SNL: 38.6- Anne Hathaway/Rihanna

I feel as if I should disclose something before I begin. I adore Anne Hathaway. She can do no wrong in my eyes. However, I was pretty certain that after the crushing defeat Alabama suffered yesterday, I was never going to laugh again. If there was anyone that could bring a smile back to my life, surely it was Anne Hathaway. Thankfully, she came through for me.

Thankfully the cold open didn’t dictate how the show would end up because it was just bad. Okay, maybe it wasn’t bad but it certainly wasn’t as[pullquote_right]Paul Ryan is doing feats of strength.[/pullquote_right] good as it could have been. I was really hoping they’d do a Fox and Friends with Karl Rove as their guest. Then again there’s the logistics of who Bobby Moynihan would play (he was Karl Rove in the open) but surely they could have figured something out. Oh well, I suppose it was nice to send off Jason Sudekis’ Mitt Romney impression with one last cold open.

http://www.nbc.com/assets/video/widget/widget.html?vid=1423640

All was forgiven when the monologue got under way. Usually when they do a musical monologue I roll my eyes because it seems like an easy cop-out but this was Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables, the entire cast, and the Mexican flag. There was no way this wasn’t going to be awesome.

Best part was Tim Robinson and Aidy Bryant singing that they aren’t in many sketches because they are new. Of course Cecily Strong is new and we’ve seen plenty (too much at times) of her. There was one person a bit out of tune there on the last held note but sometimes even ex-choir directors are able to look past that and enjoy it anyway.

The “Girlfriends Talk Show” was a throwaway. Not much to write home about except it was nice to see Aidy as a main character of a sketch.

[pullquote_left]He’s most likely carrying diseases[/pullquote_left] The last two digital shorts might have been more of a dark humor but “Mokiki” was just straight up funny. Odd, very odd, but still funny. Perhaps it was simply due to it being Taran Killam and Anne Hathaway, two people I adore, but I loved it. The best part has to be the random people’s reactions. I suppose if you don’t watch the show and don’t have the “where is Taran Killam located right this moment” app on your phone then it’s a good chance you’d really think this dude was a bit off. Of course you’d also maybe wonder as to why there was a camera following this fool around but some people are just that oblivious.

When it comes to sketches that are parodies of shows, especially shows on premium channels, I feel badly for the viewing public that has not seen said show. Same goes for last night because if you don’t watch Homeland, then you probably have no clue as to how on spot and perfect the Homeland sketch was. Well I do watch Homeland so let me assure you, it was the best sketch of the night.

I don’t know that I’ve seen Bill Hader do Mandy Patinkin before, but it was uncanny. Taran Killam and Anne Hathaway’s Brody and Carrie, respectively, were hysterical. It was one of those sketches that you watch it and realize that the show you love and that is so well done, really is ridiculous when looked at in a different light. I imagine if Clare Danes and Damian Lewis were to watch the sketch, they’d agree that SNL’s interpretation was well done.

The McDonald’s sketch was both predictable but funny at the same time. My only beef (ha!) is with Cecily Strong. I get that there was a lot of dialogue to remember in that one but perhaps try to not be so obvious about reading off the cards. That and the writing could have been a little better.

Bobby Moynihan is stellar with sketches like this one and last night was no different. If Taran Killam were no longer on the show, Bobby Moynihan would easily be my favorite cast member. Second best sketch of the night.

Usually the musical guests are an amusing, sometimes entertaining, break from the show. When Rihanna’s first number started, I thought I had accidentally ingested some mushrooms. What the hell was that? Seriously. I know I’m dating myself but it looked like she had gone to Bush Gardens and made a music video at the green screen booth. I fully expected her and her band to come out in the Old West costumes under a sepia light for the second number. The band was just a bunch of floating heads as what looked awfully like a Windows 98 screen saver. Not sure whose idea that was, but they need to perhaps find a new line of work because that was just horrendous. It did however, show exactly what I love about the internet today. Even 10 years ago you’d have to wait until Monday to have that “did you see Rihanna’s first performance on SNL?” conversation. In today’s world you can jump on tumblr, go to the SNL tag and immediately there are a ton of people asking the same thing. We live in great times friends, great times indeed.

