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Ace_Spade's Replies
I think that Bale was a fine Batman/Bruce Wayne. Not my favourite - that's Keaton. But their respective interpretations owe much to the script and directors as much as to the performances. So, did Bale do what Nolan wanted/needed for his movies? Yeah, I think he did, for the most part. But I do prefer the Keaton/Burton take on it.
Well, I'll always be a big fan of The Meaning of Life, but Gilliam didn't actually direct that...
Of the ones he's directed, Brazil and Fisher King are above the others. I really love all of his work, though.
Hard to say. Audiences have come to think of superhero movies a particular way. They love the 40% jokes 60% action set pieces formula that the Marvel brand has perfected. Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool, and other self-aware, irony-heavy, yet still strangely earnest films. Batman Returns takes itself seriously, has a unique Goth aesthetic, doesn't emphasize irony, and departs radically from the source material (somewhere along the line "We're going back to the first stories" became a bit of a fetish, too).
In short, audiences today are conditioned for a certain kind of comic book superhero experience and Burton's heightened reality ain't it. That could be really good or really bad. It might be a breath of fresh air amidst a dull cavalcade of clones and doppelgangers. On the other hand, it could wind up being weird and inaccessible, defying expectations to the point of self-destruction.
It's speculation (of course), but I'd guess that critics would be really interested in it. It would get mixed-to-positive reviews, with every critic highlighting its daring to be different. The phrase, "Even when it doesn't always work," would come up a lot. Audiences wouldn't like it. It would be too off-kilter, so they'd basically go, "It's not Nolan and it's not Avengers, so we hate it." DC fans would love it by default, but that's it. It'd make some money, but not a tonne.
In ten years' time, it'd be a cult classic. Everybody would look back on the era at all the xeroxed copies trying to out-ape one another and Batman Returns would stick out as something special - something nobody gave enough of a chance to see the madcap genius behind it. It would get its due, but it would take a very, very circuitous route to get there.
Knowing story structure is, indeed, a low bar for a director, but it would elude 99% of people on the planet.
Also, Gibson is a really good director. Not one of my favourites, but I really enjoyed Hacksaw Ridge, Braveheart, Apocalypto, and this film, although Passion isn't a brilliant movie.
100% this.
Stuntman Mike was cocky when he had all the power, but any shift in dynamics and he turned into a wimp. He's like every jerk would-be comedian you've ever met who will rip on people all day, but starts crying because they can't take a joke.
Yeah, I almost forgot about that! They even learn what Mr. Ball Legs is actually called (the word escapes me) and they never bother to look it up in a book. I thought the last moment was going to be Joel saying "Mama" - clearly Mr. Ball Legs manipulating Joel - and that would lead into a season where Joel was fighting for control of his mind against Mr. Ball Legs. Which, to me, seemed like way more fun than just, "And now Joel's an undead," which I think is what they're going to do... I have trepidation.
I mean, even if they turn Joel, I'll still watch, I'm sure they'll make something great out of it, but I don't think the show would feel the same...
Well done, Gilliam! The Pythons were and are brilliant. Anybody who doesn't recognise this definitely shouldn't be involved in comedy commissioning.
I mean, it's all just pure speculation. Maybe he wishes he had that cash, but I somehow doubt it. He makes millions of dollars per movie, he's had some mega hits. He was already pretty famous by the time Fight Club was coming out. I have a feeling that his being artistically satisfied by Fight Club was more important, especially long-term. So, did he feel a small twinge after The Matrix made rude money? Maybe? Maybe a little, anyway. But that's probably just something you get used to as a Hollywood actor - you pick parts, pass on parts, get passed over for parts - you can't get hung up on that stuff. I'd bet, though, that by now it's not really keeping him up at night.
Yeah, I heard the Bullock thing recently, too.
I don't know how most of them feel about it. It might've stung a bit, but Pitt was making Fight Club in '99, which was a pretty big cultural touchstone, so I kinda doubt he's that busted up about it. Bullock, too, has an Oscar and whatnot. They all probably feel the same way about the film that Will Smith felt. I read an interview somewhere where they asked Smith if he regretted doing the Matrix and he basically said that he sort of did, but he knows he'd have been wrong for the flick and it wouldn't have worked.
I could see Pitt in the role, but most of the other choices? No.
Finn was introduced helmet-on in a pretty organic way. I think he fits into the story of TFA nicely. Rose Tico felt awkward, but I think Finn was pretty smoothly introduced.
I predict up from The Last Jedi, but down from The Force Awakens. I think it will be a hit. I think a lot of people will come to see out the trilogy, even if they are getting sick of it.
But I think it will be hurt because of the glut of Star Wars coming out. There's just too much of it to sustain the hype.
I have yet to hear one that I don't like.
I have been looking for that song for ages! I remember it when QoS first came out and couldn't find it back! You are my hero for today!
Regarding the overall discussion, I'd say that Quantum of Solace is the worst Bond film. It all but lacks any sense of Flemming's world (with the exception of the opera scene). That said, I'm not a big Moonraker fan, either. There is a middle ground between "gritty Bond" and "silly Bond" that I like.
My favourite Bond is From Russia with Love.
I'm fairly certain that "You can't handle the truth" isn't in the original script.
So...you wouldn't change it, then?
I gotta disagree with you there. The Prince music (as I recall) was used along with the Joker, and the craziness (and purpleness) kinda work...
Keaton's still got a lot of "Birdman" momentum, too.
I'm just picturing how great it would be to hear Elfman's music blasting through, too...
It's narrower than that, because only about 98 out of those 99 people like their songs.
They have a tonne of hype, and maybe the sheer amount of hype makes them overrated, but their innovation, precision, skill, and exploration all make them unarguably one of the best bands ever.
I'd also argue that those aren't their best songs. I still like all the songs you mentioned, but I'd say that Hey Jude, Let it Be, Come Together, Something, Revolution, All You Need is Love, and Eleanor Rigby are all better.
There's a case to be made for the sheer volume of great material that came out of them, as well as the breadth of genres (listen to Honey Pie, Revolution 9, Within You Without You, Tomorrow Never Knows, and I Want to Hold Your Hand and consider how genre-bendingly brilliant they could be).
I think that's because when these films were coming out, comic book franchises were standalone (no "EU" stuff) and tended not to last that long. Batman and Superman both saw quality dips after installment two. You didn't play long-game, you got your Lex Luthors and Jokers and Dark Phoenixes out right away because making seven movies wasn't part of the plan.