Reviews

‘The Batman’ Review

The definitive Batman movie is upon us. A neo-noir detective story for the ages, reminiscent of Zodiac and Seven. Full of beautiful cinematography, and one heck of a performance by Robert Pattinson.

The Batman' review: Robert Pattinson shines in Matt Reeves' dark take on the Dark Knight | CNN

When the Riddler, a sadistic serial killer, begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement.

After 5 viewings, I think I’m finally ready to talk about The Batman. Truly a movie for the ages. After five long years, a pandemic, release dates being moved. The Batman has finally arrived and it some how exceeded all of my expectations. Expectations that have never been higher for a movie, which, to say the least is a little unjust and unfair, but when you love Batman as much as I do, it’s hard to resist. This is everything I’ve ever wanted to see in a Batman movie, from the character himself, Gotham City, his fellow rogues gallery, and how the universe was built. This is a perfect blend between realism and fantastical, a perfect mesh of the animated series and the Arkham video games. Two of the greatest iterations we have ever seen from the character. Sprinkle in a little Scott Snyder New 52 Comics run and we have without a doubt in my mind the best Batman movie to ever exist.

It’s year two and Batman has become a nocturnal animal. His entire life is dedicated to the Batman. He thrives on being “vengeance” and striking fear in all the criminals of Gotham, even if he can’t be everywhere at once. As days and weeks mush together like one long acid trip, Batman uses camera contact lenses and journaling to record and keep track of everything that is happening around him. A cool idea that makes his detective work easier on the mind and lets us realize further that this iteration of Batman is always the smartest guy in the room.

Written and directed by the great Matt Reeves. A fan of the character, which you can tell from the first 10 minutes of the movie, that this is a man who understands Batman. From the narration by Pattinson at the start and end of the film, leading into the first appearance of the character, as he describes himself as being “the shadows” of Gotham. Matt Reeves has crafted a euphoric experience for the hardcore Batman fan. Subtle teases, Easter eggs and references galore gives us such a vast array of characters and what’s to possibly come for The Batman.

Greg Fraser (cinematographer), who is fresh off Dune, bring us arguably the most cinematic and beautiful comic book movie we have ever seen. The cinematography is at the highest of highs with every single shot practically picture perfect. POV shots, wide frame and the aesthetics throughout the movie, make this not only just a great looking comic book movie, but movie in general. Gotham City comes to life as a dreary, rainy, grimy and gothic city. That feels forever dirty and hopeless and becomes a character in itself during the duration of the movie. Gotham City is just as important as Batman when crafting a great story. Something that has lacked in recent Batman outings, but not here. You know you’re in Gotham the entire time, and it’s a depressing place. Somewhere you would find a grown man in a bat costume lurking in the shadows. When he appears on screen and Michael Giacchino’s epic and haunting score hits, it sends chills down your body. Batman is no stranger to having a beautiful scores, but this whole ensemble truly is one for the record books.

Everyone and I mean everyone is acting their ass off in this movie. From Jeffery Wright’s Jim Gordon, who has such an interesting relationship with Batman. The buddy-cop routine between them is something we haven’t really seen before. They have so much time together on screen, solving cases and bouncing ideas off one another. One thing I loved, he was constantly refer to Batman as “man” like they are pals. He understood what he stood for and the more the movie went on, the more of his fellow officers understood why Jim was so close to Batman. Zoe Kravitz gives a memorable and electric Catwoman performance. Serving as not just the love interest, but a vital role in the story being told. She’s able to help Batman with his detective work and makes him realize that you need to expand your circle sometimes. Paul Dano and Colin Farrell act as our villains here. Riddler and Penguin respectfully. The more I watched the movie, the more Riddler grew on me. He’s a nut job, at the end of the day, most Batman villains are broken people with broken minds, and that’s exactly what we got from Paul Dano and his Riddler. He’s a full blown psychopath, and they are always the most dangerous bad guys. There’s a great scene where Batman is interrogating Riddler and he’s so frustrated because he can’t lay his hands on him and you can see his rage and frustrations. The Riddler has outsmarted him and Batman is realizing sometimes your fists can’t solve every problem in Gotham.

