Scene Anatomy 101 Series Finale 01.07.09: The Dark Knight

Posted by George H. Sirois on 01.07.2009

Number 200 in a Four-Issue Limited Series...

ISSUE #200 – 0 TO GO!


After over 4-and-a-half years, here we are at "Graduation Day." That was going to be the teaser for this week's column, but then the cover to TransFormers issue #80 came to mind...

Seeing that cover reminded me of what I was thinking when I first started writing for 411Mania. I could have sworn it would be for a few months before I would run out of things to say and would be dismissed. Surprisingly, that would not be the case, and each week I would churn out column after column. Even if I had more important things on my radar screen, I would always find a way to make sure I got my Scene Anatomy in on time.

Now that we're at issue number 200, and now that I've gotten very comfortable with Thursday's UBS Evening Movie News, the time has come to say goodbye to Scene Anatomy 101. I wish I could keep it going even longer, but life demanded that one of the two had to go, and I thought I'd take the opportunity to go out with a no-limits, super-awesome-deluxe series finale. I'll go into more detail on why the time to end this column has come, but before that, we're sending this out in style!

Just in case there are any new readers here, I'll repeat what I've said here many times before. One of my favorite genres to cover in Scene Anatomy 101 is the comic book movie. I've always had a soft spot for these larger-than-life characters, the heroes and villains, the worlds they live in and the situations they find themselves in. Since Superman hit the big screen in 1978, we've seen many different characters getting their feature-length treatment. Some of them were successful, others were not, but the intention to take the characters we knew within the 2-D pages and make them flesh and blood was always there.

Over ten years after our eyes had to witness the atrocity that was 1997's Batman & Robin, Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer hit the jackpot. After giving fans and non-fans a Batman film that wiped the previous slate clean - Batman Begins - they went deeper into their realistic re-imagining of this legendary character and created a film that, in my opinion, surpassed every other comic book film that came before it. By doing this, they gave us a better look at Gotham City than we have ever seen before, brought the most well-known villain in Batman's Rogues Gallery to its creepiest form yet and still succeeded in expanding the main character in a wonderful fashion.

And there's no better film to close Scene Anatomy 101 with than Christopher Nolan's 2008 blockbuster smash...



By the end of Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) has settled into his new persona, Alfred Pennyworth (Michael Caine) and Lucius Fox (Morgan Freeman) are on hand to advise him and prepare him for anything he needs and Lt. James Gordon (Gary Oldman) is his willing liaison from the Gotham City Police Department. However, they all know that all is not well in this city just because Batman is now around to protect it. The main worry that Gordon has is of escalation.

GORDON: We start using semi-automatics, they buy automatics. We start wearing kevlar. They buy armor-piercing rounds.

He knows that Batman's presence, as welcoming as it is for Gotham, is also welcoming to anyone who would dare to find it within themselves to be the exact opposite of everything that Batman holds dear. And unfortunately, Gordon is right.

This living negative to Batman's positive is The Joker. Brought to life in his most primitive and terrifying form by the late Heath Ledger, everything about him spits in the face of what we know of both Bruce Wayne and Batman. While in the previous film, we knew everything about the man behind the cape and cowl, the tragedy that tore his life apart and the drive to become something more than just a man, we know absolutely nothing about The Joker. We don't know his real name, his fingerprints aren't on record, we don't know where he lived before he came to Gotham.

He just... appeared, and like both John Bender and Eve Harrington before him, The Joker exists as a force of nature, plowing through the film with only his intentions in mind and forcing everyone else to be on the defensive at every moment. Fortunately for Gotham, Batman, Lt. Gordon and the new District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart) are willing to work together to bring The Joker down. By showing us and the people of Gotham that The Joker is consistently one or more than one step ahead of everyone, they have to put themselves to the limit to match wits with this figure of insanity.

