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It’s baffling just how easy it is to take a good movie for granted after watching it so many times that its success appears to have been inevitable. And while seeing your work become a household name seems like an artist’s greatest achievement, it’s a shame that this process can sometimes overshadow the weird and risky choices that made these projects so unique.

A great example of this is Tim Burton’s Batman duology – two wildly popular films that a lot of people forget were actually deeply strange productions which almost certainly couldn’t have been made today. And in honor of Batman’s 85th Anniversary Event, today I’d like to look back on Burton’s only foray into comic-book adaptations and reevaluate these films as I believe the director always intended: as expressionist monster movies.

It’s no secret that the character of Batman has...

By this stage, seeing Bruce Wayne's parents die has become a well-worn cinematic trope in and of itself. Like poor old Uncle Ben in the "Spider-Man" movies, Thomas and Martha Wayne have now perished in front of our eyes dozens of times, and that's to say nothing of the various comic book versions of their untimely demise.

It comes as a byproduct of the fact that Batman represents one of the most rich and infinitely reinventable characters in all fiction. Comic writers and film and TV directors have all had a go at iterating on the classic tale of Bruce Wayne's transformation from privileged son of Gotham aristocrats to a "weird figure of the dark," as his alter-ego was dubbed in 1939's "Detective Comics" #33. Almost 10 years after that story was first told, Batman's origin was revisited in 1948's "Batman" #47, which established mugger Joe Chill as the Waynes' killer. But subsequent...

Tim Burton is known for making odd movies but the central plot of Batman is on another level. The movie has the last type of plot you would expect from a film about the Caped Crusader. What’s even more unusual is that nobody seems to talk about this artistic choice.

Tim Burton’s ‘Batman’ is a twisted love triangle

We expect superhero stories to revolve around clashes of personality and attempts to save the world. Burton’s Batman is, in essence, a love triangle. Bruce Wayne loves a reporter named Vicki Vale who becomes the object of the Joker’s affections. Vicki is apparently fine with guys who wear bat costumes but not guys in clown costumes, so she goes for the Caped Crusader. Of course, the Joker has a habit of taking everything too far, so the film’s climax revolves around him kidnapping Vicki and Batman trying to save her.

"Batman & Robin" was so panned for its campiness that Warner Bros. had no choice but to pivot to a dark and gritty reboot, resulting in Christopher Nolan's acclaimed "Dark Knight" trilogy. This is filmmaking mythology almost as well-known as Batman's own origin of alleyway orphaning. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige even calls "Batman & Robin" one of the most important superhero movies, for it taught studios that fans wouldn't settle for schlock. In hindsight, it's almost unbelievable that "Batman & Robin" and "Batman Begins" premiered only eight years apart; the Dark Knight's fall didn't last long!

There were abandoned plans for director Joel Schumacher to make a third Batman film, though. "Batman Unchained," to be penned by Mark Protosevich (rather than previous screenwriter Akiva Goldsman) was supposedly going to be "darker." The villains would've been Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow and Harley Quinn, which makes sense. At the time,...

Tim Burton is back. The famous filmmaker, artist and guy who showed the world that not owning a comb isn’t a dealbreaker for Monica Bellucci technically never left, but now he’s made a movie that people actually want to see for the first time in a long while.

In addition to directing the highly-anticipated sequel Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Burton just received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And it’s well-deserved, considering his long career, which found him churning out modern classics, followed by some okay stuff, and eventually, a whole bunch of joyless CGI-filled remakes featuring Johnny Depp in increasingly goofy wigs.

Burton’s influence over the world of film has been so great, there are a number of movies with serious Tim Burton vibes that were in no way directed by Tim Burton. Some of the most Burton-y non-Burton projects include…

[subtitle]Stay Tuned [/subtitle]

The set-up...

1992’s Batman Returns remains, to this day, one of the best films on the Dark Knight created to date. Tamed by Tim Burton, it starred Michael Keaton in the lead as the iconic DC superhero and served as the more critically acclaimed sequel to his original titular 1989 film on the vigilante. But as much as the film was liked by fans and critics, it wasn’t always supposed to be this way.

Batman Returns. | Credits: Warner Bros.

As it turns out, the original screenwriter’s ideas for this sequel were more along the lines of ridiculous misadventures rather than superhero crusades of saving people against evil. If anything, the plotline decided was so campy that a different writer had to be brought on board for filmmaker Burton to finally agree to the script and sign on to direct the masterpiece!

Batman Returns Originally Aimed for a More Ridiculous Storyline

In the early 1990s,...

