Because they're BAD?  ...No.

Because they're mysterious?  ...No.

Because they kill people?  ...No again.

It's because they have the clarity and knowledge of reality that many human beings refuse to acknowledge--and then they apply/show/express it, in mind blowing, eye catching, and extreme ways.

(Now who can guess which movie I saw tonight. :D  ...I'll give you a hint.  The person I'm talking about is the Joker. :P)

Now, anyone who's seen this movie may know what I'm talking about.  Anyone who hasn't: 1) You should.  2) When you see it, listen closely to what the Joker says when he's actually...er...talking.  He's a psycho, sure, everyone knows this, but do you know why?  Because he's realized the reality of his big city, the agendas, routines, illusion of safety, the hope placed in false idols, the power hungry law.

"It's not about money.  It's about sending a message."   That's all he wants to do, to show people the harsh reality of their world by--well--shaking things up a bit.

Who's seen Saw?  The villain, the jigsaw killer.  He places people in fatal situations to make them fight for the lives they took for granted in the past.  Not only does this send a message to the people who survive, but for the people who catch word of it, they receive his message.  The message he wishes to send because he knows that masses of people are taking their lives for granted, but no one will listen to one person unless they shake things up!

The super villains and criminal masterminds of Hollywood are the most extreme and brutally truthful visions of society's  dark side.  The side that everyone wants "heroes" to shield them from.  But who isn't secretly drawn to the truth, scary as it may be?  ...and who isn't secretly drawn to villains?

----SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER------

Now you tell me where the irony is in the fact that Gotham City's "white knight" Harvey Dent, becomes the cities next big villain?

Just some food for thought.

----End Spoiler----

And for the record, Heath Ledger was phenomenal as the joker.  If he wasn't already immortal in the world's eyes, there's no doubt that he is now.  He gave the Joker his life, complexity, and insanity.  Amazing--one of a kind performance.

RIP Heath Ledger.

Un aplauso. Aunque a diferencia de la secuencia donde el Joker aplaude, esto no es tan espontaneo (De hecho Heath Ledger improvisó  y Christopher Nolan apuró al equipo para que continuasen grabando, pese a que el aplauso no estaba en el libreto). No es para menos que esto sea todo un récord debido a las expectativas, el hype y las críticas positivas - salvo la de los típicos intelectualoides - que está recibiendo The Dark Knight.

Sea como sea, Variety está reportando que la nueva entrega del hombre murciélago podría haber alcanzado el mejor día de estreno de la historia de Estados Unidos durante el viernes, recaudando una cifra entre los $60 millones y los $63 millones de dólares. Esto mandaría al olvido a la odiada Spider-Man 3 que  mantenía el récord con $59.8 millones en su primer día. En cuanto al récord del primer fin de semana (que ostenta la tercera película del arácnido con $151.1 millones) todo indica un futuro auspicioso para la oscura apuesta.

Como si esto sonara a chiste, en SuperheroHype agregan otro dato: la película arrasó con el récord para la primera función a las 00:00 horas, recaudando la friolera de $18 millones superando al Episodio III,  que había logrado casi dos millones de dólares menos. Obviamente, todo esto sin tomar en cuenta la cantidad de salas IMAX en donde fue estrenada y las funciones de... las 3:00 am y 6:00 am en que fue exhibida. ¡Eso si es cosa de locos!.

En definitiva, si durante los próximos dos días la película se mantiene fuerte, alcanzará el sitial como el estreno más taquillero en su primer fin de semana. De hecho, The Dark Knight a estas alturas humilló a Batman Begins, ya que esta obtuvo solamente $48.7 millones durante sus primeros tres días en 2005. La cosa se ve auspiciosa para romper récords a diestra y siniestra, y eso que el mercado internacional tiene que entregar sus cifras. Habrá que ver si logra superar los $230 millones, en el mercado internacional, y los $381 millones que Spider-Man 3 recaudó a nivel mundial en su primer fin de semana.

El salón aportará a la causa con seis entradas durante el fin de semana, cuando vaya a verla por segunda vez en compañía de toda la familia del mal.

Naja, der Film soll Rekorde brechen...Der läuft gerade in den USA und ALLE sind begeistert.
deutscher Trailer hier

Und was passiert in Deutschland???? Ja, richtig, der meist gehypteste Film des Jahres, der letzten Jahre ...kommt in Deutschland EINEN Monat später als in den USA!!! Da frage ich mich: Machen die das mit Absicht??? Warum? Warum??? Ja, ja Urlaub und blablabla...Nicht alle Menschen machen Urlaub, und die, die hier geblieben sind gucken sich den Scheiß im Internet an, richtig? Richtig! Geht arbeiten!!! So...
Die Kritiken sind reingekommen:

HIER (Quelle JEZEBEL)

HIER ...(WIRED)

Bei 193 Kritiken/Rezensionen hat der Film 94 % bei Rottentomatoes bekommen....!!!! Unglaublich...Gepriesen als der beste Superheld Film aller Zeiten!!!!

The long awaited sequel to Batman Begins opened this weekend with sold-out showings across the country. According to Media By Numbers, a tracking firm, the Dark Knight set a box office record for a midnight debut, bringing in $18.5 million Friday from its midnight screening in 3,040 theaters. And that number doesn't even take into account the 3 am and 6 am showings. With such a strong Friday start, the studio is projecting that the movie will take in over 100 million this weekend in the US and Canada alone. That would more than double the average for the previous five openings of a Batman movie.

While the stats are impressive, you may be wondering if the movie lives up to the hype. Well, I guess it depends on how much of the hype you believe. I walked into the theater expecting it to be a good batman movie, and it delivered. This is a strong follow-up to Batman Begins -- definitely as good, maybe better. Heath Ledger steals the show as the Joker. It's a shame his life was cut short and he won't be around to reprise his role as this dark villain.

Speaking of dark...make no mistake, this is film is more intense, violent and bleak than any of the previous Batman movies. It's not your typical kid-friendly superhero movie. Rottentomatoes.com describes it as dark, complex and unforgettable. The Denver Post states, "Watching The Dark Knight is like gazing into a mirror on a waning moon night: chilling and mesmerizing." I think those are fitting summaries.

There are a few humorous lines mixed into the middle of the despair and darkness. One of my favorites was when the Joker told Batman "you complete me." That cracked me up.

I would give this movie a solid 5-star (or A) rating. If you're looking for a good movie to watch this weekend, and you are a fan of the franchise, check it out. It stands up well against the hype.

