Poster - Tyler Perry's 'Family That Preys'
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Showing posts with label upcoming films 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label upcoming films 2008. Show all posts
Images From 'Soul Men' (Sam Jackson, Bernie Mac)
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I wrote about this film very briefly several months back. I didn't bother to look for my initial post to link to it, so you'll just have to trust that I did :o)
The film is called Soul Men and is directed Spike's cousin, Malcom Lee (The Best Man, Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins).
Synopsis recap: Jackson and Mac will play two former backup soul singers who are part of a famed group that fell apart once the lead singer went solo. Bernie's character went on to open up Car Wash stores and retire while Sam's character started robbing banks and ended up in prison. He eventually gets out. They haven't spoken to each other in 20 years but reluctantly agree to travel cross country together to the Apollo Theater in New York City for a tribute performance in honor of their recently deceased band leader.
Jackson and Mac will reportedly be doing their own singing in the film - but keep in mind that they are back-up singers, so we probably won't be forced to listen to many solo performances. Although Samuel showed some vocal talent in Black Snake Moan, in which he played a blues guitarist. I've never heard Bernie even whistle a tune!
The film also stars Isaac Hayes whom you see in the photo below, playing himself, and Sharon Leal (who did some singing of her own in Dreamgirls), and is scheduled for a November 14th release.
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The Time Has Come...
Exactly 24 hours from now, you know where I'll be (insert hysterical Joker laughter here)! Give how quickly screenings have been selling out over the last 2 weeks, I was surprised I was able to get into one on opening day! According to Deadline Hollywood Daily: ... close to 4,000 shows have been sold out! Even the number of locations in North America where the comic book caper will be playing -- 4,366 -- is an Industry record. 1,700 of the sell-outs are for showtimes between 12:01 AM and 8:00AM Friday. There are sold-out shows through the weekend from Washington D.C. to Puyallup, Washington, and in towns like Bozeman, Montana and Fitchburg, Wisconsin. 6:00AM shows are scheduled in big cities and small, from San Diego to Hazelwood, Missouri, and Tigard, Oregon, etc. Fandango COO Rick Butler says: “Friday is pacing to be our biggest ticket-selling day in company history. It’s very possible that we’ll break our hourly ticketing record by tomorrow morning.” Currently, Dark Knight represents 94% of ticket sales on Fandango.com, the nation’s leading movie ticketing destination.
It's madness!
Cheadle's 'Traitor' Gets Rating
I just learned that the MPAA slapped a PG-13 rating on Don Cheadles's upcoming espionage thriller, Traitor, which I've written about previously on this blog. I don't know if I like that. Based on all I've seen and read thus far, I was hoping for a "mature" film for an adult audience, not some watered down, softened up summer movie, made to appeal to as wide an audience as possible. I know, I know, it comes down to the proverbial bottomline - profit!
But knowing that it's going be a PG-13 movie (instead of a hard R) makes me a little less enthusiastic about seeing it.
Of course, I'll still see it, but I'd be lying if I said my already uncertain expectations haven't been lowered.
Traitor hits theatres August 27th.
Incase you need a reminder... here's the trailer:
Say It Ain't So - One Critic Actually Doesn't Like 'The Dark Knight?'
David Edelstein, the influential film critic for New York Magazine is the first soul brave enough to actually say anything negative about the next Batman installment, The Dark Knight! It's been all champagne and caviar buzz over the last several weeks, which you'd know if you've been reading this blog.Here are some of his thoughts:
- The novelty wears off and the lack of imagination, visual and otherwise, turns into a drag. The Dark Knight is noisy, jumbled, and sadistic. Even its most wondrous vision—Batman’s plunges from skyscrapers, bat-wings snapping open as he glides through the night like a human kite—can’t keep the movie airborne. There’s an anvil attached to that cape.
