About The Cold Cut...

The musings of a teenage audiophile. Indie, Rock, Hip-Hop, Rap, Dance, Dubstep, Garage, Metal... music crosses all boundaries. The Cold Cut is devoted to giving you a taste of what's going on in music at the moment.

About Me

A 17 year old taking his first tentative steps into the world of blogging. In my first year, its been up and down, from the slow first months to a busy time around the one year anniversary.

The Dark Knight. The ultimate cinematic experience.

I couldn't handle a 'hot out of the screening room' review of The Dark Knight. I'm still unsure how the collected press managed to draft up honest reviews of the film mere minutes after walking out of the press screenings. Maybe I was too wrapped up in all the pre-release hype that surrounded this film, but regardless, that hype was not left unjustified.

The Dark Knight, as a cinematic spectacle, is unmatched by any blockbuster of the last ten years (my movie-going period). It is also the most emotionally draining piece of culture that I have ever being exposed to. I felt like a shell of my former self as we walked out of the cinema, physically exhausted by the ever-changing merry-go-round of emotions that the film conjured in me.

The only place to start is the hype. The buzz surrounding this film has been fever-pitch since Commissioner Gordon handed over the Joker card to our caped crusader as the credits rolled for Batman Begins. In that card, Christopher Nolan sent an obvious signal that whilst he wasn't committed to a sequel, Batman was officially reborn, and ready for a franchise if the world was ready for it. And we were.

Cinema is, by the law of averages, a lonely experience. Sure, we go in pairs, threes or more, but ultimately, sitting in a dark room watching a screen is an anti-social experience. So, why do we do it? For the reaction. And if you are looking for a provoking film, look no further. At my birthday dinner I was quite happy to argue with my parents that as a cinematic experience, this is the pinnacle. For two hours.

The Dark Knight is probably not the best movie ever. It would be hard to argue that it is a complete masterpiece, as there are a few limited flaws. And yet, as a complete package, there is nothing out there that even comes close to this as a piece of cinema. The film itself has obviously connected with audiences the world over, and most average people that you speak to would happily place this film in their top 5 of all time. The $300 million in 10 days (amongst a host of other amazing records) alongside a never-ending series of 5 star reviews mean that The Dark Knight will never be forgotten.

Christopher Nolan has a dilemma to deal with. Where do you go from this? Whilst his previous films have all been brilliant, this huge level of commercial success has never factored into his equation, and yet these kind of figures will have changed that. The Prestige was a commercial hit, debuting at #1 in the US and garnering Academy Award nominations. And yet if you mentioned it, most people wouldn't bat an eyelid. The Dark Knight is not that film.

The film is centered around a host of characters who are all totally inhabited by the actors. Christian Bale will no doubt be under-appreciated as Bruce Wayne, although he is the foundation of this film, holding the meandering plot together. Maggie Gyllenhaal reinvents Rachel Dawes, taking over from Katie Holmes and thankfully erasing her annoying turn in Batman Begins from my memory. Then we have the 'white knight' to Batman's 'dark knight'- Harvey Dent. Aaron Eckhart is another success story, using the talent he has to burn and creating an interesting character arc for Harvey. We care about him, and that is the crucial aspect- that whilst Two Face does appear in this film, we are still aware that he and Harvey are the same person, regardless of whats going on underneath that exterior. Commisioner Gordon has an expanded role in this sequel, and Gary Oldman is once again stellar, with the rest of the cast also providing interesting foils for the leads.

And finally I am brought to Heath Ledger. Heath, Heath, Heath. This performance is far bigger than him. It's far bigger than this film. It's bigger than the hype surrounding it. This film has reinvented the concept of a villain. The Joker is a villain for the modern era, killing and creating havoc purely because he wants to. There are no motives- evidence in the fact that his back story continually changes, and the 'wanna know how I got these scars?' question pops up a few times, each time with a different answer. We have all heard the buzz surrounding Ledger's widely supported Oscar nomination, and it is founded. And yet, most of the buzz suggests a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. In actuality, The Joker is the lead role, carrying this film, his presence never absent.

This last fact is down to the fact that Gotham City plays a much bigger role second time around. The shots of Christian Bale standing alone on some of the city's skyscrapers are truly breathtaking, and although I didn't see the film in IMAX, I am almost certain that these visuals would be even more impressive on the larger screens. And through Gotham's presence and destruction, The Joker is effectively never off screen. He orchestrates the destruction which plagues the city- cause and effect.

