Awesome end to the dark knight series!!! Batman (2012), My review

This week I watched the highly anticipated “Batman the dark night rises” and here is my review  Please don’t read if you have not seen the film, spoiler alert.

I have only one word to describe it, awesome!!!

It is set eight years after the events of “The Dark Knight”, and 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. Both Blake, who has deduced Batman’s identity, and Gordon implore Batman to return. Bane attacks the stock exchange and bankrupts Bruce, forcing him to relinquish control of Wayne Enterprises. Correctly suspecting that his business rival, John Daggett, employed Bane to aid in this aggressive takeover of his company, Bruce entrusts Tate to keep full control out of Daggett’s hands. However, Bane has other plans, and kills Daggett to take control of his construction empire.

Batman comes out of retirement. Following a trail left by cat burglar Selina Kyle, Batman locates Bane, who says that he took over the League of Shadows following Ra’s al Ghul’s death. In the following battle, Bane destroys Batman, breaks his back and places him in a foreign prison from which escape is virtually impossible. The other inmates relate the story of how Ra’s al Ghul’s child was the only person, through necessity and the sheer force of will, to ever escape the prison. Batman believes that the child grew up to become Bane.  Whilst imprisoned batman regains his health, belief in himself, strength and escapes.  I wont say much more about what happens next as it might spoil it for you.  But what follows is the typical action packed story of good vs evil with an explosive finale. The twist near the end is really good but I sort of guessed mid way through the film. Again I wont  reveal it.

I really liked this film and thought the ending tied off the dark night series nicely.  The effects are awesome. I was totally blown away.  It was dark and gritty. Sad and funny in places. And Bane, in my opinion, is utterly brilliant. Tom Hardy portrays Bane just how I would imagine him.  Pure dark, evil and dam scary.

Also I have to say Anne Hathaway is a sensation and scene steeling as Selina Kyle (cat woman).  And I’m not just saying that because of the sexy skin tight catsuit :).

So yes, well worth a watch.  But one warning for those with weak bladders, it is a fairly long film at nearly 2hrs 40 mins, but worth it.

What did you think?

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The women in black (2012), My review

Here is my review of “The women in black” which I saw on DVD (Released on 5th March 2012).  Please don’t read if you have not seen the film, spoiler alert.

In the Edwardian era, in a small British town, three little girls playing tea party suddenly walk in a trance-like state to the window where they jump to their deaths. In London Arthur Kipps (Daniel Radcliffe), a lawyer and the widowed father of four-year-old Joseph, is charged by his office to obtain the paperwork with which to sell a large manor – Eel Marsh House. Though he is hesitant to leave his son alone with a nanny, Arthur’s boss warns him that should he fail to complete his duty he will lose his job.

Arthur is treated coldly upon his arrival and is barely able to get a room for the night, but he meets a kind local man named Sam Daily (Ciarán Hinds) and his wife Elisabeth (Janet McTeer) who allow him to stay at their home. Arthur visits his legal contact, Mr. Jerome, who hurries him off with a stack of papers, telling him to return to London. Instead, Arthur bribes the coachman to take him to Eel Marsh House, where he feels he will be able to more thoroughly complete his work. While there he is distracted by odd noises, footsteps and finally a brief appearance by a woman dressed in black. Arthur then hears a commotion in Eel Marsh, and runs out only to find his coachman waiting for him. As Arthur reports the incident to the police, three children come into the station; two boys carrying their little sister who had drunk some poison who collapses in Arthur’s arms and dies.

The next day Arthur decides to stay the night at Eel Marsh House to finish his work, and discovers letters from Alice Drablow, the homes recently deceased owner, and her mentally disturbed sister Jennet Humfrye. Jennet claims Alice stole her son Nathaniel away from her and demands to let her see him. In subsequent letters it is revealed the boy drowned in the marsh and that Jennet blamed Alice before killing herself. Toys begin making noise upstairs in Nathaniel’s room, where Arthur witnesses the spirits of the Woman in Black and a mud-covered Nathaniel. The next day, Arthur learns that the deaths are the work of Jennet Humfrye, the Woman in Black, who cursed the town after her child was taken from her. She then indicates that Joseph, who is being brought to the town by his nanny the next day, is a target for the Woman in Black. In an attempt to lift the curse, Arthur decides to reunite Nathaniel and Jennet by finding Nathaniel’s body in the marsh with Sam’s help. They place his body in the Eel Marsh House, where Jennet finds him and then leaves, as it is appears she is satisfied. They then locate Jennet’s remains and place her son in the grave with her before covering it back up.

