I started watching the Batman movies previous to this one before LY showed me the light.  Jack Nicholson was a great original Joker, but do I really want to watch the Governator as Mr. Freeze?  No, because I rather respect my Governator, despite the inconsistencies (*ahembudgetahem*), so I decided to skip the other ones.  JM also told me to watch The Machinst and this one back-to-back.  However, I'm not as fascinated by Christian Bale's extreme physical transformation between the two films as he seems to be.

I’m making it a tradition to do a running commentary on post-its as reviews of action/adventure flicks.  Why?  Because it’s fun.

1. Hm, I’m slightly reminded of Taiyuan…ohhh, duh!  He’s in some ambiguous China-land!
2. Haha, “protection for them!”
3. Is it wrong to think Liam Neeson is hot?
4. “League of shadows?”  How corny is that?  But Liam is still hot.
5. Ooo, the flower is pretty.
6. Ken Watanabe is SO a decoy.  Liam has WAY more presence and status to be the bad guy.
7. Was Michael Caine always that tall?  Why has this become a commentary on the actors and not the action?
8. Probably because it’s rather talky so far.
9. I never liked Empire of the Sun because the boy was so whimpy-whiny-weak-sauce.  Kind of like kid-Bruce.
10. **low whistle**  Nicely shot with the train and the buildings.
11. I actually think bats are kind of cute.
12. Molly-coddles is not a word people use often, especially state-side.  But it should.  And on dads like Bruce’s.
13. Good riddance.  Dead parents make a stronger man-Bruce rather than live ones.
14. Sorry, that last comment was harsh.  I didn't mean it like that, at face value.  I mean that sometimes, bad things happen to all sorts of people and sometimes it helps them develop something they never had before - that something usually being worthwhile.
15. Liam = Yoda.  Bruce = Luke.  Even the costumes look slightly familiar.
16. Neeen-ja!  XD
17. It’s too bad about that porn-star ‘stache.  Should have either gone all the way with the facial hair or none at all.  An evil goatee would work too.
18. C. Bale looks so different with different hairstyles.
19. I’ve always thought Katie Holmes had an old-person face.  It’s the cheekbone/jowls combo that does it.
20. Love, love, love the architecture.
21. Preachy much, Rachel?
22. Haha!  “Should’a tipped bedda!”
23. How did a steam ship end up in land-locked Midwest America?
24. Chinese is such a useful language.
25. There is something very misplaced about a Chinese cop who says “Foo’!”
26. Whoa, trippy drugs.
27. Eeenjust-tease!  Hey, are they somehow related to Cuteoverload foreign-accented writing division?
28. Yay!  Real action!  Finally.
29. Killed by falling plywood.  Oh yeah, definitely a decoy.
30. Well, he’ll have a sore shoulder tomorrow.
31. Bruce, that’s what we all want too: an everlasting legacy spanning beyond ourselves.  At least I want that.
32. Cillian Murphy isn’t bad looking either.  I don’t normally go for the bespectacled geeky types, but that gaze is so steely and so cool.
33. Morgan Freeman’s looking good too – with him and Liam, the older the better.
34. Splunking!  LY would be proud.
35. When did Alfred get so sarcastically humorous and why wasn’t I there too?
36. Chicago is officially on my “Must Visit” list.
37. Not a quote from this movie, but “…with the words Swingline stamped on your forehead” comes to mind.  Challenge: now go and see if you know where that quote does come from.
38. Fire escapes hurt.
39. Rich guys have a lot of free time on their hands.
40. LOL moment: the dude getting sucked inside a dark shipping container!
41. Be smart, villain, be smart!  Bail!  Bail!
42. Aw, not smart.
43. That’s not Batman, that’s the Tasmanian Devil.
44. At least she’s smart enough to carry a stun gun.
45. Why are the female costumes either tacky or straight-jacket-y?  Holmes wears nothing but trench coats, suits, and collars pulled up to her forehead.  Every other female character (and there are not many) are swathed in stripper-prints.  No style at all for the gals.
46. Mm, a falafel sounds good.
47. Aww, poor lawyer dude.
48. The kid is cute.
49. Did I just hear the NBC three-toned theme?
50. Loving Dr. Crane’s idiosyncratic enunciation and diction.  It’s great.
51. At least he’s polite when blasting through someone else’s walls.
52. Batman is no boy scout.  Should have been prepared.  But I guess that wouldn’t have left any excuse for a car chase scene.  The tech production guys have been waiting for this moment.
53. Cars + roofs = XD
54. Ahhh!  Stealth mode!!!
55. Either that poison isn’t as strong as they think or Rachel is tougher than she acts, because it’s been fifteen minutes since she got dosed and she hasn’t died yet despite everyone and their mothers saying she won’t have long to live.
56. Post-its are great, no?
57. Drat, she didn’t die.
58. So Cal moment!
59. Raz is back!  He is also actually Batman’s real father.
60. Gotta get me a set of golf clubs.
61. Didn’t know the DA’s assistant had that much authority.
62. Creepy shot of the Narrows.
63. Stunned in the face!  Holmes, aka “Old Face,” is good for something after all.
64. Swing, monkey!  Swing!
65. Sgt. Gordon is having way too much fun.
66. Shucks, he made a good bad guy trying to be a good guy.
67. We’ll see Earle again as a bad guy, methinks.
68. Theory: C. Bale’s perpetual curl around the lips whenever he interacts “romantically” with K. Holmes means he doesn’t even believe their chemistry can be this.  Incredibly.  Awful.
69. PLOT HOLE ALERT!  If the man you loved never came back, WHY ARE YOU STILL HOLDING HIS HAND?  And why are you proud of him when you just said the complete opposite??  PLOT HOLE ALERT!
70. Ah, I see.  They must have changed their relationship status at the end due to focus groups and test audiences.  Movie-watching America is not as dumb as I thought.

