Note: This is an old post from my Multiply site last July 25, 2008.
...let’s put a smile on your face. These lines made by the Joker in the recent Batman flick, The Dark Knight, still remains on my head after I had the second dose of it awhile ago. Yup, I just watched it again. This is the very first time I watched a movie twice in a matter of three days. Is it really a cool movie? Er, wrong question... We must ask first, “Are you for real?”
The very main reason why I want to watch it again was because I slept in numerous parts of it during the first time I watched it. Oh, does this hint that there is a sign of unrealness in it? What do I expect anyway? I am not a big fan of the Batman movies especially the ones that hit the blockbusters in the mid-90s. The Batman movies then were reeking of pure action and of less brilliance. Its target market catered the children. But then, is this new Batman flick similar to the previous ones?
Unreal? NO WAY! Seriously, it put a big smile on my face after I watched it last Wednesday, and a wider smile when I watched it awhile ago. I may have slept during the first time but it was because I came from bedridden sickness the day before. I had no choice but to succumb to my body’s demands. I was freakingly angry at myself for sleeping during the movie because I can feel its brilliance whenever I watched it with my two eyes wide open. If I am already fascinated at a movie despite the fact that I fell asleep when watching it, then the movie has got to be special.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The Dark Knight is a very special superhero movie. It is even unfair to compare it to the earlier movies (except to Michael Keaton’s Batman flick... I haven’t watched Batman Begins yet). The storyline has evolved to a deeper level and the acting has a league of its own. The Dark Knight is more of a character-oriented movie than a hack-and-slash action-filled one. Of course, the movie had its own share of tremendous action scenes but you will most appreciate it on its brilliant story.
Why? Because it featured a more human, less superhero Batman. He never had superhero powers to begin with, but the flaws in his character (getting beaten by the Joker in a hand-to-hand combat) made it more realistic. Bruce Wayne’s hero did not become The Man that he is all by himself – he needed the help of Lucius Fox’s capable technologies and James Gordon’s element of surprise to beat the opposition.
The acting in this film is superb. Heath Ledger showed that he is the best man for the Joker’s job. Joker is my favorite villain and I am glad that he put justice on Batman’s archrival. I did not initially visualize Heath to be fit in playing that part but man! I am astonished on how he portrayed this dark, twisted character. I know that his natural voice does not sound like the Joker’s but with the way he talked in the movie, it seemed he was born with that voice. That is the very same voice I wanted from the Joker – it will easily make you think that it is a twisted clown talking simply by listening to it. The witty lines were also great. I liked it the most when he said “You complete me” to Batman because of the excellent timing and execution. Other than that, all his lines of deceiving others were so credible because it had the annoying, psychotic expression. Christian Bale’s Batman does not pale in comparison either. His sound as Batman may be awful to the ears but I was amazed by it because it was very realistic. If you want to be unknown, you must make sure that everything, especially your voice, is undecipherable. The rest of the cast was great. From Harvey Dent to Alfred. But I got to give the accolades to the Joker. This movie should be entitled The Joker.
The movie maybe long but I have to admit that it was quite crammed. There were too many details in every situation. One can say that it was very much like Spider-man 3 but it was not. The scenes were perfectly woven to provide a smooth storyline. Some unnecessary scenes were not anymore included like the scene after the Joker threw Rachel out of the window during the party. I just wish that Two-Face is still there in the third Nolan Batman movie as his character was developed quite well in this installment.
