Batman Begins, the 2005 movie from Christopher Nolan with Christian Bale as "Batman," successfully restarted the DC Comics franchise for the big screen. The movie explored the origins of the character, from the death of his parents as a young boy, to donning the batsuit for the first time. The movie was a huge hit, and grossed over $350 million worldwide. The sequel, The Dark Knight opens today, with critics and fans already raving over the performance by the late Heath Ledger. I wanted to refresh my memory by revisiting Batman Begins before heading to the theater, and, thankfully, Warner Bros recently released the movie on Blu-ray (it had previously been released on DVD and HD DVD).I regretted not seeing Batman Begins in the theater; my first viewing was on my 32" TV when the DVD was first released. My second viewing, this Blu-ray release, was an obvious upgrade from the DVD. Not only have I moved on to a larger screen (60"), but the 1080p transfer is leaps and bounds better than t...
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According to the Reporter, Batman frontman Christian Bale is in talks to join another boffo franchise, playing a grown-up John Connor in Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins. (Hey, I think Phantom Menace just lost the honor of worst film title ever.)Bale is currently lensing the Batman Begins follow-up The Dark Knight; McG (Charlie's Angels) is in negotiations to direct this latest Terminator trip.
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Nov 28, 2007 06:45 PM ET
- by Ken Fox
Aside from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Sandman Mystery Theatre and Rex Mundi, I’m really not a very big comic-book fan. But I’ve got to admit I can’t wait for The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan’s sequel to the supremely excellent Batman Begins that’s scheduled to hit theaters in July 2008. The reason: The advent of the Joker, one of the greatest pop-culture villains since Richard III. I’m one of the few people who doesn’t really like Tim Burton’s Batman, mainly because I’ve always hated Jack Nicholson’s buffoonish turn (let the flaming begin). The Joker should inspire giddy fear, not goofy laughs (check out Allan Moore’s classic Joker story arc in The Killing Joke for what I think is the best – and scariest – take on this endlessly fascinating character). So I was thrilled to learn that Heath Ledger had been cast in the role, since he’s a good actor who, I suspect, has a dark side worth explori...
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Nicole Kidman is joining Ralph Fiennes in The Reader, based on Bernhard Schlink's best-seller about a female defendant in a Nazi war-crimes trial.... Also per the Reporter, American Pie shtupper Jason Biggs is the best (and betrayed) bud of Bachelor No. 2 (aka Dane Cook), while The Class' Lizzy Caplan is Kate Hudson's No. 1 gal pal.... Per Variety, Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are the married owners of an incorrigible Labrador retriever in Marley & Me.... Senator Patrick Leahy plays "a distinguished gentleman" in a scene with Batman, the Joker and Alfred in The Dark Knight, says the AP.
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Christian Bale, whose war drama Rescue Dawn hits theaters July 4, proved evasive when asked by TVGuide.com about the rumored return of Cillian Murphy's Scarecrow in the Batman Begins follow-up Dark Knight. "I won't confirm it, 'cause I never know what I can and can't say," he hedged (in what our Raven describes as "his seriously hot native-Welsh accent"). "I usually wait for other people to say it, then I know it must be common knowledge."That unsaid, Bale notes that the sequel — hitting theaters in July 2008 — enjoyed a seamless transition, with the returning likes of Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman and Michael Caine joined by newcomers Heath Ledger (as the Joker), Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent/Two Face) and Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes as love interest Rachel Dawes). "It's been a nice progression," he said, "and we have the confidence now," based on Batman Begins' strong reception. — Additional reporting by Raven Snook
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