'Batman Begins': Why A Second Look May Surprise You

Before Nolan finishes with 'The Dark Knight Rises,' we take a look back at the film that started it all in The Weekly Rising.
By Kevin P. Sullivan


Christian Bale in "Batman Begins"
Photo: Warner Bros.

Months and months ago, when we weren't fortunate enough to have seen the first six minutes of "The Dark Knight Rises" or even a full-length trailer, one of the best pieces of info that we had about the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy was that the film would circle back — thematically and perhaps story-wise — to "Batman Begins."

Since 2008, "The Dark Knight" and Heath Ledger have dominated most of the conversation around the series. The general feeling was that while "Batman Begins" was great, "The Dark Knight" transcended the superhero genre. That's why it comes as a surprise that when the trilogy ends, the underappreciated first film will play a big part.

With the release of "Rises" looming, there has never been a better excuse to rewatch "Begins," not only to look for clues of what's to come, but also to see how the film holds up in a post-"Dark Knight" world.

If you haven't watched "Batman Begins" in a few years, it may surprise you how entertaining it is. For his first Batman movie, Nolan crafted a tight origin story that seems almost quaint in scale compared to "The Dark Knight." That isn't to say "Begins" lacks ambition; it immediately jumps into a complicated story structure to tell Batman's origin, and the central conflict revolves around ninjas using insanity spray to poison Gotham.

The scaled-back feeling of "Begins" stems from where its primary focus lies: Batman. "The Dark Knight" was an ensemble piece with the Caped Crusader at its core. With that particular structure, many viewers felt they lost sight of Batman in the process. Though it worked for "Dark Knight" and gave the film a structure more complex than we deserved, the biggest takeaway from watching "Begins" may be that Nolan should give Batman and Christian Bale the time they deserve before the legend truly ends.

How "Rises" will return to the topics addressed in "Begins" remains to be seen, but what we can gather from rumors and the prologue is that the League of Shadows will return. If this is a case, I have to give credit to Nolan, David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan for not falling prey to a typical sequel problem. The League of Shadows isn't the kind of organization that's going to give up after one go. In "Begins," Ra's al Ghul mentions that poisoning Gotham's water supply was their second attempt at destroying Batman's hometown. Were they just going to give up after Batman ruined that attempt? Did Ra's fail to mention that they make a maximum of two attempts to destroy a city's infrastructure before they call it quits? They don't, so bringing them back for the finale makes perfect sense.

Most importantly, "Begins" makes a great argument that it and "The Dark Knight" are two great, but different Batman movies. Both work perfectly well, just on two different scales. Where "The Dark Knight" tackles a sprawling story with many intriguing key players, the aptly titled "Batman Begins" focuses on Bruce Wayne and his journey to becoming a legend, a smaller story but one worth telling.

Random takeaways: -Maggie Gyllenhaal is, by far, the better Rachel Dawes. -Chicago is Nolan's Gotham. It will be sorely missed. -The lady who introduces Bruce to the fake Ra's al Ghul must have been really confused after hearing, "This isn't Ra's al Ghul. I watched him die." -Ra's makes no mention of a daughter, but talks briefly about his wife. Hmmm. -As the train is about the crash, the look on Ra's' face intrigued me. -At the end of the movie, Wayne looks like he's rebuilding the Manor himself. He must have given that up a few weeks later. -The Joker tease at the end is just as cool as it was in 2005.

What did you enjoy most about "Batman Begins"? Let us know in the comments!

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Michael Jackson Doctor Can't Afford Lawyer For Appeal

Conrad Murray asks judge for a court-appointed attorney to appeal his involuntary manslaughter conviction.
By Gil Kaufman


Dr. Conrad Murray arrives for his arraignment of at the Airport Los Angeles Courthouse today
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

<P>Just weeks after being sent to jail for four years following a conviction on a felony involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of Michael Jackson, cardiologist Conrad Murray is throwing himself on the mercy of the court. The doctor had been slated to earn up to $150,000 a month to act as Jackson's personal physician before the pop icon's death in June 2009 from an overdose of the Murray-administered surgical anesthetic propofol. But on Tuesday E! News reported that Murray filed a notice of appeal in Los Angeles Superior Court in which he claimed that he is "indigent and respectfully requests the appointment of counsel on appeal." Murray, 58, is planning to appeal both his conviction and his sentence, but has not yet filed papers with the California Appeals Court. He had hired two lawyers to handle his manslaughter case, but is now seeking attorneys with appeal experience. One of those former lawyers, J. Michael Flanagan, told E! that he was shocked at how his client is being treated in jail. "It is crazy and unbelievable how [the sheriffs] are treating" Murray in jail, said Flanagan, who claimed he waited over an hour to see Murray, who was brought out in handcuffs and leg chains. Flanagan was further shocked to see Murray handcuffed to the table for their meeting, something the lawyer said he'd never seen before in the case of a low-level, non-violent offender. Charles Peckham, who is handling civil cases against Murray, told the Associated Press that his client is under tight security and isolation that is more intense than other inmates at the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail. "Treating him like Hannibal Lecter is offensive," said Peckham. "This man who saved lives made a mistake, and they're going to [make] him pay like a mass-murderer." Sheriff's officials defended the tight security, saying it was for Murray's safety.</p>

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Britney Spears Is Engaged

Sources tell UsMagazine.com that the singer's beau proposed on his 40th birthday.
By Jocelyn Vena


Jason Trawick and Britney Spears
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage

<P>Could it be that Britney Spears is ready to walk down the aisle again? </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:720382" width="240" height="211"></div><p> After a report surfaced on TMZ that the singer's longtime beau and "Criminal" co-star Jason Trawick planned to pop the question Friday night (December 16) in Las Vegas, the singer took to Twitter early Friday and had this mysterious message for her fans. "OMG. Last night Jason surprised me with the one gift I've been waiting for," she wrote. "Can't wait to show you! SO SO SO excited!!!! Xxo" A rep for the singer hadn't responded to MTV News' request for comment by press time, but sources confirmed the news to People magazine. TMZ further reports that Jason asked Britney's dad, Jamie, for his daughter's hand before he popped the question. According to reports, Britney already knew about the engagement and the couple will sign a prenuptial agreement. As for her conservatorship, her conservators have signed off on the couple's plans to marry; a judge will most likely give them the go-ahead to tie the knot. A source tells Usmagazine.com that Trawick asked his lady love to marry him on Thursday night while the two were at a romantic dinner celebrating his 40th birthday. The couple will celebrate the engagement at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on Friday. "This is something they've both wanted for a long time," the source told the site. "It's a way to cement their family. They're both extremely happy and can't wait to become man and wife." The Neil Lane ring is a four-carat, round-cut diamond with micro pave diamonds around the band, according to E! News. "It's classic, simple and beautiful," a rep for the jewelry company told the site. The rep added that Trawick worked with the designer to design a "dream ring" for his future wife. While there's no confirmation from Spears' camp just yet about the engagement, Spears did reveal something on Twitter: what she bought Jason for his birthday. "Hbday Jason! He looked so cool in the video, that I had to get him a new motorcycle," she wrote. "Check out this new Confederate Bike I got him!" <div style="background-color:#000000;width:428px;"><div style="padding:4px;"></div></div> Send congrats to Britney and tell us your thoughts on Facebook!</p>

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Watch: Rachel Bilson Becomes A Hardcore Rapper For ‘Funny Or Die’

Last month we got to see a cute Xmas-related comedy video starring real life lovebirds Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes on FunnyOrDie.com. This time around, we get to check out a new comedy video starring Rachel Bilson. The clip, titled Call me Doctor, is loosely based on Rachel‘s new Hart of Dixie TV character … [...]

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Usher's Next Album 'Soulful, Catchy,' Taio Cruz Teases

'He always wants there to be the soul in there,' Cruz tells MTV News about his 'Without You' collaborator.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Matt Elias


Usher
Photo: Todd Williamson/ WireImage

<P>Usher is hard at work on his next album. Set to work with fellow hitmaker Taio Cruz, the two already cooked up some magic with their David Guetta anthem "Without You," and it seems they are hoping to recapture that spirit for Usher's follow-up to 2010's <i>Raymond v. Raymond</i>. </p><div class="player-placeholder right" id="vid:717257" width="240" height="211"></div><p> "I saw Usher a few times, but I spoke to him at length at David [Guetta]'s house when we were in Ibiza [Spain]," he told MTV News in L.A. after his Jingle Ball set. "He has very specific ideas of where he wants to go musically and sound-wise." Given that Usher has never shied away from exposing a bit of himself in his music, while also keeping the party going, Cruz wants to make sure they can connect the mind, body and soul for this next release. "He always wants there to be the soul in there," he explained. "I'm kind of, not the opposite, but I'm always like, 'Let's get straight to the point and be really clear with the message and be simple.' "So we try to match those two worlds together: being soulful and, at the same time, catchy," he added. Cruz can't yet discuss what they're working on: Besides "Without You," he said, "Everything else is secret." Usher said he was drawn to the Guetta hit because he connected to it emotionally, explaining to MTV News recently what an important part that plays in his musical philosophy. "I think the world wanted a record like that. That [song] really spoke to the journey that I've actually been on in the last three years," he said. "Traveling all around the world, music sounds different. There's many different genres, and when you see R&B and pop and house, as well as electronic, come together, that's the reality of what music is." <div style="background-color:#000000;width:428px;"><div style="padding:4px;"></div></div></p>

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Michael Jackson Doctor Can't Afford Lawyer For Appeal

Conrad Murray asks judge for a court-appointed attorney to appeal his involuntary manslaughter conviction.
By Gil Kaufman


Dr. Conrad Murray arrives for his arraignment of at the Airport Los Angeles Courthouse today
Photo: Frederick M. Brown/ Getty Images

<P>Just weeks after being sent to jail for four years following a conviction on a felony involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of Michael Jackson, cardiologist Conrad Murray is throwing himself on the mercy of the court. The doctor had been slated to earn up to $150,000 a month to act as Jackson's personal physician before the pop icon's death in June 2009 from an overdose of the Murray-administered surgical anesthetic propofol. But on Tuesday E! News reported that Murray filed a notice of appeal in Los Angeles Superior Court in which he claimed that he is "indigent and respectfully requests the appointment of counsel on appeal." Murray, 58, is planning to appeal both his conviction and his sentence, but has not yet filed papers with the California Appeals Court. He had hired two lawyers to handle his manslaughter case, but is now seeking attorneys with appeal experience. One of those former lawyers, J. Michael Flanagan, told E! that he was shocked at how his client is being treated in jail. "It is crazy and unbelievable how [the sheriffs] are treating" Murray in jail, said Flanagan, who claimed he waited over an hour to see Murray, who was brought out in handcuffs and leg chains. Flanagan was further shocked to see Murray handcuffed to the table for their meeting, something the lawyer said he'd never seen before in the case of a low-level, non-violent offender. Charles Peckham, who is handling civil cases against Murray, told the Associated Press that his client is under tight security and isolation that is more intense than other inmates at the Los Angeles Men's Central Jail. "Treating him like Hannibal Lecter is offensive," said Peckham. "This man who saved lives made a mistake, and they're going to [make] him pay like a mass-murderer." Sheriff's officials defended the tight security, saying it was for Murray's safety.</p>

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