Friday 18 July 2008
The Dark Knight
As was, perhaps, always inevitable, The Dark Knight is Ledger’s movie. It is a towering performance. From his menacing, pencil-packing greeting to Gotham’s Mob fraternity, to the threat and fire he conjures in exchanges with Maggie Gyllenhaal’s sexy, sophisticated brief and “The Bat-maaan”, to the Sophie’s choice surprises of the third act, he is pure, powerful, immense.
A force of fucking nature.
Mark Dinning, Empire
Source: The Dark Knight Movie Review and Trailers
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«Oldest ‹Older 401 – 442 of 442Actually, I kinda hope that they don't have the Joker in the next Batman either. Who could compare? I'm looking forward to more of Harvey Dent, I kinda fell in love with him. ;) There's a new slash site dedicated to the Joker as well.
Dark Knight of the Soul
So I'm about to go up against America's Greatest Living Film Critic. I'd don't care. I'm a dog chasing cars. I don't know what I would do if I caught one. I don't have plans. I just do things. I'm not a schemer.
I saw "The Dark Knight" last night and it struck me that the movie does exactly what Batman (who is increasingly referred to as "the Batman" these days) says he is going to do. Batman says he is going to turn the whole idea of being a costumed hero on its head for some greater good. And that's what this movie does. It smashes up the whole, stale paradigm, just to let some air in.
This is the type of movie from which one emerges surprised and reassured to find the old world intact. This is the type of movie that leaves one a little unsettled about which is the reality and which is the fiction. The stagey, placid village of Blue Back Square. Or Gotham, engulfed in chaos and viscera? One accomplishment of the movie is that you feel as though the first could turn into the second in an eyeblink.
AGLFC doesn't see it that way. So what? This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object. Maybe I need him as much as he needs me. By the way, AGLFC, I've had Lucuis Fox tweak the comment mechanism on this blog. I think you'll find it's both more flexible and more able to withstand your salvos
Heath Ledger as the Joker. There's almost no point in praising the performance, because it's kind of meta-acting. He's in the movie, and he's sort of beyond it, maybe sitting a few seats down the row and leering over at you in the darkness. It's almost as if -- I know this may seem a little forced -- Ledger is talking to us from beyond the grave, talking wryly about how things, they fall apart. And in this sense, Ledger is not really the star of the movie and neither, God knows, is Christian Bale, who seems to be struggling to have Batman be any kind of point of focus at all. (AGLFC's fawning lickspittle commenter Twaingirl makes this point. Or she did, before I strapped her comment to barrels of liquid explosive and gave the detonator to Richard Roeper. I told him Twaingirl also had a detonator that would blow up his reviews. He didn't hesitate.)
The real star of this movie is the darkness, is the chaos. It's such an engulfing, smoky, foggy dream, that it takes a while to shake it off afterwards. I suppose AGLFC will go all Joseph Campbell on me and insist that we demand more of legends. More than Yeatsian resignation. Tell that to the rough beast, Mr. Fancy Man!
I don't care. Let him crack his whip at me. I believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you... stranger. Some men aren't looking for anything logical. They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn. Or at least bust up the Cheesecake Factory. Hahahahahahahahaha!
http://blogs.courant.com/colin_mcenroe_to_wit/2008/07/dark-knight-of-the-soul.html
And that's what this movie does. It smashes up the whole, stale paradigm, just to let some air in.
You got that right!
Fabulous review. It takes a very talented person to take a character that's been done many times before and make it new, fresh, his own, and that has an effec on. And he did it as part of the ensemble. I really hope Heath is nominated for an Oscar, and gets it.
^^sorry, that should read "has an effect on you".
I'm looking forward to more of Harvey Dent, I kinda fell in love with him. ;) There's a new slash site dedicated to the Joker as well."
Aaron Eckhart is the bomb!!!!
Wasn't he? I loved Harvey and Rachel together too. There's a scene with them walking to an elevator, or something, cuddling and kissing. Romantic and hot. :)I'm gonna see TDK again this weekend, I think.
"Aaron Eckhart is the bomb!!!!"
I think he's a very nice dude in real life. I think Oldman, Cain and him, out of the cast, spoke the most fondly of Heath.
I'm not surprised; it's an amazing cast. I'm remiss in not saying how wonderful Christian Bale is as Batman - loved the scenes with him and Gary Oldman - Gary Oldman is a great, great actor. Pretty hot as Sirius Black too. :)
Batman star in holy dust-up?
Cops allowed Batman star Christian Bale to attend the biggest film premiere of the summer last night — despite him being accused of assault.
