Psychopathology of The Dark Knight 2
August 22nd, 2008by James Michael Blaine
I’m bewildered.
Crazy, thinking about the crazy, how we are all crazy in our own way and the things we do to cover it up and hide our crazy from the other crazies and how some cannot keep the crazy down, how the crazy boils up and spews all over the place on the psychotic breaks and nervous breakdowns.
Went to see The Dark Knight with Wes and Melissa, old friends, completely outspoken and harsh in the most endearing of ways.
We waited a few weeks until the ruckus settled. I hate crowds. I hate ruckus.
I rarely watch TV or films. Because I think too much, my soul too easily seared, sensitized to violence and consumer pathology. The depths capture me and I am stranded in a bubble at the bottom of the sea, pondering the meaning of it all.
In fact I hadn’t been to the movies since the last Batman. So long in fact I did not realize there were now cup holders in the arm rests. I sat my mega-ounce diet Coke on the floor and promptly spilt it, a tidal wave of cola rushing down the aisle.
“Way to go Screech,” Miss howled. Strangers laughed.
For the next two and a half hours we sat in silence before streaming back into the light.
“I cannot believe this is the top grossing movie of all time. A movie with toys at Target and Domino pizza tie-ins. Something –” I gestured around the parking lot. “– that parents bring their children to see. There were no winners, no good guys – nothing to feel good about. Too dark, too artsy for a summer film. I just don’t get it.”
I heard myself unspooling.
“And it was too much for Batman. When they’re blowing up hospitals and had all those people on the bomb boats I was like ‘Geez, call the Justice League already.’”
“Settle down dude. It’s just a movie,” Wes chided, noting that none of the kids leaving the theater seem half as harrowed as me.
On cue a pair of ten year old boys passed by and exclaimed “Man, when he made that motorcycle come out of his car? That was cool…”
“Why don’t cha just wear a big pink P on your shirt?” Miss sassed with a snort.
“What’s the big deal? Didn’t you play a psychopathic killer in a movie once?” Wes asked.
“Well, yeah.”
“Don’t you work with psychopaths?” He continued.
“You could say that.“
We slid into the front seat of his pickup, the harsh smell of pine embedded in the leather. Wes hung his arms over the wheel and gave me a look.
“What’s the scoop? Ever have a Joker in lockdown?”
Through the tint of his glass the moon was yellow, fat and filled with crazy. I dug at the floor mat with my sneaker and nodded slowly.
Melissa leaned in, smacking her lips like Steven Tyler. I was bookended by their stares.
“Give it up then, let’s hear some stories.”
Tags: Bale, Batman, Big Pink P, Crazy, Dark Knight, hypersensitive, Joker, Justice League, Ledger, Psychopath
Wonder Woman and I have the same thighs.
I want to be bookended, by stares and possibly other things.
Maybe you should stick to Rom-Coms honey?
Is it really the top grossing movie of all time?
Gross.
Your thighs are red and have yellow lightening bolts on them?
Desensitized?! Don’t you mean sensitized?
Anyway, I’m with you. I don’t think people should be complacent about seeing images of bodies being tortured and shot and blown up. I guess that makes me sound like some kind of fogie, but just this once I don’t care. It’s messed up to see that and not react.
Which means a huge percentage of our population is messed up.
Not you and me though, buddy.
(We’re messed up in different ways.)
Kelly’s friend Matt is an epileptic. He can’t watch certain violent images, as they are prone to induce seizures in him. I find that incredibly endearing. Not that I wish epilepsy on anyone, but better to be oversensitized than de-, I think.
DC -Oh yeah, sensitized.
I don’t watch that stuff. Thank God there’s a MFA in the house.
We’re all freaks inside.
MLP - By Rom-Com do you mean like Romy and Michelle’s High School Reunion?
Because, that film - I loved.
You should Gravitar your thighs.
OMG you’re a big celebrity! i feel so cool knowing you.
um, that movie was awesome. you do need a big pink P. but i still love you.
the only thing that bothered me a lot about Dark Knight was that everything could have happened in real life…i didn’t have to suspend disbelief for anything - EXCEPT for two face. why couldn’t they make it look a little more…real? like, real in the way where he could still be alive and moving around. that bothered me. i mean, some make-up artist could have made some badass burns all over his face that would have looked nasty, and that would have been enough. instead they made it cartoon-y and that is totally uncool.
you are cool, even with your pink P.
also, romy and michelle’s high school reunion…best.
“I hate throwing up in public.”
“Oh my God! Me too!”
oh yeah.
Pah and it was like a TWO-FACE movie co starring the Joker with appearances by the Batman!
I did like what Robert Downey Jr. said about it -
“Oh this is one of those movies you need a master’s degree to understand….”
I haven’t seen DK yet but I will. I thought Batman Begins was fantastic. It had a lot of moral fortitude. I like to see good win over evil (or I used to when I believed in such things) My brother and his friends were raving about DK but in that way thespians do about the creation and follow through of the arts, about skill, method and voice and such. But no winners? That seems too close to real life for me. Isn’t the point of “entertainment” to escape reality? Why do for a hobby what I do for a living? In my world the moon is always “yellow, fat and filled with crazy.” But then again does that mean I won’t lean into the truck, shove Wes’ head outta the way and soak up every juicy tale you care to shake lose? Heck no. It just means I draw a crooked line in the sand.
