The Batman
The Dark Knight
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2002
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It's been a busy few months, and whereas I generally watched TDK once a week
Christ almightly.
The 21st Century's 100 Greatest Films:
http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films
The Dark Knight lands at #33. The only superhero film to make the list, as far as I can tell.
It's the #1 on my list of SH movies. Nolan caught lightning in a bottle. TDK was setup perfectly by BB. Everything clicked. Ledger knocked it out of the atmosphere. I guarantee you he struggled mightily with the part, but, in the end, he did as well as any actor could do (a stalemate with our highest expectations).
From my perspective, it was visually stunning. Nolan is a master in that regard and it has a huge effect on how I rate a movie; even if I don't realize it at the time. Inception is another example. Chris is as good as it gets as far as shooting a movie. I saw it in true IMAX way up close and I'm glad I don't have motion sickness. Dunkirk?? Hell yeah.....and I hate war movies.
I'd be surprised if we didn't get something for the tenth anniversary of the film. What could that something be? My guess is a new transfer of the film.
I'd love some more behind the scenes stuff of Heath and even some interviews with Bale and Eckhart.
It's a great thriller. It's a great action movie. It's a great comic book adaptation. It's a great Batman movie, and therefore a great 'superhero movie.'
And thanks to Christopher Nolan's vision and filmmaking, a great script, fantastic cast and overall amazing team, it's a pretty special movie. One that will be remembered in a long time.
It was lightning in a bottle.
It's just one of those movies.
Because each and every frame of this gorgeous piece of perfection if entirely flawless from pixel to pixel. There isn't a single critique against this timeless piece of eternally relevant pop culture that isn't desperately reaching or wildly hypocritical.
But, wouldn't it have way more hand cam footage? I mean, it'd probably look more like a documentary wherein the Batman existed, I guess. I really do like Michael Mann, though, but I'm not too into how he's shot his last film. I enjoyed Miami Vice, but there was some of that in there too.
Full disclosure, I went to Art School majoring in Cartooning. So, storytelling is my jam and maybe someday my career. And I think Batman Begins is my favorite for a number of reasons, but The Dark Knight...is the better film. The storytelling is so tight and about as perfect as a screenplay can be. Everything is setup, even if you're not seeing it. Moments are prepared, and scenes are setup, even in the most small manner. Even a moment like having Lau literally hunted down by Batman, and dragged back to Gotham, was setup with the Joker identifying him as a squealer who Batman will hunt down because he has no jurisdiction. There's thematic elements that are rock solid and delivered on, like what it may take to catch a terrorist like the Joker without fully compromising your ideals....like not killing him or destroying the eavesdropping device that could be used to spy on everyone. Or showcasing Batman's idealism, even when he may seem like a nihilist. He truly believed in Gotham, and truly believed that those people weren't going pull the trigger on that bomb. That moment near the end boiled down the battle between Batman and Joker in probably of the most concise and clear ways I've ever seen. Batman believes people will ultimately do the right thing, and the Joker believes that people will ultimately eat eachother alive.
Nolan clearly accepted creative criticism from Batman Begins, too. One of the most criticized aspects of Batman Begins, even from people who loved it, was the closeness of the camera during fight scenes. He pulled it back, and went with something clearer to showcase the fighting.
I could write for days on this stuff, really.