In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guests That Long Haired Creepy Guy and Comic Uno discuss about the 1992 Fox cartoon Batman: The Animated Series in honor of its 25th anniversary. They talk about their early memories, their favorite characters, their favorite episodes, and thoughts on the two animated movies as well as the controversial 2nd volume.
In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and Kevin discuss about the upcoming Beware the Batman on Cartoon Network. Also they discuss about Batman: The Animated Series in honor of its 20th anniversary, The New Adventures of Batman, Batman Beyond, The Batman, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
With the huge financial success of Pee-wee's Big Adventure and Beetlejuice, Tim Burton was able to get his next directional movie greenlit. A movie that would revolutionize a genre in a time in which they were presented in a colorful, campy way. This innovated, dark, and serious movie was the superhero classic Batman which debuted on June 23, 1989.
While not a comic book fan, Burton knew he wanted to do a dark telling of the cape crusader himself. Inspired by Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, Burton hired Sam Hamm, a screenwriter/comic book fan, and Warren Skaaren, the co-writer of Beetlejuice, to write down the script after reading the first draft written by Tom Mankiewicz and saying it was too campy. With a quick rewrite and the creator of the Batman comics himself Bob Kane as the creative consultant, Burton released his 3rd movie to a very skeptical audience. More on that later.
Patricia- With me today is the coolest, smoothest member of Manic Expression. The man behind the blog channel "Mr. Smooth's Smoothatorium", Mr. Smooth. Thank you so much for joining me.
Mr. Smooth- Thank you for having me.
Patricia- Did you get introduced to Batman through the movie? If so, what was your impression on it?
Mr. Smooth- I was actually introduced to Batman through watching the animated series when I was a younger lad, although that show did clearly drew a lot of inspiration from the Tim Burton films, both in terms of the atmosphere and the character interpretation. In fact, the first Batman film I saw in the cinema was Batman & Robin, but the less I talk about that the better. I didn’t seethe film until I was much older, mainly because this film isn’t particularly child-friendly (then again, I saw Batman Returns before this film, so I think my parents may have their moral values all wrong) but this is still a great film with a lot of rewatch value.
Patricia- A great way to be introduced to the Dark Knight. I was also introduced to Batman with the animated series as well. It was one of my favorite shows to watch as a kid and my first movie that I saw in theaters was Batman Forever. I thought it was a slight downward approach to the Batman that I already knew about, but I didn't know about the 60's Batman TV series at the time. But I'll discuss about Batman Forever another time. So does this movie still keep us a dark, unique atmosphere or does its age keep the bat a bit rusty? This is Batman.
Our story begins with Bruce Wayne's (played by Michael Keaton) backstory. As a child, his parents were murdered by a criminal and he spends the rest of his life trying to avenge their death by fighting crime as the cape crusader Batman. The only person who knows of Batman's identity is Bruce's own butler Alfred Pennyworth (played by Michael Gough). Years later, Bruce Wayne runs Wayne Enterprises, a huge company at Gotham City, and becomes a millionaire. While he runs the company during the day, he's a very mysterious, intelligent, smooth talking gentleman. Nothing about him seems suspicious among his co-workers. While Batman tries to keep Gotham City safe, the Gotham City commissioner James Gordon (played by Pat Hingle) and district attorney Harvey Dent (played by Billy Dee Williams) do so as well. However, the entire city is still corrupted due to the works of Carl Grissom (played by Jack Palance). All of these actors do a good job portraying these characters, but I think that Michael Keaton does a great job portraying as Batman. What do you think, Mr. Smooth?
Mr. Smooth- What’s strange about this film is that Batman is something of a secondary character in this film, especially in the first half of the film,where he appears maybe twice in costume and only a few more times as Bruce Wayne, where he doesn’t really contribute much to the plot over than romancing Vicki Vale and kind of being there when The Joker kills that guy with a giant quill. But that’s not to say Michael Keaton is a bad Batman. He is probably the first actor to have different portrayals of Bruce Wayne and Batman. If you were a passing bystander, you probably couldn’t tell that Bruce Wayne is Batman, which is what I think Tim Burton is going for. And given that Michael Keaton was before this time mainly known as a comic actor (granted, I haven’t seen Mr. Mom or Beetlejuice, but I did enjoy his appearance on Frasier), this does speak a lot for his skill as an actor. Batman is probably more intimidating in this film than he is in any other films, given that he is so rarely seen and that when he does appear, it’s usually to dispense fistfuls of justice. Even the way he slowly walks towards criminals is kind of scary, which calls back to the whole point of dressing as a giant bat was to intimidate criminals.