Bale, 34, faces questioning over the claim — made by his own mother and sister. But he was able to attend the first European screening of new Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight in London’s West End. He is alleged to have lashed out on Sunday night at Park Lane’s Dorchester Hotel — where he has a suite.
Mum Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, who lives in Dorset, went to a police station in Hampshire yesterday to lodge the allegation. The matter was referred to the Met Police. Detectives, well aware of last night’s glittering bash, took the decision not to approach Bale yesterday. But they are expected to make attempts to quiz the Wales-born actor today.
A source said: “It was a very difficult situation but it would have been wrong to have wrecked the premiere over a complaint which we don’t yet know is founded in truth. “But Mr Bale will be contacted at the earliest opportunity and be asked to provide an account of anything that happened.”
A Met Police spokesman said: “We can confirm we have received allegation from another force in relation to an alleged incident in central London.”
Batman actor Christian Bale arrested over assault allegation
Bale, 34, attended a police station after it was reported his mother and sister had reported him to police. The alleged incident was believed to have taken place on Sunday night at Park Lane's Dorchester Hotel where Bale is staying. His mother Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, are said to have gone to a police station in Hampshire to make the allegation, which was subsequently referred to the Metropolitan Police.
A Met Police spokesman said: "A 34-year-old man attended a London Police Station on Tuesday by appointment and was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault.
"He currently remains in custody."
Despite the alleged incident and report, Bale was allowed to attend the first European screening of the new Batman blockbuster The Dark Knight in London's West End on Monday night uninterrupted.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/celebritynews/2444863/Batman-actor-Christian-Bale-arrested-over-assault-allegation.html
413
Unbelievable.
:-\ hope they work it out ... sad ...
Interesting comments about the Reeke Paris photo ops posted on OMG by tr:
“Those pictures were so set up. So were the park pictures. You can tell by how they were bought and released. Nothing new from this woman she's shameless.
... her publicist was on the trip with her. She is in the pictures on the balcony during the Vogue shoot. I doubt she only flew in for that purpose. She probably orchestrated the entire weeks activities.”
Barrowman Seeks Asian Baby
John Barrowman’s got babies on the brain. The out actor and his longtime boyfriend are apparently searching far and wide for a tot of their own.
Barrowman plans to adopt an orphan from the Far East. The actor is desperate to board the adoption bandwagon after his boyfriend Scott Gill visited a Cambodian orphanage.
[Barrowman] revealed: “Scott went to the orphanage as part of the work we do with a charity called Camp Kids. He phoned me from there to say I was banned from going — because he knew I’d come back with at least four or five kids! Madonna’s got nothing on me, I’d have them all over me as I got on the plane!”
Barrowman and Gill are also considering a surrogate. If only we had a womb…
Queerty
^^Very lovely. So many children need loving homes. John Barrowman is the best, and Scott too. :)
Christian Bale gossip:
"A responder on Just Jared who claims her father works security at the London hotel where the incident occurred wrote:
"His mom and sister are alcoholics and drug addicts, they showed up at his hotel uninvited and highly intoxicated. they were calling him big shot and that he needs to take care of his own. His mom was yelling that he would be nothing without her and he owed her. His sister was begging for money and when he was pushing her toward the door his mother came from behind and started hitting him on his head and kicking him. He managed to push them both out the door and his mom fell, they called the police and wanted him arrested. I believe that Chirstian is the victim here not his mom or sister."
"Now, from what I understand, mom and sister were not seriously injured in the assault, but I'm assuming that if they had been near death that presumably the police would have arrested Christian before the premiere of the film. It is pretty sick when the police actually say publicly they didn't want to upset the premiere of a film despite the fact a guy allegedly assaulted two women.
So why mom and sis? The only thing I can think of is that perhaps Mr. Bale was taking one too many substances he shouldn't have been taking and mom and sis tried to intervene and allegedly got laid out for their troubles. Where was the wife when all of this occurred?"
Ent lawyer is wrong.
It's very very sad that Christian's private hell should emerge like this. His mother is said to be a crazy bitch. Apparently he has tried to distance himself repeatedly.
Batman Free: Back to Alleged Crime Scene
Christian Bale has just been released from a London pokey. Bale was driven back to the Dorchester Hotel where he allegedly did something to his mom and sis, getting them mad enough to file a crime report.
Scotland Yard tells TMZ Bale has been ordered to make an appearance back at the cop shop in September.
I bet he was cutting off the gravy train to his mom and sis and they decided to embarass him at his premier.
At the London premiere
"Maggie Gyllenhaal, who plays assistant DA Rachel Dawes in the film, spoke of Ledger’s Oscar prospects, saying the "degree of difficulty should be incorporated into the award".
"To be that incredible in a movie that's this huge, that's about so many things, is really an accomplishment."