Drunk Uncle is quickly becoming one of my favorite Weekend Update guests. I’m sure there are people who will hunt me down like a dog when I saw this but I actually hated Kristin Wiig’s “Aunt Linda” character. Sure she had her moments but overall, not fun. Drunk Uncle? Love him. I nearly choked on my coffee (had to watch SNL this morning due to the aforementioned depression over a football game) when he did the Windows 8 bit. Here’s hoping there more of Drunk Uncle in the future.

Another thing I hope sticks around for awhile- Kate McKinnon’s Ellen. Everything about it is so well done that I couldn’t believe this sketch was actually in the last part of the hour. It could have easily switched spots with the “Girlfriends Talk Show” and I’m wondering if time was the only reason it wasn’t. The way she jumps up and down in the chair and their shout out to the YouTube kids, great sketch all the way around.

The rest of the episode was a sketch about “American Gothic” that was mildly entertaining, Rihanna minus the hallucinogenics, and a fauxmercial. They were all right. Most notable thing was people’s reaction to the fauxmercial. Apparently you can’t poke fun at people with fake  allergies. I was unaware of this and will readjust my life accordingly. Thank you internet for showing me the error of my ways.

Overall? A solid episode. When I watched it the first time, there wasn’t anything that stood out as “best sketch ever!” nor any that just sucked ass. Second time watching it, I realized that was because the episode was good in its entirety. Sadly, that is not the norm so it was a pleasant realization.

Next week will bring out the fanboy in all of us as Jeremy Renner will be hosting. You best believe there will be at least one Avengers reference, if not many. I can’t wait!

Until then!

 

Bomb Droppers Rise! Let’s Talk ‘The Dark Knight Rises’

The Dark Knight Rises is obviously one of the, if not the most, anticipated movies to come out this summer. Everyone is talking about their thoughts on it, and similar to what we did with the group Avengers review, we here at Grizzly Bomb wanted to give this movie the same justice and have a bunch of us review it. Of course, if you haven’t seen the movie, *SPOILER ALERT* so don’t say we did not warn you. You should have watched it anyways so shame on you. If you have not read my review, you can of course click here to check it out, but let’s see what the other authors of the site think of this flick:

Dr. Kronner:

Upon initial viewing I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed. As it turns out though, it’s only because The Dark Knight Rises was not the single greatest film of all time like I expected, but simply just ‘great’. Upon my second viewing I found myself amazed at how much more enjoyable it seemed. It was the same movie I’d seen just 2 nights prior, but without the weight of my lofty expectations heaped on it, the film just seemed more fluid. The issues I had the first time though (Alfred coming off cheesy, Gordon being underused, an unnatural progression between Selina and Bruce) all melted away as I was able to simply enjoy the film.

Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was just how much I liked JGL and how they handled the boy wonder. He seemed an amalgam of all the Robins. Tim Drake’s detective work, Jason Todd’s aggressiveness, and the wisecracking wisdom of a Dick Grayson. And while he never traveled with the circus, he was an orphan, and he proved us all wrong – Robin, when done correctly, can exist in Nolan’s Gotham. The other thing I really enjoyed that most people disagree with me on is Bane’s voice. I thought it added to his inherent creepiness and really cemented him as a great villain.

The movie on a whole, while still not as strong as The Dark Knight, ultimately did not disappoint, and I have a third trip to the theater planned tomorrow. In hindsight, I’d say this probably edges out The Avengers as my favorite movie of the summer.

SupaScoot:

The Dark Knight Rises was good. But it wasn’t great. Let me rephrase that. TDKR wasn’t the best Batman movie, but it was a hell of great Christopher Nolan film. While I have a few complaints and feel like there were just a few too many leaps of the imagination intended for the audience to take, it was a beautifully filmed and epic undertaking that Nolan pulled off.

Weaving in a ton of different plot points from not only the previous movies but TDKR itself was a monstrous task that required a keen eye and an open mind, but it didn’t pan out fully at the conclusion. However, the one thing I can say about the film without any doubt is that it IS a definite conclusion. A conclusion to the trilogy, to Nolan’s bat-verse, and to Bale’s Bruce Wayne.

