On the Outside Looking In

I've been meaning to write a review of this movie for months. So has my girlfriend. So we wrote our reviews together.

One of my favorite spots in the Disney Hollywood Studios theme park is The Magic of Disney Animation, nestled within the Animation Courtyard. I'm a fan of Disney's classics, Pixar's amazing body of work, and animation in general. This building served as a tribute to Disney's legacy of animation as well as an opportunity to entice fans with what's to come with teaser posters for upcoming Disney and Pixar films, which I would always check for. It's where I first saw the balloon-powered flying house with the word "Up" above it, knowing I would be in love with that movie. And it's where I saw a sillouette of a head, filled with circles of color and the words "Inside Out".

The poster also said "Meet the little voices inside your head." As a former philosophy student, an actor who has to be in touch with emotion, and a Gemini, I was eager to discover which voices of our pysche they'd be bringing to life. Even more than that, I was excited that Pixar was diving into some deep concepts to make a colorful animated film about it. I'm a huge fan of Pixar's films, and I knew that I was destined to be a fan of this one too, so there was no need for trailers to convince me to watch. If anything, I would rather experience the emotional rollercoaster without knowing any of the twists and turns ahead. Free of spoilers, expectations, and having already seen the cool moments and funny jokes. Since seeing that poster, I did my best to plug my ears and shut my eyes around anything that would give me any semblance of what I was in for. Which was difficult to say the least. However, by the time I was finally in the car to see it, all I knew was that the film was about the five emotions, they looked relatively human but with glittery hair, and Amy Pohler was one of them.
Well, I guess that's not entirely true. My girlfriend let slip one or two more of the voice actors. Which isn't a big deal but coupled with the character posters plastered all over Los Angeles, a picture was beginning to form and I didn't want that. This was the only time I was going into a movie virtually clueless, and getting to see it come together and unravel as the filmmakers wanted me to experience it. As we were looking for parking, my girlfriend asked if she could share a friend's thoughts on the movie, which had no specific details of course, yet I still responded with an abrupt no. That kind of shut her down, which I instantly felt bad about. So I tried to make up for it by apologizing, explaining myself, and lightening the mood, which was a little difficult. But we were so close to watching the movie! I knew once we were in the theater and seeing it, everything would chance and we'd be enjoying our time. Finally we were. And to my credit, I had no idea what I was in for.

Joy comes on screen. She is our guide into this emotional world. I immediately identify with her, not just because the filmmakers have made her the voice to trust, but also because she is an upbeat person who wants everyone to be happy and optimistic. She's a leader who is ready to take on challenges and fix problems. She enlightens us on the roles of the other emotions and how everyone fits together to keep the little girl they oversee alive and well. The film continues and the dynamic shifts. The world in which they live is tilted and changes occur. Before Joy and I know it, she is displaced and stuck with Sadness, the one emotion she just can't figure out. To make matters worse, Sadness getting in Joy's way and ruining everything. Literally, every memory she touches turns blue and is forever altered. And it was upon this revelation that I really identified with Joy.
Before everything went topsy-turvy, Sadness touched one of the memory balls they keep on hand for the little girl, Riley. When she did, it turned blue and became a sad memory. What was once a happy yellow experience is now a sad moment in Riley's life. When Joy panicked and ripped it out of Sadness' hands, it stayed blue. I thought to myself, why doesn't it change back when Joy touches it? Later on, thick in the topsy-turvyness, Joy finds Sadness has compulsively, unknowingly touched a long row of Riley's memories and turned them blue. Now I'm asking myself, why is she doing this? Even if she doesn't know why, what is the reason behind it? And why hasn't Joy figured out a way to undo it? I turn to look at my girlfriend next to me, and instead of insight I find tears are streaming down her face. Then I start to realize that she understands Sadness' actions and the laws governing the blue memories more than I ever will.
But Joy's actions are beginning to elude me as well. I understand her focused determination to get back to Headquarters and make things right. I cheer on her tactics of keeping things positive and moving forward. It helps to achieve the goal of getting back. But there was that one moment, when she couldn't get Bing Bong back on his feet, and it's Sadness who makes it happen. Not deliberately, but because she empathized with him and saw him through a rough moment. Nevertheless, Sadness accomplishes what Joy couldn't and begins to sees Sadness' strengths. Joy asks Sadness how she did that, and doesn't really get an answer, but Joy doesn't ask again. I see Joy on screen, now as an example for me, someone who is bouncy and upbeat, who doesn't understand those who aren't, and still accepts them for who they are.

