"The Killing Joke" due out in Animation!

Arguably one of the best comic books  (The Killing Joke)  is due out in animation, in the summer of 2016.

What makes it even more exciting is the stars of the animated feature, Mark Hamell as the Joker and Kevin Conroy as Batman.

Here is a short featurette  of the upcoming film:

Review: Gotham

Wow is the fall tv offering loaded up this year!  A virtual cornucopia for anyone's taste.

What am I all excited about?  I just got a chance to watch the first episode of Gotham.

This offering of the "Batman" franchise is really one of the most innovative to date. 

Gotham is set  in the early days of the Batman myth, basically around the time when Bruce Wayne's parents have recently been murdered.  But this is where Bruce Wayne is pushed back to a supporting role,  Gotham and the minions who live within are brought into hard light and sharp focus. 

The truly wonderful thing is all the major players are here and in place but only in their formative stage. Along with Bruce, Gordon, Nigma and so on slowly develop into the extreme character the ultimately become.   They are all worth watching and one in particular is Jada Pinkett Smith's mob boss which has the potential, well worth watching.

There are so many more talking points, but I am afraid I would become a spoiler.  But I can not end this review of sorts without strongly suggesting seeking out episode one of Gotham and enjoy!

Wikipedia listing HERE     Fox tv listing HERE

Batmobile from Batman vs Superman

The Verge online magazine has, it seems, acquired  pictures of the new Batmobile.   Much larger than a standard car and really looking more like an armored fighting vehicle from a branch of the armed forces than any kind of "mobile", but then that seems to be the way the BM (sorry couldn't resist) seems to be morphing.

The rest of the shots are on the Verge  HERE

Totally Funny Rip on the 1997 Batman & Robin Movie

Batman & Robin was released in 1997 and right off the bat (I am not sure I intended that pun or not) people noticed that most of the movie didn't make any sense at all. Since then we have all seen at least one short video of Joel Schumacher demonstrating that he had totally lost his mind. So, why another one? Well, lets just say that this is the compendium of all compendiums. CinemaSins' offering here is the mother load of all that is stupid, insane, just plain wrong weirdness that leaves you wondering if anyone was awake behind the camera. Be prepared for a buttload of bat-s..t (yeah I meant that one)crazy nonsense!

here is the original IO9 article HERE

Original Batmobile Sold For 4.6 mil!

The original Batmobile driven on the 1960s TV series sold for auction on Saturday for $4.6 million. The seller was legendary kustom car king George Barris who had transformed the 1955 Lincoln Futura for television. The buyer was Rick Champagne, owner of an Arizona logistics company. Champagne says he's going to put the car in his living room...

Boing Boing

original CNN article

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Mark comes through again with a great DVD The Dark Knight Rises

Christian Bale as Bruce Wayne / Batman

Michael Caine as Alfred Pennyworth

Gary Oldman as Commissioner James Gordon

Anne Hathaway as Selina Kyle

Tom Hardy as Bane

Marion Cotillard as Talia al Ghul / Miranda Tate

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake (aka Robin John Blake)

Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox

Cillian Murphy as Dr. Jonathan Crane

Directed Produced and Screenplay by Christopher Nolan  I know Chris is his generation's wonder kinder, but at what point does a project change from expressing one's art and delve into the realm of self aggrandizement?

First off the movie is Looooooooooong but doesn't seem to drift to far astray.  It is slow moving in the beginning.  I know that Wayne is hurt and may no longer believe in what he does.  Which is weird, I do not remember him so despondent in the last movie...huh.   But yeah, the movie is slow to get rolling.  There are moments but until it quite literally comes crashing down around him, Wayne spends a lot of time brooding or over coming self doubt.  

There are points when some of the things that are happening just seem gratuitous and over the top.   Maybe it is my belief that society is a bit stronger than Nolan seems to think.  Are we really just a few days away from total collapse of society?

