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Some people just want to see the world burn
The Dark Knight is not, contra IMDB, the best film ever (but then look what they've got at #2 - ugh!). It's not even the best film about a non-powered billionaire playboy superhero released this year - Robert Downey Jr is Stark is Iron Man, whereas Christian Bale, though he plays a brilliant Bruce Wayne, only in the car chase and the climactic fight ever convinced me he was Batman, as opposed to just a guy in a Batman suit. It is, however, bloody good. All this talk of a posthumous Oscar for Heath Ledger - well, I'd approve, obviously, because it'd be an Oscar going to a frakking SUPERVILLAIN as against some sententious middlebrow issue movie, and because his death-by-Method would really raise the bar next time Tom Hanks or similar git wants a cheap win by playing a retard - "No, sorry Tom, these days that would actually require you to suffer severe brain damage". Well, I'd be happy to help 'coach' him with an iron bar...but I digress. Heath Ledger plays a damn fine Joker, drawing on both 'The Killing Joke' and Arkham Asylum and managing that rare feat of actually making him *funny*, as against a Stalin whose crap jokes you laugh at because otherwise he'll kill you. But this is not his film, it's Aaron Eckhart's; this is Harvey Dent's story and he plays a better Dent than I think I ever saw the comics manage.
One real missed trick, I thought - why does nobody get the obvious "Gordon's alive!" line? Also, how glad was I to see the Commissioner named for Jeph Loeb die in agony? And if you thought he looked familiar - he was also a cop in the Black Books where Manny drank too much coffee.
Went to have a look at Burne-Jones' Sleep of Arthur in Avalon at the Tate yesterday. Obviously he's my King in a way no Windsor could ever be, but I was still reminded that Burne-Jones is really not my favourite pre-Raphaelite; this painting is acknowledged unfinished, but set against Rossetti or Millais or Waterhouse (as he is in the Tate) his works all look a little that way, lacking some final glaze - or the breath of life - to really give that great pre-Raphaelite impression of being a glance though some charmed casement into faerie.
(They've also got Flaming June in from the same lender - both the paintings are in the free access areas so if you're a fan, drop in, but be warned their lighting is still atrocious, reflection and glint all over the place. Also, there's some asinine Martin Creed conceptual piece going on next door which as so often, is based on an OK idea but not really thought through)
Club night becomes religion to dodge anti-flyering byelaw.
I didn't even know there was a film adaptation of Jan Potocki's Manuscript found in Saragossa until I saw the DVD at my parents'; they had never heard of the book and had just had the DVD pressed on them by a friend. Neil Gaiman summarises the book better than I could; the film manages a remarkably full and faithful adaptation of this bizarre mish-mash of a book, getting the Goya-style chills and the absurdist sitcom in there as close as can be. Apparently lead actor Zbigniew Cybulski was considered 'Poland's James Dean' - which shows you how bad things must have been behind the Iron Curtain, 'cos to me he's more Brendan Fraser meets David Mitchell. Fortunately, that's just what you want in Alphonse van Worden.
One real missed trick, I thought - why does nobody get the obvious "Gordon's alive!" line? Also, how glad was I to see the Commissioner named for Jeph Loeb die in agony? And if you thought he looked familiar - he was also a cop in the Black Books where Manny drank too much coffee.
Went to have a look at Burne-Jones' Sleep of Arthur in Avalon at the Tate yesterday. Obviously he's my King in a way no Windsor could ever be, but I was still reminded that Burne-Jones is really not my favourite pre-Raphaelite; this painting is acknowledged unfinished, but set against Rossetti or Millais or Waterhouse (as he is in the Tate) his works all look a little that way, lacking some final glaze - or the breath of life - to really give that great pre-Raphaelite impression of being a glance though some charmed casement into faerie.
(They've also got Flaming June in from the same lender - both the paintings are in the free access areas so if you're a fan, drop in, but be warned their lighting is still atrocious, reflection and glint all over the place. Also, there's some asinine Martin Creed conceptual piece going on next door which as so often, is based on an OK idea but not really thought through)
Club night becomes religion to dodge anti-flyering byelaw.
