Arts & Entertainment
‘Dark Knight’ of the soul
Trilogy finale of Batman reboot conflicted, intensely satisfying
The cast of ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ helmed by Christian Bale. (Photo courtesy Warner Bros.)
Director Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises” leaves you emotionally drained, exhausted and in a daze when the film ends. Nolan, who co-wrote with his brother Jonathan, expertly toys with current widespread fears of a pending apocalypse and squeamishness over talk of waning American hegemony in this spectacular finale to his Batman trilogy.
“The Dark Knight Rises” has a brooding, moody beginning set eight years after “The Dark Knight.” Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is out of the public eye and withdrawn from society and Batman is a faded memory. Gotham still mourns the loss of District Attorney Harvey Dent when Bane (Tom Hardy) interrupts any reflection on the past by reintroducing newfound terror to the city.
Hardy delivers an exceptional performance as Bane, especially considering he’s the follow-up villain to Heath Ledger’s brilliantly disturbing (and Oscar winning) interpretation of the Joker in “The Dark Knight.” Bane is a hulking mass of muscle with a militaristic breathing device surgically attached to his face, which mechanically provides his voice a diabolical intonation while alleviating the agony of a past facial disfigurement.
Bane at first appears like another greedy aggressor after the Wayne Enterprises empire, with the help of a corrupt board member of the company and a master thief in cat ears, Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway). The extent of his desire to destroy is revealed by his master plan involving the nuclear reactor of Wayne’s clean energy initiative.
Bruce ditches his unkempt hermit look and squeezes back into the bat suit, but in doing so, is forced to confront the personal struggles that have been with him since the trilogy’s start in “Batman Begins.” Although butler Alfred (Michael Caine) refuses to watch Batman meet his death in another mission to save Gotham, Bruce finds help from faithful weapons expert Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman), policeman and fellow orphan John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Miranda Tate (Marion Cotillard).
Even the cunning and calculating Catwoman comes around. From her first appearance in disguise as an obedient maid who steals Bruce’s mother’s pearls, Hathaway has as much charisma as the two actresses who played Rachel Dawes in the prior two Batman films combined. In their defense, the character Selina Kyle lends itself to far more dynamism and energy — let alone ass kicking — than Bruce’s past love interest.
Hathaway looks sexy and sinewy in her cat suit, but her character is not the objectified acknowledgement that gender roles are changing seen in most action films. She is funny, hardened and resourceful, and just as much a savior to Batman as he is to her.
Christian Bale delivers another excellent performance as Bruce Wayne that heavily draws on the previous two films. Bruce struggles with his inner demons that were intensely developed in “Batman Begins.” “Rises” is full of allusions to the death of his parents and even his childhood fear of bats resurfaces at a pivotal life-or-death moment. The death of Rachel Dawes and the destruction caused by the Joker in “The Dark Knight” hang over Bruce and he initially struggles with either resigning to his role as apathetic, entitled playboy or anonymous keeper of justice.
What’s so striking about Bale as Batman and Christopher Nolan’s directing of the franchise is that the hero’s humanity is constantly reiterated. Wayne’s often battered body, sad eyes and initial withdrawal from Gotham society make him much more complex than most heroes of his genre. Nolan seems to understand that in today’s world, trust in a perfect savior is passé.
“The Dark Knight Rises” continuously blurs divisions between good and evil, with even the brutal Bane showing a glimmer of humanity in the end. Nolan challenges our trust in the institutions we depend on through police ineptitude, corporate corruption and a horrifying sequence of explosions right after the singing of the National Anthem at a Gotham “Rogues” football game. At one point when the situation is beyond dire, an anonymous white male president offers empty, flagrantly rehearsed words of hope to the city.
Like most self-serious, epic films these days, “The Dark Knight Rises” is too long (2 hours, 40 minutes), but the plot is easy to follow and doesn’t drag. The special effects, action scenes and all of Batman’s toys also keep the proceedings engaging throughout.
Much of the film’s middle section is full of hopelessness and dread. The ending is heart-wrenching and visually stunning, but that’s not to say it isn’t bittersweet. That it’s an emotional mixed bag is part of what makes it such a satisfying conclusion to the franchise.
