Media Junkie

9 - The Original Short Film

For those of you who have seen Henry Selick's brilliant animated film Coraline, you were most likely treated to the trailer for the upcoming film 9.

Directed by former WETA Digital animator Shane Acker, and produced by Timur Bekmambetov (director of 2008's Wanted) and Tim Burton, 9 looks to be a visionary animated film in a post-apocalyptic setting.

For those unlucky enough to have missed the trailer thus far, take a moment to watch it.

After viewing the trailer, 9 has skyrocketed towards the top of my Most Anticipated Films of 2009, second only behind the upcoming Watchmen. 

If you are as intrigued as I am, I present to you (with the help of YouTube, of course), the original 10 minute, Oscar-nominated animated short that inspired the full-length feature film.

The Dark Knight - Comcast Exclusives!

As July draws to a close, Warner Bros. Pictures' The Dark Knight looks to be an unstoppable juggernaut, grossing over $324 million in just 11 days.  With little competition for the next few weeks, it's feasible that the film could break the Top Ten in all-time grosses - and with good reason.

If you've seen The Dark Knight, you know it's not just hype - it's every bit as good as you'd hoped.  Having seen it no less than four times, I still find myself wanting to see it again - which I will do this Saturday when I see it on the largest IMAX screen in the state of Michigan at the Henry Ford Museum. 

If, like me, you just can't get enough of The Dark Knight, however, you might want to check out the exclusive content hosted by Comcast Cable, including exclusive videos (as well as a host of others), photos, downloads (including some very cool wallpapers), and even a flash-based web game!

To check out the content, head on over to The Dark Knight on Comcast.  If you haven't seen the movie yet, what are you waiting for?  You can even buy tickets through the site's built in link to Fandango.

The Dark Knight Poster Gallery (with bonus videos)!

To celebrate The Dark Knight's opening weekend, I have compiled the various lobby posters for your viewing pleasure.  BIG thanks go out to MovieWeb, where all of these high quality images came from.

That's not all, however!

As a bonus, you will find five additional TV spots after the break! 

Enjoy, and if you haven't seen The Dark Knight yet, what are you waiting for? 

 

The Dark Knight Media Blowout!

With Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight opening in exactly two weeks, and the excitement reaching a fever pitch, what better way to kick off Media Junkie's month-long look at Batman and the films of Christopher Nolan than by compiling all of the various trailers, TV spots, and clips in one location?

If you're like me, you've gobbled up every piece of footage that has been released. You've watched the trailers hundreds of times. You stop and stare at the television every time a TV spot comes on. You've spent hours on YouTube scouring videos for mere seconds of new footage or dialogue you hadn't seen or heard before. Now you can watch most of it right here, in one convenient spot!

What you'll find here includes the three official trailers, the Comcast exclusive OnDemand trailer, the Domino's Pizza exclusive trailer, nine television spots, and thirteen short film clips! What you will not find, due to legal reasons, is the 6 minute IMAX prologue that was shown before I Am Legend, however, those of you with Blu-Ray players can purchase Batman Begins this upcoming Tuesday, July 8th, and see it in glorious high definition!

Please make sure you have zoom turned off, or else the videos will not show up properly (simply right-click the Windows Media Player window and select Zoom > 50%).  Also, be patient after you click Play, as it takes a moment for the videos to load.

Thanks go out to The Movie Box for their excellent work capturing the TV spots (which can also be seen on YouTube), and IESB for 12 of the 13 short clips (also available on YouTube)!

The Horrors of Horror Movies

In the world of a horror movie there must be no such thing as other horror movies.

What I mean by that is that the protagonist in any given genre picture can't walk into a theater that exists in their world and see another horror movie, for if there were, nobody would ever buy the abandoned farmhouse to start a new life for their family. Nobody would investigate the strange noise in the attic or the basement, and nobody would watch the video tape that kills you in seven days.

Human beings have a strange desire or need to feel fear. I can't explain it, I just know it exists because it's something I've felt myself many times. There's nothing like the experience of going into a dark theater and sitting amongst a crowd of people expecting to be terrified out of your wits. Every shriek, every jump, and every horrified gasp is heightened by the palpable sense of tension and fear exuded by the other patrons in the theater.

At home, the experience is altered, but equally as scary. On some level, you feel as if the safety of your home has been violated and you've brought something evil into your house. Creaky house settling noises cause you to open one eye, just to make sure that the thing you saw on film isn't standing next to your bed and you sleep with your blankets covering your head; as if any demon or ghoul worth their salt would be thwarted by a measly pair of sheets.

All of this despite the fact that horror movies have become largely formulaic, completely predictable, and wholly unimaginative in recent years. Movies like The Ring are the rare gem that remind us of why we love to be scared in the first place, but the impact is lessened when a host of copycats are released in the ensuing years. Just how many Japanese horror flicks are there with creepy, long-haired girls in them anyway?