It Took Me 25 Years to Realize....

It took me 25 years to realize that Helen Slater (who was Supergirl in 1984)

was the same girl that Michael J. Fox was trying to get with in the movie,
The Secret of My Success (1987).

Trailer for "Dark Knight Rises" Hits Web

By Mike Krumboltz:

The new trailer for "The Dark Knight Rises" is out and moviebuffs are all over the clip. We think even the most jaded fanboy or fangirl would agree that, all in all, the trailer is stunning. More importantly, it offers up new looks at key characters, amazing effects (watch a football field disappear!), and some timely character motivation.



Perhaps most telling is what Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle (aka Catwoman) whispers to Bruce Wayne while dancing.

"You think this can last," Kyle says, an apparent reference to Wayne's extreme wealth, and a nod to a much darker version of the real life 99% Occupy Movement. "There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne. You and your friends better batten down the hatches. Because when it hits you're all going to wonder how you ever thought you could live so large and leave so little for the rest of us."

The screen then fills with images of mansions being ransacked, the wealthy cowering under antique tables, and prisons exploding with newly freed convicts carrying automatic weapons (natch).

That chilling bit of dialogue is just one of many bits worth noting in a trailer that is chock full of 'em. Alfred, played by Michael Caine, appears to be at a crossroads. The political machine may be turning against the newly-crowned Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman). And Bane (played by Tom Hardy) looks like scariest dude this side of the Joker. "When Gotham is in ashes," he tells a seemingly defeated Bruce Wayne, "you have my permission to die."

Other A-list actors make appearances in the trailer, but they're there and gone so quickly you may not notice. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is in there for about half a second, as is Oscar-winner Marion Cotillard. Fans of "Full Metal Jacket" may notice Mathew Modine. And, of course, the Batmobile (which isn't technically an actor, but still) makes an impressive appearance.

Commenters from around the Web are, of course, chiming in with their thoughts. Most are focusing on the movie's seemingly political message. One commenter on EW writes, "GOP fears Batman." Another speculates, "At one event, there are people at a football game. A stadium filled of the working class? At another event, a posh event full of the powerful elite. If that's so, why is Bane attacking the working man? Maybe Bane represents the powerful bully (corporations, 1%) disguised as a working man."

Over at IGN, a poster wrote that he was excited about the trailer but that Bane's voice was hard to understand. "I had to watch it a couple times before I got what he said." Another notes that Bane's dialogue makes him sound a bit like a James Bond villain. And another wrote, "Wow. I got the shivers watching that! This movie is going to be just as good as (if not better) than the Dark Knight!"

Director Michael Bay

One of my top favorite motion picture directors of all time would be Michael Bay.

This legendary film maker is an inspiration to anyone who dreams of working in the motion picture industry.

Here is some history on this incredible person:

After launching his career as an award-winning commercial and music video director, Michael Bay quickly emerged as one of Hollywood's boldest and most bankable feature film directors. Characterized by his aggressive visual style and high-octane action sequences that have become the L.A. native's cinematic signature, the films that Bay has directed and produced have hit $3 billion in worldwide ticket sales.

Now established as one of the industry's elite action filmmakers, Bay has been dazzling audiences since the premiere of his first feature film, Bad Boys, starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, in 1995. The $9 million film won Best Action Sequence at the MTV Movie Awards, and it grossed over $140 million worldwide, making it Columbia Pictures' top-grossing film of that year. Bay's impressive sophomore effort, The Rock, starring Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage, followed a year later. Shot on location on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, The Rock surpassed Bay's blockbuster debut, taking in more than $335 million worldwide. His third directing effort was Armageddon, an idea he came up with, with writer Jonathan Hensleigh; Bay produced with Jerry Bruckheimer. Armageddon starred Bruce Willis, Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler, and earned over $550 million around the globe.

