Batman Begins: The Thread

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I saw something recently where Morgan Freeman was genuinely creepy. I can't remember what it was.
The Big Bounce, perhaps?

I don't know. I like him. He's like Owen Wilson, or even Paul Newman. He's not got a huge range, really, or maybe just doesn't make very bold choices in terms of roles, but he's always interesting to watch. He's got PRESENCE.

Huk-L, Tuesday, 7 June 2005 19:55 (eighteen years ago) link

For some reason, there are few black actors who are regularly given dignified, gentleman roles. I can only think of Freeman, James Earl Jones and Denzel. And Morgan Freeman is at least kind of better at it than say, Denzel who always ends up seemingly self-righteous.

I'd rather them play the token quiet black guy than the token black thug/sidekick, frankly. Even if they don't have much range.

Nic Cage is SOOO wrong as Johnny Blaze though.
http://aintitcool.com/images/johnnyblaze.jpg


Roz (Roz), Tuesday, 7 June 2005 20:13 (eighteen years ago) link

They should so do Groo with Owen Wilson. If *THEY* don't, *I* will!

Yakuza Ghost Six (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 7 June 2005 20:16 (eighteen years ago) link

best casting idea ever.

Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 7 June 2005 20:19 (eighteen years ago) link

i find morgan freeman kind of boring, even though technically he's a great actor

Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Tuesday, 7 June 2005 20:20 (eighteen years ago) link

He should try doing a voiceover one day! Or playing someone OLD who's seen it all!

Yakuza Ghost Six (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 7 June 2005 20:22 (eighteen years ago) link

someone get his agent on the phone NOW.

(he did do a great voiceover as the posessed motorcycle in Heat Vision and Jack)

Shakey Mo Collier, Tuesday, 7 June 2005 20:28 (eighteen years ago) link

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1173643/

Tim Booth from James?

Raw Patrick (Raw Patrick), Tuesday, 7 June 2005 20:28 (eighteen years ago) link

I actually think Bale's art in this role comes through more as the movie sits with you. Freeman is just gut-funny, not that this demands much of him.

Keep in mind, Freeman went from being recognized mainly as Easy Reader on The Electric Company to playing a bunch of convicts, cops, and criminals, and getting his big break as the scariest pimp in screen history in 1987's Street Smart. Maybe he's played variations of a troubled, moral force ever since, but I never get sick of watching him in Johnny Handsome, Clean and Sober, Driving Miss Daisy (a bum rap in the making for a dude who once played Malcolm X), and Se7en. It's not necessarily his fault that Hollywood otherwise doesn't have enough imagination to cast him in anything but the roles of a loyal black friend or respected elder (Joe Clark, the president, God, etc.). Nurse Betty came close. Somebody should get him to play Professor Longhair.

Pete Scholtes, Wednesday, 8 June 2005 01:17 (eighteen years ago) link

just out of curiosity, what is Freeman's role in this movie?

Shakey Mo Collier, Wednesday, 8 June 2005 01:28 (eighteen years ago) link

He's an invented character, so far as I know.

Pete Scholtes, Wednesday, 8 June 2005 10:16 (eighteen years ago) link

SMC: See Constantine.

Dude, Constantine was good! Better than Hellboy or any other supernaturally themed flick I've seen lately. I went to see Constantine expecting nothing of it, but to my surprise it never rang a false note. Also, it did something none of the recent superhero adaptations have done: it didn't rely on special effects. Who needs a CGI Satan when you can have Peter Stormare in make-up?

Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 11:12 (eighteen years ago) link

what is Freeman's role in this movie?

He's Lucius Fox, who, in the comics, is a fairly younger brilliant financier who covers Bruce's fop-acting ass in the boardroom many a time, whereas in the flick, he's a brilliant inventor of Bat-shit, which strikes me as more interesting for a film than for his character. I think he was even white in the old animated series, which may have been a nod to Billy Dee Williams in the first 2 films (Harvey Dent being the half-white half mutilated Two Face for decades).

Negativa, True Believer (You know you love it when I'm dressed in drag) (Barima), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 11:22 (eighteen years ago) link

Also, it did something none of the recent superhero adaptations have done: it didn't rely on special effects

So all of those shots of Hell in the promos were filmed on location???

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 11:23 (eighteen years ago) link

There was only one scene in Hell, and that was rather short. All in all Constantine relied much more on suspense than on big monsters.

Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 11:26 (eighteen years ago) link

Constantine was pretty good. It largely managed to do what few comic adaptations have done lately, exist as its own thing. Which it sorta had too, since it really had little to do with Hellblazer.

Huk-L, Wednesday, 8 June 2005 14:35 (eighteen years ago) link

Nicholas Cage is *NOT* right for Johnny Blaze.

Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 14:37 (eighteen years ago) link

Agreed, though I would like to be there when they set his skull on fire.

Huk-L, Wednesday, 8 June 2005 14:40 (eighteen years ago) link

Give back what his mother gave him
Mother made him
And now she can’t even save him
Johnny Blaze ’em

rogermexico (rogermexico), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 18:00 (eighteen years ago) link

Flame on!
I rain fire when Johnny Storm
I'm shocking like live wire
You have been warned

rogermexico (rogermexico), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 18:03 (eighteen years ago) link

I think he was even white in the old animated series, which may have been a nod to Billy Dee Williams in the first 2 films (Harvey Dent being the half-white half mutilated Two Face for decades).

