redbrunja | The Dark Knight, Or, Wow It's A Bit Nippy In This Refridgerator

Current Mood: annoyed
Current Music: agni kai - the track team

Entry tags:

meta,
movies

The Dark Knight, Or, Wow It's A Bit Nippy In This Refridgerator

So, I finally found the time to post my thoughts on the latest batman movie:

First, with all the hype, I totally came in with a 'just try and impress me' attitude. That said, the first half of the movie lived up to what everyone was saying.

I hate to say it, because Katie Holmes gets a lot of flack, but Maggie Gyllenhaal is the far superior actress, and I really liked how that storyline played out. It was one of the few times where I've believed that the girl in a love triangle loved both men.

I adored Harvey Dent, and found his arc honestly tragic (I was hoping he'd stick around and be a reoccuring villain). Also, I really like that actor.

I like how Christian Bale has different voice for himself, Batman, and Bruce Wayne in public.

I liked seeing Will Tippin as a petty criminal.

Heath Legar was honestly amazing - I really liked how he kept having different origin stories for his scars, and he was totally believable as someone who was just crazy.

I didn't have a problem with the movie being pretty bleak, simply because Batman has thematically been darker (the idea that because it's depressing bugs me, and I know that's why it's getting Oscar buzz - well, that and Legar's death.)

What did bug me is that how as soon as Rachel died, it became incredibly main dominated, and didn't have to be. I mean, EVEN IF you needed to kill off Rachel, what tipped the movie over into a male ego fest was all the attention paid to Gordon's kid - and not the one who grew up to be Batgirl. I mean, think about that - instead of focusing on the child who has an instrumental or at least really important role in the comics, as well as her own comic series, you're focusing on the son. Just because. Sweet god, you don't even get to see her face.

That last scene with all those men arguing and Barbara huddling with her children was really annoying, especially when you realize it was the exact same as that scene on the ferry, when the only women you get a reaction shot off of was the mother.

So, the movie really lost me there.

Also, I spent a lot of time going, 'I wonder how smillaraaq feels about the bad rep pit bulls are getting in this movie.'

And now, a nice maiming of the women in refrigerators trope:

[Bad username or unknown identity: ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

That strip's just plain awesome. And that's not the end (http://www.superstupor.com/sust04142008.shtml). He wishes it was. (http://www.superstupor.com/sust05262008.shtml)

That's one girlfriend you don't fuck with.

I love Super Stupor.

Since I am determined not to see the newest Batman movie, I gave brother permission to spoil me like crazy.

This is why we need Robins, who also have access to Bat's technology, so ya know, BOTH freaking hostages can be saved. But I guess we wouldn't have had nutsoid Harvey Dent aka Two Face in that case.

Wait, tiny future-batgirl has a brother? Since when does she have a brother?

WORD.

And what made you decide not to see it?

Wait, tiny future-batgirl has a brother? Since when does she have a brother?

Since only men can both a.) be awesome and b.) live.

1. looks like it's using the sort of 'edgey' violence that they thinks makes it 'mature'
2. Joker, in any version, creeps/freaks me the FUCK out. Not gonna see a movie if I'll wanna hide whenever a MAJOR character comes onscreen.
3. I didn't know the guy from "Thank You For Smoking" was gonna be in it as Harvey Dent. Really like him, still not seeing it.

Those are very, very good reasons not to see this movie. I'd add, the idea that there can be no humor or joy in a Serious Movie and the lack of chicks.

Yeah...if we'd had Harlequin, then I coulda looked at her during the Joker's scenes.

That would have been nice. You know, I actually really don't know anything about Harley besides the fact that she and Poison Ivy had oodles of lesbian subtext.

Ah, now this I know since the animated series is about the only part of the Batman franchise I really got into, and that's where the character started. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley_Quinn (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harley_Quinn)

She was originally supposed to be a one-shot character in the cartoon, took off enough to be a recurring character, and then was popular enough that she got worked into the comic continuity. The cartoon backstory is that she was a psychiatrist who became obsessed with the Joker when he was in Arkham, and they have a twisted on-again off-again sort of relationship. He treats her pretty badly at times, but does seem to have an odd sort of affection for her, and she doesn't always take his crappy behavior passively -- the first episode that started off all the Ivy-and-Harley buckets-of-subtext has them first working together when she's walked out on the Joker.

Oh, she sounds delightful!

