DARK CAMPAIGN

DISCUSS

Discuss your thoughts about this campaign, about Christopher Nolan’s film, about the Academy Awards, and whatever else you’re thinking about here.

200 comments for this entry:
  1. mr.brown
    November 24th, 2008 on 1:29 pm

    I wonder what Heath would make of all this if he hadn’t been so stupid as to accidentally off himself in the prime of his life?

  2. suluzanti
    November 24th, 2008 on 6:28 pm

    One thing I’ve always noticed while watching the movie is that it works so well because it’s a true ensemble piece. Everyone’s performance enhances the story and drama rather than pulling from it. Even some of the less remarked actors in the film like Eric Roberts and Gary Oldman deliver incredibly powerful nuanced performances that make you think “I want to know more about that character.” That hunger for more is what leaves the audience wanting more at the end of such an epic film.

  3. jokezlol
    November 25th, 2008 on 1:52 pm

    Batman Begins was good, but Dark Knight was classic. The movie will live on forever.

  4. fife
    November 25th, 2008 on 8:15 pm

    Dark Knight is better than almost all the dreck ever nominated or awarded by the Academy. English Patient? Fucking seriously, who still watches that forgettable piece of shit. Crash? Oh there’s one for the ages!

  5. A to the Z
    November 25th, 2008 on 9:00 pm

    I’d do Joker, Batman, and Harvey Dent in the nastiest batman villain female way possible. Hardcore.

  6. Tracey
    November 25th, 2008 on 10:16 pm

    This was an amazing movie, well crafted in every regard. I’m crossing my fingers and hoping it wins best picture. Thanks for starting this campaign!

  7. Brian
    November 25th, 2008 on 10:59 pm

    Now that Obama won, we need a new Dark Knight to support on the Internet!

  8. A to the Z
    November 25th, 2008 on 11:31 pm

    lets watch the world burn :)

  9. Jason
    November 26th, 2008 on 2:16 pm

    Excellent site! I’ve begun posting this link around the web to get the word out, and I’ve added a link to it in most of my online forum signatures.

    Spread the word!

  10. Jimbob
    November 26th, 2008 on 5:40 pm

    Who let the fanboys out?

  11. Julian
    November 26th, 2008 on 8:41 pm

    Heath Ledgers performance gave me chills and the film was purely AMAZING!! Best Picture is a must!

  12. 78troms
    November 28th, 2008 on 11:51 am

    Great work! Nolan’s film deserves it. There’s nothing better in cinemas this year.

  13. drdringle
    November 28th, 2008 on 3:21 pm

    I think TDK should get nods for cinematography, editing, sound design, supporting actor, directing, and best pic. And bring back the goddamn music nomination!

  14. tyebarren
    November 29th, 2008 on 9:50 am

    It’s funny, some people discuss the ferry scene and whether that slowed the climax down but for me that was the best part of the movie. I thought the boat stuff actually was an intense and dramatic sequence because it hinged entirely on the most unknowable factor: humanity. If different people had been on the boats, maybe the outcome would’ve been different?

  15. Fucker221
    November 29th, 2008 on 11:43 am

    GO DARK KNIGHT! I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT IT WILL WIN!! WOO HOO

  16. Dramatic Episode
    December 2nd, 2008 on 10:43 am

    Saw some of the other “potential nominees” this weekend and I still haven’t seen anything as epic and incredible as Dark Knight.

  17. Kent
    December 2nd, 2008 on 1:26 pm

    God… it’s amazing how the fanboys are running Hollywood now. I love The Dark Knight. It’s a genius interpretation of this character and I hope it does well. I know it’s the second highest grossing film of all time, but that doesn’t make it the best or even the best of this year.

    I loved The Wrestler and The Visitor more than The Dark Knight… and I hope they win…

  18. dogsarecutelawl
    December 2nd, 2008 on 2:12 pm

    I agree that it’s important that a film like The Dark Knight be judged against the best cinema has to offer and not be forced to carry the stigma of being a “comic book movie”. But you really lost me at the IMDb comment. The entire Top 250 is a joke and to claim that this film’s standing there makes it the fourth best movie in cinema history is absurd.

    And despite being a great film, it’s not one of the five best to be released this year. I genuinely hope AMPAS doesn’t take seriously the opinion of a group of people who won’t even end up seeing the eventual Best Picture nominees.

  19. admin
    December 2nd, 2008 on 2:27 pm

    dogsarecutelawl : I’ve seen a lot of the other nominees and this effort is not to say “everything else sucks.” There’s plenty of great cinema out this year. But making an epic and serious comic book film that touches on a lot of political and cultural issues like The Dark Knight does is groundbreaking. Beyond just being groundbreaking, it does it well and with a fluid and elegant film making that draws the viewer through its enormous story.

    IMDB’s Top 250 might not move you but what about RottenTomatoes critical score of %94 from film critics? This is one of the rare cases where the general public and the top critics actually all agree on a film’s overwhelming merits. It’s extremely rare for anything to pull off that kind of response and for a comic book film to do it is amazing. It deserves a nomination because what it achieved was a great and unlikely feat.

  20. hexibar
    December 2nd, 2008 on 6:48 pm

    You’ve changed things.

    There’s no going back.

    :) FYC - The Dark Knight for Best Picture.

  21. Rodrigo Junqueira Perticarari
    December 2nd, 2008 on 7:14 pm

    The Dark Knight must be nominated for Best Picture and win, because it is the best flick of 2008 hands down.

  22. joker:)
    December 2nd, 2008 on 10:15 pm

    I agree with the Admin. The Dark Knight is such an amazing film. It is ranked #4 on IMDB’s Top 250, is 94% fresh on RottenTomatoes, is ranked #1 on BoxOfficeMojo, and is ranked #1 on Yahoo. It is one of the most critically acclaimed films of the year. I think it will be be nominated. I hope it will be nominated.

  23. yeap
    December 2nd, 2008 on 10:57 pm

    seriously, go back. watch the movie, and really see….that it wasn’t that great. it was alright at best, but nothing amazing. it just sees that everyone is still boo-hoo-ing over some dude’s overdose.

  24. Puddleglum
    December 3rd, 2008 on 4:41 am

    I hope this piece of crap “wins” the Golden Raspberry “award” instead.

  25. William
    December 3rd, 2008 on 7:48 am

    I have to agree with Zulusanti. I think Oldman and Eckard in particular are just as worthy for a Supporting Actor Nomination then Ledger is. It looks like that won’t happen, with the early buzz, but that’s still my stance. Here’s hoping that it wins Best Ensemble in a motion picture at the SAG Awards…that’s if they have the ceremony this year. I heard that they might not, what with the pending strike, etc.

  26. Stephen Cairns
    December 3rd, 2008 on 9:17 am

    The dark knight is great film of its time(personal oppinion lol) and on of my favorites qoutes in the film is at the end of the film where

    Gordon says” ….He’s the heros gotham deserves… but not the heros it needs right now. So we will hunt him, because he can take it. Because he is not our hero…. he’s a silent guardian… a DARK KNIGHT”.

    OR the first proper appearence in the film is the joker say’s to the bank manager “I believe what dosn’t kill you…. Makes you stranger.”

    lol

  27. lee
    December 3rd, 2008 on 10:00 am

    Dudes, you need to put more dramatic moments on the next campaign trailer. There are too many of the action moments, but this movie also has plenty of character driven dialogue. You need to use them if you truly want to have an effect on academy voters.

  28. alex
    December 3rd, 2008 on 10:04 am

    esta pelicula se merece el oscar
    The Dark Knight la mejor del 2008
    saludos amigos que les valla bien con la campaña los apollo.
    http://www.fotolog.com/dark_knight_2008

  29. tg
    December 3rd, 2008 on 11:39 am

    tdk all the way….best movie..classic. Great site and trailer.

  30. For Your Consideration: Chris Nolan’s Dark Knight « Some Thoughts on Everything
    December 3rd, 2008 on 11:47 am

    [...] a forum for you to chime in on whether Dark Knight should get an Oscar - though naysayers beware of these [...]

  31. joe grizzley
    December 3rd, 2008 on 12:36 pm

    The Dark Knight is a masterpiece that deserves an Oscar.
    There are movies that win Oscars that don’t deserve them. The Dark Knight should win and better!!! Everybody in the movie is amazing but Heath Ledger’s Performance as The Joker will go down in his as THE BEST PERFORMANCE IN CINEMA!!! R.I.P. Heath Ledger

  32. next night
    December 3rd, 2008 on 12:57 pm

    Best Picture? There’s a riddle for you..

  33. Tom (TPOJ) Hendrix
    December 3rd, 2008 on 1:01 pm

    The Dark Knight is the most remarkable film this decade. Nothing can compare to the emotional story or possibly the greatest silver-screen villan of all time, the Joker (Health Ledger). TDK is a masterpiece that deserves win every nomination it recieves.

    This film has also proved what superhero movies can be, and it’s just begun.

  34. Ryan
    December 3rd, 2008 on 1:16 pm

    Quite simply, the best film in ages. it’s an epic tragedy that harkens back to the works of Shakespeare and Sophocles, while updating it to the issues of today. the performances are all equally balanced, none stealing the show over others. It is, quite simply, a shoo-in for a Best Picture nomination, and should be seriously considered for the Award Itself.

  35. Nick Tierce
    December 3rd, 2008 on 1:40 pm

    http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v417/GarySeven/DKcasa.jpg

  36. admin
    December 3rd, 2008 on 1:44 pm

    Nick Tierce: Hahah nice.

  37. Phil
    December 3rd, 2008 on 2:08 pm

    I’m going to be sooooo happy when I can replace my TDK blu-ray artwork with this:

    http://img194.imagevenue.com/img.php?image=42260_TDK_disc_nominated_for_oscar_122_102lo.jpg

  38. Christopher Barnard
    December 3rd, 2008 on 2:23 pm

    I want the Academy to just TRY naming 5 better films that came out this year, as the chances of anything beating The Dark Knight are very, very slim. For me, it is the best film of the year, if not, the DECADE. Go on Academy! Look past the capes and the growling voices, here lies the best film of 2008!

  39. ManWhoLaughs83
    December 3rd, 2008 on 3:24 pm

    Thank you guys so much for starting this campaign. The Dark Knight has been the best film of 2008 thus far and there will not be 5 better films this year. Translation: it deserves a Best Picture nomination from the Academy and depending on how the other “contenders” turn out, it might just deserve the win too. Ledger is a given, but Director, Adapted Screenplay, Cinematography, and Picture should all be categories in which TDK receives a nomination.

    Thanks again to all the individuals who took the time to put together this campaign.

    Sincerely,
    Sean
    Batman On Film Contributor and Podcast Host

  40. IWatchOscarMovies
    December 3rd, 2008 on 3:55 pm

    Ok so for all you people saying it doesnt belong in the best picture category, please tell me why!!! When was the last time we saw an American Epic??? Is that not what this movie is. It has everything a movie should have, suspense, romance, action, great acting, great imagery, a fantastic story. And for those of you who dont think it has a good story, thats cause you just dont understand. There is no method to the madness the joker just wants to be a terrorist, and this day in age its really out there and there are people out there like that. So stop saying that hollywood is run by fanboys because thats not true. I am an avid movie watcher and thought crash deserved its win, now lets give another movie that deserves its place in american movie history…GO DARK KNIGHT!!!

  41. John Olsen
    December 3rd, 2008 on 4:35 pm

    This is a great idea guys! I’m going to help out by plugging your site on mine!

    http://www.gothamcitycentral.com

  42. larochufako
    December 3rd, 2008 on 4:40 pm

    If history has taught us anything it doesn’t matter if the movie is good or just plain fun to watch. The academy is going with the small picture that moved watchers and quite possibly has subtitles over the big budget action movie no matter how good it is. Batman is a comic book movie and that is all the voters are going to think because the voters are douche bags. Nuff said

  43. WillyJoel
    December 3rd, 2008 on 5:03 pm

    Before Batman Begins and, of course, The Dark Knight, i was just a regular Batman fan, but after those two movies, I have become obsesed with Batman. Few movies have made so obsesed with wanting to get everything related to it, and The Dark Knight tops them all. It should get a Best Picture nomination, but not only that, it should get a Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor; and it should have gotten a Best Score if the Academy would have allowed it. The Dark Knight: the BEST PICTURE OF 2008.

  44. Katie Phillips
    December 3rd, 2008 on 5:49 pm

    This campaign is a BRILLIANT idea!!! Dark Knight was the BEST movie I have ever and probably will ever see. I went to the theater SEVEN times (and i’m not ashamed to admit it) with my best friend and will probably go several more times when it is rereleased in imax. The Academy can’t even THINK of overlooking this sensational movie. This movie set the bar infintely high, higher than Hollywood could ever even hope to aspire to. In the words of Heath’s Joker, it’s “changed things…forever. There’s no goin back.”

