In Contention

Tag: Batman

  • ‘Dark Knight’ dude?

    Okay, every time this Wendy’s “3conomics” commercial runs, I get distracted for a minute because I SWEAR the guy on the left is the lunatic Harvey Dent abducts after the mayor’s funeral service in “The Dark Knight.”  You know, “His name is Shiff.  Thomas.  A paranoid schizophrenic admitted to Arkham. The kind of mind The Joker attracts.”  That guy.  Am I crazy?

  • Is ‘Dark Knight’ an original screenplay?

    Or is this Bob Verini article in the latest issue of Script Magazine just desperately in need of a fact checker?  Normally I wouldn’t bring it up, but crazy stuff like this happens all the time.  Clearly, it’s a case of “based on characters created by,” etc.  But there tends to be a lot of discussion on how much material was original to the piece, and I think it’s fair to say that, while a number of the situations in the film recall installments such as “The Long Halloween” and even “Batman” #1, the Nolan brothers did a great job of manifesting circumstances for their narrative.

    I’ve made some calls, haven’t heard back yet.  My guess is it’s a mistake.  But while we’re talking about it, I can’t help but think Eric Roth’s “The Curious Case of Benjamin BUtton” is so much more an original screenplay than a piece adapted from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s story.  I’ve been wondering what might happen with that at the WGA all year long.

    Anyway, I’m somewhat out of pocket today and tomorrow.  Guy should be popping back in from vacation to keep the train rolling before long.  If I don’t make it back here beforehand, everyone have a happy and safe new year.

  • A couple of Bat bites for the geeks

    (from left) Heath Ledger and Ritchie Coster in The Dark KnightPerusing Bill Ramey’s Batman-on-Film website today (a must-read for any Bat-fan), I cam across two interesting nuggets regarding Christopher Nolan’s franchise.

    The first was actually a link to this Backstage piece from Halley Bondy, kind of a question and answer session with “The Dark Knight” producer (and Nolan’s wife) Emma Thomas strictly focused on Heath Ledger.  Here’s a bit about buzz of a posthumous Oscar for the actor:

    It would definitely be a triumph for us if Heath wins an Oscar. Obviously things have changed in that he’s not here, but nothing has changed in that we hope he’s going to be recognized for his work. I think Heath really enjoyed what he did on the film, so I don’t think awards are that big of a deal for him. Knowing that he was doing something great was, I think, enough. We certainly told him how great he was, so I hope he knew it.

    The second item was an original piece of reporting from a Batman-on-Film reader regarding the five deaths connected to Harvey Dent at the end of “The Dark Knight,” something I, frankly, have never thought about before.  From a recent screening and Q&A session:

    Big fan of the site. Just to give you some feedback on the event, I..asked…‘Towards the end of the film, Com. Gordon mentions covering up 5 deaths in relation to Harvey Dent. Who are these 5 people, including the 2 cops?’ Mr. Nolan’s response was ‘I will answer this question. Just not today.’ Which I must admit was amusing and frustrating at the same time.”

    Hmmm…

  • Campaigning posthumously for Oscar…where’s the beef?

    Heath Ledger in The Dark KnightI read this Rachel Abramowitz story concerning the pitfalls of campaigning for a posthumous Oscar nomination on behalf of Heath Ledger twice.  Packed with anonymous sources (until 42 West’s Cynthia Swartz pops up at the end with some insight on hawking Massimo Troisi 13 years ago), it really is a brick-wall story.  Nothing gleaned, nothing of substance conveyed.

    Dare I say it, I would have killed it.  Not because of the subject, and Abramowitz does what she can at the whims of her sources, but because it doesn’t carry the weight it might have if certain parties had taken their heads out of the sand.

