Author Topic: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!  (Read 175251 times)

Offline BelAir

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #150 on: July 27, 2008, 10:34:57 am »
Oh yes, THAT scene, sorry, I should probably READ things thoroughly before replying. I should know better.

*scurries back into her corner*

But the Joker doesn't die in your version does he?

Your version. LOL. We have a Dutch version in which you can see him smoke pot.

"My" version definitely did not have pot smoking.  When did it happen in 'your' version?

 :P

That's actually pretty annoying.  (to have different versions)
"— a thirst for life, for love, and for truth..."

Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #151 on: July 27, 2008, 06:34:45 pm »
I just came back from watching TDK again.  The theater was packed again, this the second weekend of its release.  I still thoroughly enjoyed the film and I find the Joker absolutely mesmerizing.  As with many comic book films, the villains seem to be the more interesting characters in their extreme quirkiness and fiendishness.  And, I can imagine that as an actor, the Joker really would be more fun to play than Batman. 

This time I feel like I was noticing more mannerisms in the portrayal of the Joker that may have been (probably were) subtle homages to Jack Nicholson (not necessarily specifically to Nicholson's Joker, but to some of the qualities of Nicholson's voice and certain mannerisms).  This, to me seems appropriate, given Nicholson's history with the Batman films and because, I feel like I've read somewhere, that Heath deeply admired Nicholson as an actor.

And, this time I was focused more on the fascinating dynamics between the Joker and Batman... Specifically the idea that the Joker had no intention of killing Batman.  And that the wry statement of the Joker's to Batman - "you complete me" - is probably very true... that they each need a nemisis to have a purpose (or something like that).  Or, that they represent an eternal struggle between good and evil.  Furthermore, it seems like the Joker much prefers to toy with Batman and torment him.

This idea of an ongoing struggle between the Joker and Batman seems to be set up pretty clearly during the Joker's last scene while he's dangling off the side of the building.  He says "I get the feeling you and I are destined to do this forever!"  Which to me implies that the Joker could easily come back.



On another totally different note... This time, since I'd already seen the film once, I could spend more time focusing on backgrounds and details, etc.  And, I noticed several very familiar buildings in Chicago!  In at least two different prominent shots I saw a large office building that my Dad used to work in a long time ago when I was a little girl!  And, right after leaving the theater I called my Dad to tell him about that, and he said that he actually saw some of the Batman filming sets and specifically lots of Gotham City police cars back when the film was shooting in Chicago.  I hadn't known that until today!  I'd never yet spoken to my Dad in depth about Batman until this afternoon.




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Offline David In Indy

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #152 on: July 27, 2008, 06:47:13 pm »
This is OT. Well, sort of. But I was just wondering who the Dark Knight is. Is the name in reference to Batman, or to the Joker? The word "dark" sounds a bit sinister so this makes me skeptical they would use it to describe Batman. Or does the name reference another character? Who is the Dark Knight?

I'll admit I'm not much of a Batman fan. I didn't even watch the series on TV when I was little back in the 1960's. But some friends of mine have managed to talk me into PROBABLY seeing it next weekend. That is, if they go with me to see Momma Mia! lol  So I'm curious as to who the Dark Knight is. :)

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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #153 on: July 27, 2008, 07:08:23 pm »
This is OT. Well, sort of. But I was just wondering who the Dark Knight is. Is the name in reference to Batman, or to the Joker? The word "dark" sounds a bit sinister so this makes me skeptical they would use it to describe Batman. Or does the name reference another character? Who is the Dark Knight?

I'll admit I'm not much of a Batman fan. I didn't even watch the series on TV when I was little back in the 1960's. But some friends of mine have managed to talk me into PROBABLY seeing it next weekend. That is, if they go with me to see Momma Mia! lol  So I'm curious as to who the Dark Knight is. :)




The Dark Knight is definitely Batman.  The thing about Batman is that he is a somewhat shady, very ambiguous character... he's a hero but everyone is always suspicious of him and in this film and often, he's seen as an outlaw vigilante.  He's not as squeeky clean or as straightforward a superhero as, say, Superman is.  The questionable things Batman occasionally finds himself doing in order to save people is often at the heart of some of the existential angst that occurs within a lot of Batman plots.  People in Gotham city often really dislike Batman... and this is the case through much of this film.  Throughout the film the police are trying to arrest Batman just as much as they are trying to apprehend the Joker.

The potential for negative things to be lurking within Batman's character/personality/actions is what the Joker is trying to tease out through much of the film.  He's not trying to kill Batman, he's trying to prove that Batman is capable of occasionally also being a bad guy.

And this really is a Spoiler***
The phrase "the dark knight"... is in the last line in the movie, definitely in reference to Batman.



LOL.  We should have a Batman 101 thread.  I have lots of questions about how Batman works too.  When I called my Dad I asked him if he knows whether or not Batman actually has any super powers or magic powers.  To me it seems like he only has really fancy gadgets.  My Dad read a lot of the comic books when he was a kid, particularly Superman.  But, he said he really didn't know about Batman's powers specifically.  To me it looks like whenever Batman does something special... it's really a result of a fancy function of his suit or his car, etc. 






the world was asleep to our latent fuss - bowie

Offline David In Indy

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #154 on: July 27, 2008, 08:01:35 pm »
WOW!! Thanks Amanda for taking the time to explain it to me. I appreciate it! :)

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Offline Brown Eyes

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #155 on: July 27, 2008, 08:19:55 pm »
WOW!! Thanks Amanda for taking the time to explain it to me. I appreciate it! :)



Thanks David.  :-*  My knowledge of Batman is pretty shaky on a lot of questions, but that one aspect... that Batman is one of the "darkest" of the major superheroes seems to be at the core of a lot of the stories surrounding him.

