Thoughts?

“I was not going to admit it: I asked someone to send me a few reactions [to the photo],” she said. “And I happen to know that MTV’s reaction was ‘meh’.”

“What I am happy to say is, if you didn’t like the photo, you only see about a 10th of what that suit can do,” she promises, along with what the first impressions, there is a lot more happening with that suit. “And if you did like the photo, you have excellent taste.”

The Dark Knight Rises on July 20th, 2012.

There’s been rumors of her character being mirrored off of some story lines that Frank Miller used the character in, but I think fans are going to have a field day with this. What are your initial thoughts? There’s no context to what part of the film this is taken from, so keep that in mind, and there’s no indication that this is her full costume.

Source: MovieHole

Anne’s outfit is more tactical, like the comic book, than the previous Batman movies,” a source very close to the costume design tells us exclusively. “She will definitely be wearing the goggles and it’s going to be less sexy than Halle Berry and Michelle Pfeiffer’s Catwoman costumes. She’s going to look more like a robber. Everything from the looks in her eyes, her head movements, her body–everything is so feline. The role is taking her to new places, the insider said.

It sounds about right. Realistic, almost like her modern outfit from the late 1990s on in the comics. It’ll be interesting to see when WB releases them. Like I said, it’s from an “insider”, so we can only take this with a grain of salt as they say.Thoughts?

Apparently, during a fight sequence, a stuntman received a mighty blow to his eye socket thanks to Anne Hathaway, who plays Seline Kyle/Catwoman in the film. His face would later turn black-and-blue. Thankfully, he remained good natured, although poor Anne Hathaway was said to be quite upset.

Nolan is aiming on bring some of the most brutal fight sequences in recent memory to his final chapter of his Batman saga, and I’m mighty fine with that.

Source: Movieweb

It was almost obvious Nolan would be introducing Catwoman as it seemed odd to use Selina Kyle, but not touch on her alter ego. Anyway, at least we can look forward to a more faithful portrayal than the last time she graced the big screen.

I’ve always thought of her as a kindred spirit of sorts. We’re both brunettes with warm brown eyes who have that sort of girl-next-door appeal. Aside from the fact that she’s much prettier, way cooler and a lot more rich and famous, we’re almost exactly alike! OK, maybe not. But I was pleasantly surprised to hear that she will be indulging her inner “mean girl” in her next role, and she definitely won’t be as cute as kittens the next time you see her on screen. She’s signed on to play Selina Kyle – otherwise known as Catwoman – in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

I actually think this will be a good change of pace for her. She’s certainly not the first actress to play Catwoman (I can think of five others), but I think she can pull it off well. Hathaway is a talented actress, and I’m looking forward to seeing her release her inner vixen on screen.

Tom Hardy also joined the cast as Bane. The Dark Knight Rises is set to hit theaters July 20, 2012.

***

Before The Dark Knight Rises, Hathaway has one more project to get out of the way. She’s co-hosting the Oscars. Joining her on stage for the Academy Awards will be James Franco.

Now, Franco is an incredibly talented actor, but I’m a firm believer that his best performance isn’t on the big screen. It’s on the small screen. And fans will have the opportunity to see him one more time.

Franco is returning to General Hospital for two more episodes in February, and I, for one, cannot wait. His character (named Franco – what else?!) was last seen faking his own death at a very public art show, escaping the clutches of mob hitman Jason Morgan (Steve Burton) and detective Dante Falconeri (Dominic Zamprogna). Come on – that’s even more fun that Pineapple Express, right?! Rumor has it that his appearance will be a prelude to an even bigger story. Which begs the question – what will happen to the residents of Port Charles? (Cue over-the-top soap opera orchestra music.) Tune in at the end of February to find out.

OK, I don’t really think Franco’s self-named alter ego is actually his best performance. But it’s fun, and I like that he’s willing to take chances like that.

And by the way, genius tie-in, ABC. Franco’s episodes will bookend his Academy Awards appearance, airing on Feb. 25 and 28. You can watch him co-host the Oscars at 8 p.m. EST on Feb. 27.

