Bat-Tube

On the eve of the debut of what sounds like his darkest adventure yet, let us indulge in a little good natured bat-humor aimed at the bat-dude:

- We'll start with some more "lost footage": the trailer for a pre-talkies version of The Dark Knight, appropriately titled The Silent Knight.
- And for more trailer deconstruction/reconstruction, here it is ... in Lego.
- The latest in "Hi, I'm a Marvel...and I'm a DC", a.k.a. "When Batman Meets Iron Man" ...
- ... And then Hellboy enters the picture.
- Bonus clip: this one isn't all about the Caped Crusader, but it's still pretty darn cool: "The World of Tim Burton".

The Latest in Theaters: Hell and High Adventure

A big red demon, rampaging dinosaurs and Eddie Murphy in Eddie Murphy (ew) ... this week's newest releases, at a theater near you:

• Sneaking in a week before a certain other comic book hero is Hellboy II: The Golden Army, Guillermo del Toro's sequel to his super sleeper hit from four years ago. This creature feature stars Ron Perlman as the cigar-chomping big guy of the title (who also likes kitties), along with Selma Blair as his fiery femme fatale.
• Brendan Fraser takes a Journey to the Center of the Earth, a 3-D remake of the Jules Verne sci-fi classic. Bridge to Terabithia's Josh Hutcherson co-stars in this special effects laden adventure flick.
• Eddie Murphy is the miniature extra-terrestrial captain of a human-sized spaceship that looks like ... Eddie Murphy in Meet Dave, otherwise known as the movie you'll be skipping this weekend.
• Guy Pearce is legendary magician Harry Houdini and Catherine Zeta-Jones is the psychic enchantress out to con him in Gillian Armstrong's Death Defying Acts.
• In The Stone Angel, a feisty Ellen Burstyn is on the run from being put in a nursing home; Ellen Page and Transamerican cutie Kevin Zegers play young lovers.
• And finally: Spencer Breslin is Harold, a prematurely balding high school student just trying to fit in; Nikki Blonsky (in her first feature since Hairspray) is his best pal. This comedy, co-starring Ally Sheedy and an afro-ed Cuba Gooding Jr., looks like fun.

UPDATE: And now you'll really be skipping Meet Dave this weekend: AfterElton.com reports on its questionable gay content.

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Poster Post: The Big Red One

Ron Perlman looks mighty fierce (as would be expected) in the first official poster art for Hellboy II: The Golden Army, in theaters July 11.

Toon Talk: Summer Nights

Since Jaws and Star Wars and the dawn of the "Summer Movie" just over thirty years ago, film studios know that when the sun is high and the kids are out of school, all they want is something to do; if they are entertained in the process, all the better. And what better way to have fun then to sit in an air conditioned theater and watch the latest blockbuster with all your friends.

Which explains the steady stream of superheroes, sequels and superhero sequels that strike when the summer season surfaces, see? Si.

Click here to continue reading Kirby's Toon Talk preview of this summer's new movies at LaughingPlace.com.