#personally my favorite is the heath ledger joker

[little-pup-pip]

Can I have a joker (from batman) agereboard, masc, w/paci no deco pls for @litlpawz

(asking from my main hence anonymous)

Even if u don’t do this board I just wanna say I love your boards keep it up!

Sure!!

[cranes-menagerie]

current favorite 3 batman villains ever brought to live action

Collin Farrell does the role of Oswald so damn well, he's such a terrible person but you can't help but root for him

don't even get me started on Cristin Milioti as Sofia, the fact that she was put into Arkham because she wasn't the woman her family wanted her to be, but was molded into it by the horrors she experienced in A.S.H.

I don't mean this with hyperbole when I say this but Sofia Falcone is (in my opinion) the most compelling Batman villain put to screen since the Heath Ledger Joker

Collin Farrell holds the same mark as Kevin Conroy as Batman, to me he IS penguin.

I can't wait for what Reeves does with them

[jbuffyangel]

Second Chance: Arrow 1x18 Review (Salvation)

The villain of the week is one step ahead of Felicity in "Salvation" which gives Oliver the opportunity to be there for HER, as they race to save Roy Harper's life.

And oh holy cow is there Lance family drama y'all. WOW. Scandalous.

Let's dig in...

Olicity

This is one of Arrow’s more suspenseful episodes. Felicity goes toe to toe with the villain of the week and she more than meets her match. This results in one of Arrow's cooler action sequences and some iconic Olictiy moments.

But first, we must work out.

Of all the times Felicity watches Oliver working out, this is my favorite. Emily Bett Richard’s face is hilarious.

Her comic skills are so on point and she brings a much needed levity to the show. But do not deny this woman her dramatic work. She can bring her A game anytime - as we will soon see.

Oliver is off to threaten (or kill?) a dirty real estate developer named John Nichols, who doesn’t mind skipping code requirements if it means saving a buck. Oliver fed up with this guy killing people in the Glades and he’s on the List, so hasta la vista, baby. (Do not deny my my nineties cliché remarks. They bring me comfort and joy.)

Unfortunately (or fortunately?) someone else beats Oliver to it and kidnaps Nichols. Oliver is strangely displeased. I mean... what's the difference? Felicity and I share a brain sometimes, so she asks Oliver on my behalf.

Source: @andjustforthismoment

These two are in their own rom com and we’re just along for the ride. The way he growls “They don’t show my level of restraint,” at Felicity is a lot. Is it really necessary to stand that close to her Oliver? No it’s not. I SEE YOU SIR.

The man who kidnapped Nichols executes him on live television which was super creepy. He definitely has a Heath Ledger as the Joker vibe to him. (Nobody said the comparisons to the Dark Knight are unfair.)

Felicity is unable to crack his encryption code because he’s a former cyber crusader called “The Savior” and the NSA has been searching for him for years.  His real name is Joseph Falk and he erased his existence after his wife was murdered in the Glades.

When he failed to get justice for his wife's death, the Savior took matters into his own hands - not unlike our favorite vigilante. His cyber skills are no joke and give Felicity a real run for her money. She is unable to track him down before he kills Nichols, which leads to a hilarious if frustrated exchange between Felicity and Oliver.

Source: @yet-i-remain-quiet

JUST GET MARRIED.

Things go from bad to worse for Felicity when Falk kidnaps the district attorney. His crime was not prosecuting the person who murdered Falk’s wife. If we were on the fence as to whether Nichols should live or die, then the district attorney snaps us out of the moral grey zone. Prosecutors choose not try cases all of the time for lack of evidence. It doesn’t mean they should die for it.

Source:  msr-olicity-love

Oliver's impatience only heightens Felicity's stress, but she finally gets a location. It’s the middle of the day which means Oliver can’t hood up. So he grabs the motorcycle and his super sexy brown jacket to hunt Falk down and save the DA.

This leads to one of my favorite Arrow action scenes. Falk is not at the location Felicity sends Oliver to, which means he has to sprint across town and leap between buildings to next location. Felicity is completely flummoxed because she doesn't understand how this guy is moving locations. Oliver screaming at her over comms is not particularly helpful either. 

Unfortunately, Team Arrow loses and Falk murders the DA on live television, which is completely traumatizing to Felicity who has never seen anyone die before. 

Oliver returns home to find Felicity alone in the dark, twirling one of his arrows in her hands. Oliver immediately wants to know where Diggle is because he’s probably wondering why John left Felicity all alone in the dark.

Felicity: I asked him to leave me alone in my loud voice.

Source: @westallenolicitygifs

Oliver isn’t going to do the same. He immediately reassures Felicity that it wasn’t her fault (because it isn’t). This is the price of the life they’ve chosen to live. It’s a very lonely one as Oliver knows all too well.

Source: @jamiedornaniseverything

Felicity is understandably feeling defeatist, so it’s one of the rare times she says it’s better to be alone. Oliver doesn’t have much to say in return, but notice how the scene is shot. The entire bunker is dark except for the brightly backlit desk lamp. Oliver and Felicity are the only thing we see in the darkness.

Felicity also mentions her relationship status, which feels like an oddly placed comment. Umm… ok? SHE’S SINGLE AND HETEROSEXUAL GUYS!

I love receiving pieces to the Felicity Smoak puzzle, but this comment felt very out of context. “Hey I’m sad, but I wouldn’t know how to talk to my boyfriend about fighting crime. Good thing I don’t have one.”

It is NOT the fans who create romantic undertones to Oliver and Felicity’s scenes. The writers make it romantic with conversations like this. It’s very easy to keep a scene like this strictly platonic, but nope! The writers decide it’s super important that Oliver knows *right now* that Felicity is single as she pours her heart out to him in her time of need.

The light is equally important, because this relationship (regardless of romantic or platonic) has to be a two way street. Felicity cannot always help Oliver find the light. He has to help her too.

Oliver does come through Felicity by the end of the episode. Not at first because he is equally struggling with the loneliness of the life he’s chosen. He can’t really advise Felicity against being alone because that’s the choice he’s made for himself. So much so, that Diggle takes him out for a burger and a little therapy session. After the disaster zone his past relationships have left in their wake, Oliver is tapping out. He doesn’t require a life, or entanglements, or feelings.

Diggle: You’ve been home for eight months Oliver, I don’t think you’ve left that island yet.

Diggle, per usual, disagrees. He wants Oliver entangled. He wants Oliver as entangled as he can get. It makes you wonder if he has someone specific in mind.

The Savior puts a big mirror up to Oliver’s face. He is man grieving the loss of his wife and chose to channel that rage and sadness into exacting his brand of justice.  Oliver can see himself in Falk and he doesn’t like what he sees.

Being alone leads to exactly that. While Oliver may say he doesn’t want the complexity of relationships and the difficulties they can bring, the reality of living life alone can lead to some pretty terrible results. Falk cut himself off from his humanity. This lead to selecting victims who didn’t deserve to die. If Oliver wants to maintain a moral high ground, make difficult but ultimately right choices, then he needs his humanity fully intact. Humanity requires human contact.

Oliver reaches out to someone first, but it’s not Felicity. It’s L*urel. He wants to have dinner or coffee or whatever because he no longer wants to be on an island.  It’s a nice line. It would have more meaning if we saw that dinner or conversation, but we don't.

Instead we see Oliver return home to the bunker, to Felicity and Diggle, and they debrief their latest Team Arrow victory.  It would be easy to leave this scene at Felicity’s funny remark about Roy and Thea.

Diggle: You ok?

Oliver: Getting there.

