Batman for Batman.

Given how important Batman is to the people of Melbourne, I'm surprised it's taken the politicians so long to come out in his support. The Dark Knight is the hero and defender of the common man, and the politicians, well, they might not like how he gets things done, but they know how to sniff a breeze.

This is no time to be cynical, though. No, this is the time to support those who are prepared to support Batman. People like Federal Member of Parliament, Martin Ferguson AM, who is leading the charge by making Batman the focus of his election campaign.


Batman has lived in the shadows for so long, rejected and often persecuted by those he seeks to serve. A better future for Batman? Martin Ferguson, you've got my vote.

UPDATE
Hang on a second! This is a turn up. Seems Martin Ferguson isn't just supporting Batman; he's out and out working for Batman!


Forget Batman and Robin. It's Batman and Martin! I've got to say, it's great to see a politician stick their neck out like this; a politician prepared to speak with actions, not just words. Keep watching the skies, Mr Ferguson, and when the people of Melbourne need you, they will call.

Batmania.

There are many things I love about my hometown, Melbourne; not least of which is the number of statues, plaques and monuments dotted around the area dedicated to Batman. (Something I'm not sure even Gotham itself can claim.) Sure, sure, they may not be in honour of the Dark Knight, but rather the farmer, businessman and early settler in the region, John Batman, but knowing that doesn't lessen the pleasure in seeing a plaque marking Batman's Hill.


Cool! Whoever may have been the inspiration, the first time I saw the above plaque I read the name as bat•man, not bat•mun. But then, I have tendency to refer to the historical figure as bat•man as well; if only to even out the effect of my Dad, who persists in pronouncing the superhero as bat•mun, though I've corrected him many times.

And imagine getting to start your commute each morning from Batman Station! For a lucky group of commuters in North Coburg, that's exactly what they do.


Cool! Sure, the station itself is no Grand Central Station, but as long as a train can roll through it it doesn't need to be. And the gangs of suspicious youths loitering around only add to the mystique. You actually half expect Batman to swoop down at any moment to sort them all out and demand to know where the Joker's lair is located. I'll tell you where it definitely won't be: Batman Park, Northcote, that's where.


Cool! Although maybe the Joker should set himself up there. It's the one place the cops would never think to look!

And just imagine one of the proposed names for Melbourne, Batmania, (à la Tasmania), had actually made the final cut! Should have. I mean, what's Lord Melbourne really done for the world? Batman on the other hand, well, how many times does a man need to save the world to get a city named after him? Keep up the good fight, Bats. If there's any justice in the world, you'll get the recognition you deserve one day. Until then, hopefully having an avenue named in your honour will do. :)

When I Get All Steamed Up.

One of Winter's favourite songs is that old classic, I'm A Little Teapot. She's been singing it all the time of late, and will often stop and point out things that remind her of a teapot. Which is all fine, cute and wonderful when, for example, she's pointing at one of Kate's earrings...


...but not so good when it's at one of my Batman figures.


She even grabbed the Dark Knight and poured him like a teapot. Come on, Winter. A little respect, please. Teapot? Prrrrffbbb.

Although, to be honest, I have always found this pose a little awkward. I'm not saying he does look like a teapot, but he does look somewhat like he's in the middle of a posing routine. Can you believe how much he is in heaven? But heaven or not, he's always seemed like he was missing something, and it wasn't until I moved house recently that I realised what it was. Unpacking all my Batman figures from their moving box, I put this one up on the window sill next to my desk. Then, in a moment of serendipity, I noticed the dangling cord of the window's blind, and suddenly everything swung into place...


Simply couldn't imagine a more perfect spot for him.

Right. I think I fancy a cup of tea.

UPDATE
"Heaven" link above updated to actual video on YouTube. You'd think I would have learned to stop linking to static text-based pages of quotes when I did the same thing over two years ago.

Those Wonderful Toys.

I was playing Duplo with Winter this morning when, completely unprompted, she asked me to make a "Batman car"! I have, to my knowledge, had no direct conversations with her about Batman, so this request came as quite a surprise. A pleasant surprise, but a surprise nonetheless. And double-plus bonus points, Winter, for requesting a Batman car, and not a freakin' Batmobile.

The final result looked something like this...


...until Kate knocked it from the table to the floor and smashed it back into its constituent parts. Trying to reassemble from memory was a tricky job, but I got close enough (and may even have improved my original design), and Batman car Mark II, as seen above, was photographed the second it was completed.

I'm not saying the Production Design team for The Dark Knight should have given me a call, but for having only a handful of large plastic blocks (and not one of them in black), I think I did a pretty good job. Winter, at any rate, was suitably impressed. :)

UPDATE
Guy, in comments, has suggested a certain similarity exists between my humble creation and a vehicle that was used as part of the pre-game entertainment at the 1991 AFL Grand Final.


He’s even sent through an image he’s mocked up to support his case.


I hate him for it, but I must admit, he does have a point. A twisted, vicious, nasty point, but a point nonetheless. The complete horrifying spectacle can be seen on YouTube, of course.