In this film, you'll see a lot of characters get really angry at him.  But, then, also he's always really trying to protect Gotham and innocent citizens, and often they recognize this too.  So, it's really complicated.  And, his standing in the community really seems to shift around depending on the circumstance.

Another real Spoiler***

An example of some questionnable decisions Batman makes in this film... during one encounter with the Joker, it's made clear that Batman has not acted while 5 (I think it's 5) people die at the hands of the Joker because he refuses to take off his mask and show everyone his identity (something the Joker... and much of Gotham City... is keen to see happen).

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Offline Gabreya

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #156 on: July 27, 2008, 10:43:42 pm »
Hello, everyone. It's Gabreya. I'm terribly, terribly sorry that I haven't been around during this summer and I've been feeling guilty about it. It's just that I was busy over the summer and something on the computer had a virus that we had to renew everything we had. We've already taken care of that, though. But, I can't tell you guys how much I missed being around here. :( I mean, all of you have been great to me and eachother. I tell ya'. I'd never seen a website where there are so many nice and peaceful people here. And I mean that. :) Will, you guys ever forgive me?


Last week, I went to see "The Dark Knight" and I thought that it was really good. I thought Heath was great as the Joker. He made this Joker frightening yet funny at the same time. Plus, I actually thought that the Joker was likeable. I mean, yes, he's the bad guy but still. He was cool. I waited impatiently for the next scene he was in. I knew that he would do very well in his role as always. But, I couldn't help but to feel a sad everytime I think of what that role did to him. It's just that that role SHOULD NOT have sent his mind in a whirlwind. If it was going to do that to him, he shouldn't have taken the role in the first place. The problems he was having like sleeping, staying still, feeling sick, and all that stuff was just bothering him so that he couldn't handle it any longer. I think he was better off NOT being in this movie. :( But, I still enjoyed the movie. Yeah, I've seen other good superhero movies like "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" this summer as well. And this movie is no exception. It was awesome. But, it's bittersweet because it wasn't just Heath that made this film really dark, it was other stuff surrounding the fact that others had passed away to make this movie great. :'( They, too, will be forever missed.



I love you, Heath.

Offline Fran

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #157 on: July 27, 2008, 11:02:00 pm »
Our reactions all seem to be so varied and personal, and IMO all valid and deserving of respect. My own reaction, in watching Heath's performance, was just the opposite. It was so full of energy, such flawless timing and so perfectly matched the script's treatment of the Joker -- and, IMO, Heath seemed to be having such a great time doing it, stressful as it might have been -- that I kept thinking 'oh Heath... bravo!'

Well said, Marge.  You've summed up my reaction to seeing Heath as the Joker perfectly.

IMO, if they make another Batman flick they'll need to write the Joker out: that performance would be an impossible act to follow.

But it would be cool if Batman (or some other character) made some kind of reference to the Joker, even if it's just a passing comment.  It would be a nice reminder of Heath's excellent portrayal of the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

Offline David In Indy

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #158 on: July 27, 2008, 11:27:31 pm »
Hello, everyone. It's Gabreya. I'm terribly, terribly sorry that I haven't been around during this summer and I've been feeling guilty about it. It's just that I was busy over the summer and something on the computer had a virus that we had to renew everything we had. We've already taken care of that, though. But, I can't tell you guys how much I missed being around here. :( I mean, all of you have been great to me and eachother. I tell ya'. I'd never seen a website where there are so many nice and peaceful people here. And I mean that. :) Will, you guys ever forgive me?


Last week, I went to see "The Dark Knight" and I thought that it was really good. I thought Heath was great as the Joker. He made this Joker frightening yet funny at the same time. Plus, I actually thought that the Joker was likeable. I mean, yes, he's the bad guy but still. He was cool. I waited impatiently for the next scene he was in. I knew that he would do very well in his role as always. But, I couldn't help but to feel a sad everytime I think of what that role did to him. It's just that that role SHOULD NOT have sent his mind in a whirlwind. If it was going to do that to him, he shouldn't have taken the role in the first place. The problems he was having like sleeping, staying still, feeling sick, and all that stuff was just bothering him so that he couldn't handle it any longer. I think he was better off NOT being in this movie. :( But, I still enjoyed the movie. Yeah, I've seen other good superhero movies like "Iron Man" and "The Incredible Hulk" this summer as well. And this movie is no exception. It was awesome. But, it's bittersweet because it wasn't just Heath that made this film really dark, it was other stuff surrounding the fact that others had passed away to make this movie great. :'( They, too, will be forever missed.



I love you, Heath.


Oh no, you suffered from a computer virus too? I had one last week as well, and I had to renew EVERYTHING on it. It was pitiful. Well, we're glad you are up and running again, and I'm happy you enjoyed the TDK movie! :)
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Offline Gabreya

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Re: The Dark Knight: News, Reviews, your Views. "SPOILERS" welcome!
« Reply #159 on: July 27, 2008, 11:57:06 pm »
I'm going to go see TDK again this weekend before I post any kind of extensive review here.  So much goes on in that movie, I really do think that a second viewing will be important to noticing details and to taking in the dialogue more accurately.

My initial reaction was really positive.  I thought it was a fabulous movie and it was definitely thought provoking in all kinds of ways.

Forgive me if this detail is discussed elsewhere in this thread... but I just need to comment on the one scene where the Joker is in the body bag, they unzip it and then he sits up to surprise everyone.  Yikes!!  That scene just about killed me... specifically with Heath's real life tragedy in mind.  It's just too, too terrible in juxtaposition with the news clips of Heath being taken out of the apartment.   That scene has already given me a nightmare.  One some level I'm almost surprised they left it in.  It's really effective as a scene... but still, it's just so surreal!
 :'(



Yeah. I was thinking the same thing. :'( My heart just ached at that moment.