Welcome to a World Without Rules

The marketing campaign for The Dark Knight has hit it out of the park yet again.
by Larry_Chimp_Man

With less than three months until release the marketing for The Dark Knight is really starting to heat up. The unveiling of a new trailer is imminent, viral campaigns are going stronger than ever, and photos and press from the flick are being spread all over the net. Today Warner Bros upped the ante, revealing a new poster for the public to feast on. Check it out below.



The art of the one-sheet, or movie poster, is easily one of my favourite parts of the cinema experience. It's the perfect piece of film memorabilia, providing a window into the movie it portrays. This new poster for The Dark Knight is no exception. It's visual and symbolic but is able to stay open for interpretation. Christian Bale's Batman looks badass as always, especially in the new suit, as the blazing emblem above menacingly glares down at him. And, while there's no trace of The Joker in this poster just seeing the signal aflame is enough to bring him to mind.

The Dark Knight has really made its mark when it comes to quality posters. The marketing team has continued to one-up previous posters with each new release, something to be proud of considering the excellence of the initial teaser sheet. It's incredibly hard to pick a favourite out of the lot and I'll probably end up buying them all.

What do you guys think of the new poster for The Dark Knight? Which TDK poster have you named as your favourite? Post a comment and let us know what you think.

The Dark Knight hits theatres on July 18th. Are you ready for a world without rules?

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Conroy to Voice Batman in Gotham Knight

The Batman veteran will once again lend his voice to the Dark Knight.

MediaZEALOT ran an article a week ago about the confirmation Christian Bale may not voice The Bat in the upcoming Batman: Gotham Knight. Well, today DC and Warner Home Entertainment have revealed Kevin Conroy will once again be the man behind the voice of Batman.



As much as I love Kevin Conroy's Batman I am disappointed by this announcement. Bale should be the one doing this project. Gotham Knight is about Batman in Christopher Nolan's universe, not the one found in Batman: The Animated Series. Bringing Conroy into the mix just blurs the line between what has come before and what is now.

I'm still enthusiastic about Batman: Gotham Knight. However, quite a bit of my excitement has been lost due to Bale not taking part.

Batman: Gotham Knight hits DVD and Blu-ray disc on July 8th.

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Gotham Knight DVD Release Date Announced

Batman: Gotham Knight will hit DVD shops on July 8th.

DC and Warner Home Video have announced that their The Dark Knight anime tie-in DVD will arrive in July just over a week before the feature film hits theatres. There will be three versions available come the 8th. A standard one-disc affair, a two-disc special edition, and a Blu-ray version featuring all the content from the special edition. There was no mention of the release of the previously speculated deluxe-edition of Batman Begins.



Unfortunately, it appears that Christian Bale may not voice Batman in Gotham Knight as originally speculated. Apparently it was only a rumour that he was attached to the project and someone else will lend their voice to the character. Let's hope Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) is the one voicing the Bat. In an ideal world it would be Bale but Conroy comes a close second.

MediaZEALOT ran a sneak-preview of Gotham Knight earlier this month, click HERE to check it out. Stay tuned as we'll be keeping tabs on this DVD release and will review it come July.

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Terminator Salvation to Open May 2009

The fourth installment of the Terminator film franchise will hit theatres on May 22nd, 2009.

Warner Bros. has announced that it will open McG's Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins in North America on May of 2009. The film will open on the 22nd, the start of Memorial Day weekend. This release date is also occupied by Fox's Night at the Museum 2 which is currently shooting up here in Vancouver right now.



I'm not sure what to think about this flick. I wasn't a very big fan of the last Terminator film and I think it'll just go downhill with McG (We are Marshall, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle) on board. Then again, I am an absolutely huge Christian Bale fan and will watch anything he performs in. He's been choosing nothing but great roles for the last three years and I doubt he'd willingly jump on to what he thought was a sinking ship. Warner Bros. hopes the film will be a new beginning for the franchise and the start of a new trilogy.

In today's other Terminator 4 news, Sony has acquired the international distribution rights for the film.

We'll see come May 22nd, 2009 whether or not Terminator Salvation: The Future Begins will be worth the wait. Check back to MediaZEALOT leading up to its release as we'll keep you up to date on the film.

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Batman: Gotham Knight Sneak Peak

A sneak peak at the Batman: Gotham Knight DVD has hit the net.

Batman: Gotham Knight is an anime anthology DVD which will be released in the weeks prior to The Dark Knight hitting cinemas. There will be six interlocking stories on the DVD from creators such as Josh Olsen (A History of Violence), David S. Goyer (Batman Begins), Greg Rucka (Detective Comics), Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series), and Brian Azzarello (100 Bullets). Christian Bale will, naturally, lend his voice to the project as Bruce Wayne/Batman.

Check out the sneak peak below:



Warner Bros has also confirmed that a deluxe edition of Batman Begins will be released at the same time as Batman: Gotham Knight on both DVD and Blu-ray. An uber-deluxe edition will also be released combining the two. Click HERE to pre-order your copy over at Amazon.

Cheers.

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The Prestige DVD Review

Does the single-disc release of The Prestige contain enough substance to be a worthwhile DVD?

The Prestige is one of those films that has all the right pieces to make it work. For starters, it's directed by one of my current favourites, Christopher Nolan (Memento, Batman Begins), and is shot by the two-time academy award nominated cinematographer Wally Pfister. It also features the very well cast performances of Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Piper Perabo, David Bowie, and Scarlett Johansson (who isn't as spectacular). I thoroughly enjoyed The Prestige and have been waiting eagerly to add it to my DVD collection since I caught it in theatres back in October.

