Dawning of the Knight

Initially I didn't know what to expect or feel when The Dark Knight hit the theaters.  So much buzz can soon become a buzzkill. And with the great chatter in the media about the late Heath Ledger's great performance, which has got some people thinking he'll be offered a posthumous Oscar nomination for his role in the latest Batman film, one watches with caution to make sure all the talk isn't hype.

Rest assured, Heath's performance is wonderful! But as a film in general, all aspects work well. Christopher Johnathan  James Nolan has unveiled the Dark Knight once again with the glory its comic legend deserves. Even though I'm not really a hard core graphic novel fan, it may be safe for me to say that no fan of the real Batman will be disappointed on how Nolan's Batman has evolved. Praise to Christian Bale for his performance as well.  Batman has many deep layers and though I feel that he keeps his emotions at bay, I still hunger and wonder if we'll ever see a tear come across the eyes of Bruce Wayne and his alter ego. But understatement must be his MO to be in character I suppose.

Technology is a plus here. The utilization of the advancement of cell phones and sonar capabilities has certainly upgraded Batman's artillery, allowing him to live up to his namesake, as bats navigate their surroundings in real life in similar ways through the use of bouncing sound waves.  I wish I could have batvision like in the movie...

But once again, I fall along amongst the crowd and have to praise Heath in another performance that people will refer back to years from now.  So much potential. I know lots have compared him to James Dean, and in some ways he matches the profile. But he was an individual in his own right, and in his acting that shines through.  His Joker is one you love to love, but you know you must hate because he is just diabolically insane! Testing the limits of good and evil, and pushing good to do evil...only an insane "genius" would think of that....

I love how Harvey Dent had evolved from being the White Knight and then suddenly deteriorated after losing the love of his life. What love must do to our way of thinking that it can tear our core and rip us inside out to the point that life is just left up to chance.  

And speaking of chance, leaving the fate of lives is extraordinary in this film.  I know I run heavy with spoilers here. But I will not ruin one scene here for you. Just remember that once you see it , you might start clapping at the end of it for it makes you still have faith in good. :)

Go rush into the night and watch this latest installment of Batman....It will keep you guessing what will be in store for future sequels...

FYI: Is it possible that Gordon's son could be the next Robin??? What is his name?...... Stay tuned:)

A Robot More Human Than We

This movie reminds me of a story idea I've been playing in my head for quite awhile.  It makes me think about how we as humans so attuned to our ways of commercialism have overfed their need for products which make them forget about their humanity. We sit in front of the tube and forget how to live our own lives.  We forget how to take care of our bodies leading them to unsafe diseases that may linger insidiously or present themselves more noticeably in preventable obesity.  We take for granted the waste that this commercialism produces or the excesses we create and how the world suffers in the end.

Enter WALL-E. I appreciate the above poster's byline: 700 years after doing what he was built for, he discovers what he was meant for....This speaks poetically about my own frustrations with life. Is life all "eat, work, sleep, repeat cycle"?...Isn't life more than that?  What is our TRUE purpose. I find that the intro, sans dialogue will divide movie going people from those who are hard on action and dialogue vs. the plain moving picture aspect with subtle emotions portrayed by character acting not heavily reliant on words.  I myself do not speak much and I find myself relating a lot to Wall-E with his routines and his treasures of sentiment (i.e., love for Hello Dolly and his longing for love). But his world is devoid of any contact with anyone or companion, with the exception of his pet cockroach. My life has become like this sense of symbolic complacency until .......WALL-E's routine is changed.

Prior to his "life changing" moment of meeting his true love Eve, he picks up a plant. This will drive the rest of the film, which on many levels is comical and serious depending on what plane of thought you wish to dwell on.  But I get ahead of myself. After a cute courtship between WALL-E and EVE, who by the way plays a wonderful game of playing hard to get (notice how many times WALL-E sheepishly tries to hold hands with EVE), WALL-E gives EVE the plant he kept as a token of affection...This sends off a remote alarm to EVE's ship which houses the newly colonized humans now vegging out in space.

It is a great commentary and warning as we see humans moving about in their personal bastardized versions of Segues that allow them to converse with people or watch tv non-stop while eating a meal in a cup!  In WALL-E's chase to find EVE back on her on home turf, WALL-E breaks the barriers that these humans are used to, allowing a couple to see their surroundings for the first time, one now enabled to see the beauty of the stars or finding out that they have a pool!  Even WALL-E brings back politeness as he teaches a robot how to say hello and goodbye with a simple wave.

Yes, there is a lot of heart to this movie ironically taught through robots.  Robots teaching humans to take better care of themselves and their home planet. Many others who watch this may or may not get this kind of proselytization, or even become convinced that there's more than meets the eye than just good entertainment.  What can be said is that movies still are able to make people think.

And I continue to do so until my own purpose is revealed :)