Showing posts with label Batman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Batman. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Happy 70th Anniversary, Batman!
Probably it's not the exact date on which "Detective Comics" #27 was published, back in May 1939 - the very first appearance of my all-time favourite comic book super hero, Batman. But because of the number of the issue my bro decided that we should celebrate today :)
When I got back from work he had already turned the living room into a bat-cave and after dinner we watched a documentary on Batman's history, followed by one of my favourite episodes of "Batman: The Animated Series" - Beware The Gray Ghost! And then bro blew the candles and we had a piece of bat-cake :) (the photos from our celebration will be soon up on Realm of the Bat )
Happy 70th anniversary, Batman!
Thank you, Bob!
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Intro of the Week #19 & 20
My all-time favourite Batman on screen is the classic WB Batman The Animated Series from the 90s, but that doesn't mean that I don't like the rest of the interpretatons. Currently the kid-friendly retro-take on teh character in "Batman - The Brave and The Bold" is really entertaining and amusing.
But what I feel like posting today are the openings of "The Batman". Great ne look with Jeff Matsuda's character designs and awesome opening theme composed and performed by non other but The Edge from U2
With Robin and Batgirl on board for the next seasons, the tone of the series got lighter, the theme more enegretic and slightly James Bondish
And here's what The Edge has to say about his involvement on The Batman
For all things Batman visit my bro's blog "Realm of the Bat"
But what I feel like posting today are the openings of "The Batman". Great ne look with Jeff Matsuda's character designs and awesome opening theme composed and performed by non other but The Edge from U2
With Robin and Batgirl on board for the next seasons, the tone of the series got lighter, the theme more enegretic and slightly James Bondish
And here's what The Edge has to say about his involvement on The Batman
For all things Batman visit my bro's blog "Realm of the Bat"
Monday, February 02, 2009
Short of the Week #4
Sandy Collora's "Batman: Dead End" is by far one of the best fan-films I've ever seen. I can't wait to see his next project "Hunter Pray"
Friday, December 19, 2008
Top 3 Christmas Movies, that are not-so-Christmas-movies
Christmas is coming, it's holiday season, and all I need now is some snow (hopefully we'll have some for 24 December) and a good Christmas movie.
When we're talking Christmas movies in everybody comes up with titles like "Home Alone", "Santa Clause", if you're into classics - "It's a Winderful Life", if you're into cartoons - various Christmas specials... But there are some movies that are (sort of) Christmas movies and you just don't associate them with Christmas.
And here's my Top 3 of such movies :)
3. BATMAN RETURNS
2. DIE HARD
Detective John McClane isn't exactly the kid-friendly family entertainment for the holidays ;)
1. GREMLINS
When we're talking Christmas movies in everybody comes up with titles like "Home Alone", "Santa Clause", if you're into classics - "It's a Winderful Life", if you're into cartoons - various Christmas specials... But there are some movies that are (sort of) Christmas movies and you just don't associate them with Christmas.
And here's my Top 3 of such movies :)
3. BATMAN RETURNS
2. DIE HARD
Detective John McClane isn't exactly the kid-friendly family entertainment for the holidays ;)
1. GREMLINS
Some years before "Home Alone" Chris Columbus wrote "Gremlins" and with Steven Spielberg as an executive producer and Joe Dante on the director's chair you just can't get anything but a cult classic! Seems like Billy's got the best Christmas present ever, but don't be fooled by cute little Gizmo, this is not another E.T. and things are about to get out of control! "Gremlins" sure is disturbing for some parents, but I don't think that the kids really care ;) It's gonna be one hell of a Christms!
