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TomAyles
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The Batman Superman Movie: World's Finest (1997)
Wonderful tale of the first meeting between Batman and Superman.
Batman and Superman were stars of DC Comics' World's Finest comic book for years before DC got the brilliant idea of having them appear together as a team. Since then there have been several tales of the "first meeting" between these two classic super heroes. None of them matches the strength of this movie, which is one of the best full-length movie versions of either of the characters. As with all of the animated Batman shows, this is suitable for both kids and adults.
The Sixth Sense (1999)
Gripping, edge-of-the-seat thriller.
This is what all horror movies should be -- thrilling and suspenseful, without the gore and scantily clad babes that generally define the genre. Bruce Willis turns in one of his finest performances as a psychologist helping a young boy who believes he can see ghosts. If you like Hitchcock, you'll like this film. Just thinking about it gives me chills!
Batman & Robin (1997)
Joel Schumaker destroys the Batman movie franchise.
This movie has no redeeming qualities. It takes everything that was bad about Batman Forever (an okay, but not particularly good movie) and makes it worse. The first Tim Burton Batman movie had one hero (Batman), one love interest (Vickie Vale), and one villain (The Joker). Batman Returns had one hero, and two villains, one of which doubled as the love interest. Batman Forever had two heros (Batman and Robin), two villains (Two Face and The Riddler) and one love interest (Dr. Chase Meridian). As the number of main characters increased, the ability to develop those characters (much less any meaningful plot) decreased. So, what does Schumaker do in his (hopefully) final interpretation of Batman? He has three heros (Batman, Robin, and Batgirl), two villains (Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy), and a love interest (Julie Madison)!!!
The movie had potential, since both Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy are great villains who have been portrayed very well in both the comics and the animated series. And the inclusion of Bane and Jason Woodrue held potential for playing major roles in future movies. Similarly, Julie Madison's appearance was a great touch aimed at the die-hard comics fans -- I don't believe she has appeared in the comics since 1939. But the potential was wasted by a director more interested in flash, camp, and puns than in producing anything true Batman fans want.
12 Monkeys (1995)
The best science fiction movie ever made.
The unlikely combination of Bruce Willis in a Terry Gilliam film turns out to be the best thing either of them has ever done. I've never been a big fan of Bruce Willis' action movies, but he's at the top of his form as a reluctant time traveller / psychiatric patient. Terry Gilliam, on the other hand, proves that he can make a fairly mainstream, psychological thriller while still imparting his cynically comical world view.
The structure of the movie, constantly switching between the supposed future, where Bruce Willis's character is a prisoner being forced to go back in time to find the origins of the virus that drove humans underground, and the present, where he is considered delusional for his belief that he is from the future, is expertly handled such that it's impossible to tell which is "reality". Willis does a fantastic job capturing the despair he feels as he becomes increasingly unsure of the truth and his own sanity.
Everything about this movie is perfect -- the story, the acting, the direction, the scenery, the plot twists, and, especially, the ending. Far more than just a "fun" science fiction movie, you'll be thinking and talking about this movie for months.
Tank Girl (1995)
Great B-Grade Fun!
If you hate campy, B-Grade science fiction movies based on comic books then stay away from Tank Girl. On the other hand, if you are a fan of the Tank Girl comics, or just love fun, irreverent movies with strong, sarcastic, ass-kicking female protaganists, give this movie a try. It is absolutely one of the best-produced and directed films in this genre.
Batman Forever (1995)
Jim Carrey saves an otherwise worthless movie.
I went into this movie skeptical of Joel Schumaker, who I had heard wanted to take a lighter approach to Batman after Tim Burton's film noir movies, but excited about Tommy Lee Jones who seemed like he was made to play Two Face. As it turns out, I was right to be skeptical of Schmaker, but wrong to be excited about Tommy Lee Jones, who played Two Face as an oaf instead of a brilliant former D.A. gone mad. Fortunately, Jim Carrey's over-the-top interpretation of the Riddler, one of my least favorite Batman villains, was enough to make me enjoy an otherwise trite, campy, and generally bad movie. There were too many characters, of which only the Riddler had any depth at all; too many flashy action sequences; and too little plot or character development.
