Bale Versus Bane and SamSara
By Steve Herte
Batman – The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
It’s
movies like this one that makes me wish I had read the original DC Comics
versions just to understand why it was made. The third in a dark (both in
mood and in lighting) trilogy directed by Christopher Nolan, this film had
tremendous boots to fill after No. 2 and it was not up to the task. It took two
hours and 44 minutes to tell the tale of a vengeful character named Bane (Tom
Hardy) who takes the entirety of Manhattan hostage by blowing up all bridges
into Manhattan (except the Queensboro) while telling the people he’s “giving it
back to them” with the caveat that if anyone tries to cross the remaining
bridge, he will detonate a thermo-nuclear bomb and destroy everything (which is
due to go off whether someone crosses the bridge or not).
That’s
it. We see a mustachioed, bearded Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), a virtual
hermit hobbling around his mansion like Gregory House due to a leg injury he
received in the previous film (who remembers?) – and this guy is going to be
Batman and fight the bad guy? We know obviously that Gotham City is indeed
New York City. No pretenses or fabulously tall additions or stage-sets to make
us suspect otherwise where created. We even see the incomplete Freedom
Tower in a couple of scenes, and when the bridges blow, they do so in order
from downtown on up. We hear Alfred (Michael Caine) begging Bruce not to
continue on the crusade and get a nice girl, get married and settle down –
except for the British accent, he came off like Molly Goldberg. Catwoman,
Selina Kyle, (Anne Hathaway) is beautiful and sexy but down-played as a mere
cat burglar who never purrs or meows or even looks like a cat until she flips
her goggles up and they become “ears,” but she still doesn’t hide her desire
for Batman.
The
dialogue is almost as corny as the Batman TV series but not as well-written or
delivered. In fact, it is extremely difficult to understand what Batman or
Bane is saying. Christian Bale rasps so much, his speech is garbled and
even though amplified, the mask on Bale distorts his speech. The best
performance in the movie is given by Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and
supported well by Morgan Freeman as Fox, Batman’s gadget creator.
Speaking
of gadgets, the only notable ones were vehicles. Batman has a flying hovercraft
that assists in saving the day at the end and a tricked-out motorcycle on which
Catwoman teams up with him. The other vehicles look like leftovers from
Operation Desert Storm. Utility Belt? Fuggetaboutit! The most
Batman throws at Bane is a handful of tiny fire crackers. He has to fight someone who looks like a huge refugee from World Wrestling Entertainment nearly bare-handed and is
almost killed the first time and nearly fatally stabbed the second. I kept
wondering when he would trip over his cape (which also does nothing
spectacular). The Batman hero has turned into a myth. Even when he hooks
the nuclear device to a cable attached to his Bat Flyer he bangs and drags it
before it becomes airborne, leaving the audience to wonder if his handling would
detonate it way before he got it to safety.
Again,
all praises to the DC Comics fans who got to read the originals. It looks
like there will be another Batman movie. Because, at the end the
hot-headed cop who helped and stood up for Batman throughout the movie, John
Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is revealed to have the first name “Robin” and he
discovers a brand new Batcave.
SamSara
277 Water Street (at Peck Slip), New York City
When
I first encountered this restaurant on Opentable.com I thought the name was an
amalgam of the owners’ names, but when I asked someone if she was Sara, I found
out differently. Samsāra comes from Sanskrit and means “continuous flow.” It
figures highly in Mandalas and Hindu culture. But SamSara is far from
being an Indian restaurant.
When
(and if) you find this two-month-old place nearly tucked under the Brooklyn
Bridge on the Manhattan side, you might – as I did – try to enter by the wrong
door. If you see a flight of stairs, go one door to the left and you’re
there. The décor is cozy in shades of warm gold with cherry-wood slatted
ceiling, black stone tables and multi-colored pebble swag lights over the bar.
The staff is young, fresh and friendly, and eager to serve. Note: there
were six people at the bar and only one other table was occupied the whole time
I was there.
The
menu is diverse enough and leans toward Italian most of the time. Sipping my
Beefeater martini (which had a little too much vermouth) I decided to make it a
three-course night. There was the option of a four-course prix-fixe dinner, but
the main course I wanted was not included. When the youngest member of the
staff brought out the foccacia with sea salt and olive oil dip and cued me in
to the best way of enjoying it, I knew I would like this place. My waiter was
delighted when I chose the Tuscan Steak and White Bean Soup – a nice soup with
ample vegetables and fresh arugula in a tasty broth which I kicked-up a notch
with freshly grated cheese – as it was his favorite. I found a bottle of 2008
Argentine Cabernet Sauvignon to accompany my dishes and it did so beautifully.
The
next dish was Stuffed Fried Artichoke. I love artichoke and wondered how
big this would be, or not. What arrived were two golden balls a little larger
than handballs, which when cut open revealed the chèvre cheese inside, and
resting in a smoked tomato sauce – delightful and not too filling. Another
winner coupled with the wine.
The
main dish was Pan Roasted Monkfish with wild mushrooms and escarole fricassee
in a champagne beurre-blanc. The combination of the fish, the slightly-musky
mushrooms and the tang of the escarole danced with the buttery undertones to
create a taste party. That and the side dish of sweet bacon-y collard greens
truly made me wonder why this restaurant wasn’t packed.
The
conversation at the bar was entertaining in a Brooklyn sort of way (the accents
gave them away) and added a New York charm to SamSara when it was dessert
time. I told my waiter that I had only noticed three desserts on the menu
and asked if their Bread Pudding was anything like what I had in New Orleans.
He told me they have more desserts and brought a separate menu where I found
the Inner City S’Mores! In no time at all an old-fashioned style glass
arrived with graham cracker crumbs in the bottom, a dark chocolate/marshmallow
cream swirl on top of that and three jumbo toasted marshmallows and two graham
crackers protruding from the top as if caught in quick sand. It was gooey,
sweet, crunchy and fun.
Lastly (yes, I still had
room) a double espresso and a SamSara Sexy Kiss – an after-dinner drink
composed of Chambord (a raspberry liqueur), Chocolate Vodka, Frangelico and
Prosecco (an Italian sparkling wine) with a Hershey’s Kiss at the bottom. Thank
you, SamSara. Your continuous flow made me forget the ache in my bottom from
sitting through Batman. I will return with friends.
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