If you’ve seen The Dark Knight as many times as I have (I won’t state the exact #, but it starts with an “F” and rhymes with “whore”) you probably qualify to be my date to the “Biggest Nerd of the Year” ceremony at Comic-Con. I don’t want to review the film here, although I clearly enjoyed it if I deemed it worthy of repeat viewings. Yes, I liked Dark Knight. It certainly has it’s flaws, and more than nitpicking ones, but overall I think it’s the best Batman movie, and probably one of the best superhero movies. Summary:It’s one of the best. Ever.
Just like I won’t forget Brian Bosworth or Ryan Leaf. Just like I won’t forget Ishtar or Battlefield Earth. The newest Batman movie and Tiger remind me that every now and then the real deal is even more spectacular than the superlatives. And for a brief second, my faith in that top 2-3% of humankind is again restored. That is until I stumble upon America’s Got Talent or the newest shitty morning show starring Kelly Ripa and Whoopi Goldberg.
Which is the s
ame way I feel about Tiger Woods. Again, I won’t elaborate much on why I think Tiger is the best golfer and one of the best athletes of all time. Unless you’ve lived under the proverbial rock for the past decade, you surely must have heard of Eldrick Woods (Eldrick? That name belongs at Comic-Con, too). Again, a brief recap: Tiger wins or comes close to winning almost every time he competes. He consistently surpasses everyone in an international community of one of the most challenging individual sports that exists. So Woods is the best and Dark Knight is the best; who gives a damn? Apparently a lot of people.
ame way I feel about Tiger Woods. Again, I won’t elaborate much on why I think Tiger is the best golfer and one of the best athletes of all time. Unless you’ve lived under the proverbial rock for the past decade, you surely must have heard of Eldrick Woods (Eldrick? That name belongs at Comic-Con, too). Again, a brief recap: Tiger wins or comes close to winning almost every time he competes. He consistently surpasses everyone in an international community of one of the most challenging individual sports that exists. So Woods is the best and Dark Knight is the best; who gives a damn? Apparently a lot of people. And most of these people cared long before a frame of celluloid was shot in downtown Chicago, posing again as modern day Gotham. The build up surrounding the sequel to Batman Begins was immense. The Tim Burton version created a reliable fanbase. Even though Joel Schumaker tried to destroy this loyal group, they held steadfast until Nolan’s attempt with Christian Bale as the caped crusader. Begins was huge itself and the public impatiently waited for a followup.
Slowly minor plot points were leaked that merely whet the appetites of fans. When nerds like me learned the Jok
er was the main villain, I didn’t need Internet porn for 3wks. And when girls learned that dreamy Heath Ledger would play the clown prince, the media fluttered briskly. The tragic passing of Mr. Ledger only intensified this anticipation. Anonymous sources and Hollywood insiders cited an “Oscar-worthy” performance from the fallen actor. There was no way Dark Knight could live up to this kind of hype. But to use the Joker’s line to Batman following a melee in the streets of Gotham that included the coolest Mack truck stunt I’ve ever seen, “..you didn’t disappoint”.
er was the main villain, I didn’t need Internet porn for 3wks. And when girls learned that dreamy Heath Ledger would play the clown prince, the media fluttered briskly. The tragic passing of Mr. Ledger only intensified this anticipation. Anonymous sources and Hollywood insiders cited an “Oscar-worthy” performance from the fallen actor. There was no way Dark Knight could live up to this kind of hype. But to use the Joker’s line to Batman following a melee in the streets of Gotham that included the coolest Mack truck stunt I’ve ever seen, “..you didn’t disappoint”. Similarly, a 22 y/o Tiger won the 1997 Masters by a record 12 strokes. Even before this feat he was celebrated as the greatest golfer of his generation and given a $60million endorsement package from Nike and Titleist…. and he hadn’t played in a single major yet. The pressure that these two entities must’ve endured is stunning.
Part of my admiration for these 2 fixtures is that the media does such a shit-ass job at 
promoting things in a conscionable/reasonable fashion. Whether it’s a presidential candidate who’s the 2nd coming of Christ or the new Coldplay tracks they compare to “The White Album”, the cable TV, radio and Internet morons are the ones reporting these stories in frantic hyperbole. They are the ones who describe every new pitcher as the next Roger Clemens and every new movie as The Godfather. Tiger Woods and Dark Knight are 2 recent times in my life when the content-free and overall heartless media machine was actually right about something. I won’t soon forget it.
promoting things in a conscionable/reasonable fashion. Whether it’s a presidential candidate who’s the 2nd coming of Christ or the new Coldplay tracks they compare to “The White Album”, the cable TV, radio and Internet morons are the ones reporting these stories in frantic hyperbole. They are the ones who describe every new pitcher as the next Roger Clemens and every new movie as The Godfather. Tiger Woods and Dark Knight are 2 recent times in my life when the content-free and overall heartless media machine was actually right about something. I won’t soon forget it. 
Just like I won’t forget Brian Bosworth or Ryan Leaf. Just like I won’t forget Ishtar or Battlefield Earth. The newest Batman movie and Tiger remind me that every now and then the real deal is even more spectacular than the superlatives. And for a brief second, my faith in that top 2-3% of humankind is again restored. That is until I stumble upon America’s Got Talent or the newest shitty morning show starring Kelly Ripa and Whoopi Goldberg.
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