Movie Vault Review: Total Recall [1990]

Background:

Year Of Release: 1990
Directed By: Paul Verhoeven
Written By: Dan O'Bannon, Ronald Shusett, Gary Goldman, John Povill
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rachel Ticotin, Sharon Stone, Ronny Cox, Michael Ironside, Mel Johnson Jr., Marshall Bell.
Duration: 113 minutes

In A Nutshell:

Set in the future, constuction worker Douglas Quaid (played by Arnold Schwarzenegger) has constant dreams/nightmares of being on the planet Mars. His wife, Lori (played by Sharon Stone) isn't too fond of his plans for vacation on the planet. Douglas in turn goes to Rekall, a company that provides virtual vacation memories implanted into customers. Things go awry and he is forced to go to the planet for real. Or is he?

Thumbs Up:

+ Fairly interesting Sci-Fi story with a few twists thrown in
+ Fun 80s old-school style action sequences (see also thumbs down)
+ Special effects that were ground-breakingly amazing during its era while favourably refreshing when viewed today
+ Plenty of moments to make you go "WOW"
+ Wisecracking and witty dialogues/quotes

Thumbs Down:

- The action sequences require a great degree of suspending belief

The Verdict Is In:

There are plenty articles out there nowadays discussing the extinction of the blockbuster actor. No longer is a movie guaranteed to generate hundreds of millions at the box-office just by having an actor's name attached to it. Blockbuster directors still exists but actors are becoming rare breeds. The era which these marquee names were prominent was actually my favourite movie era, the 80s and early 90s (it was my childhood, I'm nostalgic like that... or perhaps I'm still a kid trapped in a man's body, my action figure collection might point to that). The biggest of them all arguably was former Mr. Universe, California Govenor, and number one on my list of 7 Favourite Athletes Turned Actors, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

After Terminator 2: Judgement Day [1991] and Predator [1987], this is my favourite film from the Governator. The Sci-Fi plot here is rather interesting with a few twists and moments that make you go "whoa!" (the two photos above as an example, also notable is a three-boob woman). The special effects back then was considered revolutionary, I remember how the X-ray scene in the photo below put people in awe. In fact the effects in the movie were nominated for an Oscar. Even by today's standards, I consider it to be refreshing with it's emphasis on old-school style puppetry and make-up instead of computer-generated images. We barely get to see characters or creatures made using that technique today. Guillermo del Toro being the only exception (would have been interesting if he had stayed on to direct The Hobbit [2012] ). I wonder what the new remake starring Colin Farrel next week will be like?

Of course like most of Arnie's and action films from that period, it requires a high level of suspending belief when viewed in the present day. Often times you would go "oh, come on!" or "stupid bad guy!".  But these type of action were quite fun. I don't want to use the cliché term, "leaving your brain at door", because I don't believe in the concept and the story in this movie does have a level of complexity to it. But if you can get past the illogical aspects of the action then this is a very enjoyable flick indeed.
Selected Quote:
"If I'm not me, then who the hell am I?"

Rating:

7.5 out of 10

Thoughts: Man Of Steel [2013]

So the teaser trailer for the new Superman movie, Man Of Steel [2013] was released last week. Okay, to start things off, my thoughts about the clip (featured below) = Awesome! My colleagues at work said they didn't like it because there wasn't much happening and very little footage of Superman, and that's where we differ in opinion. I actually love the feeling of gravitas it provides which hopefully will translate into the actual movie. Since it is still in production stage, the trailer used the marvelous score from  LOTR: The Fellowship Of The Ring [2001] by composer Howard Shore (specific scene: Bridge Of Khazad Dum). If only at the end of the clip where the logo appears, they had put the iconic Superman score from John Williams, then that would have been perfect! Even a modified version would do, like what they did for the various Mission: Impossible films.

