TFC Journal at TheFilmChair.com

It’s a bird. It’s a plane…

• A poker-faced Christopher Nolan quashes rumors about Superman and his third Batman. And he doesn’t create any new ones. (LA Times)
• Warner Bros. is looking at two Wizard of Oz projects in hopes of having Alice in Wonderland-type success. (LA Times)
• Clint Eastwood has his sights set on a J. Edgar Hoover biopic written by Milk screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. (THR)
• Fox has moved Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps from its April release date to Sept. 24. (The Wrap)

Fin.

Hearsay and conjecture:

• “I said to them, ‘I’ll do it if you kill me off in the first reel.’ So now they are going to have me as a ghost in the film.”  Bill Murray spills the beans on Ghostbuster 3 to the UK Mail.
• Christopher Nolan’s not directing; he’s just supervising. Superman reboot rumors on DHD.
• Tom Cruise signs  on for Mission: Impossible 4. Insert career revival joke here. From The Wrap.

Fin.

Top Story: Rumor alert! AICN is reporting that Christopher Nolan’s third Batman film will be shot fully in IMAX. This is 1.) a HUGE technological challenge that I’m sure Nolan is up for and 2.) a great gimmick but not great enough to trump Heath’s Joker.  Now if only Cleveland had an IMAX theater that played first run Hollywood movies. (AICN)

In Other News: Susan Sarandon has joined the cast of Wall Street 2. She joins a returning Michael Douglas, as well as Shia LaBeouf and Frank Langella. (Variety)

Fin.

Top Story: A big-budget comedy project once left for dead is getting another shot at life. Ben Stiller, who was originally on board to star with Jim Carrey, is back at the negotiating table, along with Reese Witherspoon. Little Miss Sunshine directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton are in talks to direct.  (Variety)

In Other News: Pop diva Christina Aguilera will make her screen debut in Burlesque, a contemporary musical directed by Steven Antin. Can. Not. Wait. (Variety)

News of Christopher Nolan’s Inception just keeps getting better. Now Ken Watanabe and the uber-sexy Tom Hardy have joined the cast of this sci-fi classic in the making. (THR)

Fox is keeping it in the family as FX nabs the cable TV rights to last weekend’s blockbuster X-Men Origins: Wolverine. Expect to see Wolvy on FX in 2011. (Variety)

In TV-that-would-get-me-to-stop-watching-movies new, the great character actor Jared Harris will join the cast of Mad Men for season three. (THR)

Fin.

Top Story: Robert Rodriguez’s schedule just got a little crowded. Fox has tapped Planet Terror director to relaunch its Predator franchise. This master of the B-movie is perfect for the job. But Rodriguez isn’t done yet.  He’ll also co-direct Machete, which was first featured in Grindhouse as a faux trailer. (Variety)

In Other News: Christopher Nolan’s Inception is already shaping up to be a massive sci-fi blockbuster with Leo DiCaprio as the star. Now Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of the most talented film actors of his generation, has joined the all-star cast, which also includes Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, and Cillian Murphy. (THR)

Denzel Washington is in negotiations to star in hack director Tony Scott’s Unstoppable. (Variety)

Disney has nailed down August 14 as the release date for Hayao Miyazaki’s Pongo. (erc BoxOffice)

Disneynature’s Earth debuted with $4 million at the domestic box office on Wednesday. See below for the film’s it will go up against this weekend. (Variety)

Opening Today:
Obsessed
Fighting
The Soloist
The Informers

Fin.

Top Story: Fox’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine, the opening film of the summer movie season, is now available for download. Illegally. And its just a rough cut. The film leaked online this week. If the rough cut is good, I’ll blame this one on Fox. Way to market the picture to geekdom.  If it’s bad, you can blame someone still sore about the whole Watchmen debacle. I’m sure we’ll hear more about the version on the Net because there is still a month before it hits theaters. (Variety)

In Other News: Sex and the City 2 has a release date.  The ladies will hit the silver screen once again on May 28, 2010. (erc BoxOffice)

In WTF News, Hannah Montana director Peter Chelsom called Miley Cyrus the next Judy Garland. Ugh. (PopEater)

Juno, the Scarecrow, and Edith Piaf are in talks for Christopher Nolan’s Inception.  Leo DiCaprio was already announced as the lead with Ellen Page, Cillian Murphy, and Marion Cotillard possibly rounding out the all-star cast. (Variety)

Fox, director Francis Lawrence, and writer Mark Protosevic are turning the nonfiction, environmentally themed tome The World Without Us into a feature film. (THR)

Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds will play in competition at Cannes. (Variety)

And in TV that would stop me from watching a movie news, Project Runway fans can rejoice.  The lawsuit is settled and the show will be back on the air this summer, only this time on the Lifetime Network. (Variety)

Fin.

