I know that it has been a while since my last post, but what can i say? Things have been hectic. But I have returned and maybe this time I can keep things on track.
I was in a Toys R Us recently, looking to use a gift card that I got around the holidays, and decided to take a stroll around the store, to see what it was the kids had to play with these days. The bikes were all right, and there were of course the video and board games. But I was more interested in the action figures. When I was a kid, all those years ago, we had Star Wars, Transformers, the random superhero figures and G.I Joe to sustain our imaginations (and to tie in to our beloved shows or what have you). I was surprised to see that those toys not only still existed, but they really suck now. Especially the super hero toys.
Someone explain to me why in the world you would put Batman in a day glow outfit? There is no reason for this at all, unless Joel Schumacher had a hand in that figure’s design. He is called “The dark Knight” for God’s sake. He goes out to fight crime at night, not high noon. He should be dressed, worst case, in the colors of the movie suits: BLACK. Best case, you dress him in the colors of the comics; grey suit/blue cape, grey suit/black cape and the cowl with varying ear lengths, cape at various volumes of flow-ness. As he is a gadget guy, you can milk him for play sets (Gotham, the Bat cave) and all kinds of vehicles (boats, planes cars) and even give him the glider, but just make it black. On the off chance that Batman went to the Arctic, do you know what he did? He put on a damn coat, and took it off when he got inside. Other accessories could be HIS SUPPORTING CAST. Robin, Commissioner Gordon, Batgirl (old and new) not to mention a rouges gallery and some random thugs and citizens thrown in, then that would be a franchise done right.
Superman has the same problem. Tell me, why would you give a guy that could fly in outer space a car, with a big “S” on it? Why would he need to drive? EVER? Superman has been given guns, underwater suits, some submarine thing with hands on it… all they needed to do was make various versions of him with a torn up suit. You have “Clean Superman”, no damage, suit in one piece, ready for action. Then you could have “Ass-Whupped Superman” where the suit was torn, cape ripped up, the guy looking like he had his ass handed to him. “Lava Burned” Superman for those days he had to fly through a volcano (volcano play set included). Finally “Kryptonite Poisoned Superman” where he was all green form the Kryptonite exposure. Again, a Metropolis and Fortress of Solitude play set, some supporting cast members and villains, and there is no need for the stupidity of Coffee Shop Superman which includes latte grip.
The Transformers line was hit or miss for me. While it was great to have something that transformed into a gun, tank, plane, etc if you couldn’t change it as fast as they did in the cartoon, a little of the suspension of disbelief was lost. And when the joints got loose from actually playing with the toy, the transformations didn’t hold, and that got to be annoying. Plus the toys were mostly too small to do a G.I. Joe/Transformers cross-over, so they never got too much love from me. While I admired their design, I only had a couple of them (Shockwave and Starscream) and that was enough.
The Star Wars figures were ok, but after getting my hands on the G.I. Joe toys, the fell way down on the coolness meter. Darth Vader was great, but he couldn’t move; his arms and legs just moved up or down, that was it. Snake Eyes could bend his knees and elbows, so Darth and the rest of the Start Wars gang went into the toy box. Everything except for the Millennium Falcon and the lightsabers. The Joes could use those in their struggles.
The G.I. Joe toys (from the 80’s thru early 90’s at least) were the only line that got it right. You had various action figures for the good guys and bad guys. The bad guys even had a line of the toys that were basically the ‘red shirts’ (the Cobra or Cobra Officer soldiers) so you could, provided you got more than one of every vehicle, stage epic battles with the right number of toys. I remember it was in the mid or late 90’s when Hasbro lost their mind and started producing ecco-friendly Joes, to coincide with that tree hugger version of a cartoon that they tried to shove down the kid’s throats. They totally messed up a good thing, and it was at that time that I realized I was a little happy that my toy days were over.
Or so I thought…
Next: “It’s a collectible, dammit!!”
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Short Story
I no longer know what is wanted from me. I have no where else to go and no one to turn to. It’s almost exactly like he said everything would happen to me.
“You will be lost, utterly and totally, in every sense of the word”, he said. “It will be at that point, you will have to seek me out.”
