The Dark Knight

**This review contains spoilers.**

My sister is in love with the Batman movies; that’s why she insisted I watch them. I figured it was about time to watch The Dark Knight, if not simply to stop the weird glances when I admit to never having seen it.  Besides, I love two other Christopher Nolan movies, and so many people are obsessed with the Batman series. Could they all be wrong?

So I watched Batman Begins and it was probably the best superhero movie I’ve seen. It wasn’t even close to being as good as the Nolan films I love, yet good. But it’s The Dark Knight everyone talks about.

Now that I’ve seen it I can say the visuals are splendid. Car chases are fast, sleek, intense. The soundtrack may be timeless.

Now that I’ve seen it, I can also say it’s overrated. From a writer’s standpoint, it was completely plot-driven to the point where characters changed dramatically in ways that made no sense , notably the change resulting in Two-Face. Loki’s turn to evil in Thor was much more believable; a slower progression caused by believable (for super hero movies) circumstances. We can see the change, sympathize. Two-Face wakes up crazy; I couldn’t believe that a man prepared to sacrifice his life could be turned so quickly, so easily.

And the actor change for Rachel – so little was done to establish her as Rachel that I didn’t care when she died. The only one who seemed to care is Two-Face, as if somebody snatched everyone else’s grief and smashed it on him. I wanted to care because of the first movie, wanted shout to Bruce Wayne why he wasn’t crying about the little girl from his boyhood. But how could I, since I wasn’t crying either?

Heath Ledger did a good job, the lizard-licking his lips a nice touch, but I was hardly scared by the Joker’s character. His deeds felt like they existed only to prove how bad the Joker was; he was a typical, predictable maniac whose lack of restraint made his character an overstatement. What is unseen or undone is far more terrifying than its opposite; this movie was all see and do. Perhaps I’m simply spoiled from Andrew’s Scott’s chilling performance at the end of the Sherlock episode “The Great Game.” But maybe not.

The plot was overly complex where it needed simplicity, and far too brief when it needed to take a breath and grow. The end of the first movie had some lovely throwbacks – Liam Nisan’s return, the quote “It’s not who I am underneath, but what I do that defines me.” The Dark Knight had none of that.

The Dark Knight was also too long for its own good. The only way a lengthy movie can survive is if viewers care about the characters, but since the plot overpowered them, I stopped loving them. Bruce Wayne felt real to me in the first movie, as did Rachel and Alfred. I worried when Rachel was exposed to the gas. I loved her when she comforted the terrified boy. Of course, I did not love her when she turned on Bruce in the end and would not stay devoted to him. but I was angry because I had grown to care about them.

In The Dark Knight, I only felt mild irritation when she kissed Bruce when only a few scenes later she’s kissing Harvey.

In-depth study turns people into critics. I’ve turned into a writing critic, and already I’ve found it can be a lousy life. So many popular movies, books, and songs I can now hardly tolerate and can’t understand why people like them. I try to avoid debates, but not always whole-heartedly, and I know I can be abrasive. Nobody likes it when someone says a movie they love is a wreck. And maybe if I hadn’t become the critic, I would be like the majority of America and have loved The Dark Knight. I’ll never know.

But sometimes it’s good to be a critic because you’re rewarded so much more when that rare golden movie or book crosses your path and stuns you beyond expectation. Characters with so many layers there’s no doubt they are alive; actors whose performances leave you silent. They have the most to teach you; they are the ones that live in you. And then you share, because it is the unknown that will be remembered in half a century, like The Great Gatsby, Emily Dickenson, Jane Austen, Vincent van Gogh.

So, although I did not care for The Dark Knight, I readily say that Christopher Nolan wrote and directed two other movies that I greatly admire while accepting their faults: Inception and The Prestige. I will continue to be a critic, but not for the purpose of arguing or irritating anyone. I want to discover the treasure hidden in ordinary cinema and literature. What I have done here is simply presented evidence of why I believe The Dark Knight is not one of those few, but instead belongs to the multitude that may be forgotten sooner rather than later.

Have you found any of these treasures in form of movies or books? I would love to add to my list of wonderful stories!

Ender’s Game, Part 2

I was satisfied with this book. Orson Scott Card mostly avoided “telliness” and delved into Ender’s mind, shaping a believable world with clear ties to our real one. The end was a little weak, though not a complete let-down.

As a sci-fi fan, I was eager to see if a good writing style could meet the genre, and in this book it did! Perhaps the biggest reason for this success is that there is almost no direct communication with aliens, and there is only one type of alien mentioned. This cuts down on needless description scenes while allowing readers to identify with the characters even more.

If you are interested in sci-fi, this is a good book to read. It has its weaknesses, but they are not overpowering. It was refreshing to read a book in this genre that is striving for literary excellence.

Ender’s Game, Part 1

I have been reading a book called Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. Sci-fi books are notorious for being rather pop-fiction, poor quality. The person who recommended this book to me knew this, but insisted that Ender’s Game is well-written, in spite of its teen audience focus.

The book takes place on future Earth, when aliens called buggers are attacking, threatening humanity’s existence. Possibly the only hope for salvation is in Ender Wiggin, a highly-intelligent six-year-old.

I decided to read it. Only half through it, I cannot make a judgment yet. But it does seem to be better than a lot of its peers. Avoiding the biggest pitfall of the genre, it presents readers with enough detail of this foreign world without being annoying; the writing style isn’t awkward; and the pacing keeps the reader hooked – I was up late last night because I couldn’t put it down! The story even seems to be less plot-driven than most sci-fi books.

The intended audience stands out with the excessive use of the word “fart,” which becomes rather irritating after a while. Also, I found it increasingly hard to picture the Ender as a six-year-old because of his maturity (even though the maturity was wholly intended).

