THOUGHTS ON THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

 I saw THE DARK KNIGHT RISES a week before the tragedy in Aurora. I saw the film with untainted, innocent geek eyes and hope in my heart. I saw it in the best possible circumstances on the WB lot... the place where they actually produced the film. I wish every Bat-fan could've seen the final Bat-Film in the Nolan trilogy under such great circumstances. I won't talk about the tragedy and I won't rehash the plot of the film. Plenty of other sites have taken care of this. I want to talk about segments, moments & images that affected me. Thus, heavy SPOILERS from here on out for the uninitiated...

 THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is simply the best superhero film ever made. In terms of pure emotion it topples THE DARK KNIGHT and BATMAN BEGINS (which were both amazing in their own respect). Christopher Nolan has crafted the perfect Superhero trilogy... and maybe the best trilogy of all time. The three themes that Nolan laced throughout the trilogy are: Legacy, Myth-making, and Death. The pallor of death hangs over this film like an albatross pressing down on your back. You really get the impression that you're watching the last Batman film the world will ever see and that anyone can die at any time... just like real life.

 In Batman Begins, Bruce wants to create a symbol that will inspire the citizens of Gotham to be better. To be heroic in the face of crime and inequality. It seems like a hopeless quest. But in the end, when Batman sacrifices himself by flying the Fusion bomb into the sea while Gotham watches it explode in an atomic mushroom cloud... well this very act serves as a catalyst of inspiration for not only Gotham but the World. The final moment right before the atomic explosion we get a close-up shot of Batman's face in the cockpit of the Batwing. He's at peace. You see, Bruce Wayne was dead since Batman Begins. He's been courting death ever since he slipped on the cowl. In the Dark Knight Rises, Alfred pleads with Bruce to let go of his demons and choose life. Alfred tells Bruce of a recurring dream he has in which he goes to a Cafe in Florence and orders a Fernet Branca and sitting at another table he sees Bruce Wayne with a Wife and Family.

A moment later, Alfred tells Bruce the truth about Rachel in an attempt to shake Bruce into consciousness. Instead, Bruce tells Alfred that he's fired. This scene broke my heart into pieces. Bruce is alone in this film. And Bale gives the finest Bruce Wayne performance of his life.

 Let's talk about Bane. His voice, his body, his costume, everything about him is hypnotic. He is brute force & death incarnate. A nightmare creation. The scene where Batman is duped by Catwoman into a deathtrap beneath the sewers to face Bane is astonishing in it's cruelty. I felt so sorry for Batman, as every punch, every move was telegraphed by Bane. Batman tried his parlor tricks: The EMP that knocks out the lights, flashbangs, but Bane was born in darkness, which made him unstoppable. The manner in which Bane pulverizes Batman is heart-wrenching. The smashing of Batman's face/mask by Bane's relentless punches made me wince and reminded me of Gaspar Noe's IRREVERSIBLE in which a man's face is viciously caved in by a fire extinguisher. Seeing Batman so soundly beaten gave me a horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.  And the shot of Bane breaking Batman's back will be seared into my mind forever.

 The look on Catwoman's face, as she watches Batman get dismantled by Bane was pure Selina. Caught in the middle and always looking out for herself, Catwoman is caught off guard by her own emotions, as she feels something strange: Remorse. This would be the first step in her journey towards redemption. Hathaway was a huge surprise as Selina Kyle. She looked great in the suit but nobody could've predicted what a nuanced performance she would give. She went from Damsel in distress to kickass warrior in the blink of an eye. The best Catwoman ever committed to the big screen.

 Bane's plan: Many people are confused by Bane's motivation. It's really quite simple. Whereas Joker wanted to watch the world burn, for Bane-- it's personal. He wants to break Batman's body and soul. Batman's legacy is to inspire people. To create a symbol that will outlive him. It's not enough for Bane to break Batman's body, Bane also wants to destroy Batman's legacy. Bane wants Batman to watch from his prison cell, as Gotham's citizens cower in fear instead of rise. Once Gotham is reduced to ashes, Bane will have broken Batman's spirit... which I believe to be the primary goal of Bane and Talia's plan. Both Talia Al Ghul (Miranda Tate) and Bane want to destroy the symbol of Batman. They want to tarnish the myth and destroy Batman's legacy.

