The Dark Knight on IMAX is a BIG BIG DEAL

So I saw Dark Knight for the 3rd time at Menlyn's IMAX, just outside Pretoria. From Johannesburg take the N1, and turn left on N1 East. It will take you straight to Atterbury. If you stay on the road, in other words if you miss the exit to the N1 East (a left turn close to Pretoria) you end up in Potgieter Road driving through some yucky areas of Pretoria. The N1 East takes you directly to Menlyn.

On a Tuesday night at 9pm the cinema was packed. A girl on my left at one point had her arms wrapped around herself, the way someone trying to protect themselves from flying shrapnel might hold themselves. The dude on my right had his hand over his mouth. A brutal, but also brutally intelligent flick.

Three aspects of the flick I'd like to highlight.

1) The buzz saw noise, a low pitched droning, buzzing sort of noise. It is the sound of the collective human condition, our collective headache, in the face of increasing stress, and duress.

2) A gloved fist hitting hard against a gloved hand - you hear that sound a lot. It's a hard noise.

3) The sequence where Batman flies through Hong Kong on the IMAX screen is simply priceless. Great job Mr. Nolan.

I'd advise trying to get a seat in row H or higher. We were in C, which was awesome but slightly too close. Tickets cost R25 apiece. Sssh. I'd be prepared (whispering) to pay about 10 times that.

In the next installment will we see Robin and the Riddler, or perhaps Green Arrow?

clipped from english.ohmynews.com The Violence Vice Unlike McCartney I don't believe directors are at fault for putting violence in movies. Our society is at fault for allowing itself to unravel to the extent that it has. The fact that more people want to watch these violent scenarios is merely a reflection of where movie realism is resonating with the real world. It is difficult not to believe that the world is tipping ever closer to a world war scenario, along with many other bleak possibilities, including pandemic flu, hunger shortages and worldwide social disorder (riots, etc.). While the average person might call these imaginations "doomsday," the truth is that subconsciously it is neither illogical nor farfetched given the rapid declines in world economics. "The Dark Knight" embodies a mythos that resonates with many: that there is a growing craziness and disorder that is threatening to break loose. We all sense now that criminal elements (or terrorism) are becoming harder to contain.