Interstellar Review

Interstellar, Christopher Nolan’s most recent, and possibly most divisive, film to date.

Before The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan seemed untouchable. His films received both critical and commercial success, and the legion of "Nolanites" literally sent death threats to anyone that opposed his reign as the "Best Director of our Time." However, The Dark Knight Rises and Interstellar's mixed reception showed that Nolan was, indeed, human, as even some of his own fans said that it was not the "Best film ever made." So, how Interstellar does actually stack up to his previous work? Let's find out!

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Genre: Sci-Fi

Release Date: November 5, 2014

Running Time: 169 minutes

MMPA rating: PG-13

The Good: Gripping and suspense scenes, Exceptional performances, Incredible special effects, Hans Zimmer soundtrack, Well developed main protagonist, Unexpected plot twists, Fascinating world building, Unique robot design, Surprisingly well executed finale (except for one major thing),

The Bad: Various minor plot holes, Inconsistent character motivations, Apparently predictable twists, Several convenient dumb moments, Music overpowers important dialogue,

Plot Summary: Interstellar follows Joseph "Coop" Cooper, a widowed father of two, and a former pilot, NASA astronaut and engineer, as he is recruited for a mission to explore a wormhole that leads to another galaxy with potentially habitable planets.

Plot: 8.7/10- Interstellar introduces us to a fascinating future where is famine sweeping across the nation and taxpayer money is no longer spent on space exploration. The world Interstellar builds is enthralling, yet simple. Unlike most "apocalyptic wastelands" ravaged by war or "global warming," Nolan shows us a world that is not too difficult to believe. From the early scenes with Cooper's family on the farm, the film draws you in for an engaging space epic that is gripping from beginning to end.

Despite a potentially slow pace and a nearly three hour runtime, Interstellar is never boring. It moves from place to place with ease. The film exploration, of not only space, but the concepts of time relativity and how it affects the characters and the story creates compelling drama. As a fan of time-travel and other science fiction related to time, Interstellar's use of those concepts fascinated me, so if you are not interested in those concepts, maybe you will find it needlessly complicated.

Unfortunately, Interstellar is not without its flaws. Throughout the film, there are minor plot holes, plot conveniences, dumb actions by characters, and various aspects that fall apart when you think about them. However, the film's ambitious ideas overshadow many of the flaws from an entertainment perspective.

Characterization: 8.2/10- Cooper is one of Nolan's most relatable and likable characters to date. He is a widowed father with a family, and while that might seem like a cheap way to create an emotional connection with the audience, it certainly succeeded. Sure, Cooper might completely forget his son, but his relationship with his daughter, Murphy, is an effective tether to maintain Cooper’s connection to Earth.

Aside from Cooper and Murphy, the supporting is not nearly as well fleshed out. Dr. Amelia Brand is a bland character with inconsistent motivations. She is not a terrible character by any means, but just not a great one. My favorite, however, is the robot TARS. TARS' design is distinctly different than other robots, and as a fan of science fiction, the way the character is portrayed with his wit and the way he is used is fascinating!

Direction: 9.7/10- Christopher Nolan is at his finest with Interstellar. Visually, the film is striking, especially the scenes in space. However, the strongest aspect of Nolan's direction is the tension he creates. Several scenes of the film are positively gripping! They had me on the edge-of-my-seat!

Acting: 9.2/10- Matthew McConaughey is at the top of his game in Interstellar. His slow drawl when he talks draws the audience in, and his performance is the reason Cooper is such a likable and relatable character. Anne Hathaway is adequate in her role, and the rest of the cast do a fine job with the material.

Special effects: 10/10- Hands down, Interstellar has the best visual effects of 2014. Nolan's use of practical effects makes everything look far more realistic, and therefore more engaging. You feel like you are in space! It is incredible.

Soundtrack: 9.0/10- Hans Zimmer's score is different than his norm, which is great. His tracks create the perfect atmosphere for the film. However, there is one massive flaw; the music greatly overpowers the dialogue, especially during important scenes! At times, you literally cannot understand a word characters are saying, and it is annoying. How did the film make it past screenings with such a massive flaw!? It felt very unprofessional. Thankfully, it only impacts a few scenes.

Humor: N/A- Aside from TARS' perfectly timed humor, Interstellar is not a particularly humorous film.

Entertainment Value: 9.7/10- Despite the long runtime, Interstellar felt like watching a two hour film. From beginning to end, it engaged me on multiple levels, and as a sci-fi fan, it opens exciting new frontiers for space exploration films.

Overall: 8.6/10- Flawed as it may be, Interstellar is an engaging film that explores ambitious concepts with a main protagonist that the audience can relate to. Sure, it may not be one of Nolan's best films, but it highlights what Nolan excels at: Ambitious filmmaking. 

Closing comments: Even though Gravity dissuaded my interest in space film, Interstellar rekindles my dire to see more films like this! And in comparison to Nolan's other works, it is certainly better than The Dark Knight Rises, yet considerably weaker than Inception and right below Batman Begins.