The prison pit in the "old part of the world" is basically Nolan's version of the Lazarus pit. Bruce is imprisoned in the pit by Bane after his vicious beating. Bruce must watch from a distance, as his city is destroyed. The open ceiling in the inescapable pit is meant to provide him with false hope, just as Gotham's citizens are given false hope that Bane won't detonate the Fusion Bomb. Bruce, who had a deathwish since Batman Begins finally "finds his fear" in the pit. Only when Bruce fears death again and appreciates life does he find the strength to RISE out of the prison and return to save Gotham.

As for the critics who wondered how Bruce returned to Gotham after escaping the prison... You have to assume that the smartest man in the world has bank accounts and secret hideouts all over the world. I don't think the Dark Knight Detective would have much trouble sneaking back into a quarantined Gotham.

Let's talk about the the Glorious Ending of THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. Batman does indeed return to a war-torn Gotham that has been cut off from the rest of the world. Bane rules with an iron fist. People hide in their homes. The police force is crippled and trapped in the sewers beneath Gotham.

With the help of Catwoman, Jim Gordon and young Officer John Blake Batman inspires the Gotham Police force to rise against Bane's thugs on the steps of city hall. Batman defeats Bane only to be betrayed by Talia who stabs him with the slow knife that cuts deepest.

This leads to one of my favorite moments in the film. A wounded Batman takes control of the Atomic Bomb. He kisses Selina and gets into his Batwing that is now carrying the bomb which is counting down. Before he takes off, Gordon asks Batman who he is. Gotham will never know who the hero who saved Gotham is?! Batman answers the following:
 

 We flashback and see a young Gordon put his coat around the shoulders of a crying 8 yr old Bruce Wayne. This moment still gives me shivers, as Gordon realizes Batman is Bruce Wayne. Jim, Catwoman and John Blake watch, as Batman flies off into the distance and the bomb detonates. Batman is dead. At this point I was trying real hard not to cry and failing miserably.

Then one of the best montages in cinematic history begins. We watch as a statue of Batman is unveiled. A tribute to Gotham's Dark Knight who sacrificed his life for the citizens of Gotham. We cut to Jim Gordon, Lucius Fox, John Blake and Alfred in front of the grave of Bruce Wayne, which is beside the graves of his parents. Gordon reads a passage from a Tale Of Two Cities. Alfred breaks down lamenting: "I failed you." It was Alfred's responsibility to watch over Bruce and now he's dead. This scene destroyed me.

Then we cut to John Blake at the reading of Bruce Wayne's will. Blake inherits a gym bag. When he goes to retrieve it, the person at Waynecorp needs his full ID... which reads: ROBIN JOHN BLAKE! I nearly stood up and cheered. After years of swearing we would see no Robin in his films, Christopher Nolan pulled a Prestige on us. He fooled us. I lost my mind at this point. The definitive Batman trilogy needed a Robin. Robin has been a part of the Batman universe since 1940. Nolan nailed it. Looking back on the film you realize that you're watching Robin in action. The way he springs into action to save an injured Gordon who is about to be assassinated at the hospital. The way he selflessly tries to save the orphaned children. His disdain for guns after shooting two thugs. We were watching Robin without knowing it the whole time! Utterly brilliant. 

 We then cut to Alfred. On Vacation in Florence. He sits at a cafe and sees a familiar face a few tables away-- a smiling Bruce Wayne with Selina Kyle. Bruce is alive! Bruce gets his happily ever after. After all those years of torment Bruce Wayne gets the ending he deserved. He gave so much to Gotham and to see him smile and happy warmed my heart. Beautiful moment. As for those wondering how Alfred tracked Bruce down? Pay close attention because Selina is wearing Bruce's mom's pearls. The same pearls that have a tracking device in them.

We then cut to Jim Gordon on the GCPD rooftop. The Bat-Signal is repaired and Gordon smiles, realizing Batman is still alive. And then my favorite moment. The moment that still gives me goosebumps. Robin with the help of a GPS system he found in the gym bag, swings into the batcave via the waterfall. He lights a flare just like Bruce Wayne did all those years ago in Batman Begins.

