by Jason Barr Posted: December 8th, 2012 at 1:16 pm
As lame as it may sound, I used this weekend’s Friday night to take in my second viewing of The Dark Knight Rises. Moreover, while the last thing a picture that made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office needs is a voice in its corner, I have to say that I enjoyed TDKR more the second-time around. While some aspects still bothered me (the final mix on Bane’s voice, why Jim Gordon would carry around in his coat pocket a confession written on giant-sized paper that he knows will have dire consequences, etc.), I found other elements to be better than I remembered (scenes between Bruce Wayne and Alfred, the brutality of Bane and Batman’s first fight, etc.). While it’s not without its problems, I stand by my belief that TDKR was the best superhero movie of the summer and a fitting end to a historic trilogy.
Random Batman thoughts aside, on tap this week is the first teaser trailer and poster for director J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek Into Darkness, a plethora of The Hobbit coverage including Dave’s review of An Unexpected Journey, a new poster for Zack Snyder‘s Man of Steel, first reactions to Django Unchained, and what could very well be one of the final Top 5 entries for the oft and aforementioned The Dark Knight Rises. A brief recap and link to each awaits should you choose to pursue it after the jump.
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I’m surprised it’s taken this long to happen, but the folks behind those “honest trailers” have finally tackled Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises. The trailer takes aim at a few of the larger criticisms of the trilogy closer, some more warranted than others. They sharply tackle how weak of a Batman/Bruce Wayne story the film is and have their go at Bane’s dastardly plans. It’s all in good fun, though, and there are a couple of solid jokes to be found thanks to the guys at Red Letter Media (famous for their brutal reviews of the Star Wars prequels).
Hit the jump to watch the “honest trailer” for The Dark Knight Rises. The film is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.
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One of the biggest films of the year finally hits home video this week on Blu-ray. Briefly:
Hit the jump for all the details.
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We previously brought you 45 images of the epic fight scene between Batman (Christian Bale) and Bane (Tom Hardy) in The Dark Knight Rises, but now you can see them in action in this new behind-the-scenes Blu-ray extra. Featuring commentary from director Christopher Nolan and editor Lee Smith as well as Bale and Hardy themselves, the clip shows just how much physicality went into making the fight look realistic and an explanation behind the decision not to use stunt doubles.
The Dark Knight Rises, also starring Anne Hathaway, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Marion Cotillard, is available on DVD/Blu-ray and VOD starting December 4th. Hit the jump to watch the clip.
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Today’s Amazon Gold Box Deal of the Day is 60% Off Downton Abbey Limited-Edition Seasons 1 and 2 Boxed Set on DVD and Blu-ray. Like all Gold Box Deals, it’s only good till midnight or when they sellout. So if you’ve been waiting to own Downton Abbey (which is a great show) today’s a good day to finally check it out. In addition, I’ve listed a number of other deals below. If you’re a Criterion fan, Amazon still has a ton of Criterion DVD and Blu-rays over 50% off. Included in the sale are David Fincher’s The Game, Rosemary’s Baby, Seven Samurai, Godzilla, Harold and Maude, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Rushmore, Anatomy of a Murder, Quadrophenia and too many others to list here.
Hit the jump for hundreds of other deals.
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Box office rankings were frozen in time this weekend as the top three films remained unchanged for a third straight frame. Once again, top honors went to The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2, closely followed by Skyfall. Spielberg’s Lincoln claimed third. There were also two new releases, though neither hailed from a major studio. The Weinstein Co.’s Killing Them Softly had the most promise, but not even Brad Pitt’s presence could push the drama to $10 million on this notoriously low-grossing weekend.
|
Title |
Weekend |
Total |
| 1. |
Breaking Dawn Part 2 |
$17,400,000 |
$254.5 |
| 2. |
Skyfall |
$17,000,000 |
$246 |
| 3. |
Lincoln |
$13,509,000 |
$83.6 |
| 4. |
Rise of the Guardians |
$13,500,000 |
$48.9 |
| 5. |
Life of Pi |
$12,000,000 |
$48.3 |
| 6. |
Wreck-It Ralph |
$7,020,000 |
$158.2 |
| 7. |
Killing Them Softly |
$7,000,000 |
$7 |
| 8. |
Red Dawn |
$6,550,000 |
$31.3 |
| 9. |
Flight |
$4,140,000 |
$81.5 |
| 10. |
The Collection
|
$3,400,000 |
$3.4 |
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Every Sunday Amazon changes their DVD and Blu-ray deals, so I went through what they had and here are the highlights. If you’re a Criterion fan, Amazon still has a ton of Criterion DVD and Blu-rays over 50% off. Included in the sale are David Fincher’s The Game, Rosemary’s Baby, Seven Samurai, Godzilla, Harold and Maude, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Rushmore, Anatomy of a Murder, Quadrophenia and too many others to list here. Finally, The Dark Knight Rises gets released Tuesday on DVD/Blu-ray, so I started with those.
