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The Dark Knight is one of the greatest comic book movies of all time, ranked among the popcorn cinema elite in fan polls as one of the best movies ever. The penultimate chapter of Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy saw Christian Bale's Batman go up against the Joker, portrayed with haunting villainy by the late Heath Ledger, who won a posthumous Oscar for the role. Ledger's commitment to the character is the stuff of legend. But there were plenty of other cool facts behind the scenes, as well.

Katie Holmes skipped the sequel to make a terrible comedy.

Memento filmmaker Christopher Nolan rescued the World's Greatest Detective from the train wreck of glossy camp that was Joel Schumacher's Batman and Robin with 2005's Batman Begins, a serious minded reboot adored by fans and critics. Katie Holmes co-starred as Bruce Wayne love interest Rachel Dawes, but the Dawson's Creek...

At a time when the star system has started to fade and movie studios are blandly reasserting themselves as the true auteurs of Hollywood cinema, a soft-spoken British director with a flair for puzzles and a fiendish penchant for scarves has somehow become one of the most famous pop artists on the planet.

In less than two decades, Christopher Nolan has gone from an anonymous micro-budget filmmaker to a genuine household name, a figure whose cultural cachet now rivals that of Quentin Tarantino or Steven Spielberg. This, despite the fact that most people probably couldn’t pick Nolan out of a line-up. He’s a bonafide brand despite not being much of a personality; his films do all the talking for him, “Inception” going so far as to become modern vernacular’s go-to word for describing literally anything with layers (“that nacho was stuck to that other nacho, it was like a nacho ‘Inception,...

Rounding up 2016 took a bit of a break due to holidays. Our next categories cover our contributor’s favorite writers and artists in the comic book industry.

Favorite Comic Book Writer:

G. Willow Wilson

Ms. Marvel (Marvel Comics)

Picked by:

Tim Jousma- There’s a simple beauty in her work on Ms. Marvel that I absolutely love. Each issue is a joy to read.

John & Carole Barrowman

Torchwood

Picked By:

Michael Connally - Got to meet these two at Heroes Con and sit down and talk with them for a while. This comic is fun for everyone to read.

Ben Percy

Green Arrow Rebirth (DC Comics)

Picked By:

Jeremy Scully

Sam Humphries

Green Lanterns Rebirth (DC Comics), Star Lord (Mavel), Weirdworld (Marvel)

Picked By:

Kat Calamia - Sam Humphries wrote some great character driven series this year including Weirdworld, Star Lord, and his current ongoing series Green Lanterns.

Tom King...

Aliya Whiteley Dec 16, 2016

Freddie Highmore shines as Captain Ferguson's brother Victor in the penultimate episode of Close To The Enemy...

This review contains spoilers.

See related  Will Arnett confirms more Arrested Development Arrow's Stephen Amell stars in Lego Batman 3 Dlc trailer

It's the penultimate episode of Close To The Enemy, and Poliakoff has finally begun to pull together the disparate strands of this post-World War II drama. But it's not Captain Callum Ferguson (Jim Sturgess), ostensibly our hero, who is the glue that sticks it all together but his brother Victor. Freddie Highmore gives us a miserable, desperate, and confused Victor, struggling to understand how everyone else could be moving on with their lives when his has stopped.

What I really liked about Victor's increasingly unstable behaviour was how it veered from lashing out at others to emotionally connecting with them, finding an honesty that polite society tries its best to avoid.

Rachel Meaden Oct 30, 2016

Yonderland's third series is its most confident, consistently fun outing yet. Here's our look at the latest episode...

This review contains spoilers.

See related American Horror Story season 6: Roanoke Chapter 6 review The Serial effect: making true crime hot TV property American Horror Story: examining the real lost colony of Roanoke American Horror Story: is there life after Jessica Lange?

After the Ocean’s Eleven spoof of last week we return to a more familiar (but no less great) episode in the shape of The Bird And The Bee.

After being chased out of Yonderland by an angry mob, the Elders are still camped out in Debbie’s loft and The Chosen One is, understandably, getting a bit peeved about it (particularly when they’re eating all her Christmas tree ornaments and trying on her clothes). To test the waters Debbie pops back through...

Comic Book Reviews: Indie Comics To Look Out For!

Much like music or television, the comic book industry is full of all types of comic books. Most come from big time publishers like Marvel or DC, but there are also some from smaller publishers such as Image, Idw, Dark Horse, and Valiant, among others. However, there is an entire new community of independent comic book creators emerging thanks to the digital era.

These creators are finding ways to get their book together and produced without relying upon a bigger publishing house. Comic book creators can now market their product via Amazon, Comixology, Drivethru, and even their own self-designed website (as long as they set up an online-store). To help fund and produce these books, creators might pay their teams out-of-pocket, or simply be a one person, all-inclusive creator. Another avenue many creators have taken too is crowd funding. Sites like Patreon,...

With the rebooted Star Trek series receiving diminishing returns with each new entry and Star Trek Beyond underperforming, the future of the franchise is not certain. Maybe a new director is needed to take the series in a different direction. Cinelinx looks at seven reasons why Christopher Nolan would be the right man to save the struggling franchise.

Although Star Trek Beyond squeaked into a distant second place this past weekend, (Behind the latest Jason Bourne film) with an estimated $24 million--taking in over $105 million in two weeks--it’s had a nearly 60% decline this weekend. That’s a significant drop compared to the last two Trek films, both of which saw their domestic totals reach over $146 million by the end of their second weekends. With a total budget of $185 million Star Trek Beyond needs to make $370 million overall, which seems unlikely at this point. If this film does lose money for the studio,...

Back in early June, reports surfaced that Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson had entered early talks to play Carol Danvers in Marvel Studios' highly-anticipated Captain Marvel. Just a few months earlier, Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige teased that both the star and director of that project would be announced sometime this summer, with most expecting the reveal to be made at Comic-Con. Sure enough, Marvel Studios ended their panel on Saturday night by bringing out Brie Larson as the new Carol Danvers, which fans have been behind from the beginning. Earlier today, the actress sent out a heartfelt note expressing her thanks for all the support.

The news that Brie Larson has come aboard to play Carol Danvers resulted in a thunderous ovation from the Hall H crowd, as the recent Oscar winner joined the assembled Marvel Studios actors and filmmakers on stage for one star-studded selfie. The actress took...

#SquadGoals: Our five favourite superhero squad members#SquadGoals: Our five favourite superhero squad membersAdriana Floridia7/21/2016 9:38:00 Am

Today marks the first day of San Diego Comic-Con, the biggest comic book convention there is, and the best place to live out your wildest fan fantasies.

The convention is a dream for comic book nerds, and really for anyone who enjoys popular culture. It's cool to be a nerd these days, so we're embracing our inner geek and getting ready for all of the news that is bound to come out of #Sdcc. 

In the spirit of Comic-Con, and with this year's next biggest comic book adaptation hitting the big screens in August, Suicide Squad, we've made an epic playlist at the Cineplex Store to get you hyped up on all things comic books and superheroes. Since Suicide Squad features the ultimate team of super villains, we've narrowed down our own...

Husband and wife, director and muse comedy duo Ben Falcone and Melissa McCarthy return to the multiplex with their latest laugh-fest The Boss. Falcone’s last go behind the camera was 2014’s financially successful, but critically panned Tammy; however, as Batman and Supes taught as last week, there’s often a disconnect between what audiences enjoy and what critics praise. How much you go into The Boss already a fan of McCarthy’s previous work will likely be a barometer of how much you’ll enjoy this film. I, for one, am a big fan.

