The Dark Knight Thread

[myk]

And they know alot of us, including yours truly, will go out and buy another release/version...

[eugimon]

it'll be have to be AMAZING extras to get me to double dip.

[rikiryou]

Hmm, so I was skimming through the Bluray; I noticed in certain scenes it seemed as though the voices came out choppy and jerky for both TrueHD and regular 5.1. Noticeably, when Rachel talks to Harvey on the way out of the court hearing in the beginning of the movie, and when Lucius talks to Bruce after the conversation with the analyst/consultant regarding dealing with Lau.

I checked with the DVD (rip) and noticed the same problem - anyone notice this? The other language audio tracks turned out fine though.

[Mercurial Morpheus]

I was wondering how this movie got moved to home video so quickly; most films with this level of success usually take alot longer to get the home release treatment...

Actually, six months is the norm. This was five. Though it's not uncommon for blockbusters to be pushed up a month. The DVD extras do sort of suck, but the Blu-ray is pretty good. It really isn't that much different from Begins set. Besides, a film of this profile is destined for rerelease after rerelease. Nothing new here. It's all bonus material anyway. Sure, it's nice to have, but if you like the movie, why put off getting it just because it's lacking the extra where Bale details what he had for breakfast each morning.

I'll have to look into that sound problem, rikiryou.

[Guest sh002]

my target version dark knight dvd set came with an extra dvd called batman unmasked. it's a nice little special that was shown on history channel.

[UN_MARINE]

i just got the set with the BatPod

it's got pretty nice packaging & the display base doubles as the DVD case.

damn good set if you ask me, considering the less-than-impressive "extras" DVD.

the BatPod's got decent detailing, it looks well enough as it should & it actually looks like it belongs beside the HotWheels 1/18 Tumbler.

the only down side is that it's slightly smaller in scale, based on the size of the tires & you can't take it out of the base and the right cannon barrel is shorter by about 5mm. *gasp*

ok. the bike was a huge selling point for me

[Guest sh002]

ot but damn hot wheels should make a diecast 1/18 batpod to go with the tumbler

[Alex]

I just realised what was bugging me about the introduction of the Joker in the movie.

At the end of BB, Gordon shows Batman the Joker's playing card. When we come into TDK it's already one year later.

However, most people seem to be only vaguely aware of the Joker. Why did he decide to suddenly bring himself into the big-time?

[ruskiiVFaussie]

yeah... that's a bit strange.

[eugimon]

well, in dark knight Bruce dismisses the Joker initially so he could focus on the mob, so joker probably started doing small jobs, the odd murder and worked his way up to the point where he could pull off the big bank job at the beginning of the movie. It seemed like the crew he got together for the bank heist were pretty talented and well funded, it has to take time to develop enough credibility to get people like that to work for you <- I assume, I've never robbed a bank before so maybe there's like a job placement center for out of work bank robbers.

Edited December 16, 2008 by eugimon

[Alex]

I guess the crew he used in that first job was quite skilled but i'm sure he could have hired them at any time. He's already has a talent for planning. And those guys in the crew didn't seem to kn ow that much about the Joker in the first place. He hasn't made any impact on the various crime families ("Just some Joker in a purple suit and make-up. Nothing to worry about")

It's probably just the shoe-horning of the Joker scene in at the end of BB. They wanted to "introduce" him in the second movie but needed at least a year to develop the story to set him up.

Makes me wonder if there is any potential for stories to fill the gaps. Nothing explicitly states that this movie showed the first encounter between the Joker and Batman.

[eugimon]

I guess the crew he used in that first job was quite skilled but i'm sure he could have hired them at any time. He's already has a talent for planning. And those guys in the crew didn't seem to kn ow that much about the Joker in the first place. He hasn't made any impact on the various crime families ("Just some Joker in a purple suit and make-up. Nothing to worry about")

It's probably just the shoe-horning of the Joker scene in at the end of BB. They wanted to "introduce" him in the second movie but needed at least a year to develop the story to set him up.

