Our newest writer, Nick Rapp, has something to say about Anne Hathaway’s Cat Woman....

It’s been a long time since the news was announced that Anne Hathaway would play Cat Woman in the upcoming Nolan film, The Dark Knight Rises. Well, I’m still not happy about it. Christopher Nolan has brought integrity to the super hero movie genre with The Dark Knight. It wasn’t just a good super hero movie, but a terrific movie altogether. I felt a similar excitement upon watching Heath Ledger perform his villain as I did with Javier Bardem in No Country For Old Men -  a Best Picture winner. The addition of Anne Hathaway scraps this integrity.

It was not typical Anne Hathaway in her performance in One Day. She attempted a British accent and just did not deliver. The world of acting is too competitive for that to be okay. If Rooney Mara can master a Swedish accent, then an Oscar nominated actress [Rachel Getting Married (whiney, in my opinion)] should certainly be able to pull off British. But integrity isn’t the only reason Hathaway doesn’t fit Nolan’s Cat Woman. Let’s talk about type.

When you think “Anne Hathaway,” what’s the first thing that comes into your mind, other than the frustration that she’ll be Selina Kyle? I think of Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted. I think of a sympathetic, and nerdy character who is always the reacher in romantic comedies, and despite her good looks, never the settler. What with her whiney voice and teenage angst, she does the reacher well! But Selina Kyle is no reacher. And there are plenty of women in Hollywood that fit Selina far better. Olivia Wilde for her slinkiness, and confident sex appeal. Rooney Mara for her attitude and capabilities for depth. And Scarlett Johansson for her sultry voice.

Love and Other Drugs was a good example of Anne Hathaway venturing to be received as an actress who could convey heartbreaking realities of life – you can’t change disease. Some might argue for Rachel Getting Married, but I still think it was just adolescent whining. Maybe Cat Woman is Hathaway’s attempt to further tread down the path of fulfilling character work. Alas, it’s hard to escape your type. As much as she might like to grow, her essence will not falter, and her voice will not change. I can only hope Nolan keeps her from using it to whine, and hell, I might even enjoy it.

It should be noted that Bane’s cover won the voting process which should come as no surprise considering everyone knows what Batman looks like. However, although Bane does look pretty badass, I think Batman has the cooler poster of the two, what’s up with that new weapon he’s holding? I’m intrigued! Either way, check out the two new covers below and let us know which one you like better!

As I’m sure you already know, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ stars Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Juno Temple, and Josh Pence and comes to theaters July 20, 2012!

Instead of battling the Joker, this time around Batman finds himself at the clutches of quite a few baddies ranging from Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson), Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), and Bane (Tom Hardy). While we got a quick glimpse of Bane in the teaser trailer a couple of weeks ago we finally have our first up close set photos of Tom Hardy as Bane and he looks quite menacing.

Take a gander at the photos below and let us know what you think of him!

Is this your most anticipated movie of next year Banters?

We have previously seen photographs of villain Bane (Tom Hardy) as well as a couple of set shots and today we have a few more stills for you! They may not look all that exciting at first but upon a closer look it is clear these are photographs of Wayne Manor, Bruce Wayne’s original mansion which was burned down in ‘Batman Begins.’ There also seems to be a set of a graveyard, most likely the location of Bruce’s deceased parents.

This is definitely good news for me because it definitely brings the series full circle with having Wayne rebuilding his home for the final chapter in this trilogy. It’s especially symbolic considering the mansion was destroyed by Ra’s Al Ghul in part 1 and early rumors have suggested this entry will deal heavily with Ghul’s mythology.

Click the link below to see the rest of the photos and stay tuned for more ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ news.

http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=79011

What do you think Banters? Excited for the third entry or is this series old news?

Due out on July 20, 2012,  The Dark Knight Rises will undoubtedly be one of next year’s biggest summer blockbuster. Not only does the movie boast a stellar cast– returning mainstays Christian Bale (The Fighter), Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption), Gary Oldman (The Fifth Element) and Michael Caine (Children of Men) are joined by fresh faces Joseph Gordon-Levitt (500 Days of Summer), Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose) and Anne Hathaway (Rachel Getting Married)– but also the unadulterated success of the last installment, The Dark Knight Rises, will continue to work wonders for the anticipation of this new film in the series.

