Posts Tagged ‘superhero’

  • Question of the Day: Are we at Peak Comic Book (Superhero) Movie?

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    Much like the Peak Oil analogy, the concept where all the easy oil-wells (cue The Beverly Hillbillies theme, or wailing Middle Eastern aria) have been tapped and exploited and now we either have to drill way off into the ocean, or remove copious amounts of sulphur to get good, usable hydrocarbons or by brute processing force, extract it from the sticky tar sands. Thus several treatments of Superman, Batman, Spiderman, and the popular mutants of the X-Men have yielded their massive cash bounties, nowhere more greater than the summer of 2012 where The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises reaping box-office windfall (albeit at very high production and marketing costs).

    The origin story has been done to death (albeit, The Amazing Spiderman trotted it out once again.) And with it (hopefully) passing, it invites more complex things like the tableaux of societal anxiety in the Nolan Batmans, flirtations with classical tragedy in Ang Lee’s Hulk, period-pieces like Fist Class and Captain America, the universe-slash-continuity building with Marvel Studios across many different characters or even the risky The Last Temptation Christ experiment in Superman Returns.

    My question to you is this, with smaller comic book properties such as Ant Man in production, but really, just a slew of sequels and spin offs (Ironman, Thor, Wolverine, Robin) or team ups (Avengers 2, Justice League, Guardians Of The Galaxy) or the eventual reboot of Batman, do you think we’ve hit the peak of Box-Office, at this point, and that the slide (slow or fast) down the curve (with ever increasing budgets to make these things) will convince the major Hollywood Studios to start looking for another trend to get on board with for their big summer tentpoles? Or do you think that things are here to stay, and a more experimental, extracting black gold from the tar sands approach will yield the continuation of a golden age of Comic Book Superhero Films?

    A primer of both the optimistic and not so optimistic views from last year, The Great Comic Book Movie Debate:

  • Extended Thoughts: Chronicle

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    *Some Spoilers, Fair Warning*

    Perhaps a goofy co-incidence that Facebook filed with the SEC to launch its $5 Billion (with a B) initial public offering in the same week as this virally advertised film hit cinema screens. The dollar value for the filing is itself equal parts news-catcher, market-hubris and ultimately an underscore on where society, in the here and now, lays its value: Social Networking. Even more curious that the script for Chronicle makes room for Carl Jung and Arthur Schopenhauer, but relegates Facebook and Twitter curiously to subtext. Chronicle is an interesting name for the movie; perhaps more literal in meaning (a chronological ordering of events – here by an unseen editor) but also less on-the-nose than say, “Status Update.”

    I’m getting ahead of myself, perhaps.

    The latest found footage movie is one of the more interesting uses of this increasingly strained sub-genre and this is why: The main character, an angry young man with nascent telekinetic powers who is well on his way to becoming a super-villain, not only self-incriminates himself by filming the process of his road to villainy but (and here is the kicker) he uses his powers control the camera’s framing of his own story. In the case of the films big climactic show-down, the full self-realization/actualization of himself as the Apex-predator, he uses dozens of cameras to capture things from multiple angles. The thing that always struck me as strange with the outbreak of social networking, is how so many young people capture themselves drinking underage, skipping school, or other such activities that are both unacceptable in society (but also loaded, perhaps, with a cachet of cool) and upload it THEMSELVES to later be prosecuted, ostracized, or whatnot by their own self-publication. To make the the unspoken, but underlying ‘thesis’ of the film is interesting to me. I wish the filmmakers (Josh Trank and Max “son of John” Landis) did not have to be so overt with every character justifying or explaining why they are filming all the time (see also George Romero’s Diary of the Dead) because, dammit, it is 2012 and rather obvious that we are race of beings whose souls are been stolen by the camera on pretty much an hourly basis – from mall and street security, to our own goshdarned phones!