Instead, Oliver acknowledges, more to himself, that he’s feeling better because John was right. Then we actually see this rigid man move and in the cutest way possible - with a little "Psst." It is a small yet definitive step towards his second chance.

Oliver approaches Felicity in the now brightly lit bunker and tells her she is not alone. He is there for her always. Felicity may not have a “boyfriend” to talk to, but she has Oliver.

Then he gently touches her shoulder and lets his hand linger there just long enough to even make Felicity wonder if maybe, just maybe, he means more.

Actions speak louder than words.  Oliver may talk about not being on an island anymore with L*urel, but he leaves that island for Felicity.

Roy Harper

What are we doing with Roy Harper? Thus far it’s been a lot of Roy and Thea having the same “make better choices” argument and debate their wildly different economic lots in life. This is all well and good but we eventually need movement on this character and “Unfinished Business” give it to us BIG TIME.

Thea is understandably frustrated when Roy admits he plans to hold up a liquor store because he “owes” people in the Glades and that’s how this town works.

Thea: I got you a job at my brother’s club. You have choices. You don’t have to be a criminal.

Somehow this decision puts Roy in the Savior’s cross hairs. According to Falk, Roy Harper is a gang banger.

Roy has a criminal record and holding up a liquor store with an empty gun is not great, but a freaking death sentence? Calm down crazy. The Savior can’t find bigger fish to fry?

Roy doesn’t make excuses or ask for forgiveness when Falk challenges him to defend himself against his “crimes.” He doesn’t care if he lives or dies (just like someone else we know).

Roy: No one’s gonna miss me. I’m just a waste.

Gut punch. This kid wrecks me. Now Thea is crying in Tommy’s big brotherly-like arms. WE MUST SAVE THE PARKOUR PRINCE!!!

Felicity and Diggle determine Falk is on the old abandoned subway system in Star City, which is why he was moving locations. The Hood finds Roy before Falk can pull the trigger and they engage in a morality debate, which thankfully isn’t broadcasted across the whole city after the feed is cut off. Or maybe the city should have heard Oliver’s arguments.

Oliver: I understand being alone, but it doesn’t give you the right to kill people in cold blood.

The Savior challenges Oliver on the difference between them and, once again, he doesn’t have a lot to say. There's minimal morality wiggle room for Oliver. The only difference between the Savior and the Hood is the people they are choosing. Oliver wasn’t wrong at the beginning of the episode. He has more restraint. He also has a better list of names. The Savior should ask for a couple.

Killing the District Attorney and kidnapping Roy Harper show that Falk is very bad at being judge, jury and executioner. Arrow is putting other vigilantes up against Oliver to show that he is better. There is a good heart under that hood – a potential superhero’s heart. Oliver’s morals and how he measures the sins of others are more just, but that doesn’t make him right. These distinctions we are drawing between Oliver and people like Falk and Helena are merely shades of grey. He is balancing on a very razor thin edge.

Oliver begs Falk to give Roy a second chance, but is forced to put an arrow in him when he refuses. “Salvation” is asking an important question. Who is worthy of a second chance? And who decides who is worthy?

Killing not only ends someone’s life it removes the possibility for change. There is a clear distinction between a man like Nichols and Roy Harper. There should be consequences to sinful actions, but what sins warrant death and what sins warrant forgiveness? Who decides? It’s a question we grapple with constantly in our imperfect legal system and it’s one Oliver Queen must answer as the city’s self appointed protector.

Roy is an easy call to make. He made mistakes, but he is deserving of a second chance. However, the question of whether he is worthy of it can only be answered by Roy Harper.  As he pulls the small arrow that saved his life out from his pocket, Roy is illuminated by a bright red light – a not so subtle nod to the Red Arrow. 

And thus a hero’s journey begins with a second chance.

The Lance Family

This week on Loving the Lances… Dinah returns home with hopes of resurrecting their dead daughter but family secrets were unearthed instead. Dun dun dunnnnn!!!!

L*urel is on her own show, so I thought I’d give it a proper soap opera name. She never intersects with Oliver’s storyline except when she randomly pops up at the club looking for Tommy, but I digress. In all seriousness, this episode is pretty damn good because some scalding hot tea was spilled!

Dinah is CONVINCED that Sara is alive because she had the exact same baseball cap as the woman in the photo. This is such a weird detail to hang all her hopes on. Does Dinah think Sara was holding the rockets hat in her hand while she was swept out to sea? What’s with the hat? I HAVE QUESTIONS.

Long story short, Sara is truly dead. L*urel finds the woman in the photo. She’s American, spent some time in China and owns a Starling City Rocket’s hat. We’re going to pretend the Chinese Embassy can find some rando in a photo and deliver her name to L*urel in five seconds flat. Also, Oliver confirms once again Sara is dead and he never lies so we’re all good.

But now we can get to the really interesting part of this little Lance drama unfolding before us. L*urel has the same questions about the hat as I do! I am wildly uncomfortable being this much in agreement with her, but here we are.

Dinah came home while Sara was packing for her little get away with Oliver. She watched Sara pack the hat. Dinah told her not to go, but Sara said she was in love and following her heart even though others may not think it is right. Just like Dinah did with Quentin (side note – what’s the story on those two?)

Dinah: So I let her go. I killed my daughter.

HOLY FRIGGIN CRAP! MOMMY KNEW ABOUT THE CHEATING AND NOT ONLY DID SHE NOT SAYING ANYTHING TO L*UREL SHE LET SARA GO ON THE DAMN BOAT!!

This family is so jacked up. They make the Queens look halfway normal. Y’all I don’t even know what to do with this information. HOT. MESS. EXPRESS.

Clearly Dinah is riddled with guilt and is desperate to find Sara alive to erase the terrible decision she made, but she can’t erase it. Just like Oliver can’t.

Somehow this betrayal almost feels worse than what Oliver and Sara did. Alright, maybe that’s too harsh, but it feels just as bad. It feels like Dinah was taking sides and she chose Sara. 

I really need a therapy session with these women to unpack all that, but this is Arrow and L*urel doesn’t get that much screen time. The best we’ll get is an awkward hug and L*urel asking her mother to call her sometime.

What L*urel is offering is a generous second chance. Perhaps she’s realized that forgiveness is less painful than holding onto all the anger and hurt. Perhaps Oliver coming home and her mother’s time away made her realize she wants Dinah in her life than not at all. It’s really only a decision L*urel can make, but it’s a chance Dinah needs to jump on. She didn’t stop being a mother when Sara died. L*urel needs her too.

Stray Thoughts

L*urel advises Thea to run from the bad boys. Snort. So it’s a “do what I say, not what I do” type of advice day.

Moira serves Frank up on a platter to Malcolm Merlyn as the person who hired Deadshot. Moira’s hands are getting pretty damn bloody.

It has to be hard on L*urel to see that the only time her parents can be in a room together, affectionately touching, and being on the same team, is when they are searching for Sara. I really felt bad for her this episode. Ugh.

Slade and Oliver ransom the chips for a boat. It goes disastrously. Now Yao Fei is captured again.

Hey! Shado speaks English and can kick ass. Neat!

 “Keeps my ears warm.” He jokes!

��I’ll be home in a flash.” Dinah lives in Central City. Season 1 Jen didn’t get that reference, but I am a seasoned professional in the art of comic book references and I totally picked up on it the second time.

“Stay” by Rihanna was playing during Oliver & L*urel’s scene at the end of the episode. This was my song of pain in 2013. The Vampire Diaries used it in a particularly agonizing Stefan and Elena scene as well that year.  It's like white hot pokers in my heart.

