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Show SIGNPOST- Tuesday, June 27,1989 7 Ft CETERA 'You ever dance with the Devil in the pale moon light?' 'Batman' dark, stylish, and deliciously exciting By Peter Avion Managing Editor Forget the blue tights, and white eyebrows of old. Ditch the notion of a red-breasted Robin. No more "Ziff, Bang, Ooff, Boff." This Batman is rio bat-buffoon, with an instant solution on his utility belt. The Dark Knight has returned, and from the state of things in Gotham, it seems he has done so just in time. It's very difficult to discuss this $50- Batman. Over 5,000 letters were received by Warner Brothers at their D.C. Comics (publisher of the Batman tides) offices in New York, protesting the casting of Keaton in this sacred role. Many were worried the veteran of Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, and Johnny Dangerously would not be able to handle the role properly. They were wrong. Keaton is Bruce Wayne. Keaton is Batman. Keaton is magnificent. Equally magnificent is Jack Nicholson, ... 7 - million Warner Brothers endeavor without getting completely wrapped up in its splendor. Batman is a dark, brooding movie, complex in it's many levels, yet thoroughly entertaining on the surface. Tim Burton's vision of the Caped Crusader is a daring foray into the psyche of BatmanBruce Wayne, and apocalyptic in it's cinematic breadth and vision. Gotham City is gothic. It's buildings reach infinitely skyward toward a perpetual gray and clouded sky. The sets, built entirely on the Pinewood studio's in London, are simultaneously nightmarish and appealing, combining the "worst" elements of real buildings in New York, Chicago, and other major cities, with the "best" elements of others. All of this is done with a total disregard for aesthetics, creating a visually chaotic portrait of a city on the edge of oblivion. Mix in a little bit of "Max Headroom" design, and presto Gotham City; a cold, grey, gloomy, exciting setting that at once puts the viewer on the edge of his scat with the promise of more. Enter Michael Keaton as Bruce Wayne, millionaire playboyphilanthropist and in a role he was born to play, as the Joker, arch-nemesis to the Caped Crusader. Nicholson's performance is far above normal. We do not get the stockNicholson-doing-Nicholson-as-whomever here. This Joker is evil, deliciously evil, and tremendously understated. You will at once love and hate this grinning ghoul as he holds a one-sided conversation with a corpse created by his 40,000-volt joy buzzer. You will applaud his audacity as he and his gang "broaden our minds" at the Flugelheimmuseum, remaking such treasures as the MonaLisa in gloriously garish pinks, greens, and purples. You will laugh at first, then ponder later, when Batman steals Vikki Vale out from under the Joker, who can only say "those toys. Where does he get those magnificent toys?" Then there is the soundtrack. Danny Elfman, of Oingo Boingo, composed the symphonic material, and Prince scored six of the film's songs. Elfman's score is majestic and powerful. His themes are intricately woven with each scene, adding yet another layer of richness to Burton's film. Prince's songs are equally appropriate, and may perhaps be some of the best material he has written since Purple Rain. Particularly good are "Partyman", used at the Flugelheim, and "Trust", blasted out as the Joker cruises triumphantly down the Gotham streets astride a throned parade float. . There will be two soundtrack releases from Batman. The first is the Price score, a total of nine tracks, available now in record stores. The Elfman score will follow sometime in September. Batman can be enjoyed on many levels. On the surface, for instance, there is' the classic battle between good and evil. Below this is the conscious level of dialogue. The script shows a polish which few other films do. Not a word, or gesture is wasted. Below this is the emotional level. The lovehate relationships between the main characters, they way they interact in situations where time is not a luxury. They way they interact when time is a luxury. One level deeper is the psychological level. One leaves the theater exploring the motivations of BruceBatman, and the Joker. Why do they do what they do? What explanations can we find for their behavior? And perhaps the deepest level has nothing at all to do with the film , but with the audience. The combination of physical setting, cinematography, music and mood Burton has fashioned, force themselves into your psyche, enthralling you, leaving you wanting more as the end credits roll. A wait, which if rumor holds true, should be as short as Christmas, and will see the resurrection of the Joker. Current whisperings in the bat-community are saying Batman II was filmed simultaneously, as Jack Nicholson was expensive to hire. One can only hope... Batman should emerge as die fdm of the summer. In this, his 50th year, we should not expect anything less of the Dark Knight. American Masters airs The critically-acclaimed "American Masters" series will return for a fourth season this summer with 10 new and four encore presentations, beginning Monday, June 26 at 9:00 p.m. on KUED-7. "American Masters" is an anthology series of documentaries profiling the lives and achievements of this country's native-born and adopted "masters" in the creative arts. The film portraits presented in the series illuminate the creative processes of these artists, whose genius has shaped both American and world cultures. Programs will include profiles of Charlie "The Bird" Parker, Aretha Franklin, Neil Simon and others. The series opens with "Broadway Dreamers: The Legacy of Group Theatre." Hosted by Joanne Woodward the program explores the group theatre, an important theatrical entity of the 1930's. CocaCola (12 oz. can) with purchase of Mongolian barbecue lunch or dinner (only) J Lee's WMONGOUAN BAR-B-Q f A M n RPQTAI IDAMT LUNCH - only $3.25 DINNER - $4.95 (one time thru) Mon & Wed only Also. ..ALL YOU CAN EAT...$6.95 Barbecue the Mongolian Way. New Concept! Juicy and Succulent Closed Sundays & 3 to 5 p.m. daily Open Mon - Sat 2866 Washington Blvd. Phone: 621-9120 |