Yes, you read that headline right. I didn't accidentally type Superman: Man Of Steel instead of Batman 3. DC comics President Paul Levitz has confirmed that Warner Brothers execs are waiting for Christopher Nolan to sign on for Batman 3 before they set a date for Superman: Man Of Steel.

“Everyone is waiting for Nolan to sign on for another Batman, once that happens, the release date for Superman and all other future projects will follow,” Levitz told Latino Review. But that's not the only massive geek news Levitz let slip during his chat.

“Last week Brandon Routh has come around the offices in New York and Los Angeles as of late to talk about Superman and what we want to do,” he said.

So, a Brandon Routh starring Superman Returns sequel will happen. You know, once Nolan gets back from holiday. Take your time Chris, you deserve it....

Though I must say, as much as a Nolan steered Man Of Steel film excites me, I'd much rather he did another Batman first, let's just hope he doesn't do a Bryan Singer and jump ship of a franchise (X-Men) at its peak to direct another superhero franchise to much less success, ironically that superhero WAS Superman.

I grew up watching Star Trek and reading comic books.  One of the coolest things for me now that I'm an "adult" has been seeing so many of the characters I loved as a kid find expression on the big screen. 

Even when the films aren't done especially well I don't freak out about it like some people I know, I take it in stride.  Which isn't a knock on my fanhood, but rather makes me more of a "smile because it happened" vs. "cry because it's over" (or sucked) kind of fan.   

Though it's fair to say that I've loved all of the Star Trek movies that have been made, I remain cautiously optimistic about this.  The X Men films have been done well in my opinion, and I'm super psyched about the new Wolverine movie coming out next May.  Obviously the Batman franchise has kicked ass since Chris Nolan took the helm, though no one will be able to shake me of the belief that Michael Keaton was, and remains, the best Dark Knight we've had... 

All of this to say: as more and more studios try to $$$-in on people like me, there are a few movies that I keep semi-regular tabs on through their various stages of production.  One of them has been Watchmen, trailer below, still frame above, set to come out in March 2009.

I was reading a review in The Guardian of a 30 minute sneak peak that happened recently here in NYC when I came across this reference to "The Embarracuda" herself:

"When asked to describe the specific benefits of turning the story into a movie, however, [the Director] offered a Sarah Palin-esque free association ramble."  

The allusion caught me off guard and then I realized: it's true -- not even six weeks on the scene yet and Sarah Palin has already become "-esque" worthy. 

So new rule: whenever you hear someone trapped in a mindless circle of bullshit-speak, that shall now be referred to as... "Sarah Palin-esque."

And incidentally, though I'm pumped about Watchmen as a movie, I spit on the actor cast in one of the lead roles: Billy Crudup. 

Would that I could I'd bitch slap Crudup for leaving my girl Mary-Louise Parker while she was 7 months pregnant with their child.  One firm, slow slap for a move I always thought was too dick by half.

The Watchmen Trailer.  Watch it.  The Song, by Smashing Pumpkins, makes it that much better.

[vodpod id=Groupvideo.1645479&w=425&h=350&fv=]

It's never ending, huh?  The economy is tanking, one of the potential leaders of the nation and his evil sidekick are holding KKK rallies all over the country and now this, right when we needed a hero.  All that talk about a Batman sequel, was about as real as Jamie Lynn Spears' second pregnancy.

Dark Knight storyman David Goyer told MTV News today that everything you've heard about the potential flick is bogus.  “It’s all B.S.,” he said. “ALL of it. Chris and I haven’t even talked about it. He quite understandably is taking a long, long vacation and wants to purge himself."

Comment from shadow campaigner: De-va-sta-ting.

Related:

ARE THESE THE FACES OF BATMAN’S NEXT VILLIANS?

"It’s all B.S.," he said. "ALL of it."

Apparantly, the next film hasn't even been discussed with the writers taking a vacation - frankly this is understandable.

Source: MovieWeb

GS Reporter: WedgeDoc

Warner Home Video has confirmed a Dec. 9th release date.  Better mark that date on your calendar.  I have a feeling these things could be the next Tickle-Me-Elmo Christmas craze...but for big kids :)

The 2-Disc Blu-Ray release will include the following:

• Gotham Uncovered Documentary
• 2 Featurettes - Batman Tech: The Incredible Gadgets and Tools ; Batman Unmasked : The Psychology of The Dark Knight
• All 6 Gotham Cable News Reports
• Galleries - Joker Cars, Concept Art, Poster Art, and Production Stills
• Trailers and TV Spots
• Uhh...nothing on the viral marketing?

"The Dark Knight" will be Warner's first Blu-Ray release to implement the BD-Live feature.

