Tine and Lainie in the morning!

I was watching Community the other day (which happens to be one of the best shows on TV right now) and noticed there are so many things about the characters Troy and Abed that remind me of Christine and I. For instance, this clip explains exactly how we react to people trying to tell us something so ridiculously wrong about movies and movie culture in general:

Here's another gem:

Just some random thoughts I wanted to share....

#sixseasonsandamovie

The Hobbit will be a trilogy

Peter Jackson has confirmed that his much-anticipated film The Hobbit will in fact be a trilogy. The announcement was made on The Hobbit's official Facebook page.

From the announcement:

Jackson stated, “Upon recently viewing a cut of the first film, and a chunk of the second, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and I were very pleased with the way the story was coming together. We recognized that the richness of the story of The Hobbit, as well as some of the related material in the appendices of The Lord of the Rings, gave rise to a simple question: do we tell more of the tale? And the answer from our perspective as filmmakers and fans was an unreserved ‘yes.’ 

Based on the dedication and attention to detail Jackson brought to the Lord of the Rings trilogy, I have high hopes that The Hobbit will be as beautiful, entertaining, and spectacular.

The Dark Knight Rises - A non-fan's review

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of Batman. Let me also say that this review will be full of spoilers so use your judgement.

My review in one sentence: I wasn't as bored as I had expected to be.

It's true. I really wasn't as bored as I had expected to be during this movie. With a runtime approaching 3 hours I had expected to feel every one of those 165 minutes but I didn't. I was entertained. The Dark Knight Rises is the conclusion to Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy however you don't need an encyclopedic knowledge of the previous two films to understand the twists and turns. Nolan does an excellent job of reminding those in the audience who might not remember what exactly happened in Batman Begins or The Dark Knight (like me). It suggests that Nolan (or his editor Lee Smith) understands not everyone who is seeing the film is a fanatic, or even a fan, and is making a small attempt to include them in the experience.


First things first - The Voice.

Bale reprises his role of "I'm serious Batman" by employing the scratchy voice. This has bothered me, and plenty of others, from the start. I just don't understand why Bruce Wayne, the billionaire, and Lucius Fox, the genius, can't come together and make a voice-changer to put inside Batman's mask. I think it's something that the movies could have addressed, especially since they have so many other technological toys for Batman to use. Either that, or have Batman use the same voice as Bruce and we'll all suspend belief that no one can tell it's the same guy (which we're already doing to some degree anyway).

I really enjoyed Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle. She wasn't called Catwoman once. There is a passing shot of a newspaper heading lamenting the continued thefts this cat burglar that makes the connection for us (in case the name Selina Kyle wasn't enough). Hathaway was brilliant and not nearly as campy as the previous Catwomans have been. She didn't have a tail. She didn't wear claws. And she didn't meow or purr. Only the cat ears were barely hinted at with her flipped-up goggles providing the merest suggestion of the traditional Catwoman costume. That is why this is my favourite version of Selina Kyle.

If you don't want The Dark Knight Rises to be spoiled, I'll leave you with this spoiler-free summary. More discussion and **SPOILERS** after the break.

Overall, I wouldn't say I enjoyed The Dark Knight Rises. It was a little too monochomatic and it took itself too seriously. I don't like the Batman voice. This movie isn't something I'd be likely to watch again and that's okay. I'm not the target audience. I can say that I didn't mind watching almost 3 hours of Batman with my husband. I was entertained, which is all you can ask.

Spoilers (and more!) after the jump. Seriously. Spoilers.

I'm Gotham's reckoning

The long-awaited final installment of Christopher Nolan's epic Dark Knight trilogy has finally arrived! The Dark Knight Rises hit theatres this past weekend to numerous fans' delight and positive reviews from critics. Now that I have seen the film, I can complete my Batman franchise review.

The Dark Knight Rises
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway
Box office gross: $198,038,896 (as of July 24, 2012)

"There's a storm coming, Mr. Wayne."

