There were few films coming out this year that were as highly anticipated as The Dark Knight, and for good reason. Batman Begins re-energized the Batman franchise and delivered us the very best Batman movie to date. Christopher Nolan is one of the very best up and coming directors (can you call him up and coming anymore?) in the business, Christian Bale became the best on screen Batman in film history and the film just worked on just about every level. Why wouldn’t people be pumped about the sequel… ESPECIALLY with the most famous of all the Batman villains (The Joker) being the main antagonist.
Yes, The Dark Knight was highly anticipated… and it didn’t fail to deliver. The movie was deep (as far as comic book movies go at any rate), exciting with improved action and dramatic tension over the first film… and they exchanged Katie Holmes for an upgrade in Maggie Gyllenhaal (so please, no more discussion about how you can’t exchange supporting actors in a franchise).
Now me personally, I thought the film was great… but also over-rated by many other people who gushed out the ears for the film and poured generous amounts of hyperbole all over it like gravy on thanksgiving potatoes. Outrageous statements like “One of the greatest crime dramas ever made” nonsense. The reality is that The Dark Knight did have its weaknesses and although I loved it, I wouldn’t talk about it in terms of a possible Best Picture nomination at the Oscars. Well… at least I wouldn’t have before.
I’ve been talking to many of my film critic friends who have been seeing the early screenings (like my friend Kris Tapley over at In Contention) and it seems many of the higher profile “Best Picture” potential buzz movies that a few months ago many thought would be shoe ins for nominations are starting to fall by the wayside.
“The Soloist” has been pushed back to next year.
“The Changeling” is getting mixed reviews
“Milk” is getting mixed feedback
“Quantum of Solace” is generally thought to be good, but not as good as Royale
“Defiance” didn’t have the pop many hoped it would
Let me put it this way… if this was last year, The Dark Knight would have no business being mentioned in the “Best Picture” category. But this year may be different. With a number of these unseen early oscar favorites starting to get mixed responses it’s starting to look like a “very good” movie like The Dark Knight may just be good enough to be considered for Best Picture.
Here we are in October and it still really could be possible. If I personally had to pick the best picture nominees right now (not including films that haven’t been released yet), my nominees would be:
1) Wall-E (Best picture of the year so far bar none)
2) In Bruges (tragically underrated)
3) The Dark Knight
4) Son Of Rambow
5) Burn After Reading
So what do you think. With the early favorites starting to fade a bit, do you think it’s possible for The Dark Knight to be nominated for best picture this year?
To the untrained (read “non-geek”) eye, comic books, and the movies based off of them, are loud, brightly-colored, fun bits of eye candy; a temporary distraction from real movies that are somber and serious, movies that talk about big issues and feature Meryl Streep.
The popular comic movies of the last decade or so have done very little to argue this idea: The Spider-man franchise was bright and exciting, Superman Returns was colorful and old fashioned, and Fantastic Four was childlike and retarded.
They all had respectable box offices, (Spider-man I and II each broke opening day records), but no notable critic ever included any of them in serious Oscar conversations because they were, after all, just superhero movies. It’s the same stigma that keeps out even the most excellent of porn films.
Then along came The Dark Knight, a record-breaking, critically and commercially successful, bona fide phenomenon. If you didn’t see it opening weekend, you were most likely in the minority of your office. If you didn’t see it by the next weekend, everyone in your office hated you.
It was directed by a real director and written by a real writer (both had Academy Award nominations to their name). Gone were the bright colors and goofy villains, replaced by moral ambiguity and the startling death of a major character. We watched a tense interrogation between a guy in clown makeup and another guy in a bat-themed costume complete with cape, and it didn’t come off as frivolous or childish.
For the first time, the creators acted like they weren’t ashamed of the material. They didn’t make it campy or self-referential, to let their cool friends know they were above it all. For once, they were treating the material as seriously as the fans did.
The result was a comic book movie that will get serious Oscar consideration, and we’re not just talking about the geeks campaigning for it on the Internet. Already there are two Golden Globe nominations for Heath Ledger, to go with nominations for awards from the Screen Actors Guild, and both the Chicago and LA Film Critics.
I think dark knight should win, it was a complete film just like batman begins, it goes to the dark nature of a comic that is much darker than the kiddie painted up versions of batman we see everywhere, the joker was perfect, perfect actor, perfect look, I would’ve liked a little more from the two face side of harvey dent I have said that the dark knight deserves the oscar since the midnight showing, and I stand by it.
But let’s be serious clint eastwood is a new kind of beast in his old years lol he has made solid movies and his old weathered style adds to the mood of the movie, blood work, million dollar baby, and now both changeling and gran torino in 08, his style of storytelling, topics he addresses just screams oscar, heath gave the performance of a lifetime, he showed the humor of a man with no fear no aspirations of anything more than infamy, all this said clint eastwoods flurry of successes pretty much factor dark knight out of the equation not including the other great films of 08 I want so bad for it to win but I think the chances of it are slim, shame.
