The Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy was a mistake

HA!
Got you. With this very scandalous title, you have fallen into my trap.
You are now intrigued on why would I say such a ludicrous statement.
But then again... you are now reading this and are expecting a good professional reasoning on why I actually think that the Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy was a mistake. Well, it wasn't a mistake, but at the same time, it was.


Let's try to calm down the batman's fans. Believe me. I am a huge fan of the great creation by Bob Kane. I wish I could know him better. I just know him by a few iconic comics I've read, and all the movies, animations, tv series, online series, online comics, forums, wiki pages, discussion boards, author emails, professional critics, and not so professional critics I've seen around. As a fan, I gotta say that Christopher Nolan does a great job of creating a very unique universe towards the Dark Knight. And he was the first director (in my opinion) that made the comic book movie genre to be taken seriously, after a bunch of flops... (YES... Ang lee... still looking at you). I wish I could bring a "but" to this statement. Many people say that the Dark Knight trilogy is flawless, beside some small plot holes. Every time I see them, I feel the same way. They are pretty awesome movies. A true statement on, not just a story of Batman, but on society, madness, fear, politics, corruption, heroism and real struggles of real people. In fact, there is one scene where there are different Batmans  out there fighting crime together. What is the difference between them and Batman?

There is nothing fantastic about the trilogy. At the end of the day, you feel like there could be a man dressed as a bat out there , fighting crime and trying to bring society to a better place! There could be a man out there with scars on his face bringing chaos to the city and being a total psychopath. Sure, there are a few things that keep the reality at bay. Some technological advancements that one sees in the movies that may be a bit too far-fetched to believe. But my point still stands.

Now... something to be mentioned is that the series needed a reality check. After the abomination that was Batman and Robin...
The series got too goofy and too silly. It needed a darker light, it needed to be taken seriously again. Nolan saved the franchise.
He gave the franchise a good name, a real name.

So, why do I think it was a mistake?

Because of the reality of it all.

Yes. The very thing that made these films incredibly great, is also the very thing that makes it a mistake. Now, don't get me wrong. I am not saying that the movies are bad. Or that the movies are the worst thing that humanity has brought to the screen (Looking at you now Michael Bay and Tommy Wiseau).
No.
But, to fully understand my point, we need to look at some comic book history.
When Batman was first released back in May 1939, there was a sense of fantasy, that comic books gave head to. Comic books were (and are) the new fantasy genre of literature... (as an English Major, I have the right to say this). And that is what the Batman series was for the longest time. It was never too real. There was something that wouldn't make sense, and yet it would make perfect sense.
Batman is the perfect blend between fantasy and reality, when it comes to comic book characters. But, the fantasy always comes out more. It is never too real of a series. For example, let's talk about Ra's Al Ghul. In the comic book, Ra's comes back to life several times using the famous Lazarus' pit. Something that in reality is not possible. In the comic book, it's completely normal. Something like that would never be shown at at Christopher Nolan's film. It would be too fantastic. It has to stick with a certain reality.

So, I've talked about why the movie is great but flawed at the same time... why?
I wouldn't be saying any of it if it wasn't for this

This new Batman coming out is being hated by a lot of people. Why? Because it's not Chris Nolan's Batman. It seems like it is going to be a out of reality batman. We've seen the way the Man of Steel movie was. There was a man that could FLY!! Does that sound real to you? Would that be on a Nolan film? Of course not. It's not real...
This new Batman is not going to be real. He will do things that will be out of the normal scenario. Might actually look far-fetched even.
But that is what a comic book movie is. Something that is not real, being portrayed in a real world. Think about the Avengers, or any other GOOD comic book movie. There is no reality with it. You can't say "Yeah... I see myself being alongside a Thor"... Of course not.

Where am I headed with all of this? Well, even though people are hating on the Bat-fleck, it is safe to say that I will have high hopes for this film. I just think that people should not place their idea of Batman on the Christopher Nolan's films.

I can only hope that this Batman is a true comic book batman. Nolan's Batman was good... but not the right one that we needed... probably the one we deserved... or was it the other way around?