Bay continued his hot streak in 2001, directing the epic Pearl Harbor and sharing producer credit on the film with Bruckheimer. Their collaboration once again bore fruit, as Pearl Harbor raked in $450 million in box office receipts worldwide, and at the time became the best selling DVD of all time. In 2003, Bay reteamed with Smith, Lawrence and Bruckheimer for the summer hit Bad Boys II. The filmmaker's followed that effort with the action thriller The Island, starring Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean and Steve Buscemi.

Bay's most recent film was the story of the summer of 2007: Transformers. Bay turned an 80s cartoon into an exciting live-action blockbuster that grossed over $700 million worldwide, making it Bay's most successful film to date, and established it as Dream works' biggest film franchise. It's currently on track to be the bestselling DVD of 2007.

He just finished the third chapter to Transformers, released this pass summer.

Bay's production company, Bay Films, remains one of the most cutting-edge production entities in Hollywood today and continues to grow. Five years ago, Bay joined forces with producers Brad Fuller and Andrew Form to create Platinum Dunes, a company whose mission is to make films with budgets under $20 million that would give talented commercial and video directors the chance to break into the feature world. The first offering from the company was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, a re-imagining of the 1974 cult classic, which opened to top-notch reviews and grossed over $110 million worldwide. The company's second film, The Amityville Horror, reached receipts of more than $108 million. Two more films quickly followed: the original script, Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2: The Beginning, which earned $51 million; and a re-conceptualization of the 1986 thriller, The Hitcher, that garnered $20 million. Platinum Dunes's next film is The Horsemen, starring Dennis Quaid, Ziyi Zhang, Peter Stormare and Eric Balfour under the direction of Jonas Akerlund, and executive-produced by Bay. Also on the slate are re-imaginings of Friday the 13th, Near Dark, and The Birds, as well as the original Fiasco Heights.

Last year Bay and two partners bought one of the film industry's premier digital effects houses, Digital Domain, from James Cameron. A world leader which provided effects in Titanic, Transformers, and Pirates of the Caribbean, the company is expanding into video games and will be the first production house to build an animation film in a gaming engine, which will greatly reduce animation costs.

One week out of out of film school in 1989, Bay began directing commercials and music videos for Propaganda Films. His works for such acts as Meat Loaf, Aerosmith, Tina Turner, Donny Osmond, and the DiVinyls won the young filmmaker recognition, acclaim, and a number of MTV Video Award nominations. He won the coveted Best Music Video prize in 1992 and 1999.

When Bay's first television spot –– for the American Red Cross –– was honored with a Clio in 1992, it heralded the aspiring film director's rapid ascent from unknown film school grad to creative force. Over the next three years, the Wesleyan University graduate would direct some of the best known and most acclaimed advertising campaigns in the world, including those for Nike, Budweiser, Coca Cola, Reebok, Miller and Victoria's Secret. In 1995, Bay, at the young age of 27, was honored by the Directors Guild of America as Commercial Director of the Year.

Bay is the youngest director to have won nearly every award bestowed by the advertising industry. He won the Grand Prix Clio for Commercial of the Year for the irreverent "Got Milk?/Aaron Burr" commercial; this famous spot was voted into the top ten classic spots of all time. Bay's famous "Got Milk" campaign now resides in the permanent collection of New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Today was the release of video game Need For Speed: The Run. Here is a trailer directed by Michael Bay.



Source: www.michaelbay.com

The Hurt Locker

In the summer of 2004, Sergeant J.T. Sanborn and Specialist Owen Eldridge of Bravo Company are at the volatile center of the war, part of a small counterforce specifically trained to handle the homemade bombs, or Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), that account for more than half of American hostile deaths and have killed thousands of Iraqis. A high-pressure, high-stakes assignment, the job leaves no room for mistakes, as they learn when they lose their team leader on a mission.

When Staff Sergeant William James takes over the team, Sanborn and Eldridge are shocked by what seems like his reckless disregard for military protocol and basic safety measures. And yet, in the fog of war, appearances are never reliable for long. Is James really a swaggering cowboy who lives for peak experiences and the moments when the margin of error is zero - or is he a consummate professional who has honed his esoteric craft to high-wire precision?

