Batman Returns (1992)

"You're just jealous, because I'm a genuine freak and you have to wear a mask!"
For Gotham's caped crusador, this years festive season is gonna be a rather busy one, as trouble never seems to take a day off, starting with a brand new avenger that has arrived, and one that comes with a mission of taking on the part as the city's very own exterminator.
In the meantime the cunning and corrupt businessman Max Schreck (Christopher Walken) has his own grand plans for a new and better Gotham city, and one that will soon be backed up by some very unexpected help from below the surface. 

Back in the 90s, Batman Returns was one of the very first films I bought with my own money, having saved up for some time I knew I had to rely on the help of the older brother of a good friend of mine, as the film had a rating which meant that if one was below 15 of age, you had to bring along a parent in order to buy it.
And since my dad was most of the time, away at work, and since my mum was rather strict when it came to movies, especially the ones that involved, well not very kid friendly stuff, I understood that my chances of success was not too big.
Thankfully, with a little help from a class mate and his older brother, I managed to finally purchase a brand new copy of Batman Returns, and when I got my hands on the VHS, it felt so great. But, then the problem was, where the hell was I gonna see the film, as our own VHS player was damaged, and my mum were almost always home, and trying to convince her of watching this movie, was never gonna happen, so I had to do a lot of snooping around, to find out who in my neighborhood that owned a functional VHS player, and was it safe to see this film, without having any angry parents to take on the role as the party pooper.

6 days later, I finally got to watch the film, thanks to my next door neighbors, that happened to have a brand new VHS player, but not one VHS tape in the house, and the summer of 1994, I got to see the film 5 times within less than 3 days, and it was a riot.
But the fun ended rather fast, as one of the kids got scared and later on told his parents about the film. My mum then got a angry phone call, and the next thing I knew, was that I had to hide away my VHS copy, as fast as possible, either that or having my mum take it away from me, because of some hysterical neighbor that felt this kind of film should not be seen by kids. 

Move on 8 years, and in the summer of 2002 I decided to re-watch Batman Returns for the first time, in a very long time, and I could not believe how many of the hilarious and very naughty lines that had gone far over my head back in the 90s, but seeing it again, they were all over the place:

"Just the pussy I've been lookin' for!", "You poor guys. Always confusing your pistols with your privates.", "I could really get into this mayor stuff. It's not about power, it's about reaching out to people - touching people - groping people!", "I'd like to fill her void.", and of course the hilarious and very sleazy promise given by Max Schreck to Oswald Cobblepot, that if he gets elected as the new major of Gotham, it will bring along "Unlimited poontang".

The violence and rather dark/gothic style of the Tim Burton films, was also a pleasant surprise to re-discover, especially how bad ass Michael Keaton was a both Bruce Wayne and Batman.
The man kicked serious ass, and I always get a big laugh hearing the wimpy critics saying "My god, he kills people!". "But Batman does not kill!".
No, maybe your version do not, but mine does, and he sure did one hell of a job of doing so too.

In one scene, were the circus of hell has arrived, having some poor guy being set on fire by one of the evil clowns, which I guess leads to a horrible death, then this evil guy tries to take on the Batmobile, BIIIIG MISTAKE!
Batman just turns his car, then turn on some booster button, and decides to have himself a bit of a barbeque, and then of course the bomb scene, where Batman blows up some big fat goon, and I guess the list just goes on.
The you have the sadistic plans set out by the Penguin or Oswald Cobblepot, that is of taking out every first born child in Gotham, by dragging them down in the sewers and drowning them.

I began to realize why several parents, well, not exactly was all to happy having their little kids seeing the film, but it just made it even more awesome.

Michelle Pfeiffer was stunning as hell in the black tight latex suit, and I loved how she went from this quiet/shy little mouse early on, to become a fierce goddess after being dropped from a tall building, survives, then goes home and have a complete and neverous breakdown, and before you knew it, she has become Catwoman.
Pfeiffer sure was something else in the role as Selina Kyle/Catwoman and compared to the recent Catwomens such as Halle Berry and Anne Hathaway, they just look so random and ordinary, compared to Michelle.
My favorite part of Selina Kyle is where she have a meltdown in her apartment, shortly after her "accident" with Max Schreck, along with the tragic/creepy but still beautifully done theme by Danny Elfman, and it ends with Selina standing in front of a neon sign that goes: HELL HERE! 

Christopher Walken is cool as hell as the sleazy and very funny Max Schreck, and the scenes with Danny De Vito are comedy gold. 
Of course the part where Oswald is being told by the most sleazy looking yuppie guy there is, on how to try and dress up in a more "friendlier" appearence, which might just be one of those scenes that I saw so many times over, that all together it might have been hours after hours, just watching it on repeat:

"Not a lot of reflective surfaces down in the sewer, huh?"

A brutal lesson learned right there and then, on how not to stick your nose where it doesn't belong?
Love that line shortly afterwards, by Walken: "LETS MAKE A MAYOR!" 

Michael Keaton and Tim Burton were such a fine team back in the late 80s and early 90s, with Beetlejuice and the Batman films.
Sadly Burton has since spent most of his time having made just about too many movies with Johnny Depp, and I have grown tired of seeing him play all these over-the-top weirdo roles, and if Burton decides to make a sequel to Beetlejuice without Michael Keaton, then I am truly finished with him as a movie director, but I guess to get a lead role in his films, you have to be either Johnny Depp or Helena Bonham Carter.

In the later years Keaton has had a fine "comeback", even though as he said himself "Comeback? I have been here all the time" . I really liked Birdman and its little take on the more serious tone of the modern Super Hero movies,, and hopefully Keaton will keep on doing great roles in the future.

The one scene from a Batman picture that for me stands out as, the Batman moment, that truly gets it or captures it all within a short time, when portraying the tragic and lonely figure that is Bruce Wayne/Batman more than anything, has to be the Bat Signal scene.
The music, lights and Wayne just sitting there all by himself, locked inside his huge gothic mansion, just waiting for something, anything to happen, and then boom, the Bat signal comes on and you know it means serious business.
That part is total badass.

Sadly as with most Batman films, the villains steals the show or takes up too much time, and you don't get too many scenes like this, either in the old or new ones. Anyway, brilliant acting by Keaton.