After releasing the first picture of the film’s villain Bane (played by Tom Hardy) via Twitter a couple weeks ago, the same username-”The Fire Rises”- has just uploaded the following two new teasers for the upcoming movie.

The first teaser video, “GCN” (below) is a grainy news report from the franchise’s familiar news station, GCN, in which news anchor Anthony Michael Hall (The Breakfast Club) reports on the “Arkham Breakout.”

Click here to view the embedded video.

The second, equally grainy, teaser, “Outbreak,” (also below) seemingly shows footage of the “Arkham Breakout,” the news anchor in the first teaser reported on.

Click here to view the embedded video.

As filming began on April 19th in the London area, we have a long time to anticipate the forthcoming movie. So what do you think Banterers, does the impending installment so far look like it’s worth the wait? (God, I hope so!)

Don’t worry, it’s just a light. A rather expensive looking light. Umm…who paid for that? The citizens of Gotham? Is this coming out of their tax money? Although I’m not a citizen, I know there have been some explosions in the area lately, and those should probably be patched up first… Also, the economy’s bad, right? So, maybe focus on the train and stuff that blew up a few years ago. Priorities.

Oh, Gotham. You’re silly.

Gotham seems like a really dangerous place to raise your kids. Try Silverlake, maybe. Let’s talk about that crime rate. Sheesh. Not all of can live in our GIANT mansions, with our own charming, British butler, and a guy who can make dog-proof suits (Think about the mailmen! Do they have mailmen?) Regardless, we get by. It appears as though all those things do not guarantee you safety in Gotham, though.

Because the bad guys in Gotham are big and loud. They’re blowing stuff up! They’re shoving pencils in people’s eyes! They’re planting cell phones in people’s bodies! (Cell phones kill, you know.) They’re burning fractions of faces because it’s the new “evil” thing to do. Also, they’re funny looking. Clown make up, old knapsacks on their head, weird facial hair. “This town deserves a better class of criminal.” First step: lose the make up.

But let’s get to the man of the hour: our beloved Batman. The first thing—and I know you’re all thinking it—is that deep, unnecessarily gruff voice. Is it still easy to tell it’s Bruce Wayne? Yes. Does it sound like an eighty-year-old smoker? Yup. Is it annoying? You betcha. Batman, if you answered ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, it might be time to put down those Parliament lights. While you’re at it, we should Queer Eye for the Straight Guy you. Something with a little more swagger; a nice suit. Go on, Batman, dust your shoulders off. Because I think you give people too much credit. Miley Cyrus puts on a blonde wig and people can’t figure out who she is. Grab a hat and American flag sunglasses and no one’ll figure it out. No? No party in the USA? Fine! You can keep the mask.

As for another lesson the rich have taught us: if you can afford literally anything why not become a superhero? Let’s look at the perks of being Batman:
1. A heavy suit.
2. Always having to be at two places at once.
3. People want to kill you all the time.
4. You’re never going to get the girl.
5. In the public eye, you’re just as bad as you are good. (Not the cool way.)

Yikes! Perks? “I’ll take mine with no perks, please. Thanks.” Why don’t you spend your money frivolously on a hundred iPads like other rich people? Ugh, Batman. You’re such a nice guy.

“I don’t see you like that. You’re my best friend.” – every girl to Batman

Poor guy. A quick side note before we get out of here: Liam Neeson. That guy is a guru. Selfless too. He goes out of his way to teach young, gifted students how to be heroes, only to perish by the end of their origin story. (There’s still two more left, Liam!) RIP Liam Neeson’s wise, elderly characters.

Anyway, people of Gotham: Batman is trying to do your city justice. He’s well trained and has more money than the rest of the entire city. The dude’s technologically advanced, so let’s get rid of the big ol’ light and tweet him.

@batmanofficial Hey, I’m being robbed right now. Can you maybe get here soon? Thanks, man. Appreciate it. #help #batman #rescueme

Batman, You’ve Got to be Kidding Me.

Our ‘Top 10 Films of the Decade’ column continues this week with each of our top 5 favorite movies of the decade (2000-2009). Without further or do, here is my Top 5 films of the decade

5. Batman Begins (2005)

Years after the Batman franchise was embarrassed with Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy, Chris Nolan, the magician behind Memento, brought back the franchise. Batman Begins was the first comic movie to feel real. No longer did Batman live in a fake comic book world with tacky one-liners and goofy gadgets. Nolan created a realistic world where we could honestly believe Batman could exist. Christian Bale was a perfect Bruce Wayne. Taking us back to the roots was the perfect way to bring Batman back. This is the best comic-book genre movie ever made. For those who think the Dark Knight was better than this, well you are wrong. Compared to the Dark Knight, Batman Begins is a step-ahead in a every category possible (except maybe hype).