- The tumult is spectacularly incoherent. Nolan appears to have no clue how to stage or shoot action. He got away with the chopped-up fights in Batman Begins because his hero was a barely glimpsed ninja, coming at villains from all angles in stroboscopic flashes. There are more variables here, which means more opportunities to say “What the f--- just happened?” I defy you to make spatial sense of the early scene in which Batman battles faux Batmen, gangsters, and the Scarecrow (Cillian Murphy in a cameo that comes to nothing).
Of course, keep in mind this is the same dude who liked You Don't Mess With The Zohan!
Read the rest of his review here: EDELSTEIN ON DARK KNIGHT
'The Dark Knight' SPOILER IMAGES!
*****SPOILER ALERT *****
You've been warned!
Proceed at your own risk!
Still here??
You Sure??
Ok!
Here ya go --
With all the anticipation building up for next week's theatrical release of The Dark Knight, it's no surprise when fanboys and girls who've been lucky enough to see early screenings of the film, release spoiler information to the rest of us, like the fellow below who snuck out of a press screening with screenshots he captured with his cellphone camera! 21st century technology is a wonderful thing isn't it?
The images reveal Heath Ledger in a nurse's uniform, apparently fleeing some kind of an explosion, and *GASP* Aaron Eckhart in full Two-Face glory (one of the big surprises that none of the trailers nor other marketing materials for the film reveal). Warner Bros ain't gonna like this, so don't be surprised if the pictures come down sooner than later. Get'em while they're hot, if you must.
Click each one for an enlarged view:
SOURCE: ANIMAL NEW YORK DARK NIGHT SPOILER PICS
You've been warned!
Proceed at your own risk!
Still here??
You Sure??
Ok!
Here ya go --
With all the anticipation building up for next week's theatrical release of The Dark Knight, it's no surprise when fanboys and girls who've been lucky enough to see early screenings of the film, release spoiler information to the rest of us, like the fellow below who snuck out of a press screening with screenshots he captured with his cellphone camera! 21st century technology is a wonderful thing isn't it?
The images reveal Heath Ledger in a nurse's uniform, apparently fleeing some kind of an explosion, and *GASP* Aaron Eckhart in full Two-Face glory (one of the big surprises that none of the trailers nor other marketing materials for the film reveal). Warner Bros ain't gonna like this, so don't be surprised if the pictures come down sooner than later. Get'em while they're hot, if you must.
Click each one for an enlarged view:
SOURCE: ANIMAL NEW YORK DARK NIGHT SPOILER PICS
Does Anyone Really Want To 'Meet Dave'?
What a surprise, Eddie Murphy's Meet Dave, which opens nationwide today, received a sad 21% rating at movie review aggregator site, RottenTomatoes.com, meaning only 21% of all the film critics who have reviewed the film give it a passing grade (a passing grade doesn't necessarily mean an "A," by the way. In some institutions, a "D" is a passing grade).What's even worse is that the star of the film didn't bother to attend the film's Hollywood premiere on Monday night! If he can't sit through his own product, then why the hell should anybody else, especially at a 21% rating?
This $100 Million film will likely fizzle at the box office, and join Pluto Nash (another centi-million dollar Eddie Murphy bust) in the gallows, and garner several Razzies as well.
I really don't understand why studio execs continue funding his expensive disasters!Shame on you Eddie! Maybe you really should retire!
'Black Dynamite' Is Going To Fight The Man!
Wow! I don't know how this didn't register on my radar... until now! Some of you may already be aware of it, but I think this is the first I'm hearing/seeing anything about it.
This will either be incredibly brilliant, or a complete bust! Let's hope it's the former!
The film is called Black Dynamite. Here's it's synopsis, straight out of a 70s Blaxploitation film DVD liner: This is the story of 1970s African-American action legend Black Dynamite. The Man killed his brother, pumped heroin into local orphanages, and flooded the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor. Black Dynamite was the one hero willing to fight The Man all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House.
However, it's a film made this century, scheduled for release later this year, starring Michael Jai White as "Black Dynamite," and an unlikely cast of co-stars, including, Arsenio Hall who plays a character called "Tasty Freeze," Tommy Davidson (from In Living Color) is known as "Cream Corn" and Sally Richardson as "Gloria." Intriguing to say the least!
