Here we are--my final post in tribute to the 30th anniversary of Batman Begins!
We'll start off with a short interview Tim Burton did on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno promoting the film. Note how awkward Burton seems to feel during the interview; you can tell it's not his thing!
And today's main feature, a short "making of" film titled "Shadows of the Bat: Dark Side of the Knight." I assume this is a special feature made for a home video release.
And...that's it!
Thank you very much for joining me in this three-week salute to a huge '90s era film! It's hard to believe it's been three decades since its release. I hope you enjoyed it. Please comment below or on any of my articles.
Welcome back! We're in the home stretch of our Batman Returns 30th Anniversary Celebration! Just a couple more posts before we put the bat to bed!
Here we have coverage of the film's opening by a British media outlet. It features the film's premiere with many celebrities in attendance, a look at various merchandise associated with the movie, and lastly a feature on a live action Batman stunt show. It's a fun look at both the movie's release and the state of movie hype 30 years ago.
Enjoy!
P.S. Earlier today, I finally gave the movie a 30th anniversary screening. While I still have some issues, I enjoyed the rewatch more than I expected. It was fun!
My Batman Returns 30th Anniversary salute rolls on with a look at--and more importantly, listen to-- the song from the film's soundtrack, "Face to Face" by Siouxsie and the Banshees.
"Face to Face" has the distinction of being the only non-orchestral music featured in the movie; the rest of the soundtrack consisted solely of Danny Elfman's score. This is quite a departure from the first film in the series, which featured two soundtrack albums--the score by Elfman and a full song soundtrack by Prince. The two subsequent sequels, Batman Forever and Batman and Robin, both featured soundtracks with several tunes from different artists.
Yet Returns has merely this one song from Siouxsie and the Banshees. The song's gothic, slightly eerie sound fits perfectly with the film; in fact, it would fit well with ANY Tim Burton-directed film!
Enjoy! And please note that, despite my original plan to close my celebration of the movie this week, I will be extending it into next week as well! Batman Returns fans rejoice!
Finally, this Sunday, June 19th is the EXACT date of the 30th anniversary! Be sure to watch it in honor of the occasion at some point this weekend, whether on HBO Max or the home video format of your choice.
OK, now here's the song. Have a great weekend! Happy Father's Day!
Welcome to Week 2 of my salute to the 30th anniversary of Batman Returns! I'm getting a later start this week than originally planned, so I think I'm going to expand my celebration of the movie beyond my intended two-week window. That just means more Bat action for everyone!
Today I feature a 20-minute playthrough of the Batman Returns home video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment system (or at least an emulator of it). I didn't have this game nor did I have the Super Nintendo, so I'm afraid I have no experience with this game, but if you do, I'd love to read your comments below.
Here we are at the end of the first week of my celebration of the 30th anniversary of the release of Batman Returns!
I close out the week with interviews of Tim Burton, Michael Keaton, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Danny DeVito promoting the film. Hear their insight into their motivations and inspirations for their contributions.
I'll have more fun Batman Returns items for you next week. Have a great weekend!
Welcome to the second post in my current tribute to Batman Returns on its 30th anniversary!
Today I have some fun TV commercials for product tie-ins to the movie. Some of these are toy commercials, which are the most obvious tie-ins, but others are for McDonalds Happy Meal toys (which proved quite controversial) and other products, including the home video release of the film. You can always judge a movie's impact on pop culture by the number of products it's used to shill.
Welcome one and all to an event I'm excited to present to you. Starting today, and for the next two weeks, I will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of Batman Returns! The movie seems to be a favorite among my social media friends, so I think it's appropriate to spend extra time on the film.
The pop culture success of the first Batman film in 1989 can't be understated, but fans had to wait three long years for this hotly anticipated sequel. As big as the first movie was, the filmmakers went even bigger with this one, with new production design and not one but three villains in Catwoman and The Penquin, as well as murderous millionaire Max Shreck, an original character created for the film.
Batman Returns was darker (literally and figuratively), more explosive, and had, well--thousands of penguins with rockets attached to them. 'Nuff said.
My relationship with the movie is a bit complicated--there are things I like about it and things I wish had been done differently--but I can't deny it had a strong impact on my superhero-movie-loving self. I had just graduated high school two weeks before the release of the movie, and my friends saw it together as a sort of post-graduation celebration, and I have fond memories of seeing it with them. I'd love to hear your memories of this film in the comments.
Expect fun stuff the next two Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, leading up to the exact anniversary date of Sunday, June 19th (which this year is Fathers Day, coincidentally enough).
Below are the two trailers Warner Bros. made for the movie. Enjoy!
And remember--mistletoe is deadly if you eat it; a kiss is even deadlier if you mean it.