Although, it should be noted that it’s unknown if Selina Kyle will become Catwoman in the film, but it’s very likely. But one of the reason Nolan didn’t include The Riddler was because the character was one of Batman’s most well-known villains, and the same can be said for Catwoman. However, Nolan was looking for both a love interest and a femme fatal. Two roles that Catwoman has served in the comics. That’s not to say Talia couldn’t still be used in the film. Bane also seemed like a weird choice as many assumed him to be playing Hugo Strange or Harvey Bullock. But we can at least have faith that Nolan will make a proper portrayal of the character, unlike what was scene in Schumacher’s Batman and Robin.

Despite the most recent rumor that Naomi Watts and Eva Green were cast in the film (here), sources are telling The Hollywood Reporter that Nolan will be screen-testing  Keira Knightley, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Biel,  Kate Mara, and Charlotte Riley within the next two weeks. Sources are also claiming that one of the roles will be that of Talia al Ghul. Of course, we know how “truthful” these inside sources can be, especially with a film as big as The Dark Knight Rises. However, Talia seems to be the most likely character, and many assumed the character’s involvement since Nolan has been location scouting in India (here). The character is also known to be a love interest to Batman in the comics.

Although, it would be smart to wait for Nolan to make his announcement sometime this year before we believe anything.

Many actresses have also been linked to the film ranging from Erica Durance (Smallville), Sienna Miller (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra), but it was Rose McGowan (Grindhouse: Planet Terror, Machete) that was attached to star. Now, a tweet by Dustin Rowles of Pajiba reveals that Anne Hathaway (Get Smart) is latest to be “attached” to the role. It’s uncertain why Rowles attached quotations to the word, but it could mean a couple things. Hathaway is either rumored for the role, or the actress is still in negotiations. It should be noted the film is without a director, who plays a big role in determining the cast.

According to Feature Film Auditions, Anne Hathaway (Get Smart) has been mentioned as a possible candidate for Superman’s love interest. It doesn’t really give us anything, but it give us an idea on what kind of actor he wants to cast in the role. Although, many are probably still hoping Natalie Portman (Black Swan) could be up for the role (here), but it’s not likely. Hathaway is also up for a role in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (here), and he named being dropped for this role could be due to a recent testing with Nolan.

Deadline Hollywood reports that Rachel Weisz (Constantine, The Lovely Bones), Naomi Watts (King Kong, Fair Game), Blake Lively (Green Lantern, The Town), Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Thor), Anne Hathaway (Get Smart, Valentine’s Day) and Keira Knightley (Pirates of the Caribbean Trilogy, Never Let Me Go)  are in talks with Nolan to join the cast. The actresses won’t be competing for the same role. It’s said one is for a villain, and the other a love interest for Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale). Of course, Nolan is keeping the identity of the character a secret, so much that even Tom Hardy doesn’t know what character he’s playing.

No doubt the first character that comes to mind would be Selina Kyle/Catwoman, who has been speculated to appear as a villain (here). However, that may not be the case as she has been known to play both a love interest to Batman and a villain. Although, a couple of those actresses certainly have been known to take on roles of tough females, and would be a good choice for Catwoman. There’s also a chance anyone of those could be Talia al Ghul of Harley Quinn. Natalie Portman may be more fit for a love interest than a villain, and with the buzz off her performance in Darren Aronofsky’s Black Swan, we can bet that Nolan is looking at her closely. We should know soon who gets cast in the film, and what characters they’ll play soon.

Production will kick-off in April for a release in July of 2012.

According to Bloody-Disgusting, James Franco (Rise of the Apes, Spider-man Trilogy) and Anne Hathaway (Get Smart, Passengers) are being looked at to star. Nothing has been signed yet, but are two the studio has shown interest in. It’s unknown what roles the two are considered for, but Fox seems to be moving along with development fast. So, you can expect to here some official news soon.

The Film:

On paper, the idea of Tim Burton directing a modern live-action version of Lewis Carroll’s famous story of Alice in Wonderland seemed too good to be true. Tim Burton certainly has established himself over the years as a kooky director with his finger on weird, and even more certain, is that Alice in Wonderland is weird. The classic Disney animated film from 1951 as become a polarizing film from the Mouse House, a film one either loves entirely or one hates it entirely. Despite the fact if you like or dislike Tim Burton, the very idea presented to us with his adaptation of Alice in Wonderland was one of the most perfect marriages one could assume on paper. Notice how many times I’ve said on paper, because a Tim Burton directed version of Alice in Wonderland should not have been this ordinary.

