(click the picture ;P)

July 19th 2012. I will always remember this date for the rest of my living days.

Hours before the Midnight premiere to The Dark Knight Rises i stopped by a friends tattoo shop because it was a special day. Come midnight, it would be marking the first time in history a Live Action Batman film trilogy had been completed.

And who better to cross the finish line than none other than Mr Christopher Nolan. He has done wonders for DC with his interpretation of Batman. He’s brought him into an atmosphere we don’t see quite often. His Batman, is darker, grittier, much closer to home, it’s believable enough to question whether Batman is really out there protecting any one of our cities as we sleep. 

Anyway! I got my personal Batman tattoo done to commemorate the event.

ATTENTION, BEYOND THIS POINT, MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS. READ ON AT YOUR OWN RISK

The Dark Knight Rises takes place 8 years following the events of The Dark Knight.

Bruce Wayne is weak, beat, his body has been pushed to the limit. So bad he uses a cane to help support his battered body. Harvey Dent is Dead, yet his legacy lives on through the Harvey Dent Act, which has put a huge majority of Gotham’s criminals behind bars with denial of parole and so on. All orchestrated by Commissioner Jim Gordon, who has sworn to secrecy the true nature of Dent (two face).  

Although all this is sewn together by a false ideal, things seem to be running smooth, to the point where Bruce has decided the world no longer needs Batman. So he puts up his cape. Little does he know that Bane has been working diligently underground, waiting, for his time to come, with revolution and chaos on his mind.

I loved attending the midnight for this film. The theater was filled with such energy an excitement, and once the previews started rolling in, it was as if time slowed down. We just wanted them to hurry up! We knew that it was a moment’s time before the Most Anticipated Film of 2012 would be witnessed.

SIDENOTE: I absolutely LOVED the Man of Steel trailer. It was so epic, i have never been so stoked for a blue blur film until now :) we’ll see you next years Clark!

Everything was captured so damn perfectly, every emotion, every punch, every event, captured beautifully. Nolan really has a talent for this. More than 2/3 of the movie was filmed using IMAX cameras, and i was lucky to watch this one in it’s true format. It was my first time as well so you can imagine the intensity that came with it. It was one of the best experiences i have ever had!

This film like all the rest was an A-List filled juggernaut, led by Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman as well as some newcomers the beautiful Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Tom Hardy. Everyone was perfect, such flawless talent these people carry. The chemistry betwen Batman and Catwoman was incredible, the love-hate relationship they have for each other was captured perfectly. Bane was exactly how he should be, unlike Schumacher’s version (we shall never speak of again). He was so frightful, his dialogue would run chills down your spine.

The scene where he almost destroys Batman was jaw dropping, although i saw it coming, i was still so hard to watch as one of my idols was being beaten down and all i could do was sit and keep watching. 

My favorite character from the entire series is Alfred Pennyworth, hands down.

He is the heart and soul of the series, his relationship with Bruce extends farther than just business, he is like a son to him. He knew that once he puts on the cowl, there is no going back. And once he took it off for good, things will never be the same. He has tried his ultimate best to keep Bruce out of the crime fighting limelight to where he decides to leave Wayne Manor, as a way of saying “I wouldn’t want to be around when you ultimately fail”

Now, when Wayne was in The Pit, he was being cared for by an inmate, who suspiciously had the same attitude as his Butler. Now at that moment i believed, that Alfred never left his side to begin with. And that my friends, is how much of an impact he has on Bruce. At the end of the film i couldn’t help but tearjerk, fucking Alfred destroyed my defenses and just got me right in the feels.

I did enjoy the Robin reveal but i wish his name was Richard or Tim, that would have been a better homage to Robin than anything but im okay with this nonetheless

As far as the ending is concerned i gotta say, Nolan has done the impossible, he did what so many villains and others have failed to do.

Kill The Batman. 

and yet, not only did he do that, he did it and we were okay with it.

He did it and THEN brought him back from the dead. He did what i first suspected when rumors first became afloat about the possible killing of Batman.

Bruce Wayne/Batman may be “Dead”, but his legacy lives on. He is a Symbol of Gotham. He has shown the people of Gotham that Batman lives inside of us all. 

