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| ABF Winter Camp. School. Got an internship. Did summer school. Watched The Dark Knight a couple times in theaters. Phoenix Churches Youth Camp. Went to Vegas/back to LA for about a week. Back to school. Thanksgiving in LA. 2 year anniversary with GF. Watched The Dark Knight on Blu-Ray/Digital Copy about 20 times. Christmas in LA with Family and Friends(Got to hang with the LB, but no Joohan  ). Fun with Tucson chingoos for New Years Eve.
Goodbye 2008
Hello 2009
Happy New Year!
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| On August 10, just 13 days ago, a great man named Isaac Hayes passed away.
For all of you who don't know who he is or what he accomplished, he was the man who played the voice of Chef in the Comedy Central cartoon series, South Park.
His other achievements include:
The creative mind behind the soul music label Stax Records
Winning an academy award for writing the original score for Shaft
Winning 3 Grammy's for songs that he wrote
You will be missed Mr. Hayes
Also, Bernie Mac died
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| There are a lot of stupid people in the world.
That is all I am going to say for now...
This idiot decides to dress up as Joker, from Batman: The Dark Knight, and rob a comic book store. In the process, he gets caught.
Good job stupid. Have fun in jail. I hope you have mad bds by the time you get out. | | |
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I saw it last night.
I will do my best to explain my appreciation for this film, however, I must apologize in advance because whatever I say in this blog will not do it justice.
*WARNING*
There will be SPOILERS from this point on.
If you feel the sad need to come back to this site to read the crap that I have written, come back after you watch the movie.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!
However, I don't even know where to begin. There is so much awesome that comes from this film that it is overwhelming. But since we need to start somewhere I'll start with the characters.
Alfred Pennyworth
In the past there has been mainly one representation of Alfred. He is Bruce's butler who wears a tuxedo everywhere and tends to Bruce's every whim with a British accent. Both the comic and the animated tv show portrayed Alfred in this way. In the past film franchise, Alfred was played by Michael Gough. Gough played the comic book/animated tv show Alfred perfectly in every way. Michael Caine has created a new alfred for a new age. Instead of having such a detached Alfred, we have a new one who actually knows Bruce Wayne better than anyone. Alfred is now Bruce's go to guy when it comes to advice about life. You can really see the love that Alfred has for Bruce and always does what he feels is best for Bruce. Such as, when he burned the letter that Rachel wanted Alfred to give to Bruce.
I would do a section for Rachel Dawes, but I just don't want to...
Lieutenant/Commissioner Gordon
In the comic, Commissioner Gordon is the everyman. He embodies all the cops that want to do good for their cities. He wants to keep his streets safer for his family's sake. So that they won't have to grow up in the crappy world that he did. Gordon is the only one who doesn't know the true identity of Batman but constantly stays by his side. He believes in what he is doing and wants him to succeed. This is my speculation, but I think he wishes he could do the things that Batman does but cannot because of his family. At the end of the movie when his family is taken hostage by Harvey Two-Face, you see the love that fathers have for their son and husbands have for their wives. Gary Oldman was the perfect choice for this character. He looks the part with the mustache and glasses and performs the part in a way that no one else could.
I was also gonna do a section for Lucius Fox, but this review is taking days to complete. All you need to know is that Morgan Freeman is a black man and he is the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. He knows that Bruce Wayne is Batman and he helps him out. He is awesome. He also says "Shoot this mother fu****!" in Wanted.
Harvey "Two-Face" Dent
The entire film shows the rise and fall of Harvey. It shows all the greatness he has achieved through his spot as district attorney. I would also like to add that his character in the film is exactly how it is in the comics. He starts off as the district attorney of Gotham City and is torn away from his fiance because of an explosion that disfigures half of his face. In the last movie with Two-Face, his insanity came from schizophrenia. However, this is a common misconception. The purpose of the coin is exactly what they captured in the movie. The coin is a way to perform "true justice." The world is an unfair place so the only fair way to do anything is to give it a 50-50 chance. The combination of Aaron Eckhart's acting and Christopher Nolan's made it possible to show the true nature of Harvey "Two-Face."
I know this review is taking forever and I apologize for that
And I just wanted to say that I watched it again
Let us continue...
