Top 10 movie flops of the decade (2000-2009)
TMC
By Gregg Kilday, Jay Fernandez and Borys Kit Gregg Kilday, Jay
Fernandez And Borys Kit – Thu Nov 26, 8:01 pm ET
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Movie flops aren't just about
losing money. Yes, big budgets that go bust are one consideration. But
flops are also about lofty expectations dashed and high profiles
brought low. They trigger embarrassing catcalls from the peanut
gallery and a general whoever-thought-that-was-a-good-idea-in-the-
first-place bewilderment.
Any judgments of flopitude are necessarily subjective, but here are 10
movies from the past decade that made those few moviegoers who saw
them cringe. Disagree? Talk among yourselves.
10. THE SPIRIT
* Release date: December 25, 2008
* Estimated cost: $60 million
* Domestic gross: $19.8 million
Frank Miller, the man who created the comics "300" and "Sin City," and
who redefined Batman and Daredevil for the modern age, directed this
adaptation of Will Eisner's comic-strip hero. Starring Samuel L.
Jackson and a bevy of beauties, it may have looked good on the page.
But onscreen, the heavily stylized, nearly black-and-white results
were disastrous. The expensive movie was killed by comic fans, who
wanted Miller to go back to comics, and critics, who trashed the
movie's over-the-top tones and aesthetics. Consequently, the partners
at the company behind the production, Odd Lot Entertainment, parted
ways after 23 years together. It even killed plans for a Miller-
directed version of "Buck Rogers."
9. GRINDHOUSE
* Release date: April 6, 2007
* Estimated cost: $67 million
* Domestic gross: $25 million
Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez managed to turn twice the
filmmaking firepower into half the box office (and a third of the
critical praise). With "Grindhouse," what began as an explicit
exercise in joyous B-movie cinema homage -- a double bill of '70s-
style schlock, one film from each director -- ended up aping its
scuzzy genre ancestors a little too closely in the receipts
department. After the three-hour-plus "Grindhouse" opened to a mere
$11.6 million, Harvey Weinstein split the film's two parts -- "Death
Proof" and "Planet Terror" -- and shuttled them to international
markets individually. While that recouped a little of the Weinstein
Co.'s money, it incurred the wrath of purists who were angry that the
original film had been corrupted. Tarantino and Weinstein are famously
loyal to each other, and while the writer-director eventually made
good on the losses with the $120 million-grossing "Inglourious
Basterds" this year, "Grindhouse" was one instance where loyalty
nearly brought down the house.
8. ROLLERBALL
* Release date: February 8, 2002
* Estimated cost: $70 million
* Domestic gross: $19 million
Norman Jewison's 1975 comment on violence, corporatism and spectacle
has its place in the paranoid '70s-era cult film pantheon. John
McTiernan's remake, on the other hand, would be totally forgettable if
it weren't so spectacularly misconceived in every way. The cast --
Jean Reno, Chris Klein, LL Cool J and Rebecca Romijn-Stamos -- was a C-
list mishmash closer to reality TV than big-budget studio moviemaking.
McTiernan had long since dented his box-office bona fides with "Last
Action Hero" and "The 13th Warrior." And the studio releasing it --
MGM -- was so aware of its bomb-worthiness that it pushed the release
back four times, out of the summer 2001 field and into the barren
wasteland of February. In a last act of desperation, the movie was
also re-edited from an R to a PG-13 rating, sabotaging any last chance
it had at an audience. Ultimately, it pretty much wrecked McTiernan's
career (he has directed only one film since).
7. THE INVASION
* Release date: August 17, 2007
* Estimated cost: $80 million
* Domestic gross: $15.1 million
Nicole Kidman couldn't have started the decade any hotter, scoring
with "Moulin Rouge," "The Others" and "The Hours." But after 2002, her
career went cold in the U.S. ("Stepford Wives," "Bewitched,"
"Australia" and "The Golden Compass"); it's as if the actress was
abducted by some sort of soul-draining body snatcher. But wait, isn't
that what she's fighting in "The Invasion," Hollywood's latest remake
of the 1956 film "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"? This time around,
the eerie premise, based on a novel by Jack Finney, failed to catch
fire. The Wachowski brothers' second unit director, James McTeigue,
was called in to shoot additional scenes written by the "Matrix" whiz
kids after original director Oliver Hirschbiegel was sent packing,
having filmed the bulk of the movie. In an omen of things to come,
Kidman suffered an on-set fender-bender during the reshoots. When the
film arrived in theaters more than a year late, Kidman's regal bearing
took another dent.
