The baby penguins will get eyeliner?

Depp as the God of the Penguins! It would be deadly cute.

Steph, isn't it just amazing how well they captured that aspect? Bale did an incredible job in the role. It's had me thinking about the differences between Batman and his Robins, and how each Robin (with the exception of Tim, for reasons I'm also thinky about) has been an aspect of his personality that he's had to push away: Dick's heart, Jason's rage and willingness to perhaps take things a step further for the greater good, Steph's impulsiveness... which leads me to look at which ones have died and why and dear LORD, it's been a while since I got this thinky about something.

A review of Fantastic Four by Dr. Doom:

Indeed, such a failure must not be permitted to reach the theaters. Doom demands that the perpetrators of Fantastic Four, along with all existing copies, be turned over to his minions for disposal as he sees fit. Defiance of my wishes would be most unwise, for there are myriad ways to bring you to your knees, O Hollywood fools. Already, I have arranged for a number of previously untouchable "celebrities" to be injected with a psychotropic drug, causing them to immolate their careers in brazen displays of public boobery. Witness their destruction and tremble, miscreants! Thus is the fate of all who do not cower before the might of Doom!

It's had me thinking about the differences between Batman and his Robins, and how each Robin (with the exception of Tim, for reasons I'm also thinky about) has been an aspect of his personality that he's had to push away:

I have a theory about Timmay, but I can't quite articulate it. It has to do with Tim *choosing* to be Robin; and even though Steph did, too, Tim is way different. Steph already knew about the world of superhero-ing when she became Robin; Tim did his Boy Stalker thing from a totally civilian starting point. Tim's Robin has been built from the ground up in a way that none of the other Robins were.

Anyway, I think that Bruce absolutely believes that he (Bruce) had no choice but to become Batman; one can argue that he did have that choice, as a competent adult, but the key part is that *he* believes he never had a choice -- becoming Batman was inevitable.

And I think in that light, Tim represents the part of Bruce that he squashed down years and years ago -- the part that can choose what to make of his life.

To which I toss in my corollary of Dick having a choice not to be Robin, and Bruce never realising that. Which makes Dick and Tim two sides of a coin too.

It's like a threesome of roads taken and not taken.

It's like a threesome

I'm just going to focus on that part.

And I think in that light, Tim represents the part of Bruce that he squashed down years and years ago -- the part that can choose what to make of his life.

Ooo, good point. Have you read the issues where Tim goes around the world and gets himself trained? It echos Bruce's training, but Tim's motivation is so very different. Tim wasn't, at least originally, a rescue, where the other three were (even, and I think sometimes especially, Steph), and that makes all the difference.

On a totally different topic related to the movie, did you catch the size of the hands on LN?

The Flick Filosopher on the Fantastic Four:

I just get all warm and squishy and totally turned on thinking about anguished, neurotic, potentially psychotic, not-at-all-well superheroes who need desperately to be hugged and coddled and, ahem, comforted after indulging their angsts and neuroses while beating the living crap out of bad guys bent on world domination or somesuch. What girl doesn't?

And then -- what the hell? -- we have Fantastic Four, which is like a kiddie ride when I've been primed to expect the biggest, baddest, meanest emotional-roller coaster of a sexy action movie when it's all about guys in tights.

She continues the "kiddie ride" theme throughout the review, ending with:

[The writers] were told: Don't give us a scary dragon roller coaster. Give us a tame choo-choo ride and just paint some dragons on the wall for the kiddies to look at as they chug by, you know, to suggest something fascinating.

Oh, and be sure the big stone Thing gets to pass gas from some orifice or other -- the kids, they love that.

So a film critic on my flist thinks The Island is actually really good:

It took only six movies, but now I can recommend a Michael Bay film without calling it a "guilty pleasure."

Followed by:

The more I think about the flick, the (much) more I like it. There are sneak screenings all over the U.S. tonight. Someone go see it so I have someone to discuss it with. ;)

I just watched Josie and the Pussycat and thought it was hilarious and completely awesome. How did I go so long without seeing this?