Varly, Landy, and Dutchy power Avs past Kings

Last Saturday, the Colorado Avalanche opened up their shortened 2013 season in Minnesota and fell to the new-look Wild, despite playing a good first and third period.

Three days later, the Avs made their season debut on home ice, where they faced off against the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings.  Despite the fact that the Kings went on to win it all last year, the Avs actually had great success against Los Angeles, sweeping them in all four meetings last season.

The Avs and the Kings both entered last night's matchup 0-1 on the season and looking for their first win of 2013.  The Kings' best player is unquestionably their goaltender, reigning Conn Smythe winner Jonathan Quick, so Avs netminder Semyon Varlamov had his work cut out for him to match Quick.

Varly was outstanding last night.  He surrendered a first period goal, which was the result of young defenseman Tyson Barrie failing to tie up his man across the low slot.  The Avs did get themselves into trouble, taking six penalties on the night, but Varly and the penalty killing unit were spectacular, killing of all six Kings power play opportunities. 

The game was 1-0 in favor of the Kings through two periods and the Avs failed to capitalize on a 5-3 power play advantage late in the second, despite getting some good looks. 

Enter Gabriel Landeskog.  The 20-year-old Swede was not named the youngest captain in NHL history for some gimmick or fluke, this kid is the real deal.  It's cliche in pro sports, but in order to win, your best players have to be your best players and Landeskog showed why he is just that.  Landy received a somewhat fortunate bounce from defenseman Jan Hejda, but he used his hockey awareness and strength to be in the perfect position and he put the puck home past Jon Quick for the Avs' first goal on home ice this year.

Barely over a minute and a half later, sniper David Jones, fresh off a new four-year contract, snapped a wrist shot over the shoulder of Quick to give the Avs their first lead of the night.  Not bad for Jonesy to get the eventual game-winner at the first game his six-month-old son was able to attend!

Newcomer P.A. Parenteau would later get his first score as a member of the Avalanche and put Colorado up 3-1 for good.

Although he only recorded one assist on the night, center Matt Duchene was unquestionably one of the best players on the ice throughout the entire game.  From the opening face off, Duchene was flying, using his trademark speed to create space for him and his linemates.  He set up the play nicely that led to Landeskog's goal and he was good in all three zones. 

With fan-favorite Ryan O'Reilly still playing over in Russia as he has been unable to agree to a new contract in Colorado, Duchene's already important role with the Avs increase exponentially.  During the first two games this season, Duchene has been frequently used as a penalty killer, a role that he has not been known for throughout his young NHL career.

Over the summer, Duchene trained with Sidney Crosby, arguably the world's best hockey player and his trainer to work on his game.  Duchene eliminated gluten, sugar, and dairy from his diet to get into the best shape of his life.  He excelled in Sweden and Switzerland during the lockout and looks to be hungry to take his game to the next level with the Avalanche.  He is playing a more physical game it seems thus far.  He appears to be stronger and not afraid to get into the gritty areas of the ice.  On the set up of Landy's goal, he casually brushed off defenseman Rob Scuderi to get to the front of the net.

Duchene was also involved in a scary incident last night after he blocked a shot by Kings all-star defensemen Drew Doughty, who certainly has a cannon of a shot.  Duchene took the shot up high and immediately skated to the bench and into the locker room.  Just a couple short minutes later, Duchene returned to to game with a bandage on his jaw.  He would require stitches after the game and said he was lucky the shot didn't hit him higher, otherwise he probably would have lost all of his teeth.  Head coach Joe Sacco praised Duchene's play and his toughness for returning to the ice so quickly after sacrificing his body to block the shot.

Whether or not O'Reilly returns to Colorado, and of course we all hope he does very soon, Duchene will be a key piece for the Avs. 

The Avs are back at it at home tomorrow night against the Columbus Blue Jackets.  The Jackets traded the longtime face of their franchise and former captain, Rick Nash over the summer, but the new-look Jackets are not to be taken lightly.  In a short, 48 game season, every game is an important one.  The Avs' key to success will be for them to use their youth and energy night in and night out and to not take games and even periods off.

The X Factor

After a long, frustrating, and arduous lockout, Colorado Avalanche fans are finding themselves victim of another maddening dispute.  This time however, it is between the Colorado Avalanche and their popular center Ryan O'Reilly.

Now, while the official party line is that talks remain ongoing between Colorado Avalanche General Manager Greg Sherman and O'Reilly's agent, Mark Guy, the fact remains that an already shortened season has begun, and the Avs are without their leading scorer from a year ago.