Patricia- Agreed. When people found out that Michael Keaton was going to be Batman, there were a lot of petitions of not wanting him to be the character. People such as Mel Gibson, Kevin Costner, Tom Selleck, and Charlie Sheen were considered to be Batman, but Burton wanted to go an entirely different direction. He had worked with Keaton in Beetlejuice, so he knew he was perfect for Batman/Bruce Wayne. There's just a mysterious and badass quality that Keaton does to Batman at a time in which it was played for laughs like Adam West's portrayal of Bruce Wayne/Batman. It was a breath of fresh air to see this brilliant performance and I still regard Keaton's portrayal as one of my favorite Batmans.
Mr. Smooth- Alfred doesn’t really do much in this film, and neither does Commissioner Gordon, which is a shame given that they are two very important characters in the Batman mythos, but at least Gordon was slightly more useful than he was in the later films. This is one of the few aspects about the Nolan Batman films that I prefer to the Burton films,but I’ll get to that later. I did like the minor characters of Grissom, seeing as he was played by Jack Palance and gave us the“Number 1 guy” line, and Bob, because he is Bob.
Patricia- Ah yes, Bob. Who can forget about Bob?
Meanwhile, a young woman named Vicki Vale (played by Kim Basinger) and reporter Alexander Knox (played by Robert Wohl) are investigating the mysterious vigilante behind the bat costume fighting crime. While attending a party at Wayne Manor, Vicki meets up with Bruce and they begin to get to know each other more. Throughout the rest of the movie, Bruce and Vicki begin to have a relationship with each other.
Mr. Smooth- Vicki Vale isn’t a particularly memorable character, as she is basically in this film just so that Bruce Wayne has a love interest. It doesn’t help that her whole “I want to photograph Batman”subplot isn’t very interesting to be perfectly honest.
Patricia- Yeah, I didn't think it was interesting either. I also found Vicki to be a bit flat as well. But that would eventually be changed throughout the other Batman movies.
But the next character introduction will be better. Meanwhile at the Axis Chemicals factory, Jack Napier (played by Jack Nicholson), Grissom's second in command, is on a mission to raid the place. However, he finds that the police are there to arrest him. He later finds out that Grissom had set him up when he began having an affair with Grissom's mistress. When Napier tries to escape, Batman fights off against Napier's henchmen. It's a really well done fight! No "pow", "bam", and "whack" effects included.
Finally, Batman accidentally shoots one of his ricochet bullets which causes Napier to fall into a vat of acid turning him into The Joker.
Mr. Smooth- Let’s be honest, most of the second half is stolen completely by Jack Nicholson’s performance as The Joker. Nicholson seems to be having the time of his life in this film, and it is pure enjoyment to see someone having so much fun in a role. There’s no wonder that this is probably the most memorable aspect of the film. His portrayal actually starts off as quite dark and sinister but then he gets dropped into that vat of chemicals and becomes a pure scenery-chewing, hammy machine. So many quotable lines, so much wonderment. So yeah, he is probably the best character in this film.
Patricia- Agreed. It's so hard to choose between Nicholoson's Joker or Heath Ledger's Joker. Both of them are so memorable in different ways and both steal the movies they're portrayed in. While I haven't decided on who's the better one yet, I have to say that Nicholoson's Joker was a combination of the comics and TV show Joker while having something original and unique as well. Whether you like Nicholoson's Joker or not, you have to admit that he is quite a crazy nut that you cannot soon forget once you see him.
