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daily journal
I Saw The Worst One Empire magazine asks it readers to vote what they thought were the worst movies ever. The magazine recently published the results of the voting, and while it seems to skew heavy towards films from the last 25 years, it certainly is a list of some horrible, horrible films. I was pretty proud of the fact that I had not seen any of the films (okay, I've seen parts of some of them) in Empire's 50 Worst Films Ever - until I got to the #1 film. The worst of the worst. The king of cinema crap.  It may be the worst of the worst, but it's Batman - I can't not watch. I used to try and defend the film, but now I can't even do that anymore. It really is a horrible film. posted by Brendan | 10:33 PM | permanent link
Iron Man 2 Trailer The first trailer for Iron Man 2 is on the web and I only have one word to say: "WOW"  Wait until the very end for the best part - Stark and Rhodey go masks down and start kicking-ass in the Iron Man and War Machine armor. This movie is going to be awesome. posted by Brendan | 11:38 PM | permanent link
Movies in Red and Black A designer took 8 of his favorite films and created new posters for the movies using only the colors red, white and black. I think the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade one is great.  posted by Brendan | 2:05 PM | permanent link
Iron Man 2 It doesn't debut until May 2010, but the first teaser poster is out today.  posted by Brendan | 4:59 PM | permanent link
Almost Like Someone Was Planning It I was re-watching the Tim Burton directed Batman Returns last week when a thought occurred to me. If you look at the arch of Batman films that have been released since 1989�s Batman (also directed by Burton) through last year�s Christopher Nolan helmed The Dark Knight, they follow the same evolution in character depiction that the Batman comics have moved through over the years.  When the Batman character debuted in 1939 in Detective Comics #27, he was partially modeled after the pulp heroes and vigilantes that were popular of the day. Bob Kane and Bill Finger drew inspiration from The Shadow and The Spider, characters who hunted criminals as much as they protected the innocent. Like these pulp heroes, Batman was sinister and brooding, and not at all averse to letting the bad guy die. In these early Batman comics, Batman wouldn�t purposely kill the villain outright, but at the same time he wouldn�t try and save the villain. This characterization of Batman is similar to what you see in the Batman films directed by Tim Burton � Batman and Batman Returns. Batman is a defender of good, but he drifts into amoral territory when it comes to handling the villains. This most notably happens in the second film, Batman Returns. In that film, Batman is seen using the jet exhaust from the Batmobile to set a fire-breathing thug aflame, makes no attempt to prevent the Penguin from crashing through a roof window and dropping to his ultimate death, and even attaches a ticking time bomb to a muscle-bound heavy before tossing him into a tunnel just prior to explosion.  Just like the arrival of Dr. Wertham and his cronies dramatically changed the comic book landscape in the 1950s, the arrival of director Joel Schumacher to the Bat-franchise dramatically changed the caped crusader on the silver screen in the middle 1990s. To try and protect itself from the comic book witch hunts of the 1950s, DC comics made Batman friendlier and less threatening. The colors became brighter, the stories became tamer, and there was certainly no killing � by anyone, villain or hero. The new nice-nice version of Batman hit its zenith in the mid 1960�s with the arrival of the uber-campfest of the Batman television show; which the comic books instantly set out to emulate. What started out as a happier, less threatening Batman ended up with day-glow backgrounds and a �chummy� Dynamic Duo that was more slap-stick than sinister.  Batman & Robin, Schumacher�s second Bat-film, is the modern day interpretation of the campy 1960�s Batman television show � but without any of the sense of fun. Over the top sets, ridiculous storylines, and general silliness abound. The only thing missing was the onscreen �Biffs� and �Pows� for when Batman and Robin smacked the bad guys.  This brings us to the third and modern era of Batman. Christopher Nolan comes along to breathe new life into the Batman movie franchise, and calls upon for inspiration from the comics the resurrected Batman from his campy comic book persona. Artist Neal Adams and writer Denny O�Neil reasserted Batman�s grittier, pulp hero roots when they started spinning Batman stories for DC Comics in the mid-1970�s; and Frank Miller further refined the character as a noir, street-level hero with his work on Batman in two works: Batman: Year One and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. These comic creators, along with other working in the 70�s and 80�s, not only redefined Batman, but also introduced the idea that superheroes could be used to tell sophisticated, multi-layered stories.  The Dark Knight came this close to being nominated for an Academy Award for outstanding movie of the year. The amount of critical praise lauded on the film demonstrated that now critics and audiences are ready to accept superheroes as more than just kid stuff, much the same way Frank Miller�s Return of the Dark Knight did in 1986.  I know the popular thought is to have Christopher Nolan back to make a third Batman film. However, I think Warner Brothers should stick with the pattern that they have, for one reason or another, fallen into. Namely, a director gets two shots at the Dark Knight and then moves on. Burton had his two, Schumacher had two, and now Nolan has completed his pair of Batman movies. These three directors have, knowingly or not, traced in broad strokes the development arch of the Batman character over the last 70 years. Time to let a new director put his or her interpretation on film. Either draw inspiration from other in-between periods of Batman�s history or create something new. Labels: Batman, Comics, movies posted by Brendan | 10:19 PM | permanent link
Me and Orson Welles While I am apprehensive to say I am looking forward to a movie starring Zac Efron, I can't deny that Me and Orson Welles looks interesting. At the very least it would be to see more of what looks like Christian McKay doing an outstanding job of channeling the ghost of a young Orson Welles. Labels: movies posted by Brendan | 2:00 PM | permanent link