Decoding Maggie-speak:
"To be that f**king incredibly outstanding in a sprawling summer popcorn movie that has all kinds of other intense sh*t going down all the time as well as a lot of non-Heath scenes with some very good other actors (ahem) ... is really an accomplishment worthy of Academy recognition."
12:54, I bet you're right.
Now please don't tell me Maggie swears like a sailor too. ;) I love her, she's a great actress, classy, stylish and gorgeous.
Now please don't tell me Maggie swears like a sailor too. ;) I love her, she's a great actress, classy, stylish and gorgeous.
Well, that's how I decode Maggie.
Funny and Maggie-like translation, 1:49.
And Maggie, ITA!
Posted on OMG
IS JAKE A “RULE” BREAKER?
...
While there has been a rumor going around that Reese Witherspoon has "relationship rules" for boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal, sources are saying that Jake might not be too happy about it. Allegedly, "the rules regard Reeses L.A. home and mainly focus on household etiquette- no shoes inside, when to take out the trash, no feet on coffee tables- but also limit Jake from swearing in front of Witherspoons young children." Wow- seems like Reese runs a tight ship! Wonder if hes broken any of these rules yet?
http://www.celebritygossipshow.com/?p=8567
Decoding Maggie-speak...
LOL
"Christian Bale attended a London police station today, on a voluntary basis, in order to assist with an allegation that had been made against him to the police by his mother and sister," the star's lawyers said in the statement. "Mr. Bale who denies the allegation, co-operated throughout, gave his account in full of the events in question, and has left the station without any charge being made against him by the police. At this time, there will be no further comment by Mr. Bale."
^^If it were serious, he would have been charged with something.
Boy, those Witherspoon house rules sure undergone a few revisions since we first saw them - they don't have teeth now, positively benign.
Wasn't Heath working on a film, before he died? Maybe the web mistress can start a Heath Ledger forum.
I was wondering if Matilda still remembers Heath. She probably forgot about him, being only 2 years old and he's gone for 6 months now.
3:19 PM, are you new here?
3:19 PM, he was working on a new Gilliam film "Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus".
From Radar:
Dossier
10 Greatest Moments In Heterosexuality
Yesterday, Star Jones' ex, Al Reynolds took to the YouTube to confront rumors that he's gay. While he might seem homo because he's a "spiffy" dresser (and more so because he was involved with Jones), Reynolds insists, "I am not a homosexual.... I look good, so people call that kind of soft." We didn't ask, but good to know?
Inspired by Big-Not-Gay-Al and his insistent heterosexuality, we got to thinking about other heteros persisting in their hetero-ness in the face of similarly vicious rumors. A list of of our Top 10 Greatest Moments In Heterosexuality follows!
...
2- Jake Gyllenhaal
Questions about his sexuality have happy-trailed Gyllenhaal since he starred in 2005's Brokeback Mountain. His thoroughly modern response to man-love rumors earned him effusive love in the gay community. The pretty boy has said, "I can honestly say I've never been attracted to a man sexually, but I don't think I'd be afraid of it if it happened." We think he said that before he met Lance Armstrong.
...
Radar
10 best moments in defensive heterosexuality
^^^
Mel Gibson
Always an equal opportunity guy, Mel was saying offensive things about gays long before he went on that infamous drunken anti-Semitic rant. A 1992 interview with the Spanish paper El Pais featured this quote, attributed to Gibson: "Do I sound like a homosexual? Do I talk like them? Do I move like them? I think not."
Great fansite and a tribute to Heath Ledger:
HeathLedger.com
Thanks for posting the link Jackie. :) Hopefully this site is better than his other fansites, which are really disappointing.
I have an Aussie acquaintance who is defending Heath against alot of
badmouthing as he comes to the fore as an actor of excellence -
also, curiously, one of my favorite Washington DC wonkarino websites (Wonkette)deleted a jokey comment about TDK - dont forget the streets are mean, out there, people - everybody testy. . .
With a lot of love there comes a lot of hate. I hope there won't be backlash for Heath come Oscar nomination time.
"Boy, those Witherspoon house rules sure undergone a few revisions since we first saw them"
The fangirls would much prefer a wimpy straight man then a manly, independent-minded gay man.
The fangirls would much prefer a wimpy straight man then a manly, independent-minded gay man.
Not me! Independent-minded and gay man is way sexier - no yes dear, no dear, whatever you say dear wimp. :)
So let's see, we've renegotiated the taking out of the trash from exactly 3/4 full to just taking out the trash.
Having to apologize every time he swears like a sailor to limiting swearing.
Willing to accept no more feet on the coffee table and taking shoes off, but won't budge on the trash and the swearing! ;)
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