Hitting stores on Tuesday, The Dark Knight Trilogy: Ultimate Collector’s Edition Blu-ray box set features each movie from the Christopher Nolan-directed trilogy that broke global box office records and became one of the touchstones for the modern superhero event movie and their original BR bonus features spread out over five discs. Exclusive to this collection is a bonus sixth disc containing several newly-produced supplements including a 25-minute conversation between Nolan and director Richard Donner (Superman: The Movie) and the feature-length documentary The Fire Rises: The Creation and Impact of The Dark Knight Trilogy.
In the section of the new doc devoted to the casting process for the trilogy fans of Nolan’s Bat-films will be surprised to find Christian Bale‘s audition for the title role in 2005’s Batman Begins. You can watch it here below.
It’s good to see Warner Bros. and DC Comics finally starting to learn from their past mistakes in bringing their classic comic book superhero stable to the big screen. Outside of Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy their future looked mighty bleak in the wake of the less-than-enthusiastic receptions given to Superman Returns and Green Lantern. Last week the long-in-the-works Man of Steel brought Superman back to the big screen to the tune of a record-smashing $128 million opening weekend despite mixed reviews. Warners/DC had been hedging their bets of Man of Steel being successful enough to begin constructing a long-running cinematic universe of multiple superhero movie franchises to rival Marvel Studios, with the end result being an all-star Justice League team-up film.
However, the Justice League movie has proved to be of even greater difficulty to get off the ground than the film adventure of any single DCU character. Gangster Squad scribe Will Beall took a crack at the project last year but his efforts were eventually discarded by the studio in favor of a fresh start overseen by David S. Goyer, the writer and hardcore comic fan who helped make Blade the first lucrative feature franchise out of a Marvel character and also co-wrote Batman Begins and wrote Man of Steel, as part of a three-picture deal that also includes a naturally inevitable Man of Steel sequel.
Note – this deal is only for today, Saturday, April 6, 2013, until 11:59pm PST while supplies last (and at TFAW, supplies don’t last so grab this now if you want it at a discounted price).
If/when the deal runs out, you can still get The Dark Knight Rises Catwoman statue at the discounted price of $51.95 (35% off) through Amazon.
2012 was a fantastic year for movies. Films like The Dark Knight Rises and Marvel’s The Avengers entertained audiences with blockbuster action sequences and the ultimate in childhood wish fulfillment, while movies such as Drew Goddard‘s Cabin in the Woods and Gareth Edward‘s The Raid: Redemption will long be remembered as putting the nail in the coffin of their respective genres.
We saw new films from acclaimed directors like Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Ridley Scott, Christopher Nolan, Ang Lee, David O. Russell, Paul Thomas Anderson, William Friedkin, Steven Soderbergh, Ben Affleck, Sam Mendes, and Kathryn Bigelow. Not to mention the latest offerings from Rian Johnson, Joss Whedon, Richard Linklater, and newcomers Colin Trevorrow, Benh Zeitlin, and Stephen Chbosky.
So many memorable characters – so many great lines delivered by talented actors inhabiting their roles. Here are some of the best (and a few of the worst) film quotes from 2012. Feel free to include your own in the comments! You can also check out my Top 25 Films of 2012 here!
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
