Why The Dark Knight deserves an Oscar nod for Best Picture.

[Writer]

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117997400.html?categoryId=3247&cs=1

Comicbook films address serious issues

A hyperkinetic, comicbook superhero blockbuster is normally popcorn fare, not Oscar fare. But this year is different. Both "Iron Man" and "The Dark Knight" are being regarded as serious contenders for Academy hardware.
So what is different this time around? The simple answer, of course, is that these two movies are better than most comicbook knockoffs -- more skillfully made, more satisfyingly written and more complexly constructed with more conflicted heroes than the superhero norm.

But there is another answer that may not be as obvious -- namely, that these films do what all enduring works of art do, whether within popular culture or outside it: They address serious issues and raise serious questions. These are, Oscar voters may note, films of ideas as well as of effects.

Superficially, both works present the usual conflict between good and evil. Batman is the personification of order -- the force society needs to rein in the bad guys. Or as Police Commissioner Gordon puts it, he is the hero Gotham City needs, even if he is not always the one it wants.

(more at link)

[Wapsie B]

1. There are very few films I could watch several times

but that is one of them.

[Symarip]

2. Wanted spanked The Dark Knight

Wanted should not only get a best picture nomination, but should win in every category, including best foreign film since the director is Russian.

[Orrex]

9. Who plays the female lead in that flick?

[Writer]

10. Brangelina Jolitt n/t

[jeff30997]

12. Are you kidding ?

The Oscar for best movie should go to Friends: The Movie. :P

[sasquatch]

14. In a pigs ass it did

[DS1]

16. Wanted was kind of revolting

and besides, shooting a room full of people in the head with one bullet could spread disease :eyes:

[Symarip]

17. In light of this new evidence

I retract my statement.

[jobycom]

3. That, and it was the best film of the year. nt

[stewartcolbert08]

4. Hands down

Best movie of the year!

[Adenoid_Hynkel]

5. I disagree - highly overrated

I went in expecting to like it, as I thought Batman begins was good, but left a tad underwhelmed.

I didn't like the Joker. Once you get past the hype of the Heath Ledger Death Cult, it's a pretty two-dimensional character. He's basically doing Rizzo while licking his lips. I didn't see it as anything revolutionary. And it didn't really strike me as the Joker from 60+ years of comics. It was just a generic horror movie villian who'd be more at home in the Saw movies.

The last half-hour was tacked on and the Harvey Dent character's fate was half-assed and not developed.

I found the movie incredibly tedious and the 'you complete me' type of dialogue was adolescent. Maybe that's to be expected in a comic movie, but this one was hailed as breaking all those rules.

I hardly think it was the best film of the year - or even the best comic film . Iron man was infinitely better. I'd also rate the new Hulk film (bad effects aside) as more engaging.

Was it horrible? No. It's still better than the wretched Joel Schumacher versions. Probably a 6 out of 10 type of film, in my opinion.

But Oscar-worthy? A bit too much. I've never seen such an average film hyped up to such nonsensical levels.

But worse pictures have won (Titanic, LOTR). Oscars aren't the best measure of quality. Remember Welles, Chaplin, Kubrick and Hitchcock never won in competitive awards.

[Kat45]

6. IIRC, I found the film boring.

And I had expected to really like it. :shrug:

[KurtNYC]

7. not going to happen

The Academy is made up of recipients of Academy Awards from years passed. That means the average Academy voter tends to be mature.

Does that means they pick films with a mature appeal? Hmmmmm:

- Unforgiven
- Driving Miss Daisy
- English Patient
- Titanic
- A Beautiful Mind
- Million Dollar Baby
- The Departed
- No Country for Old Men (the title alone was Oscar-bait)

[Broken_Hero]

8. I hope so, but

I don't think it will get it for best picture, they will probably get the Oscar for best theme music, or costume, or something like that.

[Writer]

11. I hope that the Academy overlooks the elitist bias they have against genre films to see that this...

was indeed a very powerful and very germane film for modern society.

[Broken_Hero]

13. Agreed, they did so with LOTR Return of the King

I thought there was some brilliant themes in this movie, some thought the themes were mundane, but I thought the whole theme/style was awesome...but I'm a biased comic book dork....:D

:hi:

[RadiationTherapy]

15. Yeah, yeah, yeah...Batman/Joker; Order/Chaos ... yawn.