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DARK KNIGHT and IRON MAN Both Make American Film Institute’s Top 10 Movies Of 2008!!
I am – Hercules!!
The AFI's picks:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Gran Torino
Iron Man
Milk
WALL-E
Wendy and Lucy
The Wrestler
And to recap ...
Local critics' top picks:
New York Film Critics: Milk
Los Angeles Film Critics: WALL-E
D.C. Area Film Critics: Slumdog Millionaire
Boston Film Critics: (tie) Slumdog Millionaire & WALL-E
San Francisco Film Critics: Milk
Dallas/Fort Worth Film Critics: Slumdog Millionaire
Austin Film Critics: The Dark Knight
International Press Academy:
DRAMA: Slumdog Millionaire
COMEDY: Happy-Go-Lucky
Critics Choice Awards nominees:
The Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Milk
The Reader
Slumdog Millioniare
WALL-E
The Wrestler
Roger Ebert’s top 20, as published in The Chicago Sun-Times:
Ballast
The Band’s Visit
Che
Chop Shop
The Dark Knight
Doubt
The Fall
Frost/Nixon
Frozen River
Happy-Go-Lucky
Iron Man
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
The Reader
Revolutionary Road
Shotgun Stories
Slumdog Millionaire
Synecdoche, New York
W
WALL-E
Richard Corliss’ top 10, as published in Time Magazine:
1. WALL-E
2. Synecdoche, New York
3. My Winnipeg
4. 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days
5. Milk
6. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
7. Slumdog Millionaire
8. Iron Man
9. Speed Racer
10. Encounters At The End of the World
Stephen King's top 10, as published in Entertainment Weekly:
1. The Dark Knight
2. Slumdog Millionaire
3. WALL-E
4. Tropic Thunder
5. Funny Games
6. The Bank Job
7. Lakeview Terrace
8. The Ruins
9. Redbelt
10. Death Race
Readers Talkback
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the horror, the horror
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i walked out of dark night and thought iron man was very over- rated
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Sorry. I have nothing.
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Dec. 14, 2008, 8:31 p.m. CST
IRON MAN?!!! Top 10 of the year?!! Oh.....FUCK YOU.
by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD
That just an asinine statement.
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I agree.. It would be nice for some bold choices to be made on the part of the academy... and this year, that would be TDK. Milk is the same true story, feel good biopic that always gets done and nominated every awards season. I feel about TDK the same way I felt about LOTR and it finally won with ROTK. Milk is the kind of nominee you will essentially see every awards season. Time to show a little open minded-ness to a new breed of movie.
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Ah yes, gotta love that! :)
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Finally saw this one on Tuesday. Excellent movie. Need to watch it again. I was afraid the hype would kill it but no, it more than met my expectations. I can see this getting a nod for best pic - a definite win for HL - wow.
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top movie of 09'... hey why didn't the Hulk get anything??
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Didn't anybody love that movie like I did?<p>But Iron Man made it?
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And did no one watch a film made outside of America this year?
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Left early in the theater and fell asleep trying to watch it at a friends. So far, TDK's 0/2 with me...
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Way to stick to your guns on your Top Ten list. Any movie that stars Jason Statham, destroys cars, blows shit up without any significant plot, and is directed by Paul W.S. Anderson should make anyone's Best Movies of list!
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But certainly not top 10. Frankly, that decision makes them a reasonable pick for the same "listmakers" list as Steven King.
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so should we define why a movie deserves a top 10???
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Oh yeah, nevermind, it's not there because IT'S SHIT!
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...and a waste of your time and money.
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There, I said it.
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Fuck this list and use it as Rosie O'Donnell's tampon.
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deep down, you know it to be true
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Was definitely top ten if not top 5 material. Wall-E on the other hand...I don't see it. Pixar's last great film was Finding Nemo, the other movies were ok but not top 10 worthy. I'm surprised AFI snubbed Slumdog Millionaire.
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where's meet dave, love guru, max pain??? This list sucks
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Absolutely Fucked Instantly...this list is not worthy to grace my computer screen. Seriously, where the fuck is Step Brothers?
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Dec. 14, 2008, 9:04 p.m. CST
If I were a betting man, I'd say DARK KNIGHT gets nominated...
by JackIsLost
for Oscar for Best Pic instead of REVOLUTIONARY ROAD. Have you seen the trailers for that thing? It looks like it should come with Prozac.
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its not an American production.
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TDK had explosions. Tits on the other hand...I don't want to see Maggie's tits. She was great in the movie, waaaaay better than Katie, but...I really don't want to see her tits. I really don't. For no reason would I want to see Maggie's tits. I'd rather see the Latina chick's tits, the cop who double-crossed Harvey? I'd rather see that pair before I see Maggie's. Nothing against Maggie, I just...no. No. I don't need to see Maggie's tits. Not ever. No.
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There sure are alot of them. Do people get paid for making them?
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is great featuring an exceptional performance from michelle williams.
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pig ignerent!
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I found it hugely entertaining and it's the one I'm most eager to see its sequel. Interesting, entertaining, well made, true to its genre and plenty of movie magic. Easy 4 star film. Probably 4.5
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They like whatever is hip to like or whatever makes the most money. Even the Golden Globes didn't ignore In Bruges.
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One of the best gems of the year featuring some of the best acting of the year from Melissa Leo. Definitely check it out...
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And most people look at me like I'm an idiot. While that may be the case, how are the two movies really so far apart in quality? Seems to me that Downey just comes off as more likable (a by product of the free-wheeling character) and Iron Man didn't have the Ang Lee Albatross around its neck. Hell, both movies even had a similar ending (protagonist fights a bigger, meaner version of himself.) Just saying. I mean, Iron Man WAS good and all.
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Good.
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I'm kinda disappointed that Hellboy 2 didn't get much love this year, be it at the BO or from the critics when it comes to top 10 lists and shit... Had a bunch of glowing reviews though.<p> Hell, even most fanboys forgot about it...
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Richard Corliss would bypass a masterwork like Dark Knight for a cinematic abortion. </p> And that " 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days " hogwash was from the LAST YEAR ! </p> </p> AFI gets some respect from me again, anyways. </p> </p> And why did Stephen King NOT pick ' Let The Right One In ' ? </p>
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I just didn't find them as interesting as Iron Man. They were still entertaining though, and funny - I thought Hellboy 2 was funnier than the first one, and that line in Hulk "You won't like me when I'm... hungry" was brilliant.
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Good God, TDK is over-rated. Wall-E actually has heart and is enjoyable. Only sickos love TDK.
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thanks!
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sorry
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Okay, I kid. I saw Frost/Nixon recently and thought it was amazing, so I'm glad to see it getting some nods.<p>I also saw Milk and, whilst I thought Penn was great, the movie overall didn't enchant me (although this was most likely because, as a straight male who has never had to fight for the right to live a straight lifestyle, i personally found it difficult to relate to the gay rights issue. If I was gay, I'm sure it would have struck a much stronger chord with me and probably would have been one of my favourite movies of the year).
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It's a sick, sick, sicko world. ;)
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Obvious douche is obvious.
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I don't like Top 10 Lists simply because, like in the case of movies, they can be arbitrary and subjective. Let's say one year only 7 movies deserve to be on the "Top Ten" list and the next you get 12. So one year you promote 3 movies that don't deserve it and the next you ignore 2 that do? See? I hate that. <p> Top Ten lists make a line in the sand. These 10 are the best! And those ones... are not. <p> So whether he wanted to or not, Mr. Corliss is telling us that Speed Racer (I thought it was a good popcorn movie with great art direction and SFX) is a better movie than The Dark Knight. <p> Now, Stephen King has Death Race on his list but, Mr. King is by trade a novelist. Richard Corliss is a film critic. <p> So I don't know. Did he have to draw the Top Ten line somewhere? Or does he think Speed Racer is that good? Hey, everyones got an opinion. <p> Aww, fuck it. I stopped reading Time magazine a long, long time ago.
