“Oh yes! A bolt of lightning into a huge copper conductor. I thought you lived at a school?”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

20th Century Fox has set a release date for the Hugh Jackman “Wolverine” sequel, titled “The Wolverine.”

The film is now set for a July 23, 2013 release date, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jackman returns as the title character, based on the Marvel Comics mutant who first appeared in “Incredible Hulk” No. 181 in 1974.  Wolverine is considered the most popular of the X-Men, and now appears in the X-Men titles, his own solo series, and Marvel’s Avengers comic books.

Jackman has starred as Wolverine in three previous “X-Men” films and in “Wolverine: Origins.”  (And, SPOILER WARNING, perhaps, has a brief, but excellent, moment in “X-Men: First Class.”)

James Mangold is the director of the film, which is said to be loosely based on the Chris Claremont-Frank Miller “Wolverine” miniseries and will be set in Japan.

- Matt Price

Sony has just released a new trailer for this summer’s “Amazing Spider-Man,” starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Rhys Ifans’ Lizard also makes an appearance in the new trailer. Marc Webb directs the film, which is set for a July 3 release. I think this shows a little more what type of humor and action to expect in the reboot. What do you think?

- Matt Price
Click past the cut for more images.

“If you want me to keep my mouth shut, it’s gonna cost you some dough. I figure a thousand bucks is reasonable, so I want two.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

If you’ve been holding out for the ultimate edition of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” it’s available in a four-disc set that includes a 3-D Blu-ray.

This edition contains more than three hours of bonus content.

“Dark of the Moon” may be the most technically adept of the robot-fighting series, and director Michael Bay has proved himself with this film as one of the directors who has a handle on how to use 3-D filmmaking. If you’re looking for a film to show off your new 3-D television with, this could be a good choice, as the movie starts off with a strong 3-D element. Unfortunately, the plot is labyrinthine, and the film’s ending drags on for too long, overshadowing the strong beginning.

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” for the third time, features the conflict between two factions of an alien race of robots, the Transformers, based on the action figure line from Hasbro.

The Autobots, led by Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen), believe in working with humanity after leaving their home planet of Cybertron; the Decepticons, led by Megatron (voiced by Hugo Weaving), wish to conquer Earth and destroy the Autobots. Bay should be given credit for casting Cullen, who created the voice of Optimus Prime for the 1980s cartoon, and sticking with him for all three blockbuster films.

The beginning of “Dark of the Moon” is entertaining, as a secret weapon attempts an escape from the war on Cybertron. After the crash of the weapon, both the U.S. and Soviet space programs of the 1960s were, according to the film, in a secret race to retrieve the item from the moon.

In the present, the Decepticons appear to be out of the way, but Sam (Shia LaBeouf) discovers their plot to manipulate the humans.

Sam works with Lt. Col. William Lennox (Josh Duhamel) and the Autobots to help them rediscover their previous leader, Sentinel Prime (voiced by Leonard Nimoy).

As the Decepticons’ plot continues to unfurl, Sam finds there are multiple layers of deception at play.

Extras include a five-part documentary on the development, filming, stunts, postproduction and release of the film; a featurette on NASA; and previsualization and visual effects commentaries. There are also galleries of production art, trailers, additional featurettes and a marketing gallery. The set includes a Blu-ray 3-D edition, a Blu-ray, DVD and digital copy.

— Matthew Price
From the Jan. 27 edition of The Oklahoman

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth) in THE HUNGER GAMES.

Winter/Spring movie preview

From late-opening Oscar hopefuls and long-shelved comedies to 3-D blockbuster rereleases to fledgling action franchises, the crowded cinematic calendar for early 2012 offers a wide array of choices. Films scheduled for release include “Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3-D,” “The Woman in Black,” “Safe House,” “The Vow,” “John Carter” and “The Hunger Games.”

BY BRANDY MCDONNELL and MATTHEW PRICE
Entertainment Writers

On the Planet 46 Comics show: Supermodel Miranda Kerr is Wonder Woman, “The Crow” reboot gets a director, and a Green Arrow show is on the way.

Bill Murray in "Groundhog Day."

I try to celebrate Groundhog Day — also my birthday — with a viewing of “Groundhog Day,” with Bill Murray, whenever possible.

In the film, Phil Connors (Murray), a Pittsburgh weatherman, finds himself reliving Feb. 2 in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania,over and over again.  Except for him, no one remembers living the previous day.

