2008: The Cinescape - Wonderful montage of 2008's great films.

Matt Shapiro has created The Cinescape which covers pretty much all the great films from 2008 in 4 minutes. It is a wonderful piece of editing and works so well with the lovely sound of Sigur Ros' Hoppipola. Just watch it and marvel at it all then tell all your friends about it. It's just so good.

List of Movies (in order of appearance):

-The Dark Knight
-Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
-Wall-E
-Quantum of Solace
-Iron Man
-Defiance
-Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
-Australia
-Forgetting Sarah Marshall
-Wall-E
-The Curious Case of Benjamin
-The Dark Knight
-Frost/Nixon
-Wall-E
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
-Slumdog Millionaire
-Milk
-Seven Pounds
-Revolutionary Road
-Pineapple Express
-Speed Racer
-Burn After Reading
-Ghost Town
-Revolutionary Road
-Quantum of Solace
-Rachel Getting Married
-Australia
-Role Models
-Choke
-The Tale of Despereaux
-Cloverfield
-Zack and Miri Make a Porno
-The Visitor
-Milk
-Be Kind Rewind
-Synecdoche, New York
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
-Doubt
-Wall-E
-W.
-Get Smart
-Iron Man
-Tropic Thunder
-Iron Man
-Tropic Thunder
-Doubt
-The Reader
-Happy-Go-Lucky
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
-Valkyrie
-Frost/Nixon
-Yes Man
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
-The Wrestler
-Revolutionary Road
-Snow Angels
-In Bruges
-Waltz with Bashir
-Wendy and Lucy
-Rachel Getting Married
-Get Smart
-Hamlet 2
-Hancock
-The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
-Cloverfield
-Wall-E
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
-The Day the Earth Stood Still
-The Dark Knight
-FADE OUT

-FADE IN
-The Dark Knight
-The Incredible Hulk
-Wall-E
-Seven Pounds
-Wendy and Lucy
-The Wrestler
-Australia
-The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
-The Dark Knight
-Wall-E
-Cloverfield
-Australia
-Miracle at St. Anna
-Waltz with Bashir
-Valkyrie
-Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
-Rachel Getting Married
-Pineapple Express
-The Dark Knight
-Defiance
-Che
-Valkyrie
-Australia
-Defiance
-Quantum of Solace
-Slumdog Millionaire
-The Wrestler
-Revolutionary Road
-The Dark Knight
-Defiance
-Australia
-Iron Man
-Cloverfield
-The Strangers
-Defiance
-Wall-E
-Slumdog Millionaire
-Revolutionary Road
-Synecdoche, New York
-Defiance
-Iron Man
-The Day the Earth Stood Still
-Waltz with Bashir
-The Dark Knight
-Australia
-The Wrestler
-Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
-Cloverfield
-The Dark Knight
-Pineapple Express
-Defiance
-Rachel Getting Married
-Milk
-Quantum of Solace
-Defiance
-Kung Fu Panda
-Pineapple Express
-Seven Pounds
-The Wrestler
-Iron Man
-Eagle Eye
-Frost/Nixon
-Revolutionary Road
-The Reader
-Milk
-Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay
-Gran Torino
-Che
-The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

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2009 Oscar Nominations are out

The nominees for the 81st Academy Awards have been announced. Looks rather interesting. No Dark Knight for Best Picture although Heath Ledger gets the nod.However, it is up for Best Editing which is a bit odd as I felt the editing in places was an absolute mess.

The 81st Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, February 22nd at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood with a live airing on ABC starting at 8 PM (EST).

PICTURE
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millionaire

DIRECTOR
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

ACTOR
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - The Reader

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Courtney Hunt - Frozen River
Mike Leigh - Happy-Go-Lucky
Martin McDonagh - In Bruges
Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Andrew Stanton & Jim Reardon - Wall-E

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
Eric Roth & Robin Swicord - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Patrick Shanley - Doubt
Peter Morgan - Frost/Nixon
David Hare - The Reader
Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire

ANIMATED FEATURE
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda
Wall-E

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex
The Class
Departures
Revanche
Waltz With Bashir

ART DIRECTION
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
The Duchess
Revolutionary Road

CINEMATOGRAPHY
Tom Stern - Changeling
Claudio Miranda - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister - The Dark Knight
Chris Menges & Roger Deakins - The Reader
Anthony Dod Mantle - Slumdog Millionaire

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Man on Wire
Trouble the Water

DOCUMENTARY SHORT
The Conscience of Nhem En
The Final Inch
Smile Pinki
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

ANIMATED SHORT
La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

LIVE-ACTION SHORT
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig
Spielzeugland (Toyland)

VISUAL EFFECTS
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Iron Man

COSTUME DESIGN
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Duchess
Milk
Revolutionary Road

MAKEUP
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

FILM EDITING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire

SOUND MIXING
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
Wanted

SOUND EDITING
The Dark Knight
Iron Man
Slumdog Millionaire
Wall-E
Wanted

ORIGINAL SCORE
Alexandre Desplat - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Newton Howard - Defiance
Danny Elfman - Milk
A.R. Rahman - Slumdog Millionaire
Thomas Newman - Wall-E

ORIGINAL SONG
"Down to Earth" from Wall-E
"Jai Ho" from Slumdog Millionaire
"O Saya" from Slumdog Millionaire

I think Slumdog Millionaire will clean up this year. What are your thoughts? Any surprises?