Much like the lockout itself, both sides have legitimate claims.  Over the course of his short three year NHL career, O'Reilly has certainly proven his value.  From the get-go, he established himself as a reliable two-way center who was very responsible in his own end as well as in the face off circle.  Last year, he saw his offensive abilities blossom as he nearly equaled the output from his rookie and sophomore years combined.

Greg Sherman and the Avs front office however, still have a business to run.  The Avs are still a very young team with budding talents and emerging superstars.  If they comply with the O'Reilly camp's demands and overpay the young center, it may be setting a dangerous precedent when the contracts of key players like Gabriel Landeskog, Matt Duchene, and Semyon Varlamov expire in two years.  The Avs are well under the salary cap now, but if they shell out big bucks for all of their young, talented players, they may not be able to afford to keep them all down the line.  A hockey guy and a team guy, O'Reilly should understand that.

There have been reports as to what the Avs have offered and what O'Reilly has reportedly turned down.  Yes, the numbers are important for the team and O'Reilly now and of course in the long term, but much like the lockout, we fans don't care.  The CBA is certainly a necessary evil, but it was completely unnecessary that we had to wait until January to watch our first NHL games of the season.

Signing O'Reilly to a contract that is fair for both him and team is important, but all we fans care about is that he is in the lineup, representing the Burgundy and Blue and helping this young team win games in a very competitive Northwest Division.

The longer this drags out, the worse it will be for both the Avalanche and Ryan O'Reilly.  Owner Stan Kroenke has developed the reputation as an owner who won't spend money to help improve his teams and Greg "from Accounting" Sherman has been labeled as a numbers guy, not a hockey guy.  This certainly isn't helping to cure those rumors.  We've been told for years now that no one loves the game of hockey more than O'Reilly.  The team's biggest "rink rat," always the first to arrive and the last to leave.  Well Ryan, prove to us that you do love the game and that nothing means more to you than playing hockey at the highest level possible   Not some second-rate league like the KHL, the National Hockey League.

We were cheated out of 34 regular season games this year because of people's greed, arrogance, and stubbornness and now we are being cheated out of watching a young, talented, valuable player help the team who turned him into a bona fide NHL center as he wastes away in the KHL.

Bettman, Fehr I mean Sherman, Guy, get a deal done!

Serving Justice

Ever since Warner Bros. announced plans for a live-action Justice League movie due out in 2015, there has been much speculation as to who will be playing the roles of the film's heroes.  With its only successful film franchise now wrapped up following The Dark Knight Rises, DC Comics and Warner Bros. are in desperate need of a film franchise that they can bank on.  Of course, every actor picked to play a role will hopefully begin their own franchises as their respective heroes.  Here are my picks to play the characters of the movie:

Superman:  Henry Cavill

This of course is banking on the fact that next summer's The Man of Steel will work.  Marvel had the success of Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, and Captain America to kick start The Avengers.  Superman Returns and Green Lantern didn't get it done, so The Man of Steel is essentially DC's last hope to jump start the Justice League franchise without having The Justice League movie itself be the catalyst.

Wonder Woman:  Odette Annable

The 27-year-old House actress certainly has the look of Wonder Woman.  Even though she doesn't have an action background, with the right training she can certainly get into Amazon form, much like Anne Hathaway did for her role as Selina Kyle.  Annable is relatively unknown, so audiences won't have preconceived notions about her.

Green Lantern:  Idris Elba

Unless DC and Warner Bros. want to continue with Ryan Reynolds' Hal Jordan incarnation of Green Lantern, it would be a perfect opportunity to introduce the John Stewart Green Lantern.  Idris Elba, who has some comic book movie experience from Thor, would fit the bill perfectly. 

The Flash:  Ryan Reynolds

Before he ever signed on to play Green Lantern, Reynolds stated that he thought he could play The Flash.  DC however, decided to move forward with Green Lantern instead and cast him.  Now that Green Lantern failed to meet expectations, why not give Reynolds a shot at the hero he originally wanted?  With The Flash being a wise-cracking, sarcastic super hero, Reynolds would certainly work perfectly.

Green Arrow:  Josh Holloway

Holloway is of course best known as the conman Sawyer from Lost.  He could certainly fit the bill as billionaire archer Oliver Queen.  The fact that Holloway is in his 40s would be ideal for the Justice League film because a younger Oliver Queen would be too similar to the current Arrow incarnation on the CW and even Smallville's Green Arrow. 