I’ll probably get hate mail for this, but I dislike the new Batman movies. I’m a Michael Keaton purist…it was less about the violence and the blood and gore and more about the psyche of the man…his Batman dealt with the inner struggle of good versus evil all the time, but he did it in such a way that you felt for him, you liked him. Christian Bale’s Batman has few redeeming qualities.
Cartoon Batman kicks ass, though…sarcastic, has the hots for Wonder Woman, and is constantly making fun of Superman. Check out this website (http://www.leasticoulddo.com/comic/20080714) for a hilarious series of web comics dealing with the release of the Dark Knight…I think you’ll appreciate it.
And if it’s any consolation, you looked great being all blurry behind the barrel of an early 19th century pistol. I’m proud to know you.
My BF and I always argue about the best Batman. (We’re comic nerds.) We both love Michael Conroy (voice of Batman for most of the cartoons).
His #1? Adam West.
michael keaton definitely played a better batman/bruce wayne than any of the following actors, which is weird because i had high hopes for val kilmer (god knows his doc holliday in ‘tombstone’ was prototypical anti-hero) and christian bale (he played a great mix of smarmy/psychopath in ‘american psycho’) but i definitely liked ‘the dark knight’ more so than any of the previous batman films. second? the original ‘batman’ by tim burton. ‘batman begins’ was boring and too long in parts for me.
the thing is, people are making way too big of a deal of this movie. sure there are bush/america/terrorism connotations to be made, but damn people, it’s just a movie. there’s a bad guy, one of the baddest bad guys in a long time, and batman brings him down and saves the day. end story.
the whole reason people love the movie is because of the joker. the bad guy makes the movie. nobody cares about the good guy until he vanquishes the bad guy. it’s all archetypal. look at darth vader, anton chigurgh, hell, jaws even.
and the reason people are into this ‘too dark’ movie? it should be obvious. anytime things are in the shit, socially, economically, etc. people tend to gravitate toward dark subjects. ‘no country for old men’ for example. and next year another cormac film, although not directed by the coen bros., will make its debut. and although there are glints of hope in ‘the road’ the majority of it is dark and there are some incredibly graphic images in the work. will it come out to acclaim? i bet.
people are making such a big deal about this movie, it baffles me. like that n+1 article. it’s not that complicated. people love bad guys. the badder they are, the harder they fall. and especially so when times are tough. end of story.
and the largest grossing movie having tie-ins? the largest grossing movie of all time NOT having tie-ins would shock me. think about it. the top grossing movie of all time is not going to be some art house film made on a shoe-string budget. it’s the way the world works. and it’s still not the top grossing film of all time. check the p.o.s. that is ‘titanic’.
I also loved Romi and Michelle (which I only saw recently, and I’m here to say it holds up!)
And I’m also very affected by disturbing, violent, and scary images or vibes. However, I totally dug The Batman. Heath Ledger was horrifically scary but brilliant. It certainly shouldn’t be seen by kids.
Perhaps in the next installment Mira Sorvino and Lisa Kudrow could make a cameo and add some much needed sweetness and levity.
Agreed.
The Dark Knight meets Romy and Michelle.
I worked with psychopathic head injury victims for years who lunged with razor blades and threw each other through windows. One of them was Wonder Woman’s stuntman who missed the air bag and transformed into a devilish character. He shaved his entire body and plucked his eyelashes. He vomited everything. He swing furniture around like he was a mucha lucha Wonder Woman warrior. I love that overlap with reality, film and art. I love that people think Michael Keaton is Batman in some kind of insane disillusioned overlap with reality, actors and film. I love that the Dark Knight is a fucked up gangster wealthy bastard who I only have writer-created insanity in common with. I don’t mind movies or books or Olympic superheroes washing down Frosted Flake TV drains. This is an interesting piece about how one man copes with that whole dymanic world. Suddenly I wish I would have confronted a head-injured split personality Indiana Jones. I imagine the look in his eyes.
I want the story of you playing a psychopathic killer in a movie.
I’ve been ambivalent about the Batman franchise for a long while now (ever since that Clooney fiasco). Someone create a new world already!
That Batman/Robin painting is a misrepresentation.
Batman is in love with Superman.
Don’t believe me?
http://the-isb.blogspot.com/2005/11/where-they-went-wrong-superman-and.html
I actually like the darkness, and the political/moral tones, of the recent Batman movies.
These aren’t just Batman movies. They’re “Dark Knight” Batman.
It’s different.
By chance Autumn, are you a Neil Gaiman fan?
Huge Gaiman fan. I have a signed 1st ed. of American Gods. I almost cried when he signed it, and then drew a little Odin for me.
Why do you ask?
I could tell by your gravitar. Sandman for me, Mr. Punch.
Genius that guy.
Great post - loved the humble ending. ( : I haven’t seen DK, so I’ll stay out of the fray on this one.
Oh, and seeing the picture of Wonder Woman above made me miss my Underoos circa 1979. Ooo - I feel a post idea coming on!
Wonder Woman underoos is never a bad post idea.