When it comes to a perfect trailer, you need to have a perfect blend of epic action, epic dialogue, epic characters, epic moments, and just plain epicness. The new Dark Knight Rises trailer trumps all of that and earns the “You must stop what you are doing and watch this right now” award.

With more footage and dialogue from Anne Hathaway as Catwoman, as well as an easily heard Bane causing absolute chaos, this is shaping up as the proper Batman finale we deserve AND need. Be warned: you may just forget how excited you where about that other movie about superheroes.

I’m going to shut up now and allow you to pass out from epicness:

Dark Knight Rises hits theatres not soon enough on July 20, 2012.

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Bootlegs have been popping up over the weekend but Warner Bros. has today released the second official trailer for The Dark Knight Rises. It begins with Alfred worrying about Bruce and slowly builds, with Selina Kyle warning him “there’s a storm coming, Mr. Wayne”. Then chants begin, a football field crumbles, Bane emerges, and the Batwing roars down a Gotham street. We also get brief glimpses at Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Gary Oldman.

Watch below:

The Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20th, 2012. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles alongside Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

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Anarchy ensues on the streets of Gotham City, at least that’s what we get out of the recent batch of videos coming from the set of The Dark Knight Rises, now filming in New York. Three videos showing different takes from what looks like an important scene in the movie found their way onto YouTube and thanks to IGN, we have them here for you. As always, if you want to go into The Dark Knight Rises spoiler-free, I recommend you skip this.

In the last video we see Batman going up against Bane in the middle of the street, surrounded by people beating the crap out of each other. SPOILER, if you ask me, it doesn’t seem like he’s winning that fight. Also, with so many extras on the set, this looks really expensive, not to mention they are filming on Wall Street no less. This could end up costing easily $250 million when done. But considering The Dark Knight made over $1 billion in box office receipts worldwide, Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. spared no expenses on this one.

There’s also a video showing some photos of Batman and Bane from the set:

Directed by Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight Rises stars Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine and Liam Neeson. Set to open July 20th 2012, The Dark Knight Rises is easily one of the most highly anticipated movies of next year and videos like this only serve to send the hype meter into overdrive.

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According to Deadline Anne Hathaway has closed a deal to join Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe in Les Miserables, the movie adaptation of the classic novel and Broadway musical set in 19th-century France which has Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) directing.

Hathaway will play Fantine, a factory worker who faces increasingly dire circumstances as she tries to provide for her young daughter Cosette. Crowe will play Javert, the uncompassionate police inspector who will stop at nothing to recapture Jean Valjean (Jackman), the man who steals bread to feed his sister and spends the ensuing years in prison (or trying to escape it) while also becoming the guardian of Cosette. Helena Bonham Carter, who worked with Hooper on The King’s Speech, will play Thenardier’s greedy wife.

William Nicholson (Gladiator) has adapted the screenplay based on Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel. Working Title (Atonement) are producing, as is Sir Cameron MacKintosh who produced the stage version of the musical. Filming will begin later this year for a December 7, 2012 release date.

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Warner Bros. released our first official look at Anne Hathaway in her Catwoman costume back in August and it seemed Christopher Nolan had replaced the traditional ‘cat ears’ with hi-tech goggles.

However some new set images have appeared online over at Just Jared of Anne Hathaway in her costume, and she’s wearing cat ears.

In past incarnations the cat ears have mainly been used for aesthetic reasons, giving the character a more feline appearance to fit with the name, but here Nolan seems to have given them a practical use. The primary function of these hi-tech goggles is still unknown, but when not in use they could give the appearance of cat ears on top of her head. If that’s the idea it’s quite a smart and interesting take on the design, but we’ll have to see if they work on-screen when The Dark Knight Rises hits next July.

You can see more set images, which include Christian Bale in his Batman suit and Gary Oldman as Comissioner Gordon, by clicking here.