No spoilers for you...

Ayer pude ver Batman, en la premiere, 12 de la noche, palomitas de caramelo y un agua, amigos, hermano y una gran emoción para ver Batman, tenía mucho tiempo esperandolo, desde que vi el primer teaser, horrible, por cierto, pero después de mucho tiempo de espera, ahí estaba, viendo Dark Knight, la primera secuencia y la aparición de The Joker rockeo mucho, debo decir que toda la película es muy buena, creo yo, que es la mejor película de un Superhéroe, mejor que Spiderman 2 y 300.

Voy por partes, la historia es genial, la mafia necesita detener a Batman, ya que ha estado arruinando todos su planes, y contratan al mejor para volver a Batman de cabeza, The Joker, ahora, el caballero de la noche, tendrá que enfrentar a su peor enemigo y salir librado de esta o en el transcurso perdera su identidad rodeada de la locura, (Ahh que fregona sinopsis me saqué), el guión es de Jonathan Nolan, así es, el hermano del director Christopher Nolan, solo puedo decir que hizo un trabajo genial, los papeles están tan bien escritos, que cada frase es una madrazo en la jeta.

Christian Bale nació para ser Batman.

Harvey Dent es increíble, tiene un gran peso su papel y es la piedra a angular de la historia, sin duda les va a sorprender el rumbo que va a tomar la película.

Lo mejor, lo mejoooor, lo que se lleva la película, a mi gusto, es The Joker, disfrute cada escena donde él aparecía, sus gestos, sus locuras, los movimientos, es un maldito payaso que sólo quiere hacer caos, en palabras de él:

"Soy como un perro detrás de un coche, si lo logró alcanzar, no sé que hacer con el, yo sólo hago las cosas"

Jajaja, impresionante, lo van a disfrutar, su papel está tan bien escrito, su proposito, que sin duda no tiene ni un hueco, creo que Jonathan hizo un gran papel escribiendo al personaje y sin duda Heath Ledger una gran interpretación por su parte, las mejores frases se las lleva the Joker.

Los efectos, muy buenos, Two faces está increíble, lo van a ver y se van a sorprender, a lot.

Dura más de 2 y media, y no me aburrí en ningún momento, no sentí ningún minuto y cuando creía que ya se iba a terminar, siempre había un as bajo la manga, no se la pueden perder, es una orden, vayan a verla.

Christopher Nolan puede ya asegurar su lugar en la historia como el director que le regresó la dignidad no sólo a Batman, sino a la manera de crear películas basadas en superhéroes. El trabajo logrado en The Dark Knight es de una espectacularidad impresionante pero que, sin embargo, no sacrifica nada en términos de historia y desarrollo de los personajes. Nolan parte de dos hechos fundamentales. Que ya conocimos su visión del Caballero Nocturno en su cinta anterior y que Joker no necesita presentación alguna. Joker es un personaje absoluto, tiránico y destructor por el simple hecho de serlo. La motivación del personaje es tan simple como el blanco y el negro: el caos. Pero no el caos de una ciudad o de una fuerza de policía, sino el caos de la mente humana. Joker nos hace preguntarnos ¿Hasta dónde estás dispuesto a caer sin darte cuenta? Y, lo más importante, ¿Cuánto tiempo estás dispuesto a quedarte en el piso, sólo por diversión o falta de opciones? En medio de todo esto, Nolan nos presenta a un Jim Gordon como la solidez de las instituciones humanas y propias que nos creamos en el proceso de idealizar nuestros sueños y nuestros fines, mientras que Harvey Dent aparece como esta delicada línea entre cruzar la obsesión con la peligrosa debilidad del miedo al fracaso. Y, casi sin darnos cuenta, entreteje una simple y sencilla historia que parte de la premisa más elemental de estas historias: hay un villano que amenaza el status en el que nos desenvolvemos como individuos y como sociedad. Nolan desarrolla un guión -junto con David S. Goyer- que no parece tener espacio para el desperdicio, aun a pesar de sus casi dos horas y media de duración y en el que recorreremos no el origen del Joker -villano principal de ésta nueva cinta- sino lo que tiene como consecuencias en Gotham City y, sobretodo, en Batman.

Y es ahí donde está el mayor valor de The Dark Knight. Si bien es evidente el aumento de presupuesto y la capacidad visual que logra la producción, el director se enfoca en el guión y en esta creación de la antítesis del héroe, en sus causas, sus consecuencias y, sobretodo, en el delicioso recorrido que hay que hacer para llegar a ello. Joker no es un criminal cualquiera como los que Batman está acostumbrado a lidiar día con día -o, más bien, noche tras noche-, porque su impredictibilidad juega con el más esencial temor de los hombres: el primitivismo de la impredictibilidad. Es decir, la incertidumbre. Sí, en cuanto a las actuaciones, uno no puede evitar estar tranquilo al darse cuenta que no era exageración lo que leímos, vimos o escuchamos durante meses. Heath Ledger está consagrado en este papel. Le imprime al personaje ese algo que nos hace recordar el más absoluto terror que, en su origen, Joker representaba en las tiras cómicas. Se agradece la distancia tomada con la versión burtoniana del Joker de pastel para regresarle al personajes esta seductora y mortal locura de destrucción por el simple hecho de divertirse un viernes por la tarde. Pero, además, el plan final que concibe su mente con lo que él llama "experimento social" -en el que Nolan hace una de las analogías y críticas sociales más impactantes que he visto en mucho tiempo- invita a  sentir ese terror en las venas que lo paraliza a uno.

Todos los demás actores están increíbles y, típico de Hans Zimmer, la música es extraordinaria. Pero, sobretodo, lo que la película tiene por contar y por ponernos a pensar. Es, sin duda, la mejor película basada en un comic que yo haya visto en toda mi vida... Y mire que si algo colecciono es eso: Cine y Comics.

