All the news unfit to print for Friday, November 28, 2008
BATMAN RIP coming
* * *WARNING: COMIC BOOK SPOILERS AHEAD * * *
One year ago on Schmuckraker, we reported that there were rumors circulating online of an impending BATMAN death in DC COMICS. . . A year later, the rumors that abounded appear to be true: BATMAN is going to be killed. The twist though causing high degrees of controversy in comic circles, BATMAN is going to be killed by a man claiming to be his father..
"Writer Grant Morrison said: “This is so much better than death. People have killed characters in the past but to me, that kind of ends the story!
"I like to keep the story twisting and turning. So what I am doing is a fate worse than death. Things that no one would expect to happen to these guys at all.
"This is the end of Bruce Wayne as Batman.""
SUN reports that DC will keep "BATMAN" character alive, however. .the batsuit will be filled by the body of someone else..
The BBC points out that it's not the first time superheros died .. last year, CAPTAIN AMERICA was killed by a sniper in New York.. And SUPERMAN died in a comic in 1992.. .
All the news unfit to print for Monday, August 4, 2008
THE BATMAN VOICE: BAD REVIEWS
Finally, some unkind words are being mentioned about the DARK KNIGHT..
The voice.
That dreaded voice.
I will admit it, I went to see the DARK KNIGHT three times, and each time I did I noticed more and more how annoying the BATMAN Christian Bale voice was. Others have noticed, too..
The Associated Press asking whether the Christian Bale voice was too much in a worldwide story...
The AP comparing Bale to a grizzly bear..
Some can defend: The voice symbolizes where Batman is: He is the Dark Knight, the watchful dark guardian over the city--and maybe the villain in the next film..
His voice has to be dark. It has to be deep!
But through the ultra-serious comic book drama, Bale's voice gathered more laughs than chills.. Often the audience of theater goers thought it was too much. .they chuckled at the wrong parts. All the parts with Bale's deep voice raspy and.. well .. over the top.
Glad others noticed it.
But---while we all criticize something so minor--the movie makes near $400 mil and may be the best film of 2008. So much for our opinions...
"Federal investigators want to question Mary-Kate Olsen about how Heath Ledger got two powerful painkillers that contributed to his accidental overdose death, but she's refusing to talk without immunity, a law enforcement official said Monday"
I cannot imagine what it would be like for friends and family of someone that recently died be to be subjected to constantly looking at the photo of the person that has passed away. On movie posters. On billboards. On TV ads. Everywhere.
The friends and family of Heath Ledger are dealing with the tragic legacy.. and all the while the DARK KNIGHT is making oceans of cash.
That cash and record breaking box office is not because of Christian Bale.
From the very first few minutes of the 154-minute DARK KNIGHT, Heath Ledger made fans of the film and even lukewarm spectators watch the film with the hair on the arms raised.. Ledger defied all expectations in his acting abilties in this film. He re-created the role of what the 'Joker' would be in Gotham City.. what mayhem caused by a clown with no limits or morals would look like.. what an evil villain hellbent on causing terror just for the sheer fun of it would act like.
Heath Ledger allowed the DARK KNIGHT to become the success it already is.. He led the film to new heights. And through it all, he has become the signal greatest movie villain on screen I have ever seen.
Arnold Schwarzenegger from TERMINATOR.. Michael Myers from HALLOWEEN .. Freddy Krueger from your NIGHTMARE.. Dracula, the witch from WIZARD OF OZ, all pale in comparison. Even Anthony Hopkins as HANNIBAL holds no candle to Heath Ledger as the Joker.. And yes, STAR WARS fans, even Darth Vadar pales in comparison to the clown prince of crime.
Ledger created a monster from nothing. A man that puts his own makeup on who simply wants to create terror in a city.. it turned into his greatest role, ever, in a film.
Fans and foes were mesmerized by his stunning performance. People were amazed as uncanny at his ability to completely delve into the deepest and darkest parts of the human psyche for the film..
From the very moment Ledger's Joker appeared on screen, the memory of Ceasar Romero, Jack Nicholson, or comic book inventions were completely forgotten. The role was his, for whatever reason he wanted it and for whatever road he was ready to take it on.
The first scene proved to be one of the greatest scenes of the film. A bank heist that shows the callousness and cruelty of the Joker in its finest. And from there on, he has no mercy for the innocent or the criminal.. The only one has has mercy for is BATMAN, the one person he wanted to keep alive simply because he "completes" him..