4. The Departed (2006)

The Departed, or should I say “The De-paht-ed,” is one of the best gangster movies of all-time. The movie had an A+ cast (DiCaprio, Damon, Wahlberg, Nicholson, and Baldwin) and was directed by Martin Scorcese, who was finally given an overdue Academy Award for best director.  The film won Best Picture at the 2007 Oscars and whole-heartedly deserved it. This movie had it all.  The Departed was a true 10 out of 10. All I ask is when is Leonardo DiCaprio going to get an Oscar for himself?

3. Gran Torino (2008)

Believe it or not, this movie was not nominated for Best Picture. That was a bigger robbery than Bernie Madoff’s fraud scheme. Honestly, that was a joke. We put this on par with how did Mel Gibson not get nominated for Best Actor for Braveheart. Was the voting done in Florida? Gran Torino was a Clint Eastwood masterpiece, telling the story of a dying bigoted man (Eastwood) and his relationship with this new Asian neighbors.  I cannot recall a movie in which I felt more concerned for the characters. This movie also has some true relevancy to current America, as we have seen a sharp increase in Asian immigrants coming to the USA in the past 15 years.  I walked out of this movie ready to give it the Best Picture trophy.  This movie was as powerful a movie I have ever seen, and deserves to be on this list. 

2. Gladiator (2000)

Gladiator is the ultimate achievement in epic/war/period  film making. It is also the platform to which all other period-pieces are measured against; well Gladiator and Braveheart -  the 2 are in a class of their own.  Russell Crowe’s Maximus is one of the all-time great characters ever put on screen.  However, it wasn’t even his performance that made the movie what it was.  Jacquin Pheonix played Commodus, the dispicable, jealous, conniving, treachorous f*ck wad, that killed his father to become King.  Was there ever a character on screen you hated more than this guy? I once read that Pheonix was so good in this role that he did a disservice to his career as he will always be looked at as the bad guy in any role he does. Somehow he lost Best Supporting Actor at the 2001 Oscars to Benecio Del Toro in Traffic. Hahaha. Another joke.  I will watch Gladiator whenever it is on TV.  “The general who became a slave. The slave who became a gladiator. The gladiator who defied an emperor.” – a truly incredible movie.

1. Lord of the Rings (2001-2003)

For those that know me, and not even that well, Lord of the Rings being number 1 is no suprise. FYI – I am treating this as one movie for sake of the list but my personal order for LOTR is 1) ROTK, 2) FOTR, 3) TTT  

I am going to say this, just for the record, The Lord of the Rings is the greatest movie that has ever been made; and specifically the Return of the King. That’s right, numero uno; better than the Godfather, better than Shawshank, better than One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, better than anything. What Peter Jackson accomplished is nothing short of historic. He had the cast in New Zealand for 12 months shooting all 3 movies simultaneously.  He brilliantly shot 2 of the most intense battle scenes (Helm’s Deep and Pelennor Fields) ever put on the big-screen. He managed a cast of hundreds and wrote (along with 2 others) the entire script. Lord of the Rings launched the career of Orlando Bloom, put Viggo Mortensen on the A-List, revitalized Elijah Wood’s dying career, and launched the design workship WETA, which is now responsible for the digital effects, make-up, and design of some of the biggest film’s in Hollywood.

It’s tough to single out any individual performances, other than Jackson, because the film was completley emsemble based. No one person stood out from the next.  Originally LOTR was supposed to be 1 movie, then Jackson consulted New Line and they said fine, lets do it in 2 movies, and then he went back saying they needed to do it 3. $300 million dollars in costs later, the actual life of New Line Cinema was on the line. $3 billion in box office success, not to mention DVD’s, video games etc, LOTR saved New Line.

At the 2004 Oscars, after 2 years of disappointing nights, the Academy finally got it right - 11 for 11, the single most successful night at the Oscars.

Lord of the Rings is best film of the decade, and yes, the greatest film of all-time.

Keep Bantering.