The Dark Knight thread.

Winslow Leach

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I don't put much stock on imdb.com. A lot of people with nothing else to do parade the boards as if it was their own playground. I've seen better films than a lot of the new ones that are on imdb's top 250. I mean has anyone ever seen "Lone Star"?. Now that is one great acting/story movie. No special effects involved, just good old fashioned acting and a good story.
I know imdb isn't the most reliable source, but The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather Part II have been in the top 5 spots for the longest time. Whether The Dark Knight is there temporarily because of all the hype, or whether it will remain at #1...who knows? It was an enjoyable ride, and I personally didn't find it long; it was a quick 2 hours and 30 minutes.

Again, personally I like my Batman dark (aside from Adam West, lol); I think Nolan has done an excellent job capturing the tone of such classic graphic novels as Batman Year One, The Killing Joke, The Long Halloween and Dark Victory.
 

ryhoyarbie

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I know imdb isn't the most reliable source, but The Godfather, The Shawshank Redemption and The Godfather Part II have been in the top 5 spots for the longest time. Whether The Dark Knight is there temporarily because of all the hype, or whether it will remain at #1...who knows? It was an enjoyable ride, and I personally didn't find it long; it was a quick 2 hours and 30 minutes.[/I]
The way I see it is this, don't go by what some sight or what someone says about a movie, make up your opinion. Imdb is nothing more than a silly little website. Too many people, if you go on the Dark Knight board, are saying the movie was the best thing they've ever seen, etc. etc. Hence why it's #1. many teenagers/young adults are all glorifying the movie too much.

Is this the best movie ever made? Not by a longshot. But that's just me. The #1 placement on imdb deserves to be for Ghostbusters!
 

muppetwriter

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Even as I sit here with my black Count von Count t-shirt, which I proudly wore to the screening that I attended today for The Dark Knight, I can honestly say that this is the greatest movie (not comic book movie) I have ever seen in my whole life!:batty:

It might've been just the special IMAX screen that we saw it on, but the movie just thrilled me from start to finish in so many ways. It was quite a heart-pounding experience that I won't forget anytime soon. I was engulfed in the action, as my seat literally shook from all the explosions, gun blasts, and even the fierce blows exchanged by Batman and his foes.

And Heath Ledger...OMG! Wasn't that just the BEST performance you've ever seen? I mean I was practically rolling on the floor with laughter over his Joker (it was a million times more brilliant than Jack's, Mark Hamill's, and even Caesar Romeo's 60s performance combined). I share a lot of displeasure with most who praise his performance on the fact that this will be unfortunately his final acting job as not only the Joker but any other role he steps into. I felt a great deal of loss at the end of the movie, watching him get the last laugh (literally). This was the best d**n performance ever, Heath. Thank you.:frown:

Okay. On a brighter note, Christian Bale's performance as Batman this time around was absolutely better than the first. He definitely brought more maturity to the character--more so than he did for Bruce Wayne, which he kept the funny playboy attitude from Batman Begins to hide the darker side that is "The Dark Knight" (brilliantly done, in my opinion). The exchange between him and Alfred (Michael Caine's still got it down flawlessly in this one) was fun (I love how in the scene where Bruce is considering revealing himself, he says to Alfred, "I'll tell 'em the whole thing was your idea." LOL!). Bale is officially my favorite Batman, with Keaton at a close second and Kilmer on third.

And where do I begin with Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent (a.k.a. "Two-Face")? Throughout the film, I'd been bracing myself for when this man would make the turn--I'd seen the photos ahead of time to see how "far" he would transform into the half-flesh/half-scarred vigilante. And my goodness did he ever bring the character to life in such a "vonderful" way. It almost reminded me of how deep his character in The Black Dhalia was--it was just about the same performance, only a lot deeper and much darker. Eckhart was just as frightening as Ledger, but not nearly that much. It was a huge shame to see what happened to him at the end, but it was for the best. Man! It sure as heck was "The Long Halloween" all over again!:stick_out_tongue:

And let's not forget Gary Oldman's return as Jim Gordon. I was cheering when I finally heard that famous name come out of the Mayor of Gotham's mouth: "Commissioner Gordon"! He deserved it, after coming up with such a masterpiece of a plan for the Joker's capture. Watching that entire chase scene in IMAX was awesome (seriously, if you haven't seen this film in it, find the nearest theater it's playing in that format and see it--I promise it's worth every penny you spend). The last confrontation between him, his family, Dent, and Batman was one of the most intense scenes in the film (and it didn't even have the Joker in it, haha!).