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The British Academy of Film and Television Arts nominations

The BAFTA nominations came out a while back and I thought I had posted them but obviously not. Here they are and appear similar to the Oscar nominations. Check out the award at the bottom as you can vote for your rising star of 2009.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards take place at the Royal Opera House on Sunday 8 February.

BEST FILM
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Ceán Chaffin
FROST/NIXON – Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
MILK – Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
THE READER – Anthony Minghella, Sydney Pollack, Donna Gigliotti, Redmond Morris
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson

OUTSTANDING BRITISH FILM
HUNGER – Laura Hastings-Smith, Robin Gutch, Steve McQueen, Enda Walsh
IN BRUGES – Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin, Martin McDonagh
MAMMA MIA! – Judy Craymer, Gary Goetzman, Phyllida Lloyd, Catherine Johnson
MAN ON WIRE – Simon Chinn, James Marsh
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Christian Colson, Danny Boyle, Simon Beaufoy

THE CARL FOREMAN AWARD
for Special Achievement by a British Director, Writer or Producer for their First Feature Film
SIMON CHINN (Producer) – Man On Wire
JUDY CRAYMER (Producer) – Mamma Mia!
GARTH JENNINGS (Writer) – Son of Rambow
STEVE McQUEEN (Director/Writer) – Hunger
SOLON PAPADOPOULOS, ROY BOULTER (Producers) – Of Time And The City

DIRECTOR
CHANGELING – Clint Eastwood
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – David Fincher
FROST/NIXON – Ron Howard
THE READER – Stephen Daldry
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Danny Boyle

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
BURN AFTER READING – Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
CHANGELING – J. Michael Straczynski
I’VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Philippe Claudel
IN BRUGES – Martin McDonagh
MILK – Dustin Lance Black

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Roth
FROST/NIXON – Peter Morgan
THE READER – David Hare
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Justin Haythe
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Simon Beaufoy

FILM NOT IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE
THE BAADER MEINHOF COMPLEX – Bernd Eichinger, Uli Edel
GOMORRAH – Domenico Procacci, Matteo Garrone
I'VE LOVED YOU SO LONG – Yves Marmion, Philippe Claudel
PERSEPOLIS – Marc-Antoine Robert, Xavier Rigault, Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Serge Lalou, Gerhard Meixner, Yael Nahlieli, Ari Folman

ANIMATED FILM
PERSEPOLIS – Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud
WALL•E – Andrew Stanton
WALTZ WITH BASHIR – Ari Folman

LEADING ACTOR
FRANK LANGELLA – Frost/Nixon
DEV PATEL – Slumdog Millionaire
SEAN PENN – Milk
BRAD PITT – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
MICKEY ROURKE – The Wrestler

LEADING ACTRESS
ANGELINA JOLIE – Changeling
KRISTIN SCOTT THOMAS – I’ve Loved You So Long
MERYL STREEP – Doubt
KATE WINSLET – The Reader
KATE WINSLET – Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTOR
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. – Tropic Thunder
BRENDAN GLEESON – In Bruges
PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN – Doubt
HEATH LEDGER – The Dark Knight
BRAD PITT – Burn After Reading

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
AMY ADAMS – Doubt
PENÉLOPE CRUZ – Vicky Cristina Barcelona
FREIDA PINTO – Slumdog Millionaire
TILDA SWINTON – Burn After Reading
MARISA TOMEI – The Wrestler

MUSIC
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Alexandre Desplat
THE DARK KNIGHT – Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
MAMMA MIA! – Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – A. R. Rahman
WALL•E – Thomas Newman

CINEMATOGRAPHY
CHANGELING – Tom Stern
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Claudio Miranda
THE DARK KNIGHT – Wally Pfister
THE READER – Chris Menges, Roger Deakins
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Anthony Dod Mantle

EDITING **
CHANGELING – Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Kirk Baxter, Angus Wall
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lee Smith
FROST/NIXON – Mike Hill, Dan Hanley
IN BRUGES – Jon Gregory
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Chris Dickens
**As there was a tie in this category there are six nominations

PRODUCTION DESIGN
CHANGELING – James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
THE DARK KNIGHT – Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Kristi Zea, Debra Schutt
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE – Mark Digby, Michelle Day

COSTUME DESIGN
CHANGELING – Deborah Hopper
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jacqueline West
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lindy Hemming
THE DUCHESS – Michael O'Connor
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD – Albert Wolsky

SOUND
CHANGELING – Walt Martin, Alan Robert Murray, John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff
THE DARK KNIGHT – Lora Hirschberg, Richard King, Ed Novick, Gary Rizzo
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Jimmy Boyle, Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
SLUMDOG MILLIONARE – Glenn Freemantle, Resul Pookutty, Richard Pryke, Tom Sayers, Ian Tapp
WALL•E – Ben Burtt, Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Matthew Wood

SPECIAL VISUAL EFFECTS
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Eric Barba, Craig Barron, – Nathan McGuinness, Edson Williams
THE DARK KNIGHT – Chris Corbould, Nick Davis, Paul Franklin, Tim Webber
INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL – Pablo Helman, Marshall Krasser, Steve Rawlins
IRON MAN – Hal Hickel, Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow
QUANTUM OF SOLACE – Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug

MAKE UP & HAIR
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON – Jean Black, Colleen Callaghan
THE DARK KNIGHT – Peter Robb-King
THE DUCHESS – Daniel Phillips, Jan Archibald
FROST/NIXON – Edouard Henriques, Kim Santantonio
MILK – Steven E. Anderson, Michael White

SHORT ANIMATION
CODSWALLOP – Greg McLeod, Myles McLeod
VARMINTS – Sue Goffe, Marc Craste
WALLACE AND GROMIT: A MATTER OF LOAF AND DEATH – Steve Pegram, Nick Park, Bob Baker

SHORT FILM
KINGSLAND #1 THE DREAMER – Kate Ogborn, Tony Grisoni
LOVE YOU MORE – Caroline Harvey, Anthony Minghella, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick Marber
RALPH – Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler
SEPTEMBER – Stewart le Maréchal, Esther May Campbell
VOYAGE D’AFFAIRES (THE BUSINESS TRIP) – Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis

THE ORANGE RISING STAR AWARD
MICHAEL CERA - Juno, Nick And Norah's Infinite Playlist
NOEL CLARKE - Kidulthood, Adulthood, Dr Who
MICHAEL FASSBENDER - 300, Hunger, Eden Lake (possible The Sweeney)
REBECCA HALL - Vicky Cristina Barcelona, Frost / Nixon
TOBY KEBBELL - Control, RocknRolla
Vote for your Rising star of 2009

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Oscars - 2009 Academy Awards Winners

The Oscars have been announced and looks like Slumdog Millionaire sweeped the board. Heath Ledger won best supporting and Sean Penn won best actor. What did you think of the results? Any surprises or totally predictable? Was Stephen Colbert correct in his predictions? There is an Oscars thread set up in the forum if you wish to have a chat about it.

Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader

Best Actor: Sean Penn in Milk
Richard Jenkins in The Visitor
Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon
Brad Pitt in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke in The Wrestler

Best Actress: Kate Winslet in The Reader
Anne Hathaway in Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie in Changeling
Melissa Leo in Frozen River
Meryl Streep in Doubt

Best Director: Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire
Stephen Daldry for The Reader
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon
Gus Van Sant for Milk

Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight
Josh Brolin in Milk
Robert Downey Jr. in Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman in Doubt
Michael Shannon in Revolutionary Road

Best Original Screenplay: Milk written by Dustin Lance Black
Frozen River written by Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky written by Mike Leigh
In Bruges written by Martin McDonagh
WALL-E screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon. Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Best Adapted Screenplay: Slumdog Millionaire screenplay by Simon Beaufoy
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button screenplay by Eric Roth; Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
Doubt written by John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon screenplay by Peter Morgan

Best Animated Film: WALL-E
Bolt
Kung Fu Panda

Best Animated Short Film: La Maison en Petits Cubes
Lavatory - Lovestory
Oktapodi
Presto
This Way Up

Best Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. ZolfoChangeling – Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
The Dark Knight – Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
The Duchess – Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
Revolutionary Road – Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Best Costume Design: Michael O'Connor for The Duchess
Catherine Martin for Australia
Jacqueline West for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Danny Glicker for Milk
Albert Wolsky for Revolutionary Road

Best Make-up: Greg Cannom for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O'Sullivan for The Dark Knight
Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz for Hellboy II: The Golden Army

Best Cinematography: Anthony Dod Mantle for Slumdog Millionaire
Tom Stern for Changeling
Claudio Miranda for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Wally Pfister for The Dark Knight
Chris Menges and Roger Deakins for The Reader

Best Live Action Short Film: Spielzeugland (Toyland)
Auf der Strecke (On the Line)
Manon on the Asphalt
New Boy
The Pig

Best Documentary: Man on Wire
The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)
Encounters at the End of the World
The Garden
Trouble the Water

Best Documentary Short Film: Smile Pinki
The Conscience of Nhem
The Final Inch
The Witness - From the Balcony of Room 306

Best Visual Effects: Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin for The Dark Knight
John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan for Iron Man

Best Sound Editing: Richard King for The Dark Knight
Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes for Iron Man
Tom Sayers for Slumdog Millionaire
Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood for WALL-E
Wylie Stateman for Wanted

Best Sound Mixing: Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty for Slumdog MillionaireDavid Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick for The Dark Knight
Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt for WALL-E
Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt for Wanted

Best Editing: Chris Dickens for Slumdog Millionaire
Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Lee Smith for The Dark Knight
Mike Hill and Dan Hanley for Frost/Nixon
Elliot Graham for Milk

Best Music: A.R. Rahman for Slumdog Millionaire
Alexandre Desplat for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
James Winner: Newton Howard for Defiance
Danny Elfman for Milk
Thomas Newman for WALL-E

Best Forgeign Film: Departures
The Baader Meinhof Complex
The Class
Revanche
Waltz with Bashir
Discuss in the Forum

The Dark Knight smashes all box office records

Hannibal Tabu over at CBR sums up the recent assault of The Dark Knight on the US Box Office.

This summer, the billionaires are making all the money. The Christopher Nolan-directed sequel "The Dark Knight" first set a new record for a midnight opening, with $18.5 million dollars. Then the film set a new record for a Friday opening day with a whopping $66.4 million dollars.

When would the madness stop? Not soon, according to Box Office Mojo, which lists the domestic
box office total for "The Dark Knight" at just over $155 million dollars, at an average of $35,579 per screen and opening in 4,366 theatres. When you add in an estimated $40 million dollars of international ticket sales, that puts the grand total at $195 million dollars.

Let's put that in perspective: "The Dark Knight" is now the sixteenth biggest comic book adaptation (since 1978) and the 15th largest superhero adaptation (again since 1978). This summer's current ruler of box office tallies is "Iron Man," with $314 million ... and "The Dark
Knight" is almost two thirds of the way there. The highest grossing Batman film ever, the 1989 original with Michael Keaton, grossed a grand total of $251,188,924 ... and this film could reach that plateau next weekend.

