As you must very well know, I love superheroes. The very idea of the superhero gets me excited, and gets my creative juices flowing. This has become an increasingly easy passion for me to feed as the years have passed by because more and more people are accepting the superhero as a legitimate form of entertainment. For me, however, it holds something more. Sure, it gives me a bit of a chubby to see someone flying through the air, or stopping incoming projectiles with telekenesis, or even exhibiting above normal amounts of strength (super strength, if you will). But there is more to it than that, in my mind.
About two years ago I wrote a short piece on facebook (which is still there if anyone is interested in reading titled "7 Minutes to Midnight") about superheroes and why they mean something to me. I really want to continue to expand on that idea because of the recent crop of above average superhero/comic book films to be released this summer. There has been something notably unusual about this recent crop of films. They have all been good. Some moreso than the rest, but there has not been a real stinker in the lot, in my opinion, which I can't think of having happened before. Usually for every Spider-man 2 there has been at least two or three Fantastic Fours to come out. This summer, though, the movies have all been good, and have really hit home with ideas that we all deal with every day, though it may not be as blatant to most of you, not meaning to be condescending here.
When I look at a superhero, I see more than some person who puts on a crazy costume and jumps around on rooftops to stop criminals. I see what we are supposed to be. Think about it like this: Superheroes are beings who have certain abilities. Those abilities make each of them unique, to some degree. They choose how to use those abilities. In a similar manner, we as people are given certain abilities. We have things we are just good at. And we have choices to make in regard to how we use those abilities. We can use them for either good or evil. And it isn't always as clear cut as that. There are most certainly gray areas. It is hard to avoid uncertainties in an adult world. Superhero stories really deal with that in the way that the public will respond to the actions of a hero. Some are for it, and some are against. It frightens people to see a person put on a mask and take the law into their own hands because that is very similar to the behavior of criminals. What gave them the right to do that? What gives this person a higher level of morality to decide that there is a flaw, and that they should do something about it.
This idea is tackled in THE DARK KNIGHT. A conversation early in the movie between Harvey Dent, Bruce Wayne, Rachel Dawes, and a Russian woman of no real consequence, delves into the reasons behind whether or not Batman is a justified presence in Gotham City. True, from the perspective of the audience, we are inclined to root for Batman, and know that he is in the right because he is giving up his own life to be the guardian of Gotham. He is making the sacrifice, and we can clearly see that, but in the film, the general public does not see this at all.
Batman is my favorite superhero, plain and simple. The reason for this is that he is a very realistic hero. He has no mystical powers or anything like that. He is just an ordinary man who has trained himself, and taken the things that he is best at, and used them to help his society. They may not like it, but he is able to endure. He is not in it for public approval. He is going this because it is his calling in life, and he believes that he can leave the world a better place than he found it by doing these things.
Superheroes show us how we should use our gifts and abilities to help the world at large. They may not always appreciate what it is that we do, but if you can influence and change for the better the life of one person, then you have done something right. The reason I want to write is not to get money or fame or anything like that. I want to inspire people. To give them hope. To let people know that it is okay to escape for a little while into an intangible world, and just forget the problems you have to endure day in and day out.
That's all I have for today. I'll be back tomorrow with something new, hopefully. I won't promise because that is always what gets me into trouble. A new poll at least will go up tomorrow. Also, I want to start sharing some of my writing pieces with you all, so I will be putting up some excerpts as time goes on.
You can't stop the signal...
7.31.2008
7.30.2008
Something is in the Works Here...
So, no real rants about problems in the world, or what I think is awesome today. I do have a countdown in the works. It is of my Top 25 Favorite Movies. It will be a good one. And probably different from the ones that most people would give because I am not trying to look like some sort of cinematic genius or a movie snob or something like that. It is just a countdown of 25 movies I really love, along with a quick blurb why. And it is also kind of odd because the top 5 are really the top two, with a 4 way tie in the second place category.