Recommended for: Sci-fi fans, Nolan fans, Space exploration fans, Time-Travel fans,

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Memento Review

Before Christopher Nolan hit it big with movies like The Dark Knight Trilogy and Inception, he first made a name for himself with a small, yet brilliantly crafted, mystery thriller titled, Memento.

Memento follows Leonard, a former insurance fraud investigator that is on the hunt for the man that murdered his wife. However, there is a catch. While trying to save his wife from an attacker, he suffered a brain damage, which caused anterograde amnesia. Due to the anterograde amnesia, Leonard can only remember very recent events, like within the last 30 minutes or less, the movie begins at the end of the story and jumps back to each point before Leonard’s memory fades, which creates for a unique experience for the audience.

Anterograde amnesia is when a person cannot create new memories yet retains all, or most, of his or her memories prior to the incident. While there is more explanation in the movie, according to medical experts, Memento displays the most accurate representation of anterograde amnesia in film. To combat his memory problems, Leonard writes many notes and takes pictures to remind him of what he needs to do and who people are.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan

Genre: Mystery, Thriller,

Release Date: September 5, 2000

Running Time: 113 minutes

MMPA rating: R

The Good: Inventive and unique narrative devices, Perfectly paced, Mind-bendingly complex, Nearly flawless plotting, Top notch performances,

The Bad:

Plot: 9.9/10- Memento’s plot is unique, tight, and nearly flawless. 

As good as Nolan’s later films have been, even some of his best have had major plot holes and inconsistencies, yet, at least from what I have deduced, there are few if any plot holes in Memento. Using the narrative device of the character’s anterograde amnesia by starting from the end and going backwards to the beginning is not a gimmick, because almost everything takes place from the perspective of the main character Leonard. As for the mystery, Nolan leaves enough clues for the audience to figure it out, but not enough to make it obvious and the actual mystery is oh so intriguing to figure out.

Characterization: 9.2/10- Despite the continual time jumps, the main character, Leonard, is surprisingly compelling. While the other characters are not particularly developed, they are all memorable and distinct. 

Acting: 9.3/10- Guy Pearce’s performance is particularly exceptional as Leonard. He is able to convey the character’s condition effectively. Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano give noteworthy performances as well. 

Soundtrack: 7.2/10- While the score can be somewhat effective at points, it is barely noticeable overall.

Humor: N/A-

Entertainment Value: 8.9/10- Since the neo-noir mystery style is particularly appealing to me, trying to piece together the plot was very entertaining.

Overall: 9.5/10- Memento is a superbly crafted mystery film with a unique narrative structure and strong performances, there is nothing negative that can be said about the film.

Closing comments: OK.... What am I doing again? Ah, it looks like I am writing a review for something called “Memento.” I don't remember watching that....

Recommended for: Mystery fans, Christopher Nolan fans (Nolanites), Noir fans, Guy Pearce fans, Thriller fans,

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Interstellar Trailer 3

The third Interstellar trailer is here! And against my better judgment, I watched it. The trailer touches upon elements from the trailer, while also showing more of what happens after they travel through the wormhole. Fortunately, there is not a lot revealed as to spoil what is going to happen in the movie. Ultimately, the trailer is fine, and since it does not spoil much about the movie, I am glad. But it also doesn't give me much to say about the trailer either. For me, this is going to be the last trailer from the movie that I am going to watch, intentionally at least. What do you think of it? Are you interested in movie? Please comment below and let me know! Also check back tomorrow for my new podcast!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Video Review: Interstellar Trailer Review

Today I present my first ever video review of a movie trailer, and it my review of the Interstellar trailer. Interstellar is by Christopher Nolan, who is best known for films such as The Dark Knight trilogy and Inception. Interstellar is his first original film since Inception, and it is one of my most anticipated of the year. Today's guest is Jordan Rath from RATH'S REVIEWS, and a special thanks goes to him for coming up with the idea for the trailer review. Please keep in mind that this is our first trailer review, and my editing is not always perfectly timed with what we are saying, and the video quality turned out lower than expected. Next time however, I hope the quality will be improved. Also, if you have not already seen the trailer, you can do so below. Please let me know what you think of this trailer review and if you would like to see more.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Prestige Review.

Thoughts: Before Christopher Nolan made The Dark Knight and Inception he made another mind bending film named The Prestige, aka, one of the most underrated and forgotten films ever made. The movie is about two competing magicians who are trying to have the better "Teleporting Man" trick and these guys, played by Christian Bale and Hugh Jackman, are also trying to get revenge for personal reasons, which are explained in the film. The Prestige is one of the those movies that you keep you thinking and talking about long after the film ends. Because of this, there will be complete spoiler section at the bottom; however the rest of the review will be spoiler free.


Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Mystery, Suspense, Mind bender, Period drama,
Release Date: October 20, 2006
Running Time: 130 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13


The Good: Shocking plot twists, Excellent performances, Great characters, Uniquely structured plot, Complex plot, Thought provoking, Satisfying ending, Ensemble cast, Intriguing mystery, Original, Suspenseful, Superb cinematography (Oscar nominated),

The Bad:


Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
A magician performs an illusion for a young girl explaining that each trick has three parts; the pledge, where the audience is presented with an ordinary object; the turn, where the object is turned into something extraordinary; and the prestige, where the object is brought back.
Magician Alfred Borden (Bale) is sentenced to death for the murder of rival Robert Angier (Jackman) by drowning him in a water tank during one of Angier's performances. Both began their careers as shills for "Milton the Magician" with ingénieur John Cutter (Caine) and Angier's wife Julia (Perabo) as his assistant. The pair observe an elderly Asian magician who is able to make a large fishbowl appear seemingly from nothing. Borden realizes that the man's frailty is in fact the act and comments that true magic requires sacrifice.
Watch the movie to see what happens next.


Plot: 9.6/10- Nolan creates a unique, nonlinear narrative structure in The Prestige, switching between three different timelines in the story. At first the narrative can be difficult to follow and a little confusing, however it becomes easier to follow as the film progresses. The characters are well written and are given due motive for their actions. What makes the film great however is that the mystery is brilliantly crafted and all the plot twists. While the twist is positively fantastic, it is the point where viewers will either love or hate the film. The twist may not be the best or most shocking twist ever, it is certainly up there.

Action: N/A-

Acting: 9.6/10- Christopher Nolan sure knows how to bring together an excellent cast and The Prestige is no exception. The Prestige's ensemble is fantastic, with top notch and sometimes Oscar worthy performances across the board. Jackman gives his best performance outside of the X-Men franchise and while Bale is occasionally difficult to understand, his performance was very good. Bale's character actually felt like a real human character unlike some of his past roles. As always, Michael Caine brings great gravitas in his usual mentor role. The lovely Scarlett Johansson, gives another amazing performance, albeit in a more minor role. The other cast members are excellent without a single weak performance.

Special effects: N/A-

Soundtrack: 7.7/10- Although it was not the most memorable, it services the film well and adds to the intrigue.

Comedy: N/A-

Would I Watch This Again: Unlike many mysteries, the film has a re-watch-ability since you want to catch all of the clues to the mystery.

Overall: 9.4/10- Overall The Prestige is an amazing film, perfectly structured and well acted with one of the best mysteries ever put to film.

Closing comments: Not everyone will enjoy the film, but it is one that you need to see and decide for yourself.

Recommended for: Nolan fans, Mystery fans, Christian fans, Hugh Jackson fans, Period drama fans, Suspense fans, Mind bender fans,

*Spoiler Discussion*
OK, the ending was absolutely amazing! While it was surprisingly straight forward and not ambiguous like Inception's ending, it made sense for the most part. Not even for a second had I thought Bernard was being played by Christian Bale, the disguise completely fooled me. As for Tesla's sci-fi/magic cloning machine: I liked the idea. Even though it kind of broke the rules of the established world, I actually enjoyed the sci-fi turn at the end. I can see some people really hating it for the twist, which is why the film is not for everyone. My only problem with the film is that, the characters Robert Angier and "The Great Danton" were both played by Hugh Jackman. I know Danton was an actor, but no one except for an identical twin can look that similar to a person. It was not a huge problem and did not effect the score, but it was definitely worth noting.
*End Spoilers*

What are your thoughts on the film? If you have seen it, please discuss spoilers in the comment, if not do you plan to watch the film?

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Dark Knight Rises Best Parody Ever.

Here is a hilarious dubbing of The Dark Knight Rises. While I have a unique sense of humor, and many do not find what I like funny, this is my favorite video on YouTube. It is ridiculously funny and has a great sense of humor, that I just can't get enough of. I have literally seen it more than 20 times over the last 4 months. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I do and warning it is packed with spoilers. Also there is another video Dark Knight Rises Holiday parody by video the Auralnauts, which I enjoy almost as much. Check back tomorrow for my review of Gettysburg.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

How The Dark Knight Rises Should Have Ended.

 

"How It Should Have Ended" finally released How The Dark Knight Rises Should Have Ended! And it might be my favorite yet, but do not watch it if you have not seen The Dark Knight Rises. This is hilarious, and it brings up some valid and funny flaws in the movie. Also below is a bonus scene from HISHE.

 

 

 

 

I still cannot decide which is my favorite HISHE, The Dark Knight or The Dark Knight Rises, both are hilarious.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Dark Knight Rises Short Review.

Because by long spoiler free review of The Dark Knight Rises was not quite as successful as I had previously expected, I this is a shorter version of the review with a few different thoughts about it. If you have not read my full review of The Dark Knight Rises please click on this link to read it and comment.

