Third... but first to say that Simpson Thatcher is full of "dork knights"

Ledger's performance generating Oscar buzz?? Get real...

I HATE YOU!!!!!!!!

*pouts*

Yeah, this is very cool. Let's admit it.

Since when is going to a movie a "unique" event?

4:07, it's "unique" if the movie has not been released in theaters yet.

Simpson ThaTTTcher

What, Simpson Thacher too cheap to afford to rent out the IMAX? Other firms do it for big IMAX releases. Cheap.....

I'm jealous.

3:58: The Oscar buzz for Ledger is massive. You'd have to be living in a hole not to know that.

No IMAX!?! What a waste.

Must be a slow news day...

4:14: I do live in a hole. - Roger Ebert (3:58)

4:08 - woop de do, they get to see it a whole 4 hours before anyone else can at midnight.

I'm jealous.

Snippets from the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes (where it gets the seemingly impossible 100% positive rating):

"Nolan's sequel surpasses the original with an intense, disturbing masterpiece."

"The Dark Knight is not only the best film I have seen this year, but quite possibly the best superhero movie ever made."

"Martin Scorsese's The Departed. Michael Mann's Heat. Brian de Palma's The Untouchables. And now, Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight can join the ranks as one of the best crime dramas in modern movie history."

"Daring and uncompromisingly different from previous incarnations of Batman, Nolan hasn't redefined the superhero genre as much as created an unforgettable piece of crime fiction within the context of that realm."

"A dark, ambitious, mature and gritty crime saga the likes of which Michael Mann or Martin Scorsese would be proud to call their own."

"An ambitious, full-bodied crime epic of gratifying scope and moral complexity, this is seriously brainy pop entertainment that satisfies every expectation raised by its hit predecessor and then some."

"Pure adrenaline. [Nolan], having dispensed with his introspective, moody origin story, now puts the Caped Crusader through a decathlon of explosions, vehicle flips, hand-to-hand combat, midair rescues and pulse-pounding suspense."

"The film is quite special but where some films can weather extraneous or padded scenes, The Dark Knight has some distracting bloat to it which keeps it out of masterpiece territory." [But gives it an 8/10 anyway]

"The haunting and visionary Dark Knight soars on the wings of untamed imagination."

"Dark, grim, haunting and inventive, Dark Knight is nothing short of brilliant, representing Chris Nolan's most accomplished and mature work to date and the best and scariest comic-hero adaptation you're likely to see this summer, perhaps the whole year."

And on Ledger's performance:

"I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as the Joker. Miles from Jack Nicholson's broadly funny take on the role in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, Ledger takes the role to the shadows, where even what's comic is hardly a relief. No plastic mask for Ledger; his face is caked with moldy makeup that highlights the red scar of a grin, the grungy hair and the yellowing teeth of a hound fresh out of hell. To the clown prince of crime, a knife is preferable to a gun, the better to "savor the moment."

oh my god they see get to see it 24 hours before I can!!! NOT FAIR!!!

maybe if it was a week or more before the release date it would be cool. otherwise this is just kind of a cheap ass event.

I used to see sneak previews of movies all the time before they were released when I was in college, for free. This is not anything special, at all. Completely a non-event.

Too bad for them Chicago is now Gotham city, not NYC.

quinn emanuel is taking summer associates hiking in switzerland. biah!

Second 4:31, and my college was a USNWR T35ish place...not all that prestigious.

This is not a big deal.

Wow a movie! You're getting to do something millions of 5 year olds will do. Good for you!

4:23---in fact only 4 1/2 hrs before you can. Many theatres are having midnight showings.

Taking them to the AMC Empire 25 instead of the AMC Lincoln Center 13 (IMAX) is like taking the summers to Wendy's (and then only letting them choose off the dollar menu) instead of Craft.

My little brother who works at Loews gets to see all the new releases a week in advance.

As a summer at another Simpson office, I'm kind of jealous.

I don't get the negative comments. Dark Knight looks like a killer cool movie, and I'd love to see it before everyone else (while simultaneously avoiding the long lines and obnoxious crowds that will accompany opening weekend).

Every other law firm has a movie night at some theater, but they see second-run, has been movies or even just buy tickets rather than rent out the whole theater. I think the take-away point is that STB is going a few steps beyond what everyone else is doing.

As for the choice of theater.... Isn't Simpson on 42nd street? Sounds like they just chose a convenient theater.

4:58, I'll give you the $10. Would that make you feel better?