This time out McCarthy dons a severe red wig and gaudy garments to portray Michelle Darnell, a toxic hybrid of Martha Stewart and Donald Trump on steroids. When’s she’s put in jail for insider trading, Michelle has to beg and grovel her way back to her former titan status. Along the way she...

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How crazy was the Joker in The Dark Knight? Ryan looks at what game theory can tell us about the villain and his motivations...

“You wanna know how I got these scars?” Heath Ledger’s Joker asks in The Dark Knight. It’s a rhetorical question the Clown Prince of Crime utters twice in the film, followed by two very different stories - one involving his alcoholic father, the other concerning his ex-wife and a razor blade.

These stories are the perfect illustration of the character’s ambiguity, as written by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan. One story could be true, the other false. Or they both might be true; the Joker’s scars may have become as ghoulish as they are because of these two separate incidents. Or maybe neither is true; it’s all part of the trickster’s slippery persona.

Like John Doe in David Fincher’s Seven,...

Art Credit: JohnnyTHL

*Beware: This Post Contains Spoilerish Discussion*

With Empire's blowout on Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice flooding the net these last two days, there's plenty of new intel to dig into. For this post, let's take a look at some of producer Charles Roven's comments about Ben Affleck's Batman. We've heard it said before that this version of the character would be darker and more violent than any live-action take we've seen so far, and the producer adds some insight into the How and the Why he's like this.

How will this take be different from the gritty, tormented version we got to know in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy?

"He’s older, [and] he’s seen the worst of what man can do. He’s been darkened by it, he’s tougher, he’s angrier, I guess."

That bit about seeing the "worst...

George Lucas produces the Ilm animated fantasy, Strange Magic. Here's Mark's review of a curious genre mash-up...

Since George Lucas got out of the Star Wars business, he's been lending his Hollywood heft to some long-gestating passion projects that might be difficult to produce independently elsewhere. He started developing Red Tails, a war movie about the Tuskegee airmen, back in 1988 and eventually served as producer and an uncredited co-director on the 2012 movie.

Lucasfilm's latest, Strange Magic, is directed by Oscar-winning sound designer Gary Rydstrom, but it's also been around for much longer than you'd think. 15 years ago, while working on that pesky prequel trilogy, Lucas started thinking about making a film for his daughters. “Just like Star Wars was designed for 12-year-old boys,” Lucas told Wired upon the film's Us release in January, “Strange Magic was designed for 12-year-old girls.”

If that sounds a little reminiscent of when John Travolta...

Weakened by chemotherapy, Rachel (Olivia Cooke) sits quietly next to Greg (Thomas Mann) in one of many masterfully nuanced scenes in Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl." Hoping to lighten the solemn mood of the moment, and as the only defense mechanism he has mastered, our protagonist appeals to humor. It momentarily works. and a smile is briefly drawn on the dying girl's face. But soon she complaints that the very act of laughing causes her pain. That which is meant to be a source of joy is quickly transformed into anguish. Pleasure and hurt, for a moment, as one, but eternally part of a fascinating continuum.

We are all a joke away from hysterical laughter and a moment removed from devastating despair. In between these extremes is where most of life happens, and where most of "Me and Earl" occurs as well. To survive "the best of times and the worst of times" we have to walk the rest of the road that connects them and separates in fluctuating patterns

Laughter can turn to tears and sadness can be channeled through comedy. It's the ups and downs, the successes and failures, our horrible mistakes and our ability for redemption, the things we did and those we didn't, the regrets and the memories, all building blocks of a longer experience that resembles just what Rachel is feeling.

And while Greg is on his way to learn that, Dir. Alfonso Gomez-Rejon already knows a few things about the bittersweet journey, one that has had no short cuts and has been 25 years in the making. Tainted by personal loss but coated with determination, or in Spanish determinación, every step has revolved about cinema and and a love for it that only the greats can exude.

I felt head over heels for "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" at an 8:30 Am screening that I almost didn't make. I wasn't in the best of shapes to sit through a film. Hungover, sleep deprived, and barely standing after almost ten intense days of Sundance. The film played and I was skeptical, but it took mere minutes for it to lure me into it's magic. About 100 minutes later a big part of the theater, myself included, wept in the dark. We had laughed, we had felt for Greg, had had a riot with Earl (Rj Cyler), rooted for Rachel, and at last we cried. We, had, in the length of what seemed like just a movie about teenage filmmakers and a heroine with leukemia, lived.

It was difficult to tell anyone if what I had watched was a comedy or a drama. I was stunned. It was laughing and then hurting, like falling and getting back up again, and it was about movies, and love, but not romantic love, but a purer one. It was about friendship and being afraid of it. It was about growing up and about compassion. It was about me, and about the woman three rows in front, and about the programmers who picked it, and about that Hollywood buyer who surely saw it and lost composure. I needed to know who was behind this and why I couldn't take a certain non-verbal scene and Brian Eno's music out of my head.

See, when you write about film you see tons of them. You get to see some great ones, some forgettable ones, and some you wish you could forget. But it had been a long time since a film caught me by surprise this way. It took me back to a midday screening in 2002 at a theater in Mexico City, where I watched a little French film titled "Amelie" for the first time. At 13, I was elated. Though Jeunet's film is extremely different from Gomez-Relon's Sundance champ, that feeling of having witnessed something special and beaming with passion was the same.

Soon after, during my first interview with the filmmaker from Laredo, Texas, I would learn that his love for his deceased father was the most potent fuel to make this project, and not only to make it, but to make it his own even if he hadn't penned the screenplay. That fact is testament to a talent forged out relentless and aggressive strives to learn from and work with the best. From Scorsese, one of cinema's greatest, to recent Oscar-winner Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu.

During that initial interview the focus was, of course, the film that would go on to win big at the prestigious festival. Months later, just after the trailer was released, I had the chance to see the film once again at the Fox lot. I needed to know if here in L.A., away from the Park City hype, the film would still be as much of revelation for me. In a tiny screening room accompanied by only 3 other people, I found myself discovering new things in each frame, but again reacting as strongly, both in laughter and tears, as the first time around.

For the Los Angeles press day my exchanges with Alfonso were limited as I was part of a round table with a handful of other eager journalist, but I was just as impressed with his sincere answers. June 12th came around, and I flooded my social media with pieces about the film: a review, an interview with Jesse Andrews, and my first chat with the filmmaker published in Spanish. It was my mission to make anyone that wasn't yet aware of the film, nit just aware, but excited to see it. Championing films is occasionally part of the job, but I was, and still am, under this film's spell in a much more personal manner.

Last weekend the National Association of Latino Independent Producers (Nalip) Media Summit came around, and among the numerous panels focused on the Latino presence in audiovisual media in the U.S, there was one that included Gomez-Rejon entitled "A Filmmaker's Guide." I had no doubt that he would be insightful and eloquent during this conversation, and he was. Still, I felt like I needed to use the opportunity to write something not specifically about "Me and Earl," but rather on the journey to it and the person behind this film that had shaken me.

Friday, immediately following his panel with Lucas Smith from Endgame Entertainment and Tilane Jones from Affrm, I got a chance to talk one-on-one once again with the director. He recognized me from our previous encounters along the way, and was, not surprisingly, incredibly friendly, personable and humble. We ended the conversation speaking in Spanish, which he speaks not only fluently but perfectly, and I left the W Hotel with a new kind of inspiration and even more reasons to champion the film, which, honest to God, I rewatched that same night with a friend who hadn't experienced it.