Are there things I would change? Absolutely. Are there things I didn’t quite get after my first viewing that were more evident after the second? Absolutely. Is The Dark Knight still the better Batman movie? ABSOLUTELY. Walking out of the theater after both movies were two entirely different feelings of awe. TDK was an excited and passionate victory dance for any Batman fan, while TDKR was a contemplative and cerebral appreciation for a great filmmaker.

Watch TDKR twice. That is my ultimate advice/review. Because everything changes that second time when you realize just exactly what the movie is about, who it’s about, and what The Dark Knight Rises really means.

The Wozz:

Christopher Nolan stepped away from 2008’s insurmountable The Dark Knight for the finale of his Batman saga, and in doing so The Dark Knight Rises feels a lot more like a sequel to Batman Begins than anything else. It’s a wise move because while much focus will be laid on Bane and a handful of contentious twists and plot points, this shift is the necessary fulcrum that bridges two very disparate films into a fluid trilogy. It also brings the story around full circle – The Joker nearly dismantled the idea of ‘the batman’ when he terrorized Gotham eight years ago, and Rises is all about reaffirming the ideals that led to Bruce Wayne’s creation of the batman.

In short, The Dark Knight Rises serves a very precise, mechanical function for Nolan’s Batman legend. It’s just all the more impressive that Nolan layers such a thrilling finale on top of it.

joey123mo:

It all started with Batman Begins, a film that, while not an instant classic, was the beginning of what is now the most significant comic book trilogy in film history. Begins was followed by the now legendary The Dark Knight, which featured a life-altering performance by the late, great Heath Ledger.

What started in 2005 is now finishing in 2012 with The Dark Knight Rises, a film that improves on both of its predecessors that ends up being director Christopher Nolan’s true epic masterpiece. The entire cast returns with an entirely new set of faces including the fantastic Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (Catwoman), and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, one of the last wholly pure cops in Gotham City.

The villain here is Bane, played perfectly by Tom Hardy, utilizing his eyes and his voice as strengths. The constricting facial mask may be a problem for some, but I thought he was as menacing and terrific as he was in the previews. On top of all that, The Dark Knight Rises is an emotionally resonating story that ends up being the most perfect conclusion to an already near perfect trilogy. There will probably be no superhero trilogy as absolutely amazing as this one. The Dark Knight Rises is the high-point in a trilogy that defied expectations in every way possible.

Tim the Film Guy:

Christopher Nolan really doesn’t make bad films. The Dark Knight Rises was a great film to end the epic trilogy Nolan started with Batman Begins and then made better with The Dark Knight. This film really brings the old school epics such as Ben-Hur with thousands of extras running around on giant sets to the modern era of films. But sadly it was the last of this superhero trilogy and possibly the best adaptation of a comic hero we will ever see.

What I liked about the way Nolan made this film was that it felt like he created a great new story but then merged the tone and feel of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight so that it would feel very much connected with those films which worked as the finale to a great trilogy (If you didn’t get that I liked the Nolan trilogy yet). I will like to see how Nolan’s involvement in the new superman film Man of Steel will impact its realism and more modern retelling of the superman story. Might just go on about Bane’s amazing ability to take control of a room just with the way he stands with confidence, nah you’ll just have to see the film. Finally I would like to say that even though I am sure we will miss Nolan’s Batman I think that it’s great that a superhero franchise can start off as strong as it finishes where so many have failed before and for that I thank Christopher Nolan for his dedication to making all the films himself with such detailed film making.

Woman Friday:

My brain is still trying to wrap around the story, as usual with most of Nolan’s films. I’m either less intelligent than I thought, or he really is that good at weaving together multiple peoples’ stories in one film. On the whole, I quite enjoyed it, but I cannot say it was my favorite out of his trilogy. It didn’t seem quite Batman-y like before. However, I will say this was the first time in quite a while that a film actually caught me off guard (SPOILER!); Miranda Tate’s character development blew my mind, and when I looked at my husband during the final scenes, I realized the same thing was happening in his (and he is a hard one to surprise). Overall, cheers again to Nolan and the ENTIRE film crew and cast for a valid and appreciated interpretation of the Batman legacy.