No release date yet, but I'm definitely curious based on what I saw in the trailer below. It even has that washed out, cheap look that many films from that era are known for, along with the stilted acting, cheesy dialogue, and all-around sloppy production values. It really had me fooled, because it does look like it was made decades ago, with actors from that time period. But it's a 2007/2008 production with a 2008 release schedule planned.
The filmmaker, by the way, is Scott Sanders. Never heard of him? Neither have I! I don't even know whether he is black man, although his IMDB resume says he got his start writing for A Different World in the early 90s, as well as the Charles Dutton series, Roc. But none of that certifies anything.
As I said, this could be a genius tribute to Blaxploitation flicks, or just another waste of space and time. I found write-ups on several other sites that were really siked about it, but we won't know anything with certainty until it actually makes its way to theatres (assuming it does) or DVD.
See for yourself:
This will either be incredibly brilliant, or a complete bust! Let's hope it's the former!
The film is called Black Dynamite. Here's it's synopsis, straight out of a 70s Blaxploitation film DVD liner: This is the story of 1970s African-American action legend Black Dynamite. The Man killed his brother, pumped heroin into local orphanages, and flooded the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor. Black Dynamite was the one hero willing to fight The Man all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House.
However, it's a film made this century, scheduled for release later this year, starring Michael Jai White as "Black Dynamite," and an unlikely cast of co-stars, including, Arsenio Hall who plays a character called "Tasty Freeze," Tommy Davidson (from In Living Color) is known as "Cream Corn" and Sally Richardson as "Gloria." Intriguing to say the least!
No release date yet, but I'm definitely curious based on what I saw in the trailer below. It even has that washed out, cheap look that many films from that era are known for, along with the stilted acting, cheesy dialogue, and all-around sloppy production values. It really had me fooled, because it does look like it was made decades ago, with actors from that time period. But it's a 2007/2008 production with a 2008 release schedule planned.
The filmmaker, by the way, is Scott Sanders. Never heard of him? Neither have I! I don't even know whether he is black man, although his IMDB resume says he got his start writing for A Different World in the early 90s, as well as the Charles Dutton series, Roc. But none of that certifies anything.
As I said, this could be a genius tribute to Blaxploitation flicks, or just another waste of space and time. I found write-ups on several other sites that were really siked about it, but we won't know anything with certainty until it actually makes its way to theatres (assuming it does) or DVD.
See for yourself:
A Good Day To Be Screening
I was just passed on this piece of news.For those of you living in the Philadelphia area, Sundance 2008 selection, A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy, (directed by Dennis Dortch) will be screening at the the ReelBlack Presents showcase on Thursday July 31st, at The Bridge Cinemas on 40th and Walnut Street.
No info on specific times. Go to REELBLACK for more info as the day approaches, or call the theatre.
The film was picked up by Magnolia Pictures at Sundance and is scheduled for a fall 2008 theatrical release. More on that when I have the info.
Due to Demand, Many Theaters Screening 'Dark Knight' at 3 AM & 6 AM
Damn! I'm usually just getting up at 6AM. WTF? Are fanboys and girls really that rabid about the film that they'd get up that early (even earlier to get to the theatre by 6) in the morning to go see The Dark Knight on a IMAX screen? I guess so! I have heard that the IMAX renditions of the film are superior and definitely worthwhile, so I'm hoping I can watch it that way.
I haven't bought my ticket yet, but given how quickly these screenings are selling out, I may have to wait until the 3rd week of the film's release to see the damn thing!
From the New York Times:
- In a frenzy, fans have bought so many late-night tickets for the July 18 opening of the next Batman movie that theaters in places like San Diego, Chicago, and even Eagan, Minn., are scheduling 6 a.m. screenings for those who can’t get in at midnight or 3 in the morning!
Madness... simply madness... the Joker would most certainly approve! I can hear him laughing hysterically already!
Hancock is already forgotten... after all that hype.
