PODCAST: Episode 6

After a long break from the last episode, the Bat and the Cat finally sits down together to discuss their overall impression of The Dark Knight Rises after watching it in theaters over and over. Listen as we break down our likes, dislikes and loves from the film. WARNING: SPOILERS!


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Scene Stealer: I'm Necessary Evil

"I'm Gotham's reckoning, here to end the borrowed time you've all been living on."
(Photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.)

The Dark Knight Rises is a hot topic this week, because the home release comes out in 7 short days. It's exciting (although shocking) that some people will be seeing it for the first time.

One of our favorite scenes in the movie is not even a big action or IMAX scene. It's when John Dagget (Ben Mendelson) wants to talk to Bane about things not going according to plan. Little does Dagget know, Bane has another plan.

Right before Bane enters the room, you hear him breathing, reminiscent of Darth Vader.

"Speak of the Devil, and he shall appear."

The way Bane casually rests his hand on Dagget's shoulder and Stryver (Burn Gorman) leaves the room is very chilling. Bane shows Daggett who's boss!

Actually, it reminds us of the scene in The Dark Knight with The Joker and Gambol in the billiard room. You know, "Why so serious?"

"Let's put a smile on that face."

Granted, Tom Hardy is standing on a higher level than Mendelson, embellishing his height again, but that's subtle movie magic.

In the last shot, Bane snaps Daggett's neck. Even though it's not seen, Tom Hardy sells it well with the quick head turn. Daggett squeals and Stryver flinches--giving you a glimpse of the terror to come.

It's all PG-13.

The Only Actor in Both Generations of Batman Movies

Nicky Katt appears in both Batman & Robin as "Spike", as well as The Dark Knight as the [uncredited] S.W.A.T. member in the passenger seat of the unknown driver (later revealed to be Liutenant Gordon).

I recognize Nicky Katt most for his role in The Boiler Room, where he was a real jerk senior broker, as well as an arrogant cop in Christopher Nolan's Insomnia.

I don't even remember his character from Batman & Robin, but I do remember him being in it. It must have been a small role, but it's not worth revisiting.

In The Dark Knight, he's the one spouting all the one-liners during the famous SWAT van chase scene. Ordinarily, it would come off as cheesy, but his mouthiness really worked in the context of the scene. It's one of the biggest action sequences in the entire film, with no musical score, so the monologue is a key component in the soundtrack. It's very, very similar to Batman and Bane's sewer fight in The Dark Knight Rises, in that sense.

Come to think of it, the entire Dark Knight trilogy has some borderline cheesy one-liners, which I hate at first, but is all part of the fun on repeat viewings.

Bane on a Plane -- Theatricality at its Finest

I'm getting hyped up about The Dark Knight Rises again, as if it's a new movie coming out. Well, it really is--the blu-ray version!

One of the real scene-stealers of the film is the opening "prologue" sequence. I shouldn't have to tell you what happens in this spectacular opening: the CIA brings a nuclear physicist and three hooded prisoners known to be working for "the masked man" Bane onto an airplane, one of those prisoners happens to be Bane, they hijack and "tow" the plane with a much bigger cargo plane, kill the CIA, stage the death of the nuclear physicist and kidnap him, blah, blah, blah . . .

What's really great about this sequence are the stunts, using minimal visual effects. Christopher Nolan took huge inspiration from James Bond--it shows in Inception and especially in this sequence, which oddly doesn't even feel like a Batman movie. Coincidentally, Chris Courbould, the special effects coordinator, also did work on Skyfall (another fine movie, I might add).

It's stunningly shot in IMAX, and get this--edited from the original camera negative, which means no generation loss, effectively adding up to 18,000 lines (film doesn't use pixels). I always felt like the prologue had a different quality from the rest of the film, and this is why. You practically feel the grass touching your face when the jeep is driving towards the airplane, and when they're in the aircraft, you feel like you're inside with them. In effect, it accomplishes what 3-D tries to do.

"No one cared who I was 'til I put on the mask."

The tension is further built by the musical score, wonderfully composed by Hans Zimmer. I love the way the bass riff starts playing as the plane is flying, you start to hear hints of "the chant" as Bane's presence is felt (deshi deshi basara basara), and then the big drum beats really kick in once the fire rises.