As for my feelings on the actual film itself, here they are:

# It has been well established before throughout this blog that I hold Christopher Nolan in highest regard. So having him as the producer as well as co-writer has got my psyched. However it does make me wonder why he didn't choose to direct this himself.

# I wasn't excited however when I heard that Zack Snyder was chosen as the director. He has been hit and miss for me. Let's do a rundown of all five of his films so far. Dawn Of The Dead [2004] = Great! Loved it. 300 [2006] = Overall, enjoyed it. Legends Of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole [2010] = haven't seen it yet. Watchmen [2009] = bored to tears. Sucker Punch [2011] = Absolutely horrible. Worst movie I've seen last year.

# Other than me being more of a Marvel fan than DC (just a matter of preference), I also think the character of Superman is a hard sell, especially to non comic-book/superhero fans. I mean I did like the Christopher Reeve films but generally this is about an individual whom is difficult for the audience to have an emotional connection with. Sure, they created Kryptonite as a weakness, but the guy is basically invincible, and that is hard to relate. Like Max Landis explained in the short-film/documentary The Death And Return Of Superman [2011], there are plenty of Superheroes with more pathos and complexity. He is extremely strong, but that just results in boring fight choreography.

# The teaser trailer has given me hope however. As I mentioned above, I love the grounded tone of the clip and I know some are gonna hate that I'm saying this, but Nolan's presence can be felt throughout. Maybe this film will be to Superman what Batman Begins [2005] was to Batman. A more vulnerable and realistic character. The new costume has already gotten rid of the red underwear on the outside, and Clarke Kent is without glasses. Like The Dark Knight [2008], this also doesn't have Superman in its title. I can just sense that Man Of Steel [2013] will be more a story of Clark Kent than his alter-ego. Just like Iron-Man [2008] was more a story of Tony Stark. Well that's what I hope and prefer anyway.

With all that written, its easy to forget that we still have a long time to go before it's release. Man Of Steel is set to open in theatres (USA) on 14 June 2013.

Review: The Dark Knight Rises [2012]

Background:

Release Date: 19 July 2012 (Malaysia), 20 July 2012 (USA)

Directed By: Christopher Nolan

Written By: Jonathan Nolan, Christopher Nolan, David S. Goyer

Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anne Hathaway, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Matthew Modine, Juno Temple

Duration: 164 minutes

In A Nutshell:

Eight years after the death of Harvey Dent, Batman who has been blamed for that very event has disappeared while Bruce Wayne (played by Christian Bale) has gone into reclusive. Gotham City seems to be at peace by declining crime rates as a result of the anti-crime Dent Act. Things start to change with arrival of a cunning burglar, Selina Kyle (played by Anne Hathaway). Wayne Enterprise starts to face problems which leads to Lucius Fox (played by Morgon Freeman) to seek the help of philanthropist Miranda Tate (played by Marion Cotillard). The emergence of a terrorist group lead by a masked maniac, Bane (played by Tom Hardy) has Police Commisioner, Jim Gordon (played by Gary Oldman) and Officer John Blake (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wishing for Batman's return.

Thumbs Up:
+ Engaging story that fittingly concludes the Batman legend
+ Thrilling action sequences which are taken to epic proportions with IMAX
+ Filled with great performances all-around
+ Wonderfully developed supporting characters
+ Haunting score by Hans Zimmer which amplifies the feel of every scene
+ Shocks and twists to the story
+ Ending that will wet the appetite of fan-boys
Thumbs Down:
- Hate to compare it (although inevitable) to its predesessor, The Dark Knight [2008], but its missing a maverick character like The Joker
- The dialogue isn't as impactful
- I miss the awesomeness of the Bat-Tumbler (emphasis on the word Bat)

The Verdict Is In:
So it is finally here. The epic conclusion to the Batman legend. There will be no in-depth analysis in this review, especially since it is still early days. That is better saved for another day, and not just by dissecting this movie alone, but the trilogy as a whole. Because that is exactly what this is: the final chapter of a story and Christopher Nolan brings things full-circle. The events in Batman Begins [2005] and The Dark Knight [2008] are put in a better light here. That isn't saying though that people need to see those previous two films to enjoy this. This is a very solid feature by itself. Once again this an very engaging story which has a lot of it rooted in realism. The threat of terrorism and economic meltdown isn't out of place in the world today.