El día llegó y mi regreso a Gotham City fue puntual como se esperaba. Pero algo había diferente en las calles y entre las construcciones edificadas por Wayne Enterprises. Ese miedo con el que viví durante años por la presencia omnipotente de Carmine Falcone como capo máximo del crimen gótico ya no se respiraba en el ambiente. Y me gustaría decirles que se intuye a las afueras del Gotham Theater una sensación de seguridad y calidad de vida como la que se vive en Metrópolis, pero la realidad es otra. Gotham ahora apesta a terror. Hay un nuevo loco en las calles y parece superar todo lo que podríamos imaginar dentro del estándar de criminales que soportamos con el Asilo Arkham tan cerca y con la reciente fuga masiva de la que muchos huimos para salvar las vidas. Este loco, dentro de su perverso y retorcido humor, se hace llamar The Joker y no parece entender las reglas del juego o, siquiera, tener reglas propias. Todo parece indicar que lo único que busca es el caos total, como si de una broma se tratara. ¿Qué le pasó a mi querida Gotham City? Lo bueno es que, a pesar de que los políticamente correctos aseguran que hay que detener a Batman, la realidad es que el vigilante arroja una especie de esperanza sobre lo que sucede. Y, aún hay más, porque Harvey Dent es el verdadero héroe de mi ciudad... Inteligente, valiente y honesto, todo parece indicar que nuestro Fiscal de Distrito es el que, en verdad, limpiará las calles de tanta escoria. Esperen... escucho en las noticias acerca de un robo a un banco. Al parecer hay muertos, pero no son civiles, sino miembros de la banda de asaltantes que han caído víctimas de la locura de su creador. Oh, por Dios... algo estalló en el centro de Gotham. Y, por si fuera poco, están descolgando el cadaver de un hombre disfrazado como Batman que ha sido torturado por Joker como si fuera un concurso de humor negro. ¿Qué le pasará a mi querida Gotham? Creo en Harvey Dent. Creo en Jim Gordon. Creo en Gotham City. Pero creo más en Batman.

Calificación: 10. Y dudo que otra cinta de este año -aunque le doy la esperanza a Wall E- tenga ese score.

Recomendación: No sé qué hacen leyendo ésta crítica. Apaguen la computadora, salgan corriendo y fórmense en su cine más cercano para verla una y otra vez.

Saludos,
D

An unprecedented film deserves an unprecented post intro: there is no way to begin an analysis of The Dark Knight without being very specific. Or, in the vernacular, spoilers. So, do not read this if you haven't yet seen the film. If you do, you have no soul.

That being said, this won't be much of an analysis. The film was too loaded with complexity to be grasped in a single viewing. Though some have hailed it a masterpiece (many, actually), and though I would like to say that, it's still too early. Every time you watch for one thing, this film delivers something else. When you're watching camera movement, there's a subtle foreshadow of dialogue. When you're entranced by Heath Ledger's mesmerizing "becoming" (this is more than mere acting), there's a telling scene composition that cuts to a parallel character. As you become aware of all that's passed by that you barely noticed, you realize that you missed part of the plot. And I didn't even see it on IMAX. (Not paying $15 to see it when I'll later own it for that.)

Best to begin at the beginning. Batman Begins was this new franchise at its truly nascent stage. Still, fetal development is wondrous in its own way; nothing short of amazing for all it is and all it hints at. The forerunner to The Dark Knight was straightforward in its profound simplicity. A sermon on the effects of and harnessing power of fear, it made explicit the theme that Bruce Wayne had been living his whole life until he learned how to master it. While The Dark Knight's theme was accessible, it was multi-tiered and as shrouded as the film's opening image: the bat-symbol moving straight at us, almost indiscernible amidst clouds that blurred that bat's boundaries.

On the macro level, this is a film that's worthy of more than the label of "follow-up". Rather, Batman Begins was a precursor, a setup for the main event. Even the musical score of the first film set the mood of more-to-come, from beginning to end. The Scarecrow's appearance in the early scene of The Dark Knight was disorienting - a connection with the last film and a villain whose madness resulted in his impotence. Batman's easy bagging of his old nemesis contrasts starkly with his new one, who will take madness to a whole new level. That early scene's inclusion of faux batmen also disturbingly pointed toward the identity crisis that the real Batman was soon to endure. Neither good nor bad, these fakes were well-meaning idealists who were incapable of leaving a scratch on their enemies. Still, Batman's incapability to answer their rhetorical question alludes to the real moral dilemma of Batman: good guy or harmful vigilante? And why couldn't anyone else do what he's doing?

The split personality identity crisis, focused most on Wayne/Batman, is obviously personified in no one better than in Harvey Dent. At first glance, the character might seem to be a superfluous one. When the Joker is the real bad guy, why add another obviously inferior one? Simply to make more explicit the dilemma of Batman's dual nature? The character of Dent is the bridge between Batman and the Joker. He contains the potential for both and illustrates the tragedy of good giving way to evil. Dent's loss of faith in choice results in him settling with chance. Take note of the coin. Before becoming burned on one side, Dent had no choice - in his own words, "I make my own luck." The irony is lost on him, however, for a two-headed coin is worse than chance; it is a prison, a one-way street. Only when he is half-destroyed (he admits that half of him is dead), does he have two sides to his coin. The line between a prison of chance and the freedom of choice is fine, indeed. Nowhere is this made clearer in the film than when Dent himself points out to Gordon that he's always been known as "Two-Face", even in his much younger days. The transformation he underwent was only superficial, though gruesome. His fatalistic philosophy that "you either die the hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain" was a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Dent, then, seems to be the more interesting of the two villains in The Dark Knight. While the Joker's unadulterated evil causes more death and chaotic mayhem, his unquenchable thirst for destruction is not left open to much psychology by the film. A relatively straightforward (though totally sadistic) bad guy, the Joker's lack of rules stands chiefly to set him apart from Batman, who has "only one." And even though the Joker kills more people, Harvey Dent is the more tragic character. As Dent claimed to be Batman in order to protect the real hero, so at the end did Batman take the sins of Harvey Dent on his own shoulders in order that there be a villain for those demanding justice. Both men pursued Rachel Dawes and both were promised her love (of which both were in the dark). When the Joker killed Rachel, the identification between Wayne and Dent died, too. The former became more empowered while the latter switched sides.

There is so much more, but who would presume the ability to evaluate or judge a film like this without the name of "Christopher Nolan"? The rest of us will need to watch it again and again, and, as Nolan urged us in The Prestige, "watch closely."

San Francisco.- En circunstancias normales "The Dark Knight" también hubiese provocado revuelo: se espera que la sexta entrega de las aventuras de Batman, considerada una de los grandes apuestas taquilleras del verano (boreal), atraiga al cine a millones de fans. Sin embargo, la inesperada muerte de Heath Ledger, que, según la crítica estadounidense, en el papel del villano "Dark Knight" ofrece al mejor "Joker" de todos los tiempos, no ha hecho más que alentar la fiebre Batman que se vive estos días en Estados Unidos.

El australiano, cuyo mayor éxito hasta la fecha era el como cowboy homosexual en "Brokeback Mountain", fue hallado muerto en enero pasado en su casa de Nueva York. El actor de 28 años murió por una sobredosis de medicamentos recetados.

