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[TJ Verboten]

It's explained in the article though, it's just another cheap shallow reference to A Tale of Two Cities. The entire movie felt like a fan fiction wankfest of a relatively smart dude who just read the book and felt so enamored by it that he couldn't help himself from framing his entire new Batman movie with themes and references to the story, even when they felt forced and cheap. And everyone suffered for it.

The Tale of Two Cities references amount to -
a 2 second shot of Bane tying a knot/knitting, and
the poignant eulogy that Gordon gives at the end

Cheap, shallow, fan fiction wankfest is overly harsh.
This isn't like Nolan hammering the poem in Interstellar.

Pretentious?
Again we're talking about a 2 second shot of Bane, that 99% of the audience didn't even notice.

For as much criticism as Nolan gets for being -
- exposition heavy
- having his characters spell out the themes of his movies a little too much....

The use of the Tale of Two Cities references in Rises are pretty subtle on Nolan's part.

You still have dopes complaining about the politics in Rises from both the left and right, trying to tie it to Occupy Wall Street, when the script was written before Occupy happened, and the 'politics' of the movie, if anything, are an exploration of French revolutionary politics in the modern age.
Which I'll concede saying that last sentence out loud, sounds kinda "pretentious".
Having said that, the exploration of those politics are pretty surface layer, an introduction of an idea, that the movie isn't that interested in exploring in any detail.
It's why I've wished that the second act Gotham under seige part of the movie had more time to breathe, could've gotten even more interesting, but perhaps that IMAX runtime limit forced Nolan to keep it lean.

Rises is flawed, as has been debated on this forum ad nauseam since its release, but its Tale of Two Cities "references" is something I thought the movie did well.
Zimmer's music and Gordon's eulogy are a beautiful stretch of the movie.
For all of its flaws, the last 15 minutes of Rises are immensely satisfying stuff imo.

 

[Northeastmonk]

He isn't knitting, sources say, it's a 550 paracord used by the military.

 

[TheGreatDirector]

That's a big scarf...

FOR YOU.

 

[Wag]

He's tying up some lose ends.

 

[More_Badass]

Please, Anton Chigurh ? More iconic than Tom Hardy's Bane?

He said like 10 words the entire movie. He was a guy with a bad haircut, no personality, and no backstory.

Bardem as Chigurh was more menacing than Bane ever was. I liked TDKR, but the two characters don't even come close

 

[Simo]

True story: Tom Hardy actually likes to knit. He did so on TDKR and during the 8 month shoot in Namibia for Mad Max he also taught Nicholas Hoult and other cast members how to knit during the shoot and make a paracord bracelet. lol

 

[Eidan]

Maybe if you only limited it to comic book movies.

[/URL]

Nope. I'm leaving it open to all movies.

Edit: As I said, "iconic" is determined in retrospect. Easy Rider is 20 years older than Batman, yet he's as or almost as well-known for being in that movie as he is for being The Joker. It's one of the foundational roles for the most artistically accomplished period in American cinematic history, to this point. As time goes on, the balance will tip even more in the earlier movie's favor, as the Burton Batman movie will become just one in a long line of superhero flicks.

This is sounding more and more like some weird hang up you have with comic book movies.

 

[A_Gorilla]

I never noticed!

What a SHIT film.

Fixed for you.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Maybe if you only limited it to comic book movies.

I don't know. I think it's hard to talk about movie villains these days because I feel like most movies don't give a fuck to flesh them out any more, whether it's comic book movies or not. They are mostly just there to punch and be punched.

 

[Blader]

I didn't say that NO comic book villains get remembered. The vast majority are not, however, and my contention is that Nolan's films are among those that will be consigned to historical obscurity, given the ever-expanding pool of comic book movies that are being made these days. Nicholson's Joker was a big fish in a smaller pond in the late 1980s.

Edit: As I said, "iconic" is determined in retrospect. Easy Rider is 20 years older than Batman, yet he's as or almost as well-known for being in that movie as he is for being The Joker. It's one of the foundational roles for the most artistically accomplished period in American cinematic history, to this point. As time goes on, the balance will tip even more in the earlier movie's favor, as the Burton Batman movie will become just one in a long line of superhero flicks.

I would argue far more people are aware of Nicholson's Joker than they are that he was even in Easy Rider at all.

 

[Maxim726X]

Please, Anton Chigurh ? More iconic than Tom Hardy's Bane?

He said like 10 words the entire movie. He was a guy with a bad haircut, no personality, and no backstory.

Get the fuck out of here.

He was one of the most menacing villains I've ever seen on film. He was the best part of an amazing movie.

 

[More_Badass]

I would argue far more people are aware of Nicholson's Joker than they are that he was even in Easy Rider at all.

I've never even heard of Easy Rider, but I'm familiar with Nicholson's Joker

 

[inky]

I know how to knit as well. Big deal.

John Spartan did it first.