  45. A.Stiffler
    December 3rd, 2008 on 6:08 pm

    This AMAZING movie has gone beyond the boundaries of anything I have ever seen. The plot, the acting, the stunts, the effects, the cinematography, the IMAX scenes… Its all amazing. Chris Nolan did an awesome job in creating this movie and has earned his place in history. No movie I have ever seen can compare. I, along with my BFF (above) have seen it SEVEN times, six of which were in IMAX. I anticipate it’s rerelease in January to bring us to an even TEN times, but probably more. Thank you, Chris Nolan, as well as Christian, Heath, Gary, Aaron, and all others who made this movie, for such an inspiring masterpiece!

  46. Katie Phillips
    December 3rd, 2008 on 6:09 pm

    ten times? y not go for 15??? :D it deserves it

  47. A.Stiffler
    December 3rd, 2008 on 6:10 pm

    You know that’s inevitable!

  48. Nick
    December 3rd, 2008 on 7:24 pm

    “So THIS is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object…”

    Cool website. Maybe someone in Hollywood will take this seriously.

  49. Balegasmic
    December 3rd, 2008 on 10:39 pm

    I thought this movie was the BEST MOVIE period!!!!! Despite all the complaints about the Bat-voice,(which were over-exaggerated anyways)I still loved this movie.I felt that Heath was phenomenal,Aaron was surprisingly great,and Maggie was great as well,but Christian was what got me in the theater.He’s the most talented,sexy,mesmerizing,hottest,most amazing actor I’ve ever seen!!!! I can’t understand why he does’nt get the recognition he deserves,it seems like there is some kind of unspoken conspiracy against him in Hollywood.It seems like the Corporate Big Wigs don’t like anyone who does’nt (in Christian’s words)suck “Corporate cock”.He loves being an actor,not a celebrity,he does’nt do parties,and paparrazi,or play the Hollywood game,so they make him pay by not rewarding his talent.I love him and this movie,and I hope he get all the awards due him.Go TDK!!!!!!!

  50. Noah Crowe
    December 3rd, 2008 on 11:19 pm

    not only is Dark knight one of the greatest incarnations of one of the most loved and possibly greatest fictional characters of the 20th century, but it stands alone as a great movie even if batman didn’t already have a 70 year legacy. The Dark Knight has mindless violence, random explosions, and 15 minute car chases to keep the attention for people who are strictly action. It has lots of great messages and views on society, and it has an amazing story. in my opinion, this has been the best movie since at least a decade.

  51. Bryan
    December 4th, 2008 on 3:20 am

    This website was a great idea and just what the film needs in order for the academy to realize that just because it is based off of a comic book character the story and characters presented were not only top notch but fully realized and quite capable of generating real emotion from the audience. This film at least deserves the nomination.

    With that being said, it should also be noted to those voting members of the academy just how sorely the Oscars telecast needs The Dark Knight’s presence. The show’s ratings have shown signs of disinterest as of the past few years. What better way to re-energize your audience than by nominating a film that just about everyone saw? Let’s face it, a Dark Knight nomination results in more people tuning in, more people watching means more advertising dollars, and cash is king. Think of the new, young audience the Oscars telecast would attract this year with The Dark Knight in contention the the best picture Oscar.

  52. Wino-Forever
    December 4th, 2008 on 4:45 am

    This movie is absolutely brilliant. A true crime epic, it deserves a best picture nomination, and Nolan deserves a nod as Best Director. Heath Ledger should most definitely win an Oscar for his amazing work as the Joker!

  53. Tim
    December 4th, 2008 on 7:04 am

    Hey I tried to do my part and posted a little something something on my website. http://www.sportsandentertainment.today.com

    Check it out. Good luck to The Dark Knight!

  54. Andre Camp
    December 4th, 2008 on 8:08 am

    Come on Academy people!, get with the times, brilliant acting, superb directing, awsome score, what else do you guys want? No matter who wins best picture,in my opinion, 2008 IS the year of the bat!

  55. Dan (Truth On Cinema)
    December 4th, 2008 on 12:25 pm

    Hey guys, I love what you’re doing here and I’ve posted about it on my movie blog to help spread the cause.

    You can check it out at http://truthoncinema.com/comic-book/2008/12/join-the-dark-campaign/

    Check it out and I’ll keep fighting and spreading the word with you guys!

    Dan
    Truth On Cinema

  56. Big Braveheart
    December 4th, 2008 on 1:32 pm

    I thought Batman Begins was a fantastic film but there is absolutely no doubt that The Dark Knight should be a serious contender at The Oscars and has it really does deserve to walk away with a few in it’s clutch. Even though there will be highly dramatic films to contend with i believe The Dark Knight to be just as good as any of them and very deserving of winning Best Picture. Heath really has to win Best Supporting Actor with Chris Nolan meriting Best Director. Everybody deserves immense credit for their work on the film and it would be a breakthrough for comic-book fiction if the Academy was to bestow honours on it.
    Bale at the least could get a Best Actor nod with Ledger, Oldman and Eckhart all nominated in the Best Supporting Actor category with Heath winning, they were all that good! The last time any film had 3 actors vying in one category was
    The Godfather II so take that!
    Cinematography, Best Adapted Screenplay and visual effects all have superb chances of walking away with the wee gold guy and although the Academy has
    disqualified Newton-Howard & Zimmer’s score it is safe to say that it was one
    of the best film scores of the last decade and made the film so epic.

    There are other films out there but it is high time that The Dark Knight breaks
    what is viewed as best picture, it is a crime epic as good as The Departed and
    that won deservedly too. The film speaks on so many social and moral issues
    and makes us think and entertains on all levels. Spread the word!

    Best Picture 2008 - THE DARK KNIGHT

    Come on Academy do the right thing and praise this knight!

  57. Jorge
    December 4th, 2008 on 2:03 pm

    Great Campaing… I’ll support this 100%

  58. Jokerman87
    December 4th, 2008 on 3:57 pm

    This movie is a Classic this decade’s Titanic both in terms of box office and quality. If James cameron’s masterwork could garner 11 Oscars why not Christopher Nolan’s not to mention that fact that Heath Ledger out performed all of Titanic leading actors. Yes hell Yes 2008′ Best Picture The Dark Knight.

  59. TDK
    December 4th, 2008 on 4:43 pm

    Definitely deserves best picture. What even comes close to it???

  60. William
    December 4th, 2008 on 5:11 pm

    National Board of Reviews certainly didn’t help my confidence in Heath Ledger’s chances of winning Best Supporting Actor today, giving their Supporting Actor award to Josh Brolin for Milk.

    Ledger just getting nominated for Supporting Actor at the Oscars isn’t enough in my opinion; he should win it at this point. Not only is he light years ahead of the other contenders in the category, but he’s about equal to Penn, Lengella, and Rourke for the year as well.

    Josh Brolin??? As much as I like the guy, and as good as he was in Milk. Whew, if this continues into the Globes and the Oscars, talk about injustice.

  61. admin
    December 4th, 2008 on 5:27 pm

    Yeah I think Brolin was terrific in W but in Milk he wasn’t exactly the kind of astounding performance that made me think he was going to win. I’d be surprised if that continues.

  62. Pierre-Aldo
    December 5th, 2008 on 3:03 am

    I absolutely support the campaign, even if I doubt Academy is really enough intelligent and honest to admit TDK is the best film of the year. BUT we have to convince them. First of all the film MUST be put in the 5 nods for best picture and director, then fans will realize its chances and support it widely.
    I believe there is a chance!

  63. LeBron Mexico
    December 5th, 2008 on 7:23 am

    “The Dark Knight” will be certainly nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, as well as numerous others, simply because ABC needs the ratings. Though I can’t support this with specific hard evidence (if anyone has numbers, feel free to share), I know that the numbers for the broadcast have been down for years. I suppose I should give ABC the benefit of the doubt. Maybe all of those hard-core fans were out seeing “Capote” or “Atonement” for the sixth time during the telecasts. Any which way, the overwhelming popularity of this film is what ABC will need to harness in order to attract advertising sponsors who are more miserly than they have been in recent years due to a sagging economy. There is still ad inventory available the Super Bowl, for crying out loud. As a straight man, I’ve never been invited to an Oscar party nor had any desire to watch the Oscars. But I might be tempted to watch if “The Dark Knight” were to be featured prominently in the telecast. This is the best American movie since “Fight Club” and the most important film about our post-9/11 world to date. It certainly deserves the honor. But make no mistake - its nomination will be purely a financial move.
    What do you think, Admin?

  64. JokesOnU
    December 5th, 2008 on 9:49 am

    The Dark Knight deserves every award mentioned for it. It is a masterpiece, words cannot describe how good it is. I’m speechless.

  65. Anthony C.
    December 5th, 2008 on 2:00 pm

    I THROUGHLY support The Dark Knight for an Oscar 2008/2009.

    It is the one modern-day movie I put on level with the Star Wars original trilogy, above even.

  66. rojagegeo
    December 6th, 2008 on 12:50 am

    your unofficial movie on why dark knight deserves the best film was great….but unfortunately those guys behind the oscars are discussing how to make excuses to not nominate the dark knight rather than appreciate this classic…..
    i hope you guys could change that

  67. luke_sse
    December 6th, 2008 on 5:56 am

    its funny that this movie is 4th in imdb ranking for best picture of all times. and for sure it wasn’t best picture of 2008. sad that so many people try to make money on ledgers death. his play was pretty good but the idea of joker created by nicholson was way better.

  68. joker:)
    December 6th, 2008 on 1:48 pm

    Check out the latest news on Yahoo:http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org-oscar-knight-batman-rises-serious-contender-ap

  69. regan
    December 6th, 2008 on 8:26 pm

    there is no other movie that has been released this year that comes close to what The Dark Knight has done. it has wowed every single person i know, and many of them have said that it was the best movie they have seen in a very long time.

    myself included in that statement. if Heath and/or The Dark Knight are not nominated for/win an Oscar, i can guarantee you, there will be many dissapointments.

  70. VooDoo2
    December 7th, 2008 on 3:06 am

    Go Batman

  71. William
    December 7th, 2008 on 2:34 pm

    Has anyone tried to e-mail Ebert about this website? So he could possibly write an essay for it? Sounds pretty unlikely I know, but still worth a shot. I still can’t believe that Harry at aintitcoolnews.com hasn’t posted anything yet, since he did give the film and Ledger rave reviews.

    Plus, doesn’t Kevin Smith have a website? The same one where he shared his thoughts about the early screening of the film that he went to? Him talking about Dark Campaign on his site couldn’t hurt either.

  72. vampyra
    December 7th, 2008 on 10:59 pm

    First of all I would like to thank the people behind this website, Congrulations! I believe this film should be nominated for Best Picture Oscar, Christopher Nolan for Director, after all a movie can’t direct itself and Chris did a fantastic job. Heath Ledger who was robbed of an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain should win for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, and Christian Bale perhaps for Best Actor. I have to say that I am disappointed and dismayed that the great music score was found to be illeligible. Shame! This is the only film this year that one could see again and again. But of course we all know that no matter what the paying public think the Academy have their own ideas of what a great movie is.

  73. WillyJoel
    December 8th, 2008 on 7:58 pm

    Don’t dismay Vampyra, the academy has reversed its decision to disqualify the score, and now it’s elegible for nomination.

  74. Emily
    December 8th, 2008 on 8:32 pm

    This is a great site! My friend pretty much dragged me to see The Dark Knight - I’m not usually into comic book movies and TDK didn’t sound that interesting to me. But when I came out of the theater I felt stunned… it was amazing. I saw it three more times haha :D
    And it’s about time that Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, and Gary Oldman get some attention from the Academy (sorry if I forgot anyone… I didn’t include Aaron Eckhart because he’s sort of just become prominent and hasn’t had much chance to get any awards). Anyways, this film was AMAZING. I’ve never seen anything like it.

  75. steve
    December 8th, 2008 on 8:50 pm

    It should win for…
    Best Picture
    Best Director
    Best Music/Score
    Best Cinematography
    Best Actor
    Best Supporting Actor
    Best Costume Design
    Best Sound

    If a fantasy like Return of the King can win, why can’t an excellent film based on American comic fiction win?

  76. Director
    December 8th, 2008 on 11:59 pm

    You forgot the awards for
    Best Visual Effects
    Best Original Script.

    I would lose the trust in the academy, if the film wouldn’t win any oscar or even Heath Ledger not for best actor.

  77. king
    December 9th, 2008 on 6:59 am

    i am for the film even in the end of the world

  78. timmy
    December 9th, 2008 on 3:45 pm

    Big Batman fan here. Have been my whole life. Seen the ups and downs. Loved Heath’s performance. He deserves an Oscar more than anything. His performance will never be topped. Nicholson can piss and moan all he wants but Ledger was far better representing the Joker. I will be watching the upcoming Oscar headlines, and the ceremony itself, closely.

