tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375691158383831389.post2348859133357650238..comments2024-03-28T15:14:59.689-07:00Comments on Shmegalamonga: I h8 the 90's (part 3!!!)Diacanuhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10546351653341768549noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375691158383831389.post-56778071028165582572011-03-19T01:09:29.582-07:002011-03-19T01:09:29.582-07:00Okay, focusing on your criticisms of Batman Return...Okay, focusing on your criticisms of Batman Returns, cuz that's the subject that started 'er off...<br /><br />Well, your main beef seems to be the interpretation of the villains, and Batman killing.<br /><br />I admit, these bugged me back then, now, not so much.<br /><br />First of all, 40's Batman killed.<br /><br />It's the Comics Code era that made Bats and Supes non-lethal.<br /><br />Fuck the comics code.<br /><br />And hell, Batman let Ras Al Gul die in Batman Begins.<br /><br />Then he saves the Joker??<br /><br />WTF?<br /><br />Second, I look at the movies as Elseworlds.<br /><br />You have to.<br /><br />The live-actions alone have been rebooted, and look how many animated incarnations there have been, hell, just between the 90's/00's, nevermind the last 40 years.<br /><br />Your mind has no trouble at all leaping between Kevin Conroy, "The Batman", and "Brave & The Bold".<br /><br />And in an Elseworld, Penguin can be a mutant.<br /><br />Dunno why that ever bothered me.<br /><br />And, IMO, Devito DOES crush the role.<br /><br />He's deliciously evil.<br /><br />That's what I want from a Devito villain.<br /><br />And as for Catwoman and Pengy being nuts...well, that goes to the whole question "Watchman", puts forth...what sort of person runs around in a mask past Halloween?<br />Watchmans answer is...wackos.<br />At least neurotics.<br />Burton merely ran with that motif.<br /><br />I think it works.<br /><br />And again, there's that punk rock middle-finger quality.<br />To the comics code, to the happy meal crowd, and good on 'em.<br />That's the edge comics had before the 50's crackdown.<br />That's the edge Miller was trying to bring back, and IMO, Burton took it the next step.<br /><br />And Nolan took it another step, but in a different way.<br /><br />And as for "knowing better than the fans", well...yeah, it can happen.<br /><br />I cite the new "Star Trek".<br /><br />If Abrams had listened to fans, the fucking thing wouldn't have gotten made, and Trek would be dead.<br /><br />There's too much continuity, and too much fragmentation of opinion, you can't please everybody.<br />So, fuck it, he did what he wanted, and it worked.<br /><br />Same deal.<br /><br />IMHO.Diacanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10546351653341768549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375691158383831389.post-81779679839802720652011-03-14T19:20:34.438-07:002011-03-14T19:20:34.438-07:00Mike!
Let the fanboy slugfest begin!
Tim Burton ...Mike! <br />Let the fanboy slugfest begin!<br />Tim Burton produced one of the Shmumacher Batman films, so he had more than a minor bit of editorial control of the excess to which Shumacher is sometimes prone. That direction I thought was an excalation of style over substance and the through-line with the art direction is really a vision (greatly elaborated upon) by Tim Burton. And Burton by the way, claims never to have read any of the source material.<br /><br />Batman almost does it right. Though Kim Basinger screams too too much. Jack Nicholson captures some of the madness, and anarchy of the Joker, but essentially he is just channeling Cesar Romero and giving him a PG-13 streak. In retrospect, for all the noir elements that I thought were so cool, are really overshadowed by all the garish color that Burton provided. It is almost, though not quite, an updated 60s Batman TV show. The other problem I have with Burton's first outing, is the fact that Batman kills the Joker, and has Gatling Guns on his car. Guns, and murder are two fundamental no-nos in the modus operandi of the Batman. I didn't mind it at the time, because, Holy Fucking Shit Batman is on the big screen and he doesn't look half bad. <br /><br />Batman Returns further revealed that Burton thought he knew better than fans, and creators with Catwoman, and Penguin, and again with Batman putting the murder down on some people. The Penguin and Catwoman are actually kind of anomalous in the Dark Knight's Rogue's Gallery. They are both sane, both are criminals, though Selina seems to be troubled with some ethics, whereas Cobblepot doesn't. Burton put Cobblepot in dirty diaper and made him a mutant, and hid Danny Devito under a ton of make up (too bad really, because Danny could have crushed that role). And What was that Catwoman business. Hell Here? <br />My opening volley Mike. If you survive the withering storm of my nerd logic, feel free to send your counter volley my way. I must go batten down the hatches, er...or whatever.<br />latersMaxhttp://maxiitheblindwatchmaker.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375691158383831389.post-72089861240449036742011-03-13T15:00:07.434-07:002011-03-13T15:00:07.434-07:00I dunno, I think you're thinking of the Schuma...I dunno, I think you're thinking of the Schumacher Batmans.<br /><br />Those were deliberately made with Happy Meals, action figures, and collector cups in mind, and IMHO, that's the crowd Burton was flipping off before they kicked him off, and brought in their lackey, Schumacher.Diacanuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10546351653341768549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3375691158383831389.post-60468562803342925952011-03-13T11:52:37.933-07:002011-03-13T11:52:37.933-07:00Strange that anyone can like any Tim Burton Batman...Strange that anyone can like any Tim Burton Batman. I've been meaning to review them to see if they are as bad as I think they are. Even before Nolan penned his masterpieces, I had come to realize that persons to whom Tim Burton was extending his middle finger were the creators of a half century of Batman, and the people who thought they might have actually had something interesting to say about Batman.Maxhttp://www.maxiitheblindwatchmaker.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com