As the movie progresses, The Joker kills Grissom for revenge and ends up taking over Gotham City. He begins to create hygiene products that causes people to laugh nonstop. The Joker then decides to throw a parade while giving them loads of money to earn their trust. But what they don't know is he's intending on releasing a toxic gas killing the citizens. As Batman tracks down The Joker, he foils his plan and they begin to have an all-out battle. Batman then learns that The Joker was the man who killed his parents. Batman fights him off, but has to be careful since The Joker kidnapped Vicki and is holding her hostage. But with quick and decisive thinking, Batman saves Vicki and kills The Joker by falling to his death.
The movie concludes with Commissioner Gordon unveiling the Bat-Signal and finding a note from the Dark Knight saying that he will continue to protect Gotham City.
Overall, I have to say that this movie was absolutely great! The style, soundtrack, performance, the look of Gotham City, and story were portrayed as campy, dark, serious, goofy, funny, and epic. Tim Burton's style mixed with the world of Batman was a great combination that paved the way to what a superhero movie could be. Also it influenced one of the greatest animated series of all time: Batman: The Animated Series. That cartoon paved the way for other dark, serious well written shows like X:Men: The Animated Series and Gargoyles. What do you think, Mr. Smooth?
Mr. Smooth- If I was going to compare the look of Gotham City in this film, I would probably compare it to the look of Chicago from The Untouchables (another favourite film of mine), which is kind of weird that this film has something of a 1930’s urban metropolis feel given that it is set in the 80’s. But I do like the look of Gotham, although it isn’t that memorable, as I say, it is not too dissimilar from the cities in Blade Runner, and as said earlier, The Untouchables.
I do love the Elfman score, definitely one of my favorite soundtracks in any film. However, I’m not really a big fan of Prince, so I’m not a big fan of the incidental music, which makes it a bit jarring when this grandiose orchestral score turns into some kind of R & B influenced pop music. But Elfman’s music is great and it’s no wonder that it continued to be used throughout the rest of the Batman film series, as well as the animated series.
Patricia- I have to agree. I love Danny Elfman's soundtrack, but I wasn't too crazy about Prince's "The Future" either.
So, what was your favorite scene in the movie?
Mr. Smooth- My favorite scene in the film is the art gallery scene. Just watch it, it’s absolutely brilliant, mainly for the sheercomedy of it all, and it shows the best aspects of Jack Nicholson’s Joker performance, both being hilarious and also quite sinister. God, I love every scene with Jack Nicholson in this film.
Speaking of least favorite scenes, I refer back to the scene where it is revealed that The Joker killed BruceWayne’s parents, although I do like the line “Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight”.
Patricia- Was the story well put together?
Mr. Smooth- You know, I’m not really sure was The Joker’s plan was in this film. To kill lots of people? Because he’s crazy? Yeah, I kind of prefer it when my villains have better plans than that. Although I do like the fact that this isn’t a bland sort of superhero origin story. Instead, here we have Batman already being an established hero, fighting crime more at street level, with the Joker becoming his first real super villain threat, which is a bit more interesting.
Patricia- Yes, I agree. While some people have their complaints that they should have established more of Bruce Wayne's backstory, I felt like I already knew Batman quite well when watching this movie. According to Sam Hamm, he preferred that Batman's backstory was better shown in flashbacks than taking up to 30 to 45 minutes explaining his origins. "You totally destroy your credibility if you show the literal process by which Bruce Wayne becomes Batman", he claimed.
Besides, we already have an entire movie dedicated to that, thank you.
Speaking of which, do you prefer the Burton Batman movies or the Nolan Batman movies?
Mr. Smooth- To be honest, I think that the Burton films are a lot better than the Nolan films. Not to say that I dislike the Nolan ones, but I just prefer the Burton ones. People always wax lyrical over the fact that the Nolan films are so dark and what not, but the Burton films were doing that way before they came out. Yes, Heath Ledger was a good Joker, but Jack Nicholson was better! He did the whole, scary but funny thing way before then but for some people, that just got forgotten when The Dark Knight came out, even though I like Nicholson better. Maybe people thought he was a bit too cartoony, but didn’t that make it scarier when he joy-buzzed someone to death? But as I say, the Nolan films did do the secondary characters a lot better, by giving them a more active role in the plot, which is good given that Commissioner Gordon and Alfred are very interesting characters, who sadly aren’t utilized that well in this film. Also, I know that I bashed this film's plot, but at least it was coherent enough. Take that, Dark Knight Rises.