Thoughts: As I have previously stated in my review for The Dark Knight Rises, it was a perfect conclusion to the trilogy. The new characters that were introduced worked well in the plot and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle gave a surprisingly excellent performance. The action was far superior to just about anything from the other Nolan Batman movies and the special effects were excellent. Although Bane cannot be compared to The Joker, he was the villain that they needed for this movie. The Dark Knight Rises took an almost Marvel approach to the movie, with focusing on the main hero at more of a personal level than previous Batman movies. The character were a lot more likable and relatable than previous installments, which made it easier to be invested in the characters. Also this was the most comic book-y of the Nolan Batman movies. The first 12 hours after coming out of the theater and writing my previous review, I loved the movie and I found it extremely enjoyable in terms of entertainment. However, after thinking about the movie's plot there were some leaps in logic that the audience had to make and a few kind of silly moments that felt out of place in the more realistic world that Nolan has created. Despite a few problems, I found the movie to be very entertaining to watch and I was invested in it from beginning to end.

The Good: Perfect conclusion, Fantastic Hans Zimmer Score, Top notch action scenes, Shocking plot twists, Excellent performances and cast, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was great, Epic story, Impressive action set pieces, Great special effects,

The Bad:

Overall: 9.8/10- Although I can overlook a few flaws for the overall enjoyment of the movie, The Dark Knight Rises is an excellent movie with great direction and some strong themes throughout the movie.

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Dark Knight Rises Review.

Thoughts:
Did The Dark Knight Rises live up to the extremely high expectations set by The Dark Knight? Or was this the movie we deserved but not the one we need right now. Read the review to find out. Also this is a spoiler free review.
The Dark Knight Rises takes place 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne is retired from being Batman. It opens with a good scene, introducing Bane well but it is hard to beat the "Bank Heist" scene from The Dark Knight. But the movie picked up and I enjoyed just about every minute of it, the story went places I had never expected. There were some shocking plot twists and almost nothing was given away in the few trailers I had seen previously. I avoided all but the first three trailers for the movie, therefore almost nothing about the plot was spoiled, expect for a few things that I know from the comics. The tone of The Dark Knight Rises was fantastic, it was still dark and gritty but it seemed to work better for me than the previous Nolan Batman movies. I am a fan of long epic movies, and The Dark Knight Rises long run was definitely a plus for me. It rarely felt rushed but the middle act did drag a bit. Although Bane is no match compared to The Joker, his back story was unique and unexpected. Bane was an excellent adversary for Batman, because he was a match physically and mentally. Also Bane's presence and overall demeanor was just awesome. Surprisingly, he was not too difficult to understand for most of the movie and his voice was mostly really cool, however there were scenes that left you wondering what he said and it was hard to understand a few other characters during some scenes. Another surprise was the action, it was top notch. Very impressive, Batman and Catwoman's fighting style was excellent and great to watch (more about action later). Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was fantastic. Catwoman has always been my second favorite Batman character after The Joker, and Hathaway played her perfectly, with the way she moved and fought she almost stole the show at times. Also the costumes for the characters looked functional and were well designed. There was one flaw that I did find somewhat odd; the romance was just kind of there without any explanation why the two characters happened to like each other in basically one night without any shown previous history. It did not ruin the movie in anyway, but I was thinking about it thoughout most of the movie.
Although the movie does not have the same type of thrills that The Dark Knight had, The Dark Knight Rises was not really a "crime thriller" like its predecessor. The Dark Knight Rises is in some ways a war movie and an epic. Also The Dark Knight Rises is a lot more of a science fiction movie than the previous installments with some high-tech gadgets and vehicles. There were a few shocking plot twists in the movie, especially if you do not know anything about the comic books. The new character John Blake was a very likable character; as usual Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave an excellent performance. Miranda Tate, played by Marion Cotillard, was good but not quite as good as she could have been. Also the movie did have a few minor plot holes, but The Dark Knight had just about as many Plot Holes in the movie. that The Dark Knight Rises did so overall, they were easily tolerable for the overall enjoyment of the movie.
Arguably the best part of The Dark Knight Rises was the ending. It had one of the best last 10-15 minutes of a movie I have seen in a very long time, it was so satisfying yet left me wanting so much more.

Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Action, Comic Book, Epic, Sci-Fi
Release Date: July 20, 2012
Running Time: 165 minutes
MMPA rating: July 20, 2012


The Good: Perfect conclusion, Fantastic Hans Zimmer Score, Top notch action scenes, Shocking plot twists, Excellent performances and cast, Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was great, Epic story, Impressive action set pieces, Great special effects,

The Bad:




Plot: The following plot summary is copied from Wikipedia.com.
Eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, Gotham City is in a state of peace. Under powers granted by the Dent Act (legislation inspired by the perceived heroism of the late Harvey Dent), Commissioner James Gordon and the Gotham City Police Department have nearly eradicated violent and organized crime. Gordon feels guilty about the cover-up of Harvey Dent's crimes, but decides that the city is not ready to hear the truth. While following a lead in the abduction of a congressional representative, Gordon's speech falls into the hands of the villain Bane, who discovers the truth about Dent. Gordon is shot in the process of escaping and promotes patrol officer John Blake to detective, allowing Blake to report directly to him in the hospital.
As Batman has disappeared from Gotham, so too has Bruce Wayne, locking himself inside Wayne Manor. Wayne Enterprises is crumbling after he invested in board member Miranda Tate's clean energy project, designed to harness fusion power, and shut it down after learning that the core could be modified to become a nuclear weapon.
Watch the movie to see what happens next.



