Batman : The Dark Knight eleştiri

kanımca olumsuz eleştirilebilecek bir çok yönü bulunmasına karşın ("kısa" olsun diye başlayıp gayet uzayan bir eleştirim başlık altında mevcut), ileride tamamlanacak çok önemli bir seriye ait olan film.

christopher nolan'ın, sinemanın "insanı" anlattığını, shakespeare'in bunca zamandır "popülerliğini" korumasının ele aldığı insani ikilemlere borçlu olduğunu tekrar anımsatmasını çok önemsiyorum. sinemada öyle bir dönemden geçiyoruz ki, artık sinema "gerçek hayatı" değil, bizzat kendisini referans alıyor. önemseyeceğimiz karakterler ve hikayeler yerine, "daha fazlası" ya da "daha büyüğü" sunuluyor bizlere. indiana jones serisi, karakterleri ve hikayeleriyle, insanın inancını sorgulayışı ve kutsal olanı arayış macerasıyla öne çıkan bir seriydi, hiçbir zaman saf aksiyondan ibaret olmamıştı. peki son filmde ne oldu? indy, gerçek bir öyküyü değil, önceki filmleri referans aldı ve ortaya seriye yakışmayan bir film çıktı. aynı şeyi terminator 3: rise of the machines için de söyleyebiliriz.

nolan hikaye ve atmosfer oluşturmada son derece yetkin bir isim, ancak henüz sinema tekniği açısından yeterli seviyede olmadığını düşünüyorum; özellikle tempo ve ritm ayarlamada, anlatımda bütünlüğü sağlamada sorunları var. ancak, henüz genç bir yönetmen olarak değerlendirilebilir ve olgunluk dönemine daha çok var. gerçek şu ki, bitmiş "batman" fikri mülkünü insani temellere oturtarak yeniden ayaklandırması ve kıymetini bu insanı temellerden alan bir seriye imza atması, önemsenmesi gereken bir olay. roger ebert'in batman begins için dediği gibi; kimse batman'i kurtaracak olanın son teknoloji aletler ve aksiyon yerine üstüne düşülmüş incelikli bir hikaye olacağını tahmin edemezdi.

kendi adıma, "bu sefer pek olmamış, ama seri tamamlanınca harika olacak" diyorum.

edit: bir de şu imdb meselesi var. bu imdb'nin neden bu kadar önemsendiğini bir türlü anlayamıyorum. öylesine öznel bir olay ki şu sinema, 10 üzerinden puan vermek ya da listeler oluşturmak bana çok saçma geliyor. eleştirmenlik yaparken sinema.com'un uyguladığı "şu kişiler gidip zevk alabilir, şu tip insanlara hitap edebilir" tarzı yorumların daha doğru olacağını düşünüyorum. neticede elimizde kıyaslama yapabileceğimiz somut veriler yok. eğer başlangıç noktası olarak başka bir filmi alıyorsanız, zaten baştan hata etmişsiniz demektir; neticede o başlangıç noktasını da gayet nesnel biçimde siz belirliyorsunuz. ancak, bir filmin sinema sanatına yaptığı katkı veya verdiği yön bağlamında değerlendirmeler yapılabilir, bu da genelde izleyiciyi pek ilgilendirmiyor doğrusu. misal, hem braveheart'a hem de troy'a "iyi bir film" diyenlere rastlayabiliyoruz. bana göre ise braveheart'ı başlangıç noktası alıp 10 verirsek, troy'un alacağı maksimum puan 6 olabilir.

bu arada, laf açılmışken braveheart da, the dark knight ile ilgili sıkıntıma ışık tutabilecek bir film. braveheart sekanslara bölünmüş, temposu çok iyi ayarlanmış bir filmdir. koskoca iki savaş sekansı, koskoca bir idam sekansı, murron'un öldürülmesine kadar olan büyük bir sekans ve bunlar gibiler, filmi oluşturan parçalar olarak karşımızdadır. son yarım saatteki zorunlu düşüşü saymazsak, film sürekli inişli çıkışlı bir grafik çizerek ilgiyi sürekli ayakta tutmayı başarır. bu işi belki de en iyi yapan "mainstream" yönetmen, james cameron'dur; terminator 2 ve aliens'i "başyapıt" yapan özelliklerden biri, izleyiciyi koltuğuna çivilemesinden gelmektedir. bu bağlamda, christopher nolan'ın işin bu yönüne de biraz eğilmesi gerektiğini düşünüyorum.

Batmanın imdb deki Puanı

imdb listesinde 9 puan alıp bir numara olması biraz şaşırtıcı olan film. film tek kelimeyle muhteşem. hiçbir itirazım yok. fakat gelmiş geçmiş en iyi film değil elbette. zaten 150 bin oy öyle bikaç haftada verilebilecek bir oy sayısı değil. o kadar insan ancak birkaç yılda oylar normalde filmi. bu yılın dünya çapında en çok gişe hasılatı yapmış filmlerine bakarsak :

indiana jones : 760 milyon dolar... imdb'de 80 bin kişi oylamış.. 7 puan almış.
iron man : 566 milyon dolar .... imdb'de 82 bin kişi oylamış.. 8,2 puan almış.
kung fu panda : 480 milyon dolar.. imdb'de 22 bin kişi oylamış... 8 puan almış.
hancock : 460 milyon dolar... imdb'de 34 bin kişi oylamış.. 6,8 puan almış.
sex and the city : 375 milyon dolar.. imdb'de 25 bin kişi oylamış.. 5,4 puan almış.
the chronicles of narnia : 370 milyon dolar ... imdb'de 20 bin kişi oylamış.. 7,4 puan almış.
the dark knight : 355 milyon dolar... imdb'de 147 bin kişi oylamış.. 9,4 puan almış.

bu yukarıda verdiğim istatistiksel bilgilere dayanarak görüyoruz ki yüksek gişe hasılatı yapan filmler ortalama 40-50 bin kişi tarafından oylanıyor. ama the dark knight 147 bin kişi tarafından oylanmış. burada biraz değişik işler dönmüş gibi.
ayrıca top 1000 voters'a baktığımız zaman filmin hakettiği puanı görüyoruz : 8.2

tabi imdb'de ve sinema endüstrisinde zaman zaman böyle peak'ler oluyor. titanic'in 1.8 milyar dolar gişe hasılatı yapması gibi.
bütün bunları bir kenara bırakıp sadece filmi incelemeye alırsak :

rahmetli heath ledger, brokeback mountain ve i'm not there gibi filmlerle kariyerinin en başarılı dönemlerini geçirmişti son 2-3 yılda. ama gerek christopher nolan usta, gerek kendisi öyle iyi bir gözlem yapmışlar ki bu filmdeki joker karakteri yıllarca kendisinden bahsettirecek bir karakter olmuş. bu gözlem nedir? biz sinema severler, filmlerdeki kötü veya kaotik karakterlere bayılırız. scarface'deki tony montana, taxi driver'daki travis bickle, fight club'daki tyler durden... ve daha niceleri. bu karakterler genelde psikopat, vurdumduymaz, ruh hastası, anlamsız işler yapan, dünya yansa çöpü kalmaz cinsten karakterlerdir. soğukkanlı birer katil olabilirler bir gün. öteki gün ise bisiklete binip evin içinde turlayabilirler çocuklar gibi. ledger ve nolan kafa kafaya verip joker karakterini yeniden şekillendirirken bu gibi bizlerin idollerinden esinlenmişler. böylece yıllar öncesinin joker'i değişmiş ve artık bizlere ''oha'' dedirten, tapılacak bir karakter olmuş. filmin neredeyse yarısı bu adam üzerinde dönüyo zaten. batman, harvey dent veya james gordon nispeten daha az filme baskı kuruyor. genel kontrol ve odak joker'in üzerinde. bunların yanı sıra lucius fox'un filme etkisi zayıf kalmış, rachel ve alfred neredeyse yoklar bile. çok fazla yardımcı karakter var halbuki filme ama genelde ilk dörtlü götürüyor filmi.

teknoloji kullanımı gelince; sonar olayı dışında yepyeni bir şey görmedik bu filmde. mission impossible, james bond veya iron man gibi rakip action filmlerinde çok daha fazla yeni teknolojiler kullanılıyordu. ama ana vurgu joker'in üzerinde olduğu için bunlara gerek duyulmamış senaryoda.

sonuçta genel olarak ele aldığımızda 8-8.5 arası bir puanla ilk 20'yi zorlayan bir film çıkmış. ki bu da lord of the rings'lerden sonra 2000'li yılların en başarılı filmleri arasına sokuyor the dark knight'ı. kesinlikle izlenmesi gereken bir film.