 A swarm of bats swirls around Robin... echoing Bruce's experience in Batman Begins. And then...

The floor beneath Robin begins to RISE. The Rising platform revealing the Batcave and the Bat-uniform. We realize that THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is not a franchise ender but a franchise starter.

 As the platform rises, the screen goes black and the title appears: THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

Absolutely magnificent ending.

A few thoughts on the biggest surprise of the film: The Inclusion of Robin. What I loved is that Robin John Blake is an amalgamation of the 3 Robin's in the comic book universe. He's a good cop, as was Richard Grayson at one point in comicbook history. He's constantly referred to as a hot-head, as was the doomed Jason Todd... and he was able to deduce Batman's secret identity just like Tim Drake did. John Blake was the perfect Robin. I like to think that if they were to continue the Nolan-verse, that Robin would eventually become KNIGHTWING and he would look like the picture below.

But in the manner in which the trilogy is structured it's crystal clear that Robin will eventually become Batman.  Bruce can live the rest of his life secure in the knowledge that Gotham has a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a Dark Knight. In many ways, The Dark Knight Rises could easily have been titled BRUCE WAYNE BEGINS. As Bruce finally lives a normal life & for the first time, Christopher Nolan gives us a happy, optimistic ending.

Finally, at the end of the trilogy Bruce Wayne accomplished his mission. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne told Alfred he wanted to create a symbol that would inspire people toward heroism and goodness. The moment Robin John Blake steps into the batcave and the platform rises, Bruce Wayne's mission is accomplished. The final moments of the THE DARK KNIGHT RISES cements Bruce Wayne's legacy, as THE LEGEND OF THE DARK KNIGHT will live forever.

Your Friend,

D.

"DIE" ON DVD & REDBOX MARCH 27th, 2012!

A cool, creepy movie directed by Dominic James and written by Moi is being released on (March 27th-2012) on DVD and RED BOX. Hope you go out and give it a chance. It will surprise you.

The Unrated Edition contains footage not seen in the theatrical cut and makes the film a more satisfying experience. I hope you enjoy it.

When asked what it's about, my response is:

--I characterize it as a "Locked Room Mystery with Global Consequences."

PS Big things coming from the same team very soon.

Your Friend,

D.

THE BEST CELLULOID IMAGE OF 2011

Every year I choose one celluloid image that burned itself into my mind. This past year (2011) the image comes from a film called TAKE SHELTER starring the awesome Michael Shannon. TAKE SHELTER is a paranoid thriller in which the main character is the only person who keeps seeing visions of the coming apocalypse. But is it all in his mind or is he actually a prophet? The above image, which takes place at the beginning of the film, is literally clouds in the shape of a person's mind -- "blowing up" -- like an atomic bomb. It could be interpreted as a visual representation of a man losing his mind. The image embodies the fears and anxieties that plague us when we go to sleep at night. The film is filled with the anxiety of joblessness, lack of medicare in the US and pollution. I don't want to spoil the film. The ending is extremely controversial and open to multiple interpretations. Watch it and let me know what you think of the ending.

Your Friend,

D.

MY TOP 12 FILMS OF 2011!

My Top 12 Favorite Films of the Year. Why have I chosen 12 films? The answer is simple: There are 12 months in a year. Thus, one great film for each month. The list is diverse; from Oscar Contenders to absolute nerd bait. But they are my choices and I stand by them. If they were chosen, it's because they lingered with me for a few days, or made me feel something. These are the films that resonated most for me--

12) THE DESCENDANTS

A film that shouldn't work on paper. It's set in a Hawaii but deals with a patient who is in such a severe coma, the main character struggles throughout the film about whether or not to pull the plug. George Clooney gives another effortless performance of a man who was so busy working that he never gave himself the time to be a father to his two young girls. When his wife has a freak accident, he must rise to the occasion and be a real father to his children. To complicate matters he finds out that his comatose wife has cheated on him. Basically this man who hid from life in the beautiful tranquility of Hawaii must now confront life (through the possible death of his wife) head on. It's a quiet, languorous film that is also surprisingly funny. Clooney has a great moment toward the end of the film when he could be a complete asshole to a very unkind character. But instead of blowing up and letting the person have it, he swallows the insults and keeps his dignity. In that moment, George Clooney the actor shines like we've never seen him before. He's a lock for a Best Actor nomination come Academy Award season. Side note: I saw the film a few months after going to Hawaii for the first time and this film perfectly captures the vibe of one of the most beautiful places I've ever been to in my life.

