Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Heath Ledger Remembrance Forum

The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!

<< < (5/55) > >>

BelAir:

--- Quote from: optom3 on July 12, 2008, 11:50:41 pm ---He hated all the posters of AKT, with the he will rock you tag line. I suspect he would not have been overkeen on the enormous posters of him again.

--- End quote ---

I agree he wouldn't have been keen on it, but I think he would [hopefully] have been less surprised/knew more what he was in for when he knowingly signed on for this blockbuster.  He was pretty young and naive [in Hollywood-speak/terms] when he did AKT... at least that's the impression I get from interviews, etc...

optom3:

--- Quote from: BelAir on July 12, 2008, 11:56:58 pm ---I agree he wouldn't have been keen on it, but I think he would [hopefully] have been less surprised/knew more what he was in for when he knowingly signed on for this blockbuster.  He was pretty young and naive [in Hollywood-speak/terms] when he did AKT... at least that's the impression I get from interviews, etc...

--- End quote ---

I suspect you are right.He may not have liked the poster, but unlke AKT he would have been better prepared for it.Oh dear I wish it did not still hurt so much.

j.U.d.E.:
On IMDb today/yesterday:

Ledger's Dad Gives Batman Movie The Thumbs Up - 15 July 2008

Heath Ledger's dad Kim gave his son's performance in The Dark Knight the thumbs up as he left the world premiere of the movie on Monday. Ledger's family flew to New York to attend the screening of the tragic actor's final completed film. And as the late actor's father left the premiere he was asked how it felt to attend, to which he responded with a thumbs up. He added that it was "very good", reports People.com. Ledger died from an accidental drug overdose in January.

Ledger's Co-stars Pay Tribute At Dark Knight Premiere - 15 July 2008

Christian Bale and Michael Caine paid tribute to their late co-star Heath Ledger at The Dark Knight world premiere in New York on Monday. Stars including Ethan Hawke, Gary Oldman, Maggie Gyllenhaal and her brother Jake - who appeared with Ledger in 2005 movie Brokeback Mountain - walked the red carpet to see the tragic actor's turn in the film. And his co-stars were keen to honour his performance as The Joker. Bale, who plays the caped crusader in the sequel, says, "Working with Heath was fantastic. He steals the movie and I'm quite happy to say that. "He's a hell of a talent and created a joker that's very iconic and one that will become a classic portrayal of the ages." And Michael Caine, who plays the hero's butler, was full of praise for the "intensity and ferocity of the performance" given by Ledger. He adds, "When we were sitting down between takes, he was completely ordinary. He wasn't preparing himself or saying 'Please leave me alone, I've gotta do this.' Instead he was talking to me. "We would sit and chat and have a cup of coffee, then suddenly they'd say, 'We're ready, Heath,' and he'd go straight into The Joker. His energy was astonishing, especially when it came from this kind of calm. He's certainly the best villain I've ever seen." Ledger was found dead from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs at his New York apartment on 22 January. He was 28 years old. The Dark Knight hits movie theatres in the U.S. on 18 July

Ledger's Parents + Sister Attend Movie Premiere - 14 July 2008

Heath Ledger's parents and sister Kate were among the celebrities keen to see the tragic actor's final completed film when Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight hit New York on Monday. The family flew in from Ledger's native Perth, Australia to attend the screening at the AMC Loews Lincoln Square IMAX. The Ledgers did not walk the red carpet. A movie source reveals the family has already seen the movie, which has been dedicated to Heath Ledger. Ledger died from an accidental drug overdose in January.

BelAir:
That middle reference seems to say Jake was definitely there, all the sources I could find yesterday were still a little up in the air whether he would be there or not. 

Hmnn.

Aloysius J. Gleek:

I am excerpting this review by David Denby in case some readers may think spoilers may include the full piece. The link is provided here:
http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2008/07/21/080721crci_cinema_denby

Some may also think parts which follow may be disturbing, but I think it important to post, and I may post it in other threads as well.

From The New Yorker:

The Current Cinema

Past Shock


Heath Ledger and Christian Bale in Christopher Nolan’s new Batman movie.

by David Denby
July 21, 2008

(....)

Yet “The Dark Knight” is hardly routine—it has a kicky sadism in scene after scene, which keeps you on edge and sends you out onto the street with post-movie stress disorder. And it has one startling and artful element: the sinister and frightening performance of the late Heath Ledger as the psychopathic murderer the Joker. That part of the movie is upsetting to watch, and, in retrospect, both painful and stirring to think about.

“The Dark Knight,” which was directed by Christopher Nolan (who also made “Batman Begins”) and written by Nolan and his brother Jonathan, is devoted to perversity. Bruce Wayne, attempting to bring order to Gotham City, has instead provoked the thugs. The mob is running rampant, and they’ve infiltrated the police department. The Joker, who doesn’t care for money and wants only the power to sow chaos, intimidates everyone, including the gangsters. Wayne and the noble Lieutenant Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) decide to get behind the new D.A., Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart), and set him up as Gotham’s crime-fighting hero. Batman even thinks of retiring. But the Joker won’t let him; he needs him, as someone to play with. An anarchist by philosophy, the Joker uses terrorist methods (bombs, bombs, bombs), and he has an enormous advantage over the principled Batman—he’s ruthless. So the Joker taunts and giggles, and Batman can only extend his wings.

It’s a workable dramatic conflict, but only half the team can act it. Christian Bale has been effective in some films, but he’s a placid Bruce Wayne, a swank gent in Armani suits, with every hair in place. He’s more urgent as Batman, but he delivers all his lines in a hoarse voice, with an unvarying inflection. It’s a dogged but uninteresting performance, upstaged by the great Ledger, who shambles and slides into a room, bending his knees and twisting his neck and suddenly surging into someone’s face like a deep-sea creature coming up for air. Ledger has a fright wig of ragged hair; thick, running gobs of white makeup; scarlet lips; and dark-shadowed eyes. He’s part freaky clown, part Alice Cooper the morning after, and all actor. He’s mesmerizing in every scene. His voice is not sludgy and slow, as it was in “Brokeback Mountain.” It’s a little higher and faster, but with odd, devastating pauses and saturnine shades of mockery. At times, I was reminded of Marlon Brando at his most feline and insinuating. When Ledger wields a knife, he is thoroughly terrifying (do not, despite the PG-13 rating, bring the children), and, as you’re watching him, you can’t help wondering—in a response that admittedly lies outside film criticism—how badly he messed himself up in order to play the role this way. His performance is a heroic, unsettling final act: this young actor looked into the abyss.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page