The rest here: NY TIMES - DARK KNIGHT
Trailer - 'The Day The Earth Stood Still' (Co-Starring Will Smith's Son)
Just spotted the trailer for yet another end-of-world/alien attack/disaster movie - we sure love those don't we. You know what they say about willing something to happen...
This time it's a remake (we sure love those too, don't we) of the 1951 sci-fi movie of the same name - The Day The Earth Stood Still - starring the automaton known as Keanu Reeves that tells the story of a humanoid alien (the appropriately cast Reeves) who comes to Earth to warn its leaders not to take their conflicts into space, or face likely devastating consequences. Altogether now... Ooooohhhh... spoooooky!
The film also stars Jennifer Connelly, and (drum roll) Jaden Smith, the 9-year old son of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, playing the role of stepson to Jennifer Connelly's character. Interesting!
You'll spot the little tiger in 2 or 3 different moments in the trailer, displaying more emotional range than pops ever has! Jokes... just jokes... that's all.
Here's the trailer for the film which hits theatres December 12, which by the way is the same day that Big Willie's second film this year, Seven Pounds, also will reach a theatre near you... the competition begins:
This time it's a remake (we sure love those too, don't we) of the 1951 sci-fi movie of the same name - The Day The Earth Stood Still - starring the automaton known as Keanu Reeves that tells the story of a humanoid alien (the appropriately cast Reeves) who comes to Earth to warn its leaders not to take their conflicts into space, or face likely devastating consequences. Altogether now... Ooooohhhh... spoooooky!
The film also stars Jennifer Connelly, and (drum roll) Jaden Smith, the 9-year old son of Will and Jada Pinkett-Smith, playing the role of stepson to Jennifer Connelly's character. Interesting!
You'll spot the little tiger in 2 or 3 different moments in the trailer, displaying more emotional range than pops ever has! Jokes... just jokes... that's all.
Here's the trailer for the film which hits theatres December 12, which by the way is the same day that Big Willie's second film this year, Seven Pounds, also will reach a theatre near you... the competition begins:
Trailer - 'Meet Dave' (Eddie Murphy, Gabrielle Union)
I didn't realize this had been circulating around the blogosphere for some time already. I hadn't seen it until today, so I'm posting it for those who haven't seen it either.
The film is called Meet Dave (formerly known as Starship Dave). The plot: In busy New York's Central Park a massive fireball crash lands, with a man emerging unscathed. He's Dave (Eddie Murphy), a human-shaped spaceship controlled by 100 little aliens. Its captain (also played by Murphy) pilots the Dave Spaceship along with his crew from inside its head. The aliens are seeking a way to save their planet, however complications arise when Dave falls in love... with a white woman (cue dramatic crescendo here).
The film opens July 11th. Will I see it? Umm... No!! I think this one's for the little kiddies.
Here's the trailer for the $100 Million film, starring the no-longer-retiring Eddie Murphy and Gabrielle Union. Given the budget, might this be another Pluto Nash?:
The film is called Meet Dave (formerly known as Starship Dave). The plot: In busy New York's Central Park a massive fireball crash lands, with a man emerging unscathed. He's Dave (Eddie Murphy), a human-shaped spaceship controlled by 100 little aliens. Its captain (also played by Murphy) pilots the Dave Spaceship along with his crew from inside its head. The aliens are seeking a way to save their planet, however complications arise when Dave falls in love... with a white woman (cue dramatic crescendo here).
The film opens July 11th. Will I see it? Umm... No!! I think this one's for the little kiddies.
Here's the trailer for the $100 Million film, starring the no-longer-retiring Eddie Murphy and Gabrielle Union. Given the budget, might this be another Pluto Nash?:
'Miracle At St Anna' Premiere
Well, it looks like you folks up in Toronto will get to see Spike Lee's Miracle At St Anna before anybody else on this planet, since the Toronto International Film Festival just announced that the film will make its premiere at the festival in early September.The festival runs from September 4th to the 13th. The film is scheduled to begin its American theatrical run soon after, on the 26th of the same month. So, I'll be looking out for early reviews of the film from the Toronto crowd around the time of its premiere, ahead of its full release.
