The second Batman installment by Nolan took in over $26 million this past weekend, pushing it past Shrek 2 into the 3rd spot of all time boxoffice grosses, with a total of $441.6 million. It is only a little over $19 million short of overtaking the #2 spot long held by the original Star Wars. Experts predict that it should overtake Star Wars sometime before next weekend is over.

However, TDK is not expected to retain its #1 spot at the box office next weekend, with the release of the much anticipated comedy Tropic Thunder and the Star Wars Clone Wars animated flick.

On Monday it also surpassed the $400 million mark, making it the fastest movie to reach that milestone. The record was previously held by Shrek 2, which took over 43 days to reach that mark. This means that The Dark Knight, having reached the $400 million mark in just 18 days of release, did it 60% faster.

We arrived around 6:15pm in the heart of Kars, where we lined up before entering the grounds. We had to wait for a ribbon cutting ceremony scheduled for 6:30, but that was running a little behind schedule due to a tardy mayor. As we waited, we were entertained by the grounds Master of Ceremony who was completely dressed from head to toe in 1930s garb, which included an old fashion cone bullhorn.

The ribbon cutting ceremony finally concluded around 6:40pm, after which we were whisked onto the carnival grounds. It was a little disappointed to find that a number of attractions weren’t ready yet. The Thrills and Skills tent which was supposed to house a 1930’s carny arcade was completely barren. There was no games of chance; no knocking down of milk bottles, no ring tosses, no shooting gallery.

The first attraction that we visited was the Ten-In-One tent where I eagerly awaited the start of the authentic freakshow Carnival Diablo. This sideshow has been in existence for the last 14 years, entertaining crowds across Canada. We were first introduced by the master of ceremony who called himself Nikolai Diablo. The first trick was a skit that derived from the russian roulette game. Diablo invited a member of the audience to hide a 9 inch long spike under one of 4 paper bags. Diablo, seemingly not knowing which bag had the spike,proceeded to smash 3 of the bags with his hand, always picking an empty bag.

We were also entertained by the strongman Mighty Leviticus who bent an iron bar between his teeth, served as a human dart board and suffered at the hands of Diablo in an electric chair. Also on the stage was Istvan Betyar, a world renowned sword swallower. The crowd gasped and clapped as he swallowed a 24″ french corkscrew sword, and simultaneously swallowing 2 broadswords. Diablo himself also entertained the crowd by seemingly swallowing razor blades, performing a fire eating act and piercing his tongue with a shark hook and then proceeding to lift a basket of rocks with his tongue.

45 minutes after the show began we were escorted into another tent, The Big Top, which is the original tent used in the first ever world performance by the Cirque du Soleil. We beared witness to a human circus, the Cirque Maroc. The acrobats in Cirque Maroc are all alumni from the Cirque du Soleil and Ringling Brothers. We were amazed by watching these acrobats performing breathtaking feats which included high wire acts, a couple of trapeze performances, a contortionist performance, a hoop show, all wrapped around a story filled with dances and a lot of comedic moments. These performances were flawless in their execution and left the crowd amazed and wanting more.

After the 1 hour long show, we briefly walked the carnival grounds. We skipped the Tropical Terrors tent which was holding the Great Snakes of the World Show as my wife has a big fear of snakes. I admired the ferris wheel, which is an authentic 1917 Eli Bridge ferris wheel. I only admired it from afar as the lineup for the ride was long and we were both a little tired.

On our way back to the car we also passed the carousel, another authentic piece of a 1930’s carnival. The vintage carousel dates back to 1938. Near the gate exits also sat a 1930s bus, the Clairvoyant Caravan, where you can have your fortunes read by either a Tarot reading or a palm reading.

The carnival also includes the Congress of Wonder, a tent filled with authentic early 1900 carnival artifacts, an outdoor restaurant entitled the Cookhouse, a High Striker and a Coin Toss.

As much as we enjoyed ourselves, I’m not sure the 60$ a ticket price is fully worth it. At 120$ for a couple, I find that price a little steep for what you get. This is not a cheap outing for a family of 4! I think it would have been more sensible if the price was in the 30$ to 40$ range. I’m sure at that price range the carnival would attract more people. We can’t really complain though, as my wife was given the tickets for free at her workplace.

All in all, I enjoyed our night out at Carnivale Lune Bleue.  If you enjoy carnivals/fairs, and you can afford the high ticket prices, this is one that you shouldn’t pass up. Just don’t do like we did and forget the bug spray!

