La La Land Review

My Workout For Sunday February 09

I earned 1190 points for my workout on Fitocracy!

Standing Calf Raises +18 pts

12 reps || weighted || 85 lb (+5 pts)

12 reps || weighted || 105 lb (+5 pts)

10 reps || weighted || 115 lb (+4 pts)

10 reps || weighted || 115 lb (+4 pts)

Barbell Deadlift +214 pts

65 lb x 12 reps (+49 pts)

85 lb x 10 reps (+55 pts)

85 lb x 10 reps (+55 pts)

85 lb x 10 reps (+55 pts)

Stretching +2 pts

0:10:00 (+2 pts)

Barbell Squat +230 pts

75 lb x 12 reps (+53 pts)

95 lb x 10 reps (+59 pts)

95 lb x 10 reps (+59 pts)

95 lb x 10 reps (+59 pts)

Standing Barbell Shoulder Press (OHP) +249 pts

45 lb x 12 reps (+59 pts)

65 lb x 10 reps (+66 pts)

65 lb x 8 reps (+64 pts)

65 lb x 6 reps (+60 pts)

Dumbbell Bench Press +199 pts

30 lb x 12 reps (+49 pts)

35 lb x 12 reps (+52 pts)

40 lb x 6 reps (+49 pts)

40 lb x 6 reps (+49 pts)

Dips - Triceps Version +50 pts

4 reps (+14 pts)

3 reps (+10 pts)

3 reps (+10 pts)

3 reps (+10 pts)

2 reps (+6 pts)

Pull-Up +26 pts

1 reps (+13 pts)

1 reps (+13 pts)

Just to see if I could do it today...the answer is YES!!!

Barbell Incline Bench Press +202 pts

55 lb x 12 reps (+47 pts)

75 lb x 10 reps (+53 pts)

75 lb x 8 reps (+51 pts)

75 lb x 8 reps (+51 pts)

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My Workout For Tuesday January 14

I earned 958 points for my workout on Fitocracy!

Dumbbell Bench Press +203 pts

30 lb x 12 reps (+49 pts)

35 lb x 12 reps (+52 pts)

40 lb x 8 reps (+53 pts)

40 lb x 6 reps (+49 pts)

Barbell Deadlift +190 pts

55 lb x 12 reps (+46 pts)

65 lb x 10 reps (+48 pts)

65 lb x 10 reps (+48 pts)

65 lb x 10 reps (+48 pts)

Stretching +2 pts

0:10:00 (+2 pts)

Barbell Squat +199 pts

55 lb x 12 reps (+46 pts)

65 lb x 12 reps (+49 pts)

75 lb x 10 reps (+52 pts)

75 lb x 10 reps (+52 pts)

Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press +160 pts

15 lb x 12 reps (+41 pts)

20 lb x 8 reps (+41 pts)

20 lb x 7 reps (+40 pts)

20 lb x 6 reps (+38 pts)

Dips - Triceps Version +8 pts

12 reps || assisted || 130 lb (+2 pts)

6 reps || assisted || 115 lb (+2 pts)

5 reps || assisted || 115 lb (+2 pts)

4 reps || assisted || 115 lb (+2 pts)

Incline Dumbbell Bench Press +180 pts

25 lb x 12 reps (+46 pts)

30 lb x 12 reps (+49 pts)

35 lb x 4 reps (+39 pts)

35 lb x 6 reps (+46 pts)

Standing Calf Raises +16 pts

12 reps || weighted || 45 lb (+4 pts)

12 reps || weighted || 55 lb (+4 pts)

12 reps || weighted || 65 lb (+4 pts)

10 reps || weighted || 75 lb (+4 pts)

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The endeavor continues...

As of last night, I've begun writing my critique of Star Wars. It'll be some time before it's ready, but be prepared for amazing news...

My Workout For Friday January 17

I earned 840 points for my workout on Fitocracy!

Moving boxes +840 pts

5:00:00 || Easy (+600 pts)

2:00:00 || Easy (+240 pts)

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Carrie Fisher’s legacy will never be forgotten. 

My Menace: a Star Wars: Episode I Review

In honor of the Blu-Ray releases of the Star Wars saga, I am reviewing each film in the series from Episode I to Episode VI. 