For those who are still reading, please excuse the length of this introduction, but as my personal journey with the film continues, I felt compelled to explain why this interview felt crucial. The film, like few, keeps unfolding itself to me even now.

"Me and Earl and the Dying Girl" is now playing across the U.S

Aguilar: Often times interviews happen prior to the film’s release, but “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” is out there now. How are you doing now that the film is in theaters for more people to see?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: The work isn't over. There is "Jurassic World," " Inside Out," and "Ted 2," so we just have to survive. We are a little movie. The work isn't over and that's why I’m glad we are talking about it because we still have to remind people that it’s out there. We need to remind young teenagers that there is another movie to watch. We need to keep the dialogue going or we are going to be forgotten.

Aguilar: The panel you were a part of was about the filmmaker's journey. Tell me about the beginning of your journey. Was it a crazy idea to want to be a filmmaker being from a small town?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: Yes, it was crazy but I was determined. When I was 12 I decided that I was going to be a director, that's a long time ago. Then when I got to New York I was vey, very shy. Incredibly introverted. I showed up to Nyu two weeks early for orientation, and our cafeteria wasn't opened in my residence hall, which was Weinstein, and you had to cross the park to get to this other place called Hayden Hall. I was terrified.

You are that new kid, no one is talking to you because you are so shy, and the idea of walking through the cafeteria was terrifying. Is like the shot in [“Me and Earl”], that's exactly the feeling. You had to cross Washington Square Park to get to the other place. As I was walking I saw they were shooting “Sesame Street” in the park, and I never made it to the cafeteria. I stayed there all day until the line producer called me over and asked me for my information. I told her who I was and she put me to work. Stopping people, like traffic. Two days later she asked me back for a music video, and the next week another music video. So before school started I already had three Pa credits. That's how I started and I kept using those credits to get more work, and more work, and more work.

Aguilar: At home, was your decision to become a filmmaker something that everyone was Ok with? I feel that perhaps for someone coming from a Latino background filmmaking can sometimes seem like a farfetched idea. I speak from experience.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: They were of course nervous because it was such a new idea to become a filmmaker. Even though my father was a physician, they always encouraged the arts. Both of my parents always exposed us to the arts. We would go to museums or the theater in San Antonio, Mexico City, or Nuevo Laredo. There were a lot of cultural events on the Mexican side, the Texas side not so much. But Nuevo Laredo always had cultural events: opera, ballet, and music. My uncle was a composer and my dad was always reciting poetry. My dad only became a physician because when he was on his way to sing at the radio station, while his sister played the piano, he was hit by a streetcar. It sent him to the hospital for a year or a year and a half. That changed his life because he was deeply mentored by a doctor. That changed him, but he was always still an artist.

My older brother became a musician, so there goes one, and then my sister becomes a fine artist –a sculptor and eventually a chef. Now she has a company called artbites.net, where she teaches art history with hands-on cooking classes. We are all two years apart, so every two years my parents got hit with something. By the time I said I was going to be an artist they had softened a little bit because my brother and sister had kind of paved the way. But I was still the hope that maybe I would be the doctor. Then I told them that I knew I wanted to be a director, and that not only did I know I wanted to be a director, but I knew exactly what school I wanted to go to, and that I was so determined, I was going to apply for early admission and if I got in that was it.

I got in and I was off. They saw that I was determined. By the time I came home for Christmas after the first semester I had already worked on a handful of productions, I was already getting paid to storyboard short films, and I was P.A.’ing in a film that went on to win at Sundance called "In the Soup." They saw how aggressive I was. By senior year I was already working for Scorsese. I was very determined.

Aguilar: That's an amazing journey.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: But the thing is that I was still the shy kid who had no friends at Nyu. When I made my shorts all my friends were in production outside of school, and they were all older because I was driving trucks, I was craft service, or I was storyboarding. I was very comfortable in a set, I was not comfortable walking into a classroom or walking into a cafeteria. It was quite terrifying, to this day [Laughs]. I sweat before I go to one of these things, but production; forget about it, I love it.

Aguilar: I think my cinematic epiphany happened when I was around 12 or 13 and I watched Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Amelie." I grew up watching lots of film, but that one blew me away and I knew film was the one thing that I wanted to be involved with forever. What film was it for you?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: There were like one, two, three, maybe four sequential films. The first movie that I became obsessed with was Richard Donner’s "Superman," but then the big moments were after -this is the early 80's on the border so it was the beginning of the VHS revolution. My older brother was into music so all the movie knowledge I got was through my friend's older brothers. One of them lent me a copy of "Apocalypse Now," so that was a big deal.

Then I started to watch all the movies I could on VHS, but when I discovered "Mean Streets" that's the one that changed me forever. I had seen "Raging Bull," I'd seen "After Hours, " and I'd seen a few other things by [Martin Scorsese], and then I found my way back to "Mean Streets." I remember looking at the box. It was white with a gun and all this stuff. That's when I realized how personal it was. As a fine artist I was drawn to composition and technique. I would count the cuts. Like the scene where the keys are thrown out the window, and you can count those 7 cuts. I enjoyed the craft, but "Mean Streets" was also very personal. I was really startled by how much it was about me even though I was from a completely different world. That was the first time I had seen Catholicism or catholic iconography being documented in a very contemporary way and I was questioning things.

That led to his work becoming an obsession. I revisited all his movies and I realized where he went to school, and that's where I went. The summer before I went to Nyu - I had already been accepted, - I was very nervous because I was 17 from a small town. Everyone was scared for me. That summer "Do the Right Thing" came out and I saw it. I was in Corpus Christi where my parents bought a place on the beach in the 60s. My mom still has it, which has always been like a refuge. The best investment anyone ever made. [Laughs] If you needed a getaway it was right there. Every summer we would go there, and I would go to the movies by myself, first feature, and I saw "Do the Right Thing" and that was huge. He had also gone to Nyu, so then I felt comforted, "I'm going to the right place."

Aguilar: The eternal debate between film school or no film school? You went to film school and also learned a lot p.a.'ing for the greats. What's your take?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: It's hard for me to tell you about film school because in film school in 1990 there is no internet. Nyu Film School was the way to learn about film, to be exposed to film, to go to repertory houses, to be exposed to New York and see films. I would go to the library and see one, two or three movies a day. You have YouTube now, but in this library they had little tiny TVs with a headset and you could pick what to watch from thousands of movies. That's how you would learn film history. To me film school was film history because there weren't a lot of books out there that I had access to. Except Scorsese on Scorsese, the first edition.

Aguilar: It's in the movie. Greg has it in his room.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: It's in the movie! It was a big thing for me because I was trying to watch every movie he referenced. Nyu was good for me in that regard. It was also good for me because it throws you in a competitive atmosphere. That's when you know what you are made of, because you might be intimidated by people's attitudes and looks - they have their fucking hats and their manicured things, and the hair - and then when their movies don't work or they don’t have a vision, you are less intimidated as opposed to...

Suddenly we were interrupted by someone from Nalip who asked me to go with him to do some photo session or something of the sort. I thought he was kidding until we realized he thought I was Alfonso, who was, of course, the one that had to go get some photos taken. The confusion was funny and strange, and after it was decided that the request could wait, we continued.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: Where were we?

