橋爪

Apparently, The Dark Knight has been breaking cinematic records left and right, even though it's only been out for two days. It's already had the highest-grossing midnight showing, been shown in more theaters at once and made more in its first day than any movie ever.

I came into The Dark Knight not quite knowing what to expect. I had really enjoyed Batman Begins (who hadn't?), but there was a lot of hype surrounding The Dark Knight. There was Heath Ledger's death, a viral marketing campaign, and a rabid fanbase, all leading to an immense build-up of hype. I was wary, but

See. This. Movie.

Easily the best superhero movie to come out in recent years, if not ever. Not only did Heath Ledger's performance deliver (which I did not expect), but the entire film was phenomenally well-done. For nearly the entire movie, it felt like someone had delivered a shot of adrenaline straight to my heart. (I'm sitting here at home and my heart rate is barely back to normal.) Yes, it runs a bit long (two and a half hours), but it kept me engaged for every single minute of it. It's terrifying, entertaining, and worth every penny.

Also noteworthy was the Watchmen trailer which ran before The Dark Knight.

For those unfamiliar with the Watchmen, it's a graphic novel/comic that's widely regarded as a landmark in the industry, and essential reading for anyone interested in comic books. When it was announced that it was going to be adapted into a film, a lot of people were worried that a film adaptation just would not do the comic any justice, but if the trailer is any indication, it certainly seems to be headed in the right direction. After the trailer was shown in theaters, most of the audience (including me) applauded.

You can check out the trailer here. (And if you haven't read the graphic novel, you really ought to.)

I'm really please at the direction comic book movies seem to be taking. There definitely have been a few...missteps in the past; most superhero movies prior to this year have been awful. (The Punisher, anyone?) But the movies I have seen lately and the promising future releases (The Avengers, Watchmen, etc.) hint at a bright future for the genre.

Does anyone else read Kate Beaton's webcomics?
I found out about her recently and she immediately won me over by

• Being funny.
  
• Creating a webcomic that is not about video games or nerd culture.

She's on LJ as beatonna, and I would definitely recommend checking her comics out.