Tom Hardy: The Villain Bane in 'The Dark Knight Rises'

Tom Hardy has been in another Christopher Nolan film, Inception.  Yes, I remember him there! He was some kind of mercenary or something.  What I most remember him though was in the romcom This Means War opposite Reese Witherspoon.  Now that movie was a lot of fun!

Now, Tom stars in a role that will always be compared to that Oscar-winning portrayal of the late Heath Ledger.  Nope, he's not going to play Joker, but another Batman villain Bane, and this time, Tom only has his eyes to use as an acting device since his face will be covered by a mask!

The Dark Knight Rises: The Final Installment

I actually only saw The Dark Knight on HBO but I was hooked on it and was impressed by what Christopher Nolan did to the Batman franchise!  No wonder, even the Oscar voters were raving about it! There was an actual story behind it!  So here comes the final installment to the franchise and this time, Tom Hardy plays Christian Bale's Batman nemesis.  It also looks just as promising!

Death Hounds The Dark Knight

Don't get me wrong.  I love The Dark Knight - the movie!  Well, I didn't bother to watch it during it's theatrical release here in Manila since I was not really into Batman - but when I saw it on HBO about two years ago - I was virtually shocked to discover that the movie I was watching was The Dark Knight!  I thought it was a dark, political thriller!  It was THAT impressive!  

However, I join the rest of the world in expressing shock and sadness that the movie has once again been the backdrop of another tragedy.  We were all shocked to learn of Heath Ledger's untimely death after The Dark Knight finished filming.  Now, its sequel, The Dark Knight Rises acquires an even more tragic resonance with a real-life cinema shooting forever attached to its notoriety. I don't think Hollywood would be touching Batman for a while......

Marion Cotillard: Quite A Surprise in The Dark Knight Rises

Marion Cotillard has been some kind of muse for Christopher Nolan in his films and to see her again here in The Dark Knight Rises made me think I was watching Inception again.  I admit I was surprised about her role here - sometimes Marion's angelic face can hide a deceiving role - which is what she did here in this movie.  I admit I too was taken by the twist in the end - and Marion's countenance certainly helped achieve that goal!