Aguilar: Film school, you were telling me about Nyu and why was it good for you.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: Oh yeah, that's film school in 1990. I don't know what it’s like today because you have access to everything now. It's crazy! You can watch anything on YouTube. But I still think that being thrown in a very competitive environment where you really have to see what you are made of - certainly when you come out of nowhere - was god for me. Then there are the relationships you make. All of the friends I made in grad school are the closest ones that I have now. But back then I made maybe one or two good friends at Nyu and a very strong relationship with my teacher David Irving, who really, really mentored me. He is the one that went to the cutting room even on this one. He came out here for the premiere and for the one out here. But I think film school is important, I don't know. What do you think?

Aguilar: I think sometimes it's mostly a matter of financial constraints.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: I took out loans and I think I finally finished paying them off like two years ago. But it gave me the opportunity to be surrounded by these people. It's a very realistic microcosm or a mini reality of what the industry is like, because you are up against these people that can be sometimes very intimidating, very Loud, very type A, and I'm not the opposite, but ultimately is only the work that matters and you get to know different people. That process is very hard sometimes when you fail over and over again, then there is the part when you succeed and what that feels like. But more than anything going there allowed be to work in New York City in production, that’s what really made me.

Aguilar: Did being Latino ever play a role or were there other Latinos going to film school with you? Or maybe it was never anything that concerned you?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: The thing is that I don't remember. Because I grew up in a Mexican environment, in the Texas side but it was like Mexico. It was an environment where we only spoke Spanish. We weren't allowed to speak English. My parents were very protective of being from the border but not forgetting Spanish or English and turning it into “Spanglish,” or becoming a different culture. They were very, very protective, but it was a very small border, we would practically just cross the street and it was Mexico. All of my family is on the Mexican side, my grandparents, my cousins, and half my friends, because I went to school on this side and that was one half, but the other half was in Mexico. It was half on both sides.

I was never a minority, I was there and then I went to New York. So you are never aware that you are less or more than anything else. I just went there because I wanted to be a director. That's it. I just wanted to make movies, but I never though about, "How am I being perceived because of my culture or my skin?" It never occurred to me. Sometimes you are reminded of that elsewhere. I made a couple of commercials in Mexico City and there, when they know I'm from the border they think less of me or they say something about me being less. It's funny but that's the only town I've felt discrimination.

Aguilar: I'm from Mexico City. Apologies, I think I know what type of people you are referring to. [Laughs]

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: From Mexico City? Well they say things like "Chicano" or other things like that, and that's quite hurtful because they say it in a very derogatory way. And Chicano is not my culture. That's "a" culture from the border, and they have a way of dismissing everyone from the border. There are Mexicans, there are Texans, there are Mexican-Americans, there are Chicanos, there are all these things that happen in the border and that’s what makes it such an interesting environment.

I was at a dinner party in Mexico City once, and they said, "Any Mexican that's from the United States is Chicano," they made this very broad generalization and they were talking me down. I got into a very heated argument because when you are from [the border] it never happens, but outside of that there are those random experiences that I've had later in my life. I was only driven to be the best and it was very disheartening sometimes that it took me so long to start getting my voice heard. That certainly started with television, but it was never because of where I came from, it was because people saw something in me.

Aguilar: Would you ever make a film in Spanish or with Latino characters?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: Yes! I want to. I'm developing like two of them right now. One of them is mainly in English but it takes place on the border so there are like three languages: Spanish, Spanglish, and English.

Aguilar: It's interesting that you list Spanglish as a language on it's own.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: There are different levels of Spanglish [Laughs]. The border is very interesting because there are so many levels of so many different kinds of languages that are spoken. You have Texans that speak better Spanish than Mexican-Americans, and you have Mexicans that Never learned English who are prospering or who are millionaires on the Texas side. It's so complicated and it's very unique. But I was always raised appreciating all of it and recognizing why my parents fought so hard to maintain our language at home. It defines you, but because you are in the border you always have to redefine who you are to anyone outside of the border. It’s so complex.

Aguilar: In your experience, what's the level of creative freedom in TV compared to film? What did you learn working on TV that helped you once you started making feature films?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: in both of them I'm always liked experimenting. TV is so fast. "American Horror Story," and "Glee" as well actually, but "American Horror Story" really allows you to experiment because the camera is very much a character, and you set a look and a tone, and you keep pushing it. I think you only fail Ryan Murphy if you don't push it enough or if you just do it easy and move on.

He really likes it when you are trying to come up with the images. As a director who loves the camera you learn a lot. When you make these movies - both "Town" and "Earl," which are small movies, I think "Town" was 25 days and "Earl" was 23 days - you have to know how far you and push it and what is the right thing for them. Both of them are, in some ways, celebrating movies. "Town" is about a town defined by a movie, and I like that. It's really fun and we intercut the movie and all that. With all it's flaws, I did the best I could and I think I was somewhat intimidated by the system. But it was the best I could have done.

"Me and Earl" is about a young filmmaker in control of the movie. He is telling you a story and he is seducing you into this story. He is telling you, "This is what high school feels like" and he is very aggressive, but he starts to learn to pay attention and he starts to lose control. Then the movie becomes quite quiet and somewhat handheld. I think TV gave

They were TV shows that were very unconventional, like "How am I going to interpret this musical sequence in 'Glee'?" And if you can make the day, you can do whatever you want. That's how Ryan has it. In "American Horror Story" I had these fever-dream-sequences or nightmare sequences, if I could make the day, then I could do whatever I wanted. That's the kind of atmosphere they create, so then you take that with you and you learn, "How far can I push it on 'Earl' before I have to bring it back into total stillness?" That was the lesson, and TV gives you that opportunity

Aguilar: What was the first thing that came to mind when you found out you were on the cover of Filmmaker Magazine? And also that you are the first ever Latino filmmaker on that cover.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: I thought it was a joke. Some friends of mine, from Texas actually, told me about it. They sent me a link to a website that a photo of it but I though that somebody had photo-shopped it. I asked Fox and the publicist on the movie about it, and they didn’t know either because it was never supposed to be a cover story. It was only going to be an article. They looked into it and they verified it was real [Laughs].

I guess at the very last minute Filmmaker decided to make it a cover story without letting anyone know, so it was a shocked for all of us. It’s so flattering. It’s amazing. I can’t believe it. And it’s also one of the worst pictures in history. It was taken at Sundance, the day before we premiered on a Saturday, I hadn’t slept in three days, and I had a fever. I remember taking that picture for, I don’t know probably Getty or I don’t know whom it was for. I look 100 years old, with the biggest bags under my eyes, but I’ll take it. [Laughs]. But I didn’t know that I was one of the first Latinos on the cover.

Aguilar: As far as I know you are the first and only so far.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: It doesn't make any sense

Aguilar: Was this your first cover ever?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: Yeah!

Aguilar: Did you buy or asked for a hundred copies to send to everyone you know?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: [Laughs] No, but it was funny because when we were on the press tour, every time we’d go to a new train station, Thomas, Olivia, Rj, and I -like if we went from Washington to Philly or Philly to New York - we would always meet a representative from Fox and then they’ll take us through the day.

But Thomas had this habit of the second we’d walk down to the train station he’ll pull out a copy of Filmmaker Magazine and hold it up to make it easier for the representative to find us. It was very funny. It was mostly him trying to embarrass me. [Laughs].

