Our Tornado Story

Peterson (Chad, Sue, and Family)

August 26^th, 2007 Tornado

Just like many of our fellow Northwood residents, Sunday August 26^th for Chad and Sue Peterson (and sons Jace and Erik), started with church.  Our service at Ebenezer Free Lutheran Church was just about to end when we learned about the passing of Pastor Bill Fretwell from Northwood Community Bible Church.  The news left us in shock and set the tone for what was to become a day we will never forget.

We spent much of the day, Sunday, working on the yard.  It was so hot and miserable outside and knew it felt like it could storm.

As it got closer to 8:00 PM, we started seeing weather warnings flash on the television.  We were watching Extreme Makeover - Home Edition (ironic) and were getting things ready for the first day of the school year for Jace and Erik.  Jace was an 8^th grader and Erik was entering 3^rd grade. 

The weather updates kept breaking into the program on TV.  It seemed that a particularly strong storm cell that was currently near McVille was heading our way.  Sue and I decided that we should go up to Northwood Deaconess Health Center (NDHC) to help staff get residents and patients into the hallways for safety should there be bad weather.  Sue and Chad both worked at NDHC.  Sue as a nurse, and Chad was the Human Resources and Technology Manager - as well as the Emergency Management coordinator at the time.

We decided to take the boys with us, and left our dog Abby in her kennel in Chad’s office.  We had a little bit of a discussion about which vehicle to take.  We were a little worried about hail damage and didn’t want anything to happen to the cars if we could help it.

When we arrived at NDHC we quickly started getting folks out into the hallways.  Some had already gone to bed, so staff got them up and into chairs.  We ensured the Dakota Apartment residents had also been notified and asked them to come down to the hallway in the East Wing of the Nursing Home (where the snackbar used to be).  The hospital had taken steps to ensure the safety of their patients, as well.

At about 8:35 PM, we had everyone in as safe of a position as we could have, and so we waited.  Chad turned the TV in the Sunshine Parlor of the Nursing Home so that it could be viewed from his position in the hallway.  Erik was near Chad huddled under a wheelchair.  Jace was in Chad’s office monitoring the radar on the Internet and trying to listen to the radio to hear weather updates.  Sue was with the other charge nurses walking up and down the hallways making sure everyone was ready, giving them additional blankets to cover with to protect themselves from glass and other debris, should it get bad outside.

Somehow we found out that a funnel cloud had been spotted just SW of the airport and was heading our way.  We could hear the emergency siren outside.  The cable television went out, followed shortly by the power.  As the generators kicked in and the alarms started sounding at NDHC, the doors to the Sunshine Parlor on the south side of the nursing home were sucked open.  Chad ran out to try to close them, but quickly realized that wasn’t going to happen.  As he ran back to the hallway, he used his body to shield the resident closest to the doorway and yelled for everyone to cover their heads.  As the tornado passed over, the ceiling tiles in the hallway at NDHC lifted up and down like an accordion.  We could hear glass breaking everywhere, even over the roar of the wind.  Unknown to Chad at the time, moments before the storm hit NDHC, Sue had realized Jace was still in Chad’s office and ran to get him.  While they ran up the hallway from Chad’s office toward the Nursing Home, they saw the ceiling tiles moving up and down and felt the dust and debris in the air.  They ran around the corner and pulled two other nurses into a hall linen closet with them, where they huddled and prayed while the storm passed over.  Erik was protected by his angel – the woman in the wheel chair near Chad who covered him with a blanket and make sure he stayed safe.

After what seemed like many minutes (but we know didn’t take more than 2-3), we started evaluating the chaos.  The alarms were still going off.  Some of the younger staff were crying out of fear, others were dazed.  As we soon discovered, everyone at NDHC was OK, although we definitely had a lot of damage.