We Never Did Rent That Film Again The Empire Magazine blog recently had a post about those movies that you shouldn�t watch with your parents. Writer Chris Hewitt presents some compelling arguments that there are movies that, whether it is because of the subject matter, the violence, or the sex, you just shouldn�t sit down with your parents in the same room to watch. At the end of the post Hewitt asks readers to submit their own suggestions for film experiences best not shared between parents and children, and I got to thinking about how I would answer. The first film that sprang to mind was The Name of the Rose, a Sean Connery / Christian Slater who-done-it set in the 14th century. Why?  My dad rented it for my brother and I to watch with him one weekend when we were probably middle-school/early high-school aged. I don�t remember much about the film accept for the scene that got my dad out of his seat like his pants were on fire.I don�t think my dad realized The Name of the Rose was a rated �R� film. He probably thought he was getting a mystery/thriller about monks in the middle ages starring James Bond. But when Christian Slater and the peasant girl started getting acquainted in a carnal fashion, my father discovered his oversight. He leapt over the coffee table to hit the fast-forward button on the VCR and frantically used his body to block my brother�s and my view of Slater and a young female engaged in - now - high-speed copulation. A few moments later we were back to monks and hair-shirts and my dad riding the VCR remote with an itchy trigger finger. When you compare this film with the others that get mention Hewitt�s post and the comments section The Name of the Rose is insanely tame, but for a few moments that night I don�t think my dad could have thought of worse film to be watching with his teenaged sons. And thinking about it always makes me laugh. posted by Brendan | 4:57 PM | permanent link
Top Fifteen Movies A friend sent this to me via tagging me in a Facebook Note. I thought it was fun exercise, but I couldn't bring myself to participate in the spammy element of the note and re-sending it out. So I'm posting it here. Rules: Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen movies you've seen that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. (Here's the spammy part I won't participate in:) Tag fifteen friends, including me because I'm interested in seeing what movies my friends choose. The Godfather The Empire Strikes Back Raiders of the Lost Ark Bringing Up Baby The Usual Suspects Bugsy Malone LOTR: Return of the King It's A Wonderful Life The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence Pulp Fiction On The Town Viva Las Vegas White Christmas It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World Spirited Away Labels: classic movies, movies posted by Brendan | 12:32 PM | permanent link
John Hughes John Hughes died suddenly this past Thursday of a heart attack while out for a walk. Hughes single-handedly created the modern American teenager movie with films like Ferris Bueller's Day Off, 16 Candles, and The Breakfast Club in the mid-1980's. There have been plenty of things written in tribute over the last two days for the producer, writer, and director; but of all the posts and articles I've stumbled upon, the two I've enjoyed the most are Empire Magazine's 20 Reasons Why John Hughes Rocked The 80s and this piece of art from Cliff Chiang riffing on the poster for The Breakfast Club.  Now I think I'd like to go watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off. posted by Brendan | 7:19 PM | permanent link
More Batman on the Way? If Empire Magazine and Gary Oldman are to be believed, the next Batman movie will start shooting in 2010.
I'm not putting too much stock in Oldman's remark right now, let's wait and see what developers over the next six months. posted by Brendan | 6:34 PM | permanent link
Rumors of Indy 5 Begin to Swirl  While I know that a lot of people were disappointed in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I found the movie to be a lot of fun. I enjoyed seeing Harrison Ford back in the fedora and I was pleasantly surprised by Shia LaBeouf�s turn as Mutt.So I think it�s great that there is talk about everyone coming back to film a fifth Indiana Jones movie. Empire Magazine reports that according to Indy Producer Frank Marshall, Spielberg, Lucas, and Harrison are all on board for an Indiana Jones 5 and want to get it done sooner than later. However, Marshall also states that the next movie won�t become a done deal until a concrete script idea is decided upon - which was the main reason why there was a 20 year delay between The Last Crusade and Crystal Skull. Its fun to think that there might be another Indy film, but I�m not going to be holding my breath. Labels: Indiana Jones, movies posted by Brendan | 12:54 PM | permanent link
Quantum of Solace - Review Ever since I saw Casino Royale three years ago I have been anxious to see how future James Bond stories starring Daniel Craig would play out. I love that first Craig as Bond movie. I consider it one of my favorite James Bond movies of all time. I didn�t see Quantum of Solace, Craig�s second turn as 007, when it was in theaters last fall, but when I found the DVD laying on my Dad�s coffee table a few weeks back I knew that a viewing was imminent.  Heather gave me some grief about how I can hem and haw over watching movies she brings back from the library, but when I borrow a James Bond film from my Dad I�m dropping it into the DVD player as soon as I can.My defense � because it�s James Bond. I knew from reviews that Quantum of Solace was the first true sequel to a Bond film � the story in Quantum actually builds on the story started in Casino Royale � but I was surprised at how many details the filmmakers expected us to remember from the first film in order to understand the second. I�ve watched Casino Royale a number of times and consider myself pretty knowledgeable on the story, yet I was struggling to connect the dots on a number of the two films� plot points. What I found further disappointing was how thin the story was. Bond films aren�t know for the densely plotted scripts, but something more than 007 running around and killing people in a fit of revenge-fueled rage would have been nice for Quantum. I can�t recall any lines of dialogue Daniel Craig had in the film. Did he have any? The film was almost entirely scenes of Craig running, driving, shooting, and fighting. When there was any talking, it was short and cryptic � barely enough to give an outline at the story that was being told. And I think it is those two things together that make Quantum of Solace so disappointing for me. The filmmakers set out to make a sequel to - a continuation of - Casino Royale, but then made a movie with very little time dedicated to building on that story or spending time with the characters Casino Royale had so nicely re-introduced us all to. Ironically, in a film series historically known for stunts and action sequences, Quantum needed more talking. Casino Royale delivered on the action, but also took us inside the head of a young James Bond. It�s what made the movie unique and fresh in the Bond franchise. Quantum of Solace, while packed to the brim with action, didn�t deliver with character. Instead of taking us back inside 007�s head, all we got were head-butts. That might have been fine before, but that approach won�t cut it now that the bar has been set higher for a Bond flick. Hopefully Daniel Craig will return and the story and filmmakers can rise to that level again. Labels: James Bond, movies, Review posted by Brendan | 10:49 PM | permanent link
Toy Story 3 You often hear the Toy Story films referred to as the Godfather movies of animation. Like the Godfather films, the first Toy Story was superb and the second Toy Story was better than the first. Will the comparisons hold up when Toy Story 3 hits screen next summer? Considering Pixar's track record for producing quality animated films with a strong focus on storytelling, i don't think so. While Godfather 3 failed to come anywhere close to capturing the power and drama of the first two Godfather films, I expect Toy Story 3 to be just as enjoyable as the proceeding films. posted by Brendan | 1:32 PM | permanent link
