Topic: DARK KNIGHT WILL BLOW YOUR FUCKING MIND.

[Pugnate]

Typically, when a movie doesn't do advance screenings, it is a bad sign (see The Happening), showing a lack of confidence from study groups, producers, etc. However, when a movie starts seeing reviews a week or so in advance, it normally means the producers had the supreme confidence to conduct private screenings.

Now, it is very rare for producers to allow their movie to be to be reviewed nearly a month in advance, and is a sign that they are sitting on something extremely special.

Last week, the Dark Knight had its first review, from Rolling Stone, who were apparently amazed to the point where they called for a few Oscars (for a superhero movie no less), and called the movie a masterpiece up there with the greatest. Hell, in an interview, and in the review, the reviewer compared the movie in quality to The Godfather II!!!!!  Crazy stuff right? Then, a second review popped up a few days later, that again called the movie a masterpiece.

And just now, IGN posted their own review, also calling it a masterpiece that at times supassed The Godfather II... Pretty intense. Considering the fact that The Godfather II is one of the greatest movies ever made, I am really excited.

 Here are some quotes you guys might love:

Rolling Stone:

Heads up: a thunderbolt is about to rip into the blanket of bland we call summer movies. The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's absolute stunner of a follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins, is a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up. There's something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe. Striking out from his Batman origin story, Nolan cuts through to a deeper dimension. Huh? Wha? How can a conflicted guy in a bat suit and a villain with a cracked, painted-on clown smile speak to the essentials of the human condition? Just hang on for a shock to the system. The Dark Knight creates a place where good and evil — expected to do battle — decide instead to get it on and dance. "I don't want to kill you," Heath Ledger's psycho Joker tells Christian Bale's stalwart Batman. "You complete me." Don't buy the tease. He means it.

I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as the Joker. Miles from Jack Nicholson's broadly funny take on the role in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman, Ledger takes the role to the shadows, where even what's comic is hardly a relief. No plastic mask for Ledger; his face is caked with moldy makeup that highlights the red scar of a grin, the grungy hair and the yellowing teeth of a hound fresh out of hell. To the clown prince of crime, a knife is preferable to a gun, the better to "savor the moment."

It's enough to marvel at the way Nolan — a world-class filmmaker, be it Memento, Insomnia or The Prestige — brings pop escapism whisper-close to enduring art. It's enough to watch Bale chillingly render Batman as a lost warrior, evoking Al Pacino in The Godfather II in his delusion and desolation. It's enough to see Ledger conjure up the anarchy of the Sex Pistols and A Clockwork Orange as he creates a Joker for the ages. Go ahead, bitch about the movie being too long, at two and a half hours, for short attention spans (it is), too somber for the Hulk crowd (it is), too smart for its own good (it isn't). The haunting and visionary Dark Knight soars on the wings of untamed imagination. It's full of surprises you don't see coming. And just try to get it out of your dreams.

Emanuel Levy:

Dark, grim, haunting and visionary, "The Dark Knight" is nothing short of brilliant, the best and scariest comic hero adaptation you are likely to see this summer season, and perhaps during the whole year.

At least two notches above "Batman Begins," this follow-up represents Christopher Nolan's most accomplished and mature work, and mind you, he is one of the few Hollywood directors who have never made a bad picture. Celebrating his first decade as a filmmaker, from the short, small-budget and modest noir" Following," through the clever and witty post-modernist noir "Memento," through the well-acted and skillfully shot "Insomnia," through the visual extravaganza of "The Prestige," Nolan has continued to sharpen his skills and now works at the top of his form. He is a unique director for whom bigger scale, larger budget, and more polished state-of-the-art special effects translate into all-around better picture; for most directors, it's usually the other way round.

Three days after the screening, I am still haunted by some visual images; lines of cynical dialogue, particularly by the sinister Joker, splendidly and scarily played by Heath Ledger, who should receive a posthumous Oscar nomination, if not the award itself (See Oscar Alert). In his dark, macabre humor and malevolent nature, Ledger goes way beyond the Joker that Jack Nicholson magnificently played in the first "Batman" (1989).