Marvel at the Marvelous Marvel

I don't think I will ever forget the day that my older brother called me upstairs to his room to watch something important (He was the only one of us who had a computer and good internet). I just remember going, and then I saw this

 I think this was the first time I could say that my mind was blown by the movie universe. Don't get me wrong. I had seen Star Wars and the Godfather, and many other good films, but this was something new. Not because it was a comic book movie, but it was a Spiderman movie. Spiderman is my favorite superhero of all time. I had read the comics, I had seen a lot of the TV shows, and to see something so awesome come to the big screen and look real.
Of course... Spiderman is a very easy character to make a movie about around that time. It was a great success and this opened the door to many other films. Some good, some bad... (I'm looking at you Ang Lee)

Then, something strange happened. See, it was something that movie goers had missed for the longest time. Continuity. It is a beautiful word. It connects and creates a sense of universal belonging.
When did this word come into play?
Well, After 2003, movies would be very alone. I'm not talking about the lack of sequels... Oh No... But they would stand alone. One movie after another. And there is nothing wrong with that. People would actually enjoy it. A movie that would be bad, would just be bad and be forgotten. And the good movies would be remembered forever.
Then 2008 came along and the game changed. We had three main movies that changed the way that movies are seen.

What made these films special?
Well, the first two were connected. Not a sequel, but a universe.
When I saw these first two films, I saw a possibility of a world where my favorite characters would meet and would defeat the bad guys. It was no longer about the story of the movie, it was about the characters of the film. They could have shown Iron Man (or Robert Downey Jr.) in a tutu, dancing to ballet and the Iron Man armor next to him drinking scotch and I would have gone crazy. Why? Because the illustration of Iron Man was right in front of me. The closest thing to reality. That is what cinema is.
And so, Marvel started to make the films that a few years ago, were impossible to create.
Technology and talent met, and created awesomeness
But what about the third film? It's not Marvel. Its the opposite. No bright colors, no quick responses. In fact, it was dramatic, heavy and you felt the tension that was created.
Christopher Nolan took a different turn. A turn of reality. He showed the world where Batman COULD exist, but made it as real as possible. There was no crazy arc reactor that would blow up and kill only one man. An explosion felt heavy and you can almost sense all of the people who were suffering by it.

So, why am I bringing these up?
Because Marvel is changing it's strategy. Marvel can no longer sustain the idea of "just the character will suffice" They need a good story. They need some "drama" to happen, so that we can see that the characters are coming to a real seriousness, while still maintaing a sense of seriousness.
Enter Guardians of the Galaxy.

SPOILERS AHEAD
Why is GoG a change in the game? Because it is one of the most serious films that Marvel has ever shown. Not kidding.
The movies begins with the mother's death of the main character. That is pretty gloomy. It creates a true emotion.
Then we have the death of Groot. Who changes his language to create another emotional moment with Rocket Racoon.

Even though the film is filled with funny one liners, and awesome actions shots, there is a sense of seriousness that overshadows the entire film.
What happens? In the end, the main character has a vision of his mother, asking to take her hand (because he didn't when she was dying). That is great emotional manipulation. Make the character grow up by the death of the loved one. The same happens in Batman.


But what about Continuity???! Our word of the day?
Well, knowing that the movies will be connected, we know that both GoG and the Avengers will meet. We can only assume, that it will not just be a clashing of characters on the big screen. The audience wants more than that. They will go for serious drama and action.
Something grave and dark will happen. It will not be a victory.
That is my prediction. I may be completely wrong. (I hope I'm not) I would pay to see something gloomy and dark and serious
Why?
Well, my older brother once told me that a good movie is not judged by the emotion that one is left with at the end of it.
(I got pretty excited at the end of Ghost Rider... but the movie sucks...alot)
A good movie is judged by how much the movie actually made sense. How much the story was able to bring the audience into the story. Dark Knight made that perfectly. The avengers had several shots of the different characters coming towards the camera. Inserting us in the film. When these two main universes collide, it will bring us all together. With the idea of Continuity, it will just build up a great web that will encompass all of us.
But what do you think?
Do you think that I am wrong? Is Marvel not being smart? Or maybe through another angle?
Do you even like Marvel films?

The beast of the Southern Wild

Yesterday I did something I haven't done in a while... Watch a "deep" movie. 

Well... technically, we saw 2 films

The first one was "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty".

I wish I had more to say about this film. A lot of people like to either hate it or love it. I've read and seen people being really opinionated about it. 

I like the film, its a nice innocent film where Ben Stiller is just being himself in a very special way. Something that I liked was the music... 

Listen to this one song... it's like a perfect workout song. 

Maybe later I will talk more about this film, cause I did end up having a great conversation about the deeper meaning of it. 

But that will be for another time. 

This time I want to talk about this movie. "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Here is the trailer 

Just from the trailer, you can tell that it's one of those films. One of those films that don't follow the normal structure of three acts to tell a story... But rather a film that by the end of it, you just sit there and try to think what just happened. 