I didn't even know there was a film adaptation of Jan Potocki's Manuscript found in Saragossa until I saw the DVD at my parents'; they had never heard of the book and had just had the DVD pressed on them by a friend. Neil Gaiman summarises the book better than I could; the film manages a remarkably full and faithful adaptation of this bizarre mish-mash of a book, getting the Goya-style chills and the absurdist sitcom in there as close as can be. Apparently lead actor Zbigniew Cybulski was considered 'Poland's James Dean' - which shows you how bad things must have been behind the Iron Curtain, 'cos to me he's more Brendan Fraser meets David Mitchell. Fortunately, that's just what you want in Alphonse van Worden.
goob to hear that jeph loeb dies in agony
also i've never read arkham asylum - i've flicked through it many times over the years ( incl. fairly recently ) but the "artwork" always puts me off - one day tho
( a dear ole pal of mine once wrote an article called "gordon's alive" & a well meaning but stupid sub editor changed it to "flash lives" )
heath ledger
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Re: goob to hear that jeph loeb dies in agony
I left Incredible Hulk for the small screen, but would definitely recommend this one; my next cinema trip will probably be Hellboy. The real quandary's going to be Watchmen; I want to see it, but in deference to Alan Moore's wishes I don't like to pay to see adaptations of his stuff.
Heath Ledger's Knight's Tale is rather an entertaining romp, but I've not seen much of his stuff myself.
Re: goob to hear that jeph loeb dies in agony
I also rate Knight's Tale too. Lots of fun.
Re: goob to hear that jeph loeb dies in agony
Re: goob to hear that jeph loeb dies in agony
i'm being typically lazy re the dark knight - if a friend organises an outing i'll probly tag along ( - but i doubt if i'll be arsed to organise anything myself ) - note to self: must investigate watchmen trailer...
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the dark knight
( & to a lesser degree the film of mark millar's "wanted" which is due out on disc in a week or two )
( we've got a decent sized telly so my dark knight viewing experience should be fairly "cinematic" )
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I reread Wanted a week or so back and was confirmed in my decision not to hurry to the film, because no way could it have had a fraction of that sheer evil joy, much less the crucial last line.
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you've made me want to reread wanted now before i rent out the dvd - i wasn't too impressed with it first time round...
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Wanted divides opinion massively - I imagine that if you thought it was mean and puerile first time out, a reread will not change that. It's a general issue with Millar, but I'm one of the faction which genuinely believes "Surrender? Do you think this A on my head stands for France?" to be a genius line.
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OMG
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i agree he was a great harvey dent... but as harvey two-face, i think the writing let it down. the motivations and plot just didn't hold up there.
i also thought the lucious fox "this is too much power" got very very silly.
would personally have had them end the movie before concluding the harvey dent plot, leaving it for a third movie.
big question: which villains next?
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Lucius Fox as Brother I was better than having a mad satellite do it...
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I thought he was named Loeb after the character in Year One? I know the character is totally different, but still, that was the assumption I made from Begins, anyway. Unless Miller was mates with Loeb back in the '80s? It might explain why they're both so crap now.
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Also - I still like Frank Miller. Come on, the guy's already done the definitive Batman, twice. I'd rather have him do a deranged pulp Elseworld than just start repeating himself. Although I do wish he'd get a move on with Holy Terror, Batman!, 'cos I for one want to see the goddamn Batman punching Osama bin Laden's face off.
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How do you feel about all these Depp as The Riddler rumours that are flying? The other odd one I've heard is Philip Seymor Hoffmann as The Penguin... Wah wah wah?
xx
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How was it at the IMAX, then?
That is the first I've heard of either rumour, but they both sound like good ideas to me. Although, it'd be weird having Depp follow Ledger right after filling in for him on the new Gilliam...
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I'm organising another trip to go and see it there again later in August if you fancy joining us...
xx