The DARK KNIGHT RISES - Batman in the news. | Forums

[Spectra_FD]

There are so many different reasons this movie is a trending topic. I would like to know your thoughts on the movie, the massacre and everything in between.
Chris Nolan's Farewell Letter to The Dark Knight by IGN

So who has seen this movie? What do you think?

Rico Fuerte and I are going to see this movie tonight. So excited. Is it as good as everyone says it is?

James Holmes Bought Rifle After Failing Oral Exam at University of Colorado by Good Morning America

It's so awesome that Christian Bale visited the victims at the hospital. What a cool thing for him to do.

Why do you think James Holmes told Police about the boobie traps at his apt? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of setting boobie traps?

What do you think they will do to this guy? Do they have the death penalty in Colorado?

Is James Holms acting crazy to help an insanity plea, or is he really crazy? Can you be that premeditated and calculated in a crime you commit and not be held accountable for your actions?

[VivoEstSomnio]

To answer everything in order:

I have not seen the movie yet, however I plan on seeing it sometime this week/weekend with my husband. Last weekend we had too many things going on to find the time to go.

I, too, agree that it was awesome of Christian Bale to visit the victims. What makes it even better is that he went on his own accord, not as a representative for WB, and without telling the media beforehand. Too often we see celebrities doing things as a PR stunt, so it's refreshing to see Bale do the complete opposite. I know that people on Facebook and other social media sites were asking for Bale to visit in the Batman outfit, but others, including myself, were concerned that it could be a trigger as most of the victims probably have some symptoms of PTSD.

With regards to Holmes telling the cops about his booby traps, I think perhaps his reasoning behind telling them was out of self-preservation. Based on what I've read about them, he had quite an elaborate set-up that consisted of around 30 grenades and 10 gallons of gasoline. Had he not informed them and the police search resulted in casualties, that would've given him additional felonies to be tried on. I imagine he wouldn't be able to claim insanity for something like that either as it's clearly premeditated and organized. So, by spilling the beans about the dangers, he is assuming it will come off as a positive.

As for what they'll do to him, I honestly cannot say. I've never lived in Colorado so I'm not familiar with their laws, but there is that saying about prisons where if you have harmed a child the inmates will take care of you - and not in a good way. I just hope that whatever happens it doesn't result in him benefiting from tax payers for decades to come because the crime he committed was simply atrocious.

And for your final query, I can't say if he's insane or not as I'm not a licensed therapist or psychologist. I do believe that some people are predisposed to acts like this, and sometimes it just takes a series of instances/events to finally trigger it. I don't know too much about Holmes' personal background, nor do I wish to, but I don't think there's any excuse for what he did. I feel that he should be held accountable because you can't say that all of his actions were done in a moment of insanity. He had to acquire his arsenal from somewhere, more than likely taking some time, assemble his outfit, set up the craziness in his house, and then venture on over to the theater. If that isn't premeditated I don't know what is.

I also sincerely hope the media doesn't see this as an opportunity to further try and condemn video games/geek culture as things that encourage/promote violence, because we all know that's simply not true. I've been playing video games for a quarter of a decade now, have never owned a gun (with absolutely zero desire to do so in the future), have no criminal record, was a top student in school, and have never harmed a person in my life. Some of those games were violent like Wolfenstein, Mortal Kombat, various first-person shooters, Assassin's Creed, and more. I see games like that as an opportunity to vent out frustrations, anger, and stress - not cause them.

[Spectra_FD]

I totally agree VivoEstSomnio! It makes sense that he would tell them about the boobie traps out of self preservation. I hope he is denied an insanity plea.

I also think it's lame that people are using this as a political device for their gun control agenda. There are a zillion responsible gun owners out there that don't do stuff like this.

I am hoping to see Batman on Monday.

[avalonknight2k]

I saw the movie last week, and I thought it was entertaining and I was satisfied with how they ended it. But word of caution, it's a bleak movie, it's been a while since I've felt a sense of hopelessness and dread while watching a movie. And this is a Bruce Wayne movie, not a Batman movie, which is weird to say. Maybe in the same sense that I felt that The Dark Knight is more of a Harvey Dent movie, since he is the "focus character" of that installment. I'll try not to be spoilerish in my pro/cons, so here goes.

Pros:
-I liked Bane, I'm surprised by this, since I didn't have high hopes for this incarnation of him, but I like him.
-Selina Kyle was decent. I heard mixed feelings about her, mainly due to the comparisons of her Batman Returns incarnation. As her own character, does she stand on her own? I thought so. She's cunning, and devious. I really like her goggles, and they do work! (as something resembling car ears)

Cons:
-Bane's voice. It's not that it's bad, although "Sean Connery-ish", but the fact he is abnormally loud. I know about the problems they had before with his voice being muffled, but they overcompensated in this regard.
-Story could've been tightened up, because [spoiler, spoilers, spoilers].
-Personal opinion, Weakest of the three. But that's like looking at the scores of 85, 95, 80 (off the head scores I'll give the trilogy)

Also one final note for the movie. As I heard about this from time to time, this or the Avengers? Inconclusive, since they are two distinctly different movies. One's a fan-service slugfest, and the other's a bleak, thought-provoking film. If anything, they are equals in what they do.

As for the Aurora shooting. It's terrible. Christian Bale was awesome for visiting them (although I think he should've worn a Batman shirt at least, but the explanation of potential PTSD made sense). As for the shooter, other than the headlines, I have no other opinions than the fact he is a horrible, horrible person. I've been concentrating more on the victims, and it's really sad to hear how their lives were cut short. The ones I remember most were a husband, and a father. There were some amazing acts of bravery, like a friend of one of the victims saved her by putting pressure on her wound until the help came along even when told to go save herself.

[VivoEstSomnio]

I totally agree VivoEstSomnio! It makes sense that he would tell them about the boobie traps out of self preservation. I hope he is denied an insanity plea.

I also think it's lame that people are using this as a political device for their gun control agenda. There are a zillion responsible gun owners out there that don't do stuff like this.

I am hoping to see Batman on Monday.

I, too, hope he's denied that.

It is lame to try and use this to further gun control, but I read something the other day where someone suggested doing perhaps a psychological screening for those trying to purchase one. It's a fair suggestion, since we probably shouldn't be putting weapons in the hands of people who can do something like this, but I'd want a healthy level of parameters set instead of assuming that everyone with anxiety or mild depression is going to go off the deep end. You are definitely correct in that there are those who own weapons and are very responsible with them. I grew up in my grandmother's house and there were a few guns there: hunting rifles, shotguns, 357 magnum, and I think one or two more. Some of them were even kept in the coat closet across the hallway from my bedroom, but zipped up in those padded bags. While I wouldn't suggest keeping them that way, especially being a parent to a 9-year-old daughter myself, it was never an issue nor was anyone ever hurt. I think it's like anything in life where if you teach about safety, consequences, and to especially respect such a powerful item, then you're doing the right thing.

I still believe my husband and I will be seeing it this weekend, but I hope you enjoy the showing on Monday!