SPIDER-MAN (***1/2) - A very refreshing take on the comic book genre. It was great to see the vibrancy and life brought to this wavering variety of big-screen entertainment. The “Batman” franchise has been in the toilet since Joel Shumacher turned it into a gay fantasy, but “X-Men” proved to be a hit with most everyone, especially the box office. My first comment about what “Spider-Man” does to re-affirm the super-heroes as popular movie topics is the look of the film. It seems that since Tim Burton and Anton Furst originally designed Gotham City, that all comic book tales would be DARK. All scenes take place at night, the heroes wear black, the lighting is shady. From what I recall, Wolverine wears yellow and blue. Not in “X-Men” - black. So, it was, again, REFRESHING to see one of the main scenes of “Spider-Man” take place in the middle of the day, with blue sky and colorful floats all around, and in the middle you’ve got a red and blue guy fighting a green guy. That’s a comic book! The other thing I enjoyed was the time taken to establish our hero. The ‘birth’ of Spiderman is a wonderful series of scenes, as Peter Parker discovers his superpowers as other kids discover puberty, and it’s often just as awkward. The “Batman” movies spent most of their time developing the villain, while bland Bruce Wayne took a back seat. It’s a testament to how interesting Peter Parker is that the film spends nearly half it’s time detailing the beginnings of his transformation to crime fighter (The truth is, Bruce Wayne is VERY interesting, and the filmmakers dropped the ball, I hope Darren Aronofsky of “Requiem for a Dream” can liven up that franchise). Other elements of the film fall into place nicely - Danny Elfman’s score is typically heroic and kinetic, Tobey Maguire sports a doofy grin while learning the mutant abilities he has, he’s charming and fun, and the cinematography is unreal, as are the special effects. I’m sure the two worked together to put us in the driver’s seat with Spidey as he swung on webs through the streets of New York. The scenes where Spidey is in flight above cars, buildings and onlookers are sheer movie magic. This film is also true to the comic in many ways I wasn’t aware of at the time. After seeing the film, I did some research to see how the movie stacks up with the comic (thanks to Mark Tucci):
- Spiderman doesn’t have organic webshooters in the comic, but when the “Spiderman 2099” series came out, the ‘rebirth’ of Spiderman in the future had them. So, they didn’t make it up for the film, they chose it from another Marvel source. And I like the choice. Originally, Parker builds himself webshooters and who’s to say a millionaire genius like Norman Osbourne couldn’t do the same. I like that the ability is his and his alone.
- I had no idea Spiderman tested out his skills and alias in a wrestling ring. Wrestling! How great is that! That scene is hilarious, and there is a Bruce Campbell sighting, which is always a reason to go to the movies. It happened in the comic, too.
- The end of the showdown between Green Goblin and Spiderman is how it happened in the comic as well. That faithfulness makes the whole ending much cleaner. George Lucas could stand to take a cue from the smooth plotting of this flick.
Speaking of the Green Goblin, when I heard Willem Dafoe was cast, I thought it was an excellent choice. It was, indeed. I mean, Dafoe kinda looks like a goblin to begin with, right? He brings high energy and joyous menace to his scenes. In the end, however, the kudos go to Sam Raimi and his crew. James Cameron wanted to make this film nearly ten years ago, and Cameron is known for putting his technology needs out into the world, then the world creates what he needs to get it done. But I think the thirteen years or so of maturation that CGI effects have gone through have benefitted the current Spidey flick, all the effects happen with finesse and they compliment a strong story effectively. And how great is the Green Goblin’s arrival at World Unity Day?! He circles around the skyscrapers as if he’s the Wicked Witch of the West, laughing maniacally. Most cool
However...
There are a few trip-ups. And if you’ve ever seen these pages before, you know I’m no fan of Kirsten Dunst. It’s not that she’s terrible, I simply don’t see the attraction. And it was a little tough to buy Peter Parker’s speech about getting lost in her eyes when she’s looking back at him with that half-stoned expression on her face. Plus, she’s gummy. I’m horrible.
Another awkward scene involved Green Goblin and Spiderman on a rooftop, when Goblin was trying to convince Spidey how worthwhile it would be to partners. Good enough dialogue, and great looking, but when you can’t see the faces of the two characters it was just, I don’t know, awkward. But even thought it was, it was cool that Raimi didn’t compromise the characters he brought to life.