Heath Ledger's Last Interview

Heath Ledger's death at the turn of the year was, in a word, chilling. Sure, he was young and famous. But more than that, the Australian had recently completed work on his twisted turn as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins sequel The Dark Knight. Whispers of the enormity of his performance had just begun to filter through. After his death, they were everywhere. Spooky and everywhere.

With the film hitting cinemas very soon, FHM decided to do some serious digging. We've got our hands on the late actor's last interview, conducted on set in Chicago at the tail end of 2007. It's fascinating stuff, and makes an awesome prologue to what will certainly be the best superhero film yet. How do we know? Because we've seen it - and the one-word review reads like this: "Awesome."

How are you?

I just got off a plane. I was picked up at 4am from my house this morning in LA. It’s okay.

Are you lucid enough to tell all?

(laughs) You caught me at a good moment.

Everyone said that you were fearless taking on this role, is that really true?

I definitely feared it. Anything that fears me, I guess, excites me at the same time and so I don’t know if I was fearless, but I certainly had to put on a brave face and believe that I had something up my sleeve and something that was different.

Did you watch any of the Jack Nicholson stuff?

Oh yeah. (laughs) I mean, not after I got the role, but I’ve seen it many times before, I was a huge fan of it and having seen Chris’ first film, I knew that there’s a big difference between a Chris Nolan film and a Tim Burton film and so therefore there was enough room for a fresh portrayal and so I’ve kind of steered away from what Jack did (laughs) hopefully.

In what way?

I don’t know. I’m not at liberty to say. (laughs)

How did you build your character? Did you start with the comic books or the movies or the tv series?

A bit of both. Like I sat around a hotel room in London, for about a month and I just locked myself away and formed a little diary and experimented with voices and I’ll answer your question (laughs), he’s you know I ended up making him within the realm of a psychopath kind of like zero empathy or very little to no conscience towards his acts which is fun because there’s no real limits on their boundaries to what he would say or how he would say something or what he would do. So, yeah that, I don’t know it’s always a very personal process in terms of how you land in your characters shoes, so to speak, and it’s a combination of reading all the comic books I could and the script, and then just really closing my eyes and meditating on it, you know? Chris and I very much saw, see eye to eye on how the character should be played, and that was evident from the first kind of meeting we had on the project. We both had identical images in our minds and so I went away, found it, came back.

Do we see the man behind The Joker?

I don’t know. (laughs) I really don’t know what to say, I feel like I’ll be assassinated if I tell you something wrong…

We know there’s a prologue, but we don’t know exactly what is in that...

Okay, I’m really not sure what I’m allowed to say. (laughs)

Again, with that process of getting into The Joker is the idea that he may have once been a normal person?

Yeah, I think most of the villains in kind of the Chris Nolan style of Batman movies are normal people, once were normal people. I definitely kind of came to my own conclusions to his background and but one thing, and I don’t know whether I’d be putting my foot in my mouth by giving you that, I guess it’s my secret too at this point so I don’t know. This is the first time I’d had to speak about it and no ones really prepped me and (laughs) on what I can say or not...

Why so serious?

In the sequel to Christopher Nolan’s Batman Begins, the clown prince of crime makes a face and pops that question. Maybe the sight of his nemesis, dressed in a skintight leathery black Bat suit with some parts of his body, especially the family jewels unable to breathe, made him feel concerned. Plus Batman never smiled. Then again it’s probably the cramped family jewels that gives the comic hero the constant constipated look. I don’t know I haven’t watched The Dark Knight yet- it’s due next month and for now this question of seriousness was playing in my head.

In some parts of Toa Payoh yesterday afternoon, I was having my cold beer at the coffeeshop where I sought refuge from the relentless sun; from my strategic location, I could observe the Tak Boleh Tahan campaign already underway in full swing. The activists were busy handing out flyers to people strolling by, some accepted with warmness, the majority gave a cursory look and avoided the democrats like they were lepers. They had that distinct constipated look on their faces, the same for Batman. I wondered why.

Maybe it was the sun. The heat was pretty unbearable. I was already sweating like a stuck pig, my shirt stuck to my body like a second skin not to mention my underwear which I will not delve into for the sake of this blog post- I have the profound ability to make people nauseous. I was saved by the cold Mr Heineken. Which is why they said a beer is better than a woman. I digressed but the point remains. It could be the scorching heat.

Another possibility that automatically sprang into my mind was the general perception of the opposition amongst the common sheep folk. The mainstream media have worked deep and successfully entrenched the orthodox belief that the opposition is somewhat of a bogeyman out to destabilize the very fabric of this sheepish society. I would surmise that many even would perceive Dr. Chee as a political terrorist. Which is why the constipated look on their faces.

The sophomoric Tak Boleh Tahan campaign yesterday was an event to raise awareness of the plight of citizens in this country. The rising unabated costs, indiscriminate influx of foreign workers, million dollar salaries and the Mas Selamat fiasco. In simple layman language the campaign clamors this simple phrase:

I have enough of this shit.

Given the premise in Sheep City, it is quite apt. The campaign went successfully without incident; T-shirts, badges, books were sold to raise funds to support further campaigning. Many deliberately overpaid for the wares or donated graciously. I took the time to exchange a few words with Dr. Chee and his sister, Siok Chin, party chairman Gandhi Ambalam, lawyer Chia Ti Lik and many others. I had a great time conversing with Uncle Yap and Rachel Absinthe as well as activists Seelan Palay and Rizal. It was a May Day well-spent except for the heat that made me feel groggy. Ti Lik was sun-burnt; I was sitting in the coffeeshop having a poor man’s grog. Maybe the air-conditioned culture already turned me into a wuss.

Looking in retrospect, I believe the campaign will grow in momentum as more people are made aware and one day citizens in Sheep City will wake from their drunken stupor and breathe a new dawn. To paraphrase a quote from the Joker in the highly-anticipated movie The Dark Knight, the Tak Boleh Tahan campaign:

It’s all part of the plan.

The best film of 2008 so far. A masterpiece

Wow. Just wow. And I thought Batman Begins was excellent. This... this piece of art... its PHENOMENAL!! From the scale, to the acting, the atmosphere, the music, the action, it's all art. I have not experienced this level of greatness in the cinema for a long time. This film is the darkest Batman, as well as one of the darkest, violent and gripping films, ever made.

I'll start off with the actors. Christian Bale has done a tremendous job as our beloved Caped Crusader, who has a flawed personality that hangs on the balance between righteous and crazy. His perception of justice causes an emotional and personal shift, whether he is a rich guy who fights crime in a suit or just a regular guy who is sick of all the injustice in Gotham City and decides to give the psychopaths a dose of their own medicine. Because of this, and Bale's tremendous acting, the Bruce Wayne character is justified, and we, the audience, emphasizes with Bale's flawed hero more than Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer, George (shudder) Clooney, Kevin Conroy, or God forbid Adam West, ever will. If there was an excellent Batman, this is the real deal. The theme of righteousness and insanity is played well with his character here.