How I hated him for being so prophetic… but he did have a point. I was basically a rudderless ship now, and I needed to do something to correct my situation. If I go to him, it will turn out that he was right, and I can not live in a world where he was right. That was unacceptable.
Oh, wait. There was another choice I could make. One that I chose, not him. One that will get me out my present predicament, even though the solution is of a more permanent variety. Did I really want to go to that extreme, though? Just to “stick it” to someone? Sure I hate him, with the white-hot intensity of 1,000 suns, oh how I hate him, but really; will that step truly be necessary?
I was in a quandary now. Before I felt that I only had one choice, now I actually have 2. This changes everything. I feel a new confidence, a veritable “can do” feeling, as it were. And the quandary was short lived, as I had now made my decision.
I saw the object of my hatred, and he too saw me. A look of smug satisfaction plastered on his face, he felt that he had me right where he wanted me, and if this had been moments earlier, he would have been correct. But I had a new choice now, and staring at him defiantly, I showed him how it was me that won this face off, not him.
“No need to order those socks for me, I’ll just go somewhere else.”
“You will be lost, utterly and totally, in every sense of the word”, he said. “It will be at that point, you will have to seek me out.”
How I hated him for being so prophetic… but he did have a point. I was basically a rudderless ship now, and I needed to do something to correct my situation. If I go to him, it will turn out that he was right, and I can not live in a world where he was right. That was unacceptable.
Oh, wait. There was another choice I could make. One that I chose, not him. One that will get me out my present predicament, even though the solution is of a more permanent variety. Did I really want to go to that extreme, though? Just to “stick it” to someone? Sure I hate him, with the white-hot intensity of 1,000 suns, oh how I hate him, but really; will that step truly be necessary?
I was in a quandary now. Before I felt that I only had one choice, now I actually have 2. This changes everything. I feel a new confidence, a veritable “can do” feeling, as it were. And the quandary was short lived, as I had now made my decision.
I saw the object of my hatred, and he too saw me. A look of smug satisfaction plastered on his face, he felt that he had me right where he wanted me, and if this had been moments earlier, he would have been correct. But I had a new choice now, and staring at him defiantly, I showed him how it was me that won this face off, not him.
“No need to order those socks for me, I’ll just go somewhere else.”
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Questions and Obeservations...
If you never know what you want ‘til it’s gone, did you ever really want it in the first place?
Olympics:
-Track and Field: how long before Jamaica is declared ineligible due to being too fast?
-Equestrian: some horses have been accused of ‘doping’. The horses are accused?
-Ping-Pong, Table Tennis, and Trampoline: These are considered Olympic events, but they are going to eliminate softball and baseball?
-Did China tell anyone that they found the Fountain of Youth? Apparently they are only giving the water to the females on their gymnastic teams, as those 16 year old girls look about 10 years old…
-Both the men’s and women’s USA basketball teams have been rolling over their competition. If they played each other, would the women still win by 45?
Why is it when you feel at your lowest, someone wants to talk to you about how great their life is?
Why do politicians say that they will not engage in mud-slinging, when that is all that they base their campaigns on?
The Dark Knight made almost half a billion dollars at the box office in the US. If there is a deficit, it’s because Batman’s got all our money…
Instant replay may become a large part of baseball. Doesn’t the game move slow enough already?
Why do some people send a text message to your cell phone, and then call you to say the exact same thing?
Olympics:
-Track and Field: how long before Jamaica is declared ineligible due to being too fast?
-Equestrian: some horses have been accused of ‘doping’. The horses are accused?
-Ping-Pong, Table Tennis, and Trampoline: These are considered Olympic events, but they are going to eliminate softball and baseball?
-Did China tell anyone that they found the Fountain of Youth? Apparently they are only giving the water to the females on their gymnastic teams, as those 16 year old girls look about 10 years old…
-Both the men’s and women’s USA basketball teams have been rolling over their competition. If they played each other, would the women still win by 45?
Why is it when you feel at your lowest, someone wants to talk to you about how great their life is?
Why do politicians say that they will not engage in mud-slinging, when that is all that they base their campaigns on?
