Young Writers Society

So, who is going to see The Dark Knight? I think it looks like the best Batman yet. There is talk that Heath Ledger did so well as the Joker that he might get nominated for an Academy Award.

<3 yeah, it's meant to be even better than Batman Begins (which was just amazing). According to preview reviews by journalists and stuff it's brilliant, it even has 100% from them on rottentomatoes.com.

I won't be able to see it until I come back from my holiday (also it doesn't come out til the 26th over here -_-) but I'm really excited for then!

<3 Joker.

T'would be interesting for Mr. Ledger to get the Oscar postmortem--is there a precedent? Either way, I can't wait. I've always loved Joker, and while this one looks to be a bit grittier than my beloved, Mark Hamon-voiced cartoon one, this whole take on Batman is a bit grittier and that's okay.

Not to sound callous, but Heath Ledger's dying has got this film an awful lot more publicity than it would have got otherwise. Still, what's not to be gobsmacked about in Batman?

TL G-Wooster wrote:Not to sound callous, but Heath Ledger's dying has got this film an awful lot more publicity than it would have got otherwise. Still, what's not to be gobsmacked about in Batman?

I don't think his death has got anything to do with this movie's hype. I mean it's a Batman movie and the previews make it look great.

gyrfalcon wrote:and while this one looks to be a bit grittier than my beloved, Mark Hamon-voiced cartoon one, this whole take on Batman is a bit grittier and that's okay.

hee yeah his joker is THE joker imo. TAS is the best version for sure.

TL G-Wooster wrote:Not to sound callous, but Heath Ledger's dying has got this film an awful lot more publicity than it would have got otherwise.

There was a LOT of viral marketing for this movie, lots of it. I think the ad campaign was really good, the reviewers love it =] maybe HL's death gave a bit but I think it would have made it with or without that.

TL G-Wooster wrote:Not to sound callous, but Heath Ledger's dying has got this film an awful lot more publicity than it would have got otherwise. Still, what's not to be gobsmacked about in Batman?

You are probably right on some part of it. I'm sure his death did bring some more publicity. But, I have been so excited for this movie to come out. Whether he passed away or not, I think it still would have had a lot of good publicity.

Oh, how I can't wait for this movie. Batman is the most amazing superhero ever (I have yet to see Ironman) and I really look forward to seeing Heath Ledger's interpretation of The Joker.

gyrfalcon wrote:T'would be interesting for Mr. Ledger to get the Oscar postmortem--is there a precedent? Either way, I can't wait. I've always loved Joker, and while this one looks to be a bit grittier than my beloved, Mark Hamon-voiced cartoon one, this whole take on Batman is a bit grittier and that's okay.

There's precedent, Peter Finch, 1977, and that would be "posthumous", not "postmortem". Heath Ledger is the schmick, if he doesn't get it, we shall burn things.

Although really if he does get one, there'll be a lot of people saying that he wouldn't have even been nominated if he hadn't died. Then again, I think he was cheated out of not getting one for other things, so a career achievement one would be nice. ^_^

And actually, his death brought some rather negative publicity. There were a lot of people claiming that his role in the movie made him depressed, and so on, which is stupid, since the shoot finished months before. By most reports, he loved the role.

I'm really looking forward to it, though. Mostly because Aaron Eckhart's in it, though. He's great in most of the stuff he does and I love the character arc he'll have, if they take it through the comic book route. Plus, Batman's just an awesome character in general.

And Polish, Iron Man wasn't that great. It was decent, but it can't stand up to Batman Begins, or probably The Dark Knight, which looks awesome.

Batman = epic win.
The cast of The Dark Knight = awesome and sexy.
Me = dead from anticipation that matches the anticipation I had for the release of the seventh Harry Potter book.

I can't wait for the movie's release! Why is July 18 coming so. Very. Slowly?!

You know what even more awesome than going to go see The Dark Knight? Going to see The Dark Knight preceded by the Watchmen trailer. ZOMG! I'm so excited! Not only do I get to see the movie that I've been waiting for almost a year to see, but I'll get to see the first teaser/trailer for the movie I'll be waiting for over a year to see! ^-^ Yay!

I'm getting advanced tickets for next week's release and will be forcing the other two coming with me to arrive at least thirty minutes before the previews start. If we arrive late or don't get good seats, someone will pay.

Obsessed? Naw. :3

Edit: The Dark Knight's official website has been jokerized! Oh noes! :O
(so frakkin' awesome!)

I do think it's likely that they are taking a more serious look at his role Oscar-wise because of his death, but I know I would have been thinking it regardless of what happened. It was a long time before I even believed that it was him, regardless of what the previews said.

As far as I know, though, nobody has ever been even considered for a posthumous Oscar unless it was a life-time achievement-type thing. In my opinion, people are definitely more likely to vote for him now that he has died, but he would have had a good chance anyway, despite the fact that it is a comic book movie. Those kinds of movies have a tendency to be ignored for their acting.

I'm incredebly excited to see this. I loved the first one, and I know I will love this one. The dark themes and the way it speaks to modern audiences while still keeping a gangster '20s feel is something I love.

As far as I know, though, nobody has ever been even considered for a posthumous Oscar unless it was a life-time achievement-type thing.

I was reading about the subject of HL getting an Oscar, and they mentioned that one person had received an Oscar posthumously. I couldn't remember who it is, but I looked for it and found it. Sidney Howard, who died in 1939, won an Oscar (in 1940) for his screen play Gone With the Wind. So it is possible that HL could win an Oscar; whether they (who?) would pursue it and try to get him nominated is the question.


To TL's comment, I don't think HL's death added to they hype. Batman doesn't need hype. Maybe you don't see it that way because you're on the other side of the pond, and I can't be sure that the hype here is any different there, but Batman is huge here. I don't know anyone who would say, "I hate batman." And if they did, I think they'd be stoned to death afterward!

Maybe you don't see it that way because you're on the other side of the pond, and I can't be sure that the hype here is any different there, but Batman is huge here.

Oh it is big over here, even though Batman is an American thing. (Two of the main actors are British though. ^_^ )

What I meant was that you can hardly see any comments about Batman without Heath Ledger being mentioned. It's all about the Joker. The Joker is possibly my favourite villain, but Two-Face is getting no mention at all.

Two-Face probably isn't getting much mention at all because he's not the villain. Besides, it doesn't look like he totally becomes Two-Face in the movie. He's only known as Harvey Dent, and not everyone who knows the villian knows the real name behid it.

TL G-Wooster wrote:Not to sound callous, but Heath Ledger's dying has got this film an awful lot more publicity than it would have got otherwise. Still, what's not to be gobsmacked about in Batman?

I disagree. If anything, I think it hurt their campaign to market the movie. Initially, they were planning to play up Heath Ledger's Joker as a staple in their campaign, using his complete transformation to excite people about the film. Unfortunately, he died even before the first real trailers started leaking out. So they had to switch tactics; note the shift over to Harvey Dent, rather than the Joker. Dent isn't even a huge character, in this film. Yes, he's played by Aaron Eckhart (*swoons*), yes he plays a larger part later in the series, but in *this* movie, he's just the DA. He's not the hero, nor the villain.

Pure speculation, of course.