I don't go to movie theaters very often because a) I don't like crowds, b) I don't generally enjoy public places, c) they're expensive and I'm a cheapskate, d) why go when I can enjoy films in the comfort and privacy of my own home (which really is another way of stating a & b).

I will go if certain conditions are met.  For instance, I like to go with friends.  Or during matinees or $3 Tuesdays.  Or in HK as a break from cramped flats and the press of humidity/people on the streets.  Or for movies I really, really, REALLY want to watch.

From what I hear and read of The Dark Knight, this one falls under the latter category.  If I can manage to combine it with the 'friends' and '$3 Tuesdays' categories, that would be even better.

Until then, I'm eagerly awaiting Batman Begins to arrive at my mailbox.  No, I haven't seen that one either.  Have I mentioned that I'm WAY behind the times in movie watching?

After the third movie, I ceased wanting to watch this series for the series itself.  The books have been written, I know what's going to happen, and I imagine it WAY better in my head than the films portray so why bother?

I don't know.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is even more convoluted and confusing than #4.  I can't imagine being able to understand the plot if I hadn't read the stories already.  Book 5 may not have that much humorous events, but whatever it did have, the directors have all but obliterated them from the screen.  They also cut out so much of Cho Chang's storyline that I wonder why they even put her in the picture at all.  The scene I was looking forward to the most - Weasley twins fireworks escape - was disappointing.  Obviously someone was trying to save money for the climactic fight sequence between Dumbledore and Voldemort.

Some good things: Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange is totally on-the-dot demented.  I wish she had more screen time.  I'm looking forward to Sweeney Todd, which is on my list after my dad has his fill of the previous Batman movies.  I also wished Hermione and Luna had more screen time.  Those two are probably the best casting choices out of all the younger actors.  I want to say Ginny too, but she didn't do much in this film either, so I haven't formed an opinion about her yet.

For a lot of people not doing much at all, this film is almost unbearably long.  Skip the movie.  Read the book.