Retail Price: 2-Disc Blu-Ray - $35.99 ; 2-Disc Special Edition DVD - $34.99 ; 1-Disc DVD - $29.98

Now here's the real deal:

* ...starting with Danny Boyle, who in my opinion is criminally underrated. His new film is Slumdog Millionaire, and it made a real splash at Toronto, winning the festival's prize and the audience award. It stars Skins' Dev Patel (who plays Anwar in the TV series). I'm confident that this film is as good as his previous ones; and top critics, such as Variety or The Hollywood Reporter have given it their higher praise. It's satisfying indeed! Oh and if you haven't seen Millions, you've missed the magic of Danny Boyle, a truly gifted filmmaker. He's got the biggest heart you'll ever see for a director.

* A fixture in the award season, Clint Eastwood has a new movie, Changeling, and it stars The Earth's Biggest Movie Star (arguably), Angelina Jolie. The trailer has just been released (view here), and while buzz was positive at the Cannes Film Festival, I don't really know what to make of it. They certainly went full-on dramatic for this trailer... the story sounds compelling enough; and Angelina Jolie's performance seems to be of the same kind than the insanely good stuff she put out for A Mighty Heart so I'd say she is a pretty safe bet for Best Actress.

* Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler is also getting a lot of praise, especially for the performance of its lead actor, Mickey Rourke. Todd McCarthy from Variety wrote that "Rourke creates a galvanizing, humorous, deeply moving portrait that instantly takes its place among the great, iconic screen performances" while David Ansen of Newsweek said that "to say this is a great comeback for an actor whose talent was exceeded only by his self-destructiveness is obvious".  I think he'll be one of the main contender for the Best Actor statuette..

* ...closely followed by Richard Jenkins, whose performance in The Visitor got critics talking, especially because the film got the Grand Prize at the Deauville American Film Festival. Last time I saw him he was being shattering in Six Feet Under; and apparently he's got a very funny supporting role in the Coen brothers' latest, Burn After Reading.

The winning team at the Venice film festival: Ethan Coen, Brad Pitt, Frances McDormand, Joel Coen, Tilda Swinton and George Clooney

* Speaking of which, the latter has been performing really well at the box-office; it's currently #1 at the American box-office, taking in $19million of dollars for its first weekend. Considering this is a Coen brothers film, it's somewhat surprising -but never underestimate the power of George Clooney and Brad Pitt, ha. I suspect the latter might be up for Best Supporting Actor (a race that's overshadowed by... Heath Ledger's towering performance in The Dark Knight, of course), and so is John Malkovich. The film also stars Academy-Award winner Tilda Swinton and another Academy-Award winner, Frances McDormand. You can view the trailer here. A screenplay nomination for the Coen brothers is to be expected as well; a director's one maybe less so.

* If I could nominate only one director to be on the nominees list though, then it'd undoubtedly be Christopher Nolan. I reckon it's time he gets some serious recognition. I know Batman blah blah Hollywood blockbuster but if there's one person who's outside of all this, that can challenge stereotypes etc. then it's him. The Academy understood the genius of Peter Jackson; it's the exact same case here, so I want Chris to be one of the frontrunners in the Best Director race. Even if it's a crowded category there, with not only Boyle and Aronofsky and perhaps Eastwood; and the following directors: Ron Howard, Baz Luhrmann, Joe Wright, Gus Van Sant, Sam Mendes; whose films I will discuss later on. Don't get me wrong, I really LOVE all these directors but Christoper Nolan... At least a Screenplay nod then! And then there better be Best Cinematography, Editing, Art Direction, Sound Editing/Mixing, Visual Effects etc. nominations for the Dark Knight or the entire ceremony will lose its credibility, I swear.

* So yeah, all those heavyweight directors. Well let's start with Ron Howard. His new film is Frost/Nixon, starring Frank Langella and Michael Sheen in the two lead roles. They were already playing these parts ontage, in the play on which the film is based, penned by The Queen's screenwriter Peter Morgan. Morgan also wrote this adaptation; so expect a Screenplay nomination, and perhaps a couple of acting nods. The trailer has just been released and looks brillant.

* Baz Luhrmann's Australia sounds like the kind of epic grand adventure/romance that might get a few awards, but there's been no reviews or first echoes on it, so let's not get ahead of ourselves. I really love the trailer (view here), and I hope it will live up to my expectations (it's been seven years since Moulin Rouge!).

* Next is upcoming wizz Brit director Joe Wright. His new film, The Soloist, stars Jamie Foxx and Robert Downey Jr. Considering that Foxx is an Academy Award winner and that Robert Downey Jr. is really popular right now, ths one could prove to be a real success. Wright has never been personally nominated, but Pride and Prejudice and Atonement did get about a zillion nominations combined together, so it's safe to assume the Academy won't ignore him. Plus the trailer has just been released and it looks utterly heartbreaking. Check it out here.

