postimg
Jul 2012 20

by Damon Martin

When director Christopher Nolan took over the ailing Batman franchise with 2005’s Batman Begins, expectations were exceptionally low after the one-time powerful film series had been reduced to a less than Adam West-worthy version in the final two ‘90s movies.

Nolan resurrected the bat with Batman Begins and raised the stakes even higher with 2008’s The Dark Knight, which is now seen as one of, if not the greatest, single comic book movie ever made. It was with baited breath then that comic book and movie fans alike anticipated the release of Nolan’s final film in the Batman trilogy, aptly titled The Dark Knight Rises.

The film was a guaranteed hit even before it was released in theaters today. The real question therefore was how much quality would be in Nolan’s film to go along with the quantity of tickets that would assuredly be sold.

A the point where the story picks up, our hero Bruce Wayne (played brilliantly by Christian Bale, who was the best Batman this side of Michael Keaton) has been retired for 8 years. Meanwhile Commissioner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) has managed to clean up Gotham City to a pristine level, and organized crime has been wiped off the map. Enter big, bad mercenary Bane (Tom Hardy), whose sole purpose in life is seemingly to create anarchy in a world ruled by an iron fist. Without giving away any kind of spoilers, the depths of this plot go much deeper than a madman hell bent on chaos (see The Joker in The Dark Knight for a lesson in that).

The dialogue and story in The Dark Knight Rises are once again superb. Nolan and his brother Jonathan have woven a tale that pays homage to both great cinema and the comic books the characters were based on. There are more than a few twists and turns, and while most take place in the final 30-minutes of the film, the set up that leads up to the final few scenes is brilliant.

Bale is a stalwart in his role as Bruce Wayne, the billionaire philanthropist, who has become a bit of a hermit since his caped alter-ego became vilified instead of celebrated. Anne Hathaway gives a strong performance as Selina Kyle a.k.a. Catwoman, although her purr isn’t nearly as powerful as Michelle Pfeiffer’s as seen in1992’s Batman Returns. Still, Hathaway plays a coy and younger version of the classic cat burglar, and a much more modern Selina Kyle for those that read any modern Batman comic books.

The brutish and powerful Bane played by Tom Hardy is a far, far cry from the outstanding and commanding performance given by the late Heath Ledger in his portrayal as The Joker in the last Batman film, but these are two completely different characters. Bane is a hulking thug who uses his fists and fighting style to get his point across, rendering the muffled words that come out of his mask covered mouth almost irrelevant. Hardy should still be commended however for being the element that makes Batman look mortal, as he casts a rather large, muscular shadow over the Dark Knight. The real star in this film however is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who plays beat cop John Blake. Levitt shines in a cast full of stars with his quiet and calm demeanor. He unleashes a masterful performance when the buttons get pushed and the bombs start exploding.

If there is one complaint to be made in The Dark Knight Rises, it’s some classic comic book mistakes and plot holes that open up during some of the film’s lesser moments, but those are quickly cast aside thanks to a determined screenplay interlaced with quick, slashing dialogue and plotlines.

The Dark Knight Rises is the final cape and cowl movie from director Christopher Nolan, and while rumors have already begun to swirl that another filmmaker will soon take over the reigns of the powerful DC franchise, it really seems like a shame. Much like when Superman 2 ended and you felt a real sense of closure, the final moments of The Dark Knight Rises makes you believe this is just the way the Batman story was meant to end.

With this film, Nolan’s showed everybody once again that comic books aren’t just for kids and great filmmaking can also involve a superhero wearing a cape and a cowl. The Dark Knight Rises may not be on par with its predecessor, but in the pantheon of great film trilogies, this Batman story can be seen as one complete masterpiece with no failing parts tearing at the seems of a perfectly woven story.

postimg
Jul 2012 20

by Blogbot

A column which highlights Suicide Girls and their fave groups.


[Payton in Sunshine]

This week Payton tells us why SG’s Kitties Group is one of her favorite places to play.

Members: 3,617 / Comments: 49,567

WHY DO YOU LOVE IT?: I love it because you get to hear and see the cutest funniest stories about everyone’s fluffy purr-ball. You can find really great stories and tips on almost everything about cats. 



