In Batman Begins la batcaverna è una vera e propria caverna che giace al di sotto del castello Wayne, ai confini della città. Come sapete, la residenza di Bruce Wayne viene rasa al suolo da Ra's Al Ghul nel principio dell'attuazione del suo piano di distruzione di Gotham City e, alla fine del film, Alfred suggerisce a Bruce che questa è una buona occasione per "consolidare le fondamenta". In "The Dark Knight", Bruce Wayne custodisce la Batmobile, il costume e le altre attrezzature hi-tech che supportano la sua attività anti-crimine in un bunker che però, nel film, viene contestualizzato poco chiaramente:quando Alfred ci si reca, subito dopo la scena dello scontro che porta alla cattura dello Spaventapasseri, qualcosa si intravede; Alfred entra in un container che porta poi al bunker attraverso una piattaforma-ascensore e il container, come indicano anche i versi dei gabbiani che si sentono in sottofondo, sembra trovarsi in una zona portuale.
Secondo voi, questo bunker è la nuova batcaverna oppure è un deposito utilizzato da Bruce temporaneamente, nell'attesa che siano terminati i lavori di ricostruzione della villa di famiglia? E se è così, nel sequel vedremo una batcaverna ipertecnologica , piena di piattaforme sospese rotanti e batsegnali luminosi come in molti fumetti e nei film di Joel Schumacher (vedi immagine sotto)?

Fateci sapere la vostra!

(I love to write, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm any good at it.  So if i make any mistakes whatsoever, please let me know.  Whether a simple format or grammatical error or even sentence structure and balance.)

The Dark Knight (2008)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/

Regi: Christopher Nolan

Manus: Jonathan Nolan og Christopher Nolan

Med: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman og Morgan Freeman

Spilletid: 152 min

En annen av mine absolutte favorittregissører, Christopher Nolan, kom i år med den andre filmen i rekken om Batman, etter Batman Begins. I tillegg har han en veldig imponerende liste med filmer bak seg, som Memento, Insomnia og The Prestige. Skuespillerne i The Dark Knight er et stjernelag uten like, med Christian Bale (nevnte The Prestige, 3:10 to Yuma (tidligere på blogglisten min)), Heath Ledger (Brokeback Mountain, I'm Not There), Aaron Eckhart (Thank You for Smoking), Michael Caine (også The Prestige, Children of Men), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Stranger Than Fiction), Gary Oldman (Leon, Harry Potter 3-5) og Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, Se7en). Disse nye Batman-filmene er om mulig på linje med Ocean's-filmene når det gjelder stjernespekkede cast.

I The Dark Knight fortsetter sagaen om Batman (Bale), Gothams beskytter. Denne gangen er hans store motstander The Joker (Ledger), en tilsynelatende fullstendig gal og anarkistisk skurk. For å sitere Batmans butler Alfred (Caine): "Some people just want to watch the world burn." Batmans kjærlighetsinteresse fra den første filmen, Rachel Dawes (Gyllenhaal), er blitt sammen med Harvey Dent (Eckhart). Dent er district attorney (en slags hovedadvokat? Fant ikke noen logisk oversettelse), og veldig ambisiøs i tillegg. Sammen med løytnant Gordon (Oldman) fra politiet og med Batmans hjelp vil han renske gatene i Gotham for kriminalitet.

Batman Begins var den beste filmen basert på en tegneserie jeg hadde sett når den kom ut for 3 år siden. The Dark Knight topper den på alle måter. Helt fra første øyeblikk drar den deg inn, med en helt fortreffelig ransscene.  The Joker får intet mindre enn to av de beste introduksjonsscenene jeg har sett, for å ikke å snakke om latteren! Egentlig er hver eneste scene som involver jokeren noe av det beste og mest underholdende jeg har sett. Dette er en fantastisk spennende actionfilm med gode karakterer og en historie som ikke er redd for å snu og vende på ting. Nolan har utvilsomt gjort det igjen.

Skuespillmessig er dette helt perfekt. Heath Ledger spiller en så skremmende Joker at det er vanskelig å blinke med øynene når man ser ham på skjermen. Jeg glemmer helt at dette er en skuespiller, og håper inderlig på en Oscar. Veldig veldig synd at Ledger døde kort etter filmen var ferdig innspilt. Bale spiller Batman med samme sikkerhet som før, umulig å finne noe å klage på der. Aaron Eckhart forsvinner kanskje litt mellom de to store rollene, men dersom en tar seg tid til å legge merke til det, vil jeg si at hans rolleprestasjon er opp i mot like god som Ledgers. Det var også et bra trekk å bytte ut Katie Holmes med Maggie Gyllenhaal i rollen som Rachel Dawes, til tross for at jeg egentlig er i mot å bytte ut skuespillere i oppfølgere. Om Michael Caine, Gary OIdman og Morgan Freeman er det lite å si. Sikre som banken, slik de alltid er.

Visuelt er det veldig fint å se på, det virker som om stilen er videreført fra Batman Begins. Og så skader det ikke med de fantastiske kostymene. Spesielt er dressen til The Joker veldig stilig. Batmobilen fra forrige film er fremdeles med, men det er en twist med denne også. I tillegg må jeg si at det så virkelig vondt ut å bli slått av Batman i denne filmen. Utrolig harde slag han ga fra seg, kanskje mye takket være bra lyddesign. Musikken er også veldig bra. Mange ganger er det lite musikk, og så kommer den på akkurat de rette øyeblikkene, og man får en god følelse inni seg. Liker også veldig godt den spenningstonen som blir brukt, uharmoniske toner som barre stiger og stiger.

Filmen får nesten bare skryt overalt. IMDb's brukere gir den 9.1/10 (260 763 stemmer), noe som plasserer den på 3. plass på listen over de beste filmene noensinne. Nå går jo denne faktisk på kino ennå, så ingen Oscarnominasjoner foreløpig. Jeg blir sjokkert hvis ikke denne drar inn en del nominasjoner, men hvor mange får vi vente og se på. Ta og sjekk ut trailerene nedenfor. Jeg klarte ikke velge en, så du får to forskjellige. Så kan du se Batman Begins, og følge opp med å se The Dark Knight på kino mens du ennå har sjansen. Jeg har sett den to ganger allerede.

Why so serious?

Har du sett den? Gi din mening i kommentarene nedenfor!

FADE IN:

INT. BANK - GHICAGO

A GANG of CLOWNS breaks into a bank. The AUDIENCE impatiently tolerates the scene, despite having already watched it in front of I Am Legend as well as thirty times when it leaked ONLINE.

RANDOM CLOWN #1

Robbing this bank was a great idea. Anyone know why they call the guy that planned it ‘The Joker’?

RANDOM CLOWN #2

I hear he wears clown makeup to scare people.

RANDOM CLOWN #1

What? How does that answer the question at all? I asked why they call him ‘The Joker’, not why they call him ‘The Clown’. Nuts to this, has the real movie started yet?

The CLOWNS gather up a bunch of money and secretly kill each other one by one. One of the clowns pulls a gun on the OBVIOUSLY HEATH LEDGER CLOWN.

RANDOM CLOWN #3

I’m betting the Joker told you to kill me, so rather than kill you with your back turned I’m going to tell you how clever I am for figuring that out.

HEATH LEDGER CLOWN

No, I kill the bus driver.

RANDOM CLOWN #3

Bus driver? As in a person who drives a bus? That’s extremely confusing to me, for you see I am not aware of any bus thus far in the heist. How strange of you to mention a vehicle that I have yet to be aware of in any capacity. Let me just take a few steps to the left while I stand and ponder what you could possibly mean by that.

He gets run over by a BUS that drives into the bank.

BUS DRIVER CLOWN

Somehow, the bus survived crashing into the side of a building without a scratch, so let’s load it up with money! Hey, where are all of the other gang members?

HEATH LEDGER CLOWN

They had to go. Something about attending a dark carnival. Oh, and also, you’re dead.