As the fiery chaos of Baghdad swirls around them, the men struggle to understand and contain their new leader long enough for them to make it home. They have only 38 days left in their tour of Iraq, but with each new mission comes another deadly encounter, and as James blurs the line between bravery and bravado, it seems only a matter of time before disaster will strike.

Best Original Screenplay
Best Film Editing
Best Sound Editing
Best Sound Mixing
Best Picture
Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow

Legion- Now Playing!

by: THRILL

Well, I saw Legion. The trailers had me curious.

Interesting concept: The movie is about God losing faith in mankind and sending His angels to earth to destroy humans. Yet, the angel "Michael", falls to earth, cuts his wings off, and rebels against God by trying to protect one group of people from being slain by angel-possessed humans.

I didn't like this movie because of how it made God look like an @$$hole. History is endless with how many times God has tried to convince humans how much love and hope He has for us. Plus, historic documentation, such as Genesis chapter 9, sections 8 through 17, explain how God will not whipe out mankind due to our decline into evilness. But whatever, it was just a movie, right?

Still, I despised the underlining theme that the movie preached to society: that God is bad, and being unGodly is the correct way for a person to live their life. Yeah, there are a few scenes in the movie where the character Michael (Paul Bettany) does deliver righteous dialogue. Some lines felt convicting, or atleast gave the philosophers in the audience something to chew on. In the movie, Bob Hanson (Dennis Quaid) says, "I don't even believe in God." Then, Michael (Bettany) replies, "Well, He doesn't believe in you either."

It would be horrifying to think about what life would be like if God got tired of our bull$#!+. But the gracious part is: God is not human. Our God is a loving God and has abundant patience. As despicable as we've become, He remains patient in waiting for us to choose to love Him. Sadly, with all the blessings in life we receive from God, many of us will still choose to disrespect, hate, and deny Him.



In the film, there is no mention of anything evil. No demons, no satan, nothing. Interesting. However, the "first wave" of angels that came to earth in this film seemed more like demons, especially with the possessed characteristics. If you haven't seen the film, I'm sure you've seen the previews with the evil looking grandma.

Sure it bothered me that the movie made God look like a douche, but it also hurt that the movie (like so many other Hollywood made motion pictures) portrayed "Jesus Freaks" as being unrighteously judgemental. One character in the movie gets picked on by "an angel-possessed" grandma for being pregnant without having a husband. The character retorts the phrase "Jesus Freak", as if it is common for "Jesus Freaks" to pass unrighteous judgement on people.

I did like how the two main angels in the movie, Michael and Gabriel (Kevin Durand), where portrayed as very masculine and warrior like. Though they didn't get into it, there were minuscule hints of the technology in Heaven. The heavenly technology, mainly Gabriel's hand-held mace, and all the man-made assault rifles that Michael dual-wielded made the film's action sequences very cool.

For me, the movie started off blasphemous, turned awesome, felt convicting, then ended gay.

If you have to choose between going to see this movie or the other one, choose the other one. I should have NetFlixed this. If for some reason I do end up owning this insult, it will collect dust next to Dawn of the Dead and The Parent Trap.

No sex scenes.
No sexual references.
Violence, people getting shot, dying.
Lots of guns.
Adult Language.
Rated: R

Maguire, Raimi Out of "Spider-Man" Franchise

LOS ANGELES - Tobey Maguire's web-slinging days are behind him.

The 34-year-old actor and "Spider-Man" director Sam Raimi will not be returning to the superhero franchise next year. Instead, Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios announced Monday that a new "Spider-Man" film based on a script by James Vanderbilt that focuses on Peter Parker in high school would debut in the summer of 2012 with a new cast and filmmaking team.

"I am so proud of what we accomplished with the 'Spider-Man' franchise over the last decade," Maguire said in a statement Monday. "Beyond the films themselves, I have formed some deep and lasting friendships. I am excited to see the next chapter unfold in this incredible story."