Aguilar: Now that you mention Thomas, filmmaking is very personal for his character, Greg. He uses films to express his love for those around him and to relate to them very uniquely. Was this part of what attracted you to the film?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: Yes it did, because I saw it as an opportunity to make a personal film as well. Just like he was making a film and trying to find his voice, I was trying to do the same. He was making a film for Rachel, and I, very secretly at first, was making a film for my father. That became a very public thing after I dedicated it to him, and it started a whole new round of questions about him that I wasn’t prepared for. I started to talk about it, and the more I talked about it the more alive he was. He is everywhere now, just like Rachel is everywhere. I’ve been living the lesson of the movie. That’s what attracted me to the film, because I identified with Greg and I wanted to take his journey. It was very personal for me.

Aguilar: At what point in the process did you decide to dedicate the film to your father? It must have made an already emotional film even more emotional for you.

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: It was a very private thing, not a lot of people new why I was making it. At the very last minute I wanted to add a dedication to my father, but I wanted to bury at the end of the film. Just to put it very quietly and privately at the end of the credits. Then my producer Jeremy Dawson said,” Make it the first credit,” and I said, “Are you sure?” He said, “Yes! Make it the first credit.”

The language, “For my father,” I took from Scorsese’s film “The Age of Innocence, “ which he dedicated to his father. It says “For my father.” When I saw that in 1993, I thought, “I hope I’m never in that position.” Then here I am. I wasn’t prepared to talk about it at Sundance. It caught me off guard. It was hard during the first few interviews, then you get used it.

Aguilar: Has the film premiered in Laredo?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: Wednesday July 1st

Aguilar: Are you prepared for the experience of watching the film in your hometown?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: I’m trying to go but I’m still doing some press here. We are doing an event on the 16th of July there, so I think I’m going to take a week off and hang out there. We are trying to raise money to save this beautiful art deco movie theater called The Plaza, which is a movie theater downtown Laredo. It’s a beautiful building that’s been abandoned and we are trying to renovate it. We are starting a new campaign to restore it and hopefully make it a venue for independent film and maybe a local festival. They are starting that campaign with a screening of “Me and Earl” and I’m very excited. It’s quite humbling.

Aguilar: Is perseverance the most important quality to make it and to stay focused even when it took several years to start making features?

Alfonso Gomez-Rejon: It is perseverance, but it's not always easy. I'd lost my way over time but I realized that I want to tell personal stories. What I did with "Me and Earl" was to do something personal with it, what I was feeling. That allows your voice to be heard. Like Greg's little movie within the movie, I felt like I was coming into my own.

It's been really invigorating, but it's been a process. Some people have been lucky to find it very early. I took my own path and it led to this, as long as I try to not forget that and not to get seduces by other things for the wrong reasons I’ll Ok. Yeah, maybe is perseverance and listening to that voice inside so you don't get seduced by other things.

For a period of time, for like a year, I had written something with a friend of mine that was very specific and hysterical. Then all of a sudden we were seduced by chasing writing jobs because of the money and other reasons, and these projects were all this broad comedies. We spent a year taking meetings until we realized, "We'll always lose those jobs to the people that do those jobs well." Like the talking parrot movie or the talking dog movie. We had something very specific and lost a year of our lives. I haven't done that in directing, but at some point I knew that it was time to go from television to more personal filmmaking, and then in the future come back to TV but overseeing projects and doing pilots, and expressing myself that way.

Our time had come to and end, and I couldn’t help but shyly asked if he would sign my “Me and Earl” poster, which I had been dragging around the city like a treasure. Alfonso kindly agreed and signed it Spanish, which made it all the more special. While truly grateful I wish I would had mentioned how I discovered Scorsese watching a Spanish-dubbed version of “Taxi Driver” on Mexican television, or how mad I was when I couldn’t get in to see “The Last Temptation of Christ” when it finally opened in Mexico City after being banned for over 15 years – I was to young to see it according to the theater - and many other anecdotes I’m sure he would understand. But there could always be another interview.

It’s clear to me that a film this personal could only come from someone that loves film so deeply. A cinephile in the director’s chair is the perfect scenario for brilliance and honesty. Can’t wait to see what comes next, as I’m sure Alfonso Gomez-Rejon will keep on making cine con el corazón.

The actor claims his take on the superhero for next year’s Batman v Superman will be notable for its ‘world-weariness’, while photos of Jesse Eisenberg suggest new Lex Luthor has Rachel hair

Ben Affleck has spoken about his upcoming role as Batman and compared the character to Hamlet.

Related: The Dark Knight: Batman is a Hamlet for our times

Continue reading...

I was rather hesitant to cue up my screener for The Last Ship‘s two-hour Season 2 premiere (and to do so, I even scrapped plans to run down the street to catch Inside Out, grrr), given how the TNT drama’s freshman run ended.

RelatedTNT’s Proof: Is There Life After… the Premiere?

As Season 1 closed, I was surprised to see the Nathan James get safely to port so soon into the series, and I frankly dreaded the idea of the show becoming land-locked as our Navy heroes butt heads with some misguided, headstrong, armed-to-the-teeth ersatz government based out of Baltimore.

Last weekend, the new releases offered a lot of variety. The R-rated action-comedy Spy was a somewhat surprising first place finisher, taking in just about $30 million. An impressive number for any R-rated film, but not exactly a blockbuster.Still, I admit I didn’t give Spy much of a shot to win the weekend and I was proven wrong. However, I feel much more confident in my prediction of this weekends box office winner: Soaked in Bleach.

I’m just kidding! Obviously it’s Jurassic World. (Although fans of Kurt Cobain may want to look into the limited release documentary Soaked in Bleach). Let’s take a closer look at Jurassic World and it’s only other competition this weekend.

Jurassic World – (PG-13) 124 min. – School is out for the summer, and Star-Lo- I mean Chris Pratt has never been more popular than he is now. Every teenager in the country...

Over the weekend, Empire Magazine released new photos for Terminator Genisys, along with the magazine cover featuring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Emilia Clarke. Today, Empire has released four more photos, along with new plot details from Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. If that's not enough, we also have another report which reportedly reveals the mysterious character that Matt Smith is playing. There will be Spoilers towards the end of this story, regarding Matt Smith's character, so read on at your own risk.

Terminator Genisys follows John Connor (Jason Clarke) as he sends his trusted soldier Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984, to protect his mother Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke). When Kyle goes back in time, it is not what he expected, with Sarah being protected by an "aging" T-800 Terminator (Arnold Schwarzenegger) as they all go on a new mission to "reset" the future. Here's what Arnold Schwarzenegger had to say about...

DC

Barack Obama could have declared war on Russia and the backlash still would have paled in comparison to the uproar when DC cast Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. The criticism seems to have died down recently thanks to the strength of promotional images, and now fans seem to be looking forward with cautious optimism. Could this be DC’s first most successful play against the McU?

All the questions surrounding Ben Affleck’s Batman and his rumoured solo film seem to be who his villain should be with Jared Leto’s Joker being set up as Affleck’s big bad in Suicide Squad. However, many forget that Batman’s rich and vast history isn’t limited to just his villains, he’s also supported by a tremendous cast and with DC determined to put together a strong universe it makes perfect sense...

What better way to ring in the New Year than to spend time with Joey, Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler and Phoebe? That’s the question Netflix has posed to its subscribers across North America and Canada after all ten seasons of Friends arrived on the streaming service on New Year’s Day.

Heralding no less than 238 episodes of the beloved sitcom — which ran from 1994 up until 2004 — fans will be left spoilt for choice, and it’s an addition that will no doubt instigate its fair share of late-night marathons.