Desde hace semanas las entradas para "The Dark Night" (que llega a los cines de Estados Unidos mañana viernes) ya están vendidas, la mayoría para las funciones de medianoche y a las tres de la mañana.

El esperado aluvión de fans es tan inmenso que algunos cines han programado una función para las 6:00 de la mañana. "­Esto no es normal!", decía el experto en cines Chad Hartigan a la página de Internet "E!Online".

"'The Dark Knight' es el bestseller del año. Supera en las ventas anticipadas a 'Iron Man' 'Sex and The City', 'Indiana Jones' y 'WALL- E'", comentaba Ted Hong, del servicio de venta de entradas Fandango.

Heath Ledger, con su rostro maquillado de blanco, la boca de un rojo fuerte y los ojos negros sonríe con ironía desde los enormes carteles. Warner Bros. no promociona este trabajo (en el que se han invertido más de 180 millones de dólares) con el héroe vestido de murciélago que interpreta Christian Bale, sino con la mueca misteriosa del "Joker".

Con su aspecto entre grotesco y violento, Ledger evoca el diabólico "Joker" de Jack Nicholson ("Batman", 1989). Tal vez esa imagen sea un jarro de agua fría para las fans más leales de Ledger.

Los compañeros de reparto del actor australiano se han deshecho en elogios sobre el que fue su último trabajo. "Sin duda alguna es el mejor villano que jamás he visto en la gran pantalla", dijo de él Michael Caine, que en "The Dark Knight" interpreta el papel de mayordomo fiel y amigo de Batman.

"Trabajar con Heath fue fantástico", dijo Bale esta semana en el estreno en Nueva York. "Él acapara la película y me alegro de ello. Tiene mucho talento y consigue con un 'Joker' irónico hacer historia como figura clásica".

Los padres de Ledger viajaron desde Australia para asistir al estreno en Estados Unidos de la cinta. "Estamos tan orgullosos de nuestro chico", dijo el padre, quien añadió que la película ha superado sus expectativas.

Las nominaciones a los Oscar se conocerán dentro de medio año, pero en Hollywood ya se habla de una estatuilla póstuma para Ledger. Fue candidato al premio como Ennis Del Mar en "Brokeback Mountain", pero el Oscar fue para el protagonista de "Capote", Philip Seymour Hoffman.

"Muchas personas hablan continuamente de premios, aunque es muy pronto todavía para ello. No obstante, si alguien lo merece, ése es Heath con su actuación", dijo Bale recientemente al comentar las posibilidades de que el actor consiga un Oscar. "No me extrañaría que le dieran el Oscar", añadió Gary Oldman, también coprotagonista de la cinta.

Si finalmente en febrero de 2009 Ledger consigue la estatuilla, sería el segundo en recibir la preciada distinción después de muerto. El primero fue Peter Finch en 1976 ("Network").

Paradójicamente su última película también sería su mayor éxito en taquilla. Conocedores de la industria en Hollywood ya vaticinan que "The Dark Knight" superaría en recaudación a "Spider Man" como la película basada en un cómic más exitosa, indica la agencia DPA.

Heath Ledger and the Joker

Let me start with Heath Ledger as that seems to be all anyone can talk about. That's why I'll make it brief and get onto other things since you all already know how good he is. His performance is unrivaled. Simply unrivaled. What's more, I'm certainly not the first person to say that he deserves an Oscar. I could drone on, but it's really that simple when it comes to Ledger so I'm not going to dwell.

I will say that I love the way the concept of Joker was written, which really had very little to do with Ledger, I'd imagine. That is, Nolan's Joker truly embodied the chaos and anarchy that the character was meant to. Unlike Nicholson's Joker whose history we are given, this Joker knows no history and the twisted words out of his mouth about himself make that all the more apparent. This Joker, in spirit, is the ultimate opposite of what Batman is and by very virtue of that fact the character itself may render all future Batman villains in this series somewhat disappointing. How could any be as twisted, maniacal or disturbing. That, with Ledger conveying these elements: unbeatable.

The Cast

No actor fell short in this film. Christian Bale's character wasn't nearly as tormented as in Batman Begins and so in a certain sense we get less out of him than before. Nonetheless, his performance was nothing to scoff at. He still made a great Bruce Wayne and an excellent Batman - though sometimes the deep pitch of his voice while playing the Dark Knight made understanding him a little hard.

Maggie Gyllenhaal was, I dare say, better than Katie Holmes, who already haven taken the crazy-plunge by the start of Batman Begins, wasn't the wonderful girl I fantasized about during Dawson's Creek. This Rachel wasn't as hell-bent on saving Gotham, but she did have a spark - a life - that made her a great addition to the movie.

My feelings about Aaron Eckhart are mixed (potential spoiler alert - this paragraph only). I think he's a great actor and entertaining fella to watch on screen. As Harvey Dent trying to be Gotham's new hero D.A. he was compelling and believable - like the good guy many of us imagined him to be in Thank You For Smoking. I will say that by the end of the film, something about his performance was not adding up for me. Disappointing since as many people know by the previews, the third installment of this Batman series will most likely have Aaron Eckhart playing our villain (or at least one of them).

As a Film

The movie itself, actors aside - script, plot, themes, action - was sensational. Yes, the actors made it what it was, but Christopher Nolan deserves a hat off for this one. In true Batman spirit it was dark as could reasonably be done. Moreover, as absolutely twisted as it was and as much as we were visually privy to, Nolan never made us watch the few things that would have been unnecessary to show and only good for shock value (well, not only, but close). The discretion he exercised as a writer/director should be lauded. Finally, I was shocked by at least two facts that I didn't see coming at all, and was so caught up that the plot twists were surprises to me as well - I love that when I'm watching a movie.

And yet with all this the movie was not simply great acting amidst exciting action sequences. It was food for thought. Mostly thanks to the dialogue written for Joker, the film intimately explored ideas as simple as right and wrong while also probing our hearts about human nature. We are made to practically plead with the film to reaffirm or restore our sense of human decency and it reminds us, without making us feel as though it's trying to, that we are allowed to hope for better, brighter things. Concepts like the rule of law, anarchy, justice and more are also woven throughout the movie. Not once, though, are we made to sit through a director's attempt at jamming anything down our throats. All of this is skillfully and seamlessly interlaced through dialogue, action, and plot, leaving you at the end to digest a whole lot more than what you thought you were getting for the price of admission (in some sense the opposite of the feeling you had when The Happening ended).