The Dark Knight made almost half a billion dollars at the box office in the US. If there is a deficit, it’s because Batman’s got all our money…
Instant replay may become a large part of baseball. Doesn’t the game move slow enough already?
Why do some people send a text message to your cell phone, and then call you to say the exact same thing?
Monday, July 21, 2008
To The Well: Part 2
Star Wars
What’s Good: Episodes VI: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Why: As many people my age, the Star Wars saga made an indelible impression on me. Never before had I seen such… spectacle. It was (thankfully) not the Disney tripe that the studios attempted to force feed children of my age (in 1977 I was 5). And while I do not think this was the first movie I had gone to see, it is the first one that I remember seeing, and seeing multiple times. This movie had everything: cool characters, spaceships, laser guns and laser swords. What was not to like? When Star Wars ended I was shocked, amazed and a little puzzled. The good guys won, but I was left wanting more. Sure the Death Star was gone, but what about Darth Vader? He just spun off into space; was he still alive? It was a great ride, and while I was left wanting more, I figured that was it. Then, one day while playing in front of the TV, I was greeted by the trailer for The Empire Strikes Back. I was ecstatic, knowing I would be able to experience the further adventures of Luke, Han and Vader. The end of that picture brought nearly killed me. “What the heck is this?!", I thought. "The bad guy got away, Han is frozen, why are the credits rolling? THIS STORY ISN’T FINISHED!!!”. By this time, I was familiar with the concept of a sequel, so I just knew that I had to wait. Sure enough, Return of the Jedi showed its face, and except for the horror of the Ewoks, I was pleased with the movie. All of the story lines that needed resolving were resolved, and when I left the movie, I was a little sad knowing that there would be no more Star Wars films. Little did I know...
What's Wrong: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Why: After years of silence, George Lucas went back to the world that made him billions. The reason was to finish the story, by finally putting to film Episodes I – III. Star Wars fans the world over were excited to near stroke inducing levels. A year or two after the announcement, the teaser was released, and the only really cool thing to come from that was Darth Maul. But still hopes were high, fans looking to recapture the magic of that first Star Wars film way back…
But the magic would not be recaptured. The prequels boasted great special effects, and the light saber duels were nothing short of amazing, but that's as close as it got to being magical. While I was excited to see the three chapters that chronicled the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, stories that should have been fantastic… just weren’t. The actors looked bored and let’s face it, George Lucas just can’t direct. He’s not good at it; someone should have told him “Hey, you suck. Let someone else do it.” But no one stepped up, so we got…what we got. The annoying Jar Jar Binks, the even more annoying (and talent less) of Jake Lloyd in Episode I and Titanic with a Star Wars backdrop in Episode II. Ugh…
The Lord of the Rings
What’s good: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King
Why: Simply put, this is what a good director, a crew and a cast that cares can accomplish. The acting has “weight” to it, so it was easier to believe in these characters and want them to succeed, to survive. The special effects were wonderful, and they actually filmed on locations that were real, not a series of computer generated backdrops and that alone was refreshing.
For any who don’t know, this was a story about good versus evil, friendship and obsession. This breaks the movie down to its simplest components. If you want more, rent it. It is one of the very few movies that classify as a must see, and if you are not familiar with the story, you are in for a really good time. If you were a fan of the Star Wars movies, I highly recommend seeing these films this. Mainly because these were better. But also, you can see where Lucas got some of his ideas from. The Extended Versions of the films are even better than the theatrical cuts, but may be more movie than most people can handle, coming in at about 4 hours each.
The Lord of the Rings books were for a long time considered “unfilmable”. There was the Ralph Bakshi animated version released in 1978 that ended at the battle of Helm’s Deep. There was never a sequel to it, so the story went unfinished. Other producers wanted to tackle the books, but they wanted to cram all 3 books into one movie. A two hour movie. While I don’t think that this would be impossible, I think that too much would be left out, and the public would wind up feeling cheated, as there may be too many holes in the story. It wasn’t until Peter Jackson stepped up, somehow convinced New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. to give him a few hundred million and allow him to do all 3 movies. But In a stroke of genius, he filmed all movies as one film then cut into the 3 books. It was a massive risk, and there were not many people who thought he could pull it off. But he did, and even got an Oscar or two for his efforts. There was another director who took a lot of flack for making a movie, who was being told that his endeavor was going to be a colossal failure. Turned out those people were wrong too, and the film went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time. He also won an Oscar or two. The director was James Cameron, and the movie was Titanic.
