Batman!
Batman! Batman! Batman! Batman! Batman! Batman! Batman!
OMG! BATMAN! I went to the midnight showing last night, and I have never seen a theatre that crowded in the middle of the night. They ran The Dark Knight at midnight in 10 different theatres, and had more showings scheduled for 3:30 am. How crazy is that?
Everyone has been gushing about Heath Ledger's Joker, and I almost wanted to not be impressed, just out of pettiness, but I was helpless! Helpless against his awesomeness. (And you remember Anya's fruit punch speech in The Body on Buffy? Where she talks about the inconsequential fruit punch and how it made her realize that Joyce would never have it again? I had one of those moments, thinking about how, if he were alive, Heath would be having all the interviews about taking on an icon and playing a psycho, but he'd also have stupid questions about which Gyllenhaal he'd rather do a love scene with. It's really, really sad that he's not here to be annoyed by those dumb questions.)
So, the Joker was incredible, but so was pretty much everybody else. Jim Gordon! Gary Oldman's Gordon is the best Gordon ever, ever, ever. He's the Gordon from the Batman: Year One comics, only fleshed out and solidified into three believable dimensions. The way he's trying to do what's right but willing to do what's necessary is just ... It aches, and it's admirable.
I personally find Maggie Gyllenhaal incredibly unattractive. It's one of those things, where I KNOW other people think she's hot, but I just don't get it. (I feel the same way about Angelina Jolie most of the time. And Toby Maguire.) Despite my general lack of interest in her as an actress, though, she was good as Rachel. She didn't have a particularly meaty part, but she did it well. Aaron Eckhart, though, man. He had a meaty part, and he played it so well. And I do find him attractive, so his transformation was even more impactful. He was a lovely white knight, and then he became the most amazing Two Face. When I was a geeky, D&D playing teenager, I got pissed at the way Two Face was portrayed as flipping his coin until he got the result he wanted, because I saw him as a true neutral. The fact that he obeyed the flip of his coin in this made me unreasonably happy.
Speaking of unreasonably happy, Batmanuel was the Mayor! So, so cool. And that man is gorgeous. I hope he gets more roles, because damn. I could stare at that. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were both great in their roles, too, providing a lot of the humor and almost all of the everyman-morality.
So, I've gushed a whole lot about the actors, but the writers are my real heroes. That was a hell of a script, and I'm so impressed with it. They took the essence of Batman (his yearning to give up his burden and the crushing sense of responsibility that won't let him) and the essence of Joker (crazy, chaotic violence, searching for a reaction) and made them the cornerstones for a gripping, fast-paced movie. And the ferry boat scene! Genius. I watched half the movie with my hands over my mouth.
In summary, The Dark Knight rocked my socks.
In other news, the trailer for Watchmen looked phenomenal. I just can't wait.
OMG! BATMAN! I went to the midnight showing last night, and I have never seen a theatre that crowded in the middle of the night. They ran The Dark Knight at midnight in 10 different theatres, and had more showings scheduled for 3:30 am. How crazy is that?
Everyone has been gushing about Heath Ledger's Joker, and I almost wanted to not be impressed, just out of pettiness, but I was helpless! Helpless against his awesomeness. (And you remember Anya's fruit punch speech in The Body on Buffy? Where she talks about the inconsequential fruit punch and how it made her realize that Joyce would never have it again? I had one of those moments, thinking about how, if he were alive, Heath would be having all the interviews about taking on an icon and playing a psycho, but he'd also have stupid questions about which Gyllenhaal he'd rather do a love scene with. It's really, really sad that he's not here to be annoyed by those dumb questions.)
So, the Joker was incredible, but so was pretty much everybody else. Jim Gordon! Gary Oldman's Gordon is the best Gordon ever, ever, ever. He's the Gordon from the Batman: Year One comics, only fleshed out and solidified into three believable dimensions. The way he's trying to do what's right but willing to do what's necessary is just ... It aches, and it's admirable.
I personally find Maggie Gyllenhaal incredibly unattractive. It's one of those things, where I KNOW other people think she's hot, but I just don't get it. (I feel the same way about Angelina Jolie most of the time. And Toby Maguire.) Despite my general lack of interest in her as an actress, though, she was good as Rachel. She didn't have a particularly meaty part, but she did it well. Aaron Eckhart, though, man. He had a meaty part, and he played it so well. And I do find him attractive, so his transformation was even more impactful. He was a lovely white knight, and then he became the most amazing Two Face. When I was a geeky, D&D playing teenager, I got pissed at the way Two Face was portrayed as flipping his coin until he got the result he wanted, because I saw him as a true neutral. The fact that he obeyed the flip of his coin in this made me unreasonably happy.
Speaking of unreasonably happy, Batmanuel was the Mayor! So, so cool. And that man is gorgeous. I hope he gets more roles, because damn. I could stare at that. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman were both great in their roles, too, providing a lot of the humor and almost all of the everyman-morality.
So, I've gushed a whole lot about the actors, but the writers are my real heroes. That was a hell of a script, and I'm so impressed with it. They took the essence of Batman (his yearning to give up his burden and the crushing sense of responsibility that won't let him) and the essence of Joker (crazy, chaotic violence, searching for a reaction) and made them the cornerstones for a gripping, fast-paced movie. And the ferry boat scene! Genius. I watched half the movie with my hands over my mouth.
In summary, The Dark Knight rocked my socks.
In other news, the trailer for Watchmen looked phenomenal. I just can't wait.