I've had friends who struggle with depression. I know this only because they have made mention of it. Otherwise, I would have been oblivious to it. It was my understanding that depression was a temporary thing, like the doldrums, being in a funk, or waking up on the wrong side of the bed. When trying to being a supportive friend with the fix-it mentality, I thought all it took was cheering up. If it didn't help I'd become frustrated and eventually give up. Earlier in my life I dated someone who had issues with depression, and it led to a lot of issues with our relationship because I really didn't get it. I'd make this baffled face at her which would only make her feel worse and then we'd both end up being frustrated at each other. Like Joy, I thought there had to be a solution and it was most likely playing a game or focusing on something new. Eventually, with the help of news stories, Tumblr, and paying better attention to my friends, I began to understand that depression and anxiety weren't just feelings people tend to have sometimes. Even so, it wasn't until I realized Joy was never going to go back to those blue memories and try to fix them that I realized depression is not something I could just fix with a touch of my hand.
I still struggle with wanting to fix my girlfriend when she is succumbing to anxiety. Just as I am currently struggling to bring this essay to a conclusive point. But just as that is an ingrained part of my personality, I now know there are these quirks of her personality that are just part of who she is. Of course I still do my best to cheer her up and keep her from spiraling or catastrophizing. I've succumb to those behaviors, as everyone has, so I know sometimes you have to just stop it from snowballing and turn that frown upside down. But I also know now that sometimes you can't. I no longer get frustrated when I can't turn her into a bouncing ball of light and instead acknowledge these feelings are not a problem to be fixed. I now take notes from Sadness, to follow her example and just sit with her until she's ready to get back on her feet and resume finding a train of thought.
Sometimes my girlfriend and I don't hold the same perspective. Honestly, I find it's one of the best things about our relationship. When she's getting caught up in worry, I'm doing all I can to assure her that things are fine, and when I'm freaking out about something she's usually the one keeping me sane. But as an extrovert dating an introvert, our contrasting personalities can sometimes feel like opposing personalities. Watching Joy and Sadness, who have always been seen as opposites in most people's eyes, form a relationship and make it through this expedition together, felt very supportive of our relationship. Seeing them come together in the end, no longer being seen as opposites but rather two sides of the same emotion orb, shows me that her sadness and inexplicable moments is not something my joy has to fix. Just like all five emotions working together enriched Riley's growing personality, it shows me that her sadness working with my joy enriches our relationship.

I thoroughly enjoyed all the ways Inside Out visualized abstract concepts of thought and played with the funny little things about the human mind. But what I really brought home with me from seeing it in that theater was a greater understanding of a serious and, for me, elusive element of human behavior. Or to put it another way, I had a better idea of what my girlfriend and other friends of mine were going through. I realize that depression doesn't have a switch, anxiety is just as much of someone's personality as my often foolhardy optimism is a part of mine, and most importantly, that it's no wonder I couldn't wrap my head around it when it took Pixar's entire team just to help me start grasping these concepts. Really, I can't imagine how anyone with depression could possibly explain it by themselves. Luckily, now that it's out on DVD and Blu-Ray, we have a demonstration. I look forward to watching it again, paying better attention to it, and seeing if maybe I can get a little closer to relating to my poor girlfriend who was sobbing from having so much to relate to in this movie. Also because, again, I love Pixar and this a great film.

You can read my girlfriend's experience of this film here: On the Inside Looking Out

Mr. Allen would like to register his astonishment

I woke up about half an hour ago after catching up on the sleep I denied myself this weekend. The past three nights I gathered in the woods as dusk with the cast and crew of "Severus Snape and the Marauders"​, where we filmed a short epic film until dawn. The nights were long, cold, and last night they were rainy, but we made movie magic.

Last night I wrapped early, as did my cohorts Moony and Wormtail. We said our goodbyes while the rest of the team set up for the next shots. I took a while to part with everyone, just as I took a while to gather my things before finally leaving. This film was an experience, I don’t wanna let go of it. It occurred to me this morning I no longer have a need to take biotin pills, to listen to nothing but 70s rock music, or immerse myself in as much Harry Potter related material as possible. Though I probably will. But I realized I’m no longer working toward this goal of becoming Sirius Black. Shooting the film is now behind me, which means I can’t look forward to it and I have to move on to the next thing. I’ve already got the next thing lined up and coming up soon, but I enjoyed everything that putting this film together brought, I don’t want it to end.

