Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight, has stated that he’s in no hurry to make the second sequel to Batman Begins. He has reason to be cautious. Historically speaking, the third installment in a franchise has been, shall we say, lacking. Superman III, Spiderman 3, Terminator 3, Batman Forever, Rocky III, Police Academy 3… need I go on? Nolan’s got the right idea:

“I don’t know why they’re hard to . . . → Read More: Dark Knight takes it slow, plus Robot Chicken and Terminator]]>

The Dark Knight

Christopher Nolan, director of The Dark Knight, has stated that he’s in no hurry to make the second sequel to Batman Begins. He has reason to be cautious. Historically speaking, the third installment in a franchise has been, shall we say, lacking. Superman III, Spiderman 3, Terminator 3, Batman Forever, Rocky III, Police Academy 3… need I go on? Nolan’s got the right idea:

“I don’t know why they’re hard to do,” Nolan said. “Maybe there’s so much expectation to them. But I wouldn’t want to do one if it weren’t going to be as good as the first or second. That’s not respectful to the fans… The worst thing you could do now that you’ve gotten the plane back in the air is mess up the landing.”

Thankfully, Nolan is pushing back on Warner Bros., who want to jump ahead, to hold off until he has something worth making.

Interestingly, he also noted that the recently released DVD will not have any deleted scenes including Heath Ledger’s wonderful performance, nor will it have any outtakes. He said he’s not holding back, he just doesn’t have any deleted Joker scenes. He also feels that including outtakes is disrespectful to the actors, who work hard and trust the director to include their best work.

Finally, come January we may get the chance to see The Dark Knight on the big screen one more time. It appears that it’s being re-released to help generate Oscar-buzz and DVD sales.

"You and me... we've been at war since before either of us even existed."

It’s interesting to note that at some point John Conner says that “this is not the future my mother warned me about. Something has changed.” Maybe it’s that better Terminators have been invented than the ones that were sent into the past to kill her or him.  That would explain some of the stuff I’ve been hearing about the Terminator TV series (which I haven’t gotten around to watching yet, unfortunately).

This looks like it will be the darkest entry in the series, which makes sense given that this is the post-apocalyptic time period. All out war with the machines. It will be a special effects extravaganza. Hopefully the story holds up as well.

Oh, yeah… you also have to realize this is meant for adults, and that it’s way more offensive than most stuff I post here.

And you have to be in the US (sorry… nothing I can do about that. I don’t own Cartoon Network.).

So… if you meet all those criteria, enjoy this!

Robot Chicken pushes the envelope farther than even Family Guy. But I can’t deny it’s funny…

Superman Returns darker

Ever since Superman Returns was released, rumors were flying about the sequel. Would it happen? Would Bryan Singer return to helm it? Would anybody watch it?

Not long ago (May 7th, in fact), we were hearing that Bryan Singer would be getting Superman: The Man of Steel to theaters in 2009 with wall-to-wall action in a sequel . . . → Read More: Superman Returns, but not as expected]]> Warner will follow Marvel model to develop new superhero films : Slice of SciFi

Superman Returns darker

Ever since Superman Returns was released, rumors were flying about the sequel. Would it happen? Would Bryan Singer return to helm it? Would anybody watch it?

Not long ago (May 7th, in fact), we were hearing that Bryan Singer would be getting Superman: The Man of Steel to theaters in 2009 with wall-to-wall action in a sequel to Returns. Personally, I was pretty happy with that news. I really think Singer knows how to pull off a movie that’s both intelligent and action-packed, and respects the source material.

But now we hear that in the wake of the success of The Dark Knight, Warner Bros. will be putting a darker focus on all its superhero properties.

For fans, this means that the sequel to “Superman Returns” won’t be happening. Instead, the studio will look to take a page from this year’s “Incredible Hulk” and reboot the franchise. Part of this is a need to freshen the franchise, but part of this can also be attributed to the fact that “Returns” struggled to make back the investment Warner Brothers put into the movie.

[...]

