BATMAN BEGINS is one of the greatest superhero movies ever made. Why? Chris Nolan. Nolan is a director with an impeccable track record thus far (MEMENTO, INSOMNIA, THE PRESTIGE) and he just plain knows his stuff. Better yet, he knows who to work with. That’s why I didn’t blink an eye when he cast Heath Ledger as the villainous Joker in next summer’s blockbuster, THE DARK KNIGHT. I trust Nolan and he trusts Ledger. Nolan also trusts 42 Entertainment, a Seattle-based creator of alternate reality games, and he has good reason. Many a fanboy’s mind has been blown in the last few weeks via exposure to 42 Entertainment’s innovative viral marketing campaign for TDK.

They gave us websites, phone numbers (1-800-395-9646), and live events at the San Diego Comic Con, all leading up to the release of the first teaser trailer for TDK (BIG or SMALL).

And guess what? It’s awesome. It’s a while before TDK hits theaters (July 18, 2008), so let’s hope 42 Entertainment has plenty more tricks up its sleeve. Between TDK and “Cloverfield” (J. J. Abrams’ super-secret monster movie) they sure have their hands full.

And all is once again right with the world. I broke my own rule and checked out the trailer for his new film ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ on the Apple trailers site…

Man, can he shoot a picture! Anderson’s work has been near and dear to my heart ever since ‘Bottle Rocket’, one of the movies that firmly cemented my desire to be a filmmaker. ‘Rushmore’ was phenomenal, ‘The Royal Tennenbaums’ even better. I felt like he backtracked a little bit with the Zizou movie: for me it seemed like a retread of Tennenbaums, but not as tight. Unfazed by this misstep, I waited with bated breath for word of his next project.

Well, the wait appears to be over. ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ looks phenomenal. The plot seems to revolve around three brothers on a spiritual journey through India, who end up regenerating their damaged family bond. Longtime collaborators Luke Wilson and Jason Schwartzman are back, always good for a laugh, a cry, or an otherwise stirring performance. Oh, and for good measure, how about a little Oscar-winner? Yeah, that’s Adrian Brody rounding out the principle cast.

Themes of familial love overcoming dysfunction have been a part of all of Anderson’s films, something that resonates so profoundly for myself, and for many in the modern world. Besides that goodness, ‘The Darjeeling Limited’ has Anderson’s trademark look: intimate camera work, lush, ridiculously-detailed production design, and a deadpan irony that engenders either love or hate, but never apathy.

Check it out, it’s gonna be something!

Jeez, could this post have been any more dorky…

Agnes Varnum’s wealth of knowledge, and the concise way in which she communicates, never ceases to amaze me. Along with being a wonderful person and friend, I always learn from her during our conversations. Her latest item as the official Indiewire Doc Blogger tackles the murky territory of the Oscar qualifying run. I would strongly suggest printing it out for the subway home. And not to fan yourself off with. To read. Closely. And then fan yourself off with, if need be.
Another one of my favorite bloggers is Karina Longworth, who delights me not only with her witty and illuminating daily posts at Spout , but also keeps me abreast of everything from her daily lunches to her thoughts on Lohan-mania via the addictive, yet maddening web “service” Twitter the ultimate in both narcissism and voyeurism.

I saw Danny Boyle’s newest film, SUNSHINE, last Friday night, and as my friends and I left the theater, we had the sensation that we’d been staring directly into the sun for the past two hours. The film certainly doesn’t lack the intensity of his other works, TRAINSPOTTING and 28 DAYS LATER, both favorites of mine.

When I’d first seen the trailer I thought it just looked ridiculous. The premise - it is the future and a few young, attractive astronauts fly to the dying sun to reactivate it - was too implausible. Its only saving grace was the director.

He pulled it off. I was convinced and I was stimulated. I sat staring wide-eyed, hands covering my gaping mouth, throughout most of the movie. The visual effects were captivating and the plot extraordinarly absorbing. And that premise which I was so skeptical about transformed into something original and even possible. That is, up until the twist.

Boyle has tackled a variety of genres, but his forte is horror. Even TRAINSPOTTING, disturbing as it is, but not a horror flick, includes images that should only be in horror movies. (I had nightmares about the bloated baby crawling across the ceiling for weeks after I watched it.) Again, Boyle cannot help himself and halfway through SUNSHINE there is a twist that sends the plot reeling in another direction. Of course, I’m not going to reveal what that is, but with this turn, the plot becomes as implausible as I thought it would be going in, and way more intense than I could have imagined. Boyle adds his horror to the realm of science fiction.

I still loved the film. I’m still thinking about it a few days later, and when I watched the trailer online again, I couldn’t turn away. So despite the twist, despite the incredible intensity of it, I’d definately recommend it. Just be prepared when you go into the theater, and when you leave.

Everyone constantly asks the question: “What’s your favorite movie?” I always find it a bizarre kind of question to ask, because one tends to have different favorite movies at different points in one’s life and your old favorites somehow manage to stay with you. For instance, when I was 5 my favorite movie was Dumbo and I may not feel like watching it anymore, but I still has a place in my heart for the awkward elephant.

I also tend to have favorite parts of various movies as opposed to a favorite film. I may not love a movie as a whole, but there will be a particular scene that speaks to me. For example, having just seen Pulp Fiction for the first time (which reminded me eerily a lot of the “Departed”- both phenomenal films), the scene of John Travolta dancing with Uma Thurman in a 50s cafe is priceless. I could also watch the scene of Harpo playing the harp, with “Comci Comca” in the background, from “Night at the Opera” a hundred times over and never get tired of it. There is Julia Delphy dancing for Ethan Hawke in “Before Sunset,” Jimmy Stewart carrying a drunken Katharine Hepburn in “Philadelphia Story” and Woody Allen’s split-screen meeting of his girlfriend’s family in “Annie Hall.” All these scenes have some unique “something” about them that make them unforgettable.

For this reason, “Paris, je t’aime,” might be my new “favorite” film. It contains not one, but many of these magical scenes. Consisting of twenty 5 minute films produced by twenty filmmakers who brought their own styles to the movie, it has wonderful pieces to it wherein the lives of characters become transparent to viewers. I felt that I could see into a person’s life through a five minute window.

Only lightly woven together, each scene stands on its own and connects with the others merely by location or by an odd person or two living near or being acquainted with one another. However, the meticulous way the film goes about studying all different kinds of love through the sacrifices people make, or the pain they cause one another, unites the movie.

Its a film where you may not like it in its entirety or may not like all of its parts, but I think one would be hard-pressed to find someone who could not appreciate one out of the twenty moving scenes in this film. By bringing in so many different characters, the French “Paris, je t’aime” speaks in many different languages. It’s a film with multiple “it” moments- most people would be able to find that “favorite” scene that speaks to them. As for me, I loved all of it!*

*(Okay, except for one scene with a vampire, but I don’t want to ruin it for you.)