Once things get going however, we find that ho we now have a Cat woman...I think...lol some cool new toyz for da boyz and some wicked ahas!!! at the end.  It goes without saying that you should see   or rent this movie.  It is kinda a pivot that Nolan has put his Dark Knight arc on.  Of course there are more questions made than answers answered if you catch my drift.  

I can't speak of extras, this being a rental it had NO extras.  So on it's own entertainment  its an easy 8 or 8.5.  If I can get my hands on a blu-ray, I will let you know and edit this listing accordingly.  Otherwise it is a pretty definite see it rent it borrow it...whatever.  It is a good dark Batman.  

Bane after Batman...

From Funny or Die, the question is asked, after Batman, just how is the world treating citizen Bane, and just how is he adapting to a life after crime.....

Bane After Batman with Chris Kattan from Chris Kattan

Batman tv Show Window Gags

Here I came across a very funny series of clips from the old Batman tv show. They were called the window gag. Somehow I don't seem to recall these little asides inside a show, maybe early on I didn't realize the camp and only later, but then it was a double whammy for me, first just enjoying a quirky show and then being able to watch it again for the campy fun...win win.

So check out the window gags and catch the gag within a gag...have fun!

13 Minute Featurette Dark Knight Rises

Here is a YouTube featurette of the Dark Knight Rises. As the uploader promises "No plot spoilers but may be considered spoilerish by folks looking to avoid as much info as possible. Mostly just a look at the cast, themes of the film, and the epic shooting schedule."

If you are into DVD extras, this is very much in the "making of" type of short. Something along the lines of what kind of effort was put into the production. Very good little short.

Review: Batman Year One

Batman Year One

Directed by
Sam Liu
Lauren Montgomery

Starring the voices of
Benjamin McKenzie as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Eliza Dushku as Selina Kyle / Catwoman
Bryan Cranston as Lieutenant James Gordon
Katee Sackhoff as Detective Sarah Essen
Alex Rocco as Carmine "The Roman" Falcone
Jon Polito as Gillian B. Loeb

based on Batman: Year One by Frank Miller. Batman Year One is an origin movie much like the tale Batman Begins. There are significant differences between the animated and live action films. Batman Begins is much more in line with the comic book history of Batman.

The main bullet points are the same. Bruce’s parents are killed while he witnessed it. He spends a protracted time away from home and returns with a conviction to end crime in Gotham City. A few of supporting characters we have come to expect, Gordon, Dent and Catwoman is onscreen for a couple of scenes.

The bulk of the movie is watching Wayne/Batman and Gordon flesh out into the characters we have come to expect. I really enjoyed the inside look at Gordon’s early days on the Gotham police force, dealing with a police force rife with corruption. Bruce also finds himself deeply involved.

The animation is good, but like the dark storyline, many of the scenes are dark as the plot line.

No expense was spared on the extra either. There is a Catwoman short, a couple of Batman the Series episodes and a commentary track which has the director and voice coordinator plus a couple others from the staff talking about the movie of course but their parts as well an in depth history of the franchise.

Overall I found the movie and extras well worth the wait. I would give the movie an 8 and the extras a 9 for an 8.5 which may be a bit conservatives.

I am going to preface this recommendation to fans of Batman. I think it takes a special level of fan to be able to pull off a fan film and a whole other level to do one that doesn't sux. This fan made film is Batman: Death Wish and here is what the film notes say:

• Batman, Robin and Nightwing investigate a mysterious assailant who is targeting the kingpins of Gotham's criminal underground. As more of the rogues gallery is ensnared, a disturbing revelation about the attacker's identity takes shape.
• "Batman: Death Wish" is a Batman fan film directed by Matthew Hiscox (Army of Two: 40th Day, Blunt Trauma) and written by Jennifer Zhang

And honestly it doesn't suck.  But being a fan, you do tend to give a bit of leeway  but not much is needed.  It really was fun. 

