KNIGHTwatch continues!

While I've been floating around new ideas for posts, I feel like it's only appropriate to continue some more discussion on what is now officially a phenomenon- THE DARK KNIGHT. I don't really need to recap all of the records that are currently being smashed to pieces with each passing day, but what's exciting to observe is how truly phenomenal this movie has become. I don't feel as if I can provide an accurate in-depth review of the film until I see it again, but all I can say is after the first viewing, the film itself is truly amazing in its complexity and boldness to be more fearless than any other "comic book movie" has ever been before it. It's so well crafted that I really think that it has the feel of an instant classic. And what I mean by instant classic is that it will be a film that you'll watch in a few years for the 20th time and discover something new you never noticed the first 19 times. It's a film that people will turn on, watch and say "I forgot how good this movie is."
I think right now since most of the focus on how its doing at the box office, it's important to really appreciate what we're currently witnessing.  Not since TITANIC has a movie become this phenomenal and really gone above and beyond what anyone could ever have predicted.  As such, here's a number of reasons why THE DARK KNIGHT's record breaking run is something that is truly amazing:

1) It's a sequel- The predecessor to THE DARK KNIGHT, BATMAN BEGINS, "only" grossed $205 million at the box office back in 2005.  While the fan response to that film was very enthusiastic, it's darker and more realistic approach to the Batman mythology made it a tougher sell to audiences other than the comic fanboys.  It wasn't nearly the accessible hit that IRON MAN or SPIDERMAN was, a hit that was truly four quadrant.  This makes THE DARK KNIGHT's success phenomenal because for a sequel to a film that didn't have as broad an audience as you might think to do as well as it's doing is quite unexpected.  While THE DARK KNIGHT surpasses BATMAN BEGINS in almost every aspect, sequels rarely outgross their predecessors, especially to this high degree.

2) It's a comic book movie, but it's kinda not- When you think of the most successful comic book movies, the films that come to mind are the ones that make the comic pages come to life in a truly cinematic way.  Comic book movies are supposed to be the ultimate escapist cinema with larger than life villains, grand heroes, and action set pieces and scenarios that you wouldn't normally see in real life.  While THE DARK KNIGHT certainly has touches of all of those elements, most of them to a degree seem a bit more grounded, rather than comic panels come to life.  The internal and external conflicts the characters face in the film deal more with real human conflict rather than the conflict that a superhero or tortured supervillain must confront.  The basic point is that when you look back on the film, it's more of a crime drama than a comic book film, and the fact that audiences are responding to the film in that regard is unexpected.

3) It's a dark (no pun intended) film- If you've seen the film, you know there are moments in THE DARK KNIGHT where you just think "I would never take a kid to see this movie."  TITANIC was a movie that had something for everyone: it was a romance, and action movie, historical drama.  Everyone went to see that movie multiple times (mostly teenage girls) because it had enormous broad appeal.  THE DARK KNIGHT deals with murder, terrorism, corruption.  It's not a light movie, and many of the themes and storylines are complex and dark.  People die, the villains do truly horrible things, and the heroes aren't always the good guys.  This is a new kind of epic, and there must be something in this film that's driving people to see it two, three or four times.  Since it's so dark and tough to watch at moments, it would be very interesting to know what is drawing people to see the film multiple times.

It will be extremely fascinating to see where THE DARK KNIGHT ends up at the end of the day.  I think it will be hard to judge if it can challenge TITANIC as the box office champ, but the picture will certainly be more clear in a week or two.  This is a movie that, in a way, is rewriting the rules, and that's always a good thing.  I, for one, know that one time was certainly not enough to enjoy this "new classic."  This is a movie you don't want to miss on the big screen, and really want to enjoy as many times as you can.  This is a movie to get anyone excited about the movies.

As always comments are welcome and encouraged.  What did you think of THE DARK KNIGHT?  Where does it rank on your list of classics?

KNIGHTwatch!