    At this point, I think it’s a bit ridiculous for Warner brass and campaigners to stay off the record for this stuff.  It’s understandable in certain cases and I get it, you don’t want to come across as taking advantage of Ledger’s death.  But other than idiot Terry Gilliam, I don’t think anyone really thinks that is happening or has happened.  It’s been a classy ride, and as Abramowitz notes, the studio “was deft in its initial marketing push for ‘The Dark Knight,’ for the campaign neither hid Ledger’s presence nor overly hyped it.”

    This could have been an insightful story with names in the mix, giving a real face to the realities of attempting to ensure a sort of prosperity for Ledger’s work through campaigning it for awards.  The most interesting point comes at the end of the article, when Abramowitz is forced to quote from the paper’s geek blog Hero Complex (from a Geoff Boucher interview with Christopher Nolan).  But otherwise, it’s just a lot of hot air and it really gets under my skin.

    The true infuriating quote, however, has to be this doosey from some moronic competitor (who we can only hope represents either a marginal Hollywood opinion or, at the very least, is indicative of nothing more than behind-the-scenes smearing that takes hold this time of year):

    “Until we wake up one day and we no longer are making any good movies — dramas — then the academy will not go this route, unless it’s outrageously different . . . . This picture is not so different from the first one. It’s still the Batman story. He wears a hat with ears, a cape that can fly.”

    I’ve been repressing my inner Bat-geek for some time this year, trying to keep an even keel, combatting the hyperbole when I can.  Because let’s face it, praise for “The Dark Knight” got out of hand this year.  But more and more, as I read stuff like this, as I talk to publicists whose antagonistic banter you can see through like crystal — oh yeah, believe me, there are people trying to take this thing down because it rightfully scares them — more and more I’m finding it necessary to beat the drum.

  • Grassroots ‘Dark Knight’ campaign

    Heath Ledger in The Dark KnightOne of the true joys for me this season has been watching Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” take on so much relevance and achieve such a higher state of purpose than a piece of entertainment.  Leaving awards aside for the moment, to see this character I’ve loved for so many years finally reach a sort of pinnacle, it is both beautiful and a bit of testimony, testimony to the potential a “throw-away” genre such as this holds, potential recognized in the geek culture for decades, making its way to the surface of traditional media through dedicated and restless souls in recent times…finally.

    This grassroots campaign for the film gets all of that and more.  The site, DarkCampaign.com, sports a sleek design that invites the casual Internet reader to dive back in and remember that this is still one of the most powerful films of the year.  The site features a five-minute video (embedded below), splashing many of the critical huzzahs across the canvas of the film.  These guys must have gotten hold of a guild screener or something because there are a lot of scenes utilized that you certainly never saw on a trailer.

    This is all the more interesting to me right now given that as of this afternoon, I have buckled and placed “The Dark Knight” into my predicted five Best Picture nominees.  With films falling out left and right, this one is still standing and still resonates.  Maybe I was wrong.  Oscar column still to come.

    Their mission statement, in part:

    Films like this only come along once in a lifetime…And yet it has an uphill battle ahead of it for Academy Awards nomination chances.  But why?  Well because Academy voters love tradition.  All 78 years of it. Tradition says that movies based on comic book characters do not get nominated for awards.  Summer Blockbusters?  Not likely. Sequels?  Definitely not.  So what this campaign aims to do is help turn the tide on those long odds…get out there and spread the word and don’t let a chance at making history for The Dark Knight pass by.

    And the video:

  • 11/18 Oscarweb Round-up

    Coraline• Jeffrey Wells responds to the documentary short list. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Dave Karger and Missy Schwartz go back and forth on the Oscar prospects of “Slumdog Millionaire.” [Entertainment Weekly]

    • T.L. Stanley catches up with a report from the “Revolutionary Road” screening this weekend. [Gold Rush]

    • Peter Bart whines about a lack of Oscar ads…again.  And insultingly draws the conclusion that studios are hanging talent out to dry.  Again. [Variety]

    • Patrick Goldstein chastises Bart for the whining (fair enough), but in calling for a moratorium on ad buys, fails to understand that their existence might have something to do with the fact that he hasn’t had to accept a buy-out yet.  Just sayin’. [The Big Picture]

