Sci-Fi Saturday: Dark Knight, Watchmen, Iron Man, Doctor Who, Caprica, Lost, Fringe + more January 24, 2009
by Rosario T. Calabria , Filed under: Sci-Fi , trackback
The big thing in genre news this week was the amazing lack of Dark Knight nominations at the Oscars, but we also have updates on Watchmen and Iron Man 2 and a ton of new previews, including Fanboys. In TV news we have an updates on the Doctor Who Easter Special and Caprica, plus previews and images, including Lost, Fringe and more.
MOVIE NEWS
Benjamin Button Leads Oscar Field with 13 Nominations
Well, the nominations for the 81st Academy Awards have been announced and, with the exception of the well-deserved nomination of Heath Ledger, "The Dark Knight" was snubbed. But there is still a little celebration in order for SF fans. The SF-ish "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" led the Oscar nominations with 13, including best picture, best actor (Brad Pitt), best actress (Taraji P. Henson) and best director (David Fincher). In addition to being nominated for the best animated feature film, "Wall-E" also got a nomination for original screenplay, as well as for original score and original song. While both "Iron Man" and "Hellboy II: The Golden Army" received nominations in the technical categories. "The 81st Annual Academy Awards" take place Sunday, February 22nd and will air on ABC.
Jonathan Nolan Responds to TDK Snub
"The Dark Knight" was snubbed in the best picture, best director and best writing categories. The Academy instead opted to nominate these five films: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"; "Frost/Nixon"; "Milk"; "The Reader" and "Slumdog Millionaire". It’s hard for me to put my head around the how the Academy could overlook the TDK nominations coming from the WGA, PGA and DGA. Or why they decided to ignore the fact that "The Dark Knight" is the second-highest grossing film of all time. Or that its RT rating of 94% Fresh rating is lower than all but one of the films they chose ("Slumdog Millionaire" is at 95%) and outrageously higher than two of the films nominated ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" at 72% and "The Reader" at 60%). Despite that, it’s good to see that Heath Ledger was deservingly nominated for best supporting actor as The Joker. Screenwriter Jonathan Nolan — brother of director Christopher Nolan — has responded to the fan outrage over the film’s snubs at darkcampaign.com:
“hey — not sure who to address this to as it looks like a collective effort, but I just wanted to pass along my thanks.
It’s truly humbling that you guys would take the time and effort to try to get the film recognized. I, like you, was disappointed that Chris didn’t get some recognition this morning, but for Heath and so many of the people who worked so hard on this thing to get nominated is thrilling.
Any nominations for a comic book movie is a thing of beauty no matter how you slice it, and that takes the sting out a bit. Besides, I’ve been to the big show before, and, like any of these things, it’s a little disappointing. Did you know it’s not even an open bar once the show starts? At least this time I would have remembered to bring a little cash so I could buy myself a drink after losing.
The best part of this experience is seeing other people getting passionate about the film the way that we did. It has been a truly incredible experience. So thank you again.
best,
jonah nolan”
Watchmen Soundtrack Details and other Updates
Warner Sunset/Reprise Records will release both the official soundtrack and the original score to "Watchmen" on March 3rd, just three days before the release of the film. Here are the details via the press release (click for track list and more):
Music From The Motion Picture Watchmen , the film’s official soundtrack, includes My Chemical Romance’s powerful reinterpretation of Bob Dylan’s “Desolation Row,” recorded exclusively for the film. The soundtrack also features a collection of classic songs by such artists as Nat King Cole, Simon & Garfunkel, and Janis Joplin, which, once heard in the context of the film, will never be thought of the same way again.
Watchmen Original Motion Picture Score features music by recording artist, composer, and music producer Tyler Bates, who was asked to score the film by Watchmen director Zack Snyder…Music From The Motion Picture Watchmen and Watchmen Original Motion Picture Score will be released in multiple fan-friendly configurations: The physical CD, and a digital album will be available on March 3rd, and a vinyl edition of the soundtrack will be released on March 17th.
In other "Watchmen" news
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Jeffrey Dean Morgan (The Comedian) tells MTV that the rape scene that will be in the movie is one of the reason’s it’s rated R, calling it "really, really violent".
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Warner Bros. has launched a new official website for the film and have updated their new viral site TheNewFrontiersman.net with new images (check one out below) and more.
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And finally, a new viral video for the film — a faux 1970 newscast celebrating the 10th anniversary of Dr. Manhattan’s creation — follows below.
Plus, new TV Spot here
Iron Man 2 Casting Update; Is Marvel Now Lowballing Mickey Rourke?
Something odd is going on over at Marvel Studios. First there was a report of them lowballing Favreau in their offer for him to direct "Iron Man 2". Then came word from the studio that they were dropping Terence Howard (Colonel James “Rhodey” Rhodes) in favor of Don Cheadle in a move that was largely reported to be about money. Just last week then, Samuel L. Jackson, who had a cameo role as Nick Fury in the end credits of "Iron Man", told the LA Times that he may not be in the sequel because "there seems to be an economic crisis in the Marvel Comics world". But now, there’s another casting issue. Variety is reporting that the studio’s opening offer to Golden Globe-winning actor Mickey Rourke to star as the main villain in "Iron Man 2" is just $250,000. Don’t get me wrong, that’s a ton of money, but it just seems way too low given the high profile role he’d likely play in the sequel. Meanwhile, Sam Rockwell, who will be playing another villain in the film, tells MTV that he isn’t all that familiar with the role he’ll be playing and has actually yet to see the script. And rounding out this week’s Iron Man updates, the Visual Effects Society has awarded "Iron Man" with five nominations for their annual VES Awards.
