The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced plans today for a James Bond 50th anniversary celebration during its televised Oscars ceremony, and, next week, the 2013 nominees will be unveiled. And, since November, studios have been doubling down on the films they put all their loot on in 2012. Not just the arty farty ones — those seldom make money anyways — but the popcorn fare that can pick up technical awards such as Best Sound Mixing and Best Bane Mask.
Yep, we’re in the dead of Oscar season.
So don’t be surprised if in the coming weeks you fall victim to yet another contagion of Batman Fever. Warner Bros. has been pushing an iBook for “The Dark Knight Rises” on Academy members and other for-your-consideration propaganda — that includes Bruce Wayne’s butler.
So amidst this swarm of “TDKR” spin that will make the rounds between now and the 85th Academy Awards’ February 26 air date, it’s worth remembering another dystopian comic book title that didn’t take itself so goddamn seriously — and, because of which, wins out as the more enjoyable movie, IMHO.
“Dredd” comes out on DVD January 8, but that’s hardly an effort by Lions Gate to force the comic book reboot in any sort of Oscar conversations. I’m not suggesting it should, either; I just hope, at the least, the movie serves as a reminder to dismiss “TDKR” as something equally unimportant.
I can’t tell you how many “Batman vs. Dredd” barroom discussions (turned sexless nights) I’ve had since director Pete Travis’s crack addict fantasy hit theaters back in September. The fact that Christopher Nolan is such a blowhard about setting the 165-minute “TDKR” in a post-modern world, he sets himself up for the Internet to nitpick at everything wrong in three minutes or less.
“Dredd” doesn’t bother with self-importance. It drives a couple points quickly and painlessly in a brisk 95 minutes, namely about the perpetuation of violence and how the justice system is the root of the problem. The message also comes across subtly enough that we’re not being preached at. Audiences are able to ignore social commentary and simply enjoy Lena Headey’s bloodthirsty prostitute in a wife-beater as she mans a machine gun turret, if they want.
And who would blame ‘em?
January 05, 2013 at 11:27 am, Trichy Rockerz said:
This is the most appalling article I've ever read!
January 05, 2013 at 12:04 pm, Travis Denson said:
To whomever wrote this article…you are a miserable human being.
January 05, 2013 at 2:24 pm, Michael Thomas said:
He's right though lol, dredd is by far the better film.
January 05, 2013 at 3:35 pm, Giovanni Grasso said:
this article is a joke.
January 06, 2013 at 1:36 am, Gary Crane said:
Dredd Sucked Ass. Dredd Had No Point. The Dark Knight Rises Had A Point/Plot. It Was A Masterpiece And Has Made The Top List Of Movies For 2012, Which Dredd Did Not. The Dark Knight Rises Also Has A Far Better Rating Than Dredd… So, Mr. Brian Adams For You To Voice Your Opinion On Dredd Based Off Pure Bias And Not Facts Is Appalling. This Article Was A Joke And You Are Indeed A Miserable Human Being As Everyone States. Further More, Despite One Being Based Off Of DC Comics (TDKR) & The The Other From Marvel Comics (Dredd) They Are Both Two Completely Different Films That Went In Two Totally Different Directions. It's The Same With Comparing Christopher's Nolan Dark Knight Trilogy & Burton/Schumacher's Batman's Saga. Despite Them Using The Same Character (Bruce Wayne/Batman), Both Cinema Went In Totally Different Directions With The Character And Story. It's Also Like Comparing The Star Wars Saga With The Twilight Saga, They Are Two Different Movies You Can't Compare Them. So, Before Posting Some Bullshit Article With No Point At All Than Just To Bash One Movie To A Totally Different Movie And Not Back It Up With Legit Facts; It's Wiser To Think Before You Type!
January 07, 2013 at 12:10 pm, Michael Thomas said:
rises needed to be split into tow films, at least. Why do you put capitals all over te show lol?
January 07, 2013 at 12:10 pm, Michael Thomas said:
rises needed to be split into two films, at least. Why do you put capitals all over te show lol?
January 07, 2013 at 7:33 pm, James Aggas said:
1. Dredd's 2000AD, not Marvel. Contrary to popular belief, DC and Marvel are NOT the only comic publishers out there. 2. Storywise, Dredd is arguably better than TDKR. Oh, TDKR is a wonderful film thematically, a story that examines hope and false hope, the nature of class and society, and gave some resolution to a great trilogy. However, the actual basic plot needed some SERIOUS improvement. There were so many things that made no sense. If you wanted to have a city live in false hope, why kill the one guy who can stop a nuclear bomb going off instead of locking him up down in a deep hole like Bane did with Wayne? And speaking of the nuclear bomb, did Nolan even bother read ANYTHING about nuclear explosions? The complaint in the 3 min vid about how the radiation would kill everyone after the detonation anyway isn't just a nitpick – it's a basic mistake that should NOT have happened in a Nolan film. Compare this to Dredd, which keeps it's plot simple, but overall actually makes sense with only a few small plotholes. So basic plotwise, it's better in that it works. And 3. While it may not be as thematically complex as TDKR, Dredd does have several points: not only is it an entertaining action movie, it also has very subtle commentary on the nature of violence, of where society might be heading and even where it could be right now. So in my humble opinion, Dredd is better than TDKR. And that's something I genuinely did not expect to happen, because as much as I LOVE the Judge Dredd comic, The Dark Knight is in my opinion one of if not THE greatest comic book movie ever made. Hell, I still think that's better than Dredd. But TDKR? Ambitious but certainly flawed.
January 08, 2013 at 9:43 pm, Erwin Christopher said:
It's kind of fitting that your response to this article is giving me the same sort of headache that DKR gave me….anyways, I'd have to agree that Dredd is better than DKR, which was an incredibly bloated movie filled with plot holes. The only thing I enjoyed (surprisingly, as I thought it was a mistake originally) was Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle.
January 06, 2013 at 7:38 pm, Brandon DeHainaut said:
I'd say Dredd is more of a "fun" film compared to the Dark Knight Rises…and yes, neither is Oscar worthy. Good read.
January 22, 2013 at 2:00 pm, 10 best movie scenes to watch on the treadmill | Death and Taxes said:
[...] Paul Leonard-Morgan’s electronic track helps. Plus, “Dredd” is still better than “TDKR.” [...]
March 27, 2013 at 4:34 pm, ‘Dredd’ producer promises ‘dope’ sequel as short film | Death and Taxes said:
[...] producer Adi Shankar confirmed to fans of the 2012 dystopian comic book flick (which, no doubt, is still better than “The Dark Knight Rises”) did not make enough loot for Lions Gate to justify a [...]
March 27, 2013 at 11:34 pm, ‘Dredd’ producer promises ‘dope’ sequel as short film | Brav's Bookmarks said:
[...] producer Adi Shankar confirmed to fans of the 2012 dystopian comic book flick (which, no doubt, is still better than “The Dark Knight Rises”) did not make enough loot for Lions Gate to justify a [...]