Watchmen Stuff For the most part I have been ignoring all the build up to the Watchmen movie release today. I've been quietly re-reading the book at home and waiting for the reviews to roll in. Don't know if it was done to capitalize on or mock the hype surrounding the opening of the Watchmen movie, but all week PVP has been doing a parody of the Watchmen called Ombudsmen using syndicated newspaper comic strip characters. I thought the concept was clever and well executed; especially how Scott Kurtz adapted the main storyline to fit his parody. His casting was also spot-on. It�s a funny read. Worth your time.  As for the film - the reviews for the film have been mixed. The Chicago Tribune�s Michael Phillips hated it. The Chicago Sun-Times� Roger Ebert loved it. Everyone else seems to falling into one of those two camps. Personally, I am ambivalent to the movie. I love the book immensely. It�s one of my top five favorite comics and I�ve always shared Watchmen writer Alan Moore�s assertion that the book cannot be made into a movie. Plus, I was less than enthralled with Watchmen director Zack Synder�s uninspired film interpretation of Frank Miller�s 300. None the less, it would be interesting to see for myself how things turned out. Labels: comic strips, Comics, DC, movies posted by Brendan | 4:31 PM | permanent link
Public Enemies A film about about John Dillinger starring Johnny Depp and Christian Bale, directed by Michael Mann, and shot almost entirely here in Chicago. Oh yeah, I think that looks good. posted by Brendan | 8:46 AM | permanent link
Comic Book Movie News I�m always a little wary of announcements that comic book properties are being adapted into films � especially when the comics in question are superhero books. It�s not much a stretch to take something like History of Violence or Road to Perdition and translate that compelling story to film that will be accepted and generally appreciated. Make your story about a grown man dressing up like a bat and film makers can start flaying all about. Sometimes the result is an an enjoyable film, other times were left with a train wreck of cinema. Luckily, the quality and sophistication of films based on superhero comics seems to be trending in the right direction. More solid storytelling and less train wreck. Hopefully that will continue. Of all the new projects announced by Warner Brother (DC Comics) and Marvel, these are the ones that I are grabbing my initial interest  GREEN LANTERN (release: December 17, 2010) � Green Lantern has always been one of my favorite DC heroes. There will be a direct to DVD animated film starring GL later this year that I am anxious to see, but a live-action flick could be a lot of fun also. I really believe that depending on how Warner Brothers decides to handle Green Lantern in his feature film debut, GL could be Warner�s Iron Man � a character driven sci-fi adventure with a broad appeal. SUICIDE SQUAD (no release set) � WB announced that they�re developing a script based on this DC Comics series that would bring together villains and fallen-heroes for Government-sanctioned missions so dangerous that it may kill them, but that�s it so far. Why I like the idea of this film being made is that it would probably compel DC Comics to start release collections of John Ostrander�s excellent run of the series. (They haven't done that to date) I really don�t care if the movie is any good if the end result is I can pick up some quality comics.Damn. 9 movies. Again, you have to admire Marvel�s ambitious approach to adapting their stable of characters to the silver screen. They lock up Sam Jackson because they plan on creating all of these movies and wanting to build some continuity of character across properties. I really wish DC Comics/WB could pull together a comprehensive plan like that. Labels: Comics, DC, iron man, movies posted by Brendan | 10:30 PM | permanent link
Watching Trilogies  AMC has been running the first and second Godfather movies a lot this month. I keep stumbling upon them and getting sucked into the exceptional performances and griping story.Even though I manage to tear myself away from the movie, I promise myself that I need to re-watch these exceptional films from start to finish again. It's been too long since I've sat done with these movies. I also found it an interesting coincidence that as I was contemplating revisiting The Godfather movie trilogy, I stumbled upon Dan Meth's Trilogy Meter. Dan rates his enjoyment of many of the classic movie trilogies. I agree with most of his assessments (though I'd probably rate the Batman films all higher - but I'm slightly more biased there - and would have knocked Die Hard 3 down a few notches) and found thinking about these films, and their relative quality to one another, a fun thing to think about.  Actually, after reading through Dan's ratings I wanted to go back and watch some more of these films. Now I just need to find the time.Labels: movies posted by Brendan | 10:57 AM | permanent link
Watched Iron Man Finally watched Iron Man this past Friday and thought it was fantastic. A great action flick and a well crafted film.  However, what impressed me the most about the film was it's ability to tell a entertaining story in a make-believe world convincingly. So convincingly, in fact, that Iron Man won over someone expecting not to like the film.My brother-in-law had given me the film for Christmas, but I hadn't found time to sit down and watch it. As January was quickly winding down, I became more antsy to put the DVD in for a proper viewing. So with nothing planned for Friday night, I asked Heather if she wanted to watch the movie with me. "Okay," she said, "but you won't be upset if I get up and leave if I don't like it, will you?" I told her I would not be upset - I was going to watch Iron Man that night regardless of her interest. We started up the movie. When she stuck around to see how Tony would escape the rebels in Afghanistan, I thought she may be hooked. When she would only look away, but not leave the room, when Pepper helped Tony replace the device in his chest that kept the shrapnel away from his heart, I figured she was on her way to enjoying the movie. When she was laughing at the antics of one of Tony's robots I knew she was hooked. Two hours later she was sheepishly admitting to me that she had enjoyed Iron Man. Iron Man might not have as much armored fighting action as a comic book loving fan like myself would have liked seeing, but it hits the right balance between action, story, and character. That's what will make this film a great movie to watch over and over. Labels: Family, iron man, movies posted by Brendan | 1:14 PM | permanent link
Creative From Cover to Content I love this new ambigram image for the DVD case of The Princess Bride.  It's film I'd like to have in our DVD library regardless of the fun and creative cover artwork posted by Brendan | 8:07 PM | permanent link