Plot: 9.8/10- Despite the few minor plot holes, the plot worked excellently. The overall the tone was almost like an epic or war movie. Also the plot twists were great and mostly unexpected, plus the back story for the characters was very satisfying. However the ending was so bone chilling and ended it perfectly. I really cannot imagine it ending any better than it did. But there were some plot holes and unnecessary leaps in logic that the audience will have to made.



Action: 9.4/10- Finally, Batman gets to have some awesome hand-to-hand action scenes, although he is still a little too much like a tanking brute, especially in the first fight between him and Bane, he later uses more technique from his previous training. The large epic "Battle of Gotham" shown in the trailer was awesome and all the other action scenes were top notch with only a few poorly framed shots. Also Selina Kyle was excellent during her fight scenes and well choreographed.
Something I need to clarify about what was said in my Batman Begins Review. that the choreography was done poorly, actually it was the camera work and framing of the shots that was not done well. But as I hoped and expected, he learned from Inception how to framed action scenes and it turned out fantastically.


Acting: 9.8/10- Although nothing could possibly match Heath Ledger's Oscar Winning performance, Christian Bale steeped up his performance to a whole new level and his was not too over the top as in The Dark Knight. Tom Hardy as Bane was menacing and tried to be almost Darth Vader like with his presence, which worked to great effect. Michael Caine, as usual, was excellent in his role but was kind of given the shaft in terms of screen-time and the same for Morgan Freeman yet both gave top notch performances. Joseph Gordon-Levitt gave another fantastic performance in a very likable role. Although Gary Oldman is one of my favorite actors, he did not seem to be quite as good or just did not have enough great material but his performance was still great. Marion Cotillard was fine in her role, but the character could have been slightly more developed.
Despite some debate on whether Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle was the best choice for the role, but I have to say she was excellent. She was one of the highlights of the movie.

Special effects: 9.6/10- The Dark Knight Rises relied more on special effects than the previous entries of the franchise, but I could hardly find a subpar effect anywhere in the movie.


Soundtrack: 10/10- This might just be Hans Zimmer's best soundtrack to date. Although in one or two short parts, the soundtrack over powered the movie but the score its self is a masterpiece. Combining similar themes from the previous movies and adding a new spin on them.


Comedy: 7.7/10- There was not much humor in the movie, but some of the remarks by the characters were funny in a "that's an awesome line" kind of way.


Would I Watch This Again: Although I have no need to see it again in the theater, I would mostly buy the Blu-Ray/DVD.


Overall: 9.8/10- Overall The Dark Knight Rises was nothing like I was expecting it to be, it exceeded my expectations and concluded the trilogy perfectly.


Closing comments: The Dark Knight was not the movie we expected but the one we needed.

Recommended for: Action fans, Comic Book movie fans, Batman fans,

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 25 Batman Movie Moments Part 3: 7-1.

If you have not seen Part 1 or Part 2 please click on the links and comment.

At Number 7: Good Cop, Bat Cop

"The good cop, bad cop routine?", "Not exactly". Another one of Ledger's many great scenes. It is hard to describe it, but this just works so well.

At Number 6: I'm Batman

Although the action in this scene was not framed very well, the menacing "I'm Batman." part at the end is just perfect.

At Number 5: The Joker vs. Batman

The final dual between Batman and The Joker ends and I love The Joker's speech at the end of the fight. Possibly the most quotable scene in the entire movie. I have seen this scene at least 20 times and I could watch it all day long.

At Number 4: The Dark Knight Ending

The epic conclusion to The Dark Knight and every time I watch this scene, it makes me even more excited to watch The Dark Knight Rises. This is such an awesome scene, and Gary Oldman as Gordon's speech sums up the film very well.

At Number 3: Phantasm Identity Revealed

I will not spoil the shocking reveal at the end of Mask of the Phantasm but you must watch the movie if you have any interest in Batman, mysteries, comic book movies or animation.

At Number 2: Why So Serious?

"You want to how I got these scars?" The score builds tension, and the famous "Why So Serious?" line is perfect for The Joker's character.

At Number 1: Pencil Trick

Yes, I had to with the "Pencil Trick" but this also includes what comes afterwards about with "Kill the Batman" proposal. This perfectly shows The Joker's statistic insanity and it is so entertaining to watch. Also this is one my of Top 25 Favorite Movie Moments as well.

