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The Return of ‘Batman Returns’

Much like it was on the tenth anniversary of The Dark Knight, it’s also the 25th anniversary of Batman Returns! Give or take a year that is. It’s a movie I’ve definitely seen enough to know by heart, but not one that I really have ever given great thought to, at least enough to analyze in-depth in an article or essay. It’s just kind of always been about Tim Burton’s gothic wankery, to my mind. But I found a really cool analysis on Reddit that made me look at it from another angle. I don’t think Tim gave it one iota of this level of thought, and mainly just made choices out of instinct or from the hip based on whatever felt right to him at the time; but nonetheless, check it out here, then come back for my thoughts! Continue reading “The Return of ‘Batman Returns’”

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The Dark Knight at 10 Years

The Dark Knight turns 10 years old this week, and it’s time to get out the old rose colored lenses. It really was a monumental film that came at the exact right time to help shape popular culture for the next decade, and it really did help redefine the comic genre. Don’t get me wrong, it definitely has its flaws- such as “No Moah Dead Cops!!”- but the film itself, and Heath Ledger’s iconic Joker in particular, may never be topped as both a watershed comic book movie and a cultural moment that encapsulated an entire era. Continue reading “The Dark Knight at 10 Years”

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Movie Review Roundup- Deadpool 2, Solo, Adrift, Hereditary

I had promised  a few weeks ago that I’d review Deadpool 2, and have not thus far for a pretty simple reason: the old adage, if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all. But I wanted to do some “quick hits” for recent releases I don’t have too much to say about, so here they be. In case you couldn’t guess, I have Moviepass. I’m not crazy, I wouldn’t pay to see all these! Continue reading “Movie Review Roundup- Deadpool 2, Solo, Adrift, Hereditary”

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New ‘Venom’ Trailer Breakdown

Sony has unleashed a new trailer for Venom, and there’s a few interesting things to look at. Here ’tis:

It looks as if they are indeed adapting the “Lethal Protector” series where Venom is the hero/protagonist, and it appears that Spider-Man will make nary an appearance, let alone the Tom Holland version in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This seems to be its own thing, like those odd standalone Fox Marvel movies from a decade ago. Is anyone else getting strong Ghost Rider vibes from this trailer? “I’m the only one who can walk on both worlds; I’m Venom/Blade/Ghost Rider/Constantine.” Here we seem to be getting investigative journalist Eddie Brock uncovering a conspiracy about the suit, manufactured in a lab rather than catapulted from space, and after he steals it wacky hi-jinks ensue, or something. There isn’t much to go on but that big tongue right out of the ’90’s comics at the end looked pretty nice at least! Continue reading “New ‘Venom’ Trailer Breakdown”

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Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman Returns

Before Man of Steel was a gleam in Zack Snyder’s eye and we had any idea how the DCEU would look, and certainly before we had any idea of who Kevin Spacey and Bryan Singer really were offscreen, Superman Returns was at best a divisive movie. To some it was a charming throwback to the Donner era; to others, a gluttonous mess of a vanity project for Singer with no respect for the comics. There are not too many genuinely divisive comic book films; by that I mean, when you think about it, how many movies in the genre have an opinion right down the middle? Certainly not something like Batman v Superman, where although it has many fans, the divide is something like 80/20 against. The closest one can recall might be the Ang Lee Hulk movie, where even though I can admire it for personal reasons, admit it was a noble failure. But that’s the key difference between something like that and Superman Returns, released in the summer of 2006 to much fanfare by critics but met with bewilderment from a nonplussed public. Continue reading “Why the World Doesn’t Need Superman Returns”