It is not anymore about ‘superhero versus villain in a final hand-to-hand combat’ – it is about the influence of the superhero to society as a whole. Batman and Joker’s battle was not about their physical encounters. What mattered more was their character’s impact to society. As Batman becomes more human in the film, the people viewed him more of an icon for inspiration. The Joker, however, showed that he is the best villain that Batman ever had. It was not because the Joker beat Batman on physical combat or on dominance by strength – the Joker is the best because he turned Batman into someone that the people would hate. The killings that he made had the people blaming Batman because he was not submitting to the Joker’s requests. The Joker might have been caught in the end but because he turned the nation’s hero - Harvey Dent - into a murderous individual, he was still successful in his mission. Harvey was everyone’s ideal concretized then because he showed a concrete effort of putting Gotham City’s crime into rest. Batman could have been the being that everyone wanted to emulate but Gotham City’s White Knight – Harvey Dent – was the hero who stopped crime without resorting to violence. Unlike Batman, Harvey did not provoke more crimes. Harvey Dent can exist in a crime-free Gotham City whereas Batman only exists when there is crime. Furthermore, everyone was already having a sense of hate on Batman because he was a vigilante and the Joker’s killings were caused by Batman not submitting to the Joker. Thus, having a dent on everyone’s idol (Harvey) would simply destroy everyone’s hopes of being morally good. In addition, it would nullify all of Harvey’s good acts of imprisoning the big-time crime bosses. This is why The Dark Knight succeeds in delivering a social/ethical message to us.
Thus, the triumph in the movie was not seen in the physical level but on the social level. The fact that the criminals and the citizens did not opt to blow the opposing ship in the movie’s ending showed that Gotham still has that hope of having morally sound individuals. Batman’s efforts of having the crime pinned against him rather than on Harvey Dent in the end showed that the Cape Crusader is the smartest of the superheroes. He sacrificed his image to spare the public from the social drama of losing faith on their ideals. Batman showed that there is hope in a very much flawed world. Simply put, the movie featured that superheroes should be idolized for the morals that they uphold – not on their ability of beating their opponents physically.
With so much praise, I now ask the question, “is this the very best superhero movie I have ever watched?”
First of all, I have to note that Spider-man 2 currently holds that trophy in my books. What’s not to love on that movie anyway? It showed a deeper character-oriented movie than its predecessor. I was able to relate on Peter Parker’s personal struggles that time as I was sulking with the fact that I am still a single guy who does not feel the love of this world. Yes, it was an emo movie but it was successful in penetrating my emotions and giving me hope. The acting was also great. Tobey Maguire may not be a main character kind of actor but the role of Peter Parker fits him perfectly. Again, it was not all about the superhero beating the villain in physical combat – it was more of beating his personal demons and believing in himself. Lastly, Spiderman is my favorite superhero of all-time.
Did The Dark Knight surpass Spider-man 2 in my books? Let’s just say it’s a tie. Both are superhero movies but both had different directions. The Dark Knight was more focused on the social and moral impact of the superhero, whereas Spider-man 2 should be taken more on the personal level. If we are going to compare on the storylines, The Dark Knight is better because it has more depth and is less cliche-ish. As for emotions, Spider-man 2 was able to evoke much better feelings from me. It made me feel ‘alive’ with the movie. The Dark Knight had better acting though, but Spidey is my favorite superhero.
Grey’s Anatomy Fever
Grey’s Anatomy Season 4 had concluded for more than a month (or 2 months) already but it is just now that I am catching up on the said season. All I can say is, this is the bomb! You heard it right – I am proclaiming this chick flick series my favorite TV series of all time. Perhaps, it is because of this fever but I guess it has also something to do with it getting better as the seasons go along (pretty much the opposite of my previous #1, Lost). The character development is well-maintained as well because they do not introduce a lot of characters in every season. The writers know how to make the characters grow into you. I also have a taste for drama and the hospital incidents do not bore me so this show has appealed me ever since I watched Season 2 this summer.
But I guess the biggest reason why I am watching Season 4 in such a rapid pace is because of the inclusion of Meredith Grey’s sister – Dr. Lexie Grey. Damn! This girl is so eye-candy that I do not get tired of seeing her face in my laptop screen. I almost totally forgot about Katherine Heigl because of Lexie Grey. I usually say that pretty girls entice me to initially watch TV shows but it is different in this regard as I am inspired to proceed on watching the shows despite of having matured in liking them.