Plus, and I’ve said this before, too, when it comes to CGI, you can’t do people. I’ve yet to see people created in CGI who look real. That is, people in a real world. Characters like Andy and Sid in “Toy Story” live in an entirely computer generated world, so they fit their surroundings. When Peter Parker first flies over rooftops, it’s obvious by the rubbery smoothness of his face, hair and clothes, that he’s computer generated, and it’s jolting, just like the end of “Mummy Returns” and moments of “Harry Potter” and “Lord of the Rings”. It’s usually a shame to be taken out of the moment like that. Thankfully, that changed when Spiderman donned his red and blue outfit. The CGI-created Spidey looked a little more fleshed out.
Those minor quibbles aside, it’s obvious that “Spider-man” is THE summer movie to watch, and the one to beat. Thrills, excitement and universal appeal. They’ve also tacked on a great beginning and a great ending. The opening credits move with the speed of Spiderman swinging from a web and intercut flashy, colorful images from the comic book. This was a great way to say, “Hey, we’re giving you what you know”. This isn’t a “re-imagining” of Spiderman, thank god. And in the ending, Peter Parker pulls the coolest superhero move of them all. Noble to the core. I think this is the start of a beautiful franchise.
STAR WARS: EPSODE II - ATTACK OF THE CLONES (*1/2) - I don’t want to say I read into the title at all, but I fully expected the Clones to attack. I went cold turkey on this film - didn’t watch previews (nothing new there), didn’t read articles, didn’t watch TV specials. I knew precious little about this film except that Clones would probably attack at some point. I’m still waiting. Now, it’s impossible to review this film as detailed as a fan of the original trilogy would like without being a spoiler. So, I will be mentioning major plot points. If you haven’t seen it, you may want to Bail out now.
It’s not often that someone will make a sequel to a bad film. But, it’s box office numbers that promote the continuing story of certain films. That’s why we have “Mission: Impossible 2”, “Tomb Raider 2” (yes, they’re shooting it), and “Mannequin 2: On the Move” (I’m sorry, but The Mannequin Pop Culture Phenomenon - Andrew McCarthy = Death to Franchise). Of course, despite Jar-Jar Binks, the messy bore of a Trade Federation plot and whiny “Annie” Skywalker, “Episode II” will be made. It’s pre-ordained, even if it made only one of it’s 350 million dollars domestic gross. But people went to “Episode I” because it had been twenty years. This year, they weren’t lining up like in ‘99. And did Lucas win ME back? No.
To say I’m waiting for Clones to Attack sounds like a nit-picky thing. Let me explain how it affected the plot for me. When Obi-Wan goes to the Kamino system to learn about the cloning, he’s mistaken for someone else. So, it seems that a Jedi hired the Kaminoans to create clones. Since I’m expecting the Clones to attack, I’m thinking that Obi-Wan is learning about a threat to the universe. Turns out they end up being good guys. What? Granted, Palpatine’s long-term plans for the army of Clones is not good. But, I had a real sense of danger for Obi-Wan, when it turns out I didn’t need to. Confusing. Then he meets Jango Fett. He’s DEFINITELY a bad guy, and the Clones are clones of him! So, again, who ordered the Clones be built? Honestly, I can’t remember the name of the Jedi the A.I.-esque clone-makers said ordered their creation. Why can’t I remember it? Because it’s NO ONE of consequence, and because it’s messy. The whole plotting of “Episode II” is messy. It could’ve been done so much cleaner, and instead, it’s muddled.
