Sunday, July 13, 2008

Batman Returns


I've been subjected to endless The Dark Knight commercials since the end of June. Usually this sort of promotion is reserved for cable TV shows on TBS. I call this the Payne effect. If anyone watched playoff games on TBS or TNT, you've experienced this effect countless times with Frank TV, The Bill Engvall Show, and the aforementioned Tyler Perry's House of Payne. The thing that keeps the Dark Knight from reaching the Payne Effect is that they have a large variety of commercials that make the movie look awesome!

I love the 1989 Batman. I thought Michael Keaton did a good job playing the mysterious Bruce Wayne. Jack Nicholson's Joker is my favorite villain in a comic book movie to this day. My second favorite is Gene Hackman's Lex Luthor from the 1978 Superman randomly yelling "MISS TESCHMACHER!!!" I can't include his awful performance from Superman IV. In fact, I'd like to ask that we strike Superman IV from the official record of the world. From every trailer I've watched, I think Heath Ledger might overtake Jack Nicholson for the best Joker and comic book villain performance in a movie. The trailer showed me he sounds crazy, acts crazy, and sells it like a pro. The villain makes the comic book movie. They have to suck in the viewer and sell the evil so the viewer wants the hero to win. The villain is also what separates good comic book movies from mediocre ones. A hero is a hero in my book. The villain is where a writers creativity can shine. This movie looks like it's going to shine in a dark gotham sort of way.
Heath Ledger has even been mentioned in one of RC's Oscar handicapping entries. One day he may start publishing his odds on who will win Oscar, or maybe not.

What are your expectations for The Dark Knight?
You can read Adam at the Stone Report.

3 comments:

RC said...

i sooo want to see this movie. I loved the first nolan installment of the film.

between moving and the new baby...i don't know how we're going to swing it!

i expect aaron ekhart to be great in this as well as ledger.

Fox said...

I thought these the marketing behind this movie was pretty brilliant, but I have to say that these past few weeks have been a little oversaturated for me. Too many posters.

I'm gonna see it for sure, but my expectations are medium-to-low since I didn't care for Batman Begins, or, for that matter, any Chris Nolan stuff.

RC said...

@ fox,

the weirdest combo of marketing to me has been their logos on kmart bags AND large posters and promotions at Hot Topic.

Two totally different markets. Opening box office should be gynormous.

(I do remember seeing Iron Man posters at Foot Locker a couple months ago, but that's a different super hero)