The Dark Knight Rises - Movie Review

The Dark Knight Rises has been without a doubt, my most anticipated movie of the year. I am a huge superhero movie fan but lately with movies like The Avengers and The Amazing Spider-Man, I felt quite let down, disappointed and frustrated.

TDKR, however, lived up to its expectations by completing the completing the "Batman Trilogy" in an epic way. Here are my top 5 reasons the movie was spectacular.

#1. The action

The action was just simply brilliant. Similar to Christopher Nolan's Inception, the action created intense suspense and it was REAL. Bane's fight scenes with Batman were incredible and in some cases jaw dropping. The anticipated and cringing "Back break" was brutal and almost brought tears to my eyes - which makes it very emotional. Contrary to some reviews, I think the movie was very interactive and made connections with the audience/fans.

#2. Cast

I have to admit, I wasn't so sure about Anne Hathaway's performance as Catwoman she made a believer out of me with her cute innocent but seductive and sly character. Michael Caine as Alfred, Gary Oldman as Commission Gordon, Joseph Gordon Levitte as Blake (who by the way is foreshadowed as Robin) and of course Tom Hardy as Bane were excellent. They really added flair to the movie and intensified Batman's (Christian Bale) character. It seemed they just clicked. On a personal note, I really dislike Marion Cotillard (Miranda Tate / Talia al Ghul) just as I did in Inception.

#3. Story

Although some parts did not make sense to me, I would suggest to go back and watch Batman Begins, which would answer a lot of confused questions. One being, how the hell did Bruce Wayne get back into the city and if you watch Batman Begins (or remember), Alfred mentions there were tunnels built by Bruce's great (great?) grandfather to smuggle people in and out. I was blown away.

Furthermore, symbolism and themes have been prevalent in all 3 films - corruption, class struggle, economic crisis, and the meaning of true selfless heroic acts have just simply added much-needed emotional connection with the film.

The story connects perfectly, though the movie is choppy at times but maybe that's the style it was made in? They could have made it longer but it could have been draggy then.

#4. Music (Score)

Most wouldn't consider this a reason to like or watch it, but wow the music and audio made such an impact. With scenes such as Bruce Wayne climbing up the well with inmates chanting "Rise" in some other language. BTW anyone know which language that was? And where this well is?

#5. The Vehicles

This deserves a whole reason to watch and love the movie. It was simply a thrill to watch the chases scenes. All I could think and say was, I want that bike!

Movie Review: The Other Dream Team

Rating: Unrated

Length: 89 minutes

Release date: Sept. 28, 2012

Directed by: Marius A. Markevičius

Genre: Documentary

"The Other Dream Team" documentary focuses on the significance of the Lithuanian basketball community to that country when it was going through turbulent times. After the collapse of communism, Lithuania was faced with serious socio-economic problems. Lithuania's basketball team debut in the 1992 Olympics proved to be a unifying and comforting factor that helped to hold the country together and boosted national morale and pride.

The movie begins at the 1988 Olympics, when the USSR triumphed over the United States to win the coveted gold medal in basketball. The USSR team was successful mainly because of its inclusion of four Lithuanian basketball players. These four talented players were Arvydas Sabonis, Rimas Kurtinaitis, ŠarÅ«nas Marčiulionis, and Valdemaras Chomičius. This was the first time the four basketball stars were playing at an international level, and they thoroughly enjoyed it. Still, they wanted to play and win for their own country and not for the USSR.

The four players joined the struggle for their country's independence, while at the same time endeavoring to be legitimate basketball players. Their life under communist rule was not easy, and although permitted to travel, they had to contend with doing so under the KGB's supervision. The players began trading, buying products in foreign countries and selling them at home for modest profits. This was the only way they could support their families during these hard times.

Sabonis, a talented center forward, was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers. His excitement was short-lived; he was soon notified by the USSR authorities that he was not allowed to sign the contract or to leave his country. The struggle was long and difficult but the Lithuanians did not relent, and in 1992 they were able to send a team to the Olympics in Barcelona. They won many supporters when the public heard about their struggle to play for their own country. One of their greatest fans was the rock band, Grateful Dead, who paid for their trip to Spain and had their artist design the Lithuanians' basketball team logo. The Lithuanian basketball team became a pop symbol for standing up to oppressive regimes. Their determination saw them reach the semi-finals where they played the American Dream Team before facing their longtime foe, USSR, to compete for the bronze medal.