For my review of the film, and to check out the trailer, read my 2011 post on the holiday.

- Matt Price

“This is your life and it’s ending one minute at a time.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

“Now you listen to me, I’m an advertising man, not a red herring. I’ve got a job, a secretary, a mother, two ex-wives and several bartenders that depend upon me, and I don’t intend to disappoint them all by getting myself ‘slightly’ killed.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

A love letter to silent cinema, “The Artist” features the career of a Douglas Fairbanks-esque movie star and the effect the introduction of sound has on his career. In a gimmicky but brilliant move, the black-and-white film is itself a silent movie.

Jean Dujardin is all smiles and bright eyes as silent movie star George Valentin as the movie begins. He’s perfectly cast; he absolutely looks as if he could have existed in 1927 cinema. His slicked-back hair and perfectly styled mustache highlight his charming, roguish style and his devil-may-care attitude. The Jack Russell terrier that plays Valentin’s sidekick is adorable and a high point of the film.

Valentin’s chance encounter with dancer Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) gives her career a kick-start, but before long, the sound movies preferred by studio head Al Zimmer (John Goodman) leave Valentin on his own.

Valentin sinks his money into one last gamble, a silent film that will show the world why he should still be a star. But times have changed, and Valentin finds himself in worse and worse straits, certainly not helped along by the stock market crash. Meanwhile, the appropriately named Peppy Miller becomes a star, with her zest for life taking hold on the screen. Technology marches forward, creating opposite effects in the lives of these two actors.

The film is a good reminder of how the events of yesterday have echoes into the present. In the film, technology displaces jobs, and Wall Street hubris leads to suffering of many everyday people; it’s not hard to see why that might still have relevance today.

James Cromwell brings class and humility to his role as Valentin’s butler/chauffeur Clifton; Penelope Ann Miller is also notable as Valentin’s envious wife, Doris.

Given the demands placed on it, the score of “The Artist” has to be near-perfect and succeeds, keeping the audience engrossed despite the lack of speech from the leads. Dujardin and Bejo ooze charisma and chemistry, and communicate clearly without the use of their voices. While we’ve seen similar plots covered in films such as “Singin’ in the Rain,” “Sunset Boulevard” and “A Star Is Born,” “The Artist” manages to seem fresh while at the same time delightfully old-fashioned.

Writer-director Michel Hazanavicius embraces the world of 1920s and 1930s Hollywood in recreating film as it once was. It takes a few minutes to get used to the format of the silent movie, but once you do, the world is immersive and irresistible. “The Artist” both pays homage to and recreates a bygone era in a film, and does so in a way that has appeal for all ages.

— Matthew Price
From Friday’s The Oklahoman

MOVIE REVIEW
“The Artist”
PG-13
1:40
4 stars

Starring: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell.
(A crude gesture and a disturbing image)
4 stars

The Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant celebrates a basket during the opening day NBA basketball game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Orlando Magic at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Christmas Day. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman

The locally filmed movie “Wolf Head” will be screened at 7 p.m. Thursday at Harkins Theatres, 150 E Reno Ave. The 90-minute film was produced, cast and shot in the greater Oklahoma City area.

According to a news release, the action-comedy centers on the overly sheltered Flannigan brothers who come home to discover their mother is sick and can no longer provide. So they turn to the only person who can help them make money: their mother’s new boyfriend Leonard. He gets them started on a life of street hustling to make money, but things don’t go as planned.

“Wolf Head” was written, directed and produced by filmmaker Ryan “Staples” Scott, founder of Yukon-based RYIT Creative.

Lucas Ross, Ryan Bellgardt, Jack Elliot and Emoly West appear in the film. Tickets are $7; pre-order tickets are $7.50.

For more information, or to obtain advance tickets, go to www.ryit.tv/wolfhead.html.

- Matt Price

Via TNI, here’s a stop-motion shot for shot remake of the first six minutes of “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” which starred Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones. More info at the facebook page for the project.

- Matt Price

Larry Latham writes that the 1970s' "The Shadow" was a high point for the character in comics.