Though, in a way, it won’t. We still have to gather one more time for one last scene in March. Once that’s over there’s still however long it’ll be before the film is finished. I’m fairly certain I’ll be hanging out with the Marauders again, only this time Snape and Lily can come along. It wasn’t just that four of us were playing best friends. We each had the time of our lives with each other as if we been in each other’s lives for the past seven years. And everyone is so funny! I don’t know how he did it, but our director Justin and producer Liana found the perfect cast and paired us up with an phenomenal crew. It’s my hope that I get to work with the crew again on another film in the future. If I’m lucky enough I’ll have them all together again! From our first day’s interior shoot with our awesome extras, things went smoothly. Everyone worked hard without faltering, we got so much done in a short amount of time, and from what the monitors showed, the film will look amazing. If anything is a testament to how great our team is, it was last night.

The day started off with everyone gathering in our three-room green room tent. The cast managed to dress taking turns in maybe two square foot of space. Our makeup artists for the night, Lanie and Allison applied their work in a cramped space while their cast members held lanterns and smartphones so they could see their work. And once they were done, we moved crafty into the tent. It was a little unorganized but for muggles trying to fit three rooms and kitchen into one tent, we did well. Meanwhile, the technical crew was outside setting up lights across a small field, in the cold rain, working for far less than they deserve, so that the cast and I could play wizard for a few hours. When our AD Nikolai brought us to shoot, I was proud to see that everyone was just as focused and dedicated as they had been since the indoors shoot. They had two cameras going at once, and John and Thor never missed their mark. If anything there was pressure on us performers to make every take perfect, because we knew Stuart and Paul made a whole forest look incredible, Joey was getting the sound despite generators humming in the background, and Brian would get a perfect shot no matter how much we threw ourselves around in the shot. If I was better with names I’d be able to say what each person in this crew contributed to the shoot, but I think it’ll speak for itself in the final cut. Everyone was so good at their respective positions that we finished an epic in the rain.

Being a part of “Severus Snape and the Marauders” was an experience. It was the most professional and dedicated production I’ve been a part of. Trying to become a part of the quintessential fandom of my generation is the most compelling thing I’ve ever been invited to be involved in. And while I’ve probably put as much pressure on myself to get a character absolutely right, I’m not sure I’ve ever had as much fun with a role. Zack, who plays Peter and was kind enough to drive me home, and I reminisced about our initial emotions when we learned that someone out there wanted to make a Harry Potter fan film starring the Marauders. Neither one of us thought we had a chance. After initial hesitation, we submitted ourselves in the hopes that maybe we would be right for the part. We were cast, we met the others and were intimated at how perfect each of our castmates are, and with our director we put our little film out there against difficult odds. It failed at getting it’s funding. We were bruised, but determined. We kept working, we educated ourselves and tried again. We succeeded. We kept working, we had fans, they made art and contributed themselves to our little film. Then, before we knew, we were doing it. It wasn’t until I saw myself in the monitors just before my take it finally hit me that I was playing Sirius Black. And now, I’ve done it. We did it. We celebrated our fandom and made a Harry Potter film. It took months for me for it to hit me that it was happening, so I can’t imagine how long it will take me to realize that it did happen. Perhaps when we release the trailer.

Kevin Allen’s Excellent Halloween Adventure

My laptop has been between repairs for a few weeks, and it’s kept me from blogging about my time rehearsing “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure”. That, a confidentiality agreement, respect for the director’s wishes, and a love of surprise. But Tuesday night was our preview, tomorrow night is our opening night, and I feel like blogging about it.