  79. Jason
    December 11th, 2008 on 8:32 am

    TDK can’t get nominated for Original Screenplay because it’s based on characters from the comic book.

    It can get nominated in Adapted Screenplay, however.

  80. TheBlackBAt
    December 11th, 2008 on 4:21 pm

    You guys are as amazing as TDK. Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Cinematography, Best Score (That’s right it’s back. Nolan and Zimmer being credited.)Best Director, Best Original Screenplay.

  81. TheBlackBAt
    December 11th, 2008 on 4:23 pm

    Jason is right. I stand corrected. It will win.

  82. Nic
    December 11th, 2008 on 6:31 pm

    I find it difficult to understand that TDK is being snubbed by the Golden Globes. It worries me that the best film of the year by a long, long way would be overlooked by an Awards guild so close to the Oscars. Heath Ledger is deserving, but so is the film itself. If the Academy chooses to overlook such masterminds as Chris Nolan, Wally Pfister (whose cinematography has earned Oscar nods on two previous Nolan films), the brilliant editing of Lee Smith, and THAT score.

    Not only that, by why not throw fine actors such as Christian Bale and Maggie Gyllenhall a nom? Both are exceptional actors, and while may not have delivered the BEST performances of the year, still did sublime work.

    There’s so many great elements to this film, that for Oscars to snub it would be to shoot themselves in the foot. It is a masterpiece, it is the best film of the year, and hopefully it will be given the much deserved Best Picture Oscar.

    If it doesn’t, then we’ll all know what a travesty it is, and we’ll always have the final moments of TDK lodged in our conciousness - a noble hero fleeing wrongful persecution, cape flying into the night. Then the screen goes black, and the score shatters our minds with three words on screen: THE DARK KNIGHT.

  83. Stephen Cairns
    December 12th, 2008 on 10:44 am

    The dark knight rules 2008 easily and it would be a insult d the movie if it wasnt put into the oscars even if it just nominated

  84. William
    December 12th, 2008 on 11:07 am

    Been a sad and damaging few days. Hopefully it can recover.

  85. William
    December 12th, 2008 on 11:15 am

    Well at least Richard Roeper just cheered me up a bit with his Top 25 films of the year, and making The Dark Knight number 2 on the list. Although him not mentioning Ledger as one of his performances of the year, but mentioning Brolin in “Milk” is unsettling.

  86. Phillip
    December 12th, 2008 on 1:23 pm

    Here’s what I’m mailing to Variety today (two of them go to the LA office, two to NYC).

    http://img155.imageshack.us/img155/8785/jokercardsoscars2008xb9.jpg

    I hope they don’t think a [real] terrorist sent these!

  87. Andrew
    December 12th, 2008 on 2:12 pm

    This film was a true masterpiece. The first time I saw it at midnight, I went home at 3:00 haunted by but proud of the movie. The golden globes just made a whole lot of enemies because of yesterday.

  88. Cleo
    December 14th, 2008 on 4:36 pm

    A new fan poster uploaded on digg:

    http://digg.com/movies/Dark_Knight_Oscar_All_it_needs_is_a_little_push

  89. jiminy
    December 14th, 2008 on 7:45 pm

    wats all da fuss about? the dark knight isnt that good, it piece of crap. Fuck all you who like it, coz it doesnt desrve ur prayse, it shood be thrown into a bin and left 2 rot.

    fuck youu all.

    jiminy

  90. HAjokerHA
    December 14th, 2008 on 9:21 pm

    AFI(American Film Institute) put The Dark Knight in its top ten films of 2008 list.

  91. Anonymous
    December 15th, 2008 on 4:11 pm

    South-Eastern Critics, St. Louis Critics, and some Women’s Critics organization all named Heath Ledger Best Supporting actor!! Plus, the South-Eastern Critics named The Dark Knight the 4th best picture of the year, after Milk, Slumdog Millionaire, and Wall*E. Chicago Critics have The Dark Knight tied with most nominations with Slumdog Millionaire; winners are announced on Thursday. Finally, the San Fransisco Critics Awards are supposed to be announced later today as well. So far a good day, except for the Satellite Awards. Let’s hope that the Chicago and San Fransisco Awards can keep the push positive, and stray away from Golden Globes territory.

  92. Connor P. Norris
    December 17th, 2008 on 8:57 am

    The Dark Knight for Best Picture of 2008! Nobody else can claim the spot in my heart I have for this movie. Only Star Wars is on par with this work of cinematic genius.
    Here is everything good with the movie.

    Great Plot:
    I have seen TDK 5 times in theaters. 3 of those were in IMAX. I bought it the day it was released on DVD. I am a fanatic. I am a person who loves to watch a film that has a diverse and unpredictable story. The Dark Knight delivers. It isn’t a story about a man who dresses like a bat and beats up badguys. It’s a story about a city that is has become so filled with evil and malice that people had to take drastic measures to ensure it’s survival. It is the story of a Gotham City.

    Great Performances:
    Heath Ledger is frightening, but also fun at the same time. I found myself rooting for him. I WANTED him to win. No other villain has done that to me.
    And then there’s Bale. Certainly the greatest Wayne/Batman ever. He puts all others to shame. I even forget the hell of Batnipples when I witness his awesome performance. Christian Bale is a master of the screen, not just in TDK, but in all his movies. I particularly notice that Christopher Nolan working with Bale is a good team. Nolan knows how to combine his genius with Bale’s golden gift and produce something more than extraordinary.
    And there’s more.
    Eckhart became one of my all-time favorite actors because of this movie. His performance as Harvey Dent was that of a good natured man trying to help a corrupt and crime-ridden city. He may have gone to extremities to protect the ones he loved, but could not we all relate to that? And then there’s Two-Face. I am a fan of the comics, but Two-Face was never one of my favorites. He wasn’t bad, but he just didn’t stand out to me. At least until TDK. Because of TDK I read Long Halloween, which was used as the inspiration of the story. TDK and Long Halloween made me notice him. After that, he became a favorite. When I went to see TDK, my friends and I decided to dress as characters (cosplay). I was Two-Face. When TDK came to DVD, I bought it at Wal-Mart to get the replica coin. Long Halloween made me notice Two-Face, Aaron Eckhart made him one of my most beloved badguys.
    Michael Cain. A spectacular actor. One of my favorites. He is a wonderful Alfred and I can not ever think of another actor to play him. Perfect.
    Morgan Freeman is another of my favorites. When playing Fox, I feel as though he would really help you if you were in need. He is a kind man who knows what is right and wrong.
    Great Performances eh?

    Great Memories:
    I remeber The Dark Knight. It’s not so hard too. I could actually play the entire movie out in my head. Seeing it 5 times in theaters, it’s pretty easy to do. Then seeing it 3 times at home back to back makes it even easier. But even though I can recite all the lines, and even though I can picture every scene, And even though I have seen it SO MANY TIMES, I still watch it again. This leads me to my last point.

    Great Everything:
    Ya. Everything was good about this. Can’t think of a bad thing. It is so good that I will see it again and again, and then 1,000 times more. I am a big nerd. I love comics. Love Sci-Fi. Love Fantasy. But I also love a good, thought provoking movie. And if something can combine all my loves, I’m set. That IS The Dark Knight

  93. Connor
    December 17th, 2008 on 8:54 pm

    And might I add…
    Great Soundtrack:
    I was listening to it today on my morning walk and though “Wow. Hanz Zimmer is really good.” “Introduce A Little Anarchy” is a really phenomenal piece of music. It truly goes well with the film and when I hear it I can picture scenes from the movie that go along with it perfectly. “Harvey Two-Face” is another great track. Captured the sadness and suffering that Harvey went through which led to him becoming the villainous Two-Face. Great stuff.

  94. R W O
    December 18th, 2008 on 6:13 am

    I read a bad news today : Eddie Murphy wanna be The Riddler and Shia Le Beof wanna be Robin in the 3rd Batman film by Nolan. But you know, I still think Nolan shouldn’t make the 3rd film, TDK is a historical masterpiece and I think the next sequel will destroy TDK :(

    Look at Godfather, it doesn’t have a 3rd and it’s great !

  95. Connor P. Norris
    December 18th, 2008 on 8:57 am

    Oh ya. And how could I forget about Gary Oldman. He was spectacular and I if I may dare say born to play the role.

  96. Blair
    December 18th, 2008 on 11:56 am

    I think that’s complete bullshit… it’s from The Sun. A Brit tabloid. Hardly the spot that news like that will be breaking. And i’m pretty sure Nolan himself has made his views clear that he doesn’t share that vision.

  97. Connor
    December 18th, 2008 on 10:18 pm

    I do not believe a word of it. That is simply not the direction Nolan will let it take. I still have debates as to whether Robin should be in it (me actually in favor of Robin) but Shia Le Beof? Doubt it.And a third Nolan Batman should be amazing. If it is true that the Riddler will be the villain, I’m excited. I am a big fan of the Riddler and Edward Nygma. If the story regarding him goes the way I think it will, it will prove to be truly amazing. Edward Nygma gets called in to help catch the Batman. He accepts because he believes the Batman will prove a worthy adversary for him. He has detective skills that rival those of The Caped Crusader’s. Eventually though, after many failed attempts at catching our hero, Nygma decides to become like him: A man in a costume. His obsession for an answer to a challenging problem leads him to become the Riddler. After meeting the Batman as his new persona, he notices certain connections between Batman and Bruce Wayne. He then deduces that they are the same person. But he does not simply go public with his finding. He challenges our hero to a battle of wits. He tests his rival’s skills of reasoning by kidnapping someone close to Wayne (Introduction of Vicky Vale perhaps? Maybe Dick Grayson?) and puts them in a deathtrap of some ghastly design. When all seems lost, Batman solves the riddle and saves the day! They open Arkham Asylum up again and put ol’ Riddler in there to stay. But does he? Well in Batman, nobody ever stays in Arkham for long!

    Now just throw in more Dick Grayson/Robin, little love interest. A little Penguin and you got yourself Batman 3!

    It could happen.

  98. J
    December 20th, 2008 on 7:09 am

    David S. Goyer says he has his story idea for the third film and that it won’t include any villain we’ve seen in the movies or the 60’s TV show. Which i think is pretty cool, since it’ll be able to introduce non-batfans to somebody new. I think it should be a combination (as it really has been both the other films). I think it should be Deathstroke, Black Mask, and (IF they could pull it off) Rachel Dawes as Hush. But it would take a genius to pull that off. Luckily, they have Chris Nolan. They need a Batman 3. Because Dark Knight ends with Batman losing, being ineffective, and a murderer. The series is a 3-act play. The first act introduces the lead characters and their setting. The second act throws them into the worst conflict they can possibly be in. And the third act has to resolve it. And since it’s Batman, that means he holds up his middle finger to the establishment and walks out as the better person, only acting like the bad guy. Star Wars followed this structure. Spiderman screwed up because they switched acts 2 and 3. Their second movie showed Spiderman REALLY triumphing and ending up with the woman he loved. The 3rd movie was the dark one where everything went wrong for him. (or at least it was supposed to be dark. and not hysterically funny as it was). i’m not a spidey fan anyway. But Batman needs a 3rd film. and after that nobody should touch batman for at least a decade. probably 2. And it needs to be Nolan. By the way i am SO in favor of Robin. But he’s also just REALLY hard to pull of. And he HAS to be a kid or at the very least a young teen. which makes it even harder. I dont think Nolan wants to go there anyway.

  99. Patrick
    December 20th, 2008 on 7:34 am

    The Dark Knight is instantly recognizable as a movie classic. More than any film released this year 10 years from now people will still remember this film and it will be on most people’s best films ever lists. Yeah, it’s a comic book movie. Yeah, it has a man running around in a batsuit. But it is one of the most gripping movies I have ever seen. From the first frame it just grabs you by the throat and does not stop. No boring drag points, no needless scenes, and the acting by everyone is superb. And the moral themes and issues are complex without simply yes and no, right and wrong answers. The scene on the ships was brilliant. Push the button or not? I personally think the Joker was lying and he expected both ships to push the button which was really wired to their own ship. So they would end up blowing themselves up and not the other ship! But the movie realizes that the Joker is so crazy that it doesn’t need to explain whether or not the Joker was telling the truth about the bombs or not. Any action movie that makes you examine it this much is rare indeed. Oscar caliber movie without a doubt. Much better than Gladiator.

  100. Brian
    December 20th, 2008 on 7:57 am

    Wow, just wow! This site is absolutely awesome! It gives me such great confidence after seeing the Dark Knight snubbed at the golden globes and a few critics groups. I was starting to lose hope in tdk’s chances at best picture, but i found this site and it put me right back into the perspective I had before! Now only one thing has to be said ‘THE DARK KNIGHT MUST WIN BEST PICTURE’!!!!!!!!

