Christian Bale flat out rules

[echo_bravo]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/0...=entertainment

What a great guy!

[spooky]

i posted nearly the same article in the TDKR Aurora Colorado Shooting thread, but i think it got overlooked with all the arguing about guns and such. yes, Bale is a class act!

[Bob Loblaw]

I have a feeling he did this so that people on internet forums would say "Christian Bale flat out rules".

If he was sincere, he wouldn't have made a public media event out of it. He did the same thing with that reporter prisoner because it was relevant to a movie he was promoting. If he wasn't promoting that film, he would never have done that. Same here. He has been on an image reinvention campaign since that Terminator Salvation fiasco.

[Erroneous]

If the dude is using his money and time to do something nice, don't shit on him. Plus, he needs to keep doing nice things from his earlier issues. Keep up the good work man

[jaw2929]

Totally awesome guy. Much respect for doing what he did, when he didn't have to at all.

[Bob Loblaw]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

If the dude is using his money and time to do something nice,

And he has to make sure the entire world knows he is doing something nice or else it would be pointless.

[jaw2929]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

And he has to make sure the entire world knows he is doing something nice or else it would be pointless.

Do you hate the guy (Bale) or something? What'd he ever do to you?

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

And he has to make sure the entire world knows he is doing something nice or else it would be pointless.

So the fuck what? Why do you care? Why does it matter to you? I like to hear nice stories every now and then and not just when people fuck up. I don't care if he had every news outlet in the world on speed dial. He does not have to do it and he is. Why does it hurt to get credit for it.

[Erroneous]

Originally Posted by jaw2929

Do you hate the guy (Bale) or something? What'd he ever do to you?

OH the fuck NO! We can't agree on anything. I think there is a law. Cats and dogs are sleeping together. I must changed my view. Bale is a jerk. He should have done it quietly and let people say nice things about him after he leaves. There. World is safe. Go back to your life. Nothing to see here.

[Darth Kenshin]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

And he has to make sure the entire world knows he is doing something nice or else it would be pointless.

No offense, but who cares what you or the rest of the world thinks? If it makes a difference and lifts the spirits of the victims, then it's worthwhile.

Now, he should visit the killer and recreate the scene in Dark Knight where Batman interrogates Joker. I mean, if he REALLY wants to be Joker, right?

[Bob Loblaw]

Originally Posted by Erroneous

So the fuck what? Why do you care? Why does it matter to you? I like to hear nice stories every now and then and not just when people fuck up. I don't care if he had every news outlet in the world on speed dial. He does not have to do it and he is. Why does it hurt to get credit for it.

It's insincere bullshit that a smart agent knows will be eaten up by the naive public. To me it is an insult that he would exploit a tragedy to repair his image of being a complete asshole.

[moose1132]

I really don't think this was done for PR. If it was, there would have been better pics and maybe even professional video for the news or some TMZ bullshit. The pics I see are all fan photos who posted them up on FB and Twitter. Obviously it was going to get out that way. If I met Batman I'd sure as hell post that up on my facebook. Either way, it might seem trivial compared to what's happened, but if him being there helped those recovering in the hospital feel a little better, then I can't see this as a bad thing at all.

[jaw2929]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

It's insincere bullshit that a smart agent knows will be eaten up by the naive public. To me it is an insult that he would exploit a tragedy to repair his image of being a complete asshole.

Wow. I couldn't disagree MORE with this. I don't think you're correct here at all Bob.

[Mr.HyDe807]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

It's insincere bullshit that a smart agent knows will be eaten up by the naive public. To me it is an insult that he would exploit a tragedy to repair his image of being a complete asshole.

The dude is a well known actor in one of the biggest films of the summer. He's visiting a hospital with victims of a tragedy that is currently all over the United States. How in the blue hell is he supposed to be low key about it? Reporters and newscasters are all over the theater and hospital, so naturally someone is going to find out about what Bale is doing.

Then again, what I'm defending about bale's actions is purely speculative towards what his real intentions are, just like yours.

[Bob Loblaw]

So what is the difference between this or when James Cameron visited that tribe who was losing their home due to deforestation in South America? Everyone bashed Cameron for exploiting this tribe's pain to campaign himself as a "caring individual" during the release of Avatar.

It is the same thing here. Same story, different asshole. If this wasn't Batman related he would be there (just as Cameron wouldn't have helped that tribe if it wasn't for Avatar), he wouldn't give two shits. There was an opportunity to exploit these people and he took it.

[Darth Kenshin]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

So what is the difference between this or when James Cameron visited that tribe who was losing their home due to deforestation in South America?