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they're in no particular order. You can't rate Wall-E against In Bruges. They're two different genres so it'd be like rating the proverbial apples and volkswagens. <P> Better to call it a "10 favorites list" anyway.
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Dec. 14, 2008, 10:46 p.m. CST
It comes as no surprise that the multitude of dipshits here...
by FiendishMilt37
... fail to realize that the AMERICAN Film Institute only honors AMERICAN films. No "Slumdog Millionaire". No "In Bruges". No "The Band's Visit". GOT IT??
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he didn't rank any them and he had more than ten. He refused to be boxed in by the top ten formula Puttgrass talked about.
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They have a number of non-American productions on their Best Films of All Time list, including Lawrence of Arabia, Lord of the Rings, and A Clockwork Orange. Besides, it's not as if In Bruges isn't an English-language film with no Hollywood stars...
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Fuck order and this arbitrary amount of 10.
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watch the original tapes, and look at how opie reframed the shots of nixon, and his reactions to the questions...to the end, nixon remained a sociopath...richie cunningham tries to paint him as broken by the end of the interviews...that really didnt happen
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British Director + Indian cast/crew = ?
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Considering three of my top films Dark Knight, Wall-E and Iron Man are on here. Can't wait to see Frost/Nixon and Ben Button
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Granted, it's not even remotely widely seen yet, but still.
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It was a great film...it really delved deep into Indian society, and was directed beautifully
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What a solid film. I watched it again last night on Blu-Ray (after seeing it thee times in the theatre) and it still had me transfixed. <p> I think Tim Burton is a great director with incredible visual flair, but his take on the material now looks very shallow by comparison.
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Saw it in the theaters over the summer, and finally saw it again on DVD this weekend. Really solid film, and truimphs anything from this genre, as the story is very compelling, and so is the characters motivations. That's what is missing from the summer shit out there anymore, as most summer movies appeal to the ADD crowd with explosions, CGI, and non stop action. I will say that TDK is trying to tell alot in this movie, and in someways a bit too much, as I understand if the movie loses people in the last half hour. I saw an interview with Nolan how he studied this genre and their sequels and did not want to fall back into the 'usual' sequel, as I think he watched Empire Strikes Back and tried to give the audience something totally different from Batman Begins in terms of story. I am interested to see future summer movies and what way they go: More like TDK that are alittle more adult, alittle more story oriented and the characters drive the movie, or more shit like Indy IV that rely on nostalgia, action, and CGI.
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Why would I write this? Not even I care what I think!
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i enjoyed it to, but the end where he had no problem killing things, until the one danger that really should be killed (the abomination.) he all of a sudden decides better of it. <br><br>seemed like a bad time to go soft.
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I admire your honesty. It's a shame that more of these "top 10" list writers don't think they way you do.
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It may not have been the BEST, but being the most fun should count for something. Iron Man is definitely top ten worthy.
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I mean yeah I liked it, Robert Downey was great and so were the special effects. Plus, it had Jeff Bridges, who I'd watch in anything. Still though, I don't see it as top ten material. Now Tropic Thunder, that's in my top ten.
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that was aimed at AFI, not you. Though I do agree it was a very fun movie, I just don't see it as top ten material.
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Dec. 14, 2008, 11:53 p.m. CST
Anyone questioning Iron Man, but not Dark Knight is a robot..
by ribbitking
Dark Knight? the favorite movie of people without emotions
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freaking joke... those lists are atrocities.
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Aw, c'mon... everyone on the internet loves pron!
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Dec. 15, 2008, 12:01 a.m. CST
Caveman: I like DK... AFI like DK, i like AFI. wait... AFI like
by ribbitking
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Dec. 15, 2008, 12:02 a.m. CST
Damn i ruined my ingenious and funny comedic response...
by ribbitking
Was gonna keep ripping on AFI but screwed it up... i sense conspiracy.
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All this time I have been hearing all these great reviews about The Dark Knight and Academy Award talk and how great Heath Ledger was n The Dark Knight, well, it is all a lie--the movie is horrible!!! As far as Christopher Bale and Chris Nolan...both did their jobs in quite the boring manner.<BR><BR>When I saw Ledger in "Roar", a tv series that he made his American debut in, I knew this guy was a special actor, but he was misused in Dark Knight...a movie that continues to prove that Warner Brothers still hasn't gotten Batman right onscreen, save for the animated series, 15 years ago.<BR><BR>Cadillac Records is the movie to see, and deserves the critics notice and all the many Oscar nods, that Dark Knight does not deserve, but is sure to get, as well as the Oscar for Best Picture itself.<BR><BR>The media just used Heath's very sad death to hype this movie. This was not the performance of his career or a lifetime, or anybody else's career or lifetime. Wanted was a better movie by leaps and bounds...and something was even missing there with that film???!!! I just can't believe how all of these movie studios and news media company merges have bred a culture of expected good reviews for the films and other products of the 5 major media/movie companies who's incestuous co-mingling all but guarantees good reviews for most of the pictures the industry wishes to put their full backing behind for both political and finacially born corporate favors!!! Who needs to pay payolla when you already own the movie reviewers and press that will be reviewing your movies???!!!
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You have no soul, and most likely, you enjoy punching puppies and kicking kittens on Friday afternoons...
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try writing all that again without the multiple punctuation. You may even get people to consider your opinion then. Personally I thought that the movie improved every time Ledger was on the screen, so you won't be convincing me today.
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I personally love the movie, but I don't really care if someone does not. But man these guys are irritating. People might listen if you were not such shrill assholes. Just saying.
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...comes the next step in total fucking destruction:<p>A V A T A R - Fucking your eyeballs in 2009.
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10. Ok Computer 9. The Godfather 2 8. The bit in The Office where he does the dance 7. Dark side of the Moon 6. Citizen Kane 5. The Da Vinci code 4. Gary Shandling 3. Fawlty Towers 2. Christmas 1. Nintendo Wii Its quite Definitive.
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cadillac records sucked ass...it fucks with history...what happened to the other chess bro? what happened to the record company that the chess bros were partners in before chess? they never burnt down their own club to get up the money for the recording studio...waters tour of europe occured before chess died, and he knew he had a following in europe thanks to the english bands that had already toured america...chess didnt die driving away after the sale...chess and his bro were stealing from their artists from day one...little walter did not die in the arms of muddy's wife...where was bo didley? the sad thing is, a biopic could be made about almost every performer from chess...and damn if mos def didnt capture the wackiness of the young chuck berry (woulda been nice if the audience was made to understand that he got railroaded into that mann act bust) the music was great, and hopefully it will cause a resurgence in the blues and real r&b (enuf of this hip hop shit) but a good movie? hardly
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Save the little blonde boy Batman!
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Heartless bitches. "The Fall" = best movie of the year. Oh well.
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is a pathetic nerd/loser.
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Love it and it will certainly get Oscar nominations up the ass. My only problem with it was the gimmicky cell phone sonar device that they worked into the plot. The film had established a very real take on Batman's world and then they come out with that little Deus ex machina. I could just imagine some studio suit giving notes to Nolan, "Hey, can you work out some idea to give him radar like a Bat? Because don't Bats have sonar? Gee, I wonder why they never did that in the comics? I'm a fucking genius."