TDK has become the fastest movie to reach $300 million in an amazingly short 10 days. The previous record holder was Pirates of the Caribbean 2 which took a full 16 days to reach that mark. It also broke the record for highest grossing 2nd weekend, pulling in $75,166,466, surpassing the previous record holder Shrek 2, which had $72 million.

So far, The Dark Knight has raked in $313,781,677 domestically and over $355.5 million in international releases. This last number is sure to grow as the movie has not been released everywhere internationally.

Experts are forecasting that this Batman sequel will reach the $400 million mark at 18 days of release. The previous record being Shrek 2, which took a full 43 days to get to that number.

For a list of other records that The Dark Knight has broken, see my previous article The Dark Knight Smashing Records.

The main issue I have with this project is room. I live in the suburbs and very often I have to look at 4 or 5 95 buses pass me by without stopping. They don’t stop due to the fact that there’s no room in the bus. On the route home from Place d’Orleans, the major hub of that suburb, the only local bus that ends up taking me close to home is often full because it only runs every 30 minutes (when it shows up). Allowing pet owners to carry their pets in bulky pet carriers would only make things worse. We’re already squished in like sardines as it is. Supporters of this pet project claim that a handful of other cities in the country have allowed pets on buses for years. I’m sure if these supporters would look at these other public transportation systems, they would see that they don’t suffer the overcrowding that we have. With rising gas prices, ridership has also increased, making the problem even worse than it was.

Before looking into allowing pets on buses, OC Transpo should address the lack of buses, their maps/runs and their schedules. I’ve moved into a new part of Orleans that has grown by 6-8 thousand people in the last 2 years but the schedule and number of buses that run have not changed to reflect this growing area, Also, there’s a ‘major’ stop about 1 km from where I live, the Trim bus station, yet I have no local buses that go to that station. I must take a bus to Place d’Orleans, a trip that takes 30 minutes, so that I can catch a 95. Instead, OC Transpo should have a local bus that goes to Trim station, which would cut a good 20 to 25 minutes off travel time each way.

Some folks have written in the local paper saying pets should be allowed except during peak hours. This would be a logistical nightmare. How do you kick off poor little Ms. Smith and her pet poodle off a bus she got on during off peak hours (let’s say 3:20pm) who’s long ride ends up going into peak hours? Do you just kick her off at a random stop and wish her luck at getting home? This makes no sense.

There’s also some people who have severe allergic reactions to pet dander. Should they have to suffer because someone can’t afford to take a cab to their vet appointment? Now some supporters of this proposition state that people with pet allergies already ride the bus with people covered in pet hair. This statement is absolutely ludicrous. Newsflash! Those who have pet allergies aren’t allergic to pet hair, but pet dander. A person having a few stray pet hairs on their clothes will not cause someone with allergies to have a reaction, save for an extremely small minority who have an acute allergy to pet dander. Those people probably already avoid taking public transportation. Now carry a pet on a bus, there’s a lot more dander flying around, which would cause even those with mild allergies to react.

Then there’s the issue of noise. I know a lot of pets (3 of my cats included) that meow or bark constantly when in public or a moving vehicle. I’m sure there’s nothing else one would rather look forward to after a long hard day at work than to get on an overcrowded bus with dogs barking and cats meowing. Ah, such a wonderful symphony of headache inducing noise.

OC Transpo should also conduct studies to see how many more new riders this project would bring in. A dozen new riders a month? A hundred? I somehow suspect that the number would be quite low, as those who would benefit from such a new policy probably already take public transportation. How many people would stop taking the bus because of this policy?

That being said, I am not against all pets on public buses. There are some people who suffer from a physical disability that require a pet, such as the vision impaired. At my old place of residence, I often took a bus with a very nice gentleman who used a seeing eye dog on the bus. These pets are highly trained, will not bark or bite and are there to aid someone who really needs the help. I have absolutely no issues with those types of pets being on buses. I do however have issues with someone getting on a bus with a ferret due to emotional reasons (see the article Ferret barred from Ottawa buses).

As a responsible pet owner, I knew the financial responsibilities that were attached with owning a pet. If one doesn’t have a car and can’t afford to take a cab ride to their vet appointment, then perhaps you shouldn’t own a pet to begin with. Else, when you’re taking Spot to his next yearly appointment, make sure you factor in the cost of a cab into the vet bill. I also suspect that most people who would end up taking their pets on a bus is not solely to go to vet appointments, but to bring their pet with them as they go visit friends or family.

OC Transpo has a lot bigger issues than looking at allowing pets on buses. These issues should be investigated and addressed before allowing pets that would take up much needed room on overcrowded buses. And if this proposition does go through, I do hope that riders who bring their pets onto a bus have to pay a fare for their pets. After all, the pet carrier takes as much or more room than a person, so it would only be fair that they have to pay a fare for it. I know there’s no chance in hell of that ever happening, but one can only hope.

