The Dark Knight

We went to see The Dark Knight last night at 12:30 and I have to say, folks, believe every ounce of hype surrounding it. I'm not the best movie critic, but I was really impressed with this movie from the acting to the cinematography to the directing.... and normally I don't even notice those things. Christian Bale is magnificent as the tortured hero, and Heath Ledger still manages to steal the show. Somehow he was able to play the Joker as the darkest, craziest, scariest Batman villain of all time, and still has you laughing and almost liking his character. Can you tell I really enjoyed this movie? We don't see too many movies not in the dollar theater, but if you only see one movie this year, see this one.... in the big theater. You'll be so happy you did.

Here's some critic comments just to wet your palate:

• With only three short words comprising the film's enigmatic title, it also boasts three epic claims to fame: the role of a lifetime for the late Heath Ledger, one of the best films of 2008 and one of the greatest superhero films of all time.

• Delves so deeply into the darkness that lurks in the hearts of men that it comes almost as a shock, bordering on euphoria, to find that it maintains a tenacious grip onto hope in the human potential for good.

• Watching The Dark Knight is like gazing into a mirror on a waning moon night: chilling and mesmerizing. (okay, this one's funny, but true)
  

• The Dark Knight, director Christopher Nolan's absolute stunner of a follow-up to 2005's Batman Begins, is a potent provocation decked out as a comic-book movie. Feverish action? Check. Dazzling spectacle? Check. Devilish fun? Check. But Nolan is just warming up. There's something raw and elemental at work in this artfully imagined universe. Striking out from his Batman origin story, Nolan cuts through to a deeper dimension. Huh? Wha? How can a conflicted guy in a bat suit and a villain with a cracked, painted-on clown smile speak to the essentials of the human condition? Just hang on for a shock to the system.

*Just a side note to all the moms... don't take your kids. This is a lot darker than the first and more violent.