My Oscar Post

So, I guess I'm obligated to do this. So here is my Oscar post.

Slumdog Millionaire was awesome and deserves everything it got (except maybe bast song, "Jai Ho"!?). Five words: Danny Boyle is the man.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button deserved to win best special effects and it did.

Sean Penn blindsided me. I totally thought Mickey Rourke would win, even if he is kind of slimy.

Heath Ledger: nuff said.

Seth Rogan and James Franco: nuff said.

Still miffed that Bruce Springsteen's song from The Wrestler wasn't nominated.

Still mad The Dark Knight wasn't nominated for Best Picture (It wouldn't have won, but still, one the most highly reviewed movies of 2008 and grossing $1 billion at the box office deserves some recognition).

Hugh Jackman was alright. The opening musical number was amusing (Anne Hathaway stole the show), but next year, I think they should get a comedian again.

And next year, I hope they nominate some films that people actually cared about.

Batman 3: Rumors and Speculation

Probably the biggest news going on right now is speculation over the plot and cast of the next Batman movie. For the past few weeks rumors have been flying around concerning Johhn Depp or Brian Austin Green as The Riddler, Cher as Catwoman, and Verne Troyer or Philip Seymour Hoffman as the Penguin, not to mention the pictures of Kristen Bell dressed as Harley Quinn. In fact, Michael Caine caused a raucous earlier this week when he announced that he had a conversation with a studio head who told him that Depp and Hoffman would be playing The Riddler and The Penguin respectively. All this despite the fact that Nolan has already said he has made no definite plans for the next Batman and is going to make one or two other movies before returning to the franchise.

Well, Depp responded that playing the Riddler would be a “cool gig”; Hoffman said he didn’t think he would make a very good Penguin; and I’m guessing that no one even remembers Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills 90210, anyone?). But in the end, know that any Batman casting speculation is just that, speculation. Not only is Nolan taking some time off, but he’s also said that he’d rather focus on some lesser known Batman villains in the future rather than retreading villains used in previous movies.

Personally, I’d love to see Bane on the big screen or maybe the Mad Hatter. As well, the Verntriloquist would fit in well with the mob undertones of Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. I’ve also read about a lesser known villain named Mr. Zsasz who is essentially a serial killer who uses knives to kill his victims and then cuts himself to mark each kill on his own body, so he’s covered with scars. That kind of darkness would fit right in with the tone of the movies so far.

What villain would you like to see go up against Bruce Wayne in the next Batman movie? Leave a comment and let me know.

TDK, BIggest Opening Day EVER!

So, if you haven’t heard the news, The Dark Knight has officially had the the biggest opening day EVER. With $66 million on Friday alone, The Dark Knight beat out the last winner Spiderman 3 ($59 million). Of course, a good chunk of that came from midnight showings (about $17 million). But not only is there good news for the big wigs at Warner Bros.; all the early reviews—and all the word of mouth I have heard—places TDK at the top of a very short list of the best reviewed movies of the year. It’s currently at 94% at RottenTomatoes.com and not likely to take a dive at this point.

To reiterate my last post: I hope $66 million on opening day makes Warner Bros. sit up and take notice, so that they will give other talented directors like Christopher Nolan the money and creative space to explore their other DC properties and turn them into both critical and financial successes.