I wanted to use this today to give you all an update on my writing, and what I am working on. As most of you know, I love stories, and because of that I want to be a professional writer. I figure writing professionally can only come about from writing alot not professionally. So, I am really trying to work on my craft. I have three big projects in the works right now, two of them are somewhat well known to my friends because I have talked about them, the third is something of a recent development, but is an idea I have been toying with for quite some time. So, here we go:
1. Fall Follies 2008
I am one of the writers selected to work on writing for Fall Follies this year, and it is a serious blast for me. I am having a great time working with Matt and Ben and Stephanie on this program. I really cannot divulge much as far as details go because if I tell you that here, then there is absolutely no reason for you to come and see it in November. What I can say is this: It is an SNL-type variety show put on by Belmont every year in the--you guessed it--fall. This year it is on November 1st. Typically they do it over a two day period, but this year there were, I guess, some complications, and they had to put both shows on the same day. No big deal. It will still be a whole lot of fun. Especially if our actors can convince you guys that the things we laugh over at least once a week in our meetings are actually funny through their delivery. So, yeah, that is Follies. It is great because it is giving me a chance to really work on both comedic and collavorative writing, which are skills I am sure I will need to use at some point.
2. THE GRAVEMAKER (Tentatively Titled)
This is the new project I am working on. Right now it is in the brainstorming phase, but I have some cool ideas. First of all, it is going to be a screenplay, that I would love to try and film next summer. Keep that in mind, if any of you are actors, composers, or something that would be of use. Also, if you want to date a writer-director-producer-editor for film, ladies, I will take up all those, and maybe more, mantles for this project. The idea is that it will be a Western Crime Epic. There will be a crazy gang, a bad ass hero, and much more. I am very excited for this. The whole "gimick" for lack of a better word is that it is a Western set entirely an a modern-day city. I look forward to working with this very much in the future.
3. I, HERO TRILOGY
This is my baby. I have been working on this story for around 4 years now, and I have restarted and changed this thing around so much that there are only a few things still intact. The whole concept of this story started around one scene, that isn't even in the story anymore, though the twist associated with it is still very much a part of it. I have written about 6 or 7 chapters of this in full, mapped out the entire first book THE ARCHITECT and have a deep relationship of sorts with all of the characters. Book 1 has 6 main characters who all get drawn into the search for a mysterious object, that has a great power associated with it (thik Milo Rambaldi ALIAS fans) hidden deep within the city I have created for the story--Delirium City (where the name of this blog and my Production Company comes from). The 6 people are Jack Heart, Frank Fallow, Audrey King, James Prime, Clarence Henry, and Solomon Myers. Some are good, some are bad. There is tons of mythology I have set up for the world these people inhabit. I have big plans for this story. If you really want to talk to me about it, I am totally game. We can get coffee, and chat. I can seriously talk for hours about this, all cryptic and everything, and it gets me excited to work on it.
So, there you are. These are the projects I am working on. If you want to be a big help to me, keeping me accountable with working on this, then ask me repeatedly about my writing. Be all like, "Hey Brandon, how's the book/screenplay coming?" And then it will make me think about it, and most likely do some sort of work on it. Or have me get together with you and chat about it. Whatever. So, there you are. I am going to try and post on here more. I know I got lax over thge last like 5 days or so, but I also wanted you guys to know about the dangers of elderly drivers. I will be back on tomorrow, hopefully. Until then.
You can't stop the signal...