If you didn't care for Tim Burton's dark vision of Batman, maybe you'll like this instead. But I would instead recommend seeing the animated Batman: Mask of the Phantasm -- which finds an excellent balance between presenting a Batman fit for both kids and adults, while still capturing the essentially dark, obsessed nature of Batman and his nemeses.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Fantastic story telling, amazing imagery, and a great cast.
The two best things about this film are the story-telling techniques and the imagery, both proving that Quentin Tarentino is the finest film maker of our time. The story jumps around in both time and place, switching between a large set of seemingly independent characters and stories which all intersect to make a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. And the juxtaposition of images is amazing: the rich drug kingpin's wife overdosing on the floor of a low-level drug dealers home; the mob enforcers covered in blood in a suburban, middle class house; Bruce Willis walking down some stairs, carrying a sword, wearing a white t-shirt splattered red with blood standing in front of a blue background and proving that there can be honour among thieves. You don't so much watch the movie as experience it.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993)
Great fun for kids, adults, Batman fans, and non-fans alike!
It's extremely difficult to do a live-action movie of a comic book character. Comics just don't translate to live action film without appearing somewhat hokie. Yet, long time Batman fans know that the Batman comics have produced some excellent stories, long on plot, character development, and emotional drama. Enter Batman: The Animated Series, a cartoon that succeeded in bringing the best of the comic series to television without any of the camp of the 1960's tv series.
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm was developed by the same group that did the animated series, and is easily the best feature-length Batman film ever. Suitable for kids, yet with a plot that will suck in any adult, this is how Batman should be portrayed.
Batman Returns (1992)
Despite the controversies, this is the best live-action Batman movie.
Batman Returns was attacked by sponsors and parents for being "too dark". Indeed, it is the most grotesque and "adult" of the live action Batman movies. But, with the single exception of the short-lived Batman tv series, Batman has always been at his most popular when he has been portrayed as a dark avenger of the night. During his first year, as the cover hero on National Periodical's Detective Comics (from which DC Comics eventually took its name), he carried a gun and showed little compassion for villains, some of whom he would throw off of roofs. His background, with his parents being murdered in front of his eyes while a child; his single-minded obsession with avenging their death through a war on crime; and his environment (have you seen the whackos that populate Gotham's underworld?) lend themselves to film noir detective stories, and that's exactly what Batman Returns is.
Another complaint is the "mucking" with the Batman legend by changing the origins of both Catwoman and The Penguin. But, as I said in my review of the first Tim Burton Batman movie, even the comic books change various portions of the Batman legend every five to ten years. No one who is a true Batman fan can ever take seriously complaints that a given interpretation "changes" the Batman legend, because it has been changed so many times that there is no "official" version. Batman is a heroic archetype which has been interpreted in incredibly different ways by the various creators who have worked with him.
If your favorite Batman is the television show of the 1960's or the comics of the 1950's, then you almost certainly won't like this movie. But, if you prefer the original Bob Kane Batman from 1939, Denny O'Neil's Batman of the early 1970's, or Frank Miller's Batman writings in the 1980's, then you will love it.
Batman (1989)
A very good interpretation of Batman and his best known nemesis.
At the time it was made, this was the best interpretation of the Batman legend outside of the print medium. Since then, both Batman Returns and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm have proven it can be done even better. But this doesn't detract from a fun, action-filled movie without any of the camp from the old tv show. Of course, the main reason to see the movie is Jack Nicholson's excellent portrayal of The Joker. And long-time comics fans should be happy with the return of Vickie Vale, played very well by Kim Basinger.
The movie contains some "liberties" with the classic Batman mythos, including The Joker's real name being given as Jack Napier and the idea that he murdered Bruce Wayne's parents. But even in the comics little details like this change every five to ten years as the stories are updated for new audiences, so complaints about this are truly picking at nits. Overall, this is a great adaptation of a comic book classic.