July 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

  • Title: The Dark Knight Rises
  • IMDB: link

dark-knight-rises-posterJoel Schumacher killed Batman, at least in the movies, and at least for the better part of a decade. In 2003 the Caped Crusader was still in limbo six years after the theatrical debacle known as Batman and Robin. (One word: Bat-nipples.) Enter Christopher Nolan.

Batman Begins would hit theaters two years later followed up by the critically acclaimed The Dark Knight in 2008 featuring the Oscar-winning performance of Heath Ledger as the Joker. Four years later Nolan releases the third, and final, movie of his Bat-trilogy, The Dark Knight Rises, which brings the story of Nolan’s version of Batman full circle.

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Covert Affairs – Sound and Vision

  • Title: Covert Affairs – Sound and Vision
  • tv.com: link

covert-affairs-sound-and-vision

Annie (Piper Perabo) and Auggie (Christopher Gorham) are pulled off their respected new assignments and sent to Barcelona to pose as potential buyers for a computer virus by an anonymous hacker known only as Red Rover. Auggie has done extensive research on Red Rover, and if they can aquire the virus it would allow the CIA to reverse engineer and protect themselves from a future attack, but that’s not the real reason why the pair was chosen for the assignment.

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Batman and Robin #11

batman-and-robin-new-52-11-coverWhile Damian pays Jason Todd an unexpected visit to teach him a lesson about who the best Robin really is, Terminus has his sidekicks (the unfortunately named Scallop and Bootface) branding citizens of Gotham with the bat-symbol to get Batman‘s attention.

Whether intentional or not the branding the city definitely makes you think Christopher Nolan’s second Bat-film (especially when buildings of Gotham start having burning bat-symbols in them – just like the posters for The Dark Knight). I doubt it’s a coincidence this comic hit the stands one week before The Dark Knight Rises opens in theaters.

As to Damian, who appears to be back in full on spoiled little-shit mode despite the tease that he might grow up a bit after the failure with Nobody, it’s an interesting choice for him to view Todd (the Robin he’s most like) with such contempt. I’ll be interested to see what action the Red Hood might take in retaliation. Although the crowbar sequence is in bad taste, it certainly fits this version of the character. Hit-and-Miss.

[DC, $2.99]

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Guilty Pleasure – The Pirate Movie

  • Title: The Pirate Movie
  • IMDb: link

pirate-movie-dvd

Loosely based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, 1982’s The Pirate Movie starred Kristy McNichol as mousey young Mabel lost in a dream of swashbuckling, and singing, pirates. After an accident leaves her thrown overboard and washed up on a beach, Mabel’s imagination creates a fantasy world casting herself as the youngest daughter of a Major-General (Bill Kerr) who falls for a young pirate named Frederic (Christopher Atkins) adamant on leaving his service of the Pirate King (Ted Hamilton) to start a new life.

The plot, which involves Fredric’s attempt to leave his old life behind while trying to stay true to his word and duty, is secondary to how insanely everything is played including some memorable music numbers such as “Pumpin’ and Blowin'” (you can find the video below). I’ll be honest, the film doesn’t work as well for me as it did when I was seven years-old, but it still provides enough enjoyment for me to classify it as a guilty pleasure.

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