There are some places where this film experiences slight mis-steps. Whilst the first film felt relatively (and that is a huge 'relatively') grounded in terms of realistic technology, The Dark Knight moves away from this approach. Whilst the Batpod is one of the coolest pieces of automotive technology to ever grace the screen, the circumstances in which this transition is made are a little far-fetched. And in the closing moments of the film, a certain piece of equipment almost burst the bubble of Gotham's believable world which had been built so well. Finally, Christian Bale over does the gruff voice a little bit. And that's it.

So, The Dark Knight. Finally, a film by Christopher Nolan that saw the public realisation of his talent. A film that features many revelations- Heath Ledger's terrible passing, and outstanding performance. A film which may finally unseat Titanic. A viral phenomena. And most importantly, a brilliant film. A film that deserves to be remembered, in our hearts and in the record books. The Dark Knight. Where next?

4 comments:

  1. Anonymous said...
     

    What happened after Batman and Rachel fell out of the window at the penthouse party? If you can't provide a legitimate answer to this question (and, trust me, you can't), then the hype around this sorry, soggy, overlong mess of a movie simply shut down your brain. The best cinematic spectacle of the last ten years...? Oh, please.

  2. Anonymous said...
     

    放鬆心情自由自在的來一趟花蓮旅遊,可以感受花蓮民宿各種不同的風味,所以來花蓮一定要住花蓮民宿哦!因為可從花蓮民宿主人那裡分享到不一樣的花蓮旅遊經驗及花蓮美食道地的花蓮小吃,所以來花蓮旅遊不一定就要享受花蓮高級餐廳的花蓮美食也可以多試試道地古早味的花蓮美味哦!來花蓮民宿可以放鬆整個心情,來花蓮電腦住宿也可以放空自已,來花蓮也可以了解在地的文化哦!住民宿其實是很輕鬆的,住花蓮民宿其實是很容易,還有就是現在是高油價的時代,還自行開車來花蓮嗎?來花蓮租車會比較輕鬆哦!來花蓮房屋租車會比較省錢哦!或是可以請花蓮計程車帶您包車旅遊喔!!歡迎來住住美麗的花蓮民宿囉!!一定要讓您來花蓮旅遊並且讓您愛上花蓮民宿,還有團購美食好吃的蜂蜜蛋糕、養顏美容的蜂王乳以及蜂膠喔!!
    http://www.ai-me.com.tw

  3. Anonymous said...
     

    Travel senior - program, który polecamy wszystkim seniorom w wieku od 55 lat: czekają na Państwa piękne plaże Hiszpanii, cudowni ludzie, zabytki historii a przede wszystkim komfortowe warunki wypoczynku wiosennego: 4-gwiazdkowe hotele, 3 posiłki dziennie wraz z winem, dwie wycieczki w cenie imprezy. Nie czekaj aż ktoś Ciebie wyprzedzi, tylko kup imprezę już dziś w biurze usług turystycznych Invitatio. To biuro podróży specjalizuje się w ofertach wypoczynek dla seniorów w Hiszpanii. Jedź z nami po słońce Hiszpanii wiosną, zapisz się dziś.
    Aby bliżej poznać Hiszpanię należy tam pojechać. Podstawowe wiadomości na ten temat znajdziecie na stronie Hiszpania, warto przeczytać kilka informacji, które mogą stać się inspiracją do tego by ruszyć na wycieczkę swojego życia.
    Katalog turystyczny pomoże wszystkim w znalezieniu odpowiedniego biura podróży, dzięki któremu wymarzona wycieczka będzie pamiętana z dobrej strony na długie lata.
    Szukasz informacji z lokalnego podwórka? Interesują Ciebie informacje i wydarzenia Bydgoszcz, dzięki którym zawsze będziesz na bieżąco? Mieszkasz na warszawskiej Pradze Północ? Chciałbyś uzyskać bliższe informacje na temat aktualności z dzielnicy? Pomoże w tym informator warszawski, który zamierzamy udostępnić mieszkańcom stolicy.
    Chcesz poczytać o turystyce? Szukasz informacji pisanych luźnym stylem? Z pewnością blog turystyczny będzie odpowiednim dla Ciebie rozwiązaniem.

  4. kaka said...
     

    Kirk SanfordOnline BingoHey I'm Danielle, i was wondering if you could check out my groups blog spot for my class and if you could please follow us too. love your page by

Post a Comment