Tag: The Dark Knight (41-50 of 70)

Oct 20 2009 03:37 PM ET

Halloween '09: Keep uploading your hilarious pop culture costumes to our Facebook page

facebook_popwatch_halloweenThanks to all of you who’ve sent in your pop culture-related Halloween costumes for inclusion in our Best Costumes roundup the week before Halloween. (Here’s last year’s gallery.) To achieve eternal fame, upload photos of your pop culture-related Halloween costumes to Entertainment Weekly’s Facebook page. Just click “add photo” on our wall and your image will appear in the Just Fans section. I just spent a decent chunk of time telling Facebook I “liked” certain things, which does not mean I dislike the others. I mean honestly where do you even stop with that? I love all of them! Juno and Bleeker, Robin Sparkles, The Dark Knight, Dr. Horrible, and Saved by the Bell were all popular with our readers in ’08, and the corporate settings behind characters like the SpongeBob crew and Princess Leia will crack you up. Powdered Toast Man from Ren & Stimpy, Rose from Dr. Who, and Matt Roloff from Little People, Big World are simply inspired. There’s even a Peggy Olson, a Kool-Aid Man/mom, and a Dumbo in a dorm room!

So stop by the EW Facebook lounge, take  a look around, upload some costume photos, and while you’re there, be sure to “become a fan” of Entertainment Weekly. You’ll be rewarded with the EW extras we’re cooking up for our growing Facebook page, like upcoming bonus video footage, contests, games…not to mention that we’d just really appreciate it. That’s it! And for the last time, elderly supply teacher, just because Amy looks pregnant for Halloween does NOT mean she’s pregnant. Party on.

Jul 24 2009 10:13 PM ET

Enter the Fray: Accio couch

The-frey_l With the long-awaited Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince finally on the big screen and setting the Muggle box office on fire, we realize the time has come to hang up our wizard/witch robes and (immobile) broomsticks…and reacquaint ourselves with the glorious, decidedly non-magical television set. TV recaps and news dominated this week's PopWatch comments.

10. The judges lost their composure over Melissa's and Ade's emotional dance on Wednesday's So You Think You Can Dance, but Annie Barrett (and you) wondered if this wasn't a bit over the top.

9. Michael Jackson was as eccentric as he was talented. But were the two inseparable? Owen Gleiberman examined the "weirdness" at the "soul of his musical and cultural power."

8. So Hell's Kitchen is back. Have you seen this? Have you heard about this? Desperate to catch up with Christian Bale, Gordon Ramsay has really upped his verbal assault game this season.

7. Bruno alum Paula Abdul may not be sitting at the American Idol judges' table next season, which prompted Michael Slezak to speculate on the show's hypothetical future. Can there be a Simon and Randy without a Paula? (Don't get Slezak started on Kara….)

6. Noted philanthropist Mandi Bierly shared the song she couldn't get out of her head (Kenny Loggins' "Meet Me Halfway" from the Over the Top soundtrack), then asked you to reciprocate. The number of good songs featured in crappy movies appears to be staggering.

5. You had quite a bit to say on the subject of Chris Brown's public video apology. I've got nothing.

4. Susan Boyle sat down with Meredith Viera on the Today show this week to talk fame, pressure, and dolls rendered in her likeness. Three months in and this train is still chugging along.

3. …I mean, who DOESN'T love talking Emmy nominations? This year's crop elicited quite a response.

2. Time will prove that the Wicker Man remake with Nicolas Cage is in fact the movie of the decade (hell, century), but you and Jeff Labrecque clearly think differently. Did anyone even SEE this Dark Knight movie?

1. It's Chris Harrison. He wins again. The Michael Phelps of 'Enter the Fray', folks.

May 7 2009 05:47 PM ET

Has Batman really seen the last of the Joker?

Heathledgerjoker_lHeath Ledger is dead. But unlike Jack Nicholson’s Joker, who perished in a midnight plunge to Gotham’s pavement in Tim Burton’s original Batman, Ledger’s Joker survived The Dark Knight to fight another day. "I think you and I are destined to do this forever," Ledger’s dangling Joker taunted Batman at the end of the film.

Ledger’s tragic accidental overdose seemingly removed that possibility from Christopher Nolan’s blueprint for future sequels. But is the character necessarily finished within the franchise? Would Nolan dare recast the Joker with another actor? It would be a thankless — if not blasphemous — assignment for any young actor. (Sure, Michael Gambon slipped on Richard Harris’ beard in Harry Potter, but this would be different.)

But the facts remain: In Batman’s universe, the Joker is still very much alive. He is, and will always be, the yin to Batman’s yang. And, not insignificantly, he’s slightly obscured behind a face-full of grease paint.

Nolan’s next film isn’t Batman, but Inception, featuring an all-star cast, including Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Ledger and Gordon Levitt could practically pass for brothers, so I couldn’t help myself from imagining Gordon-Levitt in the Joker’s purple duds. Am I crazy? Hopeless? Disrespectful?