It won’t get nominated. Period. It didn’t even get a golden globe nod. Aside from Heath Ledger getting a supporting actor nod, it wasn’t nominated for anything else. Not one thing. Long live fanboy predictions and speculation and their inevitable disappointment and endless whining and complaining when reality peaks around the corner and slaps them in the face. Priceless.
I definitely think so too. It deserves it so much, but that could just be my sentimental-for-heath-ledger side talking lol
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Jake-
All valid points, I guess it just comes down to how much an individual is bothered by those things. For me, the voice was bad at the end of the film, other than that it was okay. Maggie Gyllenhaal actually worked for me. She wasnt some hot bimbo that the playboy persona would go for, but an intellectual equal and someone Bruce Wayne can be on the level with, a giant upgrade over Holmes in my opinion. As for the sonar, that is the only part of the film that screams “comic book movie!!” and while I understood that it was a plot point illustrating “how far do you go” and such, I could have done without it. Everything else to me was great. I thought the pacing was fantastic and the actions scenes were a merked improvement over Batman Begins. Harvey Dent was great, and I think the only reason Two-Face feels like he was rushed is because fans think of him as a villain and a super villain at that, someone who will be around to challenge Batman for a long time, but that really isnt who this character was at all. He was not the Two-Face from the comic, he was reinterpretation with an arc contained in this one story, if that pisses you off, fine but I dont really mind, even though I think Dent may return.
Here is my picks
The Dark Knight
Quantum of Solace (perhaps)
Defiance
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Valkyrie
The Dark Knight is possibly one of the most overrated movies to come along since Titanic. The movie was good and that’s about it. Great? Nowhere near. Whenever The Joker wasn’t on screen this film took a nosedive. Christian Bale plays the brooding guy great but his Batman is laughable which is not good when he’s the title character. Bale’s Batman voice is over the top and grating. It comes off as forced instead of him being a natural bad ass. That voice got worse as the film went on. By the end I could hardly understand what he was saying at times and chuckled a few times at the horrible acting.
As bjon86 mentioned before Maggie Gyllenhaal added absolutely nothing to this film. She was an uglier version of Katie Holmes and it’s not possible for me to believe that Bruce Wayne would want this woman.
Harvey Dent’s character was good, not great. The way Two Face was rushed into the picture really undercut his character. And his reasoning for wanting to kill Gordon’s family was flimsy at best.
Christopher Nolan’s direction and camera angles could also use some work. His action scenes feel like he went to the Michael Bay school of editing. Claustrophobic camera work and rapid-fire editing don’t make for a great chase scene. The chase scenes in particular have no cohesion whatsoever. They made me think of Michael Bay’s chase scene with Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage in The Rock. His pacing was decent until the last half hour where it felt like another film tacked on. The Bat sonar stuff was ridiculous and looked like something that Joel Schumacher would have thought up. In fact if the last half hour were left off from this film I wouldn’t mind it being nominated for best picture.
The only aspect of this film that lived up to the billing was Ledger’s Joker. He carried the film. Without him TDK is borderline average/above average in all aspects.
i agree and disagree.
dark knight has it’s flaws, and wall-e is far and away the best movie of the year.
but return of the king was just boring as fuck
i think bc the dark knight is the best movie since batman
what about batman vs. dacaula?
cnristian as the dark knight, i don’t hate.
i saw it once and felt disappointed. although it did what i assume it was set out to do. sending one of the darkest messages i’ve been a witness of in recent times. anyone for some real dark evil. damn. i thought the throat slashing on sweeney todd was dark. i watched them on the day they were released. i’m now in a numb slumber because of an unending night. ‘coz i’m down like dat, cheer!
I agree with the BB one with the going from sitting to laying down, there really seemed to be no point the second time it happens, it just sets up the comic relief when it happens to Gordon and he doesnt know whats happening.
My only cringe worthy moments in TDK were at the end when Batman is talking to Gordon and his growl crossed with his being out of breath and a minor lisp is just terrible to watch and listen to.
The part with the pod turning up against the wall was pointless, but cool nonetheless. I remember turning to my wife and we were both just like “that was pretty sweet”.
I saw TDK 3 times in the theater. The first time I thought it was a 10, the second time I enjoyed it a little less but upon viewing it a 3rd time I enjoyed it as much as the first time. I dont have an explanation for it, but thats the way it worked out for me.
Just wondering what everyone’s cringe worthy moments were in these two Batman films. In BB, mine was when Batman, in the Tumbler, went from seated to on his stomach (using the guns/rockets). Just so lame/akward/unecessary. Now we all clearly have a different perspective on that given the batpod, but…..that does not make it any less uncool. And in TDK, when the batpod turns on a dime on that wall. Those two scenes are so impossibly lame and absolutely unforgivable by Nolan. Ha! I could clearly be on my own on this, just would like everyones opinions on what made you cringe…
John, to each his own! Love the site!
