Results tagged “The Dark Knight” from Modern Mythology

Filmmaker Christopher Nolan writes and directs "Inception," his follow-up to last year's brilliant "The Dark Knight."

It stars Leonardo DiCaprio and the teaser above flashes realty-bending imagery while the words "Your Mind is The Scene Of The Crime" run across the screen.

The disappointing part about giving first-looks to movies coming out Summer 2010 is that we get to sit here all year waiting for it.  But I think the same thing every August and before I know it, it's June of next year and I'm in line at the multiplex.

What I really want confirmation on from Nolan is will he be coming back on board for another Batman film.  Someone send me that official announcement if I've missed it. 

The posthumous honors for actor Heath Ledger continued last weekend with his supporting actor win from the British Academy of Film & Television Arts.

The BAFTA'S are often described as the "British Oscars" and honors achievements in film from around the world.

Ledger's turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" has been recognized by the Screen Actors Guild and The Golden Globes.

With only two weeks to go before the Academy Awards, many are calling Ledger the favorite to win the best supporting actor prize against Robert Downey Jr. (TROPIC THUNDER) and Philip Seymour Hoffman (DOUBT).


(Editor's note: I tried to keep a lid on this but... I hope Ledger wins.)  

Hello all,

I would like to welcome the first blog contribution for Sundjata Abubakari -- a member of the Comics Club and a man of strong opinions when it comes to comics-related issues (but aren't we all?).  I'll let him take it from here.

--Robert


Excuse me while I whip this out...

Fanboys will have to look elsewhere for validation because it sure ain't coming from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I hate the Oscars and award shows in general because in most cases they aren't based on merit. George C. Scott once referred to the Oscars as "a meat parade".

Look at how many memorable, classic, oft-quoted, frequently-brought-up-in-conversation films have gotten snubbed in the past and then look at how much more forgettable, craptacular tripe has gone home with wheelbarrows full of those C-3PO-looking statues. Rollo Tomasi getting jacked for the Best Picture prize by the so-called King of the World was one of many Oscar travesties. I'd also wager more than Pascal that no one can quote one memorable line from that cure for my insomnia called "The English Patient". Now we have entered yet another "I say g--damn the Oscars" moment for me.

Dig. Okay, Heath got nominated. Like that wasn't a given. However, despite the Writers Guild, Directors Guild and Producers Guild nods and the genre-crossing audience and critical praise given to "The Dark Knight", Oscar once again allowed us to smell it for what it is when it relegated TDK to the "comic book-science fiction-fantasy-technical nominations-only" ghetto.

I wonder if anyone besides me is having a "Superman: The Movie" or "Alien" or "The Empire Strikes Back" flashback moment here.

After the Guild nominations I had a brief ray of hope that this would be the year at the Oscars that fanboys would be vindicated, but no. Movies of the fantasy, sci-fi, comic book genres--and often comedies--rarely get nominated, let alone win, in the major Academy categories. Oscar is a repeat offender in treating these genres as if they have no validity and it continues to be true with TDK.

"The Lord of the Rings" trilogy is a notable exception, but it had the distinction of being based on a literary classic, so Oscar gave it a pass with all three films getting Best Picture nods and "Return of the King" winning it. TDK's source material, which is sadly and unfairly perhaps the most maligned storytelling medium in the world (comic books--GASP!), undoubtedly was a strike against it when it came to the Academy voting elite who couldn't simply judge the film on its merits as a solid crime thriller.

One can't help but think that TDK might have gotten more love had it not had a hero dressed as a bat and a villain dressed like a clown. Looks like I have another reason to not watch the Oscars.

Clint got snubbed too. Yet another travesty of justice committed by Oscar!

Get off my lawn, AMPAS!

--Djata

Here is an excerpt from an AP story by Christy Lemire....

As expected, Heath Ledger posthumously won the supporting-actor award for his unpredictable turn as the Joker in "The Dark Knight." Ledger, who died a year ago of an accidental drug overdose, drew a standing ovation from his fellow actors. He's already won a Golden Globe for his inspired performance and continues to look unbeatable at the Oscars.

"I'm quite emotional," Ledger's "Dark Knight" co-star Gary Oldman began, speaking in his place. "It is a great honor to be asked to accept this on behalf of Heath. He was an extraordinary young man with an extraordinary talent, and it's wonderful that you have acknowledged that and honored that talent tonight."


Photo By Jae C. Hong/The Associated Press

Contrary to some reports there were a few surprises this morning when the Academy announced its nominees.

