As a result of the tragic events in Aurora, Colorado, on Thursday night, the screening of
The Dark Knight Rises on Saturday for members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences was a fairly sombre affair with
The Hollywood Reporter revealing that those in attendance apparently left, "quickly and without much discussion." Academy President Tom Sherak tells the site,
"We knew we were going to have a huge crowd even before the tragedy; a lot of people had been talking about coming. Even I, who normally would not come to this side of town to go to a movie, was planning on coming before the tragedy because it felt like a big summer movie and I wanted to see it. After what happened you aren’t going to stand there and talk about it." He adds,
"Normally, I think there would be more conversation afterward. (During the screening) very few people moved. It’s a very intense movie and it played really, really well."
However, according to another member of the Academy who was there, the film received "only sporadic applause" and the lack of response is not a good sign that it will be nominated for the big Oscars come awards season, with one member saying that,
"people were kind of disappointed. It wasn’t because of (Colorado). I just don’t think that this picture will get any nominations (beyond technical nods)." Another says,
"There was nothing remarkable about the acting. I don’t think it can be nominated as best picture."
Before you write off
The Dark Knight Rises being nominated for either the "Best Picture" or "Best Director" Oscars, there are a few things to take into consideration. For a start, there are literally THOUSANDS of other Academy members who have yet to watch the film. Also, the lack of a nomination for
The Dark Knight in 2008 led the Academy to expand the amount of films which can be nominated in order to include more mainstream pictures. Christopher Nolan is a director who has been snubbed by them on more than one occasion and while the ever unreliable Rotten Tomatoes score may lead you to believe that the film hasn't been met with a hugely positive response (does anyone really put a lot of weight behind the opinions of critics from "The Ooh Tray", "Ok! Magazine" and the "Kansas City Star"?!) it currently holds an 'A' CinemaScore and has been met with an almost unanimously positive response from fans and movie lovers alike. Do you think it will be nominated at next year's Academy Awards? Sound off with your thoughts in the usual place and be sure to read my 5* review of the film by clicking
HERE.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ "The Dark Knight Rises" is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy. The screenplay is written by Christopher Nolan and Jonathan Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster "The Dark Knight." The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by Bob Kane.
STARRING:
Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman
Michael Caine as Alfred
Gary Oldman as Commissioner Jim Gordon
Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox
Tom Hardy as Bane
Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle/Catwoman
Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake
Marion Cotillard as Miranda Tate
Josh Pence as Ra's Al Ghul
RELEASE DATE: July 20th, 2012