HEATH kills the BUS DRIVER, puts a smoke grenade in WILLIAM FICHTNER’S mouth for no reason, then drives out of the building into a conveniently placed gap in a line of SCHOOLBUSES.

INT. PARKING GARAGE

A bunch of DRUG DEALERS confront CILLIAN MURPHY.

DRUG DEALER

Hey, your LSD made my clients shit themselves and jump out of buildings.

CILLIAN MURPHY

Honestly, why were you buying drugs from a guy with a potato sack on his head?

Suddenly a bunch of FAKE BATMEN break up the drug deal but eventually CHRISTIAN BALE WEARING BLACK RUBBER shows up and arrests everyone.

FAKE BATMAN

Jesus, I’m just trying to help, do you really need to punch me in the face with metal, spiked gloves? What’s the difference between you and me?

BAT-BALE

Depends, are you on good terms with your sister?

INT. KITCHEN

Various MOBS all meet in a single room to facilitate the plot. Suddenly, HEATH LEDGER enters.

HEATH LEDGER

So it seems you guys all have a problem with Batman. Did you guys ever consider killing him?

ERIC ROBERTS

Holy shit, are we allowed to do that? We thought about having a mobster vs. crimefighter softball game, but that’s way easier! Why the hell didn’t we think of that?

HEATH LEDGER

Damn, being a criminal mastermind is cake when the other criminals have brains the size of Mary-Kate Olsen’s lunch. Now, I need to take over one of your gangs. First, let me tell you a story about when my asshole dad said things like “why so serious?” and “let’s put a smile on that face!”

ERIC ROBERTS

So all of your best lines from the trailer were from you quoting your douchebag father? That’s almost as disappointing as the way the last scene brought back Cillian Murphy just to get rid of him in 2 minutes.

EXT. POLICE STATION ROOFTOP

GARY OLDMAN and AARON ECKHART wait on the rooftop for CHRISTIAN BALE IN A BLACK RUBBER SUIT.

BAT-BALE

Grrgrll farggle raar!

GARY OLDMAN

Nice to see you too. This is Aaron Eckhart, he’s the new District Attorney and eventual tragic character.

AARON ECKHART

Here’s the deal. The mobsters all gave their money to Chin Han, who has gone off to Hong Kong. We need you to go get him and bring him here so I can cut off the mob’s money supply.

BAT-BALE

Frmmrrphhl garg. Rarrawrl.

AARON ECKHART

Did you take voice coaching lessons from Jack Bauer or something? Don’t you feel like an idiot growling all of your lines? You sound like you’re gargling Michael Keaton’s balls.

CHRISTIAN BALE goes to see MORGAN FREEMAN.

CHRISTIAN BALE

Morgan, I need to fly to Hong Kong, kidnap Chin Han, then fly out. Can you help me using technology and caustic banter? Also I want a new suit that lets me turn my head.

MORGAN FREEMAN

A whole new suit? You spent the entire last movie building the first one, and you want a totally redesigned new one after one line of dialogue?

CHRISTIAN BALE

Yes.

MORGAN FREEMAN

Your new suit is ready, have fun.

MICHAEL CAINE

I’ve thought of an excellent alibi for when you’re in Hong Kong, Mr. Bale.

CHRISTIAN BALE

Does it involve me taking an entire ballet troupe to a yacht from which I will mysteriously disappear, arousing a great deal of suspicion?

MICHAEL CAINE

Sure does!

CHRISTIAN BALE flies to HONG KONG and abducts CHIN HAN, then brings him back to CHICAGO. CHIN sells out the MOBSTERS, who then go to TRIAL. The JUDGE for the trial gets into her car, which suddenly explodes! And the COMMISSIONER is poisoned! And ANTHONY MICHAEL HALL manages to find work!

INT. CHRISTIAN BALE’S PENTHOUSE

CHRISTIAN BALE throws a party for AARON ECKHART, which HEATH LEDGER crashes.

HEATH LEDGER

Good evening, we’re tonight’s entertainment! We also do birthday parties and Bar Mitzvahs. Here’s my card.

MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL

This is a ‘Wild Draw Four’ Uno card.

HEATH LEDGER

Yeah, I kinda had to use up all of the regular decks of cards in the city to stuff the judge’s car full of jokers. Took fucking hours.

MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL

Well if you’re here for Aaron Eckhart, we had ‘Old Chicago’ for dinner so he’s in the bathroom shitting lava.

HEATH LEDGER

I can wait. Want to hear a story? Once upon a time, I had a wife. She was beautiful, like you. Er, no, I mean in complete contrast to you. You’re actually kind of a butterface. But at least you’re not Katie Holmes, I like that.

BAT-BALE

Then you’re gonna love me!

HEATH LEDGER

How the hell did a guy in a giant bat costume sneak up right next to me without anyone noticing?

HEATH and CHRISTIAN fight, and somehow HEATH is able to hold his own against a guy with NINJA TRAINING. HEATH throws MAGGIE out of a window.

CHRISTIAN grabs her in midair, allowing MAGGIE to avoid landing on the PAVEMENT by landing safely on a CAR instead.

MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL

Thanks for catching me, but how are we going to resolve the issue of Heath still terrorizing your party guests upstairs?

BAT-BALE

Maybe if we awkwardly cut to the next scene, nobody will notice that we accidentally lost some pages of the screenplay.

CUT TO:

EXT. CHICAGO STREETS

The police are holding a funeral for the DEAD COMMISSIONER in the most logical location: directly in the middle of 4 abandoned high-rise buildings with lots of windows. The MAYOR gives a eulogy while wearing a DISTRACTING AMOUNT OF EYELINER.

CHRISTIAN BALE uses MAGIC to pull fingerprints off a nonexistent bullet and winds up getting to the FUNERAL just in time to see HEATH LEDGER attempt to shoot the unprotected MAYOR, miss, and somehow hit GARY OLDMAN instead.

AARON ECKHART

(oh phone)

Maggie, Gary Oldman has just been shot.

MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL

I’m sure he’s fine, he’s not even commissioner yet. We’re not supposed to actually be worried that he might be dead, are we?

AARON ECKHART

Nonetheless, I’m concerned for your safety. Who can we trust?

MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL

I can go to Christian Bale’s penthouse. It’s the safest place in Chicago right now.

AARON ECKHART

The place where I almost got killed by Heath Ledger and you got thrown out of a window? Maybe you should hide on some subway tracks instead.

HEATH LEDGER

(on television)

Starting today, I’m going to kill innocent people until Batman reveals his secret identity. This plan is sure to work, since Americans are generally so willing to negotiate with terrorists.

CHRISTIAN BALE

I’ll never give into this terrorist’s demands!

(pause)

Nevermind, I quit. Play the sad music while I throw everything in the garbage, Michael. I am Batman no more.

MICHAEL CAINE

Subtle. Did you want to go kiss Kirsten Dunst upside-down in the rain, too?

AARON ECKHART holds a plot-explaining press conference, a scene that is quickly becoming a staple of the “Comic Book Movie About A Millionaire Playboy That Uses Technology To Build A Suit That Enables Him To Fight Evildoers” genre.

AARON ECKHART

Batman has offered to turn himself in. Are you people sure you want him to do this? If we go through with it, he might be replaced with Robin in the sequel.

RANDOM COP

Do it! Things are worse than evurrrrrrrr!

AARON ECKHART

Fine. I’m Batman, arrest me.

RANDOM COP

What? No, Batman has to be someone super-wealthy like, I dunno, Christian Bale for example. Don’t be stupid.

The POLICE arrest AARON and drive him to JAIL, but HEATH LEDGER shows up to FUCK SHIT UP. CHRISTIAN BALE’S car gets damaged, forcing him to resort to his unstable-looking BALE-POD, sold separately.

The SWAT van transporting AARON turns down a random road, which happens to be the exact road HEATH predicted, and therefore has a trap waiting.

AARON ECKHART

God damn, Heath is pretty smart for a guy that dresses like he’s going to a midnight viewing of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.

