Before seeing Johnny Depp as John Dillinger in Michael Mann’s new crime film Public Enemies, we decided to check out an earlier portrayal of the infamous bank robber, Lawrence Tierney in Dillinger. The 1945 picture is a bit disappointing in terms of bank jobs, which are mostly shown in quick succession during a montage. There is one interesting robbery, but technically it’s an armored truck heist (also, having been shot by Fritz Lang for an earlier film, the scene doesn’t quite fit the rest of the movie). From what we hear, the robberies in Public Enemies aren’t that much more memorable, even if they do resemble an MGM musical, which is a shame considering how clever the real Dillinger was.
We definitely prefer a clever criminal and a clever plan when it comes to bank robber movies. Otherwise it’s just yet another taut thriller or slapstick comedy involving a tunnel dig from the bakery/bathhouse/chicken restaurant/luggage store/etc. next door. So we’ve come up with ten favorite bank jobs that involve originality and a successful getaway (a plan isn’t that clever if it doesn’t work). There have been hundreds of bank robberies throughout film history so if we’ve forgotten something really clever, inform/remind us of the movie in the comments. We’ve purposefully excluded armed vehicle, stagecoach and train robberies, though, so stick specifically to internal bank jobs. …Read more
Sure, it’s just a guy dressed up like The Joker. And sure, he really was a Romney supporter. But it’s an endorsement for the Republican ticket nonetheless. Really, who knew so many Comic-Con attendees were conservatives? Including that woman with no pants. And Wolverine.
Obviously the video is meant to be humorous, so part of the point was to show weirdos stating that they’ll be voting for McCain or, worse, Ron Paul. And to show the ditzy girls who can’t make up their mind — that zombie chick frightened me in so many ways, but it was the girl who quickly flipped her choice to agree with her friend that made me scared for the future.
The Dark Knight is hands down the best Batman movie yet, but has Christopher Nolan painted himself into a corner by using up the only viable Batman villains? Most of the Batman villains left are either too campy (the Penguin, the Ventriloquist), depend too much on flexible comic book logic (Clayface, Killer Croc), or are just watered-down versions of the Joker (the Riddler, the Mad Hatter).
Tim Burton’s Batman featured The Joker (Jack Nicholson) for good reason. The Clown Prince of Crime, always Batman’s most threatening foe, represents (among many things) an unwillingness to take human life seriously. In that moral void his vibrant personality explodes like a fireworks display of mania, menace, and eccentricity. The Joker is the calling card of chaos and evil at its sexiest. Batman isn’t the reason we watch Batman over and over again, the Joker is. Of course Michael Keaton brings gravitas to Batman, but let’s face it–as sweet as Batman is, he’s just not good company. Ever notice how passengers in the Batmobile feel like they’re at the end of a bad date? …Read more
Maybe you’re somebody who has no qualms when hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on a movie that amounts to a couple great chase scenes and a rock ‘em, sock ‘em fight with the hero’s girlfriend tied to some time-sensitive death contraption. But I always feel teased. Like I just got back from a date where my interest was exploited for a free meal. The Dark Knight is a diamond in a mound of cubic-zirconia gemstones, two and a half hours of blockbuster at it’s finest, a movie worth the price of a concert ticket.
Please, allow me to clear my head of my immediate reactions: The Dark Knight is the shit! It is so awesome I can not stare into the light of its awesomeness without seeing spots. Better than I hoped–and I was hoping for a lot–there were even points where I sat looking at the screen thinking, “Can Christopher Nolan (writer/director) possibly sustain my amazement any further?” The answer: Yeppers, and with a choke-on-its-way-down ending. I’ll shut off the blathering even though I want to keep going.
Christopher Nolan does what I wanted Jon Favreau to do with Iron Man. Kick ass and kick more ass while always staying a step ahead of me (Heath Ledger as The Joker is as mystifying and sensual as Hannibal Lecter). Then–so I don’t feel he just took my money for a couple great chase scenes–he knocks me in the head. When I walked out of the theater I couldn’t balance out the world. I laid awake in bed rethinking the Iraq war based on something a guy in a bat costume said, and that’s when I knew I’d gotten my money’s worth. …Read more
Death sells. Movies. Apartments. You name it. So, it isn’t too surprising to learn that toys from the upcoming film The Dark Knight are flying off the shelves. According to the New York Post, action figures of The Joker, which are somewhat modeled after late actor Heath Ledger (I don’t see the resemblance, even in the more detailed figure) have sold out completely in New York City after debuting in stores a week ago. An employee of Toys “R” Us claimed the warehouse is all out, too, though a company spokesperson says stock of the figures will continue to be replenished.
Considering Mattel isn’t likely trying to cash in on Ledger’s death, there’s no reason to think the toys are in limited supply. So why are people buying them in bulk (one guy apparently bought 30 at one time) and/or selling them on eBay for marked-up prices? Even if there is an extreme demand for the figures now, there won’t be much interest in the future. Especially if Mattel’s entire run is enough to supply all the toy stores in the U.S. (not to mention the rest of the globe). Collector’s item it may be, but not in terms of financial investment. It just won’t be enough of a rarity in the long run.
Apparently there is a new trailer for The Dark Knightpremiering online tonight. But I’m not so good at playing those viral marketing games, plus I’m a relatively patient guy, so I’ll just wait until it hits YouTube and watch it tomorrow.
In the meantime, while you wait for the secret time that the trailer goes live (I hear 5:30 PM PST), here’s a video submitted to College Humor that compares the previous trailer for The Dark Knight with that of Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman.
I’m sure by drawing attention to it I’m essentially ensuring its demise–although, maybe not. Remember that six minute preview of The Dark Knight that’s been showing in front of IMAX prints of I Am Legend? The one that popped up on YouTube via camcorder bootleg and was promptly removed, causing the Guardian to make up a story about it having been “leaked” mistakenly? Um, it’s back, in the form of a new, better bootleg. Oddly, this one was posted three days ago–a lifetime for such a blatant copyright violation. Did the YouTube police take an extended holiday? Or has Warner Brothers decided to back off and let the blogs at it? Regardless, if you’re interested, you should probably watch it ASAP.
As if that IMAX preview of The Dark Knightweren’t enough, here’s the actual trailer for the Batman Beginssequel. It’s a perfect companion to the preview, because it’s all about The Joker. This time, though, we get to see more of Heath Ledger, without the rubber mask he wears for the bank heist. I guess there are a few shots in there of Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, but really who could pay him notice? I think Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes) has more interesting screen time here (poor Ennis — first he has to deal with the death of Jack and now Jack’s angry sister is trying to beat him up).
Ledger’s interpretation of The Joker is said to be inspired by Sid Vicious (I wonder if his TDK co-star Gary Oldman had anything to say about that), but I don’t see much of that punk attitude, really. I’m actually seeing a combination of Charles Nelson Reilly and Tommy Lee Jones. And somehow, it’s absolutely perfect. Certainly I don’t want to say it’s any better or worse than Jack Nicholson — heck, I don’t even like to dismiss Cesar Romero’s take on the villain — so I’ll just go with the easy response and say … it’s just different.
We’ve had a bit of trouble getting this episode to go through the iTunes feed, so we hope this re-post will fix the problem. The original post, with episode description and embedded player, is here.
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Maybe you’re somebody who has no qualms when hundreds of millions of dollars are spent on a movie that amounts to a couple great chase scenes and a rock ‘em, sock ‘em fight with the hero’s girlfriend tied to some time-sensitive death contraption. But I always feel teased. Like I just got back from a date where my interest was exploited for a free meal. 
Death sells. 