Just as Iron Man [2008] was more the story Tony Stark than his alter-ego, The Dark Knight Rises is more the story of Bruce Wayne. Here the billionaire faces issues of destiny, moving-on and fear while Christian Bale provides an impeccable performance of man rotting from with-in. The other characters are also well-developed and backed by solid performances. John Blake and Miranda Tate play more important roles than initially expected while fears of Anne Hathaway playing Selina Kyle (never officially referred to as Catwoman in the film) to crash and burn are way of the mark. Tom Hardy as Bane is a truly imposing villain and possible the biggest threat Batman has ever had to encounter. However I can't shake off the feeling that the film needed a character as magnetic as Heath Ledger's Joker though. Just goes to show how good he was.

At the end of it all, we will get to see why both Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale have stated they will be leaving the franchise. But comic book fans will still be hungry for more by the ending. Although Nolan has closed the chapter for his tale, he has created the possibility for a future director to continue Gotham's story. We haven't heard the last of the city.
Rating:
8.5 out of 10

Its Almost Here....

Waiting Anxiously....

Just...

TWO.....

More Days......

Thoughts: Crazy Day, Crazy Week Ahead, & Links

Due to a few factors, I won't be blogging for the next week so I'm making this a long post. I'll still be reading other peoples blogs though.
Action Movie In Real Life:

The most awesome thing happened at work earlier today!! First of all, I admit that my job and work place is actually pretty boring, so a dog chasing a cat can qualify as exciting, but this was just pure and utter adrenalin rush. A man and woman ran amuck while carrying samurai swords at the driving area of my office complex and long story short, the man was shot by the police in the arm while the woman in the thigh after they went charging into the police with their swords.
I was having lunch in the cafeteria at the time and got to see these events unfold infront of my very own eyes. The photo above isn't mine and no, I didn't take any photos or video because my phone isn't the thing I want my hands to be holding on to if "Bonnie & Clyde" were to come my way (the cafeteria chair was a better choice). But I saw a few people who did record it but as of writing, there is still nothing on Youtube. Come on you guys! Here's a report link from a local newspaper. The only let-down of the story is the police who was shooting didn't do it while jumping in the air side-ways as the crazy man tries to slice the bullet with his sword. At least that would be the Hollywood version running in my head. I'm high on adrenaline now, so the rest of this post will pretty much reflect my current state.
*update: here's the first clip to emerge online. Don't know how long this video will be available. Terrible visuals, don't get to see much but you can hear the gun shots. Funny how calm viewing it in the clip seems, watching it live was like freaking The Avengers movie.
Superheroes:
# I saw The Amazing Spider-Man [2012] last week and surprisingly didn't like it. I haven't reached that landmark first year yet in the blogging world (getting close though... next month marks the date), so comparatively I feel like a rookie. But as was the case with this movie, I always feel bad after writing a negative review. It makes me feel grumpy. An impression is created in my head that I'm being more of a movie critic than a movie reviewer. Beware, The Dark Side Of The Force lurks close. As Master Yoda might say: "Give in towards your anger, you must not"
# I almost had a major heart attack last week when I found out that The God Of Film himself, Christopher Nolan, tweeted a link to my post The History Of Batman On Screen. Unfortunately I discovered it wasn't really him but a fan-made Twitter account instead. Chris Nolan doesn't have an official Twitter account... I think. I still need to say thanks to @CutChrsitopher for the tweet, but for a brief few minutes there I experienced a super-charged orgasm. The only equivalent scenario that I can think of is having a threesome with both Charlize Theron and Megan Fox after we all escape a near-death encounter. Evading a mad duo with samurai swords perhaps?
 # The guys at Bat In The Sun have released the latest video in their Super Power Beat Down series with this edition featuring Batman Vs. Wolverine (see below). If you're unfamiliar with the series, this isn't the typical amateur fan-made video you would find on Youtube. Instead this has an actual production team with actual actors behind it. I've already posted the previous showdown between Gandalf & Darth Vader in case you missed it.