Cheesebadger:

Christopher Nolan has permanently changed the face of Superhero films forever. While Batman Begins was the start of a trend of reboots, it has more or less been beneficial to the superhero movie genre, reaching it’s apex with 2008’s The Dark Knight. The Dark Knight was the first time we got to see a beloved comic character in a movie that was GREAT on its own merit, without any added buffer or forgiveness for its comic book pedigree.

This theme is continued with The Dark Knight Rises, however trying to follow such a dramatic change in quality from The Dark Knight’s prequel to sequel jump, inevitably will lead some to find Dark Knight Rises to be disappointing. That being said, DKR is a very good wrap up of the themes from all the other Nolan Batman movies. By no means as mindblowing as Dark Knight, mostly because of some pacing issues, and the lack of a seminal, game changing character interpretation such as Ledger’s Joker, DKR is nonetheless, a very fitting end for the Nolanverse Batman character.

How anyone will attempt to replicate the fascinating, consistently entertaining, and most of all cerebral and intriguing story told throughout this trilogy of movies is baffling. Whoever reboots the new Batman best find a wholly new direction to go in, because the bar is set impossibly high. This is how you end a trilogy, all other Threequels take notice.

Jason.Da.Psycho:

I ain’t no film critic. I don’t judge cinema techniques or shit like that. All I care about is whether if I’m entertained by a movie, and I can gladly report that I was thoroughly entertained.

For TDKR, you get a few action sequences and absolutely phenomenal character developments. Some lines are indeed corny, but 99% of them are great. The twists are there and they can be shocking (though not uncalled for). If there’s any complaint, the story isn’t so “Batman-ish”. Rather, it feels like a conclusion to Nolan’s trilogy. Don’t get me wrong. It’s fantastic, and since I am not a comic book fan in the first place, I don’t really care for that flaw.

It’s not better than the second one, but TDKR is undoubtedly one of the best threequels out there. (Note to Bioware: That’s how you setup a potentially depressing and ambiguous ending.)

93 Grizzly Bombs explode out of the 100 possible.

So there you have it. It seems like we all really enjoyed this movie and have a consensus that it was an excellent end. Granted, most, if not all, thought that The Dark Knight was the best of the trilogy, but that should not take away how great this film truly was. Of course we want to know what you guys thought so feel free to comment below your thoughts on whether this film cements this trilogy as one of the best ever or not.

Grizzly Review: The Dark Knight Rises

There is a moment that caught me off guard in The Dark Knight Rises. Bruce Wayne and his loyal butler Alfred share a moment where a breaking point has been reached. We get a touching speech or plea from Alfred asking Bruce about burying members of the Wayne family, and that he refuses to bury yet another under his watch. I shed a tear. Normally, this might be a normal reaction to an emotional moment in the movie (or if you’re a sissy apparently), but my friends and family have come to know me as one thing: an emotionally dead robot. For a movie to have that impact on someone like me means there is a connection to these characters, to this story, to this trilogy. that resonates deeply to garner such a reaction. I think shows how terrific the storytelling and direction under Christopher Nolan was and is. By the end of this movie, the journey is over and I am relieved that it is over. Not because of how overwhelmed I am after 165 minutes of this roller coaster ride, but because it had to end. There was nowhere else to go. In that, we have both the strength and the flaw of the movie.