Makes me wonder if there is any potential for stories to fill the gaps. Nothing explicitly states that this movie showed the first encounter between the Joker and Batman.

true.. true...

[Guest sh002]

the movie masters bat-pod is on sale at target

[Oihan]

I was watching Batman the other day and I stopped half way through. I could not, for the likes of me, get myself to watch the rest. Like the rest of you...I feel Nicholson's Joker pales in comparison to Ledger's Joker. I think it was because of Ledger that I simply could not watch the rest of Batman. Batman now comes across to me as hokey in comparison to The Dark Knight. Does anyone else find Batman hard to watch after having seen The Dark Knight? ...I think I've seen The Dark Knight 4...5 more times since it came out on Blu-ray. ...Such a great movie.

[CoryHolmes]

I wouldn't say pales per se, but I will say that each Joker is ideal for the movie he's set in. Nicholson's Joker was the psychotic over-the-top version of the Joker, while Ledger's Joker was more the psychotic world-destroying variety. They each fit their respective movies perfectly, since you'd never see Ledger's Joker pull a 6' revolver out of his pants and blow a flying aircraft out of the sky with it. Just as you'd never see Ledger's Joker use the buzzer ring quite as perfectly as Nicholson's Joker.

Apples and oranges.

It's like Gotham City. Burton's Gotham is ideal for his movie, just as Nolan's Gotham is better suited to the real-life story it's set in. And the less said about Schumaker's Gotham, the better.

[Max Jenius]

I wasn't too impressed with Ledger's Joker. Too much trying to be edgy/cool and not enough like the comics for me. Sorry, but the Joker is both over-the-top and insane. I think Nicholson's version, while not necessarily the best, is truer to the source.

[Hikuro]

Granted, Nicolson's version of the joker will hold a place in my heart but I still don't have any trouble watching it. It was one of the first hero movies I saw as a kid next to the stuff I saw in cartoons.

It's the overly campy Batman series with good ol' West that I can't watch anymore.

I did get it for Christmas, but my folks want me to return it so I can pick up a Blu-Ray version.

[the white drew carey]

I assume, I've never robbed a bank before so maybe there's like a job placement center for out of work bank robbers.

Nice disclaimer!

[Wes]

I was watching Batman the other day and I stopped half way through. I could not, for the likes of me, get myself to watch the rest. Like the rest of you...I feel Nicholson's Joker pales in comparison to Ledger's Joker. I think it was because of Ledger that I simply could not watch the rest of Batman. Batman now comes across to me as hokey in comparison to The Dark Knight. Does anyone else find Batman hard to watch after having seen The Dark Knight? ...I think I've seen The Dark Knight 4...5 more times since it came out on Blu-ray. ...Such a great movie.

It's like new Bond vs. old Bond. More a sign of the times more than any one man's idea.

[taksraven]

I was watching Batman the other day and I stopped half way through. I could not, for the likes of me, get myself to watch the rest. Like the rest of you...I feel Nicholson's Joker pales in comparison to Ledger's Joker. I think it was because of Ledger that I simply could not watch the rest of Batman. Batman now comes across to me as hokey in comparison to The Dark Knight. Does anyone else find Batman hard to watch after having seen The Dark Knight? ...I think I've seen The Dark Knight 4...5 more times since it came out on Blu-ray. ...Such a great movie.

I think, but simply, that both Batman and The Dark Knight are different types of beasts that have to be appreciated on different levels, and I think it comes down to directorial style just as much as it does the actual acting. Both films have their pluses and minuses.

Taksraven

[NSJ23]

i don't know, to me ledgers joker is the comics version of joker that i know, or as close to it as i have ever seen on screen. i still like jack's joker. but it needs more pre acid dip jack to be the comic joker IMO. But long before the dark knight i could not sit through the original burton batman, hell i still think returns is only a little worse than batman and robin.

[myk]

Nicholson's Joker was good for it's "time," which was like, 80 years ago. I recall seeing that movie as a kid, and being wowed by Nicholson's presentation of the Joker as there hadn't been anything like it, at least from my own memory.