* Aaaaaaaand then, there's Gus Van Sant, and his triumphant return to "mainstream" cinema, with Milk, the story of Harvey Milk (which I've talked about in a previous post), starring Sean Penn, Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, James Franco.. Yeah that's an amazing cast. The trailer looks really good as well and I hope it will be a good film, although I'm not too worried because... it's Gus Van Sant -I trust him loads, of course.

* Looking excruciatingly good (no pun intended) is Doubt, which is directed by someone I don't know. But it stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Amy Adams; and the trailer is ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. Completely intriguing and yet captivating. Watch it here; it's one of the best trailers I've seen in a long time. Also, look at all those names in the crew listing: music by Howard Shore, cinematography by Roger Deakins and editing by Dylan Tichenor. Wow.

* Alas no trailer but a brand new poster (view bigger) for Sam Mendes' Revolutionary Road; Roger Deakins is also the cinematographer -and Thomas Newman the composer, of course. Speaking of which, his ninth nomination is almost guaranteed, either for this film or for Wall-E (which has a beautiful score that just can't be ignored), so let's hope HE'LL WIN THIS TIME. Erm. Anyway, no word yet on Revolutionary Road, as it hasn't even been screened for any film festivals, but it's a huge contender in all the main catagories. And to be honest the perspective of seeing Kate and Leo onscreen together again is uber-exciting!

* Wall-E is also a certified one for Best Animated Feature (duh), perhaps Original Screenplay and also for categories such as Sound Mixing and Editing, and Art Design.

Also among this season's favourites are Jonathan Demme's Rachel Getting Married; Courtney Hunt's Frozen River ; Kathryn Bigelow's The Hurt Locker (Ralph Fiennes stars in this one; his performance in The Duchess is also getting noticed, and so is Keira Knightley's). Let's not forget wild card Woody Allen's Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Charlie Kaufman's Synecdoche, New York (trailer has just gone up online -view here). Considering how American Gangster got completely ignored last year, it's possible that Sir Ridley Scott, with Body of Lies, gets the cold shoulder again. But I really like the trailer (view here) and it's Leonardo DiCaprio *and* Russell Crowe so... And finally, another film I really, really want to see and have very high expectations of: David Fincher's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. In addition of having one of the most brillant teasers ever made, it's based on a F. Scott Fitzgerald short story and... it's David Fincher, so that's good enough for me. Told you this year was going to be exciting!

Update: Trailer for Revolutionary Road right here. It looks SO GOOD!!

I watched the Prestige recently for a second time. When I first saw it, it was in the cinema without the benefit of a pause/rewind button and also without subtitles, which I have a preference for. Now that I've seen it again, I've picked up on new subtleties and in fact changed my view of the protagonists totally.

Stop here if you don't want to ruin the film for yourself because half the fun is working the film out first time round.

At first glance, Angier is the most sympathetic of the two main characters. He lost his wife due to a huge error of judgement by Borden. Initially I viewed both protagonists and the events that followed through that prism and in that light, Angier is definitely the more sympathetic character which makes the ending something of a bum note.

Before anything sours between the two leads, they study a Chinese magician, Ching Ling Foo, to work out how he does his trick of making a goldfish bowl disappear. Borden understands immediately how it was done while Angier tries to get his head around the level of sacrifice required to make the trick work. Interestingly, Ching Ling Foo is based upon a real character who had a very real rivalry with Chung Ling Soo (American of Scottish descent) and that rivalry inspired the novel by Priest. Chung Ling Soo later died when a bullet catch trick went badly wrong.

That tragic drowning of Angier's wife is followed up by a "catch the bullet" trick that goes badly wrong when Angier ends up pointing a loaded gun at Borden and demanding to know what knot was tied. Instead of losing his life, Borden loses only his fingers thanks to the intervention of Fallon, his engineer.

This feud escalates further when Angier resumes his career as "the Great Dante" and Borden sabotages a trick causing injury to a participant in the trick. At this point, the feud is about spite but things take a turn for the darker soon after when Borden launches an outstanding new trick called "the Transported Man".

Angier is obsessed with learning the secret of Borden's trick, which he describes as the best he has ever seen. While pickling himself green with envy, he has his own competing show where he comes up with his own version of "the Transported man". Angier then uses his superior showmanship to augment the trick but his obsession with the source of Borden's trick causes him to step up the feud and it's here that things really go off the rails. Up until then, Angier had been primarily motivated by bitterness at losing his wife but here it becomes clear that it's the source of Borden's trick that fuels his obsession. Sending his assistant to spy on Borden has disastrous repercussions as Borden leads him on a wild goose chase to Arizona as well as scuppering Angier's show (and laming him in the process).