Hey Dorsia,
Yes, I saw it three times in theater actually. I had the opposite reaction than you. Each time I saw it the weaknesses stood out more and more. I still think it’s an awesome movie, just not as good as many others seem to think.
John,
Just wondering if you have seen the Dark Knight twice yet? I was a little dissapointed in your review (you saw it before me) but after I saw it I largely agreed with you. However, upon second viewing, I thought many of my concerns (and yours) were covered…as it just took me two viewings to absorb it all. Not implying at all you are as slow as me, just wondering what you thought after your second viewing. I thought it was great the first time, and fantastic the second.
Dark Knight should win best picture. It has been the best picture this year. I havn’t seen Wall e yet and i believe it will be good, but it’s animated. It’s not fair if an animated movie wins best picture, it’s made on computers. A camera is never even used. Actors arn’t used. This is what I believe Dark knight should win.
Best Picture
Best suppoting actor Heath Ledger
These two should deffinatly win.
The music score was great to. Also John Nolan should be nominated for best director, I don’t know about special effects even though I like it better when a movie uses less special effects and more stunt men.
dude, in bruges best picture? are u f-ing kidding me? colin farell is really good, but i dont know that movie… and i somewhat agree with the “if this was october 2007” analogy but that doesnt mean it shouldnt be nominated, which you clearly state, so anyway not a bad explanation and it is the best crime drama bar none
I was a little skeptical when Dark Night first came out, because there was a lot of hype around the movie. After watching it I have to admit the hype was well deserved. The cast was great, and the late Heath Ledger was awesome in the movie. I have to say he played the joker better the Jack Nicholson. I really didn’t think that could be done. Jack is the man.
I have to agree that The Dark Knight was one of the best films of the year. I normally don’t get caught up in the comic book movie circles, but I saw this and really thought it was a good story. As for the nomination, I also agree, but I think Burn After Reading will get the nod. The Cohen brothers will finally get their due.
I totally agree!!! Wall-E best picture of the year, bar none.
Is this even a question? The Dark Knight was not only the best picture this year, but in my opinion one of the best of all time. It had it all- amazing special effects, bizarre scenes, a plot that kept viewers on the edge of their seats, and, above all, superior acting. Ledger’s Joker was truly one of a kind, perhaps the best villain of all time, Caine was his usual priceless, and Bale was, as always, a complete bad ass. As far as I’m concerned, Dark Knight was the film of the DECADE.
The Dark Knight needs to be this year’s Best Picture simple as that because of it’s overall greatness, not just the Joker, not just Batman, but for everything as a whole.
TDK deserves to at least be nominated but that might not happen cuz they prefer drama types.
If pieces of shit like Juno, Lost in Translation, Gosford Park, etc can be nominated and trash like Shakespeare in Love and Chariots of Fire can win one then TDK deserves a nomination (if it does I hope it wins).
I actually liked The Phantom Menace. But, hey, it’s my opinion.
And as much as I loved Wall-E, I doubt the Academy will put it at Best Picture, but instead in Best Animated Feature. I mean, I would be thrilled if it did get nominated, but knowing the Academy and seeing how Ratatouille was Best Animated Feature even though it was the best reviewed film of the year on Rotten Tomatoes, it won’t happen. Plus, in my opinion, The Dark Knight was a much better film than Wall-E
oh and phantom menace is terrible. its an abomination.
there is no way on earth dark knight will be nominated for best picture.
it is not going to happen.
and wall-e is half an amazing film (the first half) and half a terrible film (the second half). for me it was my biggest disappointment so far this year.
@Noname
Why do you think it shouldn’t be nominated?
I have absolutely no problem if TDK is nominated for best picture this year. I am completely on board with all the hype its been getting. Sure its not perfect but what movie is? Its the good things about the movie that should earn this nomination and TDK has plenty of them. A sound plot, 2-3 excellent performances (Ledger, Bale, Oldman/Eckhart), an outstanding score, great action, tension and it was visually stunning. It wasnt perfect but it had something for everyone which is tough for any film, let alone a film based on a comic book character. Another thing is, I wouldnt neccisarily box this movie in as a “comic book movie”. If this was just a story about a lvigilante, a district attorney, a good cop and a chaos mongering psychopath with some action and a love triangle, youd have a pretty good flick. Anyway, I believe TDK to be worthy of a best pic nod all the way, and I also think it should win. at this point I havent seen a better movie. In Bruges was pretty awesome though.
Should not be nominated for Best Picture.
Yo Travis,
you said:
“But Quarantine looked like it might’ve been at least a little scary, and for the record, it wasn’t.”
no rebuttal. That statement just made me laugh my ass off. hahahaha
Another thing, I don’t see why everyone is making such a big fuss about Benjamin Button. Sure, it looks great and David Fincher (Seven, Fight Club) does make some damn good movies but to think that it’ll win Best Picture is ridiculous. Yes this is an opinion but here’s a fact: No one here has seen it yet! Did Hollywoodland and Zodiac look great? Oscar worthy even? Yes. But Quarantine looked like it might’ve been at least a little scary, and for the record, it wasn’t. We’ll have to see if Button is great, it looks great, but it probably won’t be.
