The Newest Chapter of What The Fuck
Mike and I went to the Midnight showing of The Dark Knight on opening day. Originally it was because were going to be out of town. Normally we’d just go Friday night like sane folks. We ended up not going out of town but we already had the tickets. So, off we went.
The place was swarming. We had trouble finding parking. Hello? It’s god damn midnight on a Thursday night at the MOVIES. Whatever, it’s Batman and fanboys and girls are wetting their pants left and right. I get it. Sort of. I mean, I was totally stoked to see it but I’m not a dork. Let’s just get that straight. I’m a movie fan, that’s all. And I’m sane. Well, saner then some of these people.
So, we get in line for snacks. Didn’t take too long. We were seated an HOUR before it started. Awesome. Boringly awesome. The entire row behind us was taken up by some superfan friends. Complete with the keychain that makes light saber noises and dudes that laughed like Louis Skolnick.
Shoot me.
So, I get restless and decide that candy is the answer. I get up to grab M&M’s and Skittles. When I walk outside there is a mob scene in the lobby. 7 theaters of Batman all showing at the same time and people wanted their snacks. So I get in line.
The wrong line. The oh-so-very-wrong line.
It’s taking forever. Like way longer than the other lines. Apparently the chick a few people in front of me is ordering popcorn and cokes for an entire theater. The chick behind me is getting antsy and strikes up a conversation with me. Whatever, it’s passing the time. We bond over the chick in front taking so long. She’s going on and on and on and ON about how this is the only movie she wanted to see all year and OMG they better HURRY! SHE’S GOT TO GET BACK IN! And she’s starts kinda bouncing at this point. I can only see her out of the corner of my eye because I’ve not fully turned around yet.
Oh, by the way, it was 11:30. She still had 30 FUCKING MINUTES to get her snacks and sit. She was in the same theater as me- the one next door to the concession stand.
Anyway- she happens to mention that she and her friends even dressed up! That’s when I turned around and realized I’d been talking to…
Batgirl.
Just… awesome.
Honestly- what the fuck?
She’s a grown ass woman. With a drivers license and credit card- I saw them in her weird little wallet thingy she was carrying around. She’s over 21. Dressed in black lycra tank mini dress with a pink bat-belt and black boots. She then starts picking out other people who were dressed up and saying how “awesome” they looked. Cat woman was a couple of lines over. Ears and all. The Joker was there- green hair, purple suit and clown make-up. The whole 9 yards. I saw tons of black capes, but really only one true Batman. Mask, cape, tights… and about 90 lbs wet.
It was a total case of “Who here does not belong?”. Answer-moi.
Finally the movie started. AND IT WAS RIDICULOUS. (Which is really good, for those who aren’t hip to my vocab. ) It’s hard to put into words how awesome it was. Heath Ledger was incredible. His nuances in the character- the complete sheer psychoticness he gave The Joker was extraordinary. He was funny and sick and twisted and terrifying and sad all at the same time. Its so sad that he was taken so young. As wonderful as Brokeback was, this was his defining moment.
Everyone was amazing. Aaron Eckhart (who I LOVE) was awesome. Christian Bale, over course, is the perfect Bruce Wayne/Batman. Gary Oldman- incredible.
The city of Chicago was a great backdrop. It was the first time Gotham looked like a real contemporary city and not some surreal place that lives only in comic books. Everything about this movie seemed “real”. Crazy dude in clown make-up terrorizing a city… Rich vigilante crime-fighter in wicked shape using all of his expensive toys to help him defeat evil. It didn’t feel like I was reading a comic or suspending belief to buy into what was happening. Just ordinary people doing extraordinary things.
Just awesome in every way.
Not awesome enough, however, to convince me to wear a Batgirl costume to see it again.
We’ll be going to the IMAX showing on Monday when we get back from Cabo.
Where, by the way, I’ll be in 48 hours!
It can’t get here any sooner, either.
Next blog will be a report on the vacation festivities. Who was the drunkest… the most sunburned… who just straight up acted like a crazy fool. We’ll be capturing this in still photos AND video.
HOLLA!
-Mentally preparing for Coronas on the beach.
Ali
WOW I would have died if I were there with you!! I think I would have gotten into a fight…oh wait no dorks are scared of me!!
Seriously though you didn’t dress up? I know you have the costume, I’ve seen it!
I swear you live in Crazytown, USA. I’ve seen it twice now and I’ve yet to see anyone dress up. I saw a few ‘Batman’ shirts, but that’s it. No masks, no makeup, no costumes. I don’t know if I could deal with that sort of ‘insane’… but it always makes for a good blog.
)
The first IMAX show was more ‘older’ people and college kids. The second night at the regular theater it was high school/college kids, but they weren’t all actin’ the fool. I’m really grateful for that now. Haha.
You know how I feel about the movie. Whatever I expected, it was more. However good I thought Ledger was going to be, he was better. As big as I thought this flick would be, it was bigger. The cast was insanely spot on, and like you said, it took ‘comic’ characters and made them believable for real life. I just… I still have no words. And funny, it seems to be the same for everyone walking out of the theater after the movie. No one really CAN speak, it’s all just ‘Wow…AWESOME’.
Have a BLAST in Cabo. I’ll be thinking of you guys and wishing I were there.
(
LOVE YOU!
And yes, I’ll most likely go see it again.
You have still not convinced me to see the film. But a nicely written blog, indeed!
Now I’m feeling sad that I missed the whole fan/costume aspect of The Dark Knight when we went to go see it.
Poo.
[...] It was all I could do to not get straight ghetto on them. SO annoying and much creepier than the Batgirl incident at The Dark Knight. I love comic book movies, but fuck. They sure bring out the wackjobs. [...]