Case of the Mundays

By TwinsWin83

*I’m going to assume without much doubt that most of you out there went at some point over the weekend to see The Dark Knight. Not only did the newest installment in the Batman saga have the biggest opening in history this weekend, racking up a tidy 155 mil, but it also received recommendations from 94% of the nation’s top critics, a rarity for a superhero flick. I was lucky enough to get tickets for a midnight showing Thursday evening and was glad I did. Since I am assuming most people out there saw the movie I am going to steer clear of the review angle and just give a couple of my thoughts on the movie instead. Those that haven’t seen it yet don’t worry, I won’t include any spoilers.

Before the movie’s release a lot was made in the press of Heath Ledgers portrayal of the iconic Joker. Now, I know that fans and critics alike can exaggerate the brilliance of a performance when the actor/actress has suffered an untimely death, but this is one case where all of the attention is not only warrented but also much deserved. The movie itself is solid on almost every level, from the engrossing storyline to the dark and ominous cinematography and even the overall message it tries to convey, but the one thing that pushes this film off the corner of being a good movie over the edge into a great one is simply Ledger’s performance.

There was almost an uneasiness among the crowd in the theatre every time Ledger appeared. Many laughed at lines I didn’t think were meant to be funny, but the figure he created is one that haunts the entire film. Even days after you’ve seen the movie his character stays with you. Now I’ll be the first to admit I’ve seen, and liked, a lot of movies in my time, but it might not be an overreaction when I say Heath Ledger's Joker is the most interesting, sinister, complex and memorable character I have seen in any film, superhero or not.

Aside from Ledgers performance the movie was impressive, leaving only a few questions to be asked by the well-versed Batman viewer, but ones that I won’t ask here in case someone reading this hasn’t seen it yet. I thought that Maggie Gyllenhaal was a much better choice for the role of Rachel Dawes then Katie Holmes was in Batman Begins. The Harvey Dent character was an intriguing addition as well. I’ll be interested to hear what the rest of you out there thought of The Dark Knight.


*As the Twins head to New York tonight for a series with the Yankees they remain a half game out of first place. I wonder if they do overtake the White Sox for the top spot in the AL Central if that will force the sports world out there to finally take a serious look at the Twins. The 2008 Twins are doing the whole more-with-less bit better than any of the previous division winners the organization has had this decade and it baffles me that more people aren’t taking notice. If they would all just go back and look at their preseason picks they would realize just how surprising and impressive this club has been so far.


*Did anyone watch the ESPY’s last night? For the second time in three years Blake Hoffarber was up for an award for Best Play of the Year. Here's the play. But unlike two years ago, when he was up for his amazing shot from his back in the Minnesota State title game, he didn’t win. Still though, that’s pretty impressive that the kid has made two bonkers shots like that in two game-ending situations in such a short period of time.


*Greg Norman is the anti-Tiger Woods. Every time the dude has a lead going into the final round he squirts the thing down his leg. You almost have to feel bad for the guy. I was actually hoping he could pull it off yesterday just so he could exercise some of those old demons, and because he’s almost old enough to be getting social security.


*Is anyone really looking forward to the Olympics? There are a few things in there I guess I am looking forward to seeing, like if the basketball team can finally win back some respect, but for the most part I am just dreading all of the ridiculous wall-to-wall coverage for two weeks. Especially at a time when I am going to want to be hearing more about baseballs pennant races.


*Speaking of which, I hope the Twins and White Sox are still neck-in-neck by the time Chicago comes to the Dome for that four-game set at the end of this month because if they are it’s going to be a crazy atmosphere at ol’ Triple-H. It was cool to see so many people turn out for a three game series with the Rangers this weekend. I guess that’s one thing that will always be true of Minnesotans: they support their teams when things are going well.


*Can we start an AH! pool for bets as to when Lariano will be called up?