celluloidnotes

The Oscar nominees are in. And as I’ve said previously, oy, it was kind of a weak year at the cinema. Glad to see that The Visitor, Frozen River, and Happy-Go-Lucky all earned a nomination. Roger Deakins earned another nomination this year. Maybe it will finally be his year to win an award. He always deserves it, but if he wins it this year it’d be like spitting in the face of all of the amazing films he’s shot.

Only real disappointments: no Wallace & Gromit for short animated film and no Synecdoche, New York for best screenplay, which I think probably deserves it. Though, look at the list, this is no place for experimentation. Especially this year. Also, what the hell happened in the supporting actor category? Heath Ledger and Robert Downey, Jr. Really? I guess.
Best Motion Picture of the Year
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Ceán Chaffin, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
Frost/Nixon (2008): Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Eric Fellner
Milk (2008): Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks
The Reader (2008): Nominees to be determined
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Christian Colson

Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
Richard Jenkins for The Visitor (2007/I)
Frank Langella for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Sean Penn for Milk (2008)
Brad Pitt for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Mickey Rourke for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role
Anne Hathaway for Rachel Getting Married (2008)
Angelina Jolie for Changeling (2008)
Melissa Leo for Frozen River (2008)
Meryl Streep for Doubt (2008/I)
Kate Winslet for The Reader (2008)

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role
Josh Brolin for Milk (2008)
Robert Downey Jr. for Tropic Thunder (2008)
Philip Seymour Hoffman for Doubt (2008/I)
Heath Ledger for The Dark Knight (2008)
Michael Shannon for Revolutionary Road (2008)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role
Amy Adams for Doubt (2008/I)
Penélope Cruz for Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008)
Viola Davis for Doubt (2008/I)
Taraji P. Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Marisa Tomei for The Wrestler (2008)

Best Achievement in Directing
Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
Stephen Daldry for The Reader (2008)
David Fincher for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
Ron Howard for Frost/Nixon (2008)
Gus Van Sant for Milk (2008)

Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen
Frozen River (2008): Courtney Hunt
Happy-Go-Lucky (2008): Mike Leigh
In Bruges (2008): Martin McDonagh
Milk (2008): Dustin Lance Black
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter, Jim Reardon

Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Roth, Robin Swicord
Doubt (2008/I): John Patrick Shanley
Frost/Nixon (2008): Peter Morgan
The Reader (2008): David Hare
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Simon Beaufoy

Best Achievement in Cinematography
Changeling (2008): Tom Stern
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Claudio Miranda
The Dark Knight (2008): Wally Pfister
The Reader (2008): Roger Deakins, Chris Menges
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Anthony Dod Mantle

Best Achievement in Editing
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Angus Wall, Kirk Baxter
The Dark Knight (2008): Lee Smith
Frost/Nixon (2008): Daniel P. Hanley, Mike Hill
Milk (2008): Elliot Graham
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Chris Dickens

Best Achievement in Art Direction
Changeling (2008): James J. Murakami, Gary Fettis
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Donald Graham Burt, Victor J. Zolfo
The Dark Knight (2008): Nathan Crowley, Peter Lando
The Duchess (2008): Michael Carlin, Rebecca Alleway
Revolutionary Road (2008): Kristi Zea, Debra SchuttBest Achievement in Costume Design
Australia (2008): Catherine Martin
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Jacqueline West
The Duchess (2008): Michael O’Connor
Milk (2008): Danny Glicker
Revolutionary Road (2008): Albert Wolsky

Best Achievement in Makeup
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Greg Cannom
The Dark Knight (2008): John Caglione Jr., Conor O’Sullivan
Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008): Mike Elizalde, Thomas Floutz

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Alexandre Desplat
Defiance (2008): James Newton Howard
Milk (2008): Danny Elfman
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman
WALL·E (2008): Thomas Newman

Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Gulzar(”Jai Ho”)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam(”O Saya”)
WALL·E (2008): Peter Gabriel, Thomas Newman(”Down to Earth”)