I keep reading that some of the early frontrunner’s like ‘Frost/Nixon’ and ‘Milk’ are good not great. I think that ‘The Dark Knight’ will get a nomination for best picture and I think it’s the most deserving film this year so far with the sole exception of WALL-E. I think it’s more deserving that ‘Juno,’ ‘Michael Clayton,’ and especially ‘Atonement’ if it were last year…
I hope we get some better best picture hopefuls. Every film that was pegged as such that’s been released wide has been lackluster; ‘Burn After Reading,’ ‘Appaloosa,’ ‘Body of Lies,’ etc. Hell, at this rate there’s chance it may freakin’ win. Come on Benjamin Button…!
I’m sorry (actually no I’m not) In Bruges was NOT that good. And if it’s sooooo underrated you know what that means? It means not a lot of people fuckin LIKED it OR were interested in it cuz it looked boring and it kinda was. And then what’s with this Wall-E fascination? I’m actually pretty sure it’s good. Pretty sure of that but gimme a break. It’s a CG carTOON movie vs. The Dark Knight. Ya know, sometimes I get the feeling that you take a hard look at smaller, less popular movies and try so hard to find things to like in them and then with the wildly popular ones you try so hard to find it’s flaws and things not to like in them.
The Dark Knight was a great movie. It was just…GOOD and it DID have it’s weaknesses but guess WHAT? EVERY movie has weaknesses! EVERY movie! I’m tired of hearing oooh Wall-E and In Bruges and oh yea The Dark Knight was okaaay. god!
They never should have replaced Katie Holmes. And if they absolutely had to, never for fuckin Maggie Gyllenhaal! The bitch looks like a SMURF! You tellin me, I’m suppose to believe that Batman, no Bruce WAYNE, one of the baddest bachelors in GOTHAM who can get damn near any woman he wants is gonna stop kickin ass, takin names and saving his beloved CITY for that ugly ass, big headed white version of a SMURF lookin ass bitch!!??? uuuuhh KINDA hard to believe. I’m sorry but that was just retarded. I found myself focused on her philtrim (google it, I had to) and her big ass head every time she was on screen!
It was like another MJ. Too ugly for all the fuss. Shit, forget all the sweat. Let the bitch die.
the dark knight, IN MY OPINION, is better than Wall-e.
I also thought TDK was better than Wall-E, but as John always says, that’s just my opinion.
I actually liked Phantom Menace and the rest of the Star Wars movies.
I think this will actually win, because:
1. A lot of people liked it. Hell, I saw it in the theater 3 times (but I know Aaron probably saw it more, because it was a awesome film). Everyone is praising Heath Ledger, and even saying that the film should be a nomination.
2. Holy Shit, look at the money it’s making! It ‘s just behind Titanic, which also made a shitload of money, and just like Titanic, it could (not saying it would), it could win. Titanic made a ton of money, next thing you know, it won 11 oscars.
I’m not saying it WILL win (though I’ll be very pissed if it doesn’t win), but it has a big possibility of winning.
Also, Mr. Death, Let the Right One In would probably get a Best Foriegn Film nomination. Hopefully it lives up to the hype.
Based off of pre-buzz hype, I wonder if Let the Right One In will get any consideration?
Hey Jay,
Roger Ebert also loved The Phantom Menace. So what does that do to your theory?
Hey John, you said:
“Hey Entertainmenttodayandbeyond
You said:
“The Dark Knight is much better than the 3 Lord of the Rings movies”
hey man… all film is subjective and I respect your view… but personally find that statement ludicrous.”
Just so you know, Roger Ebert liked “Dark Knight” more than any of the three movies, so I wouldn’t go around calling statements ludicrous.
I don’t necessarily think it’ll make it because of “The Wrestler” “Ben Button” “Revolutionary Road” “Slumdog Millionaire”, etc., but it definelty stands a better chance (I really hope “Milk” is good, because I am very excited for it).
The funny thing is, I just made my own “right now Oscar” best picture list and it is only one different from yours (an indie film called “Wendy & Lucy” instead of “Rambow”; you must see “Wendy” if you can, it is amazing). I thought “Bruges” and “Reading” were insanely underrated and fantastic.
No chance it will get nominated. I’m sorry, there’s still too much condescension toward comic movies, just as there is toward genre novels.
It will garner no nomination. It should, but won’t.
Granted, The Dark Knight was absolutely enjoyable. But, the film wallowed in unhappiness, went on a half an hour too long and sat in some places making the film seem not only long, but slow. I thought the film was great and I’ll be shocked if Ledger doesn’t at least get an oscar nod, but means the film is simply darker than night, it more than likely will not win Best Picture.