Friends isn’t the only new addition to the company’s online selection though, with the likes of Bad Boys II, Cast Away and Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas also cropping up from January 1 onwards. From that point on, Netflix also has plans to introduce several new titles incrementally. For action devotees, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will make its bow tomorrow,...

With the new year comes a slew of new movies and TV shows on Netflix, and everyone's favorite streaming service is adding some great titles in January 2015.

On the movie side, a bevy of box-office heavyweights are being added to the instant mix, including Disney's live-action "101 Dalmatians," Jim Carrey's "Bruce Almighty," and Michael Bay actioner "Bad Boys II." Some smaller favorites are also coming to Netflix: Internet obsession "Mean Girls" returns (to stay?! Please!), Reese Witherspoon dark comedy "Election" gets a run, and this past summer's little-comedy-that-could, "Chef," makes its subscription service debut.

But wait, there's more!

"Friends" fans have been dying for the series to come to Netflix, and now that dream is coming true! Beginning January 1, subscribers will be able to watch every single episode, catching up with Monica, Joey, Chandler, Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe whenever and wherever they want. Other great shows being added in January...

DC Comics continues their crusade to pull in new and youthful readers with Teen Titans: Earth One Volume One. The publisher’s fresh visions of Batman and Superman were major hits on the New York Times Bestseller’s List, so they’re doing something right. Its target audience will no doubt embrace the book thanks to Jeff Lemire’s knack for identifying with and communicating the angst and feelings of awkwardness many adolescents deal with.

Five seemingly normal teenagers from different walks of life find themselves being drawn together by an unexplainable and powerful force. Each one is struck by disturbing visions and given an extraordinary “gift” which they consider a curse. The group of misfits soon finds themselves the target of a deadly scientific group looking to bring them all in for experimentation and research.

Writer Jeff Lemire takes a decades-old concept and breathes new life into it...

Ranking Christopher Nolan's filmography is a daunting task: the conspicuous absence of any genuinely bad movies means that you're grading on a much narrower scale than would be the case with many directors.

But with Interstellar released worldwide today (November 7), a film which sees Nolan with a new cinematographer and a newly emotional focus, the time felt right to look back on all nine of his features to date.

Below is our definitive* ranking of Nolan's movies from worst through to best. (*Not in any way definitive, so much as subjective and based on the opinion of this writer alone.)

9. Insomnia (2002)

It's easy to forget that Nolan directed Insomnia at all, and even easier to forget that it was his third film. It feels like the work of a director still in search of a voice, whereas in fact Nolan had made the spectacularly confident, tonally distinctive indie Memento two years prior,...

Gotham is only one of the many additions to the booming rise of comic book television series and it’s looking as if there will be more to come following the news of latest acquisitions of comic book properties Lucifer by Fox, Titans by TNT and Supergirl by CBS. Amidst the many comic properties that are returning or arriving on television this season are CW’s Arrow, The Flash and later to air iZombie, ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D and mid season arrival Marvel’s Agent Carter, Fox’s Gotham, NBC’s Constantine and AMC’s The Walking Dead.

Based on one of the most iconic comic book properties of the past 75 years Fox’s Gotham is possibly the most anticipated Television series of the upcoming Fall season. With a great starting line up of Ben Mckenzie, Donal Logue and Jada Pinkett-Smith in the ensemble cast,...

The Dark Knight (2008) reunites director Christopher Nolan ("The Prestige") with star Christian Bale ("Empire of the Sun"), who returns to continue Batman’s war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger), who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. The Dark Knight (2008) was directed by Christopher Nolan, from a script written by Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer and of course Christopher Nolan himself. The film starred: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Heath Ledger as Joker, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Michael Caine as Alfred, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel, Gary Oldman as Gordon,...

Bruce Wayne and his alter ego Batman have been one of the most complex characters in pop culture, endlessly analyzed, since his first appearance 75 years ago. From comics, to television and to film, Batman and his creators have designed a layered, flawed and fascinating character. Never was this truer than in director Christopher Nolan’s brilliant Dark Knight Trilogy, beginning with 2005’s Batman Begins, continuing with 2008’s The Dark Knight and ending with 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises. Nolan essentially stripped Batman and it’s themes to their bare bones and created a world that both honored and challenged what we knew of this character. Nolan’s trilogy examines ideas of integrity, morality, chaos, heroism and faith.

**Obvious spoilers ahead for the entire Nolan series**

Heroism

“Because he’s the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll hunt him. Because he can take it.

The following is a list of all comic books, graphic novels and specialty items that will be available this week and shipped to comic book stores who have placed orders for them.

215 Ink

Enormous #2 (Cover A Mehdi Cheggour), $3.99

Enormous #2 (Cover B Christian Dibari), $3.99

Abstract Studios

Rachel Rising #27 (not verified by Diamond), $3.99

Sip Kids #1, $4.99

Action Lab Entertainment

Fracture Vice And Virtue Tp, $11.99

Amaze Ink (Slave Labor Graphics)

Collected Works Of Filler Bunny Tp, $11.95

I Feel Sick #1 (New Printing), $4.95

I Feel Sick #2 (New Printing), $4.95

Amigo Comics

Rogues Volume 2 Cold Ship #3 (Of 5), $3.99

Amp! Comics For Kids

Muddy Max Volume 1 The Mystery Of Marsh Creek Gn, $9.99

Andrews McMeel Publishing

Reading With Pictures Comics That Make Kids Smarter Hc, $19.99

Antarctic Press

Rod Espinosa’s Steampunk Fables Tp, $14.99

Archie Comic Publications

Archie #658 (Dan DeCarlo Betty Variant Cover), $2.99

Archie #658 (Dan DeCarlo Veronica Variant Cover), $2.99

Archie #658 (Dan Parent Regular Cover), $2.99

Archie The Married Life Volume 5 Tp, $19.99

Death Of Archie A Life Celebrated Tp,...

From the months leading up to the release of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy became essential, event viewing amid a wave of massive hype that proved founded. Building on the hugely respectable and rewatchable Batman Begins, Tdk became this century’s Empire Strikes Back, considered by some to be one of the greatest films ever made and elevating this reboot into the realms of meteoric, legendary success. Rises was merely the icing on the cake.

Looking back on the saga as a whole, it is not hard to see why. Each film is crammed with memorable moments and exchanges, insanely quotable lines and breath vacuum sequences of audacity and visceral thrill . Whether it be the quiet drama scenes or the car chases, villainous entrances of Batman gambits, almost every scene can be singled out. When the writing isn’t strong, the cinematography and choreography is. Where the shaky-cam becomes obtrusive,...

Going from solving grisly murders to ordering them, Dexter alum David Zayas has joined the impressive cast of Fox’s upcoming Gotham, a series which will chart the journey of Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) from new cop on the block to the police commissioner of corrupt, crime-ridden Gotham City – long before the Dark Knight ever soared through its skies. The actor will be playing gangster Salvatore “Sal” Maroni in what is described as a recurring role.

Even casual Batman fans should be familiar with Maroni - he was a major character in The Dark Knight, working alongside the Joker to undermine order in Gotham then gets on Harvey Dent/Two-Face’s bad side by helping to perpetrate the kidnapping and murder of his girlfriend Rachel Dawes.

In the comics, as in that film, Maroni was a street operator who worked himself up to a high position of power in the Gotham criminal underworld.

