THE DARK KNIGHT (2008)

"Praying to a sci-fi comic book." That's so true! You're right on the mark with that one! And it sucks that Cruise has become a better actor in recent years, but he can't seem to get the credit he has been deserving, because of that pathetic belief hanging over his head. Hopefully one day, he'll go over Travolta's house and tell him, "Dude, It's not worth it and it's not working" and then slap him in the face and get him out of the trance, and away from the burden that they have both been forcing their wives and their children to bear for all these years, and step into reality and the light for once.

I understand that actors have to get over themselves, but they are like children. They grow up in a world of make believe and sometimes, they lose touch with reality, as the fantasy world mingles with the drugs.

And we all see actors as having the world at their finger tips. But you know, they are Human like you and me. I don't know about you, but I've had some f**ked up situations (psycho ex-girlfriend)in my past that I had to deal with, that had I had the money, maybe I would have dropped off the map for a year or two.

What I mean by "protect them from themselves", is that studios invest a lot into these actors. We as fans "love" them, spend a lot of money to be entertained by them and the studios should keep an eye on them, to make sure that they're not going down the wrong road as so many have gone, time and time again before.

Somebody needs to be there to tell these people to cut the shit and deal with it. I mean the man (Ledger) was on top of his game. He WAS talented. So the studios (if no one else) should at least protect their investment, and our treasured gems. Because that's what Ledger was. He was a rare gem in an industry filled with hacks. There are so many "actors" who can barely pull off a simple character, let alone something challenging like the realistic twisted delivery that Ledger incorporated into the Joker.

I'm not saying that these actors should be pitied and cradled. I'm just saying that they need to be kept grounded and out of the dark places, like in the company of that bitch, waste of space and human tissue Mary Kate Olsen, for instance.

I don't believe that they don't matter. I won't pass judgment, but only say that that's a strong statement. I believe they do matter. The movie industry is our biggest export.

How many people went out and bought a fresh pair of "Converse", when Will Smith wore a pair in "I, Robot"? A lot my friend, a lot.

What a popular actor's stance is on anything, dictates what the mass impressionable populace will do the next day. I'm not saying that that's right, but history has shown it to be so. That's why you have product placement. Products (PepsiCo-Subway in Terminator 2 for instance) will shell out millions, because they know, that Arnold fans will buy some Subway subs and drink Pepsi instead of a Big Mac and a Coke, because Pepsi is in Arnold's movie. Pepsi sales just dramatically in 1991, thanks in part to T2.

So What I'm saying is that everybody has money on the line. Us in our entertainment dollar and the studios in future films. Everybody loses in the end, so they have to keep an eye out for them. That's all.

I am a fan of great acting, and if someone capable of delivering the goods is struck down, before they really had a chance to create a long list of work for us to enjoy, then it's a sad day for all of us cinema-files indeed.

I agree completely Vanboy, my only question would be is exactly how do you protect someone from falling into the woes of the "poor me, no one understands my genious" trap these pre-madonna's fall into? Honestly, I love film, its one of America's best art forms, but actors (male and female) need to fucken get over themselves, some come into the industry with true humility (huge jackman for example), and they never slip into these pitfalls. However most like River's little bro, after making it as a real actor, just are consumed by their own fucking artistic ego's, grow beards, wear sunglasses and become drug addicted recluses. Either that or they jump on Oprah's couch like a fucken wacko praying to a Sci-Fi comic book. Either way these people have to come to the realization that they are whores, entertainment whores to be precise, they pretend to be who we want them to be, and thats about it...they are good at what they do in pretending...where they go wrong is when they buy into their own hype and start believing they actually matter...WTF do these people know about politics, religion, war, peace, poverty, or how things really work? answer, not much more then me or you, but they hear something on CNN or MSNBC and they regergitate it to ever poporazi camera or E news fuck nut who will listen. That in a nutshell is why no one can save them from themselves...only they can....by realizing what purpose they serve, shutting the fuck up...doing a good job, and signing our autographs. Unfortunately, this will never happen.

Christian Bale was acting extreme like that, because that's what Nolan wanted for the character. Check out Batman: Dead End on Youtube, and see how that Batman acts. He's hard and edgy and kicks ass. I think Nolan might have gotten his inspiration from this. It was a while back, but the fans went nuts when this short film was shown at Comicon years ago, amid the "too campy" Batman and Robin frustration.

Jack was good and I really liked his Joker, but it was a little too Caesar Romero. Ledger sent his Joker into maniacal corners of the mind. He pushed other character's buttons with daggers. He really became quite convincingly insane and realistically psychotic in the role. His performance will secure him as a tragic legend with the likes of Marylin Monroe, James Dean, Bruce Lee and even River Phoenix, who was just coming into his own as Ledger was.

Will Hollywood ever learn to protect these great talents from themselves?