Saw it last night, and it is a blast. Loved it from beginning to end -- had no problems with the length (went by in the blink of an eye for me), the pacing (it never dragged), or anything else. I hate making hyperbolic statements, but The Dark Knight has really set a new bar for blockbuster action movies.
More thoughts in list form!
- The Joker's introduction is so perfect. The way he just saunters into the room, sticks the pencil into the table and then jams it into the guy's head is ... wow. That tells the audience right away the kind of random, brutal maniac The Joker is. It's such a, "Holy shit!" moment, haha.
- Heath Ledger is getting a ton of praise for his role (and rightfully so -- The Joker is one of the scariest motherfuckers in years), but let's not skimp on the praise for everyone else. Aaron Eckhart, especially, is wonderful. He's so strong, smooth and confident throughout, and when he transforms into Two-Face, he becomes nearly as frightening as The Joker. I jumped out of my seat when he yelled at Gordon to call him Two-Face. While Christian Bale's Batman voice still leaves a bit to be desired, he's still easily the best Bruce Wayne ever -- he has that shit down. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a big improvement following Katie Holmes. Gary Oldman also rocks; this is probably the only time we'll see him underplay a character, haha. Enjoy it!
- Speaking of Gordon, I TOTALLY FUCKING KNEW THAT GUY IN THE VAN WAS GORDON. I knew they wouldn't kill Gordon without making him commissioner. That moment is so great, too. I *heart* Commissioner Gordon.
- Admit it, Dagger: You cheered when the movie reveals Richard Alpert is the mayor of Gotham. :D
- This movie is a great example of how you make movie violence effective. I cannot for the life of me remember any blood being spilled, and yet The Dark Knight can be brutally violent. It's all smart filmmaking -- the Psycho method of showing violence. Lots of quick cuts, jumps and leaving the violence to the audience's imagination. It's like how you don't actually see the serial killer murder anyone in Se7en; it's all left to your imagination. This is far more effective than actually showing the violence, unless you're crazy like David Cronenberg and go all the way with it.
- More Bruce Wayne love: He is awesome in the restaurant ("They should. I own the place.") and at his party when he steps out of the helicopter with three women wrapped around his arms, gives this big speech about Harvey Dent and then steps out onto the balcony and chucks his glass of champagne like, "Fuck, I don't really drink." What a guy.
- I am not one to hate on Roger Ebert needlessly (even though I don't always agree with the guy), but I don't agree with his assessment that the battle between Batman and The Joker is between two men "twisted by childhood cruelty." Certainly that applies to Batman, but The Joker? Yeah, he has that story about how his father gave him his facial scars; however, he tells a completely different version of that story to Rachel Dawes. Then, he's just about tell Batman another version of the story before Batman WTFOWNS him. Wouldn't it make more sense (in a manner of speaking) if there were no real reason why The Joker is the way he is? His actions are unreasonable -- certainly his origin is unreasonable, as well (and, yeah, I realize the irony of using reason to come to this conclusion lol). It's far scarier if he just became a maniac for the hell of it rather than being twisted into the whole deal.
- My vote for best stunt? When Batman grabs the evil Chinese guy, jumps out the window and latches onto the airplane. I'm scared shitless by heights, but man, I want to do that.
- Were any of you shocked that the movie had the balls to kill Rachel in such a terrible way? I guess after a while you just get conditioned to thinking that the good guys will swoop in and make everything better somehow. I think I sensed something horrible would go down once Harvey got all the gasoline or whatever it was on his face.
- Somehow I forgot to mention Morgan Freeman when I was applauding actors. This is unacceptable. Lucius Fox is the man. His "You're going to blackmail Bruce fucking Wayne?????" scene is fantastic.
Whew. That's plenty to chew on right there. If you haven't seen this, then get off your ass and see it. This is the kind of movie big theaters were made for.
And now a totally random question when you thought this post was going to end! Whenever I see a great movie, it makes me think about what my favorite movies of all time are. So, last night, I whipped up a top ten list of my own after agonizing about it forever. The Dark Knight isn't on the list, but there are some great ones here, I can assure you.
In no particular order, save for the top two:
Dr. Strangelove (1964) (everything I want in a movie -- sharp, hilarious, inventive and it's not afraid to blow up the world)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980) (the one that started my love affair with the movies; I hope my kids get the opportunity to see this sans spoilers in a movie theater)
Duck Soup (1933) (just a laugh fucking riot from start to finish)
Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004) (Joel strikes a major chord with me, and I am head over heels in love with Kate Winslet in this)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988) (just a gut punch the whole way through)
The Hustler (1961) (maybe the best movie about pure obsession, and the destruction it leads to, ever made)
Mulholland Dr. (2001) (the story makes almost no sense the first time through, but holy Christ does David Lynch no how to craft a great mood)
Psycho (1960) (this is the most pulp fictiony movie Hitchcock made, except maybe The Birds, which is probably why I like it so much)
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) (Al Pacino is in his prime here; Jack Nicholson is good in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, but let's be real here -- Pacino got robbed)
The Thing (1982) (this still scares the hell out me even today; great sense of paranoia, and the special effects hold up astoundingly well)
What are some of your favorite movies, my friends? :O
