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.

Lanewatch

Anthony Lane, The New Yorker's British movie critic, has struck yet again with his review of The Dark Knight Rises. As you may recall, Lane is temperamentally incapable of writing anything of length without referring to at least one of the 10 items on his Anglo-centric checklist: Shakespeare, Dickens, Tolkien, 007, royalty, Harry Potter, Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie, Sherlock Holmes and something European (non-British, often French). His average seems to be about three of these references per article, and he's right on target in his latest effort. He references 007, royalty (the musical piece "Pavane for a Dead Princess") and something European (Ravel, the composer of that piece). Just for fun, he throws in a mention of Hitchcock and calls Bruce Wayne's living quarters a "castle." Clearly, the boy can't help it.

Condition Critical

Early in her long, positive and rather pompous review of The Dark Knight Rises, Manohla Dargis of The New York Times makes a point of saying that Imax "is the way to see the film." Then she goes on to say nothing whatsoever about what Imax adds to the experience and, in fact, very little about any of the film's visual qualities. She does mention, in a vague sort of way, that director Christopher Nolan "continues to refine his cinematic technique" and that the action in the new film is "more visually coherent" than in the earlier films of the series, but that's about it. Oh, yes: she does use the word "visceral." Twice.