The Dark Knight - my review

OK, first things first... I have a confession to make. It was me who scored The Dark Knight a 9 out of 10, I'm very very sorry! After a second viewing this afternoon I have now retracted my 9 to be replaced with a 10 as it rightfully deserves.

I think the reason I gave it a 9 originally was because its quite different to Batman Begins. That to me was my perfect Batman movie and the fact that it was almost entirely shot in Britain gave me a sense of patriotism when watching it.

I loved the mythology behind 'Begins', it was so well done. This made the Batman character (Christian Bale) seem believable, a step away from most comic book adaptations. Director Christopher Nolan did such a fantastic job that Batman's past no longer needs to be covered, a refreshing step away from the films of the 80's & 90's.

The Dark Knight continues very close to where it left off, with Batman doing his usual unorthodox heroics. Saying that however, Batman isn't really the main character in The Dark Knight. Don't get me wrong, he's there doing his stuff but the focus seems to be on the other characters through the majority of the story like detective Gordon, the Joker & Harvey Dent/Two Face. This works well and on my second viewing I really appreciated it.

Dark Knight is a lot "darker" than Begins. For example the interrogation scene between Batman and the Joker is really brutal.

The late Heath Ledger's portrayal of the Joker is absolutely brilliant. He's totally crazy and psychotic! All the reports of praise are true, he does deserve that Oscar nomination.

Harvey Dent (played by the excellent Aaron Eckhart) is again a different portrayal of the character I was expecting to see. Throughout the film he is seen as the main hero. His transformation into Two Face is brilliant and the FX on his half mangled face looks incredible.

The rest of the cast are great, featuring many recognisable faces just as simple extras. I guess since the Batman re-imagination lots of actors now want work in a Batman movie as its more than just a crappy kids action film, it has credibility!

The end of the film is not at all what I was expecting. Original in every way, what happens next I haven't got a clue but I'll be looking forward to it. In the meantime I'm sure the internet will be rife with rumours/suggestions!

***RUMOUR ALERT*** Johnny Depp as the Ridler, I heard that today (01/08/08). Hmm...?

The Dark Knight trailer... in LEGO!

This one's going out to my good buddy Ned, I'm sure you'll like it!

Burt Reynolds next movie should be...

Thanks to all who voted on my most recent pointless poll. It was inspired by Mr. Reynolds website from a few years back, which gave visitors the chance to vote for the preferred genre of film Burt most suited. I abused the hell outta that!

Burt Reynolds next movie should be (according to this site) a sci-fi epic involving LAYZORS (correct spelling) and a real-time courtroom drama. I will be sending the results off to Burt immediately together with these mock ups I quickly put together in Photoshop.





I personally think The Space Prospector sounds like such a good idea that I expect the idea pinching bastards known as the Wachowski brothers to steal it as their own, with the film out in cinemas summer 2010!

quick update

Hmm, thats not fair! It seems only the Americans got the Terminator Salvation trailer attached to The Dark Knight, not us Brits!

The Dark Knight was great by the way - review coming soon.

Terminator Salvation (2009)

As rumoured the teaser trailer for Terminator Salvation is attached to 'The Dark Knight' which I'm watching tomorrow (cannot wait!!!).



And heres a screen shot someone took from the trailer of the new Terminator! I've adjusted the contrast and brightness, although its still not amazingly clear.

On a sad note I found out the FX master Stan Winston died last week. He was responsible for creating amazing special effects for The Terminator, Predator and Jurassic Park amongst others.

oooh, that makes me so mad!!!

OK, this is gonna sound completely dorky, I accept that.

I was watching BBC News 24 and they were covering tonights premiere of The Dark Knight in London. The girl on the red carpet reporting had no bloody idea about Batman, she referred to Michael Caine as Batman's Dad and kept mistaking the Batmobile as the new Batpod (the awesome bike). It was embarrassing.



Do your research!

Is it Time For Batman to Tone it Down?

Watchmen (2009)

Watchmen looks pretty awesome judging by the above trailer. Its adapted from the DC graphic novel by 300 director Zack Snyder. Its also co written by David Hayter, the voice of Solid Snake from the amazing Metal Gear video games!

Far Cry 2 - Deception Video

This looks amazing!

Everyday Devices As Designed By Batman

The always brilliant and hilarious Cracked.com has a new Photoshop contest to create Everyday Devices As Designed By Batman. Check out the entries so far.

Here's my attempt;



Only 12 days to go and The Dark Knight gets released into cinemas, awesome!

Robert Downey Jr 'to play Holmes'

Robert Downey Jr is in final negotiations to play Sherlock Holmes in director Guy Ritchie's movie about the crime fighter, according to a report.

The Iron Man star was introduced to the project through his wife, who works for one of the film's producers, The Hollywood Reporter says.

The film will rival a Columbia Pictures Sherlock Holmes comedy starring Sacha Baron Cohen in the lead role.

Ritchie's Holmes will be less stuffy than previous screen incarnations.

Downey Jr's interest in the project was sparked when he visited producer Joel Silver's Warner-based offices where he was shown Ritchie's version of Holmes.

The film takes its cue from a forthcoming comic book which gives a new slant to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic character, who is portrayed as more adventurous.

Currently given the working title Sherlock Holmes, the film will begin shooting in the autumn for a October 2009 release, according to Warner Bros.

The Columbia Pictures film, meanwhile, also has Will Ferrell on board as Holmes' sidekick Dr Watson.

The 40-year-old Virgin director Judd Apatow is producing the movie, but no director has been announced yet.

* Pinched from BBC Entertainment News, 10/07/2008

Michael Bay's Rejected "The Dark Knight" Script

Apparently, Michael Bay wrote an unsolicited script for The Dark Knight that was ultimately rejected by Warner Bros.

To read the full story, click here.

I doubt its true but its very funny nevertheless!

Lost Metropolis Footage Found

Lost footage from cult sci-fi film Metropolis has been discovered in Argentina.

The director's cut of Fritz Lang's 1927 classic, featuring an extra 30 minutes, was believed to have vanished forever after it was cut by Paramount bosses because of bad reviews.

However, the curator of the Buenos Aires Film Museum discovered a copy of the movie in his archives - and a projectionist noticed it was longer than all other versions of the iconic film.

Film restorer Martin Koerber, who is one of the few people to see the lost footage, says, "No matter how bad the condition of the material may be, the original intention of the film, including all of its sub-plots, is now once again tangible for the normal viewer. The rhythm of the film has been restored."

* Pinched from IMDb, 04/07/2008

I've never actually seen Metropolis, will have to one day.