Why I watched 'The Dark Knight Rises' twice

Gotham's Reckoning

Nolan ended the Dark Man Trilogy with the last brick in  the wall - 'The Dark Knight Rises'. No wonder I have watched this movie twice in one week and no wonder it still deserves one blog post and one more watch at least. So this flick had so much speculation around it; so much hype; not to forget how Nolan left the spectators craving for more with his larger than life - The Dark Knight; the entire audience were waiting desperately for the return of BATMAN on the big screen. Nolan is known for his story telling and his characterization. I am not great at writing movie reviews but here I have 5 reasons why 'I watched 'The Dark Knight Rises' twice, and by the end of this week may be the count would rises to thrice.

 

The Story - A Climactic Final Chapter

There was one 'Joker' and there was one movie 'The Dark Knight'. You cannot repeat it again and importantly the audience has to understand it. But when you look for the conclusion of an epic, the story has to be convincing, articulative and should tie back all the loose end. The Dark Knight Rises does that with so much of perfection and efficacy. The Dark Knight ended with a thought-provoking climax as Batman made a decision that few others would be willing to make: Instead of revealing the true motivations of the late Harvey Dent, the Caped Crusader opted to paint himself as the villain so that the citizens of Gotham would still idolize their hero (Dent) and not have the unfortunate reality undermine their idealism. In the final chapter, it was interesting to see how Batman thrived as a hero even though the people of Gotham viewed him as a monster. This dichotomy - between Batman's public persona and his private heroism-- set the stage for a great story about nobility and honor in the face of criticism and hatred. Moreover the way the conclusion ties the 'League of Shadows' and other open ends just leaves me with the thought 'This is not The Dark Knight but there wouldn't be a befitting conclusion to the saga than this'

The Cast - Some of the Finest Actors

If you have watched 'Inception' and 'Batman Begins' with uber detail you will find lot of similar faces. Nolan's cinematic version of one of the most popular series of DC comics offers up one of the strongest casts ever in comic book movie. If you put the cast of The Dark Knight Rises together for a photo shoot, it would include some of the finest actors working today. Four of the prominent faces -- Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Marion Cotillard -- have all won Oscars for their acting skills. Additionally the cast includes the massively-talented combination of Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Oscar nominees Gary Oldman and Anne Hathaway. This is an incredible cast - not only for a superhero movie, but for a film in general.

The Theme - Profundity

The Dark Knight Rises, was more than a typical superhero film. Not only were the special effects great, but the story itself offered a thematic depth that other superhero movies haven't yet matched. It wasn't just about a hero fighting evil. It also spoke to the dichotomy between good and evil, the strength and weakness that exists in all of us. The movie forced audiences to think about their own visions of good versus evil. The dark Knight Rises is as thought-provoking and deep as its predecessor.

The Director - Christoper Nolan

Watch it for Nolan. Nolan has created a series of unforgettable films over the past dozen years. From 2000's Memento to 2008's The Dark Knight to 2010's Inception, this director has created several masterful works. He knows how to pen strong stories, develops strong and well balanced series of characters and use technology special effects smartly, and show viewers a great time at the theater. That ability can't be under-estimated.

The Character - Strong and well balanced

Batman's nemesis in The Dark Knight Rises is Bane, known to be one of the most strong antagonist that Batman ever faced. From blowing up a football field full of players, to bringing Batman to his knees, this monster was the greatest threat that the city of Gotham had ever faced. And the way Nolan, developed this character is worth applauding. Tom Hardy, who is quickly establishing himself as an A-lister seems to be great for the role. The way Nolan used his masked voice added to the chromaticity of the character. Batman's ally, the cat woman, played by Anne Hathaway, first makes her first appearance in the Nolan's Trilogy. Not only did Cat woman, Selina Kyle gets a chance to have a hand at the Batpod but also she serves as the icing on the epic conclusion. The last scene just perfectly depicts the end to a saga.

 

Anticipation can be a bitch. Expectations can lead to disappointment. Hype can be a killer. Christopher Nolan’s epic conclusion to his Dark Knight trilogy has to deal with all three nuisances, and he flicks them aside like villain Bane does Batman, the entire Gotham police force and everyone else who makes the mistake of crossing his path. All in all if there could be an elusive end to the epic , it was supposed to be this - The Dark Knight Rises

 

Five Things You Should Stop Doing

A few months back I read a similar article on Harvard Business Review Blog and then I thought, may be I can add something to it from my own experience too.

Responding Like a Trained Monkey. Every productivity expert in the world will tell you to check email at periodic intervals — say, every 90 minutes — rather than clicking "refresh" like a Pavlovian mutt. Of course, almost no one listens, because studies have shown email's "variable interval reinforcement schedule" is basically a slot machine for your brain. But spending a month away — and only checking email weekly — showed me how little really requires immediate response. In fact, nothing. A 90 minute wait won't kill anyone, and will allow you to accomplish something substantive during your workday.

Mindless Traditions. I recently invited a friend to a prime networking event. "Can I play it by ear?" she asked. "This is my last weekend to get holiday cards out and I haven't mailed a single one. It is causing stress!" In the moment, not fulfilling an "obligation" (like sending holiday cards) can make you feel guilty. But if you're in search of professional advancement, is a holiday card (buried among the deluge) going to make a difference? If you want to connect, do something unusual — get in touch at a different time of year, or give your contacts a personal call, or even better, meet up face-to-face. You have to ask if your business traditions are generating the results you want.