What’s Wrong: Nothing. All of the films, from first to last, were all brilliant.
Why: See the praise above.
What’s Good: Episodes VI: A New Hope, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, Episode VI: Return of the Jedi
Why: As many people my age, the Star Wars saga made an indelible impression on me. Never before had I seen such… spectacle. It was (thankfully) not the Disney tripe that the studios attempted to force feed children of my age (in 1977 I was 5). And while I do not think this was the first movie I had gone to see, it is the first one that I remember seeing, and seeing multiple times. This movie had everything: cool characters, spaceships, laser guns and laser swords. What was not to like? When Star Wars ended I was shocked, amazed and a little puzzled. The good guys won, but I was left wanting more. Sure the Death Star was gone, but what about Darth Vader? He just spun off into space; was he still alive? It was a great ride, and while I was left wanting more, I figured that was it. Then, one day while playing in front of the TV, I was greeted by the trailer for The Empire Strikes Back. I was ecstatic, knowing I would be able to experience the further adventures of Luke, Han and Vader. The end of that picture brought nearly killed me. “What the heck is this?!", I thought. "The bad guy got away, Han is frozen, why are the credits rolling? THIS STORY ISN’T FINISHED!!!”. By this time, I was familiar with the concept of a sequel, so I just knew that I had to wait. Sure enough, Return of the Jedi showed its face, and except for the horror of the Ewoks, I was pleased with the movie. All of the story lines that needed resolving were resolved, and when I left the movie, I was a little sad knowing that there would be no more Star Wars films. Little did I know...
What's Wrong: Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith
Why: After years of silence, George Lucas went back to the world that made him billions. The reason was to finish the story, by finally putting to film Episodes I – III. Star Wars fans the world over were excited to near stroke inducing levels. A year or two after the announcement, the teaser was released, and the only really cool thing to come from that was Darth Maul. But still hopes were high, fans looking to recapture the magic of that first Star Wars film way back…
But the magic would not be recaptured. The prequels boasted great special effects, and the light saber duels were nothing short of amazing, but that's as close as it got to being magical. While I was excited to see the three chapters that chronicled the rise and fall of Anakin Skywalker, stories that should have been fantastic… just weren’t. The actors looked bored and let’s face it, George Lucas just can’t direct. He’s not good at it; someone should have told him “Hey, you suck. Let someone else do it.” But no one stepped up, so we got…what we got. The annoying Jar Jar Binks, the even more annoying (and talent less) of Jake Lloyd in Episode I and Titanic with a Star Wars backdrop in Episode II. Ugh…
The Lord of the Rings
What’s good: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, The Return of the King
Why: Simply put, this is what a good director, a crew and a cast that cares can accomplish. The acting has “weight” to it, so it was easier to believe in these characters and want them to succeed, to survive. The special effects were wonderful, and they actually filmed on locations that were real, not a series of computer generated backdrops and that alone was refreshing.
For any who don’t know, this was a story about good versus evil, friendship and obsession. This breaks the movie down to its simplest components. If you want more, rent it. It is one of the very few movies that classify as a must see, and if you are not familiar with the story, you are in for a really good time. If you were a fan of the Star Wars movies, I highly recommend seeing these films this. Mainly because these were better. But also, you can see where Lucas got some of his ideas from. The Extended Versions of the films are even better than the theatrical cuts, but may be more movie than most people can handle, coming in at about 4 hours each.