# Speaking of amateur fan-made videos, check out this funny parody of the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises  (On A Budget):


# Marvel Studios has confirmed a Guardians Of The Galaxy movie and its scheduled to be released before the upcoming Avengers sequel. Edgar Wright has also begun work on an Ant-Man movie. Awesomeness all around it seems!!

Indie & Art Films:

# In anticipation towards The Dark Knight Rises [2012] opening next week, I am experimenting with a new preparation regime. Step One: avoid all the new trailers & materials recently made available. Step Two is inspired by an interview of Quentin Tarantino. He was asked about his duty as a jury at film festivals and if he ever got tired of watching all these "artsy-films". He then recalled back to his experience during the 2009 Cannes Film Festival where for three weeks he was seeing a bucket-load of "challenging" art films. It was in a lot of ways nirvana to him. But then he went to see Star Trek [2009] which had just opened and went "WHOAA!!! It's great to have fun again at the movies!!". I'm aiming to achieve that exact same effect by watching a lot of small indie films before I get bombarded by the grandiose stimulation that The Dark Knight Rises is expected to generate. The idea is that the nuance in tone these films provide will help facilitate the mind-blowing experience that I seek next week.
# In following with that master plan, I saw two indie films this past weekend. The first one was Jeff, Who Lives At Home [2012]. It stars Marshall Eriksen Jason Segel, Ed Helms, Susan Sarandon, and Judy Greer. Despite the exaggerated ending and constant zooming camera, it was a lovely film and really enjoyable.
# The second movie I saw was Sidewalls (Medianeras) [2011], which is an Argentinian film directed by Gustavo Taretto and starring Javier Drolas and Pilar Lopez de Ayala. This was a quiet and really charming film which tells the story of two people living in the busy city of Buenos Aires.
# I'm annoyed that there's still no theatrical release date for Moonrise Kingdom [2012] and Safety Not Guaranteed [2012] where I live. I badly want to see these two films.

Suits (TV Show)

# My current addiction is the TV show, Suits. It's just freaking darn brilliant. I thought the first season was good, but man.... the second season currently running is even better. It has made law practice seem so cool.

# As a movie geek, I just have to be excited by the multiple film-references they throw into their banter every week. From Casablanca to Terminator to Highlander. Also, while it may not be a comedy, the show is pretty funny I must say.

Ridiculous Video Of The Week:
# I've commented before on how those exaggerated Chuck Norris jokes on the internet are more suitable for over-the-top Indian actor, Rajinikanth. Take a look at this Japanese trailer for his latest movie. Without doubt Rajinikanth can beat Chuck Norris with just a twirl of his moustache!



Links:
# Awesome article here from Awards Daily that analyses all of Christopher Nolan's films while arguing against the notion that they are merely "elite popcorn"
# Sati has made an Appreciation Post for Eva Green, an actress I might have overlooked for all these years
# Andina reviews the lovely Jeff, Who Lives At Home
# Lesya reviews Stanley Kubrick's Barry Lyndon
# Nice list of 5 Directors who haven't yet beaten their first films at Life vs. Film
# Pete puts the spotlight on a new Dark Knight Rises featurette which I am avoiding from seeing.
# The always amusing M.Brown reviews A Good Old Fashioned Orgy
# My fellow countrymen, Reza and Zulfahmi have very favourable reviews for The Amazing Spider-Man which pretty much echoes the view of the rest of the nation. It seems that my brothers and me are among the very few people in the country who didn't enjoy it.
# Ruth also seems to have enjoyed that same Spider-Man movie
# Stevee lists down 8 Cliches in Rom-Com Trailers
# Mette focuses on Cate Blanchette in The Gift. I didn't know Sam Raimi directed this.
# As a previous few of my posts shows, I really love fan-art. Well these lovely illustrations below are sample of what you can find at the film/TV fan-art blog Sketchesnatched