Alien Western (more here)
Wonder Woman
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Fanboys
Friday the 13th (more here and here)
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Japanese trailer)
Inkheart
Monsters vs. Aliens (another here)
Mutant Chronicles (Red-band trailer)
Push [HD Version]
Underworld: Rise of the Lycans (more here and here)
The Uninvited (more here and here)
- According to reports, most of the re-shoots for "X-Men Origins: Wolverine" revolve around the character of Deadpool, played by actor Ryan Reynolds. [IESB]
- Meanwhile, Liev Schreiber (Sabretooth in "X-Men Origins: Wolverine") tells Details Magazine that seeing fan reaction to his poor physical physique prompted him to get rid of the muscle suit and, with the help of Hugh Jackman (Wolverine), get himself in shape for the role. [via io9]
- Screenwriter John August has been hired for two projects: by Disney for Tim Burton’s "Frankenweenie" and by Columbia for Sam Mendes’ comic book adaptation of "Preacher". [THR]
- Sony has delayed Roland Emmerich’s sci-fi action film "2012" from July 10, 2009 to November 13, 2009. [THR]
- 4 of the 6 Worst Picture nominees for this year’s RAZZIE Awards are sci-fi films: "Disaster Movie"; "The Happening"; "In the Name Of The King: A Dungeon Siege Tale" and "Meet the Spartans". [Razzies]
- In a new interview, producer Michael Uslan reveals that in the long-in-development project, "The Shadow", there "may actually be many people" being portrayed as the character. [MTV]
- "Underworld: Rise of the Lycans" opened with about $8 million on Saturday and looks headed for about a $20 million weekend. The first film grossed $21.7 million and the second $26.8 million. Meanwhile, the fantasy film "Inkheart" took just $2.1 million Friday and looks headed for less than $7 million for the weekend. [DHD]
- Dakota Fanning is in talks to play Jane in "New Moon" (November 20, 2009), the sequel to "Twilight". [E! Online]
- J.K. Simmons, who played J. Jonah Jameson in the first three "Spider-Man" films, will be returning for the fourth film in the franchise. [MTV]
TV NEWS
Michelle Ryan in Doctor Who’s Easter Special
Michelle Ryan, who starred in the short-lived NBC series "Bionic Woman", will star in the "Doctor Who" Easter special "Planet Of The Dead". According to BBC, Ryan is playing Lady Christina de Souza, "a woman with a mysterious past who’s going to have a huge impact on the Doctor." Check out some images below.
more here
Ron Moore On BSG Movie and Spinoff Caprica
"Battlestar Galactica" creator Ronald Moore chatted with SCI FI Wire about two upcoming spinoff projects. On the upcoming TV movie "Battlestar Galactica: The Plan", written by Jane Espenson and directed by series regular Edward James Olmos, Moore says that filming has been completed, but he hasn’t seen a cut of it yet:
The Plan is in the can, although I haven’t seen the cut yet. The filming has been completed, and we have a lot of post-production work to do. I don’t know what the street date is on it. I haven’t heard that. But it’s done, and I’m looking forward to seeing it.
Here are a few excerpts from Moore, this time on the spinoff series "Caprica", which will premiere sometime in 2010:
Caprica is getting underway. We’re putting the writers’ room together as we speak. It’s very exciting. It’s a very different challenge. It’s a very different show. I think there’s a sense of "Well, Battlestar has set a very high bar." That makes everybody have to bring their A game, and I think that’s the spirit in which we’re approaching Caprica.
Caprica will be about how the people on the colonies developed the Cylons. And that has its own story to tell about how that came about. But in terms of the larger mysteries and mythologies and hows and the whys and how everything lays out on Galactica, we set out to answer as many of the questions that we could by the end of the show, and that’s what we did. We didn’t hold anything in reserve and say, "Oh, well, we’ll deal with this over in Caprica."
And rounding out this week’s BSG news:
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Moore discusses what it was like to direct his first episode of the series (last nights "A Disquiet Follows My Soul") over at SCI FI Wire and talks about the shows final episodes (spoilers) in this interview.
another here
NBC’s Kings Takes Place in New York-like Alternate-Universe City
Francis Lawrence and David Green, executive producers of NBC’s upcoming drama "Kings", reveal that the show takes place in an alternate-universe city such as New York, where a monarchy exists:
…it’s kind of an alternate take, so it’s a very familiar world, but, you know, a little bit different. It’s a country that looks and feels like we know it, except it’s run by a monarchy. And it was kind of fun changing around the details a little bit and making it our own," Lawrence said.
Green says they’ll leave it up to viewers to decide whether or not magical things are real or not.
"For us, I think, it was always this idea of magical realism, that these things happen, and they could be magic or they could be real," Green (Heroes) said. "It’s sort of up for you to interpret that. The butterflies in the story and the things that happen could be something sort of guiding things along, or it could just be nature."