CHRISTIAN BALE IN A RUBBER SUIT flips HEATH’S TRUCK using his BAT-PHYSICS-VIOLATOR, then rides up a wall in order to turn around like a BADASS. FANBOYS in the AUDIENCE cheer wildly for this, even though it looks RETARDED.

HEATH LEDGER

So it’s finally here. Me at one end of a Chicago street, you at the other. The epic battle between good and evil, teased in every advertisement for the movie! This is going to be awesome.

CHRISTIAN BALE crashes his bike like a PUTZ. HEATH laughs, then gets arrested by GARY OLDMAN, who is alive after all. Then the scene ends.

GARY OLDMAN

You see, this was all an elaborate plan to capture you! Including all the parts where a bunch of cops got killed!

HEATH LEDGER

That’s nothing, because MY plan included everything in your plan, but also some other stuff that gives me the upper hand after all! Eckhart and Gyllenhaal have been placed at opposite ends of the city with bombs strapped to them. You’ll only have time to save one.

BAT-BALE

That’s alright, the police will just save the other one.

HEATH LEDGER

Actually the police here are so incredibly inept that I am able to take their failure for granted in my grand scheme. Not that I look like the kind of guy that makes plans or anything.

GARY OLDMAN

We may be inept, but at least we don’t steal our dastardly plots from “Superman: The Movie.” Get your nose out of Gene Hackman’s ass.

CHRISTIAN tries to rescue MAGGIE but actually winds up saving AARON instead. ALL of MAGGIE blows up, HALF of AARON blows up, and ONE FOURTH of the AUDIENCE’S BLADDERS blow up.

Meanwhile, HEATH LEDGER escapes police custody using brabble frabble gloob glop.

INT. HOSPITAL

GARY OLDMAN visits AARON ECKHART, whose face has been half burnt off.

GARY OLDMAN

Holy fucking shit!

AARON ECKHART

Are you alarmed by my hideous scarring?

GARY OLDMAN

No, I just can’t believe how over-the-top Christopher Nolan went with the special effects on your face. I thought these movies were supposed to be realistic. Look at you, your fucking eyeball is hanging out. You look like the Toxic Avenger.

GARY leaves and HEATH LEDGER enters.

AARON ECKHART

You asshole, why did you kill my girlfriend?

HEATH LEDGER

I’m an agent of chaos. I just do things.

AARON ECKHART

Wow, that’s some sophisticated characterization there. As soon as I get out of these surprisingly strong bandages, I’m going to kill you!

HEATH LEDGER

Look, you don’t want to kill me for murdering her. You want to kill everyone else for failing to stop me from murdering her!

AARON ECKHART

That doesn’t make any sense at all.

HEATH LEDGER

And yet, it’s going to be your main character motivation for the rest of the movie. Now make with the murder, Sir Skins-A-Lot.

INT. CHRISTIAN BALE’S LAIR

MORGAN FREEMAN enters CHRISTIAN’S LAIR and finds an array of tiny LCDs monitoring the entire city using SONAR.

MORGAN FREEMAN

What the hell? How did you rig this thing up without me? You needed me to staple bat ears to a black mask.

BAT-BALE

I somehow installed your sonar technology in every phone in the city, and apparently everyone has bought a new phone in the past week. I need you to use this thing to find Heath Ledger.

MORGAN FREEMAN

This is totally unethical and I won’t stand for it.

BAT-BALE

What? This was YOUR plan. You didn’t give a shit when we were spying on Chinese guys but now you’re all pissy? What’s the difference between that and this?

MORGAN FREEMAN

Plausibility, mostly.

BAT-BALE

Well, this scene is getting dangerously close to actually having something to say, so we’d better hurry and get to a pointless action sequence.

CHRISTIAN and MORGAN figure out that HEATH is hiding out in a random building overlooking the harbor, where he has rigged two FERRIES with EXPLOSIVES.

MORGAN FREEMAN (O.S.)

(into Christian’s earpiece)

Alright, it looks like there are a bunch of hostages dressed as clowns and a bunch of kidnappers dressed as hostages. You should tell the SWAT guys so they don’t shoot the wrong people.

BAT-BALE

I think I’d rather beat the living shit out of them and leave them hanging off the side of a building instead.

CHRISTIAN walljumps his way to HEATH, who releases DOGS on him.

BAT-BALE

Oh no, dogs! Batman’s one true weakness!

BALE fights the dogs and then fights HEATH. Eventually HEATH falls off a ledge and plummets toward the ground, but CHRISTIAN saves him.

BAT-BALE

I saved you, Heath. That proves how committed I am to my sissy-pants moral code.

HEATH LEDGER

Huh. You didn’t seem to have a problem letting Liam Neeson die in the last movie, and all he did was blow up your house. I guess you loved your mansion more than Maggie Gyllenhaal. I don’t blame you, honestly.

BAT-BALE

I had to save you! You need to be in the next movie!

HEATH LEDGER

Yeah… about that…

EXT. BUILDING RUINS

AARON ECKHART has taken GARY OLDMAN’S FAMILY hostage.

GARY OLDMAN

Please don’t hurt my family. I know you’re trying to establish a major character shift in like five minutes, but still, this is pretty unbelievable.

AARON ECKHART

I’m going to kill your son, Gary. Please continue laying on the ground and doing absolutely nothing to stop me.

CHRISTIAN BALE shows up and shoves AARON off the building ledge to his OBVIOUSLY-NOT-ACTUAL-DEATH.

GARY OLDMAN

Way to avoid breaking your one rule, Bale.

BAT-BALE

We can’t let people find out he killed a bunch of people. Tell everyone I did it.

GARY OLDMAN

Hmm. You know, we could probably just blame everything on Heath Ledger, since he murdered like 500 other people during the movie.

BAT-BALE

No, it has to be me. Nothing else would be as arbitrarily dramatic.

GARY OLDMAN

Alright, I’ll go along with your plan to protect Eckhart’s reputation, somehow looking past the fact that he nearly just shot my son in the fucking face.

The POLICE chase CHRISTIAN BALE into the night while GARY tries to awkwardly contort his closing voiceover into something that lets him say the title of the movie.

CHRISTIAN BALE gives everyone in the AUDIENCE a MILLION DOLLARS and everyone rubs their movie tickets on themselves to CURE CANCER, because this is OHMIGOD THE BEST MOVIE EVER EVER EVER!

END

SAUCE:

http://www.the-editing-room.com/thedarkknight.html

Després d'uns mesos de no trepitjar-lo, tornem al cinema per veure The Dark Knight (web oficial i wiki). El Caballero Oscuro -aquest és el títol en espanyol- és la continuació de Batman Begins (2005), l'inici de tota una nova interpretació del superheroi a càrrec del realitzador britànic Christopher Nolan.

El que més m'ha agradat de la peli -coincideixo amb molta altra gent que l'ha vista- és el Joker que va crear Heath Ledger. No té sentit comparar-lo amb les altres composicions del personatge que hem pogut veure anteriorment. La de César Romero als seixanta anava en la línia modesta de la sèrie de televisió. I pel que fa a Jack Nicholson, aquest va dibuixar el personatge perfecte per a la versió de Tim Burton: còmic en estat pur. Ledger, en canvi, va apostar per un boig d'estètica punk amb una intel·ligència privilegiada i tics de maníac. Recorda més a l'Àlex de la pel·lícula de Kubrick A Clockwork Orange. I fa molta por. Certament, un paper sublim digne de menció.

En quant als altres actors, Bale segueix portant amb dignitat el vestit de Batman: imprimeix al personatge un toc de desorientació propi d'algú que està aprenent a ser superheroi. D'altra banda, Michael Caine la clava com a Alfred, sempre amb el comentari irònic a la recàmara, i Gary Oldman aprova sobrat amb la seva intepretació del comisari Jim Gordon. Potser els que grinyolen més són Aaron Eckhart i Maggie Gyllenhaal. El primer fa un Harvey Dent/Dues cares que trobo que brilla poc tenint en compte la potència del personatge, mentre que Gyllenhaal intepreta el paper que Katie Holmes no va voler repetir -Rachel Dawes- i cumpleix sense floritures.

