The Dark Knight Shooting

As all of you are surely aware, someone killed about 50 people at an Aurora, Colorado theater screening of The Dark Knight Rises over the weekend. I would love to say something about this, but details are still emerging and can be found across the Web as well as through traditional media outlets.

Kevin Smith's Hulu show, Spoilers, addressed the issue in its latest episode, and I'm sure many blogs on comic books and related hobbies have also done the same, but I have no idea what to think right now. Obviously I'm moved by the event, but if the guy is truly insane, then there really is no one to blame - he has no control of his own actions and needs help. Of course, when in the throes of such a horrible thing, people do not want to hear that; they need to blame someone/something, they need to put things in a tidy pile to bring order back to their worlds.

I understand this and do not want to upset anyone any further, but I've been very clear as to my position on mental illness - I covered the shooting at Virginia Tech in some detail and made the same points about mental illness in those posts. I may have more to say on this terrible tragedy as details emerge, but for now I'm just going to let the people involved do their jobs and the victims try to come to terms with this horrible, inexplicable, and unfair turn of events.

© C Harris Lynn, 2012

Harry Potter Beats Dark Knight

According to an e-mail from the studio, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince's midnight showing took-in some $22.2 million - beating The Dark Knight by $4 million. The e-mail contained a single quote: "Wow."

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Two Years to Dark Knight Sequel

Christopher Nolan has signed a deal with Warner Brothers to shoot a sci-fi flick based on a screenplay of his own design, tentatively titled Inception. This means a possible third installment in the Batman series - which is not confirmed - would come only after that project is completed, which would be about two years. Inception is set to hit theaters in 2010.

Three years passed between Batman Begins and Dark Knight; Nolan did The Prestige in the interim. But Nolan has said he would not do another Batman film and Christian Bale insisted that a Batman sequel without Nolan "would not be the same... do you hear me!?"

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Dark Knight Draws Eight Oscar Noms

While most of the coverage you're going to read about The Dark Knight and Oscar nominations takes the negative bead, Rated-B wants to remind everyone that superhero movies are always "snubbed" by the Academy Awards. The Dark Knight's eight nominations are something to be lauded, even if it failed to nab a Best Picture nod!

And yes, Heath Ledger did get a posthumous nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

As usual, the nominations came with few surprises and much outrage as the peanut gallery always explodes over their favorite(s) failing to be nominated. But come on now, did people really expect Wall-E to get a Best Picture notice? Really? Did you? Really? Well, it did get a nomination for Best Animated, which it is sure to win, so take solace.

However, I understand people being upset that The Dark Knight missed-out in both Best Picture and Director -- as well as Writer. After all, it's second only to Titanic as far as returns go and its re-release tonight (technically tomorrow, though I'm pretty sure there are going to be midnight showings across the country) is probably going to change that. Still, when has the popularity of a film ever mattered when it came Oscar time? Ever?

Those people are sheltered, entitled housewives and over-privileged industry insiders who take great pride in digging-up the most obscure Art-house nonsense they can find to parade before the unwashed masses -- their way of showing us what "real" filmmaking is. And while we can lament it and argue about it until we're blue in the face, it certainly isn't new.

I will say this much, though: Best Picture still does not mean Best Drama and I cannot think of a single time in the entire history of the Academy Awards when a comedy has been nominated (though there certainly wasn't one worthy of such accolades this year). If I am wrong, so be it, but I'd love to know when it was, what the film was, and how it fared overall.

And no, I don't have time to "look it up."

© C Harris Lynn, 2009

Ledger was First Pick for Spider-Man

According to Heath Ledger's former agent, the late star was producers' first pick for the role of Peter Parker in the hugely-successful Spider-Man movie franchise. "But as soon as I said 'Spider-Man' Heath said, 'It's not for me. I would be taking someone else's dream away," he told Entertainment Weekly.

Ledger is expected to be nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Batman's arch-nemesis, Joker, in one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight will be re-released in theaters this Friday. Heath Ledger was found dead of an overdose a year ago.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Ledger's Golden Globe to go to Daughter

Speaking to People magazine, Heath Ledger's mom, Sally Bell, said his posthumous Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor (The Dark Knight) will "eventually... be going to Matilda... because she is part of him."

The late actor won the coveted award for his role as the Joker in the tremendous summer hit, released months after he was found dead from an overdose. The Oscar buzz began instantly for what would be Ledger's last performance.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Beckinsale Vying for Catwoman Role

Kate Beckinsale said she would love the role as Catwoman in a new Batman movie. Rumored possibles include Angelina Jolie (who was also rumored to have been interested in the part) and Megan Fox (Transformers). Beckinsale told MTV that she would "absolutely" take the Catwoman role, should it be offered her, as she is looking to do more action movies.