But of course, the real star of the show is the late and great Heath Ledger, who steals almost every scene he's in as the villainous Joker (Nicholson, step aside). This Joker is not like the other renditions; he is the best. Downright evil, corrupt, insane, psychotic, terrifying. In every sense of those aforementioned words. More scary than funny, he shows audiences the Joker is undoubtedly Batman's most nefarious foe and his perfect nemesis, challenging him all the way. With a cynical smile, he proclaims in a scene where Batman is a freak to the public, like the Joker himself. This also explains the balance of righteousness that Bruce Wayne is going through. The Joker is downright evil, and Ledger makes this performance legendary. I agree with the critics, sign me up for the petition where he deserves a posthumous Oscar win.

The rest of the cast is excellent and star-studded. Aaron Eckhart does his Harvey Dent/Two-Face character justice, with a strong sense of righteousness/betrayal/twistedness up his sleeve, as well as Bruce Wayne's rival in love. His acting is strong here. Maggie Gyllenhaal is a great replacement for Katie Holmes as Wayne's love interest Rachel Dawes, as she shows more sensitive and caring side towards Bruce, other than Holmes' nearly flat performance. Michael Caine as Bruce Wayne's loyal butler Alfred delivers, as well as Morgan Freeman as the CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Gary Oldman does an excellent portrayal of Lt. James Gordon, who aids Batman in his quest for justice. And a special mention goes to Eric Roberts as a crime lord, who surprisingly does a great acting job. The rest of the cast can take a bow, they can be proud of their being in this film.

The cinematography is possibly the most sublime scenes ever chosen. Gotham and Hong Kong are wide, and yet, there is this dark aura of crime and corruption all around them. It really blends in well with the film, giving it a distinct and unique look. Quite simply, this is the best Gotham city in any Batman rendition. Wally Pfister has done an excellent job.

To accompany the atmosphere is the tremendous music score by movie music maestros, James Newton Howard and Hans Zimmer. With talents like these, the score is unforgettable. It is tension-building at times, and throbbing and glorious yet dark/moody during others. It deserves an Oscar.

The very loyal screenplay is written very, very well by Jonathan Nolan (director's brother), who has done a masterful job. The characters are (pardon the pun) rich in character and the story has not a flaw in it. For a comic book film adaptation, this film is not at all fantasy-like. It is quite realistic in a way and this is what gives the film more credibility. Also, the fact that the script is realistic is unbelievable, as you expect a superhero film when you walk in the cinema, and walk out realizing you have just seen an epic crime saga. Yes, CRIME SAGA. It deserves to be mentioned in the same sentence with "GoodFellas", "Heat", "The Untouchables" and even "The Godfather". I kid you not, this film has the power. The fact that this is an epic is further proved by the film's length - 2 hours and 32 minutes. Yes, it's that long. But it goes by so fast because you end up wishing for more.

But of course, none of this is possible without the genius that is the other Nolan, director Christopher. As per Memento, he knows how to direct a film. The dramatic scenes are engaging and the action sequences are crisp, thrilling, and will blow you out of your seat. Nolan's direction is tense, whip-smart, kinetic and smart. All of the action sequences are realistic, "boombastic", and CGI is used only when necessary (Steve Spielberg and George Lucas, take note). The new vehicle and some gadgets look cool and stylish and do not take away the film's credibility and realism. There are a lot of action sequences to boot, some of them combining themes from above. You will have to see them to believe them. The brothers Nolan have done it again.

In short, it's a masterpiece. One that will knock you out of your seat. It is the best Batman film ever, the best superhero film ever and the best film of 2008 thus far. If there ever was a possibility of a summer film winning Best Picture at the Oscars (like Titanic and Lord Of The Rings), this will join their ranks. It is rightfully deserved. Do yourselves a favor and see this piece of art. Repeated viewings highly recommended.

Overall quality: 9.994/10

Heath Ledger öldü

'Kara Şövalye'yi ağlamadan izlemek mümkün mü?

Heath Ledger, ölümünden sonra gösterime giren ‘Kara Şövalye’de gözlerimizin önünde son defa döktürürken ağlamamak mümkün değil. Onun canlandırdığı Joker, belki de en iyisi olarak anılacak hep...

Çocuk yaşlarda Joker rolüyle hayranı olduğumuz Jack Nicholson, sonradan ‘hep aynı hep aynı’ kalıp gözümüzde basamak basamak düşerken bir dönem ona hayran olan jenerasyon büyüdü ve kendi Joker’lerini çıkarıyor. Tabii kendi defolarıyla. Bunlardan ilki genç yaşta (28) ölüvermek. Şimdi Heath Ledger gözümüzün önünde son defa döktürürken ağlamamak mümkün mü?
Heath Ledger’ın öyle ‘çocukluğumdan beri performans sanatlarına çok meraklıydım’ ya da ‘kızkardeşlerimle her Noel ailemize tiyatro oyunları sergilerdik’ gibi bir oyunculuk macerası yok. Akıllı çocukmuş, liseden sonra ne yapacağını bilmediğinden atlayıp Sydney’e gitmiş ve olaylar birbirini takip etmiş. 1999 yılında ‘10 Things I Hate About You’da ‘eşekherif’ten dönme romantiği canlandıran Ledger’ı beğenmekle kalmakta hayli zorlanmış ‘A Knight’s Tale’de ise pes etmiştik. Kendisi de ‘A Knight’s Tale’e kadar oyunculuğu eğlence için yapıyormuş. İşin ciddiyetine vardığında eski filmlerinde tek gördüğü “hatalar, özensizlik ve detaylar konusundaki duyarsızlığı” olmuş.
Bu dikkat çekici başrolün ardından dört sene boyunca bol seyircili filmlerin ya da başrollerin devamı gelmedi. ‘Monster’s Ball’daki kısa rolüyle beğeni kazandı. ‘The Order’ ve ‘Lords of Dogtown’ arada kaynarken Terry Gilliam’ın ‘Brothers Grimm’i diğer başroller Matt Damon ve Monica Bellucci’ye ait olmasına rağmen seyirci çekmedi. Ama Ledger’ın sürekli olarak bu romantik yakışıklı kılıfından çıkmaya ve yeni roller denemeye çalıştığı gözden kaçmıyordu. Bu çaba ona belki daha geç ama kesinlikle daha kuvvetli bir kariyer getirecekti. (Akıllı çocuk demiştik.) Sonunda ‘Brokeback Dağı’yla bir anda bir yerlerden hatırladığınız o yakışıklı çocuk olmaktan çıkacaktı. Artık kabul görmüş oyuncu klasmanına ilk adımını atmıştı. Her şey şimdi başlıyordu.

‘Kendimi tekrar edemem’

