Monday, July 21, 2008

Heath Ledger as The Joker

Friday night we saw The Dark Knight. In short- ahh. I am currently journaling a very lengthy blogpost that will feature all the summer fangirl movies. But right now I felt it was important to address one performance in general, the one that everyone is talking about. That is the amazing performance of Heath Ledger as The Joker.
I will admit that I was not a huge fan of Ledger in his previous performances. I never did see Brokeback Mountain, although I heard rave reviews. I was very shocked and saddened when we heard about his death, as we had heard unofficial insider scuttlebutt that his Joker was going to be good. But it was a casual interest- we thought at best he may be able to compete with Nicholson's Clown Prince Of Crime in the first Batman movie. And we had read interviews sporadically with Ledger in which he stated he was not a huge comic fan. In fact, he stated he hated comic books! This inspired a wave of nerd wrath that questioned his motivation or ability to play the role. Ledger deserves an Oscar for the surreal onscreen beauty that I saw this weekend. In what appears to be a conglomerate of Manson, Nixon, Hitler, and anyone else who scares the bejesus out of you in your nightmares, he owns every scene he is in despite the outstanding performances of his fellow castmates. He got comic Joker so right-on despite his detest of comics that he really does more justice to the comics than anyone who claims to be a fan could. Sorry mad nerds, but you know it's true. Although I want him here, alive, okay, and cuddling his daughter Matilda, I also say that this performance deserves to be his last. Because in my opinion, it is his best.
When Ledger died in New York earlier this year, rumors in the media circulated, as is the case with many tragedies. One rumor I remember seemed to say that Ledger could not shake the dark side demon that seemed to engulf him as he "became" the Joker, and destroyed himself with drugs in the process. Who knows. But I'd like to give Heath Ledger more credit. I'd like to think that his performance was just that- a performance, based on his huge talent, not because he, in some way, became the Joker in real life. I'd like to think that, as a serious actor, he would be insulted that people didn't give enough cred to his acting- that he copped out and couldn't separate the man from the myth. I think just the opposite. His flawless and seemingly effortless mastery of the role reflects excellent crafting and planning and training that he took upon himself to do. And he did it so well.

Mr. Ledger, I am now a fan. Rest in peace. And always know, as the Joker, you had the Last Laugh.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Updates: as it's been far too long

The top stories are the grand premiere of A Doubting Florence, my nursing and skepticism blog.

Also, in about 1 week from now, check out Floyd Loves Janice for Jenn's Journal- our TAM 6 recap!

And now onto to moi: Stuff I've Been Into Recently
Graphic Novels. Can't seem to put these suckers down long enough to consistently crank out blog entries. I just recently finished Y: The Last Man. I am trying to catch up on The Walking Dead. Also still faithfully reading regular issues of Wonder Woman, Ms. Marvel, and Mighty Avengers. Also, I've checked out a limited run of a Marvel guest from France called Sky Doll. All are really great and I recommend all three. Walking Dead, however, is not for the squeamish.

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