Angery Reacts To Keaton Being Cast In B89

Started by thecolorsblend, Sun, 31 Jan 2021, 23:02

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https://www.liveabout.com/angry-reactions-to-the-casting-of-michael-keaton-as-batman-327068

Two surprising names popped up. One was comic book writer Beau Smith, back before he was a comic book writer.

The other? Michael Uslan!

Funny how people automatically thought Burton was going the comedy route just because of Keaton's resume, even though one of them admitted Burton "does treat the characters basically seriously." Fact is fam, is that once the suit went onto Keaton he transformed. For example, check out his facial expressions when he's behind the Batmobile. From a regular guy (which was one of the complaints) to BATMAN. It's undeniable. People allowed themselves to be sucked in to the initial reaction, and the what ifs that never eventuated.

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  1 Feb  2021, 05:40
Funny how people automatically thought Burton was going the comedy route just because of Keaton's resume, even though one of them admitted Burton "does treat the characters basically seriously." Fact is fam, is that once the suit went onto Keaton he transformed. For example, check out his facial expressions when he's behind the Batmobile. From a regular guy (which was one of the complaints) to BATMAN. It's undeniable. People allowed themselves to be sucked in to the initial reaction, and the what ifs that never eventuated.
I really wish I could've been there to experience the hype and build up for this movie. Keep in mind that when people heard Keaton was cast as Batman they expected him to be a man dressed in tights like Reeve's in Superman or West in the 60's series. To then see that it was a molded Black Bat-Suit would've blown my mind at the time.

Life can be a living hell sometimes. But things are never as bad as they seem. Jonestown is a good example.

The place was meant to be a socialist paradise but it was an unsustainable failure. There wasn't enough food, especially for the huge numbers living there. They were burning through money - even though Jim had big money hidden away of his own. Jim was using drugs a lot of the time, and felt trapped in the jungle given the negative media coverage back home. Due to a number of factors he tried to escalate the situation to reach a point of no return. This came to a head when a US delegation arrived to take a tour to investigate concerns people were being held against their will.

Jim originally had someone try and kill the Congressman via slashing his throat. That failed and asked Jim "does this change things?" Even then, it's really didn't. The man would've been responsible for his own actions, and would've been tried in court as an isolated incident. So Jim escalated things further, sending a tractor full of gunmen to the airstrip, killing the Congressman and some of the others as they left.

Jim was concerned if those people left, more would follow them in the coming days or weeks. He was paranoid about the what ifs. Truth is that in an alternate timeline, the would be throat slasher would have been punished, but that's probably about it. Word would've spread back home in the USA that yes, people did want to leave. But the percentage was so small from the whole, that the fears were exaggerated. If more wanted to leave, they had the chance. But most didn't seem to want to. So perhaps it was overdue we leave Jim and his band of followers alone for the time being.

I think Jim's thinking had some merit because total paranoia is total awareness of all possibilities. But that can lack nuance, leading us to do and think things we don't need to. At the core, I think Jim was at the end of his rope and wanted to end it all, anyway. Which is why he kept pushing. But the message that 'it's never as bad as it seems' holds true. Even after all that.

Even if Michael Keaton was a letdown in the role, the film was surely going to deliver in other areas, such as visuals or the soundtrack. George Lazenby is considered the worst Bond, but he appears in one of the strongest films in the franchise. It is possible to salvage something from the pits of despair.  It really all comes down to our mindset.

I liked how one of the letters mentioned the god-awful Superman 50th Anniversary Special that was a waste of not only Superman, but the cast of Saturday Night Live. That shows you where we were on how the "comic" was emphasized in comic book material. Fans were burned out severely on Superman IV's failure and were naturally apprehensive of this upcoming Batman film from the director and star of Beetlejuice.

It's true that the Adam West '66 Batman show loomed quite large long after the series had concluded decades earlier. Perhaps not in every single instance, but it sure seemed like there were a lot of times where if any news segment/reporting was being done on the Burton/Schumacher Batman films (1989-1997), there was going to usually be some sort of call back, or nod to the Adam West series thrown in there somewhere. If by clips, music, or thru the use of "Bam! Biff! Splat! Kaplunk!" being spoken during the narration of the report, it was very typical that something from the West show was going to be referenced.

I distinctly remember Entertainment Tonight reporting on the wrap up party for Batman Forever, and wouldn't you know it, the '66 theme was played all throughout the segment of the film's star's arriving and leaving the party. This was in late 1994 or early 1995 even. The Burton films had, especially by that point in time, cemented a different approach on Batman, but evidently that's how much of an impression the '66 show left on boomers who were reporting on anything (especially Batman related) for tv shows back then.


"Imagination is a quality given a man to compensate him for what he is not, and a sense of humour was provided to console him for what he is."

Quote from: The Joker on Fri, 12 Feb  2021, 00:42evidently that's how much of an impression the '66 show left on boomers who were reporting on anything (especially Batman related) for tv shows back then.
Sometimes I fantasize about how wonderful the world will be when the final Boomer checks out. Who knows? We might see an end to news articles about comics/Batman that begin with BIFF BAM POW.

Quote from: The Joker on Fri, 12 Feb  2021, 00:42
It's true that the Adam West '66 Batman show loomed quite large long after the series had concluded decades earlier. Perhaps not in every single instance, but it sure seemed like there were a lot of times where if any news segment/reporting was being done on the Burton/Schumacher Batman films (1989-1997), there was going to usually be some sort of call back, or nod to the Adam West series thrown in there somewhere. If by clips, music, or thru the use of "Bam! Biff! Splat! Kaplunk!" being spoken during the narration of the report, it was very typical that something from the West show was going to be referenced.

I distinctly remember Entertainment Tonight reporting on the wrap up party for Batman Forever, and wouldn't you know it, the '66 theme was played all throughout the segment of the film's star's arriving and leaving the party. This was in late 1994 or early 1995 even. The Burton films had, especially by that point in time, cemented a different approach on Batman, but evidently that's how much of an impression the '66 show left on boomers who were reporting on anything (especially Batman related) for tv shows back then.

In watching vintage clips for the 89 Batman. Every news report is something weird like "Holy Premiere" or "Holy Casting Choices". Even in the 20/20 segment Barbra Walters says "Will Batman go zonk or zowie?" I still don't know what the difference is between the two.

While I was looking up Keaton's name on a Google news search, I stumbled across a Screen Rant blog that recalled the time when Marvel Comics made a reference to the debate over Keaton's casting. The following screenshot is from The Incredible Hulk - #355 1989.



QuoteJonathan Nolan: He [Batman] has this one rule, as the Joker says in The Dark Knight. But he does wind up breaking it. Does he break it in the third film?

Christopher Nolan: He breaks it in...

Jonathan Nolan: ...the first two.

Source: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=uwV8rddtKRgC&pg=PR8&dq=But+he+does+wind+up+breaking+it.&hl=en&sa=X&ei