Articles tagged "christian bale"

The PopMatters Summer 2009 Movie Preview Feature

Summer of Same: July 2009

by Bill Gibron

[29.Apr.09] :. In a rare attempt at novelty, July jets along with only Harry Potter and the Ice Age crew sampling continuing series spoils. The rest provide unknown pleasures.

The PopMatters Summer 2009 Movie Preview

The PopMatters Summer 2009 Movie Preview Feature

Summer of Same: May 2009

by Bill Gibron

[27.Apr.09] :. May's titles include the fourth films in two aging franchises, more Pixar perfection, and the reboot of a TV series from 40 years ago. And they say there are no new ideas.

The PopMatters Summer 2009 Movie Preview

Short Ends and Leader

Psycho Smackdown: ‘Watchmen’‘s Rorschach vs. ‘The Dark Knight’‘s Joker

by Bill Gibron

[4.Mar.09] :. This time next year, if there is any justice left in this baffling business called show, Jackie Earle Haley will be reaping the same kind of universal accolades that followed the late Heath Ledger...

Short Ends and Leader

News

Backstage at the Oscars: Heath Ledger’s family discusses win

by Barry Koltnow [The Orange County Register (MCT)]

[23.Feb.09] :. HOLLYWOOD - Heath Ledger’s sister Kate knew all along. She told us backstage that her brother had been sending her photos from the set of “The Dark Knight.”  “When he...

PopWire

News

Academy’s snubbing of ‘The Dark Knight’ is a crime

by Christopher Kelly [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)]

[19.Feb.09] :. It conjured up a complex and detailed alternate universe. It featured one of the most convincing portraits of wanton evil ever seen in an American film. Its vision of an upside-down political system...

PopWire

Film Feature

Superheroes Versus Comics

by shathley Q

[27.Jan.09] :. There can be no doubt that the summer of 2008 stands as a high-water mark for superheroes. But in the wake of a superhero renaissance and the growing cultural legitimacy of the genre, the question must be posed: Has the superhero genre evolved beyond the comics medium?

Recent features

Oscars ignore ‘The Dark Knight,’ except for Ledger nomination

by Colin Covert [Star Tribune (Minneapolis) (MCT)]

[23.Jan.09] :. It was a dark day for “The Dark Knight” as the 81st annual Oscar nominations, announced Thursday, snubbed the most popular film since “Titanic.” Christopher Nolan’s...

The New Classics - The 30 Best Films of 2008

by PopMatters Staff

[16.Jan.09] :. Unlike previous years, where classics came crawling out of the celluloid woodwork with regular reckless abandon, 2008 was more calm… and considered. That's not to say that choosing 30 top titles was hard. The difficulty in placing them in some manner of rank order suggests the actual depth of quality involved.

Iconic - The Top 20 Male Performances of 2008

by PopMatters Staff

[14.Jan.09] :. Like the gladiators of old, 2008 resembles a battle of formidable acting gods, especially when looking over the 20 choices presented below. Indeed, if anything, choosing a winner requires more of a leap of faith than any amount of critical skill - they all were that good.

Off the Radar - The Top 30 DVDs of 2008

by PopMatters Staff

[13.Jan.09] :. Oddly enough, while the major studios continue scratching their heads over how to sell yet another new format (Blu-ray) to disinterested consumers, several outside distributors made sure that this would be a digital year to remember.

Let Us Now Praise Ordinary Men: Normalcy, Comics, and The Dark Knight

by Chris Barsanti

[23.Sep.08] :. Without a couple of recognizably fallible and ordinary men like Harvey Dent and Commissioner Gordon at its center, The Dark Knight would ultimately be nothing more than an exceptionally well-tooled and smartly-acted thriller.

I’m Not There, and Neither Are You

by George Reisch, Peter Vernezze and Paul Lulewicz

[9.Sep.08] :. The Bob Dylan film, I’m Not There, shows that the main puzzle behind pop music’s most enigmatic personality resides right here, within us all.

How to play at being a villain: Bardem, Ledger reignite media interest in craft of acting

by Joe Williams [St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT)]

[14.Aug.08] :. The verdict is nearly unanimous: As the Joker in “The Dark Knight,” Heath Ledger gives a great performance. But what exactly does that mean? As we watch a movie, the mysterious alchemy...

Pop 20: Super hero formula evolving

by Aaron Sagers [(MCT)]

[30.Jul.08] :. In only 10 days, the Batman defeated the Joker, delivered a one-two punch to Harvey Dent and amassed more than $300 million at the box office. But despite the enormous success of “The Dark...

Batmassive: The Meaning of $300 Million

by Bill Gibron

[28.Jul.08] :. It only took 10 days. Less than two weeks. It remains a stunning accomplishment. It took Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 16 days to get there. It took the overly hyped third...

Christian ‘Batman’ Bale is a serious man for a serious role

by Rick Bentley [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)]

[18.Jul.08] :. BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - The role of Batman in “The Dark Knight” suits Christian Bale better than when he played the comic book hero in “Batman Begins.” Literally, the Batman...

The Dark Knight

by Cynthia Fuchs

[17.Jul.08] :. Batman's dilemma in The Dark Knight is how to use his bad press, whether he will embrace it or continue to fight it.

The Return of the Popcorn Circus: July 2008

by Bill Gibron

[30.Apr.08] :. And it just doesn't stop. If part two in this three-ring play was packed with well hyped product, July just keeps the receipt treats coming.

3:10 to Yuma

by Jarrett Berman

[4.Feb.08] :. As a genre piece, Mangold’s remake satisfies the requisite clichés (sweeping desert vistas, corseted women, ample gunplay), but not much else.