Aquaman:  Alexander Skarsgard

True Blood fans of course know him best as Eric Northman, the antihero vampire of Bon Temps.  Skarsgard could bring the necessary energy to Aquaman to make him a legitimate hero rather than just a joke of a guy who talks to fish.

Martian Manhunter:  Djimon Hounsou

Hounsou voiced Marvel's Black Panther in the short-lived BET animated series and was rumored to play the character in the now scrapped third Fantastic Four movie.  Hounsou could certainly play Martian Manhunter and his alter ego, John Jones. 

Black Canary:  Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood made her film debut in 2010's drama Soul Surfer.  If she wants to further expand her acting resume, then why not take on the role of a superhero?  She's got the look of Dinah Lance and she certainly has the vocal cords!  Plus, there could be some interesting chemistry between her and Holloway...

Darkseid:  Dwayne Johnson

Darkseid is the immortal ruler of Apokolips and is powerful enough to challenge the entire Justice League.  The 6'5", 260lb. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson can certainly step into the larger than life role and become the force necessary to best Superman and all of his colleagues.

Batman:  Michael Fassbender

Following Christain Bale's legendary performances of the Dark Knight will certainly be the toughest task for any Justice League hero.  Michael Fassbender made a name for himself as Magneto in X-Men: First Class, taking the role over from another legendary actor, Ian McKellen.  Fassbender will have to do the same from Christian Bale and bring his own fresh take to the character without bringing back the campiness of George Clooney's Batman.

2012 Fall TV: Keep 'Ems and Cut 'Ems

As previously mentioned, Revolution is a keeper.  The ratings have concurred, giving NBC rare Monday night wins and NBC has in turn rewarded the show by giving it a full season pickup.  The Mob Doctor's attempts may be futile at this point as it may very well be headed for the morgue.  It avoided being the first cancellation of the season, but its lifespan might not be much longer.

I watched the pilot episode of 666 Park Avenue, but from the get-go, it was facing an uphill battle with my packed Sunday lineup, which gets even more crowded this week with the Season 3 premier of The Walking Dead.  666 kind of had a Devil's Advocate feel, but it also seemed like ABC wanted to bring the horror genre, which is all over feature films these days, to network television.  Aside from the aforementioned Walking Dead, I am not a fan of the horror genre, so 666 was certainly expendable from my lineup.  Its ratings have been described as "frightful" as well.

The pilot episode of Vegas was decent.  Dennis Quaid brings in his gruff Western character, reminiscent of his portrayal of Doc Holliday in Wyatt Earp, which was a ok, but far less superior to Val Kilmer's in Tombstone.  Michael Chiklis is good.  He's got the same edge about him that made Vic Mackey and The Shield a success.  Vegas' second episode got a nice boost with the addition of Sarah Jones, the star of the short-lived Alcatraz.  Although there are standalone storylines in Vegas, the ongoing budding feud between Quaid's Sheriff Ralph Lamb and Chiklis' Vincent Savino gives it the nice feel of a serialized drama, which I prefer.

I'm a big fan of Tosh.O, South Park, and Family Guy.  Brickleberry seemed to incorporate elements of all three.  Daniel Tosh of course stars and brings his edgy comedic stylings playing an anthropomorphic bear cub (a mix of Brian and Stewie from Family Guy) and the pushing-the-limits jokes made famous by South Park.  Unfortunately, despite the winning formula, Brickleberry fails.  I watched the first 2 episodes and just didn't find the jokes funny.  I'll stick with the former 3 shows.



Arrow is the CW's latest attempt to bring a DC superhero to the small screen.  The WB/CW enjoyed a decade of success with the Superman-themed show Smallville.  The character of Green Arrow was actually featured in Smallville over the course of its latter 5 seasons.  It seemed feasible that they could have just used Smallville actor Justin Hartley and made Arrow a true spinoff of Smallville.  Oliver Queen's mansion in Arrow even looks very similar to the Luthor mansion in Smallville.  The CW however, decided to go in a different direction and start the Green Arrow storyline over with a fresh, new show.  Canadian actor Stephen Amell takes over the titular role with a supporting cast of Katie Cassidy as a character who could very well become DC Comics' Black Canary and Willa Holland as Oliver Queen's sister, whom he nicknames "Speedy," a nod to Green Arrow's comic book sidekick.  Arrow is good for what it is.  You wouldn't expect Lost or Dexter quality TV from the CW, but Arrow is entertaining and for superhero and comic book fans like me, Arrow is a show worth watching.  The CW will certainly be hoping that it can channel Smallville's success rather than the short-lived Batman-themed show, Birds of Prey.