In 1999 George Lucas threw his hat back in the ring and released a brand new Star Wars film set before the hallowed Original Trilogy. The idea was a dream come true for die-hard fans that were born too late to enjoy the Original Trilogy on the silver screen. Now, they would have that experience, one that they would talk about for years to come. Even the casual fans anticipated this moment. In the months coming up to the release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, it was hard to find anyone that wasn't a fan. The fever had spread, and everyone wanted to get caught up in it.

On May 19, 1999, The Phantom Menace was released. What should have been a triumphant moment in cinema became a wash of disappointment and frustration. Some of the responses of the time were a bit too harsh, but the general consensus was that this wasn't the Star Wars film that was expected. Although a visual and aural marvel to behold, The Phantom Menace made too many cinematic missteps to be memorable, and the time between its initial release and its Blu-Ray debut has not been kind to it either.

Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi become caught in a web of political turmoil between the Trade Federation and the Galactic Republic-controlled planet of Naboo. After witnessing signs of invasion, the two Jedis, after literally running into a native called Jar Jar Binks, race to save the planet's monarch, Queen Amidala, and her aides. Upon escaping, the group make an emergency landing on the desert planet of Tatooine to make repairs. There they meet a young slave named Anakin Skywalker who has a certain peculiarity the Jedis pick up from him – an unrivaled strength in the Force. From here, the group strive to find some way to stop the Trade Federation's occupation of Naboo, first through politics by going to the center of the Republic – the planet of Coruscant – and then by insurrection on Naboo.

The Phantom Menace has everything you'd expect from a sci-fi action movie – an independent damsel in distress, battle-hardened warriors, unique creatures, a boy destined for greatness, gun fights, starship battles, and swordfighting. In fact, it tries to parallel the original Star Wars in its story and structure. However, the results are a mess.

Lucas decides right away that the film is to be child-friendly. A lot of the humor plays more to the childlike sensibilities, especially with Anakin Skywalker being a nine-year-old and with the Gungans and Jar Jar Binks devolving into racial stereotypes. However, the plot plays more like a Star Trek episode filled with politics and exposition, things that don't keep a child's attention. Add to that action sequences that try too hard to be child-friendly, and throw in a classic over-choreographed lightsaber duel that ends too graphically for a child, and what's on the screen is a hodgepodge of things that aim to please everyone but only please Lucas himself. This inconsistency in tone is the umbrella of all of the faults of the film.

The cinematography by David Tattersall is very basic, never playing with lighting and randomly using zoom-in and zoom-out to no effect. Not once does the camera capture the souls of the characters, with the closest moments being anytime Queen Amidala is in full make-up and costuming as her emotions must be conveyed with her eyes. Colors are used to establish settings but remain an afterthought of the design. The music by legendary film composer John Williams has flashes of brilliance, particularly during the lightsaber duel at the end, but ends up being basic as well.

From its release onward, the acting and performances in The Phantom Menace were legendary in their wooden nature. This is even more surprising considering the caliber of some of the actors. Liam Neeson portrayed one of screen's greatest heroes in Steven Spielberg's masterpiece Schindler's List, Natalie Portman had a shocking debut as a young girl falling for a hitman in Léon and eventually winning an Academy Award in the future for Black Swan, and Ewan MacGregor stunned worldwide audiences as a on-and-off heroin addict in the cult black comedy Trainspotting. Yet all three were diminished to standard line-reading with only Neeson rising above the din. Jake Lloyd was given the unenviable task of portraying the childhood beginnings of arguably cinema's most memorable villain, but he was too young to fully portray Darth Vader's beginnings.

However, the actors are only partly to blame. The most significant flaws of the film, and what would probably be considered the stem of the aforementioned umbrella, is the script and direction. George Lucas wrote the script himself, trying desperately to plant the seeds and begin the connections to the Original Trilogy. However, he neglects to tell a good story, filling all of the gaps with superfluous details. Too many times are actors describing what's going on before their eyes while the audience clearly sees it, something all screenwriters are taught to avoid. Worse, many humorous moments linger to emphasize that a specific moment is supposed to be humorous, another rookie mistake. The actors never elevate the material due to Lucas never making them elevate the material. What makes this more sad is that there are moments in the story worth exploring such as Qui-Gon's defiance of the Jedi Council, Obi-Wan's conflict between his expectations from the Council and his devotion to his master, and Anakin's separation from his mother planting the seeds of his eventual turn.