When The Joker makes it clear that people will continue to die and Gotham will continue to burn until Batman takes off his mask – destroying the symbol of justice that he swore to be for the city – Harvey puts himself in harm's way by claiming that he's been Batman all along. The reason why he gives himself up like this was so that he could be the bait for The Joker while Batman leads the police to their adversary's capture and to Harvey's rescue. Thankfully this plan works, and The Joker is captured. However, once again he proves himself to be ahead of everyone else when he uses the mob's resources – bought off cops – and has both Harvey and his girlfriend (and Bruce's best friend), attorney Rachel Dawes (Maggie Gyllenhaal) kidnapped.

The recently named Commissioner Gordon hears this news after going home and has to come right back to the MCU (Major Crimes Unit). The Joker is sitting calmly in the interrogation room, as Gordon enters. The room is dark, with one small light shining on the center of the table.

JOKER: Evening, Commissioner.

Gordon takes his time as he walks to the chair opposite The Joker and sits down. He keeps his eye on the criminal the whole time.

GORDON: Harvey Dent never made it home.

JOKER: Of course not.

GORDON: What have you done with him?

When The Joker responds, he pretends to be in shock. How DARE Gordon accuse him of this heinous deed!

JOKER: Me?

Joker looks around to see if Gordon may have been talking to someone else in the room. When he doesn't see anyone, he holds up his cuffs to reiterate that he's been behind bars the whole time.

JOKER: I was right here. Who did you leave him with? Your people? Assuming, of course, that they are still your people. And not Maroni's.

This type of accusation is nothing new to Gordon. He always knew there were crooked cops on the force. Hell, he was partners with one before. But now he's in a position of power, and The Joker is all too pleased to remind him that he couldn't possibly have any kind of power if everyone underneath him is being paid off by the mob.

JOKER: Does it depress you, Commissioner, to know just how alone you really are? Does it make you feel responsible for Harvey Dent's current predicament?

Gordon tries to shake off this quiet taunting by The Joker and gets back to business.

GORDON: Where is he?

But instead, The Joker answers that question with another question. Nothing he will say will qualify as an exact answer.

JOKER: What's the time?

GORDON: What difference does that make?

JOKER: Well, depending on the time, he may be in one spot or several.

Gordon knows he's not going to get any answers out of The Joker, so he stands up, walks over to The Joker's handcuffs and unlocks them.

GORDON: If we're going to play games…

He then drops the cuffs on the table and starts walking out of the room.

GORDON: … I'm gonna need a cup of coffee.

The Joker smiles and knowingly nods. He knows what Gordon's alluding to by saying he's going to leave for a "cup of coffee."

JOKER: Ahhh, the "Good Cop / Bad Cop" routine?

Gordon opens the door and looks back at The Joker.

GORDON: Not exactly.

Gordon shuts the door, leaving The Joker in the dark. After a moment of silence, the room is suddenly flooded with bright flourescent light. Batman is standing right behind The Joker. He has been there the whole time.

As The Joker squeezes his eyes shut for a moment so they can adjust to the bright light, Batman quickly grabs him by his hair and slams his head down on the table. The Joker quickly reaches for his forehead and winces in pain.

JOKER: Owww. Never start with the head. The victim gets all fuzzy, he can't feel the…

Batman then slams his fist down on The Joker's hand that is on the table. He looks down at his hand and doesn't react at all, showing Batman that by going after his head first, he failed to inflict any other kind of pain at that moment.

JOKER: See?

Batman then takes Gordon's place at the interrogation table and sits down. Now, any other time in the film, whenever these two were on the screen together, there was a chaotic situation and definitely no time for these two to start going into the deeper meanings behind what they do.

But now, the situation is different. The Joker is locked up, everyone is at a distance, and there is information that Batman needs to know. For now, it's just The Joker and Batman, two sides of the same double-headed coin.

BATMAN: You wanted me. Here I am.

The Joker leans forward in his chair, trying to talk some doubt and remorse into that cape and cowl by refreshing his memory of everything that he did just so that The Joker could be captured.

JOKER: I wanted to see what you do. And you didn't disappoint. You let five people die. Then, you let Dent take your place. Now, even to a guy like me, that's cold.

Batman cuts him off. He's not amused, and he's not about to give this man the satisfaction of feeling remorseful in front of him.

