going getting back into the swing of watching what's been coming out the
last year. With it being summer though its prime time. This is the time
of year where one of the only thing to do is sit in the air conditioning
amongst the cattle and stare at the big screen like a drone.
And what a year its been so far.
I mean holy shit have we ever had a year with this kinda of quality to
big budget studio drivel? When did the studios start listening to us
geeks and purist and actually attempt to add a little credibility to
their products?
Gone are the ghost riders and the I am legends.
In their place have grown the hellboys and the dark knights bitch
smacking shit and letting us know how its done. Here's a quick list of
examples of the shit you should have been watching this year if you've
been under a rock.
Iron Man- whoever said this was Downey Jrs come back hasn't been paying
attention the last few years. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang anyone? Maybe a little
Scanner Darkly? The Singing Detective? The mans been on a roll of sorts
since getting sober { though I never really saw his work suffer when he
wasn't}. Just cause this happens to be his first attempt at a big role
now everyones been paying attention and figuring out what I've known for
years. Downeys the shit, and a force to reckon with. This was his movie
thru and thru. But so what? That's how Tony Starks suppossed to be
portrayed. Yeah he's one of the leaders of the Avengers later on but in
his book its his world. I was glad to see everyone around him reacting
to him instead of trying to keep up.
My only real complaints about the film was Paltrow and Bridges. While
Lebowski was a fine villian in his own right I felt the final battle
scene lacked any real personal drama just to give it that real edge
we've seen in the Spider-Man films or even Batman Begins. Paltrow
herself gave a very lackluster performance and I would've liked to have
seen someone else in the role. But in any case its a small complaint
cause the focus was right where it should've been, on the cocky, genius,
and dickish Stark.
Incredible Hulk- I read over and over again how Norton kept pulling
divaish moves over the script, but I can't see how as this is a very
straight forward movie. It trumps the Ang Lee over dramatic mess from a
few years ago. It cuts the fat off and all we're left with is one mans
attempt to not fall into the wrong hands and be the weapon they want him
to be. Fine performances all around and the final fight between Hulk and
the Abomination is worth the watch alone.
What I liked the most about the movie were the smalls details
sprinkled throughout to give the movie a little weight to it and in the
process it grounds the movie in a neat little reality. The scene of
Norton waking up after transforming for the first time in the movie,
homeless and lost, was a nice touch that makes u actually feel for Bruce
and the plight he carries within him.
Hellboy: The Golden Army- Del Toro is someone I've enjoyed for awhile
now. The first movie where I reconized his name had to be Blade 2 and
while everyone I know says it was weaker than the first one I totally
disagree. But hey here he is with another sequel and much like Blade he
could give a shit whether you saw the first one or not. He's out to tell
a story, and its up to you to keep up. Not to say the movie is
impossible to watch without seeing the first one but if you weren't a
fan of it I doubt you'll enjoy the Golden Army.
Ron Perlmans Hellboy is an interesting character in and of himself.
A being of hell raised among man, and destined to bring about the
destruction of our world yet raised by man to fight against things that
go bump in the night. Its a nice tangled web, and Perlman playing him as
a wise cracking everyman who loves the people around him and just wants
to be accepted by the world makes Hellboy even that much more enticing.
While the movie is an extension of the first one, DelToro pumps the
movie with steroids and elevates everything he couldn't do in the first
one. The Hellboy\Liz relationship is a delight to watch and totally
relatable. The work of Doug Jones as Abe Sapien is a triumph in effects
and his story arc in the movie is tragic as it unfolds. Even the
addition of Johann Krauss makes sense and becomes a nice and hilarious
addition to an already stellar cast.
While DelToro is set for the next 4 to 6 years on the Hobbit I really
can't wait for him to buckle back down on the third and suppossed final
installment on this series. He's just too damn good at these films. Not
to say he's not bad at anything else, Pans Labrinth was brilliant, but
he seems more at home in this type of world than anyone elses.
The Dark Knight- I saw this last night. I never go opening nights. Too
crowded. It was sold out everywhere around here except at one theatre. I
couldn't help it. I dealt with the hype for weeks. Not like I wasn't
going to see it anyway but it all became too much. I HAD to see for
myself. The one common thread that's been spoken of was that I had
"believe the hype". So I went. I waited in the long as line. I sat
amongst the rowdy teenagers and the people who just love to talk at the
screen like what they say impacts what happens, and as my girlfriend and
I waited for the lights to go down and the screen to light up I turned
to her and said "you know how thisll be a good movie? If everyone shuts
the fuck up." They did. It was that good and more. I believed the hype.
I fell for it hook line and sinker and it was that movie that's got me
blogging again. Half way through the film I thought about writing this
entry after months and months of silence, and as the movie progressed
that urge grew. Now here I sit at 7\11 {my office} writing. Still
thinking of that masterpiece almost 24 hours later.
I hated Heath Ledger. Hated him. Ever since 10 Thing I Hate About
You. I always thought he was just another pretty face. No better than my
arch enemy Josh Hartnett { ill never forgive him for breaking my poor
Scarletts heart}. His acting choices while varied only seemed to serve
him poorly. Like he was trying way to hard to not be just a pretty face.
Brokeback was an over hyped borefest and a half {another Ang Lee
masterpice} and when that didn't work he embraced what he was and even
that failed {Casanova anyone?}. The only movie I found him decent in was
Terry Gilliams underrated Brother Grimm. He played against type with
Matt Damon and it sort of worked. I can't blame him for that one
flopping though. That had studio tampering on it all over the place like
much of Gilliams work.
I could never understand what anyone saw in him {unless they were
female or gay}, and his death while sad didn't leave a big hole in my
world. No big loss there I thought, though why couldn't it be Hartnett?
Why??!!
Then 10 minutes into the Dark Knight the Joker appeared. I don't say
Ledger appeared because it wasn't pretty boy Heath. It was the mother
fuckin Joker. When we were kids and saw good ol' Jack saunter on screen
we saw good ol' Jack. Couldn't escape it. Yet Heath was gone. Replaced
by a maniac who was right about everything he said. Every nuance, every
turn of phrase was interesting.
Did anyone else notice he told 2 different stories about his scars?
And that's just the tip of the iceberg of how good this movie is.
Bale, Caine, Eckhart, Oldman, and Freedman brought the thunder and Chris
Nolan expertly through it out there. He layered the movie with such
subltey and brilliance. Every choice was the right one.
I cannot wait to get my hands on a copy of this script and read
through it cold just to see what else I can find about it. Im sure I
missed something.
Ledgers performance cannot be spoken of enough, and I am
anticipating his image adorned on the walls and shirts of the emo and
disenfranchised everywhere. I might even get one. Those posters are
brilliant.
And with all that brilliance this summer I must update my list once
again of top 5 favorite comic book movies. Here they are in order.
1} Spider-Man 2
2} The Dark Knight
3} X-Men 2
4} Superman Returns
5} Hellboy: The Golden Army
That is until this comes out
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