Have you ever been given a gift and then seen it destroyed? For example, let’s say someone gave you a beautiful yacht. It looks amazing and has every amenity you could ever wish for. You take it out one day to sea, go home, and then when you come back it’s been painted green and had a creepy clown statue turned into the figurehead. When you ask why the person who gave you the yacht would do this to your beautiful boat, you’re told “Well I think it looks better this way”. Now imagine that’s a superhero TV show and that it was created by a pair of people who were behind two of the greatest comic book movies of all time.

So what was that TV show? Well, it was called M.A.N.T.I.S. and who were the two creators? Sam Raimi and Sam Hamm. Yes, the...

Glen Powell is sharing his thoughts on playing the role of Batman and has some ideas.

In a new interview with GQ, Powell led a tour around the Warner Bros. Studio lot and came across the Batmobile section.

“I was always a Batman guy,” Powell said. “I would have a wild take on Batman. It definitely would not be like a Matt Reeves tone – it’d probably be closer to [Michael] Keaton.”

The reporter noted that Powell doesn’t have any interest in playing a superhero. When Powell found Keaton’s Batmobile, he said, “Oh, sick! See? This is the era.”

Powell does have a history in the DC Universe. In 2012, he was credited as Trader #1 in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.

“I get my head smashed in by Bane in The Dark Knight Rises,” he said.

Keaton starred as Batman in the 1989 superhero film directed by Tim Burton...

Killer Collectibles highlights five of the most exciting new horror products announced each and every week, from toys and apparel to artwork, records, and much more.

Here are the coolest horror collectibles unveiled this week!

Evil Dead Posters from Bottleneck Gallery

Bottleneck Gallery will release two Evil Dead posters today, March 29, at 9am Pst/12pm Est. Set an alarm if you’re hoping to snag one, because they’re going to move faster than a Deadite.

Adam “Readful Things” Perocchi’s The Evil Dead artwork is inspired by the classic RoboCop poster. 24×36 giclee prints, limited to 125, will cost $60. Evil Dead 2 by Jack Gregory is a 24×36 screen print, limited to 75, for $70.

Bad Lieutenant 4K Uhd from Kino Lorber

Bad Lieutenant shoots onto 4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray on May 21 via Kino Lorber. The 1992 neo-noir crime film has been newly restored in 4K from the original camera negative with Dolby Vision/Hdr.

Danny DeVito’s portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin in the 1992 film ‘Batman Returns’ is considered one of his most memorable performances. He underwent a significant physical transformation for the role and demonstrated a strong commitment to the character. DeVito brought both menace and humor to the character, earning him critical acclaim and recognition as one of the standout performances in the movie. Alongside Michael Keaton, who reprised his role as Batman in the 2023 film ‘The Flash,’ DeVito’s performance stood out.

Despite ‘Batman Returns’ being a commercial and critical disappointment, Keaton’s return to the role received widespread praise, sparking speculation about DeVito potentially reprising his role as well, this time within the DC Extended Universe (Dceu). In an interview with Screenrant, DeVito expressed his willingness to return to the role under one condition: if Tim Burton were to direct the film.

If Tim Burton was directing it, I...

Danny DeVito’s portrayal of Oswald Cobblepot / The Penguin in 1992 ‘Batman Returns’ is definitely one of his most iconic roles. He went through a major physical transformation to play it as well as showed remarkable dedication to the character. He was menacing but also managed to convey as certain dose of humor through the role. It earned him critical acclaim and is often cited as one of the best performances in the movie. DeVito starred alongside Michael Keaton and as we know, Keaton reprised his role as Batman in 2023 ‘Flash.’

Even though the movie was a commercial and critical failure and helped seal the fate of Dceu, Keateon’s reprisal of the role was highly praised, leading fans to ask whether there are chances that DeVito would be willing to reprise his role as well, this time under Dcu umbrella. In an interview with Screenrant, DeVito confirmed that he would...

Everything about the first trailer for the reboot of The Crow looks familiar. Sure, some of that is to be expected, as the 2024 movie retells the story from the 1994 cut classic. And yes, The Crow 2024 does make some obvious choices, casting Bill Skarsgård as a weird tall skinny guy and Danny Huston as a bad guy.

But besides the paint-by-numbers approach that director Rupert Sanders seems to be taking with the property, the really familiar part is The Crow‘s approach to comic book adaptations. Those young enough to have listened to the soundtrack to The Crow back in the ’90s will remember that the current pop culture landscape seemed impossible 30 years ago. Only the most recognizable superheroes got translated to live-action, and even then received a radical make-over, sanding down all of the colorful comic book aspects and stuck into a standard action flick.

In the pages of the...

Actor and stand-up comedian Marlon Wayans is known for his sitcom, The Wayans Bros. and films like Little Man and White Chicks. The actor is also known for his appearances in the Scary Movie franchise. While known mostly for his comedic roles, the actor also tried his hand at drama with Darren Aronofsky’s harrowing drama, Requiem for a Dream.