Unfortunately, The Prestige DVD is only a one disc affair. This means that there isn't much extra content to be found on the DVD and while there is some top notch substance, there just isn't enough of it.



A large chunk of the bonus content is something called The Director's Notebook. This is a collection of interviews with the cast and crew of The Prestige about many of the elements that went into the creative process for the film. We hear Christopher Nolan talk about the effect of the film's Victorian setting, his fast-paced shooting style, Nikola Tesla, and the use of magic as a form of faith, as well as other subjects. It's a very interesting watch but it's too brief and only runs for roughly 15 minutes when it could have easily been stretched out to an hour or two.

Another feature found on the DVD are the production galleries. These show stills from the film, pictures from the set, and the different costumes and locations used. There is also a gallery of all of the painted magician posters found in the film which are worth a second look.



Unfortunately, just like Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins DVD, this disc is missing a director's commentary. I would have loved to hear Nolan's take on the film and it's too bad that it wasn't included.

I can overlook The Prestige DVD's lack of features because it's such a great film but it's really disappointing that this wasn't a two-disc release. Who knows, maybe a special edition might hit the shelves if this DVD sells well, but I wouldn't count on it.

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FILM: Aaron Eckhart IS Harvey Dent

After months of speculation, director Christopher Nolan finally has his District Attorney for the upcoming The Dark Knight.

People all over the net have been speculating for months who will play Harvey Dent and his alter ego Two-Face in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel. Edward Norton had his name tossed around, so did Jamie Foxx and Josh Lucas, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was even a contender at one point, but neither one of these gentlemen were able to snag the part. Today it was announced that Aaron Eckhart (Thank You For Smoking, Erin Brockovich) has taken the role and will star alongside Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, and recently announced Maggie Gyllenhaal in the upcoming The Dark Knight.



I REALLY like this casting choice. Ekhart has proven he can play straight roles as well as comedic characters and I feel that he'll be a great fit. Hopefully he'll be able to capture the role of the determined and passionate Harvey Dent yet be able to twist full circle and play the relentless villain Two-Face. Like Maggie Gyllenhaal, Eckhart must really capture the relationship that Harvey Dent shares with Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) in the film. The two are friends, and both fight crime their own way, hopefully that comes across well in the picture.

Now, it's not clear whether or not Dent will transform into Two-Face during the course of the sequel or if it will be left open for a third film. It may likely occur as a cliff-hanger setting up the next film, but that's just speculation.

What do you guys think of this casting choice for Harvey Dent? Are WB and Christopher Nolan on to something with Eckhart or is he completely miscast? Post a comment and let me know your opinion.

Check for more news on The Dark Knight leading up to its release in the summer of 2008.

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FILM: Maggie Gyllenhaal IS Rachel Dawes

We knew Katie Holmes wouldn't be reprising her role as Rachel Dawes in the Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight, but who was WB going to cast in her place? Maggie Gyllenhaal of course.

While Warner Bros. hasn't yet publicly announced the casting of Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel Dawes in the upcoming The Dark Knight, sources say she has won the part. The studio understandably didn't ask Katie Holmes back for the sequel and her part has been recast.

Gyllenhaal's has quite a reputation when it comes to the indie circuit but hasn't yet made her mark in the mainstream. She's been in such films as Stranger Than Fiction, World Trade Center, Secretary, Donnie Darko (in which she played alongside her brother Jake), and the upcoming Paris, je t'aime (which I am uber pumped for).



I'm a fan of Maggie Gyllenhaal's work and I can see her playing a great Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight. Some say she doesn't have the looks to play a leading love interest but I think she has her own nuances and high grade acting chops that will help her continue the character yet re-create Dawes for herself. Another thing I notice about Gyllenhaal is that she is great at creating chemistry with her co-stars who act alongside her. I thought the relationship she shared with Will Ferrell in Stranger Than Fiction was very believable and hopefully she can capture that same feeling with actor Christian Bale.

I look forward to seeing Maggie Gyllenhaal in The Dark Knight when it hits theatres summer 2008.

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Rescue Dawn Preview

Another Christian Bale flick I can't miss.

Christian Bale is just one of those actors who's always in movies that catch my eye. He just has good taste when it comes to picking his roles and manages to keep it fresh, not sticking to one genre or type of character. His next movie out here in North America is Werner Herzog's Rescue Dawn.

Before I ramble anymore about this, check out the trailer HERE.

While this movie doesn't hold the initial appeal that some of Bale's recent work has gotten out of me at first glance, such as Christopher Nolan's The Prestige or Harsh Times, it still looks great. I have no doubt that Werner Herzog, a director who deserves an Oscar, has done a great job with this film and that he'll capture the feeling of a prisoner of war perfectly while keeping the Vietnamese viewpoint authentic and true. Herzog also has an eye for landscapes, often deciding to fill his films with minutes of landscape footage. I'm sure that this will really help establish Vietnam as a character in the film.



Now, I've heard that Bale lost a ton of weight for this picture as he did with El Maquinista (The Machinist) and that, as usual, he really committed himself to the role. I've also heard that Steve Zahn (Riding in Cars With Boys) does an EXCELLENT job. I can't wait to see them both in these roles for myself in a month or so.

Speaking of release dates, Rescue Dawn has been out in some theatres for quite some time but releases wide on March 30th, 2007. I'll post a review as soon as I see it.

Cheers.

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