So, listen…. The Dark Knight, just go see it. No, no, don’t argue with me, really, I won’t listen to it. Do it not only because it has my favorite eye candy in it, but because it’s a really terrific film. It’s not just a comic book film. It’s about honor and betrayal and friendship, and what is a hero. Heath Ledger’s portrayal of The Joker is so different and yet the same from the character Nicholson did in the first Batman. The strokes on the character are the same, but where Nicholson’s was a caricature, Ledger made The Joker human and breathtakingly scary in ways that has me humbled at how talented he was. Go see it, you’ll see what I mean.
What’s a good scent for this whole movie? Well, lucky me (thanks to March getting me signed up for Andy’s 100 sample giveaway!) got a sample of Andy Tauer’s new Vetiver Dance (not released yet, it looks like fall?), with notes of grapefruit, black pepper, clary sage, lily of the valley, cedar wood, ambergris, tonka and dark vetiver from java. It goes on green and peppery, with all the earthiness of the vetiver, tonka, ambergris and wood spiking through. I don’t get much of the lily of the valley or grapefruit, maybe just a wisp. This is a scent for flawed people – at times too real and at other times almost a shadow. I deliberately did not do a comparison to Onda or Djedi, but Vetiver Dance has that same earthy clarity of those two, and that’s as far as I’ll go from memory. It’s a great scent and one that I think The Joker and Batman would wear because it suits that darkness we all have in us, standing alongside the capacity for great good and a little crazy thrown on top like an irresistible cherry. Vetiver is always my favorite “human” note because it is never covered in artifice. Now y’all can just pine until Andy gets this released this fall. For you vetiver fans, even those of you who are not, it will be worth the wait.
er…profoundly LMAO!
First of all, I have to say that Heath’s Joker was one of the most riveting performances ever. How the character could be so dark and evil, yet make you laugh is a tribute to Heath’s skill as an actor. Such a terrible loss…makes my heart hurt. I was so profounded affected by the movie, I got a tattoo this past Sunday; the words “Why so serious?” on the side of a finger. You can see it here, if you’d like:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/fondofelves/sets/72157606425874014/
Can’t wait to try Vetiver Dance, especially since I am a flawed person 🙂 Not as bad as The Joker, tho!
There’s a handful of great movie villains I haven’t been able to forget over the years … Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs; Henry in Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer; Max Cady in Cape Fear (the original with Robert Mitchum, not the pointless remake); Rev. Harry Powell from Night of the Hunter; Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men; and now, Heath Ledger’s Joker. They’re all enigmas, profoundly and pointlessly evil. Ledger’s Joker is beyond evil – he reminds me of Oppenheimer’s quote from Hindu scripture when the first atom bomb was dropped, “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.” Think of all those terrible ancient deities with the skulls and bloody hands around their necks – that’s what Heath Ledger was channeling in his role. But there are plenty of other great performances here – Gary Oldman is brilliant as Commissioner Gordon, Harvey Dent’s transformation is fantastic. Dark Knight is one of the few movies I’ve seen lately that’s so good that I felt like going right back into the theater to see it again. It’s that good. BTW, Batman was never just a comic for kids – he always had a dark and twisted side, and truth be told he’s just the flip side of the Joker, and the Joker is what Batman is capable of becoming. When the Joker tells Batman, “You complete me”, the words ring true.
What did I wear to see the Dark Knight? Guerlain Habit Rouge – that spiciness with something strange and oriental at its heart, that reminds me of the smell of a Chinese cinnabar box I opened as a child. Seemed appropriate. Am looking forward to trying Tauer’s Vetiver Dance – there are frags of Andy’s I’ve tried that are not me (Lonestar, Maroc Pour Elle, Reverie) but his efforts are always interesting & high quality.
Have yet to see the Dark Knight but judging from the previews and all the excitement from everyone that has seen it I HAVE to see this movie ASAP.
The Vetiver Dance is amazing.The initial pepper-vetiver-cardamom is out of this world and the drydown is beautiful and I also get the lily of the valley and the vetiver-tonka combo never disipates. Not trying to do a review just an observation. A masterful blend.Definitely full bottle worthy.
Alright- Newb Alert. First time poster here, but I have been enjoying this site and many of the others for months now. I think I have officially crossed over to scent-obsessed, as so many of you are. (Almost feel like I know some of you, reading all the posts feels like eavesdropping sometimes!) Just getting to know many of the frags though, and there are oh, a bazillion I need to catch up on. Vetiver Dance sounds delicious. The only vetiver I have smelled so far is Creed Original Vetiver on a male friend, and although it was just a tiny bit too much on the soapy side, he smelled green and clean and elegant.
So I continue expanding my horizons..I have The Guide, but reference-wise, that’s it. Do I need Emperor of Scent? How does one KNOW what ambergris smells like? Or lily of the valley? Tonka? I can smell a rose blindfolded and say that’s a rose, but who can’t? Sigh. Beginner’s frustrations. Okay then, feel free to knowingly chuckle…
Welcome, Jane. I know there is a note thing you can get here http://store.perfumersapprentice.com/index.html They have like 40 notes. le Labo has one as well, but it’s lots and lots more bucks.
