Besides Heath Ledger's, what other Oscars could 'The Dark Knight' win?

I think Heath truly deserves the award. I can understand popcorn pics dont get so appreciated by the Oscars, but I think they can make an exception for our Dark Knight-- the timing, writing, scenario, acting, directing... man, everything was perfect! And I luvd how the music upped the scene throughout the movie.
And believe it or not, Christian Bale, besides being the best Batman, is one of the best actors. His subtle, dark and quiet yet extremely versatile acting (He's playing 3 faces of one character-- the playboy, the real person and the Batman) is getting overshadowed by the fantastic villains, and its remarkable as how he's taking it; not even touched by worry!
Besides, I don't think an actor's off-screen antics should seriously affect his performance rewardance. Its his personal family problem, and I dont mean to excuse him, but the fact is that from what I understand, he was stressed and in pressure for the movie, plus the hotel was surrounded by fans and paparazzi... he cudnt leave, and his family started insulting his other family. Man, what a twisted situation :P Remember, all the assaults were verbal... he volunatrily attended the police next day... therefore from all that I can believe reliably, he's not involved in any wrongdoing.

I can only comment as a moviegoer. I recently saw the Dark Knight and was not disappointed in the least after all the media build up.

The truth is that Heath Ledger carried tis movie into the stratosphere. I also think it was well written. Michael Caine was, as always, superb in his role as side kick wih smarts. However, from what I remember, some of the scenes seemed shoddy and Christian Bale's voice as Batman was fake and annoying.
Maggie was ok, but not spectacular. The actor who played the District Attorney was good "eye candy" and interesting in the role.

So, bottom line is, as a flick it was exciting and the grapics and stunts were off the charts, but still as far as acting...Heath Ledger will forever be te JOKER.
Sadly, he won't be around to further develop his immense talent - but, maybe this was his destiney, as with other fine ARTISTS who die in their prime. They somehow live on as great legends - look at Valentino, James Dean, John Lennon and more.

HEATH LEDGER HAD A WONDERFULL PERFOMANCE - HE WAS A PERFECT JOKER. I LOVE HEATH LEDGER. OSCAR FOR HIM NOW. I'M BRAZILIAN AND THERE'S A LOT OF HEATH LEDGER'S FANS IN BRAZIL.

-BEST PICTURE
-BEST ACTOR
-BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
-BEST SCREENPLAY
-BEST EDITING
-BEST MAKEUP
-One of the best movies ever made,up there with the Departed,the Shawshank redemption,Godfather and One flew over the cuckoo's nest...Definately in the top 5 best movies ever made.

Whether or not this film is nominated for several oscars doesn't matter to me. What matters to me is that David Goyer and the Nolan brothers have crafted a brilliant story that has rescued a completely disrespected franchise. From the campy television series of the 60's, to the preposterous films of the 90's; Batman had been watered down, and the incredibly dark nature of the story had been abandoned. With the 2005 film "Batman Begins," and now "The Dark Knight," director Christopher Nolan takes you deeper into the conflicted psyche of Bruce Wayne/Batman. Nolan elegantly displays a fallen hero in Harvey Dent, and drags you on a haunting ride with the psychotic Joker. "The Dark Knight" is not just a comic book film, but a technical masterpiece. The direction, cinematography, visual effects, film score, screenplay, and top notch performances are worthy of applause. If the Academy Awards chooses to ignore any aspect of this film it would be a shame, especially after awarding "Lord of the Rings" Best Picture a few years ago.It would be nice to see this film recognized in such a way, but not winning or being nominated for any award doesn't diminish the accomplishment and impact "The Dark Knight" has had or will continue to have on movie goers and film makers.

Best Screenplay, for starters. The Nolans have created the Godfather (Parts I and II) of superhero movies. Elevates the genre to an antirely new level.

Are you kidding? The very fact that The Dark Knight has polarized everyone so strongly is proof enough that this is not just an ordinary summer flick with no substance or merit. I've seen it several times now and really made an effort to analyze every nuance of the film - especially Heath Ledger's turn as the Joker - and I have to say that this is definitely more than just some hollow superhero beat-em-up of the Spiderman or Iron Man ilk. Even if they removed the comic book characters and replaced them with real world heroes and villains, this is still a very powerful and moving film and - at the very least - deserves a Best Picture nod.

