Japanese movie schedules...
So, Batman: Dark Knight opens here next weekend (8/9). A bit later, once again, than the rest of the world. I got to see a sneak preview last night. Thankfully, they do that with a lot of foreign movies- have a special showing the weekend before it opens here. Still much later than, say, everybody, but just that little bit sooner.
I'm not going to do a full review, since at this point what more can I add to what the rest of the world's been saying for a month or so, but I liked it. Everyone is raving about the Joker, and rightfully so. Heath took a role that already has some iconic performances attached to it- I mean, the old TV series has a hold on some people still, then trying to take on a role Jack Nicholson played, or even Mark Hamill's voice work for the animated series- and truly brought something new to it. I'm not sure what I think about them departing from the comic and doing the Joker as a guy in makeup, but other than that... and I suppose they had to differentiate the origins of Joker and Harvey Dent from eac other a little more.
Did the Batman mask look a little odd this time around to anyone else? And liked it in the first one, continue to do so here, the voice that Bruce Wayne uses as Batman. It fits.
One drawback- replacing Katie "whatshername going out with crackpot Tom Cruise" is fine, but couldn't they have replaced her with someone who was even slightly attractive? I'm not saying the replacment was ugly, but to me she looked very... ordinary. Possibly just a little bit sub-ordinary.
And the big convict on the boat "Give it to me, and I'll do what you should've done 10 minutes ago" scene... I frickin' loved that.
As for Batman goods at the theater shop... remember that Indy Jones pen light projector? I've now got one that projects a large white circle with the Batmas symbol in black in the middle of it.
I'm not going to do a full review, since at this point what more can I add to what the rest of the world's been saying for a month or so, but I liked it. Everyone is raving about the Joker, and rightfully so. Heath took a role that already has some iconic performances attached to it- I mean, the old TV series has a hold on some people still, then trying to take on a role Jack Nicholson played, or even Mark Hamill's voice work for the animated series- and truly brought something new to it. I'm not sure what I think about them departing from the comic and doing the Joker as a guy in makeup, but other than that... and I suppose they had to differentiate the origins of Joker and Harvey Dent from eac other a little more.
Did the Batman mask look a little odd this time around to anyone else? And liked it in the first one, continue to do so here, the voice that Bruce Wayne uses as Batman. It fits.
One drawback- replacing Katie "whatshername going out with crackpot Tom Cruise" is fine, but couldn't they have replaced her with someone who was even slightly attractive? I'm not saying the replacment was ugly, but to me she looked very... ordinary. Possibly just a little bit sub-ordinary.
And the big convict on the boat "Give it to me, and I'll do what you should've done 10 minutes ago" scene... I frickin' loved that.
As for Batman goods at the theater shop... remember that Indy Jones pen light projector? I've now got one that projects a large white circle with the Batmas symbol in black in the middle of it.