On the surface, it is easy to label "The Other Dream Team" as a historical or sports documentary, but there is more to the movie than that. The resolve and hard work of the Lithuanian basketball players is inspirational. It is a movie about the value of national pride, and what a purposeful group of people can achieve.

The documentary's political undertones are strong, and the team's fight to break away from the yoke of the USSR totalitarian regime is well depicted. Markevičius cleverly interweaves the history of the Lithuanian basketball players and that of the USSR, and he clearly brings to the fore the latter's destruction of Lithuania.

The movie shows that although many people view sports only in the light of fun and games, this is not always the case. It is very common for sport to carry political undertones. Many fans take such pride in their teams that the success or failure of a national team can deflate or raise the hopes and morale of a country. Even so, the case of the Lithuanian basketball team is an extraordinary one.

Many movies have featured sport as their main topic. "Once Brothers," a 2010 project of Markevičius and Michael Tolajian, chronicles the separation of the Yugoslavian national team into Croatian and Serbian units. "Coach Carter" (2005) and "Remember the Titans" (2000) are films based on true events. However, the stranger than fiction fusion of sports, history, and politics depicted in "The Other Dream Team" is unique to this documentary.

The movie brings to the surface the importance of friendship in sports too, as is revealed by the lifelong friendship between Marčiulionis and Sabonis. It is clear that a few people can make a difference, whether in sports or politics, and self-belief is central in making a positive impact. "The Other Dream Team" can be summed up as a documentary on the rebirth of Lithuania through basketball.

Hardcore Halloween: Ghost Watch

On Halloween 1992, the BBC aired a programme called 'Ghost-watch', and it's place in television folklore is unsurpassed. Any child who stayed at home that fateful night may have given up the ghost on having a scary night, but unbeknown to everyone, this stay-at-home Halloween turned into an almighty shit-storm.

The show was years before 'The Blair Witch Project', a feature film which based its terror on creating a web-site documenting the discovery of film footage in woodland. The answer to the problem of making a horror film without any budget? - pretend the film is true camcorder footage. Can't afford decent actors? - film amateur actors without telling them what the plot is, thereby having their panic real and believable.

'Ghost watch' was so daring and controversial that the only possible explanation for this being shown on prime-time television was that they were completely oblivious as to how many people would take this show at face value. This show was billed in every TV magazine and newspaper as being in the vein of a lighthearted Halloween themed ghost investigation. One glance at the roster of presenters and guest appearances which included Michael Parkinson, Mike Smith, kids TV presenter Sarah Greene and cheeky chappy Craig Charles, suggested that this was suitable for children and teenagers, with a touch of spooky 'bed-sheet-over-a-person-with-eyeholes' fun.

Instead, many of the general public tuned in that night and all hell broke loose.

The first trick to be pulled on the unsuspecting family viewers was that this show was going out 'live', when it was in fact pre-recorded weeks in advance. Sarah Greene in particular was known for her handling of live television, as the mock documentary focused on a family who were claiming to be terrorized by a poltergeist. Strange noises are caught on film, yet each time this happens the young girls are upstairs in their bedroom, and so the viewer begins to deduce that the family are being hoaxed by the mischievous children.

The presenters soon suspect that they are being tricked, and so they decide to position camera's in the girls bedroom. The programme cuts back to the studio, and they discuss the footage and take emails and calls from viewers. Many ask to see the bedroom scene again as they all swear a figure of a man can be seen next to the curtain in the children's room. The footage is re-played and sure enough, a silhouette of a man can be seen for a split second standing behind the curtain, silently watching the children.

If this was a horror movie shown on Halloween it would not have raised an eyebrow, but given the set-up for this show this sent a shiver down the spine to all those watching, and so began the panic and bedlam that followed. Several scenes were played back in the studio, each revealing a previously unseen horrific image, the only people who were spared were deaf or hard of hearing viewers as a spoil-sport at the BBC had the ceefax subtitles ruin the illusion by showing it was far from live.

