Batman: Rise of the Dark Knight

  Before I begin I dedicate this blog to the members of families of those 12 people who sadly were killed by the shooter in Aurora, Colorado. My heart goes out to them. They went into the Midnight showing of Dark Knight Rises highly anticipating the excitement of the movie like anyone else would and now their lives are cut short. I hope the actions of this crazy killer doesn't take anyone love of going to this movie or the movies in general. But, I think now with these big movie midnight showing premieres security should be tightened in theatres show this type of thing never happens again. With that being said I will now describe my excitement for the Batman movies.

  I like many of you who are superhero movie fans have waited a long time for Christopher Nolan's conclusion to his Dark Knight Trilogy. When I first saw Batman Begins(2005) I was curious to see how Nolan would revamp the Batman Movie Series. Tim Burton, at the time in 1989, tried to bring some darkness to the character from the comics. Especially with a really good Batman in Michael Keaton and The Joker played by Jack Nicholson.

LOVE THAT JOKER!!!LOL!!

One of my favorite scenes in that movie. However, one thing Tim Burton didn't do was follow the story of the comics and made it look like Jack (the character who turned into the Joker in the movie) killed Bruce Wayne's Parents. And also the soundtrack to Batman(1989) had the chessy Prince Song Batdance. You can look it up yourself. Anyway Burton's Batman was dark. He had a sequel Batman Returns(1992) with him battling the Penguin and Catwoman. Then Tim Burton and Michael Keaton wanted more money for the 3rd sequel but Warner Brothers wouldn't give it to them. So they gave the directing job to Joel Schumaker. Batman pretty much was played by Val Kilmer and George Clooney in the other two sequels, Batman Forever(1995) and Batman & Robin(1997). Batman Forever was alright but it's kind of chessy compared to the Christopher Nolan Batman Movies today.

However, Batman & Robin sucked big, humongous, donkey (insert body part here)!!!! It was too cartoonish, the acting was terrible especially when you have ARNOLD playing Mr. Freeze and his cheesy one liners. Joel Schumaker had to apologize for the crap he put out though Warner Bros tried to make Batman family friendly. Yet, Batman is a dark character facing dark villains so he apologized to the fans of Batman.

Yeah and that's why we had to wait 8 years later after B & R for the Nolan brothers to restart the franchise. Like I said in the beginning being a fan of 3 out of the 4 Batman Movies and I really liked Batman:The Animated Series growing up I was curious to see how the Nolan Brothers would take Batman. They made Memento(2000) & Insomnia(2002) which were both dark and very deep movies. But I was willing to give it a chance. I Loved Batman Begins(2005) the movie was dark and it was set up with a realistic tone which made you believe it could happen unlike the other Batman movies. Also the movie borrowed stories from the comic books of Batman like The Man Who Falls, Long Halloween, & Batman:Year One. Pretty much years after his parents murder Bruce Wayne travels around the world and seeks training from Ra's Al Ghoul and the League of Shadows until he finds out the League wants to destroy Gotham(Batman's city). But, Bruce goes back to Gotham and becomes Batman and captures the criminals and stops the League's plan to destroy Gotham. Along the way he receives help from his trusty butler and father figure Alfred, the head of Wayne Enterprises Lucius Fox, and of course Commissioner Gordon who unlike the police isn't corrupt and believes what Batman is doing is right. Bruce also learns what true justice is along with concurring his fear and becoming it.

Great scene at the end it set up for The Dark Knight (2008). Heath Ledger played the Joker. This movie got a lot of hype a few months before it came out with Ledger tragic accidental overdose death. Especially how he portrayed the Joker and made the character a psychopathic, mass murdering clown with zero empathy for the crimes he commits. He definitely deserved the Oscar for the role.

