The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises is a 2012 superhero film directed by Christopher Nolan, who co-wrote the screenplay with his brother Jonathan Nolan and the story with David S. Goyer. Featuring the DC Comics character Batman, the film is the third and final installment in Nolan's Batman film trilogy, and it is the sequel to Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008). Christian Bale reprises the lead role of Bruce Wayne/Batman, with a returning cast of Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, Gary Oldman as James Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox, and Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane. The film introduces two main characters to Nolan's series: Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), a cat burglar whose appearance in Gotham City sets in motion a chain of events that leads Batman to come out of retirement; and Bane (Tom Hardy), a mercenary whose objective is to destroy Gotham.

 Christopher Nolan was initially hesitant about returning to the series for a second time, but agreed to come back after developing a story with his brother and Goyer that he felt would conclude the series on a satisfactory note. Nolan drew inspiration from Bane's comic book debut in the 1993 Knightfall storyline, the 1986 series The Dark Knight Returns, and the 1999 storyline No Man's Land. Filming took place in various locations, including Jodhpur, London, Nottingham, Glasgow, Los Angeles, New York City, Newark, and Pittsburgh. Nolan utilized IMAX cameras for much of the filming to optimize the quality of the picture, including the first six minutes of the film. A variation of the Batplane termed "The Bat", an underground prison set, and a new Batcave set were created specifically for the film. As with The Dark Knight, viral marketing campaigns began early during production to help promotion. When filming concluded, Warner Bros. refocused its campaign; developing promotional websites, releasing the first six minutes of the film and theatrical trailers, sending random pieces of information regarding the film's plot to various companies.

 

The Dark Knight Rises premiered in New York City on July 16, 2012. The film was released in Australia and New Zealand on July 19, 2012, and in North America and the United Kingdom on July 20, 2012. The film received positive reviews and has grossed over $1.08 billion worldwide. The Dark Knight Rises is currently the seventh-highest-grossing film of all time, the second-highest-grossing film of 2012, and the second highest grossing superhero film of all time.

Eight years after the death of Harvey Dent, the Gotham City Police Department has nearly eradicated organized crime with powers granted by the Dent Act, legislation inspired by Dent. Batman has disappeared, with Bruce Wayne becoming a recluse. Feeling guilty over his role in the cover-up of Dent's crimes, Police Commissioner James Gordon writes a resignation speech confessing the truth, but decides that the city is not ready to hear it. While pursuing criminals in the sewers, Gordon is captured and his speech is taken by a terrorist named Bane. Gordon escapes and is found by John Blake, a patrol officer who has deduced Batman's true identity.

Wayne Enterprises is nearly bankrupt after Bruce invested in board member Miranda Tate's nuclear fusion project, only to shut it down after discovering the reactor core could be weaponized. Alfred Pennyworth, concerned that Bruce has not moved on from being Batman, reveals to Bruce that Rachel Dawes had intended to marry Dent before she died. Upon learning this, Bruce angrily dismisses Alfred. Meanwhile, Bane attacks the Gotham Stock Exchange and bankrupts Bruce using fingerprints obtained by cat burglar Selina Kyle. Fearing that his business rival John Daggett, who employed Bane to aid in a hostile takeover, would gain access to the reactor, Bruce asks Tate to take control of Wayne Enterprises.

Batman asks Selina to lead him to Bane, but Selina double-crosses him, leading him into a trap. Bane reveals that he knows Batman's true identity and intends to fulfill Ra's al Ghul's mission to destroy Gotham. Bane then cripples Batman and sends him to a foreign prison where escape is virtually impossible, telling him that he will torture the entire city of Gotham. While there, the inmates relate to Bruce the story of Ra's al Ghul's child, who was born in the prison and is the only person known to have escaped; Bruce deduces that the child is Bane. Meanwhile, using explosive concrete laid by Daggett's construction crews, Bane traps most of Gotham's police force underground and cuts Gotham off from the rest of the world, using the now weaponized reactor core to hold the city hostage. Bane reveals the cover-up of Dent's crimes and releases the prisoners of Blackgate Penitentiary under the pretense of starting a revolution. The wealthy and powerful are dragged from their homes and given show trials, presided over by Dr. Jonathan Crane, where the "convicted" die no matter the sentence.

