Batman The Dark Knight

Ok. I want to blog about this while it is fresh in my mind.

Millie and I are in AZ visiting my family. We went to see Batman: The Dark Knight with Bret, Tevs, and my parents at the IMAX in Deer Valley.

I know some will hate me for this, but, I have really never liked Heath Ledger. In fact, I think he has single handedly ruined every movie he has ever been in... until now.

He really made this movie! So many people have said things like, "you can't even tell it's him when you're watching it," and frankly, that may be why he was so good in it. But isn't that what acting is all about anyway? The media has talked about how he poured himself into the character of The Joker, and some speculate as to whether or not "becoming his character" had anything to do with his death (accidental or not). Regardless... there could not have been a better performance to end a career on for him than this one.

Now: I'm not a comic book guru or a Batman junkie, but I have really enjoyed the last two Batman movies that have come out... and not just because they star Christian Bale, although it does give the ratings a shot in the arm in my book - Christian Bale being one of my favorite actors, (ever since he stared in Newsies, Yes, even before he was in Little Women).

More than just the great suspense, fight scenes, special effects and explosions that filled the last two Batman movies are the substance within the movies. I love the struggle the characters face as they are forced to make moral choices. I don't want to give anything away for those that may have not yet seen the movies so I'll just say this:

What stands out most in my mind is that each of us, every day, seem to be faced with moral dilemmas. Some are big. Some are small. Some people seem like they will always do the "right thing." Others, you just never know what to expect and just may be surprised, either for the good or the bad. The best can fall and the worst can stand up and "do what should have been done ten minutes ago." All of us are human and I think we'll all be tested to our own limits at one point in our lives or another. I may be called pessimistic for this, but I consider myself realistic - most (if not all) of us will fail. I think we all know this, and so, we all sometimes hope that the really big decisions that matter will have to be made by someone else. However, the time will come for each of us to make our own big decision(s) - the one (or ones) that will change our lives forever. I hope I can do better at making the right ones.

I hope we all can.