I asked writer/artist/director/pulp expert Larry Latham for his take on the news of the revival of “The Shadow,” and what he sent me was so interesting and informative, I’m sharing it all here for Nerdage readers!  You can follow Larry’s excellent web comic and his well-researched posts on pulps, mysteries, comics and more at www.lovecraftismissing.com.  “Lovecraft is Missing” is set in 1926. It follows three strangers who are drawn into a web of horror when a little known pulp author, H.P. Lovecraft, mysteriously vanishes.  Now, on to “The Shadow”:  

It’s always fun when someone tries to revive one of the iconic hero characters like The Shadow; fun, at least, until you have the book in your hands and find that, once again, the concept just doesn’t quite work. The Shadow is one of those characters, and a number of truly talented creators have taken their shots with him, both in film and comics, but the track record isn’t good.

The Shadow started as the host of a radio show, Street & Smith’s Detective Story Hour. At first, the character did no more than introduce each weeks story, much as Raymond performed the same honors on Inner Sanctum and Uncle Creepy, Cain, The Crypt-Keeper, Vault Keeper, Old Witch and dozens of other hosts did in their respective books. The Shadow’s eerie laugh and the famous tage line, “Who knows what eveil lurks in the hearts of men?,” proved more popular than expected. Several two reel Detective Story short films put the character on the screen for the first time, and in 1931, to capitalize on the character’s popularity and protect their creation, Street & Smith introduced The Shadow magazine, dated April 1, the first of the great hero pulps. Magician turned writer Maxwell Grant dashed out the first story; the magazine was issued so quickly that they didn’t have time to have a cover painted. The editors pulled one from the shelf that featured a Chinese man recoiling in horror, which caused Grant to rewrite part of his story to work in a Chinatown angle.

The magazine was so popular that it went to twice monthly status in 1932; the last issue was published in 1949. For the first several years the Shadow was a true mystery man, who left most of the work up to his aides. By wartime, he had settled down into a more conventional crime fighter.

Like any popular character, the Shadow was licensed out to anyone who showed an interest. The first film versions, The Shadow Strikes (1937) and International Crime (1938), were basically B detective pictures, with the Shadow only appearing in a single scene in the first film. Lamont Cranston was the real start of the pictures. In 1940, Columbia made a 15 chapter serial, but by that time they were well into their “silly” phase, and though Victor Jory looked perfect as both Cranston and the Shadow, the serial is full of hokey thugs who play pattycake while waiting on the crime boss; in addition, almost half of the cliff hangers in the film have the roof collapsing on the Shadow. In 1946, Monogram Pictures made The Shadow Returns, Behind the Mask and The Missing Lady, all starring Kane Richmond as the Shadow. All were low budget.

The radio show, probably the most famous incarnation of the character, started in 1937. It differed significantly from the pulp in that Lamont Cranston didn’t wear the slouch hat and long cape of the pulp version, but instead had’the power to cloud men’s minds so that they could not see him.”

Street & Smith got into the comic book publishing biz, publishing 101 issues of The Shadow plus a short lived newspaper strip. There were three big little books featuring the character, but the short eight page format and conventional crimefighting approach make these pretty humdrum reading to fans of the pulps and the radio show.

In the 1960s, Archie Comics published eight issues of a character named the Shadow, whose alter-ego was Lamont Cranston, but you’d never recognize him in his green and purple super-hero outfit.

The high-point for the Shadow in cmics, at least thus far, is the mid-1970s version by Denny O’Neill and Mike Kaluta. Staying true to the original pulps, and setting the stories in the correct period,, the duo created one of the classiscs of mid-70s comics. They only did the first six issues, and the magazine was cancelled after issue 12.

Howard Chaykin stepped up to the plate in 1986, modernizing the character in a four-issue mini series that later carried on into a regular series. It was exciting, bloody, pulpy, but once Chaykin left the series, it shrivleled quickly and died.

There have been numerous revivals since: DC’s The Shadow Strikes (1989) returned the characters to his roots in the pulps, but the art lacked atmosphere; Dark Horse published a slew of mini-series and one shots through the nineties.

In 1994 the big-budget film, The Shadow, came out. It almost worked.Visually it was perfect, and Alec Baldwin ideal as the Shadow, but a weak script and weaker direction caused it to underperform. One particularly annoying plot problem:everytime the Shadow shows up, he is spotted (because he casts a Shadow) and defeated. Shades of the collapsing ceilings in the 1940s serial.