In terms of visuals, sounds, and tunes, "Dark Knight" is a supremely mounted roller coaster ride, defined by some of the most spectacular set pieces to be seen in American actioners in years. Not surprisingly, half a dozen of them are encounters between the Joker and Batman, or the Joker and the other criminals.

IGN: (Perfect score...)

It isn't an overstatement to call The Dark Knight the most sophisticated and ambitious work of its kind. Superior to all three Spider-Man installments and even its amazing predecessor in terms of conceptualization, writing, acting, and direction, Nolan's follow-up to Batman Begins is a dark, complex and disturbing film, not the least of which because it grafts its heroics onto the blueprint of actual reality rather than that of spandex-clad supermen. And while such a distinction may make little difference to those already eagerly anticipating the return of the caped crusader, suffice it to say that The Dark Knight qualifies as the first official comic book adaptation that truly succeeds in being a great artistic achievement in its own right.

Perhaps bolstered by the success of the first film, Nolan reaches out further with his storytelling and camerawork in The Dark Knight to create an ongoing, palpable feeling of tension that never relents through the entirety of the film's two and a half hour running time. There is a hugeness to the narrative itself, which Nolan enhances first by shooting partially on IMAX film stock (which will surely be lost to those unlucky enough to be too far to see the film in the format), but he then builds this haunting atmosphere steadily from one scene to the next, building anticipation for the moments when the violence will finally erupt.

That he occasionally veers into comic book glibness with one-liners undermines none of the intensity; on the contrary, these moments provide a release that is absolutely necessary to keeping the audience from succumbing to The Joker's febrile madness. Meanwhile, the violence is quite possibly the most intense I have ever seen in a PG-13 film, leaving myself and others wondering how The Dark Knight avoided an R. But what is more disturbing is the unrelenting menace that hovers over every scene like a dark cloud. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's leitmotif for The Joker sounds like a cross between Ligeti's "Lux Aeterna" (from 2001) and the scraping, metallic curlicue that was used in trailers for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and enhances the clenched-fist feeling that anything can and will happen at any moment, even scenes in which he doesn't appear.

Finally, there's Ledger, whose performance I suspect will be the subject of many analyses of all sorts in the weeks and months to come. What he does with The Joker is, quite frankly, nothing short of transcendent. Early in the film he explains the origins of his trademark facial scars, and you worry for a moment that the filmmakers are giving this psychopath some kind of convenient explanation, which, talented though he was, Ledger won't be able to overcome. But by the third time he's explained where they come from – each time telling a different tale – you realize that Ledger was a master of his craft, only in his final years finding roles that truly offered him the chance to explore that mastery. His is the definitive movie Joker, and he owns the role and achieves a level of abject insanity that is terrifying as it is irresistible.

Overall, the film does maintain a steady pace and function with such continuously unnerving momentum that it occasionally seems like a second installment. (There are plenty of appropriate comparisons to other sequels its quality mirrors, if not possibly surpasses: Toy Story 2, The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather Part II, etc.) In fact, so well-executed is this film that even the title – or at least its true meaning – seemed to catch its audience off guard, until it gets explained, expertly and poetically, at the very end of the movie.

A screenwriting professor of mine once said that what happens in a story must be surprising but expected, and Nolan's approach to The Dark Knight epitomizes this maxim. He gives you exactly what you want, but does it so well that it manages to completely catch you off guard when it happens. But there really is no better way to describe The Dark Knight than to call it a great work of art because it transcends both the boundaries of comic book moviemaking and even the parameters of good filmmaking. What Nolan and Co. have created doesn't just function as a thrill ride or even a terrific movie, but rather as a substantive and philosophical examination of why we need heroes, and then when we need them, what they mean.

I WANT TO SEE THIS NOW

edit:

I watched Letterman... and he was RAVING about this movie. He kept talking about it.

-- Pug

[angrykeebler]

I'm going to start whacking off in the theater.


Yes, I said it. You were all thinking it.

[gpw11]

Typically, when a movie is made by M. Night Shaymalandainadsdsaflan, it is a bad sign (see The Happening)

The Sixth Sense is the exception.

[Quemaqua]

I like most of M. Night's movies.  They aren't what they try to be, but that doesn't make them bad.

Anyway, I'm so far beyond looking forward to this movie.  All the buzz has been so positive, and I loved the first movie so much... and everyone did.  I only know one person who said they didn't like the first, and everyone else thought it was amazing, even people who would normally balk at comic book stuff.

I'll most likely go to see this opening night if I can swing it.  I'm sure Sy will be down to try that with me if he's available.

[TheOtherBelmont]

I'm highly looking forward to this.  I just bought my tickets to the midnight opening at the local Alamo Drafthouse so I'll get to stuff my face and drink some beers while I watch this.

[Pugnate]

The Sixth Sense is the exception.

Wait, that's not what I said.

Oh I see what you did there.

[Pugnate]

hahaha watch this:

http://www.ramasscreen.com/2008/06/29/david-lettermans-lame-joke-about-the-dark-knight/

[Pugnate]

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=63831867&blogID=410282847

Kevin Smith (Yes the Kevin Smith):

“Without giving anything away, this is an epic film (and trust me: based on the sheer size and scope of the visuals and storytelling, that’s not an overstatement). It’s the “Godfather II” of comic book films and three times more earnest than “Batman Begins” (and fuck, was that an earnest film). Easily the most adult comic book film ever made. Heath Ledger didn’t so much give a performance as he disappeared completely into the role; I know I’m not the first to suggest this, but he’ll likely get at least an Oscar nod (if not the win) for Best Supporting Actor. Fucking flick’s nearly three hours long and only leaves you wanting more (in a great way). I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed by it. Nolan and crew have created something close to a masterpiece.”

[Quemaqua]

God, stop it... I want to see this so bad...

[Cobra951]

CNN weighs in.  Sorry, Que.

[MysterD]

This movie just cannot be out soon enough for me.
I don't often go to the theatres to see many movies, these days.
I knew it, when I saw the first trailer -- it just looked like a movie I'd like to see on that big screen.
This one, I'll definitely see as soon as it's out.

EDIT:
Crazy...
It's almost 3 hours?
Holy crap...

[Pugnate]

Roger Ebert gives it a perfect score:

http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080716/REVIEWS/55996637

“Batman” isn’t a comic book anymore. Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” is a haunted film that leaps beyond its origins and becomes an engrossing tragedy. It creates characters we come to care about. That’s because of the performances, because of the direction, because of the writing, and because of the superlative technical quality of the entire production. This film, and to a lesser degree “Iron Man,” redefine the possibilities of the “comic-book movie.”

Check out the reviews on rotten tomatoes. Some of those of quotes are almost unbearable to read, because they make you want to camp outside the movie theater.

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_dark_knight/

[Pugnate]

Ebert and Roeper:

Check out the comments section.

I hope this movie makes more dough than the Titanic.

[ren]

I have watched Batman Begins three times in two days in preparation. I won't be able to watch this until next week because of work. Hopefully I can avoid any information about this movie whatsoever until then.

[Quemaqua]

I really want to see it, but instead of opening weekend as planned, we may put it off so Pyro and his lady can see it with us a little over a week from now.  I'll have to hash that out with Sy and see what he thinks.

[Antares]

I've got to work through the weekend, but I'm definitely planning to try to get to see an evening showing sometime this weekend or early in the week.

[scottws]

Jennie told me the other day that one of our friends is getting our whole group together to go see it on Friday and she was all excited.  Until I reminded her I work second shift on Friday. 

[TheOtherBelmont]

I just got back from this and fuck yes it is awesome.   My mind is so scrambled right now by the sheer insanity and chaos of it. I won't go into details so as not to spoil it for anyone, but everyone needs to see this fucking movie.

