darth_ender

^You may be right.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NaBK_DRf4_0&feature=fvwrel&t=10s

Come on, Frink.  Don't rain on our parade.  You know when you watch the trailer, you feel all warm and fuzzy inside!

Nolan has stated that this is the end of his Batman saga and storyline.  The next film will be a reboot.

I have to say, though we only get glimpses, I'm heartened about Anne Hathaway.  I confess being among the many nervous folks when I heard about her being cast.  This trailer gives me a great deal of hope, as she pulls off her character pretty well, it seems to me.

^Couldn't have put it any more eloquently!!!!!

I think Coast to Coast AM isn't nearly paranoid enough anymore.

Yes, and may the Wookiee's be with you for it.  Your retcons now allow the PT to make perfect sense ;)

bkev said:

I guess I have a skewed perception because my definitive Batman will always be the Animated Series.

I'll drink a Dr. Pepper to that ;)  Some aspects of the comics define what Batman really is, but in the end, TAS really is the ultimate version of Batman to me.  You get to see so many facets to him, the storyline never becomes convoluted, and the characters are well-defined and fleshed out.  My problem with the comics is much the same as the Star Wars EU, and I've largely stopped caring about the comics altogether, except for an exceptional story here and there--and even then, someone has to promote it to me because I won't even bother picking it up without a recommendation.

Personally, I think Rachel's death is interwoven fine, but the film portrays Bruce trying not to let it show.  Every now and then, things get through, like when Batman tells Harvey he wasn't the only one who lost something.  But I hear your complaint, and it would have been nice to see a bit more.

I thought of another complaint of the film I'd like to share: we don't see a real detective.  I remember reading information during the lead up to the film, and we were told we'd get to see more detective-work.  When the time came, the only thing that really stands out as somewhat legit deduction was his reconstruction of the bullet and therefore the fingerprint, but the whole concept is beyond belief for me in the Nolan version of Batman's universe, so I don't even like the idea.  I'd really like to see a Batman who sneaks and snoops, uncovers clues and uses realistic technology and brains to follow a mysterious trail.  Perhaps a Riddler villain would have allowed for such a storyline better, but then the Riddler is pretty silly, and I'll always be tainted by Jim Carrey's version.  Who knows?  If Joker can be remade into such a "serious" character, I'm sure the Riddler could have been far more intimidating as well.

I feel like I'm spending all this time critiquing the film, but I really do enjoy it.  I guess if I were to rate it, I'd give it a 7/10, while Begins I'd give a 9/10.  Begins was my favorite movie for a time, I enjoyed it so much, and it holds up to repeated watching a scrutiny better to me.  But I truly enjoy Dark Knight, and I feel the ending was extremely impactful.

I still find myself extremely excited by TDKR, and the choice of Bane was a good one IMO.  While he was poorly done in B/R, he really is a pretty cool baddie in the comics (the first storyline that I followed in the comics, as I first read it during the run of Knightfall back in 6th grade!).  I believe Nolan can pull off a great finale, and even if it only matches up with TDK as another 7/10 in my book, I'll still believe it worth the wait and price of the ticket.

Oh, and the idea of a Matches Malone film is very interesting as well, CaptainSolo.  It'd be another aspect of Batman that I'd like to see explored further.

Heh!  I like it!  At least, if they have to be included, that's a better way to do it.

Briefly regarding the TDK chase analysis...there are indeed errors, many of which I believe are quite common to movies but generally go unnoticed, especially in a fast paced sequence like this.  I'm trying to think of my first impressions of the film and compare it to my watching it with this guy's points.  Most of them I think are inconsequential or are not bothersome, such as complaints about expendable policemen, the disappearing police car, and even the position of the police van when Batman blocks the bazooka.  Those things are really not the focus of the action and therefore go unnoticed.

Things that I do agree with include the intro to the Joker iin the semi, the somewhat disorienting feeling of position in the police van with Harvey, and the unexplainable (at the time of my first watching) general disorientation at parts.   But generally, I seldom felt disoriented, such as judging the position of the river relative to the vehicles and the various lanes of traffic occupied by the cars of interest.  That always felt rather consistent to me, and only upon slow and methodical analysis does it strike me as odd.  Even the van going into the river at that weird angle I always chalked up to being spun on its axis, never even noticing the wrong momentum.

I will agree with the more generalized statement about the film's directing, and that is that I'm not a big fan of such frenetic action.  The comparison with the Bourne Supremacy is perfect, because I prefer the Bourne Identity so much more because I can see whom Jason is punching and where.  I hate not knowing what is going on.

BB did suffer from some similar directing, but not as extensively as TDK, and it felt more like we were in the perspective of the baddies when this happened (i.e. when Batman raids the drug traffickers and Falcone at the dock).