Obviously, both Joker's are not only from different times, but are different interpretations of a character. Discussions of interpretations aside, however, it'd be impossible to go from today's Dark Knight and go watch Nicholson's performance of over 20 years ago and not be put off by it; that'd be like going from a 2002 Firebird Trans-Am to a 1930's Model A...

[Max Jenius]

lol... the 80s.

[David Hingtgen]

that'd be like going from a 2002 Firebird Trans-Am

Such a totally random choice of car...

[Keith]

Mark Hammil's Joker for the win!

[Black Valkyrie]

I bet if Mark Hamil played the Joker in the recent movie, he would be awesome. As for Ledger`s Joker also awesome but I consider it a dark version of the Crow.

[Oihan]

I don't know....at the time, I too was wow'd by Nicholson's performance. But as many of you have stated, the times have changed. That's probably why I'm not as impressed as I was.

Max Jenius, I felt Ledger was pretty over-the-top and insane. Maybe it's just the screen writing, but the Joker kept upping the ante. There were a lot of sadistic jokes which I felt were over-the-top. The one guy getting hit by the bus...followed by the bus driver asking what happened to the rest of the guys...the pencil trick...the Joker telling Batman the wrong address in regards to Dawes and Dent...to list a few. Nicholson's Joker, to me, comes across more as a goofy jester than a sadistic jester. I guess if what I call goofy is what you consider over-the-top...then by all means Nicholson wins. Otherwise, I'd consider Ledger's Joker just as over-the-top as Nicholson's Joker.

[CoryHolmes]

Nicholson's Joker, to me, comes across more as a goofy jester than a sadistic jester. I guess if what I call goofy is what you consider over-the-top...then by all means Nicholson wins.

I dunno. Given the experiments Nichol-oker did on his girlfriend (to make her more like him... in theory) was pretty sadistic. Joy-buzzering his mob "colluges" to a burned crisp. Not to mention mixing and matching his toxin into dozens of different products, making it almost impossible for anyone who isn't Batman to figure it out. That last one seems more sadistic and long-term than most of anything than Ledg-oker had planned. That was even pointed out in the movie, the latter Joker didn't have any "plans", he merely went with whatever whims grabbed his very warped fancy.

But this argument could also be played out in a pure comic-based format, depending on who was writing the Joker (or Batsies, for that matter. Miller vs anyone else, for example). It's a credit to the original creators and embelleshers that the character has so much depth and variety that we're even capable of reasonably having this sort of discussion.

[Bowen]

So what's this crap about Eddie Murphy supposedly playing the Riddler in the next Batman film? o.0

[azrael]

So what's this crap about Eddie Murphy supposedly playing the Riddler in the next Batman film? o.0

Absolute rubbish design to trick people like you.

[kanedaestes]

Lol seriously. There is no real information about the next film at all. I wish people would just wait and relax. Until I hear from Christopher Nolan or Warner Brothers officially I don't give any rumors weight.

[areaseven]

Mayor of Batman, Turkey, Sues WB, Nolan

As Jack Nicholson's version of the Joker used to say: "This town needs an enema!"

[VT 1010]

I think it's especially appropriate for this thread, so I've got to say it: "Holy thread necromancy, Batman!"

[kanedaestes]

Oh that is just so funny. Oh no there's a movie about a character named after our town making a billion dollars, let's sue! I am sure we will win despite the fact that the character has been around since the 40s, has already had movies and TV shows about the character, we feel now is the best time to stand up for our rights as a city. There is no judge in the world that is going to allow that farce to actually happen. There is no case what's so ever here.

[Mr March]

I doubt this lawsuit will go anywhere. Sounds like a PR stunt to get Batman (the hamlet) on the map. They said oil, so maybe Batman (the hamlet) is having a problem attracting buyers because of it's virtual anonymity. This news would certainly get word out about their industry at a time when they probably need the money.

Edited May 7, 2009 by Mr March