So now we have a new Shadow series being announced, as well as rumors of a new Shadow movie. Garth Ennis is the writer for the comic series and I confess, I’m leery. Ennis is a good writer, but leans to the psychotic, bloody anti-hero side of things. The promotional cover art is wonderful but does nothing to relieve my anxiety.

Perhaps the Shadow just doesn’t belong in comics. He’s a creature of the pulps and of the radio, and he loses so much of his mystery when tied down in illustrations. Perhaps if he went back to being the mastermind behind the scenes he could regain that mystery, but it’s doubtful fans want to read the adventures of Harry Vincent, Burbank, Shrevvie and co.

Unfortunatley, I’m not the Shadow. I don’t know.

- Larry Latham

Dynamite Entertainment has announced the return of the pulp hero The Shadow in a new ongoing comic-book series to be written by “Preacher” creator Garth Ennis.

Artist Aaron Campbell joins Ennis on the creative team for the comic, which will feature covers by artists Alex Ross,  Howard Chaykin, Jae Lee and former Oklahoman John Cassaday.  “The Shadow” No. 1 is scheduled for release in April.

The series will be set in 1938.  The character wears a wide-brimmed, black fedora and a crimson scarf, has scores of secret operatives, and was last played in films in 1994 by Alec Baldwin.  A new film version of the character is in development, with producer Sam Raimi attached.

“The Shadow is probably the last established character I like that I haven’t gotten around to writing yet, certainly on this side of the Atlantic,” said writer Garth Ennis in a news release. “It makes a kind of bloody, bullet-riddled sense: I always had a feeling our paths would cross sooner or later.”

The Shadow was created in pulp magazines; the character debuted on the radio in 1930.   The gunslinging character has since appeared in novels, television, films and scores of comic books.  The well-known introduction from the radio show stated, “”Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows!”

In addition to the new series, Dynamite will be reprinting Howard Chaykin’s take on “The Shadow” from 1985.  The story, “Blood and Judgment,” will be re-released as a trade paperback in April.

- Matt Price
Click past the cut for more images.

“You see, before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards, it did. If he weren’t up there now… I don’t think it would be snowing. Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

- Matt Price

“It is a blazer out there. You’re lucky you got air conditioning in here like Mother Nature intended.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

“When I was young and successful, I was greedy and foolish, and now I’m left with no one. Wrinkled and alone.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

The second “The Dark Knight Rises” trailer has been officially released online. The third film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, “The Dark Knight Rises” stars Christian Bale, Gary Oldman, Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy, and is set to be released July 20, 2012.

- Matt Price

“Aunt Clara had for years labored under the delusion that I was not only perpetually 4 years old, but also a girl.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

CNN reports that actor Christian Bale was forcibly turned away by Chinese security while attempting to visit activist Chen Guangcheng along with a CNN film crew.

Bale was punched by guards and kept from continuing towards the activist’s home.

“Why can I not visit this free man?” Bale asked, as guards hit Bale and attempted to dislodge his camera.

A gray minivan chased away the crew and pursued for more than 40 minutes.

“What I really wanted to do was to meet the man, shake his hand and say what an inspiration he is,” Bale says in the video.

Chen Guangcheng has protested Chinese government policies that he has called abusive. CNN reports that Chen Guangcheng has been confined to his home along with his wife, mother and daughter since being released from prison in Sept. 2010. He had been sentenced to more than four years in prison for damaging property and disrupting traffic in a protest, charges he denies. He and his family are watched around the clock by dozens of guards, CNN reports.

“I’m not brave doing this,” Bale said. “The local people who are standing up to the authorities, who are visiting Chen and his family and getting beaten or detained, I want to support them.”

- Matt Price

Movies for nerds is a deeper category than just “Star Wars” and “Avatar.”  Retrovo’s Jennifer L. Jacobson looks at the long tail of geek cinema.  More at http://www.retrevo.com/content/blog/2011/12/epic-nerd-approved-movies-see

Epic Nerd-Approved Movies To See Before You Die

Not to quote Ned Stark, but, “Winter is coming.” And what better way for any self-respecting nerd to spend the season than hunkered down in the glow of some of the best nerd-approved films of all time. But you’ve watched your favorite films a billion times, so how do you find the films you haven’t seen yet, but should?

Well, today I’m putting my Cinema “Minor” to work and that means digging through film history and pulling out title gems that are too often overshadowed by Avatar or the all-impressive Star Wars. These films will change your life (or they should), so sit down, strap in and load these puppies up in your Netflix queue. Here are the best of the best in their respective categories. Enjoy these films. You will be a better nerd for watching them.

