Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight movies take their titles very literally, don’t they? We had to adjust our monitors just to see the new TV spots from The Dark Knight Rises. But there was a bit of light in both of them: Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne has a bit of banter with Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : VH1’s Today In Music Discovery Date : 24/05/2012 02:16 Number of articles : 4
Christopher Nolan‘s Dark Knight movies take their titles very literally, don’t they? We had to adjust our monitors just to see the new TV spots from The Dark Knight Rises. But there was a bit of light in both of them: Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne has a bit of banter with Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : VH1’s Today In Music Discovery Date : 24/05/2012 02:16 Number of articles : 4
Anne Hathaway made headlines this week with her new short hair . Now she’s making even more of them for her Catwoman costume. The cropped ‘do is for her role in Les Miserables, and the catsuit, of course, is for her role in the upcoming summer blockbuster The Dark Knight Rises . We haven’t seen a photo of Anne as her feline alter ego in some time, so it was quite a treat that the producers decided to release this new image … Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale’s final foray into the world of the caped crusader , The Dark Knight Rises lands in theaters July 20. Don’t miss it.
We’re raising the stakes and placing big bets in The Weekly Rising. By Kevin P. Sullivan Christian Bale on the set of “The Dark Knight Rises” Photo: Getty Images Are you a betting man, or do you make your own luck like Harvey Dent? We’re a little more than three months away from ” The Dark Knight Rises ,” the grand finale to Christopher Nolan ‘s Batman trilogy, and with so much of the world looking forward to the film and taking wide, sweeping guesses at what could possibility unfold, it’s time we all put our money where our mouth is. (What’s the fun of wild speculation if you’re not going to lay a little money on the line, right?) Who’s going to be the lucky girl to land the Batman? Who’s coming back to life? And who’s on their way out? We’ve done the gambling men and women out there a favor by breaking down the odds for what’s likely to happen in “The Dark Knight Rises”: There’s a Talia Hookup, 4:6 Now that we know about the PG-13 rating for “some sensuality,” it seems pretty clear that Bruce Wayne is going to get some rebound action from either one of the two female supporting characters. But which one will it be? The trailer puts both Miranda Tate Talia Al Ghul and Selina Kyle in — let’s say — sensual positions next to Bruce, but Marion Cotillard ‘s character gets the edge. She seems flirty with her masquerade mask in the trailer, but not quite up in there like Anne Hathaway . Talia, however, is the odds-on favorite because of her comic book history with Batman. They have a kid together in the books, plus she’s clearly going to betray him in “Rises.” A night of passionate romance will only make her turn that much more bitter. There’s a Selina Hookup, 4:1 Catwoman’s storied back-and-forth, will-they-won’t-they history with Batman makes a first-date hookup unlikely. It’s the same reason you should never kill the Joker in a Batman movie; there’s still so much to do. (I’m looking at you, Tim Burton.) Kyle and Wayne’s interactions are defined by sexual tension, so even if this is the end of the series, a “close but no cigar” scenario is much more likely than “some sensuality” between the Cat and the Bat. Ra’s Al Ghul Is Alive, 3:2 It’s one of the most hotly debated topics in recent weeks. With the official addition of Liam Neeson to the cast, Ra’s Al Ghul is back on the table as a potential villain for the Nolan Batman movie. Ra’s in the comics has made a hobby of returning from the dead, so a resurrection isn’t out of the question. This is Nolan’s Gotham, however, so something as out-there as resurrection might be too much for the more realistic vision of the world. A flashback or hallucination is much more likely, but this is all based on the assumption that Ra’s ever died. Bane Dies, 9:1 I