The Doppler Effect » Movies

Batman Craze

B. Tan — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:26 +0000

Why so serious?

I went to see he midnight showing of the latest Batman film, The Dark Knight. Remarkably, the film far surpassed the hype the marketing team built around the film. I left the theatre throughly impressed and the general response seems unanimous in the film’s favor. The Nolan brothers certainly have their work cut out for them for the next Batman film, but even if it doesn’t turn out as phenomenal as Dark Knight, they still deserve huge props for bringing critical legitimacy to comic book adaptations. One of the highlights of seeing the film at midnight was seeing people dress up.
It’ll be interesting to see if The Dark Knight can retain it’s 9.7 rating and current #1 spot on IMDB’s top 250 movies of all time. Any bets on the next Batman villain?

Missing Scenes in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis Found after 80 Years

B. Tan — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:05:00 +0000

Via the Guardian:

The cinematic world was today celebrating the rediscovery of missing scenes from German director Fritz Lang’s legendary silent film Metropolis – thought lost for 80 years, until they were found in the archive of a museum in Argentina. Key scenes cut from the science fiction picture – either because they were considered to be too brutal or too long.

I first watched this film for a class. Although half-century-plus mark is pushing it for my film taste, Metropolis was actually an interesting film and really quite impressive considering the era it was made in. Metropolis is widely regarded as a landmark in film history, and it’s easy to see why if you watch it. If you’re into sci-fi and have at least 3 hours to kill, Metropolis is worth a look if you can find it. There are a few editions out, and now it will definitely be interesting to see the film in its original film once they release it.

If only this wasn’t viral marketing

B. Tan — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:51:12 +0000

In the style of Batman’s Gotham Cable News viral marketing campaign, Pixar created Buy n Large. Unlike Batman’s viral efforts however, I wish this one was for real; I could definitely use a robot to vacuum or repair things or whatever. Wall E has received rave reviews so far so I’m excited to see it tomorrow. Don’t forget to check out the extended trailer after the jump.

I love me some Pixar. I think this one may dethrone The Incredibles as my favorite. What’re yours?

The Dark Knight International Trailer

B. Tan — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:23:25 +0000

Here’s the latest trailer for the upcoming Dark Knight movie. Enjoy

I saw Get Smart the other day. It was moderately amusing I suppose but nothing to write home about. I think the movie everyone has been waiting for (besides The Dark Knight) is Wall E. Interestingly enough, besides being an awesome looking Pixar movie in it’s own right, Wall E also appeals to my inner Apple fanboy.

“Why so serious?”

B. Tan — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:42:10 +0000

It’s pretty hard to deny that director Chris Nolan’s iteration of DC’s superhero Batman, in his film Batman Begins was absolutely fantastic. It seems that the recent flux of comic book hero based movies are only getting better and more appealing to audiences besides comic nerds. While Marvel turned it’s popular Spiderman into a joke with Spiderman 3, it certainly scored major hits with lesser known Iron Man and Hulk remake.

The Dark Knight, the sequel to Batman Begins, looks only to continue the trend of super heros scoring big at the box office. In an effort to hype the film further, the producers created a website for Gotham Cable News which features Dateline style news clips from the metropolis of Gotham. They’re fun to watch and help set the story for those who may not have seen Batman Begins. Though unrelated to the film, the one bit if disappointing news is that Gotham Cable News is a Comcast network; but a clever marketing ploy for Comcast nonetheless. For those of you who just can’t get enough of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego, be sure to check out this Wired article about the making of the film. It’ll be interesting to see how the slated superhero films do once they’re released leading up to 2011′s Avengers film.

We’ll see if The Dark Knight can top my current superhero fav, Iron Man. What’re your favorite comic book to film adaptations?

Iron Man vs. Batman

B. Tan — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:28:17 +0000

After seeing Iron Man last night, I found myself pondering the classic DC vs. Marvel discussion. All in all, the movie was awesome, easily the best of the Marvel super-hero movies. Make sure to stay for the scene after the credits. Anyways, a Mac/PC-esque clip of Batman and Iron Man pretty much sums up the whole DC/Marvel thing. Kind of.

Oh, happy Cinco de Mayo too I guess.

Update: Another take on Iron Man vs. Batman

Savvy?

B. Tan — Sat, 08 Jul 2006 22:50:46 +0000

So last night I (along with the rest of the world) went and saw Pirates of the Caribbean, and I must say it isn’t as exciting as I’d anticipated, although the first movie was incredibly hard to follow up. I’d also like to note that prior to the movie, they showed the teaser for the Transformers. Personally I have no idea how they plan on making a legitimate and serious movie based on the Transformers. After the trailer, which showed absolutely nothing about the movie, I was left as perplexed as when three guys walked into the theater dressed as Pirates characters. One of the guys was actually dressed as a naked guy…don’t ask how that worked. Anyhow, the one movie I am looking forward too is Spider-Man 3. Check out the trailer if you haven’t already.

On a different note, I’d like to express my extreme grief towards the acquisition of Ben Wallace by the Chicago Bulls and Steve Y’s retirement. Who would’ve thought the Tigers would be the team to rise from the Wings’ and Pistons’ ashes? Also, tomorrow morning I’m leaving for a month for a summer program. I’d appreciate it if y’all would drop me a line sometime because this really eats into my summer relaxation time . I’ll keep y’all posted from St. Paul and Boston.
TTFN:!: