Matthew R. Reis: Film and TV Critic

Risen. From the ashes. 5 Stars Blog Exclusive! The best way to describe "The Dark Knight Rises" (TDKR) is by analogizing it to that of a train leaving a station. It starts off slow and steady, gradually building up steam. When it's operating at full tilt anything can happen. In "Rises" Bruce Wayne/Batman (played by Christian Bale) has to overcome demons starting from the somber opening sequence all the way through a twist filled conclusion. Along the way he meets alluring personalities such as the devious, sexy criminal Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) and Bane (Tom Hardy), a ruthless mercenary threatening to become Gotham's reckoning. Batman stands in his way, but Bane's his strongest adversary yet. Only the will of ordinary people banded together can help save the city. Aiding TDKR story are many grandiose set-pieces, Wally Pfister's flawless, sweeping cinematography and Hans Zimmer's genre bending score. Even minor details even feel like they...

All Statham, all the time. (Now on DVD) 3 Stars As Featured in: The Ithacan After starring in 2002’s “The Transporter,” Jason Statham has earned a “tough guy” reputation. But in “The Mechanic,” Statham proves he is more than a one-trick pony in his dramatic performance as Arthur Bishop, a hit man who lives to kill. Set in the post-Katrina city of New Orleans, Tony Goldwyn plays Dean, a corporate executive whose clerical persona is a dark and convincing lie. He is really the leader of a global network of assassins, and Bishop happens to be his most trusted killer for hire. But their business relationship sours when Bishop’s mentor, Harry McKenna (Donald Sutherland), ends up on Dean’s hit list. Lewis John Carlino, who penned the original film script for the 1972 “Mechanic,” revamps the movie for the current generation. Despite the success of the first film and the modern twists in the remake, Carlino and Richard Wenk’s screenplay will leave a bad taste in audiences’ mouths. The l...