One of the most interesting bits of trivia for the comic and actor was that he was signed onto play Robin in Tim Burton’s Batman Returns. The dark sequel to 1989’s Batman initially planned to introduce Robin to the franchise, and Wayans would have a larger role in the threequel. However, plans reportedly fell through, and Wayans never played the role.

Marlon Wayans Was Supposed To Play Robin in Batman Returns A still from Batman | Credits: Warner Bros.

Before Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight trilogy changed the superhero genre,...

"Jaws" might have been the first blockbuster in 1975, but nearly 15 years later, 1989's "Batman" changed the definition of the term. Tim Burton's third studio movie not only proved a financial success, bringing in $411 million worldwide on a $35 million budget, it kicked off a summer of so-called "Bat-mania," becoming a bonafide phenomenon as Warner Bros. bombarded every facet of popular culture with Bat-themed merchandise. The "Batman" breakfast cereal commercial remains a personal favorite for the grandiose introduction of the product as "Batman, the cereal."

"Batman" becoming such a mega-hit was somewhat surprising, if only because the production itself had faced its share of challenges. Listing everything that was working against the film would take an entire article in and of itself, suffice it to say that Burton described bringing his vision to life as "torture." But despite the various struggles the director had to overcome, the film did have a lot working in its favor.

Last year, we lost Goodfellas star Ray Liotta, who passed away in his sleep at the age of 67. Now Deadline has shared a previously unreleased interview they conducted with Liotta a couple years before he died – and during the interview, Liotta mentioned that he felt stupid for turning down a role in director Tim Burton‘s 1989 version of Batman.

Batman first came up when Liotta was talking about writer/director Noah Baumbach’s Netflix-released film Marriage Story, which he had a role in. He said, “They started with the Batman stuff and triggered the whole comic book genre, and now most of the studios are putting an unbelievable amount of money into things like that. But movies like this one, Marriage Story… Thank God for Netflix, because they’ll finance your movie. I don’t know who else would give money for Marriage Story. It’s a great movie,...

Few Hollywood directors have managed to combine a distinctive artistic vision with tremendous commercial clout as successfully as Tim Burton. You can say what you want about his more recent output (I checked out after the heinous "Alice in Wonderland"), but there is no denying that the guy knows how to make a hit movie. In a career spanning almost 40 years and 19 films as a director, few of his movies have lost money, save for the likes of "Ed Wood." And even then, "Ed Wood" flopping felt like an appropriate tribute to its subject matter, the so-called worst director of all time who never found fame or made any money during his life.

Before the failure of his affectionate biopic of the man behind "Plan 9 From Outer Space," Burton had hit the ground running with a string of hits that showcased his left-field sensibilities while drawing in the crowds.

When I was a kid, my parents rented a wood-paneled Crt TV from the electronics store down the street. It had a dodgy remote control that only worked half the time and the picture quality was whatever the total opposite of 8K Hdr is. The first time I ever saw a movie was on its curved glass facade. But what I remember most about that tube TV is that it was the first screen on which I saw Michael Keaton's Batman.

Over the course of my life, I've tried at various points to figure out just what it was about the sculpted black rubber of Keaton's cowl that resonated so deeply. It felt elemental in some way, like it had existed long before Tim Burton brought it before a camera, and its image exists as a fundamental layer of developmental sediment in my mind. There were motor skills,...

The most memorable line in 1989's "Batman" is undoubtedly Michael Keaton's delivery of "I'm Batman." Growled in the opening moments as Batman dangles a thug off a Gotham high-rise, it's become as legendary a moment as any in the Dark Knight's cinematic saga. Since then, Batman movies have provided a steady stream of memorable quotes, from Christian Bale's snarling, "Swear to me" in "Batman Begins" to Robert Pattinson's emo Batman announcing "I'm Vengeance" in "The Batman."

But Tim Burton's "Batman" is notable for the sheer amount of quotable lines it packed into its 126 minutes. Alongside, "I'm Batman," which Keaton revived for his return as the Dark Knight in "The Flash" trailer, there's the moment Jack Nicholson's Joker famously wonders out loud about his nemesis' gadgets, "Where does he get those wonderful toys?" In fact, screenwriter Sam Hamm gave The Joker plenty of delectable lines,...

Michelle Pfeiffer put a live bird in her mouth in Batman Returns. Let that sink in for a moment: a respected thespian, who by 1992 had already received two Oscar nominations for Dangerous Liaisons (1989) and The Fabulous Baker Boys (1990), put a tricolored Gouldian finch inside her mouth. For nearly a minute! And she never broke character once as she portrayed the feline pleasure in avicide before letting the creature fly out (maybe) unscathed.

