DA Baracus Posted January 11, 2023 Share Posted January 11, 2023 (edited) Batman Returns An enjoyable film but falls just short of its predecessor for me. It has more Batman and keeps alive the fantastic grimy aesthetic of Gotham from before but the villains can't match Nicholson's Joker. They're all good villains mind. De Vito is great as Penguin, but Penguin is just a bit too silly too often, and for me didn't carry any menace. His main 'weapon' was to turn folk against Batman, but when the people of Gotham were shown to be gullible morons who instantly turn on folk, those tactics proved to be less than effective. His gang were too daft and lightweight to be a real threat too. Max Schreck was decent but wasn't really a big bad, at least not to Batman. However, Michele Pfeiffer absolutely kills it as Catwoman and is easily the stand out of the film. She's just tremendous in the role. She doesn't ham it up and plays Catwoman and Selina Kyle perfectly. She's easily the best Catwoman on film. She begins as a villain to Batman but quickly becomes something else, something inbetween. The Catwoman/Batman and Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne dynamics are great and really progress the story. I said that the 1989 Batman film could have been called 'Joker' instead; well there's a case for calling Batman Returns 'Catwoman' instead. Batman Returns has been said to be a bit of an exploration of facets of Bruce Wayne, with the three antagonists all representing different sides of him. Indeed, with the film being set at Christmas, could there even be a nod towards the three famous Christmas spirits, with Cobblepot (past), Kyle (present) and Shcreck (future) showing us what Bruce Wayne could have been were things slightly different? Edited January 11, 2023 by DA Baracus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Batman Forever Riddle me this; what the f**k did I just watch?! This is supposedly a follow on to Batman (1989) and Batman Returns, but it's as different to them as it is to the Nolan trilogy. Gone is the grimy, dark, grunge and more grounded Gotham of the previous two films and in its place a lurid, retina scorching explosion of neon and a riotous luminous pallete. Also gone is the more serious (for the medium) tone, with a lurch right in to sheer silliness, ludicrousness, over the top performances and outright nonsense. Within the first few minutes we have a security guard gurn about "Boiling acid!!!" as his glasses slip off and melt in a pool of it (it's bright green of course). Keaton saw the direction this was going and wanted no part, so Val Kilmer plays Batman/Bruce Wayne, and he's actually pretty decent at both. He has a few quips but mostly plays both serious and does so well, having a good physical presence and exploring Wayne's mental anguish a bit. There are two big villains here, both classics from Batman's 'Rougue's Gallery', Two Face and The Riddler, played by Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey respectively. Both massively ham it up, seemingly inspired by the Adam West Batman series. To be fair, it looked like both were having a great time and seemed to have a competition of who could be more loud and over the top. Toss of a coin in the end for me.... Chris O'Donnell is introduced as Robin, and mostly is decent. However he's treated as an literal child at times, despite clearly being in his 20s. The dynamic between him and Batman has a not bad story. Nicole Kidman fires around half naked for much of her screen time as psychologist Chase Meridian who wants a shot on the Batdick, but also fancies a wee slice of Wayne too. The film may just overdo the whole 'duality' thing a bit. It's fitting that Two Face is in this film, as the film clearly isn't entirely sure what it wants to be either. On the one hand it aspires to be a more serious Batman film (see the psychological exploration of Bruce Wayne's trauma, his relationship with Robin and his struggles as Batman) but then it wants to be a comedy film (see The Riddler prancing around the Batcave, Two Face's two dinners and the many quips). It is actually fairly enjoyable though. I laughed quite a lot, with Carrey and Jones providing much of the mirth. It's fucking nonsense mind, but managed to successfully stay on the right side of the line with it, unlike its successor. Talking of which, I may as well give it a view tomorrow since I've done the rest. Sigh. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theroadlesstravelled Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 Airplane 1980 “Don’t call me Shirley.” Some of the jokes show their age a bit but it’s still packed with timeless comedy. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 10 hours ago, DA Baracus said: Batman Forever Riddle me this; what the f**k did I just watch?! Don't worry. Batman and Robin is a true return to form and you'll love every second of it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zetterlund Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 I only just watched Batman Begins and The Dark Knight for the first time in the last few days, having had no interest in them or indeed any of the comic book genre since the 90's movies (which I loved at the time). Must admit I was very surprised by how much I enjoyed them, and I'll definitely be giving TDK Rises a watch soon. As with the Tim Burton films there's a unique atmosphere around the Nolan efforts. I've read people saying they didn't like the almost-ever-present dramatic soundtrack fading in and out but I thought that was one of the best things about the movies. Some good humorous moments too. Looking back at the Batman catalogue,, it completely escaped my brain that George Clooney did one. I'll have to revisit these older ones too now that I'm in the mood. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 2 hours ago, scottsdad said: Don't worry. Batman and Robin is a true return to form and you'll love every second of it. It shall be tonight's viewing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Angelo Barksdale Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 I watched Chinatown the other day, which is class, but is the sequel any good ? The fact that it was made 16 years later has got me a bit dubious. Got myself a wee BFI subscription this week to broaden my viewing horizons this year. Started off with Pusher II as I'd watched the first before, but not the sequels. Big Mads is great and the film is an excellent example of what can be done with a small budget. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 1 hour ago, Slim Charles. said: I watched Chinatown the other day, which is class, but is the sequel any good ? The fact that it was made 16 years later has got me a bit dubious. Got myself a wee BFI subscription this week to broaden my viewing horizons this year. Started off with Pusher II as I'd watched the first before, but not the sequels. Big Mads is great and the film is an excellent example of what can be done with a small budget. Pusher II is amazing. It's my favourite Refn film. It's also maybe the only decent depiction of coke addiction i've seen on film. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 6 hours ago, Zetterlund said: Looking back at the Batman catalogue,, it completely escaped my brain that George Clooney did one. I'll have to revisit these older ones too now that I'm in the mood You won't regret watching Batman and Robin 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squalor Vic Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 2 hours ago, Detournement said: Pusher II is amazing. It's my favourite Refn film. It's also maybe the only decent depiction of coke addiction i've seen on film. I actually quite liked Only God Forgives. Kinda swung for the fences a bit with it, admired him for that as he could have played it safer after Drive being such a success. Valhalla Rising is good too, much preferred it to The Northman from last year. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squalor Vic Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 19 hours ago, DA Baracus said: Batman Forever . It's fucking nonsense mind, but managed to successfully stay on the right side of the line with it, unlike its successor. Talking of which, I may as well give it a view tomorrow since I've done the rest. Sigh. I rewatched all these in the past couple years too. I thought Batman Forever was abysmal but somehow... inexplicably...they made one worse. Tbh I couldn't finish Batman and Robin 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Detournement Posted January 12, 2023 Share Posted January 12, 2023 (edited) 1 hour ago, Squalor Vic said: I actually quite liked Only God Forgives. Kinda swung for the fences a bit with it, admired him for that as he could have played it safer after Drive being such a success. Valhalla Rising is good too, much preferred it to The Northman from last year. Only God Forgives is great as well and you have to hand it to Gosling for embracing NWR's depravity but the Pusher trilogy makes you feel like you are buying gear in a dodgy strippers in Copenhagen or Hamburg or Amsterdam and not many movies go there. I'm currently watching Copenhagen Cowboy and rewatching Too Old To Die Young so I'm Refn'd out my nut. TOTDY is incredible, it should not exist. Edited January 12, 2023 by Detournement 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 (edited) Batman and Robin War! This film declares multiple wars and commits numerous war crimes. Wars are declared on logic, comedy, Batman fans (Bane!), eyeballs and science, with physics being the most offended party. The Fast and Furious films would gasp at the audacity of the physics baiting in this film. Silly? Yes. Idiotic? Yes. A lurid fever dream of a film, flawed in every sense. There is surely no way this wasn't done on purpose. Surely no one read the script, saw the sets, read the plot, heard the dialogue, saw the costumes and saw cuts and decided this was not an outright assault on the senses of the prospective audience and an affront to god? In the very first scene we get a close up of the Batass and Batcrotch, both sheathed in the tight rubber of the most ludicrous Batman costume committed to screen (as well as the Robin equivalent, and later we get the female Batass along with the Battits and Batvadge). The tone you would think is set, but somehow it quickly gets even more ludicrous. There's a plethora of ridiculous gadgets Batman uses, from handy miniature bat shaped heaters