The Audience

I have never in my life seen a crowd like this. Applause before previews, when it began, periodically throughout and of course at the end. There was a huge line waiting to get in before the movie, but thanks to my sick girlfriend, we were able to bypass the whole thing and be the first ones in the theater. This, naturally, resulted in a threat on my life by the man first in line who had probably been there two hours ahead of time (we arrived thirty minutes before the start of the movie), and though I understand his disposition, I have a tough time believing that, as the second person in the theater, I picked the precise seat before him that he had so desperately waited to get.

There was not an empty seat in the house - and this at a theater that had midnight, three a.m. and six a.m. showings, and then all day right until ours. Fortunately I had my favorite seat in the house - dead center in the middle of the theater, both up and down, left and right. It really couldn't have worked out better ... for me.

Words to Leave You With

To conclude succinctly, this movie exceeded my expectations, and considering that they were so high, this was nearly impossible to do. When I expect great things from a movie, I rarely get them, a sad fact which resulted in my movie philosophy of no expectations but a hope for entertainment. This film, however, shattered the highest expectations I may ever have had for a movie. I thought it was over twice - and would have been wholly satisfied had it been - and was twice given another slew of great action, dialogue and entertainment. And so much more.

For a truly spectacular film, I award my first full 10 Chocolate Salty Balls. Someone tell Nolan - he'll be thrilled.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts about this film in a comment below.

Besides all this, I heard that Keith Ledger is now the late Keith Ledger. R.I.P.  Actually, I think it was prescription drug OD. Yeah, I don't know, maybe he got nerve damage from laughing like that. "Why so serious?".

Whoa.

This movie was outstanding.  The Joker is absolutely insane, Ledger took the character in an entirely different direction than previous movies have and it was perfect.  Bale is an incredible Batman, managing to play ruthless vigilante, clueless billionaire and tortured mind all at the same time.  The Joker's scheme is suitably twisted, evil and outright insane.  If you don't like Batman, you still have to see this.  It was an outright amazing movie.

:)

Time for bed.

Copiado y pegado de SALON DEL MAL.

Review: The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight es la adaptación definitiva del mundo comiquero. Punto. Excelente reseña, pasen por caja a cobrar su premio. No. Hablando en serio, mucho más que la típica interacción, en donde buscan el origen de cada personaje, el mundo desarrollado por Christopher Nolan y compañía, es uno que no necesita mayores presentaciones. La solvencia de este Caballero Oscuro es absoluta. Es más, no cabe duda que este es un evento que rompe los esquemas establecidos en el género de moda: el de los superhéroes.

Contabilizar cada uno de los detalles que transforman a The Dark Knight en la más increíble adaptación sería alargar en demasía… aunque, en todo caso, para eso estamos. Cada factor en la oscura muestra presentada, provocan que uno tenga una sola palabra en mente: “gracias”. Es decir, demasiadas han sido las malas experiencias contabilizadas en este rubro, incluso durante la carrera del hombre murciélago existe un par (no quiero ni recordarlas). Sin embargo, y aunque las sobrexpectativas llegaron a niveles que hace rato no se veía, el resultado final es imperecedero, espectacular y brillante. “Sobrepaso mis expectativas”, será lo que más se escuchará.

Todo porque este Caballero Oscuro posee la esencia que debería existir en cada adaptación desde los cómics a la pantalla grande. Secuencia tras secuencias, TDK toma un ritmo endemoniado que, aunque a algunos puede llegar a saturar, a los más devotos y entregados provocará una combustión interna que remece con una gran duda desde los minutos inicial ¿Esto se detendrá?.

El primer punto que destaca es que, precisamente, esto no descansa en ningún momento. Tomen agua, no les voy a recomendar que gasten plata, y prepárense para una experiencia única que no entrega ni un solo segundo de respiro. Es aquí donde el atractivo guión sale a relucir con una dirección notable de Christopher Nolan. Mal que mal, cada secuencia es transformada en una oda al caos y la anarquía. En que las extensas tomas de Ciudad Gótica, adentran en la realidad que ensombrece a los ciudadanos sumergidos en el miedo. Nada de neón, nada parafernalia. Concreto que atrapa, y con ganas.

Es en este escenario donde Batman (Christian Bale) trabaja codo a codo con el Teniente Gordon (Gary Oldman) en contra del crimen, en medio de una corrupción que llega a niveles que no sorprenden. Bueno, si lo hacen, pero es que este país si que es corrupto. En este punto nos encontramos con este dueto dando una batalla exitosa contra la mafia, toda vez que el hombre murciélago representa la lucha que antes nadie había osado siquiera considerar.

Así entra a la función, en un prólogo magistral que se ha podido ver en la red, el carismático e inapelable dueño de este show: El Guasón (Heath Ledger). Una fuerza caótica, majestuosamente oscura y brillante, sin pasado ni orígenes (aunque en un momento da un guiño a la Broma Asesina) que parece haber surgido, desde su génesis, como respuesta al accionar del hombre murciélago. En un mundo en donde puede existir la esperanza, el Joker es la amenaza que garantiza aniquilarla.

Es así como ambos personajes surgen como las dos caras de la misma violencia. Fuera de la ley, al margen de todo tipo de reglas, pero con dos motivaciones absolutamente distintas. Precisamente, el nuevo fiscal de Distrito Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) encara esta situación a rostro descubierto, en medio del caos. Representa tanto la esperanza de Batman por colgar el manto, para dejar a Ciudad Gótica en mejores manos, así como el poder durmiente de Ciudad Gótica. No obstante, nadie está preparado para el maniaco statu quo que quiere implementar el Guasón.

De ahí en más, la película es una seguidilla de secuencias y triquiñuelas en una cacería del gato y el ratón. Una ciudad es el blanco de los ataques magistrales, orquestados con pinzas, en un juego de ajedrez en donde el dueño del tablero, las piezas y las reglas es uno solo: el Joker, que siempre quise ver, encarnado por Heath Ledger. Y es que la fuerza de la actuación del ex vaquero, llega a niveles tan brutales, tan obscenamente maestros, que uno queda con un nudo en la garganta lamentándose por su muerte. Una verdadera lata, aunque su figura se encumbrará a categorías legendarias.