The scene is remarkable for a few reasons. First, in the days before CGI trickery (and constant social media scrutiny), filmmakers just went ahead and did something this bizarre for a shot. And secondly, director Tim Burton thought it was necessary to do this for Batman Returns, a studio tentpole with a bigger fiduciary responsibility to sell happy meals than create art in his boss’ minds, a fact he would soon find out the hard way.

Still, looking...

The second installment in the original film series, "Batman Returns" exemplified the potential of combining Tim Burton's unique style of directing with the Dark Knight. Centered once again on Michael Keaton as Batman, the sequel brought several classic DC characters to the big screen. From Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer) to the Penguin (Danny DeVito), "Returns" was chock-full of inspired performances that took the essence of the source material and made it their own. However, there was originally a plan to debut another familiar face. At one point, the film actually included Batman's trusty sidekick, Robin, and Burton had cast the role before cutting the character altogether.

Once upon a time, Marlon Wayans was set to make his superhero debut as the Boy Wonder in Burton's "Batman" sequel. After the smash success of the 1989 film, Warner Bros. was apparently insistent on including the character and added Wayans as Robin. Despite going through the casting process,...

In Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” we’re introduced to a fearsome new villain named Namor. Played by Mexican actor Tenoche Huerta, Namor comes from an undersea community, his life defined by subjugation and colonization. At one point, he explains the origins of his name: If amor means love, then he’s an outcast (a mutant) starved of affection. No amor. Namor. He’s without love, a loner. He’s also a loaner. Because Marvel Studios doesn’t actually control the character.

The situation around Namor harkens back to the pre-Marvel Studios/pre-Disney era of making movies out of Marvel Comics characters, before the studio streamlined and controlled intellectual property. Before Marvel Studios made “Iron Man” as its own independently produced film, the company was in the habit of licensing or selling off rights to characters to other studios — the X-Men went to Fox, Spider-Man went to Sony, etc.

In 2005, Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" introduced a darker and moodier version of the iconic superhero than had ever been seen on-screen before, and that angst and violence was further embraced by Matt Reeves' "The Batman" in 2022. For the first time in a while, moviegoers were given raw and brutal street fights between The Dark Knight and Gotham goons, and wanted more.

The overwhelming success of Nolan and Reeves' films proved that Batman fans longed for the tortured and barbaric version of the character after years of being dragged through goofy and childish portrayals of the vigilante in films such as 1966's "Batman," starring Adam West, and 1997's "Batman & Robin," starring George Clooney. Nolan's trilogy often receives credit, rightfully so, for tossing the grit and dirt back into the vigilante's image and tugging the film version of Batman closer to his graphic novel roots. However, Nolan wasn't the first...

For my money, director Tim Burton and star Michael Keaton’s second Caped Crusader collaboration Batman Returns (1992), written by recurring podcast guest Daniel Waters and Tfh Guru Sam Hamm, might very well be the best theatrical Batman flick ever. The Dark Knight has appeared in 15 theatrical feature films as of this writing, if you include his two Lego movie appearances. Released 30 years ago today, Returns was a definite hit, but received a slightly more muted box office reception than its 1989 smash predecessor.

When it was first unspooled, the moody, morbid and magnificent sequel grossed 162.8 million stateside (and 266.8 million worldwide), making it the third-biggest domestic blockbuster of 1992. Per The Numbers, that sum is equivalent to 359.8 million in 2022 dollars, a tastier tally than that brought in by the latest celluloid matchup between the Bat, the Cat, and the Penguin, the Robert Pattinson-starring three-hour crime epic The Batman.

The film received mixed-to-positive notices from critics,...

Antonio Campos, creator of the new HBO Max miniseries The Staircase, walks hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante through his favorite films noir.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Afterschool (2008)

The Devil All The Time (2020)

Rashomon (1950) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Typewriter, the Rifle & the Movie Camera (1996)

Raw Deal (1948) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

T-Men (1947) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

A Personal Journey with Martin Scorsese Through American Movies (1995)

House of Bamboo (1955) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Pickup On South Street (1953) – Sam Hamm’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

The Naked Kiss (1964)

Reign of Terror (1949)

Detour (1945) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Scarlet Street (1945)

The House on 92nd Street (1945) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Barry Lyndon (1975) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

The Killing (1956) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary

Kiss of Death (1947) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Kiss of Death...

Fans of a certain age will never forget a few great cinematic “almosts” in Batman movie history. Billy Dee Williams played Harvey Dent in Tim Burton’s first Batman movie, but we never got a chance to see his Harvey become the villainous Two-Face. Robin was supposed to appear in that film and then again in its sequel, but we never got to see how he would have looked on the big screen under Burton’s direction. And perhaps most famously, Michael Keaton never returned for a third turn as the Dark Knight after 1991’s Batman Returns.

But DC is giving fans the next best thing with Batman ’89, a comic book that is the closest thing to Tim Burton’s Batman III as we’ll ever get. Taking place a couple of years after Batman Returns, the series depicts Harvey Dent’s Two-Face origin and introduces a new Robin worthy...

