solimondi

I'm not sure what I can say that hasn't already been said about this fantastic film. I don't think I'll be able to assimilate it all until I see it a second or third time. I will say that, as a film and literature teacher, this was thrilling. As a long time Batman reader, this film made me even happier. There are a lot of people who have only experienced the play between the Batman and the Joker on television, or perhaps in a few comics. But after years of reading the comics, I am overjoyed to see Nolan and Goyer pull on the more subtle themes that the great writers at DC have explored over the years... the obsessive and cyclical relationship between Batman and the Joker... the blood that Batman might arguably have on his hands for NOT killing the maniac each time they meet... the idea that Gotham city might have chosen Bruce Wayne to be Batman... and the ultimate ideals that Batman represents. This is one longtime fan and student of film and comics glad to see these characters and stories done right, and done true justice.

There is more, I think, to this film than most people give it credit for. Sure, it's full of sex and naked people, but it also manages to be erotic and sensual at the same time. It's certainly not the commercialized absurdity that you'll find late night on certain premium channels. More than that, though, is that it's a decent psychological study of a man who's completely divorced himself from reality. Like so many celebs of our time, money and success has allowed him to distance himself from whatever parts of reality that make him uncomfortable. Emily's naive and honest approach manages to reach him. His speech near the end, before the final 'scene,' is really impressive, and Mikey really is a great actor. Sure, Ms. Otis leaves something to be desired, but she's working in a role where her lack of comfort helps the part. Emily is out of her element, just is the actress playing her is, and even if this makes her transparent, it also makes her believable. Jaqueline Bisset is wonderful as always. All in all, if you watch this film without fast forwarding from sex scene to sex scene, you'll see a fairly human story mixed with a sexual journey that I think Zora Neale Hurston would have appreciated.