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It was also a gimmick to get the white eye lenses in the movie.
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Even more respect to the most handsome man in horror...
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I'll agree that if anyone is in need of a good skull fucking its you.
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If that means anything. Notice how no other film on the list inspires any debate at all? Nobody cares whether or not any of the other top ten films are on the list. But there is no end to debate about the Dark Knight. That alone has to count for something.
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Dec. 15, 2008, 2:46 a.m. CST
Iron Man? It was kinda fun but not something I need to see agai
by Kirbymanly
... In other words, no piece of art. In my opinion, Cloverfield rocked Iron Man down to liquid. Why is everyone forgetting how GREAT that film was? On top of that, I wish there was a special category that would allow Let The Right One In (and, yes, I'm aware the same guy who made Cloverfield is making a re-make of said film-- which I think is a travesty).
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Like MCMXLVII he keeps coming back, reminding us of one thing we must not forget, but is also something we never would forget in the first place (michael bay is like cancer for movies/avatar cometh!). So here's to you guys who tell us something we already knew, on every single message board.
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I know I said it was the last word, but here's my two cents on the cell phone bat virus. I thought it heightened the tension of the final sequence, plus I never saw it coming. And it also gave a conceivable way for the near invincible Batman to lose the upper hand in a stand up fight with a street punk like the Joker. And seriously, how else was he ever going to defeat the devil incarnate, but to become god? And maybe I'm not the most intellectual movie viewer, but I was sufficiently engrossed that when Morgan Freeman threatened to quit I thought it made it all the more intriguing.
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It is an unquestionable fact now! :)
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I think the whole sonar thing was mainly to give Batman his white eyes from the comic books/animated series. As a Batman fan for many years I forgot to breath when I saw that, lol. I've been waiting for that for a long time.
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Death fucking Race was on King's list. Spielberg and Lucas should just buy two coffins and bury themselves out of our sight. They're OVER.
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So The Joker was taken into the interrogation room, left to sit for a bit and didn't notice Batman standing at the back of the room? At all? Or hear him breathing? or his suit creaking? Why did Batman leave everyone at the party to get terrorised by the Joker and his Goons after he saves Rachel? Why did every set piece have to be a huge moral dilemma? Why did anyone think Bale's Batman voice was anything but utterly hilarious. Answers on a postcard to 'Dont really care. Over-rated road, My arse.
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setting up the supermarket that just sells killing is as easy as taking air and putting it into your lungs!
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...At least it Frozen River on there.
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Robert Downey Jr was great, but come on, IRON MAN didn't really push the genre on or try anything new. Think about how AMBITIOUS the best superhero flicks are: TDK, Spiderman 2, Ang Lee's Hulk, X2 - - they all aimed to give us something other superhero films hadn't. Interestingly, all but one of these were sequels to much less ambitious predecessors. So - - theory coming up: : :
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So the theory is that while origin films are all very well, it's the superhero SEQUELS, by and large, which are totally ace. X2, Spider-Man 2 and The Dark Knight were ALL better than their very respectable but very slightly rote predecessors. Which means, if this is a law of superhero movies, that Iron Man 2 should be something to look forward to. Sadly, sequels to sequels - Spider-Man 3, X3 - seem to suck donkey balls.
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...This is a joke right? I mean, its the AFI. Not...the IFI.
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I have now seen three Chris Nolan films, two of which are Batman films, and the other, The Prestige...and despite all the hype, this guy is not a good filmmaker, on the contrary, he appears to be a very good technician--moreso, a director of photography type, no a true film director or even writer for that matter. No, when it comes to delivering substance, or thrilling people...or knowing how to play with an audiences' emotions, he doesn't have it.<BR><BR>Dark Knight was sterile, dour, humorless, dispiriting, and emotionally devoid. I have seen newscasts and documentaries that are more exciting!!! Further, the story said nothing, the Joker was just some two bit idiot that was given Chnes Box schemes for the purpose of what??? Again, nothing, just to do it? Any of those mobsters and Batman could have, and should have taken him out the moment he went on a killing spree. If the filmmakers wanted to make a statement, the statement should have been that sometimes, even if you don't wish to kill, there is a difference between killing and murder. Delivering a mercy killing upon the Joker would have saved many lives, but Batman did nothing to proactively take that action. He even had a chance to kick him as he raced toward the Joker on the Bat Pod (motorcycle), instead, he raced around him and crashed allowing the vllain a chance to kill him? The Joker didn't murder Rachael, Batman/Bruce Wayne did, by not standing up and killing the Joker when he had the chance...and that is what the movie should have been about...is it moral to kill??? Is there a time when you just have to kill, and is there a difference between murder, and the act of killing? The film should have been about Bruce Wayne dealing with the consequences of having failed to take a life in order to save lives, and looking at himself as being a mass murderer by default due to his failing to kill the Joker...that movie, the one that was never made, might have been a masterpiece...but that film was never made--instead we were delivered a PC/A-Sexual, and emotionless film that lacked intelligence--no, we just got a series of lengthy...self important gimmick filled, and strangely boring action sequences...strung together with verbose and equally lengthy scenes of still and quiet, all meant to convey a sense of the cerebral, but added up to nothing??? King Chris Nolan has no clothes, and I just think it interesting that I am the only one with the courage and the guts here to say and think for myself by daring to speak the truth!!! The Dark Knight is not a good film and is dearly lacking in all relevant categories!!!
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As I left the theatre, my brother told me that the guy who founded the company died months later and not in his car. I said to him and my Mom...that they should not have changed it for dramatic license as it was not needed, the truth is all that mattered. I heard nothing about all of the other histories of the other artist and the facts behind them...but, the film was dramatically well executed and brilliant. I don't like when any filmmaker plays with the truth of historical events, from Spike Lee to Ron Howard, I think it ultimately taints their films when it is so easy to just tell the truth. Again, that said, as a fiction, Cadillac Records is a damn good film, and maybe by altering events, they did cost themselves an Oscar, but didn't we also see that with Hollywood Land and Many other films that we can name including (Malcolm) X, Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, A Beautiful Mind, and the Mini series Roots, etc., etc., etc.???!!!
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Was pretty cool, nicely wallows in the moral ambiguity that anyone with a high school diploma must insist they "get" lest they are painted as dweeby homosexual momma's boys and/or fundamentalist Christian fanatics, and had some cool action sequences. Heath Ledger was terrific. The film is kinda like Bush on 9/12/01- it's just the right character for the time. It might not be nearly as smart as it thinks, history might judge it a bit more realistically than the instant euphoria, but there's no escaping it. Iron Man was may less self important, but much more enjoyable.
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Dec. 15, 2008, 5:31 a.m. CST
Sometimes people go to see a movie again and again and again, be
by Pagliacci
I am so god damn sick of these quirky independent or foreign films being instant masterpieces. "Oh look, she's looking at the photo of her dead ferret and it represents her alchoholism!" "This film has Judi Dench in it and she's a real knight, so it must be good!" You know, the American people are not stupid. If they make a film the second highest grossing of its kind, of all time, there's probably a reason: it's good. Really really good. And I'm not just talking Heath Ledger. Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman should be given nominations as well for acting, the plot is top-notch, the visuals and audio are spectacular and the direction is the pinnacle of movie direction this year. So do me a favor, shove In Bruges, Doubt, Synedoche, New York, and Slumdog Millionaire up your ass. You know why these films don't get wide release? You know why people don't see these movies? It's because they're boring. They're not worth our time. Seeing Heath Ledger's final performance as the ultimate madman, shoving a gangster's face into a pencil? That's worth seeing. Several times.