“M.O.D.O.K,” the gleefully bizarre Marvel animated series that debuted on Hulu last May, won’t be returning for a sophomore season, TheWrap has learned.

While this might seem like a surprise to some that the show is coming to a close after only 10 episodes, it was more or less a foregone conclusion. “M.O.D.O.K” was ordered as part of a suite of animated shows, by former Marvel Television executive Jeph Loeb. These shows, which also included “Hit Monkey,” “Howard the Duck” and “Tigra and Dazzler,” were meant to eventually come together for a miniseries called “The Offenders.” (This echoed the strategy Loeb employed with the Netflix series like “Daredevil” and “Jessica Jones.” Those combined for a miniseries called “The Defenders.”)

When Loeb was ousted and Marvel Television shuttered (now all series run through Marvel Studios proper), two of the series were outright canceled...

Filmmaker Tom Gormican discusses his favorite films featuring… Nicolas Cage.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)

Mandy (2018)

Pig (2021)

A History Of Violence (2005)

Lord of War (2005)

The Weather Man (2005)

Moonstruck (1987) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Vampire’s Kiss (1988)

Con Air (1997)

Face/Off (1997)

Leaving Las Vegas (1995)

Jerry Maguire (1996)

Adaptation (2002)

Raising Arizona (1987)

Wild At Heart (1990) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

The Wizard Of Oz (1939) – John Badham’s trailer commentary

The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)

The Wicker Man (1973) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary

The Wicker Man (2006)

Being John Malkovich (1999) – Marshall Harvey’s trailer commentary

The Family Man (2000)

Joe (2013)

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

The Rock (1996) – Alex Kirschenbaum’s review

Operation Mad Ball (1957)

Bell, Book and Candle (1958) – Sam Hamm’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Valley Girl (1983) – Karyn Kusama’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review...

With the hype building for Michael Keaton’s return as Batman for The Flash and Batgirl, it’s hard to believe that fans were once outraged at the actor’s casting in the late ’80s. To fans who hated the campy 1960s Batman series, it seemed like an insult to cast a relatively diminutive and wiry comedian best known for manic roles in Beetlejuice and Mr. Mom as the Dark Knight.

Ultimately, many factors contributed to the fans’ change of mind, but none as powerfully as the simple sight of Keaton wearing the Bat-suit for the first time, transforming the energetic oddball into a skulking figure of the night.

That costume continued to evolve when Keaton returned to the role for 1992’s Batman Returns, and especially when Val Kilmer and George Clooney followed in the Joel Schumacher-directed sequels Batman Forever and Batman and Robin. And the suit is evolving...

Batman ‘89 is a comic that hits a certain section of bat-fandom so squarely where they live it’s almost impossible to believe it even exists. The series, part of a line of DC Comics that serve as sequels to beloved live action superhero movie and TV shows, is a direct sequel to Tim Burton’s two Batman movies, and delivers versions of famous Gotham City residents who we never got to see realized onscreen in that director’s world, including Barbara Gordon, a reimagined Robin, and others. Perhaps most famously, the series delivers on the promise of one of the first movie’s most important supporting characters, showing us how the Harvey Dent of the first Batman film finally becomes Two-Face.

Far more than an exercise in “wouldn’t it be cool…” Batman ‘89 has a perfect creative team at its helm, with Joe Quinones teaming with the writer of the first Batman movie,...

DC Comics’ “Batman '89” #5, available April 12, 2022, is written by Sam Hamm and illustrated by Joe Quinones, with covers by Quinones and Adam Hughes:

“…. ‘Harvey Dent’ enacts his plans for ‘Gotham’. He'll overthrow the ‘Batman’ and assume his rightful place as Gotham’s guardian. As Batman works to stop his friend ‘Harvey’, he finds himself vastly outnumbered by the forces at Harvey's disposal. He'll need to turn to some unlikely allies if he's going to turn the tide in his favor to protect his city and save his friend…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Director Ron Underwood discusses a few of his favorite westerns with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Pearl Harbor (2001)

Mighty Joe Young (1998)

Speechless (1994)

Heart and Souls (1993)

Stealing Sinatra (2003)

City Slickers (1991)

Tremors (1990) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Tourist Trap (1979) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary

The Seduction (1982)

Puppet Master (1989)

The Boondock Saints (1999)

Abbott and Costello Meet Captain Kidd (1952)

Capricorn One (1977) – Larry Karaszewski’s trailer commentary

Panic In The Streets (1950) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

Back When We Were Grownups (2004)

Tremors: A Cold Day in Hell (2018)

Tremors: Shrieker Island (2020)

The Howling (1981) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing

Red River (1948) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Johnny Guitar (1954) – Michael Lehmann’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

The Searchers (1956)

Seven Samurai (1954) – Brian Trenchard-Smith’s trailer commentary

The Magnificent Seven (1960) – Jesus Treviño’s trailer commentary

The Magnificent Seven (2016)

Westworld...

