Saturday, July 19, 2008

 

Today I am hoping to see The Best Movie In The History Of The Universe!

[Click on the photo to enlarge it]


I'm happily lodging down on the banks of the Rio Grande, where I am giving a CLE tomorrow with Henry Bemporad and his crew here in Del Rio.

On the way back, I'm thinking of going to see the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight, at the Raye Theater in Hondo, Texas (pictured above). In part because it looks like a really great, old-school theater, and partly because this movie is gettting some pretty incredible reviews.

Has anyone seen it yet? Is it worth it?

Comments:
I saw it last night. It was very good but VERY dark, and I think I liked Batman Begins better, but definitely worth seeing just for Heath Ledger's performance alone.
 
Yes. Very worth it.
 
yes...it was dark...but I liked that...definitely worth seeing
 
I was surprised by how intense it was. With many superhero movies you see all this amazing action, but you know it was all created inside a computer and you can detach yourself from it. This movie is very in your face with the reality of what's going on, and very little of it looked fake. I felt exhausted coming out of the theater.
I also really liked that most of the BIG moments in the film were about people making hard, morally ambiguous, gut-wrenching decisions, instead of the story being resolved with how hard this guy can punch that guy.
As far as the film's "darkness"... I think the film isn't so much "dark" (unless you mean literally dark, because much of the film DOES occur at night) as it is dramatic and tragic, forcing the characters to deal with real pain, terrifying situations, and testing their humanity. Ultimately I felt the film had some very positive things to say about humanity, despite most of the film depicting horrible things happening to decent people.
One last thing: I feel that anyone who says that this movie "transcends the superhero genre" or "reaches beyond its comic book origins" knows little about storytelling and the modern comic book industry. I believe any genre (historical epic, western, sci-fi, crime noir, musical, comedy etc.) can speak about true human emotions and experiences, and the superhero genre is an excellent option if your goal is to explore the meaning of sacrifice, morality, justice, etc. Additionally, a comic is just words and pictures on a page; it can tell a story as shallow or profound as any other medium. Many people would be surprised by the depth and complexity of some of today's comics, if they gave them a chance.
 
I thought it was a good movie. Definitely be prepared because it is long at 2 1/2 hours...so ease up on the gallon size DP or you'll miss alot going to the bathroom.
Just when you think the movie is about to wrap up, another 45 minutes awaits you.

I'd have to say I agree with anon about liking Batman Begins better, and I think Dark Night is a good movie, just not quite what everyone is making it out to be.

I'd say a A- rather than an A...and that's using Baylor Law's grading system.
 
But then, of course, I spend my free time writing mean emails to PBS KIDS SPROUT.
 
Ok, I saw the movie again today, and I will agree that the movie is pretty dark and scary. Definitely think about the maturity level of your kids before taking them with you. The movie is designed for an adult audience, which I really appreciated.
 
dallas_ada: New BLS grading system or old?
 
Great performances, especially by Ledger. Great cinematography. There are just some great shots in that movie.

but it doesn't really add up to a great film. It felt somehow the lesser of the sum of its parts. But, really, see it just for Heath Ledger
 
there's a new grading system????
 
I'm sorry, but it will never live up to the REAL Batman, featuring Adam West and Burt Ward.
 
OH, and Animal House is the best movie in the history of the universe.
 
Adam West was great in Animal House.
 
After seeing this movie, I have to say that it has been over hyped. If you haven't seen the movie yet, be warned that there are some spoilers in my post. It was good, but not great, and not nearly as good as Batman Begins. Heath Ledger's take on the joker is good, but I can't imagine there being any Oscar-hype about this role if he was still alive. The movie is very dark and I can't say that I am a fan of the ending, or the back story on Two-Face. The Joker's "social experiements" and acts of chaos/terrorism have been overly explored in action/thriller movies and it was disappointing to see rehash. I definitely would not take your kids to see this movie.
 
Not gonna lie, Batman Begins ruled so much because it had ninjas.

This one could've used more ninjas.
 
Post a Comment



<< Home

This page is powered by Blogger. Isn't yours?

#