Fans of the reebooted franchise may have guessed what the post is about just by the title. I am now one of the scores of people who have been rocked on the edge by ‘The Dark Knight’, Christopher Nolan’s continuing saga on Gotham’s city’s legendary knight in polyester mesh armor. Not only am I giving it both of my incredibly large thumbs poised in the upright position, I have been running through my friends borrowing THEIR thumbs for similar acts of praise.
Why so late?
Well, as much as I am a Hollywood nutcase whom some consider as a prime candidate for the reel-size looney bin, I am not the kind of nut who jumps in nose first in front of the movie line for the movies. I like to wait. My nuttiness lies in a different direction. I watched the movie just last week.
Why so stupid?
What are you calling stupid? The plot was brilliant, the performances were brilliant, direction was incredible, and..
I meant the photo you put up…
Hey, watch it, there. I didn’t have a billion dollar industry backing me up. I just had a mobile-cam snap of myself and Paint Shop Pro to edit it up. Let’s stay on track here. We’re talking about the movie. THE movie. The movie in which I was having such high expectations that I was beginning to wonder whether I was putting too much hope on it…
Why so hopeful?
Well, it’s a movie by Christopher Nolan, who, as far as I can think, has yet been incapable of delivering a bad movie. His movie, ‘Memento’ had blown my mind away and had me canvassing for it so irritatingly that to this day, most of my friends figure I was being paid on the sly by Nolan himself. To add to that, ‘The Dark Knight’ had fished up a talent pool of amazing actors, including Christian Bale, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Gary Oldman, and the late Heath Ledger, who were all legends of their own right, spinning the tale of another legend. I just had to find out what was up the bend…
Why so curious?
The last Batman movie, ‘Batman Begins’, had such a unique spin on marrying the legend with ground realities that it was quite difficult for me to think how the story could be carried forward in the same vein. I had momentary bouts of doubts, but they pulled it off. And how!! I am familiar with the comic book version of the characters, and it is quite a feat to bring them, particularly the lunatic Joker down to a realistic menace. Jack Nicholson played an excellent version of the clown prince of crime in Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’, but the menace was a caricature at best. That style and tone wouldn’t have suited the Nolan atmosphere. And Heath Ledger made his final performance one that would last the ages…
Why so brilliant?
Aside from the fact that his performance inspired me to spend hours tinkering with my photo to bring out the little Joker in me, Heath has done more for this role than I could ever have imagined. The new Joker is no laughing matter. In this scarred apparition, we feel a rare grade of terror that is quite unsurpassed. We see the mind of a psychotic demented sadist; a performance rivaling even Sir Anthony Hopkins’ Hannibal or Kevin Spacey’s John Doe. The scenes of actual violence and gore, such as the actual administration of the Glasgow Smiles don’t take place on screen, but we feel the hit nevertheless. His impact is so lasting that the residual fear you carry with you can make you shudder days after the watch.
Why so tragic?
Heath Ledger has underscored his performance as the Joker to be the last in his career. He passed away on the 22 January 2008, a victim of accidental OD. If he were alive, his career would have catapulted like crazy. Plus, I would have loved to see him return in the next Batman installment.
Why so excited?
You would be too, if you’d seen the movie. Right after I finished my first watch, I wanted to pen in my thoughts. I had to write. I had to share. I had to scare (So BOO!). The way the Joker interrupts the mobsters’conference and….No, dammit. I shouldn’t reveal that. But it was brilliant. When Bruce Wayne had to go incognito to China and takes a… no, no… can’t reveal that either. But trust me, it was brilliant. Just as brilliant as the final battle where the Joker…. Aaaarghh!!! What in blazes? Isn’t there anything I can write about? Not fair. I think I’m going to go sulk for a while.
Why so comical?
Hey, for the last time. This is not about me. Stop with the personal attacks. I am trying to be serious here.
Why so serious?
Yeah. You’re right. Why so serious? Let’s put a smile on that face!
But I get what you mean. Different strokes for different folks; not our cup of tea and all that jazz… I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it that in it’s genre, it is quite unparalleled.
