Healey’s Overview of The Dark Knight

Warning: Possible Tiny Spoilers… So don’t whinge.

I just watched The Dark Knight. I know, I know; it’s a little late to be reviewing it, but instead I’m just going to do a basic summary of what’s to like and… not to like, I guess. For those of you who don’t know, The Dark Knight is the sequel to Batman Begins, and once again features Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman and some others. The Dark Knight is also prominently known for featuring the late Heath Ledger, and I can say definitively this is his greatest role.

Let’s kick things off with what I like about the Dark Knight. Firstly, it follows the style of Batman that’s probably the most apt. For those of you unfortunate enough to have seen the live-action 60’s TV show, you will know Adam West and Co., although admittably awesome, are not really… suited to The Batman.

 

This is NOT Batman. This is SACRILIGE.

In a far cry from this… monstrosity… The Dark Knight is wonderfully dark and gloomy, and the modern setting and technology helps the feel immensely. At first I was concerned about the poor lighting (my copy is filmed in a theatre), but I realised that actually helped the experience. It meant I didn’t have to look at Christian Bale’s face much (ZOMG ZINGA). Seriously though; I don’t want to see Batman as anything but an emo caped crusader, and this mood actually sets it apart really well from the other Superhero Movies out there. Moving on…

I was trying to stop myself from saying this, but screw myself. Heath Ledger is fantastic as The Joker. Not all the kudos should go to Heath, though, as the writing for the character is amazing. Not to mention his makeup. Heath Ledger took a character that was in danger of becoming a cliche (Danny DeVito) and managed to put his own unique look on the quintessential Villain. This also brings up a point of why I like this movie: The Villains are fucking insane. This is another Batman facet I’m pleased to see back. There’s something about almost all the main characters in Batman: they’re damaged. Batman himself is a good character to deconstruct. On one hand, he’s a lawful vigilante who thwarts crimes without killing people. On the other, he has an unhealthy obsession with it all; it all started from the trauma of his parents death and he took it way beyond the line. Not to mention all the demented personalities of Arkham Asylum. The Joker, at least in the movie, suffered an abusive father who abused him. Or did he? Throughout the film, The Joker gives many different reasons for his disfigurement (Smile-like scars carved into his mouth), which create a character who’s possibly plain evil. Nevertheless, for whatever reason, the Joker is messed up. As is Harvey Dent, AKA Two Face, obsessed with fairness and 50-50 chances. These are the sorts of villains I like to see in Batman. They’re villains that make you think. And all of them are damaged. Say what you will, but this definitely makes them more memorable.

 

The Joker = Win

Right, now that that’s done, let’s talk a bit about what makes the film a bit poorer. Two things, really, but I’m going to include them in one paragraph. First of all: This thing is LONG (LOL). I started watching at about 8, and it finished two and a half hours. So don’t watch it if you don’t have a fair amount of spare time. Secondly, and possibly connected to the first one, the movie tends to be a bit confusing in the later stages. Sure, there’s an awesome moral message, but to get to that you’ll have to wade through PAGES of exposition and explanation. All that said and done, though, The Dark Knight remains a favorite film of mine in the half hour since I watched it. Keep tuned, readers, for a detailed breakdown of Batman awesomeness. Or maybe other heroes.

Annoying Trends of ‘08

I know it’s only October, but I’m going to get all retrospective already, whether you like it or not. So take that. Anyway; I feel safe in saying 2008 has been a great year. Many people say 2008 is the year of change – After all, America’s getting a new president, at last – but I’ve noticed…. Well, it isn’t. There seems to be a massive amount of trends popping up in 2008, and let’s take the opportunity to expose them for the uncreative messes they are, shall we?

ZOMGSEQUELS!!1!:

I’m going to say this upfront. 2008 is full of sequels. Gaming seemed to notice this, but don’t think films (or even books) have managed to get away with it. I couldn’t be bothered finding all the sequels of 2008, but here’s a brief look back on the year that was:

 

Ah... Original.

 

 

Euch. Still, so long as the original was good, sequels are good too, right? Not really. A lot of these sequels seem to just be milking the franchise for all it’s worth before it dies off for good. In the case of Rambo, my money’s on Stallone dying before the franchise does. Huzzah. Anyway, another disutrbing trend (but not one big enough to be its own) is the frequency of the digit 4. It seems all the big-budget blockbusters for this year (Namely, Grand Theft Auto and Metal Gear Solid) were all 4ers. Does this mean we’ll see more sequels in ‘09? I hope not. Well, so long as it’s at least Grand Theft Auto 5. Or maybe Iron Man 2.

A Boy And His Dog

Okay, it seems like a really miniscule “Trend”, but it’s something that’s been bothering me. Well, not bothering. Like, it doesn’t keep me up at night. But still. It seems Dogs are apparently the new way to connect audiences to the medium. Dogs have been featured in games quite a bit. Some retro gamers will remember with non-fondness the Dog from Duck Hunt, who would laugh at you whenever you missed a shot.

Let's see you fire a gun. Dick.

Though of course, there have been many games about dogs (Minus A Dog’s Life for the PS2), and perhaps for good reason. In any case, the big draw card for Games this year was the emotional connection; really making the player feel what the game feels. Apparently, both Bethesda Software and Lionhead Studios decided the best way to do this was to put dogs in their game. It seems to be doing well, too. Dogmeat and… “Dog” have both been commented on as being an emotional connection to the game. I once read a Bethesda blog about a playtester trying for an evil character. In his words:

“That’s until I met Dogmeat. Dogmeat taught me how to love.”