As for Ledger's take on the Joker, I have to say that after the initial buzz wears off, he is just another actor playing a crazed criminal. He did an excellent job, but was it the best performance of the year? I'm not so sure anymore. What I believe is that a mixture of his acting, the brilliant makeup work and a wonderful script gave us a memorable performance. Heath Ledger will always be THE definitive Joker and I'm sorry he's dead, but I'm not sure he deserves the Oscar for Best Actor. If he wins, it will only be a pity win. Look at all the other HUGE performances given, even in this same film. My mind immediately turns to Gary Oldman. This guy is an absolute genius and he loses himself so completely in the role of Lt. Gordon that it's easy to forget that he's a British thespian (with a strong Brit accent to boot) and so even though he gives a stellar performance, we discount him because he just seems natural. THAT is acting, and even though Heath's Joker is certainly memorable, I think an actor's performance is weighed a little heavier than just saying someone created a memorable character.

But I could be wrong, and honestly I hope Heath wins. I'll damn sure vote for him in the People's Choice awards.

Haven't watched the oscars in so long but will if The Dark Knight is nominated for best picture, director and a bunch of others. If you dimiss this movie as a "summer movie" or a "popcorn flick" you either haven't seen it or don't know what your talking about. They would be smart to nominate this movie for as many oscars as possible, they would have so many more viewers than they've had in a long while...but then if it doesn't mich of anything they then turn right around and shoot themselves in the foot. Sadly in the end the aren't "hip" enough to see just how good this movie is and do what they always do in the end...miss the boat on yet another great film

If the writing was so good how come I didn't care about the characters?

Ledger was wonderful, but if he hadn't been in the film, it would be seen for what it is. Bloated, overblown and overrated.

If the writing was so good how come I didn't care about the characters?

Ledger was wonderful, but if he hadn't been in the film, it would be seen for what it is. Bloated, overblown and overrated.

The editing was powerful and Oscar worthy

Who cares about an industry insider award (Oscars) where mutual back-patting is elevated to an art form? The only award program that matters to me is the People's Choice Awards.

Just saw the film. I loved Ledger's performance dead or alive. As far as an Oscar nod, none of us can judge unless we watch every movie this year and judge his performance against all others.

But if you just saw the movie without knowing who was playing the joker, would you honestly be able to tell it was Heath Ledger? Maybe I would have guessed right the 30th time. Definitely best makeup nomination.

actually, we can't make predictions unless we all know who the other nominees are. HL is not the only guy who can act in hollywood, you know.

The Oscars are something I haven't watched since I was a teen and hoped Pulp Fiction would win. Seriously, the Oscars has turned into the gay Superbowl. The only way I would watch this year (and many other males) is if The Dark Knight were nominated. And why shouldn't it be? The reviews have been terrific. If garbage like Chicago can win the Oscar, then The Dark Knight definitely can.

Is that how people measure the greatness of a movie? By winning an Academy Award? The Dark Knight kicked everybody in the arse thinking ' What the hell did i just watch? Well, they just watched the best Motion Picture since.. whatever you consider is the best motion picture ever. Oscars? Jeff Bridges, Al Pacino,Paul Newman. And Who the hell are these Academy members or voters? They're people who don't make movies.

This movie is just a way for America to feel that all their many enemies are insane and evil.
It is not a thought provoking movie it, it is collective denial.

i have to say that for me the Script was beautiful. Yeah, the movie should be a contestant for Oscars in few categories but the Script for me is one of the winners. I mean, fro a movie as Batman, blockbuster-superhero movie, to have a script that breaths with wit, humor, anecdotes and in a way of psychological analysis that can be applied to every person. For me the one of the better witty and humoristic moments was when the detective interviews the Joker and asks:
"Where are they?"
Joker: "What is the time"
Detective: "What does that matter??"
Joker: "Well depending on the time they can be in one place or in several places??"

Heath Ledger was robbed of an Oscar for Brokeback Mountain & he'll be robbed again for this.

As expected he played his part, he was Brilliant.

Feeling very angry & sad he's not here to see the Grand Finale.

It should get the Oscar for Best Movie Ever. The last movie ever to receive that award was The Highlander. And Dark Knight is way better than The Highlander.

After watching the Dark Knight, I just kept thinking I wish Heath Ledger wasn't dead. the performance was incredible and could have made the next of the series mouthwatering. Bringing the Batman saga where it should be.

Heath deserves an Oscar! He did an AMAZING, INCREDIBLE, ABSOLUTELY OUTSTANDING JOB!!!!!!!!

But he isn't the only WONDERFUL in this movie.....everyone did an amazing job!!

Christian Bale is the BEST Batman EVER! No arguing...he beats them all!

TDK deserves to be nominated for SEVERAL categories!! The HYPE....is for no little reason. It's well deserved. I'm glad it's doing sooo well at the box office cuz it DESERVES IT!!!!