Patricia- As for me, I feel the same way. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love Nolan's Batman movies as well. I just felt that it was more of a crime thriller with Batman thrown on it than a real Batman movie. While there were things that they included that were just as good or even superior to Burton's Batman movies, at least they were a good mix of action and fun. Do you recommend the Burton Batman to the viewers?
Mr. Smooth- Of course. This film is dark, atmospheric with memorable characters and on a whole is a pretty great film and probably the best iteration of Batman on the big screen (except for Mask of the Phantasm) and that is in no small part due to the great direction of Tim Burton, who was clearly on his way to being a great director, as well as two great leading actors in Michael Keaton and that other guy, his name escapes me.
Patricia- I don't remember. Hmm, it's on the tip of my tongue. Give me a second.
Anyway, for those who think that Christopher Nolan "invented" the dark Batman, he didn't. Bob Kane created the comics, Frank Miller and Alan Moore resurrected his dark origins in the 80's, and Tim Burton directed the movie that paved the way for dark, edgy superhero movies and the correct way to portray Batman. I highly recommend that you check it out. Mr. Smooth, thank you so much for joining me.
Mr. Smooth- Sure thing. It was fun.
That's all for now. Tune in next time as we see the debut of one of Tim Burton's collaborative actors in Edward Scissorhands.
Hope to see you around Old School Lane soon. Thanks for reading.
Hey everyone, welcome to another installment of First Impressions. Today, Kevin will be discussing a reboot based off a comic book superhero. I will be having my 2 First Impressions done either by today or tomorrow. Until then, sit back, relax, and enjoy.
Hey guys, Kevin here. Today, I’m going to start you off with a quote:
“But pain is the beginning of perfection”.
-Professor Pyg: Batman and Robin: Issue #1 (Summer 2009)
CGI animated shows are becoming a hot commodity now. With Nickelodeon coming up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles reboot, Cartoon Network’s upcoming Green Lantern The Animated Series, the upcoming CGI Ben 10 movie, and Hub’s continuing Transformers Prime series, I wouldn’t be surprised if eventually traditional hand drawn animation would be obsolete for good. However I am intrigued to see how cartoons would fan CGI form. That brings up the topic regarding about the new Batman cartoon titled Beware the Batman.
Like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon, I was very skeptical about this incarnation. We have several Batman cartoons, what makes this one so different? The chairman from Warner Bros. studios said, “I can’t live in a world without Batman movies”. He had mentioned that after they premiere The Dark Knight Rises in theaters, there will be a new animated Batman reboot released in Cartoon Network. I agree to what he said and I can’t see myself living in a world without Batman cartoons. Beware of the Batman is the new CGI series part of Cartoon Network’s block. It will bring Batman back to his dark roots and will introduce new villains that haven’t been introduced in the Batman world. Batman will have a new sidekick, Kitana, a samurai warrior who will help Batman fight crime, similar to Robin. They will also change the appearance of Alfred, who will be a machine gun weilding sidekick. While we’re contend to seeing familiar villains like the Joker, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, Penguin, and Mr. Freeze, the series will start fresh with a new main villain in the show.
Enter Professor Pyg, a villian who looks like Leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre series. He was created by Grant Morrison, a comic book writer who had written many comics, including the first 16 issues ofBatman and Robin that was released around Summer 2009. He’s known for being a perfectionist by injecting a drug that gets people to be modified with special masks fused into their faces turning them into genderless beings called Dollotrons.
I have no idea how Beware the Batman is going to pull off Professor Pyg. He’s one of the most insane and sadistic Batman villains that I’ve seen in a while. Especially this scene which is an homage to the apostle Peter’s crucifixion in which he felt unworthy to die the same way Jesus Christ did. That is beyond creepy.
Overall, I have high hopes for the series and believe it will be very good when it comes out. That’s all for now. Hope to see you around the Old School Lane soon. See ya!
Originally posted at oldschoollane.tumblr.com at December 31, 2011.