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... I do think it's a tad overrated. Mind you, if KNOCKED UP can get in the AFI Top Ten Of The Year 2007 (which, was a better year for film, then IRON MAN certainly should. A year has passed but that still puzzles me!?
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Dec. 15, 2008, 6:03 a.m. CST
For the last two years I've done a top 25 of the year list, but.
by unionJACKass.webs.com
... this year I struggle to make a top 20. <p> Bare in mind I've yet to see WALL*E; THE WRESTLER; BENJAMIN BUTTON; MILK; W; BODY OF LIES; [REC]; SYNECDOCHE, NEW TORK; SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, GRAN TORINO, CHANGELING and a few other crtitically lauded films, but this is my top 5 of the year in no particular order: <p> THE DARK KNIGHT <p> IN BRUGES <p> THE RUINS <p> SPEED RACER <p> HELLBOY 2
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any list of top movies from 2008 without these 2 films included among the films, is just pointless and misguided
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And I don't care how old it is. There can be no statute of limitations: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOpsbAUEe90
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that was hilarious.
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Without making any value judgements on TDK (I think I've said enough on the topic in the TB over the weekend), I'm not sure the debate by itself counts for much of anything. You have to consider the source and venue of the debate. You're at a fan site, a niche fan site at that. TDK was easily the most anticipated movie in a year of anticipated movies. It was a huge BO success, which is all well and good. And a ton of people reacted quite positively to it. A bunch of others, though clearly in the minority, had higher expectations, and for them, the movie was a major let down, and since it's a scientific fact that the feeling of experiencing loss is twice as potent as that of winning (I think I got that from Radiolab), it makes sense that they would feel the need to make their reactions known. Especially now that the film being promoted all over the place again, and that scab is being ripped off. At any rate, all this debate counts for is a bunch of nerds split not quite down the middle on a movie all of them expected to be great.
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You agree with me then that Star Wars prequels were solid entertainment?
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Look, I know I will catch heat for this, but here goes anyway...Sure, I enjoyed The Dark Night, and yes Heath Ledger gave an amazing performance, but to say it was one of the ten best films of the year is just silly. At the end of the day, it's a story about a rich guy in a rubber suit who rides a 'Batcycle.' Seriously, let that sink in for a second...the AFI just said that a movie about a guy riding a 'Batcycle' to fight a green-haired criminal who somehow manages to hire literally hundreds of highly-trained goons to carry out a ridiculously elaborate plot to accomplish...nothing...is one of the ten best pieces of cinema to grace theater screens this year. Really? I mean, seriously? Go ahead and nominate Ledger, the man deserves it. But I defy you to watch Dark Night again and not just laugh your ass off every time Bale uses that ridiculous growl. And believe me, the silliness of the entire 'plan' of the Joker and the events that lead to the 'birth' of Two-face really start to stick out upon repeated viewings. Again, sure, I enjoyed the movie and Ledger gives a performance that will always be the gold standard for The Joker, but were there actually not 10 other films released this year that were better than The Dark Night?! Come on, already...And yes, the same goes for Iron Man. Sorry, but 'Guy in Rubber (or metal) Suit' + 'Super Villain' = 'Popcorn Cinema'...NOT ''One of the 10 Best Pieces of Cinema to Appear on Screen This Year.' Just my opinion...
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Dec. 15, 2008, 8:09 a.m. CST
Sorry but people who believe award movies are boring...
by andrew coleman
Work at Walmart. Doubt and Milk were fantastic movies as was TDK. You have to expand your taste in movies I know Doubt doesn't have shit exploding but give it a chance. Oh and those of you nit picking away at TDK, you're pretty pathetic, it reeks of desperation. You are trying to hard to belittle a movie many people love, the problem is no one agrees with you. So take your bitterness and fuck off please.
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I'm going to take your last post at face value, so forgive me if I am missing a note of sarcasm. I suppose there is precident for incredibly high grossing films to win all sorts of awards. The most recent being Titanic, but it goes back to ACTUAL classics/masterpieces of the era before blockbusters. Personally, I think people who liked TDK are on better footing when they leave their comparisons to genre pieces--for all of the talk about Heat and real world crime dramas, the film works best as a genre picture, and that genre is superhero. All of this hyperbole surrounding the movie gets a bit hard for some of us who were a little more critical of the film than you to swallow. I'm not saying that Oldman or Eckhart were not perfectly fine in the movie, but to suggest their performances were among the best of the year? That just stinks to me of the lowered expectations you must have had for the movie going in. I mean, I know how happy we are to be rid of Schumacher and even Burton, but I am beginning to get the feeling that people are handicapping the Nolan and Co. scorecard based on the state of the franchize when they took over. And while that's an understandable reaction, let's not lose our heads.
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I saw it at TIF two years ago, and it was probably my favorite film. It was playing at a theatre here for literally one week, and then was moved. This movie is so, so good, but it's not even getting the chance to be seen. Did anyone else manage to catch it, and if so, enjoy it? Also, glad as hell to see Fincher getting loads of respect now after Zodiac was mysteriously snubbed.
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Dec. 15, 2008, 8:15 a.m. CST
Iron Man was infinitely better than The Dark Knight
by LaneMyersClassic
What an overblown, cliche-ridden bore TDK was!
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It was about an arms manufacturer/ dealer that had a change of heart and became a bleeding heart liberal..... TDK wimped out on too many scenes, like the one where The Joker has a knife inside that guys mouth. They should have should him slicing the guys cheek from behind (The Joker). I dont see why they couldnt have shown that. As it is, you dont know if it happened or not, its a let down.... I like this list though. Its like King's list. It seems like they picked what they really liked instead of just choosing "artsy films" to try to make them seem smart.
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We don't even call them that anymore. They're graphic novels. In Japan everyone reads comics ie manga. It's not juvenile, it is an art form.
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pick it as a top ten. If they did a Matthew Shepherd movie for the big screen, instead of the one that was on TV they would pick it.
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I loved "The Dark Knight" despite the little things you notice on repeat viewings. It's still a great film that should be commended for elevating the genre from the Summer Blockbuster ghettos. That said, I saw "Slumdog Millionaire" and was moved by it. I thought it was a great movie with some really good direction by Boyle. And I'm no Boyle fanboy since I'm one of the few who HATED 28 Days Later for being a boring, wooden, rip off of a movie. This movie though was really worth the hype it's getting. So while a week ago I would have been hoping for a "The Dark Knight" win at Oscar time, now I won't be surprised if "Slumdog Millionaire" was the film that sneaks up on everyone and wins.
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Damn You Michael Bay
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And no I'm not a bitter DC comic STAN... I grew up loving Marvel more. I went in seeing "Iron Man" with the hopes that it wasn't crap. And while it was a good movie, best comic movie EVER? No. Not by a mile. It's a good movie that is overrated by the really good performance of Downey. Aside from that it's a by the numbers comic movie with indistinct direction by Favreau. Anyone could have made what he made. Berg's "Hancock" looked exactly the same visually. And "Iron Man" also has weak villains. The final battle in the film was big budget remake of the "Robocop 2" finale. And I laughed at how we sat through Downey learning how to use the Iron Man suit for the majority of the film, while Bridges learns to use his in about 10 minutes. <P>So I don't see why it's there. But hey, to each his own. Maybe I'm missing something.