Listen to the Watchover podcast reaction to 1x18!!!

If you’d like to support the blog, please buy me a cup of tea!

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me.

[distort-opia]

Important batjokes question: whos the sub and whos the dom, who is the top and who is the bottom?

(in my heart, the joker is a brat. it just feels right)

It does depend on the incarnation a bit, since I personally can't look at The Dark Knight Returns Joker and Heath Ledger's Joker and not think "dom" and "top", but otherwise Joker tends to come across as a bottom, and Bruce as the top (especially in comics or any comic-based medium, like the Arkham games). Joker has actually called himself a power bottom canonically (in Batman: Cacophony)... man wants to get dicked down and is so very valid for it. He can be an absolute brat and your heart is pointing the right way. But leaving that aside, it's a glaring component of their dynamic-- Joker liking getting the shit beaten out of him, being the one to provoke Batman into giving in to his darkest desires. Which brings us to the fact that I personally see the D/s aspect as an important component of the sexual dynamic they could have, but not one that's set in stone by any stretch of the imagination.

"Top" and "bottom" only refer to sexual positions, and not personality profiles. While I see Joker as bottoming like 90% of the time, I also think he's quite dominant. There's a reason why you get a lot of fics in which Bruce gets tied up to a chair or something and Joker goes to town; Bruce tops, but Joker is the one in control. This is a direct consequence of canon material, since you get so many instances in which Batman is trapped by Joker, usually in chains. But I can just as easily see Joker as a sub, much like Bruce also switches between the two. There's just as much canon support and innuendo out there for Bruce having sadistic tendencies and wanting to... put Joker in his place, so to speak. There's just as many instances in comics of Batman physically dominating Joker in fights, often in suggestive positions. The default most artists tends to go to when depicting Batman and Joker is Bruce snarling in Joker's face and beating him up while Joker's having the time of his life, which would be an accurate summary of their sex life if they actually did Gotham a favor and just fucked. I'm not saying Joker would stop killing people, but it'd certainly keep him busy and happy enough to kill less people =))

Anyway, hope this was a satisfying answer, Anon! The struggle for power between these two is one of my favorite parts, to be honest. Both Bruce and Joker have a complicated relationship with being in control, and both want to feel like they have it and want to feel like they don't, in different ways and in different situations.

[dis0rderly-cl0wn-nerd]

So before I start OC-TOBER I want to give some background on the OC I picked. Below are some drawings of her and a face claim (basically Heath Ledger but genderbent). Some of the drawings are recent and some are up to two years old. I did the reference sheet for art fight this year. I don’t like it because it’s super rushed and I could’ve done better but it gives you an idea.

The oc I picked is Hailey, (my absolute favorite oc). She is from an AU I have where Batman rogues have kids. Here’s some info about her:

Her full name is Jacqueline Hailey Quinzel. She was named after her grandmother 🥺 (if you’ve read my fic you’ll get this) She goes by Hailey because when she was little Jacqueline was hard for her to say/spell/write out. She is Joker and Harley Quinn’s youngest of three kids. The oldest is Jeremy and the middle is Hannah. (I know they wouldn’t ever canonically or realistically have that many but let’s just pretend!) 

They have Quinzel as their last name because Joker’s identity wasn’t revealed yet when they were born. It finally was when Hailey was about 16. Joker came forward and told the police everything because he was tired of carrying around that burden for so long and he felt his family deserved to know who he was. (His story in this AU is a little different from my headcanon/the current fanfic I’m writing so it fits the timeline better. For example he’s a 70s baby instead of 80s and fought in Desert Storm instead of Afghanistan) 

Anyway back to Hailey, as you can see she looks a lot like her father. She is the most like him out of his kids and also secretly his favorite lol. Her personality is a lot like J’s, except she’s not as silly as he is. Jeremy is more like that. Hailey has his seriousness, sarcasm, and overall badassery. Sadly she makes an effort to not smile as much because she looks so much like her dad. She loves J a lot but she’s self conscious about her smile, it freaks people out, and it’s been pointed out to her before. As she gets older she doesn’t care about it as much because what does it even matter? But in school it really bothered her. 

Her hobbies are art (she’s very artsy like J!), aerial dance (silks, lyra, etc), singing, and playing a little guitar. She can do gymnastics and stuff but she’s not as into that and regular dance as her sister is. 

Hailey is 5’11 and very muscular. She’s naturally bigger and leaner, again like her father. Basically she can kick ass. J definitely taught her a thing or two. 

She has a similar music taste to her dad. He passed down his favorites to her and then she added to it. She’s into grunge, metal, nu metal, alternative, indie, etc. things along those lines. 

When she’s an adult she becomes a full time artist doing commissions and murals in Gotham. They pay her pretty well for it! She also has YT, Tik Tok, and Instagram accounts for her art with decent followings.

Her bf and later husband is a random character I made up named Laine. He is a photographer. They went to the same schools but she didn’t actually meet him until after they graduated. He wanted to photograph one of her murals for the blog he runs. They really liked each other and Hailey let him take photos anytime he wanted. Then it grew from there. 

One of her best friends is Delilah, which is Frost’s daughter. J thinks it funny how history repeats itself. 

...

About the AU, when I was younger I loved Descendants and I really loved Batman so I decided to combine those two and make my own AU. Years later I still hold onto it. I’ve just tweaked it to make it more realistic (and less cringe lmao). 

So basically! Gotham got tired of dealing with the rogues over and over again. Arkham (Blackgate too in some cases) was like a revolving door and nothing was working. So the government/city decided to put them on a strip of land just outside of Gotham near the harbor. I still haven't come up with a name for it yet. I just think of it as a ‘Badlands’ type thing.

The land is fenced in and the rogues are not allowed to leave. Unless it’s like worst case scenario and they need serious medical attention or something. They are supervised and have meetings with officials once a month to make sure things are going okay or make town decisions. 

Everything they have is government provided. That's who pays for the water and electricity. They have food and supplies sent to them every month. Sometimes things are donated, especially when the kids came along. When the rogues were preparing to leave they were allowed to take belongings with them, just nothing illegal or guns obviously.

The rogues were all proven competent enough to take care of their kids so the state didn't take them away. Much to everyone's surprise the rogues were really trying to turn over a new leaf and live out the rest of their lives right. They had officially given up on crime. What was the point? They had a chance to start over. Why ruin it?

The children were homeschooled for most of their childhood. They were all like siblings to each other. It wasn't until 10 years later when it was finally decided that they could start going to public school. It was a huge adjustment but eventually the kids got settled in. There was of course teasing and bullying but as tight knit and close as they were, they were able to pick each other up and it rarely bothered them.

Batman, Batgirl, and Gotham socialites also have kids. Batman and Julie Madison have a son. They later get divorced because as we all know, Bruce can't stay in a relationship to save his life. Barbara has a daughter with somebody (idk who the dad is). He's pretty much nonexistent in her life. The other important people in Gotham that have kids are Vikki Vale, Veronica Vreeland, and Madison Lancaster (that girl from my Harley fic that stole Harley's job).

Jonny Frost doesn't live with the rogues. Frost is out on parole, also retired from crime, and working multiple jobs to be able to pay child support and take care of Delilah on the days he has custody of her. When she gets older, he has a connection to Joker again through Delilah's friendship with Hailey.

Batman, the rogues, and the story line are a mix of the Nolanverse and my own version.

Here's the majority of my OCs from this AU. I think there's like two missing because they wouldn't fit on the page but they're side characters and not that important.