I can’t help but wish this film came during the world’s introduction to Tim Burton back when he was doing things like Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice, because for all of the razzle dazzle of (and if you see it in) IMAX 3-D, the film is largely flat and dare I say, boring. One of the sole problems with the film is that there’s little actually going on. Taking a cue from the sequel to Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, called Through the Looking-Glass, the re-imagining of this oft-told tale gives Alice adulthood, but that’s its sole new contribution. She’s still naive and sweet, and is only progressive outside of the Underland. Character depth is as surface level as the visuals here, making it really hard to grasp onto anything in the film as an emotional anchor. The Red Queen (Helen Bonham Carter, Fight Club) has now overthrown the White Queen (Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married) and has made Underland into a desolate place ruled in fear, and that fear is the Jabberwock.

Burton’s style is here, as in the duality of real versus dreams in the cold normalcy of the real world and the kooky, wild Underland, yet the film gets rather plain as it goes on, something no fan of Burton would have expected from his version of Alice in Wonderland. Maybe aiding the Plain Jane affair is his use, or over-abundant use of CGI. This is where I wished this film was made during that heyday of his around Beetlejuice. I felt the CG ran rampant, making a question of why didn’t he just make an animated film then, instead of live-action. Curious, no? The CG is fine at times, like with the White Rabbit or the big red head of the Red Queen, but for Tweedledum and Tweedledee or the army, it looked too cartoon-y when it needed to be weirder.

The one great scene is Alice’s appearance at the Mad Tea Party, which is a prime example of what we thought Burton would bring to this adaptation: humor, kookiness, and odd. One cannot finish a Burton review without mentioning Johnny Depp, and his Mad Hatter is a strange creation. Depp is never afraid to take a wild chance, and what failed for his Willy Wonka, sort of works here for Hatter. Sort of. Still, the promised weird and kooky partnership of Lewis Carroll and Tim Burton is a passable event. When it should have been the weirdest thing around, it’s a generic descent into the rabbit hole.

The Blu-ray:

Audio/Video: Disney has released a near-perfect transfer. Helping the picture quality is the fact Burton shot the vast majority of the film on digital and colors and details are vivid, rich, and highly detailed. There’s really no flaws here, so fans can expect a beautiful looking film in HD. The DTS track is very active with constant musical cues, rare speaker effects, and dialogue. Deep bass rumbles underneath all of that as well. I don’t want to go on and on about how great it looks and sounds, because I’ll run out of adjectives. Disney is stellar on Blu-ray once more.

All extras are in HD.

Wonderland Characters: This is a collection of six mini-documentaries (all accessed individually as well) that cover the characters we know and love as reinterpreted via Burton’s eye. You’ll get the casting of Alice and how they went about getting and finding an unknown, a bit on the Mad Hatter’s funny dance at the end of the film, Helen Bonham Carter’s make-up, and more featuring interviews that feel very electronic press kit type of fluff. For someone hoping for a deeper look at the wild landscapes and CG, we get little, making this all 27 minutes of material really light on info.

Making Wonderland: Similar to the above feature, we get six mini-documentaries again, but this time focusing on the FX, the props, the stunt work, Danny Elfman’s score, and the distortion FX. Sadly, all just graze by the subjects without much depth. This is especially aggravating because it’s a case of a ‘what could have been’. With no commentary track, all these features are really a wash.

Sneak Peaks: We get plenty of HD trailers here for future theatrical films and Blu-rays from the Mouse House.

Conclusion: Not Burton’s best, but not his worst. The disc’s presentation is top-notch, yet the extras are pretty fluffy-sadly.

The Film: Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

The Blu-ray: Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

“That is supposed to go this summer in London with Lone Scherfig directing and Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess,” she said, adding that the deals aren’t closed but that the two stars are both attached. “Their deals are being negotiated right now.”

The story centers one the lives of two protagonists on 15 July, St. Swithen’s Day, for twenty years who meet on this particular day. Focus Features is on top of this project with a possible 2011 release date. You can see Hathaway on the big screen right now in the box office hit Alice in Wonderland from Walt Disney Pictures.