Richard's Online Journal

Darky Dark 3: Dark Darkier?

Posted by The_B on Thursday 24th July

Ohmygod I’ve turned into the Swedish Chef.

Posted by The_B on Thursday 24th July

Herdy-scherdy-berdy, why so serious?

I should probably post a bit more. Really good movie. Maaaaajor plotting issues at times, but not the kind that matter until you leave the theatre and start thinking “Hey, hang on...” Much props for not ending it on the dread words To Be Continued. Joker: Great. Needed much more Harley.

Like, any Harley at all…

Posted by Richard on Thursday 24th July

Its actually DArk Man 3: Die Darkman, Die!

So you were close.

Posted by Nick on Friday 25th July

Sigh. So many of what the TV Tropes guys would call Crowning Moment of Awesome moments.

In a way, it’s almost good that there can’t be any more Joker. This version of him is so fantastic, there’s nowhere really for him to go except down.

Posted by Richard on Friday 25th July

How does he compare to the Nicholson Joker?  Not that I intend to bring prejudices based on that to the cinema with me or anything, but I have a great fondness for the Keaton batman films (obviously moreso the first).

I’m also ashamed to say I have actually watched Darkman 3 many years ago and didn’t have to imdb the title or anything.

Posted by Nick on Friday 25th July

I’m probably not the right person to ask, because I hated the first Batman movie and thought Nicholson’s Joker was really, really terrible.

However, this versions is absolutely the ‘psychopath who dresses like a clown’ Joker as opposed to ‘the clown who kills people’. There’s very, very little chance you won’t find him the perfect movie version.

Posted by Richard on Friday 25th July

I’d agree - I find Nicholson’s and Ledger’s Jokers to be two entirely different versions of the character, Jack’s being a lot more comicy and indeed a charicture of the persona. Ledger’s is a lot more ‘real’ as it were, and obviously fitting in a lot closer really with Batman’s “not actually a ‘super’ hero” themes as such.

Posted by The_B on Friday 25th July

Bit of a shame about the magic sonar system, mind.

Posted by Richard on Friday 25th July

Richard, what’s your problem with King’s Quest II?

Posted by Therlun on Friday 25th July

What a random question…

King’s Quest II is a typically overrated Roberta Williams game. There’s no real plot, the environment is a mishmash of random fairytale crap masquerading as a world, the puzzles are awful, and even by her standards, that business with the collapsing bridge is evil enough to annoy Satan. 

Posted by Richard on Friday 25th July

Not completely random… :P

While killing 10 minutes I found an article where someone said something like: “Richard Cobbett, a writer I never heared of, wrote a list about the strangest moments in gaming”.

That made me re-read that article.

Posted by Therlun on Friday 25th July

Ah. I’m not sure why, but there’s been quite a few incoming links from a really old news post they did about that article. I chalked it up to “Hmm...”

Posted by Richard on Friday 25th July

I tried, but could not reproduce my travel path to that article, but I only browsed for a short time.
Its either a link from Rock Paper Shotgun or Quarter to Three Forums to an article on a site about gay gaming.

Posted by Therlun on Friday 25th July

Yeah, it’s GayGamer.net that has the story. I just can’t see the connection that’s sending people here via a 2007 news post. Ah well.

Posted by Richard on Friday 25th July

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2008/07/25/definitely-not-a-gta-iv-pc-story/#comments

There you go.
10th comment.

Posted by Therlun on Friday 25th July

10th comment +/-1 ... :P

Postcount +1!

Posted by Therlun on Friday 25th July

It’s a small web after aaaaaall...

Posted by Richard on Friday 25th July

How did you feel about Dark Knight compared to Begins, Richard? I seem to remember you loving the latter, except for when the villain decided to entire comic book super villain mode and poison Gotham’s water supply.