Well, it's finally here. The most anticipated movie of the summer, NAY, the year, NAY, the decade!!!! Can you feel DARK KNIGHT mania????? Apparently this is a movie that's going to change superhero, crime drama, action movies, romantic comedies, and korean horror films forever!!!!In all seriousness, I really hope this movie delivers. For me, personally, the Batman franchise is one that I hold more dear to my heart than any other. The original 1989 BATMAN is the reason why I wanted to get in the movie biz in the first place. It was the first time I remember a movie being a true event surrounded by intense anticipation. That summer, my brother took me to see BATMAN five times that summer, and I can still remember how enthralled I was each time I saw it. Plus, this was back in the day before movies came out on video 3 months later, so it played throughout the entire summer. People saw it again and again the way it was meant to be seen: in a movie theater, rather than see it once in the theater and watch it again at home on video.  It was the first time I realized how truly culturally important a movie could be.
Now, THE DARK KNIGHT is about to be unleashed onto the masses, and this is the first movie in a while that has had the kind intense anticipation that a movie like the first BATMAN had. From the incredible web viral campaign, to the amazing advertising (starting with that frustratingly awesome teaser trailer last year), to the unfortunate death of Heath Ledger, to the glowing reviews, this movie has given people countless reasons to be excited. Frankly, I've loved every minute of it.
Ever since DVD, multiplexes, the internet and the importance of opening weekends, etc. movies have ceased to become true "events." With online ticketing, and an insane amount of multiplexes and screens, it's pretty easy to walk into a movie theater and get a ticket to the hottest movie playing that weekend. In fact, most high grossing movies are playing to half-empty theaters their opening nights! What's so exciting about DARK KNIGHT, is that the anticipation is so high, it's now even hard to get tickets for the opening weekend! I'm loving this because there is nothing like watching a film communally in a packed theater with people who want to have an experience at the movie theater, not just waste a couple of hours.
I really feel that this movie is going to be something special. Not only because of it already being hailed as a potential classic, but also because from a historical standpoint it's a phenomenon: something everyone is talking about, something in the news, something that will be remembered forever, regardless of how good or bad the movie really is. THE DARK KNIGHT is what a true "Event Movie" should be all about.  Like BATMAN and other event movies such as JURASSIC PARK, FORREST GUMP, and TITANIC, THE DARK KNIGHT is a film that feels like its already on its way to being a culturally important phenomenon.
So, I hope everyone enjoys the film itself, but also enjoy the hype, enjoy the experience of excitement in the movie theater that the other 200 or so people watching with you are enjoying. It's a rare thing these days, and it's why I love these kinds of movies.

As always, comments are welcome and encouraged. What did you think of the movie?? What movie do you remember that was a true "event" for you?

2008 Mid-Year Review (Part 2)

While 2008 has had its fair share of successes, it's also had its share of disappointments. With each passing year, a few films come along and give hope that maybe Hollywood has finally found the formula to making big, studio movies mean something more than just cheap laughs or explosions. However, with the nature of the biz (meaning money), it's pretty inevitable that there will always be a few disappointments. Not to say that the following movies didn't have something to offer, they just didn't deliver the fulfilling experience that you always hope you're gonna have when you leave the theater.

Disappointments

THE LOVE GURU: A couple of years ago I was fortunate to be one of the few to read this script, and I thought it was hilarious. It seemed like a return to form for Mike Myers and had that AUSTIN POWERS feel to it. Unfortunately, that's what DIDN'T work in the film. It seemed very dated, and a lot of the jokes just fall flat. While Myers is funny in the film, all the other elements are just disappointing.

YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE ZOHAN: A movie written by Adam Sandler, Robert Smigel and Judd Apatow? You would think it wouldn't miss the mark, but ZOHAN is just a bit too overblown and silly to make it feel truly fresh. The concept is great, the Zohan character has its moments, but too many raunchy sex jokes and tiredness of the Adam Sandler-branded comedy make this one a disappointment.

INDY 4: I was really torn about putting this on my disappointment list, but the more I think about it, its a disappointment for what it COULD have been. The first half was great, a nice return to form for Spielberg, but I have to agree with the masses and say that the CGI bugged me a bit and did take me out of the movie. Not a terrible movie, just not what I was hoping for a movie I waited 19 years to see.

WORST

SEMI-PRO: Yet another comedy I had really high hopes for. I read this script for this as well and laughed my ass off. Yet, as I watched this movie, SO much of it played horribly. It was the first time I got sick of seeing Will Ferrell do his over the top acting, and by the middle of the movie, no one in the theater was laughing any more.

SPEED RACER: Wow, I really didn't like this one at all. I know it has its fans, but it was just too bizarre and the story just didn't get me at all (Corporate revenge combined with a family drama????). Even the racing scenes didn't thrill me like they did for others. In my eyes, the Wachowskis haven't really proven themselves since the original MATRIX.