Seriously, I'd almost forgotten that this was a comic book halfway into the film. My mind had already processed all of the characters to distinguish them from the comics to the film. But the performances made me realize that this was not your average comic book movie. Christopher Nolan brought so much on the table for this one that it has undoubtedly surpassed even the first film, which I didn't have the great pleasure of seeing back when it came out in 2005.

Be warned, the critics, fans, and stars alike are not kidding when they say this film is not for kids. They are much better off watching the Batman cartoons or Adam West show until they're old enough to see this marvelous movie. Haha!


EDIT: I meant to also add that it was fun seeing Cillian Murphy back as Jonathan Crane (a.k.a. "The Scarecrow"). Something told me that guy wasn't completely dead--I mean all he got was a tiny shock to the face. LOL!
 

frogboy4

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Another Dark Knight rave! Your review is spot-on. This truly is as if Batman resides in the real world. I also agree that this film is PG-13 for a reason. Maybe it should have been R rated but I think that most of the under 12 crowd should have their parents decide if this film is right for them.

Nolan seems to be on the fence concerning his helming a third installment. He seems to think that great third films are hard to come by - citing Godfather III and Jedi as weaker trilogy films. I think he'll do it in some years to come.

Read no further if you have not seen the film.
_________________________
My pitch:

Phillip Seymour Hoffman cast (as once rumored) as a villainous Russian arms dealer AKA the Penguin. Mere calling cards of mischief are left around Gotham by an unseen Joker on the loose (as a nod to Ledger). Bruce Wayne begins dating mysterious woman Selina Kyle. Gordon's wife is killed leaving him a single parent. Batman gains public support once again.

Some interesting ensemble real-world type villains could include:
cyber terrorism by Edward Nygma AKA the Riddler,
eco terrorism by Pamela Lillian Isley AKA Poison Ivy
assassin Floyd Lawton AKA Deadshot
Cillian Murphy's return as the Scarecrow
Eric Roberts' return as Salvatore Maroni
 

ryhoyarbie

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Phillip Seymour Hoffman cast (as once rumored) as a villainous Russian arms dealer AKA the Penguin. Mere calling cards of mischief are left around Gotham by an unseen Joker on the loose (as a nod to Ledger). Bruce Wayne begins dating mysterious woman Selina Kyle. Gordon's wife is killed leaving him a single parent. Batman gains public support once again.[/QUOTE

Whoa, whoa, whoa. If there's one thing I don't want to see in another Batman film is the combination of two villains who were also a combo in one of the previous four Batman films. Burton had Penguin and Catwoman in Returns. No need to have Penguin and Catwoman in the third installment together. People will be asking themselves if they're seeing a new Batman film or the Returns one back from 1992.

I mean that's like if Nolan decided to have Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze together again in the next movie. All I have to ask is "why"?
 

frogboy4

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Whoa, whoa, whoa. If there's one thing I don't want to see in another Batman film is the combination of two villains who were also a combo in one of the previous four Batman films. Burton had Penguin and Catwoman in Returns. No need to have Penguin and Catwoman in the third installment together. People will be asking themselves if they're seeing a new Batman film or the Returns one back from 1992.

I mean that's like if Nolan decided to have Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze together again in the next movie. All I have to ask is "why"?
Wha…? Whatever Nolan does (if he directs the next film) will bear no resemblence to what has come before so why not have Selina Kyle (I never said Catwoman) in the next film along with a very different Penguin? And who said they would be paired forces?

It is not my preference to have all or any particular combination of characters in the next film, but I liked the world of the Dark Knight being inhabited by several villainous forces. This film was not Batman vs. Joker. It was the Dark Knight vs. the criminal forces of Gotham.

The “Dark Knight” has an ensemble of villains with varying degrees of importance including Scarecrow, Two Face, Joker and Sal Maroni all classic Batman characters. Three relatively big ones.“Batman Begins” contained the famed Ra’s Al Ghul, Scarecrow, Carmine Falcone and of course Joe Chill. Of course many of these in first film are lesser-known to filmgoers, but comic book fans know each and every one.

You never run out of Batman bad guys.
 

Pork

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You know, the more I talk about this movie the more it grows on me. Not that I didn't like it to begin with. Lots of it is just quite disturbing, I know that it's supposed to be like that. And they did a BRILLIANT job of making it so. But I think if I watched it again I would like it more, because I wouldn't be covering up my face just in case something really gross just happens. XD
 
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