BATMAN: Where's Dent?

Once again, The Joker refuses to give a direct answer. He just keeps on talking, making it clear to everyone watching that when stakes like these have been raised, this city can never be the same again.

JOKER: Those mob fools want you gone, so they can go back to the way things were. But I know the truth. There's no going back. You've changed things. Forever.

BATMAN: Then why do you want to kill me?

The Joker laughs in Batman's face. He doesn't get it. This isn't about killing him. It's about sending him to his limits, breaking him and therefore breaking the spirit of everyone in Gotham City.

JOKER: I don't want to kill you! What would I do without you? Go back to rippin' off mob dealers? No, no, no, you… you… complete me.

What he means is that for every action, there must be an equal and opposite reaction. It's not the destination that The Joker craves, it's the journey. And as long as there is always someone on the other side trying to undo everything that he does, there will always be an endless journey, which is – in its own strange way – the destination that The Joker wants.

However, Batman doesn't quite see things the same way.

BATMAN: You're garbage who kills for money.

And The Joker quickly dismisses that kind of talk. That's beneath Batman to even think of him like that.

JOKER: Don't talk like one of them! You're not! Even if you'd like to be.

The Joker pauses and then says something very similar to what he told Gordon. Before, he was trying to remind him of how corrupt his fellow policemen have proven themselves to be. Here, he's trying to remind Batman that not everyone shares his desire to keep Gotham City in order. In fact, he's in the vast minority and it won't take much to make him persona non grata.

In a way, Batman has already been reminded of this by The Joker by his demands to have the cape and cowl removed or else more people would die. And as he goes on, he drops little hints on what he's capable of doing to Gotham City to make the beasts within its occupants burst out.

JOKER: To them, you're just a freak… like me. They need you right now. And when they don't… they'll cast you out. Like a leper. See, their morals, their code… it's a bad joke, dropped at the first sign of trouble. They're only as good as the world allows them to be. I'll show you. When the chips are down, these, uh… these civilized people… they'll eat each other.

The Joker then sits back in his chair, so proud of himself that he's figured all of this out long before anyone else could.

JOKER: See, I'm not a monster. I'm just ahead of the curve.

Batman's had enough of this. He reaches across the table, grabs The Joker by his vest and pulls him off his feet.

BATMAN: Where's Dent?

Once again, Joker fails to give a direct answer.

JOKER: You have all these rules and you think they'll save you.

Batman then slams The Joker against the wall. Outside the room, Gordon is watching all of this with other police officers. He re-assures them that they don't need to pry Batman off of him or anything.

GORDON: He's in control.

Batman hisses in his adversary's face with a declaration that he's not the kind of man who prescribes to "all these rules."

BATMAN: I only have one rule.

JOKER: Oh, then that's the rule you'll have to break to know the truth.

BATMAN: Which is?

JOKER: The only sensible way to live in this world is without rules! And tonight, you're gonna break your one rule.

BATMAN: I'm considering it.

Of course, we know he's not really considering it, but there's nothing wrong with throwing around a threat or two in this situation. And since we know that Batman's not really going to go through with what he's thinking, The Joker remains as calm as ever. And then he throws one last emotional explosive in Batman's direction.

JOKER: No, there's only minutes left. You're gonna have to play my little game if you want to save one of them.

Batman's grip on The Joker starts to relax. He wasn't expecting something like this.

BATMAN: Them?

Knowing what The Joker's seen Batman do earlier – when he dove out of Bruce Wayne's penthouse window to save Rachel – he starts to get a thrill out of what he's about to tell him.

JOKER: You know, for a while there, I thought you really were Dent. The way you threw yourself after her…

Thankfully, Batman doesn't have "Return of the Jedi Syndrome," which means he's not confused when a female character is mentioned but not named. Batman immediately slams The Joker onto the table and then quickly walks to the door, a chair in his hand.

JOKER: Look at you go!

Joker continues to taunt Batman as he watches him wedge the chair under the doorknob. He's loving how Batman's completely off his guard now.

