Dark Knight Rises, Holmesiana, Belgian Grand Prix, rugby union
Finally saw Dark Knight Rises. I loved it. I also love you all for not spoiling me. Especially for that thing. Or the other thing. Or the other other thing.
I mean, I can see why lots of people I know didn't like it. It's a very Nolan film.
Somehow, Bruce is the only one of his leading characters who can move on from their obsessions. He's been listening to us.
Enjoy is still the wrong word for Batman films. Much like X-men films, if I come out of a Batman film not feeling like I've been put through a wringer,I feel short changed. I came out of this feeling satisfyingly wrung.
I mean, if it had been anyone else, sticking themselves into absolutely seclusion for 8 years would be a bit much, but it's Bruce Wayne so it's plausible. He does extreme things.
And I think the time was nice idea, because I think Nolan realised he couldn't top The Dark Knight, and shouldn't try so he did something different. I'm not sure the jump worked but I can imagine people thinking that the good times are back and putting less effort in, and there isn't a Thomas Wayne figure to chivvy them along, because Bruce can't be his father, which appears to be something Alfred can't understand.
I also loved that the two things at the end of Dark Knight where people did what they thought was the best possible thing in the circumstances did come back to bit them on the arse.
Moving Alfred out before the big end game makes sense. I think he spent the time in England kick himself for leaving Bruce. You had to have him out of there because he would have got himself killed very quickly, because he's Alfred and he would have stood up for himself, and the audience wouldn't stand for Alfred in danger.
Like all Nolan films, it's the quiet, non-actiony bits I liked best, like not-Dick Grayson and Jim Gordon when Bane reads out the speech. Even if I wanted to smack not-Dick Grayson. I understand why Nolan came up with a composite not-Robin, because he needed not-Robin to become Batman and none of the Robins can become Batman (I don't care what DC Comics says on that one).
I loved the French Revolutionary Court of the Grand Terror Scarecrow's Court. I just love that call back. I love several of the call-backs.
And damn the man, Nolan did it to me again and made me forgot what I knew about Ra's Al-Ghul.
I also loved the idea that there was a maximum of what could be asked of one man, even if he'd made himself into a symbol and even if he was willing to give everything and more.
My favourite bit though is that Batman didn't race in to save the day to save a girl, or a friend, but his city. Gotham is defended indeed.
Bane's voice. I like that they did over-dub it rather than keep the indistinct mumble from the original trailers. And I think I know what Tom Hardy was aiming for (or possibly what Christopher Nolan told him to aim for) but it didn't work.
I'll give them a pass for mild incoherance in Bane's plan because well, there were reasons why it wasn't coherent, but I would have preferred for it to make more sense standing on it's own.
And I feel I must apologise to Anne Hathaway. She's still not my idea of Selina Kyle but she does a good impression.
A quick question, for any comics fans reading this, could someone explain the Bane thing to me. Because all my friends that are comics fans are mad about him and I don't get it. Unfortunately all my RL friends who are comics fans are men so I tend to put it down to Bane being big macho. (My favourite villains are Ra's Al-Ghul and the Joker ('n' Harley Quinn), so I got all of mine in films so I'm not complaining about the Bane-fanboying, I'm just confused by it.)
Related to that, idiot friend insists that Tom Hardy can't be terrifying as Bane because he's not that tall. I have tried to point out that tall is not neccessary for terrifying, but he won't listen. I hope this lulls him into a false sense of security when the short inherit the Earth.
On a more shallow note, when did Matthew Modine become old enough to play high-ranking police officers?
~~~~
Also film-related, I've finally figured out who played Moriarty in Without A Clue. Actually it seems to be the day for Holmes pastiches, between that and the Young Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately they all clash with the Belgian Grand Prix and nothing gets between me and Spa.
Dear Mercedes, stop doing this to Schumacher. I get more and more convinced that he went to a fortune teller who told him that he was due a lot of bad luck and he could work it off in F1.
Re: crash - Oh hell almighty. I'm assuming that Alonso got a bit clonked. I've never been so glad to see him moving.
That was a good race. I want to kiss the guy directing the camera work, he didn't focus on the number 1 only. We even got to see the Marussias racing. And I love Button, Vettel and Raikkonen talking at the end.
Vettel - "Did you have a battle against Michael?"
Kimi - (immensely long-suffering sigh) "He's so difficult to pass."
Re: Grosjean's ban - can anyone remember anyone else ever getting a race ban?
~~~~
In the rugby union - who thought giving London Welsh Leicester as their first Premiership match was fair?
Also, now that I know Maurie Fasavalu is playing for Quins, their success last year makes a lot more sense. Saracens being evil also makes sense as they have Joel Tomkins.