Penguin is one of the best parts of the movie. He’s basically involved in the best two scenes of the movie. One at the Ice Berg Lounge, the club that he runs. Even Batman going to the Ice Berg Lounge was so cool to see in live action, and Penguin was just perfect. Farrell is unrecognizable and he deserves a ton of praise for what he does. Funny, smart, cunning, and looking to be the biggest mobster in Gotham. The best scene in the movie, a horror esque Batmobile highway chase scene. We don’t see the Batmobile until about half way through the movie. When that engine revs up, it’s giving Christine vibes, Stephen Kings famous killer car a run for it’s money. It’s loud and it’s intimidating as heck. What follows is an all-timer chase sequence where Reeves and Fraser truly deliver something remarkable.

Now for the reason we are all here, Batman. Robert Pattinson, that man was born to play this particular iteration of Batman. Everything about his performance is thought out. The way he walks, the way he turns, the way he makes eye contact with certain people. How his cape moves, the way he uses his gadgets, how he fights. It’s all so strong, and mechanically beautiful. Rob just felt like Batman, the way he talks, his relationship with both Gordon and Alfred. The use of rain and the sounds of Batman’s boots walking is so flawlessly executed here. He’s a cowboy in a Western, but they are used to let people know the boogeyman is coming. When we first see Batman, it’s like a horror movie villain popping out for the first time. Very Jason and Michael Meyers, where you know he’s coming, you can hear him, but it’s to late to run now. Batman was treated so differently here than any movie prior. All these small details that you wouldn’t think could contribute to a Batman movie, that actually elevate it to new levels. It’s hard to put into words how I feel about Rob and what he accomplished. I smiled my ass off even the fifth time I saw the movie. He just has moments where I’m like “THAT’S BATMAN.” Some of those moments are seconds long, some are minutes, but one thing is for sure, he is the new definitive Batman. From the first person he saves to the last, his arc comes full circle and it’s heartwarming and emotional to see. From the citizens of Gotham asking Batman not to hurt them after saving them, to a little boy reaching for his hand in darkness. He just felt so raw. It’s only been 2 years, he isn’t peaked. He’s still afraid of heights, makes mistakes and honestly at times, gets beat up a little bit.

My only true gripe with the movie. Not enough Alfred. Andy Serkis is fantastic, but he has maybe 10 minutes of screen time? I think he had a busy schedule during the making of this and it’s something I need more of in the sequel. He’s a brilliant detective and it appears that he trained Bruce in a lot of ways growing up. Couldn’t write all this without mentioning Alfred!

The Batman takes a place on the Mount Rushmore of movies for me. For so many reasons. For what it stands for, what it accomplished and what’s to come within this universe that Reeves has created.

I left the movie time and time again wondering why Jim Gordon shined that bright light into the sky and what adventure Batman will get up to next.

Score 98/100

News

New ‘The Batman’ Trailer

The bat and the cat are teaming up to take down The Riddler in the newest trailer for The Batman.

 

Well isn’t this a lovely surprise! A new trailer has just come out of left field and it could honestly be the strongest trailer yet. Without a doubt showcasing the most from the movie, in terms of vibe and actual footage from the movie. Deep dive into the psyche of the The Riddler who seems to not only be testing Batman and Bruce Wayne mentally but physically as well.

Here’s the kicker, Riddler knows who Batman is. That is really going to make this entire movie very interesting. Riddler wants to reveal the troubled past of Bruce’s parents, something that he didn’t know was there. The dynamics between them seems interesting and intense, where the relationship between Bruce and Selina seems muddled and complex.

There’s so much to look at and appreciate with each new trailer that we see. Visuals that will have your jaw drop, and honestly Pattinson looks like he’s going to eat up this role. This whole thing just seems perfect, from the performances to Matt Reeves direction, we have an upcoming masterpiece on our hands.