Source
Watch The First 5 Minutes Of 'The Dark Knight'!
This footage was apparently shown in December before certain Imax screenings of I Am Legend and hasn't been seen since. It just resurfaced. It features a set of sinister men in clown masks who attempt to pull off an outrageous bank heist while snarling to themselves about a new criminal who's terrorising Gotham City: a make-up wearing weirdo who goes by the name of The Joker.
The quality and sound are poor here, but it's still well worth a look. And do it now, because the last time this footage hit the web, it was gone almost as soon as it was made available!
The quality and sound are poor here, but it's still well worth a look. And do it now, because the last time this footage hit the web, it was gone almost as soon as it was made available!
How About A Can Of Booty Sweat?
Upon initially reading this, I thought it was a joke... alas, it's very real, and I'm troubled by it.In what some are calling a "brilliant move" since it's likely to drum up a bit of controversy and thus plenty of free advertising, Paramount Pictures is releasing an actual energy drink based on a fictional drink from the movie Tropic Thunder, called "Booty Sweat."
Paramount Pictures (the studio behind the film) is licensing the fictional brand as a real beverage available nationwide to help promote Tropic Thunder in advance of its Aug. 15 wide release. Of course Tropic Thunder is the Ben Stiller summer comedy rump that co-stars Robert Downey Jr in "black face." Recall I wrote about the film HERE.
Here's the kicker: 2 versions of Booty Sweat will be made available. One for "urban" markets, and another for the "rural" folks. Per AdAge's website, the urbanite store version will carry the description of the drink as a "delicious and bump up struttin' energy drink that will pump up a brotha's ass right-pronto. This swill will crank yo' metabolism up skippin' right over jiggy to straight G-pimp level, word to your mutha. Brothas will be layin' down the 2-3 on the wiggy jig focusing the energy flow into cold-face benjamins that will fill yo' pimp pockets to burstin'. Damn straight! Booty Sweat will keep a brotha pitchin' straight game all night to the baby-dolls."
Meanwhile, rural stores will get a can that simply has the Booty Sweat moniker, but no street slang!
Wow! Ok! I was already a tad unsure about Robert Downey's role as a black man in the film within a film, and what the potential ramifications of that will be. Now the announcement of this Booty Sweat drink for use as a marketing ploy only increases my discomfort. Is anyone else bothered by any of this or am I being overly sensitive?
See the entire article on AdAge.com.
Tonight's The Night!
My ticket is already paid for, and I'm ready to consume and digest!After so much noise within the blogosphere about the film - the mostly negative reviews (some spoiler-filled), the revelation of the big plot twist half-way through the film, etc - I'm finally going to get my chance to witness Hancock with my own two eyes!
There are a handful of night-time screenings of the film in New York City today, and a friend of mine bought tickets for a 7PM showing, which, of course is where I'll be around that time.
Once I get home after the screening, provided I don't get distracted, I'll post my thoughts here.
After so much coverage of Hancock, I already know what to expect from the screening, so there probably won't be many surprises. However, hearing/reading about a film isn't quite the same experience as watching it firsthand! I'm still excited to take it all in myself!
Oliver Stone's 'W' Pic Sympathetic To Dubya?
(Josh Brolin as George W Bush, and director Oliver Stone) I wonder what this scene is about.
I certainly didn't expect the film to be one long Saturday Night Live skit, but I also didn't think that words like "sympathetic" would be used to describe it. I'm even more intrigued. Oliver Stone, an unabashedly liberal democratic filmmaker making a film that empathizes with George W Bush? Hm... ok.
Found this piece printed in today's L.A. times. Here are a few poignant snippets:
- Stone, Brolin and the filmmaking team believe they are crafting a biography so honest that loyal Republicans and the Bushes themselves might see it.
- "When Oliver asked me, I said, 'Are you crazy? Why would I want to do this with my little moment in my career?'" (Josh) Brolin recalled. Then, early one morning during a family ski trip, Brolin read Weiser's original screenplay, which covers Bush from 1967 to 2004. "It was very different than what I thought it would be," Brolin said.
