Review: The Dark Knight

To say that “The Dark Knight” is one of the most anticipated movies of the year is something of an understatement. It seemed that every poster, every picture and every trailer was posted all over the internet, and that buzz translated into the biggest opening weekend in history, earning over $158 million in just three days. Luckily, the buzz surrounded the right movie.

“The Dark Knight” picks up where “Batman Begins” ended, following Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) and his heroic alter ego’s push to free Gotham City from the world of organized crime. He is assisted by Lt. Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart of “Thank You for Smoking”), and all seems to be going well until a new face appears on the street.

The Joker (Heath Ledger), whose smeared makeup and green highlights will stay in your mind for weeks, is not like the other criminals. He doesn’t need money, and he can’t be found until he pops his head out. He likes knives, talks in such a way that is both menacing and lisped. He is Batman’s criminal opposite.

The movie, which lasts two and a half hours, has so many different parts to it that it’s hard to single out any particular one. The twists and turns of the movie never allow the viewer to settle in, and those looking for a definitive final battle will be tossed about as if they were stuck in a washing machine.

Review: Hancock

Ever since the first X-Men movie, it seems summer has been the time for comic book heroes to shine. Movie goers have been treated to the likes of “Spider-Man,” “Batman Begins” and “Iron Man,” so it’s no surprise to get a little backlash on the whole hero story line. That’s where “Hancock” comes in, the inevitable not-so-good-guy hero movie that manages to be a rather messy summer treat.

“Hancock” follows the exploits of the title character played by Will Smith. While he ends up saving the day, Hancock does so at a hefty financial toll. He leaves gaping holes on every road he touches, slams criminals into buildings and destroys cars at a monster truck-like rate. Hancock also carries a bottle of whiskey at all times and taunts his many hecklers born out of his recklessness. In short, he’s not the model hero.

But all that begins to change after Hancock saves Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman of FOX’s “Arrested Development”). Ray, a struggling public relations man, decides to seize the moment and coaxes Hancock into becoming a client despite objections from his wife, Mary (Charlize Theron). Needless to say, things start to get better for the hero.

The movie can be divided into three parts: destruction, retribution and … confusion. The destruction is fun to watch, and the retributions offers some great comic moments as Hancock adjusts to becoming a nice guy, but the final third is just a mess set off by a twist that comes out of nowhere. It’s a very interesting mess, but it’s a flood of information that only partially makes sense because all of the pieces just don’t come together like they should.