Batman V Superman

An alternate opening

This is based on my idea, Bruce wayne and Lex Luthor are the same character

Alex Luthor talking to a news crew, in Metropolis silicon dock. Flirting with a pretty reporter. Showing off to the camera.
We are walking around a typical computer campus. Alex, with his friends. He knows anyone who is anyone in the business. . People drinking Jolt, playing PC games. Riding skooters. Its Luthor's big moment
Then, a sudden shock. A crash, an explosion. The reporter is dead
As outside the  fight between Superman and Zod happens.
Luthor is powerless. He watches his dream his friends die, in his arms. .
Never again
Never again
Never again

Batman V Superman

It is not a bad film, its not great. Like it's predecessor, Man of Steel, I should have liked Batman and Superman, Dawn of Justice a lot more. The problems I argue are these

The film tries to do too much. We have Batman fight Superman, and then Superman, Batman and Wonder woman fight Doomsday. Doomsday who killed Superman. The last half hour seems tacked on. DC want to compete with the Avengers.

Superman, is an Alien who may set  himself up as a God. Yet Diana who was a Goddess gets a pass. Diana who felt free to intervene in human history in WW1

Afleck is not bad. Though he looks odd, dressed as Batman

Jeremy Irons is a professional

The film takes shots at the declining power of the printed press. A cynical liberal editor bemoaning the death of the Kennedy's and King. The film does not treat Authors silicon valley Billionaire as the same way. The candy, the t shirts, the shoes are all affectations boys

Surely Luthor and Batman/Wayne are the same character, just with different scruples here?

Like  Days future past, I felt myself agreeing with the antagonist

The Dark Knight rises

Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers
Spoilers

This is the first, and last of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies 

I did not see this installment with my sister. I was quite pleased with the film. I had heard mixed reviews. I think to an extent the film, was a victim of the Franchise’s success. I quite enjoyed it, than again I am perhaps too easy to please. I had to go out of my way, to get to the cinema.
I was unable to use my voucher, and I spilled my coke. Which I had paid to supersize. I did however leave the cinema, in a good mood. I did not need to go to the bathroom, 3 times during the film.

 Really do they add something to the coke?
My sister thought that Michael Caine ( I spoke with her afterwards) dialled his role in. There was less of him, and Lucius Fox, in this movie.
The film acknowledges the passing of time. Bruce Wayne has withdrawn from the world. A near cripple, he is given a run down of his injuries by a doctor. The city celebrates Harvey Dent day, Commissioner Gordon’s masters wish to get rid of him, as a war hero is often inconvenient in peace time. The streets are quiet. Heath Ledgers Joker, is not mentioned at all.
I thought that Gordon Levitt, was doing an impression of McNulty from the Wire. Levitt is clearly a favourite of Gordon Nolan.  You may remember him from Inception. The same film, we last saw Tom Hardy another Nolan favourite. Hardy is unrecognisable as Bane. Another Man, who wears a mask. Actually, to get back to Levitt,  Mc Nulty is not a bad choice to use as your template. That is if  you can imagine McNulty before the whores and booze. I suppose a cop, is the only role, you can be a rookie in your thirties. Anyway Levitt does a good job.
There are nice touches of continuity. Which must have cost a fair bit.  We see Cillian Murphy as the judge, in Banes’ peoples court. Cillian played the Scarecrow in the first movie.  ( Bane has set up a peoples republic of Gotham, the Eastern European/Russian accent would be wasted otherwise. )  We see Liam Neeson reprising his role as the oriental villain in the film film Batman Begins.
I am reminded of the quip about Batman, a billionaire crime fighter, who fights street crime, and is thus a conservative dream. Here Batman is facing a red rising. There is some modern politics bubbling under the Dark Knight.. Catwoman/ Anne Hathaway is very becoming in her leather, and this could be a breakthrough roll for her  Hathawa  transforms from meek maid, to criminal genius, in a single step. However our feline heroine could be said, to be giving a manifesto for the 99%. She asks Wayne, how he can justify taking so much, and leaving so little for everyone else. In another scene, when Wayne loses his business but keeps his mansion. The film has someone observe that there are different rules for the rich. Returning to Catwoman her dream is fetch a piece of software that would, allow her to erase her past. Another worry of our age, is the lost of privacy, as the wayward heroine says. Any 12 year old with a cell phone can find out everything about us. Its hinted that Catwoman, had a less than proper past.
Richard the man who never aged from Lost., was cast as the Mayor of Gotham. The man who played the Senator, from New Jersey, who wanted to be President in the first series of Boardwalk empire is demoted to a congressman, in this movie.
I am reminded again of how cold, Chicago is. The Batman films, are clearly set in Chi town. The overheads and the skyline is clear.  I remember the snow storms in March. Bane’s courts sentence people to death, by sending them across the Ice, of the river.
 A city cut off from the world, as Gotham is, would freeze to death. There are supplies of Kerosene brought in, but who is supplying the power? What about the sewage ?
I am surprised none of the cops, trapped underground got dysentery or some such. Also, there are no veterans or National Guard in Gotham? No knives and forks?
Mathew Modene is alive and well, and working for Gotham city police department

I did wonder about one thing, if Gotham is too corrupt to be saved, and everyone is guilty, why is it only the cops fighting the forces of Bane, why not a peoples rising? The people of Metropolis, rose up to defend Superman, in Superman 2. I also caught the trailer for the new Man of steel movie, that looks good.

I  can nitpicked all day. I enjoyed the Dark Knight rise. . It was farfetched, and the plot was in places flimsy but most of all, it was fun. The ends were tied up nicely. If you expected your life to change, you went to see the wrong movie. Its Batman, not Shakespeare, and there is nothing wrong with that

The Dark Knight

I went to see this with my sister. We had gone to see Batman Begins. We went to see this one
A few times here, I have complained that my mood, may have cost me the movie. I had arrived at the cinema too early.
Well today I was at the cinema, hungover. I was drinking the night before. I am not sure why. The Russians are very worried. I was somewhat overdressed. I have a Banana republic cardigan, and I wanted to wear it. It was about 30 C. I had arrived a half hour early.
Anyway the film was spectacular.
Heath Ledger, puts in a dazzling performance as the Joker. A mad man. Sometimes, stumbling sometimes mumbling.  Heath does not try to do the OTT, performance that Nicholson did. Heath at one point is captured and sits quietly in a cage.
The violence, often happens off scene. There is a cut away, when the Joker maims and mutilates
Anyway, its been a year since, the events of Batman Begins. Batman has the criminals in Gotham on the run.
There are wannabe's posing as Batman. One of the subplots of the film. Batman has a symbol has inspired people to take action
Then there is Harvey Dent, played by Aaron eckhart. A brave and fearless D.A snatching a gun, Harvey plans to break the crime lords of Gotham. He is a former employee of internal affairs
A man on a white horse. At one point Aaron, mentions the Roman office of a dictator, the position, occupied by Cinnacticus and the delayer Fabius, and finally a man named Caesar.
The Chinese, seem unconcerned that an American vigilante, steals one of their citizens.
There is the always reliable Mr Caine, and Mr Freedman.
Once again, we see the fair city of Chicago. We see the green chicago river, I am confused, about this. If you live in Chicago, and your watching this, do you not notice, that its Michigan avenue, and not Gotham.
But that's a minor quibble. Its a great movie. See it, don't read about it