Another Good Review of the Dark Knight

I couldn’t possibly make the The Dark Knight look any better than it already is because superlatives have been already heaped to the high heavens on this particular Bat movie. I haven’t read anything remotely bad about The Dark Knight, so giving it praise and posting another positive review would be utterly redundant already. Rather, I will just tell you why I like it (which is pretty much the same as giving it a positive review, haha). I just couldn’t resist telling you why the movie kicks butt.

1. This Batman has more cojones than all the other Batmans from the past movies put together. He is more physical, more hands-on with kicking the asses of his enemies compared to his earlier counterparts. Remember the interrogation scene with the Joker? Boy, that was a helluva beating the Joker got there. Christopher Nolan’s Batman is, for the lack of a better word, real. He gets hurt as much as he inflicts pain. This Batman does not hide behind his gadgets – he gets down and dirty and does not mind messing up his Batsuit.

2. The cars and the toys. The drool-worthy Batmobile, which is a cross between a tank and a Lamborghini, can make minced meat out of other cars stupid enough to challenge it to a collision course. And it just got better. As if the damn vehicle itself isn’t enough to make you purple with car envy, it also gives birth to an awesome Batpod upon self-destruction. Unquestionably, the Batpod is the meanest, bad ass motorcycle I’ve ever seen. A bike with monstrous 508-millimeter truck wheels? Beats a Harley anytime.

3. Gary Oldman. Morgan Freeman. Michael Caine. And yes, even Aaron Eckhart. Rare is the movie which combines such class acts, in a superhero movie, no less. Gary Oldman’s restrained acting is such a remarkable feat, given that he is usually known for outlandish roles. Michael Caine is just perfect as Alfred, no chinks there. Morgan Freeman? Like, can this man ever produce bad acting? Aaron Eckhart did a great job as Two-Face, and he managed to make his character shine even with the undeniable presence of Heath Ledger, which pretty much eclipsed all the other actors present in this movie, as good as they were.

4. Heath Ledger as the Joker. The man is undeniably a sublime actor, but what really made it work for him in The Dark Knight is that he basically nailed the character of Batman’s number one nemesis. Jack Nicholson was great in Batman, and his Joker was appropriate for how Tim Burton wanted his Bat movie to roll. However, Jack’s Joker was funny, campy and a tad cartoonish, even if he is a bad guy – Heath Ledger’s was pure evil, the way DC’s Joker should be – a violent, remorseless villain that you can almost mistake for crazy.* This is the most accurate Joker that you have seen, or will ever see.

*Never-ending debates on whether the Joker is actually insane or not. Some sources cite that according to the Batman himself, the Joker’s biggest crime is his pretending to be insane, when in fact he is not. Since the police think he is mentally ill, they just confine him in the Arkham Asylum instead of getting him proper jail time for all the crimes he committed. This argument stresses that the Joker is not crazy; he is just a truly evil individual with absolutely no regard for logic and morality.

The Wish List

I’ve noticed that lots of bloggers have posted their own wish lists, with items that range from the reasonable to downright insane (ambisyosa ka ha?). Well, since I’m emotionally empty nowadays and unable to think of anything dramatic to post just yet, I will jump on the wish list bandwagon and let you in, dear readers, on what my humble heart desires.

Generous individuals can choose from the following:

From the possible…

-All of the Pugad Baboy books. Most of the books in my collection got lost when I moved out from my old house. Don’t ask me the whole story anymore, or else I’ll just weep unabashedly because of the profound loss. It’s a good thing I managed to save the most important of them all, the Ink and Politics, which has a drawing of Polgas (created by the great Pol himself, with a blue ballpen) on the inside cover, with Polgas saying, “Good buddy ko si Justine!” Pugad Baboy fans, go purple with envy! May I gloat even further that he was my thesis adviser several years ago, and we’ve been to his house. Basked on his talent. Ate his food. Slept on his bed.

Joooke.

The thing is, I want to replace all of them. Pronto. And you can help. Hehe.

-All of Jessica Zafra’s books. I practically worship the woman. If there are two Filipinos whom I’d gladly play the hopeless, drooling groupie for, it’s Jessica Zafra and Pol Medina. Except that if I am indeed lucky enough to be granted an audience with Jessica, I’d probably just sit across from her and say nothing out of sheer terror. I’d probably even be too petrified to breathe.

-Guns ‘N Roses, Use Your Illusion I & II albums

_Alice in Chains, MTV Unplugged DVD
-The Vampire Chronicles
-Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Suskind. Throw in the original DVD too, alright?
-DVD series of Shark
-Tickets to the Eraserheads reunion concert
-Tickets to the Alicia Keys concert
-Directions to the best ukay-ukay shop in Manila
-Any WWE DVD
-A subscription to National Geographic magazine
-An eat-all-you-can treat at Mr. Kebab in QC
-A pair of old-school Ray-ban sunglasses, the classic aviator style
-Boots. Lotsa lotsa boots.

To the quite impossible (Man, you’re dreaming...)

-Tickets to Wrestlemania XXV in Houston, Texas
-A lifetime supply of Red Horse
-A ringside seat to Manny Pacquiao’s next fight, close enough to be rained on by his million-dollar sweat

And the ludicrous (You’re ILL.)

-Ownership of the Anthology bar in Malate
-Convince U2 to have a concert here. Pleeeeaaassseee. Oh, and have Bono meet me backstage. Just the two of us.
-Christian Bale
-Marriage to John Legend
-Bring back Heath Ledger from the grave.