January 23, 2008

Change of Pace...

Joey here...I know everyone is still in shock over the death of Heath Ledger, but instead of just talking about his death, or his childhood, or quoting friends and family, I just want to quickly mention some of the highlights that his career had, and how these films will both be completely different to watch and essential to watch in order to keep his memory alive:

10 Things I Hate About You- What last week was just a fun romp to throw on late at night is now something you watch to see how good Ledger was, even when he was just starting out.

Brokeback Mountain- No one doubted his talent after seeing this gem, and even if you weren't a fan of the film, his scenes at the end of the film as a lonely old man had to tug at your heart. Now, they'll make you cry harder and longer, for different reasons....

Candy- An underrated film that given the circumstances of his passing will be hard to watch for many. This rivals Requiem for a Dream as a drug tale and is well worth a view to anyone who can stand the experience for his performance alone.

I'm Not There- This year we got to see him take on a version of Bob Dylan, and it was perhaps his most challenging role ever. What he gave us was a multi layered performance in a multi layered film that stood out in a film that was for some hard to comprehend.

The Dark Knight- Heath's last gift to us will be his take on Batman's most feared rival. Early glimpses at him in his crazy clown mode made those of us that looked foward to this film practically wet ourselves. I still want to see the movie in a big bad way, but now I also want to see it so I can see one last great performance from him.

To close this out, I figured it was appropriate to go with a movie quote, and an uplifting one if possible. Here goes nothing:

I have to remind myself that some birds aren't meant to be caged. Their feathers are just too bright. And when they fly away, the part of you that knows it was a sin to lock them up DOES rejoice. Still, the place you live in is that much more drab and empty that they're gone. I guess I just miss my friend...

7 comments:

  1. I liked it how you weren't focusing on his death like EVERYONE and their mother has but on his career and his memory to the importance of movies.

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  2. thanks...that was the intent...glad it worked out and didn't seem exploitative or anything

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  3. nice piece, ill miss heath

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  4. It is good to find an article on Heath that focuses on his legacy and not anything else, tasteful and not direspectful, so thank you Joey. I am and probably will always be in shock over it all, and the world, not just the world of film, has lost a legend.

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  5. Joey, I really appreciated your words and very much agree with them. Heath was a very talented young man and his impressively large body of work (considering his age) will be viewed differently now. I could not stand Brokeback Mountain, but because of his immense talent, I'm finding myself wanting to watch it again and for the very reasons you expressed: to see him play the old man that he will never become.

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  6. i appreciate the kind words...glad to see i wasn't the only one who was a bit upset with how the news was handling the situation

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