And the Winners of the 2024 Academy Awards Are...

Congratulations to Christoper Nolan on winning his very first Oscar for Best Director at tonight's 96th Academy Awards! Even though Oppenheimer is actually my least favorite of Nolan's movies, I'm glad that the mastermind behind other celluloid hits like The Dark Knight, Inception, Dunkirk and Interstellar finally won the top cinematic prize.

In regards to the other winners, I'm happy that Godzilla Minus One took home the trophy for Best Visual Effects; Emma Stone garnered the Oscar for her awesome role as Bella Baxter in Poor Things; and American Fiction won for Best Original Screenplay.

Oppenheimer, Poor Things, American Fiction, Barbie and Killers of the Flower Moon were the only nominees from the 10 Best Picture contenders that I saw on the big screen last year. I guess I didn't miss much—as The Zone of Interest was the only other Best Picture nominee that took home at least two Oscars (for Best Achievement in Sound and Best International Feature Film, respectively).

I'm looking forward to the 97th Academy Awards next year...as I hope that Ridley Scott's Gladiator 2 will win Oscar gold like the first Gladiator film did back in 2001!

Here's an awesome quote by 20 Days in Mariupol's director Mstyslav Chernov (who won the trophy for Best Documentary Feature tonight) with which to cap this blog entry:

"Cinema forms memories, and memories form history."
Click here for the full list of 2024 Academy Award winners.

A Consecutive Day of Moviegoing at AMC Theatres...

Happy Batman Day! Gettin' ready to once again watch The Dark Knight (which celebrated the 15-year anniversary of its theatrical release two months ago) on the big screen today!

The ticket is only $5 at AMC Theatres through next Wednesday, September 20.

GLADIATOR 2 Has Found Its Star...

So I just found out earlier today that Ridley Scott is moving ahead with the sequel to his 2000 Best Picture-winning epic, Gladiator. While I heard years ago that Scott wanted to continue the story of Maximus (the Roman general-turned-gladiator memorably portrayed by Russell Crowe), even though he died in the first film, it's only today that it appears this movie will finally become a reality!

Paul Mescal, who stars in the Hulu streaming series Normal People, will have the leading role in Gladiator 2...playing the adult version of Lucius, the son of Lucilla (Connie Nielsen) and nephew of the evil emperor Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix). Lots of other actors apparently chased this role—such as Austin Butler (who played Elvis in a Baz Luhrmann film about the legendary singer last year), Miles Teller (probably still basking in the success of Top Gun: Maverick) and Richard Madden (who appeared in Marvel Studios' 2021 movie Eternals).

While it's great news that Gladiator 2 has its star and will finally get made, one (highly-rhetorical) question remains: Will Hans Zimmer return to compose the sequel's music score? The Oscar-nominated score for the first Gladiator movie is one of my all-time favorites...to the point where I was listening to Gladiator tracks on MP3 while typing this entry!

It's a no-brainer that Zimmer will return and add the music of Gladiator 2 to his long list of memorable scores which includes those for The Dark Knight trilogy, The Lion King, Crimson Tide, Broken Arrow, Interstellar and Inception. Costume designer Janty Yates and production designer Arthur Max will reunite with Scott for the sequel— Why not Zimmer as well?

Carry on.

On This Day in 2007: Remembering 3:10 TO YUMA...

It was 15 years ago today that the James Mangold-directed film 3:10 to Yuma—one of my all-time favorite Westerns—was released in theaters nationwide.

Russell Crowe was badass as Ben Wade...a captured outlaw who needs to be escorted by Dan Evans, a war veteran-turned rancher played by Christian Bale, as he was brought to a 3:10 afternoon train that would transport Wade to Yuma Territorial Prison in Arizona. Of course, this wasn't an easy task to do, since Wade's gang (led by his second-in-command Charlie Prince—sinisterly played by Ben Foster) was in constant pursuit of Evans' posse as Prince attempted to free his group's sharpshooting leader from government custody.