Önce ‘Casanova’yla romantizme döndü. Ardından gelen bağımsız yapım ‘Candy’deki uyuşturucu bağımlısı Dan performansıyla sevenlerine ciddi sözler verdi. Bob Dylan’ı canlandırdığı bir sonraki filmi ‘I’m Not There’de ise verdiği sözleri bir bir yerine getirmeye başladı.
2007 yılının Kasım ayında New York Times’dan Sarah Yall’a verdiği röportajda “Kendimi tekrar edersem zaman kaybediyor gibi hissediyorum. Çıkardığım işten gurur duyduğumu söyleyemem” diyordu ‘I’m Not There’deki rolü için. “Yaptığım her şeyle ilgili hissim bu. Eğer bir gün ‘İşte bu iyi oldu’ dersem o zaman başka bir iş yapmam gerekir.”
Filmin yönetmeni Todd Haynes ise Ledger için “Yaşını almış aktörler gün geçtikçe daha da çocuksu görünmeye başlarlar çünkü yaşlanmayı reddederler. Heath az rastladığınız o muhakemesi kuvvetli ve yaşlarından beklenmeyecek bir olgunluğa sahip genç insanlardan” diyordu.
Heath Ledger için esas patlama ABD’de geçtiğimiz hafta vizyona giren ‘Kara Şövalye’yle yaşandı. Şimdi tüm sinema dünyası 22 Ocak’ta Brooklyn’deki dairesinde yüksek dozda ilaç alarak ölen Ledger’ın ölümünün ardından Oscar’a aday gösterilen nadir oyuncular arasına gireceğinden hatta belki de ölümünün ardından Oscar alacak ikinci oyuncu olabileceğinden bahsediyor. Elbette yazın ortasında vizyona giren bir filmin Oscar töreninde adının anılması pek görülmüş şey değil. Ancak Ledger’ın Joker rolündeki başarısı anladığımız kadarıyla öyle magazinsel gerekçelerle üstü örtülecek cinsten değil.
“Ledger’ın izlemesi heyecan verici, ince eleyip sık dokunduğu belli, yaralı yüzlü, bir sebebe gerek duymaksızın manyak ve sinir bozucu Joker’i insana ‘Brokeback Dağı’ndaki sessiz kovboy rolünü hatırlatıyor. Ama tamamen teryüz edilmiş halini. Sanki ‘Sinek’te (The Fly, 1986) teleporter’dan geçen yaratık gibi” diyor The Guardian’dan John Patterson. Ledger’ın kendi deyimiyle: “Psikopat şizofren bir seri katil/palyaço ve hiç empatisi yok.”
Ledger, Joker olarak çıkardığı işten memnun muydu bilemeyiz ama Joker’i canlandırmaktan büyük zevk aldığını defalarca söylemişti. Bu durum onun için uykusuzluk (haftalarca günde ortalama iki saat uyuyor, ilaç aldığı zamanlardaysa tek ilaç onu asla kesmiyor, ikinci ilaçsa sadece bir saat uyutabiliyordu) ve bolca stres demekti. Ancak ‘Kara Şövalye’deki rol arkadaşı Christian Bale, Ledger’ın ölümünü Joker’i canlandırırken yaşadığı iddia edilen maddi ve manevi zorluklara bağlamanın spekülasyon yaratmaya çalışmaktan başka bir şey olmadığını söylüyor. Bale, Ledger için “Rolden çıktığı anda beraber takılması çok keyifli bir insana dönüşürdü” diyor.
Şimdi Ledger’dan geriye eleştirmenlerin yere göğe sığıdıramadığı bir Joker, hala yapım aşamasında olan Terry Gilliam filmi ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’ ve Dawson’s Creek’te görür görmez ‘Bu kızda bi iş var’ dediğimiz Michelle Williams’tan 2005 yılında dünyaya gelen kızı Matilda kaldı. Heath Ledger’ın koyu renk sesini son defa yeni bir filmde duymak gözlerimizi yaşartacaksa yaptığı işteki başarısı içimize su serpecek.

Gişelerin tozunu attı

Batman serisinin son filmi ‘Kara Şövalye’, Amerika’da box office rekorlarını tozunu attırıyor. 18.5 milyon dolar hasılatla ilk seans, 66.4 milyon dolarla ilk gün rekorlarını kıran ‘Kara Şövalye’, şimdi de ilk üç günde elde ettiği 155.5 milyon dolarla tüm zamanların en iyi haftasonu açılış rekorunu aldı. Önceki rekor 151 milyon dolarla ‘Örümcek Adam 3’e aitti.

10 üzerinden 9.7 puan

‘Kara Şövalye’nin inanılmaz başarısı sadece gişede değil. Hem eleştirmenlerden hem de izleyicilerden tam not alan film, sinema sitesi imdb’de en iyi 250 film listesinde 1 numara oldu. Filmin yaklaşık 50 bin kişiden aldığı ortalama puan 10 üzerinden 9.7.
Eleştirmenlerin filmle ilgili yorumları için bir iki örnek:
“Eğer performansı bu kadar canlı olmasaydı Ledger’ın ölümü filmi gölgeleyebilirdi. Ama Ledger’ın Joker’i o kadar korkunç ve performansı o kadar şiddetli ve gerçekçi ki onun Ledger olduğunu anında unutuveriyorsunuz.”
Manohla Dargis - NY Times “Joker performansı ‘delicesine harika’. Jack Nicholson’ın yüzeysel ve komik Joker’i gitmiş komik olduğunda bile insanın gülmekten korktuğu bir Joker gelmiş.”
Peter Travers - Rolling Stone “Ledger filmin temel taşı ve Joker rolünde muhteşem.”
Mick LaSalle - SF Chronicle “Ledger eski Jokerler’in palyaço gibi görünmesine sebep oluyor.” Justin Chang - Variety

Ledger's Joker a Serious Topic

The Dark Knight posters ask, "Why so serious?" In the wake of Heath Ledger's death, the answer is because the movie has a situation.

"So far everything's been about the Joker," says Comics2Film.com founder Rob M. Worley. "Can they continue to put the Joker's face on this?"

Everything changed Tuesday when Ledger, who plays the greasepaint-caked criminal in the upcoming Batman Begins sequel, was found dead at the age of 28.

Warner Bros., the studio behind the comic-book franchise, was said to be mulling its marketing campaign for the $150 million movie, directed by Christopher Nolan and starring Christian Bale as the Caped Crusader.

"It's one of those things that pops up in our business that you need to deal with," says Mitch Litvak, president of the L.A. Office, an entertainment marketing firm. "They're going to have a chance to sit back and think about it."

Fortunately for Warners, it has time. The film, which Ledger completed his work on last fall, isn't due out until July 18.

While the ad campaign may be tweaked, fans' interest won't be affected, Worley predicts. "If anything, they want to see it more now," he says. "There will be an almost spiritual component."

The situation looks to be trickier, if not more perilous, for The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, the Terry Gilliam fantasy Ledger was working on at the time of his death.

According to Variety, Ledger's name helped the independent production secure its $30 million budget. Without its biggest star, the movie has three options, the paper said: recast, shoot around Ledger's absence or call "cut."

Filming on Doctor Parnassus began last month. Ledger, who died in New York, had been shooting in London last week.

On Thursday, Gilliam and the producers said they "will be assessing how best to proceed."

"Heath was a great actor, a great friend and a great spirit," the statement said. "We are still in a state of deep shock, saddened and numb with grief."

If the movie is scrapped, it'll be the second time this decade that a Gilliam production has been so cursed. In 2000, the filmmaker started and stopped work on the never completed The Man Who Killed Don Quixote when his aged leading man suffered a back injury.

On a legacy note, if Doctor Parnassus doesn't recover, The Dark Knight will become Ledger's final film. And even Worley's not sure how he feels about that, about seeing Ledger, an actor of sensitivity who earned an Oscar nomination for Brokeback Mountain, go out on screen as a sick and sadistic villain.

Says Worley: "It's not like On Golden Pond, where it's this sweet sentimental sendoff that Henry Fonda had."

Jack Nicholson 'Furious' Over Heath Ledger Playing The Joker In 'Dark Knight'

Once I start talking, I can't shut up," Jack Nicholson told this writer recently in an extensive (and rare) conversation that covered everything from the Lakers to the late great John Huston.

In part one of the Nicholson interview, the icon recalled "Chinatown" and hypothesized about a conclusion to the yet-unrealized Jake Gittes trilogy. Here, in the conclusion of the conversation, the 70-year-old three-time Oscar winner talks about facing mortality in the movies (he portrays a cancer patient alongside Morgan Freeman in the upcoming "The Bucket List") and in his own life; why he's "furious" about Heath Ledger playing the Joker; and responds to Francis Ford Coppola's accusation that he, Robert De Niro and Al Pacino are "living off the fat of the land."