She's a really fun, interesting character; Poison Ivy and Catwoman are still my favorites of the Batman bad girls, particularly Ivy (how could I not love a brilliant mad scientist who's also a classic femme fatale, with a wardrobe of poisonous and mind-control lipsticks?), but Harley's a fine addition to the team and particularly amusing in her on-and-off, so-blatant-it's-practically-text, partnership with Ivy. Her relationship with the Joker is a little disturbing at times -- she's very, very obsessed with him and takes a fair bit of verbal abuse -- but what keeps it from being total uncomfortable doormat territory for me is that the relationship is clearly being shown as messed up and dysfunctional rather than something to be admired; and since the Joker is just as crazy and abusive to his male henchmen, and Harley at times gets bossed around and belittled by Ivy as well, it doesn't wind up reading that the dynamic is that way because he's the man and she's the woman and that's the way it's supposed to be. Plus as noted earlier, she does have enough of a spine to talk back or even walk out when he goes too far; she has a mind of her own and a personality beyond just "Joker's crazy girlfriend".

I agree that the later half of the movie could have used some awesome women, especially after the cool girl cop just had to be one of the traitors.

As for the future Batgirl, Nolan has been weirdly cagey about whether or not Gordon's daughter is Barbara AKA Batgirl, he point blank refuses to confirm her name.

It really could have.

Oh, Nolan, that's just dumb. Refusing to confirm is one this, but wasting our time with lame son who doesn't even have the possibility of being important? Just dumb storytelling. If he's really going to tease us, he should have her actually on screen. (We don't even get a shot of her face, ever.)

I was okay with the girl cop being a traitor. I didn't like that it meant she wouldn't be around for the sequel (only four women in the movie, and they were all killed or eliminated from the plot except the "bitter" wife), but in general I didn't mind that she was portrayed negatively. Corrupt cops *do* exist and there's no reason we can't see women acting that part as well. It was basically a gender-neutral role that could have been played by a guy, so at least it's one more body that looks female instead of male to fill the screen.

I disagree with that mainly because she was one of the film's very, very few woman characters. (With lines!) Since there are so few women, the roles each play are more important than they would be if the movie had a surplus of female characters. So, if they'd had a few more female cops, or some female politicians that didn't get killed and got more lines, or hell, some female mobsters? I'd have been golden. But since we had about four women, the traitor girl cop stuck out more.

I disagree; I don't really see the difference between having a female mobster and a female corrupt cop-- they'd both be negative characters. In terms of counting positive or negative characters and making a tally, they'd both fall under the same category.

I just wish there'd been more in general. The mobster meeting was especially lacking. It would have been interesting if they'd made the Hong Kong mobster, the one who got kidnapped by Batman and who organized the money, a female character. It could have been a woman without particularly changing anything, and it would have been interesting to see a woman effectively act as "leader" of the mobster coalition. Especially if she played it as straight-up as the male actor did: not a sexy character at all, just a cool and analytical mind of someone trying to use money to make money.

Yeah, I know I meant more female characters in general instead of cops OR politicians OR mobsters, it just came out...or instead of and, and a whole lump of examples. Hmm. *gets a beverage* But yes. I'd have loved some more female characters. Also some female characters filling traditionally male roles. Like you mentioned- a nonsexual female mob boss, accountant, gun-crazy gangster, whatever. (Get that Russian woman from the last Indie movie in here! We need her and her sword pronto!) Or, on the side of good- a highly effective female lawyer. They could have had the mayor be female without changing anything.

And like I mentioned below: give the main female character a reason to be on the screen beyond the romance interest role. It's so annoying to see a female character grace the screen sometimes, not because I don't love female characters, but because I know they're bound to be paired off with Joe Schmuck. And, since it's a superhero movie, they're not only going to be paired up with them, they're also going to be stuck in the screaming damsel role.

I would have been ok with the traitor being a woman if it hadn't meant that every strong woman in the film had disappeared. Personally I thought it narrativly made sense to kill off Rachel so I have no beef there, but the lack of women doing stuff in the last half was just depressing in way that did not correspond to the deliciously depressing ending of TDK.

Agreed. I mean, if only that son had been a daughter, it would have changed so much, tonally.

I wasn't upset about her being corrupt either - I like it in fact, because I hate hate hate the often presented idea that women are someone more morally pure or uncorruptable than men.

awesome cartoon, funny

Yeah, I thought so.

