This is a movie about a guy in a bat costume who fights a guy who wears clown make-up. I find this movie highly overrated. USA Today gave it four stars. FOUR STARS? Are you kidding me? A four-star review should be for ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST or GOODFELLAS. Not for a movie that is essentially a two-and-a-half hour fight scene.
There has never been a super-hero movie that was as good as or better than the comics it is based on. I think Alan Moore is right when he says that comics are comics and movies are movies, and comic book fans don't need to see their favorite super-heroes "validated" by putting them in big-budget movies.
While it can be interesting to see how the special effects department translates the hero's super-powers to the big screen, I have never seen a super-hero movie where the plot warranted a two-hour (or more) running time.
There is a story running in the Batman comics currently, entitled "Batman R.I.P." The story is written by Grant Morrison, and it involves the Joker unleashing his greatest plot yet against the Batman. It is better than anything I saw in THE DARK KNIGHT.
The DARK KNIGHT movie is too long by at least 30 minutes. As in all super-hero movies, there is no real plot, just a villain causing random chaos and an anguished hero trying to stop him. There is a lot of talk in this movie, and you keep waiting for it to end, but there is one false climax after another. There is one surprising death of a major character, but other than that, the movie has nothing we haven't seen before. The movie follows the premise of the graphic novel The Killing Joke, that Batman and the Joker need each other, that each one would be lost without the other. Christian Bale plays Batman with an annoying raspy voice. Ever since Michael Keaton first donned the bat-mask back in 1989, actors have been doing that hoarse whisper for Batman's voice, and it has always bothered me. A hero should have a voice that is confident and strong, not a whisper.
Maggie Gyllenhall replaces Katie Holmes as the love interest, Rachel Dawes. Gyllenhall bears an uncanny resemblance to a less-good-looking version of Katie Holmes, but ultimately, Gyllenhall is not pretty enough to be the love interest in this movie. She just does not look like the type of comic book heroine that two men would fight over.
Heath Ledger is very good as the Joker – much better than Jack Nicholson hamming it up in the '89 movie. Ledger does a good job conveying the creepiness and sense of menace of the Joker. A couple of times he even laughs just like Caesar Romero from the Batman TV series. I just wish Ledger had a better script to work with.
Maybe I am missing something, but I really didn't see anything in the DARK KNIGHT that impressed me. It is marginally better than BATMAN BEGINS, only because the JOKER is a better villain than the SCARECROW. I guess the one good thing you can say about the new series of BATMAN movies is that they no longer kill off all their best villains at the end of every movie.
To me, the best comic book movies are not the ones adapted from the comic books, but the ones that are inspired by them. I would say the best comic book movies are ROBOCOP, TERMINATOR 2, and ALIENS. Those are movies that have just the right blend of action, originality and humor, with characters that you care about.
I am a lifelong comic book fan, but I actually wish Hollywood would stop spending so much money on super-hero movies and go back to making real movies again.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Sunday, July 20, 2008
WILL FERRELL'S STEPBROTHERS
I haven't seen WILL FERRELL'S STEPBROTHERS but I feel like I have already seen it. It looks exactly like every other comedy ever made about two dumb guys who do dumb things.
The trailer has 1 or 2 funny bits and a few lame ones. Will Ferrell's movies have gotten progressively less funny as he has gone on. ANCHORMAN is still my favorite, but TALLADEGA NIGHTS was only half as good, and BLADES OF GLORY was half as good as that.
The law of diminishing returns states that this will be his least funniest movie yet. I think I'll pass.
The trailer has 1 or 2 funny bits and a few lame ones. Will Ferrell's movies have gotten progressively less funny as he has gone on. ANCHORMAN is still my favorite, but TALLADEGA NIGHTS was only half as good, and BLADES OF GLORY was half as good as that.