I think WALL-E should be nominated for best picture and make no mistake, I think it is Pixar’s greatest film and the 2nd best of 2008 behind The Dark Knight, but The Dark Knight is a far more likely winner for a simple reason – Acting. The Dark Knight’s actors trained for months to portray their characters on screen. WALL-E had voice acting, but voice acting is not the same as real acting.
WALL E SHOULD WIN BEST PICTURE!!!!!!!!!!
I agree that I find the Dark Knight to be a more satisfying film than the Lord of the Rings films. This is not to say that LOTR is not great, just not to the caliber of TDK.
I think The Dark Knight should be nominated for best picture, whether it wins is a different topic. I disagree with including Burn After Reading and Son of Rambow for best picture. Burn After Reading was nowhere near some of the other movies the Coen brothers have directed and Son of Rambow was a good premise ruined by poor execution. The Dark Knight was so much more than a popcorn movie in that it probed complex questions about society and the nature of good and evil. I also think the inclusion of Two-Face was brilliant because he was a direct consequence of The Joker’s ultimate belief – that everyone is evil. Also I think people are missing the point of Two-Face’s inclusion. If it were not for Batman having to cover-up the murders then the title of the movie would have lost some of it’s meaning, the fact that Batman is now a criminal, a Dark Knight.
thankyou!!! i know it’ll get best picture, ive wanted that all along!!
CAN THIS BE THE LAST ARTICLE ABOUT WHY JOHN DOESN’T THINK THAT ANY ASPECT OF THE DARK KNIGHT IS WHAT THE GENERAL MOVIE GOING AUDIENCE BELIEVES.
I personally think the dark knight should win best picture (just after seeing ‘burn ‘after reading’ and for the except of john, brad j.k., by far the worst acted movie in a long while with even less effort on a plot (obviously)). It tried something that hasn’t been done before, completely basing a comic book with the real world. It failed on a couple of things but atleast it tried which as good or bad as they are, the other movies on John’s list didn’t do. I saw Wall-e, thought it was cute but that’s what Pixar do, make simple non-complicated cute movies and get better at every turn. I’m not sarying TDK should win because of artistic merit alone, there is a good (if not exellent plot) plot, top calibre acting from Ledger, Eackhart (might sneak in a best supporting actor nomination) and Oldman, and well executed set pieces.
The only thing it really lacked was cinematography. By making it gritty and ‘realistic’, you would almost be sure that the comic takes place in chicago rather than gotham. The city of gotham is almost like a characther within the comics and it was a shame that Nolan didn’t transcibe that as well as he did in the first one.
As for the length of the movie and more specifically the harvey den/two face storyline, i’m not sure. With the ‘moral tale’ that Nolan persued (“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villan), I don’t think that he could end the movie properly without the final act even though Harvey’s motivation for killing Gordon’s family seemed a bit weak even to me.
TDK is flawed but so is every other movie, if only you spent the same time pulling transformers apart…..
I’m sorry. The Dark Knight is the best film of the year so far. I’m not a Batman fan, and I still think it is the best this year. In Bruges was a play that someone filmed; It is not a cinematic experience. It is okay at best. Wall-E was a good animated film. The Dark Knight (in the IMAX format) was a cinematic experience that is unmatched so far. The cinematography, the acting, the direction, the action, the tragedy – all done so well, and on an epic scale. The Dark Knight trumps every single movie so far. It is a MOVIE movie. IT is truly an unusual film. IT deserves the Oscar.
I also hope Gus Van Sandt gets some sort of love for Paranoid Park if he doesn’t get it for Milk. PP is such a beautiful film, and probably would be my favorite of the year so far if I hadn’t seen it so long ago.
I have to agree with Robert Forest and Entertainmentandbeyond on the whole Lord of The Rings issue…The Dark Knight to me is a far better film…
That said, I honestly don’t think it will get a Best Picture nomination, but I do think Nolan will get a Best Director nod…I think that is a lock for sure…I just think that taking early reviews for films and automatically discounting those films is a little ludicrous…
Oh, and I would have nominated TDK over Juno last year. And I also would have given Nolan a nod instead of Reitman. I honestly think Reitman getting a nomination last year was probably the biggest stretch of last year, but that’s another comment for another post…
WALL-E is the only one I see on that list that deserves an Oscar nomination, and while we all know it will get “Best Animated Feature” I have a feeling we may just get to see that history making animated film nominated for Best Picture for the first time since Beauty and the Beast. It certainly deserves the nomination 100x more than The Dark Knight, which was great but as has been said pretty much everywhere, tragically overrated. Maybe if we keep on using the word TDK fanboys will *finally* realize we mean it, and shut up about it for a little while. It was a great comic book film, but it wasn’t Oscar material.
Entertainmenttodayandbeyond
I’m very glad you made a point to stick up for yourself there… I didn’t get why John or Broly even really responded to what you said because I very clearly read that you wrote:
“As a compelling story The Dark Knight is much better than the 3 Lord of the Rings movies, and the academy embraced those big time. At least that’s the way I feel.”
“AT LEAST THAT’S THE WAY I FEEL.”
