Batman: The Killing Joke

[CyberCubed]

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

No, we don't.

It also happened to the Harry Potter writer.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

It also happened to the Harry Potter writer.

No, it hasn't.

We don't have official confirmation on whether "Cursed Child" is trash or gold. Wait and see.

[CyberCubed]

Think of it like a professional athlete. You're great when you're young and you're an expert basketball, golf, baseball, tennis, etc. player....then you get old. You get worse.

Many old writers become hacks in their old age. Look at any professional writer who has been around for the last 50 years and there's always people complaining their latest work isn't as good as their early ones.

[CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

Think of it like a professional athlete. You're great when you're young and you're an expert basketball, golf, baseball, tennis, etc. player....then you get old. You get worse.

Many old writers become hacks in their old age. Look at any professional writer who has been around for the last 50 years and there's always people complaining their latest work isn't as good as their early ones.

Ah, Cubed. Talking about something of which you have no knowledge or experience.

Go sign up for some continuing education courses or get a library card and read some actual novels, then get back to me.

[Spike Spiegel]

Timm has done too many great comics and contributed too much to animation in general for this to make me less of a fan of his work. I even liked "Gods and Monsters."

But what I saw in that YouTube clip was absolutely out of character for any version of Barbara Gordon I have ever read or watched.

At least he hasn't regressed as much as say, Frank Miller.

[CyberCubed]

I get the feeling Bruce Timm is going to be the next "Tiger Woods." A highly respected person by fans for decades going down a dark and murky path in their later years. I wouldn't be surprised if we hear news of Timm in a scandal with a younger woman and that's where all this repressed sexual tension is coming from that he's bottled up inside.

Feels like the man should have retired for his own good.

[Spike Spiegel]

Originally Posted by CyberCubed

I get the feeling Bruce Timm is going to be the next "Tiger Woods." A highly respected person by fans for decades going down a dark and murky path in their later years. I wouldn't be surprised if we hear news of Timm in a scandal with a younger woman and that's where all this repressed sexual tension is coming from that he's bottled up inside.

Feels like the man should have retired for his own good.

Because sports stars and animation directors have so much in common. I am sure you can tell us about this from your own experience.

AFAIK Timm is a rather private guy, but he does make posts at the ToonZone forum every so often.

Can anyone see that awkward Bruce/Barbara scene happening off screen during the New Batman Adventures, given what we know from the future of the DCAU? I wonder if this is an idea that got shelved back then only to be resurrected here.

[ABrown]

I think I enjoyed the first half hour focusing more on Batgirl/Barbara than I did the rest of the movie focusing on the Joker.

[Spike Spiegel]

Did anybody go to the limited theatrical showing?

[ProactiveMan]

I did.

It was a swing and a miss from me I’m afraid. I saw a screening with an audience; the ‘sex scene’ got a big laugh because it was sooo awkwardly staged. There is no fade to black as people have described, but after Batgirl begins to disrobe, the camera pans up to a leering gargoyle, lol – it’s so weird and clunky (and it doesn’t make sense – why would the gargoyle be facing them if they were on the rooftop?)

The rest of the screening went over pretty well, but I personally didn’t care for the movie. The story didn’t cut together very well in my opinion. The new first act was overly long and elaborate, when all it needed to do was explain to a casual audience that Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, and that Commissioner Gordon is her dad etc. I think they could have done that in a few scenes; maybe an action scene to open the movie showing Batgirl and Batman involved in some kind of dangerous stunt, followed by something putting the risky stuff they do in context with their everyday lives and Barbara’s relationship with her dad. Then get straight into the story.

If anything needed padding out it was the Joker ‘origin’ stuff. The way they cut in and out of it was pretty abrupt and blunt, and you don’t spend enough time in that world to really get into it. For all the runtime dedicated to the weird Bat on Bat extreme dating stuff, they totally breezed through the Red Hood Gang without setting it up first. I don’t think they did a good enough job marrying the backstory to the main plot, and as a result the disturbing sympathetic ambiguity that the book pulls off pretty well doesn’t work in the animated adaptation.

The backstory stuff was extra weird because the main plot was obviously set in the present day, i.e. 20XX, but the flashbacks looked like the Great Depression era.

I don’t think it’s a total stinker, but it’s not one I’ll be going back to any time soon – and on a side note: It’s kinda’ ugly. I don’t know if they are rushing these things, or if it’s too expensive to spend more time on them, but the art direction isn’t as good as it used to be. They played a featurette afterwards which kept cutting to the comic to show how faithful they were with the framing etc. – I thought it was a mistake because the art in the book is so much more appealing and well resolved compared to the thin, un-tapered line-work of the animation, and it’s drab pallet. To be clear, I know there is a practical reason for the style, and I’m sure very skilled artists worked on it, but I’m not a fan of the final result.