The Lord of the Rings books were for a long time considered “unfilmable”. There was the Ralph Bakshi animated version released in 1978 that ended at the battle of Helm’s Deep. There was never a sequel to it, so the story went unfinished. Other producers wanted to tackle the books, but they wanted to cram all 3 books into one movie. A two hour movie. While I don’t think that this would be impossible, I think that too much would be left out, and the public would wind up feeling cheated, as there may be too many holes in the story. It wasn’t until Peter Jackson stepped up, somehow convinced New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. to give him a few hundred million and allow him to do all 3 movies. But In a stroke of genius, he filmed all movies as one film then cut into the 3 books. It was a massive risk, and there were not many people who thought he could pull it off. But he did, and even got an Oscar or two for his efforts. There was another director who took a lot of flack for making a movie, who was being told that his endeavor was going to be a colossal failure. Turned out those people were wrong too, and the film went on to become the highest grossing movie of all time. He also won an Oscar or two. The director was James Cameron, and the movie was Titanic.
What’s Wrong: Nothing. All of the films, from first to last, were all brilliant.
Why: See the praise above.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
To The Well Once Too Often...
About 3 weeks ago I went to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and initially planned to write a review of the film. I have decided against that, and will instead write about how some movie franchises have gotten the sequel thing right, and others should have stopped. I will say that the I feel that the latest Indiana Jones movie was better than Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but not by much.
Hollywood is a machine driven by money. I know, and reluctantly accept that. Movies that come out of that factory are not being made simply to enlighten and entertain the masses, but to make a rather immense profit. If a by-product of that process is the enjoyment of said film by the public, so be it. Now, in the pursuit of these ends, there sometimes are films that are released as a stand-alone entity, and when the film performs well enough, a sequel is greeenlit, as the studios hope to keep on sucking the money out of our pockets. Sometimes this is a good thing, as you want to see a particular story continue. Other times, it’s more of a “Are you serious!?” thing, as they should have stopped with the second, third and sometimes the first movie. I’ll be venting in two parts, as the post would be rather long, since I plan to cover six franchises.
Die Hard
What’s Right: The first 3 Films (Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder Die Hard with a Vengeance)
Why: The first three films in the series were by no means perfect, and yes they did stretch the realms of believability, but they were fun movies. Bruce Willis smirked his way through all of those films, and we went happily along for the ride.
What’s Wrong: Live Free or Die Hard
Why: The first thing wrong with the movie was the title. This movie was called Die Hard 4.0 overseas, but here, because it was released on a holiday weekend, some genius decided to call it Live Free or Die Hard. The title is horrible, and the person that thought of it should be banned from title-giving. The other problem was that while Bruce was back, and another terrorist was up to no good, the movie just didn’t feel like a Die Hard. Maybe it was the rating (PG-13 instead of the traditional R) or that the setting (traversing all over a city under siege) gave it a been there, done that feeling. While not a horrible blight on the legacy, the series was better left alone.
Rocky
What’s Right: Rocky, Rocky II
Why: The story was simple; underdog does good, reaches for the stars, eventually wins it all, gains respect. The end. That story was told in the first 2 films, and told extraordinarily well. If you were to tell me that those movies were filmed back to back, I’d believe it, since they fit together perfectly as sequels should.
What’s Wrong: Every Rocky that came after (Rocky III, IV, V, VI)
Why: Enough was enough. By this point, you knew that no matter who the obstacle was, Rocky was going to over come it. He would beat the Angry Black guy in III, the Russian commie in IV, the brash young punk in V and the… brash young punk in VI. You never got a sense of “oh, he’s gonna lose this one” that you got from watching the first 2 films. In the first two movies, you wanted him to win. In these other "things", I wanted somebody to throw in the towel, or maybe just have had him taken out on a stretcher. If you are asking yourself why did I punish myself 4 times, all I can say is… I don’t really know….
Spider-Man
What’s Right: Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2
Why: That quality of film was not expected from the director of the Evil Dead movies. The thrill of discovery that Peter Parker experienced as he explored his powers, his struggle to find a way to win the girl, and the loss of his uncle which drove him to the role of the hero in the first movie was a great ride. The second film (which should have been called The Amazing Spider-Man instead of Spider-Man 2… hey, I’m just sayin’) Peter is comfortable with his powers but was still trying to find a balance with life as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. The film works because not only are the performances once again stellar, but the overall theme of just wanting to be happy and the choices/sacrifices that you make doing so I believe is universal. Maybe a little heady for a superhero flick, but it works.