The announcement of a reboot comes after reports that "Spider-Man 4" production stalled amid script revisions. The original "Spider-Man 4" release date seemed unlikely last week when Paramount Pictures announced that "Thor," another big-screen Marvel superhero adaptation, had hammered out the same May 6, 2011, release date as the fourth Spidey installment.

"Working on the 'Spider-Man' movies was the experience of a lifetime for me," Raimi, who directed all three "Spider-Man" films, also said in a statement Monday. "While we were looking forward to doing a fourth one together, the studio and Marvel have a unique opportunity to take the franchise in a new direction, and I know they will do a terrific job."

Maguire said in an interview last week that there was "great stuff in terms of story and script" for the fourth chapter and the plan was to still release the film in 2011. He also said he had specific ideas about the evolution of the character on the big screen.

"Thor" experienced its own upheaval over the weekend. Stuart Townsend departed the adaptation because of creative differences, according to two AP sources close to the production. Townsend, who had been cast as an ally of the Norse god, was replaced by Joshua Dallas.

The three "Spider-Man" films continually snared moviegoers, earning over $1.1 billion combined. After glowing reaction to the first two films, critical response to "Spider-Man 3" was so-so. Raimi said he was undecided about returning to the franchise after the third movie but later said he didn't like thinking about somebody else making the Peter Parker story.

Sony said it would have more news about the next "Spider-Man" movie in coming weeks.

New 'Fight Club' Blu-rays Come with a Prank by the Director

by: Lindsey Robertson

Don't be shocked when you load up your new Blu-ray version of director David Fincher's 1999 cult classic "Fight Club" this holiday season and the menu screen appears to be from the Drew Barrymore romantic comedy "Never Been Kissed." It turns out it's all a prank by Fincher.

After noticing the gag with a preview copy, The Onion's AV Club contacted Fox Home Entertainment and had its suspicions confirmed: while the original "Fight Club" menu replaces the "Never Been Kissed" one after a few seconds, the "snafu" was no accident.

Turns out that Fincher thought it would be funny to use the menu from a sweet bubble-gum romance -- the farthest possible thing from the very dark "Fight Club" -- that was a much bigger box office success when both films were released in 1999. Barrymore's inexpensive comedy grossed $55 million in the U.S., while the big-budget "Fight Club" only brought in $37 million. Of course, "Fight Club" has developed a loyal and vocal fan following over the past decade, and it is listed in the top 10 of Total Film's and Empire magazine's Greatest Films of All Time lists.

Don't worry about the practical joke hurting Drew Barrymore's feelings, though. "Fight Club" actor Edward Norton is friends with the "Never Been Kissed" star and producer, so she gave the OK for the gag. Sharp-eyed viewers can also spot Barrymore in the movie itself. There is one shot of a discarded Movieline magazine with her on the cover.

Critics that were sent a review copy of the new Blu-ray were specifically asked not to disclose the joke before it went on sale this past Tuesday. Apparently, the first rule of "Fight Club" still stands: you do not talk about "Fight Club."

Is It a Demon?

Coming Soon to Theatres!

Terminator Salvation- Now Playing!

by: THRILL

Not much to say, other than the fact that this movie was totally
AWESOME!

Music by Danny Elfman and Directed by McG... on of my back pocket favorite movie directors.
You'll even get to see Tim Burton's wife.

I'm glad I saw this movie in theatres because the sound was well done. Hearing the noise that the giant machines and terminators make on a theatre surround sound is very creepy.

Christian Bale, playing the character John Conner, was ... well... you know I'm going to say it again,
AWESOME!
He brought a lot more macho-ness to the character than previous John Conner performers.

When I watch movies, sometimes I mentally put myself in the hero, or main character's part of the story and learn/revise what I would do in a similar situation. Watching this movie, all I could think was that several times during the story, I'm so glad I didn't have to deal with that.

In other words, dang! How could I deal with THAT specific terminator model. These aren't zombies, vampires, or even terrorists. These are stainless steel robots!