There Can't Be One Batman Ian Freer, writing on the Empire magazine blog, makes the argument that Adam West is a better Batman over Christian Bale.  If I was going to pick the best on-screen version of Batman, I'd go with Michael Keaton. I've always been partial to how Keaton balances the two sides of Bruce Wayne and Batman, while giving each the right mix of the other side. His Bruce has just enough darkness and edginess for us to remind us that Batman lurks nearby, and his Batman flashes a little of the human Bruce side at just the right times. But that isn't my contention with Mr. Freer's post. It's where he asks, ". . . what is the definitive interpretation of Batman?" Freer argues that the concept of Batman, when boiled down to its essence, is a silly concept. A man dressed as bat solving crimes. Therefore only Adam West's campy 1960's Batman can ever really capture the true Cape Crusader. But if the longevity of the character was contingent upon the strength of his essence as defined by Freer, then I can't imagine Batman lasting nearly 70 years. There isn't a whole lot to go on with that sort of character. A go-go dancing, shark-repellent using campy Batman came and went, yet the character continues to be used and enjoyed. Freer went wrong in his distillation. The core of Batman isn't a man dressing up like a bat to solve crimes. The core of Batman is the story of one man standing up to try and make sense and bring order to a world that doesn't always make sense. He just happens to do that by dressing up like a Bat to solve crimes most times (there are alternative Batman stories where Bruce never makes it into a "Batman" suit exactly, but he's still true to his character.)  How the story of Bruce Wayne/Batman is told can take many forms. As crime drama, as in The Dark Knight. As an action story, like in Batman Forever. Or as campy satire of modern culture, which is where the 60's television show decided to use the character.Comics have mined Batman for even more types of stories- horror, sci-fi, mystery, historical drama, the list is extensive. For almost 70 years Batman has been interpreted in countless different ways by countless different people. What's great about all these variations is that through all of them I can see the same theme - one man tying to make sense out of his world. Batman is an attempt to answer order to a world that presents chaos. That's what makes Batman such a wonderful character and such an enduring character in literature, he can be whatever you need him to be. It's also what makes the Joker the perfect foil to the character of Batman. So instead of trying to pick one version over another as the canonical version, I prefer to appreciate all the different flavors and enjoy the bounty of stories that spring forth. Labels: Batman, Comics, movies, TV posted by Brendan | 11:41 AM | permanent link
Celebrating Zoolander Style It's been years since I saw Zoolander, but I vaguely recall a scene similar to the one below. Obviously someone else had a much more vivid recollection of the film and decided to have some fun with it.  Every time I look at the Joe Biden face I laugh. I don't know if it's the goofy-ass smile alone or the combination of that cheesy smile and the motion of the body. There is also a version based on The Dark Knight. It's not as funny as the Obama Fun Machine, but I offer it up because I love the move.  Labels: Batman, Fun, movies, Politics posted by Brendan | 11:27 AM | permanent link
Well That Should Take Care of Everything Saw this little AP story headline and immediately knew that happier, rainbow and unicorn filled days of laughter and booming economies are now just moments away. White House tells banks to stop hoarding moneyThe White House's approach to putting pressure on banks to start lending money reminds me of a line from Ghostbusters. After the novice Ghostbusters have a less than successful first encounter with a apparition in the basement of a library, Bill Murray's character - Peter Venkman says, "Hee hee hee! 'Get her!' That was your whole plan, huh, 'get her.' Very scientific." posted by Brendan | 12:47 PM | permanent link
Bond Fortnight  Here in the Colonies, the 22nd James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, opens on November 14.But the chaps and ladies in the United Kingdom will get to see Daniel Craig's second turn as Agent 007 when the film debuts on October 31. Therefore, the Empire magazine online section Bond Fortnight, a celebration of the famous international MI-6 super spy counting down to the movie's release, has already started. Lots of interesting and fun information for fans of Bond - even if the countdown is a little premature for Bond fans on this side of the pond. I'm enjoying checking it out each day and am looking forward to seeing the new movie. Labels: James Bond, movies posted by Brendan | 9:32 PM | permanent link
Dark Knight Mashup I don't know if this video mash-up of the audio from The Dark Knight movie trailer with video from Toy Story 2 is new or old, but it's been making the rounds on the blogs I read lately. Not only is the mash solid, the result is damn funny. Watching this reminds me how much I enjoyed The Dark Knight and how eager I am to see it again. Labels: Animation, Batman, Fun, movies posted by Brendan | 4:34 PM | permanent link
The Dark Knight Returns  Warner Brothers apparently believes that they have an Oscar-worthy movie in The Dark Knight. It's the only good explanation for their announcement that The Dark Knight will return in theaters this January - just in time for the height of the Academy Awards voting season and even after - considering that the movie will debut on DVD in December.I'll certainly be adding the DVD to my collection, but I might try and swing a return visit to the theater to see The Dark Knight in its wide screen glory. posted by Brendan | 4:52 PM | permanent link
The Greatest American Hero Returns  About a month or so back I read about the plan to produce a comic book based on the 1980�s TV show The Greatest American Hero. I was going to write something about this little news nugget because my dad, brother and I were big fans of the show back when it originally aired. The Greatest American Hero was one of the first TV shows (or any sort of pop media for that matter) that I remember sharing an interest in with my Dad.Even though the comic was being co-written by William Katt (a.k.a. the actor who portrayed the "Greatest American Hero"), I opted not to write about the comic. Ultimately the idea of a comic based on the show generated marginal interest in me. Therefore the news was not worthy of a post. But now I read that Stephen J. Cannell, the creator of The Greatest American Hero (and nearly half of all shows produced from 1975-1990), confirmed that there will be a featured film made based on the property. Apparently the recent boom in superhero movies and Disney�s less than spectacular summer 2008 box office take, has the House of Mouse moving more quickly on this project. That�s something to write about. A movie and a comic. The Greatest American Hero is experiencing a renaissance. According to Cannell, Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Kulp will all be in the movie, but I have to imagine that Katt won�t be suiting up in the red pajamas again. I�m sure the story will have some new schlep taking on the role of the Greatest American Hero. Regardless, I hope they keep the fun tone that the original series had on TV and preserve the premise of the show: regular Joe is given alien-crafted super suit, but loses the instructions and has to figure things out on his own. Hilarity ensues. Labels: 80's, Comics, movies, TV posted by Brendan | 1:56 PM | permanent link
