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Post by Bruce Wayne on Jul 10, 2008 20:10:10 GMT -5
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Post by The Joker on Jul 10, 2008 22:03:22 GMT -5
eh, too bad i no longer have HBO....
but oh well, because in 7 days.....showtime!
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Jul 11, 2008 6:55:25 GMT -5
And like the Joker reminded us, Sir Michael is on Leno tonight. **Holy Breaking News, Batman!** This coming wednesday on The History Channel, there will be a special called: " Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight" at 9 p.m. The link is here and I'll be more than glad to recap this show and HBO. www.history.com/shows.do?action=detail&episodeId=322796
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Jul 13, 2008 18:31:05 GMT -5
I modified this. Man, look at this other pic. Heath and Christian in better times.
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Post by The Joker on Jul 14, 2008 18:43:48 GMT -5
Really cool stuff and the pic with Heath is heartbreaking...it's a darn shame he can't be around for this.
Anyway, I'll be heading to see it the 17th at 11:59 ib IMAX, which I'm psyched about. I'll chime in sometime on the 18th with my full review, which I'm sure will be filled with a lot of positives!
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Post by Harley Quinn on Jul 14, 2008 22:41:40 GMT -5
If Michael Bay directed this movie....oh god....
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Post by The Joker on Jul 18, 2008 12:13:36 GMT -5
Okay...here it is.... my review of The Dark Knight...and also a story.
I'll simply call it "All Grown Up"
Where do we begin? Let's start with a story.....back in 1989, with a boy who, at 4 years old, knew nothing about Batman. His father took him to see Tim Burton's Batman, and although he didn't fully understand it at the time, it is a movie experience that would change his young life. The movie was a little dark and twisted at times, but the boy was too young to "get it" enough to be scared of it. Instead, he loved every minute of it. That boy was me, and on that day, I became a Batman fan.
It's interesting to see how the growth of the Batman film franchise coincided with my own growth. As a child, I loved the first Batman, as well as the first Superman. Those two films, along with Ghostbusters and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, were very important parts of my childhood. 1995's goofy and colorful Batman Forever, the first Schumaker Bat-film, was released when I was 10 years old. Of course, I loved it at the time, although I will be quick to say I'm not too fond of it anymore...and the less said about Batman and Robin (which was released when I was 12), the better. The campy Schumaker films came out a time when I was very young and still quite immature. It seems the Batman films of that period reflected where I happened to be at that point in my life. This, of course, makes it all the more interesting when I think about what happened during those 8 years between Batman films....I grew up. Apparently, so did Batman.
WB made the very wise decision to forget about the previous 4 Bat-films and start anew. Good thinking. They also decided to bring in somewhat unknown (but quite talented) director Christopher Nolan into the fold. Even better, no scratch that....brilliant thinking! Everything came together and in 2005 we were presented with the greatest (until now, of course) Bat-film to date, Batman Begins. At the time of release, I was 20 years old. I had grown up (or at least I'd like to think so). I was okay with 2006's Superman Returns bringing me back to my childhood, but I didn't want that from Batman. Like most of you, I wanted a mature, deep, and smart Batman movie. In other words, I wanted a "grown-up" Batman movie, but I simply never thought that would ever happen. Boy....did Mr. Nolan deliver or what? The biggest question I had after that amazing final scene on the rooftop was simply "how the heck is Nolan going to top this?"
and here we....Go!
I said before that I had no idea how Christopher Nolan would top the amazing Batman Begins. Let me tell you right now, not only does Nolan top Batman Begins, but he surpasses it in ways that I could never have even imagined. Christopher Nolan is truly a man with a vision. The shots in IMAX panning over the city of Chicago were spectacular. Chicago really does make a great Gotham City, and I'm sure the people of Chicago can watch this film and be proud.
Also, the movie is 2 1/2 hours long, but it never feels like it drags on. This film manages to move, and boy does it move! We're talking about a 2 1/2 hour movie that pulls you in and grabs you so effectively that it feels more like it's only an hour long. That's why I don't understand the complaints about the length. It just didn't feel like it.
Word of the day: Grim. It took me a while to come up with that word, but that is a good word to describe the vibe here in this one. I don't want to give away too much, but let's just say things are not looking up in this movie at all for Bruce Wayne/Batman. No matter what he does, no matter what he is willing to do to fight for the people of Gotham, people die and things "get ugly." You want things to get better as you watch the movie, but you just know...somehow you just know that they won't.
Christian Bale is brilliant as Batman, as he was in Batman Begins. His character in this film is a man torn. He is torn between sticking to his moral code and stepping over the line and taking a life, which becomes very tempting during his dealings with the Joker. He is also torn between his nighttime endeavor as the protector of Gotham, and his desire for a normal life. He realizes that his quest against crime has brought more pain and suffering to innocent people than he ever intended, and maybe it's time to give it up and call it a day.
Then, of course, we have Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent/Two-Face. When Nolan said this character's storyline would be the "emotional backbone" of the story, he wasn't kidding. It's funny...a friend of mine who attended the showing with me told me he didn't care much for Harvey at all in the film because The Joker stole the show. I couldn't disagree more. You can't possibly take away from the emotional performance from Eckhart as Dent. Did you listen to his cries when Batman showed up to rescue him instead of Rachel? How could you not care about what was going on? How about the fantastic job he did as Two-Face, who took a turn for the worst after being pushed over the edge by some truly shocking events. The scene at the end really had me at the edge of my seat.