The movie had plenty of action. It had the right amount of horror (the realization that the characters are in a sucky situation) and looked incredibly real. I thought it did. Nothing looked faked.

I liked this Terminator movie better than the others... even though part one was a classic, and part two was everyones' favorite, and in three- guys only remember the terminator enhancing [her/it's] breast size... Terminator Salvation is my favorite.

It was
AWESOME!

Check out the web site: http://terminatorsalvation.warnerbros.com/

Taken (2009) -Now Playing!

This movie is truly awesome!

I highly recommend this movie to everyone.

It makes a great father/daughter film, no doubt.

Liam Neeson gives an incredible performance. The story line of the film keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. Very suspensful and full of great action.... I had to pee so bad, but I held it in because I did not want to get up and miss a minute.




The seventeen year-old Kim is the pride and joy of her father, the retired agent Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson). Kim lives with her mother Lenore and her wealthy stepfather Stuart; she convinces the reluctant Bryan to sign an authorization to travel to Paris with her friend Amanda. When they arrive, they share a cab with the stranger Peter and Amanda tells to him that they are alone in Paris. When Bryan succeeds in contacting his daughter, she tells that criminals have just broken into the hotel and they are kidnapped by an Albanese gang of human trafficking. Bryan promises in the phone to kill the kidnapper of his daughter and immediately travels to Paris to find Kim and chase the criminals.

Need To Know Facts on The Four "Fast and Furious" Films

The Four 'Fast & Furious' Films

by Matt McDaniel

"The Fast and the Furious" roared onto movie screens in 2001, and it made Vin Diesel a household name (even though it's not the name he was born with). Eight years later, Vin has returned for another spin in "Fast & Furious" along with the original's stars Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jordana Brewster. So here's a look under the hood of the four films with some inside facts you might not know about how they were put together. Plus, we have an exclusive racing scene from the movie introduced by Vin Diesel himself.

1. "The Fast and the Furious" shares its title but not its story with a low-budget movie from 1954. It was one of the first films produced by B-movie legend Roger Corman, who also drove a car in one of the movie's race scenes. He got so into it he forgot his car was supposed to lose, and afterward the notoriously stingy producer had to pay up the money to reshoot the scene.

2. "Racer X," a Vibe Magazine article by Kenneth Li, was the inspiration for the first movie. It delved into the culture of illegal street racers in New York City and their tricked-out import cars. Dominic Toretto's line in the movie, "I live my life a quarter mile at a time," was something said by Rafael "Ralphy" Estevez, the real-life driver in the story.

3.Vin Diesel was born Mark Sinclair Vincent, and he adopted his pseudonym while working as bouncer at a New York City nightclub. He struggled at first to find work as an actor, and it inspired "Muti-Facial," a short film he wrote and directed that played at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival. Steven Spielberg saw his film, which lead to Diesel getting cast in "Saving Private Ryan."

4. Toretto's Mazda RX7 in the first movie originally had a roll cage, but it had to be removed so that Vin Diesel could fit in the driver's seat. Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale and Eminem were all considered for the part of Brian O'Connor before Paul Walker was cast. Neither Michelle Rodriguez nor Jordana Brewster had a driver's license when they were hired.

5. "The Fast and the Furious" was a surprise hit, earning more money its first weekend than the movie's entire budget. Diesel turned down a role in the sequel, so Walker was paired with Tyrese Gibson for "2 Fast 2 Furious." Not only did Walker do some of his own stunt driving in the movie, he did it in his own Nissan Skyline.

6. "Tokyo Drift," the third movie in the series, centered on a new set of characters, though Vin Diesel did appear at the end in a surprise cameo. Some of the movie was shot in Japan, but most of the racing scenes were filmed in Los Angeles. The film made less money in the US than the previous two, but it earned more internationally than the first movie.