Best Achievement in Sound
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce, Mark Weingarten
The Dark Knight (2008): Ed Novick, Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke, Resul Pookutty
WALL·E (2008): Tom Myers, Michael Semanick, Ben Burtt
Wanted (2008): Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño, Petr Forejt

Best Achievement in Sound Editing
The Dark Knight (2008): Richard King
Iron Man (2008): Frank E. Eulner, Christopher Boyes
Slumdog Millionaire (2008): Tom Sayers
WALL·E (2008): Ben Burtt, Matthew Wood
Wanted (2008): Wylie Stateman

Best Achievement in Visual Effects
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008): Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton, Craig Barron
The Dark Knight (2008): Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Timothy Webber, Paul J. Franklin
Iron Man (2008): John Nelson, Ben Snow, Daniel Sudick, Shane Mahan

Best Animated Feature Film of the Year
Bolt (2008): Chris Williams, Byron Howard
Kung Fu Panda (2008): John Stevenson, Mark Osborne
WALL·E (2008): Andrew Stanton

Best Foreign Language Film of the Year
Der Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008)(Germany)
Entre les murs (2008)(France)
Revanche (2008)(Austria)
Okuribito (2008)(Japan)
Vals Im Bashir (2008)(Israel)

Best Documentary, Features
The Betrayal - Nerakhoon (2008): Ellen Kuras, Thavisouk Phrasavath
Encounters at the End of the World (2007): Werner Herzog, Henry Kaiser
The Garden (2008/I): Scott Hamilton Kennedy
Man on Wire (2008): James Marsh, Simon Chinn
Trouble the Water (2008): Tia Lessin, Carl Deal

Best Documentary, Short Subjects
Conscience of Nhem En, The (2008): Steven Okazaki
Final Inch, The (2008): Irene Taylor Brodsky, Tom Grant
Smile Pinki (2008): Megan Mylan
Witness from the Balcony of Room 306, The (2008): Adam Pertofsky, Margaret Hyde

Best Short Film, Animated
La Maison en Petits Cubes: Kunio KatoUbornaya istoriya - lyubovnaya istoriya (2007): Konstantin Bronzit
Oktapodi (2007): Emud Mokhberi, Thierry Marchand
Presto (2008): Doug Sweetland
This Way Up (2008): Alan Smith, Adam Foulkes

Best Short Film, Live Action
Auf der Strecke (2007): Reto Caffi
Manon sur le bitume (2007): Elizabeth Marre, Olivier Pont
New Boy (2007): Steph Green, Tamara Anghie
Grisen (2008): Tivi Magnusson, Dorthe Warnø Høgh
Spielzeugland (2007): Jochen Alexander Freydank

The Razzies, that prestigious award that honors the year’s worst at the cinema, have announced this years nominees. It’s safe to suspect that these are the only awards these films will receive nominations for.

There are a few surprises in here. Ben Kingsley get a nom for his role in The Wackness is surprising. Many have been surprised by Indiana Jones getting a nomination, but I’m going to have go ahead and support that one. Anyhow, I’ll try not to bash films, as this award will do that for me. Leading the pack were a host of nominations for The Happening, The Hottie & The Nottie, The Love Guru, and Uwe Boll in general (who will receive the lifetime disaster award).

The nominations:

Worst Picture Nominations:
Disaster Movie & Meet the Spartans (double nominee from the same writer-directors)
The Happening
The Hottie & The Nottie
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
The Love Guru

Worst Actor Nominations:
Larry the Cable Guy, Witless Protection
Eddie Murphy, Meet Dave
Mike Myers, The Love Guru
Al Pacino, 88 Minutes & Righteous Kill
Mark Wahlberg, The Happening & Max Payne

Worst Actress Nominations:
Jessica Alba, The Eye & The Love Guru
The cast of The Women (Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett-Smith, and Meg Ryan)
Cameron Diaz, What Happens in Vegas
Paris Hilton, The Hottie & The Nottie
Kate Hudson, Fool’s Gold & My Best Friend’s Girl

Worst Supporting Actor Nominations:
Uwe Boll (as himself), Uwe Boll’s Postal
Pierce Brosnan, Mamma Mia!
Ben Kingsley, The Love Guru & War, Inc. & The Wackness
Burt Reynolds, Deal & In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
Verne Troyer, The Love Guru & Uwe Boll’s Postal

