I went to see "Wanted" last night with my friend Ali. She wanted to see Wall-E, but couldn't make it in time, so "Wanted" got the nod in it's place.
I confess, I haven't read the Mark Millar/JG Jones comic book yet. I will eventually, I'm sure, but I cannot compare the movie to it's source material yet, and will have to give my opinion of the film based solely on it's merits.
It has few merits.
This movie was a mix of "Shoot Em Up" (Gun fights!), Alias (Assassin training montages!), and a Gatorade commercial (What have you done today?!?). Also, the whole movie, I just couldn't get the voice-over from "Counter-Strike" out of my mind, just shouting out "Head-shot!" at every turn. Angelina Jolie was bland, and the main character, whom the audience was supposed to empathize with just turns into a jerk by the end, and his last line makes you feel as if you've wasted your time and effort in caring about his plight.
It was a cool concept that was poorly executed, and had too many brain-splattering gun murders. Though there was one saving grace, and that was hearing Morgan Freeman say "Kill this motherfucker!" Solid gold. I want it as my ring tone.
All in all, this was the least enjoyable summer comic movie adaptation. I'd have rather watched The Dark Knight, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk or Hellboy II a second time than this. Skip it.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Friday, September 5, 2008
Toronto Fan Expo 2008 - Part 2
I swear, just sitting down to write something around here is a magnet for other work to arise. Either there is some technological advance that detects when I'm blogging, or this page is just plain old cursed. In either case, I expect today's entry to conjure up all kinds of distractions so that my writing it will take place over the next several hours, rather that the fifteen minutes I would normally take.
Aside from that, I was talking about Fan Expo. This was my second convention experience, the first being in my hometown of Montreal when Fan Expo came up here, about six or seven years ago. That con was a lot of fun for me, and I had a great time chatting with Darrick Robertson about Wolverine and art and such, but the con on a whole was a failure and Fan Expo will never come back here.
Sophie had been to San Diego before, but she didn't really get to enjoy the full experience, and was dragged around by her travel companions.
So we both had high hopes for Fan Expo 2008.
After DC Nation, we decided that sitting in on a panel was far superior to wandering the con floor lugging around the heavy loot we had picked up earlier (which included a page of original art by Jason Armstrong from "Lobster Johnson: the Iron Prometheus"), and we made sure to line some up for the next day before giving up and going of in hunt of food.
More to come, and maybe some photos, next time.
Aside from that, I was talking about Fan Expo. This was my second convention experience, the first being in my hometown of Montreal when Fan Expo came up here, about six or seven years ago. That con was a lot of fun for me, and I had a great time chatting with Darrick Robertson about Wolverine and art and such, but the con on a whole was a failure and Fan Expo will never come back here.
Sophie had been to San Diego before, but she didn't really get to enjoy the full experience, and was dragged around by her travel companions.
So we both had high hopes for Fan Expo 2008.
After DC Nation, we decided that sitting in on a panel was far superior to wandering the con floor lugging around the heavy loot we had picked up earlier (which included a page of original art by Jason Armstrong from "Lobster Johnson: the Iron Prometheus"), and we made sure to line some up for the next day before giving up and going of in hunt of food.
More to come, and maybe some photos, next time.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Toronto Fan Expo 2008 - Part 1
I had meant to get around to writing about this right away, but life gets in the way.
I went to Fan Expo 2008 in Toronto this year with my friends Sophie and Keith. It was a great con, and I had a great time. I'll try to put down as much as I can remember here.
Sophie and I went to two panels on day one; The DC Nation panel with Dan Didio, Ethan Van Sciver and Keith Giffen. Dan was on his game for the panel, which was nice as some interviews I had heard him in, he was pretty grating, but this time, he was playful and having a good time with the crowd. Ethan was defensive when I asked about the need to bring Barry Allen back, but when we mixed it up a little more over on the CBR forums, I think I got a clearer picture of why he wants Barry back, even if I don't agree. He said:
"[Fans] miss him. Barry Allen ushered in the Silver Age with Showcase #4. He's a neat character, with his ironic twist of always being late in his personal life as Barry, but having the superspeed secret ID of Flash. He raised Wally. He's a different personality, has some slightly different ideas about crimefighting than Wally West, though."
Dan spotted A guy dressed as Namor in the crowd and pulled him on stage to sit next to a thoroughly weirded-out Keith Giffen.
There was a lot of talk about Aquaman, his constant reboots, and how everyone has a great idea to relaunch him. DiDio basically agreed that Arthur works best in a team setting.
