What Is Techno Again?

Batman-On-Film put up an interview today with Executive and Senior Vice President Gregory Novek about Batman: Gotham Knight, which comes out on dvd and blu-ray July 8. I’m so psyched for it! There are some gorgeous pictures throughout the interview, too. This is going to be a new and different look to Gotham. I’m excited.

There are rumors that Heath Ledger’s family is going to travel from Australia to New York for the premiere of The Dark Knight and that a memoriam to the actor could appear at the end of the film. It wouldn’t be surprising, but it would definitely be cool to see.

Okay, holy crap! There’s a new intro to the Dark Knight film that’s apparently a mobile download by Verizon Wireless. It popped up on Youtube in really crappy quality, but it’s still worth checking out. WARNING: Even though it’s a trailer and technically not a spoiler, it could be considered one because it does give away some more plot information. So watch at your own risk.

Whoa, that’s awesome. I’ll keep my eye out for a higher-quality version. Although the intro (before the Warner Brothers and DC logo) is completely new and really interesting, it seems that up to around the 1:30 mark, scenes are mixed up and there’s even some different voice-over dialogue—stuff we’ve already seen and heard, of course, so it’s kind of like a remix or something. Pretty neat, though.

By the way, this is old news but Movieweb.com has some short but cool fan-shot videos from TDK filming locations in Chicago. (As a film junkie, I love this kind of stuff.) I’ve put the better ones below. The locations should look familiar from the trailers.

This first clip shows Batman on the Batpod being chased through a tunnel. Haha, I love the way his cape blows in the wind. Very cool.

(And if you’re wondering what my inspiration for the subject line of this post is … listen to this.)

These next two videos show different shots of the same thing: “The building demolition/implosion/explosion happened at the old Brach’s Candy Factory on the west side of Chicago. The factory, empty for several years - was dressed to look like ‘Gotham General Hospital’ - complete with a large red cross and pharmacy sign. Demolition experts packed a four-story building with explosives and cleared the area.”

While the first video is more interesting because it’s a closer view (plus, there’s sound, lol), the second video is neat because you can definitely see the way the camera helicopter arks as the building explodes, making for one kick ass shot.

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So I’m taking a break from GEN to make a jam-packed Batman news post for my own blog. Because it needs love, too.

The new issue of DETAILS magazine comes out June 3, and it features a really cool article with Christian Bale. Sexy as always, he’s on the front cover. Just look at those eyes and that smile … So nice. The article is a pretty cool read; you can check out the full interview here. Still, I might buy the magazine just because there’s bound to be some lovely Bale pictures in there.

Bale doesn’t care how tired you are. He’s the goddamn Batman!

Here are some of my favorite parts from the interview. Of course, Christian talks about Heath Ledger.

Michael Caine has talked about the intensity of Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker in The Dark Knight. How did you find working with him?

He was incredibly intense in his performance but incredibly mellow and laid-back. Certainly there was this great anarchistic streak to it-just getting dirtier than anybody’s envisioned the Joker before. This character has power because he has no limits-absolutely nothing to lose.How has Ledger’s death changed the way you look at the film?

How has Ledger’s death changed the way you look at the film?

Naturally it was something I wanted to share with him-and expected to do so. And I can’t do anything else but hope that it will be an absolutely appropriate celebration of his work.

Bale shares sound funny stories about acting and “fame,” too.

Has starring in a blockbuster had any noticeable impact on your personal life?

I was at the Science Museum in London with my daughter and some of her friends, and they wanted hot dogs. And so I went up to a hot-dog stand and I said, “Can I have three hot dogs?” They said, “I’m sorry, we’re closed.” And so I started walking away. And then one of them said, “Excuse me, are you Batman?” And I said, “Well, I play Batman.” And they said, “Well, here’s three hot dogs-on the house.” That’s pretty remarkable, isn’t it?

When was the last time you were mistaken for someone else?

Yesterday afternoon I was sitting somewhere and somebody started chatting. They said they were an agent, and they asked what I do, and I said, “I’m an actor.” And they said, “Oh, how’s that going for you?” I said, “I think it’s all right.” And they said, do I have an agent?
“Yes, I have an agent.”
“Well, if you ever need any help getting work, give me a call.”
So I said, “Thanks very much.” I think the best one ever was when a casting director saw me in a hotel lobby and practically ran at me, holding a script: “Thank god I’ve finally found you! We have this movie that you’re perfect for, and this is an amazing coincidence. The director and producer are not going to believe it, that I just bumped into you! We’ve been talking about how perfect you are for this role for so long! Finally, I met Christian Slater.”
“Christian Bale.”
“Excuse me?”
“I said, ‘Christian Bale.’”
And she went, “Oh, I’m sorry,” took the script, and walked away.

Bale also brings up the fact that a lot of people still don’t know who he is—which is surprisingly and aggravatingly true. Right, Tim?

How good do you think you are at being famous?