Mr. Robinov wants his next pack of superhero movies to be bathed in the same brooding tone as “The Dark Knight.” Creatively, he sees exploring the evil side to characters as the key to unlocking some of Warner Bros.’ DC properties. “We’re going to try to go dark to the extent that the characters allow it,” he says. That goes for the company’s Superman franchise as well.

That’s disappointing. While I get treating superhero movies as real world and serious is important in creating believability, forcing a dark tone on everything is, I think, a mistake. It’s completely appropriate for Batman, but Superman’s main character traits are hope and optimism, and a bit of naiveté (at least on the surface). It is possible to go darker with him temporarily – and I think it could be done really well – but I really think it has to be in a sequel to be good. The character has to be developed as an incorruptible, “thank God he’s here” kind of character.

Plus, I gotta imagine this new direction means a significant delay before the Boy Scout graces the screen again. So that annoys me, too.

On a side note, the linked article also mentions the other properties under development: Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman. I’m excited about each of them. All could translate very well to the big screen.

Just like Spider-man 2, this sequel takes an amazingly good predecessor and improves on it.

And just like in the Spider-man franchise, the key is focusing on the character’s development. Bruce/Batman learns a lot about himself and his chosen line of work – the limits, the responsibilities, and the consequences.

Heath Ledger, . . . → Read More: Pseudo-Review: The Dark Knight]]> I don’t have it in me to write everything I think about this movie right now, but I wanted to get something down.

Just like Spider-man 2, this sequel takes an amazingly good predecessor and improves on it.

And just like in the Spider-man franchise, the key is focusing on the character’s development. Bruce/Batman learns a lot about himself and his chosen line of work – the limits, the responsibilities, and the consequences.

Heath Ledger, for anyone wondering, actually deserves the praise he’s getting for this role. It’s not a posthumous sympathy vote. I wouldn’t call myself a Heath Ledger fan, generally, but I simply can’t imagine anyone else playing this role this well.

In my last post I counted Wall-E out of Best Picture contention, despite rumors to the contrary. The Dark Knight, however, is a serious contender – if the Academy can get past the whole blind spot it has for Sci-Fi/Fantasy films.

I may come back to this later for a more thorough review.

Today, my wife and I went to see two vastly different films, Wall-E and The Dark Knight (reviews to follow). In both films, there were families in the audience that made me want to go up to the parents and say “What are you thinking?! You have an important role to play as a parent, and you’re screwing it up!”

For the family in Wall-E, that would have been a . . . → Read More: Kids in the movie theater]]> What is wrong with parents?

Today, my wife and I went to see two vastly different films, Wall-E and The Dark Knight (reviews to follow). In both films, there were families in the audience that made me want to go up to the parents and say “What are you thinking?! You have an important role to play as a parent, and you’re screwing it up!”

For the family in Wall-E, that would have been a bit of overkill, I grant you. The father was there with his two boys, probably around 5-7 years old. I don’t have any problem with kids being in that theater – in fact, I expected kids to be in attendance for that one. The problem was that the younger boy was repeatedly, and loudly, talking during the movie. I don’t blame the kid (much). He was just excited and wanted to show his dad that he understood what was going on (it’s possible that he’d seen the movie before, judging from some of what he said). The problem is that the father didn’t take the opportunity to teach the child to be quiet, and courteous to others. Eventually the brother said something to him, and then his dad chimed in, somewhat ineffectively, in telling the boy to quiet down. That’s just backwards. Why was the brother taking the lead there?

There were also a pair of older kids – teens – loudly bounding up and down the stairs and across the front of the seats, so that may have made me a bit more irritable toward the talker. But still… if the father doesn’t teach their kid to be courteous now, he’s just setting the kid up to become that bounder in a few years.

But the one that really bothered me was the family in The Dark Knight. They didn’t bother me because they were disruptive, mostly, but because they were there. These parents brought a 2 or 3 year old girl to an extremely loud, very violent movie. The second the movie started, she began to cry. And who can blame her? The noise alone was an assault to her senses! The parents didn’t take her out of the theater. They did comfort her in her seat, but come on… for the first 10 minutes of the movie, every time the audio quieted down a bit (which was not often), I could hear her crying. Eventually, that stopped, but I am still really disappointed that these people would subject their young daughter to sitting still that long (3 hours, from the time they first sat down) without relief, let alone for a film that is so clearly not something she should be seeing. It’s just wrong.