  101. Lindsey
    December 20th, 2008 on 9:26 am

    RWO, there was too a 3rd Godfather, it sucked but there it was there.

    I hate how stuff shirt movies like “The English Patient” and “The Queen” always sweep the Oscars. The “Dark Knight” has a gripping storyline that never lets go of you even after you’ve walked out of the theater. I truely believe that even if Heath Ledger hadn’t died so young that this performance would still have been the greatest performance of his life. You believe that he is Joker to the depth of his soul (if Joker has one). And it makes you question yourself too as you go on the journay that Batman goes through. And the cinematography and special effects are the best of 2008, maybe of the entire decade. This movie should not be ignored instead it should dominate by taking home the “Best Picture” Oscar.

  102. William
    December 20th, 2008 on 1:23 pm

    I’m sure you’ll probably mention this on the site later, but E On-Line posted an article about Dark Campaign!

  103. ericdraven
    December 20th, 2008 on 1:38 pm

    Without a doubt, Heath Ledger as the joker was one of if not the best screen villian of all time!!! If he does’nt win the oscar then there is no justice!!

  104. Brian
    December 20th, 2008 on 2:26 pm

    You know I’m really getting tired of all these rumors going around about the third Batman film! 1. Because they’re completely idiotic, and 2. They get soooo much attention for some reason! I mean in almost ever comment section on Batman news there’s always someone saying they know who’s playing what or what’s going to happen in Batman 3, and then there’s always a very long discussion on the false rumor following that comment! All I want to do is talk in the comment section about REAL movie news and there’s almost nobody talking about it! Pleas people just stop with the BS rumors!

  105. Ailartsua
    December 20th, 2008 on 10:22 pm

    Oi, Mr.Brown, or should I say dumbass? Heath didn;t write himself off, they were PRESCRIPTION DRUGS! GET IT THROUGH YOUR THICK SKULL

  106. Anonymous
    December 21st, 2008 on 9:34 am

    what i don’t understand (and someone may have already said this), but the reason people say this movie may not have a shot is because it’s a “genre” movie. but aren’t historical documentaries/biopics (frost/nixon), or musicals (chicago) also genres? what’s wrong with a superhero movie being a serious contender? even if you replaced batman, joker, dent, gordon and all the others with your typical movie charcter archetypes, it’s still a fantastic movie. the godfather was a gangster movie, gladiator was an action movie of sorts. i’m perplexed at what criteria a genre needs to be deemed “oscar-worthy”.

  107. Brian
    December 21st, 2008 on 12:04 pm

    Anonymous I think you hit it right on the nail!

  108. Michael
    December 21st, 2008 on 1:27 pm

    IT’S THIS SIMPLE: THE FACT THAT EVERY LORD OF THE RINGS MOVIE WAS NOMINATED FOR BEST PICTURE MEANS THAT THE DARK KNIGHT SHOULD AT LEAST BE NOMINATED, IF NOT WIN. WHEN RETURN OF THE KING WON, IT WON BECAUSE IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST FANTASY FILMS EVER MADE, AND I ARGUE THAT DARK KNIGHT IS ONE OF, IF NOT THE BEST SUPER-HERO FILM I HAVE EVER SEEN, AND THIS IS COMING FROM SOMEONE WHO WANTED TO HATE THIS FILM GOING INTO IT, AND HAD MY SOCKS BLOWN OFF.

  109. Anonymous
    December 21st, 2008 on 3:51 pm

    thanks, brian.

    another question popped up in the ole noggin: what’s harder - to write a movie based on events that already happened or to write an entire original story and make it believable? and is it harder to play someone that already lived, a fully fleshed out individual that everyone already knew…or come up with a character entirely your own and make the audience believe that this person can actually exist? i respect the ability of writers to take real situations and dramatize them into something somewhat new and original. however, to come with events and conflicts that have no basis in reality and get the audience to become emotionally invested in the story is more respectable to me. i’m not looking for this movie to win (although, that’d be great). i just want hollywood to respect and acknowledge the tremendous effort mr. nolan and company made, and the success of their collected efforts. comic book movies are here and they aren’t going anywhere. might as well make room for them at the big kid’s table

  110. Cheryl
    December 21st, 2008 on 5:24 pm

    The sad thing is that if Heath Ledger does win an oscar they’ll say it was because he died. His performance was breathtaking. I’ve rarely seen an actor in any movie become their role in the way he does in this movie. He made Jack Nicholson look like an amateur.

  111. cwtc44
    December 21st, 2008 on 8:07 pm

    Look I understand some movies like Slumdog Millionare or Benjamin Button or Milk or whatever are great but at some point success at the box office needs to be considered. If a movie is great but no one sees it its message cant be spread or heard. The Dark Knight is a great movie that EVERYONE saw and will remember. No matter who wins or gets nominated no movie will be remembered years from now like The Dark Knight. So why not just nominate it and make it legitimate.

  112. mc
    December 23rd, 2008 on 2:08 pm

    fanboys.

    now, i’m a fan of (most) comic book movies. and, granted, Heath Ledger as the Joker WAS amazing and he was THE best part of TDK for me… but that’s it. I actually didn’t even like Christian Bale since Batman Begins. TDK is a GOOD movie overall, but it’s just NOT deserving of a Best Picture Oscar nod. Heath deserves a Best Supporting Actor trophy, though, I’m not gonna argue that.
    To be honest, I was pretty bored with the movie except when Ledger was on screen… and don’t say it’s just because i didnt “understand” all the crap the fanboys are spewing about the movie… hell, i LOVED last years Best Picture winner: No Country for Old Men. And that movie was nowhere near as action packed as TDK. I felt Crash deserved its win as well… but TDK? It shouldnt even be nominated, let alone WIN a “Best Picture” Oscar.

  113. Cubfan
    December 24th, 2008 on 6:55 am

    Chicago has never looked more breathtaking. The Batman will conquer the Oscars and defeat all his non worthy rivals.

  114. Rayne
    December 24th, 2008 on 7:07 pm

    BREAKING NEWS!!!!!

    Upon emails, and various attempts at reaching the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, I have recieved word back. The following is what was told to me via e-mail from the A.M.P.A.A.S.:

    “Due to the vast amounts of emails, and requests for consideration, You have succeeded in catching our attention. Academy Members will give respectable thought to this years movies. Films such as “The Dark Knight” will be given equal consideration along with other competing films. We applaud the hearts of those with so much dedication, and love for a film of this caliber. Thank you for your feedback, and good luck.”

    Well, everyone there you have it. This is straight from the Academy itself. I fought hard for this response. I hope it pleases a lot of you out there for all your hard work.

  115. RI BATFAN P-McK
    December 26th, 2008 on 10:28 am

    This is the true Bat…. an oscar nod will put a smile on all of the faces of BAT-NATION! with the $ grossed how can it be denied?

  116. Brian
    December 27th, 2008 on 2:29 pm

    You know what I’ve noticed, there are almost no major magazines, critics, or websites that are saying that TDK is unworthy of a nomination at BP. So it is really gonna be inconceivable for TDK to not be nominated.

  117. John Jackson
    December 28th, 2008 on 12:18 pm

    ” Wouldn’t you like rather see more comic book films like “Dark Knight” and less “Ghost Rider,” etc …

    No i’d rather see no comic book films made at all, i’d rather the film industry go back to making character films and personal films in which you can relate to. Who can relate to a guy who dresses up in leather and does martial arts. Also it can’t be a masterpiece otherwise you wouldn’t have to beg for it to get nominated, do you think the Godfather had to beg to get nominated!

  118. Rayne
    December 28th, 2008 on 4:11 pm

    John Jackson is really starting to piss me off.

  119. William
    December 28th, 2008 on 6:14 pm

    We shouldn’t have to beg, since the film speaks for itself. But since it’s a summer blockbuster and a genre movie, we have to. And as what Brian said, critics don’t think it’s unworthy of a nomination, and aren’t begging for it; so all in all it’s still in TDK’s favor. The character/personal films this year haven’t been anywhere near impressive, and are just a dime-a-dozen…in fact some have worse reviews then the usual dime-a-dozen.

    True, I can’t relate to Batman, but I can relate to the fear of a person or people terrorizing an American City, and the arguments of what boundaries must be crossed to stop such forces; even more so when it’s done in a realistic, dramatic, and exceptional matter, far above the regular comic book fare into something more.

  120. William
    December 28th, 2008 on 6:16 pm

    relate to the fear when a person or people terrorize an American City*

  121. John Jackson
    December 29th, 2008 on 6:37 am

    William summer blockbusters have been nominated before and actually won without this type of pathetic begging, Lord of The Rings Return of The King and Titanic as two examples. As for the character/personal films being dime a dozen that’s the whole problem with the film industry now days, 95% of films are made for teenagers and kids, because it’s easy to make money off these people.

    There are hardly no films for adults now days, and just because The Dark Knight went down the realistic route doesn’t mean it deserves all this praise, sure it’s good for a comic book film and it’s one of the best in it’s genre but it’s nothing special, direction is average, script and editing are nothing special yet all these teenagers label it a masterpiece and claim it’s the best film ever made.

    Go watch some real films like Taxi Driver, Cuckoo’s Nest, Godfather etc.

  122. John Jackson
    December 29th, 2008 on 6:47 am

    And you said “and the arguments of what boundaries must be crossed to stop such forces; ”

    What boundaries! They did an awful job of trying to catch the Joker in the film and then when they did catch him they left one guard at the door in the interrogation room, please.

  123. William
    December 29th, 2008 on 5:03 pm

    I love those other films you’ve mentioned and hundreds of other classic films. I just feel that TDK is a summer blockbuster that should be honored in the same light as LOTR, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., and other blockbusters that at least got the Best Picture nomination. Just the nomination for BP, and the Award for Supporting Actor. If Slumdog or Milk, etc. rack up the other awards, that’s fine and expected.

    And all in all, I still think it’s one of the best films of the year. Due to the lack of disappointment with Button, Doubt, Frost/Nixon, etc.

    Arguing about the logic in the film is really all about opinion and what one stands and someone else doesn’t. You’ll never get over TDK’s problems in logic, where as I don’t mind it, and still love the film for what it does right on top of it.

    There are logical problems in Cuckoo’s Nest in regards to Nicholson’s character and what he’s able to do and get away with. Other great films have odd logical problems, but still hold up.

  124. Jok3rzep
    December 30th, 2008 on 5:12 pm

    Anyone else think that Joker should have had more scenes in the film ?

  125. Anonymous
    December 31st, 2008 on 12:53 pm

    Okay, people, I just happened to come upon this site. Needless to say, I’m extremely impressed; this effectively demonstrates the massive cultural impact of the Dark Knight. It’s safe to claim that this is arguably the greatest pop culture phenomenon in YEARS. Nice to see people acknowledge it as the great film it is (though, in my opinion, it’s not necessarily a masterpiece).

    But, please. I hate to quote Mr. Freeze from the abomination that is Batman and Robin, but… CHILL. If you hadn’t noticed, TDK is getting a LOT of hate. Whether it is by so-called ‘anti-conformists’ (you know, the guys who go against the mainstream… just because) or by snobs, as so wonderfully demonstrated by John Jackson. People who refuse to even think about the potential artistic merits of a film based on a ‘children’s comic book!’. Do you know why? Because of ridiculous overhype and excessive gushing. I mean, number one on ImdB? Honestly? This just calls for the snobs to savage the movie. The Academy are a bunch of snobs.

    By creating an organization of people devoted to claiming TDK is a perfect masterpiece, you essentially provide another catalyst for intense TDK backlash. The more ‘best movie ever’ votes it gets, the more ‘overrated travesty’ votes it gets. Cause and effect. So many extremes, my god. This is why some of the actions you do on this site are, I believe, unnecessary.

    Think about it. Mailing Joker cards everywhere? Spamming the Academy’s mailbox with “FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION” ads? It’s annoying, not convincing. This creates an almost mob-like image of TDK ‘fanboys’. You know what I mean. Everybody who really, really liked this film is suddenly deemed an irrational fanboy by haters everywhere. It’s a very simple, human response; the more hyped the movie is, the more alienated people become. Especially considering that it’s a comic book movie.

    I’d like to suggest that you keep quieter. TDK will, in my opinion, be nominated for best picture anyway. It’s too much of a pop culture phenomenon, too critically acclaimed to be ignored. Besides, nominating it will bring back those almighty ratings the Academy craves so much.

    @John Jackson: I don’t have a problem with people who dislike TDK. I do have a problem with people like you- people who represent the worst of Hollywood’s traditionalist snobbery. I believe everyone has a ‘tell’- your ‘tell’ came when you’d ‘rather see no comic book films made at all’. Simply because you fall into the people who view comic books as lighthearted and campy (and probably never picked up a real graphic novel in his life), you refuse to give a chance for a comic book movie to be more than just a ‘popcorn flick’. This is the idea of refusing to look at a movie deeply because of a stigma regarding its genre. It’s stupid, stupid, stupid. You could look deeper into this film rather than simply looking at its surface. By wanking the Godfather repeated, you succeed in nothing more than being one of these ‘classic’ movie fans, bitter than their favorites seem to be upstaged in popularity.