Worst Supporting Actress Nominations:
Carmen Electra, Disaster Movie & Meet the Spartans
Paris Hilton, Repo! The Genetic Opera
Kim Kardashian, Disaster Movie
Jenny McCarthy, Witless Protection
Leelee Sobieski, 88 Minutes & In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale

Worst Screen Couple Nominations:
Uwe Boll and any Actor, Camera, or Screenplay
Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, What Happens in Vegas
Paris Hilton and either Christine Lakin or Joel David Moore, The Hottie and the Nottie
Larry the Cable Guy and Jenny McCarthy, Witless Protection
Eddie Murphy and Eddie Murphy, Meet Dave

Worst Prequel, Remake, Rip-Off, or Sequel Nominations:
The Day the Earth Blowed Up Real Good
Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Speed Racer
Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Worst Director Nominations:
Uwe Boll, 1968: Tunnel Rats, In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale and Uwe Boll’s Postal
Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans
Tom Putnam, The Hottie & the Nottie
Marco Schnabel, The Love Guru
M. Night Shyamalan, The Happening

Worst Screenplay Nominations:
Disaster Movie and Meet the Spartans
The Happening
The Hottie and the Nottie
In the Name of the King: A Dungeon Siege Tale
The Love Guru

Worst Career Achievement:
Uwe Boll

The BAFTA Nominees were just announced yesterday and there are no real surprises in here outside of the number of nominations that Burn After Reading has received, which was a notably weak Coen Brothers film. Slumdog Millionaire leads the pack with eleven nominations, and seems like a sure bet on British Film of the Year. Also somewhat notable is a fair amount of nominations for The Dark Knight. There has been a lot of speculation about what the nominations The Dark Knight have really meant in regards to the year in cinema, as the film will likely receive upwards of four nominations at this years Oscars (cinematography, editing, special effects, make-up, best supporting actor, best score). Now, The Dark Knight was surely a solid film, but is it really Oscar worthy? Was it that good, or is it a particularly weak year at the the theaters? It’s probably a little of both, when films like Burn After Reading, Tropic Thunder, and In Bruges continue to get nominations throughout awards season you can only hope that next year will bring something a little more substantial.

Anyhow, the nominees:

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

Best British film
Hunger
In Bruges
Mamma Mia!
Man On Wire
Slumdog Millionaire

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
Kristen Scott Thomas - I’ve Loved You So Long
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Supporting actor
Robert Downey Jr - Tropic Thunder
Brendan Gleeson - In Bruges
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Brad Pitt - Burn After Reading
Philip Seymour Hoffman - Doubt

Supporting actress
Amy Adams - Doubt
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Cristina Barcelona
Freida Pinto - Slumdog Millionaire
Tilda Swinton - Burn After Reading
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler

Director
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Milllionaire
Stephen Daldry - The Reader
Clint Eastwood - Changeling
David Fincher - The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button
Ron Howard - Frost/Nixon

Original screenplay
Burn After Reading - Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
In Bruges - Martin McDonagh
I’ve Loved You So Long - Philippe Claudel
Milk - Dustin Lance Black
Changeling - J Michael Straczynski

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
Gomorrah
I’ve Loved You So Long
Persepolis
Waltz With Bashir

Animated film
Persepolis
Wall-E
Waltz With Bashir

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

Music
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Alexandre Desplat
The Dark Knight - Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard
Mamma Mia! - Benny Andersson, Bjorn Ulvaeus
Slumdog Millionaire - AR 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

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 - Eddy Joseph, Chris Munro, Mike Prestwood Smith, Mark Taylor
Slumdog Millionaire - 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
Iron Man - Shane Patrick Mahan, John Nelson, Ben Snow
Quantum Of Solace - Chris Corbould, Kevin Tod Haug

Make-up and 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 - Adrian Sturges, Sam Taylor-Wood, Patrick Marber
Ralph - Olivier Kaempfer, Alex Winckler
September - Stewart le Marechal, Esther May Campbell
Voyages D’Affaires (The Business Trip) - Celine Quideau, Sean Ellis

The Orange Rising Star Award (voted for by the public)
Noel Clarke
Michael Cera
Michael Fassbender
Rebecca Hall
Toby Kebbell

It’s barely been two months since The Dark Knight began slashing box office records and the rumor mill on Batman 3 has already begun. Though no official production has begun, and the script is not yet under way, Michael Caine has revealed that it is in development at this years TIFF.

