The Dark Knight Trilogy (Christopher Nolan, 2005-2012)

[moviscop]

He loves Morrissey (with and without The Smiths); he often quotes Morrissey's lyrics in his reviews.

Morrissey writes amazing lyrics, they are so unique. I might have to read more of this guy's reviews.

[Antoine Doinel]

Ebert loves it.

[Tom Hagen]

If Leslie Feist and Chan Marshall are now just MOR, score a substantial victory for the mainstream . . .

[Antoine Doinel]

Featurettes and an online game courtesy of Comcast.

[jbeall]

Stephanie Zacharek pans it, apparently because Christopher Nolan isn't Hitchcock.

I usually find her reviews interesting, but then there are these reviews where I get the sense that she's simply trying to be contrarian. This is one of those.

Oh well, I'm still psyched to see it.

[flyonthewall2983]

I just think the professional critical community at large doesn't want to be all positive or negative about the same thing. I'm sure there's a good review for Gigli somewhere.

[Antoine Doinel]

Stephanie Zacharek pans it, apparently because Christopher Nolan isn't Hitchcock.

Well, she wrote that ridiculous review of the Godard bio in the NY Times, which can summarized as: "Why can't all his movies be like Breathless?"

[jbeall]

Yeah, I'll get into a stretch where I agree with her, and then she'll go off the deep end and piss me off. I felt the same way about her review of both the Godard bio and Dark Knight. At least she isn't Armond White!

[domino harvey]

Leonard "Was probably wearing a Batman pin" Maltin and Tom "Sunrise wasn't as good as Titanic" O'Neil say Ledger's a "long-shot" for the Oscar.

[Binker]

“Batman” isn’t a comic book anymore.

How many of these reviewers do you think have ever once picked up a Batman comic? It's sorta fascinating to me how this line or some variation of it is being repeated over and over again in all of these laudatory reviews, like branching away from the source material that generated this cultural icon is somehow commendable in and of itself. I would love to hear some of these reviewers elaborate more specifically on what they're referring to when they say that, beyond a simple "uhh, it's darker." (which I would argue actually veers it closer to some of the best Batman series)

Throughout the film, he devises ingenious situations that force Batman (Christian Bale), Commissioner Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) to make impossible ethical decisions.

I really hope the movie isn't just the Joker setting up a series of "Save your girlfriend or 30 civilians, Batman, your choice!111"s

[THX1378]

I would love to hear some of these reviewers elaborate more specifically on what they're referring to when they say that, beyond a simple "uhh, it's darker." (which I would argue actually veers it closer to some of the best Batman series)

I hate that the only thing people can say about this is that it's darker. It's not that it's darker, it's bleak and sadistic look at a world where there is no control.

I really hope the movie isn't just the Joker setting up a series of "Save your girlfriend or 30 civilians, Batman, your choice!111"s

No it's not a set up for this. The Joker is all about chaos this time. The man just doesn't care at all. And if something like this came up, and it does in a way in the film, he would find a way to kill both sets of partys no matter what Batman did. He wants to see Batman cross that line and become something that Batman doesn't want to become, and thats a killer.

I just think the professional critical community at large doesn't want to be all positive or negative about the same thing. I'm sure there's a good review for Gigli somewhere.

Didn't Roger Ebert give the film a 2 star review for the film and not slam it like most critics did? I mean there are going to be people that are going to hate this film for some reason or another. There are always people out there that have some reason to hate even an almost perfect film. Look at Wall*E, no matter how perfect that film is in my mind, there are 2 critics that still didn't like it.

[Antoine Doinel]

David Edelstein defendshis review. While he says that his negative review is not a ploy for attention, you kind of have to wonder why he chooses to respond to fans this time around, especially, as he notes, he endured nine years of fanboy hatred while writing for Salon.

[Binker]

"They attack you for snobbery, for treating films like The Dark Knight as unworthy of serious discussion; then they call you a pretentious for engaging with those films beyond the level of “Wow!”"

I think one could make the argument that, by it's very nature, this film is destined to be caught in between these two planes. My concern with Nolan's decision to attempt to "intellectualize" Batman, is that the ideas that define and are inherent to Batman and his world are simplistic, even when they transcend "good versus evil" storytelling. I'm somewhat worried that darkness (obviously, it isn't difficult to make a dark film) is being confused for complexity. I mean, does exploring ethical sacrifices as necessary to maintain order in the face of chaos really qualify as complex thematic subject matter? How about examining how good and evil are really flip sides of the same coin, and how heroes need their villains, etc, etc? I think my answer is, yes, these are complex ideas, for a Batman story. If you ask me to consider it as something more, well, we'll see how it turns out...

I'll probably love this movie, but I'm skeptical about the supposed moral and psychological complexity.

