I saw 'The Dark Knight'

The joy of seeing a movie that exceeds the hype is the reason why I keep going back to the movies. Well, that and being surprised by a good movie that doesn't have any hype preceding it. As usual, as for any movie that I keenly anticipate, I avoided reading the reviews. I kept hearing the word 'awesome' in various forms by critics and casual bloggers everywhere. They were all right. I mean, it is a seriously good movie. To me, these days, a movie is good when you don't pause to think about the actors but only see them as the characters they portray. The level of over exposure of actors and even directors is highly distracting. Admittedly, it was a bit tough during this movie as Heath Ledger's face came to my consciousness a few times. I found myself trying to look past the calculated cheap make-up of the Joker. I think anyone will be hard-pressed not to do that. Despite that, you still get lost in the Joker character. This is a remarkable achievement by the director. I keep going back to the director. I wish I could soak in some of the thrill and pride he will be feeling right now. Christopher Nolan has delivered one of the best movies that I've seen. I personally think that he has reached the zenith of his career. He took a franchise that had dwindled down to a farce. He rebooted it with a vision that only an auteur can have. Psychological thrillers are his forte and he found the template adequately matched in the Batman world. What more can he possibly plan to achieve?

After restoring some faith in the Batman among the movie going public with Batman Begins, he has now assaulted our senses with a great follow-up act. I was particularly impressed with the casting. There are no show ponies here. The two movies (Batman Begins and The Dark Knight) are filled with character actors giving additional authenticity to the movie. Even the actors who tried out - the actors who auditioned for various roles in the movie and ultimately didn't make it - are greater talents than the staple Hollywood fare. A positive trend that hopefully will have more actors and less tabloid darlings headlining good movies.

The director's vision has been accompanied by a level of sincerity to the viewing public. It would be hard pressed to find a movie buff whose faith in 'The Batman' is not restored.

Finally, Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. I can hear the theme music when I close my eyes. It has somehow got itself embedded into my sub-consciousness.