The Official Batman (1989) Thread - Part 5

[Kane52630]

Haunted Knight is a great starter pack for anyone who wants to start reading Batman comics.

 

[Decepticonus]

No but it's a great book to read for someone just getting into Batman. Infact I remember when I was gonna lend my mate the Long Halloween and he was unsure I lent him Haunted Knight first, he came back the next day and asked me if I would bring him the Long Halloween in.

True, problem is I read Haunted after the other two.

 

[Tacit Ronin]

Long Halloween is a good first read. But repeat reads reveal the poor dialogue, clunky storytelling and excessive recalls to the Godfather that bring it down. Tim Sale is the true hero of TLH. As a singular work, it does not have a patch on Batman: Year One.

 

[titansupes]

Long Halloween is a good first read. But repeat reads reveal the poor dialogue, clunky storytelling and excessive recalls to the Godfather that bring it down. Tim Sale is the true hero of TLH. As a singular work, it does not have a patch on Batman: Year One.

That one really bugged me. I'm all for occasional "homage", but TLH was just way too direct about it, and had too many. Even DV (which I actually prefer to TLH) has a moment where they lift wholesale Hagen's "You'll be brought before a judge and required to show cause" dialogue.

 

[The Shape]

And Sam Hamm just followed me on Twitter

At least I think it's the real him... Might give him a look at what I've written since I've been using his scripts for influence

It must be him. I doubt anyone's making fake Sam Hamm Twitter accounts these days...

 

[Greens]

Random observation: this movie is suit porn. I just love Jack's suits in this movie. He wears a different one in every scene and they're beautiful to look at.

 

[Rodrigo90]

It must be him. I doubt anyone's making fake Sam Hamm Twitter accounts these days...

People have tagged him for Batman events and interviews, and he responds to them

https://mobile.***********/samuelhamm

 

[TMC1982]

People have tagged him for Batman events and interviews, and he responds to them

https://mobile.***********/samuelhamm

Has anybody asked Sam Hamm about his script for Batman Returns (which if I'm not mistaken, Tim Burton rejected for a treatment by Daniel Waters and an uncredited Wesley Strick)? Apparently, it was meant to be a more direct sequel to the 1989 movie (w/ Vicki Vale apart of it and references to Batman's climatic battle w/ the Joker via the Batwing) that involved the Penguin and Catwoman searching for buried treasure.

 

[titansupes]

^ I think that leaked like 10+ years ago, didn't it? If it didn't, I certainly read a very detailed outline of it...

 

[Rodrigo90]

That script was incredibly gritty in tone - more in line with the world Burton set up in B89. Penguin training birds to kill people, Catwoman sex scene, anyone?

 

[Decepticonus]

That script was incredibly gritty in tone - more in line with the world Burton set up in B89. Penguin training birds to kill people, Catwoman sex scene, anyone?

DUDE! "Hook a brotha up". Sounds freaking great. I trust Sam Hamm, unlike Burton.

 

[Rodrigo90]

DUDE! "Hook a brotha up". Sounds freaking great. I trust Sam Hamm, unlike Burton.

Enjoy!
http://www.imsdb.com/scripts/Batman-2.html

 

[Elevator Man]

Thought I'd share this video here.

Oliver Harper's Top 10 Superhero Soundtracks
[YT]xTz7KqSYeNU[/YT]

 

[Elevator Man]

Interesting list. My thoughts on Oliver Harper’s list…

I was surprised that James Horner’s The Rocketeer or Basil Poledouris’ RoboCop didn’t make the cut., but somehow James Newton Howard’s Green Lantern made the top ten list, I thought the score for that movie was mundane and generic, which was something I would’ve expected from a lesser composer.

