"THE DARK KNIGHT RISES": MOVIE REVIEW

Still from The Dark Knight Rises

Expectations are impossibly high for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, the Finale to his epic Batman Trilogy. Fans of its two Predecessors however, have little to worry about here.  This Installment introduces us to a battle-worn Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) eight years in exile after Batman is seen as being responsible for the death of Gotham's Community Pillar, D.A. Harvey Dent. 

Gotham however is under-siege with the imminent danger brought-on by a menacing presence with a Terrorist Agenda, Bane (Tom Hardy).  Although she appears immediately as a Foe, the beguiling Burglar Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) is called-upon by a soon to be out-of-exile Batman to save the City of its greatest threat yet.  Will this be enough we wonder, and at what lengths will Batman go to in order to protect a City which continually has shunned him despite his good intentions?

The Dark Knight Rises is without a question a Work of Art.  The Film is breathtakingly-shot, with some masterfully choreographed Action sequences and first-rate performances from the best Hollywood has to offer.  At the same time, it presents some thought-provoking parallels to the World we live in and also Humanity today - if only we all had an all-consuming drive for Justice and Selflessness like Batman...   Perhaps as we approach possibly a Post-Obama Era even, this Film needed to be made as a reflection of the Collective Consciousness and where we stand right now in the continuous War against Terrorism.

Bale as always can be counted upon to deliver and he does so once again with understated charm.  A hardly-recognizable Hardy is terrifying to watch as Bane - deliciously ruthless, albeit lacking enough dimension for my liking, considering his outstanding range as an Actor. We never really get a true sense of what lies beneath his unquenchable thirst for Destruction. Gary Oldman as the vulnerable Jim Gordon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake round-out what quite possibly is the Dream Team of Ensemble Casts.  I however, cannot mask my excitement for Hathaway's irresistible portrayal of  Catwoman/Selina Kyle, silencing any doubt that she could really pull-off that daunting assignment.  Dare I say she might even find herself in-contention for her second ever Oscar Nomination?

MATTHEW MODINE & NESTOR CARBONELL AT CANADIAN PREMIERE OF "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES"

Nestor Carbonell & Matthew Modine at Canadian Premiere of The Dark Knight Rises

Although more a modest Cousin to the The Dark Knight Rises Premiere which took place in London tonight at Leicester Square, Toronto played host to the Canadian Premiere of perhaps 2012's most eagerly-anticipated Film. The final Installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman Trilogy is poised to open big with estimates just-shy of the $200 million mark to be made domestically this weekend.

Stars Matthew Modine (Any Given Sunday, Full Metal Jacket) and Nestor Carbonell (Lost, Ringer) flew-in to the City for a round of Press in support of what is seen at this point as a Frontrunner for Best Picture at the Oscars.  Modine plays the integral Role of Deputy Commissioner Foley, while Carbonell reprises the Role of Gotham's Mayor Anthony Garcia in The Dark Knight Rises.  The Actors combined made appearances earlier today on CityTV's Breakfast Television, CP24 Breakfast and also CTV's Canada AM.

Modine and Carbonell graced the Red Carpet tonight in the City's Financial District at a Venue which for one night only was re-branded Wayne Manor - of course an Homage to the Film's Hero, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). The glamorous Affair thematically was tied into the Film, named the Black & White Masquerade Ball. Earlier in the evening, Modine sat-in on the Canadian Premiere at Scotiabank Theatre.

I was one of the lucky few who was able to attend the Premiere and will be posting my full Review of The Dark Knight Rises on Friday.  Stay tuned!

Warner Bros. releases The Dark Knight Rises on Friday, July 20, 2012 with several theatres offering Midnight Screenings. 

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

ENTER TO WIN A DOUBLE PASS TO THE CANADIAN PREMIERE OF "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES"

Still from The Dark Knight Rises

With its Premiere descending upon us, our Friends at Warner Bros. Canada are giving Fans a chance to rise to the occasion!  The Dark Knight Rises premieres Wednesday, July 18, 2012 here in Toronto and you can enter to win via Twitter a Double Pass to see it first.

Simply ReTweet the below and remember to follow @WBPicturesCan and @WarnerBrosTDot!