I actual have to agree with you. I loved “The Lord of The Rings” personally… I just enjoyed “The Dark Knight” even more.
But as far as a best Picture nomination… I wouldn’t put it on my list. My favourite movie to watch this year… HELL YES!… but I still wouldn’t nominate it for best Picture.
I’d go with: (so far)
Burn After Reading
W.
The Duchess
The Other Boleyn Girl
Choke
Yeah, I was never big on The LOTR trilogy.
I respect that the films were great achievements in the realm of cinema..but like Entertainment had said..I couldn’t get involved in the movies themselves..
Not saying they’re bad movies or anything..just not for me.
Hey John
That’s why I said: that’s the way “I feel”! Of course opinions on movies are subjective but its still fun to argue a point if you believe it! In all honestly, I just NEVER got involved emotionally in the Lord of the Rings films. I know its going against the grain but its the way I feel. As for Broly’s comment- I wouldn’t use the word prefer, because I simply didn’t like the series overall. I know its my opinion, but I really do feel that The Dark Knight is a much more emotionally involving film with better story telling than The Lord Of the Rings. I just guess Im not a big Peter Jackson fan as I don’t dig his work. Probably the same way you don’t like Tim Burton. Now I’ll run out the back door so you don’t shoot a bow and arrow at me! LOL Keep up the good work! P.S- I also agree with David and think Josh Brolin will get a best actor nod for his work in W.- He is terrific in that film. It’s a really good movie.
Well If Quantom Of Solice is not as good as Casino Royale I still think Casino is Better than DK watch them both as many times as I have and you would not disagree.
In Bruge and Dark Knight are the only movies I really liked so far this year.
Iron Man was saved by Robert Downy Jr. if you ask me.
wow, you guys definitely are looking at this with Fanboy glasses on. TDK was very good movie, but not Best Film worthy. Just because it was a dark movie, doesn’t make it Oscar worthy.
Yeah, I know you said movies that haven’t been released yet but I honestly believe that The Curious Case of Benjamin Button will be the best picture contender and more likely winner. I also think the best actor award is going to be fought on between Pitt for Button and Brolin for W. (liked it or not, Brolin was simply outstanding in W.) I also wouldn’t be surprised; going back to W. if Jeffery Wright gets recognized in the supporting actor field along with Ledger. Wright’s performance as Powell was incredible as well. Anyone else disagree? Doug? John?
I never thought I would actually ever say this…
But at this rate, my money’s on TDK, not only to get nommed, but to WIN the damn thing.
It’s better to say that you perfer The Dark Knight over 3 Lord of the Rings movies.
Hey Entertainmenttodayandbeyond
You said:
“The Dark Knight is much better than the 3 Lord of the Rings movies”
hey man… all film is subjective and I respect your view… but personally find that statement ludicrous.
I strongly believe The Dark Knight will get a best picture nomination. If Nolan saved 3/4 of the Two face story for the next Batman film a nomination would be a no Brainer! As a compelling story The Dark Knight is much better than the 3 Lord of the Rings movies, and the academy embraced those big time. At least that’s the way I feel.I also think it ‘s good for the industry as a whole if it’s nominated, as it gives the mainstream crowd a rooting interest!
Chuck
Isn’t “Son of Rambow” a 2007 film?
First of all…
““Defiance” didn’t have the pop many hoped it would”
You make it sound like it’s gotten bad reviews, it’s a turkey and it has already bombed. All three are incorrect- would it be much easier Gio, and more accurate to simply say ‘the release date was changed and now it won’t be released until 2009’?
Second…
““The Changeling” is getting mixed reviews”
A meaningless comment. Yes– a meaningless comment. Consider that most critics have not come out with their reviews yet, waiting until the film opens up. Next, there have been in the past, films that have gotten mixed reviews (by a majority of critics) that have won Best Picture…while other pictures also nominated may have gotten loads of more praise from critics. For the sake of the int’l friends, I am NOT saying for example, Brokeback Mountain got snubbed over Crash a few years ago, something other than Titanic should have won ten-eleven years ago,
or what should have beat Gladiator eight years ago. All of those films I have mentioned as Best Picture Winners did not all get glowing reviews of greatness from critics. They gotten “very good” marks, but not “great”. The same goes, I think for the new Eastwood film. (again not a lot of critics have waved in on it yet publicly-and I’m not saying it will be nominated for Best Pic or not, it most likely will…I’m just saying…)
Third….
Please note that I’m not in a total disagreement with you. I think Dark Knight is a strong contender, and WB knows it too (they are planning to re-release the film for a short time?). Even if the two Paramount films didn’t get postponed, even if the Academy did recall ‘In Brudges’ (they should to some extent, anyway)…I’d still have given Knight a shot. It isn’t far fetched.
