July 15-Aug. 6, 2008
In this edition, readers sound off on the smarts of "The Dark Knight", MSN's Comic-Con 2008 coverage, artists who should stop making records and more.
From David Moscato:
From Rose Van Dyle:
From 'Bama Bruce:
From Jon Haas, Eastern Kentucky:
Also, a destroyed Batmobile and a smaller Bat-vehicle have both already been
done in the '90s Batman movies. Why does Batman always get his stuff wrecked
eventually?
I can overlook the Batpod and the new Batsuit, but Two-Face ruined the movie
for me. I can't believe they were that stupid. From E.J. Darwin:
Jack Nicholson's colorful, comical and goofy Joker
evaporated, while Val Kilmer and George Clooney's superficial, broad,
bleak and bland Batman portrayals simply dissolved. "The Dark Knight" blew my
expectations away. So enthralling and compelling it was, while remaining, for
the most part, scientifically realistic and morally driven; I had difficulty
linking this film as an add-on to Nolan's first Batman film, "Batman Begins."
By this point I was shaking in my theater seat, fidgeting all over, and
telling my father I could no longer watch; the movie was too good for me.
I couldn't be prouder to be a Batman fan than now. Only a fan such as myself
would understand the mental afflictions these characters represent, and the
mental inflictions they are to present. The Joker is a clown in the vaguest
description; in actuality, he is a mass murdering sociopath who enjoys chaos and
mayhem simply because he has the will to create it. He has always been this
opposite, this mirror image to Batman. This role was played justly by the late
Heath Ledger, whose portrayal of the Joker fit the patent.
"The Dark Knight" had action, drama, romance, comedy, cross-dressing and
tragedy. Never did I feel the cold dread of guilt trickle down the theater
aisles so violently as when I saw this film. I can only hope that the next film
(there WILL be a next film), will strive to surpass the psychological dimension
and overly stunning addition that was "The Dark Knight." From Irma Garcia, Sherman, Texas:
From Gus Rodriquez, Ormond Beach, Fla.:
From Lucy Cantu:
From Bryce Morrow:
Best movie,
not just comic book movie, in years! Should be up for Best Picture Oscar! The
story is great. The acting of the main characters -- Bale, Ledger and Eckhart -- is fantastic. Ledger does deserve all the
hype his performance has gotten, but so do Bale and Eckhart. The story is great.
They keep to the spirit of the whole Batman mythos. Nolan has kept the series from getting really silly,
like the previous series of movies. Nolan definitely deserves a Best Director
nomination as well!
Agree with
your article except the movie is way too long.
My first
thought after seeing "The Dark Knight" was that it was 30 minutes too long. The
second time I saw it, I thought it was almost perfect. The additional chaos
caused by the Joker in the final 30 minutes of the movie was needed to prove
that, even when the Joker is free and can escape punishment, he cannot help
himself when he tortures the two ferries' passengers. He must create chaos at
every given chance.
As soon as
I saw Harvey Dent was in "The Dark Knight," I knew they'd screw it up. Two-Face
had no place in this movie. Nolan pulled a Venom with him. Two-Face is a villain
that can probably carry a movie. Instead, he crapped up the last half hour by
taking screen time away from the Joker.
From the
overly satiated: I admit that when I left the movie theater last night, I was
smiling like a dumb fool. From the moment masked men began playing tag with
greedy minds and itchy trigger fingers, all I could think was, "Yes ... yes,
yes, yes! This is what it's all about." After all, this had always been what
Batman was about.
I am not a
superhero expert, but it was too fast for me, with too many characters at one
time and confusing jumps from scene to scene. For all the high-tech equipment
that Batman had, he still couldn't bring down the Joker! Not so real, all the
banging in jail, no bloody noses? C'mon, make it more real. But, overall, my
kids enjoyed it and that is what counts.
I have had
the pleasure of seeing all the Batman TV shows and movies starting in the '60s
until today. By far the best Batman movie was "The Dark Knight," followed by the
"Batman" movie with Jack Nicholson as the Joker. In any event, I believe
Heath Ledger outshone Batman in the latest film. It was one of the best acting
performances I have ever seen. Compares to Marlon Brando in "The Godfather."
I think
this last movie, "The Dark Knight," and the previous movie, "Batman Begins," are
truly the greatest superhero movies ever made. The story lines and the people
playing the villains were overwhelming! Nobody can fill Heath Ledger's shoes
when it comes to playing the Joker. Cesar Romero had that laugh, and
Heath Ledger held on to that. Jack Nicholson was good as the Joker in his own
way, but Heath Ledger made the Joker come alive.
I agree
that this is one of the smartest sequels made. The question that lingers is if
the Caped Crusader will actually "kill or harm" criminals in the next one? The
Joker is the darkest villain yet, and if they get darker then Batman must get
darker as well.
From Ken McManaman:
What about
River Phoenix? He was also working on a movie before
he died, called "Dark Blood." He never completed it.
From Brian Liscek:
Kim Morgan's wrap-up made the Romulan ale come shooting out of my nose a
couple of times. Kim, congratulations on recognizing your geek-hood. (One of us!
Gabba-gabba hey!) You have good taste: Frank Miller, "Freaks and Geeks,"
back-in-horror-mode Sam Raimi, David Gordon Green. So many of the
articles I've read elsewhere have been flavorless or long-winded. Glad I got to
read something with personality and wit. From Lawson Wright:
I've been
reading (OK, somewhat obsessively reading) the Comic-Con coverage on Coming
Soon, Cinematical, Ain't It Cool, Deadline Hollywood Daily and MSN. Just want to
say MSN's coverage has been great. I love the easy-to-navigate,
comic-book-styled layout. And the videos, photos and writing have been very
enjoyable.
I
sincerely hope Zack Snyder doesn't screw up "Watchmen." His "Dawn of the Dead" remake was decent, and "300," as over-the-top as it was, was pretty faithful to Frank
Miller's vision and made for good escapist (very escapist) fare. The "Watchmen"
trailer looks beautiful, and it's in that respect that I have faith in Snyder:
Sure, he'll make the movie look beautiful, but what about the story? Too much
will be left out, the movie will feel crammed and hurried, it'll be a huge
disappointment to die-hard fans, but maybe good enough that casual fans (or
strangers to the story) will enjoy it. Even if the movie is three hours long, it
won't be enough. To be fair and true to the story, I can't see how Snyder could
pull this off without going the Peter Jackson route and splitting it into three
movies (and even that may not be enough). But I'm sure the studio would never
let him do that ... it's a comic book, after all, not a fantasy classic beloved
by millions all over the world.

















