I was on my way home, very early that Friday morning. Only one question kept repeating itself over and over and over in my head. To such an extent that by the time I finally reached home, I was literally physically exhausted! Not even talking abt my mental state here. I knew I wouldnt be able to sleep until I answered that question. The question possessed me like the devil did the little girl, in Exorcist. It had never before occured to me. Never even realised whether it was a question at all !"Is an Oscar awarded posthumously?" "Is an Oscar awarded posthumously?"
I was just lazing around, watching Friends at home after reaching surprisingly early from work. I had my weekend planned. Saturday-The Dark Knight. Sunday-Kung Fu Panda and Kismat Konnection (well, yea... love Vidya! ) And that would be it. A weekend well spent :) Then out of nowhere, I get this call from a friend who tells me she has passes for the premiere show of The Dark Knight, at Fame Adlabs. For a minute I was just numb. Then it hit me! F !!!! Without even thinking, I just rushed out ! Who in their right minds would miss out on such an opportunity ?Well, there I was, in my 6-year-old-t-shirt and unwashed jeans, wearing ’chappals’, in the midst of all the glitterrati ! Thats enough of the premiere hall.Lets move into the cinema hall ! I am not divulging any story-line here, so in case u are looking for that, u are wasting ur time and can stop right here.A couple of months back, Ironman broke all the typical comic-book-film rules, making it look more real, feel more real, more mysterious, rather than pastel, artificial.
Well, what Batman does is, takes it further. Christopher Nolan rips Batman out of the comic books and gets him in the real world. The film is a haunting trip, not only through the dark streets of Gotham City, but also through the psyche of all involved- the opressed people of the city, the D.A., the Asst D.A., Batman and most of all, the Joker. Batman, apart from cleaning up Gotham’s streets, is fighting a battle within himself. People have started holding him responsible for deaths of policemen and innocents. Christian Bale outdoes himself as Batman and Bruce this time round.In Batman Begins, he was excellent. In The Dark Knight, he’s outstanding. Cant wait to see him to play Connors in the new Terminator film!!Commissioner Gordon, played again by Gary Oldman (Sirius Black of HP movies) is superb too. So are Sir Micheal Caine, as Bruce Wayne’s butler and Morgan Freeman, as Bruce’s research head. Maggie Gyllenhal is so-so. Aaron Eckhart, as the D.A. is superb. He is the knight in shining armour for the people of Gotham City. Alright then. We come to the villian. The Joker. One of the most whackiest and scariest super-villians in all Comicdom. Crazier than Lex Luthar. Scarier than Magneto. The look.
The get-up. The make-up. The dialog delivery. The whole package. The long greasy hair. Make-up, which looks like its been done with crayons and cheap water-colors. And the whole smudged look of the make-up with traces of tear-streaks running down his face and the scars. The Joker looks ominous. Then there is that cackle in his voice. Add to that the little ’sloshy’ sound he makes as he speaks. Oooof! too much! He gets under your skin!