The first time I watched the film, I knew there was something odd about Fallon but I couldn't put my finger on it. Eims was faster off the mark and realised that Fallon was wearing a disguise of some sort. It was my second time seeing the film but her first so I kept my mouth shut in case I ruined the twist for her.

Once you've seen the big reveal, you realise the level of sacrifice required to pull off the "transported man" trick and it does change your perceptions of the two key characters. Angier is strictly speaking the most sympathetic character but his obsession with bettering Borden's trick and trapping him with a murder charge bring him to a very dark place. What of Borden? In the process of maintaining the necessary illusion, he risks the sanity of those nearest him. The film doesn't give us any clue as to how Borden/Fallon dealt with Sarah's death and in this, it manipulates our perceptions just as much as the magicians do with their audiences. On the other hand, Angier's tragedies are there for us to see & gloss over. You are effectively hoodwinked into sympathising with one character over the other through selective telling of the story. It's only at the end with Borden collecting his daughter from Cutter that you realise that Nolan has been just as poker-faced with reality as his two leads. How are we supposed to sympathise with a character who sacrificed his wife in order to preserve the "trick"? How can we be satisfied with a film that ends with the death of the guy we had been rooting for and the "bad guy" stomping all over him?
I can't and I suspect that's the point of the film. We're meant to be uneasy with the resolution and consider it. It's in the consideration that we pick up the finer details but still reach the same conclusion.

The Prestige is a superb film to watch once and digest but later you should watch it again and see do you reach the same conclusions as you did first time and question where the moral weight lies. You probably will stick with your original conclusions but how many films make you think like that nowadays. Enjoy & treasure this gem!

Beaks: And now the obligatory question: can you conceive of any way in which you might be back in--
Aaron Eckhart: (Laughs) No.
Beaks: Not a chance?
Eckhart: No. I'm dead. I couldn't even get the words out of my mouth. "Hey, Chris, am I--?" "No. You're dead. You're dead."
Beaks: Because there has been a discussion amongst some fans about how he's never seen in the coffin.
Eckhart: Well, it'd be easier than anything to bring him back, but... it's like Chris said on the tour. He wasn't thinking about the next movie when he made [THE DARK KNIGHT]. All the vegetables were in this stew. I think that this franchise has shown that it doesn't have to bring back characters. I mean, there's still Catwoman. I've heard Angelina Jolie really wants to do Catwoman; I think that's a fantastic idea. I'll be a happy audience member this time.  And what's gone on with Heath and everything... I think Heath was the one that was going to come back. And since he can't... (Pauses) You know, Chris hasn't said that he's going to make another one.
Beaks: True. He's been on vacation. I spoke to David Goyer at Comic Con, and he said there have been no discussions.
Eckhart: (Smiling) He never said he's going to make another one. I'm sure they drove the Brinks truck up to his house and dumped money on his lawn. But I think Chris wants to go out and make other movies, too. And he should. He's an independent filmmaker at heart. He's got a lot of ideas.
Beaks: He's also got THE PRISONER somewhere in development. Maybe there would be something for you in that?
Eckhart: Give him a call. I mean, I'd love to work with Chris again. But he and Christian [Bale] have such a great thing going.

So there you have it.  Unless......Liam Neeson makes a return as Ra's Al Ghul and hurls Two-Face into the Lazarus Pit!  Two-Face has resurrected!  Mwahahaha!  Nah, Two-Face is dead.  Put a nail on that coffin.  This sucks :(

Letzte Woche Donnerstag, war ich im Kino und hab mir "The Dark Knight"  und muss sagen der Film hat mir extrem gut gefallen. Heath Ledger ´hat den Joker nicht gespielt, sonden gelebt. Er stellt das pure Wahnsinnige und Böse so gut da, das ich echt Angst vor ihm hatte. Der Film ist trotz der Überlänge (152 Minuten) nie Langweilig.  Die Story ist für eine Comicverfilmmung echt gut. Das einzige was ich mir noch gewünscht hätte, wären mehr Szenen mit dem Joker. Viel mehr möchte ich auch gar nicht schreiben.

eine ganz eindeutige 10/10

Sad news: Preacher, the funny, dark, violent comic book from Garth Ennis will now not be coming to HBO.

The project had been in development with Mark Steven Johnson for a while now, and according to him was close to happening before new management stepped in.

Says he: "the new head of HBO felt it was just too dark and too violent and too controversial. Which, of course, is kind of the point!"

I'm a bit worried. Preacher is admittedly extremely violent, far more so than The Sopranos ever was, so maybe this was inevitable.