know, I know. Batman is a sworn non-lethal crime fighter. He’s gone two movies without technically killing anyone. (Isn’t letting someone die almost as bad?) But like a video game boss, Bane comes with an obvious, built-in weakness. His giant eyeball, in this case, is his respirator. We know from the prologue that if the mask is removed, it will be very painful for Bane. If the mercenary has a physical advantage over Batman in hand-to-hand combat, the edge the Caped Crusader will gain has to come from removing that mask. The rule of Chekhov’s gun states, “One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it.” In the case of “Rises,” one must not put a pain-reducing mask on the stage if no one is thinking of removing it. Batman Dies, 1:1 This is the real wild card. The question here is “How far will Nolan go?” We know that he’s going to push Batman to the brink and that, according to the posters, legend is supposed to “end.” Is it possible that Nolan will sacrifice Wayne to prove how strong of a symbol the Batman really is? At this point, there’s no way to say, so for the time being, I wouldn’t put down any money on the fate of Bruce Wayne. Batman will certainly survive; the man beneath the mask is a different story. Robin Shows Up, 1,000,000:1 Not gonna happen. What bets would you put down for “The Dark Knight Rises”? Let me know via Twitter @KPSull and we’ll discuss later in the week! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Dark Knight Rises.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer Decoded! Related Photos On The Set Of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
We break down the potential nominations for the Caped Crusader in The Weekly Rising. By Kevin P. Sullivan Christian Bale on the set of “The Dark Knight Rises” Photo: Getty Images Believe it or not, when Oscar night 2013 rolls around, Batman could be donning his dress cape and walking the red carpet as a nominee. Granted, no one has seen Christopher Nolan’s final Batman film, “The Dark Knight Rises,” yet, but it’s not entirely outlandish to imagine it could have a big night at the Academy Awards next year. If Nolan sticks the landing, it could mean an unprecedented amount of awards consideration for the beloved series. For an enormously successful movie franchise, Nolan’s Batman films have a frighteningly disappointing number of Academy Awards wins and nominations: nine nods, two wins. That’s right: Aside from Heath Ledger’s well-earned Best Supporting Actor award, the only other Oscar for the series was for Best Sound Editing on “The Dark Knight.” We here at MTV News would love to see the legend end with a dark victory at the Academy Awards, so here are categories where “The Dark Knight Rises” could see nominations — you know, if it’s any good. Best Cinematography: Wally Pfister Nolan’s trusted cinematographer has been with him since the very beginning, shooting every major feature for Nolan since his breakout, “Memento.” Pfister won his first Academy Award last year for “Inception,” but for his next collaboration with Nolan, they’re going even bigger. If the prologue is any indication , IMAX’s role in “Rises” will be unlike anything we’ve ever seen, embracing the large format in new and exciting ways. With IMAX getting a push as the new trendy technology to get people into theaters, Pfister and Nolan’s role in embracing the format could spell an Oscar nomination. Best Original Score: Hans Zimmer It doesn’t get more ambitious than collecting the chanting of thousands of people around the world and incorporating it into a film’s score. Zimmer’s worldwide vision for his third time scoring a Batman movie could mark his 10th nomination and his second for a Nolan movie. Sadly, a disqualification due to stiff category rules may be likely. Best Director: Christopher Nolan If the Academy collectively loves anything, it’s certainly fond of paying old debts. They’ll award artists who should have won years ago (Scorsese), and they’ll award overall achievements (“Return of the King” wins everything). By the end of all this, Nolan will have done something for the ages. He legitimized a genre and restored an American icon to his rightful place. Not only that, he made