Next week, I will have the book finished and argue if it is or isn’t worth a read. Until then, read on!

Symbolism

Have you ever wondered if authors really meant all the symbolism that English teachers seem to beat out of books? I certainly have. And when I began writing, I wondered even more.

Recently Mental Floss unearthed authors’ responses to high school student Bruce McAllister’s symbolism questions that he mailed to 150 authors in 1963. They revealed a few responses in the article titled “Famous Novelists on Symbolism in Their Work and Whether It Was Intentional.” Long name, but interesting responses. Some of the authors agreed with each other; others gave the opposite response, like Joseph Heller and Ralph Ellison to question 3.

After reading this article, I didn’t have an answer to what the albatross symbolizes, if anything at all, in Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner, but I did decide that, as a writer, what I write has to come naturally. If I stumble upon a wonderful symbol to include in a story, I’ll use it! But if not, no problem. It is better to have an excellent, symbol-less work than one with a see-through plot, poor dialogue, clinging to that sickly thought of a symbol unnecessary to create good literature.

Anxiety

 

As we approach the middle of summer, firework season, which for many is better known as dealing-with-terrified-dogs season, is nearing. The tales are common – dogs howling, biting through wire crates, crashing through windows.

 

One of my own dogs, Angel, hides under us and refuses to go outside when the sky darkens, not even to use the bathroom. I’ve tried desensitization with treats, ignoring her calmly, comforting her, pheromones, and thundershirts. Nothing helps. We may try oral drops that use chamomile and other herbs this year, but if it doesn’t work for my cousin’s dog, we may simply struggle through another summer making sure we get Angel out to potty before the sun sets.

What has helped your dog overcome its anxiety? What hasn’t? I’d love to hear about different ways of reducing this anxiety!

Goldendoodle Haircut

I love grooming dogs. Recently, however, I was at work, waiting rather nervously for my last dog: a goldendoodle (golden retriever crossed with poodle), a year and a half old who, according to her owners, had never been groomed. Maybe she was groomed at a different salon, I hoped.

When she came, I knew she hadn’t been groomed. Fur parted down her back, nearly half a foot long. As I greeted the owner, I felt the dog’s coat. Mats clung to her neck, chest, legs, and tail. Her dad repeated his wife’s instructions: she should be kept long and fluffy. Their last dog had been shaved and Mom was upset. He showed me a picture as an example (Picture can be viewed here, at the top of the page. Dog Breed Info Center is a reliable website for dog breeds).

Sadly, to avoid the fate of the first dog, Dad had tried to brush this one, attempted to have her groomed earlier, but Mom didn’t.

So I explain why I needed to shave the dog: the mats were large and couldn’t be brushed out because this would only pull large sections of fur, causing skin irritation. If I left the mats, they would only grow and tighten with spring moisture, pulling the skin and eventually forcing welts and open wounds on the skin.

Dad didn’t want this for the dog and convinced Mom that the shave-down needed to happen.

I do agree with these owners that goldendoodles are much cuter with long coats, but to keep the yearly shave-down from happening, a few points of advice need to be followed:

1. Groom early. Any dog who will need professional grooming should be brought to the groomer starting at four months old. Puppies are much more impressionable than adults so they become desensitized to grooming equipment faster than adults (who, in the case of goldendoodles, become quite large and difficult to handle if they become afraid of typical salon noises).

2. Groom frequently. If a dog like a goldendoodle has a long coat, it should be brought to the groomer at least every eight weeks. This way, groomers can catch snarls early and brush them out, or cut them out if needed, before they become  too big to handle.

3. Comb frequently. Brushing a long coat helps, but the best way to detect oncoming mats is to run through the fur with a metal comb, and the mats can be brushed out. Make sure that the comb runs through every inch of the legs, ears, and collar area of the neck, as these are the most common breeding grounds for mats!

As long as you stay true to these three points, your dog can keep a fluffy coat and stay healthy and happy. And with more frequent grooming, your dog will smell better, too!

Dragons!

This week, I drew a sketch of Toothless from the movie How to Train Your Dragon. His face is rather intriguing to me, since it doesn’t seem very aerodynamic, but hey, he’s a cartoon, right? They can break a bunch of scientific laws.

My friend was kind enough to show me how to write “toothless” in Chinese, so here’s my wimpy attempt. All native Chinese-reading people everywhere will be able to see that I have no experience writing in Chinese, but most Americans won’t be able to tell, right? I thought it was pretty good, myself, though I did practice about ten times before attempting to write it on my sketch.

Oil Pastel Experiment – Part the Second

My second experiment with oil pastels went just as badly as my first. There are some nice parts to the picture, but the beak was very challenging – I didn’t get the curve or length quite right, and I was using red. The lesson I learned: Always start with a lighter color. With pastels, I can always take it darker, but you can never erase it or lighten it enough.

I am finding pastels to be quite challenging for me. I am used to drawing with pencils which I can always erase easily. I don’t have that freedom with pastels. Pencil drawing has also made me a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to the details. Details aren’t an option with pastels, however. I need to work on looking at the picture as a whole, rather than every little detail.

Camouflage

I was waiting to meet up with a friend for lunch and while I was waiting, I decided to exercise my photography skills. During this artistic excursion, I encountered some wild bunnies who were pretty used to people. I was able to get about three feet away from them before they took off.

The bunny in this image demonstrates how effective it’s camouflage is in this setting. The pink in its ears even blends in with the flowers! They are such amazing (and adorable!) little creatures.

Tennis: Take 2

Earlier, I posted an in-progress picture of a tennis ball. Here is the “finished” version (I’m never sure if I’m finished until I don’t touch the picture for a month or so!). I usually draw dogs, which are a lot more complex than a tennis ball on a court, so I was very happy with how little time it took for me to draw it.