I simply can not wait.

News

‘The Batman Trailer Is God Like’

Matt Reeves and Robert Pattison have teamed up to perhaps give us one of the best comic-book movie trailers I’ve ever seen. The Batman is going to be special, and maybe the best Batman movie ever made.

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I’m not going to panic, or go into over-reaction mode. But let’s have some fun with it! DCFanDome just ended and it truly ended with a bang. Matt Reeves gives a tease at what to expect from his up-coming Batman flick. What a trailer!

A couple things to note. They have only shot about 25-30% of the movie because of Covid-19. So this is impressive that we even got this much. From what we did get, we got our first look at, well, a lot. Gotham City, Commissioner Gordon played by the great Jeffery Wright. We get a look, not in his iconic green suit, well not yet, The Ridder (Paul Dano). He’s the guy taping up and murdering people. Zoe Kravitz is here as Catwoman and she looks incredible. Her and the main man himself, The Batman even share a little fight scene together. Boy, do we get along good look at all the glory that is Robert Pattison as the Batman. I even think we get a glimpse of Colin Farrell has The Penguin who is unrecognizable!

It’s his second year fighting crime in Gotham City and he’s on the hunt to find someone who is murdering citizens of Gotham. We get a real sense of his detective skills as Matt Reeves pointed out in the panel. It will be a major focal point of the movie. Which is amazing because that has never really been fleshed out in a Batman movie, and it’s something that every Batman fan has wanted to see. He’s still new to the world of being a superhero and Matt Reeves has said that Batman is still learning and making mistakes and trying to be the hero that Gotham needs. He’s dark, he’s broody and he’s beating the shit out of criminals. This is going to be so unique, but it feels so grounded at the same time. Reeves really tapped into something here and Pattinson has done wonderful things here. He’s voice is damn-near perfect. The suit is gorgeous and the batmobile is unlike anything we’ve seen yet!

I’m so excited for this film, I can’t wait to see the finished product. I want to write more and might do so later, but right now I’m going to watch this another 10 times. ENJOY!!!

News

Some DCEU News

Matt Reeves The Batman will drop June 25th, 2021. Only problem is, he’s going to have to find another Caped Crusader

Well this is the definition of bittersweet. It was just announced that after what feels like a lifetime, we will he getting another Batman solo flick. Here’s the catch, it will be without the greatest person to ever dawn the cape and cowl…..

That’s right. Ben Affleck after about 8 months of speculation is finally stepping away from the DCEU and that role will be going to a much younger man. After all the hype and the great moments we got with Bat-fleck, it’s a crying shame that we will never get to see him in his very own movie. It’s preposterous if you ask me. I’m not saying it was a waste, but what a major misstep by the people over at WB. I’m sad to see him go, I even made “Team Bat-fleck” shirts.

But when god closes a door, he opens a window. Or something like that. We are still getting a Batman solo flick in a little over 2 years. Now THIS NEXT PART IS VERY IMPORTANT. Get a man who is committed to the role. Who can take the criticism, who wants to be the Batman we all deserve. I have no clue who they want, who they are eyeing. We just know that they want someone younger. Some many choices, I’m not even going to name any people, because who knows which direction they will go in. Okay, I will. Oscar Isaac, would be a terrific Batman. He wouldn’t be as buff, but Batman doesn’t need to be that big, just look at the comics. He’s a fantastic actor who is used to be part of a large franchise and universe. I’m excited, Reeves wants to pull out the Rogues Gallery for this one, so expect to see many Batman foes. I pray we get to see, The Riddler, Two-Face and maybe Clayface. It’s just a depressing ass day. The DCEU, after trending upwards for so long, falters big time here.


In other news. James Gunn, the man behind Guardians of The Galaxy is making The Suicide Squad, also slated for 2021. A reboot of sorts, I dunno. I don’t care.

News

What’s Going On With The DCEU?

