The Dark Knight Shatters Records, Expectations
“The Dark Knight” was released Friday, July 18, and people were lined up for blocks to get in to see it. And the money came pouring in. It’s as if the Joker was forshadowing his own success when he stacked up millions of dollars in pyramid form. The midnight shows alone brought in $18.5 million. When added to the rest of the day’s totals, Batman made $66.4 million on opening day. This amount broke the previous record of $59.8 million held by “Spider-Man 3″.
Batman is “The Dark Knight”
And yes, it was worth every penny. I saw the new Batman movie last night, and loved it. Sure there was a lot of hype going in, particularly owing to the Heath Ledger back story. But it lived up to it.
I would recommend watching “Batman Begins” again before going to the theater, though. I spent a good 15 minutes saying to myself, “how did the last one end, again?” But I got over it, and fell right into the new story.
As I’m sure you’ve heard before, Heath Ledger truly is the best part of the movie. He’s 100% believable as the Joker, and funny! Although he’s crazy as hell, you kind of get what he’s saying, and he’s totally light-hearted about it and yet simultaneously dark. A hard character to pull off, Ledger does it well.
As for the rest of the cast, Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart hold up their end of the bargain. They’re righteousness isn’t even annoying - people really are good deep down! But as much as I love Maggie Gyllenhaal, her Rachel Dawes was just okay - I think she watched “Batman Begins” too many times and became a mimic of Katie Holmes. I know the character is the same, but make it your own, Maggie.
Over all, a great movie. I completely forgot about standing in line for 45 minutes while the movie started 40 minutes late. (New movie theater - apparently they’re still trying to figure things out. Unfortunately, there was no comment card.)
See more photos from “The Dark Knight” and the trailer below.
Josh Peck Nude in The Wackness
Nickelodeon star Josh Peck will appear nude in his upcoming film ‘The Wackness’ where he stars alongside Ben Kingsley. You can see Peck’s biography, photos and video below.
Josh Peck
Josh spent the last two years getting fit for the role and has lost a total of 100 pounds in the last four years.
“There’s only the funny fat guy parts or the heavy friend. It’s an unfortunate stereotype, and I wanted to have the chance to play roles like this, to have more quality. And I wanted to be healthier.”
Even after the weight loss, he still looks in the mirror and sees “a goofball.” But he had to have felt a little more confident during his outdoor nude shower scene.
Josh Peck Biography
Josh Peck was born November 10, 1986 in New York City. He tried his hand at stand up comedy at age eight and shortly after moved to Hollywood with his mother. After arriving in Los Angeles, Peck landed a role on “The Amanda Show.” He then starred in “Drake & Josh,” which is where he gained popularity. This new role is definitely a stretch from the previous one.
“It’s definitely a different sort of forum than people are used to seeing me in,” acknowledges Peck. “But I really hope that the Nickelodeon audience can sort of take a leap of faith with me and accept me in this new arena.”
Peck has been in several other indie films including “Special,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and he played the role of a bully in “Drillbit Taylor.” “The Wackness” is set to release August 29th. Along with Peck and Kingsley, Famke Janssen and Mary-Kate Olsen star in the story of a teenage pot dealer who pays his psychiatrist in pot while dating his step-daughter.
You can see more photos and video of Peck below.
Heath Ledger Oscar?
The Dark Knight is two weeks from release in Australia and there is talk of an Oscar for the late Heath Ledger. You can see the much watched video below.
Heath Ledger
One of the critics behind Ledger is Peter Travers from Rolling Stone.
“It’s typical of Ledger’s total commitment to films as diverse as Brokeback Mountain and I’m Not There that he does nothing out of vanity or the need to be liked,” he wrote. “I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as the Joker. If there’s a movement to get him the first posthumous [acting] Oscar since Peter Finch won for 1976’s Network, sign me up.”
You can see the first five minutes and four trailers for the movie here. If nominated, Ledger would be the seventh actor in Oscar history to receive the honor after death, and as stated above, only the second since Peter Finch to win. What do you think, is Heath Ledger Oscar worthy? See the video below.