[Autbot_Benz]

I just watched it. Have to give props to Tara Strong's performance. Story was alright and I loved Conroy and Joker's performance too

[Commenter 42]

There's no reason for budget animation on a Batman film.
There's no reason they couldn't make it look like the comic, but animated.

All animation gets boarded here, then sent overseas ... Sad.

DC is squandering the CBM bubble.

Oh well..

[Redeemer]

Originally Posted by ProactiveMan

I did.

It was a swing and a miss from me I’m afraid. I saw a screening with an audience; the ‘sex scene’ got a big laugh because it was sooo awkwardly staged. There is no fade to black as people have described, but after Batgirl begins to disrobe, the camera pans up to a leering gargoyle, lol – it’s so weird and clunky (and it doesn’t make sense – why would the gargoyle be facing them if they were on the rooftop?)

The Gargoyles look downward to guard against people and invaders who are scaling the walls. Remember Gargoyles originated long ago as castle protectors.

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

There's no reason for budget animation on a Batman film.
There's no reason they couldn't make it look like the comic, but animated.

All animation gets boarded here, then sent overseas ... Sad.

DC is squandering the CBM bubble.

Oh well..

Well honestly the have to make a profit so there has to be a budget. Also Sometimes someone's drawing style does not translate well from Comics to Animation, example would be the Jokers hair in this movie.

I just got done watching the movie and I have to say it was surprisingly good up until the ending and then I became profoundly disappointed, by the ending. I can't believe how bad they butchered the ending......

[Commenter 42]

Budget meaning cheap, or ghetto.

Batman anything makes money. No excuses.

[ProactiveMan]

I think the reason is time = money unfortunately. I wonder with this one if they spent a big chunk of the budget above the line too – I imagine Hamill and Conroy probably crunched them a bit this time out.

I will say I’m thankful Warner Bros animation hasn’t descended into full Newgrounds territory yet – like it’s still more or less hand drawn and not cut-out, pin-puppet stuff like half of the TV shows are nowadays.

Originally Posted by Redeemer

The Gargoyles look downward to guard against people and invaders who are scaling the walls. Remember Gargoyles originated long ago as castle protectors.

Yes but usually they face outward rather than inward. The Bat party was on the same roof as the gargoyle.

[Redeemer]

Originally Posted by Commenter 42

Budget meaning cheap, or ghetto.

Batman anything makes money. No excuses.

How was the movie cheap if I may ask?????

Originally Posted by ProactiveMan

I think the reason is time = money unfortunately. I wonder with this one if they spent a big chunk of the budget above the line too – I imagine Hamill and Conroy probably crunched them a bit this time out.

I will say I’m thankful Warner Bros animation hasn’t descended into full Newgrounds territory yet – like it’s still more or less hand drawn and not cut-out, pin-puppet stuff like half of the TV shows are nowadays.
Yes but usually they face outward rather than inward. The Bat party was on the same roof as the gargoyle.

I did not think the Gargoyles were facing inward. I am pretty sure they were on the outer roof, I maybe wrong though

As far as the animation goes I think it was really good.

[ABrown]

A few thoughts I have after having a night to sleep on what I saw.

- While I have absolutely no problem with these DC Universe movies featuring sexual content. I just can't get behind the concept of Bruce having sex with Barbara, especially the way that it happened. He's too much much of a father figure to her.

- As someone who has never read the source material, I'm not a big fan of this origin story for the Joker. I prefer the origins from the Tim Burton Batman film or Mask of the Phantasm. I guess the Joker isn't a villain that I want to feel sorry for, and this story featured a very sad origin for the character.

- The more that I think about it, the first half hour (mostly featuring Batgirl/Barbara) didn't really even feel like the same story as the rest of the film. It's as though they were two totally different stories.

[THGhost]

Just watched it, loved it. The whole Bruce/Babara thing was a little weird though, didn't feel like it was needed at all. You could cut the first 31 mins out and it would be a pretty solid adaptation of the comic.

Originally Posted by CylonsKlingonsDaleksOhMy

No, it hasn't.

We don't have official confirmation on whether "Cursed Child" is trash or gold. Wait and see.

Reviews say it's good.

[Commenter 42]

Originally Posted by Redeemer

How was the movie cheap if I may ask?????

Standards man, we all have them.

[Krutch]

Originally Posted by THGhost

You could cut the first 31 mins out and it would be a pretty solid adaptation of the comic.

Exactly. They adapted about 96 percent of the graphic novel but added a 31 minute prelude and everyones complaining. You don't like it? Skip it. Get over it