Joker
Scrumtrulescent. Heath Ledger's Joker was, quite possibly, the most awesome performance of a villain of all time. All bad guys care about these days is money. (like he said in the film) All they want in the end is something to fill their pockets with. The Joker of this film is the villain that the world has been waiting for. After many years of my own research on the Joker I have learned a lot about who Joker is, and the super powers that he uses. Obviously Joker does not have any physical super powers. He could never dream of beating Batman in a fist fight or matching him with his cool gadgets. Joker's super power is the level of his sanity. Everyone knows that people are usually sane or insane, however Joker has been known to have something called super sanity. His mind is on a level above that of normal people. When the people of Gotham got a whiff of what he was doing they began to be afraid of him. Joker knows no boundaries when it comes to destruction and killing. He is the exact opposite of Batman in every way. In the comics, Joker is the only person who can out think Batman from time to time. Of course Batman figures out his plan after some time, but Joker is the one villain that constantly eludes Batman. The amount of panic and fear he causes is unparalleled. Most threats that are made by madmen can be ignored because most of the time they aren't taken seriously. But Joker has the power to turn regular people against each other and resort to killing. The part when you tells all of Gotham to kill one man to protect a hospital shows what people can turn into. It's only near the end of the movie where his experiment fails and shows the good that mankind has within themselves. The random/awesome appearance of Deebo showed that criminals have a heart too.
Heath Ledger was amazing in creating a completely insane yet realistic Joker. The way he took simple lines like, "why so serious?" or "here we go" and made the into iconic moments was awesome. He was the darkest/most evil bad guy of the real world. All the times in the film when he had people on his video camera and showed the moments before their deaths was horrifying. All the laughing he did and the little ticks he had were perfect for the character. The constant licking of his lips and the different stories he told of why he has the scars on his face made his character more believable.
Batman
The character development that takes place for Batman is masterful. During the time between Batman Begins and Batman: The Dark Knight has honed his techniques and has got the underworld of Gotham City scared stiff. Early on in the movie we see that drug dealers won't dare to do business just by having the bat signal on over head. This is one of the key elements that has been missing from all the previous Batman films. The amount of fear that Batman puts into the criminals of Gotham is very important to show the impact that Batman's presence has on the world.
Another genius part of this movie was to include the Batman impersonators. I don't know if it was part of any comic book, but if Christopher Nolan made it up, then he is a freakin' genius. These impersonators adds to the reverence that the people of Gotham have for Batman. People want to be like him, as stupid as they may be for trying. Another great thing about the film is all the little things that Batman did which tied directly to the comic. Things like disappearing before the end of a conversation. The most important thing about Batman was emphasized in this film which has been incorrect in all of the previous films. Batman does not kill. I know my last post said that Superman was stupid, however, the one thing that makes Batman and Superman the greatest heroes of all time is their belief in preserving human life at all costs.
Bruce Wayne
Christian Bale gives an amazing performance to the tormented soul that is Bruce Wayne. As we see in the movie, things begin to change for the worse in Gotham City. It seems like all the good that Batman has done is being undone by the crazed Joker. (don't worry, we'll get to him later) Because of this people are blaming the Batman and accusing him of being the source of all their problems. Bruce is torn on whether or not keeping the mask is doing more good than damage. It shows the human side of the superhero as a whole. Shows the pain that regular people go through on a day to day basis, only in extraordinary circumstances. One of the greatest moments in the movie was when Rachel Dawes dies. You may all be laughing right now, but it's not what you think. Maggie Gyllenhaal gave an excellent performance in the film and did way better than Katie Holmes. (damn your crooked smile, it will be the death of me) Her character brought out the human side of Batman. Bruce Wayne doesn't want to be Batman anymore and wants to pass the torch onto someone who can show their real face in Gotham, Harvey Dent. (another person we will be getting to) He wants to end his run so that he can take off the mask and be with the one woman who was waiting for him. Her death took that all away. You could say that his torment is now complete. Without anyone to look forward to, he can do nothing else but go on. Obviously, being Batman did not rest solely on the shoulders of Rachel, but it was a good chunk of it. The film ends with with Bruce really understanding the purpose of Batman. He realizes that Batman is not supposed to be a hero in the eyes of the people. Batman is supposed to clean up the streets of Gotham, but at the same time he can be much more. If the people need to believe that Batman is a murderer so that hope can stay alive in Gotham City, then he is willing to allow that to happen.
"Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now...and so we'll hunt him, because he can take it. Because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector...a dark knight."
-Commissioner Gordon | | |
| If you don't already know this, Batman is my favorite comic book character of all time. I have looked into many different characters from Marvel to DC and Batman has the most interesting/realistic etymology of all. For all of you have been living under a rock for the past couple months, a new movie starring the caped crusader comes out tomorrow. I'm excited to the point where I must write to you all to share my love and feelings toward this awesome hero.
A little comic book history:
Batman's alter ego is Bruce Wayne. He is a billionaire living in Gotham City. When he was a small child, Bruce's parents were murdered in front of him. This act changed the course of his life forever. All of that pain and torment he went through could drive any man insane. However, it did something else to him. Instead of turning his pain against himself and the people he loved, as most people do, he decided to do something good about it. He vowed that he would do everything he could to stop things like his parents murder from happening. He turned his vengeance into justice and made the people who were feared become afraid. Combining the training of every type of combat known to man and his immense wealth, he recreates himself as more than just a man. He becomes "a legend." Having a fear of bats himself from a young age, he decides to turn his fear into something all of his enemies will fear. And so, he becomes Batman.
I would like to take this time to compare Batman to another popular superhero in the world of comics. The man I am talking about, of course, is Superman. Both are of the DC world and have about an equal following. Many people argue that Batman is not a superhero because he does not have any super powers like Superman. However, to me, and many others, Batman's superpower does not come from his ability to fly or punch through walls, but his ability to strategize. Batman is the world's greatest detective and time and time again he is able to out think his opponents. Even if his adversary is hundreds of times stronger or faster, Batman has the ability to find his weakness and exploit it. Superman is a being is a bevy of super powers. He's faster than a speeding bullet, he's stronger than anything on the planet, he has heat vision, he has cold breath, he's impervious to injury and more. He has one weakness, Kryptonite, which are radioactive pieces of his home world, Krypton. If he comes into contact with these rocks, then he becomes as weak as a human. What amazes me about Superman is that he keeps on falling for the same weakness over and over again. *some extra knowledge: if there is a barrier of lead between Superman and the Kryptonite then he is unaffected by it* In the tv show a scientist creates a suit made of lead to protect Superman from this very attack. WHY DOESN'T HE WEAR IT ALL THE TIME! As awesome as all of Superman's super powers are, I think he is kind of stupid.
As geeky as this may sound, there have been many analysts on who the greatest superhero of all time would be and I've read a couple of these articles. Batman takes the cake in the majority of them. Even pitted against Spiderman and others in the Marvel world, it is agreed that Batman can out think them all.
Now let's go into the history of the franchise:
Just by looking at all the comics, tv shows, and films that this character has gone through, you can tell the love that people have for him. Batman has changed a lot over the years. From the silly action sequences that feature the POWS and the BAMS to the much darker days where Danny DeVito played a disgustingly awesome Penguin and then back to the silly action sequences with Arnold Smorgasbord. (as you can tell, I don't know or want to try to spell his last name) The actors that have played Batman in past films start with Adam West, then Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, and George Clooney.
But the franchise was rebooted when Christopher Nolan decided to direct the new batman movie which would start Batman from scratch. Christian Bale has taken on the cape and cowl and has been donned the new Batman. With the huge success of Batman Begins there is a huge anticipation for the next one. When the movie was first announced there was a lot of talk of who is going to play the Joker. When the casting finally landed on Heath Ledger a lot of people thought that picking Brokeback man was kind of weird. But people think differently now. His performance has gotten rave reviews and has got people saying that this will not only be the best Batman to date, but the best comic book movie. Kevin Smith, Silent Bob of Jay and Silent Bob, has said that Batman: The Dark Knight is the Godfather II of comic book movies.
It's about 3:45 p.m. here in the big AZ and all I'll be doing today is watching old Batman movies until I go and watch the new one tonight. If anyone else that decides to read this whole thing watches the movie tonight as well, please let me know so that I can giggle with you like a little school boy.
And if any of you are thinking that you need to say thank you to me for being gay, just know that "you'll never have to." | | |
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