 

[Currygan]

True story: Tom Hardy actually likes to knit. He did so on TDKR and during the 8 month shoot in Namibia for Mad Max he also taught Nicholas Hoult and other cast members how to knit during the shoot and make a paracord bracelet. lol

brb learning to knit

 

[Toothless]

Ugh, I hated Tale of Two Cities. Will never rewatch DKR now, Nolan sucks for acknowledging inferior work.

 

[Rymuth]

To this day, I can never understand how anyone could've witnessed this and said "CUT! That was perfect. Okay, next scene."

 

[Cipherr]

The second most iconic movie villain of the past 10 years.

What in the...

 

[cloud_sleep]

The second most iconic movie villain of the past 10 years.

..of Batman Movies.

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Ugh, I hated Tale of Two Cities. Will never rewatch DKR now, Nolan sucks for acknowledging inferior work.

Now? Did you not pick up on the references during previous viewings? Such as Gordon reading it at the end.

 

[Two Words]

When Bane said "Nobody cared about me until I put on the mask", he was talking about his failed Etsy shop.

 

[Mariolee]

To this day, I can never understand how anyone could've witnessed this and said "CUT! That was perfect. Okay, next scene."

I dunno, it's kinda a real thing so it never really bothered me.

 

[Blader]

To this day, I can never understand how anyone could've witnessed this and said "CUT! That was perfect. Okay, next scene."

Probably wasn't counting on the internet's obsessive gif culture.

 

[Eidan]

What in the...

..of Batman Movies.

I'm getting kinda disappointed in these weak responses. How about you actually say some villains that you think are more iconic?

 

[Extra Sauce]

Never forget.

 

[ReturnOfTheRAT]

I dunno, it's kinda a real thing so it never really bothered me.

The way it's presented should be your problem and Nolan's for a matter of fact. It comes across terribly, no matter how real such a thing is possible.

 

[Higgins113]

He's a big guy

 

[MMarston]

I'm getting kinda disappointed in these weak responses. How about you actually say some villains that you think are more iconic?

Also the thing is, whoever says that they are 2 of the most iconic villains in the last decade aren't really bs-ing because they're not that far off point.

Apart from Anton Chigurh or Smaug and maybe Fassbender's Magneto, I can't really think of any other movie villains that left that big of an impression on me in the last decade.

Either that, or I'm having a helluva brain fart right now.

 

[MattKeil]

Joker. And I disagree on Loki, but I'd love to hear arguments to the contrary.

Avengers was a worldwide phenomenon. TDKR wasn't. While Bane was a more interesting and effective villain than Loki, I guarantee you Loki will be more recognized and remembered longer merely because he was in a vastly more popular movie than Bane. Especially since Batman is about to be reinvented on film yet again, and a new Bane will probably come along soon enough in the DCCU.

 

[MMarston]

Avengers was a worldwide phenomenon. TDKR wasn't. While Bane was a more interesting and effective villain than Loki, I guarantee you Loki will be more recognized and remembered longer merely because he was in a vastly more popular movie than Bane.

I dunno man, I've still been hearing more Bane jokes at school/work (as recently as last week) since TDKR came out, and there were still plenty of people who dressed up as him for Halloween, at least on my end.

 

[Discotheque]

Loki will only be remembered by the Tumblr fanbase, bane by even less though he deserves it more than loki. (That voice was infectious and is fun to imitate)

Anyways best villains of the millennium so far are joker and Anton chigurh. I also really like mckellen's magneto and dafoe's goblin but i don't think they're part of the zeitgeist as much as the joker is

 

[TheKaeptain]

He's making a 550 paracord braid. Believe me I have spent hours just sitting around on guard duty doing the same thing. I know that motion and technique.

 

[Eidan]

I dunno man, I've still been hearing more Bane jokes at school/work (as recently as last week) since TDKR came out, and there were still plenty of people who dressed up as him for Halloween, at least on my end.

Same here, but as I said, Loki is a decent enough answer.

I feel like a lot of people are confusing "iconic" with "best". Thats the only reason I can figure someone would actually think Edwin Epps is a more iconic villain.

 

[TheKaeptain]

That would make sense. But then why is he making a noose in this apparent promotional picture?

Maybe the dude's just one of us and needs a hobby to take his mind off all the murders.

You can see the end of the braid in his hand in this picture.

Bane was probably making friendship bracelets.

 

[Sou Da]

Same here, but as I said, Loki is a decent enough answer.

I feel like a lot of people are confusing "iconic" with "best". Thats the only reason I can figure someone would actually think Edwin Epps is a more iconic villain.

People do this every single time, that's nothing to be surprised about.

 

[Jigorath]

He just wanted to make something nice for Talia. Poor guy was friendzoned so hard.

 

[Tesseract]

christopher nolan is the next stanley kubrick

his genius is interstellarly inceptuous

what a memento

a silent guardsmen

a dork nitrogen

 

[RustyNails]

I always wondered what Bane was doing in this scene

KNITTING!

 

[way more]

As Mightygodking awesomely put it...



That was a fantastic scene, and I feel bad for you that you focused on the most trivial aspect of what was actually going on.