Watch it if you must, but be warned that Angry’s vocal stylings are not only stomach-turning, but also highly contagious. Playing the clip in at work resulted in continued boisterous outbreaks of ‘Bound for Glory’ around the office throughout the afternoon. And even after several hours plugged into my iPod attempting to deprogram my brain, I still caught myself humming the tune aloud as I travelled home on the train that night…

The only positive I can find in this sorry mess is that, besides a brief slog up the bloody Kokoda track a number of years ago, it would appear that ultimately Angry was bound for nothing but obscurity. Phew.

Oh, and this follow-up from Carlton Draught is pretty good, as well.

UPDATE 2
CK just emailed me, asking: "As Bat-Man was created in May of 1939, I wonder if this might have been his first Bat Mobile.."


"Just imagine him hunched over the wheel in hurry to the latest crime, as the car pottered along.. honk honk.. he he.."

I was thinking he could well have been right, but then Guy sent me a link to The History of the Batmobile, a fascinating site that details every incarnation of the vehicle over its long and varied history. Sadly CK's suggestion was not to be found, and the earliest model they list looks more like the sort of car Tintin would be getting around in than Batman...


The closest I could find to CK's suggestion was this ridiculous clown-car...


...that I hope to never see again ever. There are over 170 different models recorded on the site (including even the model from the LEGO Batman video game), and my favourite would have to be the Anton Furst-designed Batmobile from Tim Burton's 1989 film.


That really is just an exceptional design. Sleek and menacing, and completely free from the tacky Elvira-style adornments that mar so many of the other designs. My word, there have been some fruity designs over the years, of which this design from 1974 is arguably the worst...


Not in the least surprised to see Robin behind the wheel of that one. Although it's at least not as disturbing as this ghastly design...


...which keeps bringing Se7en to mind for some reason I'd rather not dwell on. Better to dwell on the positives, like the Tumbler model from 2005's Batman Begins.


It's completely over the top, sure, but it's anything but silly. It radiates power and menace, like a crouching tiger, poised and ready to strike. It doesn't have the grace of the Furst model, but when you're tearing across rooftops and smashing through walls, who needs it? :)

Take a wander through the site if you get the chance. It's well worth it.

Telling Whoppers.

I WAS DRIVING ... PAST HUNGRY JACK'S.

I FELT MY HUNGER ... BURN WITHIN.

I PULLED INTO ... THE DRIVE-THROUGH,

AND ORDERED ARGUABLY THE MOST RIDICULOUS MOVIE TIE-IN PRODUCT ...

EVER!

THE ...

DARK WHOPPER!



The burgers might be better, but the advertising's rubbish! Glory, what were they thinking? When it played before The Dark Knight most of the cinema burst out laughing. That can't be a good sign.

But I guess they're laughing now, aren't they? Because I bought one. I guess I just couldn't help myself. I just had to know. Was the burger made from human flesh, perhaps? Or worse, lamb's fry? Was it somehow, slightly, even remotely, in any way, even conceptually, dark?

No.

Course not! Stupid. It was just a bog-standard hamburger with no discernible difference to any other I've eaten before! I had to go and look up what the differences were and discovered, get this, that it had barbeque sauce instead of ketchup, and no ... PICKLES! Oh, the humanity! Oh, the dark depths of my wicked, inky soul! NO PICKLES! Personally I love pickles, but I understand I'm in a micro-minority. Wouldn't it have been more iniquitous to have packed it with nothing but pickles?! Or is that TOO DARK?! Step back from the abyss, young one. Man was not meant to travel that far!

Dark Whopper.

Hmpprrppp.

The Dark Knight.

Amazing. Pretty much everything I'd hoped for. Better than Burton's? Um, you tell me:


Nothing else to be said, really. I couldn't summarise the differences in approach any clearer than that. Unfortunately I couldn't find an image of the new Two-Face to demonstrate the similar horrific contrast between the visions of Nolan and Schumacher, but, really, I don't think I need to:


Tommy Two-Face condemns himself. Jacobim Mugatu's keyboard-tie would be embarrassed to be seen tied around his neck. No matter what Nolan put together it couldn't have been any worse than that.

So, yeah, brilliant. Christian Bale wasn't perfect (his throaty Bat-whisper got a bit much at times), but he's the best Batman yet, and Heath was absolutely magnificent. I could have watched an hour more of him, at least. The Joker's always been my least favourite Batman villain, but not anymore. And Gary Oldman, bless him, managed to turn in another brilliantly understated performance as Lieutenant Gordon. Judged on past performances, Oldman would've been right at home in Schumacher's Gotham, but thankfully he dialled himself down and played Gordon to perfection.

What I loved most about Dark Knight was how real it all felt. And how straight the actors played their roles. No ham at all. It was, well, besides that sonar mobile phone Google Maps deus ex machina, it was all so believable. And daaaaaaark. Batman as it should be.

Anyway, mostly in response to the comment thread on my earlier Dark Knight post, I wanted to put up the collection of campaign posters that I've put together. You can't post images into the Blogger's comments, so I thought I'd use that as an excuse for a new post (this one) and, if it likes, the poster conversation can continue here.

Huzzah! (Click for high-res version. Obviously.)


