BEN AFFLECK AS BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT'S MANY FACES

I don't know why there's some negativity  here and there about Ben Affleck being selected as the next Bat Man even if Christian Bale will be greatly missed. Why shouldn't he be chosen- he's  a good actor besides having the blessing of being very, very yummy (be still my beating heart). And since his alter ego Bruce Wayne is usually decked out in dark suits- I would say that this very handsome actor is definitely the right

choice. Let's not forget he played Marvel's Daredevil/ blind lawyer Jack Murdock in 2003; alongside the lovely  lady who is now his wife,  Jennifer Garner- who played Elektra Natchios in the film and its spinoff  Elektra.
When I told my brother about Affleck's new role, he said, 'No... he's too well known, why can't they pick an unknown?'
 I pointed out that his predecessors, the ones we Nigerian fans know of, weren't exactly unknowns- Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney. He snorted and said 'Clooney was dry as Batman, in BATMAN  & ROBIN he tried to be funny.'  Like Batman ever tried to be funny!
Any how... this upcoming movie is not a new addition to the Dark Knight franchise but a sequel to the still much talked about MAN OF STEEL starring Henry Cavill. Another actor that gives me  flutters in my stomach and  I'm not ashamed to say that my favourite scene in that movie was the sight of him shirtless;

 Oh My God, wow!. This is a very interesting development since the Superman/Batman movies that exist so far are animated ones- SUPERMAN/BATMAN: PUBLIC ENEMIES( adapted from the story arc World's Finest and where Lex Lutor actually framed Superman for murder of all things), SUPERMAN/BATMAN: APOCALYPSE (where Superman met his cousin Kara Zor-el a.k.a Supergirl) and of course there is the animated series JUSTICE LEAGUE. This new movie is to be directed by the same director who did MAN OF STEEL Zack Snyder; the title is yet to be known. I for one can't wait to see it!

Superman has been more of a favorite of mine than Batman as a child but Batman comes as a close second. Like Clark Kent's, Bruce Wayne's background story is fascinating, although more tragic and the adaptations gave way for actors to portray him on screen.        
                                                                          

 I'm not familiar with the very early actors to play the dark Knight - before I ever saw Michael Keaton in the 1989 adaptation; we saw Adam West in reruns of the  1960s version. My brothers took one look at him and, sorry to say,  burst out laughing. Having read the comics, I guess we expected to see someone more intimidating but we found the guy a bit too genial  to be Bruce Wayne/Batman and each episode rather campy; we weren't exactly impressed.

In an odd twist of fate, we saw BATMAN FOREVER before BATMAN and BATMAN  RETURNS and we loved Val Kilmer in the role. He was suave, aloof as Bruce Wayne and a commanding presence as Batman and his costume was far better than the one Adam West had- that one was just too ridiculous for us to take seriously and Chris O' Donnell was equally very good as Robin/Dick Grayson.

After seeing BATMAN FOREVER, we, well my brothers, said that Kilmer was the best Batman. But that all changed after we finally got to see Keaton as Batman in BATMAN RETURNS, the one we should have viewed first. We saw him in this scene when he gets up at the sight of the bat signal...

 and little brother exclaimed, 'No, this IS Batman, proper Batman! He has the chin, the face, everything!' I completely agreed with him; he was aloof too but stern, intimidating and yes... an even more commanding presence as Batman- far more than Kilmer though we remain impressed with his portrayal. But we can't ignore Keaton; he really nailed it hence he's our favorite Batman to date.

 

Clooney in the role, well... no; we weren't impressed. Maybe we were already used to Kilmer and Keaton or perhaps it was BATMAN & ROBIN'S story plot; it was completely wack and more comic than gothic like the others and to me, he was not intimidating enough as Batman. Sorry George if you happen to read this. 

Christian Bale, no question! He was super great in the role and every inch of Bob Kane's Dark Knight; it's almost a pity that he won't be in the upcoming movie movie. But I say The Dark Knight fans should give Affleck a chance- don't analyze until you've seen him in the role. Best of luck to him.

DIGITAL ERA VS 'THE OLD DAYS' ERA

 

A friend came by the other day when I was in my room tidying up and on seeing my scattered tapes (most of them recorded movies)  asked how will I get rid of them. I said, 'I'm not; I have a VCR to watch them with.'  (pic of the model I'm currently using above)

 'Come on Amina, you still watch  video cassettes? You're so old school.' was her  reply. 'Nobody watches tapes these days.'

 Is that really true? 

 

The digital age has not only brought about radical changes in our gadgets and appliances but also the way we do things. I remember the times when I would buy blank audio tapes, record as many tracks as I could from my favorite radio station and listen to them for hours on my battery-run Walkman. Earlier memories of music listening are mostly listening to  my older brother's records on the turntable - New Edition, Michael Jackson, Kool & The Gang, Earth Wind & Fire, Atlantic Star etc. as well the ones my parents prefer-

King Sunny Ade, Ebenezer Obey and others... those were the days.

Along the line came CDs and CD Walkmans where one has the option of buying a CD of any artist or 'burn' a mixed one to listen at leisure and then was the introduction of the ipod and mp3 players which plays music files that are bought/found and  downloaded on the Internet and instead of bulky audio tape walkmans strapped to the belt or held in the hand, these little gadgets can be easily slipped into the pocket. Those who can't afford the luxury of ipods/mp3 players have the option of listening to them in their cell phones or their laptops if they wanted to just listen online.

From audio cassettes to mp3 music files; the same changes came to videos. When films came to the world, there was the projector. After TV, came the VCR where people watched movies via VHS cassettes (which I still do) before the advent of VCDS and now the DVD; plus video files that can be watched online on popular sites like Youtube and other sites where you have to pay for a subscription.
But the question, are there people like me who prefer the old days? I love the digital era, no question but my friend was wrong about people not listening to tapes any more.VCRs still exist and still sold by electronic companies; these days VCRs come with DVD compartments

and movies/T.V series, especially  those  that aren't  on  DVD  sold in VHS cassettes.Most radios these days too have both tape and CD compartments so I guess audio tapes are still used too.
While I love the picture and sound quality of today's DVDs; I still love (and prefer) my tapes. DVDs gets scratched when handled badly and the image ruined. There's the argument about  video tapes developing fungus  after some years  and making the VCR's head dirty but these days, tapes are treated with anti fungus during manufacturing. Like DVDS, you can continue from where you left off and let's face it... they last better. So with that last fact, I'm not old school at all; I know very well what lasts better and what does not. And people have the right to hold on to their preferences in general. My older brother and a cousin still listen
to music on the turnable; I asked why and they simply said the music they love just doesn't sound right on CD. I don't know how many people still use typewriters but I know I prefer my old laptop to Ipads; I tried using a female cousin's when I was visiting and I found it far too awkward. Just like I hold on to my hardback and paperback books in my bookcases instead of thinking about saving money to buy a kindle; I have nothing against ebooks exactly but I would rather read and own something I can physically hold in my hand.

The digital era has been kind to the world in terms of media, communication; even education. But when one tends to go 'old school' once in a while it's not up to people to judge. Preference is a person's right and it does feel good to slip into 'the old days' now and then.

CARBO FAN FICTION: Return Journey Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Daniel held his wife’s hand tightly as the ambulance conveyed them to the hospital. Under her abundant black hair, Darcy looked like death; her face ghostly pale and sweaty.