Nicholson was the consummate gentleman and great storyteller in our conversation. An easy laugher (and is there a more famous laugh than his?), he managed to project graciousness and that legendary Nicholson self-confidence all in one fell swoop. Near the end of our time together, he whispered almost conspiratorially, "You asked interesting things, and I'm delighted with my answers." And why not? He's Jack.

MTV: I can't think of another actor who so embodies the Oscars. There's something comforting about seeing you there every year.

Jack Nicholson: I'm somebody that's always liked the Oscars. I always looked at them as being good for everybody. Win, lose or draw, it's a wonderful thing. It creates debate. Of course it's a collaborative form, so how could there possibly be such a thing as "best" in acting? There's always somebody else in the scene.

MTV: Your close friend, Marlon Brando, had some strong opinions about that very topic.

Nicholson: As do a lot of my friends. They don't like the competition. I've come to resent the fact that it takes three months of the year [to deal with the Oscars] if you're involved. I'm a nervous wreck when I'm around any public occurrence, actually. Most times [when nominated] I felt I knew whether I was going to win or not. It's the nights when you don't really know that are nerve-racking. [He laughs.]

MTV: I think it would surprise many people to hear that you are nervous at the Oscars.

Nicholson: I am. I have a good time, but it's the fact that if you're a nominee, you may have to make a speech. That's the thing that makes me really nervous.

MTV: "Chinatown" earned 11 nominations, including one for you as an actor. Only Robert Towne won, for his screenplay. Was that an enjoyable [Oscar] night despite all the losses?

Nicholson: [He laughs.] It wasn't that enjoyable. I thought that was what would happen. In fact, I told ["Chinatown" producer] Robert Evans, "We're going to get a lot of nominations. I don't know how much we'll win." Of course, I feel we should have won them all, myself included. In fact, I don't even remember who won the Oscar for actor that year. [Editor's note: Art Carney won for "Harry & Tonto."]

MTV: Your next film, "The Bucket List," could very well have you back in the running for awards.

Nicholson: It was a difficult thing for me. I wanted to work with [director] Rob [Reiner] and Morgan, but I got a little medical issue before it, and I kind of panicked. I didn't know if I'd have the endurance. I got crazy a little bit. [Editor's note: Nicholson was reportedly hospitalized for a gland infection in 2006.]

MTV: The film is about men facing their mortality. I'd assume those thoughts were all the more front and center for you then.

Nicholson: I won't say that I didn't use things that I found in my time in the clutches of medical situations. [He laughs.] For sure. I thought it was very adventurous of Rob to think about making a comedy about dying. And I like to be adventurous. It got to be a very personal film. It's got a lot of things in it that people think about that aren't articulated. For that reason, it's got some good spunk to it. And of course, if you're going to make a comedy, you better make them laugh. I don't want to jinx myself, but I feel pretty good about it.

MTV: You didn't become a star until your early 30s. Are you thankful that stardom didn't come earlier?

Nicholson: I think it was an advantage to me because you get to learn. I worked in [Roger] Corman pictures. Nobody expected much from them, but you expect a lot of yourself. I look at it in every sense as an advantage. I didn't look at it that way when I was living it. [He laughs.] In retrospect, I look at it that way.

MTV: Today it seems stardom is assigned to actors much earlier.

Nicholson: It's a different world in every way. I don't make lists, but there are a lot of young actors and actresses who are wonderful. The stardom part? A) you have to be good at it; b) it has to do with how people respond to you. This is an unpredictable element. You can't force it. It's who you are. It's the decisions you make.

MTV: What do you think of another actor, Heath Ledger, playing the Joker in next summer's "The Dark Knight"?

Nicholson: Let me be the way I'm not in interviews. I'm furious. I'm furious. [He laughs.] They never asked me about a sequel with the Joker. I know how to do that! Nobody ever asked me.

MTV: It was never brought up?

Nicholson: No. It's like, in any area, you can't believe the reasons things do or don't happen. Not asking me how to do the sequel is that kind of thing. Maybe it's not a mistake. Maybe it was the right thing, but to be candid, I'm furious.

MTV: I'm surprised to hear you sounding competitive about a role like that.

Nicholson: Well, the Joker comes from my childhood. That's how I got involved with it in the first place. It's a part I always thought I should play.

(What do you think of Jack's controversial Joker comments? Tell us at the MTV Movies Blog!)

MTV: Will you see the new film?

Nicholson: I'm not inclined to watch it because of what I said. But if it's a good movie, I'll catch up with it somewhere. I don't think they ever really captured Tim Burton's spirit [since he stopped being involved]. They kind of drove the franchise into the ground. Tim Burton's a genius. He had the right take on it. That's why I did the movie. I did the movie based on a single conversation with him. We both come from the cartoon world originally. We had similar ideas. Tim said [the Joker] should have a humorous dark side to him. [Burton is] one of the great moviemakers. I think the world of him. He's the most unassuming man. And he doesn't feel pressure. That's what I love about him. Once he's in there, he's smiling making the movie. That's it!

MTV: Are there other characters you've considered revisiting in sequels over the years?

Nicholson: Yeah. Last year I thought, "There are certain unresolved characters of mine." I'd like to do about three sequels right in a row. It was when they were talking to me about a "Last Detail" [sequel].

MTV: What were the others characters you considered revisiting?

Nicholson: Where did [Bobby Dupea] in "Five Easy Pieces" go? From my point of view, how you bracketed the time and these very American characters and what has happened with them is in a way with what has happened with America. I'm always looking for a fresh tangent to pursue. I think in theory that's a good idea. Where did this kind of restless spirit [in "The Last Detail"] go? Did [Billy "Bad Ass" Buddusky] go to Europe? I know the story ["Last Detail" author Darryl] Ponicsan wrote, and I think he came up with a brilliant idea [in the sequel book, "Last Flag Flying"] for it. It was just that thing where people are more polemically inclined [in a book] than is most effective with a movie. "The Last Detail" is a strong anti-war statement, but the characters in it are just doing their job. And I think that's the most effective way of approaching it.

MTV: What do you think of the spate of films this season inspired by the situation in Iraq?

Nicholson: I'm not for preaching to the choir. It's why some older movies are embarrassing. Yes, they're well intended, but what do they really know about anything?

MTV: Is acting as enjoyable as it always has been for you?

Nicholson: I stopped acting for a year a couple times just to make sure I knew why I was doing what I was doing. And I'm pleased to say I just like making beautiful things. You wonder about yourself sometimes. And I don't want to self-aggrandize or blow my own horn, but that's what I've found when I'm not making movies.

MTV: Clint Eastwood is talking like he won't act again. Would you ever retire?

Nicholson: In my profession, a retirement statement is the most unnecessary statement that you could possibly make. [He laughs.] I'm very fortunate. If I get a good script tomorrow that I want to do, I'm sure I'll be doing it. If I don't, I won't.

MTV: Francis Ford Coppola recently told Esquire he doubted how hungry you are for roles anymore. Did those comments upset you?

Nicholson: He called me. I've known Francis for a long time. I didn't even bother making him explain it. I just told him if anybody in the world understands being burned by an interview, I do. Don't give it a second thought. If that's what he said, and that's what he meant, and now he feels he said something he shouldn't have, that's fine by me. I'm hungry in the sense that I always was. Do I have to work? I haven't had to for quite a long time. Am I as hungry? I don't know that I'm as hungry, but I'm as vicious about the meal as I ever was. [He laughs.]

Heath Ledger Biography

Already something of an established actor in his native Australia, Heath Ledger first came to the attention of American audiences in 1999 with his winning turn in the teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, playing the rebellious Patrick Verona in the update of The Taming of the Shrew.
Born in Perth, Western Australia on April 4, 1979, Ledger first became interested in acting while attending the all-boys Guilford Grammar School. He began his career performing onstage with the Guildford Theatre Company and was soon appearing in substantial roles on Australian television shows. The 1996 series Sweat featured him as a gay cyclist, while the following year's Roar cast him as a medieval Celtic prince--and also won him the beginnings of a fan base. After moving across the Pacific to Los Angeles, Ledger landed his lead role in 10 Things I Hate About You opposite Julia Stiles in 1999. The movie proved to be a summer hit, and it succeeded in introducing Ledger to a legion of new fans. That same year, he starred in Two Hands, an Australian action comedy that cast him as a Sydney teenager who finds himself in debt to an underworld kingpin, played by Bryan Brown. The film premiered at that year's Sundance Film Festival. Following a prominent role in Roland Emmerich's The Patriot (2000), Ledger brought Excalibur sensibilities into the new millenium with A Knight's Tale (2001). With its tradition shattering blend of modern slang and music balanced with the classic tale of jousting mayhem, A Knight's Tale served as an exciting star vehicle for the popular young actor. The young actor also garnered a fair amount of praise for his supporting role as a deeply depressed prison employee in the Oscar-winning film Monsters Ball (2001).
Though the film did not fare well critically or otherwise, Ledger nonetheless proved himself a versatile actor in The Four Feathers (2002), in which he starred as a cowardly officer-in-training who resigns from the British Army shortly before being shipped off to Sudan. In the same vein, though The Order (2003) was shunned by critics, Ledger was praised for his intense performance as a tortured, knowledge-seeking priest. Australia's Ned Kelly (2003) featured a then 24-year-old Heath in the title role of sixteen-year-old outlaw Ned Kelly, and placed him among a skilled cast including Six Feet Under star and fellow Australian Rachel Griffiths, the Oscar-winning Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Naomi Watts.
In 2005, Ledger captivated Hollywood with his sensitive turn as Ennis Del Mar in the gay-themed modern western Brokeback Mountain. Impressing audiences with his portrayal of the soft-spoken and tortured character struggling with his love for fellow cowboy Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal), he went on to garner multiple awards for the role, including Best Actor wins from numerous film critics associations, as well as a coveted Oscar nomination.
Ledger was busy in 2005 following Brokeback, with lead roles in the period films Casanova and The Brothers Grimm, as well as a turn as a heroin-addicted husband in Candy. His own engagement to Brokeback costar Michelle Williams made headlines and produced a daughter in late 2005, though the two ended their relationship the following year. Ledger had completed his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight (due out in July 2008) and was filming Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus when he was found dead in a New York City apartment building on January 22, 2008. - Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide

The Dark Knight Review Part 2

Perhaps bolstered by the success of the first film, Nolan reaches out further with his storytelling and camerawork in The Dark Knight to create an ongoing, palpable feeling of tension that never relents through the entirety of the film's two and a half hour running time. There is a hugeness to the narrative itself, which Nolan enhances first by shooting partially on IMAX film stock (which will surely be lost to those unlucky enough to be too far to see the film in the format), but he then builds this haunting atmosphere steadily from one scene to the next, building anticipation for the moments when the violence will finally erupt.

That he occasionally veers into comic book glibness with one-liners undermines none of the intensity; on the contrary, these moments provide a release that is absolutely necessary to keeping the audience from succumbing to The Joker's febrile madness. Meanwhile, the violence is quite possibly the most intense I have ever seen in a PG-13 film, leaving myself and others wondering how The Dark Knight avoided an R. But what is more disturbing is the unrelenting menace that hovers over every scene like a dark cloud. Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard's leitmotif for The Joker sounds like a cross between Ligeti's "Lux Aeterna" (from 2001) and the scraping, metallic curlicue that was used in trailers for The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and enhances the clenched-fist feeling that anything can and will happen at any moment, even scenes in which he doesn't appear.

Like few other mythology-based movies, The Dark Knight truly seems to think of everything, be it conceptual or purely logical. Credit Nolan and his brother Jonathan (who also helped conceive The Prestige) for really digging into Batman's world, turning over the soil and examining its roots for possible deficiencies. While this generally speaks to the film's plausibility, they also have the presence of mind to consider such things as Lucius Fox's considerable monetary expenditures – not to mention his entire division – and how and where a paper trail might eventually lead to it. Again, however, these are not ideas or even subplots to which vast amounts of screen time are devoted, but simply revealed, explained and dealt with as they might arise in real life.

Bale is predictably effective as both Wayne and Batman this time around, playing both with greater assurance than in Batman Begins (indeed, he and his characters seem to possess more confidence). Though Wayne is a necessary second-fiddle to Batman, he is a better defined and more poised character in this film – even when he's indulging the excesses of his trust fund – and he understands the value of being in a position to help someone like Dent, be it monetarily as himself or physically as Batman. Also great is the rest of the original cast, all of whom seem as comfortable in their characters as if they'd created them themselves. Oldman in particular creates a portrait of virtue that shows a roiling well of doubt underneath, and yet always conveys effortless authority.




















Meanwhile taking over for Katie Holmes, Gyllenhaal adds real depth and energy to Rachel Dawes, showing how her feelings for Bruce Wayne aren't simply unrequited, but actually based in both sincere affection and common sense. And Eckhart more or less combines all of the disparate roles he's played in the past – lout, huckster, loyal companion – into one seamless portrayal of a man determined to make things better but not quite sure how to accomplish that goal in the right way.

Finally, there's Ledger, whose performance I suspect will be the subject of many analyses of all sorts in the weeks and months to come. What he does with The Joker is, quite frankly, nothing short of transcendent. Early in the film he explains the origins of his trademark facial scars, and you worry for a moment that the filmmakers are giving this psychopath some kind of convenient explanation, which, talented though he was, Ledger won't be able to overcome. But by the third time he's explained where they come from – each time telling a different tale – you realize that Ledger was a master of his craft, only in his final years finding roles that truly offered him the chance to explore that mastery. His is the definitive movie Joker, and he owns the role and achieves a level of abject insanity that is terrifying as it is irresistible.

Overall, the film does maintain a steady pace and function with such continuously unnerving momentum that it occasionally seems like a second installment. (There are plenty of appropriate comparisons to other sequels its quality mirrors, if not possibly surpasses: Toy Story 2, The Empire Strikes Back, The Godfather Part II, etc.) In fact, so well-executed is this film that even the title – or at least its true meaning – seemed to catch its audience off guard, until it gets explained, expertly and poetically, at the very end of the movie.

A screenwriting professor of mine once said that what happens in a story must be surprising but expected, and Nolan's approach to The Dark Knight epitomizes this maxim. He gives you exactly what you want, but does it so well that it manages to completely catch you off guard when it happens. But there really is no better way to describe The Dark Knight than to call it a great work of art because it transcends both the boundaries of comic book moviemaking and even the parameters of good filmmaking. What Nolan and Co. have created doesn't just function as a thrill ride or even a terrific movie, but rather as a substantive and philosophical examination of why we need heroes, and then when we need them, what they mean.

Christian Bale Röportajı

Batman Başlıyor ile Kara Şövalye arasında ne gibi farklar var?

Bu bir başlangıç hikâyesi değil. Karakterin nasıl ortaya çıktığını biliyoruz şimdi. İlk filmde varlık içinde bir hayat yaşayan veya herhangi bir derinliği ya da yeteneği olmayan bir adamdan, karşılaştığı düşmanlarla baş etmeye ve zorluklara göğüs germeye çalışan bir adama dönüşmesini izledik. Şimdi ise karşımızda kendisiyle yüzleşmiş ve kendini tanıyan bir savaşçı var. Daha güçlü ve aynı zamanda daha olgun.

Bu filmde, önceki filmde Gotham’da sağlamak istediği düzeni sağlıyor ama bir yandan da, Batman Başlıyor’un sonunda gösterdiğimiz gibi, Gotham’da ortaya çıkan yeni bir suçluyla ve Batman ile yüzleşmek isteyen Gotham’da ortaya çıkmaya başlayan diğer ucubelerle mücadele etmek zorunda kalıyor.