The last section of the show began to get silly, VERY silly, with Michael Parkinson being thrown from his chair by a poltergeist, and this is maybe one of the reasons that it was allowed to be broadcast. The prime-time schedulers may have realized this was edgy but then imagined the silly ending would make everyone lighten-up and laugh at themselves for being caught up in their trick or treat.

30,000 calls to the BBC switchboard later, and even Anne Robinson was shocked at the response in her 'Points of View' show.

The show was never repeated, and I highly doubt the BBC will have the testicular fortitude to try anything this brave again, but we can live in hope.

The Reaper - Movie Review

"Whatsoever a man soweth, that he shall also reap" is a popular English idiom originally from Epistles to the Galatians of the Bible. The central theme and the very message of the movie was centered on the Biblical story found in Exodus. This is when the Pharaoh of Egypt was made obdurate by God Himself by not letting the Israelites be freed from slavery. The ten plagues presented in the Bible that were brought down to Egypt by Moses are the same plagues depicted in the movie, i.e. from the first plague of the river turning to blood to the death of the first born sons and daughters of the locals. But it is worthy to note that the last plague was not brought about by the unseen supernatural force as all the others. Instead, the group members of the cult of the land were the ones killing their own. Also, unlike in the Bible, the second born children were the ones sacrificed instead of the first born. This is clearly so as to put an element of a Hollywood tinge on the movie and not be a copy cat of what's in the Bible (which admittedly would have made the movie less exciting or plain boring). Effectively, the tenth plague was made the climax of the movie. Tension was built up little by little with each plague unfolding and peaked at the last plague holding the viewers momentarily confused by deviating from what was expected (death of second born instead of first born). And then here comes the vision shared by the child Loren to Katherine where she was about to be killed for being a second born but miraculously survived after being stabbed by her brother. At the time of being momentarily dazed, the viewers are fired with explanations as to why was Katherine chosen to be in that town at such crucial time. She was, in the past, an ordained minister. She turned away from her God when the locals of the town she was serving sacrificed her family in exchange for the long drought. The cult members in the place where the child Loren lived believed that Katherine would help them kill Loren since she was after all like them, backsliders in faith. But of course, as the protagonist in the movie, she did not succumb to their wishes but instead saved the girl from them.

Since we've started interpreting the movie in Biblical terms, we might as well finish it on the same tone. In the Old Testament, God is presented as a jealous God, an angry God and all other similar actuations. The message of the movie was effectively delivered in the light of such interpretation, i.e. it was made a horror film with events lifted from the Bible. In the Old Testament, God came with thunder and lightning. But rest assured that in the New Testament, it was promised that He will come again with love and justice. So then after all the 'scary moments' depicted in the movie, we go back to that promise, then sit back, relax and enjoy. After all, it's a beautiful world (Amen).

The Top Box Office Earners for September 2012

September is always a busy month in the movie industry, as the Toronto Film Festival and other movie showcases around the globe begin to introduce the big fall films that will likely compete for awards. Most studios release at least a few family-friendly films and the last of their comedies for the year before they begin releasing more dramatic fare as winter nears. A close look at the box office results for September 2012 shows a healthy mix of family films, comedies and even a few award contenders.

The number one earner in September was "Hotel Transylvania," an animated comedy featuring the voice of Adam Sandler as Dracula, who operates a resort for ghosts, ghouls and goblins in a realm separate from humans. Andy Samberg plays a teenage boy who stumbles upon the resort and quickly falls for Dracula's daughter, played by Selena Gomez. The overprotective vampire father does his best to discourage the relationship, resulting in plenty of hilarious moments.

The film earned over $42 million in the domestic market during its opening weekend, adding an additional $29 million overseas. It was far and away the biggest earner of the month, even though it was released on September 28, giving it only one weekend to top the tallies of films that had been released earlier in the month. Remarkably, it also earned more than "Resident Evil: Retribution," which came out a full two weeks earlier.

In second place, with only half the box office receipts of "Hotel Transylvania," was the sci-fi thriller "Looper" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe, a mob assassin who is sent to kill old Joe (Bruce Willis), his future self. Though "Looper" opened with just under $21 million on the same weekend as Sandler's film, it is considered a strong take. The movie has garnered excellent reviews and has yet to open overseas, which means its ultimate box office numbers could increase substantially.