Lastly, the crowd sort of turned on Marvel, and began pandering to DC, starting questions off with lines like "Marvel sucks, but why does DC..." Dan got control of the crowd and kept the focus on DC. In a very candid moment, DiDio explained what he throught DC could do better to help out the fans, and that was to stop rebooting the characters as often as they do, saying that he thought it created a distance between fans and the characters when every few years, the heroes are reinvented.
All in all, it was a great panel, and Dan DiDio stood out as funny and sharp.
More to come.
I went to Fan Expo 2008 in Toronto this year with my friends Sophie and Keith. It was a great con, and I had a great time. I'll try to put down as much as I can remember here.
Sophie and I went to two panels on day one; The DC Nation panel with Dan Didio, Ethan Van Sciver and Keith Giffen. Dan was on his game for the panel, which was nice as some interviews I had heard him in, he was pretty grating, but this time, he was playful and having a good time with the crowd. Ethan was defensive when I asked about the need to bring Barry Allen back, but when we mixed it up a little more over on the CBR forums, I think I got a clearer picture of why he wants Barry back, even if I don't agree. He said:
"[Fans] miss him. Barry Allen ushered in the Silver Age with Showcase #4. He's a neat character, with his ironic twist of always being late in his personal life as Barry, but having the superspeed secret ID of Flash. He raised Wally. He's a different personality, has some slightly different ideas about crimefighting than Wally West, though."
Dan spotted A guy dressed as Namor in the crowd and pulled him on stage to sit next to a thoroughly weirded-out Keith Giffen.
There was a lot of talk about Aquaman, his constant reboots, and how everyone has a great idea to relaunch him. DiDio basically agreed that Arthur works best in a team setting.
Lastly, the crowd sort of turned on Marvel, and began pandering to DC, starting questions off with lines like "Marvel sucks, but why does DC..." Dan got control of the crowd and kept the focus on DC. In a very candid moment, DiDio explained what he throught DC could do better to help out the fans, and that was to stop rebooting the characters as often as they do, saying that he thought it created a distance between fans and the characters when every few years, the heroes are reinvented.
All in all, it was a great panel, and Dan DiDio stood out as funny and sharp.
More to come.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Who should be a New Avenger
This post is spoiler-rific if you're not up to date on the New Avengers.
I came back to the Avengers just as the new Captain Britain joined, only to have the team disassembled.
I understood the team's dynamic until after Civil War.
As a writer, this is not the team that I'd like to write. From the outside looking in, there are reasons I can see for wanting certain members on the team, and then there are members there that I'm not sure I'd want.
That's what I'm talking about. The writer is their god in this case, so why have this particular group here?
Doc Strange: He adds credibility to the team, gives them a big gun. Also, he ties very nicely to the Illuminati, which let the team get involved in WWH. As a plot device, he works by giving the team anonymity and transportation.
Spider-Man: He's a fan favorite, and he adds a certain skepticism to the team by questioning their path. He is also a corner of the MU in and to himself. His skills are unique.
Luke Cage: I never read much Power Man before this run, so my experience with him was basically that Punisher story where Frank was turned black and they teamed up. As a story device though, he's the driver. He pushes the team in a certain direction, and keeps the story going.
These three, I get. They're the New Avengers that make the book what it is. They're tools in the hands of the writers.
Wolverine, I've decided should be on the team because he gives the writer one unique aspect to use. He knows that they are on the wrong side of the law and all that it implies. Luke Cage acts as if he's still a super hero, and that's fine, but Logan gives him contrast. Sure he's got claws and a healing factor, But that's not why he should be on the team. He's there because someone needs to be asking "How many laws should we break to fight the good fight?" That makes for good storytelling.
Honestly, I've been disappointed with Clint thus far as Ronin. As an old school Avenger, I'd really like to see some righteous indignation on his part towards the Mighty Avengers. He's the one who would lip off at Captain America when he thought Cap was wrong, and really, I'd expect more of that for Tony Stark and the Mighty team. I'd like to see him go past that too, and get irrationally angry now and again. I think that there's something there worth exploring, and if Bobbi turns out to be a skrull, maybe that's the kick in the pants he'll need to get pissed off again.
That leaves Echo and Danny. I like Iron Fist. He's got his own book, and I don't think he's got enough to do around here except be Luke's confidant. Echo, I think, is a Bendis vanity project, and I've never been able to get what she's doing here, other than because the writer thinks she's cool.
So yeah, I think that Strange, Luke, Spidey, Wolverine and an angry Clint have a place on the team, because they contribute to the book being readable. I don't think Eco and Iron Fist are adding anything to the book right now other than as bodies. I said on the CBR message boards that I think that the real Hank Pym would be an interesting addition to the team, and let us find out what happened to him while he was being replaced by a skrull. I would also like to know more about what happened to Tigra, after the Hood and Jigsaw beat the fur off her. Maybe even Firestar or *gasp* The Scarlet Witch.