I wanted to use this today to give you all an update on my writing, and what I am working on. As most of you know, I love stories, and because of that I want to be a professional writer. I figure writing professionally can only come about from writing alot not professionally. So, I am really trying to work on my craft. I have three big projects in the works right now, two of them are somewhat well known to my friends because I have talked about them, the third is something of a recent development, but is an idea I have been toying with for quite some time. So, here we go:
1. Fall Follies 2008
I am one of the writers selected to work on writing for Fall Follies this year, and it is a serious blast for me. I am having a great time working with Matt and Ben and Stephanie on this program. I really cannot divulge much as far as details go because if I tell you that here, then there is absolutely no reason for you to come and see it in November. What I can say is this: It is an SNL-type variety show put on by Belmont every year in the--you guessed it--fall. This year it is on November 1st. Typically they do it over a two day period, but this year there were, I guess, some complications, and they had to put both shows on the same day. No big deal. It will still be a whole lot of fun. Especially if our actors can convince you guys that the things we laugh over at least once a week in our meetings are actually funny through their delivery. So, yeah, that is Follies. It is great because it is giving me a chance to really work on both comedic and collavorative writing, which are skills I am sure I will need to use at some point.
2. THE GRAVEMAKER (Tentatively Titled)
This is the new project I am working on. Right now it is in the brainstorming phase, but I have some cool ideas. First of all, it is going to be a screenplay, that I would love to try and film next summer. Keep that in mind, if any of you are actors, composers, or something that would be of use. Also, if you want to date a writer-director-producer-editor for film, ladies, I will take up all those, and maybe more, mantles for this project. The idea is that it will be a Western Crime Epic. There will be a crazy gang, a bad ass hero, and much more. I am very excited for this. The whole "gimick" for lack of a better word is that it is a Western set entirely an a modern-day city. I look forward to working with this very much in the future.
3. I, HERO TRILOGY
This is my baby. I have been working on this story for around 4 years now, and I have restarted and changed this thing around so much that there are only a few things still intact. The whole concept of this story started around one scene, that isn't even in the story anymore, though the twist associated with it is still very much a part of it. I have written about 6 or 7 chapters of this in full, mapped out the entire first book THE ARCHITECT and have a deep relationship of sorts with all of the characters. Book 1 has 6 main characters who all get drawn into the search for a mysterious object, that has a great power associated with it (thik Milo Rambaldi ALIAS fans) hidden deep within the city I have created for the story--Delirium City (where the name of this blog and my Production Company comes from). The 6 people are Jack Heart, Frank Fallow, Audrey King, James Prime, Clarence Henry, and Solomon Myers. Some are good, some are bad. There is tons of mythology I have set up for the world these people inhabit. I have big plans for this story. If you really want to talk to me about it, I am totally game. We can get coffee, and chat. I can seriously talk for hours about this, all cryptic and everything, and it gets me excited to work on it.
So, there you are. These are the projects I am working on. If you want to be a big help to me, keeping me accountable with working on this, then ask me repeatedly about my writing. Be all like, "Hey Brandon, how's the book/screenplay coming?" And then it will make me think about it, and most likely do some sort of work on it. Or have me get together with you and chat about it. Whatever. So, there you are. I am going to try and post on here more. I know I got lax over thge last like 5 days or so, but I also wanted you guys to know about the dangers of elderly drivers. I will be back on tomorrow, hopefully. Until then.
You can't stop the signal...
7.24.2008
The Single Greatest Threat to America Today
So, as promised, here I am, about to fill you in on what is the single greatest threat to America, and quite possibly the world, today. Now, to help build suspense, I will tell you some things that you may think are the greatest threat, but are not. It is not Al-Qaeda, gay marriage, Republicans, Democrats, John McCain, Barack Obama, terrorism, Michael Jackson, Christianity, or religious fanaticism. None of these things even come close to what terrifies, as well as strongly angers me. And for you in the Colbert Nation, it is not bears either. Hell, it isn't even the avian flu. The single greatest threat to America (and the world) today endangers lives almost constantly. So enough build up. I believe that the biggest threat to America today is old people driving.
The elderly are the worst drivers on the road. Teenagers, when they first learn how to drive, can be dangerous, but at least they do not have confidence in their abilities behind the wheel. Old people are more than confident behind the steering wheel, and they suck ass at it. The elderly are not designed for such complex tasks as operating heavy machinery, and last time I checked cars are not light. "Why do you feel the elderly are not designed for operating heavy machinery?" you may ask. Well, my dear friends, let me tell you why.
