BATMAN DOES VOICEOVERS

About a week or so ago, I ranted about how "The Dark Knight" may not be the end-all, be-all of comic book movies. Damn great flick, but certainly flawed. I also vented about how stupidly ridiculous Christian Bale's Batvoice was. Apparently, I'm not the only one.

Check out this hilarious video.

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DID 'THE DARK KNIGHT' SUCK?

Well, I don't think so... But it might not be the End-All Be-All of superhero movies as most people think.

I posted an item yesterday about The Guardian calling "The Dark Knight" one of the most ridiculous plots of the year. I wanted to take another stab at the flick after writing the post and came to the (probably blasphemous) conclusion that there are indeed more-than-a-few flaws with the lauded superhero flick. Here's what I think:

* It's WAY too long. There I said it. It goes on for at least a half hour longer than it should have. Imagine how effective it would have been in those final scenes of Bats zipping along on his Batpod vigilante-style had it clocked in at a lean and mean 120 minutes.

* It was way too dense. Kudos to the Brothers Nolan and scribe David S. Goyer on their multi-layered approach to make Gotham as realistic, relevant and current as possible, but geez, if there was ever a flick to watch with the captions on, it's "The Dark Knight." Every bit of dialogue, character nuance and glance means scores to the plot. My copy didn't have subtitles and I'm afraid that I may have missed a few things (even after a couple times in).

* It simply wasn't fun. I'm very well aware that Batman is the brooding James Dean superhero in the DC Universe, but man, talk about your downers. Even without the stunning and Gothic art direction of the Tim Burton Batman films, "The Dark Knight" is one bleak piece of moviemaking. And yes, before everyone goes all nuts on me, I'm well aware that this is "The Empire Strikes Back" of comic book films. The Godfather Part II" if you will... 'Empire' ended on a downer and I'm all for a downtrodden ending but there was zero, zilch, zip fun in the entire film.

While the action scenes were deft, precise and explosive, there wasn't that element of razzle-dazzle fun. The only iota of fun came when the Caped Crusader is chasing the Joker on his Batpod and literally scales a wall and turns around at 90 mph in a second or two. THAT was fun. We needed more of that. And for those who tell me the film was an allegory for what's happening in the world today, please... Get over yourselves. I don't want a comic book movie to do that. Entertain me. I have the news for all else.

* Is Clint Eastwood in this film? For the love of all that's holy, why in the world did Christian Bale sneer, whisper and growl his way through his Batman scenes? Honestly, most of the time I couldn't understand what he was saying. My call? Hands down, I'd say that Michael Keaton put on the best Bat voice in terms of menace. Bale was doing God knows what. Let's all pray he drops it or at least takes it down a few notches. Totally dopey.

* Never thought I'd be saying this but take a cue from Marvel. The once film-fledgling Marvel is going to great lengths to instill a sense of continuity in their films. Example? It builds excitement when Sam Jackson shows up as Nick Fury in "Iron Man" or when Robert Downey, Jr. shows up as Tony Stark in "Hulk." It's geeky yet cool. Would it kill WB and DC to do a little more of that? It's awesome that Christopher Nolan is going to great lengths to incorporate a massive sense of realism but take it one step further and mention Metropolis... Throw in a Lois Lane appearance... I dunno ... Something. Build their universe and the continuity. It'll work wonders.

* Again, as with most Batman films, there are simply too many characters, namely villains. Between Heath Ledger's awesome Joker, the duality of Aaron Eckhart's Two-face, Eric Roberts' stereotypical gangster, the Asian corporate invader/thief, and all the hoodlums and henchman and you've got a jambalaya of dare I say stock criminals (with the exception of the first two). Why does this always happen? The Bat cannon is full of great villains. Let's not use them all at once. Which leads me to...

* Nolan wrote himself into a pickle. What I mean by that is that his Nolanverse is so authentically realistic, writing in such A-List Bat villains as Catwoman, The Riddler and The Penguin (especially) will be near impossible. Take his Joker, there was no origin ala the Tim Burton film or from the famous comic book lore. I mean, it sorta worked in this instance -- a wacko shows up in clown paint and is a lunatic. But I don't think that ambiguity will work so much for the others. Hmmm, is that why he's yet to sign on for a third film? Has his Nolanverse run its course?

