Christian Bale Books

This is has to be one of the best advertising I have ever seen for an upcoming movie. This is great for anyone who is a fan of Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and looking forward to the upcoming release of The Dark Knight. It is a great read and very amusing. From what I can tell, it just tries to fill you in about what has been going on in Gotham from the close of the first movie to where it will be in The Dark Knight. The quality of the paper is excellent and the pictures are great too. I hope anyone that has it truly enjoys!

Everyone who has been working in these two films has done a great job.
~*RIP Heath Ledger*~

This book is wonderfully written and moving. It is broken up into several short stories that make the reader examine his or her own spiritual experiences. Gospel Subplots can help ease a person's way into the faith by modeling Christianity in everyday life. If it is hard for a person to open up and read a bible, it might be easier to open up Bales' book of short stories. His stories sparked an interest in me to open up the bible and examine my faith.

Susan Bales has written a wonderfully insightful book on the experiences of Catholic children as they prepare for, and participate in, First Communion. This is a must read for Catholic educators of children and their parents. The book is also a treasure trove for scholars of Religion American - filled with rich research and analysis. A gem!

EXCELLENT!!! I wish I could forget all the other Batman movies, even the ones that Tim Burton directed. Although Michelle Pfeifer was pretty hot as Catwoman. If only ALL Super Hero movies were done like this movie. In my opinion this was even better than Spiderman. Even women that I know who don't like super hero movies love, that's right, LOVE, this movie. It is basically a character driven drama with action. And for once, the villains don't upstage the main character as they did with ALL the previous Batman movies. If you are looking for a Super Hero movie that has it all, look no further. THIS IS IT! I can't wait to see the Dark Knight this summer!!!

By Far the Best Batman to come out since the original with Michael Keaton, Christian Bale plays the role of Bruce Wayne perfectly. Excellent Movie

THIS IS THE ONLY BATMAN FILM I HAVE EVER REALLY CARED FOR, BUT BOY DID I LIKE THIS ONE!!!

THIS FILM WAS EXCELLENT IN MY EYES, AND BETTER STILL, THE HD DVD WAS OUTSTANDING. THE VIDEO AND AUDIO ARE STELLAR.

I CAN NOT OVERSTATE THAT THIS IS A MUST OWN FOR ANYONE WITH A HD DVD PLAYER. AND HEY, IF YOU ARE BLU ONLY, PICK THIS UP AS SOON AS IT IS RELEASED.

I erroneously thought that this version was already in Blu-ray but that is not the case since I've yet to see it at either of the 2 leading stores, Circuit City or Best Buy(you have to pre-order at Amazon). Anyway I have it it in HD and it's simply reference quality Hi-Def. Enough has been said about the excellence that Christopher Nolan (Memento, Insomnia) brought to this film and of course the fine cast (Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Rutger Hauer, Gary Oldman, etc). The only weak member of the cast would be Katie Holmes (Sorry, Tom!!), she is just too wan and detached for us to root for her as Bruce's love interest but thankfully Maggie Glyenhaal will be better in the sequel!! This disc along with "King Kong" and the recent final cut of "Blade Runner" will definitely show off the benefits of HD. Plus you could probably get this much cheaper than the Blu-ray edition when it comes out perhaps as low as $10 or $12 used and $14.95 new!! Am looking forward to the follow-up, "The Dark Knight", in the summer or fall, I suppose.

Batman Begins tells the story of how Bruce Wayne became Batman. It explains how his parents were killed, his fear of bats, and some of the extremities he went through with some of his training...among other things. Gotham City is dying since guys like Carmine Falcone are practically able to get away with anything because "he keeps the bad people rich and the good people scared," as Rachel Dawes would put it. Bruce Wayne trains with Henri Ducard, the right hand of Ra's Al Ghul, and the Legion of Shadows before things turn ugly. The Legion of Shadows believes in justice, but doesn't think people who have committed such crimes deserve to live while Bruce Wayne believes in compassion and thinks criminals should have a fair trial before passing judgement. Leaving the Legion of Shadows in shambles, Bruce Wayne makes his way back to Gotham after a seven year abscence. As Bruce Wayne said, "As a man, I'm flesh and blood. I can be ignored, I can be destroyed. But as a symbol...as a symbol I can be incorruptible. I can be everlasting." This is the story of Batman's uprising and the criminals he encounters along the way.

