Begin at the beginning

Advantages: Well produced. Good balance of action. Great cast
Disadvantages: None

...Batman begins was release a few year ago (2005) but I recently watched this as I hope to see The Dark night soon. The films title gives a pretty good indication as to what the film is about but in short it goes from the start showing the events that made Bruce Wayne decide to create his alter ego. Christian Bale takes the part of Batman / Bruce Wayne who you first see in a Chinese prison where he is looking bedraggled and fighting 6 other prisoners, for which he is put into solitary. When he gets slung into his solitary cell, lurking in the corner is a very well groomed and rather posh man by the name of Henri Ducard (played Liam Neeson) who is well ?respected? in the underworld. He explains that he can get him freed if he joins his elite group of rebels known as The League of Shadow whose mission is to tackle wrong doing on a large...

CarlG 11.03.2009 · Read review
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Review of Batman Begins (DVD)

Begin the Begin

Advantages: Clearly a labour of love for all involved - an epic undertaking
Disadvantages: Some supporting characters get the rough end of the stick

.... Though the movie is a comic book adaptation, Nolan never delves too far into the realms of fantasy, setting it in a recognisable world where crime is more of a worry than the luminous-faced lunatics of previous films. Gotham is a thinly-veiled alternate New York with its own seedy underworld and socio-economic problems. The production design is a mixture of rough but cutting edge technology and old world design, with the heaviest influences being art deco and grim Victorian. The city looks like a new industrial world built on old foundations and poverty. The film gives the overwhelming impression of being shot in sepia though the filter is used sparingly. I suppose it's a handy metaphor for the central protagonist's murky morals - determined to bring justice to the world from a personal desire for vengeance. That being said, the beginning...

afy9mab 31.08.2005 · Read review
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Review of Batman Begins (DVD)

The Beginning Starts Here

Advantages: Dark tone creates interest / Narrative is original / Play on words is imaginative
Disadvantages: incest theme may raise eyebrows / A little short and sometimes rushed

...Book Info: Name: The Bad Beginning Author: Daniel Handler (AKA Lemony Snicket) Released: September 1999 Series: Book one in 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' Awards: Nevada Young Readers Award, Colorado Children's Award, Nene Award RRP: £6.99 Children's books are special, very special indeed. There is something very imaginative and creative with each one, and a pleasing innocence, even with novels of dark tone, playfully skip from page to page. First published in 1999, Lemony Snicket's 'The Bad Beginning' is the first book in a series of 13 wonderfully titled 'A Series of Unfortunate Events'. With only 163 pages, would it captivate my attention or is this best kept for the children? Lemony Snicket plays the role of the narrator as if he is actually in the book, apparently he is so...

dan_pentagram 31.01.2009 · Read review
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Review of The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket

BATMAN BEGINS

Advantages: The bonus disks
Disadvantages: none

...Since the original Batman movie by Tim Burton and Batman Returns, the sequels have been pretty poor. It's no wonder Warner Bros have finally decided to ditch carrying on where they left off and completely start again. Christopher Nolen the director of this new movie, finally goes back to Batman's roots, reviving the much loved dark crusader. His version of the Black Knight is far more what the comic books portrayed him as, and does Batman great justice. Nolen completely starts from the beginning (hence the title), following the story of how Bruce Wayne becomes Batman. I never thought anyone would play Batman as good as Michael Keaton from the original movie, Val Kilmer's portrayal was very quirky, and George Clooney, OH DEAR! But Nolen's dark angel, Christopher Bale, more than does the Batman character justice. He is more darker...

dempsey_review 06.10.2005 · Read review
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Review of Batman Begins (DVD)

Begin to Hope

Advantages: Quirky, charming, emotive vocals, great songwriting
Disadvantages: None

...Regina Spektor follows in a long line of kooky female singer songwriters - Kate Bush, Fiona Apple and Tori Amos to name but a few - and in my opinion when it comes to singer songwriters, the wackier the better. Begin to Hope is her third studio album and second major label release and should have been the album that catapulted her to worldwide fame. Although I'd be pushed to say it quite achieved that (after all, how many of you are reading this thinking "oh yes, Regina Spektor, I know her well") it did give her a more widespread following, with airplay on Radio Two and even a slot on Jonathan Ross's chatshow. Regina Spektor was born in Moscow but grew up in New York, and this cultural mix is reflected clearly in the eclectic mix of styles she employs. She has a strong background in classical piano which is a massive strength in her...

bubblegum_princess 22.06.2009 · Read review
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Review of Begin To Hope - Regina Spektor

In the beginning...

