A Joker Mashup

September 2, 2009 10:10 AM

"Why so serious?" Synthesizing Mark Hamill's menacing hilarity and Heath Ledger's intelligent and dangerously unhinged aspects in their portrayals of DC Comic's "The Joker," aspiring voice actor "pgirts" recreates the famous scene from the recent Batman film in a chilling mashup of acting styles, and similarly brings the Joker's monolog from "The Killing Joke" to life. (MLYT)
posted by Slap*Happy (38 comments total)

Well done, in a creepy can't sleep, clown will eat me, kinda way.
posted by Mick at 10:15 AM on September 2, 2009

He does an impressive job with these, and emphasizes just how brilliant Mark Hamill’s version of The Joker is. Also reminds me of how pissed I am that they got so many of the excellent cartoon cast for the new Arkham Asylum game and then slapped on that craptastic art direction straight from the uncanny valley.
posted by ecurtz at 10:28 AM on September 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

Okay, I am woefully underinformed, but...

you just blew my world apart. Luke Skywalker is the Joker???

I'm prepared to be chastised.
posted by nosila at 10:51 AM on September 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

nosila: don't feel bad, i loved the animated batman series as a kid and this is shocking news to me too.
posted by ish__ at 10:58 AM on September 2, 2009

nosila - no chastising! I felt the same way when I found out. Evan having seen footage of Hamill in the voice booth whooping away doesn't make it any easier to picture. He's really great at it! He does a pretty slick Wolverine, too!
posted by EatTheWeak at 11:04 AM on September 2, 2009

I'm prepared to be chastised.

You just lost 10 points for Gryffindor. Thanks, dick.

nice post, thanks
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 11:07 AM on September 2, 2009 [5 favorites]

Heath Ledger's Joker is a force of nature, but Mark Hamill's take on the character is the Joker. And he's amazing in the new Arkham Asylum game, always taunting Batman or his own goons over the Arkham loudspeakers. One of my favorite moments is when a scene of Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy starts to get... let's just say "interesting"... when Joker's pirated TV signal interrupts the scene, saying "Ooh! I could watch those two all night!"
posted by Servo5678 at 11:21 AM on September 2, 2009

Yeah, voice acting has been much better to Mark Hamill than Star Wars was. For a real treat, check out his scenes opposite Clancy Brown (who Wired agrees is the best Lex Luthor EVAR) in World's Finest: The Batman/Superman Movie.

Hamill was also fantastically menacing as Fire Lord Ozai in the awesome Avatar: The Last Airbender.
posted by mgrichmond at 11:24 AM on September 2, 2009 [3 favorites]

Hamill also did a few of the voices on Metalocalypse, including Senator Stampingston. I'm afraid that's all we know, gentlemen.

I hope this nerdy thread about The Joker derails into a nerdy thread about Mark Hamill.
posted by Cookiebastard at 11:24 AM on September 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

Kinda seems like it has.
posted by Mister_A at 11:36 AM on September 2, 2009

Batman: The Animated Series took a gamble with a number of unusual voice actors, with 70's pop-star Paul Williams as the Penguin, Richard Moll (Bull from Nightcourt) as Harvey Dent/Two Face, and Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as Clayface. Other actors on the series included Helen Slater, who was the star of the Supergirl movie, Ed Asner, Abe Vigoda, comedienne Julie Brown, and Kate Mulgrew (Captain Janeway).

I think the decision to move away from a small stable of voice actors to a larger cast that had other acting experience, combined with adult and intelligent scripts really set the show apart, and turned it from pure kiddie-fare to quality television. It also helped relaunch the careers of Mark Hammill and Ron Perlman.
posted by Slap*Happy at 11:37 AM on September 2, 2009 [4 favorites]

Somebody say Mark Hamill?
posted by dirtdirt at 11:39 AM on September 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

What the hell is up with the right-side drive nightmare 'Vette from planet Toomanyracerboyfeatures?
posted by Mister_A at 12:05 PM on September 2, 2009

Personally I think Mark Hammil is is horrible (as the Joker). He's enjoying and commenting on his performance through all the unnecessary vocal gymnastics he's doing. He's using his 'crazy' voice to communicate that he is crazy.... how about trusting the writing a little more buddy, and letting it motivate your vocal styling rather than the lazy 'crazy cadence' that sounds the same regardless of what he is saying. In general I get the feeling Mark Hammils Joker could read a shopping list and it would sound the same as a plot for mass chaos. How about throwing some strong acting choices in there bud? Just my two cents that I suspect run against the grain.......
posted by ForBroadcast at 12:40 PM on September 2, 2009 [2 favorites]

Kenny Dantley is the Joker? Whoa!
(or Todd Wainio …is the Joker?)
Yeah, his Joker is perfect, evil clown and menacing without being too hokey, but still threatening in that sort of oscillating disingenuous/completely in earnest way (no, I’m just joking, I’m not going to eviscerate you like that…I’ll do it like this!)

This is neat.
posted by Smedleyman at 12:44 PM on September 2, 2009

(gah! Mr. A)
posted by Smedleyman at 12:45 PM on September 2, 2009

Sounds like basic scenery chewing to me.
posted by philip-random at 12:48 PM on September 2, 2009 [2 favorites]

I don't actually recall what Hammil's Joker sounds like, but this guy sounds like the narrator from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:10 PM on September 2, 2009

Personally I think Mark Hammil is is horrible (as the Joker) ... Just my two cents that I suspect run against the grain are objectively wrong....