No es el único que se luce. En el apartado de las actuaciones también se cuenta a un sólido Aaron Eckhart. No solo su dual futuro mantiene en ascuas, a la espera de la revelación de su desfigurado rostro. Su participación resume perfectamente a esta película como el auge y caída de Harvey Dent. Aunque muchos pueden llegar a creer en él “White Knight” (Caballero Blanco) su destino da una justificación plena a que la película lleve el titulo que posee.

Asimismo, las actuaciones secundarias están mejor que las de Batman Begins, cortesía de unos personajes mucho más sólidos. En esta ocasión, Rachel Dawes fortalece la idea de su inclusión y creación en esta saga debido, en gran parte, a una Maggie Gyllenhall que está en la vereda contraria de la molesta señora Cruise (Katie Holmes). Además, la participación del Teniente Gordon es como la gente. Da lugar para que Gary Oldman se luzca demostrando que el personaje tiene más importancia de la que siempre se le ha dado en las adaptaciones.

El resto del elenco, que incluye a Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox) y Michael Caine (Alfred), está en su justa medida para solventar la moralina en torno a Bruce Wayne, el mismo que aquí canaliza más que nunca las interacciones de un entorno dominado por el miedo. Y si se preguntan porque dejé a Christian Bale para el último, es porque, a pesar de su carrasposa voz, su presencia en esta ocasión queda obnubilada por el trabajo de Ledger & Eckhart.

Igualmente, el hombre murciélago está aun mejor construido que en la anterior Batman Begins. Durante varias secuencias se huele el aire detectivesco que muchos extrañaron en la primera entrega e, incluso, se puede notar el carácter omnipresente del personaje junto a la paranoia constante en la que vive (Remitirse a Brother Eye). Es aquí en donde se deja clara la premisa que de seguro servirá de cara al futuro. Batman está al margen de la ley, porque de otra forma no funcionaría.

Mientras la música guía los palpitos de cada secuencia incansable, este Caballero Oscuro avanza a paso firme en una movida arriesgada que logra funcionar al presentar una ciudad violenta, agria y más gris que nunca. Aunque me tilden de fanboy, esta es la película más consistentemente entretenida del año. La que más he disfrutado, lejos. Y gran parte de ello se debe a las gratas sorpresas que el endiablado ritmo de la sinfonía del caos, conducida por el inolvidable Guasón, presenta.

Personalmente, quedaría conforme si Christopher Nolan llega hasta aquí. No se equivoquen, me encantaría que se concretara una nueva entrega. El final es de dos caras: sirve tanto como perfecta conclusión así como prólogo de una aventura digna del Batman de Frank Miller. Pese a ello, creo que esto vale tanto o más por su influencia en el futuro del esquema de las películas de superhéroes: no más Spider-Man III, Batman & Robin o Ghost Rider (o al menos, no se repetirían tan seguido). Esa es la gran oportunidad que representa The Dark Knight, de cara al futuro.

A fin de cuentas, The Dark Knight pertenece a una categoría a la que ninguna adaptación podría haber soñado pertenecer. La arriesgada apuesta de Nolan fue capaz de convencer a los ejecutivos de Warner Bros para que se la jugaran, a pesar de las presiones que siempre se presentan a la hora de conseguir un taquillazo y que han entregado tanta mierda olvidable. Mucho más que la típica película basada en cómics, The Dark Knight es una Oscura Obra Maestra.

If one thing can be said about Christopher Nolan, it's that his films are INSANELY popular with the mass American audience. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think it has to do with his dark style and tendency for plot twists; two things which will make the common movie goer think that what they are seeing is "cool." But seriously, Nolan's films have RIDICULOUS support from Internet users and the typical person. For example, on IMDB.com, where everyone can rate a film on a 1-10 scale, Batman Begins is currently averaged at an 8.3 and is the 103rd highest rated movie of all time; The Prestige is the 84th highest rated movie of all time, and Dark Knight is astoundingly the 3rd best movie of all time according to the IMDB polls.

This means that all but TWO of his films are considered by the Internet using public to be better, as they are higher rated, than such great films as The Bicycle Thief (#108), The Wizard of Oz (#115), Fargo (#116)(!!!!!!), Annie Hall (#129), The Deer Hunter (#137), Platoon (#139), The Graduate (#157) and many, many more. What do these outrageous statistics tell us? For one, that ratings based on public opinion are utterly useless... It also helps to illustrate how crapfests so shoddy and terrible as those by Christopher Nolan receive WAY more support than they deserve. But, since they keep making loads of money.. I think he'll have plenty of work to come (greaaaaat).

- THE DARK KNIGHT - (2008 - PG13)

Dir:Christopher Nolan; Star:Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
The super-hyped blockbuster of the summer, featuring subject and aura as dark as its title that will surely rake in hundreds of millions worldwide. Bruce Wayne/Batman (oh crap I blew his cover!) must fight his reputation as well as the vile Joker, who plans to reveal batman's identity by killing innocent civilians eventually to bring chaos to Gotham city in the end. The screenplay, while featuring a clever idea for a superhero movie -one that questions the heroic qualities of the lead, is so convoluted and repressively concealing that it's hard to become absorbed by the story at all. It's essentially the screenwriter's pretentious, dark fantasy that they never really feel like sharing completely with the audience, leaving a whirlwind of turns that never feel substantial or effective. They set up certain emotions, ideas, and characters, and then smash them away, kill them, or manipulate them before shoving them back in your face again. Not to mention the countless holes, unanswered questions, and ridiculously inexplicable character "developments." This is augmented by the dark plot and cinematography, which cast a deadly depressing shadow on everything. All this is then sustained for an unrelenting two and a half hours. These are essentially the same problems that plagued Nolan's repressively bad The Prestige, although without the magical... electricity cloning... hats... yeah... Both films caused me to laugh, not at actual jokes but at the development and pacing itself due to its awkward misuse. The editing is also questionable here, as several shots lose their meaning when they are too quickly cut away in an attempt to be "stylistic." The result is just distracting; there were even several discontinuity errors in many of the conversations... Nevertheless, the raison d'etre is Heath Ledger, who in the role that arguably killed him is outstanding as the diabolical maniacal joker. I have a feeling that perhaps 30% of the revenue this film earns will be because of this performance, as many people I know plan on seeing it just "because of Heath." It's pretty much worth it too, as he transforms himself fully for this role and embodies it better than anyone before. Many people are tossing around the idea of a best supporting Oscar nod here, and it wouldn't be the first time one was received posthumously (Peter Finch in Network). Like in all of Nolan's films, the production values are enormous. It seems as though they throw in everything but the kitchen sink to try to wow the summer audience. It even features the same voice-over with overused "inspirational"-building musical score for the ending as used in The Prestige and by golly it didn't work then and it doesn't work now. It feels manipulative and unsupported. This could have been a great movie... Except the writing, direction, and tone are just so darkly poor that it is never really enjoyable or praiseworthy. All in all, it's another example of Christopher Nolan screwing up an interesting concept as both the writer and director, despite having all the funding and thespian support, resulting in my unwaivering desire to punch him in the face.
Introducing the new Keyword thing! i feel like adding a section to reviews with keywords that help to define the movie as a whole, including things like historical significance, high production values, high creative values, etc that can help define the movie.
Keywords:
Overlong, Dark, Brooding, Depressing, Convoluted, Great Ensemble Cast, Memorable Performance, High Production Value (Big Budget), Pretentious, Overpopular, Hi-Tech.