Fringe (more here)
Heroes (more here)
Kyle XY (more here)
Smallville (more here)
Warehouse 13
Chuck
Dollhouse
Heroes (another here)
Knight Rider
Kyle XY
Lost
- Two of the seven pilots Fox have just announced are SF-themed. One is an "untitled reincarnation-themed project" and the other is "Human Target", a superhero drama based on the DC comic book. [THR]
- Have you checked out the "Lost" viral site Ajira Airlines? io9 has an article about the site and has gathered a few bits and images. Check it out here.
- Check out two articles on the upcoming ABC series "Cupid" with star Bobby Carnivale and creator Rob Thomas. "Cupid" premieres Tuesday, March 24, 2009 at 10pm ET/PT.
- Hillary Duff will appear in an upcoming episode of CBS’s Jennifer Love Hewitt drama "Ghost Whisperer". [EW]
- Nathan Fillion, who played Captain Hammer in Joss Whedon’s online musical "Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog", has confirmed that there’s talk about doing a sequel. [SCI FI Wire]
- Television Without Pity has a list of who they believe are the 10 most worthless characters on "Lost".
- Harry Lennix, who plays Boyd Langdon on Fox’s "Dollhouse", talks about his character in a new interview with SCI FI Wire.
- Scott Foley, one of the stars of NBC’s upcoming four-hour miniseries "The Last Templar", relates the movie "to those Jewel of the Nile and sort of the Michael Douglas-Kathleen Turner [movies]. … It’s a good time, and it’s an enjoyable sort of escapist television." [SCI FI Wire]
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (Video game–another here)
The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena
The Curious Case of Forest Gump
- Marvel Comics writer Ed Brubaker says to expect a big shock in the upcoming 50th issue of the "Captain America" series he writes. [SCI FI Wire]
- Brubaker also talked about the big-screen adaptation of his comic "Sleeper", revealing that he prefers not to write adaptations of his own work. [SCI FI Wire]
- Just a reminder that "Hulk Vs." hits DVD and Blu-ray this Tuesday, January 27th. In the mean time, check out some new concept art below.
more here
SCI-FI RATINGS (12/29/2008 to 1/4/2009)
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Comments»
MIckey Rourke is very high profile now with The Wrestler, and deserves more quatloos for Iron Man 2.
First?
please keep Knight Rider
I love Saturday Sci-Fi! Look forward to it every weekend (though it falls on a Sunday here for we Aussies).
#1 Thanks for mentioning “The Wrestler,” which I thought was a brilliant film. Mickey Rourke was pitch-perfect throughout the whole movie. Nothing was wasted in the story, and the actors all did incredible work. That being said, there was definitely room for more TDK recognition by the Academy. But I don’t spend too much thought on The Oscars as the event is de-evolved primarily into a marketing tool by the industry. I can recall “Children of Men” being largely ignored, as was “Master and Commander” in recent years. They don’t need Oscars to be loved by myself and many of you. Same goes for TDK- we know what’s what!
I count eight (I think? counting by hand, here) Dark Knight nominations; is that what a snub feels like? Somebody snub me, quick :)
And it’s very nice to see Michelle Ryan again; still sorry that her Bionic Woman series could never quite find a footing (either in terms of popularity or narrative). It had a good cast waiting vainly to become a good show :/ Lookin’ forward to more Who!
re: “shock” in upcoming Cap America…. reckon he comes back from the dead (again)? naw, that ain’t realistic, and this is comics we’re talking about….
…One has to remember that those who actually “vote” in the Academy Awards traditionally vote against successful genre films as they feel what the masses enjoy must be garbage. That’s why crap films like Annie Hall beat out Star Wars, and if you’ve done an “art house” flick your chances of getting even a nomination are several magnitudes higher than the top-grossing film of the year even if your film is a waste of film stock. The Oscars are like the Nielsens: they’re biased, they’re bogus, and above all else the way they’re determined is very rapidly leading to their demise. Considering their credibility is nonexistent, there’s nothing else they’ve got to lose.
Shame on them for snubbing the Dark Knight. If it were nominated for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Writing, they would be a sure win.
It looks like the Oscars are going the way of the dodo.
the academy is losing touch with the world’s taste in film, and the value of promoting a film for Oscar consideration, and subsequent boxoffice is almost gone.
When a film like “Wall-E” can never be up for best film, and the super epic “Dark Knight” gets the obvious Heath Ledger prize, but no other nominations but the usual tech ones, one wonders if the Academy Awards actually mean something beyond studio execs trying to sell more tickets for films no one wants to see.
Who remembers the genre community’s sigh of relief when “Return of the King” got Best Picture? Plus I believe 11 other statues? And it was filmed concomitantly with its two prequels which were just as good. It’s like Menagerie 1 getting and Emmy, and not Menagerie 2. It’s the same bloody film, and Oscar-world couldn’t digest it.
I’m ranting, but fact is, the Oscars are no longer valid. they are watched by fewer and fewer people every year, and the Internet has made us all critics
TDK is a good film. Is it an automatic for a best picture nod? Debatable. And 8 noms is nothing to sneeze at.
What it is though, is the most over-rated film of last year. Probably of the last 10 years.
….and the adventure continues….
Digital Domain.
Just give them an Oscar.
