Batman Begins

Post by **Ben** » May 20th, 2005, 9:10 am

Okay - let's get this topic back on track to BATMAN BEGINS and carry on our love/hate relationship with the new Star Wars movie in...

THE OFFICIAL STAR WARS THREAD (Episode III)
http://animated-news.com/forum/viewtopi ... =4799#4799

Thanks!

Post by **ShyViolet** » May 25th, 2005, 12:33 pm

I have been dying to see Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker....

I know the plot already, (read it all on-line) the cuts and re-cuts, but I can't wait to see this one...

You want to talk about an "emotionless" Batman experience?? *Cough Teen Titans Cough*

Ewwwwwww!

Batman Returns will always be my fave Bat film. It has its faults but it made a HUGE impression on me when it first came out....The storytelling is truly great, the music beyond awesome....Plus Batman had the best gadgets in that film! (Remember the Batboat he drove through the sewers?)

Anwyay, I recently saw the E! True Hollywood story on Jack Nicholson, and when they talked about Batman they didn't even have any footage of Burton talking about the film--just Peter Guber (who produced it). Not even in archive. That was a little bizarre, I thought.

They showed footage of all those long lines people waited on when the film came out and all the merchindise. Boy, did that bring back memories....

Even if BB is a success, I don't think you'll ever have a phenomenom like THAT again....

Post by **Ben** » May 26th, 2005, 7:01 am

TB did speak alot about Batman in the 1989 TV special that was made on the film. He spoke about the legend and the mythology, and how Jack WAS the Joker (something like "well, there's no-one else").

He also did interviews around that time that I remember seeing, where he gushed about working with Nicholson, so I wonder why they didn't use any of that?

Maybe they wanted to make a soundbite point and Guber's comment got it over with quicker and cleaner than having to cut some Burton together.

I agree about Bats Returns - from the opening it was like "oh wow, here we go!" - much more layered and confident a film than the first.

Post by **AniMan** » May 26th, 2005, 8:09 pm

Ben wrote:I agree about Bats Returns - from the opening it was like "oh wow, here we go!" - much more layered and confident a film than the first.

I liked it, too, but I can never forgive Burton for what he did to the Penguin. He totally SCREWED UP that character by making him this nasty, disgusting.. thing. Michelle Phieffer as Catwoman, though--- grrrrrowwwrrr!!

And I agree with the rest of you, the new Batmobile really looks HIDEOUS!! I just can't seem to warm up to that monstrosity.

Post by **Ben** » May 27th, 2005, 6:41 am

AniMan wrote:Michelle Phieffer as Catwoman, though--- grrrrrowwwrrr!!

Don't you mean... MEEEEOOOWWWW!

Post by **AniMan** » May 27th, 2005, 11:38 am

Ben wrote:
AniMan wrote:Michelle Phieffer as Catwoman, though--- grrrrrowwwrrr!!
Don't you mean... MEEEEOOOWWWW!

Nah, that would be a bit too feminine for me

Post by **Macaluso** » May 27th, 2005, 12:31 pm

Ben wrote:
AniMan wrote:Michelle Phieffer as Catwoman, though--- grrrrrowwwrrr!!
Don't you mean... MEEEEOOOWWWW!

I think it's more MEEEEEEEEEEH

Post by **ShyViolet** » May 27th, 2005, 3:46 pm

That was my first introduction to Michelle Pheiffer. MAN was she great in that movie. I will always see her as Catwoman no matter who she plays.
Actually in a lot of ways I liked her Selena Kyle even better than CW--I loved how insecure and shy she was and how she had all those dolls and stuffed animals in her apartment. (I could relate!

) She looked beautiful even when she was supposed to be a "mousy" secretary, I LOVED her hair in that film, also even her "ugly" glasses look pretty cool now.

As for the Penguin--yeah he was disgusting, but he is supposed to be a freak who spent thirty years growing up in the sewers, so you can't expect him to be too debonair.

I thought DDV did a good job.

Post by **Ben** » May 28th, 2005, 11:58 am

"HELL HERE" - loved that.

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 1st, 2005, 4:02 pm

I want that dollhouse she had. Man, she had everything in that apartment, why'd she trash it??

I found the part where Shrek (!) pushed her out of the window to be prettty scary at the time.....