 Nolan was skeptical on making a third film in the Dark Knight series, stating "how many good third movies in a franchise can people name?". His skepticism was not without warrant; many movie makers attempt to make a third movie in a franchise, hoping to continue the success of the first two films and more often than not, the film flops. Take Shrek the Third for instance. After two successful Shrek movies, the addition of a third film was inevitable. However, the movie was so horrifically bad, most people believed it was the nail in the coffin for the franchise. Thankfully, Dreamworks was able to produce a fantastic reboot of the series through its fourth installment. But I digress; back to The Dark Knight Rises.

Nolan found what he was looking for, a good story, and began work on the final installment of what was now a trilogy series. 

The film began with what I thought was a very "Harry Potter" like beginning: Commissioner Gordon was seen addressing the death of Harvey Dent, reminiscent of Rufus Scrimgeour stating that "these were dark times" in the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. But I am not criticizing this; it was a great opening that set the tone in both films. And both films were fantastic. 

With The Dark Knight Rises, Nolan created a true trilogy. Like Jamie Kennedy's character in Scream 3 said, "true trilogies are all about going back to the beginning and discovering something that wasn't true from the get go" and this film does that brilliantly. Of course I can't tell you how this film does it because it would be a major spoiler! 

The film focused on the fall of Batman and his eventual rise back to his status as Gotham's saviour. Meanwhile, a new threat in the form of the the menacing Bane, moved into the city with plans of destroying it. Nolan did a fantastic job of telling this story and still providing enough action to keep audiences captivated. What aided in this feat was again, Nolan's stellar casting choices. Returning actors Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, and Gary Oldman continued their strong performances from the previous two films, helming this film's heart and soul of the story. New additions Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Marion Cotillard delivered refreshing performances, providing new allies and foes for the title character. Nolan's knack for recruiting astonishing actors is shown throughout his films, The Dark Knight Rises being no different.

Bale reprises his role as the titular hero and once again provides a notable performance as Bruce Wayne, who is now even more tortured after the death of his childhood friend Rachel Dawes, and has become a recluse. His performance as Batman is overshadowed by his alter ego but in a good way. In this film, the two dimensional role is heavily weighted on the man behind the mask, as he must discover "the power within", finally confronting the pain and loss he has avoided in the previous two films. According to Bale, this was his last performance as The Dark Knight, and with it, he provided a good ending for his development of the character.

Tom Hardy, who previously worked with Nolan on the critically acclaimed Inception (which in turn became his breakthrough performance), portrayed the villain Bane. Although producers wanted to feature The Riddler as the main villain in this film, Nolan went with Bane because he felt he would provide a greater challenge for Batman, both physically and mentally. Hardy was phenomenal as Bane. He was every bit the menacing terrorist but also showed that this villain was not just a physical being; he had intellect that was unfortunately misplaced in terrorism. He had some sure to be classic lines including the title of this blog. Though his accent and the obstruction of his mask often made it hard to understand him, when he did speak, you wanted to hear what he had to say. On a side note, I was surprised at how Nolan was able to make Hardy look taller and bigger than all other characters in the film as in reality, he is not a big guy.

Catwoman. This was a tough one for me. I was not sure including this character was the right move for Nolan. The on screen portrayal of Catwoman has been interesting to say the least. The last person to play this character was Halle Berry in the ill-fated 2004 film Catwoman. Since that bomb, critics and fans have been skeptical about who, if ever anyone, could really become Catwoman. Anne Hathaway puts in a valiant effort at accomplishing this goal. I have always been a fan of Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman in Tim Burton's Batman Returns. I still believe she played this role the best thus far. However, I don't think it's fair to compare Hathaway's character with Pfeiffer's. Where Pfeiffer's character was over the top, Hathaway's barely embraced the name "Catwoman". In fact, I don't believe the name "Catwoman" is ever really used in the film, though there were some clever allusion's to this name (for example, her goggles when placed on her head, made it look like she had cat ears). After the death of the Rachel Dawes character, Hathaway provided a romantic interest for Bale, the difference this time was the interest was not only for Bruce Wayne, but for Batman as well. 