Loved the comic,and OMG Rachel dies!!!

Yeah, she does.

Well, I'm glad that you mostly enjoyed it. That said, I interpreted the 'not showing Gordon's daughter' thing as a way to tease the fans with the fact that L'il Batgirl is RIGHT THERE and mwahahahaha NO you don't get to see her yet, we're just going to let you sit and stew on it. Sort of like they did with having the Joker's card show up at the end of the firs movie, or the reference to Batman's new suit being able to stop a cat (totally a giant wink and elbow to the ribs about Catwoman possibly showing up).

Oh, and those were Rottweilers, not pitbulls. And yeah, I was kind of miffed about the bad rep of the dogs. I operate on the belief that all dogs are big, drooly cuddle bunnies until humans fuck them up. That said, a dog raised by the mob would certainly not be a big cuddle bunny. Oh well, I still wish that people would present guard dogs more positively in film.

Yeah, well, I think that was a very bad way to tease, especially considering how horrible male-dominated that movie ended up being.

And I agree about the humans fucking dogs up, but I wish that guard dogs would get a better rep as well.

It was a humongous let-down that:

A) We didn't see Barbara Gordon, the future Goddamned Batgirl, Oracle, and all-around badass, and all they focused on was the putz brother that I frankly didn't know existed. (Also, he'd better not turn out to be Robin and have Dick Grayson shunted to the side along with Barbara Gordon. Stupid spotlight-hogging blond twit.) Was there anything wrong with switching the sister's parts for the brother's? I agree with the above comment: it's a really sucky way to tease the audience.

B) Once again, the female main character's ONLY purpose is for romance with the males and to later on get shoved into a refrigerator. Where's Catwoman when you need her? (Or Poison Ivy.)

For a movie that rocked so hard in almost every other area, a let-down this big made it all the more disappointing.

All i hate to say is:

WORD.

So very, very much word.

I haven't seen the film yet -- Hellboy 2 was the big summer comic book movie I was waiting for. Iron Man I didn't catch because I've never really been interested in the character and I'm not crazy about the leads (I don't dislike them, they're just not on my very very short list of "I will see anything this person makes" performers), and TDK, well, I liked the original comic but I'm not really a huge Batman fan in general, ya know? I didn't see the previous one with Bale either, it's one of those things I might catch if I see it come around on cable or might rent one of these years, but it's waaaay down on my list below a bunch of other things I'm much more eager to see. (I did see parts of that godawful Catwoman thing with Halle Berry, but that was mostly for MST3K purposes -- I love the original character but this was just so Not Her.) And this one, eh, maybe I'll catch it when the crowds die down a bit, maybe I'll wait until it hits the Arlington Drunkhouse (because EVERYTHING is better with cheap second-run prices, real food, and booze.)

So what's the deal with the guarddogs? I'll be just as pissed if they're rotts, 'cause while I may not have owned one myself, I've known a lot of rott people, and ever rott I've ever met was just an overgrown huggy bear. And they've got much the same image problems to contend with thanks to stupid people, of course. (Verizon's taking up the slack on the stupid-pit-media front -- have you seen their idiotic LG commercials? (http://miamiherald.typepad.com/crazy_for_critters/2008/07/verizon-angers.html) I've seen some claims that they've pulled the spot in response to all the protest from dog lovers, but I'll believe that when I don't see it anymore...)

Bascially, big, bag rotties are only used as guard dogs and by drug dealers. And since I've talked with you, I find it very interesting I'm more worried about the dogs cliche representation, instead of the fact that the villians are, respectively,

chinese,

eastern european

and black.

Ah, so it's fail on multiple sides! Loooooooovely. This is sounding more and more like "wait for the second-run theater, with lots of booze" territory. Or at the very least, cheap matinee.

It is so multiple fail.

Other people are pissed about the racism, I'm pissed about the dogs and the women, and I'm sure there's other people who are deservedly annoyed about other things.

It's good, but it's not the greatest thing since sliced bread, and there are some RATHER OBVIOUS FOOT IN MOUTH MOMENTS that you know the director isn't getting called on because every review (I assume) is 'OMG oscar worthy superhero movie isn't it a shame Legar is dead.' (which it is, no question, if only because of his daughter.)

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

The Dark Knight, Or, Wow It's A Bit Nippy In This Refridgerator

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject