[Alassante]

Its on the front page but it hasn't made it to the forum yet so I thought I'd be the first one to jump in.

The other night I was flipping through the channels and found The History Channel (on US Tv's) has a show called Batman Unmasked: The Psychology of the Dark Knight. I only caught the last 20 mins but I set the DVR to record it later (haven't seen it all yet) and it was *very* interesting in my own geeky universe. I'm sure it will be on again so check your listings! It talks about all the different psychological issues the villians and even Batman might have, how in Catwoman he found his equal but couldn't deal with her life of crime, etc etc. I don't know if anyone watched Birds of Prey before it was cancelled (I loved that show!!) but the lead character was supposed to be the daughter of Batman and Catwoman.

Anyway - I'm soooo excited to see the Dark Knight but at the same time it is a bittersweet feeling. Knowing that it was Heath Ledger's last movie and its supposedly an Oscar winning performance makes me very sad. If he does win an Oscar, its such a shame that he isn't alive to enjoy it.

[NeumeIndil]

Just saw it tonight (well, last night now) and... Holy cow. I haven't been that affected by a movie, as far as being drawn into it and staying into it, since 300, when I left the theater ready to punch the first person to look at me cross eyed. Granted the volume was so darn high I had a headache by half an hour into it, but wow... they took what they built in "Batman Begins" and just kept rolling pretty seamlessly. The Nolan Batman films remind me much more of the comics I read when I was a kid than the earlier ones, and I like the aesthetic much more as well.

My Taller Half brought up a good point re: Ledger v Nicholson as The Joker too. He looked at me and asked how I thought Nicholson will feel, seeing that and then he just trailed off, at a loss for words, so I suggested "Realizing he's been upstaged?"

I can see how the role, and the physical toll it must have taken on Ledger, would contribute to the health problems that caused his eventual death. He did *a lot* with his body for the part that, as great as Nicholson is, he couldn't have done even 10 or 15 years ago.

Seriously, this one's worth the $8.25 imo, but I should have skipped the popped corn. [/i]

[NancyBrooke]

It's playing at the big, historic, single screen movie house near us so I hope to see it there; always have to coordinate schedules and a sitter etc. to have a date ... but I think it would be a mistake to see this one on the small screen.

[Viv]

My husband's company took him to see it. Judging by similar past incidents, it doesn't look like I'll be able to see it, at least not on the big screen. Same with the new Indiana Jones.

But I'm glad that Hollywood finally got off its tookus and started making decent summer flicks.

[elea24]

I'd absolutely love to see it, but it's just a question of finding someone to go with. Most of my friends would rather see Mama Mia instead. *grumbles*

[DarkElfChilde]

I saw it lastnight.

My face was melting and I was having heart attacks from the awesomeness. It was so awesome, my heart attack had a heart attack, and that one had a stroke.



WATCH NOW.


IF YOU DON'T, YOU FAIL


I'm going to see it again on Monday.

[dolarabee]

Haven't had a chance to go yet and this week the X-Files movie is coming out too! What to do? What to do?

I'd like to see Batman on IMAX so that will require some planning as all tix are selling fast.

Soon. Soon.

do.

[LuthienTinuviel]

I liked Hellboy II better, but then again I'm partially biased.

*SPOILER ALERT*

It's fantastic how they create the origin of Two-face, the fallen white knight turned into a baddy by the Joker. The make up is so real if it isn't medically impossible to be that disfigured and still function I'd believe it (my best friend's a doctor in her final year) I think Heath Ledger's brilliant in his portrayal of the sublimely mad Joker. His last performance is arguably one of his best.

I feel the urge to ask "Why SO SSSEERIOUS??" at the oddest moments now!

Poor poor Batman though. To lose the girl he loved the most... and choosing Harvey over her. It must've been hard.

The predominant theme of this movie is methinks the struggle between wanting to be good or to succumb to the need for survival. Like in this part the Joker loaded both ferries with enough fuel to obliterate and kill everyone on board. One was filled with innocent civillians, the other inmates from Gotham prisons. Both are given detonators for the other ferry, and the one who pushes the button will survive. If none did, the Joker would destroy both ferries. He pitched on whether or not people would choose their nobler side or selfishly save themselves.