Firstly, the old people have diminished sensory perception. Their vision is getting worse, they lose their hearing. Now, according to everything I know, it is very important for you to be able to see and hear well when you drive. I mean, when you get your license, they check your vision. If you have poor vision, then you need to wear glasses. I know because I have to. Or contacts work too. Either way, you have corrective lenses of some sort. I have no problem with this. I love my glasses. They are like a part of my face. But old people can be pretty damn stubborn. So much so that they will resist getting such corrective lenses. Also, hearing is important because it is illegal to listen to music through headphones while you drive. I don't do that, I swear. But, if it is illegal for me to drive while listening to music through my headphones, then it sure as hell better be illegal for old people to not wear hearing aides when they drive. It is also important to know that every time you get your license renewed, you do not have to take the vision test again to see if your vision is still safe. This alone would make the streets somewhat safer because it would be illegal for the old people to operate a car without corrective lenses, which I am pretty sure it is anyway, but because they are not tested, we really do not find out about their diminished vision until it is too late.
The elderly are the worst drivers on the road. Teenagers, when they first learn how to drive, can be dangerous, but at least they do not have confidence in their abilities behind the wheel. Old people are more than confident behind the steering wheel, and they suck ass at it. The elderly are not designed for such complex tasks as operating heavy machinery, and last time I checked cars are not light. "Why do you feel the elderly are not designed for operating heavy machinery?" you may ask. Well, my dear friends, let me tell you why.
Firstly, the old people have diminished sensory perception. Their vision is getting worse, they lose their hearing. Now, according to everything I know, it is very important for you to be able to see and hear well when you drive. I mean, when you get your license, they check your vision. If you have poor vision, then you need to wear glasses. I know because I have to. Or contacts work too. Either way, you have corrective lenses of some sort. I have no problem with this. I love my glasses. They are like a part of my face. But old people can be pretty damn stubborn. So much so that they will resist getting such corrective lenses. Also, hearing is important because it is illegal to listen to music through headphones while you drive. I don't do that, I swear. But, if it is illegal for me to drive while listening to music through my headphones, then it sure as hell better be illegal for old people to not wear hearing aides when they drive. It is also important to know that every time you get your license renewed, you do not have to take the vision test again to see if your vision is still safe. This alone would make the streets somewhat safer because it would be illegal for the old people to operate a car without corrective lenses, which I am pretty sure it is anyway, but because they are not tested, we really do not find out about their diminished vision until it is too late.
In addition to their limited sensory perceptional abilities, old people have mental problems that can make driving a car extremely dangerous. The two main afflictions that come to mind are dementia and Alzheimer's. Dementia can be a big problem on the road because if it sets in suddenly, then an old person behind the wheel of a car can suddenly see giant dragons flying around, or mole people rising from the ground and believe they are presenting a credible threat to him or herself and the occupants of the car, and even the car itself, and turn it into a weapon to combat these mythical creatures. Now, I am all for using your imagination, but when it puts me in danger behind the wheel of my car, then I gotta say no. Especially when that use of imagination is unchecked. Alzheimer's can create problems as well because if a sudden rapid onset of the disease occurs, then an old person behind the wheel of a car can forget not only where they may be going, but also how to drive an effing car. Now, I can't accept that there are people driving around on the rod when they don't remember where the hell they are going!
Realstats.com says that 90% of all automobile accidents are the fault of old people, whether directly or indirectly. Don't question it. That site is real. Trust me. I looked it up. On the Internet.
Think about it like this, you would not let your child eat a 50 year old fruit or a 50 year old hamburger. Common sense then tells us that you owuld not let your child into a car with a 50 year old person. If not yourself, then think about the safety of the children when you consider this. The children are our future dammit. I heard that once. In a Presidential address or something. Maybe a literary journal. Definitely not in a song.
