Well, folks, here it is: My last column of the year. I know what you’re thinking, and yes, I’m sad too because there is a moderate chance I may never write for a newspaper again. This might be it, and the thing is, I still have a lot to say. As I reflect upon the year and everything I have written, a lot of thematic patterns appear week-to-week; however, some things have been ignored. Things that I have always wanted to write about, but never found an easy way of doing so without coming across as a mindless, pointless blogger. But seeing as it is the last ODE column I shall write, I figure there is no better time or place to rant. So without shame and further ado, I am proud to present to you the number one topic I have been dying to write about all year.
I need to talk to you about The Dark Knight. Let me start by saying I grew up with Batman as my favorite superhero of all time. Bruce Wayne is a totally normal guy – aside from being obscenely rich – who decides evil has finally met its match! There are no mutated genes, no radioactive insects, or futuristic villains from space in the Batman universe; everyone is human, and everyone is vulnerable. Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Tim Burton didn’t fully accomplish this sense of reality but nevertheless, made a great 1989 version of the Caped Crusader. Still, it didn’t really capture the essence of the Wayne/Batman psychological dynamic. Writer/Director Christopher Nolan discovered and emphasized that conflicted persona with “Batman Begins” in 2005, and had made unquestionably the best casting call ever with Christian Bale as the man in black. We all know the movie was a huge success – critically and commercially – and the sequel was underway before we knew it.
Now, I admit, I am a suave, dangerously sexy man, but my “nerdery” for “The Dark Knight” knows no boundaries. I have followed the pre-production of this film with a fiery passion that would embarrass me if I thought there might be a slight chance that this sequel wouldn’t be the best movie of all time. That’s right, I said it: “The Dark Knight” will be the best movie ever put on the silver screen. The checklist includes a sensational cast with the addition of Heath Ledger as the Joker, which we will delve into more here in a second, and the removal of the abominable Katie Holmes; a proven writer/director in Nolan who undoubtedly put together a fantastic script that blends action, drama, and dry wit together seamlessly; and the appropriate thematic mood for a Batman film, which is dark, twisted, and conflicted, unlike the updated Adam West-like garbage that nearly killed the franchise in the late 1990s.
Essentially what I am getting at is that “The Dark Knight” will melt your face from the opening credits on, and Heath Ledger will give one of the most magnificently terrifying and creepy performances ever caught on film. I love Ledger. I thought “Brokeback Mountain” was a terrific film, mostly because I thought Ledger was so damn impressive, which is why I was stoked to hear he would be the new Joker. I read a lot of particularly disturbing yet highly impressive rumors surrounding Ledger’s preparation for the role as part of my ever-so-integral interest in “The Dark Knight.” My favorite tale, which I like to believe is true, is that Ledger locked himself in a dingy one-bedroom apartment with no connection to the outside world for a month, doing nothing but becoming the Joker. Allegedly, Ledger did everything from standing in front of mirror practicing the Joker’s posture for hours on end to creating the Joker’s penmanship and keeping daily journals from the Joker’s perspective. Michael Caine, who plays Wayne’s trusty butler Alfred, said Ledger scared him so bad as the Joker on the set that he forgot his lines when the two first met.
And allow me to be frank: Ledger is probably dead because he got too into being the Joker. We’ve heard stories like this before, where Joaquin Phoenix couldn’t stop being Johnny Cash, Phillip Seymour Hoffman couldn’t stop being Truman Capote, and Daniel Day Lewis can never seem to stop being any of the characters he portrays. But Ledger’s role as the Joker was the worst kind to get stuck in. The Joker is the most realistically psychotic, irrational, and genuinely evil character in any comic universe. Spend enough time pretending to be that violently crazy, and eventually you will go crazy. That’s why Ledger’s not with us today, but his death – highly tragic and far too soon – is an indication of just how good he will be in “The Dark Knight.”
The movie comes out July 18, so between now and then think of two things, if only for my sake: One, I must see this movie. And two, consider this my least politically and socially conscious column to date, but you know what, the best things in life are often the simplest. I have a nerdy obsession for Batman and “The Dark Knight,” but it brings me self-gratifying joy to follow the movie’s production, as trivial as it may be. Discover what you love, love what you discover, and the rest should fall into place. Peace, love, farewell and RIP Heath Ledger.
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