BATMAN RETURNS (1992)

MORGAN'S GRADE

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In this exhilarating, action-packed sequel, Batman takes on the sinister Penguin, a warped and deformed individual intent on being accepted into Gotham society. Crooked businessman Max Schreck is coerced into helping him become Mayor and at the same time attempt to expose Batman in a different light. Meanwhile, wronged secretary Selena Kyle has just become the target of a murder attempt by Schreck. Now, as Catwoman, she sets out for revenge, becoming involved in a war between Batman. Don't miss this explosive, action-packed ride.

Michael Keaton (Batman/Bruce Wayne), Danny DeVito (Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot/The Penguin), Michelle Pfeiffer (Selina Kyle/Catwoman), Christopher Walken (Maximillian 'Max' Shreck), Michael Gough (Alfred), Michael Murphy (Mayor), Cristi Conaway (Ice Princess), Andrew Bryniarski (Charles 'Chip' Shreck), Pat Hingle (Commissioner James Gordon), Vincent Schiavelli (Organ Grinder), Steve Witting (Josh), Jan Hooks (Jen), John Strong (Sword Swallower), Rick Zumwalt (Tattooed Strongman), Paul Reubens (Mr. Cobblepot), Diane Salinger (Mrs. Cobblepot), Steven Brill (Gothamite), Elizabeth Sanders (Gothamite).

THE BAT, THE CAT, THE PENGUIN.

FACTS

PRODUCTION INFORMATION

RELEASE DATE: June 19th, 1992 (USA) BOX OFFICE OPENING: $45.6 million (USA) BOX OFFICE RESULT: $162.8 million (USA) WORLDWIDE BOX OFFICE: $282.8 million BUDGET: $80 million (USA) - Danny DeVito was forbidden to describe The Penguin's makeup to anyone, including his family. - Annette Bening was cast as Catwoman, but was replaced by Michelle Pfeiffer when she became pregnant. - The bad guy's name is Max Schreck. Max Schreck played the vampire in Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922). - Sean Young very much wanted the role of the Catwoman. During preproduction she arrived at the studio in a Catwoman costume to confront the makers of the movie. She used other poeple scouting the studio ground, using walkie-talkies to communicate, to track down the producers. - Christopher Walken, remembering a film he'd seen earlier, requested from director Tim Burton cuff-links made of human molars. He got them, and wore them in the film as the villain, Max Shreck. - Paul Reubens and Diane Salinger from Pee Wee's Big Adventure reunite briefly at the beginning of the film as The Penguin's parents. - Nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects and Best Makeup. - Followed by two sequels: Batman Forever (1995) and Batman & Robin (1997).

DIRECTOR: Tim Burton (Batman (1989)). WRITERS: Sam Hamm and Daniel Waters, and based on the characters created by Bob Kane. PRODUCERS: Tim Burton and Denise Di Novi. ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS: Ian Bryce, Holly Borradaile and Robin L. D'Arcy. CO-PRODUCER: Larry J. Franco. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Jon Peters, Peter Guber, Benjamin Melniker and Michael E. Uslan. LINE PRODUCER: Jenny Fulle. ORIGINAL MUSIC: Danny Elfman. DISTRIBUTOR: Warner Bros.

QUOTES

Selena Kyle: Wow, the Batman -- or is it just Batman? It's your choice, of course!

Selena Kyle: I don't like normal men. It's the so-called normal guys that always let you down. Sickos never scare me. At least they're committed.

[Addressing a huge flock of penguins.] Penguin: My dear penguins, we stand upon a great threshold! It's alright to be scared; most of you won't be coming back. But, thanks to Batman, the time has come to punish all of God's children! I1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th-born! Why be biased? Male and female! Hell, the sexes are equal with their erogenous zones blown sky high! Forward march! The liberation of Gotham has begun!

Penguin: Touring the riot scene. Gravely assessing the devastation. Upstanding mayor stuff.

Penguin: It's true I was their number one son...but they treated me like number two!

CRITICAL COMMENTS

Catwoman: Meow.

"Nasty, nihilistic nightmare movie...Rich performances, dazzling production design, and occasionally cleverness can't make up for a dark, mean-spirited (and often incoherent) screenplay." -- Leonard Maltin

Catwoman: I am Catwoman. Hear me roar.

Catwoman: Hello honey, I'm home. Oh, I forget, I'm not married.

Penguin: You're just jealous because I'm a real freak and you have to wear a mask.

"The beginning is tremendous. The middle is great. But somewhere toward the end, your legs may start doing the crossing shuffle." -- Desson Howe, Washington Post

Penguin: I am not a human being. I am an animal.

Bruce Wayne: Mistletoe can be deadly if you eat it. Selena Kyle: A kiss can be even deadlier if you mean it.

"Burton aims for a lighter, brighter, sexier sequel. But the mood is so suffocatingly somber it might have been shot in the belly of an architect." -- Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Catwoman: I don't know about you, Miss Kitty, but I feel so much...yummier.

Batman: Eat floor. [Throws Catwoman down.] High fiber.

Penguin: You got to admit I played this stinking city like a harp from hell.

"I give the movie a negative review, and yet I don't think it's a bad movie; it's more of a misguided one, made with great creativity, but denying us what we more or less deserve from a Batman story. Looking back over both films, I think Burton has a vision here and is trying to shape it to the material, but it just won't fit." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times

Penguin: [To Catwoman] Just the pussy I was looking for!

Penguin: [To Catwoman] You're beauty and the beast.

Penguin: Ahh, the direct approach. I admire that in a man with a mask.

Catwoman: Life's a bitch, now so am I.

Max: Women. Nothing surprises me Chip, except your late mother. Who'da thought Selina had a brain to damage. Bottom line, she tries to blackmail me, I'll drop her out a higher window. Meantime, I got better fish to fry.

Penguin: They wouldn't put me on a pedestal, so I'm layin' them out on a slab!

Selina Kyle: How can you be so mean to someone so meaningless?

Bruce Wayne: Merry Christmas, Alfred. Good will towards men...and women.