    You’re not even a smart snob. You’re a retarded snob. Just because critics happen to be more educated and literate than you are, doesn’t mean that they are pretentious or self-glorifying. I mean, I’d bet that a 14 year-old can understand what ‘mirror to our society’ means. You don’t? Okay, let me explain it to you, nice and slow. It means that TDK portrays a society quite similar to our own, that happens to face equivalent social and moral issues as the American society has to face every day. Not necessarily the American… the entire world. Think about it; the fearful, panicky society clinging to symbols for protection and security, menaced by a single insane terrorist that displays the fragility of a social balance. Did you understand it, or were these words too big for you to comprehend? If you can’t understand a simple metaphor, you have no right to chastise us for not giving enough appreciation to ‘real’ movies.

    Also, you wonder why the Godfather didn’t have to beg to be nominated? It’s typical oscar bait. Fits right into their traditions and norms. TDK doesn’t, unfortunately, due to the comic book stereotype and unfair reputation. I’m not saying TDK is better than the Godfather, or even on par with it (it’s not, in my opinion), but these two are entirely different situations. A film doesn’t have to be the Godfather-class to be a masterpiece.

  126. jiminy
    December 31st, 2008 on 7:26 pm

    rwo, you are the stupidest cunt who ever lived. theres no 3rd godfather? youre a cunt, sir, a cunt, and i fucked your mother. Furthermore, dark knight licks out of ghost rider’s shit covered anal glands, john jackson. i wanna fuck your mum up the butt, as i did to your sister.

    sincerely,
    jiminy

    fuck all catholics

  127. John Jackson
    December 31st, 2008 on 7:27 pm

    Ghost Rider better than Dark Knight? Who is this guy? And I already fucked my mother up the butt. hehehe
    why so serious JJ?

  128. John Jackson
    December 31st, 2008 on 7:28 pm

    I’m full of pretnsious bullshit! Hooray for my windbag musings! HOORAY!

  129. fatty
    December 31st, 2008 on 7:28 pm

    lol nice. TDK rules.

  130. John Jackson
    December 31st, 2008 on 7:30 pm

    You little piglets! Go watch serious films, like Babe: Pig in the City (I play the titular character!) or another boring film by Godard! I am an arsehole! Fuck you all! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    McCunt

  131. John Jackson
    December 31st, 2008 on 8:01 pm

    Right, there is a lot of things i have to comment on about your post, firstly i’m not a film snob, i enjoy all types of films ranging from foreign films to modern blockbusters, the point i was making when i said there should be “no comic book films made anymore” was that that’s all we get nowdays, hollywood has lost it’s balance, 90% of films made today are aimed at teenagers just to make money and we don’t see the personal character films of the 70’s anymore, and the ones that do come out are all Independant films.

    In response to your comment saying i have never picked up a graphical novel, i am a fan of Frank Millers work and anime. And have a decent comic collection. I like TDK but it it what it is, a decent comic book film, not a masterpiece with hidden messages.

    You said “By wanking the Godfather repeated, you succeed in nothing more than being one of these ‘classic’ movie fans, bitter than their favorites seem to be upstaged in popularity. ”

    First of all The Godfather is higher than TDK on Imdb, secondly if you count ticket sales and inflation prices The Godfather sold more tickets and made more money than TDK, here is the link that shows this :

    http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

    Also THe Godfather was rated r and TDK is PG13 so it’s more impressive when you see how much more money The Godfather made, and there was no marketing for The Godfather like there is today (And none of the main actor’s died before The Godfather’s release unlike TDK which added to the interest for moviegoers)

    Thirdly The Godfather is still getting talked about and wins top 100 lists by critcs and film makers regularly and it’s 36 years old. Do you think TDK will be getting talked about in 36 years time like The Godfather is. So no TDK has not upstaged The Godfather. It has with kids, but kids didn’t like The Godfather before TDK anyway as it’s not aimed at kids were as TDK is.

    You also said ” Just because critics happen to be more educated and literate than you are, doesn’t mean that they are pretentious or self-glorifying. I mean, I’d bet that a 14 year-old can understand what ‘mirror to our society’ means. ”

    Using big words just makes you a snob, it doesn’t mean that person is more intelligent than someone who chooses to use smalls words when there is no need for big words, to back this up here is an interview with Orson Welles :

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aHI5BYmWDtU&feature=related

    Who is considered one of the greatest film makers of all time, and he admits that people that use big words when there is no need to are pretentious, and of course i know what a mirror into our society means but in the context of the way it was used it didn’t mean a thing because TDK isn’t a mirror into our society, it has no character development scenes, every scene is just forwarding the story and so there are no hidden meanings to be found like these fanboys are claiming.

    An example of this is at the end of the film when Batman has to explain why he’s taking the blame for Dent, that whole dialogue sequence is exposition dialogue , if the messages were conveyed through the story and imagery properly he wouldn’t have to explain it at the end.

    You said ” A film doesn’t have to be the Godfather-class to be a masterpiece. ”

    Your right, Jaws is a masterpiece, Alien is a masterpiece and so is Star Wars so i’m just some snob like you claim.

    Finally the real test of a classic or a masterpiece is if it stands the test of time, Citizen Kane was hated when it was released, as was Blade Runner and Scarface. In 20 years time no one will remember TDK other than Heath Ledger’s last big film and a decent comic book movie. At the moment it is still in the hype machine cycle, example of this is Titanic, a lot of people called it a masterpiece when it was released..now most people see it for what it is, a cheesy romantic epic.

    Good day to you sir, you have been pwned.

  132. John Jackson
    December 31st, 2008 on 8:03 pm

    And to the person leaving fake comments by my name, good try but it won’t work

  133. JJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:33 pm

    Right, there is a lot of things i have to comment on about your post, firstly i’m not a film snob, i enjoy all types of films ranging from foreign films to modern blockbusters, the point i was making when i said there should be “no comic book films made anymore” was that that’s all we get nowdays, hollywood has lost it’s balance, 90% of films made today are aimed at teenagers just to make money and we don’t see the personal character films of the 70’s anymore, and the ones that do come out are all Independant films.

  134. JJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:33 pm

    In response to your comment saying i have never picked up a graphical novel, i am a fan of Frank Millers work and anime. And have a decent comic collection. I like TDK but it it what it is, a decent comic book film, not a masterpiece with hidden messages.

    You said “By wanking the Godfather repeated, you succeed in nothing more than being one of these ‘classic’ movie fans, bitter than their favorites seem to be upstaged in popularity. ”

  135. JJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:34 pm

    First of all The Godfather is higher than TDK on Imdb, secondly if you count ticket sales and inflation prices The Godfather sold more tickets and made more money than TDK, here is the link that shows this :

    http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

    Also THe Godfather was rated r and TDK is PG13 so it’s more impressive when you see how much more money The Godfather made, and there was no marketing for The Godfather like there is today (And none of the main actor’s died before The Godfather’s release unlike TDK which added to the interest for moviegoers)

  136. JJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:34 pm

    Thirdly The Godfather is still getting talked about and wins top 100 lists by critcs and film makers regularly and it’s 36 years old. Do you think TDK will be getting talked about in 36 years time like The Godfather is. So no TDK has not upstaged The Godfather. It has with kids, but kids didn’t like The Godfather before TDK anyway as it’s not aimed at kids were as TDK is.

    You also said ” Just because critics happen to be more educated and literate than you are, doesn’t mean that they are pretentious or self-glorifying. I mean, I’d bet that a 14 year-old can understand what ‘mirror to our society’ means. ”

  137. JJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:34 pm

    Using big words just makes you a snob, it doesn’t mean that person is more intelligent than someone who chooses to use smalls words when there is no need for big words, to back this up here is an interview with Orson Welles :

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aHI5BYmWDtU&feature=related

    Who is considered one of the greatest film makers of all time, and he admits that people that use big words when there is no need to are pretentious, and of course i know what a mirror into our society means but in the context of the way it was used it didn’t mean a thing because TDK isn’t a mirror into our society, it has no character development scenes, every scene is just forwarding the story and so there are no hidden meanings to be found like these fanboys are claiming.

  138. JJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:35 pm

    An example of this is at the end of the film when Batman has to explain why he’s taking the blame for Dent, that whole dialogue sequence is exposition dialogue , if the messages were conveyed through the story and imagery properly he wouldn’t have to explain it at the end.

    You said ” A film doesn’t have to be the Godfather-class to be a masterpiece. ”

    Your right, Jaws is a masterpiece, Alien is a masterpiece and so is Star Wars so i’m just some snob like you claim.

  139. JJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:35 pm

    Finally the real test of a classic or a masterpiece is if it stands the test of time, Citizen Kane was hated when it was released, as was Blade Runner and Scarface. In 20 years time no one will remember TDK other than Heath Ledger’s last big film and a decent comic book movie. At the moment it is still in the hype machine cycle, example of this is Titanic, a lot of people called it a masterpiece when it was released..now most people see it for what it is, a cheesy romantic epic.

    Good day to you sir, you have been pwned.

  140. JJackson
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:38 pm

    Right, there is a lot of things i have to comment on about your post, firstly i’m not a film snob, i enjoy all types of films ranging from foreign films to modern blockbusters, the point i was making when i said there should be “no comic book films made anymore” was that that’s all we get nowdays, hollywood has lost it’s balance, 90% of films made today are aimed at teenagers just to make money and we don’t see the personal character films of the 70’s anymore, and the ones that do come out are all Independant films.

    In response to your comment saying i have never picked up a graphical novel, i am a fan of Frank Millers work and anime. And have a decent comic collection. I like TDK but it it what it is, a decent comic book film, not a masterpiece with hidden messages.

    You said “By wanking the Godfather repeated, you succeed in nothing more than being one of these ‘classic’ movie fans, bitter than their favorites seem to be upstaged in popularity. ”

    First of all The Godfather is higher than TDK on Imdb, secondly if you count ticket sales and inflation prices The Godfather sold more tickets and made more money than TDK, here is the link that shows this :

    http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

    Also THe Godfather was rated r and TDK is PG13 so it’s more impressive when you see how much more money The Godfather made, and there was no marketing for The Godfather like there is today (And none of the main actor’s died before The Godfather’s release unlike TDK which added to the interest for moviegoers)

    Thirdly The Godfather is still getting talked about and wins top 100 lists by critcs and film makers regularly and it’s 36 years old. Do you think TDK will be getting talked about in 36 years time like The Godfather is. So no TDK has not upstaged The Godfather. It has with kids, but kids didn’t like The Godfather before TDK anyway as it’s not aimed at kids were as TDK is.

    You also said ” Just because critics happen to be more educated and literate than you are, doesn’t mean that they are pretentious or self-glorifying. I mean, I’d bet that a 14 year-old can understand what ‘mirror to our society’ means. ”

    Using big words just makes you a snob, it doesn’t mean that person is more intelligent than someone who chooses to use smalls words when there is no need for big words, to back this up here is an interview with Orson Welles :

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aHI5BYmWDtU&feature=related

    Who is considered one of the greatest film makers of all time, and he admits that people that use big words when there is no need to are pretentious, and of course i know what a mirror into our society means but in the context of the way it was used it didn’t mean a thing because TDK isn’t a mirror into our society, it has no character development scenes, every scene is just forwarding the story and so there are no hidden meanings to be found like these fanboys are claiming.

    An example of this is at the end of the film when Batman has to explain why he’s taking the blame for Dent, that whole dialogue sequence is exposition dialogue , if the messages were conveyed through the story and imagery properly he wouldn’t have to explain it at the end.

    You said ” A film doesn’t have to be the Godfather-class to be a masterpiece. ”

    Your right, Jaws is a masterpiece, Alien is a masterpiece and so is Star Wars so i’m just some snob like you claim.

    Finally the real test of a classic or a masterpiece is if it stands the test of time, Citizen Kane was hated when it was released, as was Blade Runner and Scarface. In 20 years time no one will remember TDK other than Heath Ledger’s last big film and a decent comic book movie. At the moment it is still in the hype machine cycle, example of this is Titanic, a lot of people called it a masterpiece when it was released..now most people see it for what it is, a cheesy romantic epic.

    Good day to you sir, you have been pwned.

  141. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:38 pm

    Right, there is a lot of things i have to comment on about your post, firstly i’m not a film snob, i enjoy all types of films ranging from foreign films to modern blockbusters, the point i was making when i said there should be “no comic book films made anymore” was that that’s all we get nowdays, hollywood has lost it’s balance, 90% of films made today are aimed at teenagers just to make money and we don’t see the personal character films of the 70’s anymore, and the ones that do come out are all Independant films.