In a scene closer to the end of the film, Ledger's Joker describes in detail how the Batman really really doesn't want him to die.. How he wants to keep the Joker around ..
We all do.
That scene, without question, had the greatest ability to remind us all of the tragedy of Ledger's death.
Not to spoil the film for anyone here, but in DARK KNIGHT, the Joker doesn't die. But in real life, the man who played the Joker, is gone. If only we can live in fiction...
A fiction where heroes exist..
That fiction isn't reality.
And reality is cruel.
As DARK KNIGHT ended, I wanted it to keep going. I wanted Heath Ledger to stay with us just a little longer.. a few more minutes. Another scene.. Anything to keep this enormously purposeful act going a little longer.
But end we must..
And when it ended, I walked from the theater (twice now) absolutely convinced that the Ledger version of the Joker was cruel, sadistic, enormously funny, and quite surely the best and most exciting movie villain to appear on the big screen--of all time.
An Oscar performance..
And without him, the DARK KNIGHT wouldn't have nearly amounted to what it did. It was a long movie--long enough to keep wanting more from Ledger. It was a film with shady characters, mob bosses, and Two-Face. But it's the Joker we all wanted.. it's the Joker that lit the screen every time he appeared.
It's the Joker that is still existent in Gotham City.
But it's Heath Ledger forever gone from this very real world.
A performance for the ages.
Yes. It was just that damn good.
Mr. Bale, no offense, but it's not you that they are going to see.. It's Heath Ledger, with his disappearing pencil trick, his careless terrorism, and his way of making us all ask questions about morality deep down..
He dressed in a hospital dress.. purple .. clown makeup.. and evil. Heath Ledger played the Joker. The Joker circa 2008: The best movie villain of all time.
Period.
End.
And take it to the bank.
I'll have some more thoughts later on about this movie, Heath Ledger.. the good, the bad .. and ugly. I'll also have some thoughts on lamenting the death of Heath Ledger, who in this film proved himself as an actor, and led the Joker down a road to becoming the single greatest villain in any movie of all time..
BRIGHT LIGHTS FOR WARNER BROTHERS: RECORD MIDNIGHT OPENING FOR DARK KNIGHT, ALONG WITH FRIDAY NIGHT RECORD
'The Dark Knight' raked in $18.489 million in its midnight opening, according to distributor Warner Bros. That sets a new midnight opening record, beating 'Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith's benchmark of $16.5 million. 'Sith's full opening day ended up at $50 million...
The moment all BAT fans have waited for.. I myself have waited for years. Ever since the final scene in the last movie starring Christian Bale, when Commissioners Gordon flashed that Joker card.. Unbelievable path to tonight at midnight, when DARK KNIGHT will start appearing on screens around the nation.
All the news unfit to print for Saturday, July 12, 2008
How much will the DARK KNIGHT make?
Intrigue online tonight as many showings for BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT are already sold out--days before the movie even premiers!
Two weeks ago, theaters began selling out.. most are offering 12:01am showings on Friday .. the opening day of the most anticipated movie of the year.
Inside box office experts are expecting a gigantic weekend for the movie.. Topping $100 million obviously predictable. Some online have even asserted that the DARK KNIGHT opener may top--hold your breath--$200 mil..
Theaters have already been adding 3am and 6am shows by demand..
I have my tickets. The theater will be packed.
..But $200 mil? We'll see about that.
I completely forgot that Senator Patrick Leahy--lifelong BATMAN film--appears in a cameo in the DARK KNIGHT..
Leahy had a humorous comment on his appearance: When asked if he visioned the Joker as Dick Cheney, Leahy said, "No, I wasn't visualizing Dick Cheney. They can't use that dialogue in a PG-13 movie."
I am going to be completely unbiased in my reporting of the amount of money DARK KNIGHT makes at the box office. I will be pretty unbiased when it comes to reporting on Oscar possibilities for players in the film.. I will be a little unbiased when posting reviews from sources for the film. I will be completely biased when expressing my interest and love for this film.
It's not even out yet, I haven't seen it besides pirated 5 minutes online that have quickly been deleted from various sources, but I feel like already giving it four stars.
I have anticipated this movie for months, if not years. I have anticipated a movie finally laying to rest the images of Cesar Romero as the Joker .. images of his moustache being seen through white makeup. Images of a Joker that were so happy and opposite to what the comic book idea of the Joker was.
