Listening Post

For those who haven't yet heard this, Hans Zimmer composed and recorded what's essentially an updated version of The End from the soundtrack to The Dark Knight and released it as a tribute to those who died in the Aurora, Colorado shooting.

The source material was excellent to begin with -- it's one of the most powerful compositions Zimmer has put together in years -- but this is simply an extraordinary piece of music.

Here's Aurora.

Dark Days

I'll make this quick.

In the first movie in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight series, Batman Begins, a determined Bruce Wayne finds that there are those who take a much more scorched earth approach when it comes to their desire to fight crime. He comes up against R'as Al Ghul, who believes that Gotham has become so irredeemably corrupt that it must be completely destroyed, that the slate must be wiped clean and the clock reset. This, he says, is the natural order of things. Wayne, however, feels differently; he believes that one man, living by the courage of his convictions, can turn things around and show the good people still left out there that justice can triumph. He believes he can act as an example to inspire the noble and a symbol to terrify the evil.

Batman's very reason for existence, his statement of purpose, is the first layer of sickening irony to last night's shooting in Aurora, Colorado at the premiere of The Dark Knight Rises. But I can't help thinking that it's not the only one.

We know now what will follow. We know the politicization of this tragedy that's to come and the ghoulishly vulturine media feeding frenzy. We know the bitter debate over guns in our society that will infuriate and sadden anyone with a conscience but will ultimately be futile thanks to a select group of very powerful zealots for whom guns are nothing short of a necessary extension of their own flaccid masculinity. We know the almost certain picketing of the funerals of the victims by a handful of monsters for whom any violent death, even that of a kid who simply wanted to see a movie he or she was looking forward to, represents God's entirely deserved wrath upon our society. We know all of this -- and more.

And as we watch, I won't be able to stop thinking about my very first reaction to this heartbreaking atrocity: What the hell is wrong with us?

I want to believe in what the fictional Dark Knight stands for. But I see something like this and I can't help but feel that maybe R'as Al Ghul was the one who was right.

Quote of the Day

"Have you heard, this new movie, the Batman movie -- what is it, the Dark Knight Lights Up or something? Whatever the name of it is. That's right, Dark Knight Rises, Lights Up, same thing. Do you know the name of the villain in this movie? Bane. The villain in the Dark Knight Rises is named Bane. B-A-N-E. What is the name of the venture capital firm that Romney ran, and around which there's now this make-believe controversy? Bain. The movie has been in the works for a long time, the release date's been known, summer 2012 for a long time. Do you think that it is accidental, that the name of the really vicious, fire-breathing, four-eyed, whatever-it-is villain in this movie is named Bane? ... Anyway, so this evil villain in the new Batman movie is named Bane. And there's now discussion out there as to whether or not this was purposeful, and whether or not it will influence voters. It's going to have a lot of people. This movie, the audience is going to be huge, lot of people are going to see the movie. And it's a lot of brain-dead people, entertainment, the pop culture crowd. And they're going to hear 'Bane' in the movie, and they are going to associate Bain. And the thought is that when they start paying attention to the campaign later in the year, and Obama and the Democrats keep talking about Bain, not Bain Capital, but Bain, Romney and Bain, that these people will think back to the Batman movie -- 'Oh yeah, I know who that is.' There are some people who think it will work. There are some people think it will work. Others think -- 'You're really underestimating the American people who think that will work.'"

-- Rush Limbaugh

And there you have it, at long last: the single dumbest thing that's ever been said by any human being in the history of mankind. Mark your calendars -- some day you'll be able to tell your grandkids you were there when it happened.

...Before the Dawn

With my excitement for The Avengers and Prometheus consuming my summer movie jones lately, I had kind of pushed The Dark Knight Rises to the back of my mind.

This final trailer for it fixed that problem nicely.

Holy hell does this look excellent.

Picture of the Day

Need I say more?

Mr. Joe Rising

It's been a rumor for a while given how Nolan likes to work with the same people more than once, but this is the best news I've heard all day (well, besides the county agreeing to drop those solicitation charges).

Entertainment Weekly: 'The Dark Knight Rises' May Add Joseph Gordon-Levitt to the Cast/2.2.11