...let’s put a smile on your face. These lines made by the Joker in the recent Batman flick, The Dark Knight, still remains on my head after I had the second dose of it awhile ago. Yup, I just watched it again. This is the very first time I watched a movie twice in a matter of three days. Is it really a cool movie? Er, wrong question... We must ask first, “Are you for real?”
The very main reason why I want to watch it again was because I slept in numerous parts of it during the first time I watched it. Oh, does this hint that there is a sign of unrealness in it? What do I expect anyway? I am not a big fan of the Batman movies especially the ones that hit the blockbusters in the mid-90s. The Batman movies then were reeking of pure action and of less brilliance. Its target market catered the children. But then, is this new Batman flick similar to the previous ones?
Unreal? NO WAY! Seriously, it put a big smile on my face after I watched it last Wednesday, and a wider smile when I watched it awhile ago. I may have slept during the first time but it was because I came from bedridden sickness the day before. I had no choice but to succumb to my body’s demands. I was freakingly angry at myself for sleeping during the movie because I can feel its brilliance whenever I watched it with my two eyes wide open. If I am already fascinated at a movie despite the fact that I fell asleep when watching it, then the movie has got to be special.
Warning: Spoilers ahead.
The Dark Knight is a very special superhero movie. It is even unfair to compare it to the earlier movies (except to Michael Keaton’s Batman flick... I haven’t watched Batman Begins yet). The storyline has evolved to a deeper level and the acting has a league of its own. The Dark Knight is more of a character-oriented movie than a hack-and-slash action-filled one. Of course, the movie had its own share of tremendous action scenes but you will most appreciate it on its brilliant story.
Why? Because it featured a more human, less superhero Batman. He never had superhero powers to begin with, but the flaws in his character (getting beaten by the Joker in a hand-to-hand combat) made it more realistic. Bruce Wayne’s hero did not become The Man that he is all by himself – he needed the help of Lucius Fox’s capable technologies and James Gordon’s element of surprise to beat the opposition.
The acting in this film is superb. Heath Ledger showed that he is the best man for the Joker’s job. Joker is my favorite villain and I am glad that he put justice on Batman’s archrival. I did not initially visualize Heath to be fit in playing that part but man! I am astonished on how he portrayed this dark, twisted character. I know that his natural voice does not sound like the Joker’s but with the way he talked in the movie, it seemed he was born with that voice. That is the very same voice I wanted from the Joker – it will easily make you think that it is a twisted clown talking simply by listening to it. The witty lines were also great. I liked it the most when he said “You complete me” to Batman because of the excellent timing and execution. Other than that, all his lines of deceiving others were so credible because it had the annoying, psychotic expression. Christian Bale’s Batman does not pale in comparison either. His sound as Batman may be awful to the ears but I was amazed by it because it was very realistic. If you want to be unknown, you must make sure that everything, especially your voice, is undecipherable. The rest of the cast was great. From Harvey Dent to Alfred. But I got to give the accolades to the Joker. This movie should be entitled The Joker.
The movie maybe long but I have to admit that it was quite crammed. There were too many details in every situation. One can say that it was very much like Spider-man 3 but it was not. The scenes were perfectly woven to provide a smooth storyline. Some unnecessary scenes were not anymore included like the scene after the Joker threw Rachel out of the window during the party. I just wish that Two-Face is still there in the third Nolan Batman movie as his character was developed quite well in this installment.