What’s Wrong: Spider-Man 3
Why: The title for this should have been The Spectacular Spider-Man (again…just sayin’) but that’s not all. I liked this movie, but on a second viewing, I did have some issues. The first and biggest one was that there was just not enough Venom. There was a lot written how the director of the franchise (Sam Raimi) hated the character of Venom, so much so that he didn’t really want to do a movie with him in it. But whether he caved to studio heat or just wanted to give the fanboys something, Venom ended up in the third movie. A better choice of villain would have been the use of Kraven or possibly Electro. Raimi seemed to like the classic villains best, and I feel that he should have stuck with them. To me, his dislike of Venom showed on screen. The second issue I had was that while the Sandman was ok, he just whined a little too much for me. Maybe if he was only in half of the movie, where it opened with him as the villain and resolved itself midway, that would have been better. Finally, the character of Gwen Stacey. She should have been the love interest in the first film, and Mary Jane should have been brought in at the end. This was comic book Spidey’s first love, and she should have been treated better than the “other woman”. Most people complained about the dance scene and Peter’s strut in the film, but I felt that those were two of the best scenes in the movie, as it showed his corruption by the alien.
Hollywood is a machine driven by money. I know, and reluctantly accept that. Movies that come out of that factory are not being made simply to enlighten and entertain the masses, but to make a rather immense profit. If a by-product of that process is the enjoyment of said film by the public, so be it. Now, in the pursuit of these ends, there sometimes are films that are released as a stand-alone entity, and when the film performs well enough, a sequel is greeenlit, as the studios hope to keep on sucking the money out of our pockets. Sometimes this is a good thing, as you want to see a particular story continue. Other times, it’s more of a “Are you serious!?” thing, as they should have stopped with the second, third and sometimes the first movie. I’ll be venting in two parts, as the post would be rather long, since I plan to cover six franchises.
Die Hard
What’s Right: The first 3 Films (Die Hard, Die Hard 2: Die Harder Die Hard with a Vengeance)
Why: The first three films in the series were by no means perfect, and yes they did stretch the realms of believability, but they were fun movies. Bruce Willis smirked his way through all of those films, and we went happily along for the ride.
What’s Wrong: Live Free or Die Hard
Why: The first thing wrong with the movie was the title. This movie was called Die Hard 4.0 overseas, but here, because it was released on a holiday weekend, some genius decided to call it Live Free or Die Hard. The title is horrible, and the person that thought of it should be banned from title-giving. The other problem was that while Bruce was back, and another terrorist was up to no good, the movie just didn’t feel like a Die Hard. Maybe it was the rating (PG-13 instead of the traditional R) or that the setting (traversing all over a city under siege) gave it a been there, done that feeling. While not a horrible blight on the legacy, the series was better left alone.
Rocky
What’s Right: Rocky, Rocky II
Why: The story was simple; underdog does good, reaches for the stars, eventually wins it all, gains respect. The end. That story was told in the first 2 films, and told extraordinarily well. If you were to tell me that those movies were filmed back to back, I’d believe it, since they fit together perfectly as sequels should.
What’s Wrong: Every Rocky that came after (Rocky III, IV, V, VI)
Why: Enough was enough. By this point, you knew that no matter who the obstacle was, Rocky was going to over come it. He would beat the Angry Black guy in III, the Russian commie in IV, the brash young punk in V and the… brash young punk in VI. You never got a sense of “oh, he’s gonna lose this one” that you got from watching the first 2 films. In the first two movies, you wanted him to win. In these other "things", I wanted somebody to throw in the towel, or maybe just have had him taken out on a stretcher. If you are asking yourself why did I punish myself 4 times, all I can say is… I don’t really know….
Spider-Man
What’s Right: Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2
Why: That quality of film was not expected from the director of the Evil Dead movies. The thrill of discovery that Peter Parker experienced as he explored his powers, his struggle to find a way to win the girl, and the loss of his uncle which drove him to the role of the hero in the first movie was a great ride. The second film (which should have been called The Amazing Spider-Man instead of Spider-Man 2… hey, I’m just sayin’) Peter is comfortable with his powers but was still trying to find a balance with life as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. The film works because not only are the performances once again stellar, but the overall theme of just wanting to be happy and the choices/sacrifices that you make doing so I believe is universal. Maybe a little heady for a superhero flick, but it works.
