On Batman: The Dark Knight --

I'm supposed to blog about my recent trip to Guam but I watched Batman: The Dark Knight last night and had to blog about that instead.

With most sequels and multi-part movies, the stories usually fall into the trap of just featuring "the monster of the month/the villain of the month" movies but I really love what the Nolans have done with the Batman movies. With each movie, they have developed Batman's character and are exploring different aspects of his persona: Batman as masked avenger, as detective, as a dark knight, etc.

While Christian Bale is amazing as Bruce Wayne/Batman, Heath Ledger truly steals the show as the Joker. Bale's Batman still has roots in the comic books and he does a great job portraying Batman but Ledger's the Joker is truly original and he deserves the Oscar Buzz he is getting for this role. (You will be blinded by his awesomeness. ^_^)

Based on the stills and trailers, I thought Ledger was channeling Alan Moore's the Joker (from The Killing Joke) but he doesn't -- not completely. Ledger's the Joker is how the Joker should be. He plays with his own "origin" and tells several versions of it in the movie. In the end, he explains himself best -- that he simply is and nothing more.

My personal favorite is Harvey Dent simply because Aaron Eckhart plays him and he is so breathlessly amazing. I love him! >_< (I will rewatch Possession later for more Aaron Eckhart goodness.)

After the movie, my sister asked me which I preferred: Wanted or Batman: The Dark Knight.

Tough question. ^_^

I like Wanted for the cinematography and the "bullet ballet" and I like Batman for the story. =^_^=

... but that's just me.