I kind of wish Tim Burton would come back to the Batman franchise. I'm excited by BB but it seems like a lot of the "razzle-dazzle" that was so great in TB's versions has been replaced by a more gritty feel, which for Batman is just....wrong. Batman is a fantasy at heart, TB KNEW how to balance that with the "dark" elements of the story which was why B 1 and B 2 are considered by some to be the "best" of the series.

(Still, Christain Bale AND Cillian Murphy in one movie....that will definetely get me there.

)

Bring back Robin and the Joker!!!

Post by **Ben** » June 2nd, 2005, 7:55 am

The Joker will be back for part 2. No word on Robin yet, but don't hold your breath, as these three films are supposed to lead in to the Burton ones, so Robin wouldn't come along until Forever...

By the way, and not to be picky, but it's actually Max Shreck, named for the vampiric actor perhaps best know for his role in Nosferatu (1922).

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 2nd, 2005, 5:29 pm

The Joker will be back for part 2. No word on Robin yet, but don't hold your breath, as these three films are supposed to lead in to the Burton ones, so Robin wouldn't come along until Forever...

Who's playing the Joker?

Also Forever and Batman and Robin aren't really part of the "Burton" timeline, especially since there's a different Batman for each movie.

Plus the Robin in forever was completely wrong, way too old. Robin is supposed to be a kid! In Return of the Joker he was like 12 or something. (That was the Tim Drake Robin though). In Teen Titans (if you watch that)he's about that age too. In Batman: The Animated Series Robin is like nine when he first meets Bruce. That's why he's called "The BOY wonder"!!

When will they finally get Robin right?

Post by **Josh** » June 2nd, 2005, 6:09 pm

ShyViolet wrote:Who's playing the Joker?

Names have included Crispin Glover, Adrien Brody, and Lachy Hulme. Lately, another name has been popping up, though: Johnny Depp. However, it's Glover who seems to be the fan-favorite.

Post by **Ben** » June 3rd, 2005, 7:26 am

ShyViolet wrote:
Forever and Batman and Robin aren't really part of the "Burton" timeline, especially since there's a different Batman for each movie

Unfortunately, like it or not, Forever and B&R are very much part of the Burton timeline.

He was all fixed up and ready to direct Forever, with Robin Williams as Riddler at one point, and Keaton was in the frame to be Bats again. In fact, the whole Chase Meridian (best Kidman has ever looked!) sub plot was inserted on his insistence to give him more to do as Bruce Wayne without the mask.

Burton then bailed (as he was close to doing on Returns) and the helm was handed to Schumacher, who wanted to go all out comic-book on it. Keaton didn't like the direction and jumped ship too, but Burton remained as producer and did his best to keep things on track. Gough remained as Alfred and Hingle as Gordon, so it was, director and star aside, still the Burton Bats series, and Robin was always going to be intro'd in this one.

Schumacher got to do B&R himself, though it is still set in the Burton universe, like it or not.

WB wanted a Batman 5, which Begins is still refered to in internal documents, but didn't want another Schumacher-fest. Considerations went to doing a very late entry, with Clint Eastwood as an end of the road Bats, but they decided on prequels, simply so they could mine the rich characters again and not step on the Burton-and-inspired films.

So, the four previous films are all part and parcel of themselves, as the Superman series was, which swapped directors twice, and why they will all be sold in one box set by the end of the year.

Post by **ShyViolet** » June 3rd, 2005, 11:48 am

I just saw the films at Wal-Mart yesterday. None of them have any special features, not even widescreen as far as I could see. Hope they make up for it when they release the set.

I remember hearing about Robin Williams playing the Riddler! That was a while ago as far as I remember. I'm pretty sure he was also considered to play Beast in X-Men at one point.

I can forgive Schumacker for Forever, but not for B & R. Plus to me Keaton will always be Batman, even if "Dr. Burton" was satisfied with Val and George. (They both pretty much sucked as far as I'm concerned.)
I think B & R should either be dropped from the Batman canon or at least Batgirl and Robin should be edited out!

but they decided on prequels, simply so they could mine the rich characters again and not step on the Burton-and-inspired films.

That was smart. Maybe this way they can better explain the origins of characters like the Joker and Two-Face, and have a younger Robin as well.