Reading Annoying Things. We tend to subscribe several news letters.I have nearly a dozen newsletters and online magazine subscriptions, the result of alluring specials (free subscriptions and the compulsion not to miss out on crucial information. But after detoxing for a month, I was able to reflect on which publications actually refreshed me — and which felt like a duty and differentiate subscription which made sense and which ended up spamming my inbox. The pretentious tech publication with crazy layouts and too-small print? Not so much. I'm weeding out and paring down to literary essentials. What subscriptions can you get rid of?

Set expectations that can be fulfilled. We are vibrant people and a major of us are energetic too. But does that mean we will be able to carry this energy for a long period of time. You may feel high on winning a multi-million contract but then the feeling is perpetual, until the reality set in that it was a government contract, filled with ridiculous reporting mechanisms, low reimbursement rates and administrative complexities that sucked the joy and profit out of the work. You work 12 hours daily, sure you are a passionate being who loves his job. But how long would you be able to do that. How long would you be able to fulfill such an expectations. And look around, ain't you distracting the social balance.

Making Things More Complicated Than They Should Be. We have the habit to schedule conference calls so frequent and working in a consulting environment we tend to schedule more calls than analyzing the need of call. Biweekly check-in calls are good indeed but we should be tactful enough for justifying it. A well conceived pre-analysis can save time for a large number of people involved in an engagement. As Eric Ries points out in his new book The Lean Startup , developing the best code or building the best product in the world is meaningless if your customers don't end up wanting it. Instead, test early and often to ensure you're not wasting your time. What ideas should you test before you've gone too far? Simple things are always preferred. You may end up developing a complicated fancy excel based tool for doing some analysis. But even before you start such an activity you need to question your idea; if the idea is meant to simplify things or complicate either.

Unconventional

Source - Harvard Business Review Blog
By        - Claudio Fernández-Aráoz

I am quite a follower of HBR Blogs, just for the matter of fact, that every time I visit the page, I land up with the a thought. Sunday morning and this is the article I read. Brilliantly written and exceptionally titled.

 

Professional success used to depend on experience, knowledge, and skill. But things have changed in recent decades. First, knowledge has become as rapidly obsolete as universally available. Second, we live in an increasingly uncertain and volatile world where, I often say, even the past has become unpredictable. And, finally, business has become more global and diverse.In this new normal, experience and knowledge are less relevant, while the abilities to learn and adapt, to be resilient and to connect with others are ever more crucial. That's why, as an executive search consultant.

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How hard are you willing to push yourself

Courtesy: HBR Blogs
By: Tony Schwartz

What do all people who achieve true excellence and consistently high performance have in common?

The answer isn't great genes, although they're nice to have. It's the willingness to push themselves beyond their current limits day in and day out, despite the discomfort that creates, the sacrifice of more immediate gratification, and the uncertainty they'll be rewarded for their efforts.

The first way I've seen this is physically, through my body. I work out regularly with weights. I do push myself to discomfort, and I've grown considerably stronger over the years. At 60, I'm stronger than I was at 30.

But in truth, I rarely push myself to exhaustion. If I did, the evidence suggests I would get significantly stronger than I already am. The key here is intensity, not duration. If I was willing to push hard, I could do fewer repetitions, and derive more benefit in way less time than I invest now.

So why don't I do it? The answer, I'm slightly embarrassed to admit, is that I'm not prepared to endure more discomfort than I already do. The mind tricks us into thinking we've hit our limits long before we actually have.

Human beings have two powerful primal instincts. One is to avoid pain, an instinct that helped us to survive when we were vulnerable to predators in the savanna. The other is to move towards pleasure, an instinct that once kept us foraging for food, which was scarce, and still helps to ensure that we pass on our genes.

Unfortunately, neither of these instincts prompt us to delay gratification in the service of longer-term gain. For that, we need to enlist the more advanced, reflective part of our brain — the prefrontal cortex — to consciously resist the primitive cravings that originate in the lower part of our brain.

The other place I've seen this play out is in my writing. I'd love to stop working right now and check my email, or visit my refrigerator, not just because either one would provide a hit of pleasure, but also to get away from the discomfiting challenge of trying to wrestle the jumble of ideas in my head into clear, evocative sentences.

Over the course of my life, I've taught myself to stay focused in front of my computer. But even after four decades as a writer, it's never easy. The Pavlovian pull of email has only made it harder to focus in recent years — and nearly impossible for many people I know.

The unavoidable truth is that the willingness to endure discomfort and sacrifice instant gratification is the only way to get better at anything, and to achieve true excellence.
There are three keys to strengthening this counterintuitive capacity:

1. Minimize temptation, which operates the same way the house does in a casino. It will always defeat you if you expose yourself to it for too long. Think about cake or cookies at an office party. If they sit there in front of you, you're eventually going to succumb. The same is true of incoming email. If you don't turn it off entirely at times, the ongoing pings will inevitably prove irresistible.

2. Push yourself to discomfort only for relatively short and specific periods of time. Interval training is built on short bursts of high intensity exercise offset by rest and recovery. It's harder than aerobic training, but it's also a more efficient, less time-consuming way to increase fitness.

3. Build energy rituals - specific behaviors done at precise times - for your most difficult challenges. Try beginning the day by focusing without interruption on the most important challenge in front of you, for no more than 90 minutes, and then take a real renewal break. It's much easier to tolerate discomfort in short doses.

Choose one area of your life and push yourself just a little harder than you think is possible every day. You'll feel better about yourself, and over time, you'll get better at whatever it is you're doing.