Jan 16-22: Holy Bat-Movies!

Dates: Jan 16-22, 2011
Theme: Holy Bat-Movies! (7 Essential Batman Films)
Films: Batman: The Movie (1966), Batman (1989), Batman Returns (1992), Batman: Mask of the Phantasm (1993), Batman Begins (2005), The Dark Knight (2008), Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker (2000)

Sunday Jan 16, 2011: Batman: The Movie [PG] (1966)
Tongue-in-cheek escapist fun that will leave you howling! The score is absolutely brilliant though, and it IS fun to watch this version of such great characters run amok in Technicolor!















Monday Jan 17, 2011: Batman [PG-13] (1989)
Gets about as much wrong as it does right, but still you can't help but cheer for Burton's Batman. Michael Keaton pulls off the Bruce/Batman dual character pretty well actually.















Tuesday Jan 18, 2011: Batman Returns [PG-13] (1992)
Easily my least favorite film on this list, but essential nonetheless. And it's still leagues ahead of Batman Forever or Batman and Robin!!!















Wednesday Jan 19, 2011: Batman: Mask of The Phantasm [PG] (1993)
One of the absolute greatest, most atmospherically appropriate representations of The Dark Knight. A fantastic animated feature.















Thursday Jan 20, 2011: Batman Begins [PG-13] (2005)
An excellent take on the origin of my all-time favorite comic book hero, this film brought Batman into this generation of film with equal parts substance and style. The few extra fanboy moments didn't hurt either!














Friday Jan 21, 2011: The Dark Knight [PG-13] (2008)
Giving easily the best live-action portrayal of classic villain The Joker, Heath Ledger's performance lifts this film from great to epic. It plays out like a classic mob movie, but with a man in a batsuit fighting the good fight and earning cheers from the audience.













Saturday Jan 22, 2011: Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker [UR] (2000)
When you see this, be absolutely sure to see the unrated version! It gives you a few extra seconds here and there to revel in the wonderment that is Mark Hamill's Joker. He's seen here as every bit the sadist and psychopath he is. And I LOVE that about him!