"I want to RISE with @warnerbrostdot at the Toronto Premiere of ‪#TheDarkKnightRises‬" to win 2 passes. Contest ends Sunday." 

Yes, there will be Cast in-attendance, although who still has yet to be confirmed.  Good luck!  See you there!

(Photo credit: Warner Bros.)

NEW TRAILER: "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES"

Still from The Dark Knight Rises

After much talk about it, finally the Official Trailer for The Dark Knight Rises is here and v. present. Christopher Nolan looks like he has yet another dark Masterpiece ready for us to devour. Those of you who see Marvel's The Avengers this weekend will be seeing this Trailer on the big screen. Can you handle this?

Although many had their doubts about Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, I'd say their fears should be alleviated after seeing her level of conviction here.  Cannot wait for Tom Hardy as Bane, looking in top form here.

Watch the Trailer below:

FIRST TRAILER: "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES"

Still from The Dark Knight Rises

"There's a storm coming Mr. Wayne.  You and your friends better batten down the hatches cause when it hits, you're all gonna wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us." - Catwoman

At long last, a proper 2:00 minute official Trailer for Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises has surfaced after Moviegoers were enticed last week with a six-minute Prologue before Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol.

Without giving too much away, we see that Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has his doubts about his ability to resurface again, although ultimately he is forced to resurface again to protect Gotham City against the ruthlessly tyrannical Bane (Tom Hardy).  We also see the sometimes villainous Catwoman/Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) introduced as an ever imposing presence.  Looks superb and it's actually pretty exciting to see Hathaway break out the claws in one of her more daring roles ever. Are you excited?

Watch the Trailer in full below:

NEW TEASER POSTER FOR "THE DARK KNIGHT RISES" & TRAILER DETAILS

Teaser Poster for The Dark Knight Rises

Warner Bros. has just released this new Poster for The Dark Knight Rises and one brazen Fan even uploaded a Trailer which the Studio quickly asked to be removed. It is looking likely that it will be unleashed this weekend for Moviegoers seeing another Monster from the Studio, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2.

Collider has specific details of what the Teaser Trailer includes, which you can read about here.  From the sounds of it Bane (Tom Hardy) is a menacing presence, bringing out the fear in Batman (Christian Bale) himself.  

Even though it won't be out til July 20, 2012, I wouldn't be surprised if this in itself draws some die-hard Batman Fans out to the theatre this weekend!

MARION COTILLARD DELIVERS BABY BOY

Marion Cotillard & Mr. Will-W. - TIFF 2010

Congratulations, Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet! Two French Couple are the proud parents of a Baby Boy.  Le nom du bébé? Marcel est son nom ...and he was born last night. And yes I can clarify he definitely isn't mine, although you might think otherwise with all the love beaming from our eyes in the above Photo taken last September in Toronto.

Although we'll be missing Oscar-winning Cotillard in Toronto this Summer, we'll soon see her in the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises alongside Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway.

Cotillard as you might recall originally was a frontrunner opposite to star Robert Pattinson in David Cronenberg's Cosmopolis set to begin filming next week. The role eventually went to Toronto's Sarah Gadon.

2011 ACADEMY AWARDS RECAP

Natalie Portman at the 83rd Academy Awards

The 83rd Academy Awards held at Kodak Theatre this evening, were marred most perhaps by predictability. As Award after Award was handed-out this evening, it became more and more apparent that there were not going to be any real surprises in the most anticipated categories.   

Colin Firth as Actor in a Leading Role, yes - saw it a mile away.  Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, giving The Fighter an Oscar double in the Actor and Actress in a Supporting Role categories respectively - yes.  Aaron Sorkin for Adapted Screenplay with The Social Network - uh-huh.  Inception in the technical categories: Sound Editing, Visual Effects, Editing, Sound Mixing - yup.

The biggest surprise in my opinion was The King's Speech Director Tom Hooper nabbing the Award for Directing over The Social Network's David Fincher, a telling sign that the former would go on to win the coveted Best Picture Award.  Another telling sign was that Colin Firth's now-famous Speech in that Film was played over a Montage of all the Best Picture Nominees prior to the Award being announced.  The Weinstein Brothers sure know how to win an Oscar, that much I'll say.