Ayrıca Batman kimliğinin içinde de sıkışıp kaldığını düşünüyor. Bu hayattan kaçmak, uzaklaşmak istiyor. Bruce Wayne kimliği de tamamen yok olup gitmiş değil tabii. Batman için doğru olan şey Bruce için doğru olan şey olmayabiliyor. Bu yüzden de iki karakter arasında kalmış, kafası karışık, içindeki şiddet ve intikamla boğuşan bir adam görüyoruz. Bu ikircikli durum onu ilginç kılmaya devam ediyor.

Kara Şövalye'deki Batman kostümünüz öncekinden çok farklı, daha iyi hareket ediyorsunuz. Ne gibi farklar var?

Çok daha iyiydi, her açıdan daha üstündü. Hikayenin gelişimine paralel olarak gelişiyor tabii. Bu kostüm sayesinde tüm dövüşleri kendim gerçekleştirdim ve kostümle boğuşmak zorunda kalmadığım için daha enerjiktim. İçinde rahat nefes alabiliyordum ayrıca. Gerçekten çok iyi bir iş çıkardılar.

Heath Ledger’ın performansı harikaydı. Onunla birlikte çalışmak nasıldı?

Gerçekten müthişti. Kendini tamamen karakterine adadı. İkonlaşacak bir düşman yarattı. Eğer Chris üçüncü bir film yapmaya karar verirse, en büyük problem, yaratılacak düşmanlar konusunda bu filmi nasıl aşacağımız olacak. Heath’in yaptığını bir başkası nasıl aşabilecek, böylesine kusursuz bir iş çıkartmışken? Gerçekten kendini adamıştı. Ayrıca makyajını çıkardıktan sonra da iyi bir arkadaştı.

Joker’i karikatürize edecek herhangi bir şey yapmadı. Biraz punk rock, anarşik, nihilistik, tehlikeli ve çarpık bir karakter. Jack Nicholson'ın bize sunduğu olağanüstü portreden çok daha farklı, bizim yaptığımız Batman filmlerinin tonuna daha uygun olan bir karakter.

Çeviri: Beyazperde ekibi

The Dark Knight Review Part 1

June 30, 2008 - It isn't an overstatement to call The Dark Knight the most sophisticated and ambitious work of its kind. Superior to all three Spider-Man installments and even its amazing predecessor in terms of conceptualization, writing, acting, and direction, Nolan's follow-up to Batman Begins is a dark, complex and disturbing film, not the least of which because it grafts its heroics onto the blueprint of actual reality rather than that of spandex-clad supermen. And while such a distinction may make little difference to those already eagerly anticipating the return of the caped crusader, suffice it to say that The Dark Knight qualifies as the first official comic book adaptation that truly succeeds in being a great artistic achievement in its own right.

Christian Bale returns as Bruce Wayne, the billionaire playboy who moonlights as Batman. Having eased more comfortably into a lifestyle of excess, Wayne lurks on the fringes of his family's corporation as CEO Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) runs the boardroom. But when an ambitious district attorney named Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) comes forward to challenge Gotham City's villainy through proper legal channels, the man also known as Batman sees an opportunity to replace his vigilante persona with a figure of virtue who will truly inspire the best in the citizenry.

Unfortunately, Batman's success as a crime fighter has generated new problems for Gotham, including a consolidation of the crime lords who once controlled the city independently. Meanwhile, a new adversary named The Joker (Heath Ledger) proves particularly dangerous because he seeks not only to advance the cause of Gotham's underworld, but obliterate the foundations of liberty and order that Batman protects. Torn between championing Dent and meting out justice as a masked vigilante, Wayne soon finds himself at a crossroads between being the hero that Gotham needs and the one it deserves.
















The great triumph of The Dark Knight is that it manages for the first time ever in the history of the genre to transplant comic book theatrics into the real world – and moreover, to examine precisely what it could mean if a person decided to strap on a super-suit and start attacking the world's criminals. The first film certainly hinted at this possibility, thrusting the hero and his alter-ego into a world where Wayne's frivolity was as despised as Batman's vigilantism. But even with real-world explanations for such improbabilities as Scarecrow's ability to scare, this was still a world where the Batmobile was cool and the climactic battle took place on a speeding train as a bomb ticked toward its inevitable explosion. Here, the Tumbler barely survives its first appearance and with the exception of one or two cooler-than-cool moves that will no doubt thrill fans, its replacement/substitute – the Batpod – serves as a largely utilitarian device for Batman to get from one crime scene to the next. (That said, I still want one.)

More important than this, however, is the idea that Batman is not just a guy in a suit, but a symbol and there are people in the film – most notably The Joker – who want to destroy that symbol. While Batman's identity remains secret and his motives unknown to Gothamites, he represents hope in a city that has little to spare and embodies a pursuit of justice – and further, a code of behavior – that quite literally threatens these criminals' way of life. By throwing Gotham into chaos and testing the limits to which Batman holds himself, The Joker is not merely plying death and destruction but willfully destroying the philosophical foundations of organized society. The closest such examination another comic book-oriented film has ever attempted was the emotional throughline of the Spider-Man films. Peter Parker's struggle was almost exclusively personal, whereas Wayne not only has to find a way to maintain his moral compass, but consider what the repercussions of his heroism are to both the public and the criminals themselves.

While all of this sounds lofty – and it is – Nolan examines these themes in beautifully human terms, projecting his examination of "the hero" into the hearts and minds of his characters. Wayne, less outwardly conflicted than in Batman Begins, sees Dent's ascension as an opportunity to stop playing dress up and reunite with Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) – the one woman who knows his secret. Meanwhile, Dent and his sometimes partner Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) look at Batman's existence as a good thing, a fulcrum against which they can enforce the law and sometimes bend rules to accomplish loftier goals. And, of course, The Joker wants to destroy all of that, albeit less because of some law of movie villainy than because he sees his existence as the necessary antithesis – or perhaps ultimate extension – of the murky morality of Batman's brand of justice. When, after all, was the last time a movie criminal wasn't merely mad, but had a deeper ideological motivation for his dastardly deeds?

Batman : The Dark Knight

-filmin açılışında imax teknolojisiyle çekilmiş giriş sahnesi yükseklik korkunuz varsa eğer, içinizin yağlarını eritebilecek cinsten. sanki paraşütünüz açılmamış da aşağıya düşerken olan biteni izliyormuşsunuz hissine kapılmamanız zor. giriş sahnesi, çok başarılı. daha ilk saniyeden itibaren film size ''ananı laciverte boyıycam'' der gibi zaten.

-bruce wayne, karıya kıza düşkün, paranın tüm cinsel uzuvlarına tokmak geçirmiş, bunun da mastürbasyonunu feci biçimde yapan bir karakter olarak görülüyor filmde. hey alfred lamborcinimi mi alim yoksa başka bir şey mi diye etkileyici sorular soruyor çevresine. güç odaklı bu karakterin batman dışındaki hayatına şöyle bir baktığımızda erdemden pek bahsedilemeyebilir. dipten derinden bruce wayne'in ürkütücü yalnızlığı, geçirdiği travmatik olaylar sonucunda geldiği noktadan sonra ''adalet sağlayıcısı'' olarak gotham'daki duruşu, diğer tüm batman filmlerinde hatta diğer tüm adalet sağlayıcısı misyonu yüklenmiş kimi karakterlere göre oldukça yavan. bu derece parası pulu olan ve dünyayı kötülüklerden gerekirse tek tek kazıycam diyen herkes, bir batman olabilir sanki. işte bu nedenle bruce wayne, bir super hero değil filmde. olamaz da. olmasın da zaten. filmin sonunda da bunu kabulleniyor.

