Back to Batman

I put off seeing The Dark Knight Rises until I was reasonably sure that I wouldn't be thinking about the Colorado killings all the way through. I'm not a particular fan of director Christopher Nolan's ultra-grim approach to Batman's world (I prefer the mixture of comedy and horror that Tim Burton brought to his 1989 film). In addition, I think Nolan is one of those very talented directors (like Ang Lee, whose 2003 Hulk was famously disappointing) who are so determined to bring something original to the table that they fail to see  the tasty treats that are already on the table. I'd estimate that only about 15-20 percent of Rises has anything substantial to do with what interests me about Batman. All the French Revolution/A Tale of Two Cities stuff that Nolan drags into the story may seem high-toned and "important" to some, but to me it's totally beside the point. Still, as I say, Nolan is talented, so the film has a certain appeal, anyway. Plus, I enjoyed Anne Hathaway's conflicted Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt's determined cop character. I guess 2008's The Dark Knight is still my favorite of Nolan's series. Whatever its flaws, it does contain Heath Ledger's superb swan song: As the Joker, Ledger was completely appropriate to Batman's world and yet also entirely original.

Awesome Avengers

Three Ways the NY Times' Review of The Avengers Is Irrelevant
1. Although the review is overwhelmingly negative, the only thing that critic A.O. Scott seems not to like about the movie is its action scenes, and what he doesn't like about them is that, he says, they're too long, too similar to action scenes in other movies and, as near as I can figure, contain too much action. For the record, those scenes are blessedly coherent (unlike those in many recent movies), consistently exciting and clever -- even, quite often, witty.
2. Although Scott allows that occasional other parts of the movie are humorous, he says they can't overcome the drawback of those dumb old action scenes. Actually, a lot of the non-action scenes are very funny, and the non-action scenes that aren't funny are frequently ingenious.
3. The review accuses the movie of "cynicism," but it's the review itself that is cynical. Scott calls The Avengers "a giant A.T.M." for Marvel and Disney, as if its probable popularity were somehow a strike against it. He attacks its audience as "submissive," which just seems like another way of saying that he feels superior to other moviegoers. The tone of the entire review brings to mind the aloof and dismissive spirit of the Times' review of Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, a film now considered a classic. That review was written by Vincent Canby, not long before Canby retired. Memo to Scott: Could be your turn.