The visual effects circa 1999 are fantastic for its time but represent a period when computers had not reached the level of processing needed to make Lucas' vision a success. Many of the characters and settings are computer generated, and while the Gungans' expressions are wonderfully done, everything comes off as too clean and too artificial especially when juxtaposed with live actors. This is especially true during the final battles – space, ground, and lightsaber – of the film. The space and ground battles are largely animated and lifeless, and one location of the lightsaber duel is too sterile and obvious to be real. However, the podracing sequence on Tatooine is a technical marvel, an update to the chariot race of Ben-Hur that is thrilling when taken on its own. This sequence alone is the apex of visual and aural editing and mixing of the film, the one time when all of the elements join and become what Lucas envisioned.

But that's the problem – it's only a moment. In fact, the film is a series of moments that happen solely because Lucas wrote them to happen instead of feeling necessary. The Trade Federation is introduced as the antagonist because the film needed an antagonist. Darth Maul has a double-bladed lightsaber because Lucas feels that will fill the Vader-sized hole. All of the Galactic Senate scenes occur to establish why Senator Palpatine becomes the Emperor. Anakin wins the podrace because it's the only reason he leaves Tatooine. Nothing in the film ever feels earned. Sure, the podrace is wonderful, and the final lightsaber duel is a feast for the eyes, but there never is a reason for their existence except to fill the spaces in the runtime.

During the time that has passed between the initial release and it's Blu-Ray debut, films such as the canon of Pixar, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Dark Knight, and the Harry Potter series have defined what people expect with their entertainment – great storytelling, great action, great characters, and a sense of real danger. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace partially succeeds at action but fails at everything else, and while it may not be a piece of cinematic travesty, it can be considered nothing more than a disappointment, especially compared to the Original Trilogy of Star Wars it desperately tries to match.

Blu-Ray Observations

Of all the films in the set, The Phantom Menace is the worst-looking one. This is due to the film being shot on film and then being post-processed digitally in its earlier days. None of the colors pop, and the image looks too smoothed and equaled out. It does fix the edge enhancement issues apparent in the DVD, but the overall look is too dull to make any impact. Worse, the effects look dated. The best example of this is the entire Battle of Naboo sequence. Granted, all of the shield effects still amaze, but the characters look too artificial compared to the rest of what's on the screen. The audio is as amazing as it was in the theater, but the new Blu-Ray transfer emphasizes all of the flaws and few of the strengths that The Phantom Menace had.

Movie Rating: 4/10 Moments of excitement are surrounded by scenes of pure exposition and sterile effects. It feels like you're being pushed rather than pulled into the movie, and that is not a good feeling.

Film Rating: 3/10 It's a textbook example of what not to do to reinforce a mythology, but there are a couple underdeveloped items that could have been interesting.

Star Wars Film Rating: 3/10 It almost sunk the entire series into self-parody, and beyond the introduction of Qui-Gon Jinn and the art of lightsaber dueling, it should be a forgotten chapter in the series.

Blu-Ray Rating: 4/10 The audio is fantastic.  The video, due to how it was processed, is the worst-looking one of the box set.  Even the original Star Wars looks pristine compared to it.

My Workout For Thursday January 23

I earned 842 points for my workout on Fitocracy!

Stretching +2 pts

0:10:00 (+2 pts)

Dips - Triceps Version +10 pts

1 reps (+2 pts)

12 reps || assisted || 130 lb (+2 pts)

8 reps || assisted || 115 lb (+2 pts)

6 reps || assisted || 115 lb (+2 pts)

5 reps || assisted || 115 lb (+2 pts)

My first unassisted dip! Now to see if I can get more...

Dumbbell Bench Press +213 pts

30 lb x 12 reps (+49 pts)

40 lb x 12 reps (+56 pts)

45 lb x 7 reps (+55 pts)

45 lb x 6 reps (+53 pts)

Barbell Squat +214 pts

65 lb x 12 reps (+49 pts)

85 lb x 10 reps (+55 pts)

85 lb x 10 reps (+55 pts)

85 lb x 10 reps (+55 pts)

Barbell Deadlift +206 pts

55 lb x 12 reps (+46 pts)

75 lb x 12 reps (+53 pts)

85 lb x 8 reps (+53 pts)

85 lb x 9 reps (+54 pts)

Standing Dumbbell Shoulder Press +180 pts

15 lb x 12 reps (+44 pts)

25 lb x 10 reps (+49 pts)

25 lb x 7 reps (+46 pts)

25 lb x 5 reps (+41 pts)

Standing Calf Raises +17 pts

12 reps || weighted || 65 lb (+4 pts)

12 reps || weighted || 85 lb (+5 pts)

10 reps || weighted || 95 lb (+4 pts)

10 reps || weighted || 95 lb (+4 pts)

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My Workout For Tuesday January 07

I earned 614 points for my workout on Fitocracy!