My biggest complaint about TDK's inconsistencies has been pointed out many times, but it truly troubles me about the significance about the whole sequence, and that is where Joker drops Rachel out the window, Batman saves her, and then we never see any resolution to that conflict at Bruce's penthouse.  Did Joker and his men simply skedaddle?  Did the police show up?  Did Batman go back upstairs and clean house?  I don't know, and it truly bugs me.

That said, there are many qualities to the movie that I like, but most involve the actual character development.  Harvey is a fascinating character, and I only wish he had been developed further (and perhaps that his fall had happened a tad sooner so we'd actually get to know Two Face a little better as well).  Joker steals the show too much, as he did in '89, but he is a fascinating bad guy, so I do enjoy that.  Batman/Bruce doesn't get enough development, but I feel the ending speaks such volumes of his character that I find it truly satisfying: his willingness to sacrifice so much for Gotham including his reputation (which is no small sacrifice for such a figure) in order to preserve the reputation of Harvey and thus the heart of Gotham, it truly is powerful to me.

Whew, that was much longer than I should have taken.  Perhaps I will get around to writing why I like Begins better, but that will have to wait.  I certainly enjoy TDK, even if it seems I didn't give it enough credit here.  I can see where some criticism comes from, but not all.

Well, I certainly disagree with these negative assessments in most respects, but I have to agree on one point: The Dark Knight did not have a clear direction and felt unnecessarily chaotic (yes, I understand that the Joker is an agent of chaos and all).  I honestly enjoyed Batman Begins significantly better, though I still enjoyed The Dark Knight.  I personally enjoy Nolan's style and the stories he directs, and I doubt I will be disappointed this third time around.

Yes, you are right, many were not impressed.  This article presents an interesting scientific explanation.  Apparently the problems was with the closer shots, but the distance shots reportedly looked better.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/anthonykosner/2012/04/28/the-hobbit-at-48fps-too-much-information-and-the-science-of-eye-movement/

I'm willing to postpone judgment till I watch it for myself, and fortunately the movie will be released in theaters in various formats including 24 fps, so if the 48 fps doesn't work out, you can watch in the the good ol' traditional way.

As for the dwarves' representations, I understand the beard-related concern, though I think the reasoning is logical.  My biggest concerns actual center around the expansion of the story, including such characters as Gimli and Legolas (though I can see their making cameos due to their relation to other characters more central to the story.  I just worry that too many liberties will be taken and it will distract from the original story.  But the trailer was very well done and I enjoyed all three LOTR films very much.  My hopes and excitement remain high.

bkev said:

 

Still miss the ride.  My one true BTTF childhood soft spot...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmIHlAuE2Wo&feature=related

May 4th is coming.

http://batman-news.com/2012/04/21/confirmed-the-dark-knight-rises-trailer-3-to-debut-with-the-avengers-on-may-4th/

Next trailer is coming!  And less than three months till the movie comes.  Can't wait!!!  I need to get a box of Depends, I'm so excited!

So I completed the Hunger Games trilogy.  As most folks agree, the first book is the best.  The second and third suffered from some interesting problems in my view.  While many criticized them as being slower than the first, (which they are), that never bothered me.  The first is in many ways a simplistic story where the good and bad guys are pretty clear.  The fact that Catching Fire and Mockingjay might be seen as worse could stem from the more complex moral dilemmas.  The second book's characters are not terribly original or interesting, and the plot I found a bit too predictable.  The third books plot is definitely far less predictable, but the characters are still underdeveloped and the story ends with far too much sadness.  Not that a tragedy is a bad thing (heck, I love tragic stories, one of my favorite films being Vertigo), but I don't think this story left me in the mood for a tragedy.  Parts felt like the movie Aliens, part felt like an anti-war story, bouts of depression lasted far too long, characters died seemingly meaningless deaths...I don't know...there were good ideas there, but they simply weren't executed to my liking.

So going back to the first book, the action is interesting, but what really grips me is the human interaction.  Suzanne Collins chose to write in the first-person present-tense, and it was done quite effectively, getting us into the head of the protagonist, Katniss.  As she interacts with the other major character, Peeta, I really came to love the human interaction.  I cared about the characters and their struggle, I bonded with them, I was remarkably compelled by them.  The first book, as short and simplistic as it was, left me hungering (haha) for more, including an opened love triangle a la Twilight, only I cared much more for these two blokes and the girl having to choose between them.

Even though the second and third books had their action portions as well, the humanity of the protagonists was somewhat lost, and I was unable to relate to the characters as well.  I didn't care when folks died, and by the time the love story was resolved, I simply no longer felt that emotionally involved.  I hope the films handle the material a bit better, as I again admit that there were interesting ideas.  I hope so, because I found the first film so very emotionally engaging as well.