Beckinsale said starring in the Underworld franchise has given her confidence for taking on more physical roles. Beckinsale also starred in 2004's Van Helsing.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Dark Knight Makes AFI's Top Ten

The Dark Knight made the American Film Institute's (AFI) Top Ten for 2008, alongside such films as Milk, Gran Torino.  Wall-E. Iron Man also made the list! Unlike awards events and the like, AFI does not rank the movies it chooses and does not give out awards, however the films will be honored at a luncheon event.

The Dark Knight also made the semi-finalists in the Oscar's Best Visual Effects category. Cloverfield and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls also made it into the semi-finals. The 2008 list of nominations will be pared down to seven finalists.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Holy Jobsworth, Batman! Batmobile Ticketed

The Batmobile is touring the UK as part of a promotional effort for the release of the Dark Knight DVD release. Apparently, it was illegally parked outside the GMTV studios and some jerk gave it a parking ticket! While the Dark Knight tends to limit his vigilante activities to Gotham, Batman has been known to travel, and The Rundown is pretty sure someone is sending him a message.

Dark Knight was recently re-released in theaters as a promotional effort.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The Dark Knight Returns

On January 23^rd, Dark Knight returns to movie theaters. Only $77 million shy of becoming the all-time highest-grossing film, executives are hoping this "farewell" screening will help push it over the line. Some say they are also hoping the re-release cements Dark Knight as one of the Best Picture nominations at the Oscars.

At this time, Dark Knight will be the highest-grossing movie of 2008 and remains the second highest-grossing movie of all time. It's pretty much guaranteed to break $1 billion, worldwide.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Dark Knight Score Disqualified

With all the talk of Heath Ledger's Oscar-worthiness for his portrayal of Joker in Dark Knight, only one thing is certain: the score for the film will not be eligible for one of those bald-headed trophies.

The board ruled the score is inadmissible because it was a collaborative effort. While Hans Zimmerman and James Newton Howard claim credit for "over 60%" of the effort, the studio's music cue sheet lists no fewer than five composers.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Nolan Says "No" to Another Batman

This one has been making the rounds for a few days now, but I waited until I got a little more confirmation before posting it:

According to the rumor-mill, director Christopher Nolan is not interested in making a third Batman. Christian Bale has said repeatedly that he would return, but only if Nolan does as well. This does not bode well for a third installment, which will certainly be made - with or without Bale and/or Nolan.

Again, this is still just gossip at this point, but there is enough of it to confirm the rumor. Nolan might be persuaded to return to the helm and Bale will likely be the Dark Knight in any future installments, but we will have to wait to see how the whole thing plays out.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Box Office Results

While Tropic Thunder knocked it out of the top spot and continued its reign over the weekend, Dark Knight remains in the fourth place on the box office charts, just shy of the $500 million mark. If it makes it, it will be only the second film to have exceeded $500 million (Titanic is the other).

House Bunny debuted at No. 2 on the charts, with the sci-fi remake, Death Race, landing in an impressive number three position.

Warner Brothers recently pushed the latest Harry Potter flick back into next year, in hopes of ensuring its box office domination. Many are displeased with the action and - more specifically - the late notice.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Cher to Play Catwoman?

According to sources, Cher is Chris Nolan's first choice for Catwoman in the newest Dark Knight flick. The 63-year old actress is apparently in talks with producers at this point.

Nolan wants her portrayal of the villainess to be more "vampish" than earlier incarnations. Selena Kyle was portrayed as an alcoholic hooker in Frank Miller's seminal The Dark Knight Returns, from which much of the material is pulled (along with Miller's Batman: Year One).

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Is Dark Knight Cursed?

NPR has a nice little story about the emerging superstition that Dark Knight is cursed.

As detailed in the article, "cursed" plays, movies, and general performance pieces are certainly nothing new. They cite Poltergeist, The Exorcist, and even The Crow as some of the movies that are reputed to have been "cursed" and/or had curses related to them (the death of father and son stars, Lee, for instance) - then they remind us about the greatest "cursed" piece of them all: Shakespeare's Macbeth.

The piece is interesting and well-written, but neglects to mention one important part of the "cursed" pop-culture. It's doubly embarrassing since it relates directly to Dark Knight on almost every level:

The "Curse" of Superman.