One difference is that Bale's visit means a lot to the victims. Obviously, if they were willing to go to a midnight showing of TDKR, they're fans of Batman and of Bale's. Him being there clearly meant a lot to them. And in fact, some of the victims even mentioned a visit would be meaningful before he did this (if you read the article, you'll see a Facebook post referenced from a victim who said something like "where is he when you need him?" in reference to Batman).

I don't think any one in South America asked for Cameron to go.

[Bob Loblaw]

Originally Posted by Darth Kenshin

One difference is that Bale's visit means a lot to the victims. Obviously, if they were willing to go to a midnight showing of TDKR, they're fans of Batman and of Bale's. Him being there clearly meant a lot to them. And in fact, some of the victims even mentioned a visit would be meaningful before he did this (if you read the article, you'll see a Facebook post referenced from a victim who said something like "where is he when you need him?" in reference to Batman).

A reference to wishing Batman was real and had saved them does not mean they ask Bale to be there for a publicity stunt.

I went to the midnight showing too. If I were in the hospital and Bale showed up with his team of cameras, I would tell them to fuck off.

[Darth Kenshin]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

I went to the midnight showing too. If I were in the hospital and Bale showed up with his team of cameras, I would tell them to fuck off.

Where do you see a team of cameras? All the pictures are very amateur, probably phone pictures and stuff. If it were a publicity stunt, then yes, there would've been a lot of professional photographers and cameramen there. I'm not getting that from this article.

At the end of the day, if it makes a difference to the victims, I don't see why you have a problem with it. Do you have a problem every time an athlete works with the Make A Wish Foundation and it's covered in SportsCenter, even though it means the world to those sick children?

[Bourne101]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

Bale showed up with his team of cameras.

Maybe I just missed something, but I don't think he showed up with a team of cameras. All I have seen are a couple of Twitter pictures.

[Bob Loblaw]

Originally Posted by Darth Kenshin

Do you have a problem every time an athlete works with the Make A Wish Foundation and it's covered in SportsCenter, even though it means the world to those sick children?

As a matter of a fact I do. Especially when that athlete is a despicable human being who gets away with horrible shit like rape, then we see him working with kids as if he is some kind of goddamned hero.

[Darth Kenshin]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

As a matter of a fact I do. Especially when that athlete is a despicable human being who gets away with horrible shit like rape, then we see him working with kids as if he is some kind of goddamned hero.

Fair enough. I think most people are just happy that the kids get to enjoy an afternoon they will never forget and will probably be the highlight of their lives and a story to tell every one they ever meet. But at least you're consistent.

[Bob Loblaw]

Originally Posted by Darth Kenshin

I think most people are just happy that the kids get to enjoy an afternoon they will never forget and will probably be the highlight of their lives and a story to tell every one they ever meet.

But then these same kids look up to this athlete and view him as an idol. Then they emulate their heroes. I meet on guy who actually believes that date rape isn't a bad thing, it's just part of having a good time. Guess who his heroes are (and have been since he was a kid)?

[Darth Kenshin]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

But then these same kids look up to this athlete and view him as an idol. Then they emulate their heroes. I meet on guy who actually believes that date rape isn't a bad thing, it's just part of having a good time. Guess who his heroes are (and have been since he was a kid)?

I gotta assume... Kobe Bryant?

OK, clearly date rape is different. Yes, I wouldn't want my kid to idolize a rapist (although, I don't think any of the My Wish athletes were ever convicted of anything, or even went to court). I just like to see the kids having fun, especially if they have an illness that normally causes them to be lethargic but for that one afternoon they get to be normal.

Christian Bale's reputation, to my knowledge, doesn't need the kind of repair that a rapist's would. Yeah, he has his issues, but if him visiting this hospital improves the spirits of the victims, I think it's worth it. And again, unless I missed something, he didn't have a team of cameramen.

[gyro_44]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

So what is the difference between this or when James Cameron visited that tribe who was losing their home due to deforestation in South America? Everyone bashed Cameron for exploiting this tribe's pain to campaign himself as a "caring individual" during the release of Avatar.

It is the same thing here. Same story, different asshole. If this wasn't Batman related he would be there (just as Cameron wouldn't have helped that tribe if it wasn't for Avatar), he wouldn't give two shits. There was an opportunity to exploit these people and he took it.

No, it's not quite the same thing, or at least I don't think so. Cameron really had nothing to do with the deforestation in South America. But in Colorado, what went down happened at a theater showing The Dark Knight Rises. Christian Bale is linked to this story - not in an immediate and direct way like the people in Aurora, but he is the star of this film that all these people were there to see. I personally don't see this as a PR stunt for Bale. If I were him, I do think I would feel deeply connected to this story and I would want to try to do something for the people there.

You really must think Bale is a TOTAL piece of shit if you think his first response (or his agent's first response, which he happily agreed to) was to exploit the people who suffered in this tragedy to benefit his own public image. I mean, you go ahead and believe it if you want to.

