“Won’t Back Down” – a powerful and inspirational movie

Have you ever had one of those experiences

in which you hear about a movie coming out and think to yourself – “wow, that looks pretty good” but somehow life gets in the way and the film slips from your mind. I think we’ve all been there. But sometimes, we’re lucky enough to come across that movie again months or even years down the road. This was the case for me with the film “Won’t Back Down.”

First off, considering it is based on a true story and set in my hometown of Pittsburgh, I knew there would be lots of Pittsburgh scenes and that’s always something I enjoy in  a movie. The subject matter seemed interesting the film features a talent-filled cast including Maggie Gyllenhaal, Viola Davis, Holly Hunter, Ving Rhames, and Rosie Perez just to name a few.

The plot focuses on a failing public school within the city’s district and one desperate parent’s fight to do something about it. That parent encounters resistance from the principal, teachers, some other parents, the school board and the powerful teacher’s union along the way. But she never gives up and her determination wins over and inspires others in the process.

If you like movies with both entertainment value and a message, you really should check this one out.

Viola Davis, Maggie Gyllenhaal and others in Won’t Back Down Courtesy of EV.com

“The Dark Knight Rises” and its place in the Batman series of films

To date, since the 1989 “Batman” film starring Michael Keaton and the legendary Jack Nicholson, there can be said to have been seven follow-ups including the upcoming “The Dark Knight Rises.”

While many may argue that the Dark Knight Trilogy if you will, can be considered a separate series of films than its several predecessors,  for this purpose I’m going to classify them in the same grouping.

Clearly the aforementioned 1989 film set the standard. The 1992 sequel “Batman Returns“ was a decent follow-up but as is typical, sequels rarely live up to the original.

Then we get into what I personally consider the disposable Batman films, 1995′s “Batman Forever” and 1997′s “Batman and Robin.” Both featured a notable lineup of Hollywood big names but as we all know, that’s no guarantee of a quality film. To the contrary, these movies seemed to feature second-rate acting, less structured plots and somewhat laughable villains. Val Kilmer was OK in the lead role but as has been typical of his film career, George Clooney bombed.

At that point, it looked like the franchise had sunk into a death spiral from which there would be no return. That was until Christopher Nolan decided to resurrect the series with the film “Batman Begins” in 2005. The new lead actor Christian Bale restored the series to its original glory and possibly even more. And Heath Ledger’s amazing portrayal of the Joker in 2007′s “The Dark Knight,” kept the top-notch productions going.

So here we are, just days away from the release of “The Dark Knight Rises,” partially filmed in my hometown of Pittsburgh, PA.  While of course I haven’t seen it yet, I have to presume it will keep with the trend of the Nolan versions and be another masterpiece. But of course, only time will tell.