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  • Gamble’s Quick Thoughts: Chronicle

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    [This is an ongoing series where Cinecast regular and antagonist (He is our "Q") Matt Gamble offers an immediate reaction to new movies coming to a theatre near you; they are cross-posted from his corner of the internet, Where The Long Tail Ends]  

    I’m sure you’re quite aware of my fondness for comic books. I’ve been reading them, fairly faithfully, since the early 80′s and I don’t plan on stopping anytime soon. That being said, as I’ve aged I’ve drifted further and further from reading mainstream titles from Marvel and DC. Nothing against them, I’m a pretty die-hard fan of Vertigo, but I just don’t have much interest in most superhero titles these days, and Marvel and DC’s primary publications focus almost entirely on superheroes.

    Nothing against superhero comics, I’m just a bit worn out after almost 30 years of reading them. They are still great when done well, but I simply don’t have the free time to wade through mediocrity, and unfortunately, in recent years too often mainstream superhero comics have been more concerned with just getting by then trying anything different or interesting.

    Oddly enough, certain cinephiles are undergoing similar reservations when it comes to superhero movies. Sure they are one of the most popular sub-genres in recent memory, but man if critics don’t seem eager to crow about their downfall. Populism doesn’t pay the bills when you are a movie critic. Well, unless you are Peter Travers. That shill will rave about anything put in front of him.

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  • We Talk Amongst Ourselves (The Great Comic Book Movie Debate)

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    It is Mamo! vs. Cinecast over at The Substream as we debate whether or not Superhero Comic Book Movies (SCBMs) are a viable genre that is built to last.

    Enjoy!

  • Review: Super

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    [In light of its limited (and VOD?) release this weekend, I happily re-run my review of James Gunn's scuzzier and funnier version of Kick Ass. Worth a trip for good supporting roles by Ellen Page and Kevin Bacon and James Gunn's amusing sense of humour]

     

    Do not let the sprightly pencil crayon song-and-dance credit sequence fool you, James Gunn’s latest film, a send-up of amateur vigilantes called Super, wants to give you some awkward, messy violence for your entertainment dollar. The drama is mostly of the sad-sack variety, the laughs are mostly of the gallows kind, and while the film seems a bit late to the party (despite being written years ago) it will satisfy the culty niche that considers Watchmen was too glossy and Kick-Ass too mainstream. The line between superheroes and sociopaths has for some time been a blurry one, but Super takes great pleasure in kicking the line completely out of existence.
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  • Silly, Subversive and Shutting Up Crime…It’s the trailer for James Gunn’s SUPER

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    This is the naughtier, crasser, grittier version of Kick-Ass that isn’t afraid to bring a bit of batshit craziness to the mix along with a lot of pencil-crayon goofiness. You like Hit Girl? Wait until you get a load of Ms. Ellen Page playing wide against type. Super premiered at TIFF last year (My Review) to a decidedly mixed reaction. But for me, it was bliss. Sweet WTF bliss.

    When sad sack Frank D’Arbo (Rainn Wilson) sees his ex-addict wife (Liv Tyler) willingly snatched by a seductive drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), he finds himself unable to cope. But when the finger of God blesses his brain (don’t ask), D’Arbo decides to fight back under the guise of a DIY superhero called Crimson Bolt. In order to get his wife back, he must first fight his way up the criminal ranks, and he begins by taking a monkey wrench to the foreheads of a couple who cut in line at the movies. As Crimson Bolt begins to make the headlines, a young woman from the local comic book store (Ellen Page) joins in on the fun as his sexually charged sidekick, Boltie.

    The trailer is tucked under the seat.

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  • Super Hero Parody + Japanese Cult + Wanted + Children = HitGirl

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    This is so hilariously wrong that I am curious how many parents may take their children to see Matthew Vaughn’s Kick-Ass after something like Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Well mommy and daddy probably will not if they see this highly amusing Red-Band teaser for the film that proves that Quentin Tarantino isn’t the only director who can re-purpose Japanese school-girls and severed limbs into something distinctly Western-Hemisphere. If the film was to live up to the promise of this teaser, I’d say that someone made Timur Bekmambetov’s Wanted for the pre-teen set. Anyone want to see Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake, Stardust) actually attempt the Battle Royale remake?

