Batman carries on beginning in ... The Dark Knight

or was it in the Prestige where Michael Caine tutors Christian Bale in a cockney accent?

The Prestige (btw) totally counts as a Batman movie, as does I'm Not There, since it has Bale vs. Ledger.

Totally OTM about heist flicks and genre swapping, all of which I love it in theory. Just miss the atmosphere.

yeah, but Burton Batflicks were nothing but atmosphere (which is totally a valid reason to love them) and Michelle Pfeiffer ushering me through puberty in 126 minutes.

That's the only about "Returns" that still holds up.

Walken's "unlimited poontang" line was the only other reason.

those little penguins with rockets were cute

omg new trailer!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=iHufrsP9XMA

Hahah, nice.

Oh man, I hadn't seen that 6-minute clip until just now. I can barely wait!!

Spoilerish:
http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=21791

Worrisome. The problem with the first movie (as good as it was) is that it lacked a charismatic central villain to chew up scenery. Scarecrow would have been great, but -- apparently like the Joker here -- didn't get enough screentime to be that compelling central antagonist.

Still, the first film was great in spite of this flaw, and the promo for the new one looks even better.

Still, as they say in the piece, it's a neat peice of promotional slieght-of-hand. And the last time Bats fought the Joker on the big screen, the resulting film was terribly thinly-plotted.

Oh, I spelt 'Piece' two different ways there.

Two-Face is definitely better dramatic story arc fodder - I think its a good call to make him the focus, always loved the character (TLJ's performance/role was just a horrible disservice)

I watched the Burton Batman for the first time in years around xmas. Really charmed me. Almost every line felt like a nonsequitur! Jack Palance hissing anything >>>>>> Tom Wilkinson saying "you've never tasted desperate."

the first Burton movie is so awful. second one is much better

For the first half of the movie Batman doesn't really do anything other than flap his cape and harass (but not detain) criminals! Not sure how that's supposed to "stop crime" any more than a street mime does.

Not really a fan of the "utilitarian, quasi-'realistic'" man-in-tights film, but I'm still psyched to see this.

The second has a far more interesting set-up, but it kind of fluffs it in the second half. Wonderful art direction, though (duh, it's Burton).

isn't it totally tragic and fucked up when the penguins put Danny DeVito's body into the frozen lake at the end of Batman Returns?

-- BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, July 22, 2007 9:41 AM

Michael Keaton really gives a great performance in the first one. He's such an absent-minded freak in it.

Best pre-Bale Batman, for sure.

watched the Burton Batman for the first time in years around xmas. Really charmed me.

I love the reboot a lot, but I also love Burton's first Batman film. It's more comic book-y, but -- for its time, especially -- it was dark and brooding and epic (with some comic relief by Nickelson).

Christian Bale doesn't really give the "prancing around in a tight suit with bat ears is the way to stop crime" vibe. Val Kilmer and Adam West are at least inherently ridiculous people.

Maybe not but I love Christian Bale so it's irrelevant.

I think he's a pretty weak actor and his accents are getting worse and worse (dude actually claims he makes up a new one for EVERY movie), and yet I'll basically see anything he stars in, as they're almost always interesting movies.

One of the best things about Bale's performance is the way he makes it convincing that everyone wouldn't clock that Wayne is Batman straight away, by playing Wayne as a total buffoon.

xpost
His best performance is still Empire of the Sun.

Poll?

Batman Returns
Batman Begins
Batman with Cesar Romero
Batman

All the others.

xp No, it's "Treasure Island" with Charlton Heston, but I'll forgive you for not knowing it because I think it was made for American TV.

but he plays Batman the way a five year old would play the boogieman. "grrr, I'M GONNA EAT YOU! RASP!"

x-post

(am i the only one who thought/thinks that nicholson's joker was sorta irritating?)

"Drunken Billionaire Burns Down Own Home" scene is Bale's shining moment in Batman Begins

Nicholson's Joker is awful, just Jack in bad makeup.

no im totally with you remy

xpost

I'll take Nicholson hamming it up as an absurd baddie (Batman, Departed, Witches Of Eastwick) over Nicholson's "hi, Oscar!" steez.

I really hope Heath Ledger remembers to dance.

BATDANCE!

DO THA BATUSI

"Drunken Billionaire Burns Down Own Home" scene is Bale's shining moment in Batman Begins

Nicholson's Joker is awful, just Jack in bad makeup.

-- Shakey Mo Collier, Friday, January 18, 2008 5:42 PM

so rite and so rong, respectively

I'm still not sure about Ledger, the trailer just feels a little hollow to me. When he chews on a word like "commissioner," I'm not sure if he's camping it up too much or not enough, and I could see his approach to the role wearing thin over the course of a whole movie. But then, the only starring role of his I've ever seen is 10 Things I Hate About You, so I have no idea what he's really capable of anyway (jeez, he really hasn't been in many movies, has he? I mean even for a younger actor).

I haven't seen 10 Things, but was Heath Ledger in that? Maybe it will come on cable soon.

As completely ridiculous as it was, I really love A Knight's Tale...and specifically his role therein.

Paul Bettany's Chaucer is totally the best part of Knight's Tale though.

I love me some two-face. I think this strategy is very interesting, and obviously meant to set up a third picture focusing on Jokes.

heath ledger vs. ryan phillipe vs. hayden christiansen

who can tell the dif?

I can see where you're coming from on the last two, but you seriously don't see the difference between Ledger and them?

has Hayden Christiansen been in anything else besides Lucas's CGI wet dreams?

shattered glass (great)
life as a house (terrible)
factory girl (okay)
jumper (ehh)

i'm being glib. i like all three of them, actually.

You saw Jumper already?

Don't think I've seen Darth Christiansen in anything else. Can he actually act? You can't tell that about anyone who you've only seen in a Lucas film.

Kinda wanna see