All my ocs (there’s over 20 lmao) from this AU have a special place in my heart but Hailey is my favorite 💜

I may do a fanfic or comic with this AU one day and I really want to. I have for years. But I have so much on plate right now so if I ever do, it won’t be for a long time. I may post some art that goes along with it though ☺️

Okay I think that’s enough rambling!

Bonus drawing I forgot to add:

[zionanelequaso]

the dark knight/the dark knight rises spoilers or something

conversation between a curious unknowing person and me that I made up right now because making skits is fun

“so, zio, what are some things you really like right now?”

ummmm….gravity falls…

“expected. it’s like a kid thing anyways.”

baldi mods…

“same reaction.”

batman…

“..oh like the lego batman movie because I don’t really think—“

my favorite batman is christian bale’s batman!!

“…YOU WATCHED THE DARK KNIGHT TRILOGY???”

not the third one I would cry so hard because i like batman a lot so seeing him lose would make me very upset

“…let me get this straight. YOU HAVE WATCHED BATMAN BEGINS AND THE DARK KNIGHT BUT DONT WANT TO WATCH THE DARK KNIGHT RISES BECAUSE BATMAN LOSES.”

yeah I’d be super sad for the rest of the day :(

“what about when Harvey dent became two face??? isn’t that really sad??? didn’t you cry over that a lot as well????”

yeah my day was a bit sad

“so wouldn’t it be EXACTLY THE SAME THING to watch batman just. LOSE but not DIE—“

NO IT WOULD NOT!!! IT WOULDNT BE THE SAME BECAUSE IM SO ATTACHED TO BATMAN THAT ITS NOT EVEN FUNNY!! NOT TWO-FACE!!! NOT JONKLER!!! BATMAN AND BRUCE WAYNE!!! IVE CRIED FOR AN HOUR STRAIGHT OVER A CHARACTER IVE BEEN SUPER ATTACHED TO BEFORE BECAUSE HE DIED IN A FANFICTION!!! FANFICTION!!! NOT CANON, FANFICTION!!! SO IMAGINE HOW DEVASTATING IT IS TO ME THAT BATMAN LOSING IS CANON!!!!

“…well yeah but it shows that even the best heroes fall—“

I DONT CARE IF ITS GIVING ME A LIFE LESSON HEATH LEDGER SHOULDN’T HAVE DIED BECAUSE EVEN BANE BEING MENTIONED IS SUPER SURE TO RUIN MY LIFE FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES BECAUSE HE WAS SO MEAN TO BATMAN!!! JOKER BEING IN THE 3RD MOVIE WOUD HAVE BEEN SUPER COOL BECAUSE HE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB IN THE DARK KNIGHT!!! ALSO IM PROBABLY NOT NEUROTYPICAL SO OF COURSE I WOULD CRY OVER BATMAN AND ALSO NOT WANT TO WATCH A MOVIE WHERE HE LOSES AT SOME POINT, EVEN IF SOMEHOW AT THE END EVERYTHING IS SKIBIDI!!!!

“….”

in conclusion I’m gonna avoid watching the dark knight rises so I don’t get tears in my eyes for no reason at random points in the day after because I think about what happened in the movie

[keldjinfae]

Tagged again by @oldefashioned, this time for my URL in movie titles. This one was just as painful as the one with song titles. Turns out I love a lot of movies that start with I, T, and H.

Kill Bill, vol. 1 and 2 Evil Dead (2023) Let Me In The Dark Knight John Wick (the whole series) Interview With the Vampire A Nightmare On Elm Street Friends With Benefits An American Tail Erin Brockovich North to Alaska

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World

X-Men and X2: X-Men United

Elf

Love Actually

Easy A

Tombstone

Howl's Moving Castle

Kill Bill: My sister and I are both major Tarantino fans, and fortunately for this list, both Kill Bill volumes happen to top our list. For all of the executive producers who were "shy" about putting out a movie that was led by a female protagonist, Tarantino told them to go fuck themselves and made movies like Kill Bill and Death Proof (which also would have made this list if I'd had more than one 'D' in my URL). Sis's favorite is Vol. 1 because of the focus on O-Ren as the main antagonist, whereas mine is Vol. 2 because of Elle Driver, as well as the actual confrontation between Beatrix (*beeeeeeep*) and Bill.

Evil Dead (2023): So my sister and I are the type of people who find comfort in horror movies. While the OG Evil Dead series is iconic, the remake was refreshingly not terrible. Also, earlier today, Sis was watching it and it got to the scene with the eggs, and I wasn't wearing my glasses as I passed through the room so I asked, "Is that Final Destination?" "No." "...The Bear?" notices the weird way she's cracking the eggs "Oh, Evil Dead. Bitchin'."

Let Me In: It still breaks my brain not just how this movie was good on its own merits, let alone as an adaptation, but also how good its main actors were, considering Chloe was believably portraying a child vampire. Yes, I am obviously aware that it had been done before, but Chloe just brought this different kind of menace and weight to her role. Additionally, I love just about anything Richard Jenkins is in (also obviously), so...

The Dark Knight: I saw this fucker so many times in theaters that I could just about quote it from start to finish for a while. Heath Ledger was perfection as the Joker, yes, but I was equally enthralled by Aaron Eckhart as Two-Face. He was menacing and tragic in equal measure, and it made him just as mesmerizing as the Joker's "do you want to know how I got these scars?" Also, I'm so damn glad they replaced Katie Holmes's Rachel Dawes with Maggie Gyllenhaal.

John Wick (the whole series): The most fascinating aspects of this franchise are the detailed world-building, and all of the characters surrounding the protagonist. Everyone is so unique and developed, I want to see them all in each movie. And Keanu is actually brilliant in a very understated way in this series--his character's personality shines through more in his actions. But while he says very little, the way he says things showcases his sense of humor, his emotions, all in the span of maybe a handful of words. Besides all of this, the soundtrack is fucking gorgeous, and there's a reference to The Warriors in the fourth film that had Sis and I shrieking and flailing at the cinema.

Interview With the Vampire: Another one of our comfort movies, but it was also one that Sis and I watched with our dad, frequently. Dad was our biggest influence when it came to horror and gothic films, particularly since our mom can't even get through Alien ('A' was another one I struggled like hell with, btw). Tom Cruise is... uh... many things, but one of those things is a damn good actor. He threw himself into proving he could play Lestat, and it showed. Also, again, bitchin' soundtrack. I still have some of the songs on my phone that I would circulate as ringtones for Sis and Dad.

A Nightmare On Elm Street: See above. Though, with how "formulaic" so many slasher/horror films have become over time, this one still remains one of my favorites because each character was someone you felt for, even if they had a short amount of screen time. Additionally, the characters had chemistry with each other, so it genuinely felt like friends were trying to help each other through some scary shit, but the scary shit got to them anyway.

Friends With Benefits: I'm not typically into romcoms (many of them push a little too hard into "cringe" territory when it comes to the comedy side), but the 'F' slot actually led to me debating whether to fill it with this one or Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The latter may have gotten more laughs out of me, and it's one I watch frequently with my sister, but the former had more of an emotional impact on me, and was one I used to watch with my father. There are elements that keep it from being yet another "we're best friends and oh no now we're also in love" film, like Jamie's relationship with her mother being very similar to the one I have with my own, or Dylan's father suffering from worsening dementia (and, again, being played by Robert Jenkins, who in this particular role reminded me so much of my late grandpa that it's almost painful to watch his deadpan delivery sometimes).