Parents have the responsibility for teaching their kids, and for protecting them – in big ways, and small ways. These examples are two of the small ways. Sometimes the small ways bother me more, because they’re easy to overlook, but add up to more problems later.

When I go to the theater, I love to see the previews. I consider them an art unto themselves. It can’t be easy to tease an unfinished movie by pulling out the . . . → Read More: Summer Movie List 2 – Revenge of the Trailer]]> Back in April I wrote a list of the movies I want to see this year in the theater. So far I’ve seen all the ones I called as a must-see and missed all the others (which, so far, is just Speed Racer).

When I go to the theater, I love to see the previews. I consider them an art unto themselves. It can’t be easy to tease an unfinished movie by pulling out the enticing bits and telling you just enough to get you interested in the story without revealing the whole thing. Good editors can even make a bad movie look great. Conversely, great movies can be hidden behind a poor trailer. But a great movie with a great trailer makes you sit up and go, “wow!”

The problem with seeing all these previews is that they are essentially commercials. Commercials are made to make you want to purchase something you didn’t know you needed. They are there to separate you from your money. So for me, loving trailers is a two-edged sword.

Case in point: when we saw our double-feature, I saw trailers for movies I somehow hadn’t heard about before, and newer trailers for movies I was already somewhat interested in. Then I read Lee’s review of The Incredible Hulk. I thought I was set with my list for the summer, but now it seems I have some revision to do.

So here’s the new list, in order of release, with release date (and my thoughts, if I’ve seen it). Boldface indicates movies I will not miss in the theaters. Italics are the ones I’m going to whine about incessantly if I miss in the theater – the ones that it hurts me to not put in bold. The others I will be disappointed if I have to miss for one reason or another, but once I see them on video I’ll be okay:

1. Iron Man – May 2 (review)
   
2. Speed Racer – May 9 (judging by general reaction, glad I missed it)
3. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian – May 16 (review)
4. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull – May 22 (review)
5. The Incredible Hulk – June 13 (This is so close to being in bold it’s not even funny)
6. Get Smart – June 20
7. Wall-E – June 27
8. Hancock – July 2
9. The Dark Knight – July 18
   
10. The X-Files: I want to believe – July 25
11. The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emporer – August 1
12. Star Wars: The Clone Wars – August 15
    
13. City of Ember – October 10
14. Quantum of Solace (James Bond) – November 7

The astute among you (i.e., the ones who have nothing better to do but follow the minutiae of these posts) will notice that City of Ember was added to the list. Bill Murray and Tim Robbins in a sci-fi adventure movie. I love Bill Murray and Tim Robbins, and I love sci-fi adventure, but I would not be sold by that pairing. It’s on my list. That’s the power of a trailer.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/kkSFsbv6eUg" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Hancock has also been upgraded to painfully close to a must-see (as has Hulk). When I saw the first trailer, it looked like a fun, but relatively light, superhero movie. This most recent trailer shows that it actually has a plot of redemption and seems well formed. (And they even surpassed the whale bit for funny. Jason Bateman is perfect for this movie.)

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/icJ-qNA5wpg" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

So many movies… so little time.

The next Stargate SG-1 film titled Stargate: Continuum now has a July 29 DVD release date.

Marvel has announced that Iron Man 2 has been confirmed for release in 2010, in addition to a movie about Thor. Also reported: the Avengers and Captain America (with Matthew McConaughey as the lead?) in 2011.

Also . . . → Read More: Movie news roundup – Sci-Fi and comics lovers, rejoice!]]> Lots of news and some rumors hitting the net lately… here are the best of the bunch for Sci-Fi and comics lovers:

The next Stargate SG-1 film titled Stargate: Continuum now has a July 29 DVD release date.

