigued that Draper is not really Draper.  He is actually Richard (Dick) Whitman, a poor farm boy and later enlisted soldier in the Korean War. Whitman steals the identity of the real Lieutenant Donald Draper, and years later inadvertently establishes and keeps contact with the real Draper’s widow. There have been instances of close calls in regards to revealing his true identity.  In the first season Pete Campbell finds the truth and brings it to the attention of Bert Cooper, but Cooper simply says he does not care because of Draper’s contributions to the firm.  Draper’s ex-wife Betty has covered for him a few occasions when a snooping federal investigator emerges to “ask a few questions”.  But very little is explained in regards to how he met Betty and professional life before advertising. 

It is revealed in the second season that Draper was a car salesman but the description is about as detailed as this single sentence.  Draper did not finish high school, and somehow attended City College for a while.  More insight is needed on how he acquired his business savvy.  Yes, people can be naturally gifted, but seeing Draper on a learning curve will be warmly welcomed. 

Good job Paramount and Warner Bros.

Cinematic Impact usually steers away from routine reporting on film and television news that is being featured on most prominent film sites.  We primarily focus on analyzing the production, casting, funding, scripting, and studio influence on upcoming and already released projects.   However the following news is too good not to say a few words about:  The Dark Knight Rises “Prologue” may be attached to IMAX prints of Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol. 

Brad Bird (the director of Ratatouille, The Incredibles, and The Iron Giant) is directing his first feature live action film.  25 minutes of Ghost Protocol was shot on 70mm IMAX film, and features daring stunt work by Tom Cruise from the world’s tallest building in Dubai.  The aforementioned details are enough to make most moviegoers want to see Bird’s take on secret agent Ethan Hunt.  However drop in 6 minutes of footage from Christopher Nolan’s upcoming end to the Batman Trilogy, and now you have a glimpse of what could be one of the most groundbreaking films ever.                        

http://www.nolanfans.com/2011/02/01/wally-pfister-speaks-about-the-dark-knight-rises/

The above link is from our friends at nolanfans.com.  It is a link to cinematographer Wally Pfister’s interview with The Kevin and Josh Movie Show.  Pfister was on record saying that “the opening scene will blow your mind…and we are all scratching our heads on how we are going to film it”.  Those that have been watching the videos of leaked footage from the Pittsburg and Los Angeles sets may have an idea of what Mr. Pfister is talking about.  I will not comment on any of this due to spoilers and I would rather probe official Warner Bros released trailers and prologue footage.   For amateur video recordings captured on consumer grade video cams and IPhones does not bring justice to what Christopher Nolan and his team are truly up to.  Just keep in mind that Nolan and crew use around 55% less CGI than most other film crews.

Too bad that the IMAX theaters here in Japan only show documentaries, hopefully Paramount Pictures and Warner Brothers will work out a deal to attach The Dark Knight Rises “Prologue” to conventional projectors.  I would love to be able to comment upon a film that could potentially top the 2008 The Dark Knight.  There are doubters out there who have scrutinized the leaked footage.  All I can say is that with special effects genius Chris Corbould (Inception, The Dark Knight, Casino Royale) supervising production/post-production and a script so secret that Nolan has committed the ending only to mental memory, is enough for me to trust a director that has yet to make a sub-par film.

Update on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 6:02AM by Travlis Hallingquest

AMC Theaters have confirmed that a 6 minute Prologue to the highly anticipated The Dark Knight Rises is indeed attached to Brad Bird's Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol.  As of now, the Prologue will only be available in real IMAX, not IMAX digital.