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I think you're missing the fact that Iron Man isn't being overpraised because everyone knows the flaws... they just didn't detract from how well Downey Jr. anchored the flick.
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And your evil twin Harvet.
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Was actually rather good.
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was better than all of Iron Man.
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I have it on good authority that the third of these new Batman films - working title, Batman: The Rise Of Robin - is to be directed by Bret Ratner.<p>Does anyone know anything about this?
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Probably just as much as Katie in Batman Begins.I felt nothing when her character died.
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Dec. 15, 2008, 9:43 a.m. CST
I heard that too Frankie....not sure how true it is
by just pillow talk
I also heard it will be a prequel, which makes no sense.
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Apparently, Nolan was not happy with the studio's insistance on including Robin in the third and final film of the trilogy, and he just up and quit. There was a huge row and everything.<p>Obviously, given how successful X-Men 3 was, Warners have offered the directing job to Ratner. It's a good choice, I reckon, since he'll be able to copy Nolan's style so well.<p>I wonder who he'll cast as Robin, though? It seems like the role Shia was born to play.
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with the brilliant Rush Hour films, so I would have high hopes to see Shia in action alongside Bale. It's too bad the hot Maggie is gone.
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That film was sooo forgettable. Popcorn movie by the numbers.
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King picks "Death Race" (probably brilliant in it's Statham-ness) but not "Doomsday"? That movie rocked ass! Entirely derivative but so entertaining I didn't care that it was ripping off 3 movies at the same time in every scene.
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I mentioned this in the original post about this, but anyway: I don't think Stephen King has seen "Let The Right One In" yet, but even if he had, I doubt EW would let him put it in a list. Their reviewer Owen Gleiberman apparently reviewed LTROI without seeing it first, and they've ignored any mention of it since. They've even turned off the automatic update of the Readers Average Score (hovering around A+) as well as the Critics' Average (somewhere around A-, even when factoring in Glieberman's own score of C).
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Uh oh. I didn't dislike TDK that much... <p> But really, is it that hard to believe? Nolan's price-tag has now risen, and they'll want to keep costs down. Ratner can even cast Wentworth Miller as Calendar Man.
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Well, I guess they could show what happened between Batman Begins and TDK.
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"LOS ANGELES, US (AP)<p>Box office phenomenon The Dark Knight may have triumphed with the fans, but those fans are already up in arms about the latest announcement from Hollywood studio Warner Brothers. Writer/Director Christopher Nolan, the man credited with resurrecting the tired franchise, has chosen not to return for a third instalment of the popular series. Nolan was not available for comment at the time of this article's writing, but a number of sources have confirmed the British director was uneasy with the studio's decision to introduce Batman's sidekick, Robin, in the third film.<p>Rumour has it, Nolan's place in the director's chair will be taken by Brett Ratner, the man who helmed the hugely successful Rush Hour series of films, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker. Ratner declined to comment officially on the rumour, but he was spotted on the Warner backlot carrying a copy of what is believed to be an early script for Batman's next adventure.<p>Reaction to the news has been mixed so far, with some fans pleased with the more colourful, action-packed direction the franchise is likely to take under Ratner; while others have declared today the day The Batman died.<p>"This is the worst day of my life," said one distraught fan. "It's like I've been raped.""
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Ratner will take it in a whole new direction instead of having it bogged down with poorly shot "action" scenes.
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I resent that. The fight scenes in BB and TDK may have been bad and we may not really have understood them but... <p> ... </p> <p> Yeah, I have no defense against that. They would be more coherent, oddly. </p> <p> Still... THIS IS A SAD DAY FOR FANS OF NIHILISTIC CINEMA. </p>
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I'm asking for a refund. That's how angry I am - I'll pay to see the film, then demand they give me the money back. <p> Just not watching it isn't enough... </p>
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Time for the way comic book movies should be made. Not all dark and gloomy like TDK or that stupid Watchmen flick.
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in an action scene without shoving the camera lens up someones nostrils.
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Talk about fluff...Ratner should be right up your alley. I'm surprised you don't see this.
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Oh come on, Batman films don't have plotholes like the one in FF where they 'FLY A SHIP BACK TO EARTH WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL UNCONSCIOUS AND THERE WAS NO AUTODRIVE ENABLED AND WHO'D PICK THEM UP AND HOW'D THEY LAND AND WHAT WOULD THEY EAT IN THE WEEKS IT TOOK TO GET BACK AND WHAT THE FUCK?' <p> Knowing our luck, Ratner would have Gordon fake his own death and a bunch of Prisoners be led off the Island in a... </p> <p> HEY WAIT A SECOND... </p>
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How dare you use the Internet to poke fun at me for being contradictory...
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Clearly, you need to get some sun, fatty.<p>You haven't even seen the film yet, and you're already judging it? What a douche.<p>I say, let's all wait and see what Ratner does with the film. Sure, it could be shit, but - you know what? - it could be great, too.<p>Stop the hating and wait for the film before you judge it.
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which is something Ratner can inject into this dopey franchise. And he knows how to put the comedic touch on an action film. <p>Hello Mr. Tucker and Mr. Chan.
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Sir, I apologise. <p> I'm not sure where my anger comes from, perhaps I didn't go wandering through enough Hills and Valleys in my younger years. Nonetheless, I promise to give this film the respect it deserves.
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I think Ratner'll bring back Poison Ivy, I really do. Before I get flamed... my gut tells me The Scarecrow creates a synthetic love potion.
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Dec. 15, 2008, 10:19 a.m. CST
I think the Rat could do Mr. Freeze the way he should
by just pillow talk
A complete and utter badass. Everyone would quickly forget Arnie's version, which was a pretty good attempt.<p>Maggie would have been perfect for Poison Ivy.
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Would be played by renowened thespian Matthew Fox.
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"to get some sun, fatty?"<p>Is there a photo of him somewhere that everyone has seen which I've missed? Is he really an obese, pale-skinned man? I need to know!
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Zed thinks Memento is the shit.<p>Wrong fatty!
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It's all pure lies. And don't go off-topic, we're discussing Brett Ratner's Batman.
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Christopher Nolan had nothing to do with any awful elements in TDK. They were all suggestions from his insidious brother.
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You're probably a closet-Ratner lover. I bet you have all the Rush hour films and watch them in a continuous loop.
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I hold Chrissy Nolan personally responsible. Can't the douche make a fun film?
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I'll have you know that I'm awesome!
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Where the fuck did you get your information? It has nothing to do with Robin. Ratner has confirmed that the third film will not feature the Robin character. That seems to be the only thing he is doing right-- he said he wants to closely follow the rules (if you can call them that) laid out by Nolan. I think the studio understands at this point the machine is in motion, you can fill the director's seat with virtually anyone and its pretty hard to fuck up. They wanted a 3rd film out quicker than the vague "3 or 4 years" Nolan was talking about. At least his brother is still overseeing the story. I'm confident it will work.
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Memento was fucking hilarious. What are you trying to say?
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Maybe you need some sun, too, you fat fucker.
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FUCKKKKKKKK. <p> Jonathan Nolan has talent, but he's evil. Evil I's tell ya. He's The Joker to Christopher's Batman... Jon wants to see how close to the edge he can take the franchise as a test to see how corrupt the studios are. </p>
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Fuck you and the horse you rode in on.
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When have you ever been fucking right?<p>I'll take Frankie's source over yours. Frankie was the first to divulge Ratner's involvement in X3.
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At least Frankie can ride a horse without breaking its fucking back you pale fatty!