It's not like this is the only thing they're doing. I would've liked to have the opportunity, in addition to all the lunches and stuff. I like a firm who goes to see Batman. That's damn cool.

Everyone saying this is not cool is a huge tool.

Very, very cool. I am jealous.

Anyone who's saying that people who say that this is not cool are huge tools need to get out more.

What makes seeing a movie 4 hours before others cool? Do you know how many people will have seen the movie before these summers?

Being excited about the fact that it's an early screening is akin to posting FIRST in a thread. Lame.

What a boring news day if this even gets a mention. Blog dude: Do your job--find some real news. I care about Simpson Thacher going to this movie about as much as I do Single A baseball results.

My firm is holding a 5-day coke party for the summers. Associates can go too, but they have to each pitch in $500 for the coke. Still a pretty good deal.

Pretty cool--sounds like the only summer associate I've ever heard about that I would actually want to attend.

Lat should officially turn in his testes after revealing his preference for movies like Sex and the City. It doesn't take FratStud to figure out that guys at his high school don't admit to such preferences all the time. It's a big deal.

Cadawalder is taking us on a harbor cruise and then out to get ice cream.

Shouldn't "no" be capitalized?

5:30 - clearly your office didn't have a Wii party or a Segway tour.

I used to be at Proskauer. Every year the firm rents out a theater and invites the entire firm (lawyers, staff and their families) to watch whatever the big movie is. Two years ago when I went it was the Chronic (what) cles of Narnia.

Dude: Does this firm have any connection to Bart Simpson or Jessica Simpson?

5:02 - how do you know Simpson's on 42nd right near that theater? Oh, because you work for them.

Good way to make it up for their cheap policy of only allowing associates on 15 summer meals for the whole summer right?

This is stupid. How does the firm get to determine whether you're a social retard if you're sitting quietly in a theater for 2 hours?

5:30 - You are obtuse - don't you know Lat is a flaming homosexual? Why would he care about "revealing" or admitting that he, like most gays, thinks Sex and the City is absolutely fabulous.

We made hemp necklaces during our party at Latham in NYC. It will be a nice memento of my summer.

5:36 - there are some odd capitalization choices in there, but that's why your office has windows and the person's who has to design these invitations does not.

-->Superhero movies aren't really our cup of tea. We much prefer films like Sex and the City.<--

Wow, Lat when you came out you really came OUT. Welcome to the fun team!

How about working?
That would be unique.

Nice. I'm going to print out this invitation and try to get in.

5:48 doesn't "get it."

We kept a summer here until 10 one night, and the next morning I had bewildered summers coming up to me: "I heard XXX was here until 10!" Unreal. Trying to give a bit of a taste (plus we actually did need his help, and he's better than most of the junior associate options we have...).

I love all the snobs on this post who are acting like this isn't a big deal because it's not... who knows what. Seriously, people, stuff can be fun without a goddamn cheese tray. This sounds awesome as hell.

Oh no, no, you're right, I'd much rather go drinking with a partner and hear about Exciting Developments In FCPA Work.

Did 5:59 say "cheese tray"!?!

Ironic that a New York firm is showing a moving shot in Chicago

Ironic that anyone would rather work in NY than SF.

5:45(1): Most succinct description of a junior associate's value, for better or worse.

Batman (easily the most hyped/awaited movie of the year) on the big-screen? Without the riff-raff? Without the lines? Without teenagers? A day early? Likely with free concessions? And a reception to pre-game?

Make NO mistake: this is an awesome event. I would pay far more than $10 for that ticket.

They pay me to work at Cadwalader, can you believe it? They actually pay me!!

7:05 - I'd rather pay the $10 and pre-game with my real friends (while I still have a few), but that's just me. I guess there's nothing stopping me from doing both (you know, other than (i) senior associates pushing their crap off on me, which I can't then pass off to summers because it takes me just as long to review their work as it does to do it myself, and (ii) a girlfriend who wants to see me every second I'm not at the office). Anyway, a few months ago I had two consecutive months of billing <10 hours, so I can't complain too much...

Still, Batman = TTT. SITC = TTT. Harold & Kumar = pure entertainment gold.

so much unnecessary whining and bitterness.

This is a cool event, especially for a NYC office, the haters are tools....and Lat, the fact that you're a guy that doesn't like superhero movies and prefers Sex in the City is well, flamingly gay.

This is a cool event, especially for a NYC office, the haters are tools....and Lat, the fact that you're a guy that doesn't like superhero movies and prefers Sex in the City is well, flamingly gay.