New James Bond Trailer
The latest in the James Bond franchise, “Quantum of Solace”, isn’t set to be released until November 7, 2008, but that doesn’t mean we can’t get excited about it. The first trailer for the film was released yesterday, and there’s not doubt after watching it that James Bond number 137 will be full of action.
Daniel Craig in “Quantum of Solace”
The movie picks up right where “Casino Royale” left off. But this time around, James Bond is out for revenge. After the death of his love, Mr. 007 sets out to get back at the killer, and stop an environmentalist from taking control of a country’s water supply.
And it’s non-stop action in the process - between a boat chase and rumors of a full frontal Daniel Craig nude scene, you won’t be sorry you spent your cash on a ticket for this film. So how long until November 7?
See the “Quantum of Solace” trailer and the poster below.
DVDs Releasing This Week - July 1
The DVDs releasing this week include “Vantage Point”, “Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns”, and “Drillbit Taylor”. It looks like a little bit of action, a little bit of love, and a little bit of laughs.
“Vantage Point” Releases on DVD July 1
Vantage Point
When the President of the United States is shot while giving a speech at an international location, it’s up to the people in the crowd and a couple secret service agents to put the pieces together and figure out what exactly went wrong. The movie stars Dennis Quaid, Forest Whitaker, Matthew Fox, and Sigourney Weaver, but even with a strong cast like that, the critics say they can’t carry a weak script. Even the good reviews have comments like, “To fall for Vantage Point you have to throw away any connection to reality” and “watchably silly”.
Tyler Perry’s Meet the Browns
When Angela Bassett’s character loses her job in inner city Chicago, she’s almost at wit’s end with how to make ends meet. But then she receives word that a father she has never met has passed away, and the single mother of three decides to take her kids to Georgia for the funeral and see what kind of help she can find. In the process of getting her feet back on the ground, she finds friends, family and even love. Critics give this one a C.
Drillbit Taylor
Another film in a long line of Judd Apatow scripts, “Drillbit Taylor” stars Owen Wilson as a pre-teen bodyguard. When three boys start high school as freshman, they’re small size makes them perfect targets for the school bullies. So they take matters into their own hands and hire a bodyguard, who teaches them how to stick up for themselves. But again the movie is not all it’s cracked up to be. Wilson is said to be phoning it in this time around and the bullies are just a little too dark for how lighthearted the film is supposed to be.
See the trailers for the movies below.
Movies Releasing Friday - June 27: WALL-E, Wanted
It’s time for summer blockbusters, and the movies releasing Friday fit the bill. It’s time for some family fun with the long-awaited Pixar film, “WALL-E”, and some hot action with Angelina Jolie’s latest, “Wanted”.
“Wanted” Releases June 27
Wanted
Curving bullets. Assassins. And the return of Morgan Freeman. Oh, and one fine-looking Angelina Jolie. The folks in “Wanted” are a fraternity of assassins who recruit James McAvoy. Though the plot and the focus of the movie appear somewhat lacking, the action looks bad ass. The only question is, will it be enough to carry the script?
The plot: After Wes’ father is murdered, the Fraternity recruit him to avenge his death and become a trained assassin. Kill one, save thousands. But there might be more to this group of assassins than meets the eye.
WALL-E
In the most anticipated animated movie of the year, we find Short Circuit look-alike Wall-E alone on planet Earth, left to clean it up. But love blossoms when a spaceship, carrying Eve, lands at Wall-E’s landfill. And while reviewers say that there’s really only 45 good minutes in the one and a half hour movie, they also say that’s a damn good 45-minute stretch. As Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle writes,
Philosophically and emotionally, this is probably the most profound animated film ever made or attempted. … For as long as it stays on Earth, “WALL-E” is a great film, and on its way to being one of the masterpieces of the decade. But then it leaves Earth, and, once it does, it goes into pedestrian territory.
See the trailers for the movies below.
DVDs Releasing This Week - June 24
Another week, another DVD release. The DVDs releasing this week bring you action, adventure, and fun for all ages. We’ve got “The Spiderwick Chronicles”, “10,000 B.C.”, “Definitely, Maybe”, “Persepolis”, and “Charlie Bartlett”.