In an interview Caine commented,

“I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make another one?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘Shit, they’ve done it again!’”

According to The Playlist Christopher Nolan has already said no to having the Penguin as the next villain. Does a franchise this huge really need any more star power to sell? Depp or Hoffman (both obviously great actors) would add star leverage that could negate what the series is really after. It may be a case of the spiraling out of control that took place within the last Batman series. Either actor may surprise (I didn’t think Ledger would pull it off initially), but can they play the type of dark villain the this series demands? We’ll see. You’ll just have to hang on for about two or three years while they figure it out.

Amidst the never ending fervor over comic book adaptations in the cinema I thought it was a good time to look back at M. Night Shyamalan’s 200 genre bending Unbreakable. In the film Bruce Willis plays David Dunn, a father who lives in the same home as the wife he is currently separated from. At the beginning of the film he is returning home, to Philadelphia, from an interview in New York. The job would allow him to leave the broken home he is living in and attempt to start a new life. But when the train derails and kills everyone except for him, he begins to question what has happened. Everyone is dead, and he is left without even a bruise. This anomaly also interests Elijah Price (Samuel L. Jackson), a man who is suffering from a debilitating disease in which all of his bones are too frail to do anything. Price is obsessed with the culture, and history of comic books, and believes that if he himself exists than it is possible that someone at the polar opposite of the spectrum may exist as well, a sort of modern day superhero.

The comic book aspects of the film seem to function on two different levels. On the one hand it is playing with the idea of the superhero and putting it into a more realistic constraint. Supposing that maybe it is possible that this exists, and that it is a notion that merits consideration, that the comic books are a sort of exaggeration of what some know to be true. That the physical characteristics of some people could be at a nearly superhuman level, and that there is some greater force behind their own construction where they are in place to help others because of the unique characteristics of their bodies. This notion I will not entertain. Though there would certainly be merit in the discussion of such possibilities this is really more of a scientific discussion than I will entreat here.

The other level the film can be sent o function on is highlighting the true folklore nature of the comic book in modern day America. On some levels – though many would, possibly correctly, disagree – the superhero is a uniquely American art to be put up on the level of other rarities of American heritage such as jazz. The superhero mythology has always carried with it less than subtle traces of the American psyche, and in that fashion it is a sort of text passed down from generation to generation on the fears and desires of the American mindset. Shyamalan and Elijah’s fascination with comic books, and their motives within the film and in the creation of the film are an all too neglected aspect of modern superhero mythology. With it’s huge resurgence in America since 9/11 it is clear that the superhero is saying something that Americans are connecting to. There are plenty of papers on the nature of the superhero mythology, and how it reflects the modern age (just look at The Joker in the recent The Dark Knight, a terrorist whose immorality must be negotiated within the framework of traditional Christian-American morality). But it is not often looked upon like a text that communicates something greater, in a similar tradition to folk music telling the story of the immigrant experience in America (and, clearly, much more than that).

What is most important in this, reading it as a film about film, is that it begs the moviegoer to dig deeper into the texts they experience. It attempts to communicate that the superhero in America is not mere fantasy, or genre narrative, it is more than that. It is a communiqué of what consumes us, the fears that eat away at the collective whole, and the ever-present desire to be ridded of that responsibility that come with fear. It reveals that American desire to be concerned, but to have it all swept away by forces beyond control, a somewhat Christian mythology in that it asks that something superhuman, beyond what is physically known, an agent of pure goodness, come to save us from ourselves, to wipe away the fear that consumes us as a people. Unbreakable, though a flawed film, asks the viewer to become conscious of why things gain popularity, why cultural phenomena like The Dark Knight have such a wide appeal, drawing us in hoards to theaters to share an experience of a world that is completely unknown, yet all too familiar.