11) MISSION IMPOSSIBLE : GHOST PROTOCOL

Some say the Cruiser is back, I say fuck that, he never left. I'm a huge fan of Cruise. Always have been and always will be. I love this ever evolving series of action films. Every film has its own style. Its own rhythm. Cruise nails every damn stunt in the film. He oozes charisma, charm and swagger all at once. It has a straight forward plot that is propulsive and never lets up. The Dubai scaling the tallest building in the world sequence is a breathtaking moment that must be seen on IMAX to be believed and appreciated. This is the pure definition of a popcorn movie. The audience was gasping at the building sequence. And the sandstorm chase was epic. One of the best times I had at the movies this year. Brad Bird, in his live action debut, delivered big time. Give this man the next Batman reboot, stat!

10) SHAME

Director Steve McQueen knows how to make you squirm while watching what should be erotic. He makes sex icky and disturbing. Michael Fassbender (who will either be the next Bond or the next Batman) gives the best Male Performance of the year as a sex addict. This is the Requiem For A Dream of sex films. Unable to perform with girls he actually likes, he turns to hookers and whores. This only distances him from any real human connections. The only person Fassbender is close to, is his sister played by the damaged Carey Mulligan (who is in two of my favorite films this year). They seem to share a strange and complicated relationship with a hint of incest. Mulligan has a scene where she sings Sinatra's classic New York, New York at a bar. Watch Fassbender's face in the scene and tell me you're not seeing the birth of the next biggest movie star on the planet. A difficult film to watch that doesn't give us any easy answers. Fassbender and Mulligan are so damaged that at one point she tells him: "We're not bad people. We just come from a bad place." A sad, moving and daring film.

9) INSIDIOUS

The Writer/Director of SAW makes his best film. Insidious is hands down the scariest film I've seen in the past five years. If you were to take Poltergeist, Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist and put them in a blender you would get INSIDIOUS. The fact that it was shot for 1.5 million dollars and made 150 million at the box office is astounding. I love that it relies on old fashioned in-camera tricks for the most part. It's creepy and unsettling with top notch performances by Patrick Wilson and Rose Byrne. See this with your loved one with all the lights closed. The less you know about the film the better. It may be the best haunted house film ever made.

8) THE TREE OF LIFE

Notorious recluse Terrence Malick delivers a powerful, moving picture and gives Brad Pitt his best role ever. Pitt is a successful man whose dreams of being a musician died long ago. He tries to teach his boys to be tough, smart and ambitious but his limited parental skill set does more harm than good. But he's not a bad man. This film will make you understand your parents better. There were no how-to manuals for child-rearing in the 50's. Parents did their best and relied on instincts, which often resulted in destructive decisions. Sean Penn plays the adult child of Pitt and the end result of such parenting. The film is about evolution, maturity and trying to reach a state of grace. Malick even shows us the evolution of humans in a beautiful sequence that takes us through the big bang and all the way to the dinosaurs. Scenes that linger in my mind... a velociraptor stumbles upon an injured baby dinosaur. Instead of eating it alive, the raptor shows mercy. In that moment, Malick shows us that creatures that appear to be monsters also have undercurrents of compassion and kindness. I can't say I understood the whole film but it did move me. A transporting and meditative film.

7) HANNA

Who would think that the director of Atonement had such awesome action chops? Hanna may be the second best action film of the year. Joe Wright takes a mundane concept -- a father teaches his daughter how to be the ultimate assassin, to basically adapt or die -- and infuses it with a fairy tale sensibility. Cate Blanchett is the Big Bad Wolf and Saiorse Ronan is little Red Riding Hood and the world around them is an evil forest. The score by the Chemical Brothers is awesome (whenever I hear Hanna's action theme I scream -- "Run little Piggy, run!" -- much to the annoyance of my Wife). And Eric Bana has the best hand-to-hand one-take fight I've seen since Oldboy. Hanna is constantly on the run throughout the film and she meets up with a sweet family who has a daughter that instantly takes a shining to Hanna. There is a hint of lesbianism between the two young girls but Wright keeps it classy. Hanna is a rarity: A great soulful action film.