The last time I rooted for Russell Crowe to vanquish the bad buys (even though he was more of an antihero in 3:10) was as Maximus in 2000's Gladiator. And it was interesting to see Christian Bale play a post-Civil War protagonist in this movie before he donned the Batcowl again in 2008's The Dark Knight. Ben Foster himself has played a variety of roles throughout his career...such as a former convict in 2016's Hell or High Water, another—um—convict in the NBC TV comedy My Name Is Earl (2005-2009) and a U.S. Navy SEAL in 2013's Lone Survivor.

I'd watch 3:10 to Yuma again if my DVD player wasn't broken. I'm wondering when the next Western film will be released... And will it be as entertaining as James Mangold's hit movie? (I feel asleep during the first hour or so of Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight in 2015.) Carry on.

On This Day in 1997: Remembering AIR FORCE ONE...

It was 25 years ago today that the movie where President Han Solo told Commissioner James Gordon to get off his plane was released in theaters nationwide!

In all seriousness, Air Force One was one of my favorite movies of 1997. Harrison Ford was awesome as U.S. President James Marshall, Glenn Close was great as U.S. Vice President Kathryn Bennett and Gary Oldman was so intense as Russian terrorist Ivan Korshunov that it was weird to see him as the heroic Commissioner Gordon in The Dark Knight trilogy almost a decade later.

The only gripe that I have with Wolfgang Petersen's film was Air Force One's demise at the end of the movie. In case you don't recall, the presidential aircraft—with the traitorous Secret Service agent played by Xander Berkeley the only living person still onboard—slams into the ocean after Marshall and his family are safely rescued by U.S. Special Forces soldiers aboard the Liberty 24 aircraft (clips below). Needless to say, the CGI version of Air Force One breaking apart after it impacted the water wasn't exactly Best Visual FX material for the Oscars!

However, the most memorable aspect of Air Force One for me was the music score by Jerry Goldsmith. I love jingoistic tunes in summer blockbusters...which is also why David Arnold's patriotic work in 1996's Independence Day is one of my favorite film scores of all time! Goldsmith's main theme from Air Force One is also featured below.

Happy Monday!

Photos of the Day: The OPPENHEIMER Teaser Poster and Film Still...

One day after a previous Christopher Nolan film, The Dark Knight Rises, marked the 10-year anniversary of its theatrical release, another Christopher Nolan movie is officially on the horizon as Universal Pictures unveiled the teaser poster for Oppenheimer...Nolan's World War II biopic about J. Robert Oppenheimer, a theoretical physicist and the man who led the creation of the atomic bomb.

Oppenheimer will debut in theaters nationwide on July 21, 2023—and stars Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer himself. Also in the star-studded cast are Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Rami Malek, Kenneth Branagh, Josh Hartnett, Alden Ehrenreich and Gary Oldman. Along with Murphy, Modine and Oldman previously worked with Nolan on The Dark Knight trilogy as well.

A teaser trailer for Oppenheimer is set to be shown exclusively in front of Jordan Peele's sci-fi thriller Nope (which is also distributed by Universal Pictures) this weekend. Can't wait to see the trailer and this film on Saturday!

On This Day in 2012: Remembering THE DARK KNIGHT RISES...

It was 10 years ago today that director Christopher Nolan brought his Batman trilogy to an epic close with The Dark Knight Rises.

It didn't become a classic like 2008's The Dark Knight, but the final film was still a critical and box office hit—despite the horrible event that occured at a Dark Knight Rises midnight screening in Aurora, Colorado a decade ago today. Real-world tragedy aside, it felt pretty somber to watch the Caped Crusader (Christian Bale) taking on an immensely formidable opponent (Bane, played by Tom Hardy) in a Nolan flick for the last time.

I watched The Dark Knight Rises for the first time on the big screen at Universal Cinema AMC in Hollywood...where one of the camouflaged Tumblers used by Bane's forces was on display in the outdoor plaza. For more images that I took of this awesome vehicle back in 2012, visit my webpage below!