Perhaps the surprise hit of the season is Last Resort.  The cast, storyline, and overall show are all very well executed and Last Resort seems like it has a lot of potential going forward.  It certainly has a serialized storyline, but one that can capture viewers, or so ABC hopes.  Although its ratings haven't been what Revolution's have been, I think Last Resort can sustain a viewership.  Though it's a rather large ensemble type cast, there is a good blend of solid, veteran actors (Andre Braugher, Scott Speedman, and Robert Patrick) as well as promising relative newcomers like Daisy Betts, Autumn Reeser, Daniel Lissing, and Jessy Schram.  Serialized shows can have difficulties with ratings since they're not friendly to the casual viewer, but if Last Resort is able to build and maintain a faithful fanbase, it will certainly thrive.

I have a new edition to my lineup as well.  I didn't catch on to Cinemax's first successful endeavor at original programming, Strike Back, but its newest show, Hunted, looks like it has potential.  It stars Melissa George (the hot nanny from Friends) as a spy who's trying to find out who's trying to kill her.  Like Burn Notice, but hopefully less cheesy.  It premiers in the U.S. on Friday, 11/19.

Reviewlution

Only a couple of new shows premiered this week (along with the disappointing NBC sitcoms that debuted during the Olympics last month).  Let's take a look, shall we?

Although it wasn't on my initial list of new shows, I decided to check out the pilot 'sode of The Mob Doctor.  Jordana Spiro is very good as the titular character.  You may remember her from the TBS sitcom My Boys as well as last season of Dexter.  She had a memorable scene in which she tried to kill Deb and the Miami PD by gassing them, but our hero Dexter shrewdly realized her intentions at the last minute and pushed her into a room by herself, making her the only casualty.  Back to The Mob Doctor.  It's basically half House and half The Sopranos, but not as convincing as either.  (I never watched House, but heard only good things).  William Forsythe brings the "mob" portion of the show.  He's looking a lot puffier these days than he did in The Rock 16 years ago, but he certainly plays a convincing mobster, just as he did in Boardwark Empire and UC: Undercover.  I like Michael Rapaport, who appeared in the pilot as another mobster, but he only guest starred and won't be part of the main cast.  Overall, The Mob Doctor is not a bad show, but it didn't really captivate me enough to continue watching.  With Monday Night Football, How I Met Your Mother, Hawaii Five-O, and Revolution, my Mondays are full.

Which of course brings us to Revolution, J.J. Abrams' latest TV bid.  In his post-Lost TV career, Abrams is only 1-2 when it comes to his shows lasting longer than one season.  Person of Interest will be entering its second, while Undercovers didn't even make it through its entire first before getting yanked and Alcatraz was canceled upon completion of its first.  With Revolution, Abrams brings with him frequent collaborator Bryan Burk as well as Iron Man and Iron Man 2 director, Jon Favreau, who also directed the pilot episode of Revolution.

The premise is pretty simple:  The lights go out.  All of them.  The entire world's electricity and power go out; flash forward 15 years later to see what the world has become.  The United States has become "republics" ruled by militias and people fight to survive.  Billy Burke (24, the Twilight series) heads up the cast in a role being compared to the legendary Han Solo and newcomer Tracy Spiridakos plays his niece as a character who's been compared to The Hunger Games' heroine Katniss Everdeen.  Giancarlo Esposito of The Usual Suspect and Breaking Bad plays a member of the bad guy militia and Lost's Elizabeth Mitchell and David Lyons, the star of the short-lived NBC show The Cape co-star as well.

I think Revolution has potential.  Dystopia is in right now, namely with the aforementioned Hunger Games and I think Revolution has a good premise and cast in place to garner and keep viewers interested.  While Undercovers, Alcatraz, and Person of Interest were all mostly stand-alone episodes, Revolution seems to have a more serialized feel to it, which I prefer.  I understand the network's desire for stand-alone episodes to attract casual viewers, but I think stories and even characters can be better developed in a serialized storyline.  Revolution certainly has a long way to go before being considered a hit, but I will keep watching for the moment.

Next week Brickleberry, Vegas, Last Resort, and 666 Park Avenue will all debut.  Stay tuned!

The Best Time Of The Year (New TV Shows Time)

*UPDATE*
Thanks to Colorado Avalanche Alternate Captain Paul Stastny via Twitter, It's Always Sunny has been confirmed for an October 11th season premier.

NBC debuted two of their new, hopeful sitcoms a month before new shows typically come out.  This followed their strong Olympic numbers, so it was a good strategy to try to lure in viewers.  The problem...neither show was any good.

Matthew Perry's new endeavor, Go On, is much more Mr. Sunshine than Friends.  While I am a fan of Joanna Garcia Swisher, even she could not save Animal Practice, nor could I even get through the entire episode.  After just one episode of Go On and half of an episode of Animal Practice, both these show are off my DVR.  Let's hope the new dramas that will premiere next month will be better than these two sitcoms and fortunately, we will be getting It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Happy Endings, and South Park as well as the potential for Brickleberry.

The fall brings us back football, hockey, and relief from summer's brutal 100 degree temperatures.   It is also the time when TV networks debut their best and brightest and we get the return of some of the best shows on TV today.  There are some promising new shows this upcoming season as well as the long anticipated returns of some other great shows.  Here is what to watch...

Per usual, Sundays will be jam-packed.  The rest of the week is pretty spread out, but we shall see how things shake out with the inevitable cancellations and midseason replacements. 



Sundays will boast the return of the premium channels bests including the 7th season of Showtime's Dexter.  If you recall, season 6 left us with a killer of a cliffhanger!  Once again, it will be followed by Homeland, the military psychological thriller entering its 2nd season.  HBO will bring back the critically acclaimed Boardwalk Empire for its 3rd season, which will certainly look to feature some new cast members (if you saw the end of season 2, you'll know why!).  Family Guy and The Simpsons will be back on Fox.  Family Guy is still funny, I watch The Simpsons out of obligation and not much else these days.  Does anyone else still watch the new Simpsons?  In October, The Walking Dead will return for its fall set.  Hands-down, one of the best shows on basic cable and my personal favorite (show or movie) in the horror genre.  The newbies on Sunday will include 666 Park Avenue, which will revolve around an apartment building owned by the devil, played by Terry O'Quinn (Lost's John Locke and the man in black "Barry" as Locke).  This show may be on a short leash for me simply due to the logjam of shows on Sunday nights.  Do No Harm is a medical thriller which will debut midseason, starring Rescue Me's Stephen Pasquale and Law & Order's Alana de la Garza.

Mondays will feature the return of the reliable How I Met Your Mother and Hawaii Five-O on CBS.  JJ Abrams will take another crack at network TV with NBC's Revolution, a post-apocalyptic show where technology no longer exists.  Looks like it has potential, but Abrams has had more busts than hits post-Lost (Undercovers and Alcatraz vs. Person of Interest).


The best network sitcom on TV today, Happy Endings, will move to Tuesdays and will return in October.  Watch this show!  It is hilarious!  There are also a few newcomers on Tuesdays with potential.  Stand-up comedian and Tosh.O star Daniel Tosh will debut his animated show Brickleberry, which will also co-star Kaitlin Olsen, It's Always Sunny's Dee Reynolds.  After Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Mr. Sunshine failed to make an impact, Matthew Perry will get his 3rd shot to find some post-Friends TV success with Go On.  Perry will play a sportscaster trying to get over his wife's death.  CBS will debut Vegas, a 1960s Western set in Las Vegas with Dennis Quaid as a sheriff and Michael Chiklis as a mobster.  Sounds a tad different from the James Caan/Josh Duhamel show Las Vegas and Chiklis as a mobster should be good.



On Wednesdays, Law & Order: SVU will return for its 14th season and rumors are that Det. Stabler may return as a guest star.  South Park will also be back for its fall run.  NBC will debut Animal Practice, featuring Joanna Garcia Swisher (from Better With You) and a monkey.  The CW will try to emulate its Smallville success with Arrow, a show about DC superhero, The Green Arrow.  They (back when they were still the WB) struck out in 2002 with the loosely-themed Batman show, Birds of Prey, which only lasted one season.

Thursdays will see the return of JJ Abrams hit CBS show, Person of Interest, a decent show, but certainly not Lost-caliber.  30 Rock will enter its final season and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia will return in October.  The funniest show on TV.  Last Resort looks promising.  It is about a renegade submarine and is from Shawn Ryan, the creator of The Shield.