6. CATWOMAN
* Release date: July 23, 2004
* Estimated cost: $100 million
* Domestic gross: $40 million
It was inevitable after Michelle Pfeiffer stole scenes as Catwoman in
"Batman Returns" that her black-latexed anti-heroine would get a
spinoff of her own. But when the inevitable occurred in 2004, this
time with Halle Berry playing the character, audiences tried hard to
cover up the kitty litter. No one involved with the movie came out
unscathed. Not Berry, who just two years earlier had won an Oscar for
"Monster's Ball"; not Sharon Stone, who chewed up the scenery as the
movie's villainess; and not Pitof, the French filmmaker making his
American directorial debut. He went back to his native land and hasn't
directed a theatrical feature since. The movie is another example
cited by studios in their long-held contention that female superhero
movies just don't work.
5. TOWN & COUNTRY
* Release date: April 27, 2001
* Estimated cost: $90 million
* Domestic gross: $6.7 million
Twenty-five years after he seduced audiences in "Shampoo," Warren
Beatty decided the time was ripe for another sex comedy, albeit one
with a somewhat older circle of friends. He somehow persuaded New
Line, which usually concentrated on the youth market, to foot the
bill. And what a bill it was: With the script still furiously going
through rewrites, Peter Chelsom began shooting in June 1998; 10 months
and take after take after take later, the film was still shooting.
That's when co-stars like Diane Keaton and Gary Shandling had to leave
to fulfill other commitments. A full year later, the whole cast
regrouped to finish the shoot, which had escalated to more than twice
its original $44 million price tag. The completed film was actually
something of a tepid affair. Beatty dithers as a New York architect
who cheats on his wife with several women; Shandling's his best pal
trying to come out as gay. And then there's Charlton Heston, playing
against type, as a gun nut.
4. GIGLI
* Release date: August 1, 2003
* Estimated cost: $54 million
* Domestic gross: $6.1 million
If the course of true love rarely runs smoothly, then "Gigli" is an
object lesson in how rocky it can get. As the new century dawned, Ben
Affleck and Jennifer Lopez -- tabloid code name: Bennifer -- were the
couple of the moment. With an Oscar for writing "Good Will Hunting"
and starring roles in "Pearl Harbor" and "The Sum of All Fears," his
movie career was in high gear; she could boast a solid-gold music
resume and rom-com appeal in movies like "The Wedding Planner" and
"Maid in Manhattan." Onscreen romantic sparks seemed made to order. So
what went wrong? Start with that title, "Gigli," that no one was sure
how to pronounce. Add lots of lovey-dovey media appearances that
erased a bit of their mystique. And then there was Martin Brest's film
itself: a low-rent-mobster-boy-meets-enforcer-chick tale complete with
a kidnapping, severed thumbs and Al Pacino in high dudgeon. Bennifer
split in 2004, just before sharing the bill in another film not too
far away on the flop-o-meter, "Jersey Girl."
3. LAND OF THE LOST
* Release date: June 5, 2009
* Estimated cost: $100 million
* Domestic gross: $65 million
Producer/puppeteers Sid and Marty Kroft were masters of the weird and
cheesy; their old Saturday morning TV show, "Land of the Lost," is
remembered fondly by kids who grew up in the '70s. But the material
experienced something of a time warp when director Brad Silbering
tried to give it a hipster spin this summer with the help of Will
Ferrell, playing a paleontologist who journeys to a parallel universe
where he meets the Sleestaks. Normally, any movie with a rampaging
Tyrannosaurus (see "Journey to the Center of the Earth," "Night at the
Museum") can't miss, but "Lost" was, well, lost in translation. The
movie's PG-13 rating wasn't a comfort to many families when word got
around of its toilet humor. Older moviegoers weren't interested, and
Kroft purists weren't amused. Over the years, Disney and Sony had both
held remake rights, but ultimately this hot potato landed at
Universal, where it was one of the factors that resulted in the ouster
of the studio's two top executives in October.