Bruce spends months recuperating and retraining himself. He escapes from the prison and enlists Selina, Blake, Tate, Gordon and Lucius Fox to help liberate Gotham and stop the bomb from detonating. During a confrontation between the police and Bane's forces, Batman fights and subdues Bane by damaging his mask. Tate comes to Bane's aid and stabs Batman, revealing herself to be Ra's al Ghul's daughter Talia. It was she who escaped the prison as a child, aided by fellow prisoner Bane. She plans to complete her father's work by detonating the bomb and destroying Gotham. After Talia leaves, Bane is killed by Selina on the Batpod, while Gordon blocks the bomb's ability to be remotely detonated. Batman gives chase, attempting to force Talia to drive the bomb to the reactor where it can be stabilized. Talia's truck crashes, and she remotely floods the reactor chamber, before succumbing to her wounds. Batman realizes that the only way to stop it is to use The Bat, an aircraft developed by Fox, to haul the bomb away from Gotham. He flies the bomb out over the bay, where it detonates. In the aftermath, Batman is praised as a hero, while Bruce is assumed dead after the revolution. After Bruce's funeral, Wayne Manor is left to the city to become an orphanage, and Bruce's remaining estate is left to Alfred. Fox discovers that Bruce had previously fixed the Bat's on-board autopilot system, and Gordon finds the Bat-Signal refurnished. Alfred witnesses Bruce and Selina together in Florence. Blake, who resigns from the police force, inherits the Batcave.

Magic Mike

Magic Mike is a 2012 comedy-drama film directed by Steven Soderbergh, and starring Channing Tatum, Alex Pettyfer, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello and Matthew McConaughey. The plot revolves around Adam, a nineteen-year-old who enters the world of male stripping, guided by Mike Lane, who has been in the business for six years.

The film is loosely based on the experiences of Tatum, who was a nineteen-year-old stripper in Tampa, Florida. Magic Mike was primarily filmed in Los Angeles and in Tampa. It premiered as the closing film for the 2012 Los Angeles Film Festival on June 24, 2012 and was widely released by Warner Bros. on June 29, 2012. The film received positive reviews upon its release and was a box-office success.

Mike Lane (Channing Tatum) has big dreams but pays his bills through a series of odd jobs, most notably performing as the star stripper at Xquisite Strip Club. The club is owned by Dallas, (Matthew McConaughey) who has dreams of creating an "empire" of strip clubs.

Mike soon meets nineteen-year-old Adam (Alex Pettyfer) who has recently been fired from his construction job. Mike takes Adam under his wing and encourages him to begin stripping at Xquisite. Mike is introduced to Adam's sister Brooke (Cody Horn). Despite his on again off again relationship with a woman named Joanna (Olivia Munn), Mike finds himself attracted to Brooke and promises to look after Adam.

Adam falls further into the excessive lifestyle of the Xquisite dancers, using drugs and having sexual encounters with many clients. When Dallas announces he has a plan to move their act to Miami, Mike confides in Brooke that he is tiring of the lifestyle and wants to get a small business loan to pursue his dream of opening a custom furniture business. The bank declines his loan application and Mike realizes that he has to stay in the business to continue to pay his bills. Mike later attends a hurricane party at Dallas' house, where Adam becomes part of a scheme created by Tobias (Gabriel Iglesias), Xquisite's DJ, to sell drugs to Xquisite's clients, and is eventually given a package of ecstasy. Adam begins using drugs regularly, and Mike notices more of Adam's reckless behavior, to the chagrin of Brooke who is relying on Mike to protect him.

A few days later, Mike and Adam perform for a private party at a sorority house, and Adam brings the package of drugs with him. At the party a girl was given an ecstasy pill by Adam, causing a brawl between Adam and the girl's boyfriend. Mike and Adam are forced to flee the scene. Later, at Xquisite, Dallas is infuriated to learn Mike didn't collect payment for the private show before the fight occurred. Also, Tobias becomes dismayed when he discovers that Adam had left the package of drugs, worth $1,000 in all, at the sorority.

After that night's show at the club is finished, Mike and Adam take drugs and go to a club. Adam winds up vomiting and passing out, with Brooke finding him on the floor the next morning. Brooke angrily confronts Mike and accuses him of failing to protect her brother (as he had promised) and ends her friendship with him. Later on, Tobias' suppliers break into Mike's house looking for Adam. Realizing Adam lied to him about the drugs' worth, Mike gives them $10,000 (most of his life savings) to pay Adam's debt, unbeknownst to Brooke. Later, during the dancers' final performance at Xquisite, Mike decides he's had enough, knowing that Dallas has no loyalty to any of them and is driven by greed. Pretending he needs to use the restroom, he leaves through the club's exit and drives away to end up at Brooke's apartment, where he tells her he is through with stripping.

After realizing Magic Mike isn't coming back, Dallas invites Adam to replace Mike as the frontman of the dancers. Brooke then tells Mike that after he left her apartment earlier, Adam called her to tell her that Mike had paid off the drug dealers for him. They forgive each other, admit their mutual attraction, and decide to begin their relationship anew.