That performance capture makes the stuff in Beowulf look like Clutch Cargo. (If you’re old enough, you’ll get it.)
The Oscars are boring to watch, especially on the West Coast where you can see the winners online even before they’re shown on the West Coast feed. The shows are always too long, too stuffed with pointless filler, years of mediocre hosts :cough:EllenDeGeneresandJohnStewart:cough:, and just the sheer spectacle of Hollywood patting itself on the back for churning out a handful of movies most people will never see.
Yes, eight nominations is nothing to sneeze at, but that really wasn’t my point.
The Academy — and the HFP before them — are basically the only two nominating boards to snub the film out of best directing/writing/picture nominations and thus continue the unfortunate trend of obvious omissions. That in turn results in continued tune-out of these awards shows by the public (if they keep nominating so-called “Awards” movies that no one watches, then what’s the point of watching the telecast?).
If this wasn’t a SF column, I could have easily wrote about my annoyance of several snubs for The Wrestler which in addition to director/picture/writing, missed out on even a best song nomination (an award it won just two weeks ago at the Globes).
The point remains: deserving films are getting overlooked, or are awarded in the technical categories (that’s not to say technical awards are bad…)
I realize that there are some out there who think TDK is over-rated, but the other films nominated are viewed as being over-rated by some as well. No movie is liked by everyone.
The idea that “Annie Hall” was a “crap film” and “Star Wars” deserved to win instead is defensible only on the grounds that one thinks the most financially successful film must somehow be “the best.”
“The Dark Knight” just isn’t good enough to be taken seriously in the major categories, and if Ledger hadn’t accidentally killed himself he probably wouldn’t be a favorite in the “Best Supporting Actor” category.
Just remember the group we’re talking about here: left-leaning liberals who don’t appreciate that The Dark Knight resonated with so many people because of its story: that sometimes you have to step up and do what it takes to beat the bad guy because he’s a bad guy.
The Dark Knight has been compared so many times to the arguments that have surrounded the Bush administration, and justifiably so. Whether you agree with Bush or not (and I’m not injecting politics in this discussion), one has to agree that there were many parallels in that movie. And look how well it did!! That means something.
And apparently, it also means something to the left coast…
Frost/Nixon is nominated? That must be a joke.
The Dark Knight is not a serious contender, as it based on an unrealistic concept of a superhero.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, being about a man who ages backwards, is much more realistic and therefore worthy of consideration.
>;>}
Snobs snub.
I’m pissed you guys are using a “violent rape scene” blurb to promote watchmen. It’s a deplorable and unjustifiable marketing act, or any act, to begin with, it’s also WRONG information.
First, anyone who has read the comic knows, it’s an attempted rape. the original article, eventually mentions this. The actor mentions how “true to the comic” the scene is, having Hooded Justice interrupts the attack..
Who’s ever idea it was to post that blurb sucks…big time.
#1 You’re quite right of course. It’s the old taste concept that is attached to literature and popular fiction which is now attached to films as well — if it sells well, then it must be profane and crude; if it doesn’t, then it must have a quality that is rarely appreciated but which an elite few have superior powers of discernment to see its literary worth. My problem with this concept though is that it rests on two concepts: one, a cynical view of humanity, believing that the masses must be stupid or duped by marketing in order for so many people to enjoy something so much; and two, that only an elite can truly identify the great Human Works. TDK, like TOS, certainly was escapist and had elements you would not find in the real world. But it also spoke about the human condition and today’s society. Like any great science fiction, it used the genre as a way to speak to us about us. There are subtexts to TDK to be plummed like any good TOS episode. So, it is the academy’s own failings if they lack the insight to recognise a quality film of our era. They’re too busy building up what they think is their cultural capital by sticking to the tried and true formula of picking esoteric or art house films, unaware that this is what contributes to the increasing estrangement between them and their audiences. OK, off my soapbox now.
Sorry, my post should have begun with #7, not #1 … sorry
I also have a theory that poor box office contenders get nominated or awarded in order to give them a boost in DVD sales, rentals or box office receipts. Bit like how the best seller lists in newspapers have no connection to actual sales by publishers and booksellers.
22. Australia Jas,
I don’t know if your theory’s correct, but I could certainly see why it could be true. As an example, one of the best picture nominees, “Slumdog Millionaire” came out this last summer and got absolutely zero attention, at least here in the US. Fast forward to about a month ago and it’s suddenly being touted everywhere as one of the best of the year. If Hollywood honestly thinks these movies are so great, why are they only promoted during awards season? Of all the movies up for any of the major awards, the only one I’ve seen is The Dark Knight.
Sorry, that should say, “…why are they only seriously promoted during awards season?”
Its been good to see that most people are in agreement that TDK got robbed. To me that movie took the typical superhero movie genre and went far deeper with it than ever before and has been ignored. I honestly think that if Heath hadn’t died, they probably would have passed over him to for a nomination. Shame on them all. And yeah, slumdog millionaire is starting to annoy me, simply because the only press it gets is about all of its nominations, I have yet to see one preview for what the movie’s actually about.
That bit from Watchmen is pretty cool, kinda sets the movie in its era.
#25: Slumdog Millionaire is an unabashedly romantic love story set against a backdrop of game-show corruption and criminal violence in India.