So it’s sometimes good to start with individual notes like that, then it makes it easier to pick out in a fragrance. Some notes are easier for some people to pick out than others. I can find vetiver and tonka in almost anything, along with iris and violet. But I have a lot harder time with other notes, sometimes just because they blend so well into a perfume.
don’t be frustrated, though! You don’t have to know everything or be able to pick out all the notes. All you have to know is what you like and don’t like, and then you start to figure out why, which helps you make good choices for other perfumes to try or buy.
Hope that helps!
Thanks Patty! You’re always such a doll to everyone, and I love the way you write! Actually, I think there are quite a few talented and wildly descriptive writers on these sites, which is no coincidence. You and a few others have influenced quite a few additions (and future additions) to my growing collection with that talent, seriously. A paragraph can transport me WAY farther than a nude Sophie Dahl, or well, ANY of Tom Ford’s recent marketing…
Uh, I mean serious. Of course.
Oh, vetiver is one of my favorite notes and this one sounds excellent for Fall. Very. Excited.
But really, ohmygod did I LOVE the Batman movie. And I’ve been saying “Why so seriou?” to the boyfriend repeatedly ever since. What a shame about Ledger. Man, he was just excellent.
You’ll love it.
The why so serious? is getting a lot of play here too. We even had this long, eclectic disagreement on the way home about whether The Joker is insane or just? My kids argued against crazy, I was fully in support of credibly insanity or working crazy, I call it.
I saw Dark Knight on Saturday because of DH and Oh My God!!! Heath Ledger’s performance was..(I am at a loss of words)..I second everything you said! I love that he managed to be memorable without the aid of one liners, signature voice etc. And you are so right when you say he made joker human and therefore oh so scary..(I saw parts of Jack Nicholson’s performance after I came back and it was too ‘comic book’ to actually make an impression, esp after watching Heath Ledger)
Oh, and I think I wore Un Lys which doesn’t quite fit I think?..lol
I meant without too many one liners (Forgot why so serious). I dont want to say anymore (although I am dying to) and spoil it for those who havent seen it
He really did play it almost straight, leaving just enough gestures and tics so that you knew you were dealing with… ???? It was brillant and funny and touching and sad. He’s going to deserve the Oscar he’ll get.
I liked Nicholson’s performance, he did the comic book angle to perfection. I’ll just always remember Ledger’s performance forever, that character is now indelibly sketched in my head.
Exactly!! and I think I might have liked Jack Nicholson’s performance too- if i hadn’t seen Heath Ledger’s first!..lol..
The vetiver dance sounds great (I missed the samples..)
Uh-oh. According to news reports, Christian Bale was just arrested for assaulting his mother and sister! The story doesn’t sound definitive cause they won’t actually identify the name of the man arrested. Hmmm…
As for Vetiver Dance, I was one of the lucky 100! Sprayed it on paper, but haven’t actually tried it on skin yet. I’m thinking it might be a good one for my husband to try! Love the pepper.
I know, I just saw that! Lord, I hope it’s a horrible misunderstanding. He’s got such great PR as a stable family man. I hate having my hunky daydreams shattered, and he was my last one!
He was arrested on “suspicion of assault” and not charged. See my other post above.
I smelled (maybe and earlier version) of this when Andy was in LA and I really wanted to run away with the vial.
That would not have been nice…
You should have, it would be work a black stain on your reputation to get. 🙂
Can’t wait to see Dark Night. Just from the previews I can tell that Heath Ledger plays the Joker brilliantly. Breaks my heart.
Vetiver Dance! This is THE one and only vetiver I have ever tolerated, let alone loved. I was a sworn “v word” hater until I tried Andy’s. I finally GET IT! :d
You’ll adore it, and so will Adam and the kids.
I was so jacked to get that vetiver sample after smelling yours.
This movie was incredible, what got me was the gritty realistic quality it had for a movie that featured a superhero. Also Aaron Eckhard did a damn good performance too. I don’t think I can ever get enough Christian Bale. As for Vetiver Dance, if you have the right skin, the lily of the valley, will play a prominent role, I had about an hour where lotv note absolutely sang and put the vetiver on the backstage.
I think everyone in this movie was great. Loved Maggie G in the role better than kate Cruise. Just an excellent ensemble cast, each of them doing a great job and made it completely believable. That they took out the cartoonish aspects makes it even more appealing.
Wow, the Lotv showing up on you is shocking. I swear, I got almost nothing there, the vetiver just swamped it early, and then it never really peeped out.
I was lucky enough to get one of the samples. *Love* it! Do you not get a hay note in it? That was one of the first things I thought of when I sniffed it. The top notes made me think briefly of the original Valentino w/ its hay note (I think it was released in the 70s or maybe the early 80s) and Suzanne on Perfume Journal said the opening reminded her a bit of Grey Flannel – definitely am getting that as well. Anyway, am a hard core vetiver fan and I can’t *wait* for its release. Glorious scent!