Marvel has announced that Iron Man 2 has been confirmed for release in 2010, in addition to a movie about Thor. Also reported: the Avengers and Captain America (with Matthew McConaughey as the lead?) in 2011.

Also announced by Marvel: an Ant Man movie, though the timeline for the film is unknown. (This is where they start to lose me… Ant Man? Seriously? I think they’re stretching to reach a mainstream audience with that one. My guess is his popularity in the Avengers movie will determine if this one really gets made.)

Iron Man, Tony Stark, will make a cameo in The Incredible Hulk.

Superman: Man of Steel will now not be delayed due to the “Justice League of America” film but is geared up for a 2009 release with Brandon Routh back as Superman.

Both Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Dark Knight will run over 140 minutes. In fact, The Dark Knight may run close to three hours.

Speaking of The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan has signed on for a third Batman feature, and Christian Bale has expressed interest as well. Details of plot are even starting to circulate – apparently the film will focus on Two-Face and may introduce Robin, following the plot of the graphic novels “The Long Halloween” and “Dark Victory” for a rough outline.

Here’s the list, in order of release, with release date. Boldface indicates movies I will not miss in the theaters – the others I will be disappointed if I have to miss for one reason or another:

But did you know about Batman Gotham Knight, the animated DVD (also downloadable) coming out on July 8th? Oh, yeah….. Batman gets the “Animatrix” treatment (well, sort of).

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/9I5744WCaxA" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Yes, Kevin Conroy will once again put a voice to Gotham’s caped crusader:

Conroy set the standard for modern day Batman voices with . . . → Read More: Batman Gotham Knight]]> The Dark Knight is coming out on July 18th. Everyone has heard of that. And I can’t wait.

But did you know about Batman Gotham Knight, the animated DVD (also downloadable) coming out on July 8th? Oh, yeah….. Batman gets the “Animatrix” treatment (well, sort of).

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/9I5744WCaxA" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Yes, Kevin Conroy will once again put a voice to Gotham’s caped crusader:

Conroy set the standard for modern day Batman voices with his performance in “Batman: The Animated Series,” “The New Adventures of Batman and Robin” and “The New Batman Superman Adventures.” He reprised the role as an aging Bruce Wayne playing mentor to a new Caped Crusader in “Batman Beyond.” Animation legend and “Batman Gotham Knight” producer Bruce Timm said Conroy was the obvious choice for both widespread fan approval and to provide an overriding sense of continuity within a film in which Batman appears in so many new, visual variations.

For more on Conroy and the Gotham Knight project, read this Slice Of Sci-Fi entry.

The six anime-style stories will delve deeply into Bruce Wayne’s transition to becoming Batman. It’s not clear if the Batman Begins storyline will play any role, though I doubt it.

So July 8th, we get ahold of some great Bat-animation, just in time to stoke the flames for The Dark Knight. Until then, here’s the trailer…

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/WaIR9dAZRR0" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Batman = cool.

Slice of Sci-Fi has a two lists of movie trailers. Here are my favorites from their lists.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

Get Smart

10,000 B.C.

Speed Racer

Cloverfield

Rambo

Batman: The Dark Knight

[tags]movie trailers, odd people[/tags]

I can’t believe no one told me this trailer was out.

Okay, visually it’s an extremely boring trailer. Pretty much, it’s the bat-symbol with a light show.

The voice-over, though, is cool. You get to hear the voice of the Joker. Not bad. Just a little Nicholson thrown in there – a slight homage.

This is my “can’t wait” film for 2008.

[tags]Batman, Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, The . . . → Read More: Trailer: The Dark Knight]]> Apple – Trailers – The Dark Knight

I can’t believe no one told me this trailer was out.

Okay, visually it’s an extremely boring trailer. Pretty much, it’s the bat-symbol with a light show.

The voice-over, though, is cool. You get to hear the voice of the Joker. Not bad. Just a little Nicholson thrown in there – a slight homage.

This is my “can’t wait” film for 2008.

[tags]Batman, Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale, The Joker[/tags]