"The Dark Knight" is also already the sixth highest grossing film of 2008. "The Incredible Hulk" has been in theatres since June 13th, and it's only made $131 million. Mark Millar's "Wanted?" It opened June 27th and has made $123 million. The Guillermo del Toro/Mike Mignola collaboration "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army?" $56 million since July 11th. In three days, a character that was made when before the creators of some of the other summer blockbusters were born has topped them all.

This film had a budget of $180 million dollars

Discuss in the forum.

Max Payne - R Rated? Good or bad thing?

Looks as if the Max Payne movie is going to be R rated and not PG-13 as the film makers wanted (our previous posts on the Max Payne posters and trailer's are here). Now this is good for the older movie going audience and could mean that it will be close to the game with lots of brutal killings. However, it does of course mean it might not do as well at the box office as a PG-13 rating would. The Max Payne games are a few years old now so the main fans of the game will all be old enough to go and see an R rating.

However, Max Payne director John Moore is not happy with the MPAA’s decision to give the film an R and is supposedly trying to cut the film down to the original PG-13. He tells Das Gamer, of his frustration with the whole process:

We’re suffering from what I call Batman blowback. The Motion Picture Association of America gave The Dark Knight a PG-13 rating and basically sucked Warner Bros. cock…The MPAA changes their rules willy-nilly and it depends on who’s seeing your actual movie at the time. It’s very difficult to get a hold on what’s acceptable. The only thing you can use is current standards. So I go and see The Dark Knight and I say, “Gee, that’s pretty gnarly for PG-13,” but I felt good about Max Payne after coming out of the theater. I thought Max wasn’t going to have a problem. And that’s not the case. They’re coming down on us pretty hard.
[The MPAA] really hung themselves with The Dark Knight. Every other filmmaker in town is knocking on their door saying, “Please sir, may I have my PG-13 rating and be as fair to my movie as you were to The Dark Knight.”

What is your opinion of all this? Should it be an R or PG-13? Should the Dark Knight have been rated R and, if it had, would it have been the huge box office smash?

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The Random - Avatar: The Last Airbender, Clash of the Titans, Eric Roth does Sci-Fi, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Dark Knight,

Noah Ringer, Jackson Rathbone ("Twilight"), Nicola Peltz ("Deck the Halls") and singer Jesse McCartney have been cast in M. Night Shyamalan's "The Last Airbender," a live-action adaptation of his popular Nickelodeon anime-inspired series "Avatar" reports Entertainment Weekly.

Cultura y Espectáculos reports that the archipelago off the coast of North-West Africa is set to be used for portions of the filming on the Louis Leterrier-directed remake of 1981's Clash of the Titans. Other location shooting on the $80 million project is expected to take place in Ethiopia, Iceland and London. Around a month of the twenty week shoot will take place on the islands around May-June next year.

Eric Roth (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) says that he's keen on doing a big sci-fi feature in the future. "I’m going to do a big space…I don’t want to say odyssey…that’s been done, but a space movie for Warner Brothers and I want to start like in…I don’t know…sometime next year" he tells Collider. Roth says its an original ideas of his and wants to mix "the intelligence of “2001” and the mythology of “Star Wars”...I don’t want to make it so intellectual that it’s confounding, but on the other hand I’m not so sure I can write the kind of wonderful fantasy that Lucas does."

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen director Michael Bay says that the first trailer will hit either on the Superbowl or in early February. Here's the latest update from his official blog: "Back from Egypt and Jordan - we had a wonderful shoot over there... Our Trailer for Transformer you have been asking about - First there will be a teaser poster soon after the new year, and the teaser trailer will be out either in the theaters early Feb. or on the Superbowl. Cannot decide yet. I’m going to release some set stills on this site in a few weeks."

The Duplass Brothers, more commonly known as Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass, have announced the cast for their next feature film. Tentatively titled Safety Man, the story centers on a recently divorced man, played by John C. Reilly, who meets the woman of his dreams, played by Marisa Tomei. However, she has a teenage son, played by Jonah Hill, who has no interesting in sharing his mother with a new man. The Duplass Brothers have a very unique brand of comedy, part of which involves shooting all the scenes in the film in sequence, as opposed to out-of-order like most other films.

The Los Angeles Film Critics had awarded WALL-E “Best Picture of the Year”, a first for an animated film.

The New York Film Critics Circle announced their yearly award winners - Josh Brolin (Milk) edged out Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight) for the Best Supporting Actor award

Nikki Finke is reporting that The Dark Knight has broken the record for the most Blu-rays sold in just one day of release. The Dark Knight sold over 600,000 copies on Tuesday alone, while the previous record holder, Paramount’s Iron Man, sold 400,000 Blu-ray copies in one week. The Dark Knight also sold 3 million copies on good old DVD. No word yet on how many *ahem" copies have been sold in pubs!

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The Dark Knight, 2008 - Movie Review

Director: Christopher Nolan

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman

Running Time: 152 minutes

Score: 9.5 / 10

This review is from me!

It’s 11:30pm and we’re just back from the super duper preview showing of The Dark Knight at the Fact in Liverpool. I’ll try not to spoil things

Initial thoughts – it is as good as you have heard.

The Nolan brothers have struck absolute dynamite with their script. Everything about it is brilliant and they do one of the best things any writer / director can do. They don’t treat the audience like kids. This is one long, twisted journey through the devastation one messed up man can do to an entire city.