LINK: Click here to view more Tumbler photos that I took at Universal Cinema AMC in Hollywood

THE BATMAN: Movie Review, Pt. 2...

This is the first time I posted a second blog entry that's a continuation of a recent movie review, but just thought I'd provide a quick addendum to my observations about The Batman two days ago.

I watched the Matt Reeves flick at AMC theater for the second time yesterday, and my notes about Riddler (Paul Dano) were totally inaccurate. SPOILERS AHEAD: It was indeed Edward Nashton who committed all of those murders himself, while his followers were prompted to action only after Nashton posted one last video online prior to turning himself in to the police after killing Carmine Falcone.

This shows that Nashton is absolutely ruthless...and is as brutal as Heath Ledger's Joker in The Dark Knight. Just like the Joker in Nolan's best Batman film, Nashton has the persona to attract other like-minded psychopaths to carry out his bidding even when he himself has been taken out of action.

Well done, Dano and Reeves! To end this entry, here's my favorite line from The Batman:

"They think that I'm hiding in the shadows. But I am the shadows."

Also, I ended up buying The Batman's music score on compact disc since the MP3s were unavailable to download from Amazon last night. Lookin' forward to The Batman 2!

Movie Review: THE BATMAN...

Earlier today, I watched The Batman in IMAX at my local AMC theater. Despite the nearly 3-hour running time, Matt Reeves' cinematic take on the Dark Knight is one of the best iterations of the Caped Crusader yet!

Seeing as how this story takes place about two years after Bruce Wayne first began to don the bat cowl, it's understandable that he would still be moody as a billionaire playboy and the masked vigilante bent on seeking vengeance against the criminals of Gotham City for the death of his parents. Robert Pattinson's performance as Wayne and his armored alter ego was perfect for this version of Batman.

In regards to the main villain, Riddler, this is where The Batman falls short of the best pre-DCEU (DC Extended Universe) bat flick, The Dark Knight. Whereas Heath Ledger's Joker was present at all the major attacks on Gotham in the 2008 film (the opening bank heist, the attempted attack on Harvey Dent at Wayne Tower, the attempted assassination of Gotham's mayor during Commissioner Loeb's funeral, the second attack on Dent inside that SWAT vehicle and the destruction of Gotham General Hospital), Paul Dano's Edward Nashton (the real person behind Riddler) only appeared in the third act of the film.

SPOILER ALERT: It appears that the Riddler who committed all of those murders were actually the followers of Edward Nashton...not Nashton himself. This puts The Batman's version of Riddler on par with Ghostface from the Scream movies. Different people wore the mask of this serial killer in each installment of the hit slasher franchise, as opposed to a singular person causing mayhem. This is why Ledger's Joker will remain as the best Batman movie villain for a while.

In terms of the rest of the cast, it was stellar. Andy Serkis gave an understated performance as Alfred Pennyworth, Zoë Kravitz was more sultry and badass as Selina Kyle than Anne Hathaway was in 2012's The Dark Knight Rises, Colin Farrell was unrecognizable (in a good way) as Oz...aka the Penguin, John Turturro was menacingly calm and collected as mobster Carmine Falcone, and Jeffrey Wright gave a valiant portrayal of Lt. James Gordon—just like Gary Oldman did as Gordon in the Christopher Nolan movies before him.

Focusing on the music, Michael Giacchino's excellent score for The Batman was just as bombastic and moody as those of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard in The Dark Knight trilogy. In fact, I reckon that I will be ordering The Batman's orchestral score on MP3 (through Amazon) sometime this weekend!

[My laptop computer is so old (I bought it back in June of 2013) that its CD-ROM player is no longer working properly. That's why I won't buy The Batman's music score on compact disc, unfortunately.]

