I just saw The Dark Knight. That movie is fucking hardcore. Holy fucking shit.

Like Debet, I totally thought they'd just killed Jim Gordon and was so fucking confused and wondering how they would pull off future movies. And I remembered scenes from the trailer with him and the Joker that hadn't happened yet, but I thought maybe they'd been cut or something! Like Steph, I totally thought Dent would kill Jim Gordon's son. After all the death and carnage of the movie before (including blowing up Rachel), I, too, believed this to be the do-that franchise. Hell, I expected either one of the boats or both to blow up. I would not have been surprised. That is how fucking hardcore this movie was.

Incidentally, our audience actually cheered when the prisoner threw the detonator away. And then they cheered again when the asshole decided not to press the button. Apparently, our theatre likes positive resolutions to moral dilemmas. Also: we like when the BatPod runs up walls and flips around holy shit that was awesome. Oh, and flipping trucks. These are things we like.

Heath Ledger as the Joker was fucking terrifying, and Miracleman has done an excellent job of explaining why. Nolan helped too, the way he shot and edited his scenes.

I am confused about one plot point: the Joker lied about who was where, right? Because Batman goes to save Rachel and ends up with Dent, and Gordon shouts the address that the Joker gave for Dent and ends up with Rachel. It's an awesome move and totally the Joker's style, but I was confused because it never came up later on. I mean, for God's sake, tell Dent that it wasn't supposed to go down that way!

I thought Aaron Eckhart was awesome as well (and I agree with Steph on her thoughts on Harvey), but I was a little disappointed that Two-Face wasn't as split-personality as I'd expected, especially given that article on the way Nolan filmed two performances. I didn't really get that impression from what I saw; it seemed like he was just growly old Two-Face throughout.

Maggie Gyllenhaal is pretty.

Another quibble: why the fuck would you name two characters Ramirez? That was confusing.

I didn't recognize Keith Szarabajka without his beard. It finally hit me in his scene in the cell with the Joker.

In conclusion, I am really really glad I re-read The Killing Joke yesterday. It made me appreciate the movie a whole lot more.

Re: P-C's disappointment with Dent: I saw it as all Two-Face from the moment halfway through his scene in the hospital with Gordon to his "death". There was a flicker, a moment...maybe I just imagined it, but for me it was there...where Harvey gave way to Two-Face...and, brilliantly, it was right after Gordon begrudgingly gave up his IA "nickname." It was as though Harvey, right then, decided to let go and give "Two-Face" his free rein, and when he turned back to Gordon...Harvey wasn't home anymore. AND, I think to Nolan's credit, Harvey wasn't there the rest of the movie. There was no cop-out "Batman Forever" moment where they were both present...that issue is to be resolved in the future or never. Brilliant.

MM, I agree with you on it being all Two-Face from that moment with no Harvey, but unlike you, I wanted Harvey to be present too. I find that aspect of his character interesting, that his good side and bad side are warring with each other. I want No Man's Land Two-Face, putting himself on trial.

As a side note, Two-Face was pretty fucking scary too, which I liked. Joker and Two-Face made Scarecrow and Ra's al-Ghul look like wannabe villains.

Agreed on Steph's final whitefont. Hee! Although it might have undercut the drama a tad if Rachel goes boom and the audience bursts into applause.

Random thoughts:

The sonar fight near the end was the Batmobile chase of this movie. By which I mean it was 5 times as long as it needed to be. Ugh. Even if it did feature a lot of dog-punching.

I keep thinking I really wanted more Batfans. I would have liked a little of them actually being effective, too. They really should have been involved in Joker's "Kill this guy or I blow up a hospital" thing. Ideally, on both sides. Because that was awesome.

Controversy! I don't mind Bale's Batman voice.

But yeah, a little too much talky-meat. Seriously, Gordon, you don't need to say the exact same thing twice in the final speech. I felt bad for Oldman at that point.

Strega, I agree on the sonar fight. That was the first time during the movie I actually thought to myself, "Well, this has gone on a bit too long."

About Harvey: Joe, you said that Aims said that we don't know he's dead -- that was my FIRST comment after the movie. I asked The Boy, "Are we meant to assume Dent is dead? No one SAID he was." I think they left it that way on purpose. And I think, therefore, that he'll be back.

Incidentally, I also dislike Bale's growly Batman voice.

House Next Door didn't like TDK so much:

[link]

I understand the critiques, but I don't agree with them.

P-C, on one of your questions, I thought the Joker didn't say who was at which address, but it was going on 2 in the morning at that point, so I might have missed it.

I'm with Franken. Further

The issue was that Batman had to choose which one to save. That's why he sent Gordon one way and he went the other.

House Next Door didn't like TDK so much:

I understand the critiques, but I don't agree with them.

I don't agree with them, either, except for this one:

Morgan Freeman (as Wayne Enterprises liaison Lucius Fox) and Michael Caine (as stalwart manservant Alfred) spouting gloomy old man platitudes about the culture of surveillance, and everyone else monologuing ad nauseum about various and sundry long, dark teatimes of the soul.

Too. Much. Speechifying.