two (and hopefully three) excellent and ambitious movies. This is the year you reward him for his efforts and heal the wounds of two egregious snubs for “The Dark Knight” and “Inception.” Best Actor: Christian Bale Here’s a wonderful fact about the age we live in: A very recent Oscar winner is playing Batman. One of the greatest actors of a generation is playing one of the most iconic heroes of all time. That fact alone at the very least puts Christian Bale in the mix. But knowing Nolan, he’s not just going to put Bale up against a new set of villains, a flaw of the last set of Batman films. He’s going to tell a story about Batman, one that’s going to push the hero and the man playing him to the edge. Best Picture Could “The Dark Knight Rises” be the next “Return of the King”? The only problem there is that the Academy nominated each “Lord of the Rings” film individually before the finale won the big prize. Nolan’s Batman films have always found themselves just outside awards consideration, the closest calling coming after “The Dark Knight” in 2009. Many pointed to “The Dark Knight” as a reason for the expansion of the Best Picture category the following year, so with 10 potential nominees now, statistically, it may finally be its year. What Oscars do you think Nolan’s Batman franchise should have already won? Let me know via Twitter @KPSull! Check out everything we’ve got on “The Dark Knight Rises.” For breaking news and previews of the latest comic book movies — updated around the clock — visit SplashPage.MTV.com . Related Videos ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer Decoded! Related Photos On The Set Of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
‘Red Lights’ star looks forward to Nolan’s final Batman film, as well as a potential return to the ‘Tron’ universe. By Josh Wigler, with reporting by Josh Horowitz “The Dark Knight Rises” movie poster Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures PARK CITY, Utah — Despite photo and video leaks from the set, two trailers, one prologue and plenty of interviews, there are still several unanswered questions surrounding “The Dark Knight Rises.” Chief among them is the rumor that Cillian Murphy , who played the fear-mongering Scarecrow in “Batman Begins,” will return once more to Gotham City when Christopher Nolan’s final round with the Caped Crusader rolls in front of audiences in July. For his part, Murphy has kept his lips shut on any surprise “Rises” cameos — though given that his psychotic psychiatrist Jonathan Crane appeared very briefly at the beginning of “The Dark Knight,” a return appearance for Nolan’s final Batman movie seems likely. But even if he doesn’t terrorize Bruce Wayne one last time, Murphy is very eager to see what Nolan has in store for the trilogy’s conclusion. “I’m looking forward to it,” the actor told MTV News at the Sundance Film Festival , where he’s promoting his paranormal thriller “Red Lights” from director Rodrigo Cortes. “Any film that Chris Nolan makes … he’s got a good track record. He makes amazing movies.” “It’s been a huge honor to work with him,” Murphy added. “He’s just phenomenal.” One villainous turn Murphy was allowed to speak about a bit more freely was his all-too-brief appearance in “Tron Legacy.” The Irish actor had a very small but potentially crucial role as Edward Dillinger Jr., son of original “Tron” villain Ed Dillinger Sr., and it seemed as though he might have a bigger and badder part to play in subsequent “Legacy” sequels. “Talk about being in a movie for a ‘blink and you’ll miss it’ [role],” Murphy laughed when his “Tron” cameo was brought up. “I was just such a fan of the original, and they asked me if I wanted to be in it. I said, ‘Absolutely. Anything you want.’ ” But as for whether or not he’ll come back for more “Tron,” Murphy remains unsure. “I don’t know,” he said. “It was just a buzz to be in that movie, even for [one scene].” The 2012 Sundance Film Festival is officially under way, and the MTV Movies team is on the ground reporting on the hottest stars and the movies everyone will be talking about in the year to come. Keep it locked with MTV Movies for everything there is to know about Sundance. Related Photos Celebrities Hit The Ground At Sundance 2012 Film Fest Sundance 2012: Behind The Scenes Photos
