Blog Archives
Joker
Joker 2019
It’s been a while since I’ve been to the theaters for this site, not since July for the latest Spider-Man movie. Now DC has had all sorts of different continuities through their animated movies, their TV series, and their live action movies. Honestly, that’s one thing that I’ve really appreciated about DC vs Marvel is that they actually don’t stick to a single shared universe. Instead, they go the much broader and more interesting multiverse route. This is an entirely different continuity version of the Joker’s origin story even though it does have some ties to other stories and it’s presented much more like akin to a drama and a strong homage to Taxi Driver. There was a bit of controversy due to some of the ways mental health was presented, but taken just as a movie I thought it was well written, well performed, and completely entertaining if still disturbing at times. And as this is a current movie, there will be spoilers so here’s your warning.
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BlokeBusting The Essentials #47: The Killing Joke
#47: The Killing Joke
Or
The Day The Clown Died?
We’re back and ready to review another superhero film. And we’ve already covered 3 Bat-related movies, so naturally we’re on to another one! But this one is the first animated film we’ve covered, so let’s see if it holds up to the others (not a particularly high bar, but still)! And this, more than any we’ve covered so far, will have SPOILERS. So fair warning.
First Impressions
I knew a bit about this story before I hit play. I’ve gained a fair bit of comic knowledge through general osmosis, be it from friends or the inter-webs. So I came into this film already knowing the ending. I also know that the backstory that we get for The Joker in this film has been one of many woven throughout the years, and as such is not definitive canon. However, for the critique of this film, we shall assume that what we were shown is what the directors intended to be the truth for their characters. So, let’s see what’s what.
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Suicide Squad
Suicide Squad 2016
Like with any recent DC live action movie release these days there’s a lot more to it than just “Did I like it?” or “Did I not like it?” It seems like it started a little bit with Manof Steel and escalated greatly with Batman vs Superman and once again there’s this great divide between a very low critical consensus and a record breaking box office. Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Does it really even matter anymore as long as the money is flowing and nothing’s going to stop this DC train from moving along trying to catch up to the Marvel money train chugging a few billion dollars ahead. Obviously, I’m a superhero movie fan, you don’t sit through over 300 superhero movies without either being a fan, becoming a fan, or quitting about 100 movies ago. My expectations for Suicide Squad were very similar to the animated Assault on Arkham, and what I got wasn’t a far cry from it. The characters were fun, it was fast paced, sure there were some flaws with the story but at the end of the day, my wife and I had a great morning at the movies. It would just be nice if there was a little bit more cohesion so that everyone else had fun too.
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The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight 2008
Or as it might more appropriately be called when compared to the recent movie, “The Dark Knight Falls”. Not because of the quality of the movie at all, but just because of what happens to Batman at the end of the movie, especially with where he starts the new movie. Ever since this movie came out in 2008, it has moved to the top of nearly everyone’s list of favorite superhero movies, and with good reason. The most memorable thing about the movie is definitely Heath Ledger’s performance as the Joker. He was able to create something different than we’ve ever seen before, something much darker, close to many of the comics, and yet still likable. But there’s more to the movie than just the Joker, the overall plot is extremely tight and engaging, and the level of realism is really bumped up from what we saw in Batman Begins. Not only all that, but even the relationships between the characters are all very strong, and the movie still manages to have a huge heart in it. It really is one of the best superhero movies of all time, if not the best.
Superhero Shorts: Batman Dead End
This week I’ll be looking at my first dramatic Superhero Short as suggested by Ryan McNeely over at 5 Word Movie Reviews on my first edition of this series. Batman: Dead End is one of the most recognized superhero fan films, getting praise from the likes of filmmaker Kevin Smith and comic book artist Alex Ross. It was a labor of love from special effects artist turned director Sandy Collora whose goal was to create a Batman film that captured the look of the comic books as closely as possible. But enough of a backstory, let’s take a look at the film. You can view it at Sandy Collora’s website Collora Studios or watch it embedded below.
Flights, Tights, and Movie Nights 