At this years Cannes festival it seemed as though there were a few films that really grabbed the attention of the fest-goers, but received little press. Films such as Steven Soderbergh’s Che or Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York seemed to be the fest favorites yet neither of those, or James Gray’s Two Lovers, received an offer for American distribution, despite Kaufman’s huge indie appeal, and Benicio Del Toro winning Best Actor honors for his performance as Che (part of the studio’s problem with Soderbergh’s two part Che opus is that it is nearly six hours long - but if it’s good…I still watch Once Upon A Time in America regularly).

It seems that the milieu of folding specialty distribution companies is really having an impact on the American independent cinema.  It is rare that films which are receiving as much buzz as these, with premiere names involved, aren’t getting picked up and it is a reflection of the state of the industry. Production companies don’t want to purchase interesting films any longer, they want comic book films (which we constantly appear to have reached the saturation point with, but people keep flooding the cinemas for them, and with production begun on over 20 more there will be comic book films coming out well into the summer of 2012). Yet, it seems that people are constantly complaining about the lack of interesting films and interesting directors in the theaters - not that there aren’t any, by any means, the American independent cinema has been having something of resurgence in the past five years - but if we continue to go to the theaters to see films of mediocre quality, like The Incredible Hulk we will continue to be fed them. The resurgence of American independent cinema could fade over the course of the next two years and put us back in an auteurless American cinema like we had in the early-mid eighties.

Now, there is certainly nothing wrong with summer blockbusters, or popcorn flicks, they can be done intelligently. However, the people in the board rooms deciding what you will and will not see are not interested in quality, they are interested in what you will pay for. The Dark Knight is an interesting example of how audiences can change the tone of the blockbuster, character actors - good actors - and a fairly independently minded director (though, let’s not kid ourselves, Nolan has gotten way more street credit than he deserves as an indie filmmaker) are a rare commodity in the summer season. People are going to this, and the studios are taking note. Now, it’s certianly not independent are all that deep of a film, but it does dig a little deeper than most blockbusters. When, with the The Incredible Hulk, we saw the battle between the studio and Norton, where the studio was sure the audience wasn’t concerned about character development or story, they wanted a big green action movie. But it was really crap. Even in this instance - which is outside of the discussion of independent cinema - you can see that the tickets you purchase will have an effect on what you have the opportunity to see. The studios are taking note that a dark film, with lots of character development, and relatively few action sequences (for an action film) is breaking all of the box office records.

It’s just like any other economy. How you spend your money will affect what you are offered to spend your money on, and what products can afford to improve the quality of the product they offer. It’s simple supply and demand (well, maybe not that simple). Nonetheless, guilty as I may be as well, it’s important, especially during an economic crisis where more and more independent productions are being cut, that you are mindful what you are watching. If you care about independent cinema than you should be aware that every time you buy a ticket or popcorn, you are telling the studio where to put their money for future projects. If you go and see Sex & the City you will get more Sex & the City - and maybe that’s what you want, and there is nothing wrong with that - but if you’d rather see the second part of the Mongol trilogy, than maybe you should go see Frozen River or The Wackness this weekend instead of The Mummy 3.

The trailer for part one of Soderbergh’s Che films, The Argentine: 

So, as nearly every critic in the nation predicted, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight has set all sorts of box office records over the weekend. It sold more tickets to a midnight screening than any film in history, broke both the opening day and opening weekend records, previously set by Sam Raimi’s Spiderman 3. Hauling in over $155 million this weekend The Dark Knight is pretty well set to be the biggest release of the year. The calls for an Oscar nod for the late Heath Ldeger’s performance as The Joker have continued, generally rave reviews continue to flow in across the blogosphere (including one here at Celluloid Notes), and the huge amount of press it is continuing to get can only add to what is sure to be one of the biggest box office releases ever. The rumor mills are already starting up on whether or not Nolan will in fact attempt a third in this series (which seems all too clear, the studio will easily finance another sequel to a film that has smashed so many box office records). One can only imagine that the third installment is already in development, and I’m sure there will be plenty of rumors circulating about who the new villain will be, and who will be involved, it is surely up in the air at the moment, as (SPOILER) neither the Joker nor Two-Face actually die in the films final moments. Though one of these two will not be involved in any sequels (…).