As they pushed Heath Ledger to market the movie so much, I’ll deal with his performance first. Heath Ledger is not in this movie. He channels The Joker so all you see on screen is the maniac who tells a joke and no one laughs. Even when not on screen the Joker is there manipulating everyone and everything to show the frailty of the human spirit. When he is on screen he stalks and tumbles around everyone and you never know what will happen next. His magic trick is not one the kids will want to know. It is sad we will never see him act again.

Aaron Eckhart portrays the wonderfully tragic Harvey Dent as the saviour of Gotham City. You buy into his character and see why Bruce Wayne and James Gordan believe in him. As to what happens to him, well if you are a fan of the comic you’ll know his destiny, but it doesn’t make it any less chilling when it happens. I would love to see Eckhart as Hal Jordon or Steve Rogers.

Gary Oldman, Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman are all as wonderful as they always are. We see more of Gordon’s passion to save the city, learn more of Alfred’s past in the British Army and see why Lucius Fox is one of Wayne’s most trusted advisors.

Most reviews have said this is Ledger’s film and The Joker is a brilliant screen villain. Everything he should have always been is there. However, the film is called The Dark Knight for a reason.

Christian Bale is the Batman and Batman is the greatest one there is. Bale fills the role of Bruce Wayne and Batman with ease. Wayne is in ascendance when he sees a chance to take off the mask when Dent cleans up the city and Bale portrays this so subtly yet so well, but Batman is always there pushing through the façade. We see more and more of the Bat as the film progresses and he is not always in costume. By the end of the movie he is pretty much all there is. You get to see Bruce Wayne’s vast intellect and huge fortune at work to get things done and this is what is really good about the movie. We see the Dark Knight Detective actually do detective work to track down the mysterious Joker. He questions suspects, investigates crime scenes and uses gadgets that could exist if you were a billionaire crime fighter. Batman always has a plan and can improvise brilliantly when things are not quite what they seem. We see someone who is fully capable of taking down a being such as Superman.

This is very much the Batman from the comics. There is a reason for the change in costume (which includes a sly dig at all previous Batman movies), we see the Batman with white eyes as in the comic and there is even a kind of mini Brother Eye that he uses to track down the Joker.

The film itself is superb. Many of the effects were done on camera so there is not too much CGI to pull you out of the film. It’s 152 minutes but they fly by and there is one point when you think it is near the end and you so want it to continue that when it does you have a great big smile on your face. Gotham City is not as big a character as we see in Batman Begins, but that could be due to Batman having cleaned it up some in the interim.

So many good bits in the film. Batmanuel as the Mayor, the genesis of the Bat Pod (which was in the first movie), the homage to the Michael Keaton / Jack Nicholson showdown. Bruce Wayne taking down the bad guys with ease. Batman leaping into the fray and taking down a Swat team before they realise it, the return of Scarecrow, the Joker getting into people’s minds and getting them to do whatever he wants. Harvey Dent flipping his lucky coin. There was one point when Batman is on top of a building listening into the phone network that you half expect Superman to land and see if he needs any help. The ending could also show the seeds which bring about Batgirl. I could go on.

The bad points. Well it would have been a 10 but there are a couple of small points which jar. Not much but they are there and are mainly due to the editing. One is when Batman leaps out of the Penthouse to save Rachel he leaves the Joker with a room full of very rich hostages, yet it then cuts to a few minutes after that and nothing is mentioned as to what happened. That and the aforementioned lack of character in Gotham itself. Small points I know, but they jarred nonetheless.

It richly deserves all the Oscar nominations it should get – screenplay should be the main one along with Best Director, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor for Bale and Ledger.

People will ask is it a good comic book movie. Iron Man was a great comic book movie. The Dark Knight is simply a great movie. It has moved beyond the comic book movies and is standing shoulder to shoulder with the all time classics.

Discuss in the forum.

The Dark Knight - Reviews are hitting the Web

Only a few weeks now until The Dark Knight is with us. I'm really looking forward to this. Batman Begins (review coming soon) was brilliant and judging by the reviews on the net, it looks as if Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale et al are going to deliver the goods on this one.

Heath Ledgers performance as the Joker is raved upon saying he brings the menace and insanity that has been missing from previous outings (check out the graphic novel, The Killing Joke, by Alan Moore for one take on the Joker's origin).

The reviews also state that this isn't like other comic book movies in that the ending is darker and deals with more realistic situations.

Another plus is that Batmanuel (Nestor Carbonell) from the ill-fated Tick live action series is in the movie. He's a funny guy and looks as if he'll be playing the Mayor in The Dark Knight.

Bale will be Batman again. Nolan may not.

We all know how good The Dark Knight was and how well it did at the box office. IT was the second film with Christian Bale as the Bat and Christopher Nolan as the puppet master. Since then there have been many rumours as to what actors and characters would be in the third film. Now some interesting news has come to light via Total Film. They spoke with star Christian Bale who talked about a The Dark Knight follow-up.

"Will we do a third movie? It's got to be the right story. You can't make something like The Dark Knight and then come out with something disappointing.

"I would like it if people say, 'You'll never make a good third movie.' I say, 'OK, let's make a third movie in that case, let's prove them wrong. But that's just me. The fact is, I have to! I've signed up! Chris doesn't. So I'm in a bit of a fix if he says he doesn't want to!"

Would you want to see a Batman film not directed by Christopher Nolan? If he didn't come back for the third film who would you want to see direct it?

Leave a comment on this post below.

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The Dark Knight currently at 100%

At Rotten Tomatoes The Dark Knight is currently on 100% positive reviews. True they're are only 15 reviews on there so far, but it is still pretty impressive.