As expected, the rest of the cast was amazing as well. Maggie Gyllenhaul was a huge improvement over Katie Holmes, and let's just say her storyline is much more emotionally charged in this one. All I can say is this: wow! Gary Oldman is spectacular as Jim Gordon in this film, and plays an even larger role than he did in Batman Begins. Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine are back as well in their roles as Lucious Fox and Alfred, and they are just as fantastic, if not better, than they were in Batman Begins. The rest of the cast was stunning as well, but I could do this forever if I keep naming them off one by one.
Of course, I can't really complete this review without discussing Heath Ledger's portrayal of The Joker. To put it simply, he was absolutely fantastic. I have seen some really good villain portrayals in my day. Ian McDiarmid's Palpatine, Anthony Hopkins' Hannibal Lecter, and yes, Jack Nicholson's Joker. The list goes on and on, but let me tell you...Mr. Ledger might have topped them all. He's simply that good! While I know Heath probably wouldn't want us sitting here lamenting over his untimely death, I will say this: It's a shame that Heath Ledger had to die and leave his daughter fatherless at such a young age, and it's a crying shame that he isn't able to be around to witness the joy that he has brought to so many Batman fans around the world. Thank you for this last gift, we will nevah forget it.
I tried to be fair and come up with some minor complaints about the film, and I couldn't do it! The movie is simply that amazing. I suppose if I had only one gripe, it would be the use of Scarecrow in the film. It almost seemed like he wasn't necessary at all, considering he did pretty much nothing in the film anyway...but oh well, that's only minor....
Going into this film, you have to understand that it is not anything like Batman Begins. Sure, it has most of the same cast returning, and yes, it is created by a lot of the same people who brought you Batman Begins, but it is not Batman Begins. It is truly something else. Something deeper, something darker.... It's extremely difficult, if not impossible, to really put into words the effect this film had on me. To see the film and not feel something is to be inhuman. I really believe this to be the case. Thank you so much Mr. Nolan for having the guts to give us such an amazing film. I hope you come back, but even if you don't, Batman fans are forever on your side no matter what.
I know now how it is going to be for me when TDK is released on DVD. It's like having a trophy case. All the trophies and awards are special in their own way, but that 1st place trophy stands out and is the most meaningful and cherished of the bunch. TDK will undoubtedly be that "1st place trophy" to my video collection. Believe me when I tell you that speaks volumes about the quality of film that Nolan and his team have managed to create for us all.
If you actually sat here and read all this, then I commend you....however, if you haven't seen the film yet...then what in the world are you doing sitting around reading this garbage?!?! Get to the theater asap and see this stunning piece of cinematic awesomeness! I assure you, after it's all said and done and you've gotten over the initial shock from what you have just witnessed, and by the time you walk out of that theater, it will have "put a smile on that face." A smile that you might have difficulty wiping off for quite some time...
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Jul 20, 2008 22:32:13 GMT -5
I just got back from watching it. It was CRAZY! Joker was nitro-crazy in this one. Truly a twisted soul and I agree that not only does Heath deserve an Oscar, everyone else deserves one too. TDK gets 10/10 for showing how it is when anarchy, death, chaos, destruction and mental anguish take over one city.
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Jul 25, 2008 6:53:11 GMT -5
From the premiere. It is truly heart-wrenching that there is a void that will never be filled.
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Post by The Joker on Jul 25, 2008 12:27:56 GMT -5
yes...this picture is missing someone...
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 2, 2008 8:50:26 GMT -5
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 8, 2008 6:35:06 GMT -5
Congratulations to The Dark Knight as it has become biggest comic book ever in North America. What an outstanding job.
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Post by The Joker on Aug 11, 2008 10:10:38 GMT -5
Indeed, an amazing feat for the film. It will soon be passing Star Wars for the #2 spot as far as domestic gross goes. That's amazing. Sinking the Titanic will be tough, but even if it does not do that, I'm very happy with the amount of success TDK has enjoyed.
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Post by Bruce Wayne on Aug 13, 2008 19:45:26 GMT -5
I'm a little concerned here. Now I'm not here to put down TDK in any way but I have a feeling that deja vu is occurring. Back in 1992 when Batman Returns came out, some parents felt that it was dark for youngsters, possibly even sexual, and now TDK is getting heat for being dark. People knew that this was going past the limit and with this incarnation of the Joker and Two-Face, people knew that it was going to be dark. But I'm unaffected because that's how past incarnations of these two near iconic villains have been in the past in relation to the comics.
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Post by The Joker on Aug 17, 2008 9:26:00 GMT -5
The people who are giving the film a hard time need to realize it is Batman...it's supposed to be dark. If they want a lighthearted, bright and happy comic book film, they should check out Spider-Man or Fantastic Four. There are much darker and more disturbing films out there, but just because this is Batman, people expect it to be a kids movie. Sorry parents, but don't take your kids to this one. Instead, pick up an old copy of Batman Forever, and all will be well. TDK is our (the adults) Batman.
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