As regular readers of this blog will know I tend not to
write about ‘personal’ things, mostly because I prefer discussing Afrika Reich than myself. Today is an
exception as earlier in the week I saw The
Dark Knight Rises… and want to tell you about it.
The first thing you need to know is that I very rarely go to
the cinema. I find the communality of it off putting: all that chomping popcorn
and chatting when I’ve come to see a film. In fact I’m a total fascist on the
subject of talking in the cinema; when I saw Batman Begins I almost got involved in a punch-up because the
person in front of me wouldn’t shut up. Second, and only a small cabal of
people know this so I’m revealing more than usual today, I’ve been a closet
Batman fan all my life… so my trip to the BFI’s IMAX was quite an occasion.
And well worth it. The
Dark Knight Rises is a spectacle on a scale rarely seen these days: epic in
its sweep with electrifying set-pieces and a real sense of danger, characters I
genuinely cared about and a score so bombastic it threatened to give me a heart
attack. Writer / producer / director Christopher Nolan’s insistence on getting
as much of the action ‘in camera’ (as opposed to using CGI) pays off handsomely
– as absurd as the notion of man dressed as a bat is, the whole thing feels
real, credible. It’s not a perfect film (one plot twist is decidedly naff) but
I found the overall emotional effect of the film deeply satisfying.
The whole experience was further enhanced by the gargantuan
IMAX screen and sound so impressively loud that my ears were still ringing next
morning! If you enjoyed the first two parts of Nolan’s trilogy I wholeheartedly
recommend you seek this out, especially at an IMAX.
For me, the greatest triumph of The Dark Knight Rises was how effortlessly it fused character, action,
morality and politics within a realistic, fairy-tale setting… and here I hope
you can see the connection with Afrika
Reich and why I’m enthusing so much. Indeed the mythology of Batman, its theme
of revenge and aesthetic (more of the latter in ‘F is for…’), was an influence
on my book. It’s always surprised me, for instance, that no one has made the
connection between Hochburg and Ra’s al Ghul.
I read that Christopher Nolan is going to take some time off
now before finding his next project; he’s looking for a thriller more grounded
in the real world, ‘something like James Bond’. If anybody has a contact at
Syncopy, let me know!
Sorry if I've missed something, but what's Syncopy?
ReplyDeleteSyncopy is the name of Christopher Nolan's (and his wife Emma Thomas) production company in LA.
DeleteRon - thanks for your comment and I think Nolan Fan answered your question as succinctly as I could.
DeleteThanks for clearing that up.
DeleteGuy I'm amazed by the sheer number of references and sources the book is drawn from!
Ron (just letting you know it's me bcs it won't let me sign in today)
V.clever bat symbol. Did you pgotoshop? Great Idea!!
ReplyDeleteAnon - yes, it's a great image... though I found it on the internet rather than doing it myself.
DeleteNB - for those who don't know, the image at the top of this particular blog is a fusion of the bat symbol as seen in the posters of each film in the trilogy.
Learnt something new about you today! Punch ups!?!? Oh dear!
ReplyDeleteLOL!
Take care
x
Kitty - Yes, never talk near me in a cinema otherwise there will be trouble! LOL! x
DeleteI have to agree about the cinema. I haven't been to one for years, for precisely the same reason.
ReplyDeleteAdrian - the funny thing is, almost everyone I ask about going to the cinema says the same thing... so who are these people talking! I'm tempted to say it's a generational thing (ie teenagers are the most guilty) but then twice I've been to the cinema and had middle-aged women sitting behind me who have nattered throughout the entire movie. When I went to see GANGS OF NEW YORK, the women were silent through the adverts and trailers... and only started talking when the feature started. What was that about?
DeleteI don't remember when this vile habit started. When I was younger I remember going to the cinema and people would sit in silence or whisper angry shhhh's if people talked... then at some point (about 15 yrs ago is when I started noticing it) people thought it was alright to yabber constantly... since then I've only gone to the cinema sparingly.
What a rant this is turning into. Apologies!
When I went to Vue at the Angel to see Snow White and the Huntsman I had to queue to buy my ticket at the extensive snack bar, and realized the place was a very large eatery with a cinema attached. I was the only person not chomping away, and before the film they kept showing adverts reminding customers to stock up on snacks while there was still time before the start of the film. It was all quite odd.
ReplyDeleteLexi - good to hear from you. Yes, it does sometimes seem that cinemas are there to sell junk food with screens on the side. In terms of mark up maybe it makes more sense. DKR cost $250 million to make and is expected to gross a $1 billion - that's only 4:1 return (on a huge initial investment). A large coke or pepsi costs £2 yet costs less than 20p to make... so my guess is that a lot of cinema revenue comes from ancillary services. Which is kind of depressing.
DeletePersonally I like BFI's Southbank screen where all food is forbidden. Sounds like our kind of cinema!
What did you think of SNOW WHITE?
But that's 300% profit! Sounds like good business to me...
DeleteNV - good profit indeed and actually I'm sure Warner Bros will make a lot of money from the film. I guess the point I was making is that plenty of profit is made from the ancillary services too - and with them the mark up is even better (1000%!) on a very limited initial investment.
DeleteThanks for your comment.