I am a wimp of the first order, but I think that Dark Knight is going to be too scary for me. Yep, I really am embarrassingly wimpy. 🙂
I just took another whiff and I can totally smell the Grey Flannel bit, which is one of my favorites anyway. Makes me want a bottle of this even more.
Hay? Okay, if i weren’t alreayd covered in perfume for the day, i’d resniff. A little, but not a lot.
It won’t scare you that much, really!!!
I’ve only played around a little with the Vetiver Dance, but so far as I can tell by some random sniffing, I’m gonna have to have a full bottle of it. Hurry October!
Man, everyone is raving about the Dark Knight. I may have to make my annual trip to the movies for this one.
Oh, yeah, it’s a winner. The longer it was on, the more I adored it, and it lasted well overnight.
If you make one movie pilgrimmage this year, this would be the one to make. 🙂
Just opened and spritzed my Love in Black sample, thanks to you Patty Love. Wow. I like it a whole heap more than I’d expected to. I usually don’t pay a lot of attention to Creed, excepting Angelique Encens, but LIB is not bad at all. God, I love iris. It smells much classier than I’m accustomed to smelling. God bless Jackie O.!
Ooooh…yes! Ok. DH wants to see it. I wasn’t intending to, because I have a general rule against seeing any movie based on a comic book. But you have convinced me to put up with the bleating herd at the multiplex, the sticky floor, people yelling at the screen, all the other wonderfulnesses of the modern cinema experience here in flyover land.
BTW for a look at 2002 Christian Bale, see “Laurel Canyon.” Written and directed by Lisa Cholodenko, stars Frances McDormand, won all kinds of indie awards — a very sexy movie, too, and it’s out on Netflix.
Hmmm…don’t have any Bulgari Black. Maybe Blu Notte Pour Femme? Something strong enough to overcome the odor of the rancid butterlike substance poured over the stale popcorn.
Oh, I do so love going to the movies nowadays!
Oh, yes, you HAVE to go. We actually have some great theaters here. I went to see the horrible Mamma Mia! this weekend, and all the new theaters have the high backed stadium seating, no bad seats anywhere, and they are super-comfy. We saw TDK at the Imax, and they just retooled their seating to be the super-wide, high backed comfy seats (already theater). So it was truly a great experience. Finally a theater experience that can top sitting at home and watching it on my HDTV. 🙂
Oooh, great pic! He is gorgeous, is he not? Hey, there’s no drooling emoticon….
I’m planning to go see the movie this weekend, and like Gary, I’ll be wearing Bulgari Black, which I have a bit of a crush on at the moment. 😡
He is gorgeous, but I’m disturbed deeply by that assault thing on him out of London. He was my last, untarnished Hollywood crushes. Waaaahhh!!!
From what I’ve read, he has been quite upset over Heath Ledger’s death and has some marital problems, and his mother was being verbally abusive toward his wife so he “cussed” his mother and may or may not have shoved past her when he left. He was arrested on suspicion of assault but was not charged. Not quite the “mom-beater” image being sensationalized by the press. His mom, frankly, sounds like quite a piece of work. Here’s a short article from Canada’s National Post:
http://tinyurl.com/6gxyd6
Hi! Sorry to have been MIA. I’ve been crazily busy, and then away for a brief trip to Maine. Can’t wait to see The Dark Knight! Can’t wait to try Vetiver Dance, too (I missed the samples, of course). 🙁
Missed you! Do you want some of my sample? Happy to send it to you!
I would love it! 😡 But only if you really have enough. I can wait, too; my mind is not focused on perfume right now.:o
I plan to go to a Matinee of Batman today, though seeing Heath, even in complete disguise, will be so sad :((
I had the opportunity to try Vetiver Dance-and it really did dance-changed from a sour to smooth, back to biting. The drydown was quite lovely, woody and smooth, but as much as I am a Tauer fan, this is one that didn’t give me enough pleasure for a FB purchase. Now, I am out of Le Maroc pour Elle, so she’s coming home to me very soon :d/
It is sad. But you will love the movie, I swear! My youngest son is going back to see it again today. I’m tempted to go with.
Just got back…it was really a very good movie-excellent ending…shhhh;)
it’s so hard for me to look at Christian Bale now and not think of his command performance in Empire of the Sun.
I’m not having too much trouble forgetting American Psycho since the character in book and movies were so leaden.
I saw the previews for Dark Knight and couldn’t make out who the Joker was. I thought it might be a foreign actor I was unfamiliar with. This just makes the loss of Heath Ledger that much more painful. To think how many more great performances he could have done…
When I do see the movie I’ll wear Bulgari Black.
Bvlgari black is an excellent choice. I’m sad that Heath Ledger won’t be around to make more movies too. I’ve enjoyed him a lot since the first time I saw him in that movie about the daughters who had an OB/GYN dad that wouldn’t let them date. What was the name of that? Incredibly talented and just now coming into roles that he could bite into.