I have itching to talk about it and share experiences from it with friends. I’m going to wait until after opening weekend before sharing anything spoilery. Still, I have to talk about how great Tuesday night was.
I was wearing my first costume for the show, ready and waiting. Well, not waiting. I was so excited that preview night had finally come. I was happy for the cast and crew in finally getting to share our awesome show with everyone. I was elated. In general. I was walking around too happy and eager to be nervous or anxious that I was about to perform in the most fast-paced, specifically blocked, arena-audienced, dance-number-infused show I’ve ever been in. Still, I forced myself to sit and calm down. So, I take a spare seat on a very comfortable couch that just happens to be facing the largest of our backstage monitors. I find myself relaxing and watching television, and what I’m watching is the opening number for “Bill & Ted’s Excellent Halloween Adventure”. I’m watching the show. But I’m also in the show. This is surreal. This is awesome! This show is so awesome! I had the unique pleasure of watching the highly anticipated premiere of a show that I have an absurd love for, while also knowing that in mere moments I get to go out and be a part of that show.
The incredibly spectacular and perfect opening number ends, so I get up and do last looks before making my way to the stage. Now I’m on stage. I’m concealed in shadow, my head is down hiding the audience from me, I’m just feeling the energy. It’s great. Suddenly I hear the entrance theme for Bill and Ted. And thank the director that I’m blocked to do so; I turn my head, look up, and above me is a smoking phone booth, out of which step Bill S. Preston, Esq. and Ted “Theodore” Logan. I can hardly contain my excitement. The audience is roaring, and I just want to roar with them. However, grinning from ear to ear is perfectly acceptable for me to do onstage, and I am. Right now I’m the fanboy I always have been, except now I just happen to have a pretty cool seat onstage. They come down to the stage, strolling around some of us characters, but Ted (the role I’ve always been after) turns to me and gives me a look that says “oh hey, it’s you!” I give the look back, as is perfectly in character. So that’s the moment I switch from being Kevin Allen (in a costume) to the character whose costume I’m wearing.

After that I stayed in character. I still am a professional after all.

The shows were great. We had three magnificent crowds of friends, peers, and well-wishers. They energy was more than we asked for, the response was so much more than we had hoped for. It was outstanding. The shows themselves weren’t perfect, as is to be expected. Technically we are still rehearsing. This is just the run through that incorporates the audience, the last element of the production, and the one that will change things the most. And due to the oh so unique and specific nature of this theme park stage production, we were still new to a lot of these show elements. So of course not everything went smoothly. I myself fell victim to some technical cues being missed, faulted with one of my quick changes, smacked my head on stone steps, and was almost engulfed in fire. And that was all in the second show. Each show had it’s on little bumps, and there were some things which repeated for all three. I messed up my… shall we call it, combat demonstration… in all three of the shows despite having little issues with it in rehearsal. But that’s just how it is. So none of the shows were perfect, but they were still amazing.
Even so, even through technical hiccups or fumbled stage directions, we were making adjustments that made the show even better. Some great moments came out of what should have been some bad ones. And then we take a step back and say, why didn’t we do that the first time! There were so many new moments that made the show crazy awesome. By the end of the third show, when we fixed our little mess-ups and those new discoveries were incorporated in, the show felt flawless. It wasn’t. But it sure felt like it! I know it was for me, I was having the time of my life!

Back to the first show for a moment. My first show. My first, long awaited performance in the ‘Bill & Ted show’. I got to watch the opening number as Kevin Allen, the fan. I performed in the show as Kevin Allen, the actor. The book portion of the show had wrapped. Then came the closing number. I rushed backstage for my last quick change, and someone had moved the wig for the final character I played. I’m wearing his ratty, grunge-era jeans, a t-shirt, suspenders, and hi-top Converse All-Stars. My cue finally comes, the wig is nowhere to be found, so I go out anyway. I ran out, hit my mark, and started rocking out. Okay, one spoiler, the final number is a rock anthem. So I went out there and did everything as rehearsed, but to me, I was just rocking out. And I happened to be wearing outfit that wasn’t mine, but is something I’d go to a concert in. (I used to wear suspenders every once in a while.) So for that closing number, I was Kevin Allen, the rocker. And all I was doing was rocking out on stage with Bill and Ted. It was the perfect and totally unexpected moment that every fanboy dreams of. After years of being a fan and wanting to hang out with the band, they pull me on stage and let me rock out with them. It was most surreal. And way awesome. And still I was having too much fun to notice. I was too busy having the time of my life.

When we all finally came down from our euphoria, and gathered for notes, cuz there were notes, we were still all very happy. The show was a success. The audience loved it. The technical crew made magic. The costuming crew performed miracles. The cast got cheers. The writer got laughs. The choreographer blew the roof off. The director put on one hell of a show. And the producers made it possible. We all were so happy for each other, and so proud of each other. I can’t say much about the show yet, but I can say this: I am so fortunate to get to work with such excellent teams of outstanding individuals who came together to pull off an unbelievable show. I kept saying if there was ever a year for me to finally be part of the show, I’m glad it’s this one. At first I said that because of the characters and the music were right up my alley. But now I’m saying because I got to work with so many talented people who believed in me when I showed up, supported me when I slipped, and praised me when I pulled it off. I am so very fortunate to be doing what I love with these people. The show really is outstanding, and it’s because of all the people involved. We have been most excellent to each other, and now we get to party on.

Sorry for the lame closing line, I can’t help being a fan.

Looking for my type and finding… myself.

(Too cheesy?)
This is going to be a different take on GPOY Wednesday...
This past spring I was trying to revive my all but dead acting career. To do this in the best manner possible I have to really know what it is I've got going on for me. Some advice I was given from a name casting director before moving out to LA was to play my type. Play the hand I've been dealt. But in order for that to happen I have to know what cards I'm holding. I had no idea what my type was. In high school I was the fool. In early college I was typed as the shady love interest. In the latter half of college I played the asshole rock star. Then I was the geek. Then I was the cute everyman. I could not figure out what the common denominator for these ever changing archetypes was. When I asked the CD what my type was she had a hard time figuring it out and finally settled on someone who wasn't the leading man and wasn't the character role, but this weird and rare thing in between that barely gets work. Still, as auditions and castings continued, I struggled with the question, What is my type?
I stumbled across a workshop that would help me to find the answer. Sam Christensen Studios was holding a workshop on public self image. I believe that's what they called it. Anyway, the focus of the workshop was to have a full understanding of who you are as a person, as an actor, as a public figure, whatever. It was about rediscovering the person that friends and family see you as and discovering the person that everybody sees you as, then filtering through it with the person you see yourself as until you find an image of yourself that everybody can agree on.
I feel saying any more on the class would betray Sam's process. But I'll let you know it was an involved process. And it lead me to this:

That's right. It's a picture of me if I were made of words. For the record, the word cloud wasn't Sam's idea. I just did that to have what Sam lead me to all in one place. And I tried to form the words into a picture, but it didn't work. But this does! It's not perfect. Believe me I tried. But it includes everything, which is why words like "brings", "tap", and "Mr" are in there. I also tried to get the cloud to put relative emphasis on the words which were repeated, but it doesn't account for when someone uses certain words three times within the same phrase. STILL! All of it matters! So it's all in there! Just, very disjointed.
I waited to talk about the class because I wanted to see what it would do for me first. Couldn't ruin the experiment, ya know. Unfortunately I've been working too much to be auditioning. (How great is that?!) And since I won't be auditioning for at least another month, I might as well blog about it now. Plus I felt it was about time to mention it. It kinda piggy backs on Monday's blog about finding a new look. Nevertheless, in the meantime, it's helped me to present myself, spruce up my reels, and has helped me nail the few auditions I have gone in for.
I still don't know what type casting directors will see me as. I could be the dork, the cute guy, the rock star, heck I could even be the leading man on a good day. But I think I know much more valuable stuff. First and foremost, I know I'm Kevin Allen, and I am all of those words.
Well... maybe not "Mr".

The trouble finding a new look.

It occurred to me recently that I only wear my work attire. And after coming to this realization, I still have gone to hang out with friends on a few occasions just in my work clothes. But soon I’ll be starting rehearsals for my shiny new job, and I’ll probably get to wear my own clothes again. The trouble is, I really don’t have any.

Okay, that’s not true. I have more t-shirts than I’ll ever need. But still! I have somehow manage to ruin every pair of jeans I own. I made an attempt to patch a few up, but I am not handy with sewing at all. So the plan to mend them pretty much failed. But lucky me, I’ll have some money coming in soon thanks to my shiny new job. So, eventually, I’ll be able to go out and by some new jeans. And shoes.  And everything. I’ve been meaning to update my wardrobe for the longest time. And it seems like my preferred method of self-improvement is the phoenix approach. Meaning, I waited until my wardrobe breaks down so that I can build it back up again. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes. In cool new threads. So I gotta figure out a new look for myself, and then go find the pieces for it, and then wear them. Trouble is, I have no idea what look to go for.

