The Dark Nut

By now, it's no mystery of the success of The Dark Knight. Praises are being sung across internet and reality print alike with a few grumbling voices whose greatest gripe appears to be "it wasn't that great," followed by a smile of "but still really cool." A truly brilliant collaboration of talent that put me in the theater three times thanks to varying friends' opportunities.

With this movie, there is much to find entertaining. From the story, to the philosophical struggles, to the actors' performances, you can work all the way down to the craft services table and find ways to talk about how great it was (tell Joey, the caterer, "good sandwiches;" he likes that). I took a handful of joys though, and at three times viewing, I figured I'd offer my top three.

#3- Photography

This is where I show my nerd cred and do some old Film Arts professors proud. The actual look of the film was really engrossing. From start to finish, you felt, like its predecessor, that this film happened in the here and now and displayed at its most real. Every dip of the camera, every subtle pull-in of frame let you see the harsh world that the characters lived in without crossing into over-the-top territory. Halfway into the world of The Dark Knight, I had to mentally slap myself to remember this was a comic movie and not a modern day crime caper. Turning off the sound and just pausing may take you out of the film, but it'll give you some gorgeous screenshots for a wallpaper desktop.

#2- Jim Gordon

One of the great supporting characters of the Batman universe who often was reduced to an almost bumbling role of police commissioner really got to shine in this film. Between the story laid out for the character and Gary Oldman's strengths as an actor, Gordon adds to an already bursting ensemble cast of characters, providing depth and a human face to the realities of the world. You see a conflicted idealist, striving to protect his city, his family, but making deals along the way to make it all work. Some of them pay off, some don't. With as much screen and story time as Gordon received, I'm surprised he didn't have a promotional poster of his own, staring balefully out at as a human stuck in a world gone to Batman and Joker.

#1- Joker's "Where Are My Keys?"

As movie myth has it, Heath Ledger, in preparing for his final role, locked himself in a hotel for weeks trying to build the lunacy of the Joker from head to toe with conviction. From voice, to look, to body language, he made Joker vibrate with pure insanity. What I saw as the most clever twist he put on this insanity was that body language. How he shuffled, glancing about casually and not quite fully concerned with the here and now, Joker almost seemed to always be going, "Where are my keys?" It wasn't an occasional event when Ledger made this happen, this was the character's default state of being. From killing so many people to just casually chatting, he constantly projected a body language based around the search for his car keys. Watch for it and wonder if you look that sane when you've lost the remote.

These were just a few of my discoveries upon staring up at The Dark Knight so many times. I'm sure with even more viewings I'll be reporting on the lighting design, the sound quality and yes, even craft services (remember Joey, he makes a mean sammich).