Hi
ReplyDeleteI also spent ages looking for Syncopy's contact details and found zero on-line, which led me to suspect they don't actually have an office and instead its run out of the Nolan/Thomas "garage" at their home.
You might find this other posting interesting if not helpful:
"I remember reading an interview and at the start clearly stating that they conducted the interview in "his" office in the main Warner Bros building in LA. So I would imagine they have it based there, even though it started with Following. I think they set up a company for tax purposes, so he gets his money through dividends rather than a salary."
Read more: http://www.nolanfans.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=430#ixzz21wN5MeNN
Sorry not to be more helpful. Good luck with tracking them down. And great that you enjoyed the movie also. I thought it the best of the the trilogy!
Nolan Fan - thanks for your comment. Very interesting. I have to admit I had a quick look on-line too and couldn't find anything. I assume Nolan has an office on the WB lot even if the company itself deals more with the financial side of things rather than movie making.
DeleteNo problem.
DeleteThis is the BEST film I've seen in *fricking* ages! Not read your book [came acroos review on random google imax search] but if its anything like Dark Knight I'll give it a go. Will download on kindle, mate.
ReplyDeleteAnon - thanks for your comment. Glad you enjoyed the film too. If you liked DKR you might indeed enjoy my book . If you read it, do come back and let me know what you thought.
DeleteHello, Guy
ReplyDeleteIt's ironic what you say about going to the cinema - because I've always thought Afrika Reich would make a great film!
Sheila
I heard somewhere it was being made into a mini-series by HBO/BBC to be shown next year. Almost as good as the cinema!
DeleteHi Sheila - a pleasant surprise to see you on here. I'm sure TAR would make a good film... though I probably couldn't go and see it at a public screening because of all the chatting! On the plus side, if I couldn't hear what was going on, at least I would know the plot... :o)
DeleteClyde - not sure if this is a joke, but I can say categorically the film/TV rights have not been sold. Or if they have, nobody has told me yet!
DeleteHBO are currently adapting Philip K Dick's MAN IN THE HIGH CASTLE. Could this be what you're thinking of?
I would of sworn I read about HBO making a Nazi Africa series. But I guess you'd know better! Hope yours makes it to the screen soon.
DeleteThanks, Clyde.
Deletelol, Christopher Nolan would be the perfect choice!
ReplyDeleteI was lucky enough to go to the Leicester Square premiere, and Christopher Nolan and his wife were there, and gave a speech before the film started. If only you had said earlier, I'm sure I could have grabbed them ;-)
The film was good - I'm not really a huge Batman fan, but I did enjoy this. I did feel it was a bit slow to start with, and he was trying to tackle too many themes, running out of time and not really getting to grips fully with any of them. You shall have to have words with him if he takes on TAR!
Hi Kelly - if only I'd known I would have given you a copy of TAR to thrust into Mr Nolan's hands! That would probably have made you eligible for a 10% agent fee too if the film ever got made.
ReplyDeleteI actually liked the way it started slowly and then built to a frenetic pace (dare I say it, a technique I'm employing in TAR2... which is probably why I like it).
How did you end up going to the première?
Maybe it was because I'm not such a huge batman film that the first half hour did have me clock watching a bit.
ReplyDeleteI was there as I won tickets in a competition, walked the red carpet and saw all the stars - it was an amazing experience!
What d'y reckon too - Christian Bale for Burton? :-)
For a second I had this fantasy that Chris & Em were old friends of yours and the film version of TAR was a cert!
DeleteLucky you to win tickets and schmooze with the stars. And yes, I could see Mr Bale as Burton!
Couldn't agree more with you about the film. Brilliant, just brilliant. Like you say, they don't make them like this much these days. The last 40 mins, after the war between the Dark Knight and bane begins, had my heartin my mouth.
ReplyDeleteFantastic soundtrack too. I think I *did* have a heart attack! Recently wrote a review on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/review/R21ARKM9KZGJDR/ref=cm_cr_pr_cmt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B0085G0DNU&linkCode=&nodeID=&tag=#wasThisHelpful
Also agree with you about morons talking in cinema. It seriously p*sses me off too. If you want to chat why go to the cinema?
Friend of mine read your book and raved about it, so I'll definitely get a copy (would say borrow, but I know it costs royalties!) and let you know what I think.
Will – glad to hear from another fan! The film made me nostalgic for the movies I grew up with – which seemed so much more exciting than the fare offered today. No idea if that’s an age thing or if movies are of a different quality now. Didn’t someone once say you only like the music/films/books etc that came out before you were 35?
DeleteGreat soundtrack review too. I have to admit I bought the CD the day it came out and have been listening to it a lot since. Definitely one of Zimmer’s best.
Yes, please do *buy* :o) a copy of my book and if you do, let me know what you think.
You'll be glad to know my copy of Afrika Reich turned up from Amazon this morning!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I don't read as much fiction as I should and currently have a big pile of non-fiction tomes to get through (mostly history, biographies etc) but I will read yours asap and get back to you.
Meanwhile, I love the fake map in the front. Very interesting.
Will
Will - thanks for buying a copy of the book, each sale is genuinely appreciated. Do let me know what you think when you've read it. Glad you liked the map. It's actually based on a real one the Nazis made in 1940.
ReplyDelete