Rampant Speculation: The NEXT Movie...

It's natural, as a Batman FREAK, even while The Dark Knight is still breaking records at the box office, to turn one's thoughts to the future and ponder questions about what the next Batman film might be like...

VILLAINS: Of course, this is the chief thing on everyone's mind. Who can possibly compare to the arch-enemy class of the Joker, let alone the mind-blowing performance of the late Heath Ledger? In Chris Nolan's real-world grounding of this franchise, characters such as Mr. Freeze, The Penguin and Clayface are all a bit over the top and would not make the translation successfully, in my opinion. Some of the more ordinary characters, such as Catwoman or Deadshot, would either bring unwanted complications into the story (romance) or are too obscure to the general public to work well.

What about the Riddler, though? No super-powers, no supernatural origin, nothing so far-fetched about him at all that he could not be used in a sequel. Of course, Jim Carrey's over-the-top performance would have to be forgotten, but Nolan and writer David Goyer have been successful thus far, with Ledger's Joker easily outshining Nicholson's interpretation, and Eckhart's Two-Face doing much the same to Jones' version.

Then there's Bane. Yes, most have the wrong view of this guy, born of Joel Schumacher's atrocious Batman and Robin. Unlike the brain-dead, steroid-infused Hulk-wannabe in the WORST Batman film ever, Bane's comic book inspiration is cunning, intelligent, ruthless AND inhumanly strong. He is the only villain to have bested Batman in combat, and his story is not too far outside the realm of reality to be used.

Mad Hatter? No one knows him. Poison Ivy? Again, with the science fiction. Killer Croc? Hmmm... nah, too crazy.

My favorite idea of all, though, is the one I haven't heard anyone put out there yet; the villain, as perfectly set up by the final scene of The Dark Knight, is Bats himself. Make the film about that, and you might really shake things up!

THE. DARK. KNIGHT.

Okay, I am DOG tired. I went to see an opening showing of The Dark Knight this morning at 12:01 am, and with previews, the two-and-a-half hour film kept me up until 3:30. I would have slept in, but being a good Bat-dad to three little ones, and having to go to work this morning, I did my due diligence and got up.

Let me tell you, all the positively glowing reviews of this movie are true. Chris Nolan has created an epic crime drama, set in a near-reality inspired by a comic book character, and he does so with deft expertise like I have never before seen. I thought Batman Begins was outstanding, but compared to its younger sibling, it is a simplistic, straightforward introduction and little more.

The Dark Knight is sophisticated in its storytelling, with plot twists peppered throughout, and this remarkable tension that is maintained with almost no interruption from beginning to end. Every member of the cast does an excellent job, but the truth is, even if he were still alive, I'd be singing Heath Ledger's praises from morning 'til night. The man simply disappears into his character, and though you might search for him during the entire duration of the film, you will be hard pressed to find the tragically deceased young actor underneath that makeup.

So, 'nuff said. The Dark Knight? See it. I'm going to... again!

The Dark Knight Review on IGN.com

IGN just posted their review of The Dark Knight, giving it a rare 5 stars, or 10 out of 10 score. I read the two-page review from beginning to end, and it is a must-read if you care at all about this movie, Batman in general or just good movies in general. There are no spoilers of any kind in the review, so it's quite safe if you don't want to know too much, but discusses the themes and ideas put forth by the film, as well as the quality of the acting and directing. GO. READ. NOW!

NEW LEGO TOYS SIGHTED!

So, every now and then I 'Get NUTS!' (to quote Michael Keaton), and Google search for Batman collectibles. It's pretty interesting what you can find out there, but often times I am more excited by things I find that are not yet available...

...such as these all new Lego Batman sets! As I have confessed before, I am a lover of all things Lego, as well as all things Batman, so new sets are a HUGE find! These apparently will debut in July sometime (around when the new movie hits), and feature some new characters, like Harley-Quinn, as well as vehicles like the Tumbler!

Lego.com doesn't have these listed yet, but various other toy outlets are already accepting pre-orders, so if you are feeling generous, you can get me one or two of each! (Just kidding...)

Viral Marketing Extraordinaire!

Holy ad campaign, Batman! With The Dark Knight imminent, releasing in just a few weeks, Warner Bros. has launched an awesome viral marketing campaign to promote the film. There are no less than seven satellite websites out there, each with unique content and all aiding in the 'suspension of disbelief' surrounding the new movie. My favorite so far is 'Gotham Cable News', which is made up like a complete network news site, complete with headlines and updated weekly for the past month or so with new episodes of 'Gotham Tonight'.

If you want to see just how extensive the illusion is that Warner Bros. is creating to support The Dark Knight, head on over to Gotham Cable News and see for yourself!