A Post about Star Wars Even though the press release clearly states that the DVDs in these two box sets are exactly the same as what was originally released with the special edition versions of all the Star Wars movies over the last few years (and which I already own), I still can�t help thinking about owning these two new boxed sets.  It has to do with the slick continuity of design. These two box sets would just look pretty cool up on the shelf with the rest of the DVDs in my collection. Luckily, my logical self understands that owning movies on DVD is about the content, not the packaging; so ultimately I will pass on these sets.But speaking of Star Wars and movie content, I�m not done talking about Star Wars quite yet. I really liked what Todd Alcott had to say about Star Wars in general when he was reviewing The Clone Wars animated movie that recently landed in theaters.  His point, basically, is this: that for all these middle-aged whiners who claim George Lucas has ruined Star Wars with the release of his Prequel Trilogy and now this animated Clone Wars series, Lucas is gaining an equal number from a new generation of fans with the Prequel/Clone Wars material. How we, the grown-ups fans of Star Wars, relate to Star Wars is completely different from today�s kids.Now I like the Prequel Trilogy well enough, but I know those are the films that Ian is more excited about watching. He likes the Original Trilogy, which is my favorite of the bunch; but he will pick Attack of the Clones over Return of the Jedi any day. When he talks Star Wars, it is usually about Anakin, Count Doku and Jango Fett, not Luke, Han, and Leia. And while I am sort of ambivalent about the whole Clone Wars animated series that will be debuting on TV this fall (and has received a movie release this summer), Ian is talking up his excitement and interest in seeing both the film and the TV cartoon.  Alcott makes the point that the reason most middle-agers hold the original Star Wars films in such high regard is that they provide a link back to their childhood, and by extension other happy memories. He argues that if you take a step back and critique Star Wars or Return of the Jedi with the critical eye of an adult seeing the film for the first time, these original movies really aren�t much better than the new batch of films. It�s all a matter of when you first watch a Star Wars movie that determines your connection with the storyline and the mythology of the series.If anything, I think the staying power of the Original Trilogy with middle-agers and the level of interest generated by the Prequel/Clone War material within the next generation is a testament to Lucas� power to craft exciting stories that capture the imagination of youngsters in a deep and moving way. He grabbed us when we were young, and now he is inspiring the imagination of our children with new tales in his Star Wars universe. Let's leave the man alone and let him create in peace. Labels: Animation, movies, Rant, Star Wars posted by Brendan | 9:54 PM | permanent link
Appaloosa  Do you think my predisposition for Westerns has something to do with growing up as an American male?It's hard to say. Certainly the Western is a uniquely American setting for telling a story, even if that story is a Samuri story, that taps into a romanticized version of American history that can reflect an image of how American's probably view (or would like to view) themselves. Anyway, that's what seeing the trailer for this fall's Appaloosa made me think about. Just like last year's 3:10 to Yuma, Appaloosa looks like another modern Western film that will be worth my time. Hopefully the film is of the same quality as the trailer. Labels: movies posted by Brendan | 11:25 PM | permanent link
The Dark Knight  While I hadn�t planned on it originally � historically I�m not much of an opening weekend sort of movie watching guy � Friday I found myself sitting in our nearby theater with Heather to watch The Dark Knight.We realized that we had time to take in a movie before driving to Ohio where we would be picking up Ian, Emma, and Zoe after they had spent a full week at Heather�s parent�s house along with their 8 cousins. (Yes, Heather�s parents house and entertain 11 children, aged 4 through 12, all by themselves for six days straight. Voluntarily. Every year. ) Heather and I talked about seeing something other than The Dark Knight to avoid crowds and save some bucks, but in the end I think Heather couldn�t bring herself to deny me an opportunity to see a Batman flick in the theater. I�m glad she�s nice that way. I won�t bother you with a drawn out review of the movie when there are pages and pages of glowing reviews for The Dark Knight published all over the web. Close your eyes and throw a dart and you�re bound to hit one. Here is one of my favorites. Suffice it to say I loved the film. It possessed an intensity and maturity that I have never experienced from a movie based on superhero characters. The Dark Knight isn�t just a great superhero movie or extraordinary summer blockbuster; it�s just a flat out superb piece of film. I don�t know if I�m ready to vote it as the top film of all time, as some of the more enthusiastic visitors to the IMDB website have done, but I was extremely impressed by director Christopher Nolan�s ability to use the characters of Batman�s universe to explore universal themes of heroism, sacrifice, and justice in an intelligent and engaging manner. All the while still blowing things up every twenty minutes or so. A great film. I am so glad we went to see it Friday morning. Now I can�t wait to see it five more times. Labels: Batman, movies, Review posted by Brendan | 9:49 PM | permanent link
I Knew That Song Had Lyrics! In case you were ever wondering what the lyrics to Danny Elfman's score from the Batman movie are, Andrew Goldenberg is here to help out. This guy is awesome. Apparently he has written lyrics to a bunch of other movie themes. posted by Brendan | 4:51 PM | permanent link
Random Cool Things About a week ago Heather hinted to me that I seemed to be posting a lot about Batman. So I tried to ease up on Batman-themed posts for awhile. However, as the buzz for The Dark Knight hits a fever pitch in the coming week, I imagine I'm going to find all sorts of Batman related stuff I want to write about. So lets ease back into things by sandwiching some Batman stuff between some Star Wars stuff and see how that goes. (Maybe Heather won't notice) - - - -  Pottery Barn Kids might be doing the selling, but I know who the real target of the Star Wars vintage sheets that hit the market in a little over a week - me.Or rather, adults like me who still love Star Wars. On July 25 Pottery Barn Kids will begin offering Star Wars-themed bedding just like was offered when I was a kid. I never got a full set of Star Wars sheets - I only had a pillow case - but now I can finally realize my dream of having my whole bed done up in Star Wars linens. Not only will they be making the sheets in Twin bed sizes, but also in Full and Queen. Heather, we're buying them the day they hit the stores. - - - -  The Dark Knight doesn't open for another two weeks in England, as opposed to next Friday here in the States, so British movie mag Empire has fourteen days to countdown to the film. Hence their new feature debuting today: The Dark Knight FortnightIt's fourteen days of Batman stuff. It kicks-off today with the 10 Essential Batman Comics. (I've read all but one) Empire did a great job with their celebration of all things Indiana Jones in advance of the release of Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I just didn't discover it until it was nearly over. I expect nothing less with their feature for Batman. Plus this time I'm getting in on the ground floor. - - - - This week Empire also takes a stab at listing the 50 greatest comic book characters. I haven't read them all, but I did jump to see