It is not anymore about ‘superhero versus villain in a final hand-to-hand combat’ – it is about the influence of the superhero to society as a whole. Batman and Joker’s battle was not about their physical encounters. What mattered more was their character’s impact to society. As Batman becomes more human in the film, the people viewed him more of an icon for inspiration. The Joker, however, showed that he is the best villain that Batman ever had. It was not because the Joker beat Batman on physical combat or on dominance by strength – the Joker is the best because he turned Batman into someone that the people would hate. The killings that he made had the people blaming Batman because he was not submitting to the Joker’s requests. The Joker might have been caught in the end but because he turned the nation’s hero - Harvey Dent - into a murderous individual, he was still successful in his mission. Harvey was everyone’s ideal concretized then because he showed a concrete effort of putting Gotham City’s crime into rest. Batman could have been the being that everyone wanted to emulate but Gotham City’s White Knight – Harvey Dent – was the hero who stopped crime without resorting to violence. Unlike Batman, Harvey did not provoke more crimes. Harvey Dent can exist in a crime-free Gotham City whereas Batman only exists when there is crime. Furthermore, everyone was already having a sense of hate on Batman because he was a vigilante and the Joker’s killings were caused by Batman not submitting to the Joker. Thus, having a dent on everyone’s idol (Harvey) would simply destroy everyone’s hopes of being morally good. In addition, it would nullify all of Harvey’s good acts of imprisoning the big-time crime bosses. This is why The Dark Knight succeeds in delivering a social/ethical message to us.
Thus, the triumph in the movie was not seen in the physical level but on the social level. The fact that the criminals and the citizens did not opt to blow the opposing ship in the movie’s ending showed that Gotham still has that hope of having morally sound individuals. Batman’s efforts of having the crime pinned against him rather than on Harvey Dent in the end showed that the Cape Crusader is the smartest of the superheroes. He sacrificed his image to spare the public from the social drama of losing faith on their ideals. Batman showed that there is hope in a very much flawed world. Simply put, the movie featured that superheroes should be idolized for the morals that they uphold – not on their ability of beating their opponents physically.
With so much praise, I now ask the question, “is this the very best superhero movie I have ever watched?”
First of all, I have to note that Spider-man 2 currently holds that trophy in my books. What’s not to love on that movie anyway? It showed a deeper character-oriented movie than its predecessor. I was able to relate on Peter Parker’s personal struggles that time as I was sulking with the fact that I am still a single guy who does not feel the love of this world. Yes, it was an emo movie but it was successful in penetrating my emotions and giving me hope. The acting was also great. Tobey Maguire may not be a main character kind of actor but the role of Peter Parker fits him perfectly. Again, it was not all about the superhero beating the villain in physical combat – it was more of beating his personal demons and believing in himself. Lastly, Spiderman is my favorite superhero of all-time.
Did The Dark Knight surpass Spider-man 2 in my books? Let’s just say it’s a tie. Both are superhero movies but both had different directions. The Dark Knight was more focused on the social and moral impact of the superhero, whereas Spider-man 2 should be taken more on the personal level. If we are going to compare on the storylines, The Dark Knight is better because it has more depth and is less cliche-ish. As for emotions, Spider-man 2 was able to evoke much better feelings from me. It made me feel ‘alive’ with the movie. The Dark Knight had better acting though, but Spidey is my favorite superhero.
Grey’s Anatomy Fever
Grey’s Anatomy Season 4 had concluded for more than a month (or 2 months) already but it is just now that I am catching up on the said season. All I can say is, this is the bomb! You heard it right – I am proclaiming this chick flick series my favorite TV series of all time. Perhaps, it is because of this fever but I guess it has also something to do with it getting better as the seasons go along (pretty much the opposite of my previous #1, Lost). The character development is well-maintained as well because they do not introduce a lot of characters in every season. The writers know how to make the characters grow into you. I also have a taste for drama and the hospital incidents do not bore me so this show has appealed me ever since I watched Season 2 this summer.
But I guess the biggest reason why I am watching Season 4 in such a rapid pace is because of the inclusion of Meredith Grey’s sister – Dr. Lexie Grey. Damn! This girl is so eye-candy that I do not get tired of seeing her face in my laptop screen. I almost totally forgot about Katherine Heigl because of Lexie Grey. I usually say that pretty girls entice me to initially watch TV shows but it is different in this regard as I am inspired to proceed on watching the shows despite of having matured in liking them.
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