Review: Batman Gotham Knight

Batman Gotham Knight blu/ray animation
Run-time 70 minutes rated PG-13

Staring Starring Kevin Conroy, Gary Dourdan, David McCallum, Jim Meskimen. Ana Ortiz

Have I Got a Story for You - animated by Studio 4°C - written by Josh Olson

Crossfire - animated by Production I.G - written by Greg Rucka

Field Test - animated by Bee Train - written by Jordan Goldberg

In Darkness Dwells - animated by Madhouse - written by David S. Goyer

Working Through Pain - animated by Studio 4°C - written by Brian Azzarello

Deadshot - animated by Madhouse - written by Alan Burnett

Batman Gotham Knight is a bit of a project film. Instead of one coherent story Gotham Knight contains six different tales all with a loose story line connecting them (though tenuous at best sometimes plus they go to some lengths to not be allied with any one particular Batman universe cannon) All by different writers, directors and animation houses. The overall look and feel of project, which could have become chaotic, comes out instead very interesting because of the visual diversity and plot-line differences.

Gotham Knight is set between Batman Begins and The Dark Knight. The diversity comes not only from the stories and their different visual styles but the different points of view from first to third person.

Because there were so many different animation styles with many of the characters being notably different (including batman in say the Field Test story where he is a much younger Bruce Wayne and Have I got a Story for You where Batman resembles more a bat or vampire than human) it was decided that each character would be voiced by the same person in each of the segments. Kevin Conroy is one of the most recognizable Batman voices, Ana Ortiz as Anna Ramirez, Jim Meskimen as Commissioner James Gordon - however did Floyd Lawton / Deadshot as well. Gary Dourdan as Crispus Allen, Jason Marsden plays a variety of characters in this series - however he is always the doctor in any of the segments. One actor of note is David McCallum who does Alfred Pennyworth in Deadshot. Corey Burton is The Russian, but also Ronald Marshall and the Scare Crow.

In general none of the segments are so long as to become tedious, though in truth, expansion on many of the themes might prove interesting. I am not sure I would like a steady diet of episodic story telling, but this one certainly works really well. Each episode is a story unto itself and holds up well but with enough tie-ins to the other stories and the Batman universe to keep everything on track. I quite enjoyed the dvd/blu-ray.

The extra track really shines! First there is an audio commentary of the film by Gregory Noveck, Dellis O’Neil and Kevin Conroy, a well as a preview of the upcoming animated movie Wonder Woman. There is a wonderful bio piece of the Batman creator - Bob Kane. Plus there are four episodes of the Batman animated series that I can not remember seeing previously! There are several other little tidbits but I will leave them for you to find you to find out. Overall I would give Gotham Knight an 8 and the extras the same or maybe a 9 because as extras, they are damn good. Which gives us an 8.5 which if your are into animation/anime you will rate it higher perhaps and if you are not and certainly not into episodic fiction you might go lower but overall...8.5 to 9 is pretty fair.

Review: Superman Batman Public Enemies blu-ray

Superman / Batman Public Enemies
Direct to video animation
Staring
Clancy Brown as Lex Lutor’s
Kevin Conroy as Superman
Tim Daly as Batman
LeVar Burton as Black Lightning

Lex Luthor has been elected president and begins a campaign against super beings. To that end he issues an ultimatum to the supers to join the government or be branded an outlaw. Batman and Superman refuse as do many of the Justice League.

Public sentiment turns on the Justice League when it appears that the super cannon on their space station fired on a secret lab. Forcing the leaders of the Justice League to turn themselves into the authorities.

At this time an asteroid of Kriptonium is on a collision with Earth. Luthor’s plan to blow it up fails and saving the Earth falls to the superheros again.

It soon becomes apparent that Luthor has an ulterior motive and the survival of the human race may be in the balance.

This film came out before Crisis of two Earths and set the stage for what happens in many cases in Public Enemy. They should be watched in sequence, but Public Enemy stands well enough on it own. The animation and story line hold up well enough for fans of the comic book genre though anyone familiar with basic science and physics is going to groan in many places.

The blu-ray as usual is loaded up with extras from a sit in on a dinner, to extra half hour short Batman episodes.