Reverse Crunch +53 pts

15 reps (+19 pts)

15 reps (+19 pts)

12 reps (+15 pts)

Plank +30 pts

30 sec (+10 pts)

30 sec (+10 pts)

30 sec (+10 pts)

Side Plank +42 pts

20 sec (+14 pts)

20 sec (+14 pts)

20 sec (+14 pts)

Chin-Up +8 pts

12 reps || assisted || 145 lb (+2 pts)

8 reps || assisted || 130 lb (+2 pts)

6 reps || assisted || 130 lb (+2 pts)

4 reps || assisted || 115 lb (+2 pts)

Dips - Triceps Version +8 pts

12 reps || assisted || 145 lb (+2 pts)

5 reps || assisted || 130 lb (+2 pts)

6 reps || assisted || 130 lb (+2 pts)

4 reps || assisted || 115 lb (+2 pts)

Bent Over Two-Dumbbell Row +165 pts

20 lb x 12 reps (+41 pts)

30 lb x 10 reps (+43 pts)

30 lb x 8 reps (+41 pts)

30 lb x 7 reps (+40 pts)

Dumbbell Bench Press +208 pts

30 lb x 12 reps (+49 pts)

40 lb x 10 reps (+55 pts)

40 lb x 8 reps (+53 pts)

40 lb x 7 reps (+51 pts)

Dumbbell Bicep Curl +98 pts

15 lb x 12 reps (+26 pts)

20 lb x 8 reps (+25 pts)

20 lb x 7 reps (+25 pts)

20 lb x 5 reps (+22 pts)

Stretching +2 pts

0:10:00 (+2 pts)

Think you can beat me, or want to comment?

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Now available for free on both iPhone and Android!