*Note: All films should be watched in the aspect ratio they were shot in and if possible, watch the director’s cut. None of this “4:3″ nonsense when a film was shot in widescreen. Also, may of the older films on this list are now on Blu-ray. For a more technical overview of a specific film’s transfer to Blu-ray, please query The Blu Ray Blog. Now, please… enjoy the show.

Straightup Nerd-Tastic Films (AKA Category 1)

Dark City (1998)

Film Notes: If you liked Metropolis, The Matrix, and Inception, you have to see this film. I wrote an entire master’s thesis on it. If you can, watch the commentary by Rober Ebert.

The Fifth Element (1997)

Film Notes: This eye-candy adventure is one of the most charming, beautifully shot, creative, colorful sci-fi films of all time.

Forbidden Planet (1956)

Film Notes: Before Star Trek, there was Forbidden Planet. It’s amazing to see what was possible to the imagination circa 1956.

Stargate (1994)

Film Notes: If you think Terra Nova awesome or could be better… you must see this film. Groundbreaking special effects.

Minority Report (2002)

Film Notes: This Steven Speilberg directed film is based on the thrilling Philip K. Dick short-story and stars Tom Cruise. Let’s just say… it’s totally worth seeing.

THX 1138 (1971)

Film Notes: Before he made Star Wars, George Lucas made this sanitary, haunting vision of the future. … and part of it was shot in Studio One at my alma mater, San Francisco State University!

Dune (1984)

Film Notes: Dune is one of the most impressive, well written sci-fi films of all time, Dune will amaze your inner nerd.

War Games (1983)

Film Notes: It’s good to see Matthew Broderick in something besides a musical – I mean, if you loved your Atari, you’ll love this film. How what started as a game, almost became nuclear war.

Serenity (2005)

Film Notes: From the creator of Angel, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, this wild-west-meets-pre-cog-human-weapon sci-fi dance through space will blow you away. It’s hard to call yourself a nerd, if you haven’t seen it.

Paprika (2006)

Film Notes: This is one of my favorite movies, I have it on Blu-ray and it’s worth watching in a proper home theater. If you want to see what animation can do and where your dreams can take you, (and if you thought The Matrix and Inception was cool) Paprika is a film you just have to see.

Blade Runner (1982)

Film Notes: Find out if androids dream of electric sheep, and if you can, find out by watching the director’s cut of the film Blade Runner. This touching, beautiful, mind-bending film is one of my all-time-favorites. Quote: “It’s too bad she won’t live… but then again, who does?”

Brazil (1985)

Film Notes: I love Terry Gilliam’s style. Brazil is one of the best no-holds-barred cotton-candy films of all time. Do yourself a favor and be sure to watch the director’s cut as opposed to the theatrical release of this film.

V for Vendetta (2006)

Film Notes: I’ve watched this film so many times. It’s a beautifully told story and stands on its own from the graphic novel on which it is based. That said, you should also read the graphic novel.

Tank Girl (1995)

Film Notes: This movie is proof that filmmakers in 1995 weren’t just making “girl movies” like Clueless.

For categories 2-5, visit www.Retrovo.com.

I give you this list so that you may know and understand all things nerd, for no one is simply born a nerd. We are a people, drawn in by the light of technology, science fiction and the possibilities of humanity and the future. We come in every age, gender, hue and kind and we are not simply born nerds… we become nerds.

By Jennifer L. Jacobson, Retrevo.com

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars in “G.I. Joe: Retaliation,” the sequel to 2009′s “G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.” The film, directed by Jon M. Chu, is set for a June 29, 2012 release.

What do you think of the trailer? The star quotient has certainly been upped in the second film.

- Matt Price

Gary Oldman retires James Gordon’s badge; Fox plans more Marvel films; and reviews of “Action Comics” and more in the Planet 46 Comics Podcast at NewsOK.

GARY OLDMAN DONE AS GORDON
Gary Oldman tells Moviefone that “The Dark Knight Rises” will be the end of his run as Jim Gordon, and talks about using Bane as the villain.