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man [2012]

Background:

Release Date: 5 July 2012 (Malaysia), 3 July 2012 (USA)

Directed By: Marc Webb

Written By: James Vanderbilt, Alvin Sargent, Steve Kloves, Stan Lee, Steve Ditko

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Denis Leary, Martin Sheen, Sally Fields, Irfan Khan

Duration: 136 minutes

In A Nutshell:

Peter Parker (played by Andrew Garfield) is abandoned by his parents at an early age and is left to be taken care of by his Uncle Ben (played by Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (played by Sally Fields). As a teenager he finds clues to the disappearance of his parents and then proceeds to find answers by going to the lab of Dr. Curt Connors (played by Rhys Ifans). There he finds out that classmate Gwen Stacy (played by Emma Stone) is working at the lab, and after some snooping-around, Peter gets bit by a radioactive spider.

Thumbs Up:

+ The familiar origin part of the story surprisingly is the most interesting segment

+ Great visual shots with some very interesting camera-work

+ Stan Lee's best cameo yet. Completely forgot about his obligatory appearances.

Thumbs Down:

- The tempo especially in the second half was extremely slow

- The final third of the movie was waaay too cheesy and melodramatic

- The ending dragged-on for far too long

- The trust between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy was prematurely created

- Multiple unmasking of Spider-Man became rather annoying

- Tried too hard to be different from the Sam Raimi versions of Spider-Man

The Verdict Is In:
As I mentioned in my previous post, The History Of Batman On Screen, the flurry of excitement I'm experiencing since we've entered July is because we'll finally get to see The Dark Knight Rises [2012]. This state of emotion I am currently in has somewhat made me forgotten about other movies, especially this superhero web-crawler that we have here. Its actually a shame seeing that Spider-Man holds a very special place inside my heart. I've told this story before (Me And My Superhero Childhood), but my early childhood was spent reading comic books like The Amazing Spider-Man and Secret Wars (where he was sort of the main character). Multiple cartoon series on TV (my favourite was his team-up with Iceman and Firestar) was heavyly watched and when Sam Raimi came up with a trilogy not so long ago, I was naturally elated. Like everyone else I was baffled by the decision to reboot the franchise so early on, but was still looking forward to it, seeing that I like both Andrew Garfiled and Emma Stone, while director Marc Webb had directed my number one Favourite Romantic Movie, the very charming (500) Days Of Summer [2009]

Despite having a different villain and love interest, the origin story in the first half of the movie is basically the same as the one told in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man [2002]. I initially thought this familiar tale would be the weak part of the movie but director Marc Webb actually manages to re-imagine the scenes well enough that they become completely engaging. Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker very well and the film never intends to portray the character as super-nerdy and always being picked on like the role Toby Maguire played in the original film. But unfortunately the fun stops once Peter Parker turns into Spider-Man.

The film eventually went wrong in so many directions. For starters I have trouble buying into the supposed bond between Peter Parker and Gwen Stacy, which led to Parker sharing his secret identity with her. There was too little interaction and investment for that to happen. The pacing of the third act was also way too slow and with too many cheesy scenes. For example, when the construction workers tried to help Spidey out or that speech Uncle Ben left Peter on his voice message. Does anyone really makes speeches like that on the phone? I was also reminded to a dialogue uttered by Robert Downey Jr. in the movie Kiss Kiss Bang Bang [2005] , about LOTR: The Return Of The King [2003] having 18 endings. It was a case of deja vu here as the ending dragged on for far too long, and when you thought the film was over, out popped another scene.

