The Dark Knight Rises (Well, almost...)

There's no beating around the bush here. I'm upset. No, not because it's not in 3D, that was one of my favourite parts. You see, I built up my expectations only to have them chipped away at until about 15 minutes before the end but by then, it was too late, the foundations had already been too badly damaged. The length of the movie is another sore point. For some reason this film felt long (even though it's only approx. 15 minutes longer than The Dark Knight). The introduction of Selina - Catwoman-ish (Anne Hathaway) was unnecessary and I felt that she added nothing to the story line except for the odd grin I managed to squeeze out of myself. Bane (Tom Hardy) was played ruthlessly and with malice but unfortunately I couldn't hear most of what he said throughout the film. Now whether this was the sound in the theatre or I hadn't cleaned my ears out, I don't know and whether or not it interfered with the story line, I don't know, but I still felt cheated. I did however like the introduction of Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) as the never say die police officer fighting for justice like his caped protector and soon to be friend. I really do believe that it's not going to be long before Gordon-Levitt accepts his Oscar. There's no need to mention the acting talents of any of the other stalwarts i.e. Bale, Freeman, Caine or Oldman because they haven't changed an ounce since the start of the 'Trilogy'. Besides the inclusion of a flying machine called 'The Bat', don't expect any other gadgets to amaze us, however, with a budget of around $250m, I was hoping for a device that would help Batman escape the beating he received from Bane within an inch of his life, but what would the movie be without a fallen hero, rising? Anyway, I'm glad I saw this film but disappointed that I couldn't have written a nicer review. However, with the way the film ended, there might just be a nicer review to look forward to...

The Amazing Spiderman! (Just not in 3D)

If you're hoping to be wowed with the 3D effects, you're in for a sloppy time. The 3D graphics aren't even worth talking about because, well quite frankly, they're about as effective as scrubbing off a wine stain with water. Besides that, Andrew Garfield (Peter Parker / Spiderman) completely rescued the character that Tobey Maguire almost ruined. He looks more like what Marvel had originally intended him to look and he's WAY funnier than poor old Tobes. Rhys Ifans (The Lizard / Dr. Connor) was ok but I feel he's more suited for the comedic genre he fell into way back with Notting Hill and The Replacements. Emma Stone (Gwen Stacey) was great and the chemistry between her's and Garfield's character was terrific. So much so that they started dating whilst shooting! Both actors were perfectly cast. Big kudo's to fairly new film director, Marc Webb (yes, that is in fact his real surname), as he ensured his audience's captivation with amazing point of view shots through the eyes of Spidey himself as he leaps tall buildings in a single bound and (oh, wait that's Superman), as he runs along walls and flies through the air shooting another web from his homemade device. All in all, a worthwhile trip out to the movies and in my opinion the best Spiderman movie to date. Expect a sequel...

Rock(ing) for Ages!

The title says it all. I'm still singing 'I wanna rock!' due to the comedy musical, yes MUSICAL, Rock Of Ages starring lead newcomers Julianne Hough (Ryan Seacrest's girlfriend) and Diego Boneta with support from Paul Giamatti, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Mary J. Blige, Alec Baldwin and Tom Cruise. Going in, I had NO idea I was about to be exposed to songs that I grew up with being sung by Cruise, Baldwin, Brand and the newcomers and heading out I'm still amped that I just watched 2 hours of foot tapping, head nodding, complete escapism whilst remembering where I was when I first heard 'I wanna know what love is' and 'Wanted Dead of Alive'. I was surprised when I saw the IMDB gave it a 6.3 rating AND upset that it's only made around the $40m mark at the Box Office (it cost $75m to make). Pity, because the performance by Cruise alone was worth the admission fee and my favourite part, a rather intimate scene between Baldwin and Brand...watch it to see what I mean.