I really have no idea what is going on with Warner Brothers and the DCEU anymore, makes me sad.

 

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(WARNER BROS.)

 

Seriously? What in the bloody hell is going on over at Warner Brothers? Just when you think they finally got it figured out, especially after the recent success of Wonder Woman. Which is now the highest-grossing movie of the summer. The last 24 hours have been kind of a cluster. First, we get word of a stand-alone Joker movie, that will not only not take place within the DCEU, but it turns out will cast a new lead??? Now we get word about The Batman, not being part of the DCEU either. Matt Reeves wants to make it his own thing, and tell his own story.

Honestly, have they learned nothing from Marvel? Do they not realize with the success of Wonder Woman, that this universe was finally heading in the right direction. Yes, I understand Justice League is going through MASSIVE reshoots, but I still have very high hopes for that movie. Why are they letting this news come out before it gets released? Ride this Wonder Woman wave all the way up to the release of Justice League. Why are you making the fans doubt the stability of the DCEU at this point in time? We do not need a Joker stand-alone movie, even if the legendary Martin Scorsese is on board to be a producer. I’m sorry it’s just not something that needs to happen right now. Todd Phillips (the guy behind The Hangover movies) is apparently directing, and he is certainly hit or miss. Like focus on what’s in front of you right now WB, and that’s getting Justice League out, without the entire world hating it. How about making two good movies in a row, before announcing about 15 upcoming projects, that quite frankly WE DON’T NEED. Jared Leto was a fine Joker, but we really don’t need another Joker cast. This is entering Spider-Man territory.

As for Matt Reeves and his standalone Batman movie. Having that be separate from the DCEU is actually kind of fine by me. What that probably means is, it will take place before the events of BvS, we will still get Affleck in the role, and that way, they feel ZERO pressure to add in any of the other Justice League members. Just let him tell a great Batman story, without having to worry about connecting it to all the other movies that are in the works over at WB for the DCEU. As long as Ben Affleck is still Batman, in these upcoming standalone Batman movies, I’m totally on board for whatever they want to do. In fact, I think it’s best if it’s completely different from the DCEU, maybe that’s just what this character needs.

Get your act together Warner Bros.

Check ya later.

Reviews

‘War For The Planet of The Apes’ Review 

You can call Caesar, in a dark Czar. Please follow the leader.

(FOX)

Remember back in 2011 when FOX decided they were going to reboot the Planet of The Apes franchise, and everyone still had a sour taste in their mouths from the god awful Tim Burton adaptation. Well jokes on us, because 6 years later, not only have 3 incredible new Apes movies dropped, but this could honestly be one of the best trilogies of this century. War For The Planet of The Apes is the newest installment and it didn’t disappoint. I’ve always been a massive fan of this franchise and it really has revolutionized capture motion performances. These movies are story driven, which is rare these days and Caesar is truly a unique and special character. Rise of The Planet of The Apes really did a great job kick starting this franchise, but it wasn’t until Matt Reeves came on for directing duties, that this franchise really got some serious recognition. I can’t state this enough, Matt Reeves is going to do an incredible job at directing The Batman. I can’t wait to see what him and Ben Affleck can do together; I think it has serious potential to be the best Batman movie ever made. Only time will tell, but this review is about Apes not Batman, so let’s get into it.