In any case, I'm interested to see where this is going.
I came back to the Avengers just as the new Captain Britain joined, only to have the team disassembled.
I understood the team's dynamic until after Civil War.
As a writer, this is not the team that I'd like to write. From the outside looking in, there are reasons I can see for wanting certain members on the team, and then there are members there that I'm not sure I'd want.
That's what I'm talking about. The writer is their god in this case, so why have this particular group here?
Doc Strange: He adds credibility to the team, gives them a big gun. Also, he ties very nicely to the Illuminati, which let the team get involved in WWH. As a plot device, he works by giving the team anonymity and transportation.
Spider-Man: He's a fan favorite, and he adds a certain skepticism to the team by questioning their path. He is also a corner of the MU in and to himself. His skills are unique.
Luke Cage: I never read much Power Man before this run, so my experience with him was basically that Punisher story where Frank was turned black and they teamed up. As a story device though, he's the driver. He pushes the team in a certain direction, and keeps the story going.
These three, I get. They're the New Avengers that make the book what it is. They're tools in the hands of the writers.
Wolverine, I've decided should be on the team because he gives the writer one unique aspect to use. He knows that they are on the wrong side of the law and all that it implies. Luke Cage acts as if he's still a super hero, and that's fine, but Logan gives him contrast. Sure he's got claws and a healing factor, But that's not why he should be on the team. He's there because someone needs to be asking "How many laws should we break to fight the good fight?" That makes for good storytelling.
Honestly, I've been disappointed with Clint thus far as Ronin. As an old school Avenger, I'd really like to see some righteous indignation on his part towards the Mighty Avengers. He's the one who would lip off at Captain America when he thought Cap was wrong, and really, I'd expect more of that for Tony Stark and the Mighty team. I'd like to see him go past that too, and get irrationally angry now and again. I think that there's something there worth exploring, and if Bobbi turns out to be a skrull, maybe that's the kick in the pants he'll need to get pissed off again.
That leaves Echo and Danny. I like Iron Fist. He's got his own book, and I don't think he's got enough to do around here except be Luke's confidant. Echo, I think, is a Bendis vanity project, and I've never been able to get what she's doing here, other than because the writer thinks she's cool.
So yeah, I think that Strange, Luke, Spidey, Wolverine and an angry Clint have a place on the team, because they contribute to the book being readable. I don't think Eco and Iron Fist are adding anything to the book right now other than as bodies. I said on the CBR message boards that I think that the real Hank Pym would be an interesting addition to the team, and let us find out what happened to him while he was being replaced by a skrull. I would also like to know more about what happened to Tigra, after the Hood and Jigsaw beat the fur off her. Maybe even Firestar or *gasp* The Scarlet Witch.
In any case, I'm interested to see where this is going.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Red Sonja Movie
Cinemablend and CBR are reporting from the San Diego Comic Con that they've announced a new Red Sonja movie for 2009, starring Rose McGowan in the titular role, and directed by Robert Rodriguez.
More "Sword ans Sorcery" is always welcome, chain-mail bikini's not-withstanding.
More "Sword ans Sorcery" is always welcome, chain-mail bikini's not-withstanding.
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Dark Knight
Lauren and I went to see "The Dark Knight" on Friday, opening day, which is unusual as I rarely see the superhero movies until the crowd dissipates ever since I was stuck in the front row for X-Men 2.
But we went to a quiet theater outside of the downtown core and got good seats easily.
Simply put, the movie was awesome.
Seriously. If you haven't seen it, you should. It won't let you down.
You should also stop reading here as I'll be getting spoiler-y from this point on.
The feel of this film follows very closely to that of its predecessor, Batman Begins, and with the exception of Katie Holmes, the cast is reunited with director Christopher Nolan. The solid transition of creative vision from the first film allows it to skip ahead of the introduction of the principal characters, and in order to keep the pace high, Nolan also decided to skim quickly over who Harvey Dent and the Joker are, trusting the viewers to figure it out as they go.
Everyone gets their moments in the movie. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox get some great one-liners, as does Michael Caine as Alfred. Bale is better as Bruce Wayne in my opinion, still flaky and extravagant, but not as over the top as in the first film. Ledger's Joker is iconic, and scary, and will redefine the character in other media undoubtedly (much in the same way that Hugh Jackman changed the look and feel of Wolverine after the first X-Men movie), but Aaron Eckhart really has the choice role in this film, getting to stretch his chops in a wide range of emotions, and culminating in his transformation into Two-Face.
