His final scene contained so much unspoken paternal pride even as Bruce/Batman rejects him as a father figure with "I don't have to save you."

See, this is why I think I might need to see it again, because I don't think I got that out of the movie and I'm usually all about the Daddy Issues. But I could. not. get past the fact the weapon absolutely would not work -- or, rather, would work too well -- and I was so busy seething about that (and the fact all the nitpicky people I know had seen it and NOT WARNED ME, and I'm so not a nitpicky type most days) that I couldn't really watch the movie.

OTOH, a big part of me was lost when Thomas Wayne says "Why do we fall? To learn how to pick ourselves up," or whatever it was. Your son could have broken his back and was scared out of his mind, asshole -- now is not the time to impart penny-ante Words of Wisdom.

Anyhow, my theory is that if I go in knowing I'm going to hate that part of it, I might be able to actually enjoy the good parts.

Why if the Golden Ticket contest is "world wide" are all the winning children white?

Aren't they all English-speaking, too? And possibly all actually British? Dahl's world was not so very, um, wide.

And possibly all actually British?

Augustus is German in both movies, but not explicitly so in the book, IIRC.

And didn't Anne Hathaway have some shocking movie coming out where she was going to be doing full-frontal and girl-on-girl?

The movie is called Havoc and, apparently, is not quite as shockingly sexual as early rumors claimed. No full-frontal, though a fair amount of topless, and pretty ridiculously foul language, however. I'm not sure about the girl-on-girl. The plotline is that the main character (Allison, played by Anne) is super desperate to get into this gang, and the story of what she is willing to gain their, I dunno, respect? Or at least their acceptance. It sounds really depressing and probably not very good.

I doubt it will ever get a decently wide release. It seems like one of those stuck-in-limbo movies.

Isn't that precisely the time to distract from the disaster that could have happened, LJ? Last thing the kid needs is reality right then.

I can understand the philosophical basis for what you're saying, ita. It still pissed me off -- I think I just don't like the "stiff upper lip, be a man, here are some Inspiring Words" school of childrearing.

Seriously, I feel like I watched a completely different "Batman Begins" than everyone else in the world. I'm not sure whether that's good or bad.

But I don't like the "stiff upper lip, be a man, here are some Inspiring Words" school of childrearing anyhow.

I saw that bit as completely comforting, it's over now and everything will be all right parenting.

I think it works for some kids, and Bruce was definitely one of those kids, so I'm not bothered. Very in character.

It would have distracted me from my terror, but mostly as I wondered what the hell was wrong with my parents.

I loved that line. It made me tear up every time someone said it.

I can understand the philosophical basis for what you're saying, ita. But it still pissed me off. But I don't like the "stiff upper lip, be a man, here are some Inspiring Words" school of childrearing anyhow.

I saw it more as "Things will suck and you'll be in a lot of pain, but it will get better, and don't think of this as pointless pain, but pain that makes you stronger and happier," but I could just be projecting Bruce/Batman's notions about saving Gotham onto his father's words. Of course, I think Bruce was doing the same thing, so at least we're on the same page.

Fair enough, and I'm willing to accept that the line might have worked on Bruce. So ... am I allowed to just think Inspiring Words are really fucking cheesy?

It would have distracted me from my terror, but mostly as I wondered what the hell was wrong with my parents.

Hee. I would have started ranting at whoever said it, I think. "MY BACK hurts and my LEG hurts and I'm HUNGRY and there were a zillion BATS and MY DAD IS TRYING TO USE THIS AS A TEACHABLE MOMENT."

And yes, I would have said this in asscaps.