That's a Joker, Son.
Jul. 22nd, 2008 10:13 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
captainsblogOr daughter, in this case, seeing how that's what I got.
I know, I have my fondness for the camp and MST3k-ishness of the television original that I grew up with, where Romero's Joker always struck me as a Rupert Pupkin sort of frustrated stand-up comic who couldn't get on the air without going criminal. And I'll always like me my Jack no matter what crazed individual he's playing, but c'mon. That Joker's character was even NAMED Jack. He could've yelled "Heeere's Johnny!" or "You can't handle the truth!" and you wouldn't have even noticed any break in continuity.
Now THIS Joker, on the other hand, was closest to the essence of what I think Bob Kane intended. Not just pure evil, but random, psychotic evil. These writers and performers left you with no clue of (if you'll pardon the obscure reference to the short-lived Batgirl theme song) "where did he come from? where does he go?" He's not Jack- Napier, Nicholson or otherwise. No prints, no labels, no past, no name. And even the semi-obtuse depiction of his final eventual capture provides no answers about the future, yet without the hint of dangling anything for a sequel. Just as impressively, there was no mistaking this for anything Heath Ledger ever did before. The 60-90 minutes or so of the 2:32 he was onscreen? He pwned them. And should be given a freaking Pscar for them.
----
As for the rest of it/them? It comes down from 11 in a hurry, but not really all that far.
Poor Christian Bale. There's talk of a Superman curse, but really, isn't the Batman one just as bad, if somewhat less fatal? He's now tied with Michael Keaton for the number of modern-day movies a single actor has survived in the Batman role. Val and George and even Adam West must be wishing him much luck right about now. Having to play two such opposing roles within the film, and make them both work, would be a daunting task for even the far more experienced actors on that set, which is probably why Freeman and Caine were constantly picking the spotlight from his pocket whenever they shared a scene with him. And while his nemesis got the privilege of performing most of his part out of sheer acting ability, BatBruce is constantly surrounded by tricked-out Battrucks and Batcycles and beer-sign Bateyes, which are fun to watch but can't be all that fulfilling to a serious actor. (P.S.: All of those sentiments were articulated in my brain, at least, before this news came down this morning about Bale's run-in with the Britcops.)
Harvey and Rachel and Jim, oh my. All carried their arcs well, at least one of them to its end when they could have easily milked more than one more movie out of any or all of their stories.
----
Nitpicks, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention. Okay, fine.
People: state district attorneys do not charge RICO violations. It's an exclusively federal charge. So cast Evangeline Lilly as a freakin Assistant US Attorney working with Harvey so we can have some eye candy too, okay?
Also, the Nolans owe serious royalties to the guys who did the old Bossmonster Ant City game. The blowed-up copter and the big blowed-up truck are right outta there.
Finally, much as I love Chicago for its big shoulders and genuine domestic urbanity and its losing NL baseball team, it is not Gotham City. Gotham does not have Els and a big downtown Daley Plaza. (There was even a hat-tip to the Blues Brothers in one of the overdone car-chase scenes, where I turned to Emily and said, in my best Elwood voice, "Lots of space in this mall!") Gotham traditionally had Mayor Linseed and Governor Stonyfeller. Its nickname is from the biggest city on the east coast and it belongs there.
All in all, though, the runtime went quickly, the violence was less than I expected (although the wholesale price of glass has gone up on NYMEX by about 120 percent since this movie broke half our strategic reserve), and I'd give it two thumbs up but Ebert just got cancelled again and besides, he's from Chicago.
I know, I have my fondness for the camp and MST3k-ishness of the television original that I grew up with, where Romero's Joker always struck me as a Rupert Pupkin sort of frustrated stand-up comic who couldn't get on the air without going criminal. And I'll always like me my Jack no matter what crazed individual he's playing, but c'mon. That Joker's character was even NAMED Jack. He could've yelled "Heeere's Johnny!" or "You can't handle the truth!" and you wouldn't have even noticed any break in continuity.
Now THIS Joker, on the other hand, was closest to the essence of what I think Bob Kane intended. Not just pure evil, but random, psychotic evil. These writers and performers left you with no clue of (if you'll pardon the obscure reference to the short-lived Batgirl theme song) "where did he come from? where does he go?" He's not Jack- Napier, Nicholson or otherwise. No prints, no labels, no past, no name. And even the semi-obtuse depiction of his final eventual capture provides no answers about the future, yet without the hint of dangling anything for a sequel. Just as impressively, there was no mistaking this for anything Heath Ledger ever did before. The 60-90 minutes or so of the 2:32 he was onscreen? He pwned them. And should be given a freaking Pscar for them.
----
As for the rest of it/them? It comes down from 11 in a hurry, but not really all that far.
Poor Christian Bale. There's talk of a Superman curse, but really, isn't the Batman one just as bad, if somewhat less fatal? He's now tied with Michael Keaton for the number of modern-day movies a single actor has survived in the Batman role. Val and George and even Adam West must be wishing him much luck right about now. Having to play two such opposing roles within the film, and make them both work, would be a daunting task for even the far more experienced actors on that set, which is probably why Freeman and Caine were constantly picking the spotlight from his pocket whenever they shared a scene with him. And while his nemesis got the privilege of performing most of his part out of sheer acting ability, BatBruce is constantly surrounded by tricked-out Battrucks and Batcycles and beer-sign Bateyes, which are fun to watch but can't be all that fulfilling to a serious actor. (P.S.: All of those sentiments were articulated in my brain, at least, before this news came down this morning about Bale's run-in with the Britcops.)
Harvey and Rachel and Jim, oh my. All carried their arcs well, at least one of them to its end when they could have easily milked more than one more movie out of any or all of their stories.
----
Nitpicks, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention. Okay, fine.
People: state district attorneys do not charge RICO violations. It's an exclusively federal charge. So cast Evangeline Lilly as a freakin Assistant US Attorney working with Harvey so we can have some eye candy too, okay?
Also, the Nolans owe serious royalties to the guys who did the old Bossmonster Ant City game. The blowed-up copter and the big blowed-up truck are right outta there.
Finally, much as I love Chicago for its big shoulders and genuine domestic urbanity and its losing NL baseball team, it is not Gotham City. Gotham does not have Els and a big downtown Daley Plaza. (There was even a hat-tip to the Blues Brothers in one of the overdone car-chase scenes, where I turned to Emily and said, in my best Elwood voice, "Lots of space in this mall!") Gotham traditionally had Mayor Linseed and Governor Stonyfeller. Its nickname is from the biggest city on the east coast and it belongs there.
All in all, though, the runtime went quickly, the violence was less than I expected (although the wholesale price of glass has gone up on NYMEX by about 120 percent since this movie broke half our strategic reserve), and I'd give it two thumbs up but Ebert just got cancelled again and besides, he's from Chicago.
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no subject
Date: 2008-07-22 03:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-07-22 04:06 pm (UTC)But I've gotta remember my rule ... if a piece of casting seems way out of left field, there must be something very right about it. And this was so, so right.