Funny man, sad man

I haven't written anything on the death of Heath Ledger because I didn't think I had anything to add that no one else had added. It's a sad, curious story, though.

Judging from A Knight's Tale and Brokeback Mountain, he had a gift for both breezy comedy and quiet tragedy. How much was he walking a line between the two in real life? Only those who knew him well could safely say. It's somewhat eerie that--as the Times of London reports--he was interested in shooting the life story of Nick Drake. Drake's own death was reported as a suicide, a ruling his family has been fighting for years. Ledger's family may well be making the same case, and it's entirely plausible that this was a case of accidental drug interaction. That of course wouldn't be the juiciest story.

His next film--perhaps the last he'll have completed--is of course The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan's sequel to Batman Begins. I was curious to see what he'd do with the character of the Joker already, and I certainly plan to see it. A lot of people will, I think. But you have to imagine that it will be pretty hard for Nolan and his team to really enjoy their success. Creating fictional terrors does not mean you're prepared for the real thing.