7. "Fast & Furious" finally reunites the four lead actors from the original film eight years later. Originally, the plan was to make "Toretto," a solo movie with just Diesel's character, but that was put aside to do the reunion film. The opening of this movie takes place before "Tokyo Drift" chronologically, because it features Sung Kang's character, Han, who died in the third movie.

8. Diesel also directed a 20-minute prequel to "Fast & Furious" called "Los Bandoleros" that fills in what Dominic has been doing between the movies. It shows him meeting back up with Michelle Rodriguez's character in the Dominican Republic. Diesel calls it the "Anti-Fast" because it doesn't have any car scenes. The short film will be on the "Fast & Furious" DVD

9. One of the new faces in "Fast & Furious" is Gal Gadot, who makes her feature film debut as Gisele. Gadot is a former model who won the title of Miss Israel in 2004 and competed in the Miss Universe pageant. She had recently finished her military service before auditioning for the film, and she appeared in Maxim Magazine's "Women of the Israeli Army" photo shoot.

10. There's one other big star that's returning for "Fast & Furious": Toretto's 1970 Dodge Charger. None of the classic muscle cars from the first movie were still in working order, so the production had to piece them together from parts collected from around the country. In this movie, Dominic also drives a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, a '73 Chevrolet F-Bomb Camaro, and a '87 Buick Grand National GNX.

The cast has been cagey about saying who would come back for a fifth movie. There's been talk another installment would have Vin and Paul racing around Europe. It will all depend on how this one does at the box office. To get a peek at the action in "Fast & Furious," take a look at the racing scene below.

"The Dark Knight" STILL Leads Box Office!!!

"The Dark Knight" leads box office for third weekend

By Dean Goodman

"The Dark Knight" fended off a strong challenge from the new "Mummy" sequel to lead the North American box office for a third weekend, and is on track to become the second-biggest movie of all time.

The Batman blockbuster earned $43.8 million for the three days beginning Friday, distributor Warner Bros. Pictures said on Sunday. Universal's "The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor" followed with $42.5 million.

The Walt Disney Co. political comedy "Swing Vote" came in at No. 6 with just $6.3 million, the latest disappointment for its star, Kevin Costner, who has not had a $100 million movie since 1992's "The Bodyguard."

The total for "The Dark Knight" rose to $394.9 million. Warner Bros., a unit of Time Warner Inc, said it expects the film to add at least $100 million, surpassing the $461 million haul of 1977's "Star Wars" and its two reissues, the current No. 2 movie of all time in the United States and Canada. The $601 million record, held by 1997's "Titanic," seems watertight. Adjusted for inflation, though, "Titanic" ranks at No. 6, far behind "Gone with the Wind" at $1.4 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

"The Dark Knight" will add yet another record to its impressive tally on Monday or Tuesday, when it breaks $400 million, which would be its 18th or 19th day of release. The old record of 43 days is held by 2004's "Shrek 2."

Internationally, "The Dark Knight" has earned $205 million, Warner Bros. said. Top markets include Britain with $50 million and Australia with $32 million.

MUMMY BIG OVERSEAS
Pundits had predicted that the "Mummy" movie could open to upwards of $50 million domestically, roughly in between its two predecessors, but the critically mauled Brendan Fraser film was a little bruised by the Batman juggernaut.

It marks the follow-up to 2001's "The Mummy Returns," which opened to $68 million. The franchise relaunched in 1999 with a $43.4 million bow for "The Mummy."

Universal said "The Mummy" was big internationally. The film, co-starring Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh, opened to $59.5 million from 28 territories. Top markets included Russia and South Korea, each with about $13 million. Because the action is set in China, and the Olympic Games kick off in Beijing on Friday, Universal has been cross-promoting the movie with its General Electric Co corporate sibling NBC, which holds the U.S. broadcast rights to the games.

Fraser has had a low profile since appearing as part of the ensemble in the Oscar-winning 2004 movie "Crash." But he now has two movies in the top 5, with Warner Bros.' "Journey to the Center of the Earth" at No. 5 with a four-week total of $73.1 million.