7:45 - What else is there to do while tied to one's desk?

"Batman is TTT, Simpson Thatcher is TTT, what a cheap event!! its just a movie!!"

Now that you actually make a lot of money you no longer need to prove how sophisticated and high class you are by acting like nothing is good enough.

when my b/f was at mcdermott will last summer, the firm took her to ben's chili bowl. for real!

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8:59. I totally wish that my firm would take me to Ben's Chili Bowl. I don't get no love 'round here and I am a new attorney at a TOP INTERNATIONAL LAW FIRM in the DC.

Yup ... I work in DC at what you all refer to as a "V5 firm" (which means it is highly-prestigious). I am over-worked, underpaid, and totally UNDER-RESPECTED by the associates/partners (and even summers) at my firm. It blows.

As a staff attorney (basically, an associate w/o partnership trax), we get few of the benefits that our associate-colleagues get. Not as good money and no 3-hour lunches with the summers?!? This is like discrimination in a way and I totally think its unfair. I was t0p 25% of my class at a top local school (AU) and was on a journal. Really, I expect (and deserve) more than this crap.

LAT--HOW ABOUT A POSTING ON THE FACT THAT TOP FIRMS DON'T TREAT SMART STAFF ATTYS AS EQUALS TO ASSOCIATE COLLEAGUES !!!

Holla' back, youngins,
Grad, AU's Washington College of Law

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9:16,
Seriously?

no one here cares about contract attorneys or american university or the plight of hourly ttt lawyers, like you.

i went to per se this week -- jealous?

It's a test, they will no offer all those who show up for the movie in this crappy economy. Get back to work and bill those hours!

So far, my southeastern firm has taken the summers on a beach weekend retreat and on a trip to new orleans....I'd much rather do both of those than see a movie the day before it opens.

I summered at Simpson in law school. They have a great program, and this looks like a really neat event. Don't worry, I assure you they have far fancier events as well. I didn't accept my offer (for other reasons), but this event looks really cool and it's a great firm.

sidley flew us all to chicago and put us up in a gorgeous hotel and spoonfed us the sidley koolaid.

it was pretty cool.

We should lay off STB. This is one event in weekly events for the entire summer so forgive them if they didn't get the Imax (how many of your firm's events have made it on to ATL). In all the comments above, I cannot help but feel that you were either rejected from STB, work at a firm where you are required to take it up the ass and like it (S&C), or work at a firm where day 1 they admitted they hired twice as many summers as they should of and were going to no offer a bunch of you (CSM). To the handful of the WLRK summers, congrats, I wish I was that smart.

Milbank is doing the Dark Knight on the 18th as well, at the IMAX. I don't think they rented the whole theatre though.

I expect there will be good turnout to this event, since capital markets, credit and m&a are still slow.

9:16 - Like the others, I hope you're kidding.

11:59 - Your grammar is atrocious. Truly. I know this is a blog (and spelling errors are often forgivable), but come on. WLRK is likely an insane "reach" for you--you and that firm shouldn't appear in the same sentence.

This event could be fun, I agree (though my personal movie tastes are more along Lat's lines, and I'm straight), but there's no "wow" factor here as far as I'm concerned.

Seriously, though, to call oneself a "prestigious" firm and NOT spring for the IMAX is very TTT. I don't and have never worked in BigLaw (I went straight into in-house), but my company, much LARGER than ST (although, we count ALL employees in this, not just partners/associates/summers) hires out the IMAX for certain events, or rents out the Gansevoort, or what-have-you.

It sounds like Milbank knows what's cool.

Gansevoort? Are you from upstate NY?

i thought all gays liked superhero movies...fit guys running around in spandex? come on

Yeah, 1:18, but Sex And The City actually showed asses and weiners.

And I'm not a necrophiliac.

Doesn't the lawyer in this film get his face burned off and turn evil? Inspiring.

The only superhero movie that gays like is the X-Men (parable for "coming out").

2:53, a flaming homo directed X-Men 1 and X-Men 2, as well as Superman.

That said, I'm gay and my favorite superhero movie to date is, by a slim margin, Iron Man, though I think the Dark Knight may top it.

3:30, fair enough. My use of that adjective was entirely gratuitous.

Looks like fun, nice idea, but if it were me going I'd be disappointed not to be seeing the movie in IMAX so the firm loses some coolness points. I'm a cinephile, if you're going to see a movie, see it in the best format possible (so of course I will be seeing the movie in IMAX...).