Let me start by saying this is my favorite film of the franchise. That may change once The Dark Knight is released, but I'm sticking with that statement as of this writing. None of the other films are as dark as this one. Tim Burton's original film comes close, but I think Christopher Nolan's version surpasses Burton's in almost every way. This film has a lot of strengths and I think it starts with the storyline. It doesn't stray too far away from Batman classics like "Year One" and is just as dark in tone. It's also incredibly well-written, which is something that is always a plus in my book. None of the dialogue seems forced or out of place and everything seems to take place in a consistent and reasonable fashion...or at least as reasonable as superhero films go. The acting is also impressive as the main cast is filled with excellent actors. With actors like Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, and Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, nobody can really go wrong as they always bring their best to whatever project they're involved in and this film is no exception. The other thing that people are going to notice is how this film is shot. It's beautiful. The colors are so bright and vibrant and the scenery is gorgeous. While watching this again today, this is the only time I wished I had some sort of high-definition entertainment system because it would really pay off with a film like this.

One of the elements of the film I really enjoyed was Cillian Murphy as Johnathan Crane/Scarecrow. I tend to be a fairly big fan of his anyway thanks to films like 28 Days Later and Sunshine, but I think he does an exceptional job in this role even though it's a little small. The other actor who seems to be a bit overlooked in the film is Liam Neeson. He does a great job as Henri Ducard and is part of the film's twist that Nolan has been known to put into his films. Gary Oldman, who's another actor that's a bit underrated in my eyes, also seems to steal just about every scene he's a part of. It's just rare to see a supporting cast that's as strong as the lead actor(s) in the film.

Now a movie that's this good and has this many strong points has to have a few weaknesses, right? Right. This may be considered knitpicking to some, but here are the things that bugged me a bit about the film. I thought it was a little weird that Christian Bale had to put on his "Batman voice" whenever he was in costume. It's like he talked normally while he was Bruce Wayne, but he had to talk in this rough, raspy voice when he was Batman. I guess it could help conceal his identity and add a bit more realism to the film and character, but it just seemed awkward the first time I heard it. I hardly notice now, but it's something that stuck out like a sore thumb when I first watched the film. Katie Holmes was a little bland as Rachel Dawes in this, as well. She just seemed to kind of be in the background in every scene she was a part of. It's like she was there and everyone knew she was there, but she didn't really do anything to grab anyone's attention. I think Maggie Gyllenhaal will be a better fit for the role as she's impressed me more than Holmes with what little I've seen of her in the trailers. The other thing that I hear a bunch of people complain about is the tumbler and how ugly it is. I mean, I agree, it's ugly but I don't think it takes away anything from the film because Batman is driving an ugly car. I feel the same way about the Batpod or Batcycle or whatever the vehicle in The Dark Knight is called. It matches the tumbler, so of course it's going to be ugly.

If there is one Batman film anyone should see, this is it. It's a superhero film with a dark tone that's very well-written with nothing but incredible actors involved. In a world where most movies these days are usually either remakes or films that are made as quickly as possible to cash in on the latest trend in Hollywood, I think the well-written part should say a lot. If there was one film that could make somebody who didn't care about the Batman character like a Batman film, I think this would be it. This is a good enough film to stand on its own regardless of how the viewer feels about Batman going into it. So, if anybody hasn't already, check this out before The Dark Knight hits theaters on July 18th. Or if they already have, tell them to watch it again so the events from the first film are fresh on their mind before they see the sequel.

Rating: 9/10