Yeah, I know. “Another one?” But still, a fine example of the genre.
Yeah, when it comes to films the television media really, really annoys me. I don’t know if it is the same for everyone as it is for Australia but our main three broadcasters love to have male and female narrators — who seemingly sound like they are in the throes of passion — tell us “you will be amazed”, “your heart will be touched”, “you will never see the twist coming”. I’m probably being oversensitive but I loathe being told by television programmers how I am going to feel about an episode of something ahead of actually seeing the show or film. It’s a weird kind of infantilisation going on I think when they do this.
Come on Marvel. Don’t screw up the only good thing you’ve got going right now. Hard financial times or not they’re going to make their money back on it. Sounds like a catastrophe and comedy of errors what’s going on so far. Let’s go!
28
I was referencing Iron Man by the way. Incompetents at the helm. Sheesh.
I think very few people thought TDK would actually WIN. But what is more insulting is that it wasn’t NOMINATED, in spite of having nigh-universal critical acclaim (the same logic can of course, as others have pointed out, be pointed towards other films).
However, I’ve long accepted for awhile that the Academy is a self-perpetuating culture. Yes, it’s out of touch, but since it’s essentially a very large gentleman’s club that’s not likely to change.
No
I asay drop Knight Rider. Ijust dont see it getting better.
the show so far has bean the terrorist of the week. and now we’re going back to the help ordinary people bit.. the writting was terrible b4 i cant see it getting better wit this change.
Mm. Haven’t seen most of the nominated films. I’d drop “The Reader,” but, frankly, I’d put “Wall-E” in its place.
I’ve been bitter at the Oscars since “Crash” beat out “Curse of the Were-Rabbit,” though.
Guess one can’t expect too much from that bunch of elitist snobs with superiority complexes. The big awards always go to obscure little dramas full of obscure little people from obscure little independent film companies in obscure little countries filmed in languages nobody speaks. Never mind that The Dark Knight is in no way a fantasy and superpowers movie, if it’s from a comic book it’s automatically branded unsuitable for anything higher than technical categories.
At least they had the good sense to nominate Heath. Nobody’s ever deserved an award as much as he deserves this, dead or alive.
1) That “NBS Nightly News” video deserves an award. That is the only “vintage” flashback footage that actualy manages to nail the vintage feel, in that except for that CG fotage of the Doc crushing the tank (and what, there were no real stock photos of Richard Nixon they could get?), the rest looks plausibly from the ’70s. An amazing job.
2) the only real Dr. Who news I want to hear now is the release date of “The Next Doctor” on US TV. Sci-Fi, BBC America, PB-freakin’-S, I don’t care.
3) How many want to bet the big reveal in Captain America #50 is the return from the dead of Steve Rogers?
Maybe it’s because The Dark Knight simply isn’t that good a film. As much as it is just the film for this day and age it really isn’t much better then Burton’s Batman films. (Batman Returns is I think a much better film). It’s the mythos of Heath Ledger that’s propelled it. It’s because it’s so incredibly humourless and takes itself so serious that most people I think thought it was good.
But seen critically, what you have is a few really good performances (Ledger and Oldman), a couple of good scenes and some nice ideas. But a lot of the dialogue is terrible, there are a couple of plotholes and the joker is capable of some very unrealistic things. Nolan also made some clumsy cinematographic decisions, like the confusing flipped shot of the Joker upside down.
One of the main reasons I prefer Burton’s films though is that Burton understood the material much better. His stories were made in a coherent universe. His villains fitted in the exaggerated and stylised world of his films. His Batman too. In Nolan’s films there’s no such consistency. His Two Face seems to inhabit an entirely different film than his other characters. The science fiction gadgets just seem like something out of a Bond film, etc.
And the soundtrack was stultifyingly awful.
So, really, that it wasn’t nominated for the big ones isn’t such an affront in my opinion.
Not that I think the Academy chose such good films anyway, they rarely do.
So, now all we need is for the TDK fans to organize a boycott of the Oscars, et voila!
Ratings drop through the floor, the people have spoken, etc.
I’d give TDK the slot over Benjamin Button any day. And don’t hate on ‘Slumdog Millionaire’. It deserves the press it’s getting. I saw this with a group of ‘action/sci-fi film fans who usually want nothing to do with indie (or india) films and we were really blown away. This is not a schlocky, slow Kate Winslet joint.
TDK will get its due in years to come regardless while many of these nominated films will be forgotten, so no tears here.
A little bit of Shatner news for UKers to watch out for – Shatner will be on Friday Night with Johnathan Ross on 30th Jan…Its 2nd show of Ross’ comeback after the overblown Sachsgate…Tom Cruise was on last Fri promoting Valyerie (smart move as move people than ever were watching) and upon hearing Shatner was on next weeks went ‘excellent!’
Pegg was on JR a few months ago and they talked trek so Shatner will no doubt get quizzed on the new film and trek in general.
This will be Shatners 2nd Ross appearance – he was previously on summer 2006 with his Has Been album.