My inner geek swooned when I saw some familiar faces in this film: Cillian Murphy and Liam Neeson make great cameo appearances, Burn Gorman (Owen from the British TV series Torchwood) plays one of Bane's Gotham city minions, Stryver, Nestor Carbonell (Lost) returns as Gotham's mayor, Josh Stewart (Criminal Minds) plays Bane's right hand man, Barsad and Desmond Harrington (Dexter) plays a uniform cop. 

Final Verdict: a definite must see. Not only for those who are Batman fans (like myself) but for those who want to see a superhero film that not only provides action, but a good story as well. The film continues the story of Nolan's caped crusader from the origin in Batman Begins to the collapse in The Dark Knight to the rise (redemption) in The Dark Knight Rises. A good end to this trilogy series.

Have you seen The Dark Knight Rises? Were you satisfied with the conclusion of the series?

Why so serious?

Part four of my Batman ramblings features a look back at the second film in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy, The Dark Knight.

The Dark Knight
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger and Aaron Eckhart
Box office gross: $1,001,921,825 (Worldwide)

"How about a magic trick? I'm gonna make this pencil disappear..."

 

The Dark Knight was the first film in the Batman franchise not to have the name "Batman" in the title. With this notion, it was easy to see that this film was going to be special.

Nolan returned to direct the sequel to the 2005 mega hit Batman Begins, eagerly wanting to bring his interpretation of The Joker to the big screen. For Nolan, an important theme in this sequel was "escalation", extending the ending of Batman Begins, strongly showing that "things have to get worse before they get better". The Dark Knight plays like a perfect sequel in a trilogy series; it starts off with a bang (a bank robbing scene, introducing The Joker) and continues full steam ahead for the duration of the film. There are no "filler" moments, trying to provide back story that at this point, anyone who is watching should already know. Nolan never treats the audience like children, hand-feeding them the story. He expects that if you are watching the film, you get what's going on and don't need to be beat over the head repeatedly with it. He provided the back story of Batman in the origin story in 2005 and was now moving on with the rest of the story. 

Again, Nolan included an all-star cast to provide believable interpretations of the larger than life characters from the graphic novels created by Bob Kane. Notable actors in this film, among Bale, Ledger and Eckhart, include: Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Gary Oldman, Cillian Murphy (all returning from the previous film), Maggie Gyllenhaal (replacing Katie Holmes), and Nestor Carbonell. Eric Roberts was introduced as crime boss "Maroni"; the only bad casting choice in this film.

Bale returned as the caped crusader, ready to take on the next phase in Batman's story. As in the first film, Bale provided a good balance between the two parts of the title character. Since his character was already developed quite fully in the first film, Bale was able to go head-to-head with the villains in the film without feeling he would be overshadowed. 

Aaron Eckhart portrayed Harvey Dent aka Two-Face. The character starts off as Gotham's District Attorney and is hailed as the city's "White Knight" (a contrast to the film's title and Batman's eventual status with the city). The idea for this film was to have Dent shown as a vigilante, rather than a crime boss. He's not purely evil; he becomes disfigured through his battles with the criminals of Gotham and turns his anger onto them when he embraces the "Two-Face" persona. Eckhart was great in this role. It was easy to see him as Gotham's saviour and you felt for him when he became disfigured. His character provided an emotional storyline in this extremely heavy and dark film. 

Maggie Gyllenhaal replaced Katie Holmes as Rachel Dawes. Not much I can say about this change. It was necessary. And it worked. Good job Mr. Nolan!

Other strong performances were provided by veteran actors Caine, Oldman and Freeman. Again, not much I can say here. They were all phenomenal and highly contributed to the greatness of this film. 

Heath Ledger. Wow. What a performance. As The Joker, Ledger brought something much different to the table than the character's previous big screen portrayal; something Ledger described as being a "psychopathic, mass murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy". Not to be compared with Jack Nicholson's Joker, Ledger threw himself into the character and developed his own take on the villain which translated so well to the big screen. The role eventually earned Ledger an Oscar, something that was well-deserved, posthumously, and garnered numerous positive reviews from some of the industries biggest critics. It was a performance that will always be remembered. RIP Heath Ledger.

