Guess what?! I’m a movie critic now.
It’s totally true! I write a little blurb for our employee newsletter that gets e-mailed out to the entire campus once a month. If you think about it, it makes perfect sense: I have better taste than pretty much everyone AND I’m never shy about sharing my intelligent opinions with the rest of the world. Sounds like a perfect gig, right? Plus, I also figured that having “movie critic” on my resume would make me seem more appealing to those of the female gender. However, upon considering some famous movie critics (see graphic) I have been re-thinking this theory.
Now I’m hoping that I have been selected for my superior taste and witty rhetoric and not for any physical similarities to the above “Movie Critic All-Stars.”
Despite my self-image issues, I decided to go with The Dark Knight for my first review because A) Heath Ledger just won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role as the Joker, B) It’s a movie I own so it was easy for me to review it and make notes, and C) It’s basically awesome in every way. So, you know, there it is.
The only real problem I faced in writing the review was… well… for those of you that have read this blog, any of my comments on your own blogs, my e-mails, or really anything I’ve ever written, you know that I’m what rude, jealous people call “long winded.” I can’t help it! I just have a lot to say. Luckily, I was able to get the review down to half a page despite my, uh, “handicap,” because my original outline was looking like a three page paper.
Anyhoo, here you go:
THE DARK KNIGHT
There usually isn’t a lot of middle ground with movies based on comic books: they are either really good or really, REALLY bad. The latest movie in the Batman franchise, The Dark Knight, is one of the really good ones. (And I’m not just saying that because I’ve seen it five times.)
Heath Ledger’s Oscar winning performance as the Joker is worth the price of admission entirely on its own. Everything about him, from his voice, his nervous tics, and that psychotic laugh, make you forget entirely that you’re watching an actor. I honestly never would have guessed that it was Heath Ledger if I hadn’t been told beforehand. As it is, I still have a hard time believing it was him even though I know it’s true! He was just that good.
If that wasn’t enough, director Christopher Nolan handles the story with a realism not seen in most comic book based movies. Granted there are the requisite number of explosions and stylized action scenes, but the movie goes a lot deeper by tackling modern-day issues like terrorism and illegal wiretapping, as well as asking tough moral questions such as, “Do the ends justify the means?” Throw in a handful of incredibly gifted actors – Christian Bale, Aaron Eckhart, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman, and Morgan Freeman – and you’ve got yourself a nearly perfect movie.
THE GOOD: Great performances all around (particularly Ledger’s); well thought out storyline moves at a great pace; really kind of a “thinking man’s” action movie.
THE BAD: The movie does seem to run a bit long at 2 hours and 32 minutes; some of the action scenes seem a little too chaotic.
OVERALL: 4 ½ stars out of 5
4 Comments:
Great movie, great review. Well said. And really, you can't be any more succint than that and have actually said anything worthwhile about the movie.
#1. I'm totally proud of you for saying "all by my own self" which seems to have found its way into my vocabulary lately. Good choice. #2. I feel so proud knowing I have a movie critic as a brother. I might as well just hand over my picture to the press right now because they're going to be begging for it soon once they realize I'm related to you! (I might just have to give them a picture of me and you just to prove our close bond!) #3. You were totally born to be a movie critic. I'm just saying, who better qualified than you! :) Love you crazy Matt!
That has to be the coolest thing I have ever seen. Nice work! You are pretty much famous now, so watch your back. People will try and take advantage of you now, except for family. You wouldn't have $50 I could borrow, do ya? Anyways, on a more serious note, I have always considered you a very thoughtful person...you know what you are talking about. When you mentioned that you wanted to be an english professor, I wasn't at all surprised. You are very gifted in that area.
Pretty stellar movie review, Matt! If I was doing it, I woild have been like: "Great movie. Heath Ledger was awesome. Christian Bale not so much. Just see it." Yeah, nothing too special =] You should pretty much review all of the movies (newer) that you see on here so I know if it's worth it or not.
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