The King Of Kong – A Fistful [...]]]> It’s been a while since I’ve done any movie reviews.  Hell it’s been a while since I’ve done any posting at all, but that’s another story.  Since my last review, I’ve seen a couple of movies and I figured I’d put them in one nice little post.  Enjoy!

The King Of Kong – A Fistful Of Quarters
I actually saw this a while ago and just never got around to writing a post about it (damn real life getting in the way).  This is a 2007 documentary that tells the story of two men (Steve Wiebe and Billy Mitchell) attempting to break the world record for Donkey Kong.  That’s right… Donkey Kong.  The story portrays Wiebe as the “good guy” going after the “bad guy” Mitchell’s record.  I’ve played quite a few video games in my days and watching this was absolutely awesome.  If you’ve ever played Donkey Kong and remember how damn difficult that game can be you owe it to yourself to check this one out.  Regardless of if you think gaming is a legitimate activity you can’t deny how much work goes in to being a great DK player.   Check this one out.  You won’t be disappointed.

Live Free Or Die Hard
This is a great little action movie.  Unfortunately it’s not really a Die Hard movie.  Sure it’s got John McLane in it, but that’s about where the comparisons to the original trilogy end.  I guess I feel the same way about this one as I did with the remade Friday the 13th – it was a good horror movie, just not a Friday movie.  This time around, McClane is dealing with a group of virtual terrorists who have managed to “take down the grid” so to speak.  Conceptually this is actually pretty damn cool, especially if you’re a techno geek like me.  As with the other Die Hard flicks you really need to suspend disbelief when you start watching this (McClane takes out a helicopter with a truck… don’t ask) but once you get past that stuff it’s really quit enjoyable.  Bruce Willis gives a fine performance as do Justin Long (the Mac guy from the Mac/PC commercials) and Timothy Olyphant (of Deadwood and Hitman fame).  The cast is rounded out nicely with some folks that you may or may not have heard of complete with a small part by one of my favs Kevin Smith.  Go into this understanding what it is (a popcorn movie) and what it really isn’t (a Die Hard movie) and you’ll have a good time.

Avatar
Going into this flick I figured any movie that had made a BILLION dollars and was like 10 years in the making had to be good.  Unfortunately I was wrong.  Let me start out by saying that this movie looked absolutely AMAZING.  I was lucky enough to see it in IMAX 3D and I can say beyond a shadow of a doubt that 10 years from now when we look back and what 3D technology has become, we’re going to point to this movie as the one that started it all.  I’ve got to give James Cameron huge props at having a vision and seeing it to fruition.  As for his story telling ability it left quite a bit to be desired.  The best way I can describe this is Dances With Wolves meets The Matrix.  If that seems like a weird mix of plots, it’s cause it is.  I actually fell asleep during the first 30 minutes or so and didn’t miss a damn thing story line wise.  If you can still catch this one in a theater in 3D then I’d recommend you do so simply so you can see the beauty that’s on screen, but if you’ve missed it and your only opportunity is on DVD then it’s a definite pass.

Hot Tub Time Machine
Had a chance to see this when Pip was in town.  Being a child of the 80′s I was interested to see how they’d handle that decade and I’m happy to say that they nailed it (at least in my memory).  This certainly isn’t a “good” movie by any stretch of the imagination, but I have to tell you that I chuckled the whole way through.  The cast that I thought would be suspect works really well together.  John Cusak in probably my favorite roll since Gross Pointe Blank plays the lead, Craig Robinson (of The Office fame), Clark Duke (Kick Ass) and Rob Corddry in a show stealing performance as Lou round out the cast nicely.  In addition, there are some great 80′s cameos (William Zabka… if you’re a kid of the 80′s and you don’t know that name shame on you), Chevy Chase and Crispin Glover.  All of this PLUS, if you’re a Cleveland Browns fan and “The Drive” still bothers you… well, I’ll just say you need to check it out.

Kick Ass
I’ll get the pun out of the way… Kick Ass kicks ass!!!  Being a comic geek I’m always somewhat worried when these things come to the big screen (though there have been some damn good comic movies in the last couple of years.  I was not familiar with this story going into it and boy was I blown away.  This is an edgy and dark story about a normal guy that decides to be a superhero.  No special powers, no utility belt… just a desire to do something that other people won’t.  He learns along the way that he’s not the only person who’s had this idea and meets up with Big Daddy (Nicolas Cage) and his daughter Hit-Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz).  While this is a comic book film, it’s in the same style as the darker comic flicks we’ve been given lately – Dark Knight, Sin City, etc.  This is a very violent movie and definitely not for kids but as an adult DAMN was it a good time!

