Friday, April 30, 2021

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Christopher Nolan’s Films Ranked: #3 ‘The Dark Knight’ (2008)

Posted: 29 Apr 2021 04:55 PM PDT

#3 in my ranking of Christopher Nolan's films.

 

YouTube Video

 

The marriage of the crime epic with Batman was kind of perfect in concept from the beginning. Batman, as a superhero, was always more commonly concerned with more down to earth problems, so taking those down to earth problems in the direction of something like Michael Mann's Heat was such a natural fit that it's a wonder no one really thought of it before in cinematic terms.

 

Hinging on the final exchange in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight takes on the idea of escalation, extending it into absolute chaos as manifested by The Joker. Heath Ledger's Joker is fantastic, and I'm far from the first to note it more than a decade after this movie's release, but it can be said again. This Joker is intelligent, methodical, and vicious while also ideologically driven. He's an anarchist who wants to bring Gotham to him, having it abandon its thin veneer of society that hides their true nature. When a gangster says that he's crazy and he responds, very quietly but earnestly that he's definitely not, I totally believe him. I think he's in complete command of his faculties with a vision for the world that he wants to implement. That the vision is awful doesn't mean he's insane, it means that he's evil.

 

 

In order for Batman to face this rising threat, he must test his limits. That happens most obviously when he must go to Hong Kong. The mob, having been beaten back since Batman arrived and in tandem with the rise of the new District Attorney, Harvey Dent, are at risk of losing their cash holdings, so their accountant Lau, a Chinese national, hides all of their money and flees back to Hong Kong. Gotham's law enforcement can't reach him because of their limits within the law, but Batman operates outside the law so he can go to Hong Kong, break into Lau's office, and essentially kidnap him back to Gotham without concern for legalities.

 

 

That testing of Batman's limits is what The Joker becomes concerned with, and that's one of the joys of the movie for me. The Joker starts the movie seeing the Batman as an impediment to his chaotic schemes, being the symbol of order, but Batman's incorruptibility gives The Joker a new purpose. He begins to see Batman as a plaything, pushing him closer to The Joker's own madness and anarchy with every encounter. That central relationship, bred from decades of history in the comics and made exquisitely real by Nolan and his co-writing brother Jonathan, is the marvelous core of this film. It's a fight between two opposing ideologies that will be in perpetual conflict, touching on central themes from reality about the tension between order and chaos.

 

 

One of the central ironies of the film is that while Batman ends up being the incorruptible one, in part because of his status as a symbol rather than just a man like Bruce Wayne, as opposed to Harvey Dent. Dent is the White Knight of Gotham, the new district attorney who is unafraid of the organized crime families and their efforts to outright kill him. He can't be bribed, but he contains a dark side that is evidenced by the nickname the police officers at the major crimes unit had for him: Harvey Two Face. After The Joker assassinates the police commissioner and a judge, he attacks the public funeral and Dent gets one of The Joker's men off alone where he threatens him with a gun. It's dark stuff, not quite so dark since Dent is using a two-headed coin to determine whether he shoots or not, but it's the sort of thing that you would never expect to see from the White Knight.

 

 

The Joker, in his effort to bring down Gotham into anarchy, targets the two most prominent saviors of the city, Batman and Dent. He discovers that Batman and Dent, whether they are the same person or different people for all he knows, have affection for Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne's childhood friend and Dent's current girlfriend. In an elaborate scheme that influenced action movie conventions for a decade in stuff like Skyfall and Star Trek Into Darkness, The Joker gets himself captured in order to free Lau from captivity. He also kidnaps both Dent and Dawes, forcing the choice on Batman about whom to save, the White Knight or Batman's personal connection. Batman chooses Rachel, but The Joker switched the locations of them, so he saves Dent instead who ends up so scarred by the explosion he barely escapes from, along with the news that Rachel is dead, that he rejects everything he held dear before. The Joker guides him to accepting anarchy's lack of meaning as the only source of meaning, turning him fully into the coin flipping Two-Face.

 

That underlying conflict of ideologies that colors every major interaction is what gives the film so much of its depth. These aren't just well-written protagonists and antagonists against each other, they are at the same time representative of something greater than themselves as just characters. They can be read as just characters or as vehicles for greater ideals, and that provides a lot of the fun of watching as the two layers of the individuals are so well thought out and executed that they exist on both levels comfortably at the same time.