ANNE HATHAWAY CAST AS CATWOMAN

Anne Hathaway at TIFF 2008

Christopher Nolan has announced some exciting news regarding the new Batman Rises Film, which is in development. Starring alongside Golden Globe Winner Christian Bale as Batman will be none other than Red Carpet favourite Anne Hathaway as Catwoman. Sexy Brit Tom Hardy will also be appearing in the Film as Bane, The Hollywood Reporter reveals here.

This will be Hardy's second time working with Director Nolan as they teamed together in last Summer's Inception. His character is known as one of Batman's most intellegent and power opponents. Warner Bros. will be releasing Batman Rises tentatively on July 20, 2012.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W.)

NATALIE PORTMAN WINS AT CRITICS' CHOICE AWARDS

Natalie Portman at the 2010 Critics' Choice Movie Awards

Natalie Portman is winning so many Awards already for Black Swan that I've decided to coin a new term: Congratalie which has been created to save effort in congratulating Natalie Portman on her Award wins.  Portman won Best Actress last night at the 16th annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards in Los Angeles and I doubt anybody would dispute her deserving this.  Garbed in a lovely Gianfranco Ferre number which helped flatter that Baby Bump, the Actress was all smiles as she was presented the Award by Kevin Spacey.

Other winners last night include Colin Firth for Best Actor, Hailee Steinfeld for Best Young Actor, a pair of wins for The Fighter in the categories of Best Supporting Actor (Christian Bale) and Best Supporting Actress (Melissa Leo).  The Social Network was a big winner last night also winning top honours for Best Movie, Best Director (David Fincher) and also Best Screenplay (Aaron Sorkin).  No surprises here.  Don't forget to tune into tomorrow night's Golden Globe Awards, which air 8 PM EST on NBC.

Kevin Winters, my favourite Paparazzi took some amazing shots last night and you can see all 270+ Photos at Zimbio here.  For more highlights from the night visit the VH1 website.

(Photo credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

CHRISTIAN BALE AND ZHANG YI MOU TO TEAM ON NANJING MASSACRE FILM

Zhang Yi Mou at Press Conference for
Nanjing Heroes

The Hollywood Reporter has just announced that famed Chinese Director Zhang Yi Mou (Hero) will be helming a new Film titled Nanjing Heroes, based historically on the Nanjing Massacre. The Film, will cost approximately $90.2 million US, making it one of the most expensive Chinese Films to ever be made.

Zhang has announced that the Cast will star acclaimed Actor Christian Bale of The Dark Knight and more recently The Fighter, in the role of a Priest named John who helped save a great number of Chinese refugees. About 40% of the Film will be in English.

The Director met with Bale recently and is said to have been v. impressed by the amount of research which he had put into the role and production begins January 10, 2011 near Nanjing, on a replica Set.

For those of you unfamiliar with Chinese History, the Nanjing Massacre began December 13, 1937 and saw hundreds of thousands of Chinese Women and Men murdered.  It is estimated that up to 80,000 Chinese Women were raped in the duration in which the Japanese captured Nanjing, former Capital of China.

MARK WAHLBERG & MELISSA LEO IN TORONTO FOR "THE FIGHTER" PREMIERE | AUTOGRAPH GIVEAWAY

Mark Wahlberg & Mr. Will-W.

It was a star-studded day in Toronto as we were lucky enough to get an official Premiere for heavily Oscar-buzzed The Fighter and stars Mark Wahlberg and Melissa Leo descended upon Yorkville to do a full afternoon of Press.  The Biopic about Boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward's rise to fame is receiving accolades galore and just last week the National Board of Review awarded the distinction of Best Supporting Actor to Christian Bale for his portrayal of Boxer Dickie Ecklund, older brother of Ward.

Melissa Leo & Mr. Will-W.

