20th anniversary

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Remembering Burton's Batmania, 20 Years Later
Batmania - The Sequels
Batmania - The Aftermath
Batmania - The Merchandise
Batmania - The Movie

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Sunshineyness
06/21/09

In reply to Batmania - The Sequels
I will say that both the soundtracks from Batman Forever and Batman and Robin are QUITE good and I still have them both on cassette tape. The Smashing Pumpkins song (used in the Watchman trailer) is still a damn great song as well as the U2 song from Batman Forever.

But I remember at the time being particularly pissy at the post-Spice Girls crappy faux feminism "girl power" tacked onto Batgirl in B&R. Although a re-watching of Batman Returns (which I used to love dearly) had me cringing at some similar lines Catwoman says at the end.

One day, oh one day... there will be a Catwoman on screen and people will talk about something OTHER than how hot she looked in the suit. Hell, I hope if Nolan does it (please, please) he askews the catsuit and has her wear something sensible if for no other reason than avoiding such cheap remarks.
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Moff
06/22/09

@Sunshineyness: "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me" is one of U2's absolute finest non-album tracks (maybe the finest? I'm too sleepy to work it out, but it's close), and the whole rest of the Batman Forever soundtrack is pretty remarkable, too: PJ Harvey, Method Man, Massive Attack, Sunny Day Real Estate, Mazzy Star -- the songs aren't amazing, but the fact that all these artists were featured together on a comic-book-movie soundtrack is a telling statement about what a great time for music the mid-'90s were.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
06/21/09

In reply to Batmania - The Sequels
Bats Returns is a much better movie than the first. The characters seem more human.

Despite all the opprobrium heaped upon B&R, I still maintain that Clooney is the best Bruce Wayne ever. He really fit the part, and I loved his scenes with Alfred.
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OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear
06/21/09

In reply to Remembering Burton's Batmania, 20 Years Later
What the hell is io9 doing? Dont you know you cant discuss a Warner Bros. movie without a Warner Bros. ballcap?

You're despicable.
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ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
06/21/09

In reply to Batmania - The Movie
No one mess with Tim Burton. Even when I don't like a movie, I can still respect the insane genius behind it.
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downdb
06/21/09

In reply to Batmania - The Aftermath
Although it came slightly later, I'd say the crappy movie version of "The Shadow" with Alec Baldwin falls into the same general category.
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Kiamat
06/21/09

@downdb: I loved The Shadow (and The Phantom for that matter). I thought The Shadow was really well done. I wouldn't mind that one getting a proper revival.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
06/21/09

@Kiamat: Same here. Neither of those movies deserves to be mentioned with the crappy F4 and Cap projects.
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Mark Kardwell
06/21/09

In reply to Remembering Burton's Batmania, 20 Years Later
The second one is the better movie, where Burton gets to do an interesting piece about splintered identity. The first one is the rote blockbuster responsible for so many superhero movie cliches that still litter the genre, especially unconvincing rubber suits and "moody" lighting.
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OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear
06/21/09

@Mark Kardwell: The first one has so many great quotes.
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austin316gb
06/21/09

In reply to Batmania - The Merchandise
Oh, and with the release of Batman: Arkham Asylum Collectors edition, I'll finally get my hands on a Batterang!!!
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austin316gb
06/21/09

In reply to Batmania - The Merchandise
That Danny Elfmann score is one the best ever written, it went on my HiFi on repeat pissing off my Mum and Dad (and probably the neighbours), it went to school with me on my personal CD player much to the ridicule of my peers who were listing to Metallica and Nirvana. I even revised to it and hummed it in exams to jog my memory. Even now when it comes on not only do I get chills thinking about one of the greatest comic book characters ever created but I can also write out Krebs cycle on a piece of paper!
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Trai_Dep
06/21/09

In reply to Remembering Burton's Batmania, 20 Years Later
Ahh, the innocent, halcyon days of yore when battle suits didn't include jutting, pert, kelvar-cast nipples. * sniff *
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austin316gb
06/21/09

In reply to Remembering Burton's Batmania, 20 Years Later
I remember going to see this with my Dad. It was the first film in the UK to be given the '12' rating, greatly pissing off the James Bond producers of Licence to Kill as they missed out be a week or two and thought they could have increased the revenue of the film if they had got the 12 instead of the 15 it was given.

From the opening fly though of the bat symbol to the end credits I was hooked. Loved every second. The film contains one of my favourite film moments ever. The scene where the Batwing flies out the clouds and is framed by the moon in the background will always be a standout moment. Cheesy? Yes, Brilliant? Deffo!
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Don't Make Me Ang Lee. You wouldn't like me when I'm Ang Lee.
06/21/09

In reply to Remembering Burton's Batmania, 20 Years Later
never touch another man's rhubarb...
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roninpenguin
06/22/09

@c0dek: Wasn't that "never rub another mans rhubarb"?
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NerD: Blattella
06/22/09

@roninpenguin: yes it was.
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ampersandparade
06/21/09

In reply to Batmania - The Sequels
I was five when this film came out, and when I started kindergarten the next year every piece of school ephemera had the Catwoman on it. I was mesmerized.

Seventeen years later, I am still struck at how powerful this particular scene is to me, a strange, bizarre, tense moment that had my five year old self bewildered, and my twenty-two year old self all goose-pimply:
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gods-n-clods
07/15/09

@ampersandparade: Scene starts with a muzak version of "Superfreak". Ends with Siouxsie & The Banshees. Then 'splosions.

Brilliant choice.
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Garrison Dean: R.O.A.C.H.
06/21/09

In reply to Remembering Burton's Batmania, 20 Years Later
Bob! Gun.

This is such a great flick.
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geesejuggler
06/21/09

@Garrison Dean: R.O.A.C.H.: *Boom!* I need a minutes alone, boys.
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OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear
06/21/09

@geesejuggler: Let me tell you about this guy I know, Garrison. Mean kid, bad seed, hurt people.

You know what the problem was? He got sloppy, then crazy. He started to lose it. He had a head full of bad wiring, I guess. Couldn't keep him straight up here. He was a kind of guy who couldn't hear a train until it was two feet from him. You know what happens now, Garrison? Well, he made mistakes and he ended WITH HIS LIGHTS OUT!! YOU WANNA GET NUTS?!! COME ON, LET'S GET NUTS!!
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Garrison Dean: R.O.A.C.H.
06/21/09

@OW-Holmes:Enemy of R.O.A.C.H.: I actually pulled that slow burn crazy act, even added in the COME ON LETS GET NUTS line, on an entire frat pledge class who wanted to beat me up one time (in fairness I kind of asked for it) and it actually worked. I don't know if it was because I was intimidating or because they were pussies but there were 15 or them and one of me and there was nary a punch thrown.
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