Looks like it may well be a true classic of the cinema, not just of the comic book movies. Plus all the rumours that Heath Ledger may win the Oscar it is certainly one to watch.

Just goes to show Batman always has a plan to win.

Will we see The Dark Knight Returns in a few years time?

Liam Neeson talks about The Dark Knight and his possible return as Ra’s Al Ghul

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

MTV caught up with Neeson during the Sundance Film Festival, and got his thoughts on both “The Dark Knight” and a potential return for his “immortal” character from the first film.

“You never know,” said Neeson of the likelihood that he’ll reprise the role of Ra’s Al Ghul. When asked whether Nolan has his number, Neeson answered, “He does, actually.”

In discussing “Dark Knight,” Neeson said “the tapestry of the story was quite wonderful,” but added that if he had one issue with the film, it was that it was “too long.”

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Empire Magazine - Top 500 movies

Empire Magazine has just published their 500 Greatest Movies of All Time, the result of “the biggest movie poll of all time. Here are the top 50 movies from the poll (the full list is here EmpireOnline.com/500).

1. The Godfather (Francis Ford Coppola, 1972)

2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (Steven Spielberg, 1981)

3. Star Wars Episode V: Empire Strikes Back (Irvin Kershner,1980)

4. Shawsank Redemption (Frank Darabont, 1994)

5. Jaws (Steven Spielberg, 1975)

6. GoodFellas (Martin Scorsese, 1990)

7. Apocalypse Now (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)

8. Singin’ in the Rain (Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly, 1952)

9. Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)

10. Fight Club (David Fincher, 1999)

11. Raging Bull (Martin Scorsese, 1980)

12. The Apartment (Billy Wilder, 1960)

13. Chinatown (Roman Polanski, 1974)

14. Once Upon A Time In The West (Sergio Leone, 1968)

15. The Dark Knight (Christopher Nolan, 2007)

16. 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)

17. Taxi Driver (Martin Scorsese, 1976)

18. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz)

19. The Godfather Part II (Francis Ford Coppola, 1974)

20. Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)

21. The Third Man (Carol Reed, 1949)

22. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (George Lucas, 1977)

23. Back to the Future (Robert Zemeckis, 1985)

24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001)

25. The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (Sergio Leone, 1967)

26. Dr. Strangelove (Stanley Kubrick, 1964)

27. Some Like It Hot (Billy Wilder, 1959)

28. Citizen Kane (Orson Welles, 1941)

29. Die Hard (John McTiernan 1988)

30. Aliens (James Cameron, 1986)

31. Gone with The Wind (Victor Fleming, George Cukor, Sam Wood, 1939)

32. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid (George Roy Hill, 1969)

33. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)

34. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Peter Jackson, 2003)

35. Terminator 2: Judgement Day (James Cameron, 1991)

36. Andrei Rublev (Andrei Tarkovsky, 1969)

37. A Clockwork Orange (Stanley Kubrick, 1971)

38. Heat (Michael Mann, 1995)

39. The Matrix (The Wachowski Brothers, 1999)

40. Vertigo (Alfred Hitchcock, 1958)

41. The 400 Blows (Truffaut, 1959)

42. Kind Hearts And Coronets (Robert Hamer, 1949)

43. The Big Lebowski (The Coen Brothers, 1998)

44. Schindler’s List (Steven Spielberg, 1993)

45. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

46. On The Waterfront (Elia Kazan 1954)

47. E.T. (Steven Spielberg, 1982)

48. This Is Spinal Tap (Rob Reiner, 1984)

49. Evil Dead 2 (Sam Raimi, 1987)

50. Seven Samurai (Akira Kurosawa, 1954)

I've seen 43 out of the top 50 and I'm made up (but surprised) Evil Dead 2 is in there. The top 5 is pretty solid and I'm not that surprised that The Dark Knight is so high (always the way in these polls that the latest blockbusters show up). We'll get a true showing of The Dark Knight's popularity in a few years time on other polls.

What do you think of the list? Do you agree / disagree? What should have been in the top 50 that isn't there.
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Watchmen reviewed by The Hollywood Reporter

The Hollywood Reporter have put this review of Zack Snyder's Watchmen online. To sum up they didn't like it and as you are probably aware it has been getting mixed reviews.

I don't mind if the critic, Kirk Honeycutt, doesn't like it (I have my doubts that it will be the great movie we all hope it will be). However, it does bother me when reviewers knock something because they think it is cool to do so. I'm guessing Kirk hasn't read the comic and I also think he probably loved The Dark Knight because everyone else did.

I think it is this line of his review that irks me the most, "And it is nonsense. When one superhero has to take a Zen break, he does so on Mars. Of course he does."

He later goes on to describe Dr Manhattan with his god like powers but he find the fact he pops over to Mars as nonsense. Any comic book movie, well actually pretty much most films when you look at them closely enough are nonsense. He's just not consistent in his review. Just smacks of lazy reviewing. I also think he gets the Silk Spectre's mixed up. If memory serves it is Malin Ackerman's Spectre (the daughter of Carla Gugino's character) who hooks up with Dan.

"And what's with the silly Halloween getups? Did anyone ever buy those Hollywood Boulevard costumes?"

It's a comic book film about superheroes Kirk. That's the reason for the costumes. I could go on butI've said enough. Here's his review in full. Let me know your thoughts on the matter. I'll post more reviews as and when I find them.