- "It's not a political movie. It's a biography. People will remember that this guy is human, when we are always [outside of the movie] dehumanizing him, calling him an idiot, a puppet, a failed president."
- Stone, who was briefly a Yale classmate of Bush, is clearly no fan of the president's politics but said he's amazed by the man's resilience and ambition. The movie is basically divided into three acts: Bush's hard-living youth, his personal and religious conversion, and finally his first term in the Oval Office.
Read the entire article HERE.
What's On Your Must See List?
6 months to go until 2009 and there's been very little I've enjoyed at the cinema thus far into the year. Of course, Oscar-bait season is near, so, I expect we'll see some much stronger material in coming months. But I'm not holding my breath.I'd like to get some idea of what films you all are excited about seeing over the next 6 months. Not just studio films, by the way. They could be microcinema viewings, festival screenings, or even at-home rentals! And not necessarily "black cinema" either. What's on your "must-see" list, if anything?
I had difficulty coming up with a solid list of my own, but here are a few that I'm definitely eager to feast my eyes on wherever I can catch them:
- I've already mentioned The Dark Knight.
- The Coen brothers follow-up to No Country For Old Men, titled Burn After Reading, with an all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt, John Malkovich and Tilda Swinton.
- Spike's Miracle at St Anna which I've talked about quite a bit on this blog.
- Lakeview Terrace with Kerry Washington and Samuel Jackson, directed by the usually caustic Neil Labute, and produced by Will Smith. I haven't heard much about this, even though it hits theatres in 3 months. The fact that Screen Gems is the distributor concerns me a little, because they are Sony's "specialty films" division, known for distributing such genre films like the Resident Evil series, Prom Night, Boogeyman, the Hostel movies, Ultraviolet, and a few of what they call "ethnic films," like You Got Served, 2 Can Play That Game, This Christmas and First Sunday. So, Lakeview Terrace is not exactly in very good company here. Is it going to be a schlocky B-movie or something much deeper? We'll find out in September. But I'm definitely curious given the names involved. I posted a trailer months ago, which you can see HERE.
- W, Oliver Stone's farcical look at our wonderful president.
- The next James Bond film - Quantum of Solace. I didn't particularly care for the last one, and I probably wouldn't bother with this one either if it weren't for the director helming the production this time - Marc Foster, who I thought was a very interesting choice, given that all of his previous works have been much lower budgeted films, known more for their critical acclaim than their box office numbers. It's almost like when I heard that Ang Lee was directing Hulk a few years ago. The results weren't well received, but I definitely raised my eyebrows when I heard that he'd been brought on as director. Let's hope that Foster's Bond is a welcomed surprise.
- Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr in The Soloist. This one has Oscar written all over it, for both actors.
- Will Smith's second attempt this year, Seven Pounds, directed by the same dude who directed him in The Pursuit of Happyness. This is another award-baiter
- The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, with Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett starring, and Taraji P Henson as Pitt's mother, with David Fincher directing. Brad Pitt's first Oscar?
- Religulous. Bill Maher's documentary on the state of religion in the world.
That's it for the studio or studio-affiliated pictures. There are a few festival favorites that I've yet to see, and that got picked up for distribution, so I'm hoping they reach a theater near me before 2009. They are:
- A Good Day To Be Black And Sexy which played at Sundance this year and was picked up by Magnolia Pictures. Its IMDB page says it will be released this year, but I've heard nothing specific.
- Medicine For Melancholy. I've mentioned it enough times on this blog.
- Charles Burnett's Namibia epic. I've heard mixed reviews from trusted sources, but I want to see it myself.
Some that have been announced and are still in production, but are supposed to be released this year...maybe:
- Lars Von Trier's next since Mandalay, called Antichrist. It's a horror movie. The idea of Von Trier doing a horror movie excites me. This is something I have to witness for myself. Probably won't be released until next year, likely a Cannes debut, but who knows!