A few things that can be seen when viewing this trailer frame by frame:

1. Opening clip: Bruce Wayne, standing atop the skyscraper, does not have his 'Bat-helmet' on yet. He's holding it in his right hand. Also, it's not totally clear, but his belt appears to have a pair of hand grips on the front, ala Kingdom Come.
2. 11 sec: Batman, now with helmet on, has an unusual backpack on instead of a cape (you probably noticed this at full speed. Just making observations)
3. 21 sec: Again, this is probably obvious, but a police funeral is taking place... I wonder who died?
4. 22 sec: Jim Gordon is wearing 'pounds', or a bullet-proof vest, as he exits the car. He's attending the funeral, I think.
5. 25 & 30 secs: The Joker enters a room full of crime bosses from Gotham. Note that they are extremely diverse; representatives from the mob, European gangs, African Americans and even Asian crime lords are all present. Much broader group than one might usually think of when the words 'organized crime' are uttered.
6. 34 sec: panic overtakes the many cops attending the funeral; what could make so many armed law enforcement officers run in fear, I wonder?
7. 32 & 40 secs: (sorry, skipped ahead) The Joker proposes killing the Batman to the crime bosses; he appears to be offering his services to them, as he leaves his card.
8. 49 sec: The Batpod, as we have noticed, has guns! This is not in accordance with Batman's self-imposed code, so I'm curious if that will be a plot point in this film.
9. 58 sec: On a rooftop, Lucius Fox is seen escorting several Asian businessmen off of the helipad. Who are they?
10. 1:06: The van Batman drops onto has a driver in it: is it just me, or does that guy look a bit like the Scarecrow? Cameo, anyone?
11. 1:11: Alfred doesn't seem the least bit put off by the Joker's arrival. I guess he's just an old pro at this stuff!
12. 1:14: On the left, one of the Joker's thugs doesn't wear a clown mask! Seems like an odd inconsistency.
13. 1:16: Is it just me, or are there playing cards flying out of that exploding Mercedes?
14. 1:31: The Joker is standing in front of a huge pile of BURNING MONEY! Looks to me like he's not after the millions...
15. 1:35: In the background, a Gotham P.D. SWAT van can be seen, and parked in front of it, the Batpod!
16. 1:51: The guy smashing the Bat Signal is Jim Gordon, and he's accompanied by a bunch of Cops and Reporters!
17. 2:02: Yeah, everyone has already mentioned this, I know. Harvey Dent's left side is concealed, but you can see the evidence of his disfigurement on his eyebrow, nose and chin, as well as what appears to be a half-burned suit.

I know, I know... I'm obsessed. There are a couple of other noteworthy observations to be made here:

- Batman's new outfit makes virtually no appearance in this trailer, which begs the question: is most of this footage from the first half or two thirds of the movie?
- Have you noticed how often the Joker licks his lips? I thought it was just in the scene with Maggie Gyllenhall (sp?), but he does it in other shots, too! Dehydrated?
- Again, probably a 'DUH!' for many of you, but Batman is operating out of a Penthouse Apartment, as Wayne Manor is being rebuilt.

Okay, I'm done!

New Dark Knight Trailer airs, Obama fans switch teams!

The much-anticipated third trailer for The Dark Knight, which hits theaters on July 18th, was put online today, and also debuted in front of the just-opened Iron Man at many locations in the US today.

I for one have been on the edge of my seat over this trailer, ever since a viral marketing campaign launched at www.whysoserious.com offered hardcore fanatics a chance to get an early peek one week ago. The trailer was originally aired at a New York comic book convention several weeks ago, and many fans and aficionados have declared its praises since, but I have not seen it until today.

I won't go into a play-by-play of the trailer itself, but rather encourage you to view it yourself at www.whysoserious.com/happytrails

I'll also be posting some impressions and detailed analysis of the trailer soon, so keep your eyes open!

BAT-VAN!

Gizmodo posted a great story with video about a Dodge Caravan modded by its owner to include a Rolls-Royce Nimbus helicopter jet turbine. Seriously.
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Why am I not out fighting crime?

Bat-Van

Jingle Bells, Batman Smells, Robin laid a... TOMATO?

Okay, it's after Christmas. Well, after New Year's for that matter, but I couldn't help but think of something slightly silly when I saw this story at Gizmodo. Apparently this guy cuts open a tomato and sees a Bat-symbol in the center, so he puts it up on ebay, and well, you know how these things go.

I swear, I'm gonna shape some earwax into a likeness of the Joker sometime and see how much cash I can make people cough up...

The only thing I wonder about this is, how would Bruce Wayne respond if he cut open a tomato and saw this? Would it send him running to the bat-pole down to the bat-cave?

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