The Rewatchables: ‘Batman’ (1989) With Bill Simmons, Chris Ryan, and Sean Fennessey

Published 2022-03-08; 1:26:50 by the feed.

Awards and segments (57)

Most rewatchable scene

  1. pick The opening introduction of Batman with the thug on the rooftop ("I'm Batman")
    “First scene, the introduction of Batman.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:38:44
  2. pick Knox and Vicki Vale visiting Bruce Wayne's office
    “Knox and Vicki going to Bruce Wayne's office.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:39:06
  3. pick Batman foils the Joker and his gang for the first time, and the Joker falls into the vat
    “Batman Foil's Joker in the Gang the first time.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:39:24
  4. pick The Joker's first look at the Batmobile, with Vicki taking pictures while Batman beats everyone up
    “We see the Batmobile for the 1st time.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:40:04
  5. pick Driving into the Bat Cave with Vicki, who thinks she is being taken to be murdered
    “Driving into the bat cave. I think is my favorite part of the movie.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:40:12
  6. pick The flashback reveal that the Joker killed Bruce's parents
    “The flashback reveal that the Joker killed Bruce's parents is really well done.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:40:32
  7. pick The newscasts and the SmileX ad
    “I really liked the newscasts and the SmileX ad.”
    unknown · 0:40:45
  8. pick The nighttime parade where the balloons release the gas
    “The parade is pretty amazing.”
    unknown · 0:40:59
  9. floated The three big Vicky and Joker scenes: the museum date, the Bruce/Joker showdown ("let's get nuts"), and the bell tower
    “I feel like the 3 big scenes with Vicky and the Joker.”
    unknown · 0:41:18
  10. floated The bell tower finale in the cathedral, which he did not have the guts to pick
    “I didn't have the guts to put the Bell Tower scene in most rewatchable.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:42:02
  11. pick Driving into the Bat Cave
    “Um, I would say most rewatchable scene for me is probably driving into the back cave.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:42:37
  12. pick The Party Man scene in the museum, with the Joker dancing and defacing the art
    “I love the party man scene.”
    Sean Fennessey · 0:42:45

Ebert review · Reading excerpts of Roger Ebert's review of the film.

  1. pick Batman: Two stars; Ebert called Gotham atmospheric but the movie hostile and mean-spirited. The hosts think it should have been a one-and-a-half bumped up for the look, and say he missed the point.
    “I'm going to read you some raj experts, excerpts from Roger Aber review.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:37:23

What's aged the best · What about the movie has held up best.

  1. pick Nicholson's Joker as Jack Torrance: Probably his favorite thing about the movie.
    “Jack Torrance says the Joker. Love it.”
    Chris Ryan · 0:43:33
  2. pick The rushed Christmas trailer that played in theaters: Peters rushed it after comic fans objected to the Keaton casting.
    “So he rushed a film trailer that played in every theater basically during Christmas.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:43:42
  3. pick Jack Nicholson as the Joker: The exclamation point on his pop culture career.
    “just the Nicholson and what this, the exclamation point of, uh, you know, from a pop culture standpoint, his career, I would have as well.”
    unknown · 0:44:16
  4. pick The relative lack of angst compared to later Batman movies
    “I would say the relative lack of angst in this movie compared to the Batman movies that would come after it”
    Chris Ryan · 0:44:42
  5. pick Bruce Wayne's office full of armor
    “I had Bruce's office, too, when they, Vicky Vale and, um, Robert Wolf's character, his office.”
    unknown · 0:45:09

What's aged the worst · What about the movie has held up worst.

  1. pick The special effects, like the bat plane
    “Special effects. Some of this stuff is bad.”
    unknown · 0:45:31
  2. pick The movie is too dark, literally hard to see
    “I think the movie's too actually too dark.”
    unknown · 0:45:44
  3. pick The Keaton and Basinger scenes: Others disagreed and saw chemistry; later compared unfavorably with Keaton and Pfeiffer.
    “The Keaton Basinger scenes are pretty rough.”
    unknown · 0:46:00
  4. pick The uproar over the Keaton casting: Hard to explain now how big a deal it was.
    “The, uh, the crazy buzz from the Keaton casting is aged the worst”
    Bill Simmons · 0:47:42
  5. pick The Prince soundtrack
    “The print soundtrack is, I think, age the worst.”
    unknown · 0:48:46
  6. pick The importance of the Gotham Globe and newspapers
    “The importance of the Gotham Globe is age the worst because, you know, newspapers have now gone digital.”
    unknown · 0:49:12
  7. pick Keaton's hair, which looks like a wig
    “there's a couple where it just looks like he's wearing a wig a couple times.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:50:01
  8. pick Robert Wuhl as Knox: In too much of the movie and the most unfortunate part of it.
    “But the worst one, Robert Will, as Knox.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:52:18

Casting what ifs · Almost-castings and recasts, drawn from half-assed internet research.

