In article
<c125eb38-d68c-4aac-ab2f-6098d7ccaff0@s21g2000prm.googlegroups.com>,
dixichik <oneidacolleen@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Okay, I know we've talked about movies before but maybe it's time to
> do it again. Ricky and I saw Dark Knight and Journey to the Center of
> the Earth this weekend. I've read and heard about Heath Ledger's
> performance as the Joker but I was reserving judgment because I have a
> soft spot for Jack Nicholson's version. Anyway, after seeing The Dark
> Knight this weekend, I think Heath Ledger left Jack Nicholson in the
> dust. Nicholson's version was sort of dark camp while Ledger's
> version was definitely psychotic. This is one move I will be buying
> on DVD.
I also went in skeptical of the hype, but Ledger's performance was
delightful.
I had some minor problems with certain aspects of the plot (spoilers
below), but overall, it was a great movie. I saw it twice, and liked
it even better the second time.
> I also enjoyed Brendan Fraser's Journey. It definitely won't win any
> awards but who cares? Brendan Fraaser is one of my faves for just
> plain fun watching. I wasn't expecting much but I really enjoyed it.
> Also, the 3d was a big improvement since the last movie I saw in 3d
> was one of the interminable Jaws sequels. I hope there is a sequel.
Haven't seen it yet, but there's a good chance I will.
I saw Mamma Mia this weekend. Not as good as seeing the live show,
but generally well done. I would have preferred for more of the main
roles to be chosen based on their voice than their name: more Amanda
Seyfrieds and fewer Pierce Brosnans. A fun movie anyway, and probably
a bit more enjoyable for those who haven't been spoiled by seeing the
Broadway show half a dozen times!
Other recent movies include Wanted, WALL-E, and Kung Fu Panda. Wanted
was great for what it was, with a hot cast, great effects, and
interesting plot. Nothing really to complain about, once you accept
what kind of movie you're in for.
WALL-E, like everything Pixar produces, was gold, and it was an
interesting experiment, having the main characters and must of the
cast not have actual voices. It worked, was cute and fun, if just a
tad preachy.
I didn't expect to enjoy Kung Fu Panda as much as I did (I have never
enjoyed Jack Black), but this was an excellent movie, and I would
probably even give it a slight edge over WALL-E. KFP succeeds
completely as both a kids movie and an adult movie, whereas WALL-E I
feel slightly misses the mark just a tiny bit on both counts (but
don't get me wrong, WALL-E is still top-notch and worth seeing).
> I'm also looking forward to the Mummy coming out soon and the latest
> Saw in October. Hey, what can I say, I'm a sick puppy! LOL.
Saw is definitely on my list. I haven't seen any of the Mummy movies,
even though in theory they're right up my alley. The previews just
never clicked with me for some reason.
X-Files is coming up this weekend! I expect to be disappointed, but
it's the frakkin' X-Files, so who cares!
And summer 2009 can't get here soon enough. Watchmen! Star Trek!
Terminator! The geek hidden deep, deep, oh so deep inside of me is
all atwitter.
SPOILER DISCUSSION OF THE DARK KNIGHT!
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
here there be spoilers
I didn't really buy Harvey Dent being this beloved "White Knight".
They just didn't spend enough time on the citizens to convince me that
the entire city looked up to him so much to prompt the cover-up at the
end.
As for the cover-up... ugh, so unnecessary,and so obviously done to
set up the plot of the next movie. With the Joker killing hundreds of
people left and right, blowing up buildings, running over cars, was
Gotham really going to notice if five more people (three of them
mobsters!) were added to the body count? If you're going to lie to
the public about who did what, why not blame the Joker's general
mayhem (since he was responsible for driving Harvey over the edge
anyway), or just leave the murders officially unsolved (if blaming the
Joker for indirectly causing their deaths is too morally/legally
questionable... which I don't buy as an excuse from a vigilante who
kidnaps Chinese citizens from their country or from a cop who is
perfectly happy to reap the benefits of such actions).
I also don't believe in the ferry boat outcome. Someone would have
pushed a button. 300+ citizens voted yes, and not a single one had
the balls to actually do it? And none of the criminals? Perhaps I'm
too pessimistic, but this just seemed completely unbelievable given
human nature, as well as the specific people involved (hundreds of
Gotham's most selfish criminals, and hundreds of citizens hardened by
a life in the most crime-ridden city on earth).
And I really don't think the sonar was necessary at all. It was a
pointless moral quandary, adding tension for the sake of adding
tension. Batman could have simply traced the Joker's transmission by
more conventional means, and the sonar added nothing to the fight in
the building. But, it gave Morgan Freeman something to do, and it
tried to make some statement about the lengths we should (not?) go to
in curtailing civil liberties while fighting terrorism (though I don't
think the statement it made was really all that coherent or
consistent, given the rest of the movie).
But these are all small problems! I really did enjoy it!
Nathan
callenmolenda@…
SLGreg