  142. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:39 pm

    In response to your comment saying i have never picked up a graphical novel, i am a fan of Frank Millers work and anime. And have a decent comic collection. I like TDK but it it what it is, a decent comic book film, not a masterpiece with hidden messages.

    You said “By wanking the Godfather repeated, you succeed in nothing more than being one of these ‘classic’ movie fans, bitter than their favorites seem to be upstaged in popularity. ”

  143. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:39 pm

    First of all The Godfather is higher than TDK on Imdb, secondly if you count ticket sales and inflation prices The Godfather sold more tickets and made more money than TDK, here is the link that shows this :

    http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

  144. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:40 pm

    Also The Godfather was rated r and TDK is PG13 so it’s more impressive when you see how much more money The Godfather made, and there was no marketing for The Godfather like there is today (And none of the main actor’s died before The Godfather’s release unlike TDK which added to the interest for moviegoers)

  145. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:40 pm

    Thirdly The Godfather is still getting talked about and wins top 100 lists by critcs and film makers regularly and it’s 36 years old. Do you think TDK will be getting talked about in 36 years time like The Godfather is. So no TDK has not upstaged The Godfather. It has with kids, but kids didn’t like The Godfather before TDK anyway as it’s not aimed at kids were as TDK is.

    You also said ” Just because critics happen to be more educated and literate than you are, doesn’t mean that they are pretentious or self-glorifying. I mean, I’d bet that a 14 year-old can understand what ‘mirror to our society’ means. ”

  146. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:40 pm

    Using big words just makes you a snob, it doesn’t mean that person is more intelligent than someone who chooses to use smalls words when there is no need for big words, to back this up here is an interview with Orson Welles :

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aHI5BYmWDtU&feature=related

  147. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:41 pm

    Who is considered one of the greatest film makers of all time, and he admits that people that use big words when there is no need to are pretentious, and of course i know what a mirror into our society means but in the context of the way it was used it didn’t mean a thing because TDK isn’t a mirror into our society, it has no character development scenes, every scene is just forwarding the story and so there are no hidden meanings to be found like these fanboys are claiming.

  148. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:41 pm

    An example of this is at the end of the film when Batman has to explain why he’s taking the blame for Dent, that whole dialogue sequence is exposition dialogue , if the messages were conveyed through the story and imagery properly he wouldn’t have to explain it at the end.

    You said ” A film doesn’t have to be the Godfather-class to be a masterpiece. ”

    Your right, Jaws is a masterpiece, Alien is a masterpiece and so is Star Wars so i’m just some snob like you claim.

  149. JohnJ
    December 31st, 2008 on 9:41 pm

    Finally the real test of a classic or a masterpiece is if it stands the test of time, Citizen Kane was hated when it was released, as was Blade Runner and Scarface. In 20 years time no one will remember TDK other than Heath Ledger’s last big film and a decent comic book movie. At the moment it is still in the hype machine cycle, example of this is Titanic, a lot of people called it a masterpiece when it was released..now most people see it for what it is, a cheesy romantic epic.

    Good day to you sir, you have been pwned.

  150. Anonymous
    January 1st, 2009 on 2:05 am

    what a shitty movie, i’m glad Heath Deadyea is 6 feet under, shite actor who is getting bummed by all the faggy emo’s cos he wears make up in the film and is a miserable cunt. He’s called the JOKER for a reason you stupid Australian fuck up!!

  151. Anonymous
    January 1st, 2009 on 4:59 am

    Jaws is not a masterpiece. Star Wars… maybe. Jaws, however, does not effectively stand the test of time. The only reason why anyone would claim it to be a masterpiece is due to nostalgia and obsession with old movies. You know what I mean; the whole ‘lolz old movies >>> new movies’ shit. A lot of people seem to think that ‘they don’t make ‘em like they used to’. That’s a load of shit, in my opinion. Aside from, TDK, there are plenty of modern masterpieces. Fight Club, The Departed, No Country for Old Men, etc… as you can see, the good movies are just as good as ever. It’s just that more crap is greenlighted than before, simply because it makes money.

    Also, I don’t think you can consider yourself a comic book fan if you don’t want any comic book movies made any more. Why? Because apparently no one can connect to a guy who wears leather and does karate. You know what’s ironic? You consider Jaws and Star Wars to be masterpieces but you think TDK is nothing more than ‘decent’. Jaws and Star Wars are nothing more than popcorn flicks. Good popcorn flicks, but they have no weighty or thought-provoking themes, and, in the case of Star Wars, is very, very far stretched from reality. I find it easier to feel connected to a tortured, somewhat mentally disturbed man who is forced to wear a mask and become an outcast vigilante than to a farmboy who lives on a desert planet and the learns to use a mystical power and wield a laser sword to save the world.

    As for Godfather making money? Not TDK numbers. I don’t know why it made so much money, but then again, it’s a good movie. Maybe that helped. Also, TDK was insanely hyped and anticipated long before Heath died. Oscar speculation also begun for he died. So no, you can’t pull that “You only like it ’cause he’s dead’ card.

    As for TDK? I don’t think it will land in many of AFI’s lists. I do, however, think it will go down in history. It’s a huge pop culture phenomenon, and critics are hailing this as a ‘classic’. A film like doesn’t simply vanish from existence. It’s also much more critically acclaimed than Titanic (see ImdB and Rotten Tomatoes), so you fail on that count.

    As for ‘no hidden meanings’? Are you high? Just because it’s a comic book film doesn’t mean it can’t. Is it a coincidence that the Joker is called a terrorist? That the people of Gotham are portrayed as panicky, almost sheep-like creatures vulnerable to fear and uncertainty? That the ‘heroes’ are morally ambiguous and go through a scale of corruption? The way terror and evil creates this sort of moral ambiguity, in addition the battle between idealism and cynicism, represents the current global situation regarding the War on Terror and the apocalyptic crumbling it causes to society. If you can’t see any hidden meanings and subtext behind TDK, you’re a retard.

    Aside from that? No character development scenes? The fact that there is no pointless scene is a testament in this film’s favor. It still manages to develop Bruce Wayne (with his will to retire, the battle between his ‘mask’ and his life, his relationship with Rachel…), Harvey Dent (the tale of his moral corruption; the idealistic DA who becomes a cynic in the face of the overwhelming chaos and evil, and therefore becomes a man obsessed with his twisted view of justice), and, of course, the Joker (with the unraveling of his anarchist philosophy and beliefs in the human nature- which he exploits at multiple points in the movie).

    Also, what the fuck is your problem with teenagers and kids? You act as if they have no taste and no intelligence. They’re not all dumb zombies who only want to see explosions. Some of them are far, far smarter than you.

    TDK’s place in history is yet to be decided, which is why I feel that calling it the greatest movie ever is stupid. But I think it will definitely be remembered for what it is; a superbly made, apocalyptic crime drama with one of the greatest villains in the annals of cinema. As someone who has seen Heat, I find TDK to be better and more thought-provoking.

  152. Anonymous
    January 1st, 2009 on 1:40 pm

    To the twat fucker poster above me, Jaws invented the summer blockbuster, and it’s a character blockbuster, it’s not just a shark attacking people so yes it is a masterpiece, why are there so many idiots like you in the world?

    Also you said ” Aside from that? No character development scenes? The fact that there is no pointless scene is a testament in this film’s favor ”

    Character development scenes are not pointless you anus, they are the backbone of any good story, you have just proved you don’t know squat about film you fuck up.

    And again, TDK did not make as much money as the Godfather, check the charts that count for inflation and ticket sales, more tickets were sold for The Godfather and movie tickets were aroun $3 then as opposed to $10 now so if you count for inflation tdk got it’s shitty ass kicked all over the Box Office by The Godfather and a bunch of other films

  153. Anonymous
    January 1st, 2009 on 7:03 pm

    If only Heath Ledger didn’t die. It would have been awesome if he won the award. The lights would go out, and he’d slide down ropes hanging from the ceiling along with accomplices in his full Joker costume. Then he’d give the audience a stare, take the award and walk out.

  154. Anonymous
    January 2nd, 2009 on 1:27 am

    I’d say ‘Hi, Anonymous’, but I’m really way too lazy to get myself a name, so that can apply to me as well. So, anyway, to the highly intelligent guy who called me a ‘twat fucker’ and an ‘anus’ (I didn’t think a man can be an anus. Oh well)

    -Jaws did invent the summer blockbuster, yes. But I don’t judge films based on how influential they are, not entirely- I judge them on how good they actually are. Jaws’ main accomplishment is making a lot of money and thrilling a lot of people. VERY TOUGH. Also, TDK is a character movie, too. That can’t be denied. Jaws isn’t necessarily just a shark attacking people; it’s a shark attacking people who were nicely developed. Still, I didn’t feel an emotional touch at any of the deaths, nor when the shark actually went kaboom. If movies have to be thought-provoking and deep to be ‘masterpieces’, Jaws failed horrendously. If you want a thriller that also happens to be a masterpiece, watch Silence of the Lambs.

    -Umm, no, I meant that there is scene that doesn’t advance the story, which John Jackson actually used as a criticism. There’s plenty of character development scenes, but each one advances the story. Do you need me to name some character development scenes for you? There are dozens of them. TDK is all about its characters, more than the big explosions.

    -Okay. Sure thing. TDK got its ’shitty ass’ kicked by the Godfather. Y’know, the funny thing is, ticket sales do count. When people go to watch a movie despite the expense of the ticket, it’s a testament to the film’s hype.

    Also, you and John Jackson fit nicely together, in the ‘trolling idiotic film snobs’ category.

  155. Rayne
    January 3rd, 2009 on 5:23 am

    To everyone out there,

    First of all, I think Mr. Jackson finally got the picture. Second, This is a grassroots campaign for The Dark Knight. With ony 3 weeks left before the Nominations are announced, I think we should focus on the subject at hand and not keep discussing other films of the past. They have nothing to do with it. The webmaster has to be getting upset by now at seeing how everyone is getting off the subject and losing focus. keep mailing the joker cards, and keep spreading the word.

    Why so Serious?

  156. Rayne
    January 3rd, 2009 on 5:27 am

    To Webmaster,

    Try sending an article to “www.mania.com” and “www.kryptonsite.com” I know both the webmasters there, and many people go to the sites. That will help spread the word.

  157. Rayne
    January 3rd, 2009 on 5:45 am

    Check this out. Cut and paste this address into your browser:

    http://blog.360.yahoo.com/blog-G.d62PcwaaVTjYz1ipBcS8nXHXE-?cq=1

  158. Rayne
    January 3rd, 2009 on 11:58 pm

    Entertainment Weekly Magazine picks The Dark Knight as a Nominee for Oscar!!!

  159. Michael
    January 4th, 2009 on 5:57 pm

    Wow. I am truly amazed at how many people take The Dark Knight and break it all down, and talk about its realism etc etc. Why not enjoy the movie! The reason The Dark Knight is a masterpiece and that “everyone” thinks it is, is because it is pure cinema. It dazzles the eye with amazing performances, incredible action, and an engaging story. Tons and tons of people went to see it because of that, and it delivered exactly what a summer blockbuster should be. Why can’t a superhero movie be a masterpiece. No genre should be seperated from each other. A movie is a movie. There is no difference from The Godfather and The Dark Knight. One could be better, yes…I am sick of everyone thinking that this movie shouldn’t get Best Picture. The best movies, are the movies that are pure cinema. Thats the reason we go to the movies, and The Dark Knight is pure cinema.

  160. WillyJoel
    January 5th, 2009 on 1:19 pm

    Guys! one more reason to celebrate, the Producers Guild of America has nominated The Dark Knight as one of the top 5 contenders for the prestigious Darryl F. Zanuck Producer of the Year Award.
    The Academy usually uses these nominations as a template for their nominations for Best Picture.
    THE DARK KNIGHT FOR THE WIN!!!!!

    source: The Hollywood Reporter http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/film/news/e3i27e6523c216f71f783a48d52586d8

  161. Luke
    January 5th, 2009 on 3:46 pm

    “Producers Guild nominations announced,” and Dark Knight is on the list!

    http://oscar-watch.ew.com/2009/01/producers-guild.html?cnn=yes

  162. Mert
    January 6th, 2009 on 10:08 am

    I’m hoping that those so high and mighty academy fucks won’t criticize this movie as a brainless action picture of popular culture and they’ll reward it as it deserves, cause it doesn’t only have the most awesome thriller scenes and breathtaking characters, it has the incredible philosophies like embracing the fear or the very fragile sense of good and evil. Best of luck on you guys’ project, i agree with all my heart!