So if you prefer high end American animation to that of anime and are a DC Universe fan this is tailor made for you. Otherwise the animation is adequate and the plot line is ummm unencumbered. I would give the movie a 6 and a 9 for extras.

Review: Batman Under the Red Hood

Batman Under the Red Hood

Directed by Brandon Vietti
Starring
Bruce Greenwood as Bruce Wayne / Batman
Neil Patrick Harris as Dick Grayson / Nightwing
Jensen Ackles as Jason Todd / Red Hood (adult)
John DiMaggio as The Joker
Jason Isaacs as Ra's al Ghul
Wade Williams Roman Sionis / Black Mask

First and foremost a fan movie. Even more so if you are a Batman animation fan. The animation is not "How to train your dragon" level, but it's whole magnitudes above standard animation fare to date. The plot line is well thought out and integrates perfectly into the Batman universe. No surprises, just solid entertainment.

As far as cast goes, they all are competent and up to the task. Bruce Greenwood (who was Christopher Pike in Star Trek) does Batman's voice. He will also reprise the part in the Cartoon Network's Young Justice series. Neil Patrick Harris does Nightwing and Jensen Ackles does Red Hood. Ackles now appears as Dean Winchester on the CW television series Supernatural.

Not sure why they did a blu-ray for this offering. The animation certainly doesn't warrant it. There are absolutely NO extras, so the space is not the issue.

My suggestion here is, if you're a Batman animation or comic fan, then this is for you. People who don't follow the Batman franchise may pick up some pointers, but that's about it. If the Blu-ray cost more to rent or buy, I can't say that I would opt in that direction.

Disk value 0
Movie value 6
Overall it's a 6

Batman Tries to give Gordon the slip

I just love these College Humor shorts. lol Thanks to SF Signal for the post.

See more funny videos and
funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

RIP: Eartha Kitt

Eartha Mae Kitt was an American actress, singer, and cabaret star. She was perhaps best known for her role as Catwoman in the 1960s TV series Batman. Kitt came to the role of Catwoman after actress Julie Newmar left the role. Eartha guest stared as Catwoman throughout the 1967 and 1968 seasons.

She died at 81 on Christmas day of complications from cancer

for more on Eartha Kitt, go to her wiki page < here >

Cher could be the next Cat Woman?!

Though I loathe to put anything Batman in the category of science fiction (come on, he is a rich vigilante, who has a lot of cool stuff) when there is sufficient enough weirdness, I can't resist. Christopher Nolan is the director of the next installment of the series with a working title of "The Caped Crusader". And according to Mike Hineman writing for SyFyPortal, Nolan is considering Cher for the part of Cat Woman.

• "Cher is Nolan's first choice to play Catwoman," a studio executive reportedly told the British newspaper. "He wants to portray her like a vamp in her twilight years. The new Catwoman will be the absolute opposite of Michelle Pfeiffer and Halle Berry's ( portrayals)

At the risk of sounding "catty" Cher will need more than flying wires to keep her off the ground.

<- syfy portal ->

*Update*
A representative for Warner Brothers said all the talk about Cher slipping on the leather onesie is just a big fat rumor. Ok, the nightmare is over, we can now carry on with our lives!
<- Showbizspy via IO9 ->

Worst Squirtgun I have EVER SEEN!

According to a posting on SFSignals This has to be the worst Batman squirt toy ever.

Is it science fiction? Well Batman has some really cool stuff, but this is just funny and just so WRONG!

Click for graphic...no I am not going to put it up here!

A Video Peek Into Batman Gone Anime

I have never hidden the fact that I am and have been for a long time, an anime fan. So you can expect that I would love to get a hold of the newest Batman animation done in, no IS anime. Scripted by some of the best in DC comics, the animation will be done in true anime style by some of the best in that genre. Click here for some shorts of the movie that will come out this summer at the same time as "Dark Knight" hits the big screen. The interviews are a bit on the dry side but the clips are seriously cool.