What “Attack of the Clones” really needs is a full-on injection of Han Solo. That element of the original trilogy is SORELY missing. Nobody in the movie is enjoying themselves, and that attitude quickly spread to the theater. Jedi banter, so full of “patience, young one”-type stodgy dialogue, needs to be countered with something exciting. Now this sounds more like I should be happy that the tone is more serious after the downright goofiness of “Phantom Menace”, but I don’t think Lucas has re-captured the happy medium that made “Star Wars” work. In “The Empire Strikes Back”, even Yoda’s dialogue was snappy. And Princess Leia was spunky. Amidala’s a bore and Portman plays her boring. I don’t see Anakin’s attraction to her. I miss the genuine attraction of two adults that was propelled by the action of the story. That made Leia and Han’s romance more believable and more exciting. The whole TIME OUT that seems to be shouted to follow Padme and Anakin around Naboo is pace-dead in the water. And there was also a healthy helping of unwanted CHEESE. Picnic by the waterfall, stilted dialogue by the fireplace, spinning a la Julie Andrews on a hilltop, and another fake-looking CGI Anakin balancing on some sort of mutant pig, FOLLOWED by rolling in the grass. I was waiting for the Faith Hill ballad to start up. Han and Leia fell in love in the belly of a worm-alien in the bowels of an asteroid. Their flirting began as they were under attack by AT-ATs on Hoth. Point is, they grew attracted to each other as the story progressed. Anakin and Padme’s forced romance KILLED any pacing Lucas may have been going for. It created the first uneasiness I’ve ever felt in a Star Wars movie. I was bored to tears and wanted the movie to pick up - so did people around me. I didn’t even feel that way in “Phantom Menace”.
Speaking of “Phantom Menace”, it sure was great to re-visit all the wonderful characters from that flick, eh? Jar-Jar, Watto, man, they should get their own spin-offs. Can we do without Laurel and Mao the mush-mouthed Trade Federation numnuts? This movie would’ve been so much more effective if they just let Count Dooku kick ass. “Clones” and “Menace” both seem to be afraid to let the villain be a villain. From the outset of “Star Wars”, Vader is choking the shit out of some rebel scum, demanding the plans to the rebel base. Who’s the villain in “Attack of the Clones”? Jango Fett could be, but instead we get a car chase through Coruscant with some less effective changeling creature. It’s the same curse Darth Maul had - pretty cool character, why don’t you let him kick ass? I guess I just needed more to counteract that awful romance. Did I mention that already? (For fun, click on comments and read Mark Tucci’s comparison of “Clones” to “Pearl Harbor”. I agree: great action, horrible romance)
Plot-wise, are we going to have to have “Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, the SUPER DUPER Special Edition”? ‘Cause now we’re going to have to re-shoot the scene where Owen buys C-3PO from the Jawas, saying he recognizes him from when he PREVIOUSLY owned him. He obviously has use for him.
Plus, what’s wrong with Obi-Wan? He needs a six-legged Vic Tayback to tell him that a poisonous dart was made in Kamino, and a child to tell him why Kamino doesn’t appear on the computer. (Brilliant answer: someone took it off the computer). Hell, even when Obi-Wan later tells Luke to go to Dagobah, he just goes. Perhaps he needs more schooling. Or maybe it’s that the easy idea that “the Dark Side clouds everything” is lame.
And as far as an all-CGI Yoda goes, it’s true that the Yoda in “Phantom Menace” looked odd. That’s because Lucas wanted to do everything, and would no longer outsource to Henson Studios to create Yoda. As a consequence, the ILM-created Yoda didn’t look as lively. Well, the all-CGI Yoda looks SUPER lively. The effects team is so determined to make you believe that their creatures are alive, that they overact. They overblink, oversmile, overbite, overgasp, etc. Jar-Jar is naturally the biggest overactor of them all, and Yoda is the best actor that’s been all CGI yet. But there’s still something unnerving about it all. And how cool would it have been if Yoda was a puppet the whole movie and THEN whipped out the Force on Dooku at the end? As far as Yoda’s now-famous action scene goes, it was handled well, in a mythic, old west manner that befit it’s anticipation. I was a little disappointed in the high number of close-ups during Dooku and Anakin’s saber fight, wanting more Maul-esque physicality.
In the acting vein, Samuel L. Jackson is solid as Mace Windu, but in my mind I heard “mother fucker” after everything he said. “This party’s over....mother fucker.” It’s Sam Jackson, that’s just what I hear. But he had genuine presence and attitude. I wish Hayden Christenson had the same. He was excellent in “Life as a House”, but in “Clones”, his performance is a bit wooden. I appreciated the journey of his character as he discovers the Dark Side of The Force, but it probably looked better on paper than in the final cut. Lucas has never had much luck directing his actors, and putting them in front of blue screens doesn’t make his job any easier. And again, there’s no break out performance. I did like Christopher Lee, and again wished there was more of him. Ian McDiarmid is again good as Palpatine.