2. BATTLEFIELD EARTH
* Release date: May 12, 2000
* Estimated cost: $75 million
* Domestic gross: $21 million
Blame it on the Thetans if you want, but John Travolta's space oddity
"Battlefield Earth" virtually imploded on the launching pad.
Travolta's career was enjoying a resurgence in the wake of "Pulp
Fiction" when he wagered a big chunk of his newfound credibility, as
well as some of his own coin, on this passion project. "Battlefield
Earth" was based on a 1972 sci-fi novel by Scientology guru L. Ron
Hubbard, which Travolta promised would be "like 'Star Wars,' only
better." Studios shied away, but Travolta found financing from
Franchise Pictures, which would later be sued by investors for
overstating the movie's costs as $100 million. Originally, Travolta
hoped to play the young hero who leads a rebellion against the alien
race that enslaves Earth, but the film took so long to assemble he
ultimately opted instead to don dreadlocks and platform shoes to play
the villain, barking lines like "Execute all man-animals at will, and
happy hunting!" A planned sequel, which would have covered the second
half of the novel, never materialized. "Some movies run off the
rails," observed Roger Ebert. "This one is like the train crash in
'The Fugitive.'"
1. THE ADVENTURES OF PLUTO NASH
* Release date: August 6, 2002
* Estimated cost: $100 million
* Domestic gross: $4.4 million
Eddie Murphy is some kind of miracle. Five of his recent films lost
more than $250 million, and yet he not only still gets hired but also
commands his salary quote. But on the flop-o-meter, one Murphy title
towers above even "Meet Dave," "Showtime" and "I Spy": Trumpets,
please, for "The Adventures of Pluto Nash," whose release was delayed
for 14 months. It instantly became the "Cleopatra" of our age. A sci-
fi gangster comedy, complete with robot sidekick, set on the moon,
"Pluto" was neither fish nor fowl -- but mostly foul. But unlike most
stars who are tarnished by a mega-flop, Murphy -- who did take time
off from broad comedies to redeem himself with his Oscar-nominated
turn in "Dreamgirls" -- just keeps going and going and going.
globular
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091127/film_nm/us_decade_flops
>
> By Gregg Kilday, Jay Fernandez and Borys Kit Gregg Kilday, Jay
> LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) � Movie flops aren't just about
> losing money. Yes, big budgets that go bust are one consideration. But
> flops are also about lofty expectations dashed and high profiles
> brought low. They trigger embarrassing catcalls from the peanut
> gallery and a general whoever-thought-that-was-a-good-idea-in-the-
> first-place bewilderment.
>
> Any judgments of flopitude are necessarily subjective, but here are 10
> movies from the past decade that made those few moviegoers who saw
> them cringe. Disagree? Talk among yourselves.
>
>
> 2. BATTLEFIELD EARTH
>
> * Release date: May 12, 2000
>
> * Estimated cost: $75 million
>
> * Domestic gross: $21 million
>
> Blame it on the Thetans if you want, but John Travolta's space oddity
> "Battlefield Earth" virtually imploded on the launching pad.
> Travolta's career was enjoying a resurgence in the wake of "Pulp
> Fiction" when he wagered a big chunk of his newfound credibility, as
> well as some of his own coin, on this passion project. "Battlefield
> Earth" was based on a 1972 sci-fi novel by Scientology guru L. Ron
> Hubbard, which Travolta promised would be "like 'Star Wars,' only
> better." Studios shied away, but Travolta found financing from
> Franchise Pictures, which would later be sued by investors for
> overstating the movie's costs as $100 million. Originally, Travolta
> hoped to play the young hero who leads a rebellion against the alien
> race that enslaves Earth, but the film took so long to assemble he
> ultimately opted instead to don dreadlocks and platform shoes to play
> the villain, barking lines like "Execute all man-animals at will, and
> happy hunting!" A planned sequel, which would have covered the second
> half of the novel, never materialized. "Some movies run off the
> rails," observed Roger Ebert. "This one is like the train crash in
> 'The Fugitive.'"