    • Reporting with the Dudes from the “Big Lebowski” festival. [The Guardian]

    • Kathy Marks reports from the ground at the “Australia” premiere in Sydney. [The Independent]

    • Alonso Duralde runs down 10 competitors for Best Picture. [MSNBC]

    • Mickey Mouse turns 80. [CNN]

    • David Frank comes up with 10 reasons not to make a third “Batman” film.  Kris Tapley hunts David Frank down with a pair of garden sheers. [Rope of Silicon]

    • Helen Mirren talks about the joys of being in her birthday suit. [The Times]

    • Susan Wloszczyna talks to Henry Selick about the upcoming “Coraline.” [USA Today]

    • Praising the film for the most part, Glenn Kenny hopes “Revolutionary Road” can find an audience. [Some Came Running]

  • News item of the day: Batman sues Christopher Nolan

    ISTANBUL – The mayor of Batman, a city recently under scrutiny due to unsolved murders and increasing rates of female suicides, will sue the director of the movie “Batman” movie.

    Not a superhero with supernatural abilities, or a person wealthy enough to buy high-tech toys to fight evil, but a simple human being named Hüseyin Kalkan, the pro-Kurdish Democratic Society Party mayor of the southeastern city of Batman, declared war against his city’s namesake superhero, Batman.

    “The royalty of the name ‘Batman’ belongs to us … There is only one Batman in the world. The American producers used the name of our city without informing us,” Kalkan told to the Doğan news agency. Batman is a centuries old city, taking root in the Neolithic age but becoming significant when oil was found in the region at the end of 1940s. Almost a decade before that, Batman was created as a comic hero. Kalkan is going to sue Christopher Nolan, the director of the latest Batman movie “The Dark Night,” not DC Comics, the creator of the superhero.

    No commentary is really needed.  Check out the rest here.

  • Memo to Christopher Nolan: Come back!

    The Dark KnightBy now you’ve probably read Geoff Boucher’s substantial interview with Christopher Nolan at the Los Angeles Times. As Kris mentioned, it’s strategically placed to launch “The Dark Knight” into the awards season. And Nolan has, in my view, a very strong claim for a Best Director nomination. Whether or not he receives it has more to do, realistically, with Ron Howard, Sam Mendes, Danny Boyle, Gus Van Sant, Steven Soderberg, Clint Eastwood, David Fincher, Baz Luhrmann and a slew of other directors waiting for their films to arrive.

    There will be plenty of time for Oscar jockeying and opinion slinging, something we all do well here at In Contention. But I write this piece not to lobby for Mr. Nolan, but to plead with him. As “The Dark Knight” nears the $1 billion worldwide mark, it’s become apparent — if not obvious — that Warner Bros. will be looking towards a third installment. How could they not? The question on their mind –- and mine -– is whether Mr. Nolan will return to direct.

    In his interview with Mr. Boucher, Nolan said that he was still considering it, and that he appreciated the studio’s patience in allowing him time to recover from the monumental undertaking of “The Dark Knight.”. But Mr. Nolan also notes something curious. His ambivalence towards making a third Batman film appears to be that there aren’t any good part threes. If you take a trip through cinema history, you’ll see that he’s right, mostly.

    You can start with the Batman franchise. “Batman Forever,” while not nearly as awful its dreadful follow-up, “Batman and Robin,” still stunk, painfully. Everyone who enjoys cinema, of any sort really, has labored through “The Godfather Part III.” Meanwhile, “Back to the Future Part III” was hokey, “The Matrix Revolutions” was incoherent and “Spider-Man 3,” clearly, never should have been made.

    “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” contained none of the mastery or coolness of “El Mariachi,” or even “Desperado.” And then there’s “Superman III,” “Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith,” “Rocky III,” “Blade: Trinity” and “Terminator III: Rise of the Machines.” Gross.