Horror icon Barbara Crampton discusses a few of her favorite movies with hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante.

Show Notes:

Movies Referenced In This Episode

Re-Animator (1985)

Body Double (1984)

Jakob’s Wife (2021)

The Court Jester (1955) – John Landis’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

The Adventures Of Robin Hood (1938)

The Three Musketeers (1974) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary

The Matrix (1999)

Bound (1996)

Eyes Without A Face (1962) – Sam Hamm’s trailer commentary, Dennis Cozzalio’s review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Halloween (1978) Adam Rifkin’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairing, Alex Kirschenbaum’s film power rankings, Alex Kirschenbaum’s timeline power rankings

All About Eve (1950)

Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) – Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Alien (1979) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

Relic (2020)

Anything For Jackson (2020)

The Haunting (1963) – Dan Ireland’s trailer commentary

Strait-Jacket (1964) – David DeCoteau’s trailer commentary

The Silence Of The Lambs (1991) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary,...

DC Comics' "Batman '89" #4, available December 7, 2021 is written by Sam Hamm and illustrated by Joe Quinones, with covers by Quinones and Babs Tarr:

"...someone is hot on the heels of 'Bruce Wayne', out to prove his connection to 'Batman' once and for all! 

"Meanwhile, 'Harvey Dent' plans his next steps for 'Gotham' with just the simple flip of a coin. What does he have in store for Gotham and can Batman twist probability in his favor?..." 

Click the images to enlarge...

Lock the doors. Turn on the lights. Check under the bed. Crank up the volume. It’s time for another Halloween Parade!

Please help support the Hollywood Food Coalition.

Click here, and be sure to indicate The Movies That Made Me in the note section so Josh can finally achieve his dream of showing Mandy to his wife!

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Scream Blacula Scream (1973)

Mandy (2018)

Carnival of Souls (1962) – Mary Lambert’s trailer commentary

Night Tide (1961) – Charlie Largent’s Blu-ray review

A Bucket Of Blood (1959) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s DVD review, Glenn Erickson’s Blu-ray review

Dementia 13 (1963) – Mick Garris’s trailer commentary, Glenn Erickson’s Region B Blu-ray review, Glenn Erickson’s director’s cut Blu-ray review

The Godfather (1972) – Ernest Dickerson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s wine pairings

The Godfather Part II (1974) – Katt Shea’s trailer commentary

The Conversation (1974) – Josh Olson...

Celebrating the release of his new memoir, multi-hyphenate Steven Van Zandt joins hosts Josh Olson and Joe Dante to discuss a few of his favorite movies.

Show Notes: Movies Referenced In This Episode

Elevator To The Gallows (1958) – Glenn Erickson’s Criterion Blu-ray review

Breathless (1960) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Angels With Dirty Faces (1938)

The Fisher King (1991)

Tony Rome (1967)

Lady In Cement (1968)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989)

The Killer (1989)

True Romance (1993)

True Lies (1994)

Get Shorty (1995) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary

Point Blank (1967) – John Landis’s trailer commentary

Catch Us If You Can a.k.a. Sweet Memories (1965)

Double Trouble (1967)

Performance (1970) – Mark Goldblatt’s trailer commentary

The Driver (1978)

A Hard Day’s Night (1964) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Tfh’s Don’t Knock The Rock piece

Help! (1965) – Allan Arkush’s trailer commentary, Charlie Largent’s review

Blue Collar (1978) – Josh Olson’s trailer commentary, Randy Fuller’s...

This Batman article contains spoilers.

Tim Burton’s original vision for Gotham City and the Dark Knight are returning to the forefront of the DC Universe in more ways than one this year. Not only is Michael Keaton back in the cape and cowl for The Flash movie, which is currently filming in the UK for a late 2022 release, but DC is also releasing a sequel comic to Batman ’89 this week. No, this isn’t Batman Returns but a brand new continuation of the Burtonverse from Batman ’89‘s original screenwriter Sam Hamm and artist Joe Quinones that “pulls on a number of threads left dangling” by Burton, all while recreating the singular look and feel of the movies, down to Keaton’s iconic Batsuit and Batmobile as well as all of the cool gadgets and Gothic architecture.

This six-issue miniseries is a big deal — not just for fans of the...

The Batman Burtonverse is coming back in a big way. Not only is Warner Bros. bringing back Michael Keaton as Batman in the upcoming Flash movie but DC Comics is set to publish a 6-issue limited series that explores what happened next after Tim Burton’s first Gotham City outing rolled credits.