Saturday, November 15, 2008
The Impact of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on Modern Pop-Culture
These have to submit two essays on Restoration Literature at the Uni on Monday. I picked the only two titles from the cospect I've read - "Robinson Crusoe" and "Gulliver's Travels". Just finished the second one. And as I was saving the file I browsed through my folders with Uni stuff and I found some old writings I decided to publish here :)
The Impact of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
on Modern Pop-Culture
There are novels considered to be timeless classics and yet, when you read them you need to be familiar with the specific historical events around their creation, the social enviroment and their author's biography. But there are also novels which remain timeless, readers all over the world can associate with their characters and find paralel beteween the fictional events and their everyday life. One of these timeless stories in Robert Lewis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
A lot has been said and written about the themes and the symbols in the novel. That's why I want to draw your attention elsewhere - The Impact of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on modern pop-culture. There are a great number of characters and stories, which can be connected to Stevenson's masterpiece. Some of them borrowing storytelling elemets, some of them directly inspired by or parodying the novel, and some following the same topics of dualism and dark nature and using them in a similar way. Not to mention that the words "secret identity" are now a key expression used for every superhero's alter-ego.
Let's begin with one of the most evident and famous inspirations. The character(s) of Jekyll and Hyde appear in Alan Moore's comic book, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and the film based on it. The bold and quite intersting idea of a team of crimefighters, quite much like the famus team-ups like Justice League, Legion of Superheroes and Teen Titans, but instead of comic book icons it brings together famous characters from classic literature, creating a unique crossover. The Victorian setting allowed Moore and O'Neill to insert "in-jokes" and cameos from many of the great works of Victorian fiction, while also making contemporary references and jibes, and also bear numerous steampunk influences. In the issues Hyde - stronger than ever, and with the Jekyll Persona buried in case it gets him killed - dies aiding the saving of earth from the Martians of The War of the Worlds. Curiously, neither are ever referred to by the names from the original book's title; Hyde is always called 'Hyde' or 'Edward' by other characters, but never 'Mr. Hyde'.
The Hulk sometimes referred to as The Incredible Hulk, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Hulk first appeared in 1962. He has since become one of Marvel Comics' most recognized superhero characters. His origin - After nuclear physicist Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he created, he was transformed into the Hulk, a raging monstrosity. The character, both as Banner and the Hulk, is frequently pursued by the police or the armed forces, often as a result of the destruction he causes. the powerful and brutishly emotional alter ego of an emotionally repressed scientist who comes forth whenever he experiences extreme emotional stress like anger or terror, is an example of the Jekyll and Hyde motif. While the Hulk often proves vital to saving the day, seeking usually to protect, his terrifying nature drives Bruce Banner into isolation, much like Jekyll, fearing discovery.
Stevenson's book was also the inspiration behind Two-Face, a supervillain Bob Kane created in 1941 to battle Batman. An upstanding citizen and DA, Harvey Dent was horribly scarred and traumatized. This caused his formerly repressed Hyde to emerge. The two personalities come into direct conflict often and make decisions they are split on using the outside moderator of a flipped coin. Submerged in the underworld, it appears that the darker side of Dent finally replaced the better side.
Bane, another character from the DC Comics universe, a supervillain from the Batman series. Shrouded in mystery, Bane appeared in Gotham City assigned to eliminate Batman for crime boss Rupert Thorne. Besides being a man of great physical size and power, Bane's strength is augmented by "Venom," a Super Steroid that increases his strength, physical size and durability for limited periods of time. Much like Dr.Jekyll turns himself into Hyde. The Venom potion, injected in his organism is also his weakness - when the supply of the chemical is cut he goes back to normal and loses his powers.
Another comic book relation - Marvel Comics supervillain was named after and based on Mr Hyde. Calvin Zabo was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He was a morally abject but brilliant medical researcher who was fascinated by the effect of hormones on human physiology. One of his favorite stories was Stevenson's 1886 classic, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He was convinced that the experiment in the story could actually be performed and obsessed with the idea of unleashing his full bestial nature in a superhuman form. However, he needed money to do this so he robbed his various employers systematically. Though too intelligent to be caught, the medical community was suspicious of his tendency to always be employed by organizations which were subsequently robbed.He was eventually successful in creating his formula, and turned into a huge, Hulk-like creature he called "Mister Hyde", named after the Mr. Hyde in the book. In this new form he found he had superhuman strength enabling him to crush cars and tear through steel as though it were made of cardboard.
