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With Joker: Folie a Deux withering away at the box office, it seems likely that Warner Bros and DC are going to want to put a little distance between themselves and Todd Phillips’s disastrous sequel before the Clown Prince of Crime is welcomed back to the big screen (it seems highly unlikely he’ll figure into The Batman Part 2). However, sooner or later the Joker will return, as not one but two actors have won Oscars for playing the role (although Phoenix’s interpretation has been somewhat retconned). It’s just a delicious part to play, isn’t it? But, of all the actors, who was the best? Take the poll below and let us know!

Who is the best big-screen Joker?Cesar Romero (Batman: The Movie)Jack Nicholson (Batman '89)Mark Hamill (Batman: Mask of the Phantasm)Heath Ledger (The Dark Knight)Jared Leto (Suicide Squad)Joaquin Phoenix...

Sam Strangis, the director, producer and production executive behind shows such as “CSI,” “The Brady Bunch,” and “Happy Days,” died of kidney failure on July 23 at Providence Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance, Calif., a family spokesperson confirmed. He was 95.

Strangis began his career as a script supervisor at Revue Studios before directing several episodes of “The Restless Gun,” which ran from 1957 to 1959. He went on to serve as a production manager for the 1966 film “Batman: The Movie” and later made the transition to head of production at Paramount Studios.

At Paramount, Strangis oversaw television shows such as “The Odd Couple,” “Happy Days,” “Laverne & Shirley,” “The Brady Bunch,” “Love,” “American Style,” and “Mannix.”

Strangis, along with his producing partner, Don Boyle, eventually left Paramount to work on the iconic series “Six Million Dollar Man” for Universal Studios. He then went on to produce a number of television films...

No matter how many different iterations of Batman there have been over the years, some folks still see colorful words explode across their memory of the caped crusader: Bang! Pow! Crash! For as dark as the adventures of Batman have progressively become, there’s no forgetting the brief era when the universe of “Batman” was a cartoonish, campy riot filled with tongue-in-cheek dialogue, scenery-chewing performances, and some very snug costumes. Comic books aside, it’s hard to believe that, for years, the TV show was essentially what people thought of when they pictured Gotham’s secretive hero, until 1989, when Tim Burton forever altered the way we view the Dark Knight.

The 60s TV show ran for three seasons on ABC. Still, the world got an extra dose of Batman soon after the first season concluded with Batman: The Movie, essentially a super-sized episode that brought four of Batman’s most...

At the end of Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s 1988 one-shot Batman: The Killing Joke, the Joker lays out his worldview in plain terms. After testing his theory that “one bad day” could make even the most decent person into a madman like himself, the Joker tells his nemesis, “It’s all a joke! Everything anybody ever valued or struggled for… it’s all a monstrous, demented gag!”

Even more than the grisly sights of The Killing Joke—in which the Clown Prince of Crime sets out to prove his theory by brutalizing Batgirl Barbara Gordon and tormenting her father Commissioner Gordon—that line has set the course of Joker stories of the past several decades. Fans and creators alike try to push the Joker to edgier extremes, forgetting how Batman answers when his nemesis asks why he isn’t laughing. “Because I’ve heard it before,” he responds. “And...

Everyone loves cheesy movies, right? And who doesn’t like that warm feeling you get in your stomach when you help out the unfortunate; especially at this time of the year? Well, last year Nerdcage Live (which comes to us from our very own writer/editor Jay Saint G) did a charity stream called Cheesy Movies For Charity where they watched various bad movies. Since they smashed their goal last year, they’re bringing it back for another one. We here at JoBlo are all about giving back, so we wanted to make sure to highlight a cause we care about this Holiday Season.

Donate Here!

When Is This Happening?

Check out NerdCage Live on Saturday, December 16th (that’s Today) at Noon Est, as they do a Bad Movie Watch Party, all in the name of St Jude’s Children’s Hospital! St Jude does a ton of wonderful things,...

The Caped Crusader. The Dark Knight. The World’s Greatest Detective. The Bat. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is, of course, Bruce Wayne – aka Batman. And for 84 years and counting, ever since his introduction in Detective Comics #27 on 30 March 1939, Bill Finger and Bob Kane’s Guardian of Gotham City continues to dominate popular culture.

A superhero with no actual superpowers (except for fat stacks of Benjamins), Bats is – in essence – just a man trying to turn his pain into something positive; a vigilante in a cowl and cape who’s capable of evolving with the times to be whatever kind of hero the moment asks for. It’s no wonder such a dynamic array of filmmakers – from Leslie H. Martinson to Tim Burton among many, many others – have been inspired to send up the Bat-signal on the big screen in live-action and animation over the years.

