Too dark a knight

Today, a day of seeing the doctor, prescriptions, correcting paperwork, getting things done: a decent enough day, though there was no Writing of the Book in it. (And I can't help thinking that those are the dangerous days: when you really are busy but don't get any of the big stuff done. However, admittedly, there was less wasted time than in the past.)

Then Andrew took a bunch of us to see The Dark Knight, which was frankly hard to get in to on a Wednesday (here in the UK that's the day for 2-for-1 movies) – we were bumped from 7 o'clock to 8, then that was full, then we went to another theater. But we got in at that one.

No point in a long review: just – well, the hype is quite accurate. This is very, very good indeed, not even faintly camp, very serious, and quite violent – almost, in fact, deadly realistic, despite all the phantasmagoric elements. And yes: Heath Ledger, despite having died, despite any assumptions I (or you) might have made that all the accolades were exaggerated because he had died, does an absolutely authentic Joker – every split second real, every split second fascinating, humorous and sick-making and frightening. A grotesque that makes you shrink from it, but there are clips I'd love to see again (notably him in a wig, then the nurse's dress – utterly amazing work done in just a couple of minutes.) Even if he hadn't died, he far bypassed Nicholson on this one (and I know that sounds like heresy, but there you are – this was a considerably denser Joker than Nicholson's).

Which means we really did lose a major actor. Bummer.

I will confess, though: I was not in the mood for something that dark, that realistic – that much like a newspaper headline – although I do take away a certain appreciation of something artistic and well done. But the movie has shaken me, a bit at least (and on a day when I was thinking that the world of news and headlines and bad things happening was distracting me too much).

I hope I can clear my head and write tomorrow... though I admit that, if I can't, I've at least seen something really good.

Comments

[LynnAlexander]

Came from Helquin's - he has a great link list! I haven't seen that movie yet but in my own defense - I DID see the Space Monkey movie.