I was lucky to spot Leo as she was out on a Cigarette Break outside her Hotel.  She plays the domineering Manager/Mother of both Brothers in the Film, Alice Ward, and I got to chat with her quickly about her performance, telling her how I found her outright terrifying.  Graciously, she thanked me for the praise and told me "Alice is actually a wonderful Woman and I loved getting to work with her on this Film."  Leo was  rather surprised that I would even have a Photo for her to sign, but in actuality, I've loved Leo's work of late whether it be her Oscar-nominated performance in Frozen River or her villainous turn in this year's Conviction.   "Alright Will, I'm gonna need to borrow your back to sign this Photo so I'm gonna need you to turn around", and she proceeded to sign on my back before confessing that she was actually on a bit of a Secret Break, then rushing back to do some more Press.  Amazing.

THE FIGHTER REVIEW

Still from The Fighter

The Fighter is a remarkable film in that with the throw of a punch, Director David O. Russell covers an inordinate amount of ground in this Biopic about former Welterweight Boxing World Champion "Irish" Mickey Ward. Is it a Comedy? At moments. Is there Drama? Lots of it. Is it a Love Story? Sure, there is. Is it an Action Film? There are many intense, tightly-choreographed Fight scenes, so I'm inclined to say yes. Is there heart and soul to the story? It's a Technical Knockout.

The Film recounts Mickey's (Mark Wahlberg) rise to the top, starting off as a young man Boxing out of financial necessity in Lowell, Massachusetts. Overshadowed by his older Brother Dickie (Christian Bale) whose claim to fame once was defeating the legendary Sugar Ray Leonard, Mickey struggles to find his own identity as a Boxer. Managed by his domineering Mother Alice (Melissa Leo), he finds himself questioning his own best interests as both she and Dickie seem more fixated on launching the latter's Comeback, having battled many years of setbacks due to his Crack Addiction.

Dickie soon finds himself in legal trouble after being driven to Crime out of financial desperation,  landing himself in Prison. Mickey is no longer able to support the questionable ways of his older Brother and this causes a divide between him and his Family.  Above this, Dickie's lack of focus and dedication in guiding Mickey's career continues to leave him with lackluster results.  Mickey finds comfort and self-confidence in tough-talking Girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) and a new Trainer, much to the disappointment of Alice and Dickie who had been an integral part of his career all along.  We wonder, will Mickey ever realize his full potential as a Boxer?  Also, will he become a Casualty of War in being pulled two polar opposite directions by the people who matter most to him?

CHRISTIAN BALE ROCKS A TRACKSUIT AT PREMIERE OF "THE FIGHTER"

Dickie Ecklund & Christian Bale at The Fighter Premiere

The Cast of The Fighter graced Grauman Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles last night for that Film's Premiere and everyone arrived glam.... except for Christian Bale who plays Boxer Dickie Ecklund in the Film.  Bale showed up to the Red Carpet of the event sporting (fittingly) a Tracksuit with a Jacket inscribed with Ecklund's name on it, paying homage to the former Athlete.  Ecklund is the older Brother of  legendary Boxer "Irish" Mickey Ward (Mark Wahlberg), whom the Film centers around and he was also in attendance last night, jokingly throwing Bale a punch for the Cameras, as seen above.



The Fighter continues to garner lots of Oscar buzz especially for Bale's performance with him just being named last week Best Supporting Actor by the National Board of Review.  I have seen the Film aleady and loved it but due to an Embargo, will not be able to post the Review til later this week.  Bale puts forth his best performance yet.  It will be in Limited Release in the U.S. this Friday and Canadians will get to see the film the following week.  Check back.

Visit Zimbio for more pictures from the Premiere here.

(Photo credit: Zimbio/Getty Images)

TWO-MINUTE TRAILER FOR "THE FIGHTER" REVEALED

Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg in The Fighter

David O. Russell's (I Heart Huckabees, Three Kings) The Fighter won't be out until December 10, 2010, but a two minute-long Trailer of the film which aired during last night's Mad Men Season Finale, sure got a few people excited.  The Academy loves a good Boxing movie as evinced by Best Picture winners, Million Dollar Baby and Rocky.

The film about Boxer Mickey Ward before he established himself in the professional ranks, looks rather intense and sure packs a punch especially with glimpses of its supporting cast including a barely recognizable Christian Bale, Amy Adams and Melissa Leo, who all transform into their characters.  And I haven't even mentioned Mark Wahlberg's impressive physical transformation as lead character Ward.

Visit the official site for Paramount Pictures' The Fighter here.