"there's a man here who says he can help you." "is it batman?"

[bossymarmalade]

So, last night I had an option: go to bed so I could be up for Bio class at 8:30 in the morning, or go see the midnight showing of Batman Begins with silvrsolace and xterm.



slight spoilers ahead!

1) Michael Caine was the perfect Alfred. It was so clear that he was more than just a servant, but he never once moved out of the boundaries of propriety. And the particular slant of British accent he chose worked so well, because it was just a wee bit working-class and not as posh as it could've been.

2) Gary Oldman COULD HAVE STEPPED OUT OF THE COMICS he looked so fucking much like Jim Gordon. It was unbelievable. And yes, I was the nerd screeching, "BARBARA!!" when they showed the Gordons' apartment and there was a baby there.

3) Liam Neeson can be an intimidating fucker when he wants to.

4) Morgan Freeman was the absolute most wonderful casting for Lucius Fox, who I've always liked anyhow.

5) Cillian Murphy alternated between too pretty to even comprehend and too scary to fucking believe. I am SO impressed with how they chose to portray the Scarecrow, man.

6) Tom Wilkinson was Carmine Falcone and Linus Roache was Thomas Wayne! It was like a Priest reunion! awwwww.

7) Katie Holmes was actually kind of unobtrusive, and although I generally hate when too many people know a superhero's real identity, I can let it go because, hey, Bruce still has some stuff to learn about that kind of security risk.

8) Christian Bale owns my SOUL. He was absolutely spot-on in every way, and I finally felt like I was watching somebody who *understood* the character of Bruce Wayne and knew how to make playboy!Bruce completely distinct from the Batman. I mean, Batman was scary and public-Bruce was spoiled and shallow and it was so, so beautiful to see, because George Clooney (bless him) definitely didn't make any distinction between the two and I always felt that Michael Keaton was hideously miscast. Oh, and we won't even talk about Val Kilmer.

All in all, I felt like I was reading "No Man's Land" or "Year One" or some other story arc that had me cinched in its claws from beginning to end, because everything was so true to the spirit of the Batman myth and that's really all I ask. The fights were glorious, and there was hella character building, and all of the actors delivered like they were fuckin' FedEx. I can't wait to see it again, because there wasn't a MOMENT when I was bored. Unlike Revenge of the Sith, where I literally slept whenever Anakin and Padme were in a scene together.

I am so, so happy. I haven't been this happy about a movie comicbook-adaptation since my beloved Sir Ian was the Master of Magnetism, god love him.

And now, I will go finish reading Kavalier and Clay, finally. Why do I keep imagining that Joe looks like Adrien Brody?...

Comments

[robanybody.livejournal.com]

I MUST WATCH THIS MOVIE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE! I have been *dying* for it to come out.

And eeee! Linus Roache! I am particularly amused by his performance in The Chronicles of Riddick, which was dignified despite the subject material.

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

Oh God, I hope you love the Batman movie as much as I did. Although it's hard to imagine you NOT loving it, OMG.

Linus Roache! I was so happy to see him! It was an interesting take on Thomas Wayne, because in the comics sometimes he comes off as kind of your standard burly uber-pattriarch type, and he wasn't like that in the movie a'tall. But it was SO GOOD!!!!

[cathybites.livejournal.com]

I love reading everyone else's review of the movie because it makes me want to see it again EVEN MORE. GAH. It was so good. SO GOOD.

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

JESUS YES. Our whole theatre made noises of excitement when that playing card came out at the end, man, because EEEEEEEE!!! A chance to make up for the fuckups of the first Batman movie! THERE BETTER GODDAMN BE A FUCKING SEQUEL OR WE SHOULD GO DOWN TO HOLLYWOOD AND BUST SOME HEADS YO

[i-naiad.livejournal.com]

There are people who don't think Joe looks like Adrien Brody?

Did you still want a vegemite sampler? I know I mentioned it ages ago, but I finally picked one up for you. Email me your addy if you want it.

[shamrock-kid.livejournal.com]

I am so, so happy. I haven't been this happy about a movie comicbook-adaptation since my beloved Sir Ian was the Master of Magnetism, god love him.

