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After eight long years of solitude, losing the love of his life, and taking the fall for the crimes of politician Harvey Dent, Batman/Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), is called upon by his old friend Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman)– in the absence of Batman a new crimelord, Bane (Tom Hardy), has set up shop in the sewers of Gotham City. Meanwhile it’s the slinking styles of jewel thief, Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Anne Hathaway), that really catch the attention of Wayne. Twisting things further it would appear that Bane is working for the League of Shadows, the group that originally trained Bruce Wayne to be the Batman. Their plan appears to still be to destroy Gotham City and take the Batman down as well, but who’s really at the helm of this ship and can their plan even be stopped? It’ll at least take the help of Officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), and Alfred Pennywise (Michael Caine), but are they already too late? Rounding out the Dark Knight trilogy for Director Christopher Nolan, this latest installment continues the look and feel of the previously established franchise, but this time perhaps even louder, bolder and a bit more bombastic. Let me be quick to say, obviously the fans are going to flock to this regardless if it’s guano or gold (secretly, I think I’ve always wanted to write that for a Batman review). Fortunately, resting comfortably on his laurels, Nolan has created what will most definitely be regarded as gold with a satisfying conclusion neatly tying up plenty of loose ends. And credit is due to the new comers, while Bale, Oldman, Freeman, and Cain have all been living comfortably in the skins of their characters for some time now, Hathaway, Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, and Hardy all do admiral jobs embodying their respective roles. The film does have a handful of problems though, some not worth mentioning here, but most notably is the lack of a really scary villain. Unfortunately, despite all of Hardy’s effort, the character of Bane just doesn’t read as intimidating enough. Thuggish yes, but truly masterminding and pure evil, no—even though he’s apparently born from darkness. This lacking feels in part due to several factors, 1) banal and textbook villain scripting 2) the fact that we can’t really see his expression behind his mask (perhaps Hugo Weaving could or should have coached here) and 3) the effects used to create his “voice” sound a bit too processed for about the first half of the film. Without a villain of note, we’re instead left to watch what feels like half a dozen plots and subplots play out; from a Wall Street subtext, the origins of catwoman, the back story on Ra’s Al Ghul and his spawn, J. Robert Oppenheimer-esque fears of nuclear warfare, thoughts on personal freedoms, to Bruce Wayne’s desire for normalcy and so on; all of which is interesting given the clever mirror of our society and the backdrop of Gotham city, but it is a lot to try and take in, especially given Nolan’s somewhat haphazard sense of timing and storytelling in analepsis and prolepsis. On notes for the score, Hans Zimmer again graces us with his blend of symphonic/techno, although, like Nolan, Zimmer appears to be less interested in the experimental nature we’ve heard in previous installations and much more straightforward in his approach. Bottom line, you’re looking at a loud, busy film, worth seeing in IMAX but go easy on the soda, at 2 hours and 47 minutes of runtime this could be a bladder buster. The Dark Knight Rises is rated PG-13.

Best friends Ben and Chon (Aaron Johnson and Taylor Kitsch), are the “legal” growers and proprietors of some of the world’s strongest marijuana. With the business sings Ben is able to contribute to peaceful and charitable causes; meanwhile, Chon, a former Iraq vet serves as the enforcer to keep the business safe. Between them, the two also share the love for one girl Ophelia, O (Blake Lively). When a Mexican drug cartel moves in on Ben and Chon and kidnaps O, all bets are off. As Lado (Benicio Del Toro), the evil henchmen, and ruthless drug lord, Elena (Salma Hayek), step up the pressure, Ben and Chon are voted least likely to bend or brake. But how to rescue O, how to stop the cartel, and what to do about crooked DEA agent Dennis (John Travolta) are questions that loom large over head. Based on the popular novel by Don Winslow and Directed by Oliver Stone, Savages starts strong and provides a merciless and gritty look at the evil associated with drug warfare from several angles, even in the face of kindness and charity. Plus, with an unconventional love story in the mix, the story gets a little thicker. Unfortunately, deviating from the book, an explanation to Lively’s character and motivations has been nixed which makes her role a bit thinner. Performances from the rest of the ensemble are all in great form with extra note going to Del Toro, nobody does creepy quite like Benicio, and man, is he skin crawling creepy! Sadly, for all of its action, adventure, acts of valor, and unrelenting classic Stone quality, it’s the last five minutes where Stone completely destroys the entire film. Pulling a similar gambit move as he did in Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, everything that was so poignant loses all of it’s bite in what feels like a studio/test audience re-adaptation. For lack of a spine despite the rest of it’s interesting qualities I’d say you’re looking at a matinee, Savages is rated R.

Writer, Director, and Actor Woody Allen is up to his usual bag of tricks, this time exploring the particulars of love, romance, and fame while in Rome. Peering into the lives of several couples we meet newlyweds who’ve just moved to Rome, two Americans living abroad, an ordinary middle aged Italian couple, and an Italian and American who are engaged to be married. All stricken with challenges that will test their relationships, challenges such as prostitutes, straying movie stars, sexy best friends in town, and the relentless paparazzi; will the couples have what it takes to weather the storms they each face, or will they crash upon the rocks of a broken heart? Featuring a diverse all star cast including but not limited to Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Penelope Cruz, Ellen Page and Alison Pill we’re certainly given quite a bit to watch. Unfortunately, with the exception of a few lines and moments, we’re just not given a whole lot to laugh or chuckle about. It’s clear Allen is trying, and the jokes are there, they’re just not funny. Often, where dialogue feels like it should flow instead we’re given performances that feel more akin to cold reads or stiffness. But the film isn’t a total loss, Baldwin on the other hand does manage to charm with his timing and comedic sensibilities, and Penelope Cruz in a slinky red dress will certainly catch plenty of gawkers slack jawed. Really more of a rental when put up against Midnight in Paris, sorry Woody, try again. To Rome With Love is rated R.