 

 

This is also Nolan embracing the spectacle of Hollywood filmmaking to its utmost. The capture of the Scarecrow, the kidnapping of Lau in Hong Kong, the transportation of Dent and subsequent attack by the Joker, and the fight up the tower to get to the Joker before he blows up two ferries are cleanly filmed, edited together clearly, and scored excitingly by Hans Zimmer. They're pulse-pounding sequences that are buoyed by the great character and thematic work around them. The sequences can stand on their own as entertainment, but as extensions of the actions of everything else, they gain even greater urgency.

 

 

This is really top flight entertainment. With wonderful, multi-faceted characters, incredibly well-filmed, and a great score, The Dark Knight is probably the pinnacle of the superhero genre. Not every superhero movie needs to be dark and brooding, but The Dark Knight does it better than the rest while functioning as a great thrill ride at the same time.

 

Rating: 4/4

 

 

Originally published here.

The post Christopher Nolan's Films Ranked: #3 'The Dark Knight' (2008) appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

Original Diablo Dev Calls Out Blizzard’s Woke Revisionism in Diablo II: Resurrected

Posted: 29 Apr 2021 02:55 PM PDT

 

 

Mark Kern is better qualified to take Blizzard to task than most, being a pre-Ground Zero game dev from the days when developers made games for players, not for themselves. Author Adam Lane Smith sums up Blizzard’s aesthetic malpractice in one picture that speaks a thousand words.

 

 

Caesar and the Amazon: separated at birth?

 

The evidence speaks for itself. AAA game studios no longer put serving their customers first. They haven’t for a long time.

 

Instead, they serve the precepts of an inhuman cult that hates beauty – especially feminine beauty.

 

Playing Diablo II: Resurrected is tantamount to participating in a humiliation ritual. Don’t give Blizzard the satisfaction.

 

Best-selling author Nick Cole offers firsthand testimony from AAA’s fellow travelers in Hollywood.

 

Don’t give money to people who hate you.

 

 

 

Originally published here.

The post Original Diablo Dev Calls Out Blizzard’s Woke Revisionism in Diablo II: Resurrected appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

Watch: Guillermo Del Toro Shares Troll Hunters: Rise of the Titans” Trailer

Posted: 29 Apr 2021 01:15 PM PDT

 

Guillermo del Toro has been instrumental in some monumental storytelling over the years, ranging from macabre horror to family-friendly fare. One of the most popular examples of the latter has been the Tales of Arcadia franchise, a trio of Dreamworks animated series created by the iconic director and writer.

After taking to social media earlier in the week to tease that he would be announcing something, del Toro has revealed the first teaser trailer for Trollhunters: Rise of the Titans, the movie that is expected to bring the entire franchise to a culmination.

The trailer also reveals the release date of Rise of the Titans, which is expected to debut on July 21st.

 

 

via ComicBook

The post Watch: Guillermo Del Toro Shares Troll Hunters: Rise of the Titans" Trailer appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

Comic Review: Bettie Page Queen of the Nile

Posted: 29 Apr 2021 10:45 AM PDT

Bettie Page queen of the Nile

 

Bettie’s back and in all kinds of trouble! A low-budget time machine mistakenly transports Bettie to ancient Egypt, where she battles the High Priest of Amon Ra, assorted thugs, and a lovesick mummy twice her size. She wiggles and squirms and bumps and grinds to avoid their evil clutches, but she can’t avoid the inevitable: everyone falls in love with her and she manages to frequently lose her clothes. When Bettie falls for none other than Julius Caesar, the Roman general can’t decide between Bettie and his main squeeze, Cleopatra! Collecting Jim Silke’s outrageous and stunningly illustrated series, as well as his hard-to-find Bettie Page Comics: Spicy Adventure.

 

First Impression

Firstly, this book is spicy. You’re taking a huge bite of cheesecake when you read this. There isn’t really anything more spicy than Bettie being topless a couple of times, but there is also a lot of innuendoes.  That said, this feels like a love letter to Bettie as a female figure in the comic book world. Bettie is frequently cited as the original pin-up girl and this collection focuses a lot on that. Is it a lot of cheesecake? Yes. When you take a look at the way the character is posed in those panels, you’ll immediately notice that it’s in some form of a modeling pose, but it’s not really lewd, more of an appreciation of her alluring form. 

