Movie #54 - Batman

Batman
Warner Bros. Pictures
1989 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 6 min
Director: Tim Burton
Starring: Michael Keaton, Kim Basinger, Jack Nicholson, Billy Dee Williams

I don't even know where to start with this movie. Suffice it to say, my opinions on Batman caused an argument with my husband. According to him, Michael Keaton is the best Batman there ever was.

Adam West is pissed off about this.

Well, whatever. Mike can like this movie all he wants. I think it's kind of a big mess. Tim Burton had not yet hit his stride, that much is evident. He's a great director, the cast isn't bad. I mean, Jack Nicholson single-handedly carries this movie from beginning to end. He's worth watching, but that's where my praise ends.

If it's been a while since you've seen this (as it had been for me), then let me refresh your memory. The Joker's diabolical scheme is to poison cosmetics. Poison. Cosmetics. He kills 13 people. That's it. Thirteen people. The flu virus kills more people in a week.

Seriously, folks.

But the thing about this movie that irritated me more than the plot was the cheesy sound effects. I'm not sure if they were going for the lame-o (yet classic) sound effects of the early Batman tv show or if they just had a sucky foley artist. But halfway through the movie, I stopped counting how many cartoon-ish bullet richocet sounds I heard. It was just pissing me off. Cartoon "Pows" and "Kablams" would have been better, I think.

Movie #1 - 8 Mile

8 Mile
Universal Pictures
2003 - Rated R - 1 hr 51 min
Director: Curtis Hanson
Starring: Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy, Mekhi Phifer

*WARNING: These reviews are gonna contain "spoilers" so don't read 'em if you want to watch the movie and be surprised.*

We're off to a strong start this morning with Eminem's semi-autobiographic pic 8 Mile.

For starters, this is the kind of movie during which Ellie was not wearing her hearing aids. Every third word or so is an F-bomb, which didn't bother me before I had kids. Now, it doesn't bother me per se, just my Mom Brain.

Anyway, 8 Mile is pretty good. I remember liking it a lot in the theater, and that theme song "Lose Yourself" (which plays in the background for almost the entire movie) is catchy. I will probably be humming it for a while, or until I watch the next movie. Still, overall it's a pretty depressing flick, since it basically recounts Eminem's motivation to get up on stage and hate rap. The end sequence of the battle is the best part of the movie, excepting the awkward Eminem/Brittany Murphy sex scene in a stamping plant. Classy.

I don't know how much of the story is true to his life (or when Dr. Dre is supposed to show up), but 8 Mile could probably also qualify as a Michael Moore documentary with its not-so-subtle commentary on life in Detriot (or the 313, whatever your flavor). You can certainly understand, after watching this, why Eminem would want to get the hell out of there... and why Brittany Murphy's character would sleep with a guy named "Wink" to start a modeling career.

Yikes.

Onward and upward... Next up is the kid's movie 9. Talk about variety!