-harvey dent ise, resmen filmde adaletin insanlaştırılmış hali gibi. yozlaşmamış, tecavüze uğramamış adalet. o ki en ulaşılmaz denilen suçluları mahkemeye getirecek kadar kendini bilen, erdemli, dürüst, çoğu zaman soğuk kanlı. ancak filmin sonunda, iyiliğin ve kötülüğün ne derece değişken olduğuna basa basa vurgu yapılıyor harvey dent üzerinden. harvey dent bile yozlaşabilirse eğer, kim yozlaşamaz ki? sadece başınıza kötü bir şey gelmemiş olması gerekiyor bu yozlaşmayı engellemek için. adaleti sağlamaya kalktığınızda da o başınıza gelecek olan berbat olaylar kaçınılmaz oluyor. böylece, kimse iyi kalamıyor. ne batman, ne harvey dent, ne de bir başkası.

joker ise aynen otomatik portakal'da, kubrick filmlerinde rastlayabileceğimiz kötülere benziyor. kendi öz babası tarafından annesi kahkahalarla bıçaklanırken buna şahit olduktan sonra ''neden gülmüyorsun? neden bu kadar ciddisin?? -why so serious??- denilerek ağzı darmadağın ediliyor. joker'in babası niptuck'tan da yakından tanıdığımız carver olabilir sanki. işte başımıza boktan bir olay gelince, sikerim lan bu dünyayı hissiyatına kapılıyoruz ya, joker bunu gerçekleştiriyor filmde. cidden ve inayetle dünyanın ağzına yüzüne sıçmaktan başka bir şey istemiyor. tek isteği bu. nasıl ki batman filmde dünyayı düzelticem derken ortalığın içine ediyorsa, joker de bunun tam tersi olan bir hissiyat üzerinden aynı şeyi yapıyor. işte bu noktadan itibaren joker, insana iyiyi ve kötüyü, kim iyi olabilir, kim kötü olabiliri sorgulatmaya başlıyor. iki gemi kaçırıp, gemideki yolculara diğer gemideki bombaların fünyeleri bırakıyor. birbirine düşürmek üzere yapmıyor bunu. hani şu klasik paradoks vardır ya, 99 tane azılı suçlunun olduğu ama bir masumun olduğu gemiyi batırır mısın paradoksu, işte o noktaya getiriyor işi. çok medeni olduğunu düşünen, sıradan olduğunu zanneden insanlar, diğer gemiyi batırmak için ''oylama'' yapıyorlar. hayatta kalmak için diğer gemiyi yok edecekler bu haklı bir gerekçe olabilir elbette. ancak hayatta kalmanın da ötesinde, sokrates'in felsefenin hep irdelediği konuya geliyorlar; iyi olmak kimin umrunda? iyi ve erdemli olarak ölmek kimin umrunda? yaşayalım da nasıl yaşarsak yaşayalım önemli değil. gerekirse binlerce insanın ölümünden de sorumlu olabiliriz sonuçta. ölmeyelim yeter ki. bu bile insanın kafasını allak bullak ediyor. sen diğer gemiyi patlattın ve hayatta kaldın diyelim ki ve iyi biri olduğunu düşünüyorsun, kendine mantıklı bir açıklama yapsan bile o andan sonra gerçekten iyi biri olduğuna inanır mısın?

joker bununla da kalmıyor. sıradan bir insanı hedef gösteriyor. batman'in kimliğini açıklamak üzre televizyona çıkan wayne şirketinden bir salak bir saat içinde ölmezse, koca bir hsataneyi patlatacağını söylüyor. ne oluyor biliyor musunuz? bu adamı öldürmek üzere hastanenin önüne üşüşüyor insanlar. silahını çekip vurmaya kalkan da oluyor. hatta, salağı alan gordon, tam karşısında duran polisin silahına davranmasına engel olarak bu cinayeti önlüyor. saw filminde boku çıkarılmış bir numara olan insanları katil eden cani fikrini, oldukça düzgün ve histerik biçimde gösteriyor bu örneğe. öyleyse, kim kötülük dolu ? son derece sıradan bir adamın yaşamına karşılık boşaltılarak içindekileri kuratarabileceğimiz bir hastane mi? bu sıradan adama silah çeken mi kötü? joker mi? yada her ikisi de mi?

kötülüğün ne olduğuna dair oldukça düşündürücü örneklerle dolu bu film. joker, geçmişine dair bazı ayrıntıları satır aralarında anlatırken ürperiyorsunuz. tüm dünyanın kötülük dolu olduğunu düşünüyorsunuz diyelim ki ve başınızdan joker'in yaşadıklarına benzer şeyler geçti, aynen joker'in yaptıklarını yapmaz mıydınız? kaç kişi ''hayır asla yapmazdım'' diyebilir?

joker'in amacı ne para ne güç. alfred'in de söylediği gibi sadece ortalığı mahfetmek. bakunin anarşizmi inşa ederken acaba joker gibi bireyleri düşündü mü merak içindeyim. çünkü saf anarşinin yansıması olan joker, tamamen kötü bir karakter olarak görünse de filmde, altına baktığımızda ''anlamak nefret etmeyi imkansız kılıyor'' klasiğine doğru bir eğim görebilirsiniz.

işte tüm bu ayrıntılardan yola çıkılarak bu film, derinlikten bahsetmeye kalkarsak eğer, gerçekten holywood topraklarında bir kaç bin fersah derinlerde geziniyor diyebiliriz. filmin görselliği, batman'in artistik duruşları, tüm yan karakterlerin biraz havada kalması çok fazla önemli değil. bu filmde bir hastane patlarken içinden sanki az evvel elektrik faturasını yatırmış da evine gidiyormuş gibi bir insanın yüzünde dünyanın tüm çirkinliğiyle dışarı çıktığını görebiliyorsunuz. yaptıklarına bakarak ''iğrenç'' diyebileceğimiz bu insanı sinemadaki insanlar gördüklerinde gülüyorlardı biliyor musunuz? adam görünüş olarak zerre kadar korku vermiyor insana. hatta acımaya bile kalkabilirsiniz. ama joker, sanki tüm yeryüzünün çirkinliğini taşımaya baştan gönüllü olmuş gibi, ne yaparsa bunu içindeki yok etme iştahından alarak yapıyor. her şeyle dalga geçilebilir. joker de her şeyle ama aklınıza gelebilecek her şeyle en olası biçimde dalga geçiyor. o dalga geçtikçe değersizleşen kavramlara bir kez daha bakmak istiyorsunuz. para dağının üstüne koyduğu lau'yu yakarken kendisiyle bile dalga geçebiliyor. ''haddi ama kendi payımı yakıyorum sen bundan daha iyi bir suçlu olabilirsin'' diyor karşısındaki apışmış halde ona bakarken.

en son children of men'i izledikten sonra bu kadar canım sıkılmıştı. dark knight'ı da izledikten sonra fazlasıyla canım sıkıldı. başımıza bir iş gelip delirmememiz, kendimizi iyi ve sıradan insanlar olarak hayatımızı devam ettirmemiz nerdeyse bir mucize aslında. kim garanti edebilir hayatınızın sonuna dek asla kötü olamayacağınızı? asla bir insanı öldürmeyeceğinizi? asla yadırgadığınız şeyleri yapmayacağınızı? hatta koca bir gemi dolusu insanı bile isteye ölüme yollamayacağınızı? üstelik de bunu yapmaktan sizi elleri kelepçeli bir suçlu alıkoyacak öyle mi? haddi canım!!

daha çok konuşulacak bir film. aslında filmin adı da batman falan değil. harvey dent'in önlenemez değişimi yada joker olabilir rahatlıkla. aynen joker'in de batman'e dediği gibi, batman sadece joker'i tamamlayan bir unsur. aslolan kötülük. ne olursa olsun hep içimizde bir yerlerde en karanlık yerlerde sırasını bekleyen kötülük.