Midway through the first big budget Batman film in 1989, Jack Nicholson’s Joker takes a moment to pout. The title character has just run off in the Batmobile while Mistah J stands by stunned and dejected. Finally he even laments, “Where does he get those wonderful toys?”

The irony of this scene is that, sure, the Batmobile is cool (especially that model), but for generation after generation, the man in the purple suit is always the one audiences savor playtime with. Whether it’s Nicholson hamming it up for ‘80s audiences, Heath Ledger vamping like a rock star from hell, or Joaquin Phoenix turning Travis Bickle into a clown, it seems our hearts are always won over by the guy with green hair. Consider that the Joker is one of only three roles that has produced multiple Oscar winners—putting Ledger and Phoenix into elite company with Marlon Brando and...

“I’m Batman.”

Sure, that might be one of the most memorable quotes from the numerous feature films starring the Caped Crusader But what about the others, the ones that came during a key moment in the action or a pivotal point in the plot?

Here, we’ve rounded up 41 of the most memorable lines of dialogue to be uttered on the big screen by Bruce Wayne or his alter ego.

We looked at 1966’s Batman: The Movie (starring Adam West), 1989’s Batman and 1992’s Batman Returns (Michael Keaton), 1995’s Batman Forever (Val Kilmer), 1997’s Batman & Robin (George Clooney), 2005’s Batman Begins, 2008’s The Dark Knight and 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises (Christian Bale), 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ben Affleck) and 2022’s The Batman (Robert Pattinson) to pull some of the best.

Take a look at them below.

A case can be made that Batman is the quintessential cinematic superhero. He’s certainly been the most adapted to the big screen, with the Caped Crusader starring in 12 theatrically released films when you count animation and William Dozier’s Batman: The Movie tie-in from 1966. There’s good reason for that ubiquitousness too.

The visceral mystique of a dark cowl and cape; the shadowy world of an urban landscape crying out for a hero; even the universally relatable origin of an orphan who seeks to fill the void left by his parents’ deaths. Much of the iconography Batman would come to define in superhero comics was on the silver screen first. After all, Batman co-creator Bob Kane once described the character as “half-Zorro,” and for most folks of his generation, Zorro was synonymous with Douglas Fairbanks in The Mark of Zorro (1920), the movie which made the story of a daring...

With its recent release on HBO Max, The Batman continues to reshape the public’s perception of what a superhero movie can be. But it’s hardly the first time that the Dark Knight appeared on screen. In fact, outside of some serials of questionable quality in the 1940s, Batman’s feature film debut came with 1966’s Batman: The Movie.

For some viewers, there could not be a larger disparity between the pop art of the 60s movie and the gothic look of Matt Reeves’s film. But the Corridor Crew on YouTube found a way. A recently-posted video recreates The Batman’s first trailer, digitally replacing actors from the 2022 film with their 1966 counterparts. Instead of Robert Pattinson solving the clues of Paul Dano’s Riddler, we watch Adam West stare down Frank Gorshin. Now, it’s the 1955 Ford Lincoln Futura Batmobile instead of a ’69 Charger chasing down Burgess Meredith’s Penguin,...

Few modern characters have captivated audiences and storytellers alike quite like Batman. Ever since writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane debuted the character in a 1939 issue of Detective Comics, the Dark Knight has demanded interest, first in comics, but soon also in TV, games and of course, movies. Because, goodness, there sure are a lot of Batman movies.

It didn’t take long for The Caped Crusader to arrive on film, making his theatrical debut all the way back in 1943 with a pair of Columbia Pictures serial films, and since then, the character’s cultural imprint has grown exponentially, with more than nine actors taking on the role in film – in fact, we’re about to have three live-action Batmen at the same time with the arrival of “The Flash.”

If that sounds like the Batman timeline is a confusing one, it can be, especially once the DC Multiverse opens up.

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Movie: "Batman"

Where You Can Stream It: Prime Video, YouTube, Vudu, iTunes

The Pitch: In light of Matt Reeves' "The Batman" opening in theaters, let's take a look back at that other live-action movie featuring the Caped Crusader, Riddler, Penguin, Catwoman, and other denizens of Gotham City.

"Batman," also commonly known as "Batman: The Movie," begins with a series of written odes to "crusaders against crime" and "lovers of the ridiculous and the bizarre" (among others) before...

The post The Daily Stream: Batman (1966) Is Comic Book Movie Camp At Its Finest appeared first on /Film.

Say hello to the Penguin’s little friend!