“Definitely, Maybe” Releases On DVD June 24
Definitely, Maybe
Have you had a bad Monday? Do you really need a feel good movie you can curl up to with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s? Then “Definitely, Maybe” is the DVD pick for you this week. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher, Rachel Weisz, and Elizabeth Banks, the story is about a little girl dealing with her parents divorce. She’s worried about her dad, and in the midst of the unpacking, she convinces her dad to tell her the story of how her parents got together. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll enjoy Ryan Reynolds.
The Spiderwick Chronicles
In the family film department this week, we’ve got “The Spiderwick Chronicles”. Starring Freddie Highmore (previously seen in “August Rush”), the story is about a boy who finds a mysterious book that opens the doors to an unseen world. While it appears beautiful at first glance, soon the ugly ogre rears his head, and the boy and his family must figure out how to get their world back to normal. The critics mostly love it, saying it’s fun for both kids and adults, and let’s face it, those are the best movies.
10,000 B.C.
I actually watched “10,000 B.C.” in the theater … on opening night. Don’t ask me how it happened, it just did. But interesting fellow movie-goers aside, the movie actually wasn’t all bad. It’s a strong story of love, courage, and fulfilling your destiny. After a band of horse-riding vandals ransack D’Leh’s village and kidnap his love, he must lead the few strong survivors into battle to regain the love of his life (played by Camilla Belle) and restore peace to his village. And, yes, there’s some pretty good special effects.
Persepolis
A favorite in the foreign film and animated film categories at the Oscars, as well as Toronto, Telluride and Sundance, “Persepolis” is the story of a young girl living in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. When the main character, Marji, begins to speak out against the new tyranny of the Islamic fundamentalists, her parents send her to study in Vienna and stay out of trouble. Feeling like she doesn’t belong in either location, Marji must find her true identity in unfamiliar territory.
Charlie Bartlett
In the comedy department this week, we have “Charlie Bartlett”, a story about a high school student struggling to make the transition from private school to public school. But he finds his calling as the high school shrink, who happens to get some meds prescribed by his own psychiatrist. He sets up shop in the boys’ bathroom, and the students line up the dozen to get Charlie Bartlett’s advice. Rated overall as a B-, you’re sure to get a few laughs out of this film.
See the trailers for the movies below.
Movies Releasing Friday – June 20: Get Smart vs. The Love Guru
Hollywood studios have chosen two of the “biggest” comedies of the summer season to go up against one another on the same weekend. Which film will end out on top of box office ticket sales by end of the weekend?
First off, we have the Steve Carell vehicle, Get Smart, which is a remake of a 1960s sitcom created by the legendary Mel Brooks. The story is a play on a familiar scenario: A clumsy, not-so-quick-on-the-draw funny guy somehow becomes a secret agent and stumbles and bumbles his way to saving the world. In 1965, this may have been a novel concept, but we’ve seen some version of this a million times by now. Fortunately, Steve Carell is very funny and Anne Hathaway always seems to deliver a better than expected performance. Because Carell has generated enough good will with me and I tend to enjoy Anne Hathaway, I’ll probably pony up for the tickets, soda, and popcorn prices that would cover a tank of gas.
Next, we have Austin Powers, I mean Mike Myers, in The Love Guru. This movie can go one of two ways. It could be a genuinely funny Mike Myers creation that would remind us of the unique humor from his previous masterpieces, while not copying his past work. Or . . . it could end up being a tired photocopy of a photocopy and just a means for Paramount to turn a quick buck by following a formula that worked a coupled of times back in the 1990’s. In that sense, it might seem like watching VH-1 I Love 1998. It is not old enough to be a missed classic and at the same time the expiration date has run on its freshness.
There are two further elements worth mention regarding The Love Guru. One is that it has Justin Timberlake.
Timberlake is talented and fully commits to whatever he takes on. Plus, he does not need to do a stupid movie, like Lindsay Lohan, because he has a ridiculously successful career, unlike Lindsay Lohan. I like Justin Timberlake, and he may help sway me to watch this film or at least rent it some time in the near future.
