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The Dark Knight Thread
Topic Started: Apr 29 2008, 06:06 PM (1,858 Views)
The Natural
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Found out via my local paper that the 23rd July IMAX showing has completely sold out so that's a new experience for me, attending a film in a fully booked up cinema.
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Acadius
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It's a heck of an experience... especially if you have a decent crowd!!!
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The Natural
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http://www.whysoserious.com/kickingandscreening

If you follow the link it's a bunch of US cities holding free screenings three days before the US general release date, all on IMAX (unlike the advanced screenings in the UK which were either to be shown on IMAX or at regular cinemas)...all sold out.

I'm not suprised. There's a report in the Uk that the IMAX in London is "seriously considering" (exact quote) screening The Dark Knight "24 hours a day" (again exact quote). Ticket sales for The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience that extra shows including one at 2:30am will be airing. Like I said, mine is sold out.

Care to suggest reasons why The Dark Knight is doing such great business, is it because of Batman, the rave reviews or because it pits Batman against his greatest enemy?
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Acadius
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Why is it doing such great business? Well, reviews like this one can't hurt...

The Dark Knight
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The Natural
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Acadius
Jul 15 2008, 01:43 PM
Why is it doing such great business? Well, reviews like this one can't hurt...

The Dark Knight
Total Film also gave The Dark Knight the same score.

The premiere of The Dark Knight has being covered in the UK media including news and radio. Some touching comments all round by the main cast. ITV's coverage of The Dark Knight was appalling calling it Batman at one stage, and even worse I shit you not, "The Knight Rider" twice which is shoddy reporting.
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The Natural
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Roger Ebert's review:

Quote:
 
The Dark Knight ****

"Batman” isn’t a comic book anymore. Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” is a haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy. It creates characters we come to care about. That’s because of the performances, because of the direction, because of the writing, and because of the superlative technical quality of the entire production. This film, and to a lesser degree “Iron Man,” redefine the possibilities of the “comic-book movie.”

“The Dark Knight” is not a simplistic tale of good and evil. Batman is good, yes, The Joker is evil, yes. But Batman poses a more complex puzzle than usual: The citizens of Gotham City are in an uproar, calling him a vigilante and blaming him for the deaths of policemen and others. And the Joker is more than a villain. He’s a Mephistopheles whose actions are fiendishly designed to pose moral dilemmas for his enemies.

The key performance in the movie is by the late Heath Ledger, as the Joker. Will he become the first posthumous Oscar winner since Peter Finch? His Joker draws power from the actual inspiration of the character in the silent classic “The Man Who Laughs” (1928). His clown's makeup more sloppy than before, his cackle betraying deep wounds. Throughout the film, he devises ingenious situations that force Batman (Christian Bale), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to make impossible ethical decisions. By the end, the whole moral foundation of the Batman legend is threatened.

Because these actors and others are so powerful, and because the movie does not allow its spectacular special effects to upstage the humans, we’re surprised how deeply the drama affects us. Eckhart does an especially good job as Harvey Dent, whose character is transformed by a horrible fate into a bitter monster. It is customary in a comic book movie to maintain a certain knowing distance from the action, to view everything through a sophisticated screen. “The Dark Knight” slips around those defenses and engages us.

Yes, the special effects are extraordinary. They focus on the expected explosions and catastrophes, and have some superb, elaborate chase scenes. The movie was shot on location in Chicago, but it avoids such familiar landmarks as Marina City, the Wrigley Building or the skyline. Chicagoans will recognize many places, notably La Salle Street and Lower Wacker Drive, but director Nolan is not making a travelogue. He presents the city as a wilderness of skyscrapers, and a key sequence is set in the still-uncompleted Trump Tower. Through these heights, the Batman moves at the end of strong wires, or sometimes actually flies, using his cape as a parasail.

The plot involves nothing more or less than the Joker’s attempts to humiliate the forces for good and expose Batman’ secret identity, showing him to be a poser and a fraud. He includes Gordon and Dent on his target list, and contrives cruel tricks to play with the fact that Bruce Wayne once loved, and Harvey Dent now loves, Assistant D.A. Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal). The tricks are more cruel than he realizes, because the Joker doesn’t know Batman’s identity. Heath Ledger has a good deal of dialogue in the movie, and a lot of it isn’t the usual jabs and jests we’re familiar with: It’s psychologically more complex, outlining the dilemmas he has constructed, and explaining his reasons for them. The screenplay by Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan (who first worked together on “Memento”) has more depth and poetry than we might have expected.

Two of the supporting characters are crucial to the action, and are played effortlessly by the great actors Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. Freeman, as the scientific genius Lucius Fox, is in charge of Bruce Wayne’s underground headquarters, and makes an ethical objection to a method of eavesdropping on all of the citizens of Gotham City. His stand has current political implictions. Caine is the faithful butler Alfred, who understands Wayne better than anybody, and makes a decision about a crucial letter.

