Author Topic: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy  (Read 33061 times)

1SO

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #20 on: January 04, 2017, 01:08:45 PM »
Top 3 Batman Action Scenes (rough draft)

The Dark Knight - Joker truck chase
The Dark Knight Rises - Crashing the plane
Batman Returns - First fight against the circus gang
Batman - "He stole my balloons!"/Batman Returns - Hacked Batmobile

These are not combat scenes, something Tim Burton never did well either. I re-watched the scene you're talking about and it reminded me of Nolan except Snyder has the camera a couple of feet further back, so yeah, that is better.

DarkeningHumour

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #21 on: January 04, 2017, 03:29:18 PM »
See, Snyder can do some things well. I was specifically talking about fight scenes. My favourite part of that one is how the camera turns around Batman as he engages his several enemies. The choreography is thrilling and the camera zooms in at just the right moments.
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Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #22 on: January 04, 2017, 04:09:31 PM »
I hate the plane scene in Rises. It's so dumb and goofy.

1SO

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #23 on: January 04, 2017, 06:51:09 PM »
See, Snyder can do some things well. I was specifically talking about fight scenes. My favourite part of that one is how the camera turns around Batman as he engages his several enemies. The choreography is thrilling and the camera zooms in at just the right moments.

Watchmen has two incredible fight scenes, the opening attack on The Comedian and the prison fight. I know some people don't like the way he plays with camera speed, and with Sucker Punch I agree, but both of those fights show a confidence in the choreography of the action. I think Nolan believes if the camera is back far enough, the fight becomes more of a dance and the excitement feels rehearsed. That's my theory with all directors who place the camera too close, except for Paul Greengrass who is creating a different effect.


Sam, I hope to remember your comment in 2-3 months. Curious to discuss it, but I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Sam the Cinema Snob

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #24 on: January 04, 2017, 06:51:32 PM »
Don't worry. I'll remember.

1SO

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #25 on: January 04, 2017, 11:49:38 PM »

Batman Begins - A Little Bit of Opera
"Gotham's been good to our family, but the city's been suffering."

This Chapter should not have worked at all, and it's a credit to Nolan the the talent surrounding him that I didn't question it too much until now. This Gotham City places the upper and lower class in the same space, something that I think carries through the trilogy. The billionaire Wayne family travels by a public train system to the opera Downtown. They wear fancy, expensive clothes while Thomas Wayne explains that many of the people have fallen on hard times.

Linus Roache as Papa Wayne manages to be convincing as a "salt of the earth" billionaire. He doesn't even work at Wayne Tower, but instead helps out at a hospital. He's too perfect, but the film sells it as maybe a comic book exaggeration, much like how Gotham itself is more realistic than any previous depiction while still carrying a touch of heightened reality.

The father knows his son suffered a trauma involving bats, right? He must. So why bring him to this opera? I wish I knew if the father was trying to get his son past his fear of bats, or if perhaps he didn't know there'd be acro-bats involved. There's no look to young Bruce showing concern over whether this is bothering his son, and he doesn't seem to understand why Bruce is having a panic attack. They walk out, but not through the main entrance. They step out into the dingiest, most unsafe looking side alley. Another unrealistic moment of cluelessness.
Rating: * * 1/2

DarkeningHumour

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #26 on: January 05, 2017, 06:18:06 AM »
« acro-bats » ?

Brilliant.
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1SO

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #27 on: January 05, 2017, 08:26:49 PM »
[Seriously, who takes their family out of a theater through a side door that leads to this alley!]


Batman Begins - Tragedy

I love the calm in Linus Roache's voice throughout the mugging, but it gets to be a bit much when he's dying and he's still completely calm as he tells Bruce "It's okay." No concern about leaving your boy behind in a situation where it's likely he will be killed moments later.

I spoke earlier about the joy of seeing Michael Caine as Alfred. That increases only further with Gary Oldman's first appearance as Jim Gordon. (I love that he's not yet a commissioner.) I don't know if Oldman is still seen as a living legend or if he's settled in as a character actor, but it's more casting that immediately raises the class of Nolan's trilogy. He echoes the comforting words of Bruce's Dad, repeating "It's okay," multiple times. They even look alike except for Gordon's moustache.
Rating: * * * - Good

1SO

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #28 on: January 05, 2017, 08:34:29 PM »
That Chapter's quite short, so for fun I'm going to rank all the well-known stars from the trilogy at the time they first appeared.

Morgan Freeman
Heath Ledger
Christian Bale
Gary Oldman
Michael Caine
Cillian Murphy
Tom Hardy
Marion Cotillard
Liam Neeson

Anne Hathaway
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Aaron Eckhart
Tom Wilkinson
Ken Watanabe

Maggie Gyllenhaal
Katie Holmes
Rutger Hauer
Eric Roberts

Matthew Modine
Anthony Michael Hall

chardy999

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Re: One Chapter At A Time - The Dark Knight Trilogy
« Reply #29 on: January 06, 2017, 12:15:29 AM »
I completely agree with those actor rankings. Cillian Murphy is a great villain in BB.
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