"Dark Knight" - the Way to Summer Movie Escapism

A recent review of the Batman installment of "Dark Knight" promised that the film would deliver the brilliant acting of the late Heath Ledger as the Joker and the requisite amount of summer movie escapism. This comment suggested that a great movie is just the right escape in 2008. This blog offers five mini-reflections on why Americans really need an escape. The bottom line is that spending too much time thinking about real problems could ruin a potentially good year. Get to the movie theatre and see what "Dark Knight" and other good films like "Mamma Mia" have to offer.

1. The gas prices are hovering at four dollars a gallon, but we don't see an end in sight. Have you traded in your gas guzzler for a hybrid yet? Car dealers are offering record-breaking deals. Who has got the cash to get out of their upside-down, vehicle loan?

2. Related to the gas crisis is the Stay-cation, or the summer break where you stay at home because you can't afford to get on the road. If you are stay-cationing, the movie theatre is a good bet. At least "Dark Knight" gives you your money's worth with 2.5 hours of quality entertainment.

3. The summer TV season is a bust because there aren't many new series on the air this time of year, unless you like reality TV. It is a good time to get satellite or cable and catch up on movies you've missed in the theatres over the last couple years. Good bets are "Home of the Brave" and "The Holiday." Your kids might enjoy rediscovering "Shrek the Third" or "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix."

4. The latest news from the Secretary of the Treasury is that we have many more months of economic troubles ahead. If Starbucks closing 600 stores worldwide wasn't a big enough clue, wake up. It's out there if you want to read about it. You can still afford to drive to the movies, but if popcorn isn't in your budget, eat before you go and sneak in a bottle of water.

5. Back to school is just around the corner. You can stock up on clothes for next year with end-of-season prices. If next year looks to be anything like this year, wearing this year's fashions in 2009 will be the least of your problems. If you force yourself to clip coupons, you can save on rising food prices. The savings can be your pocket funds for newfound luxuries like Starbucks or driving two hours to visit friends.

Summer movie escapism takes on a whole new meaning. "Dark Knight" reminds us that Americans still make great films. We can't afford to imitate Katherine Heigl and back out of the Emmy running. We've got to find a way to keep making the minimum payments on our bills. We've got to keep our job and our home. We might have time to catch the Olympics this year. "Dark Knight" also suggests we are not alone. If we stick together, we can pull through anything like the people of Gotham on the ferry boat.

P.S. Christian Bale and Aaron Eckhart look really good in this movie, which makes women of any age want to fork out ten bucks for summer movie escapism! Christian remarked that his Batsuit was sweaty and gave him headaches, but it paid off. Thanks to Heath for leaving a treasure to last a lifetime!