Skyfall Review

    History has a way of defining a person, place, or thing.  There are two extremes to dealing with history - embracing it or burning it down.  The history of the James Bond film series is no exception, and the 50th anniversary of the release of Dr. No serves as a milestone for reflection on the series' history.     Two films define the series' dichotomous directions - From Russia With Love and Goldfinger.  From Russia With Love is the quintessential spy film - James Bond as a soldier for Great Britain, while Goldfinger is the quintessential spy movie - James Bond as a hero for the people.  Both present the series at its finest, and every subsequent film contain elements of both with varying results.  The rest of the best of the series - On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldeneye, and Casino Royale - were near-perfect balances of Russia and Goldfinger.     With Casino Royale, the history of the film series was scuttled and refreshed successfully, telling the story of Bond as a neophyte coming to terms with the cost of being the soldier and hero.  Quantum of Solace followed, and while parts of the film were well done, the overall result lacked the spark expected from a Bond film.     Skyfall, the 23rd entry in the James Bond film series, brings back the fun of the series while keeping the depth that Casino Royale brought, resulting in another near-perfect balance.     James Bond, after a failed mission that starts the film briskly, goes into self-imposed retirement, dealing with his failings as an agent and the failings of his superiors.  An attack at MI6 headquarters pushes him to return to the fold.  However, the star agent struggles to reintegrate into the spy life - his talents have worn down, and his emotions are unstable.  The impending world threat, a former MI6 agent named Silva, allows Bond slowly to gain his abilities and self-confidence.  Along the way, he sees the toll the threat has on his boss, M, who is dealing with an internal investigation on her from her superiors.  As the threat grows, Bond and M have no choice but to escape to Bond's family estate, Skyfall, and Bond has to face his past and his possible future.     That's a lot of plot points and thematic elements for a Bond film, but Skyfall never loses its focus, and all of the pieces come together in an impressive and fashion.     The script by Neal Purvis, Robert Wade, and John Logan is superb.  Constructed as a traditional Bond film, it has a deep respect for the history of the film series, yet it continues the deep emotional strides made with Casino Royale.  As traditional of a Bond film as the structure is, the writers made sure to defy expectations, peppering the structure with shocks and surprises, and the shocks never come at expected moments.  Even better is that the writers weren't afraid to pursue dark and challenging moments, be it the opening chase sequence, Silva's attack during M's hearing, and the final assault at Skyfall.  Purvis, Wade, and Logan found the perfect balance of the classic and the modern with their script.     The actors reinforce the emotional depth with excellent performances, never squandering any moments.     As the expected "Bond Girl" of the film, Bérénice Marlohe is a wonderful blend of sexiness and fragility.  Her character is removed from the equation just as she is getting interesting, the only real flaw of the film, but her moments with Bond are electrifying, filled with chemistry.  If Marlohe had been given more on-screen time, she would have been just as memorable as the rest of the cast, but she provides the audience with a good Bond girl.     Naomie Harris infuses Eve, a fellow agent of Bond's, with strength and independence.  Eve has a sexiness about her, not just in her beauty but in her wit and reliability as an agent.  Her moments with Bond are fun and saucy, and Harris will be able to build off of this great role since it is hinted that she will be a recurring character.     In a small but vital role, Albert Finney provides a strong foundation in the final act of the film as Kincade, the gamekeeper of Skyfall.  He gives Kincade a lived-in quality, someone who has seen the fall of the Bond family and is determined to keep the Bond history alive, however small of a life it may be.  He is a window to Bond's past, and Finney is an excellent mix of tragedy and levity.     Ben Whishaw is a delight as Q, the quartermaster of MI6 and Bond's armorer.  He is as mentally active in the mission as Bond is physically, and his dry, quick wit cuts through Bond without hesitation.  The chemistry between Bond and Q is undeniable, and with some of the dark turns the film takes, Whishaw is a welcome relief and fits perfectly into the Bond universe.     Ralph Fiennes is authoritative as Gareth Mallory, M's boss as the Chairman of Intelligence and Security Committee.  He's introduced as the governmental figure who rebels like Bond and M frustrate, but as the film progresses, his shades of grey are developed, becoming someone who fully understands M's struggle between fulfilling governmental duty while being an independent thinker.  Fiennes is another wonderful addition to the cast, and with his role being hinted at as recurring, he will be able to grow into the universe.     The Bond villain is a role that is known to attract fine actors, but sometimes the role doesn't live up to the actor who plays it.  This is not the case with Javier Bardem as Silva.  He's already played an iconic cinematic villain as Anton Chigurh in No Country For Old Men, and his Silva is destined to become  an iconic Bond villain.  Theatrical but infused with terror, Silva is never underestimated.  