Who played Batman the Best: Part IV.

With my interaction with fans on the internet I have come to see that Christian Bale’s performance as Batman is by far the favorite. There are many who also prefer Michael Keaton as Batman but Bale does seem the big favorite. I have written in the past about my love-hate relationship with the Dark Knight trilogy but that is another topic. I want to stick to his performance only.

I recently read a negative review of Batman Begins and one of the things the author said was that Batman was not depicted as a detective which is a big part of his persona. I disagree. I think that aspect is in the Nolan trilogy, yet I don’t think it is a big part of what he does in any movie. I think Adam West and the campy TV series has been the best in portraying Batman as a detective! Bale’s Batman is the most intimidating I would have to say. He has come out of the darkness to grab and harass criminals and informants. Some have complained about the voice Bale does as Batman. It is very gravely and gruff. I personally have no problem with the voice he did and there are a few times when that is what made him intimidating. I like the part when he has an informant hanging over the street high up in the air and the informant yes ”I swear to God” and Batman growls “swear to me!” Great scene and this is the Batman many wanted to see. Overall an excellent performance as Batman despite my problems with the movies themselves.

I cannot end this without mentioning Ben Affleck as Batman in the upcoming film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Of course I cannot really comment on his performance since we have not seen the film yet. We have seen the suit and while I like it for the most part, what I don’t like is the size of the Bat-symbol on his chest. I don’t mind the smaller ears on the cowl either. I have written before that I was surprised he was cast only because he wasn’t even on anyone’s radar. After the momentary shock wore off I was 100% behind this casting and I could really see Ben Affleck as Bruce Wayne and Batman. I am really looking forward to his performance and the movie.

Well, I think my two favorite Batman portrayals are Michael Keaton and Christian Bale. They are a virtual tie with Val Kilmer coming close behind those two.

Next week I will finally review the new Godzilla movie!!

The tone of Comic Book movies…what should it be?

The Man of Steel movies has not done as well as WB had hoped, although it is still success and it is more successful than 2006’s Superman Returns. Does this mean that Superman doesn’t translate that well into being a more serious character? What should be the tone of a superhero comic book movie? Many sing the praises of the Nolan Batman trilogy for its gritty realism. Some do not like it at all. I am between those two extremes. While I do like the trilogy, with the first movie, Batman Begins, as the most enjoyable, I do think that there are times when these movies seem like something else rather that a superhero movie. So, what should a superhero movie look like?

There is not one answer to this question  but I do see a common denominator. To ironically quote the Joker from the movie The Dark Night..”Why so serious?”

That is they key element. At some level in the movie it needs to not take itself so seriously. After all these are stories where adults are dressing in costumes and fighting crime. If this were to happen in the real world such a person would be spending some time in a psychiatric center. I find many of the Marvel movies, specifically the first Iron Man movie, does strike the right tone. I also notice that there is a continuum of tone. As I mentioned that Iron Man strikes a good tone but can there also be a time when a more lighthearted approach can also work? I think so….and this is the heart of the issue; To balance seriousness with a lighthearted approach. For the next couple of paragraphs I will defend one of my favorite Batman movies, Batman Forever, and demonstrate how that movie does successfully balance the  seriousness with a lighthearted approach.

First of all, the set designs, costumes and cinematography all let the viewer know that this is indeed a fantasy and not the real world. Gotham is not realistic but it is a character all its own that adds to the verisimilitude of the movie. Direct Joel Schumacher used brighter colors than the previous director, Tim Burton, but it still kept Gotham as a foreboding gritty crime filled city. The setting does establish the tome of the movie that it will be serious but lighthearted. The over-the-top portrayal of the villains, Two-Face and the Riddler, played wonderfully by Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carey, also lets us know that this movie is to entertain and to not take it so seriously.

Yet, the movie does have some serious themes. It shows Bruce Wayne/Batman, played greatly but Val Kilmer, struggling with his identity and the guilt over his parents death. We see Dick Grayson/Robin, played brilliantly by Chris O’Donnell, struggling with grief, the murder of his family and the desire for revenge. Although this movie does have camp like the 1960s version of Batman, this movie does not show that the relationship between Bruce Wayne/Batman and Dick Grayson/Robin was anything but smooth and it took them time to form a partnership. For myself this is the strength of the movie and watching them come together is what makes it so enjoyable for me.

Batman Forever is on the more campier side of the verisimilitude of comic book movies, much more so than Iron man, but it does demonstrate that there is a continuum within the less realistic approach of the recent Nolan Batman and Superman movies. The sequel to Batman Forver, Batman and Robin, although a guilty pleasure, did cross the line in the other direction and demonstrates that going too campy can also cause a problem. So for myself with Batman Forever on the campier end of the spectrum and the first Iron Man being the more serious end of the spectrum gives comic book movies a great deal of space to work with to find that perfect tone for these types of movies.