Quite honestly, the iconic villain and Ledger’s terrifying performance were somonumental that I think future chapters need to revisit him in some way, shapeor form. But how would you feel if the Joker reappeared in a future Batman film, played by someone else? Would Gordon-Levitt fit the bill? What about Emile Hirsch? Would this be the height of morbid commercialization or the faithful continuation of an unfinished drama?

Mar 19 2009 06:29 PM ET

'South Park': The Coon vs. Mysterion. These are dark times

Southpark_obama Last night’s South Park spoofed Watchmen, The Dark Knight, Spider-Man 3, and probably a bunch of other superhero movies I’m not Geek enough to have spotted. (Around here, that means I’m not cool enough. Oh, hamburgers!)

Dark Times wasn’t as life-changing for me as last week’s epic Jonas Brothers/purity rings season 13 premiere, but I cracked up at how "the wretched underbelly of society" translated to an outdoor storage facility (the makeshift headquarters for Professor Chaos and General Disarray — welcome back!), and the improvised Shepard Fairey poster of President Barack Obama with googly southparkian eyes. "He was supposed to change things. He didn’t." And the janky POSSIBLE SUSPECTS bulletin board grouping Cartman with Harvey Fierstein and Bruce Vilanch is today’s desktop pattern. I tiled this s—.

I don’t think we’re supposed to guess at the identity of Mysterion, whose question mark-on-a-spring headpiece sort of made me want to hug him instead of fear him. (Or her. Sorry Wendy.) But if I had to, my money’s on Stan, because we already know he thinks Kyle’s the smartest kid in class. Watch the full episode at South Park Studios, or press play below for the ep’s Watchmen-esque opening.

Feb 12 2009 07:32 PM ET

Christopher Nolan taking mind over bat-matter

Christophernolan_lTake some deep breaths, Batman fans: Christopher Nolan’s next Caped Crusader movie won’t be on screens any time soon. The writer and director has picked his next project, and it doesn’t come with a rubber suit (we think): Inception, which Nolan wrote and is set to direct, is "a contemporary sci-fi actioner set within the architecture of the mind." The guy’s no stranger to cerebral storytelling — he wrote Memento, after all — but the phrase "architecture of the mind," a dorm-room term if ever there were, is sending up all kinds of red flags for me. And written on those red flags is Herman’s Head. That early ’90s sitcom, literally set in a doofus’s brain, is a punchline unto itself. "Architecture of the mind" makes me think, and not fondly, of the finale for St. Elsewhere (pictured, left), in which we learned the whole series had been part of Tommy Westphall’s imagination. It’s conjuring intensely unpleasant memories of Vanilla Sky, which all took place in poor, confused Tom Cruise’s pretty little head.

State of mind movies aren’t all bad, though. Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind both nimbly play with the idea of consciousness and the self. But unless Charlie Kaufmann suddenly becomes attached to Inception, I remain nervous. Talk me down off the ledge, PopWatchers: What are some good it’s-all-in-your-head stories?

Feb 6 2009 08:45 PM ET

'The Dark Knight': Too dark for the Kids' Choice Awards?

Darkknight_lNickelodeon just announced the Favorite Movie contenders for its annual Kids’ Choice Awards (airing on March 28). And the nominees are….

High School Musical 3
Iron Man
Bedtime Stories
The Dark Knight

If you’re like me, you did a double take at the last title on this list. Is Dark Knight really a kid pic? I’ve got no beef with parents who let their children see it; the movie’s rated PG-13, after all. But this is the same show that nominated George Lopez as Favorite Male Movie Star for his "role" in Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Do nihilistic terrorists (i.e. the Joker) and talking dogs really have the same entertainment value for kids today?

What do you think, PopWatchers? Is it just me, or is Dark Knight a little too dark for the Kids Choice Awards?

Jan 23 2009 07:00 PM ET

'The Dark Knight' returns to IMAX: Will you check it out (again)?

Darkknightbike_dlThe Dark Knight has opened in IMAX once again! Starting today, 143 domestic screens (and 29 international!) will make it seem like Christian Bale is about to drive that thing RIGHT INTO YOUR NOSTRILS. TDK is the first major Hollywood movie to be partially shot by IMAX cameras; six sequences in particular were intended to attack you from all angles on the big screen. Check the complete list of IMAX locations at ComingSoon.net.

I’m definitely looking forward to seeing TDK in IMAX, but it’s with a heavy heart. I fear it’s gonna be so good that I’ll have to relegate my current all-time favorite IMAX movie — Michael Jordan to the Max — to second place. My collection of commemorative Chicago Bulls Starter tees (repeat, three-peat, single peat, etc.) would probably never speak to me again. And then what?

Will you see The Dark Knight in IMAX again? And name your favorite IMAX scene ever! My wingspan apparently could use some expansion

More on The Dark Knight:
EW’s review of The Dark Knight
Cover Story: Inside The Dark Knight
Box Office Report: The Dark Knight nabs the biggest opening ever
PopWatch: Did the hype ruin The Dark Knight for you?