[ren]

This movie just cannot be out soon enough for me.
I don't often go to the theatres to see many movies, these days.
I knew it, when I saw the first trailer -- it just looked like a movie I'd like to see on that big screen.
This one, I'll definitely see as soon as it's out.

EDIT:
Crazy...
It's almost 3 hours?
Holy crap...

The first one was 2 hours and 20 minutes. This one is 2 hours and 30 minutes.

It was the perfect length. That 2.5 hours went by in minutes.

[iPPi]

Amazing movie.

[MysterD]

Just came back from it -- really, really good.
Especially the performances, all across the board.

Definitely worth seeing in the theatres.

[Xessive]

I'm really looking forward to it! I think Pug's really gonna love it too!

[Quemaqua]

Shit.  I was pretty blown away.  The first third of the movie will leave you wondering why everyone was raving so much, not because it's bad, but just because it takes a bit to build to full potency.  After that, it's like someone grabbed you by the throat and it stays at a fevered, relentless pace for the rest of the film.  I did have a couple very minor niggles with it, but those aren't a big deal at all, and the believability and grounded aspects of the rest of the movie combine with some "awesome!" moments and pure theatricality to really polish off one of the best movies of this type we've ever seen.

Yes, Heath Ledger is as good as he was given credit for.  I don't know if he'll win an award, but if there's any justice left in the world to be paid for worthy accomplishments, he's sure to be nominated.  MyD said it, but it bears repeating: great performances all around.  Ledger took the show for sure, but everybody holds up their end of the bargain, with some outstanding work by Bale and Eckhart as well.  Gyllenhaal is a fine replacement for Katie Holmes I thought, though she didn't have a ton to do in the movie barring a couple good scenes, and Oldman still makes a great Gordon.

As a warning, this isn't as "fun" as the first movie, to be sure, but it feels poignant and necessary.  It absolutely exemplifies what I love about fiction and fantasy, and the way I wish it was treated more often - with respect and dignity.  Yes, it's a bit ridiculous in concept, and yes, all kinds of unrealistic things happen, but when you treat it seriously and with decent attention to detail, with a dose of real drama and emotion, something simple can become not just emotionally engaging, but inspiring.  It was said numerous times in the movies that Batman is a symbol, and after this movie, he's transformed the meaning of that to something real.  The Batman of this movie is a symbol, and the social significance of that in our fearful times is as evident here as it was in Iron Man, even though the latter film went after it in a more literal sense.

But no matter how you look at it, Batman is an icon of the screen now in very real fashion, and you absolutely should go see this film.

[MysterD]

What was amazing about this film was at 2 hr and 25 mins (or so), you do have this feeling of "They could've kept going with this." The movie never goes on way too long, despite its length. One of the quickest 2 hr and 25 mins I can recall.

Oh, the opening scene is awesome. Every action scenes pretty much rocks the house. Especially the tunnel scene; that was incredible.

And yeah, if Heath Ledger doesn't get at the least nominated for an Oscar, something's wrong here. He was amazing. He was truly a psychotic; more so than Jack was. As good as Jack was as The Joker in the original Batman movie, Ledger just takes it to another level. Jack was never scary nor creepy as The Joker (b/c of how over-the-top he played it), but Ledger is scary and creepy. He gets under your skin, at times. He was creepy, yet often hilarious -- especially with how he was reacting to everything when he was destroying things and causing anarchy wherever he went; w/ his usual cackle and other (child-like) reactions of giddiness when he was doing something completely wrong. And there were also plenty of times he gave you that big "What the hell? You got to be kiddin' me!" reaction.
For those who seen it already, you know what I'm talking about...
***SPOILER PARTY***

(click to show/hide)

...I'm thinking off the top of my head of the scenes of him making the pencil disappear early on (that was great!); the scene when he doesn't move when Batman is about to run him over in the motorcycle in this game of "chicken" but Batman does move and dodge Joker; and the scene w/ Joker dressed up as a nurse (WTF?) and then blows the hospital to almost nothing to the point the detonator doesn't do the final charge but he eventually gets it to work and then goes crazy when it finally works.

