Nolan's "Batman" Finale Rises Among Superhero Supremacy

The fate of Gotham hangs in the balance as Batman (Christian Bale) and Bane (Tom Hardy) collide.

It’s impractical to even bother trying to compare “The Dark Knight Rises” to its predecessors, “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight.” The three installments making up Christopher Nolan’s groundbreaking superhero trilogy are so remotely different from one another that the Caped Crusader himself remains the only constant amidst the coming and going struggles against psychological, moral and physical villainy. Set eight years after the previous film, Batman continues his self-imposed exile from vigilantism after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes. That is, however, until Gotham City is threatened to its core by the masked terrorist, Bane (Tom Hardy) and his cataclysmic agenda. Bane is a juggernaut that shouldn’t be feared just on bulk size alone, but when combined with his calculating genius mind, the end for Gotham has finally arrived. CONTINUE READING

'Madagascar' Transforms European Escapade into Delightful Finale

Still trying to find a way home, Alex (Ben Stiller) and company join a travel circus in style.

Everything leading up to this latest installment in the Madagascar franchise has been centered around Marty the Zebra’s “Afro Circus,” a catchy circus song that stands in for the series’ theme “I Like to Move It, Move It.” But is the Madagascar series once again relying too much on a gimmicky song at the expense of delivering energetic storytelling? 

Fortunately, that’s not the case. This time around in Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted, Alex (Ben Stiller), Gloria (Jada Pinkett Smith), Marty (Chris Rock) and Melman (David Schwimmer) are still stranded in Africa with little chance of returning home to New York until they embark on a journey to Monte Carlo to find the fan-favorite Penguins who can fly them home. A few detours later and Monaco Animal Control on their tail (literally), the gang moves across Europe with a failing circus troupe, looking for their big break and golden ticket across the pond. 

Stewart, Theron, Reign Supreme in Medieval 'Snow White' Tale

No longer the damsel in distress, Snow White becomes a warrior princess to take back what is hers.

If you’re feeling fairy tale déjà vu all of the sudden, you’re not alone. Less than three months ago, director Tarsem Singh traded his stylistic vision of mythological gods and titans for a more family friendly take on the classic Snow White tale in Mirror Mirror. And that was all fine and great for its targeting its youthful demographic, but Rupert Sanders too has his own Snow White tale to tell, one treading the same mature waters as Pan’s Labyrinth and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. 

Snow White and the Huntsman conveys the most consistent plot points found in any interpretation:  a princess who’s fairest in the land, a vain usurper queen challenged by the beauty of said princess and a supporting cast of seven dwarves, a conflicted huntsman and the iconic magic mirror (or in Huntsman, a faceless mirror man).  Where Huntsman zigs where other interpretations have zagged shines in its encompassing gritty and medieval vibe, in which Snow White assumes the mantle of the kingdom’s savior, a warrior princess leading her army into battle against a psychotic seductress, who has stolen everything that is rightfully hers. 

Third 'MIB' Outing Ends Series on Weakest Note

After a decade-long hiatus, the MIB franchise goes in a brand new direction - back in time.

Men in Black 3 was simply doomed from the start, desperately attempting to reacquaint moviegoers (or more-so subject moviegoers) to what was already an outdated and lifeless franchise. Times have certainly changed since the late 90s as has the quality of cinematic competition. Will Smith just doesn’t have the star power that he had a decade ago with his trio of revolving summer blockbusters: Independence Day, Men in Black, and Wild Wild West.  

And Tommy Lee Jones is no better off, straying from his slew of Oscar-bait performances for the sole purpose of revisiting campy nostalgia. Back as MIB Agents J and K, Smith and Jones once again don their signature black suits and Ray-Bans ready to take down intergalactic criminal, Boris the Animal (Jermaine Clement) hell bent on altering the space time continuum. So far, the plot doesn’t sound too bad, a bit derivative, but surely not dreadful. After all, Back to the Future and Austin Powers are deep in the time-travel genre and look how it enhanced those franchises.

Retro 'Shadows' Thrills as a Jagged Supernatural Ride

Director Tim Burton tackles the soap opera drama of Collinswood Manor with his usual crew.

Tim Burton is one of those directors who can’t shake himself out of his comfort zone of being predictable. His past several films all seem to have the same recurring elements, namely the ever-quirky performances of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter as well as haunting scores from Danny Elfman, which serve as the ideal complement for the consistent dark cinematic themes. To some, the constant repetition of the same collaborators over and over may seem like taking the easy way out, yet we don’t criticize Martin Scorsese and Christopher Nolan for being equally guilty of reusing talent. 

Simply put, Tim Burton retaining his predictable state functions as the best outcome, not only because it has worked time and time again, but we go in knowing exactly what to expect from him as a filmmaker. With Dark Shadows, Burton takes the 1960s supernatural soap opera with the same name and revises years of canon to ultimately match his peculiar style and fit within a constrictive two-hour timeframe. Bogged down in gothic undertones and vengeful tendencies, Dark Shadows is right up Burton’s alley, who alongside Johnny Depp were both fans of the original show.