Though I was surprised Horner’s TAS-M beat out his own The Rocketeer score on the list. I was happy to see it get some love. I think it’s a very underrated score (as is Zimmer’s TAS-M 2, imo). And doesn’t deserve the negativity and harsh criticisms that‘s often thrown at it. I don’t agree with Harper’s opinion about Elfman’s S-M scores being too “gothic” though. I think he meant too “whimsical“, which is fine. I enjoy all the S-M scores on film equally except for Young’s S-M3, which is decent but my least favorite of the five scores.

David Newman’s The Phantom score is very underrated, imo. Aside from that character and Frank Miller’s The Spirit (yes I called it that on purpose) I’d like to see him take a crack at another more A-list superhero someday.

I’ve always found Alan Silvestri’s CA:TFA score good, but nothing particularly special from the composer. It’s neck and neck with his Avengers score, which I also didn’t think was anything special. But right now I’d give his CA;TFA score the edge. I also prefer his score over Henry Jackman’s CA:TWS , which I thought was decent at best in the film, and nowhere nearly as bad as some make it out to be.

I was surprised John Powell’s X3 made the list instead of John Ottman’s X2, which seemed to be the fan favorite score of the franchise. However I do think Powell’s score is underrated and one of the few positive things about that movie. The score was better than that movie deserved, imo.

I don’t own the soundtrack to Patrick Doyle’s Thor but thought it was effective in the movie. A shame he didn’t return for the sequel. I don’t own Brian Tyler’s score to the sequel either. The only cues that stood out for me in the movie was the music during the funeral scene and the cues that reminded of Zimmer’s “Gotham’s Reckoning” from TDKR.

Jerry Goldsmith’s Supergirl is very underrated and one of the best things to come from that movie. It’s Goldsmith’s own Superman: The Movie. It’s superior to a lot of the current superhero scores and themes( that includes Blake Neely’s own score to the Sugergirl tv show).

Jerry Goldsmith’s The Shadow is another brilliant and underrated score. It’s his Batman ‘89‘, imo.

No surprise that Elfman’s Batman made the top 2. I kind of predicted that that would be number 2. Can’t blame him for it b/c it is a benchmark score. However I don’t agree with Harper about Elfman’s Batman Returns. Both scores are neck and neck for me. Both have something the other score doesn’t, imo. And why Elfman was the only composer without any interview footage?

Again I’m not at all surprised that Williams iconic Superman score made the top spot. Again just like Elfman's Batman it is the benchmark for superhero scores. Plus it’s one of Harper’s favorite movies.

And I don’t agree about Alan Silvestri’s Judge Dredd score being unfitting for the character. I think it fit’s the character and particularly Stallone’s interpretation like a glove. The score was one of the best things to come out of that movie, even though I enjoyed the movie for what it was. And I prefer Silvestri’s score over the 2012 reboot‘s score, which was nothing but sound design, imo.

I’m surprised Poledouris’ Robocop, Horner’s The Rocketeer and Elfman’s Hulk didn’t at least make the honorable mentions.

But overall very interesting and for the most part unconventional list.

 

[The Shape]

I especially agree with you about Goldsmith's score/theme for The Shadow. Very impressive and completely underrated.

As for Elfman's Batman scores, I personally rank B89 higher than Returns, but you're right in that they're neck and neck and each score has something that the other doesn't.

 

[Rodrigo90]

Upadate on my script:

I've rewritten the beginning. Originally, Terry was to be attacked by Selina's catgirl gang upon his arrival in Gotham... bare with me on that
And Batman was to arrive, save Terry and threaten one of the girls for Selina's location. A confrontation was take place where she goaded Bruce for being too lost inside Batman.

However, a more fitting idea came to me.
A joint operation held by both Two-Face and Selina to lure Batman in a trap. Both being connected to Bruce's past, Batman is unable to kill them and the pair of them would eventually be taken to Arkham, where we would be introduced to Jonathan Crane - the main antagonist.

It felt more right, especially when thinking of the tyranny Batman is now bringing to Gotham and how desperate people on both sides of the law are to get rid of him. Criminals are desperate, the police feel powerless and the citizens live with no sense of comfort.