Records broken:

1. Largest number of opening theaters with 4366. The previous record holder was Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s end with 4362.
2. Biggest midnight preview opening gross with $18,489,000. Star Wars Episode 3 held the previous record with $16.5 million.
3. Biggest IMAX midnight preview opening gross with $640,000.
4. Biggest one day gross of $67,165,092 (includes midnight showings), shattering Spiderman’s 3 previous record of $59,841,919.
5. Biggest opening weekend gross of $158,411,483, overshadowing the previous record of $151,116,516 held by Spiderman 3.
6. Biggest opening weekend gross for an IMAX release of $6,214,061. Again breaking Spiderman’s 3 previous record of $4,700,000.
7. Biggest Sunday single day gross of $43,596,151. Another Spiderman 3 record broken ($39,937,865).
8. Fastest movie to surpass the $200,000,000 domestically at 5 days. The previous record was 8 days, shared between 3 movies: Spiderman 2, Star Wars Episode 3 and Pirates of the Caribbean 2.
9. Biggest Monday single gross with $24 million.
10. Biggest Tuesday single gross with $20.9 million, ahead of the $15.7 million earned by Pirates of the Caribbean 2

The movie is currently voted as the #1 movie of all time on IMDB, surpassing The Godfather (1 & 2) and the Shawshank Redemption. The next ‘recently’ released movie that appears in the list is Lord of the Rings: Return of the King at #14. The Dark Knight is expected to hold the #1 position this coming weekend, even with the release of the much anticipated X-Files movie. X-Files is expected to take in between $20-30 million on its opening weekend. The Dark Knight is expected to take in between $75 million and $85 million on its second weekend of release.

Update (July 28th): To view more records broken by The Dark Knight, please see the updated The Dark Knight Still Breaking Records article.

For those who don’t know me, here is a a bit of background which might help show that what I’m about to say is not said lightly. I am a huge movie buff. My DVD collection creeps close to 500. I’m also an avid comic book reader, with my collection exceeding over 10,000 comics and graphic novels. Out of any character that I’ve read over the last few decades, Batman always has and remains my favorite character. There are many reasons for this which I won’t get into right now. Trust me when I say that The Dark Knight is not only the best comic book based movie that I’ve ever seen, but its probably the best movie that I’ve seen of any genre.

The Dark Knight takes place a year after Batman Begins. For those who have seen the first film, you might remember that the last scene of the movie involves Gordon and Batman on the rooftop of the GCPD, with Gordon showing Batman the Joker’s calling card. This sequel starts off with a bank robbery sequence in which we’re introduced to the chaos that is the Joker. From the gutters of Gotham rises the psychopathic criminal known for his evil grin, maniacal laugh and utter disrespect for everything and everyone.We’re also introduced to Harvey Dent, the District Attorney who, together with Jim Gordon and Batman, is taking the good fight to the city’s mob bosses. The appearance of the Joker slams a stake deep into our heroes’ plan to rid the city of mobsters. It also forces Bruce Wayne/Batman to struggle and confront everything he believes in. Unlike other criminals, the Joker isn’t seeking money or fame. His only goal is to unleash pure unalduterated chaos unto the citizens of Gotham.

Calls to give Heath Ledger a posthumous Academy award for his work in the Dark Knight is not uncalled for. His portrayal of the Joker is nothing short of perfection. Everything from his mannerisms, ticks and speech drip insanity without going over the top. Watching him play this character will leave you absolutely speechless and in awe. It is a real shame that this would be his last full role in a movie, as we can clearly see how much of an extraordinary actor he really was. Its also a shame that he won’t be involved in any possible sequels. There’s no way any actor out there could try to successfully imitate what Ledger brought to the character.

The performance by Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent is also a powerful one. He brilliantly played the DA who throughout the movie is built into a white knight in shining armor, and who falls far from that position when he is turned into Two-Face. Gary Oldman, as detective/commissioner Gordon plays a much more important role in this sequel. His acting skills are on par with any other movie that he’s done, which is to say it’s very very good. Maggie Gyllenhaal, who replaces Katie Holmes in the role of Rachel Dawes, plays the character well. And then there’s Christian Bale. He gives a good performance as Bruce Wayne/Batman, but this isn’t as much of a Batman movie as it is a Joker/Dent movie. Yes, the Batman plays a major role, but there is little character development compared to Batman Begins. There’s nothing really wrong with this as the character of Wayne/Batman was already well established. The only fault I have with Bale is the voice he uses when he’s wearing the Batman garb. It seemed forced and a little over the top.

