A Certain Jungle-Themed Comedy

So I bought a ticket to The Dark Knight tonight because everyone said that to see Christopher Nolan's masterpiece a second time is like seeing a whole new movie.

And man, were they right!

I bought a ticket to The Dark Knight, and though I'm not POSITIVE I walked into the right theater, the movie WAS totally different this time around.

This time the movie took place in a Jungle. And it was a lot funnier than I remember The Dark Knight being. But there was still at least one prominent black face in it.

Didn't look like Morgan Freeman, but that older black face, which was suspiciously Robert Downey Jr-esque, was the best part of the film. Hands down. I was only amazed by the level I got used to watching it (like the kid in "MASK") and the degree to which I believed in that character. Sure, there was one line delivered ham-fistedly. But other than that, he was my rock. I couldn't believe it.

WISH I could say the same for that other Joker in the movie (and this one was not played by Heath Ledger).

Is it the Ghostbusters-syndrome or the Revenge of the Nerds-syndrome that offends me more? Not sure.

What is Ghostbusters-syndrome? That's when a cast is full of your favorite comedic actors (Ramis, Akroyd, Murray), right until you get down to the black character (Hudson). Seriously, who's favorite Ghostbuster is Winston (to their credit, I heard they tried to get Pryor, then later Eddie, for Hudson's role).

After all, it's common, in movies with Ghostbusters-syndrome, that all the characters in the film are funny and interesting...and then the black guy comes along, and he's two-dimensional, uninteresting, and pretty much forgettable. Sadly, such is the case in the movie here (The Dark Knight...?). The fake black guy is way more interesting than the real one.

And what is Revenge of the Nerd-syndrome? This is when you, as a black film-goer, latch onto the one black character they are kind enough to give you, only to find out, later, that he's closeted.

Now there's nothing wrong with being gay. In fact, it's less about the character being gay than the creators of the film finding a way to soften the black guy's manhood. This is touchy and nuanced, to be sure, but often the black character is made too old (Morgan Freeman, Bleeding Gums Murphy) or too lovably obese to be a threat, or he's in a dress (in fact, Dave Chappelle has a clause in contracts specifically saying he will not put on a dress).

But in a movie where you have a white actor in blackface, and not to mention ALL of the minorities (Asians) are the bad guys (even the little baby ones), one wouldn't expect Chris Nolan to go there. But no. If he's not gay, the black guy might still be a little threatening, and even hit on someone Christian Bale wants. Ugh!

And lastly, don't do parodies of rap videos if you clearly don't know that much about what's going on in rap these days. Half of us don't even call it "rap" anymore.

And pass that along to the rest of Hollywood, which continues to crank out unfunny parodies of rap videos. Parody is best when you know what you're talking about - when you are an expert on what you're spoofing. And all too often, its clear most of Hollywood (white AND black) aren't experts.

So needless to say, I left having laughed more than I expected at The Dark Knight, but also feeling quite baffled. I'd love to meet with and work with Christopher Nolan some day. He's very funny. But if you're gonna bring it, bring it! Don't half-ass. Go to the source.

I think that's why the guy in make-up (who definitely brings it) is my favorite part of this film.

Hence, I ultimately didn't mind putting a few more dollars in the coffers of The Dark Knight.