Harry, Ron and Hermione make ‘Twilight’ debut in the off-Broadway parody. By Amy Wilkinson The cast of “Twilight: The Musical” Photo: Dreamcatcher Entertainment NEW YORK — When “Dreamgirls” helmer Bill Condon took over direction of “The Twilight Saga,” more than a few cheeky journalists wondered if he’d treat fans to a bloodsucking song-and-dance extravaganza. Alas, vogueing Volturi weren’t meant to be — at least on the big screen. They have, however, found a temporary home on the New York City stage in the form of ” Twilight: The Musical .” The off-Broadway parody production premiered Monday night at the New World Stages, raising money for the charity Blessings in a Backpack. Written by Ashley Griffin and directed by Gabriel Barre, “Twilight: The Musical” is, for now, staged as a concert reading, meaning that the actors hold scripts throughout the show. But the cheat sheets did little to diminish the enthusiasm of the oft-hilarious production. A group of eight actors play more than 30 roles, with some pulling quadruple and even quintuple duty (such as standouts Lauren Lopez and Jenna Leigh Green). With her bobbing ponytail, zip-up hoodie, skinny jeans and sullen expression, Meghann Fahy (“Next to Normal”) is a dead ringer for Bella Swan (or, at the very least, Kristen Stewart’s portrayal of Bella Swan), while “Wicked” actor Colin Hanlon looks perfectly pained as Edward Cullen. Jared Zirilli (“Wicked”) spends the entire second act shirtless, portraying Jacob with the kind of earnestness that’s made Taylor Lautner the object of many a teen’s fever dreams. The show opens much as the “Twilight” movie does, with Bella’s monologue about her impending death followed by the cafeteria scene and the upbeat track “Looking for Something.” (Sample lyrics: “I think I see a Fork stuck in my road,” “We’re standing on the twilight of something good.”) The first act hems closely with its source material, including all the requisite scenes: Edward’s biology class freak-out, Bella’s car accident and the bookstore gang-up. Much of the dialogue comes straight from screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg’s script, too, albeit with much-welcomed embellishments. (Charlie to Bella: “I know it’s awkward starting in the middle of a semester, so I got you a truck!”) But things take a canon-twisting turn about two-thirds of the way through the first act when Hermione, Ron and Harry show up. Yes, someone got “Harry Potter” in our “Twilight.” Instead of Victoria, James and Laurent, Hogwarts’ finest play the villains here. The meta levels reach 11 when the wizards mistakes Edward for Cedric Diggory. And so it is that Ron tracks Bella down in her old ballet studio and is done in by the Cullen coven, leaving Hermione to avenge the death of her beloved. The first act closes on Bella’s birthday — the surprisingly bloody scene from “New Moon.” The second act opens with a freshly shorn Jacob (his wig somehow even mangier than Lautner’s) singing with his pack. From there, the production speeds through the last three books of Meyer’s series, compressing much of the story in favor of cramming it all in. Despite the odd pacing, the production sang thanks to details only a true fanatic could relish. Edward’s sparkling-in-the-sun effect is achieved with a glittery bodysuit hidden underneath the actor’s button-down like Superman’s spandex. The iconic apple from the book’s cover hangs limply (and obviously) from a springing wire gizmo as Edward tries to suavely hand it to Bella. Not to mention the actors muster plenty of fourth-wall-breaking furtive glances, letting the audience know they are in on the joke. But the tongue-in-cheek vibe is abandoned late in the second act for a sobering bit of moralizing from Harry, who comes to Bella in a dream sequence asking if it was all worth it. “You were willing to sacrifice everything to get a boyfriend,” he says. “In the end, you destroyed yourself.” Point taken, Harry Potter. But what a buzzkill. If you weren’t able to make the one-night-only charity benefit, don’t fret: Work is being done to bring the production to the New York stage for good.
