Open Thread: Batman Edition

by Open Thread on August 2, 2008

off to see Batman at the newly-remodeled Ojai Theater…
batman1.jpg
ok, ok, not that Batman.

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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }

Lisa Snider August 2, 2008 at 6:38 pm

Love the new bathrooms at the theater! Note the new start time is now 7pm, not 7:30.

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Brian August 2, 2008 at 9:42 pm

da da da da da da da da batman da da da da da da da da batman da da da da da da da da batman da da da da da da da da batman batman batman batman.
da da da da da da da da batman da da da da da da da da batman da da da da da da da da batman da da da da da da da da batman batman batman batman.

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Kenley August 2, 2008 at 9:59 pm

Les & I saw the movie tonight with Tyler. In it’s unusual third week in Ojai, this was my second time seeing it. Fun. Intense. Violent. Can those three words to together? The acting is well done. The ‘tech’ is believable. The good human spirit exists. And…the Joker..what more can I say. If you’ve seen it, then you know.
The theater remodel is really nice. Good sound. Good projection. Good seats.

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kittykat August 3, 2008 at 9:34 am

What is it about a movie made for twelve-year-old boys that appeals to otherwise intelligent grown men? and even some women?

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Kenley August 3, 2008 at 10:23 am

Probably for the same reason that a movie like “Sex in the City” appeals to women. Entertainment.
Anyway, I have a young son and the Dark Knight is wholly inappropriate for young boys. In fact the movie is rated PG-13, though I think it crosses into the R category a bit. This is an adult film, in my opinion, and not “made for twelve-year old boys.”

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kittykat August 3, 2008 at 12:50 pm

Of course a movie made for twelve-year-old boys is not suitable for younger children. If it were, it would not appeal to the twelve-year-old mind.
But Sex and the City does not begin to explain a grown man’s fascination with black-caped superheroes in mortal combat with clown-faced villains. Enjoy it if you like, but at least have the sense to be embarrassed about it.

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Kenley August 3, 2008 at 1:15 pm

I love it Kittykat, thanks for the laugh!
It’s a beautiful day in Ojai. Enough of this silliness. Going to sit down and read some William Vollman (Riding Toward Everywhere) and enjoy the breeze.
Peace.

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LTOR August 3, 2008 at 3:53 pm

kittykat!!! Where have you been, girlfriend?
And, ok, I’ll feign embarrassment when I admit I really liked Dark Knight. Now, usually I hate these “types” of testosterone charged movies (almost as much as I hate chick flicks!) but I had to see this one because of what I had heard about Heath Ledger’s performance. And found myself really liking the movie, damn it!! The use of the IMAX camera in this fashion was something I hadn’t seen in a regular movie before and Christian Bale is sooo hot and Ledger was simply delicious and…and…and I kind of want to see it again….
OK, now I think I will go get “The Third Man” off my shelf and watch it as redemption. LOL

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kittykat August 3, 2008 at 6:17 pm

Oh, o.k., now I get it — if Christian Bale is so hot, that expains everything!! (LOL!)

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Dennis Leary August 4, 2008 at 11:51 am

I may go see Dark Knight because it’s becoming a cultural icon. The big issue is money: will it surpass Titanic? Bingo. Cultural item # 1: MONEY.
I hate to spend money to support such a culture but then again by seeing it in Ojai I can support our local community, and I would like to be in the new theater, and experience the latest tech advances.
From the reviews, it does have some depth, like probing questions for the culture; just so far, mind you, not to interfere with the main intent to make money and as much as possible. That’s exactly the thing I do not want to support.
The interesting thing for me is how this comic book version of good vs. evil succeeds in holding up a Shakespearean mirror to ourselves. Real evil is found more readily in deconstructing a cultural icon like 911 where evil banksters far surpass the Jester in cruelty. They even made a jest by arranging it to correspond with the emergency number 911.
The great majority of sleeping sheeple don’t see into the evil depths of a batman any more than they can see the real warmongers behind the inside job of 911.
Batmen, by the way, are deep archetypes of our consciousness. Human creatures with wings, angels and devils represent that part of us that got divorced from our original love culture. Batmen and jokers are symbols for patriarchy (and its mirror image matriarchy). Evil personified and patrified. That kind of evil is truly evil and is dimly touched upon in a Dark Knight of the soul.
Real evil is Dylan’s: “sometimes Satan comes as a man of peace.” Well hidden and disguised. Well, like our culture both here in Ojai and in Washington.
The movie itself acts as a dark agent so if I go, I’ll need to do some protectory rites. By projecting evil in a palatable way, it protects real evil from being discovered. The evil nature of the film is evident by its rating. Bad for kids but how about the inner kids in us? Don’t they need protection?
The observation that this is a film for adults is on the money (literally and figuratively). From a truly good vs. bad perspective, the film might be rated X. Our culture is paranoid about sex and children but that’s just another cover for patriarchal power maintenance.
I think I will go to the film tonight. Thanks for the tips.

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