I just watched The Dark Knight on my dvr, it was really dark movie.

[texanwitch]

I also watched the first bat man movie before that.

Both were on cable this weekend.

I don't think I will be seeing the third movie now.

The character Joker just enjoyed killing people.

For whatever reason James Holmes acted like the Joker in the movie house.

From watching the movie Dark Knight it would explain the way he left his apartment.

Did James Holmes really think he was the Joker?.

I believe the actor that played the Joker killed himself.

I have not watched any news today of the shooting, this movie was enough.

I hope the people injured and the family of those killed find some peace.

I will still go to the movies if there is something I like.

We can't live in fear, that is what James Holmes would like.

Yes I do own a gun, three in fact.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

1. The Dark Knight was depressing and pointless.

heath ledger took an accidental overdose of sleeping pills.

[white_wolf]

2. And here I thought it was a very good movie.

Not liking it is one thing, but you can't say it is pointless. Critics loved it, including Roger Ebert who is one of the most respected film critics in the country. There was a point to it.

[texanwitch]

4. I didn't say it was pointless.

I said it was dark.

Good did win out at the end but damn it was violent getting there.

The Joker did it for for me, just kill for the sake of killing.

The movie was deep, it had a lot of layers to it.

[white_wolf]

7. I was responding to Manifestor of Light. Sorry, if I replied to the wrong post.

My bad.

[obamanut2012]

6. Exactly

Themes of escalation and vengeance and heroes, and what is the differences between justice and revenge? Not pointless at all. Lots of Patriot Act-type stuff in there, too, imo.

Heath Ledger was brillant, and he did NOT commit suicide (directed to OP).

[Manifestor_of_Light]

9. I thought it was nothing but pointless violence.

Nothing but powerful people controlling the little people through violence. it starts with a bank robbery. Human life is disposable. There are a couple of women in it, and they are killed off quickly. There is no emotional connection or warmth between any of the characters. The Joker is evil and threatens Vicky Vale with a knife while telling her how pretty she is. Sexist violence against women. This movie says that rich white guys like Bruce Wayne are important. We must watch everything they do, imitate their habits and their dress.

To me that is a bunch of sexist and classist bullshit.

I thought seeing that movie was a traumatic experience. I could not understand why people like pointless violence.

I do not care if Roger Ebert likes it. You are using him as an argument to authority. If an authority figure likes it, it must be good. That is a fallacy. Sorry.

[white_wolf]

13. Vicky Vale wasn't even in the movie, first of all.

Last edited Sun Jul 22, 2012, 11:47 PM - Edit history (1)

Of course, it focuses on Bruce Wayne, it is a Batman movie, after all. Secondly, the movie isn't just pointless violence. For instance, the most obvious question it asks is how far do we as a society go to stop terrorism? Do we do as Batman did and violate civil liberties or was Lucius right when he refused and told Bruce he would quit if the machine was not destroyed? Take the example of Harvey Dent or Alfred burning Rachel's letter to Bruce. Is it right to tell a lie that serves a (seemingly) greater good or is the truth more important regardless of the harm it might cause? The movie was not pointless.

Or take Begins, what is the difference between Justice and Revenge?

Oh, and the Ebert point was just to show that I'm not the only one who is picking up on the themes.

[texanwitch]

15. I wish I had not seen the movie now, not after the killing at the movies.

It did feel a traumatic watching the movie, thinking what happened on Friday.

[snooper2]

44. How long did it take you to get over seeing it?

Did you talk to anyone afterwards for some help?

[jmowreader]

56. Rachel Dawes was Bruce's love interest in The Dark Knight

Vicky Vale was in the Batman where Michael Keaton went up against The Joker.

The other difference: Heath Ledger was the Joker in The Dark Knight, Laura Bush was the Joker in "Batman."

[Manifestor_of_Light]

58. Obviously, I did not care enough to remember who the female was in TDK.

More proof of its irrelevance.

