Last night, I finally went to see "The Dark Knight". I LOVED it!! I'm really glad that this movie lived up to the hype. So many times a movie is hyped up and you leave the theater so disappointed. I was much more entertained watching this film than watching "Batman Begins". I'll say this much though, to compare the old Batman movies to the recent films is like apples and oranges. Where "Batman", "Batman Returns", "Batman Forever", and "Batman and Robin" were much more fantastical, colorful, and enteraining, "Begins" and "Dark Knight" are much more real, dark, more like a suspense action film than a superhero film.
Sidetracking from the movie itself, the whole night was interesting to say the least. My experience on the subway on the way to the theater set the tone for the rest of the night. As my friend and I entered the 1 train, we heard screaming from the platform. I immediately thought someone's child was left behind. That was not the case, two ladies were about to miss the train and screamed as if their life depended on it, but they made it on the train.
The strangest thing happened when we arrived at the theater; the concession stand was closed! I must say this is a traumatic experience for movie-goers. How can I possibly go see a suspense action movie without so much as a small popcorn and soda? I hope children didn't go to that theater yesterday. Just imagine the conversation, "mami I want popcorn, candy and soda!", "sorry baby concession stand closed." Might as well have told that child"Santa doesn't exist". Enough with the rant on the concession stand.
Back to the film. Personally, Michael Keaton is my favorite Batman/Bruce Wayne, but Christian Bale does a great job, especially as Bruce Wayne. The late Heath Ledger was excellent as the Joker. I think Jack Nicholson laid the ground work for an amazing Joker. Ledger took that to a dark, psychotic yet still comical place, it was brilliant. The movie finds a balance between, character development with good dialogues and the power action sequences. One of the most important things is that most of the action sequences are done in the old-style with real stuntmen. I also liked the ensemble cast with great actors such as Michael Cane, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman (great movie veterans).
Although I did not love "Batman Begins", it set the wheels in motion for a great sequel. Director Chris Nolan took a comic book character and that character's "world" and made it modern, interesting, and most of all believable. By the end of the movie though, I was excited to see the next installation. I was a little worried that it wouldn't be good, thank god I was wrong. "Dark Knight" does everything that "Batman Begins" did and more. Like most sequels, everyone expects more action minus the story, but "Dark Knight" delivers more action with an intriguing story (in my humble opinion, a good comparision would be the progression from Terminator 1 to Terminator 2). This movie is more of a crime drama than anything. It sucks you in from the beginning and takes you on a ride of plots twists, fast-paced action sequences, and amazing cinematography (I'm all about the cinematography of a movie).
What I love most about Batman in general is the whole psychological aspect; a look into the human psyche, the never ending battle between good and evil, right and wrong, the hope for a better tomorrow, anger and compassion. I simply love that.
At the end of the night, as if I wasn't already disturbed by the crime drama, my friend and I went to the ATM. Lo and behold, there was a homeless man sleeping inside the bank. Let me tell you, my heart rate was jacked and the stupid machine was as slow as can be. All the weird things aside, I must reitirate that I loved "The Dark Knight". My advice...JUST GO WATCH IT!
A couple of weeks ago I went to a HBO screening and received a sample of CoverGirl LashBlast mascara. I must say I've looked around a bit for a good mascara at a low cost and I think I've found that in this product. I'm not a big fan of CoverGirl makeup, but LashBlast does a pretty decent job of separating the lashes, making them thick and long. This was truly a pleasant surprise.