Even though I recognize all the names, this sentence makes no sense to me.

Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 18:05 (eighteen years ago) link

Diehard fans call me John-John Mclean now...

rogermexico (rogermexico), Wednesday, 8 June 2005 18:07 (eighteen years ago) link

i liked it!

very entertaining. bale actually pretty good as non-stiff batdude, i thought. a few problems though:

1) action scenes suffer from cutting too close & too fast, the bane of modern action cinema. not convinced nolan is an action director.

2) bad one-liners

3) somewhat anti-climactic (also common bain of modern action)

4) gary oldman looked perfect but his arc overlapped with katie holmes's too much ("one good man in a corrupt legal system"). glad they went the batman: year one way with him, at least a bit.

still... i liked it!

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:09 (eighteen years ago) link

Tim Booth from James?

If he was in it, it must have been only for a minute because I don't remember seeing him. My whole review would have been about "Eww, Tim Booth, eww!"

I thought the same thing about the action scenes, s1ocki.

Leon C. (Ex Leon), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:14 (eighteen years ago) link

always so disappointing! HIRE ONE SECOND UNIT DIRECTOR AND/OR DECENT ACTION EDITOR!!

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:17 (eighteen years ago) link

I still recommend it, though. It's 80,000 times more entertaining than Episode III.

Leon C. (Ex Leon), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:18 (eighteen years ago) link

1) i agree, but the mountain-top test was awesome

2) totally. especially the "i gotta get me one of those" lines.

the other two i'm ambivalent about.

i loved how they created bruce wayne the celeb.

Jams Murphy (ystrickler), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:19 (eighteen years ago) link

oh god yeah. wipes the floor with star snores! (xp)

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:19 (eighteen years ago) link

1) yeah, i loved that scene! i was just like, "yo, pull back the camera bit! or use a wider lens!"

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:20 (eighteen years ago) link

by the way, did everyone notice my clever play on "star wars" up there?

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:21 (eighteen years ago) link

one thing i gotta say, i was a little worried by the whole "batman trained by wise eastern monks" thing but they really went the right way with it! i was so glad that they did the whole "RAS AL-GHUL THE MIGHTY FIGHTER OF EVIL EVERYWHERE" thing!! it totally kept the comic book spirit, which i was grateful for.

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:27 (eighteen years ago) link

what was ras al-ghul's organization called again? the league of amazing great guys?

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:28 (eighteen years ago) link

I think he led the League of Assassins.

Huk-L, Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:30 (eighteen years ago) link

the fab five!

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:31 (eighteen years ago) link

the organization of incredibly exciting superbuddies!

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:32 (eighteen years ago) link

the union of interesting best friends!

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:34 (eighteen years ago) link

You know what they need to do, they need to do
http://www.hillcity-comics.com/graphic_novels/new_graphic_novel179.jpg

TOMBOT, Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:34 (eighteen years ago) link

Free Batman comic in Monday's New York Post!

http://www.newsarama.com/forums/showthread.php?s=460f2057b5d1ba047dc259334f6b7ca9&threadid=35579

Huk-L, Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:36 (eighteen years ago) link

I was re-reading it a little bit last night, just flipping through. It's the most goddamned ridiculous thing ever inked. Holy shit.

TOMBOT, Thursday, 9 June 2005 16:37 (eighteen years ago) link

yo leon or jams or whoever else has seen this movie:

do you (haha) actually remember the name of the league of crimefighting ninjas? i need it for my review and they didn't give me no press kit!!

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 20:29 (eighteen years ago) link

wait, nic cage is starring in a wu-tang movie?!?!

Amateur(ist) (Amateur(ist)), Thursday, 9 June 2005 20:38 (eighteen years ago) link

Huk's right, it's the League of Assassins.

Jordan (Jordan), Thursday, 9 June 2005 20:40 (eighteen years ago) link

no, in the movie it's something else!

s1ocki (slutsky), Thursday, 9 June 2005 22:15 (eighteen years ago) link

The League of Shadows (I think, but not 100% certain).

Leon C. (Ex Leon), Thursday, 9 June 2005 22:17 (eighteen years ago) link

I just checked imdb and they have a bunch of guys listed as "Shadow Warriors" so I think that's probably correct.

Leon C. (Ex Leon), Thursday, 9 June 2005 22:20 (eighteen years ago) link

wait, nic cage is starring in a wu-tang movie?!?!

I'm getting in line RIGHT NOW.

rogermexico (rogermexico), Friday, 10 June 2005 03:51 (eighteen years ago) link

by the way, did everyone notice my clever play on "star wars" up there?

*pats slocki on head* There there, The Family Guy is waiting for you.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 June 2005 05:23 (eighteen years ago) link

Or The Family Man or whatever. Tea Leoni is not enough, though.

Ned Raggett (Ned), Friday, 10 June 2005 05:24 (eighteen years ago) link

Nicolas Cage IS Peter Griffin!

The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Friday, 10 June 2005 13:48 (eighteen years ago) link


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