Look at the writers of this 1972 novel adaptation that's from 1982.
What else could they have expected. Someone wanted a remake of Planet
of the Apes with jokes.
Corey Mandell (screenplay)
1. Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000) (screenplay)
... aka Battlefield Earth (USA: short title)
2. Love Kills (1991) (TV) (earlier screenplay)
and
J.D. Shapiro (screenplay)
# Knights of the Not-So Round Table: The Lost Tapes of 524 AD (2010)
(announced) (screenplay)
# X-Treme Biography: Santa (2008) (TV) (written by)
# Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000 (2000) (screenplay)
... aka Battlefield Earth (USA: short title)
# We Married Margo (2000) (written by)
# Robin Hood: Men in Tights (1993) (screenplay) (as J. David Shapiro)
(story) (as J. David Shapiro)
... aka Sacr� Robin des bois (France)
# "Charles in Charge" (1 episode, 1990)
- Buddy Flips a Disc (1990) TV episode (written by) (as J. David
Shapiro)
tomcervo
done, which aborted other projects even more dire.
moviePig
> Nothing but good news here. A lot of projects that shouldn't have been
> done, which aborted other projects even more dire.
I dunno. One could argue that THE SPIRIT (which I haven't seen) and
GRINDHOUSE at least somewhat tried to stray from "the suckers'll eat
it up" concept-crap. Meanwhile, rather than ridiculing the on-screen
talent for taking an offered job, the article would've done better
with even more career-tracing of the greenlighters... e.g., who
escaped the sinking ship he built, and who didn't...
--
- - - - - - - -
YOUR taste at work...
http://www.moviepig.com
Magnus, Robot Fighter
<pwal...@moviepig.com> wrote:
>On Nov 27, 1:50�pm, tomcervo <tomce...@aol.com> wrote:
>> Nothing but good news here. A lot of projects that shouldn't have been
>> done, which aborted other projects even more dire.
>
>I dunno. One could argue that THE SPIRIT (which I haven't seen) and
>GRINDHOUSE at least somewhat tried to stray from "the suckers'll eat
>it up" concept-crap. Meanwhile, rather than ridiculing the on-screen
>talent for taking an offered job, the article would've done better
>with even more career-tracing of the greenlighters... e.g., who
>escaped the sinking ship he built, and who didn't...
Pish posh....Grindhouse made its money back eventually, and given
Rodriguez's kajillion dollar Spy Kids franchise he was allowed a
couple of strikes. ...course with Shorts and '...Lava Girl'
Now Lady In the Water...I can't imagine that has any kind of DVD
appeal.
nick
> On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:25:50 -0800 (PST), moviePig
>
I'd forgotten Town & Country was even in this decade.
TT
>
> * Release date: July 23, 2004
>
> * Estimated cost: $100 million
>
> * Domestic gross: $40 million
>
> It was inevitable after Michelle Pfeiffer stole scenes as Catwoman in
> "Batman Returns" that her black-latexed anti-heroine would get a
> spinoff of her own. But when the inevitable occurred in 2004, this
> time with Halle Berry playing the character, audiences tried hard to
> cover up the kitty litter. No one involved with the movie came out
> unscathed. Not Berry, who just two years earlier had won an Oscar for
> "Monster's Ball"; not Sharon Stone, who chewed up the scenery as the
> movie's villainess; and not Pitof, the French filmmaker making his
> American directorial debut. He went back to his native land and hasn't
> directed a theatrical feature since. The movie is another example
> cited by studios in their long-held contention that female superhero
> movies just don't work.
Not *that* bad. At least had something to drool at.
In same genre, Imo "The Dark Knight" was worse...regardless of Heath
Ledger's good but inferior performance to Jack Nicholson's Joker. It was
all brawl no brain, dark CGI filled meaningless action movie. Hell, even
the series with fat Adam West was more thrilling. And much more likable.