Before Nolan finishes with ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ we take a look back at the film that started it all in The Weekly Rising. By Kevin P. Sullivan Christian Bale in “Batman Begins” Photo: Warner Bros. Months and months ago, when we weren’t fortunate enough to have seen the first six minutes of “The Dark Knight Rises” or even a full-length trailer, one of the best pieces of info that we had about the conclusion to Christopher Nolan ‘s Batman trilogy was that the film would circle back — thematically and perhaps story-wise — to “Batman Begins.” Since 2008, “The Dark Knight” and Heath Ledger have dominated most of the conversation around the series. The general feeling was that while “Batman Begins” was great, “The Dark Knight” transcended the superhero genre. That’s why it comes as a surprise that when the trilogy ends, the underappreciated first film will play a big part. With the release of “Rises” looming, there has never been a better excuse to rewatch “Begins,” not only to look for clues of what’s to come, but also to see how the film holds up in a post-“Dark Knight” world. If you haven’t watched “Batman Begins” in a few years, it may surprise you how entertaining it is. For his first Batman movie, Nolan crafted a tight origin story that seems almost quaint in scale compared to “The Dark Knight.” That isn’t to say “Begins” lacks ambition; it immediately jumps into a complicated story structure to tell Batman’s origin, and the central conflict revolves around ninjas using insanity spray to poison Gotham. The scaled-back feeling of “Begins” stems from where its primary focus lies: Batman. “The Dark Knight” was an ensemble piece with the Caped Crusader at its core. With that particular structure, many viewers felt they lost sight of Batman in the process. Though it worked for “Dark Knight” and gave the film a structure more complex than we deserved, the biggest takeaway from watching “Begins” may be that Nolan should give Batman and Christian Bale the time they deserve before the legend truly ends. How “Rises” will return to the topics addressed in “Begins” remains to be seen, but what we can gather from rumors and the prologue is that the League of Shadows will return. If this is a case, I have to give credit to Nolan, David S. Goyer and Jonathan Nolan for not falling prey to a typical sequel problem. The League of Shadows isn’t the kind of organization that’s going to give up after one go. In “Begins,” Ra’s al Ghul mentions that poisoning Gotham’s water supply was their second attempt at destroying Batman’s hometown. Were they just going to give up after Batman ruined that attempt? Did Ra’s fail to mention that they make a maximum of two attempts to destroy a city’s infrastructure before they call it quits? They don’t, so bringing them back for the finale makes perfect sense. Most importantly, “Begins” makes a great argument that it and “The Dark Knight” are two great, but different Batman movies. Both work perfectly well, just on two different scales. Where “The Dark Knight” tackles a sprawling story with many intriguing key players, the aptly titled “Batman Begins” focuses on Bruce Wayne and his journey to becoming a legend, a smaller story but one worth telling. Random takeaways: -Maggie Gyllenhaal is, by far, the better Rachel Dawes. -Chicago is Nolan’s Gotham. It will be sorely missed. -The lady who introduces Bruce to the fake Ra’s al Ghul must have been really confused after hearing, “This isn’t Ra’s al Ghul. I watched him die.” -Ra’s makes no mention of a daughter, but talks briefly about his wife. Hmmm. -As the train is about the crash, the look on Ra’s’ face intrigued me. -At the end of the movie, Wayne looks like he’s rebuilding the Manor himself. He must have given that up a few weeks later. -The Joker tease at the end is just as cool as it was in 2005. What did you enjoy most about “Batman Begins”? Let us know in the comments! Related Photos ‘Dark Knight Rises’ Trailer: 5 Key Scenes Analyzing Catwoman’s Costume In ‘Dark Knight Rises’
Has Christopher Nolan cleaned up the prologue’s soundtrack? Let’s discuss in The Weekly Rising . By Kevin P. Sullivan Tom Hardy as Bane in “The Dark Knight Rises” Photo: Warner Bros As highly anticipated as “The Dark Knight Rises” is, an unfortunate parenthetical has followed most praise of the six-minute prologue and the first theatrical trailer. Tom Hardy ‘s voice became the hot topic of Batman conversations as soon as critics saw the first minutes of the film, which focus heavily on the masked villain Bane. Fans complained, too, wishing they could comprehend more from a character they wanted to like so much, but almost every complaint came with a caveat tacked on: “I’m sure Nolan will fix it.” Then, at the height of discussion, an unnamed source “close to the movie” told The Hollywood Reporter that Nolan had no intentions of completely reworking Bane’s voice, insisting he would only make slight changes to the