The law of diminishing returns states that this will be his least funniest movie yet. I think I'll pass.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
WANTED with ANGELINA JOLIE
I just saw WANTED with ANGELINA JOLIE. It is hard to take your eyes off her when she is on screen. She just might be the most physically perfect woman who ever lived! The only bad thing is she is a little too skinny in this movie. (We've all seen the pics of her in the tabloids, looking anorexic.)
In WANTED, her arms and legs look too frail, and her cheeks look hollowed out. Fortunately, she makes up for it with those luscious lips and those dazzling eyes.
Based on the recent pics of ANGELINA 's pregnancy, it looks like getting knocked up was the best thing that ever happened to her. She developed very healthy curves and looked quite stunning, even carrying twins!
Hopefully she will not lose too much baby weight this time. If she manages to keep a few pounds on, she will go back to looking completely perfect, like she did in the LARA CROFT movies and in MR. & MRS. SMITH.
In WANTED, her arms and legs look too frail, and her cheeks look hollowed out. Fortunately, she makes up for it with those luscious lips and those dazzling eyes.
Based on the recent pics of ANGELINA 's pregnancy, it looks like getting knocked up was the best thing that ever happened to her. She developed very healthy curves and looked quite stunning, even carrying twins!
Hopefully she will not lose too much baby weight this time. If she manages to keep a few pounds on, she will go back to looking completely perfect, like she did in the LARA CROFT movies and in MR. & MRS. SMITH.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
My Top 10 Least Favorite Moments in Super-Hero Movies
My Top 10 Least Favorite Moments in Super-Hero Movies By Barry Dutter
1) Spider-Man using his powers to deliver pizzas in Spider-Man 2.
2) The Thing gets pooped on by a pigeon in the FANTASTIC FOUR movie. In over 40 years in the comics, the Thing has never been pooped on by a pigeon. Hollywood didn’t waste any time.
3) In X-MEN 2, when WOLVERINE sees LADY DEATHSTRIKE unsheathe her claws for the first time, he exclaims, “Oh shit!” The line gets a laugh, but WOLVERINE would NEVER express any kind of fear or hesitation when facing an opponent.
4) DR. OCTOPUS changes his mind at the end of SPIDER-MAN 2 and decides he’s not a bad guy after all. Lame!
5) When Daredevil uses his powers to “see” ELEKTRA in the rain in the DAREDEVIL movie. DD’s eyesight does not work at all, regardless of whether or not it is raining.
6) The scene in the 1997 BATMAN & ROBIN (the one with GEORGE CLOONEY & CHRIS O’DONNELL) where Batman pulls out his Bat-Credit Card and says, “Never leave the cave without it.” This is another example of the of the type of crappy camp humor that helped to put the franchise on ice for the better part of a decade.
7) At the end of SPIDER-MAN 3, Spidey tells the SANDMAN, “I forgive you,” and lets a murderer go free.
8) The scene in SUPERMAN 3 where RICHARD PRYOR skies off the roof of a building and Superman happens to be flying by and catches him. One of the all-time dumbest scenes in an over-all dumb movie.
9) Peter Parker gets possessed by VENOM in SPIDER-MAN 3 – and then goes to a jazz club and does a really evil dance. Because that’s what really bad people do – they dance in jazz clubs. A low point for the Spidey movie franchise.
10) The scene in the BATMAN & ROBIN where the Dynamic Duo click their heels together and make ice skates come out of the bottom of their boots. That was about the gayest scene in any super-hero movie.
1) Spider-Man using his powers to deliver pizzas in Spider-Man 2.
2) The Thing gets pooped on by a pigeon in the FANTASTIC FOUR movie. In over 40 years in the comics, the Thing has never been pooped on by a pigeon. Hollywood didn’t waste any time.
3) In X-MEN 2, when WOLVERINE sees LADY DEATHSTRIKE unsheathe her claws for the first time, he exclaims, “Oh shit!” The line gets a laugh, but WOLVERINE would NEVER express any kind of fear or hesitation when facing an opponent.
