The Dark Knight Rises: Take Your Bow Mr. Nolan. Take Your Bow.

The Dark Knight Rises marks not only the end of a brilliant trilogy, but serves as a notable milestone in a stunning legacy: born from a comic, grown by brilliant minds (Burton) and squandered by others (Schumacher), now under director Christopher Nolan, the legend lives and breathes and has indeed “risen” to unimagined heights.  Not only does this installment live up to the hype, but ages perfectly, becoming better upon multiple viewings, through a power of brilliant direction, stunning visuals, and a nuanced attention to detail that comes from creators that care as much for the story and its impact as the fans do.

Premise: Eight years later in Gotham, the terrorist mercenary Bane, overwhelms the city, forcing the Dark Knight to resurface to protect a city that had branded him an enemy. Result: A stunning, satisfying film that will live long in fan and non-fan memories alike.

The film begins in a time of peace, many years after the defeat of Gotham’s greatest nemesis The Joker; the city is now lulled into placated submission, dormant with crime at an all-time low.  This result stems mainly from the swift justice brought about by The Dent Act, a somewhat tyrannical law that rises from the legacy of the lionized White Knight Harvey Dent, whose atrocities were kept secret to protect the city, as the Dark Knight took the blame and fled into darkness.

Now, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) languishes in shadow, with a broken body and broken spirit, the true legacy of past events.  Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) also has hit his nadir, agonizing over his decision, wondering if the ends did in fact justify the means.

But both need wait no longer, as a devilishly clever and complex plan is being hatched by the greatest threat to Gotham yet, brought by the terrifying masked mercenary Bane (Tom Hardy) and his accomplices.  Complete with chilling visage and eerie voice that resembles the output of Voldemort and Darth Vadar dropped in a blender, his plans as head of League of Shadows rest on carrying out what Ra’s Al Ghul began in Batman Begins some many years ago.

Scene after scene brings with it deeper intrigue and astounding visuals, building excitement with new, interesting characters like Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), and Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard), all who demand the audience’s complete attention.  Of course, old friends are still around like Fox (Morgan Freeman) and Alfred (Michael Caine) as well as more minor, sometimes rightly forgettable characters like Foley (Matthew Modine) and Daggett (Ben Mendelsohn), who serve to advance the plot but little else. But in the end, this is necessary, as there is so much to keep audiences occupied that anything else added to the mix might be cruel and unusual.

The ultimate plot of the film stems from The Dark Knight coming out of certain retirement to defeat Bane and his army.  But Bane is much too clever, and anticipates every move eventually luring Batman and the city into trap after trap.  It is little help that Selina Kyle, the stealth and uber-intriguing “cat” burglar, keeps everyone’s attention long enough for the insidious play to take effect.

The film itself is beautiful with notable cinematography that casts a dark and almost melancholy tone while being strangely alluring. It is also fast paced, moving from scene to scene dexterously, always keeping audiences on their toes, ever-engaged and thrilled.  The battle sequences are also quite impressive: the use of the Bat is enthralling as well as the other “Bat Toys” and most importantly, clashes with Bane are exciting and hypnotic, in particular, an initial clash between the two that will leave audiences terrified.

Kyle, herself, demands as much attention, working as a powerful, resourceful and cunning quasi-villain who ebbs and flows from temptress to foil with remarkable skill; playing with audience emotions, she acts as a lightning rod for treachery and sympathy, both coexisting perfectly in a mortal enigma.

The remainder of the film rests on several essential events: the possible destruction of Batman, the capture of Gotham, and the testing of Wayne, Kyle and all key characters in their resolve.  And with each scene, the plot thickens and as the true mystery reveals itself, layer after layer peeled away by an anxious audience, the resolution offers a sweet reward buffered by constant, non-stop excitement and smart filmmaking.

Gordon-Levitt, Hardy and Cotillard prove once again why Nolan continues to cast them in his films, if for different reasons.  Gordon-Levitt is wonderful as up-and-coming detective that helps reinvigorate the police, and demonstrating the broad range of emotions required to keep his character relevant and growing.