JOKER: Does Harvey know about you and his little bunny?

Batman picks Joker up again and punches him right in the face.

BATMAN: Where are they?!!!

Again, no direct answer from The Joker.

JOKER: Killing is making a choice.

Batman's completely lost his patience, and The Joker knows it. It's a very dangerous place for Batman to be mentally, but he doesn't care. He punches The Joker again.

BATMAN: Where are they?!!!

JOKER: You must choose between one life or the other. Your friend, the District Attorney, or his blushing bride-to-be!

Batman punches him again and The Joker crumbles to the ground. His cackling laughter echoes off the bare walls. He's got Batman in the perfect position. There's no detective work to do. There's no chase. It's as simple as it gets right here, which is why it's so frustrating. Batman's missing one vital piece of information that only The Joker has, and he refuses to give it to him no matter how much of a beating he takes.

JOKER: You have NOTHING! Nothing to threaten me with! Nothing to do with all your strength!

Batman picks him up again, and all of a sudden The Joker changes his tune. He knows approximately how much time is left and he wants Batman and the police to make some sort of effort to save both Harvey and Rachel.

JOKER: Don't worry, I'm gonna tell you where they are. Both of them, and that's the point. You have to choose. He's at 250 52nd Street, and she's at… on Avenue X. At Cicero.

Batman throws The Joker down, pulls the chair away from the door and runs out. He's going after Rachel and Gordon is going to 250 52nd Street to rescue Harvey.

But there's one last problem that both Batman and Gordon should have counted on, and it's to The Joker's credit that he made sure that everyone was as much in a panic as possible before giving up any information. By switching the locations, Batman has absolutely no chance of getting to Rachel on time since he's driving in the complete opposite direction. If Batman were more forceful when demanding information about Harvey, then he might have sent Batman in the other direction. Anytime he can find a weakness in his new adversary and exploit it, The Joker enjoys a victory.

While watching this scene for the first time in the Lincoln Square IMAX Theater during the Thursday midnight show, I was so proud to be a comic book film fan. While I had already seen plenty of action and character development already before this scene started, I am an absolute sucker for moments in the middle of any movie where the two main adversaries have some alone time. We all remember the coffee shop scene in Heat and the church scene in Highlander (which I covered in early 2006). It's the calm before the storm, and it's also where we can get some extra motivation into the hero to accomplish his mission and overcome his nemesis.

There was no other moment in Highlander where Kurgan could taunt McLeod with his memories of how he raped Heather after killing Ramirez. And there was no other place than in this small interrogation room where The Joker could taunt Batman with not only Harvey and Rachel's current predicament, but also with the fact that the people of Gotham were all too willing to cave to The Joker's demands and force Batman to reveal who he is.

It's a testament to this particular scene that it was chosen out of all the other fantastic moments in this instant classic. There were many other options I could have gone with for this film, one in particular being the scene between The Joker and Harvey at Gotham General Hospital. But with so many layers that take place in this cell – a verbal jabbing by the Joker at Commissioner Gordon followed by the exposing of Batman's ultimate weakness – this one had to be the scene covered for this particular occasion.

And as a very welcome bonus, The Dark Knight has not only received a Critics Circle nomination, but it was also just announced that it had earned a Producers Guild nomination. Just one step closer to the ultimate prize: the Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.

The Dark Knight, as a whole, makes me proud to be a comic book film fan. The painful memories of watching Batman & Robin on ice skates in a museum have faded. The character has been reinvigorated and, while the late Heath Ledger gives a performance that will be remembered for decades, Christian Bale's Batman & Bruce Wayne do not fade into the background. And it's the effort that was put into this scene and all the others around it that make it possible.


We have some guests chiming in with their thoughts on this scene and the film as a whole. First, a longtime reader who is a personal favorite of mine, Luke Annand…

Sometimes, the most powerful moment of a hero is when they are as their weakest, when all their powers can't stop something so large that they can barely comprehend it. For example, in BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, the episode "Forever" has Buffy finally breaking down in front of Dawn about the death of Joyce. Even though she's the Slayer, she still feels the pain of the loss of the parent she has always relied on. It grounds her and shows us that there is still a deep humanity within her.