their top five. As expected, they've end up with Superman and Batman in the #1 and #2 slots respectively. As it should be. But then Empire puts John Constantine, Hellblazer, in the #3 spot. What? Empire rounds out the top five with Wolverine at #4 and drop Spider-Man all the way to #5. Whether Spidey should come before or after Wolverine can be debated till sunrise. But Constantine at #3? That I don't understand. This is a character who started out as a supporting character in Swamp Thing, built up a strong cult following in a solo title, and managed to be turned into a movie starring Keanu Reeves, but in the pantheon of great superheroes I don't see how this guy deserves to even be in the top 30. Sure, he's an interesting character, but greater than Spider-Man? I don't think so. - - - - And let's finish it off with another Star Wars item This fall Hasbro is releasing a new version of the Millennium Falcon. Not only will the newly designed toy have more electronic lights and sounds and come with Han Solo and Chewbacca figures, the size of the ship will be 30% larger than the version every kid aged 7 - 17 back in 1980 so desperately wanted to find under the tree Christmas morning.  I want one.Labels: 80's, Batman, Comics, movies, Star Wars posted by Brendan | 10:28 PM | permanent link
Little Paper Time Capsules One of the unintended benefits of digging out comics to read that have been in your collection for over fifteen years � the ads. The old print ads are little windows back in time to what was popular when the comic was originally published. Like this beauty that I uncovered while reading Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #27 from December 1991.  Damon Wayans acting tough. Bruce Willis with real hair on his head. 1991 was a strange time indeed. They don�t make action films like that anymore.And did you know Halle Berry was in The Last Boy Scout? Now I only saw the movie once, but I still didn�t remember her. I only recall something about Wayans� character tossing a football 100 yards to diffuse a bomb or something. posted by Brendan | 9:51 PM | permanent link
Quantum of Solace Trailer It's a horribly awkward movie title, but I love the promise of a new Daniel Craig-starring James Bond film this fall. Labels: James Bond, movies posted by Brendan | 10:33 PM | permanent link
The Dark Knight International Trailer Love it. posted by Brendan | 9:25 AM | permanent link
The Dark Knight Movie Stills Photos from The Dark Knight are flying onto the web this week. You can find them everywhere - if you are looking for them. My favorite from the new bunch that popped up today - Harvey Dent, James Gordon, and Batman  Good stuff. posted by Brendan | 9:52 PM | permanent link First The Dark Knight Review  The first official review of The Dark Knight has hit the streets. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone weighs in on the movie I am most excited about seeing.In a nutshell � Travers loves the film. His closing paragraph says it all: �No fair giving away the mysteries of The Dark Knight. It�s enough to marvel at the way Nolan � a world-class filmmaker, be it Memento, Insomnia or The Prestige � brings pop escapism whisper-close to enduring art. It�s enough to watch Bale chillingly render Batman as a lost warrior, evoking Al Pacino in The Godfather II in his delusion and desolation. It�s enough to see Ledger conjure up the anarchy of the Sex Pistols and A Clockwork Orange as he creates a Joker for the ages. Go ahead, bitch about the movie being too long, at two and a half hours, for short attention spans (it is), too somber for the Hulk crowd (it is), too smart for its own good (it isn�t). The haunting and visionary Dark Knight soars on the wings of untamed imagination. It�s full of surprises you don�t see coming. And just try to get it out of your dreams�I can�t wait. posted by Brendan | 9:30 PM | permanent link
POTC: At World�s End � Review I know the movie bowed on theaters over a year ago and was released on DVD six months ago, but I finally saw Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End last weekend so you get my thoughts on the film now. Last summer I had read the lukewarm reviews and heard the less than flattering plot points, but the first two films were so much fun to watch that I figured number three would still deliver some reliable, if superficial, entertainment for me. After all, it still had Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow, Geoffrey Rush was back as Barbossa, Keith Richards makes a cameo as Sparrow Sr., and the whole damn movie is about pirates (or pirate wannabes).  I guess I was asking for too much.While the stories of Curse of the Black Pearl and Dead�s Man Chest were fast and frantic, including plenty of exciting pirate action like sword fights and at-sea battles, At World�s End lumbered on for most of the movie like a foreign espionage film. The film was scene after scene of talking heads scheming and planning on how they can double cross someone else in the movie. Blah, blah, blah, blah! It�s a movie about pirates and we have them sitting around a table debating if they should go to war and then voting on the proposal. Pirates! Sitting at a table! Discussing in committee! Voting! That is not what I signed up to see. What happened to, "Take all you can and give nothing back!" Yes, the end of the film with the whirlpool and the ships and the fighting and the stabbing � that�s all good. But it comes too late in the movie. By then I had become bored with trying to keep up with all of the double-crosses and a list of characters that would make Tolstoy squirm. Really, the only time I felt At World�s End captured the spirit of fun and adventure that I enjoyed so much in the first two films was the very last scene. Captain Sparrow, with a girl on each arm, is walking down the dock and stumbles upon Mr. Gibbs asleep on a pile of rope while the Black Pearl sails off into the horizon. That hit the spot. That felt like a pirate movie wit Captain Jack Sparrow in it. Too bad there were more scenes with that sort of spirit throughout At World�s End, I could haven't written a nicer review. posted by Brendan | 10:01 PM | permanent link
I Might be Adding The Incredible Hulk to the List  Early sneak-peak reviews are starting to trickle in and from the looks of things The Incredible Hulk might be poised to surprise the summer movie going public.I have to admit that I hadn�t given this �do-over� movie much of a chance of being something I would want to watch. However, between the trailers, video segments, and what these reviewers are saying, Edward Norton�s turn as Bruce Banner is winning me over. The Incredible Hulk might deserve a viewing - though probably on DVD. Labels: movies posted by Brendan | 8:38 PM | permanent link
