Mainly, though, the movie seems to paint it all in moral grays — like almost everything else in this Gotham City. This latest Batman is not exactly a hero — he is someone who fights evil while, in many ways, bearing an uncanny resemblance to it.

Societies get the heroes they deserve.

Seven years after Sept. 11, the United States is caught up in a misbegotten war in Iraq, is granting immunity to telecommunications companies that helped the Bush administration illegally spy on the public, and is unwilling to unequivocally renounce torture as a tactic.

That may explain why this summer’s box office sensation is not a white knight, but a dark one. Call it cinema verite.

Hmmm. I think this is why I like the Dark Knight so much. It’s much deeper than your usual popcorn cinema, and it has so many more options for thoughtful analysis.

⇒ Batman and the War on Terror

Let me raise a voice of dissent. Wall-E is an innovative and visually stunning film, but the “satire” it draws is simple-minded. It plays off the easy analogy between obesity and ecological catastrophe, pushing the notion that Western culture has sickened both our bodies and our planet with the same disease of affluence. According to this lazy logic, a fat body stands in for a distended culture: We gain weight and the Earth suffers. If only society could get off its big, fat ass and go on a diet!

I was going to write a long drawn out response to this ridiculous article, but I figured I could spend my time doing better things. Like posting more articles so I don’t feel so behind.

But if you’re in the mood for a good laugh, read it. B/c he’s 91% wrong (approximately).

Obesity is not genetic, and you can lose weight with a healthy diet (and exercise, of course).

⇒ Fat-e