It's not easy being a comic-book hero these days. The poor boys have taken their lumps in "Hancock," "The Dark Knight" and even "Iron Man." Self-doubts, angst and inadequacies plague them. And now comes "Watchmen." Its costumed superheroes, operating in an alternative 1985, are seriously screwed up -- and so is their movie. If anyone were able to make a nine-figure movie, something like "Watchmen" would have been the opening-night film at the Sundance Film Festival.

As stimulating as it was to see the superhero movie enter the realm of crime fiction in "The Dark Knight," "Watchmen" enters into a realm that is both nihilistic and campy. The two make odd companions. The film, directed by Zack Snyder ("300"), will test the limits of superhero movie fans. If you're not already invested in these characters because of the original graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, nothing this movie does is likely to change that predicament.

That's bad news for Warner Bros. and Paramount, which hold domestic and international rights, respectively. Opening weekends everywhere will reflect the huge anticipation of this much-touted, news-making movie. After that, the boxoffice slide could be drastic.

Snyder and writers David Hayter and Alex Tse never find a reason for those unfamiliar with the graphic novel to care about any of this nonsense. And it is nonsense. When one superhero has to take a Zen break, he does so on Mars. Of course he does.

The film opens with a brutal killing, then moves on to a credit-roll newsreel of sorts that takes us though the Cold War years, landing us in 1985 when Nixon is in his third term, tipping us that we're in an alternate 1985 America, where our superheroes have taken care of Woodward and Bernstein and other forces have evidently taken care of the U.S. Constitution.

The opening murder happens to a character called the Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who was once a member of a now banished team of superheroes called the Masks. Fellow ex-Mask Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley) -- his mask one of perpetually shifting inkblots -- takes exception to his old colleague's death. He believes the entire society of ex-crime-fighters is being targeted even as the Doomsday Clock -- which charts tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union that could lead to nuclear war -- nears midnight.

His investigation and renewed contacts with former buddies fills us in on the complicated histories and problematic psychiatric makeups of these colleagues.

It's all very complicated but not impenetrable. We pick up the relationships quickly enough, but soon realize these backstories owe more to soap operas than to superhero comics.

The thing is, these aren't so much superheroes as ordinary human beings with, let us say, comic-book martial arts prowess. The one exception is Billy Crudup's Jon Osterman, aka Dr. Manhattan, who in true comic-book fashion was caught in a laboratory accident that turned him into a scientific freak -- a naked, glowing giant, looking a little bit like the Oscar statuette only with actual genitals -- who has amazing God-like powers.

These powers are being harnessed by an ex-Mask, Matthew Goode's menacing though slightly effeminate industrialist Adrian Veidt.

When Dr. Manhattan's frustrated girlfriend, yet another former Mask, Carla Gugino's Sally Jupiter, can't get any satisfaction from Dr. M, she turns to the former Nite Owl II, Dan Dreiberg, who seems too much of a good guy to be an actual superhero, but he does miss those midnight prowls.

The point is that these superheroes, before Nixon banned them, were more vigilantes than real heroes, so the question the movie poses is, ah-hah, who is watching these Watchmen? They don't seem too much different from the villains.

Which also means we don't empathize with any of these creatures. And what's with the silly Halloween getups? Did anyone ever buy those Hollywood Boulevard costumes?

The violence is not as bad as early rumors would have one believe. It's still comic-book stuff, only with lots of bloody effects and makeup. The real disappointment is that the film does not transport an audience to another world, as "300" did. Nor does the third-rate Chandleresque narration by Rorschach help.

There is something a little lackadaisical here. The set pieces are surprisingly flat and the characters have little resonance. Fight scenes don't hold a candle to Asian action. Even the digital effects are ho-hum. Armageddon never looked so cheesy.

The film seems to take pride in its darkness, but this is just another failed special effect. Cinematographer Larry Fong and production designer Alex McDowell blend real and digital sets with earthen tones and secondary colors that give a sense of the past. But the stories are too absurd and acting too uneven to convince anyone. The appearances of a waxworks Nixon, Kissinger and other 1980s personalities will only bring hoots from less charitable audiences.

Looks like we have the first real flop of 2009.

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Dr Evil would be happy. The Dark Knight has almost made $1 billion dollars. You can also now download the screenplay

batman by ~anima-parilis on deviantART

The Dark Knight is nearing the $1 billion dollar mark, with a grand total of $997,535,317 in box office receipts (as of Monday morning). The film has made $528,535,317 domestically (just $72,252,871 below Titanic’ record) and $469,000,000 overseas.

That is a whole lot of money.

Warner Bros is planning a big rerelease of the film in January so the amount of money it makes will just keep going up and up. I think it is going to take some beating.

Warner Bros have also released Christopher and Jonah Nolan’s screenplay online for Awards Consideration. You can download it for free on WarnerBros.com.

What Oscars do you think The Dark Knight should be nominated for?
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UPDATED: The Dark Knight - Should it be nominated for Best Picture? Will it win if it is?

The above advert was placed in Variety by Warner Bros. They are pushing for The Dark Knight to be nominated in The Best Picture category at the Oscars. Do you think it should be nominated and if it is do you think it has a chance of winning? What movies do you think it will have to beat?

UPDATE: The Entertainment Blur have a great article on why The Dark Knight will be nominated. Well worth a read. Thanks to Hercules Rob for the heads up.
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Oscars - What do you think will win Best Picture

I recently posted the ad that had been taken out to promote The Dark Knight for Best Picture at next years Oscars.

That got me thinking about what could possibly win The Best Picture. On my wanders around the World Wide Web there are a few films that seem to be in the running for Best Picture. They are as follows:

Australia - Nicole and Hugh get it on in the outback.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Brad Pitt ages backwards.