Now, though I would prefer to just strip any person over the age of 50 of any and all driving privileges, this is horribly impractical. So, my solution is that once you reach the age of 50, a person should be made to take a driving exam, at least every 5 years to see if they are not operating a car unsafely. I don't think that is too much to ask.
Now, after this rant, you may be asking, "Brandon, why do you hate old people?" I say to that, I have no problem with old people. They give me money. I mean I do have grandparents. Also, I ask, why do old people hate me so much that they just wanna be a bunch of stubborn old bastards and endanger my life every time I get on the road. I know I am not the best driver on the road, but I do know they are the worst. You don't like what I have to say, tough. I said it. Get over it. Argue with me. I'll win. And if not, I'll leave the argument so neither of us can win, and I win by definition because you don't win.
So, there you go. That is the single greatest threat to America, in my opinion. So, hope you made it here. I don't know what I'll post about tomorrow, but it will be something at the least. Have a good night.
You can't stop the signal...
7.23.2008
With My Freeze Ray I Will Stop the Pain...
So, as promised, I return for another posting. Yesterday I teased that I would be taking about DR. HORRIBLE'S SING-ALONG BLOG, and I will be doing just that. Basically it is a three act internet miniseries about a super-villain named Dr. Horrible (Neil Patrick Harris) who is trying to gain entrance into the Evil League of Evil, while also working up the courage to talk to Penny (Felicia Day) a pretty girl from his laundromat. The show, for lack of a better term, is great. I really enjoy it. The downside is that it isn't online for free anymore. You can download it off iTunes for $3.99 for all 3 episodes, which clock in at around 13 minutes each. Also, you could call me and be all like, "Brandon, that show you were talking about sounds really cool. I want to check it out, and I simultaneously feel like I need more of you in my life, Let's hang out, and we can watch Dr. Horrible!" and then I'll be all like, "Sure I'd love to!" because I totally have it on my computer. There are also plans to release it on DVD at some point.
The show is written by Joss Whedon, who created BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, and FIREFLY/SERENITY. It is pretty funny, and the music is just great. It isn't all showboat-ish like stuff on Broadway (no offense to Broadway because I do enjoy musicals with showboatery) but more low maintenance. If you are familiar with the musical BUFFY episode "Once More With Feeling" then you would probably have a good idea of what kind of music is featured on the show. If not, then you can take my word that it is good. But if you don't trust me, or think I'm a piece of shit or something, then I will just post one of the songs on here. So, check this out...
That is the first song. It starts with Dr. Horrible giving his video blog, and then leads into the song. It's good fun. Also entertaining is Nathan Fillion as the superhero who is constantly beating the crap out of Dr. Horrible, and foiling his plans. Unfortunately I don't have as much to say about this as I did yesterday with THE DARK KNIGHT, but it is really worth checking out. Also, I would welcome the opportunity to hang out to watch it. So, yeah. There ya go.
Tomorrow I will be back to talk about the greatest threat to America today. It is important, and I will have "factual" information to back it up. Get ready because it's gonna blow your minds!
You can't stop the signal...
The show is written by Joss Whedon, who created BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL, and FIREFLY/SERENITY. It is pretty funny, and the music is just great. It isn't all showboat-ish like stuff on Broadway (no offense to Broadway because I do enjoy musicals with showboatery) but more low maintenance. If you are familiar with the musical BUFFY episode "Once More With Feeling" then you would probably have a good idea of what kind of music is featured on the show. If not, then you can take my word that it is good. But if you don't trust me, or think I'm a piece of shit or something, then I will just post one of the songs on here. So, check this out...
That is the first song. It starts with Dr. Horrible giving his video blog, and then leads into the song. It's good fun. Also entertaining is Nathan Fillion as the superhero who is constantly beating the crap out of Dr. Horrible, and foiling his plans. Unfortunately I don't have as much to say about this as I did yesterday with THE DARK KNIGHT, but it is really worth checking out. Also, I would welcome the opportunity to hang out to watch it. So, yeah. There ya go.