[BOG PERSON]

11. roger ebert likes the dark knight because roger ebert likes EVERY MOVIE

personally, i think the movie critic is professionally obligated to be a contrarian a-hole whenever its appropriate. for instance if some bloated monstrosity of a movie (w/ questionable subtext, to boot) is getting rave reviews from everybody, it is the duty of a good critic to trash the movie and (as well as to provide a thorough justification for the trashing)

[arcane1]

14. The guy who has a book called "Your Movie Sucks" containing all his zero-star reviews

[obamanut2012]

25. No, he doesn't

[zappaman]

40. You have no idea what you are talking about.

[BOG PERSON]

43. well, this is the internet, after all

[Manifestor_of_Light]

47. He gave "The Life of David Gale" an F.

I don't think he understood the ferocity of the killing machine in Texas. It had scenes protesting the execution of David Gale (Kevin Spacey) at the Walls unit in Huntsville.

I have a friend who was an extra in the movie, who lives in Austin, and she agreed with me that there was some weird stuff at the end with a guy in Europe, that we discussed.

[yardwork]

3. I remember reading that Heath Ledger became very depressed while playing the Joker in that film.

I agree with you about it. It was dark, sadistic, and it made me unhappy just watching it. I've always felt that that film killed Heath Ledger, who was struggling with his own demons. It was too much.

[texanwitch]

8. I was never a Bat Man fan so I never saw the movies before.

This was the first time watching both of them.

I would become depressed playing the Joker.

If Heath Ledger had problems already this role didn't help.

[yardwork]

33. I think that's what happened. He had a lot of problems and the role was too much.

[hedgehog]

21. I think it is more a case of Hweath Ledger struggling with his own demons than that

playing a character in a movie led him to take his life. Clinical depression is not a matter bummed out, it is a very serious and often fatal disease.

[obamanut2012]

26. And he was drinking and self medicating in other ways

[texanwitch]

27. I had a dear friend who killed herself and she was very depressed.

She had help and was taking drugs but it didn't help.

Clinical depression is a killer.

[yardwork]

32. I understand clinical depression all too well. Ledger told people that the role was depressing him.

[REP]

52. Heath Ledger died while filming 'The Imaginarium of Dr Parnassus'

May as well blame the curse of Terry Gilliam for his death as a previous role.

Depression kills.

[zappaman]

5. Loved it.

And Heath Ledger's accidental overdose had nothing to do with the film.
Maybe we should look at other reasons this maniac snapped.
Maybe it was the clean fresh air of Colorado?

I miss UNREC.

[texanwitch]

10. I think Holmes was just stressed out from going to school.

From what I have heard he was very smart.

Going to school with other really smart people he wouldn't seem so special.

Wished he would have found some help.

[yardwork]

34. Everybody in graduate school is stressed out. Hardly anybody does this kind of thing.

This had to be a lot more than being stressed out.

[texanwitch]

37. I quess we will find out sooner or later what happened.

He seemed to have planned this for a few months.

[arcane1]

12. I'm still not sold on the whole "Joker" aspect

I'm willing to be sold, but I'll need more than a comment made by someone in New York, at least.


There's certainly nothing about "Dark Knight" that makes its villain unique, since nearly every hero/villain movie has a bad guy who loves destruction. The character didn't do anything in that movie that resembled this shooting spree; he played mind games with Batman using innocent lives, but all movie villains do that.

I can't rule out the possibility that he self-identified as the Joker, but I haven't heard enough to be convinced at this time.

[MrScorpio]

16. Some people just want to watch the world burn nt

[Edweird]

28. "I'm not a monster, I'm just ahead of the curve"

[white_wolf]

29. What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone's as ugly as you?! You're alone."

[Edweird]

30. Don't talk like you're one of them! You're not... even if you'd like to be.

To them you're just a freak, like me. They need you right now, but when they don't, they'll cast you out. Like a leper. See, their morals, their "code"... it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble

[monmouth]

17. I fondly remember my little brother waiting for the Sunday comics to read the fun

Batman strip, it was his favorite. Batman was a crime fighter in the Superman mode...Evolution I guess.

[white_wolf]

18. Ehh, Batman goes back and forth.

During the Golden Age he used guns and killed people. During the Silver Age (roughly 50s though about the 80s I think) he got extremely campy. Even Superman isn't always a boy scout. Golden Age (and current Superman) was a fighter for the poor. In Action Comics #1 (after the reboot, so current Superman) Grant Morrison had him throw a banker out a window and tell the police that if they wouldn't punish the rich for their crimes, he would. In the same issue he stands in front of a tank to protect a building full of squaters.

[monmouth]

59. Thanks. I really need to keep up..LOL..n/t

[ananda]

19. I don't like the modern Batman movies either.

Too dark and violent for me.

