Me and Cherry went to see Dark Knight today.

It -- was -- AWESOME.

I'll admit I came into it with not very high hopes. I was a wee bit peeved that people were talking about giving Heath Ledger an Oscar before ANYONE HAD EVEN SEEN THE MOVIE.

Well the movie's out now.

See, NOW you can have an Oscar buzz. Because he undoubtedly deserves one. Not because he died, but because he gave a riveting performance. Heath had a huge hand in developing his character, and the Joker is like no other villain in any other movie out there. He creeped you the heck out, he wasn't screwing around, he makes YOU the villain by making you choose between taking your life or someone else's. One such example would be when he traps two groups of people on two different boats and gives them each a detonator for the bomb on the other boat. He then tells each of them that if one of them sets the bomb off and kills everyone on the other boat, he'll let them live. But if no one sets off either bomb, he'll set them BOTH off. Holy crap, this guy doesn't mess around, he makes YOU the villain. It was crazy.

So it was actually a good movie. DAMN good. I loved it. Where does the rant come in?

CHILDREN -- EVERYWHERE.

WHY?

The hell, parents of America? Let me make this clear for you in case you didn't get it: the Batman CARTOON is for kids. This movie, who's main poster looks like THIS:



IS NOT. DUH. Please, mankind, use your better judgement. Does that look a movie you should probably hire a sitter for? It sure does to me.

I'm just sitting here in my seat cringing, waiting as the Joker's about to completely slice someone's face off, I'm squeezing Charity's hand to death, and not one parent is leaning over to cover their child's eyes.

I will say the violence wasn't done up too bad really, and that's because this movie was about the plot and not about the violence. I like a superhero movie that can recognize that. Having said that, the plot is going to call for someone to get killed or hurt once in a while. So the violence was "tastefully" done for lack of a better word. It still wasn't appropriate for CHILDREN.

I'm also a bit saddened to see that as a guy holds a knife up to someone, about to cut their face off, and says in the most sinister voice ever "WHY SO SERIOUS.... LET'S PUT A SMILE ON THAT FACE.", not one kid gets scared or cringes or freaks out. Well done America, violence doesn't even move our kids anymore.

That rant is solely on the kids, as I said, the movie itself was great, and a little violence here and there is necessary for the plot. I personally liked being scared throughout the course of the movie.

Scared.

That's the reaction it was SUPPOSED to give everyone else.

Instead, the 6 year old behind me clapped and laughed loudly every time someone got punched or shot.

Parents, grow up.

-Chi <3