  1. pick Morgan Freeman as Harvey Dent
    “Morgan Freeman was right there to be Harvey Dent.”
    unknown · 0:51:10
  2. pick Phil Hartman as Knox: His recast for Robert Wuhl's part.
    “Just give me Phil Hartman.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:53:33
  3. pick Daniel Day-Lewis as Knox
    “Daniel Day Lewis?”
    unknown · 0:53:26
  4. pick Bill Murray as Batman: Peters was excited about him for years; Bill would not have enjoyed it.
    “A bunch of people were excited about Bill Murray as Batman in the early 80s”
    Bill Simmons · 0:55:01
  5. pick Robin Williams as the Joker: Offered the role as a way to lock in Nicholson, then released and angry.
    “They offered Robin Williams the role and they might have offered it because this was their way to lock Nicholson in.”
    Bill Simmons · 0:57:30
  6. pick Sean Young as Vicki Vale: Replaced by Kim Basinger; versions of why differ.
    “So, cast as Vicky Vale, horse riding accident, broker carbone, Kim Basinger stepped in”
    Bill Simmons · 1:00:58
  7. pick Adam West as Batman: Disappointed not to be asked to reprise the role.
    “Adam West, who played the original Batman, was really disappointed that he wasn't asked to reprise the role”
    Bill Simmons · 1:02:47
  8. pick Morgan Freeman as Harvey Dent: Recasting couch: Daniel Day-Lewis as Knox, Phil Hartman for Robert Wuhl, Morgan Freeman as Dent.
    “And then Morgan Freeman is Two-face.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:07:01

Joey Pants Award (Best That Guy) · Best that guy in the supporting cast.

  1. winner Tracy Walter as Bob the Goon: Called a clear winner; Nicholson negotiated to have his friend in the cast.
    “This is Clear winner. Bob the Goon, AK Tracy Walter.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:04:09

Vincent Hanna Award · Best over-the-top performance moment.

  1. nominee Jack Nicholson as the Joker: Has moments; the Prince song scene is a candidate.
    “I mean Nicholson has moments. The Prince song is a Vincent Hanna candidate.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:05:15
  2. winner Michael Keaton as Batman: Flipping out in the showdown with the Joker ("Let's get nuts").
    “Now you want to get nuts? Come on, let's get nuts.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:05:28
  3. nominee Jack Palance as Carl Grissom: His dying scene, called the platonic ideal of the dramatic death roll.
    “Palace is the platonic ideal for that.”
    unknown · 1:06:00

Dion Waiters Award · Small role with big impact.

  1. winner Michael Gough as Alfred: One of the only constants of the four Batman movies.
    “there's a lot of love for Michael Goff as Alfred.”
    unknown · 1:06:37
  2. nominee Jerry Hall
    “It's fun to see Jerry Hall.”
    unknown · 1:06:29

Apex Mountain · Whether this movie was the peak of juice for someone's career.

  1. winner Michael Keaton: Yes: enough juice to get Pacific Heights made.
    “I think, yes, because it's supposed to be when you had the most juice and the whole thing.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:09:54
  2. nominee Kim Basinger: Arguably yes, about to meet Alec Baldwin; others point to L.A. Confidential.
    “You could argue, yes.”
    unknown · 1:10:26
  3. nominee Jack Nicholson: No: his apex was elsewhere.
    “Nicholson, no.”
    unknown · 1:10:59
  4. winner Jon Peters and Peter Guber: Yes: Batman gave them the juice to take over Sony.
    “Peters and Goober as a combo, I would say yes.”
    unknown · 1:11:07
  5. pick Batman Returns: Burton's apex is probably Batman Returns rather than this one, since he made the movie he wanted.
    “I would say it's Batman Returns, because that's a better movie, and he had more of a stranglehold on that movie.”
    Sean Fennessey · 1:11:49

Picking Nits · Nitpicks of a movie they love.

  1. pick Vicky finds out Bruce is Batman in the Bat Cave with no reveal or payoff
    “Vicky waltzes into the bat cave. Finds out Bruce's Batman. There's no reveal.”
    Bill Simmons · 1:13:04
  2. pick Nobody recognizing Bruce Wayne without the mask
    “all the superhero, the Batman and Superman movies hinge on this inability of anybody to recognize that this guy without the mask is the guy with the mask.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:14:34
  3. pick The cathedral finale coming out of nowhere
    “The cathedral out of nowhere it comes from.”
    unknown · 1:14:55
  4. pick Vicky Vale saying she only weighs 108 pounds
    “Vicky Vale says she only weighs 108 pounds.”
    unknown · 1:15:12
  5. pick Nobody in the world would be intimidated by the Joker's gang
    “How about the fact that no one in the world would be intimidated by the Joker's gang?”
    unknown · 1:17:32
  6. pick Newscasters getting boils once the SmileX products are tainted
    “the newscasters go from like totally normal looking to having like boils on their face”
    unknown · 1:18:29

Unanswerable questions · Open questions about the movie and franchise.

  1. pick The Batmen as basketball players: Keaton is Dr. J, Bale is Michael Jordan, the Reeves era is LeBron
    “that Keaton, as Batman, is Dr. J, and that Bail, as Batman and the Nolan films is Michael Jordan”
    Sean Fennessey · 1:19:13

Memorabilia · A prop from the movie they would own.

  1. pick The Batmobile
    “I mean, clearly has to be the Batmobile.”
    unknown · 1:23:14
  2. pick The Joker's palm buzzer that electrocutes guys
    “I would take the little palm thing that Nicholson has to electrocute guys.”
    Chris Ryan · 1:23:21

Who won the movie · Who came out on top from making the movie.

  1. winner Jack Nicholson
    “Nicholson, right?”
    Bill Simmons · 1:23:54
  2. nominee Tim Burton: Burton is said to win the next one, not this, since he was unhappy with how this played out.
    “Yeah, either Nicholson or Burton.”
    unknown · 1:23:57
  3. winner Jack Nicholson
    “Yeah, I would say Nicholson.”
    unknown · 1:24:14

Films that came up

Claims (0)

Fun items (0)

Who's talking

The show's recurring bits

Names the transcriber got wrong