While Sue stayed at the Nursing Home side of the building to help staff there take care of the residents, Chad began an initial damage assessment of the building.  Although we had lost part of the roof in the North Wing of the Nursing Home and had windows broken out everywhere, NDHC seemed to still be intact.  The ambulances were safely in the garage, but the front entrance doors to the hospital were broken and hanging off.  We still had no idea of the extent of the damage, but wanted to make sure we could get out with the ambulances and also be accessible to anyone who walked in with injuries.

Chad began to try to establish radio contact with the Fire Department and Police.  No response.  We began to prepare for emergency treatment at the hospital and started setting up the second ER, just in case we needed it.  Still no response from anyone on the radio.  Finally, someone made their way on foot to the hospital and told us that the Fire Department was gone.  They described the damage they had seen as they had made their way to the hospital.  We still hadn’t seen anything outside of our building, but now realized this was very big and that our lives had just been changed forever.  This was the darkest moment of the night for Chad, when he started thinking that outside of this building, all may have been lost. 

As the only place in town with power, NDHC became a gathering point for the folks in town.  One by one, or in small groups, people made their way up there.  Some came to help us, putting plywood over broken windows or vacuuming up rain water which had begun to inundate the North Wing and Nurses Station at the Nursing Home because of the lack of a roof in that area.  Others came just to be safe and have a place to cry and find friends to hug.

Finally, Chad was able to talk to the Grand Forks EOC on the radio and they began relaying to him what was going on.  A Command Post/Staging Area was being set up at Northwood Oil, search and rescue was on-going.  Chad was told to prepare for multiple casualties, which he then relayed on to the nursing staff, who had already begun recalling staff.  Some had already started to arrive, long before any calls for assistance.  It’s just what they do.

As the night wore on, information continued to trickle in.  The search and rescue continued.  Fire Departments and Law Enforcement agencies from all over had come to help.  Injured people were either treated at NDHC or by one of the many EMT units that had come from other communities.  Trees that were blocking access to and from NDHC were being cleared so that we could get our ambulances out and folks could get to us.  Grand Forks Air Force Base called and asked how many generators we wanted and where I wanted them.  They brought a flatbed trailer to the hospital parking lot and began staging light units and generators around our entrance and in key areas around town.

Meanwhile, our adult kids came home.  Nicholas was living in Brookings, SD.  I remember talking to him at what seemed fairly shortly after the tornado had hit.  Then it seemed he was suddenly there.  Austin was living in Grand Forks.  He and his fiancée (Jeramie), along with her parents were also there to help.  While Sue and I stayed at work, they made their way around and over trees and powerlines – and lots of standing water – to get to our house at 308 S. Hougen Street.  They got Abby out of the house (a wall had partially collapsed on her kennel, but she was OK), and they boarded up our broken windows best as they could.  Ralph and Denise Miller (Jeramie’s parents) then took Abby, Jace, and Erik to their house and to safety.  Nicholas, Austin, and Jeramie were determined to stay in Northwood so they could help us.  Sue told them they should try to get some sleep and that if our house wasn’t suitable for sleeping in, they could maybe go sleep on the couches in the Narthex at Ebenezer…we still didn’t know what the damage really was.  They ended up pulling a mattress off a hide-a-bed and slept on the floor of a basement store room in our house, where there hadn’t been any glass or other debris blown onto the floor.  We don’t really know how we could have recovered from this if it wasn’t for their help in the days and weeks ahead.  God has blessed us with amazing children.

Throughout the night, Sue continued to work at the Nursing Home, helping to care for and move residents into safe rooms and get them settled in for the night, while Chad continued to work mainly in the hospital setting up command and control with CEO Pete Antonson.  They were in communication with the State Health Department with an emergency video conference system.  The Health Department was in communication with all the other hospitals and Public Health Agencies and worked tireless on behalf of the residents of Northwood, as well.

The night seemed to last forever.  National Radio and TV networks called for updates/interviews throughout the night.  Chad’s response on many of these interviews was that the real level of destruction would be revealed once daylight came.

