ENTERTAINMENT ESSENTIALS: Batman
For this week’s Entertainment Essentials, we’re taking you back to the summer of 1989. Jive Bunny's at number one, Seinfeld has made its debut on US TV and one word dominates the minds of filmgoers: Batman. One of the most successful films of the 1980s, Tim Burton’s delve into the world of the caped crusader brought the blockbuster bang up to date and remains hugely popular among twenty-somethings keen for a blast of sweet nostalgia. However, the rose-tinted glasses can be funny old things, and just as they’ve opened the door for Take That to make their horrifying return, so to have they worked their curious magic on Batman.
In the works for well over a decade, the film was originally scheduled for release in the late 70s/early 80s when it could take advantage of the overwhelming success of the first Superman flick. However, production problems kept the movie on hold and by the time it finally emerged in 1989, the fairy tale innocence of post-Vietnam blockbuster cinema (Superman, Star Wars et al), had hardened into the violent cynicism of Rambo and Die Hard.
Thankfully for producers, the comic book industry had kept up with the times. Titles such as The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller) and The Killing Joke (Alan Moore) had turned Batman from a campy caped crusader into a brooding detective looking for justice on the rain-drenched streets of Gotham. Mixing realism, emotion and sometimes horror, these books were wildly popular and their success inspired studio bosses to turn earlier scripts that had included Robin, The Penguin and Batgirl into something altogether more dark and adult.
Though bold and daring at the time, this decision can now be seen as the film's biggest problem. In trying to make a movie that had both darkness and mass-appeal, the filmmakers turned Batman 1989 into a mess of competing styles. Is it a gritty comic ripped straight from the work of Moore and Miller? Is it a dark, gothic fantasy with a brooding hero and deranged villain? Or is it a straight-up summer blockbuster with celebrity cameos and Prince soundtrack?
In truth, it’s all of the above, but what it most certainly is not is a Tim Burton film. Though the odd shot (the Batwing hauling away the Joker's ghastly parade balloons), idea (the Joker's teeth giggling post-death) or scene (The Joker's much parodied creation), are distinctly Burton-esque, the script, characters and themes are imported straight from Blockbuster 101 and you can almost see the maverick director wince as he limply shoots his way through Vikki Vale‘s love scenes with Bruce Wayne.
The one aspect of the film that does seem true to his style is Gotham itself. However, even this is misleading as the city was designed not by the director, but the late Anton Furst. One of the greatest production designers cinema has ever been blessed with, his career was short (he committed suicide in 1991) but brilliant, having also turned a disused British gasworks into Vietnam for Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket. Batman’s Gotham is his Gotham, not Burton’s, a fact that further adds to the film’s confused sense of authorship and is especially underlined when you compare it to superior sequel Batman Returns.
With Furst no longer around, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands designer Bo Welsh was enlisted to build the Dark Knight’s dark city and the differences are clear to see. Whereas Furst’s Gotham is one of menace and darkness, ripped from the pages of Miller and Moore; Welsh’s is one of whimsy and colour, ripped from his director‘s imagination. It’s Vincent. It’s Edward Scissorhands. It’s The Corpse Bride. It’s totally in tune with Burton who, for all his quirks and twists, is simply not dark enough to accommodate Furst’s masterfully macabre Gotham.
Indeed, looking back now, the city also seems too dark for producers, because rather than complimenting Furst’s murky aesthetics with an equally grim script, they keep the rest of the film light and almost fluffy. The love story between Wayne and Vale feels tokenistic; we never get any real sense of our hero’s pain over his parents’ death (a flaw only exacerbated by the brilliant Batman Begins) and Jack Nicholson’s Joker is so over-the-top he makes Cesar Romero look like Marlon Brando.
Batman 1989 will forever have its place in history for not only that ridiculous performance, but also its groundbreaking marketing campaign and sensational design. But it’s a film lacking cohesion, substance and a clear sense of authorship and, with The Joker set to return to our screens in next year’s The Dark Knight, perhaps it’s time to let Burton’s film sail off into the past where it belongs.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
THE EDITOR
WATCHING: A View To A Kill. For a long time, I've supported the theory that this is the worst of the official Bond films, but after watching it again, I've decided that it's a bit unfair. Sure, there's some bad moments, and Roger Moore was much, MUCH too old by this stage to be convincing in the role, but it's a lot more fun than the frankly dull Octopussy, so moves above it in my rankings. And it's got a good theme tune, though it's clear at this stage that 007 needed a massive overhaul, which he got with the excellent The Living Daylights.
LISTENING TO: As usual, a real mixture. Third Eye Blind's debut album brought back lots of happy memories and still sounds very fresh even ten years (or so) on. On a more recent tip there's Viva Voce Loves You, a small collection of great tracks from Viva Voce's albums, taking the cream of the crop and reminding us just how good they are. Hopefully enticing some new people in as well, and there'll be a full review at the weekend. What else? Oh yeah, My Morning Jacket rule, and I've just been introduced into frankly scary world of Dan Deacon by a work colleague...