Movies like this are very dangerous... They tread a fine line between entertaining film and a movie that is meant to create thought. A dangerous film, because, if people don't see it in the right light, it can be seen as a bad film. On both ends... Because as an film of entretainment... it will not be entretaining enough... and as a deep film... it will be too much of a commercial blockbuster to create a deep thought. 

So, it can get caught on a limbo. But, of course, people will not understand what I said in the previous paragraph... so let's just try to not understand it, and accept it.

But this movie brings a good subject to talk about in film. 

The entire range of films that are made for thought is always a set of movies I try to stay away from. Not that I don't like them. And because of this, I am probably missing a good deal of great movies out there. 

But the reason I avoid these films is because I am the product of J.J. Abrams and Michael Bay and the one guy who made the 1999 Godzilla film.

It's all about action and explosions. I like the thrill of Jason Bourne driving a car through the city while the bullets are whizzing by his hair. 

This is not something I am proud of. It has taken me a while to actually get into the films that are not action or thriller or all kinds of horror. Films like Beast of the Southern Wild, are creating (for me) a bridge that I can cross from the realm of Marvel films (which are not bad) to a place where cinema is more than just a medium to tell a story, but a medium to send a message to people about a certain subject. 

I am proud to say that I enjoyed this film alot... and from now on, I'll try to dive deeper into a realm of cinema that I haven't explored yet

That is all I have to say about that 

First things First: Source Material

To be talking about the subject of movies... one has to understand them. One has to look deeper. One has to study some sort of pattern to see what kind of movies are good and what kind of movies are just plain out wrong.

Thankfully, I've had my sources.

My opinion of movies has grown due to these people. These people have taught me what to look for in movies. 

These are the people that have seen movies in ways that no one else has. Some of them are pretty famous. Others are not. 

1) Siskel and Ebert (R.I.P.)

Oh. These guys are the best. 

I've stayed up until 3 am watching review after review of their films. These guys know how to analyze a film and know how the film industry works. If they see a bad film, they are not afraid to call it out on it's B.S. 

Here is an example. 

Long time ago, there was a movie called North (Starring Elijah Wood) Here's the trailer:

Pretty bad... Of course... I never saw the film. But, what got me interested in it was what these guys said

Now... of course.... this is just one example... But what they say about films is pretty good. They have no limitations on what they wanted to say. I started to see films different because of these guys. 

These guys created a very professional (but blunt) way of looking at films. Not pleasing to other people... but with defining terms and having a strong stand on what you believe. 

2)

The nostalgia Critic

 This guy is frikking amazing. 

Sure, he swears... ALOT. But his opinion is the one I have in high value. He sees films in a more comedic way, but also very real. How they affect the audience and how the film works within itself. 

He reviews bad movies. His stuff is pretty good. I really respect everything he says. I suggest you check him out, but only if you are comfortable with swearing... ALOT of it. 

3) My own brother.

My brother is a very straightforward man. But the thing I learned from him was to look for the hidden things. 

He once told me all the things that went wrong within the Desolation of Smaug movie... in one scene...

When he said that... I was amazed... 

I never looked at that one particular scene like that. He saw it in such a way that no one could have done so.

Last, but not least My faith

Yes... faith is a critic. A harsh one. To have a catholic faith and to be a movie critic is very hard. You have to know what you believe so that you can look at the film in a certain lense. Does it make sense? What kind of message is it bringing to the masses? How will this affect the thought process of millions of people who watch it. 

Being a Catholic and a cinephile (Person who LOVES going to the movies) is a very hard thing to do. But it is a challenge that I've always loved.

So... those are my sources of inspiration. 

A lot of my comments are going to sound the same or some jokes might get repeated. But that is because these people helped me create a very solid opinion on a film

I still don't know what kind of movie I will review first, but hopefully, it will be a good one.

A movie blog... gee that's original

Hi...
My name is Mauricio Carranza...
I've been an avid movie watching/game playing/LOTR enthusiast/GEEK since I can remember.
For the last few years, I've been developing something that many people think that is very dangerous... an opinion!!!

Yes... I have my own opinion about film and cinema.
Granted... I've never studied cinema... and, in some cases, my opinion about certain movies is just plain wrong... I like movies that I shouldn't like... and dislike films that I should love...

Well, I decided to start a blog, because my facebook statuses about films were getting too long.

So, this is it..
A blog about movies...
past/present/future...
I will talk about it... and try to be as unbiased as I can

I will fail.

Well. If you all have some sort of movie request you want to hear about and know what I think... tell me...

cause I know that you all are craving for my opinion

Bye