So this movie picks up a little after the events of Dawn of The Planet of The Apes, and Caesar is still fighting the ape resistance against the humans. The Apes have grown in size, and are getting smarter with each passing day. The human resistance is still hell bent on killing all the apes and taking back their planet. After Koba (the bad ape from Dawn) tried to take down Caesar, now more than ever, all he wants is peace. He didn’t start this war, and he just wants what’s best for him and his ape family. When they are attacked at their home and countless lives are lost, well let’s just say Caesar goes off the deep end. If you’re going into this movie thinking it’s going to be non-stop action, you’re going to be sadly disappointed. Don’t worry there is some action, but this is Caesars swan song. This movie is not an action movie, it’s a story driven drama. It deals with humanity, loss, survival and what it’s like to feel hopeless and alone. I mean that for both the humans and apes in this case. The Colonel (Woody Harrelson) yes that’s all he’s referred too, plays the main bad guy who’s leading the resistance against not only the apes, but other humans as well. You see he’s a ruthless man, who wants to eradicate all the apes, because a new form of disease as been spreading, which causes humans to turn mute, and ultimately return them to their primitive state. Again the apes are being blamed for something that isn’t their fault. The irony of all of this is the humans are responsible for the way the apes are, and now blame them for anything that is wrong in the world. Nature and evolution can be a real bitch sometimes, so the colonel is killing anyone who has a trace of this virus, and that is why another human faction wants to put an end to him. He’s even convinced other apes to fight along side with him, and turned them against their own kind. Now it takes a pretty evil man to do something like that. It was a really interesting dynamic to see apes working along side humans, while fighting other apes. Woody was great in this role, he didn’t really need to say much to be intimidating, and I thought his scenes with Caesar were just fantastic, he really knows how to play a villain, and he was a great addition to the franchise.

Again Andy Serkis is phenomenal in the lead as Caesar, and maybe this time around he could get some Oscar recognition. It’s tough because its motion capture, but then when you actually think about it, and see the final product, it truly is remarkable how this whole movie comes to be. Especially when multiple people that are in scene are doing motion capture for the apes, and at the end of the day, you think you are actually looking at either fully CGI apes, or real animals. These movies have really brought to life, just what you can accomplish with motion capture, the apes are honestly just breathtaking. Not only are the apes incredible to look at, but so is the cinematography. The picture I chose for this review is from my favorite scene in the movie, because just how beautiful it looked. It’s snowing and the apes and the setting is just remarkable, there was something about having the apes roam around in a snow like climate that just made me appreciate what I was watching even more. Like those were three actors in that photo pretending to be apes, and that was the final product, it absolutely blows my mind.

The action we do get to witness comes at you pretty fast, it’s scattered throughout the film, but like I said before, this isn’t an action movie. I was okay with this movie being a slow burn, because it was the conclusion to everything that has come before it. They needed to finish off Caesar’s story and I feel that if this movie was nothing but apes fighting humans it would have taken away from something truly unique they had built for Caesar in the last 6 years. He’s a remarkable character, and one of my favorite movie characters in the last decade. You really just don’t see trilogies like this anymore, which focus more on telling a great story, they are usually just full of action and awful story lines. This is probably the best trilogy since Nolan’s Batman, and I would rank it 2nd behind in for trilogies of the century. I think they did such incredible things, not just from telling a great story, but what these movies have done for the film industry. I’ll miss Caesar and the apes, because with Reeves jumping ship and going to direct Batman, I don’t think FOX with put this franchise in anyone else’s hands. They rap everything up so well too, something that he deserved. I waited a few days to write this review, because at first I didn’t really know what to think about the movie, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized just how special this movie is. There really haven’t been any other movies like this, and I think we have these movies to thank for Disney finally going ahead and creating live action versions of some of our favorites. Jungle Book and Lion King don’t happen if these movies hadn’t come around, but that’s just my opinion. Never forget, apes together strong!

Check ya later.

Nate’s Movie Tour Reviews – War For The Planet of The Apes = 91/100

 

Reviews

‘War For The Planet of The Apes’ Looks Glorious 

There’s no way this isn’t the movie of the summer right? 


Okay, first things first. I want all of you to just take a minute. Get down and your knees and say a little prayer to the movie gods, and thank them for having Matt Freakin’ Reeves directing The Batman! Can you believe that, he’s going to tackle the Dark Knight and after watching this trailer I had to wipe the drool off my lip. 

Everything about this trailer was just incredible. The visuals are insane, what this team of directors and producers have managed to accomplish with motion capture is revolutionary for the film industry. I just can’t get over how fantastic the apes look, everything just feels so real. You always forget that these are people acting out the apes, but movie technology has come so far in the last little bit, that you sometimes forget these things. 