I think a good place to start would be with my hair. Figure out a haircut that looks good on me, fits my personality, call it “the Kevin Allen”, and wear it all the time. My stylist pointed out to me that for the last year I’d only get my hair cut or styled because I had to look like fictional animated characters. Oh, and one time to look like a character I played. But still, each time I got my hair cut was because I was playing some character! I think it’s about time I got my haircut for me! Trouble is, I’m not allowed.

Cuz of that shiny new job as a stage actor, I can’t get a haircut until the director says I can. And I’m sure if I do I’ll only get to in order to look whichever characters I’m playing. So forget the hair! I’ll just get a cool new hat with my cool new clothes! Whatever they are. Back to square one… in need of a new wardrobe and not knowing where to start. I could go back to my favorite thrift (or “vintage”, since I live in LA) stores and see what I like. … Trouble is… I rarely find anything at thrift stores that actually fits me.

I’m probably not going to find anything that actually fits my long, narrow, awkward build. Part of me wanting a new look is cuz I’ve outgrown drooping pants that are too short for me and tucking back the extra room in my dress shirts. I found one shirt a while back that fit me perfectly and I love it, but I don’t expect to find many like it again. I mean, I only found it cuz I was looking for a costume piece for a specific fictional animated character. Wait a minute… That’s it!! I’ll just dress like the characters I like to dress as! Part of why I like looking like them is cuz I like their look! And their look works for them. It could work for me. This could work!

Okay then. My new look will be a blend of Spike Speigel, Flynn Rider, and Marshall Lee the Vampire King.

Kevin’s Excellent News

Remember that big audition I blogged about last week? I GOT IT!!
I just got off the phone with Universal Studios Hollywood, and I'm very excited to say that they gave me an offer to join the cast and take part in the 2012 "Bill & Ted's Excellent Halloween Adventure"! The show is the comic relief of their notorious Halloween Horror Nights event. So I'm thrilled that I get to continue being a part of HHN and returning to all my scare-acting buddies, but also that I get to do so in the show that I've been after since working at Universal Orlando.
I'm about to embark on a most unprecedented exposition.

The Dark Knight Rises

Usually for my reviews I find an alternate poster to share. One that American audiences don't get to see, but really should. Almost always these are international posters that, for some reason, are deemed not worthy of attracting the interest of movie goers. This time I'm posting something different. This is a collection of fan-made posters by Messenjahmatt. And I did enjoy The Dark Knight Rises advertising campaign, just the same, these are movie posters that would have been really cool to see in movie theaters and bus stops.

I wasn't planning on doing a review of The Dark Knight Rises, and in a way I'm still not. This will be more of a lecture. Again, something different. The film is outstanding. There were plenty of moments in the movie that had me stunned and whispering "oh no" to myself. But I didn't come out of the theater inspired to write about it like I was with the previous movies I've reviewed. Not because it didn't resonate in me, but there was nothing about the film which stuck out to me and I thought would go unappreciated. I knew everyone was going to see the movie, and I was certain that people would recognize all the immense awesomeness in it. I could give my opinions on Christopher Nolan's adaptation of Bane, or on how much I love Alfred. (Can I hug you Alfred? Please? I just really want to give you a hug and tell you how great you are.) But after seeing some other blogs written about the movie, I found something worth bringing up and writing out. I do feel there is an aspect of the film that is under-appreciated; the entire point of the Dark Knight Trilogy.
I feel enough time has passed I can post this without ruining someone’s day. But just in case,

SPOILER ALERT!