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THE YEAR'S MOST RIDICULOUS PLOT

The Guardian gives us the year's most ridiculous plots and guess what landed on top of the list?? An itty-bitty comic book movie called "The Dark Knight."

"Wait, so the Joker really orchestrated that big truck chase just so that he could get caught and go to prison, then he could kidnap that guard and grab his phone to make the call to set off the bomb he'd previously sewn inside the henchman in the next cell? That would kill the guy who stole the mobsters' money, thus enabling him to … er, what? Heath Ledger's Joker may have been a psychopath, but he had a nerdish capacity for forward planning."

To read the entire list, click HERE.

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OSCAR AD TOUTING HEATH LEDGER'S JOKER

The WB has begun its offical Oscar push with this Variety advertisement for Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight" for a Best Supporting Actor nomination.

Oscar ballots are mailed on December 26th, polls close on January 12th, and the nominations are announced on January 22nd.

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RIDDLER POSTER: FAKE BUT AWESOME

How awesome is this faux, fan-made one-sheet poster that "teases" to the next villain in the Batman film franchise? Riddle me this...

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ROBERT DOWNEY DISSES 'DARK KNIGHT'

Wow. Talk about your throw-downs. Robert Downey, Jr., star of the summer's first unstoppable superhero flick, virtually bitchslapped (been using that word way too much lately) "The Dark Knight." If you read between the lines, it's interesting. "Iron Man" to most was exactly what it set out to be -- a balls-to-the-wall, action-packed, superhero origina tale that worked brilliantly. As much as I dug it, I can see where "The Dark Knight" might have come off as pretentious. Anyway, here's what he had to say to Moviehole.

“The Dark Knight. My whole thing is that that I saw The Dark Knight. I feel like I’m dumb because I feel like I don’t get how many things that are so smart. It’s like a Ferrari engine of storytelling and script writing and I’m like, ‘That’s not my idea of what I want to see in a movie.’ I loved The Prestige but didn’t understand The Dark Knight. Didn’t get it, still can’t tell you what happened in the movie, what happened to the character and in the end they need him to be a bad guy. I’m like, ‘I get it. This is so high brow and so fucking smart, I clearly need a college education to understand this movie.’ You know what? Fuck DC comics. That’s all I have to say and that’s where I’m really coming from.”

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'DARK KNIGHT' BREAKS $300 MILL, EYES 'TITANTIC'

This weekend, "The Dark Knight" continued to shatter records as it crossed the $300 million mark in 10 days, surpassing the benchmark set in 2006 by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," which took 16 days, says the Associated Press. Analysts expect the Batman film could reach $400 million in about 18 days, which would beat the record "Shrek 2" set in 2004 when it made that much money in 43 days.

In all likelihood, "The Dark Knight" could pass "Titanic" as the highest-grossing film in U.S. history, said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. James Cameron's 1997 disaster film made $600,788,188 domestically, a record no other movie has come close to touching.

"Titanic" which shot Leonardo DiCaprio to superstardom, has sat in a lock box for over a decade. "It's a tall order but if any film has a chance to surpass that number, it's got to be `Dark Knight,'" Dergarabedian said.

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'DARK KNIGHT' BREAKS RECORD ($200 MILLION IN 5 DAYS)

Continuing to smash records, "The Dark Knight" is the first film to break $200 million in five days, Entertainment Weekly reports.

The second Batman movie from star Christian Bale and director Christopher Nolan, earned a $203.8 million dollars, smashing the prior record held by "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" in 2006 which took eight days to reach the goal.

Ultimately the 'Pirates' film, which starred Johnny Depp as swashbuckling pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, took in $423.3 million domestically - a number that doesn't seem too far off for Gotham's vigilante superhero.

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HOLY BATCRAP!!!