Final Verdict: A definite must see. A brilliant story and addition to the Batman franchise. It's easy to see why this installment became the most successful film in the franchise to date. The film flows effortlessly from the origin story and continues the enigmatic tale of The Dark Knight. 

Look for my review on the latest Batman film, The Dark Knight Rises this week.

Many people argue that Batman is not a true superhero because he does not have any "super" powers. Did this film change your views on Batman as a superhero?

PS I believe Batman is a true superhero - his "super" powers include being super rich and super smart.

Well, a guy who dresses up like a bat clearly has issues

Part three of my look back at the past six Batman films in the Warners Bros. franchise features the first film in the reboot series by Christopher Nolan, Batman Begins.

Batman Begins
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Christian Bale, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine
Box office gross: $372,710,015 (Worldwide)

"Watch for my sign."

In 2005, a much needed reboot of the Batman series was brought to the big screen by Christopher Nolan. After several unsuccessful attempts to revitalize Batman on screen following the disaster that was Batman and Robin, Nolan and writer David S. Goyer began working on the project, aiming for a darker and more realistic tone. Something that the series desperately needed. 

It is important when watching these Nolan-directed Batman films, not to compare them to the Burton or Schumacher films. They are all completely different takes on the franchise. Some more successful than others.

This new darker, realistic tone that Nolan and Goyer created, provided the much need spark for the franchise. Fans were thrilled to see the Caped Crusader back as the true dark, tormented superhero from the graphic novels. And what better way to start a reboot than with an origin story, something that wasn't addressed in Tim Burton's 1989 film. Nolan went back to the beginning, beginning the film with Bruce Wayne as an eight year old boy who suffers an accident that becomes the root of his fear of bats. From there, Nolan takes you on the journey of how the young Bruce Wayne loses his parents and uses this pain to fuel his desire to take on the criminals of Gotham and save the city. The story had never been told before and it was time for fans to see it. 

Nolan also felt it was necessary to have an allstar cast for Begins. Included with Bale, Neeson and Caine were: Gary Oldman, Katie Holmes, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Wilkinson, and Morgan Freeman. All actors (save Katie Holmes) were strong in their roles, most notably Oldman and Murphy. Two diverse actors who seem to be able to take on any role, Oldman and Murphy provided two of the strongest performances, each one on opposite sides of the law. Oldman portrayed the morally, uncorrupted Sgt. James Gordon while Murphy played the psychopharmacologist Dr. Jonathan Crane (and villain The Scarecrow).

Christian Bale won the title role over numerous big name actors because Nolan felt he could portray both sides of the character, light and dark, believeably. Bale worked hard and studied everything about the superhero and it showed in his performance. He was every bit the young, wealthy, trustfund-spoiled Bruce Wayne and the struggling, tormented, confused, newly created Batman. Bale was not able to connect with the audience in the same way that Keaton did in the earlier films, however, he was able to do something that Keaton was not; develop both sides of the character from the beginning by providing a back story for the character. Bale's one major downfall, however, was that horrible, gruff voice he used when he was Batman. Whoever approved that voice needs their ears checked immediately. Sorry, Bale. You can't fake that great Batman-voice that Keaton showed the world in 1989. 

The role of Alfred, Bruce Wayne's butler and father figure, was played by Michael Caine. An excellent choice. Caine provided the moral compass for Bruce Wayne/Batman and a place for him to call home. At times, Caine was also able to provide the comic relief in a film that was saturated with pain and fear. 

The incomparable Liam Neeson took on the central villain, Ra's al Ghul, who begins as a mentor for Bruce Wayne under the pseudonym Henri Ducard, before revealing that he is in fact the criminal mastermind Ra's al Ghul. Neeson's Ghul was set on purging Gotham City so that is may once again have the chance to become a great city. Neeson was a phenomenal choice for the part; he's believeable as a mentor and because of that, it was a great twist to find out that he was in fact the man behind all of the mayhem in Gotham. Unlike past Batman films, the villain played a distant second to Batman, a move that was both needed and respected by film goers and critics alike. Neeson was able to portray this omnious villain without overshadowing the main, title character. 

