Obama 08

Tony Hawk’s Son is killer!

Batman

By Germain Lussier

Times Herald-Record

July 17, 2008

“The Dark Knight” is a labyrinthine tale of crime and heroism. More than just a superhero battle pitting Batman against the Joker, the film combines the plot of an intricate Martin Scorsese mob drama with the visual eye of cult Korean filmmaker Chan-wook Park. Think more “L.A. Confidential” than “Spider-Man.”

Aside from a few minor motivation issues and an ending that pops up like a random red light on a long speedy highway, it’s also one of the most satisfying superhero sequels to date. It suffers only from its own excess, and even then, excess in a great movie is the best kind.

“The Dark Knight” picks up soon after 2005’s “Batman Begins.” The screenplay by director Christopher Nolan and his brother Jonathan quickly reminds the audience where the story ended before beginning to weave a new and immense canvas.

The main two threads in that canvas are the Joker, played with evil glee by Heath Ledger, and District Attorney Harvey Dent, played by Aaron Eckhart. Each is on a separate quest to mold Gotham City in his own unique way, the former through crime and the latter through the law. Both realize Batman is the key to those plans because his individualism has simultaneously inspired and scared the city into changing. So Joker and Dent set plans into motion with Batman as the centerpiece. From there the film is a maze of double crosses, cool gadgets and breathtaking action (especially in IMAX, where several scenes are shot in the considerably larger format).

This time, Christian Bale’s Bruce Wayne is a far more confident and interesting character as his life as Batman begins to weigh heavily on him. His confidants, played by Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes as Rachel), Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman, all add a nice human touch to the movie, and Gary Oldman steals scenes as Lt. Jim Gordon, Batman’s friend on the inside.

However, the villains of “The Dark Knight” give the film its beating heart. Ledger’s Joker is a pleasure to watch. He’s so scary but also so quietly confident you can’t help but smile when he’s on the screen. As for Eckhart’s Dent, well, you’ll have to see it to believe it.

But after an awesome introduction, a brief dry spot and then almost 90 minutes of near cinematic perfection, the two-and-a-half-hour epic suddenly ends. It begs the question, why not leave the audience a bit more satisfied?

For the answer, think back to the previous 150 minutes you might have forgotten because of exhaustion. It’s all right there.

Success

suc·cess  (sk-ss)

n.

1. The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted: attributed their success in business to hard work.

2.

a. The gaining of fame or prosperity: an artist spoiled by success.

b. The extent of such gain.

3. One that is successful: The plan was a success.

4. Obsolete A result or an outcome.

Above is the dictionary’s meaning of “success”.  What good ol’ Webster forgot to mention is; pain, anxiety, fear, anger, distress, nausea, crying fits, loss of sleep, loss of friends and family, weight gain, weight loss, hunger, self mutilation, just to name a few.

Success is handed to some by there wealthy white American families, and for others never comes.  In the middle is where most of us land.  ”The middle class”, which by the way is slowly ceasing to exist. Here’s some statistics you might find interesting;

10 Reasons America’s Two-Income Families Aren’t What You Think
(According to Harvard Law professor and bankruptcy expert Elizabeth Warren)

 

1. Two-income families today make 75% more in inflation-adjusted dollars, but have less money to spend than one-income families did 30 years ago. 
2. Two-income families today spend: 21% less on clothing, 22% less on food, and 44% less on appliances compared to one-income families a generation ago. 
3. Every 15 seconds an American family files for bankruptcy. 
4. This year, more kids will live through their parents’ bankruptcy, than through their parents’ divorce. 
5. 1.6 million families will file for bankruptcy this year, 9 million more are already in credit counseling. 
6. Home mortgage foreclosures are up more than three-fold over the last generation and car foreclosures have hit record levels. 
7. More than 62% of families say that they worry about making ends meet. 
8. The average family spends 69% more in inflation-adjusted dollars on their home mortgage than their parents spent a generation ago. 
9. The average family spends 61% more on health insurance, than their parents spent a generation ago. 
10. Credit card default rates are at a record high.