Batman: the Dark Knight takes spot #2
Posted July 19th, 2008 by Howard TaylerI saw Batman: The Dark Knight on Friday morning, and it rocked my socks off. If you’ve ever seen my boots then perhaps you can imagine just how much sock-rocking that is.
The film did not, however, claim top spot on my list. Wall-E remains on top, further cementing the notion that our robotic creations will someday rule us. Here’s the updated list, wherein I rate the movies I’ve seen this summer in descending order of how much I liked them…
1) Wall-E
2) Batman: the Dark Knight
3) Kung-Fu Panda
4) Speed Racer
5) Iron Man
6) Hellboy II
7) Get Smart
8) Wanted
9) Hulk
10) Indiana Jones
11) Hancock
12) Prince Caspian
13) Journey to the Center of the Earth
Remember, none of these movies sucked (at least not for me) though Journey to the Center of the Earth did come close. This has been a fantastic summer for connossieurs of “le cinema de bustre du bloque.”
My one complaint with Dark Knight is that it temporarily removed all of my desires for lesser films. That means that Space Chimps will probably go unseen by me until after Comic-Con, and if it’s still in theaters then it will have to armwrestle The X-Files: I Want to Believe for my time and money. Since I really do want to believe, it’s looking bad for the monkeys apes.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
The Dark Knight had the same effect on me. Since I saw it last night, I’ve been entirely unable to enjoy any new stories whatsoever, since none of them approach either its brilliance or its constant fever-pitch of excitement and apprehension.
I haven’t seen Wall-E yet, though. Maybe tomorrow. Despite the rave reviews, I view it as something I’d enjoy, but not something important for me to see. Possibly I’m wrong.
July 19th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
I saw Dark Knight yesterday, and Space Chimps today. My 2 yr-old AND my 5 yr-old were cowering at the alien overlord we meet in the beginning (of Space Chimps.) (There is no alien overlord in Batman.) They were seriously at the edge of tears, despite how innocuous he was.
Perhaps I should take them to Dark Knight — show them what fear REALLY is. “Oh, there’s a fly on your chair? Well, let’s hope THE JOKER doesn’t hear you crying about it….”
July 20th, 2008 at 7:17 am
“Don’t wanna eat your dinner? WHY SO SERIOUS?”
July 20th, 2008 at 8:59 am
I’m pretty sure that technique would border on child abuse. Not that I am whole heartedly against it or at least the principal of it, but let’s try an maintain our children’s innocence for a few moments longer. After all, I am reasonably certain I don’t want to turn my kids into the paranoid neurotic mess I am before they even get to Jr. High.
After that, well, the real world’s problems will probably NOT be crushed under my jack booted heel by then, so I will start introducing them to the depth of human depravity after that. I figure I will start with the truth behind Brittany Spears and Hanna Montana.
On second thought, maybe I should start with Charles Manson, less frightening.
July 20th, 2008 at 11:14 am
I also loved Dark Knight, though it didn’t soak up my enthusiasm for seeing the new mummy movie…
July 20th, 2008 at 1:23 pm
Howard, a part of my brain can envision you taking Link, Gleek and Kiki to see Dark Knight and using that “parenting” line in the weeks that follow…
And while it disturbs me, am I a bad man for chuckling just a little?
Any time your parenting ideas might intersect with mine, you should probably double-check what your doing… It is one of God’s tender mercies that I’m without children…
As I should note: All films are lesser films when compred to the majesty that is Dark Knight.
July 20th, 2008 at 3:23 pm
“all films are lesser…” except Wall-E. Wall-E is such an amazing work of animation, the story and the characters, the animation, the music… everything about the movie just seamlessly flowing together to create a majesty of movie.
July 20th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Having seen Wall-E, I’m hard-pressed to compare it to The Dark Knight. There are trade-offs on both sides. They share equal control over filmic elements, and using a story to explore a message; but the Dark Knight maintains that control for about an hour longer, so that should count for something, shouldn’t it?
I admired Wall-E, and enjoyed discovering it; but I doubt I will be interested in repeat viewings, whereas I found myself craving TDK not long after I left the theater and constantly since. I feel like a film junkie in emotional withdrawal, after such a powerful sustained hit of tension, fear, and awe. Wall-E was much gentler. Although still, I don’t think, a very good kids movie. How much of that can a five year old possibly understand? Even I had trouble placing certain references.
I will say two things that I completely loved about Wall-E: it was an actual pure science fiction story, as opposed to simply a story that takes place in space. So it understood that the dominant emotions should be interest and awe, not fear. In that way it reminded me very much of the great sci-fi classics like Close Encounters and 2001. And in addition, it was so refreshingly a film of ideas–not just that it had ideas in it, but that it was almost entirely composed of them. By making do with almost no direct dialog, nearly all of the film’s connections are for the audience to make. You don’t have to be told that that’s a kiss; you don’t have to be told why the plant is so important to the different characters; you don’t have to be told all the subtle ideological pattern changes Wall-E engenders in his journey. It’s a movie that makes you think in order to keep up with it, and that’s a rare and thrilling experience.
Um, that was all “it’s sci-fi”.
The other thing I admired about it was that all conflict in the film arose from the story and setting, not the script. By which I mean, a lot of Disney and Pixar films have malicious characters who drive the plot. It’s so rare and so cool to see a film where dangers come from competing orders, from larger systems and machines, from misunderstandings, from chance occurrences. It gives the film a lightness that an alien overlord or whatever would have completely destroyed, and keeps the focus on the central love story.
Anyways. This has been a damn good summer for movies.
July 20th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
For anybody who likes both films I think it’ll be close between TDK and Wall*E.
For me, I think Wall*E is going to entertain me for years, while TDK is not going to invite me back more than once or twice more. It’s a very powerful story, but it’s also dark, and my tastes for that run kind of shallow.
Both films are amazing. They’re both great explorations of the art, while still being sensational money-makers. And TDK is going down as the most sensational (sensationalest?) money-maker in history.
July 21st, 2008 at 12:39 am
I just saw Wall-E this weekend (TDK isn’t out ’till next week here :( ), the best bit for me was really close to the end when a nearby child (aged 6-8 probably) said “it’s not funny anymore…” i’m sure those that have seen the film will know when that happened.
Doug
July 21st, 2008 at 8:24 pm
I’m going to go out on a limb here and mention that I was actually disappointed in The Dark Knight. I’m not disappointed that I spent the money to see it in theaters, but I won’t be watching it again.
July 25th, 2008 at 2:58 am
I saw WALL-E, and I’m wondering what the fuss is about. OK, the first half-hour is the greatest achievement in the history of CGI, but after that it slacks off. In the end, it’s just a cutesy movie about Number Five from Short Circuit having a love affair with the Apple Vibrator. It’s good, but it’s far from Pixar’s best.