It has been eight years since the death of Harvey Dent and the disappearance of “The Batman”. He has taken the fall for the crimes committed by the horribly disfigured Dent/Two-Face and in the common theme of the movies is symbolism. Batman was supposed to be the symbol of justice, the right overshadowing the wrong, the hero that emerges from the dark shadows to bring stability in bad times. However the question that plagues the minds of Commissioner Gordon and Batman is that they have perpetuated this lie, that the peace time that has occupied Gotham City is based on an ideal that should not exist, and how does that make it right? Does the end justify the means? The movie investigates this idea and its effect on the citizens of this (seemingly) thriving city. There are obvious political and social overtones, but for now, let’s finish this synopsis just to set the table. We get introduced to Bane right off the bat (yes, went there, deal with it) as you can tell that he is the man with the plan in an awesome sequence involving a new take on hijacking airplanes. You also see the blind faith that his minions put into the man with the mask, not unlike those that put their faith into Batman when he first emerged. He obviously has his sights set on Batman and Gotham City. Bruce Wayne, on the other hand, is a broken man, a Howard Hughes recluse that no one has seen in years, merely a symbol himself like his alter ego. Only when he meets Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway) does his suit beckon him once again. It is then that he realizes the danger yet to come.

I will say it is hard to write a review on a movie that people need to witness themselves, because I think everyone will have a different reaction to it, so I will not go into further details of the plot. That way you can jump into it and draw your own conclusions. Lets talk about the cast. Bale is always good, consistent in his quest for a purpose, especially in trying fight for his city and rising (Boom) to the challenge throughout the movie. Michael Caine is in a smaller role, but is still equally powerful as Wayne’s confident/father figure. The exchanges the two of them have will be sorely missed once the final reel rolls off the projector. Gary Oldman is always good, but really comes off great as man struggling with the lie. In trying to find the justice in his actions, in a city of legacy built by deception. Morgan Freeman is good as well, but you probably want to find out how the newbies did. Let us start with Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake, as the idealistic cop who gets an audience with Commissioner Gordon. He did a fine job in playing understated, if not determined police officer trying to hold on to hope in a city of despair and confusion.

The girl duo of Marion Cotillard and Anne Hathaway also did a great job in providing characters for both Bruce Wayne and Batman respectively to play off of. Hathaway (who, thankfully, is never referred to as Catwoman at all in the entire movie), brings a certain sass in a woman trying to run from her past and the determination to make sure she always gets her way. That and that suit on that bike. Holy crap.

Of course now we get to Bane. Tom Hardy does an admirable job as the most effin’ evil friggin’ villain I have seen dominate the screen in a long time. He just resonates pure evil and man, I wanted to see Batman kick his ass back into 1993. While not as good as Ledger as the Joker (who would be?), Hardy does terrifically in being the ‘voice’ of the oppressed, yet bringing an insane vibe in that muffled delivery of his (which is not as big of an issue understanding him as everyone made it out to be). This is a man on a mission, where no one can get in his way and that look in his eyes, pretty much the only other thing we can see Hardy emote with, is terrifying. It also comes off as purposeless, however because you want to know why he gets to be such a dick but it never really gets explained in a meaningful manner. I got Bane being the unbeatable villain, but what I really wanted was why he turned into such a monster. If Bruce Wayne could get to the point where he sees nothing but vengeance, why not see the reason why Bane followed that path of refusing to be beatable? A minor quibble but one that bugged me throughout the movie.

The movie itself is a clinic in why Christopher Nolan is one of the best storytellers out there. Visually, the picture is beautiful, and does not need 3D or any of that garbage that Nolan refused to do. The pacing is a bit slow in the first hour, but let us face it, eight years have passed, there must a slow burn to the process in catching up with our favorite Gothamites. Every sequence carries a purpose in the movie, and nothing is wasted. The music by Hans Zimmer also is beautiful yet demanding. It takes a hold of you and carries you from scene to scene, and provides the best mood setting in the trilogy in my opinion. It also tends to overpower the dialogue but that might be a result of the theater as opposed to sound editing. It is still friggin’ epic as all hell.