  163. Michael
    January 6th, 2009 on 11:51 am

    Hey, here is a funny alternate trailer for The Dark Knight, has the Toy Story 2 trailer, but The Dark Knight sounds from the trailer. Its pretty funny.

    http://www.comicmix.com/news/2009/01/05/the-dark-knight-alternate-trailer/

  164. Rayne
    January 6th, 2009 on 1:08 pm

    Unfortunately, The Re-Release of The Dark Knight at the end of this month will not fall within the timetable written in the “Rules and Regulations” on the Academy’s Web Page.

    Rule Three, Paragraph One states:
    The required Los Angeles County qualifying run (described in Rule Two Paragraph 2) must open between January 1, 2008 and midnight of December 31, 2008.

    Now, even though the second run of this great epic film does not fall within the guidelines to be given additional consideration, it was still released within the above mentioned timetable to be nominated to begin with. The only thing that could work in it’s favor is that the Academy Members will have a chance to see it again.

    For further Rules & Regulations, please visit http://www.oscar.org and click on “Rules and Eligability”, then click on “View official Rules for the 81st Academy Awards”.

  165. Fabio
    January 6th, 2009 on 5:47 pm

    An unforgettable experience!! That´s what I think about this movie. Everyday I remember some scenes and realize how many meanings this film has, how complex, tragic and fantastic our world can be.
    I live in Brazil and, as a batman fan, I´m really happy to know this campaign!!
    I really hope TDK wins best picture, it would be a milestone at the oscars. And if it doesn´t win, this won´t change what I feel about it.
    Let´s continue with this campaign!!

  166. Rayne
    January 7th, 2009 on 10:05 pm

    THIS JUST IN!!!!!

    At the Peoples Choice Awards that just aired, The Dark Knight won ALL five of the awards it was nominated for.

    Awards Won:
    Favorite Cast
    Superhero
    Action Movie
    On Screen Match-up of Batman Vs. Joker
    Favorite Movie

    Upon recieving the award, here is what Mr. Wayne himself had to say:

    “Thank you very, very much,” said Bale, flanked by Aaron Eckhart and director Christopher Nolan, upon accepting the evening’s top award. “And on behalf of all of the cast from the movie, thank you very much to the fans. Here’s to Heath, thank you.”

    My Friends, This is a happy day for everyone. You should all be proud. No matter what happens from here during Awards season, you made a difference. I applaud you all.

  167. Kristin
    January 8th, 2009 on 11:14 pm

    It was common knowledge that The Dark Knight would win People’s Choice Awards. The fact that it grossed more than any other movie this year would tip its hat to that. However, the real challenge is ahead of us.

    The Golden Globes of course. The fact that The Dark Knight was not picked up for more Nominations is just insulting to the film. The Dark Knight is beyond classic at this point and has had historical marketing behind it. Hollywood’s failure to see this is shocking, even by their standards.

  168. Edward J. Cunningham
    January 10th, 2009 on 2:12 am

    I know that I’m in the minority on this issue, but I believe that Heath Ledger is being touted for the wrong category. I think he should be nominated for Best LEADING Actor. Anthony Hopkins had less screen time in The Silence of the Lambs and nobody questioned his nomination—and win—for leading actor. Ledger’s performance is even more dominating. Unfortunately, we’ll never know if he would have agreed with WB’s decision to push him in the supporting category, or if like Hopkins, he would have pushed for lead actor.

    Another reason why I am in favor of this change is that I think it is unfair to the OTHER members of the cast who ALSO should be considered for Oscars, but should not have to compete with heath Ledger. I am specifically thinking of Aaron Eckhart and Gary Oldman. Those roles really WERE supporting, not carrying the movie the way Ledger did.

    Any thoughts?

  169. Andrew
    January 10th, 2009 on 1:18 pm

    Not only do we all believe that TDK deserves the Oscars, but simply that it takes more talent and vision on all fronts the elevate a genre pic like TDK to these incredible heights. In other words, it is much easier to make a straight forward film and get Oscars than it is to make a pic like TDK and get the same results. I saw the film five times, twice in IMAX, and I never see any film more than three times theatrically. TDK is hands down the most enjoyable film going experience since Jurassic Park, and I think that says a lot.

  170. Andrew
    January 10th, 2009 on 1:23 pm

    I’m not the only one who believes that the Special Features on the DVD including Blu-Ray were a let down considering TDK is the second highest grossing film of all time behind the “not-deserved” Titanic, and I’m a Jim Cameron fan. So lets hope that with the Oscar Noms that TDK is in my opinion a lock for that Warners will remove their North from their South and give all us fans the features the film most decidely deserves

  171. Edward J. Cunningham
    January 10th, 2009 on 6:48 pm

    One other nitpick about the DVD. How the heck can the guy in charge of creating the menus label the scene where the Joker introduces himself to the mob leaders as “Kill the Batman”? Didn’t they notice any of the reaction to that particular scene on YouTube or on message boards? That chapter SHOULD have been called “Wanna see a magic trick?”

  172. William
    January 11th, 2009 on 3:31 am

    To Edward’s preference that Ledger should be nominated for Best Actor, rather then Best Supporting Actor, I have a few things to say about it. Although I would love to see Ledger get nominated and win for Actor, I feel that he’d unfortunately lose that category to a stronger competition in that field (although I still think he’s better then the front runners in that category as well). I think that Ledger being nominated for Supporting Actor helped his chances of winning an award tremendously. That field has been weak this year, he’s practically the shoe-in, and I have a feeling that’s what WB’s state of mind was; to get Ledger an Oscar at all costs, not just a nomination.

  173. Rayne
    January 11th, 2009 on 7:22 pm

    HEATH LEDGER WINS GOLDEN GLOBE!!!!

    HERE IS THE ARTICLE AS IT APPEARED ONLNE:

    Heath Ledger won the supporting-actor Golden Globe on Sunday nearly a year after his death, earning the prize for his diabolical turn as the Joker in the Batman blockbuster “The Dark Knight.”

    The award was accepted by “Dark Knight” director Christopher Nolan, who said he and his collaborators were buoyed by the enormous acclaim and acceptance the film and Ledger’s performance have gained worldwide.

    “All of us who worked with Heath on `The Dark Knight’ accept with an awful mixture of sadness but incredible pride,” Nolan said. “After Heath passed, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema.”

    The Globe win boosts Ledger’s prospects for the supporting-actor honor at the Academy Awards, whose nominations come out Jan. 22, the one-year anniversary of the actor’s death from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs.

    Only one actor has ever won a posthumous Oscar, best-actor recipient Peter Finch for 1976’s “Network.”

  174. Kristin
    January 12th, 2009 on 12:29 pm

    I have to say this about the DVDs. Nolan has practically tortured us with these. He has mentioned on more than one occasion the sheer amount of takes it took to get the final cut of Heath’s performance because Heath kept doing it in different ways every take and ad-lib a lot of his lines. Not having the chance to actually SEE these moments but knowing they exist, is like torture to a movie fan like myself.

    Hopefully after all the awards are done, they will bump it up with those scenes in a re-release of the DVD for hardcore fans so they can win the DVD awards.

  175. Krystal
    January 16th, 2009 on 1:08 am

    Hi you guys. This is a wonderful Oscar campaign for our beloved DK!! Maybe you should think about branching out since this campaign seems to be headed for SUCCESS! I’m talking about a campaign to sink Titanic a 2nd time. According to Box Office Mojo, DK is only expanding into 200+ theaters on Jan.23rd. How in heaven’s name can DK get another $70M to claim the Domestic BO crown with such a pitiful expansion? :o( What happened to the big re-release plans by Warner Bros? DK might not even get the measly $3M it needs to join the Billion Dollar Club. What is Warner Bros thinking???

  176. Pierre-Aldo
    January 19th, 2009 on 4:34 am

    WB just wants the film to be in cinemas at the same time as the other competitors for Best Picture to remind voters its quality. It’s not a BO thing.

  177. Michael
    January 19th, 2009 on 3:39 pm

    Hey, not that these awards really matter, but The Dark Knight was nominated for 13 IOCA (International Online Cinema Awards) Awards.

    http://www.awardsdaily.com/?p=6077#comments

  178. JUG
    January 22nd, 2009 on 6:27 am

    A CALL TO ARMS

    Fellow supporters,

    I’m sure you’re as angry as I am that The Dark Knight had been so shamefully snubbed by the Oscars. But I urge you, don’t let it end here!

    Everyone who believed that the Dark Knight should have got a best picture nomination (and there are droves of us worldwide) has a rare opportunity to make a difference with the re-release of the film in cinemas this month.

    We must all register our disdain at this insult from the Academy by making this film’s cinema grossing smash all possible records just to spite them. Put away that dvd and go and watch the film in imax once, twice, nay three more times! You KNOW it’s that good!

    Let us turn our anger into action!

  179. John Jackson
    January 22nd, 2009 on 9:28 am

    No big Oscar noms……..HAhahah eat that you fanboys, i told you it wasn’t anything special. So stop sucking batman’s cock and go watch some real films.

  180. Josh Williams
    January 22nd, 2009 on 4:41 pm

    I loved this movie, and it is so SUCKISH that it will not be nominated for best motion picture of the year. People are crazy if they didn’t like this moive. And i personally have to say that Heath Ledger played the best Joker, by far. R.I.P. Heath. :(

  181. Will Beatty
    January 23rd, 2009 on 4:34 pm

    Wasn’t surprised at all, but maybe the academy will get an idea what the fans think with a site like this. It’s not just comic books movies that suffer, so if a film like TDK had been nominated( like others have mentioned)it would have gone down in history, and changed the awards forever. Good job guys-is there a petition going around we could all sign?

  182. Dylan C. Bargas
    January 23rd, 2009 on 4:51 pm

    This movie is so awesome!! R.I.P. Heath Ledger

  183. Emmanuel
    January 23rd, 2009 on 5:34 pm

    This movie is one of the reasons I want to become a screenwriter later on in life. The Nolan brothers are among my film inspirations because they’ve crafted a movie that not only honors the source material, but addresses themes and ideas central to our modern society.

  184. The Fourth
    January 24th, 2009 on 5:35 am

    Guys, get REAL. Do you really think that Dark Knight is a movie that deserves to be nominated amongst PROPER films? The Oscars and the Baftas are reserved for proper movies. The Dark Knight just had serious elements but was hardly a groundbreaking film as a whole. If you want to see a proper crime film, watch Heat. If you want to see a dark psychological detective movie, watch Seven. An action blockbuster? Reloaded or T2. So all this crap that you are doing was always pointless. The oscars knews that they would end up on a slippery slope and demean the Oscars if they shoved this in there, it’s history.

  185. florencia
    January 24th, 2009 on 9:24 pm

    to JOHN JACKSON,,let me tell you something ,the dark knight is an amazing movie ,its brilliant and if you cant see that its your problem , but do not come here and laugh because tdk dont have “big noms” like you say , in fact tdk is nominated for best suporting actor for heath and thats a very important ‘nom’. ok?
    i love this movie ,especially heath as the joker

  186. The Fourth
    January 25th, 2009 on 6:31 am

    TDK is not a great film. You guys should get real and realize that this is not amazing as everyone says that it is.

  187. ?
    January 26th, 2009 on 4:58 am

    THE DARK KNIGHT DESERVES A BEST PIC NOM AND A BEST DIRECTOR NOM AT LEAST…. TO THOSE MEMBERS OF THE ACADEMY, GO FUCK YOURSELFS

  188. ?
    January 26th, 2009 on 4:59 am

    TO THE FOURTH… SHUT THE FUCK UP AND GET THE FUCK OFF THIS WEBSITE BITCH…. UR UNWANTED FUCKHEAD

  189. korso55
    January 26th, 2009 on 7:17 am

    The first time in a theater that i felt so overwhelmed in a long long time! I am sorry that certain cannot fully grasp what the film really gives us

  190. Rayne
    January 26th, 2009 on 9:41 am

    INTERVIEW WITH THE ACADEMY ITSELF!!!!

    Ok folks, I just got off the phone with Leslie Unger. She is the Director of Communications/Media Relations For the Academy of Motion Picture Art and Sciences. My true name is witheld from this site. I use my screen name here instead. Here is how the phone Interview went:

    Good Morning Leslie. Thank you for speaking with me.

    Leslie: It’s not a problem. What can I do for you today?

    Rayne: I am calling on behalf of an online campaign called DarkCampaign.com. And I was was wondering if I could get a comment from the Academy on the Snubbing of the Dark Knight for Best Picture, and Best Director?

    Leslie: We would hardly call a film that gets nominated for 8 Awards snubbing.

    Rayne: But for a film the likes of “The Reader”? how is that justified?

    Leslie: The nominations are created by a panel of professional Film-Makers that know what they are doing. Just because “The Dark Knight” didn’t make the cut, doesn’t mean WE didn’t think it was a great film. Unfortunately, the nominations are not up to us specifically.

    Rayne: So it’s the Panel itself and not the Academy as a whole?

    Leslie: Exactly. And Heath did get nominated for Best Supporting Actor.