DISCUSSION TIP: Don’t be afraid to share pictures of your kitty or even a friend’s or family member’s kitty. All are welcome. 



BEST RANDOM QUOTE: “The more people I meet, the more I love my cat.”



MOST HEATED DISCUSSION THREAD: I would say the best thread going now is “Reasons why I hate my cat(s) today

.”

WHO’S WELCOME TO JOIN?: Every one who loves cats, weather you own one or not, as long as you love fuzzy balls of love.

[..]

postimg
Jul 2012 20

by A.J. Focht

San Diego Comic Con 2012 was packed with so much news that we couldn’t fit it all in one place. Yesterday, I covered the news about the major movies coming from Marvel and DC. In this column, we’ll take a look at some other movies and the rest of the news from the nerd fest.

It was a few years ago at 2006 Comic Con when Edgar Wright first talked about doing an Ant-Man movie. While there still isn’t a date scheduled for it, Wright did come out during the Marvel movie news panel to show off a short teaser trailer. All of the copies of the teaser that made it online were promptly taken down, but the fans that saw it at Comic Con have been raving about it.

If they don’t get their skates on and hit a looming contractual deadline, Fox face losing the rights to Daredevil, a prospect that’s becoming all the more real now that David Slade is out of the picture and the project is director-less. However the studio is moving forward with a new Fantastic Four project before they lose control of those rights too. Josh Trank, director of Chronicle, is confirmed as the director for the upcoming Fantastic Four flick. Fox still has the Wolverine and First Class sequels to push out before they move on the Fantastic Four project however. We’re told there will be an entirely new cast, but it is unclear if the forthcoming Fantastic Four film will be a reboot or in the same continuity. It is confirmed that Jeremy Slater will be writing the next movie though.

Kick-Ass 2 has signed most of the cast from the original film. Christopher Mintz-Plasse confirmed that filming for Kick-Ass 2 will commence in September. There is no scheduled date for the film’s release as of now.

The CW’s The Arrow is turning out to be a much darker show than any superhero TV series before it. Calling The Arrow a superhero show might be a stretch as what we’re seeing in the previews makes him out to be quiet the anti-hero. This is the Green Arrow like you’ve never seen before. In the newest clip released by the CW, Green Arrow kills several of his captors to protect his identity.

Suck it, Wolverine! That’s the tagline of the new Deadpool video game being designed by High Moon Studios. The merc’ with a mouth is getting his own game where he’s going to kick a bunch of ass, make a ton of inappropriate jokes, and constantly break the fourth wall. The trailer for the game captures Deadpool’s unique sense of humor and has fans ready well ahead of the 2013 release.

DreamWorks animation is in talks with Classic Media to acquire several classic cartoon properties. Among the titles included in the $150 million dollar package are: He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, Voltron, Casper the Friendly Ghost, Waldo from ‘Where’s Waldo’, and Lone Ranger. If DreamWorks can make this deal happen, we will likely be seeing CGI remakes of all these titles in the coming years.

The Walking Dead returns to AMC on October 14. Several of the cast were in attendance at SDCC for The Walking Dead panel, which featured clips from the upcoming season three as well as fan questions and answers. The full trailer, which was debuted at the panel, was released online, and there are some special surprises, including an appearance by the Governor.

To wrap things up, Karl Urban promised fans a sneak peak of Star Trek 2 during SDCC. He lived up to his promise, releasing a four minute video of him surfing while music plays. Only in the last ten seconds of the video is there some footage of a wrap from the Star Trek 2 set.

Related Posts:
Ur W33K 1N G33K: SD Comic Con 2012 Edition Part 1

postimg
Jul 2012 20

by Daniel Robert Epstein

“We all have our own path.”
– Chloe Sevigny

Chloe Sevigny got a headstart on being a rebel. Her first film was the controversial Kids by Larry Clark. Since then she’’s upped the controversial aspect of acting by being in films like Gummo and American Psycho, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Boys Don’t Cry.