About Maggie G, she was used namely for all of the emotional scenes. And boy, they did ever work -- it sure worked better than Katie Holmes did as Rachel Dawes. Not that Katie was bad (she was actually good), it's just Maggie is that good (as usual) and just is that much better of an actress.

And I must say, the make-up/special effects on Eckhart after his transformation was awesome. Sure looked a hell of a lot better than what they was done with Harvey Dent (Tommy Lee Jones) in Batman Forever.

Blurring The Line Of Good & Evil
**SPOILER**

(click to show/hide)

Oh, and the whole thing w/ the Big Brother and Patriotic Act elements, where Batman has pretty much the entire city on watch looked like something out of Sliver and Minority Report w/ the screen up there and all. It really did blur the line of Batman even more so, at that point. We then saw that Batman was not 100% good, but actually entering shades of gray/evil for the greater good (to stop the menacing Joker).

Ahhhh, the movie was awesome. I could really go on and on about this flick....

[Xessive]

It was sublime. A true work of art. Watch it.

[gpw11]

I liked it but had too problems that probably only apply to how I always envisioned Batman.

1.) Joker too crazy.  I know the Joker is supposed to be a crazy motherfucker and it's probably closer than most of the Jokers I've seen, but at times it almost seemed a little too much.  I'll take the homicidal sociopath Joker over the eccentric prankster joker any day, but to be perfectly honest I think he came off as too serious and grim himself whereas in the comics I remember he always thought he was the funniest motherfucker on earth and would have a blast while doing very serious and grim things (from an outside perspective).  Here he just seemed to hold it in a bit too much.

2.) Batman not crazy enough.  I've always wanted to see this in a movie, and lets face it, the guy is fucking crazy.  I kind of thought this would be the chance to see the dark, crazy Batman but again he came off as a bit too noble. 

The end result of these two things is it changed what I personally thought made the Batman-Joker dynamic so interesting.

[Xessive]

I liked it but had too problems that probably only apply to how I always envisioned Batman.

1.) Joker too crazy.  I know the Joker is supposed to be a crazy motherfucker and it's probably closer than most of the Jokers I've seen, but at times it almost seemed a little too much.  I'll take the homicidal sociopath Joker over the eccentric prankster joker any day, but to be perfectly honest I think he came off as too serious and grim himself whereas in the comics I remember he always thought he was the funniest motherfucker on earth and would have a blast while doing very serious and grim things (from an outside perspective).  Here he just seemed to hold it in a bit too much.

2.) Batman not crazy enough.  I've always wanted to see this in a movie, and lets face it, the guy is fucking crazy.  I kind of thought this would be the chance to see the dark, crazy Batman but again he came off as a bit too noble. 

The end result of these two things is it changed what I personally thought made the Batman-Joker dynamic so interesting.

I agree about the Joker seeming too well-put-together rather than being batshit crazy and hysterical. I still enjoyed it though.

(click to show/hide)

About the 2nd point, we do kinda see Batman/Bruce going around moral decisions to get what he wants. One example is how Bruce reacts to Rachel and how he believes she's coming back to him regardless of her relationship with Harvey. The second point is when Batman abuses the system by manipulating cell phones to serve his "need to know."

I'd argue that we've definitely seen a darker side of Batman and that makes him a more unique and dynamic character as oppose to a typical "model hero."

[MysterD]

I agree w/ Xessive....

(click to show/hide)

...on Batman doing some things in The Dark Knight that are morally wrong, even if they are for the "right" reasons -- such as trying to get back with Rachel when she's already taken (b/c they really still do love each other)
AND manipulating cellphones to try and spy on everybody to find The Joker (Patriot Act, anyone?).