to ice skates in his boots, and of course the infamous Bat credit card. The colour pallete is a full frontal attack on the retinas and all other parts of the ocular apparatus, firing bright gaudy primary colours all over the place like an early years school painting contest. The dialogue appears to have been written by a dog, a toddler or a brain damaged criminal. Possibly all three. There's stifling exposition that floats like icebergs amid a sea of quips and jokes, almost all of which will make your eyeballs roll out of your head from how lame they are or snap your toes from cringing. Mr Freeze alone makes over 30 quips/jokes in this film. The sound effects often seem like they been lifted directly from the Adam West series. All that's missing is the silly POW graphics. The characters are mostly played for laughs and ham it up more than a pig farm. Uma Thurman fires around the screen as if personally insulted and challenged by the Razzies selection committe in what should have been career hari kari. There's a scene where Poison Ivy chews the scenery whilst actually physically smashing up the scenery. Arnold Schwarznegger gurns through a performance that borders on mesmerising such is its breathtaking insanity. Calling it bad feels like calling World War 1 a minor land owner disagreement. George Clooney was an interesting choice for Bruce Wayne and threatens potential here. However, as Batman he was flatter than the Netherlands. Chris O'Donnell plays Robin as whiny and bordering on Amish in terms of naieveity, not to mention brashly moronic (or moronically brash?). Alicia Silverstone is..ok actually. Michael Gough, playing Alfred for the fourth time, is the only one who takes this film seriously, although he's sidelined by a dull illness side plot. Poor Bane.... I'm amazed this didn't instantly end the careers of all involved, from the stars (and it had A list actors), the director and right down to the fucking tea boys; all who were part of this travesty should still be serving time in prison after being immediately jailed following the film's premiere. An absolute lobotomy of a film. Edited January 13, 2023 by DA Baracus 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Wee Villa Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 But apart from that, quite good? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frankie S Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 (edited) 2 hours ago, Detournement said: Only God Forgives is great as well and you have to hand it to Gosling for embracing NWR's depravity but the Pusher trilogy makes you feel like you are buying gear in a dodgy strippers in Copenhagen or Hamburg or Amsterdam and not many movies go there. I'm currently watching Copenhagen Cowboy and rewatching Too Old To Die Young so I'm Refn'd out my nut. TOTDY is incredible, it should not exist. Too Old to Die Young is, along with Twin Peaks: The Return, one of my favourite ever TV shows. Almost no-one has seen it (it’s buried deep on Amazon Prime, and the streaming service did nothing to promote it) and some of those who started it, gave up early (it’s one of the most extreme examples of ‘slow TV’ ever made). It’s certainly worth sticking with it, as it unfurls at its own pace, leisurely but deadly, like a King cobra. Episode 5 ‘The Fool’ is probably the nastiest, darkest TV episode I’ve ever seen, and the slow motion car chase where the protagonist (played by Miles Teller) chases a pair of depraved pornographers, accompanied by the soundtrack of Barry Manilow’s ‘Mandy’ is a moment of unexpected genius. It’s a needle drop that just shouldn’t work, but it does, beautifully. Cliff Martinez’s pulsing electronic score for TOtDY is as sleek and effective as his scores for ‘Drive’ and ‘Only God Forgives’, and overall it’s an amazingly assured exercise in long-form TV. I’d love to see a second series, but, sadly, it’s never going to happen. Looking forward to immersing myself in Copenhagen Cowboy in due course though. Edited January 13, 2023 by Frankie S 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DA Baracus Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 12 minutes ago, Bully Wee Villa said: But apart from that, quite good? Surprised it didn't chart in the P&B 100. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Connolly Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Hard to disagree with the majority of that review, but there is one place where I would take issue. Arnold is clearly the only one that realised it was a complete bombscare of a film, and just went full ham. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D Angelo Barksdale Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 Arnie would have made a decent Bane. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 There was a rumour ahead of it coming out that Patrick Stewart was going to be Mr Freeze. Then it came out and it was Arnie... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MSU Posted January 13, 2023 Share Posted January 13, 2023 I always hated how the poster was contrived to give Arnie top-billing. The guy playing Batman should always be at the top of the bill. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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