Dec 31 2008 02:30 PM ET

Perhaps Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin isn't such a bad idea

Hoffman_lWe’ve pretty much covered all the casting rumors surrounding Christopher Nolan’s follow-up to The Dark Knight, but this CinemaBlend.com photo of Philip Seymour Hoffman as Nolan’s Penguin is just too intriguing to ignore. Yes, even CinemaBlend itself recognizes that claims that the photo is from a studio makeup test are almost certainly bunk and that it’s probably just a really good Photoshop job. Nevertheless, I kinda dig the crooked eyebrows and cracked-dome, and it has me rethinking my initial aversion to a Penguin in the next movie.

What do you think of the photo? Does it change your mind about a Penguin in Nolan’s next picture? Who else could play the Penguin?

More on ‘The Dark Knight’:
‘The Dark Knight’: Did the hype ruin it for you?
Review: ‘The Dark Knight’
‘The Dark Knight’: Will you see it again?
‘The Dark Knight’: Oscar worthy?
Eddie Murphy to play the Riddler?

Dec 29 2008 04:30 PM ET

'The Dark Knight': Did the hype ruin it for you?

Darkknight_lI finally got around to seeing The Dark Knight over the holiday weekend, and I have to say, I wasn’t bowled over. Despite being completely mesmerized for the past year by the images of Heath Ledger’s depraved Joker, I don’t make it to the theater as often as I’d like these days (two-year-old daughter) and sometimes have to wait, even for movies I really want to see, until they come out on DVD. Maybe that was my mistake. Don’t get me wrong: I enjoyed The Dark Knight, and I was not disappointed in the slightest by Ledger’s freakish, lip-smacking fiend. But at the same time, I was let down given the movie’s gargantuan box office haul, the almost universal critical praise, and the Oscar buzz surrounding it and its fallen star. I could see Ledger taking Supporting Actor, but while I haven’t yet seen all the other Oscar contenders this year, I would be a bit surprised if The Dark Knight took Best Picture.

By the time I finally sat down last week to see The Dark Knight, I’d already heard the arguments that this very good movie is a great work of art because it reflects the chaos in our real world today — corrupt politicians, brazen villains, heroes who sometimes seem like villains, and so on. And perhaps it does appeal in that way on some level (though it’s certainly not the first or best film to do so), but the movie also kind of drags in the second half thanks to theTwo-Face storyline, which makes the running time at least 30 minutes too long,and Christian Bale might make a good Bruce Wayne, but he’s no more than an adequate Batman.

Mostly, I think this movie was successful –- as well as hugely popular –- because it featured a character that we couldn’t take our eyes off of played by an actor who recently died way too young.Before it appeared on a single screen this summer, the movie was already larger-than-life because of Ledger’s passing, and six months of the hype machine working at full steam had no doubt set my expectations way too high. So maybe this really is an Oscar-worthy movie and I just need to hire a babysitter more often and catch movies earlier and with less context. But if I’m to be honest, I was disappointed with The Dark Knight and hope for more from this year’s other Best Picture contenders.

What about you PopWatchers? Is The Dark Knight worthy of a Best Picture Oscar? Would it have become the sensation it is had Ledger not died just after shooting it? What movies disappointed you after a massive build-up had set your expectations too high?

More on ‘The Dark Knight’:
Review: ‘The Dark Knight’
‘The Dark Knight’ nabs biggest opening ever
‘The Dark Knight’: Will you see it again?
‘The Dark Knight’: Oscar worthy?
Eddie Murphy to play the Riddler?

Dec 19 2008 08:01 PM ET

'Iron Man 2' 'casting' 'rumor': John Cho as the Mandarin?

Chochong_lEW scoop-hounds nowhere near the development of Iron Man 2 have learned that John Cho has been cast as the Mandarin in Jon Favreau’s follow-up to the gold-plated blockbuster. Cho, having appeared as both Harold and Sulu, will make the Asian geek trifecta with this role as the power-ring-wearing, power-mad villain. Other horribly placed sources tell us that Tommy Chong is being eyed to play the Mandarin’s father, who claims to be the real genius responsible for the weaponeering success of Howard Stark, Tony’s beloved dad.

Does that sound real enough to start a casting rumor? Feels like it to me. After all, was there any more than that to go on when people started talking about Tim Robbins in Iron Man 2, Eddie Murphy as the Riddler in Batman 3, or Rachel Weisz as Catwoman in the same? (Let the record show that I am 100 percent in favor of a Rachel Weisz Catwoman.)

Is it a popularity thing, is that why people feel the need to start these rumors? What purpose do they serve, other to make people think you know more than anyone else? Why do these baseless rumors get any traction at all? Surely, we’ve got more important things to do with our time.

That said, I really would like to see Rachel Weisz as Catwoman. Which of these rumors do you wish were true? And, hey, wanna start one while you’re at it?

More casting rumors:
Eddie Murphy as the Riddler? Hmm…
Do you believe…in casting Cher as Catwoman?
‘Gossip Girl’: Four rumors

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