For those that don’t know, [...]]]> It’s summertime and that means blockbuster movies of the week!  Last night at midnight, the sequel to Michael Bay’s Transformers hit the big screen.  Already this morning the movie is being absolutely slammed in reviews.  It’s being called slow, plodding, etc.  And I can’t wait to see it!

For those that don’t know, The Transformers are robots that morph (transform) into vehicles and other objects to blend in to their surroundings.  The property first came to us in the mid 80′s as a cartoon and has since spawned three (as of last night) theatrical releases, comic books, toys and and episodic television show.  I’m a child of the 80′s.  I lived for the Transformers.  It was my favorite show to rush home from school to watch.  I had the toys, I went to the movies, I pretended to be my favorite characters.  That’s why I’m going to this movie… cause I have great memories of this franchise and Michael Bay knows it.

The first movie had its flaws for sure.  I couldn’t tell what was going on when robots were fighting other robots.  The human dialog was kind of sappy.  I wasn’t a big fan of the hand held camera views.  But you know what?  I loved it!  I loved the fact that these robots from my childhood were being brought to life on the screen.  I loved the fact that Megan Fox is in there (just cause I think she’s completely beautiful).  I loved the fact that it didn’t try to be anything but what it was – a balls to the wall action movie.  Many of the reviews of Revenge Of The Fallen that I’m reading are bitching about those same things.  If I could get past them in the first film I’m sure I’ll be able to get past them in the second.

Transformers isn’t the only 80′s franchise that’s going to get my money this summer.  G.I. Joe is getting a big screen treatment of its own later this summer.  I’ve been excited about seeing a live action G.I. Joe flick for years and ever since the first trailer showed up during the Super Bowl this year I’ve been counting down the days.

Unfortunately the early reviews of G.I. Joe – The Rise Of Cobra have not been good.  Reports of the worst test screening in the history of the studio, fired directors, rewritten scripts, etc. have been circulating for a while now.  All I can tell you is this: the trailer was awesome and I’ll be there when this one hits the theaters.  G.I. Joe (like The Transformers) defined who I was when I was growing up in the mid 80′s.  I remember going to the theater to see the original G.I. Joe movie and wondering what the hell Cobra-La was.

These movies get made for one reason: Money.  The movie houses KNOW that there are folks out there like me that will flock to the flicks no matter what kind of garbage is put to screen.  Throw in a couple of toy lines to hook the younger kids and you’ve got yourself a billion dollar property.

This geek simply can’t wait.  Autobots… roll out!  Yo JOE!!!

It seems that Hollywood is all about the comic book movie these days.  Just this year alone we’ve been given Watchmen and X-Men Origins: Wolverine.  Unfortunately I haven’t had the opportunity to see either of these yet but I definitely will.  That said, here’s a list of my favorite comic book movies!

1. The Crow (1994) – My favorite comic movie of all time.  So dark…  So creepy and it was relatively true to the book.  Rest in peace Brandon Lee.  You were on the cusp of greatness.
2. X2: X-Men United (2003) – the intro scene alone was awesome but when you throw in the “storming of the castle” scene this is comic book genius.  I have yet to see the newest Wolverine movie but from what I’m hearing I doubt it’s going to be on this list and certainly not this high.
3. Batman (1989) – Staring Michael Keaton (Batman/Bruce Wayne), Jack Nicholson (The Joker), Kim Basinger, Robert Wuhl and Jack Palance, Batman was the first big comic book movie in years and was the first film treatment of the character since 1966′s Batman: The Movie.  The hype for this movie was absolutely incredible and the flick certainly didn’t disappoint.
4. Superman (1978) – By far my favorite “origin” movie and aside from the whole “spin the Earth to turn back time” shit a nearly flawless flick in my book.  To this day Christopher Reeve IS this character.  His portrayal of the icon was superb.
5. The Dark Knight (2008) – aside from the damn voice that Christian Bale does when he’s suited up he’s an outstanding Batman.  I think he’s definitely the best I’ve ever seen at playing the “playboy” that is Bruce Wayne.   Heath Ledger was absolutely incredible in his portrayal as the Joker.  He brought an “edge” that Nicholson didn’t have.  Full review here.

Honorable Mentions:

• The Punisher (2004) – Thomas Jane played this role very well I thought. Travolta completely overacted a non-comic character but in the end I enjoyed that character as well.
• Spider-Man 2 (2004) – When I first saw this I thought it was hands down the best comic movie I’d ever seen. I recently re-watched it and found quite a few flaws that I’d missed but it’s still damn good.  The fight between Doc Oc and Spidey is one of the best put to film.  Full review here.
• Iron Man (2008) & Watchmen (2009) – I have yet to see these flicks.  If what I’ve heard is true they’ll most likely make their way into the top 5.

Written by [...]]]> Origin movies are generally pretty dry.  They have to tell the back story of the character to make sure that everyone is up to speed.  This movie suffers a little bit from that but it’s one of the best first installments of a comic book character that we’ve had in a long time.