So it seems like this year folks are trying to outdo the 3D craze.  I already knew Christopher Nolan was providing more than an hour of 70 mm IMAX footage for The Dark Knight Rises, but I just learned that Peter Jackson is filming his Hobbit films at 48 fps.  I wonder how significantly different that will look to the human eye.

I'm excited to see this!

FanFiltration, do you simply scour the Internet looking for random pictures?  I swear, you really are the heart and soul of this thread :)

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/cutline/reporter-megan-carpentier-undergoes-unnecessary-transvaginal-ultrasound-frame-155926605.html

In this article, a reporter gets a transvaginal ultrasound in order to demonstrate how uncomfortable it is and how legislators should not require it.  I feel her point largely right, believe it or not.  This is where I think anti-abortion legislation actually impedes rather than promotes itself.  The politicians who pass such laws fail to realize that both in perception and reality, they are overstepping a line when they require an invasive and truly unnecessary procedure prior to any abortion.

Now before applauding me for my liberal open-mindedness, I still would favor a regular ultrasound, which is not invasive and can be well justified by requiring that a patient make an educated decision.  But crossing the linewith a required transvag US is more than a moral stupidity; it's a PR stupidity as well.  How many will be swayed towards a more pro-choice POV because legislators don't know how to get the right laws passed?

So considering this is the 100 year anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, I have to let everyone in on some bad news....

....It was an inside job!

This one is two-fold:

Vader secretly wants to read romance novels such as A Skywalk to Remember, Knight in Black Armor, and Letters from Padme.  But the Death Star hangar bookshops only seem to carry magazines filled with Twi'leks (called Oola La!) and holographic sudoku puzzle books.

Every now an then, he manages to get a hold of a nice little bit of romance, he wishes for some sort of eyepiece defroster, as the tears he cries tend to fog up his visual apparati, and he can't just stick his fingers in there to wipe it away, you know.

Test I just completed =

Since George let us know that Star Wars is really the Tragedy of Anakin Skywalker, I think we should all take a few moments to ponder on Darth Vader's secret desires.  C'mon, he puts on a tough face (hardeeharhar), but beneath the layers, there's truly a sensitive man!  What do you think Darth Vader secretly wants?

I think he wants to get a tattoo on his left prosthetic butt cheek that reads "Mom."

I like the grey for the same reasoning as aalenfae's.  The Republic is no longer so good, and Anakin is no longer so good either.  It's all just foreshadowing, rather than clinging to the past.  Personally I like the choice.

So I didn't start reading Hunger Games as soon as I'd hoped because it took even longer than I expected to finish LOTR's extensive resolution, though I found it interesting how Saruman got a little more time later in the books than in the films.

While I was comparing pros and cons of the films and books, I forgot to mention one thing: the unbelievable convenient timing in the movies.  For instance, in the film of ROTK, the situation seems dire, when all of the sudden the good guys remember, "Oh yeah, there's some dead guys who owe the heir of Isildor a favor."  The book makes circumstances more believable rather than just having the good things pop out of no where.  But as I said before, there are points I prefer over the films and points I prefer from the books, and it's nice to have read both and have two different perspectives on the story.

I finally did start with The Hunger Games on Wednesday, and I'm almost done with it.  Doubleofive pointed out that the dog-like "muttations" were worse in the book than the movie, and I now that I'm at that point, I can't help but agree, though I'm not sure if they are truly what they are immediately perceived to be, or if they are rather serving as a psychological weapon as well as a physical based on this strange description.  For my own personal tastes, I'll infer that it is psychological only, as any other explanation is just too weird and distracts from an otherwise rather gripping story.

I personally enjoyed it, in many ways better than 1 and 2 (never saw 3).  In fact, 2 was my least favorite, and I find Woo's action sequences to be far too unrealistic to be enjoyable.  I would agree that the second half of the movie slowed down significantly.  Let me say that they all fall short in the story when compared to the original M:I series.  I loved that show, the real spying, the real outfoxing the bad guys...very clever writing, even with the 60's special effects.  I wish they could pattern a movie much closer to the series.

So some guy at Mousebits, the Walt Disney theme park preservation site, collected several interesting videos for a Star Tours preservation, but because he lacked the seniority in Mousebits hierarchy to upload the DVD, he instead offered how to locate the various videos he pieced together here:

http://www.mousebits.com/index.php?page=forum

You probably have to register to see this page.  At the bottom is a requests section.  In the requests section is a post called Star Tours footage.  In the post made on April 13, 2012, he gives everyone some good direction ;)