Advantages: The Batman legend begins, and in style.
Disadvantages: Some might argue there's not enough action.

...I was very apprehensive about Batman Begins for a number of reasons. The first being that I thought Christopher Nolan had a hard job following up Tim Burton's excellent Batman and Batman Returns, which I adored when they were first released. However, I was also very wary that Batman Begins could be a continuation of the camp, garish adventures that were Batman and Robin or Batman Forever. When his chance at revenge against his parents' killer is taken from him, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) takes to wandering the planet incognito, studying the criminal mind. Part of this journey has meant that he's landed in an Asian prison where he regularly gets into trouble with other inmates. After one such altercation, Bruce Wayne is taken away where the mysterious Henri Ducard (Liam Neeson) offers him a chance to fulfil his goal. Upon his...

TheDuke 13.01.2006 (15.01.2006) · Read review
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Review of Batman Begins

Batman Begins cures a run of bad features

Advantages: Everything
Disadvantages: Nothing

...Batman Begins Batman - A Little History Batman is a dark superhero, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in the 1930s, and published by DC Comics. He is the alter-ego of Bruce Wayne, millionaire orphaned at a young age. Following the TV series of the superhero's adventures with his sidekick Robin in the 1960s, in 1989 Tim Burton directed Michael Keaton and Jack Nicholson in 'Batman', a very dark film which carried a '12' rating (first to have this rating) which was ater changed to a '15' and was both critically and commercially acclaimed. Then followed another 3 films centred around Batman, but each dwindled in quality, until the Dark Knight was wearing a brightly coloured uniform and equipped with snappy one-liners that, well, just weren't really very snappy. It was decided enough was enough with the feature films, until...

pmcds 15.03.2008 · Read review
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Review of Batman Begins (DVD)

So It Begins...again...

Advantages: Different Approach
Disadvantages: Length, sparse action, no extras at all

...2005 Rating 12 2 hours and 15 minutes Widescreen Cast and Principals '' Bruce Wayne / Batman....Christian Bale Dr Jonathan Crane / The Scarecrow....Cillian Murphy Henri Ducard....Liam Neeson Rachel Dawes....Katie Holmes Carmine Falcone...Tom Wilkinson Jim Gordon....Gary Oldman Alfred....Michael Caine Lucius Fox....Morgan Freeman Earle....Rutger Hauer Director....Christopher Nolan ('Insomnia' and 'Memento') Plot ' Batman Begins deals with the origins of the Batman legend. It commences with a childhood incident which first instills the fear of bats in to the young Bruce Wayne (Gus Lewis). We are led through a brief insight in to Bruce's childhood, where his parents (Linus Roache and Sara Stewart) are shown to be likeable, upstanding citizens who, along...

dc1971 06.05.2006 · Read review
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Review of Batman Begins (DVD)

Batman Begins ... again!

Advantages: Brilliant, non stop action film ... as Batman should be!
Disadvantages: None!

...Batman Begins takes the whole Batman series of films away from the awful comic look and feel, and takes it down a more serious, darker route. Even though Batman originated from a comic, I just didn't take to the original series of film. In my opinion, Batman Begins is where Batman belongs. Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) escapes from Gotham City following the murder of his parents. On his travels, he ends up in a foreign prison, where he is rescued by (Liam Neeson). teaches Bruce to fight in the ways of the ninja, and ultimately asks Bruce to join his army. Bruce kindly declines by setting the temple, where he learnt his new arts, alight (which I personally thought was a bit harsh of him)! Bruce returns to Gotham, under the watchful eye of his faithful butler Alfred (Michael Caine), to become Batman, and sets about...

danmclovin 25.07.2008 · Read review
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Review of Batman Begins (DVD)

The Good Beginning of a Great series

Advantages: Good plot and twists, easy to read
Disadvantages: It's not a happy book

...the selling point. I usually do prefer happy books but I still found that I enjoyed this book even though it is not at all happy. Three wealthy siblings, who have wonderful lives, they live in a huge mansion with their loveable parents, are clever, and have tonnes of money and plenty of friends. It sounds a lovely happy story doesn't it? But (shame there always has to be a but!) the children's misfortunes begin one grey day on Briny Beach when Mr Poe tells them that their parents have perished in a fire that destroyed the whole house, and as if that wasn't bad enough, they are sent to live with the evil Count Olaf, a distant relative. Count Olaf is a vile person who makes the children cook and clean for him. The children soon discover a shocking secret - he is planning to steal their wealth. He is determined to steal the Baudelaires' fortune...

bluejules 04.02.2006 · Read review
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Review of The Bad Beginning - Lemony Snicket