Superheroes Versus Comics

By shathley Q

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? [27 January 2009]

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

By Chris Barsanti

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. [23 September 2008]

What the World Needs Now: Society’s Desperate Need for Superheroes

By Charles Moss

Hollywood has finally discovered what comic book fans have known all along: superheroes serve as brightly-colored, two-dimensional extensions of ourselves. [5 September 2008]

The Return of the Popcorn Circus: July 2008

By Bill Gibron

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. [30 April 2008]

Part 5: The Return of the Auteur

By PopMatters Staff

That noise you heard near the start of the new millennium was the creative din of a brash new breed of filmmakers tearing down the traditions of mainstream moviemaking. Their motion picture mission statements -- including the ones featured on this list -- remain the rulebook for new generations of anxious film artists. [22 June 2007]

The Dark Knight

By Cynthia Fuchs

Batman's dilemma in The Dark Knight is how to use his bad press, whether he will embrace it or continue to fight it. [17 July 2008]

The Prestige (2006)

By Jesse Hassenger

Fans of this wonderful film are left to puzzle not just over its thematic and narrative layers, but its respectable but perfunctory treatment here. [15 March 2007]

The Prestige (2006)

By Cynthia Fuchs

This trick -- The Transported Man -- is at the center of the film's thematic concerns with replication, movement, and deception. [20 October 2006]

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

By Cynthia Fuchs

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. [4 November 2005]

Batman Begins (2005)

By Todd R. Ramlow

Christian Bale brings a menace to Batman, making him radically distinct from alter ego Bruce Wayne. [16 June 2005]

Insomnia (2002)

By Cynthia Fuchs

The sun doesn't go down in Insomnia. [23 May 2002]

Memento (2001)

By Cynthia Fuchs

Imagine that, like Leonard (Guy Pearce), you find yourself in mid-run, with a scary-looking guy with a gun running nearby, and you have to figure out who's chasing whom. In practical terms, it only takes a second to realize that he's chasing you, because he fires his gun at you and heads your way. [1 January 1995]

Mixed Media: Inception dir. Christopher Nolan (trailer)

Short Ends and Leader: Psycho Smackdown: ‘Watchmen’‘s Rorschach vs. ‘The Dark Knight’‘s Joker

Short Ends and Leader: Batmassive: The Meaning of $300 Million

Short Ends and Leader: ‘Dark Knight’ Is Epic Entertainment

Backstage at the Oscars: Heath Ledger’s family discusses win [23 February 2009]

Academy’s snubbing of ‘The Dark Knight’ is a crime [19 February 2009]

Oscars ignore ‘The Dark Knight,’ except for Ledger nomination [23 January 2009]

How to play at being a villain: Bardem, Ledger reignite media interest in craft of acting [14 August 2008]

Pop 20: Super hero formula evolving [30 July 2008]