His approach to torture is more psychological, and he brings the audience to the brink with how successful he is with his plot.  This may be the first Bond villain in a long time who makes the audience feel like he could win, or at least force Bond into a pyrrhic victory.  As commanding and deadly as Red Grant and Rosa Klebb in From Russia With Love and as theatrical as Auric Goldfinger in Goldfinger, Silva stands among the finest Bond villains, and Bardem should take almost all of the credit for it.     Judi Dench has been M since Goldeneye, but this film may be her shining moment as Bond's boss and the head of MI6.  She has a personal connection to Silva, and she has a close relationship to Bond.  The terror and disappointment in her eyes when sharing scenes with Silva is amazing - she shows so much history with the villain without ever digging into the backstory, and it takes a lot of skill to be able to show that history without telling it.  Even more impressive is that she never takes over a scene when she isn't required, and her scenes at Skyfall are just tremendous.  M is trying to come to terms with her failings as a leader throughout, but Dench not only allows M to deal with these failings but also reinforce why she was the only leader who could have shaped Bond into who he is and trust him unconditionally.     In his third outing as James Bond, Daniel Craig has fully ingrained himself into the legendary spy.  He was a blunt instrument in Casino Royale and a vengeful warrior in Quantum of Solace, but in Skyfall, the spy life has taken its toll on him.  Craig has only been Bond in three films, but he carries a sense of torrid history not seen in any of the previous Bond actors.  He doubts himself and his superiors, but he knows that the mission is most important and strives to overcome his doubts.  What he sees in Silva is his own possible future, while a reference to Skyfall and his eventual return to his family's estate hints at his tortured past.  Bond is a man who is coming to terms with the loss his past contains while learning to appreciate the future M gave him, all the while containing the wit and class the character has had for the past 50 years.  His delivery of the one-liners still needs a little work, but that's a minor quibble compared to how fantastic Craig is as Bond, reinforcing his place as the second-best Bond, and arguably giving Connery competition as the best Bond ever.     The music has always been important in a Bond film, and Thomas Newman's score is a perfect blend of classicism and progressivism.  The James Bond Theme is prevalent as it should be, but some of the more progressive touches are welcome.  There are moments when the music becomes a cousin to the works of Brian Eno, focusing on ambient overtones from electronic instruments.  The balance between past and future is expertly captured by Newman's score, but the microcosm is at its finest with the theme song sung by Adele.  It's as if Shirley Bassey has been properly updated for the 21st century, which may be the highest compliment any Bond theme song could receive, and it stays in the head and gets into your soul.     A special note must be made about the cinematography by Roger Deakins.  His work in Skyfall elevates the film into a visual work of art.  He's worked consistently with the Coen Brothers, and he loves to play with colors.  Just look at the vivid yellows of Turkey, the blues of Shanghai, the reds and browns of Macau, and the greys and stone-like tones of the United Kingdom.  It is a master class in color-focused cinematography, and the framing is a perfect mix of grand and personal.  Deakins' work on Skyfall is nothing short of legendary.     Sam Mendes was the biggest wild card in the film as the director.  Winning an Academy Award for his directorial debut, American Beauty, Mendes is known as a dramatic director with no experience with action scenes, and some of his works have been considered pretentious.  However, Skyfall has no pretentions - Mendes makes sure it is the event film it is meant to be.  He structures the film as a traditional Bond film - a three-act work with a prologue and epilogue - and the film is the second-longest film in the series, but it is wonderfully paced, never overstaying its welcome nor having an overabundance of action or drama.  Everything feels necessary, allowing the audience to become fully invested in the film.  He knows how to work with the actors, and he understands what will make the biggest impacts.  The series has had classy directors before, but no one as unique as Mendes, and his artful eye does wonders for the film and the series.     Skyfall is a traditional Bond film with significant depth, heart, and soul.  It has the expert tension of From Russia With Love, the fun of Goldfinger and The Spy Who Loved Me, and the emotional consequences of On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Casino Royale.  It pays homage to the series' history while looking and moving forward, and it presents a story about the importance of history and the understanding that one may be defined by his or her past but is not controlled by it.  Skyfall is the closest a Bond film has ever come to being an art film, and it sits alongside the best in the series and the best in the genre. Movie Rating: 9.5/10 A somewhat underutilized Bond girl is a minor gripe to what may be one of the most thrilling action films since the turn of the century. Film Rating: 9/10 A Bond film that acts as a successful commentary on the effects of individual history with superb music and visuals that match the themes. Bond Film Rating: 10/10 Another classic that stands alongside From Russia With Love, Goldfinger, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, The Spy Who Loved Me, Goldeneye, and Casino Royale.

