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New Batman Joker Is… Heath Ledger!? Batman Dark Knight Joker Heath LedgerOf all the recent superhero movies, Batman Begins was probably the most complete, offering a gritty, realistic background to the Batman story. Forget all that for the sequel, though, because Batman's going Brokeback. For the sequel to Batman Begins, entitled The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan has ditched any idea that The Joker should be played by an actor so wildly charismatic that he's able to blow everyone else off the screen, like Jack Nicholson did. Instead, for The Dark Knight, Nolan has chosen to cast Heath Ledger -...

Hollywood's problems at the box office last year may come down not so much to quality (or the lack thereof), as many have supposed, but to taste. There are plenty of talented craftsman in Hollywood, but—and this will come as no surprise—the prevailing tastes in Hollywood may not match those of the general movie-going public. Just look at the films that people actually went to see last year, and compare that list to what Hollywood is now recognizing as 2005's best. The 15 top-grossing films released in 2005, in descending order, were: Star Wars: Episode III—Revenge of the Sith; Harry...

It wasn’t a particularly good year for conservative cinema. It rarely is. Yet alongside the cavalcade of ideology, mediocrity and stupidity that is Hollywood today, a few gems shone forth dazzlingly. What is a conservative film? Let’s start with what it isn’t. It’s not about men with bulging biceps and even bigger guns. It’s not cartoonish action heroes. It isn’t revenge tales masquerading as heroism. Conservative cinema does more than entertain; movies that do no more are visual candy. It instructs and inspires. Conservative films celebrate virtue. They tell timeless tales of individuals overcoming all manner of adversity to achieve...

"Batman Begins" took in $26.8 million to remain the top movie for the second straight weekend, but it could not keep Hollywood from sinking to its longest modern box-office slump.

Every culture creates heroes in its own image: it’s difficult to imagine transferring the British adventurers — Rudolf Rassendyll and Richard Hannay, the Saint and 007 — to America. Likewise, ‘superheroes’ — guys in gaudy tights and capes flying through the streets — never quite work outside the United States. Marvel had a Captain Britain in the Seventies, and Jim Callaghan’s decrepit wasteland could certainly have used one. But he was the superhero equivalent of Elvis impersonators’ night in Romford. I seem to recall a Captain Canada, too, and a few other attempts at Canuck heroes — Mapleman? Beavergirl? —...

Enough, already. Enough with the brooding towers of Gotham City and its dusky canyons of stone and steel and glass, its night-haunted streets, its cold spires im-paling the indigo sky. Enough with the guy in the mask who soothes his poor orphan's heart by muscling around in a sports car that gets scandalously low gas mileage. Enough, I say, with Batman. It is time for discerning and conscientious citizens to rise up and boldly state the truth: Superman is better.

Hollywood's current box office slump is poised to become the worst since entertainment analysts began keeping detailed records of movie grosses.Despite the debut of 'Batman Begins' last Wednesday, this past weekend saw overall revenues decline for the 17th straight week (as compared with the previous week's totals)That streak ties a 17 week slide in 1985, which previously held the record for the longest series of declines ever.And with the remakes 'Herbie: Fully Loaded', 'Bewitched' and George Romero's 'Land of the Dead' --none of which is expected to rack up blockbuster totals--set to land in theatres this week, it's possible that...

Studios look to Bruce Wayne to avoid a neck-and-neck race it doesn't want to win. June 16, 2005 Summer movies Hollywood's box office flameout (CNN/Money) - The movie-going masses on Friday will learn at last the dark story behind Bruce Wayne's transformation into a masked crusader battling evil in Gotham. Hollywood is hoping "Batman Begins" is more about an end -- to what could soon be the longest box office slump in at least twenty years. Domestic movie ticket sales from New Year's Day through this past weekend are down more than six percent, to $3.85 billion, compared to a...

'Batman Begins' is emphatically concerned with retributive justice and the politics of fear - themes which have an inescapable geopolitical resonance in a post-9/11 context. Yet after the disappointingly simplistic takes on the dynamics of revenge offered by recent films like The Punisher and Man on Fire, it is gratifying to see that Nolan's film depicts the morality of justice in a manner that is anything but cartoonish. As Wayne struggles to do what is right, he is informed as much by the values of the judicial system, of law enforcement and of patriarchal philanthropy (values embodied respectively by Rachel,...

`Batman Begins' terffic superhero movie www.chinaview.cn 2005-06-16 09:38:13 BEIJING, June 16 -- Pre-adolescent Bruce Wayne falling into a well and being frightened by a flock of bats released from an underground cavern! No. That opening scene is just about the last sour note in the 140 minutes or so that follow. "Batman Begins" is a terrific slice of Hollywood fantasy, a wonderful example of what can happen when good people spend a lot of money in service of getting it right. Spider-Man was a great comic adaptation. X2 was masterfully written. And Christopher Reeves' Superman oozed with humanity. Batman Begins...

Katie Holmes says she's converting to the Church of Scientology, embracing the religion of her boyfriend, Tom Cruise. Holmes, in London to promote her new film, "Batman Begins," said Monday that she's excited about her lessons in Scientology, a religion founded by science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard. The 26-year-old actress and Cruise went public with their romantic relationship in April. The former Catholic and star of television's "Dawson's Creek" grew up with a poster of Cruise on her bedroom wall and has said she grew up wanting to marry him. "We all keep dreaming, and luckily, dreams come true,"...

"BATMAN BEGINS" SPONSORS NASCAR WITH "BATMAN BEGINS 400"by Jonah Weiland, Executive ProducerPosted: April 27, 2005This summer is loaded with huge, big budget, heavy special effects laden popcorn films making it one of the most exciting summers in recent history for event movies. Films like "Fantastic Four," "War of the Worlds," "Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory," "Star Wars Episode III" and "Batman Begins" will all be competing for the number one position at the box office. Already, the marketing campaigns for each have been fierce with marketing campaigns going wide almost four months in advance for some films. The race...