There were times when you first watch this you forget it's Heath Ledger playing the Joker. As good as Jack Nicholson was as the joker in the above video Heath Ledger's Joker made Jack's look like Cesar Romano's Joker in the Campy Cheesy 60's TV show Batman. You know the show with Adam West as Batman and in every fight scene whenever a punch is made it has POW, BAM, WHAM, WHOP. Well you get the idea.

Anyway, in The Dark Knight the Joker wanted to show Batman that when civilized people are in crisis they will do anything even kill one another if it means to survive. The Joker tried to prove that by having 2 boats one with Gotham citizens and the other with criminals that were convicted by D.A. Harvey Dent, rigged with explosives and each of them has a trigger. The Joker wanted one of them to blow up the other boat before midnight or else he blows both of them up. Batman races into the building to confront the Joker fighting off Joker's Henchmen while saving the hostages in the building. Towards the end had a great scene in my opinion.

Unfortunately that was Heath Ledger's last scene ever!! But I loved the scene the people choose not to become what the Joker was and that was a Terrorist even if it meant that it could save their lives. They believed in the doing the right thing even though even if cost them their lives. Luckily Batman saved them.

However, the Joker convinced Harvey Dent to extract revenge on those corrupt policeman and criminals who help the Joker to capture him and Rachel Dawes(Bruce's ex and Harvey's GF now) killing her in the process and in the accident Harvey becomes TWO-FACE during midpoint of the movie. Yet, Batman confronts Harvey Dent before killing Commissioner Gordon and his family.  Batman seeing what would happen if Gotham found out about Dent getting revenge and killing those corrupt cops and criminals decides to take the blame for Harvey's crimes perceiving Harvey's image and making sure the criminals he convicted remain in prison.

I kind of compare the scene of how Batman took the fall for Harvey's crimes to Jesus taking the sins of mankind so that we can have a chance for eternal life. He's the hero we need but yet we don't deserve to put it that way. In a way Batman couldn't let the Joker win the same way Jesus couldn't let the devil. That's how I see it. I think Christopher Nolan has a few similarities between Batman and Jesus.

Speaking of that here's an online article I found to be interesting! Warning though this article contains spoilers to Dark Knight Rises (2012)

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/fansites/SuperSite/news/?a=64448

Very interesting with some similarities. Though it's hard to compare Jesus to Batman. Same thing can between Jesus and Superman but I like how they try to tie in Christian Values with Superhero movies. It shows the human side of these heroes and makes the movies seem much better to watch.

I'll tell you a few things about Dark Knight Rises. It's Awesome. Worth seeing twice which I already have. Maybe see it again before summer ends.

He's a bad ass villain. This portrayal makes up for the cheesy portrayal of Bane in Batman & Robin(1997) where Bane just grutted and was a minor villain to Mr.Freeze & Poison Ivy. This Bane was not only brute in strength but was very intelligent and had an army of mercenaries at his side. The mask kind of made his speech hard to understand but you can argue that Bruce Wayne used a rapsy voice in order to hide his identity when he was Batman.

The movie kept you on the edge of your seat till the end.

Finally, the movie had the common theme of rising when falling like it did in Batman Begins. Especially with the chant in the music in the movie and when the prisioners chant when Bruce climbs the pit to escape. It is Deshi Basara which is Arabic for "He Rises"!!  Now that's very cool considering what was mentioned in that online article I attached and with Batman rising again to defeat Bane and save Gotham.

This video is what I would leave you with. It is a theme for all of Christopher Nolan's Batman Movies and it could be for life as well when things get rough for us and sometimes it feels we can handle everything.

"Why do we fall?"

-So we can learn to pick ourselves back up!!

..............and Batman does pick himself back up and saves Gotham!!!

That's my two cents and go see Dark Knight Rises or if you haven't see the other 2 Batman movies by Nolan I'll let you borrow them before you see DKR.

Be a Real American!!