[Finch]

Nick Schager over at Slant says the film "is very near to a pop masterpiece" and "Thrilling, heady and, as befitting its title, exceedingly dark, it's epic pulp, or perhaps more accurately, it's pulp transformed through auteurist artistry into a piercingly relevant morality play epic."

Found the following interesting in comparison to Denby's comments: "Toned down, mercifully, is Batman Begins's sliced-to-incomprehensible-ribbons editing and choreography, as the Caped Crusader's hand-to-hand scuffles are now staged with considerably more lucidity."

Got my ticket for the midday showing today next week

[Haggai]

Found the following interesting in comparison to Denby's comments: "Toned down, mercifully, is Batman Begins's sliced-to-incomprehensible-ribbons editing and choreography, as the Caped Crusader's hand-to-hand scuffles are now staged with considerably more lucidity."

That's good to hear. I'm seeing it on Saturday, so I'll report back with my thoughts on that specific point.

[dx23]

Leonard "Was probably wearing a Batman pin" Maltin and Tom "Sunrise wasn't as good as Titanic" O'Neil say Ledger's a "long-shot" for the Oscar.

According to them, the Oscars is all about hugs. Damn, they need a hugfest.

[domino harvey]

For the record, before the noms were announced, Tom O'Neil was convinced Sweeney Todd would sweep the Oscars, and before the ceremony, he was positive that George Clooney would upset DDL. He's an industry joke and doesn't have the genial affability of Maltin to counter his irrelevance.

[Finch]

Walter Chaw at FFC declares The Dark Knight as "the best American film of the year so far" and states further,

"The Dark Knight is that rare film that doesn't appear to have any flaws. As an action picture, it's superior; as a drama it's exemplary. The performances to a one are pitch-perfect; while the temptation is to zero in on Ledger's awesome turn, Eckhart's Dent is brinkmanship and Gyllenhaal currently claims the single most heartbreaking moment of 2008 cinema. A note about Ledger: consider the inevitable bit where someone declares that the Joker is crazy, then consider the obvious responses and how Nolan and Ledger subvert our expectations while remaining completely true to the nature of insanity. This Joker isn't carnival sideshow, he's not Jack Nicholson crazy--this Joker is cross-the-street crazy. The glittering beauty of it is that the character is scary because his madness is born of sadness and possibility. Then you have Bale, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Cillian Murphy in a tiny appearance resurrecting the first film's Scarecrow...and yet the picture, for all its craft, is only a masterpiece based on its mad adherence to this idea that hope is a luxury in the face of atrocity. Hope is weakness--the only possibility for victory is to hone your cynicism into sword and shield."

[domino harvey]

Walter Chaw's website is just AICN with fewer all-cap posts.

[Finch]

Leaving Alex Jackson aside, I find FFC's critics are among the most articulate and intelligent writers online. You aren't alone in questioning FFC editor Bill Chambers' decision to include Jackson among his staff but I can't shake the feeling, domino, that the main reason you even compare FFC to AICN is because Mr Jackson writes for FFC. In all honesty, I'd much rather read a piece like Walter's on The Dark Knight where his love of, and passion for film comes through and infects you, than the likes of Armond White who seem to be too busy to getting off on the supposed brilliance of Steven Spielberg's post-Schindler's List output, and to give almost everything else that is actually worth giving a damn about a thumbs down.

[tavernier]

Manohla digs it.

[moviscop]

Who is seeing the film tomorrow morning (12:01, 3:15, 6:30)?

I unfortunately was only able to get tickets for he 3:15am IMAX showing so I'm gonna try to sleep beforehand. Anyone else gettin' hopped up on caffeine?

[luridedith]

Its absolutely amazing, I was blown away. Probably one of the only recent popcorn blockbusters I could actually say that about. I was surprised by its intelligence and its conscious effort to make every single character that appears on screen feel developed and natural - its sad how actually good storytelling is rare in Hollywood films of this kind these days. Heath Ledger also gives one of my favourite male performances ever, seriously worth the hype. While he is everything you've heard, he is also really, really hilarious... then again I have a sick sense of humour. Simply because of him the film is leaps and bounds ahead of its dull, humourless predecessor. I also have always loved Maggie Gyllenhaal and she really brings depth and charisma to such a boring character (huge improvement over goody two shoes Holmes).

Couple of things that irked me though: while Aaron Eckhart as Two Face is awesome, the throwbacks to his comic character were a little too obvious (the coin thing, how conveniently the burns all keep to one side) rather than Joker's complete reinvention also really hated Commissioner Gordon's Spielberg-esque perfect and angelic child and all the sappy scenes involving Gordon's family life - seemed out of place.

[moviscop]

You work at a movie theater don't you? Lucky bastard, seeing it before everyone else can.

[luridedith]

You work at a movie theater don't you? Lucky bastard, seeing it before everyone else can.

No, I'm just Australian!