Katie Holmes portrayed Rachel Dawes, Bruce Wayne's childhood friend and Gotham's assistant district attorney. Not much to say about Holmes. She is a terrible actor who managed to be okay in a well sought after role that could have gone to better actors like Rachel MacAdams or Sarah Michelle Gellar. The character, as a love interest for Batman, was pretty good. It grounded him as Bruce Wayne and propelled him in a "hero must save the damsel in distress" type way as Batman. The biggest fail with this love interest, however, was the lack of chemistry between Bale and Holmes. Sometimes, you just can't fake it. And this onscreen relationship seemed very fake. 

Final Verdict: A great origin story that has since been used as a guiding tool for several other superhero films (ie The Amazing Spiderman and X-Men's Origins: Wolverine). A breath of fresh air in the superhero/comic book genre; a film that focuses more on the story than the action. Well done Mr. Nolan. This is the Dark Knight fans love to see. 

Even Tim Burton agrees: "[Nolan] captured the real spirit that these kind of movies are supposed to have nowadays. When I did Batman 20 years ago, it was a different time in comic book movies. You couldn't go into that dark side of comics yet. The last couple of years that has become acceptable and Nolan certainly got more to the root of what the Batman comics are about."

Look for part four of my look back into the Batman franchise tomorrow! 

What did you think of Christian Bale as Batman?

Holy rusted metal Batman!

As promised, here is part two of my ramblings on the Batman franchise.


Up next: Batman Forever and Batman and Robin.

Batman Forever
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey
Box office gross: $336,531,112 (Worldwide)

"Riddle me this, riddle me that, who's afraid of the big, black bat?"

After the first two Tim Burton directed Batman movies, parental groups deemed them too dark and Warner Bros. thought the film could have made more money. (It always comes down to the all mighty dollar with these production companies.) They decided it was time to make the Batman franchise more mainstream and brought Joel Schumacher in to direct while Burton stayed on as a producer.
Forever lacked all of the pain and anguish that Burton created in the first two installments in the franchise. It was definitely more colourful, bright, loud and appealed to a broader audience than its predecessors. However, in doing this, the franchise began to return to the campy 60s Adam West Batman series and away from the dark, tormented Batman we were drawn to when the series started.

Michael Keaton rightfully stepped away from the lead role as Gotham's superhero because he did not like the new direction the franchise as heading in. Val Kilmer was brought in to attempt to fill Keaton's shoes because Schumacher became interested in him after seeing his performance in Tombstone. Kilmer had a tough job; who could imagine taking on a role that was so well done before them? He muddled through the film, never emulating the characteristics of Batman that make him such a unique superhero. He was in no way believable as the Dark Knight or Bruce Wayne. Sorry, Kilmer. But you never had a chance.

Next up in the series for Batman to face were two completely opposite villains: Two-Face and The Riddler, played by Tommy Lee Jones and Jim Carrey respectively.
The addition of these two diverse actors to the series was good on paper. Unfortunately, this did not transfer to the big screen. Jones' portrayal of Two-Face was laughable - and not in a good way! He provided no depth to the character and paled in comparison to The Riddler. Can't blame everything on Jones, however. Not much you can do when the writing is atrocious!

Carrey was the only logical choice to play The Riddler. His quirky sense of humour was a perfect fit for the villainous Riddler and his slim build was an added bonus as he had to wear that bright green unitard. At times, Carrey was over the top - but isn't that what this role was all about? Again, I must blame writing for inept use of Carrey's acting range. As most of his other roles have proven, he can do so much more than just two-bit jokes and gags.

Final Verdict: Hands down my least favourite in the franchise. I wish it never even happened. See it if you must, but I would highly recommend skipping over this ridiculous inclusion that doesn't contribute anything to the series. I would like to thank Warner Bros. for ruining everything Tim Burton accomplished with the first two films. For shame.