On the other hand, The Love Guru also has one of the least talented actresses my eyes have ever gazed upon (even worse than Lohan who at least has an addiction excuse).
In fact, I believe society as a whole is less fortunate because studios keep putting Jessica Alba in movies. Seriously, Jessica Alba is one of the most beautiful women in Hollywood. She seems nice and sweet. However, the girl could not act her way out of a paper bag and I have never seen a Jessica Alba movie that I liked or that I thought would be possible to like even after 5 wine coolers. Of course, there are those who may disagree. When I recently visited one of the more popular movie sites, I was enlightened by this comment (typos included) from Austin567:
“jessa abla if u are reading this leader u are my favorite actor in the intire WORLD and u are so cute”
Really Austin567? Really? If u are reading this Austin567, you are a silly, misguided fool. I bet you there are at least 566 Austins out there that are much cooler and a better judge of talent, a better judge of human beings, and a better judge of anything living. But that’s, just like, my opinion.
Okay, forget everything I just said. I watched both trailers and I actually think they will both be funny. Maybe Austin567 will be down for a double feature.
Click below to watch the trailers and judge for yourself:
Angels and Demons Banned from Church
The prequel to the smash hit film “The Da Vinci Code”, entitled “Angels and Demons”, has run into some problems filming. The producers had attempted to get permission from two churches in Rome to film there, but both refused based on religious reasons.
“Angels and Demons”
“Angels and Demons” was turned down by Santa Maria del Popolo and Santa Maria della Vittoria because the movie is not in line with the church’s opinion on certain things. Monsignor Marco Fibbi released a statement,
“It’s a film that treats religious issues in a way that contrasts with common religious sentiment. We would be helping them create a work that might well be beautiful but that does not conform to our views.”
The ban on filming will not exclude shots of the outside of the churches.
Tom Hanks will return for the second movie in the Dan Brown series. It is set to be released on May 15, 2009; the film was slightly delayed by the writers’ strike. Check out photos from the set here.
See more photos of Tom Hanks in “The Da Vinci Code” and a video of Hanks on “Inside the Actors Studio” below.
Best Actors Without An Oscar
Who are some of the best actors to never have won an Oscar? I tried to think of some actors who I was unsure of whether they received an Oscar or not.
First, here are some who came to mind and did win at least one:
Robert Deniro has two for Raging Bull and The Godfather II; Al Pacino won his first for Scent of a Woman; Susan Sarandon has won it for Dead Man Walking and her costar in that film, Sean Penn, has got one for his role in Mystic River.
Now here are some names who you might expect to have an Oscar on their mantle, but don’t:
Johnny Depp: Nominated for Sweeney Todd, Finding Neverland, and Pirates of the Caribbean. One glaring omission in my opinion is Edward Scissorhands. Without that movie there is no Johnny Depp film career, and he was fantastic in that movie.
Tom Cruise: Nominated for Magnolia, Jerry Maguire, and Born on the Fourth of July. But what about A Few Good Men?
Matt Damon: Nominated for Good Will Hunting, for which he won as a screenwriter. But what about The Departed and even The Talented Mr. Ripley.
Michelle Pfeiffer: Nominated for Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys, and Love Field (never heard of it). Even though I really liked her in White Oleander, Michelle Pfeiffer feels like yesterday’s news.
Clint Eastwood: Nominated for Million Dollar Baby (won for directing) and Unforgiven.
Michael Rapaport: Lighten up, that’s a joke.
Peter O’toole: No actor has been nominated for more Oscars (8) without winning one. The first film that got him a nod was Lawrence of Arabia in 1963 and his last one was for Venus in 2007. I wish O’Toole the best of luck and hopefully he will still have another opportunity.
Of course, if any of the talented actors above need some tips, they could always ask Marissa Tomei who has won an Oscar for her role in My Cousin Vinny – no seriously.
Imagine having to say, “yes, I was nominated for an Oscar, but lost to the woman from My Cousin Vinny.” Speachless.