I think "The Dark Knight" could be nominated for the following Oscars:

Best Supporting Actor | Heath Ledger
Best Make-Up
Best Visual Effects
Best Sound
Best Sound Editing

And, maybe, for Best Editing.

I can see the picture winning: Supporting Actor, Sound, Sound Editing.

After seeing this film twice, this is my conclusion: Regardless of Heath being dead or alive, he did a great job with the Joker character BUT lets be rational, an OSCAR is kind of a far fetched idea...he could be nominated for like Best Villian at the MTV Movie Awards but not by the Academy just because they simply do not look at these types of movies to get nominations from. Secondly, aside from Heath, Aaron Eckhart had a wonderful performance as well, better than any of the other cast members, and it is too bad that he is going unnoticed. In his interviews, he is so sincere and genuine about Heath and really feels that this film should be all about Heath. If you look at interviews of Christian Bale, you can tell that he is disappointed by Heath's death only because all of the attention has been taken away from him.

Another conclusion: Who cares about an Oscar, this movie was amazing. Heath had a great opportunity to create the Joker and he capitalized on it. Aaron certainly impressed me with his dynamic portrayal of Two face, and Christian Bale is, well we all know, the best Batman yet. With this said, we shouldnt show respect to HL by giving him an Oscar nomination, show him respect by appreciating his career and work.

After seeing this film twice, this is my conclusion: Regardless of Heath being dead or alive, he did a great job with the Joker character BUT lets be rational, an OSCAR is kind of a far fetched idea...he could be nominated for like Best Villian at the MTV Movie Awards but not by the Academy just because they simply do not look at these types of movies to get nominations from. Secondly, aside from Heath, Aaron Eckhart had a wonderful performance as well, better than any of the other cast members, and it is too bad that he is going unnoticed. In his interviews, he is so sincere and genuine about Heath and really feels that this film should be all about Heath. If you look at interviews of Christian Bale, you can tell that he is disappointed by Heath's death only because all of the attention has been taken away from him.

Another conclusion: Who cares about an Oscar, this movie was amazing. Heath had a great opportunity to create the Joker and he capitalized on it. Aaron certainly impressed me with his dynamic portrayal of Two face, and Christian Bale is, well we all know, the best Batman yet. With this said, we shouldnt show respect to HL by giving him an Oscar nomination, show him respect by appreciating his career and work.

"Will" you don't understand that Heath's Joker redefined the role. Jim Carrey and Danny DeVito played their roles as expected (they didn't redefine the roles). Jack Nickolson's Joker was fun, but no where near the revolutionary character that Heath took the Joker to.

acting (to take one to another time ,place ,person ,or event through actions potrayed on stage film or real life. how many of you could honestly after seeing the dark knight say for sure who played the joker if you did not already know who it was I was taken to the person who was an obvious drug riddled sociopathic murderer for hire who was as demented as he was creativly destructive. still cant believe that was Ledger.

Scott L, drugs should have nothing to do with whether Heath gets an Oscar. An actor's character is different from what they play on screen then in their personal life. He would be rewarded for what he's done and made of his career through The Dark Knight....not from what he does in his personal life. This issue is very small, if an issue at all, because there are tons of other things that send bad messages to kids concerning drugs.

I believe he deserves an Oscar.

I would also like to see Gary Oldman up for best supporting actor,(in addition to Heath Ledger) he did an amazing job in every scene he was in! Especially one of the ending scenes with Harvey Dent and his family... he's a great actor and he really bring emotion to the big screen!! Way to go Gary!!

By definition, no "editor" of a film longer than 120 minutes has worked hard enough to win the award.

I think it's a very rude to say that Heath Ledger wouldn't even be considered for an Oscar nomination if he were alive. His portrayal and performance was absolutely brilliant and I don't think anybody else would've even come close to what he did in The Dark Knight. Dead or alive, the man was absolutely phenomenal in his part.

On the topic concerning the other possible noms, I say, why not give the Dark Knight an Oscar for its fantastic musical score?

Glad to see I'm not the only person who thinks there wouldn't be this much talk of an oscar nod for HL if he was still alive.

I have never cared for the Batman movies, but came back totally blown away by The Dark Knight. It deserves a nod for Best Picture!

You guys are crazy.. The Dark Knight is the best thing to hit theaters in years and deserves every ounce of credit.. Heath Ledgers performance was outstanding he took a generally comic character and turned it into one of the most frightening villains to come onto a screen.. his ideals of anarchy and spontaneousness kept audiences pinned in there seats anyone who can sit there and say that the Dark Knight doesn't deserve an Oscar is outright dumb.. so tell me if Dark Knight doesn't deserve to win anything then what is going to win?? The Incredible Hulk?? i think not

HEATH LEDGER = GOD!

I just came back a day ago from seeing The Dark Knight and all I can say is , Id like to set the joker loose on every idget * short for idiots* who state that "just because Heath died, he will be nominated'. Obviously a couple of the above comments come from people with no brains or taste. Although I agree that alot of the movie would be nothing without Heath, the point is, he IS in this movie... and he IS the lead role character. Im wondering if the guy who commented the joker didnt show till the end, must have fallen asleep in his popcorn box? Heath IS the show stopper and its worth every penny to watch his performance. It will go down in history. Worthy of Johnny Depps caliber, Heaths work is truly that of a brilliant artist. Im going back to see it again just from an artistic point of view.

The Dark Knight is one of the best pictures i have ever seen....and Heath Ledger's performance is up there with the best performances in movie history.

Heath should not win the award because he was a prescription drug addict. He gave a phenomenal performance, but if you reward a drug user, then what message does that send to kids?? Hey look! Heath did drugs and he was cool as the Joker! Should win for best original screenplay and also sound design. Maybe give his performance a nod but not an Oscar. Academy needs to be careful on this one.

Okay everyone, deep breaths, keep repeating "It's Only A Movie, It's Only A Movie,..."... That said - "The Dark Knight" is every bit as good as people are saying (although I would stop short of comparing it to the Bible, or the second coming as some have attempted to do). And yes, Heath Ledger was amazing as The Joker. Easy to see now why he had trouble shaking the character (which some have suggested may have led to his unfortunate demise). He is absolutely stunning and reveals something sinister in his own psyche... it's hard to describe if you haven't seen it. I will argue with anyone that would disagree that his performance wasn't Oscar worthy. It most certainly is. Alive or dead, Heath should be a contender. Prepare for a surprise come Awards time. An amazing, fun, cool, touching and dark movie for the masses. (And smart too!) Let's hope the summer blockbusters of the future will be more like this...

Heath Ledger ? isn't this guy dead?

The film is great!
but who gets the trophy?

I love how the HL haters like to pounce upon the fact that he died as the "big reason" he's being nominated for an Oscar. Utter bull. Most dead people don't generally win Oscars anyway, if you idiots recall. It has everything to do with the fact that his performance was spectacular. Maybe you haters should go see the movie before speaking nonsense about it.

None. Shouldn't even get Heath Ledger's, honestly. Hype, hype, hype.

Will, you are sadly mistaken in saying that Aaron Eckhart gave the best performance. I also loved Batman Begins and have seen Dark Knight twice, and will be seeing it again in a few days. Every person that I have spoken to about the film claims Ledger's Joker to be one of the, if not the greatest characters/performances ever portrayed. His death has no bearing, nor does it have any significance in the fact. The truth is, as Gordon put it, this film needs no Oscars. I don't know about you, but I don't base a movie/performance on what 6500 Academy members think. The people (who matter) have spoken and one of the most hyped movies ever made has lived up to, if not exceeded expectations.

It absolutely should be nominated for Best Picture and Best Director, considering that Titanic and LOTR were not that much better. These are all popcorn films. I suppose the film could be snubbed because of a backlash, and especially considering that Nolan is an outsider that respects the comic world more than the Hollywood elite. And have you ever actually seen Gosford Park? Memento was good...Gosford Park was an amazing writing experiment.

Heath Ledger's untimely death was the best thing that could have happened for promoting this mediocre movie.

While HL's performance is great, the portrayal of Harvey Dent is much more touching and will go largely unnoticed by media types.

The rest of the cast and movie are as predictable and drab as any 1 hour cop show on US network tv.

I would have preferred to see 'Batman Begins' on the big screen again.

There I said it.

Gary

The Dark Knight should get many Oscar nominations come next January.

If The Lord of th Rings: The Return of the King can Win for Best Picture then The Dark Knight should be at least nominated for this category since in my opinion it's a far superior film. With the Best Picture win for The LOTR: Return of the King, I feel that that sent some precedent in how The Academy votes for the Best Picture category in that it was seen as a fantansy pic and a huge box office winner.

As far as Heath Ledger being nominated, YES, Absolutely he SHOULD be outright nominated as far as to which category, I personally feel that The Joker was more of a Lead role rather than Supporting. The Joker drove every aspect of the story. And what about that performance. OMG, he is the embodiement all of the villians performance that Denzel Washington, Anthony Hopkins, and Javier Barden encapsulated all in one! To suggest otherwise, is proposterous. I feel that if there was ever a time to honor Heath Ledger, it is NOW. The Academy has this opportunity to honor his body of work. I agree with you Tom, in that, Ledger should have already won one with his profound performance in Brokeback. But this isn't going to be another arguement with what happened that year with The Best Picture category.

I agree with your suggestions as to other categories that The Dark Knight should garner Oscar noms in.

Does The Dark Knight deserve Oscar nominations - YES!

Heath Ledger's untimely death was the best thing that could have happened for promoting this mediocre movie.

While HL's performance is great, the portrayal of Harvey Dent is much more touching and will go largely unnoticed by media types.

The rest of the cast and movie are as predictable and drab as any 1 hour cop show on US network tv.

I would have preferred to see 'Batman Begins' on the big screen again.

There I said it.

Gary

joker stole the show. Heath should be nominated

One day after watching it i can not get the scene where he blows the hospital up out of my head, brilliant work mr. ledger

Everyone needs to just stop, cool down, clear their minds and start thinking logically. Heath Ledger will not and probably should not win an Oscar for his portrayal of The Joker. He did a spectacular job and perhaps a nomination is in order, mainly for due respect, but not a win. An action, adventure, summer blockbuster, superhero movie actor is not likely to even be a candidate in the first place. His unfortunate death shouldn't be a factor in the performance or nomination. He did a great job as The Joker but as the movies central antagonist they hardly even featured him until the final act, in which they still didn't feature him a whole lot and didn't even give the character closure at the very end. In reality the movie was more based around Harvey Dent's evolution in which many characters, events, etc influenced and The Joker was only one of those fractions. Ledger was good but as much as it pains people to hear... this Oscar speculation wouldn't exist without his death.

Tom O'neil...sad to say that your bias precludes you from observing the reality of a superb film on par with other great crime dramas such as The Departed, God Father, and Heat.

Your press pass should be revoked and hopefully as the cast and crew from The Dark Knight Stands on the podium next March you will be at home pondering what to do with you career.

The thinly veiled comments such as "Holy Oscar Mania, Batman" and "Popcorn Pix" truly show the lack of thought you brought to a very human and extrodinarily deep film.

Watch it again without the blinders and you might get something that will help your own character.

What about Make-up Tom? I think they have a shot at that.

Mr O'Niel,
I agreed with your review by 99%. Yet... to call this film, The Dark Knight, popcorn pix is an insult.
The film is a moral stage play on the big screen. Classic Greek theater with a Judeo-Christian twist. Harvey is God ( integrity unmoved by any force... the law.)
Joker is Satan... no rules.
Batman and Jim Gordon are lost souls or lost angels caught between.
And... this term of popcorn pix, it's silly. While enjoying "Bridges of Madison County," I ate plenty of popcorn... should I have been eating truffles?
Your review hit the nail on the head with your hammer... just a little off-center.
This film needs no Oscars... no silly nod from peers.
The film is now legend, grand, and beautiful by the real judges, the American moviegoer who pays 7 dollars or more to see it.
How does an Oscar compare to that honor?

Gordon Stoeffler

How is "Gladiator" a blockbuster while "The Dark Knight" is, to you, just a popcorn movie? Try again.

Having seen the film twice and a huge fan of Batman Begins, I don't think the movie deserves any Oscars, including one for Heath. His performance, while good, isn't something that would ever be considered Oscar worthy, if he were still alive.

It was a pretty good popcorn movie, but way too much is being made of Oscar talk. They guy who played Harvey Dent delivered about the best performance.

If we are handing out Oscars for performances in this movie, they might as well retro actively give Danny DeVito one for the Penguin or Jim Carrey for the Riddler...

You kinda skipped over the fact that Gladiator and Return of the King were also nominated for and WON Best Picture.

best picture

You cited Gladiator, but remember, Gladiator WAS nommed for BP....and if I recall correctly....it won!

All it takes is one "genre" pic to break through that glass ceiling....the academy is getting younger and hipper....so I will not be suprised when it gets nommed for several oscars

I thought there was some rule where only ONE composer could possibly compose a score according to the AMPAS. Hence the snub for The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford last year.

IS there any chance for a Best Picture nomination? Yeah, it's a popcorn picture, and not even a winter one like "The Lord of the Rings". But it's gotten so much hype, not only for Heath Ledger but for being the best superhero movie ever made (totally true), and it's doing amazing boxoffice (that didn't help movies like "Spider-man 3" and "PIrates of the Caribbean", I know, but those were nowhere near the same league as this). Is there any chance of this being a phenomenon of "Titanic" proportions that the award groups join in on?