Top Story: Director Christopher Nolan’s Inception, his first Christian Bale-less project since Insomnia, will star Leonardo DiCaprio. The story isn’t being released but we know it’s going to be smart sci-fi and we know Nolan is directing and we know it has DiCaprio. Those are 3 very good reasons to see this flick. (Variety)

In Other News: Self-proclaimed man-woman Megan Fox will star in two upcoming comic book adaptations Jonah Hex and Fathom. (HR)

Super producer Scott Rudin and Miramax have nabbed the rights to Zoe Heller’s novel The Believers. (Variety)

20th Century Fox has set a day for the next Narnia movie.  Voyage of the Dawn Treader sets sail on December 10, 2010. (erc BoxOffice)

Fin

Will The Dark Knight get its Best Picture nod? Will Slumdog nab the most nominations? Will Woody Allen spoil the day for another director? Will Kate Winslet get the two nods she deserves?

What’s going to happen?!

Tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. EST/5:30 p.m. PST the Academy will announce the Oscar nominees. Anyone who has watched the Oscar knows there are bound to be surprises. People are starting to doubt The Dark Knight, but I’m not betting against it. TDK fans will have their day. My final predictions are listed below, but check out the Oscar Predix page to see the evolution of Oscar 2008/2009.

Best Picture

• Slumdog Millionaire - And the winner is…
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Solid, classy, the future of Hollywood.
• Milk - The kind of politically-charged, fight-for-what’s-right kind of story the Academy loves.
  
• The Dark Knight – Losing steam at the end, but still the likely to take the fifth spot.
• Frost/Nixon - Won’t go away. Too solid of a picture to ignore.
• In the Running: WALL-E,  Gran Torino

Best Director

• Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire - You’re likely winner
• David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – You’re likely runner-up.
• Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight - More likely than a Best Picture nod at this point.
• Gus Van Sant, Milk - His most solid work in years with a political environment that helps.
• Woody Allen, Vicky Christina Barcelona - Not going to get too many chances to nominate a legend like Allen again. And he really deserves it. Look for a screenplay win.
• In the Running: Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon; Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino;
  

Best Actress

• Kate Winslet, Revolutionary Road - Fully loaded for a win here. More deserved than an Oscar for The Reader. But still a three way race.
• Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married - She’s young, hot and de-glams (though not to the extent that we’ve seen in the past) for the role. If there’s anything Oscar is consistent in awarding it’s the type of role Hathaway has here.
• Meryl Streep, Doubt - Doubt has become the actors’ movie of the year.  A Streep win would recognize the best movie actress working today, as well as a movie that appears to need some love.
• Angelina Jolie, Changeling - The star of the moment directed by one of the most respected directors in Hollywood.
• Melissa Leo , Frozen River - Taking Hawkins spot because sometimes the Academy does the right thing.
• In the Running: Sally Hawkins, Happy-Go-Lucky

Best Actor

• Sean Penn, Milk - Possibly Penn’s best work to date, crawling inside the skin of Harvey Milk. Made us hope. Made us believe.
• Mickey Rouke, The Wrestler – Bigger than the movie itself. He’s running neck and neck with Penn.
• Clint Eastwood, Gran Torino – A fine performance from a legend. He’s never won, which may make this a three-way race.
• Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon - The veteran actor reprising his Tony-winning stage role should get the Academy’s attention.
• Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button – Holding on for dear life. Watch out for Jenkins.
• In the Running: Richard Jenkins, The Visitor

Best Supporting Actor

• Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight – Presumptive winner.
• Josh Brolin, Milk - Snubbed last year, but still hot. W. helps. Too quiet to overtake Ledger, but a worthy nomination.
• Dev Patel, Slumdog Millionaire – You can’t love the movie and not love Patel as older Jamal.  A big tell if Oscar is going down the Slumdog road.
• Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt – One of the finest actors working today in an actors’ movie.
• Robert Downey, Jr., Tropic Thunder - If you asked me this in August, I would have said no way. But now, the weak category helps his chances.
• In the Running: James Franco, Milk

Best Supporting Actress

• Penelope Cruz, Vicky Christina Barcelona - The kind of female actor the Academy loves to honor. If Kate gets the Oscar for Rev Road, this one is waiting for Cruz.
• Kate Winslet, The Reader - Dual nominations because she’s good. Dual wins? Welcome to the year of the Kate.
• Viola Davis, Doubt - Baity as hell and Davis hits this one, hard.
• Taraji P. Henson, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - More popular than either Pitt or Blanchett at this point.
• Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler – An Academy favorite who could ride Rouke’s wave. A nomination here could foretell a Rouke win.
• In the Running: Amy Adams, Doubt

