Thursday, January 12, 2017

Not over this, never will be


"we're the same, split right down the center."

"a kiss can be deadlier if you mean it."

One of my earliest ships and still one of the best ever.


Re-watching this astounding display of perfect chemistry makes me newly a) wish there was a version of Batman Returns that just leaves out the entire overdone Penguin plotline (done so much better on Gotham, speaking of which, they also do a fantastic Bruce/Selena on Gotham, and furthermore, I really need to catch up on Gotham) and b) feel totally blown away by the poetic romantic tragedy, the more-than-a-glimmer of hope at the very end with that fantastic Breakfast at Tiffany's homage.

This film shows the two sides of Tim Burton as a directer with such crystal clarity: the trouble that occurs when he overindulges in the silly melodramatic clownishness wink/wink cartoony annoyances that plague the otherwise promising Penguin plot, and the triumph he achieves when he lands on the truly inspiring, the beautiful and unfathomably deep meaning of his characters' identities, hopes, desires, and dreams. That's what we get with the unforgettably swoon-worthy, sexy yet oddly adorkable Bruce/Selena, Batman/Catwoman plot. The gothic underpinnings of the film serve, with their inherent coolness and exquisite application, to make the problematic aspects more bearable, yet somehow the adorable 1992-ness of the Bruce/Selina plot feels deeper and more meaningful, more emotionally resonant and vulnerable.  A total and complete classic.

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