Going back to the visual effects, they are very minimal. That's right--stuntmen are actually tethered jumping from one plane to another, and even the part where they drop the front of the plane from the sky onto the grounds of beautiful Scotland was done for real. Most of everything is shot on camera, and miniatures are used in favor of CGI, which is great because you never get that green screen or animation effect. It's a breathtaking opening scene that just had to be experienced on IMAX.

Watching it at home won't quite be the same, so I hope modern filmmakers up the ante and take note. Theatricality and showmanship are not dead; computer graphics and post-production don't accomplish everything. Open your movie with a bang, and consider screening the first few minutes of the film to audiences in place of trailers.

Hooded Man #2, an Unsung Character

I already blogged about Bane's Right-Hand Man aka Barsad. Now, I bring your attention to another one of Bane's Boys. A character who is simply credited as "Hooded Man #2" on IMDB.

The opening IMAX sequence for The Dark Knight Rises has become pretty iconic to Batman and film fans by now. As you may recall, Bane purposely had himself get caught along with two of his men and we are introduced to them with their faces covered with black hoods.  Then, they destroy a whole airplane and it looked nuts/epic on the big screen.

At the end of this exciting scene, Hooded Man #2 was about to make his escape with his fellow terrorists when Bane puts a hand on his shoulder and stopped him. 

"They expect one of us in the wreckage, brother."

"Have we started the fire?"

"Yes. The fire rises."

That is the last we see of Hooded Man #2 as he gallantly sacrifices his life for a cause that fails at the end of the film... kind of sucks for him. But at least he didn't have to know that he died for nothing. 

Still, not only was Hooded Man #2 a handsome feller, I thought his short-lived character was brave nonetheless. Not that I advocate terrorist actions and feelings but you gotta either be mentally unstable or you just really, really, really believe in something that you are willing to die for it. How many of us can claim to have had that feeling?

Hooded Man #2 was played by a Aliash Tepina, a Slovenian actor (according to Wikipedia)... hence the cute little accent when he says his one single but very important line in the movie. We salute you and your unsung character. At least Batman didn't get to punch you in the face.

According to Google Search, this is him... 

Dark Knight Double Whammy

Holy Blu-Ray, Batman!

Winter is a damned good time for Batman: we have The Dark Knight Rises coming to home release on December 4, and then Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 2 (animated feature) on January 29, 2013.

 

Michael Emerson of LOST will be doing the voice for The Joker in 'Returns' and I'm sure he does a fantastic job. The Joker in Frank Miller's famed graphic novel, "The Dark Knight Returns" is a little bit different, so I think Emerson will match it really well. Actually, my favorite part about Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Part 1 is the ending, so I'm already excited . . .

As for 'Rises', I recently made a post that I'm not that excited about the blu-ray release. It was meant to be tongue-in-cheek, as I will certainly be at the door on the morning of its release. I'm mostly looking forward to the special features, as well as being able to read subtitles (there is a line by John Blake that I do not understand).

After experiencing it on IMAX ten times during its run (not bad), I look forward to stretching out on the couch during all 2 hours and 40 minutes. Plus, when I have a day to waste, I can't think of a better way to spend it than as a couch potato running a Dark Knight Trilogy marathon! 

Speaking of formats, have you seen or heard of the new 4K and 8K TV's slowly making their way to market? They are 8 and 16 times the resolution of 1080p, respectively (8K apparently approaches IMAX resolution). I'm sure the color quality, sound, and contrast ratios are superior, to boot. I wonder what kind of format will support it, i.e. what will come after blu-ray?

Nevertheless, these new ultra high resolution displays are absurdly expensive, but if I could afford it, I'd get an 8K projector with the largest, creamiest screen and 22.1 surround sound with enough watts to wake up the zoo.

Here is an awesome trailer for The Dark Knight Rises blu-ray release:

Joltin' John DiMaggio

Voice actors don't get a lot of recognition, and other than Tara Strong, are sometimes hard to distinguish.

One of my current favorite voice actors is John DiMaggio. He's known for his work in Futurama, and he was also The Joker in Batman: Under the Red Hood.

Mark Hamill is regarded as the best Joker in animation, but I personally liked John DiMaggio's more masculine take on The Joker.

However, the one that really cracks me up is his Aquaman in Batman: The Brave and the Bold. There is a lot to be said for matching the voice acting with the animated expressions, and Aquaman cracks me up because he's just so . . . proud.

Check out the episode, "Aquaman's Outrageous Adventure!" (Season 2, Episode 4) to see what I mean.

"Old chum."

"Outrageous!"