Posted by Craig on Friday 25th July

Dark Knight’s easily the better film, and I really enjoyed Begins, but it suffered from a lot of the same stuff as POTC2 - the blank cheque for a successful franchise that leads to over-the-top writing. The trip to Hong Kong for instance was totally superfluos.

The comic book problem hit twice for me - as in, moments where it was just too silly. The Bat Magic Surveillance System was just dumb. I get the idea of the Rome call-back, but no. Dumb. The other one was Two Face, who had fantastic CG, but just looked… goofy. Way, way too over the top for the realistic portrayal of the rest of the world (especially the more grounded Joker), and I weally wanted thim tho thart thpeaking like he looked.

JUDGE: “Do you have any final words, Mr. Dent?”
TWO-FACE: “Yeth! Fwee Bwian!”

Still, great movie.

Posted by Richard on Friday 25th July

Saw this one tonight. The film itself was hit and miss, but the Joker was astonishing. Actually, truly scary. I kept forgetting that he was Heath, and I’ve always been a huge fan of his. In some ways, I feel they should end the franchise here. They’re not going to find a better adversary for Batman than this Joker was, and they’re not going to match Heath’s performance, not easily, and not uncontroversally.

And I totally agree on Nicholson’s Joker. He was basically playing himself, not being the Joker. Same with Jones as Two-Face. He was being crazy Jones, rather than Two-Face. Wasn’t entirely happy with Eckheart either, but he was definitely a lot closer.

Posted by Cradok on Saturday 26th July

Hm, Nicholsons Joker really wasn’t him playing himself at all, though he is guilty of that in several of his roles.

Posted by Nick on Saturday 26th July

I thought Eckhart was okay as Harvey Dent, but the Two Face stuff… just a bit gimmicky, especially the eyeball half a movement from falling out. He just struck me as not fitting in with the more realistic style, and one of those cases when simple burn prosthetics would have looked one hell of a lot better.

In some ways, I feel they should end the franchise here. They’re not going to find a better adversary for Batman than this Joker was

They’ve got the same problem as the Schumacher films now, really, in that they’re out of the truly great iconic villains. Catwoman hasn’t been much of a villain for years, ditto with Penguin to a large extent. Riddler’s a bit superfluous now we’ve had a version of the Joker who revels in insanely complicated plans (regardless of his claims).

Clearly, it’s time for King Tut and the Mad Hatter to have their day!

Posted by Richard on Saturday 26th July

On the other hand, Ra’s and Crane weren’t exactly the A-list boys themselves. However, because they’re being more realistic, that rules out a fair swaith of the gallery.

I doubt we’ll see Penguin, he’s just a little bit campy, and not terribly interesting. I’d like to see Patrick Stewart as Freeze, but I have trouble seeing him fitting in too…

Posted by Cradok on Saturday 26th July

True. And Egg Fu’s probably right out, if they wanted to plug the series into other heros’ rogues gallery…

Posted by Richard on Saturday 26th July

Harley could work wonderfully in the next one. I agree that they’ve used the real big hitters already, so at the least, a female villain could add some much needed diversity there. Just make her crazy psycho nuts and beautiful. Sorted.

I’d like to see Manbat but there’s absolutely no way that could work. Ho hum.

Posted by Craig on Monday 28th July

I could totally see Harley as the Riddler’s evil conscience or something - carrying the Joker’s flag while he’s ‘in Arkham’ or similar.

Posted by Richard on Monday 28th July

Just wondering… Which plotholes?

Posted by Johnny W on Monday 28th July

Plotholes?

Posted by Richard on Monday 28th July

> He just struck me as not fitting in with the more realistic style

Yeah, and that bit onwards went on far too long IMO. And the sonar? Meh… but Heath Ledger was extraordinary and genuinely scary, the set pieces - bank especially - were a hoot, and by and large the film was enormously exciting. Saw it in an IMAX cinema and was blown away. Who knew IMAX could do more than Rolling Stones tour films and Space Shuttles in 3D?

Posted by Gary on Monday 28th July