I know I could not have included every great scene from the movies and there are a few scenes I know had a good case for making the list. So what are some of your favorite scenes from the Batman movies? Please do not include any from the recent Dark Knight Rises because I have not seen it yet but I might write the list again after I buy The Dark Knight Rises on Blu-Ray. Also if everything goes as planed, unlike last week, I should be going to see The Dark Knight Rises Wednesday and post the review Thursday and tomorrow I will be posting "The Dark Knight Plot Hole" so look for that tomorrow as well.

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 25 Batman Movie Moments Part 2: 16-8.

Here is Part 2 of the Top 25 Batman Movie Moments.

At Number 16: Train Fight

"I won't kill you. But I don't have to save you." Although the camera work during the fight was done poorly, this was an epic end to Ra's al Ghul.

At Number 15: Batman vs. The Joker

The surprisingly brutal and violent fight between Batman and The Joker at the end of Mask of the Phantasm, which pushs the boundaries of the PG rating. There really could not be a better finish to such a great movie.

At Number 14: Agent of Chaos

Note: This video was edited to mostly show the Hospital parts.

"I took your little plan and turn it on its self.", this is hilarious in a very twisted kind of way and the exchange between Harvey and The Joker is brilliant. Interest fact was that the scene with the building exploding was improvised Ledger and when the explosives did not work Ledger continued to act in character.

At Number 13: "Swear to Me!"

This is another one of those scenes that is just really cool and awesome to watch. "Swear to Me!"

At Number 12: Party Crashing

I love the story about the scars, which is never the same and we never know what was the real story or why he is insane. There are so many quotable lines in just a few minutes of film, Ledger steals the scene as usual. "You know, you remind me of my father. I HATED my father!", "A little fight in you, I like that" "Then you going to love me!"

At Number 11: Batman Begins Ending Scene

This set up The Dark Knight perfectly by introducing the card at the end of movie. Also if you look closely at the officer's name who found the card, it is "J. Kerr", which is similar to one of Joker's aliases "Joe Kerr" like "Joker".

At Number 10: Rachel's Death

Although I did not find Rachel's death all too compelling, it was used as a major plot device very well and setup Harvey's tranformation into, Two-Face.

At Number 9: The Birth of Batman

This scene is so bone chilling and effective with the incredible score and animation.

At Number 8: Bank Heist Opening

Another one of The Dark Knight's many iconic scenes is the Bank Heist. It was pulled off perfectly and introduces The Joker. "I believe what ever doesn't kill you, simply makes you stranger."

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 25 Batman Movie Moments Part 1: 25-18.

Because The Dark Knight Rises has recently been released in theaters, it seemed like a good time to make a Top 25 Batman Movie Moments. A moment can last any were from 1 or 2 minutes to around 10 minutes. Also because not every video that I need has been posted on YouTube, some of what I consider a "Moment" can be longer than the what the shows. I am including any scene that was in any of the Batman theatrically released films however, I do not like the Tim Burton much so do not expect any scenes from those movies. Also there is going to be a lot of Joker clips from The Dark Knight.

Because this includes the best moments from the movies, there will be spoilers for The Dark Knight and Batman Begins but I will not spoil "Batman: Mask of the Phantasm" because so few people have actually seen the movie.

Warning: Spoilers for The Dark Knight and Batman Begins.

At Number 25: Escaping the League of Shadows

Note: This is the only video I could find and it is in a different language.

Although Bruce did refuse to kill the murder, he did end up most likely killing him and most of the League of Shadows anyway. 

At Number 24: The Doctor Isn't In

Cillian Murphy's underrated performance as Dr. Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow is perfect for the role and the way his fear gas is used is very well done. 

At Number 23: First Crime Fighting Attempt

This scene from Batman: Mask of the Phantasm obviously influenced the scene in Batman Begins were Bruce wears the ski mask and tries to fight crime. Although it was not exactly the most successful in the his first attempt.

At Number 22: The Bats

Although very implausible, it is just a very cool and memorable scene from Batman Begins.

At Number 21: "You either die a hero or live enough to see your self become the villain."

"You either die a hero or live enough to see your self become the villain." One of the many great quotes from The Dark Knight and one that would later have a deeper meaning.

At Number 20: "Hit Me!"/Chase

Note: This also includes the chase scene.

This scene is intense and ends with a hilarious line from The Joker "Can you please just give me a minute." and the revealed of that Gordon has not died.

At Number 19: Parents Death

One of the most iconic plot points in Batman's origin, the death of his parents. Which would give him the drive to become what he needed to be to stop injustice.

At Number 18: Training

Liam Neeson's is always perfect in the mentor role and Batman Begins is no exception. Watching Bruce becoming more than a man, but a symbol.

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Dark Knight Rises Review Round-Up.

