Entertainment Today and Beyond

Never Met a Zombi I Didn’t Like…

THE DARK KNIGHT BLOWS THE DOORS OFF THE BOX OFFICE!

Batman Rocks!

Batman Rocks!

It was felt like 1989 all over again – Bat mania was in full force as The Dark Knight, broke the record for the biggest opening weekend with the film doing 155.3 million, breaking last years record of 151 mill set by Sony’s “Spiderman 3.” This is an amazing resurrection of the franchise left battered and bruised by Joel Schumacher’s embarrassing “Batman and Robin” back in 1997 which topped out at 107 mill after disastrous word of mouth. The studios vision in hiring director Chris Nolan to guide things forward stabilized the valuable property when his well respected “Batman Begins” took in 205 mil in 2005 at the box-office here in the U.S.. Months of anticipation and buzz surrounding the late Heath Ledger’s performance as Batman’s arch enemy, the Joker, escalated to a fever pitch in the days leading up to The Dark Knight’s opening – and the rest is history. Many at this point will wonder when production on another Batman film could be announced and if director Nolan can top the overall quality of this installment. Only time will tell!

Fun Mamma Mia!

Fun Mamma Mia!

In a counter programming move, Universal’s “Mamma Mia!” opened to a solid 27.6 mill in ticket sales. I think the film, which is based on the long running musical, will have legs as it’s a fun time at the movies despite the fact that it’s pretty corny (read my full review on Monday). Will Smith’s edgy superhero movie “Hancock” continues to hold up in a respectable fashion doing 14 mill in ticket sales in its third weekend. “Hellboy 2” took a painful 70% drop in its 2nd weekend out as its frontloaded audience disappeared, putting a possible 3rd installment in this franchise in limbo. “Hellboy 2” took in 10 mill giving it a 10 day total of 56.4. The weekend’s other new comer, Space Chimps, pulled in 7.3 mill to place 7th. Will anyone actually admit to seeing this movie! Here’s a list of the top Ten.

July 20, 2008 Posted by | And Beyond - Trailers & News | Leave a Comment

A Tale Of Two Jokers

With the passage of time, it will be interesting to see how film fans will look at Tim Burton’s 1989 BATMAN after witnessing the truly terrific Chris Nolan directed THE DARK KNIGHT. Both movies feature the famed comic book character of the Joker with Jack Nicholson hamming it up in the 89 version and Heath Ledger burying himself under all the make up to create something on a much deeper level in Nolan’s highly praised new movie. Personally I think both films are a product of their time.

When Burton did Batman almost two decades ago we lived in a pre-911 world. The only Batman anyone had really ever seen on screen was the campy Adam West version. Let’s face it, if you include the 1966 movie, based on the TV show, Chris Nolan had six batman films including his own “Batman Begins” plus almost 20 years of time from Burton’s take to learn from. At the time, Tim Burton’s version of the caped crusader was a huge step up in terms of comic book superhero’s being produced for the big screen. While far from perfect, “Batman” still has its many merits. While not in the same league in terms of intensity as Ledger’s performance, Jack’s Joker was fun with Samm Hamm’s script giving him some great lines like “Were does he get all those wonderful toys” and “This town needs an enema.” Hamm’s original script was reportedly edgier but Burton and Nicholson eventually went in a different direction although the movie is far from camp. While I love both Ledger’s take on the famed character and the movie itself, there will always be room to enjoy Nicholson’s take on things in Burton’s entertaining but flawed (mostly in story telling) very important first real serious entry in to the Batman universe! So, in a very big world of vast opinion, I think there’s clearly room to enjoy both interpretations.

July 20, 2008 Posted by | Reviews | Leave a Comment

   

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