A Gallery of Good Works: The Best Films of 2007

by PopMatters Staff

[11.Jan.08] :. From Julian Schnabel's artsy The Diving Bell and the Butterfly to the legendary Coen Brothers splendid adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's No Country for Old Men, PopMatters counts down the 30 best films of 2007.

Performance Art: The Best Acting of 2007 - Female

by PopMatters Staff

[9.Jan.08] :. From the most sweetly nuanced performance of Jennifer Jason Leigh's career to Cate Blanchett's revelatory portrayal of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There, the women of 2007 were stellar.

Performance Art: The Best Acting of 2007 - Male

by PopMatters Staff

[9.Jan.08] :. From the tender and eerie precision of Sam Riley's depiction of Joy Division singer Ian Curtis in Control to yet another superlative performance by Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will Be Blood, PopMatters highlights the best male actors of 2007.

Rescue Dawn

by Jack Patrick Rodgers

[18.Dec.07] :. Werner Herzog has made a career out of profiling men with impossible dreams who end up fighting against nature and society to make them a reality.

Director Todd Haynes rediscovers Bob Dylan

by Rene Rodriguez [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)]

[26.Nov.07] :. NEW YORK—It was in the year 2000 that filmmaker Todd Haynes rediscovered Bob Dylan all over again. “I had always admired Dylan—I was a fan in high school—but then I kind of...

The talents behind ‘3:10 to Yuma’ hope the Western will ride again

by Dixie Reid [McClatchy Newspapers (MCT)]

[7.Sep.07] :. SAN FRANCISCO—Meanwhile, back at the hotel ... After a photo shoot staged at Marin County, Calif., horse stables, James Mangold and Peter Fonda are back at the hotel. Like gunfighters at high...

3:10 to Yuma

by Cynthia Fuchs

[7.Sep.07] :. All the men in this movie think they're doing the right thing, no matter how unhinged their actions may look.

Chicago film crew tries to keep ‘Batman’ under wraps

by Terry Armour [Chicago Tribune (MCT)]

[2.Aug.07] :. CHICAGO - A curious crowd has gathered in Old Town, where a film crew has spent a good portion of the night setting up shop. Word has traveled through the neighborhood that the latest in the...

Short Cuts - In Theaters: Rescue Dawn (2006)

by Bill Gibron

[28.Jul.07] :. In auteur/artist Werner Herzog’s world, there are only two major conflicts – man vs. nature, and man vs. his own nature. Such a philosophy encapsulates almost every kind of interaction...

Monkey Business (Part 3: July)

by Bill Gibron

[3.May.07] :. Finally, a month with only one remaining series contender. All wizard based Potter-y aside, this will be the most tenuous time for the business called show. After a strong start, the eccentric collection of entertainments here could make or break this potentially record shattering motion picture season.

Harsh Times (2006)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[28.Mar.07] :. Their suits make Jim and Mike look out of place and time, even as they are deeply and desperately immersed in their moment.

The Prestige (2006)

by Jesse Hassenger

[15.Mar.07] :. Fans of this wonderful film are left to puzzle not just over its thematic and narrative layers, but its respectable but perfunctory treatment here.

The Pay Off: The Best Film of 2006

by PopMatters Staff

[11.Jan.07] :. For many of the movies on PopMatters' 2006 list of the year's best films, it is clear that a heavy personal and professional stake was riding on the final product.

Harsh Times (2006)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[10.Nov.06] :. Harsh Times is something of a blunt instrument.

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[20.Mar.06] :. Howl's Moving Castle ticks with nervous energy and unsettledness. These jittery-edged images conjure exquisite rhythms as they approximate children's perspectives.

The New World (2005)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[23.Dec.05] :. The New World is ambitious and gorgeous, the landscape serving as a kind of objective correlative for characters' cravings and astonishments.

Batman Begins (Two-Disc Deluxe Edition with Comic Book) (2004)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[4.Nov.05] :. Nolan's Batman is perpetually knotted up, unable to forget his dead parents, seeking a vague solace in his hard body's capacity for violence.

Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[17.Jun.05] :. Charming, peculiar, and occasionally ingenious, Howl's Moving Castle tilts between fantastical beauty and philosophical pondering.

Batman Begins (2005)

by Todd R. Ramlow

[16.Jun.05] :. Christian Bale brings a menace to Batman, making him radically distinct from alter ego Bruce Wayne.

The Machinist (2004)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[9.Jun.05] :. Trevor is an image disappearing, more about reduction and loss than self-knowledge and identification.

The Machinist (2004)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[22.Oct.04] :. The Machinist digs so deeply into its protagonist's mind that it's difficult to see a way out.

Equilibrium (2002)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[5.Dec.02] :. Hooray for kicking opponents' heads in, fancy wirework, and twirling black topcoats.

Reign of Fire (2002)

by Cynthia Fuchs

[12.Jul.02] :. There's probably something to be said here about guys and competition and pointy weapons.

Shaft (2000)

by Cynthia Fuchs

It’s Isaac Hayes’s music, of course, that resonates. Whatever else you say about that “complicated man” named John Shaft, that whaa-whaa-whaa theme song identifies him...

Captain Corelli’s Mandolin (2001)

by Cynthia Fuchs

What else could 'Captain Corelli's Mandolin' be, other than the frivolous and utterly forgettable movie that it is?"

American Psycho (2000)

by Todd R. Ramlow

WARNING: The following review contains spoilers. Confessions of a Serial Killer Much like Bret Easton Ellis’s 1991 novel of the same name, writer-director Mary Harron’s...