Hit the jump for more.
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The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has unveiled its shortlist of 10 films that will contend for the Best Visual Effects Oscar. The films that have made the cut include The Dark Knight Rises, Cloud Atlas, Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and Disney’s John Carter. The list is full of impressive blockbuster fare from 2012, but as we were reminded last year (Hugo over Rise of the Planet of the Apes) the winner of the category tends to favor a Best Picture nominee. As Ang Lee’s adaptation of Life of Pi includes stunning visual effects and is an early favorite to land a Best Picture nomination, prognosticators would do well to keep their eye on that film as the race moves forward. That said, there’s not exactly a lack of great work to thumb through, so this should be an interesting category.
Hit the jump to check out the full list of contenders, and leave your thoughts on the shortlist in the comments. The nominations for the 85th Academy Awards will be announced on January 10th, followed by the ceremony on February 24th.
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Now that The Dark Knight Rises has made its way through its theatrical run, Christopher Nolan has eased up on being so vague about the film, and has done a fascinating interview with Film Comment where he looks back on his history with the Batman franchise. Moving through Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, and The Dark Knight Rises, he talks about the influences of each film, his approach to the stories, how he envisioned Bruce Wayne’s behavior throughout the trilogy, and much more. He also touches on the political elements of The Dark Knight Rises, its propulsive final hour, and the “open-ended” conclusion, which he doesn’t see as open-ended.
Hit the jump for more. The Dark Knight Rises hits Blu-ray/DVD on December 4th.
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Justice League is coming in 2015, which is sooner than you think. Just last year, Zack Snyder said his Superman movie Man of Steel has nothing to do with Justice League, and Batman curator Christopher Nolan has no plans to get involved. With DC’s two biggest superheroes on their own separate tracks, it was unclear just how and when Warner Bros. would start building up to Justice League over the next three years. The answer may have come today in the form of the obvious: they already started. Snyder now recognizes that the Superman you see in Man of Steel is almost certainly the same alien you will see in Justice League. A new report suggests that you have already seen the new Batman, and he is Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Details after the jump.
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We’re continuing on with our weeklong preview of the upcoming 85th Academy Awards, and after running down both acting categories it’s time to take look at some of the other races. Today we’ll be looking at the Best Animated Feature, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Original Screenplay categories in depth, and I’ll also make some way-too-early quick picks in the technical categories. The fun begins after the jump.
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With the release of The Dark Knight Rises Blu-ray quickly approaching, we’re getting to see more of the extras that will be included on the disc. We’ve already seen behind-the-scenes photos of the Bane/Batman fight, Tom Hardy’s transformation into Bane, and more. Today, we’re getting a look at what went into Catwoman’s fight scenes, and the special effects that went into destroying the Gotham Rogues’ football field.
Hit the jump to check out the special features. The Dark Knight Rises hits Blu-ray/DVD on December 4th. Click here to pre-order it.
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Just this morning, we posted 45 images of Bane (Tom Hardy) beating up on Batman (Christian Bale) in The Dark Knight Rises. Now, a new featurette found on The Dark Knight Rises DVD/Blu-ray discs is available that explores the physical transformation Hardy underwent in order to bulk up to Bane size. Bale, no stranger to undergoing drastic fluctuations in weight for movie roles, is also featured in the clip reflecting on Hardy’s achievement. We’ve also got concept images for earlier imaginings of Bane’s mask. Hit the jump to check it all out. The Dark Knight Rises DVD/Blu-ray hits stores December 4th.
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It takes a lot of hard work to break the Bat. While I had issues with the plot, The Dark Knight Rises excelled when it came to crafting its action scenes. One of the most memorable was Bane’s painful beatdown of Batman in the Gotham sewers. Even though the scene didn’t rely on high-tech martial arts, it still required a significant amount of fight choreography, and 45 images have been released showing what went into Bane punching the Dark Knight into oblivion.
Hit the jump to check out the images. The sequence will also be part of the special features on the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD of The Dark Knight Rises, which hits stores on December 4th.
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To help market the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD of The Dark Knight Rises, Warner Bros. is asking fans to share a timer counting down to the release date. The more people that embed the countdown clock will bring us all closer to getting an “exclusive reward” for Man of Steel, presumably a trailer, clip, poster, or some other form of advertising. So to recap: Warner Bros. is asking fans to help with marketing so the fans can be rewarded with more marketing. It would be hilarious if no one embedded the countdown clock and Warner Bros. said, “Fine! You know what? We won’t sell Man of Steel to you! See if we care!” The arbitrary “percentage” is going to go up no matter what you do.
Hit the jump to help in the marketing effort. Only together can we make sure that people buy The Dark Knight Rises on Blu-ray and DVD when it stores on December 4th.
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