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We’ve seen Tom Hardy as Bane, and we’ve had two movies to see Christian Bale as Batman, so now Warner Bros. has decided to give people a glimpse at Anne Hathaway as Catwoman (who was absent from the teaser trailer).

The image above appeared online over at the official website, TheDarkKnightRises.com, and appears to show Selina Kyle riding the Batpod. There’s no traditional ‘cat ears’ so this could be Selina Kyle before she becomes Catwoman, or it could be her final look. We’ll have to wait and see.

For larger version of the image above click here!

The Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20th, 2012 and filming is still taking place. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles alongside Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

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SHH has received word from “a trustworthy source” that the teaser trailer for The Dark Knight Rises will be attached to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 when it is released next weekend. Not only that, Warner Bros. will also be releasing a teaser poster in the near future.

The site says the teaser trailer is a minute and 33 seconds long and will play in 3D theaters, 2D theaters and IMAX 3D screens. Trailers are usually released during the week, around Wednesday, but so far there has been no confirmation as to when the teaser will appear online.

The Dark Knight Rises is set for release on July 20th, 2012 and is currently filming. Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman will reprise their roles alongside Anne Hathaway (Catwoman), Tom Hardy (Bane), Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

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Is it a bad thing when the animation tells a better story than the characters’ dialogue? Can voice-over work really hamper a CGI cartoon?  The answer to these interrogatories is both yes and no.

Rio is 96 minutes of splendid visuals and vibrant characters. The flick is flying high until some of them start to open their mouths. More specifically, beaks. Now one should know that yours truly screened this the morning after a healthy night of birthday celebrating.  So although the professionalism of this review will remain high (well, by my standards), I do believe in full disclosure.

Blu (voiced by Jesse Eisenberg) is a macaw who was removed from his natural habitat at birth and happened to “land” in Minnesota. He was found by a young girl, who took the cute little guy in and raised him with an abundance of love. As Linda (voiced by Leslie Mann) and Blu look out for each other in their daily activities, a random young scientist named Tulio (Rodrigo Santoro) enters Linda’s book store and begs her to allow him to bring her and Blu to Rio de Janeiro. His reason is a noble one, for he wants to ensure the survival of the macaw species by having Blu mate with Jewel (voiced by Anne Hathaway).

Jewel is very independent and is confused by the domesticated behavior of Blu. All she wants to do is escape the conservation lab and fly free. Blu just wants to hang with Linda, but is suddenly love struck after meeting Jewel.  Meanwhile, a group of thugs are trying to capture the rare species and sell the two non-love birds for a profit.  With the help of their enforcer bird Nigel (voiced by Jemaine Clement), the chase is on for Blu and Jewel. Since Blu is unable to fend for himself in the wild (can’t fly, prefers to stay on the ground), they elicit help from a toucan named Rafael (voiced by George Lopez); who guides them around the city that is currently playing hosts to one of the biggest parties in the world…Carnival.

The animated Rio de Janeiro is depicted and shot beautifully. Your eyes will be fixated on how the cinematography captured the full-scope of the city while following the two birds through city streets and the surrounding forest. Mechanically speaking, there is not one issue to take up with how this was packaged. But the choosing of a few cast members will ruffle your feathers.

Jesse Eisenberg’s voice is just not doing it here. It feels awkward every time he talks. The natural charisma physically shown on screen, is negated by the lifeless dialogue. It’s funny how good actors sometimes fail with these voice over duties (Elijah Wood in 9 anyone?). On the other hand, Anne Hathaway is a prime example on how a voice can enhance a character. Thankfully the script attaches (literally) these two characters together for most of the story, so the audience is not stuck with just listening to the bland Blu.

Speaking of bland, this story is about as fundamental as they come. It reminds one of Lady and the Tramp, but doesn’t have the steady heartbeat that doggie love story/adventure emitted. The most touching scenes occur when no words are spoken in Rio. Especially in the opening and climatic moments. Yet everything between is just blah. If it wasn’t for the enticing camera work, and the colorful supporting cast, all ages would fly away from this piece.