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...to me he slurps the same testicles as Michael Bay and James Cameron, throw all those fucks in a pizza oven for all I care. But the Ratner hate has gotten a bit annoying as of late. I think in this situation he will do fine. He needs something fed to him. He needs a world to already be established, a cast already locked in. He is a competent director (please see Family Man) as long as he is not jerking off Jackie Chan. But seriously....you know how it could have been worse? Frank Miller could have been hired for this. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAA.
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How DARE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!! <p> BACK ON TOPIC PEOPLE. </p>
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Is the 'Just Pillow Talk' to the entertainment world. He once served a point, now he should retire before he just winds up writing one-liners for Jimmy Fallon.
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But I say we should all be grateful they didn't get Bryan fucking Singer for this thing.<p>Do we really need another gay Batman?
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....that could start to smell like old butter.
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You a homophobe Franklin, is that it? Does the idea of a gay Batman terrify you? <p> Oh, what a cultured age we live in. </p> <p> If Singer wants to make Batman gay, who are we to say no... especially as they've been alluding to it for over FIFTY FUCKING YEARS. </p>
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...fanboys can cry about Singer fucking up Superman all they want. He left X Men films (established shit) and was replaced by Ratner, and what did the fans do-- they fucking cried. So you cry about Singer leaver, you cry about what he does instead, you cry about Ratner replacing him, you cry about Nolan being overrated, now you cry when he leaves and the go-to man fills in. SHUT THE FUCK UP!! GET A LIFE AND EAT SOME PUSSY!!
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It's a joke, is what it is. A 'Just Pillow Talk' joke which was never funny in the first place.
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Ratner will copy Nolan's style exactly... so what's the problem? <p> Hey, that's odd, I just had a horrible vision...
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You're all just fucking jealous of Ratner and his success. Pathetic fanboys.
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...wouldn't make a gay Batman. He would make a short, pudgy, Jew-- Batman living in Miami Beach and sipping champagne as he blasts Jay-Z.
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All I'm saying is, gay Batman has already been done as well as it could be by Joel Schumacher. No one could ever out-gay his Batman films, so why even try.<p>Now, Ratner, he hangs out at Playboy Mansion. If nothing else, we know his Batman will be banging big-tittied blondes like nobodies business. Just like in the comics.
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Dec. 15, 2008, 10:39 a.m. CST
I think this whole TB needs a round of BITCH.
by DANNYGLOVERS_DICKBLOOD
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Oh awesome - now we got prejudice against fat people and homosexuals. That's outstanding... you people make me sick.
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Danny: the only pussy you've had is the one typing bullshit by the name of "Mr.Zeddemore".
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The AP doesn't write in the Queen's English. There is no U in color.
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NO. I'm not happy with this film. Not at all. I didn't love TDK, but this is worse... <p> HATTTTTTTTTTTTTEEEEEEEEEEEEEE</p>
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Dec. 15, 2008, 10:41 a.m. CST
stop eating all the twinkies and you won't be so sick
by just pillow talk
And Ratner's vision of X-men was much more grandiose than Singer's. The Beast kicked fucking ass! What did Singer do? Nightcrawler? Waste.
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out of my mouth? Ugh. I'm not the biggest fan of the Nolan films, but have to admit that they're at least interesting to talk about and the Dark Knight was good. I'd love to see a Batman film by another director, but choosing the director of X3 and the Rush Hours is just so lame. I mean, the franchise basically sells itself, so why not try for a director that has at least some vision or integrity - off the top of my head - Aranofsky, Brad Anderson, David Fincher, Danny Boyle, Ridley Scott? You'd think with the reception that the Dark Knight's been getting, a good director would be thrilled or at least interested in seeing what they can do with Batman. Of course, they may have been scared off by the studio's story input...
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Imagine that visual! It would look like a massive calamari hammering away at the keys slurping and growling viciously.
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We're up your Grade F material. It's an improvement, I'll give you that. <p> Tell me, just how difficult is it to picture Angela Lansbury just before you try and give yourself a gentle touch goodnight?
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What in the name of JediFonger is going on in here? I have never heard of such a Christmas! Sex and drugs and and and and women being set on fire!
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Get the fuck outta here.<p>Easy there Mr.Fattymore. Calm down or you'll have a stroke.
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In other words, it's what Just Pillow looks like after he takes the horse tranquilisers.
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Is a hack. HACK HACK HACK. <p> He's the cinematic equivilent of your posting style, Pillow.
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All the directors you mentioned are okay I guess, but completely wrong for the Batman franchise. Ratner will inject the necessary fun into this new series of Batman films that have been missing.
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Aronofsky, Fincher, someone like that would have been good...I agree. But I think they would have had to have gone with them from the beginning. The problem is they have too much of a signature style. The last thing this franchise needs is a drastic turn right in the middle (please see Alien franchise). Ratner is a safe choice. He is sort of a short, fatter, hairier version of Ron Howard-- he is competent, but lacks style. Thats exactly what Warner Bros needs. Someone to continue down the same road and keep making them money. Lets face it, it would be pretty hard for Ratner to fuck this up.
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Not difficult at all since I can actually SEE my dick unlike you.
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Smartass.
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Calling Ratner a hack. You wouldn't know what a good movie was if it tapped you on the back since you can't swivel your fat head around to see.
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Yeah, I could see it... if I wanted to be looking at it WHILE I POSTED ABOUT A BRETT RATNER film. <p> Jeez, fat-jokes aside... you really want to look at it while on THIS site? Fuck... a joke is a joke, it's all fun and games till someone says something that can't be undone.
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Course I'd know what a good film is. <p> Iron Man is the best film ever made.
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The first two Nolan Batman films had no style, unless you call shaky cam a "style".
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As opposed to 'let's see how generic this shot can look.'
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Now I know you are a hopeless fool.<p>The only joke I see is you and your shit opinions on film.
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But Top 10 of the year?!! Give me a motherfucking break. That is no different than putting Indy IV on that list. Its just a light-hearted commercial, family friendly film with one of the weakest fucking climaxes I've seen in years. Norton's Hulk took a fucking dump on Iron Man's final fight. And that music.....what the fuck? Did they resurrect Layne Staley from the dead, and get Alice In Chains circa 1994 to record the score. Real stylish Favreau, love how you pushed the envelope there.
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The fantastic choice of having the final kickass battle suddenly change from day to night? The fucking awesome wire work done where we had hundreds of mutants in action?<p>Where was your action from Singer's first two dopey X-men flicks?
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Really? Because the joke I see is all of you guys liking TDK... and being cool with a hack directing it - and me not liking TDK, and not being cool with a hack directing it. <p> Ratner can't even keep his own style consistent.
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The opening with Nighcrawler pwns you, bitch.
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We need the amazing auteur direction that only Chris Columbus can provide.
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That is not a list of directors fit to make a Batman film, that is a list of bitches you wish would fuck you.<p>None of them has the experience of rounding out a classic trilogy in grand style that Ratner does. The only one on your 'list' who has even done a part three is Fincher, and he pooped out a shiny turd!
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I do NOT like the direction Nolan has taken Batman into, and think Ratner can make it fun. Ya know, like a comic book movie should really be?<p>pwns? What are you, like twelve? Get your fat ass on a treadmill or something.
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We need Michael Bay. Let's see what happens when Batman takes on Killer Croc... The Penguin... and Poison Ivy.
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if Dark Knight doesn't get actor, and best pictures nominations. not to mention best Director nomination. Holy Awesomeness, Batman! that was a great movie.