It reminds me of this article that was reprinted.

http://www.slantmagazine.com/house/...problems-of-makebelieve-in-the-age-of-reason#

It predicts the age of "spot the error," type reviewing.

 

[More_Badass]

Also the thing is, whoever says that they are 2 of the most iconic villains in the last decade aren't really bs-ing because they're not that far off point.

Apart from Anton Chigurh or Smaug and maybe Fassbender's Magneto, I can't really think of any other movie villains that left that big of an impression on me in the last decade.

Either that, or I'm having a helluva brain fart right now.

I think Waltz as Landa in Inglorious Basterds was really good

 

[Choomp]

I havent heard of any of those guys before

Pans Laybrinth, 12 Years a Slave, Django Unchained, No Country for Old Men. All great choices from great movies, each one of those guys are sinister and terrifying in their own way.

I think Waltz as Landa in Inglorious Basterds was really good

This is an amazing one too. Christoph Waltz is crazy talented.

 

[Messypandas]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9994nv8BcU

 

[triplestation]

 

[MattKeil]

I dunno man, I've still been hearing more Bane jokes at school/work (as recently as last week) since TDKR came out, and there were still plenty of people who dressed up as him for Halloween, at least on my end.

Bane's a lot easier to do as a costume than Loki. The most important thing is that vastly more children saw Avengers. The female audience also saw Avengers and loved Loki in much larger swaths. Trust me, while I do Bane lines a lot more often than Loki lines, in ten years, everyone will still know Loki, and people will have to have their memory jogged for anything Bane-related that isn't his voice. And even then it'll be "Oh yeah, that was that guy with the mask in the Batman movie."

TDKR just wasn't the cultural touchstone that Avengers and TDK were. Hardy's Bane is great, but there's no way in hell he's more culturally iconic than Loki or, looking forward, Thanos will be.

 

[Aselith]

Avengers was a worldwide phenomenon. TDKR wasn't. While Bane was a more interesting and effective villain than Loki, I guarantee you Loki will be more recognized and remembered longer merely because he was in a vastly more popular movie than Bane. Especially since Batman is about to be reinvented on film yet again, and a new Bane will probably come along soon enough in the DCCU.

Maybe more effective but I think his relationship with Thor is more interesting than anything about Bane personally.

I always wondered what Bane was doing in this scene

Just crouching, man. Sometimes, you gotta crouch,

 

[Toparaman]

Iconic is something that is determined in retrospect. Nobody's gonna be watching any Nolan Batman movie in 20+ years, save as cultural curios, whereas 12 Years a Slave is a great movie by a great artist whose relevance and recognition will wax with time.

I'm pretty sure more people from more generations are going to be watching The Dark Knight in 20 years than 12 Years a Slave. Nolan's a bit of a hack, but he struck gold with The Dark Knight. It's a legitimately great film, and unlike 12 Years, it's also fun to watch.

How many kids born after the heyday of that movie's popularity watch and enjoy it today?

Uh, me? I was born after it came out, and I didn't even properly watch the film until its Blu-Ray release. It's a fun movie with a great performance by Keaton and excellent cinematography and atmosphere.

 

[Mexican Sting]

Iconic is something that is determined in retrospect. Nobody's gonna be watching any Nolan Batman movie in 20+ years

Right. Nobody ever goes back and watches Academy Award winning masterpieces.

Please, Anton Chigurh ? More iconic than Tom Hardy's Bane?

He said like 10 words the entire movie. He was a guy with a bad haircut, no personality, and no backstory.

He's a lot like the Joker. Completely elemental. They come into their stories as moral and physical challenges to the protagonist, and the viewer. Both brilliant performances, as well. Sometimes less is more, dawg.

I'm getting kinda disappointed in these weak responses. How about you actually say some villains that you think are more iconic?

Well it was weak statement to make, frankly It really just makes it seem like you've only seen a handful of movies in the last ten years.

I think Waltz as Landa in Inglorious Basterds was really good

I actually think this role is just iconic as the Joker's. I would probably put Landa in there with Joker, and Daniel Plainview as cinema's most iconic villains of the last decade. Honestly not sure Bane would make the top 5. Especially if we're not limiting it to comic book filims. There's just too many. I've never even seen any of the Harry Potter films and I know who Voldemort is. And I know that a series that has a way wider appeal than TDKR. And Loki has the benefit of recognizability from appearing in two Thor films, on top of the massively successful Avengers.

 

[RustyNails]

Just crouching, man. Sometimes, you gotta crouch to knit properly

Fixed.

 

[TheKaeptain]

I always wondered what Bane was doing in this scene

KNITTING!

Actually he's stirring a stew or something.

 

[Eidan]

Well it was weak statement to make, frankly It really just makes it seem like you've only seen a handful of movies in the last ten years

I've seen the film of every example people have been able to muster. Judging by those examples, I feel like my statement was fairly on point.

 

[Truant]

How does Gordon know Bane's name? They never mention it in front of him.