At about 7:00 AM on Monday morning, Chad and Sue held hands and began the walk to our house, not at all sure what we would find – or what level of devastation we would see.  We hadn’t been out of the NDHC building at all, yet, and had been working all night.  Our first stop was our van that we had parked on the south side of the Nursing Home.  Chad had left his wedding band in there and wanted to retrieve it.  The van was totaled, but the ring was right where he had left it.  It seemed like it took a very long time to get to our house, even though it was only about three blocks away.  Trees and debris were laying everywhere.  Our garage was gone, and although our house was still standing, there was a tremendous amount of damage.  Rafters from someone’s roof were in our basement.  Glass from our windows was embedded in our walls.  There were cracks everywhere.  It was clear we were very lucky that we weren’t there when the storm hit.  Remember the car we wanted to keep safe from hail?  Lost, as well.

Ralph and Denise Miller opened up their home (near Grand Forks) to us.  We stayed there until Labor Day weekend, when we moved temporarily to the Klevberg farm east of Northwood (thank you again, Klevberg’s!!).  Erik stayed with Chad’s cousin and her husband/family in Thompson during that first week of chaos.  We were very thankful to have him somewhere safe and carry on a semi-normal routine while we tried to recover on multiple fronts.  We were reunited with Erik the next Sunday morning – the morning we came together as a community to worship in a tent next to Northwood Community Bible Church.

Our house was declared a total loss by our insurance company.  Instead of building a new home, we bought the home of Gary and Dawn Lawrence (formerly the C.P. and Helen Austinson home), which was just southwest of our place.  We moved in after repairs there had been completed, in early November.

Austin and Jeramie were to be married at Ebenezer in October, 2007.  Their wedding was moved to Trinity Free Lutheran Church in Grand Forks.  It was a wonderful ceremony and for us was a terrific celebration of not only this newly married couple, but also for all those that had helped us with our recovery so far.

It would be impossible to tell our tornado tale without mentioning some of the other things we were involved in after the tornado.  Chad was the Congregational President at Ebenezer at the time and spent countless hours in meetings (and prayer) as we made decisions ultimately resulting in the construction of a new church building on the site of the former Northwood Public School.  Chad was also on the Park Board, and worked with FEMA and other agencies to return the park back into shape after the pool house and grandstand were destroyed.

We remember the countless examples of other people and communities showing kindness to our community and fellow citizens.  The red carpet that the Hatton School and community rolled out for our kids the next two school years was much appreciated.  We will never forget the very emotional first day of school in Hatton when our Northwood kids were given a VIP welcome.  Thank you, Hatton!

NELC opened its doors to Ebenezer while the new church was being built.  Thank you, NELC!

There are many, many, others who have been (or should be) thanked for what they did on a personal level or through their organizations, to help us (and Northwood) recover. 

As Northwood continued to recover, Chad and Sue volunteered to be the co-chairmen for the Northwood 125+1 Celebration, held in 2010, and helped to organize (along with a terrific team of people) a wonderful week of celebrating not only the past, but also the bright future of the community.

We have learned a lot - about ourselves and about Northwood – because of the tornado and the aftermath of its affects.   We have a much stronger feeling of empathy for all who are dealing with natural and personal disasters in their lives.  One final lesson we learned was that faith, family and community are really all that is important, once everything else is stripped away. 

We thank you, Northwood, for being a wonderful community to us.

Race Night!

Last night, Erik and I went to the races at the Devils Lake Speedway to watch Sue's cousin's son - Jeff Ratzlaff - race.  This was Jeff's first race of the season.  He and his wife, Kim, have been busy - they had a baby a few months ago (Paizleigh)!!

I video-taped his feature race with my cell phone and posted it to YouTube.  You can view it here:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9rO9mnj4bA

Jeff started on the second row (he's in the white #9 car) and lapped many cars at least twice in the 15 lap event.  It got a little close at the end as the #97 car closed the gap as Jeff had let up a little.  Lots of fun!!

A couple of thoughts...I always think of the past when I go to the races.  When I was very young, I used to go with my Dad just about every weekend.  We'd go to Grand Forks, Park River, Langdon, and Hallock.   I remember watching the Swangler's from Grand Forks, R. Tesmer from Walhalla, and the Roy's from Langdon - along with many other drivers.  I also remember always wanting to be a race car driver and having my Dad there to support me (be my pit crew, biggest fan, etc...).

Those dreams faded after my mom and dad divorced when I was 10.  I stopped going to the races.  As my kids got older, we got into NASCAR - especially with Jace - and we started going to a few local races.  Those same dreams came back - except now I wanted to be the pit crew and the number one fan, as I watched Jace (or one of his brothers) race around the track.  Here's Erik sitting in Jeff's car after a heat race - working on dreaming his own dreams!

Maybe that's what makes following Jeff Ratzlaff so much fun. We've went to a few of his races and like to be in the pits with him before and after the races.  It's not so much about watching him race - and win (which he does with ease!!)...It's about watching his Dad (Mark) - Jeff's pit crew and number one fan!  I could go on and on about the little things I notice Mark doing to help...from a technical standpoint with the car, getting Jeff over to the driver's meetings before the race, or a pat on the back when everything is finished.  It's fun to watch - and something all dad's should emulate. 

When you have a Dad that is there and supporting you - when you succeed, and especially when you fall a little short - you're always going to end up winning.

Keep racing, Jeff!  Who knows - maybe there will be a Ratzlaff/Peterson Racing merger sometime in the future??

The Cider House Rules

The Cider House Rules is a 1999 movie, based on a 1985 novel by John Irving.  It stars Tobey Maguire as Homer, an orphan who becomes the protege for the director of the orphanage, Dr. Wilbur Larch (played by Michael Caine).  Homer is trained to be a Dr. Larch's assistant and helps care for the abandoned children, the delivery of babies, but refuses to take part in the actual performing of the (illegal) abortions that Dr. Lynch sometimes performs.

Homer, as the oldest orphan, is looked up to by all the children and is heavily depended on by all.

He sees an opportunity to go out on his own when a young army officer (Wally) and a girl (Candy) come to see Dr. Larch for an abortion.  He asks Wally if he can catch a ride when they leave and ends up working in Wally's family apple orchard, along with a migrant work crew led by Mr. Rose.

Wally ends up getting orders and leaves for the war, and Homer and Candy end up getting close to each other, eventually falling in love.

They learn that Wally has been shot down and is paralyzed because of encephalitis and will therefore be returning home soon.  Meanwhile, Homer realizes that Rose Rose, Mr. Rose's daughter, has become pregnant and reaches out to help her.  He and Candy discover that the Rose's father is the father of her baby.

Homer realizes that he can help her and ends up performing an abortion in the migrant quarters.  He also realizes that Candy is going to need to take care of Wally when he returns and therefore, he must leave.

As the migrant workers are preparing to leave, Rose runs away.  She stabs her father after he tries to molest her again, and flees.  Mr. Rose ends up dying in the bunkhouse.

Homer receives word that Dr. Larch has died from an accidental overdose of ether (which he seemed to be quite addicted to).  He decides to return to the orphanage to help out and realizes that Dr. Larch lied to him (out of love) about his heart condition, and had also set him up to be his replacement by creating a false record of Homer's medical certifications.

The movie ends with Homer reading to the boys at the orphanage and saying good night to the "Princes of Maine - the Kings of New England" just as Dr. Larch had done each night for years.

The setting of the film was beautiful and the photography of the northeast was breathtaking.

The main  theme of this film was that as much as we'd like our world to be black and white, it's not always that easy.  Homer is opposed to performing abortions, but ends up softening his stance and therefore, becoming more like Dr. Larch, after he comes to believe that it would be better to have them done safely with him rather than in a way that would be more dangerous.

I'm personally totally uncomfortable with this view and would therefore have liked to have things more black and white.


I think another thing I wrestle with was how loving Dr. Larch and his staff were with the children at the orphanage and how they handled adoptions and tried to give children good homes, and yet, under the same roof they were performing abortions.  It seems at first glance to be quite a contradiction.

We also see Dr. Larch breaking all sorts of rules throughout, and yet he comes across as a very loving, caring man.

The quote that sort of rings true throughout the film was stated by Mr. Rose on his deathbed, when he said, "Sometimes, ya gotta break some rules, to put things straight."

Rules were changing all the time throughout the film, just like they sort of do in life.  As much as I want things to be black and white, I acknowledge that much of that is out of my control and we have to somehow figure things out as we go along.

To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a 1962 movie, based on the 1960 Pulitzer-prize winning book with the same title, written by Harper Lee.  Gregory Peck plays Atticus Finch, a small town southern lawyer who is raising his two children alone after the death of their mother.

The film is set in 1932 in a town called Maycomb, Alabama, where most of the people are very poor, struggling with the aftermath of the stock market crash and subsequent depression in the U.S.  The other struggle they face is the issue of racism in their community, something many communities could relate to.

The story is told through Atticus' six-year old tomboy daughter Jean Louise (who goes by Scout).  The older Scout narrates the film as she looks back at the adventures she shared with her older brother, Jem, and a boy named Dill who came to visit each summer.

The film shows some of the adventures the kids have, especially concentrating on the mysterious neighbor boy, Boo Radley, who has been hidden from public view by his parents.  This is the source of many tales throughout the community and Scout, Jem, and Dill are very curious about what Boo is really like.

Atticus is well respected in the community and tries to instill values in his children by conducting himself in a very caring way.  He's not the kind of dad, however, that goes outside to play with the kids.  He's much more serious and thoughtful than that.  Jem is constantly asking for a gun.  He feels that Atticus isn't being fair or understands why he would want a gun.  You can tell that the kids are impressed when they are confronted by a rabid dog and the sheriff and Atticus come racing over to take care of it.  Instead of shooting the dog himself, the sheriff tells Atticus to do it because he is the "best shot in the county."

Atticus has been asked to represent a negro man (Tom Robinson) accused of raping a young white woman.  Kids at school tease Scout about her dad defending a ni**er, which prompts her to fight the offending kids.  The harassment certainly isn't limited to young people, however, as many of the white men in the community confront Atticus and urge him to step aside so they can take care of justice for Tom Robinson, themselves.

Atticus does his best job in defending Tom, but Tom is still found guilty (by an all-white jury), despite overwhelming evidence that the crime did not happen and that the girl was instead beaten by her ignorant, town-drunk father, Bob Ewell.  Scout, Jem, and Dill watch the trial from the courthouse balcony area, oblivious to the fact that the balcony is where all the negro people sit.  After the verdict is read and Tom is taken away, the white people in the courthouse all leave.  The negro people in the balcony, however stand and wait for Atticus to pass by, out of respect for what he has done for Tom - and for them.  The Reverend who is letting the kids sit by him, tells Scout, "Miss Jean Louise, stand up.  Your father's passing."

The children are very sad that the Tom was found guilty, but their neighbor, Maudie Atkinson tries to make Jem feel better about their dad by saying, "I don't know if it will help saying this to you... some men in this world are born to do our unpleasant jobs for us... your father is one of them."  This is, to me, one of the most inspiring lines from the movie.

Tom dies that night in an escape attempt and Mr. Ewell swears revenge for embarrassing him at the trial.

A few months later, Scout and Jem are attacked by Mr. Ewell as they are on their way home from a Halloween pageant.  They are saved by a mysterious man, who carries away the unconscious and injured Jem back to his house.  Scout realizes it is Boo.  The Sheriff is called to check things out and he discovers that Mr. Ewell has been killed with a kitchen knife.  After thinking it through, the Sheriff tells Atticus there will be no charges filed - that it was obvious to everyone that Ewell fell on his knife while attacking the children.

This is a great movie!  There is symbolism used throughout (such as the symbolism that "killing a mocking bird is a sin.  The don't do anything but sing their hearts out for us."), and the theme of standing up against evil and doing the right thing is prevalent throughout.  The microcosm of Maycomb and the fight against racism and segregation of the 1930's was very important in the early 1960's when the Civil Rights movement was going strong.  It's a message that still resonates today.