>
> 4. GIGLI
>
> * Release date: August 1, 2003
>
> * Estimated cost: $54 million
>
> * Domestic gross: $6.1 million
>
> If the course of true love rarely runs smoothly, then "Gigli" is an
> object lesson in how rocky it can get. As the new century dawned, Ben
> Affleck and Jennifer Lopez -- tabloid code name: Bennifer -- were the
> couple of the moment. With an Oscar for writing "Good Will Hunting"
> and starring roles in "Pearl Harbor" and "The Sum of All Fears," his
> movie career was in high gear; she could boast a solid-gold music
> resume and rom-com appeal in movies like "The Wedding Planner" and
> "Maid in Manhattan." Onscreen romantic sparks seemed made to order. So
> what went wrong? Start with that title, "Gigli," that no one was sure
> how to pronounce. Add lots of lovey-dovey media appearances that
> erased a bit of their mystique. And then there was Martin Brest's film
> itself: a low-rent-mobster-boy-meets-enforcer-chick tale complete with
> a kidnapping, severed thumbs and Al Pacino in high dudgeon. Bennifer
> split in 2004, just before sharing the bill in another film not too
> far away on the flop-o-meter, "Jersey Girl."
>
Everybody loves to put down Gigli.
Not that bad either. Watched it recently hoping that I can finally rate
a movie 1/10 at imdb. No such luck, had to give it 5/10 and David
Bowie's "The man who fell to earth" remains the only 2 I've given.
I admit that Bennifer's characters were quite unconvincing. Yeah, real
gangstas for sure...
However rest of the movie actually wasn't much worse than other Lopez's
movies...which I have to confess I sort of like. Maybe it's because I'm
in love with her for obvious reasons.
Anyway, I was NOT remarkably bored during Gigli, the story was sort of
entertaining in silly sort of way. Or actually, the theme about
handicapped kid wasn't silly at all...it was almost heart warming! :)
Maybe it's the predictable turning to hetero -theme that bothers people?
Or maybe you just can't believe Jenny from the block is a lesbian?
At least the scene where Lopez was working out and described why making
love to a woman is special was very special...
Imo Gigli is a little below average movie, mostly because of somewhat
peculiar script and casting decisions.
Mr. Hole the Magnificent
It was a long one.
Sol L. Siegel
e88aee...@m33g2000pri.googlegroups.com:
> 6. CATWOMAN
>
> * Release date: July 23, 2004
>
> * Estimated cost: $100 million
>
> * Domestic gross: $40 million
>
> It was inevitable after Michelle Pfeiffer stole scenes as Catwoman in
> "Batman Returns" that her black-latexed anti-heroine would get a
> spinoff of her own. But when the inevitable occurred in 2004, this
> time with Halle Berry playing the character, audiences tried hard to
> cover up the kitty litter. No one involved with the movie came out
> unscathed. Not Berry, who just two years earlier had won an Oscar for
> "Monster's Ball"; not Sharon Stone, who chewed up the scenery as the
> movie's villainess; and not Pitof, the French filmmaker making his
> American directorial debut. He went back to his native land and hasn't
> directed a theatrical feature since. The movie is another example
> cited by studios in their long-held contention that female superhero
> movies just don't work.
IIRC, Berry was awarded the Golden Raspberry for Worst Actress - and
showed up to accept it.
--
- Sol L. Siegel, Philadelphia, PA USA
tomcervo
> In same genre, Imo "The Dark Knight" was worse...regardless of Heath
> Ledger's good but inferior performance to Jack Nicholson's Joker. It was
> all brawl no brain, dark CGI filled meaningless action movie. Hell, even
> the series with fat Adam West was more thrilling. And much more likable.
When the hell did Harvey Dent become an icon? And if you're going to
make him one, at least cast someone with a little more charisma than
Aaron Eckhart to play him--was Billy Dee Williams booked? That damn
thing was WAY too long, and by the end of Harvey's redemption people
were moving backwards up the aisle lest The Joker make a reprise.
Steven L.
> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091127/film_nm/us_decade_flops
>
> 6. CATWOMAN
>
> * Release date: July 23, 2004
>
> * Estimated cost: $100 million
>
> * Domestic gross: $40 million
I guess I'm counted somewhere in that $40 million. Because I liked the
movie, despite the derivative plot and the bad acting from supporting
actors. Reinventing Catwoman as a dominatrix was fun.
And unlike other bad movies that are soon forgotten, Halle Berry's
costume inspired a whole new generation of Halloween costumes for women.
http://www.halloweenexpress.com/bad-kitty-sexy-adult-costume-p-8068.html
(Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with this website in any way.)
--
Steven L.
Email: sdli...@earthlinkNOSPAM.net
Remove the NOSPAM before replying to me.
Steven L.
>> 6. CATWOMAN
>>
>> * Release date: July 23, 2004
>>
>> * Estimated cost: $100 million
>>
>> * Domestic gross: $40 million
>>
>> It was inevitable after Michelle Pfeiffer stole scenes as Catwoman in
>> "Batman Returns" that her black-latexed anti-heroine would get a
>> spinoff of her own. But when the inevitable occurred in 2004, this
>> time with Halle Berry playing the character, audiences tried hard to
>> cover up the kitty litter. No one involved with the movie came out
>> unscathed. Not Berry, who just two years earlier had won an Oscar for
>> "Monster's Ball"; not Sharon Stone, who chewed up the scenery as the
>> movie's villainess; and not Pitof, the French filmmaker making his
>> American directorial debut. He went back to his native land and hasn't
>> directed a theatrical feature since. The movie is another example
>> cited by studios in their long-held contention that female superhero
>> movies just don't work.
>
> Not *that* bad. At least had something to drool at.
>
> In same genre, Imo "The Dark Knight" was worse...regardless of Heath
> Ledger's good but inferior performance to Jack Nicholson's Joker.
I agree.
Many critics thought Nicholson's performance was just too over the top.
But as I recall the Joker from my young comic book days, he *was*
constantly over the top, laughing hysterically and prancing around.
Nicholson did the Joker as the comic books had him--a guy who loved to
show off. Whereas Ledger re-invented the Joker to be something like The
Mad Bomber with clown makeup.
nick
> TMC wrote:
> >http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091127/film_nm/us_decade_flops
>
> > 6. CATWOMAN
>
> > * Release date: July 23, 2004
>
> > * Estimated cost: $100 million
>
> > * Domestic gross: $40 million
>
> I guess I'm counted somewhere in that $40 million. Because I liked the
> movie, despite the derivative plot and the bad acting from supporting
> actors. Reinventing Catwoman as a dominatrix was fun.
>
> And unlike other bad movies that are soon forgotten, Halle Berry's
> costume inspired a whole new generation of Halloween costumes for women.
>
> http://www.halloweenexpress.com/bad-kitty-sexy-adult-costume-p-8068.html
>
> (Disclaimer: I'm not affiliated with this website in any way.)
>
style, here's Carrie Prejean working that family values magic:
TT
Agreed.
TT
> IIRC, Berry was awarded the Golden Raspberry for Worst Actress - and
> showed up to accept it.
>
lol. A stunner with a good sense of humour and self irony.
TT
> TMC wrote:
>> http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20091127/film_nm/us_decade_flops
>>
>> 6. CATWOMAN
>>
>> * Release date: July 23, 2004
>>
>> * Estimated cost: $100 million
>>
>> * Domestic gross: $40 million
>
> I guess I'm counted somewhere in that $40 million. Because I liked the
> movie, despite the derivative plot and the bad acting from supporting
> actors. Reinventing Catwoman as a dominatrix was fun.
>
> And unlike other bad movies that are soon forgotten, Halle Berry's
> costume inspired a whole new generation of Halloween costumes for women.
>
> http://www.halloweenexpress.com/bad-kitty-sexy-adult-costume-p-8068.html
Ah, I see your point!
Howard Brazee
<sdli...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>Many critics thought Nicholson's performance was just too over the top.
>But as I recall the Joker from my young comic book days, he *was*
>constantly over the top, laughing hysterically and prancing around.
