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Friday, July 11, 2008
UPDATE: ‘Dark Knight’ hot ticket on IMAX
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
As expected, summer’s most anticipated action film — “The Dark Knight” — is heating up advance ticket sales. Some 71 percent of tickets sold on Fandango.com last week were for the Christian Bale-Heath Ledger Batman vs. Joker movie, which officially opens Friday.
But the hardest ticket to get is for the IMAX screening of “Dark Knight,” which has six sequences filmed with IMAX cameras, a first for a major feature film.
All 20 screenings of the Batman movie from late-night Thursday through Sunday are already sold out at the IMAX at the Buford Mall of Georgia. Your first opportunity to see the film on the giant screen is at 12:20 p.m. Monday.
Fandango.com shows 10 sellouts for “Dark Knight” for late-night Thursday at regular theaters and megaplexes with 35mm prints, Hollywood’s standard format.
There are 72 late-night 35mm screenings set so far for tonight at 35 metro Atlanta theaters. Most are just before or just after midnight. There are already two screenings set at 3:15 a.m. Friday — at Atlantic Station and the Regal theater at the Mall of Georgia, the theater which is also showing the film on IMAX. Atlantic Station also has a 35mm screening at 4:15 a.m.
Do you plan to see “The Dark Knight”? Do you want to see it at the IMAX, at a regular theater in 35 mm or in both formats?
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Many swear by George Romero’s foot-draggers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Dear Mr. Smithee,
My 14-year-old son and I watch a lot of movies together. This was great when we were watching all of the James Bond movies, all of the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies and all of the “Matrix” movies. However, he’s now into zombie movies.
I am not much into gratuitous blood and gore.
Can you suggest any zombie movies that have some artistic merit that would justify spending the time watching them?
PAUL FLEITZ, Dayton, Ohio
Dear Old Dad,
What red-blooded American son, especially at the pivotal age of 14, isn’t into zombie movies?
And can a film legally be a zombie movie if it lacks gratuitous blood and gore? I have my doubts.
Zombies come in all shapes, sizes and foot speeds.
The purist swears allegiance only to George Romero, who surmised that zombies, since they were crawling out of graves, would be motor-challenged and move no faster than Boris Karloff’s ancient Egyptian mummy Prince Im-Ho-Tep.
The best Romero movies are the original black-and-white “Night of the Living Dead” (1968) and, especially, the full-color, full-camp “Dawn of the Dead” (1978), with the living taking refuge in a shopping mall that eventually is invaded. Both are steeped in social commentary that can generate artful, post-screening discussion.
My once-wee sons, D.W. and Cecil B., are gigantic fans of the 1980s “Evil Dead” movies, which drip with sarcasm. I, for one, am less amused.
A subset of the zombie film genre involves diseases that turn victims into raging killers. They are also fleet of foot.
I am a big fan of “28 Days Later” (2002) and “28 Weeks Later” (2007), involving a rapidly infectious virus of sorts in England. Both are very bloody and I highly recommend them.
You might try stomaching “Dead Alive” (1992) just because it’s one of director Peter Jackson’s earliest efforts.
After seeing a few regular zombie movies, I’d suggest the two of you take a gander at the brilliantly funny “Shaun of the Dead” (2004).
And if you decide to be super-serious, watch the very indie “The Signal” (2008), which, while not exactly a zombie movie, is about people affected by some strange otherworldly electronic disturbance.
Coming this fall is “Dance of the Dead,” filmed in Rome by frequent Georgia filmmaker Gregg Bishop.
The film that I would recommend that also probably has the least amount of gore is the British sci-fi “Lifeforce” (1985). It’s considered more of a vampire movie, but it involves zombies and has a talented cast that includes Steve Railsback, Peter Firth and Patrick Stewart.
Oh, and do yourself a favor and convince your 14-year-old to watch “Bubba Ho-Tep” (2002). It may be a mummy movie but it is very funny and stars Bruce Campbell (of “Evil Dead” fame) and the late Ossie Davis as nursing home residents who think they are Elvis and John F. Kennedy respectively, and who battle the walking dead.
ALAN
P.S. You get an “I Heart the Dead” button commemorating the unworthy “Diary of the Dead” and a traveling kit from “The Ruins.”
Dear Mr. Smithee,
Usually I would not dare to bother you with my banal movie questions, so instead I turn to the Internet Movie Database for answers. However, I’ve realized that I have no idea who I’m getting my information from. The site says IMDB.com was founded by hard-core movie fans from across the globe, but who are these people?
Am I just using the Wikipedia of movies?
LAUREN BERG, Smyrna
Dear Reality Check,
Who is anyone on the Internet? Who am I?
Who are you? Are you really Lauren Berg?
The answer to your question is as follows: sorta.
There are at least 20 individuals charged with monitoring received data.
Historic information is generally perceived to be accurate. With the fluid nature of Hollywood projects, some listings involving future productions for talent needs to be mentally absorbed with a grain of salt.
ALAN
P.S. You get caps from “Baby Mama” and “Leatherheads.”
HAVE A QUESTION FOR MR. SMITHEE?
E-mail him at alansmithee@ajc.com or go to accessAtlanta.com and click on Movies. Please include your name, city and daytime phone number. Mr. Smithee can’t reply to every request, but inquiries chosen for publication will receive movie-related prizes.
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Chris Brown may join T.I. in ‘Bone Deep’
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Smooth-voiced Grammy nominee Chris Brown may join the cast of the crime drama “Bone Deep,” starring Matt Dillon, T.I. and Idris Elba and to be produced by Atlanta-based filmmaker Will Packer.
Brown is in final negotiations to join the film as an actor and executive producer, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
The singer/actor has previously starred in two films for Packer: the made-in-Atlanta “Stomp the Yard” and “This Christmas.”
“Bone Deep” involves a criminal team being hunted by a pair of law enforcement specialists.
Last month, Atlanta music star T.I. finalized a three-picture deal with Screen Gems that included “Bone Deep,” the drama “Boulevard” and a third film to be decided later.
Permalink | Comments (11) | Post your comment | Categories: Bob Longino