    (more…)

  • Nolan talks Ledger and Oscar

    Heath Ledger in The Dark KnightI’ve held off on linking to Geoff Boucher’s three-part interview with “The Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan at Hero Complex for two reasons.  First of all, it just seemed wiser to wait until it had run its course in full.  But mainly, I was waiting on the inevitable Oscar query.

    Obviously, as Anne Thompson noted in a recent item, an interview like this is strategically placed to launch what hopes to be a successful Oscar campaign for the film.  Yes, the news peg of the Scream Awards was significant, but this kind of a deep one-on-one with a filmmaker of Nolan’s caliber serves a specific, immediate purpose: get “The Dark Knight” back on the radar in a deep, tangible way before Oscar advertising kicks in by the middle of November.

    In today’s third and final entry, Boucher finally gets to the issue of awards, specifically the potential for Heath Ledger’s instantly iconic portrayal to land a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.  In response, Nolan had this to say:

    I think the thing that has always been important to me in light of Heath’s death is the responsibility I’ve felt to his work. The responsibility of crafting the film in such a way that his performance came across the way he intended. Clearly, that has been the case. That’s one of the reasons I take such pride in the film.

    I felt a great wave of relief, really, as people first started to see the performance and it was clear that they were getting the performance. It’s easy to forget with everything that’s happened what an enormous challenge it was for Heath to take on this iconic role. He rose to that challenge so admirably that any expression of people being excited or moved by his performance is a wonderful thing. Whatever form that takes. People coming to see his performance and getting it. It’s been extremely satisfying for all of us already. Anything that adds to that would be wonderful.

    Do yourself a huge favor and read this series: Part One, Part Two and Part Three.  Whether you’re a Bat geek, a recent convert or simply an admirer of Nolan’s work, there is something for everyone.  A fine interview and, as I’ve noted before, a fine outlet for geekdom in Traditional Media.

  • Ledger to go supporting, WB says

    Heath Ledger is “100% supporting,” according to Entertainment Weekly’s Dave Karger.  It seems Karger did what I was too lazy to do this week: call the studio and get the goods.  I figured we’d just wait until an FYC site popped up, but for now, it seems to be settled.

    The “Dark Knight” star has been batted around as a lead actor contender by pundits, including yours truly, but even with the news that “The Soloist” and (possibly) “The Road” have vacated the 2008 season — leaving two fresh holes in the lead actor gerby — Warner Bros. is going to be campaigning Ledger as a supporting actor.

    Wise move.  And truthful to both the performance and the material.

  • ‘Batman Unmasked’ on The History Channel

    Christian Bale in The Dark KnightThis is exactly the kind of thing “The Dark Knight” needs to tap into a genuine conversation about the film’s — and Batman’s — relevance in the zeitgeist.  I’ve been watching The History Channel’s “Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight” this afternoon, and for a Bat-nut like me, it’s the ultimate geek-out opportunity.

    The entire 60-minute program is available over at YouTube.  It’s aired on television twice today and I don’t know when it will run again, but it’s all kinds of fascinating.  It takes a look at the character’s progression from 70-year-old roots through expansion on the psychological nature of the character in the 1980s and how that history is commented upon in Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight.”

    The most intriguing part for me comes around the 08:15 mark of the clip below.  I didn’t know this, but apparently much of Nolan’s vision for Bruce Wayne stemmed from a comparison to Theodore Roosevelt.  Check it out:

    There are, of course, interviews with filmmakers, actors and DC higher-ups, but there are plenty of doctors, professors and psychologists thrown in for good measure.  Talk about a treat.  I just wish more footage from “The Dark Knight” was used in the program, though they do get around to discussing the Joker in great detail amid a summation of the Bat’s rogues gallery of villainy.

    Anyway, I’d love to see more stuff like this hit the tube.  Or more features digging for this kind of thing in print rather than soliciting general soundbytes about Ledger’s performance or the box office intake of the film.  “The Dark Knight” is an important movie event on many levels this year, and it goes pretty deep.