Since first brought to the cinema, deaths and misfortune have plagued the cast and sometimes the crew of the various Superman film incarnations. George Reeves leapt from a window in 1959. The actor who portrayed Supes before him supposedly never had another success in his acting career. And, of course, Christopher Reeve was famously paralyzed, following a fall from a horse.

However, like many of the other supposed "curses," much of the hype surrounding the Superman Curse is just this side of truthful.

George Reeves did not leap to his death. In fact, there is no evidence that he committed suicide, even though it was officially ruled such. After all, suicides rarely miss - and almost none of them miss several times. Reeves actually died from a gunshot to the head. The fact that the "went crazy and thought he could fly" story became so widely circulated and generally accepted proves a good, old-fashioned Hollywood cover-up - right up there with the Black Dahlia and that guy on William Randolph Hearst's boat, in fact.

Bud Collyer portrayed Supes on the popular radio show in the 30s and 40s. He went on to host the popular game show, To Tell the Truth, and lived to a fairly good age of 61.

The creators of the character, Siegel and Schuster, were bilked of their fortunes, but a recent court ruling holds DC Comics liable for the fair compensation of their families. Christopher Reeves was paralyzed due to an unrelated horsing accident, but both Tom Welles (Smallville) and Dean Cain (Lois and Clark) have healthy careers.

Dark Knight has been plagued by a string of incidents - Heath Ledger's death, Christian Bale's (possible) arrest, and now Morgan Freeman's divorce and car wreck - but, as the above indicates, Superman has a better claim to the "cursed" label, and there's really little truth to that. Besides, Bale portrayed Bats in an earlier flick and Freeman and his wife have been separated for over a year.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Dark Knight Rules Again

The Dark Knight is the first movie since 2007's Disturbia (starring Shia LaBeouf) to hold the #1 box office spot for three straight weekends. It is also headed for the $400 million club; The Dark Knight should reach $400 million by tomorrow or Tuesday.

The X-Files' I Want to Believe fell all the way to #9, having made far less than its rather modest $30 million budget. Hellboy II and Wanted both left the top ten this week, and Wall-E fell to #8, making it the top-grossing silent film of all time (Wall-E is not completely silent, though the record may stand). Both Hancock and Journey to the Center of the Earth remained on the list, with The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon landing at #2.

If The Dark Knight can stay on the box office list a few more weeks, it is possible it could overtake Titanic, the only movie to hit $500 million domestic. Titanic took in over $600 million in total - something Dark Knight producers say is "not even on our radar."

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

The Joker Lives!

20-year old Spencer Taylor of Three Trees, Michigan, was arrested for larceny and malicious destruction of property for trying to swipe The Dark Knight posters, stand-ups, and memorabilia from a theater Sunday.

In a purple suit, green wig, and bad make-up job.


© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Dark Knight Reigns, X-Files Bombs

The Dark Knight maintained the top box office spot this past weekend, raking in over $300 million in the last two weeks. The movie has already shattered record after record during its run and adds another to the list: most made by a movie in its second week ($75+ million).

The X-files new outing, I Want to Believe, landed at #4 on the charts, with just over $10 million. It has received mixed reviews, most of which are disappointing, and some sources note that the majority of these reviews are from those over 25 (which would be its core - and/or target - audience, as the series ended nearly 10 years ago). However, the movie cost right at $30 million to make, which means (as I said in the post referenced above) the franchise may still be reinvigorated after it reaches home audiences.

Hancock, Wall E, Hellboy II, and Wanted all remained in the top ten, with Hancock passing the $200 million mark.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Bale Arrested for Alleged Assault

Christian Bale has apparently been arrested on allegations he beat-up his mom and sister in a hotel room Sunday, prior to the premiere of The Dark Knight.

Apparently, the charges had been made by his family before the premiere of the record-breaking movie, but police chose to wait to move on it so as not to interfere with the opening. Reports are unclear as to what, exactly, went down in the hotel room in Dorchester Sunday, but Bale's mother and sister are reportedly the ones who made the allegations at a police station.

Bale turned himself in for questioning and was arrested. Further details will be forthcoming.

© C Harris Lynn, 2008

Batman The Dark Knight

Opening day for one of the most anticipated movies of the year is here. Comic book fans everywhere were anxiously awaiting Batman The Dark Knight, but now, with Heath Ledger's unfortunate passing, many more eyes are on this movie.

Can this movie and the Joker character showcase Heath's talent?

I usually don't do a direct link, but I address this on my blog.

I will be watching this movie tomorrow, so more to follow.

Also, I have some comments on a post or two so stay tuned for my "guest spot."

Ciao! (and it's good to be back!)

Sean

© C Harris Lynn, 2008