As great as Jack Nicholson was in the truly excellent Tim Burton version of BATMAN, it was not Ledger's performance. Heath Ledger, apparently, is sticking to the notion that the Joker really isn't funny, especially when he's busy trying to blow up hospitals and have no mercy on anyone.
The DARK KNIGHT really isn't going to be a kids movie, though I do see the Bale BATMAN and Ledger JOKER figures for sale at toy stories. But kids will see it. With parents. And all will be blown away by the performances of everyone in this film..
The other villain in this film, Harvey Dent, will explode from the "white knight" of Gotham City into Two Face. . .
But Two Face will have to wait.
Right now, it's the Joker's turn.
And goodbye to the images of Cesar as the clown prince of crime.
Reviews continue to come in for the most anticipated movie of the summer, if not the year, the DARK KNIGHT.
The movie continues to be heralded as unbelievable from more than a few sources, most recently being reviewed by the AP--which on the wires will now be read around the world.
"It's difficult to separate the movie from its mystique.
Even under ordinary circumstances, "The Dark Knight" would have been one of the most hotly awaited movies of the summer blockbuster season. The loss of Heath Ledger to an accidental prescription-drug overdose in January has amplified the buzz around the film — and his crazed performance as the Joker — to extraordinary levels.
Nothing could possibly satisfy that kind of expectation. "The Dark Knight" comes pretty close."
The AP goes on:
"Christopher Nolan's film is indeed an epic that will leave you staggering from the theater, stunned by its scope and complexity. It's also, thankfully, a vast improvement over his self-serious origin story, 2005's "Batman Begins."
Many people have spoken about Heath Ledger's performance.. Possible Oscar performance. The AP reviews,
"Nolan was wise enough, however, to give Ledger plenty of room to shine — albeit in the actor's indelibly perverse, twisted way. There's nothing cartoony about his Joker. Ledger wrested the role from previous performers Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson and reinvented it completely.
Yes, he's funny, wringing laughs from both clever one-liners and maniacally grand schemes. He can be playful, finding unexpected avenues into the character: "You complete me," he purrs to Batman, mockingly borrowing Tom Cruise's classic line from "Jerry Maguire" and dashing all possibilities for the Caped One's imminent retirement.
But because there's no logic behind his mayhem, he's also truly terrifying. The terror he inflicts on Gotham is meticulously planned (the opening bank heist, shot with IMAX cameras, is a marvel of timing) and yet his sole inspiration is to create chaos, then watch the city squirm and burn
The AP ends their review with three stars for DARK KNIGHT, out of four..
All the news unfit to print for Saturday, February 2, 2008
MARKETING HEATH Since the sudden death of Heath Ledger, websites have been buzzing about how Warner Brothers will continue the viral marketing BATMAN DARK KNIGHT campaign online .. The marketing ploys have used JOKER symbolism and substance.. a jolt to the studio took place when news surfaced that Heath Ledger was discovered dead in his apartment in New York City days ago.
According to SLATE, because of the intensity and dark features of the JOKER character in the DARK KNIGHT, cartoon images were being used to market to young children--this before Ledger's death.
The final question, only to be answered when BATMAN is released in the summer, is how fans across the world will react to the film, one that stars someone who tragically died young.
As far the rest of the DARK KNIGHT marketing campaign? Expect a lot of ELECT HARVEY DENT buttons and a lot more TWO FACE than originally anticipated..
The 16-year-old found Bush's secret White House phone number, called him, and asked him to come to Iceland and have a private meeting. The White House claims that the boy called the main switchboard, but the mother of the boy claims that he got the special phone number.. The young Icelandic friend of America said he had the number since he was about 11 or 12.. The boy was not charged.
The phone number most likely today has been deactivated.
All the news unfit to print for Sunday, December 9, 2007
Ok.. one more BATMAN post
Now I'm getting even more excited for this movie.
You may all have known about or did some online digging for BATMAN viral sites. The unconventional means of promoting the film.. I just came across two more, The Gotham City TIMES and then of course the Ha Ha Ha TIMES..
BATMAN-ON-FILM news has more viral sites linked in its archive..
The sites are genius to me. Complete genius. The movie is probably the most anticipated film of 2008, and the online viral campaign is only aiding to it. The sites that appear the JOKER took them over.. Just as he is trying to take over Gotham City itself. Even E! ONLINE was struck with confusion over a ringing cake from "The Joker"
Also genius.. COMPLETE GENIUS .. the toll free line on the Gotham City TIMES website 1-866-237-6480 actually works. When you call it you get the feel that you're calling a real voice mail in a news room.