Now she’’s in the new Woody Allen movie, Melinda and Melinda. The film is split up into two parts, the comedy and the tragedy. As usual, Sevigny appears in the tragedy portion as a woman who is disenchanted with her marriage and starts an affair with someone else’’s boyfriend.

Read our exclusive interview with Chloe Sevigny on SuicideGirls.com.

postimg
Jul 2012 20

Maokiz Suicide in Miss Sparrow

  • INTO: Musique, cinema, danse, art, tatouage, dessin, œuf au bacon.
  • NOT INTO: Gâteaux.
  • MAKES ME HAPPY: Mes amis, faire la fete et planer!.
  • MAKES ME SAD: Rester chez moi sans rien faire.

Get to know Maokiz better over at SuicideGirls.com!


postimg
Jul 2012 19

by Laurelin

Last night, sitting in a barstool while sipping my Sam Adams Summer Ale, I seriously wished that I were anywhere else. My mind wandered: I thought of going on vacation, I wondered what everyone was doing at my bar, if it was busy, I wondered about my bed, and what would be on TV when I got home. I wondered if it was going to rain tomorrow, if I would sleep in or if I would get up and go for a run. I wondered if I would be hungover. Probably not.

It’s another Tuesday, and the most excitement I’ve had all night is tracing the outline of the snakeskin print leather barstool. My two friends sitting next to each other are squawking about their relationships and I am trying not to fall over out of sheer boredom. We’ve been out since 7 PM. It was 1 AM. My brain had officially turned to relationship mush.

“He doesn’t touch me anymore,” one says. “I go home, he ignores me, he wakes up, goes to work, I know he doesn’t love me.” The other shakes her head vigorously in agreement.

“I KNOW,” she says. “Mine doesn’t love me either. I said I love you to him and he didn’t say it back. Laurelin, what do you think?” She says, turning towards me and asking for advice that I know she’ll never take.

“I think I’m going to stab myself in the throat,” I say absentmindedly. The two girls look at me, horrified. I totally didn’t mean to say that out loud. What I meant to say, and what I had been saying all night is this: How can two beautiful, amazing, once independent woman stay in these loveless relationships simply because they don’t want to be alone?

“We live together,” one says. “

We work together,” says the other. I’ve been down both of those roads, and you know what? You do right by you. You make the important decisions and you trust that one day, you will meet someone who is right for you. Some day you will find your best friend, that one guy who wants you to come home and crawl into bed even if it’s late, the one who won’t leave you sobbing in the street after telling you you’re “lucky” he came home because he totally could have banged that chick at the bar.

These poor women; They often look at me with sadness in their eyes because when I ask them to go out a lot of the time they can’t – they’re with their boyfriends. “Aren’t you lonely?” they ask, the question dripping with pity. Yes. The answer is yes, I am so lonely that sometimes it’s all I can do not to just fling myself into bed at the end of each long day, praying to never wake up. I am so lonely sometimes that I call my ex-boyfriend and tell him to come over when I know he’s been drinking, just so I can listen to him snore and remember what it’s like to sleep next to a warm body.

But I am not so lonely that I would ever do what these girls are doing. Love is hard and relationships need to be worked on. But these, these have been dead for a long time and that type of lonely, well that is something I don’t have. My lonely can be solved with the simple concept of hope. I haven’t met someone yet. I will. I always do. With every sunrise and sunset I never know what’s around the corner, but these girls, they do, and it makes me so sad and bored for them that I could just die.

We walk home later, and one of them is crying. “I can’t do this anymore,” she says. I hug her and tell her to do the right thing, whatever that is. I fall asleep alone, and I know she’s drying her eyes before her boyfriend sees that she’s been crying.

I text her the next day, “How’d it go?” and she writes back like nothing ever happened. “Fine,” she says, “I was just being silly. He went golfing. We’re going to the movies later.”

I’d rather go alone.