So once again, The Batman is an excellent addition to Warner Bros' long-running film franchise. I don't know how it will do at the box office over the long term, as I'm sure that there will be a lot of moviegoers who walk out during the film due to its epic running time, but one thing's for sure: I intend on watching The Batman at the theater again and appreciate how Matt Reeves did justice to the Caped Crusader.

Also— It may not be the Tumbler from the Nolan movies, but the new Batmobile is still pretty badass! Happy Friday.

THE BATMAN Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars. ****1/2

Image of the Day: THE BATMAN Is Almost Here!

Only three days till I watch The Batman on an IMAX screen at my local AMC theater! I'll be viewing the highly-anticipated, Matt Reeves-directed Caped Crusader flick at a 12 PM screening this Friday.

Unlike with Star Wars and the Transformers films, I have no intention of spoiling myself by reading the reviews for The Batman before March 4. I hope I'll be as blown away by this flick as I was with The Dark Knight in the summer of 2008.

Happy 1st day of March!

Video of the Day: The Newest Trailer for THE BATMAN...

"It’s not just a call... It’s a warning."

So says Bruce Wayne (Robert Pattinson) of the Bat-Signal that beckons him to be the hero that Gotham deserves in next year's The Batman.

Check out the newest preview for the Matt Reeves-directed film—which is about the Dark Knight Detective's quest to uncover a nefarious plot being hatched by Edward Nygma (Paul Dano) in Gotham City.

The Batman also brings in other classic foes such as Oswald Cobblepot (Colin Farrell) and Carmine Falcone (John Turturro), as well as allies like Selina Kyle (Zoë Kravitz), James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) and trusty sidekick Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis).

Just like with every other Batman film (well, except 1997's Batman & Robin), I'm absolutely stoked for The Batman! Not just because of the amazing cast and the gritty look of this movie, but also because of the cool music score that Michael Giacchino composed for the upcoming Bat flick!

I definitely plan to get The Batman's music score on compact disc next year...and yes, I still buy CDs.

The Batman arrives in theaters nationwide on March 4, 2022.

Movie Review - VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE...

Earlier today, I went to my local AMC theater to watch Venom: Let There Be Carnage...and needless to say, it was much better the second time around!

I watched the Venom sequel for the first time yesterday, and it didn't help that I was spoiled by exclusive content that was posted on the movie's Facebook page over the past few days—specifically the video at the very bottom of this review showing the scene where Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson) transformed into Carnage for the first time. My expectations hampered my initial viewing of Let There Be Carnage.

It was during today's screening that I appreciated the tight storyline and editing that director Andy Serkis crafted for Venom 2. He doesn't beat around the bush in establishing the deadly relationship between Kasady and Frances Barrison, a.k.a. Shriek (Naomie Harris), and Kasady's attempt to create an equally-tense rapport with Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy).

Speaking of Eddie Brock, Tom Hardy once again did a great job conveying a humorous and conflicted portrayal of the struggling Bay Area reporter. And the writing team, of which Hardy was a part, did an amazing job expanding the ever-chaotic but warm relationship between Brock and his symbiotic alter-ego, Venom.

In regards to Anne Weying (Michelle Williams), Eddie's former fiancée, Let There Be Carnage apparently brought closure to her story in this film. Brock comes to accept that he will never get back with Anne, and watched as she and her new fiancé Dan (Reid Scott) rushed off into the night, together, at the end of the movie.

Dealing with Venom 2's visual effects, it was just as well-done as the FX in the original film. Although, I'm wondering how the CGI would've looked if the top dog of visual effects companies, Industrial Light & Magic, had worked on Let There Be Carnage. DNEG is the lead vendor that brought Venom to life in both movies, respectively.

As was the case with every Marvel flick except Sam Raimi's Spider-Man trilogy and Marvel Studios' Avengers series (somewhat), the music score was Let There Be Carnage's weakest point. Marco Beltrami—an outstanding composer—was apparently in no mood to create additional music for the end credits...with some rap song closing out the credits instead. (Compare this to the great end credits music by Hans Zimmer in each installment of The Dark Knight trilogy.)