READING: Lisey's Story by Stephen King. He doesn't bring out books at quite the pace he used to, but his 'retirement' hasn't exactly slowed King down much, this being his second book in as many years, with a couple more already scheduled for release. Lisey's Story is a twist on his frequent theme of tortured writers (ie, himself), with the tale focusing on the writer's widow Lisey, who is going through his possessions and uncovering a dark and mysterious world. Not read much so far, but it looks like a good mix of genuine pathos and love with the usual 'ordinary life is scarier than vampires' King fantasy/horror magic.
THE WRITER
WATCHING: How I Met Your Mother. Despite being tossed around the BBC schedules last year, this superb romantic sitcom from producers Craig Thomas and Carter Bays is well worth getting into on DVD. Following twenty-something singleton Ted as he attempts to find 'the one', it's understandably been compared to Friends. However, HIMYM is actually superior to its 90s counterpart thanks to its superb cast, sharp wit and ability to be genuinely touching without being cloying or insincere.
LISTENING TO: Bloc Party, Silent Alarm. Bloc Party are one of those frustrating bands who are oh-so-nearly perfect. Lyrically and musically, they excel themselves and can justifiably be regarded as the next Radiohead. However, I struggle with Kele Okereke's voice. While it's suitably intimate, it's also tough to take in over the course of a whole album. Stuck on an MP3 player, dispersed with other songs though it works well and Banquet, This Modern Love and Little Thoughts really are sensational tracks.
READING: Bruce Campbell, If Chins Could Kill. My trawl through the world of Sam Raimi continues with this autobiography of his 'muse' Bruce Campbell. A real B-movie legend, Campbell may never have hit it big in Hollywood (well, unless you count all his cameos in Raimi's films), but his self-deprecating humour and incredible physicality make him one of a kind and his book a ripping good read.
WATCHING: A View To A Kill. For a long time, I've supported the theory that this is the worst of the official Bond films, but after watching it again, I've decided that it's a bit unfair. Sure, there's some bad moments, and Roger Moore was much, MUCH too old by this stage to be convincing in the role, but it's a lot more fun than the frankly dull Octopussy, so moves above it in my rankings. And it's got a good theme tune, though it's clear at this stage that 007 needed a massive overhaul, which he got with the excellent The Living Daylights.
LISTENING TO: As usual, a real mixture. Third Eye Blind's debut album brought back lots of happy memories and still sounds very fresh even ten years (or so) on. On a more recent tip there's Viva Voce Loves You, a small collection of great tracks from Viva Voce's albums, taking the cream of the crop and reminding us just how good they are. Hopefully enticing some new people in as well, and there'll be a full review at the weekend. What else? Oh yeah, My Morning Jacket rule, and I've just been introduced into frankly scary world of Dan Deacon by a work colleague...
READING: Lisey's Story by Stephen King. He doesn't bring out books at quite the pace he used to, but his 'retirement' hasn't exactly slowed King down much, this being his second book in as many years, with a couple more already scheduled for release. Lisey's Story is a twist on his frequent theme of tortured writers (ie, himself), with the tale focusing on the writer's widow Lisey, who is going through his possessions and uncovering a dark and mysterious world. Not read much so far, but it looks like a good mix of genuine pathos and love with the usual 'ordinary life is scarier than vampires' King fantasy/horror magic.
THE WRITER
WATCHING: How I Met Your Mother. Despite being tossed around the BBC schedules last year, this superb romantic sitcom from producers Craig Thomas and Carter Bays is well worth getting into on DVD. Following twenty-something singleton Ted as he attempts to find 'the one', it's understandably been compared to Friends. However, HIMYM is actually superior to its 90s counterpart thanks to its superb cast, sharp wit and ability to be genuinely touching without being cloying or insincere.
LISTENING TO: Bloc Party, Silent Alarm. Bloc Party are one of those frustrating bands who are oh-so-nearly perfect. Lyrically and musically, they excel themselves and can justifiably be regarded as the next Radiohead. However, I struggle with Kele Okereke's voice. While it's suitably intimate, it's also tough to take in over the course of a whole album. Stuck on an MP3 player, dispersed with other songs though it works well and Banquet, This Modern Love and Little Thoughts really are sensational tracks.
READING: Bruce Campbell, If Chins Could Kill. My trawl through the world of Sam Raimi continues with this autobiography of his 'muse' Bruce Campbell. A real B-movie legend, Campbell may never have hit it big in Hollywood (well, unless you count all his cameos in Raimi's films), but his self-deprecating humour and incredible physicality make him one of a kind and his book a ripping good read.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
THE WRITER
WATCHING: Barton Fink. A fascinating, intricate and ambitious film though it may be, Barton Fink, like many of the Coen Brothers’ films, is a little to arch for me to completely love. As far as I‘m concerned, Joel and Ethan are at their best when they venture out of Coen-world and into the real world a little (as in Blood Simple, Fargo and The Man Who Wasn’t There), something Fink never quite manages to do. New film No Country For Old Men, which is apparently a return to Blood Simple territory, looks to be far more my kinda Coen…
LISTENING TO: Travis, The Man Who. They may be deemed uncool and boring nowadays, but Travis are still one of the best bands of the 90s and The Man Who is their best album. The teenage alienation of As You Are, the intimacy of The Last Laugh of the Laughter (awful title, I am prepared to admit) and the melancholia of Why Does It Always Rain On Me? make the band’s sophomore effort a rich and textured piece of work that puts many of today’s bland, one-note bands to shame.
READING: Spider-Man Fairy Tales Issue 1. A rather curious, but really quite brilliant version of Little Red Riding Hood recast in a medieval-style Spider-Man universe. Spidey's still doing his stuff of course, but the focus here is very much on Mary Jane (Little Red Riding Hood herself), who must choose between being her own woman or being loyal and dutiful as her mother says she should be. C.B. Cebulski's writing is rich and layered with allegory, while the art from Ricardo Tercio is suitably atmospheric. A must-read if you want a break from the Civil War/Back in Black tripe that Marvel keep weighing poor Spidey down with.
THE EDITOR
WATCHING: Not seen a film for weeks now, so it's all TV here. Gradually catching up on the end of the current seasons of Lost and 24 (no thanks to Sky and Virgin Media). Also had the end of Desperate Housewives, which was a genuinely quite shocking ending to a pretty decent season with plenty of the darker moments and not too many of the girly moments. Oh, and there's Big Brother, but thankfully not too much of that so far.
LISTENING TO: The new Ash album, which I'll go into more detail about when I do a proper review in a few weeks, but it's definitely a 'grower'. Also been listening to Brother Bones & His Shadows, a weird CD of 'bones' music that includes the Harlem Globetrotters' theme tune. There's also The Left Banke getting a lot of 'rotation' at the moment, along with some classic 1970s Aerosmith. Can't beat it.
READING: Just back off holidays, so there's a lot of this. Finished The Dream Life Of Suhkanov, then started Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and read it in a couple of days. Then there was The Promise Of Happiness by Justin Cartwright, which was ok, but not great, same goes for Panic by Jeff Abbott, which was a great page-turner, if short on substance. And finally (in no particular order) is Red Dust by Ma Jian, a great true story about an artist in Communist China who gets sick of life in Beijing and heads off on the road across the vast expanses of his country.
WATCHING: Barton Fink. A fascinating, intricate and ambitious film though it may be, Barton Fink, like many of the Coen Brothers’ films, is a little to arch for me to completely love. As far as I‘m concerned, Joel and Ethan are at their best when they venture out of Coen-world and into the real world a little (as in Blood Simple, Fargo and The Man Who Wasn’t There), something Fink never quite manages to do. New film No Country For Old Men, which is apparently a return to Blood Simple territory, looks to be far more my kinda Coen…
LISTENING TO: Travis, The Man Who. They may be deemed uncool and boring nowadays, but Travis are still one of the best bands of the 90s and The Man Who is their best album. The teenage alienation of As You Are, the intimacy of The Last Laugh of the Laughter (awful title, I am prepared to admit) and the melancholia of Why Does It Always Rain On Me? make the band’s sophomore effort a rich and textured piece of work that puts many of today’s bland, one-note bands to shame.
READING: Spider-Man Fairy Tales Issue 1. A rather curious, but really quite brilliant version of Little Red Riding Hood recast in a medieval-style Spider-Man universe. Spidey's still doing his stuff of course, but the focus here is very much on Mary Jane (Little Red Riding Hood herself), who must choose between being her own woman or being loyal and dutiful as her mother says she should be. C.B. Cebulski's writing is rich and layered with allegory, while the art from Ricardo Tercio is suitably atmospheric. A must-read if you want a break from the Civil War/Back in Black tripe that Marvel keep weighing poor Spidey down with.
THE EDITOR
WATCHING: Not seen a film for weeks now, so it's all TV here. Gradually catching up on the end of the current seasons of Lost and 24 (no thanks to Sky and Virgin Media). Also had the end of Desperate Housewives, which was a genuinely quite shocking ending to a pretty decent season with plenty of the darker moments and not too many of the girly moments. Oh, and there's Big Brother, but thankfully not too much of that so far.
LISTENING TO: The new Ash album, which I'll go into more detail about when I do a proper review in a few weeks, but it's definitely a 'grower'. Also been listening to Brother Bones & His Shadows, a weird CD of 'bones' music that includes the Harlem Globetrotters' theme tune. There's also The Left Banke getting a lot of 'rotation' at the moment, along with some classic 1970s Aerosmith. Can't beat it.
READING: Just back off holidays, so there's a lot of this. Finished The Dream Life Of Suhkanov, then started Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and read it in a couple of days. Then there was The Promise Of Happiness by Justin Cartwright, which was ok, but not great, same goes for Panic by Jeff Abbott, which was a great page-turner, if short on substance. And finally (in no particular order) is Red Dust by Ma Jian, a great true story about an artist in Communist China who gets sick of life in Beijing and heads off on the road across the vast expanses of his country.
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