FTFY :)
posted by EatTheWeak at 1:13 PM on September 2, 2009

I don't actually recall what Hammil's Joker sounds like, but this guy sounds like the narrator from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

Ironically also Mark Hamill.
posted by odinsdream at 1:17 PM on September 2, 2009

You just blew my world apart. Luke Skywalker is the Joker???

No, the world-blowing part is that he's really, really good at it.
posted by rokusan at 1:45 PM on September 2, 2009

"...the narrator from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

Thurl Ravenscroft

he's grrrrrat!
posted by edgeways at 2:02 PM on September 2, 2009

Mark Hamil is a better joker than Jack Nicholson and just as good as Heath Ledger, and Mask of the Phanstasm is better than Batman Begins.

There, I said it.
posted by vibrotronica at 2:20 PM on September 2, 2009 [6 favorites]

Yah I'm siding with the minority here - Hammill is too hammy and unimaginative. It's a standard MOOHAHAHAHA I'M A VILLAIN take on the character. As ForBroadcast says, he's using a crazy voice to communicate that he's crazy.

Heath Ledger, on the other hand, I still hear in my head. Sometimes at inopportune moments, suggesting very very bad things to say to people in that voice.
posted by fleetmouse at 3:45 PM on September 2, 2009

Okay, I am woefully underinformed, but...

you just blew my world apart. Luke Skywalker is the Joker Fire Lord Ozai???

I'm prepared to be chastised.
posted by johnstein at 4:05 PM on September 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

I remember geeking out in college when I heard Mark Hammill was appearing at a comic book store for a signing. A friend and I drove to the local mall in an utter down pour to stand in a line outside in the rain, both of us clutching our favorite Star Wars memorabilia. After a half hour of drenching we were told that not only weren't we allowed to have any Star Wars stuff signed, we couldn't even mention Star Wars. He would only sign his crappy Black Pearl comic.

So we purchase it anyway, get the autograph and then find ourselves in line to get pictures.

Mark Hammill is a midget. I am 5'6" and he maybe came up to my boobs. When he stepped up to us, we were so shocked that in the picture we both look like someone first smacked us in the face with a cat. And as the flash popped, Mr. Hammill gripped our arms and hoisted himself up to look normal sized in the shot.

I could probably pick him up and carry him around in my pocket.
posted by FunkyHelix at 4:08 PM on September 2, 2009

Mark Hamil is a better joker than Jack Nicholson and just as good as Heath Ledger,

Yup and I'm sure there's still a few people arguing that Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings is better than Peter Jackson's.
posted by philip-random at 4:09 PM on September 2, 2009

No comparison, phillip-random. The first two seasons of Batman: The Animated Series is wall-to-wall awesome, thanks in no small part to Hamil's Joker and Kevin Conroy's Batman.
posted by vibrotronica at 4:20 PM on September 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

philip-random: Please, you can't even find someone to argue it was good.
posted by absalom at 4:30 PM on September 2, 2009

the Joker's monolog from "The Killing Joke"

I'm sorry, a monolog? As opposed to a multilog?

I think the word you were looking for is "monologue."

That is all.

<>
posted by krash2fast at 4:52 PM on September 2, 2009

Tsk, there's really only one Killing Joke (and he's got proto Heath make up). - slyt.
posted by ciderwoman at 4:52 PM on September 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

Those brackets were supposed to have "/grammar nazi" inside them...
posted by krash2fast at 4:52 PM on September 2, 2009

SELFLINK
posted by The Whelk at 5:00 PM on September 2, 2009

"...the narrator from "How The Grinch Stole Christmas."

Thurl Ravenscroft

Wrong again. Thurl Ravenscroft sang "You're a Mean One, Mister Grinch," but the narration was performed by Boris Karloff.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:01 PM on September 2, 2009 [1 favorite]

Must reach... utility belt... for Bat-anti-pedantry Spray!

Monolog is an acceptable variation on the spelling in the US, just as we refer to a dialog-box instead of dialogue-box when our computer asks us something. Doesn't even trip Safari's spellcheck.

Biff! Pow! Splat!
posted by Slap*Happy at 6:22 PM on September 2, 2009

I just love that Mr. Krabs from Spongebob is The Kurgen. From Highlander. "I am in disguise, Spongebob, me boy, so no one will recognize me."

I think that was a much better take on the Joker than Heath Deadger. Bravo, anonymous internet nerd!
posted by Eideteker at 8:53 AM on September 3, 2009

"Mark Hamil is a better joker than Jack Nicholson"

That's because Hamill (and Ledger, who I thought brought a completely new take on the character) is actually acting, whereas Nicholson was simply doing Nicholson, as he's been doing since the Shining. Show up, arch your eyebrows, growl your dialogue, profit. The man did some tremendous work back in the 60s and 70s, but he started coasting early.
posted by mgrichmond at 2:51 PM on September 3, 2009

"Hammill is too hammy and unimaginative"
...well, but, the Joker is hammy and unimaginative. S'why he couldn't get a stand up gig and had to go be the red hood.
I dunno 'better.' Different takes and perspectives are always good. Nicholson aside, bleh.

I like the 'Sardonicus' take on the Joker more than the Glasgow smile - although I liked Azzarello's work where the Joker actually is pretty funny. Didn't have that sort of needle, psych ward, scary edge to it though Azzarello alludes to it.

Bakshi's Lord of the Rings is great - if only because Frodo sounds so much like Eric Idle. I just get Monty Python's Lord of the Rings out of it.
posted by Smedleyman at 6:04 PM on September 3, 2009