Superheros, Robots and Dresses

Neily Bo-beily,

The Dark Knight opens today, and I could probably go see a matinee with my friend Danni Ryan (she was in the children’s shows at Little Theater with me). But I’m too lazy to call and see if the Cinema Center still has tickets. SO lazy. Maybe I should ask Danni to call… naw, I don’t want to put that much pressure on her.

*Le sigh* (Neil, that is French for *sigh*). I read The New Yorker review of The Dark Knight, and now I am not so sure it is as awesome as Batman Begins and the movie trailers lead me to believe it is.

The reviewer said the movie is too dark, violent and claustrophobic. He said the plot is too entropic; the end offers no relief from the bad guys. But the writer loved the bad guy, the late Heather Ledger as The Joker. He is why I really want to see this movie. Ledger knew how to act. He acted like the character he was cast as; instead of just saying the lines the script gave him. That is good acting. I hope he wins a posthumous Oscar or a lifetime achievement award, because in his lifetime he did achieve things.

Also he reviewed Wall-E and LOVED it. Now I really want to see it. What really impressed me with the review of the Pixar film is how the writer made the kid’s animated movie seem like any movie made for anyone. If you had no clue what Pixar was you would think Wall-E was just a movie. So it must be said: kids movie’s do not have to be dumbed down so the little kids minds can grasp it all. Kids movies, and books and songs should just omit violence, sex, language and other mature things. But kids movies do not need to shy away from themes and motifs that only adults can understand fully. For example Wall-E is about dystopia. Ask a fifth grader to spell dystopia, then ask him or her about Pixar’s movies.

With this school of thought any kids film could be entertaining to adults, and many are. But my problem with some kids films are they become flimsy and disentertaining (that is the opposite of entertaining, Neil). I want, I need movies that make me think, let me form an opinion. For example I watched 27 Dresses yesterday. While it was not perfect I really liked it. As far as romantic comedies go this one has something different: character! It gave me something to think about, so it succeeded in my eyes.

Update you later about The Dark Knight if I see it soon.

Don’t Forget to be Awesome,
Love, Pam