The initial previews released last fall were thrillingly spooky but once Heath died, they were positively eerie. I've still been waiting anxiously to see the movie, but I've also worried that I would be overcome with sadness. How crazy is it to be so broken up about the death of someone I never actually knew? But the truth is, great actors make us think we know them - their performances bring us into their worlds whether we like it or not (a cheating cowboy, a heroin addict). And they can turn a mediocre movie (A Knight's Tale, Casanova) into a delightful time.
We saw The Dark Knight tonight and it was sad to watch this amazing actor tear up the screen, knowing it will not happen again. Heath's Joker is like none other; he made the insanity truly terrifying, because we were riveted to his character's every word & move. And Christian was again intense and noble; Gary Oldman as Lt. Gordon so likable and noble; Aaron Eckhart solid and reluctantly noble; Maggie Gyllenhaal smart, brave, and beautifully noble (a welcome replacement of the bland Katie Holmes, if I may just say). But it really was the irrational, bizarre nobility Heath brought to the Joker that made Gotham come most alive. Which is, of course, sadly ironic.