The fourth annual Equality Prince William Pride was held at the Harris Pavilion in Manassas, Va. on Saturday, May 17.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
The Washington Blade held its 18th annual Summer Kickoff Party in Rehoboth Beach, Del., on Friday, May 16. Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer spoke along with State Sen. Russ Huxtable, CAMP Rehoboth Executive Director Kim Leisey, Blade Editor Kevin Naff, and Clear Space Theatre Managing Director Joe Gfaller. The event raises funds for the Steve Elkins Memorial Fellowship in Journalism, which was awarded to AU student Abigail Hatting.
(Washington Blade photos by Daniel Truitt)
In some fowl fiction foreshadowing, a gay-owned chicken joint has come home to roost on U Street, taking a page from the chicken window subplot on the HBO show “Looking.”
Last Friday, Lucky Pollo – much more than just a takeout window – stretched its wings atop the busy nightlife corner of 14th and U Streets NW.
Behind the poultry production place is Zach Renovátes, a D.C.-based nightlife operator and managing partner of LGBTQ venues Bunker and District Eagle, as well as the LGBTQ event production company KINETIC Presents.
Renovátes opened Bunker in February 2023 and District Eagle in January of this year. Lucky Pollo is the third in his growing gay empire, though this time there are noshes.
“Lucky Pollo was meant to be fun and a little provocative,” Renovátes said.
Based around its Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, Lucky Pollo is a quick-service restaurant boasting a small menu of poultry and sides. Renovátes says that the dishes are deeply rooted in Peruvian culinary tradition, “a playful experience alongside seriously good food.”
Lucky Pollo’s signature chicken is steeped in a dozen-plus-spice marinade for 24 hours. The meat is then slow-roasted, rotisserie-style, over oak-wood charcoal. Chicken options include quarter, half, and whole.
Helming the kitchen at Lucky Pollo is Chef Luis Herrera, who brings Peruvian recipes passed down through three generations, including his grandmother Laura’s original creations.
Beyond the full bird, the menu features Peruvian-inspired sides like yuca fries (“I personally love these,” says Renovátes) and fried plantains, as well as comfort classics such as mac and cheese and mashed potatoes, and bowls, wraps, and salads. Herrera oversees development of the multiple sauces (including staff favorite, the “secret green sauce”), crafted in-house using traditional Peruvian ingredients.
Lucky Pollo, in its streetside perch, is an independent concept from District Eagle, open to the public and staying open late (3 a.m. on weekends) to serve both nightlife guests and the wider U Street crowd hungry for late-night bites. However, just beyond the kitchen, tucked in the back lies a vintage 1950s candy machine—labeled “Out of Order,” which serves as the door leading to subterranean District Eagle.
Renovátes notes that when District Eagle is open, security staff will maintain a strict two-line policy, ensuring that those seeking meat to eat will not get entwined with those looking to gain access to District Eagle.
Lucky Pollo unites the need for sustenance with the idea of a bit of fortune, given its motto, “Get Lucky” and the whimsical brand mascot: a leather-booted chicken perched on a horseshoe. Renovátes and his District Eagle business partner had always been interested in opening a restaurant, and the Lucky Pollo space was indeed lucky: It already came with a functional kitchen. Plus, he says, the nearby fast-casual places around 14th and U streets “don’t offer a lot of quality options,” so opening the chicken spot “was a no-brainer.”
The space, designed by NYC creative Jasin Cadic, blends theatrical street-art-style vibes with Keith Haring-inspired wall prints, neon signs, and ceiling-hung chicken figurines —”some edgy, some sweet,” says Renovátes —creating an immersive, playful atmosphere. Lucky Pollo and District Eagle maintain separate amenities for their respective customers.
Lucky Pollo opened last week with a competition to devour a whole rotisserie chicken in the fastest time, with the winner earning $1,000 and a framed spot on the restaurant’s “Wall of Fame.” The opening also featured other games and prizes, and a full crowd spilling out the door.
“We want it to be a great place to eat, but also serve as a playful front for something completely unexpected.” Renovátes says.
On weekends especially, he jokes, the motto will be, ‘Come for the chicken, stay for the cock.’”
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