DVDs Releasing This Week - June 17
It’s almost Tuesday again - time to update that Netflix queue with these new titles. With the DVDs releasing this week, I hope you’re ready to laugh, because it’s pretty much nothing but comedy. This week, we’ve got “Fool’s Gold”, “Be Kind Rewind”, and “Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins”.
“Fool’s Gold” Releases This Week
Fool’s Gold
With the smokin’ chemistry between Kate Hudson and Matthew McConaughey, “Fool’s Gold” brings the laughs the way a romantic comedy should. McCounaughey plays a treasure salving machine who is on a mission to find the Queen’s Dowry from the 18th Century. Hudson is his wife, who is just about to divorce him when they come upon a clue that might really bring the treasure to life. With lots of laughs and adventure, this movie is a pretty good rental pick this week.
Be Kind Rewind
Jack Black and Mos Def star in this comedy about two guys who work at a video store. After Jack accidentally erases all the videotapes, they come up with a way to save the store - recreate the movies themselves and rent the remakes. But when viewers start to like the remakes more than the originals, Jack and Mos Def become famous. And most people are liking the movie, calling it “corny, cool, and beautiful” with “the most touching ending of Gondry’s films”.
Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins
In Martin Lawrence’s latest movie, the comedian stars as America’s favorite talk show host living the good life. But when Roscoe has returns home for his parents’ 50th Anniversary celebration, it’s a bit of a culture shock from the high-profile, pampered celebrity life he’s used to living. Growing up, Roscoe was the awkward kid who got picked on all the time, and celebrity or not, that’s the way his family remembers him.
See the trailers for these DVDs below.
Mischa Barton Lesbian Roles
Mischa Barton has a long string of lesbian roles and her latest film “You and I” just keeps her streak alive. The movie is based on real events taken from the book “t.A.T.u. Come Back.” t.A.T.u is a musical group out of Russia who became popular and somewhat controversial because they were portrayed as lesbians. You can see the trailer and several other videos of Mischa’s lesbian roles below. This character type has become so common place for Mischa, people are wondering if her life is imitating her art.
Mischa Barton
Rumor has it Mischa has totally dipped out on promoting her new film because it’s so terrible. It premiered at The Cannes Film Festival in May but according to The New York Post, Mischa was nowhere to be seen.
“She hasn’t pulled out of interviews, she’s pulled out of everything . . . Her room is here, she is here, but trying to get the two together has just been impossible. We just don’t know where Mischa is.”
However, Barton did show up to the “The Britains Best” award ceremony as a presenter. See more video after the jump.
Movies Releasing Friday - June 13: The Incredible Hulk, The Happening
We are getting closer and closer to summer blockbuster season, and the movies releasing this week are sure sign of that. The titles are getting bigger and the celebrities more famous. In theaters this Friday are “The Incredible Hulk” and “The Happening”.
“The Incredible Hulk” Releases Friday
The Incredible Hulk
The last Hulk movie was a pretty big disappointment - even an actor as attractive and talented as Eric Bana couldn’t fix that script. But this time around the film is more promising. Starring Edward Norton, Liv Tyler and Tim Roth, the latest in big green men comic book movies starts with the Gamma Bomb and traces the adventures of the Incredible Hulk as he learns to deal with his new powers. And so far the critics are loving it, saying things like “Hulk Smash!”, “one of the most spectacular and exciting things I’ve ever seen on screen”, and “a summer popcorn movie that favors thrilling action”. It looks like this is the pick of the weekend, so get your tickets early.
The Happening
“The Happening” begins with a wave of strange and mysterious deaths across the US, and Mark Wahlberg, as a high school science teacher, sets off to discover a way to escape the freaky phenomenon. But even far-off farmland isn’t far away enough, and Mark and his wife must face the invisible killer head-on.
The movie is the latest psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan, and it looks to be better than some of his more recent films. “The Happening” is being called “a tantalising, sometimes frustrating parable about the menaces that human beings might face from unexpected quarters.” Though Shyamalan usually sticks with a plot-upending twist in his stories, not this time - we’ll leave it up to you whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing.
See the movie trailers below.