Speaking of that end credits scene in Let There Be Carnage... Wow! I look forward to seeing Venom confront his classic foe on the big screen once again (the previous standoff being in 2007's Spider-Man 3)—though I doubt they'll have that many fight scenes against each other. (Don't forget the future Marvel movies that Sony Pictures has under its slate, like next year's Morbius.) Venom is, after all, the lethal protector. So why would one good guy continue to battle against another good guy after they've realized they're on the same superhero page?

Happy 2nd Day of October!

THE DARK KNIGHT Has Been Immortalized by the Library of Congress...

Congratulations to director Christopher Nolan and his cast and crew on The Dark Knight for cementing a place in the National Film Registry today! The Dark Knight joins 24 others films—including The Hurt Locker, Shrek, The Joy Luck Club, Grease and A Clockwork Orange—as the newest cinematic inductees in the Library of Congress this year. There are now 800 movies whose legacies have been preserved by the largest library in the world...which is also America's oldest federal cultural institution. Well-done.

Photo of the Day #2: Honoring Two Actors Whose Movies Revolutionized Comic Book Cinema...

Just thought I'd share this collage I saw on Twitter this past weekend comparing shots from 1994's The Crow with those in The Dark Knight. While I figured that director Christopher Nolan was apparently inspired by the late Brandon Lee's antihero when the look of Heath Ledger's Joker was being created in preproduction, I had no idea that he based one of the most memorable scenes in the 2008 comic book epic to one from the '94 cult classic. (It's been a while since I watched The Crow on DVD.) Well done.

It's sad to realize that comic book fans and movie aficionados need to honor the works of Lee and Ledger posthumously. But I'm just glad that The Crow is recognized as the film that would pave the way for a whole generation of gritty comic book films...with The Dark Knight being the pinnacle of all that is right with this popular genre. Happy Monday.

Photo and Video of the Day: Rise of THE BATMAN...

"I'm vengeance." And I'm shook! Just thought I'd share this screenshot from the newest trailer for Matt Reeve's The Batman...which should resume filming next month after a long coronavirus-related hiatus, and get released in theaters sometime in 2021.

From the looks of this preview, Robert Pattinson is gonna do a heckuva job following in the footsteps of Ben Affleck (who along with Michael Keaton will reprise their roles as the Dark Knight in 2022's The Flash) and Christian Bale, respectively. Happy Saturday!

"Have You Ever Danced With the Devil by the Pale Moonlight?"

Just thought I'd share this poster marking 30 years since the first Tim Burton Batman movie was released in theaters...on June 23, 1989. Batman, along with Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, as well as Ghostbusters 2, were my favorite films of that year. With Batman, though, the movie made me such a huge fan that I got the soundtrack on cassette tape (and listened to the Prince songs Partyman and Batdance multiple times), bought a toy Batwing (on which one of my brothers broke one of the tail fins...intentionally), considered Jack Nicholson the greatest personification of the Joker before Heath Ledger came along 19 years later, and had such a huge crush on Kim Basinger that I rented her movie My Stepmother Is an Alien (which was released in cinemas the year before) on VHS tape. Oh, and I constantly had an argument with one of my elementary school classmates (I was in 4th grade the following semester) about how Michael Keaton was awesome as the Dark Knight (he disagreed just because Keaton played Beetlejuice a year earlier). My classmate was an idiot.

Of course, Batman Returns came out in theaters three years later (on June 16, 1992)...and was a fun film even though it wasn't as awesome as the original movie. And then Joel Schumacher's Batman Forever was released three years after that (on July 15, 1995)—and the Batman franchise pretty much went down the crapper until Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins redeemed the Caped Crusader 10 years later (on June 15, 2005). But this Blog entry is about the film that started it all...and Batman '89 will always have a special place in my comic book movie-loving heart, behind 2008's The Dark Knight. The music videos for Partyman and Batdance are posted below. Carry on.