For me it was Robert Downey Jr with a Best Supporting Actor nomination for "Tropic Thunder" (which I liked a lot) and writers Andrew Stanton and Jim Reardon for "WALL-E" for Best Original Screenplay.

The nomination for Heath Ledger was expected, especially after the posthumous Golden Globe win, but no love for "The Dark Knight"  in the Best Picture category.

Clint Eastwood was left out of the top categories as well for "Gran Torino."

There were 13 nominations for "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."

This pits Ledger's performance against Philip Seymour Hoffman's in "Doubt" and Downey Jr.'s (very bold) actor-in-black face role in Tropic. (That's not as bad as it sounds but some other actor's scenes actually made me cringe.)

Anyway, it's Iron Man vs. The Joker?  Game on.

View a complete list of nominees via The Los Angeles Times.





 

By now you know the news -- Heath Ledger has posthumously won a Golden Globe for his performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight" and has increased the odds of an Oscar nod.

'Knight' director Christopher Nolan accepted on behalf of Ledger and here's an excerpt of his speech via MTV.

"After Heath passed on, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema -- but with the extraordinary response to his work that we've seen all over the world, I, for one, start to be able to look a bit less at that gap in the future and a little bit more at the incredible place in the history of cinema that he built for himself with his talent and with his dedication to his artistry."

I have championed the fine performance of the late actor almost immediately after I watched "The Dark Knight." Sure, toss me under the over-hyped-fanboy bus, but I know good work when I see good work.

I have been cautioned not to be too optimistic over Ledger's work, but the buzz wasn't only generated here on this blog. The accolades came from numerous publications as 'Knight' was one of this year's best reviewed films.

In other words... I hope the Academy is watching.

 

Those lucky cats from UGO dropped a video segment from the "Gotham Tonight" news show featuring a piece on the Gotham Police and the turmoil that has hit the city.

It's supposed to be one of the special features on "The Dark Knight" DVD which hits the streets (stores near you) Tuesday.

Enjoy!

Robert Downey Jr. and his band of hooligans are at it again. Downey has already told off DC Comics and now "Ironman" director Jon Favreau is representing by letting everyone know what's up with the sequel.

OK, maybe I made that sound more gangsta than it needs to be, but after reading that Rotten Tomatoes has some details-hints on the next Iron-film straight from Favreau then I had to talk trash on their behalf.

Yeah, "The Dark Knight" produced out of Warner Bros. and DC Comics is the great "geek movie" equalizer and will likely earn some film award love from the performance of a certain late actor. But Downey struck back by claiming the number one box office spot when "Tropic Thunder" knocked the Bat out of first place in its debut weekend.

So now Justin Theroux, the 'Tropic' screenwriter, will pen "Ironman 2" and Favreau is dropping hints about shooting some of it in IMAX. Sound familiar?

Sounds like there is a lot of enthusiasm in this project from the creators and it has potential to be as good as the first.

And while I know he is not as cool a villain as the Joker (by far), there is some mention by Favreau of how to handle Ironman's nemesis the Mandarin.

My suggestion? Diminish as many of those demeaning Asian-villain stereotypes as possible. Once again, check out the article here. 

I think the last time I mentioned the possibility of an Academy Award nomination for late actor Heath Ledger for his performance as the Joker in "The Dark Knight," I had been rudely dismissed.

In the company of some fans of the film, however, what I mentioned was as certain to them as the sun rising the next day.

"At least a nod," says one of the members of a graphic novel book club at Geoffrey's Comics in Gardena.

Warner Bros. will not disagree with that. A story in The Hollywood Reporter  says the studio is planning a DVD release around the holidays and is also planning to "push Ledger for some of the year end awards."

The story's writer considers the Golden Globes a "certainty" and I would have to agree.

This is serious, folks. The super hero subject matter of "The Dark Knight" should not easily dismiss whether an acting performance in the film was nuanced, skilled and in this case, unforgettable.

With an estimated $26 million take against the estimated $16.7 million of "The Dark Knight," "Tropic Thunder" beat the box office champ last weekend.

This turn is following some anti-Knight sentiment from 'Thunder' co-star Robert Downey Jr., some protest of the use of the word "retard" in the film and, yeah, I'll say it ... a dude in blackface.

Under most circumstances this would bother me too if I didn't understand that "Tropic Thunder" is a movie about moronic people making a war movie. Audiences and critics (Entertainment Weekly gave it an 'A') apparently get it and placed no PC boundaries on their sense of humor.

The film also stars Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Tom Cruise and 22-year-old Brandon T. Jackson, who plays a rapper turned actor. EW gives Jackson some love for his work as the straight man in this group of crazies.

