Christian De Matteo

What's wild about BATMAN (1989), and why it's so good, is it was essentially a fluke that turned into a great movie that ignited the modern superhero movie. That's why an oddball filmmaker like Tim Burton could direct it, a left field actor like Michael Keaton could play it, or even a bold actor like Jack Nicholson would take on the Joker. None of it was proven, it was all guess work. If you made the first Batman film *today*, after the successes of Iron Man, Spider-Man, Avengers, etc - the studio's greenlight acting/directing choices would be far different, far more sterile, far more safe, and completely not as unique as what that movie was able to pull off at that time in history.

Since many are discussing THE DEVILS and Oliver Reed's overall gigantic personality, it should be gloriously noted he died of a heart attack on his day off while in the middle of filming GLADIATOR after being challenged to a drinking contest in a local pub by a group of sailors. He reportedly drank roughly 10 pints of Lager, 12 shots of Rum, half bottle of Whiskey, washing it all down with sips of Cognac. He was 61-years-old. His last words to the paramedics just moments before he died were, "I simply had a few drinks with new friends."