I know there is a downside- let’s say it is nominated. Some will say “They (Oscars) want ratings. That’s why it’s there” Yes, it was a huge movie that everyone has seen at least once. Yes, it made hand over fist. Yes, it was #1 for many weeks. YES it will bring in numbers for ratings. YES folks will have a picture they seen that they can root for. However, that also sells the picture short
Here’s how I look at it:
Many still want a nom for the late Ledger. Maybe it will happen, maybe not. I (and others) would also be giddy if Eckhart was considered. Or Gary Oldman. In any case, we are looking at acting here, and it is not inconceivable that one (or two) of the three will get a nomination.
The previous film was nominated for mostly techs, that’s true, but Cinematography was one of them. It is possible that Wally Pfister (sp?) will get another nomination here.
It’s also a strong chance Nolan will get a Best Director nomination as well. I’m not saying all this because Knight was a popular movie, I’m saying it was that great. But then again, so was the first Star Wars.
FInally, no chance for Valkyrie, eh?
TDK had better get an Oscar nom for best picture.
I enjoyed it every bit as much, if not more, as No Country for Old Men and The Departed.
Plus, TDK was miles better than that bullshit that was Crash.
I understand you saying you can’t put Dark Night in the same catogory as No Country or There will be Blood. But Juno??? Really? It was a good movie but i dont think its light years ahead of Dark Knight.
My nominees:
The Dark Knight (probably will win)
Wall-E (however the Academy Awards will probably put this in best animated feature)
Burn After Reading (Brad Pitt sold the movie for me)
Iron Man (probably will just win best visual effects)
and even I will say that I would nominate:
Prince Caspian or Cloverfield
Hey John Campea, do you think The Dark Knight will beat the record and win 12 oscars, or do you think the academy will totally ignore the film like they did Pan’s Labyrinth and Sweeney Todd the previous years?
I dont know alot about the Oscars and how they nominate movies but I dont think that TDK should be nominated for Best Picture.
I think it should be nominated for the following…
Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Ledger)
Best Achievement in Cinematography
Best Achievement in Sound Mixing
Best Achievement in Sound Editing
The Dark Knight will get a nomination but won’t win the Best Picture Oscar. It’s a great film, but I agree that the Academy’s thirst for ratings will motivate them to shower the film with nominations (aside from technical awards and supporting actor, don’t be surprised to see Nolan get a nod for Best Director).
My pics for Best Pic nominees:
Rachel Getting Married
The Wrestler
Benjamin Button (winner)
Milk
The Dark Knight
@ john burnsting
funny games? really? that would probably be the first movie to get the nomination with a rt score of 51.
try again, sir.
It will get about what the first Pirates film did: Lots of smaller noms and one or two major noms. It’s far, far too early to tell how Milk, Defiance, or Bond will be. Changeling isn’ out yet, either.
Doubt
Benjamin Button
Australia
The Wrestler
Revolutionary Road
Frost/Nixon
The Boy in the Stripes Pajamas
These have a far greater chance to be nominated than Dark Knight. WALL*E has a better chance to be nominated. Nolan may get a Best Director nomination, but that’s as far as I think the film will go.
My current Top 5:
Snow Angels
The Dark Knight
Burn After Reading
Iron Man
The Fall
But really, we haven’t seen hardly ANY of this year’s Oscar crop.
If it does get the nom, it will be because the Oscars needs ratings, and this will give them ratings…
Oh! And ‘In Bruges’ was wonderful!
I’m pretty sure the Dark Knight won’t get a nomination for best pic. Perhaps for best direction, but best pic still sounds ridiculous to me. The film was really good, yes.But the hype made it greater than it actually is. I doubt the Academy won’t be able to find 5 more “deserving’ dramas (of course), even though each one of the members went to see TDK twice (at least).
;)
I don’t question that replacing actors can work. It’s obviously worked for tons of franchises, Nolan’s Batman being one of them. Heck, there are some franchises (James Bond, Jack Ryan, etc.) where even the actor playing the protagonist changes. But that’s more a generational thing than anything else…it’s not like the people who made Dr. No had a long-term plan that included continuing the franchise into the next decade, much less for nearly half a century now.
My issue with the casting changes that have been happening recently (like Terrence Howard’s replacement in Iron Man) are the result of a lack of foresight by people who are CLEARLY looking to create a franchise right from the get-go. The makers of movies like Iron Man and Incredible Hulk are not like the people who made the first Bond movies, because they can be reasonably sure, before the first movie even comes out, that there will be a sequel. When this is the case, I don’t see why they can’t just get the casting right from the start.
What makes it even worse with these new Marvel movies is that they’re trying to create a sense of continuity between these films. Recasting major characters works directly against that.
I knew I was forgetting a couple! I liked both of those flicks too, thanks Grave!!
Seriously though, how Raiders of the Lost Ark didn’t win Best Picture is just a crime, lol
John, your nominations list is my dream team, especially ‘In Bruges’, but it seems like the list is too peppy for the Academy. I doubt ‘Dark Knight’ would win, especially since ‘Changeling’ is on the way and they can’t get enough of Clint Eastwood, but to be nominated would be great. And I really love Wall-E, but the characters and acting were a lot stronger than the story. (If it gets nominated though, I will plotz. That’d be amazing. Only as long as ‘In Bruges’ gets nommed too.)