Still though - HBO have been so successful in the past because they do take risks. This article from a few months back charts what a pessimist might call HBO's recent decline. It's also safe to say that if HBO aren't going to make Preacher, nobody else is. (That's in television - Johnson mentions that someone might be making a movie.)

Looking at the bigger picture, it would be great to see a network finally put on a quality show based on a comic book - even a superhero. HBO would be the perfect home for something like this.

Imagine a 13 episode Batman series with the tone of The Dark Knight (if not the budget, or the Oscar-winning cast.) It's amazing that Chris Nolan made it happen in the midst of the Hollywood machine, but HBO could simply have done it, and the geek parade (myself included) would have followed faithfully.

The ongoing nature and sprawling mythologies of comic books have never been well served by films, even Nolan's two wonderful efforts. There just isn't enough screen time. It's about time someone gave it a shot, but if that someone isn't HBO, I don't know who it could be.

P.S. Read Preacher anyway. Start with Gone To Texas. Warning: not for those with weak stomachs.

And Warners and Legendary are both interested in doing a third in the series, but all involved say it will be up to Nolan to come to them with a story and a plan.

"There are a lot of us who emotionally would love to do it," Roven says. "But it's really Chris' call. Chris is the kind of filmmaker who just doesn't think about the next movie before he has completely finished the movie he is working on."

For now, Nolan is taking a well-earned vacation.

Says Roven, "When he comes back, we will see how he feels."

So Mr. Nolan, I humbly ask you, please don't pull another "Prestige" on us. I'd really prefer not to be married already, cleaning up mine and my own kid's saliva while staring up at a movie screen in total bliss at "Batman 3" for the fifteenth time. Let's see one more! We will build golden altars across the world and offer animal sacrifices to the temple of Nolanism that will explode onto the world when they see a blinding light that makes the glorious luminescence that was "The Dark Knight" seem like pitch black.

PS To all gullible fans out there, if you want Cher to play Catwoman, Nolan will not hesitate to cast Cher as Catwoman as punishment for your ravenous curiosity and utter lack of patience.  What can I say?  Curiosity will kill the cat.  Mwahahaha!

Après avoir exploré les origines de Batman, Christopher Nolan offre une version explosive de la rencontre entre le super-héros et son plus redoutable ennemi, le Joker. Film dantesque, par sa durée, son budget, mais aussi par son ambition et les performances de ses acteurs, nous nous sommes plongés dans ce second opus avec excitation.

SYNOPSIS : Dans The Dark Knight, Le Chevalier Noir, Batman aborde une phase décisive de sa guerre au crime. Avec l’aide du lieutenant de police Jim Gordon et du Procureur Harvey Dent, Batman entreprend de démanteler les dernières organisations criminelles qui infestent les rues de sa ville. L’association s’avère efficace, mais le trio se heurte bientôt à un nouveau génie du crime qui répand la terreur et le chaos dans Gotham : le Joker...

La géniale performance de Heath Ledger, alias le Joker, contribue fortement au succès de ce film dont le scénario reste ultra compliqué. Terroriste sans aucune tendresse pour le genre humain, il prendra l'avantage sur les autres malfaiteurs grâce à son mépris pour toutes les valeurs. Son interprétation est magistrale, complètement habité par son personnage, méconnaissable, il ne joue pas, il EST ce psychopathe cruel et machiavélique.

L'ambiance sombre et peu reluisante d'une Amérique paranoïaque en ces temps de guerre est sublimée par l'univers esthétique bleu sombre de la pellicule. Elle magnifie également les remarquables scènes de combats et de courses poursuites, mémorables et parfaitement maîtrisées. Une petite déception cependant pour la Batmobile et surtout pour la voix inhumaine de Batman lorsqu'il endosse son armure de justicier : elle manque de chaleur, de conviction et ressemble plus à celle d'un robot ou d'un mort-vivant.

Malgré sa longueur et son scénario complexe à multiples catastrophes, le film reste spectaculaire avec une mention toute spéciale pour le regretté Heath Ledger.

http://www.allocine.fr/film/fichefilm_gen_cfilm=115362.html

http://thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/

http://www.whysoserious.com/

     basically, the movie is of the action genre. it can best be described as the joker playing grand theft auto in real life. starting out, 

DC and WB are scratching their heads pondering real hard where to go from where they are to be where Marvel is. Their idea clearly is to set multiple platforms and capitalize with one big team up movie(s). However, DC is faced with more decisions and obstacles than Marvel. One of them being how to present the characters to an audience of today without looking unrealistically out of place with its contemporaries.