Cotillard is also fantastic, proving that female characters do not need to be explosive like Hathaway’s Kyle to control the on-screen events; like she does time and time again since La Vie En Rose, Cotillard glows on screen, delivers line after line as if only she were made to deliver them, and with an elegance few possess.  She keeps audiences watching intently enough to make eventual developments plausible and realistic.

And Hardy is absolutely terrifying as Bane: his strange accent -once audiences acclimate to his intense, bizarre cadence- is perfectly chilling and his management of nuance through his voice and eyes -considering much of his face is hidden for the entirety of the film- is a marvel.

Of course, not all goes perfectly in the Nolan Universe.  His seemingly eternal Achilles Heel is comparably poor sound mixing, where background music or explosions obliterate dialogue; this becomes increasingly problematic with Bane, who is difficult to understand in the best of conditions (note: this is somewhat remedied by avoiding IMAX in favor of regular viewing).  Additionally, his bizarre affection for character mumbling is at some moments both irritating and distracting; with a film this action-packed, moments of diversion are luxurious that are ill-afforded.

There are also some bizarre continuity issues: for example, the Wall Street scene, considering the NYSE closes at 430p -and it certainly did not appear that this was even the case- why the subsequent chase scene occurs at night is an utter mystery. Additionally, a few lines border on hokey or ignore how actual people speak, but largely this can be overlooked by a broader understanding of the script, where issues were minimal.

Nevertheless, the ultimate resolution of the film and then of the series are both respectively fantastic.  The film winds down as the city, having been purposefully tormented for months, is now meeting its final moments as a catastrophic event looms.  It is during this crucible that truths and twists are heaped onto viewers as they sit transfixed by the sheer intensity of events.  And the final moments in the film not only serve to close the series in a satisfying manner, but also manage to provide hope, however bleak, a central theme in the film and the trilogy.

In the end, The Dark Knight Rises is an extremely strong, exhilarating and enjoyable film.  Considering the intense pressure of expectation that followed the previous film, Rises required a brilliant cast, a nuanced, detailed script, stunning visuals, exciting events and a holistic control that made the overall feel of the film a triumph.  Despite a few errors, Nolan delivered on this expectation a film that is fantastic on first viewing, and even better with time.

Rating: 9 – An expensive red wine and juicy steak that someone else is paying for and where you don’t have to put out

Contagion: A Different Type of Terror

Director Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Oceans Eleven) has managed to take a tired concept, that of a contagious disease that wreaks havoc on a populace, and give it a global platform with stunning results.  Contagion is not isolated to a building or a town or a city or even a continent.  This is the story of how the world would react to a deadly virus that came not from terrorists, but from nature, with terrifying global implications.

Premise: A  modern thriller centered on the threat posed by a deadly disease and the varying world response. Result: A powerful, often terrifying film that manages to give a fresh face to a not-so-fresh idea.

Contagion is somewhat of a thriller-mystery in its own way.  The story begins on Day 2 of an epidemic, just prior to the implications becoming clear.  We do not truly know its origins, how it works, how it kills, or how to stop it.  All we know is that Beth Emhoff (Gwenyth Paltrow), a woman clearly having some sort of affair, is getting sicker.  At this time, audiences will likely be more interested in this mildly relevant back story than her sniffles.  But of course, audiences are there to see Contagion, and it somehow doesn’t appear likely that this is an STD.

But it takes only moments for this isolated, gritty scene to transform into a series of frightening vignettes, a monstrous montage of sick people getting sicker and dying before our very eyes.  It hits quickly, this insidious invisible force, and often in crowds, where audiences will feel the chill of watching people respond to these deaths in all the wrong ways – but further chilling because our responses would undoubtedly be similar.