Robert Pattinson is THE BATMAN...

Congratulations to Robert Pattinson for being cast as the next Dark Knight in Matt Reeve's The Batman film trilogy (the first movie will be out in theaters in 2021)! I never saw Twilight or any of his other flicks, but I'm giving Pattinson the benefit of the doubt in that he'll kick ass as the new Caped Crusader. All of the fanboys criticizing this decision by Warner Bros. can shut the f**k up until they actually see Pattinson in this role. These geeks were most likely the same people who started an uproar when Heath Ledger and Gal Gadot were cast as the Joker and Wonder Woman, respectively. We don't need to discuss how their movies turned out (a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger as Best Supporting Actor, and Wonder Woman being the only post-The Dark Knight trilogy film that was both critically-acclaimed and a huge box office hit). Again— Until you see Pattinson don the Batcowl, shut the f**k up!

Happy Friday.

Quick Review: BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY...

I finally saw Bohemian Rhapsody earlier today, and needless to say...Rami Malek not getting a Best Actor Oscar nomination (on January 22) for his role as Queen lead singer Freddie Mercury will be as much an outrage as The Dark Knight not getting a nomination in that 5th Best Picture slot 10 years ago this month. And the portrayal of the 1985 Live Aid concert at the end of the movie is enough to warrant a Best Picture nod for Bohemian Rhapsody itself. Or at least Best Film Editing. That is all.

Welcome, Arthur Fleck... A New JOKER Is Revealed!

Several hours ago, the video below was posted online—courtesy of director Todd Phillips (of The Hangover trilogy and 2016's War Dogs) himself—of Joaquin Phoenix transforming into the Clown Prince of Crime for 2019's Joker. Personally speaking, I dig the look! Right off the bat he ranks above Jared Leto's version from 2016's Suicide Squad on the Joker scale. And I hope Arthur Fleck (the name of Phoenix's character before he dons the make-up) asks a hapless victim "Am I not merciful?" (if you watched 2000's Gladiator you'd get the reference) in the same manner that the late, great Heath Ledger would ask "Why...so...serious?"

Joker hits theaters on October 4, 2019 (which is when I um, celebrate my 40th birthday). Joining Joaquin Phoenix in this DC Comics standalone flick is Zazie Beetz (who played Domino in Deadpool 2) and Robert De Niro. And in case you're wondering, yes—Leto is set to get his own Joker movie as well. I'm more excited for the one starring Commodus, though. Have a great weekend!

First look at Joaquin Phoenix in makeup as the Joker via Todd Phillips pic.twitter.com/Xp8olpI8Gl

— Lights, Camera, Pod (@LightsCameraPod) September 21, 2018

"And Here...We...GO." Watching THE DARK KNIGHT on IMAX for the First Time in 10 Years!

Last night, I drove down to Universal CityWalk near Hollywood to watch The Dark Knight on IMAX for the first time since it opened at theaters nationwide in July of 2008. Needless to say, seeing the Christopher Nolan comic book/crime epic back on the (ultra-)big screen brought a smile to my face! From the opening aerial shot of that office building whose window is shattered by Joker goons as they prepare to conduct that bank heist, to Batman driving away on his Batpod after becoming a fugitive in the film's closing moments, The Dark Knight was as awesome to see at the theater yesterday as it was a decade ago. I'd go back if not for the fact that every single showing of the movie (it screened every night as of August 24; Warner Bros. extended its limited-engagement run through at least September 5) has been sold out for over a month! As it should be. We'll overlook the fact that I spent around $24 (excluding the online service fee) on the IMAX ticket!

2022 marks the 10-year anniversary since The Dark Knight Rises arrived in theaters. The movie's not a classic like the Batman Begins sequel before it, but I'd still see it on IMAX if Warner Bros. ever decides to show The Dark Knight Rises on this format four years from now. Happy Monday!