La pregunta obligada és: Quina visió de Batman t'agrada més, la de Christopher Nolan o la de Tim Burton? Jo diria que totes dues són aproximacions interessants al personatge i la seva història. Nolan humanitza l'heroi i intenta fer verosímils els fets que li toca viure, mentre que Burton va optar per traslladar al cel·luloide una historieta. A mi he de reconéixer que aquest look irreal sempre m'ha semblat molt atractiu. Però també mola veure en Batman córrer en moto pels carrers de Chicago -la ciutat es reconeix fàcilment- i imaginar que tu ets el ratpenat. Perquè total: per ser justicier només cal ser multimilionari i dedicar una de les divisions de la teva empresa a produir el teu equipament.

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Buenos, mi lectores el dia de hoy no habia podido poner todos los feferes de hoy, pero se dio a que habia muchos maquitos en el work, pero ya toi poniendo todos los acontecion, el GYM encendido, fajao ahora dike trotando...

bueno. la comida a las 1:30 p.m. pase por la oficina de una amiga para buscarla e ir a comer..Diosssssss, como siempre caigo en FOOD CORNER voy a tener que buscar otro sitio, jejeje... Pero de veidad soy loko con el SUSHI de alla. la pase excelente... la tarde...

Despue, de una taide perfecta, volvimos a la realidad trabajo, por un tubo y mas por una averia electrica en un sitio que no puedo mencionar.pero nada asi es la vidad.. ya estoy en mi casa y mas trankilo. hey me avisan que ya estoy en la lista de BLOG participantes del concurso del Listin Diario...

1. Entra a http://www.listin.com.do/app/cblogs_cats.aspx

2. Pulsa la categoria: Personales

3. Busca mi blog: El Diario de un Gordito

4. Pulsa el boton que dice Votar

You can see it over there on my Flickr ->

So another post that would have happened a month ago if I wasn't on hiatus would be my opinion of The Dark Knight. Going into the theater, I had pretty high hopes, since I consider Batman Begins one of the best superhero (or really, really rich hero, as the case may be) movies ever made, and based on the media and my friends' consistent reminders that I needed to go see this movie because it was so good. The Dark Knight is a very good movie, but, like most comic book movie sequels, isn't as good as the first one.

Personally, I thought that Batman Begins was much darker than The Dark Knight, which for a series like Batman is a key factor in how good it is. The first film's fear theme is barely seen in The Dark Knight, which is bizarre since the Joker, whose character in this film was described by Ledger as a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy", should create just as much fear in his sadistic unpredictability. Therein lies my main problem with The Dark Knight: as great as Ledger's performance as the Joker was, it manages to feel underutilized, like the Joker wasn't quite as dark or terrifying as he could have been and comes off instead as more of a madman simultaneously methodically and haphazardly destroying things, all the while laughing to a joke that nobody else gets.

The Joker doesn't seem to steal the show from Batman like most of the reviews I read argue. Instead, I think that the real highlight of the movie is Harvey Dent's tragedy as he goes from the city's only hope for a safe future to the psychotic Two Face, for which the Joker serves as a catalyst. This dynamic seems to keep the Joker from being the real center of the story, despite all his acts of anarchic destruction.

The movie also suffers somewhat in how it seems to have four climaxes. Every action sequence in the second half of the movie feels epic enough to be building up to the ending, like they're all trying to be the grand finale, yet they all feel a tad anticlimactic in comparison to the end of Batman Begins.

These aren't particularly damaging issues though, because the movie is still worth every single four-star review it has received. It actually makes you think about a number of issues of vigilantism and morality, all while providing plenty of entertaining action sequences and moments that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The acting is a highlight, not only from Ledger, who puts everything into his performance and arguably creates the best Joker (and Joker laugh, which is brilliant) ever seen, but from Eckhart and Bale, who are believably and genuinely moving and tormented by the unfortunate series of events the plot thrusts at them. I have a hard time picturing the next sequel being as phenominal and powerful as this one is.

As far as films of the summer go- The dark knight was one title i was very eager to see. Sequels in the superhero genre (NB i am aware that in the grand scheme of things, Batman is a vigilante, not a super hero like superman, but for this exercise he is) run the risk of ruining the series. The example i am going to use is spiderman, which was actually really good, and then spiderman 2- which was piece of sh*t floating in a sea of vomit.... and sh*t.

Dont get me wrong SM 2's story wasn't bad- it just lacked the appeal of the first one. What made the first one good was the learning curve that we experienced with Maguire. The humour in the first one was balanced by the drama. In 2 however it just lost it. WIllem Defoe was brilliant casting as the green goblin, but Alfred Molina's performance as Doc Oc was a little lack lustre. (I am sure it comes as no suprise that i am a bit of a geek, and have read the odd comic or two. I thought that Molina's Oc wasn't frantic enough. The man looses his wife and his mind because of his dreams. He just wasnt sinister enough.) and the term Lack Lustre sums up the rest of the SM series: DO NOT GET ME STARTED ON SPIDERMAN 3!!!!!

Anyway, back to the point. sequels have a tendancy to be complete (Insert own favourite insult here, mine is Flange) and the batman series is all too aware of the risk of the campness. Thank god for Christopher Nolan. He has single handedly saved batman from the weak wristed grip of Joel Schumacher and George Clooney. Whoever decided to nipples on robin needs hanging upside down from a tree and beaten with the bat stick until his dinner drips out of his eyes.

The Dark Knight (TDK) opens with a more than satisfactory bank job, which is capped off nicely with our first glimpse of Heaths (RIP) Joker. Until i saw the film, i simply refused to believe that anyone could beat Nicholsons performance. But after seeing TDK and going back to Batman (Tim Burton) i am completely in awe of Heath's performance. Not only was the voice amusing, with a menacing growl to it, his tick (the lip licking bit) was phemomenal! i dont usually blow smoke up someones arse so much, but if Heath (God rest his genius soal) was still here, it would take the Bat Pod to detach me.

Hang on just a bleeding minute! what about Aaron Eckhart? Despite what people think- the film is about Harvey blummin Two face! And if people cant help cry when they see a Knight with a tale or a box of Candy stick-(See what i did there?!) please skip this next part. i have a question on my mind- and part of me doesnt know if i should ask this but here it is: Would the hype about Heaths performance been as great if he hadnt died? Now i dont have a geniune opinion about this because the fact is that my conscience doesnt dare. However i do believe that his death made the film more popular. (I also cant be bothered to look at Box Office stats so i dont know how much money it made- its sad enough i am writing a blog, so i dont want to become much more of a loser. if you wanna look- feel free) But again back to my point- the joker was just a catalyst for the rise and fall of Harvey Dent, but that fact seems to have dimished somewhat due to Heaths untimely demise.

This aside, the film was amazing. The action scenes were something to be really admired, and unlike many modern films that substitute CGI and action for storyline, TDK developed well and i felt that you could really empathise with the characters. Saying that (Sigh) they only thing that let this aspect of the film down was Bale's Batman. In Batman Begins, he was rough and and made mistakes- He was human. But in TDK i felt that he lacked the energy that Batman should. The Joker is supposed to bring out the worst in Batman. But it just wasnt there- he wasn't frantic, or angry, or even risky. He lacked a human side in this film.

i dont like to give star ratings but if i was guna give one for TDK it would be 9 out of 10. The only thing that let it down was the Batman.

I've never met Alfred. I only know of him because my hubby went to chill out with Alfred for a lil while. He made such a big impact on hubby in those short minutes that he spent with hubby. Strong. Strength. This doesn't conjure up a hulking, big man, rippling with muscles. Not in Alfred's sense. Alfred had real strength. Inner strength. Courage is another word.

Alfred zoomed up the sky on 17 June 2008. A great loss.

Today is Alfred's birthday. 15 August. Have a good one dude.

