The Dark Knight has landed here Being the father of a bunch of movie addicts is a frustrating business. When the blockbusters are released here you can bet that by the end of the first week several of our children will have engaged in the cinematic experience, but the feedback to us parents is limited.
And so it's been with the new Batman movie
The Dark Night. Our teenage daughter went to see it on Wednesday afternoon. (In company with a boy from high school whom she apparently has a crush.) Her verdict on the movie. "It ran for too long." That was it. Two hours and thirty two minutes was too long. What a wimp!
Unfortunately such brief reports from our children on the films they've seen are pretty common. Another typical review we get from them is. "It was orright."
Arrrgh!
There has been much advance publicity for the film in this fair city because it's where actor Heath Ledger (The Joker) came from. He expired in the US earlier this year after he swallowed a cocktail of pharmaceutical drugs. It seems likely
The Dark Night will be his last film, which is probably why the film editors made the cinema version so long. No point in wasting any footage.
Mr Ledger's death caused a sensation in Perth and the shockwaves are still echoing. A couple of weeks ago the state premier announced that a squillion dollar, yet-to-be completed, state government sponsored, live-performance theatre in Roe Street, Northbridge will be formally known as the Heath Ledger Theatre. The naming of the venue has been contentious because of the circumstances his death and the sour grapes from other sectors of the arts community - plus of course radio shock jocks.
Northbridge is separated from central Perth by Perth railway station. Roe Street which runs alongside the line was notorious for its ugly streetside brothels until the 1950s. In more recent times the area has become notorious for muggings and ethnic street gangs, particularly at night. It's just the sort place which needs a Batman or two.
Not long after Mr Ledger's death came media allegations of 'love children.' There's a lot of wealth attached to his estate and apparently the anticipation has been divisive for his family. Only a few days ago came the news that probate will be taken care of in Perth, rather than the US. I hope any love children are provided for.
During the past 48 hours there's been another chapter added to the sorry melodrama. An middle aged uncle of Mr Ledger who appeared in interviews on local news media soon after the death has been charged by police over a sensational earth-moving equipment heist last week. Another man is also facing drug related charges.
On another front there seems to be a concerted campaign to provide posthumous Oscar for Mr Ledger at the next Academy Awards.
It could be appreciated then that Heath Ledger might not have had his last film with
The Dark Night. Someone is sure to make a movie, or at least a doco of his just-as-interesting life-after-death.
© MMVIII Paul R. Weaver.
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