The Amazing Spider-Man

I really liked the first two Spider-Man movies starring Tobey McGuire and directed by Sam Rami. The third Spider-Man movie?…not so much. I was not surprised to have heard that Spider-Man 4 was not going to be made given how poorly received Spider-Man 3 had been. What did surprise me was that Sony Pictures Entertainment was going to reboot the franchise and start all over. I really didn’t think that was necessary. Just make a better Spider-Man 4 were my thoughts. Plus, I really don’t care for origin movies (I must interrupt myself here and say that my love for Batman Begins, Iron Man 1, Green Lantern, Thor, Captain America, X-Men First Class is having me rethink that statement). The film stars Andrew Garfield in the title role, with Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy and Rhys Ifans as Dr. Curt Connors.

I followed the making of the movie and I had no clue who Andrew Garfield was, the actor tapped to play Spidey/Peter Parker, and when I saw the picture of him I thought he didn’t look right for the part. Can anyone say prejudiced? I was also not happy when it was reported how they were going portrayed his web slinging ability. The comics had his web slinging ability come from a device that Peter, the boy genius himself had made. The Sam Rami movies changed that to where the ability to sling webs was a natural part of his powers. I liked that better so I was disappointed to learn that this movie would return to the concept that was depicted in the comic books. Many fans were upset over the concept of the lizard, the main villain in the movie, because he didn’t have a snout. I had no such problem. Some fans hated the costume. I didn’t have a problem with that either. Watching the trailers did give me hope because they looked so good.

I generally try not to buy DVDs without seeing the movie first but since I love Spider-Man (my favorite Marvel character) I decided to give it a try. I Loved It! This is the best Spider-Man movie. In many ways it is a Peter Parker movie even though we do get to see Spidey a lot through the film. We see Peter Parker go from an abandoned teen who gets kicked around to somebody who, thanks to a radioactive spider bite, discovers who he is. He also discovers his past and what happen to his parents, especially his father, a brilliant scientists who leaves one night to never return.

This is actually a very character driven movie. Peter explores the relationship he has with himself, the bullies that pick on him, the girl he has a crush on, her father, his surrogate parents (Uncle Ben and Aunt May) and his father’s partner, who becomes the villain he must face. These relationships are all balanced with the type of action and adventure we come to expect from such movies. They all help shape Peter into who he is to become and likewise they are impacted by him.

Andrew Garfield did a wonderful job in both roles. He was excellent as Peter the shy awkward genius who has to navigate the minefield that is adolescence. He also does a great Spider-Man who can be a cocky superhero and Garfield delivers his lines to make Spidey funny without being an annoying character. The other performance I have to mention is Martin Sheen as Uncle Ben. Sheen has such a wide range in his acting skills. He can play a tough individual with an authoritative presence. He plays Uncle Ben as a simple minded, strong, yet warm and friendly. I really liked his portrayal. Sally Field played Aunt May and she did a fine job, really no complaint about her performance, my complaint is that they didn’t really give her too much to do. After the death of Uncle Ben all she is given to do is worry about Peter. It would have been preferable for an actress of such caliber to have been given more to do by the third act of the movie.

The special effects are top notch. In the Rami movies Spider-Man was depicted a lot with CGI. Although I am sure there were some scenes of Spidey rendered with CGI many of them were live action and I found them to be more realistic. If I am in the mood for a Spider-Man movie I know this will be the movie I grab. I think Sony Pictures did the right thing with this reboot and I really look forward to the next installment with anticipation.

 

Box Office Monday ~ Batman vs the Avengers

Ice Age: Continental Drift which was released on Friday topped the box office with $46,000,00. domestically and has already taken in $339,000,000 in the foreign market for a grand total of $385,000,000 worldwide. In second place is last week’s number 1, The Amazing Spider-Man, which took in $35,000,000 for a grand total of $200,900,000 domestically and $320,500,000 over seas for a world wide total of $521,400,000.

With the summer block buster season is in full swing and at the midway point. The first movies were released in early May and the last of the lot will come out in early September. This Friday, July 20, 2012, the long anticipated final chapter of Christopher Nolan’s Batman series, The Dark Knight Rises, hit the theaters. I have no doubts it will be a huge hit. Just how big of a hit will it be? This summer saw huge numbers for Marvel Studio’s epic superhero movie, The Avengers, and there has always been a comic book rivalry between the DC comics characters and those from Marvel. So the question for me is not whether or not The Dark Knight Rises does well, the question is can it top the mountain of money that The Avengers brought in? As of today Avengers has made $ $613,548,000 domestically $ $844,100,000 at the foreign box office for a grand total of $1,457,648,000 world wide making it the 3rd highest grossing movie of all time both world wide and in the US. The previous Batman movie, The Dark Knight, took in $533,345,358 domestically, $468,576,467 at the foreign box office for a grand total of $1,001,921,825 world wide. Pretty impressive numbers! It will be interesting to see if the Dark Knight Rises can best itself and the Avengers this summer. Reviews for the movie will not be online until the 20th.