Depois eu descobri que ele é com certeza inteiramente lunático, mas como o Alfred disse, ele pode ser bem engraçado.

Nesse dia ele apareceu lá em casa com seu cabelo comprido e barba por fazer. Tava fedendo um pouco, mas pelo menos se preocupou em tomar um banho. No início não entendi muito o que ele falava, porque enrolava muito a língua, era porque estava bêbado é claro, mas é questão de costume.

E lá fomos nós pra festa.

Tava bem maneira mesmo. Na área de festas de um conjunto habitacional num distrito vizinho ao nosso tava rolando uma rave de mood music, aquelas músicas que têm umas ondas que fazem a gente se sentir super-felizes ou totalmente deprês, eu me amarro. A gente fica tipo numa montanha russa de emoções. É a maior viagem.

Enfim, estava todo mundo dançando e enchendo a cara de tudo o que podia. Eu também já totalmente alucinada, resolvi fazer uma pergunta (esse péssimo hábito meu):

"Po que maneira essa festa Chris. É em comemoração a que?"
"Bota-fora. Amigo meu está saindo da cidade."
"Que pena! Vai a trabalho?"
"Que nada! A cabeça dele tá a prêmio..."
"Como é que é?"
"É... ele tá jurado de morte por uns bandidos ae..."
"O cara tá marcado e ele faz uma rave de bota fora?"
"Pode crer. Chamou geral."

Que bad trip. Parece piada que o DJ colocou uma mood music de depressão bem nessa hora...

Fui correndo até o Alfred, que estava dormindo com a cara no balcão do bar, pra pedir pra gente cair fora dali. "Por *arroto* que?", resmungou. Fiquei 10 minutos tentando convencer ele...

Foi quando uns sujeitos alucinados entraram na rave atirando.

"TAÍ O SEU PORQUÊ!!!!!"

REVIEW OF 'THE DARK KNIGHT'

Although, in the movie promotion business it can be said that 'any publicity is good publicity', this might have been untrue in the case of actor Heath Ledger's demise before the release of the new Batman movie 'The Dark Knight'. Although there is no doubt in my mind there would have been a high degree of hype around this movie, the death of Heath Ledger seemed to catapult audience anticipation through the roof. In turn, when the initial reviews and soundbites hit the press, 'The Dark Knight' was on a massive ego trip- largely due to the favourable reception of Heath Ledger's performance of 'The Joker'.

Now, lets be clear, although the fact that Ledger died just before the film was released, doesn't entirely account for the hype surrounding the movie OR his performance. Any self respecting movie fan would have been champing at the bit to see such a vibrant and talented actor like Heath Ledger, take on Jack Nicholson's role in a prequel. It was a good choice, infact, it was really a no-brainer in my opinion. About three or four years ago I had the discussion with my brother about who we would like to see take up previously portrayed characters.

Following his roles in 'American Psycho', 'Shaft' and even 'Equilibrium', we discussed that Christian Bale could be a good candidate as 'The Batman'. Recognising the need to take 'the Batman' back to his dark roots- we knew that after his role in 'The Machinist', Bale could provide the split personality effect needed. We were not wrong. Christian Bale has managed to maintain the internal strife of the character of Bruce Wayne, but develop them and make them more complex within himself- so that we are aware of the pressure within the character without the need for this to be overstated or oversimplified in the script itself. In this discussion, the role of 'The Joker' was raised and after a long hard think, my brother suggested Heath Ledger. We had followed him from his very early career and we could see he had a lot of great roles ahead of him. Of course, when we heard he was to actually play 'the Joker', we were ecstatic.

Yes, the tragic death of Heath Ledger has brought a mixture of adulation for the actor and for the character into one. Is this justified? Should Heath Ledger win a posthumous Oscar award? In short, yes he should. I have given careful consideration to his performance and I am telling you, dear reader, that the character of 'The Joker' is as believeable as any character could be. There simply was no trace of Heath Ledger present in the movie.

Therefor, it is no surprise to me, that people who actually knew Heath Ledger are calling for him to win an award, not simply as a token because he died but because they have witnessed the greatest performance from a very talented actor who manages to immerse himself completely in that role. Despite comments that the character is 'creepy' I would disagree with this, I would say he is joyous to watch. Every scene in 'The Dark Knight' which did not have 'The Joker' present is about 5% less enjoyable to look at.

The decision to replace Katie Holmes with Maggie Gyllenhaal was, as you will hopefully find, the right one. In my opinion, it was a mistake to overlook Maggie Gyllenhaal in the original cast of this Batman series. She had given some sterling performances in movies such as 'The Secretary' and 'Criminal'. She brings a real quality of credibility to the character of Rachel Dawes. The viewer can see why Bruce Wayne is so in love with her, and she is feisty and tough.

Other characters who really contribute to the richness of this movie are Gary Oldman as CI Gordon and DA Harvey Dent and the fabulous (although slightly superfluous) Lucius Fox. Without a doubt, you will find great pleasure in watching Micheal Caine take up the role as Alfred because he brings everything the character needs to the screen and more.

This film needed to be an action movie of epic proportions. This is because, a new generation of movie fans- maybe without much or even any knowledge of the comic history- roots need to be entertained. More than this, let down staunch fans and comic geeks and you can kiss goodbye to any future credibility to the Batman movie franchise. It would be torn to shreds.

I have tried not to give any of the plot away in this review. I refuse to give spoilers in reviews because it completely disloyal to readers who just want an honest opinion before they spend good money on a cinema ticket. What I have tried to explain is that 'The Dark Knight' is rich, well thought out, well cast, well structured, and above all, well scripted. I would ignore the naysayers who complain this movie is over-hyped or does not fulfill expectations, that is is benefiting from the death of a young actor, or that it is all non-stop violence and no script. This is rubbish. Book your seat, take in a large popcorn (if you eat when you are in suspense like me, you will need it) and leave your expectations at the door. This way, you will truly appreciate the cinema triumph that is the second series in the long overdue reworking of 'the Batman' franchise. Enjoy!

Alanna O'Donnell

Another week and The Dark Knight is still the number one movie in the country and in clear second on the all-time list of high grossing movies.  You've probably seen it by now.

The balance between chaos and order was the main theme of the film, but the theme from Batman Begins continued to make its presence felt.  The power of symbols to affect people was made clear and it's an interesting point to consider in heroism.

"You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."

Unless you become a symbol.  Harvey Dent's statement is pessimistic but it certainly reflects a lot of what we see in the modern world.  The intrusive nature of the media into anyone who receives any sort of fame increases the rate at which heroes start being seen as villains.  In Australia we have the Tall Poppy Syndrome - when someone becomes admired (grows too tall) they are often cut down to size.

Very rarely someone is able to escape this villainization.  Nelson Mandela is one example.  He has had flaws pointed out repeatedly over the decades, but his overall reputation has been that of a hero.  He's a rarity.  The list of the most famous heroes may as well be a list of people who died - perhaps before they became villains.  Gandhi, MLK, Princess Diana, Lincoln...

There are plenty of examples of those who lived long enough for things (or perceptions) to change.  Mother Teresa stands out for me here.  She did some amazing work but she lived long enough for many stories to emerge about alleged character flaws.

Back to Batman.  Harvey Dent showed the fragility of the human character.  He was the White Knight, but the Joker "brought him down to our level".  Gordon explained why Batman was running; "because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now...and so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight."  I disagree that he's not a hero, obviously.

Batman is a symbol and as such, he can survive to continue being a hero.  Alfred tells him, "Endure, Master Wayne. Take it. They'll hate you for it. But that's the point of Batman, he can be the outcast. He can make the choice that no one else can make, the right choice."

So what do we do?  Become symbols or try to be Nelson Mandela?  Comments welcome, of course.

"You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself turn into the villain."