I loved the innocent inquisitiveness of Scout and how she could be so direct with people.

Shadows and and a feeling of eeriness and mystery were used very well - especially when the kids would be looking at Boo's house.  The black and white movie even seemed to by symbolic of the black and white symbolism throughout.  Whites on main floor of courthouse, blacks upstairs.  The black and white issue of fairness and justice (which wasn't served here), and the grayness of how they dealt with the death of Mr. Ewell at the end.  Justice was done, in the end, by even then, Atticus was trying to figure out how to solve the issue through the legal system.  It was the Sheriff who told him that there wouldn't be any charges pressed - that it Bob Ewell killed himself. 

Scout agreed that there shouldn't be any charges pressed against Boo...that "it would be sort of like killing a mockingbird."

The Cove

The Cove is a 2009 documentary featuring Ric O'Barry and his quest to end the industry of capturing dolphins for entertainment parks and other tourist industries, and the mass killing of dolphins for food.  What makes Ric such a noteworthy champion of this cause is the fact that he was the person who captured and trained the dolphins used in the television series Flipper.  He changed his mind about his profession after one of the dolphins that played Flipper became very depressed and made a conscious effort to stop breathing while in Ric's arms.

Ric concentrates his efforts on exposing and stopping the inhumane harvesting of dolphins in a Japanese fishing village called Taiji.  Taiji is one of the leading suppliers in the world of dolphins used by marine parks and tourism-related businesses.  He enlists the help filmmaker Louie Psihoyos and the Oceanic Preservation Society - to help get the word out to the world of the atrocities going on in this seemingly beautiful cove in Taiji.  They assemble a small team of experts to help with the mission, which gives the documentary a more dramatic, suspenseful feel.

Using a wide variety of high-tech cameras - like night vision, infrared, heat detection - and incorporating the shots into the final film definitely gets the audience more engaged in the story.

The scenery is beautiful and the underwater shots of dolphins swimming in the wild are simply amazing.

There isn't a lot of film time that actually displays the unbelievably horrible way that these dolphins are captured and slaughtered (thankfully).  Much of the film concentrates on building up the story, giving us information about how various worldwide bodies have positioned themselves on the issue of killing dolphins, what Ric has done to this point, and kind of a behind the scenes look at the preparation for the filming mission at the cove.

The authorities in Taiji are of course very concerned about any threat to the well-being of their community and their livelihood and come across very negatively in the film, harassing and intimidating anyone who seems to be against what they feel is their traditional way of life.

It is all woven together very well as a passionate call to action.  Watching the film is not enough.  If you want to change the world, you're going to have to act.

I found myself completely engrossed in the film, and I see the righteousness of the cause.  I wonder, though, what people would say about the U.S. meatpacking industry, or how poultry are harvested.  Couldn't just about anything - if you presented the story right - be deemed as evil and draw the ire of activists around the world?

That being said, I really do think there is difference between the way cows and chickens are raised for food (and the regulations that are in place that govern the process) and the way wild mammals are driven to a small cove by the thousands for execution.  Everyone acknowledges that dolphin meat isn't that tasty and contains high levels of mercury.

Why do they do it, then - and why do we (collectively) allow it to happen?  It's a good question, and it's a question that The Cove does a great job of asking.

The Full Monty

The Full Monty was a very entertaining movie that was a lot deeper than I thought it would be.  It was released in 1997 and is set in the English steel city of Sheffield.

I thought the opening was interesting when they used a promotional video of Sheffield from the early 1970's to sort of set the setting of the movie - a once thriving city that is now struggling because of the closure of their steel mills.

The main characters of the movie are struggling to deal with the aftermath of their unemployment.

The colors and setting of the film portray a bleak, industrial-style look, which makes it very apparent that the city - and its people - are in hard times.