Batman ’89 brings together the movie’s original screenwriter, Sam Hamm, with artist Joe Quinones, who has been tied to a revival of the Burtonverse in the comics for quite some time. Quinones previously pitched a similar miniseries to DC, at the time to be written by Kate Leth (Hellcat). While the idea was rejected, Quinones’ designs for a comic book sequel to Batman have received tons of praise from fans in the years since. It’s no surprise, then, that the idea stuck at DC, and that we’ll finally get to see Quinones’ take on the Burtonverse.

1989’s Batman is widely regarded as a time-tested, transformative entry for the comic book movie genre, and its $411.5 million worldwide gross ($872.8 million adjusted for inflation) certainly shook an unsuspecting film industry to its core. However, for actress Sean Young, who was initially set to co-star in the film as Vicki Vale opposite Michael Keaton’s Caped Crusader, it represents a point in which misfortune pulled her away from a prospective mainstream breakthrough. Not only did a pre-production accident force her off the film, but the scene for which she was preparing ended up getting cut from the movie!

Director Tim Burton’s choice of Young for Batman’s leading lady role as photojournalist Vale seemed auspicious since it brought the genre experiment a rising star with pertinent gravitas from roles in then-recent offerings like Blade Runner and Dune, along with dramas such as No Way Out and Wall Street. It...

After having a contentious relationship in last year’s The Lighthouse, fans would very much like to see Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe reunite in The Batman. The cast is already set for the upcoming reboot and while the villain lineup is pretty stacked as is, that isn’t stopping fans from calling for Dafoe to join the franchise in a possible sequel. And it isn’t the first time he’s been up for the Clown Prince of Crime, either.

According to Dafoe himself, Batman ‘89 screenwriter Sam Hamm thought he had the right look for the role way back when, with the actor saying:

“Hamm said something about how physi­cally I would be perfect for the part, but they never offered it to me,” Dafoe said.

Despite coming off of starring roles in the Best Picture winner Platoon, as well as Martin Scorsese’s The Last Temptation of Christ the year before,...

Carl Lumbly, has joined the cast of Marvel Studios’ The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, the Disney+ superhero series now filming in Atlanta and slated to premiere on the subscription streaming service in August.

Lumbly recently had a recurring role as the father of J’onn J’onzz, aka the Martian Manhunter, on The CW series Supergirl. (It was a live-action role that called back to his earlier voice work portraying the Martian Manhunter himself on the well-regarded Justice League animated series)

Lumbly recent television credits also include This Is Us, God Friended Me, The Chi, NCIS: Los Angeles, Altered Carbon and Six but he is best known for portraying two field operatives named Marcus: Det. Marcus Petrie on the CBS series Cagney & Lacey and CIA Agent Marcus Dixon on the ABC series Alias.

On the big screen, Lumbly worked opposite Robert DeNiro and Cuba Gooding Jr....

When Damon Lindelof was a teenager in 1989, he and his comic book-loving father spent $35 on a bootleg copy of the script to Watchmen, Batman screenwriter Sam Hamm’s attempt to adapt Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons’ seminal deconstruction of superheroes and their stories. Over sandwiches, Lindelof’s dad began reading aloud from the opening scene, where terrorists attacked the Statue of Liberty and were fended off by a superhero team calling themselves the Watchmen. The scene got so many things wrong about the source material, literally and thematically, that the...

Before Tim Burton cast Michael Keaton as Batman in his 1989 film, the studio was wanting to cast a big action star in the role and at one point they considered casting Steven Seagal! It’s hard to imagine him in the role now, but at the time, Seagal in the role of Batman might have worked. However, I would have never traded him in for Keaton and what he gave us. I love Keaton’s version of Batman.

This news came from screenwriter Sam Hamm, who told Syfy Wire:

“There were a lot of people at Warner Brother who wanted to cast it with an action star. They wanted to cast the part as Batman, as opposed to casting it as Bruce Wayne. You have to make Bruce Wayne work, because Batman is, for the most part, going to be a stunt guy, or it's going to be somebody running...

With Gotham’s cape and cowl entering its 9th pair of hands with Robert Pattinson, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else playing the Batman roles from the past. In fact, one particular incarnation of the character that’s never really been questioned is that of Michael Keaton from Tim Burton’s classic films.

But according to Batman (1989) screenwriter Sam Hamm, Warner Bros. was doing just that. And in a recent interview with Syfy Wire, Hamm explained that the studio wanted to take a different approach with the character early on.

“There were a lot of people at Warner Brother who wanted to cast it with an action star. They wanted to cast the part as Batman, as opposed to casting it as Bruce Wayne.”

The role eventually went to Keaton, who’d worked with the director just the year before on Beetlejuice. Hamm went on to explain the logistics...