6) LIMITLESS

This is the film that showed me Bradley Cooper is a movie star. After watching Limitless, I joked that this was the best film about cocaine ever made. Of course, the substance he uses in the film isn't yeyo but damn if it isn't a metaphor for it. Cooper plays a disheveled writer, whose career and life is in the shitter. A chance meeting with his ex-wife's brother-in-law provides him the opportunity to try a new superdrug that is purported to make you access your entire brain instead of the commonly-held belief that we only use 10%. And just like that he gets his life back; he writes his novel in a few days, he gets the girl of his dreams back, he's able to see patterns in the stock exchange but it all comes at a deadly price. It's a Faustian tale with a surprising ending. The fact, that it almost felt like a superhero origin story also put this film in my top 12 list. I'd also like to see a sequel. A film that surprised me at every turn. Limitless lived up to its name.

5) XMEN : FIRST CLASS

This is Marvel's Batman Begins. A complete reboot that improves and surpasses the original Xmen series. Taking the film into the swinging 60's during the Cuban Missile crises was a genius move. Matthew Vaughn has yet to make a film that I didn't like. He knows action and always gives us compelling characters that we love and root for. Case in point: Michael Fassbender (what a year he had with this and Shame). McFassy (as I like to call him) is basically James Bond with superpowers for the first hour of the film. In fact, I would watch a 2 hour Magneto the Nazi Hunter film anytime. Macavoy is great as a randy Professor X and the ending is heartbreaking. I wish they held back and kept Magneto and Charles friends for at least one more film. This might be the best XMEN film ever made.

4) HUGO

Firstly, you must see this film in 3D. Truly the best usage of 3D since AVATAR. Scorsese uses all the new cinematic tricks of the future to look back at cinema's past. A beautiful, painterly film that has a strong beating heart. Ben Kingsley's character is a heartbreaker and will surely garner him an Oscar Nomination for Best Supporting Actor. More than anything this film made me appreciate the filmmakers of the past whose innovations made a film like Hugo possible. This is a love letter to movies and the dreams they inspire in all of us.

3) THE HELP

I saw The Help a few days ago. I had zero expectations. Man, did this film take me by surprise! I can't remember the last time I was this moved by a film. I felt rage every ten minutes at the indignities the maids had to undergo. I wanted to reach into screen, through time itself and shake some sense into those southern Valley of the Dolls robots. The little girl in the film broke my heart. Viola Davis is a lock for an Oscar. In fact, I would be surprised if she doesn't win. Her words to the little white girl she took care of is something that I will in turn tell me daughter on a daily basis: "You are smart, you are kind, you are important." The Help made me tear up more than I'm willing to admit. If I was a betting man, The Help is this years Crash. It is the sleeping giant that might just take the big award come Oscar night.

2) RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

A film in which the main character is an ape who doesn't speak for almost the entire running time. This is basically a silent film. Apes is the biggest surprise of the year for me and was almost my number one film. This film should not have worked. The humans are secondary characters. Like the title, it's the Apes who rule the film. Andy Serkis deserves a nomination for his breakthrough role as Ceaser. John Lithgow as the father afflicted by Alzheimer's was fantastic. This film has so many special moments; when Franco abandons Ceaser at the Sanctuary, it's heartbreaking... Ceaser running through the red wood forests of San Francisco... Ceaser asking his master if he is a pet... Ceaser speaking for the first time, screaming "NO!" All wowza moments in a wowza film. I can't wait for the sequel. Ceaser is kind to humans but a war will erupt between the kind apes and the warrior apes... and I will be there opening day!