Visually, The Dark Knight is dead on. The darkness of the characters and the story visually permeates the movie. Even though Batman and Joker are fictional characters, and previous incarnations made them larger than life, as with Batman Begins, Nolan has grounded the Dark Knight into reality. Nothing is too over the top or too fictional. I do think part of the attraction to both of Nolan’s works is its authenticity. These characters are believable and could very well exist in the modern world.

A quick note to parents; If you haven’t caught on yet, this is a very dark movie. Just because its a comic book character does not mean its OK for your 8-10 year old. I wouldn’t recommend that anyone under the age of 14 see this flick due to its nature. Spiderman or Iron Man this movie is not.

The Dark Knight is far more than just a comic book movie. It reaches deep within the human soul and splatters the duality that most people have faced at some point in their lives right onto the screen. It clearly shows that chaos and order live hand in hand. The Joker being the Yin to Batman’s Yang. Without one, the other cannot exist. It also illustrates that there’s a fine line of moraility that most of us abide by, and makes you ponder what could make you cross that line. What would cause you to cross the threshold?

I give The Dark Knight 10/10, a rating that I’ve never given to any other movie.

I have also created a couple of desktop wallpapers that include the schedule.

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Prince Nuada has become disenchanted with the greed of mankind and sets out to assemble the 3 pieces of the crown that would give him full command on the unstoppable Golden Army. One piece of the crown is held by man, one by his father the King of the Elves and one by his twin sister Princess Nuala.

The BPRD, consisting of Hellboy (Ron Perlman), the fire starter Liz (Selma Blair), the aquatic Abe Sabien (Doug Jones) and Johann Krauss (voiced by Family Guy’s Seth Macfarlane) set out to stop Prince Nuada before he can gather all 3 pieces of the crown and show mankind “why they were once afraid of the dark”.

As with most of his movies, director Del Toro gives us very beautiful and amazing visuals, using real costumes and effects, opting to only use CGI when absolutely necessary. This helps to make this fantasy movie feel real. Perlman, Blair and Jones fall right back into the same familiar characters, playing them at the same levels as they did in the first movie. The addition of Seth Macfarlane is a great one. His voice is so different than any of his characters that we’re used to that I did not know he voiced the character of Krauss until I saw his name in the credits. At first you find his character highly annoying, but as the movie goes on you see his character evolve to the point that he becomes likeable.

If you liked the first Hellboy, based on Mike Mignola’s comic book, you’ll enjoy Hellboy II. As with the first, this sequel is packed with action, humanity and comedy. As an avid comic book reader, I’m highly pleased with the quality of comic based movies that have come out in the last few years, and Hellboy II helps this trend continue. I give Hellboy 2 an 8 out of 10.

In order to help boost adoption, the shelter is holding a Canuck special during the month of July. The OHS is reducing its adoption fees by 25$ for any cats with a Canadian themed name, such as Chinook or Tuque.  Cats pictured on their adoption website that bare a maple leaf are also part of this event.

The normal rates for cat adopting a cat is 205$ for a kitten and 150$ for an adult cat. This price is very low for everything that your pet will get. All cats are vaccinated, are implanted with an ID microchip and are spayed or neutered. If the kitten is too young to have been spayed or neutered, the OHS will give you the paperwork necessary to receive a free sterilization from your local vet. If your pet is suffering from a medical condition (such as ear mites, which is very common in kittens), you will also receive medication free of charge. Your new pet will also be covered with Petplan Insurance for a period of 8 weeks after adoption. All these extras add up to over 625$ if you were to pay for them yourself.

If you can’t adopt a cat, the shelter is looking for foster homes for a multitude of felines due to an upper respiratory infection outbreak that is very similar to a cold. The OHS is looking for loving fosters who can look after the poor sick kitties and help them recover more quickly from the infection.

Housing, feeding and caring for all these animals requires money. Even if you’re not in a position to adopt a pet, a money donation goes a long way to ensure that these animals are healthy enough to find a loving home. The OHS is also in need of receiving blankets to help with cat care. If you have some to donate, they can be dropped off at the OHS’s main shelter.

The Ottawa Humane Society is located on Champagne Avenue in Ottawa and is open weekdays from 9am to 7pm and Saturdays from 10am to 5pm. If you can’t make it down to the main shelter, the OHS also has pets for adoption at a multitude of local area pet stores. To find out which pet stores are participating in the program, please call the shelter at (613) 725-3166 or email the adoption department.