Can Robin be done successfully in a Batman movie?

This picture was something I found on a message board. I do not know who made the picture or who the kid is playing Robin along side Christian Bale’s version of Batman. But I love it!!

I actually liked Chris Donnell’s take on Robin in Batman Forever. I liked the costume and his rebelliousness and the fact that Bruce Wayne/Batman was reluctant to take on a partner and that they had clashes. I am pretty certain Robin will not be in the new Nolan movie but I was thinking when they eventually reboot Batman again should they include Robin? Or is his character out of date and just doesn’t work anymore? I personally do not think so, and I hope some day we will see a pairing of Batman & Robin on the big screen.

It is too bad that the next Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, will be the last for Christopher Nolan, Christian Bale et al. I really wanted to see Robin in this creation of Batman. I think the realism that Nolan was going for would have been a good place to examine the Bruce Wayne/ Batman and Dick Grayson/Robin relationships. It could have provided good drama and good character development. With the death of Rachel Dawes in The Dark Knight Bruce only has Alfred as family. It would have been interesting to see how Bruce/Batman would have changed by having Robin in his life. At one point the Batman comics even had a female Robin, Stephanie Brown, so thinking outside the box and having a female Robin would be an interesting direction to go. 

Robin was developed as a character in the Batman comic in 1940 to attract younger readers. Even as a young lad myself I could relate to Robin more than Batman. As an adult I think having Robin as an on screen character in a feature film could help today’s youth find someone they can connect with just as other youths have done in the past.

 

New Dark Knight Rises Poster

Very similar to the fist teaser poster we saw, this poster has the bat symbol, which outlines a crumbling Gotham, set ablaze with a intimidating figure of Batman standing admits the carnage. While it is derivative of the first poster I do like this new version.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/55907

This poster does  raise a question for me and that is the motivation of the villain Bane in this movie. In the movie The Dark Knight the motivation for the Joker’s psychopathic rampage was to simply watch things be destroyed. That does make for a frightening and interesting villain. I don’t think they can repeat that motivation. Bane does look like he is bent on destroying Gotham but what is his motivation for doing so? Based on rumors my opinion is that this movie will come full circle and resolve elements of Batman Begins which depicted Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Shadows as a misguided group wanting to destroy evil. I think Bane will be an instrument of Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Shadows intention of destroying Gotham as a means of ridding the world of evil. 

New Poster for the Dark Knight Rises!

The Dark Knight Rises

The Dark Knight Rises

Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman

Director: Christopher Nolan

Release Date: 20 July 2012

This is the most anticipated movie of the summer. Christopher Nolan has undoubtedly breathed new life into the Batman franchise. Starting with Batman Begins in 2005 and its sequel, The Dark Knight Rises in 2008, which contained the Oscar winning performance of the late Heath Ledger as the deeply psychotic Joker; these films brought a sense of gripping darkness and realism to the character. This will be Nolan’s last Batman film and the last time Christian Bale will don the Bat cowl. If this movie rakes in the dough as it is suspected to I wonder if this truly will be their last film?

The last movie saw Batman on the run after defeating the Joker and taking the fall for the wrongs Harvey “Two Face” Dent committed while bringing down the Joker. Little is known about the plot of The Dark Knight Rises except for the fact that it is eight years after the events of the second film and Batman returns to Gotham when the rebellious and brutish Bane (played by Tom Hardy) begins to carry out his plane to destroy Gotham. Batman also encounters the mysterious woman Selina Kyle.

From the trailers it is very hard to figure out the plot so I really do not have any more information than what had been revealed there. Pictures of Anne Hathaway have circulated in her Catwoman outfit yet it is speculated that the name Catwoman might not even be in the script. Since this is Nolan’s last Batman movie another question, or suspicion many have is that Bruce Wayne/Batman may not survive the movie. 

Batman has always been a top favorite character of mine behind Superman. I have enjoyed Christopher Nolan’s take on the character. Despite my enjoyment of the Dark Knight Rises my minor complaint is that ..it is too dark thematically and it went on a little too long. Hopefully Nolan will bring a little light to the final chapter and that the movie will not overstay its welcome.