I like dudes with scars.

HOT

So, last night I went over a friends house (because she had just bought a HiDef ginormous flat screen telly with a Blu-Ray player-thing) to watch movies. I have to say, there is a difference with HiDef and Blu-Ray. As in the experience that I was about to have... let's just say, it would not have worked on a nineteen inch tv (like the one my broke ass has).

"The Dark Knight."

I mean, for those who have seen it, need I say more? I regret not getting off my ass and going to see this in the theaters. This movie was all I wanted it to be and more. There's a feeling that football fans get when there's a great sack or baseball fans when there's a brawl or hockey fans when that first punch is thrown out, or Nascar fans when someone hits the wall or spins out... it's a little twisted, but it's that getting "dirty" aspect that we all just love the comes from our gut and gives us such a great sense of satisfaction.

"The Dark Knight" was two and a half hours of that feeling. For me, anyway.

As you all know by now, Heath Ledger (the Joker) died shortly after making this. I do believe that it's an incredible performance and that he would have gone on to do more amazing things. I do believe that he totally made us say "Jack who?" when it came to others who have played the role before him. I think it's amazing that he is nominated for a Globe and quite possible a post-humus Oscar. I hope he wins. He was the first Batman villain I was actually afraid of.*

But, he wasn't my favorite.

My favorite, as has always been my favorite in the cartoons, the two "graphic novels" I have read, and Joel Schumacher's "Batman Forever," is Harvey Dent. Two-Face. I don't know why he's my favorite, maybe because he flips a coin and he is a physical manifestation of the duplicity of man or something from some film student's thesis, maybe because his story is so sad (no matter which version it is). In the modern films, three actors have played him. Billy Dee Williams (betcha forgot about that one) in "Batman," Tommy Lee Jones in "Batman Forever," and now in Christopher Nolan's version, he is played by new love of my life Aaron Eckhart.

And I have to say, if not for Ledger's death, I think Eckhart would have garnered more attention for the role. He plays something rare for the first half of the movie: a real good guy who is incorruptible. He's a Captain America and, not to spoil too much, he's the guy that Bruce Wayne himself believes is the rightful successor to save/protect Gotham.** And then some shit goes down.

This would be the part of the movie where I just couldn't contain myself anymore and let out a Turret's type of "WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON? WHAT IS WRONG WITH THESE PEOPLE?!!! OH HOLY SHIT." From there, things just happen. If you haven't seen the movie, let's just say picture above turns to picture below. It's kind of tough to watch, both visually (cause it's a little gross) and emotionally.

NOT SO HOT.

Some critics have complained the movie ran a little to long. I say to them, "Suck it." There was a moment or two in the last act that I thought, Ok, this is a little long, but that was because I just drank two Pepsis and had to pee really bad. As the bat signal was smashed and the credits rolled, I tried to think what I would have cut as an editor. And the answer: Not a damn thing. For two and half hours, I didn't think about my drama or my problems. I was completely captivated. So, thanks Christopher Nolan (and a dream cast of Bale, Eckhart, Gylenhaal, Freeman, Cain, Ledger, Luis from "Suddenly Susan," William Fichtner, and for Godssake ERIC ROBERTS). Ya dun good.

*Technically that's not true, because to a 9 year old- the Penguin in Tim Burton's "Batman Returns" was pretty terrifying (he ate RAW FISH). I'm just saying, as an adult in a post-9/11 world and watching all these movies again now, Ledger's Joker is sobering and gritty.

**By the way, I would never ever ever want to live in this city. For sixty-plus years they've had some frickin psychos running around! And, the mob seems to bit too prevalent.