The Dark Knight - Bale growls as The Batman, Ledger does a magic trick and there are two Aaron Eckharts but I didn't see any jousting.

Doubt - Meryl Streep and Amy Adams are nuns. Is it a porno? Philip Seymore Hoffman wishes.

Frost/Nixon - The head Lycan dude fron Underworld interviews Dracula.

Gran Torino - Clint Eastwood plays a rascist and has a nice car.

Milk - Sean Penn play a big gay bottle of semi-skimmed or a politician or something.

Nothing But the Truth - Kate Beckinsale outs a CIA agent with hilarious consequences.

Rachel Getting Married - Rachel is getting married and her sister does drugs

The Reader - Kate Winslet is a Nazi who likes to have bedtime stories read to her. Ahh isn't that sweet!

Revolutionary Road - Kate Winslett and Leonardo DiCaprio set sail on the Titanic while living in 1950's Connecticut and argue a lot or something. I could be wrong. Not sure how Kate got the part in the film directed by her husband? Is Billy Zane in it?

Slumdog Millionaire - Indian kid wins Who Wants to be A Millionaire. Danny Boyle still goes on about 28 Days Later wasn't a zombie film.

The Wrestler - Mickey Rourke is a washed up has-been. In this film he plays a wrestler.

WALL-E - CGI Pixar fest with a cute little robot.

Sadly I've only seen a couple of them (Dark Knight, WALL-E) although a fair few of them have yet to be released so it's not that bad a thing. I do want to see Benjamin Button, Frost/Nixon, Gran Torino, Milk and The Wrestler and the others I'm all a bit meh about. I personally think Benjamin Button will win the best picture Oscar purely from all the buzz and reviews I've been reading about it.

Which film do you see winning Best Picture? How many of the above list have you seen and what are you looking forward to seeing? Which ones will you avoid? What films should be on the list? Will Billy Zane win best actor?

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Will the Joker be recast for the next Batman film?

MTV have the news that during last night’s People’s Choice Awards, “The Dark Knight” producer Chuck Roven cleared up some of the speculation surrounding the sequel to the celebrated Batman blockbuster, telling MTV that director Christopher Nolan and writer David Goyer are indeed “talking and thinking” about the next film.

With regards who the big bad will be in the next film you may have to read between the lines as to what Roven said next.

“We have to separate the actors from the role,” said Roven when asked whether they would’ve done anything different with Heath Ledger’s villainous Joker if they knew the actor wouldn’t be reprising the role.

“On a personal level, Heath was a friend of mine. We had worked together before ‘The Dark Knight,’ but I still think that ‘The Dark Knight’ is its own thing, and we have to separate them,” added Roven.

Does this mean that the Joker is going to be in the next film and will, obviously, have to be recast? Is he just being covering the bases? Would you want to see the Joker in the third Nolan Batman film? Discuss this more over in the Bat Forum.

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Superman will be rebooted

Comingsoon.net have news on this.

Warner Bros. Pictures Group President Jeff Robinov has told The Wall Street Journal that the studio is going to be reintroducing Superman. We assume this will be similar to how Louis Leterrier's The Incredible Hulk was a reboot of Ang Lee's Hulk. Here is what the article says:

Warner Bros. also put on hold plans for another movie starring multiple superheroes -- known as "Batman vs. Superman" -- after the $215 million "Superman Returns," which had disappointing box-office returns, didn't please executives. "'Superman' didn't quite work as a film in the way that we wanted it to," says Mr. Robinov. "It didn't position the character the way he needed to be positioned." "Had 'Superman' worked in 2006, we would have had a movie for Christmas of this year or 2009," he adds. "But now the plan is just to reintroduce Superman without regard to a Batman and Superman movie at all."

The article also talks about Warner Bros. adapting other DC properties over the new few years. "By 2011, Mr. Robinov plans for DC Comics to supply the material for up to two of the six to eight tent-pole films he hopes Warner Bros. will have in the pipeline by then," it says. Those projects will likely be about single characters at first, and will be darker much like The Dark Knight:

With "Batman vs. Superman" and "Justice League" stalled, Warner Bros. has quietly adopted Marvel's model of releasing a single film for each character, and then using those movies and their sequels to build up to a multicharacter film. "Along those lines, we have been developing every DC character that we own," Mr. Robinov says.

Like the recent Batman sequel -- which has become the highest-grossing film of the year thus far -- 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.

The studio is set to announce its plans for future DC movies in the next month. For now, though, it is focused on releasing four comic-book films in the next three years, including a third Batman film, a new film reintroducing Superman, and two movies focusing on other DC Comics characters. Movies featuring Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, and Wonder Woman are all in active development.

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The 15th Annual Screen Actors Guild Award Nominees are...

The Screen Actors Guilds Awards nominations for 2009 have been released. These are often quite close to those chosen for the Oscars and are picked by the actors themselves. Who do you want to win? Any actors who you feel should have been nominated?

The SAG Awards will air live on TNT and TBS at 8PM ET/PT on Sunday, January 25th, 2009.

ACTOR
Richard Jenkins - The Visitor
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Brad Pitt - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

ACTRESS
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Melissa Leo - Frozen River
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

SUPPORTING ACTOR
Josh Brolin - Milk
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Dev Patel - Slumdog Millionaire

SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Taraji P. Henson - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Kate Winslet - The Reader

ENSEMBLE CAST
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
Slumdog Millionaire
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

ENSEMBLE STUNTS
The Dark Knight
Hellboy II: The Golden Army
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
Wanted

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
James Earl Jones
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