A virtual dog warmed the virtual heart of a real person. That’s gotta be a good sign.

Electronica makes a comback. About time.

I’ll admit one thing. I’m not normally one for modern music. Sometimes I feel like the uncool kid; only catching on to the “latest” music at least a year afterwards. So it’s rather relieving to find a connection to the world of today with some new music releases. Electronica has always seemed like Music’s European cousin; only popular in German raves. So it’s a breath of fresh air to see artists like Sam Sparro, The Presets and even (guh) Lady GaGa. Okay, maybe this paragraph is going against the title of the post, but nevertheless I’m sticking by it as a trend of ‘08.

Australia hates everything

I live in Australia. It’s a pretty good country, though admittably I’d rather live in the USA or some other place. But this year has shown a reason for me to hate my country. For some reason, Australia’s censorship board, the OFLC, is particularly sensitive this year. 2008 has seen such big-name releases such as Grand Theft Auto IV and Fallout 3, and those names bring me to my point. Both of these games were edited for Australian release. I’m still unaware of what was edited from Grand Theft Auto IV, but Fallout 3 had to remove the real-world Morphine as a usable drug. Yeah, I don’t know why either. This can probably be attributed to one thing; the fact Australia has no 18+ Games Rating. We have this rating for Film and even books, for God’s sake. So why is it difficult to bring in one for games? The debate continues. Still, if there is one good thing to come from this, it’s that my own 15-year self can purchase these mind-warping games.

Well, that looks about it for now. If I can think of anything else I hate, I’ll keep you posted. Oh, and if you’ve noticed something annoying about 2008, post it down there in the comments so all the world can see. Saves me writing more material.

Dexter: Not About Games, For Once

 

Strawberry Jam. Just Strawberry Jam.

 

 

Fine. Here we go. I’m attempting to keep this post as free of spoilers as possible, so theoretically there won’t be any problems with ZOMG SPOILARZ.

What to say about Dexter, then? Well, for one, it’s a series of wonderful books, with a TV series based off the first one. Let’s get down and gritty with a plot analysis.

For those of you who don’t know, Dexter is an edgy show. Simply put, it’s about a serial killer, Dexter Morgan. Though Dexter isn’t a normal serial killing maniac. He works at the Miami Dade Police Department as an expert in Blood Spatter (fancy that), and is known as the cheery optimist about the office, albeit with a slightly sick sense of humour. However, through reasons not revealed until the last few episodes of the first season, Dexter is pretty messed up. He’s gotten death into him from too early an age, and it shows. Dexter hosts something he calls the “Dark Passenger”. This Dark Passenger encourages Dex to kill. It’s a bit like the voice that tells you to eat that last slice of chocolate cake, to bring up a fairly weak analogy. Dexter can’t control the Dark Passenger; the urge to kill is always within him. However, Dexter’s adopted father, Harry Morgan, saw this in him. Knowing what he was up against, Harry taught Dexter a code. Obviously, number one isDon’t Get Caught. Though the most interesting tenant of this code is the one Dexter must live by: Only Kill People Who Deserve It. That is, murderers who escape the system. And Dexter does this very well. Well, it’s not as if he’s got anything else to do with his spare time. Oh wait; he does. To maintain the image of a Happy Human Life (he’s rather convinced he’s not Human), Dexter dates Rita, a woman who’s fairly damaged herself, having been assaulted by her ex-husband. Oh, and then there’s Dexter’s adopted system, Deborah, and Sargent Doakes, who’s certain there’s something messed up about Dex.

 

 

Takes Life. Seriously.

 

 

 

If I had to give a recommendation (and I do), I’d urge you to read the books first. Obviously, the TV series has been sanitised a bit (it may be hard to believe), and there are some scenes put in simply to fulfill the non-murder-loving audience. These bits range from mildly interesting to incredibly boring and insipid. Both the books and TV series are presented through a first-person perspective, narrated by the man himself, and both, though more so in the books, utilise a stream-of-conciousness delivery. In both mediums, the writing is top notch, and gives an interesting twist on the Murder-Mystery genre. Now, I’m almost 500 words in and I’ve just been gabbing off about the plot. Let’s get moving.

The music in Dexter is superb. Rolfe Kent’s compositions manage to invoke many emotions, and are clearly inspired by the Latino-American setting of Miami, Florida. The opening sequence itself is a thing of beauty, and I urge you to look it up. The music appears bright and cheery, but like Dexter himself holds a dark shadow that you only realise listening through several times.

Dexter features something a lot of cop shows don’t, or at least, don’t feature well (Horatio, I’m looking at you). The stream-of-conciousness allows for some odd thoughts to pop in, much like JD from Scrubs. Dexter often features dark comedy, very jarring amongst the murder but appreciated because of it.

The acting, however, is possibly where Dexter starts to trip up. Don’t get me wrong. Michael C. Hall portrays the character brilliantly, and Sargent Doakes quite often gave me the frights. Where it fails, though, is Lieutenant LaGuerta, played by Lauren Velez. I don’t know whether it’s calculated, but she irritates me immensely. Though maybe that’s the point.

Well, I’m out of things to say about this wonderful series. If you’re smart like me (hint hint) you’ll at least take a look at Dexter. There’s a lot worse. Like maybe getting garrotted.