I think this is going to be the last movie, at least this movie will be the end of Caesar’s story. From the looks of it at least, which I’m okay with, he’s been such a great movie character. This has potential to be one of the all time great movie trilogies, and I even think these movies are not underrated, but I don’t think as many people have seen them, that should have. Maybe they just think of the Tim Burton version and say I’ll pass, and I don’t blame them, but these are a must watch for any movie fan. 

I’m curious to know what exactly the story is going to be. It seems we have apes fighting along side humans fighting apes, and that seems a little strange to me. So I want to know how that comes to be! Woody Harrelson looks like he will make a kick-ass foil to Andy Serkis’s Caesar. 

Just with the tone and style and everything that’s going on, I just know Matt Reeves is the perfect man to direct the next Batman movie. There are even parts in this trailer where it kind of feels like a Batman movie. It’s so doom and gloomy and I think he’s going to nail the look and feel of Gotham City to perfection. Him and Batfleck are going to make for a great dynamic duo. 

After this final trailer, I can officially say that I’m most excited too see this movie in the next few months. I really hope it turns out to be everything I want it to be. 

Check ya later. 

News

Matthew Vaughn Come Save Superman

The DCEU is looking for someone to take over the Superman franchise. Matthew Vaughn is the perfect choice

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(Warner Bros.)
Warner Bros. is going ahead with a Man of Steel sequel, and they’re eyeing their man for the directing job. Back in 2013 the DCEU officially launched with the release of Man of Steel, and it was met with mixed reviews by both fans and critics. Helmed by Zack Snyder, the “godfather” of the DCEU as some would put it, is taking a back seat for the sequel, and Warner Bros. have been in hot pursuit to find his replacement. They might have found the man for the job and his name is Matthew Vaughn.

Matthew Vaughn, is on a little bit of a role lately, with hits such as; Kick-Ass, Kingsmen: The Secret Service and X-Men First Class, he knows his way around a comic book franchise. He even pitched a Superman movie to WB back in the day, and had this to say about the titled character. “I think that’s the one thing not to do with Superman, trying to do the serious ‘The Dark Knight’ version. Superman is about color and fun, or it should be, for me.”

His movies are all colorful and fun, and he’s no stranger to approaching a comic book movie, with already 3 hits on his resume. This seems like a match made in heaven, but the problem with WB is, they like to meddle in peoples work, and that has showed in their last few movie releases.

Now this approach would seem the polar opposite of the Superman the DCEU fans have come to know in Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman. Their Superman is brooding and a sad character, and maybe Vaughn could breathe some new light into this iconic hero. If that’s the case, this could be the best thing that could happen to Superman, bring back the character to its original roots in the Christopher Reeves era, and making him a fun hero to root for once again.

With the DCEU universe stumbling out of the gate with their first 3 movie releases, some fresh blood might be the best thing for it. With the sizeable hit that was Batman v. Superman, but not meeting the fans expectations and having serious tone problems. Following that up with the lackluster Suicide Squad, WB is praying that Wonder Woman this summer can finally turn this sinking ship around. Justice League is set to hit theatres this coming November, and with the apparent death of Superman in Batman v. Superman, he is looking to make a serious comeback in Justice League, and hopefully he might have awoke with a new and improved funny bone.

I’ve been a fan of all of Vaughn’s work, and super stoked about the Kingsmen sequel, that I could only get excited of the news that WB might be bringing in another fantastic director for one of their projects. Patty Jenkins who’s doing Wonder Woman, everything we have seen so far makes it look promising, and adding James Wan, and Matt Reeves into the mix, could make for some serious blockbusters down the line for Warner Bros.

So I’m on board with this potential hiring of Matthew Vaughn, I really hope he doesn’t want to bring back the underwear over the pants. That can stay with the Christopher Reeves era.

Check ya later.