- WALL-E - (2008 - G)

Dir:Andrew Stanton; Star-Robots and Pixar Regulars
Pixar has always set the industry standard for quality in computer animation. They did, after all, begin the genre with Toy Story. Wall-E is no exception; the production is squeaky clean and second to none. It's also remarkably unique for a Pixar movie, in that the first 30 minutes or so feature no dialogue whatsoever. The next thirty minutes feature only robot dialog with a two word vocabulary. WALL-E, the little trash compacter that could, happily goes about his daily routine in post apocalyptic earth where the world has succumbed to giant piles of garbage and extinction level pollution. Every day he naively tidies a section of trash. One day, a strange robot from space named Eve visits earth. Wall-E soon becomes infatuated with it and begins to follow it around. Charming, naive, robot romance ensues, eventually leading to outer space. The Pixar team manage to squeeze about every ounce of emotion out of the hunk of metal that is Wall-E as possible, predictably personifying the non -iving as they did in Toy Story or Cars. There is a certain timeless feel to the dialog-less segment of the film, bringing back memories and techniques lost in the silent age. This is also the most politically charged Pixar film, with a clear message about the environment and the state of human fitness (the humans are portrayedas amorphous whale like blobs..). The graphical quality is astounding, and computer animated garbage has never been so awe-inspiringly rendered. Wall-E is a movie that I really wanted to, and tried to love. I connected with the little robot, but eventually grew tired of his one act performance. Everything seems a little too predictable, and the characters, while uniquely approached, are never entirely lovable. By the end I found that I was not all that concerned with the plight of the little robot and his newly found yet undeveloped robot friends (this is essentially a two character movie). I give tremendous kudos to Pixar for the audacity to create a film as terse as this while still retaining and reigniting many long lost forms of entertainment, but I found that it was not as developed or sympathetic as it could have been. Perhaps more dialog would have helped? Or a less by-the-numbers plot? Nevertheless, WALL-E is an enjoyable film with a significant environmental message that you may or may not fall in love with.
Keywords:
Animated, High Production Values, Aesthetically Pleasing, Charming, Cute, Political, Terse, Underdeveloped, Simplistic, Timely, Funny.

- THE VISITOR - (2008 - PG13)

Dir: Thomas McCarthy; Star:Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman
Deceptively simple story of a disillusioned, widower professor who moves back to his unused apartment in New York City to find an immigrant couple living there. Rather than kick them out, he allows them to stay out of loneliness, and he soon develops complex and interesting relationships with them. He even learns to play African drums as his life becomes all the more satisfying with their company. Eventually his guest is jailed for being an illegal immigrant, and the professor fights to have his new friend released. Jenkins is perfect as the aging, lonely, unsure professor, whose relationships form the foundation for this film. As he struggles for his friends he learns more about himself and his place in the world. It's a disarmingly fresh and inspirationally warming film that speaks volumes about the need for human relationships, romantic or not. Yes, I was on the verge of crying multiple times during this film (REAL men admit it!), not out of sorrow but from reveling in its open sense of life and the sheer beauty of its well portrayed characters. This independent film is simple proof that the mainstream blockbuster (i.e. Iron Man or Dark Knight) is not often the most rewarding film. One of the best of the year so far.
Keywords:
Immigration, New York City, Sentimental, Charming, Endearing, Funny, Great Ensemble Cast, Ethnic, Cry Inducing, Timely, Simplistic, Independent, Inspirational, Friendship

Here's a trailer for The Visitor if you're interested:

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- MEMENTO - (2000 - R)
Dir:Christopher Nolan; Star:Guy Pearce
Creative, yet pretentiously pointless backwards style movie involving murder and revenge and such. If you know the end before it starts, and the story of how these ends are achieved is so unattractive and depressing, why would you ever want to sit for two hours to figure it out? Contrived to say the least. More evidence that Christopher Nolan should be slapped in the face.
Keywords:
Timeshift, Depressing, Violent, Blurry, Pointless, Anticlimactic, Pretentious, Overpopular, Dark, Brooding.

     As for the Buffalo Rising Online 5-parter, it is accomplished.  My work is done now, and I can relax and be at peace.  Think of Andy Kaufman from time to time.  I put some hard thought into the 'trolls' who post frequently with their two cents along with the other fifty percent of the readers who have some interesting, amusing and insightful feedback and came to this salient decision today:  the forum is for them.  That's their headspace, not mine.  It's not my right (nor my obligation) to chime in to the way they react to whatever nonsense it is that I have to contribute.

     Again, though, I'd like to point out that I care less than nothing about personal criticism or attacks.  Rip my writing to shreds all day and all night long.  That I can take.  I realize that my writing is an acquired taste (not unlike a single malt scotch) and that some people are never going to get a hankering for said taste.  That's fine.  My objective has always been to polarize.  Love it or hate it, I want a response.  And that's worked for me for a long, long, long time.  I'm more than happy to be the humble scribbler or the sinister villian: whichever role suits you best.  I'm cool with that, too.

     But don't take it out on the comics.  I love comics, and as Ian (from Don's Atomic) and I were discussing last night during a bar review at Marinaccio's in Amherst, comics are taken a lot more seriously in the rest of the world.  The culture in Canada, Japan and Europe is much more advanced, supportive and encouraging where graphic novels and adult black and white stories are concerned.  Isn't it time we got with the program where this is concerned?  I love rooting for the underdog, and comic books happen to be one of those horses that you don't back.  So I'm taking the cause up.  I write columns for Night Life, bar reviews for the Buffalo News, and celebrity interviews and graphic novel reviews for Buffalo Rising.  Something different for everyone.  You can't look at one piece of the pie and honestly think that that's all I do.  It's foolish to churn out the same creative rhubarb for every single publication in town and out of town, though.  Think on that for a bit and maybe it will make sense.

