I have been looking for a good time to start this blog. A moment in time where I am so effected and absolutely moved where I know its time. I thought this time was one week ago when I was getting excited for The Dark Knight Rises. A film I had been looking forward to for sometime. The film moved me in a way a picture had not done since I was a child. I spoke with a couple friends that night and we debated which was the best film of Nolan's Batman Trilogy. Most of the talk was between The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises. I told one of my friends I thought this new movie could be one of my favorites of all-time, and if I felt the same way in the morning I would start this blog.
The first thing I saw when I turned my computer on in the morning was about the shooting at a Midnight showing of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado. People just like me who were so excited for this movie they had to see it at the Midnight showing. James Holmes, a 24-year-old University of Colorado Grad student allegedly killed 12 and injured 58 in this terrifying example of what happens when people are not receiving the mental help they need. According to Freya Peterson of GlobalPost.com Holmes was "reportedly being treated by a psychiatrist (Dr. Lynn Fenton) who was part of the university's campus threat-assessment team." This means that the University of Colorado's grad student psychiatrist Dr. Fenton new Holmes had the potential to do something this evil. Later in Peterson's article i learned there is a possibility the young troubled man could have been planning a massacre like this for some time. A notebook describing brutal killings in great detail allegedly exists, and could have been in the hands of Fenton before the spree-killing even took place.
In the coming weeks more will surface as facts about that night. Only the people in that theater know for sure what happened. What I know now is that Holmes died his hair red, and went to Aurora to watch The Dark Knight Rises midnight showing like so many of us around the country. Some have said he was one of the first people in the theater which means he saw couples, elderly, kids, and families with small children dressed as Batman walk to their seats. Holmes probably knew who was going to kill before he even started shooting.
What made his night different is the next part where he went to his car which was parked right outside of the back door. He left the movie theater door ajar with a rock for easy re-entry. Holmes then suited up in what is told to be armor and a gas mask. Holmes then turned his psychotic fantasies into reality by throwing tear gas into the theater. Unfortunately for everyone there, smoke in the theater for a movie like this could easily have been part of the show. What happened next is unthinkable. Holmes took the four guns (a fully-automatic rifle, a shotgun, and two hand guns) he had with him and started shooting. With kids and all in the theater Holmes kept mowing down the movie-goers. The fully-automatic rifle Holmes brought with him jammed. We can all imagine how many more families could have been affected by this disaster had the rifle not jammed.
Christian Bale went to Aurora to be with the people affected by this tragedy. Bale went to the theater where there is a make-shift memorial. The hospital was another stop on Bale's journey through Aurora where he saw the injured fans and their families. Some of police and ambulance crews who were the first to arrive on scene were also at the hospital and saw Bale as well. Bale sets an amazing example to fight the balance of good and evil, even in real life.
I'm sure everyone wishes we could go back to the night this all happened to change it. I do. This night should have been one of joy, of happiness, and a chance for fans to unite. Batman fans need to come together now more than ever. I know people who are scared to go see this movie, because Holmes actions may spring more lunatics. I know in Spring Hill, Florida the Sheriff's Department is on sight at movie theaters all night on the weekends. Holmes actions were to scare us. To show Americans their own people are capable of something this dark.
What we need to show Holmes is that people like himself can be helped. We could have helped him. I know I would be there for a fan in need. All they would need to do is ask, and I'm sure fans would unite to show them they are not alone. Would you not do the same? We need to rise up, and not be scared to go see such an amazing movie. As a nation we have shown time and time again we can face adversity and rise up. After 9/11 the military had seen an extreme incline in recruits. What happened here is not on the same scale as 9/11, but this incident shows there are people right here in our country who want to hurt us. It is too late for Holmes, but some people like him can be helped.
I don't know about you, but I will see this movie several times. I will take my children to see it. So don't go see this movie just once. Watch it twice, and not just because it is a superb movie. Do it to stand up to people who are trying to scare us in society. We are better than to let some home grown terrorist scare us. I hope the families of this tragedy get the justice they deserve, and I hope Holmes can get the help he needs, and that he realizes how horribly mistaken he was. An act like this can never be forgiven or forgotten, but we can all grow from it.
For me, I almost did not start this blog because of what happened. I did not want to start something which would mean so much to me when people lost their lives. Why would I start a blog on the morning after such a tragedy occurred. However, a couple days ago while listening to Kevin Smith's podcast Fat Man on Batman something he said stuck with me. Such a tragedy like this should not scare us or keep us down but should inspire us. There are people like this in this world, and we can't always protect ourselves or our families from them. What we can teach our kids and ourselves though, is to "be a light (Smith describing the lesson he tought his daughter, Harley, before the Fat Man on Batman podcast)." Smith also said to be inspired. For anyone with any art ability to let this inspire them. If you can draw, draw. If you can sing, sing. If you can play music, play. If you can write, write. Smith is the only reason I stood up to the fear and wrote this. Let this inspire you too. Whatever you can do, do it. Do it proudly.
I will also write a spoilerific review of The Dark Knight Rises, but I had to say this first. The Dark Knight Rises is such an unbelievable experience. It is not even a movie. It is something much, much bigger. Everyone should discover the intimacy of this film with their loved ones. This movie is in my top-tier. The Dark Knight Rises easily could be my favorite movie of all-time.
I leave you with this. Will you let the darkness rise, or will you let The Dark Knight inside of you Rise to show Holmes and others like him we are not afraid?
Quotation from - Freya Peterson's article "Accused 'Batman' killer James Holmes was being treated by university psychiatrist, lawyers say."
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