Nessa Stein is Batman. She’s born into a world of wealth and privilege. She’s lost both of her parents, and even watched her father’s gruesome death enacted before her. And now, bound to no specific law, she wields her parents’ power.

But Nessa doesn’t live in Gotham City. She’s a second generation Israeli. Her father wasn’t a do-gooder philanthropist but a Holocaust survivor–turned–weapons manufacturer. And while Nessa begins The Honorable Woman by donning a new costume (the ceremonial member robes of House of Lords), her actions are predicated not on some abstract ideal,...

Lego fans and Dark Knight fans rejoice for the kings of the plastic brick have joined together with Warner Bros. to bring you one of their best creations yet, The Dark Knight Lego Tumbler. As seen in the Christopher Nolan ‘Dark Knight’ trilogy of movies, Lego have spent four months creating a 2Kg, 1869 brick Tumbler that is ‘as close to the Christopher Nolan’ design as possible. A brand new tyre has been created for the set and inside it’s as close to the movie design as possible with a seat for Batman, for Rachel, a special steering wheel and controls. It also has the red gear lever to push the Tumbler over the jumps as seen in the movie. You’ll also get two special characters which are only available in this set – The (Heath Ledger) Joker and Batman.

The set which has the exact title ‘76023 – The Tumbler’ goes...

As we are all surely aware, it’s a rare occurrence when a sequel can not only hold its own with the original, but can additionally go well beyond it and actually surpass its predecessor in almost every way imaginable, delivering an unquestionably superior film. Christopher Nolan has done just that with ‘The Dark Knight’ which for the two people not already aware, is his truly phenomenal follow up to ‘Batman Begins’.

Christopher Nolan directed and co-wrote all three films in the Dark Knight trilogy, including ‘The Dark Knight’ naturally. He is one of the few big name directors that has continued to impress me, from my first viewing of ‘Memento’ back when I wasn’t really aware of him by name, to his more recent efforts such as the marvelous ‘The Prestige’ and ‘Inception’ as well as ‘Insomnia’ which while probably his weakest film in my opinion is still...

In our definitive ranking of Batman's cinematic outings this week, Digital Spy put Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins at number one. I could lie and say that we agonised over its placement, but in fact the decision was almost unanimous among the staffers who had a say in the list.

Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy is unquestionably the greatest comic book saga on screen, but the expanded scope and sweep of the later instalments comes at a cost. The Dark Knight and its sequel become more about the mask than the man behind it, and for that reason they've stood the test of time marginally less well than the focused and intimate Batman Begins. Strange as it may sound, what makes Nolan's dark, cerebral origin story the best Batman movie of all time is the fact that it really isn't one.

It's the only film in which Batman feels entirely like a mask,...

Warner Bros.

It’s something of a cliche to even mention it, but comic book deaths don’t last unless they’re in some way responsible for the origin of a character. Only the likes of Uncle Ben and the Waynes will ever stay cold in the ground when there’s an opportunity for further sales, which is why everyone as lofty as Superman, Batman, Captain America and Iron Man have all met the Grim Reaper, but then miraculously been saved from death.

These revivals are to be expected, but cinema has a more definitive take on death, so it should be the case that anyone who dies in a comic book movie should stay dead. Even in the least logical fantasy movies, death usually remains a constant, unless there are generic expectations (like with zombies); but that simply is not the case in this new, phenomenally successful genre. Though...

Nobody thought it would work. So, a kid gets bit by a radioactive spider — and it gives him superpowers? He swings around New York City on webs and fights crime? Superhero titles were starting to come back into fashion, but Marvel Comics owner Martin Goodman didn't believe a superhero title with a high-schooler hero would sell; teenagers were generally relegated to humor comics, like Archie, or to sidekick roles, like Batman's Robin.

Marc Webb on 'Spider-Man 2': 'I Want the Audience to be Thrilled'

That was the...

So we all saw Captain America: The Winter Soldier. (Seriously, we all saw it.) And we’ve all had a good, long, thoughtful conversation about the deeper themes lingering under the surface of the paranoia-inducing, wiki-leaking, surveillance-state-exploding superhero sequel. But there’s a more obvious thing we need to address — a question hovering over the whole movie that remains unanswered. Captain America. Black Widow. Question mark?

To recap, with spoilers. At the start of Winter Soldier, Cap and Widow’s relationship has evolved a little since The Avengers. But only a little. They’re co-workers. Widow’s mildly concerned that...

This weekend is looking particularly amazing for those of you living in (or traveling to) the Dallas area, because this year’s Dallas Comic Con’s Sci-Fi Expo is overflowing with stars of screen and comics. Richard Dreyfuss! Karl Urban! Stephen Amell! Karen Gillan! The Warehouse 13 and Defiance casts! Ian Churchill! Chris Sprouse! And So Many More.

And if you’re lucky, you might even spot SciFi Mafia Senior Managing Editor Lillian Standefer! Details are below, but Please Especially Note this fine print from the official website: Note: We will allow all pre-registered guests to enter the building Before we start ticket sales at the box office. This may delay the box office ticket sales for 30-60 minutes.

Oscar winner, Richard Dreyfuss tops Sci-Fi Expo line-up!

Oscar-winning actor Richard Dreyfuss tops a long list of actors and artists appearing at Dallas Comic Con’s Sci-Fi Expo on Feb. 8 & 9 at the Irving Convention Center.

Win a $50 Shs Gift Card! Follow this link and answer the trivia question to enter. Enter everyday for more chances to win: http://l.inkto.it/1wzxp Today's Question: Which of the following was not a Batman love interest in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight trilogy? a) Rachel Dawes b) Selina Kyle c) Vicki Vale d) Miranda Tate For more information please visit: SuperHeroStuff Trivia Contest Facebook...

In 2013, Digital Spy has embraced all that UK and Us television has to offer - from the very best of comedy and drama, to the merely middling, to the absolute stinkers.

But now it's time to celebrate only the finest cuts - it's our top TV shows of the year, continuing now with 20-16.

20. New Girl

Funny and warm, New Girl has always been a show in flux - starting life as a vehicle for Zooey Deschanel, it gradually transformed into an ensemble show to make better use of its supporting cast, including season one's standout - Max Greenfield's scene-stealing Schmidt.

Heading into its second season, the show continued to change and grow and, while Schmidt still provided plenty of laughs, in 2013 New Girl was all about Jake Johnson's slobbish, simple but utterly endearing Nick Miller and - in particular - his on-off romance with Deschanel's Jess. In many ways,...

The following is a list of all comic books, graphic novels and specialty items that will be available this week and shipped to comic book stores who have placed orders for them.

Abstract Studios

Rachel Rising #21, $3.99

Airship Entertainment

Girl Genius Volume 1 Agatha Heterodyne And The Beetleburg Clank Tp (New Printing)(not verified by Diamond), $25.00

Girl Genius Volume 2 Agatha Heterodyne And The Airship City Tp (New Printing)(not verified by Diamond), $25.00

Girl Genius Volume 3 Agatha Heterodyne And The Monster Engine Tp (New Printing)(not verified by Diamond), $25.00

Girl Genius Volume 4 Agatha Heterodyne And The Circus Of Dreams Tp (New Printing)(not verified by Diamond), $25.00

Girl Genius Volume 5 Agatha Heterodyne And The Clockwork Princess Tp (New Printing)(not verified by Diamond), $25.00

Girl Genius Volume 12 Agatha Heterodyne And The Seige Of Mechanicsburg Hc (not verified by Diamond), $50.00

Girl Genius Volume 12 Agatha Heterodyne And The Seige Of Mechanicsburg Tp (not verified by Diamond), $25.00

Amigo...