That is a big problem. The characters and their nature are stuck in a different time. DC comics has not grown with the times. The comments watchmen director Zach Snyder has made are true. The audience is more sophisticated these days and you CANNOT sell them something that is too earnest or unrealistic because they simply wont buy into it. That is if, of course, getting the general public(i.e. people who are not fans of the character) to even consider checking out your movie is what you are looking for. Unfortunately that is what most of the DC catalogue is sitting at: Filling an archetype. People wearing colorful spandex with capes and masks and with outdated themes. It may have worked for Linda Carter in the 70s but it would just look straight up ridiculous in a modern movie. The common audience wont take it seriously and it is that realism and reflection of the times that DC lacks in most of its core characters and has to modify to have a successful run in Hollywood.

Comic books are a part of popular culture which reflects itself in this form, and its themes and characters have evolved with the times for people to identify with them. Golden Age stuff has historical significance and importance but compared to what it is now it just doesn't fit. DC has not updated their characters with the times and now were having a huge problem with Superman and its difficulty to have the audience relate to the current incarnation/presentation of the character. Superman returns was basically a repeat of a 1979 CLASSIC, and this day it didn't go over too well even with the core FANS because its been done and ,well, it was just silly. People simply didn't care and take the use of this presentation of the character as one of the weak points of the latest superman movie that's left a bad taste on movie goers. Note how trying to do the same thing again to please and not alienate the fans ended up upsetting the fans, losing out on repeat viewings and interest of the general public, and not meeting expectations in the box office. Established movie franchises like James Bond have had to adapt with the times to keep filling the seats, and clearly it is working for them. Pierce Brosnan shooting from his invisible car holding a martini was not going to work forever and had to upgrade. That is what has to be done, of course, if setting up multimillion dollar franchises is what WB is down with.

A movie is not made for audiences in the past 70 years. Its made for an audience of TODAY. The reason the Dark knight was successful was because the character was presented in a modern setting with modern themes and situations in a manner that was realistic enough for the audience to suspend their disbelief and take interest all while still maintaining the essence of the character. There was a reason for Batman to wear a riot gear armor and not spandex with underoos. It was necessary for you to see that it made sense. Of course there are characters like Batman and maybe even superman that must maintain their cape and cowl, but the presentation of most the characters has to be modified and upgraded for these times and someone as imersed in this like Mark Millar will tell you the same. It is possible that the new wave of movies does this for the comics instead of the other way around but certainly DC has to catch up with the times.

I understand fans wishes to respect the history of the character, and certainly the essense of the character has to remain, but if you want to make money and keep people interested you cannot deliver a character that is out of setting with how sofisticated and non-naive the audience is. Not if you want to cash in big at the BO. When people are faced with something too surreal or not well done they wont enjoy the movie but will spend their time critizicing or making sense of it in their minds instead of watching it. The movie of course has to be fun, and has to be well written, etc, but if DC wants to pull this off succesfully in the same way marvel is doing it the characters have to be treated with a sense of common sensibility and realism that the characters currently do not have. Not to mention it has to be done in the same degree so that they can all be in the crossover movie.

A Joker we can relate too.

I don’t know what Heath Ledger tapped into for the Joker but he got it right.  The deeply psychotic villain played the perfect ID to Batman’s EGO.  The terrifying thing about Ledger’s portrayal was that it was believable:  a villain committing crimes not with powers or weapons but by the mere ingenuity of his imagination.  This conflict between the intellect and emotions is something that most people can relate to on a variety levels.  This makes it’s a great draw for those not necessarily familiar with the comic books genre.  Along with this the ‘Joker’ has become a brand unto himself.

Two-Faced viral marketing
While the Joker was a known quantity and for moviegoers and comic book fans the other villain wasn’t.  Nolan kept the Two-Face character hush, hush for most of the media campaign.  This was brilliant as it kept fans speculating on who the other villain would be which in turn generated buzz.  Even more intriguing was that all the initial depictions looked radically different.  The result: even though we knew the villain we were curious to see the “real” merchandise.   Not unlike wrapping graphic novels in cellophane we couldn’t find out what Two-Face was all about until we went inside.

The End.
While I don’t believe the death of Heath Ledger was a major draw to the movie I can’t argue that it didn’t have an impact.  Not technically part of the rebranding process the Dark Knight Returns will always retain the Heath Ledger name as part of it’s legacy.  This fusion of actor, brand and tragedy not unlike the character of Batman will live in the minds of moviegoers for ages to come.

How do we know the that rebranding Batman worked?

The true proof that Nolan’s rebranding worked is not only did the Dark Knight Return it returned to stay.

There's no need for me to say how eagerly I was awaiting this film. All the hype and superb critics and box-office records were almost too much for me to take in, so I was thinking to myself that maybe people were getting head over heels, that surely this film couldn't be better than Batman Begins (a film my sister and I absolutely revere), that Chris Nolan was a genius but he couldn't have made a film that good.