Reviews, Reviews, Reviews Once, it was my intention to write a review of something every Friday. In my head I put together a loose writing schedule that went something along the lines of Monday - sports, Wednesday - family stuff, and Friday � reviews. Tuesday, Thursday, and the weekends were freebie days; times when I could just post goofy photos or previews of comics or movies that I found interesting. I haven�t kept to that schedule as well as I would have liked, but I am always trying to recalibrate my habits to fit that sort of writing regiment in. So let�s play a little catch-up on the reviews (on a Monday no less) with a scatter shot of capsule comments on some of the movies and books I have experienced over the last month or so.  Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street � Knowing almost nothing about the stage production, earlier film versions, or even the story, my interest in seeing this film sprung solely from two names: Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Separately these two create wonderful work. Together, the film art is extraordinary.I enjoyed the songs and lyrics considerably, and the performances were all top notch (with the exception of Helena Bonham Carter, who didn�t seem to have the same singing chops of the other actors). I thought Depp did exceptionally well with his singing. He successfully reinvented himself as an actor who portrayed his character through song, in contrast to Ms. Carter, who appeared more like an actor who would sing from time to time. There is a big difference when you are performing in a musical, and Depp nails it. As is customary with a Burton film, the production design � the sets, the costumes, the make-up � was pitch perfect in creating the creepy world of Sweeny Todd. Highly recommended if you don�t mind a lot of singing in your movies. - - - - - - - The Fifth Elephant, by Terry Pratchett � For Christmas, my mom gave me this book and gave Heather Hogfather, also by Pratchett. Both books are from his Discworld series of fantasy/humor novels. Apparently my mother had read a novel by Pratchett and really enjoyed it. I don�t know if either of the books she gave to us was the one she read, but no matter. A few years back I had read Good Omens, a collaborative effort between Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett about the bungling of Armageddon, so I had someone what of an idea of what to expect. True to form, The Fifth Elephant is dense with British humor � which means I either laugh heartily at the jokes or feel stupid for not understanding the jokes. (Sometimes I think British humor can be too subtle for its own good.) It took a while for me to find the groove of the narrative and the many characters and subplots, but once Pratchett stopped jumping around from location to location, storyline to storyline and spent more than 20 contiguous pages focusing on the main plot and characters, the book settled down for me and was quite entertaining. I particularly liked the main character, Samuel Vimes, Commander of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch. He is equal parts introspective idealist and bruising realist, which makes any scene he appears in crackle with anticipation of how he will respond. Terry Pratchett said of the character, �He fears he may be a bad person because he knows what he thinks rather than just what he says and does. He chokes off those little reactions and impulses, but he knows what they are. So he tries to act like a good person, often in situations where the map is unclear�, which I think gets to the root of the character�s appeal for me. Unfortunately Pratchett has written 36 Discworld novels (which this book is number 24) and Commander Vines only appears as the main character in 6 of those books (not counting The Fifth Elephant). On the other hand, maybe that�s a good thing. Instead of hunting down thirty-five other books to read, I�d only have to find six other ones if I wanted to explore more of Vines� adventures. - - - - - -  3:10 to Yuma � Just saw this movie this past weekend. It popped up for Heather in the library reserve lottery. We might have to wait a bit to see films when we reserve them through our library, but it sure makes things more fun. We never know when the movies in our queue will sudden become ready for pick-up.3:10 to Yuma is a solid old fashioned Western movie; light on action overall, but with a slow-cooking morality play story that delivers the big shoot-out to close the movie out. Christian Bale is good, Russell Crowe is good � hell, all of the performances were top notch in this film. The more I contemplate the film, the more I consider it one I might like to add to my home collection of DVDs. Highly recommended - - - - - - Superman / Batman: Saga of the Super Sons, by Bob Haney (writer) and Dick Dillin (artist) � Bob Haney wrote almost every sort of comic story imaginable during his time at DC Comics, and is credited with creating the Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol, Metamorpho, and few other the publisher�s lasting characters. He is known for his fantastically warped story ideas (Batman dies and the Atom shrinks down to enter Batman�s brain and reanimate him) and his bizarre dialogue. By far his grooviest creation was Bruce Wayne, Jr. and Clark Kent, Jr. � the Super Sons. They were Batman�s and Superman�s sons (we never learn or see who their mothers are) who wanted to strike out and make a name for themselves outside of their famous fathers� shadows.  The stories are quintessential Haney with everything from Superman flying faster than the speed of light to create a parallel version of the existing world so Bruce Jr. and Clark Jr. can practice being superheroes in a controlled environment, to Bruce Jr. and Clark Jr. imprisoning their famous fathers on the charge of being heroes simply because their dads crave the public�s attention, to Superman faking his own death so he convince Clark Jr. that he shouldn�t give up the �family business� of superhero-ing. The man could not write a boring story.All through-out the stories we are treated to classic Haney dialogue and over-the-top late-1960�s slang while Bruce Jr. and Clark Jr. travel across America on Bruce Jr.�s orange motorcycle. It�s one goofy, warped story after another and it�s pure bliss. Saga of the Super Sons was great fun to read, but I don�t think it would appeal to anyone who wasn�t already a comic book fan and didn�t enjoyed some kitschy/campy super heroics in the same vein of the 1960�s Batman T.V. show. - - - - - - Enchanted � we reserved it from the library because both Emma and Ian asked Heather to, but in the end I think Heather and I enjoyed this film more than the kids did. The story is thin, but the performances from the leads are earnest and fun. Disney shows that they aren�t afraid to poke fun at themselves, even creating parody Disney songs that are as strong as any they have created in the past.  Amy Adams wonderfully creates the live-action personification of a Disney princess. The bubbly personality, wide-eyed innocence, helium-stretched voice � she delivers them all. Plus, the makers of the film loaded up the movie with subtle riffs on scenes from previous Disney movies. So for a movie trivia buff, the film is a treasure hunt to find the little references to Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and more.The kids didn�t necessarily get all the jokes, but they enjoyed the story and the music. Heather and I enjoyed it as well. Enchanted is a quality family movie that doesn�t insult the intelligence of the adults (or kids) watching it. - - - - - - The Red Blot � A couple months ago I got another Shadow 2-for book - two novels in one book. The first story is The Red Blot. A mysterious criminal mastermind seems to have found a way to allude not only the New York City police, but the Shadow as well, as he stages crimes progressively more daring then the previous one. His calling card is a piece of paper with a red blot of ink on it. The story isn�t anything particularly new to the Shadow mythology. I�ve read similar sorts of plot setups. What made this one unique is that Walter Gibson was able to keep me fooled on the identify of the Red Blot until the end. Besides stopping the bad guy, there were two mysteries to the story: who was the mole within the police department tipping off the Red Blot and who was the Red Blot. It was painfully obvious that the police mole was Detective Hembroke, who from the very beginning of the story has the stink of a character being set up for a fall later on, but Grant successfully provided enough misdirection and red herrings to keep the identity of the Red Blot hidden until the very end. I appreciated that. It made reading this Shadow story just a little more enjoyable. Labels: Books, Comics, DC, movies, Pulps, Review posted by Brendan | 11:21 PM | permanent link