1) DRIVE

Motherfucking DRIVE. The only film I saw 3 times in a theatre this year. A film in which Ryan Gosling barely has 25 lines of dialogue but owns the screen like Steve Mcqueen used to in the 70's. A film that made me feel cooler than I actually am. A film that made me drive faster. A film that will put hair on your chest, even if you're a girl. A masterpiece on par with Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs. Forget THOR, Green Lantern or Captain America, DRIVE was the best superhero film of the year. The Driver sacrificed himself for a girl he knew he could never have. That's some noble shit. Nicholas Windig Refn is the next Christopher Nolan. A guy who understands genre and can give us memorable iconic characters. And the jacket... the iconic silver jacket with the gold scorpion on the back, that keeps getting bloodier and bloodier as the Driver gets into deeper and deeper chaos. The elevator sequence is my favorite of the year. It is the entire movie encapsulated in one scene: Tremendous beauty one moment and terrible graphic violence the next. The look on Carey Mulligan's face at the end of the elevator scene is heartbreaking. The Driver just saved her life but she will never see him the same way again. Not after that burst of insane violence. Bryan Cranston is tremendous as the constant screw-up and Albert Brooks will win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar. The way Brooks plays his character as a guy with a shady past who's trying to get out of the shade but has to revert to his old self to save his skin is sad... We feel sympathy for Brooks despite the fact he's a homicidal maniac. And the soundtrack by Cliff Martinez with the help of Kavinsky and others is pure heaven for an 80's boy. It's also in constant rotation in my car. If I were voting for the Best Film of the Year, DRIVE would get my vote. See. It. Now. You'll thank me later.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS part 2: A classy ending to a classy franchise. This series could've been drivel but it wasn't. The kids grew up and it was sad to see them go.

TINTIN: Another great usage of 3D. The Bagghar one-take chase sequence is pure cinema and one of the best action scenes of the year.

HANGOVER 2: Don't care if it was a carbon copy of the original. I laughed my ass off and will follow these guys anywhere.

TROLL HUNTER: A great foreign film with convincing effects. Completely unexpected. A hell of a ride.

THOR: Surprisingly good with a great performance by Chris Hemsworth as the titular character.

FLOWERS OF WAR: Christian Bale is great in a film that told the story of 12 prostitutes in China during WWII who gave their lives to save a dozen children.

THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO: Fincher has never made a bad film & he's not about to start now. Tattoo is the definitive version of the best-selling novel. Mara is captivating as a female Goth-Batman & the score by Trent Reznor is unsettling.

MONEYBALL: Frankly, the best film about baseball ever made. It's not about winning the big game. It's about putting together a great team using your brains and not your gut. Love how the jock (Brad Pitt) joins forces with the geek (Jonah Hill) to create a team that is made up of an island of misfit toys. Great script that rewards the value of intelligence.

DIE: A little film I wrote that deals with fate, chance and chaos.

Next year will be huge... a little film called THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is coming out. I wonder where it will sit on my top 12 list?

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Your Friend,

D.

BATMAN & ME

Meeting Christian Bale aka Bruce Wayne aka The Godamn Batman was thrilling.

People are often confused by my Bat-obsession. They ask: What is it about Batman? It all comes down to formative childhood experiences. My earliest childhood memory is meeting Adam West and Burt Ward in full costume at an auto show when I was 3 years old. I remember everything about the encounter: The soft silky gloves Batman (West) wore when he shook my hand and the fact that Robin (Ward) wasn't wearing his gloves (I found this peculiar and somewhat upsetting). They were signing glossy photos of themselves. I was there with my Dad and his two younger brothers, my uncles. When it was my turn to meet the caped crusaders, Batman asked for my name. I told him Domenic. He quickly scrolled his signature and gave it back to me. My Dad and his uncle's laughed. At the time I didn't know why. A few years later when I learned to read, I realized he wrote From Batman to his friend DEREK. The Dark Knight Detective messed up my name. At least Robin got it right. I still have those glossy black and white signed photos. They are stored at my parents home. Next time I go down to Montreal I will bring them back to Los Angeles and show them to you. It's funny but all my early memories involve Batman in some way. I remember eating in front of the TV and seeing this vampire (how I knew what a vampire was, was entirely my mom's fault. She was a big horror film fan). He was a vampire but he was helping people and stopping crime. I soon realized he wasn't a vampire. He was a man. Just a regular guy who trained himself to perfection. Who studied hard. Who made himself into the pinnacle of physical and intellectual perfection. I was hooked. Yes, there was Superman and Spiderman but no one could hold a candle to Batman. Whatever Batman lacked in superpowers, he more than made up for it in resourcefulness and intelligence. I believe until this day that with enough prep time Batman could beat anyone. Prep time Batman could even beat Jesus.