But I did enjoy the campy shows from the sixties.

[white_wolf]

20. And here I hate that show with a passion.

Of course, I hate camp. Oh well, everyone has a right to their opinion.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

22. The campy Batman show in the 60s was fun.

Adam West was very serious and that made it funny.

Loved the goofy signs, like :RUN DOWN FACTORY AREA

[BOG PERSON]

41. the tim burton movies are alright

they don't hold up that well, but they're a lot more pleasant to watch than the pretentious post 9/11 batman.

[Salviati]

54. There's only one _real_ batman... Kevin Conroy

From Batman: The Animated Series

If you haven't heard his story about volunteering after 9/11 it's worth a watch...

[Scootaloo]

53. I actually saw some episodes of that last week

Penguin captured batman and Robin by bonking them on the head with cement-filled umbrellas.

I thought to myself "Man, you couldn't get away with something that dumb in a cartoon!"

it has its charm, but... yeah.

[white_wolf]

55. I guess if you grew up with it, you'd like it.

It's kind of like Mighty Morphin Power Rangers with me. I grew up with it and if I have nothing else to do and I see an episode on, I'll watch and laugh at the pure 90's camp and cheesiness. Of course, even as a kid's show it is really really corny and I fully recognize the only reason I watch it is pure nostalgia.. Strangely enough, the actual Japanese series was meant for older teenagers and young adults.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

23. I did not care about the characters in the movie.

There was no emotional involvement that would make me want to care about them.

I don't care about comic book characters anyway.

[BOG PERSON]

39. that's true

the characters in the movie were all really one-dimensional, just sort of there to keep a pointless story lumbering forward.

[AtomicKitten]

24. Heath Ledger didn't kill himself.

His brilliant performance as the Joker was rewarded with an Oscar. Look, the Batman franchise is not responsible for this loose cannon going off. It was the unfortunate intersection between losing his blob and easy access to over-the-top weaponry that enabled this tragedy.

[morningfog]

31. Heath Ledger didn't kill himself intentionally.

[AtomicKitten]

36. okay

Matilda really does look just like him ...

[texanwitch]

38. She sure does.

Sweet little girl.

[AtomicKitten]

57. she's well taken care of

In an early will (2003), Heath bequeathed his entire - some $20 million - estate to his family in Australia. They signed over every penny to Matilda. Also Johnny Deep, Colin Farrell, and Jude Law finished Heath's last film, ‘The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus’, and they all donated their salaries to Matilda. It all was a truly beautiful outcome on the heels of such a tragically premature loss of life.

[Initech]

35. I just saw Dark Knight Rises. I really enjoyed it.

Although I really liked all 3 films from this trilogy - and yes while what happened in Colorado was horrifying beyond words, I'm not going to let that keep me from enjoying a movie.

[zappaman]

42. +1! n/t

[NashvilleLefty]

45. Hence the name DARK Knight. It was supposed to be dark.

Life can often be dark. The Joker represented and supported Chaos and Anarchy. However, the movie was very hopeful as well. Such as when the people on the two boats refused to blow up the other just to save their own lives. Even the criminals.

As you said, it was very deep. It touched on many subjects that many of us would rather forget than confront. So did the first movie - it dealt with fear, and also those who believe they know best and would act as God.

I just watched the last movie, and it harked back to the original perhaps more then the second. At the end I found myself applauding - something I haven't done at a movie since Fahrenheit 911 and before that, the original Star Wars.

I sincerely recommend that you see it. And think seriously about all the darkness, and the HOPE that is born of facing the darkness and your own fears.

[white_wolf]

46. After I saw it a lot of people applauded.

Of course this was the midnight showing so everyone there was a bigtime Batman fan.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

48. I don't remember any hope in it.

Pardon my faulty memory.

[white_wolf]

49. How about the scene where prisoners decide to throw the bomb controls away...

and risk getting killed themselves rather than kill others? Or when the man on the other boat put his detonator down and decided that he would rather risk his life than kill others, even convicted murderers. That was a pretty hopeful scene.

[lindysalsagal]

50. Saw it 2 hours ago: Lots of violence, no moral, no fun

Bain's bad but not the least compelling . He explains alot of the plotline in this strange unreal accent and you can't understand half of it. Don't take the kids. Very scary film. People are largely helpless.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

51. Yeah. Hopeless and powerless.