“A hero can be anyone. Even a man doing something as simple and reassuring as putting a coat around a little boy’s shoulder to let him know that the world hadn’t ended.”

Batman: A hero Gotham deserved, a Sworn Protector, The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight Rises

dir by Christopher Nolan

5/5 Stars

(Click pic for trailer)

Childhood Romances, most of us have had one. Most of them never last the Summer.

Moonrise Kingdom explores a relationship between two children Sam & Suzy, no older than 12. 

But what makes this relationship special among the rest are the lengths they’ve taken to pursue it. 

In the film they have been getting to know each other (via writing) for about a year and realizing how unhappy they feel under their respective roofs, they decide to run away from their sheltered lives and have an adventure together.

Of course doing so has gotten Suzy’s parents (Bill Murray & Frances McDormand) in a hysteria, so with the help of the local Policeman Capt Sharp (Bruce Willis), and Sam’s summer camp Scout Master Ward (Edward Norton) and his entire Scout troop, they set out to find the pair of misfits.

I have to be honest, i’m pretty biased on this review considering that Wes Anderson is among my favorite Filmmakers. almost his entire Filmography is under my top 50 haha

Im a huge fan of his screenwriting and cinematography, he has his own style.

The entire film is full of great chemistry between the cast, such eccentric camera work, clever dialogue and wonderful music.

Mr. Anderson, you have done it again

Moonrise Kingdom

dir by Wes Anderson

5/5 Stars

(click picture for trailer!)

I’ve been waiting for AGES to see this movie, i have seen very little episodes of The Muppet Show when i was little thanks to reruns but that still didn’t conceal the fact that this was one of my Most Anticipated Films of 2011.

In This film, Muppets Megafan, Walter accompanies his Human brother Gary (i say human because oddly enough, walter is a muppet himself) and his Girlfriend Mary (lol it rhymed) to Los Angeles for their 10th anniversary. While they’re there they take a tour on the old, broken down, muppet studio. There Walter accidentally uncovers an evil Oilman named Richman (ironic no?) and his plans to tear down the studio so he can siphon the area of it’s oil. 

OH NO!

So with the help of Gary and Mary (lol) they confront Kermit the Frog and convince him to round up the old gang for on last gig in an attempt to raise $10,000,000 to keep the studio.

The Muppets is the first Theatrical release in 12 YEARS, The last being Muppets from Space i believe. This is my first Muppets film, i know, embarrassing. I absolutely LOVED this. The comedy was spot on, i was laughing almost the entire time, my friends and i would even rewind specific parts just to watch them again. I loved the slapstick humor, it reminded me of Mel Brooks old films :D

The wide list of Celebrity cameos was very awesome and every appearance was so random you couldn’t help but smile.

The musical numbers were very catchy, i might even get the soundtrack soon haha

Heartwarming, feel good comedy, adventurous, it’s one of those films that proves you don’t need loads of profanity to make a great comedy. Mel Brooks showed that, Monty Python troupe showed that, and The Muppets show that

The Muppets

directed by James Bobin

written by Nicholas Stoller and JASON SEGAL

5 out of 5 Stars

(click picture for trailer!)

Have you ever made a mistake that has created a bigger impact than you would imagine? How long does it take before you realize it’s too late to apologize?

This film explores those elements, it begins with a young girl named Briony Tallis, 13, is an aspiring writer. She completes a play that attracts the attention of her cousins, so they decide to recite it, they eventually get bored and decide to go play outside (swimming, to be precise) but briony stays behind. Looking out the window she she witnesses what she believes to be Robbie, a servant’s son, bullying her older sister Cecilia. Cecilia begins to strip randomly and briony turns away. She looks back and finds her sister soaking wet from the fountain they were at. 

Soon the same scene plays out but from their pov, they accidentally break an antique vase and as she is about to move forward robbie stops her in her tracks, revealing there to be a piece of porcelain underneath her foot. Afterwards she strips and jumps into to the fountain to acquire a broken piece of the pottery. Meanwhile there is a lot of sexual tension between the two.

Later at home, robbie writes some draft letters for cecilia and even writes one that sounds very scummy but only for fun, he doesn’t really intend on sending it. He then hands one of them to briony asking her to play messenger. Soon he discovers that he accidentally gives her the perverted one and sure enough……briony reads it beforehand and freaks out and her suspicion of robbie grows…

Robbie later joins the Tallis family for a celebration and meets cecilia in the library. There they finally declare their love for each other and proceed to make love. (now, i must stress that back then this was considered a big deal. Their social statuses considered, their love was forbidden)

…And then Briony JUST SO HAPPENS TO WALK IN ON THEM. 

Seriously, this girl has the WORST timing EVER. Considering the amount of suspicion she has of Robbie, what she sees is him raping cecilia. 

Later that night they all find out that Briony’s twin cousins have run away and decided to throw a search party. Briony wanders on her own and finds her cousin Lola being raped by a man who ends up running from the scene. Lola asks if she caught a glimpse of the perv and WHAT DOES SHE SAY??? No, but i know who it is…

UGH! So robbies soon returns with the twins LIKE A BOSS only to be greeted with policemen and he is taken away…..a hero’s welcome huh?

That’s all i’ll say, the rest is your homework, by watching the movie.

I’ve been wanting to see this film for a long while now. And now that the time has come, i ca honestly say i am satisfied. The stellar performances, the amazing score (which won an oscar btw) makes this movie easily one of the Top 15 for me

Love, Fear, Hope.

Atonement 

Based on the novel by Ian McEwan

5 out of 5 Stars

Every 14.2 Minutes someone in the U.S. dies from Suicide.

Nearly 1 MILLION people attempt suicide each year.

And the numbers are still climbing. Now normally there is a reason behind one’s suicide; They either have had enough of life, they have been though a traumatic event and it was the only answer, a certain someone never paid attention to them, they were bullied, the list goes on. The point is, there was always a motive to most suicides…..But what if there was none?

The film opens with a scene at a subway station, it seems like just an ordinary night, people waiting to go home. Soon a bunch of school girls gather and line up on the edge of the platform, hold hands and as the announcement is made that the train is near they start counting down. And before you know it, they all jump in front of the train….ALL 54 OF THEM. Body parts fly, blood splashes bystanders, the whole scene is a fucking mess. And a white sports bag is left on the floor in the mist of all the chaos. Oh, and all the while it was going on, there was a pop song sung by a girl group (avg age 14) it just made everything creepy

My first thought was UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE. I was in awe hahaha godamn! Well, since this event random suicides have been occurring all over the fucking place and the police are trying to figure out how to assess the situation. But the real question is: Are all these suicides part of some fad? Are they connected? How long will it be before it all stops. That’s for you to find out ;)

One of the things i love about foreign films is the censorship. America is still a fucking child when it comes to ratings and what’s being shown to us on screen. Meanwhile in other countries they are more lenient on their ratings board. They don’t have that bat up their ass. Same opinion i had when i saw The Hunger Games and Battle Royale. I mean we’re slowly opening the door to stuff like this but it’s not enough. We need MOAR.

Suicide Club

Directed by Sion Sono

4/5 Stars

One of my followers on my personal account recommended this film to me. I was aware of it’s existence only because of The Hunger Games, after this film came out i was seeing a lot of comparisons between the two and a lot of debates and fanboyisms have been sparked and i decided to check it out myself.

I can understand how The Hunger Games and Battle Royale fans were at each others throats but when it came down to it, there is only one such detail that makes these two similar:

“Kids are rounded up by the government, and forced to take part in a fight to the death until there is a lone survivor”

This film starts off with an explanation of this competition which in my opinion, is just plain fucking harsh but expected of their country. I mean, if there’s one area they don’t fuck around in…..it’s education. In the past around 800,000 students walked out of class and made the govt so furious that they passed the BR Act. 

The students were chosen through a random lottery without their knowledge/consent and were gassed and transferred to an abandoned island (under the guise they were on their way home) There they were told the rules which were quite simple: They have 3 days to kill each other off until one remains, they each get a bag full of necessities and one random weapon (it ranged from a shotgun to a pot lid…i am not kidding) oh and they all wore a collar on their necks that contained an explosive so if they tried taking it off, or were caught in a “danger zone”, or if they were more than one left by the time it’s over, they EXPLODE. tough break huh?

The synopsis of the film is already brutal enough, but the film raises the bar in WhattheFuck. the kills were pretty crazy, it’s like a bloody, deadly, version of Lord of The Flies really.

I loved the idea of putting teens into this, the melodrama between the characters was undeniably entertaining, it made it a lot more grittier than most death races. Also considering they all knew each other in some form (aside from like 2-3 people) 

Social Circles were even deadlier

that’s pretty much it. Originality is very hard to create nowadays, considering at the age of our existence, there is always something inspired by another. It’s like that one South Park episode where Butters tries to come up with a plot to create chaos in town but every idea he came up with, turns out to be already done by The Simpsons! If that doesn’t emphasize what im getting that then all is lost haha

So my advice to those people are “get over it, and just enjoy the show.” Unless the tagline on the films poster says “better than _____” this ain’t a competition. 

I honestly enjoyed both. I can see where some of its influence was in Kill Bill, especially from that cutie Chiaki Kuriyama C; <3

Battle Royale

based on the Manga by Koushun Takami

5/5 Stars

Special shoutout to Youthanism for recommending me such an excellent movie :3

If you were diagnosed with a terminal illness, what would be your first reaction to that news? How is my family going to take it? What about my friends? What am i going to do? Did i remember to feed my dog this morning?

Simply put, we won’t know until we receive such news. I most certainly hope i never get news, same goes for you all. I was once told that there are a couple things one hears that delivers a literal blow to the chest. It may even cause you to lose momentum and possibly fall, this is why certain news is preluded by “You may want to sit down for this” 

Some of those lines can be; “_____ is dead, we’re getting married, i’m pregnant, i just won ____, you have_____” and those are just a few examples.

In this light hearted, comedy is about a man in his late 20s named Adam (Gordon-Levitt) who recently learns he has a rare but very serious cancer developing in his spine. The film then tells of his battle with the help of his best friend Kyle (Rogan), therapist Katherine (Kendrick), and of course, chemotherapy. I would somewhat add his mother into that list but it was more of him pushing away her help because she was so overbearing. 

Now, i learned afterwards that this film is loosely inspired by the writers’ own experiences battling cancer (Will Reiser)

I can’t say i know anyone who has or is currently going through an ordeal such as this one, but i’m kinda relieved though because i have NO IDEA how i would be able to cope with such an emotional burden. It must be really tough on not only the patient themselves, but their loved ones :( 

You’ll laugh, you’ll tear up, you’ll even feel a bit of suspense & drama. But it all blends into a fine little concoction that makes this movie great.

50/50

Directed by Jonathon Levine

4/5 Stars

mikeinasuitcase:

There was a picture of Vader (like above) floating around here that i reblogged and this caption just stuck in my head lol so i decided to make it xD

Cheers!

mikeinasuitcase:

OKAY!

Just to be clear i have NOT read the books and there is a reason for that which i will acknowledge later. But i am more surprised about how quickly this hype caught on. I have to be really honest, up until 2 months ago i didn’t even know this existed, let alone a film adaption. And for that to happen AND become the 3rd Biggest Opening in Movie History http://news.yahoo.com/hunger-games-battles-155m-opening-weekend-154147044.html is just amazing.

This film takes place in a nation called Panem (although i kept hearing Panam lol) which was established somewhere in North America post some apocalyptic event (it was never made clear what caused it to become such wasteland). There is a Capitol where the rich and prosperous reside and is accompanied by 12 surrounding districts where the poor live. There was originally a 13th district but it was destroyed (along with its people) by the capitol when a rebellion occurred against it. As punishment they created The Hunger Games, an annual competition where a Boy and Girl (between the ages of 12-18) are chosen at random from each district where they all fight to the death until one remains. The winners district is then fed and pampered (sort of) for an entire year before the games come around again. 