Fringe will enter its final season on Fridays this season, hopefully getting the ending this underrated and underappreciated show deserves.  The Kiefer Sutherland show Touch moves to Fridays as well, possibly signifying a lifespan for this show similar to that of Danny Glover's character on the show.  They don't call it "the Friday night death slot" for no reason.



Sunday
Boardwalk Empire - 9/16 HBO
The Simpsons - 7:00, 9/30 Fox
Family Guy - 8:00, 9/30 Fox
Dexter - 9/30 Showtime
Homeland - 9/30 Showtime
666 Park Avenue - 9:00, 9/30 CBS
The Walking Dead - 10/14 AMC
Do No Harm - 9:00 Midseason NBC

Monday
Revolution - 9:00, 9/17 NBC
How I Met Your Mother - 7:00, 9/24 CBS
Hawaii Five-O - 9:00, 9/24 CBS

Tuesday
Go On - 8:00, 8/8 (9/11) NBC
Vegas - 9:00, 9/25 CBS
Brickleberry, 9/25 Comedy Central
Happy Endings - 8:00, 10/23 ABC

Wednesday
Animal Practice - 7:00, 8/12 (9/26) NBC
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit - 8:00 - 9/26 NBC
South Park - 9/26 Comedy Central
Arrow - 7:00, 10/10 CW

Thursday
Last Resort - 7:00, 9/27 ABC
Person of Interest - 8:00, 9/27 CBS
30 Rock - 7:00, 10/4 NBC
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 10/11 FX

Friday
Fringe - 8:00, 9/28 Fox
Touch - 7:00, 10/26 Fox

New shows in bold

RISE

Sadly, one of the most anticipated movies of all-time and unquestionably the movie of the year in 2012 will be forever shrouded in darkness due to the horrific events that occurred in Aurora, CO during the midnight showings of the film on July 20th, 2012.  These terribly tragic events certainly hit very close to home for me and my wife and we decided to make t-shirts to benefit the families of the victims of the tragedy via givingfirst.org.  The can be found on Facebook at Shirts for Aurora.





*SPOILER ALERT*

Eight years after the flop that was 1997's Batman & Robin, director Christopher Nolan took the helm of the Batman film franchise and took it in an entirely new direction.  Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns were dark in classic Tim Burton style and the franchise got increasingly campy once Joel Schmacher took over.  Nolan, whose work prior to the Dark Knight trilogy were the psychological thrillers, Memento and Insomnia, brought the Dark Knight back to a darker tone and wanted to create a sense of realism in his Batman projects.  This was evident in Batman Begins when the primary antagonist, Ra's al Ghul, was portrayed as just a man, rather than an immortal who keeps himself alive with the use of the Lazarus Pit like his comic and cartoon incarnation.

While Batman Begins was not the box office blockbuster its successor would later become, it was the Batman film the world needed at the time and it was successful in rebooting the Batman film franchise.  It received positive critical and fan responses for the darker plot, the cast and the performances of its stars like Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, and Liam Neeson.  Bale was lauded for his performance as Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman and the supporting cast was full of Oscar winners and all-star actors alike.

Begins also paved the way for its highly-anticipated sequel, The Dark Knight which was hands-down the most successful film of 2008.  While Begins utilized lesser-known villains who had previously not appeared in any Batman films, The Dark Knight introduced villains into the Nolan universe who had been previously been portrayed in the Burton-Schumacher series including Harvey Dent, who would become Two-Face, and the Joker, masterfully portrayed by the late Heath Ledger.  Ledger's tragic and untimely death six months before The Dark Knight's release, along with universal acclaim for his performance and the movie overall led to the film surpassing the $1 billion mark worldwide and becoming one of the most successful films of all-time.  Ledger even won a posthumous Oscar for his portrayal of the supervillain Joker.

After Ledger's untimely death, there was much speculation as to which direction Nolan would go with his series.  Nolan ultimately decided not to bring back the character of the Joker, due to Ledger's passing despite the fact that the character was not killed off in The Dark Knight.  Instead, Nolan opted for Bane as the primary antagonist in his third Batman film as well as the antihero Selina Kyle (most notably known ass Catwoman in the comics).  Nolan also wanted The Dark Knight Rises to be the definitive ending to his series, bookending the trilogy, whereas many comic book storylines are infinitely ongoing.