My regular readers should be familiar with my "Review Round-Up" were I collect various reviews from multiple movie reviewers. It seems that the movie built up so much hype that it could not be the beyond perfect movie everyone expected. The reviews are mostly positive but some were disappointed. A few have said that it was their favorite from Nolan's Batman trilogy, while others were not so optimistic about it. If you have not read my for The Dark Knight, please click on the link, and thank you Helen, the one person who commented on that post.

Chris Stuckmann: A+: The Dark Knight Rises is one of Stuckmann's favorite movies of the year but he has not said if it was better than The Dark Knight yet.

 

Jeremy Jahns: Awesometacular: Jeremy basically said that The Dark Knight Rises was a great ending to the trilogy but not quite as good as The Dark Knight. Although he did not exactly say it, he did imply that it was not as good as The Avengers, but we will have see for sure after his Top 10 movies of the year.

Rotten Tomatoes: 87%: Although The Dark Knight Rises is not reaching the heights of The Avengers or The Dark Knight, it still looks like it is going to be a very good movie. Although it only holds a 78% from Rotten Tomatoes Top Critics, which is surprisingly low.

Below is what Rotten Tomatoes has said about it.

"The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion, even if it doesn't quite meet the high standard set by its predecessor."

 

Roger Ebert: 3/4: Somewhat surprising that he did not like it as much as The Amazing Spider-Man considering all of the hype. Here is what he said.
"The film begins slowly with a murky plot and too many new characters, but builds to a sensational climax."

IGN: 9.0/10: IGN.com almost worships the Chris Nolan Batman movies and I am a little surprised that they did not give it a perfect rating.

Schmoes Know: 4/5 and 5/5: Both of the Schmoes enjoyed the film, but one did not even like it more than The Amazing Spider-Man and definitely not better than The Avengers for him. But it was the other Schmoes' favorite movie of the year.

Despite some of the not overly positive review, I believe that The Dark Knight Rises can be better than The Dark Knight. I have avoided all except the first two released trailers and the theatrical trailer. I have not read any spoilers or watched any clips. I have my hopes high that The Dark Knight Rises will be better than The Dark Knight but I generally try not to judge movies before I see them. Also if everything goes as planned, I will see the movie on Thursday.

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Dark Knight Review.

Thoughts: My opinion of of The Dark Knight has changed many times and I believe I have finally come to a consensus. The Dark Knight is a fantastic movie. For the record, I take back most of my negative comments about The Dark Knight in the past and I have given up on criticizing the movie. Although it will never be my favorite comic book movie, it is still one of the best and I am very much looking forward to The Dark Knight Rises.
There is a lot to be said about The Dark Knight, and I liked it a lot more on this viewing.
The Dark Knight opened with the famous Bank Heist scene, which set the tone for the movie and introduced The Joker well. Unlike the previous Batman Begins, the look and atmosphere has changed because the movie mostly focuses on the main city and not the slums of Gotham. Also there are a few new characters introduced into the movie like Harvey Dent played by Aaron Eckhart and The Joker played by Heath Ledger (more on him later). The Dark Knight is one of those sequels that is far better than the original, yet stays true to the original. Although Batman Begins is a very good movie, The Dark Knight is a phenomenal movie. The movie plays more like a terrorism thriller than a standard comic book movie, which worked very well. Christopher Nolan's direction and camera was mostly well done.
Batman's new costume actually looks functional unlike the one in Batman Begins. However, the one thing that I have always found ridiculous is Christian Bale's voice as Batman. Although he is trying to sound menacing, it comes off as really unnecessary, especially when he is wearing the Batman suit in his "Batcave" and talking to someone who knows his identity. His voice in Batman Begins was just fine for the character, he was still menacing and you could clearly understand what he was saying. But when he is wearing the costume, you can hardly even tell that it is Bale be-hind the mask.


The Joker: There is a lot to say about Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. He was a sadistic psychopath that kills people just because he enjoys creating chaos. This version of The Joker is a good match for Batman to battle wits and The Joker is always one step ahead of Batman. Although The Joker is less of a character with dimension and depth than a force that cannot be reasoned with. Heath Ledger's performance was in some ways a mix of the various versions of The Joker yet brought something new to the table. Surprisingly, there was some humor to the character in a very dark and twisted way but it did not feel cheap and some would not even find it humorous. Despite Heath Ledger's performance being over hyped by his unfortunate death, he was definitely deserving of his Oscar, it is unfortunate that other comic book movies of equal or better quality have not received such praise. “You want to see a magic trick?”

There are a few thing that are often said about The Dark Knight, which I really do not see in the movie but it has no effect on the quality of the movie. One of them being the violence. Many have said that The Dark Knight is a very violent for a PG-13 movie, but really do not see why someone would say. Although there is a lot of implied violence and death, there is little to no blood. Compared to a movie like The Amazing Spider-Man were was some a good deal of blood, The Dark Knight is not pushing the boundaries of the PG-13 rating. Only that the context and tension makes it seem more violent to some than other. Another thing that is often said is that The Dark Knight is a "scary" movie to some degree, while there are some unexpected thrills, the movie is not frightening to me in that sense but I guess some might be. These do not effect the quality of the movie in any way but are observations.