I don’t really understand the question. Because there are people that you would undeniably call famous, and I’m not. You can go to many, many people and say “Christian Bale” and they have no idea who the hell you’re talking about. They might have seen a number of my movies, but they’ll still have no idea who you’re talking about. So I don’t think I’m qualified to talk about fame.

EMPIRE’s new issue is also Dark Knight-themed. There are two covers—one with the Batman and one with the Joker. And the cool thing is, the Joker one is tainted. You can take a sneak peak inside both magazines on the magazine’s website. Like, on a page in the Joker mag, he even mocked up Clint Eastwood. Badass!

I might pick up a copy, too. Now … which one to choose? Personally, I think the Joker one would be more fun to browse through, albeit it would be harder to actually read the articles, but who the hell cares?

Starlog’s upcoming magazine also has a Batman cover. And Omelete.com has some awesome TDK banners! Check them out below.

On another note, have you seen the LEGO Batman game that’s coming out in the fall? Oh my god, it looks ridiculously fun. And the good thing is, it’s going to be for a variety of consoles—including the Playstation 2, which means I can get it. Here are some videos.

Remember that nerdy kid, Brian, from The Breakfast Club, played by Anthony Michael Hall? Well, he plays a tv news reporter named Mike Engel in The Dark Knight, and in a quick interview on creators.com he’s calling it the biggest movie of his career. You can read the excerpts with him on Batman-On-Film or see the original article, linked above. All grown up, he’s actually pretty cute.

Speaking of BOF, the site is reporting that this Myspace page might be part of the movie’s viral marketing. Man, I just need to make a Myspace account and get it over with (I know John already wants me to, but social networking sites are a pain in the ass, haha).

Here’s another magazine cover with Batman on it. It’s, uhm, in a different language, though—Italian, perhaps? I have no idea.

There’s also a Got Milk? campaign going on with The Dark Knight. Yeah, you can’t say you didn’t see that coming. I mean, come on, look at Batman and those muscles. That’s one way to get kids to drink their milk. Seriously.

Anyway, there’s a cool downloads package on the site that has a few different sized Got Milk? wallpapers as well as some TDK images—including posters, which is nice if you’ve missed out (including the Hong Kong banner without the text). You can also enter a contest to be drawn into a Batman comic. Yeah, yeah, it’s a dorky-looking comic, but who cares? The winner will receive the original artwork framed and signed, as well as fifty copies—you know, for bragging rights. (Fifteen other winners will receive a Batman prize from Mattel.) Hey, it might be lame, but it would still be pretty cool to be in a Batman comic.

When his enemies started laughing, Batman realized that milk mustaches aren’t very intimidating.

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I love Star Wars (yeah, geek here, if you haven’t noticed), especially the original trilogy, so when I saw this I just cracked up. Stormtroopers have always been a favorite object of fan-based mockery for some reason.

This Youtube series is hilarious if you’re up-to-speed on Lost. Here’s the latest vid.

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How cool would that be?

;;smacks forehead;; That makes perfect sense! Sauron’s a Decepticon!

… Gabe fucking rocks.

I <3 that book. Whatever they do, they better not screw it up. According to a friend, they’re splitting the book into two movies, to which I responded, “Uh, but The Hobbit really isn’t a long book. Especially compared to The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Why would they even need to make it into two films?”

I was thinking about the current Batman comic storyline, “Batman RIP,” the other day. If you’re not aware of it, the writer, Grant Morrison, could possibly kill Bruce Wayne aka Batman. I can’t see anyone else but Brucey as my beloved Batman. Sure, there’s that cartoon Batman Beyond (which is pretty cool, but Batman: The Animated Series was soo much better), where Bruce is too old to stand up and Terry McGinnis becomes the new Dark Knight—but there is really only one Batman. And that’s the way it should be. Batman is a legend, a symbol; he isn’t like other superheroes, that’s for sure. It only makes sense that there’s one of him. I mean, there’s, like, ten Green Lanterns or something, for Christ’s sake. And there have been six Nightwings. Seriously, Batman’s not replaceable. Anyway, I made this.

That panel is from The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller, and it’s actually Superman she’s talking to (long story short, Batman faked his death). Of course, Clark’s damn little hair curl thing had to just be blowing in the wind, so now Grant looks like he has a ponytail or mullet or something.

At any rate, let’s hope Bruce’s death doesn’t become a reality, because I’ll be really pissed. I mean, look how outraged people were when they killed Captain America! But even so, it’s just not cool to kill Batman. No freaking way.

Yeah, “the legend has to live on, which means finding a new Batman,” blah, blah … which I guess is true. As long as you give the real Batman the respect and memory he deserves (which means not friggin’ killing him), then I guess it’s a good thing (especially for Gotham) to carry on the legacy—and doing so might even be the greatest tribute to all he’s done, as well. But it has to be done right.

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Go Indy (and Indy imposters)! Swing, damnit!

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