There are many movie adaptations of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The very first film adaptation dates back in 1912. However they are all directly based on the novel, or exploit the famous character and put him into some cheesy B-movie horror flicks. Probably the movie with the most impressive cast is the 1942 version directed by Victor Fleming and starring Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner. But I want to focus on similarities with other movies.
I find a paralel between Stevenson's character and the most iconic movie villain of all times, Darth Vader. Just like Dr. Jekyll, Anakin Skywalker has his alter-ego - Mr.Hyde are Darth Vader are both a fine alegory, depicting the evil that lies in each one of us and the downfall of those who let that evil take over their lives. Jekyll slowly loses his identity to Mr. Hyde. In EPISODE V The Empire Strikes Back Yoda tells Luke Skywalker "Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will" - just like Jekyll, who once transformed into Hyde feel the urge to do it again and again untill finaly he loses control over the transformation and ends up as Hyde. After his fall to the Dark Side Anakin becomes Darth Vader, and in EPISODE IV A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi describes his former padawan with the words "He more machine now than man; twisted and evil." and Stevenson's Hyde is described more as some kind of diabolical creature than a human being, a deformed and frightening grotesque, with ape-like movements, driven by rage and fury.
The character(s) of Jekyll and Hyde play a minor role in the film, Van Helsing, as well as a substantially larger role in the animated prequel Van Helsing: The London Assignment. Gathering together elements from cult gothic horror stories, Van Helsing encounters also Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr.Moreau.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is often parodied in the Looney Tunes cartoons, such as "Dr. Jerkyll's Hide", "Hyde and Go Tweet", and "Hyde and Hare".
A R. L. Stine (called the Stephen King for children) book from the Ghoosebumps series, a young girl (named Heidi) moving to live with her reclusive uncle, only to discover he is the direct descendant of the original Dr Jekyll, and is carrying on his work.
In the movie The Pagemaster, starring Macaulay Culkin, Jekyll is shown transforming into Hyde and chases the kid and his friends in the world of literature.
on Modern Pop-Culture
There are novels considered to be timeless classics and yet, when you read them you need to be familiar with the specific historical events around their creation, the social enviroment and their author's biography. But there are also novels which remain timeless, readers all over the world can associate with their characters and find paralel beteween the fictional events and their everyday life. One of these timeless stories in Robert Lewis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde"
A lot has been said and written about the themes and the symbols in the novel. That's why I want to draw your attention elsewhere - The Impact of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on modern pop-culture. There are a great number of characters and stories, which can be connected to Stevenson's masterpiece. Some of them borrowing storytelling elemets, some of them directly inspired by or parodying the novel, and some following the same topics of dualism and dark nature and using them in a similar way. Not to mention that the words "secret identity" are now a key expression used for every superhero's alter-ego.
Let's begin with one of the most evident and famous inspirations. The character(s) of Jekyll and Hyde appear in Alan Moore's comic book, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and the film based on it. The bold and quite intersting idea of a team of crimefighters, quite much like the famus team-ups like Justice League, Legion of Superheroes and Teen Titans, but instead of comic book icons it brings together famous characters from classic literature, creating a unique crossover. The Victorian setting allowed Moore and O'Neill to insert "in-jokes" and cameos from many of the great works of Victorian fiction, while also making contemporary references and jibes, and also bear numerous steampunk influences. In the issues Hyde - stronger than ever, and with the Jekyll Persona buried in case it gets him killed - dies aiding the saving of earth from the Martians of The War of the Worlds. Curiously, neither are ever referred to by the names from the original book's title; Hyde is always called 'Hyde' or 'Edward' by other characters, but never 'Mr. Hyde'.