Obviously we all know this is the last of the trilogy so there was a set plan for this to end. While it is good that Nolan and Co. have decided to have a distinct end to their take on the Bats, I feel that it suffered in the same regard. We all see it coming and I felt no shock value of the path of Batman and his journey to ‘rise’. In fact, I felt rushed along towards the end in order to wrap up certain storylines. As product of the hype machine, I understand having the most anticipated movie come into town that we all have been guessing what the proper ending should be. We were all probably looking for the conclusion to be foreshadowed in the movie and unfortunately, I felt became formulaic during the whole movie. After all, it is a superhero movie so there are certain rules the film must follow. However, it is only minor distraction because it does the formula justice. The movie felt predictable and somewhat pretentious at some points. It wanted to throw us off the path by slipping in random events or characters that seemed to dissolve as the movie went on. Granted, it was not so blatant that I felt Nolan was trying to ‘Shyamalan’ us (the act of throwing in crap to throw people off the scent despite having to do with the twists and turns the movie may offer up), but it did not help with the aforementioned slow pacing. However, this movie still ranks better than 95% of the movies out there this year and these minor problems in my mind, but so comes with the territory of following the best movie of the trilogy (Obviously now determined to be The Dark Knight).

Again, I want to offer up that this is one of the top 3 movies I have seen this year. It is a great movie and proves that the trilogy idea of having a beginning, middle, and concise ending to a set of stories is the way to go. Nolan and Bale have made their mark in not only comic book movie history, but in the cinema world on how to tackle a character and setting in the modern world. The expectations were extremely high and they have met them. I do wish it was exceeded, but it did its job. It did not overwhelm and did not (thank the lord) underwhelm. Go see the movie, go love the movie, and see what it does for you. Go shed a tear too while you are at it, you might not see another trilogy tackled as masterfully as this one.

And please don’t go check out This Is Not The Dark Knight Rises Review. You’ll be glad you didn’t.

THIS IS NOT ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Review

I have recently moved to a town without a theater. This was entirely based on work, so I did not have much choice in the matter, as I would never voluntarily move 40 minutes away from a theater. This has greatly hampered my movie watching ability. I saw The Avengers opening weekend luckily enough, but I just saw Amazing Spider-Man and will not see The Dark Knight Rises until the end of the weekend. So when it came time to assign one of our Bomb Droppers the joyous task of reviewing TDKR, I realized I still really wanted to review it. So C Tan suggested I should do it anyway, just BS using vague adjectives and fake plotlines I’ve gleaned from the trailers. I had one thing to say to his suggestion.

So here we go. This is not The Dark Knight Rises review.

The Dark Knight Rises: New Footage is Still Awesome, Despite MTV

The MTV Movie Awards, which were at least fun when I was younger, have become disgusting examples of what’s wrong with today’s society. Constantly rewarding stupidity over merit and making celebrities out of total tools. They even went so far as to award their ‘prestigious’ BEST MOVIE trophy to Twilight: Breaking Dawn…because they are stupid. That or MTV is confused about the meaning of the word ‘Best’.  To be honest, almost every show on MTV is that way – terrible. Occasionally though, you get a nugget of ‘awesome’ that will drop through. The most recent of these nuggets is the footage shown at the so-called “Award Show’ of the upcoming sure-to-be-a-masterpiece The Dark Knight Rises.

Apparently, as I just learned, it has been taken down, but you can watch the intro (and this one too) with Bale, Levitt, and Oldman.

And so this click isn’t a total waste for you, here are some new pics…

Les Misérables: Trailer and Set Photos!

As a fan of Les Misérables, I am pleased to present this news. The newest movie adaptation of this prestigious musical will be releasing in theaters this year. I have very high hopes that this star-studded cast will do their best to keep it authentic and pure of Hollywood garbage.

Les Misérables is a tale of much passion. In fact, each song from this stage musical has a story, and within each story there is a different very powerful emotion expressed. Here is the official synopsis from Collider.com:

Set against the backdrop of 19th-century France, Les Misérables tells an enthralling story of broken dreams and unrequited love, passion, sacrifice and redemption–a timeless testament to the survival of the human spirit. Jackman plays ex-prisoner Jean Valjean, hunted for decades by the ruthless policeman Javert (Crowe) after he breaks parole. When Valjean agrees to care for factory worker Fantine’s (Hathaway) young daughter, Cosette, their lives change forever.

The two characters most intriguing to me are Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean and Anne Hathaway as Fantine. I cannot wait to see what they bring to the characters. I will say this, though… if Hathaway bastardizes ‘I Dreamed a Dream’, I will not rest until her career is halted for eternity. She sounds beautiful in the trailer, but we shall see.