    Trailer *Language definitely NSFW* is tucked under the seat.

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  • Darkman – Unseen Movie Marathon

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    This is the third of at least 224 planned posts in which I shall slowly work through my DVD collection. The reason for doing this is first and foremost to admit that I have a problem. I buy way too many DVDs that I want to watch but never watch. On the morning of May 24th, 2009 I owned 224 DVDs which I have never seen. I have never seen them theatrically, on television, on VHS, on Beta or even by means of the DVD which I own and possess on the shelf. My plan is to watch at least one of these each week. If I’m lucky I will see more than one but to keep this reasonable considering my time restraints one a week is pretty good. I will write up my thoughts on each movie.

    I have purchased a few more DVDs so I am back up past 224 DVDs to watch. I’ll add the new ones to the list coming up. I have this bad feeling that by the time I am done DVDs will no longer even be available at the rate I keep adding new ones.

    Darkman

    (4/5)

    DarkmanFor my third movie I chose to watch Sam Raimi’s Darkman. Before Raimi was brought on to direct the Spiderman series he had Darkman. Darkman tells the story of Peyton Westlake (Liam Neeson), a scientist who is attempting to discover a way to grow skin. Peyton wants to marry Julie (Frances McDormand) but Julie discovers that her boss is involved with some nasty criminals led by Robert Durant (Larry Drake). Durant and his goons break in and attempt to kill Peyton while looking for evidence that Julie has. Unfortunately for them they don’t kill Peyton. Peyton ends up with such terrible burns that the doctors perform a special surgery that remove his sense of touch and pain sensors. Peyton seeks his revenge while trying to keep himself under control as he looses control of his anger which is a side effect of his surgery.

    I’m still trying to come to terms with why Darkman is such a fun movie. Recently, I was listening to the Film Junk podcast and they were talking about 80s action movies and how they were just more fun (or at least that is what I took from their discussion). While watching Darkman I couldn’t help but think about just how much fun it is to watch. It is bizarre, funny, scary and cheesy all at the same time. If I was asked to pick a superhero movie to watch Darkman would definitely be high up on the list. The superhero movies today either take themselves too seriously or else they make them for all ages. I would love it if there was more camp still being done in this genre.

    I should mention that I had seen this one before but I remembered nothing of it. I do not know if my sense of humour and what I like in movies has grown or changed since I watched this way back in early 1990s but all I could remember about it was that I was not that impressed. Upon this re-watch I have decided that it definitely deserves a place amongst the top of the superhero movies. I don’t think it will ever get the respect that it deserves (except amongst the cult movie crowd and fans of Sam Raimi) but I for one will recommend it to all my friends who haven’t seen it.

  • UPDATED: Retro Futuristic Black Lightning Teaser!

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    UPDATE: QuietEarth just hooked us up with essentially the same trailer, but now there is a face behind the wheel of this retro-fitted flying car. Check out the slightly updated trailer below.

    Black LightningHave I told you lately how much I love you Quiet Earth? Maybe not but when you bring me greatness like this, what’s not to love?

    If you’re already itching for more overblown fun from Russian helmer Timur Bekmambetov (of Wanted (our review) Daywatch, Nightwatch fame), you’re going to have to wait a little longer for his next directing gig but you’re still in for a treat. Aside from his producing credit on the awesome looking animated film 9, Bekmambetov also has a number of other producing gigs on the go but it looks like the next one out of the gate will be the Russian superhero film Black Lightning. How awesome is that title?

    As you may have guessed the film revolves around a car, specifically a used Volga which is purchased by a student at a Moscow university. The car happens to have the ability to fly and overnight, the car turns the guy into a superhero who must defend the city against evil.

    The film hasn’t even started shooting and it’s already generating buzz; likely thanks to Bekmambetov’s comment that this is the “Russian response for Transformers and Batman.” I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what the filmmakers have up their sleeves and if the teaser is any indication, they’re taking a lot of direction from Bekmambetov (the teaser features one his signature slow motion shots).