The Hulk sometimes referred to as The Incredible Hulk, is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in the Marvel Comics Universe. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Hulk first appeared in 1962. He has since become one of Marvel Comics' most recognized superhero characters. His origin - After nuclear physicist Dr. Robert Bruce Banner was caught in the blast of a gamma bomb he created, he was transformed into the Hulk, a raging monstrosity. The character, both as Banner and the Hulk, is frequently pursued by the police or the armed forces, often as a result of the destruction he causes. the powerful and brutishly emotional alter ego of an emotionally repressed scientist who comes forth whenever he experiences extreme emotional stress like anger or terror, is an example of the Jekyll and Hyde motif. While the Hulk often proves vital to saving the day, seeking usually to protect, his terrifying nature drives Bruce Banner into isolation, much like Jekyll, fearing discovery.
Stevenson's book was also the inspiration behind Two-Face, a supervillain Bob Kane created in 1941 to battle Batman. An upstanding citizen and DA, Harvey Dent was horribly scarred and traumatized. This caused his formerly repressed Hyde to emerge. The two personalities come into direct conflict often and make decisions they are split on using the outside moderator of a flipped coin. Submerged in the underworld, it appears that the darker side of Dent finally replaced the better side.
Bane, another character from the DC Comics universe, a supervillain from the Batman series. Shrouded in mystery, Bane appeared in Gotham City assigned to eliminate Batman for crime boss Rupert Thorne. Besides being a man of great physical size and power, Bane's strength is augmented by "Venom," a Super Steroid that increases his strength, physical size and durability for limited periods of time. Much like Dr.Jekyll turns himself into Hyde. The Venom potion, injected in his organism is also his weakness - when the supply of the chemical is cut he goes back to normal and loses his powers.
Another comic book relation - Marvel Comics supervillain was named after and based on Mr Hyde. Calvin Zabo was born in Trenton, New Jersey. He was a morally abject but brilliant medical researcher who was fascinated by the effect of hormones on human physiology. One of his favorite stories was Stevenson's 1886 classic, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. He was convinced that the experiment in the story could actually be performed and obsessed with the idea of unleashing his full bestial nature in a superhuman form. However, he needed money to do this so he robbed his various employers systematically. Though too intelligent to be caught, the medical community was suspicious of his tendency to always be employed by organizations which were subsequently robbed.He was eventually successful in creating his formula, and turned into a huge, Hulk-like creature he called "Mister Hyde", named after the Mr. Hyde in the book. In this new form he found he had superhuman strength enabling him to crush cars and tear through steel as though it were made of cardboard.
There are many movie adaptations of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. The very first film adaptation dates back in 1912. However they are all directly based on the novel, or exploit the famous character and put him into some cheesy B-movie horror flicks. Probably the movie with the most impressive cast is the 1942 version directed by Victor Fleming and starring Spencer Tracy, Ingrid Bergman, and Lana Turner. But I want to focus on similarities with other movies.
I find a paralel between Stevenson's character and the most iconic movie villain of all times, Darth Vader. Just like Dr. Jekyll, Anakin Skywalker has his alter-ego - Mr.Hyde are Darth Vader are both a fine alegory, depicting the evil that lies in each one of us and the downfall of those who let that evil take over their lives. Jekyll slowly loses his identity to Mr. Hyde. In EPISODE V The Empire Strikes Back Yoda tells Luke Skywalker "Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will" - just like Jekyll, who once transformed into Hyde feel the urge to do it again and again untill finaly he loses control over the transformation and ends up as Hyde. After his fall to the Dark Side Anakin becomes Darth Vader, and in EPISODE IV A New Hope, Obi-Wan Kenobi describes his former padawan with the words "He more machine now than man; twisted and evil." and Stevenson's Hyde is described more as some kind of diabolical creature than a human being, a deformed and frightening grotesque, with ape-like movements, driven by rage and fury.