That's about it!!! I might be forgetting some, or there might be a few that'll show up on my radar in coming months, which I'll certainly announce once they do.
So, what about you? What are you looking forward to seeing? Or What do you think SHOULD BE on my list that I'm omitting?
First Official Batman 'Dark Knight' Review
Peter Travers over at Rolling Stone Magazine has seen The Dark Knight and throws in his $.02 about the upcoming sequel to Batman Begins, aka, The Dark Knight, yes, ladies and gents, it's a stunner - not that I had any doubts. I don't think any of the usual introductions are necessary here; I've already expressed a strong desire to see it; So I won't waste your time with a rehash of what I already said here. Instead, just dig right in and share in the reviewer's thrill:Heads up: a thunderbolt is about to rip into the blanket of bland we call summer movies. The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's absolute stunner of a follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins, is a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up. There's something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe. Striking out from his Batman origin story, Nolan cuts through to a deeper dimension. Huh? Wha? How can a conflicted guy in a bat suit and a villain with a cracked, painted-on clown smile speak to the essentials of the human condition? Just hang on for a shock to the system. The Dark Knight creates a place where good and evil — expected to do battle — decide instead to get it on and dance. "I don't want to kill you," Heath Ledger's psycho Joker tells Christian Bale's stalwart Batman. "You complete me." Don't buy the tease. He means it.
If there's a movement to get him the first posthumous Oscar since Peter Finch won for 1976's Network, sign me up. Ledger's Joker has no gray areas — he's all rampaging id.
It's full of surprises you don't see coming. And just try to get it out of your dreams.
WHOA! Just try to get it out of your dreams? Also, I see the chant for a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger already has a chorus section... this isn't the first time I'm hearing it.
Read the entire review HERE. By the way, it opens 2 weeks after Hancock.
Early Batman 'The Dark Night' Review
This is one film I'm looking forward to seeing this summer - probably more than any other summer blockbuster offerings. Tim Burton hooked me in 1989; Joel Schumacher killed whatever hopes I had for the future of the franchise in 1995 & 1997; and, thankfully, now Christopher Nolan has renewed my interest. One thing that has always attracted me to this particular super hero is that, unlike many others, he's human - sans any super-human abilities like say, Super Man, Spider Man, Hulk, Fantastic Four, etc. He didn't get bitten by a radioactive spider, nor was he born on some foreign superior planet. He's a vulnerable earthling - albeit a wealthy one - who uses man-made technology, and his own physical agility to challenge the rampant villainy in his native Gotham city. So, maybe in that regard, he really isn't a super hero in the comic-book sense, but rather a masked vigilante of sorts, whose aim is to rid his city of the criminal element destroying it - not-so unlike maybe Dirty Harry, or Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver, or almost every character Charles Bronson ever portrayed. He bleeds like I do, and he can die in the same ways that I can, yet he is unrelenting in his pursuits. That makes him all the more intriguing a character - to me anyway.
So, it brought me great joy to read the first full review of the film that I've seen anywhere (the film doesn't open until the middle of July) to find out that it does indeed satisfy all the hype that's been following it since the announcement of the sequel almost 3 years ago - at least, according to this reviewer. I'm sure there'll be some dissenters, but they won't deter me from purchasing my $12 ticket on that glorious day when the film opens in theatres in my wonderful version of Gotham, also known as New York City!
Here's are a couple of snippets from the AICN review included below:
“The film feels more like a crime drama in a grand city scape than a typical comic book movie. It feels like Heat except Batman is Al Pacino and The Joker is Robert De Niro and just like in that film we have a great scene between Heath Ledger and Christian Bale across a table. There is also an element of a Greek Tragedy.. There is a vast sense of morality at play within the film.”
" Heath Ledgers performance of the joker is truly one for the books. A man of no remorse or morals who simply wants to see things burn... He is far from a caricature and has depth. The Joker is almost more of a terrorist than criminal. He is not motivated bymoney. He wants to see people suffer... Best supporting Oscar anyone?"
You can read the entire review HERE.
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