Since that whole weekend of no power and staying 2 nights at friends house and a little bit more in my electric less apartment (I truly need to get a place of my own but wanna find a wife to share it with me  :( ), the heat in that place taken the energy out of my sails for the weekend and beginning of this week in order to start my marathon training for Columbus, and I also hurt my lower back and it has been stiff mostly these past few days. All of those events and a little bit lonely these past couple of days even though there have been a few people that reached out to me.
I have some personal goals set for myself not only in running but in my work life and especially my social life. If I don’t meet a little bit of them I feel as if I’m not only failing my family and friends but I’m failing myself. After spending a little bit of time feeling sorry for myself again, feeling a little alienated after finally getting my power back I just wanted to relax and do what I always do when I feel a little down.
WATCH OLD SCHOOL PRO WRESTLING  VIDEOS on YOUTUBE!!!
Ok, you may all laugh but I love pro wrestling. My goal for every Halloween is to dress up as a pro wrestler. This year I always want to hear suggestions of which wrestler I should go as and I’ll make it happen. Anyway, I’m watching some videos whenever it may be promos by some wrestlers that can get you jacked up like STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN!!

Or just make you think like Mick Foley

Or inspire you to do better like Dusty Rhodes

The hard times promo is without a doubt one of the best promos of all time, IF U WILLLLLLLLL, Little impersonation. After all he is the American Dream!!

His theme music sounds like a campaign song for a presidential candidate. One of the videos I watched before was one from the Ultimate Warrior. He’s the faced paint wrestler that I dressed up for Halloween in 2010. He wasn’t a great wrestler but he had a lot of energy and could entertain with his rope shaking and his out of this world promos.

Well, to sum it up. He become a motivation speaker and legally changed his name to Warrior. Crazy, huh??!! He and Hulk Hogan have had a personal feud for years even after they both wrestled each other two times in the 90’s once at Wrestlemania 6 in 90 and the other in 1998 when both of them were in WCW.  Anyway almost a year ago the Warrior posted in his personal video blog that he would expose Hulk Hogan for the person that he is. The video is right below. This is only a 7 minute clip since I don’t think you all have time to watch almost 50 minute video of him exposing Hulk Hogan. This basically has him bashing what he has done in the wrestling industry to hold guys back from rising in the main event, taking drugs , and not practicing what Hogan preached, and having his family become destroyed.

Heh, I admit the Warrior is crazy. I’m not talking good crazy like some of us can be when it comes to certain habits that make us different from everybody else. I’m talking CRAZY-CRAZY. Hulk Hogan is too. But, it got me thinking after watching his 50 minute video. Towards the end after bashing Hogan the Warrior wanted to instill positive energy to others and encouraged it towards his fans. This has got me thinking to do the same thing. I want to instill positive energy among everyone around me including my CRC teammates, friends and family. For the next 15 weeks I’m going to live out the commandments of HULKAMANIA to get ready for the Columbus Marathon. I know Hulk Hogan didn’t live up to them so I will.
1.) Train (That’s a definite right there)
2.) Say your prayers (Also a must. Have faith to believe God is heading you the right direction)
3.) Take your vitamins (This does not include steroids like many of those wrestlers use. I’m talking about just basic everyday vitamins we use. Like a One Source everyday energy for active people, fish oil or any other B vitamins. Energy supplements are ok.)
4.) Eat right (Yep that’s important too. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, protein, energy gels, water, electrolytes, the whole nine yards.)
5.) Believe in yourself and those around you. (Definitely important especially if you are training for a marathon this fall. Run with those with the same goals and given the same intensity. Encourage one another along the way.)


Well, now after reading this I’m pumped now to go back out there and start over again my beginning of my training. A couple of things kind of got this week off to a bad start but S*** happens it’s how you deal with it and now I’m ready to tackle it. I want everybody else who is running the marathon to become REAL (hard working) AMERICANS this summer/fall. I’m pumped, BROTHER!!! (That’s what Hulk Hogan calls everybody probably the ladies too, LOL)

That’s my 2 cents!!!