Courtesy of Lance and Oliver Mannion….
And, here’s an oldie but a goody — a classic, re-imagined for a new medium…
Tag: Batman (Page 4 of 4)
With each subsequent “Super Friends” set that emerges from the Warner Brothers vaults, my childhood memories are tarnished a little bit more. I spent more Saturday mornings in front of the television that I’d care to count, held rapt by the adventures of Superman, Batman, Robin, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, and the Wonder Twins, but as I revisit those adventures now, I’m really, really disappointed with how poorly they’ve held up for me. Maybe it’s just because the world of superhero animation changed so dramatically with the premiere of “Batman: The Animated Series” in 1992 that it’s hard to take the Super Friends’ adventures seriously anymore. That’s not to say that you won’t find yourself experiencing plenty of fun flashbacks with the heroes’ various puzzles, magic tricks, and safety lessons, but the segments with actual storylines will result in little more than giddy laughter at their ridiculousness.
There’s only one special feature, but as ever for these “Super Friends” sets, it’s a good one: “The Wonder Twins Phenomenon,” which features talking-head contributions from Doug Goldstein and Tom Root (“Robot Chicken”), Kevin Pereira and Olivia Munn (“Attack of the Show”), super-writer Paul Dini, original “Super Friends” writers Alan Burnett and Rich Fogel, and animation historians Jerry Beck and Andy Mangels. Everyone offers their usual blend of childhood reminiscences, first-hand experiences from the animation trenches, and complete and total snark…and, in truth, the combination is exactly what The Wonder Twins deserve. There’s even a brief discussion about Zan and Jayna’s predecessors, Wendy and Marvin, and how inappropriate it was for a couple of powerless teenagers to follow these superheroes around. Say, where did Gleek always manage to pull that bucket from? Never mind. I don’t really want to know.
Click to buy “The All New Super Friends Hour: Season One, Volume Two”
When you’re the highest grossing movie of the year, fans tend to expect a little more bang for their buck when it comes to the inevitable DVD and Blu-ray release. “The Dark Knight” is certainly loaded with an impressive collection of bonus material, but the lack of certain extras seems to hint that an ultimate edition is already in the works. You never know how long you’ll have to wait for that, though, which makes the two-disc release the perfect distraction until it does. With over three hours of bonus material and a digital copy to boot, it may not be the best Blu-ray of the year, but you could certainly do worse.
“Focus Points”
The Blu-ray version allows you to access this collection of 18 mini-featurettes as it pertains to the movie, but you’d be better off watching it all at once as a 64-minute making-of featurette. Among the topics discussed include the challenges (and advantages) of filming the opening sequence and Batmobile chase in IMAX, the design and creation of the new Bat-Suit and Bat-Pod, and the planning and execution of the hospital explosion and the super-cool semi-truck flip.
“Batman Tech”
A TV special that focuses on the history and practicality of Batman’s gadgets. Diehard fans probably already caught this when it first aired on TV, but those that didn’t will discover that the Caped Crusader is more based in reality than you might think.
“Batman Unmasked”
Another TV special that aired prior to the Blu-ray release, this one isn’t nearly as interesting as “Batman Tech,” but it still delivers a one-of-a-kind look into the psychology of Batman and his villains. The focus on the latter group is particularly cool as the interviewees discuss the similarities between Batman’s rogue’s gallery and real-life criminals and murderers.
“Gotham Tonight”
Undoubtedly the weakest of the set, this collection of fake news stories (including profiles of Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent) doesn’t really work as well as it should. The acting is subpar and the stories themselves feel staged. Granted, that’s what you’d expect from fake news stories, but still.
“The Galleries”
Four excellent photo galleries including a variety of Joker cards, concept art, poster and production stills. Most of the Joker cards designed were clearly unusable, but it’s still cool too explore all the different styles they considered.
“Trailers and More”
Three trailers and six TV spots. ‘Nuff said.
Overall, not a bad collection of extras for Warner’s first go-around with “The Dark Knight.” Any real collector knows that a much better version will likely be released next Christmas – and hopefully with more behind-the-scenes footage of Heath Ledger at work, not to mention make-up tests for both The Joker and Two-Face – but if you’re jonesing for another viewing of “The Dark Knight” before then, you can at least find comfort in the fact that the two-disc Blu-ray isn’t a complete waste of time.
You can never have enough “Batman” cartoons…or, at least, that’s what Cartoon Network is hoping.
It was only March of this year when the most recent animated incarnation of The Dark Knight – “The Batman” – ended its five-season run, but with the billion-dollar success of the most recent feature-film adventure of Gotham City’s most famous crimefighter, it’s no surprise that Bats would turn up again. What is surprising, however, is the decision to bring him back via a concept that completely dismisses the darkness and “forever a loner” feeling of “The Dark Knight” in favor of a bright and colorful weekly team-up series.
Not that I’m complaining, mind you. As someone who grew up reading comics in the 1970s, I loved Batman’s team-up title, “The Brave and the Bold.” And Superman’s “DC Comics Presents.” And, hell, as long as I’m geeking out, I regularly bought “Marvel Team-Up,” “Marvel Two-in-One,” and even “Super-Villain Team-Up.” It was always a blast to see who was going to turn up in these comics, and the more obscure the hero, the better. Batman and the Metal Men…? Check. Superman and Air Wave…? Sweet. The Thing and Brother Voodoo. Awesome. Spider-Man and the original Not Ready for Prime Time Players of “Saturday Night Live”? Oh, hell, yes.
It started with 32 competitors. Now it’s down to the final two.
It’d be nice to write something original for once, but the fact remains – Indiana Jones has surprised us yet again. After upsetting #1 seed Jack Bauer in the first round and then steamrolling over the likes of Doc Holliday, John McClane and Maximus, the archaeologist-turned-adventurer will now face off against his most formidable opponent yet: Batman.
Sure the Dark Knight has been just as much of a wild card in this competition as his challenger, bouncing the bracket’s other #1 seed Dirty Harry in the Sweet 16 while also knocking off staff favorite Tony Montana, but he hasn’t advanced to the final match quite as easily as Indy. It’ll be interesting to see how the two iconic heroes match up, specifically because they’re so similar in so many ways. And before you declare shenanigans on this whole bracket, remember one thing: none of us ever thought either one of these guys would get this far.
Click here to check out how the entire tournament progressed, and then vote for your favorite badass!
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