Odd List Ryan Lambie 6 Nov 2013 - 06:50

From random films with altered names to unrelated storylines, we take a look at 15 incredibly tenuous horror and sci-fi film sequels...

The profit-driven nature of filmmaking usually means that, if a movie's a hit, sequels follow. And it's sometimes the case that, particularly in the realm of low-budget sci-fi and horror, those sequels are trotted out in a rush, or don't have anything to do with the film they're following.

This isn't to say that the sequels on this list are necessarily bad - it's a proper mixed bag of the great, the mediocre and the downright awful - but in each instance, these sequels have only vague links to their predecessors, or worse still, they're entirely different films rebranded to fit an existing franchise.  

Our list is by no means definitive - rather, we've chosen a collection of films that we find the most memorable.

I could kick off my recap of Glee‘s second straight Beatles-themed episode by telling you I got choked up during Tina Cohen-Chang’s big prom moment. Or by sharing that Demi Lovato and Naya Rivera’s off-the-charts levels of chemistry make me just a little jealous that I’m not — and never will be — a lesbian.

But that would be burying the headline. Because on tonight’s installment of Fox’s high-school musical, we got the answer to the question that’s been looming for freakin’ ever: What is the name of the neck-brace-wearing Cheerio?

Glee Video | Get...

The Dark Knight reunites director Christopher Nolan ("Inception") with star Christian Bale ("The Prestige"), who returns to continue Batman’s war on crime. With the help of Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), Batman sets out to destroy organized crime in Gotham for good. The triumvirate proves to be effective, but they soon find themselves prey to a rising criminal mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger), who thrusts Gotham into anarchy and forces the Dark Knight ever closer to crossing the fine line between hero and vigilante. The Dark Knight (2008) was directed by Christopher Nolan, from a script written by Jonathan Nolan, David S. Goyer and of course Christopher Nolan himself. The film starred: Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Heath Ledger as Joker, Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent/Two-Face, Michael Caine as Alfred, Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel, Gary Oldman as Gordon, Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox,...

The Dark Knight has been retold using retro-style video game graphics.

CineFix has adapted the Christopher Nolan blockbuster using a hacked version of Snes title The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

All of the key scenes from the movie appear in the footage, including the bank heist, the death of Rachel Dawes, and Batman's final showdown with the Joker.

Dark Knight Trilogy screenwriter David S Goyer recently revealed that Nolan was unfamiliar with the Batman universe before he signed up to direct 2005's Batman Begins.

Footage of Christian Bale auditioning for the lead role in Val Kilmer's Batsuit from 1995's Batman Forever has also appeared online.

The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition is released in the UK on October 7.

Photo gallery - Batman at the movies:...

We've already shown you some of the bonus features fans can expect on The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector's Edition Blu-ray, which arrives today. In case you haven't had a chance to make it to the store yet, a slew of new behind-the-scenes photos have been released. The first batch features Cillian Murphy auditioning as Batman for Batman Begins, wearing Val Kilmer's suit. Of course, he ended up playing the Scarecrow in this trilogy, but you can check out how he looks in the Batman suit for the first time. In addition, we also have photos from Anne Hathaway's audition for Selina Kyle/Catwoman in The Dark Knight Rises, where she beat out other notable actresses such as Kate Mara and Jessica Biel. If that wasn't enough, we also have photos from Aaron Eckhart's makeup tests on The Dark Knight and Tom Hardy's early tests on The Dark Knight Rises.

With The Dark Knight Trilogy Blu-ray set arriving on September 24, it's a chance not only to look back at last summer's The Dark Knight Rises, but uncover the steps for the creation of the entire trilogy of Batman films from Christopher Nolan. Yesterday we brought you the video from the Blu-ray of Christian Bale auditioning as Batman, wearing Val Kilmer's suit from Batman Forever and acting opposite Amy Adams as Rachel Dawes. Now, both in the image above and several below posted by Batman-News, you can see screenshots from Anne Hathaway's audition years later to play Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. But first, who's this other guy in the same Batsuit? That'd be Cillian Murphy, who auditioned to play Bruce Wayne but eventually wound up as The Scarecrow, appearing in all three films. Murphy actually looks pretty much at home under the suit, though I think...

With The Dark Knight Trilogy Blu-ray set arriving on September 24, it's a chance not only to look back at last summer's The Dark Knight Rises, but uncover the steps for the creation of the entire trilogy of Batman films from Christopher Nolan. Yesterday we brought you the video from the Blu-ray of Christian Bale auditioning as Batman, wearing Val Kilmer's suit from Batman Forever and acting opposite Amy Adams as Rachel Dawes. Now, both in the image above and several below posted by Batman-News, you can see screenshots from Anne Hathaway's audition years later to play Selina Kyle, a.k.a. Catwoman. But first, who's this other guy in the same Batsuit? That'd be Cillian Murphy, who auditioned to play Bruce Wayne but eventually wound up as The Scarecrow, appearing in all three films. Murphy actually looks pretty much at home under the suit, though I think...

Saw this one drop over the weekend while watching football and thought it was cool. Warner Home Entertainment will release Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition on Blu-ray on Tuesday, September 24, but one of the special bonus features has already made its way online (via Batman-News.com) – Christian Bale’s audition in the Val Kilmer Batman suit opposite Man of Steel‘s Amy Adams. Check it out below.

I hear the 76 minute behind the scenes doc The Fire Rises: The Creation Of The Dark Knight Trilogy is hot. According to Batman-News.com

In my opinion the new special features bonus disc is the most exciting piece of content that’s included. This 76 minute documentary is the “main event” and includes interviews with Christopher Nolan, Guillermo Del Toro, Damon Lindelof, Michael Mann, Richard Roeper, Zack Snyder and many other Warner Bros. executives and producers.

You might still be scratching your head over Ben Affleck being chosen as the next Batman, but there's a reason the role has become so sacrosanct to Batfans and normies alike these days. That reason, of course, is Christian Bale.

Bale's portrayal of the Caped Crusader in Christopher Nolan's "Dark Knight" trilogy was a major hi-yah to the teeth of anyone who doubted him and set the benchmark really freakin' high for the next guy (yeah so, um, good luck with that Mr. Batfleck).

Obviously, heinsight is 20/20, so almost no one currently wonders why the Balester was tapped for the role, but once upon a time there probably were some questions about why this guy — the same one who got soooo skinny for "The Machinist" only to watch it do squat at the box office and pretty much just went around stabbing everybody in "American Psycho" — was the guy.

Batman Begins is the 6th most successful Batman movie (adjusted for inflation) of all time, taking in almost $100 million less than the neon nightmare that was Batman Forever. Katie Holmes has a starring role, the Full Monty guy is a mob boss, an origin story (zzzzz), and a superhero movie where we don’t see the hero much in costume until the final third of the movie. Despite this, Batman Begins stands tall at the summit of Nolan’s trilogy.

Firstly, the billion dollar elephant in the room, The Dark Knight. Without a doubt the most iconic moments of the franchise reboot belongs to Heath Ledger’s stunning turn as The Joker; his performance is flawless. At no point, even after repeat viewings, does it feel like you are watching the same man who came to the public forefront with his quiet reserve and simmering frustration in Brokeback Mountain (or...