Christian Bale:
"Hey, remember when I really hurt my reputation FOUR years ago when I acted like a real punk on Terminator? This would be the perfect time to repair it. I'm sure many people will notice this particular story in amongst the hundreds of others about this tragedy, which I am more than happy to exploit RIGHT NOW, and single me out as a hero. TO THE BAT-POD!"

Sorry, I'm being a little facetious. But still, I can't see it.

I do think Bale did this out of sincerity and goodwill, but that's me. I'm sure it won't hurt his PR, but I certainly don't think that's the reason he did it.

I think the real bottom line is that he did something really minor, but for the people he visited it could have been a huge thrill. I mean, they were all there to see the first showing of The Dark Knight Rises. I going to assume many of them are big fans. To have Batman himself visit you after this horrible thing happened... I certainly like to think that would bring something very positive to their day and would perhaps mean something to THEM. But that would be for them to say.

[Shinigami]

Erroneous and Kenshin made good early points before it even got into this argument over our impressions of Bale's intentions. No matter what his intentions, his visit cheered people up after they were injured in a midnight shooting. Aaand nothing else really matters. Bale's intentions are almost irrelevant. It's another situation where a celebrity donates to a humanitarian cause and somebody raises questions of whether or not the celebrity did it just to get attention, as if that's the point. The point is the donation to the humanitarian effort. The point is the blockbuster star visiting the injured in the hospital.

Right?

[SkyNet]

I dont really get it:

The photo released isn't some sort of professional picture.. it is a low res picture that was obviously taken by the victim in the pictures friend or family and then put on Twitter or Facebook.

Bale had no intentions other than to visit people who were gravely harmed when all they wanted to see was his movie. To suggest otherwise , i personally find rude and disrespectful.

[MovieMaster]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

And he has to make sure the entire world knows he is doing something nice or else it would be pointless.

First off pull your head out of your idiotic ass. Bale was brought in without anyone knowing, hidden from the media. An ambulance took him directly past all the cameras and into the ERs ambulance bay. All the pictures you see came from the victim's phones/twitter.It was not until his visit was almost over that the media actually found out and they got pics of him leaving. He did not do this to promote a movie, he did this because it is obvious to anyone that he feels bad and wanted to do something positive. Like everyone involved with the movie, it must really suck to know you poured so much effort and time into something like this movie and to know people were out there to enjoy it and to have their lives forever changed in such a negative way. That every time they hear a review or see a poster or dvd cover for it, they will be reminded of what happened. So the guy wanted to go and provide some comfort and you have people like yourself who only see something negative about it. This is what is fucked up with the world today. Negativity like yours is pathetic.

[MisoGenie]

Christian Bale flat out rules no matter who he does or doesn't visit in the hospital, but the fact that he did just makes him that much cooler.

[ilovemovies]

Bob Loblaw strikes me as a the glass is half empty kind of guy.

As for Bale, it's definitely very cool of him. I can't believe there was actually a time when I wasn't really a fan of his. But then he started doing awesome movies like Equilibrium and Reign of Fire and I started to like him. And then came Batman Begins and I was a HUGE fan after that!

[scottmushroom]

That picture looks like it was taken on a phone camera, it was probably put out there by the victim's family, this isnt oprah were talking about here...

[The Postmaster General]

Yeah, I thought that was pretty awesome and have shared the story a couple times today. I first saw about it in the shooting thread but didn't post today, since I was just lurking mobile. Imagine Bale showing up to visit you in the hospital, like "Hey, what's up?"


We don't know Bale but this seems really cool.

What we do know about Bale is that he plays Batman and Batman is a master detective. A detective uses observations and insights to make conclusions.

James Garner also played a detective: Jim Rockford, the main character on TV's "The Rockford Files", which aired from 1974 to 1980. It won an Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series. The show also "features Noah Beery, Jr. as [Jim's] father, a retired truck driver."

As for Joblo schmoe, Bob Loblaw...

The photo released isn't some sort of professional picture.. it is a low res picture that was obviously taken by the victim in the pictures friend or family and then put on Twitter or Facebook.

Originally Posted by MovieMaster

Bale was brought in without anyone knowing, hidden from the media. An ambulance took him directly past all the cameras and into the ERs ambulance bay. All the pictures you see came from the victim's phones/twitter.It was not until his visit was almost over that the media actually found out and they got pics of him leaving.

He's no Jim Rockford.

Source

[SpikeDurden]

Originally Posted by SkyNet

I dont really get it:

The photo released isn't some sort of professional picture.. it is a low res picture that was obviously taken by the victim in the pictures friend or family and then put on Twitter or Facebook.