 

The story is pretty basic. Following a sudden kidnapping, Bettie goes from damsel in distress to time traveler and eventually. ‘Bettie Page: Queen of the Nile’ is a fun mash-up of genres, but ultimately it sticks to a steady formula in terms of narrative. The simple story though keeps everything light and fun, much like Bettie herself. 

 

Final Verdict

I recommend this, for the age-appropriate audiences of course. It’s a spicy cheesecake that goes down easy. If you’d like to grab this spicy trade for yourself than you can do so here

The post Comic Review: Bettie Page Queen of the Nile appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

Lots of New Characters Coming to ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 3

Posted: 29 Apr 2021 08:00 AM PDT

There will be an influx of new characters in Doom Patrol season 3 — with the Dead Boy Detective Agency and the supervillain group, Sisterhood of Dada, now officially cast.

Created by Arnold Drake, Bob Haney and Bruno Premiani, the eclectic superhero team debuted in 1963’s My Greatest Adventure #80. They have since enjoyed a variety of runs over the decades, tackling a range of unconventional threats and villains. Initially sharing a connection with the Titans timeline, the misfit group was adapted for a solo (and wholly unconnected) show that premiered in 2019. Developed by Jeremy Carver, Doom Patrol was well-received by critics and fans alike. As a result, it was ultimately renewed for a second and then a third season.

 

Announced by DC, the new episodes will introduce Micah Joe Parker as Malcolm, a thoughtful soul who would rather be invisible than face the unforgiving world. Wynn Everett has also signed on to play a charming and poetic suspected terrorist named Shelley Byron (a.k.a. The Fog). Miles Mussenden will play Lloyd Jefferson (a.k.a. Frenzy), a scarred and tattooed mask sculptor capable of extreme devastation. Anita Kalathara was confirmed to star as Holly McKenzie (a.k.a Sleepwalk), a light-hearted ne’er do well who should never be woken from her naps. Gina Hiraizumi will debut as Sachiko (a.k.a. Quiz), an enigmatic germaphobe in possession of awe-inspiring powers. Together, they will comprise the group known as the Sisterhood of Dada and will recur throughout Doom Patrol season 3.

They won’t be the only newcomers, however. Ty Tennant was also confirmed to guest-star as Edwin Payne, a teenager who died in 1916 and spent 80 years in hell due to a “clerical error”. Alongside him, Sebastian Croft will play a ghost named Charles Rowland who does his best to remain chipper but is haunted by his death in 1989. Last but not least, Madalyn Horcher was confirmed as Crystal Palace, a sarcastic teen and psychic medium that Edwin and Charles rescued from demonic possession. Together they will have established the Dead Boy Detective Agency. The paranormal collective was created by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, debuting via the “Seasons of Mists” storyline in 1991’s Sandman #25.

 

 

via Screen Rant

The post Lots of New Characters Coming to ‘Doom Patrol’ Season 3 appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

College Promotes Superheroine History with Decidedly PC Viewpoint

Posted: 29 Apr 2021 06:15 AM PDT

The Inquirer of Diablo Valley College reported on a webinar hosting author Mike Madrid, where he discussed history of superheroines since the Golden Age. Predictably, some politically correct narratives seeped in, including feminism:

 

In an April 8 webinar hosted by the San Ramon Campus of Diablo Valley College, author Mike Madrid spoke about these and other female superheroes as he explored comic book heroines' impact on feminism and other aspects of American culture.

"When some comic book fans hear the term 'female superhero,' there is an immediate bias," Madrid, author of The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism, Fantasy, and the History of Comic Book Heroines, told The Inquirer. "Because characters like Superman and Batman debuted first, there's an implication that the 'male' superhero set the standard."

Still today, he continued, "there is a resistance to accept the idea that these characters are as popular as male superheroes. And as long as that attitude persists, women will be considered 'female superheroes' as opposed to just 'superheroes.'"

 

 

Oh, please. We all admire many heroines so long as their stories are written and illustrated well. That’s the crucial point for selling them. How else does he think Wonder Woman made a significant mark on history? But, it gets worse:

 

A San Francisco native and lifelong fan of comics, Madrid recalled that graphic books were always present when he was a child. He was an avid reader of Marvel comics in particular. Then, around the age of 12, Madrid took notice of a library section dedicated to the history of comics. He was especially interested in the female characters and what made them tick.

"They would talk about mainly how they looked, but they wouldn't talk about their histories or adventures that they had," he said.

