The Dark Knight

The first movie review I read is from AMC. It talks about how Heath Ledger feels like a medium channeling an icon than an actor performing a role. They also talk about how he has all these amazing traits that other all time great actors had. One of the last things they mention in the first article is how people claim Ledger lost himself in the Jokers character after the movie was done shooting and they compare it to a similar thing Dustin Hoffman did in Marathon Man.

After reading this first article my initial reaction was I agreed with how they say he was like a medium channeling the Joker on to the screen to us. He did such a good job it was made it seem like the Joker really existed in our world. And when they talk about Ledger losing himself in the role, I can really see where that is possible. When you act a certain way for so long its hard to stop some of the habits you create. And he portrayed the Joker so well it was almost like he actually became him.

The next article I read was from Rolling Stone. One of the first things the author says on Ledger is, "I can only speak superlatives of Ledger, who is mad-crazy-blazing brilliant as the Joker." And he goes on to talk about how he doesn't wear a mask and hair and teeth really add to the character. He also talks about how Ledger does roles not out of vanity or the need to be liked as he shows total commitment to every role he takes on. One of the last thing he comments on is how Ledger's Joker has no gray areas.

I really like the part of this article that talks about how Ledger doesn't do roles to become famous or liked. He does them because its what he loves and wants to do and he puts all of his soul into his roles. And when they talk about how good he was as the Joker, I definitely have to agree, he made that movie tens times better than it would have been with somebody else as the Joker. When talking about the gray areas and how Ledger's Joker doesn't have any, I will also have to agree with that because you get to feel like you know the Joker and all his emotions and feelings through Ledgers acting.

We read that the ultimate goal of an actor should be to make us believe completely in the reality of the character. Ledger over achieved this goal I would have to say. When becoming the character you have to learn the characters reflexes and natural reactions, and when people say Ledger got lost in the role, this is probably why. The people of the Dark Knight did an excellent job of casting this film.

Slumdog Millionaire

What? Am I nervous ? Its you whos in the hot seat, my friend!

Well what can I say about this movie.

I must admit I asked somebody what it was about before I went to it and they told me that it was about some guy that goes on "Who Wants to be a Millionaire" and wins. I thought he was just joking and being a smart ass. Well sure enough the guy was telling the truth, that is exactly what it is about. Well sorta, its a lot more complicated than that, but that gives you a whiff of it.

Slumdog Millionaire is a story about a guy, Jamal, who grew up in the slums and has had many events happen in his life growing up there. These events all end up helping him answer questions on the game show.

This film put you right into how life is living in the slums, it makes the situation very real for you. A lot of people, including me, have no idea what life like that is like and it really puts it into perspective for you. The location of the movie definitely makes the movie, this story line would not be very interesting without it. I can understand how it won so many awards, it keeps your attention in the movie the whole time by hitting all of your emotions and feelings. They also used good cinematography and music which also kept your attention.

I enjoyed the way it was told by flashbacks and helps you understand Jamal and why he knows each answer, it was very interesting. Those events are very real and really puts it into perspective for you. Its also becomes a feel good story about a underdog that only really has one hope in his life, and that is to find Latika, a girl that he has had a connection with from the moment he met her.

Another part of the film I liked is how they Salim and Jamal are shown growing up and you can kind of tell how they are going to be when they grow up. Salim most of the time is doing all the money making schemes and pretty much only cares about himself. Jamal is usually following his brother in his ways but shows that he cares about other people other than himself, especially Latika. When they are shown grown it basically is the same way. Salim is in a mob gang just worried about making money, and Jamal still only cares about Latika and you can really tell when he answers the last question even though he doesnt know it, because either way he has been reuinted with her.

I really enjoyed this movie, even though I was very skeptical going into it. I'm glad I had the opportunity to watch it.