The amount of sites is in question.. More seem to be found by fanboys every day. While I'm not out there searching for them I am enjoying them when I see them link on the BATMAN related blogs I get to..
A few of the many related viral sites: Gotham City bank, Gotham police.. And there is even a site Remembering Gina dedicated to a girl slain in 'gang violence in Gotham City'...
In a way, this film is being released in small trickles now. The release date is really July 8.. but we have a lot of BATMAN related discoveries to find until then... maybe the anticipation even more exciting perhaps than the film release itself.
The again, we do have I AM LEGEND this weekend.. Can't wait for that, either.
New BATMAN poster released.. The build up to this film is getting big. The movie better live up to it. This is probably the most important BATMAN film ever made. I think. Maybe I'll talk about why next year.
schmuck -shmuhk- a noun Slang. an obnoxious or contemptible person.
Origin:
1890-95; Yiddish shmok (vulgar) lit., penis of uncert. orig.
MUCKRAKER: A muckraker seeks to expose corruption of businesses or government to the public
Origin:
Theodore Roosevelt used the term muckrake in a 1906 speech in which he agreed with the
accusations of muckrakers, but questioned their methods
Schmuckraker: A website dedicated to expanding knowledge of readers by muckraking and
focusing on schmucks of society Origin: 1998 school newspaper
in Northeastern Pennsylvania
One year ago on Schmuckraker, we reported that there were rumors circulating online of an impending BATMAN death in DC COMICS. . . A year later, the rumors that abounded appear to be true: BATMAN is going to be killed. The twist though causing high degrees of controversy in comic circles, BATMAN is going to be killed by a man claiming to be his father..
Expectations: DARK KNIGHT $440+ by weekend's end, number 1 for 4th week
Finally, some unkind words are being mentioned about the DARK KNIGHT..
The voice.
That dreaded voice.
I will admit it, I went to see the DARK KNIGHT three times, and each time I did I noticed more and more how annoying the BATMAN Christian Bale voice was. Others have noticed, too..
The 
MAMMA MIA! THE DARK KNIGHT SETS RECORDS, LEADS BOX OFFICE TO BIGGEST EVER FOR HOLLYWOOD
THE GREATEST MOVIE VILLAIN OF ALL TIME
THE GREATEST MOVIE VILLAIN OF ALL TIME
I am going to be completely unbiased in my reporting of the amount of money DARK KNIGHT makes at the box office. I will be pretty unbiased when it comes to reporting on Oscar possibilities for players in the film.. I will be a little unbiased when posting reviews from sources for the film. I will be completely biased when expressing my interest and love for this film.
It's not even out yet, I haven't seen it besides pirated 5 minutes online that have quickly been deleted from various sources, but I feel like already giving it four stars.
I have anticipated this movie for months, if not years. I have anticipated a movie finally laying to rest the images of Cesar Romero as the Joker .. images of his moustache being seen through white makeup. Images of a Joker that were so happy and opposite to what the comic book idea of the Joker was.
As great as Jack Nicholson was in the truly excellent Tim Burton version of BATMAN, it was not Ledger's performance. Heath Ledger, apparently, is sticking to the notion that the Joker really isn't funny, especially when he's busy trying to blow up hospitals and have no mercy on anyone.
The DARK KNIGHT really isn't going to be a kids movie, though I do see the Bale BATMAN and Ledger JOKER figures for sale at toy stories. But kids will see it. With parents. And all will be blown away by the performances of everyone in this film..
The other villain in this film, Harvey Dent, will explode from the "white knight" of Gotham City into Two Face. . .
But Two Face will have to wait.
Right now, it's the Joker's turn.
And goodbye to the images of Cesar as the clown prince of crime.
And it continues.. The big time players keep admitting their viewing of the new BATMAN film, rating it online .. and even bragging that they were able to see the movie.
Finally, 
Since the sudden death of Heath Ledger, websites have been buzzing about how Warner Brothers will continue the viral marketing BATMAN DARK KNIGHT campaign online .. The marketing ploys have used JOKER symbolism and substance.. a jolt to the studio took place when news surfaced that Heath Ledger was discovered dead in his apartment in New York City days ago.
