Bad Movies, Good Movies, Better Movies, Best Movies: I'm Forgiving Batman, Making Predictions About Zootopia, and Watching Citizen Kane

   I'd meant to put this in my discussion Thursday of why I couldn't forgive Batman, only there wasn't a place for it at all, without some kind of massive rewrite just to shoehorn it in (potentially through the "last night's CBW" stuff tying into the stuff about timelines and continuity?) I excised it, for the better, knowing I could just post it up sometime later. Here it is:

   I can't bring myself to forgive Batman because the R-rated Deadpool-inspired edit is only one version of the film, with the "normal" one being only PG-13, and the closest theater that even shows R-rated films being 30 miles from here. I can't bring myself to forgive Batman because there is still a PG-13 version, which means that Dawn of Justice will still be shown nearby, at both Fat Cats and Paramount 5, and I can't bring myself to forgive Batman because there is still an R version, and yesterday evening's Comic Book Workshop discussion on morality talked about how the Big Three are still capable of being present in works that are moral, so morally speaking rating doesn't even matter that much.

   Presenting the movie with a Morton's Fork; that's just harsh. It's how I felt, but it's harsh. I can admit that. EDIT, as well, turns out, that's not even accurate, and the R-rated cut is Blu-Ray only, when that comes out, just being the original cut of the film before the MPAA rated it and Warner Bros toned everything down; so, not even inspired by Deadpool but more of an "unrated extended edition" type deal when home distribution comes around. It's almost as though I didn't do any research on something I'd heard in passing, up till just now... Yep, yep, glad I kept that out of the original post...

   I can forgive Batman now.

   However bad critics may find it, at least it can't be worse than the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, right? It might actually be, pretty decent I guess, worth viewing just to see how things get set up for later movies. Critics are saying that the movie takes itself too seriously, and the studio's saying that the critics are taking it too seriously, so wherever the answer lies, seriousness is probably subjective, grim n' gritty but still dudes in bulletproof leotards. Probably worth seeing over Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles... but that's not why I can forgive Batman.

   Dawn of Justice made, it is first three days, enough money to recoup its entire ridiculous budget a couple of times over (depending on which budget estimate you pay attention to; I've heard from $200 million to $410 million, and either way it's swept in that much already.) First weekend at the box office, making the amount that Zootopia made in its first weekend, plus $100,000,000 more. There's no fighting against it now, no keeping Zootopia in its #1 spot, which it was lucky to have held onto for so long. We can't fight it, but that's not why I can forgive Batman either.

   Dawn of Justice is no skin off the nose of Zootopia, even in box office tickets (if you're going out to the movies, you're going out to the movies) but especially not in critical reception. Being offended by a worse movie for a better movie's sake is just petty, and childish (though, you know, "worse" just meaning "not as good as;" I haven't seen Dawn of Justice yet, so it might be actually really good, but no matter how good it wouldn't be no Zootopia.) There's (at this point still wishful) speculation already of Zootopia coming down with a tiny golden man or two, come beginning of next year, and not just for best animated picture but best picture of the year, period. Even if it is good Dawn of Justice could hardly be described as Oscar bait, and if it steals any awards Zootopia is also nominated in, best soundtrack most likely, that kind of thing, more power to it. But, hey, that's also not the reason I'm unclenching my metaphorical bowels towards the Crusader of Gotham.

   The reason is this: it's okay to move on. It's okay that there's a new Batman movie out, whatever happened having happened at the premiere of the last one, which was holy crap four years ago. There's another Batman film out that my cousin died before getting to see? That's okay too.

   It'd be alright if Zootopia doesn't win the best picture Oscar next year, or even just the best animated picture Oscar. Though I can totally see it going all the way, especially with its message, especially after the #OscarsSoWhite stuff that went down this year... (2013. 2013 was a great year for African American cinema! Hey, 2013: maybe space that out a bit, release one or two of those the year after next, and there won't need to be calls for this Affirmative Action-style whatever?; Mammal Inclusion Initiative, how does that even work, is it just the hiring practice or what, because they sure aren't handicapping any of the tests (or even thinking about accessibility when designing their restrooms) and dang this is a tangent, I'm just trying to segue into yesterday's Citizen Kane viewing by pointing out that that movie didn't win any Oscars so that's not shameful or anything.)

   But perhaps getting onto Citizen Kane is the real tangent. We're talking about good movies, we're talking about bad movies, so I might as well bring it up anyway. Did watch it yesterday. The people I was with, Andrea and Jimmy, they liked it, though I was afraid they'd find it kind of boring. I don't remember it being all that boring, but this time, hey there you go. But it blew both of their minds, and though the secret of Rosebud was guessed at correctly at one point, apparently it didn't stick and so it still came as a twist.

   I believe that the more people who watch that movie the better, because not only is it pretty great, it's also, you know, not that great, just a movie you guys, and if we all saw it we could get over our obsession with it as a culture, with it no longer occupying such a snooty elite high horse because guess what everyone's seen it.

   We'd been going to watch Casablanca as well, but Jimmy was movie'd out, and so, next time I guess.

   Alright, I'm done.

   Also, how Thursday's post starts with "Today wasn't that great:" I'd been going to end it restating that, but then saying "But that's alright." Only I couldn't find how to fit that in either.