An American Tail: This was one of the first movies I remember seeing, period. The song is seared into my brain for all time, Fieval is so adorable and heartbreaking I almost can't stand it sometimes, and throughout all of it I love that his sister is the one who never loses hope that he's still alive.

Erin Brockovich: I loved the chemistry between Julia Robert and Albert Finney in this one. Overall, it's just a good story, but their chemistry not only sold it but elevated it to new heights. Plus, baby T.J. Thyne is in it, before he became one Jack Hodgins in Bones.

North to Alaska: My second favorite John Wayne film (my first being McClintock!, but damnit, no 'M's in my URLs). If you've never seen it before, it is fucking hilarious. There's this epic fight scene towards the end that is epic because it is an absolute catastrophe--there's no impressive choreography (though there is a moment when George and Sam coordinate exactly the right time to duck, which is actually very impressive if you've ever been in a free-for-all brawl), just pandemonium. And a goat. My favorite scene involves Sam (Wayne) seething into the middle distance because George is deliberately trying to bait him into a jealous rage, and when someone else points out that Sam needs to turn the stove on first in order to cook the bacon he has in the pan, he storms off after saying that if he doesn't like how he cooks it then he can do it himself.

It's A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World: No movie has ever made me laugh as much as this one from start to finish. It was made with the intention of throwing together as many comedians as it could, but actually giving them something to do. Making it even better for Sis and I personally, Buddy Hackett's character looks, talks, and acts so much like our dad, it's insane. When we try to describe what living with Dad was like towards "the end," we refer to the scenes between Hackett and Mickey Rooney, wherein Dad is Hackett, and Sis and I are both Rooney.

X-Men and X2: The series may have ended with a whimper, but up until that first X-Men movie, comic book films were not really considered "bankable." I grew up watching The Animated Series (cue theme song), so my 13-year-old body was ready for this movie. And look, there's a reason that Hugh Jackman has been the definitive Wolverine for over 20 years, but Sis and I both believe that Rebecca Romijn deserves just as much credit as Mystique, and Famke Janssen was the perfect Jean Grey. But that very first reveal of Mystique in the helicopter was just as iconic as Wolverine's in the cage fight. And that Wolverine vs Mystique fight scene, though. Holy shit. Also, again, great musical score--Mystique's theme song 10/10.

Elf: So, back when Will Ferrell was first starting out in movies, I couldn't stand most of them. It was when Stranger Than Fiction and Elf came along that the tones gelled better with my sense of humor--like in SNL, Ferrell seems to be more on his game when he's sharing the jokes with someone else, which doesn't mean I'm saying he sucks on his own; it means he's a collaborative spirit, and I can relate. I'm at my most creative/energetic/hilarious when I'm not working alone.

Love Actually: Okay, but the cast of this thing is ridiculous. I love (fittingly) all of the different kinds of love portrayed, from romantic love to familial love to the love between friends, and even the love between long-time coworkers.

Easy A: This movie "had me" from the moment Thomas Hayden Church was deadpanning about mismatched tires. The whole thing is about taking a look at The Scarlet Letter and questioning if we've actually made any progress since then, in regards to women and sexuality. Those who are familiar with what I reblog and tag and write have enough of an idea of my thoughts on the subject.

Tombstone: One of the "go-to" movies for my dad and me. For about the first half of my life, most of our discussions would lead to arguments... unless the topic was history, music, or movies. And one of the movies we would watch routinely (particularly when something in real life had emotionally impacted us and we needed a medium to process everything) was Tombstone. Additionally, this was also the first movie I remember seeing with Stephen Lang in it, who's been an almost lifelong crush of mine (though in this movie, he's a cowardly piece of shit who I still scream "JUST DIE ALREADY" at to this day; it wasn't until I saw Tall Tale that the "ohhhhhhhh okay, yeah" began).

Howl's Moving Castle: This movie's score has the same impact on me as An American Tail's does. I also actually like the way the movie adaptation rearranges/outright changes some things from the book. It's a wartime fairytale about curses and lifting them, and found family.

Sending out no-pressure tags to @dear-massacre (not, like, because she has an S in her name for a franchise I couldn't reference in my own or anything), @renmackree, @ice-mage, @greyhavenisback, and @nerdherderette

[clowningachievement]

Joker Rankings:

Step inside my twisted mind as I rank my personal favorite Jokers. This will largely be from media I have consumed, or ones I have a strong memory of. I don't intend to make this as a like "if you disagree with me you are wrong" thing, just a thing of the ones I have personally found the most interesting or engaging.

I will not be including comics, or the individual DC animated films because there are. So dang many of them.

Mark Hamill's Joker (Various media)

Idk if it's cheating necessarily to list Mark Hamill's various Jokers as one guy, but I feel like even across different adaptations the general vibe of his joker is pretty consistent. Flamboyant, annoying, and often more interested in being an annoying pain in the ass than an actually effective adversary. It's pretty obvious that he is kind of the biggest inspo for my own take on the funny clown man, DCAU and the Arkham series just provide so much good material to work with for this funky little guy. Plus I feel like pretty much every major Joker adaptation since this one has, in some way, tried to emulate it. This ranking is also pretty obviously biased by both Nostalgia and also just. Prevalence. The Arkham series, especially Knight, really did a lot to push Hamill's Joker over the top for me on top of my prior enjoyment of the DCAU. 2. Kevin Michael Richardson's Joker (The Batman 2004)

So first, a series of admissions that will make this one's inclusion on this list and in this place a bit weird: I barely watched the 2004 Batman series and what I did see of it I never particularly liked. Rino Romano's Batman was not interesting to me (and I never cared for his voice), and the series in general was just. Not the sort of thing I wanted from Batman, I guess? BUT! I just really like this Joker's unusual design and Kevin's VA work for him, it's incredibly unique and definitely a take I would like to see explored more in a better property. The sort of wild-man like aesthetic is one a bit less conventional than the standard mafioso with a purple suit and a knife bit we usually get. I really hope if we get another POC take on Joker it takes some inspo from this, especially giving him a big mess of dreads. Very good stuff.

I will note that listing the animated Jokers above the Live Action ones probably isn't a coincidence, I feel like there are qualities to the character that just can't be effectively captured in Human Meat.

3. It's Heath Ledger because of course it is

The Christopher Nolan Batman movies are pseudo-fascist trash. Heath Ledger had a good take on the Joker and brought a lot of life and light to what was otherwise an incredibly miserable franchise and film. Not a lot to say that hasn't been said, if MH set the tone for Jokers aimed at a younger audience this one definitely set the tone for ""Mature"" Joker interpretations. The Twoface stuff in this, while probably being the best major film rep Harv has got so far, absolutely should have been left out for us to get more screen time with this guy. Very fun, a good edgy take that is sadly ruined by a lot of weird freaks out in the wild. We live in a society. 4. Jack Nicholson Joker

Definitely the best live-action take on the classic Joker while still managing to be threatening and substantial. He is just a wacky mobster with a grudge, which isn't bad but isn't particularly remarkable either. The movie obviously went a bit too hard with him, making him the one to kill Bruce's parents et all, but I think on the whole it's a pretty fun take. Jackie can't laugh for shit though.

5. Ceasar Romero

The Baseline Joker intepretation against which all others ought to be judged.

Maybe a bit of an overstatement but he is, to my knowledge, the first actor to ever portray the Joker in basically anything and he sets an adorably high bar. Obviously the series is aimed at kids and is highly episodic so it's not like he's going to get a lot of development but he is fun, he's cute, I wanna give him a little pat on the head.

Plus he is improved 100% if you take the obviously painted over moustache as diegetic. Just kind of a silly guy who loves doing silly crimes.