Prophetic words, which of course foreshadow Harvey Dent's fate, in a genuinely epic tragedy. Dent's fate is sealed before the film even opens - all the Joker does is attack faultlines which are already there - from Bruce Wayne's self-deception about Dawes, to Dent's increasingly, near-psychotic single-mindedness. But the Joker is so primally without a moral compass, whilst equally driven to do what he does, that he causes the Wayne, Dent and Gordon alliance to unravel without them even seeing it, being far more true to himself than any of them other than Gordon can afford to be. Wayne is all reason and rationality, Gordon is almost superhumanly human, but the Joker is all rebellion, irrationality and the absence of reason. He should be impossible to act, yet his war-painted persona is an acting masterclass. Where Jack Nicholson imprinted his own persona onto Tim Burton's 1989 Joker, Ledger abandons his own altogether, for a character with no moral compass, no rules, nor feelings. He occasionally hints at a dark past which created him, but he's all about ambiguity and terror for its own sake. Ironically it's only Caine's rock-like Alfred who understands this, and what's needed to combat it.

Christopher Nolan rivals his own Memento with a rock-solid character piece balancing issues of democracy and anarchy and takes risks with the answers he comes up with. His casting of Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon at last becomes the most crucial aspect of this series, Oldman effortlessly demonstrating Gordon's simple humanity serving him far better than Gotham's Knights' single-minded pursuit of justice and vengeance. Bale too crafts a fascinating Bruce Wayne, trapped in the unwilling role of hero and unable to see his own nobility when Gordon, Dent and Alfred can; his tragedy ends up the strongest of all. Ledger though imbues the film with a sense of real danger. His Joker, coming across almost improvised and unscripted, really could do anything at any moment - his threats aren't just words, you can see the absence of any humanity in his eyes. If he doesn't get nominated for a posthumous Oscar there really isn't any justice in this world. He makes you laugh with painfully dark humour, whilst his violence isn't just serious - it's demonstrably excessive.

After all of this however it's actually Eckhart's film - a man deserving to join the A-list for many years. His depiction of the decline and fall of Harvey Dent is truly towering - at least the equal of Ledger for its nuanced conviction. The arrival of Two Face was never in any doubt, and what it takes to create him are the moral gaps around him - from Wayne's willingness for him to unmask as the Batman in his stead, to the Joker's demonstration that his interests really are best served by chaos and not democracy. The multiple layers upon which he and the rest of the cast operate are quite extraordinary for a superhero movie, and Nolan really should be lauded for raising the film way above its own medium - the Batman and his rogues gallery have never even in the books been this compelling.

It isn't a flawless film - recasting Maggie Gyllenhaal as Rachel may be an improvement, but the character remains as perfunctory as she was in Batman Begins. Her demise may be the last straw which guarantees Two Face's creation, but her character really serves very little other purpose than that. I've also heard Bale's Batman voice was indeed electronically altered to be as low as it sounds, and I would agree that it's often excessive; at the start of the film it is an awkward distraction, although one which improves as the film goes on. But these are trivial concerns. From the electric storyline where Dent and Gordon get Wayne to extract the mob's accountant from Hong Kong, to the claustraphobic confrontation with the arrested Joker, to the achingly painful finale between the three crime fighters, this is a mesmerising film, and one which will be very hard to top. It manages to walk the line which Superman Returns ignored, between adult and interesting and extremely cool - the Batmobile and Batpod chases are incredibly exciting, and not the straightforward marketing exercises, which their counterparts in such movies tend to be. Finally, not mentioning Morgan Freeman's turn as Lucius Fox would be criminal, imbuing the character and his corner of the film as he does with deep moral character and authority. Right to the end Wayne has no idea of the love those around him have (& retain) for him, making his fate in what is clearly part 2 of a trilogy the most tragic of all. Will the Dark Knight Return?

the good, the sad and the funny

USA 2008, Regie: Christopher Nolan; Buch: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer; Kamera: Wally Pfister; Musik: Hans Zimmer, James Newton Howard; Darsteller: Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne), Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth), Heath Ledger (The Joker), Gary Oldman (James Gordon), Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent), Maggie Gyllenhaal (Rachel Dawes), Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox). Verleih: Warner Bros. Pictures; Laufzeit: 152 Minuten; Kinostart Dtl.: 21.08.2008.

„The Dark Knight“ ist ein wunderbar unterhaltender Blockbuster, der mit perfektionierten Actionsequenzen, einer nicht platten, sondern vielseitigen Dramaturgie und einer famosen Darstellerriege um dem erstaunlich detailverliebten und fesselnden Heath Ledger anderen Anwärtern auf die Kinokassenkrone alle Chancen klaut. Damit ist alles festgehalten, was viele vornehmlich und wiederholt lesen möchten. Die Ein-Satz-Kritik lässt sich aber noch auf die Spitze treiben, ins Format Subjekt-Verb-Objekt kürzen, ohne Treffsicherheit einzubüßen: „The Dark Knight“ ist ein Blockbuster. Und wenn man jetzt den Hype betrachtet, darf man aus seinem Satzbaukasten gerne noch das Wörtchen „nur“ hervorholen.

„The Dark Knight“ setzt fast nahtlos an „Batman Begins“ an. Batman (Christian Bale) wurde zur mythischen Versinnbildlichung von Gotham Citys Weg zurück zu Gerechtigkeit und Frieden. Er ist das große Vorbild einer Stadt, die sich nun aktiv von ihrem Stigma unauschlöschbarer Korruption und Kriminalität befreien will. Nachahmungstäter, die brutale Freizeitfledermäuse mimen, sind zunächst die einzige Nebenwirkung. Tatsächlich versetzt Batman die Unterwelt in eine lähmende Ehrfurcht, die Mafiaboss Sal Maroni (Eric Roberts) & Co nur noch bei Tageslicht agieren lässt. Auch tagsüber wird jedoch neuerdings für Gerechtigkeit gekämpft. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) rennt unbeirrt gegen die Korruption in den eigenen Reihen an und Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), der jüngst zum Bezirksstaatsanwalt gewählt wurde, tritt voller Ideale und Entschlossenheit auf. Dieses scheinbare Perpetuum mobile des Gesetzes wird aber so plötzlich und drastisch gestoppt, wie es begann – mit dem Chaos-Kreuzzug eines sadistischen, masochistischen, verrückt wirkenden, grell lachenden, geschminkten Mannes (Heath Ledger), der nicht anhand herkömmlicher Schemata zu fassen ist, sondern nur eins will, wie Alfred (Michael Caine) treffend beschreibt: die Welt brennen sehen...

„Why so serious?“ fragen der Joker und die Teaser-Plakate zu „The Dark Knight“. Na ganz klar, antworte ich, weil sie doch alle ernst genommen werden möchten. Superman, Spider-Man, Grüne Laterne, der Rote Blitz, womöglich sogar Meteor Man. Am schwierigsten hatte es aber irgendwie immer der Superheld, der in dieser illustren Selbsthilfegruppe der ernsteste von allen sein dürfte: Batman. Niemand hat wohl so viele Verwandlungen in seiner medialen Verwertung erfahren wie der Caped Crusader und wurde dabei auch so wirksam verkannt.

Lewis Wilson gibt in Movie Serials der 40er Jahre den ersten Kinobatman. Geradlinige Krimis, wenig düster, erzählerisches Klippenbaumeln. In den 60er Jahren folgt, was eine neuerliche Lichtspielhausvariante für zwei Jahrzehnte unmöglich machen sollte: Adam West und Burt Ward kalauern, prügeln und tanzen sich im TV-Format durch ein knallbuntes Gotham City voller noch farbenfroherer Finsterwichte – heilige Verhohnepiepelung, Batman! Dann kommt Burton. Und mit ihm Nicholson. Und hui, was freuen sich die Leute. Der definitive Batman, gotisch, düster, und mit Joker ein Schurke für die Ewigkei. Burton geht, mit ihm der gedachte Ernst, denn Schumacher tritt auf. Der versucht‘s gar nicht erst mit Ernsthaftigkeit und setzt das Franchise-Batmobil gegen die Wand. Acht Jahre Nippelschleifen später dann der Phönix aus der Asche. Kritikerliebling Christopher Nolan wagt sich in die Bathöhle und serviert uns mit „Batman Begins“ eine Origin-Story, die Fans, Kritiker und 08/15-Kinozuschauer gleichsam verzückte.

