Best movie of the year

The Dark Knight is easily the best movie I've seen this year. So good that I've already seen it twice, and it just started on Friday.

All the hype about Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker was right on. He is so good that you don't even realize it's him under all that makeup and purple suit. That, to me, is indicative of a great acting performance -- I hope Oscar is listening. Ledger definitely deserves a nomination with the best comic book villain to come along in a long time, if ever.

It's all good. Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne/Batman. Michael Caine as Alfred. Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. I could go on and on. Is it for kids? No -- that PG13 rating was pretty generous I think. But if you are looking for 2 1/2 hours of escapism, with lots of action, then this movie is definitely for you.

It's just too bad Heath Ledger won't be around for a possible third Batman go-round. But then director Christopher Nolan and Bale didn't sign on for a third one either. Maybe they knew something.

One thing to watch out for in the previews: Bale as John Connor in the next wave of Terminator movies. He's signed on for three of them and vows to treat them much the way he treated his two turns as Batman.

Summer '09 can't come soon enough.