The Dark Knight.

Amazing. Pretty much everything I'd hoped for. Better than Burton's? Um, you tell me:


Nothing else to be said, really. I couldn't summarise the differences in approach any clearer than that. Unfortunately I couldn't find an image of the new Two-Face to demonstrate the similar horrific contrast between the visions of Nolan and Schumacher, but, really, I don't think I need to:


Tommy Two-Face condemns himself. Jacobim Mugatu's keyboard-tie would be embarrassed to be seen tied around his neck. No matter what Nolan put together it couldn't have been any worse than that.

So, yeah, brilliant. Christian Bale wasn't perfect (his throaty Bat-whisper got a bit much at times), but he's the best Batman yet, and Heath was absolutely magnificent. I could have watched an hour more of him, at least. The Joker's always been my least favourite Batman villain, but not anymore. And Gary Oldman, bless him, managed to turn in another brilliantly understated performance as Lieutenant Gordon. Judged on past performances, Oldman would've been right at home in Schumacher's Gotham, but thankfully he dialled himself down and played Gordon to perfection.

What I loved most about Dark Knight was how real it all felt. And how straight the actors played their roles. No ham at all. It was, well, besides that sonar mobile phone Google Maps deus ex machina, it was all so believable. And daaaaaaark. Batman as it should be.

Anyway, mostly in response to the comment thread on my earlier Dark Knight post, I wanted to put up the collection of campaign posters that I've put together. You can't post images into the Blogger's comments, so I thought I'd use that as an excuse for a new post (this one) and, if it likes, the poster conversation can continue here.

Huzzah! (Click for high-res version. Obviously.)


I love the collage image, but my absolute favourite is this one:


And not just because the head's been cropped. The power, the menace, the suspense... ooh, it send shivers down my spine. And, unlike certain other posters, it sends shivers for the right reason. :)

UPDATE
Collection of promotional posters above updated to include new additions. I'm unsure if some are from different countries, which may explain certain irregularities (such as the four different logo treatments), or even if some might be fan art (the more gruesome Joker ones), but for what it's worth, there they are.

UPDATE 2
I found myself wondering the other day, do I hate Schumacher's Batman films unfairly? Have I created a memory more awful and repugnant than the actual films themselves? If I was to rewatch them now would I actually find that they're really not so bad and just a bit of fun? And then I came across this lowlights reel from Batman and Robin on YouTube, and my wonders fell dead to the ground. I couldn't make it past six minutes. How indescribably odious.

Mind the Gap.

Never let it be said I don't give praise when praise is due. I have, from time to time, been known to bring the gavel of condemnation down on Connex, but if there's ever good behaviour on display, I'll txt the jury straight away.

Good behaviour such as that which occurred this morning at the station formerly known (but still known to JJ) as Spencer Street.

As I went to insert my Metcard into the exit barrier's validator slot, I somehow managed to get the angle wrong and my ticket hit the angled lip beneath the slot. In the blink of an eye and in one swift motion as I continued to push, it slid down and into an open hairline seam at the base of the plastic bracket, disappearing into the metal barrier's guts.


It happened so quickly that I was left there standing with no ticket in my hand and a stunned expression on my face. An expression that turned to dread as I looked up to see a gang of Authorised Customer Service Enforcers standing there with arms folded across their chests and surly expressions fixed to their faces.

As if they were going to believe this.

Fortunately, they didn't have to. I walked over to one of the regular staff and explained that my ticket had just slipped into the barrier. He nodded and waved over a superior. I explained myself again and, instead of being thrown to the dogs, he also nodded and told me to go over to the ticket window where the attendant would assist me. The friendly woman took down my contact number and said she'd call me as soon as a technician had come by to open the barrier. And that was it. No doubt, no accusations, no demands for justification; just pure customer service, and with a smile.

A few hours later I got the call, and over I went to collect my ticket. Thanks Connex.

Heesa like dat second helping!

Is it just me, or is George Lucas starting to look more and more like one of his digital creations?


I'm just asking.

iPhone, Therefore I Am.

Alright, so maybe that's taking it a little too far, but when it comes to iPhone, hyperbole is the order of the day. And my day is today. Which, given that I was quoted three to four weeks for iPhone Round 2, came as quite the pleasant surprise. My, you'd be hard pressed to top my last 24 hours: The Dark Knight last night, iPhone this afternoon, and then I get home to discover a book that I'd ordered had just arrived from Amazon. Icing.

Imagine my disappointment then when I plugged the damn iPhone into my iMac and got the message: "No SIM card installed. Insert an unlocked and valid SIM to activate iPhone." Padme, nooooo!! The Optus guy hadn't been able to activate it in store, but assured me it'd be activated when I plugged it in at home. Well, apparently not. Straight onto the old-style, last century, landline-type phone (at least it worked, I guess), and the best he could suggest was that I bring the iPhone and SIM back into the store tomorrow so he can test it out there. No other option really.

So, bring on tomorrow, and in the meantime I'll just enjoy this sublime packaging in which the iPhone image on the top is embossed, except for the area under the Home button which sits recessed, as it does on the iPhone itself. It's not something you notice until you run your fingers across the box's surface. Just magnificent attention to detail.