Of course rebooting a film so early after the original will magnify the comparisons between the two. This movie here tried so hard to separate itself from Sam Raimi's version and in theory that is actually a good thing. The original had so many memorable dialogues and scenes such as "With great power comes great responsibilities" that we immediately associates them with the character (it actually has it's roots from the comic books). Here the screenwriters wanted to avoid those iconic dialogues although it is clear those exact dialogues is what they intend to communicate to the audience. They just used different but longer and far inferior words. I truly did want this movie to work but watching it makes me appreciate even more how good Sam Raimi's version really was. They should have let his plan for a fourth movie follow through rather than making this one.
Rating:
5.5 out of 10

The History Of Batman On Screen

We have now entered the month of July 2012. That means we are only a matter of days away from the release of The Dark Knight Rises [2012]. Undoubtedly one of the most ridiculously anticipated and hyped movies in history. So as I try my best to contain my nerdgasm to a minimum before that sacred date of July 19th (Malaysian release), lets take a ride inside Doc. Brown's DeLorean as we ignite the flux capacitor and get a quick history lesson of the Caped Crusader appearances on screen. These past couple of months I haven't been blogging as much, so I'll be posting a very long one today. Now buckle up and as my friend Heath Ledger would say:

PHASE 1: The Black & White Serials

According to a my pathetic attempt at research, Batman first appeared as a 15-part series of shorts shown at movie theatres in 1943. Apparently these shorts are called "serials". They don't have serials in my country so I had no idea. Some actor named Lewis Wilson played the part of Batman here. Another 15-part serial made its way in 1949, this time our hero was played by Robert Lowery. My knowledge of classic films at this point is very limited, so I still have no idea who these actors are.

PHASE 2: "Holy Catchphrase, Batman!" ~ Adam West & The Campy Era

Ah, now we've reached more familiar territory. This era which had the "legendary" duo of Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin was campy to the maximum. A movie was released in 1966 while a TV series ran from the same year up until 1968. I'm sure we can all associate the era with images of the dynamic duo walking climbing up walls using a wire (so obvious that the camera was tilted), fight sequences that had sound effects like "BLAM" and "KAPOW" fly at the screen, and fire-poles entering the Bat-Cave. Even the theme music was catchy. I for one, have found memories of a very sexy Julie Newmar playing Catwoman in the TV series (Catwoman was portrayed by Lee Meriwether in the movie version). You know how comic books always draw female characters with human-defying hour-glass figures? Well, in this case, Julie Newmar actually had such a figure (see photo below).

As mentioned, everything on display here was ridiculous, silly, and campy. But they did it so much to the extent that it was actually FUN to watch! Batman's utility belt for example would always have the right gadget at the right time to save him, the best being the Bat-Shark Repellent Spray used in the movie. Also must be mentioned is Robin's frequent catchphrases of: "Holy [insert dialogue], Batman!". See this hilarious compilation of Robin doing just that in the video below. The absolute best just has to be: "Holy contributing to the delinquency of minors, Batman!".




PHASE 3: Merchandising Gold & The Tim Burton Era

After a prolonged absence, our hero made a return to the big screen in 1989 after being helmed by director Tim Burton. News that Michael Keaton (whom at that time was more known for comedic roles) being cast as Batman was met with unease from from fans but he eventually won them over with a strong performance. However the star of the film was Jack Nicholson who played The Joker. For a long time, this movie was critically considered the best Batman film. It also became merchandising gold as the Batman symbol (photo above) was ubiquitous everywhere.

Tim Burton and Michael Keaton returned for a sequel movie, Batman Returns [1992] where memorable performances can be seen Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman (I listed her in my 15 Favourite Female Villains post) and Danny DeVito as The Penguin. These two movies were a far departure from the silly Adam West versions as Burton brought his dark and distinctive visual style. Comic book fans mostly were delighted by this Batman incarnation.