Directed by: Christopher Nolan
Genre: Action, Comic Book, Action Thriller, Crime Thriller,
Release date: July 18, 2008
Running Time: 152 minutes
MMPA rating: PG-13


The Good: Strong cast, Superb performances, Complex plot and themes, Brilliant performance by Heath Ledger, Surprisingly thought provoking, Unexpected plot twists, Memorable quotes, Fantastic soundtrack,


The Bad:





Plot: In Gotham City, the Joker and his accomplices rob a bank used by the local mob as a front for money laundering. Batman and Lieutenant James Gordon decide to include new district attorney Harvey Dent, who is dating Bruce Wayne's childhood sweetheart Rachel Dawes, in their plan to eradicate the mob. Bruce later meets Dent and offers him a fundraiser after realizing his sincerity. Mob bosses Sal Maroni, Gambol, and the Chechen meet to discuss the new pressure on their crime operations. Lau, a Chinese mafia accountant, informs them that he has hidden their money and fled to Hong Kong in an attempt to preempt Gordon's plan to seize their funds and hide from Dent's jurisdiction. The Joker barges into the meeting, warning that Batman will come after Lau, and instead offers to kill Batman for half of the funds. They flatly refuse, and Gambol places a bounty on the Joker's head. Not long after, the Joker kills Gambol and takes control of his gang.
Batman captures Lau in Hong Kong and delivers him to the Gotham City police; he agrees to testify, allowing Dent and Gordon to arrest the mobsters en masse. In retaliation, the Joker issues an ultimatum to Gotham that people will die each day unless Batman reveals his identity. Watch the movie to see what happens next.



Plot: 9.7/10- The plot is complex but not so complex that it would confuss the general audience. With most of the characters have enough screen time to fully flesh their character arc and the longer run time than most really helps give the movie more time enough to wrap up the plot.


Action:8.3/10- After the complete lack of well filmed action in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight does vastly improve in that area. The amount of action great and mostly well done. The car chase was mostly well made and the hand-to-hand fighting was solid.

Acting: 9.8/10- The Dark Knight has a phenomenal cast full of all-star performances. Although Heath Ledger is the stand out performance in the movie as The Joker (more on him above), the entire cast gave top notch performances. The only real weak link is Maggie Gyllenhaal replacing Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. Sometimes it is hard to remember that she is the same character as the one in the previous movie.

Special effects: 8.5/10- The explosions and other effects looked very good and one CGI effect worked very well.

Soundtrack: 9.7/10- Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard improved upon the their previous score in Batman Begins with a more powerful theme and a Alfred Hitchcock like suspense theme for The Joker.


Comedy: 7.5/10- Surprisingly there was some good humor to lighten up the movie, mostly from Morgan Freeman's and Michael Caine's characters.

Would I Watch This Again: This is my 4th or 5th viewing of The Dark Knight and I plan to watch a least a few times more.


Overall: 9.7/10- The Dark Knight is an excellent movie that spans many genres and can appeal to many audiences.


Closing comments: Will The Dark Knight Rises match the greatness of The Dark Knight? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Recommended for: Action movie fans, Comic book movie fans, Batman fans, Action Thriller fans, Crime Thriller fans, Crime movie fans,


Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

What's Ahead for Batman Week and More.

As I have said before I will be posting multiple Batman posts. But first if you have not read my for Batman: The Animated Series Review. please click on the link and check it out also please click on the link read my review for The Amazing Spider-Man. 

Below is the schedule for my Batman posts.

Sunday: Epic Film Score and More Sunday: This will include some music from Batman: The Animated Series

Monday: Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Review.

Tuesday: Batman in Film: A retrospect of every Batman film throughout the years.

Wednesday: Batman Begins: Although I have reviewed the movie in the past, I have watched it again and my opinion has changed.

Thusday The Dark Knight Reivew: Again, I will be reviewing The Dark Knight, as with Batman Begins my opinion has changed and it will be a much more in depth analysis of the movie.

Friday: The Dark Knight Rises: A collection of various reviews from other critics of The Dark Knight Rises.

I do not plan to see The Dark Knight Rises on the opening weekend, but sometime during the week and then I will have the review. But I still plan to have some Batman posts including:

Batman in TV, Batman: Animated Series Cast and Characters, The New Adventures of Batman and Robin Review, and possibly another Batman related post.

I have a question for my reader, do you like my themed week? For example Batman Week, Spider-Man, Lord of the Rings Week, ect. Or would you rather I just post random un related posts all of the time? Please comment and let me know.

Also Batman fans out there you should consider checking out  In the Depths of Gotham by Rex'sgirl. It is a blog dedicated only to Batman. It has some good Batman: The Animated Series reviews and other Batman updates.

Six more days until The Dark Knight Rises.

If you want to contact us or have any question please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.