It's New Year's Eve! The last day that 2011 will grace our normal routines before fading into obscurity in our history books 50 years from now. In my last post about my top 5 video game comebacks of 2011, it made me think of the celebrities that had made such great comebacks. While I could write down about Jennifer Lopez, Britney Spears, or Robert Downey, Jr., that would be too obvious and boring. Here at Old School Lane, we try our best to stray from the predictable. You could probable look them up at Time Magazine or some celebrity website that could tell it in better detail than I could actually care to do. So I'm going to talk about my favorite moments of this year from my favorite bow-tie wearing man-child, Pee-wee Herman.
While it may be true that he hadn't rocked Entertainment Weekly or Access Hollywood compared to the other celebrities, that doesn't mean he was a slouch. On the contrary, he accomplished a lot since his comeback close to three years ago and his fans couldn't be more happy for it. Here are some of my favorite moments.
1. Pee-wee's SNL digital skit
On January 15, Gwyneth Paltrow hosted Saturday Night Live and Cee-Lo Green was the singer. While the episode had its high and low points, the highest one for me was Andy Samberg meeting Pee-wee at the bar and taking copious amounts of shots. Afterwards, they rode a mechanical bull, danced the Tequila dance, bashed news correspondent Anderson Cooper with a wooden chair, and had a short intervention which ended with more shots. It was so great seeing Pee-wee at SNL again since he hasn't been in it in over 25 years. Here's to hoping Pee-wee will host an episode in 2012. Hey, if they got Betty White to host, why not Pee-wee?
The funny thing about all of this is that Pee-wee had an interview with Anderson Cooper the following day at CNN. Anderson is quite the trooper.
2. The 2011 Creative Arts Emmys
After The Pee-wee Herman Show finished its Broadway run, the Tony Awards was right around the corner. Unfortunately, they had no nominations. That really got me angry when I first heard that. However, that changed when I heard a few months later when I heard that the show was nominated for three Emmys. That is quite an accomplishment after being out for a short time. Here's his response to it at the Red Carpet.
Although they didn't win any Emmys that night, don't despair. If the Emmys wasn't going to recognize his creative genius, then someone else will. We'll bring that up a little later.
3. The final episode of Batman: The Brave and the Bold.
Although not as dark and epic as Batman: The Animated Series, for what it is, it's pretty good. There were a lot of cool characters voiced by talented people such as Neil Patrick Harris and Adam West, but none was cooler than Paul Reubens voicing Bat-Mite.
This 5th dimension Batman obsessed creature known for breaking the fourth wall has appeared in four episodes, but his magmum opus was the final episode, Mitefall. Most final episodes for a superhero cartoon end with the superhero fighting the main villain in the efforts to save the universe. But not this one, it's all about Bat-Mite getting the Brave and the Bold cancelled and replacing it with a darker Batman cartoon. He is the highlight of the whole episode.
4. 2011 San Diego Comic Con
2011 was a great year at Comic Con. Mike Judge was promoting the comeback of Beavis and Butt-Head, Mike DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko was revealing new information about The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra, and Pee-wee Herman made a guest appearance at Comic Con. He presented three different video interviews discussing about his comeback, the new movie produced by Judd Apatow, and many more. Here's my favorite interview. Enjoy.
The worst part about this was that I was in California for the summer and I couldn't go due to financial issues. Oh well, maybe next year.
5. Pee-wee's influences with the NFL
You might be wondering what I'm talking about. Here me out about this and get comfortable because it's a doozy. After Pee-wee's appearance at Comic Con, he went straight to San Antonio, TX to be a guest judge at Bravo TV's Top Chef: Texas. (Unfortunately, that episode won't appear this year, so that moment will not count). Along the way, he visited the Dallas Cowboys in the middle of their training day.
Meanwhile, in November, Miami Dolphins player Jared Odrick did the Tequila dance after sacking the Denver Broncos quarterback.
One month later, Pittsburgh Steelers player Ziggy Hood did the same thing after he sacked the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback.
Man, who would have thought that the Tequila dance would still be cool after all those years.
6. Pee-Wee's Playhouse turns 25
Last year, the movie which is now considered a cult classic, Pee-wee's Big Adventure turned 25. This year, the TV show which TV Guide called one of the best cult classics of all time celebrated its silver anniversary.
