We used to have a column titled “Fair or Foul” that ran in our college’s newspaper a little while back.  Since then, we have been contacted by Warner Russell, of The Wise Guise, to do a quick guest post on their blog.  Personally, I didn’t ever think that we would be in action, but here we are.

The name of the game is Fair or Foul.  This is very simple stuff.  We choose a topic and discuss whether it’s fair or foul.  There are no partial fairs or fairly fouls. Either we’re for or against topics, believe them to be true or false, or think of them as appropriate or inappropriate.  With that being said, let’s get going.

Nolan’s Batman Trilogy Viewing Before Midnight

Clint – Foul

With The Dark Knight Rises coming out later this week, many theaters have decided to show both Batman Begins and The Dark Knight consecutively before the midnight showing of the final installment of the trilogy.  This puts the die-hard fans in quite a predicament.  Do they abandon their loyalty to the franchise and skip out on the re-releases to be more attentive during the grand finale or do they take full advantage of this once and a lifetime opportunity?

I’ve fallen prey to this scenario before.  A theater near my home did an all day and night marathon of all six of the Harry Potter films before the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  Part 1.  I don’t think I had ever been as pumped up for something so nerdy in my entire life.  That really does mean something coming from someone that programs computers for a living.  Anyway, fans had brought blankets and snacks to accompany their capes and drawn-on lightning bolt scars.  The atmosphere was both somber and electric.  Somber because young Harry was about to come on screen and remind us why we, too, yearned to receive that letter to Hogwarts, at least I did, as we were reading the books for the first time.  The crowd was lively, as well.  Eagerly awaiting what was to happen 24 hours later.

As much as it pains me to write this next part, I will do so anyway.  I fell asleep about an hour and a half into the first film.  I proceeded to leave the theater and go home to sleep.  I felt like a true failure.  How could I do this to Harry?  I used to proclaim myself as a true fan and would belittle the posers.  The fact that I had bailed out on the marathon truly made the midnight showing painful to sit through the next night.  I was too flustered with the fact that I had betrayed my childhood by the desire to sleep.  Little Clint would have been disgusted.  I was amazed.  I told myself that I would not let this happen again.

See, this is why I do not want to watch the first two Nolan Batmans before seeing The Dark Knight Rises.  Yeah, I could probably stay awake during the first two, but I wouldn’t want to risk being burnt out by the time midnight rolled around.  That’s a hefty amount of film to absorb in a night.  I do not want a repeat.

Bill – Fair

Let it be known there is only one word in my dictionary that describes fan, COMMITMENT. Without commitment, a person is just another ordinary Joe that lingers in and out of conversations dropping irrelevant information on something you truly love and admire.

With the premier of The Dark Knight Rises, many theaters will be showing Batman Begins and The Dark Knight in sequence before the series finale.  “Fans” all over the world are thrilled about this opportunity to be part of this historic event.  However, it has come to my attention that many of these “fans” are only planning on watching Dark Knight Rises.  Every time I hear someone say this I feel a gush of rage succumb over me and flashbacks of the half empty theater during the last Harry Potter marathon I attended.

As far as the Nolan Batman films go, anyone who is not willing to watch all three films consecutively are not fans at all, but impostors that plague the rank and file fans that are determined to sacrifice their jobs, friends, etc. to be with Batman.  When your friends ask you to save them a seat for Dark Knight Rises, say yes, but really don’t entertain the idea.  They have no right to sit by you and enjoy your company.  They betrayed Batman and the series in an unforgivable manner.  Saving a seat will only legitimize such behavior in the future.

Soak it up.