THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

The most anticipated film of the summer and maybe the year hit theatres in tragic fashion.  The egregious act of a lone gunman in Aurora, CO on the night of July 20^th was nothing short of horrific.  I saw ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ the following afternoon and must say there was an ominous feeling in the theatre, a palpable nervous tension.  Once the film began the excitement took over and the audience’s attention was on the screen.  Above all else my thoughts go out to all of the victims, their families, and their friends.

‘Rises’ suffers from a fate all too familiar with sequels; its predecessor set the bar so high.  I saw the film a second time this weekend and can safely say after the letdown (which is really too strong a word) of the first screening I was able to focus on ‘Rises’ as an independent entry.  Less Ledger’s Joker and a tighter story arc ‘Rises’ and ‘The Dark Knight’ really are in the same class.  ‘Rises’ also introduces some elements absent from the first two films in the series, an amazing female performance (Anne Hathaway as Selina Kile) and a true “epic” feel.  I think once viewers and hopefully the Academy can look at ‘Rises’ on its own without the ‘Dark Knight’ comparisons or view all three films as a collective whole, the appreciation for what Nolan has created will begin to surface.

On to the Oscar chances; much like ‘Hunger Games’, which I outlined earlier this year, and recent critical and commercial blockbuster successes, ‘Rises’ might have trouble succeeding when it comes time to give away the hardware.  ‘Rises’ benefits from the fact it and ‘The Avengers’ are the only two blockbusters capable to make a lot of noise on the awards circuit this year.  Also, in historical terms, this has been an extremely weak year for film; if the year ended tomorrow I have no idea who I could even deem worthy of winning a lead acting award.  However, considering the buzz surrounding the upcoming fall season, that could change very quickly.  The “x factor” so to speak is going to be whether or not the Academy wants to recognize the trilogy as a whole, much as they did with the ‘LOTR: Return of the King’.  In 2004 ‘King’ won 11 Oscars while the first two films combined for merely 6 statues.

‘Rises’ will be in the running for all the technical categories (effects, sound, ect.) but could surprise in a few spots if things go in its favor.  I think Hathaway is strong dark horse candidate for a supporting actress nom and again considering the weak acting field so far this year it just might happen, it really comes down to if the fall season is as loaded as some critics and Oscar pundits are lauding.  I think Nolan was robbed in ’09 when he wasn’t nominated for Directing and ‘The Dark Knight’ was snubbed in the Best Picture category as well.  I expect ‘Rises’ to score noms in one if not both of those categories this year as a consolation prize for Nolan’s previous lack of recognition.  I really hope we see something similar to 2004 for ‘Rises’, double digit wins will be highly unlikely but if it can pull out double digit noms and maybe 5 wins I think it would be warranted.

Only a few more weeks until the summer season is officially over, and once it is, I will return to outline the chances of any films to grab noms from what once again has been an underwhelming last couple of months.  Then it’s road trip time; going to Telluride Labor Day weekend to get my first taste of world class film fest action. 

NOTE:  You have to admire the class shown by Christian Bale going to visit the victims just days after shooting, he wasn’t representing the studio, he went on his own accord, a heartfelt gesture amid all the agony.

Oscar Chances:

Best Picture: Highly Likely

Best Director: Possible

Best Supporting Actress (Hathaway): Possible

Best Score: Possible

Technical Categories: Lock