I've been waiting for The Dark Knight since it was announced over a year ago.  I saw it this morning.  I was not disappointed.

I have had very little exposure to the Batman comics, but have followed with great interest his various incarnations on screen, both in film and television.  A few observations:

1) Christian Bale, who has played the caped crusader twice now, is probably the best Bruce Wayne yet.  He has just the right amount of cocky playboy wit, played against a certain emotional distance and woundedness.  However, I still prefer Michael Keaton's Batman.  (It might seem silly to consider them as two different roles, but in a sense they are two characters.)  Bale makes an unusual choice for his speaking voice when in costume.  I realize Wayne would want to disguise his voice so as not to be recognized, but his breathy growl gets a little distracting at times.  Also - and this has nothing to do with acting - for all the evolutions and "upgrades" in the batsuit over the years, my favorite remains the suit worn by Keaton in Tim Burton's first outing with Batman in 1989.

2) Of all the villains of the Batman films (The Joker, The Penguin, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Two-Face, The Riddler, The Scarecrow), none has been as menacing and powerful as the late Heath Ledger's Joker in TDK.  Jack Nicholson played The Joker in Burton's 1989 film, and portrayed him as a slap-happy murdering weirdo.  His performance was effective and memorable, and was the right one for the Burton film.  Ledger shows him as a twisted philosopher of sorts, warped into a murderous criminal by deep-seated wounds, haunted by painful memories of his past (which he shares with some of his victims along the way).  Ledger creates a truly frightening, and - in the world of comic-book characters - plausible, villain.  Yet, as powerful as his performance is, it would not have been the right fit for the Burton film.  I went into the theater assuming I would have to make a decision about whose Joker I liked better - Nicholson's or Ledger's - but discovered that the performances, and the respective films containing them, are so different from one another that both performances can co-exist alongside one another without making the other obsolete.  They were each the right performance for the right film. 

I've gone on long enough already, so I'll make my last observation brief.

3) Chris Nolan has renewed my confidence in Batman (after Joel Schumaker's butchering of the whole franchise), and has me looking forward eagerly to whatever future versions he'll bring us. 

9 stars out of 10.

Here's a good video of Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, urging his church, and Christians in general, to think clearly about issues of faith and doctrine, and in particular, to avoid the runaway bestseller, "The Shack."  It's a good warning against a dangerous book, and a terrific example of why all things Emerging are not necessarily bad (i.e., Driscoll).**

So, a few weeks ago I began a quest (albeit a slow-moving one) to see 50 old movies - most considered classics - that I have either not seen at all, or saw when I was very young and don't remember much about them.  The only progress I had made until last night was Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil," which is a crime story more notable for its style and cinematography than for its characters or content, but I enjoyed it.

Last night, on the wonder that is www.hulu.com, I watched Billy Wilder's 1959 comedy classic, "Some Like It Hot."  I can't remember the last time I had so much fun watching a movie!  Jack Lemmon (who I had almost completely forgotten about, but now remember as one of the most likeable movie stars ever) and Tony Curtis play down-and-out musicians who witness the St. Valentine's Day Massacre and, having become the target of Chicago mobsters, hide away by disguising themselves as women and joining a 3-week Florida tour of an all-female band.  We meet the band's singer, played by Marilyn Monroe, and now we have the triangle of main characters.  The ensuing mania is a joy to behold, and I laughed out loud many times.  Curtis re-disguises himself as a man to woo the Monroe character, while Lemmon earns the relentless interest of a rich girl-watcher played by Joe E. Brown, who, along with William H. Macy, has one of the most unique and memorable faces of anyone.  The mobsters eventually find them (quite by accident, actually) in Florida, so of course chaos is inevitable.  Anyway, it's fast-paced and witty, wryly directed, wonderfully acted (since the actors can't help having so much stinking fun themselves), and boasts the best closing line I can remember in a movie.  It's screwball as it was intended to be. 

Tonight I'll watch another Billy Wilder/Jack Lemmon collaboration, the 1960 Best Picture Oscar-winner, "The Apartment."

In unrelated news, I've also been reading Jerry Bridges' "The Gospel for Real Life," and have found it a deeply poignant and refreshing explanation of the atoning work of Christ on the behalf of damned sinners.  I can't remember the last time I read something that made me feel such a weight of joy and gratitude for the Gospel.  It's easy to read (I read half of it in one sitting), and well worth the time.  I'm excited about finishing it.