"Swing Vote," in which Costner plays a hard-drinking oaf whose vote will determine the outcome of a U.S. presidential election, was released as a counterprogramming attempt. Disney distribution president Chuck Viane billed it as "a thinking person's movie," but it ended up being one of the worst openings of Costner's career. Reviews were mixed.

Disney's only summer success, the Pixar-produced cartoon "WALL-E" has earned $204.2 million after six weeks, and will pass the $206 million haul of last year's "Ratatouille." But it will end up as only the sixth-biggest of Pixar's nine productions.

Despite the strong performance of "The Dark Knight" and "The Mummy," overall sales fell for the second consecutive weekend, according to tracking firm Media By Numbers. The top 12 films grossed $149 million, down 10 percent from the year-ago period. Year to date, revenues are flat at $5.9 billion, while the number of tickets sold is down almost 3 percent.

The Dark Knight movie review

The Dark Knight Triumphs.

by THRILL

Well, I finally saw The Dark Knight and it was AWESOME! It was over two hours long, but I'm happy with that. I love it when movies are long like that ONLY if it's a sweet film like this one. An example of sitting through hell for hours would be like the film Spirited Away. My God did that movie suck.

Christian Bale returns to portray Batman/Bruce Wayne. Though, Michael Keaton will be remembered by many as the true Batman/Bruce Wayne, I really like what Christian Bale brought to the table. He is a bit handsomer that Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne, plus I like how Christian Bale makes Batman sound in speech. He'll talk deep and scary and I feel that that's how Batman should sound.

In Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, I like how Batman moves (disappears and reappears) like a ninja. The genesis story lines of Batman back-in-the-day showed Batman moving with a stealth like quality. More sneaking around like a ninja/detective. You'll see plenty of mysterious maneuvers in this film.

What I also found freakin' sweet was a scene that I'm sure you've picked up from the previews: where Bruce Wayne drives a personal civilian vehicle. His Lamborghini Murcielago. Totally awesome because I love how Batman isn't just a superhero, but has dough to spend. That's the dream. I do like how Spiderman is someone I can relate to, but Batman doesn't have to worry about finding rent money and finishing college.

In The Dark Knight, Gotham City was shot with the city of Chicago. I personally was always a New York City fan for Gotham but I got over it quickly. Most people who go see The Dark Knight I'm sure will not care. I will admit that Chicago has very beautiful buildings and I noticed that during the film.

I got confused because the story line switched actresses on me. My fault for not paying better attention. In The Dark Knight, it was Maggie Gyllenhaal who played the character Rachel Dawes. In Batman Begins, it was actress Katie Holmes who portraid Rachel Dawes. I actually liked Maggie Gyllenhaal better. She sold me on the character. Katie Holmes just did not do it for me. Plus, I think Maggie Gyllenhaal is much prettier.

Speaking of being-sold-on-the-character, hats off to Heath Ledger! What a performance. His acting was so on, If I didn't know the cast before hand, there would have been no way I would have ever guessed that The Joker was Heath Ledger. Even as I watch the film and view The Jokers face up close, it looks nothing like Heath Ledger.

This version of The Joker was nothing like its predecessors. Though this movie was rated PG-13, The Joker was pushing a rated R performance. This element is something I really liked about this movie. All the events and characters seemed very real. Instead of The Joker having a "young Daffy Duck" attitude, he had more of a real, mentally unstable, violent personality which would make sense to how would The Joker be in real life.

It honestly is sad that Heath Ledger is no longer with us. If Hollywood were to write another story line involving The Joker, what actor could do better? I'd hate to think of having the pressure of filling those shoes. Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, and Michael Caine return, all of which are extrodinary actors. We also see Aaron Eckhart play the character Harvey Dent, and yes I'll spoil it for you: You can see Harvey Dent become Two Face in The Dark Knight.

This film has great philosophy on sacrafice, taking a life, doing the right thing, and courage. In the film, the characters Alfred, The Joker, and Harvey Dent make jaw-dropping comments that are on-the-nose truthful and righteous. This is also another great reason I want to see this film a second time.