Nolan verankert die Geschichten des Fantasiehelden in einer unserer Welt gleichenden Realität. „Batman ist der Superheld, der am deutlichsten ernst genommen werden kann“, sagt er. Realistische Technik, realistisches Design, realistische Fundamente für so äußerst unwirkliche Gestalten wie Batman, Scarecrow oder jetzt eben auch den Joker. Seit jeher vom Hollywood’schen Dramaturgieeinerlei entfernt wollte Nolan keinen 08/15-Lärm für die Sommersaison kreieren. Und doch: Dem existentiellen Psychoduell von Batman und Joker, dem romantisch-idealistischen Dreiecksgeflecht um Bruce Wayne, Harvey Dent und Rachel Dawes, der brutalen Selbstfindung einer Stadt und ihrer Bürger, all dem liegt ein Actionfilm zugrunde. Entsprechende Zugeständnisse ans Blockbusterkino macht der Regisseur. Da muss der Zuschauer trotz des beinharten Realismus ordentlich nach der Methode „Suspension of Disbelief“ vorgehen; wenn etwa Batman Kleinbusse per Dachhupfer stoppt, er und sogar die alles andere als caped oder crusading Rachel einen Sturz vom Hochhausdach flirtend und lächelnd überstehen oder der Joker die komplexe Planungssicherheit eines John Doe aus „Se7en“ übertrifft. Auch Batman und vor allem sein persönlicher, moralisch integerer James-Bond-Techniker Lucius „Q“ Fox (Morgan Freeman) entwickeln und nutzen Techniken, die hart an der Grenze, teils abseits, von realistischer Praxis existieren. Apropos Bond: Als wollte man sich noch die Fans eines anderen Franchises ins Boot holen, macht Gothams Ritter einen deplatziert wirkenden Abstecher nach Hong Kong.

Wie die Action präsentiert wird, ist aber nahezu perfekt. Eine ganze Reihe von Parallelmontagen, mehrfach über Dualität hinaus konzipiert, ein treibender, brodelnder Soundtrack von Zimmer und Newton Howard, eine stetige Unheilsstimmung kulminieren in packenden, mitreißenden Sequenzen voller brutaler Energie. Eine Produktion, die ihrem exorbitanten Budget gerecht wird, und keinen Makel in Optik, Sound und dergleichen feststellen lässt. Die effektvolle Krönung bildet eine unglaubliche, riesige Explosion, die nach Tausenden aberwitzig langweiligen Filmexplosionen endlich die Wucht und Faszination eines solchen Knallspektakels erzeugt. Die technische Brillanz setzt sich im Übrigen im Charakterdesign fort (vom Kajal-Bürgermeister mal abgesehen). Die CGI-Visage von Harvey Dent ist ebenso erschreckend und gelungen wie das Make-up von Joker. Diese beiden Gestalten sind dann auch die zentralen Figuren in dem Ensemble. Nicht weil andere Darsteller ihr Ziel verfehlen (Caine ist eine Freude, Bale macht Batman erst möglich), sondern weil Joker und Harvey Dent grandios geschrieben und gespielt sind.

Etwas unfair, aber nicht unbegründet wurde schon von Heath Ledgers „The Dark Knight“ berichtet. Tatsächlich zieht der scheinbar akribisch vorbereitete Ledger den Zuschauer unmittelbar in seinen Bann. Jede Szene mit ihm schürt die Faszination und jede weitere Szene wird dem gerecht. Er lacht grell, ja. Aber viel wirksamer sind die Details. Er beschmeißt sein Opfer völlig beiläufig und am Rande des Bildausschnitts mit Geld. Er überbetont einzelne Silben. Er ist das nihilistische Epizentrum des Films. Eine be- und geliebte Negativ-Ikone. Eine Versinnbildlichung unergründeter Bosheit, die auf kollektive Unfassbarkeit stößt. In der Tat eine wahre Freude. Einen Schönheitsfehler hat das Ganze dann aber doch. Der Joker gerät so faszinierend, so unterhaltsam, dass es zeitweise um die Furcht einflößende Prämisse der Figur geschehen ist.

Harvey Dent ist der Charakter mit der krassesten Entwicklung, die zwar nicht vollends ausgetüftelt, aber von Aaron Eckhart bemerkenswert umgesetzt wurde. Selbst gen Ende, unter reichlich Computereffekten versteckt, schlägt er nicht über die Stränge, sondern agiert nuanciert. Dank ihm kann die rasche Wandlung Dents doch funktionieren. Und obendrein schnippt er einen Münzwurf, der selbst Anton Chigurh neidisch machen könnte.

Die Beliebtheit von „The Dark Knight“ und dessen in jüngerer Zeit beispielloser Erfolg an der Kinokasse kommen also nicht von ungefähr. Sein Ruf als hervorragender Superhero-Film ist keine leere Luftblase. Aber ein Hype wie hier kann nur übertrieben und schädlich sein. Dem Mysterium um Ledgers tragischen Tod kann kein Film der Welt gerecht werden. Ob „The Dark Knight“ die Vollendung und damit das Ende des Superheldengenres ist, darf ebenfalls bezweifelt werden. Aber langt es nicht, dass „The Dark Knight“ einer der besten Sommerblockbuster und ein must-see des Kinojahres geworden ist? Also, „why so serious“?

P.S.:
Ein paar warme Worte noch zu zwei Randthemen: Die deutsche Synchronisation ist entgegen den Befürchtungen vieler nicht Wort gewordener Darmdurchbruch, sondern in Ordnung. Keine Figur wird durch die deutschen Sprecher ungenießbar gemacht. Wer die Möglichkeit hat, die Originalversion zu schauen, darf diese aber bitte selbstverständlich vorziehen.
Egal, ob deutsch oder englisch: Kinder haben keinen Zutritt. Noch hat die hiesige Fassung keine FSK-Einstufung. Aber als ein Paar ihren schätzungsweise 6-jährigen Bub mit ins Kino nahm, stellten sich bei mir die Nackenhaare auf. „The Dark Knight“ ist kein Familienfilm.

Prima la morte di Joker/Heather Ledge, poi l'arresto di Batman/Christian Bale e ora un incidente stradale a Lucius Fox/Morgan Freeman.

Chissà se Alfred/Michael Caine, Gordon/Gary Oldman, DueFacce/Aaron Eckhart e Rachel/Maggie Gyllenhaal si stanno dando una bella gratta alle palle (la Gyllenhaal dovrà provvedere ad altro!)

 Director: Christopher Nolan

Writers: Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan

Release date: 24^th July 2008

Genre: Action/crime/thriller

Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Echkart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman.

Classification: 12A

HEATH Ledger and a star rammed cast set the silver screen on fire with the release of the newest Batman film, The Dark Knight.

          As with the past Batman films, the action takes place in the gloomy city of Gotham where the Joker is once again on the loose. Its District attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Echkart) along with Gotham’s resident vigilante Batman’s (Christian Bale) job to make the streets safe once again.

Action packed and exhilarating with technically advanced vehicles, car chases and explosions a plenty, this film is anything but dull.

          With an air of melancholy throughout, this is perhaps the darkest of the trilogy definitely aided by the exceptional performance of Ledger as the Joker. Everything from his sinister smile to his awkward mannerisms encapsulate everything that this mysterious character should be.

Christian Bale does not disappoint playing the cool yet confident Batman and Michael Cain lives up to expectations as Batman’s loyal helper, Alfred.

          Echkart appears perfect for the role of attorney Dent, with his family man appeal and well portrayed intelligence. His acting skills are not to frowned upon, without giving too much away, his switch from hero to impressionable enemy is clear cut and highly believable.

Maggie Gyllenhaal has taken over from Katie Holmes in the role of Batman’s love interest Rachel and it is fair to say her innocence yet strong will outplay those of the previous actress.