David Crow Sep 21, 2019

We revisit the painful birth of Tim Burton's Batman '89 and why it remains one of the most influential superhero movies of all time.

The truism that all press is good press was tested early, and relentlessly, during the production of Tim Burton’s Batman. In an era before the internet, or even superhero domination of the box office, getting your quirky action movie hyped on the front page and above the fold of The Wall Street Journal should seem like a gift. But with a headline reading “Batman Fans Fear The Joke’s on Them in Hollywood Epic,” no producer was exactly laughing eight months before the launch of the then-third most expensive movie ever made.

Such was the painful birth of Batman into the world. While hardly the original big budgeted superhero movie, it would go on to become one of the most influential.

Suddenly thirty years ago doesn’t seem that long back, especially as so much from that era is being resurrected, repurposed, and remembered. This month we celebrate the anniversary of Tim Burton’s Batman and Warner Home Entertainment is offering up all four films from that period in spiffy new 4K Uhd editions (a box set collection will be out in September). We will look at those DVDs divided in half, the two Burton films now and tomorrow the pair from director Joel Schumacher.

It’s been argued that this film made super-heroes palatable to Hollywood once more, although it can be said it took until 2008 before that became a reality. What we did get was this film coming after mainstream media began recognizing comic books had “grown up”. In 1989, we already had Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight, Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons’ The Watchmen, etc. set the table and get people to pay attention.

Batman is coming home - in glorious 4K Uhd! Here are the details!

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC has announced that four Batman titles will be released on 4K Uhd to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the DC Super Hero created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

The films include 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, directed by Tim Burton, and 1995’s Batman Forever and 1997’s Batman & Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher. The four films, which earned more than $1.2 billion in global box office, have been remastered in 4K Uhd for the first time.

The films will be available as 4K Uhd singles on June 4 and will also be available as a four-film collection on September 17. The 4K Uhd singles and the four-film collection available in September will also include remastered Blu-ray discs of the films.

Ultra HD* showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (Hdr) and a wider color spectrum,...

Burbank, CA, April 2, 2019 – Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC announced today that four Batman titles will be released on 4K Uhd to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the DC Super Hero created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The films include 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, directed by Tim Burton, and 1995’s Batman Forever and 1997’s Batman & Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher. The four films, which earned more than $1.2 billion in global box office, have been remastered in 4K Uhd for the first time.

The films will be available as 4K Uhd singles on June 4 and will also be available as a four-film collection on September 17. The 4K Uhd singles and the four-film collection available in September will also include remastered Blu-ray discs of the films.

Ultra HD* showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (Hdr) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors...

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment and DC announced today that four Batman titles will be released on 4K Uhd to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the DC Super Hero created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The films include 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns, directed by Tim Burton, and 1995’s Batman Forever and 1997’s Batman & Robin, directed by Joel Schumacher. The four films, which earned more than $1.2 billion in global box office, have been remastered in 4K Uhd for the first time.

The films will be available as 4K Uhd singles on June 4 and will also be available as a four-film collection on September 17. The 4K Uhd singles and the four-film collection available in September will also include remastered Blu-ray discs of the films.

Ultra HD* showcases 4K resolution with High Dynamic Range (Hdr) and a wider color spectrum, offering consumers brighter, deeper, more lifelike colors for a home...

How does Tim Burton‘s “Dumbo” stack up with the offbeat auteur’s other films, like “Batman” and “Edward Scissorhands”?

Ed Wood

Writers Larry Karaszewski and Scott Alexander have established themselves as the masters of telling the story of America through the eyes of its oddballs, and their sensibility blended perfectly with Burton’s, who clearly saw a lot of himself in this story of a singular, devoted artist with a love of old monster movies and a drive to tell his stories. It’s one of the greatest movies about Hollywood, about risk, about determination, about art, ever made.

Pee-wee’s Big Adventure

One of the great picaresque road movies in cinema history, this tale of Pee-wee Herman (Paul Reubens) and his quest to recover his stolen bike marked Burton’s feature debut, yet it established so much of what he would do best in film, from spotlighting an...

Mark Harrison Mar 7, 2019

As Captain Marvel takes place in the 1990s, we look back at when Hollywood started making comic book movies in earnest.

This article comes from Den of Geek UK.

The 1990s was not a great decade for comic book movies. This week’s Captain Marvel may be largely set in 1995, complete with Brie Larson in a Nine Inch Nails tee and a de-aged Samuel L. Jackson, but looking back, the decade is notable for not having many films like it at all, as studios bought, adapted, and usually flattened comics into blockbuster packages.

From Batman to Blade, the comic book films of the decade were largely teed up in answer to unexpected hits. Without really understanding why these films played so well, studios set about developing all sorts of properties for the screen. A generally risk-averse approach meant that many didn’t make it to completion, and...