6. Jouaqin Pheonix

I thought the movie was fun. I don't generally like the Joker having a concrete origin story, nor him seeming overly sympathetic, but for what it was I thought it was a pretty fun and funky film. It just didn't really feel very Jokerish, to me? I mean he is a criminal with a clown aesthetic and a very annoying laugh but. Idk. Good movie, anyway.

7. Harley Quinn Joker

I liked this show a lot! At least the first season and a halfish, anyway? Kinda felt like it got bogged down towards the end. Anyway! Their take on Joker as a complete annoying sleezeball is fun, and Joker definitely would buy a Tesla if only to annoy people with it. It's a good Joker Parody, a funny little subversion of most modern moody Joker takes in the adult-oriented comics sphere. I am really only putting him so low because like I said he is more of a parody of the Joker than an earnest interpretation of the character, I feel like? Shrugs. Just my onions.

8. That Lego Joker?

He was just kind of an extended gay joke, I felt like? Idk I have always felt Overly Sensitive for this take but this movie never really sat right with me. Like yes, we all know they have a weird underlying psychosexual thing going on. I dunno, I thought the design was cute for a lego movie but. Idk. Very one note, by which I mean even more one note than Joker usually is.

9. Brave and The Bold Joker

I was too old for BnB when it came out, and I still am. The aesthetic is weird, the design is weird, and I am sort of mixed on the voice. Just kind of a worse take on the like Cesar Romero style Joker. Maybe I just like my Joker's nasally and weirder. That's. That's kinda all I have to say on this one. 10. Jared Leto

An incredibly poorly thought out attempt at modernizing Joker's admittedly very aged gimmick. Just. Really fucked it on this one. Not a single good thing to be said about him, other than he is only kind of bearable if you assume every negative aspect of him is a put on he's doing intentionally to be as bad to look at and perceive as possible.

The problem with that being that the films he is in obviously want to take him seriously and make the viewers perceive him as a threat, instead of a weird dude being annoying on purpose. 11. Whatever was going on in that The Batman deleted scene

This has the same problem, to me, as Faceless Joker from the comics (the only comics mention I will be making in this thread, lol). The Joker doesn't need to be a horrific disfigured mutant guy. It's not a cool new take to give the Joker a big scary mouth and make him look like some sort of ghoul, and even if you want to do that there are many way more interesting ways to do it than. This. It feels weird to rank him so low just based off a single deleted scene cameo but I hope if this version of Joker ever makes it to film he is changed dramatically. Like I'd rather see more Jared Leto Joker than this. It's not scary it's just. Boring. He doesn't need to look like a ghoul to get across that he is scary and crazy. Tbh I think a component of him being so effective usually is that he is goofy, he looks goofy!!! Like even Heath Ledger's Joker has a certain Sillyness to him. Idk maybe if we see more of him my opinion will change I am just not optimistic about this grungly man.

I do like the Laugh though.

[autismmydearwatson]

This has been on my mind a while but I do think Heath Ledgers Joker is the best. Not in a redditor neckbeard "I'm just like him" way, I'm speaking as someone for whom The Dark Knight is actually my FOURTH Favorite Batman Movie (after Batman Returns, The Batman, and The Lego Batman Movie of course). The genius of Heath Ledgers Joker is that he sort of reveals what I think are the bare bones of the Jokers character and reveals why the Joker movie failed. The Joker isn't SUPPOSED to have a backstory or a reason. He's not SUPPOSED to make sense.

This is summed up in what Alfred says. "Some men can't be bullied, bargained, or reasoned with. Some men want to watch the world burn." And the Jokers quote "this is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object." "Do I look like the kind of guy with a plan? I'm a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one if I caught it!"

When Batman fights the Joker, he's not fighting a person whose motives you can pick apart and analyze. When Batman fights the Joker he is fighting the physical manifestation of the chaos Gotham fears most. Gotham is already gripped by crime. What if the criminals stopped having reason? What if money couldn't appease the mob? What if crime truly became cruel and indiscriminate.

With this interpretation of the Joker, it makes sense why he changes his story every time he says how he got his scars. Why no one can pinpoint where he came from or why he showed up. Why Batman can never really defeat him. The Jokers whole character concept at his core is that he's not so much a character but a mask given to an abstract concept. And the Dark Knight is the Batman movie that I believe best represents him as this unstoppable force.

[jokerislandgirl32]

Do you have a character from another random fandom that you could dedicate a whole side blog to, you love them so much?

Thank you for the ask! I am sorry it took me a while to get to it!

It depends on my hyperfixation of the day, lol. But I think my go to, besides Zach and Wild Kratts of course, lol, would be the Joker. I mean…Joker in my username comes from the character of the Joker after all!

My favorite versions of the Joker are Arthur Fleck from Joker 2019, Heath Ledger’s Joker, and the Young Justice TV Series Joker. I actually have a crossover AU with Joker 2019 and Young Justice where Arthur Fleck and the Young Justice Joker are the same person, but I’ve been hesitant to share the details of it because it’s a lot…it involves a whole new self insert, complicated family relationships, fan kids, ancient curses, just a lot, haha.

So…I’ve actually thought of making a Joker centered side blog in which I could analyze the Joker’s character, do screenshot dumps, and post stuff about the Revolution AU, as I call it, separate from this blog, because with the character of the Joker, the subject matter would naturally be darker/more mature.

I may do it at some point in the future, because there’s just something about the Joker and my fascination with him, but for now I’m happy with the chaos that is this blog!

[quill-and-whetstone]

The 4th Wall of Antagonism

When does villainy stop being fun?

One of the things I picked up from my dad early on was the art of teasing, and that the most fundamental part of it was stopping short of the line where fun for all involved gave way to genuine frustration. Writing any good antagonist–be they villain, lancer, or antihero–draws heavily on that same skill set. Whether the audience is meant to sympathize with an antagonist or not they always need to be engaged with them in order to stay engaged with the story they’re involved in. On a metatextual level, the audience has to like the villain.

I can think of so many villains who were low key my favorite part of the story they were in. Darth Vader, Maleficent, Hexxus, Agent Smith, and the Wicked Witch of the West all come to mind for starters. But I can also think of plenty that were just the opposite: antagonists who bothered me so much that they brought the whole story down a full letter grade, if I even finished it. Folks like Joffrey Baratheon, or My Lady of Unenjoyable Villainy herself, Dolores Umbridge.

There’s a line where a character stops being fun to hate and just starts ruining the experience. Where the audience just disengages with the media because that jerk is back again. Given that the line is deeply personal and extremely subjective we’ll never find a concrete place to draw it, but I can suggest a few factors to consider to help keep your antagonists on the right side...

Style & Charisma

Everyone knows this is what makes evil cool and sexy. It could be a big personality, a top-notch aesthetic, or the dulcet tones of Tim Curry making you feel a certain kind of way about pollution somehow. If your antagonist has that je ne sais quoi, they can get away with so much and have your audience stay on board. This is why Jared Leto’s iteration of the Joker bombed while Heath Ledger’s (rest his soul) is an all timer. It’s like Barney Stinson’s “Hot / Crazy Scale” writ thespian. In order for them to be so wretched, they also need to be so rad.

Necessity

How well does your antagonist serve as a foil to the protags, and how essential / beneficial are they to the narrative? The more an antagonistic force shapes the protags into who we’re rooting for, the better we’ll feel about them. Conversely, if they feel like they could be removed from the story without much consequence or even push the story in a direction we don’t enjoy, we’re primed not to tolerate as much annoyance out of them and every time they bother us it will feel like a bigger deal.

