Tim Burton's 1989 "Batman" was on A&E today. And I really like it better than "The Dark Knight." No, it isn't perfect by a long shot, but I liked the tone and feel of it far more than the latest take on the Batman/Joker story.
"Shaun of the Dead" is on now. And it nicely illustrates how, even a couple years ago, England has become so pussified that it would be helpless in the invent of attack by zombies. Or Nazis. Or Nazi-zombies. In fact, as the film excellently points out, the only hope Great Britain has lies in its chavs, who won't just sit in their home and wait for their brains to be eaten.
Eh. Different time, probably. I probably have a soft spot in my heart for it. This was a time when the only superhero film in theaters since the Superman franchise shit the bed was (I think) the horrible Dolph Lundgren "The Punisher". And I was, like 20 and a big Batman fan. So I wore my big black duster and my Batman t-shirt and waited in line for the midnight preview. There were many memorable moments during the film, but the best was almost definitely the "reveal" on the Batmobile. I mean, we knew what it was going to look like from Starlog magazine (this was before the Internet(!), but still, when he rescues Vicky at the museum and says "Get in the car." And she says "Which one?" and they cut to the Batmobile, people went nuts. At the time, a reviewer said the film was a little like opera--grand and melodramatic and over the top with set-piece scenes--but we loved it. And "Batman Returns" wasn't on A&E today. And that didn't have the Joker as the villain. I used to have a 3/4 size promotional cardboard of Michelle Pfieffer as Catwoman, but it got ruined in storage. Just as well, I guess, I haven't decorated an apartment in "1990s comic book shop" since, well, the 1990s.
