Batman must come back as evil rises in the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

Christopher Nolan has been perfect thus far in his career, and The Dark Knight (2008) is arguably his best or at least second-best film (personal favorite goes to Memento, which ranks in my top-five all-time favorite movies list).  Therefore, with all of the hype that surrounded his first Batman sequel, which never ceased to amaze and continues to be a benchmark film in several ways, audiences have been dying for the epic conclusion to his Batman trilogy.  Just a year before its release, the studio presented the film’s first teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises (2012) and it simultaneously satisfies and entices audiences with much to look forward to, since not much is actually provided in the trailer.

83rd Annual Academy Awards Nominations, Predictions, Polls, and Pre-Ceremony Analysis (UPDATED WITH RESULTS)

The 83^rd annual Academy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 8 PM EST; James Franco and Anne Hathaway will host the presentation. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), largely comprised of filmmaking professionals and executives who vote on the Oscars, announced this year’s nominations on January 25, 2011. To view previous years’ nominees, winners, and analysis, click here.

Included below is the list of Oscar nominees. I ranked the nominees in order of how likely they are to win in their respective categories, NOT in order of my preferences. Nonetheless, I have written some thoughts, notes, and perspectives (under some categories) regarding the nominees’ chances, histories, and which are my favorites.

Also, DON’T FORGET TO VOTE! – Please vote as if you were an AMPAS member and casting your own ballot, regardless of my predictions and what you think will win. Vote for what/who you think is the best in each category.

* I shall update this post after the presentation on February 27, 2011 to highlight the winners (in red). *

Reflections on the Villains of “The Dark Knight Rises” & the Prospects of a Christopher Nolan 007 Movie

Everyone is abuzz with either praise or criticism regarding the latest news for Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. Ever since The Dark Knight (2008) people have wondered and debated whether Nolan would recast the Joker, but he quickly dismissed any casting rumors. In addition, many fans considered the Riddler to be the next prime villain to enter Nolan’s Batman-universe, but he rejected that choice as well as the false rumor that Two Face is still alive. So then that left Catwoman and a handful of other notable villains already portrayed in former Batman movies including the Penguin, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, and Bane. Some people believed Nolan would bring in other less prominent villains, such as Dr. Hugo Strange, Black Mask, Clayface, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn, and Talia al-Ghul, or even create new ones. Everyone understands that Nolan’s Batman is in a more gritty, realistic world than Tim Burton’s dark one or Joel Schumacher’s fantastical one. Thus, many people believed Nolan would prefer villains without super-human powers. In the end, though, Deadline.com reported that Anne Hathaway will play Selina Kyle, better known as Catwoman in the Batman universe, and Tom Hardy, who joined the A-list cast a few months ago, will actually be Bane in the trilogy-ending movie. Here I shall make my considerations regarding the news and what this means for the film.

Also, later in the post you may vote on what you think of the casting and villain choices for the film.