  • Hmm…another design contender?

    City of EmberTwo craft category posts in a row, but I just watched this “City of Ember” featurette and suddenly wondered if Martin Laing and former nominee Celia Bobak have a shot at a nomination from the art directors’ branch.

    There’s plenty of talk from producer Tom Hanks and star Bill Murray about the massive sets constructed.  I remember when I was out in Belfast over the summer, the recent rush of film production was a pretty big deal to the community.

    Laing, by the way, was a draugtsman on Tim Burton’s “Batman.”  His designs in “City of Ember” seem to be taking a definite cue from the work of Anton Furst.  He was also a part of the design team on “Titanic,” though he didn’t get to share in the film’s Oscar nomination despite inclusion in the guild win that year.

    Perennial favorite Ruth Myers is also in the mix, having designed the threads for the film.  Keep an eye out, that’s all I’m saying.

  • 9/18 Oscarweb Round-up

    Val Kilmer in Batman Forever• Nathaniel Rogers just can’t seem to get excited about “Appaloosa.” [The Film Experience]

    • Dave Karger, meanwhile, sits down with Ed Harris to talk about the film.  GREAT interview. [Entertainment Weekly]

    • With westerns on the mind, Kyle Rupprecht recounts the best modern entries in the genre. [Moviemaker Magazine]

    • Sasha Stone cherry-picks some of Nancy Kriparos’s wonderful Toronto coverage in case you missed the finer points. [Awards Daily]

    • Is Val Kilmer going to be the next Governor of New Mexico??  I just like how the piece constantly reminds you that he played Batman, both in the headline and through a quote from Bill Richardson.  [The Independent]

    • Sam Adams talks to “Duchess” star Ralph Fiennes. [Los Angeles Times]

    • Patrick Goldstein, meanwhile, talks to director Gary Fielder about how Jim Brown made “The Express” work. [The Big Picture]

    • Want a bleacher seat for the Oscar arrivals? [Oscars.org]

    • Scott Bowles gets Stacey Snider and our old pal Chad Hartigan on the record regarding the “Titanic” reunion set to unfold in “Revolutionary Road.” [USA Today]

    • Kevin Kelly gets a nce sit-down with “Hurt Locker” director Kathryn Bigelow. [Spout Blog]

  • Hardest…video game…ever.

    Not Oscar related at all (unless you drag Anton Furst into it), but I’ve been playing this again lately since I hooked up my old NES.  And Jesus — it’s damn near impossible.  Then I find a YouTube clip of some dude making it look easy.  Ass:

  • 9/17 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Josh Brolin and Noah Wyle in W.• One night only…ABC wants to bump the Oscars to March. [Variety]

    • David Poland finally reviews some Toronto films. [The Hot Button]

    • Breaking down a Wired cover story, starring Charlie Kaufman. [Wired]

    • Aaron Eckhart is four-square against the idea of recasting the Joker in Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise.  James Franco and Michael C. Hall can stop holding their breaths. [MTV]

    • More parsing of the “Burn After Reading” numbers.  Why isn’t it obvious?  Brad Pitt + George Clooney = $$$. [Risky Biz Blog]

    • Patrick Goldstein mines this month’s issue of Esquire for clues about Paul Thomas Anderson’s childhood. [The Big Picture]

    • Ten movies to watch when feeling the financial crunch. [Spout Blog]

    • From the rumor mill: Rome’s mayor wants to ban “W.” from showing at the city’s upcoming film festival?  Forced denial and all. [The Guardian]

  • Heath Ledger’s ‘Dark’ performance inches closer to infamy

    Heath Ledger painting to be displayed in Newcastle, UKSaying that Heath Ledger gave an astonishing performance in “The Dark Knight” is bordering on the cliche these days.  There is little doubt the late actor — whether he had tragically passed in January or not — offered the most memorable portrayal of the year.