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For some reason I saved one of his Batman Begins rants from about 10 months ago........pretty fucking funny. Enjoy. <p>----------------------------------- <p>" It's nice to know that people out there still have a sense of taste. BATMAN BEGINS WAS ABSOLUTE SHIT!!!!!!!! I have said it, I have explained my reasoning, and I don't give a shit....BB fucking sucked!!! Ordering Bat Masks from China? Stupid. The batmobile hopping roofs? Not to mention the stupid ass design of it!! As Pilgrim stated and I have stated a hundred times. Bales voice is the gay. He is THE worst Batman. The scarecrow? Are you fucking kidding me? The goddamned mob boss looked like low budget 70's tv actor. Batman riding around on a horse commanding bats? Fuck you that sucked!!! Giant cgi water, what the fuck ever manipulator as a WMD? Fuck off!!! Liam Qui Gon Gin side kick in Krull Neeson as that gay ninja Ras?!!! Fuck you again... Damn I could go on and on and on.....Fuck you !!!!! Oldman's character was bland as shit. The girl...what's her fuck...she was worthless and had no point. Bale running off to some mountain top with a flower and becoming a ninja after only four days of watching a Billy Banks Tai Bo video. Then kicking all four of the Ninja Turtles asses only to fall off of Mount Fuji and land at the bottom with Austion Powers dad waiting on him in a suit. Morgan Freeman gives Bat Bale the whole Batsuit and Fagmobile and doesn't notice a thing when Batman is in this thing double duching across roofs. damn I can keep going. Bat Bale gets all drunk and like a deadbeat son burns his parents mansion down leaving himself and Nigel Powers homeless. The scarecrow come along with a fucking potato sack over his head and blows some goddamn shroom dust in this bad 70's tv show actors face then the bad actor has a real bad acting spell and gets put in some retirement home for bad actors with the ScareNope following right behind him after Bat Bale reverses (that clever Nigel Powers) the effects of the dust shrooms back on to ScareNope. Then Bat Bale runs around looking for that useless whore bag he shacked up with only to discover that the main plot of the movie involves some huge laser water hose that Qui Gon is using to water the scarecrows shrooms. Then Bat Bale hitches a ride on the train because the budget was running out towards the end for the movie so they had to wrap things up real quick. Only to find Qui Gon talking to Darth Maul and plotting the destruction of City Bank and Starbucks. Bat Bale really likes Starbucks and is pissd that he and Nigel Powers are homeless so he fights the Jedi and leaves him to die on the train as it careens down a set of poorly built tracks that Bat Bales father designed and crashes into a bank of America killing the last jedi. I'm not kidding...BATMAN BEGINS has the suck of American Idol!! Vicks Vapor Rub Humidifying Machine was the absolute suck. I got tourettes all of a sudden and I was like..."What the goddamned hell is this fucking shit?" Fuck!! Ass!!! BOB SAGGETT!!! <p> This last Batman movie should have been called....Batman Ends. Let's please put these terrible movies to rest. I go to a movie for escapeism. That is why we read comics and books and see movies. To be taken somewhere else. I'm not going to see a Batman flick so that I can be sucked into some modern day cop reality story with some costumed Dagonconer running around in front of a Starbucks. That kind of shit pulls me right out of the movie and is fucking depressing. It's like being real high with your friends in a dark house at three o'clock in the morning playing some good music and someone flips the fucking light on and yells out what time it is. You come crashing down and you want to kick the dudes ass for being like Christopher Nolan...a fucking asshole!! FUCK YOU!! "
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Why so serious?
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You're not funny.
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You should go put a smile on that face.
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By awesome you mean a too serious movie for a comic book, and one that had plot holes you can fit Mr.Fattymore through? You mean that Batman movie?
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That review is so good that it makes me think Just Pillow is even more of an imbecile than I did.
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Eh, I'm done. Insult me all you want, but the truth is you're arguing with me about a Brett fucking Ratner film... and would continue to do so if I didn't have social plans.
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How many times do I have to fucking say it?!! Ratner doesn't have a style of his own. Ever wonder why he is attached to so many fucking properties? Thats why! Because he is a safe pick. He doesn't give a fuck about movies, he gives a fuck about bitches and coke-- thats it. So he wants to do the least amount of work he can get away with. He's not here to reinvent the wheel. He's just taking a massive fucking payday, a little directing, have this bitch stand here, this bitch here. Christian....try not to lisp.....ACTION....and CUT!! Hand over all action shit to 2nd unit director. He's out in 4 months, BRAVO!! He has a masterpiece on his hands. Its simple. Ratner is a puppet. The machine is already set in place. He just needs to stand there (on a step stool) and receive oral from a Moroccan P.A.
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Best line Underoos ever typed.
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Franklin, I have no idea what you're talking about - what the fuck is a trilogy rounder? Who are these trilogy rounders? Give us your manifesto of trilogy rounding. I just want someone to make a good film. Those guys, (imho) have delivered. Yeah, Fincher pooped out a not so great one early on in his career, but mostly his movies are good. Dickblood - I get what you're saying. You're thinking how the movies flow and an overal arc over a bunch of movies. I guess I'm more interested in how a movie stands on it's own. I want to get out of a film and say, "God Damn", not, "Well, that was good enough" I still haven't seen a good Ratner movie. I basically look at what Ratner's done and I could take or leave Rush Hour or X3. They're not offensively bad, just mediocre.
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Have you seen Family Man? its an actual good film. Not just mediocre, IMO its great family drama. And its surprisingly touching. It amazed me a guy seems to know a little about family after spending six months straight with his middler finger up the arse-hole of a Portuguese whore. <p>Anyway.....my whole point is, people are getting all fucking freaked out over the announcement of Ratner and I'm trying to explain why it makes sense. I get what you're saying...it would be nice to have a film that is equally good as a standalone film, but thats like catching lightning in a bottle, or as Ratner says "Bugs on ma' dick."
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Nolan isn't fit to rimjaw sigourney's old ass.
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actually sounds kind of interesting. Maybe not all that surprising that Ratner could pull it off, families being like assholes.
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...and touching as hell. One of Cage's best in recent years as well. I almost don't believe Ratner's fat little hands had anything to do with it.
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It was a good movie, but I was expecting way more laughs than I got, it was almost two different movies, sometimes it was a comedy, sometimes it was an action movie, the action was pretty good, and the comedy was ok, Downey was the best thing in the movie, Stiller's character was not all that interesting which was a major disappointment seeing as it was his movie. I am sure i will get flamed for this, but I found "Get Smart" to be a much better blend of action and comedy and an overall more enjoyable film, they mixed both the action and comedy together, whereas Thunder, IMO, totally separated them. I liked Thunder and will probably watch it again, but at first viewing I was not loving it like I thought I would.
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The Wire was better overall but holy fuck the last episode of The Shield is DEVASTATING for the viewer and for Mackey. And Shane's note - I cried. Walton Goggins needs Golden Globe and an Emmy right the fuck now.
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That movie sucked donkey nads!
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I am with Dickblood on this. It is a really good film.
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Like...a real Alien sequel? Ignore the canon of 3 and 4, and pick up from 2.
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Thats the dumbest fucking idea I've ever heard. Nolan doesn't have the eye for design that an alien film requires. I don't think he could handle creature work. His style just feels too flat. I think he and his brother might be able to write it, but not direct.
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Well deserved. But next Batman movie watch out for logic and continuity problems.
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Please!!!
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I thought it was a cute way to call BS on Franklin's bogus AP story. I was making a point that if it had been an AP story, it wouldn't have used the British / Canadian / Australian / Kiwi / non-American spelling of the word colorful. I'm sorry if it somehow offended you.
