Popcorn: The Dark Knight

I'm not going to review The Dark Knight--you can get a million reviews everywhere.
But I will link to this, because it's a great piece.

And give a few of my impressions, or notes, as you will:

--It is TOTALLY evident that this movie was filmed in Chicago. If you've ever been there, you can identify landmarks
throughout the movie. Batman races underneath the L tracks in the Loop in the Bat Pod, etc.

--One of my favorite things? The Lyric Opera of Chicago banners that are visible in one chase scene.

--Who breaks up with Batman? More to the point, who breaks up with Christian Bale!?

--I loved the soundtrack so much that I went and bought it immediately after I saw it the first time.

--This is not a movie for little ones; however,it does NOT merit an "R" rating. There's no blood, there's no sex, I don't even know if there's swearing. There's certainly no hard-core swearing. But it's a dark movie (hence the, um, title?). So don't think that Little Johnny or Jane is going to be seeing fun superheroes a la The Incredibles.

--Trailers: I want to see Twilight!! (big shock, huh? For more on that, go here) The Robert DeNiro/Al Pacino movie looked pretty good, too.

--I think I like Chicago better than NYC when it comes to the sheer layout of the city.

--It benefits from being seen twice. The first time you really don't know where the movie is going, or even when it's supposed to end. The second time you have a sense of the pacing so you can enjoy it more. (At least I did, and so did others I've talked to who have seen it twice.)

--With the Joker gone (Heath Ledger, that is), I can't seem them putting another actor in the role, not after the Great Things
Heath did with it. So our Batman villian roster could read something like that: Catwoman, Riddler, Penguin...I'm sure I'm
missing others, too.

--Batman totally needs a love interest. A Batman movie without one is like a Bond movie without a Bond girl. It's just wrong.
Catwoman, perhaps?

--Was Vicki Vale in the comics?

--SPOILER: OK, you totally know that Lt. Gordon isn't really dead, because he becomes Commissioner Gordon. But still, you
get a little nervous about it.

--Heath Ledger looks cute in that red wig. :)