As he got older, Madrid began to connect the pervasive, dismissive portrayal of women in comics to the oft-discounted notion that true female comic fans even existed. "There is a real sexism problem. [I've] talked to [a] number of women who are put off from reading comics because they are not comfortable in the comic book store environment, he said.

This stereotype can also be found at comic fan events and "cosplay," or costume play gatherings, where female comic fans and cosplayers are sometimes accused of participating for attention.

A hyper-sexualized depiction of characters has long been prevalent in the comic book world, affecting both males and female characters, said Madrid. This is "always a reflection of what is happening in the larger society," he noted, but things are changing. Now, "we have more women drawing comics" and more depictions of realistic body types.

 

When he makes it sound like all women prefer less physically attractive character design, you know something’s wrong, ditto when he obscures what’s really wrong with alleged female fans is whether they’re feminists hell-bent on causing trouble with anti-sex propaganda, and whether they’re going out of their way to frame fandom as sexist and racist. It’s a problem that’s also affected RPG fandoms like Dungeons and Dragons, and the worst part is that now, there’s company executives who’re willing to risk damaging the products to suit a PC viewpoint. And by the way: I’ve been in a few specialty stores over the years where women came in and felt quite at home, and where women were practically clerks at the cash register. So I think Mr. Madrid might want to climb off his high horse for a change.

 

I can also tell you that, if we were to allude to the time I’d first gotten into this blogging gig in the mid-2000s, the problem with sexism happens to have begun within the publishers themselves, as demonstrated by Marvel/DC when they put out Avengers: Disassembled and Identity Crisis, which both minimized misogyny, and in the latter, sexual assault. Yet Madrid’s argument is presented so superficially here, I doubt he even brought that all up. Indeed, only PC viewpoints of the past several years like anti-sex viewpoints and body-shaming seem to be driving the narrative here. How a woman is drawn is the least of what should be a worry. It’s whether violence – including sexual – is being fetishized for cheap sensationalism that is.

 

To base this whole discussion on hyper-sexualization is an insult to all artists who’d specialized in it over the past years, including those who worked under Stan Lee at Marvel back in the day. I’m also skeptical he’s being honest when he says the history books he read only spoke of how the heroines looked. How can you build a whole book that way?

 

Towards the end:

 

The landscape of comic books and superhero characters continues to evolve, reflecting different American values than the ones that shaped their debut some eight decades ago. Contemporary heroes like the queer woman of color, America Chavez, is a prime example. "One of the good things about comics today is that we're seeing a more diverse array of female heroes than we've had in the past. So, there are more opportunities for readers to find a character that represents their idea of what a hero should be," Madrid said.

 

 

Well, well, well I think this is giving a pretty good idea where Mr. Madrid is really going with his lazy narrative. He’s merely elevating what he considers the perfect example of how a woman should be portrayed by modern standards. Chavez was not marketed on entertainment value, but on social justice propaganda. That sums up what Madrid thinks a hero should be like.

 

As a result, I’m pretty dismayed when people like him take the role of “experts” on creations of people whom he obviously doesn’t have much respect for. I really wish men like Madrid wouldn’t bother to cover the history of comicdom anymore, because they’re only doing more harm than good in the long run.

 

 

Originally published here.

 

The post College Promotes Superheroine History with Decidedly PC Viewpoint appeared first on Bleeding Fool.

HBO’s House of the Dragon GoT Prequel Begins Production

Posted: 29 Apr 2021 04:45 AM PDT

 

 

The House of the Dragon is finally under construction.

 

HBO has revealed that the straight-to-series Game of Thrones prequel from George R.R. Martin, Ryan Condal and Miguel Sapochnik is now in production and will launch in 2022.

 

The cable network unveiled the news, with a picture of the cast on social media.

 

 

House of the Dragon stars Paddy Considine, Olivia Cooke, Matt Smith, Emma D'Arcy and Fabien Frankel. Rhys Ifans, Steve Toussaint, Eve Best and Sonoya Mizuno also feature.

 

Based on Martin's Fire & Blood, the series, which is set 300 years before the events of Game of Thrones, tells the story of House Targaryen. Considine plays King Viserys Targaryen, Cooke stars as Alicent Hightower, D'Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen and Toussaint as Lord Corlys Velaryon, known as the Sea Snake, who becomes Hand to Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen during the Dance of the Dragons.

 

 

via Deadline

 

 

The post HBO's House of the Dragon GoT Prequel Begins Production appeared first on Bleeding Fool.
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