What’s Wrong: Spider-Man 3
Why: The title for this should have been The Spectacular Spider-Man (again…just sayin’) but that’s not all. I liked this movie, but on a second viewing, I did have some issues. The first and biggest one was that there was just not enough Venom. There was a lot written how the director of the franchise (Sam Raimi) hated the character of Venom, so much so that he didn’t really want to do a movie with him in it. But whether he caved to studio heat or just wanted to give the fanboys something, Venom ended up in the third movie. A better choice of villain would have been the use of Kraven or possibly Electro. Raimi seemed to like the classic villains best, and I feel that he should have stuck with them. To me, his dislike of Venom showed on screen. The second issue I had was that while the Sandman was ok, he just whined a little too much for me. Maybe if he was only in half of the movie, where it opened with him as the villain and resolved itself midway, that would have been better. Finally, the character of Gwen Stacey. She should have been the love interest in the first film, and Mary Jane should have been brought in at the end. This was comic book Spidey’s first love, and she should have been treated better than the “other woman”. Most people complained about the dance scene and Peter’s strut in the film, but I felt that those were two of the best scenes in the movie, as it showed his corruption by the alien.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Review: Speed Racer
Years ago, with the release of the original Sony Playstation, there was a racing game called Wipeout. This game put you in control of an ‘air sled’, and you raced against a field of competitors for gold. Each racer had different strengths and weaknesses, and while racing along the many varied tracks, you could acquire weapons to (temporarily) disable the competition. The game was fantastic, as the tracks went from the simple to the bizarre, with countless loops and insane jumps, and the speed of the races increased the deeper you went into the game. Now, while I cannot say for sure that the Wachowski’s intended to make a Wipeout movie, Speed Racer came pretty close.*
The movie centers on young Speed (yes that is his first name) and his obsession with racing. He longs to emulate his older brother Rex, and to one day race in the Grand Prix sponsored by the World Racing League. As older teens often do, brother Rex must leave the family business, seemingly to pursue dreams of his own. One day, while watching Rex participate in a televised race nicknamed The Crucible, the Racer family see Rex die, which nearly tears the heart out of the Racer family. Fast forward about 10 years and a now 18 year old Speed is a “demon on wheels”, racking up the wins and literally chasing the ghost of his brother, drawing both fan adulation and the attention of corporate sponsors.
One sponsor in particular, Royalton Industries which is led by the oily Mr. Royalton, tries to woo the Racer family with promises of money, fame and state of the art facilities. But Speed turns him down and as a result makes a powerful enemy. This leads to an eventual alliance with the mysterious Racer X, and Speed defying his father’s wishes by participating in the same race that claimed Rex's life...
The movie centers on young Speed (yes that is his first name) and his obsession with racing. He longs to emulate his older brother Rex, and to one day race in the Grand Prix sponsored by the World Racing League. As older teens often do, brother Rex must leave the family business, seemingly to pursue dreams of his own. One day, while watching Rex participate in a televised race nicknamed The Crucible, the Racer family see Rex die, which nearly tears the heart out of the Racer family. Fast forward about 10 years and a now 18 year old Speed is a “demon on wheels”, racking up the wins and literally chasing the ghost of his brother, drawing both fan adulation and the attention of corporate sponsors.
One sponsor in particular, Royalton Industries which is led by the oily Mr. Royalton, tries to woo the Racer family with promises of money, fame and state of the art facilities. But Speed turns him down and as a result makes a powerful enemy. This leads to an eventual alliance with the mysterious Racer X, and Speed defying his father’s wishes by participating in the same race that claimed Rex's life...