Nolan also directed the previous, and excellent, “Batman Begins” (2005), which went into greater detail than ever before about Bruce Wayne’s origins and the reasons for his compulsions. Now it is the Joker’s turn, although his past is handled entirely with dialogue, not flashbacks. There are no references to Batman’s childhood, but we certainly remember it, and we realize that this conflict is between two adults who were twisted by childhood cruelty — one compensating by trying to do good, the other by trying to do evil. Perhaps they instinctively understand that themselves.

Something fundamental seems to be happening in the upper realms of the comic-book movie. “Spider-Man II” (2004) may have defined the high point of the traditional film based on comic-book heroes. A movie like the new “Hellboy II” allows its director free rein for his fantastical visions. But now “Iron Man” and even more so “The Dark Knight” move the genre into deeper waters. They realize, as some comic-book readers instinctively do, that these stories touch on deep fears, traumas, fantasies and hopes. And the Batman legend, with its origins in film noir, is the most fruitful one for exploration.

In his two Batman movies, Nolan has freed the character to be a canvas for a broader scope of human emotion. For Bruce Wayne is a deeply troubled man, let there be no doubt, and if ever in exile from his heroic role, it would not surprise me what he finds himself capable of doing.
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Acadius
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ITV called it The Knight Rider? That is fantastic... I can just imagine the Hoff in the Batsuit...

You might want to check out empireonline.co.uk, Natural. They are doing a big 15 day lead up to the film coming out... already 5/6 days in, and there are some decent articles up there.
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J.D.
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Just a man with a saw.
Well, seeing it at midnight tonight with Salty.



The theater has assigned seats with the tickets, so we don't have to show up 6 hours early in order to get a good seat, which feels strange because it seems like this film is the only one I'd consider getting their really early. Well, now there just the task of passing the hours.
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The Natural
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J.D.
Jul 17 2008, 01:48 PM
The theater has assigned seats with the tickets, so we don't have to show up 6 hours early in order to get a good seat, which feels strange because it seems like this film is the only one I'd consider getting their really early. Well, now there just the task of passing the hours.
The tickets I bought for the IMAX next week are not assigned so I don't know what to feel about that as I'm kinda expecting jostling. Me and my Dad are going to have to get there early (I was advised to get there an hour beforehand by the cashier who I bought the tickets from).

It's unreal to think about all that has led up to The Dark Knight's release in America tommorow (and a week later for us in the UK which irritates but I get comfort seeing it in IMAX at the earliest date possible) and I thought I'd do a summary post looking back at developments during this period:

At first, this was thought to be how The Joker would look in The Dark Knight:

Posted Image

I thought it was a good look, until the first official picture of Heath Ledger as The Joker was released and out of all the pictures taken from The Dark Knight at any time, this still shocks me the most and left me speechless when I first saw it (I liked it and it still one of my favourite pictures):

Posted Image

On the subject of looks, this includes a new Batsuit which divided opinion (I liked it from the start) and the Batpod (which was the only thing I wasn't keen on, but having seen it in action, I like it but the Tumbler reigns supreme). Lost in the shuffle somewhat with how The Joker would look, was how Two-Face would look, and a picture leaked which was moved by studio request. I have posted it in a spoiler and like how I liked the look of The Joker, I also liked the picture of Two-Face.

Posted Image

Posted Image

Spoiler: click to toggle


The viral campaigns have being excellent allowing you to support Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon for example but my favourite build up to The Dark Knight is without question, the first full length trailer released in December 2007 and seeing Heath Ledger in live action for the first time as The Joker. Other trailers have followed and have being great such as the Domino's one, but the one from December has a special X factor to me.

Sadly one month later, Heath Ledger died of an accidential drug overdose and is not here to enjoy the criticial acclaim his role as The Joker has generated but of more importance the Ledger's lost a son, brother and a father. Christopher Nolan's written tribute to Heath was a beautiful tribute. I also must mention the death of Conway Wickliffe who was killed in September in a stunt-car accident.

In closing I look forward to reading poster's reflections of the time leading up to The Dark Knight's release tommorow if they wish (I think I have forgotten some). I look forward to reading posters views of The Dark Knight and all I ask is for posters to use spoiler tags or indicate a spoiler is upcoming in their review for me and others like me. Rest assured I will be asking questions general questions about The Dark Knight (performances, how good it is etc) until I see it next week so be ready ; )
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J.D.
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Just a man with a saw.
Well, saw it. Contrary to previous thoughts, the seats were not assigned. We got there and hour early and were lucky enough to get a seat in the second row. Even though I came out with neck pains from permanently looking up, it was still hella enjoyable.

Not gonna post any spoilers, but rest assured, it IS that awesome.
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