Take a look at the trailer:

Les Misérables will be released on December 14, 2012.

Hero Express: New ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer! Plus New Pics & Promo Images

Welcome back to the Hero Express, your one-stop sometimes SPOILER filled shop through the world of comic based Film & TV news!

Hero Express: Dark Knight Station – Rumors Confirmed, The Batwing & Bale Talks Batman 4

Welcome to Dark Knight Station, the Hero Express‘s main stop for all the news on The Dark Knight Rises.We’ll keep you up to date on all the biggest bat-news coming straight from Gotham City.

Mind the gap and avoid the shadows; This stop is the Dark Knight Station for January 25th, 2012.

Batman, Bane and Catwoman Toys Revealed – (Superhero Hype)

At the U.K. Toy Fair, DC Direct unveiled a slew of action figures being added to their toy line and chief among them were prototypes of DKR Batman, Bane and Catwoman figurines in various sizes. Toy news site Idle Hands has scanned images of the toys from DC Direct’s catalog, and they offer perhaps the clearest look at the characters’ design, particularly Catwoman’s, which has been the least prevalent in Dark Knight Rises‘ marketing.

Hero Express: Dark Knight Station – Rumors, Easter Eggs and Tickets Already On Sale

Welcome to Dark Knight Station, the Hero Express‘s main stop for all the news on The Dark Knight Rises.We’ll keep you up to date on all the biggest bat-news coming straight from Gotham City.

Mind the gap and avoid the shadows; This stop is the Dark Knight Station for January 11th, 2012.

Rumors of a Clearer Bane Voice are False – (FilmDrunk)

In the wake of the DKR prologue, reports sprouted up claiming that Christopher Nolan was already working to clean up Bane’s muffled voice, and theaters would soon be getting the new, clearer audio versions to play for audiences. However, Collider recently went to Warner Bros. and IMAX for confirmation, and both have officially stated that no altered versions of the prologue have been sent.

In the trailer that quickly followed the 8-minute preview Bane was a lot easier to understand, with the majority of viewers issuing a pretty vocal sigh of relief. Personally, I’m still not entirely clear on what Bane is saying in the trailer but I’m not desperately worried. As I’ve mentioned earlier, this isn’t something the entire production team would have missed – dozens of people worked on Bane’s character, not to mention the time and energy spent on audio and editing. It would be impossible for this to be an oversight.

Fan Poster by DeviantArtist ~Jo7a

It’s difficult to do with a film as wildly anticipated as The Dark Knight Rises but we all have to sit back and resist judgment for now. We’re picking apart a minor piece of the puzzle that will likely be inconsequential by the time everything comes together. Have a little faith.

Unreleased Footage from The Dark Knight – (/Film)

Here’s a little change of pace: Kevin Smith, of all people, recently sent out a tweet featuring several minutes of unused and alternate footage from everyone’s favorite Batman movie. It includes some clips of Heath Ledger‘s Joker that you might not have seen before.

The few seconds of Ledger that debut here are just as striking as the footage that made it into the final film. It’s a brief reminder of how memorable the character is, and how talented an actor Ledger was. It’s the long shot of The Joker exiting the hospital that does it for me, rekindling the chilling sensation I had when I first saw The Dark Knight‘s Clown Prince of Crime.

Hero Express: Dark Knight Station – The New Trailer is Officially Here!

Welcome to Dark Knight Station, the Hero Express‘s main stop for all the news on The Dark Knight Rises.We’ll keep you up to date on all the biggest bat-news coming straight from Gotham City.

Mind the gap and avoid the shadows; This stop is the Dark Knight Station for December 19th, 2011.

Batman, and such. Christopher Nolan! Grappling Hook! Other Bat-words! None of what I’m typing matters, because here’s the new trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. If you treated yourself to Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows this weekend or caught one of the cammed versions before it was taken offline, you’ve already seen this beast of a trailer, but either way you’ll want to see it again. Enough text, here it is!

It’s a beautiful thing. Seeing this in theaters actually managed to get me as excited as the full prologue did the night before. That’s all for this edition, look forward to more traditional Dark Knight Station stuff next week!