But is the curse lifted? The next night, Joseph and Arthur are reunited and intend on immediately returning to London, but Joseph slips away while Arthur and Sam are busy talking. Arthur soon notices Joseph walking along the train tracks and it becomes apparent that the curse will never be lifted.  Arthur leaps onto the tracks and grabs Joseph out of the way of an oncoming train as Sam looks on. Once it passes, Joseph asks “Who’s that lady?” Arthur looks and smiles before responding “That’s your Mummy”. A glowing Stella Kipps takes the hands of her husband and the family disappear into the fog and darkness.

This was a classic Hammer horror story. The film has a gothic/gloomy feel. Although not much gore and action, in fact very little action, it is very atmospheric and still scary at times. But the frights don’t necessarily jump out at you, most of the time they are implied with dark shadows, strange sounds and screams and an eerie music.  Watched in daylight or in a packed cinema screen it’s scary; watched in the dark, alone (like me), in an empty house, it can be quiet terrifying.

The ending actually bought a tear to my eye and I was left both sad (that Joseph and Arthur had died) and happy (they are both reunited with their departed wife/mother).

Daniel Radcliffe was pretty good as the lead and successfully lifted his “Harry Potter” tag in my opinion.  I however have problem and that I think he is too young for this role. No Edwardian gentleman would get married at the age of 16 (as he would have had to, to be a widower with a four-year-old child by the age of 21). However, it’s worth suspending your disbelief and choosing to ignore this minor complaint, because Radcliffe’s performance is brilliant.

So well worth a watch in my opinion. What did you think?

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My day out at the London Film and Comic Con 2012

Hi all,

Over the weekend (Friday 6th July 2012 to Saturday 7th July 2012) I took a trip down to London to visit London Film & Comic Con 2012 and I thought I would tell you what I thought.

I booked my tickets a few months ago and was very much looking forward to it.  Its my first time at visiting such an event and so I did not know what to expect.  I travelled down on the train to London Euston (from Crewe) on friday night, in first class I might add (another first for me) and enjoyed the complimentary food and drink whilst utilising the free wifi.

I stayed overnight in a travel lodge in Battersea. It was comfortable and what I expected budget accommodation to offer so have no complaints. On Saturday morning I made my way to the Grand Hall Olympia where the event was to take place. My first experience was not good.  The organisation of the event was Fucking crap, to say the least.  We were basically left to our devices waiting outside for the doors to open.  There must have been at least 100 people there at 8 am already when I got their.  The staff did not have a clue to where we should queue and it would have spoilt a good day if it weren’t for the joyful nature of the people waiting outside.

At 9 am the doors opened and very little attempt was made to organise us we entered the building.  But once I had got inside, with the rest of the stampede, it was further chaos as there was confusion as to where to go to get guides of the event and purchase talk and photograph tickets.  There were no signs or helpful staff indicating which way to go.

But other than the crap disorganisation of the event, it was pretty good.  Many many people dressed up in a variety of characters, which I of course took pictures of (see below).  It was good fun.

And there were many stars giving out autographs, Anthony Head, Kevin Sorbo, Gates Mcfadden, Kenny Bakerm and Hayden Panettiere to name but a few, but unfortunately you had to pay.  The price varied from £10 upwards.  But I just couldn’t justify paying £15 for an autograph. so I didn’t get any. The talks and photo shoots with the stars were also priced from £10 upwards, which I thought was extortionate.

And there were many trade stands selling all sorts of collectables and memorabilia. If I had the money I would have had a field day.

The venue was ok, and the food and drinks were expensive as expected.  To give you an idea how much, a small orange juice cost me £2.50 and a hot dog cost £4.25.  Fortunately I had brought a few drinks and some food with me.

After a long day I left the event feeling tired and weary and made my way home.  On the whole I had a really good day and met some wonderful people.  Would I go again next year, yep probably.

Did you goto Comic con 2012, what did you think? And  if you recognise any of the pictures (Are they you) then please let me know :).

Are you looking for science fiction and horror comics, books and collectables? Then please look at the science fiction and horror online shop.  For the free monthly science fiction and horror newsletter, please subscribe here free.