Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Wait, THAT'S Heath Ledger?

Upon hearing the news that (spoiler alert) Heath Ledger died I didn't really care except to say that it ensured there would be no Brokeback Mountain II: The Secret of Dicksuckle Creek.

Then I got on the IMDB and discovered that Heath Ledger was not only the guy from Brokeback Mountain, but he was also the guy who got to kiss Julia Stiles (perfect) in 10 Things I Hate About You and that fucking ponce from A Knight's Tale; the movie which answered the question: "Why has no one ever made a movie in which people joust to the musical stylings of AC/DC and Queen?"

Which made me wonder why in all of these write ups of his death we get statements like this:

"It was a shocking end to a career built on unpredictability. Ledger avoided the safe path in favor of roles that forced him to bury his Australian accent and downplay his leading-man looks"

Really, Associated Press? Have you seen 10 Things I Hate About You? Have you seen A Knight's Tale?

If you want to blow this up to be a tragic loss of a shining gem of the Silver Screen then, fine, do so. With the presidential primaries, the war in Iraq, and the stock market going down like, um, Heath Ledger in Brokeback Mountain (zing!), it's not like you have anything to really write about.

But let's be fair and celebrate the man's entire catalog. Starting with Roar:

11 comments:

Mike Lewis said...

he is also Joker in the next batman movie

_J_ said...

THE Joker.

On this blog we acknowledge the role of the definite article.

Kylebrown said...

Apparently you haven't seen any of his good movies. I.E. Ned Kelly, The Order, or The Four Feathers. Also, the Brothers Grimm and the Patriot weren't terrible either.

Roscoe said...

You don't like Roar?

Murphy is dissapointed in you. Because that was today's topic of discussion. Heath Ledger in Roar.

_J_ said...

I'm disappointed in Murphy.

_J_ said...

You know, I'm sure he made some good movies. But is all of this gushing really necessary?

"The dismaying sense of loss and waste at Mr. Ledger’s death at the age of 28 comes not only because he was so young, but also because his talent was large and as yet largely unmapped. It seems inevitable that he will now be inscribed in the cult of the beautiful stars who died too young, alongside James Dean, Montgomery Clift and Marilyn Monroe."

Imagine what they'd write if they wanted to sensationalize this.

Kylebrown said...

See, I don't pay a lot of attention to news sites and almost as a rule ignore the huge front page breaking story, which keeps me in the dark about such things. It is a big part of why I don't notice how much the media blows things out of proportion.

_J_ said...

But then you don't get to see the dichotomy between what actually happens and what is reported.

Sensible.

I really like how in that article the picture of the "memorial" looks like a pile of crap in the street. It's classy.

_J_ said...

Westboro Baptist Church to protest Ledger Memorial Service

That's the stuff.

_J_ said...

Mary-Kate Olsen told her she would call private security people in New York.

Apparently if you find a dead Heath Ledger the thing to do is call...Mary-Kate Olsen...

_J_ said...

Indeed.