 

[BH/HHH]

Awesome that you're using Two Face

 

[Rodrigo90]

Well, I had a suggestion!

And he works, too. It plays into theme of men becoming monsters.
Selina having a role is important, as it will serve as Crane's discovery of who Batman is. She initially refuses to reveal it, even to Two-Face, since the knowledge is unimportant, as the man underneath the Batskin no longer exists

 

[BrollySupersj]

I've always wondered...what criminal connection did Boss Grissom and his gang have to Axis Chemicals, they never elaborated on that. I figure drugs, right?

 

[Rodrigo90]

Probably drugs. Joker used the same facility to manufacture his chemicals (drugs).

 

[Decepticonus]

I've always wondered...what criminal connection did Boss Grissom and his gang have to Axis Chemicals, they never elaborated on that. I figure drugs, right?

Yeah always confused me as a kid. "So gangsters own a chemical company?" But then that same chemical company created Joker so my child logic was like "Of course." Bad guys own a chemical company because it houses chemical goo that can transform people into super-villains.

 

[TMC1982]

An excerpt from Kim Basinger's 1991 interview with Lawrence Grobel for Movieline:

LG: Did you get along with Jack Nicholson when you made Batman?

KB: Oh, I loved Nicholson. I’m not a fan of anybody’s but I think he’s done some wonderful performances. He’s not afraid to do anything, so that’s cool with me. But it was hard, it was tough. Jack and all the producers made money. Peters-Guber, they made money. And Warner Bros., of course, made money. But none of the rest of us made anything. We got raped, everybody did. It was a rape deal, it really was.

LG: You and Jon Peters were rumored to have been an item at the time. You called Jon a catalyst who shook up something inside of you. Can you talk about him?

KB: Jon is very street-wise, he makes things happen. He was a friend. He’s also a chance-taker and I like that. He’s willing to take you on. I looked at Jon Peters and I said, “There is something lacking from this script.” If you knew the truth about Batman you would faint. So I said, “We’ve got to make this into a love story.” And we spent hours and hours looking at film and me showing him film about things that should be. We had a lot of problems on Batman and I’d go home at night and write over the weekend. Jack Nicholson just came in and wanted to work every day, he wasn’t about to be part of the writing team on this. He was thinking about The Two Jakes. And Michael Keaton had done four films in a row and he was exhausted out of his mind. I got to know [director] Tim Burton pretty well, and Tim didn’t want to write this. He had enough problems. The magnitude of this film was unbelievable. But I saw a lot that was missing from Batman. I saw the reconstruction work that should be done. I’ve rewritten a lot of the stuff I’ve done in movies, so I just rewrote a lot of this crap, period.

LG: Did you consider asking for a writing credit?

KB: No, I didn’t. I learned a lot from Batman. I learned about being screwed and I learned about how not to ever get screwed again. I have got seventeen projects in the works in my own production company, most of which I have written myself. I don’t need somebody patting me on the back about credit. I just want to see things done. And I want to see the right people getting the right money.

LG: Speaking of money, you and some partners plunked down a considerable amount to buy Braselton, the town near Athens, Georgia, where you grew up. What possessed you to do that?

KB: I know I have to develop this area. It just came to me as clear as anything. I said, “I’ll buy it.” Then I looked up at God when I was there and I said, “God, you know what I did?” And this voice went, “Yes, we know.” And I said, “Okay, are you going to help me?” “Absolutely.” So I said, “Fine.” So I bought this town to develop to build a major studio there. I’ve got a big job ahead of me.

Does she sound needlessly bitter in some parts, here (especially the "rape" part)!?

 

[The Shape]

Sounds to me like she's straight-up lying.

 

[titansupes]

The ol' "I secretly rewrote the whole script" schtick, hey...?

 

[Rodrigo90]

I think I'll message Hamm and ask him. Looking at the script before the 88 revision, even before she came onboard, you can tell she's fibbing.