The plot centers on the lives of a few of the unemployed employees from one of the factories.  Gaz (played by Robert Carlyle), and Dave (Mark Addy) are good friends and are struggling to regain their livelihood (and their manhood).  They recruit a few others, including their old foreman, to try to make some money and regain some confidence by becoming male strippers, after seeing the enthusiasm displayed by the women in their community for a Chippendale dancer show at a local club.

The subject matter covered in this film was pretty expansive.  Certainly, unemployment was central to the plot, but many symptoms or byproducts were also covered:  child custody and alimony, depression, suicide, homosexuality, body image, honesty, and even erectile dysfunction.

I think it's easy to see a lot of our own flaws and feelings in the characters of the movie.

The music used in the film was fantastic, as was the acting.  The characters seemed like real people that were actually going through these issues.

I found it very amusing that Gaz would allow his son to be around for this escapade, but as you look at the relationship between the two, it seems Nathan is almost more of the father-figure.  Gaz seems to think of Nathan as sort of a playmate or partner for his crazy ventures.  Nathan really wants to believe in and respect his father and more than that, wants his Dad to respect himself and become more like a dad.

Dave is terribly insecure and unhappy.  He doesn't feel like the man he wants to be, is overweight, and is not able to perform sexually with his wife.

They save Lomper from killing himself and recruit him, along with their old supervisor Gerald to start a male stripper ensemble.  Gerald has his own issues, as he has been unable to tell his wife that he has lost his job - even though it's been six months.  She only finds out once their furniture and belongings start to get re-possessed.  Together, they decide to turn their lives around - at least for a night - by becoming part of Hot Metal - the name of their group.

The movie was very funny, but also very sobering as you watch the characters struggle with their identities and the trials and tribulations of losing everything they knew.

Again, this was a very good movie that was very uplifting.  In the end, the guys showed their community and the ones they loved, that they were resilient and were on their way back.

...and we even got to see more gnomes!!

The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight is a 2008 film directed by Chrisopher Nolan (who also directed Memento), based on the DC Comic character, Batman.

I went to this movie in a theater back in 2008 and I recall how dark I thought the movie was, along with how violent.  In particular, the scene where the Joker (played brilliantly by Heath Ledger) shows the mobsters how a pencil can disappear stood out as I recalled what I remembered of the movie.

Watching it again this week, though, helped me to see a lot more of the movie.

What I saw was much more than just a dark movie.  Much of the action was set in the dark, but again that's when Batman comes out to fight against the bad guys.  The title of the movie is very fitting in this regard. 

Christian Bale plays the character of Batman/Bruce Wayne and does a great job.  I really like him as Batman and think he is the most well-rounded of the various Batman's that we've seen.  Much has been said about the way Heath Ledger played the role of the Joker.  As far as crazy, bad guys go - this is it!!  He played him so well, a complicated, psychopathic, arch-enemy to not just Batman, but to all of humanity.

This was definitely a story of good versus evil, but there are also facets of evil versus evil, and even good versus good (as Harvey Dent changes into the role of Two Face), and also the on-going conflict that goes on within Bruce Wayne/Batman as he struggles with his role of being Batman in Gotham City.

Harvey Dent had a quote at one point that I think encapsulates some of that internal struggle within Batman.  "You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain."  As the movie ends we see that Batman will indeed become the villain as the stage is set for the next Batman movie.

The action scenes and set designs were very good.  Nolan made very good use of the skyline and architecture of Gotham City (Chicago).  The sound and score tied into the film brilliantly.  There were also beautiful shots of Gothem City, which helped me connect more to the city than I had in previous Batman movies.

The acting from the main characters was tremendous, including Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, but the supporting cast with Michael Caine as Alfred and Morgan Freeman playing Lucius Fox were also quite good and added an extra dimension of believability.

Finally, the style that Christopher Nolan uses with this film make his interpretation of Batman seem more believable than in any of the other Batman movies I've seen.  I love movies that have a higher theme, a theme that deals with humanity, mankind's relationship with mankind.  With The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan effectively got viewers to see the larger picture.