Batman and Robin
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris O'Donnell
Box office gross: $130,000,000 (Worldwide)

"If revenge is a dish best served cold, then put on your Sunday finest. It's time to feast!"

 The fourth and final installment in this part of the Batman franchise went completely off the mark. The film received 11 nominations at the 1997 Razzie Awards and it's easy to see why. Forever started the ball rolling in the return to the cheesy 60s TV Batman. A move that accomplished Warner Bros.'s goal of appealing to a greater audience and performing well at the box office but totally sacrificed the integrity of the franchise.

Joel Schumacher was once again brought on to direct and the project was fast-tracked in order to capitalize on the financial success of Forever. Schumacher wanted to pay homage to the campy style of the 60s sitcom and he did that in spades. The film was even more colourful, loud and downright cheesy than its predecessor and lost all of the appeal from the first two films.

And what was with the costumes? Batman's suit looked like something a male stripper would wear! All of a sudden, each suit had nipples and enlarged, emphasized codpieces. And what was with all the close up shots of butts and crotches? So much for a family-friendly action movie. 

George Clooney was cast as the title character after Kilmer was fired (but sort of quit?). Schumacher believed that Clooney could provide a lighter interpretation of the character than Keaton. Well, I guess he did. But Batman isn't a "light" character. He's the Dark Knight for goodness sake! Clooney was without a doubt, the worst Batman EVER. Mike LaSalle from the San Francisco Chronicle called Clooney the "big zero of the film". That pretty much sums it up nicely.

Chris O'Donnell and Alicia Silverstone portrayed Robin and Batgirl. I'm not even going to go into this addition of two ridiculous characters to an already ridiculous film. They were useless in this film.

The only saving grace of this movie was Arnold Schwarzenegger as Mr. Freeze. Schwarzenegger is the perfect cheesy action star for a cheesy action movie - when the film works. I thought he did an okay job as the biologist turned villain who was trying to save his terminally ill wife. His cheesy one-liners brought much needed comic relief to a movie that basically made you sick to watch.

Final Verdict: If the franchise had begun as a campy homage to the 60s TV series, this film would have been fine. Not good. Not bad. Just fine. However, this film destroyed any hope that Warner Bros. had in continuing a successful Batman franchise at the time. Skip it. It's a waste of time. George Clooney stated: "I think we might have killed the franchise" and he was right. Until Christopher Nolan came along.

Later today I will take on the first two installments of the reboot Dark Knight series helmed by Christopher Nolan.

What was your favourite film from the first series in the franchise?

And where is the Batman? He's at home! Washing his tights!

With the release of The Dark Knight Rises just around the corner, I've decided to take a look at all the Batman films and discuss my thoughts on which ones were good and which ones were God awful. 

First, I think it's important to note that I am a Batman fan. Have been since I first watched Tim Burton's Batman in 1989 and will probably always be. I will try my best not to be too biased while discussing the six Batman films that have hit the big screen in the past 20+ years (I will NOT be discussing the 1966 Adam West Batman film).

Batman (1989)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Jack Nicholson and Kim Basinger
Box Office Gross: $411,348,924 (Worldwide)

"Tell me something my friend, you ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?"

Why was this movie one of the most successful in the entire Batman franchise? A few reasons: Directing, writing, and casting. All of these elements were spot on. Tim Burton's vision of a dark and corrupted Gotham City was pure art. Like all of his films, Burton was able to create a world no one else could ever dream of.

Michael Keaton's portrayal of Batman was exactly how I would imagine the superhero to be. Edgy, dark, obsessed as the caped crusader and still able to convince the audience that he was the super rich/super smart Bruce Wayne.

And what can I say about the genius that was Jack Nicholson as Joker? He was funny, menacing and downright insane, bringing one of the most villainous comic book characters to life. His one-liners were impeccable - "Never rub another man's rhubarb" - what the hell does that even mean? Who cares! It was hilarious!

Final Verdict - My favourite in the franchise, Burton's Batman brought new life to the campy series from the 60s and reminded fans why the superhero is dubbed "The Dark Knight". Without this version of the film, there would not be the current Dark Knight series.