4) DR. OCTOPUS changes his mind at the end of SPIDER-MAN 2 and decides he’s not a bad guy after all. Lame!
5) When Daredevil uses his powers to “see” ELEKTRA in the rain in the DAREDEVIL movie. DD’s eyesight does not work at all, regardless of whether or not it is raining.
6) The scene in the 1997 BATMAN & ROBIN (the one with GEORGE CLOONEY & CHRIS O’DONNELL) where Batman pulls out his Bat-Credit Card and says, “Never leave the cave without it.” This is another example of the of the type of crappy camp humor that helped to put the franchise on ice for the better part of a decade.
7) At the end of SPIDER-MAN 3, Spidey tells the SANDMAN, “I forgive you,” and lets a murderer go free.
8) The scene in SUPERMAN 3 where RICHARD PRYOR skies off the roof of a building and Superman happens to be flying by and catches him. One of the all-time dumbest scenes in an over-all dumb movie.
9) Peter Parker gets possessed by VENOM in SPIDER-MAN 3 – and then goes to a jazz club and does a really evil dance. Because that’s what really bad people do – they dance in jazz clubs. A low point for the Spidey movie franchise.
10) The scene in the BATMAN & ROBIN where the Dynamic Duo click their heels together and make ice skates come out of the bottom of their boots. That was about the gayest scene in any super-hero movie.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Hancock
Hancock is a very strange movie. The first half of the movie is about an alcoholic homeless super-hero trying to rehabilitate his image. The second half is about something else altogether.
In order to discus the movie properly, I will have to issue a SPOILER WARNING! Read no further if you have not seen the movie.
The BIG TWIST in HANCOCK comes when it is revealed that CHARLIZE THERON also has super-powers, and that she is HANCOCK's wife. This is where the movie kind of falls apart. The Charlize Theron thing is brought in from out of nowhere. (Hancock & Theron meet by chance in the movie. He was not looking for her and he does not remember her.)
The movie tries to set up a tragic situation where Hancock and his wife cancel out each other's powers if they are together too long. Their solution is that he moves to New York and she stays in L.A. We're supposed to feel sad that this couple can never be together, but the movie never really establishes any kind of relationship between them. She stares at him with hate in her eyes. He stares at her with a mixture of lust and confusion. That's about it.
This movie really needed a good villain for Hancock to fight. Charlize Theron is not it. They really should have stuck to the original concept for the film. The twist half-way through the film was a mistake. It takes the film off-course and it never really recovers.
And there should be a limit to the number of times you can use the word "asshole" in one film. I think they say it about 100 times in Hancock. Typing the word "asshole" 100 times really doesn't count as writing a script.
All in all I would have to call HANCOCK a disappointment. In the hierarchy of super-hero movies, it is not as good as this summer's IRON MAN or even HULK. For that matter, it is not as good as MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND, the film which it most resembles in tone.
In order to discus the movie properly, I will have to issue a SPOILER WARNING! Read no further if you have not seen the movie.
The BIG TWIST in HANCOCK comes when it is revealed that CHARLIZE THERON also has super-powers, and that she is HANCOCK's wife. This is where the movie kind of falls apart. The Charlize Theron thing is brought in from out of nowhere. (Hancock & Theron meet by chance in the movie. He was not looking for her and he does not remember her.)
The movie tries to set up a tragic situation where Hancock and his wife cancel out each other's powers if they are together too long. Their solution is that he moves to New York and she stays in L.A. We're supposed to feel sad that this couple can never be together, but the movie never really establishes any kind of relationship between them. She stares at him with hate in her eyes. He stares at her with a mixture of lust and confusion. That's about it.
This movie really needed a good villain for Hancock to fight. Charlize Theron is not it. They really should have stuck to the original concept for the film. The twist half-way through the film was a mistake. It takes the film off-course and it never really recovers.