Bond Rating: 9.5/10 Although the delivery of some of the one-liners still needs a little work, Daniel Craig not only reinforces how effective he is as Bond, but he also arguably matches Connery's status as the greatest Bond.

The Dark Knight Rises Review

    The final film of a trilogy is the most difficult one to pull off.  Everyone involved feels like they have to increase the scope of the story, but the trick is to maintain the spirit of the series without giving into excess.  Some trilogies, like Byran Singer's X-Men series and Sam Raimi's Spider-Man series, have a third film that almost everyone would like to forget ever existed.  Some third films, like Sergio Leone's The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and Pixar's Toy Story 3, stand as masterworks in their own right and help transcend their representative series.  And then there are third films like Return of the Jedi and The Godfather Part III that are excellent in moments and forgettable in others.     Christopher Nolan started a new Batman trilogy with Batman Begins, one of the finest origin stories told in the comic-book superhero genre, and then continued with The Dark Knight, a film that expanded beyound genre limits and became not only a classic crime drama about anarchy and heroism but also one of the best films of its decade.     With The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan concludes his fantastic series with a third film that may not be entirely of the same level of its predecessor but is a prime example of how to complete a series in style and quality.     It's been eight years since the reign of terror by The Joker and the death of District Attorney and "white knight" Harvey Dent.  Batman has taken the blame for his death and other deaths at the hands of Dent, causing Batman to become an outcast but paving the way for a more peaceful Gotham City.  Commissioner Jim Gordon, knowing the truth about the night Dent died, keeps the lie up to keep the peace in the city.  One of the few people that believe in Batman's innocence is idealist cop John Blake, a man who is taken under Gordon's wing.  Bruce Wayne has retired Batman and become the Howard Hughes of Gotham City, much to the concern of his butler Alfred and his armorer Lucius Fox.      However, two threats arrive to destabilize the city and necessitate the return of Batman.  The main threat is Bane, a masked brute who, forged by a foreign prison and saved by The League of Shadows, plans to take control of Gotham City, leave it in mob rule, and let it rot from the inside out.  The other is a cat burglar named Selina Kyle who acts as a "Robin Hood" for her self-interest, taking advantage of any and every situation, such as stealing a valuable pearl necklace from Wayne Manor during a fundraiser, kidnapping a congressman for leverage on a deal with shady businessmen, and working with and against Batman at the turn of a dime.     This is a lot of information to take in, which leads to the film's main flaw - it takes an hour or so for the film to truly start, and that hour is filled with too many false starts and exposition to get pulled into it.  The story, developed by Chris Nolan and David S. Goyer, and the script, written by Chris Nolan and his brother Jonathan, is ambitious in scope and content, and the meandering is an unavoidable consequence.  Unlike Chris Nolan's previous film, Inception, the meandering doesn't mean that the film is too long - just that the structure needed to be refined.      Case in point - the first meeting between John Blake and Bruce Wayne.  Blake implores Wayne to bring back Batman for the sake of an injured Gordon.  During this discussion, Blake goes into exposition about his past, how he first met Batman and Bruce Wayne, and hints that he knows Batman's identity.  It's a well-acted scene that doesn't move because of its necessity to relay as much information as possible to the audience.  It's a necessary scene that needs rearranging to improve the flow.     The overall thread of the idealist John Blake is wonderfully done.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines as the orphan turned cop who sees the world in an optimistic light in spite of the world devolving around him.  He exudes a determination and strength as Gotham's last light.  He starts out wanting to be the white knight but slowly realizes that even the whitest knight has a touch of grey.  He represents the struggle of, as Gordon put it, structures becoming shackles, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt carries that burden superbly.     Gary Oldman, as the other important part of this thread, does an amazing job as Commissioner Gordon.  Gordon started out as that idealist cop, became affected by how the world came down around him, was given a spark of hope by the arrival of Batman, and eventually became the "grey knight," the man who did was was necessary to preserve the peace, even if sacrificing the truth destroyed his marriage and faith in humanity.  He has been long recognized as one of the finest character actors of his generation, and Gary Oldman shows more and more why he deserves the accolades he has still yet to receive.     The thread involving Selina Kyle is the self-contained thread, not requiring any knowledge of the prior films, and it is the best thread of the bunch.  Anne Hathaway steals every scene she is in, vamping it up and having as much fun as possible as the expert thief who does what is necessary and is working toward getting a clean slate.  Selina Kyle is known in the comic-book world as Catwoman, but she is never called that moniker in this film, and the role and the film is all the better for it.  She's smart, sexy, strong, and soulful, and Anne Hathaway does the role justice and almost steals the film with it.     The antagonist thread of the film, all involving Bane and references to the League of Shadows, is the weakest part of the film, but it does have its moments.  Bane's introduction, an in-flight infiltration and escape, is a spectacular set piece that feels inert, not providing the ignition the film needs.  Even Bane's stock exchange takeover seems too small an explosion for the film's lift-off.  It isn't until the city takeover when the audience is pulled into the action, with Bane's menacing visage and stature commandeering the screen with purpose.  His fights with Batman are tense, brutal, and exhilarating.  His backstory, although underdeveloped, provides just enough brushstrokes to give Bane some color.     Tom Hardy, bulking up for the role, fully involves himself as Bane.  His physicality is something of a first in the series - Batman has always been the dominating physical presence, but Bane easily takes control in this film.  His speech, somewhat muffled by the mask, is hard to understand at times, and is inconsistent in the accent - for a brief moment, Hardy inadvertently performs a Sean Connery impersonation.  Nevertheless, Bane is an intimidating figure, and Tom Hardy is more than up to the task to portray Bane as the menace he is meant to be.     The protagonist thread, the one dovetailing not only the threads within the film but the entire series, is wholly fulfilling if structured oddly at the beginning of the film.  Having Bruce Wayne be a recluse, then become Batman again, then be forced to stop, and then become Batman again, at least in the way the film does it, is tonally awkward, but it gives all of the actors the moments they deserve.  The theme of this thread - what it takes for a dark knight to save himself from the darkness - is expressed expertly, and the conclusion is almost perfect.     Morgan Freeman, having a more diminished role this time around, still provides levity to these serious proceedings as Lucius Fox, and his repartee with Bruce Wayne is still electrifying.  Marion Cotillard, as potential Bruce Wayne love interest and Wayne Enterprises board member Miranda Tate, doesn't have the greatest chemistry with Bruce Wayne, but she has a tenderness that balances her calculating nature, and although Miranda Tate is not developed enough, Marion Cotillard is a captivating presence.     Michael Caine, as Batman's and Bruce Wayne's batman Alfred, is the legend he is known to be.  As the heart of the series, Alfred is the sole reason the Wayne name still gives hope, still remains viable.  His role is given several monologues, and while some of them come off as unnecessary, Caine's delivery is nothing short of extraordinary.  He is more than a servant to Bruce Wayne and Batman - he is the last father figure he has.  The final moments of the film with Alfred are the most moving of the entire series, and it is all due to subtle care that Michael Caine has taken to develop Alfred.     It takes a bold and daring actor to give a comic-book superhero some gravitas, and throughout all three films, Christian Bale has evolved as Bruce Wayne and Batman, with his work in this film being the finest in the series.  From the first film on, Bruce Wayne has been a shell of his former self, and his dedication to being Batman is as much out of a desire to do good as it is out of a need to give himself purpose.  Bale grounds and centers the film with a man who cannot let go of his anger, seeing himself as the man Gotham needs him to be while eventually realizing the man Alfred and the deceased Wayne family would have wanted him to be.  Throughout the struggles he faces, he finds solace in a woman who is looking for the clean slate he so desperately needs.  Christian Bale brings the series-long arc full circle, becoming the actor everyone will identify with Bruce Wayne and Batman above all others, and giving the film world one of the finest performances in the genre.     Cinematographer Wally Pfister paints the screen with Oscar-caliber imagery.  The opening shot of Bane's introduction in an open field is something straight out of an epic film.  The browns of the pit the bore Bane, the whites and greys of a Gotham under siege, the blacks and blues of the city at night and the Batcave, and the varying colors of Wayne Manor all leave an indelible mark.  He won an Oscar for his work on Inception, but Wally Pfister tops himself with the work done in this film.     Composer Hans Zimmer comes back alone this time, effectively using the themes developed with James Newton-Howard in the previous two films, and creating a couple of new ideas that work to varying degrees on their own but are ingrained in the film successfully.  The simple piano-based motif of Selina Kyle is beautiful, capturing the sly yet longing nature of the character, and the percussive chant of Bane's motif stays in the mind and eventually turns from an ominous chant to a motivating positive force, showing how Hans Zimmer can turn preconceived notions on their head.     With the flaws and strengths, it all falls on the shoulders of director Christopher Nolan.  His work with the actors is still surprisingly impressive, his eye for set pieces continues to astonish, and his ambition serves him well for the most part.  However, his ambition causes the series to take a turn from the realism and believeability of The Dark Knight to expected comic-book superhero fare.  Nolan tries to make grand statements about the world at large, but the statements don't cut through like they did in the previous film, especially when trying to make reference to class struggles.     However, what the film lacks in biting commentary is made up by the scope of the story of Batman and the world around him.  The thrills are more blunt than before, but therein lies the charm of this film - it may be the most fun a story as dark as this could be.  The realism is gone, but the craftsmanship is undeniable, and the story, once it gets going, is a true roller-coaster ride.  Christopher Nolan may have changed the trajectory of the series away from what it could have been, but he relishes in the destination he has created, and the joy he had creating this universe is felt in every frame.  He even perfectly caps the series arc of Bruce Wayne with a quote from A Tale of Two Cities - "It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known."      The end result is a conclusion of a series that is crying for a different set-up.  The difficulty in judging this film is in the expectations - had The Dark Knight not existed or at least been a different film, this film could have been the standard-bearer for all comic-book superhero films to follow.  However, The Dark Knight does exist, and paraphrasing the Joker in that film, it changed things forever.  The Dark Knight Rises will always pale in comparison to its predecessor because it lacks transcendence, but it stands as one of the finest films of the genre and a wholly satisfying conclusion to one of the best film trilogies, and that is all for which one could hope. Movie Rating: 9/10 A meandering and start-stop first hour gives way to a thrilling, emotional, and fun conclusion. Film Rating: 8/10 It pales next to The Dark Knight, and its commentary is toothless, but how it concludes the main series arc is excellent. Comic-Book Superhero Film Rating: 9/10 It may not be the deepest, but it is one of the best, and it may be the definition of "serious fun." Batman Film Rating: 8.5/10 On par with Batman Begins, but following The Dark Knight means that it could have been more.