    Then today I found this bit of news from across the pound, and the inevitable crystallizes further.  It seems an up-and-coming painter has rendered a large oil painting of the actor’s performance in one of the film’s most electrifying moments, a shot that is steadily becoming the role’s signature image:

    The four foot high oil painting is part of an exhibition of White’s new works, that opens on Friday at the Opus Art gallery in Newcastle.

    Explaining why he decided to paint it, Mr White, 36, said: “I was just putting the finishing touches to my show when I saw Batman.

    “I was totally and utterly blown away. I saw the movie and just came into the studio straight away. I just had to make this image, to the best performance I had ever seen. It was teetering on insanity.”

    I think that says it all.

    The painting will accompany the exhibit to London in October, and man…I wish I was still there to see it.

  • How ‘The Dark Knight’ beat ‘Titanic’…and scored big at the Oscars

    Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark KnightI’ve been beating a loud drum around these parts for some time.  Backed with inarguable examples set by the Academy in the past and the knowledge that Warner Bros. isn’t one of the Oscar-grubbing studios in this town, I’ve maintained that Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” would disappoint the hordes in January when it fails to nab the big nods so many are expecting in the wake of boffo box office and critical success.

    Just yesterday I had a conversation with a publicist involved in some manner.  “So, what do you think of a major Oscar push for ‘The Dark Knight,’” I asked.  “What do you think,” she responded playfully, not offering much to go on.

    Well, here is what Warner Bros. thinks about it, and a clear show of awards-hungry support is all I really needed to jump on board here.

    Does a calculated move like this guarantee placement in major categories for the film?  Absolutely not.  But it does prove that the studio — which certainly doesn’t need the extra revenue that awards success would bring — is willing to play ball in order to ensure more than simple monetary milestones.

    Speaking of which, re-releasing the film into IMAX theaters for an exclusive run in January — “See it again, for the first time!” — could provide the right boost to push the film into truly historic territory.  About 80 million more bucks and this film surpasses “Titanic” after a decade of domestic box office reign from the James Cameron power romance.

    Here is Carl DiOrio’s mouth-watering lede:

    Batman wants an Oscar.

    To be precise, Warner Bros. wants a statuette — or 10 — for “The Dark Knight.” So the studio plans to re-release its blockbuster Batman sequel in January, the height of Academy Awards voting season.

    “It’s just a matter of bringing it back as a reminder for people,” a studio insider explained.

    Read the rest at Reuters.  And more on the chart updates next week.

  • 9/9 Oscarweb Round-up

    (from left) Larry Charles and Bill Maher on the set of Religulous• Jeffrey Wells digs “Nothing But the Truth” (again), but wasn’t so much for the Toronto debut’s after party. [Hollywood Elsewhere]

    • Lou Lumenick, meanwhile, calls the film “silly” and “an endless mopefest.” [Lumenick on Film]

    • Nancy Kriparos catches up with a few more flicks in Toronto, including the awards sneaker “Dean Spanley.” [Awards Daily]

    • Peter Bart talks to Bill Maher about the comedians new documentary “Religulous.” [Peter Bart]

    • James Rocchi is on board for “The Wrestler,” calling it a reflection of “poisonous” American entertainment culture. [Cinematical]

    • Peter Sciretta also reviews the film… [/Film]

    • …after fumbling to produce an incoherent initial reaction IMMEDIATELY after seeing the film. [/Film]

    • Bob Tourtellotte reports a toned-down, hype-controlled festival. [Reuters]

    • Stephanie Zacharek gets some face time with Ed Harris. [Salon]

    • Presumably trying to beat Variety’s list of 10 to the punch, Karen Durbin picks five actors to watch (including the overreaching “Miracle at St. Anna” star Omar Benson Miller). [New York Times]

    • Anne Thompson hands MTV’s credit over to /Film for yesterday’s Depp/Hoffman/Batman “news.”  Nothing confirmed yet on that, of course. [Thompson on Hollywood]

    • And about that…Devin Faraci is holier than thou. [CHUD]