     Turning in for bed.  What a beautiful day.  Goodnight, moon.  Goodnight stars.  Goodnight, Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale and goodbye forever, Heath.  Great way to say adieu...

What I was thinking before the movie:

• Is it really as good as they say?
• Is Heath Ledger's performance worthy of an Oscar,
• Or has it been built up too much by his untimely demise?
• Will Ledger steal the show? I hope not, because, after all, it's a Batman movie, and the hero should always be the main character.
• How does this Joker compare to Jack Nicholson's Joker? Nicholson was pretty great. This one's got big shoes to fill.
• 2 hours 32 minutes? I hope this thing keeps my attention for that long!
• Every previous Batman movie has the word "Batman" in the title, so why didn't they choose to call this one Batman: The Dark Knight, instead of merely The Dark Knight?
• No matter how old he is, or how ripped his arms are, whenever I see Christian Bale, I keep waiting for him to start singing about newspapers. Just can't help it!
• I kinda have to go to the bathroom.

What I was thinking after the movie:

• WHOOO!! I'm exhausted and I can't feel my legs!!
• This is NOT a movie for children, so don't take them. Even thought there was no sexual content and hardly any bad language, an "R" rating would not have been inappropriate, for the high degree of realistic violence, and mostly to discourage parents from bringing kids.
• Hero movie? Yes.
• Superhero movie? No.
• Interesting to see how our perception of a "hero" has changed as we move from a modern worldview to a more postmodern awareness of being.
• Don't miss the not-so-subtle political undertones running through the movie. Pretty ironic, if you ask me.
• I didn't move, not once. I didn't even cross my legs. And, I still have to go to the bathroom.

Overall, very solid movie, but not without some faults. I give it an "A-." If you haven't seen it yet, go see it.

I have much more to say about it, but I'll withhold a discussion until more people have seen the movie, so as not to reveal too much about it.

I knew it was going to be a good day when I almost missed work... because I woke up half-drunk. (Editor's sidenote: I'm not proud of myself. These are just the facts, people.) Once I finally got to the office, things began to look up when I discovered that one of my coworkers brought in free doughnuts. Since I was late, all the frosted chocolate ones were gone and I had to settle for a craptastic cinnamon one. Bastards.

Later in the afternoon, I learned the secret recipe for a single serve five-minute chocolate cake. Possibly life changing.

And tonight I went to go see the premiere of "The Dark Night" with a couple friends. I must say, Heath Ledger's performance as the Joker was every bit as eerie as it was hyped up to be. And Christian Bale is just, well, hot. In my opinion, a much better Batman than Val Kilmer. (But that isn't hard to do, is it?)

I have the apartment to myself this weekend, so I may go prance around naked now. Or probably just watch David Letterman and pass out on the futon. Whatever works.

P.S. A little after-dinner mint, because I love "The Little Mermaid." And you.

The Dark Knight is the best superhero movie ever. It makes Spiderman stand on his knees and weep. Definitely, one of the most stylish, rivetting and brilliantly directed action movies. If Christian Bale went a notch above Daniel Craig for all that debonair, Heath Ledger went a notch above Jack Nicholson. Both of them are that good. It won't even be blasphemous to say Christopher Nolan went a notch above Tarantino. Probably he always did.

The film started on #4 on the IMDB Top 250. And unlike other hyped movies, I am guessing it is going to stay there for a long time.

Cult stuff.

I'm assuming everyone knows the Joker is the main villain. And that Heath Ledger is dead. And that he did an excellent job in his portrayal of the psychotic baddie. Oscar-worthy? Two words: who cares? I mean, really, do you remember who won last year? And even if you do remember, do you agree with "the Academy's" choices? The Oscars are a self-serving, archaic way of honoring big screen heroes. The real reward is in future payouts. Christian Bale is now a superstar, regardless of how many trophies are missing from his mantle. Heath Ledger was very popular before his death, and was made into something more than he was when he overdosed.

Again, he did a spectacular job as the Joker. And I wish he was still alive so he could reprise that role in the next film (that is...if he survived...whew, almost spoiled it for you). It will be interesting to see if they even recognize his existence (the Joker's, not Ledger's) in the next film, if the Penguin breaks him out, or if he will be just another forgotten felon in the big house.

And now on to another subject...Heroes. NBC's hit drama about people with extraordinary abilities is coming back September 22 and the trailers are on-line. These are not fan-made movies, but the official stuff that NBC has put out there. Check it out...

Does Claire really kill Peter, or is it just fancy editing? I guess only time will tell...

And there really is no yadda yadda yadda. The end.

Heath Ledger's Joker is absolutely horrifying, and it's a shame he isn't around to see his finished product. Ledger's Jo...(read more) ker makes Jack Nicholson's look like a Saturday morning cartoon.....there's no comparison anymore. This is how the Joker was meant to be seen.

Overall, this had a different feel from Batman Begins, and that's OK. It's a sequel...there's no origin story here.

At just over 2.5 hrs, it did seem like there were some opportunities to shave the run-time a little....but, the extra time leaves you looking forward to the next scene that has the Joker in it.....

And I just saw this on another site, and have to say, once you see this, you'll absolutely never forget the Joker's magic trick....

Can't wait to see this in IMAX!  After thinking over it all day, I'm starting to realize how epic, amazing, awesome and fun this movie was to experience.

Now, if if manages to break Spidey 3's record at the box-office, I'll be one happy camper...BustedTees would totally have to make a shirt for that occasion, and I'd buy it, no questions asked.

He shows off his World Series ring in the clubhouse.

I'm not really one to hate on any player on a sports team that I like, even if they aren't the best one on the team.  But something about Bronson Arroyo can put people in a funk around here.  One thing that was a plus for me (and I guess the rest of my family) is that he's a former Red Sox player.  That's the second team of choice in this house.  Living in Rhode Island for a few years will do that.  He's not my favorite Red but after watching that video, and just learning a little more about him, it made me take a liking to him.  Now I'm on the hunt for one of those Reds hats with the blonde, flowy hair attached.  And a Bronson Arroyo cd.

Who saw The Dark Knight tonight?  I didn't.  I really, really want to.  But the musical lover inside of me saw Mama Mia instead, with my mom, sister, and two of my uncles.  It was fantastic.  I loved it.  Go see it.

Plus it's insane what some people do when big movies like Batman come out.  Driving home, I saw some kid on the corner in full Joker costume.  No joke.