Overall, Rio has the looks that kill (in a good way). Problem is, the story and some of the performances didn’t have the personality to match. The younger audiences will be entranced by the animation and the story is simplistic enough, where it will not zoom over their heads. However, not all the material will penetrate yours.

RATING: 2.5 out of 5

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We know The Dark Knight Rises will include Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Tom Hardy as Bane, but what will these villains be getting up to in the film? Christopher Nolan has been keeping plot details to himself, however a source got in touch with Badass Digest and revealed some pretty big things regrading who and what Batman will be facing this time round.

Potential spoilers:

As she herself confirmed, Anne Hathaway will be Catwoman in the movie. I can’t tell you what role she has in the beginning, but by the end of the story Catwoman isn’t a villain but rather an ally of Batman. And who are they teaming up to take out?

The League of Shadows.

Headed by Talia Al’Ghul. With Bane, who is her muscle/possible love interest. And with Joseph Gordon-Levitt in tow. Is he playing Black Mask? My source didn’t know, but did know that Levitt is certainly an antagonist and involved with the League of Shadows.”

Following on from this Batman-On-Film.com posted on their Facebook page that this plot summary is indeed true:

“FYI: Some TDKR details have leaked. I know that they are true because I’ve known about it for a few weeks now.”

The League of Shadows was a group of vigilante ninjas led by Ra’s al Ghul (Liam Neeson) in Batman Begins. It looks like his daughter Talia Al’Ghul (who may be played by Marion Cotillard) is out for revenge.

What do you think of these plot details?

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The Academy Awards didn’t do much to surprise us this year. All the acting categories were won by the expected nominees, and The King’s Speech took home the Best Picture prize. The royal biopic also picked up Best Actor for Colin Firth, Best Director for Tom Hooper, and Best Original Screenplay for David Seidler.

Inception tied The King’s Speech for the most awards with a whopping four statuettes, winning Cinematography, Visual Effects, and both Sound prizes. The Social Network followed with three wins: Adapted Screenplay, Film Editing, and Original Score.

The biggest eyebrow raise, in terms of awards, came when Tom Hooper grabbed the Best Director trophy. Although going in it appeared to be a toss-up between him and David Fincher (The Social Network’s director), I think a lot of people expected Fincher to win on the grounds that he is a much more familiar face around Hollywood. Hooper’s win seems to reinforce the correlation between Best Picture and Best Director winners, as well as between DGA and Oscar winners.

One of the biggest disappointments of the night was Inside Job’s victory over Exit Through the Gift Shop for Documentary Feature – not because Inside Job is undeserving of the award, but because I really wanted to see notoriously secretive graffiti artist Banksy accept an Oscar.

All in all the awards ceremony seemed to be a battle between the older generation and the younger generation. Case in point: The Social Network vs. The King’s Speech – Facebook vs. British Royalty. This battle was also nicely represented by 94 year old Kirk Douglas fighting over his cane with the young guy staged as his assistant.  Likewise, 29 year old Natalie Portman (Black Swan) beat out 52 year old Annette Bening (The Kids Are All Right) for Best Actress.

On the surface it seemed like the Academy was going for younger, cooler feel, having fresh-faced Anne Hathaway and James Franco host, and presenting goofy videos like the autotuned sound bites from Toy Story 3, Eclipse, The Social Network, and Harry Potter.  Ultimately, however, the older side won out, with the traditional feel-gooder, The King’s Speech, walking away with top honors, and Randy Newman winning his second Oscar for Best Original Song after a mind-boggling twenty nominations over his career.

While I enjoyed the new face of the Oscars (following James Franco’s twitter feed over the course of the evening was highly entertaining), I hope its classy, old school vibe never dissipates completely. The tributes to Bob Hope, Gone With the Wind, and Lena Horne, were all very nice. Especially compared to Melissa Leo’s wonderfully uncensored acceptance speech.

You can see a list of all the winners and nominees here.

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