The Weird but True History of Sin Eaters

In 18th and 19th Century Scotland, families placed a piece of bread on the breasts of their dying loved ones. That’s not the strange part — the families then hired someone to eat the bread, believing that the practice would somehow absolve the sins of the deceased. Where did this strange ritual come from? And what…

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This goofy scene from A Knight's Tale recreates history far better than …

When A Knight's Tale came out in 2001, critics snarked about how director Brian Helgeland used contemporary rock music in a medieval jousting flick. But this opening scene, with peasants dancing to Queen at a jousting match, is one of the greatest examples of historical recreation you'll ever see.

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What would it take to be Bane? A Dark Knight Rises infographic

Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy was a huge, crazy ride that included a ton of defining performances, from Michael Caine to Heath Ledger — and yet, Tom Hardy's growling sociopath Bane still stands out. Tomorrow, The Dark Knight Rises comes out on DVD and Blu-ray and you can relive the chaos. But in the meantime, you…

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Christopher Nolan originally approached Heath Ledger to play Bruce…

Hard to imagine now — but Christopher Nolan's first conversations with Heath Ledger were actually about playing Batman, not the Joker. But Ledger told Nolan that "he'd never do this kinda film," according to a talk Nolan gave last night at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. But by the time came that Nolan was casting…

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The Existential Loneliness That Unites Batman and the Joker

A university lecturer in philosophy suggests that Gotham's hero and its worst villain share an unwilling awareness of society's fragility — and a profound isolation from others as a result. We're pretty sure we knew this, but validation is nice.

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Eight New Dr. Parnassus Clips Take Us Deeper Behind the Looking Glass

A new crop of clips from The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus show us snatches of Heath Ledger's final performance and those of the actors who replaced him. But more than that, they take us inside Terry Gilliam's beautifully surreal mindscape.

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Heath Ledger's Final Film Gets an Acid Trip Trailer

The first trailer for Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus explains little more about the plot behind Heath Ledger's final bow. But it does offer glimpses of the flying jellyfish, neon motels, and Christopher Plummer-shaped balloons filling Gilliam's world.

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