***

Related Posts:
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: 63 Hours
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Contentment and Other Boring Possibilities
Life Beyond The Bar Scene: Last Friday
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: No One Nails the Cry Face and Other Tales of Woe
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Of Lies and Half Truths
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: I Would Never Look Through Your Phone and Other Trust Issues
Life Beyond The Bar Scene: My Manager’s Pants Look Better On The Floor And Other Tales Of Responsibility
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Blonde Ambition
Life Beyond The Bar Scene: Love is Better Soaked in Tequila
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: It’s Not You, It’s Me and Other Tales of Woe
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Winter is Coming
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Digital vs. Analogue
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: A Long December
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Strobe Lights and Glitter
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Fake It ‘Til You Make It
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Apologies and Other Useless Utterances
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Liquid Running
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Anger and Other Mostly Useless Emotions
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: One of the Guys
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: A Case of the Crazies
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Unsettled
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Boys of Summer
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Play On Playa’
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: How to Lose a Girl in Ten Minutes
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Naked Laurelin Reading
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Healthy Relationships are for Boring People and Other Mishaps
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Letting Go
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Does it Exist?
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: The Dating Game
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: After a Few Beers Everyone Looks Good and Other Love Stories
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Getting Naked With Laurelin
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Seven Days and Seven Nights of Sobriety
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: When it’s Time to Move On
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Starting Over and Other Stupid Resolutions
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: He Broke Up with Me on a Post-it and Other Travesties
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: The End of Four Loko As We Know It
Life Beyond the Bar Scene: Boston’s Top 5 Dives

postimg
Jul 2012 19

by A.J. Focht

Last weekend was San Diego Comic Con, the premier nerd convention of the year. Both major comic companies were present as well as several movie studios, prominent actors, and nerd icons of all kinds. Everyone was eager to show off their newest projects.

New clips for The Dark Knight Rises were previewed at Comic Con. The first was a teaser of Morgan Freeman showing off a new vehicle, The Bat. The second clip establishes the movie takes place eight years after The Dark Knight in a conversation between Officer Blake and Commissioner Gordon. The Dark Knight Rises premiers in theaters July 20.

Batman is one of the most popular heroes in the world with one of the most iconic cars ever. This year at SDCC, each of the classic Batmobiles were on display. The Batmobiles were all lined up and a new documentary about the cars was previewed at the con. The Batmobile is a documentary that features Batmobiles throughout time and the Batmen that drove them.

A few weeks ago, Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson was rumored to be in talks for a DC movie. The Rock has now confirmed via Twitter that he is indeed in talks for a Lobo movie. While he is in talks, the Lobo movie might not be planned for a while.

The Man of Steel had a panel at Comic Con, helping shed some light on the rumors surrounding the project. A short clip was shown to the audience and it was met with positive reviews. There’s a new teaser poster on their Facebook page as well.

Iron Man 3 had a major presence at Comic Con. During the Iron Man 3 panel, Kevin Feage, Shane Black, Robert Downey Jr., and Don Cheadle were present to talk about the upcoming movie. They discussed both rumors and the movie story, without giving much of anything away. All of the Iron Man armor from the past movies, as well as the armor from the upcoming movie was on display as well. Men might not be the only ones putting on armor in Iron Man 3 however, the new rumor is Gwyneth Paltrow may be dawning the rescue armor this go around.

Marvel revealed the titles to their upcoming sequels at Comic Con, and it looks like Bucky is coming back since the title of the Captain America sequel is Captain America: Winter Soldier. Bucky was the original Winter Soldier so it seems likely he’s returning as a villain. While Bucky isn’t confirmed beyond the title, Falcon will make an appearance in the film. Anthony Mackie will be playing the part. Winter Soldier is scheduled to release April 14, 2014.

The Thor sequel is entitled, Thor: The Dark World. A few things are known about Thor at the moment. The movie will explore Thor and Jane’s relationship. Loki will not be the main villain in the film, and the current rumor mill points all signs to the Enchantress. With a new director on board, it’s set for theatres sometime in 2013.

Marvel officially confirmed they are filming Galactic Guardians after Thor: The Dark World and Captain America: Winter Soldier. They also revealed the cast of the Galactic Guardians team will include: Drax the Destoryer, Gamora, Groot, Star-Lord, and everyone’s favorite, Rocket Raccoon. Galactic Guardians is slated to start in theaters on August 1, 2014.

That’s the first half of Ur W33K 1N G33K’s Comic Con coverage. Check back in for the rest of the news from the convention.