The film is a series of storylines, grafted together by the common bond of disease.  Dr. Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne), Dr. Erin Mears (Kate Winslet), Dr. Ian Sussman (Eliott Gould), and Dr. Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard)  all play a part in the global response, some as independent scientists, others as part of the CDC, others as part of World Health.  These stories, each varied by circumstance and by the character, offer us a detailed account of how our leadership responds to these crises, how difficult and dangerous the work, and frankly how helpless we would be without such infrastructure.  Science is presented in sophisticated but accessible ways, letting the audiences understand just enough to rise from beneath the suffocating blanket of ignorance, but not enough to make the Science seem anything less than what it is: intensely complex and painfully baffling.

On the other hand, there are also the human elements of the story that exist outside of these fortresses.  On the one hand is Mitch Emhoff (Matt Damon) whose loses his wife and step son at the very outset of the pandemic, and who now must protect his daughter at whatever the cost, fending off the invisible horror that spreads and kills with impunity as well as the visible terrors in the form of infected, maniacal mobs and terrifying masked thieves who pirate and pillage. These hoards only worsen when muckraking bloggers like Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) rise from the ashes of societal collapse and spread falsehoods and rumors that bring further senseless calamity.

The central theme of the film is that no one is safe and when faced with such unseen terror, all people react differently.  Whether there is anarchy or kidnapping or silent corruption, all humans when faced with apocalyptic events, allow their world to transform, to reveal who they really are inside.

The specter of the disease looms behind every corner and as each day passes greater and greater numbers die until the death toll is spoken of more accurately in percentage of world population, burgeoning in the millions and possibly tens of millions.  For much of the film, Soderbergh manages to build tension perfectly in a world we see with devastating familiarity to our own.  Each scene is perfectly crafted, providing just enough detail to inform audiences but never too much to bog down the clever and effective pacing or give a sense of hope. 

The acting in this film is really what helps the pieces come together and allowed the strain to infect the audience in ever more compelling and evolving ways.  Fishburne is superb as the in control, mild-mannered manager of the US response.  He has tremendous presence and is cool and collected no matter how dire the circumstances; and in a masterful turn, he manages to demonstrate that his cool indifference is really a calculated response, differentiating him through careful nuance.

Jude Law, for his part, is perfect as the corrupt blogger who threatens to destabilize all efforts to keep the disease and the panic under control.  He is believable in every way, oozing slime and anger, transforming himself into a completely different character. Damon is also extremely powerful as the understated husband who suffers to protect his daughter amidst the chaos which blankets them and in each scene the agony can be seen etched deeper in his face.

The rest of the cast is quite strong, led by Winslet as the field agent swallowed by the epidemic she seeks.  Cotillard is as elegant in her delivery as ever (and as is possible while being imprisoned in a Chinese countryside) despite having a role that somehow seemed less relevant than the rest.  And proving the daring of this film, Paltrow is barely present, victim of the plague within the first few moments.  Soderbergh’s tactic of killing off even his most gifted stars, creates even greater tension as audiences have no idea what or who is next.

Overall, Contagion is a striking film.  It creates intense anxiety in audiences dictated by excellent pacing, myriad potent plotlines, and extraordinary performances.  While the ending of the film is somewhat anticlimactic, it does model a possible trajectory of any such disaster, giving audiences something to consider.  Nevertheless, Soderbergh transforms a strong Scott Z. Burns script into terror on screen; a terror close enough to reality that audiences may not soon forget.

Rating: 8 – An expensive red wine and juicy steak

Inception: Wonderful, But Almost Too Smart For Its Own Good!

Following The Dark Knight and the incessant fan-love adoration and critical acclaim it brought, Christopher Nolan couldn’t wait to set his attention to his next film, Inception.  The film continues his trend of creating riveting cinema with a unique perspective.

Premise: Thieves capable of entering the human mind through dream invasion are confronted with their most difficult challenge yet: Inception.  Result: Donnie Darko on steroids, this film rivets and intrigues while also requiring not only a second and third viewing, but also a steno-pad, a text book, a study group, and a three-credit college class to fundamentally understand its premise.