Speed Racer was a good family movie. Yes, the family interaction was cheesy, but it was cheese with heart. It did what very few movies do, and made the family's relationship the center of everything that they did. They care for and supported each other, and the arguments that did take place were more out of genuine concern for one another, not wanting to let some one bear the full weight of an issue or tragedy alone. The only jerks in the movie, aside from the obvious villains, were Speed's younger brother Spritle and the monkey Chim-Chim. I hated those two as a kid, and I still hate them now. All of the supporting cast (Speed's girlfriend Trixie, Mom, Pops, Sparky and Inspector Detector) from the 60's toon made the trip to the big screen. Racer X's introduction even includes a battle against the Monster Car from the show. The ad campaign was strong, but this film had the unfortunate task of opening a week after Iron Man, which crushed the box office in it’s debut, and cast a long shadow for Speed to try and get from under. The movie was a living cartoon, and it was essentially advertised as such. But Speed's "old school" reputation may have kept a lot of the younger audience weaned on Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Naruto as their exposure to Japanese animation away from this movie. Speed Racer simply may have been too retro for the younger viewers and too cutting edge for those that have fond memories of Speed back in the 60's. And that’s a pity, because I feel that you only get maybe one or two summer movies that are meant for big screen viewing, and this was definitely one of them. The racing elements were spectacular, and showed once again that if you have the imagination (and money) you can pretty much bring anything to the big screen. Hopefully this movie finds a bigger audience on DVD, and those that missed it in the theater (which, judging by the box office is a lot of people) will get a glimpse of what I saw, and maybe for an hour or two, become a kid again.
*Now, please do not misunderstand me. I did compare the movie to a video game, but it is only in comparing the racing scenes. And that is no light compliment. Some of the effects were hit and miss, with the large amount of them landing on the ‘hit’ side of the fence. There have been a lot of reviews lately that compare an FX heavy movie like this to a video game, and I have always felt that this was never an accurate description of a scene or film. They are both different media, and where some of the equipment to create them may be the same, it is an unfair comparison.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
...the more things stay the same.
Today I am going to complain a bit. This complaint is based on the fact that I was lied to, by my parents and all of the other adults that I had contact with when I was a youth. They all told me that the world was a different place when you are grown up. They told me that the other grown ups that I’d be working with were responsible and that the things I thought were petty now would be left behind, becoming a fond, twisted memory of sorts.
Yeah, that didn’t happen.
After I graduated from high school, I was looking forward to college, and my adult life that was on the horizon. I found out that college was just like high school with all the clicks and annoyances, now with more alcohol. I was a little disappointed, but figured that as the population was only just removed from the h.s. environment, it would be a few more months before we all matured.
I didn’t finish college, so maybe I missed the bus that took you to mature land.
I started working and figured, surely the people here, out in the working world. would be the ones that are now mature and slightly sophisticated, as I had been told, lo these many years.
Nope.
Clicks are still alive and well in the workplace. You have the cool guys, the dorks, the outcasts, they are all here for your viewing pleasure. Do you ever escape the clicks? Am I truly doomed to witness this for the rest of my life?
I guess when you think about it, things could be worse. I hear the clicks in prison are a lot worse...
I apologize for the gap in posts. Life got a little complicated and GTA IV has been taking up a large amount of my time. I will say that GTA IV is fantastic, and I highly recommend the game to any who has played a video game. I also caution that the game is made for adults, not your 9 or 10 year old kid. So if you buy the game for them without doing your homework, you have no one to blame but yourself.
Yeah, that didn’t happen.
After I graduated from high school, I was looking forward to college, and my adult life that was on the horizon. I found out that college was just like high school with all the clicks and annoyances, now with more alcohol. I was a little disappointed, but figured that as the population was only just removed from the h.s. environment, it would be a few more months before we all matured.
I didn’t finish college, so maybe I missed the bus that took you to mature land.
I started working and figured, surely the people here, out in the working world. would be the ones that are now mature and slightly sophisticated, as I had been told, lo these many years.
Nope.
Clicks are still alive and well in the workplace. You have the cool guys, the dorks, the outcasts, they are all here for your viewing pleasure. Do you ever escape the clicks? Am I truly doomed to witness this for the rest of my life?
I guess when you think about it, things could be worse. I hear the clicks in prison are a lot worse...
I apologize for the gap in posts. Life got a little complicated and GTA IV has been taking up a large amount of my time. I will say that GTA IV is fantastic, and I highly recommend the game to any who has played a video game. I also caution that the game is made for adults, not your 9 or 10 year old kid. So if you buy the game for them without doing your homework, you have no one to blame but yourself.
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