There was only one sequel, "Resident Evil: Retribution," that cracked the top earners for September. The fifth installment into the franchise, based on the popular video game series, it earned a total of just over $41 million, after banking $21 million during its opening weekend starting September 14. The film brings back Milla Jovovich as Alice, an ex-employee of the Umbrella Corporation, which unleashed a zombie plague on the world. Instead of taking aim at the undead who are trying to destroy the living, she goes after Umbrella Corporation executives who spread the virus in the first place.

In fourth place was the Disney rerelease of the popular 2003 film "Finding Nemo." This latest version is in 3D, which greatly increases the price paid per ticket. It launched the same weekend as "Resident Evil: Retribution," offering a much more appropriate film for younger moviegoers. It hauled in over $16 million, with a total take of $39 million over the remaining two weeks of the month. It stars the voice of Al Brooks as Marlin, a clownfish who teams with Dory (Ellen DeGeneres) to try to find his only son after he goes missing.

Rounding out the top five films is "End of Watch," a gritty cop thriller starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as Los Angeles police officers who stumble upon a myriad of cases including Mexican cartels, human trafficking, murders, domestic abuse, and more. The film has received very favorable reviews and is rumored to be a contender once the awards show season begins in earnest. It notched $13 million for its opening weekend, which began September 14 in a somewhat limited release. It was released to a much larger set of markets in subsequent days, leading to an overall tally of $34 million and counting.

Another big awards show contender is the Paul Thomas Anderson drama " The Master," which was only released on five screens when it initially opened on September 14. Despite the limited number of theaters, it managed to pull in $13 million during September, giving it a very strong per-screen average. This bodes well for the film, which has people whispering about Academy Award nominations for stars Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

Movie Review - Atlas Shrugged: Part II

Ever since watching Atlas Shrugged: Part I, I couldn't wait to watch Atlas Shrugged: part II. In case you have no idea what these movies are about, they are based on Ayn Rand's epic ground-breaking novel, Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand published her novel in 1957. Since its publication, this novel has been the catalyst for inspiration and controversy ever since. I must confess that I had never heard of this novel before the movie came out. Now that I've watched both movies, I definitely want to read Rand's work.

Rand's theme in the novel is each person's individual achievement in the world and how success should be perceived in relation to the good of mankind. The author explores what would happen when the success and achievements of individuals is stifled and they are devalued-even made to appear as heartless, greedy individuals... all because they believed in the capitalism and the American dream-to work hard and succeed.

The characters are complex and Rand's theme may seem intellectual and possibly "boring;" however, as the novel translates to the movie, the characters come to life in a compelling way. The plot combines inspirational ideas, drama, romance and the mysterious character of John Galt. I loved the character of Dagny Taggart. She is a woman who knows what she wants. Not only is she beautiful, but she is also intelligent and gutsy. She stands up for her principles in a world devoid of men and women of true character.

Dagny embraces the values of capitalism and knows that this system is what can and will save the world that is on the brink of economic disaster. The Government and its micromanagement is not the catalyst for rebirth of a society built upon individual rights and the opportunity to follow your dreams for success. Your success can be shared with the world, but on your own terms and not because the Government wants to steal it from you. That is tyranny, not a free society.

The male lead character is Henry Reardon. His philosophy was to succeed in business and make money. He was not afraid to admit that he was in business to earn a living. Of course he wasn't a selfish man who didn't care about humanity. However, he realized that capitalism was the answer and it was his right to work hard and succeed in life. He would not bow down to the politicians and Government bureaucracy who wanted "to steal" from his business and devalue his rights as a businessman. The villains in the movie aren't your usual "evil" bad guys but rather wolves in sheep's' clothing.

This is definitely a must-see movie, especially if you value your freedoms and believe in the Constitution and what our Founding Father's wanted for America. For details on the movie: Atlas Shrugged: Part II

Joanne Troppello is an author of romantic suspense novels http://joannetroppello.weebly.com/blog.html. She is married and loves spending time with her husband and family. Joanne and her husband, John own and operate Mustard Seed Marketing Group, LLC http://www.mustardseedmarketinggroup.com, they are Ind. Distributors with Shaklee and they are Empower Network affiliate members. They are network marketing coaches who teach that you don't have to be an SEO guru or a social media specialist to make their system work for you.