I love the collage image, but my absolute favourite is this one:


And not just because the head's been cropped. The power, the menace, the suspense... ooh, it send shivers down my spine. And, unlike certain other posters, it sends shivers for the right reason. :)

UPDATE
Collection of promotional posters above updated to include new additions. I'm unsure if some are from different countries, which may explain certain irregularities (such as the four different logo treatments), or even if some might be fan art (the more gruesome Joker ones), but for what it's worth, there they are.

UPDATE 2
I found myself wondering the other day, do I hate Schumacher's Batman films unfairly? Have I created a memory more awful and repugnant than the actual films themselves? If I was to rewatch them now would I actually find that they're really not so bad and just a bit of fun? And then I came across this lowlights reel from Batman and Robin on YouTube, and my wonders fell dead to the ground. I couldn't make it past six minutes. How indescribably odious.

Dark Knight of the Soul.

In preparation for The Dark Knight I just rewatched Batman Begins, and I'm pleased to say it held up very well to a repeat viewing. I actually even enjoyed it more the second time around. Possibly because I wasn't as nervous; nervous that the long dark night of silly, rubbish Batman films was set to go onnnnnn. Thankfully though, Batman Begins delivered the Batman I've been so longing to see on screen: serious, complex, and dark; dark as light can be. And with ninjas, too! Ooh, of course, update, update!

And in my relief I'm not alone. Khoi Vinh reflects here on the critical reception of each Batman film to date and, on the off chance Dark Knight fails to meet our expectations, recommends enjoying a world in which the last Batman film didn't suck while we still can.

I've always considered myself a fan of the two Burton films, but, my, Christopher Nolan's efforts so far show just how far they fell from being what they could have been. Please, Mr Nolan, no giant, waddling, rocket-launching penguins or songs by Prince in this one. Have mercy.

UPDATE
Michael Bay's rejected script for Michael Bay's The Dark Knight by Michael Bay, featuring dialogue scripted by Michael Bay. Hilarious.

UPDATE 2
Nice little group shot here of the promotional posters created for The Dark Knight. The thumbnails really don't do them justice as, contrary to what the guy says in his post, the full-size prints I've seen have looked amazing. They are quite diverse in style, but I feel the thematic link is strong enough to hold them together as a set.

Actually, this trend towards multiple, character-based posters instead of one key image seems to be on the increase. Particularly with blockbusters. I guess a blockbuster budget helps. And it's good; keeps you keeping an eye out as you drive past bus shelters or whatever, looking to complete the set or just to spot your favourite character who you've yet to see. Attack of the Clones (2002) had me on the lookout for Jango (pre-disillusionment) and Matrix Reloaded (2003) caught my interest as I like cropping heads in the photos I take, too. (Shame the posters ended up being the best thing about the film). I wonder which film used this technique first? The Phantom Menace did it in 1999, but surely there are earlier examples than that? Class?

UPDATE 3
Collecting different editions of Catch-22 over the last decade or so has led me on a treasure hunt through a trail of secondhand dealers too numerous to count. But then eBay rolled into town and all of a sudden I could search a world of riches from the extraordinary comfort of my Aeron chair. My collection grew from a handful to a shelfful in no time at all, and the need to commit precious time to an increasingly futile search was gone. But so too, I came to realise, was part of the fun; the journey, though long, was often rewarding in and of itself.

All of which is a long way of saying that any discussions we might have had long into the night over which film used the multiple character-based style first has been obviated by Kate's discovery of the brilliant Internet Movie Poster Awards. It may not be exhaustive, but it's certainly thorough, and based upon its content we can award third place to 1991's Silence of the Lambs, second place to 1990's Dick Tracy, and first place to (drumroll) the ever innovating U2 with their 1988 film, Rattle and Hum. Clap, clap, clap. So there you go.

A Few More of my Favourite Things.

Like Star Wars-themed Transformers...


...Mystery Science Theater shout-outs in The Simpsons...


...or an ocean of meat, cheese and barbeque sauce colliding in the blessed form of Barbeque Meat-Lovers Stuffed Crust goodness, I love it when my varied interests intersect.


Sure, the sum may not always be greater than the individual parts, See: Alien vs Predator, but like pizza and sex (as the saying goes), when it's good, it's really good, and when when it's bad, it's still pretty good.

And now I've come across this clip from an episode of Mystery Science Theater I've not seen before, and I have another satisfying convergence for my list: MST and Macs!



Hehehe. I always knew there was a reason Tom Servo was my favourite. Amiga?! Bah!

UPDATE
Of course! How did I forget the top-shelf combo of BATMAN AND NINJAS from Batman Begins?! Gold.

Superduper image.

I wanted to post this image in response to a comment in a different thread, but you can’t post images into the Comments. But then I thought, why don’t I just give the image its own thread? Why does there need to be a reason for posting a picture of Batman giving Superduperman a facial? Isn’t just seeing Kal-el getting taken to the kal-eaners reason enough in and of itself? Of course it is. :-)

UPDATE: It turns out I just wasn't satisfied with only one image, so here's another good un that I've scanned from my copy of The Dark Knight Returns...