Hey Swami:
I was one of those guys who ran down the bluff three years ago to get pirate video of the Batmobile driving down the Amstutz when they were filming "Batman Begins." Now they got "The Dark Knight" coming out Friday, and I seem to remember there was some filming for that around here last summer. Can we expect to see Waukegan on the big screen again?
Movie Mike in Mundelein
Dear 3M:
The Swami was not invited to any of the preview screenings of the new Christian Bale/Heath Ledger film, but this is of no importance ... for The Swami sees all, even without a ticket.
Unfortunately, your answer would be, no, Little Fort does not appear on the Big Screen this time around. That "filming" you refer to was actually some stunt rehearsal on Waukegan Municipal Beach last August (which the filmmakers pointlessly refused to refer to as being associated with "The Dark Knight," but the truth came out).
By not returning to the Amstutz for more Batmobile action, a continuity error has been set up, since sharp-eyed viewers of "Batman Begins" noticed that the entrance to the Batcave was somewhere beyond Greenwood Avenue, where Batman left his pursuers in the dust and disappeared into the woods west of the Midwest Generation plant. Where is the Batcave this time around? Outsourced to Pleasant Prairie?
For the record, the Internet Movie Database lists 28 different filming sites for "Dark Knight," including "Chicago" in general and such specific locales as Navy Pier, the Daley Center and the Twin Anchors Restaurant & Tavern on Sedgwick Street.
So did you catch "The Dark Knight"? If so, what sites did you recognize?
I mentioned in my "Elaborating on Entertainment" blog that spotting the Chi-town sites was among the highlights for me. I'd love to hear what were the highlights for other moviegoers.