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Just be more mindful next time.
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The second disc is mostly taken up by a digital copy and a long feature that shows you the IMAX scenes, but guess what, it doesn't make my fuckin tv grow!!! It's a bunch of scenes I just watched with a slightly different shaped frame. If I'm gonna pay an extra four bucks I want some making of behind the scenes stuff, two or three hours worth. I was very disappointed. Maybe all the good features are only for Boo-Ray now. And I know those bastards are gonna have a re-release with more features someday to try to take more food out of my kids mouths. Still a good movie, but Warner Brothers execs all have rotten fish-heads for hearts.
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Does what Tropic Thunder does (spoof the film industry) only with more jokes and consistency. I thought it stuck to its genre better than TT and was more entertaining because of it. <P> As for that post above about Ratner directing the next Batman film, I would think the line at the end: said one distraught fan "It's like I've been raped.", would give away that this is just a bad joke (at least it's not their "childhood"). <P> Either that, or Moriarty is gonna go whack somebody.
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Far better than Tropic Thunder because, well, My Name Is Bruce never stops having Bruce as an absolute asshole... even at the end, he's a smug git.
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So take back your comment that I need some sun and that I'm a fatty.<p>* And you can't prove otherwise. Ha!
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like i suggested last year. get some properly coded forms and get it done so we can all vote
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on the strength of Maris Tomei's ageless, wonderful tits alone.
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If it gets nominated for Best Picture and Dark Knight does not, I'm definitely pulling for Slumdog. It's just breathtaking.
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Film Critics are notoriously bad at what they do. They see so many films that they are jaded before the first bite of popcorn and very rarely pick a cognizant top ten or they pick films either only a handful of people have seen or will see by the first few months of the next year. Instead, out of all the movies screened this year, there are only a handful that they think merit a place in the top ten, and, being the creatures that they are, critics usually pick from a list of about 20. However, most often they are wrong. Was "No Country for Old Men" really the best film of 2007? Hardly. Yes, it won, but that's because Hollywood is pretentious and they love to wallow in it, which is why they do what they do. "300" was a better movie, as was "Juno", "American Gangster", and "Zodiac". As for this year, the Oscar list being bandied about leaves off the best films of the year, including but not limited to "Dark Knight", "Wall-E", "Ironman" and "Cloverfield", all of which should merit recognition.
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Please check out my post about Slumdog in the AICN "Stephen King" thread. It's not that Slumdog is a bad movie, but the only thing breathtaking about it (IMO) is how amazingly unoriginal it is if you've seen any (random) dozen Bollywood films. As near as I can tell, all the critics who are praising this film have never seen another Bollywood movie, or they'd recognize that this film, although well-made, isn't unique in the slightest. The movie wants to be both a gritty drama and a Bollywood romantic-destiny fable, and it succeeds at neither -- it's an attempted Bollywood film with 95 percent of the genre's hope and spirit bled out of it. I don't think it's a complete failure, but it's nowhere near the critical darling that people are making it out to be.
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If you liked Slumdog Millionaire, then try to rent DVDs for the Indian films Taal, Devdas, Sholay, Lagaan and Dil Chahta Hai -- all great films.
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Dec. 15, 2008, 8:24 p.m. CST
TOP TEN OF THE YEAR (& I've actually seen all of these)
by FuckMichaelBay
1) THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON - One word: EPIC!<br>2) MILK - Sean Penn rules! Hats off to Franco.<br>3) THE WRESTLER - Rourke + Aronofsky = Depressing Awesomeness.<br>4)FROST/NIXON - Opie Cunningham unexpectedly delivers the goods. <br>5) SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE - AMITABH BACHCHAN!<br>6) WALTZ WITH BASHIR - WAKING LIFE was drec!<br>7) THE DARK KNIGHT - Fuck the haters!<br>8) CHE - Del Toro, Soderbergh, Spanish & my heart. <br>9) WALL-E - Love the movie; love the message.<br>10) THE READER - Naked Kate Winslet with a German accent. Yum!<br>
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here in this TB is mindbogglingly pissy and moronic..you sound like sad mutherfuckers. Listen, i thought the Prestige was wank..Batman Begins was boring and muddled, but you simply have your head firmly stuck in your sphincter if you failed to be entertained by either Iron Man or TDK...nobody gives a flying fuck in hell if Downey took most of the film to learn his suit and Bridges took 10, nobody gives a flying fuck if Bale sounded a bit silly doing the raspy voice...both movies fucking DELIVERED..and I was amongst the many who was ready to hate them. If the shit people nitpick like fucking micro dicked losers at a fan convention/online forum is the best they can complain against those two movies then thank fuck the rest of us they entertained the rest of us because then we at least know they MUST be good.
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...that also happens to have a theatre that runs strictly Bollywood films, so I am quite well-versed in its world. (For a white guy, that is.) I see very few similarities between SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE and what it was trying to accomplish and actual, true Bollywood, as I feel it's simply a Dickensian fable set in India more than the tried-and-true formulas of that country's major film system. I appreciate its effort to be more than one type of movie, however, and I feel it succeeds at doing everything in its power. <p>But same for the (admittedly) a bit lackluster credit sequence, I honestly see this more as a Danny Boyle film than what you may have seen inside it. <p>And forgive me for my belief in this, but I don't simply judge a movie and its enjoyment on how original or unoriginal it is. What SLUMDOG did, for me, was take its story (blame that on the book more than the movies influences, whatever they may be) and its various components, both original and unoriginal, and did them well. That's what I ask for in a movie, because lord knows I've seen far too many art house movies try for something original and just fail miserably. (coughlarsvontriercough)
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...I have seen all the films on your list, some more than once.
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that post by underoos was mythically epic.
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To anyone who I insulted - especially Monkey and Coma Baby - in my zeal to create a fake story about Brett Ratner directing Batman 3. All that fuss and it didn't even work.<p>No apologies to funwithwords, who is still a smartass.
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just kills any cred that last list has
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It was a great year. Iron Man...great....Hellboy 2.....great.....TDK...fantastic.....Wall E....great Now...watchmenwatchmenwatchmenwatchmen
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No worries - it's all just internet to me.
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They have crazy insides that you can tongue out.
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I'm glad you've seen those other Bollywood films (you wouldn't live in Northern California, by any chance? My wife and I used to see Bollywood movies at the Naz 8 cinemas in Fremont -- when we saw Lagaan, we were literally the only non-Indians in the theater.) Anyway, my wife and I enjoyed Slumdog as we were watching it -- we felt that it started out well, but then it slowly (and steadily) went downhill from there. As I mentioned, I think the film is a hybrid of a gritty street drama and a formulaic Bollywood romantic fantasy, but the "merging" just didn't work for us. Your mileage may vary, of course.
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I am Northern California based, but there are also two theatres (one that is exclusively Indian cinema, one that just dedicates sections of its year to it), plus dozens of art house cinemas that might show a big one every now and then, that are far closer to me.
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Dec. 16, 2008, 6:20 p.m. CST
The Bank Job is 100X more entertaining than In Bruges
by BackRiverCatfish
and it isn't American!
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Testing.< P >Testing.< P >Testing.
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Testing. <P>Testing. <P>Testing.
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Look. <P>I did it. <P>You can do it, too!
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help my bob saget!
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Iron Man has zero rewatchability and JOKER! guest staring that guy in the flying rat suit while better then Batman Begins still wasn't any good. Stop basing your opinion on the quality of movies based on box office. It makes you look like a bigger tool then usual.
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