PHASE 4: Multiple Animated Batmans

To be honest, there are too many animated Batman TV shows and direct-to-video movies for me to keep track off. It even goes back to the year 1968 where both Adam West and Burt Ward voiced their characters for the animated version. There have been multiple other versions until this very day and most of them have been voiced by Kevin Conroy as Batman. He also lended his voice to two animated movies that got theatrical releases, Batman: Mask Of The Phantasm [1993] and Batman Beyond: Return Of The Joker [2000]. Geek alert here, but in those two movies, The Joker was voiced by non other than Luke Skywalker Mark Hamill.

PHASE 5: Joel Schumacher & The Downfall Of Batman

Joel Schumacher took over the reigns from Tim Burton for the movie Batman Forever [1995] and Val Kilmer was cast as Batman. We were re-indtroduced to the character of Robin who was played by Chris O'Donnell. The role of villains was played by big stars in Jim Carrey and Tommey Lee Jones as The Riddler and Two Face. Nicole Kidman who at the time was widely known just as Miss Tom Cruise also had a role in the movie. Although this wasn't really a terrible movie, it was a step down from Tim Burton's versions and was a sign of things to come....

Schumacher roped in really big stars for his next film, Batman & Robin [1997] with George Clooney as Batman and Arnold Schwarzenegger playing the villain Mr. Freeze. Unfortunately this film was a total disaster and almost ruined the entire Batman franchise. People saying how terrible it is are not just going along with the popular opinion because it truly is that bad. The Adam West versions were silly but at least they were fun, the same cannot be said here. This seems like the Retro Superhero Movies I featured before, only those movie didn't have big budgets like this one. In a few weeks will get to see Tom Hardy play Bane in The Dark Knight Rises [2012], while I don't think I ever knew or want to check out who played the stupid looking Bane (photo above alongside Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy) in this movie. And yeah, I still can't get over those silly nipple Bat-suits.

PHASE 6: A Touch From The God Of Film

First of all, if you read my 100 Film Facts About Me post, you'd know that I think that Christopher Nolan is the God Of Film. He is the director of Batman Begins [2005], The Dark Knight [2008], and the upcoming The Dark Knight Rises [2012]. Two dialogues from the movie Batman Begins [2005] perfectly describe this Phase 6. The first one was muttered by Alfred (played by Michael Caine): "Why do we fall, Sir? So we might learn to pick ourselves up". The second one was a philosophy by Ra's Al Ghul (played by Liam Neeson): "Everytime a civilization reaches the peak of its decadence, we return to restore the balance". Schumacher's Batman was the peak of decadence for the franchise. So in stepped Christopher Nolan to restore the balance and show those before him that they were just mere mortals. Man can try, but man cannot compete with the creations from The God Of Film!

Photo edit from Fan Pop

Nolan not only created great Superhero movies but great movies full-stop. Christian Bale actually auditioned for the role of Robin in Joel Schumacher's films but lost out the role. Thank God that happened because why be Robin in dreadful movies when you can be a great Batman in awesome movies? Then of course is that legendary performance by Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight [2008]. In fact I first wrote this blog eleven months ago because I wanted to list that movie at the pinnacle of my Favourite Superhero Movies list.

PHASE 7: The Future & Previous Links

It is said that DC Comics will be making a Justice League movie in the near future and will be rebooting/remaking Batman since Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale will not be returning. I'm not sure I would want another Batman movie so soon after the awesomeness of Nolan's versions. Just make Batman appear directly in the Justice League movie like The Hulk did in The Avengers [2012].

Anyway here are a couple of Batman related posts that I featured before:
# Infographic: Evolution Of The Bat-Suit
# Actual Batmobile Replica For Sale
# This parody video below, where if the screenplay of The Dark Knight [2008] was re-imagined using the 60s Adam West style. It is pretty accurate to both movies, I'd say.