Plus, the special effects (and especially the explosions) are really cool!

New Weekend Record: The Dark Knight

''Dark Knight'' Sets Weekend Record with $155.34M

"The Dark Knight" took in a record $155.34 million in its first weekend, topping the previous best of $151.1 million for "Spiderman 3" in May 2007 and pacing Hollywood to its biggest weekend ever, according to studio estimates Sunday.

"We knew it would be big, but we never expected to dominate the marketplace like we did," said Dan Fellman, head of distribution for Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight." The movie should shoot past the $200 million mark by the end of the week, he said.

Hollywood set an overall revenue record of $253 million for a three-day weekend, beating the $218.4 million haul over the weekend of July 7, 2006, according to box-office tracker Media By Numbers.

"This weekend is such a juggernaut," said Nikki Rocco, head of distribution for Universal, whose musical "Mamma Mia!" debuted at No. 2 with $27.6 million.

Factoring in higher admission prices, "Spider-Man 3" may have sold slightly more tickets than "The Dark Knight."

At 2007's average price of $6.88, "Spider-Man 3" sold 21.96 million tickets over opening weekend. Media By Numbers estimates today's average movie prices at $7.08, which means "The Dark Knight" would have sold 21.94 million tickets.

Revenue totals for "The Dark Knight" could change when final numbers are released Monday.

The movie's release was preceded by months of buzz and speculation over the performance of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, Batman's nemesis. Ledger, who died in January from an accidental prescription-drug overdose, played the Joker as a demonic presence, his performance prompting predictions that the role might earn him a posthumous Academy Award nomination.

"The average opening gross of the last five `Batman' movies is $47 million. This tripled that, and for a reason," said Paul Dergarabedian, president of Media By Numbers. "A big part of that was the Heath Ledger mystique and a phenomenal performance that absolutely deserves the excitement surrounding it."

"The Dark Knight" reunites director Christopher Nolan with his "Batman Begins" star Christian Bale, whose vigilante crime-fighter is taunted and tested by Ledger's Joker as the villain unleashes violence and chaos on the city of Gotham.

Overseas, "The Dark Knight" added $40 million in 20 countries where it began opening Wednesday, including Australia, Mexico and Brazil. The film opens in Great Britain this weekend and rolls out to most of the rest of the world over the next few weeks.

"The Dark Knight," which cost $185 million to make, also broke the "Spider-Man 3" record for best debut in IMAX large-screen theaters with $6.2 million. "Spider-Man 3" opened with $4.7 million in IMAX cinemas.

"Every single show is sold out," said Greg Foster, IMAX chairman and president. "We're adding shows as much as we can, but we're at 100 percent capacity."

On opening day Friday, "The Dark Knight" also took in more money than previously counted, Fellman said. The film pulled in a record $67.85 million, up nearly $1.5 million from the studio's estimates a day earlier.

The previous opening-day record also had been held by "Spider-Man 3" with $59.8 million.

Women accounted for most of the audience for "Mamma Mia!", which Universal opened as counter-programming to the male-dominated audience for "The Dark Knight."

"With the crowded summer, we knew we would have to find the right weekend, and this seemed like the perfect one considering three-quarters of our audience was female," Rocco said.

Based on the stage musical set to the tunes of ABBA, "Mamma Mia!" features Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgard, Julie Walters and Christine Baranski.

The weekend's other new wide release, 20th Century Fox's animated family flick "Space Chimps," opened at No. 7 with $7.4 million.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

1. "The Dark Knight," $155.34 million.

2. "Mamma Mia!", $27.6 million.

3. "Hancock," $14 million.

4. "Journey to the Center of the Earth," $11.9 million.

5. "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army," $10 million.

6. "WALL-E," $9.8 million.

7. "Space Chimps," $7.4 million.

8. "Wanted," $5.1 million.

9. "Get Smart," $4.1 million.

10. "Kung Fu Panda," $1.8 million.

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