HANCOCK: A schizophrenic mess. First half was really interesting, but in the second half it becomes a TOTALLY different story, which isn't a good story to begin with. I may have to write a whole column about this, but I have to say, I get angry when movies like this make money because it just excuses lazy filmmaking, as exhibited in HANCOCK.

So that concludes the year (so far) in review. What about you? Which movies were you disappointed by? Which ones did you hate? As always, comments are welcome and encouraged!

2008 Mid-Year Review (Part 1)

So for my first substantial post, I figured the timing was appropriate for a Year (so far) in review.  The early part of the year felt a bit weak to me in terms of quality releases, and also just sheer volume of anything worth getting excited about.  However, I feel like the summer season has been proving itself noteworthy so far.  This year has already seen its fair share of potential classics, sleepers, disappointments and complete failures, so what follows are a few movies for each of those categories.  Part 1 is my Favorites of the year so far and Sleepers, Part 2 will be the Disappointments and Worst of the year, as well as my most anticipated movies for the 2nd half of 2008.  

Favorites

IRON MAN: This one really kicked off the summer season with a satisfying bang.  Like BATMAN BEGINS, it was a well-crafted movie that placed the story and characters first, and it made for a more rewarding film.  I also think, like BATMAN BEGINS and SPIDERMAN 1, this one is just a set up for what could be a really amazing sequel.

WALL-E: I think WALL-E is gonna be one of those movies that gets better and more appreciated over time, more so than some of the previous Pixar films.  Besides TOY STORY, WALL-E is probably my favorite Pixar film so far.  It just got everything right and is exhilarating, emotional and most of all a lot of fun.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL: Definitely the comedy to beat this year.  Smart writing, great cast, and a story that anyone can relate to.  It also has amazing comedic moments that are pretty memorable.  Along with SUPERBAD and 40 YEAR OLD VIRGIN, it's one of the best Apatow-produced comedies. 

SLEEPERS (movies that took me by surprise)

KUNG-FU PANDA: I have to say, I was VERY surprised by this one.  If you're a fan of SHREK, or any of those animated comedies that has a lot of humor that appeals to adults, than you'll love KUNG FU PANDA.  The animation was pretty amazing during some scenes, and there were times I laughed aloud while watching.  Smart humor, great animation, a simple story well told.

WANTED: WANTED isn't an amazing film, or a groundbreaking one, but it's just a lot of fun.  I'm a big big fan of the director, Timur Bekmambetov, and there were a lot of elements that were similar to his past films.  The story is really rediculous, but the action is totally kick ass.  I wish there were more R-rated action movies like this being made.

CLOVERFIELD: Although this one had a lot of hype upon its release, I'm putting it as one of my surprises because I really admired the filmmakers for having the balls to put out a movie like this.  It was a pretty intense experience watching this in the theater, partly because of the gimick of it being "real" and also because of the smart advertising campaign that didn't give any of the best secrets away. 

So there's Part 1 of the 2008 review.  Let me know what you think about movies you've seen that you've loved, which ones took you by surprise, etc.  See ya for Part 2!

Welcome!

Welcome to the Cinescapist blog! Inspired by some of my blogging friends I decided to join the blogosphere in hopes of contributing a (hopefully) interesting point of view on the film industry. Growing up, I was always interested in reading any and everything on not just movies themselves, but also about the movie business. This included magazines including Premiere, Entertainment Weekly, Cinescape, Movieline, etc. where film was usually discussed in a more meaningful way, rather than as just mindless, Access Hollywood-type gossip.
What I hope to achieve is to provide some insight to the casual moviegoer that might make films, weather they be blockbusters, indies, award contenders, etc, as meaningful as they are to me. Also, I hope that any reader can gain some more interest in the actual workings of the movie-biz, and again, see a point of view that you can't get from everyday media.
What I'm going to attempt is to provide some variety in various posts. I'll certainly include the obvious reviews of new and up coming movies, but since everyone seems to have an opinion on the movies they see, I don't want that to be the main focus. It also won't be too much straight news reporting, since you can already find many sites that do this already (all listed in my links section) In addition, my posting will include some enlightenment on up and coming movies, comments on current issues involving the biz, and other perspectives on the industry that will make movies a bit more interesting to the average film goer.
As always, comments and suggestions are welcome and greatly encouraged. Enjoy!