Don't mourn for the 'Knight' because last week it moved ahead of "Star Wars" as the second highest grossing domestic film of all time. It is more than a $100 million short of "Titanic" and may burn out before reaching it.

I do hope it makes it to the top, not just for comic book movie supremacy, but so we can stop talking about "Titanic" being number one.

I expect it's only a matter of time before someone asks actor Christian Bale (The Dark Knight) what he thought about the comments reportedly made by Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man).

But here's a little something until that happens:

Warner Bros. Pictures has pushed "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" back to Summer 2009, so that great trailer I was excited about bums me out when I see it now.

According to Warner Bros. the film will now be released July 17, 2009. This announcement mentions the effects of the writers strike as one of the reasons behind this change.

I was not surprised by this piece of information. What did surprise me was when I learned this film was originally slated for November 2008. I told my wife (A rabid Harry Potter book fan) that the movie was coming in November and that it was sort of fast. 

She didn't buy that, but I told her a movie like that could kill during the summer. It would do well at any time, but this is a post "Dark Knight" (WB's other release) world. This is me in studio executive mode: Why not set it up to be a our next big Summer movie for 2009?

Ah well, the two-part "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" starts shooting in February 2009.  The WB reminds us that at least now, the wait between Harry Potter 6 and the finale films will be shorter.

I'm not sure whether Robert Downey Jr. meant it but if these reports are true he has caused a slight ripple in the internet force about his comments on THE DARK KNIGHT.

Downey, the star of Marvel Comics' IRON MAN, dismissed the film as too high brow in his comments to Moviehole and to top it off he said "F--k DC Comics. That's all I have to say and that's where I'm really coming from."

There have been those who have rushed to the defense of the star and suggested that maybe the movie was a little on the heartless side and others like the post at Slashfilm who call it a "bitch slap" to the biggest "fanboy movie of all time." 

I have had this discussion all ready... the Bat-flick didn't strike me as too high brow because I sort of knew where it was going as it was telling a story readers of the comics had seen depictions of.

That's a cheat on my part and I know it. Truth be told, I am still asking about what happened in a couple parts of the film. Does that make it too high brow? Nope, I think it was very good just unclear in some spots.

Was IRON MAN clear? Yeah, crystal clear and a lot of fun.

I suppose these comments was Downey's way of saying he's down with Marvel Comics. We'll see what happens, if Christian Bale disses IRONMAN maybe it'll stoke the fire of a renewed Marvel vs. DC feud. Either way it ought to be interesting.

And what about TROPIC THUNDER? Stay tuned...

The Dark Knight is one of the best reviewed highest grossing domestic movies ever and those who can't stand that it's based on a comic book superhero will have to get over it.

Sure, the film could lose thirty minutes from the running time and Christian Bale's bat-voice may have been a little heavy, but that was still a darn good movie. Yeah, there's a guy in it who wears a cape and mask and for some that is an obstacle to their ability to enjoy the film.  These are the same folks who are in awe when they discover there are other films they have liked that were adapted from comics. "Ghost World,"  "A History of Violence," "30 days of Night" and "Sin City."

It's gotta be the mask and cape thing.

For the sake of being all-inclusive I have compiled a short list of movies on the Hollywood development slate for those who are allergic to superheroes. It's also sort of a list of the kinds of comics and movies I enjoy.

1. WHITEOUT - Creators Greg Rucka and Steve Lieber's graphic novel about a sole U.S. marshal played by Kate Beckinsale who has to deal with a murder only days before a dismal winter falls over Antarctica. The film also stars Gabriel Macht and is directed by Dominic Sena (Swordfish, Gone in Sixty Seconds). I haven't read the graphic novel yet but I will put it on my list because I like Rucka's work.


2. Y: THE LAST MAN - Some call it the best comic series in recent years. I have to agree and on top of that I'll tell anyone that it may have been one of the best science fiction stories I have ever read, period. Created by writer Brian K. Vaughn (BKV to y'all) and artist Pia Guerra, "Y: The Last Man" is the story of Yorick Brown the last man on earth after a mysterious holocaust kills every male except him and his pet monkey, Ampersand. The world is now in the hands of the surviving women who have to pick up the pieces. Since New Line Cinema, who had the film rights,  was folded into Warner Bros. the property has drawn some renewed interest. Recent reports link director D.J. Caruso to the film with actor Shia LeBeouf, who stars in Caruso's upcoming EAGLE EYE. From what i understand this is not a solid commitment, LeBeouf reportedly said he was "interested" in the role. We'll discuss whether that will work or not another time. Anyway, 2010 is the suggested timetable for release but it can't get here soon enough for me.