Topics

[Batman Returns,]

http://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3490217/actress-stuntwoman-debbie-lee-carrington-passed-away/

Deborah Lee Carrington was a dwarf actor who you may remember from 1990's Total Recall as the gun-toting 'Thumbelina'.

She also appeared in Batman Returns, as the Emperor Penguin, Return of the Jedi, as an Ewok, and as Howard the Duck in the eponymous film.

RIP.

http://theplaylist.net/joss-whedon-will-major-part-dc-films-future-creative-team-zack-snyder-20170726/

Joss Whedon will apparently have a bigger role in the DCEU and Zack Snyder's role is to be diminished.

So, will all you diehard supporters of the DCEU continue to support the franchise now that it looks like Whedon will be the major player in shaping its direction?

I know we're apparently not allowed to bring politics into this site (as relevant as it is to absolutely everything...) but as you know I'm a liberal, and even I can't stand a lot of the hateful and intolerant bilge that comes out of Whedon's mouth/ends up on his Twitter account, so I wonder how the rest of you feel about this seeing as many of the diehard DCEU fans here are, I think it's safe to say, somewhat less liberal in their politics than me...

I also wonder whether he will be working with Nicole Kidman, who is currently filming a role as Aquaman's mother in the franchise, seeing as he likened her to a Thunderbirds puppet earlier this year on Twitter.  Talk about awkward.

Still, at least this probably means he won't be a part of the MCU any longer, which is arguably a good thing (even if his Avengers is one of the best comic-book movies of all time).

Great news!  Another Batman Returns actor has been cast in the MCU, after Michael Keaton's triumphant performance as The Vulture in this summer's Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Michelle Pfeiffer will be appearing as Janet Van Dyne/The Wasp in next year's sequel to 2015's Ant-Man.  Personally I think this is perfect casting.

It's also interesting that both Keaton and Pfeiffer have been cast in the MCU as winged characters.

To Batman Returns.

Boy I feel old.

I just read that Zack Snyder has agreed with Warner Bros to allow Joss Whedon to take over the direction of Justice League, in response to Snyder and his wife and producing partner, Deborah Snyder's, daughter's death by suicide a few months back.

Suicide is one of the most tragic things for any family to cope with, and is all the more heart-breaking when it is a child's suicide.  My condolences and sympathies therefore go out to both Zack and Deborah Synder at this time.

Here's a fun feature from 'Empire Magazine': http://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/star-wars-best-order-watch-movies/

I've always wondered how I will introduce my young nephew (and my own hypothetical children) to the Star Wars films, now we have the prequels and the current run of Episodes VIII to IX.

Surprisingly, there's no mention of Rogue One, although I appreciate that it's a spin-off rather than part of the overall saga.

But my personal preference has always been the so-called 'Ernst Rister Order': IV, V, I, II, III, VI, VII, VIII, IX.

I like building up to the Episode V reveal (i.e. "I am your father") and the cliff-hanger in which all the various characters are at their lowest point, and then going back in time to discover how Anakin became Vader, which in turn sets up his redemption come Episode VI, quite nicely.

What does everyone else think?  Do you prefer chronological order, or the order in which the films were released, or something else entirely?

http://variety.com/2017/film/news/michael-keaton-dumbo-tim-burton-1202022958/

Michael Keaton is in negotiations to play the villain in the live-action "Dumbo" movie for Disney.

The film would mark a reunion with Tim Burton — their first project together since 1992's "Batman Returns."

Colin Farrell is currently in talks to star alongside Eva Green and Danny DeVito.

So we might see Keaton and DeVito do a reversal of the good guy and bad guy parts.

Looks like Joss Whedon is going to be part of the DCEU.  He will be making a solo Batgirl movie:

http://www.superherohype.com/news/394175-breaking-joss-whedon-to-direct-batgirl-movie

Hmm, I don't know about you guys but I'm not sure I want to give my money to Whedon.  If anyone's ever read his Tweets (the one where he attacked Nicole Kidman and compared her to a Thunderbirds puppet simply for stating that the US had to move on and accept Trump as their President was particularly mean and unwarranted), you'll probably agree that he's got a few screws loose...

Then again, I know how loyal, even rabid, some of you guys are with respect to the DCEU.  Good for you, I guess.

"Game over man!"



Anyone who has seen, and loves (as I do), the film Aliens, will know the quote.

Sadly this wonderful actor, who has the distinction of having been killed onscreen by the Terminator, an Alien (xenomorph), and a Predator, and is also best known for his wonderful work in the films Apollo 13, Twister, Titanic, and one of my personal favourites, A Simple Plan, has sadly died at the young age of 61, from complications following surgery.

It's another sad blow, after John Hurt's death a few weeks ago, to see another prominent Aliens franchise alumni die.

RIP Bill.

It's now an awards winner: http://www.superherohype.com/news/391641-batman-v-superman-takes-home-four-razzie-awards#/slide/1

http://www.roguesportal.com/batman-returns-twisted-christmas-carol/

25 years ago the lovely, impossibly gorgeous, and delightfully ditzy Ice Princess was murdered, supposedly by Batman, but in actuality by The Penguin, when she tumbled off the top of a skyscraper and plummeted to her doom by landing on the controls to the Gotham City Christmas Tree.

You can tell that it occurred on Friday December 20, because the following evening, the night of Max Shreck's ill-fated Maxquerade Ball at his flagship "Shreck's" downtown store, 666 Gotham Plaza Drive, Gotham City, was Saturday December 21 (and December 21 fell on a Saturday in 1991, the December before Batman Returns was released in the cinema).  Here is a prop from the film from the site 'ScreenUsed' that confirms as much:



Anyway, I thought I'd note this sad tragic death from a quarter century ago.

http://www.superherohype.com/news/386749-lego-batman-movie-billy-dee-williams-finally-gets-to-be-two-face#/slide/1

You may recall that in Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie, none other than Billy Dee Williams took on the role of district attorney Harvey Dent, with Williams famously being told he'd play the villain Two-Face in a sequel. As we all know, that never happened and instead Tommy Lee Jones played the villain in Batman Forever instead. Now, however, Williams will finally get to play the villain as The LEGO Batman Movie director Chris McKay revealed Williams will voice the villain in the upcoming feature.

Will Arnett reprises his role from The LEGO Movie as the voice of the titular Dark Knight, alongside Michael Cera as Robin the boy wonder, Rosario Dawson as Batgirl, Ralph Fiennes as Alfred Pennyworth, Mariah Carey as Gotham's mayor, and Zach Galifianakis as The Joker. A number of other villains are set to appear in the film including high profile ones like Bane and Harley Quinn but mostly lower-tier villains such as The Eraser, King Tut, March Harriet, Orca, and Zodiac Master.

In the irreverent spirit of fun that made The LEGO Movie a worldwide phenomenon, the self-described leading man of that ensemble – LEGO Batman – stars in his own big-screen adventure: The LEGO Batman Movie. But there are big changes brewing in Gotham, and if he wants to save the city from The Joker's hostile takeover, Batman may have to drop the lone vigilante thing, try to work with others and maybe, just maybe, learn to lighten up.

Chris McKay is directing The LEGO Batman Movie from a script by Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter creator Seth Grahame-Smith. Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who directed The LEGO Movie, are producing the film along with Dan Lin.
The LEGO Batman Movie will open in theaters on February 10, 2017

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37288862

Leslie H Martinson, a prolific director of US television whose credits included the 1966 film version of Batman, has died in Los Angeles at the age of 101.

A statement on his website said he died on Saturday "at home with his family".

Born in Boston in 1915, he started out as a script supervisor before earning his spurs as a director on The Roy Rogers Show and others in the 1950s.

He went on to direct two episodes of the Batman TV series, starring Adam West, and its big-screen spin-off.

The show and film developed a cult following thanks to its knowing humour, outlandish villains and fight scenes illustrated by cartoonish exclamations.

Emblematic of its tone was the scene in the film in which Batman, unable to find a safe place to dispose of an explosive, mutters the legend: "Some days you just can't get rid of a bomb."

According to the IMDB website, Martinson's many other TV credits include episodes of CHiPs, Fantasy Island, Dallas and Wonder Woman.

He also directed such films as PT 109, inspired by the wartime exploits of John F Kennedy, and the 1967 Raquel Welch vehicle Fathom.

Martinson is survived by his wife, the TV host and writer Connie Martinson.

A post on the website of Brezniak Rodman Funeral Directors said he would be buried on Friday in Wakefield, Massachusetts.

Sad to hear of the passing of the guy who made the first non-serial Batman feature film.

RIP

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jul/30/danny-devito-on-todd-solondz-and-weiner-dog

A must for any Batman Returns fan, and I know there are many here.

Danny, as I'm sure you Batman Returns fans all agree, is a such a great guy!

http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/movies/eccentric/42530/12-expensive-and-eccentric-modern-hollywood-movies

Here's the excerpt on Batman Returns:

What? A Batman movie, widely considered to be among the franchise's best, eccentric? Well, yes. It is a Tim Burton movie, after all, and it's Batman Returns' eccentricity that makes it so great. Although Burton's Batman was a decent big-screen reintroduction for the hero, Batman Begins is the better-made film, and following the success of the first, Warner really let the director stretch out and experiment, with a vastly higher budget than the original's $30 million.

As a result, we have a Batman movie in which its villains, Catwoman (Michelle Pfieffer), the Penguin (Danny De Vito) and evil millionaire Max Shreck (Christopher Walken) are collectively given far more screen time than the Caped Crusader himself. Then we have the film's grotesque character designs (the Penguin has a habit of leaking something that looks like chewing tobacco from the corner of his mouth, which still gives us the creeps today) and general chaos, kinkiness and violence, which make for a decidedly unusual superhero movie – albeit a fantastic one.

Warner must have quietly sighed with relief when Burton left the franchise and Joel Schumacher stepped into the breach with a sunnier, campier vision with Batman Forever. And then Batman & Robin happened, and all of a sudden, a murkier Dark Knight didn't seem like such a bad idea after all...

Incidentally, it's a great list.  Some great films, besides Batman Returns, are mentioned, including The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Cloud Atlas and David Lynch's Dune.  I also have quite a soft spot for The Fifth Element.

Although I can honestly say, Battlefield Earth is one of the worst films I've ever seen.

And describes his vision for the sadly unrealised solo Catwoman movie.

http://www.money-into-light.com/2016/06/daniel-waters-on-batman-returns.html

I love this final statement: "The popular kids and the jocks love Christopher Nolan's Batman movies but the really downtrodden, quirky and imaginative kids growing up love BATMAN RETURNS."  So true.

I've just read the terrible news regarding Anton Yelchin (Chekov in the current franchise).  Apparently he died in a car accident at the mere age of 27.  Such a promising young actor who was really starting to hit his stride (he appeared as the lead in 'Green Room' earlier this year).

Of course, I haven't started this thread simply to discuss this awful story.  Hopefully, we can discuss the imminent summer release too.  But it is very sad.

RIP

http://www.comicbookmovie.com/batman_vs_superman/batman-v-superman-dawn-of-justice-star-jeremy-irons-says-movie-a142113

It's no secret that Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice was massacred by critics on release. But what does franchise Oscar-winning star Jeremy Irons had to say about it? When confronted by the fact that his movie got a ruthless kicking by critics, he said, "Deservedly so. I mean it took £800 million, so the kicking didn't matter but it was sort of overstuffed..." He went on to add, "It was very muddled. I think the next one will be simpler. The script is certainly a lot smaller, it's more linear," offering some hope that the next DCEU film could perhaps be a littler better. As for what's in it for him he frankly said, "I'm tied into The Batman at the minute [the next instalment, Justice League Part One, is due next year], which is nice because it's a bit of income... Not that I need a bit of income but it's nice to keep ticking over."

One might have imagined that after the triumphant DOFP, the X-Men series had finally found its groove.  Unfortunately, it appears that the word on the new film isn't too good.  It has received only 2/5 stars from Empire Magazine, and it is currently sitting at 43% 'rotten' on RT.