Beauty vs Beast: Chris Nolan's Anti Heroics
Monday, November 3, 2014 at 3:48PM 
JA from MNPP here with this week's latest "Beauty Vs Beast" tourno, wherein we ask you to choose between a good guy and a bay guy (half of those words should have meaningful quotation marks around them -- good, bad, what does it all mean???) from the halls of movie-dom and explain why you're on this or that team. This week Chris Nolan's got a new picture coming out so I figured we'd hit up one of his flicks; I contemplated a couple of other choices (DiCaprio versus Cotillard? Pearce versus Pantoliano?) but it just comes down to one in the end, doesn't it?
Going back to The Dark Knight does have a couple of knocks against it for this series - Nathaniel was just bemoaning the internet's blanket-coverage of superhero movies a few days ago, for goodness sake, and also we've already done a showdown between a Batman & Joker when we looked at Tim Burton's 1989 flick back in June. But but... but, ya know? If I'd gone with Bale vs Hardy, it just would've felt like a chance missed - the shadow of Heath Ledger's performance towers too great. So we gotta go with...
As always you have seven days to clear your throats and make yourselves heard - are we with the compromised brooder or the gleeful maniac - in the comments, so have at it. Die a hero or live long enough to become the villain, y'all.
PREVIOUSLY We finished up our four weeks of October "Final Girl" series with John Carpenter's Halloween and sure enough the girl smart enough to turn a wire-hanger into a weapon won our hearts once again. Said brookesboy of Laurie Strode, ultimate final girl:
"Gotta go with Laurie. Thanks to the virtuous precedent she set, all teen heroines with virginal fortitude who came after were spared the slasher's wrath. Their resistance of carnal pleasure guaranteed their safety, at least until the sequel. Thanks, Laurie. I'm sure the knee socks helped."
Reader Comments (16)
The only time I will ever vote against Christian Bale.
Batman. After my last Mother-in-Law, I will never vote for evil again, no matter how pretty they look at a distance.
Batman '89 -- The Joker kills someone with a writing utensil. (Pen)
The Dark Knight -- The Joker kills someone with a writing utensil. (Pencil)
Batman has never been as interesting as any of his nemeses and of course, Ledger's Joker is the best of them all. #TeamJoker
3rtful: Batman 89: A Batman movie directed by an 11-monther.
The Dark Knight: A Batman movie directed by an 11-monther.
11-monther: The belief that the only way for Batman to be good is to have him be Robin-less and either kill or refuse to save the villains. I'm sick of the only good Batman movies being directed by 11-monthers.
Volvagia: Batman is seen naturally as a lone character. Batman and Robin has people thinking of the 60's TV series.
In his 75-year history, Batman has been more Robined than Robin-less, for better or worse. (The 1960s TV show depicted the most campy aspects of the Bruce-Dick relationship in the comics.)
Can I do a write-in for Michelle Pfeiffer? Sorry, I just feel compelled to redirect every Batman conversation to her Catwoman.
Hayden -- if i thought i could get away with it and could think of enough things to say i woudl gladly write about her every week :)
Nathaniel: You could permanently feature her in your banner no matter the occasion.
volvagia - where does the term "11 monther" originate. I can't for the life of me suss out the meaning of it.
Nat: There were only 11 months before the creation of Robin. Hence, 11-monther.
If were just talking about The Dark Knight then the Joker. I loved Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman overall but TDK didn't give him as much to do as the other films. Also, Ledger was excellent as The Joker and truly deserved the acclaim - and awards - he got for the film.
"needs a lozenge" - i died.
Heath Ledger wins with me. Always.
When I hear Christain Bale as Batman I always think he sounds like Patty and Selma from the "The Simpsons". I expect him anytime during the movie to say "Only 5 minutes til McGuyver"