Academy repeadetly ignoring Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Superhero genres, just like televison Academy (example: TNG, Galactica,…)
That is just not fair, and, for me, Oscars and Emmys are piece of crap.
agree TDK shouldve been nominated for best pic/director over say The Reader…shame it wasnt. i mean its happened b4 with SF/Fantasy films – Star Wars, Raiders, ET, LOTR and to an extent Braveheart and Gladiator were action movies….
still at least it got 8 nominations
abit disappointed Indy 4 didnt get any nominations for ANYTHING…in fact its got a Razzie nom for worst sequel….thats harsh..imo its the best Indy sequel..
Michelle Ryan in Doctor Who….. Betr you her and Tennant will be an item!
Michelle Ryan got to do all of ONE good episode in Bionic Woman — the one where she got to use her real accent. They should have come up with a sci-fi reason for her to keep using that sexy voice. Ah, well… that show’s history now thanks to some sucktastic writing.
I’m avoiding spoilers on BSG like the plague.
Sounds like Iron Man II is in self-destruct mode, possibly a la Superman IV?
Really looking forward to Watchmen.
Thanks, Rosario!!!!
14:
In retrospect, “Annie Hall” was hugely funny, but it ends up really as the last film of Woody Allen’s early ’silly’ period (Bananas, Sleeper, etc) whereas “Star Wars” is now a monstrous worldwide brand, and the film itself has been tarted up so much as to be unrecognizable.
History sees “Star Wars” as a more important film than “Annie Hall,” but the Oscars are rarely about perspicacity. “TDK,” has been hailed by dozens of critics of worth as ‘the’ breakthrough superhero film in a 30-year old genre. Some compared it to the “Godfather” as the film which brought the genre out of the funnies and into good adult fiction. It does not have JRR Tolkien’s literary cred attached to it, but it should have been the one to break the ceiling.
In any case, the Oscars will most likely soon be an afterthought on Cable. BoxOfficeMojo.com and RottenTomatoes are far more entertaining.
I so can’t wait for the Doc Who special! The christmas one was great I felt, and the stories are always pretty good. Gonna be sad to see DT leave though. He was born just up from me!
#34, I saw ‘The Next Doctor’ on YouTube two or three days after it aired in the UK….
I’m a Batman fan, and even I’m getting tired of the hysteria over “The Dark Knight.” Really, now – it’s a fine movie, but deserving of an Oscar nom over Benjamin Button, The Reader, Slumdog Millionaire? Not a chance.
And no, “Star Wars” didn’t deserve a win over “Annie Hall.”
The Acedemy is Such a Joke. I have not watched it Since The Lord Of the Rings was Nomanated and won Everything. Oh Yeah it was a Top Grossing Film as well. The Oscars should be taken out and shot for being such an Emberesment. heath ledger Got Nomanated because they simply had no choice. I won’t watch it this year as i won’t support a Joke of an Awards Show.
Save Knight Rider? You’re kidding right? The pilot was bad enough but now they’re fighting robots? Reminds me of the demise of that DSV submarine show, can’t even remember it’s name. Went from plausible or at least believable to star trek/mechwarrior underwater. I guess the writers must have 10 year olds that come up with the ideas.
#48. it was Called SeaQuest DSV. It was a great Show the first Season and then it got Realy Bad.But it was not kids that gave the Ideas. It was and is Monkeys.
Knight Rider has been on top of its game since it came back in the New Year. The only disappointing thing was the battle with Karr was scaled back, but not because it was devised as such, NBC cut the budget. There was a conceptual promo of the full battle made by the guys who do the special effects which was much more meaty than the final snipped-budget aired effects.
People who slag it off, AICN and SyFy Portal (amongst its highest critics) don’t even show evidence of actually watching the latest episodes at all. It’s only had 12 episodes. Watch The Next Generation for an example of a spinoff with terribly conceived 1st season with awful episodes, and barely any consistency. Knight Rider, has had more good episodes than bad ones compared to the first 12 episodes of TNG.
Save Knight Rider, it’s worth it!
47:
I disagree with you about “Return of the King.” The three “Rings” films, to me, are almost untouchably brilliant despite departures from the original books. I honestly don’t care that it won all those trophies, but the fact that it did means someone in the Academy is awake, at least, and thought a posthumous award for the trilogy was justified.
The point you touch on, the “Heath Ledger” shoe-in award, is one that is true. The press called his performance ‘Oscar-worthy’ for months after his tragic death, so it’s a “gimme” at the ceremony. “ROTK’s” award was the same. “Let ‘em have it so they’ll shut up, and we stay relevant.”
Regarding the Dr. Manhattan video, wasn’t NBS the name of the network in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip”?
If so, is that (a) a cool reference to the TV show, (b) a coincidence since it nicely combines NBC and CBS, or (c) an ongoing reference that has been made in other movies as well? If the last one, what else has NBS been in?
Dennis:
I never said The Dark Knight deserves to win, only that I believe it deserved the nominations in those categories.
Most critics praised the film, three major guilds awarded it with nominations, it’s Meta Critic and Rotten Tomatoes score is higher or as high as the other films nominated.
There’s really no reason for it to have not received at least a nomination (and in at least one of the three categories I listed).
Jason:
I think that’s a bit far-fetched. The issue here isn’t political, it’s that there exists a preference by these voting boards for “Awards” movies, and The Dark Knight, like other deserving films in the past, don’t fit into that mold.