So here we are all these years later and in the span of a week I get the privilege of meeting not only what I consider to be the best Batman but also the definitive Commissioner Gordon. Meeting Christian Bale and Gary Oldman, two actors who I've admired for years, was an awesome experience. Both were gracious, classy and elegant. I don't get star-struck easily but with Bale I was virtually speechless. I hope I didn't embarrass myself. That was a bucket list moment and perfect symmetry. I met the First Batman (at least for me) as a toddler and the best Batman (at least for me) as an adult.

Gary Oldman. Pure Class.

If meeting Batman and Gordon wasn't enough. A week later. Tonight, in fact, I saw the Prologue for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES. I don't think there's a more anticipated film in my lifetime. This is the last Batman Film for Bale and director Christopher Nolan. And they plan on going out with an epic. The prologue was jaw-dropping in every conceivable way. Bane is going to give little boys nightmares.

SPOILERS after the epic poster.

You were warned. Read no further if you don't want to know how THE DARK KNIGHT RISES begins...

It opens on the Harvey Dent memorial/funeral. Gordon speaking at a podium says: " Harvey Dent inspired me. Maybe someone else will inspire all of us. I believed in Harvey Dent."

We cut to a wheat field, as the camera fly's over it. We are inside an SUV with three hooded prisoners in the back. The prisoners are delivered to a waiting CIA military plane. The CIA are supposed to pick up one man -- Dr. Leonid Pavel. But instead have 3 extra prisoners who are said to be the accomplices of the masked Terrorist known as BANE. The CIA were not expecting the other prisoners but are excited to have Bane's associates. They are all loaded on the plane. In the plane, the hooded men are on the floor on their knees. The point man for the CIA opens the plane hatch and threatens to throw one of the hooded prisoners out of the plane unless he gives him info on Bane.

CIA guy yells:"Why does he wear the mask?!?" Nothing. No response. The CIA Agent pretends to shoot one of the hooded men. One of the burly hooded guys on his knees says: "He's probably wondering why would you shoot a man before throwing him out of a plane?" His voice sounds almost electric... mechanical.

CIA GUY: "At least you can talk? Who are you?"

BANE: "Who we are is not important. What matters is the plan. No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.""

They remove the hood and it's BANE! The CIA guy asks Bane "what would happen if I took off your mask?" Bane answers: "It would be extremely painful... for you."

CIA GUY says: "So what's the next step of your master plan?"

BANE: "Crash the plane... with no survivors."

The plane begins to shake and is overtaken by a much larger plane from above. The tribal music we heard in the original online trailer intensifies: De-shay! Bashara! (it's Bane's theme and it is very cult-like, more on this later).

Four swat-clad men fast-rope from the large plane to the military plane. They machine gun the windows blowing them out and killing some of the CIA agents inside. They attach ropes to the military plane. The large plane is now basically pulling the smaller military plane whose wings begin to bend, break and shatter. No more wings, the military plane hangs vertically like a huge cigar in the sky beneath the large plane. The four swat-clad men attach explosives to the top of the military plane and blow the tail off... creating an entrance.

Inside the plane, BANE breaks out of his restraints and is hurled around the bouncing plane. He's here for Doctor Pavel. He needs to know how much the doctor told the CIA about Bane's terrorist group. The 4 swat guys fast-rope into the dangling military plane. They carry a body bag. They unzip the body bag and attach an IV to the doctor's arm. A blood transfusion takes place (I have no idea why, I'm sure it will be explained later in the film). All the CIA agents are dead. The evil Swat guys are fast-roping out of the plane. One of the hooded men (Bane's accomplice) asks Bane if he is to be rescued. The tribal music stops. Eerie silence.

BANE tells him: "They expect one of us in the wreckage, brother."

Bane's follower looks at him with a believer's eyes. (It's here that I realized that Bane is a cult leader with devoted followers. Creepy.) The follower, his eyes blazing with devotion, a small smile on his face, says: "Have we started the fire?"