45 episodes of crazy, yet memorable characters, stop motion animation, puppets, cartoons from the 30's and 40's, and much more is what's awaiting you as you see this awesome kids show from the 80's. From the wacky 2 minute intro sung by Cyndi Lauper to Pee-wee riding his scooter, this show is an undeniable classic that really influenced a lot in entertainment and pop culture history. I don't know what TV would be like today if Pee-wee's Playhouse never graced our viewing eyes. What better way to be more appreciative of this awesome show than this next moment.
7. Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse: The Untold, Unauthorized, and Unpredictable Story of a Pop Phenomenon by Caseen Gaines.
In November 1, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Pee-wee's Playhouse, a writer named Caseen Gaines interviewed over 100 people who were involved with the show and put together this book of their unbelievable stories. This book chronicles all the way to the career of Paul Reubens in his early years with the Groundlings to the final Broadway show in 2011. It has over 250 pictures, an episode guide, a chapter dedicated to the Christmas Special, and so much more. This is a book you should definately check out if you're a huge Pee-wee fan. Kevin and I have ours and we love every minute of it.
8. The Simpsons: Episode 494: The Ten-Percent Solution
In this episode written by Dan Castellanella and his wife Deb Lacusta, Krusty's show gets cancelled...again, but this time Bart and Lisa don't help him get back on TV. Instead, an agent named Annie Dubinsky, played by Joan Rivers, helps Krusty with his comeback by making his kids show for adults. Gee, does that sound familiar? If not, I'll give you a hint.
That's right, Krusty's comeback is just like Pee-wee's comeback, all the way down to the stage show and the reactions from the audience feeling like kids again. Besides that, it's a okay episode, check it out.
Another thing to bring up is Joan Rivers is great in this episode. It seems that there's a kind of special connection between her and Pee-wee Herman. First, she was in his Christmas Special. Next, Pee-wee was the first guest on her short lived late night talk show. After that, Joan went to see his show on Broadway. Finally, Paul Reubens jokingly said that Joan would play Pee-wee in his biopic which was mentioned in an interview at Comedy Death Ray.
9. The 2011 Spike TV Scream Awards.
In October 15th, Spike TV awarded many movies and actors left and right. Darth Vader won for Best Villain alongside George Lucas. Robert Downey, Jr. won the Hero Award while many people had posters that had the same look and color as President Obama's election poster, and Paul Reubens won the Visionary Award for his creative mind and a vision to create one of the most iconic characters of all time. How did he present himself on stage? Like this!
That's right. The same bike from Big Adventure. The Scream Awards was great overall, but they really saved the best for last for everyone's favorite visionary.
Paul may have not gotten an Emmy this year, but that doesn't matter anymore. Now people finally recognize him as the visionary genius that he is.
10. Pee-wee's guest appearance at Jimmy Kimmel Live
While Pee-wee had a few guest appearances this year, the Halloween episode with Jimmy Kimmel is my favorite. Pee-wee comes with his Halloween costume dressing up like Dracula due to the popularity of vampires, while Jimmy is dressed like Donkey Kong.
First of all, that is awesome. Finally, a real looking traditional vampire that doesn't gleam in the sun and has the personality of styrofoam. But the best part is when Pee-wee prepares his Trick or Treat soup and shrinks Jimmy to a small size and takes over his show for a brief moment. That was beyond awesome!
That concludes my list of my favorite Pee-wee Herman moments in 2011. Hope that we see a lot of other awesome moments in 2012. Hopefully, some more news about the new movie, if the rumor of him being in next season's Dancing with the Stars is true, the upcoming episode of Top Chef: Texas, and who knows what. Thanks a lot for reading this. See you in 2012.
-Patricia
P.S. Pee-wee, if you're reading this, I want you to know this. We, here at Old School Lane, want to say that we love you and support you. We hope you have a great new year.
Update: A few days after posting my list, I received a thank you post from both Caseen Gaines, the author of Inside Pee-wee's Playhouse and Pee-wee Herman himself on my Facebook account. I was beyond thankful and happy for those posts. Thanks again, guys.
Caseen Gaines: "Awesome list! I'm so honored to be included! Have a great 2012!"
