Haven't read the white font just yet, but my initial, fairly untainted reaction to TDK was "Okay."

Maybe it was about halfway through I really needed to pee, but I just didn't feel it. It had some wonderful moments, and I really enjoyed the talky bits (yes, I did peek a bit), if only because they were the few character moments before it was plotty plotty Action! What I liked most about Batman Begins was the first half, all those character bits, and the action-packed end left me a bit cold.

It truly was dark, horrific, hopeless, despairing, and bleak, which I suppose made the outcome of the two ferries that much more joyful. I suppose when I heard "dark" I really didn't expect so much of it. So extensive. I was expecting it to all emenate from the Joker, but he was also the only one who brought any [horrific] levity to the piece.

Maybe I'd like it better upon rewatch, now knowing what to expect. And maybe it really was that I shouldn't have had that small Cherry Coke.

Off to the beginning of the discussion!

P-C, i have to own up and say that when the Joker made the pencil "disappear", i cracked up and almost didn't hear the subsequent lines because i was laughing so hard. i was suitable horrified, but yeah. i think it was the delivery of the whole thing...

I disliked the bat-voice half the time, when it sounded like Bale had a lisp, and the other half didn't mind it.

And one of the thoughts racing through my mind during the final scene between the Joker and Batman was "OMG! It's the Master and the Doctor! In a slashfic!"

when it sounded like Bale had a lisp,

Doesn't Bale actually have a lisp? Or is that the Welsh accent trying to break through the American accent?

(Haven't seen TDK yet, but did watch Batman Begins last night.)

i was suitable horrified, but yeah. i think it was the delivery of the whole thing...

Heh, no, I agree that the delivery calls for laughter. He's the Joker, after all. Part of me wanted to laugh, but part of me was just trying to imagine the physics of it. Just the physical force with which he had to have pushed the guy's head down to IMPALE IT ON THE ERASER END OF A PENCIL. Ergh.

Doesn't Bale actually have a lisp?

Dunno, but his Bruce Wayne doesn't-- didn't.

TDK: I was wondering about the physics of the pencil disappearance as well. I finally decided that it must have gone into the guy's eye.

I didn't think of that, Jon. The Joker must have really good aim.

Jon's assumption was mine.

I saw Hellboy. I need to go back and read the whitefont, but eh. I mean, the story, in the abstract, was fine, but it was predictable, and I like the characters, but they're (apparently) not that compelling to me. It was very pretty. Although I did have extenuating circumstances on watching, so, in other circumstances, I might have been more than "eh".

Bale accused of roughing up his mother and sister:

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