On the not-so-red carpet...

IT wasn't as glamorous as I had envisioned it to be. Still, it was quite a lot of fun...

Two nights ago, my friend Tony invited me to attend the red-carpet Australian premiere of the new Batman flick, The Dark Knight. It was held at the IMAX cinema downtown, and we were promised our share of celebrities. 

I was expecting limousine arrivals, screaming fans, security officers in dark suits and ear pieces, the flashing paparazzi and high end fashion. Inside, I was certain there'd be bow-tie clad waiters serving elegant hor'devours and crystal goblets of champagne as the who's who of Melbourne giggled and made small talk, amidst air kisses and polite pleasantries. After all, this IS the red carpet premiere, is it not? Should I have expected anything less? Apparently, yes. 

As instructed, we rocked up just before 6pm for a 630pm SHARP screening. I was a little hungry but was foolishly consoled by my false expectation that there'd be some kind of refreshments in there. I was surprised the traffic was pretty good, and getting a parking spot in the building was a breeze, considering such a glitzy event. As we took the escalator down into the main foyer, we were greeted by some 'regular' folks getting some popcorn for their show, and a handful of paparazzi photographers lounging around. There was a red carpet leading to the main IMAX cinema and two little tressle tables covered with random tablecloth on each side of the entrance, manned by some ushers with a namelist. But no celebrities in sight, no cocktail, no champagne, nothing. So we dashed out to get a quick bite from Food Mart; me a tandoori chicken sandwich and iced coffee, and Tony some granola bar. 

It was 615pm when we got back to the cinema but still no screaming fans or security outside. Inside the foyer, a long queue had formed to get into the IMAX cinema. And among the mere mortals like us were some of Australia's better known celebrities. The quickest to spot was multi Gold Logie winner and Australia's favourite talk-show host, Rove McManus. A small man indeed, Rove was accompanied by his current sweet heart actress Tasma Walton. Along with them were others like comedian Peter Hellier, actor Stephen Curry, former Olympian and swimmer Michael Klim, Nova morning show host Kate Langbroek, AFL Hall of Fame inductee Dermot Berereton (who was recently on Celebrity Singing Bee!), comedian and radio host Ryan Shelton, leading Australian fashion designer Alannah Hill (dressed in a cute pink number), my favourite pyjama couturier Peter Alexander, and Peter Rowsthorn of the comedy Kath & Kim... just to name few (I must admit here that I didn't recognise many of them but Tony pointed them out to me!). The paparazzi would get them to pose with the main display for the movie as they made their way to the entrance of the cinema, and for a few seconds flashes would go off before the next 'victim' is caught. It was a thoroughly casual affair with most people just in jeans, and casual jackets, which was a relief as we were both pretty dressed down too. 

When we got to our seats, we were treated to a bar of Cadbury Boost and a bottle of Pepsi... and that was about the only refreshments we got for the evening. After a formal welcome by the IMAX guy and the Roadshow guy, the extravaganza began.

If you've never watched a movie in an IMAX cinema or have no idea what IMAX is about, here's some basic facts: IMAX is the largest film format in the world, with the screens being 10 times larger than your normal cinema and the image fills the entire screen. The screen can be as high as 8 storeys, and it has a much more superior image and sound quality. So when Batman leaps off the edge of a skyscraper and hovers over the city, you're flying with him. Or when he gets shot, you can almost feel the bullet penetrating your skin. In short, IT'S AN AWESOME EXPERIENCE...

As far as the film goes, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT is gripping, complex and quite dark. It has some amazing effects and stunts, and the story line is believable. And it goes without saying that Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker, while brilliant, was also very disturbing. The fact that he died so tragically soon after filming this movie made me wonder what was going through his head when preparing and playing this role. The Joker is eerie and creepy and just very very dark... I also wondered how the audience felt seeing his portrayal of The Joker, some of whom I'm sure knew Heath quite well. The rest of the cast were excellent and I hope there will be yet another Batman series... one that will result in a less tragic aftermath. 

And for the red-carpet premiere experience? Well, there was very little mingling and schmoozing after the movie as people began to leave almost immediately. It was after all a Monday night. For me, it was a great escape from the pains of job hunting and applications. Tony and I headed down to Lygon Street after the movie and dug into a much awaited pizza and finished the evening with our usual dose of skinny latte. Perfecto...