sound mix. Now, Collider has the testimony of a source that claims Warner Bros. sent a new soundtrack for the prologue still attached to select IMAX showings of “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” making Bane’s dialogue “40 to 50 percent” clearer. Here is the source’s full account: “A friend of mine who is an IMAX projectionist told me they received a new soundtrack for the ‘Dark Knight Rises’ prologue. He said it’s now a combo soundtrack with ‘Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,’ but the cool thing about this is that they’ve cleaned up the dialogue. They’ve gone in and lowered the background noise of the plane and other things, thus making Bane’s dialogue clearer and more understandable. He asked some people after they left the movie if they could understand Bane and they all said they had no issue understanding him, and were excited for the movie.” Warner Bros. told The New York Times ‘ Dave Itzkoff that there was “no truth” to the rumors, but Collider followed up its initial report with a letter purportedly from IMAX sent to its projectionists. The letter instructs them on how to dub the combined tracks properly and perfectly aligns with the original report. This is certainly looking like the tweak we’ve expected from Nolan since The Hollywood Reporter article. If the director is adamant about keeping the gargled effect on Bane’s voice and encouraging the audience to participate in the film more, this is the change that needed to be made. Regardless of whether you’re part of the camp that insists the voice is comprehendible, the change, however slight it may be, was needed. Are you looking forward to a cleaned-up Bane? Let me know at @KPSull, and I’ll discuss some of your responses over at Splash Page on Wednesday. Check out everything we’ve got on “The Dark Knight Rises.” For breaking news, celebrity columns, humor and more — updated around the clock — visit MTVMoviesBlog.com . Related Videos ‘Dark Knight Rises’: The Year In Review Related Photos On The Set Of ‘The Dark Knight Rises’
‘It’s just a matter of doing your homework and getting underneath the character’s skin,’ actress says. By Kevin P. Sullivan Anne Hathaway in “The Dark Knight Rises” Photo: Warner Bros While it may feel like the trailers and photos from “The Dark Knight Rises” have shown us a lot from Christopher Nolan ‘s third and supposed final trip to Gotham City, we have yet to see that much from Catwoman. After spy photos from the set forced their hand, Warner Bros. released an early look at Anne Hathaway ‘s take on Gotham’s most notorious cat burglar astride the Batpod, but aside from that photo and her brief but enticing appearance in the theatrical trailer, Selina Kyle’s role in “Rises” remains a mystery. Hathaway did, however, open up to the L.A. Times ‘ Hero Complex during a visit to the London set of “The Dark Knight Rises.” She spoke at length about why she loves her so-far divisive costume and how her Catwoman fits into Nolan’s Gotham. Check out our photo analysis of Hathaway’s Catwoman. When Warner Bros. released the first photo of Hathaway in full Catwoman attire, fan reaction ranged from full-fledged support to outright hatred. Hathaway has always stood by the costume’s unusual take on the classic look, and she once again made her case to Hero Complex. “I love the costume because everything has a purpose,” she said. “Nothing is in place for fantasy’s sake, and that’s the case with everything in Christopher Nolan’s Gotham City.” Once Hathaway won the highly coveted role, she dove deep into research, taking in Catwoman’s classic comic book appearance and the original inspirations Bob Kane and Bill Finger used to create the character. Hathaway said she drew inspiration from actress Hedy Lamarr to help shape her performance. “[Lamarr] takes these long, deep, languid breaths and exhales slowly,” Hathaway said. “There’s a shot of her in [the 1933 film] ‘Ecstasy’ exhaling a cigarette and I took probably five breaths during her one exhale. So I started working on my breathing a lot.” From there, a lot of the heavy lifting belonged to Nolan and his brother Jonathan, who co-wrote the script with the director. According to Hathaway, this Catwoman follows the pattern set by Nolan’s other Gotham City residents. “You look at Heath’s performance as the Joker, there was a lot of madness there but there was also a grace and he had a code there. There’s a lot of belief and codes of behavior in Gotham and my character has one, too,” she said. “A lot of the way she moves and interacts with people is informed by her worldview. Chris has given us all such complex, defined, sophisticated worldviews that it’s just a matter of doing your homework and getting underneath the character’s skin.” Do you think Anne Hathaway will kill it as Catwoman? Let us know in the comments below! Related Photos Analyzing Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman Costume In ‘Dark Knight Rises’