There's been a lot of talk about Heath Ledger and academy awards, and while I agree that he was a great Joker, I think more credit should be given to scriptwriters David Goyer and Christopher Nolan for giving him choice lines and creepy plots to work with. The Joker that they wrote was dark, disturbing, and actually funny at times, in a way that made you uncomfortable in laughing along. Kudos to them.
Joker's plans are genuinely upsetting. He is beyond reason, and he works on the theory that was presented in Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke", that everyone is one bad day away from losing their mind. The idea of saying on television "Someone in Gotham will kill this person in the next hour or I will blow up a hospital." is frighteningly effective, in that the public, now full of fear, weighs the life of one man against that of their loved ones in the hospitals, and they proceed to riot and several people decide that the life of one is not worth the risk.
Harvey Dent wins you over. His campaign slogan of "I believe in Harvey Dent" is true, and as he progresses, you do see in him the chance for Gotham City to turn the corner.
So it makes the fall of Dent and the birth of Two-Face truly tragic, as you see the true loss of a good person to the dark madness that he was driven to, and more darkly, you understand him when he goes and murders five people. Eckhart has a really solid role here, and he shines through it, playing both the shining knight and the broken man equally well.
Harvey Dent loses everything, and you can see why he's lashing out. As he struggles with what has happened to him, you ask yourself what would you do if you were in his place, if the events of your life spiraled out of control and you were to lose all that you loved. How long could you go before you snapped too, especially in a world like that of Gotham City. You ultimately end up believing in Two-Face.
The movie itself is fast paced, very tense, and keeps you anxious and nervous about what's going to happen next. It takes from the comic books what it needs, and when it makes changes, it does so carefully, adding to the quality of the story without taking away from the mythos. I can say that it is as perfect as a superhero movie can get.
But we went to a quiet theater outside of the downtown core and got good seats easily.
Simply put, the movie was awesome.
Seriously. If you haven't seen it, you should. It won't let you down.
You should also stop reading here as I'll be getting spoiler-y from this point on.
The feel of this film follows very closely to that of its predecessor, Batman Begins, and with the exception of Katie Holmes, the cast is reunited with director Christopher Nolan. The solid transition of creative vision from the first film allows it to skip ahead of the introduction of the principal characters, and in order to keep the pace high, Nolan also decided to skim quickly over who Harvey Dent and the Joker are, trusting the viewers to figure it out as they go.
Everyone gets their moments in the movie. Morgan Freeman as Lucius Fox get some great one-liners, as does Michael Caine as Alfred. Bale is better as Bruce Wayne in my opinion, still flaky and extravagant, but not as over the top as in the first film. Ledger's Joker is iconic, and scary, and will redefine the character in other media undoubtedly (much in the same way that Hugh Jackman changed the look and feel of Wolverine after the first X-Men movie), but Aaron Eckhart really has the choice role in this film, getting to stretch his chops in a wide range of emotions, and culminating in his transformation into Two-Face.
There's been a lot of talk about Heath Ledger and academy awards, and while I agree that he was a great Joker, I think more credit should be given to scriptwriters David Goyer and Christopher Nolan for giving him choice lines and creepy plots to work with. The Joker that they wrote was dark, disturbing, and actually funny at times, in a way that made you uncomfortable in laughing along. Kudos to them.
Joker's plans are genuinely upsetting. He is beyond reason, and he works on the theory that was presented in Alan Moore's "The Killing Joke", that everyone is one bad day away from losing their mind. The idea of saying on television "Someone in Gotham will kill this person in the next hour or I will blow up a hospital." is frighteningly effective, in that the public, now full of fear, weighs the life of one man against that of their loved ones in the hospitals, and they proceed to riot and several people decide that the life of one is not worth the risk.
Harvey Dent wins you over. His campaign slogan of "I believe in Harvey Dent" is true, and as he progresses, you do see in him the chance for Gotham City to turn the corner.
So it makes the fall of Dent and the birth of Two-Face truly tragic, as you see the true loss of a good person to the dark madness that he was driven to, and more darkly, you understand him when he goes and murders five people. Eckhart has a really solid role here, and he shines through it, playing both the shining knight and the broken man equally well.Harvey Dent loses everything, and you can see why he's lashing out. As he struggles with what has happened to him, you ask yourself what would you do if you were in his place, if the events of your life spiraled out of control and you were to lose all that you loved. How long could you go before you snapped too, especially in a world like that of Gotham City. You ultimately end up believing in Two-Face.
The movie itself is fast paced, very tense, and keeps you anxious and nervous about what's going to happen next. It takes from the comic books what it needs, and when it makes changes, it does so carefully, adding to the quality of the story without taking away from the mythos. I can say that it is as perfect as a superhero movie can get.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)