Tom Hardy, who rose to fame in Nolan's 2010 hit Inception, was tabbed with the very difficult task of succeeding Heath Ledger's Joker as Batman's nemesis, but was certainly up to the challenge.  Hardy, who normally stands at 5'10", 168 lbs. packed on 30lbs. of muscle to play the hulking Bane and had to wear lifts in his shoes to equal Christian Bale's 6'2" height.  At nearly 200lbs., Hardy's Bane is still much smaller than other incarnations of the character.  Nolan's Bane also differs from the classic perception of Bane in that he is not strength-enhanced with Venom.  Instead, his mask feeds him a painkiller for severe injuries sustained when he was young after he saved Talia al Ghul.  For people only familiar with Bane from Batman & Robin, Rises' Bane actually serves as a much more true-to-form version of the character (sans the Venom) with him being a criminal mastermind as well as being a physical force whose strength and physical prowess exceeds even Batman's.

While it's not fair to compare Hardy's Bane to Ledger's Joker, the comparisons will inevitably be made.  With that said, they are certainly very different types of villains with Joker's goal of anarchy and chaos versus Bane's carefully calculated plot to systematically destroy Gotham.  When it's all said and done, Bane actually accomplished a lot more of his goals and achieved more success than any villain in the Batman film franchise.  He handily defeats Batman during their first encounter and even breaks The Dark Knight's back, which is an iconic moment taken from 1993's Knightfall storyline, Bane's first appearance.  He also blows up a Gotham Rogues football game killing Gotham's mayor and countless citizens (including pretty much all of the Gotham Rogues and the visiting Rapid City Monuments players except for Hines Ward) and he successfully holds the entire city of Gotham under martial law for five months, a nod to the No Man's Land storyline. 

While Tom Hardy may not win the Best Supporting Actor Academy Award Heath Ledger did, his portrayal of Bane was certainly menacing, effective, and a very worth adversary for Batman in this final installment.  In addition to Bane, Anne Hathaway joins the cast as Selina Kyle.  While Michelle Pfeiffer previously played the role in Batman Returns, Hathaway brings a fresh take to the character.  While elements from the Catwoman character are certainly there, she is never actually referred to as such in Rises.  Halle Berry also portrayed Catwoman in the 2004 film of the same name, a DC movie that was actually worse than Batman & Robin.  While Katie Holmes and Maggie Gyllenhaal played Bruce Wayne's love interest, Rachel Dawes, in Begins and The Dark Knight respectively, Rises boasts the best female cast of the trilogy with Hathaway and Marion Cotillard as Talia al Ghul, whose true identity is not revealed until end of the film, similarly to her father's at the end of Batman Begins.

The supporting cast are all at the top of their respective games as well.  Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman deliver as Commissioner Gordon and Lucius Fox and Michael Caine delivers a moving performance as Alfred, Bruce's butler, who has essentially serves as his father figure since his parents' murder.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt was also very good as a Nolan original character, John Blake, who certainly has a nod to Batman's sidekick Robin as well.  Although we see Blake inherit the Batcave and all of Batman's tools at the end of the movie, I doubt we will see any further spin-offs with this universe as Rises has a conclusive, fitting, and solid ending.

When Christopher Nolan announced that The Dark Knight Rises would be the end of his trilogy, there was much speculation as to whether he would go so far as to kill off Batman.  One of the early promotional posters even had the tagline, "THE LEGEND ENDS" with Bane seen walking away from a broken Batman mask and previews showed Selina Kyle telling Batman to leave and that he doesn't owe the people of Gotham anymore and that he's given them everything to which he responds, "Not everything.  Not yet."

The penultimate scene of the film shows Batman seemingly sacrificing himself by flying Bane's and Talia's bomb away from the city where it detonates and presumably kills Batman.  He is later revealed to have survived as Alfred sees him and Selina at a cafe in Italy, mirroring a fantasy Alfred previously said he had. 

When you look at great movies, especially great trilogies, I would say ending of The Dark Knight Rises puts the pieces together and ties up the trilogy masterfully.  The original Star Wars movies, The Lord Of The Rings, and The Godfather are all regarded as the best trilogies ever, but Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy tops them all.  While you may not necessarily agree with that strong of an assessment, The Dark Knight Trilogy is certainly among the tops as far as comic book trilogies are concerned.  Nolan, Bale, and company will be missed on screen as this legendary franchise hangs up its cape and cowl, just at Bruce Wayne does at the end of the saga but much like Batman himself, the legend of this trilogy will become immortal.