This new iteration of Batman could not have come to be without the roads paved by both Burton and Nolan. It pays homage to both.
The Nolan films will always be the gold standard for me. I actually love Batman Begins the best of the bunch.
However, this new version was amazing in a slightly different way. It also draws significantly from the Arkham series of video games which did an incredible job of encapsulating the feel of Gotham City in a way that blends Burton’s Gothic take with Nolan’s realism.
Hmm.
"Batman Begins" was actually my least favorite of the three Nolan films. That's why they make vanilla and chocolate.
I would add that if you view "Brokeback Mountain" in conjunction with "The Dark Knight," you will see a master craftsman in Heath Legder.
I enjoyed Jack Nicholson's Joker, unsurprisingly, but with Jack, as with many "A List" actors, you're always aware that it's Nicholson playing Nicholson. No sin.
With Ledger, as with Meryl Streep and a very few others, it's all about the character. They may be stars, but they are character actors. To me, a one time student of (no brag, brag) "Meisner based American naturalism," that's the real deal.
Ledger's portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain" and his Joker in "The Dark Knight" demonstrate stunning range as an actor. The two characters are polar opposites, one strangled by a dominating super ego, the other pure id unleashed. Great, great stuff.
Niles to Frazier when discussing the merits, or lack thereof, inherent in the Freudian method of psychotherapy:
"Call me an old softie, but that's how I see it."