“It’s great. It’s a terrific conclusion to the trilogy,” Oldman tells Moviefone. “Nolan rounds it off: he brings in a bit of the first one, from ‘Batman Begins,’ and he does some really surprising things with it. I thought his choice of villain was very interesting, to use Bane instead of Riddler or Penguin. He’s not gone with the most obvious choice. The challenge for Chris was always really the story and I think he didn’t want to make a third one for the sake of it. I think there was pressure on him, obviously, because the second was so successful. So there’s always going to be some pressure to keep it going. But he’s too smart and classy, really to just make a third just for the sake of making it, because others are demanding or want it from him and I think he felt that, ‘Let me get the story right.’ So the fans won’t be disappointed.”
Read more: http://blog.moviefone.com/2011/12/06/gary-oldman-dark-knight-rises-steve-buscemi-snl/

FOX STILL PLANS MORE X-MEN, FF, DAREDEVIL
Fox’s Tom Rothman tells MTV that he wants another “X-Men: First Class.”
“We’re trying like hell,” he said. “We’re trying as hard as we can. We really want to do it. We’re planning to do it.”
Rothman also commented two other Marvel properties that Fox plans to revive: “Daredevil” and “Fantastic Four.”
David Slade is attached to “Daredevil,” while “FF” is earlier in the development process.
REVIEW FILE: Valen the Outcast #1, Action Comics #4, Hawk & Dove #4, Raphael #1, Defenders #1
Comics read in 2011: 1902. Still to go: 109.

Tom Hardy as Bane is the focus of the newly-released poster for “The Dark Knight Rises,” which will open in the U.S. on July 20.

The new poster features Bane and a torn Batman mask. Bane was introduced in the comics in 1993′s “Vengeance of Bane,” and was the chief villain in the “Knightfall” story arc.

“The Dark Knight Rises” will star Christian Bale as Batman/Bruce Wayne and Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Also starring are Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Marion Cotillard and Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Read more at NewsOK.

- Matt Price

“Faith is believing when common sense tells you not to. Don’t you see? It’s not just Kris that’s on trial, it’s everything he stands for. It’s kindness and joy and love and all the other intangibles.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!

Batman 3, aka “The Dark Knight Rises,” has wrapped, and Christian Bale is done. Also: Lunch with a Star Wars legend and Hulk TV news.

LUNCH WITH LUKE

Actor Mark Hammill, who brought Jedi Knight Luke Skywalker to life in the original Star Wars Trilogy, is offering to have lunch in Los Angeles with the highest bidder and a guest to raise funds for The RFK Center for Justice and Human Rights, which provides an ongoing base of support to human rights defenders around the world. Valued at $10,000, the exclusive experience is open for bidding from November 29th through December 15th at:

http://www.charitybuzz.com/catalog_items/276455

BAT-FINISHED

The Philippine Daily Inquirer talked with Christian Bale, and he confirmed he was done with Batman.

“I wrapped a few days ago so that will be the last time I’m taking that cowl off,” he said. “I believe that the whole production wrapped yesterday, so it’s all done. Everything’s finished. It’s me and Chris – that will be the end of that Batman era.”

He also praised co-star Anne “Catwoman” Hathaway.

“I had plenty of scenes with Anne,” he said. “And I was there when we did the screen test for her. The thing that I said to Chris [Nolan] that day was that there were many very accomplished actresses who had read for the role. I’m terrible at auditions, so I’m very impressed when somebody really seems to acquire an ownership of a character without having worked on it or prepared for some amount of time.”

THE INCREDIBLE HULK NEARS

Guillermo del Toro tells io9 that the screenplay is in for the possible upcoming “Hulk” TV show, and the team is waiting for a green light. Del Toro, serving as producer, says he and his team know the essential stories, including “Hulk: Grey,” written by Jeph Loeb, who is involved with the show.
“We know all the iterations of the Hulk pretty good. We’ve read all the essential stories, and we’re then riffing on that. There are so many incarnations and ideas. Jeph Loeb — who did a good run [on Hulk: Grey] — is involved, and I love Peter David’s Hulk. But there’s really no part in that mythos that we don’t know, so we are trying put our own personal spin on it.”

REVIEW FILE: Green Lantern The Animated Series #0, Wolverine #19, Uncanny X-Men #2, X-Men Legacy #259, Archie #627, Flash Gordon Zeitgeist #1.
Comics read in 2011: 1,853. Still to go: 158

“What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon, Mary.”

Identify who said the above quote in what film in the comments!