    Rayne: An award we are sure he will win. You may not remember, but we spoke a while back in regards to “The Dark Knight” getting equal consideration.

    Leslie: I remember you. And after speaking with you, I payed a visit to the Darkcampaign Website. Again we would like to say that we appreciate the fans dedication to this film, But there is nothing that can be done at this point in the game. Please let the fans on your site know that.

    Rayne: It is not MY site, i am just writing for them. So the fact that it is in essence a comic book movie had nothing to do with the Nomination decision?

    Leslie: As I stated a moment ago, the nominations are decided by a Panel of Film-Makers not us. We have little to no idea what helps them in thier decision.

    Rayne: Well thank you for your time. I am sure people will find this of interest.

    Leslie: You’re welcome. Please offer our apologies to the fans on your website. It is not in our nature to diliberately upset the public. Also let them know to tune in on Sunday, February 22nd to see who wins. Good Luck!!!
    END OF INTERVIEW

    There you have it everyone, the explanation you all were wanting. I know it brings little comfort, and I am sorry.

  191. CJ
    January 26th, 2009 on 3:09 pm

    I have an idea…everyone knows that this will be the lowest watched Oscars in HISTORY because the Academy Awards just screwed themselves by snubbing The Dark Knight. The people in SAG get FREE screeners to watch movies, yet we the people have to PAY to see movies. During this rought time in our country, we united to see Barack Obama become President and we shilled out hard earned money to see The Dark Knight, sometimes to see it again and again in theaters. We watched it because we wanted to see a regular man who has the resources try to fight curruption and injustice, only to find out he can’t. The Joker and Harvey Dent were right all along about the world. “The people beind the Oscars are schemers,” as the Joker would say. Why don’t we people tell advertisers that we won’t be watching the Oscars so that the Oscars can’t charge much for airtime. I think someone should hack into the official Oscar website and give em hell. Oh, and by the way, The Reader is a film about the Holocaust. Harvey Weinstein is Jewish. The head of the Oscars is Jewish….Coincidence?

  192. Krystal
    January 27th, 2009 on 11:12 pm

    Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo wrote an excellent article on Jan.26/09 referencing the Oscars & DK at http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2540&p=.htm

    “Meanwhile, a picture that didn’t need the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to help get the word out but that the Academy may have needed in the Best Picture race to boost the sagging ratings of its telecast, The Dark Knight, had a modest re-launch at 350 venues and generated $667,397, slightly augmenting its phenomenal run that stands at $531.7 million in 192 days. The Academy claims that the Oscars are “The biggest movie event of the year,” yet The Dark Knight, an actual movie that people had to leave their houses for and pay to see, sold more tickets than the typical viewership of the Oscar telecast.”

    Ha! I especially like the last part about DK selling more tickets than the average viewership of the Oscars. :)

  193. ANTHONY CAROTA
    January 30th, 2009 on 7:47 am

    I WAS APART OF THE HISTORIC CROWDS THAT MADE THIS MOVIE A REALLY BIG HIT AT THE BOXOFFICE BUT FOR THE LIFE OF ME I JUST CAN NOT SEE HOW THIS MOVIE JUST NOT GET THE BSET MOVIE OSCAR THAT IT NEEDS TO GET?

  194. The Fourth
    January 30th, 2009 on 10:34 am

    Guys, it DOES NOT DESERVE THE GONG OR A NOMIANTION FOR BEST PIC. Live with thte truth.

  195. chris
    January 30th, 2009 on 6:16 pm

    BOYCOTT THE OSCARS FOR NOT NOMINATING THE DARK KNIGHT - BEST MOTION PICTURE
    http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=124426815111&ref=nf

  196. CJ
    February 1st, 2009 on 5:21 pm

    The Fourth,

    If you’re referring The Gong Show, the gong is what people get when they get kicked off stage so your statement should be that it deserves the gong. Fucking retard….

  197. nick
    February 21st, 2009 on 8:20 pm

    If Ledger does not win then I’m predicting the winner gives his oscar away. Also predlct the Oscars stops being broadcasted.

  198. Jonathan Braylock
    February 22nd, 2009 on 4:33 pm

    To begin this essay I would like to note that I understand Film is a completely subjective art, that even the phrase “Best Picture” is in and of itself a pretentious and meaningless title. However, for the purposes of this argument I will ask you to entertain the idea that a movie can be looked at objectively and rated on an artistic and technical scale that perhaps is irrelevant to the masses, but still holds merit because of its ability to persuade people to see the film. Thus, the argument begins: Why is The Dark Knight the best picture of 2008?

    Let me start by saying that if you don’t believe a movie based off a comic-book should ever be nominated for Best Picture by the Academy then stop reading now.

    Seriously. Stop reading.

    I’m not hear to bicker with prejudice and snobbish people who would rather see a movie that is a complete disgrace in terms of an intricate screenplay, quality cinematography, or relevant thematic elements but is placed in the backdrop of an “Oscar” setting like WWII or the Civil Rights Movement than a film that boasts all the aforesaid elements but whose origins lie within a graphic novel.

    The Dark Knight is currently nominated in 8 Oscar categories, including Cinematography, Artistic Direction, Sound Mixing, Sound Editing, Film Editing, Visual Effects, Make-Up, and of course Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger. This fact alone should give The Dark Knight merit or at least a reasonable consideration to be up for the Best Picture category. I will also like to note that the Directors Guild and Screenwriters Guild both nominated The Dark Knight for Best Director and Best Screenplay, respectively. The Academy, however, decided to shaft The Dark Knight in these two well deserving categories for no other reason than to make “The Reader” look more respectable than The Dark Knight in terms of deserving a Best Picture nomination.

    Let us, however, look at this film from an artistic point of view. After all, The Dark Knight is about a man who dresses up in bat suit and fights crime, right? How could that be the Best Film of 2008? Surely we have movies more deserving of that category. Now some people would argue that The Dark Knight should have been nominated simply because it made over $500M domestically, breaking tons of box office and DVD records and trails only TITANIC in the most money ever made domestically. Others would argue that critics raved The Dark Knight as the best comic-book movie ever made, finally giving credibility to the genre (along with Iron Man) and that its 94% Rotten Tomato rating is higher than 3 films currently nominated for Best Picture. But I won’t do that. What I will do is compare The Dark Knight to every movie nominated for Best Picture this year (because I forced myself to see them all in order to write this stupid essay that only Ramy Youssef will read).

    1. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
    What this film boasts is an epic journey of a peculiar man with an interesting ailment that focuses on a somewhat complicated, somewhat controversial? love story. What this movie lacks in consistency it makes up for in imagination, boasting amazing cinematography, hilarious comedic bits, and some interesting questions about life, youth, and love. However, all in all, the movie is indulgent in the way you think an Academy movie would be. Its lengthy running time of 168 minutes is unnecessary to say the least and its generic present-day framing quite noticeably undermines the actual story. Without being too harsh, Curious Case is probably deserving of the nomination but the flow of the story, the complexity of the writing, and its thematic elements simply do not compare to those of The Dark Knight.

    2. Frost/Nixon
    This movie should be seen for two reasons, the first is Frank Langella’s performance of Richard Nixon. Langella not only manages to capture Nixon perfectly, but does what few actors are able to do, and that is demand the audience’s attention to hang on his every word. Langella plays Nixon with such power and complexity that despite your actual feelings towards Richard Nixon, one can’t help but notice that he too is a human being, liable to faults and feelings. The second reason you should see this movie is because it makes quite a good point about how the media controls public opinion on everything and it also shows how the media can be manipulated. However, this film is not nearly engaging enough or original enough to be named Best Picture. Though as a play I can understand why Frost/Nixon was such a powerful and groundbreaking piece of work, as a film the script just doesn’t translate well enough. The viewer becomes bored, especially because the end of the movie is what we actually want to see and the means of getting there is not captivating and has no real tension at all (though the movie tries to pretend like there is).

    3. Milk
    This movie is clearly deserving of the nomination so I won’t bother. (Though I still think The Dark Knight is better.)

    4. Slumdog Millionaire
    This film will no doubt win tonight and is probably worthy of doing so because of its ability to tell a rather heart-breaking tale with an uplifting and hopeful ending about the majestically beautiful and horribly poverty-stricken India. The problems with this film are superficial and subjective. The fact that it is told like a fairy tale is because it is a fairy tale, but it still manages to capture the ugly side of the Indian slums without reserve and the acting done by the kids is exceptional considering their ages.

    5. The Reader
    Whether this is fair or not, The Reader is essentially the film that stole the nominations of Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay away from The Dark Knight. So sadly I must rip this film to shreds. First, however, I will give credit to The Reader for creating a provocative film that questions the power of sexuality (though some would say love, however the foundation of the relationship was sex.) My main problem with this film was not the anti-climatic script, or the lazy cinematography and directing, or even the overly exaggerated claim that Kate Winslet somehow completely justifies this movie (though good, the character is no Daniel Day Lewis’ Plainview). It was that the movie is supposedly about the Nuremberg Trials which are, in fact, only the backdrop of the movie. The Reader gives about 25 minutes of screen time to the actual “trials” and fails to fully engage in the thematic and moral questions those scenes bring up. Essentially this movie is about a boy who never got over the first women he had sex with, who happened to be a 35 year old ex-Nazi who, during the affair, made him read books to her like she made Jewish prisoners read books to her **SPOILER** (though this is pretty obvious from the outset) because, surprise!, she can’t read. The movie seems like it is going somewhere but never does. The pathetic classroom scenes, portraying a professor “challenging” his college class to come up with reasons as why the trials were going on and who should be blamed for the Nazi takeover, were shallow, non-dramatic and relatively uneventful. The entire movie is pretty much like this with a main character who is both weak as a boy and as a man until he “redeems” himself by…*YAWN* i’m boring myself now writing about this. The point is this movie didn’t even come close to matching The Dark Knight in really any category that can artistically and objectively be argued.

    So how does The Dark Knight compare? Well, its hard to imagine a film more epic than The Dark Knight (especially considering its IMAX version in which 6 scenes use the IMAX screen to its full awesome capabilities). The Dark Knight boasts all the things a Best Picture should: an amazing cast lead by an outstanding performance (Heath Ledger), great cinematography, an even better script, a fantastic score, a captivating story, a solid Director, and thematic elements that not only make an audience think but is able to show some truth about human nature and society as it relates to today. The beauty of The Dark Knight is that it is able to accomplish all these things through a seemingly meaningless origin comic book story. However, why The Dark Knight departs from the realm of fan flicks and summer blockbusters is because it deals with pressing issues of today, including terrorism and the moral controversies regarding our response to terrorism, the inherent good or evil that exists within all people, the ability of individuals to create hope or fear, and the collectiveness of human society and what it takes to bring us together. One cannot help but see Harvey Dent and the hope that he brings to Gotham, despite the intense corruption and obstacles he must overcome, as a mirror to President Barack Obama who stands for hope and change in a country that has begun to lose all faith in government. Nor can you fail to see the moral ambiguity Bruce Wayne must face when forced to sacrifice the lives of some for the greater number of lives at stake or breaking the law in order to uphold the law (the device he uses to locate The Joker is a blown-up version of The Patriot Act). And the character of the Joker, while riveting and entertaining, is also extremely frightening especially when you think about terrorists who would kill innocent people without any care or regret for human life. The fear of Gotham when the Joker takes his anarchist plans to their apex is all too real when one thinks about the pending economic crisis the world is now in and how easily people’s hopes and fears can rise with the slightest bit of information.

    Oh well. The Dark Knight will never win Best Picture and we must all acknowledge this sad fact. However, please don’t tell me that this movie has no merit to be the Best Picture of 2008. Cause when it comes down to it, The Dark Knight is the movie that 2008 will be remembered for in years to come.

  199. Krystal
    February 23rd, 2009 on 11:06 pm

    Thanks Jonathan for taking the time to write this AWESOME, BRILLIANT essay! (How long did it take you anyway?) I’m with you. I’m disappointed that The Dark Knight was not at least nominated for BEST PICTURE, DIRECTOR & SCORE.

    It’s actually a bit embarrassing that 3 of the best pic noms - Frost/Nixon, The Reader & Milk - have hardly made any money. Not that box office should be the sole determinant of how good a movie is judged. But if a movie is considered good enough to be nominated for Best Pic, don’t you think that should translate into lots of people wanting to actually view it. If Frost/Nixon is boring (& also historically inaccurate) then how in heaven’s name did it get nominated?!!

    I checked out about the last 10 years of Best Pics & noms & was shocked that I hardly knew any of the films. No wonder the Oscars continue to lose respect & credibility with the common population.

    Yes, it’ll be interesting to see if The Dark Knight is remembered for years to come. I’m betting it will.

  200. Rayne
    February 24th, 2009 on 9:13 pm

    Bravo, Bravo….. Magnifico. My friend, that was nicely put. I commend you.

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