Bane attaches the doctor to himself, looks at his follower and says: "The Fire Rises." BOOM! The tribal music starts up again. More intense than ever.

The doctor attached to Bane is screaming with panic. Bane tells him: "Now's not the time for fear doctor. That comes later."

Bane presses a button and the entire military plane with passengers some alive, some dead -- slips out from beneath him. Bane with the doctor strapped to him, is being hauled by ropes through the air by the larger plane, as what's left of the military plane plummets downward to the ground... and my jaw was on the floor. It was a stunning scene that looked real. I didn't feel the CGI. Bane's voice was metallic and creepy. Not always clear but I'm sure they will clean that up in post. My first thought after watching the prologue was: James Bond just shit his pants. This was the best Bond opening in history.

There was a sizzle reel after the prologue that included a great shot of Catwoman in costume. A shot of Selina Kyle in an orange jail prisoner outfit. Bane fighting Batman at City Hall in the snow. Bane detonating a bomb. The Batwing chasing a camo-tumbler. Batman in an underground parking lot aiming his plasma rifle and the capper: Bane holding a shattered Batman cowl in what appears to be the Batcave. EPIC.

They gave us this collector's T-shirt at the screening. There was a BANE themed one with the word END on it. Didn't manage to get one of those.

Working in the film industry I've seen and done some pretty amazing things. I get to meet some awesome people. This past week has been a pretty amazing one and things are about to get even better... as we begin scouting on my next film in Spain...

More on that in another post.

Your Friend,

D.

HALLOWEEN ON SANTA MONICA 2011!

The Wife and I decided to recreate the art from BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY. I gotta say my Wife is the coolest for being so sport. This is one of my fave pics of us ever. We had a great time.

Every year we go to the Halloween Parade on Santa Monica and this is the reason why: Look at the great detail work on Joker's face. So many great costumes. So many great people.

This pic is a staple for us. We've been taking a Batman kissing Catwoman pic for years now on Halloween. We'll continue doing it until we are in our 80's.

Get ready to spring into battle.

This is our last year as BATMAN & CATWOMAN. Next year we will change it up... but what or who will we be? Stay tuned Bat-Fans.

Your Friend,

D.

A FRAYED -- A New Very Short Story by D. Salvaggio

A FRAYED

I have seen the beginning of beautiful relationships. I have seen the life of newborn babies celebrated by joyful parents. I have been privy to your darkest moments. I have seen you mourn, lament and celebrate the loss of a loved one. Your best moments and your worst --- I have seen them all for the past 20 years. But I am old and frayed now.

I have wiped away tears. I have dabbed at unflatterring stains on your lapels or your expensive gowns or your fancy summer dresses. I have witnessed your triumphs --- Weddings, baptisms, Sweet 16’s. I have witnessed your defeats --- Funerals. I’ve tasted the best wines in the world. I have heard your whispers of deceit. So many secrets have been shared in my presence. So many stolen glances --- A cheating husband --- A wayward wife. I’ve seen it all. The faces change but the stories are eerily the same.

The banquet hall in which I have dutifully served for the past 20 years has received everyone: Celebrities, politicians, criminals and good-hearted people who live tranquil lives and don’t wish to stand out. I have served you well. Sat on your lap. Saved your garments from careless spills. I’ve been spit on by babies. Wiped away tearful mascara. Dropped on the floor haphazardly, stepped on, forgotten. But I have served you well. I have seen much but my color has begun to fade and my edges have begun to fray. I am no longer the same lustrous complexion of my youthful self. I look tired and old. Some would say ancient. I’m afraid it’s time for me to go. 20 years is enough. Some don’t make it past 10. I have lived a good, full life. Met many interesting people. Seen families at their apex of happiness and fulfillment.

I am a 20X20 inch French Vanilla cloth napkin made of cotton blend Momie with soil release. High-end from the beginning ---- Classy, elegant and understated. It’s getting dark now. I’m no longer sitting decoratively; a fancy swirl of cloth in a crystal wine glass. I am not brave. I am frayed. I am afraid. I will miss each and every one of you who has crossed my path. I am in a black plastic bag. Everything is black now. I am no longer needed.

Time destroys everything.

Domenico Salvaggio