This is a strong film with an absorbing, unique argument.  Nolan writes and directs Inception and is supremely guilty of taking monumental risks…however, it appears in today’s world of directing, no one has greater pay-offs.  Every scene is thrilling, either for its superb action sequences that push us to the edges of our seats or for the poignant emotionally charged or intellectually gripping scenes that moved a clever and powerful plot.

Nolan uses confusion as a weapon in this film, but as any master will, he uses it largely without the audience’s awareness.  The film begins with scenes that are not meant to make any sense: the audience is a passive observer with little beyond slack-jawed curiosity, like a hillbilly at an art gallery or anyone at anything starring Tom Green.  But we are deeply intrigued, knowing that a director as good as Nolan will not dangle scenes in front of us without their inevitable reappearance later, suddenly transformed into thought-provoking outcomes.  The film continues this rapid sequence of bewildering rivets where the audience realizes they have been tricked, but this knowledge lends itself to more confusion, all the while drawing us in closer as we realize Nolan has put together an idea so unique and well orchestrated that we can’t help but watch.

This “premise” is dream manipulation: a world where the military has developed a technology capable of allowing others to enter and influence the dream sequences of targets and “extract” information from the inner-most recesses of their minds.  Of course, the film is called Inception, not Extraction, and thus Inception is introduced to Cobb (the ever-fabulous Leonardo DiCaprio) as a means to return to his family.  Cobb is the self-proclaimed best extractor, and is keenly aware that Inception is possible.  So he puts together a team of Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Eames (Tom Hardy), and Yusuf (Delep Rao) along with neophyte turned dream architecture diva Ariadne (Ellen Page.)  We heart this team not only for their collectively well-written lines or fantastic cast chemistry or just overall sophisticated sexiness…well, really mostly for those things. Hardy is a master at the subtle dry jab; Gordon-Levitt (who, in all honesty, is typically better than this script allows) has at least one great fight scene, and Page is able to demonstrate her lack of Juno-esque singular dimension, owning this character with all the nuance it will allow.

There are ostensibly two competing plot-lines in the film: the supposed caper, as described above, and the ever-evolving baggage Cobb harbors for his deceased wife Mal (Marion Cotillard).  As the film evolves, the plot-lines dance in spirals, intermingling, casting shadows here and there to perplex the audience, and in doing so largely thrill.  Fascinating and fecund concepts are introduced such as dreams within dreams within dreams, and time across these dream worlds, and the concept of ideas and the human mind’s ability to recognize their origins. 

Nolan crafts a brilliant storyline but in some ways, too brilliant for the medium.  The premise he develops – the twists within twists within twists – are probably too much for audiences with such limited exposure to the story.  A book, for instance, would allow the reader to re-read, review, re-think; in the film, we watch and if any point is missed, Nolan’s point is lost.  Additionally, the film, at times, appears as if it is being shown incorrectly to general audiences, where instead, it should have been shown to “sleep” professors or super geeks who are experts in the ideas presented and thus capable of fully following the film to its logical terminus. 

It all becomes harrowing, much like sitting down to a table of experienced gamers as they play out a game of Dungeons and Dragons and trying to understand anything at all; to them, the rules are simple due to experience and so bending them or finding loopholes is now not only allowable but required to keep it interesting – to them.  There is almost an inside knowledge required that most people wouldn’t ever have access to.  Nolan attempts to handle this with long, dry scenes where characters attempt explanations that both hinder the pace of the film and flirt with being “a little too late.” In this case, having the audience not know what is coming isn’t necessarily good if they don’t even know what is happening now; ultimately, the mystification takes an edge off the curve balls.

Overall, this film is fantastic and lives up to the hype.  It is intelligent, interesting and riveting – qualities that few directors can manage effectively.  But sometimes there can be too much of a good thing.  Even in our dreams.

Rating: 8 – An expensive red wine and juicy steak