The Dark Knight Rises Review

I bought my tickets for The Dark Knight Rises (the conclusion to director Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy) on Fandango on Tuesday. I had to pay some kind of $1.25 processing fee, but I also got to use something I'd never heard of before, a "mobile ticket" -- meaning, I didn't have to print out a paper ticket, I could just show my phone to the guy inside the theatre. I wasn't so excited that I wanted to go to a midnight screening, but wanting to see it in my relatively spoiler free state as soon as possible, and with Friday off of work, I signed up to see it at my local Southern California theatre at 9AM Friday morning. Then I woke up and turned on the news.


It was a little spooky going to the theatre to see TDKR after hearing about the shooting in Colorado last night. I kept looking at the emergency exit door during the movie (an usher can in at the beginning of the film to check and make sure it was secured). The trailer for "Gangster Squad" which shows men shooting into a movie theatre crowd was certainly in poor taste (I read afterwards that it has since been pulled). But I wasn't going to let some madman with a gun ruin my movie going experience!


The SPOILER-FREE Part of My Review:


Now, the film. I don't know how to describe it exactly, but it didn't really have the power to pull me in like Nolan's other Batman films. Bane was OK (his voice took some getting used to - it must have all been dubbed post-production, right? Could he even talk while shooting)? But Catwoman was great! I'm not a big Anne Hathaway fan, but her turn as Selina Kyle was the most fun part of this film. She gets some of the best fighting sequences, too. I also like Joseph Gordon Levitt as Blake, but I'm always a sucker for JGL. His first scene with Bruce Wayne cuts right to the chase in a way I found refreshing for a movie I knew going in was going to be almost three hours long. While Marion Cotillard was OK and everything, there didn't really seem to be much point in her being there - especially when she was an expert in doing things that Morgan Freeman could already do, but more on that later. I also really didn't really care for Matthew Modine's stupid pointless cop character.


Overall, I liked the film, but I wouldn't call it a must-see on the big screen. And now for...


The SPOILER-FILLED Part of My Review:


The best surprise for me was not at the end, but seeing Cillian Murphy back AGAIN as Dr. Crane! I was so excited to see him in the second film; this time was just as much of a fun surprise! He, like JGL, is a favorite of mine and is always great in everything he does.


So, as much as I wanted to stay spoiler-free going in, we pretty much all knew that Bane was bound to break Batman's back and/or kill him. We also knew Cotillard was probably going to be Talia Al Ghul. I mean, right?? It seems like some people thought Bruce Wayne would retire as Batman (or die, or be put in a wheelchair) and that JGL would take over the cowl, but I guess he's, what, Robin, right? That kind of makes sense because, well, he is little.


It seemed to me that the movie took place a year after the last film, but from what I have read, it is supposed to be eight years later. That seems like a lot.


Random thoughts:

• If you know anything about foreshadowing, the second they show those flashbacks of Alfred in Italy, you know exactly how the film is going to end, right? I mean, it's textbook.

• This movie was about some kind of clean power stuff, right? Also, did we really need the whole Liam Neeson/League of Shadows connection? Bane could have just been Bane, and Bruce Wayne did not need a sex scene. Random. But the guy playing young Liam Neeson did look a lot like a young Liam Neeson, I thought.

• How cool was the motorcycle stuff?! I loved the stock exchange guy with the douchey blue shirt/white collar on the back of the bike!

• I was glad to see Batman's big-ass-tired motorcycle back for this film (and Catwoman gets to ride it a lot) but I didn't really like the Bat Helicopter thing they used so much in this. It was really cartoonish compared to his other bat vehicles which, while strange, always kind of made sense in the they-are-military-prototypes sense. Was there even a Batmobile? No?

• When Catwoman stole Bruce Wayne's fancy sports car after the charity ball, did he ever get it back?? I don't remember.

• I recognized Hines Ward as one of the football players.

• Why did Alfred need to leave?

• I liked the airplane sequence at the beginning.

• Plus, it's always nice to see Nestor Carbonell's eyelashes.

Did you see it? What did you think? Don't want to see it? Why not? As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments. Until next (bat) time!

Starbucks Refreshers Review

They spelled my name right!

Yesterday Starbucks gave out free samples of their new product - Starbucks Refreshers. They are low calorie fruit-flavored drinks with green coffee and... well, I'll let this blurb from their website explain it:

Swing by one of our stores for new Starbucks Refreshers™ handcrafted beverages. These low-calorie drinks are made with real ingredients like whole blackberries, lime slices and fruit juice, and are combined with Green Coffee Extract for a thirst-quenching boost of natural energy.

They come in two flavors, Cool Lime and Very Berry Hibiscus (which I tried). It tasted OK - with a little bit of a weird aftertaste. Only sixty calories for a tall, they are made with that Stevia fake sugar stuff, of which I am not a big fan. It was cool and would make a good choice in the afternoon, if you had already had enough coffee but wanted some more caffeine.

Will I try it again? I think I'll try the lime one out, but my 130 calorie soy latte can probably rest easily.

Have you tried it yet? Be sure to leave a comment.

Things I Bought... Yellow Bag

I just ordered this bag from Urban Outfitters. A yellow bag - so bold!


I'll add a review after it arrives!


Update: While this bag is cute, it is too small to really be a crossbody bag. The strap is really short - I had to adjust it all the way down. The top of the bag where the strap attaches its too short, so the bad ends up digging in to your body when you wear it across (which I must do since I have to be hands-free to walk two dogs or ride a scooter). 


It's a really cute bag and, despite its small size, fits everything I need inside. I'm going to keep it, but I might go back to using my old, slightly larger, bag for my day-to-day purse needs.

Breathe Right Strips

You have probably seen the commercials for Breathe Right Strips (the link takes you to Amazon). Maybe, like me, you thought they were just for people who snore. I recently tried them, however, and they are incredible! I never thought of myself as someone with sleeping or breathing problems, but I noticed my nose feeling a little stuffy lately, especially in the morning. That's when I decided to try the strips.


Now, there are different kinds of strips: original tan in small/medium is what I use. The clear kind has weird things at the top that stick to the delicate skin under my eye, so I don't like those. I've never tried the menthol.


The strip has a sticky back like a band-aid. You stick it on the top of your nose and it causes your airways to open. You have to stick it on just right, so it takes a little practice. Taking it off in the morning is easy - it comes off the best with hot water, say, in the shower - but you can also just peel it off.


I think the strip really does help me sleep/breathe. The only problem I've had was the morning I forgot to take it off and went to the park to walk my dogs - greeting several neighbors in the process. Well, maybe they thought I was going for a run, as some athletes like bike riders wear them.


I'm going to bring some for my mom to try when I go to visit her. She has problems sleeping. I'll let you know how it goes.


If anyone has tried the menthol ones, please leave a comment and let us know what you think!