Bale had no intentions other than to visit people who were gravely harmed when all they wanted to see was his movie. To suggest otherwise , i personally find rude and disrespectful.

Agreed. Apparently people aren't just allowed to do kind things anymore. There always has to be someone out there to suggest there's an ulterior motive. In this case I'm positive Bale was just being a genuine guy and doing a nice gesture. If this was a PR or media stunt it would have gone very differently.

Some people just can't see the bright side of things. And that saddens me.

[bigred760]

He didn't show up with cameras; the cameras were already there with several of the big news organizations still covering the story. Not even Warner Bros. knew he was going; the media asked them about it and all they said was he wasn't representing the studio in his visit to Colorado.

I really don't care if this act makes up for previous transgressions. It's a classy move on his part, taking time out to visit victims of a violent act whose only crime was watching a movie in which he starred.

Good for you Christian Bale.

[bourahioro]

Originally Posted by Bob Loblaw

And he has to make sure the entire world knows he is doing something nice or else it would be pointless.

Christian Bale isn't responsible for all of this media attention. He's fuckin' Batman - Everyone that saw him took pictures, posted shit on facebook and twitter... I highly doubt that Bale notified the media before visiting people in a hospital.

[jolanar]

Originally Posted by bourahioro

Christian Bale isn't responsible for all of this media attention. He's fuckin' Batman - Everyone that saw him took pictures, posted shit on facebook and twitter... I highly doubt that Bale notified the media before visiting people in a hospital.

This.

[AspectRatio1986]

Good shit right here...he definitely didn't make a media circus out of it...besides, when has Bale ever intended on being a "celebrity" over an "actor" - never. He obviously loves his privacy so kudos to the man for taking some time to visit with the victims of this horrible tragedy.

[PBateman]

Originally Posted by MovieMaster

First off pull your head out of your idiotic ass. Bale was brought in without anyone knowing, hidden from the media. An ambulance took him directly past all the cameras and into the ERs ambulance bay. All the pictures you see came from the victim's phones/twitter.It was not until his visit was almost over that the media actually found out and they got pics of him leaving. He did not do this to promote a movie, he did this because it is obvious to anyone that he feels bad and wanted to do something positive. Like everyone involved with the movie, it must really suck to know you poured so much effort and time into something like this movie and to know people were out there to enjoy it and to have their lives forever changed in such a negative way. That every time they hear a review or see a poster or dvd cover for it, they will be reminded of what happened. So the guy wanted to go and provide some comfort and you have people like yourself who only see something negative about it. This is what is fucked up with the world today. Negativity like yours is pathetic.

This is one of the best posts ive read on here in a while. Bale went there on his own accord,secretly. I commend him for doing this. It wasnt an image repair stunt (talking to you Bob whatever the fuck your name is) it was out of human decency, he felt bad about what happend. Bale didnt call every news outlet and tell them to be there cause he was coming,he did it as inconspicously as he could.

You really need to take Moviemasters advice and pull your head outta of your ass,as he said your negativity is pathetic,just like your take on this situation.

[Beard_of_Meat]

Originally Posted by AspectRatio1986

Good shit right here...he definitely didn't make a media circus out of it...besides, when has Bale ever intended on being a "celebrity" over an "actor" - never. He obviously loves his privacy so kudos to the man for taking some time to visit with the victims of this horrible tragedy.

Exactly..And if he did do this just for the PR I really doubt he would have spent over 2 1/2 hours visiting..Bravo Mr. Bale..I was a fan before and now I'm an even bigger fan.

[Bob Loblaw]

Everyone is bashing me for saying this, yet everyone is behaving exactly as they are expected to.

Everyone here is all “OMG, Bale is awesome! I wasn't a big fan before, but now I'm a HUGE fan! I love Bale!!!! I'm masturbating to him right now!!!!! How dare anyone say anything negative about this great, great man!”

This is what the point of his visit was. It's all by design, your mindless & extreme support of someone you don't know is by design. This is how it works.

I suggest you watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prTarrgvkjo
It's a great documentary

I worked in the gaffing department for Rescue Dawn, and everyone (below the line) on that production knew what a jackass douchebag Bale really is. If fact anyone I know (below the line) that has worked with him says the same thing.

[Shinigami]

^I think people are just happy getting some friendly news about the shooting tragedy. It doesn't have to be sycophantic. Even if Bale's visit was a sudden and nefarious publicity stunt, it's still friendly news about the shooting tragedy. I can't tell if you're just not hearing this point or if you just don't care. A lot of these responses to you are way way way against the rules, but I think you picked the wrong time and the wrong way to convince us Bale isn't a good person. Your posts are kind of sabotaging some of our catharsis from this shooting in aurora, and that's probably why schmoes are getting pissed off. You're misreading the thread and it's... Inappropriate?