Best Original Screenplay

• Vicky Christina Barcelona
• Milk
• WALL-E
• The Wrestler
• The Visitor
• In the Running: Burn After Reading

Best Adapted Screenplay

• Slumdog Millionaire
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• The Dark Knight
• Frost/Nixon
• Revolutionary Road
• In the Running: Doubt

That reputable news source The UK Sun reports that Eddie Murphy will be the Riddler in the third Nolan Batman film. The paper actually sounds serious when it says, “The Beverly Hills Cop star, 47, has been signed up by British director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN to reprise the role played by JIM CARREY in 1995’s Batman Forever.”

Are they crazy? Must be because they also sneak in a little tidbit about Shia LaBeouf, the most hated actor in the land of fanboys, getting the role of Robin. Batman himself, Christian Bale, has previously stated that he will refuse to work if they add the Robin character.

The article does have one interesting blurb about Rachel Weisz wanting to play Catwoman. That’s about the only idea in the article that I could get behind.

The Dark Knight (2008)–***

Heath Ledger’s turn as the Joker is both The Dark Knight’s blessing and curse. Ledger’s tour-de-force performance as the sociopathic clown takes Batman cinema into uncharted territory, but the cult leader like spell he casts over the audience has a devastating effect. We don’t really want the other characters in the film to keep up with him. And no other actor could do it if they tried.

The Joker is the bringer of chaos. With no back story or profit-producing schemes, he is only there to turn everything in Gotham upside down and inside out. He robs mob banks to prove he’s crazy enough to do it and to take away the one silly thing—cash—that the petty crime families are after. With a vigilante in a bat suit taking down the ordinary criminals, it’s the Joker’s role to act as the counterweight.

But Gotham has a new hero in waiting, a white knight. The tough, fearless district attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) is prepared to take on those simple-minded mob bosses, with Batman (Christian Bale) playing no small part in the Gotham citizens’ belief that the streets will be clean someday. The crowd is quick to turn on Batman when the Joker starts a killing spree the likes of which Gotham has never seen. Every day that Batman doesn’t turn himself in, “people will die”, the Joker tells them. Judges, police officers, mayors, ordinary citizens. No one is safe from the Joker’s madness.

Of course, the Joker doesn’t want Batman to be unmasked. The Joker revels in being the yin to Batman’s yang. It’s the essence of his character. Every action this agent of chaos performs, his sincere commitment to unimaginable devastation, is so beyond the pale, we as an audience can’t help but develop a sort of Stockholm syndrome. We don’t necessarily want the destruction, but we begin to care about the villain much more than we do any of the heroes.

The Dark Knight could have been completely forgettable, or at least consumable, with a lesser Joker. We would then have been more inclined to appreciate the Bale Batman’s existential crisis and Dent’s psychological transformation into the supervillain Two-Face. If The Dark Knight has a flaw, it is this: the Joker is no counterweight. He’s a sandbag falling from a theater’s rafters, while the other characters are stage hands whose palms are burned as they try to grasp the rope.

I don’t recall a film with a single performance the stature of Ledger’s that didn’t have someone else to carry the film. Anthony Perkins’ Norman Bates had Janet Lee and Vera Miles as the Crane sisters. Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal Lecter had Jodie Foster’s Clarice. There’s no one in The Dark Knight up to the challenge, maybe because so many of the characters still only connect as lighter comic book transplants.

The cinema of the 1970s offers the easiest comparisons to someone like the Joker with its Popeye Doyles and Travis Bickles. The films with these characters, however, have no intention of offering up any sort of hope with less reckless counterparts. They unsettle you intentionally and don’t allow you to feel anything else. When Gene Siskel said of The French Connection that he left the theater “looking for someone to throw up against the wall,” I knew the film made him mean it. The Dark Knight doesn’t ever reach that level.

It may not seem fair to compare The Dark Knight to some of the great films above. But unlike Batman Begins or Iron Man, The Dark Knight strives for cinematic greatness. Christopher Nolan’s inspired direction, the character-driven film music from Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, and of course, Ledger’s Joker all require that The Dark Knight be respected and appreciated for its movie-making, flaws and all, and not as just another comic book blockbuster. We’ll probably never encounter another superhero film like it. That more than anything else makes The Dark Knight worth seeing again and again.

The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Heath Ledger, directed by Christopher Nolan, is in theaters now.