But the magic is gone. Cool space fights in an asteroid field were partnered with such pithy dialogue as “that’ll show ‘em”. I couldn’t even get into the final battle scenes after wading through all the dreck that came before. Plus, there was no BAD GUY to guide me through the story. I wasn’t sure who was fighting and for what. There were flying monkeys or something at one point, plus those droids from the opening of “Toy Story 2” showed up, and the Clones made an appearance. I just didn’t care. And that makes me sad, given that I LOVED the original trilogy. But Lucas’ vision just gets further and further away from what I loved so much. His digital backgrounds and CGI characters create a cold film that is ultimately soulless. And his high definition digital projection made some scenes look brilliant and some look like “Doctor Who” (HINT: Anyone seeing this digitally projected should sit back far enough to avoid seeing pixelation).An LA newspaper summed it up well by saying that Lucas is so determined to make everyone know that everything in his movies is fake, to the point where we have nothing left to wrap our arms around.
Alright, this review has been particularly rambling, there’s just so much to cover concerning this flick. If I missed anything, please let me hear about it, and we’ll talk.
As Yoda said at the end of this film, “Begun, this Clone War has.” So, I’m looking forward to “Star Wars: Episode III - Attack of the Clones”.
ABOUT A BOY (***) - This coming of thirty-something comedy succeeds entirely because of the appeal of it’s lead. Hugh Grant has grasped ahold of his age, and looks more mature than ever, which is in great contrast, of course, to his character’s mentality. He plays a guy who does nothing for a living, and is therefore bereft of responsibility. But responsibility forces it’s way into his life in the form of his choice to start dating single mothers. Suddenly women and their children become significant parts of his slacker lifestyle. Grant handles all of this baggage with the whimsy and charm he brings to all his characters. What’s missing is the stammering (which is usually good, think “Notting Hill”) and the mugging (which is always bad, think “Nine Months”). “About a Boy” is based on a Nick Hornby novel. Hornby also wrote “High Fidelity”, which was turned into the John Cusack movie set in Chicago. “Boy” keeps its roots in England, and it fares better for it. The manners and culture there suit Grant and he’s wonderfully comfortable in this role. Grant’s character becomes a mentor/babysitter for a schoolkid who’s facing the nerd label at school. The boy is well played and their relationship is real and comical at the same time. The ending of the film is just right, when it had the potential to go in many different directions. Toni Collette, although looking like hell, is once again strong as the mother with an oddball kid (as she was in “The Sixth Sense”). The plot begins, moves and ends with precise neatness, nary a scene out of place. But the beginning and ending of “About A Boy”’s appeal lies with it’s star.
THE SUM OF ALL FEARS (***) - This could waver between **1/2 and ***, but I rounded up due to the impressive supporting cast in this film. “The Sum of all Fears” is about a lone nut stirring up hatred between two superpowers in the political scene (sound familiar?). Obviously, the idea of a lone terrorist, as opposed to a great nation, starting a world war is hauntingly familiar. This will be good for marketing, and downright creepy for the audience. “Fears” is based on a Tom Clancy novel furthering the adventures of Jack Ryan, played in “The Hunt for Red October” by Alec Baldwin and in “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger” (still the best in the series) by Harrison Ford. Now Ben Affleck picks up the part, and Ryan is no longer a strong-willed family man, but a eager political science geek. The change isn’t all that jarring, as each Ryan movie stood on it’s own. Affleck, however, I believe is the least effective of the three actors to try on Ryan’s badge. That’s not to say he’s bad, but some lines longed for Ford’s delivery. Affleck is lucky to have a superior supporting cast moving the story along, including Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Ron Rifkin, and Liev Schrieber. Schrieber is particularly good as Clark, the role Willem Dafoe played in “Clear and Present Danger”. Clark is so good at his job Clancy wrote a few novels based on his exploits. Clark’s experience and Ryan’s desk-job naivete come together to great results. The story is sprawling, causing director Phil Alden Robinson (“Field of Dreams”) to cut from Russia to the U.S. to Israel to Air Force One to France and back again. But he moves cleanly, never letting the plot get away from him. I was never confused, in fact, I was always in suspense as to what political move would be taken next. A summer movie with this many adults discussing weighty ideas seems out of place in what I’m sure Paramount hopes will be a summer blockbuster, but it’s also refreshing. I’M GOING TO MENTION A PLOT POINT OF THIS MOVIE - The terrorist explodes a nuclear bomb on American soil in an attempt to bring the superpower nations to arms against each other. The main fault I have with the film is its treatment of the world, post-explosion. Naturally, there are a number of things to be dealt with in terms of radiation and security. These things are blown over rather quickly, with Jack Ryan having a picnic outside the White House lawn after an arms deal is signed. It’s just tough to move along after you kill hundreds and thousands of people. I felt the same way about “Independence Day”. When you off that many people, you gotta deal with it. But there’s certainly no lack of visual power when it comes to the mushroom cloud towering over American soil. I thought it was a hardcore move to detonate a nuke in ANY story, let alone one released after 9/11. The movie’s got balls and suspense and Morgan Freeman. That’s enough to get me to go.