    It’s all pretty vague but I have to admit that since Bekmambetov’s explosion onto the scene, I’m really curious to see the influence he’s had on popular Russian filmmaking and if this is any indication, it looks like he’s pretty much blown the doors wide open.

    Teaser is tucked under the seat!

    » Read the rest of the entry..

  • Review: Push

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    Push One Sheet

    Director: Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, Wicker Park)
    Screenplay: David Bourla
    Producers: Bruce Davey, William Vince, Glenn Williamson
    Starring: Dakota Fanning, Chris Evans, Camilla Belle, Djimon Hounsou, Ming-Na, Cliff Curtis
    MPAA Rating: PG-13
    Running time: 111 min.

    It’s not a huge surprise that a film about individuals with super powers trying to escape from a secret government agency through the streets of Hong Kong didn’t do that well on opening weekend. With the biggest names on the bill being Dakota Fanning and Chris Evans and characters that are reminiscent of comic books but not from them, name recognition is pretty low. Consider that it’s up against the surprise juggernaut of the star studded He’s Just Not That Into You and the Gaiman/Selick Coraline, mix in the lukewarm reviews and you have a recipe for a flop. Is Push deserving of a number one spot? Not likely but definitely more worthwhile of your time and hard earned money than the mediocre Taken.

    Push Movie StillIn the depths of Hong Kong, where cramped quarters are a given and American Government control seems slightly thwarted, reside a number of individuals who are running from a government organization simply referred to as “Division”. You see, these folks have super powers and they’re hiding to avoid being recruited into the folds of the secret agency and being turned into guinea pigs. With the help of a few other specially powered folks, Nick (a “Mover”) and Cassie (a “Watcher”) try to find a woman (a “Pusher”), the only individual ever to have escaped from the grasps of Division, and a drug she’s carrying; a drug that will somehow lead to salvation.

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  • Everything Old is New: SPECIAL is Getting a Theatrical Release!

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    Now that Toronto After Dark is nearly upon us, it is fitting that Magnet is putting out the 2006 TAD opening film Special. And because it was the first film to ever play Toronto After Dark (2006 being the first year of the fest) that makes it really special. Michael Rapaport (a familiar face from TV’s The War At Home as well as films ranging from Deep Blue Sea to True Romance) plays a geeky meter maid who enters a test group for a new anti-depressant and develops a range of super-powers which put him in the crime-fighting business. But the catch is that this is a character study more than a super hero flick. And it is a damn good character study. (Andrew’s Review here)

    It is well documented here how I have issues with Magnet’s marketing department. Don’t get me wrong, the company is putting out some of the most interesting and quality genre films out there, but they tend to waaaay over do it in the trailers. I mean Spoilerifico-supreme in regards to Let The Right One In (a few key money shots) and Time Crimes (just about everything!), where here, with Special they merely overkill things. Thus, below is the 2006 promo-trailer (a bit spoilerific too, but remember this thing isn’t about plot, it’s about the character).

    While I think there is a DVD of the film out there somewhere (it’s darn hard to search for it in search engines due to the name of the film!); Special is getting a limited theatrical release on November 21st. And kudos for that.

  • Cinecast Episode 93 – Apples and Oranges

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    Sorry for the delay here kids. Had some MAJOR technical difficulties over the past week or so (including after we recorded the show). It’s been some dark nights. But we’re back now. Well sort of. Our little audio widget is proving to be very uncooperative. I told Kurt not to feed it after midnight, but he responded, “fuck Joe Dante and his little superstitions” and did it anyway. The show can be streamed from this site only at the moment. Please use the little Audio button below, click the central Podcast display in the masthead (in between Featured Article and Reviews images).

    This Episode: The Dark Knight (a bit SPOILERIFIC) and a little bit of Hellboy II.

    Click the little Audio Icon until we get our Widget back in order:

    To download the show directly, paste the following URL into your favorite downloader:
    http://www.rowthree.com/audio/episode93.mp3

    Unwrap the complete Show Notes…
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