Batman Returns (1992)
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer and Danny DeVito
Box Office Gross: $282,800,000 (Worldwide)

"My name is not Oswald! It's Penguin! I am not a human being. I am an animal! Cold-blooded!"

After the success of Batman, Burton signed on for the sequel, Batman Returns, on the condition that the new film would offer something new and exciting. Did it ever! Returns was significantly darker than its predecessor and although it didn't perform as well at the box office, it met with critical praise for its characters and Burton's creation of a one-of-a-kind atmosphere in which these dark characters reside.

Michael Keaton once again delivered as the manic-depressive title character. With this performance, he raised the bar for any other actor ever attempting to tackle this dynamic and layered character.

Danny DeVito as Penguin is kismet. Who else could portray this short, nasty, complex, and evil character? He embraced the role, becoming every bit of a sewer-dwelling penguin, right down to snacking on raw fish. At times, you felt for the character, wondering what could have been. But then he would do something maniacal like biting the nose of an innocent campaign manager and you would remember he was an evil monster. Though not as captivating as Nicholson's Joker, DeVito provided a dark villain to challenge the Dark Knight.

Michelle Pfeiffer's Catwoman. Is there any other Catwoman? Honestly, when I think of this character, I think of Pfeiffer's portrayal. She was sexy, enigmatic and strong. She embodied the Catwoman persona to a T. The only female lead in this film, Pfeiffer went toe to toe with some devilishly talented actors and stood out among them.

Final Verdict - A phenomenal sequel to a classic film. Every bit a "Tim Burton film", Returns delivers in all aspects and is a spectacle that deserves to be seen.

Tomorrow, I will take on the final two installments in the first Batman film franchise series and Friday will be the first two from the reboot, Dark Knight series.

What are some of your favourite one-liners from the first Batman film?

What's Your Favourite Scary Movie?

Scream 4, directed by Wes Craven, starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox.

The Story:

It's been 10 years since the Woodsboro Massacre, (the events which took place in the original Scream) and Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), now an author of a bestselling book, returns to her hometown on the first stop of her book signing tour. Sidney reconnects with her young cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and friends Dewey Riley (David Arquette) and Gale Weathers-Riley (Courteney Cox). Unfortunately, Sidney's arrival also brings out the return of Ghostface putting all those connected to Sidney in danger.

This movie was a gimmie for me. I am a huge fan of the Scream franchise. However, I was a little skeptical about the release of a 4th movie in the series. And yes, it is a 4th in the series, not a remake as some people have mistakenly branded it.

I was thoroughly impressed with this film. From the beginning, I felt like I was watching the original. Not in the sense that the 4th film was regugitating old concepts from the original, it was more like the newer film was revitalizing elements from the older film; elements that made Scream such a good series.

Casting was on point. Emma Roberts as the new "Sidney" was a smart choice. However, though her character was in some ways like Sidney Prescott, she was also vastly different. Neve Campbell was still the main character; something a Scream fan would truly appreciate. The character of Sidney is the ultimate survivor - the one that defies all horror movie stereotypes, and it was nice to see that this notion was kept intact.

As in the past three Scream films, the opening sequence is witty, scary and clever. It's not often a film can do that, let alone a horror film. Bravo, Mr. Craven. Bravo. 

If you're a Scream fan, you will be happy with what Wes Craven and Kevin Williamson (the genius pair that originally brought Scream to the big screen) have created with this fourth installment in the franchise. If you're new to the franchise, start from the beginning before tackling this fourth film as you will not appreciate the storyline without knowing the back story.

Verdict: See it.

Rotten Tomatoes
Imdb

And going back to the title of this blog (the famous line uttered in the first Scream movie) What is your favourite scary movie?

*Apologies for the extreme lateness of this post. I have been severely neglecting this blog and have decided to dedicate more time to it. This post was sitting in the draft section and I decided not to waste it. Stay tuned for more posts more often!

Until next time; Dance Magic Dance!