BATMAN star Christian Bale has been arrested by detectives investigating a claim of assault, police sources said today. Bale, 34, faces questioning over the claim — made by his own mother and sister.

A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: “A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning by appointment.

“He was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault. He currently remains in custody.”

Bale was arrested just hours after he attended the first European screening of the new Batman blockbuster, The Dark Knight.

But he was able to attend the first European screening of new Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight in London’s West End.

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'THE DARK KNIGHT' SETS RECORD

"The Dark Knight," the highly-anticipated sequel to 2005's "Batman Begins" raked in $66.4 million in its opening day to set the single-day box office record, according to its distributor Warner Bros. The Friday tally bests previous record-holder "Spider-Man 3" which set the prior record with a $59.8 million opening day last year.

Dan Fellman, head of distribution at Warner Bros., told Reuters the film will likely break the opening weekend record of $151.1 million set by the Spider-Man movie,

Three summer's ago, "Batman Begins," grossed nearly $49 million its first weekend in America and collected $372 million worldwide.

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FIRST NEGATIVE REVIEW FOR 'THE DARK KNIGHT'

It was bound to happen. While "The Dark Knight" is currently getting 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the first bad review of "The Dark Knight" has surfaced. Film critic for New York Magazine David Edelstein calls it “a morbid affair”, claiming that “It could only be darker if Batman died. From what has been written, he is right -- The Dark Knight is not Adam West’s Batman, it’s not Tim Burton’s campy Bat and it’s not even Frank Miller’s vigilante. Edelstein comments that when Burton’s Batman came out critics complained that the film was too violent for kids. “Wait’ll they get a load of this,” he says. Like Kevin Smith said - this is "The Empire Strikes Back" of comic book movies.

Here's a sample:

Bat Out of Hell
They don’t make superhero franchises much darker than this.
By David Edelstein

Even if the death of Heath Ledger hadn’t already draped it in a funeral shroud, The Dark Knight would be a morbid affair: It could only be darker if Batman died. (He does die a little, on the inside.) The director, Christopher Nolan, has decided to get real with the thing. Forget Gotham City—or Anton Furst’s splendid Gothic Gotham of Tim Burton’s Batman, which summoned up the freaky superhero’s inner landscape of vaulted arches and gargoyles. We’re now in a modern, untransformed Manhattan, where the Joker’s opening bank heist unfolds in a tense, realistic style with multiple point-blank shootings. It’s a shock—and very effective—to see a comic-book villain come on like a Quentin Tarantino reservoir dog. But then 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.

To read the rest of the review, click HERE.

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'DARK KNIGHT' B-FOOTAGE (VIDEO)

It's almost here ... Next Thursday we'll all get the see "The Dark Knight." Until then, though, here's a little Bat Treat ...

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DARK HORIZONS 'DARK KNIGHT' REVIEW

Online film journalist Garth Franklin and his Dark Horizons is one of the best film sites on the 'Net. No ifs, ands, or buts... He just published his review for "The Dark Knight," and much like the Slashfilm review, it's a rave. Check it out...

Doing exactly what a sequel should do, "The Dark Knight" takes the already superbly crafted world created in 2005's "Batman Begins" and corrects its few flaws while expanding on both its potential and premise. The result is a decidedly darker, richer, more ambitious and more mature follow-up.

Great comic book films of late like "Iron Man" and "Spider-Man 2" may be more polished and crowd-pleasing, yet "Batman Begins" remains the most intriguing and influential effort of the superhero film genre to date. Artfully constructed, unflinchingly committed to its style, crisply shot, gorgeously designed and superbly acted - it's a film that works beautifully for what it is and remains just as strong after multiple viewings.

Yet Katie Holmes' performance, awkwardly filmed action, stilted humor, and a distinct tonal shift can admittedly detract from director Chris Nolan's otherwise excellent creation. The same goes for the grand-sweeping location-heavy gritty human drama of the first half being awkwardly fused with increasingly sound stage-enclosed comic book villainy in the second. The flaws are very minor, most seemingly driven by commercial needs rather than a lack of artistic ability, but they are enough to not so much diffuse but certainly dilute the edge off the enjoyment for a decent sized portion of the audience.

