Home of the Joker

I saw The Dark Knight the other night. It was absolutely amazing.

The movie is great. No denying that. But it is absolutely incredible when you see it on the world's biggest IMAX screen.

On Wednesday night I made my way into Darling Harbour, home of Sydney's coolest attractions, including the IMAX theater. Sean, Steph, Richie and I met up with some friends from the University of Sydney in Darling Harbour, enjoyed a $7 drink at the fancy Tokyo Hotel lounge, and then made our way into the packed theater. The movie was already in its fifth week of showing here in Australia and it was still breaking records in the box office. While the movie itself is enough to attract a crowd, many here simply wanted to see Heath Ledger's final performance.

As sad as that is, that thought disappeared from my mind as soon as I saw the Joker on screen. I couldn't believe Heath Ledger's performance. He was absolutely phenomenal. But I definitely think that there is a link between his last role and his ultimate demise: he got so into his role it must have messed with his head. I heard a rumor that Jack Nicholson, who played the Joker in a previous Batman film, called Ledger when he heard that he would be playing the role in the new film and warned him about the dangers of trying to act a Sicko so convincingly. Anyway, he certainly was that: unbelievably convincing. And seeing the movie on the biggest screen in the world only added to the experience.

What a great night!