The Dark Knight
I saw the Dark Knight last night at midnight. The first two hours are incredible; one of the most exciting, ecstatic moviegoing experiences I've ever had. The chase sequence invoving the introduction of the Bat Pod is why you go to the movies. The last, say, 45 minutes could have been have been cut out entirely, though. It's mainly spent in the coming the fruition of the whole Harvey Dent subplot, and just makes you realize how central the Batman-Joker dynamic is to the movie's success. I started to see Aaron Eckhart as just some dude taking up Heath Ledger's valuable screen time.
Ledger's unreal. I'd imagine the role of a nihilistic, psychotic clown would be for most actors an opportunity for "acting," in the capital "A", look-at-me sense. So many opportunities for tics, "outrageous" behavior, and just overall scenery-chewing. Ledger's relatively quiet and contained, though, never freaking out or over-emoting when the camera settles in on him and always playfully, "organically" insane. The way he talks, the way he moves--he's fascinating, and not because he's a freakish train wreck, but because he's simply like nothing you've ever seen before. If Sean "is that my daughter in there???!!!!" Penn had played the Joker, you would have been like, "wow, look at Sean Penn screaming, spraying Christian Bale with spittle. He's really come unhinged for this role. So devoted to his craft! I wonder how long it took to put on all that makeup every day?" With Ledger's incarnation, on the other hand, the last thing on your mind is what kind of preparation went into the role, or how said role stacks up with others played he's played. You're simply thinking, where did Christopher Nolan get this Martian? It's a truly original creation.
Anyway, I'll be seeing it again (and maybe again). Anxious to hear what everybody thinks. Rest in peace, Heath Ledger.
Ledger's unreal. I'd imagine the role of a nihilistic, psychotic clown would be for most actors an opportunity for "acting," in the capital "A", look-at-me sense. So many opportunities for tics, "outrageous" behavior, and just overall scenery-chewing. Ledger's relatively quiet and contained, though, never freaking out or over-emoting when the camera settles in on him and always playfully, "organically" insane. The way he talks, the way he moves--he's fascinating, and not because he's a freakish train wreck, but because he's simply like nothing you've ever seen before. If Sean "is that my daughter in there???!!!!" Penn had played the Joker, you would have been like, "wow, look at Sean Penn screaming, spraying Christian Bale with spittle. He's really come unhinged for this role. So devoted to his craft! I wonder how long it took to put on all that makeup every day?" With Ledger's incarnation, on the other hand, the last thing on your mind is what kind of preparation went into the role, or how said role stacks up with others played he's played. You're simply thinking, where did Christopher Nolan get this Martian? It's a truly original creation.
Anyway, I'll be seeing it again (and maybe again). Anxious to hear what everybody thinks. Rest in peace, Heath Ledger.
posted by nohope2009 at
9:45 AM
2 Comments:
i caught the imax on saturday night. good thing i opted for the 10:20, because the earlier shows were cancelled due to projector malfunction [sorry guys]. anyway, it was dope.
it seems a little, i don't know...exploitative(?) to dote on ledger's performance posthumously. but will is right, ledger really steals the show. had he not passed away, i think this role could have catapulted ledger from stardom to genuine super-stardom. he would have been one of the great actors in our generation.
anyway, i agree that the harvey dent story line wasn't that engaging. at least not comparatively. it's sad that the joker last appears with like 25 minutes left. would have set the stage for an awesome sequel...but alas.
all the same, hope everybody can check this flick out. it rates a solid A (9 out of 10 starseeds on the astra scale). and i definitely recommend the imax if you can get out there.
Aaron Eckhart was not the right choice for harvey dent. And a few years working with the accused tells me that the inmates would've pushed that fkn button in thirty seconds. but...
this movie was so good it made me want to fight evil instead of defend it.
pc
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