And there should be a limit to the number of times you can use the word "asshole" in one film. I think they say it about 100 times in Hancock. Typing the word "asshole" 100 times really doesn't count as writing a script.
All in all I would have to call HANCOCK a disappointment. In the hierarchy of super-hero movies, it is not as good as this summer's IRON MAN or even HULK. For that matter, it is not as good as MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND, the film which it most resembles in tone.
Friday, July 11, 2008
New GET SMART movie
GET SMART
I saw GET SMART the other night. It reminded me a lot of DRAGNET, the 1988 movie version with TOM HANKS and DAN AYKROYD. Both movies update old TV shows, with none of the charm, wit, or strong performances of the originals.
The new GET SMART movie is a generic action comedy. It has car chases, explosions, a few mildly amusing jokes, and not much else. They could have called this movie BEVERLY HILLS COP 4 or RUSH HOUR 4. It really is indistinguishable from any other action/comedy.
STEVE CARELL has the look of MAXWELL SMART, but I've never liked him as an actor. I've never believed him in any role.
The new GET SMART movie is about a plot to blow up a nuclear bomb in L.A., thus killing the U.S. president and other visiting foreign dignitaries attending a classical music concert. (Wasn't this the same plot to the movie FOUL PLAY, only with the Pope instead of the President?)
As far as GET SMART movies go, this is better than THE NUDE BOMB, the 1978 flick that offered raunchy versions of all the old jokes from the TV series. The new movie has some of the old jokes, but not all of them.
The best part about the movie is the cameos by people like BILL MURRAY, JAMES CAAN as a vicious parody of PRESIDENT BUSH, and even one cast-member from the old TV show: BERNIE KOPELL, who played the arch-villain SIEGFRIED, reprising his German accent here.
PATRICK WARBURTON has a cameo as HYMIE the ROBOT, and that is an inspired casting choice. ANNE HATHAWAY is a decent Agent 99, but she is distracting because you spend most of the movie trying to decide if she is pretty or not. She has a great body, but her face is sometimes hot, sometimes not. Very confusing!
Overall, GET SMART is a harmless time-killer, but not really worth your time. You'd be better off watching a few old episodes of the TV series.
I saw GET SMART the other night. It reminded me a lot of DRAGNET, the 1988 movie version with TOM HANKS and DAN AYKROYD. Both movies update old TV shows, with none of the charm, wit, or strong performances of the originals.
The new GET SMART movie is a generic action comedy. It has car chases, explosions, a few mildly amusing jokes, and not much else. They could have called this movie BEVERLY HILLS COP 4 or RUSH HOUR 4. It really is indistinguishable from any other action/comedy.
STEVE CARELL has the look of MAXWELL SMART, but I've never liked him as an actor. I've never believed him in any role.
The new GET SMART movie is about a plot to blow up a nuclear bomb in L.A., thus killing the U.S. president and other visiting foreign dignitaries attending a classical music concert. (Wasn't this the same plot to the movie FOUL PLAY, only with the Pope instead of the President?)
As far as GET SMART movies go, this is better than THE NUDE BOMB, the 1978 flick that offered raunchy versions of all the old jokes from the TV series. The new movie has some of the old jokes, but not all of them.
The best part about the movie is the cameos by people like BILL MURRAY, JAMES CAAN as a vicious parody of PRESIDENT BUSH, and even one cast-member from the old TV show: BERNIE KOPELL, who played the arch-villain SIEGFRIED, reprising his German accent here.
PATRICK WARBURTON has a cameo as HYMIE the ROBOT, and that is an inspired casting choice. ANNE HATHAWAY is a decent Agent 99, but she is distracting because you spend most of the movie trying to decide if she is pretty or not. She has a great body, but her face is sometimes hot, sometimes not. Very confusing!
Overall, GET SMART is a harmless time-killer, but not really worth your time. You'd be better off watching a few old episodes of the TV series.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)