UPDATE
Gutted. Took the iPhone back into the Optus store in the city this morning, to be told I got the rotten Apple in the barrel! The guy put my SIM into his phone, and it worked, then he put his SIM into the iPhone, and it didn't. Defective handset. What are the chances? They couldn't just swap it over for me, even if they'd had the stock (see hilarious official sign below) as defective units need to go back to Apple to be replaced by them. Or something. Anyway, he estimated a turnaround of one week which, given the actual over the estimate last time, I'm hoping means two days. I guess we'll see.

In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy watching this video of the upcoming game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed running on an iPhone!

Phone Line.

Well, sadly, the wait goes on. With a launch day short on stock and long on queues, I'll be waiting a little longer to take my iPhone home.

My initial plan was to head out early to Optus World in Epping, as I figured surely out in Epping demand would be low? Unfortunately, Optus had thought of that too and so only shipped 19 units out to the store, of which less than half were 16GB, less than half of those were black and of that tiny handful all were already accounted for by pre-order deposits. "Should I turn up tomorrow morning?" I asked the lady on the phone. "Don't bother," was the reply.

Plan B then was to catch the early train to Preston, pop over to Optus World to see what the situation was, and hope for the best. Maybe if I managed to hit the front of the queue I'd still be in with a chance? It was on the way to work anyway, so no harm done if things didn't work out. Got to Reservoir station in time for the 6:18 and, you won't believe it, it was cancelled. Thanks Connex. Next train? 6:38. And it was late. By the time I got to Preston, the line was already over 20 deep.


So I joined the end and ended up having a good chat to some fellow queuees as we waited to see how quickly the line would move. After half an hour of it moving nowhere, I conceded it wasn't going to be my lucky day and headed off to work on my regular train. On getting there I was relieved to find that of the many planning to get iPhones only two had been able to do so, and only by signing up with Vodafone whose plans are terrible. I just wasn't that desperate. Popped out at lunch and signed up for Round 2 with Optus, so now the waiting game begins. Anyone fancy some Hungry Hungry Hippos?

UPDATE
To sell its first million first-generation iPhones it took Apple 74 days. With iPhone 3G, nicely enough, it's taken them just three.

Dark Knight of the Soul.

In preparation for The Dark Knight I just rewatched Batman Begins, and I'm pleased to say it held up very well to a repeat viewing. I actually even enjoyed it more the second time around. Possibly because I wasn't as nervous; nervous that the long dark night of silly, rubbish Batman films was set to go onnnnnn. Thankfully though, Batman Begins delivered the Batman I've been so longing to see on screen: serious, complex, and dark; dark as light can be. And with ninjas, too! Ooh, of course, update, update!

And in my relief I'm not alone. Khoi Vinh reflects here on the critical reception of each Batman film to date and, on the off chance Dark Knight fails to meet our expectations, recommends enjoying a world in which the last Batman film didn't suck while we still can.

I've always considered myself a fan of the two Burton films, but, my, Christopher Nolan's efforts so far show just how far they fell from being what they could have been. Please, Mr Nolan, no giant, waddling, rocket-launching penguins or songs by Prince in this one. Have mercy.

UPDATE
Michael Bay's rejected script for Michael Bay's The Dark Knight by Michael Bay, featuring dialogue scripted by Michael Bay. Hilarious.

UPDATE 2
Nice little group shot here of the promotional posters created for The Dark Knight. The thumbnails really don't do them justice as, contrary to what the guy says in his post, the full-size prints I've seen have looked amazing. They are quite diverse in style, but I feel the thematic link is strong enough to hold them together as a set.

Actually, this trend towards multiple, character-based posters instead of one key image seems to be on the increase. Particularly with blockbusters. I guess a blockbuster budget helps. And it's good; keeps you keeping an eye out as you drive past bus shelters or whatever, looking to complete the set or just to spot your favourite character who you've yet to see. Attack of the Clones (2002) had me on the lookout for Jango (pre-disillusionment) and Matrix Reloaded (2003) caught my interest as I like cropping heads in the photos I take, too. (Shame the posters ended up being the best thing about the film). I wonder which film used this technique first? The Phantom Menace did it in 1999, but surely there are earlier examples than that? Class?

UPDATE 3
Collecting different editions of Catch-22 over the last decade or so has led me on a treasure hunt through a trail of secondhand dealers too numerous to count. But then eBay rolled into town and all of a sudden I could search a world of riches from the extraordinary comfort of my Aeron chair. My collection grew from a handful to a shelfful in no time at all, and the need to commit precious time to an increasingly futile search was gone. But so too, I came to realise, was part of the fun; the journey, though long, was often rewarding in and of itself.

All of which is a long way of saying that any discussions we might have had long into the night over which film used the multiple character-based style first has been obviated by Kate's discovery of the brilliant Internet Movie Poster Awards. It may not be exhaustive, but it's certainly thorough, and based upon its content we can award third place to 1991's Silence of the Lambs, second place to 1990's Dick Tracy, and first place to (drumroll) the ever innovating U2 with their 1988 film, Rattle and Hum. Clap, clap, clap. So there you go.