The Dark Knight has finally hit the big screens in one of the widest releases in history. Amid the critical hysteria and the isolated dissent the film has received more attention than any other release of 2008, and for good reason. The Dark Knight is a taut intelligent thriller, that continues the story of director Christopher Nolan’s highly praised Batman Begins.

What is really working in Nolan’s reinvention of the Batman series is that he takes the characters very seriously, he doesn’t treat them with the same kind of comic book flare that saturates other comic book adaptations of recent years, like Hellboy or The Incredible Hulk. The film is very dark and the characters very real. Nolan seems to invest himself whole-heartedly in the mythology of Batman. Reinventing the classic villains as real characters who were once just an everyday person. Much of the dissent has been, aside from a slightly convoluted plot structure, that the late Heath Ledger’s Joker does not seem to follow this formula, but that is the nature of the Joker. Since the early years of the comic book the Joker has not been a character with a past, he is a character that kind of just appears as the antithesis to Batman. Batman has raised the bar in Gotham and the Joker is the underworld’s answer. He is more symbol than most of the Batman villains, and The Dark Knight portrays that perfectly.

Heath Ledger gives a stellar performance as the completely deranged Joker. His performance is filled with subtlety and nuance that is truly quite surprising, considering there was a great danger of Ledger borrowing heavily from Jack Nicholson’s Joker performance in Tim Burton’s Batman. The film is full of great performances. Even Aaron Eckhart gives a great performance as Harvey Dent. He seems a somewhat off choice to play a character as deranged as Harvey Two-Face. But his solid stance as Harvey Dent, DA, gives a fullness of character to Two-Face by the end, it gives it a foundation to grow from. Two-Face becomes a character who truly has two sides, a character who has given everything to fight crime in the city, and is conflicted between his desire to continue his battle and to seek revenge against those who have destroyed his life during his attempts to make life better for everyone.

The Dark Knight’s biggest weakness is that Nolan tries to make it too real, in a sense. There is something inside of the highly intricate plot that makes it a little too heavy to pull it’s own weight through two and half hours. Subplots develop and are never fleshed out, the audience is expected to accept that subplots start and end and you will know very little about the whole story. For the most part this approach – which has become something that is standard in almost all of Christopher Nolan’s films – works, there are times when it becomes a bit too much and feels a little tacked on, but on the whole it functions. The film comes together very nicely and moves rather quickly through its lengthy run time. Maybe the calls for an Oscar nomination for Ledger are a bit too strong, but The Dark Knight is certainly the best film of the summer, and the best comic book film to come out in a very long time.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army has all the makings of a great summer comic book film. A solid cast that works in their roles, a great director at his best, a great crew making spectacular special effects and prosthetics, yet, even with all this talent, it’s is not difficult to discern why this film is a failure. Everything in this story comes easy. A group behind me at the early screening mentioned that this film should maybe prompt a new rating, not suitable for people over 16.

The effects in the film are fantastic, and Ron Perlman is very capable as the devilish and conflicted Hellboy, even Jeffery Tambor’s comic relief is a welcome shtick, yet it still can’t manage to come together. There is a noticeable improvement upon the first film, most noticeable the look of the film is spectacular, the trolls, elves, and monsters are amazingly rendered, true style. The main issue in this film seems to be that the script was written by a focus group with little imagination. The story is predictable and stale from the opening flashback. Moment to moment in the film there is enough foreshadowing for a six-year-old with a blindfold to figure out what will happen next. While the action and visuals are a vast improvement upon the first installment, the glaringly stale plot prevents the film from ever really taking off. There is a lot of potential in Del Toro’s Hellboy franchise, but it just hasn’t been fully realized yet. But it was great popcorn fare to prep everyone for next week’s The Dark Knight premiere.