Forget the traditional villain vs. hero scenario as this is never lucid and is a key feature to the intriguing plot. Being picky, the only criticism of The Dark Knight is the never ending storyline. However, not knowing when the film will end is part of the charm of Batman.

A definite must see film of 2008.

4.5/5

Sources: Photograph courtesy of imdb.

The Dark Knight Movie Review

Liked:

1. Great supporting characters such as the Joker, Harvey Dent, Alfred, and Gordon.

2. Best Batman movie I've personally seen.

3. Heath Ledger as the Joker lives up to the hype. Best Joker ever.

4. The Joker plots some interesting events during the movie, but they tend to be predictable. Still very entertaining though.

Didn't Like:

1. Batman himself was very boring to me.  He was very much upstaged by the other characters in my opinion.  Bruce Wayne was only slightly more interesting.

2. Like all Batman movies I've seen, the fight sequences tend to be too dark and sometimes hard to tell what's going on.

3. Didn't care for the "love interest".

YAY: Heath Ledger as the Joker totally makes this movie.  Without him, I'm sure I wouldn't have liked the movie very much. +1

Final BS Rating: +2 PRETTY GOOD

I was quite shocked today when I stumbled across this recent quote from Christian Bale:

"I do think there is room for an 18-rated Batman. It's a little bit tricky to broach the sex aspect of the story when you want kids to come see it as well. I mean, I think it would be very interesting to do a 12 version and an 18 version - two different cuts."

Boy-o-boy does that get me thinking.

I guess if Bale really wants to see more adult action in Batman movies, then the next film should just take it's cue from the Thomas Wayne orgy revelation in the ongoing Batman RIP story arc. Tickets sales would surely go through the roof on a movie that features Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Wayne doing the nasty with Alfred and group of anonymous strangers. On second thought having Michael Caine in a sex scene just might destroy my very last shred of sanity.

In all seriousness though I guess a little more sex really couldn't hurt the Batman movie franchise. As long as it's handled tastefully. Bruce Wayne is an attractive playboy billionaire so it is logical to assume he has an active sex life. Even if his true passion is crime fighting, he must keep up the apperance of a self-centered billionaire by making love to gorgeous woman. Truly he has a hard life.

The think this story lacked for me was neither action nor suspense (it had a lot of those two actually), but it felt a bit sterile and boring. I didn’t particularly warm up to Wagner’s art and so it all felt a bit stale. In this first of the two Dark Moon Rising stories, Hugo Strange is properly introduced to the Gotham City universe. He is a scientist who is trying to enhance the human body through DNA manipulation. Being of small stature, bold and near-sighted, he hopes to find the means to perfect the human DNA strain, to get rid of such shortcomings. In the process his experiments fail and he creates abominable creatures, which he uses to get rid of his enemies. Of course Batman won’t allow such shenanigans and has several run-ins with the good doctor and his “monster men”. All in all, the story is decent and it fits into the Year One universe, a time when Batman was still fairly inexperienced and people didn’t know who or what he was.

Story                  6

Art                      6

Reread Value     4

Overall rating    6/10

My personal favorite Super-Heroes are Wolverine n Spiderman! I must admit, I am not a Batman Movie fan. In fact, I even used to avoid them because it was always too dark and you couldn’t see anything properly and hence not understand it. But, All the Rave Reviews abt the Movie in the Papers/TV made me go watch this movie

My opinion abt the Movie? - The movie is grimly dark, vicious, egregiously violent and nasty - and totally engrossing! Outside of this being one of the best action/comic book movies I’ve ever seen, this is simply a great movie. The entire movie was perfect. The acting, the story, the music score, the writing, etc. The cinematography is stunning, having been shot in IMAX. All of the other rave reviews you may have been reading are not gushing for no reason either.

"The Dark Knight" isn't simply another superhero movie. In fact, it's really not a superhero movie at all; It's a super villain movie! This is how a Batman movie should have been made at the first place. Complex, dark and believable. A brilliant one from Christoper Nolan. Memento (the inspiration for Ghajini) was also a very interesting movie.
For as much action as there is in this movie, it's the acting that makes it a great piece of work. Between all the punches, explosions and stunt-work is some great dialog work. All the actors have their moments.

[caption id="attachment_67" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="The Joker"]

The performances by the actors are stellar. And Heath Ledger, in particular, steals the show. I was mesmerized by Heath Ledger portrayals of the Joker. Destroying an entire hospital without flinching nor remorse. Killing without a thought. Dark and pyschotic. You will really hate this guy. Heath Ledger’s performance is so spine-chilling and complete, I would not be surprised if he were to get the Oscar nod for Best Actor/Supporting Actor. Unless somebody comes out with something better. In which case, I certainly am gonna go to theatre to watch it.

Another example of perfect casting, Aaron Eckhart shines as Harvey Dent aka Two-Face. Starting off the film as the white knight of Gotham City fighting crimes and injustice, his transformation into the dreaded Two-Face gives us much to empathize with.

Christian Bale once again captivates as the caped crusader who handles Bruce Wayne’s inner turmoil more convincingly than the last film. Though he might have his thunder stolen away from him by Ledger in The Dark Knight, Bale is still effective as the conflicted anti-hero who is destined to be portrayed as a vigilante in the eyes of the public.

Back to the cinematography, this is purportedly the first full-length feature film shot entirely in IMAX. And it shows. If you’re interested, take a look at the sheer complication that went into producing the visual effects for the Dark Knight in IMAX resolution. There was such detail shown by director Christopher Nolan, and it shows.

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Here are some(Yea... Jus' some) Scene/Dialogues I loved in the Movie:

>>>Bank robbery scene. And in the robbery itself, all the robbers kill each other and only one is left standing. This is (rather predictably) the Joker. Then he makes away in a truck loaded with cash and merges into other truckers who appear from everywhere. Geth Scene!

>>>The joker crashes the party and sees Rachel n says "Hello Beautiful" and fixes his hair. rofl

The Joker: You look nervous. Is it the scars? You want to know how I got them? Come here. Hey, look at me. So I had a wife, beautiful; like you. Who tells me, I worry too much. Who tells me, I ought to smile more. Who gambles, and gets in deep with sharks. One day they carve her face. We have no money for surgeries. She can't take it! I just want to see her smile again. I just want her to know that I don't care about the scars. So I stick a razor in my mouth and do this... to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me! She leaves. Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!

The Joker: [Rachel kicks the Joker away] A little fight in you. I like that.

Batman: Then you're going to love me.

>>> The Joker: Wanna know how I got these scars? My father was...a drinker. And a fiend. And one night he goes off crazier than usual. Mommy gets the kitchen knife to defend herself. He doesn't like that. Not. One. Bit. So, me watching, he takes the knife to her, laughing while he does it. Turns to me and he says "Why so serious?" Comes at me with the knife, "Why so serious?" He sticks the blade in my mouth. "Lets put a smile on that face!" And... Why so serious?

>>>The Joker: "If you're good at something, never do it for free." (Enna Thathuvam!)

>>>The Joker: I use a knife because guns are too quick. Otherwise, you can't savor all the emotions. You know who people are in their last moments.

>>>The Joker: "I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to Do with one if I caught it! I don't have plans. I just do things."

>>> The Scene where, Harvey is taken to the prison. On the way, the Joker tries to attack the van. And Batman comes to the rescue. Batman whizzing by in his batpod is supercool! The most notable aspect of the chase is a monster truck that flips over.

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The Joker:

What people don't really understand about the Joker is that he doesn't even understand himself. People keep asking, "Why did the Joker give two different stories about how he got those scars?". The answer is the Joker Himself doesn't even know. He's so completely insane [or supersane...read the comics!], he makes himself every day. He doesn't Have a personality. He just goes with the flow...! And this is why he's my Favorite Super-Villain!
Whether it's been Romero, Nicholson or Ledger behind the makeup, and whether he's been a maniac or a prankster, a clown or a killer, one thing has always remained constant with the Joker: the laugh — a laugh that with each breath seems to say he's the only sane man in an insane world.