"The Dark Knight" has no such schizophrenic mood swings. Right from the start the film establishes itself as a sprawling epic.

To read the rest of the review, click HERE.

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HILARIOUS: WHAT IF MICHAEL BAY WROTE 'THE DARK KNIGHT'?

The dudes at Spill have created a faux screenplay (Lord, let's hope it's fake) written by director Michael Bay for his take on The Batman. It's hilarious and filled with all the Bayisms that filmdom has come to embrace (if you're a suit) or loathe (or you're a film enthusiast).


For those under a rock, Michael Bay is an American film director and producer who has given us the gems:

"Transformers," "Armageddon," "The Rock," "Pearl Harbor," "Bad Boys" and its sequel "Bad Boys II"

He's also one of the members of the Los Angeles music video production company Propaganda Films. His style? Fast edits, dodgy camera movement; slick pace; gorgeous actors and music. LOTS of loud music.

Bay and Wydncrest Holdings recently bought the special effects company Digital Domain from James Cameron and Stan Winston. He also runs his producing company, Platinum Dunes, that produces horror genre films (mostly commercially successful remakes of 1970s films).
To read more of the script, click HERE.

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THE FINAL 'DARK KNIGHT' TRAILER

Enjoy this trailer for "The Dark Knight" which premiered at last year’s Wizard World Chicago. It's recently been officially released online. Packed with action and very little dialogue, watch for the tease of Two-Face at the conclusion.

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SLASHFILM PUBLISHES ITS 'DARK KNIGHT' REVIEW

Peter Sciretta at Slashfilm is one of the best film journalists online. Bar none. He's been given the go-ahead to publish his review for "The Dark Knight" and it's an out-and-out rave. Not a fanboy fave. A fave for serious film critics. He calls it the "Empire Strikes Back" of comic films...

Here's an excerpt:

I have been given the go ahead to review The Dark Knight, but this is the type of film that I need to see at least two or three times before attempting such a task. The film is so very expansive, so incredibly epic. I decided that instead of a full review, I will just share my first impressions. But lets first talk expectations. Going into 2008, I was looking forward to only a few films, The Dark Knight being one of them. As you probably already know, WALL-E was at the top of my list, and Pixar’s latest didn’t disappoint. I was very sure that WALL-E would end up being my favorite film of the year, and it is… errr WAS. That is until I saw The Dark Knight. I screened the film on Saturday night in Los Angeles, and now that I’ve had a few days to think about the film, I thought I would share my ten spoiler-free reasons why I believe that The Dark Knight is a masterpiece - an almost flawless comic book movie adaptation.

1. The Movie is Epic - The Dark Knight is not just a superhero movie. It is the first comic book adaptation to transcend the genre. Imagine one of the greatest crime thrillers of all time which just happens to have a guy who dresses in a bat costume and fights crime. Think Godfather 2 or Heat, with a insane terrorist who paints his face like a clown and goes around killing random people. It’s expansive in feel and tone. It’s the type of film which you make a point to refer to as a “film” instead of a “movie”.

To read the rest of the review, click HERE.

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PETER TRAVERS' ROLLING STONE REVIEW FOR 'THE DARK KNIGHT'

***1/2 out of ****

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.

Click HERE to read the rest of the story.

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'GOTHAM TONIGHT' SPOTLIGHTS BRUCE WAYNE

You gotta admire Warner Bros. for their new viral campaign. Given the demise of the earlier Joker campaign, they sort of switched gears after the death of Heath Ledger opting to center on Gotham politico Harvey Dent with these extended "Gotham Tonight" news segments. This episode centers on the tragic life of billionaire Bruce Wayne.

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HOW AWEOME ...

... is this new "Dark Knight" trailer?????

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40 NEW 'DARK KNIGHT' PICS LEAKED (HI-RES)

The above is part of gigantic batch of new Batman/Joker pics recently leaked. It seems to be the last batch of "Dark Knight" publicity pics officially released as of May 10.

Click HERE to check 'em out.

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