(And wtf “upgraded” to Maggie Gyllenhal? Rachel actually did shit in the first movie. Maggie’s acting isn’t much better than Katie and she was only a plot device this time. The only good thing about her is that anyone who’s seen ‘Thank You For Smoking’ wouldn’t be able to take her scenes with Harvey seriously.)
Hey Marc,
There is no reason NOT to replace an actor if you can get an even better actor on board and especially if you feel the new actor is better suited to the future plans you have for the character or if the financial terms are better.
My point was that you can replace actors, and it can work out just fine.
@ James
Braveheart won best picture in 1995, it costed 35 mil and grossed 200 mil.
It was released in May 24.
Also Gladiator won best picture in 2000 made 450 mil and was released on May 5.
It would be amazing if Dark Knight won best picture. Its possible to say the least.
Also, about John’s comment that the successful replacement of Katie Holmes means there should be “no more discussion about how you can’t exchange supporting actors in a franchise”…
I don’t think you can cast that wide of a net from this one example. I mean, obviously you CAN change actors in a series, but I think we’re talking about a a different case entirely when you’re removing a good, Oscar-nominated actor (i.e. Terrence Howard) as opposed to someone who wasn’t anything special in the first place (i.e. Katie Holmes).
Granted, Howard is being replaced by another Oscar-winning actor, but that’s kind of irrelevant. There’s just no good reason to replace good actors in a film series when it can be avoided, especially when the actor is still interested in playing the part.
I hope this is the year that the Academy gets its balls back and nominates a worthy animated film for the Best Picture award. I don’t think that’s happened since Beauty and the Beast, which is just a crime…Ratatouille definitely deserved to be nominated last year, and it might even have deserved to win too. Same goes for Wall-E, from what I’ve seen and heard of this year’s movies so far.
The Road may be pushed back to early next year, at the earliest it is getting pushed back to late December…
My Nominees…
1) The Dark Knight
2) Paranoid Park
3)Funny Games
4)Vicki Christina Barcelona
5)In Bruges
Still looking forward to
Benjamin Button
Milk
Australia
and The Wrestler
So, these are the five films I believe will be nominated
Benjamin Button (I think will win)
The Wrestler
Milk
The Dark Knight
Australia
That’s just my opinion…
In Bruges was awesome but Iron Man is better. I cant wait to see Wall-E but knowing my taste in movies no way in hell i will say is better than the TDK, for example liked a lot Rataouille but No Country for Old Men is the type of movies i will see instead of a animation.
Mixed opinons aren’t always the end of the road, there are few movies as divisive as Crash, and yet…
I agree, John. An off year may help its chances, but The Dark Knight was a great film in its own right as well. Strong character development and suspense, good pacing (until the last 20 minutes), beautiful cinematography, and a story that would stand on its own if there were no costume on the hero.
I know it’s a bit off-topic, but I’ll also add that I really hope Wall-E is included in the Best Picture category instead of being “stuck” in the Best Animated Feature category. It deserves to be put up against the best live-action films of the year, and it would also be great to see Pixar get the mainstream respect it deserves.
There are 3 great films so far this year and the Dark Knight is at the top. The other 2 are In Bruges and Rachel Getting Married. In my opinion, TDK is the one of the top five films of the last five years. I think if it was released last year it would still be in the conversation for best picture…In my opinion. No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood are the only 2 to give TDK any competition. To put it lightly, I’ll be disappointed if this film isn’t nominated for best picture.
hmm, maybe, I mean I’d be happy if it was nominated, but I don’t think a big summer blockbuster type movie or whatever has won best picture as far as I know. The only ones that have gotten nominated as far as I can remember are Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and Star Wars, but they lost to Chariots of Fire (bullshit), Gandhi, and Annie Hall respectively. Regardless of all that Oscar history, Dark Knight was a damn good movie though and it would at least be interesting if it got nominated. As for winning, I guess I’d have to check out Wall-E and some of the other movies on your list first before I made any kind of decision on that, unlike the academy apparently :-)
oops ignore my last post, didn’t see that you said “not released yet”
but as for the nominees as of now
The Dark Knight
In Bruges
Yes, only two
and thats that…its looking to be a grim year in my opinion.
Phew I disagree completely…
CERTAIN…
Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Revolutionary Road
The Road
POSSIBLE…
The Wrestler
Slumdog Millionaire
yellowbarrel.blogspot.com
I don’t see why not Terminator 2: Judgment Day won 4 oscars, the same could happend to The Dark Knight.
I think you’re right. Wanted is a better movie than “The Dark Knight” by at least 0.5 of a score notch and that should have gotten the Oscar nomination.
Using vague, banter terms like “over-rated” also does wonders for finely tuning your articles so your readers are able to understand your points, instead of left guessing why you didn’t make an actual observation.