A recent article over at E! Online makes that point:
ok everyone…the oscars are meaningless…so are the sag awards…its THE MTV MOVIE AWARDS (VMAs) that are the new big award show so remember THAT is the award the new movie should be aiming for…
Everyone knows the Oscars generally focus on pretentious crap. The Dark Knight doesn’t need to prove itself – $500 million + at the US box Office and critical acclaim should be enough.
Well, I say give the Oscar to “The Curious Case of Forrrrrrest Gump”. What an excellent, and accurate, little parody! Thanks for including it in this Friday update!!
THE DARK KNIGHT was an amazing film. The fact that it wasn’t nominated but forgettable Oscar-bait like “The Reader” and “Frost/Nixon” were is ridiculous. I’m happy that Heath was nominated for The Joker but Chris Nolan should have been given a Best Director nomination. The Academy really is out of touch with mainstream movie-goers.
Hey, at least WATCHMEN looks fantastic! Can’t wait to see it.
34
Yeah, that is nice. I love vintage stuff like that done well. Fun. Another one of my broken records here – I still think Fantastic Four should have been done with a retro feel.
I saw ‘Doubt’ a few weeks ago, and it deserves all the acclaim its been receiving. Same for ‘Slumdog’ & ‘Benjamin Button’ (the Forrest Gump comparisons are outright bizarre, sorry). However, I also loved Dark Knight and am sad to see it snubbed in all the critical categories. Face it – no one watches for the technical awards (’Best Storyboard’ or ‘Best Boom Mike Operator’). They watch for Best Actor, Best Screenwriter, etc. So if you aren’t nominated in one of the key categories, then yes, you’ve been snubbed.
Oh poooooooor Mr. Rourke, being offered a paltry quarter-million dollars to do something any one of us would give our left-nut to do for free. Poor, poor guy.
Spare me.
Have we all been so brainwashed to believe any of these actors deserve the OBSCENE amounts of money they get? Screw ‘em.
That people are vocalizing the unfairness of Mickey Rourke only being offered $250K blows my mind.
You know what’s unfair? The fact that a few people (like actors, directors, and producers) make MILLIONS and the other people who are just as important to the success of a movie like Iron Man, or TDK don’t get paid squat. How about some more $ for the people who build the set, or operate the cameras, or make costumes, or do concept art, or cook breakfast for the spoiled-brat actors?
ALL of those people are just as important in the collaborative effort that is film production.
Where’s the cry of support for them?
Michelle Ryan on Doctor Who? That’s awesome! Can’t wait!
The “OSCARS” are a elitist club who have gone so far over the line the line is a dot to them-thanks Joey- Here are examples of what on over what was a better film-but it was a genre BO hit:
Star Wars lost to Annie Hall
Raiders lost to Chariets of Fire
ET lost to Ghandi
Beauty and the Beast (disney) lost to Silence of the Lambs
and that is not even covering the weird wins of actors and actress in best and supporting roles.
Though the industry owes most o it money to make movies from the genre films they treat them like bastard step children.
Besides this is going to be a YEAR OF CHANGE show with everyone going on how much they like Obama coming and Bush going so it will be a waste.
The only thing good about the show is the remebrance section of the program for those that have passed on-but strangly they omit many genre people who passed away-who were in movies not just tv shows:
Deforest Kelley
James Doohan
Benny Hill
Jack Lord
Desmond Lewelyn
to name a few.
**WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR BATTLESTAR GALACTICA FUTURE EPISODES**
//
//
**POSSIBLE SPOILERS BELOW:**
If it’s true that Earth is, in fact, the Cylon’s home planet, then based on what is reported, the final episode’s revealing of the “obvious” conclusion would be that the Cylons were somehow eradicated from Earth, that humanity is a descendant of either Adama’s tribe or the result of the mixing of Cylon and human blood. BSG’s future is therefore our past, and the monotheistic religions of Earth are the direct result of Cylon influence.
63
Wow,…that’s one that sounds like Rod Serling had his hand in it.
# 63
bingo!
I’m just flummoxed by the idea it’s *political bias* behind the nominations. Because the Academy is so much inherently left wing than the WGA, PGA or DGA? Why would they be? The membership overlaps hugely.
And I can’t even get my head around how anyone would think TDK was a right wing film anyway. It’s about a billionaire who puts ethics and support of local community above profitability and stock prices. A vigilante who (perversely enough) thinks vigilantism is wrong and is pro-gun control and anti-death penalty, while passionately believing government should be doing more to promote social welfare and economic mobility. A DA who places the rule of law and justice about easy answers and the subversion of criminals’ rights (and whose long fall from that lofty ideal is depicted as a scandal and a tragedy). A city that refuses to give in to terrorism — either by giving the terrorist what he wants OR by casting aside the principles of their society in order to deal with him.
And, fundamentally, it’s about a terrorist who believes that people are inherently selfish and self-serving and is proven WRONG – and disgusted to find that, at heart, when push comes to shove, people place their obligations to society and common humanity as a higher imperative than their own lives.
It’s an astonishingly left wing movie, at the end of the day.
While I agree with those of you who feel that The Dark Knight should be nominated for best picture, etc., I am not sure it deserves to win. The movie in my opinion was very good, with Ledgers performance being the best, and believe it or not, Christian Bale’s being the worst ( only in context of this movie).
