Movie Review-The Dark Knight Rises

HOLY BATMAN, BATMAN!!!

ATTENTION: This review may or may not contain SPOILERS. I'm not sure yet since I have yet to write it. Tread carefully. Who knows what I will say, cause I certainly don't.








At 10:30 P.M. on July19th I arrived at the movie theater with my Batman mask on and fiery joy in my heart. I was about to see the new Batman. However, once the ending credits rolled that joy turned suddenly in to awe and admiration at the brilliance of Christopher Nolan. The final movie in the Batman trilogy contained almost everything that I had hoped for as I waited that hour and thirty minutes in my seat.

The movie starts off exactly eight years after the events of the second film and we find that Batman has retired from crime fighting and that Gotham, oblivious to the truth, praises Harvey Dent for being a hero. We also find Bruce Wayne to have turned into somewhat of a recluse who, even at his own parties, never shows his face. He has become so absent in his companies life that Wayne Interprises has stopped making any profit. It is at this point that you wonder, "How does Bruce get back in the cape to kick butt???" Well the answer is Selina Kyle, otherwise known as Catwoman being played by Anne Hathaway. When I found that she had been chosen as Catwoman I was devestated thinking she would blow the roll. However as the story progressed I found myself enjoying many of her scenes. She adds enough seduction and flexibility that the Catwomen needs to have and making her feel like a real human being. That brings us to our villian, Bane played by Tom Hardy.

Bane was said to have been "born in the depths of a prison". His mask and menacing stature made him Batmans most formidable foe in the comic books as well as this movie. Within an hour of the movie starting Bane and Batman face off in the depths of Gotham City and it does not end well for one of them (I'll give you three guesses to who). That is the last that we will see off Batman until the last thirty minutes of the movie. Hardy plays Bane very well and if it was not for the credits you wouldn't be able to recognize him. Even his voice is changed. It almost sounds like Sean Connery's voice. Each scene that contained Bane almost made you cringe out of fear of him. He is definately not someone you'd want to meet in a dark alley...or anywhere ever.

Altogether the movie was very well done. There were enough explosions and the all-star cast couldn't have been any better. If there is one critique I have it is this, MORE MICHAEL CAINE!!! Because seriously, what movie doesn't need Michael Caine? He was simply not in enough scenes and one of the last scenes he's in almost made me cry.
But seriously, this movie is almost without a doubt winning best movie of the year. This explosive thriller kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time and during the whole movie you will be thinking to yourself, "How in the world will Batman be able to save the day?" and you almost give up hope until he returns in my favorite scene of the movie where he leads the Gotham police force to battle against Bane's army which consisted of two mobs running at each other in a huge brawl, or as the Irish call a regular St. Patrick's day.
Even though this film did not have as many exciting scenes than its predecessor, it still is able to fill the shoes and give audiences a knock-out performance. This is also possibly the best ending to any film franchise ever. Nolan leaves no loose-ends and once the credits start rolling all you will be able to do is talk about it non-stop.

-Bearded Harmony

Imagine Dragons - A new up-and-comer?

I was recently listening to Spotify on my computer and choosing artists at random to find new music when I saw the name of a band I recognised but had no previous experience with. I decided to give them a chance and after having listened to their album I am so glad I did. I was absolutely blown away by the noises reverberating through my ears. The name of this band is Imagine Dragons.

Imagine Dragons can be compared with fellow Las Vegas rockers The Killers by using synth based

dance-pop with emotionally charged, brit-pop inspired alternative rock. In each of their songs they have a subtle use of vocal harmony with electric intrumentation combined with major key tonality. What makes their EP Continued Silence so great is that no two songs sound the same. To much in this age of music, artists and bands create one or two chart topping hits and then give the rest of their album the same bland sound. Imagine Dragons does not do that. They give you something different with each song to keep you interested.

Their album starts out with the song "Radioactive". This song is made to get your attention right off the bat, which it certainly does. It makes sure it gives you a taste of their musicianship and style by giving you synths and drums with a steady beat and lyrics that will get stuck in your head in a good way. This song sounds very much like a steampunk movie to me.

The next song on the album is "Demons", and my favorite song so far. When the vocals kick off you might do a double take because they sound almost like Coldplay. This song does well to showcase their versatility and range and is easily the song that exuberates the most emotion.

The following song, "On Top of the World", almost feels out of place with the rest of the EP. It is a very fun and up-beat song but it almost sounds like it should be in the movie Tarzan or possibly on a Bob Marley album. That being said, it is still a good song.

"Round and Round" follows with a very addicting performance of rhythmic beats and a catchy vocal performance. It is a very easy song to get lost to.

The real gem of this album is "It's Time". It is the leading single, and for good reason. It has a hint of folk influence that leaves you wanting more, and possibly searching for that back button on your ipod. This song shows the potential of Imagine Dragons and how they can take from different styles of music and create a musical masterpiece.

The EP then ends with the song "My Fault", which in my opinion was a perfect ending. This soothing melody makes you feel like your ending your day sipping a cool drink watching the sunset.

Altogether, Imagine Dragons has shown me that not all is lost in music. Some bands are still making good songs while rising to the top. You just might have to dig a little deeper to find them.