Burn After Reading The Coen brothers are back with a comedy. Burn After Reading stars Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand as two gym employees who find a CD left by a member of the CIA (John Malkovich), and decide to blackmail him. Comedy ensues.  Watch the trailer (you'll need Apple iTunes) The film also features George Clooney and J.K. Simmons. I think it looks hysterical. Labels: movies posted by Brendan | 8:40 AM | permanent link
Batman Drinks Milk You knew one of this summer's superhero film stars would show up in the ubiquitous "Got Milk?" ad campaign.  The milk people aren't just running a photo of Batman with his milk mustache, they built a whole website for him.posted by Brendan | 9:46 PM | permanent link
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Yesterday morning Ian and I went to go see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Despite (or maybe in defiance of) a phone call from my father the night before warning me about two scenes in the movie that he thought might be too much for Ian to handle, I figured the opportunity to see the Indiana Jones on the big screen with Ian out-weighed any concerns my dad might harbor. So we loaded ourselves into the car to catch the 10:20am showing on Memorial Day.  For most of the kids of my generation, the Indiana Jones films are one of the cultural touch points that provide us with a shared modern mythology to reference and be inspired by. Naturally as we grew up and had children of our own, we would want to share these movies with our kids. Just like my Dad shared the Westerns he watched as a boy with my brother, sister, and me; I have enjoyed screening movies I grew up on with for Ian, Emma, and Zoe. I�ve had to hold back and wait on some of my favorite movies until they were old enough to handle the content, but now my kids are hitting the age that I can start sharing more than just cartoons with them.Even before the official film rating was announced, I knew that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull would end up tagged PG-13. Considering the sorts of stories George Lucas and Steven Spielberg like to tell with Indy, and considering Temple of Doom was one of the films that helped usher in the new rating category back in the mid-1980s, the PG-13 rating was a foregone conclusion. Ian is still only 8 years-old (only about two months from hitting 9), putting him outside of the �recommended� film viewing age. However, a couple of weeks ago, while talking about Indiana Jones with Ian, I realized that I was exactly his age when I went to go see Raiders of the Lost Ark. Raiders had guys being impaled on hidden spears and dudes� faces melting. If I could handle that when I was Ian�s age, then I figured Ian could handle anything Lucas/Spielberg threw at us in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, MPAA rating system be damned. So that�s where we were Memorial Day morning � about 10 rows up, dead center, waiting for Indy to show up and entertain us and the 60 or so other dads my age who had brought their kids as well. Ian and I both really enjoyed the movie. Ian because it was big action film up on the big screen and he was sucked into the sort of movie watching experience he can�t get at home: a monstrous wall of image and sound that transports him to another world for two hours of entertainment. I enjoyed seeing Harrison Ford in the familiar fedora again - making things up as he went along, but always managing to end up on top of some spectacular situation even when you couldn�t quite figure out how he was going to do it. We both thought it was just a flat out fun movie to watch. That�s not to say that the film was a perfect Indiana Jones movie. It never felt like the story provided a compelling reason why Jones would be hunting for the crystal skull. The motivation to get the plot rolling was flimsy and felt sloppily thrown together. At times Dr. Jones did things just because, well, the story needed him to do that particular thing. I guess I saw some artificial pushes in the plot that bothered me. Plus, it was always fairly obvious that the first three Indy movies were adventure films in the spirit of the Saturday morning serials of the 1940s. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was supposed to draw its inspiration from the sci-fi flicks of the 1950s, or at least according to interviews with George Lucas and Steven Spielberg I read. The problem was that the film makers didn�t take Indy far enough into that �50�s sci-fi genre in my opinion. It was like they tried to bridge between Indy the adventurer from the 1940�s with saucer men from Mars. Instead of a blend, the film came off � at least genre-wise - muddied. It didn�t seem full out adventure like the earlier Indy films, but not quite 1950�s/Red Scare sci-fi.  But those are minor complaints when I consider the experience of the film as a whole. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was a lot of fun, like any good Indiana Jones movie should be. Great action sequences packed around funny moments and character moments, and I was pleasantly surprised by Shia LaBeouf'�s performance and his character � both of which I was expecting to dislike. I don�t know if I can accept Mutt as the heir apparent to the Indy film franchise � as is hinted at towards the end of the film, but Indy and Mutt teamed up together were fun to watch.I enjoyed the return of Marion Ravenwood, though I felt the script didn�t give Karen Allen quite enough to do. Yes, her smile lit up the screen � and that was much appreciated. I just wish they had worked her into the story a little more. Hell, they should have dropped Mac from the story to make more room for Marion. I was often asking myself why Mac was even in the last thirty minutes of the movie. He did do or say anything. (Incidentally, Ian wasn�t scared by the scenes my dad warned us about. He was, however, spooked by a completely different scene. But it was just one, and he seems to have handled it just fine.) All in all it was a great time. We both enjoyed the movie, and if Ian�s behavior after the film is any indication � asking about getting the movie when it comes out on DVD, spending half an hour on the Indiana Jones website, and telling everyone he saw on Monday about the movie � I think I created another Indiana Jones fan. Labels: Family, Indiana Jones, movies, Review posted by Brendan | 11:12 PM | permanent link |
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Gary Oldman joined Denzel Washington and Mila Kunis today at Comic-Con, taking part in a panel for upcoming apocalyptic thriller The Book Of Eli. Towards the end of the panel Oldman was asked the obligatory Batman 3 question and, to eveyone�s surprise, actually answered it.
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