The character(s) of Jekyll and Hyde play a minor role in the film, Van Helsing, as well as a substantially larger role in the animated prequel Van Helsing: The London Assignment. Gathering together elements from cult gothic horror stories, Van Helsing encounters also Dracula, Frankenstein and Dr.Moreau.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is often parodied in the Looney Tunes cartoons, such as "Dr. Jerkyll's Hide", "Hyde and Go Tweet", and "Hyde and Hare".
A R. L. Stine (called the Stephen King for children) book from the Ghoosebumps series, a young girl (named Heidi) moving to live with her reclusive uncle, only to discover he is the direct descendant of the original Dr Jekyll, and is carrying on his work.
In the movie The Pagemaster, starring Macaulay Culkin, Jekyll is shown transforming into Hyde and chases the kid and his friends in the world of literature.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Music #20
Here's a little song from the "Batman Forever" soundtrack...
Sounds so familiar... The exact situation I'm into right now, since the end of September - drowning in work, trying to keep up with all the stuff at the Uni, have no time to shave or have a decent breakfast... Remember, you have to sleep late when you can!
The Flaming Lips - Bad Days
You're sorta stuck where you are
But, in your dreams you can buy expensive cars,
or live on mars
and have it your way
And you hate your boss at your job
well in your dreams you can blow his head off
in your dreams
show no mercy
And all your bad days will end
And all your bad days will end
You have to sleep late when you can
And all your bad days will end
Sounds so familiar... The exact situation I'm into right now, since the end of September - drowning in work, trying to keep up with all the stuff at the Uni, have no time to shave or have a decent breakfast... Remember, you have to sleep late when you can!
The Flaming Lips - Bad Days
You're sorta stuck where you are
But, in your dreams you can buy expensive cars,
or live on mars
and have it your way
And you hate your boss at your job
well in your dreams you can blow his head off
in your dreams
show no mercy
And all your bad days will end
And all your bad days will end
You have to sleep late when you can
And all your bad days will end
Monday, June 11, 2007
Batman - The Animated Series [Pilot Episode]
I got this years ago, somewhere on the net on the p2p networks, but I can't really remember where for sure.
This pilot is featured as a bonus on "Batman: The Animated Series" volume 1, part 1 DVD. But the pilot there pilot there has a different sound edit - the DVD says that the original sound was lost from the WB archives and they remastered the pilot with new score and sound effects especially for the DVD. The score is a longer version of the series' intro theme and the sound effects are taken from some episodes and Batman video games. And I think that THIS HERE IS THE ORIGINAL PILOT, LOST FROM THE WARNER BROS ARCHIVES, with the sound from its first release more than 15 years ago! I guess this makes it a real gem for Bat-fans :)
Monday, June 04, 2007
Batman - Chase Me
A great musical short, bonus feature on "Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman" DVD - great animation in the style of the classic Batman animated series. One of my favourite music videos!
Enjoy!
I uploaded it today on YouTube, just after my bro purchased the first 8 DVDs of "Batman: The Animated Series" on the net, so now we're waiting for the delivery :) I watched this show more than a decade ago when I was in primary school and it still remains unsurpassed!
Thursday, November 16, 2006
In Memoriam
I am really sad to continue this rubric and so soon...
Fryday, November 10, Oscar winner Jack Palance died at the age of 87. Younger movie fans like me know him from "Batman", "Young Guns", "Buffalo Girls", "Solar Crisis", "Treasure Island", "Tango & Cash", , "City Slickers", "Buck Rogers in the 25 century"... Older movie fans surely remember his early roles in more than 120 movies and TV episodes. R.I.P.
Fryday, November 10, Oscar winner Jack Palance died at the age of 87. Younger movie fans like me know him from "Batman", "Young Guns", "Buffalo Girls", "Solar Crisis", "Treasure Island", "Tango & Cash", , "City Slickers", "Buck Rogers in the 25 century"... Older movie fans surely remember his early roles in more than 120 movies and TV episodes. R.I.P.
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