In the end, it was the inmates who tossed the detonators over the sea, while the innocent civillians voted to blow up the inmates, though they didn't do so. Both ferries ended up surviving. Belief in the goodness of mankind, says Batman, and was what Harvey stood for.

Very thoughtfull business indeed. This movie has more depth than the usual staple of Hollywood. ^_^

[NeumeIndil]

Biased toward HellBoy, Luthien? Did you work on it?

I think you're right about Dark Knight being deeper than most of what we get these days, but that was, in part at least, the nature of the comic iirc. Batman had money and fancy toys to help him do his thing instead of mutations etc., but he also had a considerable pile of emotional and mental baggage to haul around that was different from the "Oh crap, I get mad, change color and grow out of my clothes" type of mental work that many other super heroes (and villians) faced. I like the Nolan films for that reason: the other three more recent films seemed to be about the image on the screen and getting big name actors to get big box office numbers moreso than telling a part of the Batman story. Nolan has managed to do both, to the tune of $158.4 million in the first week, which I think I read sets a new record.

SPOILERS BELOW!!!!!!!
The makeup for Two-Face, while helped a bit by CG (a la Davey Jones tentacles in "Pirates otC 3") I think, *was* pretty spectacular. The first thing I did when I saw Harry tied up in the basement was think, "Oh shit, man, get your face out of that fuel!" and then I remembered what he ended up doing later and it all made perfect sense. I thought, though, that Batman intended to go after Rachel and left the cops to get Harry, but Joker switched the addresses on purpose (it would be the kind of thing he'd think was funny). Granted by that point my head was pounding and I was so into it I had a hard time pulling out of my willing suspension of disbelief, so I might be wrong.

I loved the detonators bit, particularly the end when the inmate with the tattoos and burn scars on his face said "Let me do what you shoulda done ten minutes ago" and the whole theater sat there holding their breath so that we heard an audible "whew!" when the detonator went out the window. The most striking visual image, to me, besides the opening bit (Was that blue stuff at the beginning water or clouds in the sky? I want it for my desktop!) was the Joker lighting up all that organized crime money. He'd done a great job of *acting* nuts before then, but the image, to me, sealed the 'crazy' deal.

[vladazhael]

Just saw it, very impressed. I reiterate my earlier claim that Heath Ledger's performance blew Jack Nicholson's right out of the water, but then they were working in very different contexts, and I like Nicholson, so no lack of respect to him. All in all, I'm much more fond of this "Batman for grownups" version we have going now than all the earlier efforts. (Ahem... Prince's "Batdance" comes to mind.)

*SPOILER ALERT*

I know it's a moot point since it can't be proven, but did anyone else think the Joker gave each ferry its own detonator rather than the other's like he said, thus allowing the social experiment to make a point should it go as planned? Because that's what I would have done.

I mean, hypothetically, of course. If I were a psychotic genius. Heh. *cough*

[NeumeIndil]

I kind of wondered that, Vlad. He was tricky and always did what he said he'd do, but did it off kilter somehow.

[Alassante]

*covering eyes to Spoilers* I re-watched Batman Begins to prepare myself to watch the second one. Can't wait.

[Rous]

I saw it last night and I have only one word that truly covers it:



WICKED!

[Alassante]

I saw it two nites ago and loved every bit of it. One thing I did wonder and that was *SPOILERS*

Did the Joker give them backwards addresses and Batman went after Rachel? My son said he heard Batman saying he was going for Rachel. I couldn't tell what he said. And yes Vlad - I bet the Joker did give each ferry the wrong detonator.

This movie was beyond awesome. I rarely spend money to go to a movie theater so I'm glad it lived up to the hype rather than letting me down.

[NeumeIndil]

SPOILERS: That's what I heard to, Al. I'm 99% sure the Joker switched the addresses and they just (again) failed to out think him.