But he did and I find myself almost speechless --I'd use a cheesy formula such as, "this is the best superhero film ever made", "go and see it for yourself because there's no other way to describe it" (both are true in my opinion), but I would also like to expand those statements a little bit.

The Dark Knight starts pretty much where Begins left off --Batman is still fighting villains in Gotham City, and there's a new criminal in town: the Joker. The premise seems rather simple and straightforward, but as always with the Nolans (brother Jonathan co-wrote the screenplay), it's anything but.
While Begins was an origin story -and Bruce's personal struggle to come to terms with his past- this film sees the canvas getting a little bit wider: questionable morals and motives, corrupted system and individuals thrown in together to make it work. It's not just Batman's story, but also the Joker's, Harvey Dent's and Lt. Gordon's. Dealing with the complexity of that many characters, within the framework of plotlines that are believable (for such is the way Nolan chose to depict this universe), was just impossible to pull off, and yet, yet... It's just incredible that the Nolans were able to provide so many thrills and tell a story that makes sense while navigating through their characters' minds.
Rarely has a summer blockbuster been so rich with character and dialog, the latter being -shock!- given its proper place. It's simple yet true: the dialog is just superbly written, and that's what makes it work. They have truly made justice to the comic-book they were adapting, and more. It's almost as if they took the literary concept of characters -heroes, villains, and those in between- and put them onscreen for the viewer to explore their depths. It's utterly fascinating, especially when amidst them all, there is the Joker. He's just phenomenal, a sociopath of the likes you haven't seen before. No rules, no limits. And how do you play a game without rules? How do you deal with unprecented chaos?
Speaking of unprecedented, Heath Ledger's performance is just impressive. Period. His passing away doesn't change the fact that he is the core of this film, and that his performance is mind-blowing (it's not even scene-stealing anymore, it's something else entirely). And because the screenplay is so well-written, each character gets a fair treatment; and thus Harvey Den't story isn't negligcted or rushed, and neither are Bruce Wayne's or Lt Gordon's: it's all following the natural course of the plot.
Now, Harvey Dent... Two-Face's appearance is just horrendous. I was utterly repulsed by it and couldn't even look at the screen. Props to the conceptual artists that came up with the look. That being said, his story is one of an epic downfall, from being the White Knight of Gotham City to being manipulated and twisted into madness (curtesy of yours truly the Joker). It's a fascinating journey to watch as well (and this is now the second time I've used that word, but the film truly is fascinating!). It's all the more interesting because he is closely related to our Caped Crusader -with Bruce through Rachel, with Batman through his willingness to do what's right and rid Gotham of all its criminals.
The latter might have had the spotlight snatched away from him, but he's still the beating heart of the franchise. Batman is as tortured as before, but he's not conflicted -not anymore; especially when the threat of the Joker is looming all around Gotham. Chris Bale does an incredible job at making us believe in and empathise with Batman; once again, he proves how outstanding he is, no matter how reduced his role may have been. And then, there's the loyal Lieutenant Gordon, the "outsider" I daresay, to all this story of epic grandeur -your average cop who's trying to do the best with what he has (this is actually said in the film, and it's just so appropriate). I love that this character is genuine and reliable, just as Alfred and Lucius Fox are. With such a dark-themed, heavily dramatic story, the comfortable presence of those characters is essential. So is a love interest; but Rachel this time around is a little bit more than that, as she also plays a pivotal role in Harvey Dent's fate. Which is a welcomed improvement from the first film, and which also explains why she is played by a very good Maggie Gyllenhaal (as opposed to Katie Holmes).

I realise that I am now dragging this review to no end, but I'd like to add a few comments on the directing and technical achievements. The distinctive Nolan touch is still there -that atmosphere, the attention to details- but because (as I said earlier) the picture is bigger, so are the visuals, and there's no time to slow down the pace. Not to say that Chris Nolan has lost his subtlety (of course not) but he has to comply with the storyline; and the story is no longer driven by a personal quest, as it was in Batman Begins, but by the utter destruction brought about by the Joker. Hence he is playing on a totally different ground, and on different terms. The work of his longtime collaborators is as excellent as it has always been: Wally Pfister (cinematography), Lee Smith (editing), Nathan Crowley (production design); once again enhancing Nolan's vision to provide us with that special feel and look that they all established together in the first film. I do hope they will get some sort of award recognition this time, because they also are the ones bringing Gotham to life. Heavyweights Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are back on scoring duties, and just as it did in Begins, their collaboration works well in the second one.