Expectations

Antagonists in YA novels, Hallmark movies, and shoujo anime are three extremely different animals. Knowing the tone and conventions of the genre you’re working in, and communicating those clearly, is a form of expectation management. While pushing the bounds of genre conventions and getting experimental can lead to interesting places, audiences showing up to engage with certain genres are bringing certain expectations with them. They’re communicating what they are going to enjoy, tolerate, or have the stomach for just as much as you the writer are telling them what’s on offer by categorizing the work. Use that!

Dynamic Shelf Life

Put succinctly: don’t let the act get stale. This is the big one for me, personally. Almost all of the antagonists I can’t stand have a common thread: aside from being smirkingly unpleasant, they’re one-note and just can’t seem to be challenged in any meaningful way until the narrative decides it’s done with them. Umbridge is the absolute prime example of this, she doesn’t do anything particularly interesting aside from “be increasingly petty and awful” and no one seems to be able to set her back or really outmaneuver her until her sudden and extremely precipitous fall from grace at the end of the book.

Antagonists need more than one string on their harp. They need variety, and some sort of give-and-take with the protagonists. If you find yourself running through essentially the same narrative beats with how the protags and the antags interact over and over, that’s a huge sign that you need to shake up the status quo or rework some plot somehow. Keep in mind the length of the story, and the antagonists’ thematic throughlines. They’ll suggest an endpoint to aim for—whether that’s change or a narrative exit—and help ensure your villains don’t overstay their welcome.

Setup & Payoff

Finally and simply, a satisfying end can buy back a lot when an antagonist might have otherwise overstepped into a frustrating space. I, for instance, wouldn’t find Gaston any fun if the ending of Beauty and the Beast saw him just sort of… take the L when Beast told him to get out that last time and skulk off back to town. Fatally own-goaling is what brings fitting closure to his story: his vanity and pride were always in his way, were always the traits stopping him from getting what he wanted, and since he wouldn’t change the stakes escalated until those traits became his literal downfall. In many cases, I don’t think I’d enjoy a braggadocious and socially bulletproof personification of the patriarchy as an antagonist! In this one, it’s satisfying to me because the ending spins his whole shtick together into a meaningful narrative and the core message is that he was ultimately self defeating and loathsome. Contrast with Joffrey Baratheon, at least the show’s version, who remains a vicious idiot untouched by his various and sundry acts of what seemingly should have been political suicide until someone kills him for barely related reasons.

———————

Again, I know that the overwhelming majority of what I’ve said here is subjective and that there’s no ironclad formula for villainous perfection. Like with teasing there’s no amount of analysis that will take you all the way there, you just need to develop a feel for it. But along the way, or in situations where you find yourself stuck or sense things not jiving, I hope this can serve to lay out the different dials you can turn to help your antagonists do their best at doing their worst.

[littleeyesofpallas]

Got bored and watched the Aquaman movies the other day. They're surprisingly okay. But I do lament that they gave Black Manta, like, a pretty solid motive across both movies? Like his whole "you killed my dad" thing really carries forward into all the other Aquaman plots they tie together into the second film, but it's somehow just not as compelling as having no goddamn clue what Black Manta's problem is.

Because my favorite part about Black Manta's rivalry with Aquaman is how every time some hapless writer tries to give Manta some kind of motive for hating Aquaman, no one really likes it and so they always either ignore it or openly retcon it in a later story, and it makes Manta so much crazier as a villain.

Because it'd be one thing if they just gave him a real motive, however boring and underwhelming it would be by comparison, and it would be fine if they just left it unexplained as we all just kind of accept as the default, but by rolling back the excuses you get these notoriously bonkers moments in Aquaman lore where Black Manta just kind of pretends to have a good reason for fighting Aquaman and then says "nah i was faking it" later???

Like the time he pretends to have autism, even though Aquaman only got that information by like magically probing his mind? Or the time he tried to establish a black, slave owning master race in atlantis only to tell Aquaman, "oh I don't actually care about the racism, I just did this to fuck with you." It just makes him the most unhinged sociopath because he literally has no personal investment in anything he does.

Blood sacrifice is cool and all, but in the comics he just kills that baby just because he could, and then he brings it up every time he sees Aquaman just because it's funny. He's more Heath Ledger's Joker than any comic version of the Joker's ever been.

[squaric-acid]

A Complete Summary of my Thoughts Watching Batman with Michael Keaton for the First Time

It’s been 7 minutes and already I cannot take Michael Keaton’s Batman seriously

Knox is so far endearing in a dorky way

His flirting with Vicki Vale was cute

Also, I low-key want a tailored purple wool suit now. How does Jack Nicholson make it look so good?

Alfred walking behind Bruce and picking stuff up is perhaps peak physical comedy

Is this Harvey Dent also Lando Calrissian?!?!

The VCR rewind in the Bat Cave *Chef’s kiss

Also Bruce Wayne wearing glasses is so charming

The Foley gun fire noise is so classic

Batman looking around nervously before he uses a smoke bomb is hilarious

Bruce and Vicki having dinner with Alfred was such a cute moment

Jack Nicholson’s laugh as the Joker is terrifying

Lol, the hanging upside down is just perfect

The Joker without the white face paint is so unsettling

Bruce leaving roses on the spot his parents died instead of their actual graves is strange but also weirdly on-brand

Jack Nicholson’s Joker is so unhinged, the mimes and the throat stabbing with a quill, his complaint about how Batman gets all the press, the theatricality of it is fantastic

It’s an eighties movie but the vibe is decidedly sixties

The new anchors looking unkempt is a nice touch

The Joker is so camp and so macabre, I love it

Favorite scene so far is the museum scene

Also, is the Batman coming through the glass roof a throughline for all Batman movies cause I’m noticing a pattern

The Batmobile is an oversized HotWheels, it also looks ever so slightly phallic but I’ll ignore it

Batman avoiding Vicki’s gaze highlights how easy for someone who knows both him and Bruce to figure out that they’re the same person

The bat cave is cool

Bruce Wayne trying to tell Vicki the truth was a little painful but it didn’t give me second-hand embarrassment, I think cringe dramatic moments really became a thing in the nineties

What the FUCK does “never rub another man’s rhubarb” mean?!

The turtleneck and dad jeans with the glasses on guys, so iconic yet so under-appreciated

I love the aesthetic of this movie, its very 80’s but reads more like a 60’s translation of the world of the 1940’s (dieselpunk and the original comics)

The Joker killed Bob!

The bat plane in front of the moon is so clever, nice foreshadowing of the bat signal

The comically long revolver is spectacular

Also it’s an interesting take to say Joker killed Bruce’s parents

I was hoping Batman would hit Joker with the glasses

Cheesy but very enjoyable, it’s very different from Tim Burton’s later works, I think I prefer this

I think that Alfred saying he doesn’t want to spend the last few years of his life mourning for old friends or their sons was by far one of the best lines in the movie. So much was meant by it and it was put so eloquently

I enjoyed this movie immensely. It’s a very good comic book movie, and the background of Gotham is much better than the Nolan trilogy. You can tell it’s a Tim Burton movie but it lacks the overt stylistic touch of his that you see in his later movies (Nightmare Before Christmas onwards).

I had my doubts about Michael Keaton (because I’ve only ever seen him in Much Ado About Nothing) but he was a good Batman and a very good Bruce Wayne.

Jack Nicholson is amazing and I think I prefer him to Heath Ledger’s Joker.