To the person saying Burton’s Batman Returns was a better film is definatly smoking crack or something. Burton made batman a comic hero, without adhering to his very code. Killing off all the villians with each movie is not only wrong, but definately NOT Batman. Nolan’s Batman, inhabits a world much like our own, there is no mysticism in his Gotham. There are no mutants, or crazy villians with super powers. Nolan’s Batman is also very different from the later comics, but very true to the original Detective Comics, and to the darker reemergence of Batman in the 80’s and 90’s.
Batman has always been my favorite comic book character, because even as a little kid, I always felt that if I had billions of $$$ I’d be Batman too..lol. It was more realistic for me (comics, not the TV series). My only complaint as to TDK, is the filming of Gotham. Where was the monorail?Where were the Narrows? Wayne Tower looked like just an ordinary building, and there was way too much filming of Chicago, instead of mixing it up with shots of NY. If you look at the visuals from Batman Begins, to TDK, you can see there is no consistancy ( other than the tunnel shots and the bridges)
Again, This movie was great and in my opinion, deserves most of the accolades it’s recieved. It was the best action movie of the summer (with Ironman a close second) I just think in the critical eye, the film could have been better.
Genre films are seldom nominated, and seldom win awards. It’s just a fact of life. It doesn’t diminish them in any way.
Count me in as another Dark Knight supporter. I’ve seen most of the nominated films, and TDK was as good as any of them! Who cares if it’s a Batman/comic book film? It was intelligent, thrilling storytelling that was masterfully executed. Every level of that production was “A.”
Just as Return of the King broke the genre bias a few years back, so too should TDK have. It’s going to be a long time before we see a comic book movie that great again.
etsjedi: ‘The “OSCARS” are a elitist club who have gone so far over the line the line is a dot to them-thanks Joey- Here are examples of what on over what was a better film-but it was a genre BO hit: Star Wars lost to Annie Hall’
Annie Hall is a brilliant film and deserved its accolades. Star Wars was a great piece of technical filmmaking but utterly cold and souless with some of the most quotably bad dialogue in cinema history! Annie Hall has some of the quotably best. I think it’s still Woody’s greatest film!
‘Raiders lost to Chariets of Fire’: Chariots was overhyped and shouldn’t have won, but was Raiders the best as far as everyone was concerned? (I think it was, although I like On Golden Pond!)
‘ET lost to Ghandi’: Gandhi was an excellent film though, even if it was full of the usual Empire bashing (of which some was certainly deserved!)
‘Beauty and the Beast (disney) lost to Silence of the Lambs’: In fairness, Silence was very good, even if I still prefer Manhunter!
66. Nuallain ‘I can’t even get my head around how anyone would think TDK was a right wing film anyway. It’s about a billionaire who puts ethics and support of local community above profitability and stock prices.’
And all right wingers do nothing for the community and are soley obsessed with stock prices right? Give me a break! That’s just some naff liberal, left wing stereotype of what right wingers are! Maybe rather than hijacking a movie to use to promote your own beliefs and hammer us with left-wing propaganda, you can try accepting that the film appeals to people from across the spectrum as all good movies should! It’ll do wonders for your blood pressure! ;)
67. Steve From NY: ‘To the person saying Burton’s Batman Returns was a better film is definatly smoking crack or something. Burton made batman a comic hero, without adhering to his very code. Killing off all the villians with each movie is not only wrong, but definately NOT Batman.’
Batman Returns is an astonishing, quirky movie. FYI, Batman doesn’t kill the villains. He tries to save The Joker. He doesn’t bath The Penguin in toxic waste and he doesn’t electrocute Max Shreck!
BR and TDK are very different interpretations of the Batman concept. Each is as valid as the other, but which one is ‘better’ is down to whether you like your Batman in a fantasy world or a realistic one! Many people still like the Adam West version, remember! And Bob Kane himself liked Batman Forever!
#62
“Star Wars lost to Annie Hall
Raiders lost to Chariets of Fire
ET lost to Ghandi
Beauty and the Beast (disney) lost to Silence of the Lambs”
I find those examples outright bizarre. You really think Raiders should have won over Chariots of Fire?? Or ET over Ghandi? Maybe you could argue Star Wars vs Annie Hall, though I think Annie Hall is the more meaningful picture. And please, a cartoon over SIlence of the Lambs?!? And really, how can you have an award without elitism? We act like it’s a dirty word, but it really means ‘the best’, and that’s what award ceremonies are for.
#60 “Where’s the cry of support for them [the little guys]?”
Check Google News for “SAG Strike”
@54: All awards shows are meaningless and, ultimately, pointless.
@60: Right on.
“Well, Battlestar has set a very high bar.”
Hahaha,
it’s great when people believe their own press.
#70,
In Batman Returns, Batman has not qualms about killing quite a few of the circus gang, blowing one up with his own bomb, setting another on fire with the Batmobile exhaust… Have to agree with Jett of Batman On Film.com that he’s quite content to kill. Not the Batman I read in the comics. That’s what made the character special (a la TDK), his conviction to not kill which the Joker exploits.
And Batman Returns was quirky, yeah. But a narrative mess even compared to Batman (1989) which had its own problems. TDK for my money, while complex and sprawling had a great plot with many interesting items tying together.