That's the whole "I'm gonna do a little bit of evil just for the greater good" thing.
If this was D&D, I think Batman might be aligned with Lawful Good.

[gpw11]

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See, that's not really what I mean - it doesn't even scratch the surface. A guy who puts on a suit to circumvent the law and assault shoplifters isn't really all that concerned with civil liberties in the first place. If anything it kind of just shows how they lionized him more by giving in and making the self-destruct code.  The 'real' Batman is way to obsessed to do anything like that, that motherfucker would be humping that thing every night while spying on every single person in the city.  He wouldn't give up that opportunity because he's very very flawed.  Movie Batman is basically comic book Superman - noble to the point of boring. It makes him much much less interesting. 

[Quemaqua]

(click to show/hide)

I agree with gpw to a point, but I don't mind it because I think frankly, right now people want a hero.  They did lionize the character a bit too much, but at the same time they still achieved a degree of consistency, and while it may still seem a little too clean for the tastes of fans who'd prefer someone darker and more obsessive, they at least didn't make him a pure white pussycat, and they do at least consistently use the opinion of the populace and state that many consider his actions questionable.

So it isn't perfect, but given the overall quality of the film, the great acting, the great direction, art, cinematography, pacing, etc. etc. etc. I'm fully willing to overlook small flaws like that and just be happy that the movie isn't just a comic movie, it's a fucking good one on its own merits.  Like I said, I did notice a few flaws with it, but those in no way impacted the feeling I got from it.

Besides, this may just be prelude to a third movie in which Batman's motivations change, and subsequently his degree of obsession/questionable judgment.  That's sort of the feeling I got.  Who knows what'll happen with Ledger dead, especially since they killed off Two-Face as a villain already (lame!).  Still, I can't imagine they're stopping now, and while I can't imagine a third movie being even half as good as the second, I'll look forward to it anyway.

[Cobra951]

I saw this tonight, though I missed the first scene because the lying bitch selling tickets said the movie hadn't started yet.  (There were 4 staggered showings, and we could have waited a half hour easily.) 

(click to show/hide)

So what happens from the end of the bank robbery to the scene with the scarecrow?  I caught the first few minutes of the film from youtube.

While the movie is certainly gripping, with great performances, I was not impressed with the plot.  In particular, the behavior of crowds and cops as a group seemed improbable to me in the extreme.  Without their credibility, the storyline fails.  That marred the experience overall, though I am glad I got to see (most of) the film.  The characters themselves were the highlights, though the new Rachel did not impress me.  I know Katie Holmes got sucked away by a cult, but they could have recast that part better.

[ren]

(click to show/hide)

Gordan is waiting with at the floodlight with the Batman symbol on it with Ramirez. Ramirez asks why Batman isn't coming. Gordan says he doesn't always come, hopefully it's because he's busy. It then goes to a scene in the parking garage where there's some sort of deal going on and a bunch of Batman impersonators trying to stop it. The real Batman then comes in and kicks ass. The scarecrow is in that scene. You missed basically nothing.

[Cobra951]

Thanks!

[ren]

I saw the movie three times in the first five days. I basically know it off by heart now.

[sirean_syan]

Wow. Last time I did something like that I was like eleven or twelve and it was Jurassic Park.

You are aging, right Ren? Lord knows some of us like to thing you're still thirteen.

[gpw11]

Why would she ever want to stop being 13?

[ren]

You know how 13 year olds are nowadays, they look like they're 20.

I almost never went to the movies when I was eleven or twelve because I had no source of income. Reliving childhood with large amounts of money is the most fun you can have.

[gpw11]

What do you mean you had no source of income?  I saw you in a ton of movies: Men at Work, The Breakfast Club, Young Guns I & 2, and The Mighty Ducks just to name a few.  I'd imagine you would have been the richest girl on the block.

[ren]

I've been reading a lot of scripts lately. You know, it's a lot cheaper than going to the movies.

[Pugnate]

I saw it for the first time today. OMGZ!

I will watch it again in a few days.