I’m new to the Batman fandom so I’m more familiar with The Dark Knight trilogy and The Batman (2022). I saw that latter first so that will probably always be my favorite Batman movie but I think Batman with Michael Keaton is my second favorite.

[zolganif]

Okay.

So, they weren't on my list of movies I want to watch sometime soon, but it looks I'm going to anyway. Possibly sometime this week. The It films.

Why you ask? Especially if I'm not really interested in watching them all that much? I have seen the old It series, have enjoyed it, but it is not my favorite Stephen King film. Carrie actually would be. But yes, a small part of me is interested in seeing the new ones, but I wasn't planning anytime in the future.

But have since changed my mind.

Recently, I have seen news about a new remake of a beloved film I own, which is the Crow, with the great Brandon in it. Bill Skarsgard, the new Pennywise actor is going to be Eric Draven.

Now, I have no idea how to feel about that.

Ever since there has been about a remake of the Crow, I have dreading. I don't mind remakes, but it feels as if nothing new or original/different is being made, and most remakes suck. I have personally enjoyed a few, I'll admit I'm one of those horror fans who enjoyed the remake of Martyrs. It was good in its own way. And left me feeling intense emotions as much as the original.

But I am really worried about the remake for the Crow. And shit, what if this is more remembered by future generations and the beloved classic is forgotten about? Probably won't happen, considering how well loved and known the original is, is infamous because of the death of Brandon Lee.

So, the first actor they considered for the remake was Jason Mamoa. And honestly, I feel as if he doesn't exactly fit the role. I'm sorry, he is a good actor, but I just it would've been a mistake to cast as Eric. And plus the man is very muscular, and I picture the crow character as someone who does have some muscle to him, but is more skinny. I don't know, I just want them to get right, and the new one also won't have the great music in it, that the first one did. The new one will probably have a bunch new stuff I don't know or maybe some I'll know. Maybe there'll be a few old in it, maybe there'll be a remake of It Can't Rain All the Time by Jane Siberry.

But yeah, now I have to go check out the new It series asap. Just to see how this guy is. I looked at his other stuff besides It, and have not seen any of it. Some recommendations of other stuff he is in would be helpful. I also want to see how he is without all that makeup. I want to if he is as good as what people say about. Heard he was very good as Pennywise.

I have no opinion on him. I don't know how to feel about him as Eric Draven. Do I think he can pull it off? I can't say for sure because I haven't seen any of his stuff. And unless if I watch any of his films, I won't know until I see actual footage of him as the Crow.

There is one actor who I think may have been perfect for a remake if he were still, would be Heath Ledger. And he played a lot of good roles, many of them I have enjoyed, his version of the Joker being my favorite. The new Joker is amazing, but Heath's will always be number 1 for me. Second would be the original Joker and the new one 3rd.

But if he were still alive, or consider perhaps maybe in different timeline, dimension, he could've been casted as the Crow, Brandon Lee could possibly still be alive. There's so many different scenarios. But I feel the film would still as perfect as it is today if Heath was in it instead.

[nostalgiaispeace]

2347.

survey by supremequeenstyles

Did you get enough rest last night? yeah i guess so. 

What was the last thing that kept you awake? anxiety

If you have pets, do they sleep in your bedroom at night? she does

Can you sleep with background noise or does it keep you up? I can't. it has to be white noise or i can't

Do you ever take naps? Do you take long naps or little power naps? once in a blue moon

What helps when you have trouble sleeping? meds

Who was the last person to cook you a meal? What did they make? me; ravioli with veggies and sauce

Who was the last person you cooked a meal for? What did you make? my family. read aboce

Who is your female celeb crush? (If applicable) baliey sarian

Who is your male celeb crush? (If applicable) oliver sykes

Tell me about an interesting article you’ve read recently. i don't really read articles

Do you have a favorite Marvel character? i don't really have one

Favorite DC character? harley quinn

Do you read comic books? sometimes

Who has been your favorite actor to play Batman (live action)? rob pattinson

Who has been your favorite live action Joker? heath ledger

Has a horror film ever actually scared you? Which one(s)? I don't get scared by them.

What was the last horror movie you saw? The pope's exorcist

What was the first horror movie you remember seeing? What did you think of it? i don't remember

Name a few historical figures you find interesting. Why? marilyn monroe

What is your favorite historical film and why? titanic

Do you usually enjoy historical films? depends

Name a sequel film (any franchise) you like better than the first film. Why is that? i'm not sure

Which do you find most interesting: Greek, Roman, or Norse mythology? Why? greek i guess

Which tale from whichever mythology you listed above do you find most interesting? –

Do you collect anything? What was the last item you added to that collection? i do. stuff for harry potter, marilyn monroe, and the last of us

Do you have any houseplants? No.

How do you like your tea? with sugar and honey

Who is your favorite Muppet? i don't have one

What is your favorite type of bird? I hate birds

Which streaming platform do you use the most, if any? MAX

What is a skill or useful piece of knowledge you wish you’d learned sooner? i'm not sure

What is your favorite vampire movie? i don't have one

Your favorite fictional couple? rose and jack

Do you have a favorite historical couple? No

Have you received any good news recently? yes!

Have you learned anything new recently? i have

[death-or-exile]

Partner and I rewatched The Dark Knight the other night. For years, I've been of the opinion that it's a fine movie, but hasn't aged as well as folks would like it to have, and based on this rewatch, I maintain my position.

We paused the movie like a dozen times to discuss acting choices, line delivery, scenes that made no sense or seemed like they could have been written another way and so an almost three hour long movie (which honestly started to drag a bit at the end there) ended up taking closer to four. But it was fun just to hash it out and get into the nitty gritty, especially since it has been probably a decade since I saw that movie last. In the intervening years, my partner was in Chicago for a work trip at one point and visited a ton of the locations featured, so he had lots to say about some of these places IRL -- like one of the bars they filmed in seems to cater specifically to TDK tourism, and the scene where Harvey comes out as Batman at a press conference is actually just a corner of the lobby of a pretty boring, small hotel, haha. I doubt this is a hot take anymore, but Heath Ledger's Joker performance is still kinda lacking for me, personally; with all respect to him, it just ain't my Joker.

With regards to my favorite lil guy, even though it is literally just a few minutes on screen, I really love Scarecrow's cameo at the beginning. It one thousand percent stands to reason that after having been heavily dosed by his own shit, completely restrained while he comes down, breaking out of Arkham on a police horse Tim Sale style and getting tazed in the face, he'd retreat to god knows where and start over from square one. Scarecrow selling drugs in one form or another is totally a thing he does in the comics, time and again, and the fact that he's selling to the mob (specifically a prevalent mob leader that we see multiple times throughout the movie) indicates to me that he must not be doing too badly for himself. Honestly, even though we see him presumably being left for arrest in the parking deck, on this rewatch it occurred to me that in the scene with The Joker approaching Maroni and Gambol and The Chechen and all the other mob bosses while they're in a video conference with Lau....like I kind of half expect to see Scarecrow and a couple of goons in the background, just being there -- It wouldn't even need a speaking role or anything, really, but idk I can just imagine him having eluded authorities after he's left in that parking deck (as one does when a Batman villain) and cropping back up like a weed. As a sidenote, god, can you imagine him in a sentencing hearing, when he IS arrested? Like a role reversal of the scene with Zsaz in Batman Begins? Ugh that would be so delicious. This isn't even taking into consideration the whole "exile or death" thing in Rises. I just love imagining how someone who worked within and manipulated the system for years might attempt to gain an advantage when in his position.

Anyway, that's enough rambling for now, just some thoughts I wanted to get out of my brain!