Tomorrow I will be back to talk about the greatest threat to America today. It is important, and I will have "factual" information to back it up. Get ready because it's gonna blow your minds!
You can't stop the signal...
7.22.2008
Not a Hero, But Something More
The level of anticipation I had going in to see THE DARK KNIGHT for the first time is really unparalleled to any movie-going experience I have had before. LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING comes close, but there have really only been two experiences to match that level of anticipation: HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS and every season finale I have seen live on LOST. With those kind of expectations about the movie, it would really be easy for me to be let down, but let me tell you, somehow, just as it happens with LOST every year, and as was the case with the final HARRY POTTER, my expectations were far exceeded. They were so far exceeded that I did not know how to react during and immediately after my first run through. I had to go back and experience it again, almost immediately, so that I could really digest it, and the experience of seeing this movie for the second time secured it as my all time favorite movie.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE, SPOILERS FOLLOW. BEWARE.
The opening scene of the movie really gets things moving with a heist of one of the banks of Gotham City. It is being carried out by men hired by the Joker to steal from the mob, essentially. As the heist progresses each of the men kills the others, narrowing down the ranks to two men. As one makes note of it to the other, supposing that the guy who hired them said to kill him next, the clown masked robber, silent until this point says, "No, no, no, no. I kill the bus driver," in a voice that will come to be highly recognized. The bus backs in over the other clown masked robber, and then the bus driver is killed. When the bank manager claims that criminals like this Joker who set up the heist don't believe in anything like the mob bosses who clearly fronted this bank, the remaining clown said he believes that what doesn't kill you simply makes you...stranger. And we meet the Joker.
From here there is some very quick exposition where we learn that Jim Gordon has been put in charge of the Major Crimes Unit, and that Batman's crusade to save Gotham is not going unnoticed. There are copycat vigilantes (a la Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS) who use guns, which Batman does not like, and dispatches them in the same manner as the criminals. Mob bosses are coming together because on their own they can stand little to no chance against the duo of Batman and MCU. Along with this we meet the new District Attorney Harvey Dent, who has been dubbed Gotham's White Knight.
The movie plays out like a good crime drama. There are double crosses over the place. The mob decides to hire the Joker to take out Batman, and in order to do this, Joker begins preying on public officials. The sequence where he begins this with hits on Commissioner Loeb, a Gotham City Judge, and Harvey Dent is brilliantly executed (no pun intended) with the music and quick cuts between locations. This sequence leads directly into the first meeting between Batman and the Joker, and it does not disappoint.
The film really keeps you on the edge of your seat as Joker announces all of his hits in attempt to bring Batman out from behind his secret identity, and then shifting to making Harvey Dent fall from his heroic status to the poeple of the city. The Joker's plans are always nearly three or four steps ahead of Batman and the police, even when you believe that he has lost the upper hand, he is still in control. As Alfred put it best, he is a man that cannot be understood because he is such a unique brand of criminal to what Gotham City is used to. "Some men just want to watch the world burn."
By the time Two Face enters the picture, Joker has really torn Gotham City asunder. The people of the city fear for their lives, and when Joker leads them into his social experiment of a trap, the rush like sheep to the slaughter. His plan is not entirely foiled though, because he kept Harvey Dent as his ace in the hole to make sure that he would not lose "the battle for Gotham's soul" in a fight with Batman. Harvey, having lost everything he ever cared about (Rachel Dawes), and becoming heavily scarred from half of his face burning nearly all the way off, holds Gordon's family at gunpoint. The intense scene where Harvey tries to make Gordon experience his same suffering by losing the person he cares for most in the world. The music is haunting as we see what kind of monster Harvey, the former White Knight has really become.
Batman is able to save Gordon's son, but not before Harvey could go on a killing spree of those he held responsible for Rachel's death. If Harvey's actions got out, then all the good work he had done would have been for nothing, and all of the criminals he put away would be released. The Joker would win. But in a moment that practically brought me to tears, Batman says he will take the blame. As Jim Gordon tells his son, he is the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs.