The story picks up steam when the little sister of the main protagonist Katniss Everdeen is chosen as Tribute For their district (District 12, mainly a coal mining town), and in order to spare her from such an imminent death she volunteers herself in her sisters place. The boy chosen is the son of a baker Peeta Mellark.

Katniss is perceived as a woman with an attitude and lack of social skills, who is very skilled with hunting and survival techniques. Although her social skills are very well she does have a heart of gold, especially towards her family. She may very well be the rock of the family. Her father passed due to an accident in the coal mines he was working in. 

Peeta on the otherhand, was more of a wetblanket, it seemed like he had no faith in himself once so ever and that annoyed me for a while, he also pointed out that he had no chance of winning. Seriously, C’MON man, have some fuckin faith bro.

I won’t share anymore in risk of spoilers but i’m pretty sure you’ve either read the books or seen the film already, but just in case. 

As someone who just dived into this without any prior knowledge of the film/books i can say this was a pretty good film, you can feel the suspense, the sadness, the anger the characters felt. I give HUGE props to some characters who were able to cry on cue. As someone who is atm attempting to break into acting, that shit is very difficult, i’ve tried to make myself cry on purpose and damn no dice haha seeing legitimate tears makes much more of an impact than just placing eye drops before resuming shooting.

Final Thoughts:

One thing i must point out is how people are always disappointed on how poorly it doesn’t adapt well to the books. This happens with ANY and EVERY adaptation. Trust me, im sure they try to give us the best adaptation they could (but i must big clear that some films do indeed turn out to be shit) but it will NEVER be the same as the novelizations, fans need to understand the process of screenwriting. Yes, the script is pretty much there in the novels but it’s a bit more than that to further a plot ON SCREEN. If they wanted to do an honorable adaptation, they might have to either make it a longer movie or split it altogether, but that takes a lot of time and money, and i don’t think they were going to risk it with a introductory book. 

Fun fact: I thought the characters were gonna speak with a british accent lol i did my best to not watch a trailer of this film, i wanted to be surprised and i got exactly what i wanted :P

Jennifer Lawrence is wicked cute :3 she was just perfect. I admire a strong female lead 

Props to Lenny Kravitz and the little girl who played Rue (forgot her name) despite the racial backlash they received, those poeple should be ashamed of themselves.

The Hunger Games

based on the book by Suzanne Collins

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Thanks for reading!

mikeinasuitcase:

I know i’m late to the party but i just finished Identity Crisis by Brad Meltzer and art done by Rags Moralez & Michael Bair. Oh god……this is undeniably one of the greatest series i have ever read. It’s like i can’t choose which is best! I should compile a list of my top story arcs but i fear i’ll only be changing my mind every hour.

But trust me, this one is up there. It is so fucking RARE for me to feel any emotion other than joy when reading. It is VERY hard to make me feel sad or angry when im reading my comics. But this one made me as emotional as a fangirl at a Morissey Show. 

I can’t spoil anything but what i can tell you is that this story is about a tragic event that impacts the entire Justice League, Sue Dibny, Wife of the Elongated Man, is mysteriously murdered in her own home. You see here’s the thing, Sue and Ralph (elongated man) were among the first to reveal their secret identities to the public and life wasn’t as bad since. But to be sure all the homes of exposed heroes families are secured tight with almost every known measure, yet the murderer was able to commit the crime without setting any alarm or leaving any evidence. With that in mind, the League goes on a huge witchhunt for the culprit, exhausting all their resources. Because they are targeting the loved ones of our heroes, the clock is ticking. 

Before i finish i would just like to bring up my favorite chapter. Chapter 5: Father’s Day. This one tug my heartstrings man, it’s not even funny. It was so sad, i couldn’t help but feel for the kid. This book was powerful all around but nothing impacted me the most than that chapter alone. It almost makes me want to go to my parents room, wake my dad up, just to tell him i love him. But i won’t……cuz he’ll be pissed xD lmao

If any of you comic fans haven’t read this one yet, i HIGHLY recommend it. So good :D so good i turned my laptop back on and started working on my comic book again

Identity Crisis

Brad Meltzer, Rags Moralez, Michael Bair

5 out of 5 Stars

Thanks for reading!