In the case of THE DARK KNIGHT, this is perfectly captured in the interrogation room scene. While Batman may have flipped an 18 wheeler commandeered by the Joker and the Joker stood in the street, daring Batman to run him over, it's this scene that is the true clash of the titans moment in the film. It's the moment when Batman realizes that no amount of intimidation or criminal psychology can get under The Joker's skin.

On the contrary, it is The Joker, who is determined to get Batman to break his one rule and to bring chaos to the world that is truly getting under Batman's skin. It's at this moment that Batman realizes the true impact of his presence in Gotham and finally gives into his weakness temporarily of not being able to conquer the unfathomable, which makes Joker's laugh as he's beating the crap out of him all the more chilling. It's this scene, as well as the double loss that follows that pushes Bruce to the brink and raises the question of whether or not he can rise from this stronger than ever.

And for all you film geeks out there, here's a link to an amazing interview Nolan did about the interrogation scene that goes into the technical details of that scene. It's an eye opener in that you see how simple things like lighting, camera angles and focus planes all add up to the most powerful moment in the film.

You can check it out here.



Thank you very much for sending your thoughts, Luke. And thank you again for reading the column. Next we have 411's resident Fact or Fiction extraordinaire and "Lost" fanatic, Ben Piper…

Interrogation scenes have become a staple of crime stories, regardless of if they're being told on the silver screen or on TV. The cops sit on the suspect in question, keep on him mercilessly using whatever tactics they have at their disposal until the individual breaks and sings like a canary, telling them what it is that they want to hear.

And for the most part, this is what occurs during the interrogation scene in The Dark Knight, but more than a slight bit turned on its ear. Under the masterful eye of Christopher Nolan, The Dark Knight takes the interrogation scene cliché and infuses it with new life by using two well-known comic book icons as they sit down, match wits, verbally joust, and simply butt heads.

First there's the snarly Christian Bale as Batman. He's all business, as the circumstances that occurred that brought this scene into play dictates. He's there to get some answers ASAP. He's not in the mood to mess around.

But then there is Heath Ledger as The Joker. Any platitudes that I could express in praise of this performance you've no doubt heard before, so other than to say that I was supremely gratified and stoked that an actor finally provided a Joker worthy of the character I grew up with in my comic-book loving youth? Yeah, safe to say that after watching this movie I was more than a happy camper.

Because let's face it. Ledger's Joker is by far the closest true personification of the comic book character's essence that has been presented in any incarnation outside of the comics. (And yes, I'll piss people off by including The Animated Series in that argument. I like Mark Hamill, don't get me wrong. But it was just his voice, people. Ledger went the whole nine yards. And don't even attempt to throw Jack in my face, because you'll lose.)

The result is a true tour de force, brief in its complexity, but resonant in that it boils down each character's core existence. Batman is trying to be Gotham City's hero, (even as the citizen's begin to condemn him as a vigilante that's doing more harm than good) and is there to get answers, find and save Harvey Dent, and make Gotham safe again.

The Joker? He wants to play and have fun and create anarchy, and he's more than stoked to do just that with the involvement of his counterpart, the scary man before him that dresses up like a human personification of a bat. The way this scene, and the rest of the movie itself, plays out supports that notion. While Batman is his enemy, The Joker never really sees it as such; he's more a playmate. The yin to his yang. Someone he knows better than Bruce Wayne himself.

And he winds up playing the Bat like a great and wise conductor, hitting all the right notes and getting just the response he expected. Once the reveal that not only Dent is in peril comes to pass, the confrontation turns physical. One can surmise that The Joker suspected this would happen as well, as each blow landed upon him is met not only with quick quips as well the cackle of lunacy, but the response of "you have nothing to threaten me with."

The Joker has proven in this face-to-face showdown that despite the fact that he's currently caught and incarcerated, he still has the upper hand. He knows it, and soon enough Bruce Wayne knows it, and we the viewing audience, knows it as well. That sets the stage for what's to come.

It's a truly great scene, out of countless others that have made "The Dark Knight" an instant classic.

Best Comic-Book Based Movie. Ever. And this is coming from somebody that makes his Marvel.

Thanks George, for bringing 200 outstanding columns of Scene Anatomy to us all. Congratulations and thanks for all the great work.


And thank you Ben for the good words. I hope once "Lost" ends, you'll gather up your breakdowns of all the seasons and see if you can get them published into a book. It'd make for a damn good episode guide. Next, we have one of the newer 411 writers, and someone who's done a great job here so far, Rick Tym…

"You have nothing, nothing to threaten me with.  Nothing to do with all your strength." – Heath Ledger as the Joker, The Dark Knight
 
Sums it up pretty nicely, huh?  Even before newly-appointed Commissioner Gordon leaves the holding room for his cup of coffee, causing the Joker to question the good cop bad cop routine, we the audience know that Batman is looming in the shadows behind him, waiting for his own chance to introduce a little anarchy physical persuasion into the interrogation.  

The only other quote during this scene as memorable to me consists of the Joker trying to explain to the World's Greatest Detective why he shouldn't start a line of questioning by bouncing heads off tabletops.  The sentiment of the Joker having absolutely nothing to fear from the Batman because he holds all the cards is simultaneously thrilling and frightening.  Even worse, Batman knows it. 

As an enforcer of justice, he knows he has to wait to see the Joker's whole card.  As Bruce Wayne, once he discovers Rachel Dawes is in danger no amount of body slamming or wall bouncing of the suspect will yield meaningful results.  No, the Batman knows that the words the Joker speaks are true; for all of his strength, he is at that moment weak before this sadistic, twisted, maniacal son of a bitch.

Any and all satisfaction attained watching Batman throw the Joker around that little room like a rag doll is quickly rendered moot as we along with the Dark Knight realize the truth…for being an agent of chaos, the man in the white makeup wearing a blood-red lipstick smile and purple suit knows all too well what he is doing.


Well said, sir. And thank you for your contributions to the site. Looking forward to even more. Coming up next is Todd Vote, one of our newer writers from the Video Games Zone, and a name I recognize very well as a regular reader...


The interrogation scene was a very pivotal scene in the film, if you ask me. This is the point where we realize just how in control The Joker is of everything that is happening in the movie. This is the point where we find out that Joker is so much more than a run of the mill psychopath, he is calculated chaos.

The start of the scene, IMO, is when Joker realizes that Batman is in the room with him, we see the feigned look of fear and shock on Joker's face. From here, Joker pulls at all of Batman's strings in a bid to drag him down into madness. Everything Joker does in this scene is about making Batman question his own meddle. Everything he has done up to this point had been to unravel Gotham's Knights in shining armor.


Thanks very much for your contribution, Todd. And I'm looking forward to more of your work at 411. And here, we have Movies Zone editor and Big Screen Bulletin writer – and someone I consider a very good friend – Chad Webb...

In a film with so many terrific scenes, this is one of the best because the level of the Joker's intelligence really starts to sink into the audience. Before the interrogation, viewers are given a breath of fresh air because the situation has finally turned around for the good guys. We assume that this is the beginning of the Joker's downfall, but in fact we are wrong. In this scene, the newly proclaimed Commissioner Gordon leaves the room for Batman to take over. But unfortunately, the Joker is prepared for Gotham's dark knight.

He knows how to get under his skin, and in this moment, it is Batman who loses control because he realizes the problem with the Joker has gotten more chaotic since Rachel and Harvey have been taken. The Joker is weird and psychotic, but he is very smart, and watching him make Batman tick is fascinating. Heath Ledger and Christian Bale go toe to toe in this room, and the brilliance of both their performances is evident.

The staging is just fantastic in this scene as well with Gordon leaving and the light coming on to reveal Batman behind the Joker. Christopher Nolan crafted so many sequences masterfully, and this one stands out because the Joker becomes more than just an ordinary nemesis. This is the perfect movie for George's Scene Anatomy to bow out on because I know how much passion he has for the Batman character and this franchise in particular.

Scene Anatomy was around before I was hired on 411mania, and it has always been one of the best weekly articles that our site has to offer. George's talented prose and his love for movies pours out in every piece. Thankfully he will still be submitting a news report.


Thank you very much, Chad. As always, you're a gentleman AND a scholar!

And to take us home, we have the Lord & Master of Ask 411 and former Movies Zone Editor, the legendary Leonard Hayhurst, with a very much appreciated e-mail...

Probably because we all came in at around the same time, I've always looked upon Ask 411 Movies, Scene Anatomy 101 and Misunderstood Masterpieces as the holy trinity of Movies Zone columns. That's not to say that we haven't had other great columns and, as a former Zone editor, we probably have the strongest crop of columns now week in and week out that we've ever had.

However, what has made Scene Anatomy unique is that while most of the other columns look at bad or cult movies or just a hodgepodge of topics, it looks at predominately good movies or at least interesting and pivotal scenes in not so great movies. It dissects a scene or sequence and looks at what makes it work and why. In that way the column gives an in depth look into what makes good film making. It's not an art, but a science. They always say of critics that talking about why something is bad is, but why it's good is much harder. And, George, you've made that look easy for 200 outstanding columns.



So here we are at the end for Scene Anatomy 101. I can't believe over four-and-a-half years have passed by so quickly. I still remember how much I was looking forward to my first day when I got the e-mail from the site's executive committee...

Hello! I'm pleased to inform you that we have reviewed your application for 411mania and would like to offer you a spot on the staff! Please email us with your full name (as it will appear on the site), email address, AIM name and the column title you would like (if you're doing a column) or some movies/DVDs youd like to review for the site. Then we will respond back with more information. Thanks and welcome aboard!

*The 411 Executive committee*

The only other regular writing gig I had on the Internet was for the defunct web site prowrestle.com, and that wound up being for maybe five months before the site shut down. As time passed, I started reading 411Wrestling when Scott Keith moved over here and, once the site evolved into 411Mania, I became acquainted with a lot of other writers in all the other zones, like Will Helm and Leonard Hayhurst, who have since become good friends of mine off the site and co-conspirators in 411's plot to take over the podcast world.

In August of 2004, when Ashish took full control over the site, I noticed all the writers coming together and working as a team to put together the best possible material every single day. As time passed, we got an influx of new and younger writers that were eager to grow as online columnists and the amount of readers we got continued to grow. Before I knew it, 2005 was almost over and I had gotten into a good enough routine – despite switching jobs and moving into a new apartment – that I was making my weekly deadlines.

By October or so, I had reached column number 50 and really started to grow more comfortable as a weekly columnist. I made sure to send my submissions in on time and before I knew it, November of 2006 came around and I had reached column number 100. I couldn't believe Scene Anatomy had been going on that long, and I was having a great time with it, especially since my feedback from readers was increasing with time.

My 411Mania time really took a positive turn in February of 2007, when Ashish and Leonard asked me to take over the Thursday news report slot. I could set it up however I wanted, and I have to give a lot of credit to my friend Charlie Kessler for sending me various suggestions during the early weeks of The UBS Evening Movie News. And, of course, Andy Critchell (aka DivasRGr8) has been a big help for me by taking the Interactive Babe Photo News Brief and turning it into one of the more discussed items in the Comments section.

Around May of this past year, Ashish was gracious enough to give me a month off so I could focus on the first draft of my novel. This was my first foray into fiction in quite a few years, and it was a chance for me to develop a character that's been in my head for over fifteen years. Right now, my editor and I have worked hard to turn my draft into something that I've become really proud of and the more excited I got about it, the more I realized that I might not have to wait over five years to write more fiction.

This was a major factor in the decision I made to end Scene Anatomy 101 once I hit column number 200. I have no desire to walk away from 411Mania entirely, especially since the UBS report has really taken off this year – issue number 100 is a little more than 5 weeks away – and the podcasts have been a lot of fun to do each week. With my editing duties increasing with my novel, combined with the possibilities of writing a first draft to another book in June and hopefully studying for a Masters in Media Studies, something had to give. And that's why we are where we are now, with this column reaching its end.