There are some other moments through the film that deserve attention. The entrance of the Batpod from the wreckage of the Tumbler (which jumped into a rocket to protect the truck transporting Dent) into Batman flipping a semi longways, and then turning a nerd-gasm inducing flip on a wall pretty much made me giddy with joy. Also Joker's destruction of a Gotham City hospital to cover up Dent's departure, and get some hostages was beautifully done. And Joker's magic trick in his first real scene really set the stage for his calculated insanity.
There is more, and I could probably go on for hours about why I loved the movie, but I don't want to bore you. So, let me know what you thought of the movie. Was it as good as I said it is? What parts did I not mention that would be worth a shout out? Did I write this well enough for you? Let me know. You can comment on this after all.
Next time I'll talk about Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Until then.
You can't stop the signal...
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE, SPOILERS FOLLOW. BEWARE.
The opening scene of the movie really gets things moving with a heist of one of the banks of Gotham City. It is being carried out by men hired by the Joker to steal from the mob, essentially. As the heist progresses each of the men kills the others, narrowing down the ranks to two men. As one makes note of it to the other, supposing that the guy who hired them said to kill him next, the clown masked robber, silent until this point says, "No, no, no, no. I kill the bus driver," in a voice that will come to be highly recognized. The bus backs in over the other clown masked robber, and then the bus driver is killed. When the bank manager claims that criminals like this Joker who set up the heist don't believe in anything like the mob bosses who clearly fronted this bank, the remaining clown said he believes that what doesn't kill you simply makes you...stranger. And we meet the Joker.
From here there is some very quick exposition where we learn that Jim Gordon has been put in charge of the Major Crimes Unit, and that Batman's crusade to save Gotham is not going unnoticed. There are copycat vigilantes (a la Frank Miller's THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS) who use guns, which Batman does not like, and dispatches them in the same manner as the criminals. Mob bosses are coming together because on their own they can stand little to no chance against the duo of Batman and MCU. Along with this we meet the new District Attorney Harvey Dent, who has been dubbed Gotham's White Knight.
The movie plays out like a good crime drama. There are double crosses over the place. The mob decides to hire the Joker to take out Batman, and in order to do this, Joker begins preying on public officials. The sequence where he begins this with hits on Commissioner Loeb, a Gotham City Judge, and Harvey Dent is brilliantly executed (no pun intended) with the music and quick cuts between locations. This sequence leads directly into the first meeting between Batman and the Joker, and it does not disappoint.
The film really keeps you on the edge of your seat as Joker announces all of his hits in attempt to bring Batman out from behind his secret identity, and then shifting to making Harvey Dent fall from his heroic status to the poeple of the city. The Joker's plans are always nearly three or four steps ahead of Batman and the police, even when you believe that he has lost the upper hand, he is still in control. As Alfred put it best, he is a man that cannot be understood because he is such a unique brand of criminal to what Gotham City is used to. "Some men just want to watch the world burn."
By the time Two Face enters the picture, Joker has really torn Gotham City asunder. The people of the city fear for their lives, and when Joker leads them into his social experiment of a trap, the rush like sheep to the slaughter. His plan is not entirely foiled though, because he kept Harvey Dent as his ace in the hole to make sure that he would not lose "the battle for Gotham's soul" in a fight with Batman. Harvey, having lost everything he ever cared about (Rachel Dawes), and becoming heavily scarred from half of his face burning nearly all the way off, holds Gordon's family at gunpoint. The intense scene where Harvey tries to make Gordon experience his same suffering by losing the person he cares for most in the world. The music is haunting as we see what kind of monster Harvey, the former White Knight has really become.
Batman is able to save Gordon's son, but not before Harvey could go on a killing spree of those he held responsible for Rachel's death. If Harvey's actions got out, then all the good work he had done would have been for nothing, and all of the criminals he put away would be released. The Joker would win. But in a moment that practically brought me to tears, Batman says he will take the blame. As Jim Gordon tells his son, he is the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs.