I think I've covered it all then. I know it's no good to write about the film when I've just come out of it, but I can't help thinking that the Dark Knight is by far a very superior film to all the recent comicbook adaptations, even the Spider-Man ones (gasp! and yes I loved it better than Superman Returns which is as you all know a cult favourite of mine). It's intense, intelligent and a little bit challenging -everything you can hope for, and more. Batman Begins was indeed the beginning; with the Dark Knight, Chris Nolan surpasses himself in every respect -and with the help of the Joker's presence (but by no means entirely thanks to him), provides us with entertainment and smarts of the highest quality.

Edit: I've just watched Batman Begins again, and while I recognise how incredibly good the Dark Knight is, there's no question that this first film is still excellent. Very different themes though. It's almost as if Chris wanted to venture a little bit more on themes such as insanity and morality in the Dark Knight, and did so, because they're not very present in Begins, which has more to do with Bruce Wayne's backstory, his parents' legacy etc. The Joker gave him the perfect opportunity to question Batman's actions: Gordon speaks of "escalation" at the end of Batman Begins, foreshadowing the criminal mob's reaction to Batman's existence -and it's only because of Batman that the Joker exists. And it also gave Nolan free reign on action sequences (since the Joker knows no limits), so that he could go further than he did in the first film. It's absolutely brillant and appropriate to have introduced the Joker now in this second chapter. Damn they're good. It all makes perfect sense.

Uhh...so they have a choice on the 2-disc between a metal DVD box and a bad-frickin'-ass bat-pod miniature? Let's hope that baby's released in the US, especially with the blu-ray release.

But why does the Dark Knight still have pull with the movie going public? Not too far in the past "Batman" was relegated to the campy movie graveyard for all eternity. Now even Marvel's movie blockbusters this year (Hulk and Iron Man )have taken a back seat.

"The Dark Knight" has taken in $155.34 million to top "Spider-Man 3" for best opening weekend ever at the box office," according to CNN. If those four words "best opening weekend ever," doesn't say something dramatically changed then nothing will.

So what was is the secret to the Dark Knight's success?

Answer: DC Comics rebranded their most important movie franchise.  Whats is rebranding?  Simply put : it is the process by which a product or service developed with one brand is marketed or distributed with a different identity.

Nolan and Gotham: the right fit.

To begin with DC brought in a ringer: Chris Nolan. As a director, Nolan, is a master of edgy films and is credited for reinventing the genre of psychological thrillers. His repertoire includes movies such as Memento, Following and Insomnia.

The connection between Nolan and Batman was crucial. Many of the characters in Dark Knight Returns are taken from Noir archetypes. The Joker was a re-working of the 1921 classic "The Man Who Laughed" starring Franz Höbling. Theses noir characters are themselves the embodiment of the 'psychological' and 'edgy.'  Nolan not only knew the genre (or the product) he helped define it. This is exactly what DC needed: someone who knew the product and had the right "fit".

The Stars at Knight.
The trick to rebranding is getting the target audience to notice and care. We call this the 'WOW' factor. This is the cool, catchy and awe-inspiring that makes people take notice.

Nolan used the oldest trick in the book to WOW the moviegoers: celebrity endorsement. He created an all-star cast: Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Heath Ledger, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman and Maggie Gyllenhaal.

This technique has two key advantages: 1) Each actor is an accomplished professional and their names lend credibility to the film (and the brand.) 2) The collective filmography of each actor resonates with a diverse group of audiences. The result: the brand infiltrates a large number of different markets increasing the chances of success.

to be continued ....

UPDATE: According to recent news, the release date has been pushed back until December 9, 2008 for both the Blu Ray and DVD version. We will bring post more information as it's released.

Reports are already coming in on the blu-ray release of "The Dark Knight" from director, Chris Nolan and producers, Charles Roven and Emma Thomas.  Here's what Nolan had to say:

The blu-ray, in particular, will be able to actually use the shifted aspect ratios as it appears on the IMAX screen because the 16:9 aspect ratio is sufficiently different from the 2:4 that you'll actually see a shift on the Blu-ray. The resolution on the Blu-ray is clear enough that you can actually see difference in grain structure and sharpness. So I think it will be quite spectacular.

Emma Thomas has stated that it is unlikely there will be alternate takes of Heath Ledger as the Joker, although it's been noted that he did improvise parts of his dialogue.  Regarding deleted scenes, Charles Roven has stated the following:

We know there won't be any deleted scenes because there never are.  There weren't any on Batman Begins and there weren't any on this one.

"The Dark Knight" may also be the first blu-ray release to utilize the new BD-Live feature.  This will allow viewers to watch the film simultaneously, while allowing for them to chat during and after the film.  Another possible feature would be library access, although further details are yet to be revealed on this.

"The Dark Knight" is slated for a November 18th US release date on DVD and blu-ray.

Interestingly enough, pictures of the Hungarian DVD release for November 25th have shown up online...wow.