Written by comic legend Stan Lee and directed by Sam Raimi, Spider-Man tells the story of Peter Parker (played perfectly by Tobey Maguire).  Parker is a teenager coming of age who happens to be bitten by a radioactive spider on a school field trip.  After that fateful day, the story follows Peter’s transformation from a bumbling, awkward teen into Spider-Man: a vigilante crime fighter who’s out to save the world from evil.

The main villain is a Spider-Man staple: Green Goblin / Norman Osborn played to near perfection by Willem Dafoe.  Dafoe’s performance is outstanding… his voice is great for the role and he shows off the intellect that makes the Goblin more than just a super-powerful bad guy.

Every great hero needs to have a love interest.  Here it’s a character named Mary Jane Watson played by Kirsten Dunst.  There’s not a whole lot to the performance here.  She looks good and does a decent job in the role.  The relationship between Peter and Mary is quite a bit different in the movie than it was in the comics but you’ve got to expect some of that when a book is transferred to the big screen.  The one great moment in the film that contains Watson is the one that has been shown over and over in clips… Spider-Man has just saved Mary Jane from a group of thugs and hangs upside down in an alley and they kiss.  Sounds stupid but it’s pretty intense on screen.

A couple of other characters that need to be mentioned:

• James Franco as Harry Osborn – Harry is the son of Green Goblin / Norman Osborn who is Peter Parker’s best friend and boyfriend of Mary Jane Watson.
• Rosemary Harris as Aunt May Parker – I’m not a big fan of this character in the Spider-Man universe but Ms. Harris does a very admirable job with her.
• Cliff Robertson as Uncle Ben Parker – delivers a recurring line in the series, “With great power comes great responsibility.”  Unfortunately at the time its delivered it has nothing to do with Peter being Spider-Man.
• J.K. Simmons as J. Jonah Jameson – the editor-in-chief at the Daily Bugle where Peter works as a freelance photographer.  He delivers some of the best lines of dialog in the entire movie.
• Randy “Macho Man” Savage as Bone Saw McGraw – Randy plays a professional wrestler.  Not too much of a stretch but cool to see him regardless.

A COUPLE OF COOL THINGS:

I’m a big comic book fan and even a bigger fan of comic book movies.  The key to a good (I.E. financially successful) comic book movie is to have enough content in there for the comic book geeks out there but not too much that you alienate the non-comic fans.  Two super cool references make it in here:

1. Stan The Man – Stan Lee makes an appearance in just about every Marvel based movie.  You can see him here in the fair scene where the Green Goblin blows up town.
2. Eddie Brock reference – in what seems like a throwaway line of dialog someone at the Bugle makes a reference to how “Eddie” has been trying to get a good shot of Spider-Man for weeks.  This is an obvious reference to Eddie Brock who will show up in Spider-Man 3 as Venom.
3. I think just about everyone on the planet knew that a sequel to this was coming.  The way they set it up was very nice… at the very end of the flick Mary Jane kisses Peter and at the last moment before the camera pans away from her she gets a look of recognition when she realizes that the man she just kissed is in fact Spider-Man.  This isn’t addressed at all in this film which leaves things open for the next installment.

A COUPLE OF “SCRATCH YOUR HEAD” THINGS:

This movie certainly wasn’t without its faults.  It’s far from perfect even for a comic movie.

1. Aunt May delivers the following line when she’s talking to Peter: “You do too much – college, a job, all this time with me… You’re not Superman, you know.”  At first this is a “ha ha” moment until you think about it for a second.  Spider-Man is a Marvel character.  Superman is a DC character.  Not a huge deal for non-comic fans but one of those things that rubs THIS comic geek the wrong way.
2. There’s a scene in the movie where Spider-Man saves a small child from a burning building.  At first glance there’s nothing out of place here… until you realize that the mother of the child is OUTSIDE THE BUILDING screaming for Spider-Man to save her baby.  Um, huh?  As a parent I can guarantee that I’m never leaving the house without my kids… especially a newborn.  Just kind of takes you out of the scene.
3. I made reference earlier to Willem Dafoe’s near perfect portrayal of the Goblin.  The one big bitch I’ve got about that character isn’t even his fault… he looked like a mix between a Power Ranger and a Voltron character.  Absolutely terrible outfit.

RECOMMENDATION:

Origin movies tend to be slow because they have to set up a ton of back story.  Luckily Spider-Man’s back story is pretty simple… it’s a dude that gets bit by a spider.  There’s plenty of action here for the non-comic fan and the story is true enough to the original that the comic geeks will be satisfied.  It’s a good beginning to a worthy franchise.  If you haven’t seen it yet I’d urge you to do so.