There are some other moments through the film that deserve attention. The entrance of the Batpod from the wreckage of the Tumbler (which jumped into a rocket to protect the truck transporting Dent) into Batman flipping a semi longways, and then turning a nerd-gasm inducing flip on a wall pretty much made me giddy with joy. Also Joker's destruction of a Gotham City hospital to cover up Dent's departure, and get some hostages was beautifully done. And Joker's magic trick in his first real scene really set the stage for his calculated insanity.
There is more, and I could probably go on for hours about why I loved the movie, but I don't want to bore you. So, let me know what you thought of the movie. Was it as good as I said it is? What parts did I not mention that would be worth a shout out? Did I write this well enough for you? Let me know. You can comment on this after all.
Next time I'll talk about Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Until then.
You can't stop the signal...
7.21.2008
I Return...Again
So, I am going to try to keep up with this thing more frequently. I want to keep people updated on my life and all, so this is where that will happen. I hope that you all will bear with me for that as well. Even if nobody is reading, I will still use this as my place to rant and rave and whatever else.
So, here we go.
Over the last couple of months, I have made some really awesome friends, that I am so grateful for. I met them while I was working orientation at school, and I really connected with them, and it has just been an incredible experience. It is really disappointing to me that I can't hang out with them all for the whole summer, but because not everyone is from the Nashville area, that is not possible.
Along with that, my mom finished chemo a couple weeks ago, and that has just been great to have that trying time over and done with. She still has some radiation to go through, but she is pretty much done with this whole cancer mess as far as we can tell.
As far as entertainment goes, I have a new favorite movie: The Dark Knight. This movie is so good, and I really think that it would do you all very well to go and see it if you have not yet. I won't give anything away, right now, but tomorrow I am going to go in depth on why I love it so much.
Also, I am reading a couple books right now. One is The Stand by Stephen King, and the other is Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Both are somewhat in the horror genre, and I will post my full thoughts on them when I finish reading them.
So, yeah, that is all for now. I will be posting more later, but this was mainly just to get the ball rolling. I will check back in soon.
You can't stop the signal...
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot. There is this really awesome program you can see online, I think, and if not you can get ahold of me and I will help you find a way of seeing it. It is called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It is awesome. Neil Patrick Harris is the protagonist who is actually an antagonist. Its like 40 minutes in all. It has 3 acts, and is very entertaining. I'll talk about it more later, but just wanted ot let you know. Check it out at www.drhorrible.com
So, here we go.
Over the last couple of months, I have made some really awesome friends, that I am so grateful for. I met them while I was working orientation at school, and I really connected with them, and it has just been an incredible experience. It is really disappointing to me that I can't hang out with them all for the whole summer, but because not everyone is from the Nashville area, that is not possible.
Along with that, my mom finished chemo a couple weeks ago, and that has just been great to have that trying time over and done with. She still has some radiation to go through, but she is pretty much done with this whole cancer mess as far as we can tell.
As far as entertainment goes, I have a new favorite movie: The Dark Knight. This movie is so good, and I really think that it would do you all very well to go and see it if you have not yet. I won't give anything away, right now, but tomorrow I am going to go in depth on why I love it so much.
Also, I am reading a couple books right now. One is The Stand by Stephen King, and the other is Turn of the Screw by Henry James. Both are somewhat in the horror genre, and I will post my full thoughts on them when I finish reading them.
So, yeah, that is all for now. I will be posting more later, but this was mainly just to get the ball rolling. I will check back in soon.
You can't stop the signal...
Oh yeah, and I almost forgot. There is this really awesome program you can see online, I think, and if not you can get ahold of me and I will help you find a way of seeing it. It is called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. It is awesome. Neil Patrick Harris is the protagonist who is actually an antagonist. Its like 40 minutes in all. It has 3 acts, and is very entertaining. I'll talk about it more later, but just wanted ot let you know. Check it out at www.drhorrible.com
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