a mad, mad world

it was a very long time since i was so excited to watch a movie (maybe part of the reason is that i don't watch movies that often anymore). and most of the time, the in-your-face marketing propaganda does not live up to expectations.

i just watched the dark knight this evening and my god, the hype didn't do justice to it at all. i can say that this is the best superhero movie i have ever watched. the movie is just brilliant.
the movie takes us into gotham city and reintroduces us to the culture, morals, and ethics of its city (which i think mirror all the demons society is facing today -- superficial morality, terrorism, politics, and social ethics). though, i was a bit surprised that the mood is not that dark and heavy as almost all of the batman movies were, after the movie you feel just as dark and intense.

the most notable performance were actually of heath ledger as the joker. his take on the joker is by far the best -- completely outshining jack nicholson's portrayal of the same character. he takes us into his character's psyche and sometimes, even offering an explanation as to why he is the villain. his performance is so brilliant; those nuances like the slight bob of the head, the intensity of his stare, the unconscious licking of the lips, and even those few comic one-liners (which actually has very heavy implications).
what i like best about the movie is the way it tried to explain why batman, the hero and joker, the villain need each other. gotham is so dark, mysterious, disturbing, and mad. as the quote says, "in this mad, mad world, only the mad are sane." role reversals and role redemptions should not be uncommon.
anyway, these are a few of my favorite lines

Batman: Why do you want to kill me?
The Joker: I don't want to kill you. What would I do without you?

(to Batman)
The Joker: ... you complete me.

The Joker: Introduce a little anarchy... Upset the established order... Well then everyone loses their minds!

go watch!

ciao!