Union, only umpteen years after League, finally have proper vid refs.
I mean, I can see why lots of people I know didn't like it. It's a very Nolan film.
Somehow, Bruce is the only one of his leading characters who can move on from their obsessions. He's been listening to us.
Enjoy is still the wrong word for Batman films. Much like X-men films, if I come out of a Batman film not feeling like I've been put through a wringer,I feel short changed. I came out of this feeling satisfyingly wrung.
I mean, if it had been anyone else, sticking themselves into absolutely seclusion for 8 years would be a bit much, but it's Bruce Wayne so it's plausible. He does extreme things.
And I think the time was nice idea, because I think Nolan realised he couldn't top The Dark Knight, and shouldn't try so he did something different. I'm not sure the jump worked but I can imagine people thinking that the good times are back and putting less effort in, and there isn't a Thomas Wayne figure to chivvy them along, because Bruce can't be his father, which appears to be something Alfred can't understand.
I also loved that the two things at the end of Dark Knight where people did what they thought was the best possible thing in the circumstances did come back to bit them on the arse.
Moving Alfred out before the big end game makes sense. I think he spent the time in England kick himself for leaving Bruce. You had to have him out of there because he would have got himself killed very quickly, because he's Alfred and he would have stood up for himself, and the audience wouldn't stand for Alfred in danger.
Like all Nolan films, it's the quiet, non-actiony bits I liked best, like not-Dick Grayson and Jim Gordon when Bane reads out the speech. Even if I wanted to smack not-Dick Grayson. I understand why Nolan came up with a composite not-Robin, because he needed not-Robin to become Batman and none of the Robins can become Batman (I don't care what DC Comics says on that one).
I loved the French Revolutionary Court of the Grand Terror Scarecrow's Court. I just love that call back. I love several of the call-backs.
And damn the man, Nolan did it to me again and made me forgot what I knew about Ra's Al-Ghul.
I also loved the idea that there was a maximum of what could be asked of one man, even if he'd made himself into a symbol and even if he was willing to give everything and more.
My favourite bit though is that Batman didn't race in to save the day to save a girl, or a friend, but his city. Gotham is defended indeed.
Bane's voice. I like that they did over-dub it rather than keep the indistinct mumble from the original trailers. And I think I know what Tom Hardy was aiming for (or possibly what Christopher Nolan told him to aim for) but it didn't work.
I'll give them a pass for mild incoherance in Bane's plan because well, there were reasons why it wasn't coherent, but I would have preferred for it to make more sense standing on it's own.
And I feel I must apologise to Anne Hathaway. She's still not my idea of Selina Kyle but she does a good impression.
A quick question, for any comics fans reading this, could someone explain the Bane thing to me. Because all my friends that are comics fans are mad about him and I don't get it. Unfortunately all my RL friends who are comics fans are men so I tend to put it down to Bane being big macho. (My favourite villains are Ra's Al-Ghul and the Joker ('n' Harley Quinn), so I got all of mine in films so I'm not complaining about the Bane-fanboying, I'm just confused by it.)
Related to that, idiot friend insists that Tom Hardy can't be terrifying as Bane because he's not that tall. I have tried to point out that tall is not neccessary for terrifying, but he won't listen. I hope this lulls him into a false sense of security when the short inherit the Earth.
On a more shallow note, when did Matthew Modine become old enough to play high-ranking police officers?
~~~~
Also film-related, I've finally figured out who played Moriarty in Without A Clue. Actually it seems to be the day for Holmes pastiches, between that and the Young Sherlock Holmes. Unfortunately they all clash with the Belgian Grand Prix and nothing gets between me and Spa.
Dear Mercedes, stop doing this to Schumacher. I get more and more convinced that he went to a fortune teller who told him that he was due a lot of bad luck and he could work it off in F1.
Re: crash - Oh hell almighty. I'm assuming that Alonso got a bit clonked. I've never been so glad to see him moving.
That was a good race. I want to kiss the guy directing the camera work, he didn't focus on the number 1 only. We even got to see the Marussias racing. And I love Button, Vettel and Raikkonen talking at the end.
Vettel - "Did you have a battle against Michael?"
Kimi - (immensely long-suffering sigh) "He's so difficult to pass."
Re: Grosjean's ban - can anyone remember anyone else ever getting a race ban?
~~~~
In the rugby union - who thought giving London Welsh Leicester as their first Premiership match was fair?
Also, now that I know Maurie Fasavalu is playing for Quins, their success last year makes a lot more sense. Saracens being evil also makes sense as they have Joel Tomkins.
Union, only umpteen years after League, finally have proper vid refs.