After Colin Farrell confirmed that there is a “The Batman” spin-off for his character Penguin in the works at HBO Max, producer Dylan Clark has now hinted at the storyline, likening it to another gangster epic: “Scarface.”

“We’re doing one with Colin [Farrell, as Oswald Cobblepot], seeing Oz rise to power, almost like a ‘Scarface’ story,” “The Batman” producer Clark told SFX Magazine via Games Radar. “It’s exciting to do something like that just as a standalone, but it speaks to the character and our movie, so that you’ll go back to the movie [and say], ‘Oh, I see that backstory there, that line refers to this’.”

Farrell similarly shared details on the upcoming series with Entertainment Tonight.

“We have to get into what made him the man he is. And also, it will pick up where this film finished off, I think. I think...

It started with the logo. They didn’t even put the movie’s name on the teaser poster, because everyone already recognized the universal symbol for a decades-old comic-book character. But this oval with a bat silhouette was . . . different. It didn’t look like an ad for a kid’s flick, despite the fact it was a superhero movie. It gave the impression of being ominous, somber, darker. This wasn’t your father’s Batman. And he wasn’t your Saturday-morning Super Friend, either.

Then, the trailer for Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman showed up,...

The Morning Watch is a recurring feature that highlights a handful of noteworthy videos from around the web. They could be video essays, fanmade productions, featurettes, short films, hilarious sketches, or just anything that has to do with our favorite movies and TV shows. In this edition, listen as Sacha Baron Cohen breaks down one […]

The post The Morning Watch: ‘Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’ Scene Breakdown, Why ‘Batman: The Movie’ is Great & More appeared first on /Film.

In a world where things feel like they’re spinning out of control and everything is chaos, it can be quite comforting to watch Bruce Wayne put on a rubber suit and punch bad guys in the face. It’s why Batman movies have been a staple of the moviegoing diet for more than 30 years. That doesn’t appear to be changing anytime soon, and even with The Batman’s film production currently delayed, there’s already a richly diverse cinematic legacy of Dark Knight content to choose from: serious dramatic movies, campy comedy movies, animated adventures, and bleak live-action team-ups, to name but a few. Chances are there’s a Batman movie out there that stands above all others for you. Here’s how to find them on streaming.

Batman: The Movie (1966)

The first Batman movie on our list is the one that’s sometimes forgotten. Indeed, for a...

Despite Joker being the most heavily Oscar-nominated comic book movie in history, in the end it only took home two awards at this year’s ceremony: Best Actor for Joaquin Phoenix and Best Original Score for composer Hildur Guðnadóttir. However, its wins continue a trend of live action movies featuring the Clown Prince of Crime to have picked up at least one of the film industry’s most coveted honors.

First off, no, this sadly doesn’t include 1966’s Batman: The Movie, the Adam Ward TV series taken to the big screen in a ludicrous expansion, which unsurprisingly did not set awards season alight. Outwith that colorful and villain-overloaded campfest, the Joker’s first live action appearance was Jack Nicolson’s gangster in Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman movie. The film’s only Academy Award nomination was for Best Art Direction, and was picked up by production designer Anton Furst and set decorator Peter Young.

Jeffrey Wright will play Commissioner Gordon in “The Batman,” director Matt Reeves announced Wednesday.

Late in the afternoon, Reeves tweeted a gif of Wright saying “Tweet something,” along with the text “Tweet! #Gordon,” and a bat emoji.

Created in 1939 by Bill Finger and Bob Kane, Jim Gordon is commissioner of Gotham City’s police department, most often portrayed as a veteran officer who formed an unofficial partnership with Batman first to combat systemic corruption inside Gpd and later to deal with the supervillains plaguing the city. He’s also the father of Barbara Gordon, who secretly fights crime alongside the caped crusader as Batgirl. Gordon’s backstory is further elaborated on in Frank Miller’s “Batman: Year One,” where he’s depicted as a disgraced Chicago cop who finds personal and career redemption after moving to Gotham City just as Batman begins his caped crusade.

With Joker hitting theaters this weekend, the Screen Junkies decided to release a new episode of Honest Trailer that has some fun with the original 1966 Batman: The Movie. I loved the cheesiness of the original Batman series. It’s a unique one of a kind adaptation of Batman that we’ll never see again.

This Honest Trailer hilariously jokes around about the over-the-top cheesiness of the film and one of the best things that it points out is that this version of Batman is like the love child of Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum because it totally is! It’s pretty insane how the personalities of those two actors are Adam West’s Batman!

Anyway, after you walk out of the theater watching the twisted and jet black Joker movie, come back here and watch this to lighten the mood!

This weekend brings Joaquin Phoenix’s twisted, unsettling take on Batman’s arch nemesis in Joker. So there’s no better time to take a look back at the big screen origins of The Dark Knight and all of his most famous villains in the equally twisted Batman: The Movie. This isn’t your father’s Batman. Well, actually, this […]

The post ‘Batman: The Movie’ Honest Trailer: When Batman Was the Love Child of Christopher Walken and Jeff Goldblum appeared first on /Film.

We’ve arrived at the 30th anniversary of the release of Tim Burton’s “Batman,” the film that you could argue ushered in the modern age of big screen superheroes. But whether or not you agree with that idea, you can rest assured that you will almost certainly disagree with our rankings of all the Batman movies. Because that’s just how these things go.

15. “Batman and Robin” (1949) is just an abysmal experience, with a bad lead actor wearing a floppy-eared Batsuit. Though The Wizard, a villain original to this serial, is admittedly cool looking, it’s not enough to stem the boredom in this four-hour slog.

14. “Batman” (1943) gets points for novelty thanks to its hilariously over-the-top old fashioned World War II racism. But Batman’s first onscreen appearance lacks pretty much everything that would mark it as an engaging filmgoing experience today. It’s cool that a grandfather clock...

The DC Comics universe hasn’t quite flooded the big screen the way Marvel ones have in the past decade, but the DC brand has been hitting the big screen longer in the era of color, starting with the 1966 Adam West “Batman.” We ranked all those modern flicks, from “Batman: The Movie” to the DC Extended Universe’s “Wonder Woman,” “Justice League,” “Aquaman” and “Shazam.”

34. “Jonah Hex” (2010)

Despite the efforts of Josh Brolin and Michael Fassbender, this is one of the worst comic book movies of the modern era.

33. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987)

Christopher Reeve is by far the best Superman. But “Superman IV” is a bomb in every sense — partly because of its heavy-handedness about bombs. Nuclear bombs. The film finds Superman trying to eliminate the world’s nuclear threat, but his best intentions run afoul of a silly, badly dated villain named Nuclear Man.

32. “Supergirl” (1984)

We...

The DC Comics universe hasn’t flooded the big screen the way Marvel ones have, but the DC brand has been hitting the big screen longer in the era of color, starting with the 1966 Adam West “Batman.” We ranked all those modern flicks, from “Batman: The Movie” to “Wonder Woman” and “Justice League.” 31. “Jonah Hex” (2010) Despite the efforts of Josh Brolin and Michael Fassbender, this is one of the worst comic book movies of the modern era. 30. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987) Christopher Reeve is by far the best Superman. But “Superman IV” is a bomb in every sense.

Last year, Warner Bros. treated us with the awesome Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, which saw the likes of Adam West, Burt Ward and Julie Newmar reprise their roles of Batman, Robin and Catwoman, respectively. Being essentially the beginning to a fourth season we never received, it surpassed expectations by retaining the feel of the classic 1960’s television series, while also featuring grandiose action scenes that could’ve never been accomplished on the budget of the show.

Having said that, we’re thrilled to see that its sequel, Batman vs. Two-Face, looks like it may be even better. In addition to the return of the aforementioned actors, expect William Shatner to lend his pipes to the dichotomous Harvey Dent, a character who never actually appeared on the TV show itself during its original run.

As for the rest of the major players, here goes: Jeff Bergman (Joker, Bookworm, Desmond Dumas), Sirena Irwin (Dr.

Adam West's iconic legacy as the Caped Crusader was celebrated in Los Angeles on Thursday with an honorary lighting of the Bat-Signal.

The iconic symbol was projected onto the side of L.A. City Hall once night fell, as thousands gathered outside in the street to pay tribute to the late star, who died last Friday at the age of 88.

Watch: Adam West, Star of TV's 'Batman,' Dead at 88

West famously portrayed the beloved comic book hero in the campy, tongue-in-cheek live-action Batman series, which ran from 1966 to 1968. Despite the show only running for three seasons, West appeared in 120 episodes, and it became his defining role.

West also appeared in a feature-length adaptation, of the show, Batman: The Movie, in 1966. While the actor had a hard time getting roles after being typecast as the crime fighter, he went on to embrace the indelible mark he left on the pop culture landscape.

Watch: 'Batman'...

Adam West, who was beloved for generations as the man under the crimefighting cowl in the 1960s Batman TV series, passed away yesterday at the age of 88. West had an acting career going back to the 1950s. Today, Cinelinx pays homage to a gentleman who loved his fans, as we say goodbye to Adam West

Adam West loved playing Batman. Beginning with the Batman Tv show (1966-1969), he continued being involved with DC Batman projects, including Batman: the Movie (1966), The Super Friends (or Super Powers Team), the New Adventures of Batman, Tarzan and the Super Seven, The Legends of the Super heroes, Batman: the Animated Series, the Batman: New Times video game, The 2004-2006 Batman cartoon, Batman: the Brave & the Bold, Robot Chicken, Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders, and the upcoming Batman vs. Two-Face. Through all these projects, for over five decades, West voiced either the Batman or one of his supporting cast.

The DC Comics universe hasn’t flooded the big screen the way Marvel ones have, but the DC brand has been hitting the big screen longer in the era of color, starting with the 1966 Adam West “Batman.” We ranked all those modern flicks, from “Batman: The Movie” to “Wonder Woman.” 31. “Jonah Hex” (2010) Despite the efforts of Josh Brolin and Michael Fassbender, this is one of the worst comic book movies of the modern era. 30. “Superman IV: The Quest for Peace” (1987) Christopher Reeve is by far the best Superman. But “Superman IV” is a bomb in every sense — partly because...

Adam West, best known for his role in the 1960s TV series Batman, died Friday night in Los Angeles. He was 88. His death was due to a short battle with leukemia.

"It's with great sadness that we are sharing this news...Adam West passed away peacefully last night after a short but brave battle with leukemia," his family confirmed on Facebook. "He was a beloved father, husband, grandfather, and great-grandfather. There are no words to describe how much we'll miss him. We know you'll miss him too and we want you to know how much your love and support meant to him throughout the years. Hug your loved ones today. - The West Family."

Exclusive: 'Batman' Co-Star Julie Newmar Remembers Adam West: 'He Had It All'

Born in Walla Walla, Washington, West rose to fame for portraying the role of Bruce Wayne on TV. Although it was majorly popular, it only lasted...

This past weekend my wife and I tried to be adults, but Fandango’s inexplicable Ui rendered my better/prettier/sexier/amazinger half confuzzled. The tickets we purchased to see “Split” by M. Night Shamalamadingdong were for the wrong date (as in three days prior to when we were currently out). D’oh! Mistakes happen, no biggie. But with a sitter on the clock, and time dwindling, we opted instead to catch “Get Out” by Jordan Peele. Until we noticed that the entire theater was sold out — save for two seats not together. And boy, it’d be a hindrance to a date night to not sit together.

So we saw “Lego Batman.” It would be the second time I’d seen it in as many weeks.

I won’t bury the lede: “Lego Batman” is amazing. It’s a visual and auditory roller coaster that nearly never comes up for air.

The strangest thing about The Lego Batman Movie might be the fact that it's not the first Lego Batman movie, but the seventh — and that's not counting the 2014 Lego Movie. Welcome to the secret history of the blockhead Dark Knight.

The very first Lego Batman movie came out in 2013, a year before The Lego Movie, and was a direct-to-dvd spinoff of the popular video game franchise that launched all the way back in 2008. Lego Batman: The Movie was enough of a success that, like its video game inspiration, a number of sequels followed — but unlike...

David Crow Feb 13, 2017

The movie, TV show, cartoon and comic references of The Lego Batman Movie...

This article contains major The Lego Batman Movie spoilers.

Holy plastic building blocks, Batman! Almost everything really was awesome about The Lego Batman Movie. After years of dark nights and grim glares at other superheroes, the newest adventure of the Caped Crusader, as voiced by Will Arnett’s perfectly overdone gravel, was a breath of fresh air. Not afraid to let Batman’s sidekicks have fun - even if our cantankerous main guy still prefers to wear only black and sing about “darkness” - The Lego Batman Movie is poised to entertain Bat-fans of all Bat-ages.

Still one of its best gags is its shameless (and relentless) use of references, cutaways, and in-jokes to overstuff its narrative with more meta-humor than the most unwieldy episode of Community. As a consequence, it’s easy to...

Though he’s often left out of conversations comparing the disparate visions filmmakers have had for Batman, Leslie H. Martinson Biff! Pow!-ed everyone to the punch with 1966’s Batman: The Movie, the first feature-length realization of the character, made long before Tim Burton, Joel Schumacher, Christopher Nolan, Zack Snyder, and increasing layers of grit entered the picture. Variety reports that Martinson—a prolific TV and film director with more than 100 credits to his name—died on Sept. 3 at the age of 101.

Batman: The Movie, like the Adam West-starring series it’s based on, presented a campy, self-aware Caped Crusader, one that satirized both superheroes and the Day-Glo ’60s culture that surrounded it. Few would probably regard it as a good movie; it’s silly and schlocky, and riddled with groaning wordplay and garish aesthetics not even Schumacher would attempt. However, it’s remained a ...

Leslie H. Martinson, who directed dozens of TV shows as well as feature films, including Batman: The Movie, has died. He was 101. His family announced that Martinson died September 3 of natural causes at his home in Los Angeles. Martinson began his career as a newspaper journalist before moving on to MGM as a script clerk in 1936. After serving in World War II, he began directing TV Western series in the early 1950s. He helmed the first of Mickey Rooney’s three failed…...

Back in 1966 Adam West became one of the first Batman’s to grace our screens, with Burt Ward alongside as his trusty sidekick, Robin. Now the Gotham City duo have returned to reprise their superhero roles, but this time without putting on the tights.

The first trailer for the animated DC film, “Batman: Return Of The Caped Crusaders,” has just been released and features the voices of West and Ward as the dynamic duo going up against their fiendish foes.

In the clip, Batman and Robin must stop their greatest opponents which include Catwoman, the Joker, the Riddler and Penguin. The goofy, retro-looking sneak peek includes silly jokes and scenes and features the catchy and unforgettable Batman theme song.

Read More: ‘The Lego Batman Movie’ Trailer: Sdcc Footage Showcases Zach Galifianakis as the Joker and Michael Cera as Robin

“Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders” also features Julie Newmar as...

David Crow Sep 26, 2019

We look at what each of the movie Joker actors have brought to the role, from Cesar Romero in Batman '66 to Joaquin Phoenix.

Whether or not you liked Jared Leto as the Joker in Suicide Squad, you can't argue with a $746 million in worldwide box office. That 2015 movie once again reminded Warner Bros. that the Clown Prince of Crime is their most bankable screen villain, and not even anemic reviews could keep audiences away. For that reason, it's no surprise we are on the verge of getting our first solo Joker movie, this time starring Joaquin Phoenix in a completely original concept from director Todd Phillips and producer Martin Scorseese.

The Joker is a character historically infamous for his theatricality; he’s a scion of chaos, the maestro of malevolence, and a twisty yin to Batman’s straight-laced yang. He’s a comic icon that was...

David Crow Sep 26, 2018

We look at what each of the movie Joker actors have brought to the role, from Cesar Romero in Batman '66 to Joaquin Phoenix.

Whether or not you liked Jared Leto as the Joker in Suicide Squad, you can't argue with a $746 million in worldwide box office. That 2015 movie once again reminded Warner Bros. that the Clown Prince of Crime is their most bankable screen villain, and not even anemic reviews could keep audiences away. For that reason, it's no surprise we are on the verge of getting our first solo Joker movie, albeit the reviews might explain why it stars Joaquin Phoenix in a completely original concept from director Todd Phillips and producer Martin Scorseese.

This is a character historically infamous for his theatricality; he’s a scion of chaos, the maestro of malevolence, and a twisty yin to Batman’s straight-laced yang. He’s a...

The initial casting of Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the 1989 Tim Burton-directed film was quite an unexpected surprise for some fans back in the day. I can see how it would have been hard to imagine Keaton as the Dark Knight, but as you all know, he ended up being awesome in the role and he was the perfect choice to take it on.

Some of the more hardcore Batman fans at the time were incredibly upset by the casting and they actually started a petition in the late 1980s to have Keaton removed from the role of Batman. Knowing what we know now, the petition is pretty damn funny. Here’s what it says:

It has recently been announced that the actor Michael Keaton has been chosen to play the Batman in the big budget film being directed by Tim (Beetlejuice) Burton for release in 1989 (the...

Regardless of what you think of his movies, Kevin Smith makes one hell of a festival guest. Before I even sat down with him for this interview I'd seen the man put in several performances around Edinburgh; at his sold-out show, before each of his movie screenings, and I even heard he turned up at the retrospective screening of 1966’s Batman: The Movie. Going beyond the call of duty, Smith commonly went well over schedule as he talked movies and answered questions from fans. Covering the length and breadth of his career, from production tales to comic books, Smith made a point of ending every appearance with an inspirational message on self-expression and creativity. The films brought to the festival were, of course, his two...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

Do you remember the Riddler's ridiculous riddles from the 1966 Batman TV series and movie? Batman and Robin were always capable of almost instantaneously making the most insane logical leaps to find the answers. My favorite example is from Batman: The Movie:

Batman: [reading a skywritten message] "What goes up white and comes down yellow and white?"Robin: An egg!Batman: [reading another skywritten message] "How do you divide seventeen apples among sixteen people?"Robin: Make applesauce!Batman: [thinking out loud] Apples into applesauce - A unification into one smooth mixture. An egg - nature's perfect container. The container of all our hopes for the future.Robin: A unification and a container of hope? United World Organization!Batman: Precisely, Robin!

In the opening minute of this new trailer for Ron Howard's Inferno, the third in his trilogy of films about professor Robert Langdon that began with The Da Vinci Code, Tom Hanks' character makes a similar logical jump that had me cracking up.

We're living a tidal wave of content. It's hard to know what to watch, when, and where. We're here to help! By telling you that you can and should watch a movie about a tsunami entitled The Wave from the director of the upcoming Tomb Raider movie, Roar Uthaug, on Netflix next month. The streaming service has released the titles for their July 2016 movies and TV shows, though they are subject to change. Also available are those titles leaving Netflix in July. Highlights of what you can look forward to include: Back to the Future 1- 3, Beverly Hills Cop 1 and 2 (if you want to get ready for the upcoming sequel), All of the Lethal Weapon movies (get a look at The Predator director Shane Black's first script brought to life), BoJack Horseman Season 3, The Sting, and more. Make sure to check out these titles before they leave: A Clockwork Orange,...

Netflix has revealed their slate of films that will be hitting the streaming service in July. Next month is filled with classic franchises such as “Back To The Future Parts I-iii,” “Lethal Weapon” and “Beverly Hills Cop.” There’s a bit of everything for every member of your family, from comedies like “Mean Girls,” action films like “Big Trouble In Little China” and indies like “Mustang,” Netflix has you covered.

Read More: Leonardo DiCaprio To Produce Nautical Action-Thriller ‘The Outlaw Ocean’ For Netflix – Report

Below are the titles hitting the streaming library next month, plus IndieWire’s personal picks on what to check out.

Avail 7/1/16

“41 on 41” (2014)

“A Long Way From Home” (2013)

“Back to the Future” (1985)

“Back to the Future Part II” (1989)

“Back to the Future Part III” (1990)

“Bad Boys II” (2003)

“Batman: The Movie” (1966)

“Beavis and Butt-head Do America” (1996)

“Beverly Hills Cop” (1984)

“Beverly Hills Cop II” (1987)

“Big Trouble in Little China...

It seems Deadpool is just not content with his own film being released digitally today, he's invading a few classics such as Alien 3, Batman: The Movie, 127 Hours and Taken. Does Deadpool make any movie better? It's debatable, but the Regenerating Degenerate has personally selected 8 movies he thinks deserves some of his off-brand humor. As a result, these films are specially priced at $7.99 (excluding Days of Future Past) on iTunes. Based upon Marvel Comics’ most unconventional anti-hero, Deadpool tells the origin story of former Special Forces operative turned mercenary Wade Wilson, who after being subjected to a rogue experiment that leaves him with accelerated healing powers, adopts the alter ego Deadpool. Armed with his new abilities and a dark, twisted sense of humor, Deadpool hunts down the man who nearly destroyed his life. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller, Ed Skrein, Gina Carano, and Brianna Hildebrand, Deadpool was released in theaters on February 12th,...

We know that Warner Bros. and DC Comics have a whole slate of films set up for the next five years, but one of the things that it not officially on that list yet is a true sequel to Man of Steel. But if Zack Snyder and Henry Cavill have anything to say about it, it's only a matter of time before that gets added to the calendar. In interviews with IGN, they both expressed interest in the idea:

Snyder: "I think if we could get a good script it'd be great to have a standalone Superman movie. I think that would be fun to do."Cavill: "I do believe it depends upon the success of this movie. If this goes well, then we can start negotiating with Warner Bros. to develop a standalone Superman, but they've got their plans set out for other stuff and Justice Leagues and various other movies,...

Batman and Superman have a long history with Awfully Good. We've tackled Superman III and Superman IV for the Man of Steel, and Batman: The Movie, Batman And Robin, Catwoman, and even the porno Batbabe: The Dark Nightie for the Caped Crusader. Only one movie is missing… Batman Forever (1995) Director: Joel Schumacher Stars: Val Kilmer, Jim Carrey, Tommy Lee... Read More...

Louisa Mellor Apr 26, 2017

Puns, movie references and nods to Aardman’s past abound in Wallace & Gromit: A Matter Of Loaf And Death…

Animator Nick Park’s fifth Wallace and Gromit film, A Matter Of Loaf And Death (named for the Powell & Pressburger 1946 fantasy romance A Matter Of Life And Death, the first of many such baking-related puns) became the most-watched television programme in the UK in 2008, attracting a Christmas day average audience of 14.4 million viewers. It saw 62 West Wallaby Street, Wigan, transformed into a granary, making Wallace the target of a “cereal killer” intent on ridding the world of bakers. Gromit, as ever, came to the rescue.

See related Why Alien: Isolation proves the Alien deserves another movie

We’ve scoured the half-hour short to unpack some of Aardman’s characteristic in-jokes and film references…

1. The name and look of Baker Bob, who meets an unfortunate end at the hands...

For almost 50 years, Batman has graced the silver screen. Whether working solo or accompanied by sidekicks and associates, Gotham City is continually saved by his enduring presence. Even though the eight theatrical live-action films featuring the Caped Crusader have had their ups and downs, there is no denying his appeal as a lead character.

With that in mind, these are all theatrical Batman releases, ranked from worst to best:

8. Batman and Robin (1997)

The dark cloud over a struggling franchise, Joel Schumacher’s second directorial outing in the Batman franchise hammered the last nail in the coffin and became known as one of the worst sequels, nay films, of all time. From the garish set design, poor character development, uninspired casting and hideously unfunny pun-filled script, Batman and Robin was a mistake from the moment it went into production.

7. Batman: The Movie (1966)

Occasionally forgotten as the first theatrical Batman film, this...

Photo by Barry Brown Comic-Con

Comic-Con International has released the schedule for Sunday July 27th. This is the last day of Comic-Con, and they will be closing it out with some big TV panels like Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy and The Strain. There's also a panel for the Batkid documentary that was made. I rarely stay for the whole convention on Sunday,  but I think I actually might try to stick around this year and enjoy myself. You can go through the full schedule here, but you'll find some of the highlights listed below. 

Supernatural Special Video Presentation and Q&A - Series stars Jared Padalecki (Friday the 13th [2009]), Jensen Ackles (My Bloody Valentine 3D), Misha Collins (Ringer), and Mark A. Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica), along with executive producer Jeremy Carver (U.S. version of Being Human), return to Hall H to answer questions from the audience about what's in store...

Warner Bros.

When the Harry Potter series came to an end in 2011, Batman became the undisputed crown jewel in the Warner Bros. movie catalog, a notion that was only reinforced by the multi-billion dollar success and critical adoration that adorned Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight Trilogy. Refusing to rest on their laurels, the studio are bringing the character back to the big screen with no less than three movies planned for Ben Affleck’s iteration of the Caped Crusader; Dawn of Justice, Justice League and then a standalone Batman movie, all of which are due in the next five years.

A full 75 years after the character’s first appearance in the 27th issue of Detective Comics, Batman still remains one of the biggest icons in popular culture. Whether it be through comic books, feature-length movies, animated and live action television shows or video games, the Dark Knight has retained his...

To mark Batman's 75th anniversary, we've revisited each of the nine theatrically-released movies to come up with our definitive ranking from worst to best.

We've taken into account not only the films themselves, but also how they fit into the wider context of the character's cinematic legacy. Read our verdict on each below, and we hope the choice for number one gets you talking...

The men behind Batman's mask: Keaton, Bale, Affleck, more

Batman 75th anniversary: An A-z of The Dark Knight

9. Batman & Robin (1997)

Occasionally a film's astronomical budget and hype can overwhelm it on initial release, prompting the critics to sharpen knives and audiences to switch off. Sometimes it takes time for a film to breathe and marinate, it can fare better when revisited after the dust settles. Unfortunately this isn't the case for Batman & Robin - 17 years down the line it's still a steaming pile on repeat viewing.

Lorenzo Semple, Jr. (1923-2014), legendary screenwriter of Batman: The Movie (1966), the Batman television series (1966-1968), Papillon (1973), The Parallax View (1974), Three Days of the Condor (1975), [the vastly underrated] King Kong (1976), Flash Gordon (1980), and Never Say Never Again (1983) passed away today from natural causes in his Los Angeles home. When any current filmmaker makes a movie that even has a hint of political intrigue or conspiracy, people almost always cite Three Days of the Condor and The Parallax View as influences. It has become a bit of a shorthand, but it also speaks to the quality of those movies and how few movies since have lived up to the standard that Semple set. And while we live in a modern world in which our perception of Batman is largely defined by Christopher Nolan, Tim Burton, and Frank Miller, from 1966 to the mid-80s thoughts of Batman immediately went to the 1966 movie and television series. It...