This is definitely a bittersweet day for me since I know I'm going to miss this column very much. It's been good to me by helping me grow as a writer, and helping my confidence in myself as a writer grow. I'm still my own worst critic, but I can actually go back and read my own work now. And this type of growth wouldn't be possible without the support of my fellow 411Mania writers.

So this is the perfect spot for me to say thank you to all of the writers on 411Mania. You guys have not only been supportive of this column, but you've also been churning out some terrific work yourselves and I'm honored to be among you guys. During my time here, not only have you been great co-workers, but also great people.

So here's a hearty thumbs-up to Chad, Leonard, Will, Tony, Ben, Erik, Larry, J.T., J.D., J.P. (We have a lot of initials around here), Mr. Furious, Al, Mike, Matthew, Lucas, Joseph, Trevor, Owain, Jeremy, Jeffrey, Shawn, Lansdell, Ron, Rick, Mitch, Big Mike, Jason, Melchor, Ramon, and every other writer who goes the extra mile to make this one of the best sites on the Internet.

Like I said before, this column's been really good to me. Not only has it made me a better writer, but it's also allowed me to get a few unexpected replies from people directly responsible for the scenes I've covered. So here's a thumbs up and many thanks for Jeff East (Thank you for your e-mail regarding my Superman column), Tony Randel (It was a pleasure covering the scene from Hellbound: Hellraiser II), John Avildsen (Thanks for setting the record straight for me on why Stallone didn't kill off Rocky in Rocky V), Patricia Caron (I'm glad my column on the 1989 Phantom of the Opera was used for Misha Segal's web site) and Joe Dante (Thank you again for correcting me on your middle name and for wishing my wife a Happy Birthday).

During my time here, I've developed a consistent amount of feedback from certain readers, and while I appreciate every e-mail or posted comment, I especially want to thank BillyAZNY, Toddo, RavenEffect, Luke Annand, Frank Trovato, Marion, Drew (sorry I never got around to covering Predator 2), Frosty, Fixxer315, Dwayne, Kevin, Elvis.Foley, Ange, Talon and Seth Roy. Not only have you guys provided great feedback for my columns, but a lot of times, you've identified other elements that I may have missed. And just like I said last week, thanks to all my co-workers who take the time to read each column.

Eternal thanks go out to my wife Cheryl, for putting up with all the late hours whenever I'd be pressed to submit my columns before the deadline. And for being my go-to sounding board for anytime an idea suddenly popped into my head.

But most of all, I have to give a lot of thanks to the Boss. Ashish has been very supportive of this column, he never pushed me to cover one genre of film over another and he gave me the main thing I needed to keep it going: a deadline. If I didn't have that hanging over my head every Tuesday night, I don't think I'd ever get to column number 100, much less 200.

Like I said before, while this is the end of Scene Anatomy 101, it's not the end of my other duties here at 411Mania. You're not getting rid of me that easily. You can still catch me every Thursday on The UBS Evening Movie News and on the weekly Movies Zone podcast. Plus, I'm thinking of starting up a smaller weekly project on the Sports Zone that the guys there seem to be very receptive to, so look for that around February. So as Johnny Carson once said, when I do find something else that I want to do, I hope you'll invite me into your homes – or offices – as you always have.

And in typical "series finale" fashion, here's a special video I put together as a look back at all the films I've covered since I started here in May 2004. Actually, it's about 85-90 percent of all the films, since several clips couldn't make the final cut. But it came out pretty good, if I do say so myself. Be forewarned: it's about 10 minutes long, so make sure you don't have anything pressing going on before you press the play button.



It's been a wonderful journey completing these 200 columns, and once again, thank you to all of you who have taken the time to read them.

Remember, you can check up on me every Thursday on the UBS Evening Movie News Report.

One last time... Class Dismissed!


-- George H. Sirois