>Nicholson did the Joker as the comic books had him--a guy who loved to
>show off. Whereas Ledger re-invented the Joker to be something like The
>Mad Bomber with clown makeup.
I'm curious - was it the actor, the director, or the writer who so
re-invented the Joker?
--
"In no part of the constitution is more wisdom to be found,
than in the clause which confides the question of war or peace
to the legislature, and not to the executive department."
- James Madison
Invid Fan
<d7648e9d-2c2b-4579...@n35g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
tomcervo <tomc...@aol.com> wrote:
> On Nov 27, 7:23�pm, TT <n...@email.org> wrote:
>
>
> > In same genre, Imo "The Dark Knight" was worse...regardless of Heath
> > Ledger's good but inferior performance to Jack Nicholson's Joker. It was
> > all brawl no brain, dark CGI filled meaningless action movie. Hell, even
> > � the series with fat Adam West was more thrilling. And much more likable.
>
> When the hell did Harvey Dent become an icon?
Either The Dark Knight Returns or in the animated series. Most probably
only know of him from the cartoon, where he was probably used as often
as the Joker.
--
Chris Mack *quote under construction*
'Invid Fan'
tomcervo
> In article
> <d7648e9d-2c2b-4579-a863-4bd41643b...@n35g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
>
> tomcervo <tomce...@aol.com> wrote:
> > On Nov 27, 7:23 pm, TT <n...@email.org> wrote:
>
> > > In same genre, Imo "The Dark Knight" was worse...regardless of Heath
> > > Ledger's good but inferior performance to Jack Nicholson's Joker. It was
> > > all brawl no brain, dark CGI filled meaningless action movie. Hell, even
> > > the series with fat Adam West was more thrilling. And much more likable.
>
> > When the hell did Harvey Dent become an icon?
>
> Either The Dark Knight Returns or in the animated series. Most probably
> only know of him from the cartoon, where he was probably used as often
> as the Joker.
In the old comic he was just another villain with another weird
backstory.
In the Frank Miller reworking, Gordon was the lone good man trying to
clean up the city single-handed until Batman put on his cape.
Steven L.
> On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 12:37:43 -0500, "Steven L."
> <sdli...@earthlink.net> wrote:
>
>> Many critics thought Nicholson's performance was just too over the top.
>> But as I recall the Joker from my young comic book days, he *was*
>> constantly over the top, laughing hysterically and prancing around.
>> Nicholson did the Joker as the comic books had him--a guy who loved to
>> show off. Whereas Ledger re-invented the Joker to be something like The
>> Mad Bomber with clown makeup.
>
> I'm curious - was it the actor, the director, or the writer who so
> re-invented the Joker?
Good question. So I checked imdb.com:
"In preparation for his role as The Joker, Heath Ledger hid away in a
motel room for about six weeks. During this extended stay of seclusion,
Ledger delved deep into the psychology of the character. He devoted
himself to developing The Joker's every tic, namely the voice and that
sadistic-sounding laugh. Ledger's interpretation of The Joker's
appearance was primarily based off of the chaotic, disheveled look of
punk rocker Sid Vicious combined with the psychotic mannerisms of
Malcolm McDowell's character, Alex De Large, from A Clockwork Orange (1971).
"The Joker's face paint was reportedly designed by Heath Ledger himself,
who used white clown makeup and cosmetics from a drugstore. Once his
design was approved, the makeup team was responsible for replicating the
look each day for filming.
"The Joker's distinctive tongue flip grew out of Heath Ledger's own
habit of doing that.
"Heath Ledger directed both homemade videos that the Joker sends to GCN
himself. The first video involving the fake Batman was done under
Nolan's supervision. Nolan thought Ledger had done so well with that
sequence, he felt there was no need for him to be there when it came
time to film the scene where reporter Mike Engel reads the Joker's
statement. He put his trust in Ledger and let him do whatever he wanted,
ultimately pleased with the result after he'd seen the outcome."
Looks like it was Ledger who re-interpreted the Joker.
Howard Brazee
<sdli...@earthlink.net> wrote:
(top posted)
Thanks for the interesting answer.
--