One would have to be a complete recluse, not to have been exposed to the recent Bat-Hype. The Dark Knight directed by Christopher Nolan, the latest in a Batman movie ‘reboot’ has already set box office records.

Much of the movie buzz has to do with the late actor Heath Ledger, who died of an accidental overdose of prescription drugs back in January. Ledger plays The Joker in The Dark Knight; Ledgers Joker is unpredictable, gritty and disturbing. Knowing that this is the young actors final on screen role is somehow unsettling; he clearly threw himself into the role. The nightmarish image of the demented, scarred clown Ledger portrays will stay with you even after you leave the theater.

The film is about Batman, played Christian Bales, I suppose, but there are so many other colorful characters like The Joker, that the ‘Dark Knight’ is almost boring. It plays out more like a crime drama where the villains are much more interesting than the cops chasing them.

Let it be known that out of all the comic-movies within the last few years this is a standout. Director Christopher Nolan seeks to bend the concept of heroes and villains. Batman, whose only real answer to Gotham’s corruption is violence, asks himself, ‘Am I doing more harm than good?’ Violence begets more violence.

The film does a lot two and a half hours. Almost too much. They could have saved the last 45 minutes for the beginning of the inevitable 3^rd installment. The overload will make you want to talk about the movie afterwards. Certain scenes and plot twists and turns stick with you like post traumatic stress.

Did I mention it was dark? The PG-13 rating is well earned; the graphic violence peaks, as the Joker carves smiles in more than one person just off screen. 

Rating: See it

I saw Wall-E, a Pixar film that premiered this weekend. It was all that you would expect, visually engaging, innovative story telling, and humor that will satisfy child and adult alike. Wall-E (Waste Allocator Load Lifter-Earth Class) doesn’t talk nor does his pet cockroach, the only two survivors on an otherwise lifeless planet Earth. But Wall-E’s robotic coos and pantomime make it clear what he is feeling and the movie is filled with  sentimental scores that add a heighten sense of emotional to an otherwise completely automated environment.

And yes, Wall-E is quite a sentimental robot.  He gets his feelings hurt, worries about treading over his cockroach and… even falls in love with Eve (Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator), who comes to Earth to see what shape it’s in. She is cold and calculating at first but she soon falls for Wall-E’s earnest mechanical heart. All the robots in the movie gush with emotions, which made me wanted to roll my eyes a few times. Then some all too clever, culturally relevant bit of ‘Pixar humor’ would draw me back in.

Don’t expect to walk away from this movie without some not-so-subtle social and political commentary. We are big-box-loving-self-absorbed-dim-witted-earth-killers…And you should know it. I laughed aloud when the ship’s CEO insisted that we ‘Stay the course’. A little self-deprecation is good for the soul.

Make sure to stay for the first part of credits, if you are one of those people like me who likes neat little extras.

Rating: See it 

Just a short drive out of Downtown Richmond heading toward Eastern Henrico County lies the community of Fulton Hill. Heading down Williamsburg Road, travelers will soon pass the Neighborhood Resource Center. The NRC offers a variety of programs for community members in the Greater Fulton Hill area.

One program is the Young Writer’s Recording Studio. This class meets every Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.

Community children are encouraged to come and write down lyrics, poems and stories. After writing down their creation, program participants may have the chance to record their work in the sound booth. In the past two years, more than 50 participants have laid down tracks in the NRC’s Recording Studio. Last year, several completed songs were chosen to be placed on the NRC’s Studio Sampler CD.

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A bibliophile is a person who loves to read or collect books. Some folks like to collect books that are rare or unusual. There are people who specialize in those sorts of things but I just love to read and be surrounded by books. Hardcovers, no covers, paperbacks, or great tomes. I’m VERY fond of field guides and reference books and my junk food reading is anything sci-fi or fantasy. I even like the bad stuff. When I think about things I’d like to do to improve our home, the first thing that always to comes to mind is: build more book shelves.

I consider purgatory to be the space between books. Thankfully that is a rare occurrence. When it DOES happen, life feels slightly off. I know I’m not the only one like this; after tureall, we have our own name.

So, if you are even remotely interested in buying books cheap, check out the Spring Book Sale at the Main Library. Here’s what you need to know.

Happy Reading!

Friends Spring Book Sale.

Mezzanine Level, Main Library.
Friday, April 4, 2:00 PM -5:00 PM
Saturday, April 5, 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday, April 7, 10:00 AM - 6:30 PM

Special Hours for the Friends of the Richmond Public Library Members
Friday, April 4,  10:00 AM - 2:00 PM

Call (804)646-7223 for more information.

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Fulton Gas Works (2006), acrylic on canvas, by John Holland

By Stacey R. Hamman

When you enter the Neighborhood Resource Center in Fulton Hill, you might be stopped immediately by a young entrepreneur who is raising money for a school project.

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Photo by shimmer.glimpse (9/29/07).