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July 18, 2008

'The Dark Knight' raking it in

3:25 PM Fri, Jul 18, 2008 | Permalink
Stephen Becker

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The Dark Knight can already lay claim to one record: biggest midnight opening. In earning $18.4 million on its early Friday showings, the film surpassed 2005's Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith to take the crown.
Several theaters also showed the film at 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. Friday, so this one may have a chance to take down Spider-Man 3's all-time opening weekend of $151.1 million. It was thought that Dark Knight's 152-minute running time would hamper its cause, but if theaters are adding screenings at crazy hours, that can help make up for its fewer waking-hour showings.

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Categories: In theaters, Movie News

'The Wackness' outtakes

11:18 AM Fri, Jul 18, 2008 | Permalink
Stephen Becker

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A few weeks ago, I interviewed Jonathan Levine and Josh Peck, the director and star of The Wackness for a story that ran on Thursday. We spent most of the time talking about the role that music plays in the film, which is set in Manhattan in 1994, right at the end of hip-hop's glory days (IMHO).
But another part of getting the vibe right was the dialogue, which is a trickier task than just collecting a solid soundtrack.
"Initially I just started using 'dope,' 'word,' 'ill,' 'whack' -- I had like five root words that I worked off of," Peck said about his preparation for the film. "Sometimes I would trip up and say to [co-star] Method Man, 'What's good?' and Jon would say, 'Yo, we didn't say that.'"
Ultimately, I'm not as in love with the dialogue as I am the soundtrack. It's just as hard to listen to a white teenager say, "I'm mad depressed, yo!" in 2008 as it was in 1994. But the film still hits on some levels, especially when Peck's character, Luke, is pursuing the out-of-his-league Stephanie (Olivia Thirlby) and learning that she may not have his best interests in mind.
Regardless, you'll at least be bobbing your head and tapping your feet throughout. And that's not such a bad way to spend 90 minutes.

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Categories: In theaters, Outtakes

Angelika and Fandango team up

9:28 AM Fri, Jul 18, 2008 | Permalink
Stephen Becker

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Tired of waiting in that line at the Dallas Angelika that can stretch all the way to Margarita Ranch? Starting today, you have another option. The Angelika Film Centers in Dallas and Plano have partnered with online ticket seller Fandango to sell advanced tickets to Angelika shows. To purchase the tickets, go to fandango.com or call 1-800-Fandango. Then you can skip the lines by picking up your tickets from kiosks located inside the theaters.

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Categories: In theaters, Local Film News

Missing Chris Vognar?

6:00 AM Fri, Jul 18, 2008 | Permalink
Holly Warren

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From Movie Critic Chris Vognar:

I will be studying at Harvard University on a Nieman Fellowship until June 2009. I still have a few stories filed, which will run in the coming month, but The Dark Knight is my last movie review for a while. As that cuddly Terminator fella once said, I'll be back.

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Categories: Critic's Corner