CHERISH (**1/2) - I knew this much going in: Robin Tunney is hot. I know this much now: Robin Tunney is hot. Good news is, she can also carry a picture. Tunney appeared in such middle-ground fare as “The Craft” and “End of Days”, but is quite a presence when put in the lead of her own film. She plays a quiet animator who, through a series of bizarre circumstances, becomes confined to her house, there, naturally, to have a self-actualization. Timothy Blake Nelson plays a police deputy assigned to her, and he is excellent, adding a doofy adherance to police policy effortlessly alongside a doofy crush on Robin Tunney’s character. The film isn’t sure if it wants to be a light tale about a decent girl who’s wrongly accused of a crime, or a harsh stalker tale, but both ended up being involving plot lines, with authentic suspense and oddball comedy. This is a low-budge picture that debuted at Sundance this year, and occasionally it’s low budget fabric shows. Some of the acting by some supporting characters is mediocre at best, and the ending is good, but the way Tunney’s character got there seems a bit rushed and thin. The money seems to have been spent on a kick-ass soundtrack full of ‘80s hits! The songs compliment most scenes they show up in. Overall, I was surprised at how engaged in the story I was, seeing as how I knew nothing about it going in. It certainly has two traits most independent movies desire - it’s original and quirky. And I’ve had Hall & Oates in my head all week.
And, quickly, here are two spring flicks that got away and I’ve just finally had the chance to see this week:
ICE AGE (*1/2) - Unfortunately for all computer animated movies that come out, the bar for feature-length films was set pretty high with “Toy Story 2”. “Ice Age”’s animation fall’s way short of what Pixar or PDI have achieved. Unfortunately, this movie conjures up little of the humor and pathos that made “Monsters, Inc.” and “Shrek” so great, too. Many, many of the jokes fall flat, and the filmmakers almost seem aware of that, putting in a bunch of slapstick when it seems they have nothing else. I was quite disappointed.
WE WERE SOLDIERS (**) - I love Mel Gibson, and certainly wanted more from this war epic than what I got. This film details the first U.S. engagement with Vietnamese troops in the 1960s. I left with an interest in what led up to the war, causing these otherwise decent men to have to kill, and not much else. For the record, I taped “Path to War” on HBO, with Michael Gambon and Alec Baldwin, which is supposed to be good, and it’s about that very thing. But “We Were Soldiers” has loads of battle action. It’s a DAMNED bloody movie, but it suffers from the same thing “Black Hawk Down” did - alot of the soldiers who die really don’t have distinguishable characteristics. This may be the point, but it also makes me care less.
(BANG!)
“Hernandez!”
Oh, so Hernandez is dead...who was he?
He wasn’t Gibson, Barry Pepper or Chris Klein, so I wasn’t sure. Speaking of Barry Pepper, he plays a war journalist and there’s a HORRIBLE montage of his photos, mixed with “dramatic” shots of him taking the photos. It’s awful. You have to see it to know what I mean, but you’ll know it’s awful. Gibson probably should’ve just directed this film. I like when he has some sort of personal vendetta, that makes all his movies fun - think “Braveheart”, “Lethal Weapon”, “The Patriot”, “Payback”. Here, he’s a colonel, bound to the law of the Army. I wished he’d fly off the handle, though, and go Riggs on ‘em.