Strikes me as perhaps the sensible way forward for Batman. Pattinson is reasonably well known, yet still not a household name. He’s physically capable, he’s much younger than Affleck, so they are avoiding the ‘cynical old bastard’ trap. I’m also a fan of putting emphasis on the detective side of Batman.
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I can’t really muster up even the faintest semblance of enthusiasm for this project at this point. Wonder Woman aside, Affleck was the only good thing that the DC Universe had going for it. He was good in spite of the terrible direction he was getting from Zack Snyder, and I was very much looking forward to seeing what The Batman would look like in his more than capable hands as a director. Now, this is looking very much like the first Batman film that I’ll just end up skipping.
Reeves has proven to be a great director. Pattinson has worked a lot to show he is a great actor. I give both a lot of credit to finally make the Batman movie I want to see.
Yep. What I’ve heard excites me a lot.
Summary
Half a dozen villains with some being Penguin, Catwoman and Riddler, Robin playing a role, a noir tone and a detective emphasis. And this being the first film of a trilogy.
Pattinson is a good choice. I’m honestly not seeing anger about this project, but rather wait and see or straight up acceptance. I think this will work out nicely.
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I thought Affleck was a good pick for the role - only he got it maybe eight years too late. It seemed as if they didn’t quite know how to proceed from Nolan/Bale and that shows. After that Batman vs. Superman vehicle there was not a lot that could have rescued Affleck’s Batman.
Would Affleck’s own film have fared better? Could well be, but it would probably have needed a time and a place of its own, not this forced effort to beat Marvel at its game.
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For anyone not excited about Paatycakes being batman, watch the movie Good Times, which I reviewed a couple months back:
The man’s a very interesting screen presence who can juggle light and dark, hero and antagonist very well. Very important skills the wayne/batman role.
It’s also a necessary skill to possess when portraying Fleming’s Bond (as opposed to Hollywood’s Bond, which any leading man could do).
On a side note now that patty cakes has disqualified himself from the Bond 7 race, there is another actor of Pattisons generation who springs to mind with this talent for dimension via duality that I think is essential for an interesting Bond: Andrew Taylor Johnson.
He’s not had a role as challenging as Good Times, which demands a hero/antagonist duality (at least not one I’ve seen). But he’s played both in separate roles; the former in Godzilla, the straight forward hero’s journey. The more complex latter - the antagonist - Taylor Johnson played with aplomb in Nocturnal Animals. Hence I think he may be a good batman and likewise a good Bond, since imo they are roles that demand an actor who can combine both hero and antagonist in a single performance. Bond is unique almost as an agent provocateur hero, rather than one who simply reacts and personifies good values and fair play.
For me (through the fog of a hangover), the two actors best qualified in terms of presenting a layered Bond that this faculty for duality permits are Tom Hardy and Dan Stevens. It all comes down to age and when they cast it. Hardy’s probably too old now, Stevens is the man if it’s Bond 26 without another long gap. But if they want to go younger, or if Craig does 26, or it’s a long break, then Taylor Johnson would probably top my list, now Pattycakes has donned the cape.
Edit: here’s the Good Times trailer. Great movie and perhaps a clue as to the range, or extra shades between light and dark, only touched upon by Keaton, which Patty could give Reeves Batman…
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Personally I think Affleck hasn’t the range for the underestimated batman role, but he’d have directed a far more interesting batman movie.
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Reeves may possibly agree with you on Good Time…
🦇🦇🦇 pic.twitter.com/2AaQaexvUF
— Matt Reeves (@mattreevesLA) June 3, 2019
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Yes! 
Rumor is that there could potentially be a big announcement from Reitman tomorrow at a convention they’re having for the original film’s 35th anniversary. Hoping for confirmation of Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, and Ernie Hudson’s involvement in the film.
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All prayers to the god of cinema,!
Looks as if Villeneuve’s Dune is going to get a ‘sister’ tv series:
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I saw this earlier and the first thing I thought of Dark Tower. Hopefully this fairs better, but I hope Denis isn’t distracted or forced to alter his narrative for the sake of expanding the brand.
I my only real misgiving, though is that Deakins isn’t shooting it. His Blade Runner was sublime.
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Good reviews for Toy Story 4. I was apprehensive about the series continuing after 3 given how perfect the ending was. But it seems things may turn out just fine.
The first trailer for Doctor Sleep.
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I like that they are making it a sequel to the movie, not just the book…
Was somewhat surprised by this, I must say. I was actually kind of surprised when they didn’t take the opportunity this film provided them to go ahead and remake The Shining, given the pervasiveness that reboots/sequels/etc have in our culture these days.
Give them time…
Mike Flanagan is an expert director. I loved his take on “The Haunting on Hill House” and his version of “Gerard´s Game”. And to have this film being bumped up to this year’s November (instead of the previously planned January ´20 release) is a sign of confidence in it.
If Flanagan had chosen to stick to the novel and not incorporate elements of Kubrick´s film he would have missed an opportunity, IMO. Glad to see that there will be a connection. This is definitely one of the rare must-see movies for me this year.
Here’s a cool thing about Doctor Sleep - aside from 1 shot, they didn’t use footage from The Shining at all…
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