It seems Nolan picked a keyword for each of his three films to use over and over, thematically. His cleverness is in using this keyword in a multitude of fashions to explore all the themes this word can provide, and of course tie it all in to the Batman saga. In Batman Begins it was “fear”. Bruce had to overcome his fear. Batman used fear as a tool. The Scarecrow exploited fear. The League of Shadows manufactured fear from a little flower and used fear as an instrument of destruction. It was Batman versus the Scarecrow, the two guys whose personae are all about fear. For The Dark Knight, obviously it was “knight”. Harvey Dent was the White Knight, Batman the Dark Knight. Then there was a play on words with the night being darkest just before the dawn and so on. But it was about Gotham’s two knights. Now for The Dark Knight Rises, I know you’ve probably thought of a drinking game with how many times the word “rise” is used. A fire is rising in evil. Batman must rise again. Bruce must rise to meet the occasion. The people rise up. Bruce has to rise out of a pit while everyone chants “Rise!” at him. The word is used more times than I care to count and for pretty much every major character in the movie. This is where all the confusion comes from, because the audience has difficulty placing where to put the emphasis. And being such a difficult and important obstacle to overcome, it makes sense that people would place the moment with the pit and people yelling “rise!” over and over as the pivotal moment of rising which the title suggests. Especially when that chant is used as the majority of the film’s score. But it’s not. The primary moment takes place, as it did in the previous two films, in the last seconds of the movie, right before the title card comes up. It’s the moment when John Blake discovers the batcave, steps forward, and rises up, as the new Batman. That is the moment when the Dark Knight rises.
That's right. John Blake is the new Batman. Not Nightwing. Not Robin. I know his legal name is Robin, but that was nothing more than Christopher Nolan having fun. It's just a nod. The franchise has did it before with the Riddler and Zsasz in the two previous films, albeit in a much subtler way. John Blake's origin story is, in a way, an amalgamation of the Robins', and so there's reason to suggest he is in fact Nolan's version of the Boy Wonder. However, he can't be. When he found the batcave it was filled with bat-stuff. Doing anything other than being Batman with it would just be a waste. Secondly, after becoming a caped crusader, Robin would never make his crime fighting name his actual name. No one of intelligence would. And finally, while there are similarities to the Robins, even his name, he is still a different character. His is John Blake, an orphan who grew up to become a police officer, and then Batman.
He is destined to don the cape and cowl and continue the Batman legend. Bruce Wayne left Blake with the coordinates of the cave so that he could provide him with the tools necessary to be Batman. He knew Blake would provide the rest. Bruce finally found someone he trusted with the Batman mantle, and, in doing so, could pass it on. He finally could let go of being Batman and move on with life. Just as Alfred hoped he would. After all, that was the point. Bruce couldn't be Batman forever. The film clearly showed how his body was giving out, how Wayne Enterprises was waning, and how everything that Bruce Wayne could give himself to in the name of Batman was wearing thin. If Batman would continue to live, he would have to do so without Bruce Wayne. Bruce was never meant to live up to the needs and expectations of Batman. He can't. The entire purpose of Batman was to allow Bruce to do more than he could as Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne is just a man. An incredible, near superhuman, disciplined to his very core man. Still, Batman is something more.
Once again, Nolan focused on a key element of Batman in each film. In Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne came to the idea of a symbol. One which wouldn't be ignored, and couldn't be destroyed. Batman is indestructible and incorruptible. In The Dark Knight, when Bruce is faced with the trouble of what to do to make things right, he has the faceless figure Batman to make the difficult choice and suffer its consequences. Batman can endure. Now, eight years later, in The Dark Knight Rises, Alfred reminds Bruce of all these qualities that Batman has, and that Bruce does not. Bruce can be destroyed. Bruce cannot endure. But he also reminds him of one thing about Bruce which does make him special. Only he can be Bruce Wayne. Batman, however, could be anyone. Nolan suggested this already in The Dark Knight when several citizens got their own capes and cowls to be wannabe Batmen. Any person could play the role, it's just only a very select few would do it well. So far it's just Bruce Wayne and John Blake. But Bruce has finally moved on. Now it's up to John Blake. Batman continues.

Honestly, my only real criticism of the film is the moment where John Blake's true name is revealed to be Robin. It was cute, but it really muddled up things. Him suddenly being Robin distracted the audience from him actually being Batman. By which I mean the next Batman. And thus it distracted from the moral of the story, anyone can be a hero. Each of those four men in the fan posters are heroes of Gotham. Each in their own way contribute to the role of Batman and ensure his success. But even more, on their own, each of them are heroes. A businessman who holds together a company so it may support charities to provide homes for orphans. A cop who isn't afraid to whatever is necessary to protect others. A father figure who bears hatred and sacrifices his happiness for something more important. And a man who put a coat around a little boy's shoulders to let him know that the world hadn't ended. Each of them are heroes. Because he fought for good and put himself in harms way to do what needed to be done, People believed Harvey Dent was Batman. So why not any of these four men? Given the opportunity, they each would rise to the occasion. Well as it turns out, one of them did.