The fact that you haven't been this excited about a comic-adap since *our* dear Ian melded magnets makes me very excited. Very excited indeed. The McKellan factor brings much merit in my book.

Of course, I can't help but admit that I'm a total loser because--in spite of the fact that my birthday gift to my boyfriend this past May was a professionally framed official BB poster (Batman's his man-crush... along with Pierce Brosnan)--I thought the movie didn't come out until Friday. I suck!

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

Dear Sir Ian! I make embarassing giggly noises whenever he appears on screen in X-Men, man. And the Batman movie is soo good, it's ALL I've been thinking about since I saw it!!

[star-maple.livejournal.com]

Cillian Murphy alternated between too pretty to even comprehend and too scary to fucking believe.

He has the most beautiful eyes in the world and they have stolen my soul. Actually, if you could just recap all the scenes he was in that would be great because everytime he was onscreen I was just trying to determine how long his eyelashes were (and if they were some sort of record-setting length) and if it would be possible to get Crayola to make a crayon in the same shade of blue as his eyes. Also, I want a sequel to 28 Days Later, dammit!

I also squealed "BABY BAT GIRL!!"

And also, I was thinking how cool it was that Cowboy and Sirius Black were fighting Qui-Gon Jinn. Which is really just bad-ass if you think about it. Now THERE'S a cross-over fic.

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

and if it would be possible to get Crayola to make a crayon in the same shade of blue as his eyes

hee hee hee! That would be well-nigh impossible, if only because he was SO BLOODY BEAUTIFUL that I could barely even concentrate. Oh my lord. That was some brilliant, brilliant casting, man.

I was thinking how cool it was that Cowboy and Sirius Black were fighting Qui-Gon Jinn

ahahhahahahah! I was totally watching Batman and thinking, "you kissed Obi-Wan! hee hee hee!!" Among the lot of them, there is such potential for absolute crossover MADNESS. *g*

[star-maple.livejournal.com]

Mmmm... Cillian Murphy. We're having a bit of a Cillian festival here tonight... just finished watching Girl With a Pearl Earring (and does that have the lamest ending in the UNIVERSE or is that just me??), which was disappointing due to lack of Cillian close-ups, and are about to watch Intermission about which I know nothing other than Cillian is in it, and so is Colm Meany.

He really is inhumanly beautiful... and probably would have been a better Legolas than Orlando Bloom. Mmmm... Can you imagine?

Anyway, I totally forgot about the Velvet Goldmine connection. Hee hee hee!! So that's why they were fighting so hard! Qui-Gon was all jealous that Cowboy got some action with his Padawan learner. :D There should be some kind of fic-writing party game called Crossover Madness. Probably involving IMDB at some stage... Like re-writing a scene in a movie for other characters each of the actors has played before. Or something. Like that scene with Major West and Jim drinking at the end of 28 Days Later would be way different if it was Doctor Crane and The Doctor drinking instead. :D

[karabou.livejournal.com]

Yes x five million! This movie was amazing.. I really had my doubts, but it was all for nothing! I can't believe how right they got it.

Here's hoping Harvey's in the next one...

I literally slept whenever Anakin and Padme were in a scene together

God, that movie was so fucking bad.

Why do I keep imagining that Joe looks like Adrien Brody?

I could see that! Hehe

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

I was totally hoping that one of the lawyers in the court scenes would be Harvey, but alas! THEY BETTER BE MAKING A SEQUEL.

So who would play Sammy Clay, if Adrien Brody was Joe? I can't think of anybody. Which is odd, because I'm usually very opinionated about casting. *g*

[karabou.livejournal.com]

I know! Oh, I would die a happy death if they would put Two-Face in it. So, as far as I know they're making three. Or at least the last I read, Christian Bale is signed on for two more.

So who would play Sammy Clay, if Adrien Brody was Joe?

And I don't know! I don't often visualize movie people as book characters.. hm. Maybe Colin from Everwood.. how old do they get in that book? I forget...

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

Colin from Everwood would be SO HOT. Especially in all the Tracey Bacon bits, heh heh HEH.

*g*

[karabou.livejournal.com]

And like, Tracey could be a young blond Jude Law...

[paintedmaypole.livejournal.com]

Seriously, yes. I am dead dead dead with Batman happiness. I want to see it again noooooow!!

Could Gary Oldman and Tom Wilkinson have been any more amazing? I kept doing these little double takes because I knew the actor was in their somewhere, but they were so hard to find!

And Babs! Little baby Babs!

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

The WHOLE CAST was just so amazing. I can't even believe how incredible they all were! Each one of them found the PERFECT angle to work from and it was like they were imbued with the essence of the character. Which sounds all extremist and fangirly, but really. REALLY.

eeeeee!!!

[smartlikejustin.livejournal.com]

I have never been so impressed with an entire cast in something that wasn't screaming "ACTING TOUR DE FORCE!" at me. But, for real, everyone was so amazing. Morgan Freeman! Tom Wilkinson! Cillian! Gary! Micheal! and OMG Christian Bale! They ALL own my soul.

LOOOOOVE.

I need a Batman icon over here, man.

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

I felt like there was not ONE misstep when it came to the cast, which is hard enough to maintain in the tour-de-force type Oscar-grab films that you mention, much less a BATMAN movie. But dammit, they were all pitch-perfect! It was UNBELIEVABLE.

I, also, need to reupload a Batman icon! Oh, Bruce.

[stargems.livejournal.com]

Bitch, I don't even read comic books and I feel like I NEED to see this movie for my soul.

Also, I heart and miss you but very glad you're still in school/dork mode. ;p

*smoooooooooooooooooch*

[bossymarmalade.livejournal.com]

You seriously DO need to see it. Even if you don't know all the geek stuff, it's fantastic enough to be enjoyed by everybody!!

I heart and miss you as well, sweetling. School is eating my head, and I miss doing all the online stuff, but hopefully next semester I'll be back to more of a balance. *mwah*!!

[dexwebster]

I finally got to see this, so now I'm going back through all of the reaction posts from the past two days.

Cillian Murphy alternated between too pretty to even comprehend and too scary to fucking believe. I am SO impressed with how they chose to portray the Scarecrow, man.

I loved that they did it so subtly. It was like whenever he put on the eyeglasses, he was slipping on this composed, completely sane Dr. Jonathan Crane persona like just another mask. The change in Falcone's room, especially, was creepy. It's what, five or eight seconds between taking them off and putting the mask on, but he just changes--the way he speaks is different, and you can see in his eyes that there's just something not right with him.

It's not fair when they make psychopaths that pretty, because then I feel bad for drooling over someone so evil.

[tammylee.livejournal.com]

5) Cillian Murphy alternated between too pretty to even comprehend and too scary to fucking believe. I am SO impressed with how they chose to portray the Scarecrow, man.

purrrpurrrpurrrpurrr
Maybe it is because of my deep and abiding love of anime, but the beautiful psycopath is ingraned so deep in my soul that this movie only reinforced what I already knew to be true; don't trust the beautiful man. That being said, he was so marvellous at being unhinged! I just about peed myself laughing when he was tasered tho. HOW IGNOBLE! Uhnn those dorky glasses and suit had me eyeballing my boyfriend in the theatre trying to figure out how to convince him to play dress up for me.

Katie Holmes
A friend and I were discussing Katie last night. We liked her better than any of the other batgirlfriends because she DOESN'T want to fuck batman, isn't obsessed with him, they're childhood friends and while it might be a mistake for him to reveal to her who he is (omg! I SO thought he was going to say, "I'm Batman." when she asked his name) she was wise and